The Importance of Time and a FREE Book!

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Yes, I have another book to giveaway. I must say I love doing this. Giving away books.  Giving away things.

I’m a busy guy. Probably not as busy as some but busier than others. I have a lot going on in life and it keeps me scurrying about. That’s why I get asked so much about how I find time to write.

But it isn’t about finding time, is it? No. Not really. It’s about MAKING time.

If time were money we wouldn’t talk about finding money as if just happens to appear in secret places and we have to snoop around until we find it. No. We talk about making money. About being intentional.

The difference is that there is really no limit to the amount of money one can make. There is a limit to the amount of time one has at one’s disposal. So we must not only make time but we must use it wisely.

And therein is how I MAKE time to write. No, I haven’t discovered the secret to time travel and don’t have the ability to literally make time as you would money. We all have 24 hours in a day and that’s it. No more, no less.

It’s what we do with that time that matters.

I’m sorry but I tend to be rather cynical when someone tells me they simply don’t have time to write, that they could write a book if they only had the time. I’m cynical because the making of time tends to bring with it some sacrifice. The bottom line is those folks who think they’re too busy simply don’t want to make the sacrifice.

This is  a lesson not just for writing but for all of life. Take note: You do have the time but you choose to use it how you wish. Remember that whenever you are tempted to use the excuse of lack of time.

Now, back to the giveaway . . . while we’re discussing time management and writing I think it’s appropriate to introduce a little e-book I wrote called Writing Time! Proven Techniques for Making Time to Write and Finishing What You Start. It’s a short book, just 35 pages or so, but it’s packed with information about making time to write and making the most of that time. If you are a writer or if you know a writer, this book will help. Guaranteed.

And the best thing is that all this week the book is FREE on Amazon! That’s right. FREE!!

Please help spread the word about this book by sharing this post or the Amazon page on all your social media hangouts. Thank you!

Also, be sure to check out my newest thriller, FEARLESS. Available wherever books are sold.

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Another Giveaway: The Last Hunt FREE

I’m in the giving away mood!

The Last Hunt was a short story I wrote a few years ago. I recently revised it and it is now available for Kindle and for FREE for a limited time.

This story will make you think twice about ever going into the woods again.

Today through Thursday you can download THE LAST HUNT for FREE! (After that it’ll be only $0.99.)

Download it now and please help spread the word about this special offer. Share it on Facebook, Twitter, and whatever other social media venues you frequent. Thank you!

Winners of JANUARY JUSTICE Announced

For the past three days I’ve held a contest to win a Kindle copy of Athol Dickson’s newest novel, January Justice. We’re giving away three copies and today the winners are announced. They are:

Annie VZ

Carolyn

Tana

Congratulations to the winners. You’ll be receiving your Kindle version of January Justice soon. If you don’t have a Kindle, no worries. Amazon has a Kindle app for just about everything, PC, Mac, smart phones, iPad, etc.

Enjoy the story!

An Author I Admire; a Book I Recommend . . . and a Giveaway!

I don’t recommend very many books on this blog, not because I don’t read many books worth recommending, but just because that isn’t what this blog is about. But sometimes I feel compelled to, for a variety of reasons.

And as an author, strangely, there are few authors I truly admire. Oh, there are writers out there way more talented than me, that’s not what I’m getting at. I mean authors who because of what they write, how they write it, and who they are, have captured my admiration. Athol Dickson is one of those authors.

A couple weeks ago I posted about Athol Dickson’s new book, January Justice. I’ve read the book and like with all of Athol’s books, highly recommend it. I first discovered Athol at the prompting of my wife after she read They Shall See God. I then read River Rising and it literally made me see Jesus in a whole new way (there’s one line in the book that will blow you away). Athol’s writing is fluid and almost magical. He has a distinct voice that, as a fellow author, I appreciate.

You can find January Justice here. Please check it out.

And now for even better stuff . . . we’re giving away THREE KINDLE COPIES OF JANUARY JUSTICE. To enter just leave a comment to this post (entries will be taken until midnight Thursday). If you don’t have a Kindle, shame on you, but don’t worry, you can still win. Amazon has Kindle apps for just about every kind of reading device including smart phones and your PC or Mac.

