Well, it's official: You, my readers, have helped me decide between The Plague and 404 as the title of my forthcoming thriller about cyber-terrorism. And the winner is . . .
404
Thanks to all of you who sent me emails or comments about the new book. I really appreciate your input.
As I finish up my edits of 404, I continue to be amazed by the number of news stories about cyber-attacks, domestic drones, online privacy and the like — all key themes in my new novel.
But, before showcasing some of these stories, here is a video that appeared in the New York Times some time ago featuring National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower William Binney, who was part of George W. Bush's domestic spying program carried out by the NSA called Stellar Wind, and James Bamford, author of The Puzzle Palace and The Shadow Factory, both inside looks at the NSA.
I love Binney's comment that, "It (the fact that Bush and Cheney et al conducted domestic spying, which was illegal at the time) needs to be out in the open. As a democracy we need to say, do we want our government doing this or not? And do we want the government to have this data or not . . . Just because we call ourselves a democracy doesn't mean we will stay that way."
For more on the renewal of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) at the end of last year (and their secret courts that determine if said domestic spying is warranted, allegedly because one of the potential "terrorists" on the recorded phone call or email conversation is overseas . . . although, according to Binney and Bamford, this distinction was ignored by the Bush White House and the NSA), see these articles from Wired and NPR. [Thank you, Senators Wyden and Merkley, both of Oregon, for fighting the good fight.]
In the end, of course, on December 30, 2012, President Obama signed the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Amendments Act (FAA), extending the NSA's program of unconstitutional warrantless wiretapping for another five years. FISA is essentially a codification of the illegal domestic spying program begun in secret under the Bush administration. This, despite the fact that candidate Obama — before he was elected President — said he would re-visit this issue to make sure there was no more domestic spying.
Meanwhile, as I noted above, here are three recent articles that speak to some of the issues I cover in 404.
The first, titled Justices Turn Back Challenge to Broader U.S. Eavesdropping, speaks to the Supreme Court's recent decision not to allow folks (i.e. the American Civil Liberties Union) to sue the government over its power to eavesdrop on international calls and emails (although, as noted above, this also impacts the domestic spying the government is doing, according to Binney and Bamford).
The second, titled Chinese Army Unit Is Seen as Tied to Hacking Against U.S., speaks to the recent Mandiant report that identified the Chinese cyber warriors responsible for many recent cyber attacks against US interests — P.L.A. Unit 61398, also known as Comment Crew or simply the Shanghai Group.
And the last piece, titledThe Drone Question Obama Hasn't Answered, is an Op-Ed by Ryan Goodman that appeared recently in The New York Times. It speaks to the question that Senator Rand Paul recently inquired of Attorney General Holder. And here is Holder's response: "It has come to my attention that you have now asked an additional question: 'Does the President have the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on American soil?' The answer to that question is no."
While this may seem satisfying to some, Ryan thinks Holder's letter to Senator Paul actually raises more questions than it answers. After all, what does "engaged in combat" really mean . . . especially since this Administration still hasn't disavowed its stance, disclosed last May, that military-age males killed in a strike zone are counted as combatants absent explicit posthumous evidence proving otherwise. I mean, according to this definition, if the US targets you with a drone and you're killed in the strike zone, you are — by defintion — a combatant! This smacks of Kafka's The Trial!
If you want to read the first book in this series of thrillers — since 404 has yet to come out — check out The Wave. [NOTE: The protagonist's name has been changed from John Decker (in The Wave) to Jonatan Carlsen (in the sequel, 404), as an homage to my Danish heritage. I've made a few other changes in 404, mostly to characters' names, but Carlsen/Decker is fundamentally the same guy. At some point, when I have the time, I will re-release The Wave (again!), with the corrected protagonist's name, and some additional changes; i.e. I need to cut some sections, and simplify others, once again based on reader responses . . . so thank you! Look for this sometime later this year.]
RECENTLY REDUCED FROM $7.99 TO ONLY $2.99!
For the last 5 months, 10% of all profits from the sale of this title have gone to the Red Cross for Sandy Relief. I will continue to give to the Red Cross for Sandy Relief for one more month (a total of 6 months) . . . so buy your copy of The Wave today!
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, a diabolical killer recently arrested in Tel Aviv whose calling card is to wrap his victims up with incendiary devices designed to produce flames in the shape of Koranic verses. Some call it aesthetic destruction.
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 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.
The Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma is currently in a dormant stage, but will almost certainly erupt again. The western half of the volcano has an approximate volume of 500 cubic kilometres, and an estimated mass of 1,500,000,000,000 (that's 1.5 Trillion!) metric tons. If it were to catastrophically slide into the ocean, it would generate a wave with an initial height of about 1,000 metres at the island (3,300 ft or 300+ stories high, if it were a building; i.e. 3 Empire State Buildings tall), and a likely height of around 50 metres (164 ft, or around 16 stories high) at the Caribbean and the Eastern North American seaboard when it runs ashore eight or more hours later. For context, if you are a piano lover, the arriving wave will be about the height of the Steinway building in NYC.
The 16-story Steinway Building in New York City is the same height as the mega-tsunami wave will be when it hits the East Coast of the US.
Tens of millions of lives will be lost as the cities and towns of Boston, New York, Baltimore, Washington DC, Miami, Havana, and countless others along the Atlantic coast in North, Central and South America, plus Africa and Europe, are destroyed, wiped out in seconds.
As Emily Swenson says about the inevitability of
the fall of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma, “I’m afraid you don’t
understand, Agent Decker. It’s not about
likelihood. It’s a certainty. The only variable is time.”
At some point in the future, the island will come
apart and a mega-tsunami will stream across the Atlantic at the speed of a jet
plane, obliterating the entire Easter Seaboard of the United States, killing more
than forty million people, thirteen percent of the U.S. population. And hundreds of millions will be injured, one
out of every three Americans. It will
cause trillions of dollars in damage. The
entire U.S. economy will be disrupted for years, if not permanently crippled.
This is not
speculation. This is a fact.
The last Cumbre Vieja eruption occurred in 1971. The next? Who knows. Click below to see what it might look like.
Click here to check out my Pinterest board. [WARNING: Some of the images on this board may be disturbing to younger readers.]
If you're looking for something uplifting to read on your Kindle, Nook, iPad, smartphone or laptop, check out this short story,After the Great Muskie Hunt, dedicated to my father, Zane, who always found time to take me fishing, and whose memory it honors. Please take a moment to download and read it. It's only around 15 manuscript pages, and it's FREE at Smashwords. [Though I've tried, Amazon won't let me give it away . . . despite the fact they say that if you can show it priced less elsewhere (i.e. free), they'll match the price. No, they won't.]
We live the lives of locusts, gone in a summer's day. I miss you, Dad!
"After the Great Muskie Hunt"
When his father loses his job, a young painter from New York offers to take him fishing for muskie — a barracuda-like freshwater fish — at Big Eagle Lake, in Ontario, Canada.
"Haunting and beautiful."
Mainsail Reviews
[Click here to check out my Pinterest board for After the Great Muskie Hunt.]
ON SALE FOR JUST 99¢
TWO AWARD-WINNING YA CRIME NOVELS!
KISS ME, I'M DEAD
BEFORE THERE WAS 9/11 . . . THERE WAS 6/15
On June 15, 1904, over a thousand New Yorkers, mostly German immigrants on a Church outing, died when the General Slocum steamship was set afire and sank in the East River. It was the greatest mass killing in New York City history . . . until 9/11.
When her boyfriend is accused of the crime, an amateur teen detective, Mallory Meer, risks everything to solve the mystery behind the tragedy. Was Dustin guilty? Or was someone else responsible for the fire that killed over a thousand men, women and children — including Mallory's own baby sister?
Only Mallory can understand what this crime truly means, because she's not only one of the victims . . . she's one of the dead.
An extraordinary story of revenge, of the quest for justice, and of a love so powerful, not even death could extinguish it.
Mallory Meer is like any other teenage girl. She likes to have fun. She thinks her sister is ridiculous. Her parents drive her crazy. She's got a terrible crush on Dustin and follows him everywhere.
Mallory even has a summer job — figuring out the truth about the fire on the General Slocum steamship, the disaster that killed her sister. Mallory is determined to get to the bottom of it, to find out who's guilty, and to finally bring them to justice.
Sometimes Mallory gets angry, very angry, and strange things happen when Mallory gets angry.
Yes, Mallory is like any other teenage girl . . . except Mallory is dead.
Twilight meetsTitanic
Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books of the year by the Washington Post, Kiss me, I'm Dead was named a Notable Book for Teens by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teen's Top Ten, and nominated for a Cybils literary award, a Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association (ALA), and recently added to Horn Book’s list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.
The Washington Post said, "(J.G. Sandom) writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction," and called the book, "A subtle gem." School Library Journal said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead tells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called the work, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story . . . (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead is a book you shouldn't pass up." Midwest Book Review termed it, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story." And Bookslut.com said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead scores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold."
Click hereto purchase your copy of Kiss me, I'm Dead!
Click here to check out my Pinterest board for Kiss me, I'm Dead.
CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER
The beggar children of London are vanishing. They're disappearing . . . right off the streets.
Some say it's got something to do with the business of body snatching, grave robbers digging up corpses and selling them to doctors for medical research.
Some say it's far worse.
Now, racing against time, only Victor — a poor immigrant boy recently ship-wrecked and sold into the bondage of beggary — can uncover the identity of the ghoulish murderer at the heart of London’s furtive trade in human trafficking.
They killed his best friend.
They kidnapped the girl that he loves.
Now, there's only one thing worse than their finding him . . . and that's him finding them first.
Oliver Twist meetsBreaking Bad
Previously named a Junior Library Guild selection, Publishers Weekly called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher, “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." VOYA said, "Teen readers will thoroughly enjoy the hair-raising suspense in this historical thriller." Kirkus Reviews called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher perfect for, “audiences that relish 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." 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.”
Click hereto purchase your copy of Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher.
And if that isn't enough, BOTH titles are also available in Two Teen Terrors — A Cornucopia Press Collection FOR JUST $1.49!
Click here to purchase your copy of Two Teen Terrors!
STILL LOOKING FOR THAT PERFECT TITLE?
Meanwhile,The God Machinecontinues to reach new theo-thriller fanatics. . . especially as an eBook.
Caroline Thompson (author of Edward Scissorhands) said, "Move over, Dan Brown . . . All hail J.G. Sandom . . . (The God Machine) is a thrilling and breathless, rapturously-written and mind-blowing read. It’ll keep you up all night, turning pages as fast as your little fingers can manage." BookPage said, "Sandom has a knack for combining legendary gospels, ancient secrets, star-crossed lovers and Masonic puzzles to create a simmering stew of conspiracy, intrigue and danger that keeps the plot pot boiling until the very end." And the Historical Novels Review said, "History galore, violence, and intrigue fill the pages of this tightly plotted, twisting and turning adventure story . . . Those who love numbers, physics, and a truly unpredictable, suspenseful mystery will relish the facts and ponderings replete in this well-written, mysterious spin-off of The Da Vinci Code. The God Machineis a very impressive historical thriller!"
The Church insisted it didn't exist.
They lied.
They said it was just a Masonic legend.
It wasn't.
A two thousand year old secret.
Revealed.
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 Indian high-tech mogul 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 purchase your copy of The God Machine, click here.
Click here to check out my Pinterest board for The God Machine.
The novel has just come out in Spanish from LA FACTORÍA DE IDEAS. It's available in Europe and Latin America, as well as in the the US. Later this year, look for it in Turkish too!
As I finish up my edits on THE PLAGUE (or 404 . . . you decide!), I am struck by the tsunami of articles about cyber-terrorism and drones that have been appearing in the media over the past few weeks. Here, for your viewing pleasure, is a video I think you'll enjoy! It features a product/toy called the Parrot (by French company AR Drone) that — for just a few hundred dollars — can turn any consumer into a USAF Drone Pilot. Have fun spying on your neighbors!
Now, before you run out and buy one of these toys, note that they only have a limited range of around 150 feet or so before the wifi connection craps out on you. And some have been known to catch fire, like some Boeing DreamLiner! That said, one can't argue that this tech is pretty cool.
Speaking of THE PLAGUE (404), I'd like to do a shout-out to a couple of my readers, specifically Chip Marchio and Ron Jaco. (The other lazy bastards reading the book have yet to finish it!)
Chip, who went to Amherst with me back in the day, retired from the USAF as a Colonel, where he served in Intelligence @ the Pentagon. I'm happy to report that he liked the book, and even agreed to give me a blurb for the back cover:
“Strap yourself in….you’re in for a Mach 2 ride with Jonatan Carlsen! As someone who has worked national security issues for decades, this story is all too scary and real! You’ll love it!” Colonel Jim (Chip) Marchio, US Air Force, Ret.
And this comes from Ron Jaco, former Special Agent with the FBI.
"Team up with FBI code-breaker Jonatan Carlsen as he tries to stop a mysterious hacker, recently discovered penetrating government defense systems. Now, the cyber villain has set his sights on Carlsen and his family. As a former Special Agent (in the FBI), I found this novel not only plausible, but riveting and truly alarming. If you care about our nation's cyber-security, you MUST read this book." Former Special Agent Ron Jaco, FBI
Thank you both for your kind words!
Meanwhile, as I noted above, I am happy to see a host of stories appearing in the press lately that seem to coincide with the completion of THE PLAGUE (404). Here are just three from The New York Times.
The first — titled Chinese Army Unit Is Seen as Tied to Hacking Against U.S.— speaks to a report from cyber-security firm Mandiant which recently revealed a pattern of hacking coming from the Peaple's Liberation Army (PLA) of China.
The second — titled Some Victims of Online Hacking Edge Into the Light — is by one of my favorite reporters on this topic, Nicole Perlroth, and exposes how lobbying by Republicans (led by Senator John McCain, who is not named in this piece) on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce is one reason why President Obama's recent efforts to get tough on hackers has been stymied.
If you want to read the first book in this series — since THE PLAGUE (or 404, you decide!) has yet to come out — check out THE WAVE.
RECENTLY REDUCED FROM $7.99 TO ONLY $2.99!
For the next 6 months, 10% of all profits from the sale of this title will go to the Red Cross for Sandy Relief.
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, a diabolical killer recently arrested in Tel Aviv whose calling card is to wrap his victims up with incendiary devices designed to produce flames in the shape of Koranic verses. Some call it aesthetic destruction.
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.
The Cumbre Vieja volcano is currently in a dormant stage, but will almost certainly erupt again. The western half of the volcano has an approximate volume of 500 cubic kilometres and an estimated mass of 1,500,000,000,000 metric tons. If it were to catastrophically slide into the ocean, it could generate a wave with an initial height of about 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) at the island, and a likely height of around 50 metres (164 ft) at the Caribbean and the Eastern North American seaboard when it runs ashore eight or more hours later.
Tens of millions of lives will be lost as the cities and towns of New York, Boston, Baltimore, Washington DC, Miami, Havana, Rio, and countless others along the Atlantic coast in South America, Africa and Europe are destroyed, wiped out in seconds.
As Emily Swenson says about the inevitability of
the fall of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma, “I’m afraid you don’t
understand, Agent Decker. It’s not about
likelihood. It’s a certainty. The only variable is time.”
At some point in the future, the island will come
apart and a mega-tsunami will stream across the Atlantic at the speed of a jet
plane, obliterating the entire Easter Seaboard of the United States, killing more
than forty million people, thirteen percent of the U.S. population. And hundreds of millions will be injured, one
out of every three Americans. It will
cause trillions of dollars in damage. The
entire U.S. economy will be disrupted for years, if not permanently crippled.
This is not
speculation. This is a fact.
The last Cumbre Vieja eruption occurred in 1971. The next? Who knows. Click below to see what it might look like.
Click here to check out my Pinterest board. [WARNING: Some of the images on this board may be disturbing to younger readers.]
I'd like to thank all my fans for your fabulous support of The Wave. I set aside 10% of the profits from the sale of this book to Japanese tsunami relief efforts last year. Your generosity helped thousands of victims.
While The Wave may be a work of fiction, I know from my extensive research how devastating tsunamis and — as seen in my book — mega-tsunamis can be. The events of March, 2011, reminded us just how fragile and fickle our environment is, and how we must do whatever we can to protect it. Now, SuperStorm Sandy has reminded us again.
If you do have power, and you're looking for something uplifting to read on your Kindle, Nook, iPad, smartphone or laptop, check out this short story,After the Great Muskie Hunt, dedicated to my father, Zane, who always found time to take me fishing, and whose memory it honors. Please take a moment to download and read it. It's only around 15 manuscript pages, and it's FREE!
We live the lives of locusts, gone in a summer's day. I miss you, Dad!
"After the Great Muskie Hunt"
When his father loses his job, a young painter from New York offers to take him fishing for muskie — a barracuda-like freshwater fish — at Big Eagle Lake, in Ontario, Canada.
"Haunting and beautiful."
Mainsail Reviews
[Click here to check out my Pinterest board for After the Great Muskie Hunt.]
ON SALE FOR JUST 99¢
TWO AWARD-WINNING YA CRIME NOVELS!
KISS ME, I'M DEAD
BEFORE THERE WAS 9/11 . . . THERE WAS 6/15
On June 15, 1904, over a thousand New Yorkers, mostly German immigrants on a Church outing, died when the General Slocum steamship was set afire and sank in the East River. It was the greatest mass killing in New York City history . . . until 9/11.
When her boyfriend is accused of the crime, an amateur teen detective, Mallory Meer, risks everything to solve the mystery behind the tragedy. Was Dustin guilty? Or was someone else responsible for the fire that killed over a thousand men, women and children — including Mallory's own baby sister?
Only Mallory can understand what this crime truly means, because she's not only one of the victims . . . she's one of the dead.
An extraordinary story of revenge, of the quest for justice, and of a love so powerful, not even death could extinguish it.
Mallory Meer is like any other teenage girl. She likes to have fun. She thinks her sister is ridiculous. Her parents drive her crazy. She's got a terrible crush on Dustin and follows him everywhere.
Mallory even has a summer job — figuring out the truth about the fire on the General Slocum steamship, the disaster that killed her sister. Mallory is determined to get to the bottom of it, to find out who's guilty, and to finally bring them to justice.
Sometimes Mallory gets angry, very angry, and strange things happen when Mallory gets angry.
Yes, Mallory is like any other teenage girl . . . except Mallory is dead.
Twilight meetsTitanic; Carrie meets Sherlock Holmes
Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books of the year by the Washington Post, Kiss me, I'm Dead was named a Notable Book for Teens by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teen's Top Ten, and nominated for a Cybils literary award, a Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association (ALA), and recently added to Horn Book’s list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.
The Washington Post said, "(J.G. Sandom) writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction," and called the book, "A subtle gem." School Library Journal said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead tells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called the work, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story . . . (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead is a book you shouldn't pass up." Midwest Book Review termed it, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story." And Bookslut.com said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead scores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold."
Click hereto purchase your copy of Kiss me, I'm Dead!
Click here to check out my Pinterest board for Kiss me, I'm Dead.
CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER
The beggar children of London are vanishing. They're disappearing . . . right off the streets.
Some say it's got something to do with the business of body snatching, grave robbers digging up corpses and selling them to doctors for medical research.
Some say it's far worse.
Now, racing against time, only Victor — a poor immigrant boy recently ship-wrecked and sold into the bondage of beggary — can uncover the identity of the ghoulish murderer at the heart of London’s furtive trade in human trafficking.
They killed his best friend.
They kidnapped the girl that he loves.
Now, there's only one thing worse than their finding him . . . and that's him finding them first.
Oliver Twist meetsBreaking Bad; Spartacus meets Bones
Previously named a Junior Library Guild selection, Publishers Weekly called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher, “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." VOYA said, "Teen readers will thoroughly enjoy the hair-raising suspense in this historical thriller." Kirkus Reviews called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher perfect for, “audiences that relish 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." 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.”
Click hereto purchase your copy of Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher.
And if that isn't enough, BOTH titles are also available in Two Teen Terrors — A Cornucopia Press Collection FOR JUST $1.49!
Click here to purchase your copy of Two Teen Terrors!
STILL LOOKING FOR THAT PERFECT TITLE?
Meanwhile,The God Machine, from Random House (Bantam) continues to reach new theo-thriller fanatics. . . especially as an eBook.
Caroline Thompson (author of Edward Scissorhands) said, "Move over, Dan Brown . . . All hail J.G. Sandom . . . (The God Machine) is a thrilling and breathless, rapturously-written and mind-blowing read. It’ll keep you up all night, turning pages as fast as your little fingers can manage." BookPage said, "Sandom has a knack for combining legendary gospels, ancient secrets, star-crossed lovers and Masonic puzzles to create a simmering stew of conspiracy, intrigue and danger that keeps the plot pot boiling until the very end." And the Historical Novels Review said, "History galore, violence, and intrigue fill the pages of this tightly plotted, twisting and turning adventure story . . . Those who love numbers, physics, and a truly unpredictable, suspenseful mystery will relish the facts and ponderings replete in this well-written, mysterious spin-off of The Da Vinci Code. The God Machineis a very impressive historical thriller!"
The Church insisted it didn't exist.
They lied.
They said it was just a Masonic legend.
It wasn't.
A two thousand year old secret.
Revealed.
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 Indian high-tech mogul 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 purchase your copy of The God Machine, click here.
Click here to check out my Pinterest board for The God Machine.
The novel has just come out in Spanish from LA FACTORÍA DE IDEAS. It's available in Europe and Latin America, as well as in the the US. Later this year, look for it in Turkish too!
After a whirlwind of writing this past December, The Plague is finally complete!
John Decker has been transformed . . . renamed.
And as you can see from the image above, the book has been retitled too. Now, it's just a number — the error message you get when a Web address can't be located — 404 ~ SITE NOT FOUND. [This jacket design mock-up is meant to feature a surreal CRT greenish black glow in the background, with the numbers floating over it in 3D, and the red like an eye glowing. I'll keep you posted on the jacket design as the publication approaches.]
The book has gone out to a small set of readers who are allegedly reading it now. I say allegedly because the tracking devices I installed are only working intermittently.
Meanwhile, I am happy to see a host of stories appearing in the press lately that seem to coincide with the completion of 404. One comes from the Christian Science Monitor and Newseek/Daily Beast, and deals with the possibility that our drone program has been hacked, and that — as a result — the Iranians managed to get their hands on one of our Sentinel drones.
The other from National Public Radio pertains to the Consumer Electronics Show which just took place in Las Vegas. Dozens and dozens of vendors were there showing all manner of devices, many of which involve turning your house or apartment into a Smart Home. But, before you rush off to do that, make sure you know what you're signing up for. Sometimes, making something IP-enabled may not be such a good idea after all.
In the meantime, if you're still living in a storm-devastated area of the country, like New York or New Jersey, you might want to check out THE WAVE . . . if only so that you can count your blessings. Think about how much worse it could have been!
RECENTLY REDUCED FROM $7.99 TO ONLY $2.99!
For the next 6 months, 10% of all profits from the sale of this title will go to the Red Cross for Sandy Relief.
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, a diabolical killer recently arrested in Tel Aviv whose calling card is to wrap his victims up with incendiary devices designed to produce flames in the shape of Koranic verses. Some call it aesthetic destruction.
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.
The Cumbre Vieja volcano is currently in a dormant stage, but will almost certainly erupt again. The western half of the volcano has an approximate volume of 500 cubic kilometres and an estimated mass of 1,500,000,000,000 metric tons. If it were to catastrophically slide into the ocean, it could generate a wave with an initial height of about 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) at the island, and a likely height of around 50 metres (164 ft) at the Caribbean and the Eastern North American seaboard when it runs ashore eight or more hours later.
Tens of millions of lives will be lost as the cities and towns of New York, Boston, Baltimore, Washington DC, Miami, Havana, Rio, and countless others along the Atlantic coast in South America, Africa and Europe are destroyed, wiped out in seconds.
As Emily Swenson says about the inevitability of
the fall of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma, “I’m afraid you don’t
understand, Agent Decker. It’s not about
likelihood. It’s a certainty. The only variable is time.”
