Rob Dircks's Blog, page 5
September 10, 2018
Amazon Kindle Countdown Deal: The Wrong Unit at 99¢
Get the ebook for only 99¢!
This week only, get my science fiction novel, The Wrong Unit, for just 99¢. It’s a future sci-fi odyssey of a “unit” with a problem: how to deliver his package, out in the middle of nowhere, with nothing to guide him. Oh, and with the fate of humanity hanging in the balance. It’s a science fiction tale of technology gone haywire, unlikely heroes, and the nature of humanity. (Woah. That last part sounds deep. Don’t worry, it’s not.)
Reviews
“★★★★★ The Wrong Unit is the right story for today… it reacquaints us with our human ingenuity and shortcomings, our deepest longings, and, most notably, our great capacity to love.”
“★★★★★ LOVED this future tale of technology run amok, relationships, and challenging the definition of “human.” This book really hit home as the definition of “father”, “family” and “love” really has you thinking. Don’t want to give too much away, but it’s a great read and would suggest it to anyone looking for a solid scifi tale with a real story and characters you care about.”
“★★★★★ FUNNY. HUMAN. A GREAT RIDE! The Wrong Unit is a fun and twist-turning journey that keeps you on the edge of your seat.”
“★★★★★ I’m such a fan of this book that I’m going to recommend it for next month’s Book Club pick!”
“★★★★★ OUTSTANDING!! With The Wrong Unit, Rob Dircks has established himself as the H.G. Wells of our time with this potentially prophetic view into humanity’s future and the consequences of our growing reliability on and appetite for technology.”
“★★★★★ The Wrong Unit is such a great ride!! The pace is fast, the dialogue is smart and sarcastic and witty. The sci-fi world created by Dircks is new, imaginative, and so original. No easy feat! I loved the main characters Heyoo and Wah. Laugh out loud funny and sure, I’ll admit, I got a little weepy at some spots. Highly recommended!”
August 27, 2018
Don’t Touch the Blue Stuff! included in Audible’s “As You Wish” most wished-for titles sale!
Okay, that’s a complete and total overstatement, but just in case you’ve had my book Don’t Touch the Blue Stuff! (Where the Hell is Tesla? Book 2) on your audiobook wish list, now’s your chance to snag it at a sweet discount – Audible’s “As You Wish” Sale is running this week only for their most wished-for titles. Mine is only $5.95, which is like a billion percent off the normal $19.95 price. Cha-CHING!
Check out Audible’s “As You Wish” Sale Now!
“What can I expect from Don’t Touch the Blue Stuff!” you say? Well, it’s a touching tale of blossoming love, as two teenagers are shipwrecked on a lost tropical island, the summer moon and silky sand conspiring to enchant them. Oh shit, wait, that’s Blue Lagoon.
No, Don’t Touch the Blue Stuff! is the sequel to Where the Hell is Tesla?, the Audible bestselling sci-fi comedy about Chip Collins, his friend Pete, and their misadventures trying to save Nikola Tesla and the entire multiverse. (Shhh… both books are really love stories at their core, seriously, but don’t tell anyone.)
Oh, and if you think somebody you know might like to listen in and join Chip and friends as they nearly destroy everything we know and love, please share/tweet/forward the link above.
SALE ENDS SEPTEMBER 2, 2018.
August 8, 2018
August’s FREE audio sci-fi short, “Dakō,” posted to Listen To The Signal Podcast
The latest episode of the Listen To The Signal podcast is up!
Listen to the new episode “Dakō” now!
Hi guys! Today’s short story was inspired by an article I read in the New York Times about a couple of men who, many years after the Japanese earthquake and tsunami of 2011, still go diving every day looking for remains of their loved ones. It’s so sad, they understand I think the futility of the search, but something compels them to never give up, and it becomes a ritual to honor the dead, or sorts, or at least that’s what I thought of it. So as I’m reading this article, of course, I say to myself, “What if…?” and this story spilled out of my head, complete.
P.S. You can also subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, and get your monthly free sci-fi short audio delivered right to your phone/tablet/whatever!
July 31, 2018
This stuff works! (No, I’m not selling vitamins, I swear)
But I also get some really nice feedback once in a while that lets me know this stuff is actually working for people, and books are getting published, and audiobooks are getting recorded. Here are a couple of notes I got recently:
“Starting with no knowledge of the audiobook process, I’ve learned much from your tutorials and am embarking on the process now with my memoir. Your help on this, along with your articles on getting the word out for my book, have been a godsend. Thank you!”
