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
That's right, folks. My new compilation of short stories - "The Gate: 13 Dark & Odd Tales" - is now available in ebook format for the Amazon Kindle. Some of the stories are intense, some are poignant, some of just made to entertain. There are also four additional tales by fantastic writers Mecedes M. Yardley, David Dalglish, Daniel Pyle, and David McAfee. Feel free to check it out. There is also a super-special bonus at the end. Click on the image to go to the Amazon page.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction
The Gatekeeper by RJD
Sullivan Street by RJD
The Container of Sorrows by Mercedes M. Yardley
Sins of Our Fathers by RJD
Blight by Daniel Pyle
Feeding the Passion by RJD
Dispatch #337 by RJD
Exhibit A by David McAfee
The Emancipation of Po-Po by RJD
I Spy by RJD
Kitty in the Cellar by David Dalglish
Perfect Blue Buildings by RJD
Empty Spaces by RJD
Traipsing Through the Dark (by all authors)
Excerpt from "Dead of Winter: The Rift Book II"
(as a reminder, this book will also be reissued in January as a digest-sized print book
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 BeastOr, if you wish to buy a book after seeing this, check out my author page on Amazon.Peace, folks.RJD
Yes. Now, I will ramble. I'm putting off writing a review right now. It's something I know I have to do, but sometimes it can be such a stressful process - ESPECIALLY if it's a review for a book I loved. I want to do the thing justice, and sometimes I wonder if I'll be able to pull it off. Don't know why I do this to myself, though. I always end up doing it, and doing it well, at that. Perhaps it's just my inherent fear of "not being good enough". Oh well. On that note, our book sales have been stuck at one a day for this month. I know this is good for a relatively unknown writer, but still, I'd like it to be more. Let's face it, this is a good book - much better than a lot of things out there. I just know that if folks were to find it, they'd think the same. But the problem is getting them to discover the thing, isn't it? I think I diluted myself into thinking releasing on Kindle would be the magic pill for some exposure...and while it has helped some, and I can't deny that fact, I still want MORE MORE MORE. Jeez, can I whine, or what? *sigh* I just need to bust out of this rut I'm finding myself in and do it, already. Get to editing, get to writing that review. The only thing that's going to remedy our relative lack of sales is more effort on our part. I'm not gonna give up, that's for fucking sure. So keep on plugging, brother, I tells meself. You can do it. And maybe, just maybe, some folks will stumble upon this post and decide that buying a book about the end of the world is just the thing to pick up their day. In that case, here's the link below to find it on Amazon. The Fall: The Rift Book OnePeace, everyone. - RJD
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