EXCLUSIVE BOOK PACKAGE GIVEAWAY
To celebrate the release of my book—the ebook comes out on October 25, 2012—I’m holding a giveaway!
The Rules
- Reblog up to once a day between now (September 25, 2012) and October 25, 2012
- Have your ask box open
- Be willing to share your mailing address with me
- Get back to me within 24 hours (or I’ll move on to the next winner)
Each reblog will be added into a GoogleDoc; when October 25 rolls around and I officially release the book, I’ll use a random number generator to pick the winner from that pool. This means that every reblog will count, even if Tumblr eats notes.
Links
Detailed info on the prizes (pictured above) under the cut!
I am pleased to announce that Rewritten I: Fallacy will be released in various ebook formats on October 25, 2012.
***
A scientist mad with grief; a mother trying to escape guilt; a little girl’s worst nightmare; a mistake with unforeseen consequences.
What if your life—your world—your memories—were a lie?
Nothing can be taken for granted. Nothing is as simple as it seems. Each person holds a different shard of the truth, and none of them are eager to share it.
***
“Stop trying to make me mad,” Ray muttered. Jauge’s grin vanished.
“That’s all you’re meant to be,” Jauge said. Ray fought back the fury that rose in her chest at Jauge’s condescending tone. “You don’t know what you’re looking for, Ray. You don’t know what your home is. What questions would get you there?”
“My home is in Phoenix,” Ray said.
“And Phoenix is hot, isn’t it?” Jauge said. “The sky burns you?”
“My home is in Phoenix,” Ray said, more fiercely.
“Odd, then, that you should find yourself in a forest in late autumn,” Jauge continued. “Odd that you should recognize me, when I’ve never seen a desert in my life.”
***
More Information
I thought that I posted this months ago, but I’ve been updating regularly over at Blogger. If you would like to contact me, please feel free to comment there, message me through KickStarter, or email me at mbauman@qolpress.com.
I apologize for inadvertently dropping off the face of the earth back there; I was so convinced that I’d posted this message as soon as I launched the new blog!
I want to commission about ten pieces of artwork with commercial permissions. I started a group here to organize the process.
I’m specifically looking for realistic/semirealistic, black and white (or grayscale) art for the interior of a book that I recently KickStarted (sample of the book here). These might be lineart, clean sketches, or shaded artwork. I’m hoping for a mix of full body character profiles (no backgrounds), concept art of the setting, and scenes with two or more characters interacting (with detailed backgrounds). Artists would have roughly four months to complete the commission; punctuality would be important, as would professional-looking artwork that fits the tone of the book.
Artists would be welcome to include any commissioned artwork in their portfolios, and they would be given clear credit beneath their picture in the book, as well as in the Acknowledgments. I have a set amount of money available, but I want to pay all artists a fair wage for quality work.
If you or anyone you know might be interested in taking on any or all of these commissions, please spread the word!
If you have any questions or concerns, my ask is open.
Untold Memories: Your world is a lie has hit its fundraising goal! As a result, when it ends in just 108 minutes, so will your chance to get any of the exclusive rewards offered. This is your only opportunity to get the original Untold Memories covered in commentary, or letters from your favorite character. It’s also your ONLY opportunity to commission short stories about your favorite character, or request trivia on a wide variety of areas related to the books!
Time’s almost up! If you want any of these rewards, this is definitely the time to go for it!
Neil Gaiman just signal boosted my KickStarter. I just made my initial goal—stretch goals are listed on the KickStarter itself!
Good Omens is my favorite book.
My life is complete.
[video]
If you’ve been interested in Untold Memories at all, now’s the time to jump in! I’ve just added a new reward: now anyone who pledges $1+ will get their name (or the name of their choice) listed in the Acknowledgments section of the book! (This applies to everyone who pledges for any of the rewards listed, not just those who pledge for the $1 reward.)
This is your chance to get a host of awesome, KickStarter-exclusive rewards. They will not be offered anywhere else!
Every dollar helps.
I’ve backed 15 projects on KickStarter.
The Untold Memories KickStarter ends on May 31—the day after tomorrow! It’s an all or nothing deal, so if I don’t make my goal, I don’t get a dime.
