editing and Kickstarter updates, book recommendations, and more!
Jun 25, 2022 7:32 am
Hello again!
Boy oh boy, have I been busy lately!
This weekend I'm playing in a local squash tournament which has attracted players from all over the state. I've had two games so far, and I don't think my lungs have ever burned at quite this temperature before.
Other than that, I've just been working my day job, editing The Elixir of Power and putting the pieces together for the Kickstarter campaign. Thanks again for all the feedback—I think I have a much clearer idea of what to do.
The campaign has been approved to go forward (it needs to be checked by website staff) and it will go live on the 31st July. Plenty of time for me to :
- Put together a video, including music and cool fantasy images, and a short video of me introducing the book.
- Fine-tune the campaign page
- Make decisions about the rewards
- Learn how to make videos, how to fine-tune campaigns, and how to make decisions.
The Elixir of Power - 3/4 Finished!
That's right, I officially hit the 75% mark of the editing process. The Kickstarter campaign has created a deadline for me, which is helpful. I can't really function without structure!
The 75% mark in a book is often the most exciting part, both to read and to write. Twists and reveals rear their heads, the conflict reaches its highest point, and everything starts to come together. I just really hope I stick the landing.
I feel like I've been chattering about this project for a long time with little to show for it, so here's a tiny little excerpt describing the protagonist, Fentor's, favourite drinking haunt:
Everything roared in The Crown Upon a Crown: the rain upon the windows, the laughter of the patrons, and the fires in the hearths. Officers of all kinds downed steins of ale, packed together on long tables like pigs at their troughs. It was the largest and oldest tavern in Madea City; it was a fixture, a monument, a hallowed place. Oil paintings of bygone Grand Toques covered the walls, overlooking a sea of black tricornes, blue jackets, brass buttons, and waxed moustaches. A rousing tenor could be heard in snatches as the Thambrian singer Pernicus Thrace fought to rise above the ebb and flow of conversation.
It was warm, crowded, loud, and smelled like it was haunted by the ghost of every ale ever spilled. For Fentor, it was a second home.
As always, this sneak advance preview is very much subject to change, and hopefully I can make a few tweaks and improvements.
Still, it's a little spoiler-free excerpt I can provide to give you an idea of how this thing is shaping up!
Beta Reading
The Elixir of Power will require beta readers soon. There will be limited spots, but those who have already joined the beta team or beta read for me will get asked first.
The Kickstarter campaign, if I reach the funding goal, will mean that there will be a bit of a tight deadline. I'll need as much feedback as I can get before it goes off to the editor.
Don't worry about signing up at this stage. I'll try to finish things on my end as quickly as possible, and then let you know more details about beta reading opportunities. I'm just letting you know now that a) beta reading is on the horizon and b) there will possibly be a tight deadline which will depend on the timing of a bunch of things.
Group Promotions
Book Recommendations
Thanks for reading!
Until next time!