July 2009

2009-07-01T00:03:00-04:00

NEW AND NOTEWORTHY

Thanks to you, THE GOD MACHINE--the long-awaited sequel to GOSPEL TRUTHS--has just gone back for a second printing!

Enter THE GOD MACHINE READERS' CONTEST and you could...

WIN $500

...plus a free autographed copy of THE GOD MACHINE. (See below for details.)

Tired of waiting for Dan Brown's sequel to The Da Vinci Code? Enter THE GOD MACHINE.

The Church insisted it didn't exist.

They lied.

They said it was just a Masonic legend.

It wasn't.

A two thousand year old secret...

Revealed.

The coded journal of Benjamin Franklin. A hidden map. A legendary gospel. These are the first pieces to an ancient puzzle so powerful it could destroy the very foundation of Christianity.

Once before, Joseph Koster unearthed one of the Church's most deeply buried secrets, and it almost cost him his life. But some treasures are too hard to resist. And as Koster puts the pieces of Franklin's puzzle together, he discovers something even more startling, and infinitely more deadly.

Now, along with beautiful Indian electrical engineer Savita Sajan, Koster must race to decode Franklin's journal before it falls into the hands of those who would do anything, kill anyone to suppress it. But in a world of secret societies, ancient conspiracies and Masonic puzzles, locating the prize is one thing...staying alive, another.

For as Koster and Sajan are about the learn, the same key that unlocks the doorway to Heaven...could open the portals of Hell.

For an excerpt from THE GOD MACHINE, click here.

See below for information on FORTHCOMING READINGS & SIGNINGS.

To order your copy of THE GOD MACHINE, click here.

To download a .pdf of Jesus, right-mouse-click here, and then "Save Target As" the file (under whatever name you choose) to anywhere on your PC (e.g. your Desktop). Once it's on your PC, you can attach it to emails and send it on to friends.

Or you can right-mouse click on the image, "Copy" it, and then right-mouse click "Paste" it directly into an email message.

To download a .pdf of Liberty, right-mouse-click here, and then "Save Target As" the file (under whatever name you choose) to anywhere on your PC (e.g. your Desktop). Once it's on your PC, you can attach it to emails and send it on to your friends.

Or you can right-mouse click on the image, "Copy" it, and then right-mouse click "Paste" it directly into an email message.

THE GOD MACHINE READERS' CONTEST
The book business, like so many others, is in trouble these days. So, I'm turning to you--my loyal readers--to help me get the word out about THE GOD MACHINE. By participating in this Readers’ Contest, you’ll become part of the book launch, part of the book experience, and authors--in a very real sense--of the book’s success.

How do you enter to win? It's easy!

Every time you blog about THE GOD MACHINE, Tweet about the book to your "followers" on Twitter, or write a review on Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com or Borders.com, you'll be entered into the drawing for the Grand Prize.
Post one of the GOD MACHINE e-Postcards (like the one of Ben Franklin, above) on your blog, Facebook or MySpace page and you'll be entered twice. Create a new e-Postcard based on the book and you'll be entered 5 times!
If you read THE GOD MACHINE in your book group and have me speak to your group via Skype online video, in person or by phone, you--and everyone else in your group--will be entered into the drawing.
If you attend one of my readings, you'll be entered into the drawing.
And, if you put together a book trailer for THE GOD MACHINE suitable for posting on YouTube, you'll receive 10 entries into the drawing! (If you're unfamiliar with book trailers, click here for an example.)

The Grand Prize is $500, plus a live, personal Skype video (or phone) reading from THE GOD MACHINE for you and your friends, and a free autographed copy of THE GOD MACHINE. Think about how many books you could buy at your favorite book store with $500!

The contest runs through the end of this month, concluding at midnight on July 31st. All winners will be announced in my August "What's New!" post.

For an automated PowerPoint slideshow about THE GOD MACHINE and the Readers' Contest, click here. (When it prompts you, click Open. Or, select Save and send it on to your friends!) Click here to view the PowerPoint slideshow at YouTube.

For full contest rules, click here.

Now, go out there and start organizing your book groups! Good luck, and remember: The more reviews you post, the greater your chances of winning!

READERS' POLL
Check out the latest Readers' Poll, in the left margin, and test your knowledge of THE GOD MACHINE. (HINT: For excerpts from THE GOD MACHINE, click here.)