At some point in the future, the island will come
apart and a mega-tsunami will stream across the Atlantic at the speed of a jet
plane, obliterating the entire Easter Seaboard of the United States, killing more
than forty million people, thirteen percent of the U.S. population. And hundreds of millions will be injured, one
out of every three Americans. It will
cause trillions of dollars in damage. The
entire U.S. economy will be disrupted for years, if not permanently crippled.
This is not
speculation. This is a fact.
The last Cumbre Vieja eruption occurred in 1971. The next? Who knows. Click below to see what it might look like.
Click here to check out my Pinterest board. [WARNING: Some of the images on this board may be disturbing to younger readers.]
I'd like to thank all my fans for your fabulous support of The Wave. I set aside 10% of the profits from the sale of this book to Japanese tsunami relief efforts last year. Your generosity helped thousands of victims.
While The Wave may be a work of fiction, I know from my extensive research how devastating tsunamis and — as seen in my book — mega-tsunamis can be. The events of March, 2011, reminded us just how fragile and fickle our environment is, and how we must do whatever we can to protect it. Now, SuperStorm Sandy has reminded us again.
If you do have power, and you're looking for something uplifting to read on your Kindle, Nook, iPad, smartphone or laptop, check out this short story,After the Great Muskie Hunt, dedicated to my father, Zane, who always found time to take me fishing, and whose memory it honors. Please take a moment to download and read it. It's only around 15 manuscript pages, and it's FREE!
We live the lives of locusts, gone in a summer's day. I miss you, Dad!
"After the Great Muskie Hunt"
When his father loses his job, a young painter from New York offers to take him fishing for muskie — a barracuda-like freshwater fish — at Big Eagle Lake, in Ontario, Canada.
"Haunting and beautiful."
Mainsail Reviews
[Click here to check out my Pinterest board for After the Great Muskie Hunt.]
ON SALE FOR JUST 99¢ THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
TWO AWARD-WINNING YA CRIME NOVELS!
KISS ME, I'M DEAD
BEFORE THERE WAS 9/11 . . . THERE WAS 6/15
On June 15, 1904, over a thousand New Yorkers, mostly German immigrants on a Church outing, died when the General Slocum steamship was set afire and sank in the East River. It was the greatest mass killing in New York City history . . . until 9/11.
When her boyfriend is accused of the crime, an amateur teen detective, Mallory Meer, risks everything to solve the mystery behind the tragedy. Was Dustin guilty? Or was someone else responsible for the fire that killed over a thousand men, women and children — including Mallory's own baby sister?
Only Mallory can understand what this crime truly means, because she's not only one of the victims . . . she's one of the dead.
An extraordinary story of revenge, of the quest for justice, and of a love so powerful, not even death could extinguish it.
Mallory Meer is like any other teenage girl. She likes to have fun. She thinks her sister is ridiculous. Her parents drive her crazy. She's got a terrible crush on Dustin and follows him everywhere.
Mallory even has a summer job — figuring out the truth about the fire on the General Slocum steamship, the disaster that killed her sister. Mallory is determined to get to the bottom of it, to find out who's guilty, and to finally bring them to justice.
Sometimes Mallory gets angry, very angry, and strange things happen when Mallory gets angry.
Yes, Mallory is like any other teenage girl . . . except Mallory is dead.
Twilight meetsTitanic Carrie meets Sherlock Holmes
Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books of the year by the Washington Post, Kiss me, I'm Dead was named a Notable Book for Teens by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teen's Top Ten, and nominated for a Cybils literary award, a Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association (ALA), and recently added to Horn Book’s list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.
The Washington Post said, "(J.G. Sandom) writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction," and called the book, "A subtle gem." School Library Journal said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead tells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called the work, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story . . . (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead is a book you shouldn't pass up." Midwest Book Review termed it, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story." And Bookslut.com said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead scores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold."
Click hereto purchase your copy of Kiss me, I'm Dead!
Click here to check out my Pinterest board for Kiss me, I'm Dead.
CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER
The beggar children of London are vanishing. They're disappearing . . . right off the streets.
Some say it's got something to do with the business of body snatching, grave robbers digging up corpses and selling them to doctors for medical research.
Some say it's far worse.
Now, racing against time, only Victor — a poor immigrant boy recently ship-wrecked and sold into the bondage of beggary — can uncover the identity of the ghoulish murderer at the heart of London’s furtive trade in human trafficking.
They killed his best friend.
They kidnapped the girl that he loves.
Now, there's only one thing worse than their finding him . . . and that's him finding them first.
Oliver Twist meetsBreaking Bad Spartacus meets Bones
Previously named a Junior Library Guild selection, Publishers Weekly called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher, “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." VOYA said, "Teen readers will thoroughly enjoy the hair-raising suspense in this historical thriller." Kirkus Reviews called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher perfect for, “audiences that relish 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." 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.”
Click hereto purchase your copy of Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher.
And if that isn't enough, BOTH titles are also available in Two Teen Terrors — A Cornucopia Press Collection FOR JUST $1.49!
Click here to purchase your copy of Two Teen Terrors!
STILL LOOKING FOR THAT PERFECT TITLE?
Meanwhile,The God Machine, from Random House (Bantam) continues to reach new theo-thriller fanatics. . . especially as an eBook.
Caroline Thompson (author of Edward Scissorhands) said, "Move over, Dan Brown . . . All hail J.G. Sandom . . . (The God Machine) is a thrilling and breathless, rapturously-written and mind-blowing read. It’ll keep you up all night, turning pages as fast as your little fingers can manage." BookPage said, "Sandom has a knack for combining legendary gospels, ancient secrets, star-crossed lovers and Masonic puzzles to create a simmering stew of conspiracy, intrigue and danger that keeps the plot pot boiling until the very end." And the Historical Novels Review said, "History galore, violence, and intrigue fill the pages of this tightly plotted, twisting and turning adventure story . . . Those who love numbers, physics, and a truly unpredictable, suspenseful mystery will relish the facts and ponderings replete in this well-written, mysterious spin-off of The Da Vinci Code. The God Machineis a very impressive historical thriller!"
The Church insisted it didn't exist.
They lied.
They said it was just a Masonic legend.
It wasn't.
A two thousand year old secret.
Revealed.
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 Indian high-tech mogul 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 purchase your copy of The God Machine, click here.
Click here to check out my Pinterest board for The God Machine.
The novel has just come out in Spanish from LA FACTORÍA DE IDEAS. It's available in Europe and Latin America, as well as in the the US. Later this year, look for it in Turkish too!
It's hard to believe that another year has flown by. Christmas is practically upon us.
[Actually, it's long past. I have been competely immersed in finishing up my latest novel that I haven't had a chance to update this blog.]
So, I think about the holiday that should have been (most of the Sandom family was in Costa Rica, and my daughter with her mother), or the food I should have eaten (no duck, barely any herring, but a nice amount of aquavit), or the holiday celebrations I should have attended (nary a church visit).
Instead, I worshiped in the only way I really know how: by writing my heart out over the holidays.
I hope all of you had a great time, and that you got what you wished for, and more.
May all your dreams come true in the new year, or at least the ones that don't kill you.
Meantime,if you're living in a storm-devastated area of the country, like New York or New Jersey, you might want to check out THE WAVE . . . if only so that you can count your blessings. Think about how much worse it could have been!
RECENTLY REDUCED FROM $7.99 TO ONLY $2.99!
For the next 6 months, 10% of all profits from the sale of this title will go to the Red Cross for Sandy Relief.
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, a diabolical killer recently arrested in Tel Aviv whose calling card is to wrap his victims up with incendiary devices designed to produce flames in the shape of Koranic verses. Some call it aesthetic destruction.
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.
The Cumbre Vieja volcano is currently in a dormant stage, but will almost certainly erupt again. The western half of the volcano has an approximate volume of 500 cubic kilometres and an estimated mass of 1,500,000,000,000 metric tons. If it were to catastrophically slide into the ocean, it could generate a wave with an initial height of about 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) at the island, and a likely height of around 50 metres (164 ft) at the Caribbean and the Eastern North American seaboard when it runs ashore eight or more hours later.
Tens of millions of lives will be lost as the cities and towns of New York, Boston, Baltimore, Washington DC, Miami, Havana, Rio, and countless others along the Atlantic coast in South America, Africa and Europe are destroyed, wiped out in seconds.
As Emily Swenson says about the inevitability of
the fall of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma, “I’m afraid you don’t
understand, Agent Decker. It’s not about
likelihood. It’s a certainty. The only variable is time.”
At some point in the future, the island will come
apart and a mega-tsunami will stream across the Atlantic at the speed of a jet
plane, obliterating the entire Easter Seaboard of the United States, killing more
than forty million people, thirteen percent of the U.S. population. And hundreds of millions will be injured, one
out of every three Americans. It will
cause trillions of dollars in damage. The
entire U.S. economy will be disrupted for years, if not permanently crippled.
This is not
speculation. This is a fact.
The last Cumbre Vieja eruption occurred in 1971. The next? Who knows. Click below to see what it might look like.
Click here to check out my Pinterest board. [WARNING: Some of the images on this board may be disturbing to younger readers.]
I'd like to thank all my fans for your fabulous support of The Wave. I set aside 10% of the profits from the sale of this book to Japanese tsunami relief efforts last year. Your generosity helped thousands of victims.
While The Wave may be a work of fiction, I know from my extensive research how devastating tsunamis and — as seen in my book — mega-tsunamis can be. The events of March, 2011, reminded us just how fragile and fickle our environment is, and how we must do whatever we can to protect it. Now, SuperStorm Sandy has reminded us again.
If you do have power, and you're looking for something uplifting to read on your Kindle, Nook, iPad, smartphone or laptop this holiday season, check out this short story,After the Great Muskie Hunt, dedicated to my father, Zane, who always found time to take me fishing, and whose memory it honors. Please take a moment to download and read it. It's only around 15 manuscript pages, and it's FREE!
We live the lives of locusts, gone in a summer's day. I miss you, Dad!
"After the Great Muskie Hunt"
When his father loses his job, a young painter from New York offers to take him fishing for muskie — a barracuda-like freshwater fish — at Big Eagle Lake, in Ontario, Canada.
"Haunting and beautiful."
Mainsail Reviews
[Click here to check out my Pinterest board for After the Great Muskie Hunt.]
ON SALE FOR JUST 99¢ THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
TWO AWARD-WINNING YA CRIME NOVELS!
KISS ME, I'M DEAD
BEFORE THERE WAS 9/11 . . . THERE WAS 6/15
On June 15, 1904, over a thousand New Yorkers, mostly German immigrants on a Church outing, died when the General Slocum steamship was set afire and sank in the East River. It was the greatest mass killing in New York City history . . . until 9/11.
When her boyfriend is accused of the crime, an amateur teen detective, Mallory Meer, risks everything to solve the mystery behind the tragedy. Was Dustin guilty? Or was someone else responsible for the fire that killed over a thousand men, women and children — including Mallory's own baby sister?
Only Mallory can understand what this crime truly means, because she's not only one of the victims . . . she's one of the dead.
An extraordinary story of revenge, of the quest for justice, and of a love so powerful, not even death could extinguish it.
Mallory Meer is like any other teenage girl. She likes to have fun. She thinks her sister is ridiculous. Her parents drive her crazy. She's got a terrible crush on Dustin and follows him everywhere.
Mallory even has a summer job — figuring out the truth about the fire on the General Slocum steamship, the disaster that killed her sister. Mallory is determined to get to the bottom of it, to find out who's guilty, and to finally bring them to justice.
Sometimes Mallory gets angry, very angry, and strange things happen when Mallory gets angry.
Yes, Mallory is like any other teenage girl . . . except Mallory is dead.
Twilight meetsTitanic Carrie meets Sherlock Holmes
Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books of the year by the Washington Post, Kiss me, I'm Dead was named a Notable Book for Teens by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teen's Top Ten, and nominated for a Cybils literary award, a Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association (ALA), and recently added to Horn Book’s list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.
The Washington Post said, "(J.G. Sandom) writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction," and called the book, "A subtle gem." School Library Journal said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead tells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called the work, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story . . . (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead is a book you shouldn't pass up." Midwest Book Review termed it, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story." And Bookslut.com said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead scores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold."
Click hereto purchase your copy of Kiss me, I'm Dead!
Click here to check out my Pinterest board for Kiss me, I'm Dead.
CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER
The beggar children of London are vanishing. They're disappearing . . . right off the streets.
Some say it's got something to do with the business of body snatching, grave robbers digging up corpses and selling them to doctors for medical research.
Some say it's far worse.
Now, racing against time, only Victor — a poor immigrant boy recently ship-wrecked and sold into the bondage of beggary — can uncover the identity of the ghoulish murderer at the heart of London’s furtive trade in human trafficking.
They killed his best friend.
They kidnapped the girl that he loves.
Now, there's only one thing worse than their finding him . . . and that's him finding them first.
Oliver Twist meetsBreaking Bad Spartacus meets Bones
Previously named a Junior Library Guild selection, Publishers Weekly called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher, “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." VOYA said, "Teen readers will thoroughly enjoy the hair-raising suspense in this historical thriller." Kirkus Reviews called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher perfect for, “audiences that relish 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." 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.”
Click hereto purchase your copy of Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher.
And if that isn't enough, BOTH titles are also available in Two Teen Terrors — A Cornucopia Press Collection FOR JUST $1.49!
Click here to purchase your copy of Two Teen Terrors!
STILL LOOKING FOR THAT PERFECT TITLE?
Meanwhile,The God Machine, from Random House (Bantam) continues to reach new theo-thriller fanatics. . . especially as an eBook.
Caroline Thompson (author of Edward Scissorhands) said, "Move over, Dan Brown . . . All hail J.G. Sandom . . . (The God Machine) is a thrilling and breathless, rapturously-written and mind-blowing read. It’ll keep you up all night, turning pages as fast as your little fingers can manage." BookPage said, "Sandom has a knack for combining legendary gospels, ancient secrets, star-crossed lovers and Masonic puzzles to create a simmering stew of conspiracy, intrigue and danger that keeps the plot pot boiling until the very end." And the Historical Novels Review said, "History galore, violence, and intrigue fill the pages of this tightly plotted, twisting and turning adventure story . . . Those who love numbers, physics, and a truly unpredictable, suspenseful mystery will relish the facts and ponderings replete in this well-written, mysterious spin-off of The Da Vinci Code. The God Machineis a very impressive historical thriller!"
The Church insisted it didn't exist.
They lied.
They said it was just a Masonic legend.
It wasn't.
A two thousand year old secret.
Revealed.
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 Indian high-tech mogul 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 purchase your copy of The God Machine, click here.
Click here to check out my Pinterest board for The God Machine.
The novel has just come out in Spanish from LA FACTORÍA DE IDEAS. It's available in Europe and Latin America, as well as in the the US. Later this year, look for it in Turkish too!
Hey, if you haven't done so already, click on the Become a Fan button on the left margin and become a Fan at my Facebook fan page. Thank you!
SuperStorm Sandy has ravished most of the Northeast, leaving behind devastating tableaux of destruction in New York and New Jersey, and killing over one hundred Americans.
We live on the edge of the precipice. The rise of only a few meters of sea level puts countless of our coastal cities at risk. Who would have dreamed of seeing the subways of New York full of seawater, cars floating away!
To some, it's worrisome to consider these cataclysmic events are natural phenomena, out of our control, acts of nature. To me, it's even more troubling to consider they're the outcome of man-made behaviors, such as the purposeful production and willful burning of fossil fuels, and our lollygagging over emission limits.
Increasingly, through acts that can only be described as wanton eco-terrorism, the planet we live on is being geologically and meteorologically shaped by human forces, often driven by particular economic, political, or socio-religious agenda.
The photo of the Statue of Liberty at the top of this post is a fake, taken from the movie The Day After Tomorrow, but it might not have been.
If you think the string of photos below is disturbing, if you feel that what you're still going through following Sandy is a nightmare, consider what it would have been like if instead of a Category 1 hurricane (Katrina was a 5), the Eastern Seaboard had been struck by a mega-tsunami.
We had a devastating 12-foot storm surge. Imagine the damage caused by a wave more than 16 stories high (160+ feet) smashing into our Eastern Seaboard.
Now, consider if that eco-disaster were man-made — by a terrorist. That's the conceit behind my novel, THE WAVE.
If you're living in a storm-devastated area of the country, like New York or New Jersey, you might want to check out THE WAVE . . . if only so that you can count your blessings. Think about how much worse it could have been!
RECENTLY REDUCED FROM $7.99 TO ONLY $2.99!
For the next 6 months, 10% of all profits from the sale of this title will go to the Red Cross for Sandy Relief.
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, a diabolical killer recently arrested in Tel Aviv whose calling card is to wrap his victims up with incendiary devices designed to produce flames in the shape of Koranic verses. Some call it aesthetic destruction.
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.
The Cumbre Vieja volcano is currently in a dormant stage, but will almost certainly erupt again. The western half of the volcano has an approximate volume of 500 cubic kilometres and an estimated mass of 1,500,000,000,000 metric tons. If it were to catastrophically slide into the ocean, it could generate a wave with an initial height of about 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) at the island, and a likely height of around 50 metres (164 ft) at the Caribbean and the Eastern North American seaboard when it runs ashore eight or more hours later.
Tens of millions of lives will be lost as the cities and towns of New York, Boston, Baltimore, Washington DC, Miami, Havana, Rio, and countless others along the Atlantic coast in South America, Africa and Europe are destroyed, wiped out in seconds.
As Emily Swenson says about the inevitability of
the fall of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma, “I’m afraid you don’t
understand, Agent Decker. It’s not about
likelihood. It’s a certainty. The only variable is time.”
At some point in the future, the island will come
apart and a mega-tsunami will stream across the Atlantic at the speed of a jet
plane, obliterating the entire Easter Seaboard of the United States, killing more
than forty million people, thirteen percent of the U.S. population. And hundreds of millions will be injured, one
out of every three Americans. It will
cause trillions of dollars in damage. The
entire U.S. economy will be disrupted for years, if not permanently crippled.
This is not
speculation. This is a fact.
The last Cumbre Vieja eruption occurred in 1971. The next? Who knows. Click below to see what it might look like.
Click here to check out my Pinterest board. [WARNING: Some of the images on this board may be disturbing to younger readers.]
I'd like to thank all my fans for your fabulous support of The Wave. I set aside 10% of the profits from the sale of this book to Japanese tsunami relief efforts last year. Your generosity helped thousands of victims.
While The Wave may be a work of fiction, I know from my extensive research how devastating tsunamis and — as seen in my book — mega-tsunamis can be. The events of March, 2011, reminded us just how fragile and fickle our environment is, and how we must do whatever we can to protect it. Now, SuperStorm Sandy has reminded us again.
If you do have power, and you're looking for something uplifting to read on your Kindle, Nook, iPad, smartphone or laptop, check out this short story,After the Great Muskie Hunt, dedicated to my father, Zane, who always found time to take me fishing, and whose memory it honors. Please take a moment to download and read it. It's only around 15 manuscript pages, and it's FREE!
We live the lives of locusts, gone in a summer's day. I miss you, Dad!
"After the Great Muskie Hunt"
When his father loses his job, a young painter from New York offers to take him fishing for muskie — a barracuda-like freshwater fish — at Big Eagle Lake, in Ontario, Canada.
"Haunting and beautiful."
Mainsail Reviews
[Click here to check out my Pinterest board for After the Great Muskie Hunt.]
ON SALE FOR JUST 99¢ THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
TWO AWARD-WINNING YA CRIME NOVELS!
KISS ME, I'M DEAD
BEFORE THERE WAS 9/11 . . . THERE WAS 6/15
On June 15, 1904, over a thousand New Yorkers, mostly German immigrants on a Church outing, died when the General Slocum steamship was set afire and sank in the East River. It was the greatest mass killing in New York City history . . . until 9/11.
When her boyfriend is accused of the crime, an amateur teen detective, Mallory Meer, risks everything to solve the mystery behind the tragedy. Was Dustin guilty? Or was someone else responsible for the fire that killed over a thousand men, women and children — including Mallory's own baby sister?
Only Mallory can understand what this crime truly means, because she's not only one of the victims . . . she's one of the dead.
An extraordinary story of revenge, of the quest for justice, and of a love so powerful, not even death could extinguish it.
Mallory Meer is like any other teenage girl. She likes to have fun. She thinks her sister is ridiculous. Her parents drive her crazy. She's got a terrible crush on Dustin and follows him everywhere.
Mallory even has a summer job — figuring out the truth about the fire on the General Slocum steamship, the disaster that killed her sister. Mallory is determined to get to the bottom of it, to find out who's guilty, and to finally bring them to justice.
Sometimes Mallory gets angry, very angry, and strange things happen when Mallory gets angry.
Yes, Mallory is like any other teenage girl . . . except Mallory is dead.
Twilight meetsTitanic Carrie meets Sherlock Holmes
Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books of the year by the Washington Post, Kiss me, I'm Dead was named a Notable Book for Teens by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teen's Top Ten, and nominated for a Cybils literary award, a Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association (ALA), and recently added to Horn Book’s list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.
The Washington Post said, "(J.G. Sandom) writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction," and called the book, "A subtle gem." School Library Journal said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead tells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called the work, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story . . . (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead is a book you shouldn't pass up." Midwest Book Review termed it, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story." And Bookslut.com said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead scores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold."
Click hereto purchase your copy of Kiss me, I'm Dead!
Click here to check out my Pinterest board for Kiss me, I'm Dead.
CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER
The beggar children of London are vanishing. They're disappearing . . . right off the streets.
Some say it's got something to do with the business of body snatching, grave robbers digging up corpses and selling them to doctors for medical research.
Some say it's far worse.
Now, racing against time, only Victor — a poor immigrant boy recently ship-wrecked and sold into the bondage of beggary — can uncover the identity of the ghoulish murderer at the heart of London’s furtive trade in human trafficking.
They killed his best friend.
They kidnapped the girl that he loves.
Now, there's only one thing worse than their finding him . . . and that's him finding them first.
Oliver Twist meetsBreaking Bad Spartacus meets Bones
Previously named a Junior Library Guild selection, Publishers Weekly called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher, “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." VOYA said, "Teen readers will thoroughly enjoy the hair-raising suspense in this historical thriller." Kirkus Reviews called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher perfect for, “audiences that relish 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." 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.”
Click hereto purchase your copy of Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher.
And if that isn't enough, BOTH titles are also available in Two Teen Terrors — A Cornucopia Press Collection FOR JUST $1.49!
Click here to purchase your copy of Two Teen Terrors!
STILL LOOKING FOR THAT PERFECT TITLE?
Meanwhile,The God Machine, from Random House (Bantam) continues to reach new theo-thriller fanatics. . . especially as an eBook.
Caroline Thompson (author of Edward Scissorhands) said, "Move over, Dan Brown . . . All hail J.G. Sandom . . . (The God Machine) is a thrilling and breathless, rapturously-written and mind-blowing read. It’ll keep you up all night, turning pages as fast as your little fingers can manage." BookPage said, "Sandom has a knack for combining legendary gospels, ancient secrets, star-crossed lovers and Masonic puzzles to create a simmering stew of conspiracy, intrigue and danger that keeps the plot pot boiling until the very end." And the Historical Novels Review said, "History galore, violence, and intrigue fill the pages of this tightly plotted, twisting and turning adventure story . . . Those who love numbers, physics, and a truly unpredictable, suspenseful mystery will relish the facts and ponderings replete in this well-written, mysterious spin-off of The Da Vinci Code. The God Machineis a very impressive historical thriller!"
The Church insisted it didn't exist.
They lied.
They said it was just a Masonic legend.
It wasn't.
A two thousand year old secret.
Revealed.
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 Indian high-tech mogul 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 purchase your copy of The God Machine, click here.
Click here to check out my Pinterest board for The God Machine.
The novel has just come out in Spanish from LA FACTORÍA DE IDEAS. It's available in Europe and Latin America, as well as in the the US. Later this year, look for it in Turkish too!
Hey, if you haven't done so already, click on the Become a Fan button on the left margin and become a Fan at my Facebook fan page. Thank you!
Sometimes, especially after devastating natural disasters like SuperStorm Sandy (named after that pesky underwater squirrel on SpongeBob, no doubt), it's easy to despair. Global warming. Regional conflicts. Sectarian violence. The whole world looks so bleak.
