What's My Favorite Line? CATALYST

Good Monday, folks,

I hope all of you who celebrate Thanksgiving had a great holiday! Since this would have fallen on turkey-day, we will be giving you a double dose of Favorite Line this week - this today and then back to our normal Thursdays. Today's guest is Paul Byers, author of CATALYST... I'm already a few days behind schedule, so let's begin.

Tough assignment, shrinking your book down to just one favorite line. Any story worth its salt, in my opinion, is about the characters and how you can relate to them. “Go ahead, make my day.” Is a great one liner but the reason we remember it so much is not that it was an action packed crime/thriller but because we could relate to Inspector Harry Callahan as a good cop fighting against the system to get the job done. (Something we all experience every once in a while)

Catalyst too, is an exciting WWII spy thriller with plenty of action, but I hope you remember the characters and who they were and what struggles they went through more than just the action scenes. Don’t get me wrong, “Houston, we (would) have a problem” with no action because what the characters go through is what defines them.

Being a WWII action/adventure thriller, I could have chosen several lines where our hero was in mortal danger or inspirational words spoken by men staring death in the face but I took a different route.

The line I chose is part of a conversation shared between our hero, Captain Griff Avery and his 67 year-old Maquis operative, Claubert Merle as they share a bit of reflection and look forward to an uncertain future. I can’t say much more than that as it would give too much away.

It may not make much sense now but hopefully after you read the book it will.
So here it is, a little drum roll and fanfare if you please….

Set up
“And do you know what Beka (Merle’s late wife) would be saying right now?”
Avery shook his head……..

“With a serious expression on his face, the old Frenchman looked up and said, ‘Don’t drink too much you old fool, it always gives you gas.’”

CATALYST, as Paul said, is an action-packed storyline... but is so much more complex with humor, romance and great research! It is a superb book that comes highly-recommended (from yours truly), and you don't need to be a WW2 buff to read it. Paul does such a good job of enveloping you in the story that you don't need to know the ins and outs of the happenings from the 'war to end all wars'.

To add to the greatness, the book got a revamp and has been re-edited to take out some of the stuff that got left behind from the original printing. You can get this new version at Kindle now, but it will also be available in print as well from Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Borders, or your local bookstore (978-0-9796929-3-2) in the next week or so. Paul also has some signings coming up on the next few Sunday's, so if you are in the Washington state area and would like to get a signed copy, you can find him at the following:

• Sunday Dec 6th 12-4, Borders Books, Alderwood Mall, Lynnwood WA 425-776-7530
• Sunday Dec 13th, 12-4, Borders Books, Everett Mall, Everett WA 425-267-3246
• Sunday Dec 20th, 12-4 Borders Books, Alderwood Mall, Lynnwood WA

To sweeten the pot, go to paulbyersonline.com to find a special deal going on.

If you have read the book, or read the book from this posting, we would love to hear what you have to say about CATALYST. We look forward to your comments!

See you Thursday.

First Review in on SILVER

Good Monday everyone!

For those of you who have been waiting on full reviews, here is your first taste of what is in store for you from Steven Savile's SILVER.

http://hagelrat.blogspot.com/2009/11/silver-steve-savile.html

To me, it sounds like Savile's story succeeds in pulling his fans in and putting them right in the thick-of-things. Feel free to weigh in, here or on her review. We all look forward to your comments!

Another Smashing SILVER Blurb

Happy Friday, folks!

To end the week on a high note, here is another incredible blurb, this time from Robert W. Walker. Robert is the author of over 40 books (a feat in itself), well-known for his INSTINCT and RANSOM series.

"If you love international thrillers replete with theological puzzles and a team pitted against true evil that mirrors our world today you won't beat SILVER. Steven Savile is in complete control of his material and not afraid of a complex plot. [He] beats Dan Brown hands down... Masterfully accomplished."

Haven't pre-ordered SILVER yet? With all these great reviews, it would be a shame not to have it in your library - a thriller enthusiast's dream-come-true. Get your copy without even leaving your computer at Amazon and Barnes&Noble, then have it delivered to you to miss the hustle and bustle of the stores during the post-holiday season return rush. Can't get much better than that.

Have you read the SILVER Advanced Reader Copy and want to let people know your thoughts? Do it here! We would love to see it.

What's My Favorite Line? The ASCENSION

Welcome back readers!

This weeks session is on The ASCENSION, a horror novel by Michael G. Cornelius.

