Book Signing At The Library

Posted on November 2, 2017October 16, 2019 by michaelcsahd

Not all of you may know this, but I have a manager. My wife not only edits my work, but she has also been marketing for me like a beast. Hence, we have scheduled a book signing at our public library — the Brownwood Public Library, located at 600 Carnegie St. in Brownwood, TX to be precise. I plan to be there from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the 18th of November, and you can bring a book to be signed. If you don’t have a book yet, there will be plenty there for sale that I will also sign.

When I first discussed the book signing with the library, we had planned for the 11th of November; but alas, today we received an email stating that the library director had just learned that the library will be closed that day due to Veteran’s Day. Of course, my wife had already advertised for the 11th on several websites. Rather humorous.

Amazon Hot New Releases

At this time, Assassin Marked is #10 on the Amazon Hot New Releases list in the 45-Minute Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Short Reads category.

Future book signing events are planned, and, if you are unable to make it to these book signing, you can also purchase a signed book from the Signed Bookstore on Authors Den.

If you haven’t read Assassin Marked yet, you’re missing out. Check it out on Amazon. There, you can buy the paperback or ebook version. If you have Kindle Unlimited, you can read it for free.

~ Michael C. Sahd

Photos & A Teaser

Posted on November 1, 2017August 18, 2018 by michaelcsahd

Standing by the Railroad Tracks . . .

And Looking Into the Sun!

Here are some new photos of me, contributed from a friend.

Also, it is Tuesday, which I hereby dub a “Teaser Tuesday”:

Pulling his heavy denim jacket closer around his lithe body, Damian let out a puff of cold mist, and shivered from more than just the cold.

Being stuck in North America for two years had been the most unpleasant time of his life. He had spent these years living off mice half the time, sometimes fighting wolves for his claim to the tiny rodents. The other half of that time, he had spent starving.

Briefly, toward the end of this stint, some crazy cult of religious people who avoided technology like the devil had taken him in, until he left to find a more civilized settlement. The settlement he found was deserted. He fell asleep in a shack and woke up unable to open the snow-packed door or windows. This memory, more even than the cold, elicited his shiver.

Feel free to let me know what you think of this teaser and/or these pictures in the comments below.

~ Michael C. Sahd

Unsolved Mystery: A Day In The Woods

Posted on October 20, 2017August 18, 2018 by michaelcsahd

Rearing up like a gnarled gargoyle, the trunk leaned over the forest path, moss blanketing its northern side. Vegetation crept up to the path, creating a wall of leaves, branches, and thorns. A light mist filled the woods, casting the forest in a light shroud.

Despite the nature all around, not a single bird could be heard; if not for the insects, the forest would have been eerily quiet.

And if only you had known . . . if you had any inkling . . . then we would have avoided these woods . . . . But now it’s too late. I will miss you . . . .

~ Michael C. Sahd

Tennis Tuesday / Teaser Tuesday

Posted on October 18, 2017August 18, 2018 by michaelcsahd

Today is Tennis Tuesday, so we went to the park to play some tennis. Today also seemed to be a productive day on the writing front. Because I’m in a good mood, I’ve decided to share a preview of what I’m writing for the sequel to “Assassin Marked,” which I may or may not use.

The restaurant had alternating yellow, blue, and green tablecloths, except for the booths that lined the walls of the diner. These booths had no tablecloths, but what they did have was occupants. It was as if the gaudy tablecloths repelled customers, except for two unfortunate families who could not find an available booth.
Noise from the chattering patrons and the clattering kitchen, created an incoherent babbling with the occasional shout of a child carried above the rest.
The walls were decorated with paintings of flamenco dancers, mariachi players, and old Mexico streets from the 20th century on earth. Ponchos and garish sombreros also squeezed into this decor, between the paintings.
The smells of tacos and chili made Lavender’s mouth water. She and Damian sat across from each other in a corner and at one of the booths. They had been waiting for awhile, and in a low intestinal groan, Lavender felt her stomach begging for food.
Damian leaned forward, “I don’t like this place. If there’s trouble, then we’re boxed in . . . .”

That’s all you get for now! What do you think?

~ Michael C. Sahd

TGIF And A Story Teaser

Posted on October 13, 2017August 18, 2018 by michaelcsahd

My wife suggested I write about my post-publishing nervousness. Between Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, LibraryThing, and this bloody blog (heh, I like the way that sounds), I’ve been working very hard to get the word out about “Assassin Marked.”

