Danika D. Potts's Blog, page 2

Want A Rabbit in the Road Film? Okay, Show Me (through Thunderclap)!

I won’t take up much of your time, but here’s how it’s going to go down.

First, we must generate interest! Rabbit was written with film in mind. Short, tightly written. We’ve always dreamed of Rabbit being a film, and we want to see that happen as much as anyone else.

This is why we have started a Thunderclap campaign. The idea is simple: We set a goal of people to support the idea, 100 people. Together, if we all pledge together to share this unified message, on September 25th we will ALL simultaneously tweet/status update/tumble our support for this idea. Utilizing each of our social networks, the idea is that we will end up making both Rabbit in the Road and the idea of a film of it a trending topic.

Interest will be built, and we want to make enough noise that the type of people who would be interested in making this come to fruition will notice it. Of course, we can have more than 100 supporters, but the more people we have, the higher our reach which means the more this work will be talked about!

You’re not pledging money, or even a whole lot of effort. You’re just pledging that we will all work together like a giant megaphone and say how much we want this thing. So let’s do it! 25,000 people wanted Rabbit in the Road to read, and that was done just through Danika and I’s reach. All you need to do is share this simple link with your friends and get them to pledge a little bit of their social media time. That’s it.

http://thndr.it/1eHXw0E

Rabbit in the Road, the Movie on Thunderclap

So what are we waiting for? This is how we utilize our voice together to show that there is always a demand. So let’s do it. TOGETHER. 

~Oliver and Danika

Readers Love The Twisted World Verse One: The Dusk Harbinger

I’ll let them speak for themselves.

“I absolutely love this book!” -Mel

“Once I started reading I did not want to put it down. When I finished and looked at the clock it was 3 AM!!” -Ruth

“The character development in this story is mind-blowing.” -Andrew

“In short: Dusk Harbinger, come for the characters, stay for the story, and finish begging for more.” -Erin

“The world is deep and well constructed – you can imagine a dusty shelf hidden away in a castle keep filled with books on the history of this world, its creatures, its inhabitants.” -David B.

“What a breath of fresh air to the fantasy world.” -Nikki

“I am avid consumer of dark fantasy, and truly feel that the Campbell-Potts team has hit the jackpot here.” -Chad

“OUTSTANDING development of the story and the people in it, can not wait till the next one comes out.” -David H.

So what are you waiting for? The people that matter, the paying customers, have spoken. Take the plunge with us.

The Twisted World Verse One: The Dusk Harbinger, only on Amazon.

~Oliver

New Book Announcement: A Heart of Lavender, the Follow-Up to Rabbit in the Road

Sean Ross has always just kind of gotten by. Strapping young fella, not a whole lot wrong with him. Not exactly an underachiever, but not much of an overachiever either.

Living in Des Moines, Iowa with his father Franklin and sister, Sean just kind of did what any other fella might have done post high school; he joined the military. What can he say, it buys you a little more time to figure out what the hell you’re going to do with your life, and nobody will say you’re not getting paid.

Operation Desert Storm happens, and Sean gets shipped off. Real menial job, and not supposed to see much combat experience. He didn’t go looking for trouble, but unfortunately, trouble came looking for him. All it takes is a piece of shrapnel, and that’s that.

Sean comes home, and he’s praised as a hero and people profusely thank him for his service. But all he can think to himself is, “You’re calling me a hero because I got a chunk of metal lodged in my ass?” He feels like a fraud. The Purple Heart he was awarded feels fake, and unearned.

More time passes. His relationship with his father is strained, and he and his sister always tend to be at odds with each other. Sean is just a traditional kind of guy, while his sister is far more hippie-like.

One late evening during the Winter of ’92, Sean witnesses a car accident, a horrible one on the incredibly icy hill at the intersection of 18th and Woodland. One driver is immediately killed, while the other is grievously injured. Sean’s immediate inclination is to run over and help the woman who is still barely alive. As he reaches into the car window to undo her seatbelt, a third car coming down the hill also loses control due to the ice and impacts both vehicles, severing Sean’s arm from the elbow down.

Months later, Sean has been slowly but surely going through rehabilitation and occupational therapy. One rarely understands and appreciates the things that they have until they no longer have them, and losing a limb is no different. The phantom pain causes Sean great distress, and he begins to feel sorry for himself.

The Great Flood of ’93 comes crashing down, turning all 99 counties in Iowa into an official disaster area. The Iowa National Guard is mobilized, and yet Sean feels helpless and useless. He’s now an amputee war veteran, what can he possibly do?

Suddenly, Sean begins to hear voices. A voice telling him that it needs him. It needs his help. A ghost, perhaps. A ghost that is left unfulfilled, enough to leave them connected to this world until this task is completed.

During this state-wide crisis, Sean Ross has a different mission, but one no less important. So what is Sean? A war veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder that hears voices, or is he a man who has been given an opportunity to truly earn that Purple Heart?

