A New Trailer and a Few Thoughts

Part of the work I do includes marketing and publicity activity on behalf of Seventh Star Press, for all the authors.  My latest task involved putting a video trailer together for R.J. Sullivan's latest release, the paranormal thriller Haunting Obsession.

It turned out very well and it was fun to do a video project again.  We got a great piece of music from JaN PuLSFoRD (yes, that is the correct way to write her name!), and the wonderful Lily Monstemeat did some photo modeling for the Maxine Marie images used in the video.  We are waiting for the Kindle version of RJ's book to go live today before we unveil it, but I think everyone is going to like it a lot.

The week is going well, and I'll be getting a nice chunk of writing done, including work on short stories and the 4th Rising Dawn Saga book.  That part has been enjoyable!

Otherwise, I'm trying to ignore all the hoopla of the USA's election season.  In my view, no matter who is elected we will still be heading down the same disastrous road as we move farther and farther away from the ideals that this country once embraced.  Most bothersome is that I can see things happening that are not far removed from the course of events in the Rising Dawn Saga, especially The Seventh Throne.  The fact is, the economy is in a rotten state, and they can't hide this for too much longer.  No more kicking the can with "bailouts" or printing money out of thin air via central banks like the Federal Reserve (which is neither Federal nor a reserve, once you learn about it).

Nearly all the small business owners I know are either closing, shrinking, or digging in.  It doesn't bode well, and there's no relief on the horizon as everything looks to be going up in costs, taxes, and more.  In reality, the two-party system in the USA is really a one-party SYSTEM, one that ultimately controls the choices available to the public.

Two wings of the same bird, 2 sides of the same coin, 2 gangs under the same leader.  They both spew different rhetoric, but their actions are the same.  It is irrefutable that Obama and Bush alike expanded spending, war, and domestic "security" that is more or less Big Brother on steroids.  Both have wielded executive orders to act like kings, bypassing congress entirely.  Would be nice to see people get behind someone that didn't have an R or a D next to their name, who actually cared about lifting the burdens from those who produce, create, invent, and innovate.  That's the motor that will lift things to where all benefit.

Hopefully there are a few like Ian Rafferty out there, or Sheriff Chris Howard, or Gregory Andreas, who will be willing to stand for what is right.  I'd like to think there are, at least.  I'm thinking about these things a lot as I write the 4th Rising Dawn Saga book, and I really believe this book is going to be a special installment of the series.  I'll be sure to keep you all posted, and in the meantime, keep fighting the good fight!

Road adventures on my way to the Summit!

The Business of Writing International Summit in Louisville this past weekend was wonderful, but it involved one of my worst road stories yet!

Founded and run by Peggy DeKay and Larry DeKay, BoWIS is a great writers conference that made its debut this year.  I can definitely say it is going to grow fast, as it was very well-run, guests were treated wonderfully, and it was organized extremely well.  I had been invited to give a seminar on Fan Conventions, Book Fairs, and Writers Conference, a seminar on using Kindle Select effectively, and to serve on a panel regarding marketing for authors.  Do to a last minute panelist cancellation, I ended up serving on a panel discussing writing habits on Sunday.

For me it is always fun to go to an event that is non-genre in focus, as I tend to find myself being an advocate, and sometimes an ambassador, of sorts for the wonderful world of speculative fiction.  I take that very seriously, as speculative fiction has had a long hard fight for respect in general literary circles, and while there's been great progress, that effort continues.

I almost didn't get off the ground regarding the conference, as when I was driving down at 6am from Lexington to Louisville on Saturday morning I had a highway car breakdown.  I was going at about 70mph when a light came on telling me that my air bags were off, and then the radio started flickering, and then the headlights began dimming.  I was able to coast into a gas station off an exit that was fortunately close, but I almost didn't make it there.

Thankfully, Triple A was there with a tow truck within about 30 minutes.  Triple A is amazing and I encourage any author that does a lot of travel to become a member.  They've bailed me out of car situations several times over the years.  Anyhow, I had the car towed all the way back to Lexington, to the garage that normally services it.  As I just had an alternator put in less than 2 months ago, it was grim news to hear that the alternator was faulty.  Luckily, it was still under warranty so I didn't get socked to badly on the costs.

