S.E. Soldwedel liked an update for She Is the End

You know how in Parks and Rec when they’re in city council meetings, and Jeremy Jamm says something like,

"Let the record show, there was a standing ovation," and there wasn’t?

Well... let the record show, I sent out my manuscript to my beta readers on the 1-year anniversary of my joining Inkshares!

Haha jk no I didn’t, I sent the first half of it out LAST NIGHT!

I’m so excited, you guys. SO. EXCITED. And nervous. But mostly excited. I really think there are at least a few people out there who will end up truly loving my story and characters, and my brilliant and generous beta readers will increase my book’s chance of reaching those people.

The first half of my book is 82K words long, so it’s plenty for them to chew on. (My book is long, okay? It is full of wonder and emotion and excitement, so I’m hoping it is the good kind of long - the kind where you don’t want it to end, even after 150K words.)

Here are the episode titles for the entire book, for your intrigue:

Episode I: Wake
Episode II: Ally
Episode III: Foe
Episode IV: Earth
Episode V: Consequences
Episode VI: Tower
Episode VII: Prophecy
Episode VIII: Rest
Episode IX: Rescue
Episode X: Whole
Episode XI: Dock
Episode XII: Wake

***

Alex and I will be finishing up the second half of She Is the End in the next few weeks and sending them out to betas, as well. Then... while we wait... I will be doing the illustrations for the book! I think I’ll do one illustration per episode, maybe two here and there, and it’s going to be a lot of work. I’ll keep you updated on my progress and probably give away a few more of the originals as a prize.

Stay tuned!

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S.E. Soldwedel liked an update for Deus Hex Machina

Today is a big day, one that I have been dreading and anticipating in equal measure. Today, I officially start editing Deus Hex Machina and building my second draft.

Here’s what the process looks like. Staples is now my spirit animal:

For the next 30 days it’s my plan to implement the changes I have noted down on those little blue cards, honing my first draft into a stronger, more coherent second. When that is done, I will be more than ready to move from alpha reading into beta. As before, let me know if you’re interested.

Once I have the second draft returned from beta readers I’ll hash out a third draft, and then I should be ready to submit to Inkshares by the end of the year. For those that like timelines (and so that I have some accountability for my process) here is what I have planned for the next year:

Like any plan, this will probably change around a bit. Generally though, I am planning to write two books a year, and fund one novel in each series. This doesn’t include other projects I want to be part of, collaborations like Too Many Controllers and Makhaira, so my schedule is going to need to be a little fluid should something awesome come up that I want to take part in. I’m also toying with the idea of funding Shadow of the Owl again before I fund the sequel. There is just something very appealing about having the entire series under the Inkshares publishing umbrella.

Speaking of series, for those of you curious minded folks out there, Deus Hex Machina is a trilogy, and Shadow of the Owl et al is a series with six books planned.

So if you look at that calendar, you’ll be able to extrapolate out and figure out what I have planned for the year after that.

TL;DR: Lots of writing will be happening, mostly in my two main series so if you’re eager to find out what happens to Mylena or Isidore, fear not, books are coming.

If you have any questions, comment here or hit me up on Twitter @amandaorneck.

Enjoy the silence!

like · liked by Erin and 16 others

S.E. Soldwedel liked an update for The Traveller’s Cup

I was going to write an update in actual words, but then this happened.

If you can’t see the image, or want to view it in higher quality, you can view it here instead.

like · liked by Michelle and 18 others

S.E. Soldwedel liked an update for The Knight Proper

Zombies, Knights, Witches, Cantankerous Bards, Vengeful Daughters and Over-Protective Dads… put all this together and you get Fantasy Books HQ’s Best Fantasy Book for August 2016!!!

Also, a quick update for our backers, for those of you who haven’t received the paperback version yet, they should now be on their way (thanks, Inkshares!) and kindle/electronic versions should be available for download shortly – and Southern California friends, don’t forget our book launch/signing this Saturday, August 13th, at Barnes and Noble in Chino Hills, from 2 pm - 4 pm!

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S.E. Soldwedel liked an update for She Is the End

Dear reader, can we agree that beta readers are necessary for a book’s excellence?

Sure! But we need rules for the process to work, sir.

Hang on, is there a way we can bring Hamilton into this?

Okay, so we’re doing this...

One two three four five six seven eight nine

It’s the Ten Beta Commandments
It’s the Ten Beta Commandments!

Number one:
The challenge: invite a reaction
If they accept, set a date for the transaction

Number two:
Push it back, let’s be real, you need more time
You might lose a few but in the end it will be fine

Number three:
Get your words into a narrative flow
Plot holes, clichés, confusion gotta go

First draft, worst draft, you know it’s true
We need beta readers to do what they do!

