We’ve reached another landmark, at last. Late last night, Tantalus Depths finally reached and passed 500 pre-orders. That’s right: we are now three fourths of the way to the full-publishing goal.

We are now entering the final month of the campaign. As of right now, we have to bring in 247 more pre-orders within the next 29 days. It won’t be easy. We’re right about where we should be, but there’s still a whole lot more work to be done. If you’ve been holding out so far, now is the time to throw in your pre-order, or to bring your friends and families into the picture for their support.
Also, even though the 500th order technically came after midnight, I’m still going to go ahead and put up chapter one and the video of my reading it, like I promised we’d do if Tantalus Depths hit 500 on the 16th. Expect those sometime tomorrow, along with our usual character update. :)
Keep pushing everyone! We’re almost home.
I’ve got a quick update this week for everyone. First news of important dates:
Besides dates and places to meet up! What would an update of mine be without pictures?! I bring you the final cover illustration for the Front Cover!

WELCOME TO EARTH, EXILE!
A long time ago the planet Earth, birthplace of the human race, was a beautiful green and blue jewel of a world…the centerpiece of the Sol system! It had sprawling cities with towering skyscrapers, jungles, deserts, rainforests, tundras, oceans, rivers, lakes and a population that numbered in the several billions!
However, that was before the Cleansing deemed the world fit for destruction and the atmosphere was scorched and made unbreathable. Clouds of dust and ash now block the once nourishing rays of the sun, the soil has become contaminated and every living thing that was not relocated to Avalon is now long dead. Once the centerpiece of the system, it is now the one world everyone wants to avoid. It is a barren wasteland of outcasts, criminals, and exiles just like you!
That’s the good news! Earth salvage is one of the most valuable commodities in the system, prized by collectors and scientists from Avalon all the way to Pluto! Objects that were once part of everyday human life are now highly sought-after artifacts of immense value. You will become an indentured scavenger, braving the harsh wasteland in search of treasures worth more than you can imagine. And if you’re lucky, after say, your tenth expedition, you may even be eligible to get a small percentage of the profits! What better incentive to survive this poison landscape than the possibility of earning your own meager pay!
Being an Earth scavenger is not a “success overnight” path. In most cases, it’s not even a “success over several months” deal. But, with the proper training, equipment, and support, anyone can succeed as a scavenger! Sometimes, we even have one or all of those things available to new recruits such as yourself!
Besides the toxic atmosphere and crumbling landscape, what other dangers can you expect to find in the wastelands of Earth? Well, there are mutants, twisted by long-term exposure to the poison air and radiation. “Freelance” scavengers, otherwise known as “bandits” roam the wastelands, some of which have even taken up cannibalism. The once towering skyscrapers are now decaying safety hazards and there are sinkholes, quicksand, dust storms and probably more nightmares than anyone could ever possibly bear. For others, that might spell an immediate “no way, I’m not going anywhere near there”. But, for you exile, it spells adventure.
(Also, you’ve been legally bound to indentured servitude, so it’s not like you have a choice anyway.)
So, go out there and fetch yourself a fortune or at least a fraction of one while you toil away under the moderately brutish leadership of a master scavenger. One day, he may even release you from indentured servitude and you can become a “free” scavenger. That’s right, you too can be your own boss and the entire, muddy, destroyed expanse of a once beautiful planet can be your office!
On the other hand, if you die, please know that we will make every effort to make sure your carcass doesn’t get stolen by cannibals to be used as bait to trap other scavengers with better survival skills than you.
Enjoy your stay and happy hunting!
-Welcome brochure for Earth exiles, produced by Axis Earth Salvage, Inc.
Two women are about to brave the wasteland that used to be the planet Earth to uncover a plot to destory the utopian society of Avalon. One is a hardened spy, the other is a scientist from another time.
Want to find out what happens next? Pre-order now!
Hey! Happy Friday! Wasn’t going to post until the book was in your hands, but there may be a very short delay in the production schedule so just to let you know delivery date should be by August 1 latest on physical books. It will be earlier than that for those who ordered eBooks -- they should arrive on schedule for download. Stay tuned -- also because I’m working on a longer update where I thank profusely everybody involved in making Women Like Us a reality but I just don’t have that ready yet.
In the meantime, marketing efforts have kept me insanely busy. Looks like the book will be on shelves at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena, Book Soup in West Hollywood, and Skylight Books in Los Feliz. Hoping to get some more stores on board. The book will also appear on the book shelf of the blog Chicklit Central, and I’ve done a guest blog post for Fiction Dreams. Here are links to both blogs.
http://www.fictiondreams.com/2016/07/guest-post-by-jason-pomerance.html
http://www.chicklitcentral.com
It won’t show up on Chicklit Central until about November, but that’s no problem because the holidays are great for book buying. A third and possibly fourth guest blog post are in the works too, and there might even be more after that. Phew!!
That’s it for now. Sit tight -- books coming very soon. Of course once it’s out there, I’ll be asking everybody to go to the Amazon page for the book and leave a brief review and however many stars you feel you want to give (5 right?). The number of Amazon reviews is critical for boosting sales, but more on that later.
Hope you all every a terrific weekend, and Happy Reading!
Greetings Destiny -followers,
Well wasn’t that a wild ride!?
First of all, thanks to the whole giant bunch of you for your support over the last 6 weeks. So many people from so many different places rallied behind Destiny to bring it to life. You are very much a part of the fabric of this book! I’m going to thank you all personally when my head stops spinning.
And well done to TMC and the terrific crew of authors behind this excellent anthology. I look forward to diving into this one!
Also, congrats to In Beta. I didn’t get to know Prescott Harvey that well through the contest, but it would be awesome to do so in the tranquility that follows.
And finally, a huge congratulations to Are You Sure You Want to Quit? Alisa King never did quit and went on to achieve Quill level in 6 weeks - this is amazing! She is an author to support and look out for.
Thanks again everyone! I shall now go and find a bottle of beer ... Jack Trevayne finally has a drinking buddy.
Have a great day!
Cheers,
Peter
Hey everyone,
First off, let me just say THANK YOU to each and every one of you that have been following my project this whole time and/or pre-ordered a copy. I might not have won the contest, but I REACHED QUILL (yay!!!). I am going to be a published author and you’ll all get to read this story which is incredible to me!! I never imagined that this campaign would be as successful as it was and for that I am greatly humbled so thank you for making my dream come true.
I also want to say congratulations to the Inkvengers (Too Many Controllers), Prescott Harvey (In Beta), and Peter Ryan (Destiny Imperfect) for running excellent campaigns as well. If you haven’t yet go visit their page and pre-order a copy of their novels! Now that the contest is over I can relax and enjoy the other wonderful works on Inkshares.
Now if you’ll excuse me I’m going chill by the pool in this dreadful Texas heat. Until next time, cheers!!!!
-Alisa-chan