Well, this will be my final dispatch here, because we have reached the end of the road for the Nerdist contest. Did we win? Well, not the contest, but I feel like the whole experience is a win. I met some really great fellow authors, got to read some exciting new fiction and got to share part of Shaping Fate with you; a project that I've been working on for a very long time. I know I've said it about a zillion times now, but I'm so grateful to all of the people who followed and pre-ordered the book. Putting myself out there in this capacity was hard, but when I was met with such amazing and unwavering support, it made me wonder why I ever hesitated!
So what now? I'm going to keep going. "Shaping Fate" and it's follow up books, (yes, it's at least a trilogy) will see the light of day. Thank YOU dear readers for giving me that confidence.
If you want to keep up to date and haven't already signed up for my newsletter, here's where you can do just that: http://vrleavitt.com/newsletter-2/ (Don't worry, I don't send frequently)
Not into email? Here's my website, Facebook and Twitter:
Last week I said that if we hit a milestone, I'd upload chapter 2. Well, thanks to YOU, that happened and chapter 2 is coming your way. Thank you all so much for the amazing support. I truly appreciate it.
I'll cut this off here, so happy Friday and have an amazing weekend!!
It's been another amazing week and I can't thank you guys enough for all of the continued support. It's truly outstanding.
We're getting close to hitting an order milestone, and once we do, I want to have some kind of little party, what do you say? When we hit the milestone, I'll put up chapter 2, and give away a couple of prizes, so be sure and spread the word! You can click the Twitter or Facebook links below.
This has been such a fun journey so far. Thanks again guys and I'll see you soon!
Happy almost weekend! It's been an amazing week. This project has gotten some new readers, new backers, but probably coolest of all, I'm making some new friends. A lot of contests can feel kind of like the Hunger Games, but the participants and readers here have been so supportive. For example, fellow author A.C. Weston. (We double initial authors have to stick together) Check out this excerpt from one of her recent updates:
"Anyway, I realized something pretty darn significant, people: it's possible, if an author were smart and inclined, for that author to trade pre-orders with every person in this contest - each person gets one new order, but in return, whoever does this methodically would receive potentially HUNDREDS of orders in return.
It's not cheating. Not at all!
It's just an ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT STRATEGY. Guys!!
There are 270 of us in this contest, and if one person pre-orders every book, that's (realistically) only 5 books they'll have to actually pay for... but if everyone pre-orders back, that's 269 pre-orders for a single person themselves. That would put you in first place!
But what if we all did it? Well, everyone would have more pre-orders and everyone would be elevated. We wouldn't all win, no, but that's not the point. It would be great for everyone's self-esteem - and what if we had a 200-way tie for 3rd place or something?!?! Wouldn't that be cool? It would be CRAZY.
So, hey Inkshares Nerdist competition authors: let's all do it.
Go and trade pre-orders. With. Everyone."
Not only is that pretty awesome of her to explain to everybody, but it's true. And I started doing just that, and guess what, I've gotten a few more backers already. So, participants, spread the love! Readers, thanks as always for your support. If you can't back a ton of projects, maybe leave a nice word about what you read or what you're hoping to see.
Whew...made it through another Monday. Hallelujah. I just wanted to say hi and hope everybody had a phenomenal weekend. Do anything fun? Read any good books?
I don't want to spam you guys, but just wanted to thank you again for all of your great support. It's been really incredible to see.
We're still a ways out of the top 5, but it's not impossible to get there. If you feel compelled, spread the word about, "Shaping Fate" as well as any of the other projects here. There are some really great ones! No matter what happens, it really has been cool to see other writers and readers supporting this contest and our collective works. It means more than you know.
I'll cut this off now, but thanks again for all of your kind words and support. Keep spreading the word to all of your reader friends!
Who's ready for the weekend? I definitely am! This was the first week of middle school for my daughter and it's been a great, but incredibly busy week.
I wanted to share with you where the idea for Shaping Fate first originated. I was on the Metro in DC. I'd gotten on the train at the airport returning home from a trip to California. It had been a long day, and for some reason I was thinking, "What if there were two immortals, and one really liked his immortality, but the other one didn't? What would be some good reasons that a person would not want to live forever?"
