The 14th has come and gone, and the Inkshares Mystery & Thriller Contest is over. Unfortunately for us, both "Richly Drawn" and "Ripe for Execution" put on a last-minute spurt and forged ahead, leaving us in fourth place and off the winners’ podium.

HOWEVER

While we don’t have a guaranteed publishing deal, we still have a chance. Inkshares is currently evaluating each of the entrants for inclusion as an "additional winner". A number of contest entries have been counting on this "additional winner" spot, I believe; but I also believe that fighting for a top three spot (even if we failed!) has put us in a much better position to get it.

We should know by January whether we’re going to get the go-ahead after all.

In the meantime, pre-orders remain open on "Cat’s Paw" until the end of January, and Christmas is almost upon us. I don’t know about you, but I refuse to let any of this get me down. May the new year bring all the best we could hope for!

Friends, Family, and Supporters,

The contest has come to a close, and I‘m happy to announce that Inkshares will be publishing The Ghost Tracks! I want to thank each of you for supporting me throughout this process. It has been a truly rewarding experience, which has allowed me to both reconnect with old friends and make new ones. I will never forget the outpouring of support I have received the last few months.

For those who I talk to often, thank you for being there. For those who reached out and bought a book even though we may not have seen each other in many years, thank you for still caring enough to support me.  And to my family, thank you for being the first ones to step up and for advocating on my behalf.

There were many excellent books entered in both the Horror and Mystery/Thriller competitions. It is my great hope that they are published soon, because they surely deserve to be.

Also, a big congratulations to Patrick Delaney and Michael Saltenberger, fellow horror authors who are also going to be published. Please check out their awesome books, The House that fell from the Sky and Blind.

Even though the contest is now over, there is still much work to be done. In order to get the book into the best shape possible, additional re-writes and editing will have to take place. But I will definitely keep everyone up to date as the book proceeds towards publication. Thank you again for your support and for being a part of this experience with me.

Celso

We did it! The Inkshares Mystery & Thriller Contest has ended, and with your help, I came in first place. I don’t think that’s ever happened to me since I ran a 10k race, New Year’s day in Toronto some years ago and it was so cold just about no one showed up. 

Thank you everyone who supported this creative project. It’s because of your support that Gumshoe Rules will be published by Inkshares. I couldn’t be more excited about this. In November, I pledged a donation of $5 per order to the non-profit NaNoWriMo.org that organizes National Novel Writing Month and then doubled that in December. I rounded up and donated $1,000 to NaNoWriMo.org,  a very good charity that encourages writing and creativity.  

As I understand it, the process from here is as follows: There’s still about half of the book left to edit for this latest draft, which will take until January. Then I’ll submit the manuscript to Inkshares and we’ll begin another round of editing. Depending on what input and feedback they have, I’ll have to rewrite some sections of the book. Then a cover is selected and there’s proofreading, copy-editing, marketing and so on. Eventually, many months from now the book will be formatted, printed and shipped out. Hopefully all that happens in 2019.

I’m fully committed to getting the book completed as fast and with the best quality possible. I will share updates as milestones are achieved, but communications will be less frequent. If you ever have questions about the book, you can shoot me email and I’ll do my best to respond.  
Thank for giving me this opportunity to publish my book.

—Z.Z. Traver
PS. It was a thrill to meet with Inkshares CEO & Publisher Adam Gomolin at their offices this week. He knows more about story structure and closing rights deals than I will ever know.   

Richly Drawn placed second in the Inkshares Mystery & Thriller competition. It will be published. And that is all because of you readers.

I am truly grateful, and quite frankly, still in shock. There is only one thing I can say, and that is thanks aplenty!

All the best,

Wolf Kraft

We did it!

Thank you all so very, very much! You have helped to turn a dream of 15+ years into a reality...! By helping Ripe For Execution receive 141 pre-orders, you put it in 3rd place (and, apparently, 4th as well...!) – and Inkshares have already sent me an email to confirm it will now be published...!

What happens now? The publishers would like a few more presentation bits ’n’ pieces, and then I finish editing the remaining parts of the book ready for publication (editing kinda got sidetracked by the whole campaigning for pre-orders thing...). I believe they’ll also be finding a much better book cover than the one I hastily designed one evening in October for this contest, so the hopefully book will stand out on shop shelves even more!

But in amongst all of this, I shall be contacting each of you individually over the coming days to offer a personal thank you, and find out the town/city you’d like me to visit so I can meet you in a nearby bookshop and buy you a beverage of gratitude. It’s still sinking in at the moment, as often happens when you’ve waited for such a day for so long... Thank you many, many times over! You’ve made my decade!

Before I leave you, I’d just like to add that there were some fantastic books in this competition, some of which I pre-ordered myself, which I’m rather sad not to see in 1st or 2nd place – particularly Christopher Huang’s Cat’s Paw, Fiza Hasan’s In Warm Blood, and Fearce & Welch’s Ruining Boise. But they could still become published works if they receive 600–700 more pre-orders over the next month – so if you supported this book as a lover of crime/thriller fiction (like me!), please consider supporting them also. Just click the titles above to visit their pages.

Speak to you again soon! And, again... thank you!

Ciao for niao...

We did it! We made it to December 14th!!! BLIND has landed in the top, along with 2 other authors! This bad boy is getting published! Thank you everyone for all of the support and helping get BLIND in front of as many people as possible!

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?

Exactly a week ago I sent out a message about how I’ve reached 3% of my goal, and now that has increased to 5%! Thank you to all, who have pre ordered and answered to my call for help. People who hadn’t read a book in for years, pre ordered only because I asked them to, and that truly means a lot!

The mystery/thriller competition will be ending soon, in give or take a few hours, and currently I have been able to pre sell 40 copies out of 250 in a month’s time. For me, that’s amazing. But, I’m really hoping you guys can all help me reach at least fifty pre orders. Those of you who have intentions of pre ordering but still haven’t gotten your copies, please, get one now. If you know anyone who might be interested, but they are unable to order for themselves, then please gift them a copy too.

I have finals today and tomorrow, so I am unable to place my full attention on promoting my book and spreading the word. This is why, I am asking for your help. Every single reader counts and every pre order that I receive will work towards building the destiny of my book.

I will remember you all in my prayers, and wish you happiness in life. Have a great day!

Go to the link below if you would like to pre order now for yourself or family and friends: https://www.inkshares.com/books/in-warm-blood-c04a00

Thank you,

Fiza H.