Hey, guys.

  This is one of those unexpected updates, but I wanted to let this side of my followers to know that I will be working both ways with Scarlet and Detective Diaries as far as updates go--so bear with me if I spam you through the pipeline or I’m late to update. Also, the schedule for Detective Diaries will be changing. We’ll keep the Detective Sunday, but like the old days when I had Wednesday as an update day is now back and alive. You could call it a..."Progress Update". I have no idea if other writers have done it, but it will basically be a video of myself talking about my progress through updates, workspace, etc, and I might even have guests to speak with me that have supported me from the beginning. These videos will most likely be taken on my camera that I use for photography, or in vlog form from my cellphone. Either way, it’s happening! So, tomorrow we starting this off, so please check it out!

  Until next time, A.J.III.

Hey, everybody! I sent out the Disintegration manuscript to my beta readers last night. I’m excited to receive their feedback. It feels great to move one step closer to publication.

I’ll send along Chapter Three later today. If you’ve been reading the chapters as I send them, do send me a DM and let me know what you think.

In other news, I’ve entered the current Geek and Sundry Fantasy Contest with my story Lamda Scorpii. It ties into Disintegration but, due to its setting and its characters, it fits nicely into the fantasy genre if you consider Arthur C. Clarke’s position on magic.

Please check out Lamda Scorpii, follow it, pre-order it, recommend it! We did amazingly in the last contest, with Disintegration, and we started three weeks late. This time, we’re starting at the beginning. With your help, we can win this one.

Excelsior!

Hey everybody!  I didn’t expect to be saying this for at least another 3-4 months, but Exile, Magus is live and in funding mode!  When I saw the G&S contest announcement, it was too good of an opportunity for me to pass up.  I’m now in that somewhat panicky "I wasn’t ready for this" first day of campaign launch mode.  Its both an incredibly nervous and highly energized feeling.  I’ve already gotten a pretty good start, so now its just up to me to keep up the momentum.  I’m hoping you’ll join me in that endeavor as well.  That’s all I’ve got for now, expect to hear from me every Tuesday or Thursday from now until the end of this contest with updates on our progress as well as other fun "things" I’ve been doing my best to save up to share with you all.

It still hasn’t quite sunk in yet, but as of today I am a published author.

Almost a year after I first started pestering people with buymybookbuymybookifyou’rereallymyfriendyou’llbymybook harassment, it’s finally out.  If you’re reading this, you’ve already gotten your copy (I hope!), but now they’re available online at Amazon, B&N and others, and at dozens of independent bookstores all around the country.  

Thank you so much.

The amount of effort that goes into publishing a book is truly awe inspiring.  My editors Kiele Raymond and Michael Trudeau transformed some mediocre writing into the polished manuscript you received this past month.  I’m beyond over-the-moon about the cover Elyse Lyons produced for me, and Emily Zach and the rest of the production team at Girl Friday was professional 100%.

Meanwhile, at Inkshares, my marketing manager Avalon has been working overtime getting me interviews, reviews, and my books in stores, while newly appointed CEO Adam Gomolin has been in overdrive on the derivative properties side.

And then there are the Nerdist folks, who not only sponsored the contest in the first place, making this whole thing possible, but who also treated me like a real Author when I visited them at Comic Con in San Diego.

Thank you all for your tireless work to make this project as successful as possible.

Now, some news:

Monday night I was featured on The 207, a Portland and Bangor local features show on NBC.  The boys from Bull Moose were extremely kind in their promotion of my novel.

Today I woke up to a Bangor Daily News review, which was similarly positive.

I’m also looking at scheduling book signing events around the Bangor area over the next several weeks.  Check out my Facebook page to stay current!

Lastly, in case you missed it, I’ve got a Comic Con recap on my blog, which you can find here.

So that’s pretty much it.  

I can say thank you enough
Dave

PS: Leave reviews!!!!!!!!!!111

It’s the FINAL COUNTDOWN  (cue musical number)!!!

I’m working on a final polish for my piece and I’ll be posting a synopsis for one highly populous race in the world of Borehole Bazaar each day as a last, final bid to generate extra momentum.  I’ve already funded, so this is just for encouraging folks who would LOVE to get a copy of this work.  It’s a fascinating, engaging read.  I promise ;)

To get things started, allow me to post a link for the first two.  These can also be found at the beginning of each of the first five chapters, though this is a cleaner format without that pesky story separating them!

Orcs

Bugbears

Normally, I’d post my weekly short story.  This week, however, the tale was not cute enough.  Hopefully, Inspiration will bite me and I’ll be able to get one out to y’all tomorrow or Thursday!  

OH!  The short story collections are all finished.  They are, of course, each uniquely hand-painted by myself.  There was an issue with the bindings but they should be hitting the mail in a few days at the most.  To all the raffle winners; I’m working as fast as I can!

Have a great day y’all and know, without even an iota of doubt, that your dreams are worth chasing.  Thanks for being AWESOME!!!

My lovely supporters,

Making a Comeback!

‘To achieve a success after a retirement or failure.’ – a reliable dictionary I found online.

I am making a comeback. The Slave Prince is making a comeback.

My last success on Inkshares was in January 2015. My last failure on Inkshares was in January 2016. (What a coincidence!) But what is failure, really? Giving up. So that’s why I’m back.

When The Slave Prince didn’t make it to the top 3 in the Sword & Laser Collection Contest, I was disappointed. But I knew, from the get-go, that I wasn’t going to give up on this book. And when the opportunity arose, I would put it out there again.

The opportunity has arrived… in the form of the Geek & Sundry fantasy contest.

The Geek & Sundry contest opens now till November 1st. The top 3 books with the most unique pre-orders will receive a full publishing deal with Inkshares.

Obviously, The Slave Prince is at risk of ‘failing’ again. But I’m not going to fail, because whatever obstacle stands before me, I will dig under, I will climb over, and if I have to, I will break my way through. (Sounds like I’m giving myself a pep talk, eh?)

I don’t think I’ve said this before, but The Slave Prince is an important book to me… far more important than The Battle for Oz. If I could turn back time, I would’ve funded The Slave Prince first. But alas, I’m no time traveller.

The Slave Prince wasn’t just written for fun, but for me. The Slave Prince, Thom himself, reminds me I can do anything if I believe in myself. The adventure reminds me that perseverance can make the impossible possible. And the premise… the premise reminds me of the power of child-like make-believe. (Why am I tearing up? This is weird.)   

Every time I revisit The Slave Prince in my editing rounds, I am reminded to believe in myself and keep contending for the impossible. If it were another book, I’m not too sure if I’d feel the same. So here I am, hoping you’ll stand with me and this book.

I know my book isn’t the best book out there, but I hope the story speaks to you. I also hope… you’ll give me a chance to make this comeback real. Thank you so very much for reading all the way to the end! And please grab a copy on your way out. I would be eternally grateful.

It’s the beginning of the end...
 

Tantalus Depths is now only 100 pre-orders away from the full publishing goal. We need 50 pre-orders a week, or about seven a day, to get there.
If there is anything left you can do to help get us there, now is the time to show your hand. If there’s anyone left you haven’t talked to about it, talk to them. If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, order one. If you have ordered one, consider ordering another copy for a friend.
Anything you can do will absolutely mean the world to me.
But mark my words, Tantalus Depths will get there. If I have to pull my bloody carcass across that finish line on my own, I’ll do it. We’ve come way too far to settle for anything less than total victory.