The Adventures of Rai Aren & Tavius E.

Secret of the Sands is in the Amazon Kindle Owners' Lending Library!

2012-01-09T20:34:00.000-07:00

Hello valued readers!

Borrow away library fans! I am very happy to say that our award-winning archaeology adventure novel, Secret of the Sands, is now available in the Amazon Kindle Owners' Lending Library. If you are an Amazon US Prime member, you can check our book out through this cool library.

Secret of the Sands, 2nd edition

Buy or borrow it, it's up to you!

Happy reading always!!

Rai Aren, co-author of 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...

"The authors have successfully woven a story based on archeological events mixed with their own ideas of what happened to the Sphinx and the mysteries surrounding it."
- www.sabrinareviews.com

"Rai Aren & Tavius E. write a spellbinding mix of mystery, history, fantasy, and adventure in this tale of two histories - one told in the present, the other told from the past - telling a story of misused power, learning how to trust, and the fate of civilization." - www.TeensReadToo.com

FREE! Secret of the Sands 2nd ed. is free on Amazon kindle today!!

2012-01-08T16:55:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone,

I hope 2012 is off to a wonderful start for you all!

As a fun start to the year, Secret of the Sands, 2nd edition, is FREE!! on Amazon kindle today:

http://www.amazon.com/Secret-ReadersFavorite-com-Fiction-Mystery-Medalist-ebook/dp/B004EEORPW/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&m=AZC9TZ4UC9CFC&s=digital-text&qid=1291608498&sr=1-6&tag=vglnk-c9-20

I hope you will add it to your collection! I'm super-jazzed to see it's already #254 on the free list and #2 in for 'Fantasy-Historical' and climbing. Welcome new readers! Enjoy! :) xo ~Rai

SECRET OF THE SANDS

A Prophecy was Told…

An ancient prophecy, thousands of years old, told of the coming of the Chosen one, but she will be both loved and feared, and some will stop at nothing to defy everything she represents.

A Secret Long Buried…

A secret power that once proved too deadly, was hidden away deep beneath the sands of Egypt, only to be revealed by its sworn guardians when the time came that the knowledge would be safe.

A Deadly Riddle is Unlocked…

Two young archaeologists fatefully unearth unusual artifacts dating over 12,000 years old. The exhilarating find however, is wrong - very wrong. The artifacts shouldn’t be there…they shouldn’t even exist at all.

A Power Unleashed…

Now after remaining dormant for 12,000 years, the secret has been uncovered, and its true purpose suspected. What will be the greatest discovery in human history will either change us forever or destroy us for trying…

Guest Post: Gary Val Tenuta

2011-12-13T23:35:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone,

I would like to introduce a fascinating and talented author to you - Gary Val Tenuta and welcome him here to do a guest post. He has a brand new release out, Ash: Return of the Beast, which is a riveting occult crime thriller (& it's only $3.99 on kindle!). I encourage you all to have a read about Gary's new novel and his writing inspiration for this story below, and to check out his books! He is also the author of another excellent novel, The Ezekiel Code. Both are reading time well spent!

Welcome Gary and thanks for sharing with us!

Afraid Of The Dark

One of the interesting things about writing a novel is that the process often requires the writer to reach down inside in order to access the storehouse of thoughts, feelings and life experiences that he’s accumulated over the years so he can apply some of it to the story and make the words on the page reflect some semblance of “reality”. I guess that’s a long-winded way of repeating the old adage, ‘Write what you know’. But what if you have a story idea that requires you to write what you don’t know or, worse yet, to write what you’re uncomfortable with?

If you’re going to write what you don’t know, there’s always the option to do the research necessary to familiarize yourself with a formerly unfamiliar topic. Writing what you’re uncomfortable with is something else again. That’s what I had to wrestle with when it came to writing my second novel, Ash: Return Of The Beast (www.ashreturnofthebeast.webs.com).

I remember when the idea for the story first hit me about three years ago. I was browsing the shelves at a used-book store and came across a biography of the infamous occultist, Aleister Crowley (1875-1947). Due to my life-long fascination with all things paranormal, I was at least somewhat familiar with Crowley. I knew he was considered a master of ritual magic or what some call the Dark Arts. I knew his picture appeared on the cover of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper album and I knew that several musicians of the hard rock variety were into him. I knew he’d been branded by the British press as ‘The Wickedest Man In The World’ and I knew Musolini had kicked him out of Italy. I even had a copy of a strange little book entitled The Book Of The Law that was allegedly dictated to Crowley by a nonhuman entity near the Great Pyramid in 1904. What I didn’t know, until I read that biography, was that his body was cremated and that the urn containing his ashes had mysteriously vanished. Wait. What??? I had to flip the page back and read it again to make sure I’d read it correctly. Wow, I thought. If that isn’t the foundation for good mystery novel, I don’t know what is.

At first I was super motivated and eager to start writing. But as I continued to sketch out a story I soon began to realize this was not going to be the same sort of creative experience that I’d had with my first novel, The Ezekiel Code (www.ezekielcode.com). Sure Code contained its share of bad guys sneaking around in the shadows, a couple of murders and some foul play. But it was all pretty much standard fare for an adventure/mystery novel. Ash, I could see, was going to be darker. Much darker. Darker than maybe I was prepared to go. Could I dredge up something that disturbing from the depths of my own storehouse of life experiences? I don’t want to spoil the story for you here, so I won’t disclose any details. I’ll just say, after I thought about it, I realized I didn’t have anything quite that disturbing in my life experience. So how was I going to bring any sense of reality to it?

Clearly, I was going to have to do some research and learn how real people have endured such experiences, how it affected them emotionally and psychologically and what effect it had on their lives after the experience. So, I did the research to familiarize myself with those issues to the point where I felt comfortable enough to incorporate it into the story. But feeling comfortable enough with it and actually writing it were two different things. I found out I was afraid of the Dark, the Dark within. I told my best friend that I felt like I had to go wash my hands or take a complete shower after writing the first incident of one specific heinous activity.

However, I believed the story was too good to abandon and I knew if I just let it go it would haunt me for the rest of my days. So I carried on even though my own sensibilities were rebelling against me. Much to my surprise, I actually got used to it. In fact, I got to the point where I enjoyed it. I was no longer afraid of the Dark. So, how did that happen? Pretty simple, really.

Once I got far enough into the development of the story, the characters ceased to be mere concepts in my head. They began to take shape, physically, emotionally and psychologically. They became real people involved in real situations. It wasn’t me who was doing those awful things to the characters. The characters were doing those things to each other. That’s when, as a writer, you’re “in the Zone”. I love being in the Zone. There are no boundaries, no limitations in the Zone. It’s the place where the writer experiences the freedom to let the story evolve as it will and any intimidating sensibilities that might otherwise get in the way... well, they’re just out of luck. The story must go on.

And so it did. Now, three years after the initial idea hit me, Ash: Return Of The Beast is finished and available on Kindle for just $3.99. I hope to have a paperback edition available by the end of January, 2012.

***********

Description of the book:

Ash: Return of the Beast is an occult mystery-crime-thriller based on a little known factoid about the death of Aleister Crowley (1875-1947), the occultist the British press once called "The Wickedest Man In The World".

Crowley’s body was cremated and the whereabouts of his ashes has remained a mystery… until now.

This diabolical tale carries the reader through a series of the most curious (and sometimes unsettling) events spanning the years from Crowley's death in 1947 to the 1990s and the coming of age (and eventual stardom) of a death-metal rocker named Rodney Duckworth.

The time-line shifts to the present day where Brian Kane, a gruff and gritty, street-worn Seattle Police Detective, reluctantly teams up with the mysterious Rowena Ravenwood, an attractive female FBI agent. Their task is to figure out why good, healthy, God-fearing preachers in their fair city are suddenly dropping like flies.

What are those strange symbols branded onto the bodies of these hapless victims? Are they all part of some bizarre cult? Is it really murder? Where’s the evidence? And what is the disturbing secret that Detective Kane is holding so close to his chest?

The investigation eventually catapults Kane and Ravenwood into life-threatening situations as they wind their way through the strange, dark labyrinth of the world of the Occult and ritual magick.

Problem is, the clues to help solve the case are in terribly short supply. Worse yet, so is the amount of time left to stop the mysterious killer's reign of terror before all Hell breaks loose. And, in this case – according to Special Agent Ravenwood - that’s not just a figure of speech.

***********

If you’d like to watch a dramatic and entertaining book trailer for Ash: Return Of The Beast, just drop by my website at:

http://www.ashreturnofthebeast.webs.com

www.ashreturnofthebeast.webs.com

* Warning: While watching the video you might want to leave the lights on <:o

Rai's guest post on BookBuzzr - Book Marketing Tips: What Works, What Doesn’t

2011-10-22T22:43:00.002-06:00

Greetings peeps!

I thought I would share one of my latest guest blog posts with you. It's my hope that it will help my fellow scribes find even greater success with their online marketing for their books. I was honored to be contacted by Freya at BookBuzzr and asked to share something helpful with their audience.

Here's the link to my post:

Book Marketing Tips: What Works, What Doesn’t

To your great success!

Cheers,

Rai

The Secrets of Sequels, by Rai Aren

2011-08-08T23:57:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone,

I was honored to be asked to be a guest blogger on Printsasia. Since we are finishing the sequel to Secret of the Sands, entitled Destiny of the Sands, I thought blogging about sequels was a timely topic :)

I hope you find value in what I shared. Here's the link to my post:

The Secrets of Sequels

I very much enjoyed writing it & reflecting on the process.

Cheers,

Rai

New trailer - Secret of the Sands!

2011-08-08T19:36:00.000-06:00

Hi peeps,

I wanted to share our new trailer for Secret of the Sands, our award-winning archaeology adventure novel. Hope you like it!

Here's the link to it on YouTube:

Secret of the Sands trailer #2

You can also see it on my Amazon Author page, as well as our website & other online profiles :)

Cheers,

Rai

Guest post: Author Darren Pillsbury

2011-08-06T21:58:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone,

It's my honor to share a guest blog post with you, by author Darren Pillsbury. He's written the series PETER AND THE VAMPIRES, PETER AND THE WEREWOLVES and PETER AND THE FRANKENSTEIN. They sound like lively reads!

Have a read & get to know a new author :)

******

Thank you, Rai, for letting me do a guest post on your blog!

One of the questions I hear a lot of readers asking writers is “Where do you get your inspiration?” I thought I would answer that specifically about the ebooks I’ve just published, PETER AND THE VAMPIRES, PETER AND THE WEREWOLVES, and PETER AND THE FRANKENSTEIN.

I’ve always liked scary stories. I remember sneaking into the grocery store as a kid and reading the Stephen King books in the book aisle. (My mom was very conservative, and there was no way she was going to let me read CUJO or SKELETON CREW. So I did it while she was picking out tomatoes and peanut butter a couple of aisles over.)

So, when I decided I wanted to be an author, I always told myself that I would write my ‘vampire’ story. And my ‘werewolves’ story. And my ‘swamp monster’ story. And my ‘evil freak show’ story.

The problem was, a writer expends a lot of pages setting up the characters and situations every time he writes a new novella. If I wanted to write a dozen stories, that would be a dozen different main characters, a dozen different supporting casts, a dozen different settings. Ugh.

Why couldn’t it be simple? On THE X-FILES, you jumped into a new episode every week knowing who Mulder and Scully are. Why couldn’t you –

Heeeeyyyy.

Problem solved. I would do something in a series, with the same characters, and with character arcs and larger plots that unfolded over hundreds of pages and through different books.

In actuality, the books really do resemble television shows in that each ‘novel’ has four or five different ‘episodes,’ or shorter novellas within it. And basically each story picks up where the last one ended.

What about the hero? Who was he? How old?

If I was going to do a series of supernatural stories, I wanted to do something about a time when everything seemed possible…and maybe even magical. I decided on a younger protagonist. Probably out of nostalgia, partly because the last time I remember feeling that the world might truly be magical (supernaturally magical, that is) was when I was very, very young.

But…it’s quite a different thing to say, “I’m going to write a vampire story,” and then write it. What do you do with it?

Is the vampire loathsome or gorgeous (and sparking, according to TWILIGHT)? Evil or misunderstood? Sociopathic or tortured by a conscience? The hero or the villain?

I don’t really start there, to be honest. I start with an image. In the case of the story “Peter And The Vampires” (the second story in the novel PETER AND THE VAMPIRES), the image was of a little girl in a rainstorm, standing under the ten-year-old hero’s third-story window, calling out “Peeeeeeeteeeeeeeeer” in a soft and mournful voice. When the lightning flashes, she is standing there in the rain; seconds later, when another burst comes, she’s gone.

I think – though I’m not absolutely sure – that the image comes from “The Dead,” the short story by James Joyce, in which the main character’s wife tells him how the love of her life stood out in a rainstorm and called up to her window.

(To be clear, I do not compare anything I have ever written to be in the same league, or even the same sport, as Joyce. If “The Dead” is the filet mignon and lobster tails of literature, then mine is a McDonald’s Happy Meal. But, hey, at least with mine, you get a bright, shiny toy.)

I had a lot of thoughts about that scene when I read the story in college. One that stuck with me was, “If she didn’t want that guy to be there, that could be a really creepy moment.”

BAM. That was the jumping-off point, though it took years to actually sit down and write a story about it.

For my other stories in the series, I always ask myself, What’s creepy? (And not in a gory way. Though there is gore in some of my stories, I try to keep it to a minimum.)

For years as a child, I vacationed at a lake house my grandparents owned. I always thought of sitting on a dock, legs dangling down into the water…and some unseen horror reaching up and dragging me down to the depths.

Bingo. There’s my opening for “Peter And The Swamp Monster,” the fourth story in PETER AND THE VAMPIRES.

One of the creepiest things I can imagine is looking out from a window, and someone dressed all in black – whose face you can’t see – is staring up at your window. Then they slowly lift their arm and point, as though to say, I see you.

Voila. “Peter And The Dead Men.”

As a kid, I saw a Spiderman cartoon that freaked me out. In it, a bunch of mannequins came to life and attacked poor Spidey. For years, I never, ever took my eyes off the mannequins when I entered a Macy’s.

“Peter And The Mannequins,” first story in the book PETER AND THE WEREWOLVES.

