Hey. What’s up? You’re looking good today.
Monkey Business is up to 45 Amazon reviews, which is awesome! I have you fine folks to thank for that. Unless you haven’t left a review in which case I just happen to have this handy little link right here:
Also you can buy the ebook everywhere for $0.99 right now so please invite, beg, threaten and cajole your friends and loved ones to buy a copy.
Thank you! Hugs and Kisses,
-Landon
P.S. Sorry no fancy graphic today #sadface
Hendrix is still doing his bit to raise awareness for SQUIDS IN. Not only did he hang out in Times Square at stupid o’clock in the morning the other day, he managed to get a few of his minions a free ride on some Porsche Carrera Cup racing cars.
It’s becoming very apparent that Hendrix and I will not manage our target of 250 pre-orders alone. If you know anyone who has a rude sense of humor, please point them to the sample SQUIDS IN chapters. Thanks!
Matthew
I’m just going to open with the final cover for The Seventh Age:
I want to thank all of you, the people who have supported me, in helping pick directions, refine options and taking the time to vote.
Ashley Marie Witter, the Illustrator, who crammed me into her intensely busy schedule of Squarriors. You can check out more of her artwork and rabid apocalyptic rodents by clicking HERE.
Scott over at Cyantype Covers. They did a fantastic job making different options and helping pull everything together for the final version you see today. My finest metal (\m/ >;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;. salute goes to the work that they have done.
Lastly, to Emily, Avalon, and everyone at the joint Girl Friday / Inkshares production team for helping take the very nebulous concept of a cover into something this badass.
My sincerest thank you to everyone involved,
~Rick Heinz.
Hello everyone!
This will be quick! You know when one of those dorks is on some awards show and forgets to thank a bunch of people? Well, my bad here too. Yesterday I thanked a bunch of folks, and I was so focused on getting appreciation out for the actual production of the book, I forgot to mention a few very important people. So pardon me, but I’m going to rectify this situation right now! To Mom and Dad who are no longer here, the book is dedicated in your honor. Also to Sam, who has put up with a lot (Let’s move to Malibu! I’m taking up Surfing!! Get a Beagle, they said...Get two!!). Thanks to my big sister Jane Gallagher, my big brother John Pomerance, my stepmother Paula Diamond, who has always provided literary inspiration, all six of my nephews, Uncle Leo, all of my cousins, and all of their kids, Aunt Marlene, and to Sidney Sherman, a most extraordinary manager who has been there through thick and thin. Okay, that’s it! Now on with your day.
Ah, the moment we’ve all be waiting for!! Here is the real book!!
Okay, now that I’m done sobbing, let’s get to the thank you’s. Can’t tell everybody how amazing this is, and now I will try to express most sincere thanks as well as humanly possible.
So here goes. First, though, a short background of how this long, strange trip began. Women Like Us had a go-around with publishers when my TV/Movie agent at the time gave the manuscript to a book agent in NY. She loved it, and was just certain -- really one hundred percent certain! -- she was going to sell it. So out it went to a big bunch of publishers and while it came close in a couple of instances, the agent turned out to be wrong! Imagine that. Anyway, I ended up doing some revisions, had a parting of the ways with said agent and then was on the verge of a go-around looking for new representation when I read about inkshares in a piece on Deadline about its deal with UTA. Right around that time, an old friend was visiting, just as I was debating whether or not to give Inkshares a try. I gave her three chapters and was curious to see the reaction -- would she want to read more? Or not? Well, she did, and it pretty much inspired me to give this a try, and so first let me thank Kate Funk for the encouragement to just go for it and launch the campaign to get the book published. Also, I need to thank everybody who jumped on board in the pre-order phase. This wouldn’t have happened without you and I can’t express enough my appreciation.
