(Long post, Wall-o’-text incoming)
*Hey everyone, Joe here. I just wanted to apologize in advance if this edition of The Story So Far is a bit lackluster compared to the rest. I’m determined to do these every week of the contest but lately I’ve been a bit of a mess. As you can tell I’m the positive-upbeat type of guy who wears his heart on his sleeve - this leads to a lot of heartbreak in the love department(at least for me, anyway) I’m sure once I start writing this, I’ll get into the groove. But I just haven’t been myself lately.*
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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 4
Happy September everyone! The first month is down, but the competition is heating up! Welcome back to The Story So Far, my name is @Joey Angotti and I’ll be your guide for this evening. Two name-rhyming co-writers enter the fray and shake the very foundation of the contest in a campaign that isn’t even 5 days old, the bottom half of the Top 10 get tighter, while the Top 3 begin to pull away, all of this and more highlight this fifth week of the Geek and Sundry fantasy contest right here on Inkshares! Let’s take a closer look!
10. Flames in the Dark by @Tara Roquemore (82 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 8th)
I continue to make it a point to acknowledge the amount of high-quality content that Tara Roquemore keeps putting on display for her story, Flames in the Dark. The prologue that shall not be mentioned(oops) but should totally be read is just the beginning. This week, literally a few hours ago, she has provided a look into the creative process that led to Flames in the Dark. What started off as just a 10-page short story in one of her creative writing classes in high school has now grown into a potential trilogy of epic proportions. With a little assistance from the idea of NaNoWriMo(National Novel Writing Month) helping her flesh out the story, Ms. Roquemore has continued to expand and build the world of Flames in the Dark. If all of that isn’t enough to whet your appetite, Ms. Roquemore has treated us to a story that takes place even before the 10-page short story - Crystal Flowers - that serves as an introduction to this well-crafted fantasy. You should check it out in her comments section on her book page!
9. A Beast Requires by @Jay Lockwood (83 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 7th)
A somewhat (rare) quiet week from Mr. Lockwood this week, but his story A Beast Requires remains in the Top 10 and in contention to push higher in the ranks. This doesn’t mean he’s taken the foot off the gas pedal, he’s just working on some more content that he’s going to be sharing soon. You should still head over to his page and read the hilarious breakdown of his book if you haven’t yet. Take a look at his comments section as well - he’s currently looking for some of his backers to read and sample his prologue before he releases it to the Inkshares world. He’s also interested in seeing what the fans of A Beast Requires would like to hear him talk about in his upcoming videos. Go on over there and let him know!
8. Leaf Falling by @Michael Slusser (87 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 9th)
Hey! The Leaf Falling cover has color now and it’s even more awesome than it was last week. Have you seen that thing? Michael Slusser’s story of Leaf - “child of shadow and whisper, walker on the borders” (so cool) - continues to be one of the most consistent in terms of preorders on the Top 10. He’s had one of the strongest rallys to land in 8th place this week and I don’t think he’s going to be done any time soon. Though he’s still 12 preorders out of 7th, he continues to gain ground each week. On top of all of that? Mr. Slusser has added a bunch of content for us since the last Story So Far. The book now has it’s own facebook page. There are 3 chapters up for our viewing pleasure, a new children’s tale AND a flashback! Plenty of great reading material for the weekend that I highly suggest you check out. While you’re there, let Mr. Slusser know what you think of his novel. It’s totally OK to tell him how awesome/badass Leaf is. Seriously.
7. The Living God by @Kaytalin Platt (99 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 6th)
Hey guys, can we please get Kaytalin Platt’s story, The Living God, to 100 readers today? She’s at 99!(As of this writing, anyway!) She’s also offering up her graphic design expertise in the form of cover art, bookmark design and fliers! On top of that she’s provided some more details about one of her main characters, Keleir Ahriman. Here’s a taste of that, straight from her comments section:
“Keleir was born cursed with the soul of a Rauke at war with his own. A Rauke is a creature forged from the excess matter left over at the birth of a universe, and can only exist by taking a human child as a host. Like all children born with a Rauke, Keleir was surnamed Ahriman, which means darkness. From the time he was born, until he turned five, his village tortured him in the hopes that it would save him from his curse, but it ended up unleashing another, more terrible one instead.”
Sound awesome? You can read the rest about Keleir on her book page! Also, if you haven’t checked out her video she posted last week, it’s definitely worth the 3 minutes and 41 seconds of your time. I’m hoping she posts more of them about the characters and more about the story. I can listen to her talk for hours!
6. The Delicate Art of Soulripping by @Sara (103 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 4th)
Since the last Story So Far, Sara Polk’s story, The Delicate Art of Soulripping has reached over 100 unique readers! Our gift for such a milestone? Chapter 3! It’s still being edited but it’s coming. Don’t worry Sara, the quality of your content is worth the wait! Ms. Polk has a lot going on with work, a cosplay project(very intriguing!) and trying to get a video made for the book - but I know when all of this content is released it will be awesome! (...And maybe a little terrifying given the concept of the story lol)
5. Chronicles of An Domhan by @Conri (104 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 3rd)
I had mentioned Mr. Conri slowing down a bit last week, but he still managed to break 100 readers since the last Story So Far which is a huge accomplishment! Unfortunately with the sudden surge of new and old contenders alike, he’s fallen out of the Top 3. There’s some new content on his page in the form of artwork from Kassandra Leigh and some editing from C. Sacco. I don’t think Mr. Conri is done yet, I just believe he’s working on some more content for us. Judging by the quality of what he’s released so far - I have a feeling it will be well worth the wait. Looking forward to it!
