
First of all: merry Christmas, and a happy New Year.
Second: we’ve passed 300 readers, which means I can start talking about how I’m defending my position on The List with 300, like King Leonidas at Thermopylae. Have you looked at The List’s leaderboard today, though? The contenders from the Launchpad competition have just been transferred in, at 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th. While the top three Launchpad entries are, according to the rules, probably going to be taken out again, there’s still that one contender, the fourth Launchpad entry, currently in 6th on The List, who’s just 10 readers below me and still taking orders....
In short, my position is Extremely Precarious, and I’m probably going to need a bunch of new readers within the next week to ensure my place.
In book news, the manuscript is complete and ready for submission. So is a brand new plan of the Veterans’ Club ground floor--and yes, the manuscript has been edited to take into account the new layout.

In short, we’re ready to roll. It’s just a question of what happens over the course of the next week. Now, more than ever: tell your friends, tell your enemies, tell your complete strangers. King Leonidas may have made an impressive defence of Thermopylae with his 300 Spartans, but that ultimately ended in defeat. Let’s hope the same doesn’t happen with my 300 readers.

Merry Christmas everyone!
I know it’s been a long time since I’ve sent an update, and I’m very sorry for being so busy as of late. I also would like to apologize for the lack of updates and support which I normally try to give each of you. But I’ve have been so busy with my series, speaking at book clubs, libraries and doing many other things relating to the books. Today is my first day off in a long while.
But...with the holidays upon us all I couldn’t rest until I told you all, Merry Christmas. This has been an interesting year. After seventeen or more years of writing I had to do what I had to do in order to get my work published. I doubt I would last another 17 years waiting. LOL! I had to go to my audience to where my readers were and now perhaps the online ones will grow that the offline ones are soaring.
Some of you may know my first book of the series is already out there. The results has been far more astonishing than I suspected. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect when the book hit the market. Although, my book was not published here for I never received the number of orders required, I would like to thank you so much for helping me make my dream come true.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,
Alma
Greetings wonderful followers,
Sorry for the long silence. I’ve have my nose to the grind stone, working hard to make Beyond the Code the best it can be. But even with how hectic this time of year can be and how hard I’ve been working I just wanted to take a moment and wish you all a Merry Christmas or happy which ever winter holiday you celebrate.
I know it’s been one hell of a year for everyone but it’s almost to a close so try and take some time to reflect of the good things that have happened and the great things we still have.
I, for one am grateful that I got the chance to connect with all of you. Thank you all for the fantastic support you all have given me and I wish you all the best in the coming year.
Kelsey Rae Barthel

Hello my friends,
It’s been a while hasn’t it? Thing is, when preparing a book for publication, things can get pretty damn hectic. Toss in an option from a production company and the stakes get really high, which of course means more work.
That being said, I’d be remiss in not taking a moment to thank each and every one of you for your support in 2016. There’s no way I’d be anywhere near even this modest amount of success without you. I owe it all to you guys.
So I hope you all have incredible holidays with your friends and families. That 2017 will be an awesome year for you and that you get to accomplish your dreams the same way you’ve allowed me to accomplish mine. And to kick off the next year on a good note, I’d like to unveil the final (kinda) cover for A God in the Shed:
The designer did an amazing job in creating something iconic and striking that will be a great visual signature for the story. I’m really looking forward to seeing this cover, wrapped around a book, in your hands.
Thanks again for your support and happy Kwanzhannukmas everyone!
JF

Hello my friends,
It’s been a while hasn’t it? Thing is, when preparing a book for publication, things can get pretty damn hectic. Toss in an option from a production company and the stakes get really high, which of course means more work.
That being said, I’d be remiss in not taking a moment to thank each and every one of you for your support in 2016. There’s no way I’d be anywhere near even this modest amount of success without you. I owe it all to you guys.
So I hope you all have incredible holidays with your friends and families. That 2017 will be an awesome year for you and that you get to accomplish your dreams the same way you’ve allowed me to accomplish mine. And to kick off the next year on a good note, I’d like to unveil the final (kinda) cover for A God in the Shed:
The designer did an amazing job in creating something iconic and striking that will be a great visual signature for the story. I’m really looking forward to seeing this cover, wrapped around a book, in your hands.
Thanks again for your support and happy Kwanzhannukmas everyone!
JF
Psst! Hey friend,
Just a reminder that phone cameras are dumb and always make my forehead look like a fivehead.
Also, MERRY CHRISTMAS! And Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, etc...
Oh, and Life Day. Can’t forget the Wookiees.
7 days left until THE LIST 2016 contest comes to an end. Bought your copy of Dax Harrison yet? Good. Convinced all your friends and family to buy it too? That’d be swell.
Whatever the outcome, let’s hope the new year brings a swift publishing date for Dax and his pals.
Cheers!
Tony V.

Hello everyone!
There are 15 days left in the campaign, and it is unlikely that we’ll have that Christmas miracle. That’s okay. We’ve got Quill. But, there are still 15 days left to get in on the cool incentives (even the free book cover for your purchase of a copy of the book), if you haven’t already placed your order.
It’s been quiet around here as I transitioned jobs and settled into a new role.
However - I took the publisher advice to heart and made some edits to the prologue - splitting it into newly formed chapters: Chapter One and Chapter Two. This streamlined a rather clunky opening and felt like a fresher introduction to the world.
New content has also been added to these chapters. Hopefully Eleni’s voice is much clearer and more compelling now to anyone who wants to dive into her story.
All this cleaning up was in preparation to upload the book to Smashword and enter it into the Multnomah County Library Writer’s Project before the December 15 deadline.
Will update as soon as I hear word back on that publication venue. Hoping this helps expand the readership base and push the book one step closer to publication.

1.) SnarkyDarkSy
I’m so humbled. A syndicate on Inkshares, SnarkyDarkSy just backed Kingdom of Dreams! What’s a syndicate, why is that a big deal? A syndicate is a collection of kind humans made up of readers and usually fellow writers that form a group based on their mutual tastes. They vote monthly on which Inkshares project they feel is worthy enough to be published, then pool their own hard earned money together as a collective to support its publication. There are literally hundreds of projects to choose from. To be chosen is an honor, to be chosen by my fellow like-minded and very talented writers-I’m speechless. All I can say is a gracious thank you. Please visit their page on Inkshares and see their selections here. See you soon Snarky’s!
2.) 21 Pre-Orders Needed for Guaranteed Publication!
With that syndicate selection and just over a dozen new orders, we now are 21 orders away from guaranteed publication! Thanks again to my new backers and double-dippers, you are making this wild dream of ours into reality day by day!
3.) Toys For Tots = 8 Days Left...
So with this small flurry of pre-orders, we are building a healthy donation to give to Toys For Tots on December 20th. For those not in the know, for every pre-order I receive until 12/20/2016, I am matching every book ordered with a like donation to Toys For Tots that I will post here.
If the book is published, I will also donate extra copies to Toys For Tots as well. How cool is that that they take books? So let me know if you’d like your book donated or just want to buy an extra copy to donate to a needy child excited to receive and read a shiny new book with pictures to boot!
4.) Next Up?
More sample chapters, at least one more special giveaway.
Kind Regards,
Dear Readers,