S.D. Smith's Blog, page 32

An Adventure For Adventurers

I get so many kind letters and notes and I’m really grateful for them all. I appreciate the encouragement! This one stood out to me and I asked if I could share it. Please see my note at the bottom. –Sam

Dear Mr. Smith,

I wish you could have seen us yesterday! My husband and I and our four kids were piled into our SUV driving through a snowstorm on the Tibetan plateau. We were listening to Ember Falls, and the children were still and quiet, loving your wild tale! We listened for hours as we drove over high mountain passes, crossed the Yangtze and then the Yellow River, pausing only to put the car into four wheel drive, or to stare in awe at a lonely wolf loping across the barren grassland. The sun set over the mountains and we drove through the dark as the story held us in its spell. The kids were not the only ones caught up in the adventures of Heather, Picket, Emma, and their companions!

We look forward to finding out what happens in Book 3. Thank you for writing such a great story!

A pretty wonderful note, yes? Ember Falls was an adventure for adventurers. What an honor! I find it striking that so many families who have embraced these stories are themselves living stories of adventure worthy of tales well-told. I want to live that kind of life too, to be alive to what I’m being called to, wherever that may be. With the blessing, so may we all! –Sam

(Images from my anonymous correspondent.)

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S. D. Smith on New Stories with an Old Soul, Storytelling in an Age of Rebellion, Some Jokes, and One Sick Burn

I had the great privilege of joining the crew at The Center for Lit in this fun interview. If you enjoy my books and want to know more about my heart for kids and approach to the vocation of storyteller, this is a really good place to hear more.

I really enjoyed this interview. It was one of my favorites. (Here are some others, if you’re interested.)

I have appreciated their Bibliophiles pod (subscribe here) and I loved talking with Adam and Missy Andrews, along with Ian, Emily, and Megan. They are wise, bright, and positive. They like to laugh.

Adam and Ian speak around the country (including at the Great Homeschool Conventions, where I’ll be speaking as well) and have lots to offer at their website. If you haven’t checked them out, I suggest you do.

The post S. D. Smith on New Stories with an Old Soul, Storytelling in an Age of Rebellion, Some Jokes, and One Sick Burn appeared first on S. D. Smith.

What, A Year? #RabbitsWithSwords #2016

Dear Friends,

It has been an incredible year for us and I just wanted to write and say thanks. This year you helped us share The Green Ember Series with tens of thousands of new readers!

I believe in these stories and I’m honored they have found a place in so many homes. I get the most amazing messages, letters, drawings, and cards from readers all over. It’s so encouraging to me and I wish I could share them all with you. I’m genuinely not entirely sure what it is, but there is something about these stories that is resonating with children and families. My guess, based on the feedback I’ve gotten, is that many folks are hungry for New Stories with an Old Soul. (I know my family is.) Maybe it’s the thousands of people I’ve blackmailed. Who knows? But for me, there is nothing like hearing from these kids. What an incredible privilege. I am blown away by their enthusiasm!

Like everyone, I squirm a little sharing “success” stuff. The lurking terror of the “humble brag” lurks terrifyingly like a lurker who terrifies. But I’m genuinely convinced that you are part of the story behind the stories and that your investments (of many kinds) have been crucial. You’re in on the work, so I want you to know at least some of what that has meant.

 

Best-Smeller

This year The Green Ember Series books were best-sellers on Amazon many times in multiple categories. The category bestseller thing on Amazon can be misleading, of course, but the books have sold incredibly well. I’m also very grateful that the books continue to be positively reviewed, with nearly 900 reviews, over 90% of which are 5 stars. Those reviews help so much. Thank you to all of you who have (or will) take the minute to help us out in that way.

 

Look Out, J. K. Rowling

Amazon ranks authors based on sales of their books. I’m usually in there in certain categories, but I was surprised to find that two different times this year I reached the Top 100 Overall. My highest rank was at #51. I still kind of can’t believe that. (Don’t worry, Miss Rowling. I think you’re safe, because if you sneezed on a grocery list and put it on Amazon, it would sell a billion copies in five seconds.)

