The Unthinkable Has Happened! Hear ye, hear ye! The Battle of the Books has Come!

My books have declared war on...each other. How can this be? I have no idea. But my question to you is, who would win? I mean if each of my series of books went to war against each other, the main characters and supporting cast--who would win? You the readers will determine the victory!

It's the First Annual Battle of the Books! We're setting it up in playoff fashion. Who will win the first round?

ROUND 1: The Matchups

The Door Within Trilogy  

versus

 Isle of Sword/Isle of Fire

The Dark Sea Annals (Sword in the Stars, Errant King)

versus 

The Berinfell Prophecies

Readers and Fans: you will determine which series move on to the Ultimate Book Championship. Starting now, I will keep track of votes that you post as comments! All you have to do is say which books series will win each matchup, and why you think so! Voting for the first round will remain open until November 15th!

What say you, then? How will Aidan, Antoinette, and Company fare against swashbuckling Cat, Anne, and the crew of the William Wallace?

Can unbeatable exAssassin Alastair Coldhollow and young King Lochlan hope to match arms against the likes of Tommy and Kat?

We'll find out! Let the games begin!

Who will be 100?

Hi, all! I just noticed that The Door Within has 99 reviews on Amazon! I'm floored and grateful that the overall ranking is still 5 stars. Honestly, it's my first book ever and 13 years of my life went into crafting it. But I know it's far from perfect. Even after 7 books, I know I have a long way to go…so much to learn about the craft of storytelling. But I love it, and Thank YOU, God for the gift of being able to do something I love.


But I wonder…who will be the 100th person to review The Door Within on Amazon?

Movie Update...so far, so good.

No, it's not quite time to reserve your seat and order a bucket of popcorn, but the initial news from California are good. I just got word that the producer is reading The Door Within while he's on vacation. Initial returns are strong. He said he's half way through The Door Within and said he loves it, so far.

Please keep praying.

WtB

Door Within: The Movie?

I noticed Scribe's wonderful request for prayer for Friday's Isle of Swords release party. She is so right when she said that Bryan, Sharon, Christopher, and I are grateful beyond words for your prayer cover during the Tour. So please pray for the event.

You know, I thought and hoped the Tour would go well. I really believed it would. But I was still thinking WAY too small. God had other things in mind. Who would have thought we'd never pay for a hotel room...not once? Who would have thought we'd have lines around the corner for our first signing at the International Christian Retail Show? Who would have thought that RNS, the Religious News Service, would pick up on the Tour, and that AP would pick up on the Tour, and the Washington Post would pick up on the Tour, and that Fox and Friends would pick up on the Tour? Is there anything that our God cannot do? Is there anything that we can imagine that God cannot, by a single thought of His, completely surpass?

Well, I have some news. And really, I don't know what will happen. So I am asking for prayer for this as well. An executive from Corner of the Sky Entertainment is considering my books for movie potential. Meaning: they are reviewing my books, their place in the entertainment market, the potential for nationwide interest, etc. and deciding whether they want to purchase the movie rights. It appears that the decision will be made this week. THIS WEEK.

I truly believe there are some serious spiritual battles going on in this. I cannot explain why exactly, but I know there are. Corner of the Sky Entertainment is no lightweight. One of their latest projects was Evan Almighty. So please pray for the execs at Corner of the Sky Entertainment, pray for the numbers to look good, and the decision to be made...exactly as God wants it. Even if it is a NO answer.

Never alone.

-WtB

Fantasy Fiction Tour Update: Hold on to your hats, folks...

Another update? You might be looking at the calendar and thinking, "Oh, the Tour's over." Well, that's what I thought. God {who is in the habit of doing so} had other ideas.

My agent, Gregg Wooding, calls in the middle of our last Tour Signing at the Timeless Treasures Store in downtown Manhattan. "Wayne, you might want to sit down," he says.

"I saw it, Gregg," I say, misunderstanding him. "The Washington Post put the Christian Fantasy article on the front page--my book Isle of Swords, right there on the front page."

He pauses, "Uh, yes, that was great, but there's more."

Stunned silence.

"Fox News just called. They want you to stay in New York so that they can have you as a guest on Fox and Friends, Friday morning 6:45 am."

More stunned silence, punctuated by rapid heart rate and shortness of breath.

This is real. God is making me into one of the small stones that starts an avalanche in the mountains. It's happening. Adventures are funny things...they may appear down a seldom trodden path or even arrive with...a phone call. But they always begin with the unexpected.

So, my friends and family I beg you for this:

Emergency Prayer Request

Please pray that I would speak the words God wants me to speak. Please pray that I could be a spokesperson for God's agenda and not my own. Please pray that I do not develop lockjaw, strep, or some other such thing.

Funny thing: I'm sitting here now, in a little business lounge high in the skyscraping Hotel Pennsylvania deep in the heart of New York City. I'm now committed to being apart from my family for another two days. I miss my wife and my children. My Tourmates, Christopher Hopper, Bryan Davis, and Sharon Hinck have all gone home. I miss them already.

I am a very little man in a great big city. But I am not alone.

I am never alone.

The Door Within Trilogy, Author's Cut

RESEARCHER CLAIMS TO HAVE DISCOVERED THE LOST SCROLLS
by Biff Newsbreaker

PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA--Researcher Jackson Smythe purchased the 40 year old, single family home on the banks of Bayou George, he expected some surprises. "Spiders, snakes, an occasional gator," says Smythe. But he never expected what he found in the basement of the house. "The place was a wreck. Tools, scrap wood, mason jars full of nails and screws. So I was straightening up down there, and I heard a strange sound. It was kind of like a whoosh, followed by a whip crack." That was when Smythe realized there was something else in his basement. "A clay pot," says Smythe with an infectious grin. "Just standing there in the middle of the floor as if it had always been."

