Eighteen Days

Yep, that’s it folks--the cover of the Kirkus trade publication that includes a quarter-page ad for High Kill.

It still feels a bit surreal sometimes: I authored a novel that’s competing head-to-head with books on Top Five imprints, and Kirkus gave it a favorable review. Feedback continues to be positive, and as Steemhouse heads into the next phase of marketing and promotion, every indication is that our team made a lot of right decisions for this launch.

Steemhouse Publishing has several layers within that “team.” We have a community that is still very much behind us, like @shadowspub, who is an admin of our Discord and rock solid even during times of uncertainty. We have @elainemoore and @martiawilson, both of whom I’ve known in “real life” for years, and both of whom are phenomenal writers and poets and editors. Then in the executive roles are myself and @michelios, who dropped into my life from the clear blue sky last year at SF3. He’s a friend, yes. We have common interests that include machinima shorts, Dr. Who, Cyanide and Happiness, and silly sappy animal videos. But most of all, he is the business partner of a lifetime, whose vision for Steemhouse matches mine almost telepathically. He also invested in the startup like it was his own, and now it is his own--he holds half the stake at this point, and he’s earned it.

So tonight’s post is about business, about Steemhouse, and about Kirkus. After all, without those things there would be no Europe for me, and this series of countdown posts wouldn’t be happening. Below is how the ad appears in the “Up All Night” edition of the August 1 Kirkus magazine. It looks pretty impressive, if I do say so myself.

Tomorrow I’m making a very special transport trip that I have not been able to write about. Once it’s over and the animal is safely in the arms of her new caretaker, I’ll tell the whole story. It may be Sunday before I’m able to post about it, or about the gut-wrenching voice chat tonight with Tracey Korotky, a animal communicator who I trust implicitly. Just wish us Godspeed and traveling mercies as we cross state lines and mountain ranges to get this animal to safety in a state other than the one where she was born.

Other Posts in this Series (because this one won't make sense if you haven't read the other ones)

Forty Days
Thirty-Nine Days
Thirty-Eight Days
Thirty-Seven Days
Thirty-Six Days
Thirty-Five Days
Thirty-Three Days
Thirty-Two Days
Thirty-One Days
Thirty Days
Twenty-Seven Days
Twenty-Six Days
Twenty-Five Days
Twenty-Three Days
Twenty Days