— Oanh Ngo Usadi, author of Of Monkey Bridges and Bánh Mì Sandwiches: from Sài Gòn to Texas
Oanh’s book (which is wonderful, by the way) is available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback formats, and the audiobook is forthcoming. Here’s the jacket copy: “In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, a young girl and her family were exiled from city living in Saigon to the countryside of Vietnam and ultimately escaped to a small town in Texas. Part travelogue, part family drama, this quietly affecting immigrant memoir will make you laugh, cry, and hungry all at the same time. Through each traumatic transition, Oanh Ngo Usadi retains her optimism as she and her family adapt to new environments and cultures in their journey to become Americans.”
“When I made the decision to narrate my own audiobook, I figured, how hard could it be? Well, there’s quite a bit more to it than just reading words into a microphone, and I was quickly overwhelmed. Finding Rob’s site was a blessing, and exactly the roadmap I needed! And when I got dead-ended, I could reach out via email to Rob, who had a really pleasant way of simplifying the process and coaching me along the way. I’m proud to say that I now have a high quality audiobook, read by me, that sounds awesome and is selling well. Rob played a vital role in making my book a success.”
— Mike Clelland, author of Stories from The Messengers
Mike’s book, Stories from The Messengers, is available on Amazon in Kindle, paperback, and audiobook formats. Here’s the jacket copy: “This book is a companion to the groundbreaking ideas that began with The Messengers. It is a further exploration into the connection, both symbolic and literal, between owls and UFOs. There is a strangeness to these accounts that defies any simple explanation. Each chapter tells a deeply personal story where these mysterious experiences are explored in depth. The ancient mythology of the owl is repeating itself within the modern UFO report. What plays out is a journey of transformation, with an owl at the heart of each story.”
So, if you’re on this site to get a little kick in the ass to keep going on your book or your audiobook, consider this your kick in the ass. The tools are all out there, and you’ve got someone to email if you get stuck.
May 8, 2018
I Got to Narrate Bob, the New Middle Grade Book by Wendy Mass!
Wow. So this actually happened: an author tweets that she likes one of my audiobooks, so I tweet back “thanks,” and one thing leads to another and suddenly I’m in New York City at Penguin Random House Audio, recording the narration for her next book!
That’s Wendy Mass up there in the photo with me, she’s the New York Times bestselling author of middle-grade fiction including The Candymakers, A Mango-Shaped Space, and Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life. And now she’s teamed up with fellow NYT bestselling author Rebecca Stead on their latest creation, Bob. It’s a wonderful story about friendship, memory, and probably my favorite of all themes, coming home. (Btw, I performed “Bob,” and Nora Hunter performed “Livy.”) Here’s the publisher’s blurb:
Here’s the publisher’s blurb:
“It’s been five years since Livy and her family have visited Livy’s grandmother in Australia. Now that she’s back, Livy has the feeling she’s forgotten something really, really important about Gran’s house.
It turns out she’s right.
Bob, a short, greenish creature dressed in a chicken suit, didn’t forget Livy, or her promise. He’s been waiting five years for her to come back, hiding in a closet like she told him to. He can’t remember who―or what―he is, where he came from, or if he even has a family. But five years ago Livy promised she would help him find his way back home. Now it’s time to keep that promise.
Clue by clue, Livy and Bob will unravel the mystery of where Bob comes from, and discover the kind of magic that lasts forever.
Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead, two masterminds of classic, middle-grade fiction come together to craft this magical story about the enduring power of friendship.”
Listen to a quick audio sample:
Shop the Bob book on Wendy’s website
Shop the Bob audiobook on Audible
I Got to Narrate Bob, the New Middle Grade Novel by Wendy Mass!
Wow. This thing happened, and it went like this: an author tweets that she likes my audiobooks, so I tweet back “thanks,” and one thing leads to another and suddenly I’m in New York City at Penguin Random House Audio, recording the narration for her next novel!
That’s Wendy Mass up there in the photo with me, New York Times bestselling author of middle-grade books including The Candymakers, A Mango-Shaped Space, and Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life. She’s teamed up with fellow NYT bestselling author Rebecca Stead on their latest novel, Bob. It’s a wonderful book about friendship, memory, and one of my favorite themes, coming home. (Btw, I performed “Bob,” and Nora Hunter performed “Livy.”)
