FREEFALL – Free for All

During the months of July and August I’m posting Freefall as a free download to coincide with the Kickstarter campaign of Freefall’s sequel, Double Down.

Read book one for free and then jump into the fun of crowd funding to help the characters, and me, gain a broader audience.

The link below is the pdf. Email me at sanfordbooks@gmail.com if you prefer a specific ebook file.

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The story:

Cullen wakes to his wife’s terror-filled cries…

Unable to protect her or prevent her abduction, he loses everything he lives for…

Harassed by a detective and accused of Nora’s death, Cullen descends into darkness…

Months later , a cryptic call sheds new light on his loss and plunges Cullen headlong into the discovery of an ancient cult and its leader, a puppet-master of nations…

With nothing left to lose Cullen finds a strength and merciless resolve he never suspected he possessed…

He’ll need more than that, however, to reach the truth and redeem himself. Follow Cullen’s journey into the abyss and witness his rebirth as a new dark hero.

Reviews

“D R Sanford’s first novel is a strong indicator of great things to come.  Clever and highly-imaginative storytelling transitions easily from gritty reality to a fantastic world where anything is possible. Freefall is a deceptively simple story that begins with a universal nightmare: being powerless to protect the one you love – as well as loss, grief, and the empty pain that follows.  Some of Sanford’s best writing thoughtfully explores these emotions, allowing his ordinary protagonist to develop into an extraordinary hero. Under the shadow of tragedy, unexpected events cause a tidal shift which accelerates the pace and punch of the narrative, with elements of mystery and discovery that are engaging and inventive.  Indeed, it speaks to the depth and detail of the novel that the outcome of the story – and of its characters –  connects with the reader as it unfolds. Freefall marks D R Sanford’s ambitious and memorable debut.” (Nicole D.)

“One of the best books I’ve read… I love it as much as the Harry Potter books.”

(Leo, 13-year-old reader of fantasy, sci-fi, and adventure novels)

“You will experience every emotion and your senses will be alive as you follow a controlled fall through this brilliant novel!” (Itz Holly) A 5-Star Amazon review

Echoes

Echoes

Eyes from the abyss
Breathe blackness down my neck.
A core lies bare
Of its shattered shell.
The husk is for the wind.
Cast it aside and pass,
Curling, Folding, Burning,
Caught in the aftermath.
Surrendering the dead,
Echoes gasp,
Drifting flashes bid farewells and tempt,
Offering cherished moments.
Seized dreams live on.

Dawn bears the flame
Consuming evening shrouds.
Newborns cry in confusion,
Longing for the echoes’ voice.
The Siren’s sweet embrace,
Revealed as Death’s long face,
Holds no love for striving babes,
Reaping life from mother’s milk.
Sustaining strength, the draught of life
Inflames the soul’s desire.

Eyes from the abyss
Sigh and fade to white.

Will wields the hands of my destiny.

Fate drowns in echoing cries.

Double Down

I’m All In.

I struck on a theme for my series of Megalith books.

It all started with Shoot the Moon, the probable title for book number three. In the game of hearts it is a strategy of acquiring the Queen of Spades and the entire suit of Hearts. Very suitable for the story line. Apparently I’m chock full of puns today.

Book number two is tentatively titled Double Down. It works all around.

Freefall was tough because I’d intended that to be a sense of a man’s life falling apart with no way to stop it as well as capturing the thrilling / adventurous nature of the word. Come to find out, it’s also the name of an UNO video game. I’ll live with that.

The outline for book number two is complete. I can tell I’m ready to write since the last half of the outline had a lot more detail than the first half. Dialog, smells, sights, emotions.

So, here we go again. I love it!!

A December to Remember

No, I did not receive a Lexus for Christmas this year.
I have learned a good deal about e-book marketing, though. I think when you’re being squashed at the bottom of the totem pole of publishingdom where I am you have to take some chances.
How many e-books did I sell at $2.99 from September through November? Three. Yep, three.
During three promotional days on Kindle select in December? Over Eleven Hundred. Yes I’m going to capitalize those.
Somewhere around thirty were paid at $.99 each, earning me a royalty payout of at least ten dollars in March.
But holy jumpin jackrabbits playing purple kazoos. Elven hundred more people may get around to reading my book sometime in the next year, and some of them may write a favorable review. And some may come back for more when the next book comes out.
On that note, I’m happy to say the outline for book two is almost in the bag. I’ll soon be churning out scenes once more, and I really like the feel of the FREEFALL’s follow-up. A straight-forward adventure with twists, turns, and discovery.
What else has December given me? The glorious rapture of seeing the holidays through my children’s eyes as well as the infinite frustration of keeping guiding them towards the nice list.
Interludes with family and friends that we don’t see often enough, the reminder that time is precious and blessings are many.
2011 was another great year. Hello 2012, here I come.

Amazon Power

Amazon has some incredible advertising power. In the last week I dropped my kindle price to $.99 with a free promotion on Wednesday and Thursday. Month to date (last week) sales show as 512 on .com, 215 on .uk and 2 in Germany. That was a shocker! Hopefully they’re not all free. If so, I do hope some choose to write a review. Fingers crossed.

Twas the Night Before Battle

I’ll start posting some old poetry on here. First I want to preface this with the fact that epic fantasy was just about the only genre I read when I wrote poetry. Nonetheless, I think this one is kind of fun and appropriate for the season.

