Leibster Blog Award

Can you believe it? I've been nominated for an award. It is very exciting and a wonderful Easter surprise. I would like to thank http://kenowinsky.blogspot.co.uk/ for nominating me.

"The Liebster Award is for bloggers with under 300 followers and the rules of the award is that the nominee must link back to whoever awarded them, write 11 random facts about themselves, answer the 11 questions from the award giver, and then nominate another 11 bloggers and make up 11 questions for them to answer. It's a great way for new and undiscovered bloggers to meet new people, get more followers and find some blogs that they want to follow."

So here are 11 random facts about me!

1. I am a guy who lives in London, UK
2. Happily married (most of the time) with six children.
3. I am an rabid Chelsea FC football supporter.
4. I published my first novel- Zachania in May 2012.
5. I am a Roman Catholic
6. I enjoy writing to classical music, especially Hans Zimmerman and Jon Horner.
7. My favourite singer is Elvis Presley
8. I enjoy playing football and the Xbox with my sons, especially Black ops 2 zombies, I can get to level 29 before the zombies just wipe me out.
9. I have just treated myself to a Nokia Lumia 920 and I absolutely love it.
10. I left school almost illiterate at the age of fifteen.
11. Poetry is my first love of writing, I love Rudyard Kipling and Alfred Tennyson. and Cassius Clay if you class his quotes as poetic!

And here are my 11 questions  to answer 

1. What was the last book you read and would you recommend it?
My own book - Zachania, and absolutely, wholeheartedly!

2. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?

My Mum.

3. Are you happy with how you look? Why or why not?

I suppose so/ maybe when I was a bit younger I worried about my appearance more, But I always try to dress well- clean pair of shoes and clean shirt!

4. Have you ever ridden in the subway or mass transit? Where and why?

Hundreds of times, I live in London so I used to ride the underground almost every day when I went to school.

5. When was the last time you donated to a charity?

At Church, if you call collections charity

6. What was the last song you listened to?

Pink Floyd-The Final cut 
7. If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be and why?
Not to worry about the world my children are growing up into. Today they are faced with so many obstructions and temptations. kids do not seem to know who they are anymore.

8. What is your favorite sport to play or watch (or both)?

Boxing and FootballI cant differintiate between the two.

9. How often are you on-line and approximately for how long?

Not very often..I drive most places, so it only when i shop.
10. If you could go anywhere, where would it be?

I have always wanted to go to Bora Bora
11. What is your all-time favorite movie?

It has to be......The Deerhunter..The journey it takes you to is breath taking.

And here are my 11 questions to pass on -

1. Tea or coffee
2. What is your favourite quote?
3. Who is your all-time favourite author?
4. What is your favourite game?
5. Who was your favourite president of the United States and why?
6. Which Simpson would you compare yourself to?
7. iPhone or Windows phone?
8. Who would be your dream literary agent?
9. What was the last thing you gambled on?
10. If you had to spend the night in a haunted house, what would you take with you?
11. And finally, what gives you the most satisfaction about writing?

And here are my 11 blogs that I would like to pass the Liebster award on to. I have picked some  bloggers that I've been really enjoying reading and getting to know them  better. Please do pop over to their blogs and say hello. 

1.  Deborah Palumbo
2.  Sass Cadeaux
3.  Wayne Murphy
4.  Amity Hope Books
5.  A story is a promise
6.  Survey of Pop
7.  Juephraime
8.  Carla Sarrett
9.  Dark Chocolate Writing
10. Room To write
11. Ann Gimpel

And that's me all done! Thanks again for giving me the award.

I was your friend

The Eagle

The eagle flies high above their heads

Below him are the ravens and crows

As time goes by the eagle befriend the birds flying below him.

He flies above them every day and they are of help to him as they show him where to find food

As the eagle swoops he captures his prey and shares what is left with the crows

At first all is well until the crows start to wish they were eagles

They bicker and become resentful; they pretend they are friends with the eagle just so they can take what they can.

Soon the eagle begins to see their betrayal, he is too wise not to,

Below him the crows are scheming and trying to find ways to copy the eagle

But the eagle just looks, he laughs to himself as he knows he doesn’t need them.

He befriended them because he wanted to, not because he needed them.

The eagle then tries to remind the crows that they are just crows, he swoops above their heads at blistering speed where he shows them his magnificence, he even captures another prey and allows them the fruit of his deed, just in the hope they can remain friends.

But there is no stopping the crows now, they are full of envy and greed, they are no longer interested in friendship, all they want is to be is the eagle.

The eagle has two choices; does he swoop and attack the crows that have grown fat from his labour and show them that can never be what he is?

Again the eagle is too wise for this, why should he attack and risk injury, why should he lower himself to attack the crows who exist in the sky below him.

The eagle needs no one, he will just fly away and find somewhere else to feed and in doing so he sends a stark message to the crows……

You are all just crows, and that is all you will ever be.

New Author Community

Guys check our new Google + Community

Self promotion for Authors

A  completely free and unbiased community for authors to promote their works.
A community where authors can post and then share fellow authors posts to their circles and extended circles, helping each other to get the best possible exposure for their literature.
Not exactly sure how it is going to work yet, but if we get enough members sharing each others work throughout their circles, then in theory we should create a platform to reach countless possible readers.
JH Gaines

https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/107050296846429733516

Have you ever wondered where the legends of vampires and werewolves came from?

Have you ever wondered if they are true, or if they exist?

Jonathan Jones a freelance journalist working for the New York times dared to wonder, in 2004, Jones spent six months investigating an ancient secret he discovered while on a trip to India.

This secret took him to three continents as he became obsessed with discovering the truth.

