M.R. Merrick's Blog, page 6

Endure Cover Reveal

 

The time for waiting is over. Today, a whole group of amazing people are out to spread the word. Endure, The Protector Book 4, is coming June 5 2013. To celebrate that, it’s time for the cover reveal! Check it out, along with the excerpt, spread the word, and let me know what you think!

 

 

 Cover Artwork: Parajunkee Design

Wrapped in darkness and woven with defeat, every action Chase has taken since being exiled from the Circle has been met with a devastating response. Now he’s been burdened with a quest that seems impossible, and he needs to evolve into something more—something greater than he ever thought he could be.

Armed with magic, friendship, and an unbreakable will, Chase must build an army and find a weapon capable of defeating the ultimate evil. But he knows that nothing great comes without sacrifice. Blessed by the very gods who have abandoned him and carrying the fate of all the worlds on his shoulders, Chase Williams is about find out just how much one man can endure.

 

 

 

On The Horizon

There is a ton of stuff happening over the next month. Tomorrow is the cover reveal for Endure, which, if you haven’t noticed, I’m beyond excited about. I had to make some changes in operations this time around with cover artists, and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been nervous about it. As you’ll see tomorrow, that nervousness was not necessary. Parajunkee Design, the talent behind this entire website, has put together my absolute favorite book cover in the series. I’ve had it for a while now and even still, I look at it and it just feels right. It’s the perfect cover to wrap around what has become my favorite book in the series as well. This entire journey feels surreal right now. Knowing that on June 5th I’ll have published the final book in my first series is…well, overwhelming is one word that comes to mind.

As tomorrow is May 1st, and the cover reveal, I won’t be posting my Blogger/Author alerts until May 2nd and 3rd. This month I have two pretty great people coming at you, but this month is also going to signify some change as well. Starting in June, I’m changing the process. Rather than spotlight one author and one blogger for the entire month, I’m going to do either or, and alternate them. The reason being is that I tend to make the  interviews a little longer, and often times I leave them to the last minute (no matter how many times I tell myself I won’t do that again). I’m really trying to focus on writing my new series, and since I like to invest a fair bit of time in my interviews, it makes more sense right now to have one of them each month rather than two. So to recap, this month you get a blogger and an author, but next month it will be one or the other, and we’ll mix it up from there.

This Saturday I’m off to a writing workshop with Donald Maass, and I have to tell you, I am very excited. I started reading his book, Writing 21st Century Fiction, and it’s pretty awesome. I’ve stayed away from reading book on writing, for no other reason than I’d rather be writing, but I wanted to prepare myself for his workshop, and I’m very happy that I’ve taken this on. I’m already mentally developing all kinds of advances in my upcoming series, The Nova Chronicles, that might not have been put into place without his book. It’s going to amplify my ability to tell a story, of that much I am certain.

In 36 days, Endure is officially going live on all online sales outlets. This is the book. The way it all comes together. The story funnelling down into a single climax of epic proportions. I hope that with your help, this release can be a huge success. I’d love to put The Protector series on the map by getting this book up high in the rankings on all sales channels. In addition, Exiled is still free at all available ebook outlets, and will remain so for the next month. If you know anyone you think might be interested in the series, please send them to their ereader of choice, and get them started on this incredible adventure for free!

And finally, as promised, I have officially launched my Newsletter. Outside of that link, there are two ways to sign-up:

1) Check the right side bar next to my blog and just enter your e-mail (you’ll need to confirm this via an e-mail sent do you)

2) Check out the News column on my home page. There’s a link to a sign-up form there as well.

To ease your mind, these Newsletters will only come out a few times a year, at best. They will not be regular, or in any way, spam-like. In them, I’ll include detailed information about upcoming books, sales, and/or giveaways, as well as exclusive content that nobody but my subscribers will see. There may even be a few chances to win signed copies of my books and swag throughout the year, but that’s for subscribers only!

That’s it for now. I will see you tomorrow for the unveiling of the final book in The Protector, Endure. My favorite cover, for my favorite book!

Endure Release Week Promo Blast Sign-up

The wonderful Val @ Stuck In Books is  organizing a promo event for the release of Endure (Protector #4).

June 3rd through June 14th

Release date for Endure is June 5th

Blogs may post any time during that window.

