The Published Writer and a free copy of my books

Anyone who downloaded my book 'The Published Writer' will find a link in it to this blog. I promised readers who would like to have a free pdf copy of any of my books, to send me an email and ask for it. Even it you're just a visitor by chance, the offer also stands. Send an email to hegro@shaw.ca  and ask for one of my books. Please, mention how you know about the offer.
I hope I could be of some help in your quest to publish your book after reading The Published Writer. It is available from Amazon for $2.95

http://www.amazon.com/The-Published-Writer-ebook/dp/B00BHKZBBU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1361380527&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Published+Writer

Please, come again.

The Published Writer

I took the plunge today and did something I've been thinking about for some time. I wanted to make the first book in my Xandra series 'Daughter of the Dark' available for free on Amazon for a short period of time, but they only do that with books that are in the KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) program. So I wrote a book. A book on how to become a published writer, and I entered it in the KDP Select program. I'm not quite sure about this, but the way I understood from their terms, it will be available for free for 5 days; after that it will sell for US $2.99. But it will also be available for readers to borrow it from their library. I still get paid for every book readers borrow. Not a bad thing. And it will be available everywhere in the world where Amazon has sites. We'll see how it goes.

It is not that complicated to publish with Amazon. I wrote the book in Word first, then I followed Amazon's instructions and saved in in their requested format. The first time is always the most difficult. Now I know what to expect and the next time will be easier and won't take that much time.

I designed the cover myself using the publisher in my Word program. I'm quite happy with it. Unfortunately, when people download it to their Kindle, it will be in black and white, actually, in 16 shades of gray.

The book won't be available for at least 12 hours, perhaps even longer. I'm not sure about the cover and the picture of me on the last page. They may take longer to appear.

Anyway, here is the cover I designed:

MFRW Blog Hop -My First-

Welcome to my blog. The theme for this blog hop is ‘My First’.

I don’t really write romance novels, but in all of my books there is a certain element of romance. Without that, my characters would never have any intimate encounters.

The book I’m featuring here is the first of two books in ‘Stars in Chains’, a Science Fiction novel. ‘Slave’ tells the story of David Stark, who is abducted by aliens and kept as a slave. It is also a story about love. The book begins when David Stark finds again the young girl he met ten years ago. She was his first true love. He could never forget her and she haunted his dreams every night.

Here is a short excerpt:

His thoughts came to an abrupt halt.

A shape on the side of the road.

A girl…waving her arms.

His tires screeched as he hit the brakes. Before he realized it, he had

stopped and backed up toward the girl who came running. He opened the door

for her and she slid into the bucket seat.

“Hi, what are you doing walking on the road at this time of night?”

Looking outside, he noticed there were no houses. Without comprehending,

he had left the city.

She smiled shyly, hooding her eyes with one hand. “I ran away,” she said

with a soft voice. She had a strange, heavy accent. A strangely familiar

accent.

“So you ran away,” he said. Looking at her, he noticed that she was

practically nude. She wore a transparent cape that didn’t hide anything.

She wore a small red cloth around her hips, like a loincloth, to cover

parts of her lower body.

He kept his eyes on the road, but the sight of her shapely legs and nude

white hips made his loins pound with desire. He cursed under his breath for

getting himself into this situation. Picking up a naked girl-hitchhiker was

never a good idea.

“Would you get my cigarettes from the glove compartment, please,” he

said.

She reached into the glove compartment and handed him the package.

“Take one for yourself,” he said.

She shook her head. “No, thank you. I don’t smoke.” She brushed her

long black hair out of her face and looked at him for the first time.

An icy breath seemed to touch his mind as he looked into her eyes.

They glowed softly in the dark. She had the eyes of a cat.

The strange people in the Brazilian jungle. He remembered their eyes.

They had eyes like the ones that looked at him now. The same eyes that

haunted him every night in his dreams.

She smiled gently. Her hand reached out and touched his arm. “Hello,

David. I finally found you.”

Her soft voice awoke something in his sub consciousness. He

remembered a girl—a girl with strange eyes and an enchanting voice. She had

looked after his needs, feeding him and washing him, as he recovered from

his wounds. Sometimes she sat beside his bed and sang for him with that

sweet, alluring voice. One night she came to him…

I hope you’ve read this far and want to read more. Feel free to check out all of my books. Should you like one, send me an email to hegro@shaw.ca and tell me which of my books you would like to read. I will draw a few names from the emails I receive by February 14, Valentine’s Day, and send you a free pdf copy of the book you selected.

