(Long post, Wall-o’-text incoming)
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[It’s important to note that this takes a bit of time to write and all numbers and placements are based on where everyone is when I write this. It may be different now but it should be close.]
You can view last weeks here: The Story So Far Part 6
There was another Inkshares blog post featuring the Top 10 Authors. I may reference that so if you haven’t read it, here is the link: Inkshares Blog Sept. 13th 2016
What about those 11th-25th? Don’t sweat it, @Jane-Holly Meissner has you covered: Last Week’s Top 11-25
Welcome back to The Story So Far, my name is @Joey Angotti and I’ll be your guide for this evening. The Protagonist. The main focus of this tale you’re trying to tell. Is he dark and mysterious like Oz? Charming like Thoster Chatwyn? Every author has a vision before they begin to write. Often times it’s the world and the setting we make first - but who does the story follow like a third person action game? We’re going to talk about that! Week Seven. Let’s do this!
10. A Beast Requires by @Jay Lockwood (91 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 10th)
A Beast Requires by Jay Lockwood lands in the 10th spot for the 2nd week in a row(Though technically tied for 9th). Mr. Lockwood has slipped in and out of the Top 10 this week, but with 6 more unique readers from last week, he’s still holding onto his place here in the Top 10. Normally, I would tell you to go check out A Beast Requires’ page, with Mr. Lockwood’s cleverly(and often hilarious) crafted comments section - but I really hope majority of you have checked that out already! This week we’re going to do things a bit different.
Let’s talk about Albicon. Albi-what-now? If you haven’t read the first chapter of A Beast Requires, I strongly suggest you do. Albicon is our focus, newly arrived to a little place called Aurum. Albicon is immediately thrust into a place of odd smells and unforeseen circumstances. There are many words to describe him, but I’d break it down like this without spoiling too much: He’s a light-hearted aspiring pig watcher(Yep!) with a sense of humor that often leaves him(and the reader!) being the only one(s) laughing at his own jokes. Albicon arrives to town riding with a man named Mr. Schaw and literally hugging a pig(Why are you not reading this yet? Seriously!), he’s the type of character with so much charisma it’s hard to not like him from the get-go.
If that’s not enough to entice you yet, Mr. Lockwood’s absolutely fantastic storytelling will hook you from the start, with magically crafted paragraphs that basically force you to imagine the pungent smells of Aurum to the snappy dialogue of Albicon himself and the crazy cast of characters around him. There is literally something for everybody. And if there’s not… You should at least go to read about the Troll with a algae-like mo-hawk. Like, no excuses really. Go read about the Troll with the mo-hawk.
9. Flames in the Dark by @Tara Roquemore (91 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 9th)
Exciting news coming out of the Flames in the Dark camp this week. Tara Roquemore has uploaded a video! You all should go check it out as soon as possible, as she offers a lot of insight into her world and story. After you’re done peeping the video, be sure to check out her comments section(Not just saying this because she mentioned yours truly in a comment a few days ago, I swear - Thank you, Tara!). We can look forward to Chapter 2 once she reaches 100 Readers!
To which you might be saying: “What about Chapter 1, Joe? J-Bone? J-Money? The J-ster?” To which I will say, “Please don’t call me any of those things.”
Truth is, I’ve spent so many weeks physically exploding into unicorns and glitter(I’m a straight male, but it’s the only way I can explain this. Nothing against any other people out there.) over the Prologue that shant be named yet I always name it anyway that I have neglected speaking about the beautifully crafted and intriguing first Chapter of Flames in the Dark. The prologue introduced us to the Wilde family and Chapter 1 gives us even more.
Brand Wilde is the easy-going son of Hayden and Ivy. Borderline reckless with his fire sparking abilities, he’s only kept in check by his hot-tempered sister, Edana. Edana can literally shape Brand’s fire into crystals and often has to do so when he’s just throwing sparks out everywhere. He does so intentionally sometimes just to bug her, but you can tell there is a bond here that is immeasurable. Brand needs Edana and Edana needs Brand. They balance each other perfectly. But, their mother, Ivy, has a vision of a prophecy that requires Brand to travel to Minian by himself. I don’t want to spoil anything else from this chapter, as you really should read it, but I’m very interested in seeing where this story goes. Brand must face a world without Edana and their separation could prove catastrophic given their abilities. If you haven’t read any of Flames in the Dark yet, you’re missing out on one of the best written stories in the Top 10!
