S.D. Smith's Blog, page 23
January 31, 2020
Q4 (Oct-Dec) #GreenEmberKidArt Winners and 2019 Grand Prize Winners
Our Best #GreenEmberKidArt for Q4 (Oct-Dec) and Year End Grand Prize Winner for 2019
and the best #GreenEmberKidArt winner and Year End Grand Prize Winner for 2019 is…
By Clive, age 14! Congratulations!
And…
Our Randomly Selected Kid Artist Winner for Q4 (Oct-Dec)!
And Now…. Our Randomly Selected Grand Prize #GreenEmberKidArt Winner for 2019 is…
By Aryssa age 7, Congratulations!
Congratulations to the winners!
Follow this tag: #GreenEmberKidArt to see the wonderful art by the kids (posted by parents) on Instagram.
And here for the same tag on Facebook.
#GreenEmberKidArt 2019 Official Rules
Official Rules: To enter, simply share your child’s Green Ember art (publicly) on Instagram or Facebook. Use the hashtag #GreenEmberKidArt (along with #RabbitsWithSwords and #TheGreenEmber if you would) and tag Sam’s author account in either Facebook or Instagram (both for more entries). Please indicate the child’s age. Use of child’s first name or picture is optional, and up to parents’ judgement. Parents are entering for kids. Kids may not enter on their own. Good luck!
Quarterly Winners
1) Randomly Selected Kid Artist!
EVERYONE who does the above is entered to win this! Any age. Any skill-level. Just have fun!Prize: Wild Glee, Contagious Joy, and $20 Gift Certificate at www.SDSmith.net/Store!
2) Best #GreenEmberKidArt of the Quarter
This will be the piece judged (by our secret, unscientific formulas) to be the “best.” Age will be considered, so each will be judged against expectations appropriate for the artist’s age. Come all ye diligent artists!Prize: Unimaginable Glory, Prodigious Esteem, and $25 Gift Certificate at www.SDSmith.net/Store!
Year-End Winners
A GRAND PRIZE will be awarded in both categories at the end of the year. All quarterly winners of the “Best” Category are entered for one Grand Prize.
Everyone who posts (according to the rules) is entered for the Random Grand Prize!
Grand Prizes will include an on-line Author Visit with S. D. Smith, a signed set of the The Green Ember Series, and more!
Note: Q1 (Jan-March) Winners will be announced in April, Q2 (April-June) Winners will be announced in July, Q3 July-Sept) Winners will be announced in October, and Q4 (Oct-Dec) Winners will be announced in January. 2019 Grand Prize Winners will be announced in January as well.
The post Q4 (Oct-Dec) #GreenEmberKidArt Winners and 2019 Grand Prize Winners appeared first on S. D. Smith.
January 28, 2020
S. D. Smith Announces Nationwide 2020 Book Tour
Check out the dates so far set for the tour!
Sam will be performing an unpublished Green Ember story along with sing-along songs from the beloved series in his Green Ember LIVE events across the country. He’ll also be doing author talks and book signings at conferences, books stores, schools, and book festivals from South Carolina to southern California and lots of places in between. If you would like to find out bringing Sam to your area, see here.
“S. D. Smith has the unique ability to combine easy-going humor with a wisdom that is both honest and hopeful. To meet him in person is to get an insight into the courageous optimism at the heart of his stories.”
—Heidi Johnston, Belfast, Northern Ireland
“S. D. Smith is funny, engaging, and full of wisdom for children and parents. My kids love his books and couldn’t wait to meet him and hear him speak. It was a really special event.”
—Randall Goodgame, Slugs & Bugs Family Music
“Whenever I have the opportunity to hear S. D. ‘Sam’ Smith speak, I always come away thinking and smiling. Sam has a unique ability to connect with his audience, whether with children or adults—he is personal, relational, knowledgeable, and engaging. But even more than that, he is motivated—he cannot hide his own enthusiasm for what he has to share. His connection with children is never just an act, but a genuine extension of his own life at home with four children. Sam is that rare combination of being a successful children’s author who also loves and naturally connects with kids, and that will make them want to connect with books and stories. He makes them think and smile.”
