Read the new novel "conversations with myself".

Available at Amazon.com.  Click image to purchase.

Get a copy of Dark Waters for you or someone special to you this Christmas

My new novel Dark Waters is available now from Amazon. A purchase of the print version comes with a free digital copy for Kindle readers and apps via the Amazon MatchBook program.


Be sure to leave a review on Amazon to let me know what you think of it.


You can sample an excerpt from the novel and find product links at gjowensbooks.com.


Thanks,
-gj

Order the Paperback of Dark Waters Now

You can now order the paperback version of my new novel Dark Waters from CreateSpace, Amazon, or your favorite local book store. Purchasing the print version from Amazon also gives you a free digital copy for Kindle readers and apps via the Amazon MatchBook program.  You can also pre-order the Kindle version for download Tuesday.

Be sure to leave a review on Amazon to let me know what you think of it.

In the meantime, you can sample an excerpt from the novel here.

Thanks,
-gj

Dark Waters Release Date & Kindle Pre-Order

The release is finally set for my new novel Dark Waters.  You can pre-order the Kindle version right now for delivery on 11/25, just in time to give yourself a thrilling read for the US Thanksgiving holiday.  The print version will be available on the 25th as well, and remember that a purchase of the print version comes with a free copy for Kindle readers and apps via the Amazon MatchBook program.

You can see the cover art below.  Click on it to go to the Amazon Kindle product page.

Three years ago cancer took the wife of Pat Collins.  Feeling neglected and forgotten by her father leading up to and in the months after the death of her mother, his teenage daughter ran away from home.  He has not spoken to her since, left only a text message to announce her leaving.  Afterward, Pat’s life spiraled down into a dark hole from which he had barely been able to pull himself.

Now returned to his life as a police detective, and with few memories of the time following the destruction of his family remaining, Pat is afraid he might be going insane.  Dreams that haunt him at night are beginning to take hold during his waking hours, and he is starting to see things . . . things that have no logical explanations.  He discovers that, with a touch, he is somehow able to see the memories of others.  As he struggles with his newfound existence, he finds true madness stalks him in the form of a sadistic killer for whom Pat has become a fixation.

Sparked by a memory not his own, Pat begins a quest to stop the devil haunting the streets of his adopted home, but he must deal with his own personal demons in order to do it.  Only by resolving his past can he find a future free from the hell his life has become.

Thanks,

gj

"The White Door" & "A Festival of Dolls" Now Available as Part of Amazon's MatchBook Service

True to my word, and in conjunction with the thoughts of my previous post about Amazon's MatchBook service, my debut Suspense/Horror novel The White Door, as well as my short A Festival of Dolls, are now available as part of Amazon MatchBook.  When you purchase the print edition of either one, you will receive the Kindle edition free.  Also, anyone having previously ordered a print copy through Amazon will be able to take part in this service.  The Amazon links for the print versions of my books can be found in my eStore, in the sidebar, or by clicking on the book title in this post.  The White Door is currently just $13.22 and A Festival of Dolls is $4.03 at the moment.

I would also like to add a thought to my original words about the MatchBook service in general, or at least its publishing partners.  The publisher's will need to step up to the plate instead of using the service for another way to soak customers of their money.  When I looked through my personal list of MatchBook titles, I noticed that almost 100% of them were being offered at the highest price of $2.99.  This will not cut it.  You should take the time to let these publisher's know that while you appreciate their participation in the program, they must make the service a value to you as a consumer.  Hopefully, these initial offers are simply the publishers' way of "testing the waters" and price adjustments will be forthcoming.  If not, I fear the service will do little to benefit the customer.

Thank you,

-gj

The White Door - Kindle Version Now Available

The digital version of my debut novel of suspense and horror The White Door is now available for purchase and download for the Kindle and Kindle eReader apps via Amazon.com for only $2.99. 

If you prefer, the paperback version is also available from Amazon, or you can visit my eStore.





Thank you,
-gj

"The White Door" Paperback - Now Available to Order

The time has come.  My novel of suspense and horror The White Door is now available to order online.  You can use the links below or visit my eStore.  The Kindle version of the book will be available for purchase and download on Tuesday, October 15th.  Read the entire Prologue to get a taste of what to expect.

