Melissa Foster has been a guest here for her books Megan’s Way and Chasing Amanda.  Working with her during both her tours, she has also become a friend.  She is the nicest, caring, kind, and genuine person, taking time out of her busy schedule, checking in with me to see how things are going in my personal life, sending words of encouragement.  Nothing makes her happier than to know that her books brings happiness to her readers, other than her family.

Megan’s Way hit #2 on Amazon’s Top Rated Fiction list today, just below The Help. I had been flying high since I found out, which was quite by accident. I was searching Amazon to see if Chasing Amanda had climbed the ranks of Top Rated Fiction (it’s #57), when lo and behold, on page one was Megan’s Way!
Fame…debunked
I didn’t think anything could put a damper on my day, until I read a review that noted poor editing in my book. What? Megan’s Way had been edited many times. I was taken aback–surely there was an error. The reader noted missing returns between character’s sentences, which sent up a vibrant red flag. I was certain there were none of those types errors in the document. My book had won several awards, wouldn’t those reviewers have noted the alleged errors?
A search of the hard copy of Megan’s Way proved no such errors existed. No missing line breaks. My heart sped up, and my hands began to shake. My son asked me a question and I could not answer. I was in panic mode. A memory came racing back to me. I had found two errors in the Kindle version of Megan’s Way a few weeks earlier, and I had wanted to fix them. The only copy of the full manuscript that I had with the publisher’s logo on it was a PDF. I knew a PDF could not be uploaded to Amazon Kindle, so I paid someone (who came highly recommended and shall remain anonymous) to convert the PDF to a Word document and insure that the file was formatted properly for the Kindle. She did so, and the file was uploaded. Shame on me for not thinking to re-edit the document.
Truth be known, I had no idea that converting from a PDF to a Word document could cause such errors. I have no idea what that person did, or how the errors occurred, but sure enough, there were missing line breaks. I could see how the reader would misconstrue the conversion issue as an editing issue. By now, I’ve abandoned panic and I’ve accepted that I must take responsibility for these errors. After all, the book is mine. I should have had the file re-edited after the conversion was done. Live and learn…the hard way.
My editor is going through the file with a fine tooth comb. In the meantime, we’ve reuploaded the original version (minus the two errors). This is quite the learning experience. Let me clue everyone in on another conversion error which we cannot seem to fix. The Word document is perfectly formatted–no hidden page or line breaks, proper indentations are in place. When the file is uploaded to Kindle, we are able to preview the ebook. We did this with the new file. There don’t seem to be missing returns or lost capitalizations, but there are other conversion issues. Where there is heavy dialogue, the second line of the dialogue is indented to match the first line. This is not consistent, and there is no hidden HTML that is causing the issue. In this exciting new technology-driven world of ours, I’m finding that there are a few things that are out of our control. My only hope is that readers will see past these slight conversion issues and review the stories we authors write for the value of the stories themselves.
I would like to thank my author friends who have reached out to me, having undergone the same types of conversion issues, and the same slamming in reviews. I would like to thank my readers who have been kind enough to review my books, and now that I know about these errors, for looking past them and seeing the beauty in the story. I would also like to thank the reviewers who noted these items that marred my reputations, because with out those reviews, I wouldn’t have known to fix them. Thank you.
Lastly, to the 40,000+ readers who have downloaded Megan’s Way over the past week, I hope you will redownload the corrected file after 8/17/11 and read Megan’s Way without the distraction of errors. I extend my heartfelt apologies for the conversion errors.
My thoughts on all of this? Being a writer is a scary process. I’ve always said it’s like standing on a street corner naked. One never knows if they’ll be whistled at or beaned with tomatoes. I prefer the whistles, but that’s not always the case. This is a learning process for all of us. eReaders are new, conversion processes are difficult. Why, just last night I was reading a traditionally published book on my Kindle, when it ran out of batteries. I clicked on my iPad to continue reading, and words that were not bold on the regular Kindle were bold on the Kindle for iPad. This tells me that the whole ebook world is also still being figured out by the “big guys”, whoever they may be. I hope my story helps other authors, and I hope it help readers and reviewers, too. Sometimes it’s worth taking a step back and trying to determine if it’s the story that is failing or the technology, or perhaps both.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, and my books.
Melissa

Melissa Foster has been a guest here for her books Megan’s Way and Chasing Amanda.  Working with her during both her tours, she has also become a friend.  She is the nicest, caring, kind, and genuine person, taking time out of her busy schedule, checking in with me to see how things are going in my personal life, sending words of encouragement.  Nothing makes her happier than to know that her books brings happiness to her readers, other than her family.

