The 100th anniversary of anything happens only once, ever, and never again; and today was the 100th anniversary of Armistice, the end of the First World War. Here in Montreal, the event was marked by a ceremony at Place du Canada.

The haze you see is drifting smoke from the artillery guns, fired periodically as punctuation to the ceremony.

To all the veterans out there: Thank you for your service.

Hi, readers!

Guess what? I have AWESOME news! The Fairy Stepmother Inc. has a release date. It’s...dun dun DUN...December 11th! That’s right, it’s really soon! And in time for the holidays!

Actually, if you ordered an ebook, it’s even sooner. Digital copies will be available on November 30th. There’s a good reason for this that really helps me. One of the best ways for my book to be seen on Amazon and other retailers is for it to get some good reviews. So if you ordered a digital copy, you’ll get it in time to read it and maybe leave me a good review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Goodreads. If you enjoy the book (and aren’t, like, my mom or dad--sorry, Mom and Dad), I would so, so appreciate some stars and some good words. If you’ve taken a chance on a book from Amazon, you probably know how reviews help you make a decision. I’d love to be one of the books that makes it into the "Other customers liked..." section.

This also means that it’s a SUPER APPROPRIATE time to make sure your mailing address is correct. Sign in on Inkshares with the email and password you used when you bought the book, and in the upper corner of the screen there should be a little circular icon with a picture. Click on that, and the dropdown menu should have a line that says mailing address. Unfortunately, I can’t look up what address you have on file, but if you have trouble, you can email hello@inkshares.com. Their customer service is super nice and super helpful.

You can still order copies if you’d like! Just pop over to 

https://www.inkshares.com/books/the-fairy-stepmother-inc-

And while you’re there, check out our official cover art! It’s shiny and pretty!

Thanks so much for your support. You’ve all made it possible for me to say I’m an author!

Best,

Maggie

Welcome to November. The days are noticeably shorter now, and the trees are beginning to shed their red and gold. Tomorrow is Guy Fawkes Day in the UK; a week from now, Remembrance Day or Veterans Day or Armistice Day, depending on where you are. And for writers, it’s National Novel Writing Month, embraced by many as a means of getting themselves in gear to get the first drafts of their story down on the page.

I’ve stepped away from my outlining and begun putting words on paper, too. I’ve learnt a lot since "A Gentleman’s Murder", and I expect the process now to go significantly more smoothly than before. I expect to see "Cat’s Paw" published by November 2019, if this contest works out. And whether the contest works out for me depends heavily on you.

I hope you’re telling your friends about this.

For me, though, it’s back to hitting the keyboard -- sometimes literally. The important thing, after all, is the creation of the story, and the plan is to make it all definitely worth your while.

Cheers,

- Christopher Huang

Remembrance Day, 11 November, is a week away now. I believe I mentioned last week that this will mark the 100th anniversary of the WW1 armistice. I don’t know if there’s much I could say in an update that hasn’t already been said better in an editorial, so here’s a picture from my last visit to Bristol:

This was taken in May this year. And that’s how it should be. Whatever we remember on 11 November, I hope we do not forget on 12 November.

For those of you who are in the Montreal area, I will be joining five other mystery writers next Saturday, 10 November, from 10am to 6pm, at the Chapters Pointe Claire (6321 Transcanadienne) for a day of readings, signings, Q&A, and general discussions of all things fictionally criminal. Come join us: Michael Kent, Katherine Prairie, Jim Napier, Barbara Fradkin, Robin Harlick, and me.

Meanwhile, on Inkshares news, consider checking out "Ruining Boise" and "Ripe for Execution", two very strong and dedicated contenders in the Mystery & Thriller contest. The first concerns a single father who turns to burglary in a desperate bid to keep his family going; a grim situation, yet I get the idea that it’ll be thoroughly laced with black humour. The second concerns the hunt for a terrorist who demands the reinstatement of the death penalty in the UK; check out the author’s reading of the first chapter, here, for a better idea of what it’s all about.

And finally, of course, is a reminder to check out "Cat’s Paw", my second novel, which is still in its Inkshares funding campaign. Your support is always appreciated. Thank you.

The first draft of “Gumshoe Rules” was written in 30 days last November during National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo.  Right now there are hundreds of thousands of novelists working eagerly to create their first 50,000 word draft. For anyone interested in NaNoWriMo, I wrote an article with 13 tips for authors on how to breakthrough this month-long writing marathon. To commemorate this event, during November I’m donating $5 of every order to the NaNoWriMo.org non-profit.

Meanwhile I’m on my third draft, knee-deep in edits to continue to make “Gumshoe Rules” as good as it can be. I’m fortunate to have been able to tap into some world-class editors both locally and around the world through a web site called Reedsy. For those who might have their own novel in the works, I strong recommend taking a look at Reedsy in order to hire experienced professional editors and cover designers. They also have a wealth of information on structuring a novel, building suspense, character development and more. 

One slight complication has been reported to me by backers of this project. Somewhere between 3-4% of all orders placed on Inkshares did not make it through, due to some quirks in the Inkshares system. (The problem has now been corrected.) However, even if you are getting this update, it doesn’t mean your order was placed. Please check and if you didn’t receive an email confirmation from hello@inkshares.com with the subject Gumshoe Rules Confirmation, then you’ll need to place your order again. Be sure to click on the final green “Confirm” button to make sure your order goes through. Please go to https://www.inkshares.com/books/gumshoe-rules  to place your order. 

I am grateful to all who have helped support this creative project. I’m confident that with your help, we’ll finish November strong and raise some money for NaNoWriMo! If you can encourage just one other person to buy the book, that would help immensely. 

Thank you for all of your support!
--Z.Z. Traver
PS. At Bouchercon this year, I met Martin Edwards, whose most recent book "Gallows Court" has just been released to great acclaim. Edwards is a bestselling novelist, Chair of the Crime Writers Association, editor of the British Library’s classic crime series and an all around nice guy.