(Long post, Wall-o’-text incoming)
*Hey everyone, Joe here. I’m still going through some stuff but I feel a lot better than I did last week. I’d like to thank those of you that reached out to make sure I was doing OK, that really meant a lot. Thank you for your concern and for listening to my relationship struggles! lol*
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[It’s important to note that this takes a bit of time to write and all numbers and placements are based on where everyone is when I write this. It may be different now but it should be close.]
You can view last weeks here: The Story So Far Part 5
The second week of month two - seriously, where is the time going? The retail store I work in already has Halloween candy and back-to-school is over, despite the fact that kids are just going back to school now. Yikes! Welcome back to The Story So Far, my name is @Joey Angotti and I’ll be your guide for this evening. Gaps are starting to close, Storm Song by Allison Griner finally gets some badass cover art and with roughly two months to go that 1st place spot may already be a run-away, all of this and more highlight this sixth week of the Geek and Sundry fantasy contest right here on Inkshares! Let’s take a closer look!
10. A Beast Requires by @Jay Lockwood (85 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 9th)
A Beast Requires by Jay Lockwood falls to the 10th spot in the contest after a long run at 9th or below. Despite that fact, I still believe it will be difficult to knock Mr. Lockwood out of the 10th spot. I still consider this a recovery week for this title, as Mr. Lockwood has made it very clear that he was battling his own dragons last week. As a writer of a book with a Dragon race, I know they have potential to be destructive and ruthless. If you’re looking to help Mr. Lockwood get back on the right track - I strongly suggest you visit his book page. The first five chapters are viewable there as well as an audio version of the prologue. His sense of humor in the comments section is worth a view alone even if you’re not sold on the book just yet.
9. Flames in the Dark by @Tara Roquemore (86 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 10th)
The content that Tara Roquemore provided last week for her book, Flames in the Dark, was phenomenal. If you haven’t had a chance to view the prologue, or the short story that inspired her fantasy world - I strongly suggest you do so. With only one unique reader ahead of A Beast Requires, Ms. Roquemore is also fighting to stay in the Top 10. That’s not stopping the momentum of her campaign though - she’s well over 100 preorders and well on her way to quill. Top 10 or not, I believe we’ll see Flames in the Dark on the shelves of our local bookstores one day. The writing is just too good. #Prologue #GotEm #ThoughtIForgot?
8. Leaf Falling by @Michael Slusser (88 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 8th)
Leaf Falling by Michael Slusser started its campaign with a bang but lately has teetered off. Though still in contention for a Top 10 spot, the bottom of the Top 10 is starting to get extremely tight and a sudden surge from a new entry could see one of the lower ranked books knocked out of the Top 10 spot. This could mean less exposure - something Mr. Slusser is trying to avoid:
“If you want to find out how Leaf is ensnared by the will of powerful forces, how she meets the tenacious Alcanor or the canny Rhyslowe, and just how far her journeys will carry her, encourage your friends, neighbors, family, more intellectual pets, and discerning contacts of every flavor to put in their vote--risk free!--as soon as may be.”
You can check out more of this well-constructed plea from Mr. Slusser over on his book page. I’ve already expressed my interest in Leaf as a character and you should definitely check this series out as soon as you’re able.
7. Chronicles of An Domhan by @Conri (105 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 5th)
I think it’s safe to say we’re all patiently waiting for Mr. Conri to give us some more content for Chronicles of An Domhan. Which, to be honest, sounds kinda crazy since there is already a TON of content over on his book page. Despite only going up a single unique reader since the last The Story So Far and falling 2 spots, I still strongly believe that Mr. Conri has the following and support needed to make another surge in this contest. Like I said, we’re all just patiently waiting!
