Hello, Friends!

GHC 2018 in Ontario has come and gone, but many fond memories remain from my return to the land of the Gold Rush!  I attended the convention last year as a volunteer, with little more than a satchel filled with some old journals recovered from the Grand Canyon and a dream.  How strange it is that last year seems like yesterday and a thousand years ago at the same time!

I recall meeting authors Brendan P. Kelso (Shakespeare 4 Kids) and S.D. Smith (The Green Ember series) and—after encouraging conversations—resolving to return to Ontario this year; not as a volunteer, but as a vendor.  And thus determined, so it was done…

To all you’ns who stopped by the booth to say hello and discover what the gray, enfeebled miner had to share… thank you!  Without the support of folks like you, my mighty dreams would never’ve seen the light of day.  The journey continues to Albany, OR (OCEANetwork Convention) this week and St. Charles, MO (GHC) in mid-July.

But before I get ahead of myself, I should point out that the lucky winners of Gold Rush Packages on Friday and Saturday nights did not claim their rewards!  Now, as you folks should know by now, I hate to see anyone leave the booth with an unlucky feeling, so dig out your tickets and check the numbers.  Which'ns of you prospectors own the following numbers?

6961285

6961290

If you’re holding one of those tickets in your hot little hands, do not delay!  Snap a picture of it and email me at [email protected] for shipping instructions.  The Gold Rush Package includes paperback and eBook copies of The Lost and Found Journal of a Miner 49er: Vol.1, angel wings T-shirt, book cover poster and more! 

Thanks again for stopping by the booth this weekend.  I enjoyed meeting all of you and I was thoroughly impressed by the sharp-minded children roaming the Ontario Convention Center.  It gives me hope in the future of our great civilization!  Until we meet again, remember to seek God, chase your dreams, and up the adventure!

Jack

P.S. If you are enjoying your adventures with The Lost and Found Journal of a Miner 49er: Vol.1—be it in paperback, eBook or audiobook format—please take 30 seconds to leave a review on Amazon and tell the world about it!  Truly, reviews make an indie author’s world go ‘round.

Do any of you'ns remember that advertisement from ages ago?  Well, the reason I'm calling it to your attention is because I think when you listen to the just-released audiobook version of The Lost and Found Journal of a Miner 49er: Vol. 1, you will feel like the man in the picture above!  (Listen to an audio sample here)

When my Grandpa told me stories on summer nights long ago, the world around me grew strangely dim, replaced by clear and marvelous worlds created by nothing more than his spoken word.  My chief aim in bringing the journal to audiobook format was to deliver that same experience to listeners far and wide.

Whether you plan a camping trip, beach trip, or road trip this summer, or just plan to toast marshmallows around the fire pit in your backyard, I invite you to turn up the volume on the 17 mighty adventures in The Lost and Found Journal of a Miner 49er: Vol. 1 and travel back in time to a forgotten world.

The audiobook is available immediately for download from Audible.com, Amazon & iTunes.  Many of you familiar with how Amazon works will look for the Whispersync feature to connect with your eBook copies of the journal and not find it.  So what's going on here?  Well, the Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX), which is owned by Amazon, releases audiobooks as soon as they become available, but (as a representative at ACX explained to me yesterday) the technology to link the audio to the eBook takes a little longer.

Now, this poses a bit of a problem for folks looking to take advantage of Whispersync right away, since buying the audio as Whispersync is a little cheaper than what Amazon sells the audiobook for ($5-6 less).  I feel badly that that's the case, but they set the price through their exclusive distribution.

So here's what I'm going to do for everyone...

Between now and Wednesday, June 13th, I am activating a 35% off coupon code for the paperback version of The Lost and Found Journal of a Miner 49er: Vol. 1 at my bookshop on Bookbaby.com.  Enter the code MINER49 at check-out to receive the discount, which drops the price of the book from $12.99 to $8.44! 

In addition to this, I am extending the $0.99 price of the eBook on Amazon through the end of the month.  This way, anyone who wants to enjoy Whispersync when it becomes available can do so on the cheap.

Feel free to share the 35% paperback discount code with family and friends, but it is only good through June 13th!

Thanks to all of you who have visited our booth at conventions and supported us through social media, online reviews, and word of mouth.  If parents (and children) are consistent about one thing, it's that we can use all the Godly adventures we can lay our hands on! 

We look forward to continuing our goal of seeding the imaginations of young'ns wherever there are ears to hear.

Keep chasing those dreams!
Jack

Hello, Friends!

The 20th annual CHOIS convention has come and gone, but not without a saddlebag stuffed full of many mighty memories… and a last bit of unfinished business, too!  You see, many of you entered the raffle on Saturday afternoon for a chance to win a Gold Rush Package from Oldenworld Books.  This includes a first edition signed paperback of The Lost and Found Journal of a Miner 49er: Vol. 1, eBook for Kindle, angel wings T-shirt, book cover poster and more!  Trouble is, the lucky winner did not step forward at the end of the conference to claim their treasure.

Now, if you know the first thing about me by now, it’s that I’m all about claims and treasures, so I do not want the holder of the winning ticket to go unrewarded.  Check your pockets and pocketbooks to see if you are that lucky winner.  The winning number is:

                                                                                   6961256

If you are holding that ticket in your hot little hands, congratulations!  Just snap a picture of it and shoot me a smoke signal at [email protected] so we can confirm T-shirt size and arrange delivery.  It won’t cost you a cent, but I promise the stories will enrich your lives!

Finally, I’m still awaiting word from the Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX) about the release date for the audiobook (click here to sample.)  Summertime, with all the road trips families plan, is a big release window for the industry, as you can imagine, so the folks at ACX are doing their darndest to process all the titles in a timely fashion.

The audiobook will be available on Audible.com, Amazon & iTunes.  If you purchased a paperback at the convention, remember to claim the eBook I gifted you this weekend.  Amazon offers a handsome discount on the audiobook to owners of the eBook versions.

Audible.com, not to be outdone, offers a way for you to receive the audiobook for free!  When you sign-up for their 30-day free trial, you receive a complimentary code good for any title in their store.  Current Audible members can also use their monthly complimentary code to lay hold of The Lost and Found Journal of a Miner 49er: Vol.1 for free.

It was my pleasure to meet you’ns this weekend in Nampa.  I always enjoy time in beautiful Idaho and I look forward to a return trip soon!

Keep chasing those dreams and Up the Adventure!

Jack