Thursday, July 7, 2011

NEW INTERVIEW!

NEW INTERVIEW!

AUTHOR BRIAN DRAKE EXPLAINS IT ALL ON HIS BLOG IN A NEW AND FAIRLY EXTENSIVE INTERVIEW ABOUT MY NEW TELEVISION SERIES, TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN, MY NEWLY AVAILABLE E-BOOKS, AND MY UPCOMING NOVEL, FELONY FISTS . . .

THE INDIE SCENE: PAUL BISHOP

I first noticed author Paul Bishop during a viewing of Mike Hammer’s Mickey Spillane, the documentary by Max Allan Collins, where Bishop stated that if Mike Hammer was a real detective, he, as a bona fide police office, would end up booking him instead of assisting him a la Pat Chambers.

So I Googled Paul Bishop and was impressed with his background as a veteran detective and crime writer; when I began my ebook venture, Paul was kind enough to mention my work on his own blog, Bish's Beat, and has mentioned each of my books upon release. Thanks, Paul!

To repay the favor I wanted to interview Paul about his own ebook effort (reissues plus originals) and an upcoming reality television project which sounds great.

The books include his Calico Jack Walker/Tina Tamiko series, and his Fey Croaker series, both of which feature police protagonists, and an original series called Fight Card, the first story of which features a boxer fighting under the watchful eye of L.A. gangster Mickey Cohen. I have read parts of each book, and Paul has a crisp writing style and a narrative energy that really grabs you . . . read on for our interview . . .

THX, BRIAN!

FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW CLICK HERE

FORGOTTEN BOOKS: THE LONG SHORT CUT!

FORGOTTEN BOOKS: THE LONG SHORT CUT!

ANDREW GARVE

From the cover to the quotes and synopsis, the Dell paperback edition of this 1972 novel unrepentantly hammers home the message that the duo of Bliss and Corrine are the second coming of The Avengers. While I’ve kept this book for the cover, the comparison is misleading – and that’s a shame because The Long Short Cut is a strong novel in its unique way.

Bliss is a con man who witnesses a gang shooting in London. With Corrine alongside, Bliss executes an ingenious plan to use what he has seen to con a businessman out of thousands of pounds sterling – not exactly the kind of plot associated with The Avengers, but a good starting point for a more traditional thriller.

Andrew Garve is the pseudonym of Paul Winterton (1908-2001), who also wrote as Roger Bax and Paul Somers. As Garve, he wrote numerous stand-alone thrillers displaying his mastery of many genres: detective stories, espionage, police procedural, adventure, and romantic suspense. His special knowledge of the Soviet Union, of journalism, and of sailing are often put to good use.

THE LONG SHORT CUT

Makes The Avengers look tame . . .

If you like Steed and Emma, you’ll go wild over Bliss and Corrine!

Bliss is handsome, charming, polished, daring. Corrine is beautiful, sensual, scintillating, and unscrupulous. They’re the most devastating team ever to match their wits and nerve against the good grey Establishment – and what they do to law and order, security and Scotland Yard, and the remnants of the British empire would make the Avengers consider working the other side of the street just to get a piece of the wild and wonderful action.

In clear, easy to read, literate prose, Garve created sympathetic characters, ingenious plots, and fascinating backgrounds. Despite this reputation, Garve is almost completely forgotten today.

On an odd note, The Long Short Cut is alleged to be the first book set completely into type by electronic composition. Now, that’s just bizarre enough to be a plot for The Avengers.

TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN!

TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN!

MORE PHOTOS FROM THE SET . . . PREMIERING AUGUST 2ND AT 9PM ON ABC . . .

TAKE A CHANCE E-BOOKS ~ DEATH NOTICE!

TAKE A CHANCE E-BOOKS ~ DEATH NOTICE!

AN ONGOING SERIES HIGHLIGHTING POSSIBLY DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH E-BOOKS BY RELATIVELY UNKNOWN AUTHORS, FOUND WHILE CRUISING THE E-BOOK SHELVES ON AMAZON WITH PRICES MAKING THEM WORTH TAKING A CHANCE ON . . . SOME MAY BE CRAP, SOME COULD SHOW POTENTIAL, OTHERS (I SUSPECT VERY, VERY, FEW) MIGHT BE GREAT – TAKE A CHANCE . . .