So there you have it. Most of my stories start from an initial scene in my head: some bad memory, some dark fantasy, some imagined scenario (often from my childhood) that can form the cornerstone of a story.

If you’re interested in checking out my books, please visit the links below!

eBooks By Darren Pillsbury:

PETER AND THE VAMPIRES (99 cents):

Kindle

Nook

Smashwords

PETER AND THE WEREWOLVES ($2.99):

Kindle

Nook

Smashwords

PETER AND THE FRANKENSTEIN ($2.99):

Kindle

Nook

Smashwords

*******

Thank-you Darren, for sharing with us! I'm always interested in learning more about my fellow scribes & their works.

You can visit Darren online at: darrenpillsbury.com

I hope this helps Darren to find new readers :)

Cheers,

Rai

Rai's reviews: 5-stars: Dust on His Soul

2011-08-06T21:18:00.001-06:00

Hi peeps,

Sorry I've been away from the blog for awhile, life's been pretty busy. However, I still make time to read & then share worthy tomes with you :)

Here's a recent read, it's a literary novel, historical fiction, based on the life of Stephen Biko. Here is a story description:

The Story of One Man’s Journey to Hell and Redemption

Hell does have a name… Robben Island.

This story, though fictional, is inspired by, and honors, the life - and death - of Stephen Biko.

It is the 1970s and 80s in South Africa. Some cruelly and sadistically wielded power meant to scourge. Some broke under its weight, while some remained unbent, immovable under it, resolute of spirit, and ultimately, triumphantly, indomitable.

This is the story of such a man. A character study of an unconquerable heart, an unyielding spirit.

This is not a story for the feint of heart or stomach. It is a story, not meant to shock, but to shine the unapologetic, unflattering light of truth on a situation that was, and is very real.

Told through one man’s journey, it will lay bare any and all realities of a world that for some was inescapable. The pain is real. The horrors are real. Ignoring them won’t change a thing though understanding them just might.

Here is my review:

5-stars

Outstanding, Powerful, Moving

This was a powerful story, incredibly well-told, that has stayed with me. I don't think I will ever forget it, it has been burned into my memory. Many people know the facts (or some of them at least) of the terrible apartheid regime that ruled over South Africa with utter brutality, but stories like this one can make it much more 'real' for those of us who were not there and did not see or experience it firsthand.

This story was told by someone who obviously cares about the subject matter and who has great love for his country and those who suffered there. It is a tough read in that it is incomprehensible the ignorance, hate and cruelty that have existed (and in places continues to exist, sadly). You feel like you are there with the main character, your heart aches for him, your spirit cries out - stop! You will wish you could jump into the pages of the book, or of history and save these people from those who make them suffer so much pain - physically, mentally, emotionally. Once you put the book down, try to reflect, and take a deep breath to recover from the punch this book packs, an inescapable reminder comes forth, that though this story is fictional, the truth behind it is not. You will wish it was.

However, if because of stories like this, we can have a better understanding of these terrible evils, perhaps we will be more sensitive and more easily moved to fight for positive change in this world. It is also a reminder of the power of an individual to be a lightning rod for change and how we can never, ever give up hope for a world ruled by peace, love, tolerance and mutual understanding and appreciation.

This was truly one of the most powerful, memorable, worthwhile and moving novels I have read...

Rai Aren

P.S. You can also find it on kindle for less than $5!

More of Rai's book reviews - hard-boiled detective novel First Feature

2011-05-23T21:41:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone,

As you know I enjoy passing the word along about books that really stand out for me, so here is another book I loved & wanted to share a review for. This follows the last review I did for the hard-boiled detective short story, Money Ain't Nothing, by Jason Blacker. The book I am reviewing today is the first full-length novel in this mystery series. It stars retired LAPD detective, Anthony Carrick. I absolutely love this character and these detective stories are so much fun to read, so well-written. I definitely encourage you to check it out. This novel is also a bargain at only $2.99!

5-stars: First-rate hard-boiled detective fiction - prepare to be hooked!

Anthony Carrick is a retired police detective, whose career didn't exactly end with fanfare and commendations, presumably due to a persistent difficulty in following the rules. He's a bit rough, real sarcastic, with a gruff charm. He comes by his attitude through his beat-you-up kind of life experience, and wears his rumples well. He nows works the odd private investigation gig to make ends meet, while he lives a bachelor's life with his one-eyed alley-cat, Pirate. He's intimately familiar with the seedy side of life, and thus sees most things with a jaded eye. In his world, endings are rarely happy, and nice, neat bows don't exist.

In First Feature, a movie producer gets killed with his own Oscar - what a great premise for a story, total Hollywood! There's an eclectic cast of characters in this whodunnit and the reader is treated to many difference slices of life on both sides of the Hollywood dream. Anthony gets caught up in the dark side of Hollywood - the consequences of excess, of losing one's morality, of betrayal and chasing the illusion. Fame, fortune, life, death. A day in the life of La-La land. Hollywood's golden glow is tarnished, leaving a trail of broken dreams in its wake. The story teems with grittiness, authenticity, and rich, colorful detail as Anthony digs deep to catch a murderer. Par for the course for a world based on false fronts, half-truths, and obsessive self-involvement and motivation, he needs to work hard to uncover what's really going on. Many of the players have their own secrets to protect, and he needs to figure out which ones point to murder.

Though Anthony Carrick rubs most people in the story the wrong way, he rubs the reader the right way - he's a believable, down on his luck soul, trying to make something out of the shambles of his life. He wants redemption, maybe even forgiveness for a lot of things in his life. He's still got his smarts, a knack for seeing beneath the surface, and his instincts are as sharp as ever. He navigates life with his own patchwork morality and is armed with a wry sense of humor. He's exactly who you'd want on your side, should you ever be so unfortunate as to need his services.

First Feature is a lively tale, that will keep you turning pages so fast, you'll want to read it in one sitting. Anthony Carrick is the next star of completely addictive detective stories. You'll love this guy, in no time at all he will charm you, and like me, you'll look very forward to spending many more hours with him and solving murder mysteries. Total fun. Pure entertainment. Very well-written. Prepare to be hooked!

-Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands

Here is the link to the kindle edition on Amazon (it's also coming out soon in paperback):

First Feature on Amazon.com

And the very cool, full cover:

Here is the link to First Feature on Smashwords, where it's available in several other e-book formats:

First Feature on Smashwords - only $2.99

You can also find the short story, Money Ain't Nothing on Amazon.com - it's only $0.99!:

Money Ain't Nothing, by Jason Blacker

You can also find the story in multiple other e-Book formats on Smashwords, also only $0.99!:

Money Ain't Nothing, by Jason Blacker on Smashwords

You can also visit Jason online at:

jasonblacker.com

And on his brand new Twitter page:

Jason Blacker on Twitter

Cheers & happy reading, always, my friends! :)

~Rai

Rai's latest review - Money Ain't Nothing

2011-05-21T14:09:00.002-06:00

Hey everyone,

I hope you are all having a good weekend! I thought I would share my latest review with all of you. This one is for a hard-boiled detective short story, Money Ain't Nothing, by author Jason Blacker. This story is the first in a mystery series of novel, starring retired LAPD detective, Anthony Carrick, and will be followed shortly by the novel First Feature. I'm completely hooked, so I wanted to pass the word on about another great read. And it's only $0.99!

Here is a link to the short story on Amazon.com:

Money Ain't Nothing, by Jason Blacker

5-stars: Gritty and entertaining

Anthony Carrick, the self-described 'alley cat', is a character you will love. He's a rough around the edges, hard knocks kind of guy - a former police detective, that now finds himself eking out a living doing private investigations for people who are having a run of bad luck.

In Money Ain't Nothing, he's hired by a wealthy woman to investigate the suspicious death of her son. She suspects murder, but the authorities don't agree, so she turns to Anthony Carrick. His methods are far from by the book, and in his world, fairy tale endings don't exist, but the big, bad wolf always does.

Readers of hard-boiled detective fiction will find a colorful new character, who is more comfortable navigating the seedy side of life, to get their mystery-solving fix from. Anthony Carrick's beaten up charm is undeniable, his jaded 'seen it all' take on the world makes for a lively read.

Money Ain't Nothing is an entertaining short story that will have you completely hooked on this character, gruff charm and all. Also highly recommended: First Feature - the first novel in the Anthony Carrick detectives series. Count me in for more, lots, lots more!

-Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands

You can also find the story in multiple other e-Book formats on Smashwords, also only $0.99!:

Money Ain't Nothing, by Jason Blacker on Smashwords

You can also visit Jason online at:

jasonblacker.com

And on his brand new Twitter page:

Jason Blacker on Twitter

Happy reading, always, my friends! :)

~Rai

I've updated my Twitter page with the Great Sphinx!

2011-05-21T13:07:00.000-06:00

I thought I would spiffy up my Twitter page, and what better way to do that than with the magnificent Great Sphinx of Giza! It's a gorgeous image of the Sphinx & pyramids lit up at night, quite breathtaking - check out the before and after pix (as seen with the original Twitter layout, which shows more of the background image):

Before:

After:

Spanky or what?! I love it :)

Cheers,

~Rai

Secret of the Sands - How it Came to Be...

2011-04-25T23:29:00.000-06:00

We get a lot of questions about how the story of Secret of the Sands came to be, it's been really, really cool to see how interested people are in its creation, how fascinated they are by the story, and the meaning behind it. It's come up so often, that I thought I would share more about it. It's probably a lot longer journey than most people realize. Although we've been asked about it numerous times in interviews and fan letters, I've never talked about the story's creation in this much detail before. Now that we're getting closer to the finished version of its sequel, Destiny of the Sands, I have found myself reflecting often about the process of bringing Secret of the Sands to life. I wanted to share with you a bit more of what that journey was like, and reveal for the first time, just how long it took to get to the finished version, and how much work really went into it. As I've said many times before, I am immensely proud of the story. Writing it was one of the most fun and meaningful things I've done in my life. I dedicated myself fully to its creation and to supporting it thereafter. I hope this post gives you greater insight into Secret of the Sands…

As I've mentioned before, the story idea itself came from a program on the Discovery Channel, where archaeologists were debating the actual age of the Sphinx and discussing how it could be many thousands of years older than the history texts state. We had already decided to write an epic story, and once I saw that - boom! - I knew we had our story. My co-author & I had both been fascinated by ancient Egypt our whole lives, so writing about it was so natural, so welcome, so fun, it was irresistible!

The finished story was actually over 200,000 words in length - yeah, that's an extra almost 100,000 words (more than enough for another novel & then some!), than the finished version, which clocked in at about 114,000 words. Crazy big! Secret of the Sands is still a bit on the long side as far as novels go. I will confess to being the culprit of that - I can write & write & write…not all of it "keepers" of course, not by a loooong shot! Volume has never been a problem for me, in anything written. Makes for a lot (& I mean A LOT!) of extra editing, lol! I inadvertently created a lot of extra work for us - oi!, but then, we always have a lot of stuff to choose from, so there are pros and cons. Who knows, maybe one day we'll release the "director's cut" - an extended version of the story, showing much more of what happened between the scenes than remained in the final story. Everything is still there, who knows where the extras may pop up… ;)

More than that? It took us around six years to write (we were doing it part-time, on weekends, and at first, we'd only meet every few weeks). More than that? There is a companion document that contained our research on numerous aspects of the story, story notes/author commentary, character background information, story background, timelines, detailed chapter outlines/story arcs, alternate endings, deleted scenes, prequel sections, detailed descriptions of the religion & of the ancient society, of weapons, mythology, etc. That document itself is alone 153,000 words long - oh yeah, we put our work into it!

A little side note on Rai - I'm a perfectionist, and a little OCD, so I will keep writing & writing & writing, trying to perfect the story, then afterwards, when it comes to editing, I edit & edit & edit before and after it goes to other people to edit. (I had to stop myself from writing a mini-book & taking weeks just for this blog post! I'm terrible!)

So, Secret of the Sands is an archaeology adventure, a historical fantasy tale, but there's a lot more to it than meets the eye… :)

I hope you've found this interesting, every writer's journey is different, and personal, and unique. This is where we started. This is how it happened. Now we are in the process of finalizing the sequel, Destiny of the Sands, which was started a few years ago. Are we slow? Yup! Is that good? Nope. Do I intend to speed things up from here on in? Yup! But, having said that, I am still going to ensure the absolute best version of the sequel goes out to our readers. I've also got three more solo novels feeling terribly neglected that are going to want attention again soon. As soon as Destiny is up & running, I'll be focusing on them. Rest assured though, before anything is released, an incredible amount of effort goes into it. I love what I do and care deeply about our readers - I want to give you the best possible experience for what we are offering, so that when you choose to spend some time with these books, it will be time well spent…

I wanted to write this to give our readers more insight into how this all came to be. Your interest has meant so much to me. As we get closer to the release date for the sequel, I will begin a newsletter to keep everyone posted on ETAs, etc. If you've written in to us, you will automatically be included in the distribution list. I will share more insights & experiences, too, as we go. I may add to this post eventually as well, with future posts, on the creation of these stories, as well as more about the meaning behind them.

Happy reading always!

~Rai

Top 5 Marketing Tips for Authors

2011-04-16T15:16:00.000-06:00

G'day!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend! I wanted to share (albeit a little late, been terribly swamped lately!) my guest post on Tony Eldridge's blog, Book Marketing Strategies and Tips for Authors. Tony is a great guy, very smart, and a super-talented author (check out The Samson Effect!) to boot, so I was honored to be asked to be a guest poster there.

Here is the link to my post:

Top 5 Marketing Tips for Authors, by Rai Aren

I hope you find it helpful. Please feel free to share any comments you have as well. I very much enjoy supporting & encouraging my fellow authors... :)

While, I'm on that subject, here is the link to Tony's book, it's a great read!

Cheers!

Rai Aren, co-author of the award-winning mystery novel Secret of the Sands - only $2.99 on kindle!

Sweet - on sale on Amazon! Award-winning archaeology adventure novel Secret of the Sands

2011-03-27T23:17:00.000-06:00

Amazon has our first edition trade paperback ON SALE for only $12.97! That's great news as it makes it even more affordable for interested readers :)

Here's the link:

You can also find our new Second Edition on kindle for the low price of only $2.99:

As always, we are deeply grateful for all of the fans who write in all over the net to tell us how much they enjoyed the story - that means everything to us… :)

Cheers & happy reading always!

