So I'm going to be jumping ship on Twitter. Not really a big deal for me as I don't really do social media (I barely even do FA even). I only joined realizing I probably should have a presence there when I got serious about my first book. When Elon decided to buy the place, I expected I would be leaving as he destroyed the company over the course of 2 years or so.

Wow is that man stupider than I ever imagined.

In any case, is anyone else bailing on that place? If so, where are you going? I've heard about counter social and mastadon, but figured it was worth while to see what others are doing before I made a choice. Much as I have always considered twitter a sewer, the changes I see happening now are not ones I'm comfortable abiding, and I refuse to associate what content I do generate with that place any longer. That in mind, anyone with advice on where I might find an audience as well as any pointers on how a new site might work would be very appreciated.

Jeeze, it has been a long time since I wrote a journal. Clearly this is the best way to start /sarcasm.

So you might remember that I wrote a BOOK a while back. Well, I've gone and written a second, By Duty Bound, which will be available for pre-order on August 3rd, 2018 on Amazon, and will be released a month later on September 3rd, 2018.

Which brings us to my shameless self promotion!

You have an opportunity to get a free pre-release copy of By Duty Bound before it is available anywhere else. You just need to do two things.

First, sign up for my Fan Newsletter. This is is important, because it is how you will get the book. You can unsubscribe after you've gotten the book, if you like.

Step two is a little more involved. You need to write a review of my first book, In Honor's Shadow, on any vendor that carries it (you can find it on Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, Barns&Noble, and Smashwords), or on Goodreads. Screenshot your review, and email it to me at free_book@skyelansing.com (dead link). Be sure you use the same email that signed up to my newsletter to do this; otherwise, you might not get your book!

Have you already written a review in one of those places? That is great, you don't have to write a new one. Just send me a screenshot of the one you've already written.

Don't have my first book? You are in luck, because it is currently on sale for $0.99USD. That is literally the lowest they will let me drop the price.

Have questions? I probably already have answers (dead link), or you can ask in this journal entry.

Hello everyone! I know I don't post much here (I've been pretty busy lately), but I thought I'd let any followers who hadn't heard yet that this is Furry Book Month! Many furry authors and publishers had gotten together and reduced the prices on their books for the month of October.

Is there a book or anthology that caught your interest once, but you didn't have the money to spare for it at the time? Now may be a good time to pounce on it and get a discount!

For more information take a look at my Furry Book Month blog post, or check out the official announcement on the Furry Writer's Guild. You may also want to look up the #FurryBookMonth hashtag on twitter, as I have seen some deals being promoted only there.

Finally, head over to  huskyteer's page and thank him for organizing this event. I can only imagine how much work and stress went into it.

Felt like I should really get a new journal posted, now that my book launch is about a month past. Figured I'd talk some about what has been up since.

Well I am writing. A lot. According to this tracker thing I'm using, I'm probably averaging around 1,400 words/day, however that is misleading because of the days I'm either unable to write, or unable to write as much as I would if left to my own devices. On those days I'm managing around 2,000 words/day (give or take). My hope is that this will mean I can get a second book written in rough draft form by the end of June, or maybe even sooner depending on how long it ends up being. Would be a nice way to push for a second book release next year, though obviously that is getting ahead of myself at this point.

As for what is getting in the way of writing, those closest to me already know that I'm probably moving in the near future. Possibly. Things are very much in flux, however that means I need to be ready to move (or in this case be in the process of getting ready to move) in case it happens. On the one hand this is probably good, it gives me an excuse to look at my stuff and figure out what I really need. On the other it is a pain in the butt because I need to do all this stuff I'd rather not do, and worry about all the paperwork I'm probably going to have to file to make sure my mail and bills and such are handled properly.

In any case, that's what is up with me. I doubt these updates will be too regular, but it seemed like a good time to put up something at least.

The launch sale has now expired, however you can still buy the book for $4.99.

What use is honor without victory?

The Wolf Clan stands divided amid a bitter civil war. For years the noble Hayashi Family has struggled to wrest control of the clan from their rivals, the Hitomi, but one disastrous battle has exhausted their power. Now every warrior within Hayashi territory must decide what role they shall play in the upcoming conflict.

