Queen of Shadows Illustrated Deluxe Hardback

🎉 You Voted, We Delivered. See the Results Now!
about 2 months ago – Tue, Oct 22, 2024 at 08:16:27 AM

Hey, amazing Queen of Shadows backers!

The votes are in, and it looks like we're going to have a gorgeous decorative frontispiece in Queen of Shadows! I can't wait to see how it turns out and share it with you all. I'm already jumping up and down like a little kid with excitement! 

Now, here's the fun part—let’s take a look at what we've unlocked so far! Whether you've snagged a hardback or the full-blown book box experience, the stretch rewards are for everyone to enjoy, and for those who got the book boxes… you’re getting a little extra. 🎉 

I’ve got even more stuff lined up for you to vote on when we hit the next stretch reward. Any guesses on what it could be? Drop your thoughts in the comments and let me know some of your favorite stretch rewards.

Also, a huge thank you for sharing Queen of Shadows! Watching the campaign grow, and all the new stretch rewards we unlock has been so much fun! 

Speaking of upgrades, I've got some fantastic news! I've been chatting with a new printer (thanks to a referral from another author friend), and we might have even more awesome upgrades heading your way. So stay tuned because things are about to get even cooler!

And with Halloween just around the corner (my absolute favorite holiday, hands down), and the end of our Kickstarter campaign approaching, the excitement is palpable. This Halloween, I'm going all out. This Kickstarter ends on Halloween, so I'll be dressed up. Any guesses on my costume this year? That's right. I'm going as a dark fairy! I'll be hanging out on Discord in the afternoon, so stop by and say "hi!" 

If you haven't joined the server yet, what are you waiting for? Here's your invite: https://discord.com/invite/sJaPvrW4Mv

And what about you? What are your plans for this Halloween? I'd love to hear about your costumes and celebrations!

Cheers!

AC James

P.S. I've got some wicked cool campaigns to share with you all. You won't want to miss these! Check them out:

🔥 We Just Hit $7K—Now It’s Time for YOU to Choose the Next Reward!
about 2 months ago – Sun, Oct 20, 2024 at 12:48:13 PM

Hey, amazing Queen of Shadows backers!

We Did It! We Just Hit $7K! 🎉

First off, a huge thank you to every single one of you for backing Queen of Shadows! We've unlocked another stretch reward, and I need your help choosing what comes next. It's time to vote!

The options are...

1. Backer Names Printed in the Acknowledgements: Immortalize your name in the book itself!
   or
2. Decorative Frontispiece: A stunning crest before the title page to start the book in style.

Vote in the comments, and let me know which one you prefer! 🗳️

Also, I'm thrilled to announce that the Beyond The Veil Collector Box is officially SOLD OUT! I can't wait to see the unique characters you'll create for the story. The creative energy in this campaign has been incredible, and I love seeing you all get involved!

Lastly, I had to restart my Instagram and Facebook (thanks, FB 😑), so here's where you can follow me now:

• Facebook Friend - This is where I tend to hang out, and it's likely the first place you'll get to see sneak peeks or pictures of my cat. https://www.facebook.com/ac.james.9/
• Facebook Page (New) -I talk about books, writing, and share books I'm reading now on my fan page. https://www.facebook.com/acjamesauthor/
• Discord - This is where I'm trying to get the nerdiest of nerds amongst you to follow me because I genuinely like Discord more than other platforms. Why? No ads. I also play D&D here when I have time. Picked that hobby back up in 2020. https://discord.gg/sJaPvrW4Mv
• Instagram (New) - This is where I post pretty photos because I enjoy shiny new books. https://www.instagram.com/acjamesauthor/
• TikTok -This is where I post teaser videos of what I'm working on, usually in a second-person POV that puts you in the story. https://www.tiktok.com/@acjamesauthor
• Twitter/X/Whatever They're Calling It This Week 🤷‍♀️ - All about books, publishing, and the occasional rant. https://x.com/ACJamesauthor
• YouTube: Free audiobooks (sans the spicy stuff) are coming soon on my channel. https://www.youtube.com/@ACJames

Pick your favorite platforms to follow me and find out about new releases, be social, or just say "hi." 

Thank you for being such an important part of this project!

AC James

P.S. Here are some other cool campaigns:

You Voted: Here’s What YOU Chose for Queen of Shadows! 🖤
2 months ago – Sat, Oct 19, 2024 at 09:42:25 AM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

Vote Now: Which Ribbon Will Make the Cut?
2 months ago – Thu, Oct 17, 2024 at 09:08:26 AM

Hey, fabulous backers,

BIG news! If you haven't caught the latest, you should've seen an update in your inbox this morning or yesterday. We've got some killer community rewards lined up as the campaign grows, and you all get to help shape them! Each of you has your own unique referral link to help bring more readers into the magic. Whether you guide them to the dark side, keep them morally grey, or bring them into the light—it's all good! 😉

Share with your friends, and let's unlock some seriously awesome rewards together. The best part? You get to vote on them and help shape the campaign!

