We all know that six months is way too long to wait for a fresh blog entry. Nobody to blame but us chickens.
        You'll see below the list of #1 bestsellers on Amazon. By now you know that #1 in this case means number one in free books - in the Visionary & Metaphysical Science Fiction genre. Hey! It's #1 - I'll take it.
       Looking forward, "Elixir" is up and live and will be free (and promoted on Freebooksy and Just Kindle Books) on Friday through Monday, July 10 - 13. The link is below:
       I have set a whole bunch of pots on the various burners of my stove. I will post several times over the next few days to bring y'all up to date.​

         Book five of the Andy series is available now (for $0.99) and will be free next week, from Tuesday (1/14) 'til Saturday, the 18th.  I have purchased promotions from JustKindleBooks, Freebooksy, and Review Saint (an arm of Books Butterfly) during that week. At the end of the the week (on Saturday), I've also bought a series promotion from Freebooksy that will offer "Andy," the first book of the series for free and then the subsequent books for $0.99.. I will keep you posted on the downloads and sales over the next weeks, in case you're interested in the level of success from each of these sources.

          If you are a self-published author, then you know the value of reviews. If you choose to read "Libre" and feel the urge to review it - please don't stifle that urge.

Looking back at August 24, it's nice to be a #1 bestseller. Looking ahead, in mid-September I'll be mounting a promotion for "Andy" and "Send a Boy," as a pair. Stay tuned as well for "The Sixth Day," number four in the series and currently in the hands of my wonderful editor, Pat Dobie.

          The goal in the first weeks of "Andy" being available on Amazon was to engage promotional assistance and drive "Andy" to #1 Bestseller. This past weekend the story was there for three consecutive days (Sat, April 13 - Mon, April 15)           
         It's an idiot who doesn't allow you, dear readers, access to the book. Click here to go to "Andy"s page on Amazon. If you're familiar with KDP and Amazon's algorithms for Kindle to promote one's book, you know that reviews are the coin of the realm. It's hard for me to ask for favors but it would be a great favor to me if you would leave a review.

          I ran across an agency in Scotland, Tin Can Telephone Agency, that asks for the author to read a chapter or so aloud. I like reading aloud and with my acting background, I'm comfortable doing it. I thought it might be fun to offer it here. It's the first chapter of "Half-Truths," the third segment of the Andy novel (and the third novella and teleplay). I'll let the audio speak for itself.

          Enjoy!

          Wattpad has teamed up with Hulu, offering a contest in which authors submit 500-word short stories tied in with The Handmaids' Tale. This one had several days' gestation and with a little nudge from my subconscious overnight last night, this is what came out. The nifty thing is, it's so short you can read the entire story in the link I've pasted below. That said, if you choose to vote on it (and that would, I think, be helpful as this is a contest) it will be appreciated. OK, here goes.

          As Laurie Scheer would say, "Enjoy the read!"
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          I'm gearing up for the Willamette Writer's conference in early August and want to have all eight novellas posted here on Chicago Storyworks before then. I'll post "Eilixir" after a few days but for now, here's "Resurrexit." If the titles seem suggestive, I am a Joseph Campbell/ Chris Vogler disciple. I also took to heart Blake Snyder's (of "Save the Cat" fame) comment several years back as I drove him to O'Hare. He was in the midst of evaluating the fifty movies he had chosen for "Save the Cat Goes to the Movies." He was waxing philosophical, gazing straight ahead out the windshield and said, "They're all the Christ story, Dirk." So, death, resurrection, salvation--as in "Morte," "Resurrect," and "Elixir."
          Without further ado, . . .
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     That's one of Blake Snyder's descriptors for the typical action late in a story structure. "Morte" is the sixth episode of the "Andy" series, and the sixth novella in what is now the completed novel - it's the eight novellas with their backs bound one next to the other.

     Anyway, "Morte" is complete and mounted on Wattpad and clicking below will let you read it there.

        This isn't exactly Chicago Storyworks fare but I'm pretty proud of it. My wife and I went on a Canadian Rockies vacation last fall and I've cobbled together a travelogue of photos and video clips. That's cool or not but I also added a bunch of the music I've written over the years and am really happy to have it put to good use.

Enjoy!