Howdy and happy Sunday! Just a quick update on Bane of All Things, as we count down toward that Nov. 16 release date.

A few weeks back, Fantasy Hive, a British e-zine for all things fantasy, graciously featured Tim Barber’s awesome cover design. We talked about how we arrived at this design, what it represents, and what it evokes about the story. Check it out here!

Meanwhile, the ARCs (advance reader copies in digital format) have been available for five weeks now on NetGalley. Scores of advance readers have requested the book and the reviews are slowly starting to roll in. I am glad to say the handful so far have been favourable. These reviews, most of which also post to Goodreads, are critical to draw fantasy fans to the book.

Bane of All Things also continues to populate bookseller websites around the world. It’s something else to see yourbook with your name on it searchable on the websites for booksellers from the U.K. and various other European countries, to Brazil, Singapore and Australia.

Lastly, I finished a few days ago my review of the final corrections by the proof-reader. Everything is well in hand for the final proof to head to the printer by the Aug. 6 deadline. It’s almost an actual real book!

And, very important: If you have print copies coming your way in November, please ensure you have an up-to-date mailing address on file with Inkshares. It’s been a while since you originally pre-ordered (the pre-order campaign ran from October 2018 to April 2019). You will need to log-in to the Inkshares account you created back then and check your details there.

Stay safe and keep reading!

Cheers

Leo

Hi! It’s just over a month away from launch! Eeeeeeeeee!

Inkshares has asked me to remind you all to update your addresses so that your books go to the right place. To do so, log into your Inkshares account and click on the little profile bubble on the top right side of the screen. There, you should see an option for "shipping address." Contact Inkshares support if you need any help!

I’m so excited that you’ll have books in hand soon!!! Thank you!

Hi friends!

Holy crap, y’all! I can officially say my first novel is coming out next month! So surreal and amazing. I cannot thank you enough for helping me get here.

I’ve been documenting the book launch process on YouTube, and if you don’t feel like watching the whole journey, you should at least watch me opening my box of print ARCs. Advanced Reader Copies go out to indie bookstores, reviewers, etc. to help build some excitement for the book. I didn’t cry, but I did get a little sappy, haha.

I’ve got a launch party planned for August 29 at the Frugal Frigate, an amazing indie bookstore here and I’ll be doing an Inlandia NaNoWriMo workshop and reading on October 7 for Riverside Arts Walk. Also planning some events for Chop Suey Bookstore in Richmond and Burdock Book Collective in Birmingham. If you can’t get to any of these, I’ll be doing some virtual events—one with Mesha Maren, author of Sugar Run and the upcoming Perpetual West, for Charis Books on September 3 and one with Alison Stine, author of Road Out of Winter and the upcoming Trashlands, for The Bureau of General Services-Queer Division on September 23 so mark your calendars! Mesha and Alison are both amazing queer Appalachian authors and I am so thrilled to get to speak with them! I’m also thinking of doing a virtual celebration on my actual launch day, August 24, so we can all say hi and maybe raise a glass together. Let me know if you’d be up for something like this!

Aside from book launch stuff, I’ve been working on my punk book, waiting patiently for the kiddos to be able to get their vaccines, and reading a ton. We’re trying to stay cool in the heat and not think about the fact that the world is handling global warming the same way it’s been handling covid and we’re probably all doomed. Anyway! Good thoughts! Books! Readings! Summer!

Thank you for everything,
Becca

Dear Henderson House supporters,

Yesterday, I emailed the manuscript of Henderson House to Inkshares. I reached the point where the book wasn’t going to get any better without a professional editor and it felt wonderful to set it free! Well, a little scary when I pressed send, but later it felt amazing:) 

What’s Next?

We have officially taken the next step toward publication! Now, it’s on Inkshares to find the right editor for the book. I don’t know how long that will take. Once the book has an editor, we will work to get the book print ready. That might mean minor changes, it might mean major rewrites - I won’t know until I get some feedback.

