Just a personal note on what's going on in my novel writing world.
The action/adventure novel I finished will be coming out on Amazon.com in the next few weeks. I'm going to go through it again to fine tune it and I have to get a cover design done and dusted. It will be an e-book available on Kindle. The setting is modern day where an anomaly in the Brazilian rainforest has so disturbed the government there that a special team of scientists and Diplomatic Security agents have been sent in to find out what is jamming the best technology the world has to offer. Another group of agents from China are trying to beat them to this 'new' technology. The intrigue and plot twists takes the characters on a wild ride of danger, betrayal and a look into the unknown that they all wish they hadn't seen. The title of this book is 'The Grove', and it will be on sale for .99 cents.
What a lot of people don't realize is that you don't have to own a Kindle to read the e-books available. All one has to do is download the free Kindle application on your computer, ipod, ipad, etc and voila! You have access to Kindle e-books.
I am on the downhill slide on my horror novel. Presently, it consists of 75,000 words and I am on the last chapter. This book will not be for the squeamish or the easily offended. Several days of study went into the Elizabethan era torture tactics used on those accused of being heretics and/or witches. The implements depicted in the book and how they were used to destroy the human body (mainly women) are factual and extremely graphic. The setting is 1590 England where a depraved witch hunter and his men are terrorizing southern England with accusations of witchcraft being levied at several prominent people. He doesn't believe in witches or the supernatural, even though he is by name only, a priest. Being in league with some lords and nobles, he accuses land owners of witchcraft and has them executed so the resident lord can confiscate the property. In so doing, the witch hunter receives a kickback for his services. When he arrives in Wokingham (a village I lived in for a year while working in England), he discovers an actual coven of witches and soon gets an education on the power of witchcraft and the supernatural. It becomes a battle royal with casualties on both sides as evil meets evil....and only the 'Evil Most Holy' will win the day. This is definitely an Adults Only book. I am working on a cover design and when finished it will be offered on Amazon.com as an e-book for .99 cents.
Once these two have been downloaded for sale on Amazon, my other two books, The Keeper's Dare and The Last Medal will also see their prices reduced to .99 cents. So, for a summary, here's the novel offerings that I will soon have on Amazon:
1. The Keeper's Dare: A true crime story about my uncle who shot and killed a deputy sheriff in 1939 and never saw a trial. The book is about what led up to the shooting, what happened afterward, and how he got away with it.
2. The Last Medal: A fictional whodunit based in Houston, Texas. Anson 'Giz' Morley is the most decorated cop on the Houston Police Force and their best homicide detective. When he's assigned a high profile case, it doesn't take long for the bullets to start flying. This is a fast paced book with many twists and turns that will keep you guessing right up to the end if Morley is headed for his last medal...or not.
3. The Grove: Action/Adventure as described above.
4. Evil Most Holy: Horror as described above.
My Western, 'Hell's Gunman', has been picked up by Whiskey Creek Press and we have a signed contract with them. Soon, an editor will be assigned to me, as well as a book cover design artist, and we will start the process of getting that one on the market. At present, it is scheduled for release in July, 2013 and will be available in paper back and on all the major e-readers. I'll keep you posted on the progress there.
Next up is undecided. I am working on the outline for a Sci-fi but am also leaning toward another Western. I have an additional outline I'm working on, but the subject matter for that one will be kept on ice for now. If you're interested about other books I have available, apart from those listed on this blog, please go to www.robertcoward.com. You can find the ones presently available on that site. You can also follow me on Twitter @RCowardAuthor.
As always, if you purchase any of my work, it is much appreciated and I thank you. Please post reviews on Amazon, good or bad, when you are through reading. It helps a great deal to see your feedback.
Have a great Labor Day Weekend, and I hope your path in life is better than my own.