Tony Valdez liked an update for The Problem with Prophecy

Hey people, what do you do when you're procrastinating instead of writing? You make your own book trailer of course. It's only a minute long, but I tried to capture some of the feel of the book as best as I could. I hope you like.

In other PWP news, Chapter Three is up on Inkshares. This chapter introduces the B plot and a couple of new characters, including the main antagonist and her reluctant gnome priest. Here's just a taste:

* * *

Chapter Three

The crash of nearby thunder woke the tired old gnome from his uneasy slumber. He’d hoped that the storm was going to pass him by this time. His luck being what it was, however, he should have known better. His rickety lean-to of dead branches and dirty straw wouldn’t be enough to keep out the heavy rain, and that meant he’d have to take refuge in the temple.

He hated that place, preferring to face the cold nights bundled in rags and dead leaves rather than be near that evil altar. The shrine was what kept him bound to this ruined fortress and this miserable life. Countless generations ago, one of his ancestors had insulted K’lu Satal, a demi-goddess and powerful mage. She had bound his blood and forced him to serve as her priest in retaliation, a curse passed down through the family line to this day. He took some comfort that the suffering of a thousand years would end with him – he had no children to pass on his tainted legacy to – but the shrine was, as his old bones constantly reminded him, the only building in the fortress left with an intact roof.

He gathered the hot embers from what remained of his fire just as the clouds burst, and ran as fast as his frail legs would carry him into the temple. He took one last breath of fresh air before forcing the door closed to block out the wind.

The dim red glow was the first indication that something had changed. It was hard to see inside even at midday without the braziers being lit, and the money for candles had run out a decades ago. The chamber should have been pitch black.

On a dais opposite the doors, a ten foot tall statue of his mistress stood with arms outstretched toward the empty room. The pews and other furniture had been sold off or burned for warmth by his predecessors long ago, but no one had ever wanted the hideous lump of carved granite with the skeletal face. Not that the curse would have permitted him to get rid of it, but he always imagined it would make a most effective scarecrow. Especially now when it was glowing ominously with magical energy.

* * *

You can read more at The Problem with Prophecy on Inkshares. Please help by following, recommending, reviewing, sharing or pre-ordering. You you can earn credits towards FREE BOOKS for things like reviews and recommendations on Inkkshares projects, or if you pre-order a book that sells over 2000 copies you get $10, so that's like getting two for one. See the Inkshares FAQ for details.

Next week: Chapter Four

 

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    Tony Valdez liked an update for The Cora Chronicles: Genesis

    Wow, Sensationnel, 와우, 哇, Beeindruckend, ワオ, வாவ், Guau!

    First, a huge ACKNOWLEDGEMENT to my fellow inksharesians - A.C. Weston (She is the End), J.F. Dubeau (The Life Engineered), Paul Inman (Ageless), John Robin (I have probably left out a few important people, and while I shudder to lump you into 'everyone else', it is out of pure necessity... and thus, please accept my sincere apologies) and everyone else who had been working tirelessly behind the scenes to make this inaugural review-a-thon a success! Give yourself a pat on the back (even if you just shared on facebook or tweeted)!

    Also, congratulations to all the winners! Yes, that's everyone, not just the prize winners!

    Special thank-yous Jamison Stone (Rune of the Apprentice), John Robin (Blood Dawn) and Joseph Asphahani (The Animal in Man) for reviewing Genesis. You humble me, my fellow story-tellers!

    Lastly, to all my supporters - past, present and future, thank you for sharing this very eventful journey with me.  Genesis is still far from being complete, but I solemnly swear that I will work as hard as I possibly could, in the next 77 days, to tell you my story in the best way possible!

    So, to everyone...

      

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      Tony Valdez liked an update for The Battle for Oz

      This morning, my alarm rang the cliche Nokia (not a sponsor) alarm at 6am. 

      I crawled out of bed with the ghosts of my strange dreams and made myself a cup of coffee (of course, only after I've brushed my teeth). Then, I got ready for the review-a-thon live stream!

      Don't worry, if you didn't manage to catch the live stream while it was still live, you can watch it on YouTube. 

      My interview starts around 10:20. I spoke a little about The Battle for Oz and The Slave Prince, as well as what I do as my day job.

      But wait... don't just watch mine. Watch the whole thing! We also had Gary Whitta (scriptwriter of The Book of Eli and the upcoming Rogue One) and Adam Gomolin (Inkshares VP) with us. Aside from that, there were mentions of many books worth supporting on Inkshares. So if you have a couple of hours to spare, check it out!

      By the way, I know I mentioned in the interview that The Slave Prince is ranked #10 in the Sword & Laser Collection contest, but I just realised it has been bumped to #11. 

       
      If you have yet to see what it's all about, please do :) I've added a new chapter too, and will continue to do so as more people come along for the adventure.

      I hope you had a great weekend! I know I did :) Oh, and an advance Merry Christmas to all!

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        Tony Valdez liked an update for The Knight Proper

        SCREENWRITERS! (uh, the ones who are following this project)

        Or alternatively, people who also write screenplays in addition to awesome books or alternatively alternatively, people who are thinking about writing a screenplay and who are following this project...  ugh, ok, enough. What we're trying to say is that we'll have an announcement for you fellow Inksharians Monday evening , stay tuned!

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          Tony Valdez liked an update for Deus Hex Machina

          Phew that #inksharesreviews day though!  It was super fun to spend the day reading other people's submissions.  Thanks to everyone who reviewed DHM and Shadow of the Panther.  Your words about my words were incredibly touching and make me want to write!  We also reached out 50 order mark, which means I got to celebrate with my pizza party!  Congrats to Peter Birdsall for winning the $20 worth of pizza.  I hope you get to nom nom to your hearts content whilst reading awesome things.

          I also had three orders today, which means that there are three people getting cameos in my books!  Cara Weston and Joe Terzieva have chosen to be immortalized in DHM, and Devin Harris will get to appear in Shadow of the Panther!  It's all incredibly exciting!

          Our next raffle will be at 60 preorders, and I will give away another signed copy of Shadow of the Owl!  Let's see if we can do that in the next few days and get DHM back to its #3 ranking!

          Have a wonderful evening!
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