In reality, however, we are actually living in a golden age. According to Harvard psychology professor Steven Pinker, author of The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, "Violent deaths of all kinds have declined from around 500 per 100,000 people
per year in pre-state societies to around 50 in the Middle Ages, to around six
to eight today worldwide, and fewer than one in most of Europe."
What about
gun-toting Americans and our inordinate rate of homicides (currently around
five per 100,000 per year) compared with other Western democracies? In 2005,
Pinker computes, just eight tenths of 1 percent of all Americans died of
domestic homicides and in two foreign wars combined.
Why has violence
declined? Hobbes was only partially right in advocating top-down state controls
to keep the worse demons of our nature in check. A bottom-up civilizing process
has also been under way for centuries, according to Pinker:
"Beginning in the 11th
or 12th [century] and maturing in the 17th and 18th, Europeans increasingly
inhibited their impulses, anticipated the long-term consequences of their
actions, and took other people’s thoughts and feelings into consideration. A
culture of honor — the readiness to take revenge — gave way to a culture of dignity — the
readiness to control one’s emotions. These ideals originated in explicit
instructions that cultural arbiters gave to aristocrats and noblemen, allowing
them to differentiate themselves from the villains and boors. But they were
then absorbed into the socialization of younger and younger children until they
became second nature."
That second nature is
expressed in the unreported "10,000 acts of kindness," as the late Stephen Jay
Gould memorably styled the number of typically benevolent interactions among
people for every hostile act.
In the Middle Ages, mutilation and torture were the norms
for infractions, and the death penalty was applied even for non-violent crimes (such as stealing a loaf of bread!). In fact, according to
Manuel Eisner, there were 100 homicides per 100K people/year in the Middle Ages. Today, there are less than 1 per 100K/year. And according to FBI statistics (which I've been studying for THE PLAGUE), since the turbulent 1960s and early '70s, when homicide rates were around 10 per 100K, they've been cut in half. Same goes for "organized" violence (wars, ethnic conflicts, etc.): In the 1950s, there were 65,000 casualties per armed
conflict/year; today (2005), that's dropped to less than 2,000 per conflict/year.
So, how come the planet seems to be going to hell in a hand-basket?
Mostly, it appears, it's because of two factors: better reporting, and because we're growing more sensitive to such deaths.
Today, we argue about the relative merits and moral repugnancy of capital punishment. In contrast, in the Middle Ages, the debate was more about quartering someone vs. burning them at the stake! When life is cheap,
it's a matter of psychological survival not to get upset about it. With the rise of stable representative democracies, affluence, education, etc., life is no
longer cheap — at least not in most parts of the world.
In fact, according to journalist Robert Wright, cooperation and
non-violence can actually deliver benefits to both parties (e.g. sharing the peace
dividend).
Also, technology has increased trade in goods and services which has, in turn, promoted the notion that people are actually more valuable alive than dead; they are, after all, potential consumers.
So, the next time some reactionary opines that it was so much better in the good old days, ask him or her if s/he really wants to go back to the Age of Innocence, when small bands of hunter-gatherers populated the earth.
Deaths due to tribal warfare (of today's hunter-gatherers — our best approximation of this halcyon age) range from 15-60%! Today, it’s statistically almost non-existent.
About 25 million soldiers died in World Wars
I and II. Another 12 million were killed in this century's other wars and
revolutions, for a total of 37 million dead due to war. But, if you applied the hunter-gatherer rate to warfare today, we would have lost 2 billion over the last 10
years.
Even if you add deaths that were not caused by war
or revolution, but by the conscious decision of tyrants, politicians, or
bureaucrats to murder great numbers of their own people for reasons of
ideology, religion, race or land (think Hitler, Stalin and Pol Pot), that only adds another 100 million deaths
this century.
Only, you say? Hey, 140
million deaths from human-on-human violence is a heck of a lot better than 2 billion!
Think about that as you wait for your lights to go on in the Northeast, and bitch about how hard your life has become. Folks I know didn't have power in New Orleans for 3 months after Katrina. I'm sure you can handle 3-4 days, or even a couple of weeks. Instead of complaining (as way too many of my friends are doing who are not knee-deep in water, and who still have a home), why not distract yourself by seeing if your neighbors need help?
Meantime, if you do have power, and you're looking for something to read on your Kindle, Nook, iPad, smartphone or laptop, check out this short story, After the Great Muskie Hunt, dedicated to my father, Zane, who always found time to take me fishing, and whose memory it honors. Please take a moment to download and read it. It's only around 15 manuscript pages, and it's FREE!
We live the lives of locusts, gone in a summer's day. I miss you, Dad!
"After the Great Muskie Hunt"
When his father loses his job, a young painter from New York offers to take him fishing for muskie — a barracuda-like freshwater fish — at Big Eagle Lake, in Ontario, Canada.
"Haunting and beautiful."
Mainsail Reviews
[Click here to check out my Pinterest board for After the Great Muskie Hunt.]
LOOKING FOR SOME SPINE-TINGLING NEW THRILLERS?
ON SALE FOR JUST 99¢ THIS HALLOWEEN
TWO AWARD-WINNING NOVELS OF HORROR!
KISS ME, I'M DEAD.
BEFORE THERE WAS 9/11 . . . THERE WAS 6/15
On June 15, 1904, the General Slocum steamship burned and sank in the East River, killing over a thousand innocent New Yorkers. It was the greatest disaster and loss of life in New York City history . . . until 9/11. In KISS ME, I'M DEAD, this forgotten piece of history serves as the backdrop of an extraordinary story of loss, redemption, justice, and a love that not even death could extinguish.
Mallory Meer is like any teenage girl. She likes to have fun. She thinks her sister is ridiculous. Her parents drive her crazy. She has a crush on Dustin and follows him everywhere.
Mallory even has a summer job — figuring out the truth about the fire on the General Slocum steamship, the disaster that killed her sister. Mallory is determined to find out the truth, and to bring the guilty parties to justice.
Sometimes Mallory gets angry, very angry, and strange things happen when Mallory gets angry. Yes, Mallory is like any other teenage girl . . . except Mallory is dead.
Twilight meets Titanic Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books of the year by the Washington Post, Kiss me, I'm Dead was named a Notable Book for Teens by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teen's Top Ten, and nominated for a Cybils literary award, a Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association (ALA), and recently added to Horn Book’s list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.
The Washington Post said, "(J.G. Sandom) writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction," and called the book, "A subtle gem." School Library Journal said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead tells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called the work, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story . . . (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead is a book you shouldn't pass up." Midwest Book Review termed it, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story." And Bookslut.com said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead scores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold."
Click hereto purchase your copy of Kiss me, I'm Dead!
Click here to check out my Pinterest board for Kiss me, I'm Dead.
CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER.
Here's the thing about body snatching. You just can't think about what you're doing. You can't feel sorry for the person, or think they look like your mother, your brother or your sister. You can't feel bad. In fact, you can't feel anything. That's the key. Because the minute you start feeling something, it's over. You're dead — pennies on the eyes, dirt on the face dead. It's no way to live, but for some, it's the only way.
Until they come for you . . .
Previously named a Junior Library Guild selection, Publishers Weekly called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher, “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." VOYA said, "Teen readers will thoroughly enjoy the hair-raising suspense in this historical thriller." Kirkus Reviews called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher perfect for, “audiences that relish 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." 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.”
Click hereto purchase your copy of Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher.
Click here to check out my Pinterest board for Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher.
And if that isn't enough, BOTH titles are also available in Two Teen Terrors — A Cornucopia Press Collection FOR JUST $1.49!
Click here to purchase your copy of Two Teen Terrors!
STILL LOOKING FOR THAT PERFECT TITLE?
Meantime, THE WAVE, my indie title from Cornucopia Press, continues to outsell all of my Big Six books. And if you're living in a storm-devastated area of the country, like New York or New Jersey, you might want to check this out . . . just so that you can see how much worse Sandy could have been. At least, the SuperStorm didn't spawn a mega-tsunami!
PLUS, IT'S BEEN REDUCED FROM $7.99 TO ONLY $2.99! SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? PICK UP A COPY TODAY.
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, a diabolical killer recently arrested in Tel Aviv whose calling card is to wrap his victims up with incendiary devices designed to produce flames in the shape of Koranic verses. Some call it aesthetic destruction.
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.
Click here to check out my Pinterest board for The Wave. [WARNING: Some of the images on this board may be disturbing to younger readers.]
I'd like to thank all my fans for your fabulous support of The Wave. I set aside 10% of the profits from the sale of this book to Japanese tsunami relief efforts last year. Your generosity helped thousands of victims.
While The Wave may be a work of fiction, I know from my extensive research how devastating tsunamis and — as seen in my book — mega-tsunamis can be. The events of March, 2011, reminded us just how fragile and fickle our environment is, and how we must do whatever we can to protect it.
Meanwhile,The God Machine, from Random House (Bantam) continues to reach new theo-thriller fanatics. . . especially as an eBook.
Caroline Thompson (author of Edward Scissorhands) said, "Move over, Dan Brown . . . All hail J.G. Sandom . . . (The God Machine) is a thrilling and breathless, rapturously-written and mind-blowing read. It’ll keep you up all night, turning pages as fast as your little fingers can manage." BookPage said, "Sandom has a knack for combining legendary gospels, ancient secrets, star-crossed lovers and Masonic puzzles to create a simmering stew of conspiracy, intrigue and danger that keeps the plot pot boiling until the very end." And the Historical Novels Review said, "History galore, violence, and intrigue fill the pages of this tightly plotted, twisting and turning adventure story . . . Those who love numbers, physics, and a truly unpredictable, suspenseful mystery will relish the facts and ponderings replete in this well-written, mysterious spin-off of The Da Vinci Code. The God Machineis a very impressive historical thriller!"
The Church insisted it didn't exist.
They lied.
They said it was just a Masonic legend.
It wasn't.
A two thousand year old secret.
Revealed.
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 Indian high-tech mogul 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 purchase your copy of The God Machine, click here.
Click here to check out my Pinterest board for The God Machine.
The novel has just come out in Spanish from LA FACTORÍA DE IDEAS. It's available in Europe and Latin America, as well as in the the US. Later this year, look for it in Turkish too!
If you've already purchased a copy of La máquina de Dios and you post a review at Amazon, I'll send you a special thank you (no matter what your review). My Spanish is rusty and I'd love to see what people think of the translation!
Hey, if you haven't done so already, click on the Become a Fan button on the left margin and become a Fan at my Facebook fan page. Thank you!
I feel rather bad about the fact that it's almost October and I'm just now posting my September entry. The truth of the matter is, I have been working like a fiend on my new novel, tentatively titled The Plague, while also launching a new Web business. Now that my daughter is getting older (she's 12), even though I'm a single Dad, I feel like I finally have the time to start a new venture.
For those of you who don't know, I started the first digital ad agency back in '84; yes, pre-Web, when we were doing brochure-type applications on 5.25" floppies. Not long after, we began working for Prodigy (remember them?), and did the first ads by an external ad agency for a little start-up called AOL! Ah, those were the days.
After selling that agency, and then running the digital ad groups at both Ogilvy & Mather and Rapp, I was divorced and had to leave the digital ad space to take care of my daughter. (Yes, I am one of just 6% of men who become "primacy custodial parents" following a divorce; a role generally filled by the child's mother. What a horrifying statistic!) So, spending 60-80 hours a week running an ad agency was simply not an option anymore.
Now, however, with my daughter so independent, I finally have time to launch a new business again. (Okay, I admit it. I'm a serial entrepreneur at heart. That's one of the reasons I enjoy being a novelist so much. We're all entrepreneurs, if you think about it, with each book a new venture.) In fact, I sold my first ad agency, Einstein and Sandom, Inc. (EASI), the same year (1994) that my movie agent (Ron Bernstein) sold the option to my second novel, The Wall Street Murder Club (originally titled The Hunting Club). And just to show you how crazy the book business is, I made 6 times more money from the movie option for The Wall Street Murder Club than I did on the Random House book advance! (The Wall Street Murder Club was part of a 2-book deal, the first novel being Gospel Truths.)
It has been a real pleasure working on my new novel, The Plague. For a while there, without a traditional big 6 publisher behind it (yet), I was despairing. But, the story is so fast-paced, and the topic so . . . hmm, what's the word . . . topical (!), I'm really having a great time. There is no doubt in my mind that this is the fastest, most thrilling narrative I've ever attempted. I hope, when it's finally done, you'll think so too.
Meantime, it amuses me no end that gnostic gospels are back in the news again. For those of you who have not read Gospel Truths (originally released in 1992, and then reissued in 2007) or its sequel, The God Machine (2009), gnostic gospels are central to both of these novels. In the case of Gospel Truths, the MacGuffin is an early version of The Gospel of Thomas, the discovery of which would undermine the Catholic Church and its doctrines. (Yes, sounds like The Da Vinci Code, although it was written a full decade before Dan Brown's book . . . which I still have not read!) In the case of The God Machine, the MacGuffin is the Gospel of Judas -- although, later, it is revealed that this is a false MacGuffin; what they're really after is a secret map that would lead to . . . . No, never mind. I'm not going to spoil it for you.
Now, it appears, a small scrap of papyrus dating back to the 4th century, and written in Coptic, is causing a stir. Potentially part of a new Gnostic gospel (or as an extension of the existing Gnostic Gospel of Mary), this scrap of paper makes reference to Christ's wife.
The fragment was recently analyzed by Karen L. King of the Harvard Divinity School, who said, "Published here for the first time is a fragment of a fourth-century CE codex in Coptic containing a dialogue between Jesus and his disciples in which Jesus speaks of 'my wife.' This is the only extant ancient text which explicitly portrays Jesus as referring to a wife."
Perhaps even more intriguing than the find itself is the way in which the world is reacting to it. The notion of a sexualized Christ is extremely difficult for most people. The Church has spent so many years divorcing spirituality from the physical plain (the dichotomy of spirit and flesh) that it's extremely difficult for many people of faith to bridge them again. This speaks volumes about our own misoginy. We've been brainwashed to associate women with the fall from Grace, or to see them as temptresses who rip us away from spiritual pursuits and who must, therefore, be dominated by men in order to keep them (and our pesky sexual desires) in check. No wonder we have such a hard time mixing sexuality (the body) with our spiritual selves (our souls). On the other hand, if we refuse to look at sexuality and the physical plain in a negative light, if we actively distance ourselves and our image of women and femaleness from this clichéd notion of impurity, not only does the idea of a married Christ become less difficult, but it may actually help us become less misoginistic generally.
Women have always been treated as second-class citizens, only a half step up from people of color. Perhaps a more evolved view of Christ as a sexualized mortal -- as well as the son of God, or as a great prophet -- will help us look at women with less scorn and more wonder. I, for one, sure hope so.
Meantime, if you're looking for something to read on your Kindle, Nook, iPad, smartphone or laptop, check out this short story, After the Great Muskie Hunt, dedicated to my father, Zane, who always found time to take me fishing, and whose memory it honors. Please take a moment to download and read it. It's only around 15 manuscript pages, and it's FREE!
We live the lives of locusts, gone in a summer's day. I miss you, Dad!
"After the Great Muskie Hunt"
When his father loses his job, a young painter from New York offers to take him fishing for muskie — a barracuda-like freshwater fish — at Big Eagle Lake, in Ontario, Canada.
"Haunting and beautiful."
Mainsail Reviews
[Click here to check out my Pinterest board for After the Great Muskie Hunt.]
LOOKING FOR SOME SPINE-TINGLING NEW THRILLERS?
ON SALE FOR JUST 99¢ THIS SUMMER
TWO AWARD-WINNING NOVELS OF HORROR!
KISS ME, I'M DEAD.
BEFORE THERE WAS 9/11 . . . THERE WAS 6/15
On June 15, 1904, the General Slocum steamship burned and sank in the East River, killing over a thousand innocent New Yorkers. It was the greatest disaster and loss of life in New York City history . . . until 9/11. In KISS ME, I'M DEAD, this forgotten piece of history serves as the backdrop of an extraordinary story of loss, redemption, justice, and a love that not even death could extinguish.
Mallory Meer is like any teenage girl. She likes to have fun. She thinks her sister is ridiculous. Her parents drive her crazy. She has a crush on Dustin and follows him everywhere.
Mallory even has a summer job — figuring out the truth about the fire on the General Slocum steamship, the disaster that killed her sister. Mallory is determined to find out the truth, and to bring the guilty parties to justice.
Sometimes Mallory gets angry, very angry, and strange things happen when Mallory gets angry. Yes, Mallory is like any other teenage girl . . . except Mallory is dead.
Twilight meets Titanic Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books of the year by the Washington Post, Kiss me, I'm Dead was named a Notable Book for Teens by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teen's Top Ten, and nominated for a Cybils literary award, a Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association (ALA), and recently added to Horn Book’s list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.
The Washington Post said, "(J.G. Sandom) writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction," and called the book, "A subtle gem." School Library Journal said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead tells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called the work, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story . . . (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead is a book you shouldn't pass up." Midwest Book Review termed it, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story." And Bookslut.com said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead scores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold."
Click hereto purchase your copy of Kiss me, I'm Dead!
Click here to check out my Pinterest board for Kiss me, I'm Dead.
CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER.
Here's the thing about body snatching. You just can't think about what you're doing. You can't feel sorry for the person, or think they look like your mother, your brother or your sister. You can't feel bad. In fact, you can't feel anything. That's the key. Because the minute you start feeling something, it's over. You're dead — pennies on the eyes, dirt on the face dead. It's no way to live, but for some, it's the only way.
Until they come for you . . .
Previously named a Junior Library Guild selection, Publishers Weekly called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher, “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." VOYA said, "Teen readers will thoroughly enjoy the hair-raising suspense in this historical thriller." Kirkus Reviews called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher perfect for, “audiences that relish 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." 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.”
Click hereto purchase your copy of Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher.
Click here to check out my Pinterest board for Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher.
And if that isn't enough, BOTH titles are also available in Two Teen Terrors — A Cornucopia Press Collection FOR JUST $1.49!
Click here to purchase your copy of Two Teen Terrors!
STILL LOOKING FOR THAT PERFECT TITLE?
Meantime, THE WAVE, my indie title from Cornucopia Press, continues to outsell all of my Big Six books. Go figure!
AND IT'S BEEN REDUCED FROM $7.99 TO ONLY $2.99! SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? PICK UP A COPY TODAY.
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, a diabolical killer recently arrested in Tel Aviv whose calling card is to wrap his victims up with incendiary devices designed to produce flames in the shape of Koranic verses. Some call it aesthetic destruction.
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.
Click here to check out my Pinterest board for The Wave. [WARNING: Some of the images on this board may be disturbing to younger readers.]
I'd like to thank all my fans for your fabulous support of The Wave. I set aside 10% of the profits from the sale of this book to Japanese tsunami relief efforts last year. Your generosity helped thousands of victims.
While The Wave may be a work of fiction, I know from my extensive research how devastating tsunamis and — as seen in my book — mega-tsunamis can be. The events of March, 2011, reminded us just how fragile and fickle our environment is, and how we must do whatever we can to protect it.
Meanwhile,The God Machine, from Random House (Bantam) continues to reach new theo-thriller fanatics. . . especially as an eBook.
Caroline Thompson (author of Edward Scissorhands) said, "Move over, Dan Brown . . . All hail J.G. Sandom . . . (The God Machine) is a thrilling and breathless, rapturously-written and mind-blowing read. It’ll keep you up all night, turning pages as fast as your little fingers can manage." BookPage said, "Sandom has a knack for combining legendary gospels, ancient secrets, star-crossed lovers and Masonic puzzles to create a simmering stew of conspiracy, intrigue and danger that keeps the plot pot boiling until the very end." And the Historical Novels Review said, "History galore, violence, and intrigue fill the pages of this tightly plotted, twisting and turning adventure story . . . Those who love numbers, physics, and a truly unpredictable, suspenseful mystery will relish the facts and ponderings replete in this well-written, mysterious spin-off of The Da Vinci Code. The God Machineis a very impressive historical thriller!"
The Church insisted it didn't exist.
They lied.
They said it was just a Masonic legend.
It wasn't.
A two thousand year old secret.
Revealed.
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 Indian high-tech mogul 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 purchase your copy of The God Machine, click here.
Click here to check out my Pinterest board for The God Machine.
The novel has just come out in Spanish from LA FACTORÍA DE IDEAS. It's available in Europe and Latin America, as well as in the the US. Later this year, look for it in Turkish too!
If you've already purchased a copy of La máquina de Dios and you post a review at Amazon, I'll send you a special thank you (no matter what your review). My Spanish is rusty and I'd love to see what people think of the translation!
Hey, if you haven't done so already, click on the Become a Fan button on the left margin and become a Fan at my Facebook fan page. Thank you!
As you suffer through the oppressive heat and humidity we're experiencing this summer, you might like to try this magical little kitchen trick. Slice and freeze a couple of bananas, food process with a little cinnamon and allspice and — voila! It's a perfect summer treat. Plus, no lactose, all natural, andthe spices are both anti-inflammatory agents. (Or, add a little cream, nutella, frozen fruit . . . well, you get the idea!) From my upcoming cookbook -- Classic Cooking for the Cranky Colon, a Healthful Helpings Cookbook for Sufferers of IBS, IBD, or Diverticulitis.
While my agent is busy shopping Cranky Colon around, I continue to whittle away at The Plague, sequel to The Wave -- A John Decker Thriller. You can get a pretty good feel for what I'm writing about by looking at the On My Desk section of this site. Some very interesting tidbits in there about cyber-security and malware like the recent virus called Gauss (allegedly related to Stuxnet) discovered to have infected a host of Lebanese bank computers. Is this the US & Israel against Iran and Hezbollah, or something more sinister? You'll have to read The Plague to find out!
Meantime, if you're at the beach trying to keep cool, and you're looking for something to read on your Kindle, Nook, iPad, smartphone or laptop, check out this short story, After the Great Muskie Hunt, dedicated to my father, Zane, who always found time to take me fishing, and whose memory it honors. Please take a moment to download and read it. It's only around 15 manuscript pages, and it's FREE!
We live the lives of locusts, gone in a summer's day. I miss you, Dad!
"After the Great Muskie Hunt"
When his father loses his job, a young painter from New York offers to take him fishing for muskie — a barracuda-like freshwater fish — at Big Eagle Lake, in Ontario, Canada.
"Haunting and beautiful."
Mainsail Reviews
[Click here to check out my Pinterest board for After the Great Muskie Hunt.]
LOOKING FOR SOME SPINE-TINGLING NEW THRILLERS?
ON SALE FOR JUST 99¢ THIS SUMMER
TWO AWARD-WINNING NOVELS OF HORROR!
KISS ME, I'M DEAD.
BEFORE THERE WAS 9/11 . . . THERE WAS 6/15
On June 15, 1904, the General Slocum steamship burned and sank in the East River, killing over a thousand innocent New Yorkers. It was the greatest disaster and loss of life in New York City history . . . until 9/11. In KISS ME, I'M DEAD, this forgotten piece of history serves as the backdrop of an extraordinary story of loss, redemption, justice, and a love that not even death could extinguish.
Mallory Meer is like any teenage girl. She likes to have fun. She thinks her sister is ridiculous. Her parents drive her crazy. She has a crush on Dustin and follows him everywhere.
Mallory even has a summer job — figuring out the truth about the fire on the General Slocum steamship, the disaster that killed her sister. Mallory is determined to find out the truth, and to bring the guilty parties to justice.
Sometimes Mallory gets angry, very angry, and strange things happen when Mallory gets angry. Yes, Mallory is like any other teenage girl . . . except Mallory is dead.
Twilight meets Titanic Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books of the year by the Washington Post, Kiss me, I'm Dead was named a Notable Book for Teens by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teen's Top Ten, and nominated for a Cybils literary award, a Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association (ALA), and recently added to Horn Book’s list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.
The Washington Post said, "(J.G. Sandom) writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction," and called the book, "A subtle gem." School Library Journal said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead tells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called the work, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story . . . (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead is a book you shouldn't pass up." Midwest Book Review termed it, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story." And Bookslut.com said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead scores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold."
Click hereto purchase your copy of Kiss me, I'm Dead!
