Author J.M. Lanham

J.M. Lanham is an American author of science fiction, suspense, thrillers, and supernatural fiction.

science fiction thriller

Author Meet and Greet at The Book Loft

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It’s always a great weekend for a book signing, isn’t it?

Photo of The Book Loft on Amelia Island, Florida
The Book Loft, Amelia Island, Florida

If you’re going to be near Amelia Island, Florida this weekend, then please take a moment to stop by The Book Loft, located in Fernandina Beach’s downtown historic district on Centre Street (details below).

I’ll be signing copies of my books The R.E.M. Effect and The R.E.M. Project (the Ocula series) on Saturday, September 22nd from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

So if you get a chance, stop on by and say hello. We can talk shop, science fiction, baseball, or anything else that’ll adequately kill two hours. I’d love to meet you!

Where:

The Book Loft

214 Centre St, Fernandina Beach, FL 32034

When:

Saturday, September 22nd from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The R.E.M. Effect is FREE for Kindle through July 20th!

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Calling all R.E.M. fans,

The first book in the Ocula series is FREE for Kindle now through Friday, July 20th. If you haven’t picked up a Kindle copy, be sure to snag one ASAP.

Image of The R.E.M. Effect book promo
One pill. Countless side effects.

And if you’re already a fan, please help an indie author out by sending your friends, family, coworkers . . . hell, anyone who loves a good science-fiction thriller over to my Amazon page.

In other news, audiobook production for the Ocula series is on schedule, with the first audiobook wrapping by August 1st. The last book of the series, The R.E.M. Precept, is set to release in ebook and paperback December 2018.

Thanks for your continued support. It’s what keeps me writing.

—John

Radio Legend Lee Alan to Produce The R.E.M. Effect Audiobook

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With a career spanning a lifetime of work in radio, television, film, music, and commercials, it’s hard to find anyone as prolific as Lee Alan.

Lee Alan hosting the International North American Auto Show.
Lee Alan hosting the North American International Auto Show for CBS-TV.

Detroit natives may remember Alan from his years spinning “The Cream of the Crop ’til 12 O’Clock” across the Motor City airwaves during the Golden Age of radio. Soon Lee would branch out from WXYZ-AM to other mediums, going on to produce television shows on WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit, ABC, & CBS TV.

(You can catch of glimpse of Lee in action covering the North American International Auto Show for CBS by clicking here.)

Alan’s 35 years of experience as a professional voice actor, writer, composer, producer, and published author hasn’t gone unnoticed, either. He’s a Peabody Award Nominee, as well as the winner of 14 Silver Microphone Awards.

And once you hear his distinct and authoritative voice, you’ll immediately know why. So if you’re not familiar with his work, please take a moment to check out his website at www.leealancreative.com.

I’m thrilled (and incredibly lucky) to have the opportunity to work with Lee Alan on The R.E.M. Effect audiobook. His booming voice and engaging production effects are already bringing a sense of depth and excitement to the audiobook experience, and I think folks who prefer audio to ebooks or paperbacks are going to get a lot of enjoyment out of the yarn he’s spinning.

Looking forward to getting the finished product on Audible (and other platforms) soon! I’ll keep you posted.

— J.M. Lanham

Grrr… A Noteworthy Case for the Cliffhanger

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We’ve all been there.

You’re getting into a show, a book, or a movie. I mean, you’re really into the story.

The world could be collapsing all around you . . . bombs dropping . . . walls caving in . . . everything in the universe screaming at you to run for your life . . . and you’d still be frozen-in-place, held captive by whatever narrative has robbed you of every ounce of your attention.

And then, it ends . . . not in a wrapped-up-in-a-tidy-little-bow way, either.

Jon Snow dead from Game of Thrones, season 5
Who remembers this 5th season doozy from Game of Thrones? Photo Credit: HBO

It happens more than you may realize. A three-hour-long epic leaves you wondering if the little fellows with the hairy feet are going to make it safely to Mordor. Your favorite alien-chasing FBI agents are trapped in an impossible situation, only to leave viewers wondering for the better part of a year what happened. A book you can’t take your eyes off of leaves you pondering a few unanswered questions—and maybe even thumbing through the back pages, double-checking to see if you’ve missed something.

As an avid lover of all things t.v., film, and fiction, I’ll be the first to say that sometimes—maybe even most the time—cliffhangers suck. Bringing a good story to a halt is synonymous with a good party getting busted up before midnight.

Unfortunately, in the world of self-publishing, sometimes independent authors can’t afford to throw all-nighters.

Frank the Tank from the film Old School.
Frank the Tank can party all night. Self-pubs, on the other hand, have to pace themselves. Photo Credit: DreamWorks Pictures

Let me explain. When I first got the idea for The R.E.M. Effect some five-plus years ago, I ended up outlining a story that would have taken a good 900 pages to develop—maybe more.

Now let’s be honest: when’s the last time you took a chance on an unknown novelist promoting his or her first published work that was competing with the print length of War and Peace? I know I wouldn’t, and I love discovering independent authors. I mean, 900 pages? That’s asking a lot . . .

And therein lies the dilemma for so many new authors. Sure, Stephen King and John Grisham can get away with cranking out books so dense they require an entire shelf and maybe even a few extra brackets to keep on display, but for unknown writers, getting such lengthy stories out to the masses just isn’t going to happen that often, if ever.

