Happy November!
I just thought of taking this opportunity to tell you a bit about The Battle For Oz and how it actually came about. It's not the typical 'I was inspired' tale, but it can be quite a long read. Proceed at your own risk?
It first started last year, when I was approached by an artist who suggested a collaboration. He had this idea of marrying two classics and he pitched the basic concept to me.
As someone who has been writing books for almost 4 years, I have never once been approached by an artist. Most of the time, I'm the one asking my friends for help. So feeling extremely flattered, I thought, 'why not?'.
Writing a spin-off was something I had never done before, especially a spin-off of famous literary works. And to be honest, I have never read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz or the other literature in the book (not mentioning because SPOILER). So, I had to do a lot of research, having Google on standby constantly. I studied these two worlds as best as I could, until I was able to capture the essence of them. It was not easy, but I managed to do it and I could not be happier with the end result.
Initially, The Battle For Oz was supposed to be a novelette trilogy; three short books with illustrations done by the collaborating artist. All three books were already completed last year, and this year in May, I released the first one. The reception I got for the first book was great, comparing with the books I released before.
However, my partner in crime told me that it was no longer a project he wanted to take on. We talked about it and I decided that if it was really what he wanted to do, I'll just accept his decision and move on. So with two novelettes left, I knew I had to change my game plan; it was time to combine the novelettes and turn them into a novel.
At first I thought of just releasing an e-book novel of The Battle For Oz, but then I stumbled upon Inkshares. Suddenly, I knew I could take The Battle For Oz to a whole new level! Hence, you are receiving this backer update today.
The whole process of getting this book done was a new experience for me. I have never written a spin-off of books I have never read, and I did not have a clear timeline on how the story would flow. But when I was writing, everything fell into place! Honestly, I cannot wait for you to read it.
If you have made it this far, I hope my 'behind-the-scenes' has not been boring you. I wish it was a simple story, but I'm kinda glad it was a more complicated journey than that. To end, I just want to say another big thank you for your support. It means a lot to me that you found me worth investing in.
There are 60 days left to the end of the project, but I have faith it would be fully funded :) Dreams can come true, am I right?
Commonly Asked Questions Answered:
#1 The book is completed.
#2 That picture on the project page will not be the final cover.
#3 There won't be any in-book illustrations.
It has been a while since I last said 'hello'. So, hello!
For those who celebrated the Chinese New Year, I hope you had a wonderful time :) Hopefully, you weren't also blessed with a few extra kilos under your belt. Haha!
Anyway, I'm just here to give a quick update.
Firstly, if your friends used your referral link during the crowd-funding period, you will find a special email from Inkshares giving you store credit to buy other books. The email is self-explanatory, but I thought I should give you a heads up. You can order another copy of my book as a gift to someone, or you can check out the other titles, such as Abomination by the writer of The Book of Eli, The Cat's Pajamas by the author of Big Fish, The Dawn of Algorithm if you like poetry, and many, many more.
Secondly, during the Chinese New Year week, I got the chance to touch base with my developmental editor. She is currently working on The Battle For Oz and will get back to me this week. I'm excited to read her feedback as it will definitely help improve the novel.
Though a little delayed, the novel is definitely on its way. As per the production schedule, The Battle For Oz is to be released in September. If there are any more updates, I'll be sure to let you know. So until then, happy shopping with your credits and have a good week ahead!