Hello wonderful friends.

This post I am SO HAPPY to be writing. This morning my paperback copies of Head Above Water are FINALLY ready. This long journey of getting this book out is finally over - having gone from being in my head to being in a notebook to being published as an e-book to now being in paperback. And it has my picture on the back! :-)

I know times are hard for everyone but, if you love a good book, especially a romance book, then please support your book and pick it up! You can get it for $14.99 + S/H at https://www.createspace.com/3795232

ISBN: 978-1470058364
404 Pages

Will be available at Amazon.com in the next few days and I will put the link up for it once it's up and running on their site.

Autographed copies (the only place to get them) can be obtained via my site at http://benjaminjoneswrites.weebly.com/purchase-bens-work.html for $14.99 + $3.00 S/H.



MANY THANKS to all who read over it and helped point out out the seemingly endless list of typos, grammatical mishaps, etc..., etc...

So, tell your friends & family and anyone else that has a jones for a good romance that Head Above Water is available. I appreciate all the support.

Ben.

Morning/afternoon/evening/night everyone (depending on when you're reading this). As the title of this blog post suggests I am one tired brotha, more so mentally but that's trickling down and making me physically exhausted as well. I've been doing SO MUCH lately in regards to H.U.B. and trying to get it going and I just need to take a nice LOOONNNNGGG deep rest.

H.U.B. Volume 1 and 2 paperback is now on Ebay. You can get your copy by clicking HERE.

Set myself up with an Amazon Advantage account and I just got back from sending the first copy of H.U.B. Volume 1 & 2 to their warehouse in Pennsylvania. Also just completed sending the ASN (advanced shipment notice for those that don't know) so they know that it's on the way.

I have sent about a bajillion emails the last few days to independent bookstores scattered across the country in the hopes that one of them will take a chance and let me put my book in their stores. So far only a couple have responded but it's only been a day so I'm going to work on being patent. I will keep you posted on what happens with that. Wish me luck.

Booked my room at the Sheraton for Soonercon 20 in Oklahoma City, OK for June 3rd thru 5th. If you're in the area stop by and say hi at the HUB table!

I visited the bookstore by my house that my book is in and he hadn't sold any copies over the last week. Sales of the Kindle and Nook have hit a decline as well but I KNOW that those things are temporary.

There is a contest going on for a signed copy of H.U.B. Volume 1 and 2 via Goodreads.com. There are two copies that I'm giving away so, if you want to enter, and you know that you do, visit the Contests portion of my page and click the link!

Let's see, what else is going on?!?! Work continues on Head Above Water (writing at home then typing up the results at work during lunch). Also, waiting to get feedback on H.U.B. Volume 3: The Tipping Point from my good friend Benjamin Rogers.

I think that's it for the time being. More later....

On a side note, what the f**k is going on with my Red Sox?!?! 0-4. Really? I know it's a long season but DAMN!

I was sent a free copy of People of the Sword by Mr. O'Donnell after stating on Twitter that I was looking for books to review. He graciously emailed me the book and here we are. When I first started reading the book, I can't lie, I wasn't that into it. The subject matter instantly brought to mind the Lord of the Rings series and, as such, that's all I thought about while I was reading and it turned me off and I actually stopped reading it after about 50 pages. I didn't touch it again for almost a week - wanted to give my mind time to reset and view it through fresh eyes - and I'm glad that I did because the book is very highly enjoyable!

What the author has crafted with People of the Sword is a VERY rich and entertaining world that is full of lots of characters. It's evident upon reading that the author has put a LOT of time researching and crafting this book as a lesser author would've taken all the characters and elements of the story and created a half hearted mess but that's not the case here. If I were pressed to describe this book I would do so by saying that, if Lord of the Rings and Clash of the Titans had a baby, People of the Sword would be the result. Mr. O'Donnell has populated this world with knights, goblins, witches, druids, less than pleasant statues, deep mythology, and so on and so forth that really gives the reader something new to look forward to in each chapter.

One of the other things that I liked about this book is that, within all the fantasy elements of the book, there is a message behind it. There are several instances where characters realize that they have misjudged a race of people based off of stereotypes that had been handed down and they find that they have things in common with these people and, in several instances, risk their lives for them.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by this book and I highly recommend it to everyone. The ending (slight spoiler) opens the door for a sequel and I can't wait to read it.

Neil O’Donnell’s novels and short stories primarily focus on the genre of Fantasy. Drawing from his background as an anthropologist, Neil uses writing to reveal how societies and individuals impact one another through contact, conflict and mutual needs/understanding. For this anthropologist, writing is a platform for teaching without lecturing.

Having battled Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) throughout his life, Neil also found writing to provide a means of combating OCD. Now, aside from his fiction work, Neil utilizes writing outlets (blogs/manuscripts) to reach others battling OCD, letting them know they are not alone and that there is help available.

Barnes and Noble

http://flamingnet.com/index.cfm

Amazon.com (ebook and paperback formats)

http://www.a-argusbooks.com/StorePeopleSword.htm

Borders.com