Now let’s talk about the book itself. Marcia Parlow’s cover -- front back and spine -- is just beautiful, and I can’t thank her enough for all the hard work that went into getting it done. Thanks also to Claudia Domenig for the picture that became the cover, and thanks to Steven Murashige for making me look somewhat decent in my author photo! Thanks also to my two wonderful blurb providers, the hugely talented and generous authors Charles Dickinson and Joseph Asphahani. Meanwhile at Inkshares, can I say a word about Angela Melamud? Can I say more than one word? Angela has been so patient and kind and helpful through this entire process. She answers numerous questions (sometimes daily, sometimes stupid) with what always feels like a smile. I can’t thank Angela enough through all the editing and production. And Matt at Inkshares for the marketing advice, and Adam for legal (although Adam did make me take out the recipes section!). Over at Girl Friday Productions, the folks that did the nuts and bolts of putting the book together, thank you to first Bethany Davis and then Jaye Whitney Debber. Both of them, like Angela, have the patience of saints!! To all the other Inkshares authors who have provided support, I thank you all most sincerely too -- you guys are amazing and just to name a few: Amanda Orneck, Matt Sobin, Landon Crutcher, Billy O’Keefe, Joni Dital, Tony Valdez, Ricardo Henriquez, Peter Ryan and more!! If you haven’t checked out their books, do it!
So I’m going to get started signing books. Soon they’ll be in your hands, and if you’ve already dipped into an eBook I hope you’re loving it. One last request to everybody: as many of you know customer reviews are critical on Amazon so I’m providing the link to the Amazon Page. If you’ll scroll down to the ’write a customer review’ section’ and give it some stars and maybe a line or two, I’d so appreciated it. And it hopefully will get the book into even more hands. So that’s it for now. Again, many, many thanks.
Here’s that Amazon link:
My dear Animals,
After this update I’m out. Radio Silent. Taking a Hike. You could say I’m ‘Going Astray.’ (Alluding to Animal in Man’s first chapter.) You won’t get another update from me until my manuscript is done, I swear it. And in this final update before its arrival, I’m pleased to report that the writing is progressing faster now than ever before. But enough about my own work. I wanted to shine a brighter light on three sci-fi novels that have totally got me on their hooks this week.
Lady Timekeeper: Cities in the Dust is co-authored by two very dear friends of mine, Marie Green and MK McFadden, who I’ve known for almost three years now. We grew up on criticizing each others’ work in Full Sail University’s Creative Writing Master’s program, so I can tell you truly: there are no other authors I know better ‘round here than them, and their work is worth your attention. Writing about time-travel can be extremely difficult (I know, I’ve tried), but Marie and MK manage to weave two of the most important story elements into the complexities of the concept: ACTION and SUSPENSE. Go follow Lady Timekeeper right now!
For the second spotlighted book… A quick story, if I may: so the other day I was in the forums dropping my two cents about comment etiquette, when an unfamiliar name came up as a notification. “Kaytalin Platt liked your…” etc. etc. So I checked in on her, and lo and behold found this amazing story she’s putting together, “The Living God.” Right now, as I type this, there are simply NOT ENOUGH FOLLOWERS on that draft. It’s another story about time travel (I’m sensing a theme here!), but it’s set in an epic fantasy world. It’s like Jeremy McGuire (or whoever) said in his movie, “You had me at ‘Time Mage.’” Please go follow Kaytalin’s draft.
Another quick[er] story: I got an email yesterday informing me that Brien Shores’ novel “I Think You Dropped This” has returned to Inkshares for a renewed funding campaign. What sort of world do we live in where writing this good can’t make its funding goal? Perhaps a world where people who are reading this aren’t clicking this link to check out Brien’s amazing book. I don’t want to live in a world like that. The mouse is in your hand, as is the power, to make that ardent wish a reality. ...OK, ok, enough with the meta… The bottom line is, Brien’s storytelling is a mind-f**king good time. You will be pleasantly puzzled one moment, and laughing out loud the next. Go check out “I Think You Dropped This.”
(One last look at the breathtaking artwork for The Animal in Man, shall we? Credit to artist Ilie Vaduva.)
Peace out, you Animals. No more updates from me until the big one hits, but if you ever want to get a hold of me, I’m a DM or a tweet away.