Stan R. Mitchell's Blog, page 50

The latest on Book 3 of the Nick Woods series

Hey guys!

Hope everyone is having a great Friday! Just a quick update on my end. 

I am editing, editing, editing like crazy on my next book, “Afghan Storm“, which we’re supposed to have done Oct. 1. So glad my lovely wife Danah​ has done so much to help this book (including rewrites!), and that Emily Akin​ is helping with the editing and making me look like I know how to write. : )

Oh, and for those that don’t know, Afghan Storm is Book 3 of the Nick Woods series, so if you haven’t started the series, it’s a great time to start it. I’ve been extremely fortunate to have sold 30,000 copies of the series, so here’s the link to Book 1 (titled “Sold Out”) in case you’re interested but haven’t started the series yet. I’m thrilled and overwhelmed to say that “Sold Out” and the second book (“Mexican Heat“) remain in the Top 100 of Amazon’s political thriller category. 

Thank you guys for all your support and for allowing me to do full-time what I’d absolutely do for free!

Can’t wait to get you Afghan Storm soon. It might literally be better than both Sold Out and Mexican Heat!

Keep the faith,

Stan R. Mitchell

About me: I write military action books similar to Vince Flynn, Stephen Hunter, and Tom Clancy. I’m also a prior USMC Sgt with Combat Action Ribbon, and a guy who spent 10+ years writing every day in the newspaper business — 9 of them with a newspaper that I started.  Please consider subscribing for email alerts — I mostly post about things that either motivate or inspire you.

I don’t rate to be on this list

I was floored today when one of Audible’s staff alerted me that I had been “selected to be part of the Audible’s ‘Fall Books Preview’ — a promotion that highlights soon-to-be-released books our Editors are most excited for.”

Only twenty books were promoted with cover images, and that list of twenty included Stephen King, John Grisham, James Patterson, Karin Slaughter, Lee Child, Vince Flynn, Tom Clancy, Janet Evanovich, David Baldacci, and Michael Connelly. Oh, and Stan R. Mitchell.

Are you kidding me?! lol

Wow. Just wow.

Here are the images exactly as they’re highlighted. (I’m correctly placed on the last row!)

New Stand-Alone Books
 
 




Our Favorite Heroes Return
 
 






Our Favorite Heroines Return
 
 

 

More New Mysteries & Thrillers
 
 






New from Audible Studios
 
 

Here’s the link to the landing page, which looks even more impressive than what I’ve displayed above because the book covers are four wide instead of two. The Audible employee said the fall promo would be used on the Audible homepage, their targeted email list, facebook page, twitter, and other forms of outreach.

I’m still a little too stunned to say more, but I wanted to thank each and every one of my fans and friends who took a chance on me and have supported me with your reviews and word of mouth when my name most certainly wasn’t making lists such as this.

If I’m ever famous, I’m going to find a way to thank my early supporters who stood by my side when there was nothing to gain by doing so!

Oh, and while I’m at it, let me hit you with a few quick other updates.

First, Afghan Storm should be done in October. (For those that don’t know, this is the third book in the Nick Woods series.)

Second, I’m making pretty good progress on my second Little Man book, and have much of it outlined.

Third, I’ve started a new detective/police series that I think will blow you guys away. : )

I know I’m probably dreaming, but the members of Mitchell’s Militia who have been here from the beginning know that I’m crazy ambitious, and it’s my honest-to-goodness, crazy goal to have the second Little Man book and the new detective/police book done by the end of the year.

Keep the faith,

Stan R. Mitchell

About me: I write military action books similar to Vince Flynn, Stephen Hunter, and Tom Clancy. I’m also a prior USMC Sgt with Combat Action Ribbon, and a guy who spent 10+ years writing every day in the newspaper business — 9 of them with a newspaper that I started.  Please consider subscribing for email alerts — I mostly post about things that either motivate or inspire you.

Huge news for the Mitchell household!

Hey guys!

I wanted to share some great news with you all! Thanks to your all’s tremendous job spreading the word about my books, I recently signed a deal with Audible to publish my books as audiobooks!

They were specifically interested in the Nick Woods series (Sold Out, Mexican Heat, and Afghan Storm), as well as an option to the fourth book.

For those that don’t know, Audible is owned by Amazon and is the world’s largest downloadable audiobook store. We recently completed signing the contract and I can’t tell you how pumped I am about this deal!

No. Like, REALLY pumped!!!

