Rai Aren's Blog, page 286

Hey fellow book peeps,

Well, it's taken a little longer (ok, a lot longer, lol!) than I thought to update our adventure novel Secret of the Sands, I had a ton of technical problems with all of the various changes I was making throughout the book. However, I finally made it over the hurdles (whew!!), and it's been a very worthwhile process. The book is going to be better than ever! I've spent the latest month+ polishing & perfecting the book - the story remains the same, but the cover & interior have undergone a very nice aesthetic upgrade, you can reference my previous couple of blog posts for more details on it. Since those postings I made even more changes - the interior has lots more cool things…you'll have to get the book to find out! ;)

A new proof is on the way, so it should only be a couple more weeks until the new version hits the shelves. I am very excited & tremendously pleased with these changes, it's going to be great!

I will let you all know when the book is back on the market :)

Happy reading always, my friends!

Rai Aren, co-author of the award-winning mystery novel SECRET OF THE SANDS



For 12,000 years a dark and deadly secret has been hidden deep below the Great Sphinx of Giza. In present day Egypt, a frightening, yet awe-inspiring story unravels as archaeologists race against time to decipher an ancient truth...

"Rai Aren and Tavius E. have crafted a fast-paced, exciting novel overflowing with mystery and intrigue. The tension is constant. The characters fully developed. And the plot gripping. Ancient history and present day relevance are so expertly intertwined, that you might forget you are reading a work of fiction." -- Thomas Phillips, author of The Molech Prophecy

"A deep probing mystery riddled with prophecy and danger, Secret of the Sands uses Egypt and her mythology as a backdrop to delve into the meanings of life and religion." -McNally Robinson

I just wanted to give folks an update on the ETA of the new version of Secret of the Sands, the Readers Favorite 2009 "Fiction-Mystery" silver medalist. The proof copy is scheduled to arrive this Monday, Mar.8th, 2010. It should only take me a day to review it, then if all is well, it will be approved for publication. Hopefully it will be back on the market by the end of next week. I will post updates as I get them!

In the meantime, our kindle edition remains on the market through our publisher, Maine Desk, LLC - that version won't be changing. If you are an eBook reader, do check out our ancient Egypt book and find out what has been hidden deep below the Great Sphinx of Giza for 12,000 years...here's the link:

Kindle edition of mystery novel Secret of the Sands

Happy reading, my friends!

Rai Aren, co-author of the award-winning mystery novel SECRET OF THE SANDS









For 12,000 years a dark and deadly secret has been hidden deep below the Great Sphinx of Giza. In present day Egypt, a frightening, yet awe-inspiring story unravels as archaeologists race against time to decipher an ancient truth...

"A deep probing mystery riddled with prophecy and danger, Secret of the Sands uses Egypt and her mythology as a backdrop to delve into the meanings of life and religion." -McNally Robinson

"Rai Aren and Tavius E. have crafted a fast-paced, exciting novel overflowing with mystery and intrigue. The tension is constant. The characters fully developed. And the plot gripping. Ancient history and present day relevance are so expertly intertwined, that you might forget you are reading a work of fiction." -- Thomas Phillips, author of The Molech Prophecy

Hi fellow Goodreads peeps,

I just wanted to let you all know that our award-winning mystery novel Secret of the Sands is undergoing a little polishing. With the recent silver medal we won in the ReadersFavorite.com book contest, now seemed like the perfect time to polish & shine our baby! The new cover will include the image of our silver medal & have new wording on it. Here's what it will look like:




I think it looks fantastic with the medal on the front cover. We are very, very proud to have won the silver medal for "Fiction-Mystery" and we want to showcase that achievement

In addition to the change to the front cover, I have also done a little updating to the interior. Those changes include adding blurbs & excerpts from great reviews we have received along the way, an update to our author bio at the back of the book, the fixing of the handful of typos that gremlins must have inserted into the book when we weren't looking and the mention of our bronze medal award for the sequel, Destiny of the Sands - also from ReadersFavorite.com in the "Fiction-Mystery" category (which can also be found at the back of the book). We are thrilled to bits to have won two medals! I have also included our new tagline for the sequel on that page:

Some secrets cannot remain hidden, some cannot be forgiven...

