Steve Alten January Newsletter
Happy New Year:

There is a saying, “May you live in interesting times.” After last year I think we’d all welcome some good ole routine weeks and months. Unfortunately there are darker days ahead that will require us to work TOGETHER to defeat a tiny virus that could care less what your politics or beliefs are. Think of this as facing a chasm – the only way to get to the other side is to walk across a 3 inch wide train track. How do we do it? We reach across to the person on the other track and hold hands – crossing the chasm together.

If the metaphor isn’t clear, simply take a look at a country that set the bar high: Australia. Their leaders accepted the science and set in place tough rules that defeated the virus and preserved their people and economy.

The U.S.?

Next subject…
An IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT regarding The LOCH: Heaven's Lake

I received notice from my printer about a price increase for 2021 that will affect The LOCH: Heaven’s Lake when we go to print. (I was expecting this – prices go up every year, and COVID is impacting every business). I won’t know an exact figure until we place the order in about 3-5 months (the more books we order, the better the per unit cost which is why I am trying to time the book’s final weeks of pre-sale with a major movie announcement for The LOCH). However, I have to increase the cost of the book for all new pre-orders after Saturday January 9, 2021 at noon est. (see… it DOES pay to order early!!)

All pre-orders received before the Saturday noon cut-off is posted will remain at $27.95. The new price will be $31.49 plus S & H.

SHOULD I ORDER MORE BOOKS NOW?

Only if you can afford it.

FACTS: This will be the second pre-ordered hardback published by A & M Publishers; the first was MEG: GENERATIONS. Like GEN, The LOCH: Heaven’s Lake will be a personally signed (from my hand and pen, not a machine) first edition with tons of bonus features and it will not be sold in stores or on Amazon. Like GEN, the first novel in the series will be a major motion picture. Prior to The MEG hitting theatres, most of the world had no idea MEG was a series of books. With the movie’s success my readership has grown significantly, starting with book 1…2….3…4…5… hey, where’s book 6? Well, Alten only printed 4,400 copies in hardback back in 2017, but you can buy the ebook or the trade just came out…

“No, I want the hardback, I am a collector.” So he goes to ebay and there are a few copies on sale… for $175+. And in the summer of 2023 when MEG:2 The TRENCH hits theatres, the cycle will happen again.

MEG: GENERATIONS is the 6th book in the series, many new readers haven’t gotten to it yet. The LOCH: Heaven’s Lake is the third in the series and far more people know about Nessie than Angel.

My wife bought me President Obama’s new book for the holidays; a 700 page tomb that retails for $45.00. I think the world of the president but the chances of me actually reading the book in the near future are not good. The chances of YOU madly turning pages of LOCH-3 are a bit higher. The chances of reselling Obama’s book for more than my wife paid are slim and none and slim just left town. The chances of you selling your only copy of LOCH-3 are also slim and none… which is why you need to buy at least two. Keep one and sell the other for $70 and you break even. Will the demand be as great for LOCH 3 as MEG: 6? I can only promise the value will go up and the story will keep you furiously turning pages all night.


For UK orders please message Kristy Joyce or email kristybrunt@hotmail.com

Enjoy the rest of the update and please stay safe.
 
Steve Alten
Coming in January to www.SeaMonsterCove.com:
Two major content offerings:
 
1. THE ADVENTURES OF LAYLA & SNOWFLAKE

An animated series told from the sharks and sea monsters’ vantage. Adult themes, Orwellian parallels… or just enjoy the scary pretty fishies.
 
2. Distant Learning Center:

Imagine being in high school and your assignment via zoom class is to read the new ENHANCED version of The LOCH (posted in the library). The novel's hero (Zachary Wallace) is a marine biologist who was attacked as a child. He knows Nessie is not a plesiosaur - but coming soon to SeaMonsterCove.com will be a plesiosaur exhibit where the students can cage dive with them. And we'll create one more ride – one where we recreate the big scene in the novel - when the hero is lowered in a Newt Suite into the dark murky waters of Loch Ness down to the muddy bottom - where the creature (a giant 50 foot xxxxxx) snatches him/you and takes you back to its underground lair.
 
Sound like a cool experience? Damn straight…. And I bet you’ll get a high grade, too as we RAISE THE BAR for Distant Learning! 
Things we learned and still have yet to learn from 2020.
“20/20 hindsight is nothing to brag about.” 

