Poetry About Life by Ryan Daniels

Ryan Daniels spiritual inspirational poems about life tell a tale of inner strength and light that potentially exists in us all, a journey of exploring the inner spiritual self reveals a love that has manifested itself through his poetry, a love, which contains infinite possibilities.


You can see samples of Ryan Daniels poetry on his website, www.ryandaniels.net

His two poetry books can also be purchased on his website, or you can go to Amazon or Barnes and Noble's website directly to buy them.

"Treasured Portraits: Visual Poetry of Infinite Possibilities" can be purchased at Amazon by CLICKING ON THIS LINK. 

You can also buy it through BARNES AND NOBLE.

"Hallow Reed: The Master Within" can be purchased on Amazon by CLICKING ON THIS LINK.

Or Barnes and Noble.

Enjoy the world of poetry from a master of the craft!

www.ryandaniels.net

LEAPTRADE: The Best Way to Trade Your Video Games!

At LeapTrade.com, you can trade in the games you're done with and get games that are new to you, all for only the cost of shipping.  Request to get games from LeapTrade and Trade-In to earn points to be used towards other games.

LeapTrade is not like other video game retailers.  Our goal is to SAVE YOU MONEY, so you can play more games.  We also offer all kinds of benefits that you won't find anywhere else.

WE DON'T MARK UP ANY PRICES

With LeapTrade, our users get full value for their games.  We don't take a cut.  If a game is worth 500 points, and you trade it in, you get 500 points.  If you request that same game, guess how much you pay?  500 points.  It's really that simple.

YOU TRADE DIRECTLY WITH FELLOW GAMERS

The reason we don't mark up any of the prices is that we're not keeping any game inventory of our own.  When you trade in a game for LeapTrade points, you don't ship the game to us.  You ship it directly to your fellow gamer.  When you request a game using LeapTrade points, you get it from another gamer her on Leaptrade.

WE GUARANTEE EVERY TRADE

Don't worry.  We've got your back.  Trading your video games on LeapTrade is safe, because we track the trade every step of the way and we guarantee that you will receive a working copy of the title that you want to play or you'll get your points back.

POINTS MAKE TRADING QUICKER AND EASIER

With points, you don't need to worry about having the right game to trade for the game you want.  Trade-in your game for points, and use those points at anytime to request a game on LeapTrade.  You can even buy points directly from LeapTrade if you need extra.  100 points is roughly equal to 10 dollars.  LeapTrade points never get old or expire, and you can always use them to request the games you want.

WE HANDLE THE DEALS (SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO)

Even though you are trading those games directly with your fellow gamers, you don't have to worry about all the messy details.  We do it for you.  From ensuring your games get a fair value, to matching you up with trading partners, handling user notifications and tracking packages.

YOUR CHOICE: TRADE FOR POINTS OR TRADE FOR ANOTHER GAME

When you've got an old game kicking around, you can trade it in for LeapTrade points that you can then spend later for another game in the library.  If you want another game right away or you just like swapping games better, you can do an instant trade instead and get that new title rather than getting points.  It's entirely up to you.

TRADING YOUR GAMES IS FUN, EASY AND SAFE

If you're tired of getting unfair trade-in values, if you don't want to run the risks of online forums with strangers, then you should be trading your games with LeapTrade.  We make it easy and safe as possible, while providing you with the fairest values possible, both as the person trading in a game and the person receiving one.  We even have a forum, a news feed and review systems that let you connect with other gamers.

LEAPTRADE CONTEST!!!!

WANT TO WIN TWO XBOX ONE CONSOLES AND 2 COPIES OF EVERY NEW GAME FOR 6 MONTHS?  ENTER OUR NEW CONTEST NOW BY CLICKING ON THIS LINK!

VISIT LEAPTRADE.COM TODAY!

THE SCOUT by Eric Tozzi Now on sale at Amazon!

Change is inevitable.  It's heading for earth at twelve thousand miles per hour...and it will land virtually undetected.  For Jack McAllister, a young writer who has finally launched a career for himself, it begins tragically: his estranged father, a former NASA engineer, dies suddenly at his home in Merriweather, Indiana, leaving Jack's Alzheimer's-stricken mother a widow.  But in the wake of personal heartbreak, he's confronted by an even more astonishing event--the covert landing of an alien machine in the forest just a few miles outside of town..

Now Jack must unmask the true purpose of the otherworldly device that has begun a detailed environmental survey of the woods.  Aided by the town's young resilient female deputy sheriff, he soon discovers that the alien scout is only one small part of a much larger operation, and the countdown to a terrifying catastrophe is about to take place.  Drawing deeply from his father's scientific influence, all while attempting to avoid the snares of a sexy, seductive, and scheming local TV reporter, Jack uncovers-and ultimately finds himself an unwilling component of-an alien plan set to terminate life on Earth as we know it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Eric Tozzi is an award winning film director (Ray Bradbury's "Kaleidoscope"), and a former NASA/JPL documentary producer for Mars planetary exploration.  Visit Eric online at www.erictozzi.com.

You can buy the book on Amazon right now by CLICKING ON THIS LINK!

CAT ALVIN - A Fun Educational App Now on Sale at Amazon & iTunes Store

** This amazing revealing story will teach your child the importance of being generous! **

*** Develops children's emotional intelligence!!! ***

*** Build your child’s counting skills in a fun way! ***

Take your child through an exploratory story into the forest. While in the forest, your little one will build his or her numbers and counting skills and will familiarize him or herself with different forest animals.

