Review Copies Are Out (And I’m Nervous!)

Several advance copies of 33 AD are now making their way through the friendly skies and should hit their targets in the next day or so. I’m going to drop another few copies off at local indie stores and keep my fingers crosses that someone there reads it, likes it, and orders a handful. Sounds like fun, right? Nope. I’m terrified.

By this time, just under 100 people have read 33 AD, including people who don’t even know me. The response has been mostly positive. 1 person didn’t like it, and two others couldn’t get into it, but I never expected everyone who read it to love it. At present the percentage is something like 95% really enjoy it, and the rest don’t. I don’t know if that’s a good percentage or not, but it’s what I’m going with right now.

There are also some folks who refused to read it based on the subject matter. A vampire hunting Jesus? Blasphemous! My response to that is always “No, it’s not.” I satnd by that statement, too. There is nothing blasphemous about the story. I don’t want to give anything away, but anyone who is expecting me to write that Jesus rose from the dead as a vampire and started a blood war with Rome or something like that is going to be disappointed. That is a story for someone else to write, not me.

But I guess we’ll see what some reviewers think oif it in the not too distant future, won’t we? Yep. There’s where the nervous kicks in. I’m doing almost everything myself, so every little bit helps, and with any luck I get another good review or two to add to the book. I currently have two blurbs, one from author Jeremy Robinson and another fron author Jon F. Merz. I’d like to have a few more, so keep your fingers crossed.

March 29 is coming sooner than I think.

Oh, and keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming interview over on Tyhitia Green’s blog for a chance to win an advance copy of 33 AD. I’ll even sign it before I send it along.

March 29

That’s the release date in the US. Keep your eyes open for more details, they will be coming soon on this site.

On another note, I’ve been sluggish all week. I had surgery Monday, and haven’t done much of anything over the last few days. I guess that’s to be expected, though. I’ve never had surgery before, at least not invasive surgery, and I can honestly say IT SUCKS. Sitting hurts. Standing hurts. Laying down hurts. Everything hurts. Oh, well, I got out of work for a bit and I get to be babied, which sounds better than it actually is. Oh, and they gave me Percocet. Which I think is Latin for “Wheeeeeee!” Or something like that.

Anyway, enough of the pity stuff. Back to the purpose of this post. The US version of 33 AD will be released on March 29. Between now and then, I’ll be working on getting the word out. But you guys can mark it on your calendars. I know you want to. Go ahead and mark it. I’ll wait.

You done? OK, good. Or maybe that’s the Percocet talking. I wouldn’t know.

There will be a few giveaways, as well as a few reviews coming in the next few weeks, so keep coming back and looking for news, it’s about to get a bit more interesting around here.

Book Reviews, Marketing Plans, and Press Kits…Oh, My!

Oh, boy. Have I stepped into a world of ugly things. Marketing? What do I know about marketing? Isn’t that the place you go to buy food?

I think I’m in trouble.

In the UK, when 33 AD is released, the publisher will have a marketing plan, and will send out review copies, and will issue press kits. Here in the US I’m on my own.

OK. I’m up for a challenge. I’ve already registered my website with GoDaddy.com. I haven’t started the web page yet, but that’s on the agenda of things that will eat up my late Winter free time. That’s not a big deal, though, because it’s Winter. It’s not like I’m going to hop on my motorcycle and ride through the Tail of the Dragon. (For those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s a very twisty stretch of road going from Tennessee into South Carolina that makes sportbike riders drool and everyone else nervous) So I have time to spare. A little, anyway.

But a Marketing Plan? What the heck is that? And what, exactly, does a Press Kit include? What do they look like? I don’t know.

But I am going to find out.

June, folks. Mark it down. Ready or not, here I come!

Lots Of Good Things Happening Lately

The Cowboys are in the playoffs, they have a winning record in December for the first time in ages, and they finally won a playoff game. It makes it somehow more satisfying that they beat the Eagles, too. More than makes up for that 44-6 beatdown they gave us last year. GO COWBOYS!

I’d like to write more, but I’m short on time. So I’m going to leave you with another good thing, a picture. It’s not finalized, but it’s pretty close…

As If The Cowboys Losing Sunday Night Wasn’t Bad Enough…

Ugh. So…the Cowboys lose to the Giants (Hi Angelle, I know you’re just as upset about that as I am), and then I have a nice little adventure while installing new speakers in my car. It’s funny…NOW. It wasn’t funny last night, though.

Heh, if you ever wanted to see me mad, yesterday would have been a great time. I went to replace my speakers Saturday, but had to stop after the first one because it started raining. So yesterday after work, since it was nice, I figured I’d get the other one. I was armed with new knowledge gleaned from the internet, and ready for a much easier install based on said new know-how.

