A Book contest

[Rescue Dog]

Not exactly Ripper related, but I thought I'd mention that Rain Publishing of Ontario, who will be releaseing my next novel 'Glastonbury' in April, have donated an advance copy of the novel which is available to the winner of a simple contest.

The novel is a mystery thriller which takes place in and around...(wait for it)... Glastonbury! It combines the modern setting with hints of Arthurian legend, the beginnings of English Christianity and a thoroughly modern mystery. Sex, lies, murderr, mystery and deceit all have a a part to play in the unravelling of the mystery and I thought that the avid readers among the members might like a chance to enter the contest.

I've copied the details below, and hope that one or two of the members might like to take part. Please note that the contest doesn't open until March 1st.

Best regards

Brian:canada:

WIN A COPY OF 'GLASTONBURY' BY BRIAN L PORTER!

Rain Publishing have generously agreed to donate an advance copy of 'Glastonbury' to the winner of this simple to enter competition. In order to have a chance of winning a first edition of this latest mystery thriller from the pen of Brian L Porter, just follow the simple entry rules below. No purchase is necessary to enter the contest.

The contest:

Contained within the pages of the website 'Glastonbury the Novel' you will find references to certain characters who appear in the book. In order to win a free copy of 'Glastonbury, just answer a simple question relating to them for the chance to win your free copy.

To seek the answer visit www.glastonburythenovel.webs.com (http://www.glastonburythenovel.webs.com/)and then send your answer in an e-mail, which should include your name and postal address, to the author at whitechapeljack@toucansurf.com (whitechapeljack@toucansurf.com)

Thecontest begins March 1 2008 andwill close on the 31st March. At that time all correct entries will be placed into a draw, and the first one pulled out of the hat will win a free copy of the novel. Good luck to everyone!

Immediate family members of each author, the author him/herself and all Rain Enterprises Staff are not eligible to participate. Co-authors of the Rain Publishing family are not eligible to enter a fellow authors contest.

[How Brown]

Dear Brian:

Thanks for making this thread for the folks !

By the way, I recieved your book yesterday afternoon through the store in Portland,Oregon...and having begun reading it at night.:high5:

[Rescue Dog]

Hello How,

Thanks for buying 'A Study in Red'. I sincerely hope you enjoy it, and am so glad that you've chosen to read it at night. It will add to the atmosphere I'm sure!
:behindsofa:

I'm currently half way through Bill's 'The Seduction of Mary Kelly' and thoroughly enjoying every word of it.

Best regards

Brian:high5:

[How Brown]

Brian...

Thats great that you got a copy of Bill's work !!

Maybe you would like to discuss it along with me on Rippercast ( Jon Menges' show which features Robert McLaughlin and Lord Bulwer-Covell...the latter knighted recently for sterling investigative work in London )...when you are finished. If you enjoyed "Book One"...wait until you read "Book Two" of The Seduction.

I've read and highly recommend,as does anyone else who has read them Jana Oliver's two fiction works, Sojourn & Virtual Evil...which features a cool butler named Howard Brown....and a few more short stories....so maybe you would like to break out the old wallet...buy a microphone compatible with SKYPE and discuss Ripper Fiction on the program with yours truly.

I was made for media and a natural "star"...maybe you are too but you just don't know it yet. Think it over,big guy.

[Mike Covell]

I mentioned this to Jonathon when he mentioned a fiction show.
It's a great idea, and I look forward to it, and another comp!!

Mike:playball:

How, there also several movies and tv shows with guys called Howard Brown,
http://www.imdb.com/find?s=char&q=howard+brown

[Rescue Dog]

Hey How,

I'll give that some serious thought. I'm not the world's best at computer stuff, seeing it as virtually nothing more than a glorified tool for my writing, but I'll explore the microphone thingy and see what can be done.

Hmm, I didn't know Bill had written a sequel! I'm giving nothing away of course, but there will be s equel to 'A Study in Red', once again set in the modern era, and when you've finished the book you might undertand why it will be called 'My Name is Jack'.

