Sunday, May 1, 2011

Virtual Release Party

Welcome to the Eternal Knight Virtual Release Party!

For the next two hours I will be on my blog, Facebook, and Twitter, answering questions and giving away prizes. Prizes in the form of free books! I'll also introduce my Kindle/Nook/Amazon Gift Certificate contest.

For now, let's start with introductions. I am the guy who is incredibly excited to be here tonight because I am officially releasing my novel, Eternal Knight. 

The first contest:  I will randomly pick a winner from everyone who comments on my blog. All you have to do is introduce yourself, tell us the name of your favorite novel (or character), and tell us why you like that novel (or character). If you are a writer, you can tell us about your favorite project. The winner gets a signed copy of Eternal Knight. If you are overseas, you'll get an ebook copy.

Keep refreshing your screen. More to come!

The BIG TICKET contest of the night is the Kindle/Nook/Amazon Gift Certificate Contest. Hit the link to check it out.

Free book contests are going to involve:
Twitter
Facebook
Youtube

The Youtube free book contest: I'll randomly pick a free book winner from everyone who comments on the Eternal Knight trailer one of my student made for me.

The Facebook contest requires you to "spread the word" about Eternal Knight on Facebook. You have to make a Facebook update that announces that Eternal Knight  has been released. One free book to a random winner. Post below and let me know that you've Facebooked the EK announcement.

The Twitter contest is the same as the Facebook contest. Spread the word. But instead of announcing it here, you have to include the #EternalKnight hashtag. One free book to a random winner.

All of the contests (except for the Kindle/Nook one) will last until midnight EST, Monday, May 2nd.

If it is before 9 PM, refresh your screen to see new comments while you are visiting.

49 comments:

  1. So, what music should I put on to set the mood for this party?

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  2. Something dramatic. Maybe Beethoven's Fifth or Ninth.

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  3. And don't forget to refresh your screen every once in a while. I'll keep putting new stuff up as the evening goes on.

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  4. Done. dit dit dit dah.... (also Morse code for the letter 'V'.)

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  5. Just found out that Eternal Knight is going to get a great review from a book blogger. She just made my day!

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  6. Impossible to pick a favorite novel, but one of my faves is Roger ZelaNy's Nine Princes in Amber with the unforgettable Corwin. But there's also Sword of Memory, another fine fantasy.

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  7. Sword of Memory would also have to be one of my favorites. Let's get a movement started to get it published in the USA.

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  8. First and foremost, congrats Matt!!! Favorite novel—too tough. But my favorite novel of the last decade is Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.

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  9. Thanks for stopping by, Ryan. Make sure to enter the contests!

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  10. This has been such a long time in the works. It feels great to be on my way.

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  11. My name is Brennan Weiss and I am a junior at Wissahickon High School. I was thrilled to hear that you published your own book, and I am intrigued to read it- once I have the time! My favorite book is "I Am the Cheese", by Robert Cormier, which I read a few years ago. I loved this book for so many reasons, but what was most fascinating about it was that it was unlike any other book that I had ever read. It is about a teenage boy on a mission to deliver a special, unknown passage to his father, but gets thrown off course by several discoveries of his family and his own identity. Cormier's distinct symbolism and precise language culminated in a great piece of work. Although it was confusing at times, particularly in the beginning, its ending brought it all together, but left the conclusion up to the reader's interpretation, which I think is a legitimate sign of any well-written book.

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  12. Brennan, thanks for visiting. I hope you enjoy Eternal Knight! I haven't read "I am the Cheese". Sounds good.

    Enter one of my contests and you have good odds of getting a free book!

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  13. Hi Matt!
    THis is my first virtual release party, also my first blog (I'm so tech challenged). Congrats on doing this. I loved the book and as a fantasy writer, I am glad you're going to be part of this fabulous genre!

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  14. Forgot to say I love the commercial. Did one of your students make it?

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  15. Ann,

    Congrats on a successful blog post!

    Thanks for all the support along the way! I wouldn't be here without you.

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  16. Anil Chitrapu made it. He's one of my AP Econ students. A terrific student and a great guy.

    Make a comment on the video and you could win a free book.... in addition to the one I'm already going to give you!

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  17. Adam Heine, I foster like a billion kids in Thailand and write some. My favorite novel is Ender's Game, for everything--the battle room, the twist, the characters, everything.

    Congrats, Matt! Enjoy your day :-)

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  18. I somehow lost my last post so ... trying again. I forgot to do the fav book thing. I have no favorite book, but do reread books all the time which some people consider crazy with all the UNread books out there.

    Of my books (shameless plug here), my fav medieval historical is LORD OF THE MIST and my fav fantasy is VIRTUAL HEAVEN as it was my first book.

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  19. Enders Game is a top three pick for me. Wonderful novel.

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  20. One of my favorite books as a child was Have Space Suit Will Travel by Robert Heinlein. My sister and I read it aloud to each other and I do consider that it inspired me to want to tell stories. I also wanted to go on that adventure. Don't you think writing a book is a wonderful way to take an adventure in your imagination!

