C.R. Hiatt's Blog, page 11
April 6, 2012
FREE KINDLE BOOK TODAY
“If it wasn’t for the danger we were headed into, this would have been a friggin’ blast!”
April 4, 2012
FREE KINDLE BOOK APRIL 5/6
As the video says, the Kindle version is FREE until zero hundred hours (midnight) on April 6!
Free to download onto your PC, laptop, Ipad, Kindle, Iphone, and even a Blackberry. All you have to do is drop on over to Amazon.com on the designated dates, and click the button. If you don’t have a Kindle, no problem. Amazon offers one for your PC at no charge. How cool is that?
See how easy it will be to get in on the adventures of McSwain & Beck. For two days, at no cost to you, you can step into the world of McSwain & Beck, and follow them on their first kick-butt adventure.
McSwain & Beck are in for a rocky ride…
A secret club whose members are branded with the tattoo of a devil.
Bored, rich kids who call themselves The Privileged Ones.
Bad cops and members of a drug cartel called the Outlaws.
Murder, chase scenes and a Mardi Gras on a private cruise ship where you just might meet the devil, himself…
And all while Sydney is searching for the identity of her father…
Here’s what two readers said to me via twitter…
“McSwain & Beck kick ass!” says @Fyrinstructor04
“Great book. Fully developed characters, and a cool plot!” says @PeterBurkeJr.
April 3, 2012
FREE PROMOTION!
PRINT VERSION
I am pleased to announce the release of the print version of Gone at Zero Hundred 00:00, which is now available at Amazon.com (http://ow.ly/a34n4), and available at other stores, real soon!
In honor of the release, I am having a FREE promotion. Yes, you heard that right. Free! Starting at midnight on the morning of April 5, and continuing until zero hundred hours (midnight) on April 6, the Kindle version can be downloaded for FREE.
KINDLE VERSION
In case you didn’t get the above information, the Kindle version will be FREE!
Free to download onto your PC, laptop, Ipad, Kindle, Iphone, and even a Blackberry. All you have to do is drop on over to Amazon.com on the designated dates, and click the button. If you don’t have a Kindle, no problem. Amazon offers one for your PC at no charge. How cool is that?
See how easy it will be to get in on the adventures of McSwain & Beck. For two days, at no cost to you, you can step into the world of McSwain & Beck, and follow them on their first kick-butt adventure. It’s a tough start to be sure. You can read all about it here sample chapters
And that’s only the beginning of the action.
McSwain & Beck are in for a rocky ride…
A secret club whose members are branded with the tattoo of a devil.
Bored, rich kids who call themselves The Privileged Ones.
Bad cops and members of a drug cartel called the Outlaws.
Murder, chase scenes and a Mardi Gras on a private cruise ship where you just might meet the devil, himself…
Will Sydney ever learn the identity of her father, and finally get to meet him?
There’s only one way to find out. On April 5 and 6, hop on over to Amazon, and click on the button for your free Kindle copy!
Now, I know what you’re thinking. Why would I give away free copies?
That’s easy.
I want to introduce you to some cool, new characters. You haven’t met them yet, so you don’t know what you’re missing out on. But, once you download your free copy of Gone at Zero Hundred 00:00, I’m hoping McSwain & Beck will have you coming back for more. The first two chapters of the next book, FIREWORKS ON THE 4TH, are at the end of the book, and it is coming out SOON! I don’t think you’ll want to miss it.
Their best friend Jaden – the star that led the high school hockey team to the championship – is detained at the Mexican border, and it’s non-stop action from there.
So, remember, on April 5 and 6, the Kindle version of Gone at Zero Hundred 00:00 is FREE!
CR HIATT
April 2, 2012
Taylor Swift – Entertainer of the Year
In a world of reality TV, teen angst and rebellion, Taylor Swift stays true to her morals and continues to awe the crowds. Country music’s Entertainer of the Year, in my opinion, was well deserved, not only because she has incredible talent, but because of her selfless acts to others.
