Monday, January 31, 2011
Free copy of Stars in Chains, Slave
Thanks for visiting. To get a free copy of Stars in Chains, Slave, send me an email at hegro@shaw.ca and tell me which book am I working on right now. A hint: It can be found in my January 13th post if you scroll down a little.
Lizard World
I just signed the contracts with Melange Books for Lizard World. Book One will be published July 2011, Book Two in September 2011, and Book Three in November 2011.
Here are the covers:
Here are the covers:
Traveling around the world in ten years
Last night on the news they showed this Canadian guy who took a trip around the world. It took him ten years. He just landed in Vancouver and is on his way home to Montreal…still walking. He only took a ship to cross the Pacific Ocean from Australia. I don’t remember what cause he claimed as a reason for this venture and actually I don’t care to know. The news announcer ended with the word ‘Wow’.
I guess people will call the man a hero and an adventurer. I have a different opinion. He’s no hero. He left his wife alone for ten years…to tend for herself all those ten lonely years. Both are ten years older. You can never get back those years. I’m surprised she didn’t divorce him.
Years ago I was listening to one of those Evangelists on the radio. He told the story about a man who went to Africa to do missionary work, leaving his family and five children. “When the Lord calls you to do his work you go, even if it means to leave your family and friends behind. The Lord will take care of them,” the Evangelist said.
And I thought, “Holy crap! What a bunch of B.S.” If you really want to do the Lord’s work you take care of your family. Family always comes first…even before God. Sounds like blasphemy? In my opinion if you turn your back on your family you turn your back on God. What a copout to leave your five children without a father to take care of them if they become a burden!
To come back to the world traveler…had he not been married I would have said, “What an adventure,” but now I can’t. I don’t know where he got the money for food and lodging during those ten years. I suppose he worked once in awhile, but most of the time he depended on the charity of strangers. Of course, now he’ll probably write a book; it will become a bestseller, because people are suckers for those kinds of stories, and he won’t have to work for the rest of his life. Maybe traveling around the world is not such a bad idea. Hmmm…
I guess people will call the man a hero and an adventurer. I have a different opinion. He’s no hero. He left his wife alone for ten years…to tend for herself all those ten lonely years. Both are ten years older. You can never get back those years. I’m surprised she didn’t divorce him.
Years ago I was listening to one of those Evangelists on the radio. He told the story about a man who went to Africa to do missionary work, leaving his family and five children. “When the Lord calls you to do his work you go, even if it means to leave your family and friends behind. The Lord will take care of them,” the Evangelist said.
And I thought, “Holy crap! What a bunch of B.S.” If you really want to do the Lord’s work you take care of your family. Family always comes first…even before God. Sounds like blasphemy? In my opinion if you turn your back on your family you turn your back on God. What a copout to leave your five children without a father to take care of them if they become a burden!
To come back to the world traveler…had he not been married I would have said, “What an adventure,” but now I can’t. I don’t know where he got the money for food and lodging during those ten years. I suppose he worked once in awhile, but most of the time he depended on the charity of strangers. Of course, now he’ll probably write a book; it will become a bestseller, because people are suckers for those kinds of stories, and he won’t have to work for the rest of his life. Maybe traveling around the world is not such a bad idea. Hmmm…
Monday, January 24, 2011
Posting on the groups
It is Monday and I posted an excerpt from 'Stars in Chains, Liberator' on the groups that allow posting. I discovered to my delight that the cover of 'The Xandra, Book Three, Goddess of Life' is featured on the Romance Excerpts Only group site.
Check it out here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/romanceexcerptsonly/
Check it out here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/romanceexcerptsonly/
Thursday, January 13, 2011
My books at All Romance and other news
They sure don't keep the featured books for long. Mine are already taken off the display, but you can still find my books by searching for my name at the site.
This internet publishing is a fast moving medium. New books come out every day. It's a paradise for readers but hell for authors. Unless a book makes a big splash right from the beginning it is forgotten in a short time. The only things that helps is to keep on writing and publishing. I'm aiming to do that. Right now I'm not making much progress with Book Six in the Xandra series. I write a few lines every day (well...almost every day.There is always something else that needs to be done). The story is not flowing as I had hoped. Maybe it's the weather. The sun isn't showing its face. Actually, we are quite lucky here in the Winnipeg area. Not too much snow and not that cold either. Other parts of Canada and the USA are not so lucky. I don't even want to mention Australia. They are certainly getting their share of bad weather with the flooding of such a huge area. We'll get our flooding again in the Spring. BC had a dumping of snow according to my friend Don who is there right now. But it will melt again in a few days with the warmer weather and rain forecast. I'm not sure if I like that kind of weather.
