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Friday, December 21, 2012
99 Authors 99 Books 99 Cents
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Monday, December 17, 2012
Bishop and the Pixies Book One – Complete Boxed Set – Book One and Two by Nathaniel Parkinson, Author
Now Available: Bishop and the Pixies Book One – Complete Boxed Set – Book One and Two
Barnes & Noble link here.
NOTE: This set contains the entire Bishop and Louise story line, and is suitable for gift giving. Your friends and family will NOT have to spend more money or wait months to find out the ending!
Book One: The entire hidden magical world is in danger from an unknown foe. Former SAS commando (now daytime bodyguard to a powerful vampire) Bishop, and his team of three devious and mischievous Pixies are the ‘ace in the hole’ for the magical world. Together they make up a most unexpected, improbable and hilarious combat team. Follow their adventures as they travel the world, find love, steal tiger cubs, and uncover the true nature of this threat in an exciting new series!
Book Two: Bishop and his team of devious Pixies team up with the world’s most powerful magical creatures in a desperate race to save the world from complete annihilation. Follow them from the secret caverns of Gibraltar to the Libyan Desert as this first adventure comes to a shocking end. NOTE- This book is intentionally rated PG or better and is kid friendly, and meant to be fun and funny. Sit back, pull up a cat and have fun!
(This volume concludes the Bishop and Louise story line – but is certainly NOT the last you will hear from the Pixies – look for the first Pixie Sequel “Rise of the PixieNet” in 2013.)
Olivia Martinez: Author Interview with Nat Parkinson
I recently had the chance to talk with the enigmatic Nat Parkinson. With over forty years of writing behind him, he has become an overnight sensation with his first book, Bishop and the Pixies, Book One: The Hunt Begins. Straight from the pages of Facebook, a story began to develop and Nat nurtured it to fruition.
In Book One of Bishop and the Pixies, all of the magical world finds itself on the brink of disaster. A former commando and his band of pixies find themselves on a mission to save the world. Will they be able to discover who’s behind the threat and stop them in enough time? Throw in a lovely human named Louise, grand theft tiger cubs, and Willoughby’s galloping kittens and you’ll enjoy the wild ride.
Keep an eye out for Book Two of Bishop and the Pixies. It’s slated for an early November release!
Oh. I must tell you that without the pixies none of this would be possible. (There is currently a pixie bomb being held over my head. They forced me to say that.)
When Nat sat down to answer the interview questions, he told me that this was his first interview for the book. This little ol’ blogger is feeling rather privileged at the moment! I’m always excited to do interviews with authors, but this one means a little more to me since I had the opportunity (with many of you) to watch the characters develop. Thanks Nat!
Alright Pixies, Humans, and Others, here’s what you’ve been waiting for. A quick ten twelve questions with Nat Parkinson.
— —- —- —- —-
Are you a new author or do you have other books I can mention? This is my first novel. I have written for nearly 40 years – both for newspapers and business, but this is my first foray into fiction.
What is your background? In many ways I am Bishop. I have traveled or lived in nearly thirty different countries and speak nine languages. I love to cook, was in the rare wine business, worked as a Merrill Lynch Stockbroker, served in the Army, lived for five years on a sailboat, and was actually raised by butlers and nannies. I am a throwback to the 1800’s, now living in quiet obscurity in Maine and raising my kids. Most of my neighbors believe I am in the Witness Protection Program. I encourage this belief.
Where did you get the inspiration for your book? “Bishop and the Pixies” was drawn from watching the Facebook antics of H.P Mallory’s “Pixie” fans…they are delightfully mischievous and many of the scenes in this and the future books are shamefully lifted from their posts on Facebook. This entire series is being written with ‘real time’ interaction with the fans – I release periodic snippets on my author page and to the secret Pixie Page for their approval. I learned early on in this process that I had to satiate their curiosity for my own well being. I have made a careful effort to include locations I have visited, meals I have cooked, and real world things I have actually seen or lived.
Procrastination is defined as an author’s favorite pastime. What do you do to avoid writing? I still have a ‘real world’ job (almost 16 years as an agent for Aflac) and am interrupted at least 20 times a day with claims and questions. Punctuate that with my kids, dog, cat, and life and the writing is crammed in between. But, I was a US Army journalist and can bang out 3,000 to 5,000 words in a day. If you ‘fell behind’ in army journalism school, you got re-assigned as an infantryman… I made it a point never to fall behind.
