Michelle and Reesa Write

Z is for…

Zillions* of things you could do to help us launch our book –

(*or slightly fewer)

1. Let’s not beat around the bush- if you bought the book, we’d be super stoked. You can purchase your very own copy of Peripheral People in trade paperback or the ebook format of your choice at any of the following fine booksellers:  Riptide Publishing : ARe : Amazon : Barnes & Noble : iBooks : Your Local Bookseller – The paperback is available through standard distribution channels, and your local bookstore should be able to order it for you.
2. Read back through the Ylendrian A-Z posts, snag the word scramble letters, and enter to win the really cool  (and ever-expanding) prize pack.  (Contest info and rules listed at the bottom of every post.)
3. If you’ve read our books and enjoyed them enough to do so, tell other people about them!  Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, or just a friend or two who likes a good story.  We appreciate it each and every time someone recommends our books to a new person.
4. Feeling generous?  You could buy a copy of Peripheral People for a friend- we all know that a friend who gives books is a friend for life.  For that matter, many shelters, libraries, and school libraries would love a donation.
5. Do you blog, or have a lively Facebook, tumblr, or twitter presence?  Want us to come visit you and bring prizes?  Contact us at ylendrianempire (at) gmaildotcom and we’ll set something up for you.  We’ll answer (almost) any question you want to ask us, and we have fun stuff to give away, including books, swag, and gift certificates.
6. If you’re not feeling spendy, no worries- Peripheral People is in circulation in many library systems! If it’s not available through your local library, asking your librarian how you can request it is an awesome way to make them aware of the book, and the demand for diverse fiction in general.
7. Leave a review of Peripheral People or one of our other books somewhere- Amazon, Goodreads, your own blog, twitter, or the dust on your back windshield- whatever floats your boat and doesn’t get you in trouble is fine by us!
8. Do you attend conventions?  Are you interested in having Michelle and Reesa, or other authors of diverse sci fi/romance appear at conventions you attend?  Request panels that highlight queer speculative fiction, or romance featuring queer and POC characters.  Offer suggestions for authors you’d like to see speaking about those topics.  If you’d like to hang out with us, we’d like to hang out with you.
9. Hit us up on twitter – @reesah and @marigotc, respectively, and tell us about your favorite books.  I don’t mean spam us with a thousand and one empty promo tweets- tell us why you think our readers would like XbookX.
10. If you bought our book and liked it, please take a moment to tell us!  We’re frequently available on various social media outlets (listed below), and knowing someone loved what we wrote is like food that nourishes us through the writing of the next book.  If you’re too shy to say hello, please know that we appreciate every single person who spent their valuable time and money in our worlds, and we don’t bite.  We got a stern warning from our teachers about that back in kindergarten.

Where can you find Michelle and Reesa online?

Twitter
Michelle – @marigotc
Reesa – @reesah

Facebook – The Ylendrian Empire Fan Page

and any comments left here!

Thank you for helping us count down to our release date- now you can enter the contest to win our awesome prize package!

Today’s Peripheral Passphrase Letter is: M

Welcome to the countdown to Peripheral People!  Every day until our release date (May 11, 2015), we’ll be giving you a glimpse into our universe, the Ylendrian Empire.  And every post will include a new letter in our scavenger hunt/word jumble contest.  Catch the new letter each day, unscramble the words, and start submitting your contest entries on May 10, 2015 to be entered in a random drawing for the Ridiculously Cool(er) Ylendrian Prize Pack, which includes all of these prizes:

One (1) Slipstream Laboratories lunch cooler- a lovely powder blue insulated bag, proudly emblazoned with the Slipstream Laboratories corporate philosophy: Ethical Dilemmas Are Only a Problem If You Have Ethics

One (1) e-book of your choice from our backlist

One (1) $10 (US or equivalent currency) gift certificate to one of the following bookstores: Riptide Publishing, Amazon.com (or .country for non-US residents), or Barnes & Noble.com (Winner’s choice)

One (1) signed, full-wrap cover print of the cover art for Peripheral People, by the amazing Simone

Contest submissions open May 10, 2015 through May 24, 2015.  Winner to be announced May 25, 2015.  Contest open to US and non-US residents.  Shipping for physical items will be paid by the authors; any duties or taxes due upon delivery are the responsibility of the prize winner.  Winner will be notified via email, as well as announced on this blog and various social media outlets.  Eligible entries must contain the correctly descrambled phrase, contact name, and valid email address.  Winner will be chosen via random number generator.

