Beyond the Reflection's Edge Contest - The Final Three Days

The Beyond the Reflection's Edge contest is down to its final three days. The deadline for submitting reports for points is June 30, midnight central time zone.

I haven't received many reports lately, so I'm wondering if some of you are holding back because you don't want the other contestants to know where you stand. In order to prevent an avalanche of reports late on June 30, here's what I'm going to do.

From now until the contest is over, I won't post any point updates. If you send something anytime between the time this blog entry is posted through the deadline, you don't have to be concerned about someone else knowing your total.

Ladies and gentlemen, let's see those reports!

Coming to Little Rock

On Saturday, June 28, from noon until 2:00 pm, I will be at the Mardel Christian Store 1t 5460 Landers Road in Sherwood, Arkansas, which is near Little Rock. If you're anywhere near that area, please come out. I would love to meet you. They should have all my books there. I'll have free posters, and I'll be glad to sign books you've already purchased.

Now for another contest photo. TwinforGod sent in several from various stores, but there are just too many to post. I will include one and list where else she has been.

Here she is with Cliff at (1) LifeWay in the Oxford Exchange Shopping Center, 1150 Oxford Exchange Blvd, Oxford, AL. She also sent photos from (2) LifeWay, The Landing at Arbor Place
9345 The Landing Dr., Douglasville, GA, (3) Family Christian Store,Douglasville Pavilion, 2838 Chapel Hill Rd., Douglasville, GA (4) Family Christian Store, Colonial Promenade Fultondale, 3471 Lowery Pkwy Ste 115, Fultondale, AL, (5) LifeWay, Riverchase Promenade Shopping Center, 1713 Montgomery Hwy S Suite 115, Birmingham, AL, (6) Family Christian Store, Inverness Plaza Shop Center,160 Inverness Plaza,Birmingham, AL, (7) Family Christian Store, The Shoppes at Woodruff, 1451 Woodruff Rd #20, Greenville, SC (8) Family Christian Store, Oaks Mall Plaza, 6747 W Newberry Rd, Gainesville, FL (9) Lifeway, Eisenhower Crossing, 4664 Presidential Parkway, Macon, GA, (10) Life, 8821-4 JW Clay Blvd, Charlotte, NC

Fantastic job!

Don't forget, Last of the Nephilim is now in stock in many places. You can get an autographed copy from me by clicking here, order from Amazon by clicking here, or you can use the link below to order from Christianbook.com.

#3: Last of the Nephilim By Living Ink

Beyond the Reflection's Edge Contest Quiz #4

There is only one week left in the Beyond the Reflection's Edge contest. Before we get to the final quiz, I will post a few photos:

Here is Kale with her poster. Kale sent photos of nineteen different places where she put up posters. At five points each, that helped her take quite a lead. With a week left, there is still time for some of you to catch up, but you'd better get going. I think Kale isn't likely to slow down.


Here is Katie G. with a poster she put up in her church.


Here is Lightbearer with Jonathan at Borders at the junction of Wyoming and Academy (streets) in Albuquerque New Mexico.

And Lightbearer again, this time with Monica at Borders in Cottonwood Mall, Albuquerque New Mexico.

Now for the final quiz, I will pose five questions from the story. Each one will be worth five points. The first five people to give me all five correct answers will get an extra five points.

When you report, please number your answers. If you get some answers wrong, I'll tell you which ones.

1. What color were the letters in the Clarks' welcome mat?

2. In what country did Nathan and Clara escape on motorcycles from a terrorist?

3. How much did the store-keeper charge Nathan for the map?

4. In the Chicago airport, Nathan wanted to use a pay telephone, but two people grabbed the last ones available. One of those two was a teenager. What was the teenager wearing?

5. On what page in the book is the title, Beyond the Reflection's Edge, mentioned in Nathan's thoughts?

When you respond, please put in the subject line that it's for Quiz #4.

Last of the Nephilim - Where to find it

Many readers have contacted me asking where they can buy Last of the Nephilim. This happens with every new book that comes out in the series. It gets released, and the stores that stock it run out of it in a hurry, and some stores don't get it quite as quickly as others, so readers in those areas have to wait.

I have heard that many of the Family Christian stores and the Parable group stores have them in stock, and many other Christian stores such as Mardel's, Berean, Lifeway, and Christian Supply either have them now or will be getting them soon.

