The March round now begins: today it's The Gate: 13 Dark and Odd Tales that gets the no-cost treatment.  It will be free today, March 7th, until tomorrow, March 8th.  Head on over to the 'Zon and pick yourselves up a copy!

So here we go folks.  The paperback versions of The Gate 2: 13 Tales of Isolation and Despair is now live and ready to be purchased over at the 'Zon. Click here to head over there and pick one up!

Also, it's time to strap in and get the words flowing on the The Summer Son: The Rift Book IV.  I'll be starting tomorrow (March 4th), and the goal is to write 10,000 words a week over twelve weeks, which would put the second draft as being finished before the first week of June.  I'll be posting updates every Saturday night to let you all keep track of my progress.

So here's where we stand right now:

March 3: 9,828 words


I'll be seeing you next week at this time, if not sooner.

Peace, gentle readers.

RJD

Yes, here we are folks.  The new anthology is now here...at least the ebook is.  The proofs for the paperback should be coming today, so if it looks good, it should go live in the next few days.  For now, take a look at the fabulous new cover, description, and table of contents, which includes 12 fantastic authors.  To say we're excited about this product is a bit of an understatement!

…a young man tries to build a better life while trapped in a mall after a plague has killed off most of humanity…

…zombies overrun a world gone mad, leaving a boy with no choice but to rely on possibly mystical means of escape…

…Halloween night brings out a darkness so threatening that a young couple’s only hope of survival may be a procession of strange, ghostly children…

…when the world is given a brief glimpse of divinity, a formerly disabled man must come to grips with the fact that not everything is as good as it seems…

These tales and many more await in The Gate 2: 13 Tales of Isolation and Despair, the new collection edited by Robert J. Duperre. Thirteen talented authors have been assembled, bringing with them the best they have to offer in a wide range of horror, be it slice-of-life or paranormal in nature. Also included are two bonus stories by the editor.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction
Plastic by J.L. Bryan
The Indian Rope Trick by D.P. Prior
Night Night by Daniel Pyle
Dead Things by Michael Crane
Does Laura Like Elephants? by Steven Pirie
39 Days by Robert J. Duperre
The Candle Eaters by K. Allen Wood
Black Mary by Mercedes M. Yardley
Exhibit C by David McAfee
The Canoe by Joel Arnold
Destination by Benjamin X. Wretlind
The Ghastly Bath by Dawn McCullough-White
Worldwide Event by David Dalglish
2 Bonus stories by Robert J. Duperre
Traipsing Through the Dark: The Stories Behind the Stories

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE ON AMAZON.COM!

So while our free promo is still going on, I figured it'd be a good idea to set aside this little block to tell you about another little freebie that's going on right now, which is a quaint little slice of dystopian fiction called Suspense by Jason Letts.

SUSPENSE
By Jason Letts

Normally 99¢

Description:

Spencer Nye can’t control the rage bubbling under her skin over the world around her. The trouble is, by the year 2102, the world has solved most of its great problems. Without hunger, war, greed, or even money, people obsess over the glamour of the Culture Industry and its mega-celebrity Idols, who vie for followers over the social networks of Connect.

But Spencer discovers there is plenty to fix within the Idols’ competition for more popularity. She becomes a diehard and promises to do anything to help her Idol, a dreamy movie star named Cleary Mintz, bring his vision of hope and purpose to the world. When she stumbles onto a threat against his life, she’ll have to fight harder than she ever thought possible or lose the man who means more to her than any other.

Suspense, the first book in a new dystopian trilogy, contains 76,000 words and is recommended for ages 16 and up because of depictions of violence and some sexual themes.

The second book in the trilogy, Expense, is now available on Amazon!

DOWNLOAD FOR FREE NOW!

In this publishing game, it's not an understatement to say that perhaps book bloggers are the most important people in the life of an author.  Without them, there would be no word-of-mouth.  Without them, there would be no promotion.  Without them, there is very little chance of we little guys getting the word out to prospective readers.  So on this day, a day that Pushy (Heather Bannon) from the Bewitched Bookworms posts a review of the third book in our post-apocalyptic series, The Rift, that we offer everyone out there in webworld the opportunity to download (on the Kindle) each and every book in our library...for free.

That's right.  For this day only—Wednesday, February 1st--every book we've released is available in e-book format for free.  It is seriously the least we can do for all the kind words these fantastic individuals have given to us.  It is for them, these ladies and gents who've read and loved the words I've written (not to mention the paintings The Cranky Artist has created), that keep us going.

