More Updates Available!

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Amazon Japan, Amazon KDP, Amazon Marketplace, Amazon.co.jp, Amazon.com, e-book, e-book vs. paperback, e-mail, Manage your content and devices, To Sleep in the Ground, Update Available

I updated the content of my e-book To Sleep in the Ground in order to make it consistent with the recently released paperback version. Amazon.com has sent (or will send) e-mails to those who have purchased my e-book in the past notifying them of the updates. If you do not receive an e-mail, then just check the “Manage Your Content and Devices” page of your Amazon account. If you purchased my e-book and do not receive either of these notifications, then please let me know in the comments section of this post and I will inform Amazon.

Regretfully, as of the date of this post, updates are still not available for readers who purchased To Sleep in the Ground from Amazon.co.jp (Japan). I have brought this to Amazon’s attention, and I am in continuing communication with them about the issue. I have experienced that Amazon Japan sometimes operates differently (independently) from Amazon.com. However, Amazon.com has assured me that updates are made available for all Amazon marketplaces in all countries. Again, please let me know via this post if you have purchased the e-book version of T.S.I.T.G. from any Amazon marketplace and have not received an e-mail or notice about the updates. I will do my best to rectify the problem if it’s possible to do so.

The updates that I made to the novel are considered to be significant improvements to the quality of the e-book according to Amazon. I agree. The overall feel and appearance of the book is better, and I, again, took the time to correct grammatical issues, punctuation, and redundancies in the vocabulary. Ahh, the learning curve involved with first novels. I hope you enjoy the latest version of To Sleep in the Ground.

Thanks for reading, and stay healthy!

Introducing…Marco Dark!

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A Day of Horror: The March 11, 2011 Japan Earthquake-A Foreigner's Perspective, action, artist, author, Blood, bloodlust, Bradley Lobue, California, casino, claws, corpse, Creepy, dark, desert, dollars, dusk, e-book, euros, fangs, fictionalist, financier, France, French madame, Fukushima Prefecture, Gore, gothic, grim reaper, hacker, hit man, Horror, humanity, Japan, Koriyama City, Las Vegas, lone vampire, loner, manga, manga artist, Marco Dark, money, Nevada, new, nightlife, Northern Japan, novel, Palermo, Pasadena, publish, Read, Review, Scary, Sicily, sociopath, suspense, swindler, The DiVacci Curse, thriller, To Sleep in the Ground, Tohoku, undead, vamp, vampire, vampire action, vampire drama, vampire fiction, vampire novel, vampirekind, vampires, vampiric, vampiric hit man, vamps, wild west, world traveler, writer, yen

My first novel and latest release is now available!

A wealthy French madame, a misguided manga artist, a greedy financier, a malicious computer hacker and a homicidal sociopath.  What do they all have in common?  They all have contracts on their heads.  The one hired to fulfill those contracts is Marco Dark.  He’s cultured, sophisticated and intelligent, and the most lethal hit man on the planet.  He’s also a 200-year-old vampire!  Journey with Marco as he traverses the globe plying his deadly trade…and pray that you’re not on his list!

“To Sleep in the Ground” has taken twenty years to complete since its original conception.  I encourage you to check it out.  You can access a sample of the book via the link at the end of this post.

If you read Marco’s story and find it entertaining (or not) then I request that you write a review.  Let’s be honest, reviews and word of mouth sell books and reviews are a great way for readers to express themselves, too.  I’d also like to hear your comments and opinions about “To Sleep in the Ground” on this blog.

The 8th Anniversary of the East Japan Earthquake

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A Day of Horror: The March 11, 2011 Japan Earthquake-A Foreigner's Perspective, Climate Change, climatologists, e-book, e-book price reduction, earthquake, Eastern Tohoku, environment, Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, Global Warming, humanity, Japan, March 11 2011 earthquake, meltdown, meteorologists, Mother Nature, nuclear crisis, nuclear meltdown, Progress, radiation, reconstruction, recycle, The 8th Anniversary of the East Japan Earthquake, The Great East Japan Earthquake, tsunami, writing

I deliberately avoid posting about politics on social media.  I’m not qualified to talk about climate change or global warming, or what impact humanity has upon the environment. I’ll leave that to the climatologists, meteorologists and scientists of the world. The city where I live in Japan has a good recycling program and I do my part. In this post, I’m not going to share my personal views on the topic of whether or not climate change is real. My opinions would be inappropriate and irrelevant.

