This Is Weird…

How is there a used copy of 33 A.D. for sale already? And why the heck is it twice the cost of a new copy from Amazon? WTF?

Pre-Order SPELLS, by Aprilynne Pike Today!

Did you read WINGS like I told you to? Didja? You should have, it was great. I even posted a review of it here.

Well, the sequel is almost here. So go and get it. Click the picture below to pre-order. What are you waiting for? Go ahead. I’ll wait.

And The Winner Is…

Randon.org has spoken. The winner of the last remaining advance copy of 33 A.D. and the signed copy of DARK JUSTICE is…

Wendi B! Congratulations, Wendi! Your books will be there in a few days. I hope you enjoy it. Also included in this prize is a copy of the chapbook, THE SPIDER AND THE FLY. I signed that one, too. And I numbered it. (Yours is #2)

I’m going to give away a few more copies of the chapbook, plus a copy or two of the book, 33 A.D. (no more advance copies, though. Those are gone.) in the next few weeks, so stay tuned for more contests. (I just enjoy giving stuff away…can you tell?)

Thanks to all who entered. The book is listed on Amazon and Barnes And Noble.com if you still want to check it out, and I know you do. (it’s cheaper to buy it that way than to order it from a bookstore.)

New Banner and Another Contest!

Like the banner? I did it myself. I’m learning how to use Photoshop. Should probably buy a Dummies book about it, but I’m too cheap. I also designed a promotional bookmark. Check it out. Here’s the front:

And here is the back:

Notice a theme? Yeah, I know. I like it, though. Not bad for a first try, right? I’m going to order some today.

OK, now more news. I am giving away the VERY LAST Advance copy of 33 A.D. Not kidding. It’s the last one. I didn’t even keep one for myself. But that’s not the only thing I’m going to give away. I have a few copies of my chapbooks which are limited, riddled with typos, a bit butchered and very cheaply produced by my former publisher. I looked over the copies of the stories I sent him, and it seems he actually ADDED typos. Weird. But oh, well. Here’s a pic:

All told I received 9 of these. Because I am no longer associated with Ghostwriter Publications and I have all my rights back, they are not allowed to sell them anymore, so these should be pretty rare. I am going to hand number and sign my 9 copies (1-9, of course) and give 8 of them away to you guys! (I’m keeping #9 for myself.) You can win one. Yup. AND author Donnie Light has agreed to give away a copy of his book, Dark Justice. Here’s the description:

Back Cover Text:

Galen Morris is running for his life. He does not know his pursuer, or the nature of the thing that follows him relentlessly.

Before he can stop running, he has to understand his pursuer. In order to understand it he has to face it, but only in fleeting moments before he must run again. In his struggle to survive, he knows only one thing for sure – he must run – or die. The answers he desperately needs to survive will be found in a 200-year-old legend about a slave, also running for his life, who seeks justice for the murder of his wife. This justice will not come from a court of law to which slaves had no access, but from something very different indeed.

In a seemingly hopeless struggle to understand and overcome his pursuer, Galen embarks on a cross-country chase in search of help. What he finds are death, lies, and the love of his life.

Dark Justice tells two separate but related tales that come together in an exciting climax where justice is finally served – in a very dark and unusual way.

——————————————————————–

Donnie even got a blurb from James Rollins! Lucky!

James Rollins Blurb:

“Few debut novels pack the punch of a seasoned professional, but Dark Justice does just that. Visceral, complex, and riveting, here is a story that spans time and pushes the genre’s boundaries. Kept me reading until the early morning hours.”
–James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Oracle

Here’s the cover:

All you have to do to win these items is leave a comment. Yup! That’s it. I will use random.com to determine the winner. So you don’t have to break into song, spout poetry, or entertain me. In fact, you can leave a comment calling me the biggest P.O.S. this side of the Atlantic if you want and it’ll still count. It’s that easy. Oh, make SURE you leave me your email address in this format:

Yourname (at) whatever.com

This is so the net spiders don’t pick up your email and spam you.

That’s it, folks! the contest closes Sunday, March 28, at Midnight. Good luck!

Doubt

Doubt is an ugly thing. Most writers probably know this already. We experience it at every stage of writing. The questions come like ants at a picnic. Can I really finish writing a book? Is it good? Will people like it? Do they really like it or are they just being nice? Will it find a home? Will it get good reviews? Will it sell more than a handful of copies? You get the idea, right?

