My Math Sucks

Well, this is embarrassing.

Back when I finally made the decision to break my enormous tome into a series, I somehow came to the conclusion that dividing it into books of about 20 chapters each would result in five books.

Nothing seemed obviously wrong with my calculation. I even used a calculator. And a quick browse convinced me that approximately every 20th chapter sat some sort of plot element I could tweak into a story conclusion.

Then today, while looking for that point in what is slated to become Book Four, I couldn’t find it. Huh? How come it seemed workable then, but the 20th chapter in this soon-to-be book doesn’t look remotely like anything that could be tweaked into an ending note?

Well, that’s  my problem, not yours. Bottom line and long story short: looks like the series will have six books instead of five. And I’m not sweating it, because these are the kind of problems I enjoy solving.

Launch Day

The Paradox series is officially launched, with the publishing today of the first book in the series. Heap big thanks to those who pre-ordered.

Be advised: at the end of the book I linked to where you can leave a review on ‘Zon…but the fact that I made the link from the pre-order page caused an error. I was able to upload a correction/working link now that the E-book is live, so henceforth, no worries. But apologies for the inconvenience to those who already have your copy. I have learned my lesson and for subsequent books I will simply wait until the publish date before I try adding the review link.

I sure hope I got everything right on the paperback, because there is no more revising the content, and that publish date is on Tuesday.

I’m a Steamroller, Baby

…And I’m rollin’ down the line.

So ya better get outa’ my way, now…

Ahem.

E-book and paperback  versions of the first Paradox book go live in just a few days. I have also edited the second book, which is scheduled to be published just before Christmas.

The color scheme for this cover has already changed, BTW.

I used the paperback proof again this time and caught all kinds of text that needed tweaking. Funny how that works.

But wait–there’s more! I may be done with the major tweaks to the third book. Well, based on recent experience, probably not. I’m about to order the paperback proof for that one–no doubt I’ll find all kinds of stuff to edit.

Close to Publication

The first book in the Paradox Series is close to debut. The e-book goes live on November 11, and the paperback is scheduled for November 14.  Just got the proof in the mail.

Cutting it kinda’ close, I know, but I’m giving it another once-over, on a physical book this time. I dunno why this is, but I’m finding all kinds of tweaks to make now that I’m actually looking at ink on paper. The deadline’s coming up fast for final revisions, so you know what I’ll be doing this weekend and for all my spare time coming up.

I’ll be tweaking  covers too, when I’m done with this. Might share the covers here in weeks/months ahead.

TZ Paperback on Sale, Too!

Curious about Amazon discounting my debut novel, I surfed over to the Retreads Series page and found that Tier Zero is also discounted. Right now it is $5.09–cheaper than the current discount on the Kindle version and less than a third of the normal price.

Notice the paperback version has the Mack Bolan-esque retro cover painted by Derrick Early. This is yet another good gift idea for somebody who likes to read about kickass operators bringing smoke on bad guys. In this case, the bad guys are modern pirates, human traffickers, a murderous black ops team, and a turncoat mercenary.

Just as with Hell and Gone, I don’t know how long this discount will last…but I do know that Christmas is coming up fast.

H&G Paperback on Sale!

Apparently Amazon does this sometimes: they have been discounting my bestsellers. I thought it was a mistake, but no.

What this means right now is that you can get the Hell and Gone paperback for less than a third of it’s normal retail price. In fact, it’s the same exact price they have discounted the Kindle version to: $4.17.

No idea how long this will last so you might as well strike while the iron is cheap hot! BTW, with Christmas around the corner this is a good gift idea for anyone you know who likes military thrillers, men’s adventure, action novels, or all the above.

With what’s happening in and around Israel right now, this book might be as relevant as ever.

Happy reading!

An Invitation to Readers and Fans

If you like to read, but you’re not on BookBub yet, you really ought to check it out. Their website is just part of it, but there you can search for book titles, authors, and by genre. Even better, you can find book recommendations from authors you already like. If you like what I write, for instance, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll like reading some of the books I’ve enjoyed.

If you subscribe to their newsletter, BookBub will alert you when books are going on sale–sometimes for free.

