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Thursday, December 30, 2010

Night Owl Teen Reviews Forever Mine by Elizabeth Reyes





Author: Elizabeth Reyes

Genre: Contemporary, YA (ages 12+)

5 Stars

Reviewed by: Kiki for Night Owl Teen Reviews

Seventeen year-old Sarah’s world is falling apart. Her mom is being sent away to prison for three years for embezzlement, and she is being forced to move from the only home she has ever known in Arizona to live with her aunt and step-cousin, Valerie, in La Jolla, California. As if the whole situation weren’t bad enough, she has to separate from the only best friend she has ever had, Sydney. Sarah makes a promise to Sydney that she will return to Arizona as soon as she turns eighteen so that she can finish out high school at home.

Life in La Jolla is not easy for Sarah. She misses home and Sydney and she feels like a major outsider at her new high school. Her cousin Valerie is the only familiar face that stands out for her. Then, she meets Angel Moreno and she is knocked for a major loop. Angel is one of La Jolla High’s all-star athletes and has a bevy of girls dogging his every footstep. Sarah finds it hard to believe that someone like him would be interested in her, but very interested he is. Before long, Angel and Sarah are involved in a serious, committed romance. She is finally starting to feel comfortable here in La Jolla, and has Angel, along with his friends and family to thank for that. Still, in the back of her mind, she knows that she must keep her promise to return to Arizona to finish off her senior year there and reunite with her best friend Sydney.

Sarah knows she has fallen in love, but doesn’t want to let Angel know just how deeply her feelings run since she will not be in La Jolla very long. She has to get back to Sydney and her home in Arizona. Angel knows of Sarah’s ultimate plan, to return to Arizona and her best friend, but he is not aware of the fact that Sydney is a guy. Sarah has been putting off telling him that little tidbit, due to his slight tendency for possessiveness and jealousy. Can their relationship weather the truth when Sarah finally gets up the nerve to tell him all about Sydney? Sarah is keeping her fingers crossed that he will understand.

I can’t even begin to express how much I loved this book. I read the whole thing in less than one day. In fact, it was nearly five o’clock in the morning when I finished, it was that good. The book is well-written and grabs the reader’s interest from the beginning, by describing the bad news of Sarah’s mother’s fate and the reason for Sarah’s relocation and also letting you witness first-hand, the closeness between Sarah and her best friend, Sydney.

The author introduces many new characters when Angel Moreno makes the scene and begins to romance Sarah. You meet his closest friends and his brothers and sister. It is good that the reader is given insight to these characters now, as this book is the first in a new series, in which familiar characters will be popping up time and again. The introduction of these characters is also important because they help you understand the type of person that Angel really is. During parts of the story, you wonder if Angel is really being sincere, or if he is just after a quick score with Sarah. Getting to know his friends and family, you begin to understand that for Angel to embark on a relationship of this nature and magnitude, it is a very big deal.

The chemistry between Angel and Sarah is wonderful. They cannot seem to keep their hands off of one another and inevitably, their relationship takes a sexual turn. They have some really tender moments and the love scenes between the two are handled with sensuality and class.

Angel is a doll. He serves the roll of protector, friend, confidant and lover to Sarah and holds honesty as a very important element of their relationship. This is why Sarah dreads the moment when she must tell him that Sydney is a boy, because she has allowed him to believe that Sydney was a girl without ever correcting the misconception. This leads to the only flaw that really stood out as far as the character of Angel goes. He is possessive to a fault. He doesn’t like Sarah having friends that are male unless he is privy to what is going on and how frequently she speaks to these male friends. Too much control over another person, in my book.

I have read this book twice now, and wouldn’t hesitate to read it a third time. I would recommend this story to anyone loving young adult romances that delve a little deeper than the usual hug and peck on the cheek stage. I am very happy that there is a second book in this series to look forward to, and if it is half as good as this first one, we are all in for a treat.

