C.J. Sears's Blog, page 23

It Has Begun!

Normally, I wouldn’t feed an old meme like this. [image error]This opportunity was too good to pass up. But I digest.*

What am I talking about? Why, the great Resident Evil marathon of our time! Starting this past Saturday and going on until the day of RE7’s release, I will be embarking on a quest to replay every mainline Resident Evil – and a few spinoffs. It will be grueling (not really), terrifying (until we hit RE5), and fun (with the exception of certain boss fights). So what’s the schedule and which versions will I be playing/watching, you ask?

Jan. 7 – Resident Evil 0 (PS4)/Umbrella Chronicles “Beginning” (Wii)

Jan. 8 – Resident Evil (PS4)/Umbrella Chronicles “Rebirth” (Wii)

Jan. 9 – Resident Evil 3 (PS) 1st half/Resident Evil 2 (PS)

Jan. 10 – Resident Evil 3 (PS) 2nd half/Umbrella Chronicles “Death’s Door” (Wii)

Jan. 11 – Resident Evil Code Veronica X (GC)/Darkside Chronicles “Operation Javier”/Umbrella Chronicles “Umbrella’s End” & “Legacy” (Wii)

Jan. 12 – Resident Evil 4 (PS4)

Jan. 13 – Resident Evil 4 “Separate Ways” (PS4)/Resident Evil Degeneration (DVD)

Jan. 14 – Resident Evil Revelations (360)

Jan. 15 – Resident Evil 5 (PS4) + “Lost in Nightmares” & “Desperate Escape”

Jan. 16 – Resident Evil Damnation (Blu-Ray)/Resident Evil Revelations 2 (PS4)

Jan. 17 – Resident Evil 6 (PS4) [Chris Campaign]

Jan. 18 – Resident Evil 6 (PS4) [Jake Campaign]

Jan. 19 – Resident Evil 6 (PS4) [Leon & Ada Campaigns]

Jan. 20 through 23 – Optional Block

Jan. 24 – Resident Evil 7: biohazard releases!

I will NOT be touching the Outbreak games during this escapade. I’m not nearly patient enough to deal with those horrendous load times. I don’t own Survivor, so I can’t play it. Dead Aim I might work in if I have the desire. If more time is needed for any games, then I move them forward into the optional block space. If I don’t have anything left to play at that point, I’ll probably do the spiritually-related horror title The Evil Within (PS4).

This is the general plan of attack over the next couple of weeks. So that’s news on the game front settled. What about my other projects? I’ve scheduled it in such a way that I’ll hopefully still have time to a) write for this blog, b) promote my novel, c) work on its sequel.

Well, let’s see:

The Shadow Over Lone Oak Sequel – 1 (of 20) Chapter(s) Complete, Synopsis Complete, Outline Drafted, Release Date: TBD (Targeting Summer 2017)

“How is he going to turn over a second novel and polish it in less than half a year?” Well, it’ll depend mainly on how steady my inspiration holds. Bear in mind that The Shadow Over Lone Oak was written in two month-long sessions separated by six months of writer’s block. I believe that I won’t suffer a repeat of that conundrum. Fingers crossed.

It’s the editing that takes up most time. Then I have to throw it over to early readers to see what they think. After that, I’ll need to decide whether I want to self-publish it, throw it to traditional publishers, try Kindle Scout again, etc. But, with good luck and due diligence, I think I can make that deadline.

If not, I guarantee the novel will be out before the end of the year at the absolute latest. But only a pessimist would be that negative. You know what cruel things we do to pessimists? Well, not much, but ignoring them seems to work. It’s like the opposite of how you handle a bully.

In the meantime, continue enjoying my debut novel. Kyla S. on Amazon calls it a “dark, gritty read with some good (and scary!) twists and turns.”

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Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MZ2SB4W

If you haven’t already, you can currently buy it for $2.99 in the Kindle Store on Amazon. The Paperback is $9.95.

If you’re still unsure or you want to know more, consider perusing the supplemental material available on this website. Click “The Shadow Over Lone Oak” tab and scroll down to see your options. These include character profiles, a brochure, videos, and newspaper articles.

