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As the big day approaches for the launch of Hunters, let’s take a look at the news…

Depending on when you read this post, there may be a countdown just above this text box. That’s just how close I am to the launch of Hunters.

That countdown is taking us to MARCH 17th 2021.

St. Patrick’s Day

At this point I’ve now had all of the proofs back from both Amazon and Ingram Spark, complete with the new tweaked cover art from Marlena. (If you look closely at it, you’ll see Gayle’s face and hair on the front cover have fettled a little. Marlena wasn’t totally happy with her art, and wanted to tweak it a bit. Who was I to object! It also got widened for the Hardback dust jacket!)

Original version…
…New tweaked version

The PRE-ORDER for the ebook is live. Follow this link if you want to go grab it…

By the way, Amazon…I have a bone to pick with you.

When I go to your website and search for myself and my book by typing ‘Jon Ford Hunters‘, why do you insist that I’m mistaken and spellcorrect my name to ‘John Ford Hunters‘?

It’s really fucking annoying!

So, for any of you searching for me on there, you’ll find me if you then click on the link and FORCE it to search for me properly.

Of course, if it’s post 17th March, then that link will be live for you to buy the eBook or the physical manifestation of it. Exciting times!

By the way…for those of you who read this carefully, there will be a soft launch for the book a few days before. So the paperback MIGHT just be available before the 17th!

The reason for this is that when you commit to publish the book on Amazon, it can take up to 72 hours to put the sale live. So if I hit that button on the 17th, chances are you can’t actually buy the Paperback till the 20th. BAH!

Hence, I’m planning to do a sneaky soft launch somewhere around the 14th or so in order to have the book ACTUALLY available to order on the 17th.

We found this little snippet of information when NT Anderson launched her debut book, ‘Acts of Closure‘. (Which you should all go and buy, by the way! – Linky!)

*shrugs* The more you know!

Not a huge amount to report on the B2E front.

The book is still in it’s edit phase with Nikki working her way through it in her own time, which I’m VERY grateful for because she’s also up to her ears in writing her second book, ‘Acts of Confession’ PLUS dealing with the post launch business from her first book.

Her time is precious!

But that’s fine, because we have plenty of time for B2E to get sorted ready for (hopefully) an autumn 2021 release.

LOOK!!!!!

We have a graph!

As you can see, almost a quarter of Tooth & Claw is now written in a very early stage. Some of those early chapters are in a first draft state, some are still need a little finishing off to get them there.

But, I have over 30k words already and I’m really liking what I’ve got so far.

T&C is shaping up to be a pretty action packed rollercoaster of a book. It follows on from the events of B2E (well duh, Jon!) and has a few surprises in store for the reader which will set up Book 4 really nicely.

Everything is proceding according to my plan… Mwahahahahaha!

I’ve also already submitted my commissions form in to Marlena for the cover for this one, and I’m intrigued to see what she pulls out of her back of tricks this time!

In other news…

I touched base with Kayla Hicks this week and there’s an interview with her (the blog post immediately before this one!). If you haven’t read it, please go and take a look.

Her new book, ‘The Backup Superhero‘ is out on the 5th March, and is a wonderful little novella.

I also did a little ARC reading for Anna Mocikat for her new book ‘Behind Blue Eyes: Fallen Angels‘. Now, ARC reading for this meant me quickly reading it’s predecessor ‘Behind Blue Eyes‘, and I gotta tell you… I was hooked.

I have an interview coming up in a couple of weeks with Anna, so stay tuned for that. Her book launch is March 25th, a week after Hunters.

And finally, I mentioned it earlier, but my fantastic editor and partner-in-writing-crime NT Anderson release her book a couple of weeks ago. It’s an erotic-romance called ‘Acts of Closure‘ and I urge you to go buy it. It’s a great book!

(Plus, I need to keep her happy so she’ll keep editing B2E for me! Come on everyone! Help a guy out here! LOL)

I urge all of you who read this to go and support out Indie Authors. You won’t regret it. 🙂

Last, but by no means least…

I did a podcast interview with the guys from ‘The Tiny Book Case‘ this past week and it was a blast! I’m not sure exactly when the show is going out, and I’m pretty sure I was awful on it. LOL

The show is hosted by Ben and Nico, and every podcast they interview an author, giving him/her/they a prompt to write a short story. Mine was ‘My Collection‘.