Megan’s Way hit #2 on Amazon’s Top Rated Fiction list today, just below The Help. I had been flying high since I found out, which was quite by accident. I was searching Amazon to see if Chasing Amanda had climbed the ranks of Top Rated Fiction (it’s #57), when lo and behold, on page one was Megan’s Way!
Fame…debunked
I didn’t think anything could put a damper on my day, until I read a review that noted poor editing in my book. What? Megan’s Way had been edited many times. I was taken aback–surely there was an error. The reader noted missing returns between character’s sentences, which sent up a vibrant red flag. I was certain there were none of those types errors in the document. My book had won several awards, wouldn’t those reviewers have noted the alleged errors?
A search of the hard copy of Megan’s Way proved no such errors existed. No missing line breaks. My heart sped up, and my hands began to shake. My son asked me a question and I could not answer. I was in panic mode. A memory came racing back to me. I had found two errors in the Kindle version of Megan’s Way a few weeks earlier, and I had wanted to fix them. The only copy of the full manuscript that I had with the publisher’s logo on it was a PDF. I knew a PDF could not be uploaded to Amazon Kindle, so I paid someone (who came highly recommended and shall remain anonymous) to convert the PDF to a Word document and insure that the file was formatted properly for the Kindle. She did so, and the file was uploaded. Shame on me for not thinking to re-edit the document.
Truth be known, I had no idea that converting from a PDF to a Word document could cause such errors. I have no idea what that person did, or how the errors occurred, but sure enough, there were missing line breaks. I could see how the reader would misconstrue the conversion issue as an editing issue. By now, I’ve abandoned panic and I’ve accepted that I must take responsibility for these errors. After all, the book is mine. I should have had the file re-edited after the conversion was done. Live and learn…the hard way.
My editor is going through the file with a fine tooth comb. In the meantime, we’ve reuploaded the original version (minus the two errors). This is quite the learning experience. Let me clue everyone in on another conversion error which we cannot seem to fix. The Word document is perfectly formatted–no hidden page or line breaks, proper indentations are in place. When the file is uploaded to Kindle, we are able to preview the ebook. We did this with the new file. There don’t seem to be missing returns or lost capitalizations, but there are other conversion issues. Where there is heavy dialogue, the second line of the dialogue is indented to match the first line. This is not consistent, and there is no hidden HTML that is causing the issue. In this exciting new technology-driven world of ours, I’m finding that there are a few things that are out of our control. My only hope is that readers will see past these slight conversion issues and review the stories we authors write for the value of the stories themselves.
I would like to thank my author friends who have reached out to me, having undergone the same types of conversion issues, and the same slamming in reviews. I would like to thank my readers who have been kind enough to review my books, and now that I know about these errors, for looking past them and seeing the beauty in the story. I would also like to thank the reviewers who noted these items that marred my reputations, because with out those reviews, I wouldn’t have known to fix them. Thank you.
Lastly, to the 40,000+ readers who have downloaded Megan’s Way over the past week, I hope you will redownload the corrected file after 8/17/11 and read Megan’s Way without the distraction of errors. I extend my heartfelt apologies for the conversion errors.
My thoughts on all of this? Being a writer is a scary process. I’ve always said it’s like standing on a street corner naked. One never knows if they’ll be whistled at or beaned with tomatoes. I prefer the whistles, but that’s not always the case. This is a learning process for all of us. eReaders are new, conversion processes are difficult. Why, just last night I was reading a traditionally published book on my Kindle, when it ran out of batteries. I clicked on my iPad to continue reading, and words that were not bold on the regular Kindle were bold on the Kindle for iPad. This tells me that the whole ebook world is also still being figured out by the “big guys”, whoever they may be. I hope my story helps other authors, and I hope it help readers and reviewers, too. Sometimes it’s worth taking a step back and trying to determine if it’s the story that is failing or the technology, or perhaps both.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, and my books.
Melissa