Post information will include an excerpt and a 10 eBook giveaway for winner’s choice of Shift or Release.

If you are interesting in participating, please fill out the form below.

 

Currently, Exiled (The Protector #1) is FREE!

Amazon | B&N | Kobo

 

10 Sounds and Feelings That Drive Me Insane

We all have those things that bother us. For some it’s nails on a chalkboard, for others it’s when people crack their knuckles. Or maybe it’s they way a certain fabric feels against your skin. These are things that for whatever reason, drive us completely batty. Today I’m going to share with you ten sounds and feelings that make me shudder, give me goosebumps, and literally make me want to do an instant rage dance. In no particular order, here they are.

1. The sound of a fork sliding between teeth or across a plate. I know this is two in one, but a fork is a fork is a fork, and basically, the sounds they make kill me. When I’m eating, if I hear a fork slide between someone’s teeth, or even my own (it’s worse when it’s my own), it will give me an instant shudder and make me want to die. Okay, the latter might be an exaggeration, but it’s not far off.

2. The feeling of paper on my fingers/hands when my hands are dry. This probably sounds strange to most people, but it makes me want to throw things. This is primarily the reason I prefer ebooks. I dont’ want to be licking the tips of my fingers constantly, and when I have to turn the page, my finger sliding over the paper will cause me to cringe. It’s even worse if I accidentally drag my fingernail over it. I will drop the book and have a chill. Weird? Probably. But there it is.

3. My feet on the floor when they are dry. Okay, it’s probably starting to look like I have a thing against dry skin. Maybe I do. I lotion my feet constantly and I almost always where socks, except for in the summer. I can’t even stand walking in my house without socks or slippers. Unless of course my feet aren’t dry, but most of the time I won’t even take the risk. I know, you’re all thinking I’m a freak now. That’s cool. My feet are baby soft so take that!

4. Imaginary creatures crawling on me. This one is a little different. You know when you see a spider in your house, but then you lose track of it before you can dispose of it? Yeah, that. You try to sit down and enjoy yourself, but there is no escaping the pitter-patter of eight little legs running across your back. This, my friends, can ruin an entire evening. Why? Because I’ll be on my hands and knees with a flashlight looking for that son of a…arachnid. And even if I find him, my imagination has already been kicked into high gear. There could be more of them…

5. Stepping on Lego. You can disagree with everything on this list, but this is one of the worst feelings of life. I don’t even know what else to say. Thinking about it makes me upset.

6. Wet Socks. Obviously, we’re seeing a recurring theme here. Dry feet, wet socks, yes, I have a thing with my feet. But you know what, they’re big and they’re important to my mobility. But really, wet socks? This is one of those feelings that doesn’t give me chills, and it doesn’t creep me out. You know what it does? It pisses me off. Take that as an overreaction if you will, but I hate it! This is the one thing that will make me do a rage dance. What’s worse is that it’s a common experience for me after an early morning Tee Time on the golf course. So throughout the summer, there are many a rage dances to be had.

7. Magpies. If these aren’t one of the most annoying birds on the planets, I don’t know what is. They flock outside my house and screech all damn morning. If I could have a pet eagle to take care of them for me, I would, but there are groups and government programs that frown upon that sort of thing, and so I must suffer. This one was made even worse last summer when I worked at my day job. I had to take over the warehouse work for a while, and since it was so hot out, I had the big bay doors open. Well, in came two magpies to ruin my day. I spent ten hours trying to get them out of there. Between squirt guns, brooms, and calling every animal control place I could find, it was to no avail. Magpies 1 – Matty 0.

8. Alarm Clocks. I’m fairly certain we can all agree on this one. The sound (even if it’s the middle of they day) makes me instantly tired. This stupid contraptions—although often necessary—ruin days across the world all the time. They should all be disposed of. And before you say anything, yes, I’ve tried using music and the radio to wake me up. It doesn’t work.

9. Sticky Hands. First, get your mind out of the gutter. Second, I know we’re revisiting the whole hands and feet thing again. I have issues, okay? But I can’t deal with this. I’m a constant hand washer (hence the occasionally dry hands), and I just don’t handle this one well. I will put up with this for the sake of crafts with my kids, but I’ll be silently cursing the glue the entire time. Maybe I’m too uptight. Perhaps I should take up Yoga.