Rai Aren, co-author Secret of the Sands

Sale! 26% off Secret of the Sands for Read an E-book Week on Smashwords!

2011-03-06T16:08:00.000-07:00

G'day avid readers,

I just added Secret of the Sands to the Read an E-book Week promotions on Smashwords, starting today & running for one week. It's 26% off - it's easy-breezy, just download the coupon provided on this link:

Secret of the Sands on Smashwords

Secret of the Sands is available in multiple eBook formats on Smashwords. I'd be honored if you'd add it to your eReader :)

It's so exciting to see eBooks taking off, it's a great sign that people are reading more books more often - always a good thing!

Please pass the word on to readers you think would enjoy the story.

Cheers & happy reading always, my friends!

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...

"The authors have successfully woven a story based on archeological events mixed with their own ideas of what happened to the Sphinx and the mysteries surrounding it."- www.sabrinareviews.com

"Rai Aren & Tavius E. write a spellbinding mix of mystery, history, fantasy, and adventure in this tale of two histories - one told in the present, the other told from the past - telling a story of misused power, learning how to trust, and the fate of civilization."- www.TeensReadToo.com

Featured Authors of the month - us! Yaay!

2011-03-06T00:06:00.001-07:00

Big thanks to Geri Ahearn for our super-cool author feature for March 2011, here's the link:

Featured Author of the Month/MARCH/2011* RAI AREN & TAVIUS E.

Here are a couple of excerpts from our feature:

"AN IMPRESSIVE EPIC STORY OF ENDURING APPEAL ACROSS GENERATIONS!"

AWARD WINNING "SECRET OF THE SANDS" is as Intelligent as CLEOPATRA, as Entertaining as STARGATE & as Captivating as THE TEN COMMANDMENTS!

And here is a link to my author interview with Geri:

Geri's interview with Rai Aren

I'd be honored if you'd stop by & have a read :)

Cheers & happy reading always, my friends!

Rai Aren, co-author of 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, two archaeologists discover mysterious artifacts belonging to an unknown civilization. A frightening and awe-inspiring story unravels as the archaeologists race against time to decipher the dangerous knowledge they hold…

Kindle Bestseller! Secret of the Sands adventure novel - only $2.99!

2011-02-20T17:06:00.000-07:00

While I am here sharing my latest fave reads, I wanted to share our cool news, too - SECRET OF THE SANDS, our award-winning mystery novel, has been on several Kindle Bestseller lists for many weeks now. Thank-you SO MUCH to our readers & fans!! You mean everything to us :)

Here is a screen shot of our Amazon.com standings (link included below):

Secret of the Sands Kindle edition on Amazon.com - only $2.99!

And our Amazon UK standings (link also included below):

Secret of the Sands Bestselling Amazon UK Kindle edition - only £2.15

I am thrilled! Writing this archaeology adventure novel was a labor of love, and a story we ourselves, would enjoy, so knowing it is finding its readership is a great honor!

Happy reading always, my friends!

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

The Power, by Rhonda Byrne: 5-stars

2011-02-20T16:01:00.000-07:00

Here is another book that I highly recommend:

The Power - 5-stars

Uplifting and Profound

I was inspired by The Secret, and when I saw The Power, my curiosity was immediately piqued. The cover was so lovely, the description was captivating, so I gifted myself this book. Although at first the teachings of this book may seem simplistic, they are actually quite profound. The knowledge and wisdom imparted through its pages have changed my life for the better. I put the recommendations to work in my daily life and experienced immediate, ongoing positive results and changes. It is something I will forever be grateful for. I will continue to use The Power in my own life, for the rest of my life. I am a more positive & happy person because of it.

Not only is this a deeply meaningful book, but it is nothing short of a work of art. The design and illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. Aesthetically, it is such a pleasure to read through, and the imagery serves to drive home its points. The Power is a book that I will give to my friends and family for special occasions, and whenever I notice someone in my life in need of its teachings.

I rarely read a book twice, but The Power is a book I will refer to again and again throughout the rest of my life. It is that good, that meaningful. I wish everyone would read it and embrace what it teaches. The world would be a much happier, kinder place. I am uplifted by having read it and enjoy the benefits regularly. Bring some positive energy into your own life, change your relationships and circumstances for the better by reading The Power and putting its teachings into practice. A new you and a new world awaits...

Happy reading always, my friends!

Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands

5-stars: Deep Storm, by Lincoln Child

2011-02-20T15:57:00.000-07:00

G'day avid readers,

I am finally catching up on writing my book reviews (which I do whenever I read something I love & find worth sharing), so here is one of my latest:

My review:

Deep Storm - 5-stars

Unputdownable thriller!

Deep Storm is one of the best thrillers I've ever read. It has flawless pacing, an incredibly interesting story, an excellent sense of place, non-stop action, and just the right amount of character development. It has a tantalizing touch of the paranormal, a mysterious historical event that keeps surprising and unfolding, along with a great setting. The setting of an offshore oil rig and deepsea lab offers an intimacy of place, exotic to the everyday person, that envelops the reader. It should come with a warning that says "Contents Under Pressure" - you feel the deadly pressure of the ocean you are taken deep into, along with ever-mounting action and the relentless unveiling of fascinating mystery after mystery. The story stays tight to the protagonist's point of view, so you feel you are walking the halls, seeing and experiencing everything right along with him. There were many times where I felt like I was looking characters in the eye and feeling the mounting tension all around. Action and reactions were always believable. You are never separated from the central action and purpose of the story. I was riveted.

I've read a lot of thrillers and after reading Deep Storm I came to better appreciate the solid pacing that keeps the reader turning pages, balanced with just the right amount of description of environment and action so that you can picture and imagine everything, but not get bogged down in endless showy descriptions that sometimes can seem like author showmanship and slow the story down. This never happens here, though it is superbly researched. Deep Storm is just excellent storytelling, with a perfect blend of action and intrigue. The only thing I could say might have been improved upon was that I wish the explanation at the end could have been developed a little further. There's so much build up to it, it's such a cool concept, that I would have liked to stay with it just a little longer and explore it a bit more. Having said that, it is sufficient and I can understand why it was done the way it was.

I honestly could not put this book down, the story grabs you from page one and never lets go. It's a 5-star read all the way. Every day I looked so forward to diving back into the story and eagerly did so. I think this is the fastest I've read any book. Lincoln Child has the gift for penning thrillers, no doubt. Highly recommended!

Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands

UK Kindle Bestseller! Award-winning mystery novel Secret of the Sands

2011-01-05T00:43:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share our happy news that Secret of the Sands, the 2009 ReadersFavorite.Com "Fiction-Mystery" Silver Medalist, is an Amazon.co.uk kindle Bestseller.

Here's the link:

Secret of the Sands kindle UK edition

Like a proud parent, I took a picture:

If you're a kindle-peep from across the pond, I'd be honored if you'd add it to your virtual shelves :)

You can also find it on Amazon.com kindle, where it's popping up regularly on 3 bestseller lists, including "Fantasy-Historical" for ONLY $2.99! (see screenshot below):

Secret of the Sands Second Edition kindle

...and on Smashwords, in multiple formats, also ONLY $2.99!:

Secret of the Sands on Smashwords

Happy reading always!

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

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...

"The authors have successfully woven a story based on archeological events mixed with their own ideas of what happened to the Sphinx and the mysteries surrounding it."
- www.sabrinareviews.com

Fantastic new 5-star review for Secret of the Sands!

2011-01-02T02:12:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year everyone!

I hope 2011 is starting off well for all of you :)

I wanted to share the latest awesome review of our award-winning mystery novel, SECRET OF THE SANDS:

5-stars: "AN IMPRESSIVE EPIC STORY OF ENDURING APPEAL ACROSS GENERATIONS!"

Mitch and Alex find a mysterious box, while working on a dig near the statue of the Great Sphinx in Egypt, and uncover artifacts that could possibly be the biggest discovery in archaeological history. How could these artifacts exist, and will a mystery be solved, or is there a plan to destroy another society? The students continue their mission with assistance from Bob and Jack to research the significant findings, but do not share any information with the Professor. Did the Professor intend to ruin the lives of Mitch and Alex, so that he could take all the credit? Could the Professor be trusted, and was he jealous? What secret is hidden in the desert sands as the characters come to life, along with ancient civilization? I highly recommend this spellbinding adventure that spotlights archaeological theories as it takes the reader on a thrill ride, to all lovers of the ancient world who enjoy mystery and suspense with a blend of humor and romance. The interesting characters, along with a fascinating plot capture the reader's attention from beginning to end, while fueling the imagination as you crave for more with a burning desire for the next episode. Rai Aren and Tavius E. takes the reader back twelve-thousand years to the origins of the artifacts through ancient history and excitement as they create one of the Greatest stories ever told! The two authors become Master storytellers through detailed research and fantasy with an incredible imagination in an adventure made for the movie screen. A painting is made with metaphysical and mystical happenings, and the portrait is colored with past and present archaeology of Egypt. The mesmerizing story is clear and concise with all of Egypt's glory, leaving the reader in pure contentment. What kind of power was found in this relic? How old is the Great Sphinx as mysteries blow through the desert wind? How many years do we go back to meet the royal family of King Traeus? Who were the builders of the pyramids? When did deceit and adultery exist? What did the book from a cylinder found by Alex and Mitch symbolize? What did the dreams that Alex had represent? How old are the scrolls, and what language are they written in? "SECRET OF THE SANDS" is as intelligent as CLEOPATRA, as entertaining as STARGATE and as captivating as THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, with Charlton Heston, and Yul Brynner. - Geri Ahearn

www.reviewedbyauthorgeriahearn.blogspot.com

***********

You can find our trade paperback edition at the new lower price of $14.95 (was $17.95) here:

And our brand new Second Edition kindle ON SALE for only $2.99:

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...

"The authors have successfully woven a story based on archeological events mixed with their own ideas of what happened to the Sphinx and the mysteries surrounding it."
- www.sabrinareviews.com

"Rai Aren & Tavius E. write a spellbinding mix of mystery, history, fantasy, and adventure in this tale of two histories - one told in the present, the other told from the past - telling a story of misused power, learning how to trust, and the fate of civilization." -www.TeensReadToo.com

Holiday sale! Kindle & paperback editions of award-winning mystery novel Secret of the Sands!

2010-12-16T23:20:00.000-07:00

Just in time for the holiday season the trade paperback edition of our award-winning, bestselling archaeology adventure novel, Secret of the Sands is now on sale! The price has been reduced from $17.95 to $14.95! If you are a fellow bookaholic or know an avid reader in your circle of family & friends, especially ones who love a good mystery novel & are fascinated by ancient Egypt and the Great Sphinx of Giza we hope you'll add it to your list! It's also a great way to use those always fun to give & receive Amazon gift certificates :)

Here's the link:

A Prophecy was Told…

An ancient prophecy, thousands of years old, told of the coming of the Chosen one, but she will be both loved and feared, and some will stop at nothing to defy everything she represents

A Secret Long Buried…

A secret power that once proved too deadly, was hidden away deep beneath the sands of Egypt, only to be revealed by its sworn guardians when the time came that the knowledge would be safe

A Deadly Riddle is Unlocked…

Two young archaeologists fatefully unearth unusual artifacts dating over 12,000 years old. The exhilarating find however, is wrong - very wrong. The artifacts shouldn’t be there…they shouldn’t even exist at all

A Power Unleashed…

Now after remaining dormant for 12,000 years, the secret has been uncovered, and its true purpose suspected. What will be the greatest discovery in human history will either change us forever or destroy us for trying…

SECRET OF THE SANDS also makes a great stocking stuffer & provides hours of entertainment!

The brand new second edition on Amazon kindle is also on sale now for the low price of only $2.99:

Dive into an ancient mystery & go on an adventure in the sands of Egypt…

Happy Holidays to you & yours! May all your holiday dreams come true... :)

Rai Aren, co-author of 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

Holiday sale! Award-winning mystery novel Secret of the Sands, now only $2.99!

2010-12-15T00:53:00.001-07:00

Just in time for the holiday season - the second edition kindle version of our award-winning, bestselling archaeology adventure novel, Secret of the Sands is now on sale for the low price of only $2.99! Here's the link:

Secret of the Sands 2nd edition kindle - on sale for the holidays for only $2.99!

This is the brand-new second edition just launched! It's the same great story with an exciting new cover, to celebrate its newly expanded distribution. We are thrilled that the book is making its way into many more online stores!

If you have a kindle, or a kindle-loving reader in your circle of family & friends, especially ones who love a good mystery novel & are fascinated by ancient Egypt and the Great Sphinx of Giza we hope you'll add SECRET OF THE SANDS to your list!

A Prophecy was Told…

An ancient prophecy, thousands of years old, told of the coming of the Chosen one, but she will be both loved and feared, and some will stop at nothing to defy everything she represents

A Secret Long Buried…

A secret power that once proved too deadly, was hidden away deep beneath the sands of Egypt, only to be revealed by its sworn guardians when the time came that the knowledge would be safe

A Deadly Riddle is Unlocked…

Two young archaeologists fatefully unearth unusual artifacts dating over 12,000 years old. The exhilarating find however, is wrong - very wrong. The artifacts shouldn’t be there…they shouldn’t even exist at all

A Power Unleashed…

Now after remaining dormant for 12,000 years, the secret has been uncovered, and its true purpose suspected. What will be the greatest discovery in human history will either change us forever or destroy us for trying…

Now how irresistible is that for only $2.99?! Dive into an ancient mystery & go on an adventure in the sands of Egypt…

Happy Holidays to you & yours!

Rai Aren, co-author of 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

Holiday sale! Award-winning mystery novel Secret of the Sands, now only $2.99!

2010-12-13T23:17:00.000-07:00

Just in time for the holiday season for - the eBook edition of our award-winning, bestselling archaeology adventure novel, Secret of the Sands is now on sale for the low price of only $2.99! It's offered in multiple eBook formats on Smashwords for easy downloading. Here's the link:

Secret of the Sands - only $2.99 on Smashwords!

