Good day everyone!

Due to Myspace constraints and hiccups, I would like to officially invite you to the Variance Thrillerblog (if you've never been), http://variancepublishing.blogspot.com. Please be sure to sign-up for updates so you don't miss any!

Thank you to all of the loyal readers, we wouldn't be where we are without you, and I look forward to seeing you at the other blog. Take care everyone!

--Variance Publishing, Stan

Good day, thriller fans!

Today is a great day to be back from Labor Day as we have a fan page, a review, and an updated website to talk about.

Let's start off with AJ Tata, author of SUDDEN THREAT and ROGUE THREAT. He has recently created a Facebook profile for his fans! Be sure to friend him and show your support. To compound this, he recently had his book reviewed in Hooters Magazine and got a 5 out of 5 Hooties rating. If you don't get Hooters Mag, here is the review:

It’s a rocket launch from page one, as Tata’s characters grip readers by the throat and don’t let go until the bittersweet ending. Sudden Threat has a terrifyingly plausible and tightly written plot, characters that strike a realistic chord and a message that should have all Americans looking over their shoulder. Tata is in a class by himself in the genre of military thrillers.


It’s 2001 and CIA paramilitary operative Matt Garrett is yanked from an assignment that would have decimated the upper echelon of al Qaeda leadership, to find himself sifting through the wreckage of a destroyed C-130 in the Philippine jungle. Stumbling upon a weapons factory in Mindanao, guarded by Japanese soldiers, he’s questioning why he’s been given this particular assignment. At the same time, Matt’s brother, U.S. Army Captain Zachary Garrett, is guarding an old U.S. Navy base near Manila. While this battle rages in the jungle, another battle, with more ramifications, is rolling through the nation’s capital as a group calling themselves “the Rolling Stones” rallies around its cause—keeping the country in the fight against Islamic extremism.

If you haven't read this military thriller, what are you waiting for? Being a (ret.) Brigadier General, he certainly knows his stuff - real 'boots on the ground' action. Hard covers are still left, but the mass market will be out at the end of September, followed up by his award-winning Rogue Threat on October 19!

Last but not least, due out in 3 weeks (September 29), Jeffrey Stephens, author of TARGETS OF DECEPTION, is amping up for his release. In turn, he has put up some new updates for your viewing pleasure. Visit him at his website to check out all of the new content for his fans.

Thanks for reading, enjoy the new goodness!

Hey everyone,

Just an fyi to all you authors and writers out there, our submissions have reopened, please see our guidelines posted on our Submissions page for full details though. They are open from September 1st to September 30th, 2009 at 5pm EST.

Best of luck!

Good day Zealots!

Please give a warm welcome to Payne Harrison! Payne is the New York Times bestselling author of STORMING INTREPID, THUNDER OF EREBUS, BLACK CIPHER, FORBIDDEN SUMMIT, and now, EUROSTORM.  His work has been called “expertly written and well researched” by The New York Times, and a “masterpiece” by Publisher’s Weekly, while THUNDER OF EREBUS was a main selection of The Military Book Club.

STORMING INTREPID was a New York Times Bestseller and a Cold War classic that helped define the techno-thriller genre.

Now with EUROSTORM he weaves his narrative magic yet again. Of course, you can find the rest of the description at the EUROSTORM book page (which you should be sure to check out as we will be updating the pages as we get new info like reading samples and cover art), along with the rest of his info at the Payne Harrison author page. Look forward to seeing this on the bookshelves for beach season 2010!

Hey folks,

Whether we are directly involved or not (I'm guessing most of us are), this is an important topic in today's current situation. It could be your brother, your aunt, your cousin, a friend, but someone you know is probably over in Afghanistan fighting not only for our freedom, but for the freedom of the Afghan people from the grasp of terrorists like the Taliban.

This was recorded Wednesday night, so this is now old news, but show your support for the cause by watching the vid and passing it along.



Thanks again to all the troops, and General AJ Tata for doing what you do. If you haven't yet, be sure to pick up SUDDEN THREAT, as all proceeds go to the USO Metro-DC fund for our Wounded Warriors.

Welcome back Author on Author fans! This week's edition has Paul Byers digging deep into life a la Michael G. Cornelius. How deep? Read on,

Paul Byers: You have quite the range of books from parodies to murders mysteries. Does one style help balance out the other in writing or just help keep you sane or drive you nuts going back and forth?