Yes, these are the kinds of thoughts that bounce around my head when I'm tired and riding a train. This question became the basis for the two main characters of "Shaping Fate"; William, whom you met in chapter 1. It's posted on the Inkshares site here, in case you missed it. The other character is Gabriel which we'll meet in chapter 2, and I can't wait. He's one of my favorite characters to write.
I hope you have had a great week so far, and if you have a few moments, I hope you'll spread the word about "Shaping Fate" and this contest. Facebook, Twitter, E-mail, whatever works. The top 5 is still within reach and I thank you all so much for the amazing support you've already shown.
What an amazing week. I seriously can't thank you all enough for your amazing support. I haven't been this excited about this particular project for a long time.
I'll be honest...when you are with a story as long as I've been with Shaping Fate, (over 10 years!), you have days where you think it's the next big thing and you have days where you want to set fire to it and never speak of it again. Even on the "fire" days, I still love the characters and still have hope that the story can be something incredible. The fact that you have read the first chapter and chosen to throw your support behind it, and I haven't even bribed you, means a great deal. :-)
I know it's Friday and we're all looking forward to the weekend, so I'll leave it here, but stay tuned, because next week we'll dig into the plot and characters a bit more. I can't wait to share them with you.
What an amazing week. I seriously can't thank you all enough for your amazing support. I haven't been this excited about this particular project for a long time.
I'll be honest...when you are with a story as long as I've been with Shaping Fate, (over 10 years!), you have days where you think it's the next big thing and you have days where you want to set fire to it and never speak of it again. Even on the "fire" days, I still love the characters and still have hope that the story can be something incredible. The fact that you have read the first chapter and chosen to throw your support behind it, and I haven't even bribed you, means a great deal. :-)
I know it's Friday and we're all looking forward to the weekend, so I'll leave it here, but stay tuned, because next week we'll dig into the plot and characters a bit more. I can't wait to share them with you.
Greetings Team Shaping Fate!
Well, this will be my final dispatch here, because we have reached the end of the road for the Nerdist contest. Did we win? Well, not the contest, but I feel like the whole experience is a win. I met some really great fellow authors, got to read some exciting new fiction and got to share part of Shaping Fate with you; a project that I've been working on for a very long time. I know I've said it about a zillion times now, but I'm so grateful to all of the people who followed and pre-ordered the book. Putting myself out there in this capacity was hard, but when I was met with such amazing and unwavering support, it made me wonder why I ever hesitated!
So what now? I'm going to keep going. "Shaping Fate" and it's follow up books, (yes, it's at least a trilogy) will see the light of day. Thank YOU dear readers for giving me that confidence.
If you want to keep up to date and haven't already signed up for my newsletter, here's where you can do just that: http://vrleavitt.com/newsletter-2/ (Don't worry, I don't send frequently)
Not into email? Here's my website, Facebook and Twitter:
http://www.vrleavitt.com
https://www.facebook.com/coffeeandakeyboard
http://www.twitter.com/vrleavitt
I also want to thank The Nerdist and Inkshares for putting on this contest and bringing attention to authors. It means a great deal!
Lastly, congrats to the top 5.
Very best of luck!
All of my gratitude,
-V.R. Leavitt
Hey Team Shaping Fate!
Last week I said that if we hit a milestone, I'd upload chapter 2. Well, thanks to YOU, that happened and chapter 2 is coming your way. Thank you all so much for the amazing support. I truly appreciate it.
I'll cut this off here, so happy Friday and have an amazing weekend!!
Thanks,
-V.R.
Greetings Team Shaping Fate!
It's been another amazing week and I can't thank you guys enough for all of the continued support. It's truly outstanding.
We're getting close to hitting an order milestone, and once we do, I want to have some kind of little party, what do you say? When we hit the milestone, I'll put up chapter 2, and give away a couple of prizes, so be sure and spread the word! You can click the Twitter or Facebook links below.
This has been such a fun journey so far. Thanks again guys and I'll see you soon!
Have a great weekend!!
-V.R.