Click here to check out my Pinterest board for Kiss me, I'm Dead.
CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER.
Here's the thing about body snatching. You just can't think about what you're doing. You can't feel sorry for the person, or think they look like your mother, your brother or your sister. You can't feel bad. In fact, you can't feel anything. That's the key. Because the minute you start feeling something, it's over. You're dead — pennies on the eyes, dirt on the face dead. It's no way to live, but for some, it's the only way.
Until they come for you . . .
Previously named a Junior Library Guild selection, Publishers Weekly called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher, “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." VOYA said, "Teen readers will thoroughly enjoy the hair-raising suspense in this historical thriller." Kirkus Reviews called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher perfect for, “audiences that relish 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." 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.”
Click hereto purchase your copy of Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher.
Click here to check out my Pinterest board for Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher.
And if that isn't enough, BOTH titles are also available in Two Teen Terrors — A Cornucopia Press Collection FOR JUST $1.49!
Click here to purchase your copy of Two Teen Terrors!
STILL LOOKING FOR THAT PERFECT TITLE?
Meantime, THE WAVE, my indie title from Cornucopia Press, continues to outsell all of my Big Six books. Go figure!
AND IT'S BEEN REDUCED FROM $7.99 TO ONLY $2.99! SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? PICK UP A COPY TODAY.
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, a diabolical killer recently arrested in Tel Aviv whose calling card is to wrap his victims up with incendiary devices designed to produce flames in the shape of Koranic verses. Some call it aesthetic destruction.
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.
Click here to check out my Pinterest board for The Wave. [WARNING: Some of the images on this board may be disturbing to younger readers.]
I'd like to thank all my fans for your fabulous support of The Wave. I set aside 10% of the profits from the sale of this book to Japanese tsunami relief efforts last year. Your generosity helped thousands of victims.
While The Wave may be a work of fiction, I know from my extensive research how devastating tsunamis and — as seen in my book — mega-tsunamis can be. The events of March, 2011, reminded us just how fragile and fickle our environment is, and how we must do whatever we can to protect it.
Meanwhile,The God Machine, from Random House (Bantam) continues to reach new theo-thriller fanatics. . . especially as an eBook.
Caroline Thompson (author of Edward Scissorhands) said, "Move over, Dan Brown . . . All hail J.G. Sandom . . . (The God Machine) is a thrilling and breathless, rapturously-written and mind-blowing read. It’ll keep you up all night, turning pages as fast as your little fingers can manage." BookPage said, "Sandom has a knack for combining legendary gospels, ancient secrets, star-crossed lovers and Masonic puzzles to create a simmering stew of conspiracy, intrigue and danger that keeps the plot pot boiling until the very end." And the Historical Novels Review said, "History galore, violence, and intrigue fill the pages of this tightly plotted, twisting and turning adventure story . . . Those who love numbers, physics, and a truly unpredictable, suspenseful mystery will relish the facts and ponderings replete in this well-written, mysterious spin-off of The Da Vinci Code. The God Machineis a very impressive historical thriller!"
The Church insisted it didn't exist.
They lied.
They said it was just a Masonic legend.
It wasn't.
A two thousand year old secret.
Revealed.
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 Indian high-tech mogul 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 purchase your copy of The God Machine, click here.
Click here to check out my Pinterest board for The God Machine.
The novel has just come out in Spanish from LA FACTORÍA DE IDEAS. It's available in Europe and Latin America right now, and will soon be available in Spanish in the US as well. Pre-order it now. Later this year, look for it in Turkish too!
If you're at the beach or poolside trying to keep cool, and you're looking for something to read on your Kindle, Nook, iPad, smartphone or laptop, check out this short story, After the Great Muskie Hunt, dedicated to my father, Zane, who always found time to take me fishing, and whose memory it honors. Please take a moment to download and read it. It's only around 15 manuscript pages, and it's FREE!
We live the lives of locusts, gone in a summer's day. I miss you, Dad!
"After the Great Muskie Hunt"
When his father loses his job, a young painter from New York offers to take him fishing for muskie — a barracuda-like freshwater fish — at Big Eagle Lake, in Ontario, Canada.
"Haunting and beautiful."
Mainsail Reviews
[Click here to check out my Pinterest board for After the Great Muskie Hunt.]
Also, for those of you who didn't notice, I've launched a new section on this website/blog called On My Desk, which features posts and links about my new cookbook, plus the novel I'm currently writing: The Plague, sequel to The Wave — A John Decker Thriller. [DANGER: You may not want to read The Wave while you're at the beach . . . as this novel features a mega-tsunami!]
This way you can get an unprecedented, inside look into my writing process, and see what I'm reading/looking at online and elsewhere as I work on these titles.
This follows the paradigm I've noticed at sites such as CornucopiaPress.com, where the editors there are constantly adding new stories about the self-publishing phenomenom in the "What's New!" BLOG.
So, check it out. See what I'm looking at, perusing, reading, studying et al . . . before it ends up, premasticated, in one of my books.
LOOKING FOR SOME SPINE-TINGLING NEW THRILLERS?
ON SALE FOR JUST 99¢ THIS SUMMER
TWO AWARD-WINNING NOVELS OF HORROR!
KISS ME, I'M DEAD.
BEFORE THERE WAS 9/11 . . . THERE WAS 6/15
On June 15, 1904, the General Slocum steamship burned and sank in the East River, killing over a thousand innocent New Yorkers. It was the greatest disaster and loss of life in New York City history . . . until 9/11. In KISS ME, I'M DEAD, this forgotten piece of history serves as the backdrop of an extraordinary story of loss, redemption, justice, and a love that not even death could extinguish.
Mallory Meer is like any teenage girl. She likes to have fun. She thinks her sister is ridiculous. Her parents drive her crazy. She has a crush on Dustin and follows him everywhere.
Mallory even has a summer job — figuring out the truth about the fire on the General Slocum steamship, the disaster that killed her sister. Mallory is determined to find out the truth, and to bring the guilty parties to justice.
Sometimes Mallory gets angry, very angry, and strange things happen when Mallory gets angry. Yes, Mallory is like any other teenage girl . . . except Mallory is dead.
Twilight meets Titanic Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books of the year by the Washington Post, Kiss me, I'm Dead was named a Notable Book for Teens by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teen's Top Ten, and nominated for a Cybils literary award, a Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association (ALA), and recently added to Horn Book’s list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.
The Washington Post said, "(J.G. Sandom) writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction," and called the book, "A subtle gem." School Library Journal said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead tells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called the work, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story . . . (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead is a book you shouldn't pass up." Midwest Book Review termed it, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story." And Bookslut.com said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead scores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold."
Click hereto purchase your copy of Kiss me, I'm Dead!
Click here to check out my Pinterest board for Kiss me, I'm Dead.
CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER.
Here's the thing about body snatching. You just can't think about what you're doing. You can't feel sorry for the person, or think they look like your mother, your brother or your sister. You can't feel bad. In fact, you can't feel anything. That's the key. Because the minute you start feeling something, it's over. You're dead — pennies on the eyes, dirt on the face dead. It's no way to live, but for some, it's the only way.
Until they come for you . . .
Previously named a Junior Library Guild selection, Publishers Weekly called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher, “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." VOYA said, "Teen readers will thoroughly enjoy the hair-raising suspense in this historical thriller." Kirkus Reviews called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher perfect for, “audiences that relish 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." 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.”
Click hereto purchase your copy of Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher.
Click here to check out my Pinterest board for Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher.
And if that isn't enough, BOTH titles are also available in Two Teen Terrors — A Cornucopia Press Collection FOR JUST $1.49!
Click here to purchase your copy of Two Teen Terrors!
STILL LOOKING FOR THAT PERFECT TITLE?
Meantime, THE WAVE, my indie title from Cornucopia Press, continues to outsell all of my Big Six books. Go figure!
AND IT'S BEEN REDUCED FROM $7.99 TO ONLY $2.99! SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? PICK UP A COPY TODAY.
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, a diabolical killer recently arrested in Tel Aviv whose calling card is to wrap his victims up with incendiary devices designed to produce flames in the shape of Koranic verses. Some call it aesthetic destruction.
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.
Click here to check out my Pinterest board for The Wave. [WARNING: Some of the images on this board may be disturbing to younger readers.]
I'd like to thank all my fans for your fabulous support of The Wave. I set aside 10% of the profits from the sale of this book to Japanese tsunami relief efforts last year. Your generosity helped thousands of victims.
While The Wave may be a work of fiction, I know from my extensive research how devastating tsunamis and — as seen in my book — mega-tsunamis can be. The events of March, 2011, reminded us just how fragile and fickle our environment is, and how we must do whatever we can to protect it.
Meanwhile,The God Machine, from Random House (Bantam) continues to reach new theo-thriller fanatics. . . especially as an eBook.
Caroline Thompson (author of Edward Scissorhands) said, "Move over, Dan Brown . . . All hail J.G. Sandom . . . (The God Machine) is a thrilling and breathless, rapturously-written and mind-blowing read. It’ll keep you up all night, turning pages as fast as your little fingers can manage." BookPage said, "Sandom has a knack for combining legendary gospels, ancient secrets, star-crossed lovers and Masonic puzzles to create a simmering stew of conspiracy, intrigue and danger that keeps the plot pot boiling until the very end." And the Historical Novels Review said, "History galore, violence, and intrigue fill the pages of this tightly plotted, twisting and turning adventure story . . . Those who love numbers, physics, and a truly unpredictable, suspenseful mystery will relish the facts and ponderings replete in this well-written, mysterious spin-off of The Da Vinci Code. The God Machineis a very impressive historical thriller!"
The Church insisted it didn't exist.
They lied.
They said it was just a Masonic legend.
It wasn't.
A two thousand year old secret.
Revealed.
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 Indian high-tech mogul 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 purchase your copy of The God Machine, click here.
Click here to check out my Pinterest board for The God Machine.
The novel has just come out in Spanish from LA FACTORÍA DE IDEAS. It's available in Europe and Latin America right now, and will soon be available in Spanish in the US as well. Pre-order it now. Later this year, look for it in Turkish too!
For those of you who didn't notice, I've launched a new section on this website/blog called, On My Desk, which features posts and links about my current projects: The Plague, sequel to The Wave — A John Decker Thriller; and an ultra-secret new cookbook I'm co-writing with . . . but that would be telling.
This way you can get an unprecedented, inside look into my writing process, and see what I'm reading/looking at online and elsewhere as I work on these titles.
This follows the paradigm I've noticed at sites such as Cornucopia-Press.com, where the editors there are constantly adding new stories about the self-publishing phenomenom in the "What's New!" BLOG.
So, check it out. See what I'm looking at, perusing, reading, studying et al . . . before it ends up, premasticated, in one of my novels.
LOOKING FOR SOME SPINE-TINGLING NEW THRILLERS?
ON SALE FOR JUST 99¢
TWO AWARD-WINNING NOVELS OF HORROR!
KISS ME, I'M DEAD.
BEFORE THERE WAS 9/11 . . . THERE WAS 6/15
On June 15, 1904, the General Slocum steamship burned and sank in the East River, killing over a thousand innocent New Yorkers. It was the greatest disaster and loss of life in New York City history . . . until 9/11. In KISS ME, I'M DEAD, this forgotten piece of history serves as the backdrop of an extraordinary story of loss, redemption, justice, and a love that not even death could extinguish.
Mallory Meer is like any teenage girl. She likes to have fun. She thinks her sister is ridiculous. Her parents drive her crazy. She has a crush on Dustin and follows him everywhere.
Mallory even has a summer job — figuring out the truth about the fire on the General Slocum steamship, the disaster that killed her sister. Mallory is determined to find out the truth, and to bring the guilty parties to justice.
Sometimes Mallory gets angry, very angry, and strange things happen when Mallory gets angry. Yes, Mallory is like any other teenage girl . . . except Mallory is dead.
Twilight meets Titanic Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books of the year by the Washington Post, Kiss me, I'm Dead was named a Notable Book for Teens by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teen's Top Ten, and nominated for a Cybils literary award, a Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association (ALA), and recently added to Horn Book’s list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.
The Washington Post said, "(J.G. Sandom) writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction," and called the book, "A subtle gem." School Library Journal said, "Kiss Me, I’m Deadtells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called the work, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story . . . (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead is a book you shouldn't pass up." Midwest Book Review termed it, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story." And Bookslut.com said, "Kiss Me, I’m Deadscores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold."
Click hereto purchase your copy of Kiss me, I'm Dead!
CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER.
Here's the thing about body snatching. You just can't think about what you're doing. You can't feel sorry for the person, or think they look like your mother, your brother or your sister. You can't feel bad. In fact, you can't feel anything. That's the key. Because the minute you start feeling something, it's over. You're dead — pennies on the eyes, dirt on the face dead. It's no way to live, but for some, it's the only way.
Until they come for you . . .
Previously named a Junior Library Guild selection, Publishers Weekly called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher, “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." VOYA said, "Teen readers will thoroughly enjoy the hair-raising suspense in this historical thriller." Kirkus Reviews called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher perfect for, “audiences that relish 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." 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.”
Click hereto purchase your copy of Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher.
And if that isn't enough, BOTH titles are also available in Two Teen Terrors — A Cornucopia Press Collection FOR JUST $1.49!
Click here to purchase your copy of Two Teen Terrors!
And for FREE!
Check out this short story, After the Great Muskie Hunt, dedicated to my father, Zane, who always found time to take me fishing, and whose memory it honors. Please take a moment to download and read it and — if you like it — tell your friends. It's only around 4,000 words, or 15 manuscript pages. We live the lives of locusts, gone in a summer's day. Zane, I miss you!
"After the Great Muskie Hunt"
When his father loses his job, a young painter from New York offers to take him fishing for muskie — a barracuda-like freshwater fish — at Big Eagle Lake, in Ontario, Canada.
"Haunting and beautiful."
MainSail Reviews
STILL LOOKING FOR THAT PERFECT TITLE?
Meantime, THE WAVE, my indie title from Cornucopia Press, continues to outsell all of my Big Six books. Go figure!
AND IT'S BEEN REDUCED FROM $7.99 TO ONLY $2.99! SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? PICK UP A COPY TODAY.
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, a diabolical killer recently arrested in Tel Aviv whose calling card is to wrap his victims up with incendiary devices designed to produce flames in the shape of Koranic verses. Some call it aesthetic destruction.
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.
I'd like to take this moment to thank all my fans for your fabulous support of The Wave these last few months. As you know, I've been setting aside 10% of all profits from the sale of this book to Japanese tsunami relief efforts. Your generosity has helped thousands of victims, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
While The Wave may be a work of fiction, I know from my extensie research how devastating tsunamis and — as seen in my book — mega-tsunamis can be. The recent events of March and December in Japan remind us just how fragile and fickle our environment is, and how we must do whatever we can to protect it.
Meanwhile,The God Machine, from Random House (Bantam) continues to reach new theo-thriller fanatics. . . especially as an eBook.
Caroline Thompson (author of Edward Scissorhands) said, "Move over, Dan Brown . . . All hail J.G. Sandom . . . (The God Machine) is a thrilling and breathless, rapturously-written and mind-blowing read. It’ll keep you up all night, turning pages as fast as your little fingers can manage." BookPage said, "Sandom has a knack for combining legendary gospels, ancient secrets, star-crossed lovers and Masonic puzzles to create a simmering stew of conspiracy, intrigue and danger that keeps the plot pot boiling until the very end." And the Historical Novels Review said, "History galore, violence, and intrigue fill the pages of this tightly plotted, twisting and turning adventure story . . . Those who love numbers, physics, and a truly unpredictable, suspenseful mystery will relish the facts and ponderings replete in this well-written, mysterious spin-off of The Da Vinci Code. The God Machineis a very impressive historical thriller!"
The Church insisted it didn't exist.
They lied.
They said it was just a Masonic legend.
It wasn't.
A two thousand year old secret.
Revealed.
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 Indian high-tech mogul 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 purchase your copy of The God Machine, click here.
The novel will also soon appear in a variety of foreign languages (and markets), from Spanish (for distribution in Spain and all of Latin America) to Turkish. So — Gracias, and Çok Sagolun!
You've probably heard about KickStarter, the website where folks who want to launch a new project (from creating new software games to new books) can seek funding from ordinary folks vs. "angels" and VC firms.
Well, what you may not know is that one of my projects is now live @ KickStarter— a children's book series about a young vegetable detective named Jacques Couteau, written under pen name Holland Dayze with my partner Sylvana Joseph. We're experimenting with KickStarter to see if we can raise money (without going through a traditional publisher) to help illustrate the first of the series called A is for Asparagus. It's already available on Amazon, but it doesn't currently feature illustrations, which we would love to have.
For more on this project, click on the video below. And, please, give generously! If you do, you could receive a bunch of great stuff like: autographed copies of books; original illustrations from forthcoming titles; we might name a character after you or someone you love; or, if you dig really deep, we'll even dedicate the book to you or your child! (And yeah, it sure does sound like Christopher Walken, doesn't it?)
For a longer and darker version of this video, click here.
Also, for those of you who didn't notice, I've launched a new section on this website/blog called, On My Desk, which features posts and links about my current projects: The Plague, sequel to The Wave — A John Decker Thriller; and an ultra-secret new cookbook I'm co-writing with . . . but that would be telling.
This way you can get an unprecedented, inside look into my writing process, and see what I'm reading/looking at online and elsewhere as I work on these titles.
This follows the paradigm I've noticed at sites such as Cornucopia-Press.com, where the editors there are constantly adding new stories about the self-publishing phenomenom in the "What's New!" BLOG.
So, check it out. See what I'm looking at, perusing, reading, studying et al . . . before it ends up, premasticated, in one of my novels.
LOOKING FOR SOME SPINE-TINGLING NEW THRILLERS?
ON SALE FOR JUST 99¢
TWO AWARD-WINNING NOVELS OF HORROR!
KISS ME, I'M DEAD.
BEFORE THERE WAS 9/11 . . . THERE WAS 6/15
On June 15, 1904, the General Slocum steamship burned and sank in the East River, killing over a thousand innocent New Yorkers. It was the greatest disaster and loss of life in New York City history . . . until 9/11. In KISS ME, I'M DEAD, this forgotten piece of history serves as the backdrop of an extraordinary story of loss, redemption, justice, and a love that not even death could extinguish.
Mallory Meer is like any teenage girl. She likes to have fun. She thinks her sister is ridiculous. Her parents drive her crazy. She has a crush on Dustin and follows him everywhere.
Mallory even has a summer job — figuring out the truth about the fire on the General Slocum steamship, the disaster that killed her sister. Mallory is determined to find out the truth, and to bring the guilty parties to justice.
Sometimes Mallory gets angry, very angry, and strange things happen when Mallory gets angry. Yes, Mallory is like any other teenage girl . . . except Mallory is dead.
Twilight meets Titanic Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books of the year by the Washington Post, Kiss me, I'm Dead was named a Notable Book for Teens by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teen's Top Ten, and nominated for a Cybils literary award, a Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association (ALA), and recently added to Horn Book’s list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.
The Washington Post said, "(J.G. Sandom) writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction," and called the book, "A subtle gem." School Library Journal said, "Kiss Me, I’m Deadtells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called the work, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story . . . (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead is a book you shouldn't pass up." Midwest Book Review termed it, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story." And Bookslut.com said, "Kiss Me, I’m Deadscores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold."
Click hereto purchase your copy of Kiss me, I'm Dead!
CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER.
Here's the thing about body snatching. You just can't think about what you're doing. You can't feel sorry for the person, or think they look like your mother, your brother or your sister. You can't feel bad. In fact, you can't feel anything. That's the key. Because the minute you start feeling something, it's over. You're dead — pennies on the eyes, dirt on the face dead. It's no way to live, but for some, it's the only way.
Until they come for you . . .
Previously named a Junior Library Guild selection, Publishers Weekly called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher, “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." VOYA said, "Teen readers will thoroughly enjoy the hair-raising suspense in this historical thriller." Kirkus Reviews called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher perfect for, “audiences that relish 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." 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.”
Click hereto purchase your copy of Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher.
And if that isn't enough, BOTH titles are also available in Two Teen Terrors — A Cornucopia Press Collection FOR JUST $1.49!
Click here to purchase your copy of Two Teen Terrors!
And for FREE!
Check out this short story, After the Great Muskie Hunt, dedicated to my father, Zane, who always found time to take me fishing, and whose memory it honors. Please take a moment to download and read it and — if you like it — tell your friends. It's only around 4,000 words, or 15 manuscript pages. We live the lives of locusts, gone in a summer's day. Zane, I miss you!
"After the Great Muskie Hunt"
When his father loses his job, a young painter from New York offers to take him fishing for muskie — a barracuda-like freshwater fish — at Big Eagle Lake, in Ontario, Canada.
"Haunting and beautiful."
MainSail Reviews
STILL LOOKING FOR THAT PERFECT TITLE?
Meantime, THE WAVE, my indie title from Cornucopia Press, continues to outsell all of my Big Six books. Go figure!
AND IT'S BEEN REDUCED FROM $7.99 TO ONLY $2.99! SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? PICK UP A COPY TODAY.
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, a diabolical killer recently arrested in Tel Aviv whose calling card is to wrap his victims up with incendiary devices designed to produce flames in the shape of Koranic verses. Some call it aesthetic destruction.
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.
I'd like to take this moment to thank all my fans for your fabulous support of The Wave these last few months. As you know, I've been setting aside 10% of all profits from the sale of this book to Japanese tsunami relief efforts. Your generosity has helped thousands of victims, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
While The Wave may be a work of fiction, I know from my extensie research how devastating tsunamis and — as seen in my book — mega-tsunamis can be. The recent events of March and December in Japan remind us just how fragile and fickle our environment is, and how we must do whatever we can to protect it.
Meanwhile,The God Machine, from Random House (Bantam) continues to reach new theo-thriller fanatics. . . especially as an eBook.
Caroline Thompson (author of Edward Scissorhands) said, "Move over, Dan Brown . . . All hail J.G. Sandom . . . (The God Machine) is a thrilling and breathless, rapturously-written and mind-blowing read. It’ll keep you up all night, turning pages as fast as your little fingers can manage." BookPage said, "Sandom has a knack for combining legendary gospels, ancient secrets, star-crossed lovers and Masonic puzzles to create a simmering stew of conspiracy, intrigue and danger that keeps the plot pot boiling until the very end." And the Historical Novels Review said, "History galore, violence, and intrigue fill the pages of this tightly plotted, twisting and turning adventure story . . . Those who love numbers, physics, and a truly unpredictable, suspenseful mystery will relish the facts and ponderings replete in this well-written, mysterious spin-off of The Da Vinci Code. The God Machineis a very impressive historical thriller!"
The Church insisted it didn't exist.
They lied.
They said it was just a Masonic legend.
It wasn't.
A two thousand year old secret.
Revealed.
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 Indian high-tech mogul 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 purchase your copy of The God Machine, click here.
The novel will also soon appear in a variety of foreign languages (and markets), from Spanish (for distribution in Spain and all of Latin America) to Turkish. So — Gracias, and Çok Sagolun!
For those of you who didn't notice, I've launched a brand new section on this website/blog called, On My Desk, which features posts and links about my current projects: The Plague, sequel to The Wave - A John Decker Thriller; and an ultra-secret new cookbook I'm co-writing with . . . but that would be telling.
This way you can get an unprecedented, inside look into my writing process, and see what I'm reading/looking at online and elsewhere as I work on these titles.
This follows the paradigm I've noticed at sites such as Cornucopia-Press.com, where the editors there are constantly adding new stories about the self-publishing phenomenom in the "What's New!" BLOG.
So, check it out. See what I'm looking at, perusing, reading, studying et al . . . before it ends up, premasticated, in one of my novels.
LOOKING FOR SOME SPINE-TINGLING NEW THRILLERS?
ON SALE FOR JUST 99¢
TWO AWARD-WINNING NOVELS OF HORROR!
KISS ME, I'M DEAD.
BEFORE THERE WAS 9/11 . . . THERE WAS 6/15
On June 15, 1904, the General Slocum steamship burned and sank in the East River, killing over a thousand innocent New Yorkers. It was the greatest disaster and loss of life in New York City history . . . until 9/11. In KISS ME, I'M DEAD, this forgotten piece of history serves as the backdrop of an extraordinary story of loss, redemption, justice, and a love that not even death could extinguish.