4. The Fairy Stepmother, Inc. by @Maggie Hoyt (109 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 5th)
Maybe it was the cute, costume book video from last week, or maybe it’s those cool new title images(love the dragon one!) - either way, Maggie Hoyt’s The Fairy Stepmother, Inc. has been one of the most fun stories to follow in this contest so far. She was an honorable mention week 1, broke in and out of the Top 10 a few times and now she’s in 4th place. One away from the Top 3! The readers love Ms. Hoyt’s voice and the way she delivers each sentence. Here’s what @Audrey T. Carroll had to say:
“The premise is so quirky and funny, and I love that the voice is clear and strong from the start. I’m sure this’ll be a fun read!”
100% agree, Ms. Carroll! Everyone should go check out Ms. Hoyt’s book page!(And that dragon title image… It’s amazing.)
3. The Slave Prince by @Jeyna Grace (124 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 2nd)
It’s September Week 1 and it’s time to talk Top 3. The Slave Prince by Jeyna Grace continues to be a powerhouse in this contest. Now at 124 unique readers, Ms. Grace continues to fight to stay in the Top 3 and continues to provide some of the most interesting and well-written comments in her comment section. This one is about independence and includes quotes from Shakespeare and an obvious direct tie-in to her book. If you haven’t had a chance to check out The Slave Prince, week 1 of the second month of the contest is a good time to start. You don’t want to be late to the party do you? You know who wasn’t late to the party? @John Dennehy . Here’s what he had to say about The Slave Prince:
“One of the most important ingredients to a great tale is struggle between where the protagonist must go and all the obstacles they face on that journey...and The Slave Prince has that in spades. A slave who must become a prince. Wow. Check this one out, you won’t regret it.“
Couldn’t have said it better myself! Go check this book out already! *Push, push*
2. Storm Song by @Allison Griner (134 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 1st)
Allison Griner’s book, Storm Song has fallen to 2nd place. Wait… What? I didn’t think I’d be saying that this soon, let alone ever in this contest. But a remarkable campaign from Helena Echlin and Malena Watrous(more on them in a moment) has Ms. Griner’s story about Thoster Chatwyn falling into second place. Still ten readers ahead of 3rd place, I don’t think Ms. Griner needs to start worrying just yet but as an obvious favorite to take first place this has come to a surprise to all of us here at The Story So Far. It hasn’t slowed down the exciting things happening over on the book page for Storm Song. If the story reaches 200 unique readers by Sunday(tomorrow), one of Ms. Griner’s friends will record himself reading Chapter 1. I definitely want to hear that but there’s a lot of ground to cover in just a day. If you haven’t checked out the book or found out what the hype was about or why it was in the Top spot for so long - now is the time!
1. Sparked by @Lena (Helena and Malena) (224 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: N/A)
The first place book this week isn’t Storm Song. It isn’t the Slave Prince, Chroncles of An Domhan or even Leaf Falling. So, what the heck happened? If you guessed Sparked by Helena Echlin and Malena Watrous finally entered the contest - then you’re exactly right. A campaign that started early Thursday morning, has come out of the gate swinging - being the first book to reach over 200 unique readers, launching into the 1st place spot and a showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. So what exactly is Sparked? Here it is from the authors themselves:
“A girl wakes up to find her older sister missing from the tiny bedroom of their Airstream trailer. A nightmare convinces her that her sister was abducted, but no one takes her dream seriously, including their hippie mom. Meanwhile, other girls in their small town begin sparking powers—the same mean girls who’ve bullied her since grade school. What if she has to work with them to save her sister—not to mention the rest of the world?”
Ms. Echlin and Ms. Watrous are both authors on their own, both teach creative writing at Stanford’s Online Writer’s Studio and both decided that writing a novel on their own is a bit lonely and not nearly as fun. The results have been devastatingly obvious to the foundation of this Geek and Sundry Contest. Their followers/fans have come out in droves to get their preorders in for this upcoming collaboration. After reading what they’ve provided on the book page - I can see why. This is the ultimate YA Novel, with mean girls with superpowers. It’s definitely worth checking out and worth waiting to see if these two Lena’s ever slow down in the next 2 months. They’ve easily become the ones to beat in this contest.
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I’m open to any and all feedback, let me know if I should keep doing these. If you like the idea/concept/posts then don’t be shy and inform your friends and other Inksharians. Let’s try to get more people involved in the forums in general and liven up the place!
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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: Book 1 signed copy giveaways? Artwork from Hieu Bui himself? More free Chapters? The more preorders it gets the more of that content you get! A Soldier’s Crest: Heroes of Khroma(my very own entry into this contest)!
Want to help me out in another 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 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.
