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As I've said before, I count myself extremely lucky that I've been able to get to know and converse with a great many accomplished and upcoming authors.  These are my friends, advocates, and support system.  They help lift me up when I'm feeling down, and they also enrich my life by allowing me to get lost in the worlds they create.  So I'd like to take this opportunity to help give a few of them (and their recent news) the props they deserve.

AMANDA HOCKING

I consider myself quite lucky that I've gotten to know this wonderful, talented, and supportive woman.  She's a great author and an even better person.  If ever I need advice or simply to shoot an idea off of her, she's quick to reply and assist, even though she's busier than hell.

As for news, Amanda's Trylle Trilogy series has been optioned to be converted into screenplay by Terri Tatchell (she of the team that wrote District 9, quite possibly the best movie of 2010).  What, you say?  An independent author having an Oscar Nominated Screenwriter converting her work?  This is fantastic news, and I'm super-pumped about it.  Amanda deserves every iota of success she gets, and I hope she gets tons more.

To read this announcement in Amanda's own words, visit her blog.

DANIEL ARENSON

Recently I had the privilege of reading his book, The Gods of Dream.  Dan is an author I've come to know well over the last year.  I love all his work.  Even if it doesn't completely mesh with me, I can still see the natural ability he has as a writer.  He's another one of the most supportive folks I know, and his talent needs to be out there.

As for The Gods of Dream, I reviewed it on my blog, Journal of Always.  Go check it out, and then buy it.  It's a fantastic book, and I put my reputation as a reviewer on the line in saying I guarantee you'll get something out of this special work of fantasy that you might not have expected.

E.J. STEVENS

E.J. is another talented and compassionate writer.  She runs a very popular blog dedicated to everything paranormal, From the Shadows.  She is an ally to all writers, constantly filling her site with author interviews and book reviews - something very time-consuming, especially for one with their own books to write and promote.  She's also a super-sweet person, and yet another willing to take time out of her busy schedule to answer my questions or be an ear if I need one.

Her good news is this:  E.J.'s publisher recently discounted the ebook versions of first two books in her series, She Smells the Dead and Spirit Storm, to $2.99 and $3.99, respectively.  I can personally vouch for both books (I read SStD, and am almost finished with Storm).  They are beautiful bits of escapism and innocent, otherworldly charm.  And at that price, they're a bargain.  I suggest them to anyone with a soft spot for paranormal romance or young adult fiction.  Good work, written by a spectacular person...and one who needs our support.

Well, that's all for now.  Look out for more shout-outs on this blog next week, 'cause I'm thinking of making this a staple feature of the TRO blog.

Peace!

RJD

For anyone who hasn't known, I, Robert Duperre, have been maintaining a review blog (Journal of Always Reviews) since this past July.  I've read a great many fantastic books over the last six or so months, and it's been a pleasure to dive in and see what kind of obscure meanings I can gleam from the text.  In truth, this does as much to improve my own writing as it does to help the authors who've created some fantastic, imaginative worlds.

Recently, after perusing Youtube and seeing the varying video game and movie reviews done through the venue of video, I became obsessed with creating a video review of my own, for a book, no less.  I decided to choose (author of The Trylle Trilogy and My Blood Approves) Amanda Hocking's Hollowland - firstly because it's in a genre I love (horror), and secondly, it's just a fantastic book.

Here's the video:

So 2011 is here at last.  Time for some updates!

It turns out the full release of Dead of Winter will only be delayed for a month.  Jesse is hard at work on the illustrations, and we'll be getting together the 15th of January to put it all together.

Also, for some even better news, the prices of both books will be dropping.  I've decided that I didn't use my space appropriately last time.  We will be changing the format of the first book (along with DoW) in order to drop the page count, which in turn will drop the price.  Look for both to be in the $10 to $13 range.  Condensing makes them that much more affordable...not to mention appearing more professional.  Which they are, by the way.

As a final note, after the release of the final DoW version, we'll be hard at work constructing the print for The Gate: 13 Dark and Odd Tales.   This one should come in the $5 to $6 range - a small and affordable book of shorts.