Mallory Meer is like any teenage girl. She likes to have fun. She thinks her sister is ridiculous. Her parents drive her crazy. She has a crush on Dustin and follows him everywhere.
Mallory even has a summer job — figuring out the truth about the fire on the General Slocum steamship, the disaster that killed her sister. Mallory is determined to find out the truth, and to bring the guilty parties to justice.
Sometimes Mallory gets angry, very angry, and strange things happen when Mallory gets angry. Yes, Mallory is like any other teenage girl . . . except Mallory is dead.
Twilight meets Titanic Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books of the year by the Washington Post, Kiss me, I'm Dead was named a Notable Book for Teens by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teen's Top Ten, and nominated for a Cybils literary award, a Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association (ALA), and recently added to Horn Book’s list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.
The Washington Post said, "(J.G. Sandom) writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction," and called the book, "A subtle gem." School Library Journal said, "Kiss Me, I’m Deadtells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called the work, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story . . . (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead is a book you shouldn't pass up." Midwest Book Review termed it, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story." And Bookslut.com said, "Kiss Me, I’m Deadscores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold."
Click hereto purchase your copy of Kiss me, I'm Dead!
CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER.
Here's the thing about body snatching. You just can't think about what you're doing. You can't feel sorry for the person, or think they look like your mother, your brother or your sister. You can't feel bad. In fact, you can't feel anything. That's the key. Because the minute you start feeling something, it's over. You're dead — pennies on the eyes, dirt on the face dead. It's no way to live, but for some, it's the only way.
Until they come for you . . .
Previously named a Junior Library Guild selection, Publishers Weekly called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher, “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." VOYA said, "Teen readers will thoroughly enjoy the hair-raising suspense in this historical thriller." Kirkus Reviews called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher perfect for, “audiences that relish 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." 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.”
Click hereto purchase your copy of Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher.
And if that isn't enough, BOTH titles are also available in Two Teen Terrors — A Cornucopia Press Collection FOR JUST $1.49!
Click here to purchase your copy of Two Teen Terrors!
And for FREE!
Check out this short story, After the Great Muskie Hunt, dedicated to my father, Zane, who always found time to take me fishing, and whose memory it honors. Please take a moment to download and read it and — if you like it — tell your friends. It's only around 4,000 words, or 15 manuscript pages. We live the lives of locusts, gone in a summer's day. Zane, I miss you!
"After the Great Muskie Hunt"
When his father loses his job, a young painter from New York offers to take him fishing for muskie — a barracuda-like freshwater fish — at Big Eagle Lake, in Ontario, Canada.
"Haunting and beautiful."
MainSail Reviews
STILL LOOKING FOR THAT PERFECT TITLE?
Meantime, THE WAVE, my indie title from Cornucopia Press, continues to outsell all of my Big Six books. Go figure!
AND IT'S BEEN REDUCED FROM $7.99 TO ONLY $2.99! SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? PICK UP A COPY TODAY.
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, a diabolical killer recently arrested in Tel Aviv whose calling card is to wrap his victims up with incendiary devices designed to produce flames in the shape of Koranic verses. Some call it aesthetic destruction.
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.
I'd like to take this moment to thank all my fans for your fabulous support of The Wave these last few months. As you know, I've been setting aside 10% of all profits from the sale of this book to Japanese tsunami relief efforts. Your generosity has helped thousands of victims, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
While The Wave may be a work of fiction, I know from my extensie research how devastating tsunamis and — as seen in my book — mega-tsunamis can be. The recent events of March and December in Japan remind us just how fragile and fickle our environment is, and how we must do whatever we can to protect it.
Meanwhile,The God Machine, from Random House (Bantam) continues to reach new theo-thriller fanatics. . . especially as an eBook.
Caroline Thompson (author of Edward Scissorhands) said, "Move over, Dan Brown . . . All hail J.G. Sandom . . . (The God Machine) is a thrilling and breathless, rapturously-written and mind-blowing read. It’ll keep you up all night, turning pages as fast as your little fingers can manage." BookPage said, "Sandom has a knack for combining legendary gospels, ancient secrets, star-crossed lovers and Masonic puzzles to create a simmering stew of conspiracy, intrigue and danger that keeps the plot pot boiling until the very end." And the Historical Novels Review said, "History galore, violence, and intrigue fill the pages of this tightly plotted, twisting and turning adventure story . . . Those who love numbers, physics, and a truly unpredictable, suspenseful mystery will relish the facts and ponderings replete in this well-written, mysterious spin-off of The Da Vinci Code. The God Machineis a very impressive historical thriller!"
The Church insisted it didn't exist.
They lied.
They said it was just a Masonic legend.
It wasn't.
A two thousand year old secret.
Revealed.
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 Indian high-tech mogul 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 purchase your copy of The God Machine, click here.
The novel will also soon appear in a variety of foreign languages (and markets), from Spanish (for distribution in Spain and all of Latin America) to Turkish. So — Gracias, and Çok Sagolun!
On the anniversary of last year's earthquake and tsunami in Japan, let us take a moment to remember all who passed away or who were injured during the disaster.
If you are still interested in helping out, there are a number of groups involved in relief efforts. If you purchased a copy of THE WAVE since the disaster a year ago, some of the profits associated with that sale went to Mercy Corps. Here's one of the many things they're doing with your contribution:
You may also have noticed (Who am I kidding? No one reads this crap!) that I've launched a brand new section for this website/blog. Called, On My Desk, the section features posts and links about my current projects: The Plague, sequel to The Wave - A John Decker Thriller; and an ultra-secret new cookbook I'm co-writing with . . . but that would be telling. This way you can get an unprecedented, inside look into my writing process (as if you care), and see what I'm reading/looking at online and elsewhere as I work on these titles.
This follows the paradigm I've noticed at sites such as Cornucopia-Press.com, where the editors there are constantly adding new stories about the self-publishing phenomenom in the "What's New!" BLOG.
So, check it out. See what I'm looking at, perusing, reading, studying et al . . . before it ends up, premasticated, in one of my novels.
LOOKING FOR SOME SPINE-TINGLING NEW THRILLERS?
ON SALE FOR JUST 99¢
TWO AWARD-WINNING NOVELS OF HORROR!
KISS ME, I'M DEAD.
BEFORE THERE WAS 9/11 . . . THERE WAS 6/15
On June 15, 1904, the General Slocum steamship burned and sank in the East River, killing over a thousand innocent New Yorkers. It was the greatest disaster and loss of life in New York City history . . . until 9/11. In KISS ME, I'M DEAD, this forgotten piece of history serves as the backdrop of an extraordinary story of loss, redemption, justice, and a love that not even death could extinguish.
Mallory Meer is like any teenage girl. She likes to have fun. She thinks her sister is ridiculous. Her parents drive her crazy. She has a crush on Dustin and follows him everywhere.
Mallory even has a summer job — figuring out the truth about the fire on the General Slocum steamship, the disaster that killed her sister. Mallory is determined to find out the truth, and to bring the guilty parties to justice.
Sometimes Mallory gets angry, very angry, and strange things happen when Mallory gets angry. Yes, Mallory is like any other teenage girl . . . except Mallory is dead.
Twilight meets Titanic Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books of the year by the Washington Post, Kiss me, I'm Dead was named a Notable Book for Teens by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teen's Top Ten, and nominated for a Cybils literary award, a Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association (ALA), and recently added to Horn Book’s list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.
The Washington Post said, "(J.G. Sandom) writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction," and called the book, "A subtle gem." School Library Journal said, "Kiss Me, I’m Deadtells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called the work, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story . . . (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead is a book you shouldn't pass up." Midwest Book Review termed it, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story." And Bookslut.com said, "Kiss Me, I’m Deadscores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold."
Click hereto purchase your copy of Kiss me, I'm Dead!
CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER.
Here's the thing about body snatching. You just can't think about what you're doing. You can't feel sorry for the person, or think they look like your mother, your brother or your sister. You can't feel bad. In fact, you can't feel anything. That's the key. Because the minute you start feeling something, it's over. You're dead — pennies on the eyes, dirt on the face dead. It's no way to live, but for some, it's the only way.
Until they come for you . . .
Previously named a Junior Library Guild selection, Publishers Weekly called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher, “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." VOYA said, "Teen readers will thoroughly enjoy the hair-raising suspense in this historical thriller." Kirkus Reviews called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher perfect for, “audiences that relish 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." 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.”
Click hereto purchase your copy of Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher.
And if that isn't enough, BOTH titles are also available in Two Teen Terrors — A Cornucopia Press Collection FOR JUST $1.49!
Click here to purchase your copy of Two Teen Terrors!
And for FREE!
Check out this short story, After the Great Muskie Hunt, dedicated to my father, Zane, who always found time to take me fishing, and whose memory it honors. Please take a moment to download and read it and — if you like it — tell your friends. It's only around 4,000 words, or 15 manuscript pages. We live the lives of locusts, gone in a summer's day. Zane, I miss you!
"After the Great Muskie Hunt"
When his father loses his job, a young painter from New York offers to take him fishing for muskie — a barracuda-like freshwater fish — at Big Eagle Lake, in Ontario, Canada.
"Haunting and beautiful."
MainSail Reviews
STILL LOOKING FOR THAT PERFECT TITLE?
Meantime, THE WAVE, my indie title from Cornucopia Press, continues to outsell all of my Big Six books. Go figure!
AND IT'S BEEN REDUCED FROM $7.99 TO ONLY $2.99! SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? PICK UP A COPY TODAY.
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, a diabolical killer recently arrested in Tel Aviv whose calling card is to wrap his victims up with incendiary devices designed to produce flames in the shape of Koranic verses. Some call it aesthetic destruction.
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.
I'd like to take this moment to thank all my fans for your fabulous support of The Wave these last few months. As you know, I've been setting aside 10% of all profits from the sale of this book to Japanese tsunami relief efforts. Your generosity has helped thousands of victims, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
While The Wave may be a work of fiction, I know from my extensie research how devastating tsunamis and — as seen in my book — mega-tsunamis can be. The recent events of March and December in Japan remind us just how fragile and fickle our environment is, and how we must do whatever we can to protect it.
Meanwhile,The God Machine, from Random House (Bantam) continues to reach new theo-thriller fanatics. . . especially as an eBook.
Caroline Thompson (author of Edward Scissorhands) said, "Move over, Dan Brown . . . All hail J.G. Sandom . . . (The God Machine) is a thrilling and breathless, rapturously-written and mind-blowing read. It’ll keep you up all night, turning pages as fast as your little fingers can manage." BookPage said, "Sandom has a knack for combining legendary gospels, ancient secrets, star-crossed lovers and Masonic puzzles to create a simmering stew of conspiracy, intrigue and danger that keeps the plot pot boiling until the very end." And the Historical Novels Review said, "History galore, violence, and intrigue fill the pages of this tightly plotted, twisting and turning adventure story . . . Those who love numbers, physics, and a truly unpredictable, suspenseful mystery will relish the facts and ponderings replete in this well-written, mysterious spin-off of The Da Vinci Code. The God Machineis a very impressive historical thriller!"
The Church insisted it didn't exist.
They lied.
They said it was just a Masonic legend.
It wasn't.
A two thousand year old secret.
Revealed.
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 Indian high-tech mogul 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 purchase your copy of The God Machine, click here.
The novel will also soon appear in a variety of foreign languages (and markets), from Spanish (for distribution in Spain and all of Latin America) to Turkish. So — Gracias, and Çok Sagolun!
Don't know if you've signed up for Pintarest yet but I've created some new bulletin boards for my books. Check them out by clicking immediately below (or in the margin, at left):
If you are aleady signed up, I invite you to re-pin some of the images in these boards, one for each of the following novels: THE WAVE; THE GOD MACHINE; GOSPEL TRUTHS; KISS ME, I'M DEAD; and CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER.
LOOKING FOR SOME SPINE-TINGLING THRILLERS FOR THAT NEW KINDLE OR IPAD YOU JUST GOT OVER THE HOLIDAYS?
ON SALE FOR JUST 99¢
TWO AWARD-WINNING NOVELS OF HORROR!
KISS ME, I'M DEAD.
BEFORE THERE WAS 9/11 . . . THERE WAS 6/15
On June 15, 1904, the General Slocum steamship burned and sank in the East River, killing over a thousand innocent New Yorkers. It was the greatest disaster and loss of life in New York City history . . . until 9/11. In KISS ME, I'M DEAD, this forgotten piece of history serves as the backdrop of an extraordinary story of loss, redemption, justice, and a love that not even death could extinguish.
Mallory Meer is like any teenage girl. She likes to have fun. She thinks her sister is ridiculous. Her parents drive her crazy. She has a crush on Dustin and follows him everywhere.
Mallory even has a summer job — figuring out the truth about the fire on the General Slocum steamship, the disaster that killed her sister. Mallory is determined to find out the truth, and to bring the guilty parties to justice.
Sometimes Mallory gets angry, very angry, and strange things happen when Mallory gets angry. Yes, Mallory is like any other teenage girl . . . except Mallory is dead.
Twilight meets Titanic Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books of the year by the Washington Post, Kiss me, I'm Dead was named a Notable Book for Teens by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teen's Top Ten, and nominated for a Cybils literary award, a Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association (ALA), and recently added to Horn Book’s list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.
The Washington Post said, "(J.G. Sandom) writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction," and called the book, "A subtle gem." School Library Journal said, "Kiss Me, I’m Deadtells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called the work, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story . . . (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead is a book you shouldn't pass up." Midwest Book Review termed it, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story." And Bookslut.com said, "Kiss Me, I’m Deadscores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold."
Click hereto purchase your copy of Kiss me, I'm Dead!
CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER.
Here's the thing about body snatching. You just can't think about what you're doing. You can't feel sorry for the person, or think they look like your mother, your brother or your sister. You can't feel bad. In fact, you can't feel anything. That's the key. Because the minute you start feeling something, it's over. You're dead — pennies on the eyes, dirt on the face dead. It's no way to live, but for some, it's the only way.
Until they come for you . . .
Previously named a Junior Library Guild selection, Publishers Weeklycalled Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher, “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." VOYA said, "Teen readers will thoroughly enjoy the hair-raising suspense in this historical thriller." Kirkus Reviews called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher perfect for, “audiences that relish 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." 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.”
Click hereto purchase your copy of Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher.
And if that isn't enough, BOTH titles are also available in Two Teen Terrors — A Cornucopia Press Collection FOR JUST $1.49!
Click here to purchase your copy of Two Teen Terrors!
And for FREE!
Check out this short story, After the Great Muskie Hunt, dedicated to my father, Zane, who always found time to take me fishing, and whose memory it honors. Please take a moment to download and read it and — if you like it — tell your friends. It's only around 4,000 words, or 15 manuscript pages. We live the lives of locusts, gone in a summer's day. Zane, I miss you!
"After the Great Muskie Hunt"
When his father loses his job, a young painter from New York offers to take him fishing for muskie — a barracuda-like freshwater fish — at Big Eagle Lake, in Ontario, Canada.
"Haunting and beautiful."
MainSail Reviews
STILL LOOKING FOR THAT PERFECT TITLE FOR YOUR NEW KINDLE OR IPAD?
Meantime, THE WAVE, my indie title from Cornucopia Press, continues to outsell all of my Big Six books. Go figure!
AND IT'S BEEN REDUCED FROM $7.99 TO ONLY $2.99! SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? PICK UP A COPY TODAY.
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, a diabolical killer recently arrested in Tel Aviv whose calling card is to wrap his victims up with incendiary devices designed to produce flames in the shape of Koranic verses. Some call it aesthetic destruction.
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.
I'd like to take this moment to thank all my fans for your fabulous support of The Wave these last few months. As you know, I've been setting aside 10% of all profits from the sale of this book to Japanese tsunami relief efforts. Your generosity has helped thousands of victims, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
While The Wave may be a work of fiction, I know from my extensie research how devastating tsunamis and — as seen in my book — mega-tsunamis can be. The recent events of March and December in Japan remind us just how fragile and fickle our environment is, and how we must do whatever we can to protect it.
Meanwhile,The God Machine, from Random House (Bantam) continues to reach new theo-thriller fanatics. . . especially as an eBook.
Caroline Thompson (author of Edward Scissorhands) said, "Move over, Dan Brown . . . All hail J.G. Sandom . . . (The God Machine) is a thrilling and breathless, rapturously-written and mind-blowing read. It’ll keep you up all night, turning pages as fast as your little fingers can manage." BookPage said, "Sandom has a knack for combining legendary gospels, ancient secrets, star-crossed lovers and Masonic puzzles to create a simmering stew of conspiracy, intrigue and danger that keeps the plot pot boiling until the very end." And the Historical Novels Review said, "History galore, violence, and intrigue fill the pages of this tightly plotted, twisting and turning adventure story . . . Those who love numbers, physics, and a truly unpredictable, suspenseful mystery will relish the facts and ponderings replete in this well-written, mysterious spin-off of The Da Vinci Code. The God Machineis a very impressive historical thriller!"
The Church insisted it didn't exist.
They lied.
They said it was just a Masonic legend.
It wasn't.
A two thousand year old secret.
Revealed.
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 Indian high-tech mogul 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 purchase your copy of The God Machine, click here.
The novel will also soon appear in a variety of foreign languages (and markets), from Spanish (for distribution in Spain and all of Latin America) to Turkish. So — Gracias, and Çok Sagolun!
FOR THAT NEW KINDLE OR IPAD YOU JUST GOT OVER THE HOLIDAYS?
ON SALE FOR JUST 99¢
TWO AWARD-WINNING NOVELS OF HORROR!
KISS ME, I'M DEAD.
BEFORE THERE WAS 9/11 . . . THERE WAS 6/15
On June 15, 1904, the General Slocum steamship burned and sank in the East River, killing over a thousand innocent New Yorkers. It was the greatest disaster and loss of life in New York City history . . . until 9/11. In KISS ME, I'M DEAD, this forgotten piece of history serves as the backdrop of an extraordinary story of loss, redemption, justice, and a love that not even death could extinguish.
Mallory Meer is like any teenage girl. She likes to have fun. She thinks her sister is ridiculous. Her parents drive her crazy. She has a crush on Dustin and follows him everywhere.
Mallory even has a summer job — figuring out the truth about the fire on the General Slocum steamship, the disaster that killed her sister. Mallory is determined to find out the truth, and to bring the guilty parties to justice.
Sometimes Mallory gets angry, very angry, and strange things happen when Mallory gets angry. Yes, Mallory is like any other teenage girl . . . except Mallory is dead.
Twilight meets Titanic Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books of the year by the Washington Post, Kiss me, I'm Dead was named a Notable Book for Teens by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teen's Top Ten, and nominated for a Cybils literary award, a Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association (ALA), and recently added to Horn Book’s list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.
The Washington Post said, "(J.G. Sandom) writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction," and called the book, "A subtle gem." School Library Journal said, "Kiss Me, I’m Deadtells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called the work, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story . . . (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead is a book you shouldn't pass up." Midwest Book Review termed it, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story." And Bookslut.com said, "Kiss Me, I’m Deadscores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold."
Click hereto purchase your copy of Kiss me, I'm Dead!
CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER.
Here's the thing about body snatching. You just can't think about what you're doing. You can't feel sorry for the person, or think they look like your mother, your brother or your sister. You can't feel bad. In fact, you can't feel anything. That's the key. Because the minute you start feeling something, it's over. You're dead — pennies on the eyes, dirt on the face dead. It's no way to live, but for some, it's the only way.
Until they come for you . . .
Previously named a Junior Library Guild selection, Publishers Weeklycalled Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher, “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." VOYA said, "Teen readers will thoroughly enjoy the hair-raising suspense in this historical thriller." Kirkus Reviews called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher perfect for, “audiences that relish 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." 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.”
Click hereto purchase your copy of Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher.
And if that isn't enough, BOTH titles are also available in Two Teen Terrors — A Cornucopia Press Collection FOR JUST $1.49!
Click here to purchase your copy of Two Teen Terrors!
ALSO ON SALE FOR JUST 99¢
J.G. Sandom's award-winning short story:
"after the great muskie hunt"
When his father loses his job, a young painter from New York offers to take him fishing for muskie — a barracuda-like freshwater fish — at Big Eagle Lake, in Ontario, Canada.
"Haunting and beautiful."
MainSail Reviews
A PERFECT GIFT FOR FATHERS AND SONS (or daughters) WHO LOVE FISHING TOGETHER!
STILL LOOKING FOR THAT PERFECT TITLE FOR YOUR NEW KINDLE OR IPAD?
Meantime, THE WAVE, my indie title from Cornucopia Press, continues to outsell all of my Big Six books. Go figure!
AND IT'S BEEN REDUCED FROM $7.99 TO ONLY $2.99! SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? PICK UP A COPY TODAY.
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, a diabolical killer recently arrested in Tel Aviv whose calling card is to wrap his victims up with incendiary devices designed to produce flames in the shape of Koranic verses. Some call it aesthetic destruction.
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.
I'd like to take this moment to thank all my fans for your fabulous support of The Wave these last few months. As you know, I've been setting aside 10% of all profits from the sale of this book to Japanese tsunami relief efforts. Your generosity has helped thousands of victims, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
While The Wave may be a work of fiction, I know from my extensie research how devastating tsunamis and — as seen in my book — mega-tsunamis can be. The recent events of March and December in Japan remind us just how fragile and fickle our environment is, and how we must do whatever we can to protect it.
Meanwhile,The God Machine, from Random House (Bantam) continues to reach new theo-thriller fanatics. . . especially as an eBook.
Caroline Thompson (author of Edward Scissorhands) said, "Move over, Dan Brown . . . All hail J.G. Sandom . . . (The God Machine) is a thrilling and breathless, rapturously-written and mind-blowing read. It’ll keep you up all night, turning pages as fast as your little fingers can manage." BookPage said, "Sandom has a knack for combining legendary gospels, ancient secrets, star-crossed lovers and Masonic puzzles to create a simmering stew of conspiracy, intrigue and danger that keeps the plot pot boiling until the very end." And the Historical Novels Review said, "History galore, violence, and intrigue fill the pages of this tightly plotted, twisting and turning adventure story . . . Those who love numbers, physics, and a truly unpredictable, suspenseful mystery will relish the facts and ponderings replete in this well-written, mysterious spin-off of The Da Vinci Code. The God Machineis a very impressive historical thriller!"
The Church insisted it didn't exist.
They lied.
They said it was just a Masonic legend.
It wasn't.
A two thousand year old secret.
Revealed.
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 Indian high-tech mogul 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 purchase your copy of The God Machine, click here.
The novel will also soon appear in a variety of foreign languages (and markets), from Spanish (for distribution in Spain and all of Latin America) to Turkish. So — Gracias, and Çok Sagolun!
Once again, my heart goes out to the people of Japan who are suffering through the aftermath of yet another tsunami. Please note that I have been donating 10% of all profits from the sale of my novel THE WAVE to the tsunami relief effort in Japan since the devastating earthquake back in March, and I will continue to do so now that this new event has transpired. Please take a moment this Christmas and give to our brothers and sisters in Japan. Remember Katrina!
NEW AND NOTEWORTHY
CHECK IT OUT. ON SALE FOR JUST 99¢!
JUST IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS!
J.G. Sandom's award-winning short story:
"after the great muskie hunt"
When his father loses his job, a young painter from New York offers to take him fishing for muskie — a barracuda-like freshwater fish — at Big Eagle Lake, in Ontario, Canada.
"Haunting and beautiful."
A PERFECT GIFT FOR FATHERS AND SONS (or daughters) WHO LOVE FISHING TOGETHER!
"A splendidly written and powerful black comedy," says J.G. Sandom
"Take a 21st century version of Paddy Chayefsky's Network, add a dash of Barry Levinson's Wag the Dog, plus a jigger of Graham Greene's Our Man in Havana, and you have The Publicist, a tightly paced coming-of-age story - for both Nicki and her father - that eerily anticipated the Arab Spring, and delivers an absurdist look at how today's top news stories are packaged for consumption. The Publicist, by 18-year-old breakthrough novelist Veronica C. Wright, is a splendidly written and powerful black comedy that dramatizes the impact of today's new social media on politics and contemporary culture." J.G. Sandom
STILL LOOKING FOR THAT PERFECT HOLIDAY GIFT? CONSIDER ONE OF THESE TITLES THIS CHRISTMAS.
