Tuesday-Anything Possible Kreative Kue #53 by Keith Channing and a Reminder that His Revenge is on sale for $0.99

December 1, 2015November 30, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 26 Comments

The reminder first

As a reminder beginning at 12:00 am PST (6:00 am GMT) on November 30th (Yesterday) until 12:00 pm PST (6:00 pm GMT) on December 1st (Today) His Revenge will be on sale for $0.99 in the US and £0.99 in the UK. This event is a thirty-six-hour sale for the US and UK markets and is in support of CYBER Monday. If you want to read His Revenge, for a limited time it is available for less than half of a Vente coffee at Starbucks. (And lasts longer)

Now to Creative Cakes # 53

As you may know, I have become enamored by the talent of Keith Channing. He has a weekly prompt named Creative Kue, which runs on Mondays. Here are the instructions from Keith for the prompt. “Using this photo as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; and either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithkreates@channing.fr before 6pm on Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). If you post it on your blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated.”

His advice. “Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries, with links to your blog or website, next Monday.” Here are the photo and my interpretation.

SONY DSC

“Hello there. Anyone here?”

“I don’t think there is anyone.”

“This is the right spot. I have the directions right here in my hand.”

“There are no people to serve us, though.”

“I can see that. Where do you suppose they went.”

“I don’t know, but I would say they are missing a real nice opportunity to sell some pies.”

“I know right? I dressed up in my Bastille Day soldier outfit just for the occasion.”

“Tell me. That outfit stinks by the way.”

“Aw come on. It’s festive.”

“Why choose a soldier outfit?”

“I didn’t want to be a peasant.”

“Well, that make sense. Not.”

“So do we just help ourselves to the pies?”

“I don’t know. That truck we passed looks like it delivered them. Of course the name is kind of funny.”

“What do you mean?”

“The lettering on the door says, Marcel Le Cordier.”

“So that means deliverer of pies right?”

“I wish you would learn to read. No, it doesn’t say that.”

“What does it say for heaven’s sake?”

“Le Cordier translates to The Tailpiece.”

“The tailpiece. What the hell does that mean?”

“I think it means we should avoid the pies.”

Rave Reviews Book Club Wants You – #RRBC

November 30, 2015November 29, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 20 Comments

As you may know, I am a member of the Rave Reviews Book Club. What you may not know is the reason I joined and what the Club has meant to me. Let me clear these last points up.

I joined Rave Reviews Book Club to become associated with like-minded writers who were interested in promoting each other’s work. At the time, I looked at some organizations and had made the decision not to associate myself with them due to what I considered unusual quid pro quo requirements.

By quid pro quo, I’m referring to the practice of following each other if followed, reviewing each others books if reviewed and other scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours kind of programs. At the time, these practices seemed a little shady to me and so I passed.

Then I had a chance to read a blog by an RRBC member and decided to visit the site. What I found was a whole new kind of club. This was a place where others supported each other with blog tours, twitter messages, and a management team interested in Indie author success. Well, I signed up and let me now quote some statistics.

When I joined RRBC, I had about 600 Twitter followers. Today I have over 5,250 followers. I did not get these followers by an aggressive plan of following and then following back. These followers came to me because they saw I was promoting my fellow authors and would in all probability support them as well. There are over 400 members of RRBC and not all follow me so as you can see these are not just member followers.
When I joined RRBC, my first book My GRL was resting near the bottom of the Amazon ranking pile. Each time the club got behind the book (Book of the Month, Spotlight Author) the rank shot up into the five figures and held there for several days.
When I joined the club, I had twelve reviews for My GRL. Currently, My GRL has forty-four reviews that have come as a result of the publicity. Of the forty-four, nine are by club members. It can be said although all club members don’t review any individual book those that do, add substantially to the information new readers want to know before buying.

So why don’t you go to the Rave Reviews Book Club site and take a look at all the activities? You never know it may be something you want to join. (Full disclosure: I am a member of the Board of Governors, the Tweet Support Team, and host or co-host of four Radio broadcasts. YES I’m biased)

Ten Things Not to do Shopping for the Holidays and a Reminder His Revenge is on Sale

November 30, 2015November 29, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 35 Comments

The reminder first.

As a reminder beginning at 12:00 am PST (6:00 am GMT) on November 30th (Today) until 12:00 pm PST (6:00 pm GMT) on December 1st His Revenge will be on sale for $0.99 in the US and £0.99 in the UK. This event is a thirty-six-hour sale for the US and UK markets and is in support of CYBER Monday. If you want to read His Revenge, for a limited time it is available for less than what you would pay for a hot dog at the gas station. (And better for you)

Funny-cartoon-Christmas-shopping

Ten Things Not to do While Shopping for the Holidays

The inspiration for this list is some years of watching the same kinds of mistakes made during this festive time.

10 While shopping for the holidays do not think other shoppers are out to get you. If you do, at best you will resemble someone who needs hospitalization. At worst, you may take retaliatory action on the city kickboxing champ who accidentally ran into you.. (Notice how he doesn’t use his hands to kick your butt.)

9 While shopping for the holidays, do not have a few drinks to ease the pain. If you do, at best you may give into a temptation and overspend. At worst, you will have the best time you’ll never recall except for the car full of stuff you still don’t know how it got there. (That ringing phone is the credit card company wanting to know if your card has been stolen.)

8 While shopping for the holidays, don’t go out without a list. If you do, at best you will forget some gifts. At worst, you will spend more than you thought and yet have a nagging feeling you forgot an important gift. (How did that office gift exchange go since you were empty-handed?)

7 While shopping for the holidays, do not leave the house without a travel plan. If you do, at best you will cover the stores in a pattern looking like the infinity symbol. At worst, you will need to use your GPS to finally figure out where you are and to locate the stores you have already passed. (You say you passed the gift shop twice but can’t figure out how to get back there?)

6 While shopping for the holidays, do not take the small children with you. If you do, at best you all will be frustrated doing exactly the opposite of what you want to do. At worst, you will start to deviate from your shopping plan and end up at the McDonald’s Playground trying to figure out what to tell everyone who will not get a gift this year. (That Big Mac and supersized order of fries are starting to look pretty good by now.)

5 While shopping for the holidays, do not think you are saving money by buying things on sale that you know are not perfect gifts. If you do, at best you can give gift receipts so the gift can be returned. At worst, you will get the perfect gift from the person you gave a less than a perfect present. (That is Murphy’s Law of scrimping on a gift for someone. It goes like this. The expense of the gift you receive is indirectly proportional to the cheapness of the gift you give. In other words the less you spend, the more someone else spends on you.)

4 While shopping for the holidays, do not think a gift card takes the place of an actual present. If you do, at best you will get your shopping done fast and early. At worst, you could spend more on the gift card than you would on a thoughtful gift. (The problem is the recipient knows the amount. Darn it)

3 While shopping for the holidays do not take gift suggestions from ads on tv. If you do, at best your present could represent an uninspired choice. At worst, the gift you give could be totally inappropriate. (Yeah, that Victoria Secret or Home Depot item should have stayed in the store.)

2 While shopping for the holidays do not wait until the last-minute to decide what gifts to buy. If you do, at best you will be running around not knowing what you had in mind. At worst, you will be faced with some difficult decisions given everything you wanted to buy is not available. (The net result is much more expensive than you had originally planned)

1 While shopping for the holidays do not avoid taking water and eating before the trips. If you do, at best you will be without energy and parched. At worst, you will finally be forced to take a break and will have to spend what could be an enormous amount for something to eat and drink. (Sure you could wait an hour for a fast food chicken sandwich but time is money right?)

Wednesday Story Day – AKA Hump Day

November 25, 2015November 23, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 22 Comments

College

Wednesday story day again (already) and last week our happy thespians got a shock from Mrs. Wolfe. She laid out a plan to extort four million dollars by threatening to blow up the student union. We didn’t stay around long enough to get the kid’s reactions so let’s go back now and see what they have to say.

“Mom, you’ve got to be kidding. No one is going to turn over four million dollars just because we say we are going to blow up the student union.”

“No, you are right. You back it up with a plan to go ahead and blow it if they don’t pay.”

“So Mrs. Worthe, you are saying we plant the explosives and then only blow it if they don’t pay?”

“That’s right Einstein.”

“But Mrs. Worthe, what’s to stop them from going in and disarming the bombs?”

“I’m so glad I mentioned this plan. You people seem to be concentrating on all the wrong things. Let me explain one more time.”

“Mom, We are not stupid.”

“I think we can include your father in that group, but I’ll admit y’all have some brains.”

“Nice dear.”

“Okay now that we have heard from the entire peanut gallery here’s the plan. Ben you and Alexis go into the union about two weeks in advance. You place the explosives in the basement. They will be in containers labeled Fire Prevention do not Move or Touch. We can also add something like by order of the fire marshal. I think this kind of disguise will prevent the cleaning crew from messing with them.”

“Boy, I like that.”