Elizabeth Reyes at IAN


Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Meet New IAN Member Carrie Bailey




Carrie Bailey edited her first anthology "The Handbook of the Writer Secret Society" in 2010 after establishing the Peevish Penman Magazine one year before. Her unparalleled obsession with coffee has fueled her creative endeavors. Having done political work for libraries and English instruction abroad, Carrie had never intended to be a writer until a brief bout of recession-related joblessness allowed her to discover a talent not just for organizing books, but words and other writers, too. She is currently preparing for graduate study in New Zealand, where she will be living with her teenage son after which she plans to finish her post apocalyptic YA Fantasy, “The Order of the Moving Finger.”

Her book is called The Handbook of the Writers Secret Society

Carrie Bailey - The Independent Author Network

Monday, December 27, 2010

Meet IAN Member Brenda Mantz




A freelance writer and photographer, Brenda’s work has appeared in Photo District News, Washingtonian Magazine, Solutions and Rough Notes. She founded InPrint Magazine, a magazine for professional photographers, for which she was honored with the Federal Photographers Award for Excellence. She is an active member of the International Women’s Writing Guild and the National Writers Union. President of her own risk management firm in Washington, DC, Brenda lives in Falls Church, Virginia with her husband and their two dogs. She is currently at work on a memoir about her experiences on a commune in Embudo, New Mexico.

Brenda Mantz' first novel, Pungo Creek, was inspired by her own childhood on Pungo Creek in rural North Carolina where she grew up in a house shared by three generations. Her second novel, Lilly’s Tattoo, was a change of pace – a thriller set in Washington DC. Both novels have one thing in common. Brenda follows her own unwritten rule “Never write from the perspective of someone you haven’t been."

Brenda Mantz - The Independent Author Network

Meet IAN Member Corrine Coleman




Corrine Coleman began writing at an early age. In elementary school she created fairy tale stories that her school library made available to other children. In high school, following the untimely death of her parents, she immersed herself in writing deep poetry and novellas. Some of her pieces were later published in her college newspaper.

She spent many years in management for Fortune 500 companies, a career she left in 2009 to pursue her dreams of becoming a novelist. It was then that her first book, On the Big White Oak, emerged.

Her book is called On The Big White Oak.

Corrine currently resides on Long Island, New York where she is working on her next novel.

Corrine Coleman - The Independent Author Network

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Meet IAN Memeber Martha A. Cheves

Picture I love to cook and like myself, most women have a thing about cookbooks. We have tons of them but how many do we actually use? Hardly any. Reason being that most of the recipes are either too complex with too expensive ingredients resulting in dishes way to fancy for average families. Thus began my search for an entertaining easy-to-use book of recipes to feed any family on any budget.. a book that would really be used instead of relegated to the back of the bookshelf. I quickly discovered that if such a book were to be found, I'd have to write it. And I did. Along the way, I sprinkled stories from my childhood and life experience, plus tips and advice that we baby boomers got from our mothers and grandmothers before finding ourselves way too busy to pass onto our own offspring. I'm willing to bet that you know a daughter, grandchild, "in need" in-law, neighbor or friend who'd enjoy my roundup of recipes, how-tos and hilarity.

Her cook book is called Stir, Laugh, Repeat

Martha A. Cheves - The Independent Author Network

Welcome New Member Katie Salidas




Author of the hot new Urban Fantasy series, Immortalis, Katie has always had a desire to entertain. Since, early childhood, she's dreamed up fantastical characters and scribbled them into pages of various journals and notebooks. Taking an interest in vampires at an early age, she devoured every book, featuring those mysterious, blood sucking creatures, in any genre she could find. She claims that, of all the monsters out there, vampires had always been the most interesting.

It was only natural that a love of reading about vampires, and a love of writing, turned into a desire to write her own stories. A Las Vegas native, having grown up in the famed City of Sin, Katie loves to feature it as a recurring setting for many of her stories.

Her books are Immortalis Carpe Noctem, Hunters & Prey (Immortalis #2), House of Immortal Pleasures

Katie Salidas - The Independent Author Network

Friday, December 24, 2010

Meet IAN Member Ronald S. Barak




Ronald S. Barak is the author of several prior legal publications and is a University of Southern California Law School
Order of the Coif Law Review Editor. He graduated from USC Law School and has practiced commercial law, mediation and arbitration for some 40 plus years. Ron resides in Pacific Palisades, California with his wife, Barbie, their cat, Maccabee, their dog, Ryder, and his golf clubs, where he is hard at work on his law practice, his next novel and his golf game, not necessarily in that order.

