THANK YOU!

 

KINDLE EBOOK GIVEAWAY HAS CONCLUDED

I wanted to say thank you to everyone that participated in the Kindle eBook Giveaway on Amazon for my adult Fantasy/Mystery novel, BEATRICE: Book I of the Alban Saga.

I hope you enjoy your Kindle copy of Beatrice, and after you read it, I would really appreciate it if you could write a review on Goodreads, Amazon, or both.

If you weren't able to participate and would like to learn more about BEATRICE: Book I of the Alban Saga or any of my other books, you can go to the BOB'S BOOKS tab at the top of this blog.

Thanks again!

THE CHOSEN IS PUBLISHED & AVAILABLE ON AMAZON!

NEW BOOK!

Cover Art By Greg Opalinski

THE CHOSEN IS PUBLISHED ON AMAZON! 

It is an adult science fiction novel and is the second book of the Room's Series. It can be read without reading Rooms, but the plot definitely continues from where Rooms left off.

The book has been about a seven month project and is my longest book to date - about 88,000 words.

To learn more about The Chosen, you can see a list of the chapter titles, a description of the book, or be able to read an excerpt from chapter's 1-2 by clicking on the BOB'S BOOKS tab at the top of my blog. 

If you want to purchase The Chosen, you can get either the Kindle Version or Paperback online. To download the ebook go to the Amazon.com site or the Amazon site that is located in your country. If you want the paperback, you can get it from Amazon in the U. S., the UK site, or from other Amazon sites across Europe. Just go to the one closest to your country.

I'm really happy with the book and am looking forward to hearing your thoughts about it. Please write a review on Amazon or send me a message through my blog to let me know.

Also, you can take a look at the other books that I've written by going to the BOB'S BOOKS tab above.

WOW! THE CHOSEN COVER IS DONE!

THE CHOSEN cover is finished. I'm very pleased. Greg Opalinski did a fantastic job, as always.

If you click on the image above, you can see a larger version of the cover. 

I still have a bit of editing that I have to do, but the book should be published on Amazon in America, all over Europe and parts of Asia soon.

To see the chapter titles, a description of the book, and be able to read an excerpt of chapter's 1-2 click on the BOB'S BOOKS tab at the top of my blog.

THE CHOSEN: Book Description

THE CHOSEN

The editing for The Chosen will be completed within the next two days, and Greg Opalinski is working hard on the cover. He should be done in a couple of weeks. I hope to have The Chosen published on Amazon by the middle of March.

In this entry, I am including the first Description of the book, which is below. It won't be long now, and it will be ready to publish!

Book Description

In the future, the Earth is dying and is abandoned by The Chosen, an elite and powerful, corporate upper-class. Most of their descendants have settled in lifeglobes on various rocks throughout the galaxy, and their original society and culture has been lost and forgotten.

That is, on every outpost except M-78. On that rock-strewn, resource-laden planet, The Chosen’s way of life has remained in tact for over five centuries, and Harlequin has been their leader ever since leaving Earth.

But now, Harlequin is determined to locate another Earth-like planet to inhabit and exploit. She succeeds, and not only does she learn about a magnificent planet called Loon, but at the same time, discovers that Earth has reset itself. The Chosen may be able to reinhabit their ancestral home.

This sets up a struggle between two extremely divergent cultures: one where reason, science, and social awareness have created a society in tune with their world and with each other; and that of The Chosen, whose main philosophy is centered on the acquisition of wealth and power at any cost.

In The Chosen, these two societies and the unique individuals who inhabit them, tell a story of two worlds on a collision course, with the result being a galactic conflict whose outcome will impact the human race for eons to come.

Books I've read, Disappointments, and the Future

I've been reading books for the last two years with a different eye than ever before. Being a working author, I see and read them with a much more concentrated fervor. I look at the plot, characters, setting, phrasing, words, and many other aspects of a book in much more detail.