The Night Before Battle -1993?-

‘Twas the night before battle, when all through the land
Not a banner was stirring, not even the sand;
Upon a field in the morning brave men would dare,
All knew that their blood could be spilled there.

All soldiers were sprawled on soft grassy beds,
Visions of loved ones danced in their heads;
The captain in night-cloak and I in my own,
Had just lain down on our grassy throne.

When up on the hill their arose such a clatter,
I sprang up from my pallet to see what was the matter.
Away to the sentries I flew in a flash,
Tore of my cloak and stripped off my sash.

The moon gave its breath to new fallen snow,
Lent reflection of mid-day to objects below.
When what to my doubting eyes did appear,
A host was rising, I now knew dark fear.

On a huge stallion yonder, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be Colonel Crick.
More rapid than thunder his legions they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, called captains by name.

“Now Slasher! Now Sancer! Now Clanzer! Now Vlixan!
On Glenesh! On Lupid, Vonner and Milzen!
To the depth of the valley! To the edge of their walls!
Now charge on! Charge on! Charge on all!”

As great waves before the wild typhoon fly,
When close comes a foe, lift the sword high.
So into the deep bowl the legions they flew,
With men cased in armor, and Colonel Crick too.

And then, in a rumbling, I heard from the field,
The thundering and crashing of sword upon shield.
As I drew my broad sword, and was turning around,
Down to the valley Colonel Crick came wih a bound.

He was shielded by armor, from his head to his foot,
And his hair was black like ashes and soot.
A blade of great length he had slung on his back,
And before such a man skulls would soon crack.

The stars- how they twinkled, high above, how merry!
The moon rose red, the depth of a cherry.
The swirling night winds, how wicked the blow,
Brave men would converge, bright blood would flow.

The horn of a bull he held tight to his teeth,
And his men they encircled his form like a wreath.
My heart, how it shivered to sand in my belly,
I must find my courage; no more legs of jelly.

No longer to feel as small as an elf,
I will laugh when I see them, in spite of myself.
In the blink of an eye they merge close ahead,
No longer is there time to have something to dread.

I spoke not a word, but went straight to my work,
And slew me an enemy, then turned with a jerk.
The flat of a blade swept to the bridge of my nose,
For the battle to be won, our men they arose.

We sprang to our ranks at the sound of a whistle,
Cleaving our way through metal and gristle.
Then I heard Crick exclaim as his host took to flight,
Praise be to our brave men, they stood for the fight!

Web site work

I worked on the web site for hours tonight, trying to fill in the character images on the Hound’s Teeth and Megalith pages in preparation for a local press release. It’s about time I take charge of marketing FREEFALL. The outline for the follow-up novel is going very well, and I’m excited to start writing again soon.

Feelin good

Feeling the need to deliver on my Kickstarter promise of late July, I printed 50 books right away. All of the pre-orders have been sent out or hand-delivered. A good number more have found new homes. At the moment I’m sitting on only 6 copies from the first printing. With one word change and the hopeful inclusion of my expected logo for Bard’s Tale Press I will print another 50 for the second edition. Comments have been positive, and that’s great, because the real goal here was to get a full-fledged story down on paper and share it with others in the hopes that I could entertain.
I have an opportunity to meet with local High School students and faculty this week, speaking about my journey to self-publish. It’s exciting to pass on the knowledge that the once significant roadblocks to becoming published are no longer a good excuse to hold back your dreams or abilities.
As I put together the simple steps of publishing one’s work I will post it here.
Now, how to engage students with my story about Cullen and the Megalith adversary? FREEFALL is really in the adult fiction genre. But, a number of the characters have back stories that would develop in the Young Adult genre. I hope to share a few ideas with students and plan to invite them to take part in a self-publishing project, a novella or series of short stories that students can collaborate on.

Realistic Expectations

This is something I’ve railed against for some time now, the condemnation of action/adventure movies released in theaters. In the last week I watched Priest and Jonah Hex. Neither would qualify as a fine film, but I’d bet if you have any interest at all in seeing them you already know you will enjoy the end result.
It’s all about setting proper expectations. Don’t go to Laura Schwartzbaum of EW for your Conan review. The title was probably enough to turn her off. And maybe she was wise enough not to watch Conan.
The point is reviewers should stick with genres they can relate to. All the garbage about Priest being a re-hash of Road Warrior and severeal other movies is ridiculous, and frankly in my mind a recommendation.
I feel jilted that critics who don’t actually enjoy the brainless action thrillers I do manage to keep me from going to the theater. Most of what I’ve seen this year has been in my home theater, with headphones on so I don’t wake the family. Much less expensive, yes, but I don’t get to drive home afterward at a very dangerous and death-defying 10 mph over the speed limit. You know the feeling. That temporary rush you feel after being blasted by the big screen.
My advice to the critics? Go see films in your wheelhouse. You may not understand that 90 minutes of pure escapism is just what I need after a long day, week, or month. I do, however, and the people who signed on to make that roaring ride of senseless mayhem do too.

Editors save your bacon

Thank goodness for the editorial support of friends and family. I gave the book two passes and thought I was ready to proceed. Far from it. Everyone’s comments have gone a long way in cleaning up the manuscript. They even noticed something I took for granted, the print template I downloaded from createspace left me with bold, italicized text on my proofs. We’re almost there. In the meantime, I am investigating ways of building a store for this site so I can deliver Ebook versions and even pdf’s directly to those of you who do not have e-readers or the software loaded for your pc. Let me know what you think.