Audio Adrenaline

Our audiobooks have also made a big splash and, thanks to a good sale Audible ran, The Green Ember became the best-selling audiobook in the world in July for a short time. All the audiobooks continue to sell well, and receive mostly good reviews from listeners. Although, the bad reviews are secretly some of my favorites. (But don’t go doing me a “favor” by posting a bad one!)

LA LA Land

I was delighted to be invited to fly out to L.A. to meet with studio executives and filmmakers about the potential for a movie version of The Green Ember. There’s nothing major to announce on that front yet, but there is real interest and I hope to be flying out west again soon for more meetings. It’s a long process, I’m learning, but I’m excited by the very real potential for translating these stories onto the screen.

 

Make Homeschool Conferences Great Again? 

I was invited to be a featured speaker at the Great Homeschool Conventions in Texas, South Carolina, Ohio, and California. This is a major improvement over my many years struggling through the Mediocre Homeschool Conventions. I look forward to being at all four GREAT ones in 2017 and seeing many of you again, or meeting you for the first time! These are special events for homeschooling fams who want to be encouraged and equipped in their calling. I’m excited about my talks, but more so about getting to talk to you!

New Shtuff

We had a successful Kickstarter and release of Ember Falls: The Green Ember Book II.

We launched new products including Heather’s Necklace and Picket’s Sword. 

We released Joel Clarkson’s newest record, a musical soundscape for The Green Ember, Melodies for the Mended Wood vol 1. It’s excellent! Here are five of the tracks for free (the whole album is only $5 for the moment).

 

The Future!

Yes, there are more books on the way! God willing, I will share more Whitson Mariner stories and, of course, more of Heather and Picket’s quest for the Mended Wood.

We are NOT going to announce WHEN the next books are going to be released until we know FOR SURE. We learned that lesson the hard way with Ember Falls. We don’t want to generate expectation for a release date we can’t reach. It will definitely take longer than any of us wish.

We are still a very, very small operation. I still work a day job and have many other responsibilities. I have a family, including one wife and four young kids who need me. They are my priority. My work as an author, while enormously important to me, is still something I can only do when I can find/make time for it. I hope that one day I can do it full-time, and your unbelievable support is making that a real possibility, but the reality is I’m not there yet.

I know the wait is tough. I appreciate how much you (and/or your kids) care about what happens to Heather and Picket! I care too. I hope, when it’s all over, that you’ll be satisfied by the big story.

I am a profoundly imperfect man. I’m aware that I’ve received more than I’ve given, that I’m the recipient of amazing grace in a million ways. Thank you so much for being an ally and an investor in this storytelling adventure. Who knows where it might lead?

If you think about it, please pray for me and my family. We feel blessed by your love and support in this calling. Thank you!

The LORD bless you and keep you,

Sam

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Release Day! Melodies For The Mended Wood #RabbitsWithChords

I have a confession to make. I’ve been in on a pretty sweet secret for a little while. Here it is.

Joel Clarkson, our esteemed audiobook narrator for The Green Ember Series is also, as many of you know, an incredibly accomplished musician, composer, arranger, conductor…ALL the music things! He has scored films, orchestrated music performed at the Vatican, and has released nine albums so far. Okay, not nine.

Meet number ten!

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Joel has produced a collection of beautiful compositions that act as a soundscape for The Green Ember. Great for the three Rs—Reading, Resting, and Relaxing—your family will enjoy this excellent companion to the beloved best-seller.

Put the kids to bed with this vibrant, but subtle, soundscape, sending them to their dreams with minds lit by imaginative scenes and epic encounters.

#RabbitsWithChords

So, I hope you’ll give this a listen and spend the $8 to share it with your family. I LOVE this album so much–my kids do too–and we’re really excited about it. I have been a long-time fan of Joel’s music and it’s such an honor to hear his wonderful soundscape for The Green Ember.