Also, I've chosen the books that I'm reading much more carefully. I've read more Stephen King, Tom Robbins, Ian Rankin, Suzanne Collins, Tana French, Hugh Howey, Sheri S. Tepper, Margaret Atwood, Patrick Rothfuss, George R. R. Martin, Lois Lowry, Mary Stewart, Brian Jacques, and I just finished The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings again by Tolkien as well as several others. They all do things much differently and have varying strengths that I can learn from.

I was particularly excited to read Tolkien again. It had been a long time, and I also read more about his thoughts behind the book, which were very enlightening.

A great disappointment recently was that Amazon decided to discontinue their Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest. They didn't publicize that they were going to discontinue it, and I know that many thousands of writers, including myself, had spent a lot of time preparing only to find out very late that it would not happen.

However, Amazon has started something new that they call Amazon Scout. It looks like a promising venue for indy writers, and I'm going to look into it after I finish The Chosen.

Also, after I get The Chosen published, I will be looking at some other contests, contact more agents, and pursue some other promotional avenues for my works. I will need some time off from writing, as I've been working 6-10 hours, five days a week or more, since April of 2013.

The next project that I will work on will be a sequel to Beatrice. I already have a lot of it planned and ready, but the chance to do something else for a while will be good for me. I would also like to write some poetry again. It's been too long!

To all those who have been reading my blog, I again want to say thank you, and watch for The Chosen. It will be completed and published in March!

THE CHOSEN: First Draft Finished & A Look At The Forward & Chapter Titles

Cover Art By Greg Opalinski

The first draft of The Chosen is completely finished. This is the first sequel that I've written, and it has been an incredible experience. It was both much easier to write than the first book, Rooms, and at the same time very difficult.

In the last few days, I have completed the final chapters, and today I finished both the Forward and the Epilogue. I actually dreamed how to do the Epilogue last night and used that dream in the final draft.

The characters, plot, and setting of this book, I believe, demonstrate that I am progressing as a writer. I have worked much harder on every chapter and have slowed down and done my best to fill out the story and the characters. It has been my goal throughout to give the reader more to think about and experience.

One other thing that I'd like to mention is that I've wanted to put an original poem in a novel, and I did that in The Chosen in chapter 4 with the poem "We Are Not Alone." Also, I'm excited that I was able to reference one of my favorite poets in the book. In the last chapter, Robert Frosts' poem "The Road Not Taken," which was published in 1916, had an important part to play.

Now, I'm going to leave this book for a while and go back to work on Beatrice. I have a few changes to make on that book before I enter it into the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest in February. After that, I'll also make some changes on the first two chapters of Rooms and send Beatrice and Rooms out to some other agents. Then I'll get back to work on The Chosen and get it ready to be published.

Below is the Forward to The Chosen and the titles for all of the chapters.

Forward to The Chosen

The Chosen is the second book of the Rooms’ Series. In Rooms, we saw the human race spread out across the galaxy, dispersed from a ruined and decaying Earth. We also learned about the planet Loon, and even though it’s humans were spawned from the same malicious seed as the Chosen, the people of Loon opted for a much different way of life – a way that cherished the environment and worked within it– a way that advanced civilization and yet also had the capacity to care about, enhance, and value the lives of all of its people.

As with Rooms, this book, The Chosen, is first and foremost a story about people – people with real feelings, beliefs and emotions – people with dreams and hopes, who are doing their best during a difficult time in history. The book also brings to a head the struggle between the "haves" and the "have nots;" the conflict between self-indulgence and living as a village; and the battle between power, greed and profit and the daily lives of people and the health of their planet.

The Chosen also looks at how people, religions and governments have settled their differences over the millennia, and that the evil and destructive nightmare of war might not be the answer.

We as humans have the capacity to either hinder or advance our evolutionary growth through the choices we make. Choices do make a difference. We can use our wit and intelligence and the factual nature of science to chart a new course for the human race, or we can bow to corporate greed and the lust for power at any cost and watch our lives deteriorate along with our planet.