Thanks for the offer, it sounds great!

Best regards:high5:

Brian

[Rescue Dog]

Hey Mike, you keep winining everything! We'll have to devise some really hard ones for you to enter. Mind you this time, you can get it right and still have to rely on the luck of the draw from all the coreect entries. Good luck!

By the way, are you any good at mathematical problems too?

Brian:playball:

[How Brown]

Brian:

Bill's book is divided into two parts...he hasn't written a sequel yet. Sorry for the confusion.

Yeah,Lord Bulwer Covell is rackin' 'em up ain't he?

I heard rumors that they wanted to make him Head Lobotomizer of the LH when he visited there.

Had I known he was really selected to perform lobotomies at the LH, I wouldn't have scheduled mine for this weekend and I'd have waited until I reached the beach next year when I invade England. I wanna see how the British have been taking care of my ancestral home...

[Rescue Dog]

Now I'm with you How. I'm currently up to page 302 so must assume I'm almost at Part Two.

Ah, good old lobotomy eh? Can't beat it as a general cure all, or so our Victorian forefathers believed. The way my mind works when I'm writing sometimes make me think I might have been lobotomized at birth, then again, I think it's what we call writer's block nowadays. Everything goes blank, a white mist descneds over my brain and I just sit staring at the computer screen until coherent thought returns. (My wife says I've fallen asleep but I don't believe a word of it.)

You could of course always arrange to be lobotomized on the beach which would allow you to soak up the sun while being 'seen to'. You could then recuperate 'in situ' without having to go to all the trouble of taking up a hospital bed. Doctor Mike could use his portable kit! I must stop, I'm quite getting into this, and may even write a book about it! lol

Best regards

Brian:tape:

[Mike Covell]

Hi Guys, i just heard the word "Free" and my Hull "Spidey Senses" perked up!!

I am awful at maths, really bad, especially when it comes to money and stuff:banghead:

Mike

[Rescue Dog]

Ah, at last gentlemen. We have the key to Mike's dedication to the art of competition. The key word is 'free' which to any Yorkshireman is of course music to the ears. (I know, I'm one myself) However, he's now admitted to being useless at maths, so the next 'free' contest should be a mathematical puzzle of Einstein-like proportions. He'll probably still win it, but it might just take him a little longer to find the answer. (He'll probably got to Wikipedia).
So, I'll see thee Mike. I'm off to start formulating a diabolical mathematical problem.

Good luck with the Glastonbury contest by the way!!

Best regards to everyone in Hull from all of us in Donny!

Brian:smow:

[Mike Covell]

Hi Brian,
I now have a calculator, and with socks and shoes off can count up to 20 unaided.

I hope all is well in the sunny isle of Doncaster, it has been freezing cold, wet and windy.
Last year I was told i would not be able to work for 6 months to a year but recieved a letter to state "what I am doing to find work", I braved the Hull weather for the advisor to sit me down and state,
"It says here you can't work!!"
:banghead:

Mike

[Rescue Dog]

Hi Mike,

You can't beat the wonderful world of officialdom can you?

I hope you have some powerul batteries for your fingers and toes, er sorry, I mean for your calculator. I'm going through my list of recommended reading on the mathematicallaws of probablity as used in the world of applied science at the very threshold of cutting edge bio-technology, in the hope of coming up with a free competition that might take you more than five minutes to solve. It should only take me a year or two to formulate it, so please, don't go away!

Donny is wild, wet and windy today, my dogs can hardly stay upright on four legs, never mind me on only two!

Best regards

Brian:faint:

[Rescue Dog]

The free to enter contest to win a copy of my forthcoming novel 'Glastonbury' is now open. To enter please visit the website at www.glastonburythenovel.webs.com (http://www.glastonburythenovel.webs.com)
Good luck to everyone!
Brian


Are you listening Mike?:director:

[Mike Covell]

That was a good comp, I have entered Sir, now for the waiting game.

