Craig A. Munro liked an update for Tantalus Depths

Meh Update:
Those of you who follow these updates regularly (and I genuinely have no idea how many of you do) may have noticed that I haven’t had much to say over the past two-ish weeks. You may also have noticed that my pre-orders have barely moved at all. So what’s the deal with that?

I’ll be honest. I’m exhausted.

 

I’ve been working this campaign since March now. This has taken up the majority of my year. We’ve come an incredible distance in that time, but the distance to our goal is still vast. We’ve sold six pre-orders in the past ten days, and only eleven days remain to get the remaining 158 we need, which is virtually impossible barring a miracle. I’ve been told I can get another extension if I need one, (and if I need one I will get one) but...good lord am I ever tired....

I’ve poured my life, heart, and soul into this campaign, and right now there’s just not much of me left. My brain is fried and I’m having a hard time thinking of new interesting story-based content to update with that won’t spoil anything I want to keep secret, or lore-related content that isn’t completely disconnected from this story. I have a few ideas left, but I haven’t had the energy to put them together cohesively yet (expect some soon though).

I miss having a life outside of campaigning. I’ve had to put a lot of the things I love on hold for the duration, and I miss those things. I miss being able to hang out with friends regularly on my days off. I miss going to see movies in the theatre. I miss acting in plays. I miss DMing my custom Star Wars tabletop campaign on Friday nights. I miss...just life in general.

I probably sound whiny in this update, but honestly, I’m saying this more for my own benefit than anyone else’s. I’m still confident this is all going to be worth it. I have a literal lifelong dream within reach, and I’m not about to let it slip out of my reach. If I can get my campaign finished within the next eleven days and get back to having a real life, that’s fantastic. If I need to ask for another month or so, I will do so, and probably die young of old age shortly thereafter, but I’ll die happy.

Obviously I’m not giving up. I’m too stubborn, this is too important, and Tantalus Depths is too freaking good. But man am I ever tired.


P.S. I have something else really cool that I am working on, but it’s nowhere near ready, so I’m just going to be really obnoxiously vague about it for now. But stay tuned.

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    Craig A. Munro liked an update for Sunshine is Forever

    750! THANK YOU!

    When I first found out about Inkshares, my goal was to get to 250 preorders and accept the lower tier publishing deal. I honestly did not think I would come anywhere close to 750 preorders. I am in awe of the amount of support, encouragement, and attention my book has gotten so far! Thank you so much for investing in this project. I really hope you love the book when it comes out.

    So where do we go from here? I am going to send my manuscript to Inkshares as soon as possible. After they evaluate my manuscript, I will work with my assigned editor to get Sunshine is Forever into the best possible shape. A design team will redesign the cover and interior of the book. After that, the release date will be announced! I will email out updates periodically to let you know where the book is in the publishing process, but rest assured, you will receive your copy when it is ready!

    You can help by continuing to spread the word. Just because the funding stage is done, doesn’t mean you should stop telling people about Sunshine is Forever. My next goal is to make Sunshine is Forever a Bestseller. Keep telling your friends!!!

    This is the first of many books to come, so I hope that you like Sunshine is Forever enough to preorder/order my next book when the time arrives! If you want to stay in touch, feel free to friend me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, and Instagram.

    www.facebook.com/kyletcowan

    www.twitter.com/kyletcowan

    www.instagram.com/kyletcowan

    As a final note, Jamison Stone (another Inkshares author) was an instrumental part to the success of my campaign. I hope you will check out his book Rune of the Apprentice, which will be available November 1st in stores nationwide. https://www.inkshares.com/books/rune-of-the-apprentice

    Thank you all for the help! Crowdfunding is one of the hardest, most rewarding things I have ever done. This is my second time funding a project this way, and it won’t be the last. Inkshares, Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, and Seed and Spark are proving that crowdfunding is the way of the future for independent/undiscovered talent. Please continue to help your friends, because you never know when you might need to ask for support.

    I appreciate each and every single one of you. Now I am going to get back to doing what I love, writing.

    Kyle T. Cowan

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      Craig A. Munro followed Ethan Mabry
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      Craig A. Munro liked an update for A Beast Requires

      Woo! 103 backers and 126 pre-orders!

       

      A Beast Requires is the Write Out Loud Syndicate’s selection for October, which also happens to be LGBTQIA+ History Month! You have no idea how much this means to me. When I was a tiny little queerling, my life was an absolute mess. The late 80’s and early 90’s weren’t particularly kind, especially to a kid growing up in the suburban sprawl of Cincinnati. There weren’t a whole lot of LGBTQIA+ people in media, especially positive ones. Most of the time they were either stock villains, AIDS patients, or some sinister force serving as an antagonist. Of course, there was Divine, but at 8, I had no clue who Divine was, let alone had even seen a John Waters movie.

