Cannibal Island - The Golden Disk - On Sale Now!

If you crave a turn-of-the-century Steampunk adventure with murder, mystery, and sabotage on the open sea, take advantage of the Back to School Savings being offered now on Cannibal Island - The Golden Disk - Book One. 

Available now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and wherever digital editions are sold.

Price reduction may not last long. Download it today and save.

Quotable Tuesday

It's Tuesday, and it's the day my publisher likes for us to post quotes from one of our books. Today I've selected an excerpt from my steampunk adventure, Cannibal Island. As we join Richie Armstrong and Angus Callahan in the library of the Armstrong Estate, Angus is relating the story...

Angus patted the monkey’s head and leaned back in his chair. “You see, it was more than a fog bank. It was an island. An uncharted one. Had we known in advance that an island existed in that location, we could have dropped anchor and perhaps prevented what happened next. Nevertheless, we didn’t realize it was anything more substantial than a cloud of mist—until the ship ran aground. Several crewmembers were thrown overboard because of the sudden stop when our keel hit the rocky reef. Those of us fortunate enough to have remained on deck began tossing lines into the water. But it was of no use.”

“Why not?” I interrupted. “Surely they could swim to the ship and get back aboard.”

“There wasn’t time. In the darkness, with the fog covering the sea like a thick blanket, we couldn’t see the sharks. But we could quite easily hear the frantic splashing and the terrible screams of our mates as they lost a leg or an arm to those ravenous beasts. Fortunately, it didn’t last long. In a short time, the screaming stopped and became nothing more than a fading memory.”

Back Cover Blurb Finished ...

Whew! It wasn't easy. I never realized that a back cover blurb could be so difficult to come up with, especially if you're trying to grab the reader's attention and encourage them to read the book, all the while keeping it under 150 words. No easy task.

But, since we're talking about the old back cover blurb, I thought I would post it here for you. Hopefully, you'll be interested, intrigued, and curious. Let's see...

It’s the turn of the century, and dirigibles are the modern mode of travel. One of them is shadowing The Seahorse as it sails toward a fog-shrouded island off the coast of Peru, bringing young Richie Armstrong ever nearer to the legendary Incan treasure—and the mysterious Golden Disk.

A strange chain of events has convinced Richie that the airship is being piloted by his archrival—the greedy, oily-haired Hans Von Hisle. Although Richie has in his possession the only known map to the location of the island, would Hans even need a map to spot the island from his lofty perch among the clouds?

It’s a race against time. If Hans reaches the island first, Richie knows the Golden Disk and the precious possibility it holds for changing his past will be lost forever. But there's something else on the island—something that may change his future. And they're bloodthirsty.


Now, after reading that, if your interest is piqued, and you just simply have to read the book, it's currently available in digital format at AMAZON and at BARNES & NOBLE.

My publisher is also doing a promotional Limited Edition Print version that will be coming soon. So keep watching this blog for an opportunity to win a signed copy of a new steampunk adventure—Cannibal Island.

QR Technology and Book Sales

Will the new innovations never end? I've just received something called a QR code from my publisher, Musa Publishing. This code will be imprinted on the back cover of my soon-to-be-released Limited Edition Promotional Print Run for Cannibal Island.

In case you're wondering what the QR code is all about, let me 'splain it briefly based on my own limited understanding. If you have an iPhone or a Smartphone, you can download an app called QR Scanner (it's free). Once you have that, simply open the app and point your camera lens at any QR or bar code on any product. The phone will read the information and give you the option to connect to a website where you can get more information or purchase the product. It's that simple and that amazing.

If you have the QR app in your phone, try it now. Point it at the QR code on this post and see if it takes you to the website.

The End of the World

Well, not really. Not yet. But the end of our contest is coming up in just a little over one day. If you haven't signed up to enter the signed CD of Cannibal Island, you can scroll down a couple of posts to find it. Good luck. And if you just can't wait any longer to read it, here's a LINK where you can get your own copy immediately.

Smashwords has the first four chapters

If you're interested in getting a taste of Cannibal Island (no pun intended) Smashwords has posted the first four chapters, along with part of the fifth. It's enough to give you a good idea of what the story is about and see if it's of interest before you purchase a copy. It left me wanting more, and I wrote the darned thing. So, kudos to Smashwords for that.

Also, if you like what you read there, before ordering you might scroll down on this page and enter the drawing so you can be eligible to win your own copy on a CD signed by the author (me again.)

So there you have the update of what's going on at Cannibal Island. To read the sample at Smashwords, CLICK HERE.

Signed by the Author

This is the week that it happened. On the 16th of March, Musa Publishing released the epic steampunk adventure, Cannibal Island. 

In order to maintain the initial buzz that always surrounds things of this type, we've decided to have a worldwide giveaway event. There are multiple chances available to win your very own FREE COPY of the book in a digital format. I've burned it on a CD and decorated with the beautiful label created by the talented designer extraordinaire, Kelly Shorten. PLUS - after the photo was taken, I signed the front of it. This is currently the only one in existence.

The entry period will be open until the end of the month. At 12:01 a.m. on April 1, 2012, the entry window will close forever. Shortly after that, Rafflecopter will randomly select the winner. Here are the rules. 