Gotta say…these guys should be writing huge books themselves as their imaginations are wonderful! Definitely worth a listen. Last week they had Tom Marlowe, and I know that a future podcast will have the aforementioned Anna Mocikat on it too!

But, if you fancy hearing my dulcet tones AND a special Easter Egg from Hunters, then stay tuned and I’ll let you know when to tune in!

That’s all for this week. Until next time folks…

Love & Books

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24 Comments

  1. Thomson

    You’re just a few days away from launching Hunters! Are you feeling more excited or nervous at this point? The artist did a fantastic job with your cover art. It’s unique and evokes a feeling of mystery. I like it!

    • Jon Ford

      It’s a mixture of both! I’m nervously excited! LOL
      It’s been a long time coming, and I’m a little nervous/scared about how the book will be recieved when it’s out in the wild. But excited at the same time. 😀

  2. Mitch

    It’s here!!! How do you track to see how sales are going? How often are you tracking throughout the day? I bet you’re nervous but, whew what an accomplishment!
    I’ve ordered the hardcover book!

    • Thomson

      I’ve wondered about how they track that stuff too, Mitch. I’d probably be obsessed with worrying about the numbers.

      Jon, I’ve downloaded the e-book through Amazon and can’t wait to start reading. Thanks for keeping the e-book version affordable!

      • Jon Ford

        Amazon has a sales dashboard that regularly updates so you can see how things are going. 🙂 It’s pretty straightforward.

        I tried to keep the prices as low as I could, I honestly don’t make much of each one at all (something like $1!) and I’m planning to plough whatever money I make back into the promotion and marketing.

        • Mitch

          Ok, that’s great that you can track. So, how’s it going? Did you meet your expectation?
          Smart to put any profit right back into it. More advertising means hopefully more fans!
          I thought the book was great by the way!

          • Jon Ford

            Slow going. But then that’s about what I expected. LOL Glad you enjoyed it Mitch! 😀

  3. Acro

    Hunters is a delightful escape read that I couldn’t put down! Jon, you’re as good as J. R. R. Tolkien when it comes to world-building, though I have to say that aside from the otherworldly creatures, it doesn’t seem all that fictional. I say that because the story hits the mark when it comes to depicting corruption and greed. I recognize those same themes running through our government today, which made their struggle There were a couple of characters that I despised and wanted to see get their comeuppance, but I sure enjoyed rooting for our flawed but still fantastic heroine. I can’t wait to see what comes next for our cast of characters. Two thumbs up! Hunters is a meaty story that kept me scrolling long into the night.

    • Jon Ford

      Holy Cow, I’m absolutely positive I’m not on the level of JRR Tolkien. His level of world building has long been an inspiration for me.
      I tried very hard to make the book relevant to today’s society, to mirror things that we see in our world. I long admired Star Trek and it’s ability to address social issues through the lens of SciFi. It had this way of being able to force you to rethink things unconsciously. I want my books to have a very similar subtle influence.
      That’s what I’m going for anyway! 😀
      Thanks, Acro! 😀

  4. Evie

    Warning – reading Hunters on a Kindle will lead to massive eyestrain. You might think you can put it down and to give your tired eyes a break, but the story is so addictive that you won’t be able to. Trust me.

    • Jon Ford

      Awwww thanks, Evie! Glad you enjoyed it! 😀
      Not long to wait till book 2!

  5. Katie Edwards

    It’s a great read with a strong female lead – finally! It took me a minute to get used to the shifting POV, but once I had a feel for the characters, I could easily tell who was driving the story. I think that was a good decision to create the narrative that way. In a world with different species all living together, they really aren’t that different from one another. Their underlying motivation seems to be the same – to be okay and to have those they care about be okay. Don’t we all feel that way? I found the characters relatable, and I absolutely adore Gayle. I was initially afraid that she would start flopping around like a limp damsel in distress (no offense, Jon, so many authors do that with their female leads) but Gayle remained true to herself till the end. She is tough, she is intelligent, and she is a true leader. Gayle has her flaws, but they just make her more likable. It’s a great story, Jon!

