Raven: Book Two in the Shadows Series

By Sam Blood

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NZ $4,000 pledged


55 people pledged


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This campaign was successful and closed on 29/03/2018 at 8:00 PM.

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About

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

    PreacheR
    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. :)"

    Monica
    07/03/2018 at 1:37pm

    "So excited for this!"

    Adam Millen
    07/03/2018 at 10:38am

    "Great work Sam!"

    Megan Blackwell
    07/03/2018 at 8:24am
    Di Brewster
    06/03/2018 at 9:19am

    "Loved book one, looking forward to the next four! Great stuff Sam."

    Georgi
    03/03/2018 at 5:08pm

    "Referred by Vanessa Rancour "

    Lochana Wijesundera
    02/03/2018 at 11:14pm

    "All the best Sam. Looking forward to reading it. - Lochana"

    Sibille Allgayer
    02/03/2018 at 10:51pm

    "Sending you hugs too!!!"

    Vanessa Rancour
    02/03/2018 at 10:16pm
    Julie Renner
    02/03/2018 at 7:56pm

    "All the best Sam!! Be so proud of what you have achieved xx"

    Julie Renner
    02/03/2018 at 7:54pm

    "From jack (your bro) xx"

    Amelia macdonald
    02/03/2018 at 3:27pm

    "Can’t wait to read it!"

    Patrick Cummuskey
    02/03/2018 at 3:19pm
    Alicia Lee
    02/03/2018 at 1:44pm
    Heather Bosselmann
    01/03/2018 at 10:15pm

    "It's very cool how you are living your dream Sam!"

    Sally Poulgrain
    01/03/2018 at 9:52pm
    Georgia Petry
    01/03/2018 at 9:23pm
    Alice D
    01/03/2018 at 8:48pm
    Pauli Sosa
    01/03/2018 at 1:15pm
    Kerry Stroobant
    01/03/2018 at 7:19am

    "You're the best Sam!"

    Sien Knapen
    28/02/2018 at 9:27pm

    "Can’t wait to add book 2 to my collection! "

    Michelle Mudgway
    28/02/2018 at 8:16pm
    Heath Utting
    28/02/2018 at 7:58pm

    "Please hand deliver 2 copies of Raven to my wedding in April ;)"

    Anonymous pledger
    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!!!"

    Zanthe
    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

      PreacheR
      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. :)"

      Monica
      07/03/2018 at 1:37pm

      "So excited for this!"

      Adam Millen
      07/03/2018 at 10:38am

      "Great work Sam!"

      Megan Blackwell
      07/03/2018 at 8:24am
      Di Brewster
      06/03/2018 at 9:19am

      "Loved book one, looking forward to the next four! Great stuff Sam."

      Georgi
      03/03/2018 at 5:08pm

      "Referred by Vanessa Rancour "

      Lochana Wijesundera
      02/03/2018 at 11:14pm

      "All the best Sam. Looking forward to reading it. - Lochana"

      Sibille Allgayer
      02/03/2018 at 10:51pm

      "Sending you hugs too!!!"

      Vanessa Rancour
      02/03/2018 at 10:16pm
      Julie Renner
      02/03/2018 at 7:56pm

      "All the best Sam!! Be so proud of what you have achieved xx"

      Julie Renner
      02/03/2018 at 7:54pm

      "From jack (your bro) xx"

      Amelia macdonald
      02/03/2018 at 3:27pm

      "Can’t wait to read it!"

      Patrick Cummuskey
      02/03/2018 at 3:19pm
      Alicia Lee
      02/03/2018 at 1:44pm
      Heather Bosselmann
      01/03/2018 at 10:15pm

      "It's very cool how you are living your dream Sam!"

      Sally Poulgrain
      01/03/2018 at 9:52pm
      Georgia Petry
      01/03/2018 at 9:23pm
      Alice D
      01/03/2018 at 8:48pm
      Pauli Sosa
      01/03/2018 at 1:15pm
      Kerry Stroobant
      01/03/2018 at 7:19am

      "You're the best Sam!"

      Sien Knapen
      28/02/2018 at 9:27pm

      "Can’t wait to add book 2 to my collection! "

      Michelle Mudgway
      28/02/2018 at 8:16pm
      Heath Utting
      28/02/2018 at 7:58pm

      "Please hand deliver 2 copies of Raven to my wedding in April ;)"

      Anonymous pledger
      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!!!"

      Zanthe
      28/02/2018 at 7:12pm

      "Can’t wait to get my hands on this book :) love your work Sam!"

      Followers of Raven: Book Two in the Shadows Series

      This campaign was successful and got its funding on 29/03/2018 at 8:00 PM.