Choices matter…

Chapter Titles

Forward
1. The Tower
2. The Reboot Ceremony
3. The Ship
4. Loon's Story
5. The Favor
6. The Club
7. Reunion
8. The Pulse-Signal
9. Stealth
10. M-78
11. Data Mining
12. Espionage
13. Rage and Remembrance
14. Recon
15. The Circle
16. Glide-Trains
17. The Gathering Storm
18. In the Dark
19. The Razor's Edge
20. The Insurgence
21. Paradox or Possibilities
22. The Maelstrom
23. Rewind
24. Revolution
25. Two Roads
26. Epilogue

My New Book, THE CHOSEN, Is Almost Finished

Cover Art By Greg Opalinski

All the chapters for my new science fiction book, The Chosen, have been finished. Now, all I have to do is the Forward and the Epilogue and the first draft of the book will be done.

Below, I've included all the chapter titles. I should finish the forward and epilogue within the next two days, then the edits and rewriting will begin. I'm very hopeful that I can have the book published sometime in February.

Even though The Chosen is Book II of the Rooms' Series, it will be able to be read as a stand-alone novel. You won't have to read Rooms to read The Chosen.


Chapter Titles

Forward
1. The Tower
2. The Reboot Ceremony
3. The Ship
4. Loon's Story
5. The Favor
6. The Club
7. Reunion
8. The Pulse-Signal
9. Stealth
10. M-78
11. Data Mining
12. Espionage
13. Rage and Remembrance
14. Recon
15. The Circle
16. Glide-Trains
17. The Gathering Storm
18. In the Dark
19. The Razor's Edge
20. The Insurgence
21. Paradox or Possibilities
22. The Maelstrom
23. Rewind
24. Revolution
25. Two Roads
26. Epilogue

The Chosen: Chapters 21 & 22 Are Finished

Cover Art By Greg Opalinski

As I mentioned in my last post, I've changed the title of Harlequin to The Chosen. I've finished chapter's 21 and 22, and have started chapter 23. Unless something changes, it looks like there will be a total of 25 chapters with an Afterward as well.

Below, I've included a list of all the chapter titles up through chapter 23. I should finish the first draft of the book sometime in January and publish it in February or early March.

Even though The Chosen is Book II of the Rooms' Series, it will be able to be read as a stand-alone novel. You won't have to read Rooms to read The Chosen.


Chapter Titles

1. The Tower
2. The Reboot Ceremony
3. The Ship
4. Loon's Story
5. The Favor
6. The Club
7. Reunion
8. The Pulse-Signal
9. Stealth
10. M-78
11. Data Mining
12. Espionage
13. Rage and Remembrance
14. Recon
15. The Circle
16. Glide-Trains
17. The Gathering Storm
18. In the Dark
19. The Razor's Edge
20. The Insurgence
21. Paradox or Possibilities
22. The Maelstrom
23. Rewind

THE CHOSEN: Finished Chapter 20!

Cover Art By Greg Opalinski

I just finished chapter 20 of THE CHOSEN. It's a long chapter and was very interesting, intricate, and extremely exciting to write. It is definitely a pivotal chapter and really sets up the rest of the book.

A lot happens in this chapter that has been building since the beginning of the story, and I'm really looking forward to going on from here. I've even started the next chapter, continuing directly from where chapter 20 left off. I had to do it that way this time! Just had to!

So, again, I've listed all twenty chapter titles below along with one quote from chapter 20 and a possible title for chapter 21, "Paradox or Possibilities".


THE CHOSEN Chapter 20 Quote

“They walked along behind him into the large, dark chamber. Yadesh had been right. It was absolutely pitch black except for his beacon that swayed back and forth with his steady gate, and it was very difficult to move quietly as well. Any small rustle of clothing or shuffling noise would resonate across the hall. Yadesh slowed them, using a hand signal to get them to move with even more caution.