Will we be hearing from Bishop again? (If so, please give a guesstimate to when.) “Bishop and the Pixies” will be a trilogy. My ‘target’ for Book Two is November 2012. Here are the opening paragraphs:
-
“Master ‘S’
It is with a heavy heart and my sincere gratitude that I must advise
you of my intent to retire from your service. Recent circumstances have
made my continuing employ impractical, if not hazardous to your personal
safety, and thus we must part ways.
Many years ago we struck an agreement. You agreed to postpone our contract for the duration of the war out of respect for my patriotic duty to the crown. Once again, the world is at war, but this time the stakes are the future of the entire world. I propose the same agreement.
I shall continue to serve ‘for the duration’ of this current conflict then, assuming there is a world remaining to which I might retire, I shall live out the remainder of my days.
You once told me that you would always take the solemn word of a British Soldier. I assume that is still the case today. Again, you have my solemn word that I shall continue my efforts to vanquish this threat with all my skills and vigor.
Given the nature of the enemy we face this resignation may well be entirely moot. The odds of my surviving this battle are certainly not in my favor. I have faced such odds before and do not fear them. But as in Libya, I have a greater obligation today than my own safety. If I survive, I must retire. This shall be my final campaign….”
How difficult do the pixies make your job as an author? They are constantly looking over my shoulder. But, without them there would be no books, so I do my best to ignore.
What do you do when you’re not writing? I’m pretty boring in ‘real life’. I am a news and golf junkie and watch C-SPAN for “fun”. Really.
You’ve enjoyed immediate success with your book. What advice can you give to other aspiring authors on how to promote themselves? I was amazed this afternoon to find that “Bishop and the Pixies” hit #1 on Barnes and Nobles ‘New Sci-Fi’ after only 6 days…I can only attribute this to the way I wrote it. Every step of the way I included my Facebook fans, shared pre-release excerpts and included them in the writing process…I don’t think ANY book has ever been written in this way. So, when it was released I had a fan base waiting – for a new author and a first book.
Your book is a tie-in with another successful series. Would you like to tell us a little about Bishop’s origins? I invented “Bishop” as the daytime Facebook bodyguard to Sinjin Sinclair (Vampires tend to sleep during the day and sorta need someone to keep them safe) and the Facebook persona took on a life of its own. This is not a ‘tie in’ so much as a ‘jump to the left….and then a step to the right’ No characters in B&P appear in any of H.P.’s books…this is an entirely new ‘world’.
Is there a specific age group you are targeting or is this a book for readers of all ages? I kept this book (and all future books) age appropriate for age 12 – but targeted it to also appeal to adults…there is no sex, very mild profanity (‘Crap’ versus worse choices) and most of the violence is aimed at ‘bad guys’. I have kids, and would not worry for one minute about them reading my books, and 90% of my readers are adults – who enjoy a funny story.
Who are you reading right now? I have a vast collection of 1950’s “Juvenile Fiction” and am currently re-reading the “Tom Corbett – Space Cadet” series. Gosh they’re swell!
Where would you live if you could choose anywhere in the world? No hesitation – back to living on a sailboat. You get to pick your neighbors and the view is always lovely.
Two Snippets from Book One and two snippets from Book Two! Enjoy!
Snippet: “Holy CRAP! It’s the Queen!”
Suddenly Shannon reined her cat to an abrupt stop and screeched, “Holy CRAP! It’s the Queen! Run for it!” and wheeled her calico mount around. She and the others rode out onto the patio and over the back wall into the night, as fast as the cats could run.
Bishop raised his hands to the shocked group.
“Please, don’t ask,” he said.
Drea shook her head and wrote something in a small notebook. She tucked her pencil back into her hair with great precision and gave it a small tug, making sure it was secure.
Snippet: Bishop’s Name
“There is one thing I’d like to know before you go…” she said with a smile.
“And what would that be, dear?”
“You must have a first name? I think it’s only fair that you tell me.”
Bishop’s ears turned reddened slightly. He paused for several long seconds and looked around the suite to make sure that no Pixies had snuck in. Finally he lowered his mouth to Louise’s ear and whispered.
“Oh dear!” Louise said, “You can’t be serious?”
“I’m afraid so,” Bishop replied with a shake of his head.
“But…”
“Quite so,” Bishop said quickly.
“Whose idea was that?” Louise asked with a giggle.
“My mother was a charming woman but she had some rather odd ideas at times.”
“Let’s just stick with ‘Bishop’,” Louise agreed as she started to giggle again.
Snippet: Introducing Corporal Simon
One night Bishop stopped in to check on Simon’s progress and noticed that the recruit was wearing a holster with what seemed to be an ape sized – and quite real – .32 caliber pistol. Bishop instantly froze. Could Willoughby really be so certifiable as to give a loaded gun to an ape? Bishop quickly placed the odds at 50/50.