A Facebook post with a link to this page gets you entered. And you can get another entry every day you post it. If you Tweet it with the link to this page, you get a second entry. And you get another entry every day you Tweet it. So, there you have it. Two actions gives you two more entries every day. Here's wishing you all the best of luck!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Casting Call for Richie Armstrong

I'm trying to decide who I want to play the role of the main character, Richie Armstrong, in the screen version of Cannibal Island. I'm thinking this guy looks pretty much like the Richie Armstrong I have in mind. What do you think?

Oh, and if you haven't read the book, the post below offers you an opportunity to win a free CD, signed by the author (me). And you can enter every day until the end of the month to improve your chances.

Good luck!

Giveaway Cancelled

Since we received practically no response to this giveaway after three days, I've decided to cancel it for the time being and postpone it until after the book is released. Keep checking for updates as we near the release date.

Designer creates award-worthy cover

Artists sometimes do not get the appreciation and the notoriety they so justly deserve for their wonderful talents. I have just received a final art file from my Artist Extraordinaire at Musa Publishing, and I wanted to sing her praises.

Her name is Kelly Shorten, and, aside from being an absolutely, wonderfully talented and fantabulous designer, she is a dream to work with and has a bit of a psychic or clairvoyant ability. She read my mind and created the exact image I was visualizing for this cover.

Take a look and leave a comment. I absolutely love it.

Book Trailers 101... Easy and Fun

A while back, Myrlin Hermes was a guest blogger on Nathan Bransford's great blog for writers. In his post, he shared the process of creating a book trailer using Windows Movie Maker, which you can download for free! It's very intuitive. I didn't even need to read the "How to" section, although it's there if you have any difficulty getting started.

I gave it a try. I have to tell you that I had more fun than a kid at an amusement park. It's very easy to use. One other item of value was the link to a website called Incompetech, which provides free downloads of royalty-free music tracks. And there's a ton of them to pick from! You can spend a half day listening to find just the right soundtrack for your trailer. What about art and graphics? Those are free as well. Here's a great site with thousands of photos, clip art, just about anything you need to put together a great, professional book trailer: Photos and Art. So, if you have a PC, download the Windows Movie Maker program and start exploring the possibilities.

If you have a Mac, don't despair (why would you ever?) because there's a program built right into your Mac that's just as good as the PC counterpart. It's called iMovie, and I've been playing with it, too. The example above was created with iMovie. I like it just as well, although both programs are slightly different in the way you move through them.

I also found a few other sites where you can get great stuff—for FREE! If you'd like some old black and white movie clips that are in the public domain, visit Public Domain Flicks. Another site with great video loops of different types can be found at Stock Footage For Free and Vimeo. Give it a try. It's all free and you just might discover something you really enjoy doing.

Now, you have no excuse. Give it a try if you're so inclined. You may be amazed at what you're capable of creating! I'm wondering if a high quality video trailer might someday replace the old (so-hard-to-write) query letter that we just talked about. What do you think? Leave a comment. Maybe we can start a trend.

What's going on with your writing?

I'm curious what's going on with your writing efforts. Are you currently involved in coming up with a new idea? Are you plotting a new story? Are you in the middle of writing one? Do you have queries out to agents? Leave a comment and let us know where you are and what you're doing.

I'll start. I currently have Cannibal Island with an agent who was interested enough by the query to request it. I also have Skullhaven with another agent. I'm waiting to hear back from both of them. Naturally, I hope they both love what they're reading, but if so, that may present a dilemma. As far as I know, it's bad form for writers to have more than one agent. Have you ever had two agents offer you representation at the same time? What did you do to resolve it?

Okay. Your turn. Oh, and by the way, if you like this site, feel free to pass the link along on your social networks so we can get more input in the comments and more entries in our future contests. There are more wonderful writers out there that we could all learn from.

Cannibal Island - Book Trailer

I know. I know. You don't have to say it. The book trailer is supposed to come AFTER the book is published. But I couldn't wait. In fact, the way things are moving along, it may be another year or more before it's published. Perish the thought!) It's just the overachiever in me that makes me do these things. I like to get my ducks in row - just in case.

Actually, this is a pretty primitive example of the high quality book trailers currently out there. But it was relatively simple to create and produce, limited only by the producer's imagination and the resources available - and there are lots of them.

First off, I downloaded the free version of Windows Movie Maker and spent a little time collecting royalty-free graphics, photos, and audio. If you're needing a soundtrack or background audio, a site known as Incompetech can fix you up with free audio clips, and there is a plethora of them from which to select. There's no membership fee, nothing. I'm sure you can find just the right soundtrack for your own trailer, should you decide to make one. Also, Wikipedia Commons has millions of graphics and photos you can use with no fee and no copyright infringement issues. It's all out there for the taking, mixing together, and putting into a completed video of your own.

So, take a look and let me know what you think. And, if you're an agent in search of an exciting, boy-centric, steampunk adventure with exotic ports, danger, intrigue and a touch of romance and humor, your cabin awaits on The Seahorse for a 70,000-word voyage from England to Peru and the uncharted island where the Inca gold has been hidden for the last three centuries. There's even a cute little monkey to accompany you on your adventure and help out when necessary. But keep a close lookout for that blasted dirigible that's been following us since we steamed past Portsmouth. I think it's that oily-haired Hans Von Hisle!

If you have any trouble viewing the trailer on this site, you can click HERE to go directly to the Youtube version. It seems to load quicker with no interruptions along the way.