And I hope the interview below allows you to get to know Athol a little better.

So tell me about your new murder mystery, January Justice.

The back cover pretty well tells the story: Reeling from his wife’s unsolved murder, Malcolm Cutter is just going through the motions as a chauffeur and bodyguard for Hollywood’s rich and famous. Then a pair of Guatemalan tough guys offer him a job. It’s an open question whether they’re patriotic revolutionaries or vicious terrorists. Either way, Cutter doesn’t much care until he gets a bomb through his window, a gangland beating on the streets of L.A., and three bullets in the chest. Now there’s another murder on Cutter’s Mind. His own.

January Justice is the first in a new series will follows Malcolm Cutter as he works as a chauffeur/crime sleuth and looks for his wife’s murderer on the side.

When did you decide to become a writer?

I didn’t really make a decision to become a writer, so much as it just happened. I was working as a partner in an architectural firm, and spending most of my days dealing with handling business issues instead of having fun designing buildings, which was not what I had in mind when I went into architecture. I wanted some kind of creative release, and I’ve always loved to read murder mysteries, so I decided to try my hand at writing one. A couple of years later, I met a newspaper editor who had good connections in the publishing world. He volunteered to read my novel, and to my surprise, he thought it was pretty good. He gave me my first professional editorial advice, and after I made the changes he suggested, he sent the manuscript to some friends of his. The next thing I knew, I had an offer from a publisher.

It was all sort of accidental, so I never really thought of writing as anything more than a hobby. But I enjoyed it, and I had a publisher, so I kept writing. Then one of my novels won an award and I flew to Denver to receive it. When they stood me up on stage and praised the book and gave me a round of applause, I remember thinking that somehow, I had become a writer. That was the first time it sank in.

Do you have specific habits when you write?

I write toward a specific goal every day. Sometimes it’s a certain number of words, and sometimes it’s the completion of a scene, but one way or the other I give myself that goal and I keep writing until I get there.

Are you an early bird or night owl?

I’m a morning person, usually up by five or five thirty, and working no later than seven.

A Confession . . . and Helping of Crow

(Photo credit: foxypar4)

Okay, major confession time. I see a huge plate of crow just waiting for me. It’s an acquired taste, I’m told, and by the end of this post I’ll have had my share and be picking it from my teeth.

I’ve always said I wasn’t into the whole e-book reader thing. Yes, technology moved ahead as relentlessly as shadows move with the sun. And yes, the e-book movement was only going to gain steam. But I didn’t have to like it. I’d alway–yes, I said ALWAYS–prefer the feel of a real book to that of a piece of plastic. I’d never–yes, I said NEVER–give up on real paper and ink books. ALWAYS. NEVER.

Please pass the crow . . . and could you hand me the hot sauce?

This past Valentine’s Day my wife got me a Kindle touch. I thanked her and was genuinely intrigued and thought it’d be nice to have around, maybe I’d read some books on it, but that was about it. It would never–yes, NEVER again–replace my love for the real book, the feel of pages, the smell of ink on paper.

Yes, I’d like another helping of crow, thank you.

I don’t quite know what happened. The more I used the Kindle the more I liked it. And the more I liked it the more I got used to reading from it, to its feel, its weight, the ease of downloading books, the abundance of free books, the storage capacity. The ability to take a break from reading and play mahjong.

Okay, I can hardly speak now my mouth is so full of crow.

Here it is: IlikemyKindlebetterthanrealbooks.

There, I said it. It’s the truth, too. In fact, I find it difficult to read a real book, the kind with pages and ink and a spine for goodness sake.

Please, don’t throw rocks, the crow is enough, believe me. Even with hot sauce it’s enough.

Question: So how about you? Which do you prefer, e-book or the real deal?

(Please visit my other blog too: www.michaelkingbooks.wordpress.com).

Get My Novella REARVIEW for $1.99!

