Dear friends

Just a quick and final update to thank you all for your support. The contest will be over in a couple of hours and it seems like the most likely outcome will be that I end up in 6th place. Being so close, and at the same time, so far away from the prize is going to sting. But that’s life.

If I have learned anything during my years living in this country is that everything is possible; so who knows, maybe those of you who are following me but have not ordered the book will get inspired and make a difference.

No matter what, I am thankful for this whole process. Through it I learned a lot about the author’s community, my friends and myself; all good things.

If I don’t make it to top 5, I have to think what the future of The Catcher’s Trap will be. I can tell you that one way or another I will make sure this book gets published. I believe in my work, I believe in the inspiration behind it, and I believe in the good that it can do.

That’s it!

Love you all

Have a fantastic day!

As the contest winds down (there’s about 24 hours left!) I’d like to take this moment to say Thank You to each and every one of you. Whether you pre-ordered, shared, gave feedback, or followed, every moment of support has meant so much to me. There are a few people who went above and beyond that I’d like to acknowledge by name.

• Jack, Karen, and Joe Brennecke - They made the incredible video that most of you have probably seen by now. If you haven’t, go check it out now! (https://youtu.be/dhLMbM58STo) I’m still in awe and may have to re-watch it another 50 times ;)

• They were also a phenomenal force in rallying the troops. As were Dave Burns, Caitlin Brennecke, Kathleen Brennecke, Charlotte Robinson, Lynda Lichti, Diane Denesowicz, Michele Williams, Andy Hollstein, Heather Tankle, Katey McNamara, and Erica Beam. Asking others for time and money is an uncomfortable task at best, and having someone else help out made a world of difference.

• John Robin, author of Blood Dawn (https://www.inkshares.com/projects/blood-dawn?recommended=true) - He created a wonderful community for the writers of Inkshares; Somewhere we could go to share insights, do some cross-promotion, and cheer each other on. He also featured me on his blog: https://epicfantasywriter.wordpress.com/2015/08/26/world-builders-c-brennecke

At this point, I think it’s safe to say that Seven Shards: The Colors of Wine will not be one of the five winners, but all is not lost! I will continue to leave the project live on Inkshares to see if it can make it to its long term goal. In the meantime, I will re-focus on the most important part: finishing the book!

This contest has truly been a wonderful experience, and was quite the crash-course in self-promotion as well! I’ve learned a lot and I’m so thankful for every moment. Here are a few highlights I’d like to share:

• I’ve done some major networking and will most likely have a group project or two in the works by this time next year. I can’t wait to get started on that and to tell you more!

• Someone I very much look up to, but have never met in real life, ordered a copy! She has been a huge source of inspiration to me, and is partly responsible for activating my writing bug, so you can imagine how exciting that moment was!

• I received three pre-orders from overseas! How cool is that? I’m not sure who they are, so you’re one of them - Hi! and thank you!

• I shared my writing publically for the very first time, and I survived! It was a scary step, but I’m so glad I did it.

That’s about all I have to say for now, other than THANK YOU all again!!!