Goodreads was meant to be a place for booklovers to discover good books, and interact with other avid readers. You may find it more useful than I have, but I find my time better spent at Bookbub. And I plan to spend more time there in the future, follow more authors, get some recommendations on books, and do some recommending of my own. I’ve been on a sort of Sabbatical for the last few years, doing life, tackling various projects, and writing Paradox. For the next several weeks (months?) I’ll be getting books ready for publication, but then I hope to be more active on BookBub.

Why not follow me there? I’ve got a handful of new titles coming out in the near future, and BB can alert you when they’re available. And about price promotions.

I do have an email list, but I don’t have a newsletter and I hate hate hate acting like a spammer and flooding your email inbox with messages. I’ve had so many people (especially authors) do that to me that I dread checking my email sometimes. Sometimes I’ll set aside time to just unsubscribe from all the people burying me under thirsty promotion emails–but it’s kinda’ like cutting heads off the Hydra.

I will send out emails when I have a new book (and I’ll be better about letting folks know when books go on sale), but with the BookBub newsletter, you’ll also learn about other new books you might wanna check out. I’ve got a button now on the right sidebar to follow me, or click right here.

Escaping Fate Is Available for Pre-Order

The first book in Paradox (my epic sci-fi conspiracy thriller/sports/adventure series) goes live before Thanksgiving, but you can be the first on your block to lock it in now.

Pete Bedauern began his life as a latchkey kid in a run-down trailer park with a single mom, living on stale hot dog buns and bleak prospects. Those were the cards Fate had dealt him, and Pete was on his way to becoming an angry young man. Then Pete’s estranged uncle burst on the scene to punch Fate in the mouth.

Uncle Si is scarred inside and out; he’s a hard drinker; painfully blunt; a little mysterious and maybe even scary, but takes an interest in his nephew that Pete’s father never took. Most of Uncle Si’s life is a secret, but through the part of it he shares, Pete undergoes a master course on life, love, and full-contact sports.

As it turns out, Uncle Si not only has tons of money, multiple businesses, and a fleet of fast cars, he also owns a time machine.

Paradox is one good-hearted-but-alienated boy’s odyssey into manhood, and Escaping Fate is the opening leg of that journey. Before it’s complete, Pete will learn the guarded secrets of history, take on a pan-continuum conspiracy, contend for a world championship, crack the code for success with women…and even save the world.

Well, one world, maybe…

Book II in the Paradox series (Rebooting Fate) might be ready by Christmas. They’re all written–just need some tweaking before they’re  ready for prime time.

Escaping Fate is for sale on Amazon, as well as the other e-book stores through this universal book link. Paperback editions will be coming along soon. Thanks to all my readers for your support over the years, and for staying loyal during my eight-year hiatus which is thankfully now coming to an end.

Book Talk Reviews Hell and Gone

A new video book review series is getting started and I’m flattered that my debut novel is the subject of one of the reviews. Check it out:

Way back when I was first getting started in the author business, Winston Crutchfield of Critical Press Media gave me some early exposure by interviewing me on his Critical Mass podcast. I’m not a thrilling speaker, but had fun doing his show and became a fan of his podcast afterwards. I’m still grateful that he bothered to buy and read a book by an author who was unknown at the time, review it, then give me the privilege of talking about it with his fans.

Even cooler that now he’s making video book reviews, he remembered my Retreads Series and gave it an episode.

Since that podcast interview from years ago, Critical Press Media has become a publisher. You should check into the Starman Saga and Intergalactic League. Like me, Winston has a soft spot for superhero comics (back when they were good) and I am intrigued by the latter for that reason. Starman sounds like the kind of Sc-Fi I am always looking to read.

Meanwhile,  I am thrilled that Winston is doing these book reviews on video. Face it: there are a lot of awful books out there and if you’re like me, you’re gunshy because of that, leery of wasting your time, and unsure of what authors to take a chance on. Well, I trust his judgment. Now I can listen to these reviews while driving, eating, working on the car or around the house.

Here are some of the other video book reviews Critical Press Media has posted so far:

Creature Feature

Werewolf By Night

Cycle Path Mysteries

Recipe For Disaster

Lost City of Gaxmoor

Sunkiller

All Creatures Mostly Small

PistolFist Freedom Fighter

Gemini’s Key

The Tainted Lands

Red-Blooded American Men Examine Pop-Culture and the World