Michael Cornelius: Well the parody book is actually a parody of mysteries, and I try to be occasionally humorous in my long-form work, so perhaps there’s a continuum of expression there. I do find that “mysteries”—whether actual mysteries, or an individual struggling to uncover their own motivation for what they do—is at the heart of a lot of what I write. Writing itself is an act of uncovering larger truths, whether it’s literary criticism or horror fiction (and unsurprisingly a lot of my critical work lately has been about – you guessed it – the mystery genre!) Still, it’s nice to be able to flex differing muscles in the writer’s playbook – if I had to write the same thing, the same style, all the time, it would get a trifle dull for me.

PB: I see you currently chair the English department at Wilson College in Pennsylvania. Do you think a position like that helps or hinders your writing ability?

MC: For me, it helps. My students really inspire me. For most of them, they are just beginning their journeys as writers, and their zeal and sense of discovery inspire me. I never feel more energized to write then after a semester’s worth of teaching creative writing! Plus, I’m one of those people who likes to be juggling a few different balls in the air. If I was forced to live as a full-time writer, well, I’d sit at home and watch re-runs of Law and Order and Bones all day – not the best use of one’s time, that’s for sure!

PB: Religion and politics are two very sensitive subjects to write about. In ASCENSION, you have several different major religions thrown together, do you talk about their similarities or the differences between them in setting up your story?

MC: Religion really comes into play in a lot of what I write, which continually surprises me. It certainly seems to be a topic in the back of my mind, and I find religious history and archaeology a fascinating topic (perhaps attending a Catholic college helped there!) I thought a plotline about all the religious leaders in a small community being brutally murdered might stir up some controversy, which I didn’t want at all, but, for good or for ill, no one seemed to notice it. My first novel, Creating Man, has a strong religious component in it as well—God is actually a character, though only in a framing device—and I remember on the same day receiving letters from an atheist group and a Christian group, both pleased with the book. I think a lot of people are as fascinated by religion and politics as I am, and they don’t mind an honest exploration of the subject. For me, it is key never to be exploitative – I know, the murder of religious people seems just that, but the truth of it, the book assails against such violence (at least that’s the hope!)

PB: ASCENSION looks large in its scope from the locations to the storyline itself. What personal aspects do you bring to the story? Travel, detective work? Personal convictions?

MC: There is a particular scene in the book – where a Methodist minister is killed in her own backyard – that I wrote one late Sunday. I finished the piece around ten o’clock, and then had to take out the garbage for pick-up the next day. Unfortunately, I had created the setting of the minister’s house from where I was living at the time – consequently, it terrified the heck out of me to take out the trash, wondering if the creatures I had just written about were still out there! So there is always something of the personal in anything I write. One can watch the news and see all types of horrors in this world, but a strange sound from your own backyard is what really makes you take notice. For me, nothing is scarier than the neighbors.

PB: Being the college professor in English, do you make you students read your books as a class assignment and then make them do a book report on it? Great marketing tool!

MC: I actually have had students read THE ASCENSION, since I teach a class here in Horror Literature and Film. I don’t force them to write on it, though they can if they like. I remember as an undergraduate reading a book from one of my faculty, and it was such a unique and enriching experience. I always try to bring writers to campus to meet and talk with my students, so sharing my own experiences as a writer helps, too.

Great job gents! Mike, I think you are right when it comes to religion... it's a fact of life after all. It is all knowing how deep to dive. Fans, if you have any questions for Michael, don't hesitate to take a stab (horror writter, stab... the puns won't end folks, get used to it) =)>. I look forward to everyone's comments!

Good day everyone,

I hope you are excited to get a sneak peek into the world of Targets of Deception. Barring no changes, the dust jacket will look as such:



It came out pretty impressive if I say so myself. We've also got a new Targets of Deception two chapter sample posted, so be sure to check it out as it is laid out for print and you can get a look before the general public!

We also can't forget the book trailer!



What can you expect from the Jeffrey Stephens thriller? Action. Terror. Timely realism. What more could you ask for?

