Joshua Graham's Blog, page 24
June 3, 2011
Free Friday Ebooks are back! THE ACCIDENTAL HEALER (A Digital Short)
Happy Friday, everyone.
I'm happy to present THE ACCIDENTAL HEALER, one of my most popular bestselling short novella ebooks to date. This is truly one of my favorites, so I hope you'll enjoy it this weekend. Please use the coupon code and download link below to get your free copy. The free coupon code is valid only at Smashwords.
Please go to: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/32075
Add the title to your cart.
Go to checkout
Apply this coupon code: VA36H
Make sure the price is $0.00
Then complete your purchase.
You will then be able to download any version you need (Kindle, Nook, iPad, SONY Reader) or you can read it on your computer–no ebook reader needed!)
Promotional price: $0.00
Coupon Code: VA36H
Expires: June 7, 2011
May 13, 2011
Hope, and the "Dear Jane" letter…
The fact is that most writers face many rejections before they make a sale to a publisher. It's par for the course, and if you're a writer who can't handle rejection, or take it to heart as a personal evaluation (or devaluation) of your worth, you'd do best to do like they did in Monty Python: "Run away! Run away!"
Before selling my novel Darkroom to Simon & Schuster's Howard Books line, I must have gotten close to 40 rejections. That didn't bother me because I always refer to Dean Koontz's 75 rejections before his first novel sale. But I also received several requests for full manuscripts, which is always exciting because it's then just one step closer to a contract offer.
Prior to Darkroom's sale to S&S, it had been on the desks of about 5 editors from major publishing houses in NY and the UK, and one or two agent's desks for consideration.
Today, I had to send an email officially withdrawing my book from their consideration. It was an interesting feeling, and I hoped to be very respectful in conveying the information.
Here's what I wrote to those publishers and agents:
Dear ________,
Thank you for your interest in my book DARKROOM. I have recently sold World Rights for it to Simon & Schuster (Howard Books Imprint) in a preempt and must now respectfully withdraw it from consideration.
Also, I wanted to share with you that my book BEYOND JUSTICE just won the 2011 International Book Award in the Mystery/Suspense category.
Again, thank you for your consideration and time.
Sincerely,
Joshua Graham
Barnes & Noble #1 bestselling author of Beyond Justice
Winner of the 2011 International Book Awards
DARKROOM (Simon & Schuster/Howard Books May 2012)
www.joshua-graham.com
www.facebook.com/j0shuaGraham
Twitter:@J0shuaGraham
Regardless of your life's pursuit, you need to have two things: 1) Certainty of your calling, and 2) Faith that if you have been called to something, you will accomplish it. The only limiting factors are patience, persistence and hope; hope in things for which we have no tangible evidence.
…hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance…
(Romans 8:24, 25)
So in the words of Cmdr. Peter Quincy Taggart of Galaxy Quest, "Never give up, never surrender!" 
As long as you are secure in your calling, it will come to pass. Just position yourself close to the Divine Source and His word, and you'll be amazed at what He can accomplish through you.
I think the Apostle Paul put it best:
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
(Eph. 3:20)
May 11, 2011
BEYOND JUSTICE, winner of the 2011 International Book Awards for Mystery/Suspense!
I'll be the first to confess that I'm a man of prayer. Yes, I believe in God and I believe in miracles and I'm not ashamed to say it. So far, my entire career has been a gift of unmerited favor from above. Earlier this week, I learned that my book BEYOND JUSTICE was nominated finalist in the San Diego Book Awards.
As if that weren't good enough to make me hyperventilate from excitement, I just received an email that informed me that my book has been named Winner" in the "Fiction: Mystery/Suspense" category in the 2011 International Book Awards!
Some of the other winners include:
Religion: Christian Inspirational
The Lord's Prayer by Rick Warren, illustrated by Richard Jesse Watson
Zondervan
Autobiography/Memoirs
A Time to Betray by Reza Kahlili
Simon & Schuster, Threshold Editions
Current Events: Political/Social
Hostage Nation by Victoria Bruce and Karin Hayes, with Jorge Enrique Botero
A.A. Knopf
Fiction: Chick Lit/Women's Lit
Fat Chance by Rhonda Pollero
Pocket Books
Fiction: Historical Fiction
Fields of Gold by Fiona McIntosh
Penguin Books
Health
Previvors: Facing the Breast Cancer Gene and Making Life-Changing Decisions by Dina Roth Port
Avery, a member of Penguin Group
AND….
