Raven: Book Two in the Shadows Series
By Sam Blood
PledgeMe.Project
Art,
NZ $4,000 pledged
55 people pledged
Closed
NZ $3,000 minimum target
This campaign was successful and closed on 29/03/2018 at 8:00 PM.
Make a PledgeAbout
Raven: Book Two In The Shadows Series
Project 2018-01-18 12:13:58 +1300
Hey there! I'm Sam.
WHAT'S THE SHADOWS SERIES?
Shadows is a five-book series of fantasy novels aimed at teenage readers- but enjoyed by plenty of ages above and below that. I’ve been writing the Shadows series since I was nine years old. When I was a little kid I used to feel what I called ‘the lonely feeling’, a sense that evolved and was still very much there through high school too. I also loved stories, so I wrote the story I wanted to read. A story about discovering a magical creature living in a parallel world, the best friend and counterpart that I’d always been missing. My 'Shadow'.
After drafting the first novel, Shadows, countless times, I published it through Amazon in 2015. I was inspired to do this by the self-publishing revolution which was on the rise at the time, and because I was intrigued by the challenge of running my own business.
SHADOWS AS A MOVEMENT
Since then I’ve had emails from young readers who’ve been just as affected and empowered by the idea of meeting their own Shadow as I was when I was a teenager. I’ve gone into schools around New Zealand talking about how Shadows came to be, and asking kids: ‘What does your Shadow look like, this other half of yourself? What would your Shadow say to you if you met it- and what would you want to say to it?’ I’ve also been helping them write their own books, passing on all the tricks of the author trade that I wish I’d known when I started writing the first book.
I’m so excited and humbled that Shadows is achieving just what I hoped it would when I was still writing it at the back of the class in high school. To give an idea of the impact it’s having, here’s a letter I received from a reader last week:
‘Dear Sam, I'm writing to tell you how much I loved your book "Shadows”… and how being reunited with your Shadow is a literal symbolism of “finding yourself.” I and many other teenagers have felt like this: alone, broken, like we’re not whole… like part of us is missing. I have always wished to have a best friend who understood me, who was always with me so I was never alone.
I wished I had a Shadow. In fact, it makes me heartbroken that it’s all just fiction. I wish it was true not just because I’d like to have a Shadow- someone to fill the hole in my heart- but because of the promise of a brighter future through everyone being reunited with their Shadows.’ - Nur Peach, Year 12
I hope the release of the next book in the series will reach new readers and allow me to continue this meaningful and exciting work.
But now I need your help to make the launch of the second book something REALLY epic, and to make it reach and transform more readers than ever before.
ENTER RAVEN: BOOK TWO
‘Raven’ is the prequel to Shadows- book two in a series of five. Excitingly, it takes place in Auckland City where I grew up- in real life locations. We see the story through the eyes of a unique heroine- a teenage hacker called Phoebe, who’s living rough on the streets of Auckland, dealing with mental anxiety.
It’s different from the first book- I like to think of it as a murder mystery. Here’s the summary:
'Phoebe is a gifted hacker, living rough on the streets of Auckland. She’s given a chance at another life when her idol, billionaire tech entrepeneur Melissa Cameron, hires her to track down a dangerous killer named Raven.
Raven wants revenge on Melissa’s team. He’s mutating stranded Shadows into mindless monsters as part of his sinister agenda. Phoebe will have to look into the darkest corners of her city and confront her deepest fears if she is to save her new oddball family.
Griffin’s story is only just beginning. But before then, an evil called Raven was born. Before then, Phoebe worked with the Camerons to acheive the impossible. This is their story.'
WHY PLEDGEME, A CROWDFUNDING PLATFORM?
I wanted a way I could fund a printing of the second book where the readers can buy directly from me and I can print the initial copies in a single run. Think of it as a virtual book launch, where everyone’s invited.
I want to use this campaign as a chance to bring new readers to the Shadows series who will be just as affected as others have been.
You can choose the level you want to pledge and what reward you’d want the most. There are copies of Book One and Two available, the option to donate copies to NZ libraries and also the chance for hangouts with the author himself- that’s me. We can get like… a milkshake or something.
THE STRETCH GOALS
There are also stretch goals- so the more books we sell, the more cool stuff I’ll add to the book:
$3000 Sam will record a Thank You Video celebrating a victorious campaign! He shall also do a silly happy dance.
$4000 Sam records a ‘behind the scenes’ video, talking about the creation of Raven seventeen years ago.
