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