NEW AND NOTEWORTHY
I performed a Skype Book Reading and Conference with kids from the Fort Plain Jr/Sr High School in New York on March 27th. Using the high school media lab, they opened a free account with (VOIP online phone service provider) Skype and video-called me at my home through a PC. I'm equipped with a videocam and free Skype account myself, so I was able to see the kids in the classroom, and they were able to see me. In fact, they projected the Skype-cast up on a big screen so everyone could get a good view. It took hardly any time to set up...and it was FREE!
The kids had a great time asking me all sorts of questions about RESURRECTION MEN and writing in general. And I received a kind note thereafter from the progressive Fort Plain librarian, Mary Van Patten, who to my knowledge is the first educator in the state to exploit the Web in this way:
"The students were so thrilled with this experience. Fort Plain is a small town, next to Canajoharie NY; it's exit 29 off the NY Thruway. There are a lot of dairy farms in the area. Many of these farms are being bought by Amish people. Because of the Erie Canal, it was once a prosperous town. The students I work with are great...Thanks so much for making this happen."
What a great way to leverage the Net to get closer to readers. I'm encouraging all elementary, junior and high school librarians out there who are carrying my T.K. Welsh titles (like THE UNRESOLVED and RESURRECTION MEN) to contact me at tkwelsh@gmail.com in order to set up a similar Skype Book Reading and Conference. Have the children read one of my YA historical novels and then invite me into your media or music lab to talk about the book. Using Skype and a webcam, a PC video call is easy and free, and it makes a real difference to the students when they can pose their questions directly to the author.
In fact, participants of any Book Club or Book Circle with ten members or more who purchase one of my novels--like THE WAVE, GOSPEL TRUTHS or my forthcoming religious thriller THE GOD MACHINE--can contact me at jgsandom@gmail.com to set up a similar FREE Skype Book Reading and Conference.
Invite me into your living room, and I'll invite you into mine. Rather than simply discussing a book amongst yourselves, as usual, imagine having the author right there to answer your questions directly.
And speaking of my new thriller, the forthcoming release of THE GOD MACHINE is featured on the Winchester College Alumni home page -- Old Wykehamists (OW) News. For those of you Old Wykehamists who still have fond memories of Kenny's, check out this new online resource.
THE WAVE
J.G. Sandom's most recent novel, THE WAVE, is finally available @ lulu.com and through most major booksellers and online bookstores.
If you liked GOSPEL TRUTHS or THE HUNTING CLUB, if you enjoyed THE UNRESOLVED or RESURRECTION MEN, check out THE WAVE - A JOHN DECKER THRILLER.
Kirkus said, "Sandom’s strength lies in the verve of his story, with writing that has both muscle ... (and) brains ... Races from improbable to crazywild, all in good fun, with Sandom always one step ahead ... A story with enough manic energy to be worthy of a nuclear explosion."
When Cryptanalyst John Decker of the FBI is assigned to the Joint Terrorist Task Force in New York, he has no idea he is about to be thrust into a deadly plot of eco-terrorism masterminded by El Aqrab, the Scorpion, a diabolical killer recently arrested in Tel Aviv.
Following the theft of 8 kilos of Highly Enriched Uranium, an ultimatum is issued to the West: Release El Aqrab or a nuclear bomb will be detonated. But, at the last moment, El Aqrab escapes...and the authorities never get the bomb.
While Homeland Security is convinced it's headed for New York, only Agent Decker -- assisted by brilliant and beautiful oceanographer Emily Swenson -- believes the bomb’s true destination is La Palma, in the remote Canary Island chain.
Now, Decker and Swenson have less than six hours to prove their theory, defuse the bomb, and prevent a mega-tsunami from annihilating the Eastern Seaboard.
J.G. Sandom's most recent TV interview on "Breezin' with Bierman" is available at YouTube. See the author read from THE WAVE, and chat about his other recent publications.
For an excerpt from THE WAVE, click here.
To buy your copy, click here.
The results are in for last month's READERS' POLL. The question was, "Where did the terrorist Ali Hammel plant his explosive device on the island of Lanzarote in the Canaries?" One third of you got this one wrong, thinking it was in "a container marked sturgeon." The correct answer was, "In a jukebox featuring The Beatles."
