One of the new launch-publicity methods I’m trying out is a thunderclap campaign. If you’re like me and eschew social media whenever possible, a thunderclap can be a way to get that launch bang without maintaining a large twitter or facebook following. Or at least I hope that will turn out to be the case!

“What’s a thunderclap?” you might say. It’s a bit like a kickstarter, but with no money changing hands. Instead, people pledge to share your image, note, and link with their facebook, twitter, and/or tumblr audience on a specific day. You can spend up to 60 days accumulating supporters, and then all of the shares go off at once with a bang…or, rather, with a thunderclap.

The tricky part is getting all of those supporters lined up in the first place. Like kickstarter, there’s a minimum (100 supporters in this case) or nothing will happen at all. So you need to hustle a bit to get all of your ducks in a row. I’ve asked my facebook friends for their help and will beg for support from my email list the next time a newsletter goes out, but I’m getting most of my supporters by joining this facebook group where you can trade support for each others’ campaigns. To keep your request in the public eye, be sure to thank each supporter and to acknowledge as you support them in return. The return comment is just polite…and it also pushes your post back to the top of the group feed so others will notice your campaign.

The other important factor in your thunderclap, of course, is to make the tweet/post you eventually send out as enticing as possible. Being a twitter neophyte, I studied up on hashtags a bit and worked up the best image I could come up with for the project. Here’s hoping the effort will pay off!

If you’d like to support my thunderclap campaign, you can do so here. And I’ll do my best to remember to report back in three weeks when all of the shares come rolling in. I’m curious to see how a thunderclap compares to a paid promotion!

Just wanted to let everyone know that my ebook The Legender will be free to download today (7/27/2015) and tomorrow (7/28/2015). Connect to The Legender on Amazon by clicking here.

Here’s a quick description of the book…

“The pacing is brisk…the action is fun” – Publishers Weekly
“At last, a great fantasy novel!” – Vine Reiwer
“A brilliantly conceived page-turner that intelligently reveals the story” – Amazon Reviewer
“A celebration of those who are faithful at great personal cost” – Amazon Reviewer
“Fantasy at its best!” –Amazon Reviewer

Arkos, a reclusive artisan, bides the long age of peace carving animal bones and remembering his days of adventure. In the ancient city of Tierrion where he dwells, no one suspects he is one of the legenders—those forces of nature clad in human form who spoke with the elements and shaped them into mighty beasts. After the legenders fought in the bygone war against the Living Shadow, they faded into myth and have remained in historical obscurity. That is, until a great evil strikes Tierrion and Arkos saves the city with his power over the elements. This grand revelation of his true identity comes at a cost, however, for there are kings and politicians who would use a legender for their own purposes. Bound by an oath of service, Arkos must obey their commands—dire consequences descend upon legenders unfaithful to their vows.

Fearful that Tierrion’s catastrophe portends war, the kingdoms order Arkos to the uncharted wastelands of the north to discover if the Living Shadow and his legions are preparing to mount an attack once again. Arkos’ journey takes him over perilous mountains and through hostile terrain where he must use his elemental abilities to overcome dangers fatal to man. As he travels onward, a sinister and mysterious figure watches from afar, awaiting his dreadful schemes to unfold. When Arkos reaches the dark unknown and finds secrets lost in history, an unexpected choice confronts him: to take his long-awaited freedom or save the kingdoms that would enslave him.

A thoughtful page-turner, The Legender draws the audience into a fantastical new world of rich characters. Beyond the excitement invoked by adventure and political intrigue, the story at its core resounds with identities redeemed and courage found, arguing that there is more to us than we ourselves would believe.

If you’d like to learn more about The Legender or me (the author), visit my site at www.authorjasonlink.com. Thanks! Looking forward to hear what you think about this epic adventure.

