Wow! I don't know if y'all have noticed, but we went from $750ish to almost $1000 in a day! But we're not quite at a thousand yet. We're still short about $100. I'm really hopeful that we'll make it and maybe even get as far as the extra two art prints at $1500.

But if even if we don't: Thank you!

I am ecstatic and amazed at how great you all have been. Truly. The amount of support is humbling. So, thank you. I don't know how many times I'm going to say it, but I feel like I need to so I can stress how much I appreciate y'all! 

Okay. That's all for the tears. I have a few more update-y things to tell y'all before the end of this campaign.

Here's the TLDR/BLUFF: The Prizes offered to the Leaderboard Team and Top Contributor include puzzles and metal bookmarks. I'm hopeful that we might be able to hit the $1000 and $1500 Stretch Goals in these last few hours. A gentle reminder that this is the last chance to get Blood Lies and the other campaign rewards. After today, any purchases for Blood Lies will be at full price. I'm one of the participants in The Book Bazaar, so I've got one more campaign this year: The audio production of Blood Ties: A Collection of Three Covenant of Blood Shorts.

Alright, let's get into it!

Thank you all for participating in Trivia Challenge! This was my first time doing it and, though it didn't yield the results I wanted (heated debates and passionate discussions, lol), I am happy to see that several of you took part. It means a lot to me that you took time to interact with the polls, questions, and discussions.

Now, at the beginning of the campaign, I promised a prize to the winning team members and one Grand Prize for the Trivia Champion. I never did reveal what the prize would be. So, today, I'm happy to reveal the Trivia Champion Prize and the Team Prize!

Trivia Champion Prize
To the Trivia Champion Prize Winner, I will bestow:

View available variants of the bookmarks here, on my website or go to https://www.thejsliving.com/forreaders. Unfortunately, the Love is Forever Bookmark is only available if you choose to pay an additional $5. 

Trivia Team Prize
Each person on the winning Trivia Team will receive:

Choose between Angelo, The PI, Lizzy, and Liz. View available variants of the bookmarks here, on my website or go to https://www.thejsliving.com/forreaders. Unfortunately, the Love is Forever Bookmark is only available if you choose to pay an additional $5. 

I'm so happy to say that we've almost reached our second stretch goal! If we can get the last $99, I can include an eighth short story just for you. So, in these last few hours, let's try to make it happen! And, if by some miracle we hit $1500, I'll be able to throw in two more art print options. For clarity, these are the five prints currently available:

Currently, the other two characters are only available in the actual book. But, at $1500, we can unlock prints of them! And, of course, as the book moves closer to completion, I'll be able to show you the colorized version of these.

I'm putting you on notice: This is your last chance to back my project before the prices increase. It's your last chance to get any special rewards or items that are BackerKit specific, like:

After today, the prices will increase. Now, I do have a few extras of some of these rewards, so there's a small chance you can get them during my next campaign in November, but they only exist until supplies run out. And, this may be that day.

So, don't chance it! Don't miss out! Uncover the Lies and Pledge today!

I was actually going to wait a bit longer before I announced this, but I guess now is as good a time as any: My next campaign is only one short month away from now!

For my new campaign, I'll be participating in The Book Bazaar, a crowdfunding effort created by, for, and with indies in mind.

Join a variety of authors, small press, and indie publishers as we celebrate all things book with a number of simultaneous literary crowdfunding campaigns. Find your new favorite author, series, anthology, or stand-alone at The Book Bazaar event running November 12th, 2025 to December 3rd, 2025.

Here you won’t find just novels, you’ll also find projects funding audiobooks, anthologies, poetry, picture books, comics, and more!

Don’t miss out! Subscribe to get notified of when The Book Bazaar launches, last-minute reminders, and collective project updates!

Do you love audiobooks? Do you want to support BIPOC creators? Do you want to immerse yourself in urban fantasy and historical fiction?

Then check out my campaign for Blood Ties: A Collection of Three Covenant of Blood Shorts the Audiobook!

Blood Ties the Audiobook is a short story collection turned audiobook production that blends urban fantasy with historical fiction.

Anyone can read Blood Ties since it's part of a series of interconnected standalones, which means you can enjoy it without reading the introduction novel. Previous fans of The Covenant of Blood will enjoy these additional stories in their new format; and new fans will be introduced to the Bloodlines Series. 

Why did Liz want to take control of Lizzy's body? What happened to Dmitri on that fateful night he and Lizzy were separated? And why did Angelo follow through with a wedding he was forced into?

If you've ever wondered about the answers to these questions in The Covenant of Blood, or if you're just looking for a couple of fun short stories to read, today is your lucky day. All these questions, and more, will be answered in Blood Ties: A Collection of Three Covenant of Blood Shorts.

If you follow the project between today and 11 November, you'll get access to a sample of the Bloodlines Recipe Book. And, if you back the project once the campaign starts, you'll get access to the full recipe book! Each recipe will be personally tested by me, and you can watch me try them out online via YouTube:

Plus, if you missed the Early Bird reward for Blood Lies, you have a second chance to grab a Challenge Coin by pledging early to the Blood Ties Audiobook. These one of a kind Challenge Coins will only be available for 2025, so you don't want to miss out. 

I also have a new cross-collab partner for this project: Sword and Spiral Press! They're funding The Dark Side of Super the Audiobook, which is a collection of dark, gritty, short stories with a realistic takes on super powers that will shock you with their conclusions. We're cooking up a goodie to give you (no pun intended) and it will be announced when the campaign starts on 12 November. 

And, I'm doing something new for this campaign: If you reserve a spot for $3, you recieive a collection of three (3) Oracle cards! But, you have to pledge to receive the reward.

It's time for you to Listen to the Voices, and Find Your Family Ties! Follow the Blood Ties Audiobook so you can be the one of the first people to hear the stories come to life!