6. The Delicate Art of Soulripping by @Sara (106 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 6th)
The Delicate Art of Soulripping by Sara Polk didn’t gain or lose any ground. It tagged on 3 more unique readers and Ms. Polk released the third chapter(like, literally a few minutes after last week’s The Story So Far…) - I really don’t want to spoil it, but it’s awesome and you should go read it. It’s a bit longer than the other two chapters which, as a fan of Ms. Polk’s writing, made me extremely happy to see. If you haven’t read the first two chapters, you should at least check out the first one and see how you feel about the story. It’s really good though, so I imagine you’re going to stay for the rest. It’s the dark fantasy story this contest needs and the one that deserves your attention. Get to it!
5. The Living God by @Kaytalin Platt (108 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 7th)
Kaytalin Platt’s story, The Living God, has broken 100 unique readers! With this milestone, Ms. Platt also finds herself back in the Top 5. Her comment section is definitely worth a read as her support for fellow Inksharians is off the charts. She helped design the new awesome cover for Storm Song, she got a shout out and returned the favor for Tantalus Depths by @Evan Graham (a book definitely worth checking out!) and on top of that provided some cool content in the form of another character bio:
“Saran D’Mor is the daughter of Yarin D’mor, King of Adrid. Her mother died when she was very young, and many speculate that she committed suicide to escape her husband. Saran was raised like a son and taught to fight and lead armies. As such, she lacks the qualities present in most noble women. Saran is passionate about deposing her father and placing someone more worthy on the throne but does not desire that position for herself. She wants to leave the title behind and spend her remaining days living quietly with the two men that she cares for, Keleir, and his brother, Rowe. Saran D’Mor is a Time Mage.”
Love me some Time Mages! Sounds interesting! Oh yeah, if that wasn’t all cool enough for you, she also hooked us all up with a short story about Zombies she wrote based on a *nightmare* she had. Sweet!
4. The Fairy Stepmother, Inc. by @Maggie Hoyt (145 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 4th)
Maggie Hoyt has been busy the last week. The last The Story So Far, she had 109 unique preorders. This week she has 145! Not counting the absolutely insane campaign happening in 1st place of this contest, this is one of the strongest surges in the contest this late in the game. This week it might have seemed she was going to solidify herself in 4th place, but as of right now that isn’t the case. She’s making a serious push for the 3rd place spot. So what’s all the hype about?(It’s probably got a lot to do with that cool dragon icon in the title bars… Yeah, I’m still talking about it one week later!) You should go read the prologue and the first 3 chapters. While you’re at it, you should head down to the comments section to find some exclusive excerpts that reveal more Fairy Tales other than Cinderella making their way into the story! Go check it out!
3. The Slave Prince by @Jeyna Grace (162 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 3rd)
Jeyna Grace and her book, The Slave Prince, have been one of the frontrunners for this contest since the beginning. With The Fairy Stepmother Inc. creeping up from behind, it’s certainly making the Top 3 a lot more interesting. As of this writing, Ms. Grace sits just one preorder behind Allison Griner’s Storm Song - a book that I once thought couldn’t be caught - and could find herself in 2nd place sooner rather than later. This has been a contest of momentum swings and Ms. Grace is going to need to utilize all of her resources if she’s going to remain in the Top 3 come November 1st. Luckily, she’s had some of the most consistent comment updates throughout her campaign. Luckily for us, she’s been offered some assistance from the author of Journey, @Richard Saunders . It’s lucky for us because the next 20 unique readers who preorder will be entered into a raffle to win 3 signed copies of Mr. Saunders aforementioned book, Journey! You should go check out her page and consider preordering so you can get two awesome books for the price of one!
2. Storm Song by @Allison Griner (163 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 2nd)
Well, here we are a week later and the shock of Allison Griner’s Storm Song not being ranked 1st has worn off. Now she battles with Jeyna Grace’s The Slave Prince for 2nd place. But with almost 2 months left in the contest, who cares about all of that drama? Have you seen that new cover art?! With a little help from fellow Inksharian and Geek and Sundry Fantasy Contest entree Kaytalin Platt - Storm Song has finally gotten the epic cover it deserves! It looks awesome! The into line: “Like any good story, it started with a bit too much to drink.” that opens up her book page now has a fancy-written graphic. That’s not all, you can now follow Storm Song and the campaign updates throughout all of your social media outlets - Facebook, Twitter and Instagram - and you should also check out a press release on prweb.com about the excitement surrounding the book!