TODAY’S FIND . . . MYSTERY/THRILLER!

DEATH NOTICE

ALICIA DEAN

KINDLE EDITION ~ $2.99

A killer has something to say—and he’s using her obituary column to get his point across . . .

When columnist Monroe Donovan receives an obituary notice with a date of death two days in the future, she dismisses it as a typo. Then, a second incorrect obituary comes in, and a woman whose name matches the name of the deceased is murdered—on the date listed in the obituary. Now, Monroe realizes that something much more sinister is happening. A serial killer is trying to communicate with her.

She turns to Detective Lane Brody for help, but her attraction to him is complicating her already complicated life. And when the killer turns out to have a disturbing connection to Monroe, complications turn deadly.

TAKE A CHANCE E-BOOKS ~ CHIHUAHUA OF THE BASKERVILLES!

TAKE A CHANCE E-BOOKS ~ CHIHUAHUA OF THE BASKERVILLES!

AN ONGOING SERIES HIGHLIGHTING POSSIBLY DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH E-BOOKS BY RELATIVELY UNKNOWN AUTHORS, FOUND WHILE CRUISING THE E-BOOK SHELVES ON AMAZON WITH PRICES MAKING THEM WORTH TAKING A CHANCE ON . . . SOME MAY BE CRAP, SOME COULD SHOW POTENTIAL, OTHERS (I SUSPECT VERY, VERY, FEW) MIGHT BE GREAT – TAKE A CHANCE . . .

TODAY’S FIND . . . MYSTERY!

CHIHUAHUA OF THE BASKERVILLES

A TRIPPING MAGAZINE MYSTERY

ESRI ALLBRITTEN

KINDLE EDITION ~ $10.99

The decidedly eccentric staff of Tripping Magazine, a low-budget periodical of the paranormal, go to Manitou Springs, Colorado, to investigate a ghostly Chihuahua spotted by the rich founder of a clothing catalog for small dogs. Is the glowing apparition really the deceased namesake of Petey’s Closet, “Where Dapper Dogs Shop?” Or is someone trying to teach a dead dog new tricks?

With memorable and wacky characters, fans of Blaize Clement and all cozy lovers will be clamoring to get a copy of this unique new series.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN!

TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN!

A FEW PHOTOS FROM THE SET . . . PREMIERING AUGUST 2ND AT 9PM ON ABC . . .

WRITER'S CORNER: LAWRENCE BLOCK'S BLOG!

WRITER'S CORNER: LAWRENCE BLOCK'S BLOG!

THE TITLE SAYS IT ALL, LB'S BLOG IS THE BLOG TO FOLLOW FOR WRITERS AND READERS.  IT'S ALL GOOD STUFF FROM ONE OF THE MASTERS OF LITERARY EXPOSITION . . .

FOR LB'S BLOG CLICK HERE

HAT TIP TO BILL CRIDER

PARANORMAL CORNER: DRUNK ON THE MOON!

PARANORMAL CORNER: DRUNK ON THE MOON!

PAUL D. BRAZILL

KINDLE EDITION ~ $.99

When a full moon fills the night sky, P.I. Roman Dalton becomes a werewolf and prowls the dark streets of the city battling creatures of evil. Paul D Brazill's Drunk On The Moon is an intense and hard-boiled noir / horror series, brought to you by some of the finest dark fiction writers around.

Spinetingler Award nominee Paul D. Brazill was born in England and lives in Poland. His writing has appeared in a number of magazines and anthologies, including the 2011 Mammoth Book Of Best British Crime. His short story collection '13 Shots Of Noir' will be published in 2011. He writes regularly for Pulp Metal Magazine and Mean Streets Magazine. His influential blog is You Would Say That, Wouldn't You?

VINTAGE PULP: ADVENTURE!

PULP NOW: THE ASTOUNDING, THE AMAZING, AND THE UNKNOWN!

PULP NOW: THE ASTOUNDING, THE AMAZING, AND THE UNKNOWN!

PAUL MALMONT

KINDLE EDITON ~ $12.99 (SORRY, BUT THIS IS AN OUTRAGEOUS PRICE SET BY THE PUBLISHER FOR THE E-BOOK EDITION)

THE LONG AWAITED SEQUEL TO CHINATOWN DEATH CLOUD PERIL. . .

