Tony Valdez liked an update for The Last Machine in the Solar System

A very Happy Thanksgiving to the Inkshares community! 

I was on the verge of an update in the early afternoon (Pacific time), asserting that my scheming in the kitchen was progressing according to plan, allowing me a few undisturbed minutes without any pots boiling over or large poultry erupting in flames. However, the minutes proved too few to complete my post even without any mishaps, so the update now follows a tasty Thanksgiving dinner. I hope everybody had an equally delicious and memorable evening with family and friends.

I am happy to announce that the conclusion to the Last Machine has been posted. I am proud that the entire story - not just a preview or glimpse - is available on Inkshares, completely free, for all to see. Ultimately I may expand this into a novel, or include the novella in a short story / poem collection (see California's Lost Gold).

I have been gratified by the interest in the story, and by the thoughtful feedback which shows that readers are enjoying digging into the ideas presented. Science fiction enables us to investigate the human condition and the psychology of man in fascinating settings and under unique circumstances. I'm personally interested in exploring characters and environments while maintaining the plausibility of realism. I think this makes for compelling reading, generating a layer of tension from the understanding that this could happen in the future or in some alternate reality or dimension.

OK, enough on writing, on to the reading! Thrilled to present the conclusion of the Last Machine. I hope you all enjoy and I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Two additional quick points:

First, I want to thank those who have provided reviews for my story, namely Kandice Ohnstad, Vincent Lim and Tony Valdez. Both Vincent and Tony have books funding, so please support them (The Cora Chronicles and Dax Harrison, respectively)! Dax only has 30 days left, and I really want that book on my shelf - so let's go!!

And finally....to pump you all up 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 lifestream 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! 

  • Nerdiest 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! You can email cara.c.weston@gmail.com to learn more and get on the list.

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    Tony Valdez liked an update for Storm of Fury

    Acolytes,

    Happy Thanksgiving! 

    A quick update today; firstly we are only four copies away from the halfway point to Quill! With over 50 days left, I'm excited for what is to come.

    Secondly, for those of you who prefer audio books to traditional reading, I am pleased to announce that the first chapter of Storm of Fury is available! Performed by the amazing talents of my father, Jonathan Wood, the audio chapter can be found in a link on my page. So grab your friends who like audio books and get them to listen!


    Have a great Thanksgiving, and thanks for you support!

    -Zealot Andrew

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      Tony Valdez liked an update for The Children of the Forest

      Short Turkey-Day update!

      I'll be posting two new chapters sometime this weekend, so look for those soon! The contest continues in earnest, and we've had some great support, and I'd like to thank everyone that's been pushing my story and getting the word out there about The Children of the Forest!

      I'll be seeking an extension from Inkshares, and I plan on pushing hard to add extra rewards or incentives for everyone who has currently backed the story of Fionna and Rew! 

      Have a great holiday everyone!


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        Tony Valdez liked an update for Blue Water

        Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

        I'm thankful for all of your support, because as of a couple minutes ago, we officially hit our goal of 100 pre-orders!  So, as promised, I have now uploaded "Chapter 4: fiat voluntus tua" to the BLUE WATER Inkshares site.  I hope you enjoy the trip as we go further and further down the rabbit hole into Emily Hunter's mind.

        So now, we have made 40% of our light publish goal of 250 orders.  We have 20 days left.  So if we make 50% (or 25 more preorders) I'm letting "Chapter 5: causa latet, vis est notissima" fly.  So spread the word, toss out some recommends, and get your friends to pre-order.  Together, we can discover the mystery behind BLUE WATER.

        All my best, and thank you again,

        Joseph

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          Tony Valdez liked an update for It's All Fun and Games

          Hi Everyone!


          For those of us who live in the United States, today is Thanksgiving.  As the name implies, it is a day for giving thanks for all the things we have, both material and intangible.  I am extraordinarily thankful for each and every one of you.

          Close to 700 individuals took a little time out of their day, and tossed a few (or more) bucks into the pot, to help me bring It's All Fun and Games to life.  I wrote the novel back in NaNoWriMo in 2010 and had been playing with publishing ever since - early feedback made it clear this was a story worth sharing.

          So thank you for believing in me and my novel.  As a reminder, I squeaked into the contest top 5 by just the slimmest of margins, so every single last one of you made a difference.  That's pretty super cool.  The fact that many supporters were fellow competitors makes it even super cooler.  

          Thank you also to the folks at Inkshares and Girl Friday Productions, who have all jumped in with both feet.  You make me feel like a rockstar.

          Thank you to my editor, Kiele Raymond.  She's taken something that was pretty good and helping me make it into something better (maybe even great?).