With exaggerated care, Bishop slowly approached Simon until he was close enough to snatch the weapon and examine it. In a reaction which would certainly bring any other recruit up on charges, the ape screeched and leapt onto Bishop’s back and whacked him on the head with an orange. A quick examination revealed the pistol to be unloaded and Bishop handed it back to Simon.
The corporal holstered his prized possession and sulked away.
Snippet: Disable the Internet
Diana shook her head sadly, “As you would say Bishop, quite so. Even our best efforts could no longer make them doubt themselves.”
“And I ask you,” he said placing his hand on Melanthorpe’s shoulder, “when even a human such as this disreputable specimen – after consuming the entire contents of a pub, becoming so absurdly blotto that he obeyed the orders of a monkey in a suit…”
“I’ve been doing that for years…” Melanthorpe objected.
Bishop ignored the comment, “…when even the likes of this, can suddenly rattle off the batting average of the third baseman of the 1934 New York Yankees, I submit we have reached that same stage.
“Who here had ever even heard of Jack Saltzgaver before I asked you about him? I know I hadn’t and I was around in 1934. Yet every drunken carcass here – Mr. Mahmoud excepted of course – was instantly able to locate his statistics and smugly recite them. This absurdity must be stopped. I propose that we instill some healthy doubt back into mankind. We must disable the internet.”
Layla had been half listening to Bishop’s quiz and discussion with Diana with the small portion of her brain which was not pounding and numb but this last comment woke her up immediately.
“Holy CRAP! What did just you say?” she asked.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Sedona's Spirit by Amanda Hunter
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Alexa entrusts her Metaphysical Science Professor, Max Machete at the University of Northern Arizona with her secret. Surprisingly, he is not even remotely surprised by her admission and believes that she is more talented than she knows.
Alexa decides to put her trust into this new adversary. She also lets him show her where her talents may come in handy and how they may save her best friend's boyfriends life, along with bringing down a big company that is known to frequently dump toxic chemicals into Stoneman Lake.
Through this new learning journey, Alexa not only finds herself more aware of her true spiritual nature, but also finds true love and her Sedona's Spirit, so to speak.
You never know what spirits Sedona, Arizona may hold, let alone what spirits it may let out.
Visions, Spirits, and Murder Oh My!, What do you do when a vision turns gruesome and you watch your best friend's boyfriend be murdered?
What happens when you learn something you never knew about yourself and it turns into the one thing that might save your friends?
Do you run the other way or do you jump in with both feet and do what you think is right?
What do you do when you accidentally fall in love with the one person that can help you?
These are all the questions that Alexa Vandagau must face when she gets a vision that her best friend's boyfriend is going to be murdered. She faces challenges that would stump a weaker person and overcomes obstacles that would be hard for anyone to hurdle. She is not your typical heroine or your damsel in distress. Alexa is a strong, independent, and caring woman and she is someone you want to be friends with.
Amanda Hunter hits it out of the ball park with her newest release! You will not be disappointed! Enjoy, I know I did!!!
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
The Gifts Aren't Only From Santa
The Gifts Aren't Only From Santa crew are gearing up for two days of FREE and discounted for charity!
That's right. December 14th and December 15th, treat yourself to a buffet of ebook joy by visiting Amazon and downloading FREE ebooks or heavily discounted ebooks where 100% of the proceeds go towards charity. How cool is that to be a giver and a receiver all at one time?!?!
On top of that, there's a fun Facebook event scheduled for December 14th with cool games and prizes to win. Go here for details.
Want to get a heads up on the great novels coming up for FREE or discounted? Go here to peruse the titles. Just make sure you don't drool on the keyboard. You'll need it for the December 14th Facebook fun.
"What if I don't have a kindle?" you ask. Well, that isn't a problem. Got a smartphone (android, blackberry, iPhone), computer (Mac or Windows-based), or a tablet (iPad or android tablet), then you can download a FREE kindle app and take advantage of these great titles being made available to you.
Don't forget to enter to win some great prizes in the rafflecopter as well. Yeah, we're just loving the giving spirit! Make sure to share this with everyone so no one misses out on the fun, prizes and free ebooks galore!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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| Join us for the Facebook fun on the 14th! |
On top of that, there's a fun Facebook event scheduled for December 14th with cool games and prizes to win. Go here for details.
Want to get a heads up on the great novels coming up for FREE or discounted? Go here to peruse the titles. Just make sure you don't drool on the keyboard. You'll need it for the December 14th Facebook fun.