THE WAVE, my indie title, continues to outsell all of my books.
AND IT'S BEEN REDUCED FROM $7.99 TO ONLY $2.99 . . . JUST IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS! SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? PICK UP A COPY TODAY.
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, a diabolical killer recently arrested in Tel Aviv whose calling card is to wrap his victims up with incendiary devices designed to produce flames in the shape of Koranic verses. Some call it aesthetic destruction.
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.
[NOTE: I am currently working on a sequel to The Wave called The Plague. More announcements about this new John Decker thriller soon!]
Meanwhile,The God Machine continues to reach new theo-thriller fanatics. . . especially as an eBook.
Caroline Thompson (author of Edward Scissorhands) said, "Move over, Dan Brown . . . All hail J.G. Sandom . . . (The God Machine) is a thrilling and breathless, rapturously-written and mind-blowing read. It’ll keep you up all night, turning pages as fast as your little fingers can manage." BookPage said, "Sandom has a knack for combining legendary gospels, ancient secrets, star-crossed lovers and Masonic puzzles to create a simmering stew of conspiracy, intrigue and danger that keeps the plot pot boiling until the very end." And the Historical Novels Review said, "History galore, violence, and intrigue fill the pages of this tightly plotted, twisting and turning adventure story . . . Those who love numbers, physics, and a truly unpredictable, suspenseful mystery will relish the facts and ponderings replete in this well-written, mysterious spin-off of The Da Vinci Code. The God Machineis a very impressive historical thriller!"
The Church insisted it didn't exist.
They lied.
They said it was just a Masonic legend.
It wasn't.
A two thousand year old secret.
Revealed.
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 Indian high-tech mogul 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 purchase your copy of The God Machine, click here.
The novel will also soon appear in a variety of foreign languages (and markets), from Spanish (for distribution in Spain and all of Latin America) to Turkish. So — Gracias, and Çok Sagolun!
Last but not least, let's not forget my YA novels, now in paperback for the first time. They are:
KISS ME, I'M DEAD.
Mallory Meer is like any teenage girl. She likes to have fun. She thinks her sister is ridiculous. Her parents drive her crazy. She has a crush on Dustin and follows him everywhere.
Mallory even has a summer job — figuring out the truth about the fire on the General Slocum steamship, the disaster that killed her sister. Mallory is determined to find out the truth, and to bring the guilty parties to justice.
Sometimes Mallory gets angry, very angry, and strange things happen when Mallory is angry. Yes, Mallory is like any other teenage girl . . . except Mallory is dead.
Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books of the year by the Washington Post, Kiss me, I'm Dead was named a Notable Book for Teens by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teen's Top Ten, and nominated for a Cybils literary award, a Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association (ALA), and recently added to Horn Book’s list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.
The Washington Post said, "(J.G. Sandom) writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction," and called the book, "A subtle gem." School Library Journal said, "Kiss Me, I’m Deadtells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called the work, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story . . . (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead is a book you shouldn't pass up." Midwest Book Review termed it, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story." And Bookslut.com said, "Kiss Me, I’m Deadscores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold."
Click hereto purchase your copy of Kiss me, I'm Dead!
CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER.
Here's the thing about body snatching. You just can't think about what you're doing. You can't feel sorry for the person, or think they look like your mother, your brother or your sister. You can't feel bad. In fact, you can't feel anything. That's the key. Because the minute you start feeling something, it's over. You're dead — pennies on the eyes, dirt on the face dead. It's no way to live, but for some, it's the only way.
Until they come for you . . .
Previously named a Junior Library Guild selection, Publishers Weekly called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher, “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." VOYA said, "Teen readers will thoroughly enjoy the hair-raising suspense in this historical thriller." Kirkus Reviews called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher perfect for, “audiences that relish 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." 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.”
Click hereto purchase your copy of Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher.
And if that isn't enough, BOTH titles are also available in Two Teen Terrors — A Cornucopia Press Collection.
Click hereto purchase your copy of Two Teen Terrors!
When his father loses his job, a young painter from New York offers to take him fishing for muskie — a barracuda-like freshwater fish — at Big Eagle Lake, in Ontario, Canada.
"Haunting and beautiful."
A PERFECT GIFT FOR FATHERS AND SONS WHO LOVE FISHING TOGETHER!
"A beautifully written and powerful black comedy," says J.G. Sandom
"Take a 21st century version of Paddy Chayefsky's Network, add a dash of Barry Levinson's Wag the Dog, plus a jigger of Graham Greene's Our Man in Havana, and you have The Publicist, a tightly paced coming-of-age story - for both Nicki and her father - that eerily anticipated the Arab Spring, and delivers an absurdist look at how today's top news stories are packaged for consumption. The Publicist, by 18-year-old breakthrough novelist Veronica C. Wright, is a beautifully written and powerful black comedy which dramatizes the impact of today's new social media on politics and contemporary culture." J.G. Sandom
THE WAVE, my indie title, continues to outsell all of my books.
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, a diabolical killer recently arrested in Tel Aviv whose calling card is to wrap his victims up with incendiary devices designed to produce flames in the shape of Koranic verses. Some call it aesthetic destruction.
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.
[NOTE: I am currently working on a sequel to The Wave called The Plague. More announcements about this new John Decker thriller soon!]
Meanwhile,The God Machine continues to reach new theo-thriller fanatics. . . especially as an eBook.
Caroline Thompson (author of Edward Scissorhands) said, "Move over, Dan Brown . . . All hail J.G. Sandom . . . (The God Machine) is a thrilling and breathless, rapturously-written and mind-blowing read. It’ll keep you up all night, turning pages as fast as your little fingers can manage." BookPage said, "Sandom has a knack for combining legendary gospels, ancient secrets, star-crossed lovers and Masonic puzzles to create a simmering stew of conspiracy, intrigue and danger that keeps the plot pot boiling until the very end." And the Historical Novels Review said, "History galore, violence, and intrigue fill the pages of this tightly plotted, twisting and turning adventure story . . . Those who love numbers, physics, and a truly unpredictable, suspenseful mystery will relish the facts and ponderings replete in this well-written, mysterious spin-off of The Da Vinci Code. The God Machineis a very impressive historical thriller!"
The Church insisted it didn't exist.
They lied.
They said it was just a Masonic legend.
It wasn't.
A two thousand year old secret.
Revealed.
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 Indian high-tech mogul 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 purchase your copy of The God Machine, click here.
The novel will also soon appear in a variety of foreign languages (and markets), from Spanish (for distribution in Spain and all of Latin America) to Turkish. So — Gracias, and Çok Sagolun!
Last but not least, let's not forget my YA novels, now in paperback for the first time. They are:
KISS ME, I'M DEAD.
Mallory Meer is like any teenage girl. She likes to have fun. She thinks her sister is ridiculous. Her parents drive her crazy. She has a crush on Dustin and follows him everywhere.
Mallory even has a summer job — figuring out the truth about the fire on the General Slocum steamship, the disaster that killed her sister. Mallory is determined to find out the truth, and to bring the guilty parties to justice.
Sometimes Mallory gets angry, very angry, and strange things happen when Mallory is angry. Yes, Mallory is like any other teenage girl . . . except Mallory is dead.
Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books of the year by the Washington Post, Kiss me, I'm Dead was named a Notable Book for Teens by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teen's Top Ten, and nominated for a Cybils literary award, a Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association (ALA), and recently added to Horn Book’s list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.
The Washington Post said, "(J.G. Sandom) writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction," and called the book, "A subtle gem." School Library Journal said, "Kiss Me, I’m Deadtells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called the work, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story . . . (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead is a book you shouldn't pass up." Midwest Book Review termed it, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story." And Bookslut.com said, "Kiss Me, I’m Deadscores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold."
Click hereto purchase your copy of Kiss me, I'm Dead!
CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER.
Here's the thing about body snatching. You just can't think about what you're doing. You can't feel sorry for the person, or think they look like your mother, your brother or your sister. You can't feel bad. In fact, you can't feel anything. That's the key. Because the minute you start feeling something, it's over. You're dead — pennies on the eyes, dirt on the face dead. It's no way to live, but for some, it's the only way.
Until they come for you . . .
Previously named a Junior Library Guild selection, Publishers Weekly called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher, “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." VOYA said, "Teen readers will thoroughly enjoy the hair-raising suspense in this historical thriller." Kirkus Reviews called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher perfect for, “audiences that relish 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." 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.”
Click hereto purchase your copy of Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher.
And if that isn't enough, BOTH titles are also available in Two Teen Terrors — A Cornucopia Press Collection.
Click hereto purchase your copy of Two Teen Terrors!
"Take a 21st century version of Paddy Chayefsky's Network, add a dash of Barry Levinson's Wag the Dog, plus a jigger of Graham Greene's Our Man in Havana, and you have The Publicist, a tightly paced coming-of-age story - for both Nicki and her father - that eerily anticipated the Arab Spring, and delivers an absurdist look at how today's top news stories are packaged for consumption. The Publicist, by 18-year-old breakthrough novelist Veronica C. Wright, is a beautifully written and powerful black comedy which dramatizes the impact of today's new social media on politics and contemporary culture." J.G. Sandom
THE WAVE, my indie title, continues to outsell all of my books, including The God Machine, published by Big Six publisher Bantam/Random House. Oh, how the mighty are falling.
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, a diabolical killer recently arrested in Tel Aviv whose calling card is to wrap his victims up with incendiary devices designed to produce flames in the shape of Koranic verses. Some call it aesthetic destruction.
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.
[NOTE: I am currently working on a sequel to The Wave called The Plague. More announcements about this new John Decker thriller soon!]
Meanwhile,The God Machine continues to reach new theo-thriller aficionados . . . especially as an eBook.
Caroline Thompson (author of Edward Scissorhands) said, "Move over, Dan Brown . . . All hail J.G. Sandom . . . (The God Machine) is a thrilling and breathless, rapturously-written and mind-blowing read. It’ll keep you up all night, turning pages as fast as your little fingers can manage." BookPage said, "Sandom has a knack for combining legendary gospels, ancient secrets, star-crossed lovers and Masonic puzzles to create a simmering stew of conspiracy, intrigue and danger that keeps the plot pot boiling until the very end." And the Historical Novels Review said, "History galore, violence, and intrigue fill the pages of this tightly plotted, twisting and turning adventure story . . . Those who love numbers, physics, and a truly unpredictable, suspenseful mystery will relish the facts and ponderings replete in this well-written, mysterious spin-off of The Da Vinci Code. The God Machineis a very impressive historical thriller!"
The Church insisted it didn't exist.
They lied.
They said it was just a Masonic legend.
It wasn't.
A two thousand year old secret.
Revealed.
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 Indian high-tech mogul 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 purchase your copy of The God Machine, click here.
The novel will also soon appear in a variety of foreign languages (and markets), from Spanish (for distribution in Spain and all of Latin America) to Turkish. So — Gracias, and Çok Sagolun!
Last but not least, let's not forget my YA novels, now in paperback for the first time. They are:
KISS ME, I'M DEAD.
Mallory Meer is like any teenage girl. She likes to have fun. She thinks her sister is ridiculous. Her parents drive her crazy. She has a crush on Dustin and follows him everywhere.
Mallory even has a summer job — figuring out the truth about the fire on the General Slocum steamship, the disaster that killed her sister. Mallory is determined to find out the truth, and to bring the guilty parties to justice.
Sometimes Mallory gets angry, very angry, and strange things happen when Mallory is angry. Yes, Mallory is like any other teenage girl . . . except Mallory is dead.
Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books of the year by the Washington Post, Kiss me, I'm Dead was named a Notable Book for Teens by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teen's Top Ten, and nominated for a Cybils literary award, a Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association (ALA), and recently added to Horn Book’s list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.
The Washington Post said, "(J.G. Sandom) writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction," and called the book, "A subtle gem." School Library Journal said, "Kiss Me, I’m Deadtells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called the work, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story . . . (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead is a book you shouldn't pass up." Midwest Book Review termed it, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story." And Bookslut.com said, "Kiss Me, I’m Deadscores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold."
Click hereto purchase your copy of Kiss me, I'm Dead!
CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER.
Here's the thing about body snatching. You just can't think about what you're doing. You can't feel sorry for the person, or think they look like your mother, your brother or your sister. You can't feel bad. In fact, you can't feel anything. That's the key. Because the minute you start feeling something, it's over. You're dead — pennies on the eyes, dirt on the face dead. It's no way to live, but for some, it's the only way.
Until they come for you . . .
Previously named a Junior Library Guild selection, Publishers Weekly called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher, “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." VOYA said, "Teen readers will thoroughly enjoy the hair-raising suspense in this historical thriller." Kirkus Reviews called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher perfect for, “audiences that relish 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." 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.”
Click hereto purchase your copy of Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher.
And if that isn't enough, BOTH titles are also available in Two Teen Terrors — A Cornucopia Press Collection.
Click hereto purchase your copy of Two Teen Terrors!
On June 15, 1904, the General Slocum steamship burned and sank in the East River, killing over a thousand innocent New Yorkers. It was the greatest disaster and loss of life in New York City history . . . until 9/11. In KISS ME, I'M DEAD, this forgotten piece of history serves as the backdrop of an extraordinary story of loss, redemption, justice, and a love that not even death could extinguish.
Mallory Meer is like any teenage girl. She likes to have fun. She thinks her sister is ridiculous. Her parents drive her crazy. She has a crush on Dustin and follows him everywhere.
Mallory even has a summer job — figuring out the truth about the fire on the General Slocum steamship, the disaster that killed her sister. Mallory is determined to find out the truth, and to bring the guilty parties to justice.
Sometimes Mallory gets angry, very angry, and strange things happen when Mallory is angry. Yes, Mallory is like any other teenage girl . . . except Mallory is dead.
Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books of the year by the Washington Post, Kiss me, I'm Dead was named a Notable Book for Teens by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teen's Top Ten, and nominated for a Cybils literary award, a Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association (ALA), and recently added to Horn Book’s list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.
The Washington Post said, "(J.G. Sandom) writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction," and called the book, "A subtle gem."School Library Journal said, "Kiss Me, I’m Deadtells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called the work, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story . . . (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead is a book you shouldn't pass up." Midwest Book Review termed it, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story." And Bookslut.com said, "Kiss Me, I’m Deadscores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold."
SUMMER SALE!
Exciting Cornucopia Press titles including J.G. Sandom's The Wave;Kiss Me, I'm Dead; and Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher; plus Veronica C. Wright's The Publicist and A is for Asparagus (a Jacques Couteau Mystery) by Holland Dayze — All for just 99¢!
(September 11, 2011 ) New York, NY -- While some are commemorating the tenth anniversary of 9/11 with rituals and remembrance, to many New Yorkers, the memory is still simply too painful. They would rather not think about it at all, in an act of “institutional amnesia,” says author J.G. Sandom, a former New Yorker and author of the award-winning book KISS ME, I'M DEAD. “Before there was 9/11, there was 6/15,” Sandom says, “and yet few New Yorkers today remember what that means. History is replete with examples of institutional amnesia – about the Holocaust, the pogroms of Stalin, even slavery. Who knows how we’ll view 9/11 as a culture in fifty or one hundred years. Will we even remember it?”
On June 15, 1904, the General Slocum steamship burned and sank in the East River, killing over a thousand innocent New Yorkers. It was the greatest disaster and loss of life in New York City history . . . until 9/11. In KISS ME, I'M DEAD, this forgotten piece of history serves as the backdrop of an extraordinary story of loss, redemption, justice, and a love that not even death could extinguish.
Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books of the year by the Washington Post, KISS ME, I'M DEAD was named a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teen's Top Ten, a Notable Book for Teens by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, and nominated for a Cybils literary award, a Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association (ALA), and recently added to Horn Book’s list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.
The Washington Post said, "(J.G. Sandom) writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction," and called the book, "A subtle gem." School Library Journal said, "KISS ME, I'M DEAD tells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called the work, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story . . . (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, "KISS ME, I'M DEAD is a book you shouldn't pass up." And Bookslut.com said, "KISS ME, I'M DEAD scores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold."
“I was living in the Village on 9/11,” Sandom adds. “I saw what happened to the city. And I wondered: Has this ever happened before, and how did we cope as New Yorkers? That’s when I discovered the story of the General Slocum. Some people remember the Triangle Shirt Factory fire, which killed relatively few people, but we collectively forgot the General Slocum. The tragedy occurred just before World War I, and the victims of the steamship disaster were mostly poor German immigrants. No one wanted to remember the loss of a thousand Germans after we entered the Great War. At the time, we preferred to forget them. It’s important to remember that sometimes cultures intentionally forget. Sometimes – like those who’d rather not think about 9/11 on this tenth anniversary – we intentionally and collectively misremember.”
J.G. Sandom is the author of nine thrillers and mysteries, including GOSPEL TRUTHS, THE GOD MACHINE, THE WALL STREET MURDER CLUB, and THE WAVE – A JOHN DECKER THRILLER, as well as several Young Adult novels including KISS ME, I’M DEAD, and CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER.
For more information, visit the author at www.jgsandom.com. KISS ME, I'M DEAD is currently on sale for 99¢ from Cornucopia Press.
"Take a 21st century version of Paddy Chayefsky's Network, add a dash of Barry Levinson's Wag the Dog, plus a jigger of Graham Greene's Our Man in Havana, and you have The Publicist, a tightly paced coming-of-age story - for both Nicki and her father - that eerily anticipated the Arab Spring, and delivers an absurdist look at how today's top news stories are packaged for consumption. The Publicist, by 18-year-old breakthrough novelist Veronica C. Wright, is a beautifully written and powerful black comedy which dramatizes the impact of today's new social media on politics and contemporary culture." J.G. Sandom
PLUS TWO TEEN TERRORS (featuring both Kiss me, I'm Dead and Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher) IS AVAILABLE FOR JUST $1.49.
SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
POWER UP YOUR KINDLE AND DOWNLOAD THESE e-BOOKS
BEFORE YOU HEAD TO THE BEACH!
In the meantime . . .
First, Japan was struck by their earthquake and tsunami. [Please note that I am donating 10% of all book sales of THE WAVE through the end of this year (2011) to Japanese relief efforts.] Then, we had our own earthquake right here on the East Coast! And now Hurricane Irene.
Is it global warming at work here? If so, you might consider what we're experiencing intentional eco-terrorism (like in THE WAVE - A John Decker Thriller) . . . precipitated by corporate greed and our addiction to fossil fuels.
Many New Yorkers are saying that official warnings about Irene were overblown; the city escaped with relatively little significant damage (compared to Vermont, for example). I, for one, am glad that everyone made such a fuss about it beforehand, and that the damage proved not to be too terrible. It very well could have gone the other way, and then others would have complained that not enough was made of it. Count your blessings, each and every day.
If you want to see what would have happened if the storm had really pounded New York, pick up a copy of The Wave (now only 99¢ during the summer sale) and read about a mega-tsunami slamming into Manhattan. Now that's scary!
Get your Kindle copy of The Wave on sale for only 99¢, and help the Japanese tsunami relief effort!
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, a diabolical killer recently arrested in Tel Aviv whose calling card is to wrap his victims up with incendiary devices designed to produce flames in the shape of Koranic verses. Some call it aesthetic destruction.
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.
[NOTE: I am currently working on a sequel to The Wave called The Plague. More announcements about this new John Decker thriller soon!]
Meanwhile, The God Machine continues to climb up the charts . . . especially as an eBook.
Caroline Thompson (author of Edward Scissorhands) said, "Move over, Dan Brown . . . All hail J.G. Sandom . . . (The God Machine) is a thrilling and breathless, rapturously-written and mind-blowing read. It’ll keep you up all night, turning pages as fast as your little fingers can manage." BookPage said, "Sandom has a knack for combining legendary gospels, ancient secrets, star-crossed lovers and Masonic puzzles to create a simmering stew of conspiracy, intrigue and danger that keeps the plot pot boiling until the very end." And the Historical Novels Review said, "History galore, violence, and intrigue fill the pages of this tightly plotted, twisting and turning adventure story . . . Those who love numbers, physics, and a truly unpredictable, suspenseful mystery will relish the facts and ponderings replete in this well-written, mysterious spin-off of The Da Vinci Code. The God Machineis a very impressive historical thriller!"
The Church insisted it didn't exist.
They lied.
They said it was just a Masonic legend.
It wasn't.
A two thousand year old secret.
Revealed.
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 Indian high-tech mogul 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 purchase your copy of The God Machine, click here.
The novel will also soon appear in a variety of foreign languages (and markets), from Spanish (for distribution in Spain and all of Latin America) to Turkish. So — Gracias, and Çok Sagolun!
Last but not least, let's not forget my YA novels, now in paperback for the first time. They are:
KISS ME, I'M DEAD.
Mallory Meer is like any teenage girl. She likes to have fun. She thinks her sister is ridiculous. Her parents drive her crazy. She has a crush on Dustin and follows him everywhere.
Mallory even has a summer job — figuring out the truth about the fire on the General Slocum steamship, the disaster that killed her sister. Mallory is determined to find out the truth, and to bring the guilty parties to justice.
Sometimes Mallory gets angry, very angry, and strange things happen when Mallory is angry. Yes, Mallory is like any other teenage girl . . . except Mallory is dead.
Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books of the year by the Washington Post, Kiss me, I'm Dead was named a Notable Book for Teens by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teen's Top Ten, and nominated for a Cybils literary award, a Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association (ALA), and recently added to Horn Book’s list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.
The Washington Post said, "(J.G. Sandom) writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction," and called the book, "A subtle gem." School Library Journal said, "Kiss Me, I’m Deadtells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called the work, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story . . . (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead is a book you shouldn't pass up." Midwest Book Review termed it, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story." And Bookslut.com said, "Kiss Me, I’m Deadscores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold."
Click hereto purchase your copy of Kiss me, I'm Dead!
CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER.
Here's the thing about body snatching. You just can't think about what you're doing. You can't feel sorry for the person, or think they look like your mother, your brother or your sister. You can't feel bad. In fact, you can't feel anything. That's the key. Because the minute you start feeling something, it's over. You're dead — pennies on the eyes, dirt on the face dead. It's no way to live, but for some, it's the only way.
Until they come for you . . .
Previously named a Junior Library Guild selection, Publishers Weekly called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher, “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." VOYA said, "Teen readers will thoroughly enjoy the hair-raising suspense in this historical thriller." Kirkus Reviews called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher perfect for, “audiences that relish 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." 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.”
Click hereto purchase your copy of Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher.
And if that isn't enough, BOTH titles are also available in Two Teen Terrors — A Cornucopia Press Collection.
Click hereto purchase your copy of Two Teen Terrors!
PLUS TWO TEEN TERRORS (featuring both Kiss me, I'm Dead and Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher) IS AVAILABLE FOR JUST $1.49.
SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
POWER UP YOUR KINDLE AND DOWNLOAD THESE e-BOOKS
BEFORE YOU HEAD TO THE BEACH!
Once again this month, my heart goes out to all the victims of the tsunami and earthquake in Japan.
Given the mega-tsunami featured in THE WAVE, I know all too well the kind of damage these freaks of nature can cause.
Please note that I am donating 10% of all book sales of THE WAVE through the end of this year (2011) to Japanese relief efforts.
Get your Kindle copy of The Wave on sale for only 99¢, and help the Japanese tsunami relief effort!
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."
To order your copy of The Wave — A John Decker Thriller, click here.
And now for something completely different . . . I'm happy to announce that The Gramma Sutra has been syndicated! That's right. The GrammaSutra can now be viewed at www.vibrantnation.com.
Reaching more than 100,000 monthly visitors, VibrantNation.com is the leading online community for Baby Boomer women — the place where they connect and support each other on issues unique to life after 50, including fashion, beauty, family, relationships, work, money, and sex.
Or, go right to the source at TheGrammaSutra.com where you can check out our growing portfolio of Gramma Sutra Sex Positions — contemporary "Kama Sutra" poses for women of a certain age.
