Author and Designer of Dorothy & Alice: Under the Rainbow AMA
Greetings! I am D.S. Newman. I've just released the first of many Pick-A-Path Gamebooks featuring characters we know and love from the Public Domain, but have always wanted to see in a more raw and mature setting after their origin stories...rather than just another remake.
I did a smaller Q&A about this earlier in the year towards the end of the developmental phase of this first book. But I'm back now to share it with you all, now that the first shipment of 1000 units have arrived. Only a few people have a copy so far, as I've not fully promoted them yet. They can be purchased on my site or in person at live events on my book tour. Check the site for dates as they get added! https://dsnewmanpublishing.squarespace.com/shop/p/dorothy-alice-under-the-rainbow
These are premium hardback books. Full color, silver sprayed edges and with 3mm hardboard, like our old high school text books! The cover and sketch art throughout the book were done by a long time collaborator of mine, Magaly Abarca. And the graphic/page design was done by me.
So here's the deal...I'm doing a giveaway. Right here, in this very subreddit. But I want some discussion going on here first. If you're interested in a handcrafted, independently developed, premium gamebook, that is more on the casual side rather than strategy intensive, then let's talk!
The criteria for getting a free copy of this book is simple.
You gotta be an active member of this subreddit with a relatively long track record of participation.
You gotta be a fan of Alice in Wonderland and/or Wizard of Oz in some capacity! This should be a given. Why would you even want this book if you weren't?
This is the honor system. So you gotta commit to coming back here and writing a review/overview of what you receive. I don't expect glowing praise (unless you really feel that way!) but I also don't wanna get completely thrashed by someone who hasn't put the effort in. The lowest review I've ever received was the first review on my first book, 13 years ago and it was by someone who didn't even finish it.
Please make some kind of post off of reddit about what you received as well and link it to my site. I sincerely don't care which platform, as long as you show it to me after. Honor system.
You gotta pay the shipping. Sorry. It's a $45 premium grade 7x10 book. I just need a little meeting halfway. Don't worry...there's gonna be some extra goodies thrown in there as well!
So without further ado, why don't we fill this thread up with some discussion? Feel free to ask anything. Feel free to bypass the giveaway and just order a copy! But the more discussion we get going, the more I'll have to go off of in deciding which one of you I select. Who knows, I might pick more than one of you if it's tough competition!
Sidenote: This book is NOT for kids. I mean, it's not EXPLICIT. But it is mature, has language, sexual inuendo and violence...lots and lots of over the top violence. So if you can sit through Pulp Fiction, you can handle this.
If you're unsure, here's a link to a free short story set in this universe.... https://dsnewmanpublishing.squarespace.com/looking-glass-limbo
Looking-Glass Limbo is a short story, just 7500 words, that gives you an idea of how I wrote Dorothy & Alice, how they interact with one another and I how I see them as more mature versions of their original characters. But I assure you, there's nothing worse in the main book than in that story!