Challenges
Page 15
“We?”
“Well, I had to lease time in a factory to have the first orders made.” Barnabas cleared his throat. “I understand they’ve hired many additional workers and are expanding the factory.”
Bethany Anne dropped her face into her hands. Her shoulders were shaking with laughter, and she took a moment to enjoy it before wiping her eyes and giving a little groan.
“Oh, wow. Oh, Barnabas, you’re a treasure.” She leaned over to kiss him on the cheek and grinned when he stiffened awkwardly. “A somewhat prudish treasure. I trust you’ll manage the business well. Meanwhile, I’m going to go get more of Marcus’ beer.”
FINIS
Author Notes - Natalie Grey
January 24, 2018
When Michael and I talked about Seed Vault, back when it was still a nebulous concept, he knew he wanted to show the team unwinding and having fun. Of course, this is Bethany Anne & company, and trouble has a way of finding them - but what, exactly, do they all do on their days off?
Turns out, most of them are huge nerds in their own ways. Also, there’s Tabitha.
I don’t see how anyone could read the Kurtherian Gambit series and not love Tabitha. What has always struck me about her is her intense vulnerability. Though she kicks ass unapologetically, believes in herself, doesn’t back down, and has plenty of snark, she also has a big heart, and she doesn’t close it off from getting hurt. In many ways, that’s one of the ways in which she’s bravest - and this is a woman who does things like throw herself off roofs with surprising regularity.
In this way, Gabrielle is really her opposite: refined, elegant, and not very open with her emotions a lot of the time. But if anyone thinks Gabrielle’s understated displays of emotion means she doesn’t care for her friends … well, they have another thing coming (and they’ll deserve it).
As always, the beta readers and behind-the-scenes team have been amazing. The energy of the KGU readers has a way of making my day, and I am so grateful to all of you.
I hope you enjoyed this peek into the world! For other works, including the Shadows of Magic books and a new standalone SciFi series, as well as a series centering on Barnabus (!!!), you can sign up for the mailing list here (no spam, I promise!):
https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/w0k9j4
Happy reading,
Nat
Author Notes - Michael Anderle
January 24, 2018
Here we go!
Thank you for not only reading these stories, but ALSO reading through to the author notes, as well!
It is with a “WHEW” that we get this book (a little out of order) to you. Natalie had penned some books, but they got into a shuffle, (there was a baby, which if you haven’t read what she and her husband call the little person, it’s adorable), and a shitake-ton of challenges to get these stories out.
However, I’m to blame.
I am hoping (and crossing my fingers) that when you read these stories, you may forgive me for being so late!
We are tracking down Trials & Tribulations #3 which has more of the beer stuff in it now.
So, slightly funny story and it goes like this.
I’m JUST about finished with my 21st book in The Kurtherian Gambit and I am at the Aria (I had been writing there) on a conference call with one of my contacts (3D Artist) working to see if we can create a way for him to move full time into building covers for authors. As it would really help him and his family.
And you and I would get access to kick ass shit.
I get off that call, to check Slack (where all of the company communications happen) to see that Operations Guru and Zen Master Walking™ Stephen Campbell has informed me that for our release tomorrow (11 hours since he is in Florida), of this book you just read, he is missing:
1.Title
2.Blurb
3.Author Notes
4.Cover
OH SHIT!
Now, Title? Ok – not too hard.
Blurb? Grrr…
Author Notes… Well, ok…
Then, I see “Cover” and FREAK THE HELL OUT!
It’s 3:30 PM in Las Vegas. My “guy” (Andrew Dobell) is in England for these things and I want to beat my head in frustration that I’d forgotten this little but really important part of the project.
So, I walk back home from the Aria and finish some family business before I have another CC with a collaborator, and start working down Zen Master Walking™’s list.
Takes me about five minutes to realize that both of these stories are a CHALLENGE. Great! So, Challenges becomes the title.
Blurb? Dammit! That takes me a while to dream up but I get it done. Then, Murphy bites me on the ass like a snapping turtle and won’t let go! For whatever reason, the usual tools to help me make a viable blurb (with bold, italics etc for Amazon) just FUBAR’s the HTML code and it takes me a good 45 minutes to finagle that and fix it.
SIGH…
Now, I have to deal with the cover.
I bring up the last Frank Kurns cover I worked on (December 2016) and after taking a couple of minutes to FIND said cover project, I pull it up in Pixelmator (MAC).
I jump on Slack and send a message to Andrew to see If I happen to be lucky enough and he is working super late…
Yeah, I got nothing. Family men who have to be up early tend to go to sleep on time.
(I tend to go to sleep earlyish too, but that’s because I’m an old man who gets up with the stupid sun a lot of the time and peters out too early. Nothing exciting to see here, move along…move along.)
I start thinking about what I need for the cover, and how I would build it. Then, it HITS ME!
HUCKING FELL, Andrew and I did this cover DAYS ago! I was the one who failed to put on the typography.
I go back to our channel in Slack, scroll up, SCORE! There is the image and NOW I’ve got this sweet assed cover.
Crises averted as well as much embarrassment if I had failed to remember this. Although, I’m getting good at blaming age. This age defense is fucking brilliant, that’s all I’m saying.
Now, all I needed to do was consider what I was going to share in my author notes.
… And then realize at that moment that I forgot to ask Natalie for HER author notes on our stories call earlier this morning.
FML.