          Thank you to the folks over at Nerdist.com, who sponsored the contest, and chose me to be their banner carrier for their new Inkshares collection.  I look forward to meeting all of you some day, ideally when you've paid for my first class airfare when you bring me to SDCC.

          I am truly thankful today.

          As a reminder, you can follow the novel on Facebook and me on Twitter.  I'd love to connect with you all.  

          I hope you are all well, and have your own special things to be thankful for.

          Cheers
          Dave
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            Tony Valdez liked an update for The Remains Of Civilization

            hello,

            I feel slightly guilty for not doing a monthly update and not keeping in schedule. I understand that some of you may not know what is currently going on. So I have some good news to deliver this time. So of it has to do with my book, the other...is slightly more important.


            I am going to start with the good news. I have officially 'won' nanowrimo. Yay! It's kind of a writer's thing where everyone kind of get together and bashes their keyboard for an entire month repeatedly in a valiant attempt to type out something legible that could pass for parts of the books that the aforementioned writers were working on. The ones who 'won' wrote FIFTY THOUSAND words in an month, an average of 1,667 words a day. I did my own thing and were pleasantly surprised to find a certificate with my name on it. 

            But I am not celebrating and clicking my toes just yet (mainly because I can't do that); my book still needs a strong ending. So I estimate I will have to keep on writing until Christmas, yes, I work even in the holiday season. THAT'S how dedicated I am, you don't see a lot of people working through the christmas season...mainly because I got nothing better to do (excuse me, I need to have a talk with a dark corner. We are on a talking basis).


            The other piece of good news is that there is an inkshares thing going around (that we writers created of our own volition, because we are good people). Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, 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 much, much more! 

            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! 

            The Prizes: 

            Everyone who leaves a review on December 19th by 6pm ET will be eligible to win one of our fantastic general prizes: (make this a bulleted list) 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 the event organizer, Cara "A.C." Weston, at 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(well, all work and no play make jack a dull boy :P).

             

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              Tony Valdez liked an update for She Is the End

              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 me at 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. 

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                Tony Valdez sent an update for Dax Harrison

                Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

                I'm saying it today since I'll be busy tomorrow, and the first of multiple family events I'm supposed to attend actually begins tonight! ...And if you don't celebrate it in your neck of the woods, then I hope you're having a great week in general.

                BUT FIRST! I want to say I am sincerely thankful for all the support I have received on this project. Not just from family and friends, but also complete strangers. I have a few orders coming from Australia. AUSTRALIA! Which happens to be on my bucket list of places to travel. Who knows? Maybe one day I can thank a Dax fan in person out there!

                In the past few days I've been laying low with Dax and instead spending every spare minute working to give back to the Inkshares author community. My time is limited due to the day job and other obligations, but when I can, I've been sounding off on social media for my fellow authors' campaigns-in-progress. I'm sure plenty of folks on Twitter are sick of me, but if you feel like following my madness, I'm @rockhollywood8. :)

                Again, thank you thank you THANK YOU to all my friends, family, complete and total strangers, and new Inkshares pals. You're the best.

                So, reality check: As of today, the book is sitting at 149 pre-orders. As far as I'm concerned, that's an amazing feat! But there's still a ways to go. 101 more orders. 32 days left. That's a little over 3 orders a day, which doesn't seem like much, but momentum is, as it has been with most of this campaign, at a crawl.

                It would most certainly be a photo-finish if we make it in time for the deadline. But don't fret, gang. First and foremost, this is not a premature declaration of defeat. I plan to give this campaign everything I got until the possibly bitter end.


                Remember that Simpsons episode when Homer's roasted pig is rolling away on a runaway grill? And he chases after it through some bushes yelling, "It's just a little dirty! It's still good! It's still good!"

                ...And then it falls into a river and he says, "It's just a little slimy! It's still good! It's still good!"

                ...And then it gets launched into the air like a cannonball and he says, "It's just a little airborne! It's still good! It's still good!" And only then does he finally accept it.

                That will be me, if necessary, in the final hours. Still fighting the good fight. "It's still good! It's still good!" Hahaha (Click here to watch that clip!)

                And furthermore, should this particular campaign not meet it's goal, I will refuse to consider it a failure. Why? I got the word out on Dax, gained a small but excited following, and discovered an awesome community of authors eager to help each other out. For all of these things, I am thankful.

                Plan B goes into effect the second the campaign ends with 249 pre-orders or less. I will keep everyone informed on my progress, posting more content for you to review/critique/get excited over. And when the time comes, hopefully just a few short months down the road, I will let you know where you can re-order your copy of Dax, most likely on Amazon's ebook and print-on-demand services, as was my original plan before discovering Inkshares.

                But enough of that! The 12th round ain't over yet!


                Talk to you soon, guys!
                -Tony
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