Dear Fine and Very Patient Readers!!
Books are coming, but so sorry to have to report another slight delay in the shipment of some of them.
Here’s what happened -- I received 6 cartons of books to be signed and returned to Inkshares so they could then send them out to all who pre-ordered. I signed the books, boxed them up and sent them back. But in the process, not one, but two SNAFUS occurred!!
SNAFU 1 - two boxes of books got lost in transition. Yep, just vanished! Thanks USPS! Good work!!
SNAFU 2 - Some signed books did make it to Inkshares offices but there was a label mix-up and they were sent to the backers of another book! (The very fine The Knight Proper, by Adam Greven and Matt Deller -- check it out if you get a chance).
So...here’s where we are -- the signed books that made it are being shipped tomorrow -- Tuesday July 9th. Unfortunately this is only half the amount, the other half being either lost or sent to the wrong place. But...good news: replacement books are on their way to Inkshares. They want to just ship them ASAP so they won’t, unfortunately, be signed by yours truly (if you are in the LA area and want a signed book, I’m happy to oblige -- or if you want to send me a copy, I could do that and send it back!!).
So sorry for this delay. Physical books will be in your hands soon. If you’re still waiting after about a week, please feel free to email Elena at hello@inkshares.com
Don’t forget eBooks are readily available to read now but I understand many of you prefer physical books (as do I) so sit tight...They are coming!
Wanna see something really REALLY cool? Was going through an old file-cabinet over the weekend and found a bunch of materials from the early days of The Amaranth Chronicles.
We originally started mapping out the story using flashcards and pinned them up to a wall in my college bedroom. This was all back in 2008. Take a look at those first 3 cards. Its really amazing to reflect on my life and all that’s happened since then but I am amazed at what didn’t change in all these years.
Check out the early sketches of the Stormchaser at the bottom. I did those nearly 11 years ago... Puts a tear in my eye...
...
...
...
Hooray!!.We have just received our tenth order and with it comes this prize shall "Clash with the Immortals" go to Quill. 
I’m still ironing out the details of the which items to apply to which numeral order. But for the tenth order is Nikola’s astral vision bracelet made from the eye of an opponent who had the gift of astral vision.
Here is how the prizes giveaway works: If your order fall on one of the number listed for that prize you’ll receive the item allotted to that order number. If the books reach 250 orders and goes to Quill, So it’s important that we tell our friends to help so we all can win the prizes allotted to your order number.I chose this method so each person could decide which prize they won. I like all of you so I couldn’t use the throw a name in a hat method, I decide to let you all chose which prize you win.
As the order increase so will the value of the prizes.
Below is give you a general idea as to what I’m talking about. Those of you on Facebook is probably aware of a friend donating a nearly new Louis Vuitton Handbag if the orders reach the 1,000 mark.
By the way, the woman doing the art work name is Ann Harden. She normally sell her work for thousands. If I’m not mistaken she sold a piece last year for large sum. I’m grateful she agreed to work with me.
Hello everyone!
All, thank you for the support. Things have been progressing well.
I need some thoughtful reviews of Frost on Inkshares to boost my reach, guys! So, I’m putting out a call for reviews, and one lucky reviewer is going to win a free, signed copy of The Book Reviewer’s Journal as a thank-you for taking the time to review Frost!
https://www.createspace.com/6455570
What’s this? A second update in two days after months of silence? Just wanted to share that "Lena" has a new column today:
http://bay-ata.com/sparked/blog/2016/07/26/should-i-finish-my-book/
Thanks to former student Patricia, the soul of wit (and brevity), who made us laugh with her letter about the self-doubt that sometimes creeps in and makes her want to give up (and burn her manuscript) because she is sure that none of the "real" authors with books on her shelves ever felt that way. If you’re a real writer (which of course you are), you know what she’s talking about. We certainly do. Sometimes it’s comforting just to know that others share your neuroses.
This is actually familiar territory for us not just as writers (ie: personally) but because the protagonist of Sparked, Laurel Goodwin, is also an aspiring writer, who becomes seized with insecurity after her sophomore English teacher suggests that she’s not digging deep enough or writing to her potential. This silences her for a while, but later she uses this advice to unlock a gift she wasn’t aware that she possessed. I won’t give any more away, but suffice it to say: this topic is near and dear to Lena’s heart!
Just wanted to say hello to Sparked followers. We haven’t forgotten about you (or our book, which really is happening very soon!) We’re getting our proverbial ducks in a row before launching our book campaign in early September. That means sharing the finished manuscript with teen beta-readers, making a promotional video (fun!) featuring some of those readers talking about it, and launching our advice column for aspiring writers in which we share our wisdom and wit (the latter being up for debate, of course).
The first two columns are now up, so check them out here: http://www.bay-ata.com/sparked/dear_lena.php
Find out the answers to the questions, "Do I need to write every day?" and, "Should I toss my embarrassing old journals?"
We would LOVE to answer a question of yours, fellow Inkshares scribe, so if you want to join in the conversation and fun, send us your questions and we’ll answer away!
*Helena and Malena teach creative writing at Stanford, where novels about mean girls manifesting powers to save small towns from evil with a capital E are not the norm, though they’re working hard to change that...
All, a genuine thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support of Frost’s initial campaign on Inkshares. It may have failed, but I have chosen to relaunch with a longer funding period, and I hope you will choose to support Frost again. I know that with my determination and your support, we can make this dream of mine a reality.
I am still running a prize package for my top 10 supporters (supporters who pre-order multiple copies)! The top 10 will each receive access to the beta document on Google Docs (so you get to see new text and updates even before the people on Inkshares) and an 11" x 17" poster of your choice one of the AMAZING Frost illustrations Kaytalin Platt has done!
The top 5 supporters will receive a Frost coffee mug and bookmark in addition to the Google Docs access and 11" x 17" illustration poster.
The top 3 supporters will receive an additional Frost t-shirt and tote bag.
My number one supporter who orders the most copies of Frost will receive all of the aforementioned gifts, plus an exclusive invitation to Frost’s launch party!
All gifts are, of course, subject to this campaign’s success, so let’s make this thing happen, people! Thank you again for your love and support. It is truly appreciated!