Shiro, the magistrate of an unimportant village, is tasked with a dangerous mission to stop the Hitomi Family’s army. Lacking supplies, troops, and support, he knows any direct confrontation is doomed to failure. Only through guile does he stand a chance against the forces arrayed before him.

Meanwhile, Hayashi Seiko seeks to throw off the oppressive mantle of courtly life by joining her brother in the field as a proper onna-bugeisha. She leapt at the chance to prove her worth as a soldier upon hearing that the war had turned against her family, but can she really escape the politics of a society that reveres duty and honor?

As of today my book In Honor’s Shadow is available on Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, Barnes&Noble, and Smashwords. Buy it now and get it for only $2.99! After March 16th the price will go up to $4.99.

Currently the book is only available in e-book formats with no immediate plans for a print release (thought I do intend for there to be one eventually).

To get news about my writing, including new book releases and special sales/offers, CLICK HERE to sign up for my Fan Newsletter.

NOTE:

This offer has now officially expired; however, if you are interested on being part of my Fan Newsletter to get advanced notice of future offers feel free to subscribe.

---

Do you like reading furry fiction? Do you like getting free stuff? Do you like getting free stuff before it is officially available? If yes, there is an easy way for you to get my new book, In Honor’s Shadow, right now without paying a cent.

Simply CLICK HERE and fill out the form to join my Fan Newsletter. Everyone who has joined before February 20nd at 9:00PM EST will have the opportunity to download a PDF copy of In Honor’s Shadow for free.

FAQ:

What is your book about?
In Honor’s Shadow is the first book in a new series set in an empire inspired by Feudal Japan. It follows the story of two characters who don’t fit into the empire’s ideal social structure and their involvement in their clan’s civil war.

The first, Shiro, is a dishonored samurai who has the (mis)fortune of being assigned to delay an enemy army after his daimyo suffered a serious defeat. The second, Hayashi Seiko, is the illegitimate daughter of the previous daimyo who is striving to be recognized as a proper onna-bugeisha warrior.

How long after signing up until I get my book?
Those who join the mailing list before this offer expires will receive an email on Feb. 21st with a link to a PDF copy of In Honor’s Shadow.

Do I have to join your mailing list?
Yes, this promotion is only available to those who have joined my Fan Newsletter prior to Feb. 20th at 9:00PM EST.

What happens if I sign up late?
Unfortunately this is a limited time offer, so if you are late then you miss out. Those who join my newsletter are always notified about my promotions and special sales, however, so by subscribing you will be able to take advantage of future offers.

Is there a catch?
Not at all! Okay, I suppose you do need to sign up for my newsletter, but you don’t need to do anything else except download your book.

Actually, there is one more thing. If you decide to review my book after receiving your free copy, please remember to mention somewhere that you read a “free review copy.”

Are there other ways to support you?
The very best way to support me is by rating and reviewing my book on your favorite ebook vendor (once the pages go up), or on a recommendation site like goodreads. Obviously I hope your review is positive, but please be honest. As mentioned before, if you receive one of the free books and decide to review the book, it is important to mention somewhere that you received a free review copy.

I managed to get a key to the new furrynetwork thing. Not jumping ship or anything, I just wanted to control my name, however I have decided to put some of my stories on there.

One thing I will say, even though their UI is in its early stages they are light years ahead of FA when it comes to stories. There are a few features I would still like (ability to accompany the story with an image for instance), but most everything else they've got down. Uses markdown instead of HTML, better display font selection (and the ability to switch to a different one), ability to view as white text on dark background, or dark text on white background. I'm guessing they will probably only expand that feature list in the future.

One minor problem they have is anyone can view all content without being logged in, though I'm not really sure how big of an issue it is.

If you're interested in following me there for some reason CLICK HERE to view my profile.

I've been working quite hard today by accident. I don't know what happened. o_o

You think you're just going to sit around being lazy as fuck for a day, and next thing you know...BAM! You look up and you've completed 4 major tasks without any warning.

Well it ends now! I've made myself some hot chocolate and refuse to move an inch until It's all gone!

I hope everyone enjoys their Halloween.

I do most of my own proofreading and editing in early stages, but I like to give myself a break between writing, editing, and putting in changes. So a lot of the times I forget what I've done and get surprised by my notes.

