Today’s Post Is The Kind That Ends In A Quiz.

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Yeah, that kind of deal. So you have to read all the way to the bottom or you miss the point of this whole insane exercise known as blogging.

Father’s Day is on the horizon. I know there are all sorts of you that would like to get your dad, husband, son who’s a dad, a stranger you haven’t met yet, something nice for that special day. How about an autographed copy of Assault on Saint Agnes. Yes, being the sentimental type, I’ve lowered the price so that Amazon can’t even touch it. All I ask is that you remember to review the book. I’m at that magic point where every review counts more than it’s weight in gold. That isn’t hard, as it’s just ephermeral bits of data and they hold no actual weight, but you get the point and let’s-not-nitpick.

Steal this picture for your Facebook post.

Steal this picture for your Facebook post.

Here’s the discount button. It’s different than all the other buttons, and if you come back after the 12th of June it will be gone. Yes, limited time offer. But what a deal. I truly wish my dad could read the book. But the dad-gummed Kindle platform doesn’t work in Heaven. (I think they cut a deal with Nook, but I digress.) So hit the button right now, make your payment, and I’ll autograph the book (hopefully several books) and mail it/them right away. You have nobody but yourself to blame if you get him a fruitcake you forgot in the fridge again this year. Don’t be that person.


Autograph Instructions



See, you survived your purchase. Now, because you’ve been an exemplary reader, I will let you in on a secret. I’m giving away two audio books and two Kindle versions to the first four people that respond in the comments. That’s the quiz: are you paying close attention, or did you see the book promotion and run? Specify which you’d like (audio book or Kindle) and I’ll do my best to provide. I’ll email you if you win, and post the winners here.

Which reminds me, over on my Facebook author page, I’m giving away stuff as well. Some nonsense about liking the page and sharing the post that’s pinned to the top of the page. Yup, more free stuff.

Now, the quiz is over, and I’ve shilled. Here’s where I do some actual writing stuff.

During the past month, I’ve had more moments lost in the Ozone than I have in years. The juices really flow once you kick that first book out of the box and let it loose in the world. I am amazed that I haven’t been killed by a falling piano, or something, given my wandering attention span.

I spend hours each day thinking about books to write, scenes from the sequel, dialogue, characters I want to create, and you – my readers.

I have been blessed with some amazing reviews. Head over to Amazon and read a few. Not a one of them bought-and-paid-for (except my mom, who demanded $10 or she’d write a bad one.) I’m blown away by 62 of you who took the time to review the book so far. The average grade is 4.8 out of 5 stars. Amazon has deleted over a dozen (that I am aware of) because they think I’m cheating somehow. So if you’ve read the book, and reviewed it, please go and check to see if your review is still there. If not, please consider leaving another review. They can’t kill them all. Well, actually, they can. But those of you who have reviewed the book have been very kind and I want to reward you with something special. So the free stuff is above, the discounted price link is up for the next few weeks (until June 12) and this Friday I will be writing my annual Memorial Day flash fiction piece.

I’m partial to them. I’ve read that if an author can’t cry when they read their own stuff, they’re not writing well enough. I promise to shed a tear again this week. Stop back Friday for the post.

Thanks for putting up with me. I love having you here. So here’s the final item: Today I broke into the top 81,000 books on Amazon for sales ranking. Thank you. I hope to be bringing this back when I’m in the hot 100.

Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #80,937 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
#396 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers & Suspense > Spies & Politics > Terrorism
#589 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Crime
#648 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Suspense

Perilous Judgment: A Book Review ****

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Seems some of you really like my book reviews. Others wonder why I don’t give a plot synopsis. I’ll give you all the details below the fold. But let’s cut to the chase and sell some books for my friend, and fellow Genesis Winner (2014), Dennis Ricci: I present Perilous Judgment.

Perilous Judgment

Perilous Judgment

Please follow me on Twitter, and “Like” the Facebook author page. Don’t forget to subscribe (the box is on the right side of the page) to be eligible for free e-books and other benefits! Oh yeah – grab a copy of Assault on Saint Agnes if you’re of a mind.

Dennis Ricci

Dennis Ricci

Why no plot synopsis? Because I think it’s lazy of me to bulk up the blog with stuff you can read over at Amazon.com (Like the reviews on my book – Say, have you read it and reviewed it yet? Assault on Saint Agnes? I need your review!)
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Now I have my pitch for the day in… Seriously, you trust me to tell you what I liked/didn’t like about the book. The synopsis is up to you. I’m going to feed you the spices and sweets that readers seem to want more than the publisher’s notes about the release.

My usual disclaimer applies: This is an honest review. I don’t shill for friends. But it does help to be my friend if you want your book reviewed. Otherwise, I’d spend the rest of my life reviewing books for people. I want to have fun here as well!

