Who Really Markets My New Book

Finally it has come down to the wire. Your novel is written, edited and published. There are various platforms for marketing your new book—Amazon KDP, Smashwords, Draft-to-digital and others. Any platform where your book gets exposure to the general reading public is a good prospect, however, the saga doesn’t end there. You thought to yourself, ‘phew, at least that’s done—now I can start concentrating on the next book’—WRONG! But CONGRATULATIONS—your efforts have come to fruition with your first project, however, the real work has only just begun.

They’re lining up to get that book….

Your first customer, of course, is yourself. You want to see exactly what a purchaser of your work will experience on opening the tasteful cover you spent days choosing and that brilliant manuscript you spent months pulling out of your head. Your friends are next—perhaps a few will buy it to show their support. Maybe, even one or two will give you a review. Comments may vary from, “I got your book and have started reading it”—when a month passes by without further comment you get the message and console yourself on the possibility it was not the genre they like to read, or whatever.  Do not rely on friends or family to do your marketing for you. Because of the familiarity factor their first instinct is to critique your work and mostly they’re pretty sure they could do a better job. If anything, they feel they owe you the truth as they see it.

So…who markets this book?

You do, of course! But you say, “Isn’t Amazon, (or whatever platform you’ve chosen) responsible for bringing in customers to their store window?” Yes, they are—but customers are not robots who simply click ‘buy’ because it’s your book. In the real world of readers it takes the prospector a maximum of two to three seconds to scan over your book cover and title before moving onto the next one in line. It’s difficult to tie down exactly what a purchaser is looking for because everyone’s tastes are so different.  My point is this: if you are relying on the ‘front window’ of your chosen platform to be the only form of advertising the book receives, failure is imminent.

What are your choices?

Firstly, you need a plan. Hannibal Smith always said, “I love it when a plan comes together.” Plans don’t just ‘come together’, unfortunately. You have to actively invent one, or find one that works; perhaps see what others are doing to promote their books. Below are some ideas to start with:

·        Start a blog. This, of course is another learning curve all of its own! Blogs are hard work but if you can develop a readership with interesting topics it could be very worthwhile. Your books can be advertised on your blog page.

·        Find a book on the internet dealing with e-book marketing. I found one which has proved to be very helpful, offering some excellent advice from the author’s personal experience. It’s called, “How to Hit #1 in the Amazon Free Store” by Jeff Bennington.

·        Choose your marketing platform and stick to it. I used to have my books on all the available sites but nothing really worked. I decided to use one (Amazon KDP) and concentrate on their SELECT program. Now things are starting move a bit better.

·        Use SELECT’S “free Book Promotion” or “Kindle Countdown” options. Do not worry about how much money you are earning from your venture. Giving away free books gets your name out there.

·        Think of using sites that place your book in the hands of readers for the purpose of writing a review. Reviews are one of the most important aspects of marketing success.

·        Being a prolific author is another aspect of good marketing. There are very few “one-book wonder success stories” out there. Successful authors gain that success by writing more and more books—not just quantity, but quality—your writing should improve with every book you write. It may be a good plan to use your first few books as stepping stones to produce the one that will grab the public’s interest. Give away as many free promotions as you can. Once a book gains some interest it’s highly likely that all the other books, written prior to the successful one, will suddenly attract similar interest. I read somewhere that to be successful as an author on any of the online giants it takes at least six books before your name catches the public’s eye. If you are not in a hurry for fame then try building up your inventory first before throwing money at advertising.

·        Check out Amazon’s SELECT program and the KOLL (lending library). There are free promotions and also ‘pay’ options for advertising your book.

Anyone who writes for the on-line market or its print-on-demand option needs to know the truth about marketing. Nobody likes to think of all the extra work foisted on them in consideration of this aspect but it’s as necessary as the writing function. To avoid disappointment our dreams of being a successful author in today’s modern society must include the business aspect. There has to be the consideration of a realistic budget beyond the printing of a book. Your vision for this should be flexible, in the hopes you are not throwing money away, into a huge hole. If you are not succeeding, don’t give up—just change your plan.

This completes the series of blogs on the subject of E- writing. I trust you have found it helpful.

Please take a little time to check out Books Written by Colin Setterfield

The Dynamics of Dealing with an Online Self-publishing Company.

There are great advantages in self-publishing. Before Amazon.com turned the writing and publishing business on its head the alternative, the Traditional Publishing House, placed a huge obstacle in the path of the aspirant author – the acceptance of a manuscript.

