The Contest To Beat All Contests

Welcome, one and all!

Because I get bored easily, am impatient, and love a good giveaway, I'm going to post up this information early.

So, here's the thing...I need to get the word out about my book Heroes Die Young, so as many people as possible can hear about it, read it, and fall in love with it prior to my next book's (Friends in Deed) release in January. So, I'm going to bribe you all to spread the word.

The rules of this contest are simple (at least I'd like to think so): Anyone who racks up 25 "Promotion Points" from now until August 31, 2009 is going to get a free signed print copy of my book Heroes Die Young. It doesn't matter if you already have a copy, get another and give it to your best friend.

Not enough to bribe you, then how about this? Whoever picks up the most "Promotion Points" before the August 31 deadline is going to receive either a $50 gift card to their favorite store (assuming I have some sort of access to said store to purchase one). If they'd rather, I'll offer up an alternative prize package of a copy of the upcoming Heroes Die Young audio book AND the first signed giveaway copy of my next book, Friends in Deed. Their choice!

But not to worry, the next two runners-up in the "Promotion Points" tally won't be left out. Their prize will be a $25 gift card to their favorite store (same restrictions apply as before).

But, you may be asking, how do I get these "Promotion Points" so I can win free stuff? For that, we have to go to the scorecard...

-To receive 5 "Promotion Points": Post a positive written review at any online bookstore such as Amazon. The only restriction (and for 5 points, you'd better believe there would be a restriction) is that the review has to be useful to those who see it. "This book was awesome!" "You should totally buy this book!" and similar statements posted all by themselves are not going to be enough.

-To receive 5 "Promotion Points": copy that GetGlue sidebar bling for Heroes Die Young and post it on your blog.

-To receive 3 "Promotion Points": Post the following blurb, along with a link to AstonWest.com, my book's page on Amazon, and my book's page on Fictionwise.

******

Space pirate Aston West stumbles upon a derelict freighter, fresh from a recent battle, and can’t fight the urge to pilfer a valuable cache of highly illegal weapons. While on-board, however, one last stowaway fights back, thinking him part of an earlier boarding crew. Attack craft return to finish the ship off and Aston has no choice but to save her from certain destruction.

Who is she? What are the weapons for? Why was the freighter destroyed?

Aston discovers more questions than answers, and his life is put in jeopardy every time he stops to catch his breath. His life motto of never getting involved is put to the test, and he must decide whether to become a hero for people in need, or continue his path of self-preservation.

******

-To receive 3 "Promotion Points": Post the following excerpt, along with a link to AstonWest.com, my book's page on Amazon, and my book's page on Fictionwise.

******

I awoke to a seductive female voice. “Aston...”

Too bad for me, it belonged to Jeanie, my ship’s computer. A cruel joke designed for mostly male pilots spending long periods alone. It was even worse when I ignored the fact she was simply a machine programmed to think.

“What?”

“We’re entering the Toris system.”

Our current destination was my gateway to temporary financial security. I sat up from the hard, low-lying bunk, stood, and walked to the bridge. It was a short distance, nonetheless painful, as metallic floor panels clanked under my feet louder than normal.

As I walked onto my bridge, the hyper-speed engines disengaged and slowly wound down. I held onto my captain’s chair to steady myself until the ship reached a constant velocity. I sat down in my chair, reached into the side pocket, and pulled out the same bottle of Vladirian liquor that put me down.

“How are we doing on time?”

“Far ahead of schedule,” responded Jeanie.

The second of my four cargo hatches held a cargo container full of blue organic crystals. When I picked it up, the seller told me to take it to Toris, the outer planet in the system of the same name. I didn’t know why, but I’d double my pay if I made it to Toris fast enough ahead of schedule. They didn’t have to tell me twice.

“Let me know when we reach the station.”

I took a small taste of the light yellow liquid in the bottle. The storekeeper peddling the stuff at my last stop had filled me in with the full story behind the drink. A small animal called a Roshtu secreted the liquid as a defensive measure when attacked. The sweet smell and taste caused the attacking predator to lap it up and become intoxicated, while the Roshtu escaped unharmed. I took another drink, this one longer.

“So, Jeanie, what would you like me to buy you once I get paid?”

“I am currently running at peak performance, and have no requirements.”

I smiled and leaned back in my chair. I usually found scuttled and abandoned cargo, then sold it for profit. Scavenging was a less aggressive form of piracy, and usually safer, since you didn’t have to carry out threats of violence. Unfortunately, such cargo tended to be scarce, and had been more so lately. So, when I’d stumbled into an opportunity to carry cargo, I jumped at the chance. An extra bonus for speedy delivery didn’t hurt matters.

I took another sip of the Vladirian liquor and put it away. There needed to be something left to celebrate my fortune.

“ETA?”

Jeanie ignored my question. “I’m picking up a ship on medium range sensors.”

The hair on the back of my neck rose. “Show me.”

My view screen lit up along the front wall of my bridge. A couple kilpars in length, the lines of the ship were smooth, tapering from the nose to a constant, rectangular cross-section around the first quarter of the hull. Near the back of the ship, I could see bell-shaped nozzles behind four embedded engines, darkened against the starfield. I recognized the configuration, but wanted some confirmation.

“Rulusian freighter?”

She gave the designation. “Green Three.”

I took another look at the sensor screen over my left armrest. “I don’t see any other ships out there.”

“There are none in the vicinity.”

A Rulusian freighter in an alien system, all by itself, made no sense. They often stuck together in vast convoys, to give themselves a better defensive position through sheer numbers.

