Hey guys,
It’s been busy. How have you guys been?
I’ve been hard at work readying for publishing, among other things. So let’s dive into the good, bad, and the ugly.
Lafonda and Leo
So book has officially been formatted and sits ready to go. The main hold up comes from waiting for a fantasy map illustrated by the cover company, and this complicates the number of pages for the print edition. Also Amazon treats the Print and eBook versions differently and that became a whole new headache.
Long story short, with or without the map, I still plan on launching the eBook version on August 17th. That’s the new launch date, and I really can’t wait to put it out.
If you know anyone interested in reading an advance copy for review, drop me a line. We are 31 days until release!
A Surprise
I still have a surprise prepared that I’ve always wanted for my books, but never been able to until now. I have high hopes for it and think you will all love it once it’s finished.
Song of Vashti
I hope to share a new rough chapter with you all soon. Again, I’m trying to create more free content for you all to enjoy and while it is still rough, I want to make it presentable.
Thoughts on Instagram?
I’m still considering getting an Instagram to expand my reach. How does everyone feel about that?
I’ve never been one much for social media, but I’m willing to give it a shot.
Sci-fi Double feature
I’ve currently put together a free short story bundle for those who join the Mustache Cartel newsletter. Those in the cartel should receive it soon and if any you haven’t, please let me know.
This bundle includes a second edition of Going Rogue and Low Places, my two sci-fi short stories for free.
This is all still a little new for me, so if there’re any bugs, please let me know. But from my testing, it appears working fine.
Hollow’s Heist
I have good news here. About less than a week ago, I received a Story Grid Diagnostic for my manuscript. Essentially, the diagnostic works similar to a developmental edit taking the grand scope of the book and comparing it to genre conventions and what makes certain books more satisfyingly than others, i.e. what makes them tick. Granted, I may be mistaken.
For context, going into this, I thought some scenes came out solid, but I would have to rewrite a lot of chapters and revise the ending.
Apparently, the editor thought the ending was great and that just about floored me. It blew me away because I thought, “this book is terrible and I may never publish this,” and if I did, I would rewrite all together because the tone bothered me or it didn’t have the right voice, but she said that’s expected of the genre with zombie-esque worlds.
So I did something right, lol. News to me. The good report from it all blew me away and made my day, and now I can’t wait to get back into that story. It gave me alot to work on, but it feels very manageable mostly.
Hollow’s Heist takes place in the same world as Vestige, but it in a much dimmer city than Aerogapolis. Aerogapolis triumphed as a city of isolation, under occupation, and a technological revolution. Meanwhile, Narcopolis suffers from the aftermath of war, the fallen world’s buried past, and undead secrets lurking through its dark alleys and myst. More action, darkness, and maturity bleeds through than the splendor and wonder of Vestige, and it bothered me. Taking a step back and realizing the audience helped me decide and I think I may publish this one. Once I finish the next draft of course.
Closing thoughts for the future
Prepare to hear a lot more from me and mark your calendars as some sales coming your way. Lafonda and Leo Heroes of the Land drops the 17th of August, and to celebrate, the Vestige Saga on eBook will be 99 cents each until the 24th.
By next update or a little after, I should have out three books! 😊
Until next time,
Keep Writing!
Antonio