Faoii! I have updates!

I know I said I wasn’t going to call you back to barracks for another month, but then I got 2 exciting missives and I had to share them with you! Here we go!

First, I just got an e-mail and a 5-Star Review from the incredibly talented Jerry Oltion (Click to see his Wikipedia page). Oltion has won the Nebula Award, the Seiun Award, the Endeavor Award, has been nominated for the Hugo Award twice, and he enjoyed our story, Faoii. Look at this review he gave: 

 

Gah! Doesn’t that just make you want to lift your sword and bash a Croeli over the head with it? Let me hear your battlecry, Faoii!

Second, I’ve been asked by AMAfeed to host a Q&A session on January 26. It will run for 48 hours (starting at 6 p.m.) and I’ll be answering the questions live, but you can post anything you want ahead of time if you’re not sure you’re going to be available on those days. I’d be happy to talk about basically anything you can think of-- after all, AMA stands for Ask Me Anything! 

Here’s the link for that. I’ll remind you all again before the date, but definitely share that info with any aspiring authors you have out there. A year ago, I was right where they are. Maybe I can help them like so many of you have helped me.

That’s it for now, Faoii. Keep those shields up. I’ll talk to you again soon.

Faoii-Tahani

Updates, Faoii! Listen up! You’re going to like these!

The Last Faoii becomes an officially launched book in just a few hours. In that moment, it will be widely available to anyone who wants to hear our tale, and you will have the opportunity to rate/review it on Amazon. Take the opportunity. We’ve already fought tooth and nail to take this hill, and I promised you a year ago that the world will know us. This is how that happens. We’ve fought too hard and come too far for The Last Faoii to be completely lost in the sea of novels already out there. Hitting those little stars is the only way to build our island in that sea. And we won’t just build an island. We will raise a mountain, Faoii, and our banner will stand at its peak. We have conquered every obstacle that’s come before. We will not stop now.

Other things are happening as well, of course. In an attempt to spread the word, I did an interview with Jessie’s Coffee Shop this evening. I will admit, my warriors, that I was nervous at first, and it shows at the very beginning of the set. Get through those first four minutes, however, and things go smoother. There’s a lot of interesting information packed away in there and I hope you find it of at least some interest.

Faoii-Kaiya, too, has been busy. She did her own interview for The Protagonist Speaks earlier tonight. Look through that as well and see what our young leader has to say about her world, her journey, and our army. Get to know the woman that started all of this.

It’s all finally happening, Faoii. I could not have done this without you. And I still can’t. More is coming. Be ready.

Shields Up.

Faoii-Tahani

Orders, Faoii! Listen up!

We’re 9 days away from the official release of our tale, and 10 days away from the launch party I’ll be hosting here in the beautiful Montana. I think we’ve earned a celebration, don’t you? This was a hard-earned victory, and every triumph is deserving of a divine feast and ever-flowing mead (or in this case some delicious cake and tea/coffee).  You’ve earned this, Faoii. Set your shields down for a moment and revel for a while.

However, don’t put your Fantoii blade up on your wall, quite yet. We’ve raised a worthy army, it’s true, but I told you in the beginning that someday the world will know of us. They will know of our army and our battle cries. No one can escape the Choir, but we’re not there. Yet.

You can’t post a review on Amazon until October 3, but we already have 2 reviews on Goodreads, and that’s a good start. As you read our tale, I hope you’ll be willing to tell the world what you think of it. Good reviews are the only way the word will spread (Amazon’s algorithm in particular needs a hefty number of reviews before anyone will see it) and all other reviews will help me to become a better writer. In the end, any review at all is going to strengthen our army. I still need you on that battlefield, Faoii. And I look forward to fighting beside you. This isn’t over yet.

Shields up
Faoii-Tahani

Greetings, Faoii!

Our warriors have started sending in reports that they’ve received their books! After six long years, The Last Faoii is real, and I almost can’t contain my joy at its existence. As always, I have you to thank for this.  Thank you so much for your continued support. I can’t believe we made this possible.

Don’t forget-- the absolute BEST thing you can do for The Last Faoii now is to leave reviews on Amazon and Good Reads. Good reviews are the best way to make sure that word about our army spreads, and not-as-good reviews are the best way for me to learn to be a better writer in the future. Everyone has an opinion. I truly want to hear yours.

I couldn’t have gotten this far without you, Faoii, but I know that I still have a long journey ahead of me. Please be a part of it. There are still more battles on the horizon.

Shields up. I can’t believe we did it!

Faoii-Tahani

Greetings, Faoii!

Some advanced copies of The Last Faoii came in today, and I’ve given myself a few minutes to adjust. The immediate pictures are taken and the squeals of delight are done. And now I’m just sitting here, holding a box of books in my lap while... bawling. Hysterically. I’m not even ashamed. This has been almost 6 years in the making. The publication process was the last and hardest step, and many MANY times I didn’t think I’d ever get through it. And now there’s a book in my hands that looks more beautiful than I ever expected. 390 pages that I didn’t think would ever exist. But you did. Hundreds of you thought it was worthy of support. For whatever reason, you chose to stand up and back me on a project I wasn’t sure could succeed, but was willing to give everything for.