This is the brand-new second edition just launched! It's the same great story with an exciting new cover, to celebrate its newly expanded distribution. We are thrilled that the book is making its way into many more online stores!

If you have an eReader, or an eBook-loving reader in your circle of family & friends, especially ones who love a good mystery novel & are fascinated by ancient Egypt and the Great Sphinx of Giza we hope you'll add SECRET OF THE SANDS to your list!

A Prophecy was Told…

An ancient prophecy, thousands of years old, told of the coming of the Chosen one, but she will be both loved and feared, and some will stop at nothing to defy everything she represents

A Secret Long Buried…

A secret power that once proved too deadly, was hidden away deep beneath the sands of Egypt, only to be revealed by its sworn guardians when the time came that the knowledge would be safe

A Deadly Riddle is Unlocked…

Two young archaeologists fatefully unearth unusual artifacts dating over 12,000 years old. The exhilarating find however, is wrong - very wrong. The artifacts shouldn’t be there…they shouldn’t even exist at all

A Power Unleashed…

Now after remaining dormant for 12,000 years, the secret has been uncovered, and its true purpose suspected. What will be the greatest discovery in human history will either change us forever or destroy us for trying…

Now how irresistible is that for only $2.99?! Dive into an ancient mystery & go on an adventure in the sands of Egypt…

Happy Holidays to you & yours!

Rai Aren, co-author of 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

P.S You can also find the first edition in trade paperback format:

It's live! The second edition of award-winning archaeology adventure novel Secret of the Sands

2010-12-06T00:37:00.000-07:00

G'day everyone!

I wanted to pass along the news that we now have a second edition, of our award-winning mystery novel, SECRET OF THE SANDS. It is the same great story, with a spanky, new cover. The reason for the second edition is that we will branching the book out to many, many more markets. Here is the link:

Secret of the Sands second edition on kindle

If you haven't already read the original edition, (which is still available), I would be honored if you would give it a read :)

Happy reading always, kindle peeps!

Rai Aren, co-author of 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

Happy to share our latest author feature with you!

2010-11-30T23:47:00.001-07:00

Hi all,

I am very pleased to share our latest author feature on author Geri Ahearn's blog:

www.authorgeriahearnsbookreviews.blogspot.com

My sincere thanks to Geri for all of her hard work! She is a delightful lady. You can also find her on Facebook:

Geri Ahearn on Facebook

Be sure to subscribe to her blog to see all of the cool features she has.

Happy reading always!

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

Announcing the Second Edition of Secret of the Sands!

2010-11-28T20:55:00.001-07:00

Hey book peeps,

For the last few weeks I have been working on putting together a new Second edition of our award-winning mystery novel SECRET OF THE SANDS. It's the same cool story, with a even cooler cover! Here it is:

The publishing process is underway to roll the book out across pretty much all online platforms. The first stop is Smashwords:

Secret of the Sands on Smashwords

Shortly, it should be included in their Premium Catalog, which will allow the book to be available in the following places in addition to the Smashwords catalog:

* Apple's iBookstore
* Barnes & Noble
* Sony
* Kobo
* Borders (powered by Kobo)
* the Diesel eBookstore
* Whitcoulls (New Zealand, powered by Kobo)

I am also working on getting it onto Amazon kindle. I will let you all know as soon as these processes are complete.

For all of our fans, who continue to write in to us to tell us how much they love the story, rest assured, we haven't changed anything there. It's just got a spanky new cover, which I think evokes the substance of the story even more. The second edition allows me to make the book available on many more platforms, and while I was considering that, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to reinvent the cover. I'm extremely excited about this, and totally thrilled with the result!

I also want to pass along my sincere thanks for the hard work & incredible talent of the two people who have been helping me put the second edition together:

* Cover: Gary Val Tenuta, one of the best graphic designers I've come across. Here's the link to his site if you would like to tap his talents:

GVTgrafix: www.bookcoversandvideos.webs.com

* eBook formatting & design: Greg Banks @ BDDesign LLC, he really knows his stuff!: www.bddesignonline.com

Both of these guys are talented, professional & fantastic to work with. Highly recommended!

I will be updating our website and all of my online profiles to reflect the new images. I will also provide links as I get them to all of the great retailers where the book can be found. I may also consider a print edition with the new cover at some point. The first edition print & eBook will remain available in all of the current places.

I hope you like the new cover! I am over the moon about it... :)

Happy reading always, my friends!

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

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

2010-10-27T16:06:00.000-06:00

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!

2010-10-25T18:03:00.001-06:00

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

2010-10-25T17:26:00.003-06:00

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!

2010-10-10T14:21:00.000-06:00

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

2010-10-06T11:49:00.000-06:00

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

Rai's new interview on Kent Holloway Online

2010-09-22T21:18:00.002-06:00

Hey everyone,

I was fortunate to be invited for an author interview and feature for our archaeology adventure novel, SECRET OF THE SANDS, on publisher/author/real-life CSI Kent Holloway's blog. Kent gave me a very warm & fun introduction & it was a great interview. I thoroughly enjoyed myself! I'm also honored to be in such great company, previous features have included authors Steve Perry (of Indiana Jones & Star Wars fame!), Scott Sigler, Jim Butcher, Steven Saville, Sean Ellis, David Sakmyster, Kristina Schram, Rick Chesler, Stacey Kennedy, amongst many others. My tbr pile certainly grew checking out all of these interesting features! Here's the link:

http://kenthollowayonline.blogspot.com/

I invite you to stop by & have a read. Feel free to leave a comment, too, for myself, Kent, or any of the other authors, we'd love to hear from you :)

My thanks to Kent for his hard work and efforts! Kent is the author of Primal Thirst, a "spine-chilling suspense" novel. It's on my list!

Happy reading always!

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

Secret of the Sands - award-winning adventure novel climbs higher on the Bestseller lists & is now also available in the UK!

2010-08-24T18:43:00.002-06:00

Hi fellow book peeps,

Like a proud parent, I wanted to share a couple of cool news items about our adventure novel Secret of the Sands. For the last several months, the novel has been a consistent feature on the Historical Fiction Bestseller list for Amazon kindle, and today I noticed that we have reached one of our highest positions on the list - #29, and we are now appearing on a second Bestseller list for kindle - "Genre Fiction, Historical". That is really thrilling!! We are deeply grateful to all of our readers!! Here is a screen shot of our proud moment, of which I'm all aglow :)

This is doubly wonderful news, because our terrific publisher, Maine Desk/Bristlecone Pine Press, has just recently made the ebook edition available in the UK as well. We are so jazzed to be branching out around the world. Here is a link:

Secret of the Sands adventure novel - Amazon kindle UK

Secret of the Sands is actually a multi-genre novel, suitable for young adult to adult audiences. It is a mix of adventure, mystery, suspense, action, alternative historical fiction & speculative sci-fi (the kind of story that is catnip to me!). It has both light-hearted aspects, as well as serious moments and events. The description that sums it up is that the book is a little Indiana Jones meets The Mummy meets National Treasure.

From the back cover:

A Prophecy was Told…

An ancient prophecy, thousands of years old, told of the coming of the Chosen one, but she will be both loved and feared, and some will stop at nothing to defy everything she represents.

A Secret Long Buried…

A secret power that once proved too deadly, was hidden away deep beneath the sands of Egypt, only to be revealed by its sworn guardians when the time came that the knowledge would be safe.

A Deadly Riddle is Unlocked…

Two young archaeologists fatefully unearth unusual artifacts dating over 12,000 years old. The exhilarating find however, is wrong - very wrong. The artifacts shouldn’t be there…they shouldn’t even exist at all.

A Power Unleashed…

Now after remaining dormant for 12,000 years, the secret has been uncovered, and its true purpose suspected. What will be the greatest discovery in human history will either change us forever or destroy us for trying…

Happy reading always my friends! Thank-you once again to our readers - you mean the world to us!!!

Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands

Rai Aren

Author

Secret of the Sands

Read Now - http://bit.ly/15WZUp

Twitter - @raiaren

Book review: Pyramid, by Tom Martin

2010-08-11T15:22:00.000-06:00

Good day friends,

I do like to take note of books that I enjoy, so here is my latest book review. It's on the novel, Pyramid, by Tom Martin:

Ancient wonders are the draw

This book had me hooked by the plot - an ancient mystery with dire warnings for the present, the settings - Peru & Egypt, and the genre - archaeological adventure/thriller. I have always been fascinated by ancient Egypt, so it was irresistible! I found Pyramid to be an easy read, fairly engaging, and enjoyable. The settings and sense of place were well done. I especially liked the focus on ancient history and mythology - those aspects of the story were fascinating.

I would have liked more follow-through for the book's antagonists and their mission, which started off strong, more impetus for the main characters to do what they were doing and for them to have made a bigger impact on the story's ending. Though they chased around the world (spending a lot of money on flights without specific aims), they didn't actually accomplish or affect much and the ending wasn't as strong as it could have been. I did like the main characters however and the pacing of the book was good.

Overall, I found Pyramid to be an entertaining read with a lot of interesting information presented. That for me was the book's strongest feature, so if you're like me and enjoy being entertained by ancient mysteries in an adventure setting, it's a good read. I liked it enough that I look forward to reading Tom Martin's next book, Kingdom:

Happy reading always my friends!

Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands

Join me on Goodreads this Friday, June 25th for a Q&A on I Love Canadian Authors!

2010-06-21T23:18:00.001-06:00

Hi there fellow book enthusiasts,

As I have mentioned many times, Goodreads is one of my favorite sites. I am also proud to be a member of the Goodreads group "I Love Canadian Authors" & was honored to be invited to participate in their Author Q&A. My turn is this Friday, June 25th, and I will be available to answer questions throughout the day.

Here is the link to the group on Goodreads:

I Love Canadian Authors group

And here is the link to the Author Q&A thread:

Author Q&A

I am following on the heels of some very cool authors, so do stop by & check out the previous Q&A's - there's lots of interesting things being asked & shared.

Of course, like many of the other participants, I will keep an eye on my thread after my day and respond to addition questions that come in. If you are not already a Goodreads member, but books are an important part of your life, I encourage you to join!

I am looking forward to this & thank the moderators of the "I Love Canadian Authors" group very much for this opportunity. Talk to you soon!

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

Secret of the Sands - Bestseller for Historical Fiction!

2010-06-21T17:42:00.000-06:00

Good day!

I wanted to share our cool news - our award-winning mystery novel Secret of the Sands has been on the Amazon kindle BESTSELLER list for Historical Fiction for the last several weeks. Whoohoo!! We have our awesome readers to thank for that!

Currently, we are at #75, here's a screen shot:

We are so very grateful for each & every reader. We love to entertain you! I also want to pass along to our fans who take the time to write in to tell us how much they enjoyed Secret of the Sands - that gives us big, huge warm fuzzies every time :)

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

Interview with Rai Aren on thriller author Sean Ellis' site

2010-05-26T19:38:00.002-06:00

G'day peeps,

I wanted to pass along a link to my latest interview. We talk about our award-winning, bestselling adventure novel Secret of the Sands, its upcoming sequel, Destiny of the Sands, and more. I was honored to be invited as a guest on thriller author Sean Ellis' website. Sean is the author of The Shroud of Heaven. Other authors he has featured are Kent Holloway, Nicholas Boving, Steven Savile, Paul Byers, David Wood, Barry Reese, and Craig Smith. I am delighted to be in their company. Their interviews/features are all worthy and entertaining reads. I encourage you to check them all out while you're there. Here is the link:

Sean Ellis - "Authors You Need to Read!"

I thought I would also share a link to Sean's novel, I've ordered my copy and I am looking very forward to reading it:

The Shroud of Heaven on sale on Amazon

My sincere thanks to Sean for the opportunity to be a guest author on his site! Thanks for your time & happy reading always :)

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

Celebrating Secret of the Sands' BESTSELLER status for Historical Fiction!!

2010-05-24T19:38:00.001-06:00

Hi friends & fellow readers,

I was doing my dance of joy this week as Secret of the Sands kindle edition spent a couple of days on Amazon's BESTSELLER list for Historical Fiction, reaching at least #78. That is a huge honor for us & I want to pass along our sincere thanks to our readers - you're everything to us!

I'll take a moment to show off the screen shot of our super-cool bestselling standing:

Yippee!! Here is the link to the kindle edition:

Secret of the Sands kindle edition

Our readers rock!

Happy reading always my friends :)

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

Come & check out Book Town

2010-05-23T21:14:00.006-06:00

Hi fellow authors,

I wanted to pass the word along about one of the very cool ning sites out there. It's called Book Town and here is their mission statement:

"The social network that brings writers, readers & artists together. From novels to short stories Book Town is the place to promote your work."

The site has discussion forums, a bookstore, groups, various resources organized by genre, and more. We all have many choices in our social networking, and with some sites, it can be challenging to find places within that are on point with your needs and goals. Book Town makes a great addition to your social networking activities if you are interested in writing, reading, or are an artist.

Here is a link to the site:

http://booktown.ning.com/

and here is a little more info on what they are about:

"Book Town was built to provide a social network that brings writers of novels, graphic novels, short stories, poems, quotes, and artist together to:

* Provide assistance to the novice writer by building a network of accomplished authors who are willing to give pointers and advice to beginners in need of assistance.

* Gain additional exposure for authors to promote their projects by way of book sales, video trailers, contest, and by posting appearances in book fairs, book signings, radio and TV appearances."

Also, as many of you know, the free ning sites are no longer, but Book Town is not one of them, so you can rest assured your profile will remain. I have been a member since shortly after their inception and there are lots of cool peeps there to engage with & learn from. If you are an author, they are also offering opportunities for FREE promotion, including author features & a Book of the Week program. Sign up & check it out! Do befriend me there, too :)

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

Book review: 5-stars for Knight Eternal, by Glenn G. Thater

2010-05-18T17:31:00.003-06:00

Knight Eternal

Here is another of my most recent book reviews, also posted on Goodreads, Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Knight Eternal, the follow up book to Harbinger of Doom (made up of two stories, The Gateway & The Fallen Angle) was a most excellent read by author Glenn G. Thater. If you are a fan of fantasy stories, this one - in fact all of Glenn's books - are for you.

