Today is a busy day for me! I normally only blog every other day, but I had to share a few fantastic announcements with everyone. If only I had an awesome podium to stand behind and a little microphone attached to my head. (Sorry – I’ve been watching a lot of TED talks recently…Wait. I’m not sorry. No one should ever be sorry for watching TED talks.)
Moving right along…
First, Tony Jaa – martial artist and actor – deemed me quote worthy. VERY quote worthy. Me. Little ol’ silly me. The amount of blushing my pale face fell victim to was rather embarrassing, but all that blushing is my way of saying thank you soooo much.
and it continued into this morning:
If that isn’t enough, Seconds Before Sunrise is officially available on Amazon and Smashwords (and everywhere else.) But you can buy it for only $0.99 by using this code –> BW58C <– on Smashwords. If you prefer Amazon, don’t worry! It’s only $3.89 there.
I also received an award from Noveltunity – a worldwide eBook club that exclusively features new or undiscovered writers. Every month, they hold a contest for “Book of the Month” and Minutes Before Sunset was in the top 10, so I was awarded nominee status! How neat is that? I definitely recommend this website. In fact, I have a code for you to join. Normally, you have to pay, but with this code –> AESNOV30 <– you get %40 off. Oh, how I love the sweet combinations of letters and numbers that make up lovely codes.
This is also my 300th blog post: (because this blog is my life.)
As a special thank you, I am also sharing something deeply personal about The Timely Death Trilogy, but I will be using an excerpt to explain it:
Below this explanation is an early excerpt from Seconds Before Sunrise. This is from chapter two. It’s told by Jessica, and it is the first dream sequence we see in Seconds Before Sunrise. But the reader knows something Jessica doesn’t because of Minutes Before Sunset – this “dream sequence” isn’t a dream at all. It’s a memory. We see different flashes of separate scenes from book 1, but what you don’t know is that this dream is entirely based off of one of the real dreams I had that inspired The Timely Death Trilogy. In fact, the first dream I ever had was of me running through the forest behind my house. During the dream, I scratched my arm on a thorn bush (which existed in real life) and I woke up with a massive scratch on my arm. Looking back on it, I probably did it to myself. This is one of the reasons I say I “suffer” from nightmares and night terrors in my interviews. I often hurt myself in my sleep. But I’m sharing it to explain why I had moments where I truly contemplated my sanity, moments where I lost myself to the thoughts and questions of “is this really happening?” And now those moment are books, and one of those moments is right here for you to read:
…
“Run.”
The sudden voice was barely audible. My heart was racing as fast as my legs were. I leapt over torn up brush and twisted past trees at speeds I couldn’t comprehend. The darkness blended together.
The ground was rigid beneath my feet, and I stumbled as I looked over my shoulder. They were after us. I could feel them, their heat and their strength. The suffocating air was filled with electricity, and it burned against my exposed flesh. As suddenly as it had touched me, it was around my neck.
Her black eyes were boundless, and I lost myself in them before she tossed my body. I flew over her shoulder, easily and helplessly, and collided with wet leaves. My limbs flayed, and I clawed at the ground, attempting to stop my momentum − but it was too late.
My head cracked against a rock, and the sound shuddered through my body. Light consumed my vision before it was replaced with blackness, and then I was awake again.
I saw his eyes first, crystal-blue but clouded with concern. When he met my gaze, he dropped the cold rag he had brushed across my face. The condensation awoke my consciousness.
I gasped, trying to sit up, but his hand pressed my shoulders down. My body reacted to his touch, and his fingers lingered as if he couldn’t let go.
He spoke, but I didn’t hear him, and time blurred like the night had moments before. He moved too quickly, and I couldn’t follow him. He was by the window, and my legs burned as if I’d stood moments before. But I was still in bed, and he spoke by the window.
I couldn’t hear him, but I knew what was happening. He was leaving, and he wouldn’t be back. He disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and I screamed.
…
I hope you will take a moment to check out Minutes Before Sunset and Seconds Before Sunrise today. I won’t ask you to buy it or review it or spread the word about it. I just want to share my words with you – I am unbelievably grateful to be living my dream every day because you – my dear reader – are the reason I can even write on this blog at (currently) 1:17 a.m. on a Thursday since I’m too excited about the eBook release to sleep. Feel free to send me an email to say “hi” or stop by the eBook extravaganza party tonight to interview me live. I will be there. And I will be smiling. (Not in that creepy, Cheshire cat sort of a way, but in that … wait, no. I like the creepy smile. I’ll be smiling like that.)
Bogart and I send our love,
~SAT
Shannon A. Thompson 
OK, so I know I said I couldn’t read or review Seconds Before Sunrise yet because I’m mad busy, and I know you’d kindly offered me the chance to review it… but I went and bought it anyways… $0.99 is an absolute steal and I couldn’t resist! At least my bookish-OCD is comforted by the fact that I now own it, even if I can’t quite get to it yet….. R x
Thank you for your support, Rachel! Even if you don’t get sound to reviewing it soon, I am honored whenever a reader takes the time to consider my work.
Have a great day!
~SAT
Great achievements, well done! 🙂
Thank you. :]
~SAT
Inspiring! Well done!
Thank you!
~SAT
How do you have your book listed on Amazon? Did you use KDP? The reason I ask is that I thought with KDP that you can’t price your e-book lower somewhere else (like Smashwords) than you do on Amazon.
My publisher doesn’t use KDP. We have a code for Smashwords, so it’s still listed for $3.89, but you can give a code to make it cheaper for a short amount of time. The $0.99 coupon only lasts one week, and it doesn’t transfer over to Amazon.
~SAT
Ok. Just curious. KDP was on me almost immediately when my price on Smashwords varied from my KDP price.
I would try to create a coupon. :]
~SAT
There are lots of ins and outs of the publishing and promotion game that I have yet to figure out. Simply can’t devote the time to it as long as I have the full-time job. But, I keep learning from people like you.
You and Tony Jaa make a very strange pairing! He’s basically learning his english from you. You should get paid 🙂
He is great! I hope he continues tweeting to me and reading my work. :]
~SAT
Love the excerpt! And congratulations on all you’ve accomplished!
I’m glad you enjoyed the excerpt. :] And thank you for your kind encouragement.
~SAT
Did a double take of Bogart with you on the couch. My cat Thunder does the exact some thing and she looks almost identical to your handsome boy.
hae shannon a,i like your piece,is tony jaa famous?i have heard him f,oh wait! i have seen one movie of him at my cousin’s place,i remember the tan and my cousin mentioning the name,that was four years ago!thanks anyway,lantern*
Congratulations! I remember reading your blog when it first came out. It’s amazing how much you’ve accomplished.
Thank you! It feels very surreal quite often. 🙂
~SAT