After yesterday's cover reveal of Among Wolves, my email inbox has been blown to smithereens.
Here are but a few of those replies:
LOVE IT
And…
Totally approve 👌
And…
I like the title good job
And…
I am SO excited to read this!!
I'd be lying through my dentures if I said I wasn’t beaming from ear to ear all day yesterday.
“I like this version of you,” Lady Laura said. “Can we keep it that way?”
“No,” I grunted.
“Why not?”
“I prefer looking pissed off. Everyone leaves me alone that way.”
Laura cocked a brow.
“Not you, milady. Everyone else.”
“Hmm!”
But this joy soon drained from me when the Royal Mail man posted everything except my author copy of Among Wolves.
Today marks five days since it should have arrived.
Five. Bloody. Days.
Now you understand why I don’t blurt out release dates until I am 1000% sure there are no more hiccups to be had.
And right now, it’s giving me acid reflux!
Anyway, Royal Mail have been acting up for us for the past couple of months for whatever unknown reason, and I've since complained bitterly on the phone to "Paul" from India, who apologised profusely.
It went something like this:
Me: "That's not good enough. I'm a bestselling author with a horde of hungry fans waiting bitterly for the sequel to my gritty epic fantasy series. This parcel contains the final piece to the puzzle—my proof copy. Only once I have confirmed the quality can I announce an official release day for next week. My entire reputation is on the line here!"
Paul: "I am understanding your frustration, Mr Watsan. On behalf of Royal Mail, kindly accept my sincere apologies to you and your fans. Is there anything else I can be doing for you today, sir?"
Me: "It's Watson—not Watsan," I huffed. "And as a matter of fact, there is…"
Paul: "Always happy to be assisting, Mr Watsan. What is it, sir?"
Me: 😡
Also me: "Pretend you're standing in the Colosseum."
Paul: "Ahh! Gladivator!"
Me: "… Yeah, that," I sigh. "Now pretend it is filled with my fans."
Paul: "Oh wow, sir. That would be too good."
Me: "Yes, now reassure them that the proof copy is coming and that this is going to be one hell of a sequel."
Paul clears his throat: "Attention, all Mr Watsan fans. The proof copy is coming only. What you are about to witness is one of the best sequels to be landing in those beautiful little sweaty hands of yours. It will be epic beyond your wildest imagines, and it is having lots of fantasy and dragons—"
Me: "No, Paul… there are NO dragons in this series."
Paul: "Oh."
Me: "We have beasts far more menacing than fire-breathing lizards. What we have…" excitement massed in my voice, "are skarloxes!"
Paul: "Iskarlots?"
Me: "No, Paul—skar-locks-is."
Paul: "Ah! Iskar-lock-sees."
Me: "Curse you, Paul!" I slammed my phone on the desk.
In other words, it was an excruciating call that yielded little fruit.
However, unbeknownst to our elegantly spoken Royal Mail rep, I actually ordered another copy of Among Wolves over the weekend.
This time with a different courier.
It cost me a few more buckeroos for the faster shipping, but providing the ravens don’t take a detour, it should be in my “beautiful little sweaty hands” by Thursday at the latest.
So, with a pinch of fairy dust, we should have an official release date for next week.
All of this to say:
Houston, we had a problem, but I fixed it.
Now, if at any point you found yourself smiling or giggling at this email, there’s a strong chance you will love some of the characters in The Divided Region.
I won’t name names (Jangar), but there is no shortage of exchanges that have earned chuckles around the world.
Also tears.
In any case, you can either start with Exiled here:
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/Exiled
Or save by grabbing the bundle:
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/TDR-Bundle
DJJW