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Monday, April 26, 2010

Secret of the Sands, award-winning mystery novel - back better than ever & ON SALE NOW!

I am extremely pleased to announce that SECRET OF THE SANDS, our award-winning, bestselling mystery novel has successfully undergone a great new upgrade. It has been polished inside & out. This endeavor took two months to complete and was initiated by the exciting award our adventure novel received of a silver medal for "Fiction-Mystery", in the ReadersFavorite.com 2009 Book contest.

The new cover has the medal on it and new wording. Here is what it looks like:

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In the new interior, there's lots of new things including a couple of new quotes and some very cool hieroglyphs...you'll love it!

The new version is available on Amazon & even better - they have put it on sale! I don't know how long that will last & I have no control over that, so get it while it's hot, avid readers!! Here's the link:

Secret of the Sands - new version, on sale!

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Amazon's "Search Inside the Book" feature is going to take 6-8 weeks to update to the new interior, but rest assured, it's the new version you will get!

The other changes to the interior include new blurbs & excerpts from numerous great reviews this ancient Egypt book has received along the way, an update to our author bio at the back of the book (it was time), the fixing of the handful of typos (egads!) that gremlins must have inserted into the book when we weren't looking ;) and the mention of our bronze medal award for the sequel, Destiny of the Sands - also from ReadersFavorite.com in the "Fiction-Mystery" category (which can also be found at the back of the book). We are thrilled to bits to have won two medals! I have also included our new tagline for the sequel on that page:

Some secrets cannot remain hidden, some cannot be forgiven...

Those words perfectly capture the story of both books, if you've already read Secret of the Sands, you will know what I am talking about... ;)


Here is a screen shot of the awards that we won:

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If you are a Canadian bookstore or library, you can also order SECRET OF THE SANDS through our new distributor, Red Tuque Books:

www.redtuquebooks.ca

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Here is our ad, which appears in Red Tuque's 2010 Spring catalogue:

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Here is the ordering info - readers can also use the ISBN or LCCN to request the book at their fave library or bookstore if they don't already carry it:

ISBN-10: 1-4196-7552-4
EAN-13: 978-1419675522
Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN): 2010904965

BISAC codes:

1. FIC002000 FICTION / Action & Adventure
2. FIC030000 FICTION / Suspense
3. FIC040000 FICTION / Alternative History
4. FIC028010 FICTION / Science Fiction / Adventure
5. FIC024000 FICTION / Occult & Supernatural


So, who would love Secret of the Sands? This adventure novel has a double storyline, where the past & present intertwine & is intended for both young adult & adult audiences. It would appeal to people who love National Treasure, The Mummy movies, and Indiana Jones (it even has shades of The Chronicles of Narnia & The Golden Compass in it), readers who love suspense, adventure, alternative historical fiction, speculative sci-fi, unique mystery tales, and those who are fascinated by ancient Egypt and the enigmatic Great Sphinx of Giza…covers a lot of people, doesn't it?! That was the idea ;)

Secret of the Sands has made numerous appearances as an Amazon.com BESTSELLER in the categories of "Ancient Civilizations", "Books, Religion & Spirituality, Fiction", "Fiction, Action & Adventure", and "Historical Fiction", so having a new version of the book that has been shined & polished is very special :)

Happy reading always, my friends!

Rai Aren, co-author of the award-winning mystery novel SECRET OF THE SANDS


In the shadow of the Great Sphinx of Giza, two young archaeologists unearth extremely unusual artifacts over 12,000 years old, but the find is wrong - very wrong. The artifacts shouldn’t be there…they shouldn’t exist at all. The greatest discovery in human history may turn out to be the deadliest…


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"A deep probing mystery riddled with prophecy and danger, Secret of the Sands uses Egypt and her mythology as a backdrop to delve into the meanings of life and religion." -McNally Robinson

"Rai Aren and Tavius E. have crafted a fast-paced, exciting novel overflowing with mystery and intrigue. The tension is constant. The characters fully developed. And the plot gripping. Ancient history and present day relevance are so expertly intertwined, that you might forget you are reading a work of fiction." -Thomas Phillips, author of The Molech Prophecy


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Monday, April 19, 2010

Secret of the Sands Canadian Distributor, Red Tuque Books, to attend & present at 2010 BC Library Conference Apr22nd-24th

The new Canadian distributor for our award-winning, bestselling mystery novel, Red Tuque Books, will be presenting at the 2010 BC Library Conference happening this week, Apr22nd, 23rd, & 24th. If you are also attending the conference, be sure to say hello, get a copy of their catalogue & place your order for SECRET OF THE SANDS. We would be truly honored to be added to your library shelves :)

Here is our ad, which appears in their 2010 Spring catalogue:

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Here is the ordering info in advance:

ISBN-10: 1-4196-7552-4
EAN-13: 978-1419675522
Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN): 2010904965

BISAC codes:

1. FIC002000 FICTION / Action & Adventure
2. FIC030000 FICTION / Suspense
3. FIC040000 FICTION / Alternative History
4. FIC028010 FICTION / Science Fiction / Adventure
5. FIC024000 FICTION / Occult & Supernatural


And here is the link to the Red Tuque Books website where you can learn more about them and find their contact information:

www.redtuquebooks.ca

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Help support indie efforts & fellow Canadians by ordering from Red Tuque and adding our Indiana-Jones style adventure novel to your shelves. Secret of the Sands has recently undergone an upgrade, so it will be even more polished & awesome than ever! The new version should be available in early May.