With that being said, here’s the review I’m posting on Amazon for Perilous Judgment about the time this blog gets published:

Perilous Judgment Is A Genesis Award Winner For A Good Reason

I received an advanced reviewer copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

What separates Christian fiction from secular fiction is often hard to ignore. In many cases, there’s an overload of wholesomeness and goodie-two-shoes “here’s my favorite Scripture” writing. Dennis Ricci avoids that like the plague, but hews to the guidelines of not using excessive violence, sexual imagery, or foul language.

Because of that, Perilous Judgment is a safe read for anyone with an aversion to rough language and sex. Not that there isn’t plenty of action, violence, and drama in the book, but it’s done for a purpose and doesn’t break the rules. In other words, it’s a good yarn without the offensive items that a lot of secular authors would have gratuitously thrown in. No salacious bits!

The writing jumps back and forth between a few major characters, and if you lose track of who’s up to bat, it can set you back for just a moment. I read the book during a very distracting period of my life, so I have to figure normal people (not squirrels with shiny objects like me) will have no problem.

Lots of good sub-plot devices, clever ruses, and some image painting that leave you feeling the dust of Mexico on your brow as you look for a cool drink and some frijoles. I think about frijoles often, and that makes this a good thing. Lunch Tuesday was frijoles. So if you can put me in mind of a thing that strongly you are doing it right.

One of the main focuses in the book is the immigration issue. Dennis rightly points out the inequities in the current situation in his story, and that was the only thing that gave me a single moment’s pause. I’m not sure if that’s because of my personal convictions on the issue, or the conundrums the characters faced. I’ll leave that for the reader to decide.

Summer’s upon us (except in Minnesota where it’s still freeze-warning season) and this would be an excellent book to take to the beach with you.

I give it 4 stars!

Now, click this link and go grab a copy. Grab one of mine while you’re at it – Genesis award winners need love no matter what year they won!

 

Assault on Saint Agnes is now available. Just click this link to find all the options! (I recommend the autographed copy. It’s cheaper than from the big stores, I scribble in it, and you get it mailed within 5 days. We all win.

When you finish reading any book (especially mine) please review it at www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, and www.goodreads.com. Your review increases the chances of someone looking for a new book greatly. Authors appreciate your review, even if it is just “I thought this was a good read and will give it to my dog to chew.” Those few words, and a 1-5 rating, make or break how the search engines find us. Thanks in advance.

You’d Better Know The Following Things If You Want To Keep Your Man Card.

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Come to think of it, you’d better know most of this stuff if you plan on owning a house, surviving in the city, ever go camping, travel abroad, or consume oxygen. But since I am semi-regularly accused of not deserving a Man Card because I review books that are written by female authors, some of them romance novels, I feel the need to validate my chromosomal arrangement publicly. (Yes, I’m a binary kind of person. You haters can all skip the insults. I still think that assigned gear should be kept for the duration. Funny that way…)

Please follow me on Twitter, and “Like” the Facebook author page. Don’t forget to subscribe (the box is on the right side of the page) to be eligible for free e-books and other benefits! Oh yeah – grab a copy of Assault on Saint Agnes if you’re of a mind.

Let’s keep this very basic:

You absolutely have to know what a junction box is, and why you need the locks for the knockouts. If those terms escape you, you probably don’t have a 100 year old house with brittle wiring. It is a useful skill. Do not tell the building inspectors you have employed it.

Gleefully misappropriated from the people at Garvin Industries (http://www.garvinindustries.com/electrical-junction-boxes/3-1-2-and-4-octagon-junction-boxes)

Gleefully misappropriated from the people at Garvin Industries (http://www.garvinindustries.com/electrical-junction-boxes/3-1-2-and-4-octagon-junction-boxes)

You have to know how to load a semi-automatic weapon, preferably a handgun, and safely unload the weapon. You also have to know how to shoot it. Buy a stainless steel one so that you don’t have to be a fanatic about cleaning. If you think you don’t need a gun, you’re probably relying on people like Bobby Kurtz to take care of you. He’s a fictional character. Good luck.

Toilet snake. Plunger. Clogs. Here’s a link to fix it yourself. Plumbers run over $100/hr. It’s worth your time to learn this stuff. If you have a chronically clogged toilet, or a slow draining one, it may be due to a family member’s medication. It impacts the stool and makes it stick to the pipes. Adding a few drops of dish washing liquid once a week (Dawn is good) helps keep the pipe clean. It breaks up the blockage and saves big money and flooded bathrooms. Add a bit as the toilet is flushing, and again as the bowl fills.

Don’t get your water downstream from a campground, a farm, or a slow moving part of the river. You can boil it all day long and it will still taste like the sewage from upstream. If you are out in the woods, and have no other source of water, for heaven’s sake use a filter that eliminates Giardia. Chlorine and boiling don’t always eliminate the stuff that really can kill you in the water. Filter it, chlorinate it, boil it. If that doesn’t work, reflect on how you made God mad at you to the point where He reels you in for drinking water.