:playball:

Mike

[Rescue Dog]

That was a good comp, I have entered Sir, now for the waiting game.

:playball:

Mike

Thanks Mike, I'm glad you enjoyed searching for the answer to that little teaser. Somehow, I just knew you'd be the first member of the JTR forums to send in your entry. Now, as you say, the waiting game begins. The draw to find the winner from all the correct entries will take place on April 1st, but I promise no spoofs about naming the winner! Good luck to you, (and all the other entrants of course), and thanks for taking the time to visit the Glastonbury the Novel website and entering the contest.

Best regards

Brian:clap2:

[Rescue Dog]

There are now just 12 days left for anyone who wishes to have a go at the contest to win a copy of my forthcoming novel, 'Glastonbury'. This book will be of interest to anyone who enjoys a tale of mystery, suspense, sex, lies, murder and deceit. There's a historical slant, a modern setting and a hint of Arthurian legend thrown in for good measure.

To enter, just go to the website at www.glastonburythenovel.webs.com (http://www.glastonburythenovel.webs.com) and answer one simple question.

Best regards

Brian:typing:

[Mike Covell]

a tale of mystery, suspense, sex, lies, murder and deceit.

I get that watching the news everyday, especially near election time:whoo:

[Rescue Dog]

I get that watching the news everyday, especially near election time:whoo:

Yeah Mike,

But reading my book's more fun, I promise, you can read it in the bath, and it last a lot longer than a news bulletin!!!! (Thanks for your entry, by the way)

Brian:bathbaby:

[Mike Covell]

Hi Brian,

As I usually get showers reading in the bath isn't recomended!!

[Rescue Dog]

Hi Brian,

As I usually get showers reading in the bath isn't recomended!!

There's always one isn't there? OK, you can read it in bed, in the car, (when not driving of course), while sunbathing, (unusual in Hiull I know), ot better still, while enjoying a long. relaxing masage!

Best regards

Brian:emptybath: (Then again...:rain:)

[Mike Covell]

I usually read when the kids are in bed and the wife is watching soaps on tv!!

Our Garden is a suntrap so I usually sit in there during summer, however last year it was about a Foot under water so I didn't bother!!

It actually got so deep, i went out minus socks and shoes, to try and get rid of the water, I gave up in the end and went to buy some wellies, it got so severe we put the kids upstairs whilst i was carrying buckets into the street!!

Its always fun in Hull:whoo::eyebrows:

[Rescue Dog]

It always seems to do that when you leave the shower turned on doesn't it? At least you could have a paddle without going to the beach!

Seriously though I know it was bad as we had a bit of a time of it here as well in Donny.

Brian:typing:

[Rescue Dog]

In an e-mail I received two days ago the CEO of Rain Publishing, who were due to release 'Glastonbury' in foru weeks, informed that due to personal health reasons, the publishing company wil be closing with effect from 15th April. She has what appears to be an aggressive and as yet un-named, (though easily guessed at), illnesswhich is life-threatening and she has to devote all of her time to trying to beat it. This means that 'Glastonbury' is now back to square one, as she will be releasing me and her other authors from our contracts and I must seek another publisher for the work.

This is mega-disappointing, and also means that the contest to win a free copy of the book is also now null and void, for which I can only apologise to all of those who took the time and trouble to enter.

I have already begun submitting the manuscript to other publishers, both independently and through my literary agent, and I hope it won't be too long before another publisher can be found for 'Glastonbury' and that the book will eventually appear as planned in paperback, though unfortunately, not as per it's original schedule.

Best regards to everyone.

Brian:banghead:

[Mike Covell]

Thats a shame buddy, keep at it though and it will get done, I have every faith in you Brian.

Just keep fighting:boxing:

[How Brown]

Mike's right Brian. Of course, it will get done.

Keep in mind the current success of "A Study In Red"...and let that fill your mind and not this temporary setback. Keep your chin(s) up, old man !