Today, taking time out of his very hectic life, we have a special guest stopping by, visiting with us and talking about his debut book. I have the pleasure of introducing you to a very busy Dad of four boys, inspirational and multi-talented, who can now add author to his resume, Mr. Gerard de Marigny.  Please help me give him a warm welcome to the CMash blog!!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
During the 1980’s and 1990’s, Gerard de Marigny was the lead guitarist for the rock band AMERICADE that sold many thousands of records all over the world. His band won the “Best New Video” award on MTV in1983, but a life-threatening illness (cancer, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma) and an epiphany of faith inspired him to focus on his lifelong ambition … to bring to life righteous characters that would inspire others … ultimately, to write novels.

In 2007, Gerard was awarded the prestigious Fischer Family Scholarship for the Arts from Penn State University, for a 5,000-word autobiographical work he was commissioned to write.

In January 2011, he completed his debut novel, THE WATCHMAN OF EPHRAIM, a political thriller which is book one of his WATCHMAN OF EPHRAIM series. The sequel, SIGNS OF WAR is due to be released in September 2011.

Gerard de Marigny currently resides in the beautiful foothills surrounding Las Vegas, NV with his wife Lisa and their four sons. When he’s not writing his novels, you’ll find him bending an arm at a local pub with friends. You can also always reach him via Website, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

10 years passed since the tragedy. Turning to his faith to overcome his anguish, De Niro now lives for a higher purpose. From a biblical passage, he reads about the “Watchman of Ephraim,” a defender who kept watch over the land. De Niro decides to acquire a lackluster counter-terrorism agency in order to transform it into a modern-day version of The Watchman for the United States but there’s not a moment to lose.

Aref Sami Zamani is planning a terrorist attack on American soil – codenamed “Antioch,” a plot to detonate a “suitcase” nuclear bomb over the city of Las Vegas. The Watchman uncovers a connection between Zamani and a Mexican drug cartel but their agent goes missing before they can learn more. That’s because Zamani has a spy working for The Watchman. Strange events start to unfold near the Nogales border crossing. References are discovered to something the Mexicans are calling “Noche Del Espantada” …Fright Night,” but can it mean something else?

September 11, 2011 and the sun hasn’t risen yet in Las Vegas or Nogales. Antioch is in motion! At the border, Noche Del Espantada has begun and there are intruders at De Niro’s ranch. De Niro has to protect his sons and someone new in his life, Dr. Moriah Stevens. She too, lost her spouse on 9/11. Moriah finds herself in love with De Niro but his devotion to his wife is proving too powerful for him, even after 10 years.

It’s the 10th anniversary of the worst terrorist attack on American soil and unless De Niro and his new team are successful, the day will be known as “The 2nd 9/11.”
 

 Cris De Niro’s jet, the QSST actually exists, at least the design does (you can see an artist rendering and read about it here – QSST)! QSST stands for “Quiet Supersonic Transport.” In 2007, Author Gerard de Marigny had the pleasure of sitting down with the man behind the QSST, Michael Paulson, son of Gulfstream founder Allen Paulson and discussing his next-generation aircraft. In the story, De Niro has just purchased it and is already flying in it but as of today, the QSST is still waiting for government clearances to fly over land.

 Cris De Niro’s yacht, SANTANA, is based on a real turbine-powered mega-yacht. Although he added some aspects to the one in the story, you can see the photo that Author Gerard de Marigny used to describe SANTANA here – SANTANA.

 De Niro and his Head Gaucho Martin Fierro both used a very special rifle in the story – a Winchester Model 1895 Safari Centennial High Grade. It was a replica of the famous rifle President Teddy Roosevelt called his “Big Medicine’ – the one he used while on safari in 1909. You can see a photo of it and read about it here – Winchester Model 1895.

Did Cris De Niro have some great toys, or what? One more interesting thing …

 In the story, the squad leaders of ARCHANGEL, the paramilitary arm of The Watchman Agency join up with Bryan Ahiga, leader of the special Native American border patrol unit called “The Shadow Wolves.” The Shadow Wolves are real! The Author found out about them while conducting research for the book. You can read about them here – Shadow Wolves.
 

