Well folks, it’s time …
I am searching for a few brave warriors for a dangerous mission from which all (or at least most) should return alive. Warning: there may be monsters ahead. Don’t want to miss out on the fun? Apply to join the Underground and be a part of the launch team for Songkeeper, book two in the Songkeeper Chronicles.
Epic adventures (and perils) await …
Oh … you want more information?
Okay.
Why the Underground?
To be honest, I like the sound of it, and given the importance of the Underground to Ky and the rest of the crew, well, I thought it only fitting for it to serve as the structure for our competitive launch team. That’s right. It is a competition, albeit a friendly one. So while it’s not quite like facing Cade in the Ring, you can earn points to win super cool prizes for helping spread the word about Songkeeper.
Still game?
What is a launch team?
A launch team is a group of amazingly brave individuals who band together (like Robin Hood’s Merry Men … or the Fellowship of the Ring) to accomplish a great mission (being “burdened with glorious purpose” and all that jazz). In this case, that mission is spreading the news about Songkeeper.
You see, books are a bit like diamonds in the rough. They tend to stay in the rough so long as no one knows that they’re there. You guys are here to help get Songkeeper out of the rough and into the hands of readers everywhere.
Or you know how objects at rest tend to stay at rest? Well, Songkeeper is currently at rest, like a ship waiting to take sail, and your job is to sprinkle the magic fairy dust (by spreading the news) to allow the ship to launch and fly.
Enough bad analogies? (In my defense, I have been reading Brandon Sanderson’s The Reckoners series and bad similes and metaphors abound!)
Anyway, you guys get the picture, right? Moving on.
Are there any requirements?
There are always requirements.
But we’ll keep them fairly simple. Answer yes to the following questions, and you’ll be well on your way to becoming a member of the Underground. In addition to the requirements, there’s also scads of optional tasks that you can complete to earn points to win some of those super cool prizes I mentioned. But more about those later.
- Are you willing to read Songkeeper before April 15th and post a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and at least one other site? If you have a blog, that one other site could be your blog. If not, it could be Barnes and Nobles, CBD, etc.
- If you have a blog, are you willing to participate in the blog tour?
- Are you willing to talk about Songkeeper on social media, whether through Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, etc? I’ll provide team members with some sample tweets and statuses, but if you can add your own flavor so that it actually sounds more like you and less like me, that usually turns out better.
After that, the options are limitless … and so are the number of points you can earn!
Perks and Rewards
Yes, there are both perks and rewards in this game, brave warriors. You will not venture into battle for naught. Like Bilbo, you shall receive your fourteenth share of the treasure … except not a fourteenth share and not treasure …
- Every member of the launch team will receive a digital copy (PDF) of Songkeeper that they agree to read and review before April 15th. So yes, you get to read it before the rest of the world … and you get to read it for free. Wait … was that the magic word I heard? Music to my ears …
- You will have access to a top secret Underground Launch Team Facebook Group. While Facebook is not a requirement to be a member of the launch team, a lot of the behind-the-scenes discussions will take place there, so you will miss out on those if you don’t have an account. Did I say “Behind-the-scenes discussion?” Oh yeah. Including “How It Could Have Ended” chats, definitions and backstory on Amos’s insults, and backstage information on your favorite characters. Not to mention a fun place to hang out with incredibly awesome people.
- And don’t forget the super cool prizes! Which will be both super and cool, and which I am terribly excited about revealing to you … Just not yet. *grins*
Sound like fun?
Fill out the application to join the Launch Team. Spaces are limited, so don’t delay! The application will close out one week from today, unless the spots fill before then, after which the chosen will receive the launch team guidelines an invitation to join the Top Secret Facebook group.
Adventure, my friends, awaits!
YES. *goes to sign up*
You have my sword.
And my bow!
I’d love to.
and my axe
Aw! *grins* You guys are the best. Sword, bow, and axe. Nothing can stand in our way!
YAY! Someone finished it! I was hoping that would happen ;)
It sounds like fun, but it doesn’t work out for me at the time. But I’m still pretty excited for the book to release :D.
No worries, Savannah! I’m just excited that y’all will get to read it soon. :)
I’d love to be a part of the team. Is this where we sign?
Sweet! There’s an application that you can fill out. I can’t put the link in here, unfortunately, but it’s in the final paragraph of the post, highlighted in blue. :)
Ah, I had a blonde moment and entirely missed it.
*Grabs my bow and arrows* I am ready to simply walk into Mordor to tell Sauron about this book. *Switches arrows for my violin* Maybe this would be more fitting a weapon, after all, we all know the cool things the Song can do. :)
Love this comment. So much awesome! :)
I love this. As Gillian said, so much awesome ;)
And mine as well!!! Except I’m far more experienced with a needle….perhaps you may find a use for it also…
I am yours to command, my lady! (I’m so excited. :D)
Oh! I forgot to say that I’ve read the Reckoners series too. I didn’t like it as much as Elantris; some elements of it were much less noble and much more soul-grating. Over all, though, I liked it pretty well. I think the first book is my favorite :)
This sounds cool! I’d like to join. This comes at a good time considering I’m finishing Orphan’s Song today! XD
storitorigrace.blogspot.com
I just finished reading Songkeeper…..and I am so dead….
It took me about 3 hours. I was glued to the screen.
It was so good, and yet so evil. Gillian, I almost fail to understand how you could bear to write all that…
And now I’m sitting here going, “So when’s Book 3?” I have to know if is still alive! He has to be, somehow! *internal flail*
So, in conclusion, WOW. That was incredibly violent. And incredibly amazing…the characters were so real…
And incredibly thrilling and well-done and cliff-hanger-y. *sobs*
I think I’m going to need to take a minute just to recover from all of it. Honestly, I’ll probably still be recovering when Book 3 comes out…which I hope, for my own sanity, is somewhat soon ;)
Well done, Gillian.
Wow. This is the sweetest message any author could get. I am completely blown away. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know what you thought about Songkeeper, Elizabeth. This book was incredibly hard to write, and I can honestly say that I agonized over each and every one of those scenes. I keep reminding myself of that now while I’m struggling to push through writing book three to meet my deadlines – at the end, the process seems so natural, but it’s never easy when you’re in the middle of it. So this note was just what I needed to help me dive back into the fight and conquer a bit more of book three.
So you guys hopefully won’t have to wait TOO long for it. :)
Ahhh I’m so glad! That was truly my post-book flail mode ;)
I’ll be praying for you as you work on Book 3!