Acceptance of manuscripts by a publishing editor became the graveyard for many novel writers. There are many stories of rejection after rejection.  In my case, capitulation and resignation from the hope of seeing my manuscript in print, sidelined my writing career for years. Eventually I took on the agonies of traditional self-publishing and self-marketing, an arduous and thankless task. A good deal of money had to be invested in the editing,  formatting and printing of a manuscript plus travelling to fairs and conventions, looking for any reasonable outlet that would bring the book to market. 

Online Self-publishing changed these dynamics to a great extent.

Today a cash-strapped author's book can be self-published for virtually zero dollars. Spending nothing on your manuscript, however, lessens your chance of successful marketing. There is a ton of "junk-writing" out there by zero-dollar authors, trying to do it on the cheap. Readers are generally informed people when vetting a novel's performance and do not take kindly to poorly written material, particularly if they have paid for it.  So, good writing technique, backed by a good story plus the attentions of an editor, will always pay better dividends than spending zero dollars.

The world of online self-publishing is a well-oiled business, growing in efficiency and performance every day, offering the average writer a wonderful opportunity to get their story into the digital format or print. There are millions of readers thirsting for a "good story", and willing to pay a small fee for it. 99 cents might seem to be giving a book away but if you sell a million of them.... 

A company like Amazon.com provides the following services to self-publishing authors:

•  A one-stop service where you can up-load your manuscript, have it in an online shop visited regularly by millions of readers and receive a handsome royalty when you sell.
•  A regular report on book sales.
•  All sorts of helps and tools for the author's use - book formatting service and cover-making tools.
• Print on demand service, through Create Space.
• Marketing services: count-down deals and free promotions. There is also a "Create Add campaign" where you invest a certain amount to provide an add and only pay when someone clicks on it.

Everything difficult with traditional publishing, or the old style self-publishing, is now made easy for the struggling, average author. When I say "easy" I don't deny there is a learning curve attached to being involved in the industry, however, there is now so much information out there to ease that curve.

But obstacles do still exist. I will talk about the final hurdle to this entire process in my next blog, "Who Really Markets my New Book".

I have always held to this saying:

 "There is always a "coming down to Earth" involved when things seem too easy but  having your feet on solid ground is safer than being all up in the air!" 

Have you started writing that story yet?

If you have been busily churning out your new novel since we last chatted, know there will be much to consider when you feel it is finished. It is never finished when you think it is. The following question will be one you need to answer for yourself:

Do I need an editor? Can I afford such an investment.

These are a very legitimate questions. Of course, the answer is another question: can you afford not to employ an editor?

Employing a professional editor is costly, particularly when you are on a limited budget. The truth of the matter is there are very few successful businesses out there that have required no capital investment. Writing books is no exception. Even if you strike it lucky the first time and make some crazy sales, capital investment will be needed, from those profits. Sometimes, the writing business seems like a monster, gobbling up the little bit of extra cash you have saved to plow into it. But great patience is required in order to weather the storm and in time, bear fruit.

The wisest decision you can make is to establish a certain amount of capital for  investment in an editing service. Editors do not come cheap but they are well worth the sacrifice. If well versed, successful writers use them and keep on using them, then how much more should us newbies.

Before employing an editor it would be worth your while to get some recommendations from those who have lived through the experience. Editors are like shoes, they need to fit properly. Particularly, in the beginning stages, a substantial edit is worth the money paid. Readers do not tolerate badly written books. Authors often do not see their mistakes, even after several proofreads.

The editor I use offers the following services. Most editors will offer a variation of these:

·        Proofreading:         Spelling, typos, grammar, errors and punctuation.

·        Line Editing:            Proofread; word usage; Clarity; Redundancies; Flow; Sentence variety; Post revision.

·        Comment Analysis:          Includes a full line edit plus a substantive edit.

·        Substantive Edit:   Overall critique; Conflict analysis; Use of voice; Point of view issues; Narration verses dialogue; Word choice suggestions; Sentence structure and Post revision proofread.

Each of these services costs a certain amount per 250-word page and can range from $2.50 per page up to $3:00 per page.

Your manuscript might go back and forth several times and entail some rewriting of either sentences or even changes to the plot. Editors, worth their salt, know what readers want.

If you would like to make contact with a great editor you can email me at setterfield@shaw.ca and I will happily give you her details. 

