10/15/17

Hello! Well, we are certainly coming down to the wire in Launchpad and I think I’m going to have grey hair and high blood pressure by the time we’re done.

Right now, less than 20 pre-orders stand between "The Devil You Don’t" and that third place spot! So a HUGE thank you to those of you who have ordered and gotten me this far. WE ARE SO CLOSE!

I am doing my best to network and contact all of my prospects, and hopefully will see more orders come in to propel us up into that third place spot (or better!). Please, if you have not ordered yet, it would be a tremendous boost to have you become an official reader.

The competition will end on October 17 -- That’s in just a few days!

And don’t forget: If I’m in the Top 3 at the end of the competition, I will be doing a "thank you" raffle for everyone who pre-orders a copy, and the prize is a $100 Amazon gift card!

And speaking of raffles. I’m happy to announce that the winners of my first raffle were Tracey Bigelow (gift card) and Trinity McKay (signed copy of "Darkstar Rising"). And I just passed my 100 reader mark, so as promised, I’ve done the second drawing. The lucky winners are Karen Bradbury (gift card) and Jessica Hackett (signed copy of "Darkstar Rising")! Congratulations.

I’ll send another update before the competition ends -- thank you for your support and enthusiasm. You guys are the best readers ever!

All the best,
Susan

10/9/17

Well, it has been a day full of surprises, let me tell you!

First, I learned today (and it was confirmed by Elena), that the original deadline for Launchpad was incorrect! That’s right -- all this time I’ve been working towards a 10/10 finish when the real contest deadline is October 16 (that’s next Monday).

So I am psyched to have the chance to continue building my reader base over the next week, but I know all the other authors will be doing the same thing, so I will keep at it right until the end. The thing that terrifies me about this is that I built my entire marketing plan around that first date so now, I’m flying without a net a little. But that’s where the magic happens, right?

Second, I was thrilled to learn today that "The Devil You Don’t" was selected as the October pick for the Rite of Passage Syndicate on Inkshares. I am delighted and humbled that this wonderful group of folks has elected to throw their backing behind my book. 

Where does that leave things then?

As of right now--with one week left--I am in fourth place, and thanks to the syndicate and several orders that have come in over the past 24 hours, am working towards that elusive top three. But there is a lot of time left, and I can’t just kick back and assume orders will roll in. I know it takes a lot of focus and hard work to bring in pre-orders, and I’m up for the challenge.

If you haven’t ordered yet, the clock has reset, but it is still winding down. Please consider a pre-order -- if not for you, a gift for the book lover in your life? A donation to your local library? The possibilities are endless!

And if you have ordered, you know you have my constant and sincere thanks for your support.

I’ll update again soon. Until then, "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more."

Best, 
Susan

10/8/17

Hi there, hope you’re all having a great weekend.

We’re now a little under 48 hours left in the Launchpad Competition. Thank you to everyone who has ordered so far -- you’ve managed to help "Devil" into fourth place as of today. Getting into third or better isn’t out of the question, but I’ve got to get a little momentum for that to happen.

Every pre-order counts in this competition so if you’ve been following this excellent adventure, you can totally make a difference by pre-ordering. I would really, REALLY appreciate the support: https://www.inkshares.com/books/the-devil-you-don-t

"The Devil You Don’t" would be a great holiday gift, too (yes, I realize that it isn’t even Halloween yet). For anyone who orders "Devil" -- if you’re considering giving the book as a holiday gift, after the competition is over (assuming, of course, that I’m in the Top 3) I’d be happy to send you a fancy certificate for you to give at the holiday!

And I have an update on the first raffle! First, congrats to Tracey Bigelow, the lucky winner of the $25 Amazon gift card. The winner of the signed copy of "Darkstar Rising" hasn’t contacted me yet, though -- I’ve emailed the winner twice, but no response so far. So if you have "gamerkitten" as part of your email, I’m looking for you! If this person doesn’t come forward by Tuesday (10/10), I’ll draw a second name for the prize.

Okay, that’s it for tonight. Again, please pre-order if you haven’t yet! I can’t do this alone!