1. Sparked by @Lena (Helena and Malena) (304 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 1st)
304 unique readers, 423 preorders and no sign of slowing down any time soon. That just about sums up the unstoppable train that is the campaign for Sparked by Helena Echlin and Malena Watrous. First off, congratulations to both of these fantastic authors on reaching over 300 unique readers! A secondary congrats on already hitting the quill goal with about 2 months left in the contest. Sparked is the odds on favorite and the book to beat, but even with 2 months left it doesn’t seem like anyone has a chance of dethroning them in this contest. As great as the campaign by Allison Griner has been or the constant surges of Jeyna Grace’s The Slave Prince, both are almost 150 unique readers behind after dominating the Top 2 spots for majority of the contest. Sparked would need a tremendous halt in readers and preorders to be in any risk of losing a Top 3 spot in this contest and the books trying to play catch up would need some unbelievable support.
The first 250 people who preordered get their own free writing session(awesome!) and if you’re not a writer you can pass it along to a friend. You should go check Sparked out on Facebook, where these two lovely authors gave a shout out to a certain writer of a certain forum post on the Inkshares forums(Thank you, ladies!) and you should also check out their offer for a free writing consultation if you preorder by September 19th.
If all of that isn’t enough to get you excited about Sparked, the 3rd chapter is now uploaded and available on their book page. You should definitely go check it out! Ms. Echlin and Ms. Watrous are fabulous contributors to the writing community as a whole, not just here on Inkshares. It’s great to see nice people trying to help out fellow authors/writers get rewarded for their hard work and dedication to the craft. Let’s continue to give them our support!
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This edition of The Story So Far is a bit shorter due to the fact that a lot of the Top 10 seem to be losing a bit of steam(it happens in these contests), which is totally fine. I can still do these by being a bit more crafty since everyone isn’t uploading as much content as they were in the beginning. This week I have closing shifts Saturday and Sunday and I’m already writing this after a long day of work(been up since 5AM) so next week I’m planning to fully read everything everyone has posted so far so that I can further break down each story. Next week’s edition should be a bit longer and more detailed. Promise! :)
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I’m not sure people who aren’t tagged are even reading this or slightly interested. Also, people not using the forums enough could not be seeing this as well. Any and all extra exposure of this forum post would be appreciated!(It’s a lot of work to not be seen by more people on the site!) - A mention on your books page or more comments could keep this afloat and make sure more people see this post - therefore more exposure and good things for your entry! Plus it might get more people involved on the forums which is good for Inkshares as a whole, imo.
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Shameless Plug: Want to help me out in a way that literally costs you nothing? The first book in the Soldier’s Crest Series/Universe has been self-published and is already available on Amazon. Once you all get there one day you will understand the importance of Amazon reviews - please head over, check out the book(there is a “Look Inside” feature), and leave a positive review! I know it’s a cheap and maybe not completely honest review of the book, but much like Inkshare Contests, quantity/numbers go far in that regard. It could really increase sales of my first book, help me achieve my dreams and hopefully do things like this for a living(the whole point of us all being here, right?)!
A Soldier’s Crest
Review Update: My current goal for reviews on Amazon is 30. I heard 30 positive reviews makes a huge difference in being noticed. As of this post I’m still sitting at 23! Which means just 7 more and I’ll hit my goal already and I just started pushing for it. I’m super grateful for those who have already helped out from Inkshares, even if it’s just to get an easy preorder, it still means alot to me. Thank you!
Lastly I want to thank Inkshares for making this site and giving aspiring authors like us a chance to share our stories. I also want to thank all the Inksharians, especially those in the Top 10, for giving me some interesting stories to read and write about.
Cheers!
-J.A.
(I post it first then add the links after, so if you click on it right away you may not see the links. Just know that they’re gonna be added in an edit right after! Thanks for your patience and sorry for the inconvenience!)
EDIT: Links added.
