I am extremely excited for this event. Can hardly wait until the 28th! Of course, I must thank my graphic artist once again for taking time out of his life to put this together for me. He has come through so many times. I can't thank him enough!
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Help me everyone-Kenobi you're my only hope! But seriously, I could use your help! Things are starting to pick up a little speed, which is very exciting, but it also means that I have less time to get things situated. I currently have a few events I will be attending and a few in the works.
So, I'll cut right to it here. I have just been invited to another bookstore to sign copies of my book. This time I will be the only author there instead of in a group. This event will be on January 28th. I don't have much time to prepare for this one. That's where you come in! I want to spread the word to as many people as I can. To do that, I was hoping to call on you. Please share this post with anyone you know that loves to read and meet authors. Head over to my Facebook page and share the event with your friends and family. Any little bit helps. The book signing will be at New Journeys Books and More in Seffner, Florida. I hope to see many of you there! I must say, I'm really enjoying these author events. I get to meet great people and it's always such fun finding others who love books as much as I do. I'll put the details below and a link to my Facebook page in case you are so inclined to head over. Thanks for reading. You all are great! Local Author, Evan Bond, book signing Local author Evan Bond will be signing copies of his books New Journeys Books and More 11911 East Doctor Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard Seffner, FL 33584 Saturday, January 28th, 2017 1:00pm - 3:00pm Facebook.com/EvanBondAuthor My last character interview was met with a pretty good reception so I thought I would give the main character time of his own. Ethan McCormick will feature in his next adventure later this year in Sins of the Mother. In the meantime, here is an interview with him.
First, what is your occupation? I'm a private investigator now. I used to work for the Miami Police Department before that. Most of my time is given to corporations on worker's comp claims and the other half of my time is dedicated to cheating spouses. Why did you leave your job as an officer? It's a long story, really. The short version, there were things I didn't like about it all. Things I would have wanted handled a different way. I guess I lost faith in the system, somewhat. Would you say your current job is exciting? With the way it's portrayed in movies you would think so. Unfortunately, it's not all gun fights and car chases. I had more of that when I was a cop. But there is a certain type of thrill when you tail a target and they don't know you're there. I know, doesn't sound that glamorous does it? What tools do you use on the job? Well, I always carry a handgun with me, well most of the time that is. Old habit from my police days. Like I said, I don't use it very often. Other than than, I've always got my camera, a recorder, a pen and paper, a thermos of coffee, and my phone. Oh and I keep a lock pick in my shoe at all times. You never know when you'll need a lock pick and I like to keep it concealed. Maybe I miss the action a little too much, huh? Have you had any high profile cases? Not so far. Up until now, everything has been pretty lackluster. I'm still starting out and waiting for those big cases to fall into my lap. I have a feeling one is coming soon. What sets you apart from other private investigators? I have a lot of experience being a cop so I know where to start during investigations. Although, I'm not able to conduct investigations like a cop anymore. That took a lot of getting used to. Other than that, I've got a few friends within the department still who are always willing to lend a hand and provide favors. It gives me a head start on cases, sometimes. What was your biggest failure? About a year ago I let the woman of my dreams die. I was there, I should have done something about it. She was killed by a dirty cop trying to cover his tracks. I failed her. I'm sorry to hear that. How have you moved past this? I met another woman not too long ago. She is kind and understanding. She knows there will always be a special place in my heart for Sandra and doesn't try to take that away from me. Also, I try to live my life the way Sandra would want me to. I know she would approve of everything I've done. Last question, do you have any siblings? If so, what are they like? I have a sister and she's fantastic. We're pretty close. The two of us are always looking out for each other. Valerie has gotten me through some pretty tough times. I love my sister very much. Her husband, Pierce, is pretty great too! Ethan McCormick has no idea what's ahead for him in Sins of the Mother. So far his new career has been pretty boring but all of that is about to change. Don't miss Ethan's next adventure later this year (release date coming soon). I hope you enjoyed the interview with one of my favorite characters I've created. If you haven't read his first adventure, To the Wolves, you should check it out! As always, thanks for reading.