For the results of previous polls, click here.
THE GOD MACHINE
THE GOD MACHINE, the long-awaited sequel to GOSPEL TRUTHS, will be released by Bantam (Random House) AT THE END OF THIS MONTH (April 28th, 2009).
Check out the latest Readers' Poll, in the left margin, and test your knowledge of THE GOD MACHINE. (HINT: There's an excerpt from the Prologue of the new book here.)
Tell the author what you think of the book cover here.
In the Philadelphia area? Come and here J.G. Sandom read from THE GOD MACHINE at Head House Books next month (May 12th). [See details under FORTHCOMING READINGS, below.]
The Church Insisted it didn't exist.They said it was just a Masonic legend.
It wasn't.
A two thousand year old secret...
Revealed.
STEP INTO THE GOD MACHINE!
The coded journal of Benjamin Franklin. A hidden map. A legendary gospel. These are the first pieces to an ancient puzzle so powerful it could destroy the very foundation of Christianity.
Once before, Joseph Koster unearthed one of the Church's most deeply buried secrets...and it almost cost him his life. But some treasures are too hard to resist. And as Koster puts the pieces of Franklin's puzzle together, he discovers something even more startling...and infinitely more deadly.
Now, along with beautiful electrical engineer Savita Sajan, Koster must race to decode Franklin's journal before it falls into the hands of those who would do anything, kill anyone to suppress it. But in a world of secret societies, ancient conspiracies and Masonic puzzles, locating the prize is one thing...staying alive, another.
For as Koster and Sajan are about the learn, the same key that unlocks the doorway to Heaven...could open the portals of Hell.
To pre-order or purchase your copy, click here.
IN OTHER NEWS
GOSPEL TRUTHS
Before The Da Vinci Code...before The Last Templar...before The Secret -- there was GOSPEL TRUTHS! Re-released after more than a decade, it's time to read the book that started it all.
J.G. Sandom is featured under One to Watch at BookReporter.com. Check out the in-depth author interview.
Booklist called GOSPEL TRUTHS, "a splendid, tautly woven thriller...(and) an intelligent mystery of tremendous spiritual and literary depth." Library Journal said, "A masterful first novel, based on a true incident, which spins a complicated web of corruption, greed and deception." And Mostly Murder characterized it, "A fascinating mystery ... captivating and engrossing."
When City of London Police Inspector Nigel Lyman is assigned to investigate the death of a notorious Italian Banker found hanging under Blackfriars Bridge in London, the inquiry leads him to the Amiens and Chartres cathedrals in France in pursuit of a shadowy arch criminal -- leader of a corrupt Masonic lodge, the I Four -- intent on acquiring an ancient Gnostic Gospel whose discovery would undermine the very foundations of Christianity.
For an excerpt from GOSPEL TRUTHS, click here.
To challenge yourself with a GOSPEL TRUTHS puzzle, click here.
To buy your copy, click here.
RESURRECTION MEN
Check out the latest in-depth author interview at Wordswimmer. See what inspires J.G. Sandom to write his Young Adult (YA) novels (under the name T.K. Welsh).
RESURRECTION MEN has been named a Junior Library Guild selection.
Publishers Weekly called RESURRECTION MEN, “A haunting tour of London's underclass during the 1830s...Teens will likely be both captivated by Victor's harrowing story as well as his ability to prevail in the face of harsh injustices." The Thrushmetal Review said, "The action and pace is steady and quick, rarely pausing, and finishes in an unforgettable, movie-quality fight-to-the-death.” BIG A, little a called the novel, “A moody, evocative tale...T.K. Welsh is fast becoming one of my favorite writers. His work transcends genre and audience classification.” VOYA said, "Teen readers will thoroughly enjoy the hair-raising suspense in this historical thriller." TeensReadToo termed it, “an intense, dark work...I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction.”KLIATT said, "Like M.T. Anderson's The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, this look at sinister events in history makes the era come alive and lingers in the memory." Jen Robinson's Book Page called the novel, “Gripping and fast-paced, filled with intriguing historical details...Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction." The Miss Rumphius Effect said, “T.K. Welsh, where have you been? I loved this book!” And School Library Journal said, “Part historical fiction and part adventure story, the novel brings excitement to Victorian England...Readers will be on the edge of their seats.”