(Long post, Wall-o’-text incoming)
*Hey everyone, Joe here. I’m still going through some stuff but I feel a lot better than I did last week. I’d like to thank those of you that reached out to make sure I was doing OK, that really meant a lot. Thank you for your concern and for listening to my relationship struggles! lol*
----
[It’s important to note that this takes a bit of time to write and all numbers and placements are based on where everyone is when I write this. It may be different now but it should be close.]
You can view last weeks here: The Story So Far Part 5
The second week of month two - seriously, where is the time going? The retail store I work in already has Halloween candy and back-to-school is over, despite the fact that kids are just going back to school now. Yikes! Welcome back to The Story So Far, my name is @Joey Angotti and I’ll be your guide for this evening. Gaps are starting to close, Storm Song by Allison Griner finally gets some badass cover art and with roughly two months to go that 1st place spot may already be a run-away, all of this and more highlight this sixth week of the Geek and Sundry fantasy contest right here on Inkshares! Let’s take a closer look!
10. A Beast Requires by @Jay Lockwood (85 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 9th)
A Beast Requires by Jay Lockwood falls to the 10th spot in the contest after a long run at 9th or below. Despite that fact, I still believe it will be difficult to knock Mr. Lockwood out of the 10th spot. I still consider this a recovery week for this title, as Mr. Lockwood has made it very clear that he was battling his own dragons last week. As a writer of a book with a Dragon race, I know they have potential to be destructive and ruthless. If you’re looking to help Mr. Lockwood get back on the right track - I strongly suggest you visit his book page. The first five chapters are viewable there as well as an audio version of the prologue. His sense of humor in the comments section is worth a view alone even if you’re not sold on the book just yet.
9. Flames in the Dark by @Tara Roquemore (86 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 10th)
The content that Tara Roquemore provided last week for her book, Flames in the Dark, was phenomenal. If you haven’t had a chance to view the prologue, or the short story that inspired her fantasy world - I strongly suggest you do so. With only one unique reader ahead of A Beast Requires, Ms. Roquemore is also fighting to stay in the Top 10. That’s not stopping the momentum of her campaign though - she’s well over 100 preorders and well on her way to quill. Top 10 or not, I believe we’ll see Flames in the Dark on the shelves of our local bookstores one day. The writing is just too good. #Prologue #GotEm #ThoughtIForgot?
8. Leaf Falling by @Michael Slusser (88 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 8th)
Leaf Falling by Michael Slusser started its campaign with a bang but lately has teetered off. Though still in contention for a Top 10 spot, the bottom of the Top 10 is starting to get extremely tight and a sudden surge from a new entry could see one of the lower ranked books knocked out of the Top 10 spot. This could mean less exposure - something Mr. Slusser is trying to avoid:
“If you want to find out how Leaf is ensnared by the will of powerful forces, how she meets the tenacious Alcanor or the canny Rhyslowe, and just how far her journeys will carry her, encourage your friends, neighbors, family, more intellectual pets, and discerning contacts of every flavor to put in their vote--risk free!--as soon as may be.”
You can check out more of this well-constructed plea from Mr. Slusser over on his book page. I’ve already expressed my interest in Leaf as a character and you should definitely check this series out as soon as you’re able.
7. Chronicles of An Domhan by @Conri (105 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 5th)
I think it’s safe to say we’re all patiently waiting for Mr. Conri to give us some more content for Chronicles of An Domhan. Which, to be honest, sounds kinda crazy since there is already a TON of content over on his book page. Despite only going up a single unique reader since the last The Story So Far and falling 2 spots, I still strongly believe that Mr. Conri has the following and support needed to make another surge in this contest. Like I said, we’re all just patiently waiting!
