Bad Reviews

Bad reviews are an unfortunate reality for all writers.  Somebody out there will read a book that they don’t like and feel compelled to write about it on Amazon or Goodreads or some other site that people who buy books actually look at.

Everyone has a right to an opinion and you can’t expect everyone to enjoy or appreciate your book.  Some reader may even feel as if buying your book was a huge waste of money.

Most readers are conscientious, however, and will post an honest review.  It’s hard to fault that.  If a review sets out why the reader didn’t like the book, what the reader saw as the fatal flaw or flaws of the book, and the review makes sense, the writer must accept that not everyone loves the book and move on.

Some readers, however, are not so thoughtful, and write scathing reviews with little or no thought behind them.  My favorite are reviews I have seen where the reviewer didn’t finish the book.  I don’t see how a person can legitimately complain about plot, theme, or resolution of the plot, if that person did not read through to the end. 

How does the reader know the plot wasn’t resolved if he or she didn’t finish the entire book? Assuming the writer could not possibly have satisfactorily tied up the loose ends or reconciled plot points after reading only half of the book is not fair to the writer, nor to the individuals who read the reviews to decide whether to buy the book or not.

The truth is, people care about a review only to the extent that it helps them determine whether or not to buy the book.  They don’t read reviews for the entertainment value of the review itself. Vicious or sarcastic reviews make me think the reviewers are more interested in getting attention for themselves, trying to make the world see them as humorous. It also makes me wonder if the reviewer could be a failed author, who was unable to entertain people by completing a work, so they make a feeble attempt to entertain people by writing ugly reviews.

 

But ultimately, it doesn’t really matter why the reviewer wrote the review.  What matters is how the writer deals with it.


First, never respond or reply or contact the reviewer.  You are not going to change his or her mind, and you just might annoy the person to the extent they post a really crappy review of your other works.  Writers do not need to waste energy engaging in battles with people who ultimately don’t matter in the big scheme of things.

Second, accept that some people legitimately don’t like your work.  Your book may not be for them. Move on.  My sister’s a dog person, my mom’s a cat person. I like both.  Different strokes for different folks.

Third, accept that some people are, for lack of a better word, assholes.  They will write a bad review criticizing everything from your title to the one typo in your book to the plot to the name of your lead character, because they just realized buying your book overdrafted their bank account.  Or because the sink is full of dishes. Or they’re a former mean girl and your cover picture shows you are prettier than they are. 

Fourth, find someone to write a newer review.  Bad reviews don’t have an impact if they are buried amid a bunch of more favorable reviews.  What hurts is if the bad review, especially a nasty review, is the most recent review potential buyers read.

I try to hold someone back, someone I know has read my book but hasn’t written a review, and wait to ask them to write a review until after I receive a bad review.  Then I email them and say I’ve noticed they haven’t reviewed my book yet, when they get a chance could they do it.  I don’t ask for a good review, but I know no matter what type of review they leave, it will be better than an ugly one.

Another way to accomplish this is to ask for help within your publishing house, asking if anyone has read your book and not reviewed it yet, would they mind posting one now because you’ve just received a scathing review.  I don’t think this is the same as trading reviews, which can be seen as suspect, because I am not offering them anything to write the review.  And I do say I expect an honest review.  Even if they didn’t love my book, I know no one in my publishing house would leave an unprofessional or meanspirited review.  And as I mentioned, any review is better than a crazy mean review.

The top selling writers in the world receive negative reviews. The difference is that a bad review won't affect them as much as it will affect a lesser known writer.  Ultimately, bad reviews are a fact of life and the only thing a writer can do is hope to get a better, more recent review. 

And then forget about it.  Writers need to focus their attention on writing good books.  If the book is good and the writer is promoting it, the rest will follow, despite a bad review or two.

Jeana Gartshore-Thompson: Twelve Question Tuesday

Today I am excited to welcome Jeana Gartshore-Thompson to Twelve Question Tuesday.  I have changed some of the questions a bit for Jeana since she is on the promotion side of things at Oak Tree Press. 

1.  Please tell me the three most important things people should know about you.
I try to turn everything that happens to me into a humorous situation. Laughing is the best medicine in any situation! I am always trying to bring a smile to someone’s day, you just never know when someone really needs that! Life is an adventure, mine just happens to be a crazy adventure!