Fiction: Chick Lit/Women's Lit
Finalist
Drowning by Susan Wingate
Roberts Press
978-0615448121
Again, miracles! Thank you, God!
And thank you, all my wonderful readers!
May 10, 2011
BEYOND JUSTICE, finalist in the San Diego Book Awards!
I just learned that BEYOND JUSTICE has been listed as a finalist in the San Diego Book Awards! I'll be attending the award ceremony next month.
Good wishes and prayers would be most appreciated. It would be nice to win a prize for my book!
Thank you all for your support, I hope to have some even better news next month!
May 4, 2011
Boldness
Let's face it.
It's been said,
The meek shall inherit the Earth…
But the same person (Jesus) who said that also said,
Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
To accomplish anything beyond the ordinary it takes a lot of perseverance and faith. Now, faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. So it takes faith that all that hard work we put into a long term project be it writing a book, raising a child, or sowing seeds for crops you won't see for months.
There's a certain boldness required with faith.
It's a boldness to not only think but step outside of the box and take actions that ordinary people won't. I'm not talking about anarchistic rule breaking for its own sake. I'm talking about being wise and knowing when certain "guidelines" or "conventional wisdom" are nothing more than roadblocks put up to keep the timid and lazy outside the gates.
Early in my writing career, I was cautioned about writing books in first person. Agents all over the internet blogged about this saying that it would make a tough sell, therefore don't do it. But my book(s) really required it. In fact, DARKROOM, the book I just sold to Simon & Schuster (Howard Books) is not only written in 1st person, but in present tense over multiple POVs (points of view, at least 5-6)
The big challenge is getting each voice to be so distinct, you can tell who is speaking just by the prose and dialogue.
I took my inspiration from Amy Tan. (The Joy Luck Club.)
And Stephen King, and Ken Follet, hence my elevator pitch to publishers:
If Ken Follet, Amy Tan, and Stephen King conspired to write a novel about the far reaching impact of American war crimes, it would be DARKROOM.
It was a bold pitch, but I feel my entire book was bold in taking huge risks. BTW, it got about 40 rejections before Simon & Schuster came about to buy it! But that was about 35 less rejections than Dean Koontz got before he sold his first novel. 
I leave you with the words from the Old Testament book of Joshua (*wink*). These are the words God spoke to Joshua after the death of Moses:
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)
May 3, 2011
Finally! The Big Announcement!
As many of you know, I have been struggling to keep my lips sealed (or fingers tied) about the big news. Contrary to popular belief, this was not to torment you, not to tease you–well, maybe just a little . It was because I was not allowed to share it until everything was finalized.
Well it finally has been finalized!
So I am pleased to announce that my novel DARKROOM has been acquired by Simon & Schuster and will be published under the Howard Book imprint in May 2012! They approached me in February and we've been in contract negotiations since. But it's been avery positive and the people I've come in contact with (my editors, my IP attorney, and my mentors Dean W. Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch) have made it an wonderful experience.
I so appreciate all Dean and Kris have done to support my development as a professional writer and can never repay them for all they've done and been for me. But I am also firmly convinced that my wonderful fans have played a crucial role in my success. It is because of their wonderful support, evangelical fervor in getting the word out about my book BEYOND JUSTICE, that it has several times hit the top of several Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com bestseller lists. This, no doubt has given me the platform that publishers are looking for in authors they sign up.
[image error]This is a major step for any author in their career. I am not letting this get to my head, because my responsibility to provide quality work has just leaped up a few levels. But this is a challenge I am honored to take.
It's important for me to say that I truly see this as God's grace, not just my hard work. I am thankful for divine providence and guidance from the conception of this book (when I sat in the living room with my wife brainstorming and receiving inspiration from her) to the "aha!" ideas for marketing and approaching the right publishers. I truly believe that Howard Books and I are a great fit, as our vision are the similar: To produce bestselling quality fiction that inspires without preaching or forcing any particular view, but rather allows the reader to draw their own conclusion.
