Evan Bond's Blog, page 21

2017 schedule plans

With 2017 quickly approaching, I thought I would create an outline for my blog and newsletter. It's my goal to send out a monthly newsletter filled with interesting information about current projects or exclusive content such as extra chapters, short stories, or first looks. Likewise, with my blog, I would like to update it at least once a week. 
That being said, I thought I would tell you all the schedule I plan to stick to throughout the new year. For my newsletter, I will be sending one every month with exciting information included. Of course, more than one can be sent if there is enough quality information to share with you all. This week I will be sharing the first chapter of my new novel, Sins of the Mother, book two in the Ethan McCormick series. Don't forget to sign up to read it! 
Also, for these blog posts, I would like to do more in the future and share even more interesting content about my writing, research I'm doing, book reviews, information about my personal life, and so much more. I'm also willing to listen to you guys. If you have an idea for something I should blog about please let me know! As for my blog schedule, I will be uploading 1-2 blog posts a week starting next year.
So, that's the schedule I will be sticking to for next year. What do you think? Are you excited for new content? Do you have ideas for future blog ideas? Want to sign up for my newsletter? You should! Let me know what you think in the comments below. Thanks for reading! 
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You Asked, I answered!

Recently, I asked you guys to ask me some questions on Social Media. The twist was they did not have to be book related. I got some pretty interesting questions. Here are the best ones! 

Let's start with a book related question. It read, If you could collaborate on a book with anyone who would you choose? This one is tough. There are so many fantastic authors out there that I would be honered to collaborate with. Stephen King is one of my favorite authors, J.K. Rowling has had amazing success, J.R.R. Tolkien created wonderful worlds we still celebrate today, and Arthur Conan Doyle created the best detective of all time. But I think I would have to say Ian Fleming, creator of the James Bond novels. No, not because of my last name but becasue of the character he created (and maybe a little bit because of my last name). Mr. Fleming wrote those novels in the late 1950's and today James Bond is still one of the biggest characters of all time. Mr. Fleming seemed like an interesting individual and would have been a lot of fun to collaborate with. He turned what he thought of as the most boring name in the world and turned it into a house hold name. And his novels are still full of suspense and intrigue to this day. Sure, they've aged, but they have not lost their allure!

Next question, What are your 1-2 top items on your bucket list? Wow, there are so many things I would love to do in this lifetime! Travel the world, see the northern lights, go skydiving. But those are all pretty cliche. The top two things on my list would have to be a bit different. First, I would absolutely love to travel into space. Now, I know this one might not be very realistic but it's still something I think would be awesome. I'm not talking about those planes that give you the feeling of weightlessness either. I'm talking about taking a capsule into orbit and seeing our planet from the darkness of space! I should have grown up to be an astronaut! If commercial space travel is invented in my lifetime you better believe I'm going to do it! As for the other thing, I would love to have a role in a major motion picture. It doesn't need to be a major part but rather an extra, or more specifically a cameo of some kind. I think it would be a lot of fun. I've always loved movies and thought I'd grow up to be an action star one day. Then I decided to write the books instead. If I ever strike up a movie deal I'm going to make sure they let me cameo in it!

Last questions was, If you could only do one action, aside from breathing, what would it be? Why? I love this question! Such a creative one and pretty difficult. Assuming it means I would be unable to move, except for whatever action I chose and breathing, I'd have to say walking. There's a lot of places I want to see and a lot of things I would love to do. It would be impossible if I couldn't even walk! I love to hike, camp, and travel. Those things would be difficult to do without the ability to walk! But does that mean I wouldn't be able to see or hear? Ugh, impossible choice! 

I really enjoyed this, I hope you did too! If you did, let me know. Maybe I'll do it again in the future. I would love to see what creative questions you guys come up with. Let me know in the comments if you want another one! Thanks for reading! 

