I love the idea of Dorothy being called back to Oz. When only a young girl, she was an amazing leader (along with the brilliant Toto, of course) and needs more to her life than Kansas forever. I want to read this!

(This should be a single email ONLY if you do not follow my other book, The Slave Prince.)  

Get A FREE Book Now!!!

Well... not this book. I’m sure you already have a copy. But... I’m talking about my newest title on Inkshares, Whispers of the Wind! And what I meant to say was, you can now READ the entire book, all 65,841 words, for free as part of its participation in the 2020 All-Genre Manuscript Contest!

So... what is the book about? 

Seventeen-year-old Robb is the king of Zeruko. He, and his twin sister Myra, ascended the throne after their father’s passing. According to many, King Daemon-arch-nemesis and ruler of Tentazoa-murdered the late king. But despite the claims, Robb believes his father is still alive.

With a desire to bring his father home, Robb leaves Zeruko with his trusted friend Spion. The pair travel to the realms of the universe through the magic of raindrops. From the hazardous trip behind enemy lines to the festive East Asian-esque Meihua; from the kingdom hovering above the clouds to the heterogeneous society of a tunneled realm, every step in his journey uncovers a gem of his past, present, and future. And in one foresight, Robb learns the daunting fate of Zeruko.

 (Book cover below) 

You can read more about the book on the book page, alongside all chapters ready to be devoured in your spare time. The book is also open for pre-orders, should you wish to fund it. That being said, if you love realm travel, magic, and youthful adventures, do give Whispers of the Wind a try! I would really appreciate it.

READ ’WHISPERS OF THE WIND’ NOW!

It’s September 15th! 

To some, it’s the Mid-Autumn Festival. To me, even though I’m craving mooncakes, it’s the one year publication anniversary of The Battle for Oz! 

Can you believe it? It has been a year! After 3 months of crowd-funding, 9 months of production, The Battle for Oz hit the shelves on September 15th, 2015. Now one year later, the book has sold over 1000 copies, has been reviewed by Jack & Jill Magazine, has been chosen by the Inkshares Book Club, and maybe, just maybe, will end up as an audiobook in the future.  

But all those aside, I want you to know that I’ve not forgotten your support during the crowd-funding season. Your willingness to stand beside me and believe in my dreams made this book happen. Without you, I wouldn’t be writing this today. Without you, I wouldn’t have started another campaign on Inkshares. So thank you for your generosity and faith. 

If you’re a reader who’ve only hopped on after the publication of the book, I am still very grateful for your support. You’re keeping the book alive - making it relevant among the many books out there! So thank you for giving The Battle for Oz a chance. 

I’m extremely grateful to have you in my Oz adventure, and I’ll be continuing on my dream-chasing journey. If you’d like to come along, oh please do! You’re most welcomed. But if you’d like to get off here, know that I will always remember our camaraderie. 

Till the next epic tale, have a wonderful day!

*My new novel, The Slave Prince has entered the Geek & Sundry Fantasy Contest. Should you be interested in joining this adventure with me, visit https://www.inkshares.com/books/the-slave-prince and pre-order a copy!

Making a Comeback!

‘To achieve a success after a retirement or failure.’ – a reliable dictionary I found online.

I am making a comeback. The Slave Prince is making a comeback.

My last success on Inkshares was in January 2015. My last failure on Inkshares was in January 2016. (What a coincidence!) But what is failure, really? Giving up. So that’s why I’m back.

When The Slave Prince didn’t make it to the top 3 in the Sword & Laser Collection Contest, I was disappointed. But I knew, from the get-go, that I wasn’t going to give up on this book. And when the opportunity arose, I would put it out there again.

The opportunity has arrived… in the form of the Geek & Sundry fantasy contest.

The Geek & Sundry contest opens now till November 1st. The top 3 books with the most unique pre-orders will receive a full publishing deal with Inkshares.

Obviously, The Slave Prince is at risk of ‘failing’ again. But I’m not going to fail, because whatever obstacle stands before me, I will dig under, I will climb over, and if I have to, I will break my way through. (Sounds like I’m giving myself a pep talk, eh?)