Finally, I must thank my wife and children for all their support. The past couple of years have been very difficult after I lost my job of 10 years. We had to make some significant sacrifices to afford me the opportunity to take a the full time writing career. I truly appreciate everything they've done for me and everything they've had to put up with in order to get to this point.
The journey has just begun!
Here is the back cover copy for DARKROOM (May 2012)
Daughter of Vietnam War photojournalist experiences visions of war atrocities and uncovers a forty-year-old conspiracy for which some are still willing to kill.
DARKROOM
Joshua Graham
You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free…
After scattering her mother's ashes in Vietnam, photojournalist Xandra Carrick comes home to New York to rebuild her life and career. When she experiences supernatural visions that reveal atrocities perpetrated by American soldiers during the Vietnam War, she finds herself entangled in a forty-year-old conspiracy that could bring the nation into political turmoil.
Launching headlong into a quest to learn the truth from her father, Peter Carrick, a Pulitzer Prize Laureate who served as an embedded photographer during the war, she confronts him about a dark secret he has kept. A secret that has devastated their family.
Her investigations lead her to her departed mother's journal, which tell of love, spiritual awakening, and surviving the fall of Saigon.
Pursued across the continent, Xandra comes face-to-face with powerful forces that will stop at nothing to prevent her from revealing the truth. But not before government agencies arrest her for murder, domestic terrorism and an assassination attempt on the newly elected president of the United States.
Darkroom: A tale of suspense that tears the covers off the human struggle for truth, in a world imprisoned by lies.
May 2, 2011
In Honor of America's Brave Warriors…
The news today nearly took my breath away. After 10 years, Osama bin Laden has finally been brought to justice. And while all such deaths are tragic, I did feel a sense of closure–if only a small glimpse of what those who'd lost loved ones during the Septermber 11, 2001 attacks did. I would like to thank and honor our military, its commander in chief (starting from President George W. Bush, who began the hunt for the Al Qaeda head to President Obama) today by offering a free ebook in celebration of their courage and resolve.
Please grab a free copy of THE ACCIDENTAL EXISTENTIALIST (smashwords link and free coupon code at the bottom of this blog post)
US Marine Corps Criminal Investigations Division agent stages his death to go dark and take on the head of a Russian Crime Syndicate, perpetrators of illegal arms dealing, human trafficking and the death of his first born son. Action-packed and filled with more twists than the Coney Island Cyclone, this story asks: How far would a good man go to rid the world of evil and avenge his son?
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/21777
Promotional price: $0.00
Coupon Code: TH74P
Expires: May 4, 2011
April 30, 2011
Record sales and new bestseller status for BEYOND JUSTICE!
Not since last October, when BEYOND JUSTICE topped the bestseller charts on Barnes & Noble has this book reached such heights as it has in the past two days. Today, BEYOND JUSTICE hit #1 in Christian Fiction, #1 in Christian Thriller on Barnes & Noble. It also hit three bestseller lists on Amazon.com, pulling in at #3 in bestselling legal thrillers, trailing Michael Connelly's LINCOLN LAWYER by one spot. It also hit a third Amazon bestseller list in the suspense category.
#1 in Christian Fiction
#1 in Christian Thrillers
#3 in Legal Thrillers (Amazon)
Three Bestseller Categories (on Amazon)
April 29, 2011
Amazon vs. Barnes & Noble
Seems when BEYOND JUSTICE does well on Barnes & Noble, Amazon fans respond competitively–or so I'd like to believe
Now, on Amazon, not only has it hit #11 in bestselling legal thrillers but it's on two top rated lists as well. BEYOND JUSTICE is the #4 top rated legal thriller on Amazon.com!
And let's not forget Amazon Kindle! BEYOND JUSTICE hits 9 months on multiple bestseller lists!
With all the excitement about BEYOND JUSTICE rising back to the top of the Barnes & Noble bestseller lists, I would be remiss to neglect the thousands of loyal Kindle fans who have kept my book on two Kindle category bestseller lists on Amazon.com for nearly 9 solid months!
As of today, it's #12 and #26 on Amazon!
Thank you, wonderful Kindlers! It's just $0.99 for a limited time!
