Dear Blood Dawn backers,

Since many of you are also writers, I wanted to send this out today to highlight the author-exclusive prizes we have for the inaugural review-a-thon tomorrow. (Readers, be sure to join us too -- there are great prizes for you as well, as you'll see below!)

That's right, the big day is TOMORROW,  December 19th!

All authors and readers are invited to leave reviews on currently funding Inkshares books using the Inkshares "leave a review" option. I'll be on Twitter recommending books to review under the hashtag #InksharesReviews (@johnrobinrt)

There will be great prizes for everyone, but if you are an author, here are some of the great reasons to participate:

1. WIN A FREE COPY OF SCRIVENER for Mac and PC

Scrivener is a great program that gives writers an edge over Word. Authors who join the review exchange will have a chance to win a copy of Scrivener - we’re giving away one copy for Mac and one for PC!

Everyone who participates will get 20% off of the purchase of Scrivener, whether they win or not.

Want to know more about Scrivener? Here’s a video I made where I talk about the pros and cons of Scrivener (and why getting your hands on Scrivener will change how you write for the better):

2. WIN A FREE MONTH OF AUTHOR ACCELERATOR!

Want to write a solid first draft that’s equivalent to a fifth or sixth? The Author Accelerator program combines weekly pro editorial input with your drafting process to let you go from draft idea to rough draft successfully, and we’re giving away one FREE MONTH (valued at $199) of the program to one lucky author.

Find out more about the Author Accelerator program in this interview I did with the founder of the Author Accelerator program, Jennie Nash, to see how it has given me a true edge and how the Author Accelerator program works for writers who enter it:

AND OF COURSE, there are other GREAT prizes available for all:

• Sword & Laser Contest Winners Package - print copies of the six winning books from the Sword & Laser Inkshares contest!

• Nerdist Contest Winners Package - print copies of the five winning books from the Nerdist Inkshares contest!

• An immediate pre-order of the book of their choice for five winners!

• $30 in Inkshares credits!

All you have to do for a chance to win is LEAVE A REVIEW to enter the draw for these prizes. Throughout the day we'll be hanging out on Twitter in the #InksharesReviews tag as we share our favorite book projects, answer author Q&As, debate the merits of astronauts with swords versus cavemen with lasers, and much, much more!

Also, from 6 - 8pm ET, JF Dubeau and Paul ‘such a nerd’ Inman will be hosting a Google+ Hangout livestream filled with author interviews, review readings, and live announcements of prize winners! I will be there making a brief appearance, along with other authors like Gary Whitta, Rick Heinz, and Jeyna Grace, so come join us for the fun!

Email AC Weston at cara.c.weston@gmail.com to learn more and join the review exchange.

Hope to see you all there!

(And please share this with as many people as possible.)

This is an update with a corrected recipe. (Thanks Elaine Haney. You could be a copy editor!)

Okay, so I was trying to hit 150 preorders by the end of this week, but unless a flurry comes in, not quite going to make it. Fellow Inkshares authors if you have credits to spare, by all means pre-order again! Give it to your friends for the holidays. In the meantime, let's have another favorite cocktail from the book to go along with Susan's daiquiri recipe. But first here's a brief history of the Manhattan. By most accounts the cocktail was concocted in, where else, Manhattan. Some have it being invented in the 1870's for a banquet that honored Jennie Jerome, a Brooklyn-born socialite who was also the mother of Sir Winston Churchill. Other accounts credit a bar on Broadway near Houston Street as inventing it. Well, whatever the source, the Manhattan is surely a delicious cocktail. It's easy to make, and it's perfect for chilly winter nights because it kind of warms you up. So cheers to Edith Vale, and let's have a Manhattan. 

Manhattan (Makes one. Feel free to double, or triple this recipe, depending on mood!) 

2 parts whiskey (Maker's Mark is preferred) 

1 part sweet vermouth 

1-2 dashes Angostura Bitters 

1-2 Maraschino cherries 

 Fill cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add in whiskey, vermouth and bitters. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with cherries and serve.

Hello everyone! 

Work continues on Lost Generation and it is reading (and sounding great.) I can't wait to share the book with you, and I think you're all going to love it. Right now I'm running my book through an application called TextAid ReadSpeaker, which helps me listen for flow, quality, and misused words. Doing this ensures you're going to get the best quality end product, and for all those who have been waiting since the beginning, it will be well worth it!