They reached the opposite side of the chamber and could see another small stairway by the glow of Yadesh’s beacon. As he climbed, though, it left his followers in the dark; so upon arriving near where they thought the stairway must be, each of them was forced to tepidly search for the first step until it was discovered, finally allowing them to proceed.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Yadesh turned and gathered his followers close and murmured…”

Chapter Titles

1. The Tower
2. The Reboot Ceremony
3. The Ship
4. Loon's Story
5. The Favor
6. The Club
7. Reunion
8. The Pulse-Signal
9. Stealth
10. M-78
11. Data Mining
12. Espionage
13. Rage and Remembrance
14. Recon
15. The Circle
16. Glide-Trains
17. The Gathering Storm
18. In the Dark
19. The Razor's Edge
20. The Insurgence
21. Paradox or Possibilities

THE CHOSEN Update - Finished Chapters' 18 and 19

Cover Art By Greg Opalinski

In the last three days, I've completed chapters' 18 and 19 of THE CHOSEN. All the bits and pieces of the book are coming together. I love getting to this point in a book - the point where you can see the end so clearly, but you can also visualize so many different ways to get there.

I'm also pleased with the chapter titles that are popping up. Even they seem to be building the suspense. I've listed below the chapter titles for the first 20 chapters. I'm not sure if the one I have for chapter 20 will stand. We'll see...

1. The Tower
2. The Reboot Ceremony
3. The Ship
4. Loon's Story
5. The Favor
6. The Club
7. Reunion
8. The Pulse-Signal
9. Stealth
10. M-78
11. Data Mining
12. Espionage
13. Rage and Remembrance
14. Recon
15. The Circle
16. Glide-Trains
17. The Gathering Storm
18. In the Dark
19. The Razor's Edge
20. The Insurgence

And...for fun, check out the new counter on the right side of my blog that shows the total Pageviews Since 11/22/2013 and the Popular Posts section that includes the posts that have had the most hits over the past 7 days. ----------------------------------->

THE CHOSEN: Chapter 17 Short Excerpt

Cover Art By Greg Opalinski

Chapter 17 in THE CHOSEN is where the conflict in the book is taking center stage. The title of that chapter, as I mentioned in my last post, is "The Gathering Storm". That title actually came from a passage at the end of the chapter. Below, I've included the last four paragraphs. Rad and Zeer are talking.

   “Zeer?”

   “Yes?”

   “At this moment, I feel like I did when I was out on R-131 in my survival shelter watching one of those gigantic, violent dust storms rolling towards me. I’d look out of my small shelter, with only its thin shell for protection, and I felt completely and utterly vulnerable, never knowing whether I would survive or not. I always did, but I never felt safe until it was over.

   None of us knows what’s going to happen now either, and I again feel the danger and power of an oncoming gathering storm..."

Here are the titles of the first 17 chapters of THE CHOSEN.

1. The Tower
2. The Reboot Ceremony
3. The Ship
4. Loon's Story
5. The Favor
6. The Club
7. Reunion
8. The Pulse-Signal
9. Stealth
10. M-78
11. Data Mining
12. Espionage
13. Rage and Remembrance
14. Recon
15. The Circle
16. Glide-Trains
17. The Gathering Storm

And...for fun, check out the new counter on the right side of my blog that shows the total Pageviews Since 11/22/2013 and the Popular Posts section that includes the posts that have had the most hits over the past 7 days. ----------------------------------->

THE CHOSEN Update - Book II of the ROOMS Series

Cover Art By Greg Opalinski

I completed the 13th chapter of THE CHOSEN today. The title is "Rage and Remembrance." It wasn't as easy to figure out the title for this chapter as it has been for the other 12, but in the end, I like what I chose.

It's a long chapter, a little over 5,000 words, and it was a very intense one to write. It took a lot out of me. The story and the characters are becoming more and more real to me the further I get into the book, and when their emotions and experiences are strong, mine are as well.

Also, the book is about 45,000 words now. That's almost 15,000 more words in 13 chapters of THE CHOSEN than was in Rooms at the same point. Really all that means, I think, is that I'm putting a lot more detail into the stories that I'm writing and enjoying it more as well.

