Aloha All,

I hope this Lost in the Fog update finds you all safe and well.  While our world has been upended by a dangerous and awful virus, I’m choosing to focus on whatever positive news I can get.  Thankfully, there is plenty if you seek it out. 

First off, the healthcare workers all over the world are such amazing heroes, and I cannot say enough thanks to all of those amazing humans. I think of that great quote from Mr. Rogers, who was told by his Mom when he saw scary things as a kid to “look for the helpers”.  There are so many incredible helpers right now saving lives and we need to salute them every day.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I also love that there are millions of people around the globe protesting and taking a stand against racism.  I wish the despicable things that propelled this movement never happened, and I pray for the family and friends of all of the victims.  But so wonderful that the world is changing because of this moment.   

After pondering all of this important stuff, I’m tempted to end this post here. 

But as this is an update for all the terrific people who pre-ordered my novel, I’ll quickly share some good news.   I just heard back from the amazing people at Inkshares (my publisher), and while they are not yet reopened because of the pandemic, they hope to do so soon.  

And I was informed Lost in the Fog will be released in August.

I’m so happy that the book you all graciously ordered long ago will finally be in your hands and e-reader devices very soon.  I hope you’ll find it fun, mysterious, entertaining, suspenseful, and well-written.  When I get a specific August release date, I’ll share it with you as soon as I know.   But for now, lets celebrate this positive news!  

Dearest Supporters,

I have not sent out an update via Inkshares for a long while, preferring instead to send newsletters and blog posts through my website, deborahmunroauthor.com, but some of you are not on those mailing lists, so hello! How have you been? I know we are living in challenging times, and I hope you’re getting the support and companionship you need. I am well, living in virus-free New Zealand, and finally done with lockdown. I am definitely feeling like I’m on a remote island in the South Pacific these days with the borders closed, no international travel allowed, and my daughters reaching important milestones without me present (graduation from a Master’s degree program, birthdays, new jobs, joint vacation plans, and more), but all is well, and I am safe. My daughters are safe, too, and we’ve found new ways to connect, including an online version of Pictionary which is quite fun.

My big news is that I took this period of time over lockdown to finish restructuring and editing my novel, APEX. It is now out with my beta readers for feedback and comments, and then it will be off to my amazing editor at Inkshares, Sarah Nivala. They will give the new, more exciting and action packed version of my book a read, and then hopefully bless it for me to incorporate minor edits and move onto the next phase of production! Who knew it would take over three years to get to this point? I certainly had no idea! It’s been a huge growth opportunity for me, especially in the management of frustration department. Creating a work of written art is way harder than I ever imagined.

I’d love to hear from all of you, so feel free to reply to this email or separately via dmunro@deborahmunroauthor.com and update me on your life, your latest project, or anything else.

Be well, Debbie

Every few weeks, someone will ask me “what ever happened with Young Donald?” or (passive-aggressively) “did your book come out and I totally missed it?” or (just aggressively) “can I get my $20 back?”

Well, like a lonely man sitting in an underground bunker waiting for the Secret Service to tell him it’s safe to come out, the Young Donald manuscript has been locked away (in the intense editorial process) for some time now, waiting for the right moment to emerge into the world. Very good progress is definitely being made and with some luck that moment is coming (soon-ish). But, it is still months away, I’m afraid.

In the meantime, please stay safe, feel hopeful and inspired by the world’s sudden focus on racism and social justice and find time to get outside and enjoy some masked recreation and/or protest. And, as always, I’m sure the Ukrainian hackers that control Young Donald’s twitter account would appreciate your support.

 Michael

 https://www.inkshares.com/books/young-donald

 https://twitter.com/novel_young

Hey everyone,

It’s been a minute since my last update so I hope you all are well and getting in some good reading time as we head into summer. I’m finishing up Suzanne Collins’s The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (a Hunger Games prequel that is way better and more engrossing than I was expecting) before moving on to John Grisham’s Camino Winds. With everything closed, what else can you do but read (and eat)? But there are worse things to spend time on, right?

I wanted to drop in and say that I had a great phone conversation with Adam (Inkshares CEO) this week. Despite the brutal beating that COVID is putting on indie authors, bookstores, and the publishing industry in general, Inkshares remains in good shape, which means that Showtime will continue to remain in development until its eventual publication.

“But when?” you’re no doubt saying, crossing your arms as you furrow your brow and twist your lips into a pout. “I ordered that book months ago!”

Okay, okay. Cool it, Patrice. You know your blood pressure gets high when you get excited. Let’s chat.

Up until now I’ve worked with Sarah on the developmental edits stage. Now, after two rounds of feedback and drafts, Showtime will be turned over to Adam to read the most recent draft. (For all you kids keeping count at home, this is the 3rd.) He’s got a couple manuscripts in the queue ahead of mine, but his goal is to get back to me with notes and feedback in 4-6 weeks. You can wait that long until another update, right? By then you’ll have prepared for the beginning of summer, eaten your Fourth of July hotdogs, and wished me a Happy Birthday (June 17th *cough, cough*).

A big source of my concern has been Showtime’s word count. Since Inkshares greenlit Showtime for publication, it ballooned from 109,000 to 127,000 before settling down to a more reasonable 118,000. It’s not a ridiculously high number for a suspense/thriller, but the general publishing world guideline is around 100-110k. The cause of the growing word count came from deepening the layers of my characters, so you can imagine my relief when Adam assuaged my concern by saying that he’s not worried about word count if the character work necessitates it. After all, if you care about a character and become invested in their story, you’re going to want to spend as much time with them as possible. Adam seemed to share my belief that characters dictate the word count, not the other way around.