So right now, I'd like to give a shout-out to my favorite blogs, first of which are the reviewers.  Please, follow them, read them...trust them.  These are people who know what they like, who know BOOKS, and it through their guidance that many an unknown have been discovered.  I present to you my favorites, with those I love the most getting some special words of approval:

Bewitched Bookworms: Pushy, Danny, and Heather M. run perhaps the greatest blog out there.  Each of these ladies are completely passionate about their work, their choice of entertainment, the power of their words.  Their reviews are poignant and introspective, and they aren't shy when it comes to telling anyone what they like and don't like.  As an added bonus, they also run a blog touring service called Kismet Book Touring, a service I gladly used when we released Silas, with fantastic results.  I swear by these ladies, and you should too.

Paranormal Wastelands: This site is operated by Darkfallen (Kaycee) and Greta, perhaps two of the spunkiest ladies you'll ever run across.  Their enthusiasm for literature is readily apparent, and just like any review worth their salt, they're more than willing to tell you what they like and don't like about any given work.  I follow each of their reviews, no matter what author or genre it is they're diving into.  Yes, their interpretations of the work is that good.

The Bookish Brunette: Oh, Ashley.  Probably the most outspoken and opinionated blogger on this list.  Reading her reviews—whether I agree with them or not—is a highlight for me.  Spunky and excited for the next-best-thing, this is a woman who can't help but put her true self out there, no matter the cost.  Read a couple of her posts.  You'll see.

And these are a few others I frequent:

Supernatural Snark
Juniper Grove
My Shelf Confessions
The Slowest Bookworm
A Casual Reader's Blog
Pages of Forbidden Love
Red Adept Reviews
Books and ThingsOodles of Books
Wagging the Fox
Just One More Paragraph
aobibliosphere
The Well-Read Wife
Le' Grande Codex
The Book Faery Reviews
Flurries of Words

Also, along with book bloggers, we also have ebook "bargain" sites—blogs dedicated to helping readers discover cheaply-priced books in a timely and easy fashion.  In my opinion, these are the two best:

Pixel of Ink:  Sharon, the creator of Pixel of Ink, is perhaps the best friend an author can have.  She is always on top of the game in terms of cheap Kindle books and freebies offered.  Her door is always open to authors, helping them promote their work and offering a kind word for those who know her in person.   I'm completely dedicated to this site, it's professionally run, and it's helped me find more than a few books that I otherwise wouldn't have discovered.

Ereader News Today:  A great site.  Greg puts out a fantastic product, highlighting some of the best independently published books out there. 

For anyone who owns a Kindle and wants to find something new, these two are must-read sites.


And that's it.  So in dedication to these fantastically hard-working bloggers, whose efforts I feel aren't appreciated anywhere near enough, we are of course offering our entire library free for today.  Here are the links for any who are interested:

The Fall: The Rift Book I
Dead of Winter: The Rift Book II
Death Springs Eternal: The Rift Book III
Silas: A Supernatural Thriller
The Gate: 13 Dark and Odd Tales

So there it is, folks! Download the books, read them, and peace to you all!

-RJD

As anyone who follows this site knows, I've both been friends with and a huge supporter of Amanda Hocking. For anyone who doesn't know, Amanda was a self-published author just like myself, and through drive, risk, and oodles of talent, she catapulted her books into the bestseller lists. This led to a lucrative deal with St. Martin's press, with whom she will be publishing a brand-spanking-new series, as well as re-releasing her most popular titles to date, the Trylle Trilogy.

Switched, the first book of this latter trilogy, was released this week. It showed up in bookstores everywhere, and it was with immense amount of glee that I shuffled on down to our local Barnes and Noble to pick up my copy and support her in whatever small way I can. As proof, I offer you these two pics:

And then add to this the fact that I open up the first couple pages and read the acknowledgments, I get a nice little surprise. Check out the third paragraph below:

That's right. Amanda, a fellow part of our little writer's group, went out of her way to thank us and promote us.

Let's just say, I'm flabbergasted, respectful, honored, excited, and more than a little bit humbled by this.  This is not something Amanda had to do. She did not have to mention anyone in her notes, as her success is her own, and she should be proud of it. And yet she did, which only goes to demonstrate the quality of character this fine young woman possesses.

To the mind of your humble author here, there is no one who deserves more respect than Amanda Hocking. She is a bastion of kindness, of the theory of never forgetting your roots, and it is amazing that with all the kudos that have come her way, she hasn't changed.

In other words, Amanda is awesome. So buy her books. Make her even more of a success than she already is, because a world where people like Amanda find their way into the public conscience is a world that is a much better place.

Peace, gentle readers.

Rob D

Well, in a way, anyhow.  The ebook - without illustrations - has gone live at Amazon, cover and all. It will stay the way it is until the grumpy artist finishes the interiors and the paperback is made available - sometime in the middle of next month.  Until then, enjoy book 3, and here's a link to the Amazon page and a sneaky peek at that cover.