X is for…

Xenophobic colonies – There are, or were, several Ylendrian colonies in the second and third wave who opted for single-species colonization. Two of the Human-only colonies suffered failed terraforming and were abandoned.  One of the second wave Akeloan colonies launched their own successful exploration program, searching beyond the boundaries of Imperial space for more worlds to inhabit.  It’s believed that at least two exploration worlds were in the process of being terraformed when the Akeloan plagues began to spread through the empire, but no one knows if they escaped the same death the rest of their species fell prey to.  Other than Kaleia, which is a Human-only planet by default, there are currently no exclusively single-species worlds within the Empire.  

Today’s Peripheral Passphrase Letter is: I

Welcome to the countdown to Peripheral People!  Every day until our release date (May 11, 2015), we’ll be giving you a glimpse into our universe, the Ylendrian Empire.  And every post will include a new letter in our scavenger hunt/word jumble contest.  Catch the new letter each day, unscramble the words, and start submitting your contest entries on May 10, 2015 to be entered in a random drawing for the Ridiculously Cool(er) Ylendrian Prize Pack, which includes all of these prizes:

One (1) Slipstream Laboratories lunch cooler- a lovely powder blue insulated bag, proudly emblazoned with the Slipstream Laboratories corporate philosophy: Ethical Dilemmas Are Only a Problem If You Have Ethics

One (1) e-book of your choice from our backlist

One (1) $10 (US or equivalent currency) gift certificate to one of the following bookstores: Riptide Publishing, Amazon.com (or .country for non-US residents), or Barnes & Noble.com (Winner’s choice)

One (1) signed, full-wrap cover print of the cover art for Peripheral People, by the amazing Simone

Contest submissions open May 10, 2015 through May 24, 2015.  Winner to be announced May 25, 2015.  Contest open to US and non-US residents.  Shipping for physical items will be paid by the authors; any duties or taxes due upon delivery are the responsibility of the prize winner.  Winner will be notified via email, as well as announced on this blog and various social media outlets.  Eligible entries must contain the correctly descrambled phrase, contact name, and valid email address.  Winner will be chosen via random number generator.

W is for…

Westley Tavera – Westley Tavera, or West, is a PsyAc field agent currently attached to the IEC, and assigned to fly-by duty on the vessel He’s one of the most gifted Readers ever tested, though he’s made sure no one knows exactly how powerful he is.  Unlike most Actives, West’s Talent was present in early childhood, perhaps even from birth, and his parents sent him to PsyAc when he was only eight years old.  Despite the things he’s seen and done in the line of duty as a field agent, West is remarkably cheerful and outgoing.  He’s been friends with his Ground, Gavin Hale, since they were both in nursery school.  West is tenacious and self-sacrificing, with a particular weakness for cases involving Actives who’ve suffered because of their Talent.  He requested his latest assignment at least partially because he’d heard Inspector Menivie didn’t care for psys, and West wanted to annoy him. 

Today’s Peripheral Passphrase Letter is: K

Welcome to the countdown to Peripheral People!  Every day until our release date (May 11, 2015), we’ll be giving you a glimpse into our universe, the Ylendrian Empire.  And every post will include a new letter in our scavenger hunt/word jumble contest.  Catch the new letter each day, unscramble the words, and start submitting your contest entries on May 10, 2015 to be entered in a random drawing for the Ridiculously Cool(er) Ylendrian Prize Pack, which includes all of these prizes:

One (1) Slipstream Laboratories lunch cooler- a lovely powder blue insulated bag, proudly emblazoned with the Slipstream Laboratories corporate philosophy: Ethical Dilemmas Are Only a Problem If You Have Ethics

One (1) e-book of your choice from our backlist

One (1) $10 (US or equivalent currency) gift certificate to one of the following bookstores: Riptide Publishing, Amazon.com (or .country for non-US residents), or Barnes & Noble.com (Winner’s choice)

One (1) signed, full-wrap cover print of the cover art for Peripheral People, by the amazing Simone

Contest submissions open May 10, 2015 through May 24, 2015.  Winner to be announced May 25, 2015.  Contest open to US and non-US residents.  Shipping for physical items will be paid by the authors; any duties or taxes due upon delivery are the responsibility of the prize winner.  Winner will be notified via email, as well as announced on this blog and various social media outlets.  Eligible entries must contain the correctly descrambled phrase, contact name, and valid email address.  Winner will be chosen via random number generator.