At the story’s beginning, Alvin the cat, makes his way into the forest to gather food for his beloved family. Along the way this adorable cat makes quite a few friends by offering a helping hand to each one of them in need. As the story progresses a disaster strikes Alvin, and when it does, his heart is warmed as all of his newfound friends come to the rescue. This tale teaches a sense of responsibility to children and encourages them that kindness is always the best policy.


FEATURES
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- Loaded with interactive, simple, and fun tasks for kids to accomplish
- Teaches reading and numbers
- Teaches gratitude and generosity
- Develops children's emotional intelligence
- Animated and interactive characters
- Touch and drag capabilities
- Interactive surprises and hidden objects
- Use in either the “Read to Me” or “Read by Myself” modes
- Comes with sixteen professionally-illustrated cartoon graphic screens
- Designed for children 3 to 8+
- Compatible with iPhone and iPad models

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Cat Alvin is a tale that uses education-based techniques to engage children in a fun and playful app. This app uses the storybook medium as well as a creative and interactive premise to support the child’s emotional intelligence. The healthy dose of interaction will support good decision making in light of the player’s acquaintance with the story characters.
Parents who are looking to make kids emotionally stronger and introduce them with numbers and counting skills at an early age will definitely find the app heaven-sent.

Share a magic moment with your child, on a tablet or smartphone!!!

Buy it on Amazon HERE

Buy it at the iTunes store HERE

My New Book, FOUR BITES, is now on sale!

I've just released a new book.  Well, it's sort of new.  Four Bites is a compilation of four horror stories.  Three of them (Small Town Evil, The Dead Ones, and Interstate 10) have already been released and published, and I've included one new story exclusive to this compilation (The Job Interview).

If you haven't picked up any of these books, or maybe just one, this is a great way to collect them all for one low price.  Small Town Evil, as a standalone book, is still going very strong.  It's still on the best seller list (today at #9), and it's been there nearly a year now.  That book is included here.

Currently it's only available as digital only edition, but there will likely be a paperback in the near future.

You can buy it now on Amazon by CLICKING ON THIS LINK.

Sara Takes On Obamacare

After talking about Mitt Romney and the 2012 Election, Sara now decided to share her thoughts on Obamacare.

Healthcare in Taiwan

The following is a re-posting of the article "Healthcare in Taiwan" by the Formosa Post.  I'll have some of my own comments on this underneath the video.

Healthcare in Taiwan is one of the most highly efficient health care systems in the world. Every citizen in Taiwan is fully covered and there is no such thing as pre-existing health condition. If you are an American living in the United States, you probably would know how wonderful the healthcare in Taiwan sounds, because in Taiwan, no matter you have a decent job or are jobless, you are always covered by so called “Universal Health Care”. It’s truly universal. Everyone is in and no one is out. The rate you pay might be slightly different but the monthly premium is really affordable, for most citizens, they pay less than US$50 per month and they have every right to access the health care system in Taiwan.

Health Care is a human right. When you lose your job, no matter if you quit or get laid off, you don’t want to lose the right to see a doctor. Especially when you are really sick, you seriously don’t want to worry that if the visiting to the hospital would cost you a fortune. Life is so precious and you don’t want to choose between your life and the ridiculous medical bill.

The other good thing about health care in Taiwan is you don’t need to see your primary physician and ask him to refer you to some specialists. The process may take a while if you always have to see your primary doctor first. All you need to do is present your health card to ANY of the clinics or hospitals. It’s that simply. Healthcare in Taiwan is such a success and so affordable. Even some tourists go to Taiwan to see some specialists. Yes, tourists can pay cash to see the doctors when they are sick or the specialists for some plastic surgery or Botox injection. Paying cash is a little bit higher than paying by presenting your health card, which fees will be deduced from your bank account. I heard that tourists from Canada or China take advantage of (not sure if I should use the word “abuse”) the health care in Taiwan.



There's been a lot of talk lately about Obamacare and how unpopular it is.  The last I read, it had a disapproval rating of something like 53%.  Conservatives like to run with that number and say "See!  Nobody wants Obamacare!"

However, what the GOP fails to mention is that, 16% out of that 54% dislike Obamacare because it's simply "not liberal enough" or they want "single payer" insurance, which is exactly what Taiwan has.  So the majority of the people here either want Obamacare or universal healthcare.  The numbers just aren't on the side of the GOP/Tea Party, regardless of the insane ramblings of Ted Cruz.

Critics will say that in Taiwan the lines are long to see a doctor, or that there aren't enough doctors.  Maybe that's true, maybe not.  I can tell you from my experience that sometimes I did have to wait, one time as long as three hours.  But who has never waited in a US emergency room for at least that long?  Taiwanese people like to run to the doctor for simple problems like the common cold, and maybe that's an issue that should be addressed.  Is simple, over-the-counter medication that hard to come by that people can't just treat themselves?  Perhaps Taiwan should consider charging some sort of penalty for people who go to the doctor to treat a runny nose.  But the positives FAR outweigh the negatives.  I've told this story a few times before, but I don't mind repeating it again:  When I lived in Taiwan, my daughter needed to stay in the hospital for a week.  At the end of our stay, we were presented with a bill for about US $6.00.  Yes, SIX DOLLARS.  The same hospital visit in the US could easily bankrupt a person without insurance, but in Taiwan it costs about as much as a meal at McDonalds.  Unbelievable.

Obamacare isn't perfect.  It may even totally suck for some people.  I have yet to figure out if it's even cheaper then what I'm paying right now for my private insurance (which is $184 a month).  The website (healthcare.gov) is so damn awful, I don't even understand if the figures they are quoting me are for 1 person or for 3 people.  But I think Obamacare is a step in the right direction and in the end, it may lead to single payer.  Our country can benefit a lot by following Taiwan's model for healthcare.  I hope we do it soon.

