This is my third and most recent title to be published on the Smashwords site. Unfortunately I just missed the cut-off date for inclusion on the newly released iPad (However I will make it into later releases), fortunately though, when the iPad reaches Australian/New Zealand shores I'll certainly be included.
As with the my others (1012 & Ancient Future) it is available on Apple, Sony, Barnes & Noble, Amazon and several other catalogs: ISBN: 978-1-4523-4028-9
Without wanting to give too much of the story away; Jim (the main character) sets out to solve a problem, a problem that had seen his Dad end up on the wrong side of the law for doing the right thing. He does solve it too, or so he thinks, and gains quite a lot of celebrity for it. But like most things in life it's often the little things trip that us up. But turning a threat into a challange, in a plot twist no-one will expect, Jim mobilises his imagination and comes up with a unique solution!
Want a sneak peak? Well OK then; since you twisted my arm
James knew it was 'do or die'. The enraged animal was circling around to gore him. It was either make this shot or be trampled to death by 1000 kilograms of angry bull. He gently slid the safety to the 'off' position and sighted the menacing animal along the barrel of the gun. He exhaled and mentally tried to relax as much as possible, his trigger finger slowly taking up the slack around the small piece of metal that would send the bullet hurtling towards its hapless victim. When he had pulled the trigger back far enough to know it was a hair away from firing he consciously relaxed himself so as not to spoil his shot. Then the rifle fired; no fan fare, no ceremony, just the cold certainty that what was once resting in the chamber of the gun was only milli-seconds away from exploding into the beast's heart.
Itching to verify the kill-shot had gone to the precise spot he had aimed; James absentmindedly noticed a strange wet, vaguely warm sensation over his ear. A second later a playful whine exploded in his eardrum. Bemused and more than a little impatiently James exclaimed, "Wolf, STOP!" and tried his best to push away the un-phased dog. James couldn't help himself, Wolf was his Achilles heel, after first trying to push him away, James instead dropped his paintball gun, rolled over and playfully wrestled the agile canine. Effortlessly slipping out of the boy's flimsy headlock the alert young German Shepherd sprang backwards just out of reach, the dog's wagging tail revealing the lie behind its mock growl. James rolled over on his back. Sensing the end of play, Wolf resignedly walked over and stood next to the boy. James reached up and fondled the dog's silky ear. Catching a glimpse of his paintball gun his former "mission" dragged itself back into his memory.
In one deft movement he sprang to his feet, picked up the casually disgarded weapon and headed down towards his dead prey that had morphed into a 44 gallon drum with a circle drawn on the outside which, in the mind of James, was where the heart of this beast was. There was a bright splotch of fluorescent green in the dead-center of the circle where the paintball had hit the metal drum, its iridescent contents coating the immediate area of the "wound". With a satisfied grin James let his finger gently slide through the bright green "heart blood".
At that instant a voice called out "JIMMY", he instantly knew it was his mother, she was the only one who ever called him Jimmy, everyone else called him Jim or James (although he had recently decided that "James" sounded more mature and worldly). "I'm over here Mum", after a moment adding, "I'll be in for lunch in a minute". She said, "Keep Wolfie over there, I don't want him to get mud on the washing". Wolf had started walking over to where James' mum was hanging out washing. James called to the dog and it came bounding playfully back in the hopes of another round of wrestling. Resigning itself to the reality that there would be no re-match, the eternally optimistic dog fell in beside the boy, now walking towards the kitchen.
Watching the boy take his gumboots off, Wolf headed over to his water bowl.
Inside the house James said to his mother, "What's for lunch? What time will Dad get home"? Looking slightly more serious she said, "Well, first things first, sandwiches and juice for lunch, secondly your father will be late, he's got to see the foreman". James' Dad was an architect and often had to stop by a worksite to sort out an issue. James just nodded, "He knows that tomorrow is my birthday, eh?". His mother smiled and said, "Yes Jimmy, we both remember, now go and put that old paintball gun in your bedroom and wash that green stuff off your hands, when you're finished lunch'll be ready"...
Point of interest - With the newly released iPad, intense interest is being shown in ebook titles. What a question for the near future will now be is not, "Why bother with an ebook, but rather, "Do you want a 50+ year old free ebook from sites such as Project Gutenburg or do you want to pay for a new, up-and-coming author?". I admit I'm biased, but I'd rather read something current.]
Blurb: 911 was an event burned into the retina of the world's mind's eye. In this painstakingly-well researched novel; truth is mixed with hunches, hunches are mixed with theory lastly cloak and dagger is mixed with smoke and mirrors so the truth becomes less about what you can see and more about what you cannot see... and why... This novel, 1012, presents truths that hitherto have only been whispered in shadows by shadowy people...
When 911 happened, like most of the western world, it really brought home the true feelings of the Muslim world towards the West. More and more I fealt myself asking for specifics, questions I couldn't answer, but questions that needed to be answered. I set about looking for the answers to those questions. Many was the time that I didn't like what I found. Was it the mechinations of a monolithically crippled Government or was it what it appeared to be?
