The Century Mark

It's really difficult to figure out just what a baseline of expectation should be for sales. As a new author with limited marketing funds and no public name, I knew I had to aim high but set my expectations low. A large number of self published books don't sell more than one or two copies, and those are often relatives trying to support you. Per some slightly dated data I was able to track down from Nielsen's BookScan, 79% of published books sell fewer than 99 copies. 16% of all books published make it to the 100-999 range. That's not many. 3 out of every 200 books published.

I'm extremely happy to say that Waking Up Dead is officially into that 16%. Less than a year after its debut, it has over a hundred purchased copies out there, with a number of others who have told me they still intend to pick it up. Thank you folks. I couldn't have done it without you.

Now to set my sites on that 5% who bust 1000+!

Opening weekend has been quite good for book two. Thank you very much to everyone who's supported me in any way with this project. There are many many more stories in my head, and I'll continue to work on getting them out and into your hands as quickly as time allows.

I plan to leave Waking Up Dead on sale for a little while longer, so if you haven't taken advantage of it and picked up your e-copy yet, now's certainly the time to do so.  You can click on the "Check Out My Stories" inks to the right to get to any a landing page where you can purchase it from pretty much any of your favorite locations. I'm also working on getting some hard copies for sale here in Austin. Look for more on that soon!

Also, if you've read the books and have any opinion on them at all, please leave a review at your favorite online retailer so that others might get an idea of what to expect!

I've got some basic points plotted with book three already, so I'll be starting to actually put it down on paper soon. I've got a very good idea of where it needs to go, but it's always an adventure seeing how it gets there. For anyone who's never written before, stories have a mind of their own sometimes, and it's often surprising to see where they take you.

Keep reading, and I'll keep writing! Thanks Folks!

    -Zabe

GoGaM has been released!

The world of the dead can be a scary place. Thomas thought he had a plan for his afterlife. Now more than ever he knows what he must do, but he's lost all direction on how to do it. Can he and Cho rebuild their group and come up with a plan to counter the danger they know is coming? You can find out today, as The Glacier of Gods and Monsters has officially been released!

And remember! If you haven't read the first book, Waking Up Dead, it's still on sale in digital format for only $1.99!

Sales Extended in Honor of New Release!

Hey Folks!

    We're T-6 days away from the release of The Glacier of Gods and Monsters. I've had a number of folks tell me they really want book one, but haven't had a chance to pick it up just yet. Now's your chance to do so. For a limited time I've put the digital version of Waking Up Dead on sale at 60% off it's normal price EVERYWHERE. Smashwords, Apple, Barnes&Nobles, Amazon, Google Play, and more all have the listed price now shifted to $1.99. No coupon codes needed, just jump in and buy the book that has received awesome reviews on all sites.

Go buy a copy now! You've run out of excuses! Gift copies for your friends! And remember, Friday's the release of The Glacier of Gods and Monsters! The digital copy is available now for pre-sale at the paltry price of $4.99! That's less than the price of your average fast food meal!

 And unlike fast food, you can enjoy this over and over (and it's calorie free!).

Waking up Dead for 60% Off!

Want to pick up an E-copy of Waking Up Dead, but finding it tough to come up with $4.99 right now? I can understand that, this time of year money is tight. That being said, we're just a few short weeks away from the release of The Glacier of Gods and Monsters. So to make it easy for you to pick up Book 1 prior to the release of Book 2, I've teamed up with Smashwords to give you a great deal. Click here and buy my book. At checkout, enter in the coupon code UX42L and you'll see the price drop to $1.99. That's 60% off the normal price!

This is a limited time sale, so don't hold off. Now's the time to pick up a copy if you don't have one already! Or gift it out to others who you think might enjoy it! Either way, grab it before The Glacier of Gods and Monsters hits!

Release Date

Souls have power. For thousands of years, self proclaimed gods fought to collect more and more of them, waging battles that raged among the living and the dead. The wars only stopped when they were betrayed by one of their own, locked away in a nightmare prison until they slowly melted away.

An order was formed to ensure such powerful creatures never again came into existence. Upon dying, Thomas Salazar found himself recruited into this order. Within hours of becoming a full member, Thomas now finds the order decimated and himself among the most senior members remaining. The architect of his order's downfall appears to be someone bent on becoming exactly what he's now sworn to stop. But to stop this threat, will he become something far more dangerous?

 Coming November 7, 2014

Goodbye to a Legend

I was five years old when Mork and Mindy debuted. I loved it. I watched it every chance I could. Mork was hilarious, unique, and amazing to watch. As I grew older I came to realize quickly that Mork wasn't so much a character as a representation of its actor, Robin Williams. I'm told much of the script consisted of blank sections labeled "Mork does his thing".

I honestly could not tell you how many Robin Williams quotes pop up in my everyday references, many of them thirty years old. I can still quote lines from some of his early standup routines. I watched Good Morning Vietnam more times than I can count, and Aladdin more times than that. Dead Poet Society remains one of my all time favorite movies, along with Hook, The Bird Cage, Mrs. Doubtfire, and more. I've seen many movies merely because Robin Williams was in it, and even the ones I didn't like, I usually still enjoyed Robin's performance. Happy or serious, he was always a great watch.

Throughout the vast majority of my life, Robin Williams has always been a treat I looked forward to catching. So it was heartbreaking this evening to find that he was lost to us to us today, even more tragic was the circumstances. After a long battle with depression, he apparently took his own life.

I've watched first hand as people close to me battled with depression. It's horrible to witness, and I can't imagine how much worse it must be to experience. Robin's loss only reinforces how dangerous it is. Upon learning of William's death, New York magazine film critic Bilge Ebiri tweeted "You start off as a kid seeing Robin Williams as a funny man. You come of age realizing many of his roles are about keeping darkness at bay."

Today the darkness won. A man so loved and admired by many reached the point where he felt he had nothing and no one left to live for.  A solid reminder of the dangers the disease presents. If you suffer from it, take the medication, seek help, and fight with all your might. If you love someone who suffers from it, never trivialize it, be there to support them, and take the steps necessary to see them safe, even if it is hard to do.

Hopefully, his loss will save someone else.

In the mean time, I will continue to appreciate what he left behind. Perhaps I'll go watch one of the above movies, or catch one of the few that I never got around to. Above all I will remember to carpe diem.

“You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it.”

Captain, my captain.

Nanu Nanu.