FREE APP! GIFNIC FOR iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch!

 

 

 



Tired of those complicated "Gif Movie Editor" apps?  Gifnic lets you shoot gifs just like taking pictures.  Apply filters and MEME texts, and then export to Facebook, Twitter, and even Tumblr!

FEATURES:
+ Auto Mode : Shoot gifs like you would shoot a regular photo...

WHAT'S NEW IN VERSION 3.2
+ Did some magic, now Gifs load faster when viewed on webpages
+ Die bugs, die!

SHOOT GIFS WITH JUST ONE TAP AND ADD MEME TEXTS!

This is a FREE app for iOS and you can download it now by CLICKING ON THIS LINK!

Fate of the Gods: Black Edition by K. Massop - On Sale NOW at Amazon

An arousing debut where war and magic are at the heart of each page. Revenge is dark and justice is served bloody and cold in this dark, epic fantasy.

Above the world known to all as Lacertus, Gods, humans, and supernaturalism leads to bloody wars. Hann, Guardian of Fort Ankh, is uncomfortable with his position as the Guardian King, although he feels quite at home on the bloody battlefield. His loyalty to his Princess, Katrina Celeste, and the Liberty Legion is seemingly unmatched by any other warrior in the legion. When Azmod’e, a powerful sorcerer, and his Royal Army plot to capture and arrest Katrina for “treason” the bloodbath begins throughout the territory of Rigor all the way to Ankh. Katrina realizes the partial extent of her magical powers during the first of many battles; while her legion doubts their ability to take on the world’s strongest armies head-on. The unsettling scenes throughout this dark tale produce incredible surprised, both for the better and the worse, leaving the reader to question what will happen next. In a land filled with sorcery and a fusillade of paranormal warfare; life, death, and land are on the line. Will Katrina realize her powers in order to gain freedom for herself and the Liberty Legion? Will Hann and other trusted warriors remain loyal to the Liberty Legion? Is Azmond’e indeed the most powerful sorcerer in the land? What will happen to the Royal Army? The ending is not customary of a traditional fantasy novel; nevertheless very satisfying.

In this debut, K. Massop creates a world set in the 14th century that is literally outside of this universe. Fate of the Gods blossoms beautifully into an unforgettable story about power, magic, love, and revenge. It’s rapid, appealing to those with a particular love of dark, epic fantasies, and leaves the reader in a paranormal trance.

You can buy this now at Amazon by CLICKING HERE.

Small Town Evil - The Book that Keeps On Going

     So, in case you didn't know, 5 of my books are now out in paperback form.  "An American Teacher in Taiwan," "Taiwan to Texas," "Small Town Evil," "Interstate 10," and "The Dead Ones" can all be purchased on Amazon on both paperback and digital (for the Kindle.)  "An American Teacher in Taiwan" will soon be available in libraries and bookstores everywhere, as will "Small Town Evil."

     I've been really humbled by the success of "Small Town Evil."  I've lost track of the exact number of copies it has sold, but as of this writing it's closing in on about 10,000.  It's been on the best-seller list now for a little over seven months, reaching #3 at one point (currently it's #7.)  I realize my sales aren't on the level of a Stephen King or a J.K. Rowling (or even the author of that awful "50 Shades of Grey"), but for a newcomer like me to the world of publishing, this is beyond anything I ever expected.

     For a book that didn't even start out as a book (it's based on a screenplay that I wrote in 2003), "Small Town Evil" really is the book that keeps on going.  It's currently received about 60 reviews, with 37 of those reviews being either 4 star or 5 stars.  The bulk of my negative reviews seem to focus on the ending, and how it doesn't really provide closure, or that it's too short, so I want to address that.  So...warning to those who haven't read the book yet...there may be spoilers ahead.

1. Small Town Evil is a short story, which is why it's only priced at 99 cents.  I never intended to flesh it out to a full length novel.  The only book I've even considered expanding to a full length novel would be "Interstate 10" because I think there is more to be explored in that world.  "Small Town Evil" is fairly complete as-is.  The mystery is solved.  The killer is identified.  The killer dies.  Which leads me to...

2.  The ending DOES provide closure.  We figure out exactly who Samantha was and what she wanted.  Her killer is identified, and he himself is killed at the end.  To me, that is the most important thing.  Is Jennifer still possessed by Samantha at the end?  Okay, I left that a bit ambiguous, but I didn't feel it was that important.  However, I will point out that in the original screenplay that I wrote, the answer was no, she was not still possessed.  Personally, though, I like my book ending better.  It seems like I could have saved myself several negative reviews if I had just wrapped it up completely and indicated that Jennifer was no longer possessed.  Oh well, I'm not changing it now!  :)

     Thanks again to everyone who has bought the book (or any of the other ones).  If you happen to read this blog, please feel free to comment on anything you liked (or disliked) about any of my books.

The paperback version of "Small Town Evil" can be purchased by CLICKING ON THIS LINK.

The paperback version of "An American Teacher in Taiwan" can be purchased HERE

The paperback version of "From Taiwan to Texas" can be purchased HERE

"INTERSTATE 10" on paperback can be purchased HERE

"THE DEAD ONES" on paperback can be purchased HERE

Now on Sale - BRAZIL by Errol Lincoln Uys!

A spellbinding saga on a truly epic scale that brings to life Brazil and her history."

Through the lives of two powerful families, Brazil is the first work of fiction to depict five turbulent centuries in the history of a remarkable land. From colony to kingdom, from empire to nation, Brazil is filled with memorable people living through one of the great adventures in human history.

