Joshua Graham's Blog, page 21

Fan Mail That Makes it all Worthwhile

Every now and then I receive fan mail which truly touches me and encourages me in my writing.  I endeavor to write books that not only entertain, but inspire and challenge in positive ways.  If in any way my writing can reach my readers and give them hope and cause them to live better, then I feel that I've fulfilled my calling.  First and foremost, I aim to make my books compelling and enjoyable to read.  But I also want to reach deep into the human spirit and promote reflection and positive change.

Here is a recent email I received from Amber F., regarding BEYOND JUSTICE:

 

Joshua,

I just finished reading Beyond Justice and I felt compelled to share my story with you. First and foremost, I loved your book. I could not put it down.

I am not a particularly religious person. I am no longer active in my church, but I have always remained spiritual and aware of a higher being. When I was 19 years old, my father was killed in a work accident. Growing up in a small town where everyone knows everyone else, the driver of the truck that killed him was the father of a good friend of mine. One other person was killed in the accident and seven others were seriously injured.

I had strong family support, but I struggled with why God would do this to my family and I. Why did my brothers and I have to grow up without the love of our father. It took 4 years before I could start to let go of the anger and resentment that I felt towards the individual that was directly responsible. Legal battles failed and I realized that the anger was overshadowing my memories of my father. I couldn't feel happy for the time I had with him because every time i thought of him I felt anger.

I had been meeting with a Bishop of my old church, trying to find a way to let go. I found out this individual had also been meeting with the same bishop. I asked him to set up a meeting between the person who killed my father and myself. It would be the first time I had seen him face to face since the accident.

I received a call 2 days before the scheduled meeting from my bishop. This person had backed out and did not want to meet with me. I still drove the hour to my hometown, in hopes he would change his mind. He didn't and I have still never been able to talk to him. I did write him a letter that my bishop promised he would deliver. I'm not sure if this letter was ever read, but I could literally feel the pain of holding a grudge lift as I wrote the words. I truly forgave him for what he had done. I understood his actions, even if I didn't agree with them.

Right now, I am pursuing my dream. In 8 months I will graduate from law school and pursue a career as a criminal defense attorney. My family cannot understand how I can strive to stand next to someone accused of horrible crimes and defend them. I truly believe that my passion that every person is entitled to a valid defense stems from the forgiveness I was able to give when it mattered most. I am fearful of where I would be today if I still harbored all the pain, resentment and anger that I carried around for 4 years.

Thank you for allowing me to feel the amazing feeling that forgiveness can bring again, through the reading of your book.

Amber F.

 

Dear Amber,

Thank you for sharing your inspiring story.  I'm so glad my book resonated with you.  I applaud you for your choice of careers.  You are defending the rights of the defendants, not condoning the crimes of which they have been accused.  And they have a legal/moral right to a zealous defense of those rights.  The moment we take that away from them is the moment we cease to be what we in this country stand for.

You have clearly espoused the entire meaning of Beyond Justice; the one thing that is more powerful than justice:  Grace.  Forgiveness/favor that is unmerited, but based on love.  This is the law of God.  The law that Christ came to earth to fulfill by the shedding of his innocent blood.

Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.   (James 2:12-13)

Joshua Graham

PS:  Everyone, please feel free to add your comments below.  If you would like to contact me to tell me your own story, please click the contact button on the upper right hand corner of this page.

BEYOND JUSTICE hits #1 Bestseller on Amazon in Legal Thrillers

So if you're an independent author like me, you're obsessed to some degree with sales figures, bestseller rankings, and other marketing concerns as much as you are about the actual writing itself.

I've been blessed to have my debut title BEYOND JUSTICE lead out with a bang and in its first couple of months out the gate hit several #1 bestseller spots in several categories on Barnes & Noble last year.  But the rise to bestsellerdom on Amazon.com has been a more gradual process.

However, for almost 14 solid months, BEYOND JUSTICE has remained on two Amazon Top 100 bestseller categories (legal thrillers) and recently hovered around the top 5 all the way up to #2 in legal thrillers.  For a long time a title by Michael Connelly (The Lincoln Lawyer) dominated that #1 spot--months after the theatrical release of the same title starring .

Well, today after several close encounters with the #2 spot in Amazon.com's bestselling legal thrillers, BEYOND JUSTICE hit #1 bestseller!

In fact, BEYOND JUSTICE hit three bestseller lists today:

As great as all this feels, I must always reiterate that none of it would be possible without the enthusiastic support of my fans, readers,  friends and family, all of whom I thank God for.  To all of you, I say, "Thank you, and I love you!"   And I would like to give a shout out to EreaderNewstoday.com, who featured BEYOND JUSTICE today as its "Book of the Day."