      As I got older, and was able to find queer cinema, it improved, but there was still a lack of a LGBTQIA+ presence in fantasy and scifi, which were my go to genres of escapism. It wasn’t until the revival of a popular British tv show that I saw an actual representation of me in the media, someone who wasn’t 100% straight or 100% gay, and I fell in love with Captain Jack the moment my baby blue eyes first saw him.

      Diversity does not exist in a vacuum, and any character’s defining characteristics should never be their race, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation. When I started A Beast Requires, it was without question that the city of Aurum would be a diverse place, and part of that diversity was having LGBTQIA+ characters. Deputy Rilley, resident alchemist and mail order academic, is a trans man, and in a world where dragons are bankers and wizards use magic to grow pineapples in winter, no one bats an eye. Diversity in Aurum is a part of life, and when the nice troll drag queen asks you if she looks pretty in her dress, you say yes.

      Then there’s Priz, who openly states with pride that he, in fact, loves everybody. Having a pansexual character, who loves without limitations, wasn’t difficult for me to write. Hells, Priz himself wasn’t difficult for me to write, since I was Priz for most of my life pre-2010. Out of all the things Priz is, and trust me in that there are a lot of them, his sexual orientation is the least interesting thing about him. I could have gone the entire book without mentioning it, but I had to. Agency is important, and by having that one line, he becomes a visible member of the LGBTQIA+ community.

      Being selected by the Write Out Loud Syndicate means the world to me. It’s an absolute honor, and I am damn proud to be part of the community.

      - Jay

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        Craig A. Munro liked an update for How to Get Run Over by a Truck

        Dear Sweethearts,

        I got up yesterday morning at 5 am to workout. As I dressed in the gray morning light, it reminded me of the years that I would force myself to get up at 5 am and drag myself to my computer to bang out bits and pieces of my memoir for the 2 hours I had before commuting into work. It was the quietest that my Brooklyn neighborhood was all day. It felt like I was the only person awake in the world. It was lonely, but it felt right.

        I struggled to put my feelings into words. I wanted to be honest with myself about who I was, how I felt and who I was trying to be. I did my best not to flinch about my ugly feelings, to stare deeply into my own mortality, fragility and also to dive in deeper past the negativity, to the beautiful hidden places where joy lived. 

         I spent my lunch hours tucked out of sight in unused cubicles in the back of the open trading desk where I worked - editing, crying, laughing. My evenings would bring me back to the same spot at the little desk in my bedroom, eating pretzels sipping tea and trying to get all of my memories out, writing with the fervor of a dying woman who didn’t want her life to get lost to time. 

        I wrote to make the pain more comprehensible, I wrote for old Katie because her story deserved to be told, and I wrote for the the stranger living somewhere in the world who might need a story like this, when they are feeling particularly hopeless. I wanted to tell them that the impossible happens all the time, we just don’t talk about it. It’s ok to be scared, it’s ok to laugh, it’s ok to cry - I usually do those three things in tandem. Even though I was writing this at my little desk by myself in Williamsburg - I wanted for the stranger to know, that they aren’t alone.  I’ve been there too. 

        I tried to make this book possible by myself, I sent it out to 75 agents across the country, I received their rejections, their emails and letters that told me that I wasn’t a good enough writer that the story wasn’t compelling enough, that no one would ever buy this book, I should hire a ghost writer. I took it to heart and I swallowed the rejection alone. 

        Then, I found Inkshares, and suddenly other writers were telling me that this book was something they thought was worth reading. From there, I found all of you, and I heard you saying "We believe in you. We’ll make this happen - we can do it together." And just like that, I wasn’t alone any more.  How to Get Run Over by a Truck stopped being just my story - it became all of ours. 

        I know that it is an imperfect piece of art, but it is a reflection of me and all of the pieces I tried to fit back together.  I love you for opening up your hearts to this story, to this book, and to me. There is no other way I could imagine bringing this book into the world today. Thank you for standing with me. To me, you are perfection. 

        Thank you for making this book possible. Yesterday was one of the proudest days of my life. I saw the book I have worked so hard on for years in the hands of people that I love, I got to read from the book in front of over 100 people who packed themselves into the KGB Bar on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. I cried and I laughed with people I knew, and with strangers. It was incredible.  Thank you for being a part of this amazing journey. I hope that you are enjoying your books! If you are, if you’d be willing to take a moment to leave a short review here on amazon.com’s website, I would be SO grateful! It will direct new people to the book, and hopefully get it into the hands of more people who need to hear this kind of a story! 