When Smythe attempted to open the clay pot, it shattered revealing three ancient scrolls. And ancient is the right word. Scientists have determined that the three parchments date back to the first century. But the contents of the scrolls are the most shocking development. "These scrolls," claims Smythe, "are the Lost Scrolls of Alleble!" Experts agree. "It has been widely postulated," explains Dr. Michelle Black of The Integrity Institute, "that the original source documents: The Door Within, The Wyrm Lord, and The Final Storm Scrolls are incomplete. Gaps in the histories recorded, mentions of other people and places, but no development. We believe that Mr. Smythe's discovery will complete the knowledge base."

While the so-called "Lost Scrolls of Alleble" have been questioned by some skeptics, followers of King Eliam here on Earth are ecstatic. "The best adventures never end!" exclaimed a gleeful Austin Roenicke of Santa Monica, California. "Never alone!" agreed Samantha Knowles of Seabrook, Maryland. Coast to coast, the Lost Scrolls are making a big splash.



I'm excited to announce that I've just completed the Lost Scrolls for the new Door Within Trilogy Paperbacks. These new editions of The Door Within, The Rise of the Wyrm Lord, and The Final Storm will be designed like the Director's Cut DVDs of favorite movies. The books will be longer, @ 25 pages on average and will include, deleted chapters, extended scenes, author and editor commentary, and even new bonus material written especially for fans.

Here's a breakdown of what Door Within readers can expect:

THE DOOR WITHIN, LOST CHAPTERS EDITION

Release Date: April 10th

Includes:

• Deleted Chapter: Original Chapter 1, where Aidan learns that his family will leave their lifetime home in Maryland to move to Colorado. And something startling happens in Aidan's room.

• Deleted Chapter: Original Chapter 2, where readers meet Robby, Aidan's best friend, and follow he and Aidan on a local adventure.

• Deleted Chapter: Original Chapter 3, where readers will begin to understand Aidan's fear of the underground. Something alarming dwells in Robby's basement!

• Deleted Chapter: Original Chapter 4, where readers witness Aidan's departure from Maryland. If you've even had to move and left dear friends behind, you will SO connect to this chapter.

• Author and Editor Commentaries


THE RISE OF THE WYRM LORD, LOST CHAPTERS EDITION

Release Date: June 5th

Includes:

• Deleted Chapter: Original Chapter 1, where readers can follow Antoinette Lynn Reed as she explores the landscape of a nightmare.

• Extended Chapter: Original Chapter 2, Aidan's first day of high school where he finds himself coming face-to-face with the Trench Coat Clan, and their leader, the mysterious Blue-eyed Microscope.

• Extended Chapter: Original Chapter 4, where readers will meet Aidan's peculiar new teachers and discover how his faith in King Eliam changes the way Aidan lives on Earth.

• ALL NEW MATERIAL: Remember the feast in Queen Illaria's Castle? In the published version of Wyrm Lord, readers don't get to experience much of the festivities. Now, readers will see the infamous belching contest between Mallik and Sir Rogan. And best of all, learn how Farix, the most mysterious member of The Twelve, came to Alleble--an adventure you won't want to miss.

• Author and Editor Commentaries

THE FINAL STORM, LOST CHAPTERS EDITION

Release Date: August 7th

Includes:

• Extended Chapter: Original Chapter 20, for the first time, readers will learn how Paragal gathered a secret army to overwhelm The Elder Guard on the night of The Betrayal.

• Extended Chapter: Original Chapter 21, readers will remember Kaliam and Merewen's marriage, but never were able to see Kaliam's romantic (if clumsy) proposal. Learn one of Kaliam's most guarded secrets.

• Extended Chapter: Original Chapter 31, where readers will experience the full wedding ceremony and celebration as Kaliam and Merewen marry, even as the final storm approaches.

• ALL NEW MATERIAL: Ever wonder what your favorite characters were up to while Aidan, Antoinette, and Robby were not in The Realm? In this double-length chapter, readers will go on an adventure to the chilling world of Frostland. Something has been hunting in the forests there, and it's up to Nock and Mallik to do something about it.

• Author and Editor Commentaries

The Door Within Lost Chapter Editions are now available for preorder in all bookstores and on most online booksellers.

New Desktop Image!

Here's my most recent Door Within Desktop Image. As always, I created the art with Bryce 6.1 from Daz Studios. I did a little bit of postrender with Appleworks.

And now for the surprise, mystery announcement!

All three books of The Door Within Trilogy will be released this year in Mass Market Paperback! The Door Within will be first, released in April, followed two months apart by Rise of the Wyrm Lord and The Final Storm.

But the coolest element of this softcover edition will be that each of the trilogy books will be "Extended Author's Cuts" of the books. They will include "The Lost Chapters" (cut chapters) of each book, complete with author/editor commentary. There will even be some all new material written just for the softcover editions.

I'm thrilled to see the cut chapters sewn back in. While some of the chapters really did need to go, others were cut or trimmed because of word/page count issues.

Wonderful tour everyone! Looking forward to the next one.

Never Alone!

Original Door Within short story continued...

Why don't you write a short story, Mr. Batson?

That was the complaint from my wonderful 6th graders at Arundel Middle. They thought it terribly unfair that I had the nerve to assign them a short story to write, and yet I (the teacher) didn't have to write one. I took their challenge…and that's how the Door Within began.

What you'll find below (and in the next couple of posts) the VERY unedited original short story called The Faith of a Child. Hope you like it or at least get a good snicker out of it.

-Wayne