Clinton R. Rice

Hi everyone.  As you may have noticed, my book, The Other Apprentice, has been stalled since November. I apologize for my absence. I'm sure I've left many readers with some important questions about Tenet's fate and more.  In addtion to some health and personal struggles, I frankly needed a break from my writing. But the story is not abandoned. Regular updates will be returning next week. I'm close to wrapping up the first draft and am excited to reach the end along with all of you. Whether it was given willingly or not, I thank you for your patience. Also, Widdershanks says hello.

This morning, before my very eyes, The Other Apprentice passed 1K views. Just like the Arabian Nights, it's currently siting at 1,001. Wow. 1K views. I think that means I'm certified carrot  now? That does seem right. At any rate, thank you to everyone who threw in at least 1 view toward that total. You're the reason I do this. And in celebration, I expect to have a special treat for you all tomorrow in commemoration of this "grand" event.

Sorry the update is so late today, folks, but I've been feeling a bit under the weather. But here it is. Enjoy!

This morning, I woke to a notification in my inbox from the Wattpadd Outreach Ambassador team that The Other Apprentice had been added to this month's list "Best of Fantasy" to be promoted on the official outreach account as well as social media. As I write this, TOA is set to cross very soon into the realm of 1K+ views on Wattpad (and over 600 on Inkitt!) but most of those views have come from my very loyal readers who have been amazingly supportive these past few months. 
          So , I'd like to give a big thank you to @alishafiredragon, @NIke17, @PearlescentRadiance, @SusanTootie, @Stormy1127, and everyone else who has discovered my book and keeps coming back for more. I'm grateful for you all. 
          Things are happening fast in the novel right now, but there's still a lot of tory to come and more books after, so I hope this will be al long relationship for all of us!

I don't step up here on my soapbox a lot, but I wanted to say how excited I am to have just completed chapter 17 of The Other Apprentice, concluding Quinn's storyline with the pirates. Why? Because I am now leaving the nebulous middle section of the story and moving into the third and final act, important things are going to happen that are going to shape Quinn and Tenet's destiny forever. Will they both become wizards? Who was following Quinn on the rooftops back in Chapter 5? Is there an unseen threat we have yet to meet? And when will we see Widdershanks again? Find out the answers to all of these questions and more very soon!
          Also, for all my loyal readers who have kept up with this story these past few months....THANK YOU! You're the reason I keep writing.

KoalaXav In an effort to attract more readers to my story, I am entering my first ever Wattpad contest, https://www.wattpad.com/story/316677752-2022-gloria-regali-awards-open Wish me luck!

Looking for more The Other Apprentice? Check out my new one-shot short story The Dancing Dragon, now available exclusively on Wattpad. All of your favorite TOA characters--Madrigal, Quinn, Tenet and Widdershanks--are in it. I hope you all enjoy it! Please note that if you have not read The Other Apprentice yet, there are no major spoilers in this story, and you can enjoy it as an introduction to my work!

Happy Labor Day, everyone! I hope you're all having a wonderful day. The next update to The Other Apprentice should be landing on Wednesday, but if you can't wait until then to get more of Quinn, Tenet, Madrigal, Bickers and Widdershanks, I've got great news for you. Head on over to my blog (http://widdershanks.wordpress.com) and check out my Monday Mailbag. For seven weeks now without fail, my character have answered questions from you, the readers. Ask any (yes, any!) of my characters any question you like, and there's a good chance you'll get an answer (though it might not be the answer you were hoping for). 
          Check out the silliness and leave some questions of your own!

July is a novel experience for me, pun intended. 
          
          I first conceived of the core idea of 'The Other Apprentice' several years ago, and the idea has been gestating in my mind ever since begging to be written, yet for years all I've had to look at is a first pass at a prologue that doesn't even have the names of either of my MCs. Doubt and laziness have been my foes, but I'm working hard to battle them both this month. I have a writing goal of 25,000 words this month for my novel and I am well on track to blow this goal out of the water. 
          
          I'm doing my part, but I need you to do your part. It encourages me to write when I know that someone is actually reading my work. Seeing those follows, votes and comments excites me and makes me want to write more. It makes me want to get this novel done faster. Please drop me a note to let me know what you like, or if you have any questions about the story. Share the story with your friends!
          
          If you keep reading, I'll do my best to keep writing. In the first two days of July, I finished writing what will be the first chapter of the novel, which are now published here for you to read as parts 2, 3 and 4. Today I am beginning work on the second chapter and will continue to publish one scene per day as long as I am able to. 
          
          This novel is still in its "first draft" and what you see here will be edited and rewritten, and some scenes that appear here may not even be in the final novel. But I am doing my best to ensure that the daily uploads are in a readable state. 
          
          Even though I know how the story ends, this is still an exciting journey for me.  And fear not. When the novel ends, there is more to come!
          
          So please keep on reading and hold me to my promise.