King of the Universe

With The Dark Tower books by Stephen King finally being turned into a major motion picture, I thought it was time I dove into them. For years I wanted to read them and finally I am. In the second book, The Drawing of the Three, I came across an interesting easter egg that got my mind racing! 
I'll make sure to keep it spoiler free for those of you who haven't read the series and are planning to. A character from a differen't world than The Gunslingers makes a reference to a very popular movie made by Stanley Kubrick. It was crazy because the particular movie he talks about is The Shining. That is, of course, a Stephen King novel! 
What's the big deal with this? After all, King makes references to his other work all the time! 11/22/63 mentions Pennywise, The Dead Zone talks about Carrie's high school, and countless others. Well, this is different. Stephen King makes mention of the movie The Shining. This leads me to believe that Stephen King is alive and writing books in his particular universe! 
Now, here's where I get a little confused. If Stephen King exists in the universe in which this particular character, Eddie, is from, does that mean Eddie is from our universe? Does that mean all of the other books King has written exists in their own universe? Is there a door in which Roland could step through and meet characters such as Johnny Smith, Carrie White, or even Christine? 
And on a different note, from the first book, does that mean the boy Roland befriends is from our universe or King's? It seemed as if the boy comes from Eddies universe, which would be ours as well. When Roland stepped through that door he actually stepped into the real world, our world. The stories of The Shining are just books and movies. But the boy, Jake, is from the universe King created. That means he shares a world with Dale Barbara from Under the Dome and Danny Torrence from the Shining! 
I'm sure this has all been talked about before. I'm a little late reading these books but I still found the concept fascinating. What about you? Have you read The Dark Tower books? What do you think about this shared universe concept? I'd love to hear about it! Let me know in the comments below. As always, thanks for reading! 

Book Signing Experience

This past weekend I attended my first book signing as a featured author. I thought it would be interesting to tell you how it went and what I might do better next time. Also, if you have experience with book signings, feel free to give me advice in the comments below! 
I arrived at Book Swap of Carrollwood just after eleven in the morning. The event started at noon. I wanted to make sure I had enough time to set up and get ready. My books were neatly packed in a box and I had all my business cards and bookmarks in a neat gathering in my bag. Leaving the box and bag under the table, I set up for the event. The other authors there had posters with their names and books on it. I would have done this as well, but I did not have the time before this event. 
Before too long, I had my books set up on the table in a pile in front of me. Only about six at a time, though. I had read advice to keep the number of books on the table to a minimum.
Finally, it was noon and everything was ready to go, save for one author who would not arrive until one. The first hour was a little slow, not many people showed up. The lady running the event frequently came out to talk to us and was very nice. She posted several pictures to the store's social media pages and shared them with all of us. 
Shortly after one, a few people started to trickle in. One lady in particular stopped by and asked all of us about our books, one at a time. She grabbed several, including mine, and purchased the paperbacks. When she came out of the store, I was able to do my first book signing in an official manner. It was pretty fun, I must say. It's the first time a stranger has asked me to sign anything. 
The rest of the day was rather slow. A few people showed up occassionally and browsed the books but most left empty handed. It was too bad for all of us authors that it was as slow as it was, but that's the nature of these events. Sometimes, the traffic just isn't there. 
All in all, it was a great experience and I'm glad I did it. I will be doing another in January and hopefully the event is larger. I learned a lot of what to do next time and what to bring.
Another unfortunate thing, I was unable to get copies of my first book, To the Wolves, in time for the event. I had business cards with coupon codes on the back for the paperback but due to the slow event, only ended up giving one out. That being said, I do have quite a few of those business cards left. If you would like one, or rather a picture of one so you can use the promo code, leave a comment below and I will send that to you! It's good for 15% off the paperback.
So that was my first book signing. It wasn't as "exciting" or busy as I would have liked but it was a fun experience either way. I learned a lot and I was able to network with other authors, a few readers, and a really cool bookstore. I will be keeping my eye on that place and jumping on any other opportunities they might have. Let me know in the comments below if you have any advice for my next event. I look forward to hearing from you. As always, thanks for reading!  

Baby

        If you hadn't heard, my wife is pregnant! Ever since we found out, I've been dying to know the gender. It felt like forever went by before it was time to finally tell. I waited as patiently as I could, which wasn't very well. 
Finally, we found out the gender yesterday and we immediately went out to build a bear and created something I know my baby will love! As far as the gender reveal, I won't be able to tell you just yet. We will be telling our families this Sunday, so I'll post something on social media about it then. I'm very excited to meet my newborn baby in May! 
I'd love to know what your guesses are. Let me know in the comments if you think it's a boy or a girl! I can't wait to share with you the bear we built! 

Title Reveal

     If you've subscribed to my newsletter then you already know the title of my next Ethan McCormick novel. Otherwise, you're about to find out here. If you want to be among the first to see future titles and even the book cover for this very book, then go ahead and sign up. I'll leave a sign up form below. 

Let's get to why you are here. You want to know the title of my next book. Well, the title of the next Ethan McCormick thriller is.....wait! Did you read the first one? If not, go pick it up, read it and then come back here. Go ahead, I'll wait for you..........................Done? Alright, let's get back to it then! 

The title of the next Ethan McCormick adventure is Sins of the Mother. Great, right? But what does it mean? That, you will have to wait for the release of the book to find out. I can't give you too many details yet but I promise I will soon. Next month, I will be giving out the first chapter for free! Interested? Sign up for my newsletter and you'll be able to read the first chapter. 