So that’s where we stand with Showtime for now.

In related writing news (when do I have any other kind?), I recently finished the second draft of my third book, Monsters, which is currently in the hands of nine of the best beta readers in town. It’s lean, mean, and hopefully will scar a few people for life. With any luck, you’ll be seeing it in the future as well.

Thanks again for your continued support. I’ll be back with a new update when I have more news to share.

Ricky

Hello everyone!

Firstly, I want to say that I hope all of you are safe and well. This is truly an ever-changing situation in which we live in, and I know all of us are doing our best to navigate the murky waters. The purpose of this message is to update you on my progress with, RESURGENCE.

Before the pandemic, I didn’t have much time to work on my edits. Teaching required my full attention. What I didn’t expect is for the school shut down to do the same. While I may not have been teaching in the classroom, I was constantly grading, answering emails, checking in with students’ wellness, and packing up my classroom in preparation for the big move into our new middle school next year. With that being said, however, I do believe the delay was a gift from God. Here is why.

Our country is broken. No matter which side of the political spectrum you fall, no matter your opinion on how our country’s leaders have handled the pandemic, no matter your take on the riots sweeping the country after the horrific deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many others, millions of people are hurting. I have been given the opportunity to take all of this in and use RESURGENCE to bring a sense of unity back to this world and most importantly, inspire youth for generations. The characters in RESURGENCE will bring to life the emotional struggle we are all facing and hopefully inspire people to create an inviting world for all, regardless of who you are or where you come from. 

The beginning of a book is always the toughest to write. Especially when it comes to science fiction. I have to find the perfect balance between prose and world-building, oh, and not to mention, keep the reader in suspense the entire time. I have written the first four chapters of this new draft, and you will find them uploaded to Inkshares. If anyone is willing to read them and provide me with feedback on the STORY (grammar mistakes are a given), I would greatly appreciate it. And if not, well, I look forward to finishing the story this summer. 

Head to Inkshares.com/books/resurgence and click on the "read" tab to begin reading the new draft!

Best wishes,

Alec Michael Dood

I hope this finds everyone well. 

• A quick update: Inkshares has frozen their publication during the COVID shut down, so KINGDOM OF DREAMS is on hold for the moment. I have been creating illustrations that I’m generally happy with and will continue to progress. The book will be illustrated by me. Publication is likely not to happen this year. However...
• I need test readers, likely by the end of the month. The release of a show on HBO in August has encouraged me to get one of my shorter novels going sooner than later so I won’t be accused of being a copycat or lose confidence in getting it out there. (The Zeitgeist tends to kick me across the room sometimes.) My story is about a young man that finds he has a knack for hunting Lovecraftian monsters with the help of a mysterious mentor. If interested in reading and openly giving me your thoughts, let me know. It is a shorter middle grade novel; probably about 25,000 words or less, so not a tough read. I look forward to hearing from potential interested readers.

Regardless, stay safe and be kind to each other--especially those of us staying in place!

Warm Regards,

Kevin

Hi, all! It’s convention time, and Pride Month, and I’ll be doing some author events at the Rainbow Space Magic Virtual Convention soon! Read on for the details...

The Rainbow Space Magic Virtual Convention is happening in two weeks, June 20-21! I’ll be doing an author reading, and also on a panel about outlaws! And it’s free!

Some more details: the Rainbow Space Magic Virtual Convention is designed for LGBTQIA+ sci-fi & fantasy creators and fans - here’s the description from their website:

"...an online LGBTQ+ science fiction and fantasy convention designed to help fill the terrible empty place of canceled in-person conventions during the current crisis as well as offering an SFF convention to those readers and writers in the queer community who struggle to travel or attend physical conventions. Free to participants and convention-goers, RSM seeks to bring like-minded people together, providing LGBTQ+ readings and panels from a safe social distance."

It’s in part being run by a lovely author friend (and mastermind of the Queer SF website) J. Scott Coatsworth, and so when they were putting it together, I got asked if I wanted to join in! So...here’s my schedule:

1) Outlaws & Adversaries Panel Discussion, Sunday June 21, 1:00pm-2:00pm EDT (or 10-11am if you’re in California like me): Angel Martinez, Kim Fielding, K.L. Noone, Vance Bastien

2) Author Reading Panel, Sunday June 21, 7:00-8:00pm EDT (or 4-5pm if you’re in California like me): Chloe Spencer, K.L. Noone, Kellie Doherty

Come join us and hang out with a group of LGBTQIA+ sci-fi and fantasy fans and authors! Again, totally free, but they will ask you to register to receive the web links for the panels and such! Here’s the home page link, here’s the registration link, here’s the overall schedule, and here’s the Facebook event link!

Feel free to share and invite people! We’re hoping for an awesome (fantastic?) turnout! (You’ll notice some other awesome people involved...Scott, as I mentioned, but also K.S. Murphy - who you might’ve seen in a book dedication or two of mine! and who I’ll co-author with any time! - and Antonia Aquilante, and more!)

I haven’t quite decided what I’m reading yet - might be the opening of Cadence and the Pearl, or maybe something new...or both - whatever I can manage in 15 minutes! We shall see...

And one more small piece of news: yesterday I signed a contract with JMS Books for a flash fiction lesbian high fantasy erotica short! It’s called "Honey Witch" and it’ll probably be out in August, priced at 99 cents (or 79 cents for pre-orders)! It’s about, well - an earth-witch who specializes in divination with honey, and desires, and a princess with a question, in need of some...help... And I hope you’ll like it!