Check out Ronald's book a season for redemption



Ronald S. Barak - The Independent Author Network

What is The Independent Author Network?


The Independent Author Network is a group of like minded authors who are self published or published by a small indie press. The group is open to authors who are active social networkers at sites like Twitter, facebook, and LinkedIn etc. The members share info, ideas, and experiences from self publishing and promotion. The group works together to promote each other online. Each member receives a free IAN Member page with an author BIO and up to three books included with buy links. The same three books can also be added to The Member Books page. The only cost is a few minutes of each author’s time per week.

How does I.A.N. work?

Members are asked to Tweet and facebook link their IAN Member page as much as possible and the pages of other members when time allows. If a member has a new book releasing, a book signing, a blog tour or any event the info will be posted to our blog and the others are asked to Tweet, blog, Facebook etc. This also works when an author has a guest post at a blog--the members tweet the post and comment on the blog. Blog tours can be followed by the group. Members might like to review other member’s books as well. Best of all it is free to join!

It is expected that this network will grow to s
everal dozen active members. A group of authors this large all tweeting and blogging as a group will really boost exposure for everyone involved. The group works on the honor system and we hope that all members will contribute.

IAN author Member pages are showing up on page 1 of Google searches.


IAN authors can now sell their books through their Member pages. (Authors would receive payment through Paypal and ship their own books. IAN wouldn't handle any books, shipping costs, or take any fees.)

Our Membership


The Independent Author Network - Home at IAN

Thursday, December 23, 2010

IAN Members Can Now Sell Their Books On IAN!




IAN authors can now have Paypal buy now buttons placed on their Member page on the site. This will allow authors to sell signed copies of their books and them ship them to the buyer through mail or UPS.

Authors would receive payment through Paypal and ship their own books. IAN wouldn't handle any books, shipping costs, or take any fees.

Check out a couple of Member pages to see how it would look. John L. Betcher
William R. Potter



Contact for more info

Meet IAN Member Raven Corinn Carluk




I grew up in Las Vegas, and I love it. I'm a desert rose, and I belong in the heat. I've moved away a couple of times, but I always manage to make my way back. The burnt, craggy desert just speaks to me, and I don't want to go anywhere else. When I hear people bitching about how hot it is, I want to just tell them to move away again. 115 is a pleasant warmth, something I can bask in.


I've been writing since I was five. That very first story sucked, of course, but it was about something I loved: dinosaurs. I still love dinosaurs, but I've grown out of the suck phase. I think. 8P I even wrote a novel in the seventh grade, and tried making a sequel to it. Never let anyone read them, but I had them.

Submitting my work really brings out the shyness in me. I think my work is good enough, but there's still a scared little girl in me that really doesn't want to be rejected. With All Hallows Blood I was rejected twice in a week. That was depressing, but I made it through. I'm still not entirely past that shy phase, but I'm getting there. Maybe I'll give it up one day, but maybe not. My old man tells me it's endearing.

I tend to write what I consider to be slightly darker pieces. I like violence, and odd relationships, and happiness that's hard won. The stories I write that are up here include incest and rape, but I realize that's not very marketable. Not normally, anyway.

When it comes to reading, I prefer fantasy and urban fantasy to straight romance. Though I've fallen for paranormal romance; it's urban fantasy with sex and a happy ever after. I am a romantic at heart, so I like to read about people falling in love.

Her books are stories with bite 0,.,0 and All Hallows Blood

Raven Corinn Carluk - The Independent Author Network

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Meet IAN Member Elizabeth Wilder




Elizabeth Egerton Wilder’s debut novel, The Spruce Gum Box, a novel of historical fiction, began with her fascination with Maine’s Aroostook River and its early pioneers, and evolved over several years through research and daydreaming. While she mused, characters and story lines began to flourish and take on lives of their own. As she puts it, “I knew how the story would start and how it would end, but had no idea what would happen in between.”

