Dear Barrow Downers,
Some of you may be aware that I, Hookbill the Goomba, have written a book and it is getting published this year. Legitimately published by an actual publisher that has actual people in it and there will be actual physical copies that you can hold in your actual hands. And there will be digital copies you can hold in your digital hands, too.
Anyway, the book has been a long time coming and I can definitely say that I would never have finished it without The Barrow Downs, and specifically the community that has grown here. Some of you are people I would legitimately consider some of my best friends and this website has been the source of so much inspiration, encouragement, and enjoyment over the years.
As such, the book will have the dedication;
Because you all helped me make it happen. There were people like
Aganzir,
Thinlomine,
Volo,
Encaitare, and
Kath who read early drafts and gave me detailed critiques that helped shape it and make it so much better.
Then there's the website as a whole. This place is my internet home, almost. Even though I don't comment and post as much as I should, it still feels like a welcoming and beautiful place to come and visit. Everyone here has helped me become a better person, and a better writer. I hope to improve even more over the years to come.
From Mount Zoom, The Downer Newspaper, the Phantom and Alien, and all the Crazy Captions, I hope my ridiculous contributions to this site haven't been too much of an annoyance on you all. Thank you all so, so much for being here for me.
Now for shameless plugging!
The book is called The Sea-Stone Sword.
It is being published by
Kristell-Ink, an imprint of Grimbold Books.
The release date is the 21st of June 2014, and there will be a
launch party in Oxford to celebrate. (If at least 30 people sign up to come, then Waterstones will let me do a signing there, too!) This will also involve drinks at the Eagle and Child, or Lamb and Flag, depending on numbers and preferences.
It can be pre-ordered RIGHT NOW! For UK people, you can get it from
Waterstones,
Blackwells, and
Amazon.
International people can go to
Book Depository, who will ship it world-wide FOR FREE!
Thank you all again for everything the Barrow Downs has meant to me. And to The Barrow Wight Himself... I am sorry for all the stories in the newspaper. BUT THE PEOPLE DESERVED TO HEAR THE TRUTH!