Tag: Amazon

What would Dave Barry do?

Something like this, only better.

Reincarnation! It’s not just for Buddhists anymore!

In the solitary middle of his years, Glenn Mehrenholz begins to dream about the temple of Hera at Paestum in the old, old days when southern Italy was part of Greece. There, standing upon a shiny marble floor (not a ruin, like it is today), a furry, foxlike lady speaking Sanskrit says she knows him by another name.

Spooky, right? You might wonder, “Why Sanskrit instead of Greek or Latin?” If so, high marks. You must have paid attention in eighth grade.

Things happen. Exciting things. Things you’ll want to know about. For instance, aliens from another planet get themselves outed by the U.S. Air Force, whereupon they confess to having colonized Earth during the last Ice Age — although not in a bad way.

“Surprise!” say the furry aliens. (Remember the lady in the first paragraph?) “We’re here! Always have been. Sorry. It was a secret.”

In due time, the concept’s existential threats are trotted out. (1) Impending cosmic disaster. (2) A power struggle on nearby Jivada. (3) The Unseen are stirring in their nest, which could be a problem for everybody. According to authors I follow on the Internet, every tale needs tension. I made sure to include plenty of it.

So, by way of explainment, I refer you to what happened to the Dalai Lama, who was recognized as the reincarnation of the previous Dalai Lama when he was two years old. Right there, in real life, a person’s normal existence was replaced with a noble quest, whether he liked it or not.

This is what’s happening to Glenn. He’s a ghost of ancient Vidura, an instrument of destiny, a man with worlds to save.

Don’t say it’s preposterous. I just demonstrated, with facts, how it isn’t.

It’s an epic story. I should know. I made it all up myself. Are you shopping for books with happy endings? Our hero marries a neurologist ten years his junior, although that’s not actually how it ends. You still have to read the book.

Notwithstanding what I just said, Ghosts of Ancient Vidura really is literary Sci-Fi. All my titles are #kindleunlimited. Click below to read a few chapters for free!

If you’re looking for Dave Barry, click here.

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Stepping away from the WIP

After a few weeks working on the ninth (and presumably last) volume in the Anye Universe books, I’ve decided to give it a rest. The fourth book has lain fallow long enough for a fresh restart, so that’s what I’ll do until inspired to switch horses again.

Here’s a look at the first chapter of Vacuum Forged after some brutal cutting. Who knows what it’ll look like a month from now.

Part 1 – Chapter 0

First House, Planet Vidura, 70,000 BCE

Upon the sixth anniversary of First House’s instantiation, Master Sa summoned his three most important cub-school students to tell them what they were.

Spring was early in the Northern Reach. The scent of young blossoms drifted through parlor doors. Birdsong rang in the air. Tree pollen tickled noses. It was all, said Master Sa, an artful deception. “We call it the Anodyne Virtuality.”

Continue reading “Stepping away from the WIP” →
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Souled — John Dyer Writes

Intelligent and entertaining stories developed for a thoughtful audience.

What if science was to prove the doctrine of the immortal soul? Amil Leyta intended to work in orbital manufacturing, but his studies have taken an unexpected turn. He’s built a device that images the essence of life, evoking the discovery that there’s more than one type of soul.

They appear on his monitor at deathbed vigils, shining bright across the boundary between dimensions. He imagines they’re angels, guiding spirits to the between-life, and wonders if the Gods will allow what he must do next.

Because Amil knows how to bring them here.

All my titles are #KindleUnlimited.

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Uncommon

I haven’t been an avid consumer of entertainment since I started writing, partly because I don’t want other authors’ stories in my head during the process. But there’s also the matter of what to consume — in that the quality of legacy media appears to be on the decline.

Essayist Derek Thompson (Is America Really Running Out of Original Ideas, The Atlantic, December 2021) proposes that the sorry state of the movie industry is founded not in a poverty of creativity but rather upon market dynamics that no longer reward innovation. To wit, the public patronizes familiar stories above all others, giving Hollywood motivation to publish a tedious litany of remakes.

But Hollywood no longer has a monopoly on filmic art, and Amazon has revolutionized book publishing. We are bombarded with content from every direction, and the challenge for a consumer seeking original, creative and uncommon entertainment is how to find it.

Continue reading “Uncommon” →
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Sci-Fi for those who don’t read Sci-Fi

The eBook edition of my latest novel is free today and tomorrow, February 9 &10 — an opportunity to try something completely different, whether or not you’re a follower of the genre.

Ghosts of Ancient Vidura is literary science fiction — action, adventure, and family drama against an SF landscape, with an underlying theme about what it takes to create a successful life. About the series, readers have said, “There’s nothing like it” and “Something for everybody”.

Helpful hint — If you’re not a fan of SF, the book really shifts gears in Part Two. But don’t skip. You’ll miss something important.