U is for…

…Underwear? – Regulation underwear, no less. The IEC is fond of their black uniforms, and so is Corwin.  He never has to figure out if an outfit matches.  

Today’s Peripheral Passphrase Letter is: R

Welcome to the countdown to Peripheral People!  Every day until our release date (May 11, 2015), we’ll be giving you a glimpse into our universe, the Ylendrian Empire.  And every post will include a new letter in our scavenger hunt/word jumble contest.  Catch the new letter each day, unscramble the words, and start submitting your contest entries on May 10, 2015 to be entered in a random drawing for the Ridiculously Cool(er) Ylendrian Prize Pack, which includes all of these prizes:

One (1) Slipstream Laboratories lunch cooler- a lovely powder blue insulated bag, proudly emblazoned with the Slipstream Laboratories corporate philosophy: Ethical Dilemmas Are Only a Problem If You Have Ethics

One (1) e-book of your choice from our backlist

One (1) $10 (US or equivalent currency) gift certificate to one of the following bookstores: Riptide Publishing, Amazon.com (or .country for non-US residents), or Barnes & Noble.com (Winner’s choice)

One (1) signed, full-wrap cover print of the cover art for Peripheral People, by the amazing Simone

Contest submissions open May 10, 2015 through May 24, 2015.  Winner to be announced May 25, 2015.  Contest open to US and non-US residents.  Shipping for physical items will be paid by the authors; any duties or taxes due upon delivery are the responsibility of the prize winner.  Winner will be notified via email, as well as announced on this blog and various social media outlets.  Eligible entries must contain the correctly descrambled phrase, contact name, and valid email address.  Winner will be chosen via random number generator.

T is for…

Trakoran – Trakorans are one third of the Triumvir, the three founding species of the Ylendrian Empire, who are still reflected in the imperial bloodline. They shift between male, female, and neutral guises, often unconsciously in response to the emotions of those around them.  Trakorans are bipedal, usually around two meters tall.  Their fingers have three joints.  They have fine, hair-like feathers on their heads, and their large eyes are lidded vertically.  Trakorans and Humans are not able to produce offspring without significant genetic manipulation.  

Today’s Peripheral Passphrase Letter is: B

Welcome to the countdown to Peripheral People!  Every day until our release date (May 11, 2015), we’ll be giving you a glimpse into our universe, the Ylendrian Empire.  And every post will include a new letter in our scavenger hunt/word jumble contest.  Catch the new letter each day, unscramble the words, and start submitting your contest entries on May 10, 2015 to be entered in a random drawing for the Ridiculously Cool(er) Ylendrian Prize Pack, which includes all of these prizes:

One (1) Slipstream Laboratories lunch cooler- a lovely powder blue insulated bag, proudly emblazoned with the Slipstream Laboratories corporate philosophy: Ethical Dilemmas Are Only a Problem If You Have Ethics

One (1) e-book of your choice from our backlist

One (1) $10 (US or equivalent currency) gift certificate to one of the following bookstores: Riptide Publishing, Amazon.com (or .country for non-US residents), or Barnes & Noble.com (Winner’s choice)

One (1) signed, full-wrap cover print of the cover art for Peripheral People, by the amazing Simone

Contest submissions open May 10, 2015 through May 24, 2015.  Winner to be announced May 25, 2015.  Contest open to US and non-US residents.  Shipping for physical items will be paid by the authors; any duties or taxes due upon delivery are the responsibility of the prize winner.  Winner will be notified via email, as well as announced on this blog and various social media outlets.  Eligible entries must contain the correctly descrambled phrase, contact name, and valid email address.  Winner will be chosen via random number generator.