I am... in awe. Humbled. Blessed.
And mostly grateful.

Thank you all.

Faoii-Tahani

Greetings, Faoii! I have a few updates and a little bit of reminiscing to do for the moment. Listen up!

So, a year ago I did possibly the craziest thing I could in my FAOII journey so far. I refunded all of your money so that we could try again, but with the hopes of winning the largest contest on Inkshares to date. It was insanity, Faoii. Insanity! Who gives up on all the help they’d already garnered so they can start again from 0? But you know what? It was worth it. We didn’t win that contest, but we made it to the top 5. We lost a lot of soldiers that had pledged their support during the first phase but never came back during the second-- but their lost battle cries were quickly filled in and drowned out by those of new soldiers that joined the ranks. I was so scared a year ago. I thought I was making a terrible mistake. But I also thought it could be worth it. It was.

Today I’ve just sent off the Final (FINAL! Can you believe it??) interior proof of The Last Faoii to Inkshares. It’s done. It’s perfect. It looks like a real book! Correction, Faoii. It IS a real book. I am... surprised at how much that struck me, to see it like that. I hope you end up feeling the same way when you get your own copy, since you were as much a part of this process as I was. I’m also working on the finalized cover so that it’s ready to go, too. 

So things are happening, Faoii! We’re almost there. Keep your shields up and don’t forget to let other potential warriors know about our army. This story is worthy of being told, so find people who’d be willing to hear it.

Quick Update, Faoii! Listen Up!

Things have been moving along smoothly, and I am absolutely ecstatic about the results. The design pour, the edits, the new cover... it’s all beautiful. (Once again, A giant Thank-You to Evan Graham, who made the cover spectacular. Definitely check out his page, Faoii!) 

We’re just waiting on the final proofread, now, and my newest missive from Reedsy held some interesting information. Apparently, traditional publishers have control of any formatting issues and other so-called "micro decisions" in a novel’s final edits. However, my editor seemed genuinely surprised to find out that those decisions were actually in my hands (Admittedly, I was surprised to learn this too, Faoii) and will be sending me the final proofread within the next few days. I am not yet sure what these "micro decisions" entail, nor do I know why traditional publishers deal with these themselves instead of giving them to the author, but I am incredibly excited and pleased to have that much control over this project we’ve been working on for so many years. We’re getting close to the end now, Faoii, and I’m going to keep working on giving you the best damned book I can. Just keep fighting bit longer, we’ve got this.

Don’t forget-- the current battle is won, but we can always use more soldiers for the next wave that’s coming soon. Tell your friends and other potential Faoii about our war. Let them pick up their own blade and join the choir. They’ll thank you in a few months when this book is in their hands.

That’s it for now. Shields up!

Faoii-Tahani

Exciting news, faoii! Listen up!

We’ve fought long and hard for this, faoii, but the day of our victory is coming closer! I’ve just received a missive from our commanders at Inkshares with a tentative schedule for the continued production of The Last Faoii. If all goes as planned, the book we’ve worked so hard to create should be in your hands by late August or early September. The day of publication. The day where all of this work-- all the blood and tears and terror-- becomes worth it. Keep those shields up for a bit longer, my warriors. We are almost there.

I know that many of you see this as the end of the war, but there is so, so much more on the horizon. We are but a handful of warriors who have rallied around this banner, and there is no doubt that we have become great. We made it to the top 5 in Inkshares’ largest contest to date. We are the #3 Best Selling Dark Fantasy on Inkshares-- and the book isn’t even out yet. We have shown what we can do, but I know that there are more soldiers out there who may yet turn to see the source of our constant, ever-unfaltering battle cries. We can’t simply rest on our laurels when the greatest battle is still to come-- the one where we’re finally adequately armed to recruit new warriors. 

Soon, once you have read the entirety of our story and learned of the greatness that is the faoii Order, I will turn to you and ask for your reviews on Goodreads and Amazon. I will ask you how I can become a better writer and how I can improve as I surge forward into the continuation of the Faoii Codex (Book II is amazing so far, by the way). I will never stop working on spreading the word, and eventually the world will know us. Someday soon, I will need your battlecries again.

But for now we may rest soundly in the knowledge that we have succeeded in this first charge. The book is coming. Our story will be told. And the world will know that we are faoii.

Shields up. And Thank You.
Faoii-Tahani

Faoii! This is exciting! Listen up: 
The Last Faoii is currently the #3 Best-Selling Dark Fantasy novel on Inkshares. It’s been 5 months since the contest and our army is STILL growing. Let me hear your war cry!

If you haven’t pre-ordered your copy yet what are you waiting for? Get on it, Faoii. Grab your sword.

Hopefully I’ll have more updates soon. Shields up.
Faoii-Tahani