Untold Memories is a four book series; the first book in the quartet is set in a dystopian fantasy village where thinking wrong thoughts could get you killed, purity is all, and people are divided into strictly divided hierarchies based on birth. There is a latent magic coursing through the world, its various forms manifested by all, wielded by few, and mastered by none.
A review of the book: “Untold Memories is the kind of book that pulls people in. I was planning on doing homework and going to bed early that night, when I started proofreading this. And I ended up not getting much done that night, went to bed kinda late, because it just pulls people in. You know, most of the experience of reading this book is discovering more about this world Morgan has created, and you find that you care about the characters as people, with all of the virtues and flaws that make them people. It’s a good book. I would recommend reading it. It will also make you think.”
If we hit stretch goals, everyone’s prizes go up, so spread the word!
Details on how the money will be spent can be found here, a KickStarter backing tutorial can be found here, and you can contact me here with any questions or concerns!
[video]
(Chapters 1-6 can be found here; press the j key to jump past this post if you’d prefer, or check here for more details.)
The main hall had a high ceiling, and eleven rows of tables running from left to right. There were four entrances, one on each wall. The tables to the left were covered in fine china and had well-made clay cups, while the tables to the right had chipped plates and mugs with broken handles. Raven directed her to a table a little toward the right. As people filed into the room, Ray realized that they were sorting themselves according to the color of their clothes, but it was a pattern that made no sense to her.
“Look at the table,” Raven whispered. Ray could barely hear her over the shuffling of feet, the creak and clatter of benches accommodating hundreds of people, but she obeyed reluctantly. Black, blue, red, yellow, gray, brown, purple, green—they were in the green rows, surrounded by other women in cotton dresses, although Ray could tell that the women further down the table, toward the far door, were wearing other fabrics. Raven kicked her, and she looked down again, running her finger across the surface of the table.
It left a green trail, exactly the same hue as her dress. Ray froze, but Raven looked up at her with stern eyes.
“Better posture,” she mouthed. Ray sat upright, wincing a little at a kink in her back. “Don’t make faces. No smiles, no frowns, nothing.” Raven’s voice was quiet, but clear. Ray fought the urge to roll her eyes, stifled a sigh, and let Raven force her hands to her side, although her eyes watched the green streak until it faded from sight.
Suddenly, the room fell silent. Ray tried to look up, but Raven grabbed her dress. She stared at her plate and cup instead, listening intently for some sort of explanation for the silence. Her cup had a crack that ran most of the way down its side, and her plate had such a large chip missing that Ray worried it would break if she lifted it up. It was stained and sticky with something that caught the light from the high windows. Maybe juice?
The silence didn’t break. Women carrying baskets of fruit and pitchers of water traveled down the lines, starting with the black table and moving forward. Ray kept her eyes fixed on her plate and cup until a woman in an orange dress stopped behind her. Wylwon lifted her hand and pressed it against the table, leaving a green stain the color of a lime’s skin. It was the shape of her handprint, as clearly as if she’d dipped her hand in paint first. The woman tipped her head and set down what looked like a large apple that had a dark, green skin.
Ray mimicked Wylwon, leaving a green handprint that was a hue darker than Wylwon’s. Tipping her head again, the woman in orange set another dark green fruit down on Ray’s plate. Ray opened her mouth to thank the woman, but Raven’s grip on her dress tightened, and Ray closed her mouth. Another woman, this one in yellow with a haughty expression of condescension, came by to pour water into her cup. It leaked out through the crack, and the woman sneered, though she said nothing. Anger flared in Ray’s chest, but Raven’s hand was insistent.
The sound of eating was a low bustle in the hall; people didn’t speak, but they shifted, and the fruits seemed to have a little crunch to them. Ray eyed hers warily, not sure how to go about eating it. It was larger than her too-large hands, wide enough that taking a bite seemed as though it would be problematic.
“Eat,” Raven whispered, taking a bite of the fruit. Ray held in a sigh and picked up the heavy fruit. It was cool to the touch; she took a bite and found that its texture was like that of an apple, though its juice was as plentiful and sweet as a pear’s. It tasted better than she’d expected, though she still wished for something warm.
Ray heard the sound of ceramic shattering. She began to turn, but Raven yanked her back and tipped her arm upward. Ray ate obediently, though her ears were pricked, and it was a struggle to keep her eyes on her plate.
