Hi everybody!

Just wanted to remind you that The Lion in Darkness is now taking pre orders.  A map will be up shortly, there were some conversion things that need to be ironed out but it won’t be long. Also I’ll be putting up a little more of the work soon, I’m still figuring out where all my stuff is in all these moving boxes, so that’ll be soon too.  Thanks for following, and please do pre order. Don’t forget to bring a friend ;P

Greetings fellow Pirates!!

Its been a while, I know. I’ve been working in overdrive at night to make sure I can get my manuscript into Inkshares’ hands by my self-imposed deadline of next month. They are so chill though, they really don’t give deadlines, just support. This is a wonderful platform, and I’m grateful to be member of it.

BUT I have something so amazing to show you. Last month I decided I wanted a change, and thought a new cover would be a good idea.  I enlisted a talented artist, Elizabeth Rupp, to design the book’s new cover. What do you think?

I think it looks amazing! Thank you Elizabeth!

So you ask, what does a dragon have to do with dinosaur paleontology? Pre-order The Pirates of Montana to find out!

No need for a fun dinosaur meme on this update. The Dragon Lizard will rise again!

Excelsior,

Erin

What’s this? A second update in two days after months of silence? Just wanted to share that "Lena" has a new column today: 

http://bay-ata.com/sparked/blog/2016/07/26/should-i-finish-my-book/ 

Thanks to former student Patricia, the soul of wit (and brevity), who made us laugh with her letter about the self-doubt that sometimes creeps in and makes her want to give up (and burn her manuscript) because she is sure that none of the "real" authors with books on her shelves ever felt that way. If you’re a real writer (which of course you are), you know what she’s talking about. We certainly do. Sometimes it’s comforting just to know that others share your neuroses. 

This is actually familiar territory for us not just as writers (ie: personally) but because the protagonist of Sparked, Laurel Goodwin, is also an aspiring writer, who becomes seized with insecurity after her sophomore English teacher suggests that she’s not digging deep enough or writing to her potential. This silences her for a while, but later she uses this advice to unlock a gift she wasn’t aware that she possessed. I won’t give any more away, but suffice it to say: this topic is near and dear to Lena’s heart! 

Hi, everyone! 

Another really quick sorta-update.

A really wonderful person has offered to buy 10 copies of The Last Faoii, but ONLY if those ten copies are donated to 10 different high school libraries in the US. How cool is that?? I’m really excited about it and happy to oblige-- we just need to find the 10 schools to send them to (assuming I get up to my Quill goal, that is). 

So-- if you or someone you know works in/makes decisions for school libraries, let them know that I’d LOVE to send them a free signed copy of The Last Faoii. They can e-mail me at tahani.nelson@gmail.com or find me on Facebook (TahaniNelson) so I can get their mailing address. We’ll send copies to the first 10 that reply.

Oh! Also, make sure the school knows that it is a fantasy novel, and is for ages 13+.  (Please do not respond if either of these things would be a problem in your school district).

Thanks again. Love always,

T

Hey everyone.  I just want to say THANK YOU again for pushing us past the 100 mark last weekend.  It’s so humbling to have this much support, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. As promised, I’m handing out the first three chapters of BLUE WATER.  But I thought instead of just sending them along in an email that you have to print out and read, I’d do something else to make it a little easier.  (Hopefully.)

At the bottom of this document is a link to our website.  There, you’ll find a link to three different versions of the beginning of BLUE WATER, so that you can read it on your screen of choice, be it a computer, an iPad or iPhone, or a Kindle.

The PDF will be the simplest.  If you want, you could just download that and print it, or read if from your screen.  PDF is pretty versatile, and can usually be read anywhere.

The ePub and MOBI file are your expert (cooler) mode ways to read.  I’ve tested both out, and they both work fine.

THE DIRECT LINK TO DOWNLOAD THE FIRST THREE CHAPTERS IS HERE: 
http://www.bluewaternovel.com/#!read-it/ekdqn  

To download the PDF from a PC/Mac:
1.) Click the link below.
2.) Right click on "PDF"
3.) Click "Save Link As..." and save the file where ever you like.

 To read on Kindle:
1.) From the Kindle, click the link below, (or open Silk and go to bluewaternovel.com and click the link "Read the FIRST THREE CHAPTERS")  
2.) Click "KINDLE (.mobi). The file should download immediately.
3,) After the download is finished, click "Open."

To read on iPad/iPhone:
1.) From the iPad, click the link below, (or go to bluewaternovel.com and click the link "Read the FIRST THREE CHAPTERS")
2.) Click "eReader(.ePub)"
3.) Click "Download" in the bottom right
4.) After the file completes downloading, the "download" button changes to "OPEN IN..."  Click that.
5.) Choose "Copy to iBooks"

If anyone has any trouble, please do not hesitate to let me know, either by private message on Facebook, or emailing me at bluewaternovel@gmail.com

Thank you again for all your belief in this book.  With any crowdfunding campaign, the worst fear ever is no one else shows up.  You guys have answered the call in droves.

If you haven’t preordered Blue Water yet, maybe these three chapters will be enough to sway your opinion.  There’s 32 more where this came from.  If you want to know what happens next, we have to get to at the very least 250 to achieve a light publication goal.  The good news is, three weeks in, we’re just shy of halfway there.  So PREORDER TODAY, and TELL YOUR FRIENDS.  Spread the word, share the chapters link with anyone you think might be into the book, and let them get a taste.  The only way anyone reads more is if we cross the finish line.  Together, we can finish this campaign, and finish this story.

Thank you all again.  Keep up the good work,
Joseph Parcell