Inspired by the 1831 "Italian Boy trial" of body snatchers in London, England, RESURRECTION MEN is a spine-tingling murder mystery that pits a beggar boy named Victor against a nefarious group of Resurrection Men. In this tumultuous dark underworld, where a fresh subject can fetch as much as nine guineas -- the yearly salary of a working man -- Victor must risk his life to uncover the identity of the murderer who is at the heart of London's furtive trade in human corpses.
For a sample chapter of RESURRECTION MEN, click here. If you already own a copy, click here to access a secret section of the site...just for you. [NOTE: Make sure to enter the name Secret (S-e-c-r-e-t) and the correct Password, printed at the rear of the book.] (NOTE: J.G. Sandom writes his young adult novels under the name T.K. Welsh.) To buy your copy, click here. THE UNRESOLVED Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books of 2006 by the Washington Post, THE UNRESOLVED was nominated for a Young Adult Library Services Association -- YALSA 2007 Teens' Top Ten, the only book award recommended and awarded solely by teens. The novel was previously named a 2007 Association of Jewish Libraries Notable Book for Teens by the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, which recognized only six works in Jewish teen literature that year. THE UNRESOLVED was also nominated for the 2006 Cybils literary awards, and for the 2007 Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association. It's currently featured as one of the Best Teen Books of the Year 2006 at BarnesAndNoble.com. The Washington Post said, "Welsh writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction." School Library Journal said, "THE UNRESOLVED tells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called THE UNRESOLVED, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story ... (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, "THE UNRESOLVED is a book you shouldn't pass up." The Edge of the Forest said, "It may be the most beautifully written novel I've read this year." All About the Book said, "THE UNRESOLVED is a great one. Mallory is the most well-developed ghostly character I've seen in a long, long time." Midwest Book Review called THE UNRESOLVED, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story." And Bookslut.com said, "THE UNRESOLVED scores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold." Inspired by the tragic events of 9/11, THE UNRESOLVED reaches back into history to explore what was, until recently, the greatest disaster in New York City history. Based on the sinking of the General Slocum steamship -- which caught fire in the East River, New York, in 1904, resulting in the death of over 1,000 mostly German immigrants on a church outing -- THE UNRESOLVED is at once a ghost story, a courtroom drama, an examination of immigrant life, and a tale of love, redemption and revenge. The novel dramatizes how a single life -- and death -- can have a powerful influence on history. (NOTE: J.G. Sandom writes his young adult novels under the name T.K. Welsh.) For a sample chapter of THE UNRESOLVED, click here! To buy your copy, click here. LIVE READING: The author appreciates your feedback. If you'd like to say something about a reading, click here. Kirkus To buy your copy, click here.
THE UNRESOLVED recently made Horn Book's list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.
Book: THE GOD MACHINE
Date: May 12th, 2009
Venue: Head House Books
Time: 7:30 - 9:00 PM
Address: 619 South Second Street, Philadelphia PA
Phone: (215) 923-9525
"In Sandom's doomdsay thriller, a cryptanalyst and an oceanographer combine forces in an attempt to thwart a terrorist plan to inundate the eastern seabord of the United States...Sandom's strength lies in the verve of his story, with writing that has both muscle, in its pacing and violence, and a measure of brains as it goes about knitting Islamic calligraphy into the action, as well as making skirmishes into cryptography, vulcan stimulation and the higher physics of radiation and isotope decay without force-feeding the dense material to the reader...After a rather stately start...(THE WAVE) races from improbably to crazywild, all in good fun, with Sandom always one step ahead...A story with enough manic energy to be worthy of a nuclear explosion."
RESURRECTION MEN -- Reader Reviews
Michelle @ tkwelsh.com
"I've just completed reading Resurrection Men and I must say that it made it to my favorite book list (only one so far, and I do read often) Which is saying a lot... T.K you are an extraordinary writer that snags me out of my surroundings and into your imagintion! I plan to read The Unresolved and any other future book you may write! Share your talent! Its a substance you must not waste!"
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