[No Easter Bunnies were harmed in the writing of this update] [...but there might be a hollowed-out bunny-human ribcage or two in the latest scene I wrote for “The Animal in Man.” No joke… Happy Easter.]
Good day, animals. **
Just a quick update to let all The Animal in Man’s followers know that its author is still alive and semi-well (wife just passed her flu to me, I suspect). Some of you have messaged me directly, wondering when the book will be released. Well, I cannot say for certain, and I hesitate to confirm anything, but by my best guesstimate you will have the completed story at your fingertips no sooner than late-2016. (In the meantime, there are PLENTY of other books on inkshares to blow your mind!) I might have mentioned this in a previous update… when I got back into writing it, I revitalized my outline and discovered that this story is much more massive than I realized.
“Why not cut it into a trilogy then, Joe?” Good question! The reason I won’t do so is because it’s ONE complete story, an epic adventure that ramps up quickly and never slows down, start to finish, all within about two week’s time (I think). It is, however, diced up into three parts… Maybe three and a half.
Some of the characters you’ll meet along the way, besides our heroic and cunning fox Maxan, include:
And more… I promise this is not going to be a cutesy tale of anthropomorphic, cuddly snugglemongers. No. It’s a tale about killers. Because in case we’ve forgotten… Animals are killers.
Are we any better?
Peace to you and yours this holiday.
** (My mom was wondering why I’m calling her an animal with every update... Kind of awkward... When I call you animals, please know that I do so with the utmost endearment, and remember that the question of whether or not mankind is any better than animal-kind is one of the central questions driving the story. Animals are also capable of love, I believe, and I do so love each and every one of you.Thank you for your support and attention.
:) :) :)
Many of you have seen the great Blood Dawn fan video (if you haven’t, click here to watch it now – it’s amazing!). In this video, several Inkshares authors talk about what they love about Blood Dawn.
However, the fan video is short. In order to build excitement, Cara Weston and her husband, Alex, brilliantly picked pieces of longer videos made by each of these authors. I wanted to take a quick moment today to share links to where you can find the other videos in their full form:
Craig Munro, author of The Bones of the Past and a winner of the second Sword & Laser Contest, talks about how excited he is about the new epic fantasy world of Blood Dawn. I’m indebted to Craig for initiating the push to get Blood Dawn fully funded at 750 copies and for his ongoing support.
Matthew Sobin, author of The Last Machine in the Solar System and another winner of the second Sword & Laser Contest, recommends in his video that you buy two copies of the new epic fantasy, Blood Dawn. Here’s a couple reasons why:
#1 - You’re going to wear out the first copy from over reading it again and again and will later on have to put it in a plastic bag on your shelf.
#2 - After finishing with number one you’ll be happy twenty years down the road that you bought that second copy when it’s a collector’s item.
Michael Sebby, author of The Inhabitants: An Unremembered Life, focuses on me as a leader in the Inkshares community and what he loves about Blood Dawn – the idea of a world where art is taken away from us is thought provoking to imagine; how I immerse myself into my characters and their stories, putting so much heart and care to make the world so rich with wonder. He also talks about my maps and calls them “Tolkein quality”, which is absolutely flattering!
Joseph Asphahani, author of The Animal in Man, also shares why he’s excited about Blood Dawn in his video. One thing I found particularly moving about Joe’s video is his comment on how I can breathe life into a world and move the story forward all in a single sentence.
Tyler Sparrow, a beta reader for Blood Dawn, mentions the mysterious and rich settings in Blood Dawn, calling it a character driven story with similar plotting to "Game of Thrones". Tyler has been so helpful in his feedback on Blood Dawn -- so be sure to watch his video to get the take of a die hard epic fantasy fan on what Blood Dawn is like to read.
Finally, Paul Inman, author of Ageless, talks about why he fell in love with the Blood Dawn. Paul’s book is coming out in a matter of days (you can help him get more exposure by voting on it here), and I’ve been grateful to Paul for his support and enthusiasm for Blood Dawn right from the day he surprised me with an email where he’d recorded the opening Rena chapter.
I hope you enjoy these videos, and please, if you haven’t already, order a copy of Blood Dawn now to help us toward the 750 pre-order funding goal.
Don’t forget: you can pledge your pre-order to one of our dragons or houses for the game. Please email me: johnrobinrt@gmail.com if you’d like to do that with your order (otherwise, all unpledged pre-orders will go in a special pool for the game’s surprise twist.)
Happy Saturday!
I know it’s been a while since I’ve sent an update, and I hope most of you are out enjoying the beautiful spring weather.
