Finally the wait is over. The official weekend book launch for Power Grid is occurring in thirty days! Also, I just learned that Power Grid has won Best Mystery Suspense from Books-and-Authors.net!! This has been an incredible year for me and I am excited about Power Grid and the possibility it brings to the table. I have a considerable number of radio interviews this month focusing on Power Grid – there are a lot of people excited about exploring the secrets to the hidden building technology of Stonehenge, the pyramids and Coral Castle, Florida. And do not forget, this same power source, when abused, could have sunk Atlantis! Interesting concept when viewed in totality. Why hasn’t this technology been shared with the human race? Should it be shared? Read Power Grid.

Slade has developed an impressive following and I am sure you will love him in this adventure. For all of you that have patiently waited, I am positive you will find the secrets Slade reveals to be both fascinating and thought provoking. As you read Power Grid, please keep in mind that a large amount of the informa-tion is fact. A considerable amount of research has gone into Power Grid to ensure accuracy and, at one point I had boxes of research books, pamphlets and articles strewn around my office as I completed the manuscript. This is an adventure that takes Slade around the world to find the clues to solve the mys-tery.

I owe a lot of thanks to Ambassador International for helping to make Power Grid a reality. The cover design is excellent and I have received favorable responses from friends who have seen it. I was asked the other day if I was getting nervous with the launch so close. Yes, I am a little edgy at this point, but it is because no one has read Power Grid yet. As an author, your desire is to write a novel that entertains the reader and provides escapism in the pages of the adventure. The Oasis Project has done this. I sincerely believe Power Grid will do the same, but until I get feedback from readers I will remain apprehensive and nervous.

I am looking forward to meeting a lot of Slade’s readers at book signings and presentations. Please go to my website, www.artadkins.com, for a list of upcoming signings and the location. As always, thank you for making Slade a success and I hope you enjoy Power Grid!

Keep reading and writing,

Art

Art AdkinsNewsletter - September 2010

WWW.ARTADKINS.COM Click to Buy

the long roadSeptember Signings

September 4 - Books-a-Million1:00 p.m.

9400 Atlantic BlvdJacksonville

September 17 - Palm Harbour3:00 p.m.

3350 US 19 NorthPalm Harbour

September 18 - Dunnellon Feriends of the Library

10:30 a.m.Dunnellon Library

September 19 Books-a-Million12:00 p.m.

3521 Thomasville RdTallahassee

September 286:00 p.m.

Starke LibraryStarke

I was asked at a book signing for The Oasis Project recently what was the most frustrating part of bringing my second novel, Power Grid, to print. For me it was what I call The Long Road. Oasis has generated a lot of interest, Slade has a legion of fans and I have been on my publisher’s best seller list for over a year. Even with all of this success, getting Power Grid to print was not easy. According to industry statistics there were over 1 million books published last year – the number varies depending on the source. That is a lot of competition and it is easy to get lost in this sea of books competing for space on the book shelves and fighting for attention from the readers. For the reader it is a fantastic opportu-nity – they have more authors than ever before to read, more adventures to experience and an endless supply of talent to mine. What is not seen or revealed is the sad truth behind all of these new books. Most authors will only publish that one book before giving up. Writing a novel is the easy part and getting published is not as difficult as it used to be – finding a first rate publisher to assist with marketing and producing a great product is harder. It takes a team to launch a successful book and turn it into the foundation for a series of novels based on a winning character.

The Oasis Project was published in October 2007. I have spent the last three years building a marketing platform, making contacts, conducting book signings and promoting The Oasis Project. During that time I completed Power Grid and I am about 60% complete on the third novel in the Slade Lockwood series, Mind Walkers. It took me a considerable amount of time to

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learn the industry and discover what is successful and what does not work. I was a cop and have been for the last thirty years. Marketing a novel was new ground for me and I made a ton of mistakes early on. I put more miles on my vehicle traveling to book signings than you could possibly imagine and I have not had a free weekend during the last two years. This is The Long Road.

So with all this success why was Power Grid not published sooner? Publishers are reluctant to take a chance on emerging writers unless they have a proven track record. It has taken me over two years of dedicated work and effort to establish a platform and become ‘noticed’ to the publishing world. The Long Road is paved with hard work, dedication and a relentless desire to succeed as a writer. Promoting The Oasis Project and my writing career has become a 24/7 job and I work at it constantly. When I am not working as a cop, I spend all my off hours setting up book signings, conducting interviews or evaluat-ing promotional material for my work. I can see why other authors fade into the sunset after writing one novel – there is just too much work to do. I have had other writers contact me and tell they are not willing to go the extra mile I am going. The Long Road is too long and too difficult for most emerging writers.

