Goodreads Choice Award: Best Fantasy of 2019
over 4 years ago – Fri, Nov 15, 2019 at 08:02:18 PM

Recently, Age of Legend became a semifinalist in the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fantasy of 2019. 

To be honest, I didn't think it was possible, so Robin and I would like to thank all the Legends of the First Empire fans who did a write-in ballot to get it included. Semifinal voting will end in two days (Nov 17).  Here is the full list of nominations:

So take a look, find your favorite, and cast your vote.  All nominated authors will be grateful for your support!

A project I'm backing and I hope you'll check it out as well
over 4 years ago – Tue, Nov 12, 2019 at 07:14:56 PM

Hey all, Michael here. Yeah, I know it's weird, huh. Robin has been doing so many updates as of late, but I just had to come in to tell you about a Kickstarter that a good friend of mine is running right now.  My hope is you'll take a look, and if you like what you see, you'll support the project. Something that I think will be good for both you and him.

I've known Dyrk for around two and a half years and he's stayed over at our cabin a few times. Also, every time I go to a convention that the two of us are at, I try to spend as much time with him as I can. Why? Dryk has a keen mind, a great sense of humor, and amazing writing acumen that makes any conversation with him worth savoring. And he's a really kind and helpful guy to fellow authors, so how can you not love that?

But enough about Dyrk, let me tell you about his books because they are well worth crowing about. The trilogy is called Paternus and these are their titles: 

• Paternus: Rise of Gods
• Paternus: Wrath of Gods
• Paternus: War of Gods

They are urban fantasy tales that can best be described as American Gods meets the Avengers. Dryk is running the  Kickstarter to produce hardcover copies of the first book in his series (something I've been wanting for a long time, so you know I backed the project right away). 

So, when I started reading Dyrk's debut novel, my first thoughts were. "Wow this guy really knows how to draw you into a story, and his prose is smooth as silk and well polished." But I'm not the only author that sings Dyrk's praises. Here are some quotes from other authors I respect, and what they say about Paternus:

"Epic, innovative urban fantasy. A great read" -- Mark Lawrence, bestselling author of Prince of Thorns and Red Sister.

"Paternus is an imaginative, exhilarating ride. A refreshing take on contemporary fantasy." -- Anthony Ryan, New York Times Bestselling Author of Blood Song and The Legion of Flame

"Terrific! Paternus is intelligent, intricate, suspenseful, and epic." -- Nicholas Eames, Gemmell Award-winning author of Kings of the Wyld and Bloody Rose. 

If you don't want to wait for the hardcover to get started, the first two books are out now, and they are enrolled in the Kindle Unlimited program so you can read them for free (or pick up a copy of each for under $5 -- such a deal!) And if you do, you can even get an early copy of the final book which will be released to the retail chain on May 19, 2020.

As you already know, I'm a huge proponent of Kickstarter, and I've been trying to nudge more authors to use this great platform. Robin has done some coaching with Dyrk, and I'm glad to see him diving in. The project is already funded (did so in just over  24 hours). Currently, he is just $790 away from five-figures, and I'm sure with your help he'll blow through that milestone. So, take a look, and if you like what you see, please join me in making this project an even bigger success. 

Author Q&A
over 4 years ago – Sat, Nov 09, 2019 at 11:46:06 PM

Hey all. We are in the process of preparing to record the videos for the Author Q&A.  But a few questions came up so often (or are time-sensitive) so we thought we would address a few of them now through an update, rather than having you wait until the recordings are done (which based on the high number of questions may take a while).

By far the most asked question was: What's Next? 

• Well, a bunch of things, actually. Of course, the most important is getting Age of Empyre out.  Robin has been so busy with Kickstarter, beta reader and gamma reader coordination for Age of Death that she hasn't done a recent readthrough to provide me a second round of alpha feedback. But I expect she'll be doing that soon.   
• The next project after that will be a trilogy that is based in the world of Elan, and from a timeline perspective, that series fits between "Legends" and "Riyria." I already have 1.5 of the books written. Each is self-contained (no cliffhangers!), so we will probably release them one a year starting in  2021 (we already have two releases for 2020).  That release schedule will allow me to "slide-in" other projects. (Which will be covered below). This new series (tentatively titled: The Rise and the Fall), will, among other things, give the backstory of Esarhaddon -- which may be of interest to people who have read the Riyria books).  Like the other series, it will be standalone such that you won't have to read either Legends or Riyria to enjoy RatF, but for people who HAVE read the other books they will get to find some Easter eggs that are exposed because you know a bit about what happened in one or the other of the series.