Who would love it? Secret of the Sands is intended for both young adult & adult audiences, and appeals to people who love National Treasure, The Mummy movies, and Indiana Jones (it even has shades of The Chronicles of Narnia & The Golden Compass in it), readers who love suspense, adventure, action, alternative historical fiction, speculative sci-fi, unique mystery tales, and those who are fascinated by ancient Egypt and the enigmatic Great Sphinx of Giza…covers a lot of people, doesn't it?! That was the idea ;)

Happy reading always, my friends!

Rai Aren, co-author of the award-winning mystery novel SECRET OF THE SANDS

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Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Goodreads iPhone version 1.0.3 is now live!

Hi readers & iPhone-owners,

As many of you know, I am an active member of Goodreads (being the book fiend that I am, here's the link to my profile there: Rai's Goodreads profile), so I wanted pass along the latest news about their cool iPhone app:

Reposted from Goodreads:

"Our latest version of the iphone, version 1.0.3 is now live in the app store! Please upgrade and let us know what you think. Here is whats new:

- New easier way of posting a status update (on the homepage)
- Ability to post a general status update
- Search your own books
- Ability to create a shelf
- Ability to set the date started and finished
- Ability to remove a book from your shelves
- Book pages with epubs now link to the mobile version of the Goodreads reader

Let us know what else you'd like to see! Still on the list are support for groups, and ability to add friends (for new users)."


The minute I get an iPhone, I will most certainly be adding the Goodreads app :)

Happy reading always, my friends!

Rai Aren, co-author of the award-winning sci-fi / mystery novel SECRET OF THE SANDS

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Monday, April 12, 2010

Find Rai on MySpace, Twitter & Goodreads for even more updates!

In addition to this blog that I maintain on our website, www.secretofthesands.com, my three other most active online profiles are MySpace, Twitter, and Goodreads. I spend quite a bit of time in each social networking place cultivating a meaningful presence & expressing my interests and creative impulses, because I thoroughly enjoy each one and they all have something different to offer. If you are also on any or all these, do look me up! Here's my links:


Rai's MySpace page

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Tweet with Rai

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Rai Aren's Goodreads profile

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I look forward to hearing from you. See you online!

Rai Aren, co-author of the award-winning mystery novel SECRET OF THE SANDS

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Thursday, April 8, 2010

Secret of the Sands is now registered with the Library of Congress

Hey all you libraries, bookstores, other retailers & wholesalers out there - as part of the upgrade/revision process to our award-winning mystery novel, Secret of the Sands, we have registered the novel with the Library of Congress. The new version should be ready & on the market in a couple of weeks. This registration will make it easier for all of you to add us to your esteemed shelves and choose where to categorize the novel :)

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Here is our info:

ISBN-10: 1-4196-7552-4
EAN-13: 978-1419675522

Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN): 2010904965

Book Industry Subject and Category (BISAC) codes for Secret of the Sands:

1. FIC002000    FICTION / Action & Adventure
2. FIC030000    FICTION / Suspense
3. FIC040000    FICTION / Alternative History
4. FIC028010    FICTION / Science Fiction / Adventure
5. FIC024000    FICTION / Occult & Supernatural

Those categories sum up very well some of the various genres and characteristics of this adventure story, which is suitable for ages 12 to 112, and is a little like mixing Indiana Jones with The Mummy with National Treasure. There are even shades of The Golden Compass and The Chronicles of Narnia in it...

For 12,000 years a dark and deadly secret has been hidden deep below the Great Sphinx of Giza. In present day Egypt, a frightening, yet awe-inspiring story unravels as archaeologists race against time to decipher an ancient truth...


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I will let you all know as soon the new version of our ancient Egypt book, Secret of the Sands is available!

Happy reading always!

Rai Aren, co-author of the award-winning mystery novel SECRET OF THE SANDS




"A deep probing mystery riddled with prophecy and danger, Secret of the Sands uses Egypt and her mythology as a backdrop to delve into the meanings of life and religion." -McNally Robinson

"Rai Aren and Tavius E. have crafted a fast-paced, exciting novel overflowing with mystery and intrigue. The tension is constant. The characters fully developed. And the plot gripping. Ancient history and present day relevance are so expertly intertwined, that you might forget you are reading a work of fiction." -Thomas Phillips, author of The Molech Prophecy


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