The Catch: Trade Paperback Edition

Fast and Furious in Dribs and Drabs
almost 4 years ago – Sun, Apr 17, 2022 at 11:08:07 PM

Hi, everyone!

I apologize. While I've been sending out books for a while now, I realized today that I didn't tell you books were being shipped—although some of you, who have already received your books, already know this.    ;)

Like everything else in the world, I feel like this is taking way too long, and I'm so sorry about that. But rest assured, the shipping process is underway, and I'm tackling it as best I can while juggling day job responsibilities and adjunct teaching responsibilities. 

 Realistically speaking, I  scheduled this campaign too close to the Athena Voltaire and the Terror on the Orient Express campaign. I was  too optimistic about my ability to chug right through both of them, and all it took was a few supply chain issues and shifts at the day job, and everything devolves into chaos (somewhere between a Micael Scott scheme on The Office and Lord of the Flies). 

I hate that it's been delayed, and the responsibility falls squarely on my shoulders. It's a frustrating lesson to learn, and I appreciate your patience.

Some of you have already received your books, some will get them this week, and so on, until everyone has their print copy chok-full of Ismael, Mireia, and Roger's gorgeous artwork.  

Thanks again!

--Steve

The Books! The Books!
about 4 years ago – Sun, Mar 06, 2022 at 10:06:50 PM

Hey, everyone!

The books have arrived! And they look great! 

I'm waiting on one of the prints, and then shipping can begin. Tracking info says it should arrive this week. (This isn't the fault of the wonderful folks at GotPrint. It's on me. I missed one of the items on my checklist.)

I'm so excited! I can't wait for you to see this book!

--Steve

Here are some pictures from our odyssey (courtesy of my pal, Lawdog Comics' Jim Heffron): 

Digital Awards have been sent out…!
about 4 years ago – Fri, Feb 25, 2022 at 12:40:03 PM

...and hopefully I did it right!

Hi, everyone!

The age of automation has come to the humble Atomic Tiki Studio HQ—in the form of BackerKit's excellent digital reward distribution. Previously, when I sent out digital rewards, they were included in email updates like this one, and backers sometimes missed those rewards.  I suspect it's because BackerKit is ubiquitous in crowdfunding these days and that's where backers have been trained to look for their digital rewards. 

So now that I'm finally onboard, hopefully it will be easier for you to access your digital rewards.

Unfortunately, I didn't get the digital rewards out when I originally planned—I was nervous about doing it right and read and reread the tutorials a few thousand times before finally pushing the button. Thanks for your patience on that one.

As far as the print books are concerned, I had a 1-week delay on those last week, due to a snowstorm last Thursday night. Knowing we were projected to get a sizable accumulation, I preemptively rescheduled my rental truck. I'm glad I did. Below is what the roads looked like last Friday morning when I was scheduled to drive and pick up the books:

As you can see, it was all covered in snow/drifting snow and ice. 

I rescheduled for tomorrow and, as I type this, the snow is coming down again. However, the forecast is only calling for 2–4 inches, so I should be fine. My friend Jim Heffron, creator/writer/artist/publisher of Lawdog Comics—follow him on Kickstarter and support his upcoming campaign—will be along for the ride and we plan to document with some pics. I'll post an update either tomorrow or Saturday (or both!).

Thanks again for your support and your patience. And, if you're inclined to message me after you download your digital rewards (just to let me know it worked), that would be cool, too.

Be safe!

--Steve

Cleared Customs—physical books coming! Digital rewards on the way, too!
about 4 years ago – Mon, Feb 14, 2022 at 09:37:55 AM

Hello, everyone!

So much great news to share!

First of all, the printed books have cleared customs! I'll have copies here in-house on Friday! Shipping commences shortly thereafter!

Secondly, I've been doing a bunch of prep utilizing BackerKit to get you your digital downloads. It's taking longer than I planned (probably because every book I've done was offered as a digital download). That said, BackerKit has a rather elegant system for this. If a Backer has ____ in their order they get ____ download. The downside is that I have to create a rule for every digital download. I'm not complaining, though! Once all the prep work is done,  I'll essentially just hit a button and the floodgates will open. I just need to make sure the floodgates (digital rewards) are all loaded when I do so.

I thought I'd be done with this by now, and am disappointed that it's taken so long. That said,  I'm targeting Friday for releasing the downloads (hopefully sooner, but I've thought that before). 

Thanks so much for your support and patience. We're almost there!

--Steve

One more thing...
about 4 years ago – Sun, Jan 23, 2022 at 12:24:46 PM

I feel like TV detective Columbo..."One more thing..!"

A backer recently reached out to me and I realized that I left out an important update. Back on December 8, I tore the meniscus in my left knee. I managed to share this news in an update to my Athena Voltaire and the Terror on the Orient Express Kickstarter campaign, and in my December newsletter, but forgot to update backers of The Catch.

So, yeah, torn meniscus at the beginning of December, surgery a week ago, and getting mobile again for my day job and my adjunct teaching responsibilities.

I apologize for not keeping you all in the loop, and for falling behind on sending out the digital rewards. I plan to send them this weekend.

Thanks very much for your patience and support.

--Steve