TODAY IS THE DAY!

RETURN OF THE LAST SHAMAN 

IS NOW LIVE!!

Give it a try, will you?

Sometimes we can peek into the realm that hides in plain sight ...

We look upon the surface and think that is all there is.  

The Cosmos is not so simple.  

The World bristles with life.  

All seems the same, yet everything real is concealed.

Shoreless seas, beauty that is an enchantment yet an ever-present peril, 

and questions that will shut the gate behind you, forever making you separate and apart.

The greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely of places ... under your very nose.

“Every living being is an engine geared to the wheelwork of the universe. 

Though seemingly affected only by its immediate surrounding, 

the sphere of external influence extends to infinite distance.”

- Nikola Tesla

Why do I quote Nikola Tesla?

He is one of the major players in RETURN OF THE LAST SHAMAN 

available for purchase today.

Dare to enter the gateless Gate 

and adventure with Nikola and his friend, Wolf Howl, the last Lakota shaman.

 "Magick does not offer an escape from ordinary reality: 

rather it offers a full-on confrontation with it, in which one can easily lose himself forever.”

- Wolf Howl

ONLY $2.99!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S7HOCVG

FIND WRITING SUCCESS IN 2015

TAKE A CHANCE ON ME!

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S7HOCVG

IF YOU LIKE IT, TRY WOLF HOWL'S FIRST ADVENTURE:

 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00534OEL4/

HOW TO FIND WRITING SUCCESS IN 2015?

These insightful authors can help you far better than I can:


“You were once wild here. Don’t let them tame you.”
— Isadora Duncan


“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
— Steve Jobs


“Talking endlessly about something instead of doing it depletes you of the drive to get it done.”
— Milli Thornton, Write Your Screenplay in 29 Days


“By consciously rising to meet challenges, we transform them into opportunities.”
— Sharon Jeffers in Cards of Destiny


“A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.”
— Richard Bach


“We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance.”
— Harrison Ford


“When your heart speaks, take good notes.”
— Judith Campbell


“Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out?”
— From the movie What a Girl Wants


“Never, for the sake of peace and quiet, deny your own experience or convictions.”
— Dag Hammarskjold

You know how it is in the kid's book world; it's just bunny eat bunny.

-  Victor Standish

Don't explain why it works; explain how you use it.

- Steven Brust 

 

I have been successful probably because I have always realized that I knew nothing about writing and have merely tried to tell an interesting story entertainingly.

- Edgar Rice Burroughs


If you write one story, it may be bad; if you write a hundred, you have the odds in your favor.

- Edgar Rice Burroughs

The reason 99% of all stories written are not bought by editors is very simple. Editors NEVER buy manuscripts that are left on the closet shelf at home. - John Campbell

People on the outside think there's something magical about writing, that you go up in the attic at midnight and cast the bones and come down in the morning with a story, but it isn't like that.

 

You sit in back of the typewriter and you work, and that's all there is to it.

- Harlan Ellison



Thank your readers and the critics who praise you, and then ignore them. Write for the most intelligent, wittiest, wisest audience in the universe: Write to please yourself.

- Harlan Ellison

Writing is the hardest work in the world. I have been a bricklayer and a truck driver, and I tell you -- as if you haven't been told a million times already -- that writing is harder. Lonelier. And nobler and more enriching.

- Harlan Ellison

And lastly from the master:

At one time I thought the most important thing was talent.

I think now that the young man or the young woman must possess or teach himself, training himself, in infinite patience, which is to try and to try until it comes right.

 He must train himself in ruthless intolerance--

that is to throw away anything that is false no matter how much he might love that page or that paragraph.

The most important thing is insight, that is to be--

curious--

to wonder, to mull, and to muse why it is that man does what he does,

and if you have that, then I don't think the talent makes much difference, whether you've got it or not.

- William Faulkner

One last:
Style is less the man than the way a man takes himself.

- Robert Frost

All right, another one: 

 
Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it's the only way you can do anything really good.

- William Faulkner

 "The struggle is always worthwhile, if the end be worthwhile and the means honorable;


foreknowledge of defeat is not sufficient reason to withdraw from the contest."       
- Samuel McCord   

HOW TO GET YOUR eBOOK TO GO VIRAL

I THINK YOU WILL LIKE 

MY LATEST BOOK  

GIVE IT A TRY!

