Category: Book Updates

The other day I received what is laughingly called my quarterly “sales” report. Somehow I think I’m doing something wrong.

This blog was set up to encourage people to buy my books. Well, I always knew I had no talent for publicity. I couldn’t sell carbon credits to California Democrats.

Nevertheless, in the spirit of that most politically incorrect hero, Columbus, I shall persevere. I shall sail on. (The only reason people believe Columbus was trying to get to India is because some of his men thought he was yelling “Ceylon! Ceylon!” A joke first told in 1493, and somewhat the worse for wear.) At least I’m not subjecting anyone to The Great Gatsby with a rap “music” soundtrack.

The weather is fine, Spring has sprung, and today I mean to start writing Book #7 of the Bell Mountain series. So here goes…

Some of you know how I’ve been yearning for a return ticket to Obann. But I’ve had to wait for My Lord to give me the go-ahead.

Well, I think He has! This weekend I received a couple of start-up scenes for Book #7–which was going to be titled The Temple, but now it seems I’ll have to find another title. When I finished writing #6, The Palace, my characters were left with a great mission set before them: to carry God’s word across the mountains, into the Heathen lands ruled by the Thunder King, likely to be a very dangerous enterprise. So I knew the next book would have to be about their efforts to do that.

I still don’t know how they’re going to do it; I’ll have to find out by writing the book. But at least I now know how to start the story.

Meanwhile, #5, The Fugitive Prince, is being prepared for publication. The current task is to proofread the typeset version–very necessary: it was quickly discovered that some of the chapters were mis-numbered.  That might’ve thrown some readers for a loop. We can’t have that, can we?

So how many Bell Mountain books will have to be written? Search me!

Doesn’t it look great!

This is my first Easter without my mother. But it’s her first Easter in Christ‘s Kingdom. As Prior Robert once said, in a Brother Cadfael episode, “Would you call her back from where she is?” She wouldn’t thank me for doing that!

Finally we have the cover art for Book #5, The Fugitive Prince, so it ought to be available to readers before the end of April. I’ll try to have it posted here. I hope you all enjoy Kirk DouPonce’s art work as much as I do.  I hope he’ll soon be ready to swing into action for #6, The Palace.

I have no idea how my books’ sales are doing, but I wish they’d keep pace with the progress of this blog. We’re not yet two years old, and readership here has tripled. Thanks to all of you for dropping in.

Now, if you could only somehow convince or coerce your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, casual acquaintances, and total strangers to buy my cotton-pickin’ books….!

 

Typesetting for Book #5 of my Bell Mountain series, The Fugitive Prince, is finished. All we’re still waiting for is final proofreading, and the cover art by Kirk DouPonce, who has done all of the covers so far. Which means the book will be out before much longer–calloo, callay, o frabjous day!

The Fugitive Prince picks up the story where it left off at the end of #4, The Last Banquet. All of the surviving characters return, plus some new ones. God is by no means finished shaking up the world. But I’m afraid I’ll spoil it for you if I tell you any more.

Of course, you and your kids can always read fantasies about teenage girls using witchcraft to get that oh-so-hunky boy in Algebra I, or disagreeable characters killing each other off to get more power, or read nothing at all, and just play video games about killing this or that kind of victim. But if you’re visiting this blog in the first place, I reckon you’re looking for something better.

As long as you’re here, it’s easy to click “Books” and examine my babies: you can even read sample chapters. If enough of you were to do it, I could stop writing these flamin’ commercials disguised as blog posts. Buy my books, and help me keep my self-respect.

I can’t tell you how tired I am of watching my country get disemboweled and dismantled by its so-called leaders. I want to start writing the next book of my Bell Mountain series, #7, so bad, I can taste it.

First, though, I’ve got to do my live interview with Tim Wildmon. For those of you who want to hear it, this is the pertinent info: Wednesday, Feb. 20 (that’s a week from today), 10:10 to 10:30 a.m. Central Time, on American Family Association radio, Today’s Issues with Tim Wildmon. The program will be broadcast out of 200 radio stations, which kind of gives me the jitters. I’ve done radio before, but never on this scale.

So, why don’t I just start writing #7? And, by the way, #5 The Fugitive Prince and #6 The Palace have been written and are waiting to be published.

Well, I have to wait until God gives me the story (which He has done six times already). Bell Mountain, The Thunder King, and The Last Banquet started out as very vivid dreams. The Cellar Beneath the Cellar was a natural outgrowth from Bell Mountain. I’m not sure where The Fugitive Prince came from, but the climax of The Palace came to me fully-drawn–just burst into my imagination. It was a lot of fun figuring out how to get to the climax.

So now I’m just standing outside the world of Obann, waiting for My Lord to let me back in. I know of no way to rush Him.

PS: And of course the link I tried to provide to the Bell Mountain series takes the reader immediately to some wine website and makes me look a right dicky-doo-dah. Well, I never said I could handle computers, did I?

PPS: The radio interview can be heard online at http://www.afr.net .

I have received my quarterly book-sales figures. As usual, they’re bloody awful. But the good news is they’re outselling some books, including the following:

—How the International Bankers Kept Me from Being President, by Dennis Kucinich. It seems we owe something to the international bankers.

—Teach Your Cat to Whistle, by Antonia Seppuku. A steal at $25.95.

—Tarzan of the Sloths, by Egon Semolina Burka. Somehow this Tarzan knockoff never got off the ground.

—Tasty Termite Recipes, by Mbumbu Mbumbo. This author is billed as “one of Tanzania’s greatest chefs.” Yum, yum.

—The Wit and Wisdom of Richard Dawkins, by Stu Nata. The title speaks for itself.

There are many others, to be sure. It just goes to show you, as Mr. Riley counseled Basil Fawlty, “There’s always someone who’s worse off than you.”

Here I am, shamelessly shilling for my books again. This time it’s to remind you that Bell Mountain and its sequels make ideal Christmas presents. Hey, you don’t want your kids reading about witchcraft and vampires and getting over on their parents, do you? I mean, really, there is stuff out there that would make a jackal vomit.

I wish I could tell you that every time someone buys one of my books, a person in the government mysteriously disappears from the earth. Unfortunately, I can’t make that claim. I have no background in advertising. I have no idea what I’m doing. So I’ll shut up already…