The Cavalcantis are among the original settlers and establish the classic Brazilian plantation -- vast, powerful, built with slave labor. The da Silva family represents the second element in both contemporary and historical Brazil: pathfinders and prospectors. For generations, these adventurers have set their eyes on El Dorado, which they ultimately find in a coffee fortune at Sao Paulo.

"A masterpiece! Brazil has the feel of an enchanted virgin forest, a totally new and original world for the reader-explorer to discover. " -- L' Express, Paris

Now on Amazon Kindle and in Print. 

You can buy it on Amazon by CLICKING ON THIS LINK

Website: http://erroluys.com/BrazilPage1.htm

Book Hotels Online at HotelsTip.com!

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So what are you waiting for?  You know you need a vacation, don't you?  I just got back from one, but I need another one.  If I didn't have to stay home and babysit all the time, I would probably be in Europe right now attending the rest of Roger Waters' "Wall" shows.  So book NOW!

HOTELSTIP.COM

Now on Sale: Verbal Communication Skills For the Entrepreneurs by Kimberly Mathews

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Book Description:

Verbal communication skills are what all successful entrepreneurs possess.  The ability to communicate on a level that endears people to trust and like you is a skill successful people own.  Although the act of communicating may seem a natural process, effective verbal communication is a technique learned.  Verbal Communication Skills for the Entrepreneurs is about communicating for success.
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I know a lot of people who can benefit from this book.  There are some people that I work with who still seem to communicate on a grade-school level.  I see this a lot with the younger kids.  I don't know if it's the declining educational system or people are just generally getting dumber (or both?)  Hopefully, instead of buying another videogame or iPod, they'll get this book instead.

You can buy it NOW on Amazon by CLICKING ON THIS LINK.  There will be a one-day free promotion for the book on August 25th, so you have no excuse to not get this book!

New "Official" Facebook Page

I just created a new "Official" Facebook page for book promotions and other related topics.  If you liked any of my books, please feel free to "Like" the page whenever you get a chance.

Here's the link:

https://www.facebook.com/kenberglundwriter

South Padre Island

Having lived in Texas now for the last 5 years, I've now seen every big city here, as well as many of the smaller ones.  South Padre Island, which I just visited recently, is definitely one of my favorites.  Other than the nice beach, it doesn't really offer much in terms of attractions, but this was the closest I ever felt to being back in California.  With the palm trees, ocean beaches, and (surprisingly) clean sand and beach, I felt like I wasn't even in Texas anymore.  We spent three days here, spending most of our time at the beach and pool.  Needless to say, it was a pretty relaxing vacation.

Now on Sale at Amazon: Word Games Pack 7 in 1 Bundle!

Product Features:

7 in 1 Game
Uses Official Scrabble Dictionary
Allows you to choose between three skill levels of Easy, Medium, and Hard
Cool Music and Sound Effects
Fast paced games that you can play almost anywhere

Product Description:

Welcome to the wild, wonderful world of word games!  Word Games Pack is a group of 7 wacky and classic word games guaranteed to entertain even the greatest of minds.  This fantastic mobile app game is perfect for people of all ages.  Not only is it fun to play, but Word Games Pack is also educational!  Strengthen your spelling skills, vocabulary, and word identification while you have a BLAST!

Word Games Pack uses words from the Official Scrabble Dictionary

WORD SEARCH
A word search with a twist!  Using words from a topic or a random list, this word search will keep players of all levels challenged.  Don't worry about getting stuck because this word search comes with a Hint button.

HANGMAN
Zombie Hangman is a uniquely animated and exciting game of hangman.  Choose your letters by tapping the interactive keyboard on the game.  Each incorrect letter is displayed on the right side of the screen, in little colorful boxes.  Carefully choose your letters!  Each incorrect letter brings the zombie closer to YOU!

WORD SHUFFLER
This crazy word game will keep you on your toes.  Similar to the game Boggle, tap and drag your finger over each little square, highlighting the letters to make words.  Letters can travel in all directions on this game so don't forget to look up, down, forward, backward, and even diagonally.  Longer words earn you more coins.  Word shuffler comes with three game board sizes.

WORD MIX
Word Mix is a vividly colored game of skill so get ready to stretch your fingers and get ready for some rapid typing!  You will be given a set of letters and a 2 minute time limit.  Your mission is to use these letters to make 3, 4, and 5 letter words.  Tap these letters to send them to their designated boxes.  Scramble your brain to find all the words.  Use the shuffle button to scramble the letters when your brain feels scrambled as well!

FALLING LETTERS
Tap the letters as they fall in order to make words.  Watch as each letter illuminates with your touch!  The longer the word, the more points you will get!  Be careful, as the letters fall, they will stack up on you and it's game over if they reach the top!

WORD DEFENDER
Protect the planet from fallen words and use a cannon to shoot the correct vowel at each word.  Watch as the vowel blasts the correct word into pieces!  Do not miss too many targets.  If 5 words crash into the planet, the planet will be destroyed!

JUMBLER
How many words can you make in 60 seconds?  Jumbler will give you a set of mixed up letters.  Hurry up and tap the letters to make a word.  Each word will give you points.  Watch as the correct words slide off the side of the screen.

This is a very fun game and you can buy it on Amazon today by CLICKING ON THIS LINK

Also, check out the developers website at www.thatssopanda.com

Now on Sale on Amazon "Right Right Wrong!" for only 99 cents!

PRODUCT FEATURES:

Completely AD Free
Thousands of Trivia Subjects and Answers
Original Soundtrack created by The Chronomancer  (Available for purchase on Amazon)


PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:

Unlike other Knowledge Triva based trivia games, can you 'train your brain to recognize the WRONG choice instead of the RIGHT one?