Even though we don't have much snow, we do get a little bit coming down, just enough to make the streets slippery. Every day we hear the news about cars sliding off the road into the ditch or worse, getting into accidents, some of them fatal. I'm not surprised. The way some people drive it is no wonder they end up that way. Driving too fast is the main reason for these accidents. Unfortunately, these reckless drivers involve other drivers, even the cautious ones, in their mishaps. There is this idea about installing snow tires on your vehicle for safer driving being pushed right now. I think it is just another ruse to sell tires. I'm not saying snow tires don't help. Sure, they help...in deep snow. The only way to drive safe is to slow down. Drivers in trucks and cars with four wheel drive believe they are safe. How wrong they are. They need just as long to brake than cars without four wheel drive.
Well, enough ranting. Everyone reading this stay safe and come back again.
This internet publishing is a fast moving medium. New books come out every day. It's a paradise for readers but hell for authors. Unless a book makes a big splash right from the beginning it is forgotten in a short time. The only things that helps is to keep on writing and publishing. I'm aiming to do that. Right now I'm not making much progress with Book Six in the Xandra series. I write a few lines every day (well...almost every day.There is always something else that needs to be done). The story is not flowing as I had hoped. Maybe it's the weather. The sun isn't showing its face. Actually, we are quite lucky here in the Winnipeg area. Not too much snow and not that cold either. Other parts of Canada and the USA are not so lucky. I don't even want to mention Australia. They are certainly getting their share of bad weather with the flooding of such a huge area. We'll get our flooding again in the Spring. BC had a dumping of snow according to my friend Don who is there right now. But it will melt again in a few days with the warmer weather and rain forecast. I'm not sure if I like that kind of weather.
Even though we don't have much snow, we do get a little bit coming down, just enough to make the streets slippery. Every day we hear the news about cars sliding off the road into the ditch or worse, getting into accidents, some of them fatal. I'm not surprised. The way some people drive it is no wonder they end up that way. Driving too fast is the main reason for these accidents. Unfortunately, these reckless drivers involve other drivers, even the cautious ones, in their mishaps. There is this idea about installing snow tires on your vehicle for safer driving being pushed right now. I think it is just another ruse to sell tires. I'm not saying snow tires don't help. Sure, they help...in deep snow. The only way to drive safe is to slow down. Drivers in trucks and cars with four wheel drive believe they are safe. How wrong they are. They need just as long to brake than cars without four wheel drive.
Well, enough ranting. Everyone reading this stay safe and come back again.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
All Romance e-books
Stardogs 1 and Stardogs 2 are featured at ‘All Romance’ books. Link: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/
Here is a list of my books available now from ‘All Romance’ books. To find them just go to 'All Romance' books and search for 'Herbert Grosshans' under 'Authors'
Stardogs 1, Return to Redsky
Stardogs 2, Redemption
Stars in Chains, Book One, Slave
Stars in Chains, Book Two, Liberator
Orola, Warrior Priestess
Orion, Symbiont of Passion
Here is a list of my books available now from ‘All Romance’ books. To find them just go to 'All Romance' books and search for 'Herbert Grosshans' under 'Authors'
Stardogs 1, Return to Redsky
Stardogs 2, Redemption
Stars in Chains, Book One, Slave
Stars in Chains, Book Two, Liberator
Orola, Warrior Priestess
Orion, Symbiont of Passion
Monday, January 10, 2011
A few words of Wisdom
Here are some truths I posted on my blog January 1st, 2007. I thought it would be a good idea to post them again. Most of them are probably not new and someone else may have said them in different words, but they might give somebody something to ponder.
Small words of wisdom:
By Herbert Grosshans
To be timid is to lose.
Success does not come to the one who never tries.
Speak and be heard, stay silent and be ignored.
Only a fool swims against the stream.
To reach the end one must begin.
To give up is the way of the coward.
Acting the fool makes you one.