By definition, a person with 20/20 vision can see what an average individual can see on an eye chart when they are standing 20 feet away. An eye chart measures visual acuity, which is the clearness or sharpness of vision. The top number is your distance in feet from the chart. At this testing distance, the size of the letters on one of the smaller lines near the bottom of the eye chart has been standardized to correspond to "normal" visual acuity, also known as the "20/20" line. If you can identify the letters on this line but none smaller, you have normal (20/20) visual acuity.

The increasingly larger letter sizes on the lines above the 20/20 line correspond to worse visual acuity measurements (20/40, 20/60, etc.); the lines with smaller letters below the 20/20 line on the chart correspond to visual acuity measurements that are even better than 20/20 vision (e.g., 20/15, 20/12, 20/10). So a person with 20/10 vision can see much better than someone with 20/20 vision.

What’s an example of 2020 hindsight? My weak eye tested at 20/80… on hindsight, maybe I shouldn’t have been staring at that damn solar eclipse…” (I didn’t… hmm).
Living Tips: Vitamin C & COVID-19
Before the virus became a pandemic, a friend in the medical industry told me China was importing loads of vitamin C. Testing as far back as the 1960s report viruses react to vitamin C like Superman to kryptonite. When my wife tested positive after returning from a trip in July, my son and I upped our dosage – and did not catch it. All three of us also wore masks in the house when we were in the same room. Thankfully, my wife recovered after a tough week (she also upped her dosage of C. I know… if this is true, why doesn’t everyone know about it? 

Things we learned and still have yet to learn from 2020.
Paola Crippa, an assistant professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering and earth sciences at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana investigated lockdowns as the first global experiment of forced low-emission scenarios. He found strong improvements in severely polluted areas are achievable even in the short-term if strong measures are implemented. Perhaps the most surprising effects of improving air quality was its impact on human health. Researchers found that fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations dropped 30% in China and 17% in parts of Europe from February to March, AVERTING an estimated 24,200 premature deaths in China (Feb. – March) with the total averted deaths for 2020 exceeding 287,000 in China and 29,500 in Europe. The study is an example of the need to control air quality, which is estimated to kill 7 million people each year. Strategies to improve air quality could include subsidies to electric vehicles, prioritizing public transportation and more stringent emission limitations for industries. 
Recommended Read:
Quantum Surge by Terry Zavecz
Synopsis: It was the time of the fabled First Colonies, humanity’s first steps beyond the star of our origin. It was the beginning of a period of great galactic expansion brought on by the discovery of the most miniscule particle in the universe. It was an age that so tried the soul of humankind as to have nearly brought Homo sapiens to an end. The ancient nations of Earth are at war; a conflict initially confined to their home star system. Kraken, first star colony of the North American Union, finds itself caught in the middle of the distant conflict with both sides preying upon the colony’s lifeblood and exports by pirating their cargo and pressing their merchant spacers into military service -- or simply murdering them. Kraken, under attack by Earth’s superpowers and their homeland, cannot survive; unless ….
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Amazon quick link (universal):
Music Video of the month:
Hey Ya (Outkast)
If I’m stuck in the desert building a small plane out of parts from a crashed plane – this song is my first choice – but shaking a Polaroid – doesn’t work.
Next Zoom Hour with Steve Alten:
Sunday January 17 at 3 PM est.

Cove members: Be sure to register with Kelly at kellyrollyson2020@gmail.com
Jokes of the Month
If you are in direct sales, you'll love this scene from the movie ODD JOBS. I used to show this in sales meetings when I sold whole-house water systems door-to-door before I became an author (thank God!). The lesson - never prejudge a customer.
IF YOU HAVE A JOKE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE, please e-mail to me at MEG82159@aol.com Put JOKE in the subject line.
Recipe of the Month:
Classic Chicken Salad
INGREDIENTS
4 cups cooked chicken breast chopped
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup celery chopped finely
Bread of choice for serving (optional)
Lettuce for serving (optional).

Directions
Directions: Mix all the ingredients together well in a bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour. Serve on lettuce or in a sandwich! (This ain't brain surgery).

*IF YOU HAVE A RECIPE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE, please e-mail to me at MEG82159@aol.com Put RECIPE in the subject line.
Finally…
Your monthly dosage of the 3 wise men… today’s lesson – How not to fix a pump.
Stay safe… stay united… please wear a mask and wash your hands when returning home.

Steve Alten
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