In this week's blog I am going to unashamedly wallow in self-promotion, self-aggrandizement and introspection. It's been a while since I've focused one of my blogs on myself and my work; so today is my opportunity.
As we near the end of this year, with just two more months left in 2015, it is an appropriate time to consider what I have achieved or indeed not achieved in this, my first year as a serious, full-time author.
As is always the best, with these things, it is appropriate to start at the beginning - and the beginning for me, is and always will be; The Second Coming!
As we near the end of this year, with just two more months left in 2015, it is an appropriate time to consider what I have achieved or indeed not achieved in this, my first year as a serious, full-time author.
As is always the best, with these things, it is appropriate to start at the beginning - and the beginning for me, is and always will be; The Second Coming!
THE SECOND COMING:
The Second Coming will always be a special book for me. This was my first baby, conceived in love, nurtured for many months in the womb and finally induced into the world on June 15, 2015. The Second Coming was an enormous learning experience for me. I had no idea how to go about writing something as monumental as a novel. All I had, in my head; was an idea, a beginning and an end. Filling in that pesky bit in the middle, was the hard part.
I learnt so much about writing, about discipline and most importantly about all the peripherals that are just as important as writing; editing, publishing, marketing, et al. I know I came out of the process as a much better writer and I also produced a novel I could be proud of. The day The Second Coming was published still ranks up there as one of the greatest days of my life.
The Second Coming is a warm, funny, and very inspirational re-telling of the Greatest Story Ever Told. To date, it has garnered twenty-three, four and five-star reviews, on Amazon. The reader's response to this tale of a modern-day return by Jesus, to earth, has been incredibly positive. Readers from all parts of the spectrum of faith have commented that the book succeeds in walking that fine line between religion and secularity. It is a fun, inspirational, tale of adventure and camaraderie, spiced up with a wonderfully, touching and beautiful romance between two of the main characters. It is not a religious book, it is a book that celebrates the power and beauty of the human spirit.
Please do check out The Second Coming. It is available on Amazon, Google Play and IBooks.
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/puhwty3
Google Play: http://tinyurl.com/nacm7q5
IBooks: http://tinyurl.com/qe62jgm
The Second Coming will always be a special book for me. This was my first baby, conceived in love, nurtured for many months in the womb and finally induced into the world on June 15, 2015. The Second Coming was an enormous learning experience for me. I had no idea how to go about writing something as monumental as a novel. All I had, in my head; was an idea, a beginning and an end. Filling in that pesky bit in the middle, was the hard part.
I learnt so much about writing, about discipline and most importantly about all the peripherals that are just as important as writing; editing, publishing, marketing, et al. I know I came out of the process as a much better writer and I also produced a novel I could be proud of. The day The Second Coming was published still ranks up there as one of the greatest days of my life.
The Second Coming is a warm, funny, and very inspirational re-telling of the Greatest Story Ever Told. To date, it has garnered twenty-three, four and five-star reviews, on Amazon. The reader's response to this tale of a modern-day return by Jesus, to earth, has been incredibly positive. Readers from all parts of the spectrum of faith have commented that the book succeeds in walking that fine line between religion and secularity. It is a fun, inspirational, tale of adventure and camaraderie, spiced up with a wonderfully, touching and beautiful romance between two of the main characters. It is not a religious book, it is a book that celebrates the power and beauty of the human spirit.
Please do check out The Second Coming. It is available on Amazon, Google Play and IBooks.
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/puhwty3
Google Play: http://tinyurl.com/nacm7q5
IBooks: http://tinyurl.com/qe62jgm
JUST A DROP IN THE OCEAN:
When I finished The Second Coming, I still had no intentions of turning it into a trilogy; that came much later. I sat down and decided to write a totally different book; fundamentally a love story and the result was Just A Drop in the Ocean.
Just A Drop in the Ocean tells the story of two very different people, Teresa Mercado from the rural, backwaters of Occidental Mindoro, The Philippines and Nick Stevenson from Napier, New Zealand. They connected as pen-pals in the 1970's and by the time they were in their late teens they had their future lives together all mapped out; until that pesky thing called life, stepped in to ruin their dreams.
Just A Drop in the Ocean follows their separate lives as they both search for that elusive dream - happiness.
Through the trials and tribulations of domestic violence, political chicanery, the criminal underworld, fraud, prison and personal redemption, they both reflect on whether that sweet, innocent, first love, of their childhood was indeed their true destiny.
Just A Drop in the Ocean is a towering story, that spans two continents and several decades as Teresa and Nick, both seek their true love in life.
