And that’s a wrap—MX Publishing’s Kickstarter for A Man Named Baskerville closed earlier today with 81 backers pledging £1,842 (USD$2,241) toward the upcoming Special Edition hardback.
Learn more about A Man Named Baskerville on my web site. I should have more information soon on the hardback edition, as well as an upcoming audiobook.
Thanks, everyone! Here’s to a great 2025.
As mentioned in my last post, MX Publishing is holding a Kickstarter fundraiser to spread the word of the publication of a special hardcover edition of A Man Named Baskerville as well as a forthcoming audiobook.
Well, the Kickstarter has started, and I’m asking for your help. There are some great donor rewards for your generous contribution:
You may donate at any level. Even if you don’t wish to donate, please consider sharing this Kickstarter with your friends and followers on social media.
(Please note this money does not go into my pocket—it’s used to defray the cost of production, distribution, and marketing.)
That link, in case you missed it:
I’m pleased to announce that I’ve signed with MX Publishing in London to release two new editions of A Man Named Baskerville, my reinterpretation of the classic Sherlock Holmes mystery.
Some time in early 2025, you should expect to see a new hardcover and audiobook of Baskerville. I’m especially excited about the audiobook, as this will be the first one produced for my novels.
In order to offset publication costs, MX Publishing will be running a Kickstarter. The donor gift tiers are still being decided, but you should expect to see signed copies of paperback and hardcover editions of Baskerville as thank-you gifts, plus perhaps a couple more surprises.
You can sign up to be notified when the Kickstarter launches—just follow this link and add yourself to the “Saved” list.
And watch this space too, as I’ll be announcing more details as they finalize. You can click on the blue “Subscribe” button to receive notifications.
Thank you for following me this year! I hope to have lots more exciting news and new developments in 2025.
Today is the start of the Interactive Fiction (IF) Competition 2024, which includes my latest IF title, Under the Cognomen of Edgar Allan Poe. Over 67 titles are entered in the competition this year.
The great thing about IF Comp is that anyone can play and be a judge. If you’re interested, you’ll need to play at least five of the entries to submit a ballot. I recommend reading over the judging rules before looking over the full slate of titles. Note that many of these games can be played within your browser without downloading any software.
Voting is entirely optional. You’re free to play as many or as few of these games as you like. All are free to download and play.
Here’s my entry’s blurb:
“There are some secrets that do not permit themselves to be told.”
In 1849, Edgar Allan Poe disappeared among the back alleys of Baltimore. A week later, he was found delirious and in disarray. The mystery of his death has remained unsolved for 175 years.
Now it’s your chance to decipher the macabre enigma enshrouding the final days of Edgar Allan Poe—a tale of Faustian bargains, artistic ambition, and immortality…
It’s a parser game, meaning you enter commands as free-form text, which the software interprets as commands and acts upon. Total play time is a little over two hours or so, depending on how well you do.
You can play Under the Cognomen of Edgar Allan Poe directly from the IF Comp game list. If you want a more customizable experience, in terms of colors and fonts, or you want to listen to the game’s soundtrack while you play, I recommend installing the QTads interpreter and downloading the game file to your local machine.
Here’s to a great competition!
With the dog days of summer upon us, four of my novels are now available on Amazon for the low price of 99¢.
Follow the links below to view sample chapters or purchase:
All are available in the Kindle Unlimited program, meaning KU members may read them for free.
And, remember that Man in the Middle is free if you sign up for my newsletter.
Have a good summer!
Yesterday, the 2022 XYZZY final awards were announced.
If you don’t know, the XYZZY Awards are given yearly for interactive fiction. They’re sometimes called the Academy Awards for interactive fiction.
I was blown away to learn that According to Cain won Best Game and Best Implementation for 2022. Cain was also nominated for Best Writing, Best Story, and Best Puzzles.
This caps off a big year for Cain, which placed sixth in the Interactive Fiction Competition, won Outstanding Game of the Year (Player’s Choice) and Outstanding Game Over Two Hours in the IFDB Awards, and was selected for the 2023 Interactive Fiction Top 50.
I’m floored. In 1999, when I first became aware of the interactive fiction community, I wondered if I could write a title that could win the IF Comp or the XYZZY Award.
To place sixth in the IF Comp was more than I could have asked for. (I was happy to make the top twenty.) To win Best Game for the XYZZY Award is, in some ways, a fulfillment of a twenty-four year personal goal.
If you’re a NetGalley member, my Sherlock Holmes-inspired novel A Man Named Baskerville is now available for download and review.
Baskerville is my take on the Arthur Conan Doyle classic. Told as a journal penned by the original’s villain, it relates his life story from a pauper’s childhood in the Empire of Brazil to life on the run in Panama and Costa Rica. He lands in England determined to confront his family and claim his place at Baskerville Hall. All the while, he lays out his plan to settle a score with Holmes and Watson, whom have taken him for dead after their confrontation on the bogs of Dartmoor.
A review copy of the novel is available to NetGalley members upon request. Please note, I’m currently seeking NetGalley members who actively review and crosspost to other sites (Goodreads, Amazon, book blogs, etc.)
For more information, go to the A Man Named Baskerville page on NetGalley.
Availability on NetGalley ends February 6th. Of course, A Man Named Baskerville is always available on Amazon.