Always call first. Gas is too expensive to waste. Although I always encourage my readers to support their local bookstores, ordering online is an alternative. Christianbook.com is showing Last of the Nephilim as being in stock at $11.99, which is $3 off retail. Here is a link for CBD:

#3: Last of the Nephilim By Living Ink

You can also buy an autographed copy from me by clicking here. I have plenty in stock as well.

If you see it in one of your local bookstores, please post a comment and let me know where you found it.

Contest Update and Yet More Photos

The Beyond the Reflection's Edge contest will be over in less than two weeks, and many contestants are sprinting toward the finish line. I plan to have one more quiz, and I hope to post it Monday morning, June 23. No fancy codes or puzzles this time, just a list of questions for which you'll find answers in the book.

Now more contestant reports. First, here is a video from Abigail:



Now for some store photos:

Here is Katie L. with Jason at the Borders store at Rivertown Center,3819 Rivertown Pkwy SW Ste 100, Grandville, MI

Here is bookwormforGod with Ethan at Borders, 9205 S. Dixie Highway, Miami, FL


Here is Shae with Nate at Borders, 1501 Plymoth Road Minnetonka, MN



And Son of Shem with Jenni, at Borders at 1501 Plymouth Road, Minnetonka, MN

I also received a photo from Josh who posed with Patrick at Lifeway on Peoples Street, Johnson City, TN, but I couldn't get it to upload on the blog.

Last of the Nephilim is Now in Bookstores

I have heard from several people that Last of the Nephilim is now on the shelves of many bookstores, so it's time to grab a copy and see what happens in this next chapter of the story.

Be sure to call your bookstore before going. You don't want to waste gas!

Now for another bookstore BtRE photo.


Here is Shae with Emily at Borders, 8472 Tamarak Bay Woodbury, MN.

The Beyond the Reflection's Edge contest rolls on!

Contest Update and More Photos

We are now closing in on the final two weeks of the Beyond the Reflection's Edge contest. Quite a number of you have done a fantastic job with reviews, photos, posters, T-shirts, etc. Because I'm so overwhelmed by your participation, I have decided to add more prizes. Here is a list of how the prizes will be given based on a contestant's rank by total points earned.

#1 - Books for life and character creation in a future book (unchanged)

#2 - The next five books I publish (unchanged)

#3 - The next three books I publish (unchanged)

#4 through #10 - Eternity's Edge and Book #3 of Echoes from the Edge (Instead of just Eternity's Edge)

#11 through #15 - Eternity's Edge (Instead of no prize)

Thank you again for all you're doing.

At this point, Kale has jumped to a sizable lead. She has turned in nine bookstore receipts, which, at twenty points each, gave her 180 points. That's a great way to accumulate them quickly.

Josh is close behind, and several others are within striking distance. With more than two weeks left, there is plenty of time to make up ground.

I hope to have another quiz, but I will announce it more than a day in advance so you won't have to check the blog more than once each day.

If you haven't done a video and want to do one, please send me the link by June 30. That's when I will award bonus points for the judge's favorite. The contest ends midnight, June 30.

Now for a few photos.
Here is Katie L. with Chris at Kregel Parable Christian Store, 2830 E. Beltline NE, Grand Rapids, MI.

Here is Kale with Jeremy at Book A Million on Davis Hwy Pensacola, FL

Here is Josh with Eric at the Lifeway on 5449 Washington Pike, Knoxville, TN

Here is Josh again with John at the Lifeway on 10990 Parkside Drive, Knoxville, TN

Great job!

Contest Quiz Three and T-shirt photo

First, the photo. Moncowgirl made a Beyond the Reflection's Edge T-shirt and handed out fliers for the book.
Great job, Moncowgirl. That's worth twenty points!

Now for quiz number three. With this quiz, your brainpower and ingenuity are the key, so I'm not giving any help. I think some will find this very easy, while others will just go, "Huh?"

Here are your instructions. "Use the answer to the first quiz (click here to remind yourself of that quiz) to locate the hidden phrase in the second quiz."

The first five to answer will get fifteen points while everyone else who answers correctly will get ten points.

Enjoy!

Back to Photos!

Now that Quiz #2 is almost complete (yes, almost), I am posting another photo.


Here is Katie G. (middle) with Courtney (left) and Maggie (right) at the Family Christian Store at 85 Tunnel Rd Suite 25 in Asheville, NC. She also sent photos from the Lifeway Christian Store at 1714 Us Highway 70 SE in Hickory, NC 28602, the Lifeway store at 105 River Hills Rd in Asheville, NC, and the Family Christian Store 1916 Catawba Valley Blvd SE, in Hickory, NC .