[Rescue Dog]

Thanks Mike, thanks How, I appreciate your support. I've already sent 'Glastonbury' to two other publishers and it will be going to a few more before the end of the week. My agent did find one who was willing to take it straight away, but they weren't quite big enough to handle it, as 'Glastonbury' is quite a major work, and has a whole series of follow-up novels queueing up behind it.

As for now, I shall 'shelve' the novel I'm currently working on which is the follow-up to 'Glastonbury' and, guess what? I've just written the introduction and first chapter of 'My Name is Jack'! Thankfully, 'A Study in Red' was with a different publisher to Glastonbury, and yes How, it is selling very well indeed, so I must have done something right with that one, so I might as well crack on with the sequel, and get it to the publisher asap. :typing:

I'm still pig sick about 'Glastonbury' of course as it was so close to its release date, but I do have three other paperbacks due out this year, so I must be grateful for that. Most people who write a book in their lifetime are very lucky to even have that one work published(self-publishing and vanity publishing aside), so I do consider myself very fortunate indeed to have found publishers out there who want to invest their cash in producing my work. So, as 2008 progresses, keep your eyes out for the paperback versions of 'The Nemesis Cell' 'Avenue of the Dead' and 'Purple Death'.

I won't let the b######s get me down!

Best regards

Brian:boxing:

[Chris G.]

In an e-mail I received two days ago the CEO of Rain Publishing, who were due to release 'Glastonbury' in foru weeks, informed that due to personal health reasons, the publishing company wil be closing with effect from 15th April. She has what appears to be an aggressive and as yet un-named, (though easily guessed at), illnesswhich is life-threatening and she has to devote all of her time to trying to beat it. This means that 'Glastonbury' is now back to square one, as she will be releasing me and her other authors from our contracts and I must seek another publisher for the work.

This is mega-disappointing, and also means that the contest to win a free copy of the book is also now null and void, for which I can only apologise to all of those who took the time and trouble to enter.

I have already begun submitting the manuscript to other publishers, both independently and through my literary agent, and I hope it won't be too long before another publisher can be found for 'Glastonbury' and that the book will eventually appear as planned in paperback, though unfortunately, not as per it's original schedule.

Best regards to everyone.

Brian:banghead:


Hello Brian

Very sorry to hear about this setback. Good luck in placing Glastonbury elsewhere.

Chris

[Rescue Dog]

Thanks for the good wishes Chris.

My agent is working her socks off, and so am I indepentently of her to try and find a new home for this particular novel, and I hope it won't remain in the wilderness for too long. Actually, if I beat her to it I save myself her commission, so that's reason enough for me to try and do it myself!

Brian:banghead:

[Mike Covell]

Were all rooting for you,

Here's something to cheer you up,

I walked into Waterstones and saw the "Ripper Code" on a pile with the heading "Crime Fiction" ha ha :becky:

[Rescue Dog]

Ah, Does that mean that my novel is a 'true crime' one then? lol
It is on sale at Waterstones.com but I think they have correctly listed it under fiction.
http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/displayProductDetails.do?sku=6145786

Thanks Mike

Brian:banghead:

[Mike Covell]

The Waterstones in Hull is usually quite good actually, although they have never had any ripper fiction in, maybe thats why they have moved "Ripper Code" over!!!

They are good at getting maps and stuff though, and the staff are all great!!

I have been to a few book signings they have done which were pretty cool, getting to meet one of my writer researcher heros Timothy Good, who brought out several no nonesense UFO books in the mid 1990's, he was dead nice and signed every book!!!!

One of the staff members in there helped me find a copy of writers and artists year book which i am eternally grateful for!

Today when I went in, it was full of kids running up and down the stairs, one of the floor boards went a bit wobbly and I had a dizzy spell!!!

Must use lifts from now on!!

[Rescue Dog]

Mike,

You could try wearing lower heels to avoid the dizzy spells...lol

Brian:banghead: