Surgery went great, and I’m home, comfy, and wide awake. That will no doubt change when the “block” on my foot wears off, and I have to take a pain pill. But for now, all’s well, and I’m testing out my Comfy Chair Office. Hope you are all having a great day. I’ll check in again later.

Carry on, Folks! 🙂

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?)