Greetings Earthings!

Here is your Journey weekly update.

I have a new web page where you can follow my National Talk-Radio Show Tour. Click Here and bookmark it if you like that idea.

It looks like some of you have actually finished reading the book and have Finally started to post some awesome reviews! Yay! And Thank You! And Thank You again!

For those who are dying to help out and are ready to post your own reviews, here are the links! 

For Amazon, click Here.

For Goodreads , click Here.

The more reviews we can get the better we will be able to market the book. So here's a suggestion one of my supporters came up with last week.

Give your copy of Journey to a friend (or your sister) - tell them how awesome it is (if that is what you believe) - especially the "method-writing" aspect and "The Great Impostor" aspect that the radio stations are excited enough about to want me on their shows! 

Tell them about the National Radio Talk-Show Tour and how this book is expected to eventually EXPLODE in the media. (It is simmering right now and will come to a full boil during this presidential election year)

Tell them they can be in on it (with the cool crowd) before everyone else discovers it and the amazing real-life story Behind its creation!

Then ask them to consider posting a review on Amazon and Goodreads. Of course this pre-supposes that YOU have already done this!

Then they can pass the book along to another friend (or your mother) and so on.

So let's get moving on that  ~ or just ignore it all and have a GREAT weekend either way!

Thanks much!

Rich Saunders

I won.

When you read that, how do you hear it? If it’s something in your mind like a soft, shocked whisper, the kind of sound you hear when someone speaks in the stillness of a slow snowfall, then you’re pretty close to how I’m hearing myself say it. I won. I won… I won? ...I WON!?! 

Whether it’s the Sword and Laser’s Tom and Veronica, journalist Alicia Smock, or other authors mentioning my name in their own reader updates or raffle videos, the experience of being exposed and showered with praise for my story has really validated all this hard work I’ve done.

And, …. wow… this campaign has been some hard work.

Somewhere in an article or something I said to somebody that I was back on what I call “The Skyrim Sleeping Schedule.” (I’m sure some former students of mine will recall EXACTLY how loopy I got soon after 11/11/11.) Basically 4 to 5 hours of fitful sleep every night for the past month has really racked my body. Even as I type this, my mind’s eye glances over its shoulder and sees my body tapping its watch, shaking its head. I hear it say “Joe, it’s time, man.” And I’m like, “Hey, wait! I got a raffle video to do! Six new winners, six more $20 giftcard giveaways, six titles gone from my priceless video game collection!” But in this vision, my body wraps its arm warmly around me and escorts me from the premises of health, and it says, “Maybe this weekend, pal.” So I’m about to give in and just get sick…

I am utterly exhausted. ...and I’m kind of numb. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m typing this all right now secretly from my work cubicle, clicking back to the work window whene….. …. …. …. ver someone walks by. But right at this moment, I can’t celebrate. I’m happy. I’m BEYOND EUPHORIA, in fact, but I can’t jump for joy just yet.

I haven’t yet mastered the art of embedding gifs or whatever the cool kids are doing these days - so this little graphic here will have to do to express my current state of existence:

(!!!!)

(What? I’m a man of letters, I tell ya!)

“Thank you all so much.” I know that track’s been on repeat for quite some time, but there’s no other phrase that can contain all of my feelings and gratitude toward your support. Thank you.

I want to write something deep and meaningful but in truth I can barely see straight. I can't stop smiling and I want jump up and down and yell at the top of my lungs!!! 

Hello everyone, 

I wasn't going to update today but I've gotten a new burst of inspiration to finish all of my stories. I have created new covers for each of my stories and seeing the pictures has helped me get a better idea of what I want to happen in the story.

Make sure to go check out the new cover and read the new chapters. Leave comments to let me know how I'm doing. I will probably upload three new chapters later today.

Thank you!

It's been an amazing ride, hasn't it?  

good day 

A little update to let you know that we are at 3 readers away from our first raffle ; 50$ gift card .

if you haven't pre ordered yet it is the time :)

thank you

As promised, I recorded my raffle video late last night, when I was at 63 readers. I have since gained two more readers, so the two of you will be included in the next raffle when I hit 70.

Check it out to see if you've won:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Cq3DmueyA4

I will contact the winner directly later to hammer out details. Congrats to that person!

Meanwhile, the Sword & Laser Contest wraps up in about two and a half hours. I mentioned a little bit about it in the raffle video, but I will send out a definitive post-contest update later when everything has officially ended.

As always, thanks for your support, and enjoy your Friday!

There are twenty one days left before my original original? funding date ends. For all those reading that are also sprites of inkshares, a lot of deadlines were extended with the whole credits system snafu. Right now, I would like to thank Janna Grace for the kind and empowering words.

And of course, there is her book, which I reviewed as well.

Now, back to this update. Yes, this very one. I am not close to my goal of 750 books, not by an expert marksman's long shot. I do believe I did make Quill's goal, which would mean light publishing, but also light editing. I feel my book needs a lot more than light in the dark forest of edits and context layout so that it can be properly enjoyed, but Quill may be the answer, or...

We can get this book to 750 in a record of 21 days. Can it be done? Of course, but how? Now with every single one of you reading this... "But I already ordered my copy and frankly I am getting sick of your e-mails, and Facebook posts, and enough with the Instagram. Make the book or don't damnit!" you say. A bit harsh, but how bout to spread the word? Tell one coworker, one family member, a neighbor, even a share of my page is a monumental source when it comes to lending a hand. One post by everyone causes a bit of a stir , as simple as turning around a single stirrer in a Venti Mocha, or me alone, which is better summarized as the gravity of the moon pulling at the waves of a turbulent ocean. I'd rather have coffee.

21 days. 479 copies to go. 245 of you that are possibly going to or have read this. Some of you have purchased multiple copies while some have subscribed and followed me with some interest. I thank you all, truly and from the bottom of my lonely heart as of late, so very very much for sitting in the cockpit with me as I take on this great epic adventure. To my family, my friends, my colleagues, my fellow inkshares, and most importantly to the ones who have doubted me and laid my book down and or ripped up my flyers over the year(s), you have given me the drive to prove you all that I have a story to tell and a damn good one at that. 

- Checkmate and Rummy my dear Gladiators