Based on an incredible true episode of World War II history, Paul Malmont’s new novel is a rollicking blend of fact and fiction about the men and women who were recruited to defeat the Nazis and ended up creating the future.

In 1943, when the United States learns that Germany is on the verge of a deadly innovation that could tip the balance of the war, the government turns to an unlikely source for help: the nation’s top science fiction writers.

Installed at a covert military lab within the Philadelphia Naval Yard are the most brilliant of these young visionaries. The unruly band is led by Robert Heinlein, the dashing and complicated master of the genre. His “Kamikaze Group,” which includes the ambitious genius Isaac Asimov, is tasked with transforming the wonders of science fiction into science fact and unlocking the secrets to invisibility, death rays, force fields, weather control, and other astounding phenomena—and finding it harder than they ever imagined.

When a German spy washes ashore near the abandoned Long Island ruins of a mysterious energy facility, the military begins to fear that the Nazis are a step ahead of Heinlein’s group. Now the oddball team, joined by old friends from the Pulp Era including L. Ron Hubbard (court-martialed for attacking Mexico), must race to catch up. The answers they seek may be locked in the legendary War of Currents, which was fought decades earlier between Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison.

As the threat of an imminent Nazi invasion of America grows more and more possible, events are set in motion that just may revolutionize the future—or destroy it—while forcing the writers to challenge the limits of talent, imagination, love, destiny, and even reality itself.

Blazing at breathtaking speed from forgotten tunnels deep beneath Manhattan to top-secret battles in the North Pacific, and careening from truth to pulp and back again, The Astounding, the Amazing, and the Unknown is a sweeping, romantic epic—a page-turning rocket ship ride through the history of the future.

20 MOST AWE INSPIRING WRITER’S ROOMS!

20 MOST AWE INSPIRING WRITER’S ROOMS!

THESE ARE REALLY COOL . . .

As a college student, you might do most of your writing holed up in your dorm room or library cubicle — hardly an inspirational setting for getting your creative juices flowing. While a great writer doesn't always need a beautiful setting to create brilliant works (just think of all the texts written in prisons!) it certainly doesn't hurt. We've compiled a list of the most beautiful, inspirational, comfy, and awe-inspiring writing rooms used by great authors for your perusing pleasure. While you may not be able to the afford opulent or cozy writing rooms on this list, you can always dream and these rooms might provide the inspiration needed to kick your writing into gear and finally get that novel published.

FOR MORE CLICK HERE

HAT TIP TO BILL CRIDER

VINTAGE COVERS: DEATH OF A CITIZEN!

THE TROUBLE WITH BLONDES!

COCKTAIL NATION #180 ~ MAJOR HEALY!

COCKTAIL NATION #180 ~ MAJOR HEALY!

This week, Koop continues the I Dream Of Jeanie theme with an interview he recorded with Bill Daily (who played Major Healy) when he visited Sydney for the Supanova Convention. In Review With Koop, he looks at a new compilation release, and in the Swank Advice segment, Koop has some winning ideas on meeting people.

TRACKLIST


Tikyaki Orchestra ~ ShakaHula Bossa Nova
Billy May ~ The Late Late Show
Big Kahuna and the Copa Cat Pack ~ I Dream Of Jeannie.
Jackie Gleason ~ It was So Beautiful
Tiki Joe’s Ocean ~ Under the Midnight Sun
Jack Jones ~ I Will Wait For You
Lea Delaria ~ Call Me
Necro Tonz ~ Fare Thee Well and Go to Hell
Henry Mancini ~ Something For Cat
Mr Ho’s Orchestrotica ~ Colardo Waltz
Al Caiola ~ 720 in The Books
Nestor Amaral and His Continenals ~ Brazil.
Pink Martini ~ And Then Your Gone
Titio-Puente ~ Vibe Cha-Cha

THIS SHOW WILL BE AVAILABLE SATURDAY 7/9/2011

TO LISTEN OR DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE

HARD CASE CRIME: BLOOD ON THE MINK!

HARD CASE CRIME: BLOOD ON THE MINK!

NEWS FROM HARD CASE CRIME EDITOR CHARLES ARDAI . . .

