Renewal

Here we go - the cover reveal and some exciting information about my newest book!

Gratitude Renewed is a personal journal of faith and healing. By journal, I mean that you, the reader, are going to be doing some of the writing. This book is meant as a tool to start your own journey of renewal. The idea for this book came from the Lazarus Filmworks motion picture God, Where Are You?, staring Wade Wilson and Kibwe Dorsey. My co-author on this book and father, De Miller, also wrote and directed the movie. In this movie, the main character feels that God has abandoned him. He then receives Gratitude Renewed as a gift with instructions to fill the pages with his life.

Gratitude Renewed will be available in paperback for you to do the same. If you know someone having troubles in their life, this book could be the blessing on which they are waiting.

Synopsis: This is not a traditional self-help book. It is a life plan designed to renew gratitude and strengthen faith. The authors of this book are not trained psychologists or ordained clergy (although they got lots of input from the pros). They are a father and son with a combined one hundred years (plus) experience of Life. They have faced challenges, experienced failure and explored their faith.

There are several journal pages included at the end of each chapter. They are intentionally left blank for you, the reader, to fill.

Gratitude Renewed is already garnering praise through reviews and endorsements:

“It is well written and easy to understand and is prospectively a great self-help tool.”

Theda Sturm, M.S., L.M.F.T., In Harmony Counseling

“Mark and De have a great gift in writing given to them by God. What a blessing...from God.”

Gilbert Remington, Appointee Minister, Semi-Retired, Community of Christ Church

“Putting the principles from the book into action will renew the gratitude and help you discover the blessings in your life. I recommend this book to any individual that wants to live on the other side of why in a land called peace.”

Mark Payne, Pastor, No Limits Church, Lake Mary, FL

“...an interactive challenge to their readers that will have them reexamining their lives and turning those lives around.” 5 Stars

Jack Magnus, Author, for Reader’s Favorite

“...a very motivational and positive read.” 5 Stars

Charity Tober, Author, for Reader’s Favorite

“...you really feel like you’re learning something without a lot of extra noise...definitely a book I will hold onto for a long time.” 4 Stars

Samantha Dewitt, Reviewer for Reader’s Favorite

Now Available in the MillerWords.com store 

(includes FREE shipping and a personalized autograph)

Coming soon to Amazon and other online book sellers

5th Blogiversary Celebration

Five years. That's right, I'm celebrating five years of my blog. Looking back at this year's posts, I see there aren't too many, but there's good reason for that. I'll get to that in a moment. There are lots of things to cover.

First, I want to say that Robin Williams made my day. Please don't take this the wrong way. I am not trying to make light of a tragic situation. I know both depression and addiction are powerful diseases. My point in saying he made my day is that it emphasizes no matter how successful or financially well off you are, you are still not immune. It reminds me that chasing every last dollar and stressing over bills is not the answer. We live in a beautiful world and need to focus on the truly important things.

Now, as soon as I can put my soap box away, let's get on with the party...

A little bit further down this post, you can find details on the blogiversary prizes. Some of you may have noticed that I have been a bit absent from the "writing world" coming close to a year now. At least, I hope you noticed. Well, there's good reason for that. I've actually been living a childhood dream.

I'm currently a Walt Disney World Monorail Pilot! Ever since I was a little boy, I wanted to drive one of those things. Last November, an opportunity arose and I took it. Let me tell you, the actual drive training is one of the most challenging things I've done in a long time. Every minute has been worth it! I am having a blast and spend my days with some absolutely amazing cast members.

As for my writing, I have some plans and things are coming together. 

My friends at Helping Hands Press (www.myhelpinghandspress.com) are helping me celebrate this blogiversary for the next 25 days. I have two projects that I am working on for them. Quite a while ago, I started co-authoring a story called Amish Wonder. When finished, it will be a novella about a young Amish boy thrust out into the secular world. For fans of the Defective Amish Detective, I will be re-editing those stories into a complete novel with a nice surprise on the end.

I am also working with Dinosaur George Media on two different series. Ask DG is a question and answer picture book for young readers. Book 2 will feature illustrations from the very talented Victor Donahue. Both Ask DG and Dinosaur George and the Paleonauts book 2 are expected to be available by Christmas. You can find these books and more here: store.dinosaurgeorge.com

And the one that started it all - The Empyrical Tales. Book Four of the Empyrical Tales will continue the story of Zandria and Olena by telling the tale of The First Queen. The whole series will be revamped and re-introduced soon. Until then, I will keep those details under wraps. Please visit my official website for more details and the series and my other books - www.MillerWords.com. 