  10 years passed since the tragedy. Turning to his faith to overcome his anguish, De Niro now lives for a higher purpose. From a biblical passage, he reads about the “Watchman of Ephraim,” a defender who kept watch over the land. De Niro decides to acquire a lackluster counter-terrorism agency in order to transform it into a modern-day version of The Watchman for the United States but there’s not a moment to lose.
  Aref Sami Zamani is planning a terrorist attack on American soil – codenamed “Antioch,” a plot to detonate a “suitcase” nuclear bomb over the city of Las Vegas. The Watchman uncovers a connection between Zamani and a Mexican drug cartel but their agent goes missing before they can learn more. That’s because Zamani has a spy working for The Watchman. Strange events start to unfold near the Nogales border crossing. References are discovered to something the Mexicans are calling “Noche Del Espantada” …Fright Night,” but can it mean something else?
  September 11, 2011 and the sun hasn’t risen yet in Las Vegas or Nogales. Antioch is in motion! At the border, Noche Del Espantada has begun and there are intruders at De Niro’s ranch. De Niro has to protect his sons and someone new in his life, Dr. Moriah Stevens. She too, lost her spouse on 9/11. Moriah finds herself in love with De Niro but his devotion to his wife is proving too powerful for him, even after 10 years.
  It’s the 10th anniversary of the worst terrorist attack on American soil and unless De Niro and his new team are successful, the day will be known as “The 2nd 9/11.”

 

*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU PUBLICLY FOLLOW THIS
  BLOG (IF NOT, GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT ON RIGHT SIDE).

*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK.

*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER.

*REMEMBER TO INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS FOR ALL ENTRIES.

Giveaway copies are supplied and shipped to winners via publisher,
agent and/or author. This blog hosts the giveaway on behalf of the
above. I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in
exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are
ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
I am not responsible for lost or damaged books that are shipped
from agents. I reserve the right to disqualify/delete any entries
if rules of giveaway are not followed

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
*Grab your current read
*Open to a random page
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
*BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
*Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I can also tell you that during the time we needed to make decisions about you, my mind was in a state of overload and confusion.  I struggled to assemble some sort of “right”answer regarding whether or not we should prolong the state you were settling into-whether or not to prolong your life.

Today, taking time out of his very hectic life, we have a special guest stopping by, visiting with us and talking about his debut book. I have the pleasure of introducing you to a very busy Dad of four boys, inspirational and multi-talented, who can now add author to his resume, Mr. Gerard de Marigny.  Please help me give him a warm welcome to the CMash blog!!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
During the 1980’s and 1990’s, Gerard de Marigny was the lead guitarist for the rock band AMERICADE that sold many thousands of records all over the world. His band won the “Best New Video” award on MTV in1983, but a life-threatening illness (cancer, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma) and an epiphany of faith inspired him to focus on his lifelong ambition … to bring to life righteous characters that would inspire others … ultimately, to write novels.

In 2007, Gerard was awarded the prestigious Fischer Family Scholarship for the Arts from Penn State University, for a 5,000-word autobiographical work he was commissioned to write.

In January 2011, he completed his debut novel, THE WATCHMAN OF EPHRAIM, a political thriller which is book one of his WATCHMAN OF EPHRAIM series. The sequel, SIGNS OF WAR is due to be released in September 2011.

Gerard de Marigny currently resides in the beautiful foothills surrounding Las Vegas, NV with his wife Lisa and their four sons. When he’s not writing his novels, you’ll find him bending an arm at a local pub with friends. You can also always reach him via Website, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

10 years passed since the tragedy. Turning to his faith to overcome his anguish, De Niro now lives for a higher purpose. From a biblical passage, he reads about the “Watchman of Ephraim,” a defender who kept watch over the land. De Niro decides to acquire a lackluster counter-terrorism agency in order to transform it into a modern-day version of The Watchman for the United States but there’s not a moment to lose.

Aref Sami Zamani is planning a terrorist attack on American soil – codenamed “Antioch,” a plot to detonate a “suitcase” nuclear bomb over the city of Las Vegas. The Watchman uncovers a connection between Zamani and a Mexican drug cartel but their agent goes missing before they can learn more. That’s because Zamani has a spy working for The Watchman. Strange events start to unfold near the Nogales border crossing. References are discovered to something the Mexicans are calling “Noche Del Espantada” …Fright Night,” but can it mean something else?