Several of you had no problems solving the coded text, and it seems that quite a few of you enjoyed it. The next part will be quite tricky, but we'll see who can handle it.

Soon. I will tell you about it soon.

Contest Quiz Two Part Four

I will now give part four of quiz number two. If you didn't solve the first three parts, please read the explanation of the contest here before you try this. Remember that from one part to the next, the decoding method doesn't start over. Pick up the code where you left off at the end of the previous section.

Please send the decoded words from these paragraphs. When you attach them to the words from the previous three parts of the quiz, the combined words will create instructions to follow.

First send me the decoded words for this part of the quiz. Please let me know that you are answering Quiz #2 Part 4. Then, when you follow the instructions that the entire quiz creates, which could take quite a bit of time, send me the results of following the instructions in a separate email. Label that message Quiz #2 Final Instructions.

Send your answer to bryan (at) dragonsinourmidst (dot) com

The first three to answer correctly Quiz #2 Part 4 will get twenty points, and everyone else who answers correctly will get fifteen points.

The first five to give me correct results for Quiz #2 Final Instructions will get fifty points, and everyone else who answers correctly will get forty points.

Here is the new part--two paragraphs:

*****
Answer me this. Do pieces of music that a person loves determine what that anyone might do when confronting a steppingstone in his life? Sometimes adjustments have to be made, and those who love waltzes are often rabidly dancing through changes high on the agenda. Flying as high as an astronaut, they oversee these changes with skill and compensate with ease.

Please answer the final question politely. Even unknowing, you might activate sadness that dwells latently within, thou it wouldn’t be a Manitou, a spirit renegade, or something else that we can’t apprehend. Those belong to the myths of yesteryear. If you are a protester regarding these radical thoughts, then sorry. The code has ended.

*****
Have fun!

Internet Problems

I apologize for the delay in continuing the contest. My Internet is down, so my ability to run the contest is crippled. Even though the numbers on the blog aren't up to date, I have been keeping track of your totals, so don't worry about that.

Because of this problem, I'll let you know in advance when the next part of the contest will be posted. The Lord willing, I will put it here on Wednesday morning.

Thank you for your patience.

Contest Quiz Number Two - Part Three and Rules Update

I will now give part three of quiz number two. If you didn't solve the first two parts, please read the explanation of the contest here before you try this.

I'm looking for the decoded words from this paragraph only. When you attach them to the words from the previous two parts of the quiz, you will see instructions taking shape. With this portion attached, it might look like you can decipher what the final instructions will entail, but the fourth and final portion will add an important factor that you will need.

Send your answer to bryan (at) dragonsinourmidst (dot) com

Since this is a longer portion, the first three to answer correctly will get twenty points, and everyone else who answers correctly will get fifteen points.

Here is the new part--two paragraphs:

*****

If you don’t want to suffer from the pain of cardiac arrest, then stay away from a music conductor who insists that you play with the acumen of Mozart, especially when a multipart piece is placed in front of you, the composing author of which considers himself to be the second coming of Beethoven. You will surely cry out to the one who delivers us from such demons.

Since I have divided the contest code into sections, I feel like a word artisan, a sentence adaptor, a paragraphical whatever. If you reorder your focus, as I patronize you with these maddening verses, your mind will soon be one that elevates, and you will be able to solve these riddles. You will be a true editor.

*****

Rules Update:

Several people have sent reviews posted as comments on blogs. I am changing the rules so that these don't count. They are not searchable, and only a handful of people will ever see them. In fact, some bloggers have complained about the contestants posting review comments.

So, in order to make it an even playing field for everyone, I will go back and deduct points from the totals of people for whom I have already counted such reviews. A few contestants' totals were affected quite a bit, but most weren't hurt much.

Last of the Nephilim is Here!

Last of the Nephilim, book three in the Oracles of Fire series, has arrived! At least my author copies are here, as you can see from the photo of a copy on my desk.

It's probably not in any stores yet, so don't rush right out and look for one. They will probably show up on shelves in a few days, but always call your store first. You don't want to waste gas.

I will be mailing pre-orders in the morning, so anyone who ordered a copy from me will likely get theirs before anyone else. If you want to be one of the first to get one, you can order an autographed copy from me by clicking here.

You can also pre-order from Amazon by clicking here or from Christianbook.com by using the link below. Both of these sites will have the book in stock very soon.

#3: Last of the Nephilim By Living Ink

Contest Quiz Number Two - Part Two

I will now give part two of quiz number two. If you didn't solve the first part, please read the explanation of the contest here before you try to solve the code. Remember, the decoding method continues from the previous paragraph. You shouldn't start over.