What I do know, based on personal experience, is that on March 11, 2011, Mother Nature had her say, and had a lot to say, when she unleashed her fury upon the Eastern Tohoku region of Japan. I witnessed the fourth largest earthquake in recorded human history. I live thirty-six miles west of the site of one of the world’s largest nuclear meltdowns. I lived it. I was terrified by it. I am still haunted by it. I will probably never be free from the memory of it in some capacity.

The Earth doesn’t care how we feel about climate change. It does what it wants to do, when it wants to do it, and it doesn’t give a damn what we mere humans think of it. It makes the rules and we have to suffer the consequences; good or bad, instigated by us or not. We are at its mercy. It’s the price we pay to live on this wondrous ball of life rotating on its axis in space.

If you’re interested in knowing more about the events of March 11, 2011, and its impact on the environment and the people of southern Tohoku, from someone who was there, then I respectfully encourage you to read my book. It’s available through Amazon in most countries where Amazon operates. I recently decreased the price of the book rather significantly, but Amazon retains the right to fluctuate the pricing when necessary. Thank you for understanding. You can access the book directly through the link provided on the “My Books” page of this blog.  My humble thanks to all who have already purchased and read the book. Your kindness and consideration is truly appreciated and will not be forgotten.

Almost There!

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Amazon, book, cover art, e-book, Horror, illustration, new, Progress, Publishing

Howdy!

I hope that everyone is doing fine.  It has been a wild year so far, in many ways.  I’ve been away from here for a while.  But it’s nice to have something positive to post after all this time.

First of all, my thoughts and prayers are with the millions around the world, and here in Japan, who have been struggling with the onslaught of natural disasters that have been, and still are, plaguing our planet.  Peace and love to all who are suffering.

Well, I’m happy to announce that my first novel has been written!  I’m currently editing and proofreading it, as well as working on the book cover.  The book cover idea has been conceived, and I am in the process of putting all the pieces together.  Once all of that is done, then I will be ready to self-publish.

I can tell you that this book will be the longest fiction story that I’ve published thus far; my first full-length novel (depending on your idea of how long a novel should be…info around the Net varies according to style and genre).  It will definitely be much longer than my short story that was published in 2016.

The book will initially be available through Amazon and in most countries where Amazon operates.  I may publish with other e-publishers at a later time depending upon how the book does.  I will post updates here if I decide to add more publishers to the availability list.

It’s a great relief to finally have the story finished and I very much look forward to sharing it with you in the not too distant future.

Thanks for reading…and for your continued patience.

Brad

Holiday Wishes…and an Update.

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2017, 2018, Deadline, e-book, Happy New Year, Holidays, Merry Christmas, Progress, Publishing, Read, Spirit

Howdy!  Long time no…

Well, I won’t be meeting my self-imposed 2017 deadline for publishing my next book.  The last half of the year has been a roller-coaster ride with lots of twists and turns.  However, I look forward to working on my book, and to getting a little closer to finishing it during the upcoming holiday that I will have while my school is closed for the new year.

I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year.  May 2018 be a safe, peaceful, healthy, enjoyable, prosperous and healing year for us all.

Time for a Little Shameless Self-Promotion!

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Dare, e-book, Fear, Frighten, Ghost Story, Ghosts, Halloween, Horror, Read, Scary, Short stories, Spirit, The DiVacci Curse

Happy Halloween!  I hope that everyone is doing well.  Thanks for reading.

If you need a little help getting into the spirit of Halloween, may I suggest my ghost short story, “The DiVacci Curse.” As always, you can access the direct link to the book from the My Books page of this blog.  Read it with the lights out…if you dare!

Attention Amazon Kindle Readers!

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A Day of Horror: The March 11, 2011 Japan Earthquake-A Foreigner's Perspective, Amazon, Amazon Prime, e-book, Ghost Story, Horror, KDP Select, Kindle, Kindle Owners' Lending Library, Kindle Unlimited, Review, Short stories, The DiVacci Curse, The Great East Japan Earthquake

My nonfiction e-book and my fiction e-short story are now enrolled in KDP Select on Amazon.  This is good news for Amazon Prime, Kindle Owners’ Lending Library and Kindle Unlimited members.  Check em’ out!

