Upcoming Book Giveaways …

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The Legend of the Great Horse will be hosting weekly giveaways through November 2015!

Here is the planned schedule …

Book I: ECLIPSED BY SHADOW
Orig Paperbacks @ LibraryThing   10/25/2015 – 11/01/2015 (Live)
Ebooks @ LibraryThing   11/01/15 – 11/07/15
Orig Paperbacks @ Goodreads   11/02/2015 – 11/13/2015

Book II: THE GOLDEN SPARK
Ebooks @ LibraryThing     11/02/2015 – 11/08/2015
Orig Paperbacks @ Goodreads   11/07/2015 – 11/15/2015
Ebooks @ LibraryThing     11/15/2015 – 11/22/2015

Book III: INTO THE DARK
Ebooks (PDF) @ LibraryThing   11/03/2015 – 11/09/2015
Orig Paperbacks @ Goodreads   11/07/2015 – 11/15/2015
Ebooks (PDF) @ LibraryThing   11/09/2015 – 11/15/2015
Ebooks (PDF) @ LibraryThing   11/15/2015 – 11/21/2015

The Legend of the Great International Review Giveaway Book Contest

A horse wearing glassesThe book will be shipped to each prospective reviewer free of charge, USA only please. Participants are asked to give their honest reader feedback on an online booksite.

It would be great to have your review comment by the end of November, unless you aren’t happy with the story in which case it is fine to wait. I appreciate your interest — Thank You!

Please email TheGreatHorse@micronpress.com to join!

 

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“The Legend of the Great Horse” wins the UBR Pitch Perfect Pick selection!

The Golden Spark won … ! The book was chosen as a ‘Perfect Pitch Pick’ by Underground Book Reviews and voted to victory by supporters on Facebook!

AWESOME

Underground Book Reviews sent the following announcement, and The Golden Spark was featured on the online magazine’s front page Wednesday (10/14):

Underground Book Review logoCongratulations!

The Golden Spark was selected as this week’s PPP winner, because it received the most likes and shares on Facebook. Your book will be featured as our Pitch Perfect Pick winner on Wednesday, and the pitch will go out to our 1,000+ magazine subscribers.

From the Underground Book Reviews About page:

At Underground Book Reviews, we think quality writing not only deserves thoughtful, patient analysis, it demands it. We also give indie & self-published authors the same respect we do traditional bestsellers.

I am especially grateful for independent review sites like Underground Book Reviews, who are helping bridge the gaps between independent writing and the system of today’s book industry.

The Golden Spark honored by Underground Book Reviews as “Pitch Perfect Pick”

The Golden Spark has been selected as a “Pitch Perfect Pick” by Underground Book Reviews!

This is a special independent honor for The Golden Spark“Underground Book Reviews is an online magazine that puts a spotlight on the emerging world of independent, e-publishing and self-publishing.” Here is the notice I received:

gh2_261x377_3e-r-FINThe Golden Spark was selected as a Pitch Perfect Pick Finalist!

Our judges analyzed your book’s pitch, sample content, and several other factors and found it’s initial presentation comparable to other quality books in its genre and market. Once qualified, it had to finish in the top five of all our weekly qualifiers. This is an honor not given lightly.

Next week I’ll share their official Facebook post for voting!

Revisiting “Eclipsed by Shadow” – The Reader Views Literary Awards

ECLIPSED BY SHADOW | 'The Legend of the Great Horse' trilogy book cover (90x135px)
2009 cover
In 2009, Eclipsed by Shadow won the Reader Views Literary Awards. This was the first honor for the trilogy (and also the first writing award for John Royce)!

I am very grateful for Reader Views and its founder, the late Irene Watson. The group not only created an accessible and honorable independent awards, it helped to pioneer new ways of serving authors online that are still being developed.

The Reader Views Literary Award review was given by Danelle Drake:

“The places you visit in Eclipsed by Shadow were really times in our great history. The Legend of the Great Horse series will have you wishing the tales were never-ending…” (see review)

Asking Readers to Help Spread the Word!

We live in a strange new era during which authors are being required to ‘market’ their own work … though no one actually WANTS authors to market to them, and every book venue expressly forbids it. This market-driven change not a good thing, but there is no choice.

Mrs. Bridgestone's Display Case with wooden plaque of Pegasos coinHelp from readers is most important now … I made a special page for readers willing to help spread the word by leaving a review comment or rating the work online.

If you have a moment and would like to help share the trilogy, please consider offering your thoughts for others.

It is very important to the success of the trilogy … Thank You!

The Great Horse trilogy at the 2015 EQUUS Film Festival Literary Corner

2015-EQUUS-Film-Festival_212x300The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy has been invited to take part in the 2015 EQUUS Film Festival!

Founded and directed by Lisa Diersen, the Festival is an annual showcase of film and other equestrian-themed artwork. I’m excited to announce the Legend of the Great Horse trilogy will take part this year … the event is being held in New York City from November 19-22.

This is the first time a literary section has been added to the EQUUS Film Festival as it grows–I’m proud to be one of 20 authors with work being presented this year.

I’m also happy to support such a positive and innovative new horse event! Horses are one of mankind’s original art subjects and their beauty and nobility still inspire us. In our machine age we need them even more than ever.

There will be more information as the event approaches!

All the Great Horses: Artwork by Marti Adrian Gregory for the trilogy

Photo of Marti Adrian Gregory with painting

A new page has been created to display all the bookcover artwork! The artwork series offers a journey through history.

Marti Adrian Gregory is the trilogy’s artist and creator of all the original historical figures from the story … each of the Great Horses can be seen together, now that the work is complete.

Book awards

To support the launch of the finished book covers by Marti Adrian this fall, there is supposed to be ‘marketing’ going on. That hardly makes sense because it’s my book. Instead I’d like to refresh the trilogy’s awards … something I’ve wanted to do because they were rushed together at the time.

The first award for Eclipsed by Shadow was the Reader Views Literary Awards, winning second in the Historical Fiction category in 2009.

Absolutely it was exciting, and also because the honor showed the story engaged with people who didn’t especially know or even like horses.

It was my hope to engage people with no particular interest in horses, yet who might enjoy them and don’t know it.

The horse’s human story deserves to be remembered–and as many horse-lovers know, it is a joyful experience to share.