Adventures in Advertising
And The Prophecy of the Yubriy Tree Trivia Contest!
Be sure to read to the bottom to learn about the trivia contest!
I write of the whisperers to power, the ones who play the game on a knife's edge. I write of their guile, their craft, of their missteps and the mad measures they take to keep it all from unraveling. I write of the lies they tell to keep difficult truths, and of the truths they barter to protect necessary lies. I write epic fantasy.
Hello everyone! As anyone who has ever written and published a book knows, there are two distinct parts to the job. There's the writing of the book, and then there's the promoting of it. While I try not to get too hung up on feeling the need to promote my work 24/7, it quickly becomes clear that if you don't find a way to let people know that your book exists, very few people will read it.
Letting people know that your book exists, however, is tricky. Being an Xennial, the X-in-me struggles not to recoil in horror at the uber-branding of personal identity that passes for promotion in today's social media landscape. The ennial-in-me, however, is sometimes blown away by the seamlessly authentic way that some writers communicate their passions and personality while informing people that yes, they have a book for sale.
For The Prophecy of the Yubriy Tree, I decided to tell the X-in-me to take a backseat and to let the ennial-in-me operate a little more freely. Occasionally, it's left me a little grossed out, but, more often than not, I've found that I've been able to thread the needle between authenticity and promotion.
In my ongoing efforts to find ways to promote my work authentically, I began creating a series of "I write epic fantasy" style posts, the likes of which opened this newsletter. I've enjoyed this style of “promoting” the most of all my varied efforts. I love that it lets me flex my writing muscles, and that it's an indirect way of promoting my writing. If you follow me on Instagram, you've probably seen one of these posts alongside a medieval-themed picture and song. I'll share one more below.
I write of the heroic knight, standing firm in the face of unfathomable danger, refusing to sell their soul for silver or safety, willing to die for a lost cause. Even if cynicism becomes the currency of the world, the heroic knight will not barter in that coin. I write epic fantasy.
TPOTYT Trivia
I've decided to start a six-month-long trivia contest for subscribers to this newsletter. Winners will receive a signed and annotated copy of TPOTYT, courtesy of yours truly. In my mind, a signed/annotated copy of a book is the coolest prize a fan could win, and I'm hoping you feel the same.
There are two ways to win.
1. Score the highest number of trivia points over the course of the contest. All correct answers are rewarded one point. Most questions will come from the text of The Prophecy of the Yubriy Tree, but I may include a handful of tiebreaker questions that will include information from my notes for the series and Book Two. So good luck reading my mind! I also reserve the right to include questions from Last Performance at the Three Dragons Inn and Falling from a Golden Sky, two short works connected to the series. You can download both of these works for free by subscribing to the newsletter.
2. A second winner will be chosen at random from all contestants who answer every trivia question, regardless of their overall score. So even if you're not at the top of the points table, keep answering!
One additional note: I will accept trivia questions answers up to two weeks after the day they are posted.
I've decided to focus the first question on everyone's favorite side characters, Madrig and Jacy. I’m using this month as a test run, so I’m keeping it simple. The questions will likely grow more complicated as the contest progresses.
Good luck to everyone!
What I'm Reading
My personal reading diet is eclectic and wide-ranging. Here are a few books that I've recently had the pleasure of reading.
The Murder at Spindle Manor by Morgan Stang (Winner of SPFBO 9)
A Memoir of My Former Self: A Life in Writing by Hilary Mantel
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
Playworld by Adam Ross
Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erickson
Nocturne by K.G. Bolingbroke
What I'm Listening To:
I love music, and I'm always on the lookout for new artists. I'll listen to anything, but the genres that garner that most of my attention are singer/songwriter, rock, indie, alt country, and alternative. Here are a few tracks that have been in steady rotation on my personal and ever-evolving playlist. Musicians don’t get enough love in our fast-paced streaming society, so I’m helping out where I can.
Right Now by Mike Nolan (Singer/Songwriter)
Take Your Aim by Rocket (Alternative Rock)
You Can Have Chicago by Mary Splendor (Singer/Songwriter)
Billy (Yeah Yeah Yeah) by Inhaler (Rock)
Cruel by Stone and Snow (Americana)
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Still haven’t read The Prophecy of the Yubriy Tree? You can purchase it HERE.
Are you a fan of urban fantasy? Check out my urban fantasy novel, Many Savage Moons, HERE.
