Marty Martin aka Warren Martin's Blog, page 2

My Books Hidden Messages

When it comes to movies and television series, the below list all have at least one thing in common, that being some sort of Plot Twist or something that was a surprise and not expected. Their genres may not be the same, however the writers presented a story that provided entertainment coupled with an unexpected answer or event within the stories that in some manner gave us a sense of closure, justice, revenge, or just a sense of relief for one of the characters.

In my books “Forgotten Soldiers” and “Till the Cows Come Home,” plus book projects in progress, my intent is to provide similar plot twist, surprise, and unexpected outcomes that provide the reader with a sort of satisfaction with the stories ending. Another intent is to insert in a subtle manner identifying a hidden message that draws attention to an injustice within our society, injustices that anger us and should not be ignored.

My intention is to entertain while drawing attention to either issues or events we should not forget, and social justice issues that should not be ignored due to political and social correctness.
I invite you to follow my Website, Facebook, Twitter, Google, and my Amazon Page and watch for future project releases.
American Psycho, Atonement, Devil, Dexter, Ex-Machina, Gone Baby Gone, Gone Girl, Last House on the Left (2009), Little Children, Mystic River, Planet of the Apes (Original), Psycho, Shawshank Redemption, Room, Sixth Sense, Sleepers, Split, Spotlight, The Departed, The Others, The Prestige, The Punisher, Usual Suspects, Westworld (Series), Without a Trace (movie)

Till The Cows Come Home Release October 26

Just in time for Halloween
Just another Happy Halloween Short Story, without the ghouls or goblins but disturbing to say the least. The first installment in the Farmerville Series begins with Ron Farmer, a four-year veteran of the rural Hobbs County Sheriff’s Department. Ron had a rather normal life without much excitement, a sharp contrast from when he was a Green Beret deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. The traditional Halloween festivities are no match for what was set in motion when Ron made a traffic on the Friday of Halloween eve. No ghouls or goblins in this story, but the events that transpire involving two escaped convicts, a family of four, two migrant workers, Ron and his daughter Laura, are far more disturbing, sinister, terrifying, and real, than any ghouls and goblins story.


Release Date October 26
eBook available for Pre-Order

Paperback also available  

Poll for Book Cover "Till The Cows Come Home"

Hello Everyone,
I'm looking for feedback on a proposed cover for my upcoming Novella "Till The Cows Come Home." 
If all goes to plan will be out by Halloween
Option 1 Warren in Red - Option 2 Warren in White
Thank you

AudioBooks: From Your Words to Their Ears

On Wednesday September 12, 2018, the St. Louis Publishers Association with present George Sirois, who will discuss the topic of Audiobooks.  For decades, audiobooks have been looked at as an unattainable medium for independent and self-published authors. But thanks to Amazon creating Audible and their production house ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange), we now have a surplus of opportunities at our fingertips. And with companies like Author’s Republic and Findaway Voices getting involved, this sudden shift in our favor also raises a lot of questions about what direction is best for you. Where will your audiobook be available? What kind of narrator should you choose? How will you pay for them? What additional options does each platform provide? What if you want to put it together yourself?    [image error] Author & voice actor George Sirois will address these questions and more with his upcoming presentation, Audiobooks: From Your Words to Their Ears, on Wednesday, September 12 for the St. Louis Publishers Association. Since 2015, he has lent his voice to internal business presentations, promotional materials for authors’ websites, and audiobooks. He has also produced for other authors, including bestseller Sheri Fink’s The Little Rose and The Little Seahorse, and Derek Taylor Kent’s award-winning audiobook Kubrick’s Game.” He has done all of this — the narrating, editing, and producing — on his own in his home studio in Imperial, Missouri, and he looks forward to answering your questions about ACX, Findaway Voices, Author’s Republic, finding the proper talent, creating your own audiobook, what to do with it once it's uploaded, and more!
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Monthly Meeting Admission
Members – FREE Non-member Guests – $10 per person, cash or check at the door(Guest fee will be applied to Membership if you decide to join at that meeting)Doors open at 6:30 PM for networking. Business meeting begins at 7:00 PM and continues till 8:30 PM. Our regular Monthly Meeting location
(the second Wednesday of every month)THE HEIGHTS: Richmond Heights Community Center
Argus Room  •  8001 Dale Ave.  •  Richmond Heights, MO 63117Here's a link to Google Maps for location and directions.

