The Very Scary 10,000 Sales Challenge!

NEW: Contest to Win a Kindle Fire is Closed.  Stay tuned for any future contests.  The winner will be drawn this weekend.

We are at (as of July 10):

The Very Scary 10,000 Sales Challenge

Right now, I’m looking to get Twisted (#1 Deathwind Trilogy) and its sequel Torn out into the world to be read and enjoyed.

See the "All My Titles" page if you're interested in picking up your own copies.

Here's what Twisted is about:

Sixteen-year-old Allie's going on the vacation of her life: tornado chasing. What can possibly go wrong with that?

But a terrifying, magical experience leaves Allie shocked and confused, and she learns that she now bears an awful curse.

Every time there's a storm, she turns into a tornado. Literally.

Allie has no choice but to flee her hometown--if she stays, her new powers could harm or even kill everyone she loves.

She must return to the plains and find those who made her this way. But this journey is only the beginning of her adventure. 




If I sell 2,000 copies of Twisted or Torn, I will let a live, fully-grown tarantula crawl on my face.

For a full minute.

I will even post it to my Youtube channel. I’ll share the video on all of my social media. I’ll share it here.

Yes. You will see my face. With a huge, hairy spider on it.

And if I sell 5,000 copies of Twisted or Torn, I will sit in a bathtub full of ice cubes for five minutes.  I will also post this to Youtube.

Wait, shouldn't you do something that has to do with your novel?

Now, this next one is a far reach. It probably won’t even happen. If I sell 10,000 copies of Twisted and Torn, I will do the same thing that got Allie in trouble.
 
That’s right.

If I reach 10,000 total sales, I will go tornado chasing.

I will pay for a professional storm chasing tour, take a trip to Kansas/Oklahoma/Nebraska etc and potentially meet a real, live tornado. Then I will film my experience and share it with all of you.

Seriously.

See that progress bar at the top of the page? Each week, I will tally up my total sales for Twisted and display it there. I already have a few sales of Twisted displayed there. If all goes well (or wrong, depending on how you look at it) the bar will creep more to the right each week.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Which book sales will you count towards this Challenge? Does it matter where people buy the book?

I will count all sales of Twisted, Torn, and the upcoming Unleashed towards the total.  I will also count every 12 sales of the multi-author Magic Touch Bundle (which includes Twisted) as one sale.  It doesn’t matter if it’s bought from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo etc. They will all be counted. I will tally them each week and update the progress bar every weekend.

Please note that some bookstores, like Apple, don’t report sales data right away.

Do you have arachnophobia?

No. I’ve held plenty of tarantulas, including some VERY big ones. But I haven’t let a tarantula ever crawl on my face, either. That will be new.

Isn’t that dangerous, letting a big hairy spider walk on your face?

Not really. The biggest thing I’ll need to worry about is the tarantula’s hairs, which can itch quite badly and cause irritation if you’re not careful. It’s what they used to make itch powder out of! Tarantulas sometimes “fling” their hairs when distressed. It’s their natural defense. I’ll try to choose a spider that doesn’t do this often.

Have you ever been bitten?

Never. Many kinds of tarantulas are very gentle, in fact. I only handle the gentle types. The tarantula in my video will be one of my own.

Will you freak out and drop the tarantula when you do this?

Absolutely not! Tarantulas are very fragile. Even a short fall can kill one. For the safety of my pet, I’ll lie on the floor during filming.

How long will it take you to release your tarantula video after you’ve sold your 2,000th copy of Twisted?

Within two weeks, barring some kind of horrible emergency, accident, etc. There won’t be much prep work involved. I will announce its release at that time.

Okay, that doesn’t sound too dangerous. What if you really do sell 10,000 copies of Twisted? You’re hosed!

I will admit that the thought of facing an actual tornado is pretty scary, even in the presence of professional storm chasers.

And dangerous. Are you a moron?

I have a 40 mile commute to my day job and I live in Michigan, so I do something that’s far more dangerous all the time. It’s called driving on icy roads. No, really. Icy roads kill more people than lightning, hurricanes, and tornadoes combined. That’s right. They really do. Hundreds die each year as a result of this. As far as I know, there have been only 4 deaths as a result of tornado chasing, ever, and all of those were due to one super rare, freak tornado that also happened to be the inspiration for Twisted.
Of course, like with anything else, there is always a bit of risk involved.

Okay. You’re so desperate to sell books that you’ll face a tornado to do it?

Yes, I am.

What will your tornado chasing experience be like?

I cannot guarantee that I will actually witness a tornado, but the chances seem good that it will happen. I will likely be chasing for about a week, perhaps a bit longer to maximize the chances. This depends on the chasing company that I will carefully choose. At the very least, I should see some amazing storms which I’ll share with you once I return home!

What kind of videos will you share with us afterwards?

I’ll do a small video “series” about my adventure in the form of episodes. Think of them as journal entries – some of which have the potential to be quite scary!

Once you hit 10,000 sales of Twisted, how long will it take for you to go through with this insanity?

Tornado season is, at least in the Plains, from May to early July. This is when all of the storm chasing companies run their tours. I have no control over this. Once I reach 10,000 sales of Twisted, I will book a tour as soon as I can. For example, if I hit my goal in October of this year, I’ll book a tour for the following May or June (in 2016.)
 
Doesn’t it cost thousands of dollars to go on these wild chase tours?

Yes. It’s not cheap. But if I sell 10,000 copies of Twisted, I will have the funds.

You’re going to do the same thing that got your main character into trouble in Twisted. You won’t return home…changed…will you?

Of course not! But if my tour guide’s name is Kyle, I’m getting out of there.

And now, for the Kindle Fire Giveaway!

***To Enter this giveaway, share this page somewhere on the Internet.  It can be on your blog, your Facebook wall, your Twitter, a forum that you normally post on, etc.  Then, fill out the form below so I know who you are and where to find your share.  I will enter you into the contest once that happens.***

The prize is a Kindle Fire HD Tablet with a 6″ display.    If you win, I will contact you through email for your shipping address in order to mail it to you.

This contest is open to all!  Contest ends on July 31, 2015.  I will randomly draw a winner on August 1, 2015.

ENTER HERE!

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