Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour: Monday thru Wed this Week!

 Greetings all! I'm stoked to let you know that Curse of the Spider King will be featured this week on the Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour. If you don't know the CSFF, allow me to tell you that their mission in life is to make more and more readers aware of good SciFi & Fantasy written by Christian Authors.

With each tour, an awful lot of bloggers put in an awful huge effort to discuss, review, promote, and celebrate good books. In the process, they usually run the book being discusses into the Top Ten Book Blogs on the enter world wide web. Pretty impressive eh?

Christopher Hopper and I are honored to be featured this week. So, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, you won't catch me on my own blog very much, but I will be visiting everyone on the blogroll below. Please join me. Drop some comments. Give us your .02.

On the following blogs, you'll find all kinds of new interviews with CH and I, not to mention some stories about us and the book that you'll find NO WHERE else.

Brandon Barr
Justin Boyer
Amy Browning
Valerie Comer
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Shane Deal
Jeff Draper
Emmalyn Edwards
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Todd Michael Greene
Ryan Heart
Timothy Hicks
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Tina Kulesa
Melissa Lockcuff
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
Nissa
John W. Otte
Cara Powers
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Speculative Faith
Robert Treskillard
Fred Warren
Jason Waguespac
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson
KM Wilsher

Oh well, it was a good ride...lol

I hate those nonsense words that you have to type in on blogs and whatever to prove you're not a SPAM-BOT. And so I left Enter the Door Within, so that folks could open post and comment.

Well, after nearly 3 years of safe blogging, I'm starting to get spammed. Everything from Russian messages about who knows what to sales of prescription drugs---LOL

So from here on out folks, I've had to raise the security level, and…that includes the silly little nonsense word guardian. I apologize for the inconvenience, and I hope that the faithful visitors to Enter the Door Within will still post and comment as before.

Thanks for your time.

PS: You know I can't resist a cliffhanger. Stay tuned for a very cool announcement or two.

PPS: Oh, and next week is the CSFF Blog Tour three day event for Curse of the Spider King! Please visit all the sites/blogs involved. You may find out some very, very interesting things. ;-)

Tis the Season…

I know, you're thinking, what is this, Walmart? It's only November and you're hanging out the Christmas Stuff??? What's a guy to do? I heard my friend, author Eric Reinhold's doing something nutty, and I wanted to share it with you:

BOTH HARDCOVER BOOKS FOR ONLY $20!

I know this is crazy, but yes! You can get both book 1 (Ryann Watters and the King’s Sword) and book 2 (Ryann Watters and the Shield of Faith) for the low, low price of $20. Retail price is $38. Consider it my contribution to a tough economy. Unlike on-line discounter, Amazon. com that charges $26.13 for both books, at www.ryannwatters.com PLUS you get both of them personally signed by me and two com memorative bookmarkers as well for just $20!



THE SUPPLY IS LIMITED!!!

Between now and Christmas, the goal is to sell out of the first run of books so we can go for the second printing. Take a few minutes to think of the following before you order:

1. What parents do you know that would like a safe, engaging story for their kids to read?

2. What kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, cousins, do you know that would enjoy both books for Christams?

3. Does your school library or church have copies? What better donation to impact a lot of kids in a positive way.

4. How about donating a set to your local public library?

5. What about using them as a give-a-way for a prize in your youth group or children's Sunday School, homeschool group, or Awana store?

Eric Reinhold

It's not too late to JOIN in on: The Biggest Contest in the History of Men and Elves: Tribe Launch Continues...

Build Your Tribe

Begin Your Quest

Today marks the beginning of the biggest contest I've ever been a part of. Yes, we've done Treasure Hunts for Isle of Swords and Isle of Fire. Yes, Christopher Hopper and I have offered all kinds of smaller contests and prizes. But this…this will be something special. 

I've outlined the entire contest and uploaded it page-by-page as you see below. You can click all the images and read right from the Web.

OR

You can click HERE and download the pdf file.

 Let the games begin...