"What if I don't have a kindle?" you ask. Well, that isn't a problem. Got a smartphone (android, blackberry, iPhone), computer (Mac or Windows-based), or a tablet (iPad or android tablet), then you can download a FREE kindle app and take advantage of these great titles being made available to you.
Don't forget to enter to win some great prizes in the rafflecopter as well. Yeah, we're just loving the giving spirit! Make sure to share this with everyone so no one misses out on the fun, prizes and free ebooks galore!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Bishop and the Pixies Book One - Complete Boxed Set - Book One and Two [Kindle Edition] Nathaniel Parkinson (Author), H.P. Mallory (Introduction)
Book One
What do you get when you put a British Butler, 3 ornery Pixies, a witch, and some guns and ammunition? A whole lot of laughs, shenanigans, and pixie bombs everywhere!
Bishop and the Pixies is a super spin off of H.P. Mallory's Jolie Wilkins Series and even if you haven't read any of the Jolie books you can still pick up Bishop and the Pixies and enjoy a really awesome story!
Mr. Parkinson takes the characters created in H.P.'s book and expands them into their own little world. So, while Bishop really is a British Butler he is so much more. Having served in the military during several wars as a member of the Special Forces, Bishop is well versed in the art of covert operations. When Mark Twain turns up dead (for real this time) Bishop and the Pixies are sent to New England to investigate and find the culprits. What they do find is something none of them were prepared for. Not only does Bishop find the love of his life and one of the few people that are immune to magic, the Pixies steal (but forced to return) a pair of white tiger cubs and fall in love with a Moose and they are all surprised by the "new" magical entities that have turned up. Bishop calls in reinforcements by joining his retired, Special Forces team, and the entire network of Pixies. Every magical being, including some Congressmen and woman and even a governor or two have all been forced into hiding because of the threat from the "new" magical entities.
This is a fantastic book, with loveable characters and laughs on every page! If you need a good book to read while on vacation, waiting on the bus, or just a rainy day book then this is the book for you.
Please check it out and beware if you decide you don't like it: The Pixies WILL find you and your house may never look the same. They have a tendency to really like polka dots!
Do you love a good story?
How about a story with good guys and bad guys?
What about a story with just a hint of romance?
Do you like a story where things get blown up?
If you answered yes to any of the questions above then this is the book for you! It has it all and so much more!
Mr. Parkinson knows how to weave an awesome tale that keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat from page one until the last line.
Revenge for Louise is an awesome read that makes you smile, makes you laugh, makes you giggle, and keeps you guessing!
Please take a couple of hours and read and I can guarantee that you will feel better and have a better appreciation for what we all take for granted each and every day. I won't spoil it for you but you will see what I mean!
Enjoy!!! You won't be disappointed! I promise!
How about a story with good guys and bad guys?
What about a story with just a hint of romance?
Do you like a story where things get blown up?
If you answered yes to any of the questions above then this is the book for you! It has it all and so much more!
Mr. Parkinson knows how to weave an awesome tale that keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat from page one until the last line.
Revenge for Louise is an awesome read that makes you smile, makes you laugh, makes you giggle, and keeps you guessing!
Please take a couple of hours and read and I can guarantee that you will feel better and have a better appreciation for what we all take for granted each and every day. I won't spoil it for you but you will see what I mean!
Enjoy!!! You won't be disappointed! I promise!
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Fledge by JA Huss
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BLURB:
Fledge – Book Two
Junco Coot can’t even remember her trip off Earth; she was
too busy being morphed into her new avian body. But reality hits her hard when she wakes up to find her new life
is not what she expected. Not even close. Tier is on trial for disobeying his
commander’s kill order and only Junco seems to care.
In most places the avian coming-of-age Fledge ritual would
be nothing more than mass murder, but here in the capital city of Amelia, it’s
called growing up. Junco has no choice; either fight to the death to prove her
worth or get sent back to Earth in the hands of her enemies.
Her new military team is hostile, her body is being taken
over by an illicit artificial intelligence, the avian president wants her dead,
and her only friend is a ten-year old throwaway boy.
On a foreign habitat, in a foreign culture, and surrounded
by people she can’t trust or count on, Junco must find a way to save herself
and Tier without losing her immortal soul in the process.
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J. A. Huss never took a creative
writing class in her life. Some would say it shows. Others might cut her some
slack. She did however, get educated and graduated from Colorado State
University with a B.S. in Equine Science. She had grand dreams of getting a
Ph.D. but while she loves science, she hated academia and settled for a M.S. in
Forensic Toxicology from the University of Florida.