“Kywonnh hakkyllida, plyam essa,” a woman’s voice begged. Quiet though it was, it was easy to discern in the quiet hall. She seemed to be near tears, or worn ragged with exhaustion. Ray guessed that she was middle-aged. “Tah te srenaspata. Shaal te e kerren!”
“Foorynakh,” an old woman’s voice said. She seemed to be sitting at the black table, and her voice was lazy and regal. Though there was nothing menacing in her tone, a shudder seemed to run through the crowd. The fruit tasted bitter in Ray’s mouth. “Kyp te kevvensa uyo, te tuo iya? Chy ny kyp errevanpata ky ny shaan. Tyff te chy yulln nu aren?”
There was a moment of silence. A child seemed to be choking back a sob.
“Etten,” the woman replied, her voice hoarse.
“Fy,” the old woman chuckled. “Ypuroesh.”
“Ermen?” The first woman’s voice caught, and the child sobbed, whispering something that Ray couldn’t make out. The rest of the people in the hall went back to eating, ignoring the scene entirely. Raven bit her lip, though, and Ray knew by their tones of voice that something was wrong.
“Lon-om,” the older woman replied, her voice suddenly sharp. Ray went back to eating slowly as silence lapsed, but suddenly the silence was broken by a sharp crack and a child’s wail. Raven dragged Ray’s gaze back to her plate, but the sound came again and again—it was the sound of a slap. By the end, the child was sobbing, and Ray’s hands were shaking. Somehow, the food on her plate was gone, and her fingers and lips were sticky with its juice. It tasted like bile in her throat. The room began to clear, and the footsteps of a hundred people drowned out the child’s soft, hiccuping sobs.
Raven dragged her to the door, glaring at Ray when she made to turn back and look for the crying child. The crowd dispersed; those in black went to the first row of houses, those in blue to the next. Beneath her feet, the dirt felt cold through the thin soles of Ray’s shoes, and the bright air felt dank on her skin. Her ribbons clung tightly to her skin, tugging little enough that Ray could ignore them, but never enough that she could fully forget them.
“What was that about?” Ray hissed, her voice catching in her throat. She felt sick. “What happened back there?”
“Wait until we’re home,” Raven murmured, looking at some women in pink as they bowed ahead of her, hiding a child in their midst. “I told you to stay quiet.”
Ray gritted her teeth. The sound of the little girl wailing still rang in her ears, making her want to leap to her feet and demand that they leave the poor kid alone—whatever she’d done, there was no reason to hit her like that! Ray had smacked Raven a few times in the past, but Raven had never wailed like that: a headache snapped at Ray as she even considered the thought, and she pulled back.
Finally, Raven darted ahead and slid open the door, letting Wylwon and Ray through before slipping inside and shutting the door.
“What was that about?” Ray demanded, keeping her voice low. “Why did they beat up that kid?”
“She broke a plate,” Raven said, looking away. Wylwon watched them with furrowed eyebrows, clearly lost. “You never balked at hitting anyone who misbehaved,” Raven whispered. Ray bit her tongue, fighting down her frustration.
“Why’d they beat her up, though?” Ray demanded. “Our plates looked like they’d been banged around by a toddler. I bet that the plates further down the line were even worse!”
“The Pink family barely gets anything that’s not in pieces,” Raven said. She sighed. “The Yellow woman who was pouring the water knocked the girl’s plate onto the ground on purpose. She’s the one who broke it.”
“But then why blame the girl?” Ray asked, trying to run a hand through her hair and finding her progress halted by the braid. “Smack that stupid smirk off the woman in the yellow dress. Don’t beat up a kid!”
“It’s not just a dress, Ray,” Raven said, pulling a hand through her own curls. She led Ray to the right, opening a door that opened into the space beneath the loft. It looked like a closet. Ray waited for Raven to explain, and finally Raven sighed, leaning her head back against the wall. “That woman was a pure Yellow. Completely pure. Sure, she was Cotton, too, but that’s a Rayain distinction. I told you that Rayai takes its Colors seriously. Do you honestly believe that a Yellow woman would be blamed when a Pink child could take it for her?”
“What are you talking about?” Ray demanded, falling back against the wall and sliding down to look across at Raven. “What’s with all this Color stuff? I don’t know what you’re saying.”