Throughout the process, the author drew upon stories and people from her childhood, research on her husband's family in northern Maine along with her varied background in a number of artistic endeavors. She has a BA in Art and Education and has worked as a teacher, designer, colorist, small business owner, photographer and artist. She is also a published poet and believes that bits and pieces of it all, combined with raising her family and her innate appreciation of nature, were all the ingredients needed to fulfill her lifelong goal of writing a book. At seventy-two years young, she achieved her goal and is working on a sequel.

Native of New England, Elizabeth (Betty) now lives in Eastern PA with Cal, her husband of over 51 years, and her cat Smokey.

Elizabeth Wilder - The Independent Author Network

Meet IAN Member Elizabeth Reyes




My name is Elizabeth Reyes. I've been writing all my life for fun and only recently decided to join the indie world. I am working on a romance series entitled The Moreno Brothers about the love lives of 3 brothers living in La Jolla California. The first in the series,"Forever Mine" is now available on Amazon Kindle, and I'm working on getting it published on the Nook. Forever Mine was released in September of this year and has received good reviews thus far. I'm hoping to have the 2nd in the series "Always Been Mine" out by early 2011.


Elizabeth Reyes at The Independent Author Network

Meet IAN Member Ty Langston




Born and raised in Upstate, New York, Ty loved to read about Dragons and Knights so much as a child that her grandmother simply told her one day to ‘just write about them.’

So she did.


From that day forward, she never left home without her pen, a notebook or some kind of music playing in the background. Her love of reading expanded from Fantasy, towards Science Fiction and finally paranormal romance enjoying different works from George Martin, Anne McCaffrey, Stephen King and Sherrilyn Kenyon. However, some of Ty’s favorite writers are from the world of TV and film namely, Tudors creator Michael Hirst and the late John Hughes. Ty has a certificate in Broadcast Journalism along with a degree in Business Administration. She is single and enjoys spending time with friends and family.

Her book is By Sunset

Ty Langston at The Independent Author Network

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Meet IAN Member Jodi Langston




Jodi a lover of nature and all things creative and has been writing poetry and prose since she first picked up a pencil. She also loves to draw. She can be found roaming around the city taking photos of prairie wildflowers and wildlife and posts them on her blog site.

She writes action filled romantic suspense and mystery and enjoy reading the same. Currently she is writing scripts based on her novels and hopes to have them made into movies in the future.

Her books are Always and Nature of the Beast.

Jodi Langston at The Independent Author Network

Friday, December 17, 2010

Meet New Member Jamie DeBree




A full-time webmistress for local government by day, Jamie DeBree writes steamy, action-packed romantic suspense late into the night. Her goal is to create the perfect blend of sensual attraction, emotional tension and fast-paced adventure, similar to the television crime dramas she’s hopelessly addicted to. Her favorite way to write a novel is to serialize the draft on one of her blogs. There’s always a free serial story in progress at her main blog, The Variety Pages.

In October 2010, she opened Brazen Snake Books, her personal publishing company. She also writes as Trinity Marlow (erotica) and Alex Westhaven (thriller/suspense), and is currently working on serial drafts in each of those genres.

Born in Billings Montana, she resides there with her husband and two over-sized lap dogs. She reads in a wide variety of genres including romance, erotica, action/adventure, thriller, horror and literary.

Her books are Tempest and coming early in 2011 Desert Heat.

Visit Jamie DeBree at The Independent Author Network

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Meet New IAN Member J.M. Kelley



J
M. Kelley, a lifelong resident of Pennsylvania, is a writer of love stories, a painter, a painfully bad knitter, and a photographer – if the pursuit is artistic, chances are she’s dabbled in it.

After a lengthy break that included adventures in accounting and coffee distribution, she returned to her passion for writing with that old adage write what you know whispering from the deep recesses of her mind. She realized that she knows how to read a book on a moving skateboard, that if you’re riding shotgun in a pick-up truck, ‘mud’ can be used as a verb, Amish traffic jams can wreak havoc on your morning commute, and Hog Maw is not to be experienced by the faint of heart.

