HEY.

GUESS WHAT.

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 the WriteBrain 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.

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

It's gonna be fun.

If someone offered you a $100 bill or the chance to keep everything you might find on a sunken treasure hunt, which would you choose?

ENHANCED finished 12th out of 335 in the Nerdist/Inkshares Contest, and we celebrated that achievement knowing we did so well because of you. Because our families and friends have generous spirits and a staunch belief in us and our book. Because total strangers -- many of them authors on Inkshares -- saw something worthwhile in our story and our writing.

Thanks to the author-friendly mission the Inkshares team promotes, we've even earned the right to Quill publication. We could put at least 315 copies of ENHANCED in our supporters' hands. On demand. Under a non-exclusive rights agreement.

Sounds like a golden opportunity, right?

But our favorite agent in the publishing industry informed us, "If the book is under contract with anyone, the agent will not represent it, unless it's self-published and selling really well."

So we had to choose between the $100 bill and the sunken treasure hunt.

What's life without risk and uncertainty? We're grabbing our scuba gear and heading for the Caribbean.

Three things before we go:

1. ENHANCED is currently being evaluated for its adaptability to film and television in the Book Pipeline Competition. The best part is that you don't have to do anything. But we hope you'll wish us well and follow our progress on Facebook  and Twitter.

2. Please support these worthwhile projects from the Nerdist/Inkshares Contest:

Single Version by Scott Barsotti -- so much more than just an extremely well-written Roach Punk story with an utterly original take and style.

Disintegration by Steve Soldwedel -- gritty and cinematic, diverse and multi-layered, with tyrannical aliens, never-say-die warriors, and spaceships. It's like old school scifi, but better. 

Ghosts of War by Paul Robinson -- fast-paced action + memorable characters + classic scifi dialog with a twist of now = an exciting story.

Presenting Complaints by Jamie Brindle -- a laugh-out-loud skewering of England's National Health Service, which Jamie just released on Amazon, iBooks, and Smashwords.

Current by Thomas A. Fowler -- reminiscent of Michael Crichton’s work, it promises tense adventure/mystery based on environmental progress. Fowler is currently querying agents.

And maybe most important,

3. Thank you, Inkshares for the possibilities you offer and the lessons you provide about marketing, competing with class, and how to persevere. Your entire team is a bright light showing aspiring authors hope and how to make it real. Special thanks to Avalon. What would we have done without you? You're warm, patient, knowledgeable, and encouraging -- the best kind of human being. We'll keep coming back to our Inkshares family to discover new authors and new favorite books. And who knows? Maybe we'll present something new of our own right here to see how the world feels about it.

I've got a new book! And it's on Inkshares!

This time around, I've submitted a title for the Sword & Laser Collection Contest. 

This contest runs from now till January 15th, 2016. The top 3 books with the highest unique reader pre-orders will be published by Inkshares, and possibly added to the Sword & Laser Collection. Simply put, it's a race to get as many orders as possible in a month's time. 

So, what title did I submit for this contest? 

Visit here to find out: https://www.inkshares.com/projects/the-slave-prince

You can read all about the book there and then consider ordering an e-book to help kickstart the project. I know I cannot succeed in this project without your help, but I don't want to hustle for money either. 

Crowd-funded publishing is a tough industry to break into, but I believe it is a platform that gives hope to all authors - no matter who you are or where you come from. Succeeding a second time would mean a lot to me, and I'm hoping for another Christmas miracle this year. So, do consider an e-book :) 

If you have any question, feel free to email me at jeynagrace@gmail.com.

Maybe I can end 2015 with another successful book project. But just like last year, I know I won't be able to do it without you.    

Should you be interested in the Sword & Laser Collection Contest, you can read about it here: https://www.inkshares.com/contests/the-sword-laser-collection-contest-the-sequel

*On a side note, I did an interview with a fellow Inksharian on world building and The Battle for Oz. If you're curious about what I've to say, you can head over here for a read: https://epicfantasywriter.wordpress.com/2015/12/04/world-builders-jeyna-grace/

Big news everyone!

I've entered the Sword and Laser Contest, with my entry The Darkest Places! Go check it out at https://www.inkshares.com/projects/the-darkest-places  and pre-order a copy! 

Back onto The Children of the Forest, I'm putting the final touches on the remaining sample chapters, which will be uploaded over the weekend. I am currently at 184(!!) sales, and nearing the Quill publishing option. To help reach my goal, I'm going to be creating incentives for the final stretch of sales.

These will be fleshed out in a weekend update, but will include various rewards and prizes, including the option of becoming a character in my story! 

~Until next time.

"How does your light shine, in the halls of Shambala?"  Want to know why this particular reference?  Pre-order Hellrazor and find out!  Under the new Quill imprint on Inkshares, I'm only 100 orders or so away from earning ebook printing on Inkshares!  If you can, please order a copy.  If you've already ordered, but have spare credits, please consider boosting your count and bring the story home alive.  Thank you all for your support, no matter the outcome, I've been very humbled and blessed to have had so many consider this project.

--K