Happy Monday everyone!

I wanted to take a moment to give you a bit of a status report on DHM.  

1. Chapter One is finished, unexpectedly.  I had started writing scenes and realized, once I finished them, that they naturally ended our chapter on a great intriguing note.  It's available in its entirety on the Inkshares page, and I would love it if you read it and let me know what you think.  

2. To date, no one has figured out the DHM ARG.  We have a couple of people playing, but no one has crossed the finish line.  The clues start with the book trailer I posted a while back.  Will you be the first to finish the game and save Timble Ada?

3. Here's some general math on how the campaign is going: We are 2 orders away from our next raffle, 45 orders from fifth place, 92 orders from 2nd, and 182 orders from 250 -- which is my goal. The road is long, and the chances for winning dim, I have to be honest.  I felt really good seeing all the people who came on board this weekend - 10 orders in just two days! - until I saw that the other guys are getting dozens of orders per day. That knocks the winds out of my sails a bit, I must admit.

HOWEVER, there are 11 days, and I plan on working on this until January 16th. I also have a contingency in case this doesn't pan out, the Sword & Laser contest I mean. I believe in Deus Hex Machina, I see it being a successful book read by thousands of people.  I would like those thousands of people to read it with an Inkshares label on the back, but even if that does not happen, I will be working to make sure it is published properly.

You can help!

If you believe in this book as much as I do, there are things you can do to help.  You can share DHM on your own Inkshares updates, should you be an Inkshares author.  If anyone out there wants to work on a cross promotion with me, I would be more than happy to help.

Anyone who is on the fence, intending on ordering but hasn't yet, please make the plunge and order today. Isidore and Dax need your help.

Even if you are not an Inkshares author (or heck, even if you are), you can still help push DHM into the top three. All you have to do is reach out to three of your friends and ask them to order.  Send them to this Facebook post on instructions how to order the book for free. 

What I am doing:

I am continuing to write Chapter 2. This 366 days of writing is exhilerating. I should be getting to Dax soon. 

I am reaching out to everyone I know, something I did not do with Shadow of the Owl. That's how much I believe in this book -- I'm facing my social anxiety to ensure that DHM wins this contest. 

Phew, that was longer than I expected.  Guess it's not such a quick update after all!

Have a great Monday!

Sunday recommendation time again.  I'm going to continue to be a bit lazy since I'm now down to books that have more than a month left in funding on my short list, and I'll only be recommending 2 today as well as sharing some more reviews for my own book(we're up to 262 followers and 68 orders in case you were wondering).  Hopefully you'll be purchasing 3 different books as a result of this.

 "Exile, Magus" by me:  Andrew Wood, author of Storm of Fury says, "What stands out the most about Exile, Magus is its unique approach to a story.  Thomas Arnold has brought something new and dazzling to the world of Fantasy, and Exile, Magus will make a fine addition to any book shelf."

Rob Gokee, author of Tacocity: Los Angeles Through the Eyes of a Tacophile, says, "With his preview of Chapter 5, Thomas paints a grim & visceral view of the aftermath of a battle. There are casualties on both sides, and you find yourself feeling for characters you've just met in a world of elves and shapeshifters. Thomas' writing draws you in, and threatens to keep you there."

These were also two of my favorite reviews, right after John Robin's, because they seem to grasp two things I was going for with this book.   The first was a departure from typical fantasy, namely due to "the hero's journey" of Exile, Magus being an internal one which is only illuminated by the (action-packed) going ons around Pentaz and Buscidia as opposed to the more standard fantasy model of "the hero's journey" being created by grand forces outside of the character with the internal being a reaction to them.  The other point is that I did try to make it a point to always show the suffering on both sides of battles, which is the sole reason I tend to get pretty descriptive with my battles and the deaths that accompany them. On to the wonderful work of others now.

"The Animal in Man" by Joseph Aspahani: I'm not normally a fan of the anthropomorphic, but I can't not enjoy the opening chapter. Through excellent writing Joseph pulls you into a rolling scene of tracking a target as well as the moment when things get more complicated than the tracker wants them to. Throughout it all you feel as if you are right there with Maxan, the fox-man doing the tracking, on the streets and rooftops, spying on a hyena bandit, a wolf cultist, and a couple of mystery entrants. I want more of this book so I can continue to unravel the mystery that Maxan and I only got to see the very beginning of.

"Omega Children" by Mike Bologna: 'Tracking the development and maturation of synthetic life, Omega Children gives a unique take on the birth of A.I.' That short description from the book's page definitely hooked me. Seeing the evolution up to full A.I. to me is even more fascinating than seeing the aftermath. Both the prologue and the sample chapter are the book's page are excellently written, and each provide a decided different tone. With the prologue we are taken into what I presume to be a much later point in the story when you have a seemingly sinister moment as the main character comes to the realization that the machine is in fact alive. With the sample chapter you get what is mostly the main character's largely internal ponderings on just what qualifies something as alive, a practice in philosophy which manages to be both humorous at times and thought provoking throughout. It also sheds light on the realization from the prologue. If you're like me and a fan of science fiction that makes you think, or more accurately to philosophize, then this certainly seems like the book for you.

My own book's funding period ends 1/22 so don't wait around to go ahead and preorder your copy of it. "The Animal in Man" funding period ends around 2/18 and "Omega Children" ends around 3/6 though this assumes my math is correct on both of those so be sure to check them out yourself to make sure.

That's all I've got for today. Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts, order some books, and keep enjoying this new year.