Following hot on the heels of BookBag including Vortex in its Top 10 for 2014. Shelf Unbound magazine features the book in its December 2014 issue. They even sent me this badge. Until I work out how to sew it into a shirt, I'll just post it here -
Writing my first book - and eventually getting it published. Read from the oldest post to get the whole story. If you have a friend who is looking to write a book - please send them the link.
Saturday, 20 December 2014
Friday, 14 November 2014
Vortex in the Top 10 Indie Books of 2014
Vortex was published in January 2014 and has received excellent reviews - not just on Amazon but in the print media. One of my favourites is here - Pattaya Mail review
Better still, literary web-site BookBag lists Vortex as one of its Top 10 Self-published books of 2014.
BookBag Top 10
I hope you will check it out on Amazon.
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com
The sequel - Vortex... the Endgame was published in November 2014 - Amazon links are below.
Sequel on UK site
Sequel on Amazon.com
Matt
Better still, literary web-site BookBag lists Vortex as one of its Top 10 Self-published books of 2014.
BookBag Top 10
I hope you will check it out on Amazon.
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com
The sequel - Vortex... the Endgame was published in November 2014 - Amazon links are below.
Sequel on UK site
Sequel on Amazon.com
Matt
Wednesday, 17 September 2014
Monday, 9 June 2014
Letter to God.... and trying different ways of attracting new readers
They keep telling me I need to get more material on the internet. Let readers see a variety of things I've written. It might just hook that reader who's put off by the fact that most of my stuff is set in Thailand.
Well I'm getting to an awkward age and started thinking of my own mortality the other day. Do I really want eternal life? Years in business taught me you have to think through all the implications, particularly if the offer seems too good to be true. Well there was plenty of stuff I just couldn't fathom, so I wrote this letter to God. If anyone has him on a contact list, could you pass it on...
Well I'm getting to an awkward age and started thinking of my own mortality the other day. Do I really want eternal life? Years in business taught me you have to think through all the implications, particularly if the offer seems too good to be true. Well there was plenty of stuff I just couldn't fathom, so I wrote this letter to God. If anyone has him on a contact list, could you pass it on...
Dear God,
I just wanted to
start by saying that I’m really grateful, the purgatory thing and all that. It
was pretty tough getting used to the idea of being dead so having this half way
house idea has been great. You meet a load of other people who are going through
all the same stuff and it’s been good, it really has. Course it’s a bit of a
shock at first, there you are crossing the road and then… WHAM. No pain, very
sudden, that was nice but then you start thinking about what’s next.
Every day you
wait for the list, hoping you’re going to get the nod. My grandma passed away
three weeks before me, and I was there when they called her name… “Martha
Turner… to Heaven.” We were all thrilled for her, no mistake. Three days later
the angels turned up and she was off, we all cheered and whooped and threw
flowers and hoped we were next.
Well that’s the
issue really. This is going to really sound bad but I have to ask the question.
Don’t get me wrong, I was chuffed to bits when they called my name this
morning. It’s all I ever wanted. Right back to primary school, the nuns used to
tell me that this was what it was all about, do the right thing and I’d be
saved. Well it looks like I made it and I couldn’t be happier. It’s just that I
never really looked at the small print before. Before I jump on the old chariot
with Angel Gabriel at the wheel I wanted to get a bit more information about
what to expect when I get there. Nothing personal it’s second nature to us
accountants.
As I understand
it, you’re all up there looking down benevolently on the people of earth,
waiting for the worthy few to be reunited with their loved ones. It sounds
great… in principle. I just need a bit more detail before I get really
comfortable with the idea. Sorry about the bullet points, it’s the training, they
just drum it into you.
·
I love my Mum, she was an
amazing woman, but she’d have shamed the Pope when it came to who was the more
devoted follower of your good self. Sex was a sacred thing, only to be pursued
between a man and a woman seeking to bring a new child into the world. The
internet was in its infancy in her day, so she had no idea about the amount of
porn that’s available at the click of a button and masturbation was nothing
short of a capital offence. So here’s my question. Are they really up there
looking down on us, if that’s the case, there could be some pretty awkward
moments when I get my family reunion.
·
I really cleaned up my act in
the later years but I’d have to confess to being a “bit of a lad,” through my
twenties. There are a few people who’d be amazed that I got the Heaven ticket,
but you are a merciful Lord and always happy to forgive the sinner who repents.
So I’m just wondering where I stand with the ones I might have sinned against.
I don’t suppose that farmer down the road is going to get too worked up about
the apples I nicked with Billy Murdoch, but old headmaster Thomas hated my
guts. I’m sure he made the cut for heaven; he never stopped quoting the
scriptures, but he always said he’d make sure I got my just desserts. I don’t
think he meant that in a good way. If he’s up there, then I reckon things might
just kick off when he spots me coming through the Pearly Gates. Then there was
Mrs Jones. I think it comes under “coveting thy neighbour’s wife.” I’m not sure
I did that much coveting to be honest, she didn’t give me a lot of choice, but if
Mr Jones is sitting up there with you, I reckon the sparks are really going to
fly.
