Ishmael: Sleeping.

Me: (ahem*) When NOT sleeping, I have been editing Heroes or Thieves. In fact, editing and sleeping (and occasionally eating and showering), have been just about all I’ve been doing for the last few weeks. I—

Ishmael: You’d think she’d have more to show for it.

Me: (drums fingers impatiently*) …How come you’re always the first one to show up?—Don’t you have anything better to do?

Ishmael: (falls silent*)

Me: Thank you. (smooths down Spongebob & Patrick bathrobe*) Anyways, Heroes or Thieves is coming along nicely and I still project that it will be published sometime in June. I am throwing myself madly into polishing the content so you get only the best. However, this is also why there have been no new chapter updates on the website. No sooner do I post something than I toss it in the trash for a rewrite. Thus—

Ishmael: —And quite fortunately—

Me: The story has significantly improved in word choice, clarity, and elegance.

Ishmael: (lets out an amused cough*) …We are talking about the story featuring Jikun and his crass, unruly tongue, right?

Me: (sighs wearily*) Will you please shut up? I really ought to lock the door before I begin these posts. Now there are several awesome topics I’ll tackle today, including—

Evrae: (from doorway*) Heeeey! She’s doing one of those posty things again! (gasps*) And she invited Ishmael without us!

Me: Oh no you don’t! I’m writing a private—

Ephraim: Don’t be daft. She never invites Ishmael. Who would be mad enough to do that?

Zauviir: I rather like what Ishmael has to say. At least he’s never trying to butter her up.

Ephraim: Butter her up? Where in Ramul did you learn a ghastly phrase like that?

Me: Hey, really, get—

Zauviir: (raises some book*) Oh there is a whole slew of them in here. Modern colloquialism. Butter her up. Wrong side of the bed. Tongue-in-cheek. Back against the wall.

Evrae: (snickers*)

Darcarus: Please tell me I’m not the only one catching the sexual innuendo of those phrases.

Me: GAAAAHHHH GET OUT. (slams door behind them*) (taps furiously upon keyboard*) Anyways, as I was saying, there are several awesome topics to tackle today: The Book Tour, Art Update, and Author Fair.

The Book Tour

So a few weeks ago I mentioned the book tour and have since received quite a number of questions asking for me to clarify some points. As I’m still quite engaged in the completion of Heroes or Thieves, I have not yet had a chance to compile the official Book Tour home page and link (where you’ll be able to submit all your entries for the grand prize of the amazon gift card), but I can clarify how this will work:

The Kings or Pawns Mega Tour will be an online book tour preceding—or in conjunction with—our physical touring at Fandom Fest, Archon, Cincinnati Comic Expo, OC3, New York Comic Con, etc…

The online tour itself will be held in July or August [determined by when I complete Heroes or Thieves] and will feature giveaways, fun contests, art reveals, and a grand prize of a $100 Amazon gift card! If you love to engage in a book series and geek out, this is the place for you!

Sounds like fun and as a fellow thriller, drama, or fantasy fan, you want in, right? So how do you participate?

Prior to the month of the online tour (projected to be July or August), you must have read Kings or Pawns (the first book in the series) in some way (or you’ll have no fun ;p). You may contact me on Twitter, Facebook, or email in order to request a free copy (ebook or audiobook).

After you have read the book, you just fill out the short little Book Tour Form (to be up on the website in the next few weeks). The form will provide a place for you to enter in the locations where you left an [honest] review (aka, Goodreads, Audible, Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, or personal blog/vlog). The entry form will automatically enter you into all normal giveaways AND you will receive one entry (for each review) into our Grand Prize giveaway of a $100 Amazon gift card!

(You can use it to buy more books or, if you’re like me, just buy movies and Deadpool comics).

Then, during the month of the tour (July or August?), we will feature reviews, hold contests (like “best Jikun stick figure” and “summarize Sellemar in 5 words or less”), reveal art, give away prizes, and finally, at the end of the month, draw the grand prize winner!

And lastly, for anyone hesitant because they are like “Dude, this sounds too easy/good/fun to be true," WHY are we doing this?

A) We’re fun people. Our obsession with the series should be fairly clear.

B) We like to engage with our fans.

C) Your reviews help support the series and for that, we are deeply grateful.

Art Update

Now you’ve probably heard enough about the Book Tour and just want me to get right to showing you that art update I promised, huh?

(drumroll*)

Omupied’s stunning rendition of Alvena!

Yes, I’ve already gotten a great many questions about her clothes, but my lips are sealed! She is a delight to watch naturally unfold. ;)

And where is Rathurus, you may ask?

Tsk tsk! You’ll have to wait for the Kings or Pawns Mega Tour for that! Hehe!

Author Fair

Last but not least, Steps of Power will be at That Book Place Author’s Fair in Madison, Indiana on April 2nd. This is our first event of the season, but we will not be in costume. (If you’re wondering why, it’s because those darn tattoos take 24 hours over two days to apply and I’m sure all of those waiting for Heroes or Thieves would beat me with a stick if I took the time off to doodle on myself… as cool as it is ;p).

So get excited! Join us in Madison! Join us online! And great ready for some geeky fun!