"To break their sleep and bid them read..."

I was hoping to get this post up on the 7th, and then I was trying to post it on Midwinter's Eve but it has been a busy couple of weeks with work, concerts, dinners and all manner of Christmas errands and festivities.  :)

It sounds like everyone is enjoying the reading part of the Readathon so far and it’s been great being involved in the discussions and seeing pictures of the different editions of the Sequence that you are all reading from. We also have photos of TDiR locales that readers have shared with us. Thanks for all your participation in creating a friendly, unique and purely awesome community!

I wasn't able to start reading Over Sea, Under Stone until after the 7th and although I'm still getting through it, I’m loving it!  I will share my thoughts soon (Yes, I am behind!). Meanwhile, many of our readers have posted reviews and I’ve tried to share them with everyone, but if I have missed one or you have a new review to share, let me know and I’ll share it on our social media outlets.

To those who missed it, Susan Cooper endorsed the Readathon earlier in the month on her Facebook page which was a huge boost to our readership numbers. I have since been in contact with Ms. Cooper regarding the Readathon, which she called “an astonishing enterprise”. Ms. Cooper gave me a little something to share with you - a poem that she wrote for a theatrical celebration in the same year that Silver on the Tree was published. I was “scooped” by one of our Facebook members, but for the rest of you, here it is:

THE SHORTEST DAY                                                              
Written by Susan Cooper for the Christmas Revels, 1977

So the shortest day came, and the year died,
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen,
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive.
And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, revelling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing, behind us -- listen!
All the long echoes sing the same delight
This shortest day
As promise wakens in the sleeping land.
They carol, feast, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends, and hope for peace.
And so do we, here, now,
This year, and every year.
Welcome Yule!

Thank you, Ms. Cooper for that lovely poem!

Now, the (not so) final reader tally!

By December 7th, we had 117 readers signed up in 13 countries!  The sign ups have continued, however, and we are currently at 135!  Thanks again to everyone for spreading the word!

One last thought:  A number of you have mentioned you would be interested in a Readathon t-shirt or other such paraphernalia. I have permission from Susan Cooper to use the title(s) and a small portion of the poems found in the books for something like this. Finding an easy and affordable way to do this is the challenge.  I’d be up for making t-shirts, etc., so let me know of any ideas you have. I have a t-shirt design idea, but I’m open to suggestions. Be aware that due to our global readership, there may be significant shipping costs involved.  Anyway, think on it and let me know if you would be interested.

Last, but definitely not least, I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  Thank you for making the end of 2013 very exciting and satisfying. I will try to post again before 2014, but I’m not going to guarantee it.

Enjoy your reading!

Danny

Sign Up Form 

Blog: tdirreadathon.blogspot.ca 

Facebook Group

Twitter: @TDiRReadathon
Hashtag: #ReadTDiR 
Google+
Live Journal

We have 100!

Unbelievable!  

We’ve passed 100 readers signed up for the The Dark is Rising 40th Anniversary Readathon!

At 3:41 am my time (Mountain Standard Time), someone in Australia/New Zealand became the 100th person to sign up for the Readathon!  We have since surpassed that number and currently stand at 104.

All I can say is: Unbelievable!

The readers started flooding in when Susan Cooper posted the link to the Readathon on her Facebook page to her 3200+ followers at 10:12 am (MST). In the 24 hours after Susan's post, we had 51 people sign up which almost doubled our number!  We also gained 26 new Facebook members and a few more Twitter followers.

So, we currently have 104 readers signed up in at least 12 countries!

I would just like to sincerely thank Ms. Cooper and her daughter for their support of this project.  This is going to be fun!

Thanks also to everyone who has joined up and spread the word. If you haven’t officially signed-up - what are you waiting for!

We start the journey soon...

Danny

Sign Up Form 

Blog: tdirreadathon.blogspot.ca 

Facebook Group

Twitter: @TDiRReadathon
Hashtag: #ReadTDiR 
Google+
Live Journal

Week 3 Recap

Hello!

This is a slightly revised recap sent to our email list.

First of all, a belated Happy Thanksgiving to all our American readers.

Only one week left until the Readathon begins!  I am  getting excited. Putting up Christmas trees and decorations has only increased the itch to start reading the Sequence again. 

 

We've been garnering some attention on Twitter by some more authors which is fantastic. There has also been some readers come over from a Live Journal TDiR fan group called The Light.  Their LJ link and ours are with the links at the bottom if you want to take a gander.