I don’t think I’ve said this before, but The Slave Prince is an important book to me… far more important than The Battle for Oz. If I could turn back time, I would’ve funded The Slave Prince first. But alas, I’m no time traveller.

The Slave Prince wasn’t just written for fun, but for me. The Slave Prince, Thom himself, reminds me I can do anything if I believe in myself. The adventure reminds me that perseverance can make the impossible possible. And the premise… the premise reminds me of the power of child-like make-believe. (Why am I tearing up? This is weird.)   

Every time I revisit The Slave Prince in my editing rounds, I am reminded to believe in myself and keep contending for the impossible. If it were another book, I’m not too sure if I’d feel the same way. So here I am, hoping you’ll stand with me and this book.

I know my book isn’t the best book out there, but I hope the story speaks to you. I also hope… you’ll give me a chance to make this comeback real. Thank you so very much for reading all the way to the end! And please grab a copy on your way out. I would be eternally grateful.

About The Slave Prince

The Slave Prince follows the tale of Thom, a mischievous teenage prince who discovers his lineage in the slave race. When the calling to be the chosen one arises, he relies on the power of a magical dagger to save his people.

Book page: https://www.inkshares.com/books/the-slave-prince

Happy New Year!

*Artwork courtesy of Ryan Yee, based on a pivotal scene in The Slave Prince.

Bear with me. 

I know I've been sending reader updates a few times this month regarding The Slave Prince, but bear with me. This isn't about The Slave Prince... this is about Dax Harrison.

I want to give a special shout-out to a project that deserves support. With 5 more days, it is so very close to reaching it's goal! 

So, who is Dax Harrison? Dax Harrison is a hero. A legend. And a schmuck. His story is set in a space-faring future, where an alien war criminal seeks vengeance on humanity. Dax, a celebrated-but-bumbling hero, is forced back into action... whether he likes it or not.

To find out more, visit its project page here: https://www.inkshares.com/projects/dax-harrison-2276

There's a giveaway happening on the project page too. Tony Valdez, author of this book, is raffling off a mug featuring the book's retro sci-fi cover art for every 10 orders. So you might just win one!  

Now, if there's a possibility you might be considering The Slave Prince, can I just ask you consider Dax Harrison first? The campaign ends on December 27th, so helping Tony cross the finish line would certainly be an awesome christmas present. Please check out the project and help make someone's dream come true. That is all :)

Thanks for reading! And once again, merry christmas!

This morning, my alarm rang the cliche Nokia (not a sponsor) alarm at 6am. 

I crawled out of bed with the ghosts of my strange dreams and made myself a cup of coffee (of course, only after I've brushed my teeth). Then, I got ready for the review-a-thon live stream!

Don't worry, if you didn't manage to catch the live stream while it was still live, you can watch it on YouTube. 

My interview starts around 10:20. I spoke a little about The Battle for Oz and The Slave Prince, as well as what I do as my day job.

But wait... don't just watch mine. Watch the whole thing! We also had Gary Whitta (scriptwriter of The Book of Eli and the upcoming Rogue One) and Adam Gomolin (Inkshares VP) with us. Aside from that, there were mentions of many books worth supporting on Inkshares. So if you have a couple of hours to spare, check it out!

By the way, I know I mentioned in the interview that The Slave Prince is ranked #10 in the Sword & Laser Collection contest, but I just realised it has been bumped to #11. 

 
If you have yet to see what it's all about, please do :) I've added a new chapter too, and will continue to do so as more people come along for the adventure.

I hope you had a great weekend! I know I did :) Oh, and an advance Merry Christmas to all!

I don't think I can leave any better review for this book than this: I've come home to my 8 year old daughter curled up on the couch or sprawled out on the floor with her face glued to this book several times this week.  Tonight when I went to put her to bed, I found her buried in a mountain of legos building a castle only she could envision with, you guessed it, this book lying less than a foot away, her place carefully marked.