REMINDER ABOUT SHIPPING!!! (it's in the Kickstarter, but it's been a while since you might have seen the info)
about 2 years ago – Thu, Feb 22, 2024 at 03:09:39 PM

REMINDER: SHIPPING!

As a reminder, the shipping was not charged at the time of the Kickstarter because we didn't know how much it would be. We didn't want to under or over charge backers, so we've been calculating and charging on the backend. 

A few people reached out, not understanding why their cards were charged. Some time has passed since the Kickstarter campaign concluded, so that's probably why the reminder is needed. 

If you need to reference this info, just go into the Kickstarter story and scroll down to the Shipping section (it's marked as IMPORTANT).

For anyone who marked "local pickup," your card has been charged for just the one way shipping to get your book/s IN. For anyone who lives outside the Tri Cities, you'll be charged just a little bit more. 

PLEASE KNOW WE DID OUR BEST TO MINIMIZE THESE COSTS. In fact, we are eating a lot of these costs -- for instance, for packaging, supplies, and/or in cases where the books were sent some other way other than media mail (perhaps because there was other types of swag/merch in the package).

Please ensure your card is up to date in BackerKit. And don't hesitate to send a message through here if you have any questions at all! - Ellis K. + And Fire Books

THEY'RE HERE!!! (see video)
about 2 years ago – Mon, Feb 19, 2024 at 09:18:01 PM

The limited edition hardbacks are HERE. They came out BEAUTIFULLY. 

I'll notify post another update when they ship!

Limited Edition PRINTED (To Be Shipped SOON)
about 2 years ago – Tue, Feb 13, 2024 at 12:50:24 PM

It's official. The limited edition have been PRINTED and the order is COMPLETE on the printer's side. Now they just have to be shipped to me so I can get them to each of y'all...

Due to the special cover on these limited edition hardbacks, they could only be printed at the UK print facility. But they'll be coming FedEx, so once they've been packed and shipped, we should receive them quickly. 

Thank you so much for everyone's patience. As you may remember, there was a formatting issue that had to get rectified. After that, the printer's US facility experienced some issues, and those turned out to be pretty serious, delaying us even further. 

Once we got that sorted, put together a new game plan, and were able to get the new files uploaded, the order was finally ready to be printed.

WE KNOW YOU'VE BEEN WAITING, so please know how grateful we are for you! 

ALSO PLEASE REMEMBER: Everyone who ordered a limited edition hardback received the ebook as well. That ebook has already been sent out - did you receive it?

If you did NOT receive your standard or limited edition ebook, COMMENT BELOW OR SEND A MESSAGE. We'll get a special link to you. 

I'll update again as soon! -Ellis

CHECK YOUR INBOX (Limited Edition E-book LANDING NOW)
about 2 years ago – Fri, Jan 26, 2024 at 11:08:34 PM

First, allow me to say... If you've read the standard edition of the book and loved it, please please please don't forget to leave your review. We simply can't compete with the big corporate-owned publishing companies without that. 

A lot of people have been telling us how much they love the book and how they devoured it over a few days or a weekend. If that's you, a SIMPLE STAR RATING ON GOODREADS is very helpful. If you're willing to write a review, even a short/simple one, that's even more helpful.

You can leave reviews at any of these sites now.

Limited Edition: COMPLETE

I am so excited for how the limited edition turned out! The new system and formatting software are brilliant, and that translated nicely for this edition nicely. 

The e-book has been sent, so be sure to check your inbox. If you didn't receive it, send a message to the publisher here.

ALSO if you didn't receive your standard edition e-book, please contact And Fire Book.

PLEASE REMEMBER: the delivery system puts a time limit on the downloads so those copies aren't just sitting in limbo for eternity. Be sure to download the book immediately, then you're free to read it at your leisure. 

IMPORTANT

When you get the e-book, please read the introduction at the beginning (titled ABOUT THE LIMITED EDITION). This explains how the artwork is organized and a bit about the bonus scenes and chapters.

Immediately after this introduction, you'll find the chapter and scene modifications. Those contain spoilers, so you'll have to decide if you want to read those or not. 

LIMITED EDITION HARDBACK IS WITH THE PRINTER

The limited edition hardback is with the printer! I was hoping we could get that to them in December, but with the formatting issues we had with that other software, and subsequently having to upgrade the system, that just wasn't possible. 

But the files are with the printer now and are in the process of being printed. As soon as I have a timeline, I'll post it here.

That's all for now, and I'll leave you with this - it's brand new, exclusive artwork found in your limited edition. The scene may seem a bit strange or mysterious, but I promise, it'll make sense when you read the book. :) 

BIG HUGS to you all! 

Warmest wishes,
Ellis K.

Limited Edition (Forthcoming) + Surprise Reward for EVERYONE
over 2 years ago – Sat, Dec 30, 2023 at 06:09:21 PM

Happy New Year! 

I've sent out a few updates through the mailing list, but I realized I hadn't done one on here in a minute. We've been working hard on the limited edition, and the hardback should be on the way next month as planned. 

We'd hoped the limited edition ebook would be out by Christmas, and we would have made that deadline, BUT the book is so art heavy (and extralong with those bonus chapters) that the standard formatting program wasn't able to handle it. 

And Fire Books ended up purchasing a Mac so that we could transition to a premium book-formatting software; and although that ebook didn't go out by Christmas, I want everyone who ordered this super special edition to know it's coming along BEAUTIFULLY. 

There are more features/options available with this book-formatting software, making it more customizable. One of the features I love the most is Text Messaging Bubbles (see above). 

I also love the Heading & Background feature for print. This will be the style you'll find in the limited edition hardback (it doesn't show up in e-book, unfortunately). I chose it because it looks like the light of a sunrise (dawn) pushing back against darkness, which is the main theme of the book.

The artwork will also be "framed" with subtle stylistic features that give it a more elegant look. Not sure if you can see it in this photo, but the outer edges of the image are shaded (just enough to show a slight depth). 

Special Surprise for EVERYONE

As I mentioned in a previous post, the FOOTSTEPS e-book is taking more time, as well -- not because of book formatting, but because some things have changed (travel-wise) since the pandemic. 

I want the book to be as current as possible, which is just going to require a little more research/time. While that's in the works, I'm putting together a little something special for everyone to say THANK YOU. 

I can't say what this thank-you gift is yet (since it's a surprise), but it will involve some of the photography I'll be using in FOOTSTEPS. 

Don't forget to claim and download your e-book

We're up to 68% of backers/supporters who've downloaded their ebooks. REMEMBER: You don't have to read the book right away, but the delivery system does put a TIME LIMIT on claiming/downloading. So be sure to download yours today, then you can read it at your leisure.

That's all for now. Hope everyone is having a beautiful holiday season with a bright, cheery new year to come.

All the best,

Ellis K.