Okay, so I know the author, and the first published edition arrived yesterday, and having read thru the manuscript about four times prior to publication .... I can now read the "real" book ...... and it`s worth reading!

Written by an english speaking local Swiss fellow, who having researched the legends and folk-lore of our village, was inspired to write this story that revolves around the village.

The old orchards and forgotten cellars of centuries old buildings, hold secrets ....as do the traditional festivals such as Baechteli, that a modern day young man stumbles into, and the past becomes a terrifying present ..........

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Read about it .... in book form, or as an eBook on Kimble (or whatever you call that modern electronic reading gadget)

You can order online at http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http...sP2GrkmEOQMNWw

And, perhaps I could ask you all to help promote his book? By giving his Facebook page a "like"? Or by joining his Group for the book on Facebook? http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The...03825926305254

It all helps towards further publications, as he is now working on the sequel to this book.

Thank you.

For those interested, I take the liberty of posting this received from the author. Sorry, I have to divide it between two postings .........

The storybehind the story begins like this:

In the period from June to December 2009, I wrote a book. It started out as nothing more than a desire to finally write something a little longer and more intricate than the many short stories I have written over the last seventeen years. While a few of those little tales eventually found their way onto my blog (www.saswiss.blogspot.com)in recent years, the majority remained my private treasure trove, the earlier ones destined to fade away on yellowed paper in cardboard boxes left in SouthAfrica, or stuffed in a nook somewhere in the house here in Switzerland, andthe later ones doomed to the passing of technology as they whiled their timeaway on ancient floppy discs in a far corner of my desk drawer.

Like these earlier tales, my book was never originally intended to see the light of day.It was more a private project, too personal to reveal to the public and in theact, reveal the essential secrets of my inner self.

However, the book soon took on a personality of its own. After the initial nervous start, itbegan to pick up pace, and soon I was as engrossed in the writing of it as I would have been in the reading of an excellent novel, or the viewing of asuperb film. In fact, the setting, dialogue, scenery and eventually the characters themselves began to draw me so far within their world that by thethird chapter I was unable to “put the book down”. It became like a running movie in my head, my fingers simply unable to keep up with the unfolding of thestory as it clattered out onto my laptop (and I type fast!). Despite my knowing where the story was supposed to be going, the characters would take it upon themselves to throw a twist in the tale, or stall me in fright, even double me over with laughter. I’ll never forget sitting in the dimly lit kitchen at about 02:30 in the morning, frantically typing out a nerve-wracking scene taking place in the dark of nightin a deserted orchard, my cigarette smoldering forgotten in an ashtray beside me, the kitchen door open a crack to get some fresh air. When the cat suddenly darted through the door in a silent blur, I nearly hit my head on the roof, I jumped so high!

With a break from writing during the months of July and August (brought on by summer holidays and later much pressure at work), I was finally able to get back to the book in September. As you will see in the book descriptions later on in this mail, the inspiration for the setting of this book came mainly from the village of Rafz, in which I live here in Switzerland, and the enchanting Black Forest in Germany. To this end, many chapters were hammered out on quiet little retreats over weekends, where my wife and I would stay in out-of-the-way country or forest inns, her curled up around her favourite book and I huddled over my overheated little laptop. Walks in the silent, snowy and mysterious forest would open my eyes to more of the world I was creating, and even some of thecharacters in the book were met on these weekends away in the Black Forest,where we would spend the most fascinating times ensconced in surreal conversations with outlandish and eccentric locals, their strong dialectsl ending credence to their very rural “otherness”.

All too soon, unfortunately, the story had to come to an end. It had grown beyond my expectations and though there was still much more to tell, I had to bring it to a finish. At ten o’clock in the evening, on the 31st December 2009,it was finished.

I put it away and took a break for a week, before getting caught up in the humdrum ofwork once again. After a few desultory attempts to lure an agent during the month of March, 2010, I realized that it was to remain, like its little brothers in the cardboard boxes and on the floppy discs, a story for me alone. Life went on.