Hard Case Crime has published books by a number Mystery Writers of America 'Grand Masters' over the years -- Lawrence Block, Donald Westlake, Mickey Spillane, Ed McBain, Stephen King -- but in 2012 we're going to add to this illustrious list a Grand Master from the other side of the aisle, the Science Fiction Writers of America: Robert Silverberg.


Five-time winner of the Nebula Award, five-time winner of the Hugo Award, author of acclaimed, mind-bending fantasy novels that have won praise from people like Jonathan Lethem and Michael Chabon, Bob began his career writing under fake names for the last surviving pulp magazines. For the very last issue ever of TRAPPED DETECTIVE STORY MAGAZINE, the editor asked if he could supply a complete novel, and Bob did, an action-packed suspense thriller about a government agent going undercover in the Philadelphia Mob to root out a master currency forger from within.

The issue of TRAPPED appeared on newsstands in 1962 -- and after it went off sale a few weeks later, this work by Silverberg vanished. It never appeared under the author's real name, never appeared in book form -- never appeared in any form for the past half-century.

And it's a great read.

So...in April 2012, Hard Case Crime will be giving BLOOD ON THE MINK its first-ever proper publication, including a new afterword by Silverberg discussing the novel's genesis and his work for the pulps, as well as two short stories he wrote for the pulps that have a connection to the novel, and that also haven't seen the light of day for more than 50 years.

BLOOD ON THE MINK

Set A Fake To Catch A Fake

Somewhere in Philadelphia, a master engraver is turning out brilliant forgeries of U.S. currency plates for organized crime. To bring the operation down from the inside, the government sends an agent undercover posing as a West Coast crime lord’s right-hand man. It’s a dangerous game of impersonation—one that could prove fatal when the agent’s secret begins to unravel...

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND A SAMPLE CHAPTER CLICK HERE

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

PULP NOW: EXCITING PULP TALES!

PULP NOW: EXCITING PULP TALES!

TOM JOHNSON

The exciting sequel to Tom Johnson's 2010 anthology, PULP DETECTIVES, EXCITING PULP TALES brings you ten more all-new stories featuring classic pulp heroes such as The Angel, The Green Ghost, The Cobra, The Crimson Mask, Gentle Jones, The Purple Scar, Funny Face, Mr. Death, The Jungle Queen, and Ki-Gor. Almost 400 pages of pulp thrills, featuring original characters from the pulp era.

TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN BIO ON ABC MEDIA NET!

TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN BIO ON ABC MEDIA NET!

FROM ABC MEDIA NET . . .

In addition to being an Interrogator on ABC's Take the Money and Run, Paul Bishop is a top cop and critically-acclaimed author. Don't believe us? Then read on!

The Los Angeles Times has called Paul Bishop "the closest equivalent of Joe Wambaugh yet," and stated his novel, Hot Pursuit, "could hardly be better." The "New York Times proclaimed him a "first-class writer," and called his Deep Water a "lively, bloody adventure." Publishers' Weekly cited Paul's Croaker: Kill Me Again, as "gripping, intense, labyrinthine, complex, and compelling." And author Dominick Dunne declared Paul's Croaker: Grave Sins to be a "tough, taut, terrific tale!"

As a nationally recognized interrogator, Bishop co-stars with his professional partner, bestselling author and prosecutor Mary Hanlon Stone, as the regular interrogators and driving force behind the new hit ABC reality show, “Take the Money & Run,” from producers Bertram Van Munster and Jerry Bruckheimer. Bishop and Stone will also be sharing their experience and expertise in their forthcoming book, How to Tell When Your Teen Is Lying.

Bishop’s novels include Hot Pursuit, Deep Water, Penalty Shot, Suspicious Minds, the short story collection Running Wylde, and five novels in his L.A.P.D. Detective Fey Croaker series – Croaker: Kill Me Again, Croaker: Grave Sins, Croaker: Tequila Mockingbird, Croaker: Chalk Whispers and Croaker: Pattern of Behavior.

FOR MORE CLICK HERE

Monday, July 4, 2011

PULP NOW: THE BEST OF ADVENTURE!

PULP NOW: THE BEST OF ADVENTURE!

VOLUME 2 ~ 1913-1914

BLACK DOG BOOKS - COMING SOON!

Assembled from years three and four of its history, this collection brings together 20 of the best tales that appeared in Adventure, including rarely or never-before reprinted works by Talbot Mundy, Rafael Sabatini, Edgar Wallace, H.D. Couzens, J. Allan Dunn, George Washington Ogden, Stephen Chalmers and others.

