Seven Bullets — redesigned

I’ve done a complete reformat and redesign of Seven Bullets, as well as composed a brand-new foreword.

The updated e-book is currently available for free for the next 24 hours. =)

The Blasphemer — paperback edition

I’m currently in the process of finalising the paperback edition of The Blasphemer.

It’s progressing very nicely, and I’m working with a designer to iron out a few kinks.

It should be ready soon.

 

Joanne Ganley reviews The Blasphemer

Joanne Ganley has been kind enough to review The Blasphemer on her blog:

I must say, I had a hard time picturing the above events unfolding in our small, peaceful haven called New Zealand. But it is fiction, and I eventually got over it or rather, absorbed by the characters, its pacey plot and compelling nature. Plus, I was keen to garner some insight into the Muslim world, which I did, and Ling delivers, without being preachy. His female characters are a huge drawcard, namely Diedre and Maya, a mother-daughter team who work together professionally, not always in a friendly manner, yet both are immediately likable, strong and committed women.

Thank you, Joanne!

You can read the full review here.

The Blasphemer promotion

I have just finished up another free promotion for The Blasphemer, and once again, it was a success.

The e-book logged in over 2000 downloads over a 24-hour period and reached #110 in the Kindle Store.

It peaked at #1 in the Political category and #4 in the Action & Adventure category.

Behind The Hood

Craig Sisterson has been kind enough to let me do a guest post on Crime Watch, and I talk about Marita A. Hansen‘s astonishing urban thriller, Behind The Hood:

I first encountered Marita A. Hansen when we bumped into each other on Goodreads. Goodreads, of course, is the largest networking site for readers and writers. And we immediately connected because we’re both Kiwis writing urban fiction set in New Zealand.

On impulse, I picked up her novel, Behind The Hood, even though she didn’t ask me to.

And, in hindsight, I’m glad I did.

Behind The Hood is tough, gritty and uncompromising. The kind of story that I like to call ‘faction’. Where razor-sharp realism reinforces a propulsive narrative that’s so gut-wrenchingly harrowing, it can only have come from the mind and soul of someone who’s actually been there and done that.

You can read the full review here.

Oracle Cover Reveal

New Zealand is the first country in the world to see the new day, hence JC Martin has given me the honour of being the first blogger to unveil the cover of her new thriller, Oracle!

As the countdown begins, the body count rises.

With London gearing up to host the Olympics, the city doesn’t need a serial killer stalking the streets. They’ve got one anyway.

 Leaving a trail of brutal and bizarre murders, the police are no closer to finding their latest murderer than Detective Inspector Kurt Lancer is in finding a solution for his daughter’s disability.

 Thrust into the pressure cooker of a high profile case, the struggling single parent is wound tight as he tries to balance care of his own family with the safety of a growing population of potential next victims.

 One of whom could be his own daughter.

 Fingers point in every direction as the public relations nightmare grows, and Lancer’s only answer comes in the form of a single oak leaf left at each crime scene.

Pulse-pounding stuff, eh?

Oracle is slated to be released on July 30th by J Taylor Publishing.

Now, there’s a mystery attached to the Oracle’s book-cover reveal — and if you solve it, you could be in the running for a $20 Amazon voucher!

Visit the Mystery Tour HQ to find out more.

Ted Mahsun reviews The Blasphemer

Ted Mahsun has been kind enough to review The Blasphemer on his blog. And, yes, he’s the first to pick up on a certain pop-culture reference I slipped into the story!

In The Blasphemer, a Muslim author named Abraham Khan has written a very controversial book very much akin to Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses. But Khan is no Rushdie. I won’t tell you why (spoilers!) but even the author himself claims the main inspiration for the character is the feminist writer, Taslima Nasrin, who is a far cry from Salman Rushdie.

It goes without saying that Khan is then targeted by extremists. Enter Maya Raines, who is assigned by the New Zealand police to protect Khan and his wife, Belinda Freeman, after a failed suicide attack almost kills them both.

John Ling then goes on to weave a fast-placed story that includes drugs, thrall-like Somalis, two hired assassins (with the names Devlin and Emmerich; see if you can catch the reference) and a mysterious man with an aim to create Mayhem and Mischief.

Read the full review here.

Hot New Releases

The Blasphemer is currently #9 in Hot New Releases in Action & Adventure Fiction.

It’s a chart listing the bestselling new releases in the genre.

I’m currently ranked above luminaries like James Patterson and Steve Berry, which is very encouraging.

Thank you, once more, to everyone who helped me get here.

First they came…

First they came for the communists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Jew.

Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn’t speak out because I was Protestant.

Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

–Martin Niemöller

The Malaysian Dilemma — redux

I will be going ahead with designing and manufacturing a trade-paperback edition of The Blasphemer.

I will not, however, actively make it available in Malaysia. Many friends have warned me that the risks far outweigh the gains, and an older gentleman shared with me his memories of the upheaval that hit Malaysia back in 1989 during the Satanic Verses controversy.

These people are far, far wiser than I am, so it would be foolhardy for me to ignore their advice.

What I will do, though, is make The Blasphemer available through the Amazon expanded distribution programme — where bookstores, wholesalers and libraries will be able to source the paperback at a rock-bottom price. And, of course, it will also be available for sale through online retailers like The Book Depository and Barnes & Noble.

This is the best possible solution, I think.