Regarding Gelati

No, it's not a delicious frozen treat for when you settle in with a good book.

I'm talking about Giovanni Gelati. Maybe you've heard of him? Trestle Press front man, anchor of the Author's Lab collaboration series, social media and internet marketing whiz. I wrote "A Prince in Trenton, Seriously?" with the guy. Yeah, that's him.

He has also started a series on his own about...............Bocce?

It actually sounds fun and could easily be played in the backyard, the community park, the beach, or most anywhere.

Gelati (the man, not the ice cream) has taken Bocce to the next level. He has created larger than life characters and thrust them into outrageous situations. In "I Have Chrome Balls, Don't You?", he introduces us to two members his team: Giovanni "The G-Man" Gelati and Dan "Big Balls" Cannoli (he gets his name due to the maximum size of his regulation Bocce equipment). The two friends are pitted in a duel against each other to determine the greatest Bocce player in the world.

In "Holy Chrome Bocce Balls on Fire", things go global. Giovanni and Dan are whisked away to an international tournament in Djibouti of all places. There, they face off against the Chinese and Russian teams. Things quickly escalate into an outlandish competition, and of course, flaming Bocce balls.

I love that the outcome of these stories is a foregone conclusion. The G-Man is always the unquestionable winner. Like all good stories, you know the "good guy" is going to win, but you relish seeing how it goes down. The humor is sharp and the puns are thick.

I look forward to the next adventure, which will be part of Trestle's Harbinger of Horror Halloween Month: "Holy Chrome Bocce Ball Beach Bloodbath - A Zombedy"

Oh yes, if you buy either of these (or any of my Trestle Press stories), Trestle is currently offering a Buy One Get One deal. Be sure to email me your proof of purchase (Mark@MillerWords.com) and I will get you a FREE story!

Greater Than the Sum

I have really been enjoying myself working on the "One" series. Thanks to Giovanni, I have had the opportunity to explore my own thoughts, but also work with my father as a writer.

With October only a few days away, we are about to release another installment, by Sudè Khanian. I have been fortunate to get to know her over the past several months and I am impressed. She has a unique view of the world that is inspiring.

You can follow "One" HERE: http://www.facebook.com/MarkMillersOne for all of the latest news and releases.

We are working to put out one story a month, each by a different author. In November, look for Giovanni Gelati to tip his hat, followed by Melissa Studdard. Award-winning teen poet, Rachel Hunter will come along after that and we may have a retired Catholic priest as well.

Each of these authors is going to bring you something personal, and most likely emotional. They want to share their faith and beliefs with you.

Be sure to listen in to the G-Zone on BlogTalkRadio this Saturday (10/01) to hear the first three authors of "One" share their experiences with Giovanni!

Also, leave a comment below if you would like to read "Meant To Be", the first story of "One", for FREE!

Review: The Nightmarys by Dan Poblocki

I thoroughly enjoyed The Nightmarys by Dan Poblocki.

While not exactly a sequel, this book far exceeds its predecessor, The Stone Child. The author manages to create a more intriguing story set on a richer canvas with deeper, more realized characters.

This is intended to be a middle-grade or young adult story, but it kept my attention throughout. I even related to the emotions and thoughts of the main character, Timothy July. Timothy is well-rounded and the reader is able to connect with him. The added element of Timothy’s brother being a soldier wounded in the Middle East made this character more than a simple cardboard cutout going through the steps of solving a mystery.

The story itself had the tense supernatural mystery for which the author is known. Timothy July is assigned a special class project and is paired up with the new girl, Abigail, a loner. Their trip to the museum drops them into a decades old web of secrets. Soon the line between reality and terrible imagination becomes blurred as Timothy and Abigail struggle to find the truth. I liked that it was not a simple one, two, three easy-to-solve mystery. The characters had to work to discover the truth and that, to me, is always more satisfying.

There were also a few surprises that connected the world of The Nightmarys to The Stone Child. Also, the author appeared to put considerable effort into the mythology behind his plot. As in his first book, there is a lot going on with the supernatural elements that might be over the head of younger readers, but bringing my own background knowledge made it that much more enjoyable for me.

There are some genuinely frightening sequences that makes this story not for everyone. However, if you like to be scared, then The Nightmarys is definitely worth your time.

Mark Miller is the author of The Empyrical Tales fantasy adventure series from Comfort Publishing. Book 1: The Fourth Queen and Book 2: The Lost Queen are available now. Miller has also co-written A Prince in Trenton, Seriously? with Giovanni Gelati as part of Trestle Press's Author's Lab and is headlining the ongoing spiritual introspective series Mark Miller's One. He has a background in motion picture production and elementary education. Please visit www.MillerWords.com and follow his blog at EmpyricalTales.blogspot.com or find him on Facebook at Facebook.com/EmpyricalTales.

Rewards for Readers

Trestle Press is doing it again and this time you, the readers, win!

Trestle is celebrating an anniversary, of sorts. Much like a budding young romance, every milestone is a good one. This celebration comes for the 6 Month Anniversary of The Author's Lab Collaboration series.

About six months ago, during an airing of The G-Zone, Giovanni Gelati took a call from Katherine LaHart. He never expected what she wanted to ask. Ms. LaHart suggested that Giovanni write a collaboration. From there, a new eBook series was born that has since spawned 22 installments. The stories cover almost all genres and most are ONLY 99 Cents. You can click HERE to see the list of authors from around the world.

