Hello from Robert Treskillard, the author of the just released novel, MERLIN’S BLADE, book 1 of The Merlin Spiral.

I have some exciting news … not just one contest, but THREE CONTESTS! And with a grand prize to top them all!

So … this is the official announcement of the Merlin’s Blade Promotion Contest!

(It is “early” because I’m still setting up the website for it, and still composing the official list of rules. But it is not too early to begin making plans and getting excited! Yes!)

There will be a separate contest for each novel in The Merlin Spiral trilogy, and that the GRAND PRIZE for the highest total points for all three contests will be … (drum roll, please) …

THE GRAND PRIZE:

• YOUR VERY OWN EXCALIBUR with a hilt and scabbard hand-made by the author!

This prize is worth well over $1000 if you were to purchase a blade and scabbard of this quality from a craftsman, so this is a HUGE, AMAZING opportunity!

Note that the blade to be given will have a dull, theatrical style edge … the one that I made for the book trailer and book cover is *very* sharp, and I don’t want anyone getting hurt.

Also, if any contestant lives near St. Louis, Missouri, they will have the opportunity of coming out to see me pour the bronze hilt in the spring of 2014!

So, now that you know the GRAND PRIZE, what are the prizes for the individual contests?

First Place:

Your choice of either:

• A $150 High Performance Dremel Tool Kit
• A highly rated Brother Sewing Machine
• A Kindle Fire 7″ Wi-Fi

And…

• A Merlin’s Blade T-Shirt signed by the author

Second Place:

• An Apple Ipod Shuffle, and
• A Merlin’s Blade T-Shirt signed by the author

Five Consolation Prizes:

• A Merlin’s Blade T-Shirt signed by the author

So how do you earn points? By helping to promote Merlin’s Blade of course! Specifically, points can be earned for the following:

• Writing reviews of Merlin’s Blade
• Making and posting a video review of Merlin’s Blade
• Making and posting a podcast review of Merlin’s Blade
• Posting a photo of you asking a bookstore manager to carry Merlin’s Blade
• Posting a photo of you asking a librarian to order Merlin’s Blade

• Giving away copies of Merlin’s Blade
• Reposting links to either of the Merlin’s Blade book trailers
• Posting links to the Merlin’s Blade map-based video game (forthcoming)
• Each fan that you get to sign up at http://Facebook.com/EpicTales.org
• Donating to a charity of your choice that helps prevent blindness

• Drawing a picture of a character from Merlin’s Blade and posting it online
• Drawing a picture of a scene from Merlin’s Blade and posting it online
• Posting a video of you creating a sculpture based on the book
• Posting a video of you creating Celtic jewelry based on the book
• Composing and posting a video of you playing a song inspired by the book

• Writing a poem inspired by the book and reading it online
• Posting a video of a (safely) staged fight from Merlin’s Blade
• Posting a video of you singing a song in Scots Gaelic, Welsh, Irish, or Cornish.
• Posting a video of you casting arrowheads out of pewter
• Posting a video of you weaving your own cloth

• Posting a video of you playing (or trying to play!) the bagpipe
• Posting a video of a meal you made inspired by the book
• Posting a video of you playing the a Celtic harp song
• Posting a video of you blacksmithing
• Posting a video of you making a knife (with adult supervision)

• Posting a video of you sewing a costume of one of the characters in the book
• Posting a video of you carving something Celtic out of wood

The exact details and instructions will be posted soon over at KingArthur.org.uk, so check back often! Once the contest gets underway, you’ll want to get an early start!

Glenn McCarty, a Crosswalk.com contributing writer, has this to say about Merlin’s Blade:

“The success of this book, however, is as much a credit to Treskillard’s storytelling instincts and his abilities at character and world-building as it is to any tweaks he makes to the legend…”

The tone of the novel:

“[Merlin’s Blade has an] earthy tone, wry humor, and [a] depiction of authentic characters situated amidst a cosmic backdrop…

My pacing:

“[Trekillard] has achieved one of the most difficult feats to master in high fantasy epics like this – weaving together a handful of storylines into a cohesive, expertly-paced narrative.”

The spiritual content:

“Treskillard also handles the spiritual content deftly.”

And here’s his thoughts about my take on Merlin himself:

“We live in an era where realism in superheroes is the rage (Nolan’s Batman trilogy, for example). So, in a way, it’s refreshing to see Merlin not have magic in his bag of tricks. Instead, he has to rely on his determination, courage, and spiritual devotion to get by.”

Want to read the entire review? Check it out at Crosswalk.com!