8. Chronicles of An Domhan by @Conri (106 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 7th)
Mr. Conri finally gave us an update a few days ago about Chronicles of An Domhan and where he stands with his campaign. Some exciting/time consuming/busy things in life have caused quite a slow down but it would appear that he’s back in action and will be providing a lot more content in the days to come. Have no fear Mr. Conri, I got you, bro!
Let’s talk Marshal Beatrix Delacroix. Have you ever been told about independent women who “don’t need no man?” These are the type of women who are fearless, often stern in their approach and to be quite honest - 99% of the time, they’re complete badasses. The type of female characters you long to read about or watch on TV and the type that there just aren’t enough of out there in media or everyday life. Luckily, we have Marshal Beatrix Delacroix. She’ll walk right into your fancy establishment and ignore the fact that a man in a high position gave specific orders not to let her see him and barge right in and fight for what she believes in. She doesn’t care if you’re a judge if you’re not delivering the proper justice she’s going to tell you about it. That’s the extent of what I can tell you. To explain any more of the first chapter of Chronicles of An Domhan would be to deny you the absolutely EPIC scene that follows. You should just go read it for yourself!
7. The Last Faoii by @Tahani Nelson (117 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: N/A)
Tahani Nelson and her book, The Last Faoii, have resurfaced in the Top 10 and I’m shocked it’s taken this long. Ms. Nelson has returned with a vengeance as she has not only made her way back into the Top 10, but already jumped to 7th place! I’ve spoken about Ms. Nelson’s video on The Story So Far before, if you haven’t seen it yet - you need to! She’s running one of the most entertaining campaigns over on her page and she’s rallying her troops effectively and the results are obvious. Now that The Last Faoii is back in the Top 10, you should go check out the page again. Normally I’d break it down for you, but I’m trying to keep up a theme here!
Which brings me to Kaiya. Kai is a Faoii, which is basically the warriors of Ms. Nelson’s world. She’s somewhat mischievous and a bit too laid back for her peers, but that’s a big part of her charm. Her adorable and hilarious banter and interactions with her shield-sister, Mollie, should be enough incentive to go read The Last Faoii(It’s amazing) but if it’s not, you should go for the atmosphere. Kai is a part of something big, something huge and you feel that immediately in the first chapter. Ms. Nelson’s unique phrasing and terms are easy to pick up and once you’ve entered her fantasy world, you learn to appreciate her enthusiasm in her comments section a lot more. Go follow Kaiya and her adventure, the action will hold your interest and the loveable characters will keep you invested for the whole journey! Faoii-Joey, out!
6. The Delicate Art of Soulripping by @Sara (119 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 6th)
The Delicate Art of Soulripping by Sara Polk is still in 6th place, but continues to gain readers. I’ve talked about Osbeorht(aka Oz) many times here on The Story So Far and if you don’t mind, I don’t really want to stop! He’s easily one of the most fascinating characters in this entire contest and if you took the time to read some of The Delicate Art of Soulripping, I’m sure that you would agree. The best thing Ms. Polk has going in this contest is the fact that she’s one of the only people writing in first person. Fantasy in first person is often difficult, but Ms. Polk makes it look easy. She invites us into Oz’s world and tells such an interesting story from his perspective about something that is absolutely one of the most intense things you can imagine. Oz has existed since the year 1321, which means he’s seen a lot through his years of living and then ripping. The idea, the settings and the descriptions often combine for a taste of something so horrifying that this entry could have easily been in the Horror contest going on right now.
The Write Out Loud syndicate recently backed this project and there is a reason. You need to go read this story and find out that reason for yourself! Don’t worry, you’ll totally get it after the first few paragraphs!
5. The Living God by @Kaytalin Platt (128 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 5th)
Kaytalin Platt could be THE most helpful Inksharian on Inkshares. Her constant support for her fellow authors is enough for you to go check out her author page at least, but you’re only doing yourself a disservice if you don’t also feast your eyes upon The Living God. (Segue? Nailed it!)