The stories, include authors both familiar and forgotten to today's readers, represent historical and modern-set fiction (modern as in circa 1914) in all corners of the globe.

Selected and with an introduction by Doug Ellis.

INCLUDED:

"Orders Gray" by Marion Polk Angellotti [Medieval Italy]
"The Black Violin" by Nevil G. Henshaw [New Orleans]
"The Capture of Lone Bill" by Hapsburg Liebe [Western]
"Paid" by W. Townend [Afghanistan]
"The Shanghaied Policeman" by S.B.H. Hurst [New York]
"In a Righteous Cause" by Talbot Mundy [India]
"Messire Richard" by Warwick Deeping [Medieval England]
"The Word of Borgia" by Raphael Sabatini [Renaissance Italy]
"The Getting of Boh Na-Ghee" by Gordon McCreagh [Burma]
"Clearing a Snarl" by Frederick William Wallace [North Atlantic fishing]
"Down the River" by G.W. Ogden [Colonial Mississippi]
"The Impulsiveness of Black Douglas" by Stephen Chalmers [Northwest Mounties]
"The Chang-Hwa Pearl" by H.D. Couzens [China; South Seas; Hawaii]
"Queen of the Species" by Prince Sarath Ghosh [India]
"The Taking of Peter Pan" by George Brydges Rodney [Mexico; humorous]
"The Sea-Wife's Challenge" by Henry Oyen [Brooklyn; North Atlantic; some fantasy elements]
"A Maker of Wars" by Edgar Wallace [Africa; humorous]
"Safe or Out?" by Hugh S. Fullerton [Ohio; baseball; humorous]
"The Greenstone Mask" by Allan Dunn [South Seas]

BLACK DOG BOOKS

THE DREAMSVILLE SHOW FOR JULY!

THE DREAMSVILLE SHOW FOR JULY!

DIG IT!

TRACKLIST:

Mark Murphy - Come And Get Me
Pete Rugolo - Voodoo Man
Richard Pine - Beatnik Bill
Joya Sherrill - Desdemona's Lament
Candido - Bongo Baby
Gil Mellé - Night Train To Wildwood
Dinah Washington with Lionel Hampton - Blow Top Blues
Lionel Hampton - Robbins In Your Hair
Buddy Rich - Rich-Ual Dance
Coleman Hawkins - Bah-U-Bah
Charles Mingus with Melvin Stewart - Scenes In The City
Ken Nordine - I Used To Think My Right Hand Was Uglier Than My Left
Fleet and Freddy - Pad
Marilyn Ross - Out Of This World

TO LISTEN OR DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE

VINTAGE COVERS: FLIGHT GIRL!

THE TROUBLE WITH BLONDES!

THE DEAD MAN: THE BLOOD MESA!

THE DEAD MAN: THE BLOOD MESA!

JAMES REASONER

Book #5 in thrilling DEAD MAN saga, the action/horror series that readers and book critics alike are hailing as "an epic tale" that compares to the best of Stephen King and Dean Koontz . . .

Matt Cahill finds himself trapped atop a blood-red mesa in the desolate American Southwest when an archeological dig goes terribly, dangerously wrong, awakening an ancient evil with an insatiable hunger. Now Matt, armed only with his trusty ax, must somehow escape...rescue a handful of terrified innocents... and prevent a slaughter of epic proportions.

BONUS MATERIAL

A sample chapter from KILL THEM ALL by Harry Shannon, Book #6 in the DEAD MAN saga
An excerpt from UNDER OUTLAW FLAGS by James Reasoner

Don't miss the previous Books in the DEAD MAN series:

FACE OF EVIL by Lee Goldberg / William Rabkin
RING OF KNIVES by James Daniels
HELL IN HEAVEN by Lee Goldberg / William Rabkin
THE DEAD WOMAN by David McAfee

FIREWORKS ON THE 4TH!

E-BOOK AVAILABLE NOW ~ CROAKER: TEQUILA MOCKINGBIRD!

E-BOOK AVAILABLE NOW ~ CROAKER: TEQUILA MOCKINGBIRD!

PAUL BISHOP

CROAKER: TEQUILA MOCKINGBIRD

KINDLE EDITION ~ $2.99

The third Detective Fey Croaker L.A.P.D. novel.