My next novel, releasing this year, will be book two in the Ethan McCormick series. That being said, there's a new character being introduced who is very crucial to the story. I thought it would be fun to introduce him to you in the form of an interview. So, without further delay, Meet Detective Winchester.
Detective Winchester, what exactly is it you do at the Miami Police Department? I work in the Special Victims Unit for the Miami Police Department. As you've said, I'm a detective. What is your ideal job? A detective, nothing else. That's why I do what I do. What is your biggest regret? A case I worked a long time ago...it didn't go so well. I'd prefer not to talk about it. Fair enough, what about on a personal level? There was this woman who loved me. She was perfect, she was beautiful. But things started to fall apart and we had a falling out. Really all I'll say about it. What do you like best about Ethan McCormick? What do you like least? McCormick? The ex-cop turned private eye? There isn't much to say there. He was a cop but things got too tough for him and he gave up. I like least that he's a quitter. In my opinion, it's a good thing he's no longer a cop. The department doesn't need weak people. What items do you carry on you at all times? Well, being a detective, I've always got my gun on me. Otherwise, wallet and keys, I guess. When were you the happiest? Before that case a long time ago. Things were better then. Do you consider yourself an optimistic or a pessimistic? Neither, I consider myself a realist. I don't see the glass as half full or half empty. I see the piss it's filled with. Some people mistake that for pessimism. When you try to see the world in only a positive or negative light you end up missing the gray areas and sometimes they're the most important. What are your religious views? I was raised to believe in God. After taking this job, I've found it harder to keep that going. Some of the terrible things I've seen, some of the poor kids who were taken from the parents. It's hard to accept an all powerful God would allow these things to happen. Under what circumstances do you find killing to be acceptable or not acceptable? Well, being an officer, obviously murder is unnacceptable. Self defense is a justifiable reason to kill someone, however. Also, protecting the people you love most. How do you deal with stress? I do whatever I can to push past it. Instead of getting caught up on stress I focus on my job. If your house were on fire, what would you want to save if you could only save one thing? The liquor cabinet. Last question, after you're gone, what would you want to be most remembered for? For always doing what was right. I would want people to remember that I always tried to help, even at my worst. Even when I pushed people away from me, I would want them to remember it was to save others. Detective Winchester and Ethan McCormick cross paths in my new novel Sins of the Mother. If you'd like to get even more inside info on my next book then consider signing up for my newsletter. I'll be sharing even more inside info with subscribers. My latest newsletter revealed the first chapter of my new novel. Want to read it? Subscribe today! This past weekend I attended my first book signing as a featured author. I thought it would be interesting to tell you how it went and what I might do better next time. Also, if you have experience with book signings, feel free to give me advice in the comments below!