The Living God follows the story of Saran D’Mor, a woman born of nobility but raised as a fighter after her mother dies(people speculate she committed suicide to escape her husband - yikes!). Since she’s raised as a fighter and a leader, she missed out on all the nobility-learning and is a bit different than most other noble ladies. She gets herself into quite a bit of trouble and seems to be a handful for most of the other knights and lords running around in The Living God. These types of characters are the most enjoyable to read about in my opinion. There is a deepness that makes them relate-able, strong qualities that make them inspirational and enough fantasy elements thrown in to make them just really cool. If you want to read about Saran and her adventure - you need to check out The Living God. The story starts off really action-packed, so it’s easy to get lost in the world Ms. Platt has created for us. If you haven’t yet, it’s time to dive in!
4. The Fairy Stepmother, Inc. by @Maggie Hoyt (172 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 4th)
The Fairy Stepmother, Inc. by Maggie Hoyt is now 172 Readers strong! If you’re not sure if you should check out The Fairy Stepmother, Inc. - Let me help you out: Go check it out! See? See what I did there? … Anyway, the story follows Evelyn, who is giving us some first-person insight on what it’s like to live in a world where everything should be about fairy-tales and happy endings but we quickly learn it’s not all pleasantries and rainbows. Evelyn isn’t fighting off dragons or sailing out on some epic journey with pirates - she’s battling one of the scariest things to ever exist: Reality. Twice married, twice widowed and two teenage girls who are more interested in the Fairy Tale bit than the reality bit are the types of trials and tribulations that Evelyn has to face on a daily basis.
The dialogue and Ms. Hoyt’s writing really set the tone for a story that has a medieval/fantasy setting but manages to pull on strings that hit close to home. It’s the perfect blend of fantasy and reality that makes this the type of story you want to invest in. If dressing up in costume and posting a video about the book didn’t catch your interest, you need to read some of Evelyn’s story - I guarantee you will be hooked after the first few lines of the prologue!
3. Storm Song by @Allison Griner (198 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 2nd)
Allison Griner’s Storm Song has fallen to 3rd place this week, but it’s also 2 readers away from 200! That’s a huge milestone on the horizon(that may have already been hit by the time I post this!). Ms. Griner has been busy promoting Storm Song, most recently in her old stomping grounds of Ball State University where she studied Creative Writing and what will be known as the birthplace of Elysia when Storm Song makes it big. She’s also going to be holding a D&D event that will be set in the world of Storm Song(so cool!) and she’s giving away some dice sets! For more details on that, head on over to her comments section on the Storm Song page!
Storm Song follows the adventure of Thoster Chatwyn, whom I have officially dubbed the epitome of charisma. Thoster is a real man’s man, but lacks majority of the skills necessary to hold a steady job, at least in his own opinion, so he spends his time going from tavern to tavern singing and telling stories to earn some coin. His witty banter, that may often annoy his sister, makes him one of the most entertaining characters I’ve ever read about. Ms. Griner delivers on the dialogue in Chapter 1 and beyond to the point where you really feel a connection with all of the characters, not just Thoster. The best part being that when she really focuses on our charismatic focus, her unique storytelling helps expose his already love-able qualities. Ms. Griner has taken a D&D NPC and turned him into a larger-than-life protagonist of an exciting pirate tale. I can not wait to get my hands on the book when it comes out to read Thoster’s full story.
If you want to see why I’m so obsessed with Thoster and his story, you need only go to the Storm Song page and check out the content Ms. Griner has already posted for us. You won’t be disappointed!
2. The Slave Prince by @Jeyna Grace (204 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 2nd)
The Slave Prince by Jeyna Grace has become the second book in the Top 10 to break 200 readers! Congratulations to Ms. Grace on her campaign thus far and for returning to 2nd place! She’s also teamed up with Salt x Paper for a giveaway for those who preorder The Slave Prince - you can read about that in her comments section!
If you haven’t had a chance to check out The Slave Prince yet, you’re missing out on some wonderfully put together setting descriptions from Ms. Grace. I’d believe it if you told me that “Detail” was her middle name, as the prologue and provided chapters are full of amazing scenery that make you feel like you’re right next to Thom as he gets involved in all of his crazy antics. Writers often make the mistake of being overly descriptive but she manages to put enough to make you feel like you’re there without overdoing it. Before I get even more carried away with these awesome uses of imagery, let me backtrack just a moment to Thom himself. Thom is the type of character that doesn’t want the responsibility that comes with being a hero - but you can tell he’s destined for great things. He’s run into some trouble keeping tabs on his brother, but the focus for the people of Alpenwhist(had to work this name in, I love it!) should be on our mischievous protagonist!
