David MacNamera's Blog: David MacNamera Blog

Hi everyone,

Our scheduled sale of "Search For The Centuries Prize" is happening 4/18 to 4/25. Pick up a Kindle copy for just .99 cents during that seven day period.

You can also gift copies by supplying Amazon with the email of your recipient and they will email a Kindle copy to any person of your choice.

I've been flattered by some of the nice reviews the book has collected so far, and I'm looking forward to new creative projects now that the final version of this book is finished.

Thanks again and have a great day!

Hi everyone,

I apologize but it seems Amazon got the dates of my .99 cent Kindle promotion mixed up.

Instead of 3/18 to 3/25, they recorded it as 4/18 to 4/25.

And they won't allow me to change the price for the next 6 weeks to "keep the shopping experience consistent"!

So my deepest apologies, but the .99 cent Kindle price can now be had only between 4/18 and 4/25.

Please mark your calendars and stop by for a .99 cent Kindle copy when the price promotion runs on 4/18/24 to 4/25/24.

Sorry about the confusion!

Best wishes,

David MacNamera

Hi everyone!

I've completed the final version of Search For The Centuries Prize.

I'll launch a Giveaway soon, plus other promotions.

If this title seems a little redundant, it's because I had written three previous iterations.

However, the latest iteration has allowed me to develop more modern writing techniques.

I consider this my first [professional release.

Hi everyone!

I'm pleased to announce the release of the thoroughly re-edited 7 Spirits, 4 Friends: Search for the Centuries Prize, complete with a flashy new cover by VilaDesign.net .

You can find the re-release here:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...

Anyone who would like a free copy in return for an unbiased review just message me your public email address and request before 3/20/2022 to take advantage of our special re-release promotion.

Warm regards and best wishes,

David MacNamera

Hi everyone,

Don't miss the exciting release of the newly re-edited edition of Stjepan Cobets' instant sci-fi classic Godeena.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

I might add that yours truly had the pleasure of working as an editor on the new edition closely with Stjepan and I can attest to the exciting and entertaining read the new edition makes now that some of the language barrier challenges have been reduced or eliminated.

Stop by Amazon to pick up your own copy today, and if you twist our arms, I think we could probably see our way clear to provide you with a free Kindle version in exchange for your unbiased and honest review. Just let me know!

Warmest regards,

David MacNamera

Hi everyone, thanks again for your interest in '7 Spirits, 4 Friends' and for your comments and opinions about the story.

I love to read how the story development impacts the readers and what conclusions readers draw from a novel.

I like to address points that reviewers raise by commenting on them in the blog posts, so in no particular order of appearance here are some answers to various points made by reviewers:

1. The reason most dangers are near-misses is that if the characters get killed it will ruin the story! I have been a little disappointed by a society that now seems to insist on seeing groups of friends engaged in in-fighting with each other, plus deaths happening on a regular basis. Neither of those two things is necessary in life or in literature, and I like to make a place in the literary world where discipline and mutual respect still exist.

2. The names of all characters were drawn from period databases of names, to make sure they are all authentic to the time and culture where each character supposedly originates. So if any of the names seem strange, it's only because that's how they really named people hundreds of years ago!

3. Ice cream jacket means the type they wore in an old-time ice cream parlor, with a fancy straw hat. Oswyn was from the 1880's so that's the kind of striped-vest and white-shirt look I was going for with Oswyn's appearance. I suppose I should qualify historical references more thoroughly since some readers may be of very young ages and may not get some of the references made.

4. Languages that appear in the book are Spanish, French, Dutch, Japanese, and Chinese (and of course English), we were just trying to sound out the words phonetically, not trying to represent the writing traditions of all of those different languages, which I think most readers couldn't attest to one way or the other given the breadth of languages involved and this being just a simple ghost story.

5. Grammarly and the "Needs Editing" meme, I guess with cues for writing constantly popping up from the software (just like now!), most modern computer users are going to cede their own thinking on language to programs like Grammarly. I suppose I'll have to integrate Grammarly from the start of new projects from now on to avoid the "Needs Editing" trolls since we'll all be using the same software program by that point. Still, I was considering having our store sell some "Needs Editing" T-shirts in honor of the meme, lol, just let me know what your favorite colors of shirts are!

6. One comment states that points were raised and they were not brought up again. The novel is streamlined to present the readers with just what they need to watch the story unfold. If any reviewer can email me some examples of critical plot points being left out then I will certainly address them, otherwise, I believe that the quicker pacing which the story has now is what modern readers are more interested in, rather than the exhaustive elucidation of a long list of story elements.