I'm very excited for this upcoming release. I don't have a release date available yet but I will soon. This McCormick adventure will be darker than the first and a little bit different. I sincerely hope you like it. I'm sure you will, though! 

Let me know what you think of the title. Do you love it? Maybe you hate it? Have a theory about what the book is about? Please, let me know in the comments below. I'd love to hear it all! Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter to get the first chapter of Sins of the Mother free next month! As always, thanks for reading!  #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } /* Add your own MailChimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */Subscribe to our mailing list* indicates requiredEmail Address * First Name

Thanksgiving

Happy late Thanksgiving, everyone. Sorry I'm a little late.I was busy yesterday and unable to update anything. I thought it would be pretty cool to share my Thanksgiving day with all of you and invite you to share what you did in the comments. 
First, let me start off by saying what I'm thankful for. Obviously, for my family, for the little one on the way, and for their overall health. They help focus me on my writing and always striving to be better, for myself and for them. I'm thankful for the books I have read which inspired me to take up the craft for myself. I'm thankful for this beautiful world around us all and for the fact that I get to hike and camp in it as often as I do. And, of course, I'm thankful for all of you who help make my dream a reality. Without readers, I would be writing stories only for myself. 
I'll do you the favor of skipping all the boring bits like me preparing the dish I would bring to my families house, or the drive over, or even talking with family. What I want to share with you was pretty fun and pretty cool. 
My older step brother brought over a really cool piece of technology for us to try out. It's something I've always wanted to try and was very excited when I saw it. He brought with him the HTC Vive. If you aren't familiar with what that is, it's a virtual reality headset. It's one of the better ones on the market. It actually has censors which track your movements and give you a virtual box in which to interact with the games. There are also two hand held controllers that look like overturned ladles.
After watching countless family members have their fun with their VR experience, each of them trying a different game to keep it interesting, I finally got my turn. My step brother thought it would be cool to have me play a surgeon simulator game. It booted up and I was in a virtual room with an operating table in the center. If you've never experienced VR before like this it might sound a bit strange when I tell you it really feels like you're in the room. Yes, the worlds are animated so you know they aren't real, you know it's virtual, but the experience is so immersive that your brain actually believes you are there.
I stepped up and leaned over, looking at the guy on the table, which was a character from Team Fortress 2 if you know what that is, and spotted a white rib cage covering his lungs and heart. The object was to give the poor man a heart transplant. To my right, I spotted a refrigerator. First, I opened the freezer. There was nothing much of importance inside, but let me tell you about the act of grabbing in this virtual world. For this game, the on screen display of the controllers look like hands and in order to grab things you need to close your palms around the handle of the controller almost as if you are grabbing an object. So, when you grab the handle of the fridge and pull it open, you practically feel like you are. It's a strange and awesome feeling.
Inside the fridge, I found a few bottles of wine, two hearts, and a sandwich. Thinking the patient was hungry, I grabbed the sandwich and stuffed it in his mouth. It was a funny and slightly disturbing sight. With that, I shut the fridge and turned to my left. A few feet away stood a table with a myriad of instruments strewn about. There were surgical instruments meant for cutting bone and extracting organs in the safest way as to not harm the patient. Instead, I grabbed for the baseball bat. I found it was a very effective tool for opening the sternum.
After the first task was finished, I proceeded to reach my hand into the virtual chest and accidentally removed the lungs. I assumed he didn't need these and tossed them across the room. For some unknown reason, there was a pigeon perched on a shelf and I threw it at the bird for a direct hit. The bird was fine but it didn't seem to like it.
Then, I grabbed for the machete, no self respecting doctor would be without one of course, and went about the delicate task of removing the patient's heart. Since the organ was presumably damaged, I also tossed it across the room. There is something satisfying about throwing objects in VR.
Opening up the fridge, I removed the small heart and stuffed it into the open cavity and realized I had no idea what to do next. The lungs were all the way across the room, the ribs were in pieces, and the heart was no longer attached. The sandwich was still in the guys mouth so I considered it a success. He died shortly after that. I guess I wasn't cut out to be a surgeon.
But, the experience was so cool. You know nothing is real and yet you feel like everything you see and touch is real. It's the coolest sensation I've felt playing a video game. Yes, it's a bit gimmicky and the cord attached to the computer in the room tends to get in the way while you're walking around, but it's so much fun. The way our brains work is so amazing. In fact, I tried to step up on a structure that wasn't there instead of just walking through it. You know you can't step up on it but your brain tells your leg to lift. If you don't force yourself not to, you will do it automatically.
I played a few other games but that surgeon one was probably the most entertaining. If I had a video of my experience I would show you. It really was a lot of fun. If you know someone who has the Vive, check it out. It's worth your time, at least in my experience.
So, that was the neat thing I did with my family on Thanksgiving. It might be a little strange to most people but that's my family, we're odd. What about you? What did you do on your Thanksgiving? Please, I would love to know how you all celebrate your holiday. Let me know in the comments below. I look forward to reading them. I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving and as always, thanks for reading!  

