We’ve reached another landmark, at last. Late last night, Tantalus Depths finally reached and passed 500 pre-orders. That’s right: we are now three fourths of the way to the full-publishing goal.
 

We are now entering the final month of the campaign. As of right now, we have to bring in 247 more pre-orders within the next 29 days. It won’t be easy. We’re right about where we should be, but there’s still a whole lot more work to be done. If you’ve been holding out so far, now is the time to throw in your pre-order, or to bring your friends and families into the picture for their support. 
Also, even though the 500th order technically came after midnight, I’m still going to go ahead and put up chapter one and the video of my reading it, like I promised we’d do if Tantalus Depths hit 500 on the 16th. Expect those sometime tomorrow, along with our usual character update. :)
Keep pushing everyone! We’re almost home.

It’s been a while since my last update...blame it on a combination of dealing with my grandfather-in-laws funeral (Taiwanese funerals are very elaborate and quite interesting. There are a few images on my Instagram), leaving one school and finding another to teach in, and an emotionally-oppressed energy level with regard to the book. Turns out, when most of the people you’ve developed relationships with artistically over the past couple of decades are photographers (because you were a prolific street photographer), marketing your book via social media isn’t very productive. Photographers don’t seem to be prolific readers. Also, turns out that living overseas, while an invaluable life experience, is a wall to marketing your book in the meat world.

 

Salut, Beautiful People! How are you? How’s the writing going? Me? I’m not writing, I’m performing surgery because this book will not let me proceed to the next chapter without moi, diddling with it!!! So that said, I sculpted chapter 2 again, if you have time take a look, added more Voodoo. I mean you can’t go wrong with more Voodoo right? On a lighter note, I am eating and drinking my way through Chicago. My new, look cute perched on a stool moment--Palmer House Hilton. Lobby ceiling, everything! My new finger food--Fried Cheese Curds. My mother is from Louisiana, fried anything is in my blood! Also, I am recording my first Author radio interview next week that will air in Detroit for my novel Beautiful Carnage. Wish me luck! Now a little something to inspire your next writing session...

Dear friends and followers,

It continues to be slow on the pre-order front--Summer is meant for lazy, restful naps in the sun--but that does not mean I have been completely idle. I have plans for a second Peterkin mystery game, which I hope to unveil in a couple of weeks.

Wouldn’t it be great if I could just spend all my time writing? Both games and books. I guess I could consider Patreon for that, but I figure the pre-order thing with Inkshares is better. A one-time contribution can lead to publication, which in turn leads to sales and royalties ... it’s the gift that keeps on giving.

Speaking of games and books, the video-game oriented Nerdist contest just ended, and I am pleased to say that "Too Many Controllers" came in first. A number of you contributed to that win, and we’ve compiled a video to express our gratitude.

It’s a first taste of publication, folks. And that is bloody exciting.

And in the continuing series of introductions to the characters you’ll meet in "Murder at the Veterans’ Club", here’s (Lord) Oliver Saxon, the fifth and last of the club officers:

Here’s a bit of trivia that didn’t make it into the book:

In the UK, a military Mess is normally run by a Mess Committee comprising of seven members: the President, the Vice-President, the Treasurer, the Secretary, and three members responsible for stocking the bar, organising the entertainment, and maintaining the premises. The Veterans’ Club is almost certainly derived from such a Mess, which suggests there ought to be seven members on the board of officers, not five. I blame Bradshaw for this: it is my belief that he proved so efficient as Secretary that he swallowed up the offices of the Treasurer and the member responsible for maintaining the premises. No doubt, once he’s gone, the Vet will find itself in need of an additional two officers on the board to bring them back up to seven.

Then again, has the Mess Committee always been as described, and was it so in the days of the club’s founding?

Until next time: have fun and keep reading.

I’ve got a quick update this week for everyone. First news of important dates: 

• I’ll be at Wizard World in Chicago on August 18th thru 21st. You can find updates and follow me on twitter @CrankyBolt. I’ll have signed Advanced Reader Copies to give away, art prints, and preorders ready to go. Plus, a contest will be afoot to "spot the signs of the Illuminati". I’ll have to come up with a better name for that.
  
• The book gets officially published on 11/1/2016. If you are in the Naperville area, that weekend on 11/5/2016 will have events! Either from bookstore launches to a special 1 night Seventh Age live action game. 
• Midwinter Gaming Convention in Milwaukee is the next convention after that. January 19th is the date for that!

Besides dates and places to meet up! What would an update of mine be without pictures?! I bring you the final cover illustration for the Front Cover!

WELCOME TO EARTH, EXILE! 

A long time ago the planet Earth, birthplace of the human race, was a beautiful green and blue jewel of a world…the centerpiece of the Sol system! It had sprawling cities with towering skyscrapers, jungles, deserts, rainforests, tundras, oceans, rivers, lakes and a population that numbered in the several billions! 