“Status of the freighter?”

“Engines and main power are down, backup systems are in effect. No shields, no weapons charged.” She paused a moment. “No life signs.”

With the condition of the ship and no crew, I wondered what happened. Then a smile crossed my lips. I was a scavenger pirate at heart and wasn’t about to let a prime opportunity escape.

“Any cargo in the bays?”

Jeanie was hesitant. “Yes.”

“Well,” I chuckled, “what is it?”

“I’m picking up signs of cargo without accompanying records in the transport manifest.”

Contraband.

My smile grew. Rulusians were usually law-abiding. I had no idea why one of their ships would be hauling illegal cargo, but with three open bays on my ship and plenty of time to spare, there was only one thing on my mind.

Jeanie was too smart for her own good. “The logic of this situation does not compute.”

“It’s nice you worry about me, but I’ll be fine.” I nearly laughed at the thought of a machine with feelings.

She remained silent.

“Access their computer, and drop their cargo.”

“Unable to comply.”

If she wasn’t programmed to obey, I would have been upset. There had to be something wrong.

“Explain.”

“The on-board systems were placed under a command-level lockout by the Captain of the vessel. Only the Captain can remove it.”

I clasped my hands behind my head and sighed as Green Three grew larger in the view screen. Finding the freighter made me think my luck was turning for the better. Now, the situation was tougher than it first seemed. My thoughts drifted to the state of the ship.

“Looks like they didn’t want anyone else gaining control. Maybe they abandoned her.”

“That theory appears plausible.”

I ran my hands through my dark brown, wavy locks, then massaged the tension out of the back of my neck. “I guess I’ll just have to go over and drop it manually. Move us to the starboard docking port.”

******

(Note, if you post the blurb and the excerpt in the same spot, it will only be worth 5 points, not 6)

To receive 1 "Promotion Point": Simply give a shout-out for Heroes Die Young, including a reason why people should read it, along with a link to AstonWest.com, my book's page on Amazon, and my book's page on Fictionwise.

Link to AstonWest.com: http://astonwest.com
Link to my book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Heroes-Die-Young-T-Hunter/dp/1897445784/
Link to my book on Fictionwise: http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/eBook74975.htm

Now, just a few ground rules...

-Any entry must stay up for a minimum of 30 days. Any entry that gets deleted or removed before that time will obviously not count.

-Send me an e-mail (to engrboy at msndotcom, with a subject of "Promotion Points Entry" to avoid being deleted as spam) containing a link to where your entry is so I can keep your tally accurate. I'll respond to your e-mail with your current "Promotion Point" total, so if you don't see something back in a few days, be sure to let me know.

-No cheating...anyone found sabotaging others will be disqualified (I don't imagine that will be a problem, but one never knows how vicious people will get with free stuff involved).

Now, most of all, have fun and help spread the word of Heroes Die Young!

Weekly Goals - May 26, 2009

Sans internet access, things were hopping this week. It doesn't bode well for my future time spent on the internet, though.

Also, be sure to check back early next week for a special offer I'll be putting out for some special folks.

Results for this week:

1. Approximately 9000 words edited on The Cure

And now the goals for this coming week:

1. Edit 2000 words on The Cure
2. Submit 1 story from list of rejections

Submission status for the week:

Short stories:
"Some Assembly Required" (since May 18)
"Collateral" (rejected, need to re-submit)
"Entrapment" (since December 24)
"Profit and Loss" (rejected, need to re-submit)
"Trust" (since February 14)
"Deadly Decisions" (rejected, need to re-submit)

Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals

Weekly Goals - May 19, 2009

Unfortunately, with four rejections in this past week, it's been a little tough to get motivated. Hoping for better results this coming week...

Results for this week:

1. Approximately 1500 words edited.

And now the goals for this coming week:

1. Edit 2000 words on The Cure

Submission status for the week:

Short stories:
"Some Assembly Required" (rejected, re-submitted May 18)
"Collateral" (rejected, need to re-submit)
"Entrapment" (since December 24)
"Profit and Loss" (rejected, need to re-submit)
"Trust" (since February 14)
"Deadly Decisions" (rejected, need to re-submit)

Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals

Weekly Goals - May 12, 2009

Results for this week:

1. Approximately 1700 words edited.
2. Completed all publisher edits for Friends in Deed.

And now the goals for this coming week:

1. Edit 2500 words on The Cure

Submission status for the week:

Short stories:
"Some Assembly Required" (since April 8)
"Collateral" (re-submitted May 7)
"Entrapment" (since December 24)
"Profit and Loss" (since February 10)
"Trust" (since February 14)
"Deadly Decisions" (since May 3)

Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals

Guest Blogging Today!

I'll be guest-blogging over at The Writers Vineyard and You Gotta Read today! I'll also be giving away a free print copy of Heroes Die Young to one lucky commenter on each blog, so be sure to stop by both and say hi!

Weekly Goals - May 5, 2009

Went a little overboard on the publisher edits this week, but is that really a bad thing?

Results for this week:

1. Not started.
2. Went through one full edit of Friends in Deed.

And now the goals for this coming week:

1. Edit 2500 words on The Cure
2. Complete all publisher edits for Friends in Deed

Submission status for the week:

Short stories:
"Some Assembly Required" (since April 8)
"Collateral" (rejected, need to re-submit)
"Entrapment" (since December 24)
"Profit and Loss" (since February 10)
"Trust" (since February 14)
"Deadly Decisions" (re-submitted May 3)

Aston West
novels
short stories
writing goals