This is a chance to get Nick Woods into a new market, as many audiobook readers are pretty exclusive to that format. As one friend told me, “I don’t have time to read your book. But I listen to audiobooks every day on my drive to work. When will your books be available in audio?”

I don’t currently have any details on a timeline for when the books will be available, so stay tuned for details on that.

But before I let you all go,  I wanted to thank each and every one of you for your encouragement and support. This has been such an amazing journey, but it’s not exactly been an easy one. And there were so many times that your all’s comments to my blog posts and assistance in spreading the word has proved more valuable than you could ever know.

So thank you, each and every one. You are truly members of Mitchell’s Militia, and let’s keep spreading the word about Nick Woods. He’s got a lot more wrongs to right, and quite a bit more growing to do. (Don’t we all?)

Believe me! I can’t wait to share with you the story arc that Danah and I have planned for his character, as well as the others involved with Shield, Safeguard, and Shelter (S3)!

And seriously, if you have some small dream you’ve been suppressing or ignoring or barely feeding, will you please be inspired by my news and read (or re-read) this post:  Find true happiness: announce your dreams to the world today. I firmly believe you owe it to yourself and your family to pursue that dream.

All right. Done preachin’. (At least for today.) lol

Thanks, guys! I’m indebted to you all!

Keep the faith,

Stan R. Mitchell

About me: I’m a full-time, action-fiction author with books similar to Vince Flynn, Stephen Hunter, and Tom Clancy. I’m also a prior infantry Marine with Combat Action Ribbon, and entrepreneur who spent nine years running a weekly newspaper that I started.  Please consider subscribing for email alerts — I mostly post about things that either motivate or inspire you.

Four amazing suggestions from the book, ‘The 4-Hour Workweek’

Hey guys!

Hope everyone is having a great week and running laps around those around you! And if you’re not, pick up the pace some. It’ll pay off. And if you are, encourage someone who’s struggling!

Now, with those formalities out of the way, I thought I’d try something a little different with the blog from time to time. (And this beith one of those times!).

As my close friends know, I read a tremendous number of business books and self-help guides. I formed this habit after it proved a necessity back when I stupidly launched a company at the age of 27 and jumped in the deep end of the pool.

I soon found myself drowning from said deep end of the pool and looking for every angle and bit of help I could find.

By far, few things helped me more than reading business books and self-help guides. Clearly, in a perfect world, you should be smoking through about one self-help book every month or two. And as your primary (hopefully favorite) motivator, I should chew your ass some for not doing so! : )  

But I also know we live in the real world. You’ve got kids, obligations, and that one TV show you’re totally addicted to, so you’re probably not cranking thru that one book every other month. And frankly, some of you don’t even enjoy reading, so until Kim Kardashian or your Zombie show starts passing off some great advice, you might not be getting as much mental growth as you should! lol

Thus, this fantabulous (and free) blog post in your email box today. (Remember, you do get what you pay for, so proceed with caution!)

I thought I’d share today four really great ideas from the book, “The 4-Hour Workweek.” (I’m be posting about these books in random order, so don’t go reading into anything about why this one is first.)

“The 4-Hour Workweek” is an incredible book that I’ve read probably three or four times. I was recently re-browsing through it — yes, I’m that big of a dork that I re-read my own self-help books; I’m aiming for the clouds, people, cut me some slack — and came across four really key things that stuck out from the book and are definitely worth sharing.

“If everyone is defining a problem or solving it one way and the results are subpar, this is the time to ask, What if I did the opposite? Don’t follow a model that doesn’t work. If the recipe sucks, it doesn’t matter how good a cook you are.”
“Our culture tends to reward personal sacrifice instead of personal productivity.” (This comment was about the point that we usually measure how many hours we work instead of how much we actually accomplish.)
“It is far more lucrative and fun to leverage your strengths instead of attempting to fix all the chinks in your armor. The choice is between multiplication of results using strengths or incremental improvement fixing weaknesses that will, at best, become mediocre. Focus on better use of your best weapons instead of constant repair.” (This is just one of the many tips that hit home for me. I HATE editing, which is probably why this post has several errors. I’ve read book after book on editing, and I’ve gotten better, but I don’t enjoy it. About a year ago, I realized it’s far better to just pay to have the editing done. Some people actually live to edit!)
“Ninety- nine percent of people in the world are convinced they are incapable of achieving great things, so they aim for the mediocre. The level of competition is thus fiercest for “realistic” goals, paradoxically making them the most time- and energy- consuming. It is easier to raise $1,000,000 than it is $100,000. It is easier to pick up the one perfect 10 in the bar than the five 8s. Having an unusually large goal is an adrenaline infusion that provides the endurance to overcome the inevitable trials and tribulations that go along with any goal. The fishing is best where the fewest go, and the collective insecurity of the world makes it easy for people to hit home runs while everyone else is aiming for base hits. There is just less competition for bigger goals.”