Update--Tribe Names Claimed:


Valorbrand: taken by Kiada/Starfast/Robby  

Silvertree: Taken by Keeneye 

A Post About Nothing

I don't have anything meaningful to say. But I feel like writing. So hello to all my readers. For those who've already gotten Spider King, I hope you're enjoying it. Take your time. These things take a while to write, you know. I'm wondering why my Redskins are so terrible this year. Is it the owner? The coach? The players? I dunno. But it hurts to watch them. I feel like at some point, every player has got to say, you know this is a tough situation, but I still need to give my all. Dig deep. Fight adversity. If they don't, it's going to be a LOOONNNNNG season.

Last regular season football games for  my two boys. I sure hope they end on a high note. It's been a rough season. I just ate a protein bar that tastes roughly like hot cocoa and sawdust. Is that a good thing?

It's fall here in Maryland. Beautiful leaves falling. Nice cool temps. I still wish it was Summer.

News Galore: Moonbeams and Spiders and Audio, Oh My!

Greetings, all! How are you? I'm crazy busy and crazy wonderful. Please read on and find out why.


Item #1: The Amazon Blitz

Christopher and I are absolutely FLOORED by the devotion and generosity of our readers. In an attempt to kick of the release of Curse of the Spider King, we launched the first annual Amazon Blitz, asking readers if they were planning to purchase SK anyway to purchase on the same day (Oct. 7th) and drive up the Amazon Sales Rank Number. Now, we knew it would be good because our readers have always blessed us silly. But 70,000+ places good? Yup. CotSK's sales rank climbed from 70,617th to 449th in less than one day. It remained under 3,000 for three days and under 20 for seven days. For that kind of effort, we say thank you. We're honored.




Item #2: The Silver Moonbeam Award

Curse of the Spider King releases nationwide November 3rd, so Christopher and I were absolutely shocked to learn that our cowritten book was reviewed and awarded the Silver Moonbeam for Young Adult Fantasy Fiction. Click Here to see all the winners including a BRONZE for the Miller Brothers, YESSS!!

Item #3: Curse of the Spider King Audio!

For the first time ever, one of my books has been made into an audio book. Voiced by the incredibly talented Greg Whalen (Disney, Veggie Tales, etc) and produced by the audio wizards at Oasis, CotSK is done right. I listened to the first chapter today and practically jumped around my classroom. Mr. Whalen just nailed the voices of some of our main characters. You can listen to the first chapter of the audio book by clicking HERE.

Item #4: Webcast with the Miller Brothers!

I had the spectacular opportunity to be live with author's Chris and Alan Miller (Hunter Brown) tonight on their weekly webcast. 174 viewers joined us. It was a great time to talk author stuff, book stuff, and writing. If you'd like to listen in, click HERE.

Item #5: Spider King Releases in Maryland!

Christopher Hopper is on his way to Maryland. He and I will be officially releasing Spider King to fans this Friday and Saturday. Barnes & Noble Long Gate Shopping Center on Friday Night (6:30-close) and then His Way Christian Books Ellicott City on Saturday, 6-close. There will be swordfights, ridiculous banter, dramatic readings, music, contests, games, prizes, and a giant spider named "George." If you live within three states of Maryland, come on down. You will not want to miss this!

The Blitz Rolls On! We've Broken 1000!

Click on the picture above!

Check out the Amazon sales ranking.

As of 7pm EST, Curse of the Spider King is #994 #635

down from 70,617 this morning!

Folks we are doing this. Every purchase counts. We could break 100. God is good. Should He choose to bless, we could break into the Top 25!

If you'd like to get in on the Blitz, purchase Curse of the Spider King, and get FREE Bookplate Stickers signed by both authors, click the link below!

Join the Blitz! 

Today is the Day! Time for the Curse of the Spider King Amazon Blitz!

Today is the day!

October 7th

Now is the time! 

Blitz Amazon Day:

If you are planning to purchase Curse of the Spider King, would you consider preordering from Amazon TODAY, Wednesday, Oct. 7th? We are trying to get Spider King to climb (pun intended) high on the Amazon Bestseller List. 

Free signed bookplates for all who purchase Spider King on this day. Plus: If you're in on the Tribebuilding Contest, you get mega points for ordering on this day. Multiple copies count! lol

Please reply to this post if you "Blitzed Amazon" and purchased a copy of Curse of the Spider King today! And, if you get a chance, see what Curse of the Spider King's Sales Rank is up to and POST IT here on this thread.

