Special reward for all pre-orders inside

Dear Reader,

This moment was a long time coming. Long before I started writing 100 word stories every single day I had a dream of publishing my own work. To be honest, that dream came true a while ago but it didn’t feel right at that time. So I took a step back and “reinvented” myself. Actually, I went from writing under E.L. Drayton to now writing under Erica L. Drayton and it is in that change I am officially releasing this series of books.

If you’re totally not interested in the nuances, behind-the-scenes stuff, and that reward I promised all pre-order folks I’m about to share and just want to pre-order the damn book, click the image cover below to get it on Amazon. It is also available on Barnes & Noble (and possibly other global retailers if you search my name).

HOW IT STARTED

Writing a 100 word story daily is truly how it began. I couldn’t tell you why. Just that I woke up on May 1st last year and said, “I’m gonna write a 100 word story every day” and that’s exactly what I did. Have I gotten to the point where it’s become a compulsive thing I must do every night? I’d say so, yes. A habit has formed and I don’t see it ever ending. At least not till I reach 1,000 stories written, then we’ll see how I feel… So, ask me again on January 26, 2026. Deal? 😏

HOW IT’S GOING

Choosing to just print them in the order that they were originally written was not as easy a decision as you might think. It took my wife pointing out to me that a collection of 100 stories, each of which are 100 words, is perfect. And as always, she was right. I knew I would be creating this book as “print only” and that it would be a square. Something about the shortness of each story just made it feel like a standard shaped book wouldn’t cut it here. And after going through three rounds of proofs I can confidently say I was right to go with a square design.

JUST THE STATS (ABOUT THE BOOK)

Printer used Ingram Spark

Binding Paperback – Perfect Bound

Trim Size 6.5” x 6.5” (165mm x 165mm)

Paper White 70

Interior Black & White

Page Count 232 pages

Spine 0.63043 in (16.01 mm)

Weight 0.548 lb (248.57 g)

Cover Finish Gloss

On Sale Date April 2, 2024

WHERE IT’S HEADED

By the end of 2024 I will have released 5 books in my series! And I’m not Lucy exaggerating when I tell you, this has my stomach in knots. But here we are and there is truly no turning back now. I put in all the hard work and continue to do so to get these all out to you.

The naming convention will remain the same. For example, coming in May is The Second 100, followed by The Third 100, and so on. The next pre-order email will come mid-April (if not sooner) when I have it to share. Till then, it would really mean the most if you pre-order my book.

YOU GET A REWARD! AND YOU GET A REWARD!

But only if you pre-order!

Okay, so here’s my amazing reward to anyone who pre-orders the book: I will write one additional 100 word story that will forever remain FREE-to-READ and you will get credit for making that story happen. It will not be a part of any book as it will not count towards my current tracker of stories. It will be totally unique and all because you made it happen! But don’t worry, I’m not about to send dozens of emails per day to keep up with the hundreds of you that I know will pre-order my book! I’ll limit it to just sending two 100 word emails a day till I’ve honored all of your pre-orders.

HOW TO GET YOUR REWARD

aka make me write another story for you and for everyone…

Email me a copy of your Amazon receipt to ericadrayton@substack.com with the Subject The First 100 and I’ll get cracking on writing a story. If you’re a writer on Substack, tell me your Substack URL and name so I can mention you properly. I will mention all pre-order participants as First Name Last Initial (ex. Erica D.). Feel free to black out your address on the receipt.

Till then, thank you for buying my book and I hope you enjoy having this growing collection on your shelf!

PS I realize I may have overindulged on gifs this email. I can’t help it! I’m excited!