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

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


Rai's MySpace page





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

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

"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

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

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

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

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!

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!

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