My buddy Wayne’s new book is out! And I’m asking all those of the Hopper Fan Tribe (I know, just made it up; whatever) to help support him! Please read up on Sword in the Stars and tell all your peeps so we can blitz Amazon! ch:
Storm Amazon.com With Us!
11 Jun ’10 By 13 Comments
Mark Your Calendars! Light the torches and gather the pitchforks!
Tuesday, June 22nd at 7pm, EST we will storm the Cybergates of Amazon.com and seek to propel Venom and Song to great heights on the Amazon Bestseller Chart!
Last year, we Blitzed for Curse of the Spider King, and the ranking went from 73,000th to 365th in one 24 hour period! And that thanks only to my generous readers, their friends and family.
This year, we are defining and actual time to shoot for. This will concentrate the effect of book purchases and hopefully launch Venom and Song into the top 100 or even better!
If you are planning to purchase Venom & Song anyway, would you please consider purchasing it from Amazon.com. It’s very important to have the purchases fall between 7-8pm on Tuesday, June 22nd. This maximizes the jump up on the Bestseller list.
Why do this?
Books that hit high on Amazon’s bestseller list get seen by a LOT more people. That exposure tends to generate LOTS more sales, which of course, starts a wonderful cycle. High purchases in the first week of release also tells Amazon that this is a book to push, so Amazon tends to include it in their eMailings, etc. And better still, the opening sales tells the publisher to plug in more marketing muscle to a book that is succeeding. So please consider joining us on June 22nd for the 2nd Annual Amazon BLITZ.
New Video: Author Talk “More Than Words”
27 Oct ’09 By 3 Comments
Marketing books doesn’t have to be boring. Swords always help. ch:
New Author Talk Video
11 Sep ’09 By 7 Comments
Wayne and I discuss how we co-write novels together. Pretty fun…pretty funny, too. Enjoy! ch:
Curse of the Spider King Promo Video
4 Sep ’09 By 2 Comments
The new promo video for Curse of the Spider King is now live on both YouTube and Vimeo. Thanks to all our fans out there who are already pumping this books to their friends and pre-ordering their copies. Wayne and I so appreciate you! If you haven’t checked out our new website, please do. ch:
Book 1 Status: Complete!
16 Mar ’09 By 6 Comments
As of 12:10am this morning, Wayne and I officially finished Book 1 of The Bernifell Prophecies for Thomas Nelson Publishing: Curse of The Spider King. What a weight off! We had a little web-cam celebration and I thought I’d share the screen shot with you. Thanks for everyone’s incredible support on FaceBook and Twitter. The book’s release date has actually been bumped up to the week before Halloween! So we’re very excited for the marketing buzz that will create. For more information, you can visit the new website Jason Clement just set up for us at http://www.heedtheprophecies.com We’ll be adding an in-depth site shortly, complete with a media page, videos, and a forum. So stay tuned! Check out Wayne’s content-rich site, too, while you’re at it. (Real links for everything in this post to follow on Tuesday as my internet connection tonight is about as slow as a 3-toed sloth trying to scratch his back).
ch:
Scranton, here we come!
6 Feb ’09 By 3 Comments
In less than two hours’ time, Wayne Thomas Batson and I will leave our respective residences and set off with much excitement and glee, converging on historic Scranton, PA, the midway point between our homes in NY and MD. This weekend marks our third annual Writer’s Boot Camp, a time where we escape to focus on one of our many mutual loves: writing the epic novel.
And historic Scranton, you say? Well, historic for the fact that one of my favorite shows is set there, The Office. But historic also for its role in the Industrial Revolution. And this is clearly scene in the amazing hotel that has helped sponsor this weekend’s trip, as well as tomorrow’s book signing at The Banshee: Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel. Formerly a sprawling railroad station of epic proportions, it is now an elegant hotel that draws upon its legendary roots to awe its patrons…Wayne and I being two of them (awed patrons that is, not legendary roots).
So if you’re ever in the area, make sue to stay a night at the beautiful Lackawanna Station Hotel. And if you’re in town tomorrow, please come have lunch with us at The Banshee from 12noon-2:00pm! ch:
New Book Series and Upcoming Event
23 Jan ’09 By 4 Comments
The Berinfell Prophecies
Hey’a Gang! For all my reading fans out there, I wanted to let you know, it’s official: Wayne Thomas Batson and I will be coauthoring a new Fantasy Series called The Berinfell Prophecies. Book 1: Curse of the Spider King will be out in stores this Fall! Keep your eyes peeled for some amazing new marketing we’re going to be launching. It may not be as easy to spot as you think…
Booksigning Event Coming Soon: Lunch with the Authors
12noon-2pm Saturday, February 7th, Wayne and I will appear at Scranton’s own Banshee Pub for Dramatic Reading, Swordfighting, Booksigning, and Discussion. So if you know anyone in the great state of Pennsylvania who might be into Fantasy books, please spread the word and tell ‘em to come out and meet us!
PRESS RELEASE:
“In days of yore, traveling Bards entertained audiences with tales of faraway lands and feats of derring do. Return to yesteryear as two award-winning authors and entertainers come to lunch with patrons of the Banshee Pub at 320 Penn Avenue. Fresh off a 10-city Tour of the West Coast, authors Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper will appear in full medieval costume to entertain Banshee customers with dramatic readings from their books, swordplay, and perhaps a song or two.”