Currently I have a page before me where there is more red ink than black. Judging by my handwriting I began to slowly lose my sanity somewhere around the 2nd paragraph. Eventually I gave up and started simply crossing out huge swaths of text while writing "BAD!" over and over again. Near the bottom there is a note saying I need to put in a completely new scene.

Apparently, I felt very strongly about this. Reading it now, past me is correct. This is going to suck to fix.

Marcus ducked between a couple vendors after spotting Hailey but it was too late. Unfortunate. The first focus he’d even seen and now Hailee would confiscate it before he could properly examine it. He looked at the ornate stone amulet then, with a shrug, provided the arcane energy to trigger it.

Last chance to see what it does.

What he didn't expect was the portal... Or the dragon that burst into the forum. It looked around, bewildered. The sight nearly overwhelmed him. A real dragon!

For a moment nobody seemed to know what to do. Then the city guard arrived.

So starting tomorrow I'm going to be starting a job until the end of July that will suck up a ton of my time. Effectively working 24 hours a day type thing (that isn't quite correct, but I need to be on call at all times and helping to ensure everything runs smoothly).

I may still be around, but I may also just completely vanish. Not that I'm hugely active but I do keep an eye out. Until I'm completely sure about the exact work load there is no way to tell how 'gone' I will be, but in either case I expect few people will notice a difference.

Just wanted to give a heads up even so.

So one of the things I really love about editing is how it provides a kind of clarity. Just started editing recently and I had all these issues I knew needed to be dealt with. Talked with a friend a bit about my concerns and my thoughts as I re-read and made notes and everything just snapped into place. I know exactly what I need to do for this to come together the way I need.

It is a great feeling. And probably the main reason I like putting distance between myself and my work when I finish writing but before editing. The objectivity is great, allowing me to see the story as it is and hold it up against what I want it to be so I can easily see where it doesn't fit. Get that wonderful 'click' sensation as things just fall into place in your mind and suddenly you KNOW what needs to change.

Not many people read this but figured I should say something just the same.

Got busy without realizing it and don't have much time to write currently. Basically got a job interview I've been preping for. Depending on how I do things may need to be on hold for awhile while I get my schedule sorted enough to be able to write again.

Seems like I post something nearly every day recently (and on the days I don't post anything I'm working on other projects). It feels rather good honestly, kind of wondering how long I can keep this up.

Surprisingly enough I'm finding that it is the shorter things I'm working on that are the most difficult. When you have 100 words to tell a story you need to make damn sure that every one of those words is pulling its weight. Seems like I'll get the thing written then spend an hour or two trying to cut one or two words here so I can add one or two words there.

End result is very satisfying though. Kind of makes me want to start a new Thursday Prompt sort of thing. Semi-Regular 100 word stories. Might be something for me to keep in mind.

If you look at my journal you probably notice that there is a link down below. Something about a blog.

Yeah, I have a blog now. Mostly it is just me rambling insanely about stuff related to writing. Trying to update it at least once a week on Monday. Maybe twice.

In any case I (hopefully) have interesting stuff to say and would like to start seeing traffic so if you are interested head over that way.

Thank you, I swear to never mention this again (until I forget I made that promise at least).

EDIT:
I noticed I have 3 more watchers and since I am already making a journal I figured I would add this bit in. Sorry I am not super active you guys, but I appreciate the watches! Hopefully I will have stuff I find worth posting sometime in the future, but my current project is kinda taking up all my time.

Neil Armstrong died.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/25/us/ne.....bit/index.html

He went to the moon, and when watching the Earth rise saw a planet without borders.

Okay, this is a frustrating thing I have been dealing with lately so I'm going to talk about it here mostly to vent.

Been dealing with this very particular type of block where I know exactly what I want to happen in a story and how I want it to go, but simply cannot make the words come out right. Everything I want to have happen ends up happening. The writing itself is technically correct. It progresses the story fine and isn't bad in any way.

But it is not good either. The words just do not feel right. So I end up having to go back and finding where I feel things went astray and pick up from there. It feels like for every 200 words I write I need to delete about 100. I am making progress, and am very happy with how things eventually settle into a 'correct' feeling.

It is just annoying that it is such slow going.

Curiosity just landed. Getting data and images right now.

Just shot a fucking car from one planet to another using explosions!

Finally making the move to this account from my old one at  kitreshawn.