EBook sales of my published works surpassed paperback sales in 2016. 2017 looks to be the same for eBooks. I have already sold more eBooks, so I delayed doing another paperback until I complete other short stories to combine into a collection. Midnight Express Books released GUNS, DRUGS & THUGS: DRUG STORE SPREE by Wayne T. Dowdy on February 1, 2017, now available on Smashwords.com and other online distributors for $0.99. FORMATS FOR ALL: Smashwords is an eBook distributor that makes eBooks available in the following formats and applications: epub (Apple iPad/Books, Nook, Kobo, Sony Reader, most ereading apps, including Stanza, Aldiko, Adobe Digital editions, and tablets); mobi (Kindle), pdf (Desktop; best for technical, illustrated, or photographic works); irf (Older Sony readers), pdb (Older Palm devices), txt (Archival; contains no formatting), and html for reading online. PERSONAL PERMISSION TO PRINT: For those who prefer to hold the words in your hand, download "my" eBooks in the pdf. format to your PC and print. (Smashwords Support Center FAQ contains instructions on how to download to various eReading devices.) Two of the twenty-one eBook retailers that receive my eBooks from Smashwords, are the Apple iBookstore and Barnes & Noble. Most downloads came from the Apple iBookstore. I have no way of knowing if those downloads were for reading on iPhones, iPads, or other eReading devices. Barnes & Noble placed second. (Smashwords' sales exceeded Amazon Kindle.) UNKNOWN INNOCENCE by Wayne T. Dowdy and my free essays picked up the majority of downloads from Apple. Note: Buy your copy of UNKNOWN INNOCENCE now to avoid the March 2017 price increases of the paperback and eBook. FICTION CRIME SERIES IN PROCESS: "Drug Store Spree" is the first of my GUNS, DRUGS & THUGS fiction crime series. I'm working on the second short story now. GUNS, DRUGS & THUGS: PILLS & THRILLS begins with more violence than I normally write. Some readers commented on the violence in UNKNOWN INNOCENCE. This series will make it read like a love story in comparison. The tentative completion date for "Pills & Thrills" is before July 2017. Read on for a peek into both short stories. I wrote Drug Store Spree based upon real life experiences. Because of Son of Sam laws that prevents people from making a profit by selling a book or movie written about a crime they committed, I made a few minor changes to convert it into fiction. The setting is in Georgia, 1978. Most of what I write in the rest of the series will be fiction with truth woven through its fabric, whereas Drug Store Spree is truth containing fiction. The following is an excerpt from my latest: GUNS, DRUGS & THUGS: DRUG STORE SPREE 11:00 AM, August 14th: Three thugs cruised through the parking lot of a shopping mall in a small North Georgia town of the southeastern United States. A sawed-off shotgun laid under the driver's seat. The black handle of a semiautomatic pistol protruded from the waistband of the shotgun rider's pants. Another gun stretched across the backseat and floorboard at an angle. A merciless August sun bore down on the Dodge Charger as the thugs eased by the line of stores on the right side of the car. The rumbling of the headers on the 440-magnum echoed under the canopy where patrons strolled before entering the stores. A REVCO drug store sat at the end of the long-line of businesses. I'm one of the thugs, a retired thug. Nathan drove the car, I rode shotgun, Rodney sat in the backseat. Each of us had been awake for days, me for over three weeks, other than a four-hour Quaalude-induced nap. I pointed toward a bank in the far left corner of the plaza, beside where the parking lot met the road. "When we come out we'll go that way," I said. "Any cops should come from the other direction." As we drove by the drug store, I glanced inside to check the layout. Nothing seemed any different than all of the other REVCOs. After we passed by, we checked out the route we'd take when leaving, especially if pursued by the law. No one liked that thought, of course, but I had prepared for it by purchasing a clip-fed, bolt-action, twelve gauge goose gun with a thirty-six inch barrel, the gun taking up the space in the backseat. With two boxes of shotgun shells, I figured I could change any cop's mind about pursuing us for long enough to ditch the car and take another one from some unsuspecting victim, if needed. It wasn't what I wanted to do. It was what I knew I would do to avoid going to jail. .... [To read the rest of the story, click https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/700815 to purchase your copy.] The following excerpt is edited due to profanity used in the original manuscript. GUNS, DRUGS & THUGS: PILLS & THRILLS Salazar gripped the steering wheel to stop his hands from trembling. The cargo meant life in prison if found. They couldn't stand a shake down. He whispered, "Don't move. Here he comes." Officer Barge shined his flashlight in the rear window of the minivan, rented on a stolen credit card, before he edged toward the front of the vehicle. His right hand rested on the handle of a .40 caliber Glock. Kager laid motionless in the fetal position to avoid detection; his finger rested on the trigger guard of his Desert Eagle .44 Auto mag. The projectile of the chambered round would disfigure steel or destroy any living organism it contacted. An old military tarpaulin covered his long-limbed, sinewy body and chiseled face. His face tightened as he held his breath when the light illuminated the van. Officer Barge stood five feet from the door on the driver's side. "Turn off the engine and roll down your window." Salazar obeyed. "What did I do wrong, Officer?" "You failed to use your turn signal at that last intersection. I need to see your driver's license and insurance card." "My wallet's in the glove compartment." He moved closer to the window. "Do you have any weapons, drugs, or anything in the vehicle that I should know about?" "No, Sir." His heart pounded inside its cavity. "Open it and get your wallet." Droplets of sweat gathered on Salazar's forehead. "Yes, Sir." His hands jittered when he reached to open the glove compartment. He remembered leaving his wallet at home. For a couple of seconds, he fumbled with the warranty and other papers. "It's not in here. I must have left it at home." Kager wrapped his finger around the trigger. "Step out of the vehicle, please." Before he could open the door, Kager slid from under the tarpaulin and fired through the window. BOOM! BOOM! The first shot whizzed by Barge's head. The second one ripped through his left shoulder, obliterating bone, cartilage and muscle tissue. The impact of the projective spun his body as he crashed to the ground. Blood gushed from the gaping wound. He grunted as he rolled over to un-holster his gun. Salazar covered both ears with his hands. The blasts had made them ring. He whirled around to face Kager. "What the f***, man, you--" Kager sprang to the front seat and shoved him to the side. "Move," he said. Salazar fell against the dash as more rounds from the Desert Eagle exploded in rapid succession. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! All three projectiles ripped through Barge's body before his gun cleared its holster; two struck him in the chest, the other in the stomach. "Shot, a, a cop. You shot a f****** cop. We're f***** for sure." Sweat poured from every sweat gland in his body. Kager jumped out of the van to make sure the cop was dead. Assured that he was, he turned to face his crime partner. Damn, I gotta shoot him too. He'll tell on me if we get caught. I've got to do it. Not now though. I'll do it later. "Let's go," he said, as he climbed back into the van. "We've got to get the hell out of here and ditch this van before someone identifies us or his backup arrives. We can't afford to loose all these pills." I hope you enjoyed the clips and will purchase the eBooks. More will be revealed. Thanks for reading my writings! Wayne ______________________________________________________________________________ Visit http://www.straightfromthepen.com for more books, essays, and short stories by Wayne T. Dowdy. Become a regular follower of his blogs at https://straightfromthepen.wordpress.com. After connecting to the site, press Ctrl End to go to the end of the current blogs, where you will see how to sign up to be notified of each post. Click https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/WayneMrDowdy to download his eBooks now. "No Sympathy" and the most downloaded eBook ("A Prisoner & a Poem for a Princess") are available for free. Both essays are part of ESSAYS & MORE STRAIGHT FROM THE PEN. The benefit of the paperback is to see a copy of a Card from an Angel. :-) Purchase paperbacks online or offline at your favorite bookseller. To purchase paperbacks direct from the publisher, contact Midnight Express Books, P.O. Box 69, Berryville, AR 72616 (e-mail: [email protected]). Get his best selling novel for $10.95 (UNKNOWN INNOCENCE). Purchase ESSAYS & MORE STRAIGHT FROM THE PEN for $8.95 (USD). Shipping & Handling charges may apply.
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AuthorAtlanta, Georgia, a city of models & movies. I rode hard & crashed young. Welcome to my life: inspirational, drama, emotional struggles, all defining my character and visions of a new life. Archives
October 2022
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