While this list of knowledge seemed random and borderline nonsensical, it led her to one rock-solid conclusion: life in the Keystone State is a rich and endless source of inspiration. And so, she sat down in front of her laptop and began to piece together a story about life in small-town Pennsylvania – something she knows a thing or two about. The result of this epiphany is Drew in Blue, a contemporary love story set in the fictional Appalachian town of River’s View, Pennsylvania, and filled with quirky characters that pay homage to the real life characters she’s had the pleasure of knowing all her life.

J.M. Kelley is quite the joiner. She's a member of the Romance Writers of America (PRO), The International Women's Writing Guild, Pennwriters, and the South Carolina Writers Workshop.

Her short story, Killing Me Softly, earned a first place finish in the In Other Words Competition at the 2010 Pennwriters Conference, and her non-fiction piece, Anniversary, was recognized with a Carrie McCray Memorial Literary Award at the 2010 South Carolina Writers Workshop Conference.


J.M. Kelley at The Independent Author Network

Monday, December 13, 2010

Meet new IAN Memeber Liz Borino



Liz Borino is the debut author of Expectations, released by Lazy Day Publishing 12/1. Throughout her education, including a Bachelor’s Degree from Hofstra University, she’s kept her stories to herself, but this only child is all grown up and wants to share them with the world. Her roots are in Bethlehem, Pa, but she loves to experience new cultures. As fun as that is Liz likes nothing better than curling up at home with a good book or her work in progress...



For more info visit Liz Borino at The Independent Author Network.com

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Linda S Prather - The Independent Author Network





Born in Kentucky in 1955. I currently live in Lexington, Kentucky with my fiancé, Coby W. Fuson. I have two wonderful sons, Charles and Steven.


I have always loved reading and writing. And although perhaps not a great literary work, I loved and was inspired by Old Yeller. The characters in that book were real to me. When I started writing, it was my greatest desire to write characters that readers could love and hate, laugh and cry with.

Knowledge was another love. I wanted to learn about everything. I studied metaphysics; delving into touch healing, dream analysis, meditation, and hypnosis. I received my associate's degree in metaphysics in 1992 and continued from there to become a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist. I spent several years studying the effects of hypnosis on cancer and pain. I taught meditation, dream analysis and self-hypnosis through Eastern Kentucky University's Special Programs for four years. The power of the mind has always fascinated me. I've recently become a paranormal investigator, and love old houses that go bump in the night....


Check out Linda S Prather at The Independent Author Network.com

Meet Salvatore Grasso - The Independent Author Network






Salvatore Grasso, The Author, is a long time resident of Delaware County and has been writing fiction for several years. He is currently marketing his work to commercial literary agents with the goal of promptly publishing the first three of his works. He continues to write Thrillers that embrace the criminal mind with twisted plots sparked by real life characters inhabiting a vivid literary atmosphere. The Author’s goal is to complete fifteen manuscripts and publish all of them. He is currently completing more than one manuscript each year....


Read his full Member page
Salvatore Grasso - The Independent Author Network

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Meet IAN Member Greg Messel


Greg Messel has spent much of his life in the Pacific Northwest living in Portland, Oregon and in the Seattle area since 2008. He has been married to his wife, Carol, for 40 years. Greg and Carol were high school sweethearts just like the couple in “Expiation.” He has lived in Washington, Oregon, California, Utah and Wyoming. Greg grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and graduated from high school there and also attended a year of junior college. Greg went to Brigham Young University with Carol and then began a newspaper career in rough and tumble Wyoming town of Rock Springs. Greg and Carol have three married children and nine grandchildren.


Greg has always loved writing. He worked as the news editor and sports editors of the Daily Rocket-Miner newspaper. He won a Wyoming Press Association award for his column. He also submitted and had published articles in various sports magazines. He left the newspaper business in 1981 and began a 27 year career with Pacific Power. Greg retired in 2008 and moved to Seattle.


It was there that he returned to his first love of writing. He has written two unpublished memoirs and published his first novel with Trafford in September 2009. His first novel was called “Sunbreaks.” The second novel “Expiation” was published in the spring of 2010 with Trafford. A third novel is in the works.


