Tal M. Klein liked an update for Rune of the Apprentice

Baby Freya is now 2 months old! Jeez! The past few months has been a whirlwind of love, excitement, family, and sleep deprivation! 

(Full post can be read on my blog HERE to see future posts sign up to my newsletter HERE)

Despite the newfound groggy-eyed joys of fatherhood, I have still been hard at work not only on RUNE’s sequel (Oath of the Apprentice), but also on an exciting new Indie Video Game project called Shadow of the Moon (which takes place chronologically between The Rune Chronicles books 1 and 2). I’m so excited to tell you about this game I’m shaking... Or is that the coffee which is currently keeping me awake?! The world may never know...

Many of you might remember Shadow of the Moon from the collaborative Inkshares video game anthology I was a part of called Too Many Controllers. Yes, that same book which "won" the Nerdist and Inkshares Video Game Publishing Contest. (And yes, thanks for asking, I am still sore about the book being canned.) Well, some friends and I were talking about how TMC being canceled shouldn’t be the death of such a great story. We were sad, however, because Shadow of the Moon was written with video game mechanics at its core, and therefore, did not really read well (make sense) as a stand alone literary work.

I kept on trying to figure out a way around this because Shadow of the Moon’s female protagonist, Zera, is featured heavily as a main character in The Rune Chronicles Book 2: Oath of the Apprentice. I could not get over how cool Zera’s background and unique motivations were and desperately wanted readers to have a chance, if they were interested, to know more about her and why she was such a bad ass. Sadly, try as I might, I could not find a good fix to the logistical story problems and was stumped for months! 

Well, during the days following Freya’s birth I came to the crazy conclusion that if I could not "write" a solution for the story dilemma, the only "logical" course of action was to actually turn Shadow of the Moon into a full fledged indie video game! GG EZ Fix! 

I must have been profoundly sleep deprived because changing mediums would add a huge, exponential multiplier to the amount of work required. Like, There are no words which can adequately describe how much more effort making a video game, even an indie, will be. But I have been working on this project for two months now, and trust me folks, Zera’s story is, hot damn, well worth it! Truly. 


Seen above is Zera, the protagonist of Shadow of the Moon, and I have so much more I’m dying to share with you all! We have art, game design mechanics, real to life martial arts, and even code for our custom SDL game engine (which should run a playable demo soon.) Its crazy awesome how much cool shit will be in this game! And the story, oh how the story has grown and evolved! 

All of this is thanks to our amazingly talented team. Despite my sleepless nights, I have been able to gather a super dedicated group over at Apotheosis Studios to help me transform my novella into a Rogue-like Action-Adventure, 2D Top Down, RPG Video Game of epic, pixelated proportions! (Think Hyper Light Drifter meets Darkest Dungeon meets Bastion. Yes, you heard me right--we are not fucking around. This game is the real deal.)

I am leading this fearless indie dev team as Creative Director/Writer and so far we have 2 other writers/designers, 1 programmer, 1 editor/marketer, 2 "interns", a wolf, and a viking baby! What could possibly go wrong?!?! If you want to join our ranks, hit me up at @StoneJamison  (Currently we are looking for a pixel and/or sprite artist, and music composer, btw!)

I’m also super excited to say that I will documenting our game progress on my blog HERE with an Apotheosis Studios Indie Game Dev Blog Series! I have so much more to share (and some really killer art) but will save those additional details about the game for the "official" blog series, so stay tuned! And yes, I will be doing all of this with a new baby. Many believe I have lost my mind, which if true, should make this game and RUNE’s sequel pretty freaking awesome, haha!

All jokes aside, buckle up Masters and Apprentices and get ready for many more blog posts to come. I am so excited to not only share developments and updates on Shadow of the Moon game development, but also how my wife and I raise our Viking Ninja baby girl. 

And in case you are wondering how one raises a little Viking Ninja baby girl in 2017... Well, I’m not really sure, but I figure age and gender appropriate toys (swords, obviously!); good role models (bad ass active duty Army musician mommy and Zera of Shadow of the Moon!); and a loving, strong, and supportive daddy (I’m still growing out my "Ragnar Viking haircut") is a good place to start!

Stay tuned via my news letter HERE and I’ll let you know how it all goes! 

Oh, and P.S. if you have not yet posted a review for Rune of the Apprentice on Amazon Dear god, please do so! We currently have 66 reviews, but need 100+! It really helps! Seriously! Thank you!

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    Tal M. Klein liked an update for The Punch Escrow

    Hello glorious The Punch Escrow backers!

    By now I hope you’ve all received your books. If you haven’t, please let the good folks at Inkshares know. This update is to let you know the inside scoop on the movie adaptation news you’ve all been asking me about, as well as to let you know when you’ll all be receiving your early backer exclusive prize.

    Okay, let’s talk about The Punch Escrow movie! The most important thing you need to know is that the book has been OPTIONED but that option has not been exercised yet. This means that The Punch Escrow movie is like Schrodinger’s Cat. It’s in the box. We won’t know whether it’ll get made or not until we get to see inside the box. What I can tell is you that it’s a hell of a lot more likely to get made if the book becomes a bestseller. And for the book to become a bestseller we need REVIEWS.