The follow up to Rabbit in the Road, this is Sean’s story.

See you in December.

~Oliver and Danika

15 Things Every Aspiring Author Needs To Hear

This is the School of Authorial Hard Knocks 101 and I’ll be your instructor, Mr. Campbell. We don’t have a sliding scale here, this course is pass or fail. Decide now.

Yep. I said them all, and you can quote me on them. If you need a reminder, print this out and tape it up in your work area (as a bonus, these all fit under 140 characters, so you can tweet the life out of them with ease).

Leave them thirsty. Nobody thinks about water when they’re quenched.
Characters without a story reason to be there is like a pair of bicycle tires with no frame. Pointless.
You can, in fact, usually do the thing that you don’t think you’re strong enough to do.
When in doubt, THROW IT OUT.
Your success as an author is largely determined by whether or not you’ll do what the other wannabe author WON’T do.
Study people. Understand what makes them tick, even if you don’t agree with them.
Consume content. See what everyone else likes and try to understand why they like it.
Work outside of your comfort zone. Inspiration strikes when you change your brain pattern. Break the routine.
People will hate you because you are challenging their world view. This means you’ve done your job correctly.
There is only one wrong way to write, and that is if you’re not writing at all.
All stories are about people.
If you don’t understand what you’re writing and why, you shouldn’t write it.
It’s far easier to fix a bad writer than it is to fix a bad storyteller.
Think about what your life would be like tomorrow if you stopped writing today. If you don’t like the answer, keep writing.
Every author, no matter how previously successful, is afraid of releasing their work.

~Oliver

Dusk Harbinger Updates: Glossaries, World Maps, and More

Not a full post here, mind you, but some quick heads-ups regarding stuff going on with The Twisted World: The Dusk Harbinger that people might want to know:

There is in fact a glossary of terms; We are working on this diligently and all digital copies from Amazon will receive an update containing this glossary. Shelfari also provides a glossary of terms (that you can access straight from your reading device), but we’re debating the best way to sync these together.
There is also a world map of Su Nobieta. We are currently trying to figure out the BEST way to implement this (either as a very rich digital download straight here from the blog, or inclusion within the ebook itself).  There is also internal discussion regarding whether or not to make a full blown poster size of the map, because why ISN’T that fun?
The paperback of the book that is still being worked on (it is currently getting another typo pass for good form’s sake, which will be reflected in the ebook as well), and will include BOTH the glossary and world map. No ETA on this just yet, but “SOON.”

Thank you for your understanding.

~Oliver and Danika

The Twisted World: The Dusk Harbinger Released, And Is Free!

Kurt Kathan, the accidental king of Gwenaelle. A man who has everything that any adventurer could dream of having, and unsure of what to do with it.

Sadah Loc, the woman from the land draped in near perpetual darkness. A beautiful songstress who can no longer sing.

Piotr Carlyle, a rather unremarkable boy with a remarkable ability to change the world. Yet he has no desire to do so.

Strange phenomena known as Twists litter the world of Su Nobieta, taking common place things and morphing them into seemingly impossible realities. Through chance, young Piotr is bestowed the power to undo the horrors that these Twists have wrought.

This is the journey of these three fated individuals, each deeply scarred by a harsh world. They will uncover the secrets of the Twists, the nature of the Gods of creation, and most importantly, discover themselves.

It’s finally time.

The first book in The Twisted World series has been released. The Dusk Harbinger has been given its birthing cry.

We’ve worked on this for many years now, going on 5. We have laughed, we have cried, we have shed blood (and I almost died TWICE).

It is with great humility and without arrogance that I can say that this is my finest work. I have dedicated over half of my adult life to the creation of this epic world, filled with people and situations that will make you take pause and think. An entire world for you to enjoy and consume over a hot beverage, and under a warm blanket.

The book is exclusive to Amazon, and is priced at $4.99.

The paperback, which should be coming rather quickly, is priced at $14.99.

However! I made a promise sometime ago that the first weekend that the book is available, it would be absolutely free on Amazon, and I intend to fulfill that promise. Therefore, the book will be ABSOLUTELY FREE this weekend, from August 17th-19th. That’s three whole days of non-stop downloading, independent goodness.

And if you hadn’t seen them yet, this is still your chance to pick up a pair of gorgeous earrings in the shape of The Twisted World’s triskelion to go along with your new read!

I want you to fall in love with Kurt Kathan. Pity Piotr and watch him grow. And hope that Sadah gets to become everything that she should.

Please come, and stay in our world for a while. And as always, please leave a review and TELL your friends. It is our lifeblood.

~Oliver and Danika

Let’s Play A Game; What Am I Looking For?

Yes, let’s.

Here is my game, and here are my rules.

There’s something that I want you to find.
I’m not going to tell you what it is. But you’ll know it when you find it. It will require you to think, and be clever.
However… if and when you find it, you should tell me what it is through our Contact Form.
The FIRST person that presents to me this particular thing will win a FREE, signed unique cover paperback copy of The Twisted World Verse One: The Dusk Harbinger (and I will make arrangements with the winner).