So we'll be seeing you soon, folks.  Remember to post reviews on Amazon or Goodreads whenever you finish a book.  We need your support.  There wouldn't be an us without you.

Peace,

RJD

Well, for anyone who's been waiting for book two of The Rift to be released, your wait is over!  In a way, anyhow.

As of right now, Dead of Winter is live on Amazon for the Kindle.  I know, I know, the print book is supposed to be available, too, but we've run into a couple snags along the way.  It won't be too long, however.  We're looking right now at the second week of January for the release.

That being said, anyone who wants to pick up Dead of Winter can simply click here to find the Amazon product page.  As I've said many times, this is my favorite book in the series, and I'm quite happy with the way it turned out.

I hope you will be, as well.

I'll now leave you with an image of the cover - which will change slightly, because the font is a little, well, weak.

It's a fantastic piece of art, folks.  And the interior illustrations are going to be just as good.

Peace. 

- RJD

Buy Dead of Winter for the Kindle:

#1 - Reviews are important.  Whatever anyone thinks of our books, good or bad, feel free to post a review on Amazon.  It helps us gain a readership and guides potential customers to the page.

#2 - If anyone doesn't know yet, here is a little bit about our library for all you Kindle owners out there:

The Fall: The Rift Book I

Available for $2.99 in the Kindle Store

An ancient evil, trapped in the ruins of a lost Mayan temple for centuries, has been unleashed. It takes the form of a deadly virus, one that causes violent insanity in the living and the recently departed to rise and walk. It spreads around the globe, throwing the world into chaos and war.

As it progresses, those in the States who find themselves far away from the epicenter watch it unfold with unbelieving eyes. From Washington D.C. to Dover, New Hampshire, regular people are hurled into an existence outside their control, left to deal with catastrophic situations that they aren't prepared to handle. Life becomes a nightmare, and that nightmare is spreading.

First time author Robert J. Duperre presents this scenario with The Fall: The Rift Book I, the first of a four-part series. In this book, he throws his characters into a gambit; when the alternatives are life or death, self-preservation or the protection of others, what path will they choose? Is there a darkness that resides in everyone, from every walk of life, that is screaming for release? When society falls apart and we are left to our own devices, will we make the right decisions, or let the tide take us where it may? There is horror, there is death, there are the walking dead, and all around are choices.

The Gate: 13 Dark & Odd Tales

Available for $0.99 in the Kindle Store

...Three brothers traipse across a post-apocalyptic landscape, encountering unspeakable horrors...

...A young boy growing up in suburban hell thinks there might be more to his home town than meets the eye, what with all the children going missing...

...A woman dying of cancer is given a way out, if only she is willing to pay the price...

...The crew of a space station must battle their fears and a strange alien relic when they are isolated from humanity...if humanity exists any longer...

These stories and more await inside the pages of The Gate: 13 Dark & Odd Tales, the new compilation by Robert J. Duperre, author of The Fall: The Rift Book I. Also contributing to this collection are the talented Mercedes M. Yardley, David Dalglish, David McAfee, and Daniel Pyle.


Enjoy, folks, and remember - we can't succeed without you, gentle reader.  I hope you enjoy the experience we bring you.

- RJD

Here is where we stand right now when it pertains to the two separate projects we have going on right now:

#1 - Dead Of Winter

Yes, the final round of edits for the second book of The Rift are now finished!  The manuscript has been sent off to our first editor to look over.  When it comes back, it will be sent to yet another editor.  By the time it comes back to us complete, it should be a pretty spit-and-polished final product - unlike the many versions of The Fall in which the mistakes we (I) made cost me a ton of money and will not be repeated.

Jesse is also hard at work putting together the cover and interior illustrations.  When he's finished, we'll be putting it all together, producing the paperback and hardcover, and then it's up to me to format and upload a version for the Kindle, Nook, and iPad.  Yes, it's still a lot of work to do, and many more sleepless nights.  But in the end, it's all worth it.  This is going to be a fantastic book, better than the first, and will hopefully please those looking forward to following the exploits of Josh, Kyra, Colin, and a host of new and interesting characters.  And yes, our release date is still tentatively scheduled for around December 15th.

