I'm pleased to announce as of 4:35 yesterday, "We have liftoff."  That is, I got the proof back, looked it over, and despite 3 little typos that didn't get corrected from my earlier "punchlist" (yes, I know it should have been "we've" instead of "we're" when you get to it), gave them the go-ahead to distribute (because with this company it may well have taken 2 more weeks to get the next proof back).

So, THE MORONI DECEPTION should be up on Amazon probably by next Wednesday or Thursday, and for the Nook, iPad/Apple iBookstore, Kobo, Sony Reader, Copia, Gardners, Baker & Taylor, and eBookPie in a week to several weeks.  If, by the way, you don't have an e-reader, here are the links for free aps to read Amazon's e-Books if you don't have a Kindle   http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771 , the link for the free Kobo reader ap  http://www.kobobooks.com/apps , as well as for the free Sony Reader ap, which I viewed the proof on yesterday very satisfactorily http://ebookstore.sony.com/download/  (however, the Sony e-book store will be, I'm told, probably one of the last ones to distribute the book.)   Anyway, hope you enjoy.  Looking forward to your feedback and reviews (I'll keep an eye out on Amazon, Goodreads, Shelfari, and Librarything.)  Until next time, Jack

Well, I still have somewhat of a bitter taste in my mouth from yesterday's post (and still no book), but I think it's time to move on, cleanse the palate, and pass on these extremely kind words I received from one reader who just finished THE MORONI DECEPTION.  

      "The book was amazing! Have you started your next one yet.......I'm waiting!"

In case you haven't had a chance to read the first 13 relatively short, quick-moving chapters yet, go to  http://www.themoronideception.com/  I did leave the historical prologue off on the site, so don't forget to read it if you do decide to go ahead and get THE MORONI DECEPTION for your Kindle, Nook, or whatever preferred e-reading device you have.  And if you don't have an e-reader, I understand there are several free downloadable aps to turn your smartphone, tablet, or laptop into one.  However, if you still insist on a hardcopy paper version before you'll read it (like several of my techphobic friends and acquaintances), please email me at jack.l.brody@gmail.com so I can get some idea if I should go ahead and get some copies printed, which I'm not averse to doing.  Until next time (hopefully with an Amazon announcement),   Jack

                                  
Well, here it is a week later, and once again I'm waiting on BookBaby to finish their book "conversion" process.  (I previously had an epic paragraph here, bitching about my experience with this company, but I even lost interest reading it a second time--and I lived it--so I thought I'd spare you the details. But if you are thinking about using BookBaby, write me and I'll be happy to share my experience with you.)   Anyway, long story short, if it had not been for Nikola, a very understanding and apologetic BookBaby customer service rep (unlike her 2 predecessors I dealt with), I likely would have told them to shove it and hopped ship to give Smashwords or CreateSpace a try, but luckily they had the foresight to hire at least one very pleasant customer service rep with some people skills.  Thank you again, Nikola.  I look forward to receiving my book back soon.  Hopefully, my next post will be that announcement--that it's finally back and will be up on Amazon in a few days.  Until next time,   Jack  

Just heard from another couple of readers who got a sneak peek at THE MORONI DECEPTION before it hits Amazon early next week, who passed on these very kind words.  

"THIS BOOK KICKS ASS!  WHEN'S THE NEXT ONE COMING OUT?"  as well as

"I thoroughly enjoyed your book, and hope it catches on big time.  Also hope you have around the clock security after it does."   

I'm sure I don't know what he means by that last line, other than that maybe he knows something about "Danites" (who are explained in the novel), that the rest of us don't.  

And I know it's probably a bit of a stretch, but with early requests coming in from France, Germany, Ireland, and Brazil (and now Belgium as of 8/25), I guess, technically, I can claim I have an "internationally known" novel--at least that's what I'll tell the ladies.  

Now, I generally try to stay somewhat apolitical (my mother always said, "Don't discuss religion or politics with folks."), but a major portion of the novel is centered around a Presidential run, so I have to ask the question, "What the **** was Mitt Romney thinking?"  I've seen the VP pick approval polls on this Ryan guy, and they're even lower than they were for Dan Quayle.  And that's saying something-- by voters from his own party.  Just a few of his many accomplishment that I Wiki'd:  he was elected "Biggest brownnoser" in high school (sadly, I'm not making that up), in 14 years of Congress (first elected at age 28, and doesn't appear to have ever held a "real job" outside Washington) he got just 2 bills passed (which granted, is 2 more than I got passed, but I wasn't getting paid $200,000/year in Congress for the last 14 years), and he apparently idolizes Ayn Rand, whose writing inspired him, and upon which most of his world view is apparently based (don't get me started--although if you're going to pick a slightly demented writer to base your life upon, I guess she's a step above L. Ron Hubbard).   The accomplishment that I am most impressed by, however, is that he's down to 6% bodyfat using the PX90 workout--now that's some tough stuff, but probably not a great enough accomplishment to justify being a heartbeat away from the Presidency.  Although, I have to say, across the aisle, Joe Biden's no prize either.  But no matter who you vote for this Fall, just remember to vote (and, of course, buy my book :).   Until next time,  Jack  