She continues to be a role model to girls, everywhere!
March 29, 2012
ON THE DAY OF HER HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATON
Sydney Marie McSwain loves her mom, Anna, but they have a major issue between them. Anna refuses to tell Sydney the identity of her father. On the day of her high school graduation, they were battling it out like they usually did. An hour later, Sydney was at the local cafe with her pals, Cody and Jaden, and watched as her mom was gunned down, and it was televised on live TV.
Life will never be the same…
Read it all in the free sample of chapters.
http://crhiatt.com/files/Sample_Chapters.pdf
CR HIATT
March 26, 2012
BOOK TRAILER USING NEW COVER…
Book teaser utilizing the new cover for the print edition of Gone at Zero Hundred 00:00…
CR HIATT
March 23, 2012
The ole teenage crush…
NEW BOOK COVER FOR PRINTED VERSION…
Girls, remember the boy you were crushin’ on for years, but you never let him know? He was inevitably popular in school, and had the attention of all the girls – especially the cheerleaders and “it” girls.
In Gone at Zero Hundred 00:00, one of the main characters, 18 year-old Sydney Marie McSwain, knows exactly what that’s like.
She has been pals with Cody Beck and Jaden White since, like, forever. They hang out every day. They have paintball wars. Ride their four-wheelers at the beach. Support Jaden at his hockey games. Cody is a wannabe filmmaker, so Sydney and Jaden are constantly used as his filming pigeons. The three of them have been life-long buds.
So you can imagine the challenge Sydney has to deal with when she realized she just might be crushin’ on her best pal, Cody. But, she knows she should keep those feelings inside. She has soooo many other things to deal with…
The murder of her mom.
A secret club whose members are branded with the tattoo of a devil.
Possible abductions.
And a criminal syndicate who call themselves, The Privileged Ones.
She can’t ruin a good friendship, right?
Besides, Cody always has a slew of girls hanging on his every word. They’re hot, always up on the latest fashions and makeup. She’s a tomboy, and would rather roll around in the mud in the paintball obstacle tournaments. How could she compete?
Well, she might have to when those feelings threaten to come to the surface. Especially, when she sees Cody all dressed up when they have to crash the Mardi Gras bash…
March 19, 2012
It has been a couple years since I lost one of my best friends…
This is a blog post of a personal nature.
It has been a couple years since I lost one of my best friends, my Golden Retriever, Panda. But, I still miss her every day. Family and friends have tried to talk me into getting another dog to take her place, but I haven’t convinced myself to make that step. For one, I don’t think another dog could take her place. Sure, I would be able to bond with another dog. I bond with all my friends’ dogs. But, Panda was so much more to me than I could ever have imagined a dog could be.
She wasn’t just a dog.
She was my friend (and yes, I talked to her).
She was a loyal companion.
When I was sad, she comforted me.
She cheered me up by her mere personality.
She gave unconditional love.
And, she was my bodyguard. Goldens are known for loving people, and Panda was no exception. Her tail wagged constantly when people approached. But, she wouldn’t hesitate to bark when trouble was near, or when incidents occurred that she needed to alert me to. One time, there was a gas smell in the basement that Panda alerted me to. When I caught on, I called the Fire Department. Sure enough, a gas leak occurred in the gas station up the street and was making its way down the street under the homes. Other homeowners called not long after.
The original purpose of wanting a dog was for security. My significant other is a firefighter who works twenty-four hour shifts, but he also works for the fire academy and travels the state instructing other fire departments. So, I am alone, a lot. Plus, I have one of those auras that seems to attract all kinds of characters (I could tell you stories). I’m known as the approachable one, but I couldn’t explain why. But these days, you can’t be too careful.
