1-Year Anniversary of Site; Important Updates

Hey guys,

So exactly next week (August 18) it will be the 1-year anniversary of the creation of this site, dedicated solely to my book series, Abyssal Sanctuary. I thought to celebrate, I would update you guys on the progress of the second book, updates on the first book and other tidbits regarding the series.



Well, in just one year, my self-published journey has really been a whirlwind adventure. What has been a pretty eye-opening experience, I have found the truly amazing side of being an author fascinating, and the truly awful side... well, we'll leave it at that. Let's just say there was a sour spot in the middle that I think comes with the job, but everything is completely super-amazing now. That sour spot is in the furthest regions of my mind that I really don't care about that anymore. How could I when so much more amazing stuff has happened?

Cover for the 1st book.

Remnants of the Damned has been nominated for four total awards - two at the Dan Poynter's Global eBook Awards and two at the Readers' Favourite Book Awards. I will find out the results for the Global eBook Awards on Sunday August 17th, and the results for the Readers' Favourite Book Awards on Monday September 1st (three weeks away!). The book was already confirmed to be a finalist at the Readers' Favourite Book Awards in the two categories it was nominated, but will only place in one of those categories for either Gold, Silver, Bronze, or Honorable Mention. I will let you know the results for each award contest when they become available. Also, I have been invited as a finalist to attend the awards ceremony in Miami on November 22nd for Readers' Favourite. This will be during the Miami Book Festival so my book will be on display in the booth for the awards which will give the book extra exposure.

Remnants of the Damned has also sold over 13,561 units on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Sony, Smashwords, Page Foundry and Createspace in total. Add that with the 13,313 reads on Wattpad, the worldwide reader total for the first book is currently 26,874. For being out for only 10 months, I am very proud and happy with this result. With the Halloween season coming up and the release of the sequel imminent, I expect a boost in sales in this period.

Regarding reviews, combining all of the reviews from sites such as Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble etc., the first book has a total of 249 reviews and ratings with an average of 4.34 out of 5 across all sites. I couldn't have asked for better and with feedback from both good and bad reviews, I am working hard to continue to shape the book to be even better. Thanks to everybody who has read and rated/reviewed the book. I can't tell you guys how much I appreciate this.

Cover for the 2nd book.

Regarding the sequel, Ashes of the Innocent, I have been writing like mad the past couple of months and I still seem to be behind. I am worried I won't make my October 6 deadline to release the book as I was hoping to finish the book mid-September at the latest to give me time to proof-read and edit. I don't think I will have to delay the release by too long, but if I cannot get the book finished for a late October release at the latest, then I may have to delay the book for a couple more months, maybe December or January time. I really don't want this so it may not happen but I just thought I would give you guys the heads up just in case. The book is shaping up so good too, I am really happy with the way it is going so the content is completely fine, it's just finding time to dedicate myself to writing these days as life has been so hectic lately.

I have been posting completed chapters on Wattpad for Ashes of the Innocent and it has almost one thousand reads already! Feedback from fans on the second book so far has been extremely positive too so I am definitely on the right track for the sequel. I feel happy about it.

In not-exactly-related news, I have been made a reviewer and writer for the popular site SpoilerTV. I am so excited about this as I will be reviewing new shows Bad Judge, CSI: Cyber and Manhattan Love Story, as well as returning shows 2 Broke Girls, Mistresses and Salem. I'll also be the back-up for Once Upon a Time, Revenge, Scandal and Witches of East End. I will be posting my first advance preview of Bad Judge soon and my first review of Mistresses also so keep an eye out on the site for my posts!

With part-time work, starting Newcastle University next month and joining the amazing team at SpoilerTV, life has gotten extremely busy, but I am very happy. Things cannot get any better. I am going to promise to try my best to get Ashes of the Innocent out on time, but if not, I apologise and it will be coming soon. I will of course keep you all updated with everything.

Hope everybody has been having as good a year as I have!