Starting 2015 with a bang by promoting The Orphan Ship

Free on Kindle, January 3-4, and this will be my last freebie run. If you'd like a copy of the paperback, please enter the Goodreads giveaway, January 1-5. And this will be my last boring post! I'll be stretching myself a bit with some short stories and thought-provoking discussions, so watch for the next post. I promise it will entertain.

Thanks for a wonderful 2014. It's great to have the trilogy finished. Moving on to the next trilogy with some new characters, but I can't guarantee a book in 2015--although I'll sure try my best. Who needs sleep, right?

http://www.amazon.com/Orphan-Ship-Sterling-R-Walker-ebook/dp/B00CW60ZPK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420080733&sr=8-1&keywords=the+orphan+ship

Goodreads Book Giveaway

I have a book giveaway coming up on Goodreads, Jan. 1-5. Enter to win a free copy of The Orphan Ship. I plan to give away all three books in the trilogy as a set when The Last Orphan is out in paperback mid-January. Goodreads Book Giveaway is an easy way to win free paperbacks from up-and-coming authors. Check it out and thanks for sharing!
http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/120546-the-orphan-ship

The Last Orphan is on Kindle!

Merry Christmas! Live on Amazon Kindle today for $1.99. Enjoy some holiday reading, and reviews are ALWAYS welcome. The paperback should be available in a few weeks.
http://www.amazon.com/Last-Orphan-Ship-Book-ebook/dp/B00R6XFTLO/

The Last Orphan: back cover

I'm formatting for the Kindle right now. I meet with my cover designer on Tuesday. This book will be out very soon, count on it!

The 'blurb' or teaser for the back cover:

Captain Danae Shepherd and her crew of Alex's Legacy set out to rescue Shima Oryang's niece from a slave-run factory in Bangkok, but their quest turns deadly when Shima is abducted. Now with her best friend missing, her helmsman in a coma, and a military captain determined to keep her on a short leash, Danae must battle the horrors from her past before she can muster the courage to confront the human traffickers who are holding Shima captive.

Like a small stone tossed into a big pond, Danae's influence expands like ripples as her determination to save one orphan becomes a dangerous mission to liberate them all.

The Lost Sheep free Kindle download

I'm offering The Lost Sheep free on Kindle, Dec. 5-7. Be sure to read The Orphan Ship first so it's not confusing. Both books are only .99 right now on Kindle. I'm still editing and doing some revising with The Last Orphan but I'm hoping to have the Kindle version out by Christmastime. The paperback might not be out until January. Books take a little more time to format.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

The Orphan Ship FREE on Kindle, Oct. 3-5

I'm pleased to offer The Orphan Ship for free, three days only, Oct. 3-5.
http://www.amazon.com/Orphan-Ship-Sterling-R-Walker-ebook/dp/B00CW60ZPK/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-1&qid=1411166925

The Book Stalker review

Check out the Book Stalker's Facebook page for reviews and win free books, too. http://www.thebookstalker.net/#!sterling-books/cdpt

"It isn’t very often that I find a Sci-Fi book that keeps me interested and looking forward to what happens next.  Walker has thoughtfully produced an appealing storyline with unique ideas to intrigue readers and keep them engrossed in each of the character’s lives. The title is skillfully chosen and I like that as I read the story I was able to recognize its value as I got to know the individual characters. 

Excited for the next in the series as Walker provided a fast paced storyline to ensure readers stay riveted to the book while excitedly anticipating the next.  I felt that science, speculation, action and feelings were all completely incorporated with the perfect equilibrium of unexpected twists to keep readers intrigued.  Excellent job at keeping the storyline believable in an out of this world setting!" 

Busy writing, writing, writing

Sorry to neglect my blog but I'm determined to finish The Last Orphan in time for December publication.

Both The Orphan Ship and The Lost Sheep are .99 on Kindle -- in case you need something to read over the Labor Day weekend.

Looking forward to autumn -- my favorite season of the year!

Invite me to speak at your book club!

I'm psyched to be attending a book club meeting this Friday to discuss my books! How cool is that? I'm happy to attend any reading groups within 100 miles of my home (Holly Springs, NC). Just send me an email at SterlingRWalker@yahoo.com.

Thank you to everyone who downloaded The Lost Sheep on Kindle this month!

It was a very productive June for me. Sales were good, and I wrote several chapters of The Last Orphan. It was such a good month that I want to continue the momentum with an offer for free copies of The Last Orphan if you post a review for The Orphan Ship and/or The Lost Sheep on Amazon.com. Just send me an email at SterlingRWalker@yahoo.com when you post a review, and you'll have a signed copy of The Last Orphan as soon as it's released -- hopefully December.

Thanks again, and have a wonderful Independence Day holiday weekend!

Follow me on Twitter!

I decided to join the 21st century by opening a Twitter account. Don't laugh -- I'm a low tech sci-fi author. Ironic, huh? You can follow me @SterlingRWalker.

Don't forget there's just three more days to download The Lost Sheep on Kindle for only .99! Have a great weekend! I'm looking forward to Independence Day next Friday.

The Lost Sheep on Kindle for .99 this month!