They don’t stop if you get an agent or a publisher, either. I had (emphasis on the past tense, here) both. An agent shopped around my book to a handful of publishers. Literally five or six. No takers. So she said “good luck” and moved on. The following year, after many close calls, I found a publisher on my own. Ghostwriter Publications. Well, we all know how that worked out.

So here I am, going it alone. My book is on Kindle, and the Nook and print versions are coming soon. At first it will only be available online, but I have priced it competetively, given it deep discounts, and made the somewhat crazy decision to make the books returnable in hopes that a few copies will find their way to bookstore shelves. It’s a gamble, that last bit. We’ll see if it pays off.

The final product, if I do say so myself, is pretty nice. One of the great things about doing your own thing is that you are in command. All the decisions are yours. You want your interior to look a certain way? OK. You want your headers in a certain font? Done. Page numbers, chapter headers, graphics, etc. It’s all you. And that is what 33 A.D. is. It is all me. Aside from the cover, which I contracted, I set every single aspect of the book up myself. (NOTE: I am talking about the print version; I had help with the Kindle version. Author Donnie Light) I have painstakingly edited, groomed, edited, revised, edited, formatted, and edited this book until it suffered far too many cuts and slashes and could no longer bleed, hoping I hadn’t killed it.

Of course, that also means that if it fails miserably, I have only myself to blame. Neat how all that works, huh? (In case you missed it…that’s that “doubt” thing again)

I’m not the first person to do this, and I won’t be the last, but it can be a bit overwhelming at times. Marketing, promotion, writing, trying to keep my head on my day job so all this is even possible, etc. So far my head hasn’t exploded, but if it does, I’ll make sure to let everyone know via posthumous text messages. I haven’t figured out how I am going to do that yet, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.

Anyway, doubt. That’s what started this whole thread. Doubts are everywhere, especially for an author in my position. The trick is not to succumb to them. I’ve come close more than once, but the bottom line is I believe in my work. It won’t be for everyone, no book is. Some folks will hate it, some will never know it exists, and still others will simply say “M’eh. I’ve seen better.” But some people will like it. Maybe even love it. I believe this so strongly that I put my own money and time on the line to see it happen. Despite any doubts or fears I may have, I have to see this through. How many others in my position have said those words, I wonder? Thousands? Millions? Probably. Some have won. Most have lost, but win or lose, I am going to try.

Because if you let your doubts get the best of you, then you have already lost.

Kindle Version Is Out!

Hi All!

Just a quick note to let you guys know the Kindle Version of 33 A.D. is available for sale. I set the price at a very modest $2.99 because, frankly, I think anything more for an eBook is a bit much. With luck, you guys agree.

I even have a couple of reviews! Good ones, too. Click the link to check ‘em out.

The print version is coming soon. I will keep all of you posted when it comes out, I promise.

In other news, I finally received a package from Ghostwriter Publications. It contained one contributor copy of CREATURE FEATURE (he owed me 2), 9 copies of my chapbook, THE SPIDER AND THE FLY, and one copy of Neil’s chapbook. Missing were the other copy of CREATURE FEATURE, Four chapbooks by other GWP authors that I ordered (and paid for) and any kind of payment for my work. Maybe he lost the original order and royalty info. Who knows?

I’ll be giving away several copies of the chapbook in a giveaway next week, along with the VERY LAST advance copy of 33 A.D. That’s right. I have ONE left to give away. Want it? Stay tuned to this blog for details.

Why I Left Ghostwriter Publications

Ok, I am not one who is prone to negativity, but I feel a solid need to share this information with anyone and everyone so that other writers do not go through this. In order to make certain I cannot be sued for Libel, I am sticking to things I can prove beyond a reasonable doubt. This is more than enough of a warning to most, I think, but do keep in mind there is more, much more, that I can not state in a public forum due to the fact that I can’t actually prove it. But everything you will read below is 100% provable by saved emails, screen shots, bank records, etc.

Ok, ready? Here we go:

GWP (Ghostwriter) has been selling my work in one form or another since June of 2009. This is a fact. Check Amazon for an anthology called CREATURE FEATURE. My work is in that anthology. To date I have received not a single penny in payment. This is a fact I can prove with bank records.