    Isn't it funny how you can read over something approximately 637 times (as well as probably relying a bit too heavily on "Spellcheck") and your brain still doesn't catch or distinguish that the word should be "guest" instead of "guess" until the 638th time.  I guess early on (and I'm already not the greatest speller), when I'm writing in a mad dash and just trying to get it all down on paper before I forget, I frequently, and unconsciously, interchange "no" and "know" along with a few other homonyms (and similar words), with the plan to catch and correct them in the edit.   Well, that "guess" (and approximately 33 other little glitches) means that it's back to the drawing board to wait for another proof--for at least another week.  On the bright side, however (and I don't think she would mind me sharing),  this is my favorite review so far from a reader who got a sneak peek at THE MORONI DECEPTION, who sent this to me in an email yesterday--and no, it wasn't from my mother (in case you were wondering :).

    "I am addicted to this book.  I have read 30 chapters and I hate to stop reading to go to bed, but considering it is midnight.....guess I have to stop. Wow!  This is a super book and would make a great movie!  I love this book!"   

     And also, no, I didn't pay her to say that--it's just that good.   Kidding--I'm sure THE MORONI DECEPTION isn't for everybody, but if you like conspiracy thrillers (with a little sex, a lot of violence, and most importantly, an unfolding mystery/conspiracy that you may or may not figure out along the way), I think you'll enjoy it.  Read the first 13 chapters for free at http://www.themoronideception.com/ and let me know what you think.  Until next time,  Jack

And so it begins.  Just got the proof back a week early, which means if everything looks okay,  THE MORONI DECEPTION could be on Amazon within the week.  Because of whatever conversion process and backlog, however, it will not be available for the Nook, IPad/AppleStore, Sony Reader, Kobo, and several others for a few weeks.  However, there are several free aps to download, I understand, to be able to read Amazon Kindle books on the IPad and other devices (computers, smartphones, etc).  Also, even though I have a couple already in mind that I've started on, I'm looking for some other good quasi-political/religious conspiracies to have Michael Chenault investigate in the future if you have any ideas.  You've gotta love when religion and politics get stirred up together--such wonderful things often come out.  Kidding--that's one thing the founding fathers definitely got right--keep 'em separated.   Until next time.   Jack.

Well, the good news is that The Moroni Deception was sent off to BookBaby yesterday.  The bad news is that because of whatever they have to do for their conversion process into an e-pub file, it's going to take another couple of weeks before they'll send it off to their various e-Book partners and distributors.  Then after that, Amazon will have it up in just a couple of days--the others (Nook, Kobo, Sony, IPad, etc) however, will take several weeks (will keep you posted).  I've also recently learned if you don't have an e-reading device (and this makes perfect sense), there are a number of free aps (Kobo comes to mind, along with quite a few of them that work with Amazon) that can be downloaded to convert your desktop, laptop, or smartphone in to your own e-reader.  Despite this information which I passed on to a relative the other day who was Kindle-less, she still insisted that she much preferred books, and would probably not take my advice (and, I guess, would therefore not read my book until it came out in hardcopy).  Now, I'm just about as old school (or Luddite-like) as it gets when it comes to electronic gizmos and gadgets (I barely make use of my cell phone which mostly just sits in my car for emergencies), but when you can store up an entire library in the palm of your hand for a fraction of the cost (not to mention all the free Classics and older titles), I'm not quite sure what the cons are.  Now I've heard some people, like my 70-year-old father, say they're tactile and just have to have something to hold in their hands so they can turn actual pages (which I guess for some is part of the reading experience), but she actually said that she preferred books because she wanted "something for verification" of what she had read.  That I don't get, and I'm also pretty sure most libraries (or friends) don't let you keep their books after you've read them for your reading trophies.  That said, I do keep my copies of A Confederacy of Dunces, Ishmael, The Sirens of Titan, The Impressionist, Catch-22, Catcher in the Rye, Candide, MacDonald's Travis McGee series, the complete works of Mark Twain, Edgar Allen Poe, and Roald Dahl's short stories by my bedside to reread whenever the spirit moves me--books or stories that were important to me at some time in my life and which remind me of simpler times.  Until next time.  Jack