GETTING INVOLVED IN THE ONLINE WRITING BUSINESS

Starting That First Draft

You have collected your thoughts, perhaps even made a note of the tentative plot underpinning your first real story. Your enthusiasm is at an all-time high. If you love projects like I do then to get going is not all that difficult. The questions flooding your mind are legion: what should I call this novel? Where should it be situated geographically and in what time-frame? From what point of view should it be written and how many characters need to be invented?

My experience has been a developing story of its own. We are all different in our approach to things; some like to have a structured plan to guide them on the journey, a specific beginning with several destinations leading to the final outcome. Others prefer to start with the first chapter, regardless of any destination, allowing the plot to develop as they go along. It all comes down to whatever you are comfortable with. There are many good books on how to write, how to create characters, how to create a plot, how to begin and how to end off. You will soon find the beginnings of a structure which will lead you through a trial and error process, toward eventual success. Rome was not built in a day so don’t expect the first attempt to win any significant awards (although it might just do that).

Your theme may have been selected through many different avenues. Because I love science my themes are often influenced by the latest news in space-travel, astronomy or significant breakthroughs. The name of the novel may have come to you first and you are content to build everything around that name. On the other hand, the name may not be so important and will eventually pop out of your theme like a jack-in-the-box.

The most important thing to remember is this—it’s your story. If you have someone, off whom you are able to bounce ideas, do so but be careful of being influenced by the thoughts of others. When asking someone else’s opinion on something, make sure you are willing to weigh up the advice. I say this because everyone has a personal perspective. Nobody can write the story you are pulling out of your own experience the way you can. There are very many people who are only too willing to give an abundance of thought on your idea based on their perspective. Some of this perspective may be excellent, but remember—it’s not your personal perspective—always weigh and decide. If you are a person who is inclined to think out of the box as I am, then you will find much of the advice received, restrictive.

Character sketching may also seem a daunting task. I find most writers have a fairly good understanding of human nature and they are also introspective enough to acknowledge their own hang-ups and quirks. Analyzing your own likes and dislikes about things in life is a very helpful tool in character development.

Being able to get into the heads of TV show heroes and villains will also benefit the sketches of your own characters.  Readers endear themselves to characters who are not perfect in all their ways and who experience the difficulties of real life. There is nothing worse than the perfect character because the depiction is as far from reality as East is from West.

When novels were in their infancy the characters were real role models for the perfect society. Today, a much greater sense of reality is the order of the day. Films have followed suit with characters, fighting their own demons and overcoming the odds, with the greatest of difficulty.

The rules of writing an acceptable novel are being shaped by the flood of information technology brings through the internet. Books that sell are written by authors who understand the rules. Do not expect to see success with your first novel. It is a steep learning curve, not for the feint of heart. Treat the first half-dozen novels as the price of doing business. Pay attention to detail and use a good editor. The expense of a substantive edit and proof read, will build the steps toward success. Don’t be put off by the few sales your first attempt will generate—press on. Now go and get started on that first draft!

Getting Involved in the On-line Writing Business.

Could you be an Aspirant Indie-Author?

Everyone has a story to tell—is yours worthy of publishing?

It would seem everyone is in the business of telling stories these days. The diversity is great, ranging from bedtime tales and memoirs to theatre plays, films and novels. The dawn of the new technological age in the nineties, ushered in a trend toward increased professionalism by amateur story-tellers whose conceptual creations would have otherwise remained wishful thinking.

The major spark that has caused this rising tide of authorship is the on-line industry of Amazon.com who has driven the vision for self-publishing through the Kindle revolution. No longer are books the subjects of bookrooms and libraries. They are now available to anyone immediately through quick download facilities at affordable prices. Paperback book publishing, initially provided by printing businesses and traditional publishing houses has also been revolutionized by print-on-demand publishing, available through businesses like Amazon’s Create Space facility.

It is now much easier for aspiring writers to self-publish their works. This, however, does not in any way ensure success. The competition has risen dramatically and the marketing of individual works has become the Achilles Heel of the majority. The terrain is constantly changing, making many aspirant authors wonder if the time spent on their work’s-of-art is really worth the effort. The group of writers surfing on the wave of this new revolution are known as Indie-Authors; meaning ‘individual, self-published author.’ From the outside, the industry appears to be a lucrative business that will suit the avid writer—any aspirant author who does not want to bother with the journey through traditional publishing. This perception is largely deceptive.