As of 10pm on Oct. 6th (Blitz Eve), the ranking for CotSK was as you see below. 

 

Well done, so far you've helped CotSK increase its ranking: 59,165 places!!! Now it's at 10,947!

Correction, now it's at 2,217! AMAZING! 

Correction, as of 3pm EST, it's at 1,727! Spectacular! Come on folks, pour it on! 

This is getting crazy. The # is dropping by the hour. It's 5pm EST, and the number is now down to 1,426! People are emailing me with receipts of 3, 4, 5, even 8 book purchases! You are very generous and dedicated to jump in with both feet like this! 

And thank you so much for supporting us on this adventure. All glory goes to Jesus. 

Tomorrow is the Day!! Let's Blitz Amazon!

Wednesday, October 7th

Blitz Amazon Day:

If you are planning to purchase Curse of the Spider King, would you consider preordering from Amazon on Wednesday, Oct. 7th? We are trying to get Spider King to climb (pun intended) high on the Amazon Bestseller List. Free signed bookplates for all who purchase Spider King on this day. Plus: If you're in on the Tribebuilding Contest, you get mega points for ordering on this day. Multiple copies count! lol

Upcoming Events--Mark Your Calendar!

There are Several Curse of the Spider King Events Coming Up!

Please Mark Your Calendars 

Wednesday, October 7th

Blitz Amazon Day:

If you are planning to purchase Curse of the Spider King, would you consider preordering from Amazon on Wednesday, Oct. 7th? We are trying to get Spider King to climb (pun intended) high on the Amazon Bestseller List. Free signed bookplates for all who purchase Spider King on this day. Plus: If you're in on the Tribebuilding Contest, you get mega points for ordering on this day. Multiple copies count! lol

Friday, October 16th

† Christopher Hopper and I visit Liberty Christian School in Owings Mills, MD from 8:30-11am.

† Christopher Hopper and I visit Grace Christian School in Owings Mills, MD from 12:30-3:00pm. 

† Huge Release Party #1: Barnes & Noble, Ellicott City, MD.

Swordfighting, Music, Booksigning, Contests, and PRE-release copies of Curse of the Spider King available! 6:30-close.  

Saturday, October 17th

† Huge Release Party #2: His Way Christian Bookstore, Ellicott City, MD. Swordfighting, Music, Booksigning, Contests, and PRE-release copies of Curse of the Spider King available! 6:30-close.

Friday, October 30th

† Christopher Hopper and I visit Indian River Middle School in Upstate, NY from Time TBA.

† Huge Release Party #3: Borders, Salmon Run Mall, Watertown, NY. Swordfighting, Music, Booksigning, Contests, and PRE-release copies of Curse of the Spider King available! Time 4-7.  

Saturday, October 31th

† Huge Release Party #3: Barnes & Noble, Pittsford, NY.

Swordfighting, Music, Booksigning, Contests, and PRE-release copies of Curse of the Spider King available! Time 2-5.

(More to Come. Stay Tuned) 

CSFF Blog Tour, Day 2: All about the Vanishing Sculptor

The above review and teaser summary came from CrossWayz reviews, an awesome one-stop-review shop for all books that honor God and light a fire for the faithful. I agree wholeheartedly with their take on The Vanishing Sculptor.

Donita K. Paul and I have been friends for a while now. So when she inquired as to whether I would read her new book, The Vanishing Sculptor, I jumped at the chance. Here's my review blurb below: 

“Have you ever looked at a painting from a distance and thought it beautiful, only to draw nearer to it and realize it was more exquisite, complex, and wonderful than you ever imagined? The Vanishing Sculptor by Donita K. Paul is like that. I began reading and liked it. As usual, I found myself happily enveloped in a vivid world full of emerlindians, tumanhofers, and dragons. But then, just when I thought the work was beautiful, something deep within me started to tingle…and I began to see that The Vanishing Sculptor was far more than simple entertainment or escape. I had one ‘Ah Ha!’ moment after another. Clues everywhere, right in front of my eyes, blossomed into truth until, at last, I put down the book and swam in the rich waters of adventure, peace, and blessed melancholy–that rare state revealing you’ve been touched by the story of an inspired author. The Vanishing Sculptor is sure to be loved by readers and re-readers of every age.”

