This is stressful and I'm not even in the top five.  Haha

Here's some to check out: https://www.inkshares.com/projects/she-is-the-end

https://www.inkshares.com/projects/the-seventh-age-dawn

https://www.inkshares.com/projects/it-s-all-fun-and-games

https://www.inkshares.com/projects/u-turn-at-next-synapse

https://www.inkshares.com/projects/these-old-bones/

Good luck with these last 10 minutes!

Congratulations to everyone in the top 5!  And the Top 300- however many of us there are!

Wow. I don't even know what all to say other than thank you all so much and I'm blown away by this entire experience. 

The Nerdist Collection Contest wrapped up, and Welcome To Deadland finished out in first place, met the pre-order goal, AND was selected by The Nerdist for their collection! When I found out my jaw dropped and I was overcome with shock and excitement. I never would have reached these amazing goals and opportunities if it hadn't been for each and every single one of my readers. Family, friends (both old and new), fellow authors, and everyone that showed me and Welcome To Deadland support, this is all because of you!

The journey to bring the book to your hands is far from over, I'm both nervous and excited to see what the future holds and I can't wait until each of you are able to hold and read a copy for yourself. 

Thank you to InkShares and thank you Nerdist, without all of you this opportunity wouldn't have presented itself to all of us. 

One day soon you will all be graciously welcomed through the gates of Deadland.

-Zac

Just a super quick update: Dax Harrison now has a Facebook page!

facebook.com/DaxHarrisonBook

SO much easier to direct people to, rather than inkshares.com/projects/dax-harrison-random-number-they-won't-remember...

Spread the word, guys and gals!

-Tony :)

IT"S DONE!

The 100 for $100 contest has 100 entrants. That's right, Blood Dawn is at 204 pre-orders! Less than a month ago I was at 104 pre-orders. This is amazing! Blood Dawn's support nearly doubled in a month, which was exactly what I'd hoped to do. To all of you who jumped on board during this time, you're AWESOME. Thank you so much!

Stay tuned for what comes next -- I have a exciting announcement for you all.

But first, stay tuned tonight for the results of the draw. As promised, I will be printing out the 100 names of the entrants and putting them in a blue wizard's hat, then drawing the one who will be the lucky winner. I'll post a short video on Vine so you can see the process and know the contest wasn't rigged.

Please continue to spread the word. I'm just thrilled to see the momentum growing!

My sincere congratulations to the top 5 winners of the Nerdist Collection contest!

I first heard about this contest and, most importantly, Inkshares through Instagram via Nerdist, one day after the first submissions were accepted. 

The second book that I pre-ordered, on Aug. 20th, three days after the contest was off and running, was written by one Zachary Tyler Linville. This book has now become the holder of the number one spot. He may be first, but the top 5 are all winners since Nerdist will make the final call, but all will be published. 

I thought about mentioning some other books, one alongside me in the top 15th (I will finish off 17th) and one almost forgotten among the other 300 submissions.

The Talkers are Talking by Janna Grace:

https://www.inkshares.com/projects/the-talkers-are-talking

This is a story that deals with a concept that seems familiar, but then throws you upside down and shatters your spine. The fact that Grace's Talkers was also a dream has me loving it even more. Grace has the kind of writing that twists up your insides and I can just imagine how nauseous she will make us, of course, in the best and only way possible--gut wrenching and unflinching.

The second is Drift by Danielle Mohr:

https://www.inkshares.com/projects/drift

Her story is one she has been working on for years, which I could relate, and I think her world is fully fleshed out, with a dark disarray in a future of genetics gone rampant, and I am hoping this story gets the audience it deserves. I am excited to walk among the citizens of Freemont and eventually go Rogue in the distant time to come. 