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  21. Ann,

    One of your Virtual novels is the only romance I've ever read. It was very good.

    I did have to cover the cover so that my wife would stop harassing me.

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  22. So now that the offspring is in bed:

    Impossible to pick just one favorite novel. But my favorite of the ones I have read recently is Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick. Not sure why, just the right combination of a surreal concept and political commentary.

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  23. My favorite Heinlein book (and I've read tons of his books) was The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

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  24. I have to hide the covers of my books, too. :) I hated my non "romance" cover from Do You Believe as folks thought it was a religious book and it was a shape-shifter/horror. Oh well.

    PKD...just read a collection of his early work. Really enjoyed it. Like Moon/Mistress very much as well.

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  25. Are you writing a sequel? What's next for you, Matt?

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  26. I'm so glad Kemp, Mike, and Ann visited tonight. A lot of people have had positive impacts on me as a writer, but none more than these three.

    Thank you!

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  27. I'm reading The Moon is a Harsh Mistress for (shockingly) the first time right now. Stranger in a Strange Land did not grab me, and although I am finding Moon much better, I had more fun reading EK!

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  28. My next book will be the sequel to Eternal Knight. My goal is to sell 500 copies in the first three months. All of these profits will go to charity.

    If I can sell a few thousand copies (over the long haul) it will definitely justify the time and effort it will take to write the sequel.

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  29. I know that I can write the sequel much faster than EK. I have it all plotted out and the world building is already done.

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  30. Matthew....

    This is my first blog and I just want to say how proud I am of you for going after your goal and getting it done. I really enjoyed your first book and I'm hoping there are many more to come!!!!

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  31. Thanks, Cindy! What a great sister!

    Good job on the first blog post!

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  32. Yes, Matt...start writing tonight...send me the first three chapters of the next book...soon!

    Best wishes and see you on June 4th!

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  33. Posting the book right now on my FB page... hope I made it on time!!

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  34. Thanks to everyone for visiting tonight. The virtual blog party will continue until midnight, Monday. However, I have to sign off. The real world calls.

    Don't forget the contests. The prizes are still up for grabs. The Kindle/Nook contest goes for a full month.

    Goodnight! And thanks again!

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  35. Best wishes and congratulations, Matt!! Hmmm....favorite book...impossible, A Confederacy of Dunces is in the top five.

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  36. No problem, Karen, the contest is open until midnight tomorrow. Good luck!

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  37. Osu! (it's me Bethany)...very excited for you and this amazing accomplishment. Now that I am done with this weekend's MMA events - I plan on cracking open my copy and having you as one of my favorite authors :)
    Congrats!!

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  38. (oh - and I will be sure to share the word with my FB friends!)

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  39. I bought a copy of Eternal Knight on Kindle, very excited to read it! Hope all goes well and I wish you great success with your book.

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  40. I'd have got here sooner, but I was pushing figures around at Granite run mall. (You do remember those, right Matt?) Anyway, I'm not sure I have a favorite novel, although I can recommend pretty much anything by Glenn Cook or Walter Jon Williams.

    Good luck Matt!

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  41. Halloweenbride82May 1, 2011 at 9:35 PM

    Sorry, I am not a sci-fi or fantasy reader, but am always looking for books for my son, who loves them. I will send him a copy asap. I read constantly and tend to read mysteries for fun, but have most recently read The Help, Water for Elephants, typical book club books. Like most of the protagonists - they are written for a reason, to carry the story forward. Hope that satisfies your blog/contest.

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  42. @Halloween You are in the contest. I'll announce winners on Tuesday. Maybe your son will get a free copy.

    @Bob Yeah, I remember wargaming. Someday I'll get back to it again.

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  43. I'm late for the party as usual. Lost track of the time while writing. I gave away the rights to my first nonfiction to the Arthritis Foundation 27 years ago...it is still in publication through their presses so every year I get a nice thank you letter for the donations.

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  44. J.L., that was very generous of you.

    Glad you stopped by. You can still enter the contests if you'd like.

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  45. Ah, I can't wait to get my copy. So yeah, It's Hector and as for book, well hah, that's very tough. Uh, I think I will pick Deception Point by Dan Brown. I'd pick it because for me it's better than his other religious ones. It's a government conspiracy-type novel with comedy, drama, and fear laced in. There's amazing character development with knowledgeable insight on Dan Brown's part.

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  46. Posted on facebook. Good luck!

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  47. First and foremost, congratulations on the novel once again, Mr. Heppe-writing a legitimate novel must have been a hard task on top of teaching. I have much respect for you. Anyways, my favorite character is John Keynes from New Ideas from Dead Economists because Keynes is my boy (although you would already know from me inappropriately yelling that out loud in class everyday). Now here is the real one: my favorite novel is The Old Man and the Sea because through that book, Earnest Hemingway teaches us that success is not justified by the end result, but rather by the process that one endures and what he/she gaines from it.

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