I am so very happy with all of us!  We are still looking at a February release, which is FANTASTIC!!!  Even if it’s a little late, that’s still in the first quarter of the year.  :D  

I also have some more good news:  the cover art for Book Two of A Vow Unbroken (The series name for Borehole Bazaar) is at the middling draft phase!  The initial artist’s portfolio can be seen here, and the final digital correction artist’s portfolio can be seen here! 

 I wish every last one of you FANTASTIC success, by whatever measure it is defined, and hope the coming weeks bring you great joy!

Greetings wonderful followers, 

I have some news. I have contracted Mickey Mikkelson with Creative Edge as my publicist. He will help me build a strong writer platform and get the word out about Beyond the Code. He’s already booked me to be a guest on the awesome writers video podcast, Spilling Ink, on Feb 17/18. Look out for it. 

With any luck, we’ll have plenty more events to announce in the future. I’ll keep you informed the best I can. 

Also, I’m being told that the email address confirmations have been going out to my wonderful readers. So if you have moved in the recent future, make sure to input your correct address. And don’t forget that once you have read Beyond the Code, make sure to give it a review. Reader reviews are a first time authors best friend. 

Thank you all for following me this far. It’s been a long road but pub day is fast approaching. 

Kelsey Rae Barthel  

GREETINGS SPACE GENTS,

Okay, it’s been a bit, but I wanted to have some really freaking great news for you before I put any wish-washy pseudo-updates out. So here goes. 

We are IN PRODUCTION. Full stop. We’ve blasted out of our old star system into the new, and the destination is in view. Do you know what that means? 

First it means I have a whole lot of work to do, but this is some fast-tracked, scheduled, definitive (as can be) work. And it also means I have a...how do you say...release date?!

Okay, no question mark. I have a release date. And because I have a release date, you too are going to get it! Now, this is my first time doing the whole pro-publishing gig, so I don’t want to say that it’s 100% certain, but I have a pretty official-looking timeline, and it looks like the book will be releasing on...

dundundun...

 

That’s right; this thing is slotted for May Day! It’ll be in your hands before you know it. 

(Also, author’s note: I’m PUMPED about this release date coincidence, because as many of you know, this book is all about that class war (and also space).)

I hope this news finds you well, and in the meantime I’m working with Inkshares’ editing and production staff to make the book solid, as well as getting together the packages I owe many of you from the campaign. 

Thanks for your support and patience along this magnificent space quest.

Your spaztastic Space Captain,
-AC

We’re only 2 days away from our goal everyone. It’s not looking like we’ll achieve the necessary pre-orders, but that’s alright. I’ll continue editing Senescence and polish it even more. To those of you that supported this novel through pre-ordering, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your support means everything!

Dear friends and followers,

Things continue apace, and I think we’re on track for publication before summer. It’s a lot more work than I bargained for! The big news, though, is that we’re changing the title of the book. The story will now be published as "A Gentleman’s Murder". Well, if a gentlemen’s club, then of course a gentleman’s murder, right? And one has to admit it rolls off the tongue more easily.

It does mean I’m going to need a new header for these news bulletins....

The other big news is that we’ve also got a new cover!

It’s not quite final yet, I’m told, but I gather that this is a pretty good taste of what’s in store.

And now, I had better get back to those edits. Before somebody murders me....

Dear all,

This is a short update about the publication of "Everything is Normal."

The book is fully finished. At this stage the publisher is reaching out to relevant authors for "blurbs" – quotes about the book to be printed on the front and the back covers. Here are a couple examples received:

“Like walking through the looking-glass into 1970s-80s Leningrad... funny, shocking and occasionally even tender... prepare to be transported back to the CCCP.” —Lisa Dickey, author of Bears in the Streets

“A rare glimpse of life in Soviet Russia before and during perestroika. Everything is Normal is the tender and often funny story of a personal journey paralleled by seismic changes in the country itself. A captivating read.” —Elena Gorokhova, author of Russian Tattoo

In January, the publisher will be sending electronic and physical copies of the book (first off-set print run) to various media players in the book world (editors at the NYT, WSJ, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, etc.), as well as to top influencers, book reviewers, librarians, etc.  Fingers crossed, it will generate good reviews and interest.

The book is already getting orders from small independent bookstores in the US  almost every day. This is pleasing. It is also already available for pre-orders on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc., and for reviews on Goodreads.

https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Normal-Life-Times-Soviet/dp/1942645902/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1511930598&sr=8-5&keywords=everything+is+normal

So, so far so good. It has been an interesting journey, which is now coming to its conclusion. Thank you very much again for your support, pre-orders and patience. As planned, you will be receiving the books in March.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy New Year, and Happy Festivus for the rest of us.

Cheers,

Sergey