Come back again and happy blog hopping.

Blog Hopping

Check out my new page on Blog Hopping. Just click on the menu at the top.

Happy New Year

Can't believe another year has past. Tomorrow we'll have to put 2013 on top of our letters and correspondence. What happened to 2012? I haven't written as much as I wanted to. Spent too much time on the internet, posting to groups with advice and trying to sell my books. I'm at over 60,000 words with Book Seven of my Xandra series and I want to finish it so I can start something else, but somehow I always find something else to do. But then again...perhaps what I'm doing is more important than finishing the book. There is stuff to do at home also and spending time with family is important, especially as I get older and time seems to at prime. Nothing is ever more important than family, something we sometimes seem to forget when getting too deeply involved in a project.
However, I will finish the book in the new year. I don't really have any other novels planned, but when the time is ripe ideas will come up.

So I wish everyone who visits a Happy New Year and don't forget to come back once in awhile to see what I'm up to.

A free gift for Christmas

Thank you for visiting. I'm giving a free pdf copy of any of my books to anyone who would like to have one. Just send me an email to hegro@shaw.ca and tell  me which one of my books you would like. If you click on the covers it'll take you to my publisher's website and you can find out what the book is all about. Merry Christmas.

Simon & Schuster - Writers Beware

Writers Beware! Don't get ripped off!
I came across this blog and found the article very scary for any writer. Everyone who thinks about self-publishing should read this.

Simon & Schuster joins Forces with Author Solutions To Rip Off Writers.

Read the full report on Let's Get Digital by David Gaughran.

What is Success?

What is success and when can you call yourself a writer? What makes you a successful writer?

Just click on 'What is Success?' in the menu and it will take you to the page.

Nice to see you

Welcome to my blog. Click on 'New releases' under the picture above and you'll be able to read excerpts from my latest books. You may also want to visit my website Herbert's World and look at my older books. All of them are still available from Melange Books, LLC.
If for some reason any of the links on my website don't work, just  come back to this blog and click on the cover-page of the book you're interested in to the right of this page and it'll take you to Melange Books.
If you would like me to send you a free pdf copy on any of my books, please, send me an email and ask for it. Here is my email address: hegro@shaw.ca

Have a pleasant day and come back again.

My books at Amazon

All of my books are available from Amazon. Anyone interested, here is the link:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_pg_1?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AHerbert+Grosshans&ie=UTF8&qid=1349973223

Adventure on an alien world

When I wrote the first chapter of 'Daughter of the Dark' many years ago I had no idea it would be the first book of a series. I am at 60,000 words now with Book Seven (no title yet). It is the continuation of the story that began with Book four, Lure of the Xandra. Books four and five tell the story of Rob Cameron. Book six, Iceworld, (the latest book in the series), is about a small group of researchers who became stranded on the fifth planet in the system and it is their story. Book Seven will continue what I started in Iceworld, but Rob Cameron and his group will also appear in Book Seven. Who knows, it depends how it ends, there may even be Book Eight.I love the world I created and I enjoy going back there in my mind and write about it. There is a short story 'For Love of Arilee' in my anthology 'Time Flares', one of the three books released last month by Melange Books. The story is set in the Xandra World but 300 years in the future of the events taking place in 'Iceworld'. Another story in Time Flares, 'Remember me next Christmas', also takes place in the Xandra World. This one more than one thousand years in the future of the story in Iceworld. Perhaps some day I will write a few more short stories and put them into an anthology.

Of course, the whole series contains plenty of Erotica. Even though I'm writing less erotica these days (there is no explicit sex in 'Bullet of Revenge', and not as much in Book Seven, I still have to keep it in the Xandra series for those readers who enjoy erotica.

Each book can be read independently, but it makes sense to start the series at the beginning. To wet the appetite, I will give away Book One, Daughter of the Dark, to anyone who is interested. Just send an email to hegro@shaw.ca and ask for it.

Also, I will take all of the emails until August 30th and draw one lucky winner to receive all six books in the pdf version for free. I will also give away randomly a few copies of Iceworld. Anyone who has read the earlier books but not all of them, tell me which one you would like and I will send it to you for free.