Here is a description of the story:

"In Knight Eternal, Glenn G. Thater transports us to an age of high adventure where knights battle supernatural creatures, political intrigues abound, ancient fiends lurk in the mist, and the line between good and evil is all too thin. This next volume in the epic Harbinger of Doom series is certain to delight fantasy fans everywhere. KNIGHT ETERNAL Lord Angle Theta, Claradon Eotrus, and Ob the gnome battle fanatical monks, deadly bounty hunters, and otherworldly fiends whose merest touch is death, in their relentless pursuit of Korrgonn, Lord of Chaos. Meanwhile, Korrgonn stops at nothing to acquire the fabled Orb of Wisdom, that ancient talisman that can return Azathoth and his kingdom to Midgaard. But the fate of the world turns when Claradon faces DeBoors, the ancient sword-master who has sworn to slay him."

And here is my review:

"5-stars: Pure Excellence in the Fantasy Genre

The author, Glenn G. Thater, wrote this story based on 1200-year old documents about an enigmatic character, Lord Angle Theta, and his epic journeys and battles. There is even evidence dating all the way back to 2600 B.C. that speaks to the Angle Theta lore. The author has updated this lost tale into the fantasy novel Knight Eternal. It is a battle of good vs. evil in a time of gnomes, elves & knights, and sword & sorcery. Terrible evil has befallen a vast land, creeping into places everywhere - seen and unseen - and corrupting countless people. A cadre of souls sets out to save a comrade after a merciless attack, restore justice and stability, and exact revenge.

Like his first book, Harbinger of Doom (made up of two stories - The Gateway & The Fallen Angle), this is, in my opinion, truly excellent fantasy literature. Many of the themes will be be familiar to fans of the fantasy genre, but it's possible that's because the ancient lore these books are derived from predates many other fantasy stories. Perhaps the intriguing and highly entertaining stories of the intensely mysterious and powerful Angle Theta were amongst of the original sources of inspiration for these later tales. It is obvious to me the appeal of these tales and why they lived on.

I am not exaggerating when I say that excellence is in every part of this book - from the dialogue, the settings, the pacing, the plot, to the overall feel of the story. There is not one word that is extraneous or out of place, there is never any place where I wish there had been more description, or better description, better flow, or more excitement. The characters are all clearly drawn out with palpable presences and personalities - my two faves are Ob the Gnome, and Lord Angle Theta, who continuously simmers with nearly unmatched power, danger, and deep mystery. The dialogue is crisp & witty, humorous at times, and always meaningful. The stakes are high and the journey is wild and unpredictable. The story is perfectly put together and, I think, should be read by every fan of the fantasy genre - I mean this all sincerely. It is a classic in the making.

***Possible spoiler alerts - next paragraph only***

What is really surprising & completely refreshing is that near the end of the book, the story is switched over to the bad guys' point of view, and absolutely everything is upended. The reader is then left questioning if they have it backwards, maybe those are actually the good guys (though ultimately, everyone does bad things, no one is blame-free, but everything seems to have solid motivations). This sets this book (and its predecessors) apart from most other stories. It is revelatory, and so incredibly well done, I am enthralled by it. I am not sure who the good guys are, plus there are many shades of grey, and what an agonizing treat for the reader that is. The possibilities this leaves are so tantalizing that I have never wanted to read a sequel so bad. Ever!

***End spoiler alerts***

One thing is important to mention - the story ends suddenly, very suddenly. It really is the first half of a full story. I didn't realize this about the book, there were pages left, but they turned out to be the glossary, so it caught me by surprise. I dearly hope the next installment will be released post haste!

To wrap it up, Knight Eternal is brilliant storytelling in every possible way. So much so, that I want to read every single tale about Angle Theta that has ever existed. Highly recommended!"

You can learn more about these books and the author on Glenn's website:

www.glenngthater.com

and on his Amazon.com Author page:

Glenn G. Thater - Amazon Author page

And here is the link to his book:

Knight Eternal on Amazon

Happy reading always, my friends!

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

Book review: 5-stars The Samson Effect, by Tony Eldridge

2010-05-14T21:53:00.004-06:00

The Samson Effect, by Tony Eldridge, is one of my latest book reviews. It is an action/adventure story that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure."

Here is a description of the story:

Since discovering an ancient scroll in a cave in Hebron, Israel, American biblical archeologist Thomas Hamilton and his trusted friend and colleague, Israeli biblical linguist Michael Sieff, have been consumed with the notion of the Samson Effect—the idea that a long-lost elixir can allow an ordinary person to perform superhuman feats. When they happen upon a worn Hebrew parchment that not only confirms the existence of the Samson Effect but could potentially lead them to its source, the scholars embark on an impassioned crusade for the truth behind the myth.

But Hamilton and Sieff aren’t the only ones intent on uncovering the secret of Samson’s strength. An unrelenting sect of Jewish protectors will let no one stand in the way of their mission to reclaim what they had hidden nearly three thousand years ago, and a brilliant but ruthless Palestinian leader will stop at nothing to find and use the Samson Effect to empower his army of soldiers for a jihad against the world in the name of Allah.

It isn’t long before their joint pursuit becomes a deadly one, and Hamilton and Sieff come to the grim realization that the Samson Effect is more powerful and far-reaching than they ever anticipated. In the wrong hands, it could trigger a worldwide catastrophe.

A chilling and suspenseful tale of political and religious intrigue set in the unforgiving landscape of the Middle East, The Samson Effect wanders the boundaries of obsession and love, betrayal and allegiance, and vengeance and justice.

About the Author

Tony Eldridge has done in-depth studies in Old Testament history, and his writings have been published in numerous national magazines.

Here is my review of the story:

5-stars: Ancient Mystery & Intrigue awaits you in The Samson Effect

I am a big fan of ancient mysteries, action adventure stories & thrillers, so I was immediately intrigued when I came across The Samson Effect & the blurb from Clive Cussler sealed the deal. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it's an engaging read with a good sense of place, relentlessly fast pacing, and is populated with lively, colourful characters. A secret held since biblical times has been protected by an ancient order, but there are opposing forces closing in on it. It can impart superhuman powers & near invincibility, so the draw is irresistible. Should it fall into the wrong hands, the consequences could be disastrous.

Mr. Eldridge certainly has a flair for storytelling and creating an interesting mystery. I would have liked it if he had taken even more time in telling it - relationships & events happened quickly and could have afforded a lengthier path to develop.

The ending hints at more mysteries to come, which I hope does happen. I would not hesitate to pick up the next novel by this author. Recommended for readers who enjoy thrillers, action adventure tales, quick reads, and ancient mysteries.

**********

Here are links related to this book:

The Samson Effect on Amazon.com

Tony Eldridge's Amazon author profile

The Samson Effect on Barnes & Noble

Happy reading!

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

Rai's book reviews

2010-05-14T00:00:00.004-06:00

I thought that I would start to share a selection of my book reviews here. I do a fair bit of them, and my policy is that I only post reviews of books that I can give honest 4 or 5-star reviews to. As a fellow author, I don't want to publicly criticize anyone else's work. I know how much hard work goes into writing a book, and the uphill battle it can be to find one's readership. Sometimes, it's a matter of personal taste, what may make me dislike a certain book, may not bother someone else, or they may like it that way. There are so many reasons why people like or dislike books, and it's certainly not the same for everyone. Preferences and opinions vary. It's also a professional courtesy, I do not put myself out there as a professional reviewer, but rather as an avid reader who simply likes to give credit where credit is due. There are enough official reviewers and bloggers out there to get a wide opinion on a given book.

I love to read (obviously), so there are tons of books I've read that I have not yet reviewed. Maybe one day I'll catch up, perhaps it could be a retirement project! (though I'd have to re-read them all, by then). For now, I will share reviews of selected books that stand out for me on a go-forward basis, because of how well they are written and/or because they are really my cup of tea. I might at some point, choose selected reviews from books I have read in the past and post them here, too.

I also do the odd movie review, though I haven't written as many of those recently, probably because movies have to be really special for me to take the time to write a review (books are my main focus and like everyone else, there's a time shortage in my universe!). However, for the films I did take the time to review, my reviews can be found in a couple of places. First is my Amazon profile, which also has most of my book reviews posted there:

Rai's Amazon profile

and my MySpace page in the blog section:

Rai's MySpace page

My MySpace blog is the most varied of my three blogs (the other two are this one & Goodreads), so there is a wider variety of topics there than on the others.

All of my book reviews can also be found on my Goodreads profile:

Rai's Goodreads profile

I hope that my reviews help you find some more worthy reads you might not have come across yet or encourage you to pick up a book you were just considering.

As always, happy reading my friends!

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

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

2010-04-26T18:12:00.012-06:00

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:

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!

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:

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

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

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…

Rai Aren

Author

Secret of the Sands

Read Now - http://bit.ly/15WZUp

Twitter - @raiaren

"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

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

2010-04-19T22:51:00.001-06:00

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:

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

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

Rai Aren

Author

Secret of the Sands

Read Now - http://bit.ly/15WZUp

Twitter - @raiaren

Goodreads iPhone version 1.0.3 is now live!

2010-04-14T20:00:00.003-06:00

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

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

2010-04-12T18:17:00.003-06:00

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

Tweet with Rai

Rai Aren's Goodreads profile

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

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

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

2010-04-08T15:30:00.003-06:00

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 :)

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...

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

Rai Aren

Author

Secret of the Sands

Read Now - http://bit.ly/15WZUp

Twitter - @raiaren

Award-winning mystery novel Secret of the Sands - New Canadian Distribution Deal!

2010-03-31T21:18:00.004-06:00

I am very pleased and proud to announce that Canadian distributor, Red Tuque Books, has struck a deal to carry our award-winning mystery novel Secret of the Sands. This will more easily allow all of those super-cool Canadian bookstores & libraries to stock the book on their shelves.

Our ISBN for ordering is: 9781419675522

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

Here is the link to the Red Tuque website where you can learn more about them:

www.redtuquebooks.ca

They have been invited to present at the 2010 BC Library Conference on April 22nd, 23rd and 24th, where there will be representatives from about 350 BC libraries. If you are attending the conference, be sure to say hello to Red Tuque and ask about adding our Indiana-Jones style adventure novel to your shelves. Help support indie efforts & fellow Canadians by ordering from Red Tuque! :)

Don't forget, Secret of the Sands has undergone an upgrade, so it is even more polished & awesome than ever! The new version should be on the market in two weeks or less (I'll let you know as soon as it's there!).

Who would love it? Anyone from ages 12-112, people who love National Treasure, The Mummy movies, and Indiana Jones, readers who love suspense, adventure, alternate 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

Rai Aren

Author

Secret of the Sands

Read Now - http://bit.ly/15WZUp

Twitter - @raiaren

Latest ETA on updated version of Secret of the Sands, award-winning mystery novel

2010-03-30T21:10:00.004-06:00

Hey everyone,

Well, it's taken a little longer than I thought to update our adventure novel Secret of the Sands, I had a ton of technical problems with all of the various changes I was making. However, I finally made it over the hurdles (whew!!), and it's been a very worthwhile process, it's going to be better than ever! I've spent the latest month+ polishing & perfecting the book - the story remains the same, but the cover & interior have undergone a very nice aesthetic upgrade, you can reference my previous blog post for more details on it. Since that posting I made even more changes - the interior has lots more cool things…you'll have to get the book to find out! ;)

A new proof is on the way, so it should only be a couple more weeks until the new version hits the shelves. I am very excited & tremendously pleased with these changes, it's going to be great!

I will let you all know when the book is back on the market :)

Cheers!

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...

"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

"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

ETA on updated award-winning mystery novel Secret of the Sands

2010-03-06T16:10:00.002-07:00

I just wanted to give folks an update on the ETA of the new version of Secret of the Sands, the Readers Favorite 2009 "Fiction-Mystery" silver medalist. The proof copy is scheduled to arrive this Monday, Mar.8th, 2010. It should only take me a day to review it, then if all is well, it will be approved for publication. Hopefully it will be back on the market by the end of next week. I will post updates as I get them!

In the meantime, our kindle edition remains on the market through our publisher, Maine Desk, LLC - that version won't be changing. If you are an eBook reader, do check out our ancient Egypt book and find out what has been hidden deep below the Great Sphinx of Giza for 12,000 years...

Happy reading, my friends!

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

Secret of the Sands is getting polished!

2010-02-23T14:08:00.002-07:00

I just wanted to let you all know that our award-winning mystery novel Secret of the Sands is undergoing a little polishing. With the recent silver medal we won in the ReadersFavorite.com book contest, now seemed like the perfect time to polish & shine our baby! The new cover will include the image of our silver medal & have new wording on it. Here's what it will look like:

I think it looks fantastic with the medal on the front cover. We are very, very proud to have won the silver medal for "Fiction-Mystery" and we want to showcase that achievement

In addition to the change to the front cover, I have also done a little updating to the interior. Those changes include adding blurbs & excerpts from great reviews we have received along the way, an update to our author bio at the back of the book, the fixing of the handful of typos 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!

I will let you all know when the book will be available again - it will temporarily be taken off the market (but still available through resellers), while these changes are being made, but it should hopefully not take any longer than a week or so...

If anyone would like to personally be notified of when the updated book is available, feel free to e-mail me at:

rai-tavius@secretofthesands.com

I am looking very forward to our newly polished adventure novel Secret of the Sands being shined up & ready for the world! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

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

Rai Aren

Author

Secret of the Sands

Read Now - http://bit.ly/15WZUp

Twitter - @raiaren

P.S. I thought I would share our video trailer with you:

Created by Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands, with help from her friend Tommy Taylor, author of The Second Virgin Birth.

We are now award-winning authors!