For those of you who took last month's Readers' Poll, the question was, "What is the name of the hand grip of the Entered Apprentice?" Great job! Everyone who answered got this one right. The correct answer is, "Boaz."

For the results of previous polls, click here.

PUZZLES & e-POSTCARDS
For those of you who like puzzles and games, click here...just for fun! Challenge yourself to THE GOD MACHINE crossword or jigsaw puzzle.

Click here to view and download some e-Postcards/Wallpapers based on THE GOD MACHINE.

To order your copy of THE GOD MACHINE, click here.

FORTHCOMING READINGS & SIGNINGS

THE GOD MACHINE -- SIGNING
Date:         August 1, 2009
Venue:       B. Dalton
Time:         1:00 - 3:00 PM
Address:     192 Quaker Bridge Mall, Lawrenceville (off Rt. 1), NJ
Phone:       (609) 799-8198

THE GOD MACHINE -- READING & SIGNING
Date:         September 9, 2009
Venue:       Mercer County Library (Hopewell Branch)
Time:         6:30 - 8:00 PM
Address:     245 Pennington-Titusville Road, Pennington
Phone:       (609) 737-2610

Do you have ten members in your Reader's Circle or Book Club? Want to have a Skype Reading and Book Conference about THE GOD MACHINE? Click here to learn how you can bring J.G. Sandom into your home via a free Skype online video account. All you need is a video camera and a PC.

The author appreciates your feedback. If you'd like to say something about a reading, click here.

MOST RECENT REVIEWS

THE GOD MACHINE -- Editorial Reviews

bookideas.com
Rating:
"The author of Gospel Truths, J.G. Sandom has already shown he intends to give Dan Brown some competition. Fortunately, he has the talent to make this a serious challenge. Brown would be well advised to check his rear view mirror because there's someone closing fast and about to overtake the famous author of The Da Vinci Code!"

ArmchairInterviews
Armchair Interviews says: A 5-star thriller
"J.G. Sandom creates a thriller that compares in suspense to Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code."

Book Passage
"A thrilling tale of secret societies, ancient cover-ups, intellectual puzzles, and nonstop action...Original."

THE GOD MACHINE -- Reader Reviews

David Ross @ Amazon.com

"Sandom is a born story-teller...(THE GOD MACHINE) is a well-oiled and humming mystery, whose pages fly by in a flurry of action and suspense."

James Wynbrandt @ Amazon.com

"An illuminating, intelligent and gripping thriller...as relentless in its pace as it is rigorous in its plotting and satisfying in its payoff...Propelled by a gallery of unforgettable supporting characters drawn not so much from imagination as from a twisted parallel universe...Sandom has managed to make both the machine and his story as real, palpable, and alternately beautiful and terrifying as what we expect to find at the heart of the eternal battle between good and evil."

Marcia Zand @ jgsandom.com
"The perfect balance of history, intrigue and action to leave the veteran reader sated."

Jeff Einstein @ Amazon.com

"J. Sandom just keeps getting better. Who else can write in such delicious detail about religion, microchip architecture, Ben Franklin, the Freemasons and the Enlightenment -- all under one cover? And who else can dress it all up in the habit of a disarmingly gorgeous but sociopathic killer nun? The God Machine is terrific fun, and a great read. Buy it."

G. Goggins @ Amazon.com

"I enjoyed this book a lot...I like to learn something when I read, and I really felt that I learned a lot after reading both the Gospel Truths and The God Machine. J. Sandom has a good way with developing his characters."

gracie412 @ Amazon.com

"I loved this book...fast-paced, easy to read, and kept me on my toes until the last page...If you like books with action, adventure and really smart plots, this is the novel for you!"

seagull49 @ BN.com

"One of the best books I have ever read. Right there with the great Dan Brown...Do your shelf a favor and buy it."

abdoggett @ BN.com
"I really enjoyed this book! It's a cross between The Da Vinci Code and National Treasure. It really should be made into a movie."

Caroline Thompson (author of Edward Scissorhands) @ Small & Creepy Films
"Move over, Dan Brown...All hail J.G. Sandom...(The God Machine) is a thrilling and breathless, rapturously-written and mind-blowing read. It’ll keep you up all night, turning pages as fast as your little fingers can manage."

