Philip Chen's Blog: The Eclectic, page 3

What a Nice Surprise This Morning!

Last night my novel was listed on DailyCheapReads and today I woke up to the following Amazon Product Page



Sorry about the size of the screenshot, but that was

* #44 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers > Spy Stories & Tales of Intrigue
* #55 in Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers > Spy Stories & Tales of Intrigue

I know that it is ephemeral and is slipping away as we speak, but a guy can dream; right?

Falling Star was just listed by DailyCheapReads

Falling Star was just added to the bookshelf of DailyCheapReads as a SuperCheapRead for the month of November. It looks great!

Mysterious Missible Launched North of Santa Catalina Island

Prime time news is abuzz with reports of a mysterious missile launch north of Santa Catalina Island off of the California Coast. Readers of Falling Star will recognize that that is the fictional location of one of the top secret stations maintained by the U.S. Government to observe a mysterious object found in the ocean and also the site of a fictional attack on that station by a unknown and powerful unidentified submerged object. Is this just another instance of fact following the fiction in Falling Star?

Read about it here

Falling Star Is Now In Print!

For all of you who have been asking for a print version of Falling Star, you can go to my E-Book Store and purchase a copy. It will soon be available on Amazon and at your neighborhood book retailer.

Print Edition of Falling Star is Almost Ready

I am just waiting for them to notify me that my final proof has been mailed and when that happens, I will approve the book immediately. To celebrate the publishing of Falling Star in print, I will lower the price of the Kindle Edition to $0.99 through November 30, 2010. In addition, I am offering a discount of $2.00 off the price of Falling Star to anyone who has purchased or will purchase the Kindle or Smashwords edition through November 30, 2010. The way I will determine that they have read Falling Star is that anyone wishing a coupon must send me a message and correctly identify one of the three following characters from the book:

1. Mrs. Brentwood
2. James Takeshia
3. Thurgood Bensen

The coupon is only good for purchases made in my E-Store on my website: http://fallingstar1970.wordpress.com. This is a CreateSpae condition for the use of the coupon.

Thank you,

Phil

I was knocked back on my heels by this review

my first in the UK:

From Bandcandy --

In "Falling Star" Philip Chen writes with such quiet authority and such a wealth of expert knowledge that I was lulled into the belief that I was reading a factual version of events rather than a work of fiction. The book quickly sets off with the discovery of objects suggestive of an alien presence on Earth and this aspect of the book is quietly progressed throughout, culminating in a conclusion which raises as many questions as it answers, giving the reader plenty to think about. At the same time I was carried through the book by the compulsively exciting tale of undercover agents and the infiltration of their organisation by a network of spies so carefully absorbed into American society as to be almost untraceable. The main character, Mike, was well drawn and likeable but complex and psychologically convincing. I also enjoyed the presence of strong female characters in the inimitable Mildred and the brilliant and beautiful Martha. Interesting premise convincingly handled in an exciting and compelling novel.

If you think Falling Star is fiction, then read what the White House is doing.

The White House Science Adviser just wrote to Congress advising them that the U.S. must be prepared for an asteroid striking the United States. Read about it here

Sound familiar? Read Falling Star for another take on this urgent memo from the White House.

New Cover for Falling Star

After conducting my own modified version of a Beta Test, i.e., putting the product before a panel of fellow authors, the conclusion was reached that although my first cover was beautifully done by David Ross and won high praise as a book cover, it probably did not convey the sense that the book was a thriller. One reviewer (jokingly) said that she thought the book was about poetry. I am a terrible poet, but hopefully a lot better as a writer of thrillers.

After considerable research and suggestions by fellow authors on the Kindle Boards, i cam up with the following cover using a photograph by Tomo Yun



I hope this does the trick.

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

As an eclectic, I am bounded by a self-imposed code of ethics to discuss every aspect of my voyage into the world of publishing. So it was with some trepidation that I waited for my thirteenth review. It wasn't wasted.

Coming off the heels of twelve really nice reviews, and a very detailed and comprehensive twelfth four-star review, I received the following one-star review from BlinkytheGhost on Amazon.com:

I really wanted to like this book, but it was not worth the money! With a long and somewhat interesting beginning. Then nothing happens for a long time. Suddenly the writer turns into Tom Clancey. Things happen with no lead up or reason. Long parts about eating and changing clothes, even characters travelling for long periods. As a book about UFOs for a main plot device. It does not deliver. Just plain bad writing. I can not be the only person that thinks so.

How appropriate that my first bad review was number thirteen, from someone called "BlinkytheGhost," one week before Halloween.

The Eclectic always likes to make lemonade from lemons, so I say to Blinky, "Thank you for calling me Tom Clancy!"

I wonder how other authors have fared on their "thirteenth" review.

Nice Review From Brendan Carroll

Philip Chen has had an extremely interesting career and it shows in his work. His detailed descriptions of highly technical equipment and clandestine government operations is very impressive. The thought of what mysteries might lurk beneath the vast expanses of our planet's seas and oceans is in itself a thrilling yet sobering thought. Philip's use of our innate fear of the unknown and irrepressible curiosity about the unexplained catches the reader's attention in the beginning of the novel and our curiosity builds as he feeds us titillating tidbits throughout the book.
Underlying the bigger mystery in the sea, another mystery unfolds on land as his characters are set upon by unknown forces willing to stop at nothing to stop the top secret agency known as C-SAC from learning about a powerful new weapon based on sound technology. The action is fast-paced and illustrated by colorful descriptions of blood and gore as the C-SAC couriers are eliminated one by one while its top members search frantically for the leak in their chain of command information dike. Their findings are as chilling as the mysterious objects at the bottom of the sea and Philip's expert rendition lends a completely believable air to the situation that perhaps leaves its readers with slightly different views of the little old lady sitting next to us on the plane or the grease monkey changing our spark plugs.
Falling Star ends just as mysteriously at it begins and puts the reader in the mood for a possible sequel.
Mr. Chen's writing style is precise, almost military and chock full of information that makes the reader wonder if this story might not be fiction at all, but something very real and very disturbing.
I noticed very few grammatical/spelling errors in the book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good techno-thriller with sci-fi overtures.