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Doing a 24 Hour Sale at $.99 for Hallways in the Night

8/24/2014

As I explore different options to try and increase the exposure and sales for Hallways in the Night, I've decided I am going to enroll my book in Amazon's Kindle Select Program and see how that works.

In advance of that effort, I decided to run a 24 hour sale of Hallways in the Night for 99 cents through Monday.

Click here to be taken to the book's kindle page:

"Fans of early Grisham and Turow will love HALLWAYS IN THE NIGHT"

8/23/2014

Book Review from one of Amazon.com's top 500 Reviewers!

I've been fortunate to get some great reviews for Hallways in the Night. Along those lines, here is a review I was very happy to receive from one of Amazon's top 500 reviewers. It can be found here on Amazon with the full review pasted below. I hope if you are on the fence about reading Hallways in the Night, perhaps this might encourage you to delve in.

Fans of early Grisham and Turow will love R. C. O'Leary's gripping legal thriller, HALLWAYS IN THE NIGHT. The story centers on veteran Atlanta police detective Dave Mackno who fatally shoots baseball superstar Remo Centrella (Atlanta's "home run king") during a late-night encounter. Dave claims Remo, souped up on steroids and alcohol, resisted arrest and tried to kill him, forcing Dave to shoot Remo in self-defense. But the prosecution argues that Dave acted irresponsibly, failing to call for back-up and escalating a situation that should never have gotten out of hand. But what happened the night Remo was killed is just the tip of the iceberg. O'Leary's novel masterfully weaves elements of Dave's trial with Atlanta's political shenanigans, racial tensions, as well as an over-extended team owner trying to come to terms with both a crumbling marriage and the devastation of his franchise. What results is an exciting story that would make one fabulous movie.

The best parts of HALLWAYS IN THE NIGHT are its characters, all of which are richly developed and marvelously complex. Dave is a decent guy, but it's not easy being a white cop in an increasingly black Atlanta, especially when he's working in the city's most dangerous district. Up-and-coming prosecutor Maurice Bass is ambitious and ruthless, with an eye on Congress, but he also has a fascinating history - Bass is a black man raised by white adoptive parents who is determined to assert himself as a leader in Atlanta's African American community. And Ray Manning, billionaire owner of the Atlanta Barons, is juggling an oil venture in Canada, escalating debt, a young trophy wife, and a flagging baseball team without its most important player. Ray knows the governor, and the governor knows Maurice Bass - it isn't long before Dave Mackno is on trial for manslaughter and all of Atlanta is in the grip of a media blitz.

The story is crisply paced and beautifully written - never once does this feel like a "self-published" novel. The legal and political maneuverings are as authentic and believable as anything Grisham has come up with. There's a bit of a twist at the end that was totally unexpected - it caught me off guard and left me putting things together in surprising and satisfying ways. I liked the twist - it worked - and that's saying something. Too many novels end with "twists" that just defy credibility. Not so here. The ending is solid, and that's hugely important in a legal thriller - it also sets up the possibility of another Dave Mackno novel, which would be fantastic! I, for one, can't wait!

The one thing I'm not totally sure of is when this story takes place. Dave mentions having been part of the investigation into the Atlanta child murders in the summer of 1980, as well as the Rodney King riots in 1992. At the start of the novel, just before he encounters Remo Centrella, he's listening to Bruce Springsteen tapes on his Walkman - which suggests a mid-1990's timeframe. It's not a big problem with the story, but I did feel a little disoriented at times, wondering how old these characters are and when the action is taking place.

But this is a very minor quibble, because HALLWAYS IN THE NIGHT is a fabulous read. O'Leary had me from the first page, and I literally found myself not wanting to put the book down once the story got going. I highly recommend this novel for anyone who enjoys realistic, complex, exciting legal thrillers. It's a terrific read. And it really would make a great movie!

Goodreads Group "The Source" is a Great Opportunity for Independent Authors to have their Books Screened and Judged by Readers

8/16/2014

Earlier in the year, as I was looking for opportunities to promote Hallways in the Night, I came across a Goodreads group called The Source which was established as a group that is dedicated to the task of trying to find high quality books written by self-published authors. One of the members analogized the group as an "American Idol for Writers."

The group's mission statement is:

The primary goal of this group is to find the best indie titles out there. We're looking for self-published books that are every bit as good - if not better - than those traditionally published.

I submitted Hallways in the Night and have been following it and the group's process since that time. What is somewhat unique about this group is that the books need to make it through a screening process before the book will be reviewed. The Source is not a book review swap site or even a book promotion site. It's more like a public critique group in which members of the group vote your book up or down. Kind of like America's Got Talent.

The format allows a large number of books to be screened because the screening requirements are not time consuming. In a nutshell (and you can get more details on the screening requirements here) group screens the submitted books based upon 3 factors: 1) Cover 2) The Blurb and 3) The Sample offered via Amazon's Look Inside Feature.

In order to move from the "Books Needing Screened" to the "Books Needing Reviewed" thread, a submitted book needs to garner 5 votes for approval. Similar to the America's Got Talent format where you need to get voted to the next round.