Networking with the St. Louis Publishers Association

 Annual Vendor Showcase and Amy Collins Workshop
Over the past month the St. Louis Publishers Association (SLPA) had the opportunity to present two valuable events. Over 100 attended the August 8th event that featured editors, publishers, illustrators, printers, graphic designers, and coaches. Both the vendors and attendees had positive feedback and established new connections, exchanged ideas and concepts, and enjoyed an evening of positive interaction.   
  2018 Participating Vendors:Davis Creative Author Consultants / My Two Cents Editing / Mission Possible Press / Beeson Editing Services /HF Group Book Partners /Pen and Publish / Editwright / Art by Shelley /Graphic Connections Publishing /Nehmen & Kodner Design /Comma Queen Editing /Carolyn Vaughan Design / Record Printing & Publishing  / Michelle Aschenbrenner Editing  / No Waste Publishing 
Amy Collins Workshop
On July 21st we had the honor to host Amy Collins, president of  New Shelves, who presented a workshop filled with information on the Ins & Outs of Amazon and How to Get Books into Bookstores. This workshop proved to be another valuable opportunity for networking and learning available tools for successful methods to market books.  

1) Each position (buy) you take in an asset mustbe a min...

1)  Each position (buy) you take in an asset mustbe a minimum of 5% and a maximum of 10% of your totalportfolio assets.(2)  Cash must NOT exceed 20% of your portfolio atany time. You MUST be investing, not sitting on the sidelines. Bythe end of Week One, your client (me) MUST have a 2-3 page double-spaced paperexplaining your philosophy, process, and the initial positions and allocationsyou have chosen for your portfolio (portfolio statement), following the tworules above. Here are your portfolio options that Ihave set up for you:
Startingbalance for players: $2,500,000.00 Commission: $10.00 CreditInterest Rate: 3.00% LeverageDebt Interest Rate: 6.00% MinimumStock Price: $2.00 MaximumStock Price: $500,000.00 TradingVolume Limit: 1.00% ShortSelling: Enabled MarginTrading: Enabled  The final project will be due nolater than midnight on the final day of class and is worth 200 points. Yourpaper and portfolio will be measured on the following three elements by yourclient (me, again): (1)  Absolute return – the total dollar amount thatyour portfolio increased over the trading period and(2)  Risk-adjusted return – the return on the portfoliotaking into account the level of risk you assumed as measured by the SharpeRatio. (3)  A 3-4 page, double-spaced paper about yourexperience with this game that addresses at least the following questions:a)    Which positionsexceeded your expectations and what conditions caused this?b)   Which positionsunderperformed for you and what factors created the performance gap?c)    What were the keythings you learned from your Virtual Stock Exchange simulation and how will itinfluence your personal investing in the future?

1) Each position (buy) you take in an asset must be a mi...

1)  Each position (buy) you take in an asset must be a minimum of 5% and a maximum of 10% of your total portfolio assets.(2)  Cash must NOT exceed 20% of your portfolio at any time. You MUST be investing, not sitting on the sidelines. By the end of Week One, your client (me) MUST have a 2-3 page double-spaced paper explaining your philosophy, process, and the initial positions and allocations you have chosen for your portfolio (portfolio statement), following the two rules above. Here are your portfolio options that I have set up for you:
Starting balance for players: $2,500,000.00 Commission: $10.00 Credit Interest Rate: 3.00% Leverage Debt Interest Rate: 6.00% Minimum Stock Price: $2.00 Maximum Stock Price: $500,000.00 Trading Volume Limit: 1.00% Short Selling: Enabled Margin Trading: Enabled  The final project will be due no later than midnight on the final day of class and is worth 200 points. Your paper and portfolio will be measured on the following three elements by your client (me, again): (1)  Absolute return – the total dollar amount that your portfolio increased over the trading period and(2)  Risk-adjusted return – the return on the portfolio taking into account the level of risk you assumed as measured by the Sharpe Ratio. (3)  A 3-4 page, double-spaced paper about your experience with this game that addresses at least the following questions:a)    Which positions exceeded your expectations and what conditions caused this?b)   Which positions underperformed for you and what factors created the performance gap?c)    What were the key things you learned from your Virtual Stock Exchange simulation and how will it influence your personal investing in the future?

1) Each position (buy) you take in an asset must be...

1)  Each position (buy) you take in an asset must be a minimum of 5% and a Starting balance for players: $2,500,000.00 Commission: $10.00 Credit Interest Rate: 3.00% Leverage Debt Interest Rate: 6.00% Minimum Stock Price: $2.00 Maximum Stock Price: $500,000.00 Trading Volume Limit: 1.00% Short Selling: Enabled Margin Trading: Enabled  The final project will be due no later than midnight on the final day of class and is worth 200 points. Your paper and portfolio will be measured on the following three elements by your client (me, again): (1)  Absolute return – the total dollar amount that your portfolio increased over the trading period and(2)  Risk-adjusted return – the return on the portfolio taking into account the level of risk you assumed as measured by the Sharpe Ratio. (3)  A 3-4 page, double-spaced paper about your experience with this game that addresses at least the following questions:a)    Which positions exceeded your expectations and what conditions caused this?b)   Which positions underperformed for you and what factors created the performance gap?c)    What were the key things you learned from your Virtual Stock Exchange simulation and how will it influence your personal investing in the future?