Thank you for visiting. Look around, perhaps you'll find something else you are interested in. All of my books are available from Melange Books, LLC. Just click on the covers and it will take you there.

In the meantime, enjoy all the beautiful covers of my books.

Celebrating Mysti Parker's 20,000th visitor

One of my fellow authors, Mysti Parker, is celebrating 20,000 visitors to her blog Unwritten. http://mystiparker.blogspot.com.es/2012/08/20000th-hit-giveaway.html
She's giving away over one hundred free books donated by nearly that many authors. I've donated a few of my books.

As I promised on Unwritten (if you saw my message ^_^), I will give away pdf copies of any of my books as an added bonus to Mysti's giveaway. Browse through my blog  and if you find a book you like, just send me an email to hegro@shaw.ca and ask for it.

My latest releases

They are available now from Melange Books.
*Bullet of Revenge (A non-erotic thriller0
*Iceworld (Book six in my Xandra series. Science Fiction)
*Time Flares (A collection of short stories. Various genres)

It is unfortunate that all three books have been released at the same time, but I have to deal with this now. It is difficult to promote three books at once. Which one do I concentrate on? I love each one. I enjoyed writing them and I love looking at the beautiful cover pictures.

Bullet of Revenge is a mystery thriller featuring a new character: PI Frank Hummer. He is a tough guy on the outside, but deep down he has a soft heart. He's trying to forget his violent past. He wants to change but finds it difficult, because violence and problems follow him. When he takes on a new case he is pulled into a conspiracy he cannot escape.
There is no explicit sex in this novel, but it contains violence and coarse language. It was fun to write this book and who know, there might even be a second book in the future. It all depends how this one sells, but then again, I don't really write for the money ^-^. If I get some ideas I will write it.

Iceworld is number six in my Xandra series. It tells the story of a group of scientist stranded on the fifth planet in the star system of the Xandra World. They are mentioned in the first book and I thought it may make a good story. As it happened, the whole idea turned into four books. I'm presently writing the seventh book in the series. No title yet. I love the cover. I have to admit it is one of my favorite book covers so far.

Time Flares is an anthology of previously published short stories. They are scattered in various digests and probably forgotten by now, so I thought it may be a good idea to publish them in one volume. It contains my very first published short story, The Anniversary Gift, the story that launched my career as a published writer.
It also contains the story Time Flares.

In order to celebrate the release of all these stories I am giving away a few free pdf copies to anyone who wants them. Just send me an email to hegro@shaw.ca and mention which ones you are interested in.

Time Flares

I put all of my short stories that have been published in various digests into one new Anthology. I called it Time Flares, which is actually one of the stories in the collection. Time Flares will also be released by the end of this month. Here is the cover:

I'm a guest blogger at BTS

I’m a guest blogger today at Book & Trailer Showcase. I’ve written an article about getting published. If you’re interested check it out here: http://booktrailershowcase.com/2012/07/04/how-to-get-published/

On other news: Book 6 in the Xandra series, 'Iceworld' will be published July 29.
'Bullet of Revenge' may also be published on that day. My editor believes it should be ready by then.

Book Seven of the Xandra, no title yet, is slowly progressing. I've written 48,000 words so far. The last scene I wrote went a different way than I had planned, because one of the characters acted impulsively and I followed the new trail. I'm happy with it. That's just how it goes sometimes. As you write a new thought suddenly appears and it is sometimes a smart thing to follow it. It it doesn't turn out there is always the 'delete' button. But once I've written something I hardly change it. I may tweak it a little but very seldom I will delete the whole thing.

Free pdf copy of Return to Redsky

I won't have a new release until next month so I'd like to bring attention to my earlier books.I can't say my favorite book, because all my books are my favorites. Since I had such a positive review for Return to Redsky I am offering a free pdf copy to a few interested readers. Just send me an email to hegro@shaw.ca and ask for a copy. Depends how  many responses I get I may just send a free copy to everyone who asks for it.
Return to Redsky is pure Space Opera. It features super soldiers, strange aliens and other interesting things, including plenty of erotica. Give it a try. You may like it as much as Jane Doe.

Review of Return to Redsky

One of my fans, her name is Jane Doe, gave me 5 stars and a wonderful review for Stardogs Book one, Return to Redsky. She loved both books so much, she started reading more of my books. Apparently, I'm one of new favorite authors. Two of her other favorite authors are David Gerrold and James White. Both are famous authors. To be mentioned in the same breath with those two writers is quite an honor for me. Here is the full review. Just click on Jane Doe.