In early January of this year, I bought several chapbooks from GWP. I can prove this with my email receipt. To this day, I have not received a single book. Likewise, my contributor copies for the aforementioned CREATURE FEATURE anthology never showed up at my house. OK, I can’t actually prove that I have not received any books. So if you choose not to believe that part, then I won’t argue. Although I do have my wife as a witness that they never came.

I have dealt exclusively with Neil Jackson, owner and operator of GWP. When questioned about these things, Neil becomes agitated and often rude. I can prove this with saved emails, as well as the following Facebook conversation. Please take a look at these images, I tried to make sure I got the whole conversation from beginning to end.

As you can see, this conversation went downhill in a big hurry. I especially like the part where he talks about beating me with a crowbar. Nice, huh? This has been fairly typical of Neil’s reactions when I question why my projects are being ignored or why I have yet to receive my books and/or royalties. Again, I can prove all this via saved emails. There is more that I can’t prove, like how long I have been waiting for Neil to send me the breaks for GRUBS that started this whole conversation, or what he has said to me in the past about the writers who left GWP and a few who have not. For now, the above should be enough to hopefully make you think twice about dealing with Neil and GWP.

I have forwarded all provable information to Preditors and Editors, and they have since (and very quickly, I might add) changed the Ghostwriter Publications entry to read Not Recommended.

I couldn’t agree more.

Neat!

I guess I’m a nerd, but I find stuff like this insanely interesting:

Gas pipeline probe uncovers shipwrecks in Baltic Sea

Some of these wrecks are over a thousand years old. A thousand! Wow!

Hmmmmmmmm…

Not sure what to call this post. Maybe “Urban Legend Confirmed” or something along those lines. Nah, I’ll just leave it at “Hmmmmmmmm…”

We’ve all seen the guys on the on ramp or sitting on the sidewalk with a guitar or a sign, etc. I usually feel bad if I don’t try to help because I’m a softie. It’s true. If I have any cash on me, I’m likely to hand over a bit to a scruffy-looking hard luck case, in most cases with a smile on my face that reads “I am a sucker, take my money.”

You know…guys like this (NOTE: Borrowed pic, this is NOT the individual I am talking about):

Most of the time, I try to believe that I am actually helping someone who needs it, which makes me feel better about parting with my hard-earned. (Of which I have far too little.) One fellow, in particular, has gotten money from me on numerous occasions. This guy sits on the sidewalk by a parking garage in a ragged, one piece thermal suit with duck tape patches and more stains than Stephen Hawking has brain cells. His long, shaggy beard is unkempt and hides most of his ruddy cheeks. Usually he wears a tattered knit toboggan on his head. While he sits on the sidewalk, he plays an equally ratty guitar, which he carries in a beat up guitar case (again, duct tape patches, dirty, etc.) And waits for people to drop bills into either his guitar case or an old coffee tin.

Well, as I have said. I am a sucker for a hard luck story, and I’ve given this guy money on several occasions.

Saturday night, Heather and I decided to ge see THE CRAZIES (excellent movie!), and we parked in that same parking garage. Who do I see walking up the stairs but our ragged street musician with guitar case in hand. He looked kinda funny loading that beat up, ratty guitar case into the trunk of a (very) late model Lincoln Town Car.

Nope. Not kidding. This guy dresses like he has to fight cockroaches for food, plays on my sympathy, and apparently owns a car that cost more than my yearly salary. Go figure.

I can’t wait until the next time I see him on the sidewalk playing. I am going to ask him if that is his Pearl White Lincoln Town Car in space XX on floor X. If he says no, then I will say “Good. Because there’s a guy up there with a tow truck about to haul it away,” and see if he takes off running.

DISCLAIMER: I know there are needy people out there. Further, I know that this particular individual is not representative of every guy with a guitar sitting on the sidewalk and playing for loose change. Not everyone out there is trying to rip you off, and you should never feel bad about helping people who need it. But guys like this make it so hard to trust that you are actually helping someone in need, know what I mean? Shit like this really gets under my skin.

13 Questions for Jeremy Robinson

Howdy, all. It’s been quite some time since I have had a 13 Questions segment on the blog, but I am happy to say the long wait is over. Today I am interviewing Thriller author Jeremy Robinson, author of PULSE, INSTINCT, BENEATH, and a whole lot more. Jeremy is truly a classy guy and is also a rising star in the thriller genre. If you haven’t read any of his work, you are missing out.

