In The Beginning by
“How often do you find yourself unhappily committed to a book?” asked Pollens. “I believe that “HAUNTED” would not fall into this category, but I want readers to have a special option… the “IN THE BEGINNING” version… FREE on Sunday, Oct. 9 and again on Columbus Day, Oct 10.”
Here’s a bit of what the story is about…
In spite of years of successful academic achievement, Dr. Harold Treadwell, a PHD psychologist at Philadelphia’s Jess Hawkins University (JHU), has extremely low self-esteem. Memories of a year’s earlier incident plague him and he loses himself in the complexities of a sleep-study research project.
Harold’s proposed research focuses on sufferers of undiagnosed and untreated mysterious pain… mental and physical difficulties that appear without warning and ruin lives. Harold spends five-years designing a sleep-stasis chamber… a necessary apparatus in the proposed study. Finally, he submits a grant application to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Its approval is in doubt until an unexpected source of support with NIH influence surfaces.
“That much is all in the “IN THE BEGINNING” intro,” explained Pollens, “and, hopefully, is enough to encourage readers to want the full tale.” The intro runs more than 35 pages and more than 7000 words. The Kindle eBook version is normally available for $2.99 at Amazon.com but will be free during Oct. 9 and 10.
About the author, Allen Pollens:
Allen Pollens has always had two personas. There is the tinker who always wanted to know, “How does it work?” That one became a graduate engineer and led a high-tech work life for more than forty years. Then there is the storyteller, Allen Pollens, who was spinning tales from the time he was a child. In a burst of creativity he published nine books in two years.
“THE LOST PHARAOH – Sobek II” is Allen Pollens’ sixth science fiction-fantasy offering. His other sci-fi-fantasy books include: “ALTERNATIVE LIVES – To Sleep, Perchance to Dream … Another Life,” “CONJUROR – Living the Tale,” “CREATOR – Apocalyptic Sci-Fi Epic, Earth’s Human Behavior Confronted,” “CREATOR II -Human Behavior Explored” and “SUPERHERO –Chronicles of Blue Knight Adventures.”
Stories Pollens wrote for his grandchildren became the basis for “BOFFO BUTTERPHANT – Small Creature Adventures,” “STARFISH CHRONICLES – Undersea Adventures with Sammy Starfish.” He also turned the journal he kept on his European vacation into “Al’s London and Dublin Holiday,” published in full color, with ninety photos.
Allen recently published the seven individual SUPERHERO Blue Knight episodes as standalone volumes and added an eighth episode as well. He is already working on his next full length science fiction tale which is set in Hawaii
The author’s main retirement interests, in addition to writing, are travel and photography. He sums up his storytelling with this, “I have been telling stories my whole life. My children and grandchildren were ready audiences who assumed I could deliver a new story on demand and generally, I did.”
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Alex C Vick is the author of three exciting new books in the Legacy of Androva series. The books are aimed at 9+ years, but can be enjoyed by adults too.
Thanks to the rise of e-books, many authors now have the chance to self-publish on Amazon or other online book services. At the same time, this open market has led to an oversaturated marketplace. There are now thousands of authors offering their books to potential readers. For first-time authors, it can be difficult to build an audience. In fact, it’s almost impossible to garner any interest without spending time on promotion and marketing. This is where free e-books come into play.
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As much as everyone might not want to believe it, nobody is perfect. The same can be said of books. There are going to be some flaws even writers and editors don’t pick up. That’s what makes reader reviews so convenient. Although not all of them will be constructive, many will offer some insight into why they did or did not like about the book. It can help with future books or even editing the current one for future printing runs.
One of the biggest reason authors offer free e-books is to reward their readers. For an e-book author, it’s all about providing the best experience possible. Even well-known authors have gone the free route with some of their books to thank their fans. Something as simple as this can strengthen reader loyalty. Even better, there’s no reason the book needs to be free forever. It can be a temporary promotion to gain interest and attract new readers. Or it can be a gift to current readers. Either way, it’s an effective way to capture people’s attention.
Most people are familiar with pirated movies, TV shows or music, but there’s just as big of a market for pirated books. As with any creative medium, authors don’t like having their work stolen. They want to earn money for the hard work they’ve poured into their books. Surprisingly, free e-books can help curb piracy.
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