A.C. Weston · Author · added almost 10 years ago

Hey everyone! It is late. LATE. I did a looong shift at a booth at the state fair today, and I'm beat.

Go watch it to see who won!

And I'll post Episode III tomorrow morning because it's done... more or less... it's sort of presentable...

Coming in Episode III:

The passphrase is exchanged - Someone draws the wrong conclusion - No one eats their hand off - Relai is fooled once - Beauty helps - Several things explode - A mind is probed in Tijuana - Plan # 526

A.C. Weston · Author · added almost 10 years ago · 2 likes

Hey all - guess who just sliced open her finger on the paper cutter as she was cutting up your names for the art drawing?!? THIS GIRL.

(No stitches, I'm fine. Just light-headed, haha... ha...)

So anyway, I'll do the art drawing video tonight and post it tomorrow along with Episode III, which is in much better shape thanks to my husband's incisive critique.

In the meantime, you want to see my sketches of my OT5, don't you? Check 'em out:

Relai -

Milo (post-haircut that happens in Episode VIII) -

Tannor -

Ky again -

And Goren -

(Fun fact: they day I was doing Ky and Goren I'd lost my eraser, so I decided to do those without erasing anything as a personal challenge, so that's why they're rougher.)

AND... bonus speed-sketch that I did last night of Goren for fun, because we all need more fun in our lives -

Aww, he's so worried about Relai!

Now go check out these cool books:

Children of the Forest by Byron Gillan - As her country sinks into chaos and ruin, Fionna Cohmwell, the last of an ancient order of mythical warriors, must embark upon an epic journey across her people’s war-ravaged lands to slay a daemon that threatens the balance of man and nature. (Ecological sci-fi/fantasy?!? Give me more of this! Also the writing is solid and the author's voice is great.)

Filtered by Gerald Lamb - "Wear your mask. The massive neon billboard commands me the moment I step out of my room. A picture of a dead school girl lying on the sidewalk drives the point home. The floor to ceiling windows in the high rise apartment make it impossible to escape the sign’s bright red cries for attention. I move to the glass like a moth to flame. My feet fall silently on the polished floors." (I'm always into post-apolcalyptic hellscapes that are more than they seem.)

:) Happy FRIDAY!

A.C. Weston · Author · added almost 10 years ago · 7 likes

Oh, wow, guys -

Lindsey Buroker promoted my project on twitter! Look!

Lindsey is a YA author who has written several fantasy series and is an important voice in the self-publishing community. She has been an incredible resource and source of inspiration for me, and I highly recommend her blog.

On the off chance that she might see my message and have the time, I emailed her and asked her to check out my page on Inkshares... and she promoted me! Ahhh!! No pre-orders have come of it, but that's okay. It's still exciting!

I also made a recommendation for the Inkshares blog Week Two Top Ten article, which is cool because maybe then you'll all go pre-order Drift. DO IT.

In other news, I think episode III will be up on Saturday because it's a mess and I have to fix it. Balance competing motivations, they say! BUILD TENSION, they say! How do I write BETTER?? Sheesh.

Anyway,

A.C. Weston · Author · added almost 10 years ago

(This is a reply to Andrew) Full jaeger name: Hodor Hodor? Hodor Fist? Ho Dor? (I think everyone should come up with what their book's jaeger would be, and what the co-pilots would be. A spent a lot of time figuring out mine!)

Andrew J. Ainsworth · Author · added almost 10 years ago

Congrats, Cara! By the way, I am giggling so hard at your video's thumbnail being "Lady Fist". My jaeger would be Hodor.

A.C. Weston · Author · added almost 10 years ago · 6 likes

100!
100!
100!

We did it! 100 readers! This was the goal I set for myself in my first YEAR after my book was published. It's not published yet, true, but this is still a big milestone for me. Thank you all so much.

Now I have to figure out who will win the illustrations... I think I'm going to print all of your names out, cut them up, and put them in a hat. Then we'll do a video of the drawing! So this is your last chance to like that one update to put your name in the running.

As for new art to share, I realized you haven't gotten to see what Ky looks like yet! Madeleine did her artwork a long time ago and Ky looks different now, so that's why I haven't shown you her impression of him.

But here's mine!

Ky doesn't know exactly how old he is... relativity, man. Relativity.

:)

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.

I've already started. I know I'm in the top 10, so maybe you don't want to help me get higher. That's fine. If anyone doesn't want to pre-order my book in return, that's okay... but I'm still ordering yours! Every single order serves as encouragement, and that's something a lot of writers could use. What will the cost be? With the numbers the top 5 are showing, the cost will be nothing but a bit of time. So go encourage each other. Order each other's books and promote them on twitter and review their excerpts! There are a lot of great books out there that deserve more affirmation.