From page 84 of The Ascension:

Professor Miller took a moment and glanced uneasily around the room. Then, in a low voice, she intoned the bloody message's meaning: "Leave the Christ alone. He does not belong to you."

The initial idea for the book came to me in a dream (I know, it sounds so cliché for horror/thriller, and it's definitely a bit too Robert Louis Stevenson and Bram Stoker for me, but it's true.) I remember waking up in a cold sweat, my every nerve on high alert, my heart pounding but my breath stuck in my chest. Ironically, the only thing I remember about the dream was that line: "Leave the Christ alone. He does not belong to you." I have no idea what the line meant to the dream, or the context in which I dreamed it. But I knew a good line when I heard it! So I rolled over, pulled out my notepad, wrote it down (in the dark!) and then went back to sleep. The next morning I saw my scrawled words and started to weave the book around them. So without that line, I never would have had the book - which is at least partly why it is my favorite.

It is certainly creepy that this line came up in a dream, just imagine what else lies beneath. To find out, click here for a two chapter sample, or go to The ASCENSION book page to get the full effect. Want to buy this book? Find it at Amazon (Kindle of course), and Barnes&Noble.

Have you read The ASCENSION? We would love to see a review, and look forward to your comments.

New Steve Alten Interview

Hey Alten Fans,

Don't miss his newest interview at Xomba.com. Questions include thoughts on writing, his success, Parkinsons, and Adopt-an-Author. It's a great session, I hope you take the time to check it out.

For more of all things Steve Alten, visit his website.

Handful of Author Updates

Good Monday, fans!

Let's start the week off right with some author updates for you.

Joseph Flynn

Joseph Flynn fans, he recently was in the Illinois Times for a review on The PRESIDENT'S HENCHMAN. Whether you buy this book from Amazon, BN, or any other bookstore, it is well worth the purchase (don't forget KINDLE). For those of you who purchase the hardcover, don't forget about his e-book give-a-way! Said of TPH: "McGill is an interesting, intelligent, and likeable hero", can't ask for much better than that.


You can also find Joe in a new blog venue, blogcritics.org. His newest post is controversial, yet he never ceases to amaze me on how he gets his readers to think on a different perspective. Just a piece of the puzzle that is Joseph Flynn.

Jeffrey Stephens

Jeffrey Stephens fans should tune-in to Bulldog and the Rude Awakening show tomorrow at 8am EST for an interview regarding TARGETS OF DECEPTION. More info on Jeff will be coming your way soon, so keep your eyes locked here for that post.

Paul Byers

For you Paul Byers-ites, he will be doing some signings over the next few Sunday's (using his updated copies of CATALYST, nudge nudge, wink wink). This newly edited version was a great read, and whether you are a WW2 buff or not it is a book you can thoroughly enjoy. It has humor, action, and espionage... with a touch of romance. The newly edited copies will be available for purchase towards the end of this month, and I will be sure to let you know when it is available on Kindle (most likely also at the end of the month between me finishing and Amazon posting).

Thanks all! I'm sure we will be seeing each other again during the week, enjoy till then.

What's My Favorite Line? The NINEVEH PROJECT

Happy Thursday folks,

One more day left until the weekend and hopefully this segment will make the time go by that much quicker for you. This week's guest is Craig Alexander, author or The NINEVEH PROJECT. Let's see what Craig's take is on his book:

My favorite line comes from page 245 of The Nineveh Project. The main character, Aaron Henderson, is confronting the story's villain, Hussaam Uzeen Zaafir. Aaron has foiled Hussaam's plans but the man wants revenge. The enigmatic villain informs Aaron that he has done nothing but postpone the inevitable. The two men face each other, swords in hand and Hussaam says:

"You may have saved some people today, but your God, your Bible, say that grace requires a sacrifice of blood. Your blood will be the price of their lives."

I like this line because it shows the arrogance of Hussaam and his disdain for Aaron's new found beliefs. I also like it because, well ... I think it just sounds cool. After Hussaam spits this threat, he and Aaron engage in vicious hand-to-hand combat. I won't tell you what happens, you'll have to read it.

Have you read The NINEVEH PROJECT? Would you like to chime in on what your favorite line is? We would love to hear it. With Tom Clancy type action, this book is sure to please... if you have not read this thriller yet, look for it at Amazon (and Kindle), and bn.com, along with asking for it at your local bookstore (0-9786551-7-6).

Would you like a full description before buying it or maybe a sample to read? Go to The NINEVEH PROJECT book page for all those goodies. You can also check out the book trailer on YouTube! Lastly, be sure to visit CraigAlexanderOnline.com.