And...I'd like to mention that as of today, I'm up to 27 countries where my blog is being read. I added two more today - Macau and Ireland. Welcome!



Here are the titles of the first 13 chapters of THE CHOSEN.

1. The Tower
2. The Reboot Ceremony
3. The Ship
4. Loon's Story
5. The Favor
6. The Club
7. Reunion
8. The Pulse-Signal
9. Stealth
10. M-78
11. Data Mining
12. Espionage
13. Rage and Remembrance

And... for fun, check out the Popular Posts section on the right side of my blog to discover the posts that have had the most hits over the past 7 days. -------------------------------------------------->

BLOG NOW BEING READ IN 29 COUNTRIES & THE CHOSEN UPDATE

Readers Around the World - Updated List

Here is the updated list of the 29 countries where people are reading my blog. I'm really pleased to have so many friends around the world!

• United States
• Poland
• Ukraine
• France
• Turkey
• Germany
• Denmark
• China
• Russia
• United Kingdom
• Spain
• Netherlands
• Belgium
• Romania
• Taiwan
• Saudi Arabia
• Italy
• Canada
• Brazil
• Indonesia
• Mexico
• Vietnam
• Thailand
• Colombia
• Austria
• Macau
• Ireland
• India
• Singapore

THE CHOSEN Update - Book II of the Rooms' Series

Cover Art By Greg Opalinski

I just finished chapter 8 of THE CHOSEN yesterday and have a start on chapter 9. I'm now into the meat of the story, and it's flowing well. I find that as I get into this part of writing a book, I tend to get more and more ideas. I also feel very good about the beginning of this book for the reader. I think there's a lot there to think about and enjoy.

Here are the titles of the first 9 chapters.

1. The Tower
2. The Reboot Ceremony
3. The Ship
4. Loon's Story
5. The Favor
6. The Club
7. Reunion
8. The Pulse-Signal
9. Stealth

And... for fun, check out the Popular Posts section on the right side of my blog to discover the posts that have had the most hits over the past 7 days. -------------------------------------------------->

THE CHOSEN: Sneak Peek At The First 5 Chapters

Cover Art By Greg Opalinski

THE CHOSEN, my new science fiction book is the second book of the Rooms' Series. It's a stand-alone novel with enough background information for readers who haven't read Rooms, yet it's definitely a continuation of the story and the characters that were introduced in Rooms.

It will be a while before THE CHOSEN is finished, but I thought it would be fun to give you a sneak preview by showing you the first paragraph of each of the first five chapters. Let me know what you think.

1 The Tower

“The rounded, transparent covers from the growth capsules radiated a warm bluish-white light in the darkened hall, and inside each, lay a naked body attached to a ghostly face. Affixed to the control panel of every capsule were lines containing air and liquid nourishment, pumping and maintaining the lives within while creating a constant hum that vibrated faintly throughout the room. The scientists shuffled amongst them. They spoke quietly and checked the ever-present dials, blinking lights and graphs, as they constantly monitored the life signs of the valuable occupants inside each chamber.”

2 The Reboot Ceremony

“The lifeglobe on M-78 was resplendently decorated for the day’s events. Huge sparkling streamers hung from the plastishield dome and four of the tallest buildings literally oozed waves of color from their energized zed-glass exteriors. The largest and most impressive of these, of course, was the Visionaries’ Tower, which also projected an image of Harlequin onto the dome of the lifeglobe for all to see.”

3 The Ship

  

“Gwen was the only human on board 'The Ship.' She had volunteered to be put into sleep mode and travel the huge distances required to find another Earth-like planet. Her bodily functions had been slowed, the aging process diminished, and she would remain unconscious during the entire trip. This new and advanced warp-drive space vehicle had the ability to travel at the speed of light and faster. If it worked as the Visionaries had hoped, it could travel vast distances in a much shorter period of time in search of a new home for the Chosen.”

