Bonus Crossword: Win a Copy of A Petition to Magic

For this week, I thought it would be a good idea to run a competition. Seeing as it's Worker's Day tomorrow, and my readers are going to have some time to work on it, I've decided to publish a bonus crossword puzzle for everyone to have a look at.

As always, the answers will be published next week, and you can supply your guesses to me via Twitter or Facebook. But there's a twist, this time. The first person to send me the correct answers before next week Tuesday will win a free copy of my fantasy short story ebook, A Petition to Magic! This will be by way of a coupon code that I will send to you, to be redeemed on Smashwords. In addition, I will publish your name as winner on this blog.

So what are you waiting for? Get solving!

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Across
1 Went beyond the limit (12)
5 Gave permission to do something (8)
9 The left or right (4)
11 Support one's weight on one's buttocks (3)
12 Binary inverse operator (3)
13 Point that must be replayed, in certain racquet sports (3)
15 An openly gay person is said to be this (3)
16 An actually existing thing (4)
17 1978 album by Led Zeppelin (8)
20 Component parts (12)

Down
2 Releasing from a leash (10)
3 Unit of scoring in cricket (3)
4 An article (3)
6 Alcoholic beverage produced by SAB (6)
7 Discerned visually (4)
8 An enthusiastic emotion (10)
10 2012 film starring Nicolas Cage (6)
14 Of a fact (4)
18 To decompose (3)
19 Supported one's weight on one's buttocks (3)

Get my Fantasy Short Story, A Petition to Magic, FREE this Weekend!

Great news! This weekend only (26 to 28 April 2013), you can get my fantasy short story, A Petition to Magic, free on Smashwords. You can get it in a variety of ebook formats, including epub, mobi (Kindle), and PDF.

Click here, and proceed to check-out. When prompted, enter the coupon code GM92U, and 100% of the purchase price will be deducted. You won't even need to enter your credit card details!

Once you've "purchased" the book, you can choose which format you would like to download it in, or read it online.

Happy reading!

live sex cams: tkdot.com

For the past month, the search keywords that have driven the most traffic to this blog, by far, have been "live sex cams: tkdot.com".

Well, I'm here to tell you that if you reached this blog using those keywords, you've come to the wrong place! You won't find any live sex cams here (whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, I leave for you to decide). Maybe one day, I'll amass some fans (preferably female ones) who are crazy enough about my writing to send me nude pictures or videos of themselves, and if that happens, you can be sure I'll link back to this post! For now, though, you're just going to have to do without.

What you will find on this blog are my monthly crossword puzzles, which are proving to be quite popular.

What you will find on this blog are occasional reviews of books dedicated to writing and ebook marketing.

What you will find on this blog are random thoughts on various subjects, mostly related to the art of writing, English, and ebook publishing and marketing.

And last, but certainly not least, you will find on this blog, links to my fantasy short story, A Petition to Magic. Look it up on Smashwords, Booktango, or Amazon.

Go on, take a look. After all, if you have reached this post using the keywords "live sex cams: tkdot.com", I feel a bit obligated to at least leave you with something you might enjoy, even if there is no sex (live or otherwise) in it!

The Backward Approach to Ebook Success

I read a very interesting book over the weekend, called The Backward Approach to Ebook Success, by Ted Summerfield.

For the first couple of pages, I didn't think too much of it. It contained some useful information, but nothing I didn't already know. I felt that the author had a bit of a chip on his shoulder while writing it, and I didn't understand the title.

It got better! Basically, he is saying that you need to build your brand first, offer up some stuff for free, get people to know you, and then only consider publishing your first book for a fee. It's got some useful links to surveys and the terms and conditions of the various online ebook retailer sites, with explanations of how to interpret them.

Ted Summerfield speaks candidly about his experiences with publishing and selling his ebooks, and building his brand. He sets expectations for aspiring authors looking to make their millions overnight, and offers a fine introduction into the world in which we're all still exploring.

It's not a great read, but it's not terrible either. I have to say, I liked it, and if you've ever considered getting a book published, I think it'd be very useful to you!

While I'm about it, if you don't yet know about my fantasy short story, A Petition to Magic, go check it out! South Africans can buy the book, in Rands, directly from Kobo, here.

If you don't like Kobo for some reason, check out the links on this page. There you can buy A Petition to Magic on Smashwords, Booktango, and Amazon.

Crossword Puzzle Answers - April 2013

I really hope everyone had fun with the crossword puzzle last week. For those of you who've completed it, or given up trying, here are the answers. Next puzzle in May!

April 2013

This crossword was created by Graham Downs with EclipseCrossword - www.eclipsecrossword.com

1 C 2       D O W N 3   G N   4 5 6   7     R P P H I E L M         I I O Y 8 9     10 11         M U T T A R U N E S       N H S   12 13       S C C A G E       14   15 T A O D U B         16 E N A E Z 17 18       19 20         P R E S T F D A R E R         I E T A   21           F H E E D S L 22       Y E H D

Across Half of Australia Symbol of the golden ratio Freddy Krueger haunted on this street Dog or person of mixed racial descent Marks of magical signifance Used to confine birds Subgenre of reggae, some say a genre British black businessman, last name, in divorce scandal This might describe one who wins in the famous British SAS motto Pays attention You with an accent

Down Last name of American murderer; also rabbits Large black spectral dog, an omen of death for Harry Potter Card game, simulating open outcry bidding for commodities Provided with a horse Remove a mast from its socket Norwegian pop band expressing triumph South African organisation opposed to nuclear energy You might wear one in winter Headphone brand by famous musician Too much of this might make a terrorist Something common 2005 Australian thriller film directed by Brett Leonard

This crossword puzzle was created by Graham Downs with EclipseCrossword. Try it today—it's free!

Crossword Puzzle - April 2013

Judging by the stats on this blog, my monthly crossword puzzle is still exceedingly popular. I haven't yet gotten anybody to send me any correct answers, but as long as you, my readers, are having fun, it's still worth it! Here's this month's puzzle.

As always, if you get the answers, you can send me a mention on Twitter, or a message on my Facebook Page. This first correct answer will get a mention from me on Twitter or Facebook, and this blog.

I'll post the answers next week. Have fun!

April 2013

This crossword was created by Graham Downs with EclipseCrossword - www.eclipsecrossword.com

1   2               3         4 5 6   7                                     8 9     10 11                                           12 13                         14   15                     16           17 18       19 20                                                 21                         22

Across Half of Australia Symbol of the golden ratio Freddy Krueger haunted on this street Dog or person of mixed racial descent Marks of magical signifance Used to confine birds Subgenre of reggae, some say a genre British black businessman, last name, in divorce scandal This might describe one who wins in the famous British SAS motto Pays attention You with an accent

Down Last name of American murderer; also rabbits Large black spectral dog, an omen of death for Harry Potter Card game, simulating open outcry bidding for commodities Provided with a horse Provided with a horse Remove a mast from its socket Norwegian pop band expressing triumph South African organisation opposed to nuclear energy You might wear one in winter Headphone brand by famous musician Too much of this might make a terrorist Something common 2005 Australian thriller film directed by Brett Leonard

This crossword puzzle was created by Graham Downs with EclipseCrossword. Try it today—it's free!