10. Canker Sores. I was struggling to come up with another one, and since I have one of these right now that’s making me want to rip my face off, I thought it should go on the list. I’m sure if I wasn’t trying to write this post I could come up with a hundred different ones, but alas, such is not the way of my writing mind. Maybe I’ll work on a 10 Smells that Make Me Gag…I could make that happen.

Now it’s your turn. What are some feelings and/or sounds that drive you crazy? No listing smells…that is for another time.

 

 

 

 

A New Series

I finished up another round of edits on Endure a few days ago, and now I’m left with some time on my hands. This is exciting for me. The Protector has taken up the last few years of my writing life, and as sad as I am to see it end, I’m excited to venture into new territory. So as this book goes off to my editor, my schedule opens up and I’m going to do just that. And since I promised to share some details about it, that’s what this post is all about.

This idea has been rolling around in my head for a long time. In fact, I’d actually considered writing this book before I tackled Endure. However, given the cliffhanger ending in Release, I didn’t think it would be fair for my readers to have to wait any longer than absolutely necessary. So I put this story aside as best I could.

I already had some messy brainstorming and character bios written for this series, and while my beta readers had Endure, I wrote the first few chapters. Writing those chapters only succeeded in making me even more excited. Since then, I’ve re-written the first chapters multiple times, trying different point of views, perspectives, and styles. After all that experimenting, I’ve decided to stay with First Person narrative and tell the story from the main characters point of view.

Now since I haven’t written a full outline or finished the first draft, I’m going to be a little short on the details. That last thing I want to do is reveal anything that is likely to change. So for now, I’ll tell you what I can, and as non-spoilery details become concrete and available, I’ll share them.

While I only have a tentative title for the first book, I do have a confirmed series title. The new series is going to be titled “The Nova Chronicles.” For those of you who have read The Protector Series, you’re aware that it’s a mash-up between Epic and Urban Fantasy. Well, The Nova Chronicles is going to be a little bit different. It’s going to take on Urban Fantasy in a more dominant way, and there might (stress on the might) be a bit of a Sci-Fi edge to it. I always struggle with genre defining, but that’s how I see it at the moment.

The story is going to be told from Nova’s perspective, in a world where demons are well-known and acknowledged by the public. Whereas The Protector was directed at a YA audience, this story is going to be more adult-oriented. There are a few reasons for this. First, YA offers certain limitations to the story I want to tell. And second, although I could adjust accordingly for the above reason, I’m not in bookstores appealing to that audience, and as far as I can tell, my audience is mostly 17+, which leads me to believe that this will have little to no effect on my readers. Since my characters are in their early 20′s, does that make this a New Adult series? I don’t know. I’m still waiting for a firm definition as to what that is. For now we’ll just drop the YA and call it Urban Fantasy.

What can you expect from this series: As with my other work, you can expect high-octane action and fight scenes as well as badass monsters. I’m already working on some innovative creatures to infuse in the books, as well as researching different mythologies for monsters that already exist (of course, I’ll do a little work to put my own spin on these creatures as well). I’m going to be working almost entirely with new creatures in this series. Any that are included that I’ve written about before, will be used sparingly and come completely redrawn to create something refreshing. And of course, you can prepare yourself for magic.

At the moment, I don’t know how many books will be in the series. I have a general idea of the overall series arc, and I have the first book fairly detailed in my mind, but for now I’m going to play it by ear. What you can prepare for along with the action and fight scenes, are some fast paced stories.

I’m going to be working hard on this book for the next month, hoping to see a first draft completed sometime in May. Because this is the beginning of a new series, there is a lot of work that needs to be done, and most of it has nothing to do with the book itself. I need to plan things as a series, design the rules around my world, and do a lot of backstory writing for my own sake. Because of that, I can’t guarantee anything, but as a pre-starting goal, I’m aiming to see this book ready for purchase in the Fall.

I think that’s all the details I have to give away today, but there will be more as things come together. I know this is kind of vague, but I don’t want to give away too much. I am extremely excited about this new series, and I hope that I’ve given you enough to pique your interest too. I know in the past I’ve spoken about querying the new series and trying to take it the traditional route, but at the moment that decision hasn’t been made. My goal right now is to write the book, and look at things then.

