Yes.
It IS that time again.
But first, here’s a spot of music for your listening amusement:
McKennitt has a truly indiscernibly lunar quality to her music, you know. Not only an established producer of music in her genre, but far more-so an excellent song-writer and singer as well. I’ve caught myself with this song in particular going through my head quite a lot. Every few weeks it would pop back in the same way it has for the years since I first heard it.
That said, I’ll stop myself before I get too carried away. Celtic folk and traditional is one of those genres I can listen to (and rant about) for far longer than would make most people comfortable.
Here’s what I have cooking this month:
Nocturna League Episode 10 as the next Release:
Thank you so much for your patience.
As you’re aware I’ve been strapped down to the wildly-rotating torture table of work over at S.E.E.R., where the hours are long and the coffee runs dry. I have, fortunately, beaten back The Insidious Workload and have liberated the country of Freetimeia to work on far more pressing projects, like talking lobsters and relic hunts.
Nocturna League Episode Ten is the second “novel length” episode in the series and is by far one of my favorites overall- easy top three. I expect this next one will divide some readers as it will be a little more extreme in some ways, but not so bad that it would overtly raise the “rating” per se. You see, there’s an extra helping of sex, violence, and sexviolence that some might feel is spread on too thick, but bullocks to those puritan fools; art has no truer ruler than the heart of its witnesser. We’re all big kids here. I shall write what is inside me, and if filth there be, so too will you see.
*Ehem*
Don’t worry, it’s not like anyone has sex, that’s just weird. I understand many authors make rather fanciful livings off writing endless titillation and naughty lingerie-activities, and while that’s all and well for them, I don’t feel like writing that sort of stuff would be in line with what I’m looking to achieve, as believe it or not I’m one of those horrible, pretentious, monstrous figures that prefers crafting… *gaudy inhalation* ART!
…At least, that’s what I tell myself in my nice-looking cardboard box while attempting to write bestsellers that are simultaneously unified with a singular overarching narrative and lucrative. We’ll get there one of these days. We just have to keep working hard and keep the results in mind!
Well then, that was quite the tangent. I apologize for any hurt feelings or spilled blood.
To get back on track, this one is in my opinion very good, and is multitudes better if you’ve read any of the other books cross-series. Those of you familiar with the Courts Divided characters will have a little extra fan service as well as a few unexpected cameos from a couple of “Manly Men” of some caliber.
Far more exciting, however, is the many, significant plot reveals packed into this one. Very many things will be revealed this time around, and yet the mysteries will only continue to crawl in. If you enjoyed any of the series up to this point, it’s my utmost recommendation; it will be a fine dish for you. Yes, I did just recommend my own book to you, and yes, you will like it or I’m turning this car around.
Nocturna 10: The Deafening Silence is available for preorder very soon, and will be released on the blessed day of August 15th. This feels like a minor release to me, even though I know this is in fact quite significant, as with this Nocturna League’s “second season” will be complete, all over the course of just over half a year.
I’ve kind of impressed myself.
That said, sales for the series is still abysmal. I hate to say it, but I think the covers and episodic pricing structure just isn’t working out. The stories are awesome, people tell me so, so I assume that can’t be the case. It must be something on the “packaging” end that tells me we still need a little more polish. I gave it a little while but it seems like I’m going to have to kick this into high gear, probably releasing whole seasons as a “box set” rather than in little cutesy episodes like I have been.
Of course, I’ll still sell them for an excellent price, probably $4.99ish, so don’t worry about me gutting you for your beloved talking lobster fan fiction; I’ll be sure to keep it as reasonably-priced as ever; probably even more so.
What kind of thing do you think would make a good “season” cover? Do you think The Captain at The Nocturna’s Bow would look cool? Should the girls be in it somewhere? Boris? Marcus? I don’t know! Tell me!
A-anyway, you can get NL 10 for the slick and happenin’ price of $2.99 (so low because I’ll be putting all these in box sets quite soon, mind you) by clicking here.
Short of the month: KILL BLOODSTAIN EPISODE TWO
Hey, remember that short story I wrote to advertise my newsletter in a super weird meta satire thing? Well now you can read the second part of it *right here!*
Weird stuff’s happening to these somewhat stereotypical characters when they wake up in a brand new location, and why the heck is Kill Bloodstain going after them again?! There’s more to this mystery than meets the eye, but apparently leaving reviews will help somehow!
I never expected I’d enjoy writing this as much as I did. It’s a great feeling to unpack your thoughts in a short story from time to time… n-not saying I’d ever want to murder you, of course. The first story proved a practical purpose, but this one’s more-so just for fun. Rest assured I will not unwittingly project my id to hunt you down if you choose not to leave reviews; that would be very silly.
Y-you know I’d never do that, right?
On the Horizon: Not Bloodkeep
With pain I must report that Courts Divided’s long-awaited third book, Bloodkeep, is still not ready, but what’s more, is the cover issue.
It’s no longer an issue of not being able to afford the covers, thankfully, but rather it’s an issue of timelines. My selected cover artist (a fantastically-talented individual who a strong portfolio of best-selling covers) has a waiting list of several months before he can get to my covers. He will get to them, mind you, and it’s planned that we’ll be doing at least the first four in the series as a sort of revamp, but the soonest that will happen is early next year.
Yes, you and I have to wait that long for Bloodkeep to release.
Yes, I’m a horrible person.
No, I’m not sorry: the wait will be worth it and I’m certain you’ll agree.
That said, after Nocturna League Episode 10, you can look forward to seeing Substation 7’s entire series being released between now and when Bloodkeep finally blasts out of the gate.
In the meantime, look forward to more short stories and other wonderful pieces of fictioncraft. I don’t usually take requests, but seeing as there will be an opening in the calendar I think I can make an exception.
If there’s something special you’d like me to do story wise (a specific character, a specific event in the lore you’re interested in, you just want to see someone naked, whatever) then let me know and I’ll try to figure it out. Mind you I won’t be making up something entirely new, but just putting the magnifying glass a little bit lower to show you more of what you want. Email me at kellr.inkston@gmail.com and request your idea. If I like it, I’ll write a short about it and publish it with your credit, if you so wish.
In conclusion:
There’s your monthly news update. I would understand your frustration that certain things have been put off… again, but rushed art is bad forever, so we must take all the time we need to deliver the story in its top form. It’s been a bit of an irritant to have my time stolen from all sorts of directions as of late, but we have just begun to climb the mountain to good reading, so stick with me. Whether we’re on fire under water, or on water under fire, we must remain. Stay strong, do not sell your land to the government, and remember to always secure your estate against revolutionaries.
All the best,
Kell Inkston
Coffee... WRITING!... COFFEE!! 