Here’s the publisher’s blurb:
“It’s been five years since Livy and her family have visited Livy’s grandmother in Australia. Now that she’s back, Livy has the feeling she’s forgotten something really, really important about Gran’s house.
It turns out she’s right.
Bob, a short, greenish creature dressed in a chicken suit, didn’t forget Livy, or her promise. He’s been waiting five years for her to come back, hiding in a closet like she told him to. He can’t remember who―or what―he is, where he came from, or if he even has a family. But five years ago Livy promised she would help him find his way back home. Now it’s time to keep that promise.
Clue by clue, Livy and Bob will unravel the mystery of where Bob comes from, and discover the kind of magic that lasts forever.
Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead, two masterminds of classic, middle-grade fiction come together to craft this magical story about the enduring power of friendship.”
Listen to a quick audio sample:
Shop the Bob book on Wendy’s website
Shop the Bob audiobook on Audible
March 16, 2018
March’s FREE audio sci-fi short, “Their DNA Was No Longer The Same,” posted to Listen To The Signal Podcast
The latest episode of the Listen To The Signal podcast is up!
Listen to the new episode “Their DNA Was No Longer The Same” now!
Hey guys! I just read an article yesterday, about Mark and Scott Kelly, the twin astronauts, and how Scott came back after a record length trip aboard the International Space Station, and they found that his DNA was no longer identical to his twin, Mark. What an intriguing premise for a story, right? And I’m also a twin, so the idea wouldn’t get out of my head. I decided to make this one a little more like a series on conversations I might have with my twin brother if we were astronauts and something like this happened, so it reads more like a radio play, with nothing but dialog. Enjoy! Check out March’s FREE original audio sci-fi short story “Their DNA Was No Longer The Same” here.
P.S. You can also subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, and get your monthly free sci-fi short audio delivered right to your phone/tablet/whatever!
November 7, 2017
Rob & Dave Visit Garden City Park Elementary with Alphabert!
Rob and Dave kicked off their author school tour (okay, it’s just one school so far) with Mrs. Cipolla’s 2nd grade class at Garden City Park Elementary, sharing their first children’s book collaboration, Alphabert! An A-B-C Adventure!
The kids loved listening to Rob read the story and show them the (awesome) illustrations, but even more, we think they liked telling us about the crazy and cool things they can imagine, and the adventurous things they’d like to be when they grow up. Like a scientist AND a ballerina all in one!
Then Dave showed them how to draw Albert’s face, and these kids turned into mini Leonardo DaVincis! I mean, check out this drawing!
About Alphabert! An A-B-C Bedtime Adventure!
Buy the Ebook Buy the Paperback • $9.99 Buy the Hardcover • $24.99
Me and my brother Dave have teamed up again – this time with our very first children’s book! Alphabert! An A-B-C Bedtime Adventure is the story of Albert, a kid – like all kids – who just doesn’t want to go to bed. Using the alphabet and his vivid imagination, Albert embarks on various adventures, learning that nothing’s really better than a good night’s sleep.
You might remember the last time we collaborated, on the goofy-but-strangely-popular anti-self-help book, Unleash the Sloth! 75 Ways to Reach Your Maximum Potential By Doing Less. It’s the self-help book you’ve always wanted. The one that tells you you’re fine just the way you are – and that you can probably get away with doing even less. (Oh, and you can buy a copy here.)
And you probably already know a bit about me, that I’m the author of the science fiction novels Where the Hell is Tesla? and The Wrong Unit, and a member of SFWA (Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America). And that I’ve co-owned Dircks Associates (an ad agency) with Dave for over twenty years.
But how much do you know about Dave?
Dave Dircks is an illustrator and creative entrepreneur (and member of SCBWI – The Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators) whose work has been featured in books, magazines, album art, and advertising for over thirty years. In addition to commercial art, his paintings have been exhibited in New York City and his native Long Island. His first collaboration with Rob was a Super8 movie they shot in junior high school. Since then they’ve worked together to produce award-winning advertising, the number one acoustic podcast on iTunes,™ award-winning documentaries, as well as their latest venture – novelty and children’s books. Dave is a graduate of NY’s School of Visual Arts with a degree in Illustration.
Wanna see how we made the book?