You can follow Thom and his adventure over on The Slave Prince page where Ms. Grace has posted the Prologue and 3 Chapters to give us a small taste of Thom’s journey in Alpenwhist!
1. Sparked by @Lena (Helena and Malena) (342 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 1st)
To say that Helena Echlin and Malena Watrous are running away with this contest might be the understatement of the year. 138 Readers ahead of second place and almost 500 preorders makes them the odds on favorite for 1st place. Their readers and fan base have come out in full force to support them and as I mentioned in last week’s The Story So Far, it’s for good reason. These two are extremely helpful in the community and deserve the success they’re currently getting. That being said, I’m going to just push these two lovely ladies aside for a moment - Let’s just talk Sparked.
One day Laurel wakes up and her sister, Ivy, is missing. This seems to be the norm, but this time it feels different for Laurel. This time it feels a bit more permanent than Ivy’s normal disappearances throughout the night. She has a feeling that something awful has happened but the adults don’t seem to take her seriously. What proceeds is a fantasy mystery of epic proportions. Laurel is a clever girl, analyzing the situation and making her own conclusions. She’s also a teenager in high school, so she’s got a lot of regular teenage girl problems too. Throw the missing sister mystery, teenage girl problems and some bullies at school into a magical bag and mix it up a bit and well - “I can’t even.” Yeah, that was totally a clever poke at hipsters and millennials - what it should read is “I can’t even begin to explain to you how awesome the flow of this story is!” If you want your eyeballs to experience writing ecstasy, it’s time to figure out what the hype is about and why this book already has almost 500 preorders.
The pacing of this story is perfect and makes you really feel the panic that Laurel must be going through when she finds out her sister is missing or the sheer disappointment when none of the adults believe her. The writing grips you in a way that you feel like you’re the one going from place to place trying to uncover the mystery(Weird experience as a 29 year old man). It’s time to immerse yourself in this world that Ms. Echlin and Ms. Watrous have created! Go check out Sparked!
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Late release this week, sorry folks! I started writing this at midnight and wrapped it up at 3:00AMish. Sorry for the delay, I wanted to go a bit deeper this week on detail. I’d also like to give some special recognition to Allison Griner for the idea to talk more about the main characters of each story. I think it worked out pretty well and hopefully I did all of your characters justice. I tried not to be too spoilery with the stories too.
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I’m not sure people who aren’t tagged are even reading this or slightly interested. Also, people not using the forums enough could not be seeing this as well. Any and all extra exposure of this forum post would be appreciated!(It’s a lot of work to not be seen by more people on the site!) - A mention on your books page or more comments could keep this afloat and make sure more people see this post - therefore more exposure and good things for your entry! Plus it might get more people involved on the forums which is good for Inkshares as a whole, imo.
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Shameless Plug: I only need 5 more Amazon reviews to hit my goal of 30! I’d really appreciate it if some of you could help me reach that goal! If you have a book on Inkshares that you’re funding and you write a positive review for my first book, A Soldier’s Crest, I will preorder your book. It’s the easiest preorder you’ll ever earn. Writing a review costs you nothing but 5-10 minutes of your time and I will love you forever! Thanks to everyone here who has already helped out - I really appreciate it!
A Soldier’s Crest
Lastly I want to thank Inkshares for making this site and giving aspiring authors like us a chance to share our stories. I also want to thank all the Inksharians, especially those in the Top 10, for giving me some interesting stories to read and write about.
Cheers!
-J.A.
(I post it first then add the links after, so if you click on it right away you may not see the links. Just know that they’re gonna be added in an edit right after! Thanks for your patience and sorry for the inconvenience!)
EDIT: Links added!