These are just four of the really great ideas in the book. I found the book to be a great read and it’s certainly helped me a lot. (Especially if you love to travel, the book has all kinds of ways to find more time to travel.)

I’m not really much of a person who loves to travel, but the book was a real motivator with tons of out-of-the-box ideas on how to get ahead.

And right now the book is only two freakin’ dollars on Amazon Kindle, which you can read on your desktop, so I highly encourage you to take a glance at its description and see if it’s something that interests you further.

Or you can watch your Zombie show and wait for me to share some tips from a new book probably next week. : )

Either way though, you better be running laps around those around you! That’s kind of a requirement for staying subscribed to this crazy site.

Keep the faith,

Stan R. Mitchell

P.S. Anyone else read the book? And if the four points from the book don’t make sense and could use further elaboration, just let me know and I’ll say more about them in the comments.

About me: I’m a full-time, action-fiction author with books similar to Vince Flynn, Stephen Hunter, and Tom Clancy. I’m also a prior infantry Marine with Combat Action Ribbon, and entrepreneur who spent nine years running a weekly newspaper that I started.  Please consider subscribing for email alerts — I mostly post about things that either motivate or inspire you.

Even in the face of terror, there’s reason to have faith in the world

It’s so easy to grow negative and cynical about these continuing terrorist attacks from ISIS.

Just recently, following the massacre on the beaches of Tunisia, I’ve found myself — like most — thinking, “There’s no way I’d ever visit there.”

And indeed, thousands of tourists have fled in the wake of the attack. Likewise, hundreds have cancelled upcoming trips.

This is such a sad thing for the struggling country of Tunisia in North Africa, which gets 20 percent of its income through tourism.

And in light of such a brutal attack, with the deluge of over-the-top reporting that followed it, it’s easier than ever in America to start to lump small groups of extremists into larger groups of “them,” “those people,” and “Muslims.”

Thus with those thoughts in mind, I wanted to share the following story…

This seems almost impossible to believe, but in the midst of the horror of the beach attack, unarmed men — yes, Muslims — formed a human wall and offered to sacrifice themselves to prevent the gunman from killing more Westerners, i.e. Christians.

Those in the background formed a human shield to protect another hotel they are not watching they saved many lives. http://t.co/kQm8GuBZOe—
John Yeoman (@johnyeo68) June 28, 2015

 Here are the details of this incredible story: Locals form ‘human shield’ to protect hotel from gunman Seifeddine Rezgui.

From the story, one survivor said in the aftermath, “they were telling the gunman ‘you’ll have to get past us and we’re Muslims’. Obviously I don’t know the exact words but that was pretty much what they were saying. They’d actually made a human barricade – ‘you’re not going to get past us, you’ll have to kill us.’”

And so it’s my hope that as we struggle to comprehend this latest attack — just one of several on three separate continents — we don’t lost faith in our fellow man. And that we don’t allow the cynicism and dark thoughts in our mind to grow into something far uglier.

There are countless good people in the world, and just like on the beaches of Tunisia, they thankfully far outnumber those who are bad.

Keep the faith,

Stan R. Mitchell

About me: I’m a full-time, action-fiction author with books similar to Vince Flynn, Stephen Hunter, and Tom Clancy. I’m also a prior infantry Marine with Combat Action Ribbon, and entrepreneur who spent nine years running a weekly newspaper that I started.  Please consider subscribing for email alerts — I mostly post about things that either motivate or inspire you.

Update on my newest book! Afghan Storm coming soon!

Hey guys!

Hope everyone is doing well, staying motivated, and remaining strong! I know we all face our own challenges, and I know those challenges don’t go away if we back down, slack off, or give up, so I hope everyone is keeping up the good fight!

On my front, I wanted to update you on the latest news about my upcoming, third Nick Woods book!