I wanted to let everyone know that a final cover has been decided on, and is being finalized before I can release it for you all to see! Developmental editing is complete, and I’m halfway through my copyedits right now. If you visit Welcome to Deadland’s Inkshares page you can see the production schedule off to the righthand side that keeps you up to date with where we are in the process.
Although WtD isn’t 100% complete yet, while it’s been with the editors I’ve been able to get to work on the sequel. I have a rough outline, and roughly 10,000 words down. The story takes off like a bullet and I’m really excited with how it’s opening and where it’s going, and once you all finish Welcome to Deadland you can rest assured that the momentum won’t be slowing down.
Have a great weekend, thank you all for your support, and the next time you hear from me it’ll be with the finalized cover!
-Zac
Well, here we are: 72 hours left to FEYSIDE’s crowdfunding run. Because of the many of you who have shown such generous support for the project, its inclusion in Inkshares’ Quill publishing line is a foregone conclusion - thank you, truly.
Nevertheless, there is something to be said for finishing strong. If any of you followers have been eyeing this book as a possible purchase, now would be an ideal time to place a preorder. If you have friends or relatives you think might enjoy the story, this is , for now, your last opportunity to steer them to it or make a gift of it for them. And if you’re suddenly seized by the impulse to contribute to the cause of indie fiction and world peace (through flights of fancy, admittedly indirectly) then I likewise welcome your last-minute contribution!
FEYSIDE... it all awaits you at the click of a mouse, at the following link:
https://www.inkshares.com/projects/feyside?referral_code=50f74721
P.S. to my fellow Inkshares authors... I am happy as ever to exchange preorders, my work for yours. Contact me via the usual means or just go ahead and order - I will happily and immediately reciprocate!
THANK YOU so much for supporting Pilot X. We are halfway to the first milestone, the "Quill" goal that gets it published! I can’t believe it’s only been a week.
To celebrate the halfway mark, I’ve added a second sample chapter. This is the opening chapter of the book. It’s called Prologue 1 because the first few chapters set you up to tell X’s story, although they take place at the end of his adventures. It’s all part of the time travel fun!
Anyway hope you enjoy it and let me know if you’re curious about other parts of the book! The first thing in the manuscript right now is a section on the three major races of the universe ripped from the Encyclopedia Alendia. Man the librarian was mad at me about that.
Thanks again!
Tom
Friends, it is Easter in the Western Church, and I hope everyone is having an excellent day. The weather up here is lovely, and it definitely looks like Spring out there.
It is also one week since we opened up for pre-orders! Some of you have already stepped up with your support, and I am grateful for it. I do confess to moments--no, hours--of crippling self-doubt. And some of you may already be aware of this, but I’m promising to donate $1 for each pre-order beyond the first 250 to a local women’s shelter. I have plans to add other charities at the 450 and 600 levels, but it may be a little early to think of that right now.
Now, let’s talk about some of the other books out there.
First off: Sync City, by Peter Ryan. This story has a really excellent narrative voice: Ryan’s hero is earthy, a little salty, and self-assured enough to make his toughness believable. That voice is going to grab you and take you for a ride, believe me.
A couple of hidden gems: Vendetta in Valletta, by MT-B, and Samba: Princess of Thieves, by Kevin Smith. Please take a look at them. They’ve somehow managed to slip under everybody’s radar, and I’d like to correct that.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: The Amaranth Chronicles, by Alexander Barnes and Christopher Preiman. I do not understand why this hasn’t already hit the 750 mark: to my mind, it’s got sci-fi geek bestseller written all over it.
Of course, there’ The Traveller’s Cup, by A.C. Baldwin. Enough has been said about the space dragons (maybe too much has been said) but, as Alex Barnes notes in his review, the interesting thing about the story is the fact we have an aristocratic hero being forced to work in isolation with the underclass ... never mind the worldbuilding; I suspect we may have some very interesting social commentary on the side.
And I’d still like to see A God in the Shed, by JF Dubeau, reach its 750 pre-order full funding. Seriously, I think this will be better than Dubeau’s first book.
That’s the news for now. I’m still looking at books here, so this catalogue is far from complete. Until next week, dear friends.
Greetings Earthlings!
1. Do you believe in this project?
2. Are you one of the 14 Followers who have recommended it?
If you answered Yes to Question One and NO on Question two, then . . .
Please consider recommending it here on Inkshares and on your social media pages.
Thank you for any consideration you may give to this request!
Kind regards,
Mykl & Rich
p.s. The June 4 deadline will come sooner than you think - so if you are serious about this, we suggest you get cracking on those entries!