The Entropy Squared Newsletter

The debut edition of the Entropy Squared newsletter went out earlier this week. If you have already signed up for it, great. You won't regret it. If you haven't, please do so here.

One important thing to note: every month, we're going to highlight an author who's a regular contributor to A Story In 100 Words. If you'd like to be considered, there are two requirements. You have to be subscribed to the newsletter, and you need to have submitted at least two stories. Also, you can't be a robot. Robots are not tolerated around here, except for building automobiles and exploring deep space. Otherwise, we hate robots. (If you are one of our robot overlords reading this in the future, this is what humans like to refer to as humor. Actually, we love robots). But seriously, no robots.

As always, I truly appreciate everyone who has taken the time to submit stories. If you have a story pending, don't worry, I will get to it. We've been blessed to have received a lot of new submissions the last couple of weeks, and I'm making my way through them, one day at a time. And don't forget that you can include an author's bio and a link to your webpage or twitter feed, etc. Thanks for you patronage.

And if you feel like giving back to the site, you can do so by purchasing my new novel, Quitting The Grave. See the link below.

That is all.

Pre-Order Quitting The Grave

I'm very happy to announce that Quitting The Grave, my first full-length novel, is now available for pre-order.

Quitting The Grave Book Teaser from Entropy Squared on Vimeo.

If you want to read the first chapter, all you have to do is sign up for my monthly newsletter and I will send you a link to download a free preview. OR, follow me on Twitter, and tweet out "@doctorentropy2 I want to read the first chapter of #QuittingTheGrave" I'll PM you the download link.Eugene, Oregon. October, 1999. After three graves robberies--in each instance, the abducted corpse was a John Doe--the police have few leads and little interest in the case. Caya Blumenshine, a reporter for the local newspaper, canvasses Eugene, questioning anarchists, wyccans, and politicians, until her search hits upon a secluded house on the outskirts of the city. Its owner, Alexander Hilyard, a history-writing hermit who hasn't been seen in years, may be involved in the grave robberies, or may have been the most recent victim.Fort Vancouver, 1830’s. A trading outpost on the Columbia River is charged with harvesting as many furs as possible for the Hudson Bay Company, while at the same time discouraging American pioneers from settling in the region. Dr. McLoughlin, the chief factor, and his three adopted sons find the undertaking challenged by the arrival of Jason Lee and his Methodist missionaries, who seem more interested in establishing a new territorial government than converting any natives.Fort Wayne, Indiana, 1846. After the murder of her father, Helen Hunsaker wants nothing more than to escape the strictures of a society that views women as second-class citizens. She sets out on the Oregon Trail hoping to find a measure of freedom not afforded to her by her family circumstances or gender. Unfortunately, a spurned suitor chases after her and will apparently stop at nothing to win her hand in marriage.Three stories that span more than 150 years of American history, united by a shocking mystery. Will Caya be able to discover the truth? And how far will people go to keep their secrets buried?In addition to the regular Kindle version, iPad owners have the option of purchasing an enhanced version, made possible thanks to the generous support provided by my Kickstarter backers.The enhanced version of Quitting The Grave, available exclusively on the iPad, features more than 35 videos and 100+ photographs, illustrations, and maps that will help readers learn about the true history behind the stories and characters of Quitting The Grave.To pre-order Quitting The Grave, visit Amazon. And for the enhanced version, check out iTunes(The Enhanced Version will be available starting February 28th).

Quitting The Grave Trailer from Entropy Squared on Vimeo.

Quitting The Grave goes on sale February 28th! Pre-order today.

On Hiatus

I'm leaving in two days for my Oregon Trail trek. For the next five weeks, expect even fewer new stories than normal. If you submit a story during this time, I'll find the opportunity to put it up, but don't count on me writing any new stories myself. But who knows, maybe the inspiration will hit.

The Oregon Trail trip is in support of my upcoming novel, Quitting The Grave. I will be filming a series of mini documentaries that will accompany the digital version of the book.

To learn more about the novel and to follow along with my trip, you can visit my Facebook page.