I’m more the 3/4 of the way done with it, and should be done writing it in about a month! (Sorry, the timing of such things isn’t a science! lol)

The working title is “Afghan Storm,” and we’re already planning the book cover. Furthermore, we’ve already begun planning the fourth book in the series, which will take place in Iraq/Syria against ISIS! (Long term, I see the Nick Woods series as being 10-15 books, same as those written by Vince Flynn, Lee Child, and Stephen Hunter.)

Now, about the book…

As was hinted to at the end of “Mexican Heat,” Nick Woods and the men of Shield, Safeguard, and Shelter (S3) deploy to Afghanistan for Book 3 of the series.

The men are trying to break the back of the Taliban at a time when things are desperate in Afghanistan.  Similar to real life, I’ve lined it up in my book that very few American troops remain in the country, and those that do aren’t actively patroling.

It’s an Afghan war now, but it’s one they’re not winning. And in my book, the Afghan government teeters on the verge of collapse. Since sending more American troops isn’t politically viable, the men of S3 get the call to take down the key religious leader of the Taliban, in the hopes of stabilizing Afghanistan and buying it more time.

The Taliban have some other plans, so it goes without saying that there’s going to be loads of lead thrown and bullets dodged!

One thing I won’t lie about is that I’ve felt tremendous pressure on this book, and it’s certainly slowed down getting it finished. With the explosion in sales of the first two Nick Woods books, and the whole full-time author gig now in full swing, I know that expectations are higher than ever. And I’m also fully aware that I have a lot to lose if I put out a dud.

I know readers aren’t forgiving, and as a reader myself, I completely understand. It takes me a long time to forgive an author who publishes something that’s boring, so I’m trying to really kill it on this third book. (Here’s a teaser of how high I’m aiming! The book begins with four members of S3 going on a Top-Secret mission into Pakistan, alone, on foot, and without any form of support!)

Quite honestly, I really do think it’s coming together as a great book and the ending should be epic, as well, similar to how the amazing end of “Mexican Heat” came together.

So, to wrap up, if you haven’t started the series, I think it’s a great time to get started!

For my new subscribers the past couple of months, the book order, and a brief description about each book, follows:

“Sold Out (Nick Woods, No. 1)” tracks the life of legendary Marine Sniper Nick Woods after a CIA unit decides to kill him for reasons of national security.
“Mexican Heat (Nick Woods, No. 2)” follows Nick Woods as he’s recalled into service in hopes of preventing the entire collapse of the Mexican government.

Thanks for everyone’s continued support! I certainly wouldn’t have made it here without you all, and one day I will come up with a really cool way to reward the dedicated members of Mitchell’s Militia!

Keep the faith,

Stan R. Mitchell

About me: I’m a full-time, action-fiction author with books similar to Vince Flynn, Stephen Hunter, and Tom Clancy. I’m also a prior infantry Marine with Combat Action Ribbon, and entrepreneur who spent nine years running a weekly newspaper that I started.  Please consider subscribing for email alerts — I mostly post about things that either motivate or inspire you.

What makes you enthusiastic about life?

What makes you enthusiastic about life?

It’s an interesting question. And it’s one Author Britt Skrabanek has been asking folks as part of a monthly series she’s been doing.

Last month, Britt asked me to take part and here’s my answer to “What makes you enthusiastic about life?”: The Life Enthusiast Chronicles with Stan.

And while you’re there, make sure you check out her books. Britt is a lovely writer and fantastic person! I’d love nothing more than if you bought one of her books (if it interests you), or if they don’t, file them away in your mind and tell a friend that might be interested in them.

Keep the faith,

Stan R. Mitchell

About me: I’m a full-time, action-fiction author with books similar to Vince Flynn, Stephen Hunter, and Tom Clancy. I’m also a prior infantry Marine with Combat Action Ribbon, and a guy who spent 10+ years writing every day in the newspaper business.  Please consider subscribing for email alerts — I mostly post about things that either motivate or inspire you.

P.S. You should really consider buying this book: The Shaolin Workout: 28 Days to Transforming Your Body and Soul the Warrior’s Way. It’s absolutely changed my life for the better.

How my life changed on this day, seven years ago

Seven years ago, I went on a blind date with a woman I met on MySpace. It started like quite a few before it: with a meet up in a very public place at Panera. At the time, I was heavily in debt with a pretty bleak outlook for my company, but still absolutely convinced of my long-term success.

And I desperately wanted to find a woman who would overlook the $400 apartment and scary financial picture. A woman who’d believe in me and encourage me and support me, all while helping guide me through some troubled waters ahead on the horizon.