Keep an eye out later this week for a special LIMITED TIME OFFER. For now, my lips are sealed.

Have a great day and God be with you!

*Yes, that’s a Family Guy Star Wars reference. Not relevant nor hip, but I don’t claim to be [shrugs virtual shoulders].

My First Review, Promotions, & Trust

Yesterday I received notice that my first review for The Shadow Over Lone Oak was available for me to read. I was nervous. Was I about to look down the barrel of a gun poised to blow my work apart? Or would I leave the review floating on clouds, my head swelled with pride? Whatever the case, I plunged into the uncharted waters.

I’m pleased to say that my first review was both positive and honest. It was brief but effectively presented the case for my novel while offering understandable criticism. The reviewer enjoyed the plot, the twists and turns, but found the ending a bit frustrating. She gave the book 4 out of 5 stars. I think that’s a commendable start for my first-ever novel.

I’m still waiting for the review to be posted on the product page, but I’m glad that the content itself was neither overly gushing nor condemning of my work. Of course, even if it had been a negative 1 star “would not recommend” I still would have found value in it. As a writer, I am a firm believer that I can always improve. Criticism is the most effective means for dispersing that kind of knowledge.

On the sales front, things have been slow. I’ve sold a small number of e-books and briefly broke into the top #70,000 rank, but haven’t maintained that level since. Amazon doesn’t report paperback sales until they ship, so as far as I know only the six copies I bought and the ten that Wendy purchased have been sold. But I’m sure that will clear up soon with the holidays behind us and other copies shipping to their purchasers.

What have I been doing for promotion? I’m currently running a Goodreads ad with little success. Only three clicks so far. Cost of $.30 on my part. I may have to alter or pause it in the near future.

Tomorrow I will be featured in kboards book discovery promotion. I will, of course, be making a Facebook post about it. With luck, more sales and reviews will begin to pour in. If you’ve already bought the book and read it, I’m certainly looking forward to reading what you have to say, good or bad. Just leave a review on Amazon if possible and let me know. Thanks.

If you’re a Facebook friend, you probably read my post yesterday about a FREE promotion running until January 5th. For that period of time, as I said, the short story collection Tales From Lone Oak – The Lives & Lies of a Small Town will be available to download on your tablet absolutely FREE. At that price and with my generic/cheesy advertising, how can you say no?

Out of My Hands

It’s done. The work is finished. My baby has gone out into the world to be subject to either ridicule or praise. Perhaps both. I can’t control it any longer (except for promotion) now that it is in the hands of readers. What will they think? What will they say? For a first novel, how did I do?

Knowing that The Shadow Over Lone Oak has emerged on the novel scene as an untested apparatus, like new technology on the sea, engenders me with both hope and wariness. It was my project for the better part of two years, first in mind, then in print. I molded it, worked the proverbial clay until I was satisfied with what I had. Some days were easy, words pouring from my head through my fingers onto the keyboard. Others, I flew by the seat of my pants (what kind of expression is that anyway?) and let the story take me where it wanted to go. Often, I was surprised.

Why is that? Didn’t I create the plot and characters? How could I be stumped by my own creations? But it’s simple and any (good) writer will tell you this: your creations get away from you, they will want to go here whereas you’d rather they go there. You can course correct as necessary, but the best characters, I find, develop a mind of their own. Such was the case with the characters of Llewyn Finch and Willow Donahue. But you’ll have to read to get anything else out of me on that point!

I have my own apprehensions about the book (which I will keep to myself for now) but, being as objective as I can be, my confidence is that the work can stand on its own merit. It doesn’t need my praise or admiration lavished on it, doesn’t need to be propped up like a drunken hooligan who lost a fight. It’s a novel that aims to entertain, to thrill, to scare. It’s a novel about a reluctant hero with an unusual journey. It’s a novel that follows broken people making best (or worst) of their lives. I think it accomplishes exactly all of that.