Yes, the day has finally arrived! Merlin’s Blade is released! Almost seven years of slow and steady labor has finally resulted in this day.

This means that you’ll be able to:

• find it on your store shelves now or very soon, and

• order it online or through your local bookstore.

The only regret that I have in how long it took is that my mother passed away last fall during my editing of the book, and I’m not able to give her a copy.

Age Appropriateness of Merlin’s Blade

The novel will be enjoyable for ages 13 on up to 113, but someone younger could enjoy it if they’re an advanced reader and don’t mind some violence.

The novel is completely clean in every other respect and is family friendly.

About Merlin’s Blade

Just to set expectations: my Merlin is NOT a wizard, but is rather an eighteen year-old, shy, son of a swordsmith. He was mostly-blinded when he was young while saving his sister from wolves.

The basis of the story is that a meteorite crashes to Britain and brings a mysterious black stone. Anyone who sees its glow becomes enchanted by it, and the druids are using its power to reclaim their rule of Britain.

Because of Merlin’s half-blindness, he is the only one in his village who is immune to the stone’s enchantment. Thus he must find a way to save his family, his village, and all of Britain from the plots of the druids.

If you want to read two sample chapters, simply click here.

Where to get Merlin’s Blade

You should now be able to buy the novel worldwide … here are a few links to help out:

In the U.S.A.:

Internationally:

And you’ll find it in most other countries as well … including Japan, Germany, France, South Africa, the Czech Republic, and many, many more.

Rewards

And once you’ve read the novel, please write up an honest review—from zero stars to ten stars —at any of the major book sites, including GoodReads.com.

And I do mean HONEST. I don’t care if you savage the book … how can I write the next great breakout novel if I’m not open to learning and improving?

And what is the reward if you are one of the first thirty to write up an honest review? I will send you a free limited-edition Merlin’s Blade bookmark! Just private message me to let me know you wrote up a review, and I’ll mail it to you.

And then … after all thirty have been accounted for, I will have a drawing and one lucky winner will receive a MERLIN’S BLADE T-SHIRT! Details forthcoming…

You can contact me through any of my many social-networking sites, including the email form on this blog.

Thank you!

I’m giving away TWO ADVANCED READER COPIES of Merlin’s Blade over at my Facebook page!

To enter, simply leave a comment on THIS POST.

Then … to get a second entry, you have to share a link to my book page. This can be done by typing a post on Facebook and then typing

and then a link to “Merlin’s Blade - Book 1 of The Merlin Spiral” should pop up. That is the proper link to get a second entry!

After many months of filming, special effects work, 3D animation, color-grading, and soundtrack design, I am finally ready to release my book trailer for MERLIN’S BLADE!

The direct link to the trailer can be found here: http://youtu.be/Ezom5l_9vnQ.

Please post the link everywhere and share it … there’s less than three weeks before BOOK 1 HITS THE SHELVES!!

Thank you!

Yes, Zondervan has officially released their cover for MERLIN’S SHADOW.

Also, you can now PRE-ORDER Merlin’s Shadow through Zondervan’s ChurchSource.com! (Amazon and others coming SOON!)

If you want to read the official description of the novel, go on over to Zondervan.com’s MERLIN’S SHADOW page…

And to see the two novels side by side (the cover for Book 3 coming soon, I hope), take a look here:

I wrote a new article over at Speculative Faith that covers what many would consider a brand new translation of Philippians 2:12-13. This article is based on a research paper I wrote in college and provides some excellent background into the Koine Greek behind the text.

Anyway, check it out over here!

When part 2 comes out, be sure that I’ll give another holler.

And … since this post is so short, I wanted to include a video of Andrew Peterson & Ben Shive playing the song “Planting Trees” over at beautiful Laity Lodge. This song speaks of real perseverance … the kind that lasts generations.

Andrew Peterson & Ben Shive | Planting Trees from Laity Lodge on Vimeo.

(The original page at Laity Lodge’s website can be found here.)

Yes, it’s true! I now hold in my hands an actual printed copy of MERLIN’S BLADE from Zondervan!

It has been a long journey to get to this point since I began writing in 2006—but it is well worth it!

Not only that, but I’m GIVING TWO COPIES AWAY FREE over at GoodReads.com!

Now, keep in mind that these are uncorrected proofs (known as Advanced Reader Copies, or ARCs), but they are still awesome to hold and read.

All I ask of a winner is the following:

• Read the novel prior to April
• Post an honest review and rating on Goodreads
• Post a review on Amazon.com once the novel’s review section opens up

That’s it!