Paul Bishop is one of Los Angeles's most respected cops. For over thirty five years, he has played hardball on the streets for one of the toughest police departments in America. As a result, he brings the kind of authenticity to his Fey Croaker novels only an insider could achieve.

When Croaker: Tequila Mockingbird opens with a blistering start, the murder of a highly decorated detective assigned to the L.A.P.D.'s clandestine Anti-Terrorist Division appears to be an open-and-shut case of domestic violence turned deadly.

However, nothing is what it seems – as Fey Croaker discovers after the chief of police removes responsibility for the investigation from the department's elite Robbery-Homicide Division and assigns it to her. But the price of truth is high – maybe even higher than Fey can pay.

Struggling to overcome her personal demons, especially the death of her lover, Fey and her appealing crew – the dynamic Arch Hammersmith and Rhonda Lawless (a.k.a. Hammer and Nails), Brindle Jones, Abraham Benjamin Cohen (a.k.a. Alphabet), and Fey's second-in-command Monk Lawson – are turned into human targets as they race to stop a south-of-the-border terrorist from striking at the very heart of Los Angeles.

Riveting in its plausibility, Croaker: Tequila Mockingbird, confirms Paul Bishop's place among the best of the police thriller writers and shows Fey Croaker and her team at the top of their form.

PRAISE FOR THE DETECTIVE FEY CROAKER L.A.P.D. NOVELS

"Prime Suspect meets Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct with a brilliant twist of L.A. citrus. "
— Mystery Magazine

"Paul Bishop has a flair for creating police who are very good and very bad and very human."
– Los Angeles Times Book Review

"The closest equivalent to Joe Wambaugh yet. "
— The Los Angeles Times

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A thirty-five year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, Paul has twice been honored as Detective of the Year. Aside from his numerous novels, he has written scripts for episodic television and feature films. As a nationally recognized interrogator, he appears regularly on the hit ABC reality series Take The Money And Run.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

Sunday, July 3, 2011

YOU MIGHT NOT SELL A MILLION e-BOOKS, BUT . . .

YOU MIGHT NOT SELL A MILLION e-BOOKS, BUT . . .

John Locke became the eighth author and the first self-published author, to sell 1,000,000 e-books via Amazon. Unlike the other seven Kindle Millionaires, Locke did it with all his titles priced at $.99.

So, what does the guy go and do next? He publishes a how-to book, of course, detailing his system for e-book sales success and prices it at $.99 – no, wait, that’s wrong, How I Sold 1 Million e-Books In 5 Months is priced at $4.95!

What’s with this Locke guy? His 1,000,000 sales have got to be a fluke. After all, his books are nothing special – those sales have got to be a fluke, a chance in a million, the guy is a lottery winner nothing more. And now, he’s adding insult to injury by rubbing the noses other self-publishing authors, and established authors who are joining the e-revolution in droves, in the stink of his so called success – and charging them $4.95 for the privilege.

No way does he have a workable system to increase sales for other authors – and if he did, why would he share it? How I Sold 1 Million e-Books In 5 Months has got to be a rip-off.

Adhering to the established code of a sucker being born every minute, I pushed the Amazon One Click button, and downloaded How I Sold 1 Million e-Books In 5 Months to my Kindle. I knew I’d been ripped-off the second I pushed the button. Hey, I’ve been ripped-off before by better scam artist than this John Locke guy, but I opened the book up anyway, resigned to my fate.

I read the first chapter of How I sold 1 Million e-Books In 5 Months, and then the second chapter, and found out a couple of important things. First, John Locke doesn’t come off as a scam artist – he’s a salesman and a damn good one. Secondly, he really came across on the page as sincere.

Not much of a surprise there. The best con men in the world can sell you Greek Treasury Bonds while making you feel like they’re your best friend. Despite how I was feeling, I knew Locke was still ripping me off. I’d paid $4.95 for How I sold 1 Million e-Books In 5 Months, and I still hadn’t sold one extra e-book file.