Will there be any big-screen adaptation of your work? 

• Probably not. Movies and television are VERY expensive and VERY high risk, and my books haven't sold enough to attract the attention of the people who make such things possible.
• That said, both Riyria and Legends have been "optioned" (which is the first step of the process), but that doesn't mean a lot as many tings are "optioned" but don't ever get created.  An "option" is kinda like a reservation, where people have the right to do something with the work, but they don't have to.  Now, in my particular case, there are certain milestones that need to be reached, and if they aren't, then the rights revert. 
• I have seen a screenplay for Riyria (which could be a 2-hour movie or the opening of a series. It wasn't at a level that either I or the executive producer was happy with. So another version is being written. That was in the summer, however, and I've not seen or heard much since then so the "bad first attempt" may have sunk the project.
• Bottom line, I'm not holding my breath and I don't think any of you should, either. 

Will there be a Kickstarter for Age of Empyre? If so, when will it be?

• Yes, we will be doing a Kickstarter in January 2020. And, yes, this is the last book in the Age of Legend series. People who back that Kickstarter will get the ebook in February (two or three months before the May 4, release date). As backers to this Kickstarter, I'll send out an email (and make a post here) before it launches so you have a better chance of getting in on the early-bird stuff. 
• If you are reading this update, and you aren't a backer, you can sign up for early notification at this form.
• Yes, we will be offering all six books in hardcover, but that level may be limited (because I can't guarantee that Age of Myth or Age of War will still be in print in the hardcover editions, but we have placed an order for some now so that we can at least guarantee a good number of sets.
• We will probably have a stretch goal, where people can do an "add on" for a box to go around all six books. Robin has to do some investigation on what those boxes are likely to cost before I can say more about that.
• The Kickstarter will probably be VERY short (2 weeks), so we can get the funds settled and ebooks shipped on a tight deadline. But if you miss the Kickstarter, there will be a system by which you can be "manually added" after the fact.

Will there be any more Riyria books?

• Yes. There will definitely be a 5th Riyria Chronicle, which will be called Drumindor. No, I've not started writing it yet, but the outline is done, and I don't anticipate it will take long to write (probably 3 months or so).
• As for when it will release . . . I really can't give a good estimate until I'm done writing it, and I won't even start it until after the 1.5 books in RatF (mentioned above) are finished. My guess is it'll come out in 2021 and will fit somewhere between Book #1 and Book #2 of the RatF series.
• Yes, there will be a Kickstarter for it. And it will follow the same format as the Kickstarters for The Death of Dulgath and The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter, meaning there will be four print editions: (a) Rare copy -- bound in faux leather (b) Limited Edition (bound in linen with a special dust jacket) (c) Regular hardcover (made of rainbow board and with a cover that matches the paperback and (d) a trade paperback edition.
• In connection with the above, there are many people who are asking for "pre-Chronicle tales" or "post Revelation" stories. As for a pre-Chronicle book, that is highly unlikely.  Part of why I enjoy Royce and Hadrian are the interactions between "the pair" and writing books before they met would (IMHO) pale in comparison. Not only that, but neither of these individuals were "nice guys" in their past, and I'm not sure I want to expose that side of them. As for Post-Riyria, this is "more likely" but I have no immediate plans to do so. Why? Several reasons (a) I "like" how Revelations ended and I don't want to ruin that (b) for people who want more time with Royce and Hadrian, I've already created the Chronicle books, so go read those tales.  Now, that said, once the entire "Elan tale" is told (in other words after the Rise and the Fall Trilogy is finished), there may need to be one more book to "wrap everything up" but a lot of that depends on how I end RatF.  I'll know more on this front when that series is done. So while a post-Riyria book isn't "out of the questions" it's not firm enough for me to say for sure it will exist...something I CAN say about Drumindor.