4 Loon’s Story

“How many times had they walked this beach together? How many sunrises and sunsets had they seen? They would meet the others from 'The Circle' later at the 'Womb' to discuss tomorrow’s events, but these next two or three hours belonged to them. They were both fond of spending time together, talking, teasing each other, debating…whatever they felt at the moment.”

5 The Favor

  

“No! No! Rad! No…”

Rad was awakened by Zeers screams. Her skin was damp, and she thrashed and rolled next to him. He held her close and spoke softly, “Zeer. It’s okay. They’re not here. You’re with me. It’s okay. Sh…” She was quieting now, and he kissed her temple and brushed back the yellowish-brown hair from her forehead. Her eyes were beginning to open, searching for Rad. He asked, “Are you okay?”

“I…I am… It was just that damn dream again.”

Quotes from BEATRICE & Descriptive Paragraphs from THE CHOSEN

Below I've placed three quotes from Beatrice for you to enjoy. Each of them is from a different chapter in the book.

Chapter 3 Quote

“It had been at least two months since I’d seen Mother and spoken to her, and I knew that it wouldn’t be easy to talk with her about that last year we’d lived in our mansion. Just as with me, I knew that her memories were fragmented, and whenever Fiona or I would try to talk to her about it, a dark cloud seemed to surround us. Mother would simply refuse to discuss it. But this time…this time it had to be different. This was something that needed to come out. I knew none of us could ever be happy or content in our lives until we’d faced it. We had to discover together what had happened, and if we could, maybe then we could finally put it all behind us.”

Chapter 7 Quote

“The time had flown by. She had written and scribbled note after note, and more and more pieces had clicked into place. Her eyes were red and tired, and the clock in the room had just struck 4:00 in the morning. Desperately needing sleep, she blew out the candle and reached for the blanket that Kirsty had left for her before going to bed. She then put down her pen, stretched out on the crumpled, leather couch and turned out the light on the end table. She slept, surrounded by papers, old tomes of history and the quiet ticking of the grandfather clock against the wall behind her.”

Chapter 24 Quote

“I attempted to reach out and touch something solid that I could push against. I had no sense of up or down or movement. I couldn’t feel or hear or smell, but I could see, not in the usual way, but in insignificant bursts that came sporadically as my eyelids opened and closed and opened and closed.  Within those small, fractured moments, I could see that I was surrounded and trapped in a dense, cinnamon-stained vapor that swirled into oblivion. I couldn’t remember how I’d entered that hell, and I had no memory of it ending.”

Cover Art By Greg Opalinski

I've started working on the difficult chapter 4. I think I have the title finalized now and have planned more for chapter 5.

• The Tower
• The Reboot Ceremony
• The Ship
• Loon's Story

Here are two descriptive paragraphs from two different chapters of THE CHOSEN.

Chapter 3 Description

"Months and months had passed. She was deeper than normal in her dream cycle, with small red, blue and yellow lights blinking on the console and her slow breath clouding the transparent cover of the sleep chamber. A cap covered her shaved head and was designed to keep her brain functioning optimally during stasis. She was clothed in a breathable skin-tight suit that maintained her body temperature at the correct level, pulsed to stimulate her muscles and carried the fluids and food into her bloodstream necessary for being inactive for such a long period of time. Her light brown eyebrows and lashes lay quietly on her pale, frosted skin. The only noticeable movement was her slow heartbeat bumping up against her chest – the only sound was her monitor, constantly checking and recording her life signs. Out...In…Out…In… Slow and steady. Her breath kept pace with her moderated heartbeat. Out…In…Out…In… Her life hung on a thread in the dark, ready to awake and start anew."

Chapter 4 Description

"They walked further in silence. Their bare feet compacting the grains of sand and slapping against the damp surface; their senses taking in the warm air flowing over their skin, and the salt breeze and sea aromas floating up and surrounding them. The sounds of Sholar joined in as well, playing music in their ears, while the mighty ocean’s surf ebbed in and out, and the seabirds floated and soared in the magical sky with songs and shouts to each other. The day was glorious, and each of them was lost in their own musings…"