The Overlords

For those of you reading this for the first time, The Overlords is a trilogy written by Mike Squatrito.  It is set in the fantasy genre, and has been an ongoing project of mine for the past eleven years.  I either found your email address, got it from you, or got it from a friend of yours!  Please continue to read this newsletter, and visit my website!

What’s New

I spoke with Gardenia Press and they informed me that my book was in the hands of their second reviewer.  They usually have three to four people review the manuscript before they make a final evaluation.  It usually takes each reviewer a month to go through the project.  At this pace I won’t hear anything official from them until late-July or early August.  I’ll give them another call after the 4th of July break.

In the meantime I have created an outline and timeline for my story and characters of my second book, The Talisman of Unification.  There are a lot of new characters, twists, and subplots in Book Two, so I’m going to be very busy from here on in!  You won’t see many updates on the progress of this story on my website because I don’t want to give away too much information from Legend of the Treasure.  I know you all can appreciate that!  But, I will give my fans insights on where I stand with the book in these monthly newsletters.

 About The Project

Last month I went to Edinburgh, Scotland for business.  I was fortunate enough to have a weekend to myself, in order to do some sightseeing.  I made sure the first place I visited was Edinburgh Castle.  The castle is built on top of a monstrous rock, and has stood there for over 2000 years.  I took plenty of pictures, and made sure to remember the finer details of the castle.

Don’t be surprised to see a similar fortress in the opening scene of The Talisman of Unification.  In the story, the wicked king lives in an ancient castle, and after my visit to Scotland, I could not think of a better landmark to use in my story!

Acknowledgements

This month I would like to thank “my staff” for helping with just about everything with The Overlords project.  Sharon Contillo, Kevin Duarte, Pam Sherman, Diane Beaulieu, and Dale Noelte have helped me in every aspect of this publishing journey.  Sharon actually came up with the name for Book One, and Kevin is a treasure trove for character names and general writing tips.  Dale is my personal artist, and Diane is my personal editor and favorite critic!  Whenever I ask Pam to proofread letters to agents, my synopsis, or anything going to someone important, she never holds back any punches – she always tells me the way it is!  Thank you all for the time and effort you have given me in my quest for publication.  You are the best staff that money could buy (unfortunately, I can’t pay any of you …. yet!).

Contact Information

Send all correspondences to the-overlords@cox.net.  I have accumulated many email addresses over the years, and have used them to create my mailing list.  Please pass this newsletter along to anyone you feel might be interested in my project.  The more contacts I make, the better the chances of having all my hard work pay off!

If you wish for me to use a different address or to be removed from my mailing list, please send me an email and I will handle your request.  Please feel free to visit my website at www.the-overlords.com.  There you will find character biographies, more details on my books, and links to other sights.  Be sure to visit them too!