—Clay Clarkson, Author, Publisher, Director of Whole Heart
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January 24, 2020
Want to Know the Secret Behind Green Ember’s Phenomenal Success?
Dear Friends,
I get a lot of credit. I get enthusiastic feedback in heaps. But people credit me with more than I deserve. You want to know what has made this crazy thing go? The Green Ember Series has reached its growing and enthusiastic audience because of you. Compared to a traditional publisher, we’ve spent peanuts on marketing. We’ve simply aimed to remove obstacles. You have been our “sales team.” You have told our story and amplified our small voice.
We are a ragtag family band from the hills of West Virginia. That’s the way it started and that’s still the truth. We few. We happy few…but we have you.
We could never do any of this without you, and we still need your help.
We launched this new book preorder with ZERO media attention. Not one news outlet. There were no starred reviews in Publisher’s Weekly. No one in the New York publishing scene knew or cared. No NYT bestseller list approved stores carried the book or reported pre-sale numbers.
But we are reaching readers in numbers that would make any major publisher ecstatic.
How did readers find out? Who told people about it? You did. YOU.
It’s just you and me. I’m not trying to be dramatic (okay, I am a storyteller), but it’s Jack vs. the Giant here and he’s definitely smelling some Englishman blood. But I’ve got you. You are the magic beans.
Thanks so much for caring and for sharing about these adventures! You guys are the secret weapon in all this and I’m so grateful for you. This has been, and continues to be, an amazing journey.
We are always looking for ways to both express our appreciation for you and fuel the enthusiasm that you have for my #RabbitsWithSwords adventures. From now through my birthday on Feb 11 we’re offering the best deal we’ve ever had on combos.
Hopefully I’ll get to see you on the road this year and share a hearty highfive!
Gratefully,
Sam
The post Want to Know the Secret Behind Green Ember’s Phenomenal Success? appeared first on S. D. Smith.
January 21, 2020
Bonkers Birthday Deals as Ember’s End Shipping Nears!
Sam’s birthday is February 11th and to celebrate we’re sharing these bonkers bargains on preorders till that date! All these items will ship the first week of March. Get some!
All eight books in paperback (above) and hardcover (below) for the first time, with a major sale!
See all the deals here!
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January 19, 2020
Thank You for these Five Years
I grew up playing sports.
Where athletes dream of a tryout.
For story makers, all we ask,
Is to give our tales a chance.
You did, and for five years now,
You keep giving me your time.
You keep giving me an audience,
With those you treasure most.
We have invited each other in,
You and I.
I shared with you my stories,
Born at home and with my kids.
Our adventures became yours,
And we exchanged this gift.
You welcomed them into your home,
For countless hours, a part of my heart,
Has been an honored guest.
Invited to spend time inside the minds,
And hearts of your dear children.
What holy hospitality.
What a sacred charge,
I’ll never take for granted.
Thank you.
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January 16, 2020
The Green Ember is Five Years Old
January of 2015 is when The Green Ember officially released. It feels like a thousand years ago and/or yesterday, but it was indeed five human years ago.
A part of me still hasn’t been able to process what’s happened. That has to do with the fact that I haven’t really stopped for very long to mull it over (I’ve written seven more books in those five years), and also maybe a kind of subconscious, low-grade shock or an inability to fathom the astonishing response to these books. In another way, it feels pretty normal now and so I don’t actively think about it much. It feels kind of important to me not to think about it too much. Press on and focus on the aim of the work!
I know that my gratitude is real, and my love for you who read and share my books is on my mind and heart daily. I have to keep on saying Thank You, because I mean it and I want you to hear it.
I do love that I have a job where I don’t have to pretend affection or appreciation or act a part. I genuinely believe I have the best audience in books and that, yes, some other authors have higher quantity of readers, but none have a better quality of reader. You should see the letters I get from kids all over the country—and the world! They are lovely, generous, articulate, and creative. Some of the art I get in the mail is astonishing. What an incredible privilege.