November 4, 2017
Rob Dircks on Author’s Cut Live with Tabitha Lord
A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of being interviewed on Book Club Babble’s “Author’s Cut Live” with author Tabitha Lord. It was a rip, as we got to trade notes on our writing process, working for a client, and navigating the self publishing world. Check it out:
Watch the Saved Livestream Now!
You can also read my full Author Spotlight interview on Book Club Babble with Tabitha here:
Read the Interview on Book Club Babble
About Tabitha Lord
Tabitha currently lives in Rhode Island, a few towns away from where she grew up. She’s married with four great kids, two spoiled cats, and lovable black lab. She holds a degree in Classics from College of the Holy Cross and taught Latin for years at an independent Waldorf school where she now serves on the Board of Trustees.
Her debut novel, HORIZON, won the Writer’s Digest Grand Prize for Self-Published fiction in 2016, and was named a finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards and the Indie Excellence Awards. The sequel, INFINITY, was released in June 2017. She also has short fiction published and soon-to-be-published through World Weaver Press, Grimbold Books, and Belanger Books.
You can visit her author blog at www.tabithalordauthor.com where she host guest bloggers and discuss favorite topics including parenting and writing craft, and follow her on www.bookclubbabble.com where, as a senior writer, she post author interviews, reviews, and more.
October 4, 2017
This week: Get both books in the Tesla series for only $1.98!
There’s nothing like waking up to a deal, am I right? Like that time you practically STOLE that Spice Shelf from Bed Bath & Beyond for only five bucks, and you walked out into the parking lot on a cloud, like you were Master of All Deals.
Well, I’ve got another one for you: pick up both e-books in the Where the Hell is Tesla? series, that’s two complete novels, at 80% OFF, this week only. Ooooh yes: two life-changing master works of fiction (maybe that’s overstating it a little) for under two bucks. (BTW, you can also pick them up individually for only 99¢ each.)
Jump on this deal before they run out!
(Okay, yes, they can’t run out, because it’s an e-book series.)
Here’s what people are saying…
“★★★★★ Chip pukes frequently but never seems to eat. Is this some side effect of interdimensional travel?”
(I’m not kidding. That’s in an actual, real review on Amazon.)
“★★★★★ Both books in this series are very well written, original, and funny!”
“★★★★★ A big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey wimey stuff!”
(Again, a real review on Amazon, I’m not making this stuff up.)
“★★★★★ This series strikes me as just right. And the sequel is even more fun!”
Book 1: Where the Hell is Tesla?Get Where the Hell is Tesla? for only 99¢
★ #1 Best Selling Sci-Fi Time Travel Book on Amazon.com • April 2015
★ #8 Overall Bestseller, Audible.com • November 2015
★ Over 750 Five-Star Reviews on Amazon (4.4 avg) and Audible (4.2 avg)
About the Book
It’s a sci-fi odsyssey. Comedy. Love story. And of course… it’s got Nikola Tesla. I’ll let Chip, the main character tell you more: “I found the journal at work. Well, I don’t know if you’d call it work, but that’s where I found it. It’s the lost journal of Nikola Tesla, one of the greatest inventors and visionaries ever. Before he died in 1943, he kept a notebook filled with spectacular claims and outrageous plans. One of these plans was for an “Interdimensional Transfer Apparatus” – that allowed someone (in this case me and my friend Pete) to travel to other versions of the infinite possibilities around us. Crazy, right? But that’s just where the crazy starts.”
Book 2: Don’t Touch the Blue Stuff!
Get Don’t Touch the Blue Stuff! for only 99¢
About the Book
The sequel to Where the Hell is Tesla? is HERE! AND SOMETHING CALLED THE “BLUE JUICE” IS COMING. FOR ALL OF US.
Luckily, me (Chip Collins), Pete, Nikola Tesla, Bobo, and FBI Agent Gina Phillips are here to kick its ass, and send it back to last Tuesday. Maybe. Or maybe we’ll fail, and everyone in the multiverse is doomed. (Seriously, you might want to get that underground bunker ready.) Either way, I’ve got to get home to Julie and find out… woah, I’m not about to tell you that right here in the book description! TMI.
WARNING: If you haven’t read Where the Hell is Tesla?, I apologize in advance, as you might get completely freaking lost. If you do, just call my apartment, I’m usually around, and I’ll fill you in. (If I’m not stuck in the ITA.) – Chip
