Hey, everybody. Been sitting, for a while now, at exactly half of the 750 pre-orders needed for the whole shebang. That's more than enough to qualify for the Quill light publishing option -- and that's the route I'm going to take -- but I'm still going to let the campaign run its course (wouldn't hurt to move a few more copies) and keep writing in the meantime.

In other news (credit to Cara Weston):

Get ready for the inaugural Inkshares Review-a-Thon!

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 more!

Then, from 6 - 8pm ET, JF Dubeau and Paul Inman of theWriteBrain Podcast will be hosting a video 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 on Dec 19th. 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.c.weston@gmail.com to learn more and get on the list.

Hey everyone, I want to give a special thanks to the two purchases I've already received. I'm really thrilled that there's some excitement for this story. It's been mostly a side-project while I've been toiling away on The Children of the Forest, but the Sword & Laser Contest (Part Deux) seemed like the perfect time to get the ball rolling!

I will be extending my promotion for The Children of the Forest to this story as well. Meaning that the first 50 buyers will receive a custom card, decorated by the lovely and extremely talented Cara Weston, author of She is the End. It's a fantastic story, and I can't recommend it enough, if you haven't yet, go over and give it a look.

https://www.inkshares.com/projects/she-is-the-end?recommended=true

Also, I will be extending backers to The Darkest Places the same reward I've featured on The Children of the Forest. Every  purchase nets you X 1 chance for a drawing on December 10th to win a $250.00 Amazon Gift Card. If you purchase a copy of both of my books, I will double each entry (X 4 tickets total!!)

So thanks again for the follows and the support, and make sure you spread the word for The Darkest Places so I can get this thing published!

Artwork courtesy of Cara Weston

As promised, with 25 preorders, I have uploaded Chapter Three of Shadow Incandescent. I'll upload Chapter Four when I reach 50. The completed work spans 24 chapters, all ready to be released for consumption. As I've mentioned before, an earlier version of Shadow Incandescent was my MFA Thesis, and I've spent the last two years revising and adding to it. But...that's not all I've been up to.

Very soon into writing Shadow, I realized there was more to the story than what I planned on telling in this volume. Shortly after finishing the first draft, I sketched out rough outlines for four planned sequels.

As part of my Thesis defense, I had to present a critical defense of the narrative techniques I employed. Though I had been twitter-pated with unlimited, omniscient, self-aware, metafiction-style narrative during my undergrad, when it came time to write Shadow, I had developed a preference for a much more limited and unreliable narrator. I reasoned that by choosing a first-person narrator, I would limit my influence over the character's development and story, and thereby achieve a more authentic telling of the story.

Thom wants his life (story) to follow a certain path. All the other characters want their stories to follow their preferred path. All exert as much influence as they can in pursuit of their goals, but all have to contend against the others and their goals.  Drawing from my high school theater experience, I put myself in Thom's shoes and allowed myself to know only what he could observe about his environment and the other characters. In other words, I tried--as best I could--to let the characters determine the path of the story.

In doing this, I learned that Thom's ideas about other people are flawed and incomplete. In preparation for my Thesis, I had written short stories from the perspective of each of the principal characters. I knew who they were, but Thom's understanding of the others was severely limited. Like us, Thom cannot understand the full context, emotions, or meaning of the words and actions of others.

Consequently, the path of the story surprised me almost daily. Although it still headed in the direction I intended, how the characters got there and which ones survived were completely different than what I expected.

All of this is a very long way of saying that for the sequels, I decided to write them from other characters' points of view. Each continues from where the previous left off, as is typical of a series, but with different characters taking the lead. In doing so, I hope that the readers will be able to appreciate the characters for not just what they have to say about themselves but also for what the others have to say about them.

Book Two is titled Blink Unremitting. It begins about a month after the final events of Shadow and is told from the perspective of a character you won't meet in Shadow until about the halfway point. She's a blast to write. Confident, smart, and passionate, but also deliciously flawed. And we see a very different version of Thom from her perspective. It's progressing pretty well.

Thanks again for your support, but don't keep Shadow Incandescent to yourself. Share it with all your reader-friends.

DB Greenhalgh