I will give you three clues, to be revealed over time. How long will this go? Until it is found. I suggest you keep this page post bookmarked to keep an eye on clues, and feel free to collaborate with each other in the comments section. HAVE FUN!

Oh, alright. I’ll give you a little something to go off of: Twitter and Facebook are  good places to start looking.

One of these things is not like the other things.
Cher has a set of lungs on her, doesn’t she?
????

~Oliver

How Do You Destroy A Man? Or; The Difference Between Literary Fiction and Genre Fiction

You better kill me afterwards, because if you don’t… I’m coming for you.

Some days ago, I posed a simple question to friends on Facebook (unlike other people, I don’t use Facebook for playing games and other tom foolery; I actually use it as it was intended in the beginning, as a communication medium!)

I asked them, “How do you destroy a man without killing him?” Their answers were intriguing and insightful.

The response was:

“Take away everything that he loves and leave him without hope.”

And that was the correct answer. However… After you’ve taken everything away from him, YOU HAD BETTER KILL HIM.

Because if you’ve done those things, and you haven’t killed him… if he gets up, he’s going to be unstoppable.

Why? Because he now has NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE EXCEPT HIS LIFE. There is nothing else left you can deprive him of, and he will spend every waking moment of his existence ensuring that yours is a living hell.

A man without consequences is the most dangerous animal on Earth.

I suppose you’re wondering how this all ties in. I’ve spent a great deal of time studying not just fiction, but also analyzing and figuring out why I like the fiction that I do. Generally, I’m not a fan of most genre fiction, and I discovered why.

Genre fiction seeks to entertain, while literary fiction begins with a question, not unlike the one that I asked there. I believe that all literary fiction is grounded in philosophy, grounded in the idea of the author, the writer asking themselves a simple question. Literary fiction is the attempt to answer that question.

Although we joke about it, this is a surprisingly complex question with no real definitive answer, if you’re looking past the obvious expected one.

No matter who you are, where you come from, the color of your skin, your social status, or your upbringing, we all have two things in common:

We’re all trapped on this rock called Earth.
Every single one of us will eventually die.

We all seek answers to why we’re here, and what’s our purpose. We try to discover why those two bullet points up there is the way that it is. We attempt to find pattern and order in all things (and sometimes we’ll go looking for patterns that aren’t even there), and we want to figure out how we “FIT.” We want to know the WHY.

Literary authors slowly, but surely, try to explore that space. They ask the questions, the hard ones that have no rock solid answer. Why do we perceive time the way that we do? What are ethics? How do you destroy a man? Are there real consequences for our actions? What’s the difference between justice and revenge?

It all starts with a question, and some attempt to find the elusive answer. I want you to take a look at what you’ve written, and ask yourself, “Have I asked a real question, and am I attempting to answer it?” A literary author is a philosopher of the human condition.

If not… you need to be asking yourself whether or not you’re writing genre fiction or literary fiction, and if that was the intent of your work.

~Oliver

P.S. Before you ask, “What was the question of The Twisted World?”, I have an answer for that. I asked myself:

“How can you take a man who doesn’t care about anything at all, and make him care?”

The Twisted World: A Cavalcade of Information

It’s been a while since we’ve had anything to say on The Twisted World, but fear not! It’s been going well. In fact, we have plenty of information to share with you today:

The Twisted World: The Dusk Harbinger will be available on August 17th 2013, only on Amazon. And because I keep my promises, that first weekend that it is available, it will be FREE. Zero, zilch. You won’t pay a single cent.
You can now be fashionable in advance with jewelry featuring the triskelion of the Twisted World (that’s that helpful little image up top). Earrings are available, as well as a necklace, and very reasonably priced. I suggest you check them out. Each set is made TO ORDER, and produced through 3D printing and not an assembly line.
On the social media front, we’ve got a handy facebook page available for the series proper, and for an extra bit of fun there’s an entire group where you can participate with other fans in ongoing discussions about the series. And yes, we participate in this group, so if you ever wanted to hang out with us and pick our brains, here’s your opportunity.

The paperback of the book has no FIRM ETA set at this time, but it won’t be too much longer after the digital ebook release (at most, a few weeks). This is to ensure that it is of the highest quality possible.

If you’re not excited yet, this is a GREAT time to be. Kathan, Sadah, and Piotr are waiting for you.

~Oliver

 

Twisted World Book I: The Dusk Harbinger Sample Available For Your Consumption!

It’s been a long, LONG time coming (4 years, actually. WOW), but today is the day that we start the gravy train on this. As of right now, the first 10% of The Dusk Harbinger is up and available for you to read, FOR FREE. No catches or anything ridiculous. Just jump on over to the sample page and enjoy it.

We’ll see you in July when the full book is released!

Enjoy, won’t you?

~Oliver & Danika