New Book - Report

...working on it. 8000 words drafted so far. Working title is 'Not Afraid - The Dilemma of AI Plus'

Time to Check Out the Amazon Ratings

We've all been (well, I have) waiting for someone else in Amazon to review Flatline Virus other than RB. It's happened and serves to smooth out the average rating to three stars out of five. Back to sanity.

By the way, Apple (iTunes) shows seven ratings averaging 3.5 stars out of five for Flatline Virus.

Likely Scenarios of Book I am Researching

I am excited about the book I am working on. That is, I'm not writing it yet, but taking notes and researching the material. The various futuristic ideas I believe will stick include the following:
1. The story takes place about a hundred years from now.
2. There will be pre-colonization expedition to Europa, a moon of Jupiter, perhaps the most likely candidate for extraterrestrial life outside of Mars.
3. The 21st century is full of conflict for humanity, at least partly due to the huge technological changes occurring. There are other reasons as well.
4. The world is in danger of an apocalyptic event.
5. Artificial intelligence is reaching human level. This has huge implications for mankind.

My One Amazon Reviewer-For Now

This is Ross' picture from his Amazon reviewer profile.

I'll never know how many potential readers Ross has chased away. He reviewed the book about a week after it was published; and yet, Amazon still remains a strong sales outlet for me. I have only one review from Amazon and it's my best sales channel. I have more from B&N and Apple. Was that one early review responsible? Maybe. I still wonder how he confused my zombie book with a work of William Gibson (the famous author) who would never think of stooping to a book about the re-animation of the dead and sell it at the ridiculously low offering price of $2.99. Ever notice a William Gibson (the famous author) title as compared to the author's name? Very, very different from mine. His name is larger than the title (because it's the draw for readers). I guess Ross was duped by my fabulous marketing effort and compelling cover. Check out Ross' other reviews. My view is that his view is rather negative overall.

Happy July 4th!!!

Here is a 'Flatline Virus' Review Found on the Apple iStore

34% of the books I've sold have been through the Apple iStore. Through Apple, I have six reviews with an average of 4 out of 5 stars. This is one of them. If you click on this image, the print will be easier to read.

Book Price Reduced Temporarily to $0.99 !!!

The time is right (and the price) to buy Flatline Virus: When Zombies Evolved. I want to see what the effect will be on sales, i.e. can I make up the difference between a price of 99 cents versus $2.99 on volume? A 99 cent book is much easier to buy.

Working on a New Book!!!

Although I won't start writing until the Fall, I've started researching and taking notes on a new science fiction novel. No draft title yet. The setting will be Earth, perhaps 100-125 years from now, although I may have scenes from Europa, a moon of Jupiter as well as our moon or Mars, which by that time may be be colonized, to some extent. The Earth will be in conflict for a number of reasons. There is an expedition to Europa for the purpose of determining how habitable this moon may be. Allegedly, there is water aplenty there.

The themes should include Transhumanism, loss of humanity, brain-computer interfacing, cognitive, bio and cyber enhancements, and artificial intelligence.

Try Another Painting vs Photo

OK, I admit, for this one below I took more artistic license. That is, more color saturation, intensity...or for that matter, more color at all. Also, I decided to use different shadows, angled differently. This is a scene at the golf club.

Compare the Photo to the Painting

Here are some more samples of my painting. Please keep in mind that the photo I use may be interpreted in an impressionistic way. That's what I've done. If the color, brightness, intensity doesn't exactly create the image I want, then zowee, I change it. That's artistic license at work.

Thoughts About Material for a New Book

I have been researching the future, say 100-150 years from now. Or at least what the so-called expert futurists are calling for (and many others). I will say it is an eye-opener and great fodder for a science fiction novel. A couple months ago I became fascinated by the term 'singularity'. That got me going, that is, looking into the increasing speed of technology change. That led me into nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, transhumanism, posthumanism, generational space ships, colonization, cognitive enhancement, and much more. So, that's where I'm headed for the next book...not all of the above, but certainly some.

Update on Apple iBook Reviews

Tonight there are six reviews by readers of 'Flatline Virus: When Zombies Evolved' on the Apple iBook app site. These six average 4 stars out of 5.

Barnes & Noble Reporting Sales of Flatline Virus!

My distributor is now showing the sales coming in from Barnes & Noble for Flatline Virus: When Zombies Evolved. The breakdown by sales channel thus far is this by percentage:

Amazon (KDP including US and UK) 50%
Barnes & Noble 32%
Apple iBooks 18%

Finally the Apple iStore Sales Start to Show Up!

Smashwords, my distributor, is now reporting some sales coming through from the Apple iStore (iBooks). They seem to be at a rate about 1/2 or maybe a little less than Amazon, at least now. I also noted today that Amazon is reporting that sales of ebooks are now exceeding those in print for the first time. Ebook sales have been more than hard cover books for a while.

4 Star Ratings on Apple iStore !

I just checked my iBooks mobile app for the Apple iStore where my book is sold. The reviews average 4 stars out of 5. Granted, the average is based on three reviews, but that's hopefully a better indication of reader satisfaction than one review on Amazon.

Paintings vs. Pictures

I usually paint from a photograph. I like to take some artistic license with colors, light, and so forth, but I believe you can see the resemblance between the paintings and the photos they are drawn from. Some artists can make their paintings very, very photorealistic. I wish I could. Maybe in a few years.