Good news!  I just got the first round copy edit back from INkShares. That means we’re on schedule. Actually a little bit ahead of schedule. That doesn’t mean I have a date yet but it means we can now start talking cover art, audiobook narrator and all that stuff. Then it will  just be up to Inkshares to decide where to slot it in for their fall/winter schedule. I’ll let y’all know as soon as I have a date that is safe to give out publicly!

I’ve been told that ebooks will be released on July 23rd. Physical books will following in the ensuing weeks. The reason? Because there are just so many bloody copies of my book that the printer needs more time. Thank you for making that the case. Thank you for making this box on my living room floor a possibility.

Thank you for everything.

I am extremely excited to report that Young Donald passed 300 pre-orders on July 19 (two days ahead of the target!). Thank you so much for the fantastic support. On to 400 now (with a target of August 1).

Please consider if you have a friend who might be interested - if everyone could get just one friend to pre-order, the book would soon be going into production!

The Amazon gift card drawings remain wide open: to recap that promotion, (a) if you are responsible for 3 or more pre-orders, you are in the running for a $100 gift card (a handful of people have qualified already - thanks!), and (b) if you responsible for 6 or more pre-orders you are also eligible for a $150 gift card drawing (still only one person eligible for this one).

Finally, please note that Inkshares treats $10, $20 and $60 orders exactly the same (as just one pre-order). But individuals can pre-order multiple times. So a $60 purchase is one pre-order, but six $10 purchases are 6 pre-orders.

Thank you so much! I truly appreciate your great support

Michael

UPDATE...on the great BRUGES BLOOD mystery solving comp.  It occurs to me that perhaps the timescale isn’t kind enough for those of you who aren’t speed readers on holiday :) . So the closing date for solutions will be extended until the end of August...GOOD LUCK ALL.

SUMMER IS HERE and with it the holiday opportunity for book reading! 

And to add a little spice into the experience I’d like to launch a competition based on my most recent publication BRUGES BLOOD. So here’s the deal. Within the book is a mysterious postcard left by Chandler’s father which contains one of the many puzzles he loved to challenge Chandler with.  

For the month of July I will be offering a prize of $50 to one lucky winner, who will be drawn from an electronic hat by a friendly robot. 

But first of course you have to solve the mystery :) No more clues. All you Sherlocks, Poirots and Columbos out there (Other sleuths are available) get to work. Just buy a copy of BRUGES BLOOD, Kindle or paperback, and get reading. 

The puzzle will be obvious...the solution not so much. Send all of your solutions to touchwoodpicturesltd@hotmail.com.  I will announce the winner on August 1st and PAYPAL  the winnings to you the same day. 

GOOD LUCK!

JULY BASEBALL UPDATE

TYLER SKAGGS. First off, two weeks ago Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs, just shy of his 28th birthday, died in his sleep at a hotel in Arlington, TX. He wasn’t the Angels’ best pitcher, but he was a solid major leaguer, and everyone seemed to like him. First game back from the All-Star break, all of the team wore uniforms with his name and number on the back. And then Angels pitchers Taylor Cole and Felix Pena combined for a no-hitter. You’ve probably seen the photo from after the game, Angels players standing around the pitcher’s mound, having laid their jerseys to cover the mound. The world of baseball will remember that July 12 game forever.

JIM BOUTON. Goodbye Jim Bouton, author of one of the greatest baseball books ever, BALL FOUR. I met him at a book signing in 2000. I asked him a question about the Yankees and he couldn’t have been ruder! Lots of people have great memories of him, and in interviews he sounded like a considerate guy. BALL FOUR exposed ballplayers for the adult-juveniles that most of them were at the time (baseball culture is bit more buttoned-up now, and that’s, in part, the subtext of GOING, GOING, GONE!). BALL FOUR was also the best recounting of trying to hold on to a career as a Major League pitcher.

FIREWORKS. We’ve been having a lot of fun going to A’s and Giants games. Most kids love fireworks, and all baseball fans love stepping on to the field. On their fireworks nights, after the game, the A’s invite everyone down to the field. When we’re all settled, the lights go out and the A’s put on a GREAT 20-minute fireworks show. If you’re with kids who can deal with a late night, who love fireworks and baseball, it’s a thorough winner.

GOING, GOING, GONE! The extraordinarily-talented Inkshares staff is working on GOING, GOING, GONE! And it looks like the novel will be published during Spring Training 2020. That’s when you will, hopefully, receive your pre-orders. However, don’t be surprised if that timeframe is pushed back. After all, it’s the book business!

Baseball card rewards will be on their way by the end of July to those who ordered between 5 and 10 copies of GOING, GOING, GONE! Any of your baseball-loving and/or well-read friends are welcome to pre-order through Inkshares at any time.

I owe so many thanks! I appreciate all of your support!

Thanks & Swing For The Fences!

 Steve