Kickstarter

Hello lovely people:

Here's an overview for those who haven't had the time to wade through the discussion threads:

1) I was convinced that Book One was DONE, finished – and of course I was wrong about that. So the incredible Nancy Siscoe at Knopf in New York (a division of Random House) is working with me to get the manuscript gleaming and ready for release – not just on-demand paperbacks and ebooks, but also hardcovers available globally. These means Ada and Mary showing up to readers around the world in their local bookstores. Knopf has signed on to publish the first three books in the series, in multiple languages (Yay!) and they have an amazing legacy of children's publishing to bring to bear for the benefit of the Wollstonecraft girls.

2) Knopf will also be helping with FULFILLMENT which has been a raft of challenges, and there's more news coming on that front (but it's all good news).

3) We have a first draft of Book Two DONE. It still needs a lot of polishing, but it's all there – mistaken identity, secret codes, a mysterious lab, and the introduction of Ada's half-sister Allegra and Mary's stepsister Jane into the Wollstonecraft mix. I'll be spending the next two months polishing that with Nancy as well. 

I'm concentrating on getting that into more presentable shape at the moment rather than doing what I really want to do which is to leap into Book Three – a baffling series of mysteries, a nemesis worthy of Ada (!) and a 10 year old Charlotte Bronte (!!) as a Wollstonecraft recruit. But first I shall return of making sure words didn't get lost on their way between brain and keyboard.

4) As this thing grew bigger and became a global undertaking, the schedules of course went out the window – but rest assured that everyone is getting everything; actually MORE than what they signed up for. We're just moving at the speed of the publishing industry. But because of your support we can reach a much, much bigger audience with the message that young women can change the world with the power of education and imagination – just as Ada and Mary did. You've all done something incredible, and we're just getting started.

Thank you,

Jordan

PS: It does seem not all of you have been getting the updates, and some of you missed out on the preview – so always feel free to drop me a line at jordan@jordanstratford.com and we'll get that sorted. Also, I receive about 4 inquiries a week for Kickstarter tips and signal boosts, and I'm perfectly OK with that too.

J

http://findingada.com

It's an international celebration of women in STEM (science, tech, engineering and math) careers. So it's a great excuse to give you all an update about the project.

1) The first book has been written, to the editor, back to me to make changes, and back to the editor for a final going over. When I get those notes back I'll take some time to give the manuscript one last pass, and then it will be in the best shape I can make it. So that's *imminent*.

2) The second book took a break while I finished the first edit pass (second draft), but now that it's off my plate I'm back into book two. I'm about a third of the way through, and not sure if I'll make my self-imposed Halloween deadline for a first draft, but it won't be long after that if I don't.

3) The short story: I was originally going to set this between books one and two, but now I see it as a side story for book two, so I can return to that once I have a firmer grip on the second book. I'm looking forward to speaking with those of you who have a character in that story – short stories are mostly about having fun, and it'll be a welcome break from working out multi-book story arcs. I'll be speaking with you in November about the short.

4) I'll be at Steamcon IV in Seattle the last weekend of October, reading the first few chapters of book one in their current state. Come say hello!

5) The website (and newsletter sign-up) is LIVE: http://worldofwollstonecraft.com

6) Mechanicals, the bonus steampunk novel which is NOT part of the Wollstonecraft series, will be going out via top-secret backers-only Amazon link this week. This will be in kindle format first, and then I'll be formatting an ePub and PDF versions available on the website immediately after. Mechanicals is a 19th century style pastiche of the "boys' own adventure stories" about the Crimean War. It's the Charge of the Light Brigade, with giant robots and demon-cultists and an airship crossing of the Pacific. indulgent, silly fun.

7) Claire has the limited edition art prints to the printer! So we're excited to get those back and out to you.

So, again, Happy Ada Day! Celebrate it by learning about some of these amazing influential 19th century female scientists!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_female_scientists_before_the_21st_century#19th_century