By far the best exposure I have had is from the KDP Select program. Sure, it isn’t perfect. But I can tell you without a doubt I would never have come close to 35,000 downloads through any other program.
I would be happy to give away 200,000 copies of my story. I have told a few friends this crazy idea of mine. It baffles them. Why would I be willing to “give away” something I genuinely worked “darn” hard to achieve? Why wouldn’t I demand to be paid for my services?
The way I see it is like this: I am being paid. I am gaining a readership the likes of which I would never have had in a million years. I couldn’t tell you the amount of fan mail I have received via email, Twitter and FB. Not to mention and most surprising to me, a few phone calls.
In short I am happy to give away my work in the hopes that it will be well received and I will find a reader for life.
Thank you readers.
Be well,
Van Heerling
P.S.
Now for the shameless plug, MALAIKA is free to download Sunday, August 26th through August 28th. I do hope you will have a chance to download a copy. And if you do, please send this post to a friend and ask them to grab a copy as well.
Won’t you help me get to 200,000 downloads?
Thank you readers!
With over 35,000 copies of MALAIKA downloaded all over the world you can imagine I get a few questions. One of the most commonly asked is how I came up with the story.
For those of you that have already read this origin story, please forgive the reposting of the blog below. For those that have read MALAIKA and enjoyed the journey, I hope you will find the beginning of her story just as enjoyable.
Originally posted on October 15th, 2011
Malaika, pronounced Ma-lie-ka, found me in a dream. While in this “other universe,” I discovered a friendship that seemed to stretch back a thousand years—a friendship perhaps initiated long ago in some ancient Heaven. This friend of mine was not a person, but rather a graceful and magnificent black panther and no collar adorned her neck. In this strange and wonderful world we were equals.
While in the dream, we came upon an expanse of rolling hills that seemed as vast as the Sahara. However, in place of hot unforgiving sand, we found ourselves surrounded by plush high wheat that teased our eyes as far as we dared to imagine.
This next paragraph contains a spoiler so you may in fact want to skip it. But I propose you read on, as I give, arguably the essence of the book that followed this dream. For me it was Malaika’s kindhearted spirit that was her story, not the way in which she fell to her demise. Oops I let it slip.
As we crested a hill we came across a huge netted batting cage made of woven ropes as midnight as Malaika’s ebony coat. Within this massive woven cage were scores of batters practicing their batting. As I entered, Malaika followed. Instinctively I understood that she was unwelcome, but Malaika, headstrong as she was, and us being “equals,” it wasn’t my place to tell her what to do. Instead of tobacco farmers armed with machetes, like in the story I eventually wrote, it happened to be these batters with malice filled eyes, wielding wooden blows, causing the demise of this elegant black panther I called “friend.” I stood helpless to stop it.
Truly, upon waking I felt like I had lost a friend. While in the clutches of melancholy and a racked mind, my wife insisted that I note down this dream. As I began to write I felt something shift. As I recalled the dream, her essence was the same but the story I was to tell had altered. She was to be a lioness, from deep in the heart of the Serengeti. A year later Malaika was penned.
Malaika came to me from the heart of the universe—where dreams are born. The vividness and profound sadness I felt after the dream was the catalyst that inspired me to share her story.
And so, now, I share her story with you.
Be Well,
Van
MALAIKA is free today and Friday (June 14th and 15th). If you have read MALAIKA and enjoyed it, I hope you will tell a friend to download it today for free. So far this little story has been downloaded nearly 30,000 times. Thank you and happy reading.
Be well,
Van
This has been a very special week. During our promotion more than 11,000 copies of MALAIKA were downloaded.
There are now over 28,000 copies of MALAIKA all over the world.
For this I am incredibly GRATEFUL.
THANK YOU READERS.
Truly I am humbled.
Forever yours,
Van
The Scourge of the Earth
The Human race is the scourge of the Earth.
We maim and destroy in the name of self-indulgence and profits.
We hunt the exotic not for resource, but for sport.
We murder our own seemingly without much thought.