For Fans of Narnia, Lord of the Rings, Eragon, and Inkheart – With five young adult Bestsellers and eight published novels between them, Batson and Hopper know how to spin a tale. Trek with Batson and Hopper down a spiral stair to a subterranean labyrinth where a gigantic beast dwells. Or visit the kingdom of Dionia where great heroes train and something treacherous lurks in the shadows. Batson (Thomas Nelson Publishing) will be signing copies of his Door Within Trilogy, Isle of Swords, and Isle of Fire, and Christopher Hopper (Tsaba House Publishing) will sign copies of his Rise of the Dibor and The Lion Vrie—with perhaps a sneak preview of his soon to be released Athera’s Dawn.
For more details, leave a comment or contact The Banshee Directly:
Banshee Pub
320 Penn Ave
Scranton, PA 18503
(570) 969-4248
Swords Up!
25 Oct ’08 By 12 Comments
October just seems to be the month of big news around here! And while everything pales in comparison to a new baby coming this spring, me thinks you should know that something else is due this spring…
…a final draft of a new co-authored book between me and Wayne Thomas Batson for the #1 Christian Publisher in the world, Thomas Nelson!
When Wayne and I first started meeting in Scranton two years ago for our “Writers Bootcamp,” we joked about how fun it would be to write a book together one day. But apparently the Lord was listening, and He didn’t see it as a joke. When Wayne was asked by Nelson for a new Young Adult fiction title, he asked if he had the option to bring on another writer. His agent said yes, to my complete astonishment he asked me! Wayne still sweeps the grandeur of it under the carpet, but his graciousness is astounding.
So for the next few months Wayne and I will be pounding away on not one, but two new books together in the form of a mini-series. And I’m totally stoked for this project: One, this plot is one of a kind. And two, I get to write it with one of my best buds! Please go over to his blog and congratulate him. And yes, I’m almost done editing Book 3! (You guys are animals!).
Swords up!
CH
Back In NY
12 Oct ’08 By 4 Comments
Jennifer and I just arrived back in NY after many hours aloft. It feels good to be back on the east coast, although we have many new and wonderful memories forged out of an incredibly unique tour down the west coast. Things finished off with much hooting and hollering at Barnes & Noble in San Diego around 4:01pm PT. From there we had a group meal at Islands (Yaki Tacos are num nums!) and reminisced about the week. There was much laughter had by all.
The following few hours were a slew of hugs and even some tears as we all said goodbye, a divine melancholy falling over everyone. Although each one of us was eager to get back to family and routine, it dawned on me that we had done the very thing we all write about: join together on an epic adventure to bring Truth and advance God’s Kingdom. And what a tale it is…
We’ll be working on the remaining few days of Video Journals this week and post them shortly. Between the succession of bad internet connections and little time to edit video, we have been behind on production.
A big thank you to Pam Schwagerl at Tsaba House for her amazing dedication to this tour and putting the schedule together, as well as to Gregg Wooding for his amazing talents in promoting us. Also to my tour mates: Donita K. Paul, Eric Reinhold, Jonthan Rogers, L.B. Graham, and the originals, Wayne Thomas Batson, Bryan Davis and Sharon Hinck. I consider them all family…adventure-mates of the grandest sort. And a big shout out to Amanda and Penny who went above and beyond the call of duty when it came to “the miscellaneous” tasks of the tour. I’d also like to thank all of the publishers that we represent who so generously invested into the financial backing and promotion of this tour, as well as our amazing sponsors, RealArmorofGod.com, Hotel Burgess, and Character 4 Kids.
I’ll be posting more pictures as we process them; Jennifer shot well over 1,000 with some spectacular scenes of God’s creation I can’t wait for you to see.
Last, but certainly not least, I must thank all of you who came out and supported us on the road. The fans! Where would we be without you? Books are meant to be read, so if you weren’t reading them, not only would we not have had anyone at our events, but we wouldn’t even be writing. So thank you, thank you, thank you. The countless words of encouragement I received from teens who were inspired, moms who were grateful, dads who were provoked to talk to their sons, children who were awed…these are what we live for. You are why we write. That Christ might live in you, the Hope of Glory.
Video Journal – Day 2 – 10.05.08 – Portland, Oregon
8 Oct ’08 By 5 Comments
On our Oregon stop, we started off with a rainy, impromptu gathering under a gazebo in Portland and finished with a bang at Medford’s mall. A huge crowd gathered for the signing put on by Evangel Family Bookstore and were treated to, among other things, a reading by Jonathan Rogers and a humorous dual between myself & Sir Wayne! Enjoy!
(The fun and funky Portuguese/Brazilian music is in honor of Nathan Reimer).
CH
Central Valley Today NBC 24 Interview
8 Oct ’08 By 4 Comments
We’re in Reedley, CA today, doing some events at the high school here and preparing for a huge event on G Street tonight. In the mean time, here is a link to the interview Wayne and I did on Central Valley Today, Fresno’s NBC Affiliate KSEE 24. Let me know what you think!
CH