So that’s the
question really. It all sounds pretty great in principle, all the good guys
getting together on the Elysian Fields strumming on your harps, but you can see
why I’m pretty nervous. I really am grateful to be picked but if you could just
throw a bit of light on what my Mum might know about what I’ve been getting up
to since she passed, that would be really helpful. Anything you’ve got on
segregation policies would be good too. It would be reassuring to know that I’m
not going to be bumping into Mr Jones, or his missus for that matter.
That’s it
really. I hope this finds you well and I’m sure you’ve got all this stuff
sorted otherwise I reckon it would be a bit of a bun fight up there. Just be
nice to have it all clarified before Gabriel comes to pick us up on Wednesday.
Best wishes
John Smith
PS. If you have
some sort of itinerary to hand could you throw that in as well. It’s all second
nature to you guys but for a new arrival, it’s pretty daunting, I mean what do
you actually do all day? I can imagine it would be bliss for a month or so… but
eternity?
Thursday, 15 May 2014
This download is FREE until Monday, May 19
If you've made your mind up about gun control, this short story will make you think again.
America is rocked by another high school shooting. Something must be done and the solution is simple. When evil people have guns, the only way to protect the vulnerable, is to arm the good guys. After all, God made men but Samuel Colt made them equal.
Sam Bailey is only twelve years old when he arrives in the USA from a sleepy village on the east coast of England. He has already experienced at first hand how violence can tear a family apart, but nothing can prepare him for life in the loudest, brashest and most confident country in the world.
When the latest massacre occurs only a hundred miles away, the question everyone is asking is: could this happen at Sam's school?.
"Before you make your mind up about how children should be kept safe at school, read Something Must Be Done, it will make you think again."
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com
The story is also free on all other Amazon stores
America is rocked by another high school shooting. Something must be done and the solution is simple. When evil people have guns, the only way to protect the vulnerable, is to arm the good guys. After all, God made men but Samuel Colt made them equal.
Sam Bailey is only twelve years old when he arrives in the USA from a sleepy village on the east coast of England. He has already experienced at first hand how violence can tear a family apart, but nothing can prepare him for life in the loudest, brashest and most confident country in the world.
When the latest massacre occurs only a hundred miles away, the question everyone is asking is: could this happen at Sam's school?.
"Before you make your mind up about how children should be kept safe at school, read Something Must Be Done, it will make you think again."
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com
The story is also free on all other Amazon stores
Tuesday, 22 April 2014
The book review that makes your day
I sent a dozen or so free copies of my first book to newspapers in Thailand. The book was set there so it seemed like a sensible move to get some coverage. Result - two reviews.
I did the same for my second book. Result - one review.
Vortex, my third book, came out last month. Again I got only one review - but this was it:
Pattaya Mail
It made it all worthwhile.
If you're an author and you're wondering what the payback is - click the link. It's better than a fat royalty check - well almost.
I did the same for my second book. Result - one review.
Vortex, my third book, came out last month. Again I got only one review - but this was it:
Pattaya Mail
It made it all worthwhile.
If you're an author and you're wondering what the payback is - click the link. It's better than a fat royalty check - well almost.
Sunday, 16 March 2014
FREE books to keep your readers hooked
It's tough for independent authors to catch the attention of the book buying public. Many offer their novels for free for a limited period, then see their downloads drop back when the price kicks in again.
A method I've used that's worked well is to write a short story around the same time my novels are published and include the first chapter of the novel as a taster at the end of the short story. It draws attention to the novel without sacrificing sales, but still gives readers a free shot at assessing whether they'll like it. Everyone's a winner.
My latest promotion is this weekend. If you'd like a free short story and the chance to read the first chapter of my latest novel, the links are here:
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
A method I've used that's worked well is to write a short story around the same time my novels are published and include the first chapter of the novel as a taster at the end of the short story. It draws attention to the novel without sacrificing sales, but still gives readers a free shot at assessing whether they'll like it. Everyone's a winner.
My latest promotion is this weekend. If you'd like a free short story and the chance to read the first chapter of my latest novel, the links are here:
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Monday, 20 January 2014
Vortex
On land or at sea a vortex is
mesmerising, powerful and destructive. When Andy Duncan secures a dream job in
an Asian investment company, he discovers the same forces apply in business.
The pursuit of power, money and status blurs moral boundaries and once the
first line is crossed, the vortex will drag you in. Duncan soon realises his
career, his freedom and even his life may be at stake.
Set in Thailand and Hong Kong, Vortex is my fourth published work. I spent over twenty years in the investment industry and witnessed at first hand what can happen to those whose heads are turned by the rewards on offer. Most take it in their stride, for others it becomes all consuming. They believe they are navigating a tricky ascent to the top of their professional tree. It seemed to me that some were really in a perilous spiral that could only end in disaster.
Vortex is a tale of what happens to those who will stop at nothing to obtain what they covet, or to hang on to what they already have.
It's available as an Amazon e-book worldwide on and as a paperback in the UK, Europe and the USA.
Please check it out and let me know what you think.
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