Uhm...what are you waiting for? Click the link to the right in my sidebar. Get the book…and prepare to be immersed by a wonderful tale.

CSFF Blog Tour Day 1: Meet Donita K. Paul and Find the Vanishing Sculptor...if you dare!

Meet the Author: 

Today we begin this month's Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour for Donita K. Paul's new novel, The Vanishing Sculptor. If you're willing to take my word for it, don't wait for the Blog tour to end, get The Vanishing Sculptor now. Just click the link at right in my sidebar. And now, a little bit about the author.

Donita K. Paul retired early from teaching school, but soon got bored! The result: a determination to start a new career. Now she is an award-winning novelist writing Christian Romance and Fantasy. She says, “I feel blessed to be doing what I like best.”  

She mentors all ages, teaching teenagers and weekly adult writing workshops. “God must have imprinted 'teacher' on me clear down to the bone. I taught in public school, then home schooled my children, and worked in private schools. Now my writing week isn’t very productive unless I include some time with kids.” Her two grown children make her proud, and her two grandsons make her laugh.

Donita has a testimony that might resonate with you. Check out what Donita says:


I thought I was a Christian. I’m definitely not Jewish. Not Muslim or Hindu. I’m an American. I was raised in the church. I started teaching Sunday school when I was thirteen. That’s right. Thirteen So when I reached twenty-five, and someone asked me if I was aChristian, I said, “Of course.” By the way, as far as I can remember, that was the very first time anyone had asked me. I must have looked as much like a Christian to those around me as I looked like a Christian to myself.

But it irked me that he had asked. So I decided to show him. I left my Bible open so he would see it in my living room. See? I had a Bible. That means I’m a Christian, right? Then I took to turning the pages so he could see I was actually reading it. I wasn’t, but that didn’t make any difference to me. Uh-oh! You and I (the "I" referring to me as a Christian now) know that’s a surefire sign I wasn’t a Christian.

He didn’t seem to be noticing the open Bible and turned pages, so I read enough in the New Testament to formulate an intelligent question to discuss. I did try the Old Testament, but it was too confusing. (Couldn’t even come up with a decent thought generated from that reading.) So we discussed. I read. We discussed some more. I read some more. BINGO! Sometime during my attempts to convince this guy I was a Christian, the message sunk in, and I became one. 

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 (NASB)




I've known Donita for a couple of years now, mostly online correspondence, but also from the West Coast Tour. She's one of a kind. At times, a grandmother, at times a mysterious sage, and sometimes, as cantankerous as the dragons she writes about! But one anecdote I'd like to share about Donita that will give you a good idea what she's really all about.


During the Fantasy Fiction West Coast Tour, Donita and Christopher were scheduled to do a great TV interview on Fresno's Good Morning Show. When Donita discovered that the interview was going to cut into our time at the children's hospital. Donita chose to give up her interview spot. I was the fortunate one to take her place. I asked her why. She said it was simple: "Interview versus talking with sick children. No contest." Need you know anything more?


Please check out Donita's righteous Fantasy Stories:

Donita's Dragonkeeper Series!

Tune in tomorrow for my review of Donita's newest novel, The Vanishing Sculptor!

Cures for Writer's Block

About Writer's Block...

A young writer asked me what to do about writer's block. I've posted on this before, but maybe you're finding yourself stuck right now. Hope these suggestions help.

1. Make sure you've been getting enough sleep and aren't wired up on caffeine. Often lack of ideas is the direct result of a too-tired mind or one that is over stimulated.

2. Try outlining. Seat of the pants writers, God bless 'em, are great but much more likely to get blocked because they simply have no idea what will come next. Take a day, a week, a month and do nothing but outline the major actions of the movie. Then, when you go to produce the manuscript, BAM, you've got the structure right there.

3. Do a "pride check." Often writers block is you being too much of a perfectionist you want it just right the first time. No chance. Let the story come, no matter how dumb it seems. That's what editing is for.

4. Do a "Lazy-Me-Check." Similar to trying to be to perfect is being too lazy to want to do several drafts, so you get too careful. In order to avoid the extra work, you go too slowly and get very annoyed when it's not just right. Again, let it come.

