Well, we’ve reached another Monday.

Just a few, brief, early week tidbits before my day starts in earnest.

First off, holy shit! The WHY SO SERIOUS? Syndicate has selected A Beast Requires as their 1st selection!

I’m blown away, and incredibly honored that two amazing humor writers think A Beast Requires is not only funny, but a great book as well. Writing humor is a game of rough shot, and going in, you know that not every joke is going to land. The greatest joy I get from my readers is when they tell me about all the inopportune times they burst out laughing.

Secondly, I will be doing another awkward author video this week, talking about the world building that went into A Beast Requires. I mentioned it briefly forever and a day ago, but I feel it deserves a bit more of an in depth conversation. So stay tuned for that, and hit me up with any questions you have about A Beast Requires, or me, on Twitter @EremiticFool

And the last tidbit, my newest article is up on Killer Moose. This month I’m talking about Guardians of Order’s Game of Thrones RPG, GURPS Discworld, and the Dresden Files RPG. Yea, I go deep into settings, discussing if a game can stay true to its fandom while bringing in new players. So if you’re into tabletop RPGs, definitely check it out.

Also, can I mention how awesome the word tidbit is? So freaking glorious.

- Jay

OH BAAAYBEEEEEE! Storm Chaser’s fully Textured and ready to go!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6OEDfDOjDg&feature=youtu.be

Greetings All,

So lots of things. First of all, as of a day or two ago, An Unattractive Vampire broke 2500 books!

MAKE IT RAIN!

In other big news, An Unattractive Vampire is up for an award! 

  AUV along with its sibling books in the Sword and Laser collection, The Life Engineered and Asteroid Made of Dragons, has been nominated for The Dragon Awards at this years Dragon Con in Atlanta. Yulric and company are in the "Best Horror Novel category (with Life Engineered in Sci-Fi and Asteroid in Fantasy.) Here’s a link about it. And another one. 

So I know what you’re thinking: "Jim, you’ve been nominated, but how do you win this fire-breathing award?" Well, I’m glad you asked. You just go to here and vote. And while you’re there, cast a vote for Asteroid Made of Dragons and The Life Engineered as well. Sword and Laser 2016!

P.S. We’re also going to be having a Sword and Laser Dragon Award sale on e-books starting tomorrow. So if you have friends with electronic devices who like vampires or bargains...send them Inkshares’ way. (Yes, I really did type that. Shut up. I’ve got a really bad cold.)

And finally, with all this exciting vampire talk it’s easy to forget other small details like THIS OTHER BOOK I’M WORKING ON.

That’s right, my tale of Death building a life for himself at the end of the world (a natural comedy) is off to the races of the Geek and Sundry Contest. Already there are nearly three hundred books that have been submitted which is daunting and scary. (I am feeling very, very daunted and very, very scared.) So here are a few things you can do to help me with this process.
1. Order a copy.  Easy. No frills. 
2. Tell your friends to order a copy. It’s all about the number of people who order in this contest, so more people >;;;;;;;;; more books.
3. Recommend the book. Go to the Morose’s Inkshares page, read the sample chapter, and click like or recommend. Highlight sections of the book you liked and comment on them. (I promise I’ll add more soon.) You can even leave a review. It all works out to more eyeballs on my page, more good words, more hype, more encouragement to take a chance on this new story with a slightly harder to sell premise than "Vampires."

Anyway, that’s the news for now. Thanks everyone.

A bit later than intended, but I’m finally posting that map I promised.  Those of you who’ve been following the project for a while probably remember this one, but since there’s been quite a few new followers over the past two week I decided to share this one again.

Forgive the poor quality, I’m not the best map maker.  This is Pentaz’ homeland, or rather what lies above it, and thus is the starting point of his journey in Exile, Magus.

Known best on the mainland as the home to the reclusive dwarven nation of Thierdenvolgenlund, it was not always so.  Its original inhabitants where goblins and their troll masters.  The surface and closest caves were reserved for the goblins, whereas the trolls dwelt entirely in the cavern complexes beneath the island down to mid-depth.  The deepest depths were the uncontested abode of horrors which even the monstrous trolls dared not challenge.

This balance changed with the coming of the dwarves loyal to the Thierden family nearly 10 millenia ago.  They were quick to claim the island for themselves, both the surface and the caverns.  Both goblins and trolls were quickly pushed down into the depths, with the goblins being entirely eradicated within a few decades.  The trolls lasted longer, but after over a century of warfare they were forced to flee into the depths they had previously feared.  The dwarves presumed their troll enemies to be extinct as well for over 500 years until the trolls returned to harry them.  Their absence had turned them into an even more savage people than before, as survival amid the horrors of the deepest depths had forced them to both become more physically powerful and more fully turn to the worship of their god and supposed creator, Father Death.  The war between dwarves and trolls has continued intermittently ever since.

The dwarves have continued pushing forward, albeit slowly since the return of the trolls.  Their settlements are built into existing caverns, following the natural formations as a foundation and guideline for their carving out of homes and other structures.  They have only one restriction to their delving:  none can dig into or settle beneath Father Mountain, the highest peak in the known world which rests at the center of the isle.

While surface dwellers assume them to be two separate islands, they are actually a single landmass.  The channel between is strewn with rocky outcroppings, the peaks of underwater mountains with caverns running throughout to connect the two parts of the island.  Few dwarves live under the channel or eastern portion, so that this region has become the primary area settled by the trolls once they started returning to mid-depth caverns and above.

I hope you enjoyed that little bit of history from the world of Exile, Magus.  I plan to continue telling you a bit more about the background as the campaign progresses.  As always, thanks for your time and support.  Keep reading and (hopefully) enjoying.

Hello Cape’s Side Bayers!

This weekend has been nothing but smiles for me! Yesterday marked our BIGGEST day of the campaign with 21 orders!

These include being selected as the August pick for The Idiosyncraticate Syndicate! What an incredible boost for Cape’s Side Bay. Thank you so much to this syndicate and to everyone who has ordered, shared, and recommended! There are so many of you, and I truly appreciate it!

One last bit for today’s update: Today, August 14th, is my Mother’s birthday! She’s awesome and has been nothing but supportive of me and my wildly ridiculous dreams my entire life! So please wish her a happy birthday for me (and if you really want to make Mama proud, you can order a copy of Cape’s Side Bay!)

https://www.inkshares.com/books/cape-s-side-bay

On that note, enjoy your Sunday, and all the best!

Happy Birthday, Mum!

James

Two weeks in and 58 of you have so far jumped on and backed A Beast Requires! By your powers combined, you’ve pre-ordered 79 books, which is fantastic!

 

This week I also uploaded my first awkward author video, where I break down a bit more of A Beast Requires. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, pop on over to the campaign page. Listening to my attempt at diction makes an ideal companion to refreshing your email or checking the latest Olympic medal counts.

This week is going to be all about the push. To paraphrase the bards, Salt-N-Pepa, we’re going to "push it real good." 

Here’s what I need you to do. Tell your friends, family, co-workers, random strangers on the bus, and everyone waiting for their morning latte about A Beast Requires, and why you think it’s fantastic. I know this book has been tickling funny bones and making many of you laugh, so spread that laughter like a virus. Lie in wait for them to read the sample chapters, because you know what’s coming. Will they snort? Attempt to muffle their grin? Will they burst out with a laugh from their gut that resonates the ceiling tiles? The possibilities are endless. 

A Beast Requires needs to be unleashed, and we can make that happen.

- Jay

It’s my birthday today!!!