Yes, those are the bookmarks on the left with the knight with the flaming sword hilt. And the book cover promo cards on the right. I can’t wait until these are boxes of my actual published books arriving-what a great teaser! And Yes, I will ship this schwag and more to my backers if my book gets published! For now they will go with me to Austin Comic Con next weekend, and San Antonio in October. Let me know if anyone else is attending these. I also could use advice how to work a Con without an actual physical book to handout. Let’s see if I can recruit a celeb to help. ;-)
(Long post, Wall-o’-text incoming)
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[It’s important to note that this takes a bit of time to write and all numbers and placements are based on where everyone is when I write this. It may be different now but it should be close.]
You can view last weeks here: The Story So Far Part 6
There was another Inkshares blog post featuring the Top 10 Authors. I may reference that so if you haven’t read it, here is the link: Inkshares Blog Sept. 13th 2016
What about those 11th-25th? Don’t sweat it, @Jane-Holly Meissner has you covered: Last Week’s Top 11-25
Welcome back to The Story So Far, my name is @Joey Angotti and I’ll be your guide for this evening. The Protagonist. The main focus of this tale you’re trying to tell. Is he dark and mysterious like Oz? Charming like Thoster Chatwyn? Every author has a vision before they begin to write. Often times it’s the world and the setting we make first - but who does the story follow like a third person action game? We’re going to talk about that! Week Seven. Let’s do this!
10. A Beast Requires by @Jay Lockwood (91 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 10th)
A Beast Requires by Jay Lockwood lands in the 10th spot for the 2nd week in a row(Though technically tied for 9th). Mr. Lockwood has slipped in and out of the Top 10 this week, but with 6 more unique readers from last week, he’s still holding onto his place here in the Top 10. Normally, I would tell you to go check out A Beast Requires’ page, with Mr. Lockwood’s cleverly(and often hilarious) crafted comments section - but I really hope majority of you have checked that out already! This week we’re going to do things a bit different.
Let’s talk about Albicon. Albi-what-now? If you haven’t read the first chapter of A Beast Requires, I strongly suggest you do. Albicon is our focus, newly arrived to a little place called Aurum. Albicon is immediately thrust into a place of odd smells and unforeseen circumstances. There are many words to describe him, but I’d break it down like this without spoiling too much: He’s a light-hearted aspiring pig watcher(Yep!) with a sense of humor that often leaves him(and the reader!) being the only one(s) laughing at his own jokes. Albicon arrives to town riding with a man named Mr. Schaw and literally hugging a pig(Why are you not reading this yet? Seriously!), he’s the type of character with so much charisma it’s hard to not like him from the get-go.
If that’s not enough to entice you yet, Mr. Lockwood’s absolutely fantastic storytelling will hook you from the start, with magically crafted paragraphs that basically force you to imagine the pungent smells of Aurum to the snappy dialogue of Albicon himself and the crazy cast of characters around him. There is literally something for everybody. And if there’s not… You should at least go to read about the Troll with a algae-like mo-hawk. Like, no excuses really. Go read about the Troll with the mo-hawk.
9. Flames in the Dark by @Tara Roquemore (91 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 9th)
Exciting news coming out of the Flames in the Dark camp this week. Tara Roquemore has uploaded a video! You all should go check it out as soon as possible, as she offers a lot of insight into her world and story. After you’re done peeping the video, be sure to check out her comments section(Not just saying this because she mentioned yours truly in a comment a few days ago, I swear - Thank you, Tara!). We can look forward to Chapter 2 once she reaches 100 Readers!
To which you might be saying: “What about Chapter 1, Joe? J-Bone? J-Money? The J-ster?” To which I will say, “Please don’t call me any of those things.”
Truth is, I’ve spent so many weeks physically exploding into unicorns and glitter(I’m a straight male, but it’s the only way I can explain this. Nothing against any other people out there.) over the Prologue that shant be named yet I always name it anyway that I have neglected speaking about the beautifully crafted and intriguing first Chapter of Flames in the Dark. The prologue introduced us to the Wilde family and Chapter 1 gives us even more.
Brand Wilde is the easy-going son of Hayden and Ivy. Borderline reckless with his fire sparking abilities, he’s only kept in check by his hot-tempered sister, Edana. Edana can literally shape Brand’s fire into crystals and often has to do so when he’s just throwing sparks out everywhere. He does so intentionally sometimes just to bug her, but you can tell there is a bond here that is immeasurable. Brand needs Edana and Edana needs Brand. They balance each other perfectly. But, their mother, Ivy, has a vision of a prophecy that requires Brand to travel to Minian by himself. I don’t want to spoil anything else from this chapter, as you really should read it, but I’m very interested in seeing where this story goes. Brand must face a world without Edana and their separation could prove catastrophic given their abilities. If you haven’t read any of Flames in the Dark yet, you’re missing out on one of the best written stories in the Top 10!
