James Piper, Author

Wednesday, December 21, 2011 ... love the music but can't get into the message ... A mazing Grace is a powerful song, known to many, but not everyone agrees with its message. It’s impossible for atheists to accept the notion that belief in a god, any god, will result in salvation of any description. It’s nonsense. It’s wishful thinking. It’s simply not true. How can belief in something that does not exist offer any benefit? In some instances I suppose, it can, but that means stepping away from a rational world and into a delusional one. Given that, it doesn’t matter what god you believe in to provide that comfort, any god will do. As long as it offers the same reward, the same reassurance, your job is to pick one and people do. But not everyone. For those who want to remain in the rational world, that choice means: Atheism. So what songs celebrate that choice? I can’t think of any. None with the splendour of the music of Amazing Grace. None that aren’t pop songs about ...

Monday, December 19, 2011 Tilly, Personal Chef (A Romantic Comedy) Posted 2011/12/19 at 12h04ET in Tilly Personal Chef (A Romantic Comedy) .

Monday, December 05, 2011 ... here's a recipe for something I use everyweek ... I Tilly Auriel is a chef. She’s worked in various restaurants in the San Francisco area, catered weddings and divorces, and recently was hired as a personal chef for James and Kendra Edwards who were recently married in a lavish ceremony at Grace Cathedral. You can read about her comedic, romantic adventures in: Tilly, Personal Chef, a soon-to-be-released book. In the meantime, she is guest blogging on cooking. Today’s entry is about her Mexican spice mix. If you like to make tacos or fajitas (chicken, beef), you can buy packets of spice mixes from the grocery store. They’ll give you that authentic flavour you find in restaurants, but they are expensive. A cheaper alternative is to buy the individual spices and make the mix yourself. This recipe gives you enough mix to last a few months and it’s easier to make this batch once then do it every time you cook. Here are the key ingredients:...

Friday, November 11, 2011 ... you would think, assume, I had did these things ... I I’ve done a few things most people never get a chance to do. Lived in Africa for one. Have written a few novels and screenplays. Wrote some songs you wouldn’t want me to perform. But for the most part, my life isn’t terribly distinguished. Life like most people except there’s a few things I’ve never experienced. Never been married. Close? Not really. I’ve never even been on a date or had a date on Valentines Day. I think most people, where the day is recognized, have done that. I often wonder what it would be like. Never had a birthday party with cake and friends. I remember the odd the birthday card from this aunt or that uncle. It doesn’t help when your birthday is the same day as a holiday. I don’t know who my father is. That one-half of my genes, my DNA that is me. Don’t know and probably never will. I think most people know who there father is even if the relationship isn’t what ...

Sunday, November 06, 2011 ... trying to make sense of the amazon bestsellers and pricing for e-books ... I Each hour Amazon updates its bestsellers lists. I have taken a daily snapshot of the top 20 bestsellers in the e-book fiction list for the past week and analyzed the results. Click here for the current listing. What can be learnt from these data? 1. 4 out of 5 of the titles are from traditional or brand-named authors. The trend continues. Further, comments I wrote last week about the list apply this week. 2. The prices for books by traditional authors is substantially higher than those of indie authors. See chart below for comparisons. 3. A core group of titles appear on the list each day. Certain titles shoot up into the list for a day or two then fall back down. More below. 4. While pre-release titles appear on the list, the sales for these titles do substantially better after the release date. (e.g., Zero Day by Baldacci). It appears that some people w...

Sunday, October 30, 2011 ... trying to make sense of the amazon bestsellers and pricing for e-books ... E ach hour Amazon updates its bestsellers lists. I have taken a daily snapshot of the top 20 bestsellers in the e-book fiction list for the past week. See here . What can be learnt from these data? 1. 4 out 5 of the bestsellers are from print or traditional authors. Most are brand-named authors who dominate the print bestsellers. 2. Almost all of the authors have multiple titles to their credit. The author of The Help is a notable exception. 3. The e-book prices of indie authors are substantially lower than print authors. For the most part, their titles are priced at $0.99. 4. The books on the list fall into four categories: (i) pre-release from brand-named authors, (ii) new or recently released titles (iii) long-term bestsellers (greater than one year), (iv) backlist titles. Indie authors fall into (ii) and (iv). 5. The indie authors includes authors who ...

Tuesday, October 18, 2011 ... the list grows and grows ... H ere are some thrillers people bought in addition to my novel. The Confession by John Grisham American Assassin by Vince Flynn Capital Offense by Kathleen Antrim Permanent Interests by James Bruno The Elect by James Gilbert The Detachment (John Rain) by Barry Eisler Line of Succession A Thriller by William Tyree My King The President by Tom Lewis The Hangman's Companion (A Jim McGill Novel) by Joseph Flynn The Next President by Joseph Flynn The President's Henchman Joseph Flynn House Secrets : A Joe DeMarco Thriller by Mike Lawson The Devil Colony : A Sigma Force Novel by James Rollins Bloodmoney : A Novel of Espionage by David Ignatius Early Warning by Michael Walsh Threat Warning (Jonathan Grave) by John Gilstrap The Protectors (A Thriller) by James Piper Posted 2011/10/18 at 00h09ET in Novels , The Protectors (A Thriller) .

Tuesday, October 18, 2011 ... more sales means more book links ... H ere are some thrillers people bought in addition to my novel. 1. The Confession by John Grisham “The secrets of Grisham’s success are no secret at all. There are two of them: his pacing, which ranges from fast to breakneck, and his Theme—little guy takes on big conspiracy with the little guy getting the win in the end.” —Time magazine 2. Capital Offense by Kathleen Antrim "'24' meets 'The West Wing' . . . pulse-pounding thriller has it all, riveting characters, spellbinding plot, and a shocking conclusion. Plan to stay up late. Highly recommended." --VINCE FLYNN, New York Times Bestselling Author 3. The Devil Colony : A Sigma Force Novel by James Rollins “Terrible secrets, the sweep of history, an epic canvas, breathless action...nobody—and I mean nobody—does this stuff better than Rollins.” 4. American Assassin by Vince Flynn With ...