If you want to keep an eye on what’s going on, join my Facebook Fan Page, and/or keep an eye on the homepage of my website. On the bottom right is a column titled W.I.P. that I update regularly with my progress. But the absolute best way to stay in touch will be via my Newsletter. By May 1st, you’ll see the link on the top right of the sidebar. That’s where I’ll keep readers updated via an e-mail newsletter that contains book updates, sales, and exclusive content! The e-mails will be sparse, only going out a few times a year. I don’t want to spam anybody, and this will only be for truly special stuff. And while you wait to hear more about that and The Nova Chronicles, you can get yourself jacked up for Endure! May 1st is the cover and synopsis reveal (sign-up here), and June 5th is the release date. Neither of those is very far away, and soon you’ll see how everything comes together. I for one, cannot wait.

Happy Wednesday!

You Tell Me: When Do You Quit A Series?

An interesting conversation with a friend led me to today’s topic, and it really got me thinking. I’ve read standalone books, trilogies, and long-running series. Some of them I’ve enjoyed entirely, while other I ended up leaving in the dust. And it got me to wondering, why?

It’s true that often times we find ourselves reading a book series, and some books aren’t as good as others, but I think that’s to be expected. One of the reasons I believe that is because we grow attached to the characters we’re reading about, and often times we find ourselves waiting months, if not a year, for a sequel or the next installment. That gives us time to let our imaginations go to work. I know that for me, sometimes I get the next part of the series built up in my head to be one thing, and then it goes in a different direction. Sometimes that direction is even better than I imagined, but other times it leaves me disappointed. That isn’t always the book’s fault. Sometimes my expectations and imagination get the best of me. Maybe it’s not even possible to live up to that expectation. But regardless of why a book fails me, or any other reader, it still leaves me to ask the question: When do I call it quits? And nine times out of ten, I’ll finish it off. My love for the characters and the books will carry me through. But that isn’t always the case.

There’s one series that stands out in my mind, and I won’t name it, but I will say that it made me fall in love with reading. My wife bought it for me, I devoured it and every book in the series I could find afterwards. The disappointment started when, as I said above, I had certain expectations of things that were building up, and they never got cashed in. In this case, that wasn’t entirely my fault, as the author led me to believe for multiple books that this was building up to some crescendo of awesomeness. However, the climax never came and as such, it left me disappointed. However, I trusted the author and so I kept the faith. I kept that faith for five more books, until the things I loved about the series slowly drifted into the background and became noise. A few books later, continuing without my faith, but primal hope instead, the story I thought was being told vanished completely, and the series became something completely unrelated. That was when I called it quits. I read about sixteen books in that series, and then I gave up. That’s really the only series I’ve ever started, fallen in love with, and then let go completely. The desire to know faded.

As time goes on, we grow as people, as do authors and the stories they are telling us. As such, sometimes our visions and/or our tastes change. This is to be expected. The point is, I loved that one series to a point, and even after that point had fallen off, I gave it the benefit of the doubt. If there was an end in sight, I might have continued reading just to see how it all played out, but even now, years later, it doesn’t look like that will ever happen.

I think this is where the shorter series have a better chance. If I’m to read a five or six book series, and I love the first three, but four and five disappoint me, I’m still going to get number six or even seven just to have a sense of closure. When you start running into ten books or more, the stakes change. I’m not willing to commit to that kind of reading when I’m already feeling disappointment in the earlier installments. That, of course, is just me.

So my question to you, dear readers, is when do you give up on a series? Is passion with the first book enough to carry you through a few more to see resolution, and hope the magic returns? Is there a specific checklist before you decide it’s not worth finishing? What makes you say enough is enough?

I know there are  a thousand different variables that contribute to this: how long the series is, when the disappointment starts, etc. But gives us a few examples and let’s get the discussion going from there.

Tell A Story Day Part 2

Today I’ve been invited to take part in Tell A Story Day, where a group of authors has come together to tell a group story in small increments. Two authors will be adding to the story each day with their own creative spin, picking up where the previous author left off. Today I get to continue on with the story as the second contributing author. To read the first part, check out M Todd Gallowglas’s site. When the next part of the story get’s posted online, I’ll post the link at the bottom! And to see if everybody involved, go here.

****

 “How about now?” The Elf asked.

“Not yet,” the Lawyer said.

The Android stepped forward, this time with a new approach. There would be no shoving, but perhaps he could appeal to the Troll’s more reasonable side.

