Just a quick update this week.

Ghosts of War is closing in on 250 copies sold! It's at 244 currently and when it gets there that'll be 1/3 of the way to the eBook goal and 1/4 of the way to the print goal.

If you haven't picked up a copy yet, it'd be awesome if you could, and if you know anyone who might be interested, if you could show it to them it'd be really appreciated. Every copy sold pushes Ghosts closer to publication.

On the writing front, I got a couple of thousand words in this week, which is the most in a long time. It's slowly getting to the point of having a complete first draft, which is exciting after nearly a year of working on it. 

Beyond that I already have a couple of pages of notes for revisions, edits and things I want to add for the ensuing drafts that will happen in November. One other thing I'm working on is a secret thing (at this stage) but it is related to Ghosts of War and should be kinda fun.

Until next time.

Dear, dear Readers,

Thank you for helping ENHANCED finish the Nerdist/Inkshares Contest a strong 12th on the Leaderboard. You kept us in the top 3.6% the entire time. That's something to celebrate. But after 6-1/2 weeks of every introvert's waking nightmare -- self-promotion -- I needed to take 3 days off. Well, maybe a week. Well... Now it's been two glorious, freeing, soul-replenishing weeks, and I feel almost human again. And ENHANCED is still here, growing.

While Robb and I would be grateful if each of you convinced a friend or three to pre-order ENHANCED, maybe you know an independent bookstore owner who would just love to corner the market on a Young Adult scifi book with the potential to spread its appeal like Harry Potter, and get said owner to pre-order, oh, say, 500 - 700 books. That's be super. 

In the meantime, there are a few other books you really should take a look at.

Inkshares only Roach Punk entry, Single Version, by Scott Barsotti is unique and intriguing and, I feel, the best written book in the Top 11. He's 195 orders away from meeting his ebook goal. He needs 6.5 orders a day to get there. Please take a good look. And bring your friends.

Disintegration by Steve Soldwedel is a quick-paced, hard-driving, fight against an overwhelming foe with warriors, intrigue, and adventure tied together with strands of homemade hope. He's got six chapters up. Read enough of them to see if you don't agree it deserves to be published, then support him if you do. I know I do, and I have. 

If you like humor reminiscent of Monty Python or Douglas Adams, check out this romping farce focused on England's National Health Service, Presenting Complaints by Jamie Brindle, who just so happens to be a doctor who works in the system and writes to keep his sanity. 

For good old classic scifi with a contemporary flavor, try Ghosts of War by Paul Robinson. It's got everything: planet hopping, revenge and retribution, action and adventure, twists and turns, and fun.

See? Something for everyone. Even you. 

5 authors got lucky on September 30th, when The Contest ended, but there are more on Inkshares who need Readers to see their value and believe in them enough to turn them into publications, too. You can do it. Pick your favorites and tell your friends.

Thanks for your help and your foresight. Thanks for believing.

Sue

I’m trying not to spam you with updates, but anxiety is killing.

820 copies pre-ordered; 180 more to go. Sales have slowed down quite a lot. I’m hoping the interviews I am doing the next couple of weeks will help me regain momentum.

In the meantime, I am furiously writing and revising my manuscript. I don’t want to sound pretentious, but I’m quite proud of Chapters 11 and 12 which I have just finished (even though the work is never done)

My fellow author and friend Rick Heinz –who has been incredibly supportive- (order his book here, it is awesome: https://www.inkshares.com/projects/the-seventh-age-dawn?referral_code=5a8ac53b) said to me the other day “I got so many copies of your book, it better be good!” He was joking, but, believe me, I feel the pressure and take your support very serious.

I honestly think you are going to enjoy The Catcher’s Trap. When it becomes a Syfy series directed and produced by Ronald D. Moore, you will say, “I pre-ordered a copy of that book when the annoying author was spamming me more than a Nigerian prince.”

You know the drill. If you haven’t pre-order a copy of The Catcher’s Trap, please consider doing it. If you already did, get another one for a friend or family member. If you are a fellow author, let’s support each other!

Please feel free to share the link and spread the word.

Have a great day!

Dear Readers,

A brief update for you Monday inbox, with a few pieces of good news to welcome the harvest:

1) Back in July I was longlisted for the Crook's Corner Book Prize in Chapel Hill, NC. Crook's Corner is a staple of Southern cuisine in North Carolina (Chez Moi, the fictional restaurant in Slim and The Beast, was inspired by the spot), and it is an honor to be among the candidates for the debut novelist prize. Lee Smith, a literary legend down south, will choose the short list in the coming weeks. Regardless of whether I'm selected (it's a long shot, indeed), I'm honored to be considered and wanted to share it with you all:

http://crookscornerbookprize.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/CROOKSBOOKS_release16_fourthtake.pdf

2) I have finished the manuscript for my third novel, which is a historical fiction based in a Polish ghetto (Lodz) during the Nazi occupation. I spent my academic career (BA + MA) studying ethics during the Nazi era and the psychology of genocide, and this novel serves as a culmination of those studies. It will take some time before I move towards publishing, but after three years of writing, I am confident I have something now.

3) I have been accepted to the Vermont Studio Center artist residency program in Johnson, Vermont for February, 2016. Quite frankly, I didn't expect to get in. It's a huge honor. I will spend one month living with fifty international artists (visual artists as well as writers) and during this time, I hope to begin my fourth novel. I don't know where it will lead me, but I have an idea where to start ... as Andre Gide says, "One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time." 

NB: For all of you artists out there, you should DEFINITELY apply to these types of programs. You never know which reviewer may take a liking to your work--if I can make it, so can you. Multiple rejection letters only increase your odds (that might be flawed logic/a cognitive bias, but I'm running with it. DON'T TRY AND STOP ME).

Finally, Slim and The Beast is still selling a few copies per week, which is more than I expected. I'm lucky to have jumped on-board the Inkshares train when I did, and that comes with a HUGE thanks to the 232 original backers-- Stars of the Year, you know who you are--for being the main reason for any of this. You believed in me when Inkshares didn't have any previously published novels or well-known writers, and that makes you especially awesome.