Need something to do while waiting for Lost Generation to be finished? Well, there is an event coming up tomorrow that can net you free books! Hold onto this link (https://www.inkshares.com/search?genres=All&scope=funding) and check the detail below to see how you can join in.

Get ready for the inaugural Inkshares Review-a-Thon, an independent event, organized by Inkshares authors!

On December 19th, all authors and readers are invited to leave reviews on currently funding Inkshares books using the Inkshares “leave a review” option.

Throughout the day we’ll be hanging out on Twitter in the #InksharesReviews tag as we share our favorite book projects, answer author Q&As, debate the merits of astronauts with swords versus cavemen with lasers, and much, much more!

From 6 - 8pm ET, JF Dubeau and Paul ‘such a nerd’ Inman will be hosting a Google+ Hangout livestream filled with author interviews, review readings, and live announcements of prize winners!

Prizes?!?!

Everyone who leaves a review on December 19th by 6pm ET will be eligible to win one of our fantastic general prizes:

• Sword & Laser Contest Winners Package - print copies of the six winning books from the Sword & Laser Inkshares contest!
  

• Nerdist Contest Winners Package - print copies of the five winning books from the Nerdist Inkshares contest!
  

• An immediate pre-order of the book of their choice for five winners!
  

• $30 in Inkshares credits!
  

Readers: Peruse the “currently funding” books on Inkshares and leave as many reviews as you want. You could even start up a “must-have” list of books to order in case you win a free pre-order or the $30 in credits!

Authors: Join our review exchange to leave three reviews in exchange for two guaranteed reviews on your Inkshares project and a chance at author-exclusive prizes!

Email Cara Weston at cara.c.weston@gmail.com with questions, or simply to learn more.

(And authors, if you’re in, please copy the message above and include it in your next update!)

It’s gonna be fun.

Okay, so I was trying to hit 150 preorders by the end of this week, but unless a flurry comes in, not quite going to make it. Fellow Inkshares authors if you have credits to spare, by all means pre-order again! Give it to your friends for the holidays. In the meantime, let's have another favorite cocktail from the book to go along with Susan's daiquiri recipe. But first here's a brief history of the Manhattan. By most accounts the cocktail was concocted in, where else, Manhattan. Some have it being invented in the 1870's for a banquet that honored Jennie Jerome, a Brooklyn-born socialite who was also the mother of Sir Winston Churchill. Other accounts credit a bar on Broadway near Houston Street as inventing it. Well, whatever the source, the Manhattan is surely a delicious cocktail. It's easy to make, and it's perfect for chilly winter nights because it kind of warms you up. So cheers to Edith Vale, and let's have a Manhattan.

Manhattan (Makes one. Feel free to double, or triple this recipe, depending on mood!)

2 parts whiskey (Maker's Mark is preferred)

1 part sweet vermouth

1-2 parts Angostura Bitters

1-2 Maraschino cherries

Fill cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add in whiskey, vermouth and bitters. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with cherries and serve.

The writing goes well on Chapter Two of The Garden of Oroborous! It should be out by Monday as long as I only see Star Wars once over the weekend. :)

The writing goes well on Chapter Two! It should be out by Monday as long as I only see Star Wars once over the weekend. :)

Soooo… change of plan! After getting so many shares on Facebook and having so many phenomenal people spreading the word about my book today, I decided… Why wait?!

 Funding started!!! Now to get 750 presales!

So first rule is you are only allowed to buy up to 10 copies of the book each. So those of you who were hoping to build a Bones-of-the-Past fort or doghouse are out of luck. :P

On the bright side, getting a copy of the book in e-book format can be free and it still counts for me! Prices start at 10USD for the eBook, and you get 5USD credit when you sign up on the site, and another 5USD when you first recommend a book (on Inkshares, Twitter or Facebook) or post a review (at the bottom of the page after reading a full chapter). Credits will be delivered to your email address within a few minutes. If someone buys a book from your Twitter or Facebook recommendation you get another 10USD credit! Perfect to help out any one of the many other great books being funded on the site.

For those who would prefer a physical book, prices start at 20USD for a book + eBook. Bear in mind there are shipping fees for those of you who don’t live in the US - 15USD per order (so you might as well pick up a few to make the shipping worth it!).

 Chapters 3 and 4 are now up as well. Since all four chapters are the intros to the respective characters, feel free to read them in any order.

Thank you all for the support!!!