I read on, convinced Locke had nothing to teach me. After all, I’d been writing novels for twenty years. I’d certainly understood the frustrations Locke was talking about in the early pages of How I sold 1 Million e-Books In 5 Months, but I knew there was nothing to be done about them. I’d even converted my backlist of ten novels into electronic files, found a fabulous cover artist, and joined the e-book revolution. This upstart Locke guy had only been around for five minutes – okay, five months, but you know what I mean. He couldn’t possibly have learned techniques for moving books I didn’t know about.

But wait, Locke wasn’t lying about selling 1,000,000 e-books in five months. It wasn’t just a jumped up claim that couldn’t be verified. It was Amazon who kept those records, and it was Amazon who placed the mantle of Kindle Millionaire on Locke’s shoulders. 1,000,000 e-books in five months . . . maybe, I needed to read a couple more chapters.

As Locke reviewed all of the traditional things he’d tried as an author to increase the sales of his books and failed, I felt his pain – been there, done that, fell flat. Hold on, was I identifying with this guy? Man, he is good! What a scammer!

Then Locke began to share some of the techniques he’d discovered that did work – the techniques that jumped his books from miniscule e-sales to 1,000,000 e-books in five months. And finally, finally, I had the guy!

This stuff might have worked for him, but he’s a natural born salesman – I’m not. I didn’t want to even think about trying some of the things Locke was talking about. I don’t have that gregarious type of personality, plus I didn’t have the time or the energy to learn new tricks.

I stopped reading, exited the electronic version of How I sold 1 Million e-Books In 5 Months, and put my Kindle to sleep. Maybe I hadn’t been ripped-off, but the stuff Locke was explaining, I didn’t want to do. It obviously worked for him because he is one of those friendly, outgoing, personalities I try to stay away from at parties, but it wouldn’t work for me.

Later in the day, I picked up my Kindle again intending to do little light reading. However, I clicked on How I sold 1 Million e-Books In 5 Months. I reread some of the stuff I’d read earlier in the day. I read some more about the techniques Locke developed for shooting his sales into the stratosphere.

I didn’t sleep a whole lot that night. My brain was spinning, turning over a number of techniques Locke had explained. No, I couldn’t do those things the same way he did, but I could redesign some of them to fit my personality, my books, and my target audience. I might not have the same success as Locke, but I could see how adjusting his techniques to my style could make a big difference – certainly, I’d have some impact on my sales.

And so the plot thickened. I realized Locke was sincere in his efforts to explain how he’d achieved his sales success. The $4.95 price even made sense when Locke explained it.

Locke was a very successful business man before turning his attention to the business of being an author. His approach is businesslike, which can perhaps rub authors the wrong way who think writing books should be on a level above business concerns. However, if you recognize and approach writing as a business in order to pull in profits (how gauche is that?), then Locke does have a system to propel your sales.

Was buying How I sold 1 Million e-Books In 5 Months going to translate into the same sales for me – most likely not, but I’ve got a feeling I’m going to be pleased with the results of applying what I have learned from Locke.

The title of Locke’s book is How I sold 1 Million e-Books In 5 Months not How You can sell 1 Million e-Books In 5 Months. The techniques Locke shares are only going to work for you if you can understand how to adjust them to suit your style and personality. But this can be done without a lot of heavy lifting.

How I sold 1 Million e-Books In 5 Months is surprisingly not the rip-off I was expecting. John Locke is not a con-artist out to take advantage of other self-published authors. Locke is a sincere guy who has found a way to use his innate understanding of business and the e-book revolution to sell a ton of books – and he’s willing to share this experience with you in plain terms.

What you do with the knowledge is up to you – sit back and say it’s not for you, or find away to make it work for you. Either way, you’ll have gotten you $4.95’s worth and more.

Saturday, July 2, 2011

AN EVENING AT THE BUDDIES LOUNGE #138!

AN EVENING AT THE BUDDIES LOUNGE #138!

From STUDIO 67 in Hollywood, enjoy another brand new hour of Hi-Fi Space-Age fun from the BUDDIES LOUNGE . . . presented in LIVING STEREO!!!!