“Sure you don’t,” Raven muttered, rolling her eyes. “Come on, we only get a few more minutes before it’s time for mandatory exercise, and then you have to go off to Keshaan training. Ask me something useful.”
“I honestly don’t know what the hell you’re talking about!” Ray snapped. “What colors? What do you mean, pure? What’s this about cotton?”
“Cotton is a Rayain way of making more distinctions between the Colors,” Raven said, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. “Cotton is the lowest. Wool is above Cotton, Velvet is above Wool, and Silk is above Velvet.”
“Wool? I didn’t see any place for livestock,” Ray said, thinking of the lack of meat and the tall rows of fruit plants.
“I call it wool, but that’s just because there’s no word for it in English,” Raven sighed. “Same with silk. They make everything from plant fibers. I just call it that based on the texture. Come on, Ray, I’m sure that you have more important questions. I’m only going to answer one more.”
“Explain these colors to me, then,” Ray said, leaning back against the cool wood and closing her eyes. “What’s this about purity? And why did that woman at the black table have any right to tell the woman to beat up her kid?”
“That woman was the Black Council Woman,” Raven said. “I guess you wouldn’t know about that, since we didn’t have a Council in Phoenix. That old woman was Araya Devolair Thyn.” Fury flashed in Ray’s chest, so powerful and sudden that it scared her. It felt separate from her, like she was experiencing someone else’s fury. Raven sighed, and Ray became aware of the world around her again. The wood was cold and rough against her palms, even though they were thick with callouses that weren’t hers. Her breaths came with little puffs of steam, and she shivered in the cold.
Raven sat back. “I don’t want to explain the Council right now,” she sighed, sliding a hand over her eyes. “It’s hard enough to explain it without trying to cram it into the ten minutes before mandatory exercises.” She looked at Ray, her eyes serious. “Don’t bother asking about the exercises. Just follow the lead of the woman in front of you, and you’ll be fine. Mommy’s body should know the stretches, anyway. She’s done them every day since she was three years old.”
“You said that I’d get one more question!” Ray said, exasperation leaking into her tone. Raven rolled her eyes.
“You asked three,” Raven said. Leaning forward, she narrowed her eyes. “I told you—I’m not scared of you any more. You’re not going to terrify me into doing whatever you want me to do. Mommy won’t let you hurt me, I know it. If you even try, then she’ll rush back to get me.”
“I don’t want to hurt you,” Ray snapped. She tried again to run a hand through her hair and cursed when it snagged in her braid. “I just want to know what’s going on!”
Raven looked at Ray warily, balancing on the balls of her feet as though she might leap away at any moment.
“You’re my sister, Ray, right?” Raven murmured. Her tone was so vulnerable that Ray felt startled. Raven sounded young again, and her guard was slipping. A part of Ray geared up to strike, but the rest of her shoved it down. “What do you mean when you say that you don’t want to hurt me?”
“I have no reason to hurt you,” Ray said, trying to make her tone convey how earnest she felt. “I don’t know why I’ve been feeling angry like this—it doesn’t make sense, and it doesn’t feel like it’s me that’s getting angry.And even if the sight of you makes me feel like I want to punch something, itshouldn’t mean that I’m actually going to snap and punch you—you’re just a kid.” Ray put her head in her hands, feeling dizzy and nauseous. “I don’t know where I am. I don’t know what I’m doing here. Everything is all wrong, and I can’t put any of the pieces together. Any time I try, my head feels like it’s splitting open.”
Raven was silent for a long moment. Wind rattled the paper windows that caught the light and brightened the whole house; they looked faintly green.
“We’ll get in trouble if we don’t exercise,” Raven said quietly, getting to her feet and dusting off her dress. Ray looked up; Raven’s expression was soft and pensive. Examining Ray’s face, she nodded. “I’ll explain after training. Just don’t talk to anyone, keep your head down, and do as you’re told. When you go to Keshaan training, go off on your own and pretend to meditate. It’ll look like you’ve failed, but it should keep you mostly out of trouble.”
Ray opened her mouth to reply, but Wylwon opened the door beside her, peering in with nervous eyes. Her hair was coming free of its ponytail again, and her bottom lip was red from being bitten.