September 11, 2011 and the sun hasn’t risen yet in Las Vegas or Nogales. Antioch is in motion! At the border, Noche Del Espantada has begun and there are intruders at De Niro’s ranch. De Niro has to protect his sons and someone new in his life, Dr. Moriah Stevens. She too, lost her spouse on 9/11. Moriah finds herself in love with De Niro but his devotion to his wife is proving too powerful for him, even after 10 years.

It’s the 10th anniversary of the worst terrorist attack on American soil and unless De Niro and his new team are successful, the day will be known as “The 2nd 9/11.”
 

 Cris De Niro’s jet, the QSST actually exists, at least the design does (you can see an artist rendering and read about it here – QSST)! QSST stands for “Quiet Supersonic Transport.” In 2007, Author Gerard de Marigny had the pleasure of sitting down with the man behind the QSST, Michael Paulson, son of Gulfstream founder Allen Paulson and discussing his next-generation aircraft. In the story, De Niro has just purchased it and is already flying in it but as of today, the QSST is still waiting for government clearances to fly over land.

 Cris De Niro’s yacht, SANTANA, is based on a real turbine-powered mega-yacht. Although he added some aspects to the one in the story, you can see the photo that Author Gerard de Marigny used to describe SANTANA here – SANTANA.

 De Niro and his Head Gaucho Martin Fierro both used a very special rifle in the story – a Winchester Model 1895 Safari Centennial High Grade. It was a replica of the famous rifle President Teddy Roosevelt called his “Big Medicine’ – the one he used while on safari in 1909. You can see a photo of it and read about it here – Winchester Model 1895.

Did Cris De Niro have some great toys, or what? One more interesting thing …

 In the story, the squad leaders of ARCHANGEL, the paramilitary arm of The Watchman Agency join up with Bryan Ahiga, leader of the special Native American border patrol unit called “The Shadow Wolves.” The Shadow Wolves are real! The Author found out about them while conducting research for the book. You can read about them here – Shadow Wolves.
 

  10 years passed since the tragedy. Turning to his faith to overcome his anguish, De Niro now lives for a higher purpose. From a biblical passage, he reads about the “Watchman of Ephraim,” a defender who kept watch over the land. De Niro decides to acquire a lackluster counter-terrorism agency in order to transform it into a modern-day version of The Watchman for the United States but there’s not a moment to lose.
  Aref Sami Zamani is planning a terrorist attack on American soil – codenamed “Antioch,” a plot to detonate a “suitcase” nuclear bomb over the city of Las Vegas. The Watchman uncovers a connection between Zamani and a Mexican drug cartel but their agent goes missing before they can learn more. That’s because Zamani has a spy working for The Watchman. Strange events start to unfold near the Nogales border crossing. References are discovered to something the Mexicans are calling “Noche Del Espantada” …Fright Night,” but can it mean something else?
  September 11, 2011 and the sun hasn’t risen yet in Las Vegas or Nogales. Antioch is in motion! At the border, Noche Del Espantada has begun and there are intruders at De Niro’s ranch. De Niro has to protect his sons and someone new in his life, Dr. Moriah Stevens. She too, lost her spouse on 9/11. Moriah finds herself in love with De Niro but his devotion to his wife is proving too powerful for him, even after 10 years.
  It’s the 10th anniversary of the worst terrorist attack on American soil and unless De Niro and his new team are successful, the day will be known as “The 2nd 9/11.”

 

*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU PUBLICLY FOLLOW THIS
  BLOG (IF NOT, GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT ON RIGHT SIDE).

*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK.

*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER.

*REMEMBER TO INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS FOR ALL ENTRIES.

Giveaway copies are supplied and shipped to winners via publisher,
agent and/or author. This blog hosts the giveaway on behalf of the
above. I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in
exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are
ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
I am not responsible for lost or damaged books that are shipped
from agents. I reserve the right to disqualify/delete any entries
if rules of giveaway are not followed

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
*Grab your current read
*Open to a random page
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
*BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
*Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I can also tell you that during the time we needed to make decisions about you, my mind was in a state of overload and confusion.  I struggled to assemble some sort of “right”answer regarding whether or not we should prolong the state you were settling into-whether or not to prolong your life.