I arrived at Book Swap of Carrollwood just after eleven in the morning. The event started at noon. I wanted to make sure I had enough time to set up and get ready. My books were neatly packed in a box and I had all my business cards and bookmarks in a neat gathering in my bag. Leaving the box and bag under the table, I set up for the event. The other authors there had posters with their names and books on it. I would have done this as well, but I did not have the time before this event. Before too long, I had my books set up on the table in a pile in front of me. Only about six at a time, though. I had read advice to keep the number of books on the table to a minimum. Finally, it was noon and everything was ready to go, save for one author who would not arrive until one. The first hour was a little slow, not many people showed up. The lady running the event frequently came out to talk to us and was very nice. She posted several pictures to the store's social media pages and shared them with all of us. Shortly after one, a few people started to trickle in. One lady in particular stopped by and asked all of us about our books, one at a time. She grabbed several, including mine, and purchased the paperbacks. When she came out of the store, I was able to do my first book signing in an official manner. It was pretty fun, I must say. It's the first time a stranger has asked me to sign anything. The rest of the day was rather slow. A few people showed up occassionally and browsed the books but most left empty handed. It was too bad for all of us authors that it was as slow as it was, but that's the nature of these events. Sometimes, the traffic just isn't there. All in all, it was a great experience and I'm glad I did it. I will be doing another in January and hopefully the event is larger. I learned a lot of what to do next time and what to bring. Another unfortunate thing, I was unable to get copies of my first book, To the Wolves, in time for the event. I had business cards with coupon codes on the back for the paperback but due to the slow event, only ended up giving one out. That being said, I do have quite a few of those business cards left. If you would like one, or rather a picture of one so you can use the promo code, leave a comment below and I will send that to you! It's good for 15% off the paperback. So that was my first book signing. It wasn't as "exciting" or busy as I would have liked but it was a fun experience either way. I learned a lot and I was able to network with other authors, a few readers, and a really cool bookstore. I will be keeping my eye on that place and jumping on any other opportunities they might have. Let me know in the comments below if you have any advice for my next event. I look forward to hearing from you. As always, thanks for reading! If you hadn't heard, my wife is pregnant! Ever since we found out, I've been dying to know the gender. It felt like forever went by before it was time to finally tell. I waited as patiently as I could, which wasn't very well.
Finally, we found out the gender yesterday and we immediately went out to build a bear and created something I know my baby will love! As far as the gender reveal, I won't be able to tell you just yet. We will be telling our families this Sunday, so I'll post something on social media about it then. I'm very excited to meet my newborn baby in May! I'd love to know what your guesses are. Let me know in the comments if you think it's a boy or a girl! I can't wait to share with you the bear we built!
If you've subscribed to my newsletter then you already know the title of my next Ethan McCormick novel. Otherwise, you're about to find out here. If you want to be among the first to see future titles and even the book cover for this very book, then go ahead and sign up. I'll leave a sign up form below.
Let's get to why you are here. You want to know the title of my next book. Well, the title of the next Ethan McCormick thriller is.....wait! Did you read the first one? If not, go pick it up, read it and then come back here. Go ahead, I'll wait for you..........................Done? Alright, let's get back to it then! The title of the next Ethan McCormick adventure is Sins of the Mother. Great, right? But what does it mean? That, you will have to wait for the release of the book to find out. I can't give you too many details yet but I promise I will soon. Next month, I will be giving out the first chapter for free! Interested? Sign up for my newsletter and you'll be able to read the first chapter. I'm very excited for this upcoming release. I don't have a release date available yet but I will soon. This McCormick adventure will be darker than the first and a little bit different. I sincerely hope you like it. I'm sure you will, though! Let me know what you think of the title. Do you love it? Maybe you hate it? Have a theory about what the book is about? Please, let me know in the comments below. I'd love to hear it all! Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter to get the first chapter of Sins of the Mother free next month! As always, thanks for reading! I have some exciting news I would like to share with everyone today. I've been doing a lot of online marketing for my books lately, but soon I will be making a nice jump from digital to physical. Early next year, I will be part of a multi-author event at a local bookstore in St. Petersburg, Florida. This will be my first ever appearance.