Stephen King's hardcover books.
Life Hack: Build muscle fast by lifting copies of Stephen King’s hardcovers three times per week for six weeks.

Which is exactly why I decided to take a potential 900-page novel and create a trilogy instead. I figured if I could get readers on board with the first, they’d stick around to see the entire story through to fruition.

That strategy may sound great on the surface, but it hasn’t come without consequences. I’ve had a few one-star reviewers who absolutely loathe cliffhanger endings . . . so naturally, they didn’t take too kindly to my book leaving a few questions unanswered. (I also feel like it’s important to address here that my first book isn’t a true cliffhanger, but it is left open for interpretation, and with a few questions unanswered, to lead into the second installment in the series.)

No one likes bad reviews, but if I’m being completely honest here, I have to admit that I do understand the frustration of not having everything answered within the confines of a single literary work. I also don’t want this post to sound like a complaint—which it most definitely isn’t—rather, I want readers who may be frustrated with the occasional cliffhanger to see it from a self-published author’s point of view:

You don’t know me, but I know you love to read. And, I want you to check out my story. I also respect your time, and understand how valuable it is. So here, check out my 300-page debut novel. If you like it, there’s a sequel currently on the market, and another in the works. Take a chance on me a little at a time, and when all is said and done you will have hedged the risk of committing to a 900-page manuscript right off the bat, while discovering a new author in the process.

It may not be much of a case for cliffhanger endings, but it is a legitimate explanation for them—at least from my point of view. And who knows, maybe one of these days I’ll be able to publish a 1,000-page epic that readers will be chomping at the bit to devour.

But until then, writers like me are going to have to leave a few things hanging.

Big Thanks to my Readers!

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Hi all!

Well I’m fresh off my latest promotion for the REM series, and I have to say I can’t complain one bit about the results.

Most folks already know that giving away free copies is essential to spreading the word about little-known authors like me. Last week’s promotion ran for three days, and when all was said and done, over 2,000 copies of the first book in the series were downloaded!

Screenshot of KDP promo results.
Over 1,300 downloads on the first day alone. Thanks, Freebooksy!

So with that said, I just wanted to give a BIG THANKS to everyone who took the time to download The R.E.M. Effect. More than anything, I hope readers get a kick out of the story.

And if you’ve already burned through the book, would you please take a moment to leave a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads? Reviews are the lifeblood of indie authors, and without them, we have little chance of getting our stories out to the masses.

It doesn’t have to be Roger-Ebert worthy, either. Just a simple, “Hey, this book was the bomb!” or “Hey, this book was total garbage!” works just fine. (although I really hope it’s not the latter…)

You can leave a review on the Amazon product page by clicking here, and if you feel like dropping by Goodreads to put in your two cents, you can do so by clicking here.

Thanks again for your support, and if you have anything to add, please don’t hesitate to leave it in the comments below.

Take care, and happy reading!

— J.M. Lanham

The Sequel to The R.E.M. Effect is Here!

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Some cures are worse than the dangers they combat.

Picture of a stack of The R.E.M. Project paperbacks.

The R.E.M. Project (The Ocula Series, Book 2) is available now in paperback. Kindle eBook to be released April 17th. Preorder now!

Dear readers,

I’m excited to announce the sequel to 2016’s The R.E.M. Effect has finally hit the Amazon shelves! (Along with a special giveaway for readers who make it to the bottom of this email.)

Set six months after the events of the first book in The Ocula Series, The R.E.M. Project picks up right where we left off:

  • The original outliers are in hiding and on the run.

 

  • Asteria Pharmaceuticals has had free rein to disperse their revolutionary genome-inhibiting medication to the masses.

 

  • And the new Director of the CIA is determined to take Ocula off the streets—even if it means rebooting a dangerous project she swore she would eliminate for good.

On a personal note, I’m really excited to share this book with my loyal readers (and, with any luck, a few new recruits). Your input for The R.E.M. Effect was invaluable to me, and I made it a point to address the main recurrent issues readers had with the first book.

In other words, a lot of your questions from the first book will be answered here. I’ve still got a trilogy planned, with every story arc wrapping up in a nice (if not eerie) little package by the third and final installment. But, I think you’ll be very satisfied with the arcs completed in Book 2.

Now, I promised something special for those who made it to the end of this message, and I would hate to disappoint. I mentioned the Kindle version is available for preorder until the April 17th release date, so . . .

The first ten people who preorder the Kindle version here will receive a complementary autographed paperback copy of The R.E.M. Project. Just shoot me a screenshot of the ebook order receipt, along with your name, mailing address, and any personalized message you’d like me to include in your paperback, and I’ll get a signed copy to you ASAP. (Please allow up to 14 days for delivery.)

And as always, any and all customer reviews left on Amazon and Goodreads help TREMENDOUSLY!

Well, I know that was a long-winded post, but I’ve been waiting a long time to touch base with my readers. I think you’ll find the sequel moves much faster, with a few new characters to help move the storyline closer to its conclusion.

Thanks for your interest in The Ocula Series, your feedback, and your continued support. Feel free to drop me a line in the comments below. Talk to you soon!

— J.M. Lanham