$5000 Sam will make an audio recording of the first two chapters of Raven for your listening pleasure.
$6000 Sam will email all pledgers a pdf containing a list of different Shadow types.
$7000 Sam will film himself reading a preview of the first chapter of Book Three.
Thanks for being part of this journey with me, and getting out the story of Shadows to the rest of the world- a story that I hope can entertain, comfort and inspire.
Are YOU ready to meet your Shadow?
Join the Movement:
Website: http://www.samblood.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamBloodAuthor
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/SamBloodTV
Comments
Updates 5
The Final Update
26/06/2018 at 4:41 PM
To all my wonderful Pledgers,
This is it; the final message in the saga of Raven's PledgeMe Campaign. Thanks for the amazing effort all of you put in to make sure Book Two of the Shadows Series launched with a bang.
The paperbacks have all been delivered- please email me at [email protected] if you haven't received yours for some reason- and the digital copies sent out to those who pledged for them. The only reward left to fufill is some creative writing workshop school visits that I'm very much looking forward to.
I thought a great way to end things would be with my embarrassing fufillment of the "Sam hisses and struts around the house as a dragon-parrot squawking your name" reward. Thanks to you two lovely pledgers who subjected me to this :P Leslie had fun filming it, I'm sure.
Thanks again for your amazing support of the Shadows Series,
Love Sam
Raven Behind-The-Scenes: The $4000 Stretch Goal
05/04/2018 at 11:53 AM
Well, as promised, here's the author's commentary of the process of creating Book Two: Raven, and how it stemmed from a short story I wrote when I was eight years old. It was fun for me to talk about. Feel free to treat it as a podcast, listening as you go about your day.
This is a reward for hitting the $4000 mark on the PledgeMe Campaign!
In other wonderful news, the proof copies with the new covers arrived this morning and they look beautiful! The new covers are better then I could have imagined!
Thanks and Enjoy your Behind-The-Scenes Tour!
Sam
You need to pledge to see this update.
You need to pledge to see this update.
ONE DAY LEFT OH MY GOSH
28/03/2018 at 6:11 PM
WE HIT THE TARGET EVERYONE! :D Thank you so, so much for the amazing show of support so far, I'm so looking forward to the hand cramps from signing all those copies before they fly off in the Owl Post to their new homes.
I did promise a video of Sam silly dancing which is currently in editing for you all (it's too hard to cut bits out, it's all gold.)
There's only a single day left of the campaign. If you know anyone who may be a potential Shadows fan or who would want to support the cause, then please, share the link! Let's give it one final push before I order that bulk batch from the printers.
https://www.pledgeme.co.nz/projects/5523-raven-book-two-in-the-shadows-series
Again, thanks so much for being invested in this series!
My Shadow and I thank you.
Love Sam
Pledgers 55
08/03/2018 at 10:22am
"Excellent work dude. I only need a digital copy of the second book.You can donate my copy of the first book. :)"
07/03/2018 at 1:37pm
"So excited for this!"
07/03/2018 at 10:38am
"Great work Sam!"
07/03/2018 at 8:24am
06/03/2018 at 9:19am
"Loved book one, looking forward to the next four! Great stuff Sam."
03/03/2018 at 5:08pm
"Referred by Vanessa Rancour "
02/03/2018 at 11:14pm
"All the best Sam. Looking forward to reading it. - Lochana"
02/03/2018 at 10:51pm
"Sending you hugs too!!!"
02/03/2018 at 10:16pm
02/03/2018 at 7:56pm
"All the best Sam!! Be so proud of what you have achieved xx"
02/03/2018 at 7:54pm
"From jack (your bro) xx"
02/03/2018 at 3:27pm
"Can’t wait to read it!"
02/03/2018 at 3:19pm
02/03/2018 at 1:44pm
01/03/2018 at 10:15pm
"It's very cool how you are living your dream Sam!"
01/03/2018 at 9:52pm
01/03/2018 at 9:23pm
01/03/2018 at 8:48pm
01/03/2018 at 1:15pm
01/03/2018 at 7:19am
"You're the best Sam!"
28/02/2018 at 9:27pm
"Can’t wait to add book 2 to my collection! "
28/02/2018 at 8:16pm
28/02/2018 at 7:58pm
"Please hand deliver 2 copies of Raven to my wedding in April ;)"
28/02/2018 at 7:45pm
"I have read the first two books in the series and I am hooked - love the story and the characters - roll on Book 3!!!"