OK, enough of that. You guys want his words, not mine, right? Of course you do. So let’s get started:

1) First thing’s first. You self-published your first novel, THE DIDYMUS CONTINGENCY. Can you tell us a little bit about that experience? Why did you self publish instead of seeking a publisher?

I had been writing screenplays for years and writing DIDYMUS as a novel (based on a previously written screenplay) was something of an experiment. I was able to get in touch with James Rollins at the time and he loved it and provided a blurb for it. Ultimately, I decided that I wanted to self publish because 1. I had been through the slush pile experience with screenwriting and didn’t want to re-experience it, and 2. Jim and I both felt the story was too different (a time travel, sci-fi thriller with Jesus) to sell easily.

So I decided to go it alone. Being a graphic designer and illustrator, I knew I could package the book well enough. So I published on Lulu.com, because a B&N.com bestseller, Lulu’s #1 fiction title (DIDYMUS still holds that honor even though it hasn’t sold via Lulu for years) and landed my agent, who found me on Amazon. That makes it sound easy. But it wasn’t and still isn’t. I spend half of every day and a lot of money on marketing.

2) How long have you been writing fiction? Any reason you write in the thriller genre? Could you see yourself writing in another genre?

I’ve been story telling longer than I’ve been writing. As a kid I was an artist, drawing my storylines. After college I was a comic book illustrator and eventually realized what I was doing with my art was telling stories. I wrote a few comics, moved into screenplays (not a huge leap) and then to novels (a bigger leap).

My genre is already hard to peg. I write thrillers technically, but my books are also full of horror, sci-fi and action/adventure. That said, my biggest break from the norm is underway right now—a SIX book young adult series. Of course, the only thing different is that it features a teen main character and is written in first person present. Other than that, it’s still science, mythology and monsters.

3) I know you are working on a YA project based on your novel ANTARKTOS RISING. Can you tell us something about that?

I should have read all the questions before answering! To fill in more of the blanks from question 2, yes, the YA series is based on ANTARKTOS RISING. The first three books are prequels with the first one taking place in 1987. Book 4 parrallels ANTARKTOS. 5 and 6 continue the YA series AND completes the ANTARKTOS storyline. Pretty sweet if you ask me! Of course, now I just need to sell a publisher on it. The proposal is about 90% done, then its off to my agent for input. After that…we’ll see.

4) Who are some of the authors that you read regularly?

I read James Rollins, Jeff Long, Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child, and a bunch more. Basically, all the guys you see giving me blurbs on the back of my books, which is incredibly exciting for me. I’m an author, but I’m and honest to goodness fan-boy of all these other guys.

5) What do you like most about writing? Is there a downside for you?

What I like most is getting these stories out of my head and in front of other people’s eyes. As fun as it is coming up with this stuff, the best is when someone reads and enjoys one of my books. The downside? I can think of two. 1. Marketing. I hate it. But it’s a necessary evil and I’ve spent an incredible amount of time experiment and mastering ways to spread the word. 2. Pay for authors is not steady. There is always a feeling of uncertainty. When will the next check come? I’ve waited more than a year for some. When will the next deal come? Everything is up in the air for a new author. With three kids and a mortgage, that uncertainty can be distracting.

6) How many projects are you working on right now?

Good question. I need to think about that… I’ve got the 6 book YA series proposal under way. I recently finished a proposal for a 3 book series called SecondWorld that will be absolutely amazing if I get the green light. My agent is shopping two humor books I wrote under pennames. I’ve got book 4 of the Chess Team worked out and ready to be written, but am waiting to hear if the publisher wants a book 4. Actually, I know what book 5 will be too. SO, a lot is up in the air. I’m not sure what will be the next deal, but I’ll be writing at least two full novels by 2011, whether I’ve sold them or not.

7) Describe a typical day in the life of Jeremy Robinson.

Wake up at 6:30. Hang out with the fam until 9. Work on marketing from 9 – 12. Lunch and Stephen Colbert until 12:30. Write from 12:30 – 5. If I have cover design work I do that at night.

8 ) Tell us about your first “big press” novel, PULSE. What is it about? Where did the idea come from?

