Very happy about becoming a finalist. Great company on this list! I’m hoping this translates to more sales of the books of the blog:
and
ChazzWrites.com wins among the top self-publishing blogs of 2012!
The weirdness happened again (+ The 7 Words or Less Contest Announcement)
Get all the details and enter the 7 Words or Less Contest here at ChazzWrites.com.
Amazon sent me a promotional email about my book, Bigger Than Jesus. If everybody else who loves suspense and thrillers gets this and buys one…well, yay!
Meanwhile, did you know you could get your name in my next thriller, Hollywood Jesus? It could happen if you have a funny slogan. Have fun with it.
The Six Words or Less Contest: Liberty wins!
NEW INTERVIEW WITH ME POSTED ON PATRICK SATTERS SITE.
Check it out here.
At the insistence of She Who Must Be Obeyed, I took a few days away from the Internet. Even when I take time of…no, maybe especially when I take time off, I come back with a refreshed perspective. As a result of the break, the next book will be a bit longer and more complex than originally planned. I also have ideas for an additional podcast and website. This is yet another example of how a supportive family makes all the difference to the art. Without the push to take a few days off, I wouldn’t have more in the pipe now.
In case you missed it, contestant Liberty Montano won the Six Words or Less Contest with “Ezekiel 25:17”. I have a great idea on how to weave that into the story and I’m working on how to use Liberty’s name on a character in the next novel in The Hit Man Series: Higher Than Jesus.
The work progresses. I’ll have the next chapter of Bigger Than Jesus in audio for you tomorrow.
AllThatChazz welcomes book lovers and podcast listeners
I’m adding new, fun features to AllThatChazz.com. The free podcasts continue with readings from Bigger Than Jesus, of course. ChazzWrites.com, the site for writers, is still plenty active. (Have you voted in the Six Words of Less Contest yet?)
But what’s different now?
I’m writing more posts for readers instead of just writing for writers. I love you all, but I haven’t reached out to readers enough on AllThatChazz beyond the weekly podcasts. (If you’re a reader with questions, email at expartepress AT gmail DOT com or hit me up on Twitter @rchazzchute.)
As the Ronco hawkers used to say, “But wait there’s much more!”
If you look down the left hand side of the web page, you’ll also spot a ton of new links to stuff on Amazon, from books to the latest, coolest Amazon blogs, The Hot Deal of the Day, gift cards, Lightning Deals and a link so you can purchase an inexpensive e-reader.
Have I sold out and gone commercial? Gee, I hope so. A dude’s gotta eat. Every time you click one of those links and buy on Amazon, they send me a few crumbs, which, not for nothing, no other store is going to do, so being an Amazon Affiliate seems reasonable. I sell books that are read on free reading apps, but primarily on kindles. Naturally, I want people to buy more kindles so there’s an ad for how to get a cheap kindle.
To support art, this is what the marketplace looks like now. No apologies. Do I miss musty shops and the smell of pipe smoke as the proprietors, an elderly British couple, totter amid the towering stacks of books and make tea while I hunt for treasure in an ancient bookstore on a Sunday afternoon? Sure. I also miss the guy who used to deliver milk. Some people have problems with Amazon because they’re winning. Amazon dominates because they’re (usually) good at what they do. That’s what competition and capitalism are all about when it works, I guess.
I promote Amazon without hesitation because that’s one of the places I sell my
books. I can’t afford a hissy fit about nostalgia. I’m a working writer. Sorry. In anticipating objections, I sound defensive about the new ads on the site. I doubt anyone really cares that, much — or at least no one who’s curious enough to click on a Lightning Deal or the Hot Deal of the Day.
I guess my answer is, the books are not only packed full of suspense and twists, they’re also super cheap and the podcasts stay fun and free. Amazon’s helping, so please give the links a click. Or even buy a book. Thanks.
Announcing: The Six Words or Less Contest
- I’m holding a contest that could get your name in my new thriller.
The follow-up to my crime novel, Bigger Than Jesus is called Higher Than Jesus and it’s coming this fall.
Here’s the challenge: My hit man passes a homeless person in the street and gives him some money. The homeless person wears a black hoodie. I want something catchy and memorable on that hoodie. I thought about making an inside joke and making it a Self-help for Stoners emblem (my first book). I considered using a meme that’s already out there but kind of hipster, like the inside joke from Portal: There is no cake.
But no, I’m calling on the readership! What’s the short, punchy, pithy, memorable phrase that should adorn that black hoodie on the homeless guy on a cold winter’s night in Chicago? It could be funny. It could be pointed and political. Let’s hear it!
Five prizes for the overall winner. Check out the details and leave your witty suggestions in this comment thread at ChazzWrites.com.
What do you get for your contribution?
(Yes, there is metaphorical cake!)