There will be other authors from the horror and thriller genres there. Each author will be doing a book signing for their respective books. I will be there as well with both of my published novels, Death Can Wait and To the Wolves. Where is it, you ask? Books at Park Place in St. Petersburg. I don't have all of the details yet as this event is just being put together. The time should be from 6-8 pm. I will be sure to keep everyone posted as to whatever changes as the time draws closer. The event will be on January 13th, 2017. Fun fact, it's the first Friday the 13th of the year! This event has me pretty excited. As I've said, this will be the first author event I've ever attended as an author. It will be a new experience for me and I'm very excited for it. It will be great fun to meet fellow authors and readers alike! I look forward to meeting with everyone! Let me talk a little about the venue. It's a wonderful little bookstore that I happened upon only a week ago. It's probably my new favorite bookstore in the area. They have all kinds of books from paperbacks to hardcovers and even a few comic books. Some of the books are used which means you can save a little money. Books at Park Place also carries some board games and collectors items from popular pop culture like Doctor Who and Monty Python's The Holy Grail. If you've never been there, you really should check it out. If you're unable to make it to the event or live in another state, that's alright. I will make sure to post images to my Instagram page of the event, so follow me there to see it all. It's going to be a lot of fun and I sincerely hope to see you out there! The details to the event can be found here. Check out Books at Park Place's Facebook page and let them know you're coming by clicking here. Let me know if the comments below if you plan on showing up! As always, thanks for reading! I thought I would try something a little different today. If you like it, maybe we'll do more in the future. If not, we can pretend this never happened! So, I present to you, a countdown post of 5 dangers that Luke and Renee Walker face in my novel, Death Can Wait. If you've already read then skip to the ending because you obviously know it all! Show off!
Number 5:DROWNING First, and foremost, they face the terrible danger of drowning. During the course of their story, Luke and Renee are thrown overboard into the stormy, violent ocean. If you've ever accidentally inhaled a lung full of water and gasped for nearly five minutes, certain you were going to die, you know exactly how terrifying this is. Drowning has to be one of the worst ways a person could meet their end. Luckily, for Luke and Renee, they are washed up on an island. That luck doesn't last for very long, however. Number 4: DEHYDRATION I bet you thought number four was going to be murder, right? Why would you think that? Did you read the book? If so, why are you reading this? Well, the very real threat of dehydration doesn't take long to set in. If you washed up on a, seemingly, deserted island without any water, it wouldn't take long for fear to set in. One of your first priorities in this situation is to find some. An island in the middle of the ocean is not guaranteed to have water and no, you can't drink from the ocean. In that case, there are things one can do to collect water from either rain or morning dew. Unfortunately, for Luke and Renee, they don't know these things. Number 3: INFECTION Nope, still not murder. What kind of sick thoughts must you have floating around in that head of yours? An infection in the wild could mean certain death if you don't have any skills to address that wound. Of course, as you've probably guessed, Luke and Renee don't have said skills. It wouldn't take much. If you were climbing a tree in search of coconuts to drink from and fell, breaking a leg, bone protruding from the wound, you could be at risk of infection. A lot of minor injuries could get infected and become life threatening. With no idea if rescue will ever come, they are forced to take chances and deal with the consequences. Number 2: STARVATION I know, I know, you were hoping for murder. Well, murder would be the last thing on your mind when stuck on an island with no hope of getting food. There's no McDonald's in the wild, no delivery service. You have to learn to adapt, catch food to survive. No, Luke and Renee do not have the expertise to create snare traps or craft bows from splintered wood. But, desperate enough, people have the tendency to become crafty. One thing an island should be abundant with? Fish. One must figure out how to catch them. It might be the one shimmering ray of hope for Luke and Renee. Number 1: MURDER Here you go. Here's the one you've been waiting for. Strange that you've been wanting murder as badly as you seem to. That could be problem, but I won't judge. Now, murder might not be a common threat when marooned on an island. Just hope you never wash up on Isla de Lobos, the island Luke and Renee, unluckily, wash up on in Death Can Wait. There is a colony of men who inhabit the island, loving the freedom from government and outsiders. They prey on neighboring countries, raiding ships for supplies. Luke and Renee are seen as a threat and they want them dead. With no skills, no plan, and no rescue, Luke and Renee fight for their lives! You can pick up your copy of Death Can Wait today. The eBook is on sale from now until October 31st for .99¢. Or, if you prefer paperback, you can grab your copy from Amazon, Barnes and Mobile online store or even Books a Million! Get your copy today and let me know if there are any other dangers they face that you would have added to this list! I've always enjoyed reading books like Lord of the Rings or watching movies like all of the Marvel movies. These have really inspired me to create worlds of my own. What I always admired about them was the universe that was created, how all of the individual stories were connected to each other in some way. At the very least, they all happen in the same universe and I have always found that interesting. I think Stephen King is one of the biggest examples of this, in literature at least. Many of his books make reference to other characters or other stories. 