 

 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S7HOCVG

SO HOW DO YOU GET YOUR eBOOK TO GO VIRAL?

It is beyond social media.  

You can’t tweet or Facebook yourself into viral status. Your publisher can’t even make it happen. 

 It rarely happens to the common A-list author names – 

 they became A-listers after their viral debut – 

it’s usually something fresh, from a fresh face.

 The criteria for putting your book into a position to go viral 

is almost exactly that associated with getting published in the first place.  


The book has to work.  Really, really well.
 

That said, viral books tend to do a couple of specific things really well:


1.) They are often “high concept” (rather than character-driven, even though they introduce great characters),

with exceptional execution across all the story basics.


2.)  They also deliver something else, almost without exception:  

they seize the inherent compelling power of underlying story physics in ways that exceeds the competition.

These two realms of story –

compelling concept, 

with exceptionally strong underlying essences, is what gets you into the viral game.


YAWN! 

Right?  Isn't that what everyone does?



Not really. 


They don’t address these as goals.  


Some authors just write their story, write it well, let it evolve organically, and hope somebody out there gets it.  


This may get them published, but it doesn’t usually get them on Oprah Winfrey.

 The viral book is driven by hero empathy, 

while delivering a vicarious ride.

  It isn’t the plot, and it isn’t character.  

No, this is about the reader.

 It’s about the reader transporting themselves into this world… going on this ride… feeling it… wanting to be the hero… 

wishing it was them… 

The reader completely engaging in this journey 

on a personal level.

I hope this helps in some small way.

DOES MAGIC EXIST?

BUT FIRST ...

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S7HOCVG

NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

ON SALE FEB 1st!

You've heard of the fictional Necronomicon. 

 But did you know that FIVE MYSTIC TOMES actually exist?

 The Voynich Manuscript

This is the granddaddy of them all. 

Nicknamed “the most mysterious manuscript” 

this collection of nearly 250 pages of ciphered writing

has been capturing people’s imaginations for 500 years!

The text is written in an unknown alphabet that (at least superficially) seems to follow the patterns of a real language.

The book seems to have passed through the hands of alchemists, botanists, nobles, and priests 

before ending up in the rare books collection of Yale University, where it lives today.

 The Rohonc Codex

This text from Hungary dates back at least 200 years and perhaps as much as 500.

 Like the Voynich Manuscript, 

the text is written in an unknown alphabet which is stubbornly resistant to translation. 

There is even quite a bit of debate about what direction the words and pages should be read.

The Devil's Book

 The book is real 

because the Roman Catholic Church officially claims ownership of it, but has never let the public glimpse it. 

It is fact that it was discovered in Jerusalem in 1750, in the tomb of Solomon, written in either Biblical Hebrew or Aramaic. 

The manuscript has not been dated to an earlier time than this, 

or else the Church has not said, but the book itself is inscribed with the date of 1522 AD. 

Theorists claims it was copied in that year from a manuscript written in the 1200s AD or earlier.

 The Book of Soyga

  

It is a 16th century tome of magic that once belonged to John Dee, 

probably European history’s most famous magician. 

Have no fear, the book does have a section of ciphers, 

but they are only one part of the Latin-langage text 

that covers such metal subjects as spells, angels, and demonology.

The Oera Linda Book

This is the youngest of the texts discussed here (only about 150 years old), 

but it claims to be a record of much older events dating back nearly four thousand years and including wisdom from mythical Atlantis. 

Written in Old Frisian (an early Germanic dialect), 

it was recognized as bat-merde crazy from pretty much the first time anyone translated it, 

but you better believe that didn’t stop the Nazis from trying to make something of it. 

The book (which has a good crop of generally nationalist and specifically pro-German components to it) 

even earned the nickname “Himmler’s Bible” for a time, 

because of its important role in some forms of Nazi occultism.

THE LAST DAY OF MAN HAS DAWNED

What to teach our children in such a time?

{Courtesy of 5 Rules}

The time has come to listen to the echoes from our land...

the wisdom and teachings of the mountains, streams, and woods. 

Their words are simple and their voices are soft. 

We have not heard them, because we have not taken the time to listen.

We have been too busy smothering them in crypts of concrete and steel.
 
Perhaps now is the time

 to open our ears and our hearts to their words of wisdom 

whispered on the last winds of this world before the final sunset bleeds across the horizon. 

 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00534OEL4/

Only 99 cents - then get the audio for only $1.99!

Join Wolf Howl, the last Lakota shaman, 

as he leads his hunters from the CIA and the Mossad 

to a killing ground worthy of their deadly skills on the last week of this world.

Can he salvage the bruised soul of a damaged young girl 

and win the heart of the lethal woman he has loved all his life?

Make #WolfHowl a popular hashtag on Twitter, will you?

RETURN OF THE LAST SHAMAN is available for pre-order to go live in FOUR DAYS!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S7HOCVG

BEWARE OF AMAZON ADULT FILTER

BUT FIRST ...

DON'T FORGET TO PRE-ORDER 

RETURN OF THE LAST SHAMAN

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S7HOCVG

The End of the World was Just the Beginning!

AMAZON ADULT FILTER

Denise Covey:

http://dencovey.blogspot.com/

commented on my prior post that Sex Does Sell.  Ah, not with Amazon it doesn't so much anymore.

WHAT IS THE AMAZON ADULT FILTER?

For certain kinds of adult content, Amazon applies what’s often called an “adult filter”. 

Once a publication is filtered, it stops showing up in some search results:

 for some authors, this has led some best-selling works to drop out of the charts and become poor or middling performers. 

 This dramatic effect on sales makes the filter a big concern for anyone publishing erotica or erotic romance.

WHAT HAPPENS TO SOMETHING THAT GETS FILTERED?

 It no longer shows up in the results for searches that are performed from the main search on the Amazon site. 

 It seems that a lot of users search from the main search bar on Amazon’s site. 

 Another, less obvious effect, is that even when they’re included in search results, filtered works seem to come in below unfiltered books. 

That means 

that if there are unfiltered books with the same keywords as your filtered piece, you won’t ever be at the top of the search results — 

and might even show up two or three pages later, 

meaning that very few users might actually see your lovely cover and compelling title.

 This effect also extends to Also-Boughts, the list of books that “other Amazon customers also bought” on each book’s page. 

WHAT GETS FILTERED?

  

Most of the filtering seems to concentrate on content that is close to banned content, without actually crossing the line.

Covers can be a problem, too. 

“Hand bra” covers, 

where the model covers her otherwise naked breasts with her hands, are usually filtered; 

if something else keeps those boobs in check, that’s (usually) fine, 

but if it’s just the hands, it’ll (usually) be filtered.

YIKES!  HOW DO I KNOW IF MY TITLE HAS BEEN FILTERED?

You can start by searching for the author or title of the book on the main search bar on the Amazon.com site.

 But the best way to find out is to use the tracking tool available on SalesRankExpress. 

When you track a book on this site, not only do you get a wealth of information about the book,

 it also tells you if a book is filtered: the word ADULT appears in red after the title.

I JUST WRITE THIS 

TO KEEP MY FRIENDS 

FROM LOOKING FOR HOPE IN STILETTO HEELS 

AND BREAKING THEIR OWN HEARTS 

AND THEIR DREAMS.

SURE FIRE WAYS TO A BEST SELLER!

THE ALCHEMY OF A BEST SELLER

We all want there to be a secret formula to produce a bestseller, to become the next JK Rowling.

We all know the conventional wisdom -

1.) Market ourselves on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram'

    
 Sadly, those waters are more crowded than a public swimming pool in Hell.  You're just one of a million bobbing heads in the cyber-waters.

2.) Craft a Hook of a Title -

     
FRENCH QUARTER NOCTURNE - 

DEATH IN THE HOUSE OF LIFE

     
Want to know how many copies of those I've sold?  Don't ask. 