Thanks for your time, fans! Talk to you soon.

What's My Favorite Line? RED MOON

Welcome back, fans, to another Thursday edition of 'Favorite Line'. This week's guest is Daniel Brenton, co-author of RED MOON. Let's let Dan do the talking...

When Stanley presented his latest idea for the Variance authors to give a little inside look at their work by asking "what is the favorite line in your novel?" ... I knew I was in trouble.

Why?

I, as Desi would tell Lucy, "got some 'splainin' to do."

Red Moon, the novel I wrote with David S. Michaels (or, more correctly, where I played co-pilot while he did a marathon multi-month session putting the manuscript together, skillfully weaving in a number of chapters toward the end from yours truly) has a lot of lines I consider really good ones. Being human and having an ego, I confess I gravitate toward the ones I wrote.

I can't tell you the first line I picked because that would ruin the ending of the book.

And I can't tell you the second, because I'd have to explain it, and the simple act of explaining that one would be a pretty big spoiler.

So here's my third favorite line, the first sentence of Chapter 52:

You are leaving the Earth.

Innocuous words in and of themselves, but in context, they bring this sequence of the narrative into sharp focus.

The story at this point has brought cosmonaut Grigor Belinsky, the only Soviet cosmonaut to attempt to reach the Moon, to the morning before his lift-off in an untried, hybrid Moon lander.

Belinsky, blackmailed into this enormously risky mission, wrestles with himself during these last few hours before the launch to do ... what he knows he has no choice but to do.

In the excerpts below, the "Mirya" I mention is Belinsky's dissident ex-wife, "SP" is Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, Chief Designer of the Soviet space program, and the R-7 is the workhorse booster of the Soviet and Russian programs, in use to this day.

You are leaving the Earth.

The words reverberated through Belinsky, a portentous, vague pronouncement that stirred him from his slumber, leaving him alone in a darkened, unfamiliar room.

Little snatches of a dream clung to the edge of memory. An Orthodox priest, a church spire that might or might not have been one of SP’s beloved R-7s. Only one image lingered with clarity -- Mirya’s lovely face, somehow austere, regarding him from a distance.

After a few moments, he remembered he was in the Hotel Cosmonaut, in a spartan but comfortable room he had used before his first flight on Soyuz 2.

An alarm clock to his right ticked out seconds. Belinsky reached out to a small lamp beside the clock on his bed table, turned it on. The clock read 3:55. They would be waking him soon to prep for the flight.

Launch day, already. Too soon. The clock beside him beat like a mechanical heart, each tick pumping out the seconds, his life bleeding relentlessly into the past.

With a surge of frustration, Belinsky slapped the alarm clock off the table, heard it shatter against a wall. He sat up and stared at the broken mechanism for a moment, dismayed at his own outburst. At least the ticking had stopped.

Those five words set the tone for the chapter, follow Belinsky through his preparation for launch, and serve as a refrain later when Belinsky is waiting for lift-off in the cabin of his space craft, struggling to face the hurricane of emotions inside him that threaten to rip him to shreds.

Belinsky strapped in, found his mind running free.

You are leaving the Earth.

He had stowed his bag of personal belongings in a locker already crammed with desiccated survival rations....

....Slowly he became aware to of the background noises -- tiny circulating fans, the creaks and pings of the Proton booster as it expanded in the summer heat, the low hum of electronics. He ran through the checklist until he and Ground Control were satisfied. The rest, for his part, was simply waiting atop 600 tons of toxic, self-igniting fuel....

....It was going to be a noisy liftoff. Compared to Soyuz 2 with its heat shield, the thin hull of Firebird wouldn’t hold out much of the engine thunder. It might leave him deaf.

Madness.

He had an impulse to tell Ground Control to call it all off. Madness . He would be lucky to survive the first thirty seconds of flight, let alone reach the Moon.

Madness.

He wrestled with it, held it down.

Writing this material was something of a challenge. To give you a quick context, originally Dave and I sketched out a screen treatment of the story which Dave attempted to shop through his contacts. The consensus was that this version, which was set entirely in 1968-69, had no relevance to today's audiences. After that, the story sat dormant for a while until Dave conceived two parallel story lines set in 2019, and picked up the ball and ran with it.

Circumstances in my life dictated that could only contribute in a passive role during most of the writing of the novel, reviewing chapters, making suggestions, doing research to flesh out the characters and make the technical details more authentic. Happily, I was finally able to directly contribute prose during the writing of the last third of the novel.