28/02/2018 at 7:12pm
"Can’t wait to get my hands on this book :) love your work Sam!"
Followers 3
Followers of Raven: Book Two in the Shadows Series
Raven: Book Two In The Shadows Series
Project 2018-01-18 12:13:58 +1300
Hey there! I'm Sam.
WHAT'S THE SHADOWS SERIES?
Shadows is a five-book series of fantasy novels aimed at teenage readers- but enjoyed by plenty of ages above and below that. I’ve been writing the Shadows series since I was nine years old. When I was a little kid I used to feel what I called ‘the lonely feeling’, a sense that evolved and was still very much there through high school too. I also loved stories, so I wrote the story I wanted to read. A story about discovering a magical creature living in a parallel world, the best friend and counterpart that I’d always been missing. My 'Shadow'.
After drafting the first novel, Shadows, countless times, I published it through Amazon in 2015. I was inspired to do this by the self-publishing revolution which was on the rise at the time, and because I was intrigued by the challenge of running my own business.
SHADOWS AS A MOVEMENT
Since then I’ve had emails from young readers who’ve been just as affected and empowered by the idea of meeting their own Shadow as I was when I was a teenager. I’ve gone into schools around New Zealand talking about how Shadows came to be, and asking kids: ‘What does your Shadow look like, this other half of yourself? What would your Shadow say to you if you met it- and what would you want to say to it?’ I’ve also been helping them write their own books, passing on all the tricks of the author trade that I wish I’d known when I started writing the first book.
I’m so excited and humbled that Shadows is achieving just what I hoped it would when I was still writing it at the back of the class in high school. To give an idea of the impact it’s having, here’s a letter I received from a reader last week:
‘Dear Sam, I'm writing to tell you how much I loved your book "Shadows”… and how being reunited with your Shadow is a literal symbolism of “finding yourself.” I and many other teenagers have felt like this: alone, broken, like we’re not whole… like part of us is missing. I have always wished to have a best friend who understood me, who was always with me so I was never alone.
I wished I had a Shadow. In fact, it makes me heartbroken that it’s all just fiction. I wish it was true not just because I’d like to have a Shadow- someone to fill the hole in my heart- but because of the promise of a brighter future through everyone being reunited with their Shadows.’ - Nur Peach, Year 12
I hope the release of the next book in the series will reach new readers and allow me to continue this meaningful and exciting work.
But now I need your help to make the launch of the second book something REALLY epic, and to make it reach and transform more readers than ever before.
ENTER RAVEN: BOOK TWO
‘Raven’ is the prequel to Shadows- book two in a series of five. Excitingly, it takes place in Auckland City where I grew up- in real life locations. We see the story through the eyes of a unique heroine- a teenage hacker called Phoebe, who’s living rough on the streets of Auckland, dealing with mental anxiety.
It’s different from the first book- I like to think of it as a murder mystery. Here’s the summary:
'Phoebe is a gifted hacker, living rough on the streets of Auckland. She’s given a chance at another life when her idol, billionaire tech entrepeneur Melissa Cameron, hires her to track down a dangerous killer named Raven.
Raven wants revenge on Melissa’s team. He’s mutating stranded Shadows into mindless monsters as part of his sinister agenda. Phoebe will have to look into the darkest corners of her city and confront her deepest fears if she is to save her new oddball family.
Griffin’s story is only just beginning. But before then, an evil called Raven was born. Before then, Phoebe worked with the Camerons to acheive the impossible. This is their story.'
WHY PLEDGEME, A CROWDFUNDING PLATFORM?
I wanted a way I could fund a printing of the second book where the readers can buy directly from me and I can print the initial copies in a single run. Think of it as a virtual book launch, where everyone’s invited.
I want to use this campaign as a chance to bring new readers to the Shadows series who will be just as affected as others have been.
You can choose the level you want to pledge and what reward you’d want the most. There are copies of Book One and Two available, the option to donate copies to NZ libraries and also the chance for hangouts with the author himself- that’s me. We can get like… a milkshake or something.
THE STRETCH GOALS
There are also stretch goals- so the more books we sell, the more cool stuff I’ll add to the book:
$3000 Sam will record a Thank You Video celebrating a victorious campaign! He shall also do a silly happy dance.
$4000 Sam records a ‘behind the scenes’ video, talking about the creation of Raven seventeen years ago.
$5000 Sam will make an audio recording of the first two chapters of Raven for your listening pleasure.
