<p>&nbsp;</p> <p>And it always has done.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Aside from that, I'm thrilled to announce that I've teamed up with Greg McQueen's <strong>Big Bad Media</strong> for the multimedia publication of my supernatural thriller, <strong>Voices</strong>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>No doubt you want to know what the book's about, but you'll just have to buy a copy like everyone else. I'll give you a hint, though. As a supernatural thriller it's thrilling in a supernatural way.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Seen through the eyes of college teacher, Chris Deacon, <strong>Voices</strong> tells how he survives a terrorist bomb attack, only to find himself haunted by grotesque phantoms and voices in his head that seek to control his life. In an effort to rid himself of them, he confronts an age old and abominable experiment.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Big Bad Media</strong> will publish <strong>Voices</strong> across a range of media, including iPhone apps what ever one of those is.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Is an iPhone a Yorkshire musical instrument? We have a saxophone, which is probably from Saxo, and a xylophone, which I'll bet hails from Xylo, and us Yorkshire folk are always saying, "aye lad," so maybe ..."</em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>I'm rambling again. Gimme a minute to swallow my pills.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Print publication is scheduled in time for<strong> Voices</strong> to make Santa's sack, and for anyone who likes supernatural reads, or even <em>thrilling</em> supernatural reads, Voices would make the ideal present.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Stay tuned to this channel, keep an eye on the Big Bad Media website at <a href="http://www.bigbadmedia.com/">www.bigbadmedia.com</a> visit my shed at <a href="http://www.dwrob.com/">www.dwrob.com</a> or find us on twitter, facebook, or generally making a nuisance of ourselves right across the web.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>And try to ignore the <strong>Voices</strong> in your head. You never know where they're leading you.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>I almost forgot. BBM are also publishing our old mate Trevor Belshaw's insanely funny <strong>Tracy's Hotmail</strong>. So there's <em>two </em>Chrissy prezzies you've dealt with.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Surprising what a difference a can make, innit?</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Yesterday I was down and out, today I'm not on top of the world, but I'm better than halfway up.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>What's changed? Very little. I got a couple of crits out of the way, had a natter with my union man about getting back to work <em>(as a devout workaholic, I also hold down a full time job, but I haven't been able to work after a cardiac wobble at the beginning of the year)</em>. I made some inroads on a non-fiction book, <em>How To Write Horror </em>and I took the evening off to watch an episode of the Beeb's "Sherlock" which I'd recorded when the series ran a few weeks ago.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>It's an interesting experiment and oddly enough, I think it works. I'm a purist at heart. I have a full set of Conan-Doyle's original tales, and normally I would consider a 21st century Holmes to be blasphemy of the highest order, but the program is put together well, with tight dialogue and fast-moving action sequences, without losing Conan-Doyle's fine attention to detail and deductive logic. The timing is right, too. The original Watson returned to England after being wounded in the Anglo-Afghan war. This doctor Watson has returned to England after being wounded in the current Afghanistan campaign.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>It's rare that I watch TV. In fact if the TV people relied on me for their viewing figures and income, they'd have shut down years ago <em>(hurrah!)</em> The very thought of watching television is enough to have me ranting at the rafters. And yet I watched a couple of hours of telly last night. No wonder the sun's shining this morning.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The holliers are getting closer too. A fortnight Friday I shall climb on back of giant albatross <em>(Traffic, Hole In My Shoe 1967)</em> and fly a couple of thousand miles south for a fortnight in balmier climes <em>(Me, this blog, 2010.)</em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The packing is almost done. All we really have to do is balance the two cases and two pieces of hand luggage to ensure we come within the 40kg (joint) limit. It means juggling camera lenses here, netbooks there, sunscreen in one bag, shampoo in another, mp3 player in my pocket, mobile phone in the wife's handbag. It's organised chaos but we always get there.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>It reminds me of my writing process. I always set up individual folders for each project. Having a scout round the hard drive yesterday, I noticed that Voices, one novel 110,000 words long, files 334kb, has numerous folders and an all up size of 34mb. Everything is in there, from the earliest draft to the final version. And that doesn't count the audio version running to 2.5 gigabytes.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>And hopefully by the time I get back from Tenerife, on October 1st, that single file will be on the countdown to launch on an unsuspecting reading public.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>One side-effect of this unexpected optimism is a reduction in my pain levels. It's probably psychological. There is no magic cure for my crumbling frame, so it's unlikely to have simply "gone away" but for the moment it appears to be sleeping.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Ah, the joys of looking forward.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>If you want to save wear and tear on your eyes reading, this, you can listen to it <a href="http://audioboo.fm/boos/174861-up-ish"><strong><span style="font-size: small;">here</span></strong></a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Observant souls may notice that my profile picture has changed. Even more observant souls may notice that it's a book cover.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img src="media/images/apad/11_e66ed20c5ba12212.jpg" border="0" width="163" height="245" /></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">Voices </span></strong>is out now in various e-book formats.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Written by, er, me, published by Big Bad Media, it's the tale of Chris Deacon, a college lecturer who survives a terrorist bomb attack only to find himself haunted by demons and voices in his head leading him to a remote part of northern England where he uncovers the terrible ramifications of a Cold War experiment.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Voices is a tale of psychological sci-fi/horror, suitable for adults only.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Available from Smashwords, learn more and read a sample at</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/32024">http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/32024</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>You cannot escape the voice in your head. Where they lead, you must follow.</em></p>