Published in October 2015, Just A Drop in the Ocean is available from all good online stores, but please do check it out on Amazon:
Kindle Version: http://tinyurl.com/opqowdp
Paperback: http://tinyurl.com/ngq4aag
When I finished The Second Coming, I still had no intentions of turning it into a trilogy; that came much later. I sat down and decided to write a totally different book; fundamentally a love story and the result was Just A Drop in the Ocean.
Just A Drop in the Ocean tells the story of two very different people, Teresa Mercado from the rural, backwaters of Occidental Mindoro, The Philippines and Nick Stevenson from Napier, New Zealand. They connected as pen-pals in the 1970's and by the time they were in their late teens they had their future lives together all mapped out; until that pesky thing called life, stepped in to ruin their dreams.
Just A Drop in the Ocean follows their separate lives as they both search for that elusive dream - happiness.
Through the trials and tribulations of domestic violence, political chicanery, the criminal underworld, fraud, prison and personal redemption, they both reflect on whether that sweet, innocent, first love, of their childhood was indeed their true destiny.
Just A Drop in the Ocean is a towering story, that spans two continents and several decades as Teresa and Nick, both seek their true love in life.
Published in October 2015, Just A Drop in the Ocean is available from all good online stores, but please do check it out on Amazon:
Kindle Version: http://tinyurl.com/opqowdp
Paperback: http://tinyurl.com/ngq4aag
RISE OF THE ANTICHRIST:
Once I decided there was more to tell in the story of JC's return to earth; I started work on Rise of the AntiChrist, the second book in The Second Coming series.
In the second book, JC and Maria's eldest twins, Damien and Samantha, have become the focus of their parent's mission to continue saving humanity from the brink. Both children have amazing powers, inherited from their father. That; plus their engaging personalities, continue to promote and ensure the success of JC's, brave new world on Earth.
Storm clouds are gathering on the horizon though as we see the escape and release into the world of "the evil one"; Satan, the Devil, Beelzebub, call him what you will - although he prefers to be known simply as "Bubba".
In a fast-paced, story, full of action, adventure, and excitement, we see the rise, on Earth, of Beelzebub's new human representative; The AntiChrist! How will JC, his family and his disciples overcome this challenge to the established order? Are we on the verge of "Holy War"?
Rise of the AntiChrist; like The Second Coming, will be published by Pentian Publishing, with a release date set for early December 2015. As with my first book investors are encouraged to back Rise of the AntiChrist with a direct stake in the publication of this book. All investors will receive a royalty from EVERY single sale of this book. This is Pentian's unique point of difference in the publishing, crowd-funding, market.
If you would like to be part of the publishing world and make some money from your investment, please do check out the opportunity here: http://pentian.com/book/fund/1339 You will need to move quick though as this project ends on November 14th. Be in and back a winner.
Once I decided there was more to tell in the story of JC's return to earth; I started work on Rise of the AntiChrist, the second book in The Second Coming series.
In the second book, JC and Maria's eldest twins, Damien and Samantha, have become the focus of their parent's mission to continue saving humanity from the brink. Both children have amazing powers, inherited from their father. That; plus their engaging personalities, continue to promote and ensure the success of JC's, brave new world on Earth.
Storm clouds are gathering on the horizon though as we see the escape and release into the world of "the evil one"; Satan, the Devil, Beelzebub, call him what you will - although he prefers to be known simply as "Bubba".
In a fast-paced, story, full of action, adventure, and excitement, we see the rise, on Earth, of Beelzebub's new human representative; The AntiChrist! How will JC, his family and his disciples overcome this challenge to the established order? Are we on the verge of "Holy War"?
Rise of the AntiChrist; like The Second Coming, will be published by Pentian Publishing, with a release date set for early December 2015. As with my first book investors are encouraged to back Rise of the AntiChrist with a direct stake in the publication of this book. All investors will receive a royalty from EVERY single sale of this book. This is Pentian's unique point of difference in the publishing, crowd-funding, market.
If you would like to be part of the publishing world and make some money from your investment, please do check out the opportunity here: http://pentian.com/book/fund/1339 You will need to move quick though as this project ends on November 14th. Be in and back a winner.
CURRENT PROJECTS:
I have completed about 15,000 words on the third book in The Second Coming series; Holy War and I hope to have that finished and ready to submit to the publisher by March 2016. I have actually put this aside for now to work on a project that is very near and dear to my heart.
As many readers will know, my son Christopher is a very talented writer in his own right and I have been itching to help him get some of his work published. We are currently putting together an anthology of horror and paranormal short-stories (his forte), which we aim to have published before Christmas 2015.
