New lower price for award-winning archaeology adventure novel SECRET OF THE SANDS! Only $4.99!

Hi valued readers, friends & fans,

I wanted to share our latest happy news for our adventure novel, Secret of the Sands. Our publisher, Bristlecone Pine Press, has graciously agreed to lower the price of our Amazon kindle edition to $4.99 (from $6.99). It was very important to me to have our novel be affordable & accessible to all of our interested readers. If you have a kindle, or use the (free!!) kindle apps for PC & Mac, I hope you will consider adding our book to your virtual shelves :)

Happy reading always!!

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

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...

"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

Coming soon - a series of cool & jazzy announcements!

Hey friends, fans, and followers,

I wanted to let you know that starting soon and carrying on throughout the holiday season, I will be making a series of announcements related to our award-winning adventure novel, Secret of the Sands.



I've got a variety of cool things in store, and wherever we connect online, you will see the news as it happens :)

Stay tuned & happy reading always!

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

Short story review- A Bite Out of Time

Hey peeps,

I don't usually review short stories, but this one was irresistable! It's called A Bite Out of Time, by a very cool author, Gary Val Tenuta, who wrote The Ezekiel Code. Here's my review:

5-stars: A lively short with a superb twist!

This is a fun, sexy, entertaining short story brimming with danger as the main character enters the night-time predatory world of vampires and experiences the high cost of the vampire life - the years that go on and the loneliness and isolation that ensues.

My favorite aspect of the story is the limousine service. I don't want to say too much and give away the story, but what a cool, slick concept it is. It really got me thinking if such a thing existed, what if anything, would I want to do with it? Does fate exist? Are certain outcomes inescapable? I love stories that have a powerful hook like that, that get you looking inwards, imagining possibilities for your own life. Clever storytelling!

At the end of the story is an introduction to the author's novel The Ezekiel Code - which is truly an unforgettable read. I loved it.

For a mere $0.99, A Bite Out of Time provides you with more than a bite of great entertainment. I'd read a longer version of it in a heartbeat.




Happy reading always!


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

DRACULAS - a *vewe scary* Halloween read!

Hey there avid readers,

I'd like to share my latest book review - a horror novel, DRACULAS. It's good timing with Halloween on the way. You can download teaser chapters (the first 50 pages) for FREE (!!) here:

DRACULAS teaser chapters FREE on kindle








Here's the description:

A DYING MAN'S GREATEST TREASURE...

Mortimer Moorecook, retired Wall Street raider, avid collector, is losing his fight against cancer. With weeks to live, a package arrives at the door of his hillside mansion--an artifact he paid millions for...a hominoid skull with elongated teeth, discovered in a farmer's field in the Romanian countryside. With Shanna, his beautiful research assistant looking on, he sinks the skull's razor sharp fangs into his neck, and immediately goes into convulsions.

OPENS THE DOOR TO AN ANCIENT EVIL...

A rural hospital. A slow night in the ER. Until Moorecook arrives strapped to a gurney, where he promptly codes and dies.

WHERE DEATH IS JUST THE BEGINNING.

Four well-known horror authors pool their penchants for scares and thrills, and tackle one of the greatest of all legends, with each writer creating a unique character and following them through a vampire outbreak in a secluded hospital.

The goal was simple: write the most intense novel they possibly could.

Which they did.



Here's my review:

5-stars: A very bloody good time!

Want to get in the mood for Halloween? Get this book! DRACULAS is a crazy, no-holds-barred, totally over-the-top good time! It's a horror novel that delivers grotesque terror after grotesque terror at an unrelenting pace, yet it's also got humor galore. It's definitely not for the squeamish, but horror fans will delight - the gore-fest never wanes and there is a wild dose of insanity mixed in for flavor. As one of the authors (Joe) sez in the bonus content: it's a "balls-to-the-wall monster book" - oh yeah, it is!