Overseas travel: If you are with a tour group, you are a target. Yeah, you. Make sure your tour company is reputable, protects your life with briefings on the local situation, and employs armed guides and guards in really dangerous areas. I’ve enjoyed more than one meal at a restaurant where the guy at the door was carrying a pump-action 12 gauge. Made me feel downright good. If that barkin beast didn’t keep me safe, nothing would.

Learn how to grow a few vegetables. I don’t know why, but that always seems to be on these lists.

Learn how to properly operate a circular saw. Not doing it right can cause the loss of handy things like fingers. If you own a house, you will need one sooner or later.

Be prepared to move on a week’s notice. Not that you are planning on fleeing the authorities, but what if that dream job came up in a remote city? What would you need to bring with you? What could you leave behind? (The answer is most of the crap in your home could stay there and you’d never miss it. If that’s the case, why not get rid of it now?)

Learn how to prepare a meal for fifty people. Doesn’t have to be fancy, but it’s a skill that can come in handy if you need a job. More than one restaurant has hired the cook just because they had some vague idea how to move food down the line in a timely fashion.

Learn CPR. Everybody should know how to do this vital task. You might help someone else keep their man card by keeping them alive.

Know how to gut and skin an animal. Not that you need to practice on your neighbor’s cat, but at least know how to do it if you’re in an emergency situation.

Get a platinum Visa card with a $40,000 limit. Then you can skip all the stuff above and hire people to do it.

But then again, I’ll be asking for a loan.

Have a great day. Stop back Thursday for a book review of Perilous Journey by Dennis Ricci.

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Assault on Saint Agnes is now available. Just click this link to find all the options! (I recommend the autographed copy. It’s cheaper than from the big stores, I scribble in it, and you get it mailed within 5 days. We all win.

When you finish reading any book (especially mine) please review it at www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, and www.goodreads.com. Your review increases the chances of someone looking for a new book greatly. Authors appreciate your review, even if it is just “I thought this was a good read and will give it to my dog to chew.” Those few words, and a 1-5 rating, make or break how the search engines find us. Thanks in advance.

A Fall Of Sparrows – Book Review Time! Yes, Five ***** Stars.

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Since I have nothing else to do this month (except promote Assault on Saint Agnes) I thought I’d review a fellow author’s book. Lest you accuse me of only happy-happy-joy-joy reviews, you should know I read a lot of books that never get here. Less than four stars and I won’t review it. If it’s on this blog, I really liked it. Mind you, none of that “My publisher asked me to do this” stuff in my house. It’s gotta be good.

A Fall of Sparrows, by Paul J. Bennett.

A Fall of Sparrows

A Fall of Sparrows

Also, since I am fairly lazy, I thought I’d just post my Amazon review of the book. Yeah, I’m like that – why write something twice!

I grabbed this book because it’s from the same publisher as my book. Brand loyalty and all that.

Now, after reading this exceptional tale of courage, honesty, and the touch of The Holy Spirit in one man’s heart, I can’t wait to read more from Paul J. Bennett. As a matter of fact, sitting down and talking with him about this book is on my list of highlights when we have our author’s meeting in August before the Christian Festival for Athanatos Ministries and the press it supports.

I’ve read my share of Civil War books, and this ranks up there with Karl Bacon’s work. I gave Bacon 5 stars for both of his books, and Paul is every bit as engaging.

Much of the story is told in the first person, from the eyes of the Hero. This is a man bedeviled by the real world, seeking the spiritual. He comes to realize that one can either be, or not be, true to his faith.

While the book relies on a Christian viewpoint, and uses the character’s faith to bring home certain points, it is equally a story of the times, abolitionist issues, and the moral dilemma of just war.

Mr. Bennett is a gifted author who’s words flow like the river of life through the work. I aspire to write this well.

I can heartily recommend this book to Civil War buffs, Christian fiction enthusiasts, and anyone who loves a very well told tale.

Free Stuff, Giveaway, No Cost, Etc.

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Let’s get serious: I’m trying to give away free stuff and people are just “liking” the posts.

Free audio book versions of Assault on Saint Agnes: (due to a limitation on a script, you have to click on this http://gvwy.io/uveje9d

Free Kindle version, hit this link: https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/e1e7a4c0eb6b3afd

Let me repeat that:

What? You can’t stand my voice? I guess you’d better just settle for the Kindle version give way. That’s right here See, I know you too well. Please do me a favor and share that link with everyone you know in the universe. Or, possibly on Facebook. It’s a random drawing by Amazon.com and they award prizes to every X entrants. More entries means more winners. I like giving them away. Help me spread the word. Here’s the “naked” link for Facebook, Twitter, etc. https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/e1e7a4c0eb6b3afd

I am shocked – thousands see it, hundreds click the link. There’s no catch. You can send the tweet, like the page, whatever the deal is, and then reneg afterward. I’m easy. Some might say more.

Please take the time to enter!