Happy Monday everyone!

I wanted to take a moment to give you a bit of a status report on DHM.  

1. Chapter One is finished, unexpectedly.  I had started writing scenes and realized, once I finished them, that they naturally ended our chapter on a great intriguing note.  It's available in its entirety on the Inkshares page, and I would love it if you read it and let me know what you think.  

2. To date, no one has figured out the DHM ARG.  We have a couple of people playing, but no one has crossed the finish line.  The clues start with the book trailer I posted a while back.  Will you be the first to finish the game and save Timble Ada?

3. Here's some general math on how the campaign is going: We are 2 orders away from our next raffle, 45 orders from fifth place, 92 orders from 2nd, and 182 orders from 250 -- which is my goal. The road is long, and the chances for winning dim, I have to be honest.  I felt really good seeing all the people who came on board this weekend - 10 orders in just two days! - until I saw that the other guys are getting dozens of orders per day. That knocks the winds out of my sails a bit, I must admit.

HOWEVER, there are 11 days, and I plan on working on this until January 16th. I also have a contingency in case this doesn't pan out, the Sword & Laser contest I mean. I believe in Deus Hex Machina, I see it being a successful book read by thousands of people.  I would like those thousands of people to read it with an Inkshares label on the back, but even if that does not happen, I will be working to make sure it is published properly.

You can help!

If you believe in this book as much as I do, there are things you can do to help.  You can share DHM on your own Inkshares updates, should you be an Inkshares author.  If anyone out there wants to work on a cross promotion with me, I would be more than happy to help.

Anyone who is on the fence, intending on ordering but hasn't yet, please make the plunge and order today. Isidore and Dax need your help.

Even if you are not an Inkshares author (or heck, even if you are), you can still help push DHM into the top three. All you have to do is reach out to three of your friends and ask them to order.  Send them to this Facebook post on instructions how to order the book for free. 

What I am doing:

I am continuing to write Chapter 2. This 366 days of writing is exhilerating. I should be getting to Dax soon. 

I am reaching out to everyone I know, something I did not do with Shadow of the Owl. That's how much I believe in this book -- I'm facing my social anxiety to ensure that DHM wins this contest. 

Phew, that was longer than I expected.  Guess it's not such a quick update after all!

Have a great Monday!

Hello everyone!

It's been awhile since my last update, but I just wanted to throw a few items of interest out there.

First, I added a new book trailer earlier this week to the Inkshares page. I'm pretty happy with it, so please check it out if you haven't already.

I gained a few more orders this past week from some generous people, which I greatly appreciate, as always. You guys make this crazy ride worthwhile for me and energize me every time I see enthusiasm for my writing.

After hemming and hawing over the idea, I decided to jump on the raffle bandwagon. I'm not going to start drawing names until I get some of my wares in the mail that I plan to raffle, though. When those arrive, I will raffle items at every 10 readers. Each reader will have their name in the drawing. Anyone who ordered the eBook (Inhabitant level) will get one entry. Anyone who ordered the eBook & hard copy (Dreamer level) will get two entries. Anyone who ordered multiple copies (Narcoleptic level) will get as many entries as the number of books they ordered. No one can win more than one prize, though, so multiple entries just increases your chances of winning (which is still a victory!). So, by that estimation, I owe you 4 raffle drawings at this moment.

Here's the weirdest item I wanted to discuss. I had a vivid dream last night that actually inspired a new character (actually even a group) and plot line for the novel. I am currently brainstorming on how to integrate them, and I have a few ideas of how to do so. I'm really excited about this! It's one of those stranger-than-fiction scenarios that was hard to ignore: An idea via a dream for a dream-based novel. Hmm. It goes to show that my brain never takes a rest from writing.

I hope your miscellaneous holidays were wonderful, and you're enjoying your first two days of 2016.

Good night, and happy dreaming!