Those words perfectly capture the story of both books, if you've already read Secret of the Sands, you will know what I am talking about!

I will let you all know when the book will be available again - it will temporarily be taken off the market (but still available through resellers), while these changes are being made, but it should hopefully not take any longer than a week or so...

If anyone would like to personally be notified of when the updated book is available, feel free to e-mail me at:

[email protected]

I am looking very forward to our newly polished adventure novel Secret of the Sands being shined up & ready for the world! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

Rai Aren, co-author of the award-winning mystery novel SECRET OF THE SANDS

"A deep probing mystery riddled with prophecy and danger, Secret of the Sands uses Egypt and her mythology as a backdrop to delve into the meanings of life and religion." -McNally Robinson

"Rai Aren and Tavius E. have crafted a fast-paced, exciting novel overflowing with mystery and intrigue. The tension is constant. The characters fully developed. And the plot gripping. Ancient history and present day relevance are so expertly intertwined, that you might forget you are reading a work of fiction." - Thomas Phillips, author of The Molech Prophecy

I am extremely pleased to announce that we have won two medals in the category of “Fiction-Mystery” in the Readers Favorite 2009 book contest, a silver medal for Secret of the Sands and a bronze medal for its upcoming sequel, Destiny of the Sands (coming in 2010!). How cool is that?!?! This is truly an honor for us and I am thrilled to say that we are now award-winning authors! Here is the link to the announcement:

Readers Favorite 2009 Winners



It is immensely gratifying to receive this praise and to know that our stories resonate with readers and reviewers alike. It really is a dream come true… ☺

I just had to show off our super cool Certificates of Award:






I would also like to share the judge’s comments we received on each book:

SECRET OF THE SANDS:

“Authors Rai Aren and Travius E. bring the ancient past to life. Secret of The Sands is a fast paced adventure reminding me of The Indiana Jones Series. The authors successfully weave the past and present together playing out two stories at once. In the past, we watch the story of King Traeus and Queen Axiana unfolds. There is strife in Traeus’’ kingdom. He builds a secret chamber under the Sphinx to hide a powerful machine that he hopes will help his people.
In the present Archeology students, Mitch and Alex discover a box hidden in a secret chamber under the Sphinx. The box contains two scrolls and a metal unknown to humankind but predating the iron age. They more they learn the more they question.
This is my kind of book. Please, please make a continuing series and a movie! The authors are extremely talented. I cannot praise this book enough. Fast paced, page turner, character development, fascinating plot…….what more could I ask for.” – ReadersFavorite.com


DESTINY OF THE SANDS:

“Destiny of the Sands is the second book in this series. The first book was Secret of The Sands. The story continues in 1941. The war continues and the mysterious box resurfaces. Mitch and Alex must return to once more study the strange alloy. The past and the future intertwine to create an adventure that the reader will not want to end. Danger lurks around every corner as the Nazis fight for world dominance.
(The authors) allow reader to observe life in ancient Egypt and during WWI. There descriptions are fascinating. The characters are realistic. I was very partial to the ancient Egypt scenes. While the stories are parallel for me the past was almost hypnotic. I wanted to experience more. I hope there is another book in this series.” – ReadersFavorite.com


Happy reading always my friends!

Rai Aren, co-author of the mystery novel Secret of the Sands
Destiny of the Sands to be released in 2010
www.secretofthesands.com

I just saw the movie, Invictus, starring Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela, and Matt Damon, and I must say it is a tremendous movie - I highly recommend it. Both actors were wonderful in their roles, btw. It is a very inspiring (true) story, one that made my heart swell & my soul stir. In the movie, they shared the poem that gave Mandela hope and strength in his dark days through his long incarceration and I wanted to share it here...

Invictus

"Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul."

-by William Ernest Henley


I hope it inspires you, too. I find it incredibly moving. I read once, and I agree, that wherever there is oppression, there is already resistance. If Mandela could do what he has done in his lifetime, then truly anything is possible where the human spirit endures and burns bright...

Never let go of your own dreams, my friends...

Rai

In Flanders Fields
by John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.


http://www.qc.legion.ca/html/flanders...





To all of the brave service men & women fighting for freedom and human liberty around the world... thank-you ...your sacrifice does not go unnoticed...