That's exactly what you'll be challenged to do in every 90 second game of Trivia Challenge Right Right Wrong!  Thousands of different subjects in a multitude of different categories like TV, Movies, Video Games, Arts, Science, Math, History, Food and much much more!  You are given a subject with three choices, a Right, a Right, and a Wrong.  It's your job to figure out the WRONG choice in a race against the clock!

Right Right Wrong! is designed to test and improve a player's knowledge and speed.  The more subjects you solve correctly within each 90 second game, the greater your chance of receiving bonus points and increasing your score.

So download it and find out why being WRONG never felt so RIGHT!

You can buy this app on Amazon for 99 cents by CLICKING ON THIS LINK

Now on Sale on Amazon - "World Puzzle Pic"

Product Features

Super simple, surprisingly addictive and quick word game for the whole family. Hot Puzzle Action What's The Pic / 4 Pic 1 Word Style Gameplay Reveal the Gameplay

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Product Description

What's the Pic? What's the Word? Can you guess???

Pop that Picture to reveal exactly what's hiding underneath.

Gameplay is Simple:
1. Pop the Picture tiles to reveal parts of the picture.
2. Guess what it can be using a limited set of letters!

WARNING: This game is really fun and will keep you guessing!

Featuring 1000's of levels for everyone from Beginner to Expert!

Multiple Levels Featuring Categories Like:
* Animal Kingdom
* Car time
* Famous Places
* Fashionista
* Flags of the World
* Food Fun
* Logo Quiz
* Techno Geeks

It's like dozens of games all rolled into one :)

Super simple, surprisingly addictive and quick word game for the whole
family!
If you like games such as 4 Pics 1 Word, Logo Quiz, and Pop the Pic!
 On Kindle Fire, you can configure parental controls from the device
settings menu and then selecting Parental Controls.
On Android devices, you can configure in-app purchasing parental controls
from the settings menu within the Amazon Appstore.
PLEASE NOTE: This app lets you purchase digital content using actual
money.

This is a pretty fun app that the kids will enjoy and you can buy it by CLICKING ON THIS LINK

Right now you can get it for FREE!

Now on Sale, "101 Days of Lula" by William Walkerley

Now on sale at Amazon, "101 Days of Lula" by William Walkerley.  This book is described as a "sexy memoir taken from the text messages of an unrequited love affair with an Asian Backpage.com escort."

This book may not be for everyone, and is definitely for mature audiences only.

You can buy it now for 99 cents by clicking on this link.

Now on Sale at Amazon "THE MONSTERJUNKIES" by Erik Daniel Shein and L.M. Reker

Hey all you hipsters and fantasy fans...meet the weirdest family in the world.  A modern day Addams Family, with the coolest parents and pets.  The MONSTERJUNKIES - an American family odyssey.  The book explores the one issue every adolescent faces no matter what his or her social status or economic condition:  How can I fit in?

Just 99 cents this week on Amazon and you can buy it by CLICKING THIS LINK!

Anastasia (Volume 1 of The Ringing Cedars of Russia Series) by Vladimir Megre Now on Sale!

A New Updated author's Edition!

"ANASTASIA", the first book of the Ringing Cedars Series, tells the story of entrepreneur Vladimir Megre's trade trip to the Siberian taiga in 1995, where he witnessed incredible spiritual phenomena connected with sacred 'ringing cedar" trees.  He spent three days with a woman named Anastasia who shared with him her unique outlook on subjects as diverse as gardening, child-rearing, healing, nature, sexuality, religion, and more.  This wilderness experience transformed Vladimir so deeply that he abandoned his commercial plans and, penniless, went to Moscow to fulfill Anastasia's request and write a book about the spiritual insights she so generously shared with him.  True to her promise this life-changing book, once written, has become an international best-seller and has touched the hearts of millions of people world-wide.

You can buy this fascinating book on Amazon by CLICKING ON THIS LINK.

Now on Sale at Amazon - "Any Two Can Be Twindollicious" by Natasha Danna

Here's a cute little kids book that Sara and Kyle recommend (well...mostly Sara. It's more of a girl's book).  It's called "Any Two Can Be Twindollicious" by Natasha Danna and it's currently on sale at Amazon for $2.99 (Kindle Edition) and $17.41 (hardcover).  Here is the description:

Violet and Kelly are a pair of spunky twins who love doing everything together!  They play games, dress alike, and share all of their secrets.  Then one day, Abigail shows up and makes the girls question their own individuality.

By helping others each in her own way, Violet and Kelly discover that who they truly are comes from inside.  As their mom says, "Twindollicious, precisely!"

I had a chance to actually read this book to Sara and Kyle and I wrote up a review for it on Amazon.  Here is the text of my review:

"I have two children, a 6 year old boy and an 8 year old girl.  Though definitely not twins, they still thoroughly enjoyed the story (my daughter a little more so.)  Even though this is a story about twins, the themes could easily apply to any two siblings (two boys, two girls, boy/girl) who are always being compared to each other.  The author of the story teaches some great lessons about individuality and "not judging a book by its cover."  I'd also like to single out the fantastic illustrations.  Very well done and professional.

Near the end of the story, when the twins work together to capture an overly-excited guinea pig, we finally learn their individual strengths.  This reminded me of my own kids.  My son is afraid of spiders, but my daughter isn't, and when my son recently saw a large spider in his bedroom, my daughter grabbed an empty spaghetti-sauce bottle to trap the spider, and then released it outside.  It's teamwork, and that's really what "Any Two Can Be Twindollicious" is all about."

Ok, I do have to admit that I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for my review, but the review is sincere.  It is a good book, and much better than most of the other children's books I've read lately on the Kindle.

You can buy the book now by clicking this link.

Sara & Kyle : Students of the Year!