It is at this point, I would like to offer my experience, having two self-published books on the Amazon Kindle list. There are hundreds of sites giving good advice on the Indie-business and I certainly am not an expert in the field but my experience might lend its weight to decisions readers will make in starting up their own venture. Following in the wake of my blogs on ‘making a good decision’ the first aspect, of this type of authoring, is deciding to get involved with the online culture in a way that will probably take you out of your comfort zone. I hope to, over the next few blogs, break down the steps of involvement as I have personally experienced them in my journey so far. The blogs should account for the following:

·              Deciding to break into the self-publishing business.

·              Starting that first draft.

·              Do I need an editor?

·              What are the dynamics of dealing with a self-publishing, online company?

·              Who markets my new book?

Deciding to break into the self-publishing business.

This decision is entirely your own. I would say that if you love to write or tell stories the decision is almost a foregone conclusion. One thing you should consider is a plan of action and involvement. How much time do you have to spare for your writing gig? An hour a day, 5 hours a week or perhaps full-time? To help you place things into perspective, on an average, I spend about  6 hours a day on all aspects of my writing.  I do this for at least 6 days a week. I tend to fit my schedule in with my wife’s working hours so that we have adequate communication. I do, however, write every day, if possible. My goal for this year is to write three novels and one non-fiction book, perhaps a total of 300,000 words. This has to include time for my personal editing and research.

According to statistics you need to be prolific with your writing if you want to be successful in catching the minds of readers.

Write on things you are passionate about. Whatever genre you read will more than likely be the genre your own writing will follow. Believe you can do it and you will!

                                                     

Next week: Starting that first  draft.

HARD CHOICES ARE BETTER MADE WHEN PERSONAL RISK TOLERANCES ARE ADEQUATELY EVALUATED.

“Just taking risks for risk's sake, that doesn't do it for me. I'm willing to take risks that I think are worth it, and I've worked so hard to make sure that I survive”.  Chris Hadfield   ̴  Astronaut.

Life Changing decisions are never easy. I would define ‘life-changing’ to be any change of circumstance that affects your present health, wealth, social, geographical, political, religious, cultural style of living—any change that alters your good-standing or socio-economic equilibrium in the community.  Your definition of ‘life-change’ may not embrace all of the above, or it may include several more—but it should include all the things that bring you happiness, joy and peace, the aspects of living that we all seek to improve or maintain. Sometimes our choices will alter these dynamics.

A search for quotes on risk-taking will render a host of sayings that glorify risk taking as a way of life. I could not agree more. Life is all about taking risks—the secret to greater success lies not in the risk itself, but rather in the execution. Risk can never be eliminated but it can be limited.

The definitive action behind decision-making is opting for a choice that offers you the greatest peace of mind. The gut-feel is perhaps the most widely indulged influence that characterizes many decisions we make.  Often time and repetition proves our gut-feel to be a helpful instrument, but there is also a cost when it fails. My prognosis of gut-feel is that it is an intuitive sensing of failure or success that can be influenced by romantic notion, unbridled enthusiasm or cautious conservatism, depending on your character type. The positive side of gut-feel is that it can be guided by the five points of good decision making mentioned in  my previous post.

Risk is an unavoidable feature of life. If you want to get somewhere by improving your lot, then risk-assessment and risk-taking will be par for the course.  The foundation, supporting every choice you make, will contain the shifting sands of probability that range against the few absolutes you may find.

“Know thy self and to thine self be true”.  William Shakespeare.

We should all be armed with the knowledge of the risk that underlies any life-changing decision we are about to make.  All too often I have heard the lament, “I should have been more diligent!” It has happened several times in my own life.

Everyone has a certain innate Tolerance for taking risks. We are all different.  The high-stakes gambler has a very high risk tolerance factor—sometimes it’s an all or nothing attitude and the adrenaline rush is the over-riding influence. Win or lose is just a means of getting the high. Most of us are not like that. We are more cautious with our lives, assets and treasured possessions, but it is always a good thing to know what your risk tolerance is. What becomes obvious is the measurement of potential loss against potential gain. Gain is always the positive factor and loss is its negative twin brother.

The Investment Industry has several tests and calculators for financial risk tolerance but there is no real effective gauge for the wider issues in life-typical investments.

Remember that the decisions you make will not only affect your life but also the lives of those close to you.

Gut-feel guides that should be investigated:

·        Others have succeeded here, surely I will too.

·        Everyone’s doing it!

·        The potential is too great to turn this down!