Would you share this with your friends? (You can copy/paste this if you wish.)

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New from #TheGreenEmber world, a musical soundscape by @JoelClarkson MELODIES FOR THE MENDED WOOD http://tinyurl.com/gqx3qwx #RabbitsWithChords

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Thank you!

Reminder: Our BEST SALE EVER is ongoing. Here are the last days to have items shipped before we shut down all snail mail deliveries until the New Year. (All digital content, including the new album and audiobooks, will keep “shipping” all the time.)

Standard Shipping: Order by 12/11

Priority Shipping: Order by 12/20

 

Okay, friends. That’s it for me. So many fun things happening in and around these stories, but our family is most excited, of course, by the Big Story of the Incarnation. Now that’s a STORY. That’s the Story.

God be with you all as you prepare for Christmas and celebrate together the coming of King Jesus.

Your friend,

Sam

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Give the Gift of Stories this Christmas

I’m very happy to share our excellent Christmas season sale with you. It’s the most affordable any of these items has ever been, I think. We have tried to make it easy for you to shop for those children on your list who are into fresh, fun adventures, with a deep well of meaning. We have books, audiobooks, shirts, swords, necklaces, and lots of great bundles. See them all here!

Get the series for a family you love in either hard cover, or paperback bundles.

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Get all the books with a t-shirt. 

There are plenty of options, lots more to see AT THE STORE and the prices have never been better.

And hey, welcome to the new website! I am very excited to share this with you and I hope you’ll share it with your friends. When we asked our friends, Phil and Erin Ulrich of Design By Insight (and also the excellent authors of The Growly Books), to team up with us to create a new site, we wanted it to be simple, attractive, and easy to access. I wanted as many obstacles as possible out of the way, so that readers/allies could find what they were looking for quickly. I think the site does that very well. I’m grateful.

Take a look around. And, as always, thank you so much for being on our side. We are certainly on yours.

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Ember Falls, The Green Ember Sequel, Is Here!

Dear Friends,

I have been asked a certain question hundreds of times. I’ve been asked it in person, in interviews, in emails, in blog and Facebook comments, and in letters from kids.

“When is The Green Ember sequel coming out?”

This question has served as both an inspiration to me and a force of pressure on me.

I spent nearly a decade in a long “rough draft” of The Green Ember, telling my kids aloud the earliest versions of what I would later write down for the novel. How was I supposed to follow it up at all, let alone quickly? On top of that, The Green Ember—this book I thought was likely only suited for an audience the exact size of my family—turned out to be kind of a hit with many others. We’ve reprinted more times than I can remember, seen many tens of thousands of copies sold, met with big studio executives about a possible movie, and spent days as the best-selling audiobook in the world. All in about 20 months. Holy cow! There’s been some real enthusiasm about the book, and so when people ask me about a sequel, it’s not like my kids asking for a bed-time story. It’s a lot of kids asking for a story. Pressure!

But it’s pressure because of a privilege. An amazing privilege! What author doesn’t dream about an audience eager to receive what he or she is creating next? What an incredible (almost unbelievable) honor!

So we tried to balance the urgency with a commitment to excellence. I hope we have succeeded.

There have been countless hours of work put into this new book. I don’t know if I’ll ever have the margin to write in the kind of environment where there is regular access to long stretches of uninterrupted, concentrated time. That’s pretty unlikely for a while. So, for critics of flawed sentences and my many other offenses against great writing, fear not. There’s more of the same here. I hope I have improved as a storyteller. For now, we are shipping before we’re ready. We’re hustling toward the possible and saying sayonara to the perfect. 

I haven’t done this alone. To everyone on the team (you know who you are), thank you so much. For something from my heart to be so cared for and curated, savored and shared, is a priceless gift. You’re on my side, and I’m profoundly grateful.

