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After hours, or possibly days, of reviewing the ebooks, we’ve given our stamp of approval. ReAnimus Press has once again done a beautiful job of formatting and I can’t wait for everyone to see it all put together. We are four short days from the release of Wolves and the River of Stone!
There’s also a Rafflecopter up and running! Our Squishable tribute to Happy is up for grabs:
Today was the cover reveal for Wolves and the River of Stone. I can’t say enough about the work of Phatpuppy Art, Bookish Brunette Designs, and Teresa Yeh Photography. A huge thank you to the entire team! We’re targeting 10/22/2013 for the release of book two. I’d also like to thank everyone for the incredibly kind messages about Days Gone Bad and the anticipation leading up to Wolves and the River of Stone.
Yesterday was the September Toyman Toy Show here in Saint Louis. It’s always fun, hanging out with collectors, authors, fans, and dealers. Matt Hiebert (Blackhand) and Shane Moore (Apocalypse of Enoch) were both at the show as well. Jordan Hembrough also dropped by and it was a blast hanging out with him once again.
I’m very happy to say I’ve passed 75,000 words on my latest work in progress. We’re also making some excellent headway on the editing for book two (and that’s good, because the deadline is coming up fast).
Before anyone says “Is that a pretzel?” Yes. Yes, that is a pretzel. I absolutely love this promotional piece my cover art team put together. It’s just so … Damian.
The latest giveaway is live! This week we have a Squishable mini-panda, embroidered Vesik hat, and signed copies of Days Gone Bad up for grabs. Be sure to enter.
I sat down to write about our visit to Antietam a few weeks ago, but I needed more distance from it. Antietam remains the bloodiest single day battle in U.S. history. Paintings of the aftermath hang in the battlefield’s museum. Large murals depicting the conflict were painted by Captain James Hope. To see these paintings created by a veteran who stood on that battlefield is a powerful thing.
There are many ghost stories surrounding the horrors of Antietam. It’s easy to understand why when you stand on the sunken road that bears the moniker Bloody Lane. Three short hours of combat in this hauntingly beautiful landscape led to the death or injury of 5,500 soldiers.
One of the most iconic images of Antietam is Burnside Bridge. The sycamore at the far right is the same tree that stood there during the battle. As I’ve come to find with many battlefields, the contrast between their peaceful existence today and the horror of past events is jarring.
Five days after the Union victory at Antietam, Abraham Lincoln delivered the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.
We spent some time at the Gettysburg reenactment earlier this month. We drove from Saint Louis. It was not a short drive, but it was an incredible way to celebrate the holiday and observe the 150th anniversary of the battle.
The sheer scale of what the reenactors accomplished was staggering. From the troop movements to the living history camps and the mixture of entertainment with education, it’s the kind of event every history fanatic should attend at least once.