Recognizing the difficulty in promoting a new work is why I solicit so much feedback from the readers of my novels. I want to make sure I have characters and a story they enjoy and escape with. I also know it takes a team to make a novel successful. My girlfriend is as relentless as I am in promoting my writing career. Kathleen Haak at Dorrance has been absolutely fantastic in helping, especially in the early years, with The Oasis Project – I am absolutely certain I would not be where I am today without her help and guidance. Tim Lowry and the staff at Ambassador International have been very enthusiastic about the launch of Power Grid and we are all eagerly awaiting it to hit the book shelves. I thank this ‘team’ for their help and commitment.

The Long Road will get longer. I have more marketing to do, more book signings to conduct and more interviews to do. I would not change a thing. I just ask that you give me feedback and let me know I have provided that escapism all readers desire in the pages of a good book. That makes it all worth it.

More signingsOctober Signings

BOOK LAUNCH!!!October 1 - 5:00 p.m.

Black Dog Bar & TablesCedar Key

BOOK LAUNCH!!!October 2- Books-a-Million

1:00 p.m.6111 W Newberry Road

Gainesville

BOOK LAUNCH!!!October 3 - Books-a-Million

1:00 p.m.2701 SW College Road

Ocala

October 3 - Deltona Book Fair10:00 a.m.

2150 Eustace AveDeltona

October 15- Books-a-Million3:00 p.m.

11111 San Jose BlvdJacksonville

October Signings

BOOK LAUNCH!!!October 16 - Books-a-Million

1:00 p.m. Port Charlotte

BOOK LAUNCH!!!October 17 - Books-a-Million

12:00 p.m.9360 Dynasty Drive

Ft. Myers

October 29 - Books-a-Million3:00 p.m.

5220 State Road 100Palm Coast

October 30 - Borders12:00 p.m.

9441 W Colonial DriveOcoee

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If’ you’ve read The Oasis Project, please leave a review on Amazon. Click here for a direct link

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Visiting Author CornerCynthia Parker White, Ed. D.

Healing for My Hurt: A Journey to Wholeness/Finding My Father, Finding Myself2010 Indie Book Award Finalist/Women’s Issues Category

My first attempt at writing a book was unplanned and very much a surprise. Healing for My Hurt: A Journey to Wholeness grew out of a series of letters and text messages written to my then 74 year old father. I had just recently found him on a people finder site after having searched for him on and off for nearly 30 years.

Finding the father whom I had never seen and who had never seen me was a bittersweet moment. I was overjoyed to have found him at the age of 56 but consumed with sadness that he had never searched for me.

My father had a very difficult time comprehending the depth of hurt that his only child felt growing up without her father to love her, care for her and nurture her in all the ways that a daughter needs to grow into a well-adjusted and confident woman. All he could see was the end result, daughter with five degrees with thirty years on the same job in education and a part-time college professor. He could not see past the outer trappings of success.

My father could only see the final destination and not the lifelong journey and struggles with low self-esteem, feelings of unworthiness and despair. He could not understand that a child who believed that her own father did not love her could also not believe herself worthy of anyone else’s love.

In an attempt, to bring him to the realization of what my life had been, I began a series of letters and text messages to him detailing the accounts of the feeling and emotions that engulfed we both as a child and as an adult dealing with feelings of abandonment by the one who should have been there to guide his baby girl through the pitfall of life with his unconditional love.

It was this series of letters that caused my father to declare that I should write a book about our story. I was angry at the suggestion but decided that at the very least, writing would assuage the anger and hurt I felt.

Visiting Author Corner

I found my fatter in December, 2008, began writing in January 2009 and had a fairly finished book by March 2009 with a publication date of December 2009.

This experience has taught me that my lifelong love of reading and writing, coupled with my life experiences provided me with the impetus and privilege to now be called “author”.

www.cynthiaparkerwhite.com

tip of the dayOnce you have written your masterpiece, please make sure you find the right publisher. I have been contacted by five authors within the last month lamenting the fact that their publisher will not assist them in marketing and promoting their work. While most marketing and promotions fall on the writer, you still need a good publisher to work with you to accomplish your goals. Do your research before signing a contract. I had three contracts on my desk for Power Grid before I selected Ambassador International. I called and asked questions and took my time to select the right publisher for Power Grid. I believe I have found that. Do not be bashful about asking for a contact list, their associates they work with in marketing and if any of their writers have become successful. These are all things you must know before you sing with them. Conduct and Internet search of the company – if anything bad exists about them it will surface. Just like writing your novel, do your homework! It will pay off in the end.

09-14-10 : WOCA - Ocala from 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

09-20-10: WEAG - Starke from 09:20 a.m. to 09:30 a.m.

09-22-10: Artist First 8:00 p.m.

09-23-10:WTAN - Tampa (re-airing previous interview) 10:00 a.m.

09-23-10: BlogTalkRadio with Raymond Foster

RAdio Interviews

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View the Youtube Trailer for

The Oasis Project