-Jason Link

I particularly like this review because it was concise and at the same time insightful. Patrick Murtha runs the Book ’em Danno! review site. He touched on nuances and subtleties in the novel that others hadn’t. He also did a terrific analysis of my approach to the characters. I can’t ask for more than that from a reviewer. Book ’em Danno! review site

What do you look for from a reviewer? (As opposed to a reader who leaves a review – in my mind they’re two different groups, or am I wrong on that?)

Being a lover of reptiles, in general, and snakes, in particular, I just had to share this post of Sue’s. These adders are so seldom spotted, it’s amazing that she not only saw it, but got clear enough pictures to identify the snake by pattern and coloring. Excellent, Sue!!

This picture has nothing whatsoever to do with my post. I just wanted to look at some place COOL.
I’d like to be rolling around in the snow right this minute!

So sorry to have been absent for almost two weeks! My granddaughter was here for a week, and we were out taking eco-boat tours, and visiting drive-through wildlife sanctuaries, and doing lots of crafts. Just having fun. And then…dum, dum, duuuuuuum…I returned to my house after driving her back to Gainesville, only to discover my a/c wasn’t cooling well. By the next day, “not cooling well” would have been a happy phrase, because it had then stopped, altogether. It was 100 degrees here that day, and my husband, who knows a/c repair pretty darn well, since he’s Chief Engineer for a property management company in Orlando, was in OHIO. I’ve already complained ad nauseum about my misery, being a person who hasn’t been cool since 1972, in every sense of the word, so I’ll spare you some of the details. I suffered GREATLY waiting on him to come home, believe me.

We were without air for six days, during a point where the outdoor temps ranged between 94 and 98 every day, with the occasional 100 degree scorcher thrown in, just to remind us that Mother Nature can play dirty pool when she wants to. Thankfully, when Mark got home Wednesday night, he pulled our emergency window a/c (used for camping and/or lengthy power outages in hurricane season, along with our portable generator) out of the shed, and installed it in the bedroom. It was heaven to sleep comfortably again, and to know I had a little hidey-hole to run to when I started feeling heat stroke levels of discomfort coming on. Bless his heart, he did all this in the dead of night, after a long trip, too. (I’m sure he figured anything was better than listening to me moan and groan). He ordered a new fan motor the next day, installed it after work Friday, and voila! COLD AIR in my house once more. All is right in the world. And even better, the part was $175, the labor was free. So an $800 to $900 repair for a fraction of the cost.

Yay for people who can fix things. Not me. I’m afraid I’m not mechanical at all. If it has more moving parts than a spoon, I’m in trouble. 😦

At any rate, I’m playing catch-up now. Didn’t lift a finger for nearly a week, since it was simply too hot to move. But I promise to read the new posts and get some interesting tidbits up here this week. And I’m putting together a little challenge for you guys, just for fun. Because…spare time on your hands, right? 😀 Will get back to you on that, soon. Strictly voluntary stuff, naturally.

Hope you’ve all had a wonderful weekend, celebrating Independence Day, or just enjoying your time off. 

Must get back to laundry. Haven’t made a very big dent in the pile, yet. Carry on, folks. As you were! *going away now, repeating my favorite line from the movie Dogma: “No pleasure, no rapture, no exquisite SIN greater than…central air.”

Aint it the truth?

HOPE YOU’LL HELP ME SPREAD THE WORD!

To celebrate Independence Day, all three of my novels will be on sale for the next week, from July 3 through July 10, for $2.99 each. (Regularly $4.99). Now’s your chance to see why I’m running my legs off around central Florida, talking about Book 1 of my Riverbend Series, Swamp Ghosts. (Book 2, Finding Hunter is due out in September, btw.) And if you’ve already ready Swamp Ghosts, or you prefer the Blue Ridge Mountains over sultry, Florida waterways, check out my Wake-Robin Ridge books: Book 1, Wake-Robin Ridge, or Book 2, A Boy Named Rabbit. Don’t miss out! This is the first, and possibly the only, time I’ve ever lowered my price on my books, but I’d like to have everyone caught up and eagerly awaiting Finding Hunter, so Happy 4th of July to you all!