If you haven't yet read BEYOND JUSTICE, why not give it a try?  It's only $3.99 for Kindle, Nook, and all other ebook readers.

If you've enjoyed reading this book, would you kindly send me a note via the CONTACT tab on my blog, or leave a comment on this blog post.  While you're at it, please consider pre-ordering DARKROOM, my upcoming thriller that recently won 1st Prize in the Forward National Literature Awards.  It will be published by Simon & Schuster/Howard Books in May 2012.

LOST

Anyone who is a parent, or in charge of the care of a small child will probably know what it feels like; that brief moment of sheer panic when you can't find your little one.  You can relate, I'm sure, to that sinking feeling in your gut, that shortening of breath accompanied by the hammering in your chest that all occurs when you check place after place and don't find her.  And when you start asking everyone, "Have you seen her?" and they all shake their head watching as your world slowly implodes into fear.

"I've been blessed that none of my children have ever gone missing for more than a few minutes, and when they did, someone (my wife) quickly found them and kept them safe until I returned from a frantic search through a theme park.  But last night, another member of my family went missing.

Our dog.

Somehow, he had gotten outside in the front yard around 10PM and no one knew that we'd shut the door and locked it for the night.  My wife and I each went to put our son and daughter to bed, and after that went to relax and watch some TV (TNT's "Body of Proof," if you must know such details :) )

Usually, our dog sleeps on a rug by the door to our backyard, and by the time we are done watching TV for the night (last night about 12:20 AM), we take him out for a final potty run before retiring for the night.  So, when I got up out of the sofa and went to the rug, he was not there.  Odd, I throught, he's usually downstairs with us, even if he sleeps through all the exciting legal, medical, crime dramas we watch. He probably went upstairs to sleep on his doggie bed.

We sometimes joke that he got bored with our TV viewing choices and decided to go to bed without us.  With that in mind, I climbed the stairs expecting to find him snoring on his doggie bed.

Well, he wasn't there!

That was very strange, because he was usually there, or down by the backyard door.

Quickly, I went to every room in the house. To the garage, into the backyard in case we'd forgotten to let him back in the house.

No, he wasn't there.

Then we remembered that he might have gone out to the front yard (not fenced in like the back) when we had gone to check a new Christmas wreath someone had given us that night.   My wife vaguely remembered that he might have gone outside, but he usually hangs around with us the entire time and always comes back in with us.

That had been 2.5 hours ago, and he was no where in sight.

In sight?  Except for a few dim street lamps, it was very dark outside.  A few neighbors had Christmas lights on their houses, but many of the rest had no lights at all.  We whistled for him but he didn't come running.  It was now about 12:40 AM and we didn't want to wake the entire neighborhood by shouting his name out loud.

With the kids and grandparents asleep, my wife and I jumped in the car and started driving up and down the street, windows open and whistling for him.

Nothing.

We drove up to the park where we often walk him to, but there were nothing but rabbits fleeing the beams of our flashlights.

Where could he be?  We returned home after a while to see if he had returned.  Of course, he wasn't there.  But from the nearby hills, I heard a pack of Coyotes yipping the way they do when they've killed some prey.  I thought the worse and kept myself from pondering the possibility that my dog had fallen victim to that pack.

By now, we were running out of ideas.  We got back in the car and drove all around the neighborhood whistling and praying that we'd find him, but in the dark we just couldn't see anything more than a few rabbits running over the lawns of our neighbors.  After about ten more minutes, I was just about ready to call it a night.  It was about 1:00 AM and there was no trace of him.  How would I sleep that night, wondering if he got hit by a car on a busy street nearby, or killed by a pack of coyotes, or heavens only knew.

As we drove one last pass on our street, we noticed a pickup truck with a driver double parked at the corner with his headlights on and engine running.  He seemed to be watching us.  I made a U-turn after passing him, and the followed me.  So I pulled over to the curb to let him pass.  But he didn't.  He stopped right next to me and rolled down his window.  Something like this happening at 1 AM would have freaked me out, but I opened my window anyway.

He called out, "Hey, are you guys looking for a dog?"

"Yes!  Do you know where he is?"

"He's at my house down the block."

Heaving a sigh of relief, we drove to the end of our block and the kind man told us that our dog had walked into his garage and was very friendly.  He tried to call my cell# on the dog's tag, but couldn't get through.  It turns out that they heard us driving by and whistling.  But when our dog, who was inside their house heard my whistling out in the street as we passed by, he started barking.  That is when the man got into his truck and waited for us to return to our street, where he began following us.

