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Book 2 is out in paperback!

10/28/2014

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At long last, the Indestructibles: Breakout is now available in paperback! It can be found on Amazon here, and at Barnes and Noble here.

Keep an eye out of the Indestructibles table at Rhode Island Comic Con this coming weekend!
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Breakout: Kindle, Nook, and Kobo versions available online

10/25/2014

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In addition to the Amazon Kindle version which went live last night, I'm happy to announce that the Nook version has now become available, as well as Kobo (not sure what Kobo is? Tom Hanks makes a quick reference to it in his short story in the New Yorker this week).

More information on the paperback to follow shortly!

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Indestructibles (Vol. 2): Breakout now available on Kindle! 

10/24/2014

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I'm happy to announce that book 2 in the Indestructibles series, Breakout, has just gone live on Amazon Kindle. It'll soon be followed by paperback, Nook, Apple iBook and more (stay tuned for announcements as each option becomes available the next few days.

You can find Breakout on Kindle here.

Find out what happens a year after the events of the first book, when another lab escapee surfaces and a shadowy government agency has decided a bunch of teenagers probably shouldn't be running around saving the world unsupervised...
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Back before I wrote YA fiction...

10/18/2014

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Before I got into YA novels, I was a screenwriter. And not long before writing the Indestructibles I wrote and directed my first film, Certainly Never, a romantic comedy about infidelity and the stupid things we do to find our happiness.

For kicks, a "festival cut" version of the film has been uploaded online here. A high def, color corrected version is still forthcoming, but this is a story I'm very proud of and it's been on the shelf a long time, so I wanted to share the rough cut for now. There are some wonderful performances (the actor playing Harmon I think has a star-making performance in this film) and I'd like to see them get the recognition they deserve.

A light warning for those of you who are reading this blog as young readers or parents of young readers--this is a PG-13 film with a lot of adult themes and creative use of swearing, so it's not intended for young viewers (no violence or nudity or anything like that, but the characters cuss a lot and deal with big themes of love and romance and all the stupid things we do to try to find our happiness). There's worse on network TV right now, but if you have an aversion to the F-word, you may want to block your ears.

Lastly, feel free to share the link if you watch and enjoy it--we're all very proud of this project, and it's extremely hard to find an audience in this new world of film production.
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Cosplayers, don't take the clickbait. He's wrong.

10/10/2014

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As a journalist by trade, I really try to avoid falling for clickbait articles and I try even harder to avoid giving them any more attention than they actually deserve, but today, a gentleman writing for a business publication posited that the growing number of cosplayers in America is bad for the economy.

He starts off with a decent question--Japan's youth experienced a costume and fantasy boom when the country's economy busted. Does America's own cosplay boom mean the same thing? But as many people have said in response to the article, correlation does not imply causation. Is it a brutal time to look for work? Absolutely. Is there a growing disillusionment among young people with regards to their job prospects? Certainly. But are they escaping into dressing up as fantastical characters to avoid reality?

Come on now. Has this writer actually spoken to a single cosplayer? Ever? 

I'm a part-time cosplay photographer. I spend a lot of time around cosplayers, even if I'm not one myself. And the idea that these artists are delving into cosplay as a way of refusing to look for gainful employment is one of the more ridiculous hypotheses I've seen in a long time.

Cosplay is hard. Cosplay requires commitment and hard work. Many of the cosplayers I've met are working in some way to monetize their art, as models, crafters, fabricators, costumers, seamstresses, photoshoppers.  While many do cosplay for the simple fun of it, the majority are actively looking for a way to weave their love of cosplay into the economy. They aren't escaping into fantasy--they are pursuing the American dream of incorporating the things they love and the things they are skilled at into a professional, gainful employment.

This does not even address the fact that cosplay is expensive--hardcore cosplayers spend thousands of dollars on their looks in raw materials. So even those who are not trying to turn their craftwork into a professional endeavor are taking part in the American economy with their money.