Whether it should be compared alongside the works of a Mark Twain, a Stephen King, or (groans) a Stephanie Meyer is not my decision to make. My role in the reception of the novel was completed the instant I pressed submit. That’s not to say that I won’t chime in on what I hear people say about my work, good or ill, but that I accept and understand that my hands are mostly tied. I have dug my grave or set my pedestal (or maybe I’m leaning on a pedestal and have one foot in the grave) as it were.

So what do I do? Well, obviously, I advertise and promote the book. No one else is going to do that for me (except maybe family). But after that? Continue working on the sequel, which, right this second, is a couple of pages and a list of ideas. I don’t know where this next journey will take me, but I’m sure that it will be quite thrilling. And who knows, maybe by the time I’m ready to release “A Den of Jackals” [working title], I’ll be able to add the label “Bestselling Author” to the cover of the book.

What about site updates and this blog? I’ll continue to make my weekly rounds here on impromptugameof52.wordpress.com, of course. I may make some cosmetic changes to the layout of the site in the near future. I’ve already overhauled The Shadow Over Lone Oak section (somewhat) to include a page where you can find direct links to the paperback and Kindle editions.

All of that said, I think I’ll leave you guys with the following often-quoted passage, to ease the discomfort of anyone embarking on an uncertain path in their life:

“The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life; He leads me along the right paths for His name’s sake. Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff – they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:1-4 HCSB)

Now Available – The Shadow Over Lone Oak

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Greetings. I am pleased to announce the release of The Shadow Over Lone Oak! Now available on Amazon in paperback and e-book format.

$9.95 Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1520217129

$2.99 Kindle Edition: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MZ2SB4W

The idyllic town of Lone Oak is surrounded by mountains and forest – isolated from the outside world. When a young woman is murdered and her body displayed, the news hits the peaceful town with a devastating blow. But as Special Agent Llewyn Finch discovers, the town was always rotting underneath the surface.

Lone Oak’s sheriff is out of her depth. Between the moonshiners and the local newspaper’s antipathy toward her, Willow Donahue already had a host of problems on her plate. But a dead girl is new. It’s threatening. A cult is on her doorstep and Finch is the only one who can help her stop it – if she can learn to trust in him and his abilities.

As the investigation unfolds, the two of them come to realize that there are more important questions. Who really runs Lone Oak? Why? What is the endgame of a crippled town at the edge of civilization?

There’s a saying in Lone Oak: evil is a whisper in the wind. But this whisper is everywhere. It’s in the mines. It’s in the woods. It’s in their homes.

It’s under the skin.

The road getting to this release has been as cliché as figurative roads can be. There were ups and downs. Buffoonery was abundant. I learned where not to advertise. But it’s done now. The book is out in the wild. So if you’re still interested in the book, whether you nominated it during the KS campaign or didn’t, why not take the leap? For as low as $2.99, what do you have to lose? (Other than $2.99/$9.95, obviously.)

Merry Christmas. May God bless you all.

The Paradox, Creativity, & Looking Back

“I can’t wait to grow up. I’ll be able to do all kinds of stuff and no adults can tell me what to do.”

“Could someone help me? I have no clue what I’m doing. I just want to be a kid again.”

Such is the paradox of life. When you’re young, all you can think about are your wants, goals, and desires for entering adulthood. Then you actually start getting old and realize all those cliches about not growing up too fast are true. It seeps in rather sinisterly until one day the figurative lightbulb goes off in your head and you realize you can never get that time back. It’s done. You’re an adult. You have responsibilities and there’s a ticking clock on the the things you’ve always wanted to accomplish. Deal with it.

These are the sorts of thoughts that pass through my mind as I look at another year that has passed in my life. It’s difficult not to dwell on the tasks you haven’t yet finished. But you can’t ignore them either.

So what does C. J. have on his mind? What vexes him days after his 26th birthday? What does he covet with more than a quarter of a century behind him?

Becoming a successful author. I’m not looking to become Mr. Mansion, but enough to live off would be great.
A wife and children. Ever since I was a kid I’ve thought about what it would be like to teach my own kids. To share with them. To see their shining faces. To light up my parents lives with grandchildren and a daughter-in-law. To love someone like no other person in my life. I want all of this.
To keep myself walking in the sight of Christ no matter what hardships may come. I never want to return to the pit of despair I once inhabited.