As soon as our dog saw us, he started bouncing up and down for joy.  He was so happy so see us, and we were incredibly grateful and relieved.  It turns out that this man and his family just moved into the neighborhood, so we'd never met him prior to this incident.

I am thankful that there are kind and decent people out there who took in our dog and kept him safe.  What a great person who would keep on the lookout for us and actually chase us down to ensure our reunion.

This was the best Christmas gift ever.

Thank you, kind sir, and thank God.

FOUND
Home safe and sound
 

 

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Black Friday Deals – Free Ebooks!

Happy Black Friday! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. Today is Black Friday, the day people hunt for great deals. I'm sure many of you have gotten a new Kindle, Kindle Touch, Kindle Fire, Nook Simple Touch, Nook Color, or Nook Tablet. Or maybe you already own one. This is a great time to load up some free and bargain titles for your ebook reader, so I'd like to make you aware of some of my bestselling titles, which are all available in the books section of this website:

 

First, THE ACCIDENTAL HERO:  A short story of a ruthless hitman who confronts his destiny in a startling tale of redemption.

It's FREE for Kindle here at Amazon

and for Nook at Barnes & and Noble here:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next free ebook is THE ACCIDENTAL EXORCIST:

When forensic psychiatrist Abigail Lee meets a baby-killing mother who has been declared criminally insane and aquitted, she discovers something lurking beneath the surface. Something far deeper and more insidious than mere psychopathy.  But can she come to terms with her own struggle with science and faith in time to confront it?
Free on for Kindle Amazon.com here.
and on Nook at Barnes & Noble here.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The third free ebook is THE ACCIDENTAL EXISTENTIALIST: Chris Connor stages his death in order to go dark and take on the head of an International Russian Crime Syndicate, perpetrators of illegal arms dealing, human trafficking and the death of his first born son. Tense, action-packed and filled with more twists than the Coney Island Cyclone, THE ACCIDENTAL EXISTENTIALIST poses the question: How far would one man go to rid the world of evil, and avenge his son?

Free on for Kindle Amazon.com here.

and on Nook at Barnes & Noble here.

 

 

 
And of course there are two bestselling novels at bargain prices for Kindle and Nook:
BEYOND JUSTICE

Winner of the 2011 International Book Awards

Listed in Suspense Magazine's Best of 2010

"...A riveting legal thriller.... breaking new ground with a vengeance... demonically entertaining and surprisingly inspiring."

~PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

$3.99 for Kindle Amazon.com here.

and on Nook at Barnes & Noble here.

 

 

 

 

ONCE WE WERE KINGS
Joshua Graham writing as Ian Alexander



Award-Winning Finalist in the SciFi/Fantasy category of The USA "Best Books 2011" Awards

Award-Winning Finalist in the Young Adult Fiction category of The USA "Best Books 2011" Awards

Award Winner in the 2011 Forward National Literature Awards in the Teen/Young Adult category

For a limited time, $2.99 for Kindle at Amazon.com here
and
For Nook at Barnes & Noble here.

Joshua Graham's Books Help Raise Funds for the Needy

Last night, I attended an event at The City Church, San Diego called "Loving Life Friday Night", hosted by the LovingLifeFoundation.

With a goal of raising $30,000, The Loving Life Foundation aims to give back to the community. Attendees enjoyed Gourmet Food Trucks, Holiday Shopping, and a Silent&Live Auction. All proceeds go towards food and clothing for the Homeless, 500+ toys to children in Mexico, Christmas packages to military, and holiday food to families in need. On Sunday the 20th they will be giving away a CAR, a MAC LAPTOP and GROCERIES for the rest of 2011!

I'm pleased to have participated by donating autographed copies of my bestselling novels BEYOND JUSTICE, ONCE WE WERE KINGS, and an ARC (advanced reader copy) of my upcoming novel DARKROOM, which will be released by Simon & Schuster/Howard Books on May 1, 2012. Some of the books were won via silent auction, and one complete personalized autograph went to an exciting live auction.

Through the generosity of several people, the books helped to raise over $500.

The personalized set that went to live auction went to Charles C., a most generous man who, though he outbid others for other high-ticket items only to give the items to those he outbid, won the set for $500 and decided to keep the books for himself.

Thank you Charles, and everyone who participated for your generosity and for helping the cause!

Darkroom Named 1st Place Winner in the 2011 Forward National Literature Awards

I learned today that my book DARKROOM won 1st place in the Forward National Literature Awards in the Mystery Category.  What an honor and pleasant surprise!  It's been quite a journey for this book, which I wrote back in 2011 right after losing my job of nearly a decade, which I had been so blessed with.