Well, this is one of those moments as a parent where you feel really proud of your children.  Both Sara and Kyle won special awards at a ceremony this evening at the local high school.  The ceremony was invitation only, and only a handful of students from each class got an award.  In what was the biggest surprise to both Christy and I, Kyle won the award for "Student of the Year 2012-2013."  Kyle was a bit slow starting off at the beginning of the school year, but really turned it around by the end.

Sara received a special award (a medal) for her outstanding achievements in the "Gifted and Talented" program.  Sara has been a great student since her first day in Pre-K, and now I'm glad to see Kyle is catching up.

The BEST Kindle Deals at "Click Reading"

Okay, here is a website that I'm proud to advertise on my blog.  Why?  Because it's all about Kindle Books!    As someone who sells books exclusively for the Kindle, I think this is a great website to discover new, highly rated books at low prices (and many are FREE!)

Don't have a Kindle?  No problem.  If you are just using a PC, or you have an iPad, you can just download the Kindle app and it will give you access to all the Kindle Books.  No more excuses of "Oh...I don't have a Kindle!"  That won't work anymore.  Start your reading adventure now!

Here is the website:  www.clickreading.com  
The link above will take you right there!

Hopefully you'll see one of my books on there eventually.  :)

Now on Sale, Caldric Blackwell's "The Enchanted River Race" !!

Here's a cool new children's book that's now on sale.  It's called "The Enchanted River Race" by Caldric Blackwell.  Here's the synopsis:

When eleven-year old Lorovia is chosen to captain her district's ship in her village's enchanted river race, she anticipates a friendly romp down the river.  She quickly discovers, however, the race is anything but friendly, and she finds herself facing mystical landscapes, magical obstacles, and cutthroat competition.  With the help of her two best friends, Amy must rise to the occasion or risk continuing her district's decades-long losing streak.

You can buy this book here at Amazon.

You can also buy it here at Barnes and Noble.

And here at Powell's Books.

And finally, here at Indie Bound.

If you'd like more information about the author, you can visit his personal website here.

Video - Paul McCartney - Hey Jude - Austin TX 5/22/13

Here's my other video from the concert.  Now you can experience "Hey Jude" from the nosebleed section of the Frank Erwin Center.

Video - Paul McCartney - All My Loving - Austin TX 5/22/13

One of only two short videos that I shot at the McCartney concert here in Austin.

Paul McCartney in Austin!

Paul McCartney will be 71 years old next month.  As he came back for his 2nd encore, after already playing for about 2 1/2 hours, I mentioned his age to my wife.

"Amazing," she said.  Yes it is.  Quite amazing.  I know a few people around this age, and they look like they couldn't even leave their homes without being blown over in a strong wind.  Yet here is McCartney, a senior citizen who is still rocking out.  It's inspiring.

Paul McCartney played his very first show in Austin last night at the Frank Erwin Center.  The first of two sold-out shows here.  I opted for the cheapest seats ($49.50), which I purchased from McCartney's own website.  Better seats were $225, but I didn't want to shell out close to $500 for this concert. So our seats were nosebleeds, but decent nosebleeds.  We had a good view of the stage, and we weren't a mile away, like we would have been at some football or baseball stadium where he typically plays.  I was a little surprised to see that they were selling seats behind the stage, which appeared to have an extremely obstructive view, but I guess people were willing to pay to see (or in this case, hear) a legend who likely won't have tours like this too much longer.

Like most of his tours in the last 20 years, this one was very heavy on Beatles classics, and he threw out a couple of songs he said he had never performed live before ("Lovely Rita" and "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite".)  I was also surprised to hear more obscure material being performed ("Mrs. Vanderbilt," "All Together Now," "Your Mother Should Know," and "1985" to name a few.)  He's still playing "Here Today" and "Something" for John and George, but unlike the last time I saw McCartney, he is now doing a full-band version of "Something."

One of the highlights, at least for me anyway, was when he started playing "Maybe I'm Amazed" and forgot the opening chords on the piano, and had to start over.  I thought it might have been scripted, but it seemed genuine, since he kept talking about it later in the show.  I guess he just had a "senior moment."

"I was worried that you guys would boo me for making a mistake, but instead you said 'Yay'!" McCartney said later in the show, clearly touched.  "At least that proves we're live."  No doubt you'll see videos of this pop up on YouTube in the coming days. (Update: I already found a YouTube video where you can see the false start on the song.)   I took very few pictures and videos this time, since they all turned out rather crappy (as you can see here.)

My only gripe in this otherwise great show was the late starting time.  The show was supposed to start at 8pm, but McCartney didn't actually take the stage until 8:45.  At 8:15, when it seemed like the concert was actually beginning, was instead an extremely long visual collage of images from the Beatles and McCartney. It was kind of cool for the first 5-10 minutes, but 30 minutes?

David's Book, "Letters to Friends" Now on Sale at Amazon

So...my friend David (in Taiwan) wrote a book.  Anyone who has read this blog from the beginning should know who David is.  If not...oh well.  Once I told David about publishing on Amazon, he decided to give it a try as well.  The good thing is....we will never be in competition with each other because his stuff is so completely different from mine.

For this book, he is writing under a pseudonym (Meira bat Erachaim).  I asked him if it was okay for me to reveal his identity here and he didn't seem to have a problem with it.  I guess he's just hoping my legions of fans will go out and buy the book after they see this promotion.

Anyway, for those who are interested, you can buy it here.

Now on Sale, "One Minute Super Dad" - FREE This Weekend!

Here's a cool little book you can pick up for free this weekend.  It's called "One Minute Super Dad: 99 One Minute Magic Moments You Can Easily Create to Raise Amazing Children" by Dr. Prashant Jindal MD.