She went on to write science
curriculum for homeschoolers and now runs a successful home business that
creates and offers online science unit studies. When she’s not writing science
curriculum or fiction, she works as a farm inspector, traveling the Eastern
Plains of Colorado in variety of environmentally friendly vehicles that never
have four-wheel drive, so when she gets stuck in the mud in said vehicles, she
has to beg for assistance from anyone who will help her. She is not bitter
about that at all.
She’s always packing heat and she
is owned by two donkeys, five dogs, more chickens and ducks than she can count,
and of course, the real filthy animals, her kids. The I Am Just Junco series
was born after falling in love with the ugliest part of Colorado and the Rural
Republic is based on the area of the state she currently resides in, minus the
mutants, of course.
Weblinks
Website: http://www.iamjustjunco.com/
Blog: http://jahuss.com/
YouTube Trailer - CLUTCH: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz0PWDGoTJY
YouTube Trailer - FLEDGE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_LYS0N1OAY
BUY NOW LINK:
Monday, November 26, 2012
Guest Blog by Aneesa Price!
Falling In Lust With Editing
Indie Thoughts by Aneesa
Price
To
edit or not? That’s a question many indie writers ponder as they near the
completion of a book. After I wrote my first two novels, I spent an inordinate
amount of time reading blogs and books on whether or not to edit. Some authors
felt that it wasn’t necessary and that beta readers served the same purpose as
a freelance editor. Most, however, extolled the virtues of editing, not only
recommending it but citing it as a necessary requirement to produce a high
quality novel. This high quality novel would of course have further benefits of
creating a reader base and providing additional sales that would not be as
attainable with unedited work. In the end I decided to not edit my work, not
because I didn’t believe that my work required editing but because of the cost
involved.
I
often wonder how on earth editors think that they can charge indie writers the
amounts that they do as many writers do not even earn that back in sales for
months. I’ve heard shocking stories of writers paying nearly $2000.00 US to
have their work edited. This is beyond what I can afford. Like many indie
writers my day job pays my bills, not my book sales as the prices that my books
sell for are low, royalties lower and that is before I’m taxed. As much as I
was open to editing my work, I just couldn’t afford it.
I
also admit that I had a certain level of arrogance about having my work edited.
This was not due to the usual indie thoughts around ‘no one touches my work’.
No, I believed that because I majored in English at university that I would
produce stellar writing that was free of both spelling and grammatical errors.
After all, I never used spell check in my day to day writing. In fact, I often
find that spell check makes mistakes. I thus opted to obtain the assistance of
beta readers instead. But I was in for a nasty surprise that would result in a
scathing review as well as many hours re-editing my work. I, who never makes
grammatical or spelling mistakes, made many. After that experience I vowed to
illicit the services of an editor should I be able to afford it - after all, I
still have bills to pay.
I
recently completed an erotic novella and as it has a word count of around
15,000 I decided to give editing a try. The lower the word count, the lower the
cost of editing. I still couldn’t afford the top end editors who are often
spoken of. I then reached out to a friend who had begun Mary-Nancy’s Eagle-Eye
Editing. I knew her and trusted her. I’d also been secretly visited her editing
business’s site many times to look at her services and pricing. Although as a
South African, I had to convert the price to my local currency (this meant
multiplying the US dollar price by eight), she was more affordable than other
editors and I decided to bite the bullet. She offered me a discount and also
agreed, as part of her service offering, to review the book and post it on the
Amazon site, her blog and Barnes & Noble.
I
nodded, transferred the money via paypal and then waited anxiously. Now indie
writers embarking on this path should note that it is a nerve-wrecking
experience to wait for someone to provide you with feedback on your work,
particularly if their sole purpose is to identify what’s wrong with it. What
helped was that this process was prompt, efficient and utterly professional
despite our relationship. I had edited the novella many times and had employed
the voluntary services of beta readers. However, she still picked up spelling
errors and the odd grammatical error. Furthermore, because she’s American and I
write primarily for an American audience, she assisted me in correcting the odd
UK English word that slipped in unobtrusively. What I appreciated most about
the experience though, was that it mitigated for the torturous process of
continuous re-editing. Despite the week long period to get the novella edited,
it was an experience I much prefer to not having it done. I could, with
satisfied comfort, publish the work knowing that it is in the best shape it can
possibly be.
The
realization that I made was that a quality book equates to detailed editing and
that writing is an art. I much prefer being an artist. Have I joined the mass
of indie writers who advocate hiring the services of an editor? Oh yes! I’ve
fallen in lust with editing - it gave me the freedom and security to focus on
doing what I love, which is write and not - thank goodness - edit!
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