John O'Dowd--Pale Blue Jesus now out

“Jesus H. Christ, Walker, the answer is Levon Helm and it's the start of another perfect day...”

With that, Geoff Walker started a day he would never forget. There was never much trouble in Paloma, New Mexico. Geoff Walker, retired and bored, had to choose between being the small town’s marshal and chairman of the local school board and its three-room school. With a background in law and a dusty law degree packed in his attic, he chose marshal. Until the day that he found the body of Juan Valdez it had seemed like a good choice.

The old man had been crucified; complete with a crown of barbed-wire thorns and a message in blood above his head. Juan had not struggled before or during his crucifixion. All evidence seemed to point to the possibility that he had cooperated with his killer. Juan Valdez was involved with the Penitentes, a small, secret sect of a Catholic church that had moved into a modern age and left them behind. The Penitentes practiced a fundamentalist form of Christianity.

The Penitente recognized the value of pain. Only through suffering as Christ did would they be absolved of sin. No one but Geoff wants to know how and why Juan Valdez died. Through museums, art galleries in chic Santa Fe and state police stations in the cold desert, Geoff continues his search and discovers that the killer may not be a murderer and the crucifixion may not be a crime.

A mystery novel from the author of Mahko's Knife. Buy it at Amazon. Learn more about John O'Dowd at mahkosknife.blogspot.com

news updates and ad opportunities

Author John O'Dowd is working on the next book in the Mahko series--support him with a purchase and review from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Mahkos-Knife-ebook/dp/B003980V5O

We're also working on print editions of Stephen James Price's Pages of Promises and putting together a debut novel from an exciting new author! Details soon.

Also, if you want to advertise in either the Dirt or Speed Dating with the Dead trade paperbacks, email hauntedcomputerbooks@yahoo.com. Very affordable rates--promote your books, products, services, and Web sites with items that stay in print forever. Thanks for your support!

HC Books round-up

Debra Hamel has reviewed The Skull Ring for Midwest Book Review/Book Blog. We're in the final stages of prepping Stephen James Price's collection PAGES OF PROMISES and John O'Dowd is finishing up revisions on a new Mahko thriller. June 24th is the official release date of the Grave Conditions trade paperback (preorders available). Printed Page has a Drummer Boy review.

The Red Church is two Amazon reviews away from that magical 20, which will help it show up in more recommendations slots. If you're inspired to chip in your two bits, please drop a sentence or two.

We're also working on the DIRT trade paperback, which should be out in early July. Scott and Stephen have contributed stories to Ghostwriter Publications' promo collection THE OUTSIDERS, available free at Smashwords soon or for a pittance as ebook on Amazon. A busy season, thanks to all who fight for liberty, justice, and truth!

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The Beat It campaign

We're cooking up some very groovy prizes for the official release of Drummer Boy on May 11. It's so groovy, we are not quite sure what it's going to be yet, but we'll have some goodies or bonuses for people who post our banners on their sites or web blogs. We're also targeting an "Action Hour," at which time we'll be asking everyone to do an online version of a Flash Mob, hyping the book and seeing if we can get a run up the Amazon charts. And, of course, we'll have a little Drummer Boy video, because it's not often you get a ghostly Civil War kid.

Also, we're trying a discount special at Amazon for The Skull Ring, lowering the price to 99 cents for the month of May. E-book prices are all over the map, and it's an age of experimentation. Signed paper copies of The Skull Ring, The Red Church, and Drummer Boy are available through the Haunted Computer. PDF versions of the comic book Dirt #2 are also now available for 99 cents.

We're also in talks with two other writers to release more books soon, and John O'Dowd is finishing up the second Mahko action thriller.

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