Here's the book description:

Amazon No.1 Best Seller: Free Download this weekend: One Minute Super Dad. In Celebration & Gratitude of its success and getting the Amazon No.1 Best Seller Status, it is available for a free download for this weekend as a gift. Thank you everybody for making OMSD such a huge success. 

Dr.Jindal was recently interviewed on the book's huge success recently by Sky TV. Watch his interview on the One Minute Super Dad You tube channel at tinyurl.com/OMSDtalk

Covering all areas of a child’s development, the 125-page dead simple and more importantly, “actionable” book is a distilled product of over 1000 pages of work and interviews. It gives the simplest and yet most powerful fathering tools one will ever find. In just one minute... and there are 99 of them… Dads can have a huge impact on their children.

Few of the Rave Reviews from Renowned Experts and Leaders:
 “If every parent can read this book, the world will be a different place.” James Michael Lafferty: Former CEO of Coca Cola and also P&G.
 “The mother will read books on parenting and when the husband doesn’t do it the way she does it, they fight.” Dr John Gray: Author, Men are from Mars Women are from Venus

Although I promote a lot of books on this page lately, this one actually seems like one I might enjoy.  If I can be a "super dad" to Sara and Kyle in one minute, why not?

You can get the book here for FREE this weekend.  After that it is $8.99.  Better act fast.

Queensryche video - "Speak" - Live at Emo's in Austin, TX 4/24/2013

This is the only video I shot from the concert.  The sound quality isn't particularly great.  Just keep in mind that this was shot with an iPhone in a rather small venue.  Tate hits some rather bad notes on this one, but overall his vocals weren't that bad during this concert.

Queensrÿche at Emo's in Austin

When I think of Queensrÿche, I think of 1990-1992.  I was in my early 20’s, and I hadn’t even married my first wife yet.  I loved this band.  It was the only band whose fan club I ever joined.  While many consider their hard rock/metal classic Operation: Mindcrime (1988) to be the pinnacle of their success, I didn’t really become a fan until I heard Empire (1990).  Empire was the album that hooked me and drew me in.  From there, I then purchased the aforementioned Mindcrime, followed by every other album in their catalogue: Rage for Order, The Warning, and the self titled EP.  I was even one of the lucky few to attend the MTV Unplugged taping in Los Angeles in April of 1992 (thankfully the show was shortly before the LA riots.)  Queensrÿche were at the peak of their powers then.  They could do no wrong.  Geoff Tate’s voice soared, never hitting a bad note.  Chris DeGarmo’s melodic guitar style blending perfectly with the rest of the band.  So what went wrong?  Promised Land came in 1994, and while it wasn’t nearly as good as Empire, it did have quite a few strong songs on it (Damaged, Bridge, and Out of Mind were my personal favorites.)  Then came Hear in the Now Frontier (1997) and the quality dropped even further.  DeGarmo, who wrote most of the great melodies for the group, and has sole credit for its biggest hit, “Silent Lucidity,” left the band following that album.  The albums that came after that (Q2K, Tribe, Operation Mindcrime II, American Soldier, Dedicated to Chaos, and Frequency Unknown) are barely even worth mentioning.  You can possibly find one decent song on each of those albums.  Had Queensrÿche retired after DeGarmo left in 1997, they would have left behind a fantastic legacy.  Yet…they carried on.

I’ve never been so disappointed in a band I once loved as I am by Queensrÿche.  Their first five albums showed such great potential, and even the final two with DeGarmo are classics compared to what would come later.  Now the band has split up into two completely different camps.  One is fronted by lead singer Geoff Tate and a group of hired musicians.  The other camp features the original band members (minus DeGarmo) with new lead singer Todd La Torre.  Both are calling themselves Queensrÿche.  Yes, there are TWO Queensrÿches out there making albums and touring.  Some have compared it to the Roger Waters/Pink Floyd split in the 80’s.  However, even though Waters wrote most of the Pink Floyd material, he never wanted to call himself Pink Floyd.  He simply wanted to retire the name and not let the other band members tarnish the band’s reputation.  David Gilmour (with Rick Wright and Nick Mason), though, had every right to continue as Pink Floyd because he actually co-wrote and sang most of Floyd’s earlier material.  There is only one singer in Queensrÿche, and that singer is, in my opinion, irreplaceable.  Geoff Tate has one of the most unique and powerful voices in rock.  Unfortunately, according to his bandmates, he also seems to be a tyrannical, arrogant asshole. 

So who is the real Queensrÿche? Do people even care anymore?  I haven’t been to a Queensrÿche concert since the late 90’s, so I didn’t particularly care.  Then I noticed that Geoff Tate’s version of the band was playing close to home, at Emo’s in Austin.  Emo’s is a pretty small venue, and since I had only previously seen Queensrÿche in large arenas (with the exception of the MTV Unplugged taping), and since tickets were only a mere $24 (a great bargain these days), I decided to check them out.

(Emo's in Austin, TX)

As I waited in line to go in, I overheard one security guard mention that only 400 tickets had been sold.  This was a band that once played three nights in a row at the Long Beach Arena (which holds over 13,000 people), so hearing this was a bit disheartening.  Once I walked inside, I noticed that the back half of the venue was blocked off by a huge net, so I was assuming Emo's only expected about 50% capacity for the show.  Well, it was a Wednesday night, and people have jobs, so maybe this was to be expected.