    • Jon Ford

      Thanks, Katie! That’s made my day! 😀
      Not long to wait for Book 2 now, so you’ll see what happens after that cliffhanger! Dun dun derrrrrrr!!!

      NO SPOILERS!!!!

    • Locklynn

      I read it and loved it! I had never heard of Jon before but I loved the book cover. A quick search and I landed here.
      I am so happy that you kept Gayle as a strong lead. I would have been so disappointed if you made her weak in the end. Thank you for that. I did a quick scan of this blog and found you are writing 7 books in this saga. How many other books will feature a woman as the lead?

      • Jon Ford

        They key characters are all pretty much introduced and in play now, and more of them are strong female characters.
        Gayle is obviously a little broken in book 1, but she’s suffering through something many people go through. Grief and injury. I very much wanted her to be the flawed heroine.
        Then we have her sister Allyson, who’s an ex-cop and holds a position of power in Nexus City.
        And we have Lyssa, who’s the leader of an influential Vampyrii house. And Zarra the veteran bounty hunter.
        And then supplemental to them we have Carrie (Gayle’s other sister), Becka (Zarra’s partner), Mercy (Lyssa’s second in command) and Serlia (Gayle’s mother). All these characters are strong and control their own destiny.
        (Spoiler! I add a couple more in book 2 too!)
        In fact the book is woefully underserved on male characters! LOL2

        I am a firm believer that ‘strong’ does not mean they are invulnerable to the fragilities of being a person. My characters hurt, fall in love, make bad decisions, have to trust and lean on people from time to time, and learn to be part of something bigger. For Gayle this is especially true. She spends much of Hunters learning that she does not have to be the central point around which everything spins. Not everything is her fault or responsibility. To achieve that reveleation she finds a connection to Michael and reconnects with old friends. Her journey to becoming herself again reaches it’s apex in Book 2, setting her up as a powerful force to be reckoned with for the rest of the saga.

        • Katie Edwards

          That’s true, and it is nice to read about characters that I can relate to. Gayle will forever be the GOAT of strong female warriors, though. I’m sold on her entirely.

  6. Clemmie

    I’m almost finished and it’s a good read, but it sure is dense. I know I’ll need to read it again to pick up every detail. Am I the only one who doesn’t like Allyson very much? In my opinion, she’s awfully bratty. On the other hand, I can’t help but feel for Lyssa. She’s in a bad spot, but is making the most of it. I like her. I appreciate the way that you’ve portrayed Gayle. She’s cunning and caring at the same time. I like that she has a vulnerable side and isn’t afraid to show it.

    • Jon Ford

      Well, I like Allyson. 😛
      Gayle and Allyson are much more connected that just being sisters. There are many parallels between the two siblings, and that’s deliberate.
      Not only do they look identical, but both are dealing with loss (of a sort), both have started new jobs, both are embarking on new relationships, both are dealing with addictions…
      Wait and see.

    • mdnght scribe

      I think that’s a bit unfair, honestly. I’m sure that birth order comes into play a bit between the two. It’s only natural. If you keep that in mind, you might like Allyson more after your second read.

      • Jon Ford

        I think there’s a little of the ‘middle-child’ syndrome in Allyson. While there wasn’t anything specifically wrond with her relationship with her parents, she wasn’t as close to her father as Gayle, and wasn’t tight with her mother like Carrie.
        There’s also something very unique and different about Allyson, a secret that will come out in future books… So stay tuned for that. 😀

  7. DannyO

    That was one of the longest books I’ve ever read, that was. The Kindle version has kept me entertained for the past week during my long commute on the train. It’s been a good escape from pandemic worries. It took a minute to get my feet under me as the POV kept changing around. I liked that bit though, since each of the characters were worth getting to know. I wasn’t expecting that ending, mate. I hope you get the next one out soon!

    • Jon Ford

      Soon(TM)

      Blood to Earth has been a little delayed but should be out (fingers crossed) by the end of September. I’m just doing a few little tweaks to the late chapters and then it has to go through the hands of my editor (Nikki) and then it’s good to go.

      I’ll put some proper news up soon. 😀

      • DannyO

        That’s not a bad wait. Good thing I got on when I did. My rather daft employer insists we come into the office, so I’m compiling a must-read list to make the commute more bearable. I’m looking forward to the next bit of your story.

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