So I get the door panel off, the seat belt off, the power windows disconnected, the pillar cover off, the speaker out, etc. basically I’ve got the door down to its guts. Not hard to do, but just time consuming enough to be a problem when I’m on a time limit. (We had a gym appointment last night) I get the new speaker in, check it to make sure it’s working, especially since the wires weren’t color-coordinated. (glad I did, too, because I had the pos and neg wires mixed up…speakers don’t sound good that way) I even found the cause of my door lock issues (the inside latch would not lock the door, it could only be locked from the outside with the key) which turned out to be nothing more serious than a loose clip. Easy fix, and now the door locks work 100%. Yay. I put the whole thing back together, feeling very manly and pleased with myself. (On a side note, for some reason those two feelings go together quite often) I get to the very last step in putting the door back together. Seriously. The. Last. Step. Plenty of time on the clock to eat, and get to the gym, maybe even watch a little TV.

I go to put the pillar cover back on, it just takes one screw. One last measly little screw and I’m done. Simple, right? Not for me. I dropped the screw down inside the door. Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

I take the door completely apart a second time, only this time it’s even more involved because I have to take off the seat belt unit in order to see into the door. Now time is running low and Heather is calling me and letting me know dinner is ready and we have to hurry. But I can’t leave the car sitting like it is, so I have no choice but to press on. I look around inside the door for the screw and can’t find it. Then after five minutes of searching (during which time Heather has called out again that we need to get going), I see that the screw is on the ground by the door and I realize I must have knocked it out while taking the door apart that second time. OK, great. At least I now have the screw and can get on with things.

So I put the door back together, again, and by this time Heather has called out to me no less than three times to let me know we aren’t going to make it unless I hurry. So I hurry. I’m sweaty, I’ve got door grease on my fingers and all up my arm, and even on my shorts. After a little mumbles swearing I finally get back to that last step. This time I’m very careful. I hold the screw with needle nose pliers to steady it while I get the threads started. But when I go to screw it in, I accidentally nudge the darn screw with the screwdriver. Not much of a bump, but just enough to knock it loose from the pliers and plop! Down into the door it goes a second time. Can you say &#@*ing son of a #@*%ing @*%#? I can. And did. Repeatedly.

My pliers and screwdriver were found ten minutes later in the neighbor’s yard. We made it to the gym on time, but there’s a screw rattling around in the door of my 300ZX right now that I will have to take care of this weekend, provided the sun cooperates.

Sounds like fun, right? It wasan’t.

Anyway, sorry for the month-long silence. I actually have some writing news coming up, but I can’t say anything yet. I dunno if it’s good news or bad news, but it IS news, just the same.

Stay Tuned.

Another America’s Got Talent Post

Yeah, yeah…I know. Where’s the writing news, right? No worries, more news is a’comin’. BUT, for now in between writing, work, and everything else, I get to watch a little TV now and then. And let me tell you, this woman is…just amazing. My goodnees, what a voice! *sigh* I could listen to her all day.

Yeah, I Know…More Clips…

I can’t help it. It’s been months and months, and yet I still get goosebumps listening to Susan Boyle’s rendition of I Dreamed A Dream from Les Miserables. Shivers. Seriously! I just watched it again before I posted this link, and yep…there they are…goosebumps. I hope Miss Boyle has a long and rewarding career, because I just love her voice. I only wish I could have found a better clip (the good ones all have embedding disbled…:()

Ditto Neal E. Boyd. I simply can’t watch this clip without my skin tingling. Man, what a voice!

I dunno why, but lately I’ve enjoyed opera a lot more than I used to. I tell Heather we have to go see one live. She’s not into Opera, so the tradeoff is I have to go to the ballet. But hey, you never know; I might like it.

And now you guys know why I never get enough writing done.:P

Wow! Amazing!

My wife and I are huge fans of the show America’s Got Talent. I especially like it because, unlike American Idol, every act gets a shot; not just the singers. That said, singers seem to win it most of the time. Granted, Terry Fator is a ventriloquist (sp?), but his dolls sing, so there you go.

This act blew my mind the first time I saw them. Paradizo Dance, the husband and wife team of David and Zoe. They’re still newlyweds according to the show (11 months) and they cling to each other when they aren’t performing. It’s cute.

Now watch these two, they are amazing. The guy looks big and out of shape, but he is surprisingly graceful. And strong. His lovely wife, tiny thing that she is, is strong, too. How she lifts this guy without injuring herself is beyond me. And the life from the side? Amazing! Anyway, just watch:

Isn’t that awesome? I get chills…

Anyhoo, just thought I’d share that with any non-watchers out there. Now back to writing my next book.

And The Winner Is….

Sorry I’m late, folks. I was working under an edit deadline and haven’t had a lot of time laterly. But edits are done and I thought I’d announce the winner of the Name My Website contest.

Ready? OK, here it is:

Judith! You win.

Judith suggested I name the website McAfee Land. I liked the continuity with my blog, and so there you have it. I have registered the domain with Go daddy, so now I just need to figure out everything else. Heh heh. Easy, right? Here’s a hint: Invest in Tylenol, ’cause I’m gonna be usin’ a bunch of it!

Judith, please email me at monkeyfeet73@yahoo.com and send me your address so I can get your prizes out to you ASAP.

And thanks everyone who entered. All the ideas were great!

Reminder: Today Is The Last Day for the Name My Website Contest.

Just what the title says. Want details? Go here.

Good Luck to everyone who enters. I have a couple of favorites already, but I ain’t tellin’. Not ’till Monday.

Stay Tuned!