Love comes to the one who gives it...so does Hate.
An evil act does not spawn a good act.
Even a tiny spark can produce a large flame.
To deny the truth is to lie.
Even the tallest tree was once a tiny seed.
To give in does not show weakness...to be stubborn does.
To try does not guarantee success, but not to try guarantees failure.
To give is to receive.
Lie and you shall be lied to.
A cheater is a liar.
To be trusted one must show his face, to hide behind a mask invites mistrust.
To forgive does not mean one is forgiven.
An avalanche begins with a tiny snowflake.
One cannot be a teacher without being a student.
Don't shout into a canyon if you don't want to hear the echo.
Small words of wisdom:
By Herbert Grosshans
To be timid is to lose.
Success does not come to the one who never tries.
Speak and be heard, stay silent and be ignored.
Only a fool swims against the stream.
To reach the end one must begin.
To give up is the way of the coward.
Acting the fool makes you one.
Love comes to the one who gives it...so does Hate.
An evil act does not spawn a good act.
Even a tiny spark can produce a large flame.
To deny the truth is to lie.
Even the tallest tree was once a tiny seed.
To give in does not show weakness...to be stubborn does.
To try does not guarantee success, but not to try guarantees failure.
To give is to receive.
Lie and you shall be lied to.
A cheater is a liar.
To be trusted one must show his face, to hide behind a mask invites mistrust.
To forgive does not mean one is forgiven.
An avalanche begins with a tiny snowflake.
One cannot be a teacher without being a student.
Don't shout into a canyon if you don't want to hear the echo.
Sunday, January 09, 2011
Advertising and selling
I've been uploading links and photo albums with a few of my book covers on the sites I belong to. The idea is to keep my name popping up for readers to notice and attract them to my blog or website. I don't know if it helps to sell my books. One thing I should have been aware of: Yahoo sends updates to the members of the sites and that is a good thing. Yesterday, in the update I received, my name popped up about twenty times on the same list. I guess that should grab peoples attention, but that's not how I planned it. If I would have played it smart, I would have dragged out my uploading over a longer period of time. People have short memories. If you want to sell something you have to remind potential buyers over and over again that you exist and have something to sell. Just look at the commercials on TV, the radio, in the papers, and in the household fliers filling your mailbox every day. Advertising is everything. Many bestselling books are not necessarily better than books that don't sell. They just get promoted more. E-publishing is so different from printed books. If a printed book is published, the way it used to be before computers and the internet, the publishers promote the book already before it is released to the public. That's not the case in e-publishing. It is pretty much left to the Author to promote his (or her) book. Besides, there are so many writers out there now and readers have a huge number of books from a ton of publishers to choose from. If the publishers don't get the traffic, the books simply don't sell.
Of course, publishing with one of the large, better known and highly visited e-publishers still doesn't mean a writer's book sells. What a writer can hope for is that his (or her) book gets featured and maybe offered at a discount, but that is up to the publisher. Book publishers, like any other business, want to make money. If they notice one particular writer sells more books than his (or her) counterparts, they will promote this writer's books, and it will lead to more sales. I have fourteen books out there and a few short stories in digests. So far I have 9 books scheduled for release this year and next year. I've noticed with every new book published my older books also start selling again, this means it is important to keep on writing and bring out new books to build up a large reader base. I'm still hoping for that breakout novel that will act like an avalanche and make my name as a writer known to a high number of readers. It's a dream, until then I keep on writing and hoping.
Of course, publishing with one of the large, better known and highly visited e-publishers still doesn't mean a writer's book sells. What a writer can hope for is that his (or her) book gets featured and maybe offered at a discount, but that is up to the publisher. Book publishers, like any other business, want to make money. If they notice one particular writer sells more books than his (or her) counterparts, they will promote this writer's books, and it will lead to more sales. I have fourteen books out there and a few short stories in digests. So far I have 9 books scheduled for release this year and next year. I've noticed with every new book published my older books also start selling again, this means it is important to keep on writing and bring out new books to build up a large reader base. I'm still hoping for that breakout novel that will act like an avalanche and make my name as a writer known to a high number of readers. It's a dream, until then I keep on writing and hoping.