A progress report...of sorts

I finished going over the edits of 'The Xandra, Book six, Iceworld' and my Anthology 'Time Flares'. I send them back to the editors. I also did some rewriting on Bullet of Revenge. My editor found quite a bit 'wrong' with the main character. I hope she's happy with what I did with the rewrite. Hopefully, it will have improved the novel. I send it back to the editor, but she will be going over it again. This is the first time an editor did that. Usually, the editor sends the manuscript back to me with the suggestions and I fix everything. That's it. Then I send it either to my publisher or to the editor, who will forward it to the publisher for formatting and publishing. I hope it's all worth the time I spent on that novel.

Now I'm back with writing Book seven of The Xandra. Since I've been away from it for weeks now, I had to read some of what I've written so far to get my mind back into the story. I got some new ideas, so maybe being away from the story for awhile was a good thing. I'm at 31,000 words with the novel, aiming for about 90,000 words.

I received my royalties from the first quarter of the year and I was surprised how well my books sold. Perhaps there is still hope. Sometimes it is discouraging when the books don't sell after spending months, sometimes years, writing them. I know I'm a good writer. My editors always leave positive comments. The editor of 'Iceworld' wrote she can't wait to read the next novel. It's the one I'm currently writing, which means it won't be published until next year. It also means there will be months where I have nothing new coming out. I'll have to do some promoting of my older books.

Speaking of good writing and sales. I guess everyone is aware of that book 'Shades of Gray', which has sold over 10 million copies. Women grab it off the shelves. Apparently, it contains bondage and other sexual activities. One wonders what makes a book like that sell while others don't. I don't believe that book is any better than most of the stuff you buy on the internet. I haven't read it and I won't ever read it. I'm not into bondage, slavery or any of that other stuff. My erotica is quite tame and normal. Lately, I've been concentrating more on writing a good story. The erotica is only there to bring a little titillation into the story...for those reader who like that.

The secret, and every writer knows this, is promotion. And that is the most difficult part for us writers. We want to spend our time writing not promoting. A writer is truly lucky to find an agent who sells the book to one of the large print publishing houses, who will do the promoting. It's like winning the lottery. Some of us get lucky, others never hit the jackpot, no matter how good the numbers look on paper.

Conversation between Frank Hummer and Herbert Grosshans

Hi. My name is Frank Hummer. I’m the main character in Bullet of Revenge, a contemporary mystery novel written by Herbert Grosshans. Mr. Grosshans is with us today and I’m going to ask him a few questions about his writing and specifically about his novel Mark of the Cobra, also a contemporary thriller, featuring Peter Hartmann.

Frank Hummer: “Hi, Mr. Grosshans. I’m pleased to have you with us today. How are you?”

Herbert Grosshans: “I’m fine, thank you, and glad to be here, Mr. Hummer. By the way, you don’t have to call me Mister Grosshans. Herbert will do just fine. After all, we’re no strangers to each other. You’ve been inside my head for two years.”

F. H. (chuckles): “And you in mine. Still, it feels strange to call you by your first name. I mean…you are like a god to me. You decided my fate, planned my daily activities, got me in and out of trouble. To call you by your first name somehow doesn’t feel right, Mr. Grosshans. If that is indeed your real name.”

H.G.: “I can assure you, it is my real name. Unlike the character Peter Hartmann, who is…”

F. H. (holds up his hand): “Don’t give away secrets, now. Let the readers find out those things.”

H.G.: “Okay, so what can I talk about?”

F. H.: “Quite a bit, as long as you don’t give away too many details. Tell our readers what kind of book Mark of the Cobra is.”

H. G.: “As you already said in the introduction, the novel is a contemporary thriller. You forgot to mention that it also contains erotica, lots of explicit erotica, actually.”

F. H.: “Do you enjoy writing erotica?”

H. G.: “I do, or perhaps I should say ‘I did’. Because I’ve written so much of it, I tend to not write as explicitly in the novels I write these days.”

F. H.: “Like in my story Bullet of Revenge? In fact, there is no explicit erotica in it.”

H. G.: “That’s right, but you do have a sexual relationship with a woman, except it happens behind closed doors, unlike Peter Hartmann, who has one sexual encounter after another…in explicit detail. However, it is not all about erotica in Mark of the Cobra. There is plenty of intrigue, mystery, and adventure in the story.”

