Hi Everyone! I’d like to spread the word about a community event that is taking place next week. This event is for both Authors and Readers, so I encourage everyone to check it out:

Get ready, because Draftshares is about to begin!

When: May 30th - June 4th

Readers: Check out as many drafts (projects currently in the Draft stage) as you can during the week of May 30th - June 3rd, and participate by opening and commenting on your favorite drafts’ excerpts.

Why: To encourage community engagement...and, PRIZES!

Prizes you say?: Yes! For every Draft (or synopsis*) you critique, you will be entered into a drawing for the following:

Prizes for Anyone

• Three sets of a copy of Asteroid Made of Dragons, button, and shirt
• Church of Technology/Deus Hex Machina swag (pins and shirts)
• Copy of Shadow of the Owl
• Signed copy of Ageless
• Order of Dax Harrison
• Order of Bones of the Past
• Order of Proxy
• Original drawing by Jack Katz
• Ladies of Sci Fi poster from A.C. Weston
• Mix CD set with custom cover art by C. Brennecke
• $25 in Inkshares Credits

Prizes for Authors

• Video editing by Yicheng Liu
• Interview on The Warbler
• Guest spot on Drinkshares: Last Call
• $25 in Inkshares Credits

Drafters: Let us know if you’d like to receive a soft critique or a hard critique by messaging a member of the DLC cast or tweeting your project link @drinkshareslc with either the #critiquemekindly or #critiqueme hashtags. If you want your synopsis critiqued, include the hashtag #critiquemypage too.

Soft Critiques (#critiquemekindly): This is the default critique if the author has not specifically requested a hard critique. The tone should be supportive and curious. Point out things you like, comment on the broader story ideas, and ask questions.

Hard Critique (#critiqueme): Only give a hard critique if the author has specifically asked for one. This is where grammatical errors, typos, and oversights can be pointed out. It’s best to include elements of a soft critique too, but you can unleash your inner editor a bit more here.

*Synopsis Critique (#critiquemypage): Interested Drafters should create a thread in the Inkshares forum ( https://www.inkshares.com/forum_threads?topic=promo), linked to their book draft, titled “Synopsis Edits: [Book Title Goes Here].”

Throughout the week, fellow authors will browse these threads and offer help with editing and improving your project page synopsis so you’re better prepared to switch over to funding with a fantastic, compelling, error-free introduction to your book!

Not sure where to start? Check out these Drafts first!:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QP0JPCCsijyIFIa0YKk4ZdQjHJPFW3mqtVvyOpNO3x4/edit?usp=sharing

Watch: Tune in at https://youtu.be/82ged3xwwew on Saturday, June 4th @ 4/3 Central to watch us discuss the drafts and announce the winners!

Thank you!!

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

As you may have noticed, I recently posted newly edited chapters to my project page and I invite you to give them a read. As I continue through my developmental edits and rewrites, it would be really great to get some feedback from you, my lovely readers.

Please feel free to make comments or send me your thoughts in a message. I plan on posting a continuously changing “bonus chapter” soon, so that readers who are interested can read along as the story progresses. But first, I’d like to get the ball rolling with chapters 1-5.

Outside of writing, I’ve been busy getting my house ready to put up for sale, working on a few Inkshares community projects (mark you calendars for Draftfest: May 30th-June4th), and catching up on my reading/some selective TV watching (Daredevil!!!). I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to too, so shoot me a message if you’d like!

As always, thank you to everyone for your continuous support. I’m working very hard to make this book the best it can possibly be, because I want to give you something as great as what you’ve given me.

I’d also like to extend an extra special Thank You to my newest readers. I still do a little dance every time an order comes in because it truly means so much to me. So, thank you!

Great writing!

Status Update!

Things are moving along swimmingly with Seven Shards. I had a breakthrough idea last week, which is really going to improve the flow of the first act. And there’s something of a surprise in store for my Super Readers too! (hint: it involves a map)

Next on the agenda is the developmental edits, which will be my focus in April (a camp NaNoWriMo month for those familiar it). After that, I’d like to give the story 2-3 more rounds of edits, before handing it off to Inkshares for their part of production. I’m expecting the publication date to fall somewhere in late winter/early spring of 2017. As we get closer, I will of course update everyone with more specifics.