        I will be forever grateful for your kindness and for your support - thank you for changing the course of my life

        Heart,
        Katie 
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          Craig A. Munro liked an update for Witherfist

          Just a short update today to share two things with you all: first off, Witherfist now has a brilliant 88 preorders. If I could reach through the internet and high five you all, I would. 

          Second, I have some more character art to share with you. This time, it’s the fugitive princess, Arren: 

          You can read about Arren in one of Witherfist’s excerpt chapters.

          ~ Jenny

          PS. Don’t forget, I’m running a contest throughout October that  I mentioned in a previous update - the TL;DR version is if you preorder Witherfist or get others to preorder the book, you can win Amazon vouchers. 

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            Craig A. Munro followed Dennis Cardiff
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            Craig A. Munro liked an update for Human Resources

            Thank you everyone that has been following Human Resources here on Inkshares. Today I received some exciting news. Actually, "exciting" doesn’t cut the mustard in this circumstance. 

            Today, The Launchpad Manuscript competition announced its Top 75 finalists -- and Human Resources is in the list! I am humbled, excited, and a little intimidated -- but I am strapped in and ready for the ride now taking off.


            If you don’t know about the Launchpad Manuscript Competition -- it is one of the "Inkshares" competitions, but a little different to their others. This one is run independently in conjunction with Energy Entertainment and  Scott Free Productions 

            (yes, *that* Scott). 

            Apart from being a partnership, this competition differs from Inkshares regular fair by having an expert judging phase -- entrants had to submit a traditional synopsis and up to 50 pages of manuscript for industry judges to assess. 

            The Top 75 have been selected by that panel.

             You get to pick the winners (hint -- pick me). 

            At some point there will be a more traditional Inkshares crowdfunding competition -- I’ll be reaching out to you when that happens. For now, I’m just too excited not to share the news!

            Robert

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              Craig A. Munro liked the forum thread, G&S Contest: The Story So Far Part 9

              (Long post, Wall-o’-text incoming)
              ----

              [It’s important to note that this takes a bit of time to write and all numbers and placements are based on where everyone is when I write this. It may be different now but it should be close.]

              ----


              You can view last weeks here: The Story So Far Part 8


              Welcome back to The Story So Far, my name is @Joey Angotti and I’ll be your guide for this evening. We’re in Week 9 and it’s October 2nd. Let that sink in a bit… Yeah, it’s crazy banana pants! That means as of this moment there is literally less than a month left in this Geek and Sundry fantasy contest. The time is flying and also running out for those still trying to win this thing. That being said, there weren’t too many changes from last week, but there have been plenty of updates from the Top 10 authors. Let’s discuss!


              10.  Flames in the Dark by @Tara Roquemore (94 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 10th)

              Flames in the Dark by Tara Roquemore has only gone up one Reader from last week but continues to hold on to the 10th spot. This final month is crucial for Ms. Roquemore and her (wonderfully written) book, as there is still a lot of ground separating her from the 3rd place spot. Whether she cracks the Top 3 or not, this book deserves to hit quill at least. As I’ve stated before, it is one of the most interesting titles on the whole site. If you want to receive more updates besides the ones shared through Inkshares, be sure to check out her Facebook Author Page!

              9. Chronicles of An Domhan by @Conri  (107 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 8th)

              Chronicles of An Domhan by Conri didn’t go up in readers from last week and has fallen down to the 9th spot. Despite having one of the fastest rising books in the entire contest, it really is a shocker to see it falling this far down in the Top 10. The content and collaboration between artists that makes up the Chronicles of An Domhan are some of the most fleshed out in the entire contest. Judging by the lack of new unique readers, I will assume you all didn’t take my advice on checking out Mr. Conri’s latest updates. (Queue the nun chick from Game of Thrones with the whole “Shame, Shame, Shame” bit) I’ll hit you all up with the ol’ link-a-roo again in case you missed it last week: Codex An Domhan I: The Faith and Duty of the Marshals. Go check it out!


              8. The Delicate Art of Soulripping by @Sara  (122 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 6th)
              The Delicate Art of Soulripping by Sara Polk has fallen to 8th place. As we enter into this final month of the contest and resources are starting to run dry it becomes harder and harder to secure unique readers each week and that is becoming clear from the current Top 10 changes we’re seeing here in the first week of October. That being said, if there was ever a final month for The Delicate Art of Soulripping to bounce back in this contest - it is October! This is easily the creepiest and darkest of the Fantasy Novels in the contest and could easily be giving the current Crypt TV Collection Contest writers a run for their money. Halloween will be here before you know it and the rise of this extremely intriguing book by Ms. Polk should coincide with it. Check it out to get in the holiday spirit!