However, that was before the Cleansing deemed the world fit for destruction and the atmosphere was scorched and made unbreathable. Clouds of dust and ash now block the once nourishing rays of the sun, the soil has become contaminated and every living thing that was not relocated to Avalon is now long dead. Once the centerpiece of the system, it is now the one world everyone wants to avoid. It is a barren wasteland of outcasts, criminals, and exiles just like you!

That’s the good news! Earth salvage is one of the most valuable commodities in the system, prized by collectors and scientists from Avalon all the way to Pluto! Objects that were once part of everyday human life are now highly sought-after artifacts of immense value. You will become an indentured scavenger, braving the harsh wasteland in search of treasures worth more than you can imagine. And if you’re lucky, after say, your tenth expedition, you may even be eligible to get a small percentage of the profits! What better incentive to survive this poison landscape than the possibility of earning your own meager pay!

 Being an Earth scavenger is not a “success overnight” path. In most cases, it’s not even a “success over several months” deal. But, with the proper training, equipment, and support, anyone can succeed as a scavenger! Sometimes, we even have one or all of those things available to new recruits such as yourself! 

Besides the toxic atmosphere and crumbling landscape, what other dangers can you expect to find in the wastelands of Earth? Well, there are mutants, twisted by long-term exposure to the poison air and radiation. “Freelance” scavengers, otherwise known as “bandits” roam the wastelands, some of which have even taken up cannibalism. The once towering skyscrapers are now decaying safety hazards and there are sinkholes, quicksand, dust storms and probably more nightmares than anyone could ever possibly bear. For others, that might spell an immediate “no way, I’m not going anywhere near there”. But, for you exile, it spells adventure. 

(Also, you’ve been legally bound to indentured servitude, so it’s not like you have a choice anyway.) 

So, go out there and fetch yourself a fortune or at least a fraction of one while you toil away under the moderately brutish leadership of a master scavenger. One day, he may even release you from indentured servitude and you can become a “free” scavenger. That’s right, you too can be your own boss and the entire, muddy, destroyed expanse of a once beautiful planet can be your office! 

On the other hand, if you die, please know that we will make every effort to make sure your carcass doesn’t get stolen by cannibals to be used as bait to trap other scavengers with better survival skills than you. 

Enjoy your stay and happy hunting! 

-Welcome brochure for Earth exiles, produced by Axis Earth Salvage, Inc. 

Two women are about to brave the wasteland that used to be the planet Earth to uncover a plot to destory the utopian society of Avalon. One is a hardened spy, the other is a scientist from another time.

Want to find out what happens next? Pre-order now!

I had to disappear for a while thanks to chronic illness, but I’m back writing and updating as planned. Making good progress with Thanatos!

Hello, readers and writers!

  Welcome to our 11th Detective Sunday! I hope everyone is doing well, and likewise to any projects some of you are currently doing. The first week of the pre-ordering campaign isn’t where it is supposed to be at the moment, but that’s because this is a first-time experience. However, this whole week, I’ve been focusing on grabbing the attention of friends, family, and potential authors to assist with our numbers. As I look at other projects with a big number of followers and recommendations that are around the same time as myself, I recognize the problem. Still, that doesn’t mean I won’t achieve my goal. Big things can start small, so help SPREAD THE WORD and ORDER followers! Also, for those who are interested in being a patron and supporting my current project and those to come, I’ll leave a link to my account. Oh, last thing, if any of you know any good artists who are good at drawing characters or backgrounds, let me know. I plan to send a restricted amount of art rewards to those who order in the specific category of prices, but it isn’t a solid idea at the moment. Thanks for attending and reading.

https://www.patreon.com/ajones5555

Until next time, A.J.III.

Good day to you all.  Just a quick one today.

First, our GET YOUR NAME IN THE BOOK contest is going strong.  It ends tonight at 3am EST (midnight Pacific.)  If you want to have a character in BLUE WATER named after you, get those preorders in.  If you’ve already ordered, refer someone else, and your name is in the running.  But the clock is ticking.  Get ’em in.

Secondly, BLUE WATER has been in the running for funding for less than two weeks, but this is the second time we’ve tried for publishing.  Our first round was during the Nerdist’s first contest.  The campaign was rushed previously, and we fell short mainly because I had no plan.  This time is different.  

But something is still here from before.  Something rushed that took no planning.  Our COVER.  The jacket for BLUE WATER was pulled from a teaser for the webseries, and hastily photoshopped together, so that we didn’t have to use the generic Inkshares cover.  It served it’s purpose at being a replacement, but honestly, hasn’t done much for us in terms of grabbing attention.  And since Inkshares works by grabbing attention, it’s time to retire it.

So with that in mind, in the not too distant future, next Sunday A.D. (to borrow a phrase from another successful crowdfunding campaign in hopes that some of their good fortune rubs off on us) we’re debuting the NEW BLUE WATER COVER.  I promise you, it will turn some heads, which will in turn snag some clicks.

So tune in next week, and see it here folks.  In the mean time, get those preorders and referrals in to BE A CHARACTER IN BLUE WATER!

Thanks a bunch,

Joseph