We almost have 50 readers signed up! Can we get 100 by Dec 7th?  See link below.

This week by the numbers:

82 Twitter followers

27 Facebook Group Members

47 Officially signed up

9 Countries represented (that we know of!)

10 have us in Google+ Circles

Starting Sunday, December 1st, we'll be in countdown mode, so get ready!

Please keep spreading the word and let me know if you have any questions, ideas, links to pass along, or anything else. 

Take care.

 

Danny

Sign Up Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1V6fLBVvTI_itZwP_Q6VebnGqjbu6MmcspF3tY4KAx-k/viewform

Blog: tdirreadathon.blogspot.ca 

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1431144040446912/

Twitter: @TDiRReadathon

Hashtag: #ReadTDiR 

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/107563123879935273659/about

Live Journal: http://tdirreadathon.livejournal.com
http://thedarkisrising.livejournal.com

The Experience & Why Sign Up?

Thank you to everyone who has followed, replied, retweeted, added, posted, +1’ed, signed up, and generally made my life very exciting the last two-and-a-half weeks.

When one starts an endeavor like this, there are three ways it can go: fantastic, fair, or pathetic.  Fortunately for me, things started with a BANG! with a retweet from Neil Gaiman to his 1.9 million (yes, million!) followers and have been rolling along at a steady trot ever since. But I have not rested on my retweet laurels, nay, I have continued to “canvas the internets” and put the word out as I want to find as many fans-in-social-media-hiding as possible. Obsessed much? No, I have just been very encouraged and spurned on by the response from you and the stories and experiences that you’ve shared. This is social media at its finest - uniting global strangers for a common purpose!

“Hang on,” you say, “I’m following the Readathon on Facebook and Twitter and Google+. Why should I put my info into your sign-up form when I don’t even know you?”

Excellent question.

You don’t have to, but it would be really, really nice if you did. Then, at the end of this readathon, I can let you all know that you read one of your favorite classics with X number of fellow TDiR fans in X number of countries across the world and we can all nod and agree that we were a part of something special.

And, because I like stats.  ;)

So, forgive me if I tweet a lot about signing up over the next little while. With all the different time zones, I’m trying to make sure everyone gets a chance to be counted.  I’m not asking much: a first name (doesn’t even have to be your real name), your general location, and how many times you’ve read the Sequence. Optional are your email address (for emailed updates), and specific country. It takes literally one minute to sign up. I will not share what info you give me with anyone, with the exception of countries. ("We have 7 people signed up from Canada").  Names and email addresses will not be shared period.

Please continue the great conversations, tweets, and general TDiR fandom.  I appreciate that you have lives and are busy people. Thanks for taking time out of your day to connect with me and others who have been impacted by TDiR. I work full-time and have 3 kids, too. This readathon is something squeezed out of my bit of spare time (when I’m not writing my NaNoWriMo novel).

For the love of the Sequence, reading, and meeting new people. (Okay, maybe I am a little obsessed.)  

Thanks for reading. Enjoy the experience and have a great day!

And please sign up!

Danny

Welcome to The Dark is Rising 40th Anniversary Readathon

To commemorate Susan Cooper’s Lifetime Achievement Award at World Fantasy Convention 2013 and the 40th anniversary of her classic fantasy book, The Dark is Rising, I am proposing a Worldwide Readathon of The Dark is Rising Sequence starting on December 7th, 2013 (in honor of the seventh son of a seventh son).  There is no timeline, finish deadline or day-by-day guide, just the awesome knowledge that you are enjoying these books, maybe for the first time, with fans around the world at the same time!  In starting on December 7th, my hope is that most people will be able to finish Over Sea, Under Stone, before Midwinter’s Eve (December 20th?), the day before Will Stanton’s birthday to add to the reading experience of The Dark is Rising.

Due to our followers across various social media, I am keeping track of who’s joining the Readathon via this quick Google form.  I’m not asking for any info you don’t want to give, just a first name and location for stats tracking.  I won’t publish any individual’s information that is collected in any way. It only takes a minute, so please fill it out!

Just as a disclaimer, I am not affiliated with Susan Cooper or any of her past or present publishers or agents. I am just a fan of her books.

Here’s where you can find us:

Sign Up Form

Facebook Group

Twitter: @TDiRReadathon

Google+ Page 

Hashtag: #ReadTDiR

Thanks and enjoy the experience!