·        Success is assured because of….

·        This is too good to be true. (You know the sequel to this statement—if it’s too good to be true then it probably isn’t true).

“I talk a lot about taking risks, and then I follow that up very quickly by saying, 'Take prudent risks’”.

Irene Rosenfeld

YOUR DECISION DETERMINES YOUR REALITY.

Life is filled with Decisions

“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen”.

Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Following up on my recent post regarding decisions, I would like to share why I feel the subject of decision making is so important.  

A quick glance at how things may really work in our universe:

I have discovered (for myself) a way of viewing and understanding the path that links a decision to a reality.  This is, of course a theory, but I have developed its hypothesis to the extent where it has some credibility for me. If you enjoy scientific philosophy this will probably tickle the funny-bone of that pursuit, however, all being said and done, if you don’t understand the principle, then just embrace the main deductive inference: your decision will determine your reality.

 I call my hypothesis, ‘DR (Decision, Reality) Theory’ and it looks something like this:

Most students of science have studied Einstein’s theories, dealing with Space and Time—combining these two words into one, 'spacetime', is now the accepted norm.  It is also believed that spacetime is a fabric and is not totally void of material—scientists postulate that there are a limited amount of hydrogen atoms, occupying each cubic metre of space, in the universe. Furthermore, spacetime conducts the force of gravity with another element called dark matter.

My theory suggests that all the possibilities, regarding our journey through spacetime, have already been programmed into its fabric.  A theory called the ‘Block Universe’ portends that the past, present and future all exist simultaneously—the reality of the ‘present’ is always progressive—a moment we reach, at a certain time, as we interact with our environment. I see each of our lives being locked into a ‘critical path’ that includes passing through each moment (a frame) of time—each frame has information (or instruction) embedded into the fabric, firstly as a potential possibility and then as a materializing reality. We lock in our critical path when we make a decision that sets action and intent into operation. Now you will realize why I enjoy writing science fiction (I’ve just given you the short version)! It also stresses how important our decisions are to our future.

When you have lifted yourself off the floor (from laughter) or you haven’t understood a word I’ve just written, remember the deductive inference: your decision will determine your reality.

Now, I’ll throw in some meat with the vegetables—

5 Practices of Good Decision Making.

 Never make a hasty decision. I know there will be times when this is not possible but question any attempt to obtain your sanction on the spur of the moment. Don’t ever fall for “the price will only hold until midnight,” manipulation. Anything that is done in HASTE will have its fair share of WASTE! Sleep on it—this is the best advice you will ever receive.

·         Research every possible fact of the advantage the decision promises to bring.  Scrutinize the “If” components of your pending decision. We are particularly adept at keeping only the positive aspects in view.

·         Know your risk tolerance factor.

(I will elaborate on this in a future post).

·         Weigh up all the information and do your best to keep your emotional self out of the equation.

There is a part of us that strongly desires something personal out of the result. This strong desire can blind us from certain harmful potentialities. Use the’ Franklin rule’ of weighing up pro’s and con’s, if you must.

·         Once you have settled on a decision, avoid sudden reflecting negatives.

 If you dither, even once after settling on a score, then you’ve left some important information out of the process. Avoiding these negatives will also prevent ‘buyer’s remorse’. Once the decision is a firm result of your due diligence then you can resort to whatever faith or belief you support.

Stay tuned for the next blog—things are about to get interesting!!!

Are you making the best Decisions Possible?

Have you suffered loss because of a poor decision?

Is there a better way to make important life-changing decisions?

 My most recent blog about reviving an old skill was not a life-changing decision but it certainly brought me some much needed self-assurance. It made me think about some of the important decisions I have made—life-changing decisions that have directed the course of my living, be it for the good or for the bad. I must be honest and say that I have certain regrets about some of the decisions that were made, particularly after our family’s immigration to Canada.  I hold myself completely responsible for not doing the due diligence that was required of me when making those decisions. I now realize, more than ever, that judgment is affected by being aware of the risks—not only by being aware but also by taking the time to determine, as best as possible, how those risks can be reduced or eliminated. Everyone has a risk-tolerance level and we all need to make sure that the level is never exceeded.

                               Your decisions determine your Destiny and your Reality!

