I am so excited to post this. The Dagger of Isis, the second book in The First Dynasty Series, is now available in audio.
Once again, this second novel is narrated by the incomparable Adam Hanin, whose rich and melodic voice is only matched by his acting abilities, as he switches from character to character, lending each a unique voice. More than that, Adam is uncannily able to age his voice as the characters age through the sweeping historical novel.
Exciting stuff. Adam Hanin, the narrator for my upcoming audio book on Audible.com just completed the halfway chapter! The Dagger of Isis is gaining momentum and should be ready for you to listen to and to treasure very soon.
It’s scary, alright. I’m on a flight to Denver and I just finished reading an article in the May, 2012 issue of Wired Magazine titled “The Rise of the Robot Reporter.” In it, writer Steven Levy describes the work of a Chicago company called Narrative Science.
Today I am The Decider. After reviewing my sales stats and researching this topic ad nauseum on the Web, I’ve decided to sell all my novels exclusively on the Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform.
March promises to be an exciting month for us. As of this past Saturday, we have begun the narration for The Dagger of Isis, the second novel in The First Dynasty Series,.
The kickoff novel in the series, The First Pharaoh, has been available in audio format for about two months now. It is being sold on Audible.com and on Amazon.com. Reviews have been quite good, in large part due to the captivating narration by Adam Hanin. You can hear a sample of his narration before you order.
I was asked an incredible question recently by the founder of the hot new readers’ website Momma Says Read. On the face of it the question was simple: What is the Real Reason You Write?
There’s a hot new website out there on the Internet frontier. Momma Says Read is a site devoted to getting people of all ages to read, write and review books of all genres.
I cannot imagine any historical fiction author not having been asked by an enthusiastic reader “But, how did you gather all that information?” If you’ve written- or read- historical fiction, I can see your head nodding.
Of course there are the standard answers that we all give, each of them true to one degree or another. First and foremost we read… a lot. One of the joys of writing a historical novel is understanding that a different point of view, new findings, or a unique approach to the storytelling can make even a well-known historical event seem fresh and inviting.
The Internet is such a wonderful tool for authors. Naturally we think of its utility for research. But it is also wonderful for networking.
Thanks to the Internet I recently met fellow author Jack Durish, a veteran who has penned a historical novel that I would have never chosen to read, but that I am so happy I did. In Rebels on the Mountain, Jack weaves a tale of the Cuban Revolution, a topic I sadly knew little about. He introduces us to the real life Fidel Castro and his rag-tag Fidelista fighters, to Batista, Che Guevara and even to Ernest Hemingway! When I was done I needed to know more about Jack and his book.
Finally! My historical novel, The First Pharaoh is now out as an audiobook. All I can say is “WOW!” For an author this is very exciting.
My wife and I just returned from seeing director Tom Hooper’s truly incredible film version of Les Miserables. I feel emotionally wasted. Something struck me as we drove home; every self-respecting writer should run out and see it.
Lots of writers brag about getting published in top national magazines. I often proudly tell beginning writers that I’m proud to have been rejected by some of the best magazines in the country. Huh?
I recently overheard a question that a newbie writer asked a published writer at a meeting. “How do you overcome self-sabotage?”
The woman described was her habit of sabotaging her own writing efforts. Her initial drafts were never good enough, so she sulked and put her writing on the shelf for long periods of time. She completed a short story but kept in in a drawer for fear of others’ reactions. She got a good reaction from her husband for an essay she wrote but convinced herself that he was only being kind and that the story wasn’t really worthy. Sound familiar?
I attended a writer’s panel recently to hear my wife talk about her writing experiences as a contributor to an anthology of short stories (she did a bang-up job!). During the Q&A session following the panel discussion, a young woman asked a question.
“How do you manage to get it perfect? I’m always discouraged by my first efforts and I end up putting it aside for months.”
It has been a while since I first wrote it, but my general fiction novel, Sargent Mountain is now available through Amazon.
I am available for author interviews and discussions via Skype. These lively discussions typically cover topics such as the content of the book, background research, latest research findings, general questions about writing, my travels as an award-winning photographer, and even some surprising questions!
Well, not exactly tapes, but the first millennium equivalent- papyrus scrolls. Turns out that archaeologists have recently found a papyrus, written by a priest, describing ritual sex. So?
With the publication of Books I and II of The First Dynasty Series, I simultaneously began planning for the third and final Book in the series.