The Gramma Sutra Channel at YouTube continues to generate thousands of views. Check out our most recent presentation at the First International Conference on Aging and Architecture @ UPENN. The Channel features numerous clips of my writing partner (Sylvana Joseph) and I as we discuss sex and women of a certain age in front of a group of architects from around the world. Click here to see all the clips, or immediately below for the 5-Minute highlights reel.
Inspired by the ancient Hindu classic, The Kama Sutra, The Gramma Sutradelivers humorous infotainment on the psychology and physiology of sex for women of a certain age.
The website of the same name serves as an online community for mature women, enabling them to speak candidly and anonymously with one another on sensitive topics ranging from vaginal dryness during menopause to sex after a double mastectomy. [NOTE: We have a very strict Privacy Policy.]
Become a GrammaSutra Test Bedroom and you and your honey (or honeys) might be featured in the next print edition!
Want a good laugh? Visit SAYINGS OF SUBSTANCE . . . abuse. This hilarious site features pithy sayings from your favorite celebrity junkies and drunkards — the quotes they can no longer remember, and would probably rather forget. Like Charlie Sheen. They even invite you to send out an SOS (Sayings Of Substance) to them by finding a funny quote from your favorite celebrity junky or drunk. Click here to be entertained.
Meanwhile, The God Machine continues to climb up the charts . . . especially as an eBook.
The novel will also soon appear in a variety of foreign languages (and markets), from Spanish (for distribution in Spain and all of Latin America) to Turkish. So — Gracias, and Çok Sagolun!
Click here to purchase your copy of the book the Historical Novels Reviewcalled, "a truly unpredictable, suspenseful mystery . . . (and) a very impressive historical thriller."
Last but not least, let's not forget my YA novels, now in paperback for the first time. They are:
KISS ME, I'M DEAD.
Mallory Meer is like any teenage girl. She likes to have fun. She thinks her sister is ridiculous. Her parents drive her crazy. She has a crush on Dustin and follows him everywhere.
Mallory even has a summer job — figuring out the truth about the fire on the General Slocum steamship, the disaster that killed her sister. Mallory is determined to find out the truth, and to bring the guilty parties to justice.
Sometimes Mallory gets angry, very angry and strange things happen when Mallory is angry. Yes, Mallory is like any other teenage girl . . . except Mallory is dead.
Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books of the year by the Washington Post, Kiss me, I'm Dead was named a Notable Book for Teens by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teen's Top Ten, and nominated for a Cybils literary award, a Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association (ALA), and recently added to Horn Book’s list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.
The Washington Post said, "(J.G. Sandom) writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction," and called the book, "A subtle gem." School Library Journal said, "Kiss Me, I’m Deadtells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called the work, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story . . . (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead is a book you shouldn't pass up." Midwest Book Review termed it, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story." And Bookslut.com said, "Kiss Me, I’m Deadscores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold."
Click hereto purchase your copy of Kiss me, I'm Dead!
CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER.
Here's the thing about body snatching. You just can't think about what you're doing. You can't feel sorry for the person, or think they look like your mother, your brother or your sister. You can't feel bad. In fact, you can't feel anything. That's the key. Because the minute you start feeling something, it's over. You're dead — pennies on the eyes, dirt on the face dead. It's no way to live, but for some, it's the only way.
Until they come for you . . .
Previously named a Junior Library Guild selection, Publishers Weekly called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher, “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." VOYA said, "Teen readers will thoroughly enjoy the hair-raising suspense in this historical thriller." Kirkus Reviews called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher perfect for, “audiences that relish 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." 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.”
Click hereto purchase your copy of Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher.
And if that isn't enough, BOTH titles are also available in Two Teen Terrors — A Cornucopia Press Collection.
Click hereto purchase your copy of Two Teen Terrors!
Kirkus "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."
Caroline Thompson (author of Edward Scissorhands) @ Small & Creepy Films "Move over, Dan Brown . . . All hail J.G. Sandom . . . (The God Machine) is a thrilling and breathless, rapturously-written and mind-blowing read. It'll keep you up all night, turning pages as fast as your little fingers can manage."
bookpage.com "Sandom has a knack for combining legendary gospels, ancient secrets, star-crossed lovers and Masonic puzzles to create a simmering stew of conspiracy, intrigue and danger that keeps the plot pot boiling until the very end."
Historical Novels Review "History galore, violence, and intrigue fill the pages of this tightly plotted, twisting and turning adventure story, reminding one of a multilayered Russian matryoshka doll. The reader will also learn a great deal about da Vinci, Ben Franklin, Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, and many more historical geniuses . . . Those who love numbers, physics, and a truly unpredictable, suspenseful mystery will relish the facts and ponderings replete in this well-written, mysterious spin-off of The Da Vinci Code. The God Machine is a very impressive historical thriller!"
Crystal Reviews "J. G. Sandom, like Dan Brown and other writers covering similar conflicts, offers each reader a thrilling adventure ride but also some fascinating knowledge about Masons, the Founding Fathers of America, architecture, cathedrals, and so much more . . . Gospel Truths is a dynamic, exciting, intelligent read that will thrill every reader and, for true seekers, may even send you searching for the real 'gospel truth.' A notable novel that will gain fresh attention and interest of new readers! Move over, Dan Brown!"
To purchase your copy of Gospel Truths, click here.
sandi @ amazon.com "Worth reading. Once I started reading it, I could not put it down. It moves pretty fast. Now I'm reading other books by this Author. Enjoy!"
Squirrel @ amazon.com "The Wave by J.G. Sandom is a relentless and breathless thriller about FBI code breaker John Decker trying to prevent a Jihadist eco-terrorist named El Aqrab from setting off a mega-tsunami aimed at destroying the Eastern Seaboard. Couldn't be more timely given what's been happening in Japan. Except this book deals with a mega-tsunami, more than ten times taller and more powerful than the tsunamis we've been watching on the news from T'hoku, Japan. Incredible. Great characters and relentless action. I don't understand some of these other reviewers. What's with the two stars? Maybe they just didn't get it. I loved this book."
DT @ amazon.com "I loved this book! It had action and suspense and more action. I'll admit at first I didn't think I'd like it. What the heck is a cryptanalyst anyway! I was wrong. Decker's a great character and the environmental terrorism angle was exciting and right on the money given the news and current events. I loved Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Wave was a lot like that book. Fast read, great characters and really exciting. I can't wait for a sequel."
Melissa P. Gray "bookbabe" @ amazon.com "The wave is fantastic; a roller coaster of a book. John Decker and Emily Swensen deal with terrorists both religious and environmental and a slew of governmental obstacles trying to avert a major disaster. If you want a great thriller with well-written characters and a disturbingly plausible plot, then this is the book for you. Move over Crichton, Sandom is here."
Michael Weis @ amazon.com "You always learn a lot from Sandom's books. I had to do some fact checking on mega tsunamis before I bought the premise, but Sandom checks his facts and then "arranges" them to create a truly scary threat. And, he knows how to keep the action moving, and usually on several fronts. I also learned a fair amount about Islam which is in stark contrast to the mindless, oversimplified shouting going on in the media and much of the public. I'm looking forward to other John Decker thrillers."
John T. Richardson @ amazon.com "I first read this book around the time it was originally published. I greatly enjoy fast-paced thrillers and The Wave certainly delivers for me. John Decker is a very strong, likeable character, more than capable of sustaining a detailed and suspenseful book like this. Decker and Emily Swenson bring to mind Dirk Pitt and Eva Rojas as well as Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu. But author JG Sandom is able to bring life to his characters with the added benefit of a current topic - terrorism (eco and/or otherwise) . . . After a recent re-read, I find that the book certainly still holds up! It is even more relevant today. The author's experiences gathered while living and traveling around the world, are quite apparent and beneficial to both the story line and color of The Wave. Weave in Mossad, Al'qaeda and . . . hell, I just love this book. It is a lot of fun. Do yourself a favor - read it."
Harvey @ amazon.com "A riveting look at the shadowy war on terrorism . . . An action-packed, non-stop thriller. John Decker, a Cryptanalyst working with the FBI assigned to the Joint Terrorist Task Force in New York, finds himself working on a deadly plot of eco-terrorism. The plot is masterminded by Jihadist El Aqrab, who has recently been arrested for slaughtering a family in Tel Aviv. John Decker is determined to discover why. This gripping book takes you along on John Decker's assigment involving the theft of 8 kilos of Highly Enriched Uranium, murder and romance. This book would be an incredible movie!"
Jeffrey Einstein @ amazon.com "J.G. Sandom breathes real heart and soul into this utterly plausible cast of flawed but irresistible characters. John Decker is a wonderfully reluctant hero, and even the villains in this story are unmistakably human in the depths of their pain, vengeance and sheer calculation. This book is the real McCoy, right up there with the best modern thrillers; Sandom's eye for intrigue, suspense and drama is apparent in his attention to detail and nuance. Can't wait to get my hands on "Gospel Truths", one of Sandom's earlier novels. If it's only half as good as "The Wave" I'll expect another two or three sleepless nights — and chalk them up once again as time well spent."
Gracie412 @ amazon.com "All I can say is WOW . . . I love thrillers, and this John Decker story is a great one. The concept of environmental terrorism is all the more frightening because of the reality of global warming and cooling political alliances. John Decker is one of the great flawed heroes. Like Jason Bourne and Jack Ryan, John Decker is smart, dedicated, resolved and has a personal life that would make Dante weep. As a puzzle lover I was psyched to see a hero who also loves to piece things together and is addicted to codes and such. A demented killer in the middle east, a package of uranium large enough to make a nuclear bomb, an Israeli police officer, a gorgeous oceanographer and a volcano in the canary islands are pieces of this puzzle that Decker and Swenson (the love interest who actually is more than a pretty face, thank you J.G. Sandom!) have to put together before a catastrophe destroys millions of people. I LOVED this book. It's a thrill ride of a read and if you liked The Bourne Series or any of Tom Clancy's or James Patterson's stuff, you'll love The Wave. I recommend it highly."
mietzemiau @ Amazon.com "I came across this book the last night of my stay in a vacation rental. As I had an early flight to catch the next morning I figured I'd just read myself into a good nights sleep. WRONG! The plot is captivating and every chapter leaves you wanting to devour the next without hesitation. By 4am I forced myself to put the book down. The next day I downloaded The God Machine to my kindle and enjoyed yet another night of great adventure and little sleep. J.G. Sandom has written a thrilling book packed with rich characters. I loved the weaving of historical figures with modern day characters. This book is so enjoyable that I am baffled as to why it has not yet been made into a movie."
M. Lambert @ Amazon.com "Great read! I loved how the author built in all the history elements into the book. Looking forward to his next novel."
Elaine Townsend @ Reading Addict "This book ties the great minds of the Masons like Franklin and daVinci into a thrilling race to create a portal to Heaven . . . I like the way the author used short chapters to hop between past and present story lines. It was an easy plot to follow even though the stories were told in a fragmented way. There were two big ideas that struck me and stuck with me. First, a lot of the hub-bub surrounding this portal to Heaven was because it gave a way to reunite with our loved ones who had passed on. Ben Franklin (as told by the story) spent his entire life trying to build this machine to be with his deceased son Franky. But after a lifetime of failing, Franklin realized he had lived his entire life focused on the past and never truly living. He had poured all of his energy into his experiments and thus created no relationships with anyone. He realized, like so many do who suffer great loss, there is not value in living in the past. The second point was regarding this idea of a portal to Heaven and thus a direct path to God. In the end, the hero of the story realizes that what God has been trying to tell us since the beginning of time is that we don't need a portal to Him because he is always with us. All we have to do is pray/talk to Him, and we are with Him. I think sometimes it is easy to forget that just because He doesn't always answer our prayers the way we want that He isn't listening." [You are so right, Elaine. Thanks! JGS]
John Murphy @ Goodreads.com "I was introduced to J. Sandom and his early work, Gospel Truths, by chance. Intrigued by Mr. Sandom I decided to read the Gospel Truths but did so with some intrepidation. As a Jesuit-educated history student I was concerned that the historical, theological underpinnings of Mr. Sandom's novel would lack the academic rigor I would expect even for a fictional writing. Not only did Gospel Truths exceeed my intellectual expectations, but I was impressed with the seamlessness with which Mr. Sandom chases history in the context a compelling love story. When it came to The God Machine, my trepidation returned. Why test fate? What if this sequel was not as good? I took a leap of faith and was not disappointed. Mr. Sandom confirmed his ability to interwine the continuing spiritual and emotional tribulations of Joseph Koster in a very granular and enticing examination of history, religion and morality. It is clear that Mr. Sandom has his own opinion and I congratulate him for having the courage to state it. But whether you agree or not with his point of view, your appreciation for the interplay between American history and American morality will be greatly enriched. He brings Ben Franklin to life. I found myself rooting for Ben on his odyssey and had to remind myself Mr. Franklin's story has already been told. That is because Mr. Sandom's Ben Franklin is not the well-known figure of American antiquity but, rather, a complex human being driven by love and desire for things large and small, who in the process made great history. It suggests that all of us could make great history and should. I highly recommend this God Machine."
Michael Weis @ Amazon.com "I had read Gospel Truths and enjoyed it, so was looking forward to The God Machine and wasn't disappointed. Intricate and mysterious - Sandom is some kind of polymath - so much, about so many things, crammed into a good page-turner, from chips to church. I've heard that Sandom and Dan Brown both went to Amherst at the same time. It makes me wonder whether Brown might have been inspired by Sandom, since Sandom's was published first. But Sandom's works are much more intricate and complex. And, those 1 star reviews. What's with that? Maybe they're Church people or wish they were. Anyway, buy it."
Etienne @ Etienne's Blog "Interesting and very flowing. It is hard to put the book down as every chapter leaves you wanting for more. It is also interesting how the author develops the romantic story between the two main characters as he did in his previous book Gospel Truths . . . Great credit has to go to the author for conducting vast historical, mathematical, and scientific research to include in the book's story."
Dave Dafilou @ Amazon.com "The God Machine is a fast reading fun book. The plot unfolds rapidly and there is constant action. I like the characters in the book. The main character has appeared in previous Sandom books, and although I have not yet read these books, it was easy to follow the references and keep on track with the plot. I also thought Sandom did a good job of setting the scene for the book regardless if it was pre-revolutionary Philadelphia or modern day California. With a few well chosen sentences, the author made you understand the key features of where the scene takes place. That is important for a story that moves across the US and Europe and through differnt time periods. This was my first Sandom novel and I have already bought my next."
Matt @ goodreads.com "Great read. Fast paced and exciting. Really interesting concept; very thought provoking. Joseph Koster is a great main character, smart and deductive. A thriller you'll have a hard time putting down."
B. Moore @ Amazon.com "I love to read, read a great deal, but will drop a book I don't find interesting anywhere from the first page to well into the book. I want to be engaged by the plot, the characters, or both. The God Machine has a complicated, engaging plot, and is intelligently written, with vast amounts of historical detail. It moves right along and certainly kept me enthralled. It is a book that is far, far better than many of those on the best-seller lists. And J.G. Sandom is a far better writer than many of those best-selling authors who churn out books like widgets on an assembly line. He deserves a wide audience."
Linda "katknit" @ Amazon.com "Gospel Truths is an intelligent, complex, and competently written thriller. No bells or whistles here, just a few laptops, along with some dedicated and dangerous individuals determined to get their hands on Q, for various reasons of their own. And no neatly wrapped up ends in the final chapters. But there are some interesting passages descriptive of different locations, such as Chartres and the Rodin Museum in Paris . . . Masonic secrets, corrupt church officials, and money laundering schemes - all well before Da Vinci Code, imagine that!"
David Hall @jgsandom.com "Michner and Rutherford wrote complex historical novels. I am so amazed when an author combines technical, historical and complex writing in a single work, as you have. We readers of novels depend on the accuracy of the presentations . . . I look forward to any future writings."
Dan @ Square Dancing Dan in Denmark "The atmosphere in Gospel Truths is dark and moody.Sandom is a creative wordsmith and his characters are compelling and likeable . . . (Gospel Truths) delivers a well crafted story with surprising twists . . . l am looking forward to reading the sequel."
Tom Bradley @ chapter.indigo.ca "Gospel Truths isa moody, literate thrillerthatprecededThe Da Vinci Code by more than a decade.It'sa great mystery, intricate and complex. A great read."
Ben @www.goodreads.com "Fascinating and well-written, it's what the genre should be —an intellectual, as well as a visceral thrill."
To purchase your copy of GOSPEL TRUTHS, click here.
Elvis57 @ Amazon "Kiss Me, I'm Dead will delight students of history and lovers of mystery . . . Fans of J.G. Sandom will be thrilled that he has written a thoughtful and thought-provoking novel for young adults. The cast of characters in Kiss Me I'm Dead is varied and fully developed. Readers will root for the heroes, boo the villains, and gain insight to the motivations of all. This novel would make an excellent book club selection for young adult and adult readers. In addition to the historical aspects of the novel, character development and writer's craft would both be rich seeds for discussion."
Whisper1 @ librarything "The Washington Post rated this one of the top ten Young Adult books. In addition, (the novel has been given) many other awards, included Horn Book’s list of recommended American historical fiction. It is also one of the few books selected by the American Library Association as a best book for young adults. Highly recommended, I can certainly understand the accolades "
Dana Greenleaf @BRHS Book Reviews "The suspense of the novel kept me reading . . . (Kiss Me, I'm Dead) got very intense, especially at the questioning of finding out who set the fire on the boat."
To purchase your copy of Kiss Me, I'm Dead, click here.
PUZZLES & e-POSTCARDS
For those of you who like puzzles and games, click here . . . just for fun! Challenge yourself to THE GOD MACHINE crossword or jigsaw puzzle.
Click here to view and download some e-Postcards/Wallpapers based on THE GOD MACHINE.
READINGS & SIGNINGS
Do you have ten members in your Reader's Circle or Book Club? Want to have a Skype Reading and Book Conference about The God Machine, The Wave, Kiss Me, I'm Dead or any of my other books? Click here to learn how you can bring me into your home via a free Skypeonline video call. All you need is broadband Web access and a PC.
I appreciate your feedback. If you'd like to say something about a reading, please click here.
IN OTHER NEWS
Caroline Thompson (author of Edward Scissorhands) said, "Move over, Dan Brown . . . All hail J.G. Sandom . . . (The God Machine) is a thrilling and breathless, rapturously-written and mind-blowing read. It’ll keep you up all night, turning pages as fast as your little fingers can manage." BookPage said, "Sandom has a knack for combining legendary gospels, ancient secrets, star-crossed lovers and Masonic puzzles to create a simmering stew of conspiracy, intrigue and danger that keeps the plot pot boiling until the very end." And the Historical Novels Review said, "History galore, violence, and intrigue fill the pages of this tightly plotted, twisting and turning adventure story . . . Those who love numbers, physics, and a truly unpredictable, suspenseful mystery will relish the facts and ponderings replete in this well-written, mysterious spin-off of The Da Vinci Code. The God Machineis a very impressive historical thriller!"
The Church insisted it didn't exist.
They lied.
They said it was just a Masonic legend.
It wasn't.
A two thousand year old secret.
Revealed.
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 Indian high-tech mogul 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 purchase your copy of The God Machine, click here.
Did you enjoy The God Machine? Read the prequel: Gospel Truths . . . now available as an eBook!
Years before the News of the World phone hacking scandal implicated the venerable Scotland Yard, another cover-up took place . . . when the head of one of the largest private banks in Italy was found hanged under Blackfriars Bridge.
At the time, it was ruled a suicide. But was it?
BASED ON A REAL INCIDENT!
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.
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."
The character of the Archibishop in Gospel Truths is modeled on my cousin, Paul Marcinkus, Archbishop, former head of the Vatican Bank (IOR), and once Mayor of the Vatican City.
If you liked Gospel Truths or The Wall Street Murder Club, if you enjoyed Kiss Me, I'm Dead or Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher, if you loved The God Machine, 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, a diabolical killer recently arrested in Tel Aviv whose calling card is to wrap his victims up with incendiary devices designed to produce flames in the shape of Koranic verses. Some call it aesthetic destruction.
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.
See some recent TV interviews on "Breezin' with Bierman" — available at YouTube. Watch me read from The Wave, and chat about my other recent publications.
[NOTE: I am currently working on a sequel to The Wave called The Plague. More announcements about this new John Decker thriller soon!]
Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher is my third Young Adult (YA) novel, originally released as Resurrection Men under pen name T.K. Welsh. Now is your time to buys this thrilling horror story, for the first time available as a paperback and eBook.
Here's the thing about bodysnatching. You just can't think about what you're doing. You can't feel sorry for the person, or think they look like your mother, your brother or your sister. You can't feel bad. In fact, you can't feel anything. That's the key. Because the minute you start feeling something, it's over. You’re dead— pennies on the eyes, dirt on the face dead. It’s no way to live, but for some, it’s the only way.
Until they come for you . . .
Check out the latest in-depth author interview at Wordswimmer. See what inspires me to write my YA novels, and learn something about my writing process. Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher was previously named a Junior Library Guild selection.
Publishers Weekly called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher, “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." BIG A, little a called the novel, “A moody, evocative tale . . . J.G. Sandom 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." Kirkus Reviews called Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcherperfect for, “audiences that relish historical fiction." TeensReadToo termed it, “an intense, dark work of historical fiction . . . I highly recommend this book.” 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 . . . The ending is utterly satisfying and consistent. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction." The Miss Rumphius Effect said, “(J.G. Sandom), where have you been? I loved this book . . . Pick it up and you'll find it hard to put down.” 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.”
For a sample chapter of Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher, click here.
To purchase your copy of Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher, click here.
Kiss Me, I'm Dead is my second Young Adult (YA) novel, originally released as The Unresolved under pen name T.K. Welsh . . . and — of all my work —one of my personal favorites.
This award-winning novel is finallyavailable in paperback and in eBook form from Cornucopia Press.
See what the WashingtonPost called, "a subtle gem."
Mallory Meer is like any teenage girl. She likes to have fun. She thinks her sister is ridiculous. Her parents drive her crazy. She has a crush on Dustin and follows him everywhere.
Mallory even has a summer job — figuring out the truth about the fire on the General Slocum steamship . . . the disaster in which her sister was killed. Mallory is determined to find out the truth, and to bring the guilty parties to justice.
Sometimes Mallory gets angry, very angry. And strange things happen when Mallory gets angry.
Yes, Mallory is just like any other teenage girl.
Except Mallory is dead.
Kiss Me, I'm Dead was ranked one of theTop Ten Children's Booksof the yearby the Washington Post, and nominated for a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teens' Top Ten,the only book award recommended and awarded solely by teens. The novel was previously named an Association of Jewish LibrariesNotable Book for Teens by the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee. Kiss Me, I'm Dead was also nominated for the Cybils literary awards, named one of only a handful of Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association (ALA), and recently added to Horn Book's list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.
The Washington Postsaid, "(J.G. Sandom) writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction," and called the book, "A subtle gem." School Library Journal said, " Kiss Me, I'm Dead tells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called the work, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story . . . (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, " Kiss Me, I'm Dead is a book you shouldn't pass up." Midwest Book Review called the novel, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story." And Bookslut.com said, "Kiss Me, I'm Dead scores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold."
For a sample chapter of Kiss Me, I'm Dead, click here.
To purchase your copy of Kiss Me, I'm Dead, click here.
And if that isn’t enough, both Kiss Me, I'm Dead and Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher are both available in Two Teen Terrors — A Cornucopia Press Collection.
To purchase your copy of Two Teen Terrors, click here.
JUST .99 CENTS EACH DURING THIS SUMMER "BEACH READING" SALE.
AND TWO TEEN TERRORS-- featuring both Kiss Me, I'm Dead and Confessions of a Teenage Body Snatcher -- IS AVAILABLE FOR JUST $1.49!
SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
POWER UP YOUR KINDLE AND DOWNLOAD THESE e-BOOKS
BEFORE YOU HEAD TO THE BEACH!
Once again this month, my heart goes out to all the victims of the tsunami and earthquake in Japan.
Given the mega-tsunami featured in THE WAVE, I know all too well the kind of damage these freaks of nature can cause.
Please note that I am donating 10% of all book sales of THE WAVE through the end of this year to Japanese relief efforts.
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."
To order your trade paperback copy of THE WAVE — A John Decker Thriller, click here. To order your eBook, click here.