There are smaller, less meaningful things I want too, but those are by far my highest life priorities. They aren’t in order or rank, but they’re of the greatest importance.

Sometimes I struggle with my position in life. We all do.  But then I look at the wonderful creative world around me. I listen to the heartfelt beats of a person’s music and melodies. A director’s drive shines in his assembly of moving pictures and keen actors. A game developer grants players a playground to test their limits. An author bleeds ink onto a page or his fingers dance across a keyboard.

All of them express the wonder of our world, the hopes, dreams, and hopeless dreams of the nations. They – WE – have been endowed by their Creator with the talents to give voice to the world they inhabit.

I think, more than anything else, what gives me hope for my future is the knowledge that the Lord saw fit to give me – US – a hint, a whisper, a phantom of His image. He saw that we would have a profound need to express ourselves and granted us the barest reflection of his creative power.

I am a kid no longer, but I came to Him as a child. He is our Father. Come what may, His will be done, He has our best interests at heart.

Thus, I once more look forward to the future in His hands.

Merry Christmas. See you guys next time.

Reflections on Kindle Scout

Dawn of the Final Day – 24 Hours Remain

Well, less than 24 hours, actually. It has been almost thirty days since The Shadow Over Lone Oak began its campaign on kindle scout. In that time, I have learned a few things about marketing, stress, what works and what doesn’t. Today’s blog post, painstakingly created using a fidgety tablet, is a summation of my campaign’s results.

First, let’s talk about how useless twitter was as a promotional tool. Due to its rapid post rate and low character count, any promotion I did here flew completely under the radar. Unless you’re a Stephen King or a J. K. Rowling, it’s doubtful that anyone cares about what you have to say here. So scratch that as a future option.

Also, LinkedIn did next to zero traffic for me, so I’ll probably avoid that.

But which social networks/programs definitely helped? Facebook brought in a fair number of folks, especially the initial burst. My ads proved to be helpful in the early going. My $10 Reddit ad was my largest benefactor during the first ten to fifteen days. But neither was enough to hit Hot & Trending.

Scoutboost was the primary force behind my first ride in H & T. The service doubled the amount of views I had at that time and I was in the orange zone for around five days.

But then came another dip and I scrambled to come up with other promotional ideas. I wrote newspaper articles, made videos, created a brochure, and most recently released four short stories with links to my KS campaign. Did these do the job? I honestly can’t say. But I do know that I entered Hot & Trending a second time after they released, so it certainly couldn’t have hurt.

But by far the biggest boon to my campaign (aside from support by family and friends) has been kboards. It’s a fantastic forum community that not only helped nominate my work but also provided great insight into the process as well as emotional support. Knowing that these folks were in my corner while I was also in theirs helped tremendously.

With 1500+views and around 200 hours in Hot & Trending, it has been a hectic up and down ride. Whatever the final verdict – and I’m certainly nervous – everyone who contributed (and even those that couldn’t) mean a lot to me and getting this far wasn’t possible without all of you.

I’ll remember two things as my campaign goes into review:

A pessimist is a what an optimist calls a realist. But a pessimist is also what a realist calls an a-hole.

“Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you, in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

A Virtual World, The Hour, & Updates

Virtual Reality technology has emerged onto the scene in the past two years. Gamers everywhere are getting the opportunity to explore game worlds in fully three dimensional environments. The immersion factor of these machines is unlike anything else, ignoring a few technical faults. You truly feel as if you can reach out and touch the objects surrounding you. You are sorely disappointed when you grasp only air in front of you. But you’re now as close to being inside the game as you’ve ever been. You are the character (well, until he/she speaks on your behalf).

I was skeptical of this equipment, at least at first. From a certain standpoint, it’s applying the Nintendo 3DS’s glasses-less technology. With that handheld, the depth was real, but the illusion broke when you moved side-to-side. But VR headsets are a whole different beast, a different machine. You have never stepped into a virtual environment until you put on a VR headset.