7. One comment asserted that there was more telling than showing going on. It's funny when people read what you wrote because sometimes you wonder what they actually saw! I specifically designed this story to only show actions as characters were doing them, and almost exclusively that is how all scenes in the book are written. In my opinion, the reader doing and seeing all actions along with the participating characters is the very definition of showing the action to the reader! Lol, but I'll look into the concept more and see if I can utilize even less narrative than the already tiny amount I included in this novel.

Thanks again for your interest, and please keep the great feedback coming! All comments are welcome!

Regards,

David MacNamera

Hi MacNamera Blog Followers!

I'm pleased to announce the pre-release of a new spiritual adventure story about 4 young friends on a mysterious quest involving the spirit world, it's called '7 Spirits, 4 Friends'.

We're happy to offer all 15 followers of our blog as of today 9/10/2021 a complimentary pre-release copy.

I can send you a gift Kindle copy for Kindle devices and for the free Kindle Reader app from Amazon. Or I can send you a paperback copy.

If you'd like a Kindle version then just DM me with an email address to send the gift to, or if you'd like a paperback copy then send me an address you're comfortable having Amazon mail the paperback to and I'll get it out to you soon.

The Pre-Release will go out around September 15th, and a Premium Giveaway is scheduled to run from Oct 2nd - Oct 31st to tie in with the spiritual/Halloween theme of the story.

If you request a free copy and enjoy the story I'd really appreciate you reviewing the book on Goodreads and Amazon with your honest and unbiased opinion.

Thanks for following our blog, and see you all soon with the pre-release of '7 Spirits, 4 Friends'!

Below is the back of book blurb for the new novel:


7 Spirits, 4 Friends

Mistakes, injustices, and things left undone. These are the regrets of our lives. But do they have to be?

Four friends meet from around the world, Gus, Flora, Consuela, and Niiro. Each has a rare gift for contacting those who lived before us. They put aside their personal problems to band together in a globe-trotting race against time, in a hunt for the ultimate spiritual attainment, the long sought after 'Centuries Prize'. But what is the Centuries Prize?

Lost for millennia, its exact nature is unknown. The Friends must battle ignorance, mystery, and The Opposition to find the ancient trophy, before the clock runs out on their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

They're joined by interested spirits, both good and evil, who lived across the spectrum of history. Along the way the four friends must discover whether it's the journey, or the destination, that really makes us who we are.

Come along with the Friends and their associates, on a quest for enlightenment in 7 Spirits, 4 Friends. It's the feel-good ghost story of the season.

Hi everyone,

I had a new idea for a possible supernatural/thriller/action story. Basically the idea is that the spirits of seven different people throughout history are locked in some kind of dangerous conflict with each other. All the spirits come from complex people who have complicated life histories. They change sides in the conflict often, and they cover the range from evil to good, and back again.
In the modern day (now), there are 4 friends with totally different backgrounds who are all spiritual savants. They get caught up in the seven spirits' conflict and act as possession vessels and communication conduits between the physical world and the spirit world as the whole story plays out on a big stage that spans the whole world, going to historic sites, unknown hidden places, and everyday places as well.

I haven't decided what exactly the big, long-running conflict will be about, but here is the proposed first page of the book. What do you think? Story sound interesting? Does it have any legs? Do you think the first page below is a good setup for the novel?

-----------------------------------------------------
Chapter One
Many Roads Lead to One

As the sun rose early in the morning outside a small farmhouse in the desert-filled Southwest, its warm beams fell across an ordinary type of family farm. Surrounded by dry plains, with occasional green points filled will assorted trees near the meandering river, the scene revealed a traditional view of Americana farm life in the south west United States.
Pens for goats and chickens, neat rows of corn, and assorted vegetable patches surrounded a much loved, but well-worn small home. As the morning sun shined in through the windows for the thousandth time, the rays fell on a humble, but proud interior. Worn, hand-sewn rugs lay haphazardly across old hardwood floors that had kept a good polish, despite all the years of doing rural duty in the home.