Thank you all for hanging in there with me on this journey. I will keep you posted as soon as there is any news. June was a difficult month. I loved the editing process, but it was draining, and I did not have much energy left for writing. Now that the book is out of my hands, I hope to dive into Book Two and get back into my writing groove.

I wanted to send an update on the status of Infodemic, one of three finalists in the 2020 Inkshares contest. I have now finished working on the manuscript with an outside editor, the talented and lovely Michele Abramowitz. 

As of Friday, I have passed the manuscript onto the Inkshares team and am awaiting the next steps. Thanks again to everyone who has preordered a copy of the novel or otherwise supported this book throughout 2020/2021.

In the meantime, do check out my email newsletter, where I will soon be sharing a non-fiction investigative story that I’m currently writing for Slate.

https://stephenharrison.substack.com/

All the best,
Stephen

Howdy! It’s with great pleasure and excitement that I reveal, at long last, the real cover for Bane of All Things!

But wait, there’s more!

As I have noted before, Bane of All Things is meant to be the first of four books. I have finally landed on a title for the series – A Silence of Worlds. (I will dig into the meaning behind that in a future update.)

Now, about this cover

It’s been a long time coming, this cover reveal – decades, even. I’ve had plenty of ideas over the years of what could be the cover for this story, drifting between a particular tense action scene, or some dramatic posing of my main characters.

When cover designer Tim Barber of Dissect Designs asked me about it a few months back, I sent him a pile of ideas and descriptions. He wanted to avoid the overused fantasy cover concepts that crowd the shelf. But still, it had to be true to the story.

Tim further brainstormed with Inkshares CEO Adam Gomolin and Deputy Publicity Manager Noah Broyles, who will be driving the book’s launch and who has, of course, read it.

“I was basically grilling Noah about what he would see if he was holding the book in his hands,” Tim told me. “He described rocks at the edge of water, a fortress/castle at the edge. Cold, but not snow. An unforgiving place. To me, this is how I pictured what he described. When I showed it to him his reaction was, ‘Yes, that’s it, that’s what I saw.’”

That scene is found in Chapter Three, where our two main characters, Ryn and Josalind, arrive at their destination – Dragon’s Claw Abbey. I asked Noah why he considered this particular image so powerful. 

It’s all about atmosphere

“The arrival at Dragon’s Claw Abbey was potent for me in terms of both the striking imagery and what it meant for the characters,” Noah said. “I imagine the reality of being a convict is no more vivid than when you first come in sight of your prison. This place is not only the end of the world as far as civilization is concerned, but also the end of the world for Ryn and Josalind. Or so they think.”

It’s a foggy morning in that scene, not a stormy night, but Tim’s fantastic design captures the scope and atmosphere of the story as a whole. There is a storm coming. What Ryn and Josalind don’t yet realize when they first set eyes on Dragon’s Claw is that it’s already begun.

What’s next?

The awesome Avalon Radys, Inkshares’ Director of Editorial and Publishing Operations, will start sending out ARCs – Advance Reader Copies. These go to reviewers and established authors to build advance buzz and net (hopefully) favourable reviews for Goodreads, Amazon and so on before Release Day. We also want to bag a strong quote from a known name in the fantasy genre to add to the cover.

I can’t wait until November when the final product will be in your hands! 

(P.S.: Noah has a novel of his own coming out in September, The House of Dust, a southern gothic horror described by one reviewer as being “full of nightmarish imagery wrapped in elegant prose.”)

Cheers

Leo

Hi friends!
I hope you’re following my weekly book launch videos over on YouTube! If you are, most of this will be familiar to you!

I reviewed the final proofread, which was pretty stressful. I’m glad it’s done, but it’s also pretty terrifying, knowing it’s finalized. The full cover spread is really amazing and I’m so excited for you to see it soon!

If you ordered 3 or more copies, but did so in separate orders, please let me know ASAP so I can make sure your name is on the Super Readers list in the back of the book. The list I have through the site only tells me the folks who ordered the 3 pack.

I’ve been busy reading, writing, playing banjo, and slowly inching out into the new world. Hope you’re all taking good care!

Becca