A Few More Reviews…

A few more reviews are in for Discarded: A Marathon Torres Novel. It currently holds a 4.7 out of 5 star rating on Amazon. Not bad for my first book!

To celebrate, I made Discarded: A Marathon Torres Novel free for today only! If you haven’t received your free digital copy yet, head on over to Amazon today and download your free digital copy. Apparently it comes recommended by people other than me!

What would you do?

What would you do if you wrote 100k words for your next installment only to find that you have a better story to tell? The easier answer is to finish the current book and then use the idea for the next.

That is not what I am about to do… don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to throw away 50 chapters of action packed adventure. I might use it down the road in another story, maybe a Marathon Torres Files style novel. maybe morph them into other installments.

I’m going to start over though. Start fresh and go with the new idea. It’s more CIA conspiracy than action and adventure. It’s more Marathon than what I wrote.

Sometimes a writer gets lost in the narrative and it goes in an unintended direction. I’ve set myself back a few months, but ultimately I will have a much for focused narrative with some overarching themes that really drive the characters.

Hopefully I’ll have more to share soon. Maybe one day the lost Marathon stories will see the light of day, maybe they shouldn’t.

‘till next time!

Cheers!

Sale! Get Your Free Digital Copy from Amazon

Abandoned: A Marathon Torres Novel is Free for a limited time! Download it now, read it later! It’s free!

Click the link below for both novels.

Discarded: A Marathon Torres Novel is .99 cents. With twenty global reviews averaging 4.7 out of five stars, you can’t go wrong for .99 cents!

Kindle Unlimited

The two books on Kindle Unlimited saw an increasing upswing this past week. Usually I see more pages being read over the weekends, but as we get closer to the holidays, more and more pages are being read. While I cannot see who is reading, I can see where (country). There are readers in the United States, France, and China.

Maybe there’s a global bookclub reading my book? One can only wish, right?

20 Reviews and Counting

Obtaining unsolicited reviews on Amazon is quite challenging. Authors literally give their work away for free just at the hope of receiving a review. When I give my book away, I do not ask for a review in return. That would be solicitation. Instead, I give the book to whoever wants to read it with the hope of a review, good or bad.

I’ve reached 20 reviews on Amazon. It might not seem like many, but it is to me. A hobby of mine has brought joy enough to people to provide a review for others to read and experience. It’s exciting, to load up my Amazon page, to see another review drop and know that someone took the time to rate my work, good or bad.

Thankfully, many of the reviews I’ve received have been positive. Currently Discarded: A Marathon Torres Novel is at 4.7 out of 5 stars. It’s not just a win, it’s validation that something I created in my mind has provided others with joy. They felt that I didn’t waste their time and took the time to not only read my work, but to review it as well.

Sneak Peak!

The narrative for Marathon’s next adventure is coming together nicely! My free time has been devoted to drafting the rough copy of her next novel. The story is fast paced, action-packed and one continuous narrative.

I cannot wait to share the next chapter… please stay tuned for updates.

Until then, here is a sneak peak:

“Mr. President, sir!”

“Excuse me Mark,” the President stated as he held his cell phone close to his ear.  He secured his golf club under his arm as he stared down at the putt he was about to attempt while other players around him waited patiently.   “If this isn’t an emergency you better explain yourself for interrupting me on vacation.”

“Sir, we have information on Agent Torres,” Mark said knowing the President would immediately respond.  

“Cannot talk here, assemble the team for briefing in thirty minutes,” he barked. 

“Orchid room sir?” 

“Make sure Robert and Jeff are there, no one else.  I don’t need to remind you how serious this situation has become.”

“Sir, they just checked in at the Bedminster residence.”

“Good.  Inform secret service of the change of plans and prep the meeting.”

“Yes, sir.”

The President ended the call and placed the cellphone in his khaki front pocket as he dropped his putter down while holding the handle upright.  He strolled over to the ball and carefully lined up the last shot of the day.  His eyes squinted towards the hole about ten feet away.  The President then hit the ball forward and sank the putt before tossing his club over to his caddy by the golf cart.  

“I’m sorry gentlemen, but I have to cut our afternoon short.  Something’s come up,” he said as he nodded towards a stern looking secret service agent who then prepped the golf cart for transport.  The President knew he was in the process of receiving new orders.  

The men surrounding the president looked disappointed but wished him well and asked if would join them again tomorrow for another round of golf.  “I doubt I will be out here tomorrow, submit your proposals to my chief of staff and I will take a look at them before the end of the week,” he said as he sat next to the secret service agent.  The men thanked the President as he rode off towards the country club.  

The President felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket.  He took it out as the golf cart transitioned onto blacktop and picked up speed.  He checked his phone and saw a text from Robert, one of his closest allies.  “Mr. President,” it read.  “She’s alive.” 

Earlier this Month

Discarded: A Marathon Torres Novel topped the 300 list for most books sold in a single day. On October 19th, Discarded came in 281st place for most books sold on Amazon that day. This includes both digital copies and softcover copies. Hardcover copies are tracked differently and are exempt from Amazon sales tracking.

Millions of books are published every year. Most of them get lost in the masses, the ones that sell are typically from large publishing companies that have the advertising power to promote the author and their written work.

Self publishing means everything is on the author. Promoting, advertising, managing, hiring artists, finding proof readers, and editing are all on the author. I am a team of one with some amazing people assisting along the way, but everything is self generated. For my novel to top the 300 mark for most books sold, that is something special. Thank you for sharing this moment with me.