Both the unnamed tortoise and I need your help. That’s why I’m holding a name-the-tortoise contest to find the cleverest, most apt name for Lu’s pet. You can find out more about the newest addition to Lu’s world when Daemon Blood comes out March 8, 2022. So, here are the contest details. If I’ve omitted something important or you have any questions, write to me at .

When and where should submissions for the name-the-tortoise contest be sent?

I’m accepting names throughout August 2021. Please send them to .

How many names may be submitted?

Please send up to five possible names for Lu’s tortoise. If you send more, I’ll accept only the first five names you listed.

Are there any other requirements?

Just one: sign up for my newsletter. Click the link or use the form at the top of the sidebar to sign up. You’ll receive an email asking you to confirm that you agree to receive emails from me. You can read my privacy policy here. And of course you may unsubscribe at any time.

What prize does the winner receive?

The person who submits the winning tortoise name will receive a $100 Amazon gift card. Everyone else who enters will be entered in a drawing, and three winners chosen at random will each receive a paperback copy of Daemon Blood, the new Daemon World book, to be released March 8, 2022. Whether you send one name or five, you’ll be entered just once in the drawing.

What happens if more than one person submits the same name?

The prize goes to whoever submits the winning name received first.

When will the winners of the name-the-tortoise contest be announced?

The first week of September 2021, I’ll choose a name in consultation with the tortoise. The winner will be notified and asked to confirm their email address. If I receive no confirmation within 72 hours, we’ll select another name. I’ll hold the drawing at the same time, using Random Picker. Again, the winners must confirm their email addresses within 72 hours of being notified. On or before September 15 I’ll announce the winners on my website, in my newsletter, and on my Facebook page.

Watch this site for more news about my new novel Daemon Blood. Meanwhile, check out Chapter 1: Born Victim. The chapter has undergone a bit of revision since I shared the first draft with you a while ago.

My thanks to Corey Keppel for an amazing photograph of a desert tortoise. You can see more of Corey’s photographs and videos on Instagram.

It’s finally here! Children of Darkness – Book One in The Seekers Series is available NOW. Check it out on Amazon.com. FREE for Kindle Unlimited subscribers. GET YOUR COPY

“A must-read page turner.” Kirkus Review

About the Book:

The Children of Darkness - CoverThe Children of Darkness

The Children of Darkness is about a society devoid of technology, the result of an overreaction to a distant past where progress had overtaken humanity and led to social collapse. The solution—an enforced return to a simpler time. But Children is also a coming of age story, a tale of three friends and their loyalty to each other as they struggle to confront a world gone awry. Each searches for the courage to fight the limits imposed by their leaders, along the way discovering their unique talents and purpose in life.

“If the whole world falls into a Dark Age, which it could plausibly do, who could bring us out of it? According to David Litwack in The Children of Darkness, the only answer is us, now, somehow reaching into the future.” – Kaben Nanlohy for On Starships And Dragonwings

Publication Date: June 22, 2015 from Evolved Publishing
Purchase Link: http://smarturl.it/Seekers1
FREE WITH KINDLE UNLIMITED
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23485495-the-children-of-darkness

Book Description

The Children of Darkness, book one of the dystopian trilogy, The Seekers

“But what are we without dreams?”

A thousand years ago the Darkness came–a time of violence and social collapse when technology ran rampant. But the vicars of the Temple of Light brought peace, ushering in an era of blessed simplicity. For ten centuries they have kept the madness at bay with “temple magic,” eliminating forever the rush of progress that nearly caused the destruction of everything.

Childhood friends, Orah and Nathaniel, have always lived in the tiny village of Little Pond, longing for more from life but unwilling to challenge the rigid status quo. When their friend Thomas returns from the Temple after his “teaching”—the secret coming-of-age ritual that binds the young to the Light—they barely recognize the broken and brooding man the boy has become. Then when Orah is summoned as well, Nathaniel follows in a foolhardy attempt to save her.

In the prisons of Temple City, they discover a terrible secret that launches the three on a journey to find the forbidden keep, placing their lives in jeopardy. For hidden in the keep awaits a truth from the past that threatens the foundation of the Temple. If they reveal that truth, they might release the long-suppressed potential of their people, but they would also incur the Temple’s wrath as it is written:

“If there comes among you a dreamer of dreams saying ‘Let us return to the darkness,’ you shall stone him, because he has sought to thrust you away from the light.”