2010-02-09T23:39:00.002-07:00

I am extremely pleased to announce that we have won two medals in the category of “Fiction-Mystery” in the Readers Favorite 2009 book contest: a silver medal for our mystery novel Secret of the Sands and a bronze medal for its upcoming sequel, Destiny of the Sands (coming in 2010!). How cool is that?!?! This is truly an honor for us and I am thrilled to say that we are now award-winning authors! Here is the link to the announcement:

2009 Readers Favorite Winners

It is immensely gratifying to receive this praise and to know that our stories resonate with readers and reviewers alike. It really is a dream come true… ☺

I just had to show off our super cool Certificates of Award:

I would also like to share the judge’s comments we received on each book:

SECRET OF THE SANDS

Authors Rai Aren and Travius E. bring the ancient past to life. Secret of The Sands is a fast paced adventure reminding me of The Indiana Jones Series. The authors successfully weave the past and present together playing out two stories at once. In the past, we watch the story of King Traeus and Queen Axiana unfolds. There is strife in Traeus’’ kingdom. He builds a secret chamber under the Sphinx to hide a powerful machine that he hopes will help his people.
In the present Archeology students, Mitch and Alex discover a box hidden in a secret chamber under the Sphinx. The box contains two scrolls and a metal unknown to humankind but predating the iron age. They more they learn the more they question.
This is my kind of book. Please, please make a continuing series and a movie! The authors are extremely talented. I cannot praise this book enough. Fast paced, page turner, character development, fascinating plot…….what more could I ask for. – ReadersFavorite.com

DESTINY OF THE SANDS:

Destiny of the Sands is the second book in this series. The first book was Secret of The Sands. The story continues in 1941. The war continues and the mysterious box resurfaces. Mitch and Alex must return to once more study the strange alloy. The past and the future intertwine to create an adventure that the reader will not want to end. Danger lurks around every corner as the Nazis fight for world dominance.
(The authors) allow reader to observe life in ancient Egypt and during WWI. There descriptions are fascinating. The characters are realistic. I was very partial to the ancient Egypt scenes. While the stories are parallel for me the past was almost hypnotic. I wanted to experience more. I hope there is another book in this series. – ReadersFavorite.com

Happy reading always my friends!

Rai Aren, co-author of the mystery novel Secret of the Sands
Destiny of the Sands to be released in 2010
www.secretofthesands.com

Find me on LibraryThing!

2009-11-10T12:29:00.005-07:00

Hey there fellow authors & readers,

I just joined LibraryThing this week, a very cool site for avid readers and writers. If you are also a member, do look me up & connect with me there. Here's the link to my profile:

Rai Aren's LibaryThing profile

I have, of course, added our adventure novel, Secret of the Sands to my profile. If you haven't already read it, I'd be honored if you would check it out :)

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…

Happy reading always, my friends!

Rai Aren

Author

Secret of the Sands

Read Now - http://bit.ly/15WZUp

Twitter - @raiaren

Secret of the Sands adventure novel is again an Amazon kindle Bestseller!!

2009-11-06T00:04:00.004-07:00

I am so honored & thrilled to see our adventure novel, SECRET OF THE SANDS, is once again an Amazon kindle BESTSELLER!! Currently we are #77 for Historical Fiction, which is wonderful!

Thank-you so much to our awesome readers - we love yooooooouuuu!!!!

I included a screen shot of our proud moment :)

Happy reading always & thank-you for your support!!

Rai Aren

Author

Secret of the Sands

Read Now - http://bit.ly/15WZUp

Twitter - @raiaren

Secret of the Sands Official Press Release

2009-11-04T23:08:00.002-07:00

SECRET OF THE SANDS by Rai Aren and Tavius E.
Welcome to Egypt’s hidden past.

In an Egypt before pharaohs and pyramids, a mysterious civilization nearly changed the course of mankind. Now its secrets are about to be unearthed – but is the world ready for the consequences?

Inspired by the best parts of Indiana Jones, The Mummy and National Treasure, Secret of The Sands by co-authors Rai Aren and Tavius E. is a captivating hybrid of science-fiction, historical fiction and mystery. The story covers a time before what is in the history books, giving authors Rai Aren and Tavius E. the freedom to propose explanations for many of ancient Egypt’s unknowns still shrouded in mystery today.

The most unique aspect of Secret of The Sands is the dual intertwined storylines. Questions asked in the present are revealed as the past unfolds, slowly inching towards the stunning revelation. Who was this civilization really and where did they come from? What went wrong? Will they ever return and finish what they started?

Secret of The Sands is, at its heart, a love letter to ancient Egypt. The authors’ life-long fascination with the subject matter brings the story to life with contagious enthusiasm and genuine respect. Rai Aren was a member of the Society for the Study of Egyptian Antiquities (SSEA) for many years before and during her foray into writing, and took two (non-credit) courses in Egyptology at the University of Calgary. Archaeology & Anthropology were hands down her two favorite courses in all of her post-secondary education.

Secret of The Sands educates while it entertains, and the work-in-progress sequels will introduce a deeper message and new theories when many aspects of Egypt’s past, our own past and certain mysteries of the universe are tied together.

About The Book:
SECRET OF THE SANDS by Rai Aren and Tavius E.

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: RFS Publications; 1st edition (September 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1419675524
• ISBN-13: 978-1419675522

About The Authors:
RAI AREN
Rai loves the stories of Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Star Trek, Indiana Jones (her first kitty cat is named Indiana, Indy for short), and The Matrix (take the red pill!), to name a few. She loves getting lost in these enchanting worlds and studying their underlying philosophies. Ancient Egypt has held a particular fascination for her since childhood. She feels right at home surrounded by Egyptian art and books.

Rai feels that novels have the ability to take us on magic carpet rides, allowing us to escape into fascinating and engaging worlds, where the stories become real to us. Storytelling is an ancient, timeless practice and is an integral part of who we are. For Rai, writing a novel is a similar, but far more intense experience and she is thrilled to be a part of such an honored tradition. She believes that these stories are out there, waiting and wanting to be told - that they travel the universe in search of the door, the conduit, to the soul who is meant to tell their tale. She hopes you enjoy the worlds she & Tavius have opened the doors to…

TAVIUS E.
Tavius E. (pen name) grew up and currently resides in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He attended Mount Royal College and Athabasca University, majoring in Business and Accounting. Movies such as The Lord of the Rings and The Star Wars trilogies have ignited his imagination. Authors such as David Eddings and Dan Brown have inspired him to write.

He enjoys learning about ancient Egypt and archaeology. He sometimes looks up at the stars in the skies and wonder about all the amazing stories that have never been told. As a result, he and his college friend, Rai Aren, are pursuing their shared interests of being successful storytellers.

Contact Information:
For more information, please visit the profile at AllTheseBooks.com
E-mail: rai-tavius@secretofthesands.com; rai.aren@yahoo.com
Website: www.secretofthesands.com
MySpace link: http://www.myspace.com/mysteryscifiauthors
Video Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1GkYZZTM5w
Bristlecone Pine Press: http://www.bcpinepress.com

Written and distributed by:
Marius Menzel for http://AllTheseBooks.com and http://BookHuntersBlog.com
Webmaster@BookHuntersBlog.com
910-625-1372

New! Secret of the Sands adventure novel trailer #2

2009-11-01T16:30:00.004-07:00

I am very proud to show off the brand new video trailer for our adventure novel, Secret of the Sands! I made it myself using a very cool, free tool called Animoto. I hope you like it! The words to the song actually match up incredibly well to specific story points, I'm totally jazzed about it :)

Happy reading always, my friends!

Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands, adventure novel

"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

Awesome new 5-star review of the adventure novel Secret of the Sands!

2009-10-28T16:39:00.003-06:00

I was absolutely delighted to come across another 5-star review of our adventure novel, Secret of the Sands. I thought I would share it with you:

reposted from Amazon:

"Can't wait for the Movie!", October 27, 2009

"Secret of the Sands is a very entertaining and exciting tale of ancient Egypt and modern archeology. The authors succeed in painting the ancient world and its characters in realistic and memorable fashion. Secret of the Sands is a story of adventure, wonder, betrayal, forgiveness, suspense, and action - all the elements that so often can be weaved together into a blockbuster movie. A hope this tale gets the opportunity to reach the big screen - i'll be amongst the first in line to see it! Fans of adventure tales like Indiana Jones will love this book." --P. Martucci

********

If you are interested in buying our mystery novel, here is the link to the trade paperback version:

Purchase Secret of the Sands paperback

and here is the link to our Amazon kindle version:

Purchase Secret of the Sands kindle edition

Happy reading always, my friends!

Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands
www.secretofthesands.com

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

Secret of the Sands is a kindle BESTSELLER again!!

2009-10-27T23:42:00.003-06:00

I am so honored & delighted to see that Secret of the Sands, a mystery novel, is once again an Amazon.com kindle BESTSELLER in the category of Historical Fiction. Currently, we are at #92 on this fabulous list. I included a screenshot :)

Here is the link to the kindle edition of Secret of the Sands:

Secret of the Sands kindle edition

And here is the link to our trade paperback version:

Secret of the Sands paperback version

Thank-you to all of our readers, we greatly value you!!

Happy reading always!

Rai Aren, co-author of 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

Operation eBook Drop - authors, join in!

2009-10-25T17:12:00.003-06:00

Hi fellow readers & authors,

I wanted to pass the word along about a great initiative – Operation eBook Drop. It provides donated eBooks to soldiers serving overseas. I am always inspired to hear about how books can help bring some light into someone’s life. I signed up to donate copies of Secret of the Sands – our title, published by Bristlecone Pine Press, was recently listed in the OmniLit catalogue, which made this possible. Here’s the link to our book there:

Secret of the Sands on OmniLit

Here is an article about it by Holly Christine in the Pittsburgh Book Examiner. You can find Holly on Twitter: Holly's Twitter page and here is the link to the article, which I have copied in below:

Operation eBook Drop article from Pittsburgh Books Examiner

"Operation eBook Drop is the recent development of Edward C. Patterson, author of eight novels (The Jade Owl, most recently). In the Kindle forums, Patterson came across a US soldier stationed in Iraq. The soldier expressed an interest in downloading Patterson’s work, but couldn’t because Amazon’s Whispernet (the service Amazon uses to send eBook purchases to it’s Kindle counterpart) does not function in Iraq.
The issue sparked an idea in Patterson, a frequent poster and respected member of the Kindle forums. After discovering that Kindle authors expressed an interest in making their work available for free to overseas soldiers, he concocted a plan to use Smashwords, utilizing the site’s coupon feature for free eBooks to soldiers.

Since the conception of Operation eBook Drop only a few days ago, over thirty-five independent authors have offered their work(s) for free to overseas U.S. soldiers. Smashwords quickly responded with Patterson in further developing the project, notifying nearly 1300 authors.

For now, authors interested in participating in the program are encouraged to email Patterson. Works must available through Smashwords with a 100% off coupon code. Soldiers interested in particular works will express their interest through Patterson. Patterson then notifies the author, who will then email the soldier links and coupon codes. Smashwords is currently working on an automated system to further the project development.

For more information or to get involved with the program, visit Smashwords for complete program details."

*******

If you are an author, I hope you will join us in this very worthy effort!

Happy reading, always, wherever you may be…

Rai Aren, co-author of 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

P.S. I thought I would share our video trailer with you:

Created by Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands, with help from her friend Tommy Taylor, author of The Second Virgin Birth.

Attention authors: Cool new book contest!

2009-09-30T14:27:00.002-06:00

Hey there fellow authors,

I just came across an exciting new book contest that is open to books published between 2005-2009 in 40 different categories. We are planning to enter Secret of the Sands into the contest & I wanted to pass along the word:

Readers Favorite Award Contest - Enter Today!

Here is some info about the contest, which makes it so appealing:

What Do You Win?
Winners will be chosen in four levels for each Genre Category: Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Honorable Mention. Each winner will receive a personalized Award Certificate, a high resolution version of their seal for publication, and a roll of Seal Stickers to affix to current editions of their book.

Readers Favorite announces the results of our competition through a premium press release which is placed into RSS feeds with more than 250,000 subscribers including bloggers, journalists and consumers. The release is also sent to more than 30,000 opt-in journalists and bloggers and will appear on search engines like Yahoo and Google. The release will remain online, indefinitely, continually advertising you and your book. Winners will also be featured on our website.

All entrants receive a complete book review which will be posted on our site and on Amazon. Winners and Finalists will receive juror feedback and evaluation notes of their work. This can be extremely helpful in rewrites or edits, especially for manuscript entries. In addition, jurors will make quotable comments throughout the evaluation which you may use in your marketing.

********

It sounds very exciting! You can click on the link above or the banner below to find out more info & enter the contest.

Good luck to any & all who enter!!

Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands

Secret of the Sands again made the Amazon Kindle Bestseller List!!

2009-09-30T14:16:00.003-06:00

Hello fellow readers!

I just wanted to share our good news with you - this past week, Secret of the Sands appeared on the Amazon Kindle Bestseller list for Historical Fiction. Thank-you to all of you wonderful readers out there who are giving our mystery tale about ancient Egypt a try...

May you have life, health & prosperity, like Ra, forever…
- Egyptian prayer

Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands
www.secretofthesands.com

"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

Secret of the Sands trade paperback on Amazon.com

Secret of the Sands kindle edition

"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

"Behind the Books" Interview with Rai & Tavius

2009-08-29T16:34:00.004-06:00

We are honored to have been interviewed by author Kathy-Diane Leveille for her blog, "Behind the Books". We hope you'll stop by, have a read, leave a comment, and also check out all of the other interesting features on her blog. Here is the link:

Behind the Books interview with Rai & Tavius

Happy reading always!

Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands

Secret of the Sands has been picked up by a publisher for foreign translation rights!!

2009-08-02T17:34:00.002-06:00

GREAT NEWS - a publisher in Turkey has offered us a publishing deal for translation rights to Secret of the Sands!! I can't wait to see the book in a new language! The first print run has already been booked. I'll share details as I get them :)

Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands

We're on the cover of a magazine!

2009-07-14T17:37:00.002-06:00

So cool to be on the cover of a magazine!! My co-author & I were interviewed as the featured authors in Cold Coffee Magazine, and Secret of the Sands is the featured novel. This issue of the magazine was given an Egyptian look on the front cover & back & there are some great Egyptian images inside as well accompanying our interview. The magazine also includes many other interesting features such as an article on writing historical fiction, poetry, short stories, and marketing tips.

I hope you'll check it out :)

Happy reading always, my friends!

Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands

NEW!! Cover for upcoming sequel to Secret of the Sands

2009-04-28T19:37:00.002-06:00

I am very proud to unveil our gorgeous new cover & cool tagline for the Secret of the Sands sequel:

Some secrets cannot remain hidden, and some cannot be forgiven…

Our cover artist is the very talented Gary Val Tenuta, author of The Ezekiel Code, a great read!

