News Update

Things may have appeared static since the last post but, like watching a burrowing badger, none of the effort shows on the surface… Feedback Feedback is now coming in from final-stage gamma readers—the news is good; two have already said they’ve had to go back and re-read chapters for mistakes because they were gripped. When they did re-enter crit mode, the worst they found (so far) were typos and a couple of basic continuity issues that were easily fixed. There is still a significant amount of feedback to come, but if it keeps errors in the released book to a minimum it’s worth the wait. Cover After six concepts and over twenty rough drafts, the cover design has been finalised. I received some immensely helpful pointers from Colin Barnes, a friend of mine who is trained in graphic design and has been releasing his thriller/SF books with custom covers for … Continue reading

It’s Alive! Alive I Tell You!

The Good News Out of the Darkness lives! It’s a real book; Elite settings, characters, plot, themes—it’s all in there. The first gamma draft is complete, and pretty polished. The Scary News It’s very existence in in great peril. The book is currently with Frontier for approval. Death can come in many forms… can Out of the Darkness survive? If so, will its soul remain intact, or will it be torn asunder, rendered a mere shadow of its former self? Only one man knows… which side of Michael Brookes’ personality will the novel draw out? This? Or this?! We should know in a little while… So, backers and would-be readers, as we wait, let us focus on the positive, make optimism our banner, and raise our heads and sniff the roses… the Roses of Success! More Good News We have a proof-reader—qualified, experted an’ everfink! I want to thank the awesome … Continue reading

Progress Report: Medical Emergency Averted

After a prolonged course of orifice evacuation with the distilled biofluids of the Tinginian Bloatworm, and the ingestion of some immuno-enhancing Cocoa Bars, I am gradually returning to a normal level of function. Although I’m still behind, I’ve managed to catch up with a few things: The Backer’s Wall on the main website is complete. (Please feel free to contact me if there is a problem with your entry.) The standard eBadge is now available for download. (Those in an eligible reward tier, please see your personal messages on the Kickstarter website for the link.) I’ve redesigned this blog so it’s readable. The executive backer eBadge design is nearly finished, as are the certificates. I hope to send these out before the end of January. As for the writing, I came up with a background story arc that I could use as a setting for the book, but it turns … Continue reading