Tag: comics

MIDNIGHT’S WAR UPDATE

Days Left: 5

% of Goal: 202.9 percent

% of Stretch Goal 1: 101.5 percent

% of Stretch Goal 2: 67.6 percent

Backers: 359

It’s official. Castalia House will publish a short novel set in the Midnight World entitled OUT OF THE SHADOWS. As promised, chapter two:

MIDNIGHT’S WAR: Out of the Shadows

Chapter Two: Where All Roads Lead

All throughout the following day, Elliott found himself somewhat distracted. He zoned out during a conference call with Bank of America, and twice had to be pulled out of his reveries during a meeting with the Human Resources team by his executive assistant, Natalie.

He couldn’t stop thinking about what this mysterious meeting might entail, and what “very profitable,” might mean. It couldn’t be Blackrock behind this, could it? Even if they wanted to keep their interest on the down low in order to hide their intentions from the competitors that trailed them like remoras sticking to a great white shark, Elliott was pretty sure sending an executive to the site in question wasn’t their modus operandi. To paraphrase the Muslims, Mohammed would have to go to the Rock, as the Rock wasn’t in the habit of coming to him.

For a reason that he couldn’t quite rationalize, he felt there might be a European element lurking somewhere underneath it all, perhaps even a very old European element. Being a second-generation son of Silicon Valley, Elliott knew very little about the money markets of the Old World, the London oligarchs, the Swiss private banks, and the ancient Italian investment firms that seemed to own everything from Greek shipping firms to Vietnamese wineries without anyone ever even knowing their names.

So what would the play be, he wondered. That old generational money never seemed to be very interested in the stock markets, let alone in splashy public offerings and the media attention they attracted. But how would an outright buyout make any sense at this point in time? Making money was all about the multiple, but what potential buyer, no matter how well-endowed, could match the buying power of an entire market pumped up on hype and the hypothetical promise of longer life?

MIDNIGHT’S WAR UPDATE

Days Left: 7

% of Goal: 196.0 percent

% of Stretch Goal: 97.9 percent

Backers: 342

If we hit the stretch goal, I will post the second chapter of MIDNIGHT’S WAR: Out of the Shadows here.

UPDATE: And thanks to the backers, the first stretch goal has been unlocked! On Monday, I will post the second chapter here and a limited edition hardcover of MIDNIGHT’S WAR: Out of the Shadows, a 30,000-word novel set in the Midnight World, will be offered as an add-on. You can read the first chapter here.

DISCUSS ON SG

Days Left: 12

% of Goal: 179.5 percent

% of Stretch Goal: 89.7 percent

Backers: 308

Things have slowed down considerably, but the first stretch goal is still in sight for the MIDNIGHT’S WAR campaign. Allow me to provide taste of what that goal will be if hit, which is a short novel in the mode of Razorfist’s two Night Vale novels and Chuck Dixon’s two public domain Conan novels, called OUT OF THE SHADOWS.

Please also note that the MIDNIGHT’S WAR Issues 1-6 omnibus (hardcover) reward has added Canada as a destination, as requested, presumably by Canadians.

OUT OF THE SHADOWS

Chapter One: The Dance of the Unicorn

Elliott Grahame surveyed the spreadsheet with great satisfaction. The top line was increasing, the bottom line was more than healthy despite the recent operational expenditures, and the twelve-month trend was precisely in line with the shape of a ramp that the investment bankers were expecting. He didn’t turn around at the sound of his clear glass door being opened behind him, but pointed at the screen instead.
“And that, my friend, is what a billion-dollar company looks like!”
“You think we’re ready to push the IPO?”
“We’ve got to strike while the iron is hot!” He turned around and grinned at his CFO and executive vice-president, Immanual Boschwitz. “You know as well as I do that the stars aren’t going to align forever, Immy.”