5. Get out of the Driver's Seat. The best stories are character driven, meaning the distinct and colorful personalities of your characters should dictate which way the story should go. If you're having too much trouble deciding what should happen next, take a break and write up some character profiles. Who are these people? I mean, REALLY, who are they? Go deep. What's their life story? What scares them? How have they hurt in the past? Who do they like, not like, trust, distrust, etc.

6. Read in your genre. If you are writing a mystery, read mysteries. If fantasy, read my books. {ahem}. Seriously, immerse yourself in the genre and you'd be surprised what ideas pop into your mind. Plus, you get the added benefit of seeing what's out there being published so that you can do something original.

7. The best for last: Pray. I know not all the visitors here are Christian, but for those who are, pray and ask God to place some ideas in your mind. Lord, is there a story you want me to tell?

How would you like a private book party?

Greetings from the Realm of Berinfell. Lately Christopher Hopper and I have been getting a lot of emails and blog posts from areas of the country we've not yet had a chance to tour or visit. Just in the past week, I've heard from several disgruntled Minnesotans who claim their lovely state always gets overlooked. I also heard from a young man in Alaska who was quite sad that he couldn't make it to any of our events.

Well, listen up folks. How would you like Christopher Hopper and I to fly out to your hometown to do a private book signing party for you and your friends and family? This, of course, would include lots of Curse of the Spider King freebies, dramatic readings, swordbattles, music, and more. Sound good to you? Post here and let us know about it. Christopher Hopper and I are putting the finishing touches on a new contest, and the personal book party is one of the grand prizes. Stay tuned for the official announcement soon.

Mark Your Calendars: October 7th Amazon Blitz! And Book Release Parties Announced!

October 7th

Hi, all! The immediate threat has passed, so I thought I'd take a moment to announce a new promotional contest. You may or may not know that the first month's sales of a new book can make or break a book long term. Publishers look at those first month numbers and make decisions on how much marketing and advertising they are willing to do for the book.--including placement in bookstores. The bookstores themselves also make decisions based on those number, perhaps even as soon as a couple of weeks worth of sales have been reported.

So, Christopher and I are asking, if you are planning to order Curse of the Spider King from Amazon anyway, please consider ordering on October 7th. Your order that day will drive Curse of the Spider King higher and higher up Amazon's bestseller list...which, in turn, will allow TONS of other people to see the book on the bestseller list. And that...leads to new sales. ;-)

For anyone who orders that day and emails me the Amazon receipt, I'll send you an Official Curse of the Spider King Bookplate Sticker signed by Christopher Hopper and by me! To order, you can click my Curse of the Spider King Amazon ad on my sidebar or go directly to Amazon.


Christopher Hopper and Wayne Thomas Batson are planning a series of huge release parties for Curse of the Spider King. The book isn't supposed to be in stores until November, but we've arranged to get copies available for four HUGE events--two in upstate NY and two in Maryland.

What to expect? Sword battles, dramatic readings, music, prizes, giant spiders, and much more!

Here are the dates and times:

In Maryland

Friday, October 16th: Barnes & Noble, Long Gate Shopping Center, Ellicott City Maryland. Time: 6:30 to Close. 410-203-9001

Saturday, October 17th: His Way Bookstore, Ellicott City, Maryland. Time: 6 to close. (410) 465-7546

In New York State:

Friday, October 30th: Borders Books, Watertown, New York. Time: 4pm to 7pm. (315) 779-0006

Saturday, October 31st (Special Halloween Creepy Signing), Barnes and Noble, Pittsford (Near Rochester) New York. Time: 2pm--5pm. (585) 586-6020

Even if you can't make it, tell friends and family who might be able to come. We want to blow the doors off these stores!

Something terrible has happened. Help needed.

I cannot go into detail at this time, but I've found myself in the middle of something very serious. And I am deathly afraid that I may never find my way out again. Something terrible has happened, but next to what's coming...what I witnessed was nothing. It has begun.

It is extremely dangerous even to hint at this in an open forum such as a blog. For those who would risk getting involved, I have left a handful of clues. Only those who dare, those with great faith will find the first step. The rabbit hole is open.

...I will say no more.