PULSE is about a team of Delta operatives known as the Chess Team—King, Queen, Knight, Bishop and Rook—tasked with combating terrorism. In PULSE, that terrorism turns out to be a genetics company working on human regeneration (ultimately immortality) and selling it to the highest bidder. The result is a lot of science, mythology and bloody shootouts with animals, people and creatures that can’t be killed.
The idea for the Chess Team is actually hard to peg. My editor at Thomas Dunne had read ANTARKTOS RISING and loved it, but said they wanted something without the God angle. So I started working out the Chess Team. It sort of all just came to me. The idea for PUSLE specifically (regeneration and the Hydra) came from my very first screenplay written in 1995 while traveling the East coast for four months.

9) Is INSTINCT a sequel to PULSE?

INSTINCT is the sequel to PULSE. It’s all very separate from PULSE, though, until the very end. Then the storylines mesh a little bit and lead us into book 3 which combines elements from both PULSE and INSTINCT.

10) To celebrate the mass market paperback release of PULSE, you are giving away free signed books. Tell us how we can get one. Or two. Or eight.

Here’s the deal. To get a copy of PULSE, or INSTINCT, or BENEATH, visit this page on my site: http://www.jeremyrobinsononline.com/thrillevangelist.html. Here you’ll find out all the details. In essence you must become a Thrillevangelist spreading the good word about my books. Put up listmania lists on Amazon. Tweet about the books. Blog about them. And you will be rewarded. You can aim for one book in particular or go for them all!

11) Personally, I can’t wait for INSTINCT to be released. For some of the folks out there who might not have read any of your books in the past, how about telling us a little about it? What can we look forward to in INSTINCT?

INSTINCT is a pull-no-punches book. I’m pretty certain the Chess Team gets brutalized worse than any other fictional team being published right now. The scars they have at the end of this book will never fade. Those who have read it say it’s my best book to date, and I agree.

The story takes the team to the jungles of Vietnam where they sure for a cure to a weaponized plague that was first used to assassinate the president of the United States. They face danger on all sides—the plague, Neo Khmer Rogue, Vietnamese Special Forces (the Death Volunteers) and an ancient evil that holds the key to saving the world, put won’t let them leave the jungle alive.

12) What is next on the horizon for Jeremy Robinson? More Chess Team novels? YA projects? The ANTARKTOS RISING animated feature? C’mon, fill us in!

I think I’ve hit on this already, but here’s a breakdown.
• CHESS TEAM – Books 4 and 5 are planned, but not contracted yet.
• SECONDWORLD – Proposal is written and with my publisher, who is very excited about it, but I have yet to see an offer.
• SOLOMON: THE DESCENT (book 1 of the 6 part series) – Sample is complete. Summaries for all 6 books needs to be edited. Then its off to my agent.
• Two humor books, THE ZOMBIE’S WAY by Ike Onsoomyu and THE NINJA’S PATH by Kutyuso Deep (sound out the author names) are being shopped around.
That’s about it! What’s that, thirteen books in the works? The publishers will decide
what actually comes out next, though.

13) Lastly, what advice would you give to someone who wants to write books for a living, based on your own experiences getting where you are today?

I have a two part answer. First, be absolutely dedicated to the cause. I spent nearly 13 years in near poverty (I made 16k per year for a few years!) because I spent ALL my time working on writing, and then marketing. I gave up a lot of the comforts I could have had and focused on the long term goal of being a published author. Without this obsessive commitment, you’re far less likely to succeed. Of course, it helps a lot that I have an supportive wife. Without her, I’d have been dedicated, and homeless.

Second, don’t “write what you know.” That’s standard advice for authors, but I think its wrong. The logic says, if you’re a lawyer, write courtroom dramas. Chances are, if you’re a lawyer trying to become an author, the courtroom experience is boring you. For that reason, I say, write what you love! Your excitement will come through in your writing and if something interests you enough, you’ll do the research and will “know” it because you love it, not because it was your previous job. Because of my research for KRONOS I’m now considered an expert on the topic of the New England Sea Serpent and have been interviewed as such several times. So write what you love. You’ll be a better writer for it.

That last part sounds like very good advice to me. Write what you love. Beautiful! Thank you so much for agreeing to do this, jeremy. It was a pleasure.

Jeremy’s novel, PULSE, is now available in mass market paperback from Thomas Dunne books. It’s definitely worth the $7.99 price of admission.

Now, for those of you who are interested in Jeremy’s books (and all of you should be) check them out here. Or go to his Amazon Fan Page. You can also check out his website. You won’t be diasppointed.

That’s about all for now, folks. Be sure to check back in a few days for more news and another contest for the very last Advance Copy of 33 A.D. I will give away.