The doors opened at 8, and the opening band didn't take the stage until 9pm.  The Voodoos were okay, but not particularly memorable.  Maybe they were just out of place for what seemed like a much older audience (most of the people there looked like they were 40+)

(The Voodoos)

Queensrÿche took the stage at 10pm, playing the Operation: Mindcrime album in its entirety.  I have to admit, I was really worried that this was going to be a train wreck of a show.  Earlier YouTube videos were not very impressive, nor were the solo Geoff Tate videos where he is constantly drinking wine and telling jokes.  However, to be honest, this show just wasn't that bad.  Tate seemed to be in pretty good voice, with a few notable exceptions (see the video for "Speak" above this review.)  It seems a little unfair to hear constant attacks from people about his current vocal abilities.  To give the guy a little credit, he is now 54 years old, and there is no way he's going to be able to sing like he did when he was 29.  Mindcrime is a demanding album for any vocalist, and Tate is out there singing this thing night after night.  Was it a perfect, flawless performance?  Absolutely not.  Kelley Gray is no Chris DeGarmo, and Rudy Sarzo (while very energetic) is no Eddie Jackson.  When the bass-riff for "Jet City Woman" started, I couldn't even tell what it was at first.  Sarzo is a great bass player, but seems out of place in Queensrÿche.   Also, Pamela Moore was definitely needed during the performance of "Suite Sister Mary."  The woman they are currently using seemed a little bored and not particularly energetic with her delivery.

The four songs from "Empire" that closed the show were nice.  However, "I'm American" from Operation: Mindcrime II should be cut from the set-list and replaced with something else.  Perhaps "Take Hold of the Flame" or "Queen of the Reich."  I was there to hear the classic Ryche songs, and that song took me out of the nostalgia and just reminded me why I started to lose interest in them in the first place.

I'm curious to hear the new Queensrÿche album without Tate, just to see if they can capture the old sound I used to love, but I think they have a big hill to climb.  I've rarely been one to embrace new singers to established bands (Journey and Foreigner being good examples), so I hope they surprise me.

Reviews and Response

I've been told by more than one person not to respond directly to any of my reviews on Amazon.  It's considered tacky and beneath the writer to do such a thing, even when it's just to thank someone for a good review.  However, no one has ever said it's tacky to respond on your personal blog...so here we are, and I've decided to share a few of my reviews with you, my loyal readers.  I'll also give my response.

Contrary to what you might think, this isn't going to be a congratulatory, pat yourself on the back promotional blog where I commend myself for all my stellar reviews.  I'm going to focus particularly on the negative reviews, of which I've had a few.

I currently have six books for sale on Amazon (one just released yesterday).  To date, I have received 28 reviews on those books.  Of those 28, I received 23 good reviews and 5 bad ones.  One of those five bad reviews was particularly scathing, and was more of a personal attack.  So...my average has been pretty good, but any writer who says he doesn't care about his negative reviews is probably lying.  I guess when you're someone like Stephen King, you don't really give a shit anymore; you have your loyal audience and you've made your fortune.  But those of us who are just starting to get our feet wet in the literary world, we take our reviews (at least somewhat) seriously.

I know that eventually I'm going to get bad reviews.  Every writer does.  Look at the reviews for Stephen King's "Kindle Exclusive" book called "UR."  Terrible.  Even "Hamlet" by Shakespeare has bad reviews, as my friend David pointed out in his rather amusing blog post yesterday.  What I find annoying are that my bad reviews tend to say absolutely nothing and are almost always very poorly written.

Here are my two "1 Star" reviews.  The first one is for my first fiction book, "Interstate 10"

Worse book I have read in ages!
By Johnny-Teague Ross

i just didn't care for this book, the story line was confusing and since i live off i10 i found it to be a little disturbing!    I love a good mystery but this one just doesn't do it for me!

Where do I begin with this one?  First off, I never labeled this book as a "mystery."  It's labeled under "horror" and "supernatural."  Did this guy even read the description?  As a horror writer, if you say that something I wrote was "disturbing," that's actually a compliment.  That's what horror writers want..for YOU to be disturbed.  And you didn't like it because you live near Interstate 10?   Are you serious?  By your logic, I should hate every book that takes place in Texas because I live here.

Here's the other "1 Star" review.  This one is for my second fiction book, "Small Town Evil""

Worse book I have ever read!

By Wendy Zierk

This was THE worse book I have ever read. This. Could have been written by an elementary school student.  Total waste of money.

Are you noticing a pattern here?  Why do my harshest critics not know the difference between "worse" and "worst?"  Her "elementary school" comment would have had more effect if she herself didn't come across as illiterate.  I have some suspicion that this review could be fake, since her account is brand new and my book is the only book she has reviewed.  If my book is the "worse" book she has ever read, clearly she has not read "Desire of Love to Handsome" by Rizzy.

My other negative reviews aren't nearly this bad.  Most of them are actually positive, but the readers are complaining that they are too short.  All I can say is...THEY'RE SHORT STORIES.  They aren't novels.  If I write a novel, I will definitely not be selling it for only 99 cents.  If these negative reviews are as bad as it's going to get, I'm not too worried.  I think the negative review I fear the most is the one that is very well written and takes my story apart piece by piece and explains why they think it sucks.  But at least with that kind of review, you can use the criticism as a tool to help you improve the next time.  These troll reviews, though, are just lame.

My new book, "THE DEAD ONES", out today!

After taking a couple of months break from writing, I have returned with my latest book "THE DEAD ONES" which is now on sale at Amazon for 99 cents.  This one is sort of a prequel to my first fiction book, "Interstate 10" so if you liked that one you would probably like this one too.

My previous book, "Small Town Evil" has been doing insanely well.  It went on the Amazon best seller list shortly after I published it, getting as high as #16, and it's still on there today (today it's at #28).  I don't know what the secret was with that story, but it surprises me as much as it probably surprises you.

You can buy my latest book by clicking on this link.