Okay, so I’m part of this group of authors who wrote 7 novellas as part of a series. Each book contains one common thread, a mysterious character named Thomas Constant who shows up at the moment of someone’s death and offers them a strange gift: 7 more hours to live. They choose whether to go back in time and relive any 7 hours of their life or to continue living 7 more hours.

It’s quite an interesting concept and the books are all outstanding. The other authors involved are Rene Gutteridge, Ronie Kendig, Robin Parrish, Tom Pawlik, Travis Thrasher, and James Wilson.

The books will release in e-book format only at first. If you don’t have an e-reader, don’t panic. You can download the Kindle app to any PC or Mac and a variety of phones and tablets.

You can read about all the books here.

Tyndale, our publisher, is going to offer each book at a promotional price of $1.99, one book per week for 7 weeks. And my book, REARVIEW, is first. The books are available now on Amazon but I’m asking you to wait until Monday, May 14. REARVIEW will be $1.99 for the entire week and I’d like to flood the sellers with orders and really make a statement.

Go to the Amazon page now and check it out but please wait until the week of May 14 to order it. Then do the same for all the books. One a week will be offered for $1.99!

I’ll post a couple reminders as time gets closer . . .

In the meantime, please repost this, Twitter it, Facebook it, whatever to help get the word out. Thank you!

Read Darkness Follows at a Great Price!

I noticed this morning that Amazon is running a sale on my novel, Darkness Follows. $6.86 for the paperback; $6.52 for Kindle.

I don’t do this much and should probably do it more, but folks, this is a steal. I can’t get it much cheaper than that with my steep author discount.

Darkness Follows was a finalist for the 2011 Inspy Awards and has gotten great reviews. The Christian Manifesto gave it 5/5 stars and said, “Darkness Follows is truly a fantastic story with a gripping plot and haunting undertones.”

And Title Trakk said it was “…a complex, compelling story that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and gripped my emotions as I read each page.”

If you’ve never read one of my books, Darkness Follows is a good one to start with. If you have read any of my books and enjoyed them, you’ll love Darkness Follows.

And really, at this price, it’s a steal.

You Can Still SCREAM for FREE . . .

A couple things to note:

SCREAM is still being offered for FREE at all the major online outlets. Here’s where you can get your copy. And please help spread the word by sharing the page with your Facebook and Twitter friends.

Amazon.com
Barnes & Noble
Christianbook.com

Also, FRANTIC, is available through all major outlets both online and brick and mortar, including most of your local independent stores.

In case you’re on the fence about FRANTIC, here are some reviews you can peruse that will give you an idea about the story.

One Desert Rose
Katy’s Reviews
Chino Valley Review
Clash Entertainment
Reading Great Fiction

More to come . . .

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• Live Like You Mean It. (Mike Dellosso) (hopeofglory.typepad.com)
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A Successful Launch Week

Wow, what a week it’s been! Thank you all for your help in getting the word out about the release of FRANTIC and offer of a free download of SCREAM. I’ve many comments from readers that their local bookstore is already sold out of FRANTIC and as of this morning SCREAM is ranked #11 in the Free Kindle Store. And that’s because of all of you and your efforts. THANK YOU!

Here are two blogs to check out offering giveaways:

Thoughts of a Sojourner . . . “On Being an Alien”
Melinda Williams . . . “A Fire in the Bones”

And if you haven’t already, you can get a copy of FRANTIC here. Or for your Kindle. Or for your Nook.

Also here’s where you can get your free download of SCREAM. Or for your Nook. Order it today, the offer only lasts until February 14!

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Time for Some Tooting

Horns are meant for tooting (don’t take that the wrong way). I don’t like tooting mine, I’m just not comfortable with it. But people tell me I need to. Well, I don’t think this is my horn to toot anyway so I can toot away.

I got word that the Kindle version (Amazon’s electronic book reader) of Scream was my publisher’s #1 seller in December and remains in the top three. This may not sound like much but it is. Strang puts out New York Times bestsellers and has many very well-known authors. It’s humbling to be in their company.

Horn tooted. Whew!