Currently, Greg and Carol live on the Puget Sound in Edmonds, Washington, just north of downtown Seattle. They have three adult children who are all married and have nine grandchildren. He also enjoys running, he has been in several races and half marathons. IAN Member Page



Meet IAN Member L. Carroll




Before pursuing what seemed to be a shelved dream of becoming an author, L. Carroll worked in corporate management and training, first in the field of retail home décor, and then for a small book chain. It took being surrounded by books day in and day out for her to finally realize that her passion for writing had been squelched long enough, and so the world of Lor Mandela was born.


With four young adult children and one pre-teen of her own, she's had a wealth of inspiration for her characters; her writing is strongly influenced by her own parent/child experiences. Currently, she resides in Eagle Mountain, Utah with her husband, Chuck, and their five children. IAN Member Page


Lor Mandela Destruction From Twins

A selfish twin enchantress unwittingly sentences the world of Lor Mandela to its untimely death. Only one can save it—the appointed Child of Balance, Audril Borloc—But how can a small child solve a prophetic riddle that baffles even the wisest adults? And who will save Lor Mandela when, shortly after her fourth birthday, Audril disappears without a trace?


Audril Borloc must be found. When a group of spies travel to Earth looking for the little girl with black hair and bright blue eyes—traits that on Lor Mandela are exclusive to the ruling Borloc family—they find sixteen-year-old Maggie Baker. While the age difference between the girls is obvious, Maggie has the Borloc traits—evidence enough for the desperate spies.


Following an earthquake that no one feels but her, Maggie’s mundane existence is launched into a thrill ride of twists and turns as she begins bouncing back and forth between her hometown of Glenhill, Iowa and the strange and diverse lands of Lor Mandela. Amid battling a ferocious two-headed beast, being abducted by a lawless band of Shadow Dwellers, and falling head-over-heels for the captivating son of an evil warlord, Maggie soon discovers that her blasé reality could be the real fantasy, and that the world of Lor Mandela may just be hers alone to save.

Available at Amazon.com

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Book Review: Dead of Knight by William R. Potter


Dead of Knight: A Jack Staal Mystery

William R. Potter

RealTime Publishing (2009)

ISBN 9781849610261

Reviewed by Charline Ratcliff for RebeccasReads (11/10)


I was recently asked if I would be interested in reviewing “Dead of Knight” by author William R. Potter. This book falls into the murder/mystery category and while it’s not my usual reading genre I agreed to review it. I’m glad I did because it was a great book.


The story location for “Dead of Knight” is Canada which, for me, was a really nice change. The book’s premise is this: A delusional young man believing himself to be a “soldier of justice” starts what he feels is a righteous crusade of cleansing. His victims are handpicked and meticulously stalked in order to learn their daily habits until he finally slaughters them on their birthday. I, for one, will pass on that birthday surprise thank you very much… Because of this killer’s gruesome practices the media has nicknamed him “Birthday Boy.” This nickname doesn’t sit too well with him - he wants to be taken seriously but…what’s a serial killer to do? And of course no tale featuring a heinous villain would be truly complete without an equally good counterpart trying to bring the evildoer to justice. Meet Detective Jack Staal who is assigned to this gruesome case. Jack is understandably horrified at the trail of bodies “Birthday Boy” leaves in his wake and he is determined to put an end to his reign of terror. Consequently Jack Staal will stop at almost nothing in order to apprehend this psychopath.


I’m happy to say I found “Dead of Knight” to be a fantastic read. Potter possesses great writing skills; he is appropriately descriptive and the story flows smoothly. “Dead of Knight” was suspenseful and I would agree with the back jacket’s statement that “Dead of Knight” is a cat and mouse thriller sure to delight fans…” I also appreciated that “Dead of Knight” wasn’t too easy to figure out and I admired the various plot twists that the author skillfully threw in here and there.


In summary I give “Dead of Knight” a five-star Amazon rating. It’s a riveting read but it is definitely aimed for mature readers..


William R. Potter's page at The Independent Author Network




The 19th Element Virtual Book Tour November & December ‘10

John L. Betcher is a University of Minnesota Law School graduate and has practiced law for more than twenty-five years in the Mississippi River community of Red Wing, Minnesota. He possesses substantial first-hand knowledge of the Prairie River Nuclear Plant’s real world counterpart, as well as Red Wing’s airport and the flight rules around the nuke plant.