Today’s the day. Ember Falls is finally released. The Green Ember has a sequel. It’s out there, ready to be read by, and to, eager children. These young readers will walk through darkness with my imperfect guidance, holding on to hope in the middle of the fight. Thousands of kids will continue a journey that started in my heart and head over many challenging months. They will travel. They will have a harrowing adventure. I wish I could see their faces!

To those kids who I love dearly and for whom I have heaved my heart into this tale, God bless you.

I made this for you.

Sam

P.S. Some sales stuff:

You can get the new book (or rate and review) at Amazon. 

There are some genuinely great Launch Week Deals at My Store. Check it, yo.

There are sakes including Picket’s Swords, Heather’s Necklaces, and Book and Book/T-shirt Combo Deals. It’s dope.

Ember Falls Into Our Hands: The Highly-Anticipated Green Ember Sequel Is Ready To Drop

Hello Again,

There’s a lot of excitement about the possibility of a movie version of The Green Ember, but there’s more to be excited about right now! I’m writing to say that my new book, Ember Falls (The Green Ember Book 2), is available for preorder from Amazon. It will ship September 13th! (Cool people say “drops.” Trust me, I heard someone in California who was certifiably cool say this.)

You can get it in handsome paperback or in VERY handsomer hard cover. Or get both?

(Writing Tip: Use “very” ALL the time. Emphasize it with all-caps. Add dozens of exclamation points!!!! Congrats. You are a very gooder writer now.)

If you are a hard cover lover (The Green Ember in hard cover at Amazon for the first time on September 13th. You can preorder that now too.

Kickstarter backers, your books (and associated swag) are still on schedule for getting to you in mid-August. I think you’ll be happy with the abundance.

Fun fact: Did you know that the word “abundance” came from a culture of people called the Weenahrohstees who cherished hot-dogs above all other sustenance? In the great bun famine of 1973, they lamented. All these hot dogs and no buns. #Sad! Then a cargo ship carrying 800,023 hot dog buns wrecked and every one died. But the good news was that the buns survived and floated magically to the island of the Weenahrohstees. They had so many buns, they immediately ordered a huge, island-wide dance. It was called, you guessed it, the bun dance. For years after, they organized “a bun dance” on the anniversary of their windfall. That’s how we got our word, “abundance.” We went to the island, killed all the inhabitants, stole their hotdogs, and dragged off several of their favorite words (including “abundance”). #Winning

Speaking of shipments and death, it’s unbelievably nerve-wracking to wait for a first look at our books. Our first experience in printing The Green Ember has left us scarred and scared. The hard covers were nearly all askew and far below our standards and we ended up fighting with the printers about it for months. But, I’m very happy and relieved to say that Ember Falls looks amazing!

Andrew Mackay (publisher/cover designer/etc.) and Zach Franzen (illustrator and cover artist) did a magnificent job. I think this book looks even more attractive than The Green Ember. I’m so grateful!

I hope you will preorder a copy today and tell your friends about it. We just want to find those folks who read the first book and wanted more. It’s a harder than it you would think!

Here’s a suggested social media post to copy and paste, if you need some help:

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Facebook, etc.:

Like me, many of you loved #TheGreenEmber, & now Book 2 is almost here! Ember Falls is available for preorder now! http://amzn.to/2aFa25h

Twitter:

Like me, many of you loved #TheGreenEmber by @SDSmith_. Now Book 2 is almost here! Preorder Ember Falls now! http://amzn.to/2aFa25h

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I would love it if you tagged me on Facebook or Twitter. Cheers!

Finally, I wrote something recently about my motivation for storytelling. It’s short and to the point. In case you missed it, I hope you’ll check it out: A Cathedral of Words.

Thank you, my friends!

Sam

Is The Green Ember Heading to the Big Screen?

Hello Friends,

I’m writing this from the skies above middle-America, on my way home from a trip to Los Angeles. I was in LA to meet with folks who want to make a film version of The Green Ember.

(Yay! Hurray! High-five! Okay.) 