While you are there, please check out my new online store, where you can get autographed copies of all of my paperbacks at a special price with free shipping.

In five years of writing, blogging and social media, I have met some fantastic writers and been blessed with some great fans. I've received humbling reviews and inspiring emails. I've tried my hand (not always successfully) in many different genres and have something for most every type of reader. To celebrate, I am giving away the gifts. Here are the links to five of my paperbacks available through Goodreads.com:

Daniel's Lot - https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/105710-daniel-s-lot

One: a Spiritual Anthology - https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/105708-one-a-spiritual-anthology

Promise of Tomorrow - https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/105707-promise-of-tomorrow---complete-series

Sons of the King (co-written with Olivia Miller) - https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/105706-sons-of-the-king

Dinosaur George and the Paleonauts #1 - https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/105705-raptor-island---dinosaur-george-and-the-paleonauts

In addition to the paperbacks, Helping Hands Press has put together a prize pack of selected eBooks (mine and some of my author-friends). Lazarus Filmworks, for whom I wrote the adaptation of Daniel's Lot, is also including some prizes. Please be sure to visit both of my sponsors. This part of the giveaway will be done through Rafflecopter exclusively on my blog. You can earn an unlimited amount of entries by using social media once a day for the next 25 days.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

In closing, I want to express my gratitude. That is one thing of which I have an abundance and can afford. I am full of thanks for all of my experiences over the past five years. I am thankful for the people, both real and virtual, that I have met. I am thankful for the opportunities I've had. In this time, I have also watched my family grow and change and I thank God for that gift. Please feel free to share this post and all of the prize links. And, as always, I appreciate any comments on my blog.

Thank you for the past five years,

and I look forward to the next five!

Mark

Guest Post: Keith Rommel

Keith will be making his first appearance at Authors in the Park's Booktoberfest on October 5th (Details HERE). In the meantime, he would like to discuss the challenges of genre hopping and plotting out a good story.

You started it, how are you going to finish?

 As I pushed through the first draft of You Killed My Brother, I started to doubt the story was good enough. I had always written in psychological suspense with elements of horror, and never psychological crime. I wanted to jump genres to prove that I could do it. So when I started the editing process and began to work out the finer details of the plot in You Killed My Brother, I got about halfway through when I placed my red pen down (yes, I handwrite my manuscript as well as my edits). That is when I gave up on the story.

For the first time in my writing career, I was battling self doubt and questioning my capabilities as a writer. What I had written was crap and I needed to get away from it. Forget it ever existed.

Working on the same story day after day for months, writing, revising, and making sure all parts of the plot are connected can be grueling. There is no doubt it is the most important part of the writing process, and it exposes every flaw. Every page was filled with red pen, spilling onto the back of the page as well. Frustrated and knowing I was looking at entire rewrite, I decided was going to break away from You Killed My Brother, I shifted my focus to a new idea. It felt refreshing to be back in psychological horror; after all, it’s where I am most comfortable. The intricate plot and creepy scenes of the new story challenged my imagination. But I had a distraction that was quite literally nagging at me

 The idea that I had spent months, had lost hours upon hours of sleep, had chosen THAT story to write and I abandoned it was nothing short of quitting. That bothered me. I’m not a quitter. That’s not the trait of a writer. We put our time in, bleed out an array of emotions, work out painstaking details and hope our readers connect with what we do.

I needed to see that with this novel. I started something, but allowed frustration to get the better of me. I abandoned it and thankfully it was calling me back. But how was I going to finish it and not fall into the same trap?

I stumbled across old outline notes on You Killed My Brother and saw that although some of the details of the story had changed, the original story concept and theme had remained intact. It was a powerful message about revenge. It is a story I purposely geared towards a broader audience than my prior two novels. I wanted people to see what would happen when criminals collided with the wealthy and make it as real as possible.

Seeing my initial passion for the story rekindled my flame, and in a period of time about a month long, I finished the rewrite and completed the novel. And I’m glad I did. It seems the ending has left people a little surprised and I’ve had multiple reader requests for a sequel which I’m currently considering.