In December 2004 he published his findings in the New York Times under the heading 'The Children of Zachania'

Jones was quickly ridiculed as he claimed to have found an immortal race who for centuries had been protecting mankind.

By January 2005, Jonathan Jones was found dead in his Pennsylvania apartment, his death remains a mystery, no one was ever arrested or charged.

What did he discover?

What ancient secret was he prepared to give his life for.

Children of Zachania by Joseph Henry Gaines has the answers.....

#Vampire

#Werewolf

Zachania

The possible new covers for the Zachania series.

Zachania tome 3 covers on white bg

Now really confused?

Hey guys thanks for the previous input.
I have been mucking about with photoshop again and whenever I do that I always seem to give myself more headaches.
I am now thinking about re-branding the three covers for Zachania.
below are the original covers

and these are the ones i am thinking of replacing them with

                                      

Or these

                              


So now I am in a right pickle where I cannot decide what to do

if anyone has any input, I'd appreciate the help
JH

Zachania Tome three cover

Help us out guys, we are looking for a cover for Zachania Tome Three that goes to publication May 2013.
However we are in mixed minds as to what cover to use, the three we like are the ones below, let us know what one you like best.

1.

2

3.

Zachania Tome three (Coming soon)

The ancient town of Degrainia was now on full alert and battle prepared.

The Zachanians full of bravado and confidence waited for the dawn light with mixed feelings of optimism and determination.

Across the valley in the city, the Degrains were also now feeling confident, the walls had been sealed and behind them sat thousands of warriors, amongst these barbaric fighting beast were wizards and witches and a legion of Imperial palace land soldiers, with swords sharpened and arrows primed, they sat silently in the night waiting for the dawn to break where the ravages of war would begin.

The night before a battle was always the same and affected both armies in equal measure, nerves set in and oaths of life and death were whispered passionately under breath. Old friends looked at each other with affection and respect, silently accepting that this may be their last time together. Rest and sleep was troublesome as men tossed and turned with their minds in turmoil thinking about the horrors of what battle may bring. Doubts of defeat and the joys of victory dancing in their minds as their hearts yearned for their loved ones back home. On this night as both armies sat across the valley facing each other the only enemy was their imaginations, to some they were haunted by their thoughts, to others it inspired them but to all….it succeeded to unnerve them.

Zachania Tome three (Coming soon)

THE GREATEST RECIPE FOR TIREDNESS ON THE BATTLEFIELD
IS THE SIGHT OF YOUR ENEMY RUNNING BEFORE YOU!

Lord Heikan
Zachania Tome 3

FREE SMARTPHONE WALLPAPER

Krays Smartphone wallpaper

( 400 x 800 )

Free Smartphone wallpaper

Hey guys here is a free smartphone wallpaper of the Krays.

just put it on my iPhone and it looks fantastic!

(480 x 800)

Zachania Tome Three

Just letting everyone that Tome three is very much on schedule for the May 1st release date.
Below is a draft cover which we are thinking of going with?
Thank you for everyone's support of the series, Zachania Tome one is now #5 in Amazon UK (Fairytales & Fiction cat)

The anti-self promotion mafia

Friday morning arrived and with it came the usual good feeling that the weekend was beginning  then I checked my gmail and found a WARNING which follows. 
 Dear J H Gaines,

You've recently been violating the Google+ User Content and Conduct policies.

Posts that contain spam, such as unwanted promotional or commercial content, or unwanted or mass solicitations, are not allowed on Google+. Offensive or repetitive posts are not allowed either.

Please review our policies to avoid violating them in the future.

If you continue to violate our policies, you may lose the ability to use some or all features of Google+ and other Google services. Learn more

We're all in this together. Let's make Google+ a place where we all want to hang out.

Yours sincerely,

The Google+ team.

So it seems that I have been reported for what??

Firstly I am not a spammer, so why the warning? I am not trying to sell Viagra or Insurance so where, when and how have I broken any user conduct and content policies?

My second question is why are some individuals so petty as to report me?
From what I can perceive is that I have crossed that terrible line of SELF-PROMOTION!

I would dearly love to know how I have offended anyone.
let us list a few facts;
I am a self published author who writes in the fiction and poetry genres who is published on kindle and smashwords. I am a member of a a few communities which the majority share the same interest as me, so if I have posted a status in poetry where I have announced that I have a free poetry eBook available for 24hrs then where is the spamming?
I also contribute on most days to the communities where I do not ever mention my book, so again why has someone found a post so offensive- I am at a complete loss as to why someone can take the time to contact google and report me for sharing something.
Do these people go about in their daily lives reporting everyone?
Commerce is everywhere, google are contradicting themselves by even sending me this message, look on any of the websites, Yahoo, youtube, facebook- adverts and promotion are everywhere so why are self promoted authors frowned upon so much?
It just baffles me guys and I wish I knew why people get so aggravated by it.
In recently got an email from someone in a community thanking me for posting a free eBook, they was overjoyed at finding something for nothing, but later in the day I received a message by the community admin warning me for posting spam, I apologised and said that I did not mean to offend and we got into a conversation where after talking to me he discovered that the post was a valid contribution to his community and one which his members appreciated.

Everyone in this life is just trying to move forward, people should live and let live and the whole  world would be a much better place. everyone would be happier and feel better amongst themselves.
I also have my own community and someone wants to advertise their book then hell yeah, why not? if I can help someone which costs me absolutely nothing then what kind of a human being would I be to refuse.
Obviously if the guys posted the same message five times a day every day then I would say something, but just one post introducing himself and what he has to offer? 
Good luck to him or her, I wish you all the best, your are not out trying to rob me or my family, you are sharing something precious to you and if you make a few bucks in the process then I say god bless ya!