Breaking Through the Digital Barrier

I have some exciting news I would like to share with everyone today. I've been doing a lot of online marketing for my books lately, but soon I will be making a nice jump from digital to physical. Early next year, I will be part of a multi-author event at a local bookstore in St. Petersburg, Florida. This will be my first ever appearance. 
There will be other authors from the horror and thriller genres there. Each author will be doing a book signing for their respective books. I will be there as well with both of my published novels, Death Can Wait and To the Wolves. 
Where is it, you ask? Books at Park Place in St. Petersburg. I don't have all of the details yet as this event is just being put together. The time should be from 6-8 pm. I will be sure to keep everyone posted as to whatever changes as the time draws closer. The event will be on January 13th, 2017. Fun fact, it's the first Friday the 13th of the year! 
This event has me pretty excited. As I've said, this will be the first author event I've ever attended as an author. It will be a new experience for me and I'm very excited for it. It will be great fun to meet fellow authors and readers alike! I look forward to meeting with everyone! 
Let me talk a little about the venue. It's a wonderful little bookstore that I happened upon only a week ago. It's probably my new favorite bookstore in the area. They have all kinds of books from paperbacks to hardcovers and even a few comic books. Some of the books are used which means you can save a little money. Books at Park Place also carries some board games and collectors items from popular pop culture like Doctor Who and Monty Python's The Holy Grail. If you've never been there, you really should check it out. 
If you're unable to make it to the event or live in another state, that's alright. I will make sure to post images to my Instagram page of the event, so follow me there to see it all. It's going to be a lot of fun and I sincerely hope to see you out there! The details to the event can be found here. Check out Books at Park Place's Facebook page and let them know you're coming by clicking here. Let me know if the comments below if you plan on showing up! As always, thanks for reading! 

weekend away

For this post, I thought I would do something a little different. I wanted to give you all a glimpse into my life, well current life that is. This past weekend, my wife and I took a nice trip to a lovely town called Mt. Dora. It's about forty five minutes north of Orlando, FL. The historic downtown area sits on the edge of a beautiful lake named Lake Dora, obviously. It was a wonderful, small town in the middle of Florida, a true gem hidden in plain site. If you haven't been there, you should go. 

My wife and I decided to go to celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary. I know, visiting a small town in the middle of Florida seems like an odd place to spend a one year anniversary. We were actually supposed to be on a Caribbean cruise this whole week for our celebration. We booked it only weeks after getting back from our honeymoon. But then, something wonderful happened. We got pregnant! Upon my wife visiting her doctor, and mentioning our upcoming cruise, she was told "Absolutely not!" At first I thought the doctor was being a bit paranoid so I took to Google. Her reason for banning us from the cruise was the current outbreak of Zika in the Caribbean. I assumed it was over-hyped, much like it is in the states, and thought we would go anyway. Turns out, I was wrong.
 
It's pretty bad in the Caribbean right now, unfortunately. They're projecting 1 in 4 pregnant women are infected with Zika. It's spreading there a little too fast. Of course, this can be attributed to people in Puerto Rico not taking proper precautions like bug spray. It was not guaranteed we would contract Zika if we went, but better safe than sorry, right? 

Zika is really only a major concern for pregnant women or women planning to become pregnant. If we were not pregnant, nor trying, I would have no fear going to the Caribbean. It's such a lovely place down there. But we just figured, why take the risk? Instead, we were able to work with Royal Caribbean and obtain vouchers for another cruise within 2 years. 

But I'm getting off topic here. We decided to see a part of Florida we had never seen before for our anniversary and I'm glad we did. It was lovely. Downtown is a very historic place with old buildings converted into new shopping centers. An old, brick building that used to be a hotel in the 1920's is now used as a shopping center, the old prison a museum, and a house built in 1893 is now a masonic lodge. Pretty crazy! 

There's a train that runs from Mt. Dora to the neighboring city of Tavares. It's an old train built in 1907 and still runs on a wood-powered steam engine. It's about an hour and a half round trip and well worth it. The ride is pleasant and really gives you the feel of what life must have been like to travel back then. These days, we're pretty spoiled. We jump in the car and drive across country in only couple days, or take a plan to the other coast in a few short hours. Back then, it was as much about the journey as it was the destination. I think that's been lost on a lot of people these days.

