Book 3 News Archives • Page 2 of 2 • Andrew Crusoe

If you’re already subscribed to the Aravinda Mailinglist, you’ve no doubt already heard about this. But just in case you have yet to subscribe, I have an announcement to make!

As I said on the mailinglist, there comes a time in every author’s project when they realize that they need another perspective, and that time is now. Since July 2015, I’ve been working hard on the 3rd installment of the Aravinda series.

Right now, the book’s working title is AMBROSIA, but that’ll change once we decide on a final name.

Basically, I’ve come to the point where I’ve made it as good as I possibly can on my own, and now I need other perspectives to make it as strong as possible. So if you enjoy my work, and want to have a direct impact on my next book, now is your chance!

What’s this book all about?

I can’t say too much because there are at least 5 different ways I could potentially spoil some mind-bending surprises, but like the other books in the series, it’s a fast-paced Sci-Fi adventure. Except that this time, our friends Asha & Zahn are sent to a world built out of thought energy itself. People there create impossible architecture directly from their minds. Such power comes with a cost… but I’ll stop there! I really don’t want to spoil it for you. 😉

How do I join?

To be a beta reader, just join the Aravinda Mailinglist and respond to your introduction email, and if you have any trouble, feel free to contact me.

All you need is an electronic reading device to be a beta-reader. I will provide the book to you in whatever format you’d like, and all I ask is honest, timely feedback on character development, pacing, and so on. To launch on schedule, you’ll need to read the book in a month or less.

To make this more manageable, I’ll probably close the beta-reader group to new people by May 1st, so if you’re interested, it’s best to act now.

Preference will be given to you if you’ve already beta-read before and did a good job.

And if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. I love the beta reader process. You get free fiction, not to mention have a direct impact on the final product, and I get to connect with all of you and make the book that much better.

Thanks again for your support! I couldn’t do this without you. 🙂

Want to know a secret?

I have a love/hate relationship with January.

On one hand, it contains so much hope, so much possibly for a new year, a new opportunity to reinvent ourselves.

But on the other hand, I find the weather downright depressing (which is probably why I found Hawaii so wonderful.) So, to cope with this, I try to focus on my projects even more, and not the white-sandwich weather outside.

Yes. The time is NOW. Now is the perfect time to reevaluate & reflect on every area of my life, which is what I’ve been doing. It’s time to trim off the fat and let go of things that aren’t really worth the time I put into them and doubling down on the things that are.

Take my comedy podcast “Almost a Joke,” for instance. While I love doing that show, I feel that I’ve moved on. In fact, when I was in Wisconsin last month, I gave my co-host about 22GB of files of the original recordings. This way, he’ll be able to edit them himself. And when he’s ready, he can share the final edits with me, and I’ll post them. I don’t mind uploading them and writing a few show notes, but honestly, I feel pretty “done” with editing that show, at least for the foreseeable future. And I don’t even know if he’ll have time to edit them, so I’ve placed the show on hiatus unto further notice.

To be clear, I’m not saying I’ll never do it again, but I have no current plans to… Better to focus on what I feel is going well, what I intuitively feel I should be focusing on, and that’s definitely the Epic of Aravinda. Oh, and for those of you who missed it, “The Truth Beyond the Sky” participated in its first group-author event last week, giving away over 1,200 copies in a single day! (Thankfully, I saw a great boost in sales the following day, too!) A big thanks to Patty Jansen for organizing that!

Speaking of, the revision plans for Book 2 are going well. This is the first time I’m mentioning this publicly, but I’ve designed a MUCH better cover. At last, Asha will be on the cover! (And wielding a resonator pistol, no less.)

In fact, at the risk of “opening the kimono” too much, my main project at the moment (besides getting new glasses) is to re-read “The Island on the Edge of Forever” in preparation to restructuring the upcoming 3rd book! In the process, I’m fixing a few small typos that somehow fell through the cracks in its first edition release last year. I’m also adding and removing a sentence or two, you know, to get it just right. I’m really excited about this new revision. You’re going to love it, especially the new cover.

Anyway, YES, 2016, we made it! I have a strange feeling that this will be a kinder year than 2015. And obviously, I’m so incredibly excited for book 3’s release this year. (Title to be revealed soon.)

And if you haven’t yet, go grab my novelette & short story for free. (Yes, I give them away because I’m that crazy.) Then watch this space for exciting updates, including a totally new cover for Book 2, very soon. This is going to be the BEST orbit yet.