I won’t get into a lot of detail now, but some veteran filmmakers with a passion for telling great stories contacted me about six months ago about the film rights. There had been some other enquiries, but this one had legs and these guys were doers, not just talkers. I’ve been in conversation with them ever since. (One of those early phone calls involved me trying to determine if this was a trick or not by asking questions that would reveal if they had actually read the book. I also displayed my brilliance in other equally stunning ways, I assure you.) I met them for the first time in person over the past few days and they are top notch people who I am delighted to be partnering with.

Yesterday, we had the great privilege of having a pitch meeting with executives at MGM, including Roma Downey. The meeting was great, and Roma particularly seemed to really resonate with the heart of the story. She gets it. Roma Downey is all the things you probably already know about her: warm, insightful, and just an all-around lovely person. But she is also clearly keen in business matters and a gifted executive. I got to share my story and, along with my (experienced, bright) teammates, I feel like we did a good job of communicating the project we’re eager to partner on. It was a special experience for me. Authors aren’t usually allowed near these meetings, so I felt privileged to be there and to be able to add my voice.

I don’t know where it goes from here. So many different things could happen! I hope, in the end, there’s a movie we’re all proud of that can extend the reach of this story of anticipating and working for a Mending to families all over the world–many of whom wouldn’t otherwise be reached. MGM would be a great partner for the film, but there are other possibilities. I personally would love to work with Roma and I think she would be ideal as an executive producer, producer, actor, or all of the above. (How great would she be as the voice of Maggie Weaver?! Roma’s not old enough, but Mrs. Weaver kind of reveals the heart of the story and Roma could definitely pull it off.)

There are lots of reasons why it may or may not work. Animated films are expensive to do well. And even if it goes forward, these things take a long time. We are past some significant hurdles, yes, but big ones remain. Imagine hurdles ahead. Now bigger ones. Good. Imagine me, sweatbands poised in every possible location, socks hiked to unthinkable heights, safety goggles snapped in place. Visualize this with your brainparts! I’m leaping at a high hurdle, snagging it with the toe of my white Reebok shoes that look like I stole them off a 70 year old nurse. I’m falling, mouth agape, landing now, bouncing off the red track like a dropped potato in the grocery story parking lot. Now laugh. Laugh harder! Okay, you can open your eyes again. Hurdles. Lots of them. Ahead. See it? Okay. 

Hey, there’s a long way to go. This is definitely an underdog story. But you know who you should always bet on? Athletes who take steroids. But that’s another story. This is an underdog story and I love it. 

Smarter people than me are working on the film stuff, and I’m jumping in there as needed. I plan to be very involved and, yes, I’m working with people who really love the book and want to make the movie as close as possible (with obvious need for trimming, etc.). I know you care about that and I do too. I’m excited about this, but meanwhile lots of other exciting things are due up soon.

Ember Falls (The Green Ember: Book II) is shipping soon. September 13! And you can preorder it on Amazon NOW! (It’s available in paperback and hard cover.) I have more stories to write, a family to love and provide for, and more. I’m in no danger of getting bored!

I want to thank those of you who have helped in various ways, whether it was providing advice, supportive info, hospitality, sharing encouragement, or offering prayers. And I want to ask all of you to be in prayer about this. This journey has been one long series of answered prayers. May that continue! Please pray that God is glorified in whatever results and that he would guide our team to good partnerships that help tell the best possible film version of The Green Ember. And maybe pray that I can somehow occasionally resist the urge to name-drop Roma Downey in every single conversation I have from now on.

Hey, this was an incredible trip for a boy from the West Virginia hills. With The Green Ember Series, it’s been an amazing journey all along the way, including (now) in Hollywood. I’m amazed at how the story has resonated with so many families. What an incredible honor for me to see this story I told my own kids be invited into so many lovely homes and young hearts.

I will happily update you with any significant news on the movie front. I will also give you a high-five if, when we cross paths, you raise your right hand and swing it at me in a friendly manner.

Thank you, friends and allies. God bless you!

