NewsBites: News from the Indieverse

NewsBitesFriends, neighbors, fans, and fellow writers, it is time once again to gather ’round the smoldering tire-fire of Indieland whilst I regale you with tales of derring-do, tom-foolery, and other doings of note.

Tonight’s NewsBites contains SNARK™, a non-nutritive truth varnish used in the news distilling process to enhance the crunchiness and flavor of information. Now, from around the corner and across the globe, here is some stuff that happened: Continue reading “NewsBites: News from the Indieverse”

Featured Collection: Erin and Craig Adventure Series

Kenneth Teicher’s action/adventure series draws heavily on the author’s travels around the world from the ancient city of Ephesus to the mysterious ruins of Machu Picchu high in the Andes Mountains to the desert sands of Cairo’s Giza Plateau to the fabled city of Jerusalem. These colorful exotic settings and people provide an exciting backdrop to a trio of thrilling stories laced with chases, abductions, subterfuge and murder. The recurring characters of archeologist Erin Mathews and ex CIA agent Craig Johnson find themselves faced with nefarious adversaries while struggling to uncover the wondrous mysterious of the ancient world.

Erin and Craig Adventure Series

THE ALKANO LETTERS
Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

In this debut novel in the action/adventure Erin and Craig series. Archaeologist Erin Mathews and ex CIA Agent Craig Johnson team up for these exciting and intriguing tales. On the tiny Greek island of Alkano, they discover ancient letters whose content could undermine the very foundations of Christianity. An ancient religious sect knows the esoteric message hidden in the letters and is sworn to protect it at any cost. Trouble begins almost immediately with a series of mishaps followed by deadly threats. A desperate chase through the back streets of Jerusalem leads to Erin’s abduction. What began as a straightforward dig has become a dangerous and complicated mission. They must solve the two-thousand year old mystery, before it’s too late.

THE CARTHAGE CONNECTION
Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

The silt-filled seaport of ancient Ephesus is the setting for this second book in the Erin and Craig series. The ancient boat they are excavating may contain scrolls rescued from the great library at Alexandria. They team up in their search with Mossad operative Rebecca Schuler, who is tracking the mysterious Cult of Tanit. The Cult, which traces its roots back to the founding of Carthage, is also after the scrolls. Cult members believe their ancestors rescued invaluable artifacts when the library was burned in 48 BC. While the Mossad believes the Cult wants the scrolls to fund terrorist actions in Israel. When a group of renegade Cult members begin a series of attacks to stop the dig, Erin and Craig intensify their efforts to find the scrolls before anyone is killed.

CARVED IN STONE
Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

Machu Picchu, high in the Peruvian Andes, is the setting for the third book in the Erin and Craig series. Teaming up with noted archaeologist, Professor Roger Williams, the dig continues despite the protests of the locals who believe it is violating their ancestors’ holy ground. Acts of sabotage escalate to the point that the Peruvian army is sent in. But the work continues despite the danger, and the team ultimately makes the discovery of a lifetime. However, before they can examine their exciting find, the roof of the cave they are working in collapses, burying Roger and their unbelievable discovery under tons of rubble. Recuperating in a hospital bed after nearly being killed herself, Erin babbles on about the pictures she’s taken of the find – or was it all a dream?

LynneQuisition: Hugh Howey and AuthorEarnings.com

Interviews by Lynne CantwellUnless you’ve been off-planet for the past couple of weeks, you have probably heard about bestselling author Hugh Howey’s new website, authorearnings.com. Hugh and an unnamed number cruncher have been studying the bestseller lists at Amazon, and they’ve come up with some pretty amazing numbers. For instance, according to their numbers, indies who write genre fiction are taking home nearly half the author revenue generated by eBook sales on Amazon.

Of course, the blogosphere has blown up since the release of the initial report Feb. 12th. Trad publishing industry apologists like Mike Shatzkin have been loudly dismissive of Hugh and Data Guy’s numbers and methodology, while Joe Konrath and Barry Eisler (among others) have been busy picking apart the critics’ arguments.

In the meantime, Hugh is continuing to work on the project, with the aim of convincing traditional publishers to provide, among other things, more author-friendly contract terms. He has consented to sit in the comfy chair under the hot LynneQuisition lights and tell us a little more about his new venture.

Hugh, thanks very much for stopping by Indies Unlimited. What prompted you to start authorearnings.com? Continue reading “LynneQuisition: Hugh Howey and AuthorEarnings.com”