Jess Steven Hughes's Blog, page 7

Best-Sellers

For the month of September, under Sunbury Press' (www.sunburypress.com) Milford House imprint, my historical novels, The Broken Lance and The Sign of the Eagle, are no. 4 & no. 5 best-sellers.

Book Signing Reminder

Book Signing. For those who live in the greater Spokane, Washington/North Idaho area, I will be signing copies of my latest historical novel, The Broken Lance, and copies of The Sign of the Eagle Trilogy @ Barnes & Noble, Northtown Mall, 4750 N. Division St., Spokane, WA, Saturday, Oct. 21st, 11 am/5 pm. If you cannot attend, you can order copies online from Sunbury Press (www.sunburypress.com), Amazon, Barnes & Noble (bn.com) or your local brick and mortar store. All books are also available on Kindle.

Book Signing Follow-Up

Another successful signing @ Barnes & Noble, Woodville, WA, Saturday, Oct. 14th. I met a lot of interesting people, passed out a lot flyers and sold many copies of The Broken Lance and the Sign of the Eagle Trilogy. Woodinville, in the heart of N. Washington State's wine country (100 wineries) has been a great place to conduct signings. Afterwards, Manager, David, and other associates gave me high 5's. David said, "You always do a great job for us and it's a pleasure having you here, we want you to come back again."
I want to thank store manager, David, assistant manager, Dan, and the rest of the B&N associates for contributing to a successful event.

Book Signing Success

Book signing follow-up. Yesterday, Oct. 7th, I conducted a successful signing at EntertainMART, Couer d'Alene, Idaho. I met several interesting people. One in particular was a lovely lady from Surrey, U.K. who bought a copy of The Broken Lance for her husband. We talked at some length about British history. Before she left she gave me a big hug and thanked me for keeping history alive. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of her.
I want thank book manager, Marie, and associate, Maya, for contributing to the event's success. What books I didn't sell, the store bought from me outright. Marie said, "You are one of our best authors. What we don't sell between now and your next signing, we know you will sell when you return (Nov. 18th).

No. 1 Author

FYI book signing follow-up. I was just informed by Barnes & Noble, Norhtown Mall, Spokane, Washington, store manager, Kelly, that the combination of sales from my four historical novels (The Broken Lance; The Wolf of Britannia, Part I & II; and The Sign of the Eagle) made me the number one author in sales at that store for the week of Sept. 16-23.

Book Signing Reminder

BOOK SIGNING - THE BROKEN LANCE. For those who live in the greater San Francisco/Silicone Valley, California area, I will be signing copies of my latest historical novel, set in the wilds of First Century AD Britain and the mean streets of Imperial Rome, THE BROKEN LANCE, plus my other historicals at Barnes & Noble - Almaden Plaza, 5353 Almaden Expressway, San Jose, California, Saturday, Sept. 30th, 11 a.m./5 p.m. For those who cannot attend, my books are available through Amazon (worldwide), Sunbury Press (www.sunburypress.com) and of course, on Kindle.

Book Signing Success

Book signing follow-up. A near sell-out at Barnes & Noble, Northtown Mall, Spokane, Washington, Sat., Sept. 16th. I spent a busy day meeting and greeting a lot of interesting people. Handed out all my information packets and sold a lot of books. Sold out the last copies of The Sign of the Eagle and nearly all those of the Broken Lance. A few copies of The Wolf of Britannia, Part I & II are still available (will probably sell them out on my next visit Oct. 21st).

I want to thank store manager, Kelly, and assistant managers Lynn and Owen for all their assistance in making this a successful event. Next book signing,

Book Signing Success - Partially

Book signing success (at one venue) The book signing double-header was a mixed bag. Due to heavy construction, the streets being torn up, the turn out a Yoke's was poor. Store manager, Dan Dicicco said construction has taken a toll on their business and it will be another two weeks (if not longer) before the streets are repaired and re-surfaced. I will return in the future when all the work is completed.

On the other hand, I did well at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Spokane Valley, Washington. The store was busy; I met lots of interesting people; and handed out lots of flyers. Like B&N, Woodiville, last weekend, my new historical novel, THE BROKEN LANCE has been well received and I sold many copies while still copies of my other novels.

I want to thank store manager, Leslie, assistant manager, Meera, and the rest of the associates for contributing to this event's success. I have been signed up at this store for signing events in September and October. More details at a later date.

The Broken Lance - Now Available

The Broken Lance - Now Available by Sunbury Press and on Amazon USA, UK, AU, CA and Kindle

In Rome, when shaking hands with a stranger, you'd best count your fingers to see if they are still attached.

44 A.D. Ancient Britannia is wild, unpredictable, and merciless. The dusty streets of Rome are chaotic and dangerous, home to incredible opulence, deplorable poverty, and a political web that catches anyone who dares to question the empire. Both places call to young Roman cavalry sergeant Marcellus Reburrus, who must survive a world of political treachery in which one’s life can be taken in an instant—by friend or enemy.


After enduring a ravaging storm, Marcellus’s boots hit the shore of Britannia under the orders of Roman Emperor Claudius only to face deplorable conditions and a commander who would rather see Marcellus dead than reporting for duty. Despite the circumstances, Marcellus quickly makes a name for himself, earning awards for bravery, promotion to centurion, and further alienating himself from the evil commander.

Marcellus’s return to Rome brings a whole new set of problems, the least of which is dodging assassination attempts, unraveling conspiracies, and falling in love. From the underground caves of beggars beneath the city to the magnificent homes of the Roman elite, Marcellus uncovers an elaborate plot of betrayal, one that can bring down the entire city. Can he find the conspirators before they find him . . . and destroy everything he holds dear?

This beautifully descriptive novel brings to life the remarkable worlds of ancient Britannia and Rome—while following the brilliant Marcellus, whose entire life is turned upside down as he must solve a complex mystery . . . and stay alive amongst backstabbing senators, murderous traitors, and an extraordinary city whose legacy is both inspiring and duplicitous.

https://www.amazon.com/Broken-Lance-J...

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B073X1KR6R/r...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B073X1KR6...

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B073X1KR...-

Take Reviews From Net Galley with a Grain of Salt

A short time back I wrote about the lousy review I received about THE BROKEN LANCE from a reviewer through an online review site called Net Galley. This was a site subscribed to by my publisher, Sunbury Press. The reviewer did not like the fact that I used profanity (we are talking about soldiers, here, folks). This is what my publisher had to say about Net Galley: "...the vast majority of reviewers are using Net Galley as another free book grab. Most of them do not provide reviews in return, and most of the reviews are terribly written and/or incredibly brief. There were a couple of reviews that really set me off--books that I know are fantastic that received 1's out of 5. And there was a lady who complained about swearing in a book (mine) that had very little..."

As a result he cancelled the subscription to Net Galley. So, beware of any review from Net Galley.

By the way, the released date of The Broken Lance has been moved up from July 11th to June 27th.