This truth has made me more cognizant of the need to evaluate my decision-making abilities; to go the extra mile or to read that fine print more carefully. As a person of faith I had leaned too heavily on my beliefs and discovered much to my chagrin, that in making any life-changing decision, due diligence and homework are the real precursors to successful outcomes.  Faith, by itself is no substitute for evidence, track-records, available research (and sometimes common sense). All the faith in the world could not save me from making a bad decision, based on poor judgment and limited understanding of the risks.  

To begin with, I have determined four major points on how a decision creates a reality. 

When I make a decision about anything:

·        It sets a process of steps into motion.  

What these steps are and how many there will be depends on the nature of my objective. If I have decided to purchase some shares I would have to sign a cheque, see a financial planner and invest in the market place. These are the steps I would be placing in motion.

·        It links me to a responsibility.

To make sure that there is sufficient money in my account to cover the amount for the cheque; In signing the application form I give my consent to a third party to invest that money. I have to adhere to any timelines and accept the way the market moves. This is my responsibility.

·        It directs me toward potential possibilities.

Markets are generally unpredictable and the possibility of losing my investment is a real outcome. On the other hand, if I have done due diligence, there is a possibility that my investment will increase in a bullish market. These possibilities, according to the laws of probability, are equally good as they are bad.

·        A reality is created when any one possibility is realized.

I have been through all the steps, taken my responsibility and stepped into the realm of possibility. The market took its course and it went up! My hope for a successful outcome is realized or, the market went down and I have lost my investment. Either possibility becomes my reality.

The points above portray the journey from ‘decision’ to ‘outcome’—a realized outcome is a reality that we must live with.  

Over the coming weeks I hope to share how it is possible to make more realistic and successful decisions—how we can do due diligence and eliminate as much risk as possible. There is no sure-fire, foolproof method for anything in this life but by applying a few timely principles we can sleep more peacefully, knowing that we have done everything we can, to ensure a successful outcome. There is much to learn about this topic from a philosophical and scientific point of view if we care to. We cannot be totally insulated from failure but we can ensure the steps of success!

“A good decision is based on knowledge and not on numbers”.

Plato

REVIVING A LOST SKILL

Have you ever looked back to a time when a once-honed skill had produced a satisfying feeling of fulfillment in your life? Maybe a hobby or a pursuit that you “just loved” doing in a bygone day—something that, at the time, brought you a feeling of industriousness and creativity? Enough with all the questions! Having read these few lines, perhaps, vivid scenes are already crowding your mind with nostalgic, but aging memories.

After my retirement from industry (last year) I came home with ideas of just taking it easy and catching my breath, hoping to lead a quiet and peaceful existence by reading books, watching TV and going for coffee with a few of my cronies. What a misconception! I soon found that although I enjoyed reading, it just did not feel feasible to be sitting on the couch, reading the whole day away, and as much as I enjoyed relaxing in front of the box, it quickly became boring. My old cronies had their own lives and coffee meetings were few and far between—besides, how much coffee can one drink in a day?

It was a no-brainer that some soul-searching in the area of viable hobbies had to be undertaken but everything I looked at either cost too much money or would take too long for me to master. It was then that I revisited my past. At the age of four years my parents recognized that I was good at arts and crafts. My older brother, Robert, was also an excellent sketcher in his younger days, so my father decided to send both of us to a Saturday art class in the big city. I spent three years of Saturdays doing all sorts of painting, drawing, sketching and clay modelling, which served me well in my primary school years. I loved doing it and often would be found sketching when I should have been doing school homework.

It was the teenage years that killed the dream. Life, with all its excitement and temptation, got hold of me and it was not long that art was totally on the back-burner, despite taking it as a subject in high school.  By the time I was a young adult that back-burner had all but extinguished itself. I can honestly say that I never put brush to canvas or pencil to paper, the latter being my real forte, until last year, when my career-years suddenly and finally came to an end. After those soul-searching moments I surrendered to the nostalgic emotions of my youth by tentatively purchasing some water colour paints, pencils and ink-sketching pens, to start the process. An out-of-touch talent was immediately invigorated and after several attempts the old skill began to revive, returning with a hesitant intimacy. Check out my paintings and sketches below

AND FINALLY.....

THE TWO BOOKS THAT I CURRENTLY HAVE FOR SALE. 
THESE TWO EXCITING SAGAS ARE AVAILABLE AS EBOOKS ON AMAZON.COM, BARNES & NOBLE, ITUNES, FOUNDRY PAGE AND MORE.....

PLEASE GO TO ANY OF THE ABOVE OUTLETS FOR  PURCHASE - READ  ON ANY DEVICE