Beginning, Middle, and End Blogfest!

As with J. A. Bennett, I couldn't resist and had to join in the fun of this blogfest by Kate Larkindale. In this exercise, you post the opening, middle and ending paragraph of your novel. Here are those paragraphs in INSIGHT. Enjoy! (Don't worry... no spoilers here)

The Beginning
Gil wiped the blood from his dagger, then joined his four comrades around their small fire. “Keep your voices down, Rayders. Have you forgotten why we have traveled so far?”

The Middle
A sharp pain in his ribs startled Lon out of sleep. It was still dark, but enough light crept through the stable doorway to reveal a man standing over him with a staff pointed at his chest. Surprised, Lon swept his leg under the intruder’s, knocking him to the ground with a thud. Lon grabbed the staff, jumped on top of his attacker, and pressed the staff against the man’s throat.

The End
“The balance of the world’s energy has shifted, Mellai,” Llen replied. “Appernysia needs you.”

UK Interview

If you're looking for a bit of light reading, take a moment to read through my interview with Sandra "Jeanz", a very proactive interviewer/reviewer in the UK.

http://jeanzbookreadnreview.blogspot.com/2011/08/author-interview-terron-james.html

5 Free Copies on August 31!

5 free copies of BEHOLDERS: INSIGHT will be given away on August 31, 2011. If you have a Goodreads account, click on the link below to enter the contest.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Insight

by Terron James

Giveaway ends August 31, 2011.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Great news!! (mostly)

I know a man named Clay. He has a junior-high-aged son who hates reading. This is a scenario with which I'm all too familiar and is one of the main driving reasons I decided to write BEHOLDERS in the first place. I wanted to give our youth a good reason to start/continue reading.

Clay took my challenge and bought a copy of BEHOLDERS: INSIGHT a couple weeks ago. I just found out that Clay's son was put in detention for reading my book during class lecture time. Apparently his son was openly reading it on the desk, so the teacher asked him to put the book away. A few minutes later, the teacher caught him reading the book under his desk and gave him detention.

Not exactly what I was going for, but I'm glad his son finally found a book that caught his attention! :)

Irony of Modern "Communication"

I've had this thought rummaging around in my head for a few years now, so I've finally decided to do a blog post about it to see if I can make it go away. I have my doubts writing about it will relieve my stress, but here I go anyway.

Think about the evolution of communication over the past few hundred years. It used to take months of perilous travel across the ocean to send a letter to distant continents. Even upon dry land, communication was slow and dangerous. The Pony Express opened in the United States in 1860. It was a connecting chain of stations where men carried messages across the country via horseback. It took only 10 days to carry a message 1,900 miles, but it was far from safe for the couriers. Frequent attacks from outlaws and indians plagued the horse stations and riders.

Communication used to take a long time, often at great sacrifices.

Now think of today. Nearly everyone is carrying a cell phone. It is possible to communicate almost anywhere in the world in a manner of minutes through email. No more telegrams, no more Morse Code, no more men sacrificing their lives so that you can say hi to your grandma.

You would think that so much technology at our fingertips should make communication easier, but such is not the case. In fact, I believe communication is FAR worse now than it was even 20 years ago. As with everything else in life, people have become so accustomed to their conveniences that they have forgotten their manners.

Let me pose a fictional scenario...
"Hi, sis. I just heard mom is in the hospital. Please call me back and tell what happened." Sister doesn't call back... so what does that mean? Mom's dead? Mom's alive?

Of course the sister should call back and give an update. Even a text would do. I think most of us understand this. I bring it up as an exaggerated example to make a point. Some information we just can't find ourselves. We need a phone call.

No answer is NOT an answer!!!

Why is it that you can send a person 1,000 texts about something like Harry Potter or Twilight and they'll write back immediately, but when you send a text asking for a favor or for information, it takes days to respond (if you get a response at all)? I don't want to hear the "Oh, sorry! I didn't get your message," excuse anymore. I've heard it so many times that I could throw up.

Also, a hex upon caller ID and all its bi-products. It used to be about avoiding marketers, but not anymore. That excuse is WAY outdated. I feel confident saying that 99 out of 100 screened calls are not marketers. Are we really that selfish? Do we realize how egotistical we appear when we refuse to communicate with people?

I could go on and on and on about this, but I believe my point is made. The sad thing is, I see no way of fixing it. However, to those who feel the same way as I do, rest assured that all communication to me is answered at my earliest opportunity. I refuse to give in.

Insight Sample #2 (from Chapter 4)

“Quiet,” Lon barked. “We need to get off the road.”