11/22/63 references Pennywise the clown, The Dead Zone mentions the massacre at Carrie's school, or The Shop, which is a shady government sector that shows up in several of his novels. I grew up reading Mr. King's work and drew a lot of influence from him, although I write in a completely different genre. The idea of a shared universe among one's creations always inspired and intrigued me. Because of this, I decided that all of my books would exist in the same universe as each other. Which brings me to my point about my latest novel, Death Can Wait. There is a reference to my first novel, To the Wolves. I won't tell you what it is, you'll have to read the books to find it. More surprising, however, is that it makes a reference to a future novel. Again, I won't spoil it but it's a story that I've been working on for a little while now and hoping to get out there soon. For those of you who have read Death Can Wait, or will read it, I will give you a hint. It's a character introduced somewhere near the end of the book. He will be getting his own series. My hope is that my readers enjoy these books and also have fun finding the little Easter eggs I leave in them. A sort of connect the dots, if you will. I know I always have fun reading a book and seeing the reference to others. What do you think? Do you want to find those references? Have you found them already? Let me know in the comments below! And remember, Death Can Wait is on sale from now until October 31st, 2016 for $.99 as an e-book. Pick yours up today! As always, thanks for reading! Ethan McCormick, a Miami Police officer, was born in my mind when I was a teenager. It all started in an English class. My teacher, Ms. Thompson, gave us all a short story assignment. I had been writing horror stories since I was a young kid so I was a little excited about the project. Instead of writing in my particular genre, I branched out with a thriller story. In the story, Ethan's sister, Valerie, is taken hostage by a drug dealer who is seeking revenge on Ethan for crippling his business. Ethan is relatively new on the force but already making waves. He is overcome by his emotions and charges into the building, taking on the hostage taker head on. I won't spoil the outcome for you here. Perhaps I will provide a copy of the short story in a future McCormick novel. Let me know if you would like that. I had fun writing the story but didn't think much else of it. At this point in my life, writing was only a hobby. I never thought of doing it professionally. That changed when my teacher, who I credit with the actual start of my writing career, told me how much she enjoyed the story. That sparked something in me and I started pursuing creative writing classes and even talked with a published author. I got very excited about the whole thing and started writing even more short stories. Starting to focus more on Ethan McCormick, I wrote more stories involving him. I even played with the idea of killing the character off in one of those stories. Luckily, I didn't do that and eventually the thought of a full novel based on this character came to mind. It took me a very long time to finish that novel and come up with a proper plot. It went through so many re-writes, so many plot changes, that the final product was unrecognizable to the "original." Because of all of these short stories I wrote, I felt like I really got to know this character. He was a character I had been working on for many years and had developed a whole family and life for. In my novel, To the Wolves, there are characters present that existed because of later stories. Most of these McCormick stories will never see publication, but I love having parts of them worked into my novel. Fun fact, Ethan's last name was taken from my math teacher in 8th grade. That fact is pretty funny when you consider the fact that math was always my least favorite subject in school. What does that mean? Not a clue. Hello Everyone,
I thought I would take an opportunity to reach out to you and see what kind of content you would like to see from my social media pages or even from this blog. What kind of insight would you like to see? Would you like to see vlogs? Maybe more trailers for my books? Anything you can think of, let me know. I am always looking for ways to engage my readers and keep them entertained!
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ABOUT BONDTo cover up his search history, Evan Bond is a thriller/suspense author. As an outdoor enthusiast and horror lover, Evan Bond enjoys writing stories where the two come together. He lives in Florida with his wife and two sons. |