Another thrilling week has passed and it is time for an update! The Walls are Closing In is sitting at 229 orders, a mere 21 orders from the first milestone of Quill light-publication (250 orders), and above the ideal rate of funding for the full Inkshares contract (750 orders). Chug chug chug.

The book received a bit of spotlight on the Inkshares blog in a post by Elena Stofle, Operations Manager at Inkshares. Thank you, Elena!

"Castle’s tale about a walled United States is exciting, maddening, and full of hope. Two walls have been constructed at the northern and southern borders of the United States—with no way in or out. Patricia is a brave and intelligent heroine living between the border walls with a thirst for the truth about life before the Seclusion, and the future that could be had if the walls were to come down.

I have only read the chapters posted on Inkshares, but I am so excited to read more about this epic, futuristic tale that is so different and fresh in the sea of modern dystopian stories that are out there. "

The full post can be read here

Next weekend, February 16th through 20th, I will be attending the San Francisco Writer’s Conference. I am eager to dive into classes for both journalism and fiction writing, and network with other authors. There is one session that I am particularly looking forward to - Writing the Resistance: Authors as Activists and Agents of Change.

The Walls are Closing In has been nominated for three syndicates this month!

If you happen to be a member of Staff Syndicate, Break the Bechdel with Strong Female Characters Syndicate, or Rite of Passage Syndicate, and deem that The Walls are Closing In fits the bill, I would be eternally grateful for your vote. 

That is it for now. Thank you again for your support. Until next week!

The Walls are Closing In has received 200 preorders within the first three weeks. Thank you, thank you, thank you! And one more for good measure. Thank you!

First things first. I owe all of you a couple of things for helping me cross the 100 reader and the 200 order thresholds!

Using a random number generator and a spreadsheet of my first 100 readers, I have selected two winners to either have a minor character named after them or select the name for that character.

The winners are Robert Batten and K.L. Noon.

Congrats! Let me know what you would like to name your character!

As promised, I have also uploaded a mid-book excerpt to commemorate reaching 200 preorders. Experience Patricia and Rexx’s first steps into Zone 36, a town sealed off due to fracking-induced pollution and destruction, and meet my favorite character, Oliver.

The campaign, as it sits now, has a view of the full publishing contract with few obstacles in the way, but still has some hiking to do. If half of those who are following the book on Inkshares, but have not placed an order yet, order, then The Walls are Closing In will surpass the Quill light-publishing mark.

I have been working tirelessly to cross the Quill milestone early. It is important for a variety of reasons. It signifies that the book is happening! Though I am aiming for 750 preorders and a full publishing contract (think marketing, bookstore shelves, public book signing, cover design, and complete developmental edits), passing the Quill mark (think print-on-demand, ISBN, and Amazon listing) means that there will definitely be a book. Advanced promotion to reach outside of my already-tapped circle will then become much simpler, as those in the book-review world are understandably more willing to promote a sure-thing.

Thank you all again for rallying behind me and this book. A special thank you to both my grandfather Allen Ahearn and aunt Beth Fisher, of Quill and Brush, who shared The Walls are Closing In with their broad community of book lovers!

More milestone perks to come! At 300 orders I will release a new novel trailer with teasers.

-Jacqui

Dear Readers of ’Nowhere Else I Want to Be: A Memoir’:

If you’ve read the book and want to let other readers know about it, please consider posting a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or Barnes and Noble. It’s easy! I’ve provided links and instructions below.

AMAZON -- Go to the product detail page for the item on Amazon.com.

1. Click Write a customer review in the Customer Reviews section.
2. Click Submit.

             (* READ this article about writing an Amazon book review.)

GOODREADS -- (note, you must be a member) Go to the book’s page.

1. Underneath the book’s profile picture on the top left, rate the book using the stars.
   
2. The "want to read" button will automatically be replaced with a "write a review" link. Click that link.
   

BARNES AND NOBLE -- Go to the book’s page.

1. Sign in or create an account.
2. Click on "Rate this book"

Thank you, and have a great day,

Carol

WEBSITE          FORUM FOR GROWTH IN SERVICE

Campers,

Inkshares apologizes, but due to an unforeseen scheduling swap, Sunshine is Forever will now be released on August 29, 2017. All good things are worth waiting an extra fourteen days for...

Sorry about this, they promise that the date will not change again.

Kyle T. Cowan

Dear readers of Nowhere Else I Want to Be:

I’ve begun hearing from you about your reactions to my memoir. I’m grateful for comments that assure me you’re making a thoughtful read of material that, I know, can be challenging.

If you are like others who tell me the book is thought-provoking and that it made you check your assumptions, you may be interested in Exploring the Themes: two courses - one free, the other only $10 - in my new online school, Forum for Growth in Service.

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Click HERE for EXPLORING THE THEMES

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Here’s what you’ll find in these courses:

1. LECTURE VIDEOS on the four main themes of "Nowhere Else I Want to Be" -- transformation, race and diversity, dealing with addictions, and living with death and dying.
   
2. SUPPLEMENTARY RESOURCES such as links to relevant articles and suggestions for books to read, as well as downloadable, original documents in pdf format.
3. DISCUSSION AREA for sharing thoughts and ideas with fellow readers.
4. QUESTIONS for reflection, journaling and discussion.

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  Click HERE for EXPLORING THE THEMES

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I am still so very grateful for the support you gave to this book to get it into readers’ hands. Thank you, thank you.

Best wishes, Carol

WEBSITE          FORUM FOR GROWTH IN SERVICE