Timing is everything though, and I did not know whether or not they would get the new one placed in, but in about two hours they had done so.  I had taken a Taxi back to my house to work on connecting with everyone,  and my sister was kind enough to run out and give me a ride back to the station to get my car back.  I drove straight from the service center to Louisville, literally parking my car, walking into the conference site, and heading into my first panel (just a few minutes underway at that point) and going straight to the stage to join my co-panelists.  When I look back and see how many things had to come together to allow me to do that right on the wire, I find it really incredible.

Many good friends were there, like Dave Mattingly of Blackwyrm, and Michael Williams, great fantasy author and professor at the University of Louisville.  Of course, Peggy and Larry "Right Here...Right Now!" Dekay were on hand.  I met many new friends, from author Jacob Bell, to social media guru Paul Clifford, to Sheri McGuinn, an author from Arizona, and others.

I hope I was able to impart some useful information to the attendees, as I drew a lot into my seminars from my personal experiences.  I really enjoyed talking with the attendees and my friends, and was able to round out the weekend getting a late lunch with Peggy, Larry, David, and Paul, which was a wonderful way to end my first visit to the Summit.  I have been invited for next year and definitely encourage everyone to check this event out.  Well-run, content rich, and highly enjoyable.  The Business of Writing International Summit was a hit and is now on the map!

Big Giveaway Contest Including a Kindle Touch 3G!

Welcome to my first hosted contest, which features a number of wonderful prizes including a Kindle Touch 3G as part of the grand prize!  Prizes include bundles of eBooks, signed softcovers, an Amazon Gift Card, and more!

Now for the formal stuff.  I will be fulfilling all eBooks and book prizes relating to myself and Seventh Star Press authors directly, as well as the Kindle Touch 3G and the Amazon Gift Card.  The additional eBooks from other authors will be fulfilled by the authors themselves, directly.  The authors donating the additional eBook prizes, JH Glaze, Dianne Gardner, Gwen Perkins, Rachel Hunter, and David Guyton assume all responsibility for fulfillment and delivery of their titles to the prize winners.  I have asked them to provide prizes within the week following the close of the contest on September 9th.

eBook and book prizes can be awarded to international residents, but Grand Prize and Prize #2 are to be awarded to US/Canadian residents only.

Also, this promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. We hereby release Facebook of any liability.

I am using the RaffleCopter system where you can earn extra entries merely by liking the Facebook pages or following the Twitter accounts of various authors and some bloggers.  I encourage you to get as many entries as possible!

Here is a full list of the prizes!

Grand Prize: A Kindle Touch 3G, plus 3 Stephen Zimmer eBooks of your choice, 4 additional SSP eBooks of your choice (choose between Jackie Gamber, D.A. Adams, Michael West, H. David Blalock, Steven Shrewsbury, and R.J. Sullivan), and 9 bundle of eBooks from participating authors:

J.H. Glaze: 5 pack including The Spirit Box, Northwest, Forced Intelligence, and The Horror Challenge Volumes I and II.
David Guyton: Mighty Hammer Down
Rachel Hunter: Empyreal Fate
Gwen Perkins. The Universal Mirror
Dianne Gardner: Deception Peak

Prize #2: $25 Amazon.com Gift Card plus , 3 Stephen Zimmer eBooks of your choice, 4 additional SSP eBooks of your choice (choose between Jackie Gamber, D.A. Adams, Michael West, H. David Blalock, Steven Shrewsbury, and R.J. Sullivan), and bundle of eBooks from participating authors JH Glaze, David Guyton, Rachel Hunter, Gwen Perkins, Dianne Gardner (titles included in description of grand prize).

Prize #3: Signed softcover of your choice: The Exodus Gate or Crown of Vengeance

Prize #4: Signed softcover of your choice: The Exodus Gate or Crown of Vengeance

Prize #5: Choice of all 3 available Rising Dawn Saga eBooks (The Exodus Gate, The Storm Guardians, The Seventh Throne), or all three available Fires in Eden series eBooks (Crown of Vengeance, Dream of Legends, Spirit of Fire) from Stephen Zimmer

Prize #6: Choice of all 3 available Rising Dawn Saga eBooks (The Exodus Gate, The Storm Guardians, The Seventh Throne), or all three available Fires in Eden series eBooks (Crown of Vengeance, Dream of Legends, Spirit of Fire) from Stephen Zimmer

Prize #7: The Seventh Star Singles from Stephen Zimmer, eBooks include Lion Heart, Land of Shadow, Into Glory Ride, and Temples Rising

Prize #8: The Seventh Star Singles from Stephen Zimmer, eBooks include Lion Heart, Land of Shadow, Into Glory Ride, and Temples Rising



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