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.

Ever hear of Grace Metalious?

She was the author of a 1956 novel that sold 60,000 copies within the first ten days of its release and remained on the New York Times best seller list for 59 weeks. It was adapted as both a 1957 film and a 1964–69 television series.

The novel was Peyton Place. I was fortunate today to be at a family reunion in Marshall, Missouri. The facility was a senior center that we rent every year. This year, it appeared the center was preparing for a book sale. Hundreds of books were piled on the front table, and I picked up one of them while waiting for our lunch to be served. I recognized the title, and began reading. I was immediately struck by the beauty of the writing. So vivid and descriptive, and using the perfect word choices in every sentence. It was golden. I loved it.

For your enjoyment, I have managed to locate the opening and pasted it below. Take a moment to read it. If you're a writer, this is an excellent example of how to draw a reader in.

Indian Summer is like a woman. Ripe, hotly passionate, but fickle; she comes and goes as she pleases, so that one is never sure whether she will come at all nor for how long she will stay.

In Northern New England, Indian Summer puts up a scarlet-tipped hand to hold winter back for a while. She brings with her the time of the last warm spell, an uncharted season until Winter moves in with its backbone of ice and accouterments of leafless trees and hard, frozen ground.

Those grown old, who have had the youth bled from them by the jagged edged winds of winter, know sorrowfully that Indian Summer is a sham to be met with hard-eyed cynicism.

But the young wait anxiously, scanning the chill autumn skies for a hint of her coming. And sometimes the old, against all the warnings of better judgment, wait with the young and hopeful, their tired winter eyes looking heavenward to seek the first traces of a false softening.

The above material is from Peyton Place, copyright 1956 by Grace Metalious.

Cannibal Island Going to Print Edition...

Yes. It's true. 

But this is going to be a very limited edition, and they will not be available anywhere except through the author (me.) So, just a heads up to let you know that in a very short time, I will be having a contest right here to give away a signed and numbered copy in print. Sure to be a collector's item someday. 

So stay tuned. And if you just can't wait to read this steampunk adventure, you can get a digital copy HERE.

How About a Freebie on Memorial Day ?

As a writer and a veteran, I'm honored to participate in this Memorial Day event. In case you haven't read Lost in the Bayou, and haven't had the displeasure of meeting Uncle Conrad, I should tell you that he is a veteran of the Korean War. (I believe the government referred to it as a police action rather than a war.) 

But Conrad can tell you that they had hand grenades in Korea, just like in a real war. And that's where his problems began. But you'll have to read the book to get the full picture of what happened. And that's easy to do. Read on to learn how.

To celebrate Memorial Day, to thank all the veterans for their service, and to make it more rewarding for the loyal readers of this blog, I'm giving away a copy of Lost in the Bayou. If you're just so excited that you can't wait for the contest and you have to read it right now, you can do that, too, just by clicking HERE. And if you've already read it (thank you!) you can always pick up your copy of Cannibal Island right HERE.

All you need to do to enter is use the form below and follow the easy-breezy instructions. You can actually enter three times if you wish and have three times the odds of winning! And once you finish doing that, click the icon below and head on to the next blog to see what's in store for you there.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Great Review from 21 Days

I wanted to send out a big thank you to book reviewer 21 Days for their kind words about Lost in the Bayou.

Here it is...

I'd heard a lot about this book and finally got to it on my TBR Kindle list. Well, I was not disappointed and ended up enjoying it a heck of a lot more than I even expected to! Uncle Conrad is the best villain to come down the pike in forever! I'd love to see him get his own book series in fact. This is a wonderful, thrilling, fast paced read and one that I recommend for sure to a YA/middle grade reader but kids of all ages will enjoy it. The bayou setting lends an air of mystery and danger as well! But watch out for Uncle Conrad.

Lost in the Bayou linked to Barnes & Noble

If you've been waiting to make a purchase at Barnes and Noble, now may be the best time ever. They're offering a $25 Gift Card to anyone who makes a new purchase. Or, $50 worth of coupons. So, if you'd like to purchase Lost in the Bayou, or Cannibal Island, or any other book you'd like to read, now may be the perfect opportunity to do so and walk away like a bandit.

Here's a link if you'd like to check it out: BARNES & NOBLE