This was co-written by four authors, and yet the voice is perfectly consistent the entire way through. Kudos!  It's also got a great ending that leaves the door wide open for a sequel. I'd love to see where else they can take this story, there are tons of tantalizing possibilities that I hope the authors fully explore down the road.

The bonus content was very interesting, entertaining & content-rich. I loved reading about the creative process and the (disturbed) minds behind this ;) They're a funny bunch! This gets me excited for future kindle releases that will continue to break the standard book mold. There are short stories, alternate endings, deleted scenes, excerpts from other novels, and a 'making-of' section. This book gives the reader a ton of bang for their buck! Sign me up for DRACULAS 2, WEREWOLVES & MUMMIES - can't wait!!

Note: my review is based on the complete novel.

Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands


This is a unique vampire tale co-written by the following four authors:

F. PAUL WILSON is an award-winning, NY Times bestselling novelist whose work spans horror, adventure, medical thrillers, science fiction, young adult, and virtually everything between. He is best known as the author of THE KEEP and creator of the urban mercenary Repairman Jack.

JACK KILBORN is a pen name of J.A. Konrath, who has written six Jack Daniels thrillers. The seventh, SHAKEN, will be available October 27. Kilborn is the author of AFRAID, ENDURANCE, TRAPPED, and SERIAL UNCUT, (written with Blake Crouch) which has been downloaded more than 250,000 times.

JEFF STRAND is the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of such novels as PRESSURE, DWELLER, GRAVEROBBERS WANTED (NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY), BENJAMIN'S PARASITE, and THE SINISTER MR. CORPSE. His secret shame is SUCKERS, co-written with J.A. Konrath.

BLAKE CROUCH is the author of four thrillers, DESERT PLACES, LOCKED DOORS, ABANDON, and SNOWBOUND, all published by St. Martin's Press. His short fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen, THRILLER 2, and other anthologies.



The complete novel will be released Oct.19th, 2010, just in time for Halloween & it's a steal of a deal at only $2.99:

DRACULAS (A Novel of Terror)


Read on my friends!

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

My latest book review: The Atlantis Revelation by Thomas Greanias

I would like to share my latest book review with you folks. As I've mentioned, I like to pass along the word about books that I really enjoy. I also post my reviews on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, LibraryThing, and in my MySpace blog. You'll notice that the reviews I post are pretty much all 4 or 5-star reviews, that's because I only like to publicly review things that I really like, I don't want to poo-poo something that other people might enjoy just because it happens to not be my taste, preferred style, etc. There's enough negativity out in the world, I don't want to add to it & hurt other people's creative efforts. If I don't like something I just don't say anything. That's just me :)

So, let's carry on to the latest: The Atlantis Revelation, by Thomas Greanias:

5-stars: The Atlantis Revelation caps a very entertaining trilogy

I was already a fan of Thomas' previous two books, Raising Atlantis & The Atlantis Prophecy - both of those were rollicking fun, totally entertaining, and a great way to escape on intriguing adventures for a few reading hours. I am happy to say that 'The Atlantis Revelation is a worthy successor in the Atlantis trilogy. It is smart, well-researched, has loads of action, and presents fascinating concepts that kept me interested the whole way through. It takes the reader on a whirlwind journey to interesting places - from Corfu & the Calypso Deep to Azerbaijan to Rhodes to Jerusalem and more.

Mr. Greanias is a talented thriller author who never disappoints. His characters are well-fleshed out & jump off the page with life. His storytelling skills are solid. I have read thrillers and adventure novels where authors got so engrossed in the details of place and technology that they let the story drop, drag, and sometimes nearly evaporate. A thriller needs to be fast-paced with enough detail to make the setting come alive for the reader, but always keeping the story strong and at the forefront of the reader's attention. Thomas strikes that balance perfectly. You can rest assured when you pick up any of the books in the Atlantis trilogy that you will be turning pages super fast.

Great entertainment, highly recommended!

Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands