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

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!

#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

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

Yours truly has been granted a guest blog on Amanda Hocking's site, "My Blood Approves". Along with the article I wrote, there is also a giveaway, as well. All you must do to win a copy of "The Fall" is write a comment after the post that includes your email address.  Just click on the link below.

Good luck, everyone!

RJD

Feeding the Beast - Why we need monsters in our lives