I am incredibly excited about doing a joint book with my son and am working hard to produce the necessary content to make it a wonderful book. Chris has already furnished me with some stunning stories that will make the book incredibly exciting and readable, so the pressure is now on me to perform. I am loving the opportunity to write in a genre that I am not that familiar with and am learning so much through this experience.
Please do check out Christopher's wonderful website where he writes some fascinating blogs about movies, graphic novels, gaming, superheroes, and so much more besides. He calls his website The Unemployed Writer, but I suspect his unemployment will not last for long. He is a very talented young man - and yes, I am biased!
The Unemployed Writer: http://theunemployedwriter.com/author/admin/
I have completed about 15,000 words on the third book in The Second Coming series; Holy War and I hope to have that finished and ready to submit to the publisher by March 2016. I have actually put this aside for now to work on a project that is very near and dear to my heart.
As many readers will know, my son Christopher is a very talented writer in his own right and I have been itching to help him get some of his work published. We are currently putting together an anthology of horror and paranormal short-stories (his forte), which we aim to have published before Christmas 2015.
I am incredibly excited about doing a joint book with my son and am working hard to produce the necessary content to make it a wonderful book. Chris has already furnished me with some stunning stories that will make the book incredibly exciting and readable, so the pressure is now on me to perform. I am loving the opportunity to write in a genre that I am not that familiar with and am learning so much through this experience.
Please do check out Christopher's wonderful website where he writes some fascinating blogs about movies, graphic novels, gaming, superheroes, and so much more besides. He calls his website The Unemployed Writer, but I suspect his unemployment will not last for long. He is a very talented young man - and yes, I am biased!
The Unemployed Writer: http://theunemployedwriter.com/author/admin/
INTROSPECTION AND REFLECTION:
So, how has 2015 treated me as an author?
Have I become a best-selling author overnight? NO
Have I been discovered amongst the morass of other "indie" authors? NO
Am I happy? YES!
At the age of 56, I have finally achieved personal fulfillment and peace of mind. The discovery of this latent passion within myself has given me a totally new lease on life, from which I will never look back. I say it continuously, but that's because it's TRUE. "I AM LIVING THE DREAM!"
2015 has taught me many things. It has taught me to be humble, to be patient and most of all to be respectful of other's work.
This is an amazing industry that I have launched myself into, full of wonderful and helpful people. I cannot stress enough how positive and supportive the world of "indie" authors really is. I have met some fantastic people in the past year and am continually amazed and in awe of their towering abilities as writers. Forget the Legacy Published authors and treat yourself to some of the best literature out today. Read an "indie" author today!
Finally, I need to say; none of this would ever have been possible without the incredible, unconditional, love and support of my best friend, my lover, my darling wife; Thess. She is the most giving person I have ever met and it is her never-ending faith and belief in me that has given me my personal redemption.
Her favorite saying is: "Something great is just around the corner". Well, my darling, as far as I'm concerned, something great is already here - YOU! Thank you, my love, from the depths of my being.
Till next week, thanks for reading, have a peace filled day and:
So, how has 2015 treated me as an author?
Have I become a best-selling author overnight? NO
Have I been discovered amongst the morass of other "indie" authors? NO
Am I happy? YES!
At the age of 56, I have finally achieved personal fulfillment and peace of mind. The discovery of this latent passion within myself has given me a totally new lease on life, from which I will never look back. I say it continuously, but that's because it's TRUE. "I AM LIVING THE DREAM!"
2015 has taught me many things. It has taught me to be humble, to be patient and most of all to be respectful of other's work.
This is an amazing industry that I have launched myself into, full of wonderful and helpful people. I cannot stress enough how positive and supportive the world of "indie" authors really is. I have met some fantastic people in the past year and am continually amazed and in awe of their towering abilities as writers. Forget the Legacy Published authors and treat yourself to some of the best literature out today. Read an "indie" author today!
Finally, I need to say; none of this would ever have been possible without the incredible, unconditional, love and support of my best friend, my lover, my darling wife; Thess. She is the most giving person I have ever met and it is her never-ending faith and belief in me that has given me my personal redemption.
Her favorite saying is: "Something great is just around the corner". Well, my darling, as far as I'm concerned, something great is already here - YOU! Thank you, my love, from the depths of my being.
Till next week, thanks for reading, have a peace filled day and:
CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY!
EMBRACE THE OPPORTUNITIES LIFE PRESENTS TO YOU AND ALWAYS, ALWAYS FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS!
Have a great life and spread the love!
Changing the world – one reader at a time!
EMBRACE THE OPPORTUNITIES LIFE PRESENTS TO YOU AND ALWAYS, ALWAYS FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS!
Have a great life and spread the love!
Changing the world – one reader at a time!
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