I am very determined to provide for my family, I have four part-time jobs. Besides being the public relations manager for Oak Tree Press, you can find me in bright pink coveralls and an orange safety vest doing patrol at one of our local schools and am a recess teacher too! As well as transporting a small group of kids to a local daycare after school. Most days I don’t know if I am coming or going. But I Love each and every one of my jobs, they are all rewarding in their own way.

There is nothing I won’t try or give help with. This still amazes my boyfriend, Steven Lomprez! I am not a girly girl, I will be out helping fix a vehicle or digging dirt what ever needs done I am there doing it! But I am the worlds biggest Clutz! I can fall over literally nothing! 

Once, I went to get a hand saw that was hanging to high up in the garage, I decided to get a broom to get it down, the saw slipped down the handle on the broom and cut my hand. The same day Steve asked me to put a ear of corn on the squirrel feeder, I pushed it on and the screw went into my hand. What did Steve do? He laughed at me! Bad things happen, you can’t stop that but you just need to find the humor in it!

2.  Are you a dog person or a cat person? 
I am both, we actually have a dachshund named Dashin (that is how I pronounced a dachshund). We also have 2 older female cats, Nibbles and Sassy (Sassy is a blue tip Siamese) We also have two Big Oscar fish and a pet squirrel, Roo that I rescued as a baby. I am a huge animal lover!

3.  Tea or coffee? 
Definitely Tea! I love the smell of coffee but hate the taste! I am a huge fan of hot chocolate in the winter too! Especially when I am on the crosswalk, crossing kids!

4.  Boxers, briefs, boxer-briefs, or commando? (Either what you prefer or what you prefer on others.)
I like boxer briefs on guys! However anyone that read Billie, my boss’s interview would 
know that my guy prefers commando! 

5.  If you could be anyone else for one day, who would it be and why? (You can’t be Mrs. Channing Tatum because I have claimed that one already.) 
Believe it or not I wouldn’t want to be anyone else, I am very comfortable in my own skin! Many of my friends think I am a fruit loop in a world of Cheerios!   I am a little wild and crazy but I do my own thing and enjoy this wonderful thing we call life everyday. I simply dance to the beat of my own drum!

6.  How did you end up at Oak Tree Press?
Well this is quite a long story, however I will try to give the shortest version possible. I had actually gone through my second divorce. I had not worked in 9 years. I sat here wondering how I was going to provide for my children, my father had called me and told me about an ad he read in our local paper. I immediately sent a letter to Billie Johnson, the publisher of Oak Tree Press. We met for lunch and she hired me on the spot. We actually hit it off so well that we are very good friends, I seriously miss her since her move back to California.

7.  What is your favorite book of all time and why?
I would have to say “The Scarlet Letter”  I am not sure exactly why but the story had always stuck with me. 

8.  What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you?
Probably the huge spider I just witnessed staring at me on my floor! I hate spiders!

9.  If you won the lottery, would you share the wealth or change your name and go into hiding?
I think I would share my wealth, I really like brightening some ones day, and giving gifts!


10.  Would you be food or fighter if the zombie apocalypse were to happen? 
I would definitely be a fighter! I can be very stubborn, I hear. I am do not give up easily at all! I certainly do not go down without a good fight!

11.  What is the most daring thing you have ever done?
Laughing at my boyfriend, Steve when I paid my children to smash raw eggs on his bald head! Was so funny I could not help myself! If you know him you know he is over 6 foot tall, I am a mere 5 foot. I would say that qualifies as the most daring thing I have done.

12.  Would you rather be rich or famous--and you could only have one-- and why?  The fame would be based on something good, not something like being the best serial killer or anything like that. 
Rich! Who in their right mind would not want to be rich? I would more than likely share my wealth though!
MY BIO:

Jeana Gartshore-Thompson is a life long resident of Taylorville, Illinois. and a single mother to three beautiful children, April (26), Jesse (16)and Benjamin(10). Jeana has a step-daughter from her previous marriage, Brittany who is attending SIUE, studying to be a special education teacher. Jeana and her children were blessed to have her wonderful boyfriend, Steven Lomprez enter their lives in 2011. He has two children Travis and Kim that add to the large family. Jeana is also a caregiver to her oldest , April, who has Cerebral Palsy.  Before coming onto Oak Tree Press' staff , she ran and operated her own in-home Daycare for 10+ years. When Jeana is not dedicating herself to Oak Tree or her children, she loves to enjoy the outdoors with her boyfriend Steve. Jeana and Steve 'adopted' many plants from Billie Johnson's garden during OTP's re-location to California, and they report the bloomers are thriving.

