Tag: living legend

BooksLiving LegendWriting

It’s my birthday and I’m giving away books!

Posted on by J.W. Martin

When a hobbit has a birthday, it’s more common for that hobbit to GIVE gifts than to receive.

I am far too tall to be a hobbit, but in the hobbit-spirit, I have a gift for everyone.

A few years ago, I self-published a book. It’s a literary fiction (I think, I’m bad with genres) and tells the tale of two men battling over the search for the Loch Ness Monster. One wants to find Nessie, the other wants to protect her.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Rory Stewart and Harvey Chase are the first two men to go to war over the Loch Ness Monster. 

Rory has lived the last 30 years along the shore of Loch Ness. He stands vigilant as the self-appointed protector of a creature he can’t even be sure he’s ever seen. 

Harvey is a man of considerable wealth and resources, whose favourite hobby is hunting down creatures of legend. 

Having dealt with tourists, scientists and would-be hunters for three decades, Rory will have to use every trick he’s learned to protect the legend he loves when the fame-seeking Harvey Chase turns his attention on the fabled “Nessie”. If Rory loses it could mean the capture of a monster, or worse yet, proof that she never existed at all.

So, please, go check out Living Legend on Amazon. Download it. Read it. And tell everyone you know who likes a free book. Because who doesn’t like a free book, right?

Fun fact about this post: Living Legend will also be free all day Monday for those that miss this post today.
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Legendary Contest

Posted on by J.W. Martin

With the release of Living Legend approaching (September 19th) we’re getting into all kinds of preparation for the launch party. All of our efforts have been to make it something fun and entertaining for those who come out to support. This launch isn’t just for me. I want it to be for everyone.

The only thing I want for me is for people to show up and read the book.

For everyone else, we’ve been looking into snacks, drinks, entertainment, and prizes. We always seem to be looking for more. One more thing to add. One more reason to come out. One more thing to make this launch really cool. And I just recently came up with possibly the most unique one, and I needed to share.

Anyone who signs up for my mailing list at jwmartin.com will automatically be entered in a draw. The winner of the draw gets to name a character in an upcoming novel. You can use your own name, the name of a loved one, or just a name you really, really like.

This is NOT limited to those who come to the physical launch party. You can take part no matter where you are in the world. All you need is to access jwmartin.com.

The contest will run retroactively (so if you’ve already signed up, you’re already entered) and the draw will take place on Sunday, September 27th.

Good luck everyone!

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Official Release Date & Cover Reveal

Posted on by J.W. Martin

It’s finally here. Or at least it will be within a month.

Living Legend has received fairly consistent work for years. The original draft was started back in 2011. To be fair, it sat for a bit after that and wasn’t picked up again until 2013.

Even so, 2 years of waiting has been tough. Several drafts, alpha readers, more drafts, beta readers, another draft, hiring an editor, final changes, cover design, book layout, proofing, and it still doesn’t seem like my work is done, but it does feel like the book is ready; the best that it can be.

September 19, 2015 is the official date, and I couldn’t be more excited.

Those of you who follow my Facebook page may have already seen the book’s cover, but if you haven’t, this post mark’s the official reveal:

LL_digicover_HR

 

It’s nerve-wracking and will grow more and more so as the date approaches. This little project that I’ve been working on for so long, and love so much, is getting closer to being out in the world where people can say things like, “It sucks” and “I didn’t even bother finishing it.”

I’m not delusional. I know there are people who will say things like that, and worse. There’s a protective side we authors have that tries to come out at negative reactions. To the average reviewer, it’s just another book. To the author, it’s almost as precious as a family pet. It’s not just some words on a page, it’s a piece of me out there. People will be insulting a piece of me.

There are two solaces I can take in the situation. One is that I’ve heard/read that even the biggest authors in the industry still share this very same anxiety when their latest work is about to go on the market. With that being the case, these feelings can be filed under ‘natural’ and not given too much time and attention.

The second is that there will be other people who can’t stop raving about the book. They’ll write a great review and tell their friends about this great book they read. And those are the reactions writers live for.

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L is for Living Legend

Posted on by J.W. Martin

My second novel, Living Legend, is a project that I’m extremely proud of, and one that is starting to feel like it will never be published.

I’m far more patient than I was when I published my first novel in 2010, but it still seems to be taking too long!

The original draft was started in 2011. It’s was dropped, picked back up again, pushed aside and finally finished in 2013. The next year was spent on re-writes, waiting for beta-readers, and more re-writes.

As I write this post, it’s coming back from editing and the final re-writes are about to begin.

This is all a very wordy way of saying, it’s coming. And it’s coming this year. I’d like to tell you it’ll be out next month, but I don’t want to rush it before it’s ready. All I can tell you for now is that it’ll be this year and that when I have a better idea of the release date, you’ll hear about it.

Hell, you might even get sick of hearing about it. Posts, contests, more posts, cover reveals, and even more posts.

Are you excited yet? I am!