The story is currently underway, our tentative publication date for Destiny of the Sands is 2010.

A JOURNEY BEGUN...

Must now be completed. A reckoning is upon those whose fates are inextricably linked to the mysterious sands of Ancient Egypt.

THE SECRET ONCE BURIED...

Is now hunted by those powerful and corruptible enough to chart a new, terrifying, and ultimately deadly course in human history…

SORROW AND FEAR...

Cannot stand in the way of those who will defend the ways of peace and defy those who are determined to take everything from them…

AN ANCIENT PROPHECY...

Will finally reveal itself, and the startling truths which it holds. The guardians must now trust in those who by destiny were chosen to tell the sacred truth…or destroy all traces of it forever…

Secret of the Sands is part of the World Public Library :)

2009-03-02T12:34:00.002-07:00

We are proud to have Secret of the Sands listed in the World Public Library, through the Shadow Forest Authors. I am a big believer in the importance of literacy and the vital role that reading plays in our lives :)

Here's the link to our listing in the World Public Library:

Secret of the Sands listing in the World Public Library

This is one of my favorite quotes relating to the importance of books in our lives:

"When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature. If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young."
— Maya Angelou

By the way, as I now have a few blogs to maintain in addition to my brand new Twitter page, most of my blogging will be done in the following places:

MySpace:

Rai's MySpace page

Goodreads:

Rai's Goodreads profile

Amazon.com profile:

Rai's Amazon.com profile

Thanks!

Rai

Come join us on GoodReads.com!

2008-11-13T00:46:00.011-07:00

As an author & avid reader, I was delighted to receive an invitation to join GoodReads.com. For authors, it's a great place to showcase books, and as a reader you can post your own reviews, add books to your TBR pile, let people know what you are currently reading & interact with all kinds of authors & readers from around the world. I have posted all the book reviews I had previously written & will be adding to it as I go. Down the road, I hope to add reviews of books I read years ago that hold a special place in my heart. I've even added some of my all time favorite reads from childhood - Nancy Drew books - what a wonderful walk down memory lane that was! You can create lists of your favorite books, rate books, interact with groups who share your interests, as well as give and receive recommendations for worthy reads. It's a very active site with tons of cool members, and the best part is: it's a lot of fun!

Here's the link to my profile there:

Rai Aren's GoodReads.com profile

I hope to see you there and add you as a friend :)

Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands
www.secretofthesands.com

Secret of the Sands joins TeensReadToo network!

2008-10-05T00:48:00.005-06:00

We are delighted to have been invited to join the TeensReadToo network! Come check out our brand new profile there:

Secret of the Sands profile on TeensReadToo.com

This is definitely a site we are pleased to be a part of for a couple of very good reasons, first our book was written for readers ages 12 & up. It's got the fun, silly, light-hearted aspects of movies like The Mummy and Indiana Jones series, paired with our own deep, underlying meaning & messages...Our intent in writing the story was to make it accessible to a wide audience, in the same way our favorite stories & movies are :)

Secondly, TeensReadToo.com also gave our book a great 5-star review:

Courtesy of Teens Read Too, July 26, 2008

Alex and Mitch are the outcasts of the archaeological dig site they are working at in Egypt. Their supervisor/Professor, Dustimaine, is out to thwart their every attempt at success. If he misses anything, his underling, Fessel C. Blothers, is there to catch them.

One day, Alex and Mitch literally stumble upon a secret; a secret thousands and thousands of years old, unknown to anyone but them. With the help of their lab tech friends, Jack and Bob, Alex and Mitch soon get snared in uncovering a mysterious power somehow connected to the great Sphinx.

Could this be the biggest discovery in archaeological history -- or just someone's plan to hurt and destroy another society?

Rai Aren & Tavius E. write a spellbinding mix of mystery,history, fantasy, and adventure in this tale of two histories - one told in the present, the other told from the past - telling a story of misused power, learning how to trust, and the fate of civilization. The dialogue is believable and the plot is a page-turner.

Reviewed by: Erikka Adams, aka "The Bookbinder"

*******

We hope you will check Secret of the Sands out! Happy reading always friends!

Rai

We always love hearing from fans of the book!!

2008-09-28T20:48:00.003-06:00

We are always honored to receive messages from people who have read & enjoyed our book, Secret of the Sands. As authors, we write because we love it, and in the hopes that it will mean something to someone, somewhere, that it will provide an enjoyable escape & an entertaining adventure. Knowing that we have achieved that goal, that our readers loved the book & took the time out of their own busy schedules to send us a note about it and ask about the sequel really does mean the world to us!! We are deeply grateful every time we hear from a happy reader. We just wanted you to know that... :)

Rai & Tavius

Come visit us on MySpace & Facebook!

2008-09-25T18:52:00.004-06:00

Hi dear friends!

We have a presence on both very cool social networking sites. Are you also on one or both? Add us as a friend, add yourself as a fan & network with us, we would love to hear from you! Our links to both are included below. Both sites are maintained by Rai, our MySpace page has been up for several months, but we are really new to Facebook & just learning the ropes. Both are a ton of fun & very interesting to be a part of :)

Rai

MySpace page for Secret of the Sands:

Secret of the Sands on MySpace

Facebook page for Secret of the Sands:

Secret of the Sands on Facebook

Facebook profile for Secret of the Sands:

Rai's page on Facebook for Secret of the Sands

Secret of the Sands donates books through Shadow Forest Authors to help promote literacy!

2008-09-16T19:21:00.006-06:00

Secret of the Sands is a participating member of Shadow Forest Authors, the Fellowship of Authors and Supporters for charity. Their mission at SFA is to get books where they are needed. Copies of Secret of the Sands are already on their way to help support this great initiative. Books can help in many ways, from promoting literacy to opening up worlds of imagination & creativity. Here's how it works (from SFA website):

"SFA authors donate copies of their titles to our beneficiaries, who places books in much needed hands.

Everyone can help
SFA supporters can Adopt an author or authors, purchasing their titles to be donated to our beneficiary.
Encourage Authors by leaving comments"

The Anthony Robbins foundation, Got Books, Book Aid International, The Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation, and World Public Library have agreed to be SFA beneficiaries and support SFA's venture to get books where they are needed.

Here is Rai's endorsement of SFA's work:

"As an author, one of the main reasons I write is to entertain people, to make them happy, and give them a world they love being in and escaping to.
Beyond this dream, that a book can help a fellow human being along the path to literacy is an incredibly beautiful, meaningful and deeply rewarding gift. I am very, very proud and truly honored to be a member of Shadow Forest Authors."

Visit the Shadow Forest Authors website for more information & find out how you can participate, too:

http://www.shadowforestauthors.com/

Together we can help make a positive difference in this world through the use of books. We would be delighted if you would choose to participate, too :)

Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands
www.secretofthesands.com

Upcoming author appearances!

2008-09-06T11:58:00.008-06:00

We are pleased to announce that Rai & Tavius will be doing some upcoming author signings! Our very good friends at Chapters Macleod Tr.S. here in Calgary have invited us back for book signings this fall & into Christmas! We will have dates for you hopefully in the next couple of weeks, so do stay tuned. Did we mention what a great gift Secret of the Sands makes?!

We hope to see you soon!

Rai & Tavius
www.secretofthesands.com

"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

Secret of the Sands book trailer:

Amazon kindle edition of Secret of the Sands is now available!

2008-08-27T15:58:00.002-06:00

We are delighted to announce that Secret of the Sands is now available as an Amazon.com kindle edition, courtesy of Bristlecone Pine Press!

Here's the link:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001EQ60WQ/

We know there is a large group of kindle readers out there, so we are happy to be able to offer this option for Secret of the Sands, a mystery/speculative sci-fi/alternate historical fiction novel about Ancient Egypt.

Happy reading always!

Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands
www.secretofthesands.com

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

Secret of the Sands is now available as an eBook!!

2008-08-20T01:04:00.004-06:00

I am delighted to announce that Secret of the Sands is now available as an eBook on Mobipocket.com, published by Bristlecone Pine Press!

Here's the url that you can copy & paste into your browser:

http://www. mobipocket. com/en/eBooks/eBookDetails. asp?BookID=101818&Origine=4065

If you are an Amazon.com kindle owner, Secret of the Sands will be available within days there as well!

We are very, very happy to be able to offer this option to our readers! Secret of the Sands has been a repeated Amazon. com Bestseller for "Books, Religion & Spirituality, Fiction".

Happy reading!

Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands
www.secretofthesands.com

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

YouTube video trailer for Secret of the Sands

2008-08-05T02:44:00.004-06:00

Here is the link to YouTube to view the video trailer for our novel, Secret of the Sands, created by Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands, with help from her friend Tommy Taylor, author of The Second Virgin Birth. Feel free to rate it & leave us a comment, friends are always welcome!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1GkYZZTM5w

See you in cyberspace dear friends!

Rai

Coming soon! An eBook version of Secret of the Sands!

2008-08-05T02:21:00.002-06:00

We are delighted to announce that in the next couple of weeks, Secret of the Sands will be available as an Amazon kindle edition as well as on Mobipocket.com! We have been picked up by Bristlecone Pine Press:

http://www.bcpinepress.com/

We are very happy that we will soon be able to offer this as an option to our interested readers & be environmentally responsible as well!

Stay tuned for further details!

Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands
www.secretofthesands.com

Secret of the Sands is now on Facebook!

2008-08-05T02:04:00.005-06:00

In addition to our very popular MySpace page, Secret of the Sands is proud to now also have a cyber-presence on Facebook! Come on by, add yourself as a fan, add us to your favorites, drop us a line on our wall, we would love to hear from you!

Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands
www.secretofthesands.com

Secret of the Sands on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rai-Aren/22602068086

Secret of the Sands on MySpace:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=310050637

New! Secret of the Sands trailer!

2008-07-18T12:10:00.003-06:00

Check out our very cool & exciting trailer for our novel Secret of the Sands...

New! Trailer for Secret of the Sands

2008-07-18T11:42:00.004-06:00

Check out our very cool, exciting new trailer for our novel, Secret of the Sands!

Secret of the Sands as a movie :)

2008-06-27T19:11:00.003-06:00

Have some fun casting Secret of the Sands with us!!

It is our #1 dream to have our book made into a feature film. It would make an awesome action adventure movie that would be fun & entertaining for the whole family (or at least those old enough for a PG-rated film). To give you an idea of what Secret of the Sands is all about, it is a little bit 'Indiana Jones' meets 'The Mummy' meets 'National Treasure', in the style of story, the types of characters and the overall feel of the book.

On our MySpace blog we have "cast" some of the major roles. In addition, one of our readers posted additional, excellent casting suggestions for Secret of the Sands characters. I have copied these in below. So, all you readers out there, tell us who you would cast in the various roles, put it into writing so that when the day comes, and it will come (cuz Rai is big on 'the power of intention'), you can see how many of your very own suggestions were on the money!

Have fun!

Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands
www.secretofthesands.com

Rai's initial casting suggestions for Secret of the Sands:

Princess Zazmaria: Megan Fox, Monica Bellucci, Patricia Velasquez, Angelina Jolie
Zhek Draxen: Gerard Butler, Javier Bardem
Lord Draxen: Ian McKellan, Ashraf Barhom
Commander Koronius: Jon Voight, Clint Eastwood,
Assan: Arnold Vosloo
Odai: Ali Suliman
Queen Axiana: Aishwarya Rai
King Traeus: Oded Fehr
Prince Alaj: Rodrigo Santoro
Mitch: James McAvoy, Jason Bateman
Alex: Rachel McAdams
Jack: DJ Qualls, Noah Taylor
Bob: Kevin Smith
Professor Dustimaine: Alan Rickman

*******

Here's the casting suggestions for Secret of the Sands one of our readers made. She made some excellent choices & listed even more casting suggestions for characters from the book:

Alex -
Rachel McAdamx? Really? Well, you are the author and best know your own characters, but that's not the image of Alex I got. McAdams just seems too "cutesy" and not enough "tomboy" for me. I imagined more "classic" features. Unfortunately, I can't think of any currently known actresses who would suit Alex for me right now, so I have to give her more thought and come back to this one later.

Mitch -
Hmmm, I didn't see either of them two either. Again, the author knows their work best, but I just can't at all picture Jason Bateman. And I think of James McAvoy for Jace. As soon as I read the first chapter, the one and only thought I had for Mitch was Gerard Butler.

Jack & Bob -
Wow, I had a completely different image of Jack, but a very close one of Bob. Like with Mitch, my images of Jack and Bob were very vivid right from the start. As for Bob, I totally see where you got that from, however, I did not ever envision Kevin Smith. For me, it was an absolute Jack Black! I didn't envision Noah Taylor for any part, but I did think of DJ Qualls - only for me, Qualls was Ferrell! My initial and only actor for Jack, in my mind, is David Thewlis. Call me crazy, but I could vividly see in my mind David Thewlis and Jack Black together as the "Rogue Squadron". If I had to pick a second choice for Jack, I'd go with Carl Wendham.

Dustimaine -
LOL Right on the money! Alan Rickman was my choice too. If I had to chose a back up 2nd choice, I'd say Sean Bean.

Traeus -
Another one! I just adore Oded Fehr and he was my Traeus too.

Axiana -
We are on a roll! Thinking alike again, Ashwarya Rai was also my choice.

Alaj -
Back to differing. I initially didn't envision "Xerxes" as anyone and didn't see Alaj as a pretty-boy. Giving it thought after reading your list, I think I see Rodrigo Santoro as Essen. Alaj, to me, is Naveen Andrews - a blend of non-overt handsomeness, softness, yet scariness all-in-one.

Zazmaria -
I'm not on a completely different track, maybe just in the next lane. I really don't picture Monica Belluci for anyone. Megan Fox is another one that I had on my list, just as a different character - Mindara. Angelina Jolie I can see as Zazmaria, but she's not my 1st choice. She would do alright if my 1st choice wasn't available. My mental picture for Zazmaria is Patricia Velasquez.

Assan -
Hmm, interesting. Not who I see and Vosloo is yet another one who was on my list, but as someone else - Khamir. For me, Assan is Erick Avari. How can anyone have any movie involving Egypt and not include Avari? Sorry to disagree here, but he is the perfect Assan to me.