Best,
Susan

10/4/17

Hello -- a quick update for everyone on where we stand in the competition (we’re down to 6 days!)

First, I’m thrilled to announce that "The Devil You Don’t" was chosen by the Quill Brotherhood Syndicate as their selection to back in the month of October. Big thank you to the QBS for that -- there are lots of excellent books on Inkshares and I’m honored that you selected this one.

Second, we have passed the 50 order mark! Thanks to a random generator, I’ve selected my two raffle winners and notified them via email -- and I’ll announce names once they get back to me (one is listed as "reader writer" so until he/she responds, I don’t know who the winner actually is!).

And thanks to some recent activity, we’re now tied for 4th place in the competition!

Since I was in Launchpad last year as well, I am well aware of how much can change in the last week--and especially the last days--of this contest, so this is  not a time to start coasting. Fourth place is great, but third place or better is what I’m shooting for, so I’m going to keep looking for new readers right up until the end because every person makes a difference. 

Please share info about "The Devil You Don’t" with your friends or order a copy for yourself if you haven’t already!

Best,
Susan

Full link to my page in case anyone needs it: https://www.inkshares.com/books/the-devil-you-don-t

Updates, Faoii! Listen up! You’re going to like these!

The Last Faoii becomes an officially launched book in just a few hours. In that moment, it will be widely available to anyone who wants to hear our tale, and you will have the opportunity to rate/review it on Amazon. Take the opportunity. We’ve already fought tooth and nail to take this hill, and I promised you a year ago that the world will know us. This is how that happens. We’ve fought too hard and come too far for The Last Faoii to be completely lost in the sea of novels already out there. Hitting those little stars is the only way to build our island in that sea. And we won’t just build an island. We will raise a mountain, Faoii, and our banner will stand at its peak. We have conquered every obstacle that’s come before. We will not stop now.

Other things are happening as well, of course. In an attempt to spread the word, I did an interview with Jessie’s Coffee Shop this evening. I will admit, my warriors, that I was nervous at first, and it shows at the very beginning of the set. Get through those first four minutes, however, and things go smoother. There’s a lot of interesting information packed away in there and I hope you find it of at least some interest.

Faoii-Kaiya, too, has been busy. She did her own interview for The Protagonist Speaks earlier tonight. Look through that as well and see what our young leader has to say about her world, her journey, and our army. Get to know the woman that started all of this.

It’s all finally happening, Faoii. I could not have done this without you. And I still can’t. More is coming. Be ready.

Shields Up.

Faoii-Tahani

10/2/17

We’re heading into the home stretch – as of tomorrow there will only be ONE WEEK left in the Launchpad Competition on Inkshares.

What’s going on with “Devil You Don’t”?

“Devil” has been sticking to fifth place for the moment, but a run into the top three isn’t out of the question, and I need you to make that happen! If you haven’t ordered yet, this would be an awesome time to change that!

 I know from last year that crazy things can happen at the end of the competition – let’s make crazy things happen for Devil!  

Special thank you to Michael Welch for his recommendation: The promise of this book is what Chuck Palahniuk’s Damned could’ve been if he hadn’t crawled so far up his own ***. Remarkably poised writing, well-imagined characters, and biting humor drove me to buy this book today. Go and do likewise, as Blake says.

Possible order hiccups?

Just a quick detour – if you HAVE ordered a copy of “The Devil You Don’t” and you HAVE NOT received a note from me thanking you profusely, please contact Elena at hello@inkshares.com as soon as possible. 

I’ve had two instances in the last week where some wonderful people have ordered, and have gotten a confirmation, but Internet gremlins have hijacked their orders. Elena will be able to get that sorted out for you!

Don’t forget the raffle at 50!

I’ll be raffling off prizes to two lucky readers once we hit the 50 milestone, and we’re almost there.  One reader will get a signed copy of my first novel, "Darkstar Rising." The other will win a $25 Amazon gift card!

THANK YOU!!!!

I would be remiss if I didn’t thank all of the great people who are supporting me this year. I know for many of you this is round two as you wait for last year’s book to work its way through production. I wouldn’t be here if not for you—thankyouthankyouthankyou!

Best,
Susan