8. Chronicles of An Domhan by @Conri (106 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 7th)
Mr. Conri finally gave us an update a few days ago about Chronicles of An Domhan and where he stands with his campaign. Some exciting/time consuming/busy things in life have caused quite a slow down but it would appear that he’s back in action and will be providing a lot more content in the days to come. Have no fear Mr. Conri, I got you, bro!
Let’s talk Marshal Beatrix Delacroix. Have you ever been told about independent women who “don’t need no man?” These are the type of women who are fearless, often stern in their approach and to be quite honest - 99% of the time, they’re complete badasses. The type of female characters you long to read about or watch on TV and the type that there just aren’t enough of out there in media or everyday life. Luckily, we have Marshal Beatrix Delacroix. She’ll walk right into your fancy establishment and ignore the fact that a man in a high position gave specific orders not to let her see him and barge right in and fight for what she believes in. She doesn’t care if you’re a judge if you’re not delivering the proper justice she’s going to tell you about it. That’s the extent of what I can tell you. To explain any more of the first chapter of Chronicles of An Domhan would be to deny you the absolutely EPIC scene that follows. You should just go read it for yourself!
7. The Last Faoii by @Tahani Nelson (117 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: N/A)
Tahani Nelson and her book, The Last Faoii, have resurfaced in the Top 10 and I’m shocked it’s taken this long. Ms. Nelson has returned with a vengeance as she has not only made her way back into the Top 10, but already jumped to 7th place! I’ve spoken about Ms. Nelson’s video on The Story So Far before, if you haven’t seen it yet - you need to! She’s running one of the most entertaining campaigns over on her page and she’s rallying her troops effectively and the results are obvious. Now that The Last Faoii is back in the Top 10, you should go check out the page again. Normally I’d break it down for you, but I’m trying to keep up a theme here!
Which brings me to Kaiya. Kai is a Faoii, which is basically the warriors of Ms. Nelson’s world. She’s somewhat mischievous and a bit too laid back for her peers, but that’s a big part of her charm. Her adorable and hilarious banter and interactions with her shield-sister, Mollie, should be enough incentive to go read The Last Faoii(It’s amazing) but if it’s not, you should go for the atmosphere. Kai is a part of something big, something huge and you feel that immediately in the first chapter. Ms. Nelson’s unique phrasing and terms are easy to pick up and once you’ve entered her fantasy world, you learn to appreciate her enthusiasm in her comments section a lot more. Go follow Kaiya and her adventure, the action will hold your interest and the loveable characters will keep you invested for the whole journey! Faoii-Joey, out!
6. The Delicate Art of Soulripping by @Sara (119 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 6th)
The Delicate Art of Soulripping by Sara Polk is still in 6th place, but continues to gain readers. I’ve talked about Osbeorht(aka Oz) many times here on The Story So Far and if you don’t mind, I don’t really want to stop! He’s easily one of the most fascinating characters in this entire contest and if you took the time to read some of The Delicate Art of Soulripping, I’m sure that you would agree. The best thing Ms. Polk has going in this contest is the fact that she’s one of the only people writing in first person. Fantasy in first person is often difficult, but Ms. Polk makes it look easy. She invites us into Oz’s world and tells such an interesting story from his perspective about something that is absolutely one of the most intense things you can imagine. Oz has existed since the year 1321, which means he’s seen a lot through his years of living and then ripping. The idea, the settings and the descriptions often combine for a taste of something so horrifying that this entry could have easily been in the Horror contest going on right now.
The Write Out Loud syndicate recently backed this project and there is a reason. You need to go read this story and find out that reason for yourself! Don’t worry, you’ll totally get it after the first few paragraphs!
5. The Living God by @Kaytalin Platt (128 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 5th)
Kaytalin Platt could be THE most helpful Inksharian on Inkshares. Her constant support for her fellow authors is enough for you to go check out her author page at least, but you’re only doing yourself a disservice if you don’t also feast your eyes upon The Living God. (Segue? Nailed it!)