    You don’t need to buy your book on Amazon to post a review. As you know, I’m a loud and passionate advocate of Indie bookstores. But! — Amazon reviews matter a lot for conversions. We’re at 23 — The magic number is 101. After 100 reviews Amazon’s algorithm treats the book differently. It kicks things into a flywheel effect that puts the book front and center as a recommended product for like properties (like, say, Dark Matter, or Ready Player One) much more often. So — if you’ve read the book and enjoyed it, please consider posting a review. That’s the thing that you can do to help the movie happen.

    Last weekend, after my event at LA’s delicious Book Soup, I met with the man Lionsgate has hired to adapt and direct The Punch Escrow film. His name is James Bobin. He’s a director and co-creator of Flight of The Conchords (to date my favorite HBO show of all time), and he directed The Muppets reboot, its sequel, as well as Alice Through The Looking Glass. I believe his work on Flight of The Conchords makes him a unique fit for the adaptation because — if you read the synopsis of the show it sounds very sad and derivative: two lazy Kiwi guys in a band try to "make it" in New York but fail at every turn. It sounds like a depressing Kiwi/East Coast version of Tenacious D, right? Many of the same things could be (and have been) said about The Punch Escrow; many who read the synopsis instantly accuse it of being derivative of everything from The Prestige to Think Like A Dinosaur, and so a director who has experience in both turning a dire synopsis into a lighthearted, funny story full of childlike wonder, and ensuring that said story is so obviously different that no one could accuse it of being derivative of anything — those two capabilities are essential to the successful adaptation of my book (IMO of course). Here’s me with James. I may have had a post-gig martini or two at this point. Yes, this definitely looks like my "two martini face":



    The other factor to consider here is James’ amazing work on The Muppets reboot. Not only did he produce a uniquely original take on The Muppets, but his work on that film largely involved working with sentient puppets. Those of you who have read The Punch Escrow will understand the value of that skill when adapting a world full of sentient cars, rooms, and robots.

    But, again, none of this will matter if the book option doesn’t get exercised, and to do that, we need reviews!

    Since many of you are still reading, I’m holding off the special early backer-only surprise I’ve prepared for you as a reward for surpassing 5,000 sales (we’re just north of 7,500 now!). because it contains spoilers. But I’ll tell you what it is: I’m going to give you a chapter that’s been cut out of the book! An entire chapter! You’re getting the "author’s cut" of The Punch Escrow with this as its special feature. This will be delivered to you lot when we hit 101 reviews! So...

    Ta ta for now, and thank you for all your amazing and gracious support,

    Tal
    like · liked by Michael and 18 others

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      Tal M. Klein sent an update for The Punch Escrow

      Hello glorious The Punch Escrow backers!

      By now I hope you’ve all received your books. If you haven’t, please let the good folks at Inkshares know. This update is to let you know the inside scoop on the movie adaptation news you’ve all been asking me about, as well as to let you know when you’ll all be receiving your early backer exclusive prize.

      Okay, let’s talk about The Punch Escrow movie! The most important thing you need to know is that the book has been OPTIONED but that option has not been exercised yet. This means that The Punch Escrow movie is like Schrodinger’s Cat. It’s in the box. We won’t know whether it’ll get made or not until we get to see inside the box. What I can tell is you that it’s a hell of a lot more likely to get made if the book becomes a bestseller. And for the book to become a bestseller we need REVIEWS.


      You don’t need to buy your book on Amazon to post a review. As you know, I’m a loud and passionate advocate of Indie bookstores. But! — Amazon reviews matter a lot for conversions. We’re at 23 — The magic number is 101. After 100 reviews Amazon’s algorithm treats the book differently. It kicks things into a flywheel effect that puts the book front and center as a recommended product for like properties (like, say, Dark Matter, or Ready Player One) much more often. So — if you’ve read the book and enjoyed it, please consider posting a review. That’s the thing that you can do to help the movie happen.

      Last weekend, after my event at LA’s delicious Book Soup, I met with the man Lionsgate has hired to adapt and direct The Punch Escrow film. His name is James Bobin. He’s a director and co-creator of Flight of The Conchords (to date my favorite HBO show of all time), and he directed The Muppets reboot, its sequel, as well as Alice Through The Looking Glass. I believe his work on Flight of The Conchords makes him a unique fit for the adaptation because — if you read the synopsis of the show it sounds very sad and derivative: two lazy Kiwi guys in a band try to "make it" in New York but fail at every turn. It sounds like a depressing Kiwi/East Coast version of Tenacious D, right? Many of the same things could be (and have been) said about The Punch Escrow; many who read the synopsis instantly accuse it of being derivative of everything from The Prestige to Think Like A Dinosaur, and so a director who has experience in both turning a dire synopsis into a lighthearted, funny story full of childlike wonder, and ensuring that said story is so obviously different that no one could accuse it of being derivative of anything — those two capabilities are essential to the successful adaptation of my book (IMO of course). Here’s me with James. I may have had a post-gig martini or two at this point. Yes, this definitely looks like my "two martini face":



      The other factor to consider here is James’ amazing work on The Muppets reboot. Not only did he produce a uniquely original take on The Muppets, but his work on that film largely involved working with sentient puppets. Those of you who have read The Punch Escrow will understand the value of that skill when adapting a world full of sentient cars, rooms, and robots.