6. The Delicate Art of Soulripping by @Sara (106 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 6th)
The Delicate Art of Soulripping by Sara Polk didn’t gain or lose any ground. It tagged on 3 more unique readers and Ms. Polk released the third chapter(like, literally a few minutes after last week’s The Story So Far…) - I really don’t want to spoil it, but it’s awesome and you should go read it. It’s a bit longer than the other two chapters which, as a fan of Ms. Polk’s writing, made me extremely happy to see. If you haven’t read the first two chapters, you should at least check out the first one and see how you feel about the story. It’s really good though, so I imagine you’re going to stay for the rest. It’s the dark fantasy story this contest needs and the one that deserves your attention. Get to it!
5. The Living God by @Kaytalin Platt (108 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 7th)
Kaytalin Platt’s story, The Living God, has broken 100 unique readers! With this milestone, Ms. Platt also finds herself back in the Top 5. Her comment section is definitely worth a read as her support for fellow Inksharians is off the charts. She helped design the new awesome cover for Storm Song, she got a shout out and returned the favor for Tantalus Depths by @Evan Graham (a book definitely worth checking out!) and on top of that provided some cool content in the form of another character bio:
“Saran D’Mor is the daughter of Yarin D’mor, King of Adrid. Her mother died when she was very young, and many speculate that she committed suicide to escape her husband. Saran was raised like a son and taught to fight and lead armies. As such, she lacks the qualities present in most noble women. Saran is passionate about deposing her father and placing someone more worthy on the throne but does not desire that position for herself. She wants to leave the title behind and spend her remaining days living quietly with the two men that she cares for, Keleir, and his brother, Rowe. Saran D’Mor is a Time Mage.”
Love me some Time Mages! Sounds interesting! Oh yeah, if that wasn’t all cool enough for you, she also hooked us all up with a short story about Zombies she wrote based on a *nightmare* she had. Sweet!
4. The Fairy Stepmother, Inc. by @Maggie Hoyt (145 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 4th)
Maggie Hoyt has been busy the last week. The last The Story So Far, she had 109 unique preorders. This week she has 145! Not counting the absolutely insane campaign happening in 1st place of this contest, this is one of the strongest surges in the contest this late in the game. This week it might have seemed she was going to solidify herself in 4th place, but as of right now that isn’t the case. She’s making a serious push for the 3rd place spot. So what’s all the hype about?(It’s probably got a lot to do with that cool dragon icon in the title bars… Yeah, I’m still talking about it one week later!) You should go read the prologue and the first 3 chapters. While you’re at it, you should head down to the comments section to find some exclusive excerpts that reveal more Fairy Tales other than Cinderella making their way into the story! Go check it out!
3. The Slave Prince by @Jeyna Grace (162 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 3rd)
Jeyna Grace and her book, The Slave Prince, have been one of the frontrunners for this contest since the beginning. With The Fairy Stepmother Inc. creeping up from behind, it’s certainly making the Top 3 a lot more interesting. As of this writing, Ms. Grace sits just one preorder behind Allison Griner’s Storm Song - a book that I once thought couldn’t be caught - and could find herself in 2nd place sooner rather than later. This has been a contest of momentum swings and Ms. Grace is going to need to utilize all of her resources if she’s going to remain in the Top 3 come November 1st. Luckily, she’s had some of the most consistent comment updates throughout her campaign. Luckily for us, she’s been offered some assistance from the author of Journey, @Richard Saunders . It’s lucky for us because the next 20 unique readers who preorder will be entered into a raffle to win 3 signed copies of Mr. Saunders aforementioned book, Journey! You should go check out her page and consider preordering so you can get two awesome books for the price of one!
2. Storm Song by @Allison Griner (163 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 2nd)
Well, here we are a week later and the shock of Allison Griner’s Storm Song not being ranked 1st has worn off. Now she battles with Jeyna Grace’s The Slave Prince for 2nd place. But with almost 2 months left in the contest, who cares about all of that drama? Have you seen that new cover art?! With a little help from fellow Inksharian and Geek and Sundry Fantasy Contest entree Kaytalin Platt - Storm Song has finally gotten the epic cover it deserves! It looks awesome! The into line: “Like any good story, it started with a bit too much to drink.” that opens up her book page now has a fancy-written graphic. That’s not all, you can now follow Storm Song and the campaign updates throughout all of your social media outlets - Facebook, Twitter and Instagram - and you should also check out a press release on prweb.com about the excitement surrounding the book!