I seldom stop to consider the honor and fun it’s been over these past few years. But I’m going to. Right now. What has happened?
From fearing we’d never ever sell the first 1,500 copies we ordered in the original printing of The Green Ember, we have been basically reprinting non-stop ever since. Andrew Mackay, my publisher and partner in crime from the get-go has been a ninja. He is right-at-this-moment (as I write) ninja-ing the series finale, Ember’s End, into shape to be printed.
Sometime last year, we passed half a million copies sold in the series, and then went on to have our best period of sales ever. Part of our aim is to sell a higher percentage of copies through our store (redistributing coins from Jeff Bezos to us) and that happened in a big way.
Our overall strategy isn’t too scientific or cutting edge, but we do want to continue to make close connections with readers that don’t involve the middle-men of the new all-powerful tech behemoths like Facebook, Amazon, Google, etc. So our store, my newsletter, my own blog/site, are things we hope people will connect to. And that is happening. We have a large and growing bunch of cool humans who get my newsletter. A high percentage of folks actually look at them, and that’s good. A big goal for me is to improve that experience for readers and see if more readers will tune in. On big tech’s platforms, our attention and personal data is their currency (we are the product) and we want to be liberated from that and their censorious and often-sinister proclivities.
That sounded doomy, but my point is cheery—that our long-term aim to shift those percentages toward direct connections and less bloated technocrat middle-men is working, and I’m grateful to you for that.
Another huge blessing to me has been that two and a half years ago (midway along my journey), I was able to leave my job and do this work full-time. Now it’s hard to imagine doing anything else. I’m not sure I could do a “real job” again. I kid. This is a real job, and it’s often very hard work, but I love it so much. It’s an answer to prayer. And, compounding that joy, I get to work with my brother Josiah every day and that is a real dream come true for me. Josiah is the best.
Zach Franzen has created fantastic interiors, beautiful covers, has contributed to the shape of the stories in important ways, and has been a good friend I treasure.
I have had wonderful editors and beta-readers, among them my own family, and James Witmer and Carolyn Leiloglou.
Joel Clarkson’s narration has been a gift, as has his family’s friendship over the years. Joel’s performance of The Green Ember audiobook drew lots of attention and helped it become, for a few days, the bestselling audiobook on earth. The series continues to sell well and the addition of the talents of my fellow West Virginia, Eric Fritzius, who has performed the short novels, has been excellent. I love Eric’s narration.
I have had the privilege of speaking to thousands of readers on several different book tours (and am preparing for a new one this year—more on that soon). I’ve been on tours in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Florida, Virginia, Ohio, Missouri, Texas, Colorado, California, and the best state ever, West Virginia.
All five years have been surprising and challenging and liberally leavened with joy. 2019 was another good one. A belter.
I was able to write the finale to The Green Ember Series, something I was so eager to do and prayed for often over the years. Part of me would like to stretch it out (sell more books), and go on writing it for years, but I have always hated bad (forced, over-stretched) endings and so I was keen to end it as well as I was able in reasonable time. I think I have.
I can’t wait for you to read Ember’s End.
I’m so grateful to you for these five years.
God bless and keep you. Here’s to five more, God willing!
Cheers!
Your friend,
Sam
P.S. I’m planning to share some news Monday in my newsletter. I hope you’ll tune in.
The post The Green Ember is Five Years Old appeared first on S. D. Smith.
January 10, 2020
Q4 (Oct-Dec) #GreenEmberKidArt Winners and 2019 Grand Prize Winners
Our Best #GreenEmberKidArt for Q4 (Oct-Dec) and Year End Grand Prize Winner for 2019
and the best #GreenEmberKidArt winner and Year End Grand Prize Winner for 2019 is…
By Clive, age 14! Congratulations!
And…
Our Randomly Selected Kid Artist Winner for Q4 (Oct-Dec)!
And Now…. Our Randomly Selected Grand Prize #GreenEmberKidArt Winner for 2019 is…
By Aryssa age 7, Congratulations!
Congratulations to the winners!