The Living God follows the story of Saran D’Mor, a woman born of nobility but raised as a fighter after her mother dies(people speculate she committed suicide to escape her husband - yikes!). Since she’s raised as a fighter and a leader, she missed out on all the nobility-learning and is a bit different than most other noble ladies. She gets herself into quite a bit of trouble and seems to be a handful for most of the other knights and lords running around in The Living God. These types of characters are the most enjoyable to read about in my opinion. There is a deepness that makes them relate-able, strong qualities that make them inspirational and enough fantasy elements thrown in to make them just really cool. If you want to read about Saran and her adventure - you need to check out The Living God. The story starts off really action-packed, so it’s easy to get lost in the world Ms. Platt has created for us. If you haven’t yet, it’s time to dive in!
4. The Fairy Stepmother, Inc. by @Maggie Hoyt (172 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 4th)
The Fairy Stepmother, Inc. by Maggie Hoyt is now 172 Readers strong! If you’re not sure if you should check out The Fairy Stepmother, Inc. - Let me help you out: Go check it out! See? See what I did there? … Anyway, the story follows Evelyn, who is giving us some first-person insight on what it’s like to live in a world where everything should be about fairy-tales and happy endings but we quickly learn it’s not all pleasantries and rainbows. Evelyn isn’t fighting off dragons or sailing out on some epic journey with pirates - she’s battling one of the scariest things to ever exist: Reality. Twice married, twice widowed and two teenage girls who are more interested in the Fairy Tale bit than the reality bit are the types of trials and tribulations that Evelyn has to face on a daily basis.
The dialogue and Ms. Hoyt’s writing really set the tone for a story that has a medieval/fantasy setting but manages to pull on strings that hit close to home. It’s the perfect blend of fantasy and reality that makes this the type of story you want to invest in. If dressing up in costume and posting a video about the book didn’t catch your interest, you need to read some of Evelyn’s story - I guarantee you will be hooked after the first few lines of the prologue!
3. Storm Song by @Allison Griner (198 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 2nd)
Allison Griner’s Storm Song has fallen to 3rd place this week, but it’s also 2 readers away from 200! That’s a huge milestone on the horizon(that may have already been hit by the time I post this!). Ms. Griner has been busy promoting Storm Song, most recently in her old stomping grounds of Ball State University where she studied Creative Writing and what will be known as the birthplace of Elysia when Storm Song makes it big. She’s also going to be holding a D&D event that will be set in the world of Storm Song(so cool!) and she’s giving away some dice sets! For more details on that, head on over to her comments section on the Storm Song page!
Storm Song follows the adventure of Thoster Chatwyn, whom I have officially dubbed the epitome of charisma. Thoster is a real man’s man, but lacks majority of the skills necessary to hold a steady job, at least in his own opinion, so he spends his time going from tavern to tavern singing and telling stories to earn some coin. His witty banter, that may often annoy his sister, makes him one of the most entertaining characters I’ve ever read about. Ms. Griner delivers on the dialogue in Chapter 1 and beyond to the point where you really feel a connection with all of the characters, not just Thoster. The best part being that when she really focuses on our charismatic focus, her unique storytelling helps expose his already love-able qualities. Ms. Griner has taken a D&D NPC and turned him into a larger-than-life protagonist of an exciting pirate tale. I can not wait to get my hands on the book when it comes out to read Thoster’s full story.
If you want to see why I’m so obsessed with Thoster and his story, you need only go to the Storm Song page and check out the content Ms. Griner has already posted for us. You won’t be disappointed!
2. The Slave Prince by @Jeyna Grace (204 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 2nd)
The Slave Prince by Jeyna Grace has become the second book in the Top 10 to break 200 readers! Congratulations to Ms. Grace on her campaign thus far and for returning to 2nd place! She’s also teamed up with Salt x Paper for a giveaway for those who preorder The Slave Prince - you can read about that in her comments section!