My websites

You can visit our website at  www.oaktreebooks.com

Or visit our blog at  http://otpblog.blogspot.com/

I am on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/jeana.thompson.12
 
Oak Tree Press Authors at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oak-Tree-Press-Authors/210979042259140

Oak Tree Press on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/oaktreebooks

J.L. Greger- Twelve Question Tuesday

Today I am excited to welcome writer, professor, and biologist J.L. Greger to Twelve Question Tuesday.

J.L. and Bug

1. Please tell me the three most important things people should know about you.1. I don’t like science fiction with Martian creatures, but I like science in fiction, even when it’s stretched to the limit. By my standards Jurassic Park is interesting because scientists now have extracted enough DNA from fossils to make cloning a mammoth possible. However, it’s doubtful scientists will find usable DNA from dinosaurs.  

2. My best friend (my apology to my sister and human friends) is my dog Bug. Just look at him. He’s the only character in my novels based on a real individual. As the picture shows, he’s a real character with a mind of his own. 

3. I value my privacy.

2. Are you a dog person or a cat person?
Dog

3. Tea or coffee?Neither, Diet Coke is my favorite source of caffeine.

4. Boxers or briefs?
Doesn’t matter. 

5. What was the first thing you wrote?
My third grade teacher assigned me to draw a picture and write a report on every story we read in class. She was trying to keep me busy.

6.  When did you finally decide to call yourself a writer?
When Coming Flu, my first novel, was published.

7. Which of your works are you most proud of?
The last one out because I learn from the mistakes in previous books. So that means my current favorite is Ignore the Pain.


8. What is the scariest thing that ever happened to you?
Someone tried to attack me physically; he didn’t succeed.


9. How did you end up getting published?
I joined PSWA (Public Safety Writers Association) and got advice.

10. Would be food or a fighter if the zombie apocalypse were to happen?
Fighter

11. What is the most daring thing you have ever done?
Depends how you look at it. Maybe it was being in China in 1983 unintentionally without a passport. The Chinese officials believed me that the travel agent in Hong Kong took it. Or maybe it was taking a consulting assignment to the United Arab Emirates (UAR) in 1991. The officials in UAR invited me as the scientist J. L. Greger and were surprised when they saw the photo in my passport.

12. Would you rather be rich or famous?
Neither I’d pick powerful, actually only the power behind the throne. I’d pick that because there are a lot of things I’d like to try to fix.

 
FROM THE AUTHOR:
In Ignore the Pain, epidemiologist Sara Almquist couldn’t say no when invited to participate in a survey of children’s health in Bolivia. Soon someone from her past is chasing her through the Witches’ Market of La Paz, and she fears her new colleagues are controlled by the coca industry of Bolivia.

 
BIO: 
J. L. Greger, as a biologist and professor emerita of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, enjoys putting tidbits of science into her novels.

Website: www.jlgreger.com
 
Blog: http://jlgregerblog.blogspot.com

Amazon sales link for Ignore the Pain: http://www.amazon.com/Ignore-Pain-J-L-Greger/dp/1610091310/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385498311&sr=1-1&keywords=Ignore+the+Pain 

Sex

This post was inspired by the book LEAN IN, by Sheryl Sandberg. It isn’t a review, because I haven’t actually read the book. In fact, the post was more inspired by some of the reviews of the book, which is apparently about the inequality women still face in the work force and how to overcome it.  It may even be broader than that, possibly about the inequality women face in life in general. 

It also, according to the book’s own blurb, gives examples of things women do to hold themselves back.  It seems there are some things people do that are seen as positive attributes in men but seen as negative in women.  I can guess a few–or at least, what I think would be included.  Perhaps cursing? Being direct? Standing to pee?

I am not trying to minimize the message of this book. And actually, I probably will buy it and read it because now I’m curious.  But so far, I haven’t seen myself personally affected by the inequality in the sexes in the work place.

I’ve had jobs varying from waiting tables (my first job), to dancing in a can-can show (my college job), to collecting child support (my law school job), to being an appellate public defender (my current job.)  In none of those jobs did I feel men were making more money, getting better promotions, or reaping any benefits I wasn’t by virtue of the fact that I was a woman.  In fact, some of those jobs were not even available to men, such as the can-can job.

While there was an unofficial Boy’s Club at the D.A.’s Office in New Orleans when I was a prosecutor in the late ‘90s, Boys Club is probably a misnomer.  The group of the elite was not at all limited to men.  It was limited only by one’s ability to suck up.  Thus, anyone willing to kiss enough booty would be granted privileges.

