Archaeology, Templar Knights, And A Giveaway

Do stories that deal with archaeology, lost treasure, and Templar Knights have a great appeal to you?

They draw my interest quickly. Who doesn’t dream of finding a lost fortune or a valuable treasure hidden in an attic or buried in their backyard? Thanks to Alexandra and the good folks at Penguin, I have a book giveaway today featuring the adventures of an archaeologist and an Army Ranger. Be sure to check the end of the post for the giveaway guidelines.

Paul Christopher, the New York Times bestselling author of THE TEMPLAR CONSPIRACY (Signet Mass Market; June 7, 2011; $9.99), delivers a new thrilling mystery that confronts the Templar’s dark past, and weaves together the lives of two friends who are bound together by the discovery of terrifying secrets that could affect their lives forever. THE TEMPLAR LEGION is the fifth installment in Christopher’s Templar series featuring Army Ranger John Holliday.

Here’s a brief synopsis of the book:
John Holliday has just begun teaching at the Alabama Military Academy when his friend, archaeologist Rafi Wanounou comes back with the news of an intriguing find. While researching the origins of Ethiopian Jews near Lake Tana, Rafi’s archaeological dig led him to discover the tomb of Julian de La Roche-Guillaume, a 14th century Templar knight. Lying next to the body, Rafi finds an ancient clay tablet written in Viking Runes. This strange discovery intrigues Holliday—why would a Viking artifact be stowed away next to the body of a French Templar Knight, the two separated by four hundred years of history? And what brought the two together in a remote land like Ethiopia?
 
Determined to solve this mystery, Holliday and Rafi follow a trail of clues that will lead them to the Horn of Africa. The two men risk their lives to uncover a mysterious plot rooted in centuries of Templar Secrecy, and to rediscover a treasure hidden from the world for nearly a thousand years.
 
For fans of Raymond Khoury and Dan Brown, THE TEMPLAR LEGION will not disappoint. The author has written several other Templar novels, including THE TEMPLAR CROSS which was the first title to make the printed New York Times list.

Onto the giveaway. To enter this giveaway, send me an e-mail (mcbookshelf@gmail.com). Your subject line should read, “Win THE TEMPLAR LEGION.” Your message should include your name and mailing address. The contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only and no post office box addresses can be accepted. Just so you know, I don’t share the mailing information or use it for any other purpose. The deadline to enter this giveaway for a chance to win a copy of THE TEMPLAR LEGION will be 8 p.m. (EST) on Sunday, June 12.

So share your thoughts on stories of archaeologists, the Templar Knights, and hidden treasure. Do you enjoy a certain book or series based on these things?

Guest Blogger: Paul Christopher

Please join me in welcoming author Paul Christopher as the special guest blogger here at Thoughts in Progress today.

Paul’s latest release is (978-0-451-23190-1), the fourth book in the New York Times Bestselling Templar series. Here’s a brief synopsis of the book: THE TEMPLAR CONSPIRACY“In this suspenseful thriller, only former army ranger John Holliday has the ability to solve a modern Templar conspiracy. In Rome, a pope is assassinated by an unknown sniper on Christmas day which unleashes a massive investigation and Holliday’s skills are put to test when he uncovers the real motif behind the pontiff’s murder. When a private confession leads to the discovery of a grisly murder under a D.C. parkway, Holliday must unravel the Templar’s deadly plot to extend their influence to the highest power.”

Thanks to Paul and Alexandra with Berkley, I have one copy of THE TEMPLAR CONSPIRACY to giveaway to a lucky visitor to this post. The giveaway, however, is only open to U.S. residents. Be sure to include your e-mail in your comment, if it’s not included in your profile. The deadline for the giveaway is 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 11. Now, Paul has stopped by today to talk about his writing.

I have a confession to make—I’m an older type geezer with a ten-year-old grandson who knows more about computers than I do and a thirty-something son who has a block about classic vinyl with the dubious name of She Likes Eight Inches. Com ( the size of an old LP record album) so in an effort to get a grip on what a guest ‘blogger’ was supposed to do I typed in Mason’s site and  Alakazam-Shazam! I was reading all about Talli Roland, her debut novel and her efforts to somehow ‘fool’ the Amazon bestseller list into thinking she was the heiress to Dan Brown. Now, admittedly, Talli is way, way, way, prettier than I am; in fact she’s a knockout but in the end I’m not quite sure if her ideas about marketing and sales have much to do with people who read a lot of books.

Having written and published thirty-odd novels and produced slightly more than seventy five really bad exploitation movies in my time I’ve learned that the one thing that people want in a book, e-book or otherwise is a good story. Period A REALLY  BIG PERIOD.

My latest novel, THE TEMPLAR CONSPIRACY is number 5 in a series about the adventures and misadventures  of an aging ex-soldier, West Point professor and adventurer named Doc Holliday. I could write about Doc forever—he’s got an interesting past and he and his photographer cousin, Peggy Blackstock have a real knack for getting themselves involved in adventures that hopefully take the armchair  adventurer out of his or her armchair and into a world of suspense and derring-do.

Stephen King—a fellow flying phobic just like yours truly said once that he writes what’s he’s afraid of. In the same way I write about the kind of things I’d never have the courage to do myself, sine when you get right down to it, all writers are cowards—a good thing or we never would have all those books and movies about gung ho adventurous heroes.

Anyway, I’m rattling on here; but my advice to anyone out there interested in writing and selling books  it to concentrate on telling a good story, and as soon as your finished  that one, starting another.

Paul, thanks so much for guest blogging here today. Good advice.