<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--></p> <p>The omens are with us. It's the winter solstice and there's a lunar eclipse.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The mindlessness of some people, however, irritates me. I've read so many people saying, "solstice, lunar eclipse, and a full moon. When was the last time these three things happened?"</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>1638 was the closest, 1703 was next closest, but that's not what annoys me. It's this marvelling at a coincidence between a full moon and a lunar eclipse.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>YOU CAN ONLY GET A LUNAR ECLIPSE AT FULL MOON, YOU IDIOTS.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>They don't happen at any other time. A solar eclipse can only happen at the new moon because the moon puts itself between the sun and the earth, so the moon can only hide behind the earth for a lunar eclipse when it's directly opposite the sun: in other words, Full Moon.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>I digress. I said it was a day of good omens. Why? Because coinciding with the eclipse and the solstice, <strong><span style="font-size: small;">Voices</span></strong> went global. It was accepted for Premium Distribution at Smashwords, which means it is now available at major online stores. I've already basked in the glow of seeing my book on the Noble &amp; Barnes Website.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The good news doesn't end there. Our old mate Trevor Belshaw has seen the publication of <span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Tracy's Hotmail</strong></span> through Big Bad Media and it's now available on Smashwords.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Luck is on the side of the dedicated scribes today. Wonder if the wife's feeling frisky?</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>You can see the glory of Voices at B&amp;N:</p> <p><a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Voices/David-Robinson/e/2940011141874/?itm=2&amp;USRI=voices">http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Voices/David-Robinson/e/2940011141874/?itm=2&amp;USRI=voices</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: left;">And if you want to check out Trevor's title, you can do so at:</p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/34169?ref=dwrob">http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/34169?ref=dwrob</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>As I look up at the Moon it already has a large bite taken out of the edge and wouldn't you know. After days of freezing, cloudless skies, the moon is dipping behind clouds.</p>

<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--></p> <p>Morning all.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>With the preps for Christmas taking up most of your time, I thought I'd pester you again on my latest bustblocker, Voices.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Paperback has been delayed more times than a British Airways flight from Heathrow to Vladivostok and now looks like it will be well into the New Year, so for those of your who fancy a taster you can read a 24-page sample at:</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="http://www.freado.com/book/8802/voices">http://www.freado.com/book/8802/voices</a></p>

<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--></p> <p>Last week I joined many other authors to take part in Smashwords' Read an E-book week. I had three titles on the site; <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/43337">Coldmoor</a>, the first of the <a href="http://www.dwrob.com/wasc.html">Stasis Center</a> books, priced at $1.14, <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/32024">Voices</a>, a full length psychohorror/sci-fi novel on offer at $3.99 and <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/27623">The Man In Black</a>, second of my Spookies novels, selling at $2.99. Prior to the promotion I had sold exactly one copy of one title.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The promotion finished in the early hours of this morning (UK time) and in that 7-day stretch, I had "sold" 112 copies across all three titles. The word sold is enclosed in speech marks because I reduced the price of all three titles to zero.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>What does this tell me? Very little, other than, like me, the great reading public worldwide loves something for nothing.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>That observation is not the whole story, however. Thanks to the stats supplied by Smashwords, I learned some other, important lessons. Page views on all three titles shot up this week. Before the promotion began I'd be looking at maybe one or two page views per day. Views on all three titles went up as high as 20 views per day.&nbsp; I swear that this was down solely to my marketing.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The curious thing is, I didn't do much. I put up the blog post last week, and mirrored it on my main blog <a href="http://dawr.wordpress.com/2011/03/07/smashwords-read-an-e-book-week/">here</a> I then tweeted and retweeted about 20 times and ensured that it made my Facebook page every time. A little more publicity on Goodreads, a few retweets and Facebook shares from friends and family and that was it.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Why didn't I do more? Truth is, this promo came a little early for me. I had the first Stasis Center novel up there and I was preparing the second, <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/46619">The Dead Web</a>, for publication. If the promo had run a month from now I may have been more aggressive, if only because I would have more time for marketing.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>There were other lessons to be learned, too. Surprise lessons. <strong>Voices</strong> did as well as the Stasis Center title <strong>Coldmoor</strong>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>At 43,000 words, <strong>Coldmoor</strong> is a more of a novella, designed to introduce and lay the foundation for the series. In discussions with my good friend (and editor) Maureen Vincent-Northam, we both felt that the short, sharp read would be ideal as an e-book. By comparison, <strong>Voices</strong> runs to 109,000 words (and even that had been trimmed from its original 120,000) It is not a short, sharp read. It's a long, complex (not complicated) novel; the kind you don't read at one sitting. And yet, it's as popular with the readers as <strong>Coldmoor</strong>. Perhaps more so. Sample downloads of <strong>Voices</strong> during the last weeks before the promo were higher than those of <strong>Coldmoor</strong>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>It's impossible to arrive at any serious conclusions from such a short sample. There could be any number of factors that influenced readers/buyers, not least of which was the price: FREE.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>For now, an interesting week has come to an end and I'll have to see if I can maintain the momentum now that the books are back on the shelf at their original prices.</p>