Almost immediately, a huge beast burst onto the road a stone’s throw in front of Mellai. It had an appearance similar to one of their village donkeys, but stronger, leaner, its shoulders towered over the top of Mellai’s head. As it moved, its coat of short black hair cast a waving sheen under the rays of the overhead sun.

It was the first horse either of them had seen. Under a different circumstance, the sight of it would have been awe-inspiring, but its magnificence was overshadowed by the sight of the man sitting upon its back, a sword gripped in his hand. Lon recognized him as the same Rayder they saw the night before.

The Rayder’s lips tightened in anger the moment he saw Mellai. He gave a terrifying shout and dug his heals into the horse’s sides, causing them to spring forward with tremendous power.

For Lon, time froze when the Rayder and his horse entered the road. He reached for his twin sister, knowing the situation was hopeless. The dreaded haze appeared and instantly filled his vision, yet he could clearly see the glowing figures of Mellai and the Rayder through the dense fog.

Just as the Rayder raised his sword arm to slash at Mellai, something bright shot from Lon’s hand. It connected with his sister, brightened for an instant, and exploded, throwing her off the road away from the charging horse.

Reviews Reviews REVIEWS!!

Hello Beholders' fans!

By now a large majority of you have finished reading Beholders: Insight, which is SO exciting! We have received a lot of feedback on Facebook and in emails, but we'd LOVE to have your reviews (good and/or bad) posted on the official website. So when you have a chance please click here and post your review as a comment.

Thank you much... happy reading!!

Webmaster

Beholders Feedback

Just wanted to take a moment to post some of the feedback I've been receiving about BEHOLDERS: INSIGHT since it was released last Saturday, July 30, 2011. These are just a handful of the comments I've been tracking on facebook this past week.

"Bought the book Friday evening; finished it Tuesday night; one word - FABULOUS! I was absolutely captivated!"

"I am loving every minute of your book! It is VERY compelling."

"Your book is one of the best I've ever read! Seriously! I love it!"

"Booky worms! Want an excellent, creative and incredibly imaginative read?! INSIGHT by Terron James is the book for you!"

"My husband and two oldest grandsons have all read your book in the last five days. They all really liked it!"

"I am reading Terron's book, INSIGHT. His book is action packed and hard to put down! I always wanted to be able to write like that."

"Where can I get Terron's book? My daughters loved it! I NEED it!!!!!!!"

"Just thought I would shoot you a quick message to tell you I hate your stinking guts. I thought about sending it right after I finished reading your book at 1:00 AM, but decided to be nice and wait for a more civil hour. I hate how you finished it, but only because I want to know what happens now! I really love some of the personal and moral issues that you address throughout the story. The drive to honorably fulfill one's responsibility, the inner conflict with killing, and struggling against your natural abilities in order to try to be what you think the world thinks you should be. Nice!"

"For any of you who don't know, Terron James just released Insight, the first book in his Beholders series. For anyone who enjoys books like Eragon or Percy Jackson and the Olympians or anything along those lines, you should check it out!"

"If only people would read it, they would know what they have been missing. Terron's book deserves to be #1, and I am not kidding. It is so good!"

"FINISHED!!!! Loved it! Great job my man. Get to writing because I want the next book NOW! I know I'm your friend but I've been thinking about this all night."
Here are three recent responses that were left on the Reviews link, which can be found at the top of this website (you can find other older reviews there as well):

"I definitely recommend this book to anyone with a taste for adventure and excitement. I read it in three days because I could not put it down! 'Insight' is one of the most imaginative and creative books I have ever read! Definitely right up there with the Lord of the Rings series, The Hobbit, and the Eragon series. Excellent adventure and descriptions. I loved the maps and pictures, it really helped me get a picture in my mind and further my understanding of the terrain, creatures, architecture etc. I could definitely see the author's writing style evolve from the beginning to the end and I cannot wait to read his next!"

"While it took me a while to get into the book, I was completely sucked in after a while, and absolutely could not put it down. I read through the night, practically from cover to cover. Definitely a book worth reading, buying, and reading again."

"As an avid reader, fantasy is a book genre that I have always proclaimed dislike toward. After reading Terron's Insight novel, however, I am whistling a different tune. The writing, storyline, characters, twists, and symbolism are sensational. This novel is the beginning of a beautiful friendship between Terron James and success!"

I have already had over 80 sales in the past 7 days, and been invited to do book signings at our local county fair. It may not sound like an incredible amount of sales, but when you consider (1) that I self-published and (2) that it is my very first published work, I'm more than satisfied!

Spread the word, friends! BEHOLDERS is going to take over the world!! :)

August's giveaway is up and running! Check it out on the Giveaways tab.