One of the relatively unique aspects of the Group is that the moderators have structured it in a way that allows the reviewers to make their recommendations either public or private. Thus, writers are able to get largely unfiltered feedback on their work. Because of this, writers will need a thick skin--even if your book is approved you're likely to get some critical feedback in the process---but the opportunity to have your book judged by independent screeners is worth it.

The process for writers wanting to submit is easy. You simply post your book in the thread "For Authors and Readers--Pitch Here." And then, you watch and wait as your book moves through the process.

As of last week, Hallways in the Night received the 5th vote of approval needed for it to move from "books needing screened" to "books needing reviewed," so my next step will be to provide 5 reader copies to reviewers interested in reading it. We'll then find out what their verdict is on the book.

This is truly a great opportunity that the Source gives to self-published writers. Over time, I think there is the chance that it can become a trusted voice for this growing segment of publishing.

Finally, The Source is an open group. Any readers who are a member of Goodreads can join. If you're a reader, consider becoming a screener and helping other readers discover some high quality self-published books. Hopefully, you'll also discover some great reads during the process.

tom Swyers Hits a Home Run with his Novel Saving Babe Ruth

8/3/2014

As summer begins to wind down and Pennant races begin to tighten up in preparation for the Fall Classic, author Tom Swyers' debuts with a novel that is truly one of a kind. Saving Babe Ruth is a truly original story that possesses many great elements of story telling.

One of the things that makes Saving Babe Ruth an excellent read is its unpredictability. While I will admit to having had a pretty good sense of how the book would end, I was never exactly sure how Swyers would get there. To use a baseball analogy, Swyers throws plenty of curveballs throughout the book which will keep you guessing throughout the story.

This is a book with enough elements that it's hard to fit it into a single category. While Saving Babe Ruth is definitely, at its heart, a baseball book, it's also a fictionalized memoir and has enough action and suspense that I could make the case it is somewhat of a sports thriller, too.

Saving Babe Ruth tells the story of how its protagonist, David Thompson, a lawyer in upstate New York, tries to save his local Babe Ruth league from being ruined by parents and promoters who stand to benefit (both monetarily and egotistically) by attempting to "professionalize" youth sports.

The book is completely relevant in an era when kids' sports have, at best, been tainted and at worst, almost ruined, by parents who want to live vicariously through the athletic accomplishments of their kids, and the "promoters" who exploit these delusions of grandeur through the continuing creation and proliferation of "travel" "elite" and "All-Star teams." Anyone who has a kid playing in a youth sports league will recognize several of the characters that Swyers creates.

One of the refreshing parts of this book is the way Swyers so clearly delineates between good guys and bad guys. At a time when the line between amateur sports and sports as a business has become as blurry as a batter's box chalk line in the 9th inning of a game, it's nice to spend time rooting for a character with intentions that are completely noble....even if you're not sure if he might decide that his noble ends may justify some questionable means.

In writing this story, Swyers could have easily written a book that was predictable and preachy. But he does not. Instead, he wrote a book with some of the most realistic characters you will come across. As a matter of fact, one of the things I liked best about this book was how real the characters seemed to me. This could likely be due to the fact that the book is, as Swyers discussed in a recent interview on the Guy Who Reviews Sports Books' blog, somewhat auto-biographical. Hence the reason I think it can be categorized as a fictionalized memoir.

In addition to writing a book with a wide cast of characters who are both real and relatable, Swyers did something I found to be very impressive. He created, at least in my mind, a very strong sense of uncertainty in how the book will eventually turn out through his opening scene in which Thompson fires a shotgun at his nemesis, Rob Barkus.

David's reckless act as the book opens made me wonder throughout what the overall arc of the story would be. Will David actually crack and will the final outcome be decided with someone looking into the barrel of a shotgun? Are we dealing with a happy ending or are things going to turn out very bad for some people? As a matter of fact, the opening scene was so original and unexpected that I had a nagging sense of uncertainty throughout the book. It was one of the reasons I kept wanting to turn the pages.

As the story progresses, it builds up to a final confrontation, a battle so to speak, that is completely original and one that would translate well onto the big screen. By the time Swyers reaches this point of the book, I was fully invested in the characters which made this scene even more satisfying. There are a lot of well written scenes in Saving Babe Ruth, but this scene, in particular, gave me a true sense of almost being there in person.

If you're looking for a book to read that has colorful characters, a strong plot-line, and a sense of unpredictability from page one, do yourself a favor and make some time to read Swyers' book. Available on Amazon in both kindle and paperback.

19 5 STAR Reviews on Amazon

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD CHAPTERS
1-5 FOR FREE

From Reveiwers: 

"the courtroom scenes crackle....the setting and dialogue sing with pure authenticity." MenReadingBooks.com 

Tampa Tribune:"this legal thriller is certainly hard to put down."

BookStory: "An edge of the seat legal battle. Unputdownable."

From Readers:

"I had a hard time putting it down."

"5 Stars Across the Board!"

"A cross between John Grisham and Tom Wolfe."

"Hard to Believe this is O'Leary's first novel."

"Great action!"

"Loved every minute of it. Great twist that had my jaw dropped"

Author

R.C. O'Leary author of legal thriller Hallways in the Night.