Follow this tag: #GreenEmberKidArt to see the wonderful art by the kids (posted by parents) on Instagram.
And here for the same tag on Facebook.
#GreenEmberKidArt 2020 Official Rules
Official Rules: To enter, simply share your child’s Green Ember art (publicly) on Instagram or Facebook. Use the hashtag #GreenEmberKidArt (along with #RabbitsWithSwords and #TheGreenEmber if you would) and tag Sam’s author account in either Facebook or Instagram (both for more entries). Please indicate the child’s age. Use of child’s first name or picture is optional, and up to parents’ judgement. Parents are entering for kids. Kids may not enter on their own. Good luck!
Quarterly Winners
1) Randomly Selected Kid Artist!
EVERYONE who does the above is entered to win this! Any age. Any skill-level. Just have fun!Prize: Wild Glee, Contagious Joy, and $20 Gift Certificate at www.SDSmith.net/Store!
2) Best #GreenEmberKidArt of the Quarter
This will be the piece judged (by our secret, unscientific formulas) to be the “best.” Age will be considered, so each will be judged against expectations appropriate for the artist’s age. Come all ye diligent artists!Prize: Unimaginable Glory, Prodigious Esteem, and $25 Gift Certificate at www.SDSmith.net/Store!
Year-End Winners
A GRAND PRIZE will be awarded in both categories at the end of the year. All quarterly winners of the “Best” Category are entered for one Grand Prize.
Everyone who posts (according to the rules) is entered for the Random Grand Prize!
Grand Prizes will include an on-line Author Visit with S. D. Smith and a signed set of the The Green Ember Series.
Note: Q1 (Jan-March) Winners will be announced in April, Q2 (April-June) Winners will be announced in July, Q3 July-Sept) Winners will be announced in October, and Q4 (Oct-Dec) Winners will be announced in January. 2019 Grand Prize Winners will be announced in January as well.
The post Q4 (Oct-Dec) #GreenEmberKidArt Winners and 2019 Grand Prize Winners appeared first on S. D. Smith.
December 17, 2019
Imagination isn’t a Diversion, it’s the Way
Make believe makes believers.
Imagination. A silly, harmless habit of immature kids? I don’t think so. Imagination is seeing what is not obvious. It is seeing what lies beyond the mere visually present. But what if there’s more? More than, “It is what it is?” More than the middle part of the story we’re seeing right now. What if the secular fundamentalist scolds are wrong? What if the stories are true and life is more like a fairy tale than just accidental animals having predictable chemical reactions and stupidly mistaking them for love and poetry and art and meaning and religion?
I think the stories are true. I believe we’re in one. Imagination isn’t a diversion, it’s the way. Fostering imagination isn’t an innocent frivolity, it’s boot camp. It’s preparation for war. The war that matters more than any other: the war for our hearts. It’s cosmic politics. The enemy employs the Imagination. But he cannot invent, only pervert. Satan bends what God intends. That’s his only play.
The Imagination, like the Intellect, is a capacity that will serve any master. So Imagination must be looked after, and brought under the lordship of Christ, or it will, like all our other capacities, serve other masters. Like the self. Or worse. If Imagination is not doxological it will be diabolical.
So play is serious work. Fostering holy imagination is crucial. Kingdom anticipation is the call of every believer.
Make.
Believe.
Make believe prepares the way.
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November 22, 2019
SAVE $50 on Incredible Green Ember Gift Deal LIMITED TIME and FIRST 1K SIGNED!
FIRST 1,000 SIGNED!
Okay, this is the final deal and it is BONKERS. SAVE $50 when you get these five copies of The Green Ember as gifts for loved ones!
These books are five bucks each. Hard to beat that for gifts. Act fast for signed copies!
Note About SigningI’m signing the first 1,000 books (not first 1,000 orders). We also will not be able to answer questions about whether or not your order was in time to be signed. We understand the desire to know, but we are a small family operation and if we checked all those order questions we’d do nothing else! We will err on the side of signing more, not less, than promised. Thank you!
Reminder: These books are preorders and will ship December 9.
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