First, I’m pleased to report that the five-day giveaway for Action Figures – Issue One: Secret Origins is off to a strong start. More than 200 copies were downloaded yesterday, and there’s still four days left to go. The book is currently the top free download in two genres (teen & YA/literature & fiction/comics & graphic novels, and comics & graphic novels/teen & YA).

Honestly, it’s nothing to get that excited about. The best-seller lists for both genres (for free downloads) are extremely short — only two or three tiles on each list — but I’m above a chap named James Patterson, so there’s that.

Now, onto today’s exciting news. Very soon, hopefully later this week, I will be making the first books in both the Action Figures and The Adventures of Strongarm & Lightfoot series available directly from me — both in print AND e-book editions!

I have to set up a payment system, which might take some time, but the goal is to make Secret Origins and Scratching a Lich available for purchase through this website and on my Facebook page. This is significant because I occasionally have people ask me, for a variety of reasons, if they can get my books from someplace other than Amazon and the answer, also for a variety of reasons, has always been no. Now those readers will be able to get their AF and/or S&A fix without going through Amazon.

Here are the added bonuses. For people who buy the print edition, I’ll send them signed copies and include an Action Figures bookmark (pictured at right). For people who want the e-book, I’ll be able to provide the file in either .epub or .mobi format, which means people without Kindles or a Kindle app can finally read the books!

Once I get everything figured out, I’ll announce the availability of the books here. Stay tuned!