Publishing and Marketing Panel DiscussionWhat do you need...

Publishing and Marketing Panel Discussion
What do you need to consider when marketing and selling books to bookstores? What’s the difference between self-publishing and assisted self-publishing? What are the differences between marketing a traditionally published book versus a self-published book?
The St. Louis Publishers Association strives to present topics that help aspiring and published authors answer questions about the publishing process, author promotion, and marketing books, and to accomplish that goal, on Wednesday, February 14, 2018, we’ll host two experts, Jennifer Geist and Heather Tearney, for a panel discussion that will review the publishing process, provide marketing tips, and, most importantly, provide plenty of time for plenty of questions. Comments and questions for the panel can also be submitted in advance via email to SLPA President Warren Martin at president@stlouispublishers.org.
Jennifer Geist is the publisher at Pen & Publish, Inc., and its imprints: Brick Mantel Books, Open Books Press, and Transformation Media Books. With experience in editing, book compositing, photography, graphic and web design, marketing, writing, and more, she manages every book from acquisitions to publication and beyond. Geist received her bachelor’s degree in creative writing with a focus in small press publishing through Southeast Missouri State University. She has worked with numerous small presses and her stories and photos are published in a variety of literary magazines.
Heather Tearney has more than eight years of experience working with self-publishing authors around the country. She is the Director of the ShowMe Writers Masterclass conference, a partnership between Mizzou Publishing and the Columbia Chapter of the Missouri Writers’ Guild, held each fall in Columbia, MO. Her journey with authors and printing books began with the installation of the Espresso Book Machine (EBM) in 2009 at The Mizzou Store. She has presented for Xerox and their Thought Leadership Workshops on the EBM and self-publishing, as well as having been a consultant for the company selling the EBM, On Demand Books. Since then, she has expanded the printing services offered to authors beyond the EBM and frequently works with authors on marketing not only their books, but also themselves.


*************************************************
Monthly Meeting Admission Members – FREE
Non-member Guests – $10 per person, cash or check at the door
(Guest fee will be applied to Membership if you decide to join at that meeting)Doors open at 6:30 PM for networking. Business meeting begins at 7:00 PM and continues till 8:30 PM. Our regular Monthly Meeting location
(the second Wednesday of every month)
THE HEIGHTS: Richmond Heights Community Center
Argus Room  •  8001 Dale Ave.  •  Richmond Heights, MO 63117
Here's a link to Google Maps for location and directions.

Publishing and Marketing Panel Discussion What do you ne...

Publishing and Marketing Panel Discussion
What do you need to consider when marketing and selling books to bookstores? What’s the difference between self-publishing and assisted self-publishing? What are the differences between marketing a traditionally published book versus a self-published book?
The St. Louis Publishers Association strives to present topics that help aspiring and published authors answer questions about the publishing process, author promotion, and marketing books, and to accomplish that goal, on Wednesday, February 14, 2018, we’ll host two experts, Jennifer Geist and Heather Tearney, for a panel discussion that will review the publishing process, provide marketing tips, and, most importantly, provide plenty of time for plenty of questions. Comments and questions for the panel can also be submitted in advance via email to SLPA President Warren Martin at president@stlouispublishers.org.
Jennifer Geist is the publisher at Pen & Publish, Inc., and its imprints: Brick Mantel Books, Open Books Press, and Transformation Media Books. With experience in editing, book compositing, photography, graphic and web design, marketing, writing, and more, she manages every book from acquisitions to publication and beyond. Geist received her bachelor’s degree in creative writing with a focus in small press publishing through Southeast Missouri State University. She has worked with numerous small presses and her stories and photos are published in a variety of literary magazines.
Heather Tearney has more than eight years of experience working with self-publishing authors around the country. She is the Director of the ShowMe Writers Masterclass conference, a partnership between Mizzou Publishing and the Columbia Chapter of the Missouri Writers’ Guild, held each fall in Columbia, MO. Her journey with authors and printing books began with the installation of the Espresso Book Machine (EBM) in 2009 at The Mizzou Store. She has presented for Xerox and their Thought Leadership Workshops on the EBM and self-publishing, as well as having been a consultant for the company selling the EBM, On Demand Books. Since then, she has expanded the printing services offered to authors beyond the EBM and frequently works with authors on marketing not only their books, but also themselves.


*************************************************
Monthly Meeting Admission Members – FREE
Non-member Guests – $10 per person, cash or check at the door
(Guest fee will be applied to Membership if you decide to join at that meeting)Doors open at 6:30 PM for networking. Business meeting begins at 7:00 PM and continues till 8:30 PM. Our regular Monthly Meeting location
(the second Wednesday of every month)
THE HEIGHTS: Richmond Heights Community Center
Argus Room  •  8001 Dale Ave.  •  Richmond Heights, MO 63117
Here's a link to Google Maps for location and directions.