The odd thing about the elite group was that sometimes they got screwed by the bosses as an inside joke.  The two male prosecutors who sucked up the most and spent the most time hanging out with the chief ended up getting assigned, together, to the absolute worst section of court that no self-respecting attorney wanted to get stuck in–a section where the female judge was crazy.  She soaked her feet– in pantyhose, mind you– in a water-filled foot spa that made noise and attracted gnats and made the entire courtroom smell like Fritos.  Her chambers were decorated with gigantic blown-up photos of her, and she had wigs lined up on her shelves where other judges had law reference books.

Worse than all of this, she hardly ever went to trial.  The two attorneys assigned to her section were in a contest to see who could do the most jury trials that year, 100 being the ultimate goal, a goal they were not going to reach in this section.  And when a case did go to trial, it was painful, with bad rulings, long, irrational comments that had nothing to do with the case at hand, and the judge playing solitaire on her laptop and staring at herself in a handheld mirror so much she would often ask for testimony to be read back to her by the court reporter because she had missed it.

So I can’t say that any of my past jobs were impacted by the fact that I’m a woman.  It could be I was just lucky in my job choices.  But reflecting on the equality or inequality of the sexes in the area of employment has me wondering if there is any truth to the theory when it comes to writers and writing. 

Do publishers judge female writers differently from male writers when they are considering a manuscript? Do more readers tend to buy certain types of books because they believe the writer is male than if the writer is female and vice versa?  Why do some female writers use gender non-specific names than their real name? Do they know something I don’t?

I can’t imagine sexism exists in the world of book publishing and book purchasing.  But maybe there is and no one has written a book about it yet.

Sara Rose Salih- Twelve Question Tuesday

Today I am excited to welcome Sara Rose Salih to Twelve Question Tuesday.

1.  Please tell me the three most important things people should know about you. 
I’ve been writing since I can remember, whether it was short stories, songs lyrics, poetry, novels or journaling. Writing has always been my number one passion. Besides writing, music is a very important part of my life; I don’t go more than a few hours without enjoying the tunes on my iPod. Lastly, I’m obsessed with everything teen! I still listen to boy bands, get a new pair of Chucks every fall, and love to capture that frenzied, fun and emotional window of time between childhood and adulthood in my writing.

2.  Are you a dog person or a cat person?
I am most definitely a dog lady for life.

3.  Tea or coffee?
I love caffeine in general, but if I had to choose I’d probably say tea. 

4.  Boxers, briefs, boxer-briefs, or commando?
Boxer-briefs is always a safe happy medium.

5.  What was the first thing you ever wrote?
A “song” called “I was a Kid” when I was 4 years old. Hah! It had some super deep lyrics.

6.  When did you finally decide to call yourself a writer?
I’ve always referred to myself as a writer, but I suppose I didn’t really feel like one until I decided to write my first book in 2011. 

7.  Which of your works are you most proud to have written?
Right now, my first book Tales of a Sevie.

8.  What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you?
I’m sure I’ve got something much better but what comes to mind today is a childhood birthday party. When I was about 6 years old my dad dressed up as a witch for my party. It was suppose to be fun. My friends and I all had water balloons to throw at the “evil witch.” One of the girls ended up being so terrified she ran through our sliding glass door. It was a bloody mess and she had to get stitches. We were all pretty horrified; I can’t even imagine how she felt.

9.  How did you end up getting published?
I decided to self-publish my first book.

10.  Would you be food or fighter if the zombie apocalypse were to happen?
I’m not going to lie, probably food.

11.  What is the most daring thing you have ever done?
I was once dared to go to a public pool in a boy bathing suit. I was like 9, but still. The best part was it was late July and I failed to notice the tan lines from my bathing suit top. I also didn’t exactly have a buzz cut. People totally knew, it was pretty embarrassing. I was very fortunate to have my best friend do it with me. I keep bringing up my childhood in this interview…*yikes*.

12.  Would you rather be rich or famous--and you could only have one-- and why?  The fame would be based on something good, not something like being the best serial killer or anything like that.
I would rather be famous or “well-known” (that sounds a bit more humble, right?) I would rather be known for my work without being financially successful, than wealthy without a good well-known cause.

