r/wizardofoz

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.

1. You gotta be an active member of this subreddit with a relatively long track record of participation.

2. 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?

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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!

Walked into an antique book store, hoping to find some vintage copies of Oz to buy on my birthday, and turning to my left I immediately saw these in a glass case. They’re a bit more used and discarded than I would have hoped, but I knew I had to buy them. Half are missing the first few pages and first chapter, and Land of Oz is colored all over and inside. But I’m still so thankful to have them in my collection!!

I had some fun reading it but overall I have some mixed feelings on it. What do y’all think?

I got this edition at Books-A-Million last month in Tennessee. I was looking for information on it online and found it hard to find. The 2019 edition by the same publisher (with a different cover) came up way more often. Why is this?

Goooood afternoon all! I've been a member of this sub for several years and like you, love OZ! Some of you may know I'm a published children's book author and illustrator. In my spare time of just trying to make a living, I've been working on a trilogy of books that, while adult, are more geared toward Baum's original magic and 'fun' of Oz. Two weeks ago, I completed the manuscript of Book One and it's currently with the editor for revision. Keep your fingers crossed...I'm hoping for end of year publishing. I'm taking a huge step by posting this here, so please, PLEASE be kind! I hope you can share in my excitement. Above is the dust jacket concept sent by the designer earlier this week. Here is the Synopsis of Book One;

Millennia before Dorothy and the Wizard, centuries before the word ‘wicked’ would conjure visions of fear within the minds of the inhabitants of Oz, decades before the Ozma line of Queens would rise from obscurity, two of the most iconic artifacts of a fledgling realm were forged by fire in the reviled mines of Eden lying northeastward over the snow-laden peaks of the Silver Mountains. The first; a peculiarly shaped crown of the finest gold chain mail for a newly anointed king, chosen to rule over the tribe of hermit-like Winged Monkeys, and the second; an ostentatious pair of iconic, delicate slippers encrusted with shimmering diamonds and sparkling crystal sapphires. Volume One of The Silver Shoes series transports the reader back to the magical land of Oz, pulling back the curtain to reveal a primordial world at the dawn of creation where the heart of Oz took its first beat, setting forever into motion the eternal battle between good and evil; a fight between Quox the Dragon - an eternal being of the underworld - and the benevolent Fa-R’e or ‘Fairie’ Mother, Lurline. Here, the origins of Oz’s most celebrated silver coated relics are revealed; specifically, who created them, why they were created, and the most pressing question of all; who they were created for. Follow the tenuous trappings of a truly epic love story between an unassuming gardener and a privileged young woman, simultaneously discovering not only the origins of the families from which Oz's maternal line of Witches would rise, but how the Ozma line of Queens rose to power as well, exposing once and for all the driving force behind the long simmering feud between the underworld dwelling Gnomes and the more widely acknowledged rulers of the overworld domain. This series of novels peels back the layers of deceit and lies, revealing the ultimate control of the enchanted silver slippers of power with many of the passages written from their point of view, showing them to be much more than merely casual bystanders. This is their story - a story that until now has never fully been told. A story of the most powerful pair of shoes covered with white diamonds and crystal sapphires ever to exist in all the known worlds - be they above or below. This is the story of The Silver Shoes.

Step 1: COMPLETE!

My goal is to find all 4 mint in box. Wish me luck!!!

(I kinda messed up Captain Fyter's left hand but still good)

Art by Yours Truly

Hi Friends!
I'm a burlesque dancer and Wizard of Oz collector! Tomorrow afternoon, I'll be posting my inaugural "adult story time" over on my IG! I'm doing a reading from Ozma of Oz.
The worlds on fire, pop over to IG (link on my profile) tomorrow afternoon to hear about Langwidere.
💋

I even specically remember seeing the Cowardly Lion, amongst others but I can't remember specifically who