Unplanned update time!

When I got home and checked my email last night I was quite excited to see that I had been chosen this month for the Epic Fantasy Syndicate.  Beyond being a boost for Magus’ order number it was a huge boost to my confidence.  We still have a long way to go though, so keep referring others to Magus and order if you haven’t already.

I want to share a map now, but I’m on my phone so that will have to wait.  Look for it tomorrow. 

Thanks for all of your support, and keep reading amd enjoying!

Hello you lovely readers!

One of the few things I enjoy about flying is the ability to write without interruption. It was on just such a very delayed flight two days ago that I was able to pull together this update to let you know what’s going on:

Inkshares and I have finally agreed on a final scene list for The Punch Escrow. I can honestly tell you that getting to this point has been incredibly challenging, but very fulfilling. I was just telling my wife yesterday that I would be frustrated with the editing process, but every single time we do an iteration the story becomes exponentially more clear and exciting. This last round of edits was all about ensuring every beat in the story pops. This picture might give you an idea of the sort of granularity I had to get into when composing this latest iteration of the narrative:

Yep. Our protagonist hears the call of nature, but can’t find a bathroom in order to heed it. Even this seemingly innocuous scene is an important beat in the narrative, otherwise it would not be there. By the time this latest rewrite is done, nearly 80% of the 2nd draft, which itself was 50% different than the 1st, will be entirely rewritten. I would expect there to be less than 10,000 words of commonality between the first draft of the manuscript and this latest one. Crazy, right?

(Yes, crazy)

Incidentally, bathrooms in the 25th are architected to be extremely efficient, absolutely no running water. Waste is dehydrated and recycled, all that remains of what can’t be reclaimed is dust. High pressure air enriched with sanitizing nanos is used to cleanse your nether-regions and hands. Totally sanitary, good for the environment, and unwasteful. We actually have much of the capacity to do this today (okay, not the sanitizing nanos), but bureaucracy inhibits progress. 

In other news, I have submitted to final draft of my short story Morcom is here. for the Too Many Controllers anthology, which will be coming out on the Nerdist imprint, possibly even before The Punch Escrow. It’s a 6,758 word story about a mysterious program developed by Alan Turing, designed for a computer that he knew would not exist for nearly a century after his death. Incidentally, it’s based on a true story! The narrative is told through various press clippings, blog entries, and even Slack chats. I’m very proud, and happy with it.

That’s it for now. Don’t forget to keep up with my twice monthly column on the intersection of science fiction and present reality, The Future Is Now, on Geek & Sundry.

Peas,

Tal

I can’t believe I almost forgot to link this! Check out my interview with Regina McMenomy about Tantalus Depths! She was gracious enough to take time out of her schedule to show support for my campaign, so please show her and her book, Mothering: The Game some support as well. She’s made a great deal of progress and she worked her butt off during the Nerdist competition, and I’m eager to see her reach the Quill mark.
 

Please note that we recorded this last week, well before the insanity with all the invalid pre-orders in my campaign came to light. It’s only relevant insofar as the number of pre-orders I still need and the time I have left to get them aren’t accurate to what we talk about in the video.

Also, a further update on that point: Inkshares has generously increased my campaign’s extension from 30 days to 60, to ensure I have enough time to recover and finish the campaign. I don’t plan on needing 60 days, but I have them in case I do.

Hello Cape’s Side Bayers!

When I first started writing Cape’s Side Bay it was called The Woods or something like that, and it was a screenplay. I realized that I would never be able to raise a budget for such a film, and so I reworked it as a novel and gave it the title: Cape’s Side Bay.

I had no idea what I would do with it once it was written. I had never written a novel before. Then I was on twitter one day and saw something about a book called Abomination by Gary Whitta. I was intrigued, and so I looked for the book on Amazon, but it wasn’t there. I googled it and it took me to this site called Inkshares. I signed up, bought the book, then over the next couple of months got to know the site better and ordered some books I otherwise never would have found.

I decided in July 2015 that Inkshares would be the perfect place to publish Cape’s Side Bay.  Over the next six months I stayed onboard, writing and rewriting the manuscript, and watching other campaigns unfold on the site. What books succeeded, which didn’t (I was guilty of being gun shy on more than a few books, regrettably).  

I’m glad I dove into this wonderful world of Inkshares. I’ve come across some fantastic books, and better people. I look forward to sticking around long after my books campaign has come and gone, and the book is published (fingers crossed full-publishing).

26 days remain in this campaign. As I said before, I am exhausted, but I wouldn’t change it for anything!

I want to just send a couple notes to a few of my fellow authors on this site who have been extremely supportive and have some books you NEED to check out!

The Knightmares, by  G. A. Finocchiaro. I absolutely love this book, and think you will as well!  52 days left and almost at Quill! You don’t have to take my word for it, check out his guest post at Apotheosis Studios:  http://apotheosisstudios.com/blog/2016/8/5/the-knightmares-guest-post-by-inkshares-author-hopeful-g-a-finocchiaro

Squids In, by Matthew Poat. Yes, it’s a ridiculous premise. Yes, it’s awesome! Check this one out, and don’t be afraid of it! Squids don’t bite (not that I know of) and this one is well worth your time! 31 days left to order! Don’t wait!

SideScroller, by Andrew Fantasia. I’ve known Andrew for around 10 years, so maybe I’m a bit biased, but I’m not. This is another Video Game book, and its a doozy. Andrew’s an exceptionally talented writer, I’ve read a bunch of his other work, and he will always have my support. He has 21 days left with over 100 orders needed to hit Quill!

That’s all for me. Enjoy your day and take care!

James

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