FROM THE WRITER:

It’s the first day of junior high school. Imagine yourself lost, overwhelmed by new people (especially cute boys), scared of strict teachers, and nervous over the sudden changes from the comforts of elementary school. That’s the situation that hysterical Christina, scattered Daisy, and self-conscious Mallory find themselves in as they enter the intimidating new world of junior high school. Without the use of modern day technology (e.g. cell phones), the girls release their concerns in the form of handwritten notes to their fourth bestie, Summer. Discover the pressures they face, boys they date, laughs they share, and obstacles they overcome as they survive their first year of junior high in Tales of a Sevie, the first book in the new series, Life As We Note It.

Find out more about me at:

http://sararosesalih.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SaraRoseSalih

https://twitter.com/SaraRoseSalih

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/sara-rose-salih/59/6a8/a14


Purchase my book at www.Amazon.com

LOCATION AS A CHARACTER IN A NOVEL by J.L. Greger

Some locations breed intrigue. The steamy and seamy sides of New Orleans have been featured in many novels. Think about: Dinner at Antoine’s by Frances Parkinson Keyes, Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, The Pelican Brief by John Grisham, and Jambalaya Justice by Holli Castillo. None of these novels would have resonated with readers if they were set elsewhere.

Similarly it’s hard to generate a more creepy setting for horror novels and mysteries than the slums of Victorian London as a dense fog blankets the foul cobblestone streets.

Other locations breed nostalgia for a happier or perhaps simpler time. Western fiction can be set in a number of states (Kansas, Texas, Wyoming, Colorado, or New Mexico), but generally the setting is the same – a spare, dry land that exudes loneliness. The protagonist generally looks like the land. He’s spare, often almost gaunt, dry with little to say, and independent because he has to be to survive on the land.

Occasionally a location resonates with a writer and suggests a story. That’s what happened to me several years ago when I climbed the narrow stone steps to the roof of Iglesia de San Francisco in La Paz, Bolivia and looked down on the Witches’ Market. I thought of so many “what if” questions as I compared the chaotic, colorful scene below with the cemetery-like roof.

The availability of coca everywhere, the press accounts of deplorable conditions in the silver mines of Potosí, and the lurid stories of life in San Pedro Prison as detailed in the best seller Marching Powder: A True Story of Friendship, Cocaine, and South America’s Strangest Jail presented me with more scary questions about Bolivia. I added to it public health data on the poor indigenous people of Bolivia and a little bit about the politics in modern Bolivia. Evo Morales, the President of Bolivia, is the first indigenous person to be elected to lead a nation in South or North America in modern times. Then I spun a story.  The net result is Ignore the Pain, my new medical thriller.

In Ignore the Pain, epidemiologist Sara Almquist couldn’t say no when invited to participate in a survey of children’s health in Bolivia. Soon someone from her past is chasing her through the Witches’ Market of La Paz, and she fears her new colleagues are controlled by the coca industry of Bolivia.

I think this story is scary because it is so realistic, but maybe it is because Bolivia is such an interesting character.


Please note: I enjoyed my visit to Bolivia and would recommend it to adventurous travelers.


BIO:
J. L. Greger, as a biologist and professor emerita of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, enjoys putting tidbits of science into her novels. To learn more, check out her website www.jlgreger.com or blog www.jlgregerblog.blogspot.com 

Ignore the Pain is availabe on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Ignore-Pain-J-L-Greger/dp/1610091310/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385498311&sr=1-1&keywords=Ignore+the+Pain

The previous novels in this medical thriller/mystery series: Coming Flu http://www.amazon.com/Coming-Flu-J-L-Greger/dp/1610090985/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363872699&sr=1-1&keywords=Coming+Flu 

and Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight http://www.amazon.com/Murder-New-Lose-Weight-ebook/dp/B00DFCC3IM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1372715439&sr=1-1&keywords=Murder%3A+A+New+Way+to+Lose+Weight are also available at Amazon.  

Michael A. Black: Twelve Question Tuesday

Today I am pleased to welcome Michael A. Black to Twelve Question Tuesday.

1.  Please tell me the three most important things people should know about you.
I’ll steal that line from the old Bill Murray movie by saying that “chicks dig me because I seldom wear underwear, and when I do it’s usually something really wild.” Seriously, I’m a very private person, it takes a while to get to know me, and I like to help people.

2.  Are you a dog person or a cat person?
I’m both, actually. I’ve had a variety of both dogs and cats as pets and companions, but at present I only have cats. Dogs require more attention and I’m not in a position where I could give one the care it needs. Cats are more independent and are more adaptable to my current life.