So here's what we've got cooking:

🔥 Community Reward at $10K: Every backer will unlock a bonus chapter from the next book, Queen of Flesh and Bone. Felicity's feisty bestie takes the spotlight, featuring some curvy plus-size rep with exclusive cover model photos you won't see anywhere else. 😍

🔥 $15K Community Reward: A digital, printable glossary with fae terminology and world-building lore for you to nerd out over. Perfect for anyone who loves getting into the extra details. Big shout-out to my beta readers who helped craft the story bible that made this reward possible!

🔥 Sharing for Book Sleeves: I'm doing something fun for this one, and it's exclusive to our collector book boxes. If you're backing any of the Book Box tiers (Queen, King, or Beyond the Veil), sharing the campaign with your unique Kickstarter referral link will earn you a book sleeve added to your box. Just make sure you use your unique link so we can track it. You'll find it in your personal email from me!

Backers who help spread the word by sharing your referral link can earn exclusive goodies or upgrades, with special recognition for those who bring in the most book-loving friends. This reward applies to backers at any level! It's my way of saying thanks, and it's all about helping grow our amazing community!

🔥 $20K Goal: A new short story set in this world for all backers as a digital download.

🔥 $25K Goal: We'll upgrade the hardcovers to include a printed glossary and extra world-building content. I'm saving this for a higher tier because this book's already THICK, and more pages mean higher print costs!

But that's not all… because we just hit $6K, we're adding ribbon bookmarks to the hardbacks! Now it's up to YOU to decide the color. Check out the voting below and have your say:

Do you prefer Black or White? 

Let me know in the comments which one you love! Remember, the more you vote and share, the more Kickstarter promotes Queen of Shadows to other readers, helping us unlock even more cool stuff. Here's what we've unlocked so far:

Thanks again for being incredible! Every share, vote, and pledge makes this community even more amazing.

Cheers,

AC James

P.S. Here are some other awesome campaigns you might love:

Wait Until You See What We’ve Upgraded for You!
2 months ago – Tue, Oct 15, 2024 at 01:49:00 PM

Hey, fabulous backers!

We’re sitting just shy of $5k, and you know what that means. We’re annoyingly close to hitting the mark to unlock more goodies! 💥

Our most recent round of voting is so close. Too close! I know many of you want foil on the dust jacket, and it’s been neck and neck. Right now, the reversible dust jacket with surprise character art is winning. So, here’s the deal. I spoke with my book printer. Unfortunately, the equipment can’t print on both sides of the dust jacket if there’s foil on the front. BUT… I found a supplier I adore who can print just the dust jackets with foil on the front and art on the flip side! The catch? They’re in the USA, and my printer (who’s handling shipping) is in the UK. *head desk*

They’ll be handling our custom dust jackets and will produce our foil bookmarks, character cards, art prints, and circle stickers. This takes a load off the fulfillment process and means everything is made with higher-quality materials. With the specs they provided, these items are getting a serious upgrade. From better paper stock to more durable finishes, you’ll be getting top-tier quality. I’m excited to see how these turn out—and I think you’ll love the final result as much as I do!

Right now, the book-only tiers will have foil on the case laminate under the cover, plus a reversible dust jacket with surprise character art. But if you want that foil and the reversible art on the dust jacket, it’ll only be available for book boxes since those are being hand-picked, packed, and shipped from the USA. And let me tell you, I’ve got a few surprises to sweeten the deal for those book box tiers! 🎁

First up, my partner-in-crime designed a Premium Fan Box with surprise character art printed on the inside for all book box tiers! Artwork will be revealed when you open the box. How cool is that?

Now, this next idea was inspired by a friend of mine from the Valley Forge Romance Writers who posted a selfie wearing a tiara. Just because. #ConfidenceGoals I joked about wanting to wear gauntlets every day instead of my wrist brace, and she told me, “You can wear gauntlets every day. Why not?” And she’s right!

So, I started talking to artisans last night. Fantasy Crowns with matching necklaces and earrings are happening for anyone who snagged an Early Bird Queen Box, Queen, King, Beyond The Veil, or those on payment plans with a collector’s box! You can wear them every day if you want. I won’t tell if you won’t! 😉 And if you’re backing this as a guy, don’t worry—we’ve got king crowns available too.

Now, I know some of you are wondering why these can’t be added as simple add-ons. Just like the custom dust jackets, they require special handling. I’m trying to save everyone on shipping costs by drop-shipping books from the printer (and myself some sanity), but only the books and hoodies can be drop-shipped right now. Everything else will be hand-packed. But trust me, it’s worth it!

I’m just so excited I could burst! And upgrading to a book box might help us hit our next stretch reward. I’m not revealing what it is just yet, but I promise it will be fun! Oh, and if you’re worried about upgrading, remember your card doesn’t get charged until the campaign ends on October 31st, and payment plans are available if you need one!

Kings, don’t worry—upgrades like the Fantasy Crown and Premium Fan Box won’t show up on the Reward Tiers page because of Kickstarter’s restrictions once pledges are on a tier, but rest assured, you’re getting them! I can update the story section and tell you about these extras in my updates, just not in the tier images.

Here’s what’s happening:

Thanks again for sticking with me. You all make this possible!

Cheers,

AC James

P.S. Here are some other cool campaigns that I think you’ll dig: