Today’s going to be a big, relaxing day with our friends from Canada, the Church family, and after the week James and I had, we definitely deserve a long day of good friends, R&R and outdoor awesome. I am really looking forward to it, and will be taking lots of pictures of our fun day at Ricketts Glen State Park and Lake Jean.

As I mentioned, this has been a huge week. After going over the final edits and proofreads of From the Dark Side: A Charity Anthology, I started preparing it to preview on Smashwords with James’ Sony eReader. After the file spent literally 8 or so hours downloading on Smashwords, I got an email from the boss of Smashwords telling me uploading sample copies of things was against the smashwords law. Sorry boss of Smashwords. The good thing is, we got to preview the copy anyway, and by Wednesday night, I settled in to start uploading to both Amazon and Smashwords for Friday’s release date.
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As most of you know, we released From the Dark Side: A Charity Anthology yesterday on Amazon and Smashwords. The anthology contains twenty pieces of fiction and poetry, generously donated by nineteen authors and poets. Our goal: to raise money to donate to The Office of Letters and Light, the people who bring us NaNoWriMo, ScriptFrenzy and host Young Writers online boot camps to foster creativity in today’s youth.

Being the ambitious minx I am, I set a lofty goal to sell 100 copies on our first day out, which would have yielded a day one donation to our charity of just around $386.00. A couple of my closest friends said, “Jenny, you’re setting your sights too high and you will wind up disappointed.”
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Goooood morning everyone. The day is finally upon us, after nearly two weeks of suspense-building madness and excerpts. It’s release day, and I am incredibly excited. I know the writers are as well, so the news is going to hit the ‘Net like a ten-pound hammer.

Everyone who contributed to this collection worked so very hard, and they did it out of the kindness of their hearts. Donating their work to the anthology knowing they would not get paid did not cause any bellyaching or fretting. They all seemed to love the idea of being paid in recognition and gratitude.

So, if the writers aren’t getting paid, who is? And why should you buy an anthology that’s not going to pay its writers?

As I’ve said before, all proceeds earned From the Dark Side will be donated to The Office of Letters and Light, you know the people responsible for bringing us awesome programs like NaNoWriMo and Script Frenzy. And that’s why you should buy that anthology, aside from the fact that it’s filled to the rim with some really great work, the proceeds are going to an incredibly worthwhile cause.

So, after you buy a copy, please help us spread the word to your friends and family. And remember: You don’t need an eReader or Kindle to read the electronic story. You can download the Kindle software for use on your computer or Mac, there are several apps for the iTouch, iPhone, Palm Pre and more that you can use to download eBook or you can simply read it as a PDF or HTML file right on your computer.

Now, were can you buy it? On Amazon and Smashwords for just $4.99.

The final excerpt from the From the Dark Side anthology is Mark BurningHawk Baxter’s “Exo.” “Exo” is an interesting story with an incredible twist, but no matter how I sliced it into excerpt form, it’s tough to give you an accurate preview of what to expect without giving the ending away. So this little introductory snippet will have to suffice until you can grab the anthology and read the rest.

You can also find out more about Mark by visiting his official website.

Don’t forget, From the Dark Side goes on sale tomorrow, Friday July 9, 2010, for $4.99 on Amazon and Smashwords. All proceeds go to The Letters and Light Organization.
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And you thought there were only going to be two excerpts today… How else can we be expected to celebrate tomorrow’s grand release date than by sharing more excerpts? The third Thursday excerpt is from Pearce Kilgour’s “Reflected Dreams.” To find out more about Pearce, including some of his most fabulous flash fiction, visit his website.
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Our second sneaky peek at From the Dark Side comes to you from author Keith Dugger. Dugger is an avid writer of bizarro and dark fiction, and you can find out more about him at his official website. For now, please enjoy this little clip from his story: “The Viewing Room.”

I’m thinking two more excerpts might be the order of the day, since tomorrow is release day, after all. Muahahahahahaha, stay tuned…
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Tomorrow is the big day for the From the Dark Side Anthology to hit Amazon and Smashwords! I am so excited, I woke up at 7 a.m. this morning with butterflies. I have a feeling it’s not going to be easy to sleep tonight either.

The first of today’s short excerpts comes to you from ShadowCastAudio editor, Jason Warden, and it’s titled “Assimilation.” Warden has such a great descriptive sense, I loved reading this, and so will you. So much so, you’ll feel compelled to pick up the anthology just to find out what happens next.

No… I’m not trying to hypnotize and brainwash you. (but you’re getting very sleepy…)
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The second of Wednesday’s excerpts comes to you from author Jacqueline Roth. The story is titles Shadow’s Embrace, and you can check out more about her and her novels by visiting her official website. She is an amazing writer I have worked with on so many projects in the past, it was an honor to be able to work with her again. Don’t forget to check back tomorrow for two more excerpts, and the anthology goes on sale Friday morning!
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I announced on Twitter this morning that instead of just one excerpt today and tomorrow, there will be two. TWO EXCERPTS! Squee. The first excerpt comes to you from Canadian author, Nicole Godin, and it’s titled “Reptilian.” Enjoy, and check back later for excerpt number two.
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With just two more full days until the anthology debuts, I’ve got three more excerpts for you. Today’s excerpt comes from an incredibly talented author you probably recognize. Jake Bible’s Dead Mech was the very first drabble novel, and he’s offering it for free on his website. For now, you’ll have to chew on this little excerpt from Jake’s “Through the Last WH.”
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