To be honest, I have no idea how to explain my nervousness. It could be the persistent itch to get more of my stories out there. Then again, it could be the fear of not doing well; the nagging question, “Will people like it?” One of my biggest fears at the moment is receiving a terrible review on Amazon.

But enough about that. I really don’t want to write about my nervousness. Rather, I would like to write about my progress. I spent a bit of time today revising some of the fiction piece I’m working on. It’s requiring that I studying the effects of post traumatic stress disorder in children, and the psychological effects of a parent losing his family. A little teaser there.

I’ve also been hard at work composing a more thorough historical time line for Damian’s world in “Assassin Marked.” Not for publication really, just notes for myself to help me remain consistent in my story. But I have many little stories springing up revolving around Damian, or the world Damian lives in.

My six-year-old daughter, on the other hand, decided that her pony needed a haircut for the weekend.

TGIF,

~ Michael C. Sahd

Inspiration in the Most Unlikely Places

Posted on October 8, 2017August 18, 2018 by michaelcsahd

Many writers will share that real life experiences inspire the tales they tell. Many, myself included, scoff (or have scoffed) at such a statement; telling themselves, “My life isn’t nearly so interesting.” What I have learned, however, is that this is rarely the case. Experiences take place daily, and though they may be mundane to you, they won’t be after “enhancing” them.

Just the other day, I took a trip to the local library to find the second book to the Septimus Heap series. I, of course, found Angie Sage’s books fairly quickly, and although they had many of her books, the one I wanted was not on the shelf. Naturally, I asked the librarians to see if it was checked out. It wasn’t.

I informed the lady at the counter that I had looked and it wasn’t there; she responded by telling me to look around, because people don’t always put them back in the right place. A little disheartened, I went back to look again (I had already looked around the nearby shelves, duh). After not finding it, I went back to the librarians for help. Instead of helping, they shrugged and said it could be anywhere. I left, rather annoyed by their lack of help.

However, the librarians were interesting characters, and a version of this scene has already inserted into my next story with Damian. I have changed many of the details and spiced it up a bit, but the entire scene is inspired by this short interaction.

Your experience doesn’t need to be Hollywood material. Just the smallest interaction, large enough to catch your attention, but not much more than that, can turn into a scene in your book. Take notes, make a voice memo, or just tell someone about it, and you will be able to get it down on paper. Embellishing the experience into an interesting scene is what makes you a writer.

And no . . . I still have not found the second book to the Septimus Heap series.

Perfectionism And The Fear Of Rejection

Posted on October 3, 2017August 18, 2018 by michaelcsahd

I’ve heard the first step to recovery is admitting that there is a problem.

For many years, I’ve aspired to join the ranks of the multitude of writers whose works are sitting on the shelves of local book stores and libraries. Unfortunately, I am one of those who has difficulties writing continuously, I constantly find myself fixing spelling and grammatical errors as I write. Worse than that, I sometimes revise what I write while I’m still in the process of creation.

“Assassin Marked,” sadly, took me over a year to get to the stage it’s in now, and all I needed was a cover.

Still, I find myself nervous. What if it doesn’t do well? What if nobody is interested?

Well, this week, I am going to take the plunge and publish on Amazon. If it doesn’t do well, then at least I’ll have my name out there.

Musings

Posted on September 7, 2017August 18, 2018 by michaelcsahd

A vapid work week has created a holy grail of the weekends. Time seems to be tied up in the trappings of a working-class American’s struggle to survive, and trivial pursuits in entertainment. Not a bad life when my marvelous family is stirred into the mixture.

Just this morning, while listening to the radio, I zipped through traffic, driving the same route I drive every Monday through Friday. Of course, I could ramble on about the depressing state of affairs I heard on the radio, plaguing our country at the moment, but if you don’t already know, then I wouldn’t be so cruel as to burst your bubble. Rather, congratulations on successfully isolating yourself from these affairs.

I must admit that I find it difficult not to complain about all the banal trappings of my professional existence, but that is not why I am here. The true purpose of this blog is to escape the mundane reality of work. To keep my imagination flowing through my fingers like Harold with his purple crayon.

Using Amazon, I will start publishing my stories, and I will be advertising and discussing them here. The first one will be called Assassin Marked, set into a fictional not-too-distant future.

As time passes, my goal is to fill this blog with many published stories and ideas. The blog will not have a definitive goal, but rather, I plan on letting it morph with my ideas as I come to them.

~ Michael C. Sahd