Two Events, Two Different Outcomes

Nov. 14th. 2015

Looking at the last paragraph of my last blog, I mentioned the Remembrance Day service and how killing should be confined to the pages of fiction. On Friday well over a hundred, innocent people were murdered in Paris by Isis jihadists claiming their right and responsibility is ordained by god. I use the small case to spell god because my God is a God of love, and love cannot harbour violence: He abhors it.

Back to the world of fiction. Last Friday our CHINDI group enjoyed its One Big Launch — the OBL — at the Pallant Suite in Chichester. It was a great evening where nine of us launched our latest books. We laid on entertainment, a bar and a snack buffet. The evening was rounded off with a 30 minute gig from Lara King: local singer and comedienne. We all sold books: some doing better than others, but overall it was a good experience and encouraged us to think and plan for next year. I had ordered books from Amazon, but they failed to appear. Fortunately I had a few I was able to offer, backed up by some other titles.

During the week I entered my latest, unpublished manuscript into a Kindle Scout campaign. I have 30 days in which to persuade people to nominate my book, A Dangerous Game. If my campaign is successful, I will win a contract with Amazon and all those people who nominated me will receive a free copy (eBook) from Amazon before the launch. The benefits outweigh the disadvantages in my case, but I have nothing to lose. I hope I can persuade you to vote for me by clicking the link:

https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/1TW0QYIN2N95B

I have sent e-mails to all my subscribers, advertised on FB and Twitter, and hope to achieve at least a reasonable pile of votes. If you click the link, I will be eternally grateful. I’m up against some pretty stiff competition, but you never know —  he who dares?

Having completed the book and entered the competition, I am now in a kind of limbo. I want to start my next novel, but I know I have to spend a little more time on promotion and marketing for A Dangerous Game. Whatever the outcome, I expect the launch to be early next year.

As we get closer to the end of November, so the thought of Christmas becomes prevalent in our minds and our planning. Our calendar is getting fuller and we will be spending some time away on family visits, shopping trips and a few days in London during the run-up to Christmas: which brings me back to those murdering terrorists. It would be easy to cancel our London trip and the two shows we have booked, but that would mean the murdering cowards are winning the battle. Whatever the cost, we must not give in to them, and hope that our politicians, the leaders we voted in, will have the guts to introduce measures that will offer us more protection instead of the useless sound-bites they spout. We need statesmen like Churchill and Roosevelt, and only then will we stand a chance of defeating the enemy.