“Thanks, Ben. Then we will use cell phone detonation devices so that we can control when the stuff goes off or not. Ben, you asked about someone disarming the devices. We will include in the letter that any attempt to disarm will cause immediate detonation. Also, I think we should double arm the device. If they should get to the cell phone, we can have another underneath the C4 to use. You can wire that can’t you Ben?”

“You bet Mrs. Worthe.”

“Good boy. So once we have everything in place, we send the letter.”

“Mom, how will we be able to collect the money?”

“Ah, my child. You just hit on the one thing that usually trips up folks who try to extort money from others. We are not going to have a physical drop. We all know the cops will be all over that spot and the minute we try a pick-up they got one of us. No, we are smarter.”

“What kind of drop my dear? I can’t think of an alternative.”

“That’s because your brain has been soaked in booze, my love. We are going to use an offshore account.”

“Mom they will be able to trace that kind of thing.”

“Not if it goes through several iterations and then ends up in a nonexistent account.”

“You can do that?”

“Of course. Your daddy and I have been using off-shore for some transactions. The nice thing is once you cross the Ukraine a couple of times data seems to disappear.”

“Mom you amaze me.”

“I amaze myself sometimes. How about a drink? I’m parched with all this talking.”

Tuesday – Anything Possible – Kreative Kue #52 by Keith Krates

November 24, 2015November 30, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 28 Comments

As you may know, I have become enamored by the talent of Keith Channing. He has a weekly prompt named Kreative Kue, which runs on Mondays. Here are the instructions from Keith for the prompt. “Using this photo as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; and either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithkreates@channing.fr before 6pm on Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). If you post it on your blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated.”

His advice. “Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries, with links to your blog or website, next Monday.” Here is the photo and my interpretation.

Kreative Kue #52

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Fifty dollars for this wood and screen?”

“That madam is no ordinary timber and screen. That has power beyond belief.”

“Yeah sure. It looks like a simple wall hanging to me.”

“I can assure you. The magic in that item could make you rich.”

“Rich? You must be nuts. I’ll give you four bucks.”

“I cannot accept your nice offer. If I do the magic will turn black and might be harmful to you.”

“Man, you won’t give up will you?”

“I must protect you. I could let that go for forty dollars and all the right magic will still be intact.”

“What if I still say no and put it down.”

“Oh, I’m afraid it’s too late for that. Once you pick it up, the magic stays with you. If you set it down, the magic will drain out of you. You’ll be cursed.”

“Do you have a license to sell these things?”

“I get my permissions from God.”

“OMG. I’m putting this down now and walking away.”

“Suit yourself madam. Only you will be the one to suffer. Oh, and your family of course.”

“Goodbye, sir.”

“God speed madam I have to take this call. Hello, Sam. How many times have I asked you not to call me while I’m working? Sales? Naw not going so well. Yes, I am trying the curse strategy but no one takes me seriously. Sure I could lay a curse on someone but I’m thinking we should get into another line of business. These wooden things can’t suck enough. Yes, I know your wife makes them but come on. Look you can’t talk to me that way. What? Yeah, I could curse you and don’t call me Lucy. My name is Lucifer.”

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt “to/too/two

November 21, 2015November 20, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 18 Comments

It is Steam of Consciousness Saturday again. This week’s prompt is “To/Too/Two.” Since Linda Hill is away in Japan the temporary dungeon mistress HELEN ESPINOSA says we can use these in any manner we choose. (You can tell she is temporary). If you would like to be a part of this ~~madness~~ fun, go to Linda’s post and find out the cost of chiming in. (hint its free) http://lindaghill.com/2015/11/20/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-nov-2115/ Here is my interpretation.

“To what good deed does this gift belong.”

“Oh, no good deed. I just wanted to give you something since you are my friend.”

“I’m totally taken back. I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything, just open it.”

“I’m so excited.”

“Go ahead and tear the paper.”

“My goodness what have we here.”

“I hope you like it.”

“Like it? I love it.”

“It came in the color blue too. I thought you would rather have the red. Also, the guy said the red brings good luck.”

“Yes, the red is so much more distinguished. Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome. I’m sorry they did not have two. I would have liked one as well.”

“Aw. That’s a shame. We could have been twins.”

“I’m not sure about that. I’m so much bigger than you.”

“No, I mean If we wore the same red nose people would think we were twins.”

“Well, they would assume we both had red noses alright. So Rudolf try it on.”

Yesterday Road is now just 99 cents

November 20, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 2 Comments

These are books worth having and at 99 cents the time is right.

