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Book Signing in Holland MI, June 4

5/30/2016

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I am so excited to be gearing up for my second ever public book signing. The people at Family Christian in Holland have been incredible to work with. This event is the result of an inquiry I made about stocking my book on their shelves. The request was met with great excitement about the possibilities both for book sales and a signing event. Because the genre of my books is well suited to both young readers, as well as male readers, they suggested hosting the event this coming weekend to line up with both graduation gift and Father's Day gift buying. It was also mentioned that there are other West Michigan stores, if the book does well here in Holland.

There are a myriad of thoughts that accompany a book signing event, at least for me. What if I don't have enough copies? (I know, wishful thinking.) What if no one shows up? What do I write? Then there's the dreaded, what if I spell someone's name wrong? And on, and on, and on... Most of all, I am just looking forward to meeting some of the awesome readers who've supported my writing and our mission of compassion. Which by the way, Family Christian is also a non-profit dedicated to supporting compassion ministries with their sales.

I know many of you, my faithful blog readers, are not from the area. So I probably won't see you there. But I would very much appreciate your thoughts and prayers on Saturday. As always, it is my desire that these stories would draw people closer to God, while at the same time providing much needed clean water for those around the globe.

'Til next time!



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Can't Wait? Don't!

2/7/2016

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It seems like there's something new nearly every day in the road to the release of Restoration's Journey. This week I'd like to let you know about a major milestone. Book two of the Unseen Dominion series is officially available to pre-order on Amazon. That's right you can head on over now and secure your print or ebook edition of my latest novel.

​You've already heard me wax on about the importance of launching at Amazon with momentum. Well, pre-order purchases help with this initiative, because pre-orders count as launch-day purchases. So, if you know readers who might be interested, help me in spreading the news.

​And don't forget, just like In The Image of Man, all proceeds from Restoration's Journey go to Living Water International to help provide clean water to those in need around the world.

​Until next time!

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A Humbling Process

1/31/2016

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There is so much work happening behind the scenes these days. As an Indie Author/Pub, the learning never ceases--honing writing skills, reading, rewriting, rereading, type editing, graphic arts, formatting print and ebook editions, promotion, planning, okay you get the picture. Perhaps one of the hardest lessons for me has been that of asking for help.

​This go around, as you know if you read my last blog post, I determined to go the route of creating an Advanced Review version of my latest book and asking you, my faithful supporters, if you would be willing to be the pioneer readers of this newest story in the Unseen Dominion series. Your response was overwhelming. Many of you have agreed to be advanced readers/reviewers.

​I've often pondered why it is so difficult to build a readership as a new author. With the availability of inexpensive ebooks, giveaways, and Kindle countdown deals, it is certainly not a financial issue--at least not primarily. No, the decision to take the leap and gamble on reading an unknown author is a risk of something much more valuable than a few bucks. It is a commitment to give of your most valuable and non-renewable resource--your time!

​Therefore, I am greatly honored that so many have given of this valuable resource  to read my stories. Then I started hearing from those of you who are reading Restoration's Journey. I am truly humbled at the encouraging and insightful feedback I have already received. And yes, my humility and gratefulness are increased in knowing that dozens of no-brainer mistakes will never be seen by the masses. As I've said before, we are all together on this journey to help those with the greatest needs. Each and every one of you who have committed your time to read, review, encourage, rate, and spread the word, have given your time to provide life-giving water to "the least of these."

​Thank you!

More exciting news coming next week. Stay tuned...

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Advance Reviewers

1/10/2016

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It has been an exciting couple of weeks here at Hearts of Compassion. My second novel, Restoration's Journey, is sprinting down the home stretch to Release Day, March 1st!

Many of you, my faithful blog readers, have already heard from me about the exciting opportunity to be the first to read this new novel. For those who haven't, now you are.

In our world of thousands of new books hitting the market each month, it is absolutely critical for a new book to launch with excitement, expectation, and an abundance of reviews and preorders. That first day only comes one time for a book. My goal is to ensure that Restoration's Journey captures as much spotlight in that brief moment as possible.
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So, I am looking for readers who would be willing to offer honest reviews on March 1st in exchange for a free ARC (Advance Review Copy) of the novel.​​​ To keep expenses down and to keep the flow of publishing proceeds headed to Living Water International, I am primarily looking to provide ebook copies, though I will have a few print copies available.

If you would like to participate with us in this exciting pre-launch activity, drop me a quick note​ through our contact form.

Stay tuned for the first sighting of a printed copy of Restoration's Journey!​

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Whatever You Do For The Least of These . . .