So when I finally caved and my father bought the PSVR, I was understandably surprised (in a good way) by what I was experiencing. Until you put on a headset, you just don’t understand how thrilling it is. I played the Kitchen demo and got goose bumps from how real/frightening the environment you are confined to could be. I knew then and there that RE7 was going to be something else entirely.

So, over the course of the past few months, I have played (and mostly enjoyed) the following VR games: Loading Human, Batman VR, Here They Lie, Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, Robinson the Journey, and The Brookhaven Experiment. I’ve met a digital woman and set up the perfect date. I’ve scanned bodies and crime scenes. I’ve explored an apocalyptic and dystopian society in black and white. I’ve been on a roller-coaster ride of horror. I’ve pet a baby T-Rex and snuck past raptors. I’ve warded off inter-dimensional nightmares coming at me from all sides.

Yesterday, I walked through a boarded up house. I could almost taste the months old stew. Footsteps echoed and scattered the dust. A creature growled. Something lurked in the basement. It wasn’t friendly. I died a few times. But I came back with a gun and fired as it approached me, ever larger in my view. I shot off a leg. He tried to leap at me. I dodged out of the way. I survived. January 24, 2017 became that much more of an agonizing wait. I hope to meet my new [digital] family soon. They seem pretty welcoming – aside from the fists to the face, horrible cursing, and raw/moldy food. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of it?

But in spite of all that, regardless of the levels of hype and wonder I’ve experienced playing these games and witnessing this technology, I know that the wait is more than bearable. Because there are more important things. Like [my real] family. Like my career. Like my faith. They are what keeps me going. Without them, I am nothing. I like video games, probably more than I should, but I know what they can’t replace. They cannot replace the warmth one feels at a family gathering. They cannot replace the satisfaction that lies in completing a successful endeavor. They cannot replace faith in a living, loving God.

“The Lord knows those who are His.” (2 Timothy 2:19)

So, as we approach the coming Christmas celebration, I pray that all of us, myself included, remember the reason for the season. Regardless of the origins of the date itself, let us be reminded that we as Christians honor our God, not ourselves, on this date. By all means, give each other gifts (such as the wonderful VR technology outlined above), but do not forget why we come together for community. We are coming to the end of the year of our lord 2016. His coming is soon. This was true 2000+ years ago, when God was made flesh, and is true now. No one knows the date or the hour (except Him) so in the present let’s not be placated by the material – at least without paying Him due homage.

As for this blog and my Kindle Scout campaign, I have a few updates:

There are now only ten (10) days left to nominate The Shadow Over Lone Oak for publication. I’m sure most of you have already done this, but if you haven’t, there is still time. All you have to do is click the following link (https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/OOWXSO7FX538) and select nominate. All you need is an amazon account and it’s entirely free. If the book is selected, you will receive a free digital copy upon release.
If the book is selected, I plan on publishing it in print as well. For those who prefer print, that version would have an additional piece of writing – an excerpt from the planned sequel, tentatively titled A Den of Jackals.
There will be a new Lone Oak Gazette article in the next few days, so keep an eye out for that. This will be the final article of the promotion.

Thank you everyone for reading. I hope you have a fabulous day. God bless.

The Root of Thanksgiving (Plus, Updates on TSOL)

People all over America rejoiced this past Thursday (and maybe Friday) as they took off from work to commemorate a national holiday. Thanksgiving, they no doubt know, is a celebration of our first communion with the Native Americans. It is a day where fragile alliances were formed. It was a day where the building blocks of our nation were laid.

It is also a lie.

Well, in the sense that our nationally recognized day can be traced back to that one-time occurrence, it is true and historically sound (if embellished). But that is not the real origin of Thanksgiving. Nor is it the understanding we should take from the day itself.

Thanksgiving is not a pagan harvest festival. It is not only a memorial for our one-time peace and community with the native peoples of America. Thanksgiving is one of the oldest holidays (holy days) and is both originally Jewish and undoubtedly biblical.

Do me a favor. Open up your copy of the Word. Search the Old Testament. Look, for example, at Leviticus 7:11-15.