As for me, there are 48 days left and I have sold 183/1,000 pre-orders.

https://www.inkshares.com/projects/u-turn-at-next-synapse

 I have met some amazing authors on Inkshares, and some have already become good friends, a collective of writers working together. Outstanding.  This has been an enriching experience and one I am glad I took on with full bravado; no more fear as an author. If I am unable to get this published with Inkshares, then I will get it done by other means. Before this contest, I would be unsure of my previous statement. 

I have been making some off the wall promotional countdown images, so here is the latest as we wind down into the...

And here are a look at the rest, counting down from 6: 

Thank you all, everyone that has been with me since the beginning to those who are about to take the ride. Be sure to buckle up now, for this road is still halfway from our final destination. Will you take the U-Turn at the Next Synapse if you have not already? And who else can you get behind the driving wheel?

The Nerdist Collection Contest is almost at an end. I am not in it, but I've made friends with many of the authors in the contest and have loved showing support for their work along the way. Even after the Nerdist competition, there will still be several great projects funding and I look forward to our continued work together.

I thought instead of giving you a long list, I'd share with you my number one favorite project that's not in the top 5.

Now, this has been hard for me to do. But I confess, one has stood out for me above all others (keeping in mind I am an epic fantasy reader and love sprawling epics with maps and immersive worlds).

So here it is, my number one top pick:

Rune of the Apprentice, by Jamison Stone.

I've shared Jamison's book with you before, and his guest post over on my blog (haven't seen it yet? Read it here.)

Rune of the Apprentice felt to me like a novel after my own heart. I was blown away by Jamison's maps, his diligent world building, and his passionate tale about a young orphan's quest to stop his special gift from killing him.  Reading Jamison's work, I'm at once transported to something out of a Brandon Sanderson book -- yes, his writing is that good.

Jamison also draws his own maps. They're spectacular! I want to share one with you here:

Isn't that amazing? If you love immersive epic fantasy, you should definitely go to his page for Rune of the Apprentice and read more, and consider backing his project:

https://www.inkshares.com/projects/rune-of-the-apprentice

Jamison is also giving all his profit raised from pre-orders to charities that support military families. Inspired to write Rune of the Apprentice during long periods where he would be away from his wife during her service in the military, Jamison is doing something very generous by giving back to those who struggle with similar issues of separation. This is a great cause, all around, and I'd love to see you support this book to help it come to life.

I probably should update seeing that everyone else is. The contest ends tomorrow, and I have done what I could. I made it to the 15th spot and hung in the top 20 for a good duration of this contest and for that I am thrilled. As of right now (1:53 PM PST) I am barely holding on to the 17th rung of this harrowing ladder. With only selling one to maybe three copies a day, U-Turn At Next Synapse has been unable to keep the stamina up with with the 23-64 copies a day Giants. 

The contest is over, but the possibility of being published is not. I have 47 days. Repeat 47 Days to have 817 copies pre-ordered by you and your friends, and the world.  

How many people can you get to take the U-Turn? Where two stories meet on the crossroad of a crumbling psyche:

     It was just blind chaos; accumulating as much destruction as they possibly can. We had traveled a lot of road. To be driving in silence was exhilarating. It was pushing back the exhaustion, the burn in my thighs; the body, slowly dying, had exerted what it could. I was in pain, but it was more than just physical. The core was shot. I pulled out the crumpled piece of paper from my pocket, looked over the map, the crude lines resembling rooted weeds of a mansion estate. Even a widespread living quarters had the most intricate buds. There, I saw that Dragon’s Point was ten minutes out. My rest stop...ours.

...

            Christ! The kid! Jerry ran over to Johnny. The outer glass casing of the street lamp was fractured and the pieces were all around where John was moving. This light was damaged and it was done recently. Jerry ran over to help John out with the investigation that was taking a turn, finally. John was looking at the light from every angle on the ground, moving from position to position, sometimes on his back, other times on his knees, one with a jump backwards,  reenacting what might have happened. John pointed his arm miming that he was holding a gun for each scenario. Jerry scooted around John, tiptoeing around the fragmented covering.