ISBN: 978-1-4523-4491-1
Blurb: "Based on a true story; the past meets the future. A young Maori boy saves the dignity of his tribe and in the process learns about this place in life. Fooled by the tyranny of history he is confronted with the invaluable mass of the truth. In coming to grips with his past he solidifies his steps into the future..."
In researching my daugther's Tuhoe whakapapa, I read the events surround the arrest of Rua Kenana, said to be the last Maori Prophet and his Pa, Maungapohatu in the Uruwera ranges. Maungapohatu was said to be advanced for the day with modern buildings, plumbing and sewerage. A thorn in the side of the British crown that deemed all Maori as savages. It helped even less when Kenana sided with Kaiser Wilhem in WW1 (for which the Kaiser gifted Kenana a silver-plated Luger).
ISBN: 978-1-4523-8764-2
As you may or may not know, one of my several hats is that of a writer, shown above, my two ebooks are published on the ebook site "Smashwords". On that site you can download, for free, a quarter of each novel to read at your own pace, at your own place. Try taking a book home to try before you buy from a bookstore!
In the existing 'bookstore model' it seems that everyone who touches the book (or even just the box it comes in) adds 10% to the price. Literary agents, Proofreaders, formaters, cover designers, printer, couriers, bookstore owners... Just a few of the people that contribute to printed books costing so much. Not to say that in some way that model doesn't have a pay off, it clearly does. Especially if the author is lucky enough to land a multi book deal, or a production company buys the rights to the book for a movie. But compared to what it could be, the lucky few are a mere fracti0on of the talented writers toiling day after day.
The along comes the ebook. In the early days of the Internet, nothing more than an interesting sideshow for Bookstores to look at. But the potential of the new electronic medium begins to shake the existing 'bookstore model' with the seismic shift of technology. Which leads us to today, a 'sea-change' is taking place, one which will have far reaching consequences that will not only scare the existing 'bookstore modelist', but will also have newspapers, magazines and even existing television networks more than a little worried!
There are so many advantages to ebooks; Not paying printing costs, not paying for expensive retailers, not paying for freight around the country or world, not carting around heavy tomes, the ability to easily change formats, to name just a few. I believe that over the next few years (with the proliferation of devices like the ipad and the kindle) we are going to see an explosion in the popularity of the ebook. In saying that I must add that I don't believe the written word will ever go out of popularity, but the benefits of the ebook holds advantages that have never traditionally been there. consider, for example, that not only is the ebook far more environmentally sustainable than cutting down tree after tree, it also doesn't use freight companies that spew exhaust fumes into the air.
Always found reading at length off the screen a little too daunting? Well here's an idea which is highly under publicised: With a free text-to-speech reader such as Natural reader 9.2, you can easily have an ebook read to you from your MP3 player! Now that is the ultimate, having the book read to you while you are relaxing in your lazy-boy chair or on your bed!
I wrote my initial novel, 1012, in 2004 and did a great deal of research into getting it published. I contacted hundreds of literary agents and even got a few bites, but the book market is so flooded with writers, agents can pick and choose who they want to represent. That makes for a far from ideal environment for the first-time author. Their books needs proof reading, graphic design & marketing, a time consuming, costly and potentially risky process. So to reduce the risks (or more accurately; costs) the publisher "cherry picks" those books that are already polished or authors that have a proven marketability.
I considered releasing my novel as an ebook, but like most first-time authors I was way too precious about my first ever book. I had grandiose dreams and unrealistic expectations that painted me into a corner. So I basically "shelved" my book until now.
When you consider that going to a bookstore & buying a book will probably set you back about $50, paying for an ebook (and there are many for less than $1 too) is value that's hard to ignore! Give an ebook a read, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by what you get!
My brother, Wayne Watson (better known as Oswald Bastable) Showed the usefulness of this website (Smashwords) With his ebook, "Meddlers in time"
Blurb:
You can’t change history, can you? No- but you can make a new reality, when you alter events. ‘Meddlers in Time’ explores the shaping of a parallel earth, by altering events in 9th century England. Some were lured by money, other by the adventure- a few just wanted a new chance at life. One thing remains constant- time travel changes all who follow that path…
Pretty cool, not a scratch on Avatar, but it was still good enough to want to buy the DVD when it comes out.
It was like comparing apples with oranges. Hurt locker was gritty and had an already existing storyline, the characters were fairly rich, but had the weight of an existing violent and depressing reality to overcome. They (the characters) tended to slot into well-worn charactrer 'templates'.
Now on to my soon to be patented “Sore-bum” rating system: The better a movie is the longer it takes me to realise that my bum is getting sore, on my scale, 1 bum is pathetic, 10 bums are excellent.
This is my third and most recent title to be published on the Smashwords site. Unfortunately I just missed the cut-off date for inclusion on the newly released iPad (However I will make it into later releases), fortunately though, when the iPad reaches Australian/New Zealand shores I'll certainly be included.
My brother, Wayne Watson (better known as Oswald Bastable) Showed the usefulness of this website (Smashwords) With his ebook, "Meddlers in time"