Animekon 2013, Barbados.

Hello, everyone,

I've been very busy these past few months, multitasking between writing and editing. But I was invited to play my violin at my cousin's wedding in Barbados on August 31. Of course I couldn't refuse. But before flying there, my buddy and NYT Bestselling Author, Eric Jerome Dickey, introduced me to his friend, Erica Hinkson of Book Source. Ms Hinkson was kind enough to invite me to participate in an annual pop culture event called Animekon, which is similar to Comic-Con. Book Source not only sponsored Animekon, but also had their own lounge where local and international authors could showcase their books. I thought that I'd share some of these pictures with you. I had taken several other pictures, especially with those who purchased copies of Pandora's Succession and of Chill Run. Unfortunately my Android Smartphone went haywire and several pictures were deleted. But I managed to save most of them. I'll follow up with other news about my stay in Barbados next week.

IndieGoGo Crowdfunding Campaign for THE DEMETER CODE.

As part of my effort to publish my next novel, THE DEMETER CODE, I'm trying out crowdfunding. As a gift to all who contribute, I'll be giving out eBooks and autographed softcover books of PANDORA'S SUCCESSION and CHILL RUN. You'll even get a copy of THE DEMETER CODE when it's released. As a bonus, you can even have the chance to make a cameo appearance in an upcoming thriller.

Check out: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-demeter-code-a-thriller/x/2582459

The campaign begins today and runs until May 3, 2013. Contributions can be as low as $5 (every bit helps). So if you know of anyone who enjoys thrillers, please share my IndieGoGo page with them.

Thanks,

Russell.

The Demeter Code

Hello, Friends,

For the past few months I've been hard at work researching subject matter for my next thriller. I spent a lot of time reading novels from Stieg Larsson to Eric Jerome Dickey, as well as many other magazine articles. I've also consulted with a genetics/biochemistry professor in England, and an agricultural specialist in Idaho, who've been very helpful in making me understand the scientific subject matter that I'm researching. Unfortunately I cannot divulge what it is because it would reveal a major spoiler.

But there's something that you can all do to help. I'm looking to raise funds to help me with the production of my upcoming thriller, The Demeter Code,  the sequel to Pandora's Succession. I opened an account with RocketHub.com, which is similar to Kickstarter with the difference of it allowing Canadians to participate. I'm offering gifts in exchange for donations. You can check out my page at:

http://www.rockethub.com/projects/16925-the-demeter-code

I'd appreciate you helping me spread the word.

Best,
Russell

I May Fight Like An Amateur, But I'll Kick Your Ass Like A Pro.

When I wrote Pandora's Succession and Unsavory Delicacies, it involved a lot of research. Being limited in my knowledge of martial arts, it was important to consult with the experts who'd help me get CIA operative, Ridley Fox, out of many tight situations. Whether it was taking on former KGB operatives, the occasional Russian Mafia thug, or even a woman he once stood up on a date, the fight scenes had to be realistic. Tackling these two projects involved knowing that my audience will not only be the average thriller fan, but also readers who have a background in self-defense who'd .

Wim Demeere is one of two experts I consulted with who was generous enough to take some time from his busy schedule to help me. Check him out.

And for those who were wondering, Ridley Fox will be back this year.

"Like" Wim Demeere's Facebook Page
Wim's Blog

So Amazon wants to delete my review. I guess it doesn't help being an author.

Dear Amazon.

I appreciate everything you've done for Indie Authors. Your courage in taking the bull by the horns has helped to take a huge chunk of power from the dictators who've been running the publishing industry for decades, and given us authors a chance to get our work into the hands of readers. Furthermore, you've helped readers also because they now have more choice.

However I must question your latest move, which is clearly in response to the Sockpocket phenomena which has plagued the industry. How will this make a difference? You want to delete reviews written by other authors, however you'll leave negative reviews from people who've clearly not even read our books. Earlier this year I even wrote to you to complain about a reviewer who flagrantly gave away several major plot spoilers of one of my novels. However, you refused to delete that review knowing full well that it would negatively affect my sales. Fortunately I have many loyal fans who've willingly bombarded that reviewer with enough complaints that she removed the review.

You've done wonderful things to help out Indie Authors when you introduced kindle and KDP Select, but this latest decision clearly requires more thought. Authors who've enjoyed reading my novels have blogs and Facebook pages where they'll leave their reviews. The paperback version of my books are still available on the sites of your competitors, where they'll also leave reviews. As for your site, all I need to do is quote them in the EDITORIAL REVIEW section.

Hopefully your marketing team will meet again soon and come up with a better strategy. 

Sincerely,

Russell Brooks.

http://www.salon.com/2012/11/02/authors_cannot_review_authors_on_amazon/

CHILL RUN eBook contest giveaway.

I'll be giving away eBook copies of my thriller, CHILL RUN, to a few lucky winners. The contest begins today and goes through to September 8, 2012. The number of free copies will be announced during the giveaway.

To enter, all you need to do is LIKE my Facebook page, go to the thread, and type "I WANT CHILL RUN" in the comments. The link is below:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Russel...

Please share this contest with all of your friends because the more the participants there are, the larger number of winners will be selected.

As always, it would be a great service to me as well as all Indie writers for our readers to write a short review (5 sentences is great) of our books.

Good luck,

Russell

My daughter was raped last night. Then again, some people think that's okay.

Eyebrows raised across the internet when the picture to your right went viral on Facebook a few weeks back. Words cannot express how appalled I was when I first saw it. Apparently the woman in the dress is Dancehall Queen, Lady Saw. Now I'm sure she makes good money selling albums and doing live performances, but at what cost? I'm not too familiar with her albums, but I doubt after seeing this picture that I'd want to buy any of them. What she has done is literally a slap in the face to the thousands of abused women worldwide.

If I were to meet Lady Saw, I'd have a few questions to ask her.

1) Lady Saw, how do you plan to respond to the young girls in Los Angeles, California, who were sexually assaulted by their own elementary school teacher  earlier this year if they were to stumble across this picture?

2) Is this your way of justifying why over 92 million African girls who are aged 10 and older should undergo female genital mutilation? Or are you just simply boasting your freedom to be publicly fondled while these innocent girls are forced to undergo such a barbaric practice?

3) How would you respond to every female rape survivor, including the repeat victims, if they were to publicly condemn you for giving it up this easy to a complete stranger?

4) Do you encourage boys and young men to treat women the way this guy is treating you? Do you encourage young girls and women to be as open (no pun intended)?

I'm sure that you were enjoying yourself as well as entertaining your audience while cashing in on it. Coming from a Bajan ancestry (that's slang for Barbadian, by the way), I'm quite familiar with gyrations and whining as a form of dancing, which has been the norm in the Caribbean for decades. But as for this, I'm quite surprised that even you, as a (mature?) woman, don't know when to draw the line. This is considering the fact that women worldwide continue to be sexually mistreated, while some were fortunate enough to stand up and expose their aggressors (ever hear of Herman Cain?). Your behaviour in this picture set back respect towards women over one hundred years.

I hope that you strongly consider and think over the questions that I've listed above. Because there's a huge difference between entertainment and letting some stranger treat your body as though it's some Goddamned Six Flags Theme Park!


References
USAToday: Ex-LA Teacher accused of Molesting 23 children
World Health Organization
FGM: The Debate about FGM in Africa, The Middle East, and the Far East
TMZ

Russell Brooks is a former Canadian Track Team member and the author of the thrillers CHILL RUN, PANDORA'S SUCCESSION, and the short story collection UNSAVORY DELICACIES.