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Where Madness Lies: A Contemporary Mythological Thriller

Created by Heidi K. Allen

Enter a dangerous world of immortal ex-gods, impossibly strong assassins, mysterious cults, and ancient, devastating family secrets.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Done and done!
about 1 year ago – Thu, Aug 31, 2023 at 04:46:50 PM

Hello again Backers! 

I didn't think I'd be messaging again so soon, but I'm thrilled to report that the books shipped yesterday for ALL tiers! 

And the paperbacks looked just as great as the hardbacks!

Please don't hesitate to reach out if I made any mistakes fulfilling, primarily with the stretch goal rewards. I'm glad I gave everyone the chance to choose what they wanted, but it made fulfilling a bit trickier and this is my first rodeo. Everything was packaged with care though, and I hope you enjoy opening them. 

Mostly, I'm just so excited that these are on their way to all of you lovely people, and I hope you love this book. Do let me know what you think when you get a minute! 

Also, a favor please. If do you enjoy it, please review it on Goodreads and Amazon once you've finished. Or mention it on r/fantasy (if it fits a top-level thread), or just mention it to a friend! Reviews and word of mouth are the lifeblood for indie authors and I'd love you forever.

Thanks again to each of you again for backing this project and for being on this journey with me. It's been such an amazing ride, and I'm so grateful!

Wishing you all a little magic,

Heidi

P.S. If you want to stay in touch on social media I'm on Instagram, Facebook, The Site Formerly Known As Twitter (but not much), and I've dipped my toe into TikTok (gods help me). Those sites and my newsletter are where I'll mention more about the literary award Where Madness Lies won earlier this month (with an accompanying 5-star review, woot!), and the author interview I did on another site! 

P.P.S. I'm also building a new website to sell my books direct and will add those of you who signed up for my mailing list to that once I've integrated. Look for that welcome email soon! 

It begins...
about 1 year ago – Sun, Aug 27, 2023 at 11:58:10 AM

My dearest Backers....fulfillment has begun.

I'm still waiting to receive the paperbacks (hopefully tomorrow or Tuesday), but I received the hardbacks a few days ago! It's so thrilling to see them all stacked up together. Part of me wishes I could leave them there forever as a beautiful and terribly inconvenient centerpiece.

I decided to just get moving on what I had, so I got half of them them packed up and ready to ship. This means if you backed Poseidon's Hardback tier, or Dionysus' Signed Hardback Tier, yours will be on their way tomorrow (or Tuesday at the latest)! I'll DM you each your tracking number. 

***Note: please cut the box open with care.***

For those of you who backed tiers with a paperback, I'll send an update as soon as I get them and will get fulfilling as soon as I can.

Talk soon!

Heidi

Getting Close!
about 1 year ago – Sun, Aug 06, 2023 at 10:09:54 PM

Hello my lovely Backers!

I'm sorry it's been so long since my last update - there's no excuse! I made the rookie mistake of waiting until I had something substantial to report, but then suddenly a whole month evaporated in the summer heat. 

Thank you for filling out your surveys! Please let me know if you've had any issues receiving your digital rewards there. There are a couple of you left who still need to complete yours, please do so as soon as possible. For any of you who have read the ebook, I'd love to know your thoughts!

For the physical books, I've been mired in several back and forths with the printer. They have struggled and each time I asked them to correct something it seems to take about 2 weeks to fix and get a proof, even with expedited shipping. It's been so frustrating in fact, that I found a new printer for the paperbacks.

But the good news is I'm so close! The new printer is solid and I was able to place the order for paperbacks, with ground delivery in a couple of weeks (I've emailed them to ask if I can expedite the printing). For the hardbacks I have the final proof arriving in the next few days and then I'll be able to place that order then as well. I'm definitely on target for fulfilling by the campaign date (September), and am still hoping to do it sooner.

Thank you for your patience with this whole process! I want to make sure you have a quality product. I'll hop right on the fulfilling as soon as I receive the books, and I will keep you well updated going forward. 

Talk soon!

Heidi

Digital rewards are on their way!
about 1 year ago – Fri, Jun 23, 2023 at 01:09:48 PM

Hello! 

Thank you to everyone who has already finished their surveys! I moved them all through  earlier today so you'll receive an email any minute with a link to claim your digital rewards. 

For those of you who already received that email or downloaded your digital rewards before now, please visit your survey again to get your Greek Pantheon Dossier. I apologize it wasn't there already. I had correctly set up the download item, but neglected to create a distribution rule for it. This is all quite intricate! Please let me know if you have any issues.

There are about ~40 of you left that still need to complete, and your digital rewards are waiting for you as soon as you do! I check for survey completion several times a day, so I'll move them through as I get them. 

Also as an FYI, in the event any of you are moving over the next couple of months, no worries! You can update your address in the survey anytime until I lock them down immediately prior to shipping.

In other news, Where Madness Lies received a lovely editorial review and thought I'd share it. So exciting!

Have a lovely weekend! 

Heidi

Surveys Incoming!
over 1 year ago – Fri, Jun 16, 2023 at 10:33:18 PM

Hello Backers! 

It is finally time to send out the Backerkit surveys.

Woohoo! Backerkit requires send a smoke test first, which sends the surveys to 5% of backers and ensures we catch any setup errors before sending it out. Once I know everything works as expected I'll send out the rest of the surveys. If you're one of the 5%, please fill yours out as soon as you're able and let me know if you have any issues. Then we'll get this going for everyone!

What to expect in the surveys:

  • The surveys allow you to switch to a different tier or to include add-ons if you wish. Neither are required.
  • The survey is also where you will receive your digital rewards. They will distribute automatically after the survey is complete and everything is locked. The sooner you complete your survey, the sooner you'll get your rewards! 
  • If you are a digital backer and choose to add something physical on, you may see incorrect shipping prices until you input your address at the end.
  • If you backed at a physical level, you will also be asked to provide your mailing address information and pay for shipping (I was able to get some really good shipping deals for you international folks!). You will also be asked if you want the physical stretch goals we earned on the campaign. If you do, great! If not, great! This simply ensures we don't create waste.

Fulfillment update:

  • Digital rewards are ready to go! 
  • Paperbacks/Hardbacks - I got the proofs from the printers a few days ago. There needs to be a few corrections, but they are pretty close! I'll be working with them to get it just right, and that may take a minute. I also may or may not have had a low-key swoon/freak out when finally holding the actual books in my hands. (!!!) 

OK I think that's it for now. I'm excited to be entering this phase and I'll share fulfillment updates as I have them, Thanks as always for your support. Please feel free to reach out with any questions, and have a good weekend!

Heidi