Across from the mantle-piece filled with souvenirs, the hanging pictures, maps, and water colors on the walls, and in front of a low, worn out coffee table, sat a man in his thirties, on an old couch, with a cup of coffee on the armrest beside his relaxed hand. He was wearing what you'd expect a farmer in such a house to be wearing. Worn jeans, a plaid red shirt, cowboy boots, and a white, straw cowboy hat.
Sitting there quietly on the couch in the early morning, the young brown haired man seemed to be the epitome of calm. Nothing stirred or made any noise in the small farm house, and except for the slightly steaming cup of coffee beside the man's hand on the armrest, nothing seemed remarkable or dynamic there in any way. Except for the sheathed Chinese broad sword leaning against the arm of the couch, just inches from the coffee cup and the man's resting right hand.
With a ripping noise, the man could hear the fragile old front screen door being pulled off its hinges. With a loud bash the glass and wood front door collapsed into the front hallway. In seconds a man with red hair, but dark brown eyes, wearing an ordinary business suit and carrying a long Persian saber, entered the living room where the farmer was waiting.
"Where's Qing Lee Chuan?" he demanded in rough Middle East accented English.
"She'll be along." the farmer answered in a soft, rural accent. He then closed his blue eyes sharply, and just as sharply reopened them. Now his eyes were black!
"Colonel Kumar." said the farmer, in a surprisingly higher pitched tone.
"Hmm." responded the Colonel.
In a flash, Qing swept the hot coffee cup off the armrest and sent it flying towards the Colonel. In the same motion she clutched the handle of the broadsword, drawing it out in a flash, and jumped up flying across the living room toward Colonel Kumar.
.......to be continued.
----------------------------------------------------

If the setup and storyline leave you with any impressions that you'd like to share then please let me know what you think. And if you're not comfortable posting openly on the blog then feel free to direct message me with any thoughts you might have.

Warm regards and Happy Holidays,

David MacNamera

Hi gang!

I realized that I forgot to write my Author's biography, so I spent today writing one up. It's now posted on my Author's page, and it's copied below in this post. Let me know what you think of it! Cheers, David


David MacNamera Biography:

David MacNamera is a part-time writer of a certain age who has lived in the Great Pacific Northwest for the last twenty two years. Always living his life according to the principles of fleeting time and personal Renaissance-style development, David wasted no time leaving an abusive alcoholic home at eighteen years of age and working his way across the US. Then working though University, earning a degree in Business Information Systems with a minor in Mandarin Chinese, traveling the world, perfecting his spoken French and Chinese, and meeting hundreds of people in countless places.

David has worked in a wide range of industries, including systems design, manufacturing, computer programming, and Internet-based software system creation for some of the biggest companies in the world. As well as being an accredited English as a Second Language teacher in Asia for eight years, a 'professional traveler' (lol), a baker, waiter, almost a candlestick maker, and a small business owner.

For the last eleven years David has devoted his time to running a personal support agency which provides skills training and social integration to adult clients with developmental disabilities, such as autism, Asperger's, and cerebral palsy, among many other conditions. David is an accredited holder of the ACRE certification, through UMass Boston. (Association of Community Rehabilitation Educators).

Lately, David has developed an interest in writing Science Fiction, and may branch out to Non-Fiction for teaching, training, and historical analysis works of various kinds in the future.

David is a semi-pro organic gardener who might turn pro soon, and it's currently a toss up between 'produce farmer' or 'big rig truck driver' as to the next professional title that David will hold, whenever he's ready for that. And in-between writing new titles, of course.

Hi Team One and David MacNamera followers!

To thank our current followers for your support, I'd like to offer members who are followers of our channel as of today (8/1/2020), a free ARC copy of the soon-to-be-released "Team One, Orion's People"

If you're currently a follower of our channel, and if you'd like to receive a free ARC of the new book before the Giveaway starts (around 8/10-8/17) then just reply to my account. I'll be happy to send you the ARC within 1 week from today (8/1), as we continue to put the very, very, final touches on the release edition.

Thanks for your support in following our channel. The reviews that some of you posted were very helpful to me in formulating and creating the second book in the series. If you give the sequel a try, I think you'll find it two or three times more complex and engaging than the origin story was. Origin stories are always slower, as the main characters have to develop along until they attain their mature identities. In addition, the writer must build the whole world that the characters live in, and that can become "work related" so to speak! :-)

But sequels are more fun, since all the characters can just jump in fully formed and get active right off the bat.

And just to make it official, if you do request and receive a free ARC file of "Team One, Orion's People" then there is no expectation that you will write any review of the book, positive or negative. In addition, any decision to review the ARC, and all content of any such review should one be submitted, is entirely up to your discretion, no strings attached or expected.

For readers who are listed as our followers as of today, 8/1/2020, the free ARC offer remains in effect basically until the end of the year.

Thanks again, take care and stay safe!

David MacNamera