DEATH SPRINGS ETERNAL AMAZON PAGE

COVER:

Pretty, ain't it?  I thought so.

Till next time,

RJD

In order to get things going for the holidays, I've decided to ramp up the game by offering a free promotion for both The Fall and Silas. 

The Fall ends at 3AM eastern time December 15th, while Silas will end its free run at the same time on the 16th.  So get over there and pick up a couple good books...for nothing but the effort it takes to press the purchase button.

THE FALL: THE RIFT BOOK I
Click here to purchase at Amazon for free!

SILAS
Click here to purchase at Amazon for free!

That's right, folks!  A new collection of horror shorts is almost upon us!  The Gate 2: 13 Tales of Isolation and Despair should be ready to publish come the middle of February.  All the stories are in, and all that's left is editing and the illustrations and cover from TRO's better half.  I'm really, really excited about this anthology.  All the stories are fantastic, and there are a few that rank right up there with the best fiction I've ever had the pleasure of reading.  There are a ton of great new writers featured, as well as a few carryovers from the first compilation.  Oh, and check this out:

 

That right there is Chorus, an illustration by the fabulous Jesse Young that both inspired one of the stories within and will appear on the back cover.  Just looking at it, I'm sure you can see the direction in tone this collection is going to take.

And now, here is the current table of contents, in the order I have them set to appear.  As always, with two months left before release, both titles and order may change:

INTRODUCTION
Plastic by J. L. Bryan
Chorus by Robert J. Duperre
The Indian Rope Trick by D.P. Prior
Destination by Benjamin X. Wretlind
39 Days by Robert J. Duperre
Worldwide Event by David Dalglish
The Canoe by Joel Arnold
Night Night by Daniel Pyle
The Candle Eaters by K. Allen Wood
Does Laura Like Elephants? by Steven Pirie
Black Mary by Mercedes M. Yardley
Dead Things by Michael Crane
The Ghastly Bath by Dawn McCullough-White
Traipsing Through the Dark: The Stories Behind the Stories
BONUS 14th STORY

So that's it!  Peace to all you gentle readers, and we'll see you soon.

RJD

Wow.  It's been almost two months since I've posted here.  TWO MONTHS!  Can you believe that???

Anywho, since it's now closing in on the end of November, I figured it's time to come at y'all with some much-needed updates as to what's going on in the world of TRO.

First of all, I've had three short stories appear in different anthologies over the last two months.  The first is a tale called CHORUS (inspired by one of Jesse's drawings), that appears in J.L. Bryan's DARK TOMORROWS alongside Amanda Hocking, Joel Arnold, and S.W. Benefiel.  The second is one of the favorite tales I've ever written, a little ditty called 39 DAYS, which leads off the Daniel Pyle-edited UNNATURAL DISASTERS compilation, including the likes of the fantastic Scott Nicholson, William Meikle, and J.A. Titus.  And finally, I wrote a disturbing short titled ONE GOOD TURN that is included in the Holiday Special Ebook Edition of SHOCK TOTEM MAGAZINE.  In this issue it's the staff who gets to shine, as the editors and reviewers (moi!) steal the show, our voices heard loud, squishy, and (mostly) clear.

In other news of a more US variety, I'm right now putting the finishing touches on the 3rd Rift book, DEATH SPRINGS ETERNAL.  From there it's on to editing and proofing, and Jesse then has to get his ass in gear with the cover and illustrations.  This is both an exciting and nerve-wracking project, as it's so different than either of the first two books.  However, I'm confident it's still a good book - I'm thinking it's the best of the bunch so far - so we'll see how that plays out.  The release date is (fingers crossed) January 5th.

After that, it's on to the second installment of THE GATE.  For this one, I've collected stories from 10 fantastic writers - a few carryovers from the first issue, plus some rather exciting additions.  The tentative release date is February 15th, though with the unexpected snowfall at the beginning of the month setting Jesse back a bit, it might end up being closer to the end.

This is a REALLY busy time for us.  Personally, my schedule is jam-packed with projects, which means my partner's is, as well.  Interested to see what my plan is from here on forward?  Here's a list of what I have slated to be released through January 2013:

January 5, 2012 - DEATH SPRINGS ETERNAL: THE RIFT BOOK III
February 15, 2012 - THE GATE 2: 13 TALES OF ISOLATION AND DESPAIR
March/April 2012 - THE FOREVER MAN (working title)(novella)
July 2012 - THE SUMMER SON: THE RIFT BOOK IV
November 2012 - THE GATE 3: 13 STORIES OF MONSTERS AMONG US
January 2013 - THE MIRROR OF SOULS: COVENANT BOOK 1

So there you have it.  That's six planned releases in a span of 12 months.  Too ambitious?  We'll see...

Peace, folks, and we'll chat soon.

RJD