              7. A Light in the Void by @J. S. Chlapowski  (134 Readers / Last Week’s Rank 9th)
              A Light in the Void by J.S. Chlapowski continues to rise in the ranks of the Top 10 and has increased in 30 unique readers since last week! As a Hockey fan, I can tell you the importance of getting hot at the right time - especially towards the end of the Season(or contest in this case) - just look at the Penguins last year(as a New York Rangers fan, this pains me to type) but they got hot at the right time and won the Stanley Cup. I’m not saying Mr. Chlapowski can win the whole thing just yet, but he’s easily one of the hottest entries going into the final month. Jumping up 30 unique readers in just a week this late in the game is eye-opening and shows that A Light in the Void deserves your attention. Head on over to the book page and let Mr. Chlapowski know what you think about his upcoming novel!



              6. The Last Faoii by @Tahani Nelson  (136 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 6th)
              Having gone up 16 unique readers from last week, Tahani Nelson and her book The Last Faoii continues to have one of the strongest campaigns in the Top 10. A *ton* of stuff has been going down on her book page and in her comments section. A $100 VISA giftcard was the most normal thing going on there. We got a new book trailer(which is awesome!) by the amazing @Christopher Lee , there is a new blurb describing the book as well as a new section about Ms. Nelson herself in the About the Author section. On top of all of that, Ed Kemmick of “Last Best News” wrote a really great article about Ms. Nelson and The Last Faoii. You can check that out right here. If you’re not a part of the fight just yet, you need to pick up your blade and get in there already!  

              5. The Living God by @Kaytalin Platt (140 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 5th)
              The Living God by Kaytalin Platt continues to go up in readers each week, one of the most consistent in the contest but Ms. Platt has been in the 5th place spot for quite some time now. With the final month of the contest upon us, it’s time for that last surge that can push her into the Top 3. It’s not like she hasn’t been trying up until this point, her story is solid, her comments section is often updated and full of outstanding character bios and details about the book. Here is what @Pontus Karsten , author of The Orb of Rahnos had to say about it:

              “After having read through the first two chapters, this book definitely has my attention. It most certainly has the "just one more page before I put it down" feeling that every writer hopes to accomplish. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of it as soon as I have time. Definitely and undoubtedly a book I would recommend.”

              Mr. Karsten definitely hit on a lot of similar feelings I have about The Living God, it definitely has that “one more page” feel and you all need to go check it out and find that out for yourself! That last surge should happen and you can be a part of it!



              4. The Fairy Stepmother, Inc. by @Maggie Hoyt  (200 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 4th)
              While we’re on the topic of final surges, The Fairy Stepmother, Inc. by Maggie Hoyt has had quite a few surges since the start of this contest. Most recently? Jumping up 20 unique readers from last week to hit exactly 200 readers!(As of this writing anyway, possibly more than that by now!) Congratulations to Ms. Hoyt for being the 4th entry into this contest to hit 200 readers and for continuing to be one of the most impressive campaigns in this whole contest. She’s also very close to hitting quill, with less than 25 preorders to go. You should head over to her book page and check out her comments section where she is very grateful for the support thus far but still needs a lot more support if she’s going to catch up to Storm Song and crack the Top 3.

              3. Storm Song by @Allison Griner  (224 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 3rd)

              Storm Song by Allison Griner continues to hang on to the Top 3 spot as we go into the final weeks of the contest. Possibly as I write this, Ms. Griner is running a Dungeons and Dragon’s event that I am REALLY jealous that I can’t be at right now! As many of you know by now, her main character - Thoster Chatwyn - began as a D&D NPC that she created back in her college days and grew into much more. To pay homage to Thoster’s roots, she’s running a D&D event based on a story set in her book’s universe. How. Cool. Is. That? Seriously! If you check out her comments section she’s uploaded a bunch of character sheets and info she’s using to run the event. You should all go check that out! Wish I could be there! Hopefully she takes a lot of pictures! On top of all of that, she’s literally one preorder away from quill as I write this(249) so let’s help her reach another milestone!



              2. The Slave Prince by @Jeyna Grace  (242 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 2nd)
               The Slave Prince by Jeyna Grace is still in 2nd place as we enter into this final month of the contest. Ms. Grace has run a solid campaign with giveaways and awesome quotes at the top of her comments. From what I’ve read of The Slave Prince it is shaping up to be a fantastic novel that would be awesome to see on store shelves in the near-future. The Salt X Paper winners have been announced and Ms. Grace is going to donate money to charity as a way to pay it forward. This is the type of campaign you can proud of to be a part of and now is the time to support Ms. Grace on her journey. November will be here before you know it, Ms. Grace has been in the Top 3 since this contest began - let’s help keep her there!