PLAYLIST:

• All For One And One For All - Peter Falk
• Mystery Movie Theme - Henry Mancini
• Day In Day Out - Buddy Greco
• Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead - Peter Nero
• When You're Smiling; The Sheik Of Araby - Keely Smith
• Expresso - Guitars Unlimed Plus 7
• Secret Agent Man - Mel Torme
• The Preacher - Billy May
• There Is No Biz like Show Biz - Kirby Stone Four
• The Varsity Drag - Johnny Williams
• Almost Like Being In Love - Eydie Gorme
• They Can’t Take That Away From Me - Barney Kessel
• I Believe In You - Abbe Lane
• Watermelon Man - Marty Paich
• Lady Is A Tramp - Peggy Lee
• Peter Gunn - Felix Slatkin
• The Shadow Of You Smile - Sammy Davis Jr. / Laurindo Almeida
• Today, Tomorrow and Forever - Elvis Presley / Ann-Margret
• This Land Is Your Land - Bing Crosby
• Sprit Of America - Beach Boys
• You’re A Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith - Frank Sinatra

TO LISTEN OR DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE

THE BEAUTY CHORUS!

THE BEAUTY CHORUS!

KATE LORD BROWN

MY FAVORITE COVER OF THE YEAR . . .

New Year’s Eve 1940: Evie Chase, the beautiful debutante daughter of an RAF commander, listens wistfully to the swing music drifting out from the ballroom. With bombs falling nightly in London, she is determined to make a difference to the war effort.

Evie joins the ATA – the civilian pilots who ferry fighter planes to bases across war-torn Britain. Two other women wait nervously to join up with her – Stella Grainger, a forlorn young mother from Singapore, and Megan Jones, an idealistic teenager who has never left her Welsh village before.

Billeted together in a tiny cottage, Stella, Megan and Evie learn to live and work together as they find romance, confront loss and forge friendships that last a lifetime.

VINTAGE COVERS: THE ISLAND OF FU MANCHU!

THE TROUBLE WITH BLONDES!

VINTAGE PULPS: ALL FICTION STORIES!

HAT TIP TO LAURIE'S WILD WEST

TAKE A CHANCE E-BOOKS ~ NO HERO!

TAKE A CHANCE E-BOOKS ~ NO HERO!

AN ONGOING SERIES HIGHLIGHTING POSSIBLY DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH E-BOOKS BY RELATIVELY UNKNOWN AUTHORS, FOUND WHILE CRUISING THE E-BOOK SHELVES ON AMAZON WITH PRICES MAKING THEM WORTH TAKING A CHANCE ON . . . SOME MAY BE CRAP, SOME COULD SHOW POTENTIAL, OTHERS (I SUSPECT VERY, VERY, FEW) MIGHT BE GREAT – TAKE A CHANCE . . .

TODAY’S FIND . . . MYSTERY!

E-BOOKS: NO HERO

JONATHAN WOODS

KINDLE EDITION ~ $3.99

What would Kurt Russell do? Oxford police detective Arthur Wallace asks himself that question a lot. Because Arthur is no hero. He's a good cop, but prefers that action and heroics remain on the screen, safely performed by professionals.

But then, secretive government agency MI37 comes calling, hoping to recruit Arthur in their struggle against the tentacled horrors from another dimension known as the Progeny.

But Arthur is no hero.

Can an everyman stand against sanity-ripping cosmic horrors?

Friday, July 1, 2011

ESPIONAGE CENTRAL: ROOM 59 ~ BLACK WIDOW!

ESPIONAGE CENTRAL: ROOM 59 ~ BLACK WIDOW!

CLIFF RYDER (AKA: MEL DOM)

THE WORD FROM MEL . . .

Here's a neat spy book I did for the ROOM 59 series for Gold Eagle. Just found it on the Kindle. For $1.24 it's a steal. I really enjoyed writing this book and had a lot of fun with the series. Wish it would have lasted longer.

BLACK WIDOW

Espionage takes to the twentyfirstcentury playing fields, where rules are brokenand remadeoutside the reach of governments and the law.

Agents recruited for the clandestine organization known as Room 59 play hard, play for keeps...or die trying.

But now new Room 59 agent Ajza Manaev, a top MI6 operative, discovers just how high the stakes really are when she goes undercover inside Chechnya's terrorist training camps, where bitter young widows harness their hate as suicide bombers. Ajza doesn't know she’s being manipulated by many sides of a deadly game.

Her mysterious Room 59 handler has his own agenda, while the secret, silent mastermind behind a global destabilization plot hopes to push Ajza's loyalties to the breaking point.

And in a game where the ground is always shifting, Ajza is inducted by hellfire into Room 59's harsh reality: she’s on her own.