At some stage later in the year, a friend asked if I had ever finished the book and if so, if she could read it. I gave copies of the manuscript to her and two others. Imagine my surprise when they got as caught up in it as I had been. They were agonizing over the fate of the main characters, itching to know if their favourite was going to die, begging to be told if the young one fell in love with the mysterious beauty, laughing at the mischievous imp, Beadle, etc. It was amusing to see these reactions, and extremely satisfying, I must admit.

During the remainder of 2010, I began reading up on the publishing world, leaving a question on a forum here, a comment on a blog there, and soon I was approached with an offer that I found fairly reasonable. I would finally hold a copy of my own book in my hand, and what’s more, it would be available around the world both as a paperback book and as a downloadable e-book. I decided to seize the moment and once again, at ten o’clock on the evening of the 31st December, this time 2010, I sent a signed contract off to the publisher in the USA.

The year of 2011 has been filled with revisions and corrections as I frantically filled my spare time with editing and preparing the book for the public. The final act was the design of the cover. Now, the moment has…at last…arrived. On Monday, 28thNovember 2011, I received a sample copy of the book for my approval. It was perfect, and the day spent at work was a total loss of productivity for my firm. All I could do was gaze lovingly at my work of art as it perched there on the edge of my desk…

It’s a good time for the book to come out, for this story takes place during the snowy European winter, which is now. The sequel, which takes place during the pleasant, dry warmth of the European summer and is now well under way, will appear at the beginning of next summer (here in Europe) and so far promises to be even better than the first book!

Now comes the moment of truth, friends, family and acquaintances. This book can be ordered by anyone at any of their local bookstores, or bought online at most of the major book-selling houses. All you need is a little faith, in me and in a fantastic story, as well as one of the following pieces of information.

Title: They call me Nightwalker

Author: R.v.d.Weide (written just like that)

ISBN: 9781467000062 (for the actual book)

ISBN: 9781467000079 (for the e-book, if you have an e-reader suchas Kindle or Nook, or want to download it onto your computer)

I’m takingmy hat in my hand and asking all of you, please, to try and see your waythrough to helping me on the way to being that which I would most love to be…an author!

Unknown and financially unable to market my book, I am completely reliant on all of you. Ifyou get out there and purchase this book, pitch it to your friends andacquaintances and leave a good word where you bought it, it will become noticedby the powers that be in the book world, and that’s all that I ask.

Sales of new books by newcomers on the scene are, like all other book sales from the large international concerns (think Amazon, etc.) closely monitored,mainly via programs designed to recognize such things, but also by the right people in the publishing world. The minute a particular book displays a certain amount of activity, it gets prodded along by those who make a living promoting book sales. This, exactly this, is what I desperately need. I know the book is good, but I just can’t afford the right type of canvassing to get it known by the right people.

As it’s rather a thick book (584 pages) its cost is relatively high. I’ve requested that the price be set at the lowest possible retail value, which means that I will probably never make enough to live on from this one. In fact, if every single one of you buy a copy, I’ll only receive about CHF100 (£65, $130, R900)!It’s not about the money, it’s about getting known!

I’m going to list the outlets where the book can be purchased below, though I hope you all remember that you can request the book from your local bookseller, who canorder it using either the title,the author nameor the ISBN number listed above. Paperback copies will also be available in the GowerStreet Waterstones bookstore in London (82 Gower Street, London,WC1E 6EQ. Tel: 0843 290 8351)



















I

Just to clarify..........Does this book have anything to do with Wesley Snipes??


cheers
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continued......


Here’s the list of suppliers:

·Abebooks

·Alibris

·Amazon (all international versions)

·AuthorHouse (international, though you can choose between authorhouse.co.ukand authorhouse.com)

·Barnes and Noble

·BooksonBoard

·Booktopia (Australia)

·Buch (Germany)

·Buecher (Germany)

·Buchkatalog (Germany)

·Bol (Netherlands)

·A1books (India)

·Loot (South Africa)

·Powells (international)

·PriceMinister (UK)

·Infibeam (India)

·IBT (Italian) – If uploaded through B&T

·SeekBooks (Australia)

·Tower (international)

·Chapters – monthly download, so it may take a while to show up, but itwill show up eventually!