We leave not fertile seeds pressed within our booted trails, but ruin and despair.
When humanity extinguishes itself, the Earth will be in rot.
But not all will be lost.
She shall heal herself, just in time for our second coming.
But when I look into my son’s eyes I see only greatness and love.
Oh, how far we fall.
Thank you readers. It is because of you over 15,000 copies of MALAIKA are now circulating the globe. I am eternally thankful and have nothing to give but my unending gratitude.
I can always be reached at vanheerlingbooks@att.net if you ever want to have a chat.
Write what you know?
If you are a writer you have probably heard this comment once or twice: “Write what you know.” And that idea certainly has its place. However, I am going to let you in on a little secret. Rarely do I write about what I know. Why should I? I already KNOW about it. For me, writing is a discovery.
So what do I write? Simple. I write what I feel.
In no story of mine is this more the case than in one that came to me a few years back. And when I say it came to me, I mean exactly that. Malaika, pronounced Ma-lie-ka, found me in a dream. While in this “other universe,” I discovered a friendship that seemed to stretch back a thousand years—a friendship perhaps initiated long ago in some ancient Heaven. This friend of mine was not a person, but rather a graceful and magnificent black panther and no collar adorned her neck. In this strange and wonderful world we were equals.
While in the dream, we came upon an expanse of rolling hills that seemed as vast as the Sahara. However, in place of hot unforgiving sand, we found ourselves surrounded by plush high wheat that teased our eyes as far as we dared to imagine.
This next paragraph contains a spoiler so you may in fact want to skip it. But I propose you read on, as I give, arguably the essence of the book that followed this dream. For me it was Malaika’s kindhearted spirit that was her story, not the way in which she fell to her demise. Oops I let it slip.
As we crested a hill we came across a huge netted batting cage made of woven ropes as midnight as Malaika’s ebony coat. Within this massive woven cage were scores of batters practicing their batting. As I entered, Malaika followed. Instinctively I understood that she was unwelcome, but Malaika, headstrong as she was, and us being “equals,” it wasn’t my place to tell her what to do. Instead of tobacco farmers armed with machetes, like in the story I eventually wrote, it happened to be these batters with malice filled eyes, wielding wooden blows, causing the demise of this elegant black panther I called “friend.” I stood helpless to stop it.
Truly, upon waking I felt like I had lost a friend. While in the clutches of melancholy and a racked mind, my wife insisted that I note down this dream. As I began to write I felt something shift. As I recalled the dream, her essence was the same but the story I was to tell had altered. She was to be a lioness, from deep in the heart of the Serengeti. A year later Malaika was penned.
Malaika came to me from the heart of the universe—where dreams are born. The vividness and profound sadness I felt after the dream was the catalyst that inspired me to share her story.
And so, now, I share her story with you.
Be Well,
Van
For more information about this author please visit the links below. Contact: http://www.vanheerlingbooks.com/contact.html Website and Blog: www.vanheerlingbooks.com Chapter One: MALAIKA http://bit.ly/poJnuE Amazon: MALAIKA http://t.co/5AsDFrm
Purpose:
I want to be a part of something Great.
Something profound.
Something that impacts the human race with such beauty, that it inspires future generations for eons.
I do not know if what I seek is tangible or even possible.
I do know however that I can feel it.
~VH~
Thank you Karina for this wonderful review. How can I not share this? You understand me! Soulful yet primal, mystical and hauntingly moving - Malaika is a wonderfully memorable novel which is impossible to put down. From the sweeping vistas of Africa to the richly developed characters, this work will surprise and delight. Its message is compelling, inspirational and timely. A beautiful reminder to 'tune in' to the transcendent beauty and spirit in our lives, be it found in nature or the love of friends and family. I look forward to more from this writer! http://amzn.to/pitv1Y
Purpose:
I want to be a part of something Great.
Something profound.
Something that impacts the human race with such beauty, that it inspires future generations for eons.
I do not know if what I seek is tangible or even possible.
I do know however that I can feel it.
~VH~
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