Don’t worry, I’m quite alright, just busy and less of that business being related to writing than I’d like. Nothing too terrible, mind you, just a stacked plate in the past month and it’s left me feeling a bit sore.
That said, let’s kick this off the usual way with some good music:
I really like the effervescent sound Mister Arnalds has in his productions, but I don’t listen to him all that often these days. He’s one of those artists where, if you hear three of his songs you’ve heard everything else he’ll throw at you. That’s not a hit on him, of course; he’s great at what he attempts to do and wants to be, as any proper artist should, right?.
*Cough* Right, though, we were talking about our stuff, not his.
Progress has been significantly slow this past month. If you think Inklend Analysts have tons of time to do whatever we please then surprise!… we don’t.
Work hours have kept a steady and high rhythm with little pauses for the past few months, and I felt like a smart cookie by preparing releases in advance. That buffer has since been eaten up, however, and I don’t have too much to give you today… except for a story, some news, and a mug.
Yes, a mug.
How it’s going:
As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been swamped with work as of late. “The Ascended Scribery” has had plenty of “analytics” for me to conduct on various things, but I’ve been keeping my head high and powering through it all in the hopes that I can beat the work dragon back and return to my regular writing schedule.
That said, I have been able to get some writing done, and you’ll be seeing a new short story released on kellinkston.com as of now. It’s a slower story, and pretty connected to the Courts Divided narrative, so while some may not enjoy it without the context, none the less I think that if you’re a fan of Chaos and his Minionry you’ll appreciate some of the highlights provided in this one.
There’s a few subtle hints in the major lore in this one, but they are definitely subtle, so there’s no gaurentee you’ll like it if you’re not interested in things like just why the heck Geometric Shape Enthusiast Minion loves Geometric Shapes so much, or what Chaos looks like during a slightly bad day. Check it out.
Aside from that I’ve been keeping busy updating interior matter in books to make sure they shine in appearance as well as in nature. There are many readers this day that will judge a book by its cover, so I’ve been taking precautions into account to make sure everything looks nice for them when they crack open the next adventure.
Easy example, I’ve updated chapter headers in Woodcastle as so:
There’s Chapter 19 right there! Not so bad, right?
I’ll be doing my best going forward to make sure every new release (and many older ones) meets my ever-increasing standard of quality in form, and in some case function as well. I don’t consider myself a revisionist of my own work, but if I could add things I don’t think many people would be against it.
Release? E-eh, sure!
Despite my previous successes, short stories are the only things I can offer you at this time, so look forward to that.
“But Kell! I want to know about the actual releases!”
You are not wrong to ask such a question.
Believe me, I would like to put out a books as fast as you could possibly read them, but as it stands I’m going to need to lick my wounds a bit timeline-wise and regroup to make good on my expectations the next time.
That said, don’t get me wrong I’m confident I can keep up with a one release a month schedule, but due to the aforementioned surprise burst in workplace excitement I’ve had to reel back, just a hair, to wait for my next opportune moment. Rest assured, all will be back on track in but a few month’s time.
My next major release is slated to be Bloodkeep, which should see itself hopping out of the gates around August.
For the mean time, here’s A Most Abyssal Day. Enjoy!
Now then… for the truly bad news…
~An ode to The Boris Mug (for now)~
-Kell’s Boris Mug Idea-
June 5th 2019 – June 15th 2019
Nay, your eyes deceive thee not. What you are seeing is the first-ever product based on the “Inkverse”, the Boris Coffee Mug!
Working with artisans of S.E.E.R. I’ve been able to construct a high-quality, high humor item that will shock and awe fans of Nocturna League and artificers alike! It’s truly a sight to behold!
You could order it for a cool low price, but that’s where the issues come into play.
Online store fees are expensive!
I’m working on finding an outlet where I can get both the quality I need while also not being murdered with $100s of fees for various costs. If you have any good ideas or are experienced in the print-to-order field, email me and let me know. I have the design and everything ready, I just need to get it to people.
That said, don’t fret. The mug will release! Just not now. Probably not for a while. The cost margins of making like $1 per mug vs. the hundreds it would cost that I could spend on any number of more important things just doesn’t add up. I’d have to sell hundreds of these awesome dudes to just break even as it stands. So cross your fingers while I look for solutions.
For now that’s all I have for you guys. I hope you have a wonderful Summer (or Winter, hemispheric-orientation dependent, of course.) and that you think of me next time you’re looking for something to read… or drink out of, considering I should hopefully have a mug for sale in a little while.
All the best,
Kell
Coffee... WRITING!... COFFEE!! 