Dan Walsh's Blog, page 10

THANKS (AND I MEAN IT) THANKS – Every now and then I chec...

THANKS (AND I MEAN IT) THANKS – Every now and then I check on how my Amazon Reviews are doing (because every Author knows how important they are to your writing future). Haven’t done it in a while, and I was SHOCKED this morning at how MANY MORE have been added. Combined my 27 novels have received OVER 47,000 AMAZON REVIEWS (4.7 Star Avg). Nine of them have received over 2,500 each. RESCUING FINLEY is the “Top Dog” with over 4,800.

I’m SO grateful to those of you who take that EXTRA 2 MINUTES to leave a review, or even a rating, after you read my books. Amazon really pays attention to these, but even more important, READERS DO.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017C6IAVA

 

Meet Our New Finley

MEET OUR NEW FINLEY –  Sadly, we had to say goodbye to our beloved 10 year old dog 4 weeks ago. A week later, we went online looking for a new puppy and saw this wonderful little guy (already named Finley by the Breeder). He’s helped distract us from our grief, for sure. Not sure I believe in signs, but we both thought it was something that he had the same name as my first Forever Home Series novel, Rescuing Finley. It’s become my all-time biggest seller (out of all 27 novels). It’s on Kindle, in Print, and AVAILABLE NOW on #KINDLEUNLIMITED. Click on the Link and Check Out some of the 2,400-plus reviews for yourself:

Rescuing Finley – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017C6IAVA

#CleanReads #ChristianFiction

Sad Tribute to an Amazing Dog – Our Charlie

My heart is very heavy as I write this. Waking up after a pretty terrible day yesterday. Most of you who follow my “book life” know we are serious dog lovers. Cindi and I’ve been married 46 years and have only been without a dog for the first 6 weeks (sometimes we’ve had 3).

Back in March, we had to say goodbye to our beloved Bailey, who was 14. Charlie just turned 10 last month, so we kinda figured we had at least another 3 or 4 years.

About 4 weeks ago, he fell out of a dining room chair and hurt one of his back legs. It wasn’t broken, but it’s taken a long time to heal. He’s been on a bunch of meds, and we were back and forth at the vets. This week we were weaning him off all but one and went to see the vet to see if he might need to stay on this one for the rest of his life (because we learned some of his problems were arthritis).

That’s all we were thinking. In and out of the vets in 30 minutes. But while we were there, the vet did a thorough exam of his hips and spine, and got this terrible look on his face. Even said, “Uh-oh.” He was probing his abdomen and belly area. “This isn’t good.” We’re getting pretty anxious, as we watch. “I’m feeling a growth here, and I’m pretty concerned.”

He explained what he suspected, decided to do an X-ray and have the other vet examine Charlie. Comes back 10 minutes later with Charlie, and a laptop. His bedside manner was great, but we could tell this was very serious. He said he was so sorry, but the x-ray confirmed his fears. Charlie had a massive tumor in his abdomen, and said by its size it had been there for months, and sadly, he could see on the x-ray it had started to spread. He showed us the x-ray on his laptop. I could see this huge mass, and he confirmed that was the tumor.

He told us it was so bad and had grown so large, it could burst at anytime. If so, he’d experience a horribly painful death, would bleed out within 20 minutes. It could happen at any time. Obviously, we were devastated. We decided right then we had to do the unthinkable. 

I stayed with him till the end, and it was a very humane, calm scene. I was holding him, kissing him, and saying what he good boy he was, as he laid down and went to sleep. I walked outside with his collar and leash in my hand, but no Charlie. I was overwhelmed with grief but felt mostly numb. Cindi and I wept in the car till we felt safe enough to drive home. 

See, here’s part of our great sorrow. Charlie was such an amazing dog. He was literally a 10. There’s nothing about him I’m not going to miss. He had no downsides. He could not have been more loving, kind, and friendly, and he was totally devoted to us. He’d given us a thousand great memories. I can’t think of anything about him I didn’t like, and dozens of things about him I loved. 

And that’s the problem with dogs, isn’t it? Their lifespan. It’s way too short. Still, even writing with such great heartache inside, I know I would do it all over again even if I knew we would only have him for 10 years. The grief I feel now compared to all the love and joy we received from him for those years, to me, is a small price to pay. 

Goodbye Charlie, my wonderful loving friend. We’ll miss you so much (already do). Bestselling author Randy Alcorn (known for his books about Heaven), is convinced we will see out beloved dogs again in heaven.

Sure hope you’re right about that, Randy.

Dan Walsh – Feb 22, 2023

PS – THE COMMENTS SECTION IS BROKEN. If you’d like to leave a comment, you can go to my FB page, scroll to where I write about this and comment there. Right now, it’s at the top. https://www.facebook.com/dan.walsh.92372/

 

Read Dan’s Most Romantic Novel Yet?

  Have You READ Dan’s “Most Romantic” Novel? Out of Dan’s 27 Novels, Readers have Voted “The Homecoming” as Dan’s Most Romantic novel. After it came out Reviewers began calling him “the Nicholas Sparks of Christian Fiction.” It’s Received over 700 AMAZON REVIEWS (4.7 Star Avg). AVAILABLE on #KINDLEUNLIMITED, on Kindle and in Print. Also Check Out “The Discovery” (2nd Runner-up) and “Unintended Consequences” (Best Romantic Suspense). Click on the Links:

  The Homecoming – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z1B8G58

  The Discovery (Romance Runner-up) – https://amzn.to/2kHPT7g

  Unintended Consequences (Best Romantic Suspense) – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07257SFPW

#CleanRead #CleanRomance #ChristianFiction

Twas The Night Now Available – Favor to Ask

Many of you might already know, but I released a NEW Christmas Novel this past FALL, called Twas The Night. But to read it, you had to download a set of 9 Books (called Winter Deceptions). 