LOL
Ad Aeternitatem,
Michael
Books by Natalie Grey
Kurtherian Gambit Series Titles Include:
Trials and Tribulations
* With Michael Anderle *
Risk Be Damned (01)
Damned to Hell (02)
Bellatrix: Frank Kurns Stories of the Unknownworld 03 (13.25)
With Michael Anderle
Challenges: Frank Kurns Stories of the Unknownworld 04
With Michael Anderle
Shadows of Magic Series
Bound Sorcery (1)
Blood Sorcery (2)
Bright Sorcery (3)
Books by Michael Anderle
For a complete list of Kurtherian Gambit Universe
books please click this link.
Kurtherian Gambit Series Titles Include:
First Arc
Death Becomes Her (01) - Queen Bitch (02) - Love Lost (03) - Bite This (04)
Never Forsaken (05) - Under My Heel (06) - Kneel Or Die (07)
Second Arc
We Will Build (08) - It’s Hell To Choose (09) - Release The Dogs of War (10)
Sued For Peace (11) - We Have Contact (12) - My Ride is a Bitch (13)
Don’t Cross This Line (14)
Third Arc (2017)
Never Submit (15) - Never Surrender (16) - Forever Defend (17)
Might Makes Right (18) - Ahead Full (19) - Capture Death (20)
Life Goes On (21)
The Second Dark Ages
The Dark Messiah (01)
The Darkest Night (02)
Darkest Before The Dawn (03)
*with Ell Leigh Clarke*
The Boris Chronicles
* With Paul C. Middleton *
Evacuation (01)
Retaliation (02)
Revelations (03)
Redemption (04)
Reclaiming Honor
* With JUSTIN SLOAN *
Justice Is Calling (01)
Claimed By Honor (02)
Judgement Has Fallen (03)
Angel of Reckoning (04)
Born Into Flames (05)
Defending The Lost (06)
Saved By Valor (07)
Return of Victory (08)
The Etheric Academy
* With TS PAUL *
ALPHA CLASS (01)
ALPHA CLASS - Engineering (02)
Terry Henry “TH” Walton Chronicles
* With CRAIG MARTELLE *
Nomad Found (01)
Nomad Redeemed (02)
Nomad Unleashed (03)
Nomad Supreme (04)
Nomad’s Fury (05)
Nomad’s Justice (06)
Nomad Avenged (07)
Nomad Mortis (08)
Nomad’s Force (09)
Nomad’s Galaxy (10)
Trials and Tribulations
* With Natalie Grey *
Risk Be Damned (01)
Damned to Hell (02)
The Age of Magic
The Rise of Magic
* With CM Raymond / LE Barbant *
Restriction (01)
Reawakening (02)
Rebellion (03)
Revolution (04)
Unlawful Passage (05)
Darkness Rises (06)
The Gods Beneath (07)
Reborn (08)
The Hidden Magic Chronicles
* With Justin Sloan *
Shades of Light (01)
Shades of Dark (02)
Shades of Glory (03)
Shades of Justice (04)
Storms of Magic
*With PT Hylton*
Storm Raiders (01)
Storm Callers (02)
Storm Breakers (03)
Storm Warrior (04)
Tales of the Feisty Druid
*With Candy Crum*
The Arcadian Druid (01)
The Undying Illusionist (02)
The Frozen Wasteland (03)
The Deceiver (04)
The Lost (05)
The Damned (06)
Path of Heroes
*With Brandon Barr*
Rogue Mage (01)
A New Dawn
*With Amy Hopkins*
Dawn of Destiny (01)
Dawn of Darkness (02)
Dawn of Deliverance (03)
Dawn of Days (04)
The Age of Expansion
The Ascension Myth
* With Ell Leigh Clarke *
Awakened (01)
Activated (02)
Called (03)
Sanctioned (04)
Rebirth (05)
Retribution (06)
Cloaked (07)
Bourne (08)
Confessions of a Space Anthropologist
* With Ell Leigh Clarke *
Giles Kurns: Rogue Operator (01)
The Uprise Saga
* With Amy DuBoff *
Covert Talents (01)
Endless Advance (02)
Veiled Designs (03)
Degeneration (04)
Bad Company
* With Craig Martelle*
The Bad Company (01)
Blockade (02)
The Ghost Squadron
* With Sarah Noffke and J.N. Chaney*
Formation (01)
Exploration (02)
Evolution (03)
Valerie’s Elites
* With Justin Sloan and PT Hylton *
Valerie’s Elites (01)
Death Defied (02)
Etheric Adventures: Anne and Jinx
*With S.R. Russell*
Etheric Recruit
Etheric Researcher
Other Books
Gateway to the Universe
*With Craig Martelle & Justin Sloan*
The Revelations of Oriceran
The Leira Chronicles
*With Martha Carr*
Waking Magic (1)
Release of Magic (2)
Protection of Magic (3)
Rule of Magic (4)
Dealing in Magic (5)
SHORT STORIES
Frank Kurns Stories of the Unknownworld 01 (7.5)
You Don’t Touch John’s Cousin
Frank Kurns Stories of the Unknownworld 02 (9.5)
Bitch’s Night Out
Bellatrix: Frank Kurns Stories of the Unknownworld 03 (13.25)
With Natalie Grey
Challenges: Frank Kurns Stories of the Unknownworld 04
With Natalie Grey
AudioBooks
CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL LMBPN BOOKS ON AUDIBLE
Available at Audible.com and iTunes
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The email list is changing to something…New. I don’t have enough details but suffice to say there is so much going on in The Kurtherian Gambit Universe, it needs to go out more often than “when the next book hits.”
I hope you enjoy the book!
Michael Anderle