WHAT THE HELL

You heard me right. To build up uncontainable excitement for the December 8th release of Town Father in Kindle format, I’ll be running sales on my other two indie titles. From now till the release, you can nab Yesterday Road for 99 cents.

Occasional Soulmates will go on sale for 99 cents on December 3rd.

Meanwhile, you can pre-order Town Father for a neatly affordable $2.99. (Be among the proud, and the few!)

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Thursday – A Little Personal – An Interview on Steve DeWinter’s Show

November 19, 2015November 17, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 9 Comments

I was honored to be interviewed by Steve DeWinter on his YouTube show. Here is the link

https://youtu.be/b-7vrHhExYM

steve dewinter

Steve is a #1 Bestselling Amazon Action & Adventure Sci-Fi Author who also co-authored a fantasy novel with Charles Dickens. Yes! That Charles Dickens. Steve is an amazing author. He has authored or co-authored twenty-nine books. In addition, he has an author interview show that he invites all authors to write him at writer@stevedw.com if you would like to appear.

Here is Steve’s Amazon author page. You need to go and see some of his books

Thank You, Dan Antion for Helping Launch His Revenge

November 17, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 6 Comments

Dan Antion2

Header from No Facilities

Dan Antion is helping Launch His Revenge today. You can visit his blog No Facilities and see it.

Dan’s Blog is a combination of the philosophical with the practical. Dan’s motto on the header is “Random thoughts, life lessons, hopes and dreams” You have to understand one thing to be amazed by the by these words. Dan is a systems designer. Yes, that’s right one of those “let me test that before I draw a conclusion,” type of occupations. Dan really explains what he is doing in his About statement,

“Husband, father, woodworker, cyclist, photographer, geek – oh wait, I’m writing this like I only have 140 characters. I am all those things, and more, and all of these passions present me with opportunities to observe, and think about things that I can’t write about in other places. I have started this blog to catch the stuff that falls out, overflows and just plain doesn’t fit the other containers in my life.”

He has regular features, Thursday Doors, SoCS and If We Were Having a Beer where he provides his reader’s with a host of informative ideas, sights, factoids and practical information. Dan also is a remarkable photographer and takes most of the photo’s that appear on his blog. How well does he do? Well, WordPress thinks he is very good. He has been awarded the Freshly Pressed designation.

Here is one of my favorite photos of Dan. He was spending time with his daughter Faith doing some “easy hiking” in keeping with a sixty-year-old. He captioned this photo “Dan Antion on the way down.” I don’t think he was referring to a decline in facilities but the fact that he was heading off the mountain. I tried to kid him about the vintage Pittsburgh Pirates shirt (we both have an affinity for Pittsburgh), but he would have none of it. Thanks for your help today Dan and for keeping a lot of us entertained week after week.

#RRBC Play it Forward – Featuring Suzanne McKenna Link

November 16, 2015November 16, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 15 Comments

It’s Rave Reviews Book Club “PAY IT FORWARD” WEEK. This week has been set aside for us to take the promotion attention off ourselves and “pay it forward” by showering someone else with attention! This week of awesome support will begin on Monday, November 16 and will run for 3 days during that week (Monday, Wednesday & Friday only) ending on Friday,

November 20th. If you would like to visit RRBC and find our more go HERE

Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to Suzanne McKenna Link. Suzanne is the talented author of the novel Saving Toby which took a Top Pick award at Night Owl Reviews.

McKenna1 McKinna2

Available on Amazon

Suzanne McKenna Link works for a family of newspapers that cover events in and around the South Shore of Long Island, New York. She lives in the town of Sayville with her husband and two children.

SAVING TOBY is her debut novel. The literary love story follows the moving journey of a damaged young man and his love for a girl who might just save him. An avid interest in psychology has Suzanne digging deep into the reasons for her characters’ behaviors. The native Long Islander is fascinated by the how and why of people’s actions. As a result, her characters come to life on the page.

Author Bio

Suzanne McKenna Link is an Independent Author who enjoys writing realistic fictional tales of the trials and tribulations of young adults. Her debut novel, Saving Toby, is a gritty, modern-day love story set on the South Shore of Long Island, New York. Starting out as a graphic artist, Suzanne returned to her life-long dream of writing during a hiatus from her design work and is committed to fulfilling her dream of being a recognized, published author. She lives on Long Island, minutes from her childhood home with her husband, two children and two, adored, spoiled cats.

Contact Susanne

Email: suzannelink17@gmail.com
Blog or Website: http://suzannemckennalink.blogspot.com
Twitter Handle: @SuzMcKLink
Facebook Page URL: https://www.facebook.com/SuzanneMckennaLink