“That seems rather prejudicial,” the Android said. “I fail to see how his profession has any effect on whether or not he can, indeed, consume a drink within the tavern. He is clearly not working at the moment. The entire situation seems rather trivial if you ask me.”

“Well, ain’t nobody asked you!” The Troll’s eyes widened, huffs of white mist spilling from his nostrils as he snorted. “Keep ‘em fancy words to yourself. That lawyer, or solicitor, or whatever he wants to be next can’t come in. He reeks of evil only ‘em lawyers can conjure, and this here tavern is for non-evil patrons. Don’t like it? Go suck rocks.”

“Now?” The Elf asked impatiently.

The Lawyer looked up at the Troll and sighed. He smoothed out his suit and buttoned up his jacket. “Are you sure you won’t reconsider?”

The Troll leaned down, drops off saliva running of his weathered tusks. His breathing became heavy, a breeze of snot and phlegm shooting from his nose and splattering across the Lawyer’s face. “For somebody with all that edemucation, you sure are stupid.” His jabbed a stubby finger against the Lawyer’s chest.

The force sent the Lawyer stumbling back, but the quick reflexes of the Elf caught and stabilized him.

“Now?” The Elf asked, his wide eyes pleading.

The Lawyer glanced back at the Troll, then to the Elf. He shrugged and stepped out of the way, inviting the Elf forward with a single hand gesture. “I suppose there is no other way.”

The Elf’s grin was wide. He stepped forward, but he didn’t

The One Where I Didn’t Hate It

This week has been crazy busy. I signed up for the Coastal Magic Convention in Daytona, Florida for next February, did my taxes (first time doing a full year as an author. That was fun…), and I hammered away at the edits for Endure. I hit the 40% mark yesterday after an all day and most of the night session, and I’m feeling really, really good about this. Enough that I thought I’d write  a post about it.

When it comes to my writing, I’m usually not a huge fan. That might sound silly, but I don’t know how else to say it. I dislike reading my own books. If I was an actor, I’d probably hate watching myself on screen. After publication I don’t usually read my work again, except to get snippets from a prior book or to confirm some kind of detail for a future story, and even then I’m mostly skimming. I guess as writers, we really are our worst critics. I have a difficult time sitting down and just enjoying the story. After publication I alway find things I can change, things I dislike, or a better way to deliver a scene. In fact, my writing has advanced and evolved so much since Exiled, I think I could probably rewrite the entire book and make it  so much better. And before you ask, yes, I’ve considered doing it. But that’s not what this is about.

Being 40% into Endure edits is exciting for me. I’m loving this story more than any I’ve ever written. This is surprising to me because there was so much start and stop during the first draft, I expected the book to be choppy and the pacing to be off. It’s true that I always read what I last wrote before I continue on, so maybe that made the difference? I’m not entirely sure. I am sure that I’m  in love with this book. Of course, I’m still revising and cleaning things up as I go, but I find myself enthralled with the story in a way I never have been before at this stage. Usually these kinds of feelings are reserved for the first draft. That first draft is where I let the rules go and just write. I let myself become lost in the story, close my eyes, and write without any worries. That’s when I become entwined in the magic of writing. For this book though, it’s different. I’m on the third draft and falling in love with these characters and the story as though it’s my first time. My emotions are alive on the page and thriving inside.

All of this is to say that June cannot come fast enough. I need to have this story in your hands. I need to hear what you think and experience what you feel as you turn the pages. This is the last book in the series and right now it’s tearing me left and right. It wants to be unleashed into the world even though it’s not quite ready, but it will be soon.

May 1st Endure is going off to the editor. During that time I’m distracting myself by jumping head first into my new series. Naturally, I’m excited about the series. It’s fresh and fun and I love getting to work with some new characters. But right now nothing tops how I feel about Endure. The Protector is coming to a close and this book is how it all comes together. To be honest, I dont’ know if I could be any prouder of it than I am right now. This book is everything I wanted to be, and in some ways more. I hope that all the people who have been along for this amazing journey feel the same way. After all, this series is what it is because of you, and I am forever grateful for that.