So now I’m curious, what have you done that might have helped you through a similar situation?

About the book: How far would you go to make someone pay for hurting a loved one? Rainer is a successful doctor and father of two. He's a celebrated member of the community for his exceptional care and charity work. Brick is a local street thug that can't keep his nose clean. When fate brings the two together through tragedy, the life of Rainer is changed dramatically, setting into motion events that change communities. Glenn is a seasoned cop and Rainer's younger brother. Trusting the justice system, he keeps his desire for revenge in check as Brick is brought to trial. But when the jury hands Brick a lean sentence, Glenn sets out to avenge his family's suffering. But what he forgets in his rage is that for every action, there is a reaction.

About the author: Keith Rommel is a native of Long Island, New York and currently lives with his family in Port Saint Lucie, Florida. Keith is a retail manager and has enjoyed collecting comic books since he was a child (a hobby inspired by a teacher in grade school to help overcome a reading comprehension disability). Keith Rommel is the author of the critically acclaimed dark suspense Thanatology Series entitled The Cursed Man and the Lurking Man. His newest novel: You Killed My Brother is a fast-paced suspense thriller with crime and some rather unorthodox police work. Keith has had several writer how-to articles published and has appeared on numerous radio shows and at many signing events. Keith is currently hard at work on the third novel in the Thanatology Series due out summer 2013.

Get the book here:

http://amzn.to/18DHNeA

Please be sure to visit Keith's blog - http://keithrommel.weebly.com/blog.html

You can also "like" him on FB - https://www.facebook.com/Thanatology.Series

More about Authors in the Park - www.FB.com/AuthorsInThePark

If you get a chance, Mark Miller is also on Facebook - www.FB.com/MarkMillerAuthor

Setting the Stakes a Little Higher

The faith driven series ONE returns with a story by Christian movie-maker De Miller.

100% of the author’s proceeds will be donated to Bridge to Ability Specialized Learning Center, a not-for-profit organization serving the educational and therapeutic needs of fragile children with severe physical and cognitive disabilities. www.BridgeToAbility.org. The authors, creator and publisher are in no other way affiliated with this organization.

Mark Miller’s One 2013 is a spiritual anthology examining True-Life experiences of Authors and their Faith. As the series evolves expect to discover what it means to have faith, no matter what that faith is and no matter where they live. Remember that we are all part of this One World.

In Story Six, author and Christian filmmaker De Miller relates some of the inspirational experiences along his cinematic journey. From his early beginnings with a secular comedy to almost twenty years later and two feature-length Christian-themed movies, Miller sees God at work in his life. This is a moving story of miracles happening in the least expected ways.

My Review: Higher Stakes refers to the title of a personal piece of shared history. My father wrote this story recounting his experiences and growth in the world of movie making. Maybe you have him to thank (or blame) for the author I am today. However, hindsight is, as they say, 20/20 and we have learned from our past. Looking back, from a spiritually higher vantage point, it is interesting how things lined up and worked out. This story brings into focus a fuzzy past and paves the way for a brighter future. Aspiring artists, be it film or book or something else, can read this story and look for those moments in their own journey.

Now available on Kindle

http://amzn.to/163WxSq

Making a Movie

I wish I was announcing this for The Empyrical Tales, but sadly I'm not. I am, however, happy to say that another author friend has a movie in the works!

Keith Rommel asks:

How often do you get a look at an independent writer's work being considered for a movie in California? The name of the novel is The Cursed Man by Keith Rommel. Here is an audition clip for the role of the antagonist, Dr. Anna Lee.

James L. Perry is the producer and has been working hard to bring the characters to life.

In this scene, Dr Anna Lee is questioning a grounds keeper that works at SunnySide Capable Care Mental Institution. There is a belief that the patient she has come to care for is cursed. The curse he carries is the entity of Death has taken a liking to him and kills anyone that speaks to him within
twenty-four hours.

https://vimeo.com/54497720

Cassandra Vincent image used from IMDB.com Photo by Dave Piggott

Keith and his stories can be found at http://keithrommel.weebly.com

For all you producers and directors reading this, please add my books to your list next. I'll even write the screenplay adaptation. In fact, I even have one screenplay ready. 

That doesn't sound too desperate, does it?