The challenge was to give Dave chapters that fit fairly closely with the style he'd already established, and (frankly) keep my material up to the level of quality of what he had already produced. I was both relieved and delighted when I emailed him this completed chapter, and he responded with, "You son of a bitch. I am sitting here with tears in my eyes. You got me. You really got me."

I'm sure I can speak for Dave when I say that we both feel confident Red Moon will "get you," too.

This was a well thought out book, and Daniel shows us this. It's been played up in magazines and in the space industry (including venues like SF Writers of America, Encyclopedia Astronautica, and authors in the genre). To see what they had to say visit the RED MOON book page. While there, you can download the two chapter sample to further hook you on this 'what if' story.

You can find this on Amazon (and Kindle), BN.com, or your local retailer (ISBN: 978-0-979692-94-9). If you or someone you know is a Sci-Fi fan, or wonders what would have happened if we weren't the first to the moon, or you enjoy a knock-down, drag-out of a read, this book can't be passed up!

Parkinsons and Steve Alten

Good day folks,

I know many of our fans read the Steve Alten Newsletter that comes at the beginning of each month. For those of you who don't recieve it, sign-up for it at stevealten.com. But, in the meantime, Steve just sent out a personal message to his fans that I would like to pass along for those of you who may not get his letter.

Because of the importance of the contents, this is sort of an abbreviated newsletter this month. As many of you know, two years ago I was diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease. I was 47 at the time, with no family history. Parkinsons is a degenerative disease that causes tremors and muscle rigidity. For me, the symptoms affect my dominant right side. My arm no longer swings freely when I walk, and doing certain activities can be challenging. Reaching into my pocket for my car keys, signing my name and the PD has robbed me of the one talent that came naturally for me -- playing the drums To combat these physical challenges I workout almost every day, plus I take a few medications that I hope can delay the progression. I have never felt sorry for myself, I consider myself a lucky person and have too much in my life to be grateful for. So I will fight this setback as best as I can, and hopefully contribute something of value that can help find a cure, if not for myself then others.
Parkinsons is a disease that can be cured. Michael J. Fox and his foundation have done an incredible job organizing researchers to focus on the medical science that makes a difference.

Since my own diagnosis, I have asked myself what I can do to help. Writing books is a time-consuming labor, plus I spend time visiting schools, plus I have a family plus I need to work out or my muscles stiffen up. Oh yeah, every day I answer 100 e-mails from fans. It's a labor of love, as an author, my most valued asset is YOU, my readers. Over the last 13 years, I have worked hard to earn your trust. All of you who have ever e-mailed me know I ALWAYS RESPOND PERSONALLY. Students know I am always honored to answer their Q & A assignments for school. Thousands of teachers in the Adopt-An-Author program know I am always there to speak with their students via phone, e-mails, or personal visits. Times are tight for many of us, and so many organizations need money - I know because many of you contact me asking for donations on their behalf. I never say no. Over the years, I have also sent boxes of signed books to our soldiers overseas in appreciation for their sacrifice. But I need to do something to support the Michael J. Fox foundation, not because I have Parkinsons, but because I am convinced they are doing valuable work that can help all of us.

I thought about offering free posters to anyone making a $50 donation, I thought about sending out signed books for donations. All of these ideas cost money I do not have (my meds alone cost $500 a month). What can I do to help Michael J. Fox? I do not know any celebrities, I am not in a position to host huge functions, but I have something far more valuable, I have readers who care and know that I care about them.

ONE REQUEST - SIMPLE, PAINLESS, QUICK & A BLESSING:
I am asking each person reading this newsletter to click on this link and make a one-time donation of $10 dollars to the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Please, only ten dollars. Because ten dollars from ten thousand Steve Alten readers CAN make a serious difference in the fight against a disease that affects millions of Americans including this humble author.

I've included some very cool never-before-seen MEG & LOCH images at the bottom of the linked page. Please feel free to send this message and link to other friends and readers. In return, I offer my blessings and heartfelt thanks.

Growing up in a household whose family dealt with the same problems Steve is going through hits home, so I feel it is my duty to spread this around as much as I can. Please do the same. We all know times are tough, but do what you can to give to this great cause all the help you can to one day find the cure to stop this affliction. In case you missed it and can donate $10, please do so here... that little bit can certainly go a long way. If not for Steve, for your grandfather, your aunt, your neighbor, your child. Any posts (Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, blog), would also be great if you can't donate right now. Get the word out fans - we're here to help find a cure!