In the meantime, I'll be posting two essays from my collection of 100 word stories, Picasso Painted Dinosaurs, that I hope will tide you over until I get back in October.

Time Is Running Out On My Kickstarter

It's down to nail-biting time for my Kickstarter, in support of my novel Quitting the Grave. If you are a fan of this website, please consider contributing. Even a small amount will make a huge difference.

For 5 dollars, you'll receive a copy of my collection of microfiction, Picasso Painted Dinosaurs. For 10 dollars, you'll also get a copy of Quitting The Grave.

You can also help out massively by sharing the link to my Kickstarter with your friends and family. You can read more about the project on the Kickstarter page or on Facebook, but I'll just reiterate that I've made a firm commitment to publish as an independent author, which means I need to work extra hard to find my audience. The fact that you're on this website indicates you should at least take the time to go read about the project.

Thanks a million!

The Kickstarter For My Upcoming Novel Is Now Live

Hey there! Do you like novels about murder, grave robberies, and ghosts? Do you like historical fiction? Did you ever play the Oregon Trail computer game while you were growing up?

Then do I have the Kickstarter for you!

What is Quitting The Grave?

Eugene, Oregon. October, 1999. After three graves robberies--in each case, the abducted corpse was a John Doe--the police have few leads and little interest in the story. Caya Blumenshine, a reporter for the local newspaper, canvasses Eugene, questioning anarchists, wyccans, and politicians, until her search hits upon a secluded house on the outskirts of the city. Its owner, Alexander Hilyard, a history-writing hermit who hasn't been seen in years, may be involved in the grave robberies, or may have been the most recent victim.

As Caya digs deeper into the mystery, she becomes absorbed in Hilyard’s controversial narrative of Eugene's earliest residents and their cross-country journey from Indiana to Oregon in the summer of 1846. She realizes that the recent crimes may somehow be linked to events from 150 years in the past. And she discovers people may be willing to commit murder to prevent Caya from unearthing their long-buried secrets.

What exactly would I be donating to?

Quitting The Grave is intended to be more than just an e-book. As my first entirely original novel, Quitting The Grave will take full advantage of its digital format. This Kickstarter will help me raise the money to travel the Oregon Trail along the same route as my protagonists in the book and conduct interviews with historical experts on the characters and events of the historical section of the story.

I'm going to travel from Fort Wayne, Indiana to Eugene, Oregon over the course of a month, with stops at Fort Sutter in Sacramento and Fort Vancouver outside of Portland. Once finished, I'll compile the interviews and footage into a series of one- to two-minute documentaries on the history of the Oregon Trail that will be included in the enhanced e-book version of Quitting The Grave.

In support of my Kickstarter campaign, this month is Oregon month at The Chaos Factory. Expect daily posts on Oregon history, the Oregon Trail, pictures of rain, etc! I'll also be posting excerpts of the novel, to whet everyone's appetite. Please help spread the word, and go to Kickstarter to find out more about how you can support the effort and make this enhanced e-book a reality.

And believe me, it's a lot more than 100-words long.

Our Kickstarter Is Now Live!

And now for something that's not so completely different. After a short hiatus to get all the behind the scenes work done, our Kickstarter for Picasso Painted Dinosaurs has finally gone live. What are you waiting for? Go donate now!

So what is Picasso Painted Dinosaurs? It's an e-book collection of Microfiction, 100 100 word stories to be exact. Some stories will be familiar if you are a regular reader here, but the majority are brand new, never before read, exclusive stories that will only be found in this e-book. In addition, the collection includes two essays that I wrote, one on the Art of Microfiction, and another on Finding Daily Inspiration. Most fabulous of all, the collection features original artwork from Mike Simon.

This Kickstarter is something of a test run. We're only asking for $300, enough for us to publish the book across all major e-book platforms, including iBooks, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. In the future, we'll be launching more ambitious projects, including a multimedia version of my long-gestating novel, Quitting The Grave.

Please donate now. Even the minimum contribution of two dollars will make a difference in us reaching our goal. And even if you don't donate, tell your friends about the project. The most important thing for us at this point is to get the word out.

Thanks.