To the onlooker, this should have been one of the darkest periods of my life.  Unemployed in a depressed economy, having in the past five years up till then lost my mother to ALS, and my wife's mother to cancer, I could easily have succumbed  to a victim mentality.

But at the same time, I had just gone to a new church called The City Church San Diego, where I found myself filled up with hope, faith, and love by many people who I now count as my life-long friends and extended family.  I learned never to speak negatively into my future, but to speak hope and faith.  Not just to speak it, but to believe it.  And faith without action is dead faith, so whatever I was believing for (a breakthrough, a new career, etc.,) I needed to commit to in my thoughts, words, attitudes, actions, and choices.  Otherwise, I'm just fooling myself, right?

During the time in which I wrote DARKROOM, I found myself completely inspired by a writing flow unlike I had ever experienced.  It did help that I had a lot more time to write, but it was so much more than that.  It was during this time that I found my calling:  To write books that entertain as much, if not more so, as any NY Times bestselling author, and to edify my readers into finding hope in their lives--the need of which I became keenly aware during this time.

I'd like to thank the people at the Forward National Literature Awards for this honor, and all my wonderful family, friends, and fans for all your love and enthusiastic (almost evangelical, in some cases) support!  Most of all, I want to give God all the glory, because I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that DARKROOM could not have been written without the divine providence and inspiration.

PS:  Please click the "like" and/or any of the sharing buttons to help spread the word!  Thanks!

 



 

Darkroom by Joshua Graham awarded finalist in the USA Book News Best Book Awards 2011

And in other news, I've learned this week that my soon to be released novel DARKROOM (Simon & Schuster/Howard Books) has been named an Award-Winning Finalist in the Mystery/Suspense category of The USA "Best Books 2011″ Awards, sponsored by USA Book News."

It's quite and honor and exciting to see the momentum this book is building.

DARKROOM is available for pre-order in paperback and ebook editions at the following:

Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Darkroom for Barnes & Noble Nook now available for Pre-Order!

There are more than one reason I love ebooks.  E-Ink, which can be read in bright sunlight and actually look better in that environment is just one of them.  Kindle, Nook, Kobo, SONY Reader?  Regardless of which brand you go for, the ability to carry your entire library in your pocket is, in my opinion, fantastic.

Another personal reason I love the ebook platform is that it was there my writing career was launched.  Back in October 2010, BEYOND JUSTICE was released on Barnes & Noble's flagship ebook reader NOOK.  It had been released on Kindle and paperback a few months prior, but it was the nookbook release of BEYOND JUSTICE that truly propelled my book and career onto the literary map.

Within a month of its Barnes & Noble Nookbook launch, BEYOND JUSTICE hit #1 bestseller in several categories (Legal Thriller, Christian Thriller, Christian Fiction.)  This was undoubtedly because of the enthusiastic fans who kept telling their friends about my book, and to them–with many of whom I have become facebook friends) I owe my profound appreciation.

Many of you have asked me since the second day of BEYOND JUSTICE'S debut when my next novel will be released.  DARKROOM will be available in nookbook and trade paperback on May 1, 2012!  Thank you for your patience, especially Nooksters, because the pre-order page came out for Kindle first.  But because you all went and clicked "Request the Publisher to make available for Nook" (or something like that) on the BN sales page, it has finally happened!

You can now pre-order your nookbook edition of DARKROOM here

And while your there on the page (whether you pre-order now or later) please click the facebook "Like" button and the Google +1 button.  Every bit helps let the world know about this book.

As I always say, Thank you for making my books bestsellers!

Audio Rights for Darkroom sold!

I love audiobooks and have "read" many novels through this format.  Having for years commuted on the freeways for a total of nearly an hour a day, this was one of the most enjoyable way to spend my time, while stuck in traffic.  If the book was particularly compelling, I'd almost hope for a traffic jam so as to give me more time to listen with a legitimate excuse to be home late.

So imagine my delight when I learned that Publishers Marketplace announced the audio rights sale of DARKROOM (Simon & Schuster/Howard Books) to Recorded Books, LLC.  It will be also be distributed through Audible around the release of the paperback and ebook edition in May 2012.

The Kindle and Paperback versions of DARKROOM are currently available for pre-order!  If you're a fan, please consider pre-ordering your copy today.  Pre-orders help a publisher know how much of a push they will put behind the publicity of a title.  Click here to see the Pre-order page.

The Barnes & Noble Nook Pre-Order page is here.

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