Greetings everyone! 

To generate more interest and to ultimately get to the magic 750 goal, I'm going to be giving away a really awesome watch... the Spirit of St. Louis (Midnight Black, RRP 209 €):

The « Spirit of St. Louis » model has been inspired by this famous custom-built, single engine, single-seat monoplane that was flown solo by Charles Lindbergh on May 1927, on the first non-stop flight from New York to Paris. 

 The watch is equipped with a Miyota OS00 Chronograph movement and a glass slightly curved. The Spirit of St. Louis collection brings the classic, handsome look of the 1920s to present day.

Mixing day-date chronograph pilot design with modern touches like the suede leather strap, this watch fits any occasion. By wearing the watch over the years, the leather strap develops its very own distinctive patina.

http://www.armogan.com/product/spirit-st-louis-midnight-black/ 

What does it all mean? It's a cool-looking, elegant, kick-ass watch that will impress. 

So, how can you win it? 

 Terms and conditions: 

1. Contest is open to everyone. 
2. To be eligible, simply recommend and get your friends/family/work colleagues to pre-order my book. You will get (1) entry into the draw (there will be a video-recording) for every (5) successful recommendations (see #3). Self-purchase copies will also count. 
3. A successful recommendation requires that the person who is purchasing uses your referral link (see #8 below) to pre-order. When this occurs, you will get a confirmation email from inkshares.com. You will need to present these emails as evidence for qualification prior to the draw date (see #4). Note: you will get a bonus USD$10 credit for each recommendation. 
4. The draw for the prize will occur on 6 March 2016 (7pm local time UTC/GMT+8).
5. The winner will be announced on this page and notified via email. 
6. All decisions are final. 
7. I will pay for standard shipping, but if the winner wants a faster option, he or she or it (in the case of a robot) is welcome to pay the difference. 
8. You can obtain your referral link (as a registered user of inkshares) by clicking on the 'email' icon on TCCG's page (see embedded image). 
9. I reserve the right to make amendments to the above conditions, but this will be in notification. 
10. Feel free to contact me if you require clarification or have questions about inkshares etc. 
11. This contest is not affiliated with facebook or inkshares.

Dear readers,

Today I'm reaching out to get some feedback from you. I am weighing a big decision for Blood Dawn this weekend.

Option A: I get Blood Dawn published. Yes, that's right. I can make a simple decision by emailing Inkshares, and Blood Dawn will have met its funding goal. As many of you might know, under Inkshares' new funding model, I will have met my pre-order goal for Inkshares' new "light" imprint, Quill (read more about that imprint here). However, under the new funding model, buying a print book costs $19.99, an ebook costs $9.99, and there is the cost of shipping to non-US backers. Basically, this is the same as what you'd pay if the book were published. I'll still have until April 11th to get to 750 pre-orders and qualify for full Inkshares publishing. But should I fail to reach that goal, at least Blood Dawn will still be published and out there to generate momentum that might qualify it for further support by Inkshares at a later time.

Option B: I stick with the old funding model where I must reach 1,000 pre-orders to publish with Inkshares. There is no Quill option. I make it, or I don't get published. Period. However, sticking with this model means I will continue to offer new backers the $9.99 discount for ebook + signed print book.

This choice needs to be made soon, because if I choose Option A, then I will have to cancel all pre-orders that came in since October 30th when the system switched to the new model of funding. This will put me at 296 pre-orders. To the 3 GOD-KINGS who backed Blood Dawn after October 30th, since you'll be paying double to re-order, I will still honor your purchase by giving you "honorary" God-King status, but will ask that you re-order the book, just one copy, since that will be about the same amount you invested in the discounted purchase. To everyone who bought a copy since then, I'll be following up by email to be sure you know your order has been cancelled and what options you have (i.e. Inkshares allows you to order an ebook only, for the same price of $9.99).

I am personally leaning toward making this switch (OPTION A), because I know that many of you have expressed your excitement for this book and your desire to hold it in your hands. While I don't doubt that this book is going to continue to sell, if I know that it has a publication certainty, then I think backers who jump on board can do so with confidence. Our goal changes then from trying to get this book published, to trying to get this book published with Inkshares' full support.

Can we get this to 750 copies? Damn right we can!

Please, leave me comments. Let me know what you think. You are my readers and I will use your input to help me weigh this decision which is as much about me as it is about you. If you prefer to keep your comments private, email me: johnrobinrt@gmail.com.