For those who have already purchased and read my e-book and e-short story, thank you very much.  If you like what you read, then I encourage you to write a review and post it on Amazon.  I would be honored and grateful for your kindness and consideration.  If writing a review is not your thing, then please spread the word among your family and friends, co-workers, distant relatives, ex-spouses, etc.

As always, direct links to both books can be found on the “My Books” page of this blog. Thanks for reading.

Have a fun and safe summer!

Most humbly,

Brad

“You Can’t Judge a Book by Its Cover!”

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Amazon, Blood, e-book, Generic, Ghost Story, Gore, Graphic, Horror, Original Cover, Subtle, The DiVacci Curse, Updated Cover Design

 

That statement is so true.  Well, it’s taken a while (almost a year, actually) but I now have an original cover design for my ghost short story, “The DiVacci Curse.”

Only the cover has been changed.  The story and its contents remain the same.

When I first published the story last summer, I felt that it was more important to just get it published and out there, rather than delay publishing because of the cover page.  I opted to use one of Amazon’s predesigned cover pages that I liked, but was generic in nature.  I had no issues with the predesigned cover for a long time until I saw another book on Amazon (can’t remember if it was fiction or non-fiction) that used the same exact cover design…same font, colors, etc.  That’s when I realized that I needed to have an original cover design instead.

I now understand the importance of book covers.  Some readers do indeed “judge a book by its cover.”  Book covers can determine whether a reader investigates the e-book further or just clicks to another item or page, not even giving the book a second thought.

I prefer book covers that give the reader a general idea of the plot, rather than paint an overly vivid picture that is too demanding and busy for the eye. If too much is going on in the image, the message becomes confusing and complicated.  The author runs the risk of turning the reader off.  Sometimes “less is more” as previously mentioned in my post about “The Fog.”  This concept applies to book covers as well.

How To Download the Updated Version of My Kindle Book on Amazon if Previously Purchased

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A Day of Horror, Amazon, Bradley Lobue, e-book, Fukushima, Great East Japan Earthquake, Japan, Kindle, Update Available

As mentioned in my last post, Amazon has recently informed me that they have made the updated version (3rd Edition) of “A Day of Horror: The March 11, 2011 Japan Earthquake – A Foreigner’s Perspective” free to those readers who purchased previous editions of the book in the past before the current updated version became available.  I strongly encourage readers who have purchased any prior editions of my book in the past to download the new version as I think that it is a major improvement in readability and overall quality.  Some content has been omitted from the new edition, but some content has been added as well.  The 3rd edition also includes an update about the current situation in Fukushima prefecture as of last summer (2016).

If you purchased any previous editions of the book from Amazon and are interested in reading the latest edition, then I have explained how you can access the new content below.  *A note, the instructions below are for readers who purchased the book from Amazon.com (U.S.A.).  The updated download may not be available in all countries where Amazon operates.  I’m sorry for any inconvenience that this may cause.  Thank you for understanding.

Step 1.  After you sign into your Amazon account, find “Manage Your Content and Devices” on your account page as shown in the example below.

Step 2.  Click on “Manage Your Content and Devices.”  You will see your content listed on the page.  Type in “A Day of Horror” in the Search bar as shown below.  The book title will appear and next to it you will see the “Update Available” button as shown below.  Click on it and follow the instructions to download the latest edition.

I would like to thank everyone who has purchased “A Day of Horror: The March 11, 2011 Japan Earthquake – A Foreigner’s Perspective.”  I also appreciate those of you who are following or have “liked” this blog.  Your kind support and interest is very much appreciated!

Until my next post, have a good one!

 

 

 

Updates Coming Soon!

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e-book, Japan, March 11 2011 earthquake, revised and updated

I recently discovered that there are some major format flaws and issues that are negatively affecting the readability and user-friendliness of my first e-book effort, “A Day of Horror:  The March 11, 2011 Japan Earthquake.”  For those who have purchased my book over the past five years since its first publication, I emphatically apologize.  As mentioned before, I’m not a techie.  Besides, it was my first self-publishing experience and I was very green.

It’s been a challenge keeping up with the upgrades and trends in the self-publishing business and without the help and support of a major publishing powerhouse behind one, it can be a daunting task to keep an e-book current, especially when one considers the complications involved with improvements in self-publishing software and the various requirements of different e-book readers and devices.

I’m currently in the process of reformatting (in a major way) my March 11th book. Once that update is complete and the new version is available, then I’ll be sure to post the announcement here.

As always, thank you for your patience and understanding.