In addition to The 19th Element, he has published a second book in the “Beck” series entitled, The Missing Element, A James Becker Mystery. The second book is available everywhere.

The author has also been a long-time supporter and coach of youth volleyball in and around Red Wing and has authored three feature articles for Coaching Volleyball, the journal of the American Volleyball Coaches Association. His most recent article was the cover story for the April/May, 2009 Issue.

His book on volleyball coaching philosophies entitled The Little Black Book of Volleyball Coaching is available at www.johnbetcher.com and at amazon.com.

About The 19th Element

The 19th ElementAl Qaeda plans to attack Minnesota’s Prairie River Nuclear Power Plant as a means to return the down-trodden terrorist organization to international prominence.

In addition to their own devoted forces, the terrorists enlist some homegrown anarchists, and a Three Mile Island survivor with a pathological vendetta against the nuclear establishment, to assist in the assault.

James “Beck” Becker is a former elite U.S. government intelligence operative who has retired to his childhood hometown of Red Wing, Minnesota – just six miles down the Mississippi from the Prairie River nuclear facility.

Possessing wisdom born of experience, Beck suspects the terrorists’ intentions as soon as the body of a university professor turns up on the Mississippi shore – the clear victim of foul play.

He recognizes connections between seemingly unrelated incidents – the murdered agronomy professor, a missing lab assistant, an international cell call, a stolen fertilizer truck – but can’t piece it together in enough detail to convince government authorities that a larger threat exists. Only his American Indian friend, “Bull,” will help Beck defuse the threat.

So it’s Beck and Bull versus international terror.


May the better men win.








December Tour Stops

Monday, December 6

Book reviewed at Pick of the Literate

Tuesday, December 7Guest blogging at As the Pages Turn

Wednesday, December 8
Guest blogging at The Story Behind the Book

Thursday, December 9
Guest blogging at Paperback Writer
Interviewed at Pick of the Literate

Friday, December 10
Book reviewed at Marta’s Meanderings
Interviewed at The Writer’s Life

Monday, December 13
Book reviewed at Rainy Day Reviews

Tuesday, December 14
Interviewed at The Hot Author Report

Wednesday, December 15Book reviewed at Book Journey

Thursday, December 16
Interviewed at Review From Here

Friday, December 17
Book reviewed at Books R Us


Visit John L. Betcher at The Independent Author Network.com

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Welcome To The Independent Author Network

The Independent Author Network is a group of like minded authors who are self or published by a small indie press. This group would start out at around 12 authors who are active bloggers, and social networkers. The group would share info, ideas, and experiences from their travels around self promotion/publishing. This group would be free to join. The only cost would be 20-30 minutes of each author’s time per week.

Each member would put together a book synopsis with cover jpeg and a bio with head shot jpeg and then send it to us in a word file. These files would be used to generate an article that would published in a Press Release and an Ezine article. All members would be asked to Tweet, facebook and if possible guest post to their own blog each article we do. So right away each member would have an article about their book in a PR and Ezine, twittered, blogged, Facebooked etc. by the others.


Also, if a member had a new book releasing, a book signing, a blog tour or any event the info would be posted to a PR and Ezine and again the others would Tweet, blog, Facebook etc. the event as their time allows. This would also work when an author has a guest post at a blog--the members could tweet the post and comment on the blog. Blog tours could be followed by the group. Members might like to review other member’s books as well.

It is expected that this network will grow to several hundred active members. Several hundred authors all tweeting and blogging as a group could really boost exposure for everyone involved. This group would work on the honor system and we would hope that everyone would contribute. Major decisions would be put to a vote. Membership would be free. Members would communicate through e-mail. Members who are active would be featured by admin publishing articles about the author at high exposure sites like American Chronicle and BloggerNews Network.

Members would need:

  • To have at least one blog.
  • And or Twitter and facebook accounts (Goodreads, Linkedin, Shelfari, AuthorsDen accounts would be good too)
  • A few spare minutes a week to Tweet or link a post to facebook and to publish the odd guest post on their blog.
  • A willingness to share ideas, successes and the like.