#2 - The Gate: 13 Dark and Odd Tales

This is a special - and now collaborative - project.  I have collected nine of my best short stories, and gathered contributions from a few great writers I know - David Dalglish, Mercedes Yardley, David McAfee, and Daniel Pyle.  These shorts will all be gathered in this 50,000 word tome.  It will be released at first for the Kindle only, again with Jesse's artwork adorning the cover.  Then, after we put finishing touches on Dead of Winter, we will go about creating a digest-sized paperback, complete with sketches from the fabulous artist himself based on the stories included.

There are a wide range of tales in here, everything from straight horror to science fiction to slipstream.  It's quite exciting for me, and all the stories (even mine) are good.  Look out for this to be released by the middle or end of this month.  Here is the table of contents in the order I have them right now:

1 - The Gate
2 - Sullivan Street
3 - Container of Sorrows (Mercedes M. Yardley)
4 - The Sins of the Father
5 - Blight (Daniel Pyle)
6 - Feeding the Passion
7 - Dispatch #337
8 - Exhibit A (David McAfee)
9 - The Bandits of Yaddo
10 - I Spy
11 - Kitty in the Cellar (David Dalglish)
12 - Perfect Blue Buildings
13 - Empty Spaces

That's all I have for now, folks!  Check back later for more.

Well now, folks, The Fall is now available for sale on Barnes and Noble as an ebook for the Nook.  The price is $2.99, same as for the Kindle.  So any Nook users that stumble upon this, feel free to check it out!

The Fall for Nook at Barnes and Noble.com

I apologize to anyone who frequents this blog for my overall lack of updates.  It's been a busy last couple months, and honestly, whenever I sit down to write up a post, my mind goes blank.  I think I'm using up all my abilities finishing up book two and trying like hell to figure out this marketing game.

As far as the second installment of The Rift goes, it's coming along quite nicely.  I have two more chapters to go in the third round of rewrites.  Then, it's off to my editors while Jesse cranks out his contributions.  Then it's the (dreaded) act of putting everything together, going over proofs, and finally releasing it live, which as I said should be some time in December.  I'm looking forward to this greatly, as Dead of Winter is my favorite installment of the series.  It'll be here soon, folks.

In other news, I plan on releasing a compilation of short stories this coming November tentatively titled He Is The Gate and 8 Other Odd Tales.  Hopefully, this will be a nice addition to our catalog (seeing as Jesse's artwork will once again adorn the cover, and that image is the subject of the title piece).  I just have to decide whether I want to go with simply a Kindle release or go full-out with a digest version, as well.

Also, sales have picked up immensely this month - digitally, that is.  We've been averaging two sales a day for the month.  Print book?  Not so much, but that's okay.  We never planned on making our money through paperbacks, anyway, though it'd be nice.  The plan from here on out is, once the other books get out there, to start perhaps a blog tour with Pump Your Books or maybe a local signing tour.  I'm not sure about that.  It's still a ways away right now, so there's time.

One last thing:  Very soon, after we finish up Dead of Winter, I'm thinking of running a contest, either here on the site or at kindleboards.com.  The subject of this contest?  The title of book three.  Right now, it's working title is The Rites of Spring.  I'm not too hot on that.  This has been, honestly, the most difficult book to name.  It's also the strangest one in the series.  It's all...well, you know what?  I'll leave that for when I run the contest.

Well, that's all for today.  And just a reminder, drop by Amanda Hocking's Zombiepalooza before October 28th.  Post a comment beneath the article for a chance to win a paperback of The Fall, signed by both Jesse and myself. 

Zombiepalooza: Robert Duperre article - Facing the Beast

Or, if you wish to buy a book after seeing this, check out my author page on Amazon.

Peace, folks.

RJD