Let the Tour Begin & Contest Update

I will be leaving Tuesday morning for the great Motiv8 Fantasy Fiction tour. First I have to drive to Colorado Springs where I will be doing a devotional at Focus on the Family, then I will fly from Denver to Seattle to begin the tour.

I hope to update my blog with news as the tour commences. Don't forget, we'll be streaming to live video as many events as we can. Click here for the Motiv8 website where you can see the stream.

Also, I won't be updating contest totals until the contest is over, so if you have been holding back reports, you can now send them without concern that others will know where you stand. I don't want to have to process too many when I return from the tour.

Thank you! See you online!

Motiv8 Contest - Quiz Update

As of early this morning, only one person has answered all the quiz questions correctly, so the bonus points are still available for the next two who get them all right. The quiz is open for two more days, so please hurry. I want to award points!

Motiv8 Tour Fliers

If you're planning to come to one of the west coast fantasy fiction tour's stops, or you wish you could come and you live in one of the areas we're visiting, would you consider printing out some promotional fliers and distributing them at your church, school, or homeschool group?

You can get a flier specifically made for a tour stop by clicking here.

Thank you for your help!

Motiv8 Contest - Second Assignment

The second assignment for the Motiv8 contest is a quiz. The first three people to answer all questions correctly will get 75 points. Everyone else who answers all correctly will get 50 points. These will be hard for those who haven't read my books.

1. In Eye of the Oracle, what is the name of the Naphil who operated the elevator for the underborns?

2. In Last of the Nephilim, what is the name of Greevelow's wife?

3. In Enoch's Ghost what did they call the oracle that showed where people went in the afterlife?

4. In Beyond the Reflection's Edge, what was the mascot for Kelly's high school?

5. In The Candlestone, what was Dr. Conner's first name? (Bonnie's father)

If you respond and get one or more answers wrong, I will let you know which ones so you can try again. I will do my best to reply quickly.

Please email me your answers - bryan (at) dragonsinourmidst (dot) com

The deadline for answering the quiz questions is midnight Sunday night (September 28).

Last of the Nephilim Goes to Second Printing

Last of the Nephilim, the third book in the Oracles of Fire series, is going to a second printing. That's great news! Even my publisher was surprised at how fast the first printing sold out. That means the series continues to sell at a brisk pace and enthusiasm for the series isn't slowing down at all.

Here are examples of reviews showing up on the web:

"Last of the Nephilim is truly amazing! It has to be the best book I've ever read ... plus it's another excellent addition to the Oracles of Fire series."

"You will not be able to put this book down once you've started it. It continues an already amazing series. I recommend it 100%."

"This book was amazing! I didn't actually think it'd be as good as the rest, but there I was, on my bed, eating, going out, always constantly reading! It was fantastic and it was even better than the rest of the books!"

"I was wondering how far this book could go... If it could go as far beyond as Enoch's Ghost, Eye of the Oracle, or even the DIOM series, but it did! It was amazing, surprising, terrific, fantastic! Everything you'd want in a book was right there...! Totally recommend this book to anyone and everyone!"

It's always a great blessing to hear how people are enjoying my books. That gives me an extra boost as I'm working on the fourth book in the series, The Bones of Makaidos. Only about a hundred thousand words to go!

Portland Oregon Appearance for Motiv8 Tour

Since we couldn't get a venue for a formal appearance in Portland, Oregon, the authors in the Motiv8 tour decided to stop in the Portland area for lunch and invite everyone to join us (you have pay for your own food).

We will be at Bridgeport Village (Click here for directions) from 11 am to 1 pm on October 5. That's a Sunday, so if you have an early church service, you might be able to make it on time. If you come later, that's fine, too. Just try to get there by one. We can't stay later than that.

Bring your books for signing and your questions for answering. We'll look forward to seeing you!

Eternity's Edge Coming soon

I just received my first final release copy of Eternity's Edge, book two in the Echoes from the Edge series. It won't be long until the book is on the shelves in your bookstore. The official release date is October 1, so don't run out to the store yet. Always call first.

For those of you who have read Beyond the Reflection's Edge, you'll want to continue reading the story right away. So many secrets are revealed. What is Quattro? Who is the supplicant Nathan's mother mentioned? Will Kelly get her eyesight back? How will Nathan prevent the imminent destruction of three worlds and the deaths of billions of people? Many answers will come to light, and many more questions will arise as the story progresses.