4/12/2015

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Our mission is to publish uplifting Christian novels in an effort to raise funds to help those around the world in need. I am pleased to announce that so far this year ten more families have much needed clean water. This brings the total for our first twelve months to roughly three-dozen families. That means clean water to drink, better hygiene, improved health, less time spent carrying contaminated water, safety, and even more time for education, for the children of these homes.

Our goal for the Unseen Dominion series is to raise enough funds to pay for at least one community water-well. As you can see from the graphic, we still have a long way to go. I am optimistic that we will be able to accomplish this goal. Not because of our efforts, but because of you. Your involvement in this effort is what makes this goal a possibility. You are helping to fulfill Jesus' call to provide a "cup of cold water" to those who need it most.

If you've been following my blog long enough, you've heard me talk about the challenges of getting momentum as an indie publisher and relatively unknown name in the publishing world. As we prepare to have Restoration's Journey, book two of the series, ready for release this fall, we need your help more than ever. Through the next several months we will make a push to raise awareness of our mission and of our first book, In The Image of Man. Here are some ways we can definitely use your help:

  1. Pray - Nothing "we" do will bring about the momentum needed to get this project off the ground. We need God to lift it up. So, we need you to lift us up.
  2. Read - If you've already read In The Image of Man, thank you. If not, your purchase will help provide clean water and hopefully be a worthwhile investment of your time.
  3. Rate - Click a star. It's that simple. Getting ratings on Amazon helps to put the book in front of more readers.
  4. Review - A quick honest blurb about why you liked the book can be so influential in someone's decision of purchase the book. Shout out on Amazon and Goodreads.
  5. Discuss - Tell others about the book and our mission. Talk in person. Join discussions on Goodreads. Vote for the book in Listopia lists.
  6. Follow - Follow me on Goodreads, this blog, Facebook, or Twitter, to stay up-to-date on my progress with Restoration's Journey.
Thank you for helping!

'Till next time.
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My First Kindle Free E-Book Offer

3/19/2015

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This week I'm running my first ever free Kindle e-book offer. As you can see above, it's doing pretty well in some categories. Gotta love that paranormal suspense classification. On one hand it is exciting to see so many downloads of In The Image of Man. With two full days remaining, over 500 copies have been downloaded. I can only hope that most of these are actually read. Of course, I'd also love to have many of them write reviews.

On the flip-side, it is tough to see that many copies downloaded without any resources being raised to donate to Living Water International. To this point, I've struggled with offering it for free for that reason. Then it dawned on me that if I were publishing and selling books for a profit, I would definitely run some free days, as do most authors, to build a readership and awareness, and potentially reviews.

It is really a cheap and quite effective form of promotion. One comment I read discussed the fact that because nearly all authors are offering their books for free at some point, many readers simply wait for the freebie rather than purchasing a copy. Probably quite true. The exceptions would be when someone's favorite authors come out with their new book. In a sense, this is what all authors hope to establish over time, and one good way to get readers is through free offers.

Either way, I am excited to think that so many people have the opportunity to experience the message of this book. That is after all the primary reason I write in the first place. If you know someone who might enjoy the book, let them know about the offer. Or, you can always pick up the paperback for them, and help someone get clean water as well.

'Till next time!
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Strike Up The Band - Restoration's Journey

2/22/2015

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It's time to celebrate. Perhaps the next best thing to a book hitting the shelves is typing the final words of the first draft of the story. That's exactly what I did this weekend.

For roughly eight months, I've been writing the sequel to my first release, In The Image of Man. If you've read the first book, this one follows young Ima Fredericks as she flees CeSiR Tech.

Initially, I set out to continue the story of Chris, Sarah, and all your favorites from Book One. Ima's flight was going to be the prologue. Well, the characters had different plans. In fact, Book Two, entitled Restoration's Journey, covers the week of time between when Ima exited the first story to where the first story ends. Have no fear, all the characters will be back in Book Three. I think. :)

I am excited for you to have the opportunity to meet and fall in love with this twelve year old girl. The bad news? This is only the first draft. While this first draft is not nearly as rough as my first draft of Image, there are still multiple stages of editing remaining before Journey is ready for primetime.

Unlike Image, which may have seemed to just show up one day on the electronic shelves, I promise there will be more notice and promotion of Journey. In fact, for readers of In The Image of Man who have written reviews and are interested in being a part of the process, we will be providing ARCs (Advance Reading Copy). This process helps to build excitement and anticipation, as well as getting the much influential reviews into the pipeline early in the book's release. Critical feedback from such readers will also be essential in keeping our editing costs in control, allowing us to help as many people in need as possible.

So, in the next few months, expect to see the unveiling of the cover art, more writing excerpts from the editing process, a preview excerpt, and more information on ARCs.

'Till next time!

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Find Me on Goodreads!

2/8/2015

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Welcome readers.