That set is finished, and TODAY I’ve uploaded Twas The Night on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited – as a Stand Alone (only $3.99 on Kindle, Free on KU). If you’ve been waiting to get it when it was NOT part of a set, now you can.

One “Downside” to the set ending is…Amazon is DELETING THE 500 REVIEWS. So…here’s the BIG FAVOR I’m asking. If you read and liked the Book in the Set (or the Paperback), would you PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT and CLICK ON THIS LINK? Then scroll down a bit and LEAVE A BRIEF REVIEW? Even a few lines will do. 

I know based on the Sales of the Boxed Set, thousands of Readers have already read the book (and the Reviews were great). But now THEY’RE ALL GONE. 

If you could leave a Review, I’d really appreciate it. Here’s the Link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1734141786/

UPDATE – WHAT’S NEXT FOR ME?

Well, the Reviews for Twas The Night (in the Boxed Set) were so great, and I enjoyed writing it so much, I’ve decided to write a FULL LENGTH SEQUEL. Writing it now, as a matter of fact.

No Title just yet, but I hope to have it ready to release by the end of May or Early June.

Hope the rest of your winter is mild!

Dan

Read All of Dan’s 1,500 Club Books?

Have You READ ALL of Dan’s 1500 CLUB Books? These are Novels that Received 1,500 AMAZON REVIEWS (or More), maintaining an Average of 4.7 Stars (or more). All of them are AVAILABLE NOW on #KINDLEUNLIMITED (Also on Kindle and in Print).  Click on the Links and Check Out some of these reviews for yourself:

The Deepest Waters – https://amzn.to/2K3uvBA

The Reunion – https://amzn.to/2LgkYZi

Rescuing Finley – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017C6IAVA

Keeping Bailey – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091QFB886

The Discovery –  https://amzn.to/2kHPT7g

The Unfinished Gift – https://amzn.to/2ME4ElP

#CleanRead #CleanSuspense #CleanRomance

Read Dan’s 2 Historical Novels Yet?

READ DAN’S AWARD-WINNING NOVEL YET (or the Sequel)? – Dan’s Bestselling novel, The Deepest Waters is FREE on #KindleUnlimited (Carol Award for “Best Historical Fiction.”) And Fans are raving about the sequel, The Longest Road (also Free on KU). Take an amazing journey back in time. Dan’s only 2 novels set in the 1800s. Click on the Links to give them a look: 

The Deepest Waters – https://amzn.to/2K3uvBA

The Longest Road – https://amzn.to/3cTfNfd

 #CleanRead #CleanSuspense #HistoricalFiction

Grateful For This Christmas Blessing

 SOMETHING I’M THANKFUL FOR – I wrote this Christmas novel originally back in 2015, my last one with a traditional publisher. Sadly, we didn’t like how it turned out (had to make a number of changes the publisher required).

It released and was my first novel to get bad reviews (3-Stars, etc). And the complaints were the exact things we didn’t want in the book. Two years ago, we got the rights back and I took out all the things I didn’t like, and rewrote all the parts we had to leave out. It was finally the Christmas novel I wanted it to be.

But it still didn’t sell, because it was “buried” under a mountain of old reviews (about the 1st version). Well, THAT’S ALL CHANGED. Last month I did a major promo for this book AND OVER 25,000 people downloaded it. And in TWO WEEKS, readers left almost 500 NEW REVIEWS, mostly 5-Stars.

Now, it has over 700 and all the crummy reviews have been replaced by ones that talk about the new, revised edition. SO GRATEFUL.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GZZ1XS2

Merry Christmas – The Reunion Only 99 Cents Today

MERRY CHRISTMAS – MY AWARD-WINNING NOVEL ONLY 99 CENTS TODAY ONLY Amazon picked The Reunion, one of my Top-Selling and Best-Reviewed Novels as a “Kindle Daily Deal” Today.

Two-Time Oscar-winning producer and screenwriter, Nick Vallelonga, said, “It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read.” (FREE on #KindleUnlimited, too). It’s Received OVER 2,400 AMAZON REVIEWS (4.8 Star Avg). Get your Copy Today (Help Spread the Word)!

The Reunion – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X4BJTTN

#CleanRead #AmazingStory #CleanRomance #ChristianFiction

Thanks to All Who Got Keeping Christmas

GOT MY CHRISTMAS PRESENT EARLY – OVER 25K DOWNLOADED KEEPING CHRISTMAS THANKS to everyone who grabbed their copy, ESPECIALLY those who left a Great Review on Amazon. 

It reached #1 IN THE AMAZON STORE, AND #1 in the Holiday Fiction Category. Still FREE on #KindleUnlimited and only $3.99 on Kindle. https://amzn.to/2ovEhCQ

Added OVER 250 NEW 5-Star Reviews

Reached #1 in the Entire Amazon Store

Here’s What Readers Are Saying:

“A great story whether you are a veteran empty-nester, a newbie, or still have the experience yet to be lived. I am sure you will find something to love about this story. Happy Reading!” — Audra (5 Star Review)

“This is a marvelous Christmas story, whether or not you’re feeling blue, to capture the love and spirit of Christmas! This short story packs a LOT of love and spirit!! I wholeheartedly recommend it!!” — Michael (5 Star Review)

#ChristmasNovels #CleanReads