Dear friends and followers,

It’s been a while since my last update. As I’ve said, it’s mostly a waiting game right now. Things are beginning to move, however: Inkshares has me reading up on various works of writing theory and working together with a few other authors to share and learn from each other. This is in preparation for the developmental edit round, perhaps so we’ll understand better how stories work and be better able to handle the developmental edits. It seems like a lot of additional effort, but I guess it’s in the interest of putting out a quality product ... and, perhaps, to groom a stable of talent? Does that mean they want me to write a sequel?

You know you want me to.

I’ve also been busy with another writing project, for Choice of Games: that’s been taking up all my attention for the past several months. I just submitted the completed draft for that project yesterday; it’s very exciting, and I expect there will be a lot of developmental edits on that front as well.

Looking around (because I can now afford to be distracted again)  a couple of works here on Inkshares have definitely caught my interest.

First off, there’s "The Rise and Fall of Gods and Housewives", by Zachary Sergi. Apparently the ancient mythological gods are alive and well, incarnated as ... reality show housewives? If that premise doesn’t grab you, I don’t know what will. Sergi is also the author of the highly successful "Heroes Rise" series for Choice of Games, so this should be of additional interest to all those Interactive Fiction buffs among you.

And second, there’s "Lost in the Fog", by Michael Ostrowski. It’s a caper in which a down-on-his-luck journalist is recruited to steal a bunch of sculptures, only to have someone else beat him to it. And no, the people who recruited him don’t believe a word of it. I firmly believe that we need more madcap mystery capers in the world, and this promises to deliver.

For now, though, I’m going to sit back and relax. I see a lot of developmental editing in my near future, so I better grab my binge-marathons of "Masterchef" while I still can.

“Writing is a lonely job. Having someone who believes in you makes a lot of difference. They don’t have to makes speeches. Just believing is usually enough.”

-Stephen King, from On Writing, A Memoir of the Craft

Hi All,

A huge thank you for being the first to pre-order my new novel Lost in the Fog.  It’s been up on Inkshares for a little over a week, and thus far I have 76 orders.  Not exactly Stephen King-type numbers, but still a very good early showing!

Thank you, thank you, and thank you again!

Speaking of Stephen King, I love that quote I referenced above from his On Writing.  I read that book back in 2001 when I was living in LA, and as I sat down to write this update the paperback was right there on the shelf just a few feet away from my laptop.   A nice omen and the quote is so true.  Through the years I have received amazing support my family, my friends and many strangers who read something I wrote.  It’s hard to properly describe how much that means.

Because there is always going to be criticism when you put your work out into the public realm.  And you not only have to cope with it, you must embrace it to get better.   I certainly do and am grateful for negative feedback.  However, positive encouragement will always be a huge motivator that gets you through the moments of doubt. 

Once again, I thank you for ordering my new book and for sharing the link with your friends and family!  I am very grateful.  My initial goal is to get at least 250 pre-orders in the next three months.  Inkshares will only publish your book if you reach that minimum threshold (if I don’t you’ll all get a full refund), and if you can get to 750 they’ll give you the full advertising and marketing treatment.  With the support of friends, family, and strangers I know Lost in the Fog can get there!     

I’ve put the first chapter up on the site, and I’ll be adding the second chapter as a further sneak preview for you soon.  If you want to read a little about the history of Lost in the Fog, you can check out my blog post at https://underdiamondhead.com/2017/04/24/lost-in-the-fog-my-new-novel/

Thanks!