I wasn't going to update until we reached ten readers...and then we did!

So that means I get to raffle off the first signed copy of Shadow of the Owl.

  Drum roll please...Or rather dice roll.  This is how we make decisions in the Orneck household.  Congrats to number 10, which is Rubydewey!  You'll get the first signed copy of SotO. But the great thing about this contest is that I will be raffling off again at 20, which means that those that ordered early get the most attempts to win the prize.  Super cool, right?

Remember to share Deus Hex Machina with your friends so you have more chances to win!  As we get further along, I'll probably be upping the stakes, and maybe refreshing the contest as we start handing out the prizes.  

Cheers!

Amanda 

I have a bit of fun to share with you!

Last week I recorded myself while on a six-and-a-half hour writing marathon, writing Blood Dawn's climax -- and you can watch the whole thing in a 15-minute time-lapse video.

Yup, 6.5 hours condensed down to 15 minutes. I just LOVE this video and feel it captured such an epic moment for Blood Dawn and wanted to share with all of you who soon will be holding this book in your hands and reading the complete story.

Not only will you see the text whizzing by as I write, but you'll see all the funny expressions I make when writing, you can count how many cups of Starbucks coffee I drank, and watch me devour a pastry in about two seconds! Towards the end of it, you can see my exhaustion set in, as I begin to yawn repeatedly (which, in the time lapse, looks like I'm casting some sort of summoning spell).

The writing marathon was worth it!  I wrote 28 pages in that one sitting, since having the camera on meant no checking emails and no distractions, period.

Here's the video (SPOILER ALERT! Blur your eyes a bit if you don't want to know what happens when all the sh*t hits the fan):

Goofiness aside, Blood Dawn is hurtling toward the end of the first draft, and still this book continues to amaze me.  I only have 40 or so pages left to write in this 800-page tome, and even this past weekend the story took me on a detour that I wasn't expecting, making the story's denouement even better -- and setting up echoes that will linger until the sequel.

The first draft of this book is almost done and while it's been a wild ride, I've managed to keep the stakes and tension high, week after week -- for 63 weeks straight now, thanks to the weekly support of Author Accelerator. My structural/developmental editor is reading through the first 2/3 of the manuscript as we speak and told me there is some work to be done, but overall (are you ready??): based on her experience reading manuscript for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Blood Dawn would warrant a full read-through. Wooh! I'm flattered (but still have my fingers crossed that she's going to tear it to shreds -- I mean, that's what makes rewriting fun and makes the story better!)

In a few weeks I'll begin the major editing overhaul process so that this book is DONE by the time my Inkshares campaign ends in April.  And I am EXTRA motivated to see this project through to the end on my very strict schedule because Blood Dawn has already reached one of its funding goals and will be published!

I still want to take this to the next level. If we can reach 750 pre-orders (double what we now have), then Blood Dawn will qualify for the Inkshares imprint, which means full and comprehensive editing, a much better quality book product for you to hold in your hands, and full bookstore distribution.

If you haven't pre-ordered your copy yet, please consider doing so. (Click here to pre-order your copy.) And if you've already pre-ordered your copy, please share the Blood Dawn page with all of your friends and family who are fantasy fans and encourage them to order.  Or, if you're as excited as I am, you could order additional copies for yourself -- ebook copies are $10 and print copies start at $20. If you order 3, I will make you a GOD-KING and name a house/clan/social group in my world after you. If you order 7, you'll be a DRAGON and I'll add a dragon in my world based on your name, as well as give you a free t-shirt with the Blood Dawn emblem by A.C. Weston.

Thank you for all of your encouragement and support along the way -- together we'll make it to the end and we'll see Blood Dawn on the shelves of local bookstores everywhere, and get more fresh Blood Dawn blood.

Thank you, once again, for coming along with me on this journey. So much more ahead!

John Robin