Muriel Falvey @ jgsandom.com
"I love history, I love religious thrillers, and 'The God Machine' is one of the best I've read...Who needs Dan Brown when you have J. G. Sandom?"

Adam Bierman @ jgsandom.com
"Highly entertaining, and yet you don't leave your brain at the front cover!"

John Moore @ jgsandom.com
"As good as any Dan Brown has written...I could not put it down."

Travis Deputy @ Amazon.com

"This novel can definitely stand on its own two feet amongst the crowded religious thriller genre; and not only does it stand, it shines among some of the best in the field. This one's got wheels, not feet! Definitely the best religious thriller I've read in a while...Better than The Da Vinci Code...I give it 5 stars out of 5, or 10 out of 10! It's a rarity in the world of fiction, especially amongst those of this ilk. Buy it now and prepare to be up for an allnighter!!!"

Amos Lassen @ Amazon.com

"This is quite a book--so much so that I read this in one sitting. It is full of adventure and paced so that, for me, it was impossible to put down...The God Machine pulled me in and kept me hooked!"

IN OTHER NEWS

GOSPEL TRUTHS
Before The Da Vinci Code...before The Last Templar...before The Secret...and before THE GOD MACHINE -- there was GOSPEL TRUTHS! Re-released after more than a decade, it's time to read the book that started it all.

J.G. Sandom is featured under One to Watch at BookReporter.com. Check out the in-depth author interview.

Booklist called GOSPEL TRUTHS, "a splendid, tautly woven thriller...(and) an intelligent mystery of tremendous spiritual and literary depth." Library Journal said, "A masterful first novel, based on a true incident, which spins a complicated web of corruption, greed and deception." And Mostly Murder characterized it, "A fascinating mystery ... captivating and engrossing."

When City of London Police Inspector Nigel Lyman is assigned to investigate the death of a notorious Italian Banker found hanging under Blackfriars Bridge in London, the inquiry leads him to the Amiens and Chartres cathedrals in France in pursuit of a shadowy arch criminal -- leader of a corrupt Masonic lodge, the I Four -- intent on acquiring an ancient Gnostic Gospel whose discovery would undermine the very foundations of Christianity.

For an excerpt from GOSPEL TRUTHS, click here.

To challenge yourself with a GOSPEL TRUTHS puzzle, click here.

To buy your copy, click here.

THE WAVE
THE WAVE is still selling briskly @ lulu.com and through most major booksellers and online bookstores.

If you liked GOSPEL TRUTHS or THE HUNTING CLUB, if you enjoyed THE UNRESOLVED or RESURRECTION MEN, if you're loving THE GOD MACHINE, check out THE WAVE - A JOHN DECKER THRILLER.

Kirkus said, "Sandom’s strength lies in the verve of his story, with writing that has both muscle ... (and) brains ... Races from improbable to crazywild, all in good fun, with Sandom always one step ahead ... A story with enough manic energy to be worthy of a nuclear explosion."

When Cryptanalyst John Decker of the FBI is assigned to the Joint Terrorist Task Force in New York, he has no idea he is about to be thrust into a deadly plot of eco-terrorism masterminded by El Aqrab, the Scorpion, a diabolical killer recently arrested in Tel Aviv.

Following the theft of 8 kilos of Highly Enriched Uranium, an ultimatum is issued to the West: Release El Aqrab or a nuclear bomb will be detonated. But, at the last moment, El Aqrab escapes...and the authorities never get the bomb.

While Homeland Security is convinced it's headed for New York, only Agent Decker -- assisted by brilliant and beautiful oceanographer Emily Swenson -- believes the bomb’s true destination is La Palma, in the remote Canary Island chain.

Now, Decker and Swenson have less than six hours to prove their theory, defuse the bomb, and prevent a mega-tsunami from annihilating the Eastern Seaboard.

J.G. Sandom's most recent TV interview on "Breezin' with Bierman" is available at YouTube. See the author read from THE WAVE, and chat about his other recent publications.

For an excerpt from THE WAVE, click here.

To buy your copy, click here.

RESURRECTION MEN
RESURRECTION MEN is J.G. Sandom's third Young Adult (YA) novel, published under the pen name T.K. Welsh.