“Now this is the law of the fellowship sacrifice that someone may present to the Lord: if he presents it for thanksgiving, in addition to the thanksgiving sacrifice, he is to present unleavened cakes mixed with olive oil, unleavened wafers coated with oil, and well-kneaded cakes of fine flour mixed with oil. He is to present as his offering cakes of leavened bread with his thanksgiving sacrifice of fellowship. From the cakes he must present one portion of each offering as a contribution to the Lord. It will belong to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the fellowship offering; it is his. The meat of his thanksgiving sacrifice of fellowship must be eaten on the day he offers it; he may not leave any of it until morning.”*

Now, for those of you have leftovers, be thankful you’re under the New Covenant and not the Old. Otherwise, you’d be committing a sin by not eating that turkey in one sitting! Of course, one must remember how vastly different technology is in the current era. The Israelites didn’t have microwaves and refrigerators, so it’s likely this rule was to keep His people healthy as much as anything else.

Back to the point, what is the root of Thanksgiving? The Jewish holiday known as the Feast of Tabernacles (Booths) is the celebration from where the Puritans drew their inspiration. As part of their deliverance from Egypt, the Israelites were commanded to hold three large feasts over the course of the year. The third and final of these took place in the fall, around October. It was a time of harvest and giving humble thanks to the Lord for what He provided.

The Israelites utilized this week-long celebration of joy and peace as a remembrance of their time in the wilderness. They lived in temporary dwellings during this holiday (called tabernacles or booths) in much the way they occupied tents during their sojourn.

“You are to live in booths for seven days. All the native-born of Israel must live in booths, so that your generations may know that I made the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am Yahweh your God.” (Leviticus 23:42-44)

It is easy to see why the Puritans, a devout people like no other, would view the aid of the Native Americans as a sort of divine providence. Grateful for their lives in a harsh wilderness, they would have turned to the Word for guidance. Firm in the Old Testament, they found the perfect means of celebration. Thus, the first American Thanksgiving was born. Centuries later, Abraham Lincoln would cement the day as an American tradition rooted in Christianity.

So amongst the football games, shopping aftermath, and full bellies, I hope many of us remembered the reason we gather around this time every year. Even if we didn’t say grace, I pray that we were thankful to the right person. The right being. The true and living Christian God. May His name be honored with thanks. Amen.

*For other references to thanksgiving, see – Nehemiah 11:17, 12:27, 12:38, 12:40, and 12:46 as well as various Psalms such as Psalm 100:4 and Psalm 107:22. More can be found throughout the Old Testament as well as the New.

Turning off-topic, I’ll give you guys a few updates on the status of The Shadow Over Lone Oak Kindle Scout Campaign as we approach the half-way mark.

I am proud (and thankful) to say that we are now at 25+ hours in the Hot and Trending category. We are at 1,100+ views. I could not have asked for a better turnaround following the holiday droop. Thanks to all my friends, family, and fans who supported me so far. Thanks to kboards, Reddit, and Facebook for helping get this far. Thanks to Scout Boost for getting me over the hump I was stuck in and putting a plethora of new eyes on the book. Thanks to God for this and every day of my life.

On another side-note, you can now read a few more character profiles under The Shadow Over Lone Oak tab. In addition, this Wednesday should see another newspaper article go up. Friday is home to the final two videos in the #evilisawhisper promotion. So, if you’re interested, keep an out for those.

Thanks again. God bless.

Five Days In and the Road Ahead

Well, we’re now past the first sixth of the campaign, five days in with twenty five (counting today) to go. First, I want to thank everyone who has nominated me so far. You couldn’t be doing a more meaningful or better service for me. Thank you. Even if you just took a look at the page but didn’t, for some reason, nominate, I still must thank you for considering me. Truly, you guys have already been a boon for me and this novel’s campaign.

So what’s the score? With five days of traffic, here are the stats for The Shadow Over Lone Oak:

0 Hours Hot & Trending – Now, this is a bit disappointing. Not because of you guys, but because it seems to operate on an algorithm that takes more than just page views into account. I have no idea how to get into this spotlight, but I hope continuous page views and the ads I have been running will pay off.