Like, perhaps, these books:

A Burning Light, by Katy Farmer - In a world of scars and shadows, the light is hard to find. But where it shines, it burns. (Prophecies and destinies and war and a girl with a gift. Looks like a fun YA fantasy adventure.)

The Otherworld Club, by Sam Pearson - Three outcasts find their only refuge in a world of their imagination. But when another world invades our own, these three friends will be our only hope. (Everyone loves a book that starts off with snark and goblin-stabbing!)

:) Thanks again, everyone. You're awesome.

Cara

A.C. Weston · Author · added almost 10 years ago · 21 likes

Hey friends!

I may or may not have been a little bit tipsy last night (sources can neither confirm nor deny) when I wrote that update, but the crux of it was true: I don't really care that we didn't get to 100 on my birthday. I am STILL 30 TODAY. I will be for a while, yet. So... the contest is still on. When we reach 100 readers I'll raffle off two illustrations, one for the first 70 readers and another for the newest 30.

HOWEVER...

What if you're all, "Meh. I don't actually care about some illustration that doesn't exist yet. I just wanted to support my friend Cara..."?

That's okay! No big deal! However, my art for this book is actually a really big deal to me, and I don't want to send it to people who aren't going to see value in it. So I have a request:

If you actually do really want to be in the running to win the art, LIKE THIS UPDATE.

If you don't so much really care to receive any art, DON'T LIKE IT.

If you work for Inkshares... man, I don't know? Do you have rules for if you can win your potential authors' contests?

If you were raised in Minnesota and can't imagine how I could possibly not be silently offended if you don't like this update, it's okay. I grew up in Colorado. I'm not offended.

Thanks!

Now, go read about these books and consider pre-ordering them:

Witches Undercover by Rochelle German:

“Hold the torch a little lower, I can’t tell if that’s a newt or a candy bar wrapper.” Cheryl wiped her hair out of her face with the back of her hand. “And why did it have to be a torch? Don’t you think people will notice?”

“Like I said in the car, anything like a flashlight will emit EM radiation that could taint our specimens. It throws off the magic.” Kimberley lowered the torch closer to Cheryl’s back, careful not to singe her hoodie.

How can you not already want to buy this book?? I love love LOVE the fantastical blended so wittily with the mundane. So fun. I want to read it.

Drift by Danielle Mohr:

Jax flinches at the word "chip." Having his wrist chip changed out will end his military career and completely redefine his rank. The blue star insignia spinning slowly next to his bio in my retina screen will be stripped from him, replaced with the plain green half moon marking him as a civilian.

People will talk, certainly. Failing training is rare, particularly for someone of his genetic rank. Even without reading his signature, I'd known from his build, and his endurance and strength in prelims, that he was exceptionally well-designed. His parents will be distraught about his dismissal. They probably paid a fortune for his blueprint, and another hefty sum for his incubation and birth.

Such a careful, thoroughly designed world. John Robin's blog is going to love this lady. And the characters! They're already making me feel things!

Okay, back to the nighmarish mess that is Episode III...

Later, everyone!

:)

A.C. Weston · Author · added almost 10 years ago · 4 likes

(to the tune of "Happy Birthday")

Happy birthday to me,

I didn't reach 100 readers but I don't care because I had a great birthday and you're all really valuable to me individually and that outweighs an arbitrary numerical indicator of my marketing outreach,

So here's a new episode,

I hope it kicks ass

(JK it DOES)

Love, Cara

A.C. Weston · Author · added almost 10 years ago · 3 likes

Now it's 20 for 30!!! 10 new readers in the last half-day. You guys! Thank you!

I'm not going to do many long posts because we're going hiking and then we're going ON A PADDLE BOAT RIDE, but I wanted to let you know I appreciate everyone who has told friends about my book or found it on your own or finally gotten around to ordering it!

But first... to enter the last few paper edits! (My husband is apparently writing some diatribe on why my book is great, so I'll link to that later. He also did FAN ART and I'll see if he lets me show you that, too. Oh, my sweetie honey.)

EPISODE II IS COMING....

# of words until someone dies: ~300

# of times people smirk: 3 (that's not too many, right?)

Uneasy alliances: 4

# of times Ky is a dick: all the times

Andrew J. Ainsworth · Author · added about 10 years ago

Keep doing your thing. You're doing it well. Happy Birthday, lady.