Sep 30, 2015
Hi all!

The Nerdist contest is over and
She Is the End didn't win!!! But... I'm still a nerd? Weird.
Congratulations to all the winners! Way to go, guys. Now, for some Inkshares authors, yu gonplei ste odon. For many others, the fight will go on! My life has been remarkably changed by this contest...
- I wanted to sell 100 copies of my book in the first year of self-publishing. Now I have pre-sold 272 copies in less than six weeks! That's crazypants!
- I started with 80 Twitter followers and now I have 170. I started out with 0 book-related followers and now I have 279!?! Guys... I'm being followed.
- I created a coloring book! Didn't see that one coming.
- I didn't know John Robin and I'd never even drawn a dragon before, and now I'm watching the next Dune be written and I AM A DRAGON.
- People I don't even know said some nice things about my book, and that's pretty cool. :)
- I no longer duck my head and say apologetically, "Uh, yeah, it's scifi. A, um, space adventure. Space princess... um..." I take myself seriously as an author and I expect others to take me seriously, too! (Not that I expect everyone to pre-order my book, of course. People have preferences and that's okay!)
- I met some of the coolest, most interesting people I've ever met in my life. John Robin, Melissa Berg, Jay Lockwood, Joe Terzieva, G. Derek Adams, JF Dubeau, Andy Ainsworth, Rochelle Germano - you are all so talented and incredibly awesome. I can't name everyone who has impressed me with their work, advice, and late-night thirst for tacos.
- TACOS!!!! (Ok, I knew about tacos before the contest. But still!)
- I'm really hoping #InkCon2016 becomes a thing. Yes/yes?
Now... once more unto the breach, my friends, once more. Can you help me get to 1000 pre-orders?
I'll be collecting people for the next coloring book soon, so let me know if you want to be involved.
I'm exploring this radio theater idea, too, so if you're interested and have vocal performance talent, sound editing skills/software, or any sort of experience with sound effects, music effects, or radio in general, let me know.
My table at
FallCon will have many beautiful coloring sheets for attendees to color. If you weren't part of the Nerdist Edition but you have some art that could work and you want me to throw out a coloring page for you, let's talk! I'm here for you.
Thank you all so much. The entire experience has been good and difficult and exciting and emotional and really, really worth it. It'll be even better to hold my book in my hands...
And I think we can do it.