If you haven’t had a chance to check out The Slave Prince yet, you’re missing out on some wonderfully put together setting descriptions from Ms. Grace. I’d believe it if you told me that “Detail” was her middle name, as the prologue and provided chapters are full of amazing scenery that make you feel like you’re right next to Thom as he gets involved in all of his crazy antics. Writers often make the mistake of being overly descriptive but she manages to put enough to make you feel like you’re there without overdoing it. Before I get even more carried away with these awesome uses of imagery, let me backtrack just a moment to Thom himself. Thom is the type of character that doesn’t want the responsibility that comes with being a hero - but you can tell he’s destined for great things. He’s run into some trouble keeping tabs on his brother, but the focus for the people of Alpenwhist(had to work this name in, I love it!) should be on our mischievous protagonist!
You can follow Thom and his adventure over on The Slave Prince page where Ms. Grace has posted the Prologue and 3 Chapters to give us a small taste of Thom’s journey in Alpenwhist!
1. Sparked by @Lena (Helena and Malena) (342 Readers / Last Week’s Rank: 1st)
To say that Helena Echlin and Malena Watrous are running away with this contest might be the understatement of the year. 138 Readers ahead of second place and almost 500 preorders makes them the odds on favorite for 1st place. Their readers and fan base have come out in full force to support them and as I mentioned in last week’s The Story So Far, it’s for good reason. These two are extremely helpful in the community and deserve the success they’re currently getting. That being said, I’m going to just push these two lovely ladies aside for a moment - Let’s just talk Sparked.
One day Laurel wakes up and her sister, Ivy, is missing. This seems to be the norm, but this time it feels different for Laurel. This time it feels a bit more permanent than Ivy’s normal disappearances throughout the night. She has a feeling that something awful has happened but the adults don’t seem to take her seriously. What proceeds is a fantasy mystery of epic proportions. Laurel is a clever girl, analyzing the situation and making her own conclusions. She’s also a teenager in high school, so she’s got a lot of regular teenage girl problems too. Throw the missing sister mystery, teenage girl problems and some bullies at school into a magical bag and mix it up a bit and well - “I can’t even.” Yeah, that was totally a clever poke at hipsters and millennials - what it should read is “I can’t even begin to explain to you how awesome the flow of this story is!” If you want your eyeballs to experience writing ecstasy, it’s time to figure out what the hype is about and why this book already has almost 500 preorders.
The pacing of this story is perfect and makes you really feel the panic that Laurel must be going through when she finds out her sister is missing or the sheer disappointment when none of the adults believe her. The writing grips you in a way that you feel like you’re the one going from place to place trying to uncover the mystery(Weird experience as a 29 year old man). It’s time to immerse yourself in this world that Ms. Echlin and Ms. Watrous have created! Go check out Sparked!
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Late release this week, sorry folks! I started writing this at midnight and wrapped it up at 3:00AMish. Sorry for the delay, I wanted to go a bit deeper this week on detail. I’d also like to give some special recognition to Allison Griner for the idea to talk more about the main characters of each story. I think it worked out pretty well and hopefully I did all of your characters justice. I tried not to be too spoilery with the stories too.
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I’m not sure people who aren’t tagged are even reading this or slightly interested. Also, people not using the forums enough could not be seeing this as well. Any and all extra exposure of this forum post would be appreciated!(It’s a lot of work to not be seen by more people on the site!) - A mention on your books page or more comments could keep this afloat and make sure more people see this post - therefore more exposure and good things for your entry! Plus it might get more people involved on the forums which is good for Inkshares as a whole, imo.
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Shameless Plug: I only need 5 more Amazon reviews to hit my goal of 30! I’d really appreciate it if some of you could help me reach that goal! If you have a book on Inkshares that you’re funding and you write a positive review for my first book, A Soldier’s Crest, I will preorder your book. It’s the easiest preorder you’ll ever earn. Writing a review costs you nothing but 5-10 minutes of your time and I will love you forever! Thanks to everyone here who has already helped out - I really appreciate it!
-J.A.A Soldier’s Crest
Lastly I want to thank Inkshares for making this site and giving aspiring authors like us a chance to share our stories. I also want to thank all the Inksharians, especially those in the Top 10, for giving me some interesting stories to read and write about.
Cheers!
(I post it first then add the links after, so if you click on it right away you may not see the links. Just know that they’re gonna be added in an edit right after! Thanks for your patience and sorry for the inconvenience!)
EDIT: Links added!