“Te ko junak?” she whispered, looking at Raven, but glancing at Ray. Her expression filled with concern as she met Ray’s eyes, but she looked away quickly.
“Iya,” Raven replied. Wylwon stiffened, and Raven shook her head. “Soosh… Tah kemmenina, Wylwon Es. Tah by kemmenina.”
“Saye ko gott?” Wylwon asked, and Raven nodded. Wylwon looked at Ray, eyebrows drawn up with regret, biting her lip again. She sighed. “Et tohn toqu nu fa.”
“We have to go,” Raven said. Ray pushed herself to her feet. “Just do whatever Wylwon does in front of you; we’ll be in a line. Don’t mess anything up, and don’t talk, no matter what happens. You kept trying to look when that little girl was getting slapped. Don’t. There’s nothing you can do, and if you do anything to stop them, it’s not just you who’s going to pay the price.”
Raven walked out the door, and after a moment, Ray went after her. Nerves knotted themselves around her stomach.
“What do you mean?” Ray asked. Raven hesitated just outside the door to the outside, her hand in the notch to slide it open.
“Well, it depends on how badly you mess up,” Raven said quietly. “I didn’t think you’d care if you weren’t the one in danger.”
“What do you mean?” Ray said again, dreading the answer. Her own voice sounded low, dangerous, and foreign to her. Raven looked at the ground, digging her fingers into the door’s notch.
“Well, just don’t mess up,” Raven said. “If you do, well, I might not be here to answer any of your questions.”
(more excerpts and information)
Only 3 days to go, but lots of awesome pledge rewards are available, including several new ones. Take a look!
(Chapters 1-5 can be found here; press the j key to jump past this post if you’d prefer, or check here for more details.)
Golden light filled the room when Ray next opened her eyes. Blinking to blot out its brightness, Ray sat bolt upright. Raven jumped. Her hair was shorter than it had been when Ray had last seen her, Ray noticed. The tightly wound curls poofed out when her hair was cut too short. More unfamiliar still was Raven’s smile.
“Mommy!” Raven said, grinning at her. “It’s time to go to breakfast now. Are you feeling all right?”
“I’m not your mother,” Ray said, forcing her mouth not to snap. There was no reason to be so angry! She looked at the ground and willed herself to calm down. “I’m your sister.”
“What?” Raven asked, her voice little more than a breath. Ray was surprised by the sudden tension in the air, and she looked up at Raven’s horrified face. “Wylwon said that you were acting kinda strange, but…”
“I’m Ray,” Ray said. “Why does everyone keep telling me that you’re my daughter? What am I doing here?”
“Jauge,” Ravensaid, and sherecoiled,eyes wide.Ray put her head in her hands—Raven never got angry.
“Nothing makes sense,” she whispered. “Everything is—muddled. Why am I so mad at you, Raven?”
“You’ve always hated me, Ray,” Raven whispered. “Ever since the moment I was born. I don’t want you here!” Raven’s tone was sharp enough that Ray looked up at her. “Get out of Mommy! Leave me alone! Leave me alone!”
“What are you talking about, brat?” Ray demanded, unable to tamp down the frustration in her chest. “I didn’t come here to get you! Hell, I don’t even want to be here! If you want me to go away, tell me how to get home.”
Tears pooled in Raven’s eyes, and her lower lip trembled. It was a face that Ray recognized better than any, and it made her angrier still.
“You have no home!” Raven shouted, her hands clenched into fists.
“Foorynahk!” Wylwon called, and Raven fell silent. Ray looked over to find Wylwon’s voice and saw her climbing down a ladder—there were two lofts in the house, it seemed, and neither had a railing.
“I’m n-not afraid of you any more,” Raven hissed, leaning forward to look into Ray’s eyes. “You’re not d-doing this to me again. Let go of Mommy and quit haunting me!”
“Shut up!” Ray said, shoving Raven backward to get her out of her face. Ray breathed hard, trying to calm herself down. “I didn’t even do anything!”
Raven laughed, but it sounded half-mad.
