I’m strange!

I used to think I was a really strange person. While everyone else was out socializing and going to concerts, movies, and having meals out, I would stay home and sit in my room and write stories. I thought I was even odder when I got older and went to college. While I did my fair share of partying, I never got into that whole social clique thing. While my friends would be outside playing football or Frisbee tag, I’d be in my dorm room cranking out poetry (that’s what I was into at the time) and short stories. Always dreaming that fame and fortune would come my way and make this obsession of mine seem tangible. I even got a reputation at school of a guy who wouldn’t answer his dorm room door even if I was there because I’d be writing and didn’t want to be disturbed. My friends never teased me though, for they saw my ambition and determination to make it as an author. Fast-forward almost twenty years of sitting alone in apartment after apartment, and then finally a home, constantly writing, ignoring request to meet with friends, go spend a day in the city, or even gather some buddies for a beer at a bar; spending 90% of my time alone and writing. Then Facebook came along and the era of the internet. Suddenly, I’m back in touch with all those people who were left wondering whatever happened to me. Suddenly, the whole world opened up to me and my books, and provided me a way to sell my work to a potential audience of billions. Suddenly, all my friends see the result of all those years of isolation and sacrifice. Now they read my books. Now they send me text, Facebook, and email messages saying how much they like my stuff. Now they read my blog and follow my career. Now, they don’t think I’m so strange anymore. And that has made it all worth it.

Okay, today…

Final sales for the promotion was 1,645, bringing the total number to of people who have read my books in the last year to about 6,500. That’s pretty amazing since this is really just the beginning of the possibilities of the future. And like I noted in previous posts, my big promotions in February and March should give me an estimated audience of about 10,000,000 potential readers. Very cool. Also, as promised, I’ve included the query letter I was going to use for SILENT INVASION until I decided not to go the NY route with this book. The query is a rough draft, but you can get an idea of what I was trying to say. I guess we’ll never know if it would have worked.

QUERY FOR SILENT INVASION

They’re here. They’re hidden among us. They’ll stop at nothing to destroy us.

Because of your amazing track record at ? for selling middle grade books like ?, which is similar to my style, I’m writing to query you about my novel, SILENT INVASION. Thirteen-year-old Tim Madison is the only person who knows about and can stop ruthless creatures who are working deep inside our planet constructing a massive extermination army.

Tim’s life turns upside down when a strange visitor takes him aboard a magnificent spaceship to train for a future alien invasion. Returned home with new skills and this terrible knowledge, Tim confides in his two best friends about his experience. Now, they’re in a race against time to prevent an all-out attack on Earth.

Readers can expect deadly creatures, technical marvels, and in the end, something surprising to play a key role in winning the epic battle. SILENT INVASION is an action-packed 40,000-word stand alone book and the first in a completed series of three.

I have a large platform on which I promote and sell my existing indie books. This includes a daily blog that currently receives more than a 1,500 unique hits a day, over 1,900 twitter followers, and an author fan page with more than 5,900 ‘likes’. I heavily publicize myself on the World Wide Web and am actively involved in all major social networks. My publishing history spans twenty years. I’ve completed ten novels in the genres of middle-grade science fiction/fantasy, adult thriller, and literary. I recently parted ways with Signature Literary Agency, NYC, and I am seeking new representation for my many and varied projects. Please visit my blog or website to learn more about me. Thanks for your time. I’d be delighted to send the entire manuscript.