Oh! While I have you here, I’d like to recommend a couple of other projects, especially to those of you that have credits to spend -

• Blood Dawn - An epic fantasy set in a world where art has been banned.
  
  
• Deus Hex Machina - A futuristic sci-fi featuring hackers and cyberpunk adventure.

And I’ve said it before, but it never hurts to say it again: Thank You to everyone who has ordered and supported me thus far! It truly means the world :)

Hopefully you’ve had your morning coffee and are ready for your first pair of February recommendations! If not, you can star this email and check back tonight :)

Both of these recommendations are are quickly approaching their deadline. So, I encourage you to check them out with a sense of urgency! Act now!! Limited time offer (and all that jazz)!!!

• Captain by Artie Sievers. Captain is a beautifully written origin story of Captain James Hook, Peter Pan’s famed villain. Fresh and familiar all at once.

• So You Might Be a Vampire by Rodney V. Smith. This is a gritty and sarcastic romp told through the eyes of a subpar vampire named Bob. Watch the video for this one - it’s great!
  

While I still have your attention (I hope!), I’d like to let you know about the new Inkshares forum. If you’re interested in learning more about Inkshares projects, or the process, or if you’d like a chance to talk directly with the authors and fellow readers, now you have a place to do it. I invite you to come introduce yourself and have a look around. Go forth and have fun! 

A mini update!

• I recently had the pleasure of interviewing the infamous John Robin. We chatted about his epic fantasy, Blood Dawn. Click here to read it!

• There are now five (5!!) different Syndicates to choose from. Syndicates are a great way to support new authors and projects each month, even if you don't have the time to peruse and choose the projects yourself. Check them out here!

• And last, but not least: We already knew this was coming, but as of today, Seven Shards is officially part of the Quill collection!!! Take a look here!

That's it. Short and sweet!

Goodnight!

Happy Hump Day! In the spirit of distraction and fun, I'd like to share a couple of recommendations for other Inkshares projects that are currently funding. This may become a bi-monthly thing (two books, twice a month), provided I remember to continue doing it. ;)

BTW - If you haven't visited the site since ordering Seven Shards, I invite you to log back in and see if you have any free credits on your account. And if you do, I encourage you to spend them!

Onto the recommendations!

First up is Exile, Magus by Thomas J. Arnold. This is a true fantasy book for fantasy lovers. If you're at all intrigued, act fast because its funding window ends in two days! 

“First in a series following a dwarven magus entering a world he grew up only hearing of. As he strives to find a place amid countless dangers (and at least one too many gnomes) his naivete in life and love may bring more danger than any foe could.”

&

Women Like Us by Jason Pomerance, a fictional tale of family and food. Be sure to check out the recipes Jason's been sharing towards the bottom of his page!

“A down and dirty chef and her starchy ex-mother-in-law must bond when a crisis threatens a member of the family.”

That's it for January. More recommendations are due to land early next month!

Thanks for the feedback, @Thomas J. Arnold ! (and for the behind the scenes feedback a few others sent too) 

I'm far from the best at cover design, but I do think it would look better with the title further up into the darker portion.  The typeface looks good to me, and its hard to make an assessment beyond that without seeing the symbol that will occupy the middle space.  If you still wanted to incorporate the triangle you could maybe form a circle out of 7 differently shaded (and presumably equally sized) triangles and then lay the symbol on top of that.  I've got nothing beyond that.

Thanks again to everyone for your continued support! You're amazing, inspiring, and just plain awesome. It's been a pretty crazy week, but I have to say that having the Quill mark behind me has lifted quite a heavy load of stress off my shoulders. And as a result, my creativity is flowing like a river once again!

One of the things I've been toiling with these past few days is a new cover design. At some point I'll need to re-do the cover (with the appropriate font and image rights), so I figured I might as well get a head start now. Here's where I'm at so far:

My plan is to create some sort of symbol or simple illustration in the center. But before I get into that, does anyone have any input to share? Do you like the font and spacing? Have an idea for the symbol/illustration? Do you miss the triangles? Let me know!

Cheers and have a great week!