 

Createspace

Amazon

 

Alice Simpson is an eleven-year-old girl much like any other, except for the ever-present specter of her tragic past.  Her single mother works hard to provide for Alice, which means sometimes being home alone.  That is when the nightmares come.

Following just such a night, after a blizzard has left behind feet of snow, the three strangers who passed in and out of Alice's life will be drawn into her nightmare world…and through The White Door.

Harry Breedlove is a cop chasing a murderer seemingly more beast than man.   The clues he finds all appear to lead to nothing.   His frustration, and a desire for answers, will send him through…

Katie is a young woman trapped in a nightmare of her own, that of watching her mother slowly be ravaged by cancer.  Her grief will push her through…

Arthur Dodgson is a man feeling trapped by middle-age circumstances he never dreamed would shape his life.  His desire for escape will entice him through…

They all have their own reasons, their own motivations, to enter…The White Door.  What awaits them there not even little Alice Simpson knows, but together they must find the answers that will lead them through the nightmare world and back to the one they left behind.  Alice is the key, but can they unlock the mysteries in time to escape with their lives?

Kindle MatchBook

     Kindle MatchBook for Kindle Direct Publishing has been announced.  Simply put, this is a service that allows an author or publisher to give a discount on the digital version of a book when the physical copy is purchased.  May I say it is about time.  My friends and I, along with many readers and authors, have been waiting for this day for a long time.

     It seems a simple thing in reality.  The movie industry has been doing this for years upon years.  Even comic book publishers have embraced the concept, albeit with their own somewhat prohibitive pricing model.  It has seemed a very logical thing to do for the book publishing industry, though they have resisted it even as other industries have embraced it and, more importantly, garnered success from it.

     I am a great lover of the printed word, as I'm sure most authors are.  To me there is no greater or more perfect art form than the printed book.  A book has long been a vehicle to connect disparate worlds through the conveyance of great ideas and entertainment.  The rich and the poor, the weak and the strong, the educated and the less so are allowed to congregate and form unions through the simplicity of bound paper.  It is one of our oldest heritages, and we should be loath to so easily let it go.

     Convenience: this is the word of the day and the one that so defines our lives.  It need not be a dirty one, but it also need not be the altar on which we sacrifice something so beautiful as the printed word.  I feel its pull as much as anyone.  I love my eReader.  It is wonderful how it can be taken anywhere, and, strangely, is more acceptable company to some than opening an old-fashioned book, but the two can coexist.  At home, I enjoy looking through my printed books for reference and remembrance, finding what it was I was looking for only after stumbling upon other things I had forgotten or overlooked.  That is something that is being lost: the happy accident.  When information is so easily searchable, we lose the chance of discovering unforeseen things in the search.  That's why print and digital should coincide.  Amazon is making this possible for the Indie writer.

     There is a problem, however.  This is Amazon and only as part of their KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) platform.  There is no sign on the horizon of the larger publishing industry adopting this formula*.  The industry has complained about the loss of profits and the shrinking market for printed books, and this business model would address many of those concerns.  Let the reader have the best of both worlds.  Don't let the deluded notion that giving anything away for free is a loss of profit.  It isn't.  It is a very rare circumstance that a customer is going to buy both print and digital versions, and nothing is lost by giving them the freedom to read and enjoy your product as they wish.

     I may be an unusual example with my library of dusty books, but I am not alone.  Ever since I was a child, reading the Moby Books "Illustrated Classic Edition" of The Call of the Wild or Great Expectations or any number of others, I've had a love for this medium.  It is a love that will continue until the day of my death.  I can only hope it is a love in which those that follow me can also partake.

     I know that for the Indie author this can be a tricky proposition when most of a book's profit is derived from the digital edition, but I urge all who publish with Amazon's KDP service to make use of MatchBook.  I believe it is an important service for author and reader, as well as making plain business sense.  I assure you, all of my work will be a part of this program in the future.

     I'm going to crack open a couple books today in celebration.

-gj

*Apparently HarperCollins is the one large publisher on board with the new program.  We will have to see if others join them.