Summer Update: Status
10 days ago
– Wed, Aug 28, 2024 at 11:43:42 AM
Greetings, cryptid-loving friends!
STATUS: GATHERING ALL THE GOODIES
I hope you all have had a great summer with as much relaxation and enjoyment as you could fit in.
I am prepping another shipment of books and aiming to finish all the art prints this month. I have paperback and hardcover copies of the anthology on hand that I am saving for when all of the merch is here, that way the goodies and books can be sent together to the recipients.
As stated in all previous updates, part of the delay had to do with our artist getting sick (cannot be helped, and we want him healthy first and foremost). During that time, shipping costs increased, and a rollout of print increases went out across the entire industry. And it wasn't just for books, it was for prints as well. Once that snowball started down the hill, we ended up being too close on cost and I've been shoveling ever since to make up the difference.
I'm eager to connect, reassure, and to finally finish the fulfillment of this amazing project. Once I do, I want to do something big for you all. Not only do I want to find some extra ways to make up this wait for you (without going deeper in the hole), but I want to throw back the curtains and take you behind the scenes on running a Kickstarter.
I'll share the differences between my first campaign and this campaign, where my projections were right, and where printing and shipping cost estimates were wrong (and exacerbated by those industry-wide increases), and where we'll do better next time.
Now, I know I'm lucky in so many ways. Not only is the horror community completely AMAZING, but all of you who pledged your support to this project have shown so much understanding and offered me so much grace as I slog through the backlog. I offer up my sincere gratitude for all of you who have reached out to check in -- that actually helps a lot, believe it or not 😊 -- and reassure me that you understand.
And massive thanks to all of you who have messaged to let me know that the Darkest of Dreams was 100% worth the wait! I love hearing you all rave about it. It reduces the anxiety that comes with being behind and feeling like your head is underwater in a project.
Regardless, I'm not giving up. I'm busting my tail feathers to get this all finished, and I won't be taking any shortcuts. Stick with me just a little longer, and I'll get this finished and share all that behind the scenes (live, with time for questions) this year -- period.
More books, please.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, wolves and wyverns, vampires and faerie folk! September marks another month of sending out more books. If you have a strict preference that your book arrives with your bookmarks, art prints, pins, etc., then please message me and let me know that so I can mark it on my spreadsheet.
Otherwise, I will continue whittling down the list of those who haven't yet received their books.
Late spring / early summer did see a break in shipments. As the kids got out of school, I prepared to head to Michigan (with three of my five kids) to help my brother and sister-in-law as much as possible (watching their other children, helping out around the house, cooking, etc.) while they took my nephew for weekly Leukemia treatments. I also did what I could to support an in-person benefit for their family as they've had to take turns being out of work to stay with him at the children's hospital during treatment weeks. Whenever and wherever I could help them, I was determined to do so.
When they didn't need help (and especially when they needed quiet time to rest), I ventured up into the north woods to undertake some boots-on-ground research for a lumber lore horror story I'm under contract to write for M4L Publishing. It will be part of a series, and I'm very excited about this story. With it, I aim to highlight the wild beauty and haunted history of Michigan's old lumber tracts.
Shoutouts
Massive thanks to John O. (as always!), Celine, Randy, Dominick, Queen, John S., and the Children of Lord Neptune for your messages, grace, and encouragement. Those messages have lifted me up when I needed it most and energized me for greater leaps of progress toward the finish line.
Do you love Red Dead Redemption II? Wish it was a movie?
One of the authors included in Darkest of Dreams––Jennifer Frontera, author of Paid in Full––runs her own Kickstarters. Better yet, she hasn't had the mess-ups I've had. 💀💀💀 She's great at estimating costs correctly the first time, and getting things done and delivered beautifully and on time.
Her current campaign ends in just 30 hours, and it's beyond exciting to be part of as a backer.
Jeni's books are a combination of gritty western and post-apoc sci-fi, like Red Dead Redemption, but with more tech.
We're both fans of RDR2 (look out for a posse on RDRO called the Poncho Agenda), and my mind was absolutely blown when she hired Roger Clark (actor for Arthur Morgan of RDR2) to narrate her books! And apparently, he enjoys her stories enough to share his thoughts:
Now, Jeni has been working her banshee-banishing hands to the bone to get all the cards in order to turn Book 1 of her Lucky Logan series into a movie!
If you've wanted more stories that feel like that gritty, morally-gray, hard and enchanting world of Red Dead, this is your chance to help bring it to life.
Should you need an example of Jeni's writing before you take a chance on her, just open up your physical or digital copy of Darkest of Dreams (all backers have the ebook) and read her story Paid in Full.
This author knows how to reel you in and keep you entranced with tension, fear and wonder. Your fingers will tremble at every turn of the page when you're reading her books! And I've no doubt the screenplay will match that excellence in story-telling.
Seriously, please hop over there and take a look around. Consider backing her campaign, and even if you can't this time, please share it.
She's a hard worker, a skilled and experienced writer, and a member of the writing community who always comes with helping hands and a smile to cheer you up.
And if you're an author, you have the option of getting in on a "Bring your novel to the big screen" Q&A with Jeni's producer!
Thanks in advance to everyone who's willing to go take a look and back, share, or leave her some encouraging messages.
Looking Forward
Once I've sent out the batch of books for September and ordered the rest of the art prints, I'll make an update to let you know.
Please keep sending messages and comments - they're always welcome and helpful. I love them! Thank you! 🙌
Signing off with those "fall is almost here" vibes,
🍁 Audrey🍁