Are you excited for this book? I know I'm excited to get it out there! With the gents that grace his cover with blurbs (Vince Flynn, Robert K. Tanenbaum, and our own Steve Alten) it will certainly satisfy a broad audience and should make this book a great piece of literature for the generations. I look forward to hearing your comments; let me know what you think of the cover, the interior, and the trailer.

Have a great Wednesday!

Shark Bite contestants -



August 1 has come and gone, and with that a very successful contest comes to a close. If you are in the top 50 (to check, go to the Shark Bite contest page), congratulations on a job well done! Be sure to email Steve your info as stated in his newsletter to claim your winnings. In case you don't know what that is because you don't get Steve's newsletter, end your NAME, a physical description of yourself, and any interesting tidbits you'd want immortalized in print! SUBJECT LINE: MEG 5 WINNER!

Also, to the rest of you who have 50+ views, be sure to email Steve your address as well to get your poster (and don't forget to thank him as he generously dropped the views from the original 10k views as posted on the site from day one to the current 50!). Also as stated in Steve's newsletter, allow 30 days from your email to ship.

Fans, just because the contest is over doesn't mean you should stop promoting the MEG trailer! Keep pushing it to get it closer and closer to major motion picture status that we all know it should reach. As of 12:01 am on August 1, we accumulated 137,000+ views between fans, Variance postings on various video sites, and Erik Hollander. That, combined with the unknown myriad of hits from places like Dread Central, Southern Fried Science, Empire Online, and others I'm sure participated but that I was unaware of, I'm guessing we surpassed 150k views!

Lastly, we can not be more appreciative of all the devotion of our fans and friends who made this all possible. Thanks everyone.

Good day, Zealots!

Just pretend this is Thursday =)>. Sorry for the delay, but here is week two of A-o-A! This week, James Somers asks Joseph Flynn some 'digging' questions... get it, Joseph Flynn - Digger... tough crowd. Any who, I'll give it away to James.

James Somers: Who are a few of your favorite authors and how have they influenced your own writing style?

Joseph Flynn: Starting way back and working forward: Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Frank MacAuliffe, Ross Thomas, John D. MacDonald, Gregory Mcdonald, Donald Hamilton, James Crumley, John Lescroart, Daniel Silva, and probably several others I'm  forgetting at the moment. These authors all have influenced me insofar as they've created characters I'd probably enjoy meeting in real life. I try to come up with characters with whom my readers will enjoy spending time. Gregory Mcdonald also had a stylistic influence on me in that I like to write lean prose leavened with a streak of humor.
 
JS: As an experienced published author, do you find that it's become easier for authors to have their work published than it used to be...why?

JF: No, I think it's harder due the consolidation of formerly independent publishing houses under huge corporate umbrellas. Also, publishing, much to everyone's disadvantage, has largely adopted the movie biz's blockbuster mentality. Boo.
 
JS: Many published authors still have "regular jobs." Is there any other line of work for you, besides churning out edge-of-your-seat thrillers?

JF: Interspersed with rolling in dough from lavish advances, I lend a hand when my wife, who runs her own graphic design business, needs writing help.
 
JS: Can you give your fans a sneak peek of what's coming next from the desk of Joseph Flynn?

JF: I'm working on the sequel to my most recent novel, The President's Henchman. It's called The Hangman's Companion. In this story, Jim McGill goes to Paris to help a fellow former Chicago copper try to vindicate himself after he kills a French superstar soccer player. Working with a Regional Security Officer from the State Department and a French investigating magistrate, McGill has to find a missing blonde who was the only witness to the incident.


Great questions, James. Joe, I can't wait to see what the follow-up to Henchman will be like, sounds intriguing. Just a word to the wise: never play basketball with Jim McGill. I hope we can look forward to another game.

Good day everyone,

I just wanted to send out a few congratulatory greetings to authors Craig Alexander and Steven Savile.

First, let's start with Craig. Craig, author of The Nineveh Project, has just been chosen as one of the ITW's judges for one of the following 2010 panels: Best Novel, Best First Novel, or Best Paperback Original! That means that between September and December he will be reading 30 novels!

Next, Steven Savile won his Scribe Award nomination for Best Young Adult Novel with his international bestseller, PRIMEVAL: Shadow of the Jaguar.

Congrats to you both! Virtual applause coming your way.