Odai -
Ali Suliman wasn't even on my radar, not even a thought. I saw Odai as young and handsome, with a kindness and intelligence about him. For me, that is Sendhil Ramamurthy.

Lord Draxen -
And yet another one on my list, but in a different role. Okay, so Ian McKellan showed his dark side with Magneto, but he's still Gandalf to me. I just don't see him as sinister enough for Lord Draxen. I see Ian McKellan as Victarius. For me, the embodiment of Lord Draxen could only be Christopher Lee.

Zhek -
Really?! I think I see Zhek completely different. As I already covered, I immediately thought of Gerard Butler, but as Mitch. Javier Bardem was on my list too, but as Koronius. Who I picture in my mind as my initial impression of the perfect Zhek would've been Kevin Tod Smith (remember Ares from Xena?). Most unfortunately, he died in 2002, so I had to think hard as to who else would be suitable, but then it hit me - Billy Zane. He is who I imagined throughout the book as Zhek.

Koronius -
Wow! I never would've thought that, either one of them for Koronius. Jon Voight is also among the many on my list too, but I was picturing him as Devlon Logan. I thought he'd make a great dad for Alex in flashbacks. Like I said in my Zhek comment, I saw Javier Bardem as Koronius.

In addition, regarding other parts, I do not think Mesah, Elenia, or Rodan need to appear or be cast.

I would hold an open call for Tramen (5yrs & 8yrs), Alijia (5yrs & young teen), Uta, Ehrim, and Setar (infant & 3yrs).

Okay, so minus those roles, here's an easy to view wishlist of my cast so far, which also includes some parts you didn't cover...

Devlon Logan - Jon Voight
Alex - not yet sure
Mitch - Gerard Butler
Jack - David Thewlis
Bob - Jack Black
Dustimaine - Alan Rickman
Ferrell - DJ Qualls
Khamir - Arnold Vosloo
Khadesh - John Rhys-Davies
Traeus - Oded Fehr
Axiana - Ashwarya Rai
Mindara - Megan Fox
Alaj - Naveen Andrews
Zazmaria - Patricia Velasquez
Medetha - not yet sure
Amoni - Javin Reid
Assan - Erick Avari
Odai - Sendhil Ramamurthy
Senarra - not yet sure
Essen - Rodrigo Santoro
Victarius - Ian McKellan
Koronius - Javier Bardem
Lord Draxen - Christopher Lee
Zhek - Billy Zane
Jace - James McAvoy

*******

Here's the link to my MySpace profile, where these blog posts can be seen, and where you too can make your choices heard:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=310050637&MyToken=3cfc6c6b-5ea9-43a9-9dfa-a74924a197a0

Stop by & drop us a line, we'd love to hear from you!

Rai

Outstanding review of Secret of the Sands!

2008-05-29T00:52:00.003-06:00

Book review of Secret of the Sands by Rai Aren and Tavius E., ISBN: 1-4196-7552-4 RFS Publications, review by ellen george
Posted: Wednesday, May 28, 2008

It's not every day you get hold of a book that you simply cannot put down - The Ezekiel Code was one of those books - Angels and Demons was another - add this one to the list: Secret of the Sands.

It is the first of a trilogy about the dual story of people who existed before what we know as ancient Egypt and modern day young archeologists who literally make the find of a lifetime when they find a box, with help of vivid dreams. With the help of two of their quirky friends, they open the box to find glyphs the world had never seen and metals the world has never discovered...

The ancient part of the book is the backstory to the modern. Why things happened as they did and why the box is so important to the story and why the characters are so important to the modern story.

As I read this amazing book, I thought it had the pace of say, Raiders of the Lost Ark - it was fast, furious and absolutely mindblowing.

I hope someone from Hollywood takes a look at books like this - they were made for the big screen and successfully I think.

I cannot think of anyone who wouldn't enjoy this book - especially if you are a fan of ancient Egypt, riddles like the Rosetta Stone, metaphysical, archaeology, other life forms, you have a great treat ahead of you.

The co-writing team of Rai Aren and Tavius E. worked seamlessly to form a magnificent story that will leave you wanted the next in the series, Destiny of the Sands.

I cannot wait -

A great read!

ellen george

Book review of Secret of the Sands, by Rai Aren and Tavius E., ISBN: 1-4196-7552-4, RFS Publications, review by ellen george

Another great review for Secret of the Sands!

2008-04-29T21:03:00.002-06:00

5.5 out of 5 stars!! April 29th, 2008 By Faye V. (Louisiana, USA)
"I love this book! Secret of the Sands starts with a bang and hits the ground running. Very Indiana Jones. I'm an avid Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Mystery reader and I've read many books with dual authors. Although most are good, it's usually apparent that sections were split up and who wrote which part. It's rare to find authors that work so well together they seem like a single voice. That is this book. Secret of the Sands is very well-written and seems as if it was penned by a single author. Everything flows together well and I couldn't tell who wrote which part. If I had not know there were two authors I wouldn't have known from reading. The story was exciting and held interest throughout the entire book. The characters were fun and entertaining. I love Jack and Bob! They were my favorites. This book is dangerous - I stayed up until 2am to finish it! And now I want to know when the next one will come out. I can't wait! - Faye V."

Good advice ;)

2008-04-20T00:42:00.001-06:00

"Those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt the people doing it."
--Chinese Proverb

Words of Wisdom

2008-04-17T00:51:00.003-06:00

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great." - Mark Twain"

Pursuing your dreams...

2008-04-10T14:54:00.002-06:00

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people that have come alive." — Harold Thurman Whitman

"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

Great reviews of Secret of the Sands!

2008-03-08T19:09:00.005-07:00

"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

www.realbookreview.com
Book Reviews - The Good and The Bad - as they say, "We truly "tell it" like it is" - by Tommy Taylor, author of The Second Virgin Birth.

Cool thing is these are audio book reviews, take a couple of minutes & have a listen. Tommy is also doing audio author interviews, so stay tuned for an upcoming one with Tavius & I, we're looking forward to doing it!
www.realbookreview.com

www.AllTheseBooks.com
The online community for Readers-Authors-Books

Check it out – there’s lots of interesting & helpful info there including a “featured author” section for new writers (keep checking back for our future feature!) Our review is posted below...
www.allthesebooks.com

"Secret of The Sands" by Rai Aren and Tavius E., Postby Mary on Thur. Feb 21, 2008

"This novel is innovative, concise and enthralling. Fluctuating between present day and ancient Egypt, the pace never decelerates. The reader is treated to plausible theories regarding many riddles of this mysterious civilization. This time-honored culture is so clearly portrayed with characters which are so skillfully brought to life that one can easily imagine they are actually present as events are unfolding. The story comes to a clear conclusion yet leaves the reader desperately hoping there will be a sequel…. or a trilogy…. or even better yet, a whole series of these phenomenal books!"

Also, look for Secret of the Sands at the upcoming London International Book Fair, Apr.14th-16th, 2008. Our novel will be part of ForeWord Magazine's display.

Secret of the Sands

2007-11-14T12:16:00.000-07:00

"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

Thanks McNally's!

2007-11-09T16:10:00.000-07:00

Tavius & I had an absolutely outstanding time at our noon-hour book signing at McNally Robinson's yesterday. We thoroughly enjoyed talking to those of you that we already knew & those of you who we just met. It is one of the things we most enjoy about this whole process - meeting people & having the most interesting discussions. Thank-you all also for your support & enthusiasm!!

McNally's has kindly extended an invitation for us to do an additional signing/reading in the new year (thanks Tyson!) Stay tuned....

We wanted to share with you the great blurb McNally Robinson had in their Coming Events brochure (from Nov.5th, 2007) advertising our book signing - we absolutely love how they described our story:

"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."

It is truly rewarding to see that our hopes & intent in writing this story have been understood...

As always best wishes & happy reading!

Rai & Tavius

Secret of the Sands is heading to Dubai!

2007-11-01T22:14:00.000-06:00

Our novel is certainly becoming well-traveled - Tav.E & I are green with envy & wish we were traveling along with it...someday :)

Next up on the jet-setting itinerary: Dubai!!

Secret of the Sands will be part of ForeWord's Collective Stand at the Sharjah World Book Fair December 5-14, 2007, which will is located 20 minutes outside of Dubai - how cool is that?!

Stay tuned loyal readers!!

Rai & Tavius

Exciting news from the Frankfurt Book Fair 2007!

2007-11-01T22:08:00.000-06:00

Hi readers,

We just received a number of contacts from the Frankfurt Book Fair last month. These are folks who may be interested in publishing Secret of the Sands in their country. We are keeping our fingers crossed that Secret of the Sands may soon have a global presence!!

Rai & Tavius

Fingers crossed - Exciting news!

2007-10-24T20:08:00.000-06:00

Hey growing fan base - Tavius E. & I received some very promising news today - there is an excellent U.S. publisher who has just requested to see our full manuscript based on our previous submission of the first three chapters!! Needless to say, we are thrilled & honored to have this opportunity for our baby, Secret of the Sands. Our fingers are crossed - please keep yours crossed for us too!!

To making dreams come true...

Rai

Secret of the Sands

2007-10-13T22:04:00.000-06:00

"History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon."
Napoleon Bonaparte

Find Secret of the Sands at Chapters & McNally Robinson!

2007-10-02T21:44:00.000-06:00

Secret of the Sands is in two fine *brick & mortar* bookstores in Calgary: Chapters Macleod Tr. SW (Brick Plaza) & McNally Robinson in downtown Calgary (which has some autographed copies!)

Stay tuned for future retail locations...

Rai

A fun day at Word on the Street!

2007-10-01T22:41:00.000-06:00

Hi Calgary!

Tavius & I would just like to say thank-you very much to all who stopped by to chat with us & buy our book! We thoroughly enjoyed meeting all of you - adults & kids alike. Do check back with us from time to time to read all the latest & greatest :)

Happy reading to you all! We hope that once you've read our book you will feel like you have found some new friends in your life, we certainly did...

To the journey that lies ahead...

Rai

AMAZING RESULTS!!!

2007-09-25T22:39:00.000-06:00

WOW!!! As of 10:30pm this evening, our Amazon sales rank has reached #2479. That is a huge achievement for us and we have all of YOU to thank. We cannot express enough what this tremendous show of support means to us. We are deeply grateful - it means everything, truly...

And for those of you who haven't yet had a chance to purchase the book, the store is still open and will remain so. Do pass the word along!! We promise, it's a worthy read :)

To those of you who have helped us and made this day incredibly memorable & meaningful, you have made a dream come true, we hope you will all be so fortunate...

Rai & Tavius

P.S. Here is the link to our Amazon profile page if you want to check out the latest. Please use this rather than the storefront for this purpose, as checking the storefront without purchasing drives our ranking down pretty fast. Muchos gracias!!

Secret of the Sands Profile page on Amazon.com

THE BIG DAY! SEPT.25TH, 2007!!

2007-09-19T12:03:00.000-06:00

Our Amazon.com Bestseller Day has been chosen - Tuesday, Sept.25th!!! It's an easy one to remember, since it will be exactly three months until Christmas!!

Here is the link to our storefront: Secret of the Sands on Amazon.com

Do get a jump on your holiday shopping (and any & all upcoming birthdays) and pick up a copy (or even a few copies) of an exciting, fun, new action/adventure novel. Support us hardworking independents who are trying to negotiate for a place in the wonderful world of novels! Secret of the Sands will make a high quality, unique gift as it is a tale told from the heart from two people who adore & have huge admiration & respect for the genre they write in :)

Mark it in your calendars & please pass the word along. Your support means everything to us!! Sept.25th - Be an important part of our journey!!

We wish you many magical nights of reading in the world we have created...

Rai & Tavius

The Adventures of Rai Aren & Tavius E.

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Holiday sale! Kindle & paperback editions of award-winning mystery novel Secret of the Sands!

Holiday sale! Award-winning mystery novel Secret of the Sands, now only $2.99!

Holiday sale! Award-winning mystery novel Secret of the Sands, now only $2.99!

It's live! The second edition of award-winning archaeology adventure novel Secret of the Sands

Happy to share our latest author feature with you!

Announcing the Second Edition of Secret of the Sands!

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

Coming soon - a series of cool & jazzy announcements!

Short story review- A Bite Out of Time

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Secret of the Sands - award-winning adventure novel climbs higher on the Bestseller lists & is now also available in the UK!

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Join me on Goodreads this Friday, June 25th for a Q&A on I Love Canadian Authors!

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Come & check out Book Town

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

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

Goodreads iPhone version 1.0.3 is now live!

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

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

Award-winning mystery novel Secret of the Sands - New Canadian Distribution Deal!

Latest ETA on updated version of Secret of the Sands, award-winning mystery novel

ETA on updated award-winning mystery novel Secret of the Sands

Secret of the Sands is getting polished!

We are now award-winning authors!

Find me on LibraryThing!

Secret of the Sands adventure novel is again an Amazon kindle Bestseller!!

Secret of the Sands Official Press Release

New! Secret of the Sands adventure novel trailer #2

Awesome new 5-star review of the adventure novel Secret of the Sands!

Secret of the Sands is a kindle BESTSELLER again!!

Operation eBook Drop - authors, join in!

Attention authors: Cool new book contest!

Secret of the Sands again made the Amazon Kindle Bestseller List!!

"Behind the Books" Interview with Rai & Tavius

Secret of the Sands has been picked up by a publisher for foreign translation rights!!

We're on the cover of a magazine!

NEW!! Cover for upcoming sequel to Secret of the Sands

Secret of the Sands is part of the World Public Library :)

Come join us on GoodReads.com!

Secret of the Sands joins TeensReadToo network!

We always love hearing from fans of the book!!

Come visit us on MySpace & Facebook!

Secret of the Sands donates books through Shadow Forest Authors to help promote literacy!

Upcoming author appearances!

Amazon kindle edition of Secret of the Sands is now available!

Secret of the Sands is now available as an eBook!!

YouTube video trailer for Secret of the Sands

Coming soon! An eBook version of Secret of the Sands!

Secret of the Sands is now on Facebook!

New! Secret of the Sands trailer!

DRACULAS - a vewe scary Halloween read!