Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Updates & Excerpts...



...some shameful acts can be rectified. Others, well...

Sad but true, Gaiman's "American Gods," a modern day classic soon to be entering into adulthood, has yet to find itself upon my bedside table. This admittance coming from a nurtured bookworm who nearly lost his day job over getting caught with one's face buried in a novel while on the clock. (More than once ;)

Not sure how this story has been playing hard to get for the past decade, but the game of cat & mouse is nearing closure. Over the past weekend, while carousing the shelves at the local indie, I inched up behind my wife, who'd spotted "Gods" on a display rack, and was reading its back cover blurb.

I blew softly into her ear, caused her to twirl about in alarm, and gained possession of the softback moments before accepting a punch on the shoulder.

"You scared the living...!"

"Sorry," I whispered, "But I call dibs on the Gaiman book."

"Yeah, whatever."

I bought her lunch, and all's well.

In the meantime, check out Gaiman's latest blog post, describing a day that began with a missing laptop, but ended with a new IPad...


Since dropping in price, "South of Charm" has experienced a rebirth of sorts. In a week's time it scaled Amazon's infamous rankings as if still a feisty pup, settling in nicely at the fifty thousand mark. It stuck for a day or two, then began the inevitable journey back down... Nonetheless, it made for some interesting conversation at the dinner table.

If in dire straits for a decent read, (perhaps not Gaiman worthy, but I'm getting there,) "South of Charm" is now available for $2.99 on Kindle.


For anyone hinging...check out fellow writer and dear friend, Olivia J. Herrell's interview we shared a few months ago, along with her take on my first novel. She's a sweetheart...



As for an excerpt I promised a short time ago, a paragraph or two from "The Fall," that novella near and dear to my heart, I apologize in advance for the shortened cliffhanger...

"The Fall"

...despite the sun's departure under a skyline smeared in copper, the temperature remained ablaze. Johnny could see the heat radiating from the cobbled sidewalk. Transparent tentacles rising with the breeze, reaching toward him, trying to slow his pace.

Johnny however, was no stranger to the intense heat of the south. Nor was he unfamiliar to running the historical streets of Charleston. He'd done it once before. Pushing through an ocean's salty breath during the witch's hour. The rustling of palm fronds towering overhead, like distant applause, urging him onward. A night he'd never forget. No matter how hard he tried...

This story is my son's favorite...me hopes you like as well ;)

Thanks for reading,

El

17 comments:

Angie Ledbetter said...

Congrats! You're living the life. :)

Carolyn V said...

I haven't read American Gods yet, but my brother loves it. ;)

Wendy Tyler Ryan said...

So glad to hear about "South of Charm" and I enjoyed the new excerpt. I'm a fan of your writing, but you know that.

dolorah said...

Awesome news with the 50k :) The excerpt was beautifully written.

I have American Gods on a bookshelf. Hey, at least its no longer in a box :)

......dhole

DEZMOND said...

you know that HBO is planning a mini series on AMERICAN GODS, and a very expensive one :)

Cynthia Lee said...

I really enjoyed American Gods. And it's really nice to know that Neil is such a nice guy.

Elliot Grace said...

Hey Angie, thanks for stopping by. It's been interesting around here if nothing else ;)

Hey Carolyn, definitely looking forward to the read.

Hey Wendy, you're a sweetheart, thanks so much ;)

Hey Donna, glad you enjoyed it, despite its shortened length. Next one will be a bit longer.

Hey Dez, I know! The goal is to finish it up prior to its airing. Will be whipping through the pages!

Hey Cynthia, Neil's indeed a down to earth fellow, which is nice in this day and age ;)

El

Sarah Tokeley said...

Heh, I picked up American Gods on the second hand table at the Doctors just before Christmas. It cost me 10p :-)

Karen Jones Gowen said...

Ah the intrepid Amazon rankings! Once a book starts rising, it becomes an addiction to keep checking. Fortunately that doesn't happen much for me or I'd never get anything else done :)

Roland D. Yeomans said...

Like all of the above friends, I am a great fan of your writing, Elliot.

Neil Gaiman's AMERICAN GODS is my favorite novel of his. Some spots chaffed at me, but mostly it was a great read.

I am so glad to hear about your SOUTH OF CHARM. It does make your heart good when folks begin to buy your novel, doesn't it?

Emily said...

Wow! Congratulations on your success!

Very impressive!

Tonja said...

Congratulations! Love your exerpt. I haven't heard of the other novel.

Elliot Grace said...

Hey Emily, very sweet of you. Thanks for stopping by!

Hey Tonja, glad you enjoyed the excerpt. With some luck, the next one will be longer.

El

Judy Croome | @judy_croome said...

I blush to confess I haven't read a single Neil Gaiman. (not even his blog) But I did watch a you tube interview of his. Does that count?

Well done on SOUTH OF CHARM'S heady journey up the Amazon rankings! Always an exciting adventure. Good luck with further sales!
Judy, South Africa

alexia said...

I just discovered Neil recently, and I'm already a total gushing nerdy fan. American Gods is fantastic. I met him at WFC in San Diego (well, by 'met' I mean stood in his general vicinity and got two of my books signed). He's a rockstar.

Jax said...

Congrats!! That's awesome :) I'll hace to check it out...

Heather Hellmann said...

American Gods is such a great novel. You must read it!