Did you enjoy The Orphan Ship? I've decided to offer Book 2, The Lost Sheep, on Kindle for .99 for the month of June! Amazon will change the price sometime tomorrow (June 2). Enjoy both books for .99 each on your Kindle! Happy Summer reading! 
http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Sheep-Orphan-Ship-ebook/dp/B00FCD8K52/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-5&qid=1401673043

Thank you for the reviews!

A big thank you goes out to those who participated in my Write a Review -- Get a Free Copy of The Last Orphan. The Orphan Ship is still only .99 on Kindle! 

Thanks for your support, and Happy Memorial Day! I'm grateful to have a holiday to honor my dear father (Army) and my amazing father-in-law (Air Force) who both served our nation, and to my brother Ethan who still serves in the Air Force.

FREEDOM ISN'T FREE

Only Two Days Left to Win a Free Copy of The Last Orphan!

Just write a review of The Orphan Ship and/or The Lost Sheep on Amazon.com and I'll send you a signed copy of The Last Orphan as soon as it's published. It'll be around Christmastime, but what a great gift for yourself! I plan to release all three books as a boxed set in 2015.

Thanks for your support!

Win a free copy of The Last Orphan!

From April 20 -- May 20, write a review for me, and win a copy of my next book, The Last Orphan! Please write a review on Amazon.com and/or Goodreads for either (or both) of my books, and I'll send you a signed copy of The Last Orphan at Christmastime. I know it's a long ways off, but I promise I'm writing as fast as I can!

http://www.amazon.com/The-Orphan-Ship-Sterling-Walker/product-reviews/1484980360/ref=dp_db_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Sheep-Orphan-Ship-Volume/product-reviews/0990019012/ref=dp_db_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18830404-the-orphan-ship?from_search=true
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18816465-the-lost-sheep

Send me an email at SterlingRWalker@yahoo.com and let me know that you posted a review, and the last book in the trilogy will be yours! Thank you for your support, and please share!

"Who needs cursive when you can type?"

Handwriting is becoming a lost art. My kids were taught the basics of cursive in 4th grade, then went right back to printing. Nowadays they write with their thumbs only -- on a tiny screen -- with words that are so abbreviated that I now understand why spelling is no longer a subject taught in school. Even as I'm writing this, my laptop signals me with a red underline if the word is spelled wrong -- sometimes if it's only a little off, it corrects it for me, instantly. It gives me a blue zigzag line under words that may not be grammatically correct for the sentence. No proofreading required. Is this progress or is this encouraging laziness? I tend to think the latter.

Who needs cursive? Our children do. Writing in cursive, like playing a musical instrument, stimulates areas of the brain that usually lie dormant. Just as musicians tend to do better in math, people who write in cursive tend to be more creative. Just think of cursive as an art. Budding artists are creative and imaginative. I rarely meet a young plugged-in person who has an original thought in their head. Harsh, but true. Sitting in front of a screen where you are entertained 24/7 leaves little room for creative thinking.

As a leftie, I worked hard to have legible handwriting. I practiced and practiced, determined not to have 'chicken scratching' like my dad, or words smeared across the page because I had to drag my hand across it. I now have beautiful handwriting (and I'm so modest, too). I take pride in my cursive. But my kids can't even read my notes, and I have to print for them. They can't read anything their grandmothers write in their birthday cards -- and my mother and MIL have neat handwriting. I feel like something precious has been lost in the 'progress' of technology.

The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and Bill of Rights were written in cursive. Now we have a generation of children who can't read the original documents because they can't read cursive. Food for thought on this I-hope-it's-spring-now sunny day.

To Blog or Not to Blog?

I am not a blogger (plus I don't misquote Shakespeare very well) but I've been told by other authors that people like to read blogs. So I need to keep it new and fresh, right? What should I blog about? It's kind of a gray area since the things I find interesting, like politics, volunteer work, and adoption, would change the tone of my blog. So I should blog about books and writing books? Yes, that's with a question mark.

What's so interesting about books? My father was a library director so I grew up in a book-loving environment. My family was boring. A typical night at home for the Meldroms was each person in his/her own room reading a book. I was one of those kids who stayed up late reading with a flashlight under the covers.Yeah, that's about as exciting as watching the grass grow.

However, now that I have my own family, I'm seeing a huge difference in the creativity/imagination levels of my kids who like to read vs my kids who prefer to stare at a screen. Maybe being a book junkie as a kid wasn't such a bad thing. Books, to me, are never boring, and I have the jam-packed bookcases to prove it.

I suppose giving our kids Kindles and downloading lots of books would be a way to encourage reading since it would still allow them to stare at a screen. What do you think of that theory? Personally, I like the feel of a book in my hands. I love the smell of new paper. I like turning pages. I don't think I'll ever buy a Kindle unless I suddenly had to do a lot of traveling because that would give me reading material without taking up so much luggage space.

Please see the bottom of my blog for authors I read and recommend in the genre of young adult science fiction.

So that was my blog post about reading. I guess I should have apologized in advance for boring you. Next topic: writing and the lost art of cursive. Have a good weekend.

Commencing work on The Last Orphan

Life is finally back to normal. My son's wedding was wonderful, the addition on our house is finally finished, and I have a new desk set aside just for writing. I'm back to writing every day, and I hope to release the final book in The Orphan Ship trilogy in 2014.