I’m working on getting some teasers together for the new book. Hopefully those will be ready for you sometime next week. After that, I’ll be posting details about the new series I’m writing. I’ll give you the series name, and tell you a bit about the story…maybe The first book had a title which I’ve since scrapped, so for now it remains nameless, but the people inside are not and you’ll get to learn a little about them, which I think will be fun. If you missed the announcement, the cover reveal for Endure will be out May 1st. If you want to take part in the reveal, sign up here! And if you know someone who hasn’t started the series, all the books are on sale until Endure comes out! Check the Books tab above for any and all retail links.

I’m very excited about Endure and I hope you are too. If I’m going to see this series come to a close, I’m happy I get to do it with you.

Endure Cover Reveal Sign-up

The time has arrived! Val from Stuck In Books and I are getting everything together for a massive unveiling of the final cover in The Protector series, Endure. If you’re interested in being apart of it, the sign up form is below. The reveal will take place on May 1st, and I can tell you the Endure is my absolute favorite of the series so you should definitely be among the first to see it.

As far as release date for Endure, I had to push things back a little, as most of you know. I wanted the book out in May, but that is going to be difficult so the release is currently set for June 5th 2013. The Endure Blog Tour is going to take place a month later, some time in July, and information about that will coming down the pipe soon. Hope to see you there!

Endure Update

I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately about the last book in the Protector series: when is it coming, is it really the last book, etc. So I’m going to take a few minutes to give you an update on all things Protector series and a few other tidbits.

First, when is Endure coming?

Endure is running a little behind schedule. I don’t have anyone to blame for this but myself. I didn’t stay very disciplined while writing this book. I started it in November of 2012 and then took all of December and half of January off. Once I got back to work, I found it very difficult to stay focused. I’d write for part of a day and then accomplish nothing for a week. Now that the book has been written, I feel a lot of that was due to it being the final book in the series. There was stress involved, a lot of fear, major lack of confidence, and I needed to get over all that while trucking along at a slower pace. The good news is that the book is done and I’m flying high with excitement. I’m currently waiting for the last few betas to get back to me and although I won’t say much, but based on current response, I will say you can be damn excited too.

Second, is this really the final book in the series?

Yes and no. As far as I currently have planned, I won’t be continuing this exact story arc. Endure closes off the story I intended to tell, however, it’s not the end of the Protector world. I plan to write some prequels that follow your favorite characters: Willy, Tiki, and Vincent. As it stands right now, they will only be standalone novels or novellas, but there is some series potential in a few of them. All of them will take place before The Protector series and will be more than likely entitled “The Protector Beginnings.”

There has been some interest via my Facebook Fan Page about other characters like Marcus and Rayna. I had never actually considered a book from Marcus or Rayna’s POV, but now that I see some demand for it, it’s piqued my curiosity. I have had a few ideas to write two other prequels as well. One revolving around Chase and his life growing up in the Circle up until his exile, and one that goes way back and shows how it all really started: The Great War between demons and humans and the rise of the Circle of Light (the birth of the hunters). Those are just ideas right now and I’m not planning on moving forward with them with any kind of certainty.

With all that said, I’m not going to be working on any of these stories yet. I’ve been writing The Protector for four years now and I want a break. So, that brings me to number three.

What’s next for M.R. Merrick?

While Endure is out with beta readers and then later, my editor, I’ll be working on the first book in a new series. It’s still early now as I’ve only written about 4200 words in the book, but it’s refreshing to work with some new characters and a new world. Because of that, I think I might start alternating the books that I write. One for one series, and then one for something different. The process might be two and then one, but you get my drift. The need for a break sometimes is the best way to go, as I experienced while writing Endure. Details on the new series will coming along once I have more developed, but you can expect to see something in the next two months, and hopefully the first book will be ready this Fall, following closely with a sequel just before or just after Christmas.

Now, if you’re a blogger and you’re wondering about a cover reveal and/or blog tour for Endure. Info will be coming later this month via myself and Stuck In Books. I’m not sure we’ll go as wide-spread as we did last time, so if you are interested, chances are you’ll need to be read up on the series thus far. The tour for Release was massive and it took up way too much time, so things will be a little more reserved this time around. So if you’re not up-to-date on the series and you want to be, check out the Books tab above for links. Exiled is on sale now and both Shift and Release are $2.00 off their usual price.

Oh, and if you didn’t know, there’s an Interview Me post up for the month of April. If you have questions about me, my books, or anything at all, drop it in the comments section of that post and I’ll reply with an update!