Number four:
If they’re not writers too, that’s all right
You need your target audience to be on site

You pick ‘em for their love of the genre or themes
You have ‘em go in cold so their feedback’s clean

Five!
Send your book in the form that they prefer
If you don’t, face the fact that they’ll defer

Number six:
Let it go, spend time with family and friends
Tell ‘em where you been, promise your book is near its end

Seven!
Accept it all, critique and praise
Don’t just debate and argue your case

Number eight:
Take your time to clarify
You don’t have to agree, just understand (or try)

Number nine:
Fix your book, it was great but aim higher
Put in all the work that it requires

Then tell

one two three four five six seven eight nine (maybe) ten readers:

THANK YOU!

****

A notable day is approaching: on August 18th, 2015, I discovered Inkshares and entered the first Nerdist contest. That means my one-year Inkshares anniversary is almost here!

So, to celebrate (and give myself a deadline), I will be sending out my manuscript to beta readers on August 18th!!

My beta readers will have four weeks to get their comments back to me. I will incorporate their input over the course of another two weeks. Then...

Production on my book will begin!!

FINALLY!!

In the meantime, if you like Terry Pratchett, whimsy, or murder mysteries, order Jay Lockwood’s A Beast Requires immediately and help him win the current Geek & Sundry Fantasy contest!

Here is my review:

"Inkshares won’t let me recommend this more than once, which is a sad limitation when I like it at least ten times over. A Beast Requires mixes the wit of Douglas Adams and the whimsy of Jasper Fforde in a fairy tale land of forest slums, skeevy elf landlords, and murder. Every moment is layered in world building gold. If this book were food, it would be chocolate and I would eat it. (I may eat it anyway.)"

Nom nom.

like · liked by Kristopher and 13 others

S.E. Soldwedel followed BRUGES BLOOD - A Chandler Travis and Duke Lanoix mystery.

BRUGES BLOOD - A Chandler Travis and Duke Lanoix mystery.

Detective Travis and Sheriff Lanoix team up again when a headless torso turns up in the medieval city of Bruges.

S.E. Soldwedel commented on Disintegration

Nah. Not interested in blowing anyone up. Words are my weapons.

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S.E. Soldwedel liked an update for Mission 51

Overnight, the Mission 51 funding campaign came to an end, and the project is now in “draft” mode. We finished with a very respectable 183 pre-orders, though that was shy of the 250 required for Inkshares to publish. The book will not be published at this time.

I’ll have to say, I am much, much more excited about the whole thing than I am disappointed. When I started, this book was not written. Now it is! - I became aware of Inkshares earlier this year, half-way into the Nerdist Space Opera contest. I had an idea for a book for quite some time, so I decided to jump in late in the contest, learning the Inkshares process as I went along. I basically started from scratch, hammering away madly, and by now have developed a solid story of which I am proud. Along the way, I have met a multitude of awesome people: readers, supporters, fellow authors, artists, and the folks at Inkshares. I am nothing but gratified and encouraged!

The final tally for Mission 51 was 194 followers of the project, of which 128 wonderful people pre-ordered 183 copies of the book. I received 14 high-quality recommendations, was chosen as a “Staff Pick,” and received the support of the GREAT SCI-FI for the 21st CENTURY and BEYOND SYNDICATE. Wow! Thank you!!!

Now that Mission 51 is officially in “draft” mode, all of the readers, who have my everlasting gratitude for your interest and generous support, will get their money back. The project will remain listed on Inkshares, will continue to gather followers, and I will be able to communicate with you through this forum, to keep you updated on the continuing progress of Mission 51.

I will continue to revise, enhance and beautify the book, including the art. It is possible that I will engage in another funding campaign here on Inkshares, but I will not do it until the book is entirely finished, which it nearly is. I will await another suitable contest before that happens. When that moment comes, I will be completely prepared to deliver a top-notch product! I hope you will decide to support it again at that time.

For now, I have entered Mission 51 in the 2016 Launch Pad Manuscript Competition. I’m pretty excited about that! It opens several other opportunities for publication. Please check out the link. I’ll let you know how that turns out.

In any event, like I said before, I can assure you that this book will be published one way or another. I would love to have the backing and services of a formal publishing house like Inkshares, or some other publisher, but I have self-published several books before and I will self-publish Mission 51 if the need be.

So stay tuned for future developments. I will keep you posted. I am not going away!

Again, thank you all so very much for supporting me and Mission 51. I have truly felt the love!

Peace!

Ferd :-)

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S.E. Soldwedel followed ARCADIA

ARCADIA

Ten strangers must band together and find a way to defeat Suelitta before they lose what is left of their sanity.

S.E. Soldwedel followed Towers of Baccob

Towers of Baccob

The towers of baccob pit adventures through three towers that will warp all perception of Past present & future

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