2000 BOOKS!!!
2000!
The number two with three zeros after it.
This is amazing everyone. Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my cold, dead writer’s heart (where all your favorite characters are killed for my amusement).
Such a monumental event deserves a monumental story...or at the very least...a stupid one. So here is the story of a stupid thing I recently did.
In my third or fourth year of college working toward a theatre degree, I took a class called Career Prep for the Actor in which my teacher really encouraged me to be a writer (because...my acting skills were so good.) Toward the end of this class, she asked us all to say one goal we would like to achieve in our career: a role we’d like to play, starting our own theatre troupe, that sort of thing. When it came around to me I said that I would like to go into a bookstore [full disclosure: I said Borders. RIP], find my book on the shelf, and buy it. Everyone laughed. "If you write a book, you won’t need to buy a copy of it."
I had to admit...they had a point. What I said was kind of stupid.
STUPID LIKE A FOX!!!
THAT’S RIGHT FORMER CLASSMATES! WHO’S STUPID NOW, HUH? WHO’S STUPID NOW? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
(A: Still me)
Thank you to the staff at Unabridged Bookstore here in Chicago for humoring the weird bald guy who wanted his picture taken at checkout.
In other news:
Our Fair City, the audio drama that I write for, had it’s Season 7 launch party this weekend. It was the biggest affair to date with a giant replica of the in-story Dr. Montgomery Moro Memorial Museum and Historical House. For more about the event,
check out my blog post with pictures and links to the audio tour made specifically for the launch. Also, stay tuned to
Our Fair City on iTunes as one of my episodes should be coming up pretty quick.
And finally, as we pass the 2000 milestone, I can’t help but look forward to the next thousand books. Or hundred books. Or ten books. Look another person might want to buy my book, but the most likely way they’ll find out about it is by you spreading the word. And the easiest way to spread the word is to leave a review on Amazon. So if you haven’t composed a written review for the book yet, please, take a moment and do so.
Once more with feeling: everyone, THANK YOU.
Get ready, because Draftshares is about to begin!
When: May 30th - June 4th
Readers: Check out as many drafts (projects currently in the Draft stage) as you can during the week of May 30th - June 3rd, and participate by opening and commenting on your favorite drafts’ excerpts.
Why: To encourage community engagement...and, PRIZES!
Prizes you say?: Yes! For every Draft (or synopsis*) you critique, you will be entered into a drawing for the following:
Prizes for Anyone
Three sets of a copy of Asteroid Made of Dragons, button, and shirt
Signed copy of Five Minutes + 5 exclusive art pieces by Tabi Card
Church of Technology/Deus Hex Machina swag (pins and shirts)
Copy of Shadow of the Owl
Signed copy of Ageless
Three hardcover copies of Journey, A Short Story
Order of Dax Harrison
Order of Bones of the Past
Order of Proxy
Original drawing by Jack Katz
Ladies of Sci Fi poster from A.C. Weston
Mix CD set with custom cover art by C. Brennecke
$25 in Inkshares Credits
Prizes for Authors
Video editing by Yicheng Liu
Cover design by Elayna Mae Darcy
Interview on The Warbler
Guest spot on Drinkshares: Last Call
$25 in Inkshares Credits
Drafters: Let us know if you’d like to receive a soft critique or a hard critique by messaging a member of the DLC cast or tweeting your project link @drinkshareslc with either the #critiquemekindly or #critiqueme hashtags. If you want your synopsis critiqued, include the hashtag #critiquemypage too.
Soft Critiques (#critiquemekindly): This is the default critique if the author has not specifically requested a hard critique. The tone should be supportive and curious. Point out things you like, comment on the broader story ideas, and ask questions.
Hard Critique (#critiqueme): Only give a hard critique if the author has specifically asked for one. This is where grammatical errors, typos, and oversights can be pointed out. It’s best to include elements of a soft critique too, but you can unleash your inner editor a bit more here.
*Synopsis Critique (#critiquemypage): Interested Drafters should create a thread in the Inkshares forum ( https://www.inkshares.com/forum_threads?topic=promo), linked to their book draft, titled “Synopsis Edits: [Book Title Goes Here].”
Throughout the week, fellow authors will browse these threads and offer help with editing and improving your project page synopsis so you’re better prepared to switch over to funding with a fantastic, compelling, error-free introduction to your book!
Not sure where to start? Check out these Drafts first!:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QP0JPCCsijyIFIa0YKk4ZdQjHJPFW3mqtVvyOpNO3x4/edit?usp=sharing
Watch: Tune in at https://youtu.be/82ged3xwwew on Saturday, June 4th @ 4/3 Central to watch us discuss the drafts and announce the winners!
Good Luck & Great Drafting!