Bear the flame,

Sam

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A Cathedral of Words

I wrote this little poem in a minute while listening to a man talk about how bygone builders approached the architecture of angels. He spoke of how they built grand spires and sacred spaces with an expansive imagination for the ages. He challenged us to consider what we were building. Would it last? I thought, I am only telling stories to children. And this came out. It will have to serve for now as the best articulation of my ambition.

A Cathedral of Words

I cannot, I think, build a great building of any kind,

To last a thousand years.

Not with these hands.

So I will try, in my own way,

To make something that lasts a while.

I will try, I think,

To build a cathedral of words.

But that is too grand.

A cottage is more likely, with washing on the line.

A little home.

Simple meals.

A warm fire.

Happy kids.

A cottage of words.

May it last a little while and lend fire to a few tired travelers, moving through whatever darkness,

This industrious world manufactures for them.

A cathedral of words? Perhaps that’s too grand a spire. But I, bold as a mouse,

Aspire.

So I will build what I can,

And let my children, when they are grey,

Say what it was.

Is The Green Ember the #1 Bestselling Audiobook in the World?

I’ve been a big fan of audiobooks for many years. I used to drive a van delivering bearings, sprockets, motors and more to coal mines and manufacturers around southern West Virginia. There was no tape-deck and certainly no CD player in the van, so I bought a crummy tape-player at Magic Mart and got audiobooks on tape from the library to play while I drove the hills and hollows of Appalachia.

I still drive a lot and now I have the Audible App, the Overdrive App, and I listen to books through the bluetooth in my car. I still love them and I agree with Orson Scott Card when he says that in many ways audiobooks are the most definitive versions of our books. I was delighted when my first novel, The Green Ember, was turned into an excellent audiobook thanks to the fantastic talents of Joel Clarkson. I was further amazed and grateful when the book was a finalist for Audible’s Kids Book of the Year last year. But today I’m really blown away.

The audiobook for The Green Ember has frequently been up to 8th place in the Kids bestsellers list, right behind all seven Harry Potter books (only recently added to Audible, so super fresh and always chart-topping in sales). But today, thanks to a big boost from being featured as the Daily Deal at $1.95, The Green Ember is the best-selling Kids Audiobook on Audible. Yes, it passed all seven Harry Potter books. But wait, there’s more…

The Green Ember is right now the best-selling audiobook of any kind on Audible, or Amazon. In any category.

My kids, also audiophiles like me, have been going bananas. I love it. Honestly, there’s so much hard work involved and a seemingly endless list of urgent things to be done, that it’s hard to take time to enjoy any little victories along the way. It’s a regular struggle to find joy in this work, even though I honestly love it so much. It takes major sacrifices from every member of our family, not to mention others (like Joel, illustrator Zach Franzen, and publisher Andrew Mackay). So I didn’t prudishly squash the joy welling up in our home today. Even with nightmares in the news, sadness in our community, and troubles seemingly everywhere we look, I welcomed the joy. I even felt a nice big bunch of it myself, which is a direct answer to prayer for me.

I am grateful to God, not just for this moment of success, but for giving us this gift of joy. And I’m grateful to you, among the many friends and allies who have given us a chance and welcomed these stories into your home.

I can’t wait for you to read and/or HEAR Ember Falls: The Green Ember Book II. Joel is working on it right now and it should be available soon.

In the coming days and weeks, The Green Ember will drop down again in the ranking to something more fitting. That’s okay. I’m just so grateful that so many people are finding the story, loving it, and sharing it with other families and children.

More than anything, I love to hear from families and kids who love the stories. And my kids, for whom the stories were, and always will be, written, still love them. And they love sharing in the story of the story.

“We’re ahead of Harry Potter!” my daughter said to her friends in a text message teeming with excessive exclamation points and exultant emojis.

How often to you get to say that?

“So, Daddy,” my son asked me a few minutes ago. “Does this mean that The Green Ember is the best-selling audiobook in the world right now?” I had to think for a second, then I told him that it most likely is.

He grinned.