There are others, but I’m told by the publisher that these are the major ones. Personally, I’d prefer it if everyone ordered through Amazon. That way, they record more sales of the same title and the “noticeability” of the book will rise, but I’ll be happy no matter where you buy your copy!

In case you do decide to purchase through Amazon, here’s a quick link directly to my book to make it a little easier:

http://www.amazon.com/They-call-Nightwalker-R-v-d-Weide/dp/146700006X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322684934&sr=1-1

The AuthorHouse link directly to mybook is here (this is probably the cheapest option, and the only one so far thatgives you a sample peek!):

http://bookstore.authorhouse.com/Products/SKU-000456845/They-call-me-Nightwalker.aspx

and the Barnes and Noble one is here:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1107735812?ean=9781467000062

The Facebook link directly to the They call me Nightwalker Page is as follows:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=hp#!/pages/They-call-me-Nightwalker/303825926305254

On this Facebook Page, you will be able to read more about the book andshow your support by giving me a "like". This is important too. Themore "like"s the page gets, the more recognition the book has on theInternet, not to mention many other promotional benefits via links, etc.



Now thatI’ve spent so much of your time trying to convince you all to buy copies, I’m going to tell you a little about the book at last! It’s really good, believe me. The genre is definitely fantasy, there’s no escaping that, but the setting is extremely real, as are the characters. The strength of the book lies in the extreme realism of the characters. You will find yourselves identifying strongly with one or more of them sooner or later. They have been developed from a myriad of people who have played a role in my own life or influenced me in some way or another. No one character is a mirror of any real person.Rather, each character embodies the best (and the worst) of many real people.Some of you will definitely have played a part in giving life to the people inmy book, though you’d be hard put to pin the right one down J.

The problems and joys of life facing these people in this story will be easily recognizable to the reader. Whether young or old, male or female, everyone will find something that draws them into the story as it builds during the course of the book to a final crescendo. The first third of the book is a round of discovery, tense yet interesting, drawing you into wanting more while setting up the main character’s fantastic discoveries in a way that makes it believable for the reader. The second third is a bout of pure fun, interspersed with violence, fear, laughter and much of the joys of life. The final third jumps at the reader as things speed up incredibly with very dangerous scenes, as well assome lump-in-the-throat emotional moments, before ending on a high of adrenaline, leaving you satisfied yet eager to know what will happen in the future of the intriguing main character.

Something to bear in mind is that, though the book is (for me, at least) based loosely on the local environs here where I live, I have taken care to write it in a way that doesn’t bind it to any one particular place or country. The reader will eventually realize that it must be somewhere in Europe, as the Faerie race and the myths and false legends surrounding them are explained. Mention of theCrusaders, the Catholic Church and the Celts will also make it obviously European, as will the descriptions of the geography during the Dark and Middle Ages, in which times much of the Faerie Realm still live. However, it is written exclusively in English, and could be, indeed is supposed to be, easily placed in the British Isles if the reader wishes it to be so.

Here is one of the summaries prepared for the book:

In the prosperous and thriving little town of Berevane (based on my village of Rafz, which was first mentioned in writing in870 AD!) on the border of southern Germany and Switzerland, one can only guess at the secrets of the past. In the well-preserved core of the town, the weathered beams and crooked roofs of the ancient half-timber houses still butt up against each other in the haphazard way in which they were built, hundreds of years ago. This part of town is known as the Old Town, and if a visitor stands before the ancient stone church and casts his eyes toward the brooding forest on the slopes overlooking Berevane, he can be overcome by a sense of history.There was a time when this little village was encircled by thick, primal forest, the villagers prone to attack, superstition and the whims of their feudal lord.

But whereare the remains of a castle? Who held the lives of the villagers in his hands?