“Stop laughing at me!” Ray snapped, leaping to her feet to tower over Raven. Raven didn’t stop laughing, though the laughs began to warp into sobs, and tears slipped down Raven’s cheeks. Ray grabbed her by the shoulders and brought her face so close to Raven’s that their noses touched. “What the hell is going on?” Ray whispered, squeezing Raven’s shoulders with hands that were too big. Raven began to stifle her sobs, and Ray pulled back, looking over the edge of the loft. Wylwon was looking at her with distressed eyes. Suddenly, as Raven quieted, Ray felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She spun to look at Raven, heart pounding, and saw that Raven’s face was a mask of rage.
“I’m not going to push you,” Raven said. “I love Mommy; I wouldn’t hurt her no matter what. But I want you to l-leave right now.”
“I don’t know where I am!” Ray said, her heart slowing a little. “Why are you so mad at me? I know that I teased you, but—”
“No,” Raven said, looking up at her with an expression torn by grief. “I’m n-not going to answer your questions. If you can’t leave, then I’m going to make sure you don’t misbehave and get Mommy in trouble. She’ll come back to me. I know she will.”
“What are you talking about?” Ray asked, her headache pounding so loudly that it drowned out all her thoughts. It was too much—Ray didn’t want to fit the pieces together. “Who’s your Mommy? You always called Mom ‘Marissa’. Where is she?”
“It’s time for breakfast,” Raven said. Ray snapped up to look at her, but Raven didn’t meet her glare. Raven’s eyes were distant. “I have to do up your braid before you go. You’ll get in trouble if you go out without it.”
Ray’s head cleared enough to let her wonder about the braid, but the pain surged again as she tried to think about her own hair. She sank to her knees and let Raven braid her hair.
“Why would I get in trouble for having my hair loose?” Ray asked.
“Don’t say a single word at breakfast,” Raven said firmly. “No questions. I’ll answer for you if you’re asked anything. Only the Pinks would understand English, anyway.”
“Pinks?” Ray repeated. Raven tugged her hair into place, making Ray wince.
“Keep your eyes off the ground and off their faces,” Raven continued, tying a string around the base of the braid. “Mommy is Green, and Rayai takes its Colors very seriously. We’re not Primaries here. The Secondaries eat after the Primaries, answer to the Primaries, and do exactly as they’re told. Don’t object to anything, no matter what you see.”
“What?” Ray asked. Her headache was gone, but Raven’s words didn’t make sense. “What do you mean?”
“We can’t be late,” Raven finished, getting to her feet and dusting straw off of her green dress. Ray noticed that she had been sleeping on a mound of straw, and began to pick them out of her dress. Raven did it more efficiently, removing them all in a few, quick swipes.
“You have to slow down,” Ray said. “Give me ten minutes to get my head around this stuff! Why won’t you answer—”
“You don’t deserve answers,” Raven muttered, walking to the ladder. “When Mommy comes back, the point will be moot.”
Ray looked down at her hands, which were plainly not her own hands. They were tough with callouses, and the fingers were long. Dark green ribbons, the same color as her dress, crisscrossed up her arms.
“What are these?” Ray asked, and Raven hesitated on the ladder, biting her lip.
“Don’t take those off,” Raven said. The anger in her tone had grown weary. “Please, Ray. Please just do what I say and keep yourself out of trouble.”
“You need to tell me what’s going on,” Ray insisted. “I don’t understand anything. Everything makes me angry, and I don’t know why.”
“You were an angry person,” Raven whispered. “Whenever I was around, anyway. I can’t talk about the past, Ray—I don’t want to remember it. But I’ll help you get through this, if only so that Mommy isn’t in trouble when she comes back. You have to do exactly what I tell you.”
Ray sighed, dragging herself to her feet. “Fine,” she said, the fire gone out of her. “I’ll keep my head down and keep quiet.”
“Now come on,” Raven said, hopping onto the ladder and starting to climb down. “We’re going to be late, and I don’t think that you want thirty switches with a wooden stick.”
(more excerpts and information)
I added a $1000 reward with the following:
That’s a lot of personalized content! I can’t make more than five of these sets, so this reward is strictly limited. Reward fulfillment times may change slightly if stretch goals aren’t met, but I currently expect to manage regardless—as long as I hit my initial goal!
THIS PROJECT ENDS 5/31 AT 11:59PM PACIFIC TIME! It’s all or nothing—if I don’t meet my goal, you don’t pay a dime.
Questions? Contact me! (anon is on)