Ink and Thunder

THE MIRE is now available for pre-orders.

The much anticipated follow-up to 2011's WOLVES, THE MIRE is a self-contained story set on the eve of battle, when a humble squire is given the task of delivering a letter to a decomposing castle in a swamp. Met with mysterious apparitions, he slowly unveils the truth about why he was sent there, as his past is re-written over the course of twenty two pages.

I don't want to give too much away yet! I'm opening up pre-orders tonight, something that I haven't done in the past. Let me explain! No, there is too much. Let me sum up:

WHY PRE-ORDER? I'm doing what so many others have done through Kickstarter and other fundraising sites- try to raise money to print in large quantities, except I'm cutting out the middle-man.

My first print-run of WOLVES (May 2011) was 1,000 copies, and it sold out in just two months. My second print-run was 2,000, and I sold out of that by February. This means I'll be re-printing WOLVES, and doing an initial printing of THE MIRE- I'm estimating 5,000 books. I don't skimp on printing either. Each book has heavy interior paper, plus a silk-screened cover on colored card stock.

Pre-ordering will help me estimate how many I'll need to print as well. All in all a logical decision!

YOUR CHOICES: Much like Kickstarter, I'm offering incentives. You can buy the book, which will come signed- or you can order the book with a random sketch of one of the characters inside for an extra $20 (Making it $25 total!). Think of it as donating to my print-fund. Keep in mind that ordering a sketch will be an option only when you pre-order.

SHIPPING: If you order a copy of THE MIRE while in "pre-order mode", please note that it ships separately of any other books you order. That means I'll ship your other items first so you don't have to wait for me to print THE MIRE.

UPDATES: I am always posting updates on my work on Twitter (@beckycloonan), Instagram (beckycloonan), Facebook (BeckyCloonanArt), and Tumblr (beckycloonan)- so you can follow along with the development of the book, from thumbnails to pencils and inks, all the way through the printed product!

Also keep in mind the cover image isn't final, and is going to change!