As soon as I get my copies, which could be any day now, I will send them out to those who pre-ordered from me and also to the winners of the previous contest. You can pre-order from me at this link, or you can click on the link below to buy from Christianbook.com.

Eternity's Edge, Echoes from the Edge #2 By Bryan Davis / Zonderkidz

Motiv8 Tour - Dress Rehearsal

I spoke at the public library in Humboldt, Tennessee, yesterday, so I took the opportunity to try on the outfit I'll be wearing for the Motiv8 fantasy fiction tour. My daughter Amanda made the main part for me. The sword, belt, pants, and boots came from RealArmorofGod.com

We had a nice gathering of 34 people at the event, a great turnout for such a small town. I spoke about the value of fantasy literature and how it can affect readers in a positive way.

Till We Have Faces - A Review

I read this book over 25 years ago and remembered that I enjoyed it very much, so when given the opportunity to teach a literature class for homeschoolers this semester, I assigned it as our first book to read. So, to refresh my memory, I began it again.

This is an outstanding read. In some ways it feels quirky and cumbersome, discomforting and awkward, but as the reader becomes immersed in the story those feelings become natural. Why? Because our main character, Orual, is all of these things.

Her brutal mistreatment at the hands of her father, the king, is normal for her, as is her understanding of her own ugliness. The ignorant ways of her family and people are realized by the reader through Orual's Greek teacher, "the Fox," but to Orual such revelation becomes no more than another addition to a confusing mix of competing ideas--the natural versus the supernatural, philosophy versus superstition.

Mr. Lewis brilliantly clashes ideas of faith, through Psyche (Orual's half-sister), intellectualism (through the Fox), and superstition and cultural prejudice (through Bardia and Orual's father). The reader is led down heady roads that make him ponder applications in the real world, some clear and some rather foggy. What are we to think when we see supernatural works in this life that perhaps conflict with previous understanding? When does love turn into obsession? Why do people brush away evidence that doesn't conform to preconceived notions? The reader comes face to face with these and dozens of other questions as Mr. Lewis weaves this powerful story.

Parents, younger readers, even teenagers, might not appreciate this book. The reader should be accustomed to and enjoy mining great questions and pondering them thoughtfully. Otherwise, with the lack of frequent intense action, he or she might find the book boring.

For example, when my homeschool class gathered, I asked how they enjoyed the book. They all gave me a "ho-hum" kind of response. But as I unwrapped the first half of this book during our discussion time, I could see the lights come on in their minds. They began to get into the discussion, frequently adding their insights as the story elements brought up question after question. By the end of our one and and a half hours of Q&A, one said she really needed to read it again, and the others were excited about finishing the book.

Anyway, I highly recommend Till We Have Faces for all adults as well as mature teenagers. Read it, soak it in, ponder, and wonder. I'm glad I picked it up again after all these years.

Ryann Watters Contest Winners

Eric Reinhold, one of the Motiv8 tour authors, has announced the winners of his blog contest.

Here are excerpts of what the note he sent to me:

I decided that in addition to the grand prize winner, that in honor of the # 8, we would have “8 Runner-ups.” Everyone had the correct answers!

The Winner is: Andrew Knowles

The 8 Runner-ups are:

1. Connie Wolters of Virginia
2. Nathan Petrie of Kentucky
3. Ericka (estormgirl12) of Ohio
4. Noah Arsenault of Washington
5. Caitlyn Cauley of North Carolina
6. Lori Ann Weldon of Missouri
7. Megan Nisly of Connecticut
8. James Klousia of Missouri

Thanks again for participating and enjoy your prize!

Sincerely,
Eric
www.RyannWatters.blogspot.com
www.RyannWatters.com

Congratualations!

Motiv8 Tour Plans to Stream Live

For those of you who feel left out because the Motiv8 tour will be on the west coast, take heart. At the events where we can get Internet access, we plan to stream video live. You can watch the events at the Motiv8 site: Click Here.

The feed will include live Instant Messenger, so you will be able to interact with us as the events proceed.

You can also watch it here at this post or on my sidebar, which I will put up when the tour begins.



It will feed videos from our last tour until this year's tour begins.

A New Web Comic

Two of my daughters are collaborating on a web comic strip called "Cat in Progress." You can find it by clicking here. I hope you'll read it and leave a nice comment on their comic blog - Click Here

They hope to update it every Tuesday, so check in once a week for the new adventures of "Cat in Progress."