“A fresh perspective on our own society…[an] enjoyable read that will make you wonder just how society will judge us in the future.” Lexie

2Get Your Copy Now!

About the Author:

David Front PageThe urge to write first struck when working on a newsletter at a youth encampment in the woods of northern Maine. It may have been the night when lightning flashed at sunset followed by northern lights rippling after dark. Or maybe it was the newsletter’s editor, a girl with eyes the color of the ocean. But he was inspired to write about the blurry line between reality and the fantastic.

Using two fingers and lots of white-out, he religiously typed five pages a day throughout college and well into his twenties. Then life intervened. He paused to raise two sons and pursue a career, in the process becoming a well-known entrepreneur in the software industry, founding several successful companies. When he found time again to daydream, the urge to write returned.

After publishing two award winning novels, Along the Watchtower and The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky, he’s hard at work on the dystopian trilogy, The Seekers.

David and his wife split their time between Cape Cod, Florida and anywhere else that catches their fancy. He no longer limits himself to five pages a day and is thankful every keystroke for the invention of the word processor.

Website: www.davidlitwack.com
Facebook: David Litwack – Author
Twitter: @DavidLitwack

Giveaway

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More Reviews!

“Litwack’s storytelling painted a world of both light and darkness–and the truth that would mix the two.” Fiction Fervor

The Children of Darkness is a dystopian novel that will stay with you long after you finish reading it.” C.P. Bialois

“This is a satisfying exploration of three teens’ journey into the unknown, and the struggles faced by all who seek true emancipation – both for themselves, and for the people they love.” Suzy Wilson

“Litwack’s writing is fresh, and Nathaniel, Orah and Thomas come to life in your imagination as you frantically flip (or click) the pages of this book.” Anna Tan

“…many profound themes, lovely characterizations and relationships” R. Campbell

“I was enthralled and intrigued by the authors creation of this society… David Litwack has an enjoyable and captivating writing style.” Jill Marie

“…a perfect story for young adult readers, but its underlying theme and character development will keep any adult engaged.” Kathleen Sullivan

The Awesome Indies is getting a brand new website. Tahlia Newland (coordinator), Ruthanne Reid (designer), and a team of volunteers have been working hard this past month to get ready for the opening on the 1st of November.

The new look site will be set up as a shop with purchase buttons linking to all the major ebook sales outlets as well as the Book Depository (free shipping worldwide) for those who like paperbacks. The Amazon and iTunes links will be global links that will automatically send customers to their local store — no more ending up in the wrong store. And those with reading devices that take epub files will find plenty of books for their devices on the new site.

Books to suit your taste will be easy to find by searching categories and tags. And books can be listed in more than one category, making it easy to see exactly what mix of genres you’ll find inside. This is particularly important for Awesome Indies’s  books because some many of them cross genres.

Books will have their own product page with a great deal more information about them than on the present site, so you won’t have to leave the site to find the information you need to make your decision.

Reduced books will appear on a sale page and in a featured spot on the front page, making the bargains easy to find, and a streamlined menu will make negotiating the site a lot easier.

These are the books from the independent publishing industry that readers should be buying. These are the books that will not disappoint with poor editing and underdeveloped story lines. And if you’re looking for something different, the Awesome Indies is the place to find it.

To mark the opening of the new site, over 50 books will be on sale for November 1st and 2nd — many of them rarely discounted and all priced under $3. And one lucky reader will receive a Kindle Paperwhite ereader. The giveaway closes at the end of the weekend.

Visit Awesome Indies Books next weekend to see the new site, show your support, and pick up a bargain.

Billy Land wins the $25 Amazon gift card. Everyone on my mailing list was automatically entered in the drawing, which was done at Random Picker. I’ll be having more of these, so if you’re interested in receiving occasional news about me, why not sign up? You’ll find the subscription form for my mailing list on the upper right of your screen.

In other news, the release date for The Memory Pool: Reflections of Past~Forward grows nearer. The advance reviews are in. Read them here at the Cantraip Press website.