And now for something completely different . . . I'm happy to announce that The Gramma Sutra has been syndicated! That's right. The GrammaSutra can now be viewed at www.vibrantnation.com.
Reaching more than 100,000 monthly visitors, VibrantNation.com is the leading online community for Baby Boomer women — the place where they connect and support each other on issues unique to life after 50, including fashion, beauty, family, relationships, work, money, and sex.
Or, go right to the source at TheGrammaSutra.com where you can check out our growing portfolio of Gramma Sutra Sex Positions — contemporary "Kama Sutra" poses for women of a certain age.
The Gramma Sutra Channel at YouTube continues to generate thousands of views. Check out our most recent presentation at the First International Conference on Aging and Architecture @ UPENN. The Channel features numerous clips of my writing partner (Sylvana Joseph) and I as we discuss sex and women of a certain age in front of a group of architects from around the world. Click here to see all the clips, or immediately below for the 5-Minute highlights reel.
Inspired by the ancient Hindu classic, The Kama Sutra, THE GRAMMA SUTRAdelivers humorous infotainment on the psychology and physiology of sex for women of a certain age.
The website of the same name serves as an online community for mature women, enabling them to speak candidly and anonymously with one another on sensitive topics ranging from vaginal dryness during menopause to sex after a double mastectomy. [NOTE: We have a very strict Privacy Policy.]
Become a GrammaSutra Test Bedroom and you and your honey (or honeys) might be featured in the next print edition!
Want a good laugh? Visit SAYINGS OF SUBSTANCE . . . abuse. This hilarious site features pithy sayings from your favorite celebrity junkies and drunkards — the quotes they can no longer remember, and would probably rather forget. Like Charlie Sheen. They even invite you to send out an SOS (Sayings Of Substance) to them by finding a funny quote from your favorite celebrity junky or drunk. Click here to be entertained.
Meanwhile, THE GOD MACHINE continues to climb up the charts . . . especially as an eBook.
The novel will also soon appear in a variety of foreign languages (and markets), from Spanish (for distribution in Spain and all of Latin America) to Turkish. So — Gracias, and Çok Sagolun!
Click here to purchase your copy of the book the Historical Novels Reviewcalled, "a truly unpredictable, suspenseful mystery . . . (and) a very impressive historical thriller."
Last but not least, let's not forget my YA novels, now in paperback for the first time. They are:
KISS ME, I'M DEAD.
Mallory Meer is like any teenage girl. She likes to have fun. She thinks her sister is ridiculous. Her parents drive her crazy. She has a crush on Dustin and follows him everywhere.
Mallory even has a summer job — figuring out the truth about the fire on the General Slocum steamship, the disaster that killed her sister. Mallory is determined to find out the truth, and to bring the guilty parties to justice.
Sometimes Mallory gets angry, very angry and strange things happen when Mallory is angry. Yes, Mallory is like any other teenage girl . . . except Mallory is dead.
Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books of the year by the Washington Post, KISS ME, I’M DEAD was named a Notable Book for Teens by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teen's Top Ten, and nominated for a Cybils literary award, a Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association (ALA), and recently added to Horn Book’s list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.
The Washington Post said, "(J.G. Sandom) writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction," and called the book, "A subtle gem." School Library Journal said, "Kiss Me, I’m Deadtells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called the work, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story . . . (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, "Kiss Me, I’m Dead is a book you shouldn't pass up." Midwest Book Review termed it, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story." And Bookslut.com said, "Kiss Me, I’m Deadscores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold."
Click hereto purchase your copy of KISS ME, I’M DEAD!
CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER.
Here's the thing about body snatching. You just can't think about what you're doing. You can't feel sorry for the person, or think they look like your mother, your brother or your sister. You can't feel bad. In fact, you can't feel anything. That's the key. Because the minute you start feeling something, it's over. You're dead — pennies on the eyes, dirt on the face dead. It's no way to live, but for some, it's the only way.
Until they come for you . . .
Previously named a Junior Library Guild selection, Publishers Weekly called CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER, “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." VOYA said, "Teen readers will thoroughly enjoy the hair-raising suspense in this historical thriller." Kirkus Reviews called CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER perfect for, “audiences that relish 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." 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.”
Click hereto purchase your copy of CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER
And if that isn't enough, BOTH titles are also available in TWO TEEN TERRORS — A Fangless Fables Press Collection.
Click hereto purchase your copy of TWO TEEN TERRORS!
Kirkus "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."
Caroline Thompson (author of Edward Scissorhands) @ Small & Creepy Films "Move over, Dan Brown . . . All hail J.G. Sandom . . . (The God Machine) is a thrilling and breathless, rapturously-written and mind-blowing read. It'll keep you up all night, turning pages as fast as your little fingers can manage."
bookpage.com "Sandom has a knack for combining legendary gospels, ancient secrets, star-crossed lovers and Masonic puzzles to create a simmering stew of conspiracy, intrigue and danger that keeps the plot pot boiling until the very end."
Historical Novels Review "History galore, violence, and intrigue fill the pages of this tightly plotted, twisting and turning adventure story, reminding one of a multilayered Russian matryoshka doll. The reader will also learn a great deal about da Vinci, Ben Franklin, Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, and many more historical geniuses . . . Those who love numbers, physics, and a truly unpredictable, suspenseful mystery will relish the facts and ponderings replete in this well-written, mysterious spin-off of The Da Vinci Code. The God Machine is a very impressive historical thriller!"
Crystal Reviews "J. G. Sandom, like Dan Brown and other writers covering similar conflicts, offers each reader a thrilling adventure ride but also some fascinating knowledge about Masons, the Founding Fathers of America, architecture, cathedrals, and so much more . . . Gospel Truths is a dynamic, exciting, intelligent read that will thrill every reader and, for true seekers, may even send you searching for the real 'gospel truth.' A notable novel that will gain fresh attention and interest of new readers! Move over, Dan Brown!"
To purchase your copy of GOSPEL TRUTHS, click here.
Squirrel @ amazon.com "The Wave by J.G. Sandom is a relentless and breathless thriller about FBI code breaker John Decker trying to prevent a Jihadist eco-terrorist named El Aqrab from setting off a mega-tsunami aimed at destroying the Eastern Seaboard. Couldn't be more timely given what's been happening in Japan. Except this book deals with a mega-tsunami, more than ten times taller and more powerful than the tsunamis we've been watching on the news from T'hoku, Japan. Incredible. Great characters and relentless action. I don't understand some of these other reviewers. What's with the two stars? Maybe they just didn't get it. I loved this book."
DT @ amazon.com "I loved this book! It had action and suspense and more action. I'll admit at first I didn't think I'd like it. What the heck is a cryptanalyst anyway! I was wrong. Decker's a great character and the environmental terrorism angle was exciting and right on the money given the news and current events. I loved Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Wave was a lot like that book. Fast read, great characters and really exciting. I can't wait for a sequel."
Melissa P. Gray "bookbabe" @ amazon.com "The wave is fantastic; a roller coaster of a book. John Decker and Emily Swensen deal with terrorists both religious and environmental and a slew of governmental obstacles trying to avert a major disaster. If you want a great thriller with well-written characters and a disturbingly plausible plot, then this is the book for you. Move over Crichton, Sandom is here."
Michael Weis @ amazon.com "You always learn a lot from Sandom's books. I had to do some fact checking on mega tsunamis before I bought the premise, but Sandom checks his facts and then "arranges" them to create a truly scary threat. And, he knows how to keep the action moving, and usually on several fronts. I also learned a fair amount about Islam which is in stark contrast to the mindless, oversimplified shouting going on in the media and much of the public. I'm looking forward to other John Decker thrillers."
John T. Richardson @ amazon.com "I first read this book around the time it was originally published. I greatly enjoy fast-paced thrillers and The Wave certainly delivers for me. John Decker is a very strong, likeable character, more than capable of sustaining a detailed and suspenseful book like this. Decker and Emily Swenson bring to mind Dirk Pitt and Eva Rojas as well as Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu. But author JG Sandom is able to bring life to his characters with the added benefit of a current topic - terrorism (eco and/or otherwise) . . . After a recent re-read, I find that the book certainly still holds up! It is even more relevant today. The author's experiences gathered while living and traveling around the world, are quite apparent and beneficial to both the story line and color of The Wave. Weave in Mossad, Al'qaeda and . . . hell, I just love this book. It is a lot of fun. Do yourself a favor - read it."
Harvey @ amazon.com "A riveting look at the shadowy war on terrorism . . . An action-packed, non-stop thriller. John Decker, a Cryptanalyst working with the FBI assigned to the Joint Terrorist Task Force in New York, finds himself working on a deadly plot of eco-terrorism. The plot is masterminded by Jihadist El Aqrab, who has recently been arrested for slaughtering a family in Tel Aviv. John Decker is determined to discover why. This gripping book takes you along on John Decker's assigment involving the theft of 8 kilos of Highly Enriched Uranium, murder and romance. This book would be an incredible movie!"
Jeffrey Einstein @ amazon.com "J.G. Sandom breathes real heart and soul into this utterly plausible cast of flawed but irresistible characters. John Decker is a wonderfully reluctant hero, and even the villains in this story are unmistakably human in the depths of their pain, vengeance and sheer calculation. This book is the real McCoy, right up there with the best modern thrillers; Sandom's eye for intrigue, suspense and drama is apparent in his attention to detail and nuance. Can't wait to get my hands on "Gospel Truths", one of Sandom's earlier novels. If it's only half as good as "The Wave" I'll expect another two or three sleepless nights — and chalk them up once again as time well spent."
Gracie412 @ amazon.com "All I can say is WOW . . . I love thrillers, and this John Decker story is a great one. The concept of environmental terrorism is all the more frightening because of the reality of global warming and cooling political alliances. John Decker is one of the great flawed heroes. Like Jason Bourne and Jack Ryan, John Decker is smart, dedicated, resolved and has a personal life that would make Dante weep. As a puzzle lover I was psyched to see a hero who also loves to piece things together and is addicted to codes and such. A demented killer in the middle east, a package of uranium large enough to make a nuclear bomb, an Israeli police officer, a gorgeous oceanographer and a volcano in the canary islands are pieces of this puzzle that Decker and Swenson (the love interest who actually is more than a pretty face, thank you J.G. Sandom!) have to put together before a catastrophe destroys millions of people. I LOVED this book. It's a thrill ride of a read and if you liked The Bourne Series or any of Tom Clancy's or James Patterson's stuff, you'll love The Wave. I recommend it highly."
mietzemiau @ Amazon.com "I came across this book the last night of my stay in a vacation rental. As I had an early flight to catch the next morning I figured I'd just read myself into a good nights sleep. WRONG! The plot is captivating and every chapter leaves you wanting to devour the next without hesitation. By 4am I forced myself to put the book down. The next day I downloaded The God Machine to my kindle and enjoyed yet another night of great adventure and little sleep. J.G. Sandom has written a thrilling book packed with rich characters. I loved the weaving of historical figures with modern day characters. This book is so enjoyable that I am baffled as to why it has not yet been made into a movie."
M. Lambert @ Amazon.com "Great read! I loved how the author built in all the history elements into the book. Looking forward to his next novel."
Elaine Townsend @ Reading Addict "This book ties the great minds of the Masons like Franklin and daVinci into a thrilling race to create a portal to Heaven . . . I like the way the author used short chapters to hop between past and present story lines. It was an easy plot to follow even though the stories were told in a fragmented way. There were two big ideas that struck me and stuck with me. First, a lot of the hub-bub surrounding this portal to Heaven was because it gave a way to reunite with our loved ones who had passed on. Ben Franklin (as told by the story) spent his entire life trying to build this machine to be with his deceased son Franky. But after a lifetime of failing, Franklin realized he had lived his entire life focused on the past and never truly living. He had poured all of his energy into his experiments and thus created no relationships with anyone. He realized, like so many do who suffer great loss, there is not value in living in the past. The second point was regarding this idea of a portal to Heaven and thus a direct path to God. In the end, the hero of the story realizes that what God has been trying to tell us since the beginning of time is that we don't need a portal to Him because he is always with us. All we have to do is pray/talk to Him, and we are with Him. I think sometimes it is easy to forget that just because He doesn't always answer our prayers the way we want that He isn't listening." [You are so right, Elaine. Thanks! JGS]
John Murphy @ Goodreads.com "I was introduced to J. Sandom and his early work, Gospel Truths, by chance. Intrigued by Mr. Sandom I decided to read the Gospel Truths but did so with some intrepidation. As a Jesuit-educated history student I was concerned that the historical, theological underpinnings of Mr. Sandom's novel would lack the academic rigor I would expect even for a fictional writing. Not only did Gospel Truths exceeed my intellectual expectations, but I was impressed with the seamlessness with which Mr. Sandom chases history in the context a compelling love story. When it came to The God Machine, my trepidation returned. Why test fate? What if this sequel was not as good? I took a leap of faith and was not disappointed. Mr. Sandom confirmed his ability to interwine the continuing spiritual and emotional tribulations of Joseph Koster in a very granular and enticing examination of history, religion and morality. It is clear that Mr. Sandom has his own opinion and I congratulate him for having the courage to state it. But whether you agree or not with his point of view, your appreciation for the interplay between American history and American morality will be greatly enriched. He brings Ben Franklin to life. I found myself rooting for Ben on his odyssey and had to remind myself Mr. Franklin's story has already been told. That is because Mr. Sandom's Ben Franklin is not the well-known figure of American antiquity but, rather, a complex human being driven by love and desire for things large and small, who in the process made great history. It suggests that all of us could make great history and should. I highly recommend this God Machine."
Michael Weis @ Amazon.com "I had read Gospel Truths and enjoyed it, so was looking forward to The God Machine and wasn't disappointed. Intricate and mysterious - Sandom is some kind of polymath - so much, about so many things, crammed into a good page-turner, from chips to church. I've heard that Sandom and Dan Brown both went to Amherst at the same time. It makes me wonder whether Brown might have been inspired by Sandom, since Sandom's was published first. But Sandom's works are much more intricate and complex. And, those 1 star reviews. What's with that? Maybe they're Church people or wish they were. Anyway, buy it."
Etienne @ Etienne's Blog "Interesting and very flowing. It is hard to put the book down as every chapter leaves you wanting for more. It is also interesting how the author develops the romantic story between the two main characters as he did in his previous book Gospel Truths . . . Great credit has to go to the author for conducting vast historical, mathematical, and scientific research to include in the book's story."
Dave Dafilou @ Amazon.com "The God Machine is a fast reading fun book. The plot unfolds rapidly and there is constant action. I like the characters in the book. The main character has appeared in previous Sandom books, and although I have not yet read these books, it was easy to follow the references and keep on track with the plot. I also thought Sandom did a good job of setting the scene for the book regardless if it was pre-revolutionary Philadelphia or modern day California. With a few well chosen sentences, the author made you understand the key features of where the scene takes place. That is important for a story that moves across the US and Europe and through differnt time periods. This was my first Sandom novel and I have already bought my next."
Matt @ goodreads.com "Great read. Fast paced and exciting. Really interesting concept; very thought provoking. Joseph Koster is a great main character, smart and deductive. A thriller you'll have a hard time putting down."
B. Moore @ Amazon.com "I love to read, read a great deal, but will drop a book I don't find interesting anywhere from the first page to well into the book. I want to be engaged by the plot, the characters, or both. The God Machine has a complicated, engaging plot, and is intelligently written, with vast amounts of historical detail. It moves right along and certainly kept me enthralled. It is a book that is far, far better than many of those on the best-seller lists. And J.G. Sandom is a far better writer than many of those best-selling authors who churn out books like widgets on an assembly line. He deserves a wide audience."
To purchase your copy of THE GOD MACHINE, click here.
Linda "katknit" @ Amazon.com "Gospel Truths is an intelligent, complex, and competently written thriller. No bells or whistles here, just a few laptops, along with some dedicated and dangerous individuals determined to get their hands on Q, for various reasons of their own. And no neatly wrapped up ends in the final chapters. But there are some interesting passages descriptive of different locations, such as Chartres and the Rodin Museum in Paris . . . Masonic secrets, corrupt church officials, and money laundering schemes - all well before Da Vinci Code, imagine that!"
David Hall @jgsandom.com "Michner and Rutherford wrote complex historical novels. I am so amazed when an author combines technical, historical and complex writing in a single work, as you have. We readers of novels depend on the accuracy of the presentations . . . I look forward to any future writings."
Dan @ Square Dancing Dan in Denmark "The atmosphere in Gospel Truths is dark and moody.Sandom is a creative wordsmith and his characters are compelling and likeable . . . (GOSPEL TRUTHS) delivers a well crafted story with surprising twists . . . l am looking forward to reading the sequel."
Tom Bradley @ chapter.indigo.ca "Gospel Truths isa moody, literate thrillerthatprecededThe Da Vinci Code by more than a decade.It'sa great mystery, intricate and complex. A great read."
Ben @www.goodreads.com "Fascinating and well-written, it's what the genre should be —an intellectual, as well as a visceral thrill."
To purchase your copy of GOSPEL TRUTHS, click here.
Elvis57 @ Amazon "Kiss Me, I'm Dead will delight students of history and lovers of mystery . . . Fans of J.G. Sandom will be thrilled that he has written a thoughtful and thought-provoking novel for young adults. The cast of characters in Kiss Me I'm Dead is varied and fully developed. Readers will root for the heroes, boo the villains, and gain insight to the motivations of all. This novel would make an excellent book club selection for young adult and adult readers. In addition to the historical aspects of the novel, character development and writer's craft would both be rich seeds for discussion."
Whisper1 @ librarything "The Washington Post rated this one of the top ten Young Adult books. In addition, (the novel has been given) many other awards, included Horn Book’s list of recommended American historical fiction. It is also one of the few books selected by the American Library Association as a best book for young adults. Highly recommended, I can certainly understand the accolades "
Dana Greenleaf @BRHS Book Reviews "The suspense of the novel kept me reading . . . (KISS ME, I'M DEAD) got very intense, especially at the questioning of finding out who set the fire on the boat."
To purchase your copy of KISS ME, I'M DEAD, click here.
PUZZLES & e-POSTCARDS
For those of you who like puzzles and games, click here . . . just for fun! Challenge yourself to THE GOD MACHINE crossword or jigsaw puzzle.
Click here to view and download some e-Postcards/Wallpapers based on THE GOD MACHINE.
READINGS & SIGNINGS
Do you have ten members in your Reader's Circle or Book Club? Want to have a Skype Reading and Book Conference about THE GOD MACHINE, THE WAVE, KISS ME, I'M DEAD or any of my other books? Click here to learn how you can bring me into your home via a free Skypeonline video call. All you need is broadband Web access and a PC.
I appreciate your feedback. If you'd like to say something about a reading, please click here.
IN OTHER NEWS
Did you enjoy THE GOD MACHINE? Read the prequel: GOSPEL TRUTHS . . . now available as an eBook!
Before The Da Vinci Code and The Lost Symbol . . . before The Last Templar . . . before The Secret . . . and before THE GOD MACHINE —there was GOSPEL TRUTHS! Re-released after almost two decades, it's time to read the book that started it all.
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.
If you liked GOSPEL TRUTHS or THE HUNTING CLUB, if you enjoyed KISS ME, I'M DEAD or CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER, if you're loving THE GOD MACHINE, 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, a diabolical killer recently arrested in Tel Aviv whose calling card is to wrap his victims up with incendiary devices designed to produce flames in the shape of Koranic verses. Some call it aesthetic destruction.
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.
See some recent TV interviews on "Breezin' with Bierman" — available at YouTube. Watch me read from THE WAVE, and chat about my other recent publications.
[NOTE: I am currently working on a sequel to THE WAVE called THE PLAGUE. More announcements about this new John Decker thriller soon!]
CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER is my third Young Adult (YA) novel, originally released as Resurrection Men under pen name T.K. Welsh. Now is your time to buys this thrilling horror story, for the first time available as a paperback and eBook.
Here's the thing about bodysnatching. You just can't think about what you're doing. You can't feel sorry for the person, or think they look like your mother, your brother or your sister. You can't feel bad. In fact, you can't feel anything. That's the key. Because the minute you start feeling something, it's over. You’re dead— pennies on the eyes, dirt on the face dead. It’s no way to live, but for some, it’s the only way.
Until they come for you . . .
Check out the latest in-depth author interview at Wordswimmer. See what inspires me to write my YA novels, and learn something about my writing process. CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER was previously named a Junior Library Guild selection.
Publishers Weekly called CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER, “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." BIG A, little a called the novel, “A moody, evocative tale . . . (J.G. Sandom) 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." Kirkus Reviews called CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHERperfect for, “audiences that relish historical fiction." TeensReadToo termed it, “an intense, dark work of historical fiction . . . I highly recommend this book.” 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 . . . The ending is utterly satisfying and consistent. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction." The Miss Rumphius Effect said, “(J.G. Sandom), where have you been? I loved this book . . . Pick it up and you'll find it hard to put down.” 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.”
For a sample chapter of CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER, click here.
To purchase your copy of CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER, click here.
KISS ME, I’M DEAD is my second Young Adult (YA) novel, originally released as The Unresolved under pen name T.K. Welsh . . . and — of all my work —one of my personal favorites.
This award-winning novel is finallyavailable in paperback and in eBook form from Fangless Fables Press, where their motto is, "The real evil is us."
See what the WashingtonPost called, "a subtle gem."
Mallory Meer is like any teenage girl. She likes to have fun. She thinks her sister is ridiculous. Her parents drive her crazy. She has a crush on Dustin and follows him everywhere.
Mallory even has a summer job — figuring out the truth about the fire on the General Slocum steamship . . . the disaster in which her sister was killed. Mallory is determined to find out the truth, and to bring the guilty parties to justice.
Sometimes Mallory gets angry, very angry. And strange things happen when Mallory gets angry.
Yes, Mallory is just like any other teenage girl.
Except Mallory is dead.
KISS ME, I’M DEAD was ranked one of theTop Ten Children's Booksof the yearby the Washington Post, and nominated for a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teens' Top Ten,the only book award recommended and awarded solely by teens. The novel was previously named an Association of Jewish LibrariesNotable Book for Teens by the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee. KISS ME, I’M DEAD was also nominated for the Cybils literary awards, named one of only a handful of Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association (ALA), and recently added to Horn Book's list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.
The Washington Postsaid, "(J.G. Sandom) writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction," and called the book, "A subtle gem." School Library Journal said, " KISS ME, I’M DEAD tells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called the work, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story . . . (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, " KISS ME, I’M DEAD is a book you shouldn't pass up." Midwest Book Review called the novel, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story." And Bookslut.com said, "KISS ME, I’M DEAD scores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold."
For a sample chapter of KISS ME, I’M DEAD, click here.
To purchase your copy of KISS ME, I'M DEAD, click here.
And if that isn’t enough, both KISS ME, I’M DEAD and CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BODY SNATCHER are both available in TWO TEEN TERRORS.
To purchase your copy of TWO TEEN TERRORS, click here.
Once again this month, my heart goes out to all the victims of the tsunami and earthquake in Japan.
Given the mega-tsunami featured in THE WAVE, I know all too well the kind of damage these freaks of nature can cause.
Please note that I am donating 10% of all book sales of THE WAVE through the end of this year to Japanese relief efforts.
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."
To order your trade paperback copy of THE WAVE — A John Decker Thriller, click here. To order your eBook, click here.
And now for something completely different . . . I'm happy to announce that The Gramma Sutra has been syndicated! That's right. The GrammaSutra can now be viewed at www.vibrantnation.com.
Reaching more than 100,000 monthly visitors, VibrantNation.com is the leading online community for Baby Boomer women — the place where they connect and support each other on issues unique to life after 50, including fashion, beauty, family, relationships, work, money, and sex.
Or, go right to the source at TheGrammaSutra.com where you can check out our growing portfolio of Gramma Sutra Sex Positions — contemporary "Kama Sutra" poses for women of a certain age.
The Gramma Sutra Channel at YouTube continues to generate thousands of views. Check out our most recent presentation at the First International Conference on Aging and Architecture @ UPENN. The Channel features numerous clips of my writing partner (Sylvana Joseph) and I as we discuss sex and women of a certain age in front of a group of architects from around the world. Click here to see all the clips, or immediately below for the 5-Minute highlights reel.
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