What's the status of the Riyria Hardcover Editions?

• We are going to start taking orders for it in January of February.  Orbit is limiting how many copies can be produced and they are likely to sell out, so we will be inviting people "in groups." It WILL NOT be a Kickstarter (because we can't limit access), but we will be using BackerKit so we can control how many of each is sold.
• As Kickstarter backers, you already have "loyalty points" because you have bought directly from us. Additional points are provided for being a beta or gamma reader, recommending the books to others, writing reviews, or sending us emails. We will be tallying final loyalty points AFTER the Christmas season because we know that we'll have a lot of "direct sales" for gift-giving. Once we have the points tallied, we'll start doing the invites based on the highest number of loyalty points of each person. 
• There is a form you can fill out that will help us tally your "loyalty points" for activities we don't know about -- such as referring people to the book, or purchases made from stores rather than directly from us.  You can find it here.

Well, those were the "big" questions that seem to come up over and over again. Robin will continue to organize the other questions, and then we'll start recording them.  In the meantime, I hope everyone is enjoying the other "bonus content" that we have already released.

Goodreads Choice Awards
over 4 years ago – Fri, Nov 08, 2019 at 01:38:02 AM

So, this isn't specifically related to the Kickstarter, but as people who are invested in the series, it's something that I want to mention.

Over the years, Michael has received 7 Goodread's Choice Award Nominations (including one for every eligible book in the Legends of the First Empire series (Age of Myth, Age of Swords, and Age of War)

These awards have brought significant attention to Michael's writing, and they have been instrumental in getting him where he is now. Well, a few days ago the initial round of nominations was announced, and unfortunately, Age of Legend  (the only book he has eligible for 2019) didn't make the list of 15 titles put forth for voting. The good news is there is a write-in process that will add another 5 books for voting in round #2 and #3, and it is open for the next few days.

Now, we are not into stuffing ballot boxes or campaigning for his books. So, by all means, look at the field put forth, and if you liked one of those books better than Age of Legend, please vote for it...I'm sure the author who wrote that book will appreciate the support. Likewise, if there is a book that is missing that you think is more deserving, then, by all means, do a write-in for that book.  But, if after reviewing your options, you would like to lend support for Age of Legend, Michael and I would greatly appreciate a write-in vote to see if we can get the book included.  Here is a link where you can vote (or do your write-in). 

But you have to hurry, voting/write-in ends November 10th (just 3 days from now). And please make sure that you are writing in AGE OF LEGEND and NOT Age of Death (which won't be eligible until next year's award).  To be honest, there were a lot of great eligible books that were likewise overlooked, so I'm not overly optimistic about our chances, but I thought I should at least mention it.

As always, thanks for your continued support.

Fixes to the bonus graphic files
over 4 years ago – Tue, Nov 05, 2019 at 10:54:34 PM

Hey all, Robin again.  Well, I've been busy proofing (still not done) but in the meantime, I've been uploading (and now fixing) the uploads for the DIY printing of posters, puzzles, and t-shirts.  I "think" they are all correct now but here is what I fixed in the last few days:

• The Rose and Thorn t-shirt graphic was the wrong resolution.  I uploaded a new file (and it now has a different name (Rose and Thorn Graphic.psd). So that should fix any distortion that people were seeing when trying to "increase its size." You shouldn't have to do any resizing if you get the right  image which is  10.5" x 11.5" at 300 dpi. (3,150 x 3,450)
• I didn't realize I hadn't provided graphics for Age of Death for the poster and the puzzles, those have now been uploaded. Sorry for that oversight. I was juggling a ton of files (or at least a few hundred when including the screensavers) and these got lost.
• The puzzle graphics were all the wrong resolution. Again, I uploaded new versions so if you were looking to get a puzzle done, please make sure the file you have is 7,875 x 6,075 pixels.

Sorry for the mistakes all, if you come across anything else, let me know.