Apologies for the looong delay in this update! I can hardly believe it’s been four years since my raw manuscript was chosen as a winner of Inkshares’ mystery and thriller contest. Since then, myself and the force of nature that is Adam Gomolin have been working tirelessly on the project. And now, after no fewer that eight  - yes, eight! - drafts, The Unforgiven Dead is done. Finished! Finito! 

Although the exact publication date is yet to be confirmed, we’re looking at spiring or summer of 2023. Until then, you can get a taste of what to expect by checking out the first five updated chapters on Inkshares.com. You can also see the new cover, courtesy of the ludicrously talented Tim Barber at Dissect Designs. 

I can’t wait for everyone to meet Angus, Gills, and the colourful cast of characters that populate this supernatural thriller. Thanks to everyone for their patience - good things come to those who wait... 

Seven days! My friends, we are officially ONE WEEK from publication! I can’t Believe how close it is!

I’m going to try my very best to write an update every day this week, since a lot is going to happen during these final days. Of course, every time I try to hold myself to any kind of schedule I woefully fall short, so who knows what will happen? Heck, this update almost didn’t go out in time thanks to my wonderful rural internet deciding to take half the day off. Life is full of adventures.

One week out, things are pretty quiet. I have some interviews lined up for this week, and I’m prepping things for the big launch event at Kent Trumbull onthe 27th. Early reviews are still overwhelmingly positive for the book, and I’m hoping more will come out in the first few weeks of release.

One big surprise update I did not see coming: the audiobook is already on sale! Turns out Audible has a site-wide sale from now until September 23rd on every audiobook in their catalogue, including the ones that aren’t even out yet. Tantalus Depths is currently 65% off at 8.73, which is cheaper than the cost of an Audible credit, so this is a really good deal. If you have any interest in getting the audiobook (and you should, it’s AMAZING), I definitely recommend taking advantage of this sale!

If you’ve already preordered it at full price, I apologize. I know it isn’t really a fair deal. I didn’t have any personal involvement in setting the price and was not aware this sale was coming, or I would have mentioned it sooner. It may be possible to cancel your preorder and order it again at the sale price, but I’m genuinely not sure.

If you haven’t preordered yet, don’t miss this deal! Andi’s performance breathes so much life into my words that I could never convey through text alone. I cannot recommend the audiobook strongly enough. It’s an experience that must not be missed.  

Hello friends and supporters! 

Tantalus Depths is now less than two weeks away from launch! The wait is finally almost over! 

If you backed the Tantalus Depths preorder campaign way back in 2016 and ordered a physical copy,  you should be getting an email today or sometime this week from inkshares asking for confirmation of your shipping info. Please, please, please make sure this info is accurate! Six years is a long time, and I know a lot of you have moved since then. The email will have a link for you to make corrections. If you run into any difficulties with this, please email Inkshares directly at hello@inkshares.com. Shipping is handled by my publisher, not me, so I won’t be able to do anything to help with this. 

If everything is correct in your shipping information, you’re good! You don’t have to do anything else, it’ll ship right to you around  the 27th. Preorders made through Amazon or another book retailer may come a couple days later than that, but they should be close. 

In other exciting news, the Tantalus Depths audiobook is now available for preorder! It’s exclusively available on Audible, and if you’ve never had an Audible account before, you can get your very first download free! Andi Arndt gives a truly phenomenal performance narrating this story; I truly could not have asked for a better reader. You’re in for a fantastic ride. Check it out here:

There will be more updates soon as we get closer and closer to the big day, so stay tuned! And again, PLEASE check your email, including your junk folder just in case, to make sure your shipping info is correct if you’ve preordered a paperback through Inkshares. 

More good news: Books have been printed! The audiobook is recorded! 
Finally, after much longer than I ever expected, The Man from Mittelwerk is on its way. The book will become available September 6 in time for the Bouchercon mystery & crime writer conference I’ll be attending in Minneapolis that week. (If you’re there, hit me up for a beer.)

The audiobook has been a lot of fun. We hired professional voice-over actor Jonathan Strait who handles the various accents and voices and really brought the story to life. He also found a number of typos, most of which (ahem) were corrected before the first print run. 

If you’ve moved since originally sponsoring on Inkshares, please be sure to login at www.inkshares.com, go to your Profile page, and click the Account button in the top right corner. Select Address from the dropdown menu, and verify or update the information. If you have any questions, please email hello@Inkshares.com.

Thank you again for all your support for this project. It was pretty fun to find a box of books on my porch and hold the finished work in my hands. Thank you to my co-author and brother Mike for making the book so much better than it would have been otherwise. And thank you to my wife for keeping the champagne on ice. 

In other news, I managed to run the Bayshore Half Marathon way back in May despite being injured and under-trained. I have since switched to cycling for the summer. How about you? Don’t hit reply, instead send email to ZUrlocker@hotmail.com. 
Cheers!
--Zack
PS. News updates will be provided at the author website https:www.mzurlocker.com.