Elevator pitch — The year is 2025, and the aliens have arrived. Officially, not counting twenty-five-thousand years of under-the-table commerce, a secret that can no longer be kept.

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Validated

On February 2, following the launch of my novel Ghosts of Ancient Vidura, I wallpapered social media and then waited for those signs of acceptance one gets when generating his own publicity.

I sold an eBook the first day, and picked up a customer on Kindle Unlimited the next.

It’s impossible to know from KENP how many readers are engaged. Amazon lists the book at 381 pages, an average based on Kindle’s various presentation formats. I see 401 pages read since yesterday. I’m not famous. Let’s agree it’s one person who read the book in two days. The KU subscription motivates readers to give up on books they don’t enjoy, so I’ll take this one as an endorsement.

And then I received a lovely message from a lady who spotted my announcement on Retalk. She’s now reading Elbert, the first book in the AjJivadi trilogy. She said, “You have an engaging style. The book is intelligent and nuanced while still being easy/fun to read.”

So, that makes three new readers and fan mail in the first week. Woohoo!

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Launch Day

An invasion tale with an original twist!

The year is 2025, and the aliens have arrived. Officially, not counting twenty-five-thousand years of AjJivadi influence on Earth, a secret that can no longer be kept.

Cosmic disaster looms in the near future. Intervention is at hand. In Washington DC, military authorities cook up plans to hijack spaceships. On Jivada, a sinister cabal maneuvers to rule the two planets. Millions of light years away, an unseen enemy stirs in its nest.

Meanwhile, a native human experiences past-life emergence — recalling old Vidura and the principles of trans-dimensional physics. At a furloughed missile launch site in Nevada, an AjJivadi workforce, long barred from Earth tourism, is going on vacation, campsites popping up like mushrooms after a soaking rain. The ghosts of ancient Vidura have returned.

Literary Sci-Fi for Grown-ups. All my titles are #kindleunlimited.

Click on the image below to preview!

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Ghostly

Now available for pre-order. eBook and paperback launch on February 1st.

An alien invasion tale with an original twist!

The year is 2025, and the aliens have arrived. Officially, not counting twenty-five-thousand years of clandestine interspecies commerce, a secret that can no longer be kept. Earth’s sun will soon micro-nova unless the AjJivadi Constituency does something about it.

An ancient alien migration vessel, previously in service as a tourist hotel, arrives with a disaster mitigation team. A public relations campaign is launched. AjJivadi officials state there will be no exchange of technology. Behind the scenes, technology is offered. Diplomacy lurches forward.

Meanwhile, a human in Oregon experiences past-life emergence — recalling old Vidura and the science that was discovered there. In Washington DC, military authorities cook up plans to hijack spaceships. On Jivada, a sinister cabal maneuvers to rule the two planets. Millions of light years away, an unseen enemy stirs in its nest.

The situation is about to get complicated.

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Edified — John Dyer Writes

After seven-or-so close edits, a flurry of readings, a handful of insights from a first reader, and countless additional flourishes, I thought this book might be ready. So, I worked on the cover (it needed more contrast) and ordered another three proof copies.

Then I realized I’d neglected an opportunity to describe a principal actor early in the narrative. I wrote …

The face of Henri Suraksin, Elbert’s Anye stepson, popped into augmented reality while Elbert was pulling into a parking space. Henri was Mahat Raja, a rare amalgam of the foxy lemur and bearlike lemur genotypes.

It was mid-afternoon at Henri’s location. He’d skipped lunch. Imagine a werewolf, eating donuts, washing them down with goat’s milk out of a sippy cup, appearance made even less fierce by powdered sugar on his nose. “I snuck another bodyguard into the building about an hour ago.”

If I hand out any of the proofs, I’ll have to say, “I made some changes, but it shouldn’t affect your enjoyment of the book.” By then, it will almost certainly be a lie.

When one starts an eBook draft on KDP, Amazon makes the author submit the title for pre-order. I chose February 1st. It WILL be done by then.

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Replay — John Dyer Writes

When I sat down for an appearance on the Lurking for Legends livestream, I thought I might not have enough material. I met the hosts ‘backstage’ before the broadcast. The left channel in my headphones was cutting out. It was sure to be distracting.

Richard Stephens said, “This is your show. Talk about anything you want.” I’d been thinking ‘interview’. I hadn’t prepared a script. Nuts.

The stream starts. The hosts chat among themselves. I’m introduced. Christie Stratos said, “If you could start by telling us a little bit about yourself …”

I rattled on for forty minutes. I don’t think anyone got a word in edgewise. Richard Stephens had to call a time-out in order to conclude the broadcast.

I had fun. You can find the replay at …

https://www.facebook.com/christiestratosauthor/videos/2422832524539665

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