I have just put the finishing touches on the first draft of the manuscript, and I've sent a copy off for some developmental editing. Really excited/nervous about that
We're also working on some commissioned art for this book. This is a first for me, and I'm really excited about adding some bespoke work to the book. I've already got a couple of the pieces back, and I'm really excited about how great they look. Galen Pejeau is fantastic to work with, and has a really incredible eye for technical details. Here's the blueprint/patent drawing for the Dreamscape pods:
DreamScape Pod Blueprint, by Galen Pejeau
I really love the vibe here, it's a very tactile-looking machine. Even with this being a line drawing, it feels like something I can imagine walking into a cassette futurism-style space station and seeing people lining up to use. I like that the helmet looks like they're strapping a whole PC tower to your face (and let's be real, VR looks a little silly). I'm excited to put this thing in the book.
There's one more art asset I want to get for the book, and I'm trying my hand at making it myself (while looking for someone y'know, good at that sort of thing). I'll maybe talk about what it's gonna be in a future update...
Just a quick note to say that I clicked the Lock Down button yesterday, and it looks like nothing broke. It also looks like those of y'all who grabbed Electric Sheep Shuffle, Jumpgate Charade, and Station-bound Semitones have started downloading your PDFs.
Feel free to reach out here if you have any problems!
About 90% of y'all have filled in your surveys, which is awesome! Thanks, everyone! (Thanks also to folks putting add-ons in...) I'm going to give it to Monday before I start locking down orders. Once that happens, I believe (if I've entered the right cheat codes) PDFs and Itch codes should start going out for the published books.
Progress on the new book has admittedly hit a snag. I lost my day job a couple of weeks back. It was not a great working environment, and was already slowing me down because of the stress, so it's not a huge loss, except that I need to find a new one. Trying to do creative work with bad mental health is like trying to run on a broken ankle; doable but it'll cause some complications. I'm working on finding a balance between chasing job leads and editing my game content, so I should get back on track soonish.
(Also I was so sure I wasn't going to join my fellow creators who ran a crowdfund, then immediately hit Significant Life Complications, so I guess I'm being cursed for my hubris also.)
Alrighty, seems like the smoke test went off without a hitch. So, I just clicked the big button and sent surveys out to everyone! Those should be in your inboxes.
Comments seemed to work well for initiating any conversations, if folks have questions or issues (That said, don't post any PII, we can take it to email if needed). Although there weren't a ton of questions or issues from the dozen or so of you in the smoke test.
For folks who're waiting on Electric Sheep Shuffle, Jumpgate Charade, and/or Station-bound Semitones PDFs, it seems I have to lock orders before those go out. So, I'll start locking orders in a few weeks, and you'll get those once I do that. (We're learning together!)
As for the main book, I'm still plugging away at the draft. Once I'm happy with that, it'll go out for developmental editing. Meanwhile, I'm also working with a couple of artists on some bespoke pieces that'll go in the book. This is a new thing, the other three books are mostly public domain/free license art or stuff I made myself. So, I'm also excited to tap into skills that I don't have.
A few of you may have noticed, and for others I'm pointing it out: There's smoke over the mountain. That's because I've sent out the smoke test for surveys! If all goes to plan, I'll send the rest out tomorrow.
If you have problems, please leave a comment on this update.