One of the things that really stood out was the history museum. It was only $2 an adult so I wasn't expecting much. I must say, it was a highlight of our trip. The woman who was our tour guide was a lovely person who really enjoyed the history of American and the town. I feel like I learned a lot! Later, my wife told me the ladies working the museum didn't get paid, they were volunteers. I feel really bad I had no cash on me at the time, otherwise I would have left them a nice tip!

At the history museum, they gave us a map that outlined the historical homes in the town. It was a self guided driving tour that took us around the city. I don't think the map was completely updated as it told us to turn south on a one way street that only traveled north. Despite that, the tour was really cool!  There were some beautiful houses that were built in the late 1800's and early 1900's. I would love to tour the inside of some of them! While we were on the train, the tour guide told us we had passed a house belonging to Al Capone. I looked it up but couldn't find any truth to it. Apparently, Mr. Capone really liked visiting Mt. Dora but there are no records he bought a house. It may have been in someone else's name. Those mobsters weren't dumb. 

Saturday night we decided to leave the hotel and go out for dinner. In the elevator we met up with this wonderful couple who was working at a Renaissance festival in the area. We had seen signs for it and thought about checking it out but weren't entirely sure. We got to talking to them in the short elevator ride and they offered us free tickets to the fair. I was completely surprised and ecstatic that they had extended such a wonderful offer to us. They said they would leave the tickets at will call, if we decided to show up.

Sunday morning, we had our breakfast, visited a few parks in the area, and decided to head to the Ren fest. Sure enough, the tickets were waiting for us at will call with a note explaining they were actors who ran the show The Wonder Elixir of Life. Naturally, we had to check out their show. It would be the least we could do for getting free tickets. We headed in and found a large map. I stood for a moment trying to find the show. A gentleman came up to us and asked what we were looking for. I didn't quite look down from the map and told him the name of the show. He pointed us in the direction and said we would love the show. My wife nudged me and told me that was the guy in the elevator who had given us the tickets. I didn't recognize him at all. We said hi and I apologized for not recognizing him. Then we headed over to watch their show.

It was pretty funny and we both had a good time. They were a lovely couple that clearly enjoy the work that they do. I can definitely respect that. It was so cool to meet such wonderful people, unexpectedly. It was such a pleasure meeting such wonderful people. 

My wife and I have only been married for one year but we've been together for six years now. I still look at her as my best friend and feel exactly as I did all those years ago. It's nice spending your life with someone who understands you and supports you the way she does. There will be many more wedding anniversaries in the future, of that I'm sure! 

So, that was our little weekend away for our anniversary. We had a lot of fun and I really enjoyed exploring a new area. I look forward to more trips in the future, especially after our little one has joined the family. It will be fun to explore the world with a child and share my life with another person who will most assuredly have a grip on my heart! 

If you enjoyed this, let me know. Leave me a comment saying you would like to see more of these types of posts in the future. There's plenty of adventures for me to share. We camp, hike, and do a lot of things. Let me know! And as always, thanks for reading! 

Free E BOOK?

Recently, I was informed of an interesting website that allows you to download books for free directly from the author. I was curious and decided to look into it further. I've gotta say, this site is pretty cool. It's called Noisetrade. An author can place their work on the site and allow people to download their novels for free. 
Pretty cool, right? I thought so too. But what's the catch? Nothing! The book is free, although you are able to tip the author if you are so inclined. All you need to do, in exchange for the free book, is provide your zip code and email address. This allows the author to see the demographics of their fans and potentially use their email for their newsletter, further expanding their reach. 
This is a very useful tool for an author that is trying to speak to a wider audience. In fact, I'm that type of author. Currently, both of my books are available on Noisetrade. You can head over there right now and grab a free copy of either of my books, if you would like. And please, tell your friends. There's literally nothing to lose! 
In the ultra competitive market of indie publishing, it's more important than ever to leave reviews on author's work. If you do decide to download my book for free and read it, please consider leaving me a review on Amazon or Goodreads. It would really help me out a lot! 
If you don't want to download my book for free, you're still able to check them out on the Kindle, Nook, and other devices. Right now, Death Can Wait is on sale for only $.99. I mean, that's basically free, right? 
Whichever you decide to do, I legitimately hope you enjoy my book and keep coming back for more! It's been a lot of fun learning about the different resources indie authors have and I look forward to discovering many more in the future! Head over to Noisetrade and grab your copy while you can! It will be free through the holiday season. Here's a handy link for you to check out: 
http://books.noisetrade.com/evanbonda...
As always, thanks for reading!