Hey Team Shaping Fate,
Happy almost weekend! It's been an amazing week. This project has gotten some new readers, new backers, but probably coolest of all, I'm making some new friends. A lot of contests can feel kind of like the Hunger Games, but the participants and readers here have been so supportive. For example, fellow author A.C. Weston. (We double initial authors have to stick together) Check out this excerpt from one of her recent updates:
"Anyway, I realized something pretty darn significant, people: it's possible, if an author were smart and inclined, for that author to trade pre-orders with every person in this contest - each person gets one new order, but in return, whoever does this methodically would receive potentially HUNDREDS of orders in return.
It's not cheating. Not at all!
It's just an ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT STRATEGY. Guys!!
There are 270 of us in this contest, and if one person pre-orders every book, that's (realistically) only 5 books they'll have to actually pay for... but if everyone pre-orders back, that's 269 pre-orders for a single person themselves. That would put you in first place!
But what if we all did it? Well, everyone would have more pre-orders and everyone would be elevated. We wouldn't all win, no, but that's not the point. It would be great for everyone's self-esteem - and what if we had a 200-way tie for 3rd place or something?!?! Wouldn't that be cool? It would be CRAZY.
So, hey Inkshares Nerdist competition authors: let's all do it.
Go and trade pre-orders. With. Everyone."
Not only is that pretty awesome of her to explain to everybody, but it's true. And I started doing just that, and guess what, I've gotten a few more backers already. So, participants, spread the love! Readers, thanks as always for your support. If you can't back a ton of projects, maybe leave a nice word about what you read or what you're hoping to see.
Here's A.C.'s link for her project "She Is the End."
Have a great weekend!
-V.R.
Whew...made it through another Monday. Hallelujah. I just wanted to say hi and hope everybody had a phenomenal weekend. Do anything fun? Read any good books?
I don't want to spam you guys, but just wanted to thank you again for all of your great support. It's been really incredible to see.
We're still a ways out of the top 5, but it's not impossible to get there. If you feel compelled, spread the word about, "Shaping Fate" as well as any of the other projects here. There are some really great ones! No matter what happens, it really has been cool to see other writers and readers supporting this contest and our collective works. It means more than you know.
I'll cut this off now, but thanks again for all of your kind words and support. Keep spreading the word to all of your reader friends!
Thank you!!
-V.R.
Greetings Team Shaping Fate!
Who's ready for the weekend? I definitely am! This was the first week of middle school for my daughter and it's been a great, but incredibly busy week.
I wanted to share with you where the idea for Shaping Fate first originated. I was on the Metro in DC. I'd gotten on the train at the airport returning home from a trip to California. It had been a long day, and for some reason I was thinking, "What if there were two immortals, and one really liked his immortality, but the other one didn't? What would be some good reasons that a person would not want to live forever?"
Yes, these are the kinds of thoughts that bounce around my head when I'm tired and riding a train. This question became the basis for the two main characters of "Shaping Fate"; William, whom you met in chapter 1. It's posted on the Inkshares site here, in case you missed it. The other character is Gabriel which we'll meet in chapter 2, and I can't wait. He's one of my favorite characters to write.
I hope you have had a great week so far, and if you have a few moments, I hope you'll spread the word about "Shaping Fate" and this contest. Facebook, Twitter, E-mail, whatever works. The top 5 is still within reach and I thank you all so much for the amazing support you've already shown.
All my best,
-V.R.
Greetings Team Shaping Fate!
What an amazing week. I seriously can't thank you all enough for your amazing support. I haven't been this excited about this particular project for a long time.
I'll be honest...when you are with a story as long as I've been with Shaping Fate, (over 10 years!), you have days where you think it's the next big thing and you have days where you want to set fire to it and never speak of it again. Even on the "fire" days, I still love the characters and still have hope that the story can be something incredible. The fact that you have read the first chapter and chosen to throw your support behind it, and I haven't even bribed you, means a great deal. :-)
I know it's Friday and we're all looking forward to the weekend, so I'll leave it here, but stay tuned, because next week we'll dig into the plot and characters a bit more. I can't wait to share them with you.
Have the BEST weekend,