January was a flurry of behind-the-scenes activity for Team Spiralchain. While no new progress was made on Book 3, Book 2 rolled out in a variety of formats as we started handling all of the Kickstarter orders. To keep everyone on the same page as far as where all of the various parts of this big messy machine are, let’s do a time-honored and mostly delightful bulleted list!

• Gatemaker is now available in paperback, hardcover, and eBook from a wide variety of retailers. It is at its final price point.
• Mindshaper is now available in eBook from a wide variety of retailers. Hardcovers are available from Lulu, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble, while paperbacks are currently available at Lulu and Amazon only. Mindshaper eBooks will experience a few incremental price declines over the course of the year, with the first (Amazon-exclusive) price decline in effect starting Feb 1.
• The Downloads page will be updated in the next few weeks with new wallpapers and a few other goodies. They may take a little while, but they are worth the wait–Andrew has really been turning in outstanding work!
• Book 3 (I’ve spilled the title once or twice, but I am not going to do so again!) is coming along slowly. I would say it is 1/6th of the way through its first draft. Expect a significant update about the book in early March.
• Work is underway on the prototype version of a Spiralchain non-collectible card game. Nothing to say yet, but it’s coming along.
• Hearthkeeper, a new short story set between Gatemaker and Mindshaper, is now available on the Downloads page. This story was written as a stretch goal for the Kickstarter and introduces the world Arctos for the first time. While the framing sequence places it immediately after Gatemaker, the events recounted in the story are an excellent precursor to things happening in Book 3. Neat!
• We have some games, contests, and promotions coming up on our Facebook page this month (February). If you want to get in on the action, you’ll need to Like Spiralchain on Facebook ASAP! One free set of eBooks has already been given away… the next contest will be for some very rare merchandise!

Thank you once again, and always, to those of you that have supported the story of the Spiralchain. It is a pleasure to write for you!