3.  Tea or coffee?
Again, I like both. Coffee in the morning is preferable, but there’s nothing like a cup of tea in the afternoon to relax and contemplate the day. 

4.  Boxers, briefs, boxer-briefs, or commando? (Either what you prefer or what you prefer on others.)
Commando? Hey, I’m not that absent-minded. I wear briefs. 

5.  What was the first thing you ever wrote?
I wrote my first short story in the sixth grade. It was a mystery with a private eye hero and a crooked cop for the villain. I kept badgering the teacher to let me write something other

than the “What I did on my summer vacation” type essay, and she told me one fateful Friday that I could write a story as long as I read it front of the class on the following Monday. I labored all weekend and finished it. After proudly reading it aloud in class the teacher summoned me to her desk, took the story, and scribbled D—Poor work across the top in flowing red script. “Don’t ever try this again,” she said. I was crushed, but little did I know that it was to foreshadow my entire writing career to come. I got my first assignment, deadline, and rejection all in the space of a couple days.

6.  When did you finally decide to call yourself a writer?
After I got my first rejection slip—I just didn’t call myself a published writer.

7.  Which of your works are you most proud to have written?
I’m proud of all of them, but perhaps the one that meant the most to me was an article I wrote on preventing police suicides called “Darkness, Come Take My Hand.” I wrote it in the hope that it would acquaint people with the danger signs of someone contemplating taking his own life as my ex-partner on the force did. I was the last person to talk with him and missed all the clues.

8.  What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you?

There have been a lot of them. Getting shot at wasn’t as scary at the time as it was afterward, thinking about it. Most of the time I didn’t think about the danger when it was happening. I almost got dumped over a second story railing during a fight with a big ex-con I was trying to arrest, but once again, I can’t recall feeling fear until after it was over.

9.  How did you end up getting published?  
After about ten years of getting rejection slips, I decided to attend conferences and go to author signings to get advice on what I was doing wrong. It was a matter of getting through the University of Hard Knocks. I got one story back from a magazine with a few words scribbled on the return envelope: Close, but no cigar. Too long. Try again. I immediately revised and tightened up the story and sent it off again. It was accepted and became my first published work.

10.  Would you be food or fighter if the zombie apocalypse were to happen?
I hate zombies. I’d mow through them like they were dead. Oh wait, they’re supposed to be, aren’t they. Actually, I would call Brad Pitt.

11.  What is the most daring thing you have ever done?
The fine line between daring and stupid is sometimes hard to discern. I’d have to say it’s between using both hands to pull myself up on top of a roof where a bad guy was holding a gun, to wrestling a razor blade out of the hand of a 300 pound mental patient in a small washroom of a half-way house.

12.  Would you rather be rich or famous--and you could only have one-- and why?  The fame would be based on something good, not something like being the best serial killer or anything like that.
I’d rather be rich. Then I could buy my own fame. 

FROM THE WRITER

My most recent novel is Sleeping Dragons, which is a Mack Bolan Executioner novel. The Executioner series was begun in the late 1960s by author Don Pendleton, but has evolving and continued to this day. Although Pendleton passed away in 1995, the publisher, Gold Eagle (Harlequin) has continued the series with several new authors. In Sleeping Dragons Bolan is sent to Hong Kong to investigate the “accidental death” of a CIA agent and finds that some Libyan terrorists are trying to acquire a devastating binary nerve gas, known as the Sleeping Dragons, from the Chinese gangsters and military. Bolan must face an array of Triad goons as well as PLA soldiers in his effort to keep the gas from being used in Tripoli as an international humanitarian mission, led by a beautiful female movie star, is about to begin.

Website: www.MichaelABlack.com

Blog: The Ladykillers Blog (http://www.theladykillers.typepad.com/)

You may purchase my works from any bookstore, Amazon.com, or directly from publishers Oak Tree Press (www.oaktreebooks.com/Shop OTP) and Crossroad Press (www.crossroadpress.com). I also have a new e-book, Dark Haven, available on Amazon.com. I also have three audio books available on Amazon or directly from www.booksinmotion.com

BIO:
Michael A. Black is the author of 20 books and over 100 short stories and articles. He has a BA in English from Northern Illinois University and a MFA in Fiction Writing from Columbia College Chicago. He was a decorated police officer in the south suburbs of Chicago for over thirty years and was awarded the Cook County Medal of Merit for his police service before his retirement in 2011. His most current books are Sleeping Dragons in the Mack Bolan Executioner Series and Pope’s Last Case and Other Stories.