So for this special occasion, Trestle Press wants to give you a present. That's right, you get something for FREE. Completely free. Trestle is giving away one Author's Lab story for each month of the series. (click on the title for a description, click on the author to see their other works)

Hotel Beaumont by B.R.Stateham

Bring Us Your Living...Now! by H.R. Toye

Dueling Microphones by Rose A. Valenta

A Prince in Trenton, Seriously by Mark Miller

Who Whacked the Blogger by Benjamin Sobieck

G.S.I. – Gelati Scoop Investigations, Psychotic Detectives by Thomas White

There you go! Six great stories and you can get one for free simply by contacting Giovanni at Gelati's Scoop or go directly to the author of the story that you want.

Email me at: Mark@MillerWords.com 

For an added bonus, if you purchase any of the other Author's Lab stories (see the list HERE), you can get another one free. That's 3 great stories for the price of one! When you buy your story, send the proof of purchase to Giovanni or the author to get the additional free one. These specials only last until the end of September.

Why are we doing this? Easy. We (the Trestle Authors) want our stories to be read. 

I want to share my words and build a fan base. I want feedback from you. I want to see comments and reviews on sites like Facebook, Amazon or Goodreads. Let me know what you think. I have a blast doing this and I want you to enjoy reading my work as much as I do writing it.

As always, Thank You!

Twelve Steps from Mark Miller's One

Another good day in a busy week, so gives thanks in the manner to which you are accustomed!

Here we go, Story Two in our spiritual series is now available from Trestle Press.

Twelve Steps by De Miller

Mark Miller’s One 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 two, De Miller tells something of his life growing up and compares it to his new existence as a Born Again Christian. He has strong influences from both his mother and father that shaped his whole life. After forty years, he is learning something new. 

De Miller is my father and the creator of the faith-based movie Daniel's Lot, now available on DVD. I was given the privilege of writing the novelization, which you can get on Kindle HERE. You can also read an interview with De on my blog HERE.

So put some more faith on the eReader of your choice for ONLY 99 CENTS. Be sure to watch next month for Story Three: Dr. Candy by Sudè Khanian.

Do you want something for FREE?

This is your chance! Trestle Press is hosting a little giveaway. I'm going to let Mr. Gelati give you the details. Before that, I'd like to say that I hope one of my readers wins. It's fairly simple: make some noise! Do something to get my attention (it has to be online though).

Anyway, read the details and I will have a bit to add at the end.....


Six Author’s, Six Incredible Stories, One Intense Giveaway!!!

Hi, me again, Giovanni Gelati! 

Trestle Press and some of their authors have put together what I think is one intense giveaway. Each author covers a different genre and has a different style, but they all share one common goal: they love to satisfy readers, and they want to hear from you in one way or another. 

What do I mean by that? Well you can follow their blogs, email them, and become their friend on any of the social websites you can find them (Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Google +, Reverb, Edgy Christian Fiction…).

The idea is to get their attention in some way, shape or form, because we are giving away 6 stories in a nice convenient e-package for you to spend some quality time with, full length novels as well as digital short stories. 

Who are the authors you ask? You did, didn’t you? Yes, I thought so.

Here is the lineup:

Darren Sant is Amazon UK’s wunderkind having rocketed up the sales charts within 12 hours of his debut release “A Good Day”, the first installment in “The Longcroft Estates” Series. His second installment in the series, “Community Spirit”, will be released this week.

Wenona Hulsey has written “Burden of Blood”. This debut novel has been making waves on Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Nobles Nookbook for Paranormal/YA.

Mark Miller is the author of a few different things: The new “One” series (a visit into ourselves, our spiritual selves, no matter what form, shape or size), Daniel’s Lot (an adaptation of the movie of the same name), and the all ages series “The Empyrical Tales” from Comfort Publishing.

Paul D. Brazill has penned a ton of material carving out a name for himself in the noir/suspense/ horror genre. A few pieces of his work include the “Drunk on The Moon” digital short story series, and “Brit Grit”. He has charted in sales both on Amazon Kindle and Amazon Kindle UK.

Big Daddy Abel is your basic renaissance man: musician, composer, author, performer, band mate. BDA helps front a very successful group The Amish Outlaws. He also has musical material of his own, you can grab that on www.ReverbNation.com. He has the highly successful “Open Mic” series of digital short stories and they have been at one time the number 1, 2, 7, 8 in his Amazon Kindle category for sales. He also has a variety of stories with The Author’s Lab/Collaboration series that have hit the Amazon Kindle sales charts including: “The Jersey Shore Has Eyes”, “The Edge of Cataclysmic” and a novella “Bar–A”.

Giovanni Gelati. Yes, me. I have been fortunate to have had the privilege and opportunity to work with some amazing authors on a variety of projects in just about every genre. To say that I am fortunate to be able to work with these authors is an understatement.

That is the lineup, what is the giveaway?

We are giving away one title from each author, so that is a package that has six stories, some full length, some digital short stories, some are novella’s, and all you need to do is find these authors and gain their attention. Let them know you’re interested in this giveaway, (follow their blogs, be their friend on Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, Google+… you get the picture), and we will announce the winners on Sept. 15^th.

Have nice time. We look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks, Giovanni. You heard him folks, do something fun, and maybe a little crazy!

Here's some ideas: comment on one of my blog posts (empyricaltales.blogspot.com), send me an email (Mark@MillerWords.com), send me a friend request from one of the social networks listed on my blog or the Links at my website (www.MillerWords.com), or use Facebook. Get my attention and that will get Trestle Press's attention.

I want you to win one of my Trestle Press e-books!