F. H.: “Who is this Peter Hartmann? Can you tell us about him without giving away too much?”

H. G.: “Peter Hartmann is a sales rep who gets himself into trouble when he meets a prospective client, who wants him to do more than just sign a contract. Suddenly he finds himself accused of a double murder and drawn into a violent past he has left behind many years ago.”

F. H.: “That sounds intriguing. What made you write a contemporary novel, since your love is mainly Science Fiction and Fantasy?”

H. G.: “I wanted to prove to myself that I could also write in other genres. Mark of the Cobra was written quite a few years ago, but I rewrote it last year to make it publishable. Last year I published a 180,000 word contemporary novel Web of Conspiracy. Because of its length it was published as 3 books. It also features a character with a checkered past, but the story and setting is completely different from Mark of the Cobra.”

F. H.: “It seems you like to create characters with a mysterious past.” He chuckles. “I am such a character.”

H. G.: “That’s true. Even in my Science Fiction novels I write about men who are not what they seem. I also like to bring a few surprises to the end of the story. I want the readers to say, “I didn’t see that coming.” If I can achieve that I’ve done my job.”

F. H.: “Do you find writing a contemporary novel harder or easier to write than Science Fiction?”

H. G.: “Harder. You can’t fool around too much with facts. Places need to exist, history has to be correct, even the weather needs to be right. It takes much more research to write a contemporary novel than writing Science Fiction/Fantasy where you can create your own worlds and make up stuff. As long as it is believable.”

F. H.: “When you write, do you have an outline? Do you know the ending already before you start a story?”

H. G.: “I never know the ending. I get an idea and start writing, creating characters and events as I write. Once I’ve got a chapter or so, I list all the characters I’ve created in a file and begin fleshing them out. Sometimes I will make up a short background for each character. That’s how they come alive. As the story continues and I create more characters, I add them to the file. Most of the time I have no idea what kind of past my main character has. I discover that as I’m writing.”

F. H. (shakes his head in disbelieve): “That seems like jumping on a train not knowing its final destiny. How can you have order and logic in your story? How can it even come to a satisfactory conclusion?”

H. G.: “Don’t ask me.”

F. H.: “Aren’t you ever worried the story may never end?”

H. G.: “Never. Somehow everything always comes together in the end. Sometimes I am surprised myself. I guess that’s the mystery of creating anything. And also the fun. You have to trust your inner self and just let it happen. If I get stuck I wait for inspiration. If an idea pops into my head it doesn’t always make sense. I just follow the thought and see where it leads me and suddenly it does make sense.”

F. H.: “What are you working on right now?”

H. G.: “I’m writing Book 7 in my Science Fiction/Fantasy series ‘The Xandra’.”

F. H.: “Book 7. Wow! And after that?”

H. G. (shrugs and smiles): “I don’t know yet. Maybe another novel featuring P. I. Frank Hummer.”

F. H.: “Well, I’m looking forward to more adventures. Will you add a bit more erotica to that one, like in Mark of the Cobra?”

H. G.: “No chance of that. Your name is Frank Hummer not Peter Hartmann, even though you two have much in common. I want to attract a different kind of reader who will buy and read about your adventures. Not everybody likes erotica, and Mark of the Cobra is filled with it.”

F. H.: “Thank you for the glimpse into your writing life and for the opportunity to interview you. Perhaps we can do it again some time.”

H. G.: “Perhaps.”

F. H.: “One last question: Where can Mark of the Cobra be purchased?”

H. G.: “Mark of the Cobra was published by Melange Books, LLC and can be purchased directly from Melange Books http://www.melange-books.com/authors/herbertgrosshans/markofthecobra.html

It can be viewed on my website http://www.hegro.shawwebspace.ca or my blog http://www.hegro.blogspot.com 

F. H.: “Is Bullet of Revenge also available from Melange Books?”

H. G.: “I’m afraid not yet. I know you’re anxious to have people read your story, but it won’t be published until June 2012. So you’ll have to be patient.”

F. H.: “I can wait. It’s not that long. In the meantime readers can find many other exciting books you wrote…on your website or at Melange Books. Thank you for your time.”

A banner for Iceworld, my next release

A fellow author, Skylar Sinclair, made this banner for me.