Rai

Yippee!! Thanks to our awesome readers, our adventure novel, SECRET OF THE SANDS is once again an Amazon kindle BESTSELLER!! Currently we are #77 for Historical Fiction - totally made my day :)

Here's a screen shot of our proud moment:



Here's the link to our kindle edition:

Secret of the Sands adventure novel kindle edition

And the link to our trade paperback:

Secret of the Sands adventure novel paperback edition


Happy reading, always, my friends!!

Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands
www.secretofthesands.com


In the shadow of the Great Sphinx of Giza, two young archaeologists unearth extremely unusual artifacts over 12,000 years old, but the find is wrong - very wrong. The artifacts shouldn’t be there…they shouldn’t exist at all. The greatest discovery in human history may turn out to be the deadliest…

BookBuzzr is a super-cool new book marketing tool, where can you read excerpts of books, read author interviews & media mentions, and more, as well as post electronic signatures that include important links. I love it! If you are an author, I highly recommend checking it out. If you are a reader, you can 'flip' through the electronic pages provided, in much the same way you would a physical book. It's a great site, with a helpful widget that authors can download to help spread the word about their books. I have added our adventure novel, SECRET OF THE SANDS to it:

Secret of the Sands on BookBuzzr

Happy reading always, my friends!

Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands

In the shadow of the Great Sphinx of Giza, two young archaeologists unearth extremely unusual artifacts over 12,000 years old, but the find is wrong - very wrong. The artifacts shouldn’t be there…they shouldn’t exist at all. The greatest discovery in human history may turn out to be the deadliest…

P.S. here is my Bookbuzzr electronic signature, the complete coding doesn't translate perfectly here on Goodreads, but the links work & you can see the book widget:

I am very proud to show off the brand new video trailer for our adventure novel, Secret of the Sands! I made it myself using a very cool, free tool called Animoto. I hope you like it! The words to the song actually match up incredibly well to specific story points, I'm totally jazzed about it :)

Here is the link:

http://animoto.com/play/4Hab1jZ4UHNHd...


Happy reading always, my friends!

Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands, adventure novel


"A deep probing mystery riddled with prophecy and danger, Secret of the Sands uses Egypt and her mythology as a backdrop to delve into the meanings of life and religion." -McNally Robinson


"Rai Aren and Tavius E. have crafted a fast-paced, exciting novel overflowing with mystery and intrigue. The tension is constant. The characters fully developed. And the plot gripping. Ancient history and present day relevance are so expertly intertwined, that you might forget you are reading a work of fiction." -- Thomas Phillips, author of The Molech Prophecy

Hi friends,

I was absolutely delighted to come across another 5-star review of our adventure novel, Secret of the Sands. I thought I would share it with you:

reposted from Amazon:

"Can't wait for the Movie!", October 27, 2009

"Secret of the Sands is a very entertaining and exciting tale of ancient Egypt and modern archeology. The authors succeed in painting the ancient world and its characters in realistic and memorable fashion. Secret of the Sands is a story of adventure, wonder, betrayal, forgiveness, suspense, and action - all the elements that so often can be weaved together into a blockbuster movie. A hope this tale gets the opportunity to reach the big screen - i'll be amongst the first in line to see it! Fans of adventure tales like Indiana Jones will love this book." --P. Martucci

*******

If you are interested in buying our mystery novel, here is the link to the trade paperback version:

http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Sands-Ra...

and here is the link to our Amazon kindle version:

http://www.amazon.com/Secret-of-the-S...











Happy reading always, my friends!

Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands
www.secretofthesands.com

For 12,000 years a dark and deadly secret has been hidden deep below the Great Sphinx of Giza. In present day Egypt, a frightening, yet awe-inspiring story unravels as archaeologists race against time to decipher an ancient truth...

"A deep probing mystery riddled with prophecy and danger, Secret of the Sands uses Egypt and her mythology as a backdrop to delve into the meanings of life and religion." -McNally Robinson

"Rai Aren and Tavius E. have crafted a fast-paced, exciting novel overflowing with mystery and intrigue. The tension is constant. The characters fully developed. And the plot gripping. Ancient history and present day relevance are so expertly intertwined, that you might forget you are reading a work of fiction." -- Thomas Phillips, author of The Molech Prophecy