Saturday, January 01, 2011
Happy New Year
I wish everyone who visits me a great and wonderful 2011. It feels almost surreal to write the number 2011. Where has the time gone? I ask myself the same question every time I face a new birthday. Another year older.
Looking back at the year 2010 I accomplished a few things. I didn't have much published but I was writing. I finished and sent to Melange Books my latest novel in the Xandra series which will be published as two books because of its length (120.000 words). Book Four: Lure of Seduction, and Book Five: Escape from Paradise. It's been accepted by I don't know the publishing date. Presently I am working on Book six.
If you've been visiting my blog in the past you will notice a change. A new header, it is part of Book Three of 'The Xandra'. Since my publisher MSFiction closed its doors as of today, I had to find a new publisher. My new Publisher 'Melange Books, LLC' has reissued my already published books with a few changes, some got new covers. I'm hoping that a few of the others are still getting new covers.
All my links should be working now. I was busy today changing the pictures and links. It is a lot of work.
As for new releases: My contemporary novel 'Web of Conspiracy' will be published as 3 volumes. It is 180,000 words long. Book One is scheduled for July, Book Two for September and Book Three for October 2011. It is a murder mystery with the war in the Middle East as the background.
I've also submitted my novel 'Lizard World'. It will be published in 3 volumes, but I don't know when. The covers have already been designed. You can find them by scrolling down. My novel 'Outpost Epsilon' was the first volume in the series and 'Lizard World' takes place 15 years after the events in Outpost Epsilon.
Also submitted another contemporary novel 'Mark of the Cobra'. It was supposed to have been published a couple of years ago, but I pulled it and made some changes.
Book Four and Five in the Xandra series is the last submission of mine. I don't know when they will be published.
As you can see, I've been busy writing during 2010.
Currently, I am working on Book Six of The Xandra and then, possibly, Book Seven. It all depends on my creative juices, but I think I have enough material already in my head for two books. 100,000 words is pretty much the longest a novel should be for e-publishing and that is actually already too long. My novels usually end up being longer than that. Once I start writing and get into the story, I can't stop after 50.000 words.
Thank you for reading this far. I will give away a limited number of pdf copies of one of my novels. If you are interested, send me an email at hegro@shaw.ca and ask for one. Any one, except for Stars in Chains, Book Two, Liberator.
Looking back at the year 2010 I accomplished a few things. I didn't have much published but I was writing. I finished and sent to Melange Books my latest novel in the Xandra series which will be published as two books because of its length (120.000 words). Book Four: Lure of Seduction, and Book Five: Escape from Paradise. It's been accepted by I don't know the publishing date. Presently I am working on Book six.
If you've been visiting my blog in the past you will notice a change. A new header, it is part of Book Three of 'The Xandra'. Since my publisher MSFiction closed its doors as of today, I had to find a new publisher. My new Publisher 'Melange Books, LLC' has reissued my already published books with a few changes, some got new covers. I'm hoping that a few of the others are still getting new covers.
All my links should be working now. I was busy today changing the pictures and links. It is a lot of work.
As for new releases: My contemporary novel 'Web of Conspiracy' will be published as 3 volumes. It is 180,000 words long. Book One is scheduled for July, Book Two for September and Book Three for October 2011. It is a murder mystery with the war in the Middle East as the background.
I've also submitted my novel 'Lizard World'. It will be published in 3 volumes, but I don't know when. The covers have already been designed. You can find them by scrolling down. My novel 'Outpost Epsilon' was the first volume in the series and 'Lizard World' takes place 15 years after the events in Outpost Epsilon.
Also submitted another contemporary novel 'Mark of the Cobra'. It was supposed to have been published a couple of years ago, but I pulled it and made some changes.
Book Four and Five in the Xandra series is the last submission of mine. I don't know when they will be published.
As you can see, I've been busy writing during 2010.
Currently, I am working on Book Six of The Xandra and then, possibly, Book Seven. It all depends on my creative juices, but I think I have enough material already in my head for two books. 100,000 words is pretty much the longest a novel should be for e-publishing and that is actually already too long. My novels usually end up being longer than that. Once I start writing and get into the story, I can't stop after 50.000 words.
Thank you for reading this far. I will give away a limited number of pdf copies of one of my novels. If you are interested, send me an email at hegro@shaw.ca and ask for one. Any one, except for Stars in Chains, Book Two, Liberator.
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