              1. Sparked by @Lena (Helena and Malena)   (388 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 1st)
              The powerhouse that is Sparked by Helena Echlin and Malena Watrous broke into the Top 10 just a few weeks ago and never looked back. Now at almost 400 unique readers and 588 preorders, this book might hit the 750 preorder goal before this contest even ends. This is no easy feat. Anyone that has ever crowdfunded anything in their life, myself included, knows that this is a really impressive campaign that these two amazing authors are running right here on Inkshares. Each week their preorder count rises, each week they receive new reviews and comments on their writing. People are excited for this book and for good reason! Barring any unforeseen miracles for another author in this contest, Sparked is the odds-on favorite for 1st place in this contest with the final month upon us. That 750 preorder goal is within reach and we can help them get their and be a part of one of the most impressive campaigns in crowdfunding history. Also, if you preorder 3 copies of the book they’ll send you a Sparked Tote Bag… That’s just awesome! Go check it out if you haven’t yet!

              ----

              With the final month here and the contest winding down for some authors and resources being spent there was not a lot of changes to talk about this week. I had some ideas I wanted to run through that could have extended the length of this one but I felt it was a good quick recap to start off the month. I’ll save my other ideas for the last few editions. This has been a wild ride so far, looking forward to seeing this through. Good luck everyone! Let’s have a great final month of this contest!


              ----

              I’m not sure people who aren’t tagged are even reading this or slightly interested. Also, people not using the forums enough could not be seeing this as well. Any and all extra exposure of this forum post would be appreciated!(It’s a lot of work to not be seen by more people on the site!) - A mention on your books page or more comments could keep this afloat and make sure more people see this post - therefore more exposure and good things for your entry! Plus it might get more people involved on the forums which is good for Inkshares as a whole, imo.

              ----

              Shameless Plug: Back to 25 reviews on Amazon. I’m really trying to hit 30 so if anyone could help out with that, I would really appreciate it! Even if you don’t want to leave a review without actually owning or completely reading the book - I would definitely love some feedback on the Chapters posted on my Heroes of Khroma book page or on the preview on Amazon. Thanks to everyone that has written a review or supported, you’re all amazing and fantastic. Even if you didn’t leave a review or support - you’re still cool. Much love!

              A Soldier’s Crest

              Lastly I want to thank Inkshares for making this site and giving aspiring authors like us a chance to share our stories. I also want to thank all the Inksharians, especially those in the Top 10, for giving me some interesting stories to read and write about.

              Cheers!

              -J.A.  

              (I post it first then add the links after, so if you click on it right away you may not see the links. Just know that they’re gonna be added in an edit right after! Thanks for your patience and sorry for the inconvenience!)

              EDIT: Links added. Let me know if any mistakes!
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                Craig A. Munro liked an update for A Beast Requires

                Happy Tuesday, y’all!

                 

                Recently, Rick Heinz, the author of The Seventh Age: Dawn and all around mensch, wrote an article  highlighting five of the underdogs in the Geek & Sundry Fantasy Contest. Yesterday, A Beast Requires returned to the top ten list, with 95 backers and 117 pre-orders, putting the book 45% of the way to that elusive Quill goal. With 57 days left, doubling the number of pre-orders is totally doable, so let that specific type of hustle begin.

                I like underdogs. Hells, I write about underdogs, seeing as I am one. When I told people I wanted to be a writer when I was a kid, they laughed. There was no way the kid who couldn’t spell, let alone write, would ever string more than five words together in a coherent thought. I’m a stubborn one. Tell me I can’t do something and I will bust my ass to prove you wrong, then send you a postcard with a crudely drawn middle finger. 

                I’ve been an underdog most of my life. I lost a lot when I came out, especially my family, and survived for almost two years living out of my car and on people’s couches. When I got sick, they told me it was terminal, and this month now marks my 6th year in remission. Yea, I’m so stubborn I told cancer to fuck off. When I lost my job of ten years, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever recover, I wrote a book. A Beast Requires has taken me four years of blood, sweat, and tears. When you tell people you’re writing a book, they think you’re a fool, that you’ll never finish it, and that there is no way in hell that it will be any good. Well, fuck those people.

                Don’t ignore the underdogs. While they face incredible odds, eventually they will be victorious, and they will have done it their way.

                57 days. Yea, we’ve got this.

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