Fifteen year-old Jim is a regular teenager, living with his aunt and uncle in the modern-day town of Berevane. He is about to discover the truth about the Old Town and its remarkable past. In the peculiar festivals and traditions of the town lies a hidden story, based ona history suppressed and forgotten by the townspeople. The mythical figures and fantastical creatures of the yearly Baechteli festival are more than local folklore.

They originate from the collective memory of the locals, hearkening back to a time when the now-forgotten Lord of Berevane ruled over the local lands. His ties to the race known in the past as the Faerie, and his disdain for the fears and prejudices of his time, allowed the villagers of Berevane to live in harmony with a people not so different to ours, a race that inhabited the gloomy, forbidding forests that encircled the human settlements, turning snowy clearings into meeting places of magical beauty, or filling dappled glens with happy laughter in the warmth of summer.

Through the ages, their story has been twisted and turned, their origins and their characters, their physical make-up and their supposedly magical capabilities adjusted and fine-tuned by generations of story-tellers, people who have unwittingly adapted the realities of the past in the retelling of bedtimes tories to their children.

After achilling encounter in the early hours, Jim finds himself drawn into something so big, so amazing, that he will scarcely have time to absorb it before he becomes irrevocably bound to a series of events that will reveal the lost history of Berevane as well as threaten the lives of himself and his unsuspecting family in a way that no-one today would credit. His discoveries in a hidden archive at the local library, and his remarkable affinity with keycharacters in a world he has trouble convincing himself to believe in, will lead him on a journey of discovery that barely keeps pace with a looming danger. There is a strange newcomer in the town. A beautiful young woman, burning with vengeance for the murder of one of her ancestors by the Faerie, is preparing herself for revenge.

The unsuspecting townspeople, asleep in their beds, could never imagine and intrigue taking place on the rooftops above their heads and in the ancient Crossroads Inn at the heart of the town as Jim returns from a trip in the magical forests and villages of the Faerie Realm to fight to preserve the secrets of a race who fled from us so long ago.

The next blurb is the write-up that appears on the back cover of They call me Nightwalker:

Medievalknights, Elves, Wizards and Sorceresses are far from the everyday thoughts of fifteen-year-old Jim until an encounter in the early hours turns into the discovery of a strange and enticing world. A world that has always been there, only hidden from human eyes since we turned on its inhabitants during the dark ages of our past, denying their existence and hunting them down in the name of religion.

When a beautiful young woman with a secret history and vengeance on her mind returns to the town of her ancestors where Jim now lives, he finds himself drawn into an ancient conflict between her and the Guardians of the Faerie. In the rush to uncover a threat long forgotten, the beauty of this medieval realm and the old-world charm of its inhabitants are thrust aside as Jim becomes embroiled in the bitter struggle between the woman and his newfound companions.

His developing friendship with the legendary Jared, lost Lord of Berevane, will give him grief and joy, friendship and a father. He just has to survive long enough to uncover the secrets of the past and preserve the sanctity of the Realm during the clash between his world and Jared’s.



I hope those of you who purchase a copy of this book will enjoy it as much as I have. I really look forward to your feedback, and I’ll welcome any queries you may have now too. Just send me an e-mail and I’ll answer you as soon as possible!

I’ll take this opportunity to thank you all in advance for your support.

There’ll also be many of you who are already in contact with me via Facebook and have therefore seen the Page and the Public Group devoted to the book. Sorry if you’ve had to see all this again, guys! It was just too much to try and sort you out from those who aren’t on Facebook!

Regards,

Ronnie .

Who is Wesley Snipes?

Google the movie "Blade"

Ok. I did that. Nope, nothing to do with that. A completely different genre. And author.

No, he's a Daywalker (and jailwalker)

For those interested - you can read the first 3 chapters here .....

http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/258389720867694/

and click on "Docs"

....just to whet your appetite and get to know the characters for when the sequel comes out........

Nowt like a bit of support from a proud mum.

Nice one Smoky.

Hahahaa... yeah... that`s what Mums are for huh? I remember his first ¨word, was "Dot"...... "Dere`s a Dot!" Furious at not being understood! Turned out it was a yacht - miniscule - on the horizon. And from Dat Dot we now have a Book.