276 Page Views – That’s over four times as many views as the number of people on my friends list, so I have to be thankful, yet again, to you guys for the effort you’ve put in. You’ve been great and I can’t wait to share more of the book with you (I hope).

Traffic: 78% External, 22% Internal – This is perhaps the best stat, because it indicates that the vast majority of views are coming from outside of Kindle Scout. If I’m right, this will indicate better marketability to Amazon than simply staying on Hot & Trending for a period of time.

Give yourselves a round of applause (or at least a polite clap) because you’ve already done a grand number for this campaign.

Now, what’s there to look forward to in the next twenty-plus days? Well, for the next two Fridays, I plan to release two more sets of videos in the #Evilisawhisper promotion. What lurks in the woods surrounding Lone Oak? Maybe we’ll find out.

On Wednesdays, starting this week, I’ll be posting newspaper articles from the Lone Oak Gazette. These articles will give you a better insight into what the town is like, so I hope you enjoy them!

Some of you may also be curious: what about print format? All of those who nominated my book will, of course, receive a free digital copy of the book. But what if you prefer the feel of paper between your hands? Well, you’ll be pleased to know that I will personally be creating a print version of the book, should this campaign be successful, and will offer it, free of charge, to those on my friends list who nominated my book but decide they would rather read it in print.

So that’s that. We know where we are and where we are going. The only thing left is to get there. December 16th, here we come!

 

Kindle Scout Campaign

The evils of this world breach their flesh.

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Hello friends, family, and fans. Today is a special day. Today marks the first day (of 30) for my kindle scout campaign. What is kindle scout? It’s a program designed to help fledgling authors get published by going directly to the source of success: readership. Over the course of the next month, ending on December 16th, readers will have an opportunity to read the first 5000 words of my novel The Shadow Over Lone Oak and nominate it for publication.

How does it work? All you need is an Amazon account, which is free. Then, go to this page:  https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/OOWXSO7FX538 and select the nominate option for my book. It’s quick, it’s effective, and it gets the attention of Amazon’s editorial team. If all goes well, if the work is good and the readers are drawn to it, then Amazon’s kindle scout program will publish the work in a digital format.

What do you get for nominating The Shadow Over Lone Oak? My thanks of course! Not only will readers who nominate my book receive a thank you note, but a free copy of the novel when the book is published. How’s that for incentive? You don’t have to pay anything, you get to read part of a book early, and you get free stuff! Doesn’t get much better than that.

Why should you nominate my novel? Hopefully, because you enjoy what you’ve read of it. Or you like me as a person. Or you’re family and feel like you have an obligation (you don’t, but I won’t say no). But what it truly comes down to is this question: do you enjoy reading a good thriller? Are mystery and chills up your alley? Are you a fan of X-Files, Twin Peaks, Resident Evil, True Detective, or anything with a gritty and/or surrealistic vibe? Then The Shadow Over Lone Oak is the perfect novel for your tastes.

You will notice that this blog has been updated as well to reflect the campaign. You can now read a few character profiles from the novel, learn a bit about the history of Lone Oak, or browse a small introductory brochure straight from the fictional town itself! There’s also an unrelated FAQ under the “About” tab as well if you like my humor. I’m also now on Twitter (@CJSearsAuthor) but I won’t subject you to that institution if you don’t want it.

Why am I doing this? Because I need your help. Originally, I was going to publish my novel via traditional means. Unfortunately, the contract I was offered was predatory and unfair to me as an author. So, in defiance of that attempt to bleed me of my rights, let’s get this novel off the ground the way it was meant to be, by clicking on this link: https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/OOWXSO7FX538.

For the next thirty days, I will periodically update this site with new promotional materials for the book. This will not include anything too spoilerific, so feel free to appreciate those as they are added. I hope we can make this happen, not only for my sake, but for the sake of struggling first-time authors everywhere.

And for completion’s sake, a third opportunity to click on this link (rule of three, you know?): https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/OOWXSO7FX538.

Thanks everyone for reading, for nominating, for being a member of the Lone Oak family, and may God bless you all.