I've mentioned it before, but I wanted to mention again a great website for readers. The site is called Goodreads. The site allows you to keep track of the books you've read, rate books, get suggestions for books you might like based on your ratings, and my favorite - interact with your favorite authors. You don't even have to remember another sign-in. All you have to do is use your Facebook account to login, assuming you have one. Another cool feature is that your Facebook friends will also become Goodreads friends.

You might be thinking, "why would I want another social network?" Well, unlike any other social media, Goodreads is completely oriented to readers and writers. You can see what books your friends like reading to help discover books you might like. Also, you can suggest books, like In The Image of Man, that others might like to read.

Not convinced? Let me offer one more reason to join Goodreads. If you like the ministry of Hearts of Compassion Publishing and/or enjoyed reading In The Image of Man, you can help the cause in a significant way. Here are some of the ways you can help:

1.  Give In The Image of Man an honest rating
2.  Give an honest review
3.  Recommend the book to friends you think would like to read it
4.  Become a Fan of Author Robert Roush.
5.  Join discussion groups with other readers

As I near the completion of Book Two of the Unseen Dominion series, becoming a Goodreads fan is a great way to stay up to date on the latest in giveaways, advanced review copies, release dates, and more.
Thanks for helping us out!

'Till next time.

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Book Review - Orion Connection by S DeGiorgio

1/11/2015

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With millions of books and ebooks available online, how do you find the ones that are worth reading? Often it seems that readers solve the dilemma by sticking with the big names or those they see everywhere on the shelves. I have to admit, this often applies to myself as well. But, are the big names or big publisher books better than the Indie books out there? Unfortunately for those of us trying to promote Indie books, the answer is all-too-often, yes.

In the past months, I've made a commitment to read more Indie books. This has even resulted in the creation of a new bookshelf on my Goodreads account. This shelf is called "Shelved." As the name implies, this shelf is for books that I started reading, gave sufficient time, but just couldn't make the time commitment to finish reading. This doesn't necessarily imply a bad story. It could also be poor writing, significant mistakes (not the petty grammar errors that some like to point out), or a lack of believable plot or characters.

Enter Orion Connection, by husband and wife team S DeGiorgio. This is the best written indie work I've read to this point. The authors' mastery of the craft allows the storyline to shine through. The characters are believable and the reader doesn't just read, but feels what they are going through. The story, though relatively familiar--given several similar Sci-Fi plots, including some bigger name movies--is engaging and makes the read move quickly.

I'm not saying that this is a perfectly written book. I certainly wouldn't say such a thing about my own work. However, the story was engaging and I quickly moved from looking for craft related issues to not caring if they were there or not. It is important to note that this doesn't always happen. Often, books with a great plot never engage the way they should because of poor writing quality, POV issues, or excessive mistakes. This was certainly not the case here.

If you like space-based Sci-Fi, I would recommend this book for an enjoyable and engaging read. Personally, I look forward to the sequel.

'Till next time.

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You Are MakingĀ A Difference

12/31/2014

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As 2014 winds down, I thought it would be good to post a reminder to all our readers what a difference you have made this year. This is our first year at Hearts of Compassion Publishing. When I started the company, there were many unknowns as to the viability of such an endeavor. Our mission is to use the sale of God-honoring books and stories to fulfill the call in Matthew 25:40 to provide clean water, food, clothing, and care to those in need.

In our first year, nine months actually, we have been able to publish our first book, In The Image of Man, and raise enough royalties to provide clean drinking water to over one-hundred people, or over twenty-five families, around the world who were in desperate need of clean water. This means less disease, water-born illness, and violence. As well as, more time in school instead of carrying water, greater security, and the opportunity to share the good news of Jesus in the process.

I don't know what God has in store for the coming year(s). Please join me in praying this is just the tip of the iceberg, and that thousands of people can be helped through this simple ministry concept. The first draft of the second book in the Unseen Dominion series is rounding into shape. It is my hope and prayer that as one writer friend told me, "the best contributor to sales of a book is the next book." I am working hard to have the sequel to In The Image out the first half of 2015.

Thank you again for your support and encouragement. Please continue to help me spread the word. Your recommendations, Amazon reviews and ratings, tweets, and Goodreads reviews and ratings all help in growing awareness, both of the book but more importantly of its mission.

'Till next year!

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    Author -
    Robert Roush

    I've been a husband for 28 years and am the father of five children, three boys and two girls, ages 24 and under.

    My vocational years have been an eclectic mix of software developer, electrical and manufacturing engineer, manager, and even five years as a worship pastor. So, I guess it only stands to reason that my aspirations as an author are equally unique. As an author it is my desire to challenge one's mind with what ifs, one's heart with if only, and one's sense of justice with if not me.

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