An Abundance of Things

WOW, a lot has happened since my last post! I feel bad for falling so far behind. I hope you guys will forgive me! I'll just do my best to make up for it with an intense post. How does that sound? And to get you guys excited, there is going to be some REALLY AWESOME NEWS about a certain sale going on at the end of this post. And maybe a funny picture or two for you. Maybe.

First order of business: New author photos! I got a few pictures taken, that now are on the back cover of The Dreamers Second Edition, and The Nightmarers as well. New author photos on ALL the books!

 Next order of business: This little award! The Idaho Book Extravaganza, a program held every year to help educate and support authors, writers, publishers, readers, and books of Idaho, holds an awards ceremony every year. They award people who produce the best books, covers, interior design, and more in Idaho. These award categories are split into subsections for fiction and nonfiction. This year, The Dreamers Second Edition won an "Honorable Mention" for Idaho's TOP 10 FICTION BOOKS!

Many other extremely talented writers and inspiring people were awarded at the event. Lots of hard work went into the event, and it was a great success. Everybody in and out of this picture is fantastic. 

(And I'm not excluding you, dear reader).

Can you find me in the picture? Where's Waldo Oliver? :)

Earlier, I had the opportunity to speak at my local library for a few minutes on self-publishing, and how I published my books. It was pretty fun, and also inspiring to see young kids interested in how to accomplish something. (Back in June, I taught a week-long publishing course at CSU to kids of the same age group for the second time, which was also a LOT of fun!)

And on to more recent news, (as in, earlier TODAY news...)

I finished NaNoWriMo! 50,000 words in the month of November. This is my second consecutive win, third win overall, and fourth year participating! More information on the book I wrote for NaNo (and am continuing to write!) can be found here.

The moral of this post:

BONUS CONTENT: ("But wait, there's more!)

Do you know what this is? This is the schedule for my Kindle Countdown Deal! (Cyber Monday, Holla!) Next to the date, it has the price that the book will be on that date. This means that on December Second, you can get The Dreamers for just 99 CENTS! Each following day will add a dollar to the price until it's back to its normal price. (So hurry, before the price goes up!) Here's where the SPECIAL part comes in! The Nightmarers will have the same deal going on at the same time. So you could pick up the entire series so far for less than the price of ONE of them normally!

Just like last time, with great power savings, comes great responsibility. Well, not really. But it sure would be nice if you could leave a nice review of both books on Amazon, and share the deal with your friends! This helps lead to more sales later down the road, so I can afford to keep writing and entertaining and stuff. I don't want a deskjob. Or a job at McDonalds. Or Burger King. (Though Wendy's wouldn't be that bad, would it?) This promo helps you get a great deal, and if you help me out a little in return, helps me out a LOT!

Thanks, you guys are awesome! Stay sweet!

Dream on!

Oliver Dahl

&

Sam Kullen

Authors and The Dreamers!

Can you spot The Dreamers?

 

One of my favorite things about being an author is meeting other authors. When you meet, you know that both of you have gone through the same challenges, struggles, and are both trying to do their best on future work. It's like knowing immediately that you share a special connection. It's somewhat magical.

Over the past year, I have been blessed to have experienced completely unexpected success. I can't wait for The Nightmarers to be out, and to hopefully double that success. :) Some of my favorite "successes" have been meeting with other authors. I think that you'll recognize (or have heard of) many of these authors! I met all of them personally in book signings that they held here in Boise, Idaho. All of them were super nice. I feel like most authors are like the nicest people you will ever meet.

 

I first gave a copy of The Dreamers to Richard Paul Evans. 17-time-consecutive NYT Bestseller, with 20 Total NYT bestsellers on his hands. He is becoming more and more known for his YA series, Michael Vey. These books have shot up to the top of my list of favorite books. I HIGHLY recommend them! I told him that my "electricity" is also writing, and handed him a copy of The Dreamers. He took it graciously, and I am very thankful for his kindness towards me. Mr. Evans is an awesome guy, and meeting him was a pleasure.

Just a few weeks or months later, one of my all time favorite authors, Brandon Mull, came into town. I had gone to his signings in Boise every time he was here. It is a tradition for our family to go every time he comes. I'm proud (and boastful!) to admit that I have the entire NYT Bestselling Fablehaven Series, Candy Shop War, and Beyonders series (as of late) autographed by Brandon! He is also a really nice guy. I recommend ALL of his books, as well! They are all masterfully written with beautiful imagery and stunning creativity & originality to them all. (With humor mixed in all throughout).

And, just today (1/26/13) I was able to give a copy of my book to successful author Obert Skye! (Famous for his awesome Leven Thumps Series). The first book in this series is still up in my top favorite books. I highly recommend this book, as well! It's magical and undeniably unique! I came to the signing just before he left, thanks to a heads up by Jacob Nordby. (The Indie author of The Divine Arsonist. He also has a copy of The Dreamers!) Thanks again, Jacob! When I got there, he was just about to pack up. I introduced myself as "Oliver" and he signed me a cool poster. I then told him that I, too, was an author, and was about to hand him a copy of my book when he said, "Wait... Oliver Dahl?!"

Me with author Brandon Mull

I nodded yes. Little did I know that the day before, he had visited my middle school and they had all recommended my book and myself to him. He took the copy of my book and told me he'd read it and get back to me. I'm excited to hear what he thinks! I can't thank my middle school enough for recommending my book to him. I'll brag about how I was recognized by a famous author forever. Thanks, Galileo!! You're the greatest! :D I can't wait to come back to you guys with a box (or 2!) of The Nightmarers! Be looking for me! :)

 

Top 50 Idaho Authors 2011!

The Dreamers has won its first award! This weekend, October 28-29, the Idaho Book Extravaganza will take place. I entered one of its contests in which Idaho authors compete for the title of "Top 50 Idaho Author." Since I was going to be at the event anyway, I decided to try. Less than a month later, I learned the The Dreamers had gotten me that title. Hooray! I am very proud of this accomplishment.

Dream on!
Sam Kullen

&

Oliver Dahl