$6000 Sam will email all pledgers a pdf containing a list of different Shadow types.
$7000 Sam will film himself reading a preview of the first chapter of Book Three.
Thanks for being part of this journey with me, and getting out the story of Shadows to the rest of the world- a story that I hope can entertain, comfort and inspire.
Are YOU ready to meet your Shadow?
Join the Movement:
Website: http://www.samblood.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamBloodAuthor
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/SamBloodTV
Comments
The Final Update
26/06/2018 at 4:41 PM
To all my wonderful Pledgers,
This is it; the final message in the saga of Raven's PledgeMe Campaign. Thanks for the amazing effort all of you put in to make sure Book Two of the Shadows Series launched with a bang.
The paperbacks have all been delivered- please email me at [email protected] if you haven't received yours for some reason- and the digital copies sent out to those who pledged for them. The only reward left to fufill is some creative writing workshop school visits that I'm very much looking forward to.
I thought a great way to end things would be with my embarrassing fufillment of the "Sam hisses and struts around the house as a dragon-parrot squawking your name" reward. Thanks to you two lovely pledgers who subjected me to this :P Leslie had fun filming it, I'm sure.
Thanks again for your amazing support of the Shadows Series,
Love Sam
Raven Behind-The-Scenes: The $4000 Stretch Goal
05/04/2018 at 11:53 AM
Well, as promised, here's the author's commentary of the process of creating Book Two: Raven, and how it stemmed from a short story I wrote when I was eight years old. It was fun for me to talk about. Feel free to treat it as a podcast, listening as you go about your day.
This is a reward for hitting the $4000 mark on the PledgeMe Campaign!
In other wonderful news, the proof copies with the new covers arrived this morning and they look beautiful! The new covers are better then I could have imagined!
Thanks and Enjoy your Behind-The-Scenes Tour!
Sam
You need to pledge to see this update.
You need to pledge to see this update.
ONE DAY LEFT OH MY GOSH
28/03/2018 at 6:11 PM
WE HIT THE TARGET EVERYONE! :D Thank you so, so much for the amazing show of support so far, I'm so looking forward to the hand cramps from signing all those copies before they fly off in the Owl Post to their new homes.
I did promise a video of Sam silly dancing which is currently in editing for you all (it's too hard to cut bits out, it's all gold.)
There's only a single day left of the campaign. If you know anyone who may be a potential Shadows fan or who would want to support the cause, then please, share the link! Let's give it one final push before I order that bulk batch from the printers.
https://www.pledgeme.co.nz/projects/5523-raven-book-two-in-the-shadows-series
Again, thanks so much for being invested in this series!
My Shadow and I thank you.
Love Sam
08/03/2018 at 10:22am
"Excellent work dude. I only need a digital copy of the second book.You can donate my copy of the first book. :)"
07/03/2018 at 1:37pm
"So excited for this!"
07/03/2018 at 10:38am
"Great work Sam!"
07/03/2018 at 8:24am
06/03/2018 at 9:19am
"Loved book one, looking forward to the next four! Great stuff Sam."
03/03/2018 at 5:08pm
"Referred by Vanessa Rancour "
02/03/2018 at 11:14pm
"All the best Sam. Looking forward to reading it. - Lochana"
02/03/2018 at 10:51pm
"Sending you hugs too!!!"
02/03/2018 at 10:16pm
02/03/2018 at 7:56pm
"All the best Sam!! Be so proud of what you have achieved xx"
02/03/2018 at 7:54pm
"From jack (your bro) xx"
02/03/2018 at 3:27pm
"Can’t wait to read it!"
02/03/2018 at 3:19pm
02/03/2018 at 1:44pm
01/03/2018 at 10:15pm
"It's very cool how you are living your dream Sam!"
01/03/2018 at 9:52pm
01/03/2018 at 9:23pm
01/03/2018 at 8:48pm
01/03/2018 at 1:15pm
01/03/2018 at 7:19am
"You're the best Sam!"
28/02/2018 at 9:27pm
"Can’t wait to add book 2 to my collection! "
28/02/2018 at 8:16pm
28/02/2018 at 7:58pm
"Please hand deliver 2 copies of Raven to my wedding in April ;)"
28/02/2018 at 7:45pm
"I have read the first two books in the series and I am hooked - love the story and the characters - roll on Book 3!!!"
28/02/2018 at 7:12pm
"Can’t wait to get my hands on this book :) love your work Sam!"