RESURRECTION MEN was recently featured in Curriculum Connections ("Murder and Mayhem Under Grey skies" by Joyce Adams Burner), a joint venture publication between School Library Journal and TeachingBooks.net that reaches more than 60,000 educators and librarians around the country every month. Click here to hear the author speak about the name T.K. Welsh through the TeachingBooks.net "Name Pronounciation Guide".

Check out the latest in-depth author interview at Wordswimmer. See what inspires T.K. Welsh to write, and learn about the author's writing process.

RESURRECTION MEN was previously named a Junior Library Guild selection.

Publishers Weekly called RESURRECTION MEN, “A haunting tour of London's underclass during the 1830s...Teens will likely be both captivated by Victor's harrowing story as well as his ability to prevail in the face of harsh injustices." BIG A, little a called the novel, “A moody, evocative tale...T.K. Welsh is fast becoming one of my favorite writers. His work transcends genre and audience classification.” VOYA said, "Teen readers will thoroughly enjoy the hair-raising suspense in this historical thriller." Kirkus Reviews called RESURRECTION MEN perfect for, “audiences that relish historical fiction." TeensReadToo termed it, “an intense, dark work of historical fiction...I highly recommend this book.” KLIATT said, "Like M.T. Anderson's The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, this look at sinister events in history makes the era come alive and lingers in the memory." Jen Robinson's Book Page called the novel, “Gripping and fast-paced, filled with intriguing historical details...The ending is utterly satisfying and consistent. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction." The Miss Rumphius Effect said, “T.K. Welsh, where have you been? I loved this book...Pick it up and you'll find it hard to put down.” And School Library Journal said, “Part historical fiction and part adventure story, the novel brings excitement to Victorian England...Readers will be on the edge of their seats.”

Inspired by the 1831 "Italian Boy trial" of body snatchers in London, England, RESURRECTION MEN is a spine-tingling murder mystery that pits a beggar boy named Victor against a nefarious group of Resurrection Men. In this tumultuous dark underworld, where a fresh subject can fetch as much as nine guineas -- the yearly salary of a working man -- Victor must risk his life to uncover the identity of the murderer who is at the heart of London's furtive trade in human corpses.

For a sample chapter of RESURRECTION MEN, click here.

If you already own a copy, click here to access a secret section of the site...just for you. [NOTE: Make sure to enter the name Secret (S-e-c-r-e-t) and the correct Password, printed at the rear of the book.]

To buy your copy, click here!

THE UNRESOLVED
THE UNRESOLVED is J.G. Sandom's second Young Adult (YA) novel, published under the pen name T.K. Welsh.

THE UNRESOLVED was recently added to Horn Book's list of Recommended American Historical Fiction.

Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books of 2006 by the Washington Post, THE UNRESOLVED was nominated for a Young Adult Library Services Association -- YALSA 2007 Teens' Top Ten, the only book award recommended and awarded solely by teens. The novel was previously named a 2007 Association of Jewish Libraries Notable Book for Teens by the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, which recognized only six works in Jewish teen literature that year. THE UNRESOLVED was also nominated for the 2006 Cybils literary awards, and for the 2007 Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association. It's currently featured as one of the Best Teen Books of the Year 2006 at BarnesAndNoble.com.

The Washington Post said, "Welsh writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction." School Library Journal said, "THE UNRESOLVED tells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called THE UNRESOLVED, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story ... (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, "THE UNRESOLVED is a book you shouldn't pass up." The Edge of the Forest said, "It may be the most beautifully written novel I've read this year." All About the Book said, "THE UNRESOLVED is a great one. Mallory is the most well-developed ghostly character I've seen in a long, long time." Midwest Book Review called THE UNRESOLVED, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story." And Bookslut.com said, "THE UNRESOLVED scores on several levels, most notably as a drama that blows apart all preconceived notions of how history can be retold."

Inspired by the tragic events of 9/11, THE UNRESOLVED reaches back into history to explore what was, until recently, the greatest disaster in New York City history. Based on the sinking of the General Slocum steamship -- which caught fire in the East River, New York, in 1904, resulting in the death of over 1,000 mostly German immigrants on a church outing -- THE UNRESOLVED is at once a ghost story, a courtroom drama, an examination of immigrant life, and a tale of love, redemption and revenge. The novel dramatizes how a single life -- and death -- can have a powerful influence on history.

For a sample chapter of THE UNRESOLVED, click here.

To buy your copy, click here!

Official J.G. Sandom Author Blog & Website

July 2009