But that doesn't mean you just toss in the towel.  Be creative with your title:

      a.) Pick your title BEFORE you begin (you'll be with your novel for weeks so have a title that inspires you!

      b.) It's a marriage - LOVE YOUR TITLE

      I. What a great title does:

            1.) Captures your audience’s attention
            2.) It communicates what your e-book is about
            3.) If it’s your style, it should include a little bit of a “What the Heck?” factor:
                      
Titles tell your audience a little something about you.
Look at these three sets of words:

• Epic; Awesome.
• Remarkable; Brilliant.
• Elegant; Erudite

Each pair of words has a unique flavor. 

You can almost begin to see the people that would use them in a title or a headline.

Which means that the words in your e-book title need to reflect your style.

       II.) WHO'S AN OXYMORON?~!

           i.) EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE was a great title to an older book because it linked two opposites.

           ii.) Startle your reader and snare his attention.

3.) Have a killer cover -

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HIU5O38

     Leonora Roy has done riveting covers one after another for me. 

      
Think the "why" of a great cover:

You can choose a proper image for the book cover that will draw attention to your eBook.

     a.) You need to choose the proper thumbnail with a theme that reflects the contents of your eBook.

     b.) Many readers will be drawn to the book cover long before reading the description and the reviews.

     c.) It helps if you have a book cover that instantly draws attention.

4.) Write a riveting novel

     
Sandra, my most caustic reader, says DEATH held her spellbound.

     
They say sex sells.  But not so much anymore.

Be creative in the take on your novel.  Put a cliche on its ear.  

And add laughter, for there is not enough of it these days.

Or give the audience what they think they want PLUS insightful prose as in:

{In Whip Smart, 

Melissa Febos

chronicles five years in her early twenties

when she was a dominatrix and heroin user.

But the book is about so much more than those details.

It’s about living a lie:

sometimes many lies at once.

It’s about lying to yourself.

And it’s about discovering truths about yourself in places you never expected.}

So what do we do to write a bestseller?

WE HAVE TO GET NOTICED!

Yes, we have to have polished formatting, professional editing, and a storyline that catches the reader and will not let her go.

And we have to have the all important WORD OF MOUTH ...

     
But to have that, first we must have a string of mouths singing our novel's praises.  In other words ...

WE HAVE TO GET NOTICED!

I don't mean use the right keywords in the title and subtitle of your book. 

 That's an old trick. 

And do you know how many books out there have ZOMBIE, VAMPIRE, and LUST in their titles?

So many people abused Tags, Amazon has removed them.

SO HOW TO GET NOTICED?

1. Identify your audience.

This is a vital step in the promotion and marketing of your book, 

and–if done right–will make the rest of the process infinitely easier.

Find out who your book appeals to, get to know those people well, and be where they are, both online and off.

2. Establish a budget.

How much money are you able and willing to spend marketing and promoting your book?

Include everything from paid advertising to travel costs. 

 If you're broke like me, you will have to be very creative.

3. Create a marketing plan.

How much time can you devote to establishing and maintaining your book promotion strategies?

What marketing tactics do you intend on implementing first? What are your goals and how will you measure them?

4. Get creative.


Use your book’s theme, location, or time period for inspiration and making marketing connections. 

A character’s hobbies, occupation, lifestyle, values and interests can be jumping off points for developing promotional strategies.

Brainstorm (with Google), companies, experts, businesses, organizations or groups that you can approach for joint marketing ventures.

5. Tell your author brand story. 


Write an author biography that briefly defines your reason for being;

 keep it to two or three short but memorable paragraphs that will resonate with your readers.

Better yet: make it one paragraph. Show some personality and give your readers a reason to care.

6. Create your hook

Make it short as in mine for THE RETURN OF THE LAST SHAMAN

 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S7HOCVG

 The End of the World Was Just The Beginning.

7. Write a series.


Obviously this won’t work for every author or book, 

but when possible, creating a series is a very powerful and effective way to develop a presence,

gain reader loyalty and boost sales of earlier works with subsequent novels.
 

8. Advertise your previous works in each book you publish.


 One of the best places to advertise your previous work is at the end of your current book, 

where you’ve got a happy reader, eager for more.


9. Tempt your readers with more.


Insert sample chapters from the next book in a series at the end of your current book to pull your readers in.

And don't forget to pre-order 

RETURN OF THE LAST SHAMAN!