I'm looking only for the decoded words from this paragraph. When you attach them to the previous words, a sentence will begin to form, but it will not be enough to complete the final instructions correctly. Send your answer to bryan (at) dragonsinourmidst (dot) com

As before, the first three to answer correctly will get fifteen points, and everyone else who answers correctly will get ten points.

This one might be a bit trickier than the first as you decide which words have three syllables.

Here it is:

*****

When examining the vague tangibles of winning this easy contest, sometimes you have to reconsider employing visionary reasons. The focuser groups of the past, the kabalas, would often retarget and refocus their efforts. If you need a calculator, go ahead and use a calculator. Still, you should give prominence to your mental competence. It might take hours of commonsense thought to figure it all out, but I’m sure you can do it. Rethinking every step is only natural.

*****

Now, for your viewing enjoyment, here is a new youtube video review of Beyond the Reflection's Edge.

Father's Day Gift and Contest Update

Father's Day is coming up, so here is a shameless plug for my book, The Image of a Father. In this book, I look at twelve of God's fathering attributes and how men can reflect them for their children. You can get an autographed copy by clicking here.

If you prefer to order through Amazon, click here. At that page, you can read reviews posted by readers.

Several people have answered part one of quiz number two correctly. Good job. Contestants can continue answering through the end of June. I won't announce when the next part will be posted, but it will be soon.

Contest Quiz Number Two

It's time for the second quiz in the Beyond the Reflection's Edge contest. This is a complex quiz, so please read the instructions carefully. I will give clarifications only if absolutely necessary. Your ability to follow directions and figure out the puzzle without any help is a crucial factor.

There will be four parts to this encoded puzzle, and I will give one paragraph of the code at a time, and I will not announce ahead of time when the next paragraph will appear.

When you figure out the day's message in the embedded code, send me that day's piece of the decoded statement. Each day, the first five people who send me the piece of the decoded statement will receive fifteen points. Everyone else who sends the correct decoded statement will receive ten points. Correct answers will be counted through the end of June. When you send an answer, I will tell you if it's correct or incorrect, but I will not tell you how much of it is right or wrong.

Each portion of the statement will be part of a larger assignment, but you won't be able to do the assignment correctly until you decode all four parts of the statement. Once you decode all four parts, read the entire, collected statement (they will be in order), and do what it says to do. The first three people to provide a correct response to the entire message will receive thirty points, while every correct answer after the first three will receive twenty points.

So, to complete the entire quiz, you will send me four pieces of decoded words, and you will also send a fifth message, the results of following the instructions that the entire decoded statement gives. When you email me your answers (to bryan (at) dragonsinourmidst (dot) com), please say that this is quiz number two, and tell me which part (one through five) you are answering.

The key to decoding the paragraphs is to use the scheme that Nathan and his father devised for sending and reading secret messages they send to each other. You will find that scheme in the book. One important factor is that after you solve the first paragraph, continue the scheme with the next paragraph as if the message continues. In other words, don't start over as if the second (or third or fourth) paragraph is a new message.

Here is the first part:

Is it fun creating puzzles that will make readers deposit a lot of time for such modest incentives? A reader’s effort represents the finest in fun distractions. So if you want to take a hiatus from your normal duties, take a cue from your writing conductor and solve this alien code. Even if it’s your fortieth try, don’t give up.

Have fun!

Maryland Tour Part 2

The first Beyond the Reflection's Edge book tour is now over, ending with a signing at Borders in Columbia, Maryland, with Wayne Thomas Batson, author of The Door Within series and Isle of Swords.

We also spoke together at Dayton Oaks Elementary School. Wayne is a great guy, and I'm please to call him my friend.

At this moment, I am stuck at a motel between Nashville and Jackson, Tennessee. Our van broke down, and I sent my wife and kids home with my wife's sister. I have to wait here for the van to be repaired. Fortunately, the motel has Internet access.

Here are a few more bookstore photos:Josh with Jessie at Pathway Bookstore, 930 25th Street, Cleveland, Tennessee

Kale, Sandy, & John at:LifeWay Christian Store,Store #4511,3233 Airport Blvd,Mobile, Alabama

Kale & Skye at:Crossroads Books & Gifts,1401 Hillcrest Road,Mobile, Alabama

Here is djaq at Family christian bookstore, 8085 W Fairview Ave Boise, ID

I hoped to get a new contest quiz on the blog on Monday, but because of car problems, I will try to get it here on Tuesday.