BOXES BOXES BOXES!

Maybe that doesn't look like a lot of boxes to you because they're packed so nice and neat and all, but I guaran-damn-tee you that the post office worker who processed them was flabbergasted and needed to have a little sit-down afterward.

This is my way of telling you all that the vast majority of the reward packages have been sent on their merrry way! There are probably about 22 stragglers that will go out over the next few days. And then we'll be done ... for the time being, at any rate. As I've mentioned there are still some rewards yet to be produced that will come later.

Yes, what about those rewards yet to be produced, Mary?

While I've already posted about what's going on with the cover flats & the hardcovers, I haven't said BOO about the three stories, the novella, and the printed chapbook containing said stories that I owe you. But I can assure you that they're in progress, I haven't forgotten about them, and I'm not writer-blocked. I know pretty much exactly what I'm going to write for each one of them (though I have to admit the novella is looking like it's going to have a lot of canon stuff in it that illuminates some of the action in B4, so I have to be careful with that one.) Anyway, bottom line, it's just that there hasn't been much time to actually accomplish said writing. But once this launch week madness is over—say, in mid-November—I should be able to knuckle down and get those written and posted. My goal is to have them all done (including the chapbook) by the end of this year. Oh, who am I kidding, I simply HAVE to have them done by the end of this year, so that I can then move on to completing the first draft of B4, THE UNSTEADY EARTH. You see, I've got a plan. And nothing ever goes wrong when you have a plan!

And speaking furthermore of launch week madness ...

If all goes according to plan (there I go, using that word again) you should be hearing a lot from & about me over the next couple of weeks. I have blog posts scheduled to go up all over the place, and I will be tweeting & Facebooking & G+ing about them like mad. While simultaneously prepping for the launch party at Orycon, for which I have to dye 100 silk orchids red and source eggrolls and ... oh God, I don't even want to think about all the crap I have to do. And as if all that weren't enough, I am herewith announcing my most ambitious launch week stunt—on October 31, I am going to do a Livestream reading of THE WARLOCK'S CURSE from cover to cover. In its entirety. Yes indeedy do, and with authorial asides and snide comments on typos as I find them. Why would I do such a thing? Why NOT? The fun starts at 7:30 a.m. PST, after I drop my daughter off at school, and goes as long as it takes me, or until I run out of Rockstar, or until I collapse from an aneurysm from drinking too much Rockstar. Either the book wins or I do. Only one will be left standing.

Let's see, what else ....

Oh, I know. As you all start to receive your packages, if there's ANYTHING amiss, please let me know. I want you all to be happy with what you've received and if there's a problem I'll find a way to make it right. Good? Good.

And that's it for tonight! Hugs to you all, can't wait for you to start getting your rewards in the mail. If you're so inclined, feel free to drop me a line when they arrive!

Hugs and bunnies,
Mary

So yesterday I came home and found six HUMONGOUS boxes waiting for me. And they were full of this crazy book that apparently I done wrote & Kickstartered called THE WARLOCK'S CURSE! It took me aback for a moment, as I racked my brain trying to recall having done so (yes, the process of repression has already begun.) Through the dreamlike opiate-tinged fog, vague memories began to suggest themselves. One mysterious, overriding compulsion stood out strongly--namely,  that I must now take these books and start sending them out to people all over the world. Excelsior!

I will get started on the reward packages this weekend. I will be shipping the books via media mail, which means that MOST of you should have them before the official 10/31 release date, which has always been my goal. Now, as I have mentioned, some of the rewards are going to take a little longer (e.g., the cover flat & the hardcover edition) because I still need to get them produced and then I need to find a time with Lee Moyer to do the signing. But don't worry! If you're one of the backers who are getting these slower-moving rewards, I'm not going to make you wait until they're done. I am going to pay the little bit extra to split shipments and send you the trade paperback (and whatever other swag you signed up for that I have on hand) ASAP. So you'll have that stuff in your hot little hands just as soon as I can get it to you.

In other news, SAVE THIS DATE: Saturday, November 3, 7 p.m., at the Portland Doubletree Hilton in Portland, Oregon. That's when I'll be throwing the Launch Party, and if you can possibly attend I'd love to have you. It's being held during Orycon, but you don't have to be a member of the con to attend. It's an all-ages party (no booze) and there's going to be an old-fashioned pharmacy soda fountain with actual teenage soda jerks. Local backers can pick up their swag at the party if they want to save me a few bucks on shipping. If this is your preference, please either message me or leave a comment on this post.

We're just about 2 weeks out from the official launch date, and this is a really important time to build buzz. Anything you can do to help spread the word about the launch would be hugely appreciated. Every little bit helps.

That's it for now ... more updates very soon, including an announcement about a launch day event that might actually kill me. But hey, what good is publicity unless it's potentially fatal? ;-)

Hugs to all,

Mary

Hi everyone, just a quick update for backers only ... here's a revised graphic of the Acknowledgements page showing the correction of one particularly egregiously-misformatted name. 

Happy Thursday!
Mary

Good evening dear backers. M.K. Hobson here with another update on the progress of THE WARLOCK'S CURSE—and it's a big one! I've gotten word back from copyeditor Amy Garvey that she's almost done with the copyedits, and they're very light (her exact words were that I am "a fantastically clean writer" which I don't think she'd be saying if she could see my office, but whatever.)

Anyway, it looks like I'll be able to get the final final final edits done this weekend ... which means I'll be able to send the book files to print this coming Monday! And the ebook files will be ready for download around that time as well! So if you've been waiting to get this book into your hot little hands, you don't have much longer to wait. 

Also, as part of the final prep on the book, I wanted to share the Acknowledgements page (see bottom of this post.) I don't want to get anyone's name wrong, miss anyone who thought he/she should be on there, etc. So if you pledged at a level that gets you onto the acknowledgement page, will you take a second to eyeball the page below, locate your name, and holler if there's anything wrong? Speak up by Sunday evening or forever hold your peace!

A couple other items of interest ... reviews are starting to arrive for the book, and one of the early ones, from author Patrice Sarath, was really positive. She called it "one of the best books I've read all year", which was, as you can imagine, quite pleasing. You can read the rest here, if you're so inclined. 

And in other Goodreads news, I'm currently running a giveaway. 13 copies of the trade paperback will go to lucky winners on Oct. 31 (the book's official launch date) and though many of you are already getting trade paperback copies, if you aren't, or would like to enter to win another one, click here.

Well, I guess that's about all the news that's fit to type up. More soon!

Best to all,

Mary