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

And we have a winner!

There were over 450 entrants into the contest, so there was some tough competition.  So congratulations goes out to...

KAREN OLIVIA!

The lucky lady walks away with a new Kindle3, complete with a skin featuring the cover of Silas!

Thank you to all of the blogs who participated!  It was a fantastic experience for myself, and with the fantastic reception this book has received, things are only looking up from here!

A huge thanks goes out to Kismet Book Touring for organizing this whole shebang.  You do great work ladies!

I'm a little late to the game here - with the lack of power last week and all the overtime because of the hurricane, my internet usage was limited, at best - but I'm here to announce that the fine ladies of Kismet Book Touring kicked off the blog tour for Silas last week! Here is the list of hosts and links to the content they've provided so far:

Tour Dates:
Monday, August 29th - April, My Shelf Confessions
Tuesday, August 30th - Johnny, Pages of Forbidden Love
Wednesday, August 31st - Greta, Paranormal Wastelands
Thursday, September 1st - Lisa, A Casual Reader's Blog
Friday, September 2nd - Karen, The Slowest Bookworm
~~~~~~
Monday, September 5th - Melissa, Books and Things
Tuesday, September 6th - Heather and Pushy, Bewitched Bookworms
Wednesday, September 7th - Cindy, Oodles of Books
Thursday, September 8th - Theresa, Just One More Paragraph
Friday, September 9th - Gef, Wagging The Fox
~~~~~~~
Monday, September 12th - Mandy, The Well-Read Wife
Tuesday, September 13th - aobibliophileô
Wednesday, September 14th - Aparajita, Le' Grande Codex
Thursday, September 15th - Farrah, The Book Faery Reviews
Friday, September 16th - Nevey, Le Vanity Victorienne

-------------------------

So now that you have the list, whatever are you supposed to do with it? Well, as a part of this tour, along with the interviews and special stuff that abounds, we're giving away a Kindle 3 along with a brand-spanking-new Silas skin! All you have to do is go the the blogs, read through the posts, and enter into the contest forms. Each form has a rather simple question having to do with building the Silas playlist, and the correct answer will award you 3 points toward the grand prize! In other words, there are 15 chances to gain a total of 45 "entries". Can you get better than that?

So head over to the blogs, folks, and enter to win! Oh, and help support up-and-coming authors!

That's right, folks!  I got to read a slam-bang horror novel!  And it was AWESOME!  Here's a link to the review:

Draculas review!

Enjoy!  It's well worth the read.

Isn't it fantastic?  I think it is.  The Grumpy Artist's best work, if you ask me.

Now, in regards to the paperback, it should be available very soon.  We had some issues with the spine, which are slowly being resolved as we speak.  Hopefully, it will only be a couple days away from completion.

That's it for now, folks.  Keep reading!

RJD

Heather Bannon (One Pushy Fox) of the Bewitched Bookworms posted her review of Silas today on the site.  It's fantastic, I tell you.  This is also the woman who's charged with running my tour, so I'm definitely in good hands.  Let's say YAY for folks who love our work!

Check out the review - http://www.bewitchedbookworms.com/2011/08/review-silas-by-robert-j.html

So I've been working on illustrations and a new cover for The Gate.  I've posted the progression of cover from start to about 80 percent over at ill used blog. 

Check it out if you want a preview of what the final product will look like.

Having played hooky for the day and going through old correspondences, I'm feeling quite nostalgic, which is the reason behind this post.

I've had many people I've considered heroes in my life.  My father, my mother, my grandparents, my twelfth-grade English teacher...all have passed along to me bucketloads of knowledge that have helped shape the man I've become.  Without them, I wouldn't be a good father, husband, person.

As a writer, I've had many great acquaintances, but only one true "hero", one man whose every word has stuck with me to this day and who I always think about when I sit down at the keyboard and tap out sentence after sentence.  "How would he approach this scene," I think.  "How would he resolve the issues I've presented?  How would he make the transition from this plot point to the other?"  Yes, everything I've ever learned about writing has been enclosed in the shell of this man's knowledge.

His name is Ben Duiverman, and though it's been a long time since we've spoken, though we've never met in person, I consider him one of the greatest friends I've ever had and, yes, one of my heroes.

Ben is a writer's writer.  His grasp of the English language is second-to-none – which is even more amazing considering it's not his first language.  His passion for everything, from the craft to the importance of family to social programs, can make him an intimidating figure unless you have the balls to rise up and meet his challenge.  He's amazingly generous and kind, though sometimes ill-tempered, which only adds to his aura.  But this is not some fictitious creature.  No, the mythology of Ben cannot hold a candle to his reality as a living, breathing human being.  And as a creator, he has no peer.  I've had the privilege of reading many of his short stories, and even two of his novels, and they are, without a doubt, some of the best writing I've ever come across.  And it was his advice to me on how to accurately portray female characters that led to the epiphany that allowed me to take The Fall and make it something publishable.  If only a portion of what he can do has rubbed off on me, I consider myself a very, very lucky man.

What Ben probably doesn't know is that for myself and countless others, he is an inspiration.  His words and deeds, the way he perseveres in the midst of heartbreaking life events, only makes me long to speak with him again.  It makes me want to see his name in lights, to see the beautiful words he's crafted reach the heights they deserve.  Because if anyone deserves for the world to take notice, it's him.

I love you, Ben.  You'll always be my inspiration.

And, of course, my hero.

My good friend and fantastic author buddy Dan Arenson joined me in promoting our respective books on E.J. Steven's From the Shadows blog.  It's really quite entertaining, if I do say so myself.  Check it out by clicking the link below!

Ken from Silas meets Gloriae from Blood of Requiem

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