1. Sparked by @Lena (Helena and Malena) (304 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 1st)
304 unique readers, 423 preorders and no sign of slowing down any time soon. That just about sums up the unstoppable train that is the campaign for Sparked by Helena Echlin and Malena Watrous. First off, congratulations to both of these fantastic authors on reaching over 300 unique readers! A secondary congrats on already hitting the quill goal with about 2 months left in the contest. Sparked is the odds on favorite and the book to beat, but even with 2 months left it doesn’t seem like anyone has a chance of dethroning them in this contest. As great as the campaign by Allison Griner has been or the constant surges of Jeyna Grace’s The Slave Prince, both are almost 150 unique readers behind after dominating the Top 2 spots for majority of the contest. Sparked would need a tremendous halt in readers and preorders to be in any risk of losing a Top 3 spot in this contest and the books trying to play catch up would need some unbelievable support.
The first 250 people who preordered get their own free writing session(awesome!) and if you’re not a writer you can pass it along to a friend. You should go check Sparked out on Facebook, where these two lovely authors gave a shout out to a certain writer of a certain forum post on the Inkshares forums(Thank you, ladies!) and you should also check out their offer for a free writing consultation if you preorder by September 19th.
If all of that isn’t enough to get you excited about Sparked, the 3rd chapter is now uploaded and available on their book page. You should definitely go check it out! Ms. Echlin and Ms. Watrous are fabulous contributors to the writing community as a whole, not just here on Inkshares. It’s great to see nice people trying to help out fellow authors/writers get rewarded for their hard work and dedication to the craft. Let’s continue to give them our support!
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This edition of The Story So Far is a bit shorter due to the fact that a lot of the Top 10 seem to be losing a bit of steam(it happens in these contests), which is totally fine. I can still do these by being a bit more crafty since everyone isn’t uploading as much content as they were in the beginning. This week I have closing shifts Saturday and Sunday and I’m already writing this after a long day of work(been up since 5AM) so next week I’m planning to fully read everything everyone has posted so far so that I can further break down each story. Next week’s edition should be a bit longer and more detailed. Promise! :)
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I’m not sure people who aren’t tagged are even reading this or slightly interested. Also, people not using the forums enough could not be seeing this as well. Any and all extra exposure of this forum post would be appreciated!(It’s a lot of work to not be seen by more people on the site!) - A mention on your books page or more comments could keep this afloat and make sure more people see this post - therefore more exposure and good things for your entry! Plus it might get more people involved on the forums which is good for Inkshares as a whole, imo.
----
Shameless Plug: Want to help me out in a way that literally costs you nothing? The first book in the Soldier’s Crest Series/Universe has been self-published and is already available on Amazon. Once you all get there one day you will understand the importance of Amazon reviews - please head over, check out the book(there is a “Look Inside” feature), and leave a positive review! I know it’s a cheap and maybe not completely honest review of the book, but much like Inkshare Contests, quantity/numbers go far in that regard. It could really increase sales of my first book, help me achieve my dreams and hopefully do things like this for a living(the whole point of us all being here, right?)!
-J.A.A Soldier’s Crest
Review Update: My current goal for reviews on Amazon is 30. I heard 30 positive reviews makes a huge difference in being noticed. As of this post I’m still sitting at 23! Which means just 7 more and I’ll hit my goal already and I just started pushing for it. I’m super grateful for those who have already helped out from Inkshares, even if it’s just to get an easy preorder, it still means alot to me. Thank you!
Lastly I want to thank Inkshares for making this site and giving aspiring authors like us a chance to share our stories. I also want to thank all the Inksharians, especially those in the Top 10, for giving me some interesting stories to read and write about.
Cheers!
(I post it first then add the links after, so if you click on it right away you may not see the links. Just know that they’re gonna be added in an edit right after! Thanks for your patience and sorry for the inconvenience!)
EDIT: Links added.