I found that and a whole lot more when I found Danah Akin Mitchell. I found a woman I could be silly with. A woman I could be real with.

Even better, I found a woman with a keener business mind than even I possess, and a woman that gets people and can discern trouble well before it arrives. She has an intuitive sense for how things should be handled, and an incredible understanding of character, which has done much for my writing career.

We’ve traveled some rough waters these past seven years, but I can’t imagine anyone else I’d rather have in the boat with me.

She’s my soulmate and my best friend, and I’m glad that even after seven years, we still make each other smile and laugh like we did that first night at Panera.

Keep the faith,

Stan R. Mitchell

About me: I’m a full-time, action-fiction author with books similar to Vince Flynn, Stephen Hunter, and Tom Clancy. I’m also a prior infantry Marine with Combat Action Ribbon, and a guy who spent 10+ years writing every day in the newspaper business.  Please consider subscribing for email alerts — I mostly post about things that either motivate or inspire you.

P.S. You should really consider buying this book: The Shaolin Workout: 28 Days to Transforming Your Body and Soul the Warrior’s Way. It’s absolutely changed my life for the better.

Some inspiration and hope for the week

Hope these inspire you!

RT @DavidRoads: You'll never leave where you are until you decide where you'd rather be.

— Stan R. Mitchell (@StanRMitchell) May 31, 2015

RT @LeadershipCures: There is no education like adversity.
-Disraeli #leadership

— Stan R. Mitchell (@StanRMitchell) May 31, 2015

RT @LeadershipCures: Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement. W. Clement Stone #leadership

— Stan R. Mitchell (@StanRMitchell) May 31, 2015

RT @JohnCMaxwell: Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence. -Vince Lombardi

— Stan R. Mitchell (@StanRMitchell) May 28, 2015

RT @LeadershipCures: The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails. #leadership

— Stan R. Mitchell (@StanRMitchell) May 22, 2015

RT @DavidRoads: Today, be the reason someone feels loved.

— Stan R. Mitchell (@StanRMitchell) May 20, 2015

RT @DavidRoads: The moment you're ready to quit is usually the moment right before the miracle happens.

— Stan R. Mitchell (@StanRMitchell) May 21, 2015

RT @DavidRoads: Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we should dance.

— Stan R. Mitchell (@StanRMitchell) June 1, 2015

RT @DavidRoads: SMALL changes can make a BIG difference.

— Stan R. Mitchell (@StanRMitchell) May 30, 2015

RT @DavidRoads: Don't let someone else's opinion of you become your reality

— Stan R. Mitchell (@StanRMitchell) June 1, 2015

RT @Quote_Soup: Live more, complain less.
More smiles, less stress.
Less hate, more blessed.

— Stan R. Mitchell (@StanRMitchell) May 30, 2015

RT @DavidRoads: Fake friends believe in rumors. Real friends believe in you.

— Stan R. Mitchell (@StanRMitchell) June 1, 2015

RT @Daily_Good: "Hurt people hurt people; healed people heal people." ~Warlock and Brother G, San Quentin State Prison

— Stan R. Mitchell (@StanRMitchell) May 30, 2015

RT @DavidRoads: If someone wants you, nothing will keep them away, but if they don't want you, nothing will make them stay!

— Stan R. Mitchell (@StanRMitchell) June 1, 2015

Keep the faith,

Stan R. Mitchell

About me: I’m a full-time, action-fiction author with books similar to Vince Flynn, Stephen Hunter, and Tom Clancy. I’m also a prior infantry Marine with Combat Action Ribbon, and a guy who spent 10+ years writing every day in the newspaper business.  Please consider subscribing for email alerts — I mostly post about things that either motivate or inspire you.

P.S. You should really consider buying this book: The Shaolin Workout: 28 Days to Transforming Your Body and Soul the Warrior’s Way. It’s absolutely changed my life for the better.

Why you shouldn’t be hard on yourself when you fall short of the mark

Keep the faith,

Stan R. Mitchell

About me: I’m a full-time, action-fiction author with books similar to Vince Flynn, Stephen Hunter, and Tom Clancy. I’m also a prior infantry Marine with Combat Action Ribbon, and a guy who spent 10+ years writing every day in the newspaper business.  Please consider subscribing for email alerts — I mostly post about things that either motivate or inspire you.

P.S. You should really consider buying this book: The Shaolin Workout: 28 Days to Transforming Your Body and Soul the Warrior’s Way. It’s absolutely changed my life for the better.