We won. We won again. We double-won. If winning the first time was like meeting a unicorn, this is like that same unicorn wants to take you to McDonald's and swears that it won't eat your fries and only wants to talk about Kurosawa films and Stephen Universe.

Okay - I'm not making sense. You should be used to it by now.

Our campaign was selected to be in the Sword & Laser Collection - Asteroid Made of Dragons won the grand prize. Don't believe me?!? (Wise.) Watch this video and listen to Veronica Belmont announce the winners.

S&L Collection Winner!

Big congratulations to the other grand prize winner The Life Engineered by JF Dubeau. Only proper that Sword & Laser make two picks! 

I have a lot more to say, but right now it's all melting down into plasma-gratitude. You guys did this. Your support got us here and I am so beyond excited to deliver. Once my heart stops flamenco dancing I'll start updating you - I will update you within an inch of your life. Updates on the progress of the draft, the projected schedule for writing, that artwork I want to get for you guys, pant pant, audiobook?, what HAVE I DONE. It's going to be an amazing ride, and you are the best cadre of scalawags and sorcerers I could ever wish to take it with.

Just thank you. Thank you all so very much. I am borderline guaranteed to be sobbing in my tub tonight, my obsidian heart splintering and shining forth a gentle glow the color of lilacs.

If you're not getting enough of me here - come find me on Twitter @gderekadams or at my regular blog spell-sword.com .  This is the last scene of Rudy, y'all. This is the stupid, stupid end of Independence Day - let us swagger across the internet desert, smoking cigars with Jeff Goldblum. Squires and Wild Mages you are officially instructed to party down.

Well - shit.

We're in 5th place with just over 36 hours to go. A month and  a half of promotion, begging, pestering, wheedling, and putting every best scrap of the book forward have all come down to this. We have the second highest reader total of any campaign in the top ten.  But we don't have the deep pockets of our competitors.

Brass tacks: It is okay if we lose. This was never about whether or not Asteroid Made of Dragons would be completed. It was never about whether or not you all would get a copy. I self-published my first two novels, and I can do the same with this one -- if we lose, I'm making a spreadsheet of every backer, and I will get a free ebook of AMOD into your hands when it is completed. 

Ultimately, winning only benefits me. It's a big step forward for my career, I really want a shot at being the Sword & Laser Grand Prize - it would mean getting my writing in front of a larger audience than I've ever been able to before. It's an amazing opportunity - I completely understand why everyone in this campaign is so determined to win, so invested in succeeding by any means necessary.

So - DO NOT run out and pre-order 20 copies. If you have 20 friends you can convince in the next day, that's great. But you have all done more than you should have. The number of my friends that are sitting on 3, or 5, or 10 copies of this book staggers me. The number of my friends that have shared the campaign around humbles me - a ceaseless wave of support. And all of you backers are my friends now, by the way - I'm not just counting the personal ones. If you plunked down your money on a book as silly as Asteroid Made of Dragons - well, then you are my boon companion.

I seriously considered not saying anything at this point. The die is cast - just let the last day roll by and wait for the inevitable. But you paid yer money, as they say - it's your campaign too. We stand, Wild Mages and Squires, on the bow of a ship - and we are taking on water. If the wind is with us, we may still make port. If not, then let us dine with the sea-elves. I hope you brought your finest garments, as their dress code is severe. No cummerbunds! Sea-elves don't truck that tacky High School Chorus bullshit.

Noblesse oblige - but lightning works on anything.

G. Derek Adams