      But, again, none of this will matter if the book option doesn’t get exercised, and to do that, we need reviews!

      Since many of you are still reading, I’m holding off the special early backer-only surprise I’ve prepared for you as a reward for surpassing 5,000 sales (we’re just north of 7,500 now!). because it contains spoilers. But I’ll tell you what it is: I’m going to give you a chapter that’s been cut out of the book! An entire chapter! You’re getting the "author’s cut" of The Punch Escrow with this as its special feature. This will be delivered to you lot when we hit 101 reviews! So...

      Ta ta for now, and thank you for all your amazing and gracious support,

      Tal
      like · liked by Michael and 18 others

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        Tal M. Klein liked an update for Human Resources

        Monthly update time for Human Resources!

        Last month I mentioned the focus of the developmental edit had been on expanding the world-building and firming up some of the science behind the novel. I’m pleased to report that is now complete, I have new beat sheets and scene outlines, and am officially writing pages again!

        Speaking of science, the _MIT Technology Review_ just published a very interesting article on CRISPR being used to edit the DNA of human embryos. Why is this interesting? Because this application of CRISPR is a key trigger for the creation of the world in my novel. I’ve uploaded a special new excerpt to the Inkshares site telling the history of the world, from today to when my novel starts. You can read it here.

        In other news, I took advantage of receipt trip to Sydney (the setting for the book), to further explore some of the relevant locations for scenes. I use the apple maps 3D city render, along with google street view extensively, but there’s nothing better than standing on-site. A couple highlights below.

        Sydney Botanical Gardens, looking at the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. In 2120 this is The Farm.

        Sydney Conservatorium of Music. In 2120 this building stands at the main gate of The Farm, and is used as the Warden compound and clinic.

        St Mary’s Cathedral. Adjacent to the Southern end of The Farm, the interior is used for storage in 2120.

        That’s all for now — I need to get back to the manuscript and finish writing it so you can all read it.

        Cheers,

        Robert.

        like · liked by TCC and 16 others

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          Tal M. Klein sent an update for The Punch Escrow

          Okay!

          So, around 92% of you want the slightly delayed autographed book, and that is what you shall get. On July 24th I will enter Inkshares’ office with a bunch of special pens and not leave until every pre-ordered signed book is numbered and autographed. For the few of you who wanted your books early but unautographed, I’ve discussed the matter with Inkshares and they asked that you simply pop them an email at: hello@inkshares.com and let them know that you pre-ordered a signed copy of The Punch Escrow, but you’d rather get an unsigned copy sooner.

          More news soon! We’re almost at the finish line. We’ve crossed the 4,000 pre-orders threshold. Tell you what, if we break 5,000 by July 24, I’ll add something extra for all of you early backers.

          More soon!

          -Tal 

          like · liked by Corey and 20 others

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            Tal M. Klein followed Daniel Lee
            Daniel Lee
            Editor of movie trailers and author of the novel AFTER DEATH, First Place winner in the Nerdist Sci-...
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            Tal M. Klein sent an update for The Punch Escrow

            This is a short but very important update, so please take a moment to read it:

            Because of some complications owing to particulars involving the unique glue required to bind the amazing foil cover we’ve designed for The Punch Escrow, I won’t be able to sign the books in time to get them to you before the July 25 publication date. So, I need to know if you guys would rather have the books early and unautographed or slightly late and autographed. By "slightly late" I mean I’ll be signing them on July 24th and Inkshares will ship them out that day, so you’ll still get your book on publication week, just not on publication day. But it’s up to you. And by "you" I mean the collective "yous." We’re going to make this democratic with a survey. You can fill out the survey here, and whatever the majority decides 24 hours from now will be the way we do things for everyone who pre-ordered the autographed books.

            Here’s the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.de/r/ZBBDCQF

            More news soon!

            -Tal

            like · liked by Kendra and 10 others

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              Tal M. Klein followed Arch-Android
              Arch-Android
              A century after the events of The Life Engineered, Capek civilization is once more brought to the brink...
              Tal M. Klein followed After Death
              After Death
              The heart-stopping and heartbreaking story of Cara, a young woman dying of a horrific disease, and Meryem, her grandmother and the world’s preeminent expert on the plague. With only months to live, Cara falls in love while Meryem searches for a cure.
              Tal M. Klein followed Curio Citizen
              Curio Citizen
              When a headstrong archaeologist is kidnapped to be put on display for an alien society, she must fight to prove she’s not a feral animal with the help of one native who sees her humanity--but what she sees in him may endanger them both.
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