Steve Alten Newsletter
November
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Greetings!

I just returned from a 10-day book tour. To be honest, book tours are not my favorite thing to do. Living out of a suitcase, not seeing my family for weeks, and never knowing if an event will draw twenty people or two - at times one wonders if it's even worth it. Then you meet someone who traveled an hour to see you and you realize that it is a privilege.

For the fans who took time out to see me and get their books signed, thank you. For the fan who took pictures of me with the GRIM REAPER and her son in Wilmington, please e-mail me a photo. For the four fans who I missed in Plymouth Meeting on Saturday night (two have contacted me) e-mail me so I can make it up to you.

For those of you who have read the book, please tell others and send a review in to Amazon.com. For those who have not read the book, I hope you will purchase it this week. I promise you a unique reading experience.

Again, thank you for all your kindness and support.

GRIM REAPER commemorative bookplates - a word
 

Over the last 30 days, I have e-mailed at your request 670 plus signed commemorative bookplates for GRIM REAPER. Each one is personally sent by me. The process requires three tasks. First, the bookplate is personalized and numbered in sequence. Second, a jpg image is attached. Last, the combined images are sized and e-mailed. At a minute per bookplate, I've dedicated eleven hours so far to complete the task. Included in the image are the actually 72 Names of God that were carved on Moses's staff. (When you read the story, it will make sense). Scanning the letters from right to left is believed to bring a connection to the Creator's Light. If you haven't requested a bookplate, THIS IS THE LAST CHANCE. Send me an e-mail at [email protected] - SUBJECT: BOOKPLATE REQUEST. You may request as many as you like, but this is on the honor system, so if you tell me the request is for future copies or gifts for friends, please follow thru. A bookplate is designed to be pasted on the inside front page of the book. Only newsletter recipients can order a bookplate.


PHOBOS
 

I am excited to announce that PHOBOS, book three of the Mayan Doomsday series, has been optioned by Tor/Forge - St. Martins Press. PHOBOS will be released in the fall of 2011. Of the three 2012 books (DOMAIN & RESURRECTION) it's definitely the wildest ride, and perhaps the scariest. For my Spanish readers, Random House Mexico will launch the book next month. TOR is also considering a special package with all three books.


MEG MOVIE
 

Damn, some of you are getting downright nasty, like a lover scorned. WILL THERE EVER BE A MEG MOVIE? WHAT IS TAKING SO LONG? First, only death and taxes are certain (unless you're a billionaire CEO who pays zero taxes) so I can't quite say yes. On the other hand, over $150 million in private money has been put up to finance the movie using my script, and some serious people are working seriously hard to secure the final pieces of the puzzle. These serious people get seriously antsy when I post updates, so I promised to remain quiet until a deal is signed, at which time YOU WILL BE THE FIRST TO KNOW. For diehard MEGheads waiting desperately for book 5, MEG: NIGHT STALKERS will be written and released the week the movie debuts. Until then, Bela and Lizzy will continue to feed and grow off Vancouver Island, while far out to sea, another species has surfaced to challenge their reign.


New character contest!
 

I'm starting a new novel in December and I need characters! This next book is a wild ride, sort of a Planet of the Apes genre meets Castaway. The winners have sixty days from November 1st to spread around ONE OR ALL THREE versions of the GRIM REAPER video to as many places as possible (YouTube, websites, facebook, etc) with the top COMBINED traffic results declared as winners. The 3 versions are 1) Queen's Death on Two Legs, 2) The Marmalade's Reflections of My Life and 3) Rolling Stone's Gimme Shelter. You can choose any one or all three, the most cumulative traffic for the top 50 contestants will be winners.

The KEY is to send the link of your postings to everyone on your mailing list AND ASK THEM TO DO THE SAME. If ten people view, that's ten hits. But if ten people view and each tells ten more, that's 110 hits. The trailer is amazing to watch, so people will naturally pass it on, but tell them you need their help. Besides the character winners, I'll be sending signed posters to everyone who gets a combined 10,000 views, and collector GRIM tee-shirts to those who put in the extra effort!

To enter contest click below, immortality is just a few clicks away.


Living Tips: Pets Can Improve Your Health
 

Research has shown that living with pets provides certain health benefits. Pets help lower blood pressure and lessen anxiety. They boost our immunity. They can even help you get dates.

Good for the Heart: Heart attack patients who have pets survive longer than those without, according to several studies. Male pet owners have less sign of heart disease -- lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels -- than non-owners, researchers say.

Allergy Fighters: A growing number of studies have suggested that kids growing up in a home with "furred animals," whether it's a pet cat or dog, or on a farm and exposed to large animals -- will have less risk of allergies and asthma, and a stronger immune system.

Date Magnets: Dogs are great for making love connections. Forget Internet matchmaking -- a dog is a natural conversation starter. This especially helps ease people out of social isolation or shyness,

Dogs for the Aged: "Studies have shown that Alzheimer's patients have fewer anxious outbursts if there is an animal in the home," says Lynette Hart, PhD, associate professor at the University of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

Good for Mind and Soul: Pet owners are far less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets. In one study, stockbrokers with high blood pressure who adopted a cat or dog had lower blood pressure readings in stressful situations than did people without pets.

Read the entire article by clicking the link below.


Jokes of the Month
 

Two elderly women were eating breakfast in a restaurant one morning. Ethel noticed something funny about Mabel's ear and she said, ''Mabel, do you know you've got a suppository in your left ear?' Mabel answered, 'I have a suppository in my ear?' She pulled it out and stared at it. Then she said, 'Ethel, I'm glad you saw this thing. Now I think I know where to find my hearing aid.'

When the husband finally died his wife put the usual death notice in the paper, but added that he died of gonorrhea. No sooner were the papers delivered when a friend of the family phoned and complained bitterly, 'You know very well that he died of diarrhea, not gonorrhea.' Replied the widow, 'I nursed him night and day so of course I know he died of diarrhea, but I thought it would be better for posterity to remember him as a great lover rather than the big shit he always was.

*IF YOU HAVE A JOKE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE, please e-mail to me at [email protected] Put JOKE in the subject line.


RECIPE of the Month: Best Potato Casserole ever!
 

For the best potato casserole ever: Ingredients: 1 can "Cream of" soup. I like "Mushroom" and "Golden mushroom and roasted garlic", but any will work. 1 Tblsp Garlic Powder, 1 16oz tub of Sour Cream, 1 Onion, 2-3 cups Cheddar Cheese, 1 Bag of ORE IDA COUNTRY STYLE HASHBROWNS - This is shredded potatoes, not preformed Hashbrowns.

Chop the onions. Add Sour Cream and Soup to LARGE bowl, mix well. Add the chopped onions, mix well. Add the Hashbrowns, mix well. Add the Cheese, and yes, mix well. Spray PAM into casserole dish and add mixture. Bake at 350 till top is nice and browned. If the bottom is browned well, but not the top, I will sometimes put it on broil to brown the top. Just remember to watch it closely when it is on broil cause it will go from "brown" to "dang it" very quickly. --Kevin M. Dunlap

IF YOU HAVE A RECIPE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE, please e-mail to me at [email protected] Put RECIPE in the subject line.



Please spread the word about GRIM REAPER. Stay well, stay safe and know this author really appreciates you.

Sincerely,


Steve Alten, Ed.D.
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