So anyway, from the moment I brought Panda home, at six weeks old, she was always at my side. From the start, that puppy was awesome. I crate-trained her which worked perfectly. No, I didn’t keep her in the crate all the time. But, I set it up like a little apartment, and let her sleep in there at night, right next to my bed, (until she was old enough to sleep with me). And I would put her in if I had to run to the store, or errands and such. She spent most of her time with me, roaming the house, or outside in the yard.
She only went to the bathroom on the floor – once – when I first brought her home. She didn’t chew my socks, or shoes. She only nibbled on the chewies and toys that were Vet-recommended. Even when she was a rambunctious puppy, running up and down the stairs daring me to play, she still didn’t vandalize the house the way puppies normally do. She was a terror-free puppy. I would have loved her just the same if she would have chewed on my favorite boots. She just didn’t do any of that. I expected to have her around for years – or at least until she was twelve or thirteen. I knew some Goldens had hip issues, etc, so I knew things could crop up. I just wasn’t prepared for it, when she was only six.
One of the things Panda did do; was eat grass. No matter where we were. I knew dogs would eat the grass if they had an upset tummy, but Panda did all the time. When we went for walks, she would stop to do her business. Sniff around, and without fail, take a few nibbles. When we went camping, and walking along the water, the same. If we walked through the woods, she would find some there. It seemed everywhere we went it was just the natural thing for her to do. I wish I could have stopped her.
When she was six-years-old, Panda came down with a tummy bug. She became lethargic after our walks. Then, she stopped eating as much and would only drink small amounts of water. She started to throw up. At first, most of what came up was the grass she had been eating. Then after two days, just yellow liquid. But, I could see it in her eyes. There was something wrong with my puppy – something seriously wrong. I just knew it. When my significant other asked me what was wrong with her, I said in a voice filled with emotion: “I think she’s dying”. He, of course, thought I was exaggerating because of my feelings for the dog.
We loaded Panda into the SUV and took her to the Vet. I answered all the questions. Did she eat anything unusal? Was she ever out of your eyesight, and got a hold of something? I told the Vet she was with me 24/7. I walked the dog three times a day, so I knew what went into her system. The Vet took a bunch of tests, checked her blood. The blood test would take several hours for the results. But then, he informed me that he could give her a shot which would stop the vomiting, and she would probably be back to normal within a couple hours. Of course, I agreed to the shot. I just wanted my dog’s pain to go away. I remember the Vet’s last words to me.
“Don’t worry. She should be okay within a couple hours.”
He was wrong.
When we got home, I put Panda’s bed next to my computer. Before I got back to my writing, I sat down on the floor next to her. I pet her behind the ears the way she loves. Then, I found myself lying down next to her – on the floor – almost as if I had a six sense of what was to come.
Sure enough, forty-five minutes later, I was sitting at the desk writing away (writing seems easier when I am emotional for some reason). Panda hadn’t moved for a few minutes, so I looked down at her. She was lying on her side, her paws out in front of her. But she wasn’t breathing. My Panda was gone.
After the blood test had returned, the Vet discovered there was a small amount of anti-freeze in her system. And, I immediately felt guilty, and responsible. I was with that dog around the clock. I walked her. I watched her nibble on the grass. We walked around the park, where cars were parked, where anti-freeze could have spilled. The Vet said it only takes a small amount to do the damage. Unfortunately, Panda’s love to chew on the grass was the reason she died.
Should I have stopped her from eating the grass? I know I wish I did. Then, maybe she’d still be here with me. Truthfully, I couldn’t have stopped it. All of my friends’ dogs eat grass. Heck, some of them eat the branches off the trees, and huge chunks of wood. All they wind up with is smelly gas. It was just an unfortunate thing. For whatever reason, my Panda was needed elsewhere, so she could bestow her unconditional love onto someone else.
She will always be missed.
CR HIATT
March 18, 2012
Gone at Zero Hundred 00:00 Book Teaser
Hey there fellow bloggers. This is just a quick post to show you another book trailer I put together using After Effects, a cover of the book and some cool music.
I hope you enjoy. I’ll post another one soon.
CR HIATT