And the writer specifically mentioned menial labor as the work cosplayers are actively avoiding looking for. This may in fact be his most egregious bit of poking the proverbial tiger. I know more cosplayers with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) degrees than any other background. They're engineers, software designers, scientists, academics. In many cases, they use these backgrounds in their cosplay, taking skills they've learned in the professional world to build a better costume. There's no shame in a day's hard work, but "menial" is the last word anyone who has spent time with the cosplay community would think of when considering this group's available professional skills.

Hell, I bet the men and women of the 501st could build their own First World economy with their backgrounds. There are some very smart, very talented, and very motivated people crafting costumes out there, ostensibly for fun. Better yet--they have a sense of community service. Just take a look at the 501st's list of charity events.

But let's face it. Just like most inflammatory articles (thinking back to a certain article telling adults they should be ashamed to read YA fiction), the writer did his job--he got a specific group of people upset and riled up by throwing out a negative opinion. I do wish the article had done a better job looking at the similarities and differences in the cosplay booms of both Japan and America. Perhaps by digging a little deeper, he might have found out about the intriguing micro-economy of the cosplay world. That's one article I'd happily click away at.

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YA Scavenger Hunt

10/1/2014

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I am pleased to welcome you to the YA Scavenger Hunt! This bi-annual event (my first time participating) was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors...and a chance to win some fantastic prizes. By participating in this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize--one lucky winner will receive one signed book from each author on the hunt in my team! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours!

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Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are SIX contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of TEAM INDIE--but there is also a red team, a gold team, an orange team, a red team, and a blue team for a chance to win a whole different set of signed books.

If you'd like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page.

SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE

Directions: Below, you'll notice that I've listed my favorite number (it's hidden... but not too hidden). Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on TEAM INDIE, and then add them up (and yes, you can use a calculator... we're not cruel). 

Entry Form: Once you've added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.

Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian's permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by October 5th, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.
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SCAVENGER HUNT POST

Today I am hosting Lani Woodland. Lani is promoting her sci-fi thriller Stronger, which can be found on Amazon here: It's been said, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. In the aftermath of an alien invasion, the old saying became literal.

Lani Woodland has been an avid reader since elementary school, when she first discovered the Babysitters Club and Sweet Valley Twins series. In sixth grade, she began writing plays and recruiting (with force when necessary) her friends to act them out. Most of these early works were inspired by She-Ra, the epitome of girl power to her young self.


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EXCLUSIVE CONTENT

Lani has opted to share bonus content as part of the Scavenger Hunt, an alternate cover. Lani writes:

Choosing a cover is a major part of the book process for me. Since Stronger was my first Sci-fi, its design was way outside the types of covers I’d ever used before. The cover I’m showing you here was the first mock-up my designer showed me. I loved it. I loved the model’s face and the dramatic use of the weapon. The purple sky and space ship also appealed to me since those are both important aspects of the book.

But as my designer and I discussed it, we had a few concerns. First, the designer thought it looked much more like an adult book than a YA one. She also felt that while it depicted what happens in the story and in the world I created, there was a lot going on. She felt one solid image would be better. Also, there is the matter that my character, Lexie, doesn’t use a gun in the story. Personally, I really wanted to get the love interest, Bryant, onto the cover so people would know right away there was a romantic storyline in the novel.

After we discussed these issues, my designer went back to the drawing board and then presented me with the current cover. I loved the colors, the presence of both leads, and that it was more obviously sci-fi. It also showed right away the physical differences between the two species of humans that are now on Earth. It was perfect. As soon as I saw it, I knew the cover captured everything I wanted it to.

I hope you guys love the cover as much as I do!


And don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books by me, hosted author's name, and more! To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is seven (7). Like the Snow White's dwarves. Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on TEAM INDIE and you'll have all the secret code to enter for the grand prize!

CONTINUE THE HUNT

To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next authors, the team of Sarena and Sasha Nanua, who can be found here. Be sure to check it out!

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    Author

    Matthew Phillion is the writer of "The Indestructibles," part-time actor, occasional filmmaker. Currently on the lam in Salem with his trusty dog, Watson. 

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