Gama Van Lookin' Good

One of the best Gama sighting photos taken to date was by "Driven to Capture 2" at the recent La Mesa, California Christmas in the Village. Go to the link above to see more great photos.

Gamadin 3 Book, "Limited Edition" Bookset

ALL 3 Gamadin "Signed Limited Edition" Bookset

$49.00 at the Gamadin Store.

Includes all three books, signed by author Tom Kirkbride:

Book I, Gamadin: Word of Honor

Book II, Gamadin: Mons

Book III, Gamadin: Distant Suns

Also, "Certificate of Authenticity" and other value added items.

AVAILABLE AT THE GAMADIN STORE!

Book III, Gamadin: Distant Sun is available now!

702 Pages of non-stop action, romance and fun!

Book III, Gamadin: Distant Suns is available now at the Gamadin Store.

Homesick and eager to find a date and a few waves, Captain Harlowe Pylott and his new Gamadin crew are minutes from touchdown when their homecoming is interrupted by a distress call that sends them on a a perilous journey light-years from home. The empire that crushed Neeja, the planet Harlowe made an oath to save, is now on the verge of seizing the entire galactic quadrant. The only thing that stands in their way is the Gamadin, the love of a girl, and a single ship from the distant past!

30th Annual San Diego City Lifeguard reunion

Last night I attended the 30th Annual San Diego City Lifeguard reunion. I had a great time and a lot of laughs reminiscing with guards I worked with as a lifeguard in La Jolla for 5 years during my college days. They were and are some of the bravest guys on the planet and were the inspiration for my heroes in the Gamadin Series. Pictured is my bronze sculpture they still use as the Lifeguard of the Year Trophy.

2010 Star Trek Convention, Las Vegas

With Leucadia and special guest Sar on hand, the Gamadin Booth made quite a splash at the 2010 Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas! We made a lot of new fans and many came back to buy Book II... We more than doubled our sales and the biggest seller was the two-book sets! Check out the fun, below...

Sunnyside Elementary School Annual

The Gamadin crew would like to thank Elizabeth Rendall for sharing with us the Sunnyside Elementary School Annual picture of the Gamadin page. What a great surprise! We are very honored to be a part of Sunnyside's school history. Thank you.

What the Critics are Saying about the Gamadin Book Series

Mowgi Makes a New Friend

Mowgi made a new friend at the LA Times Festival of Books.

9 Steps to Writing a Novel

>Nine Steps to Writing a Novel You Can Sell

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1) Be a story teller. You would be amazed at the number of writers who do everything but. Often novels come as character portraits or memoirs written as fiction. Absent is any attempt at suspense, any motivation for the reader to turn those pages. As the novel unfolds, the story invariably begins to tread water and then sinks beneath the waves. The reader does not sit on the edge of his or her chair, but instead retreats into a glassy-eyed coma.

2) An oversimplified definition of a good story. Not two cats on a mat meowing at each other or two dogs yawning but a cat and dog growling and spitting and about to launch into heated combat. Conflict, suspense keep the reader reading. Again so often ignored by writers.

3) Premise. You should be able to sum up the story in one sentence A woman police lieutenant and hostage negotiator must establish contact and overcome a faceless tormentor who is determined to make her a hostage of fear.-Nora Roberts, High Noon. An act of violence shatters a small town and the daughter of the judge sitting on the case should be the state's witness but cannot remember what happened-or could she.-Jodi Picoult, Nineteen Minutes.

4) Sympathetic character. You want to portray a character the reader roots for.

5) Equally important, it helps if you can devise a character who is villainous, evil, bad, someone the reader hates but cannot get enough of. My favorite was Hannibal Lecter. When he arrived on the page, I was always hooked.

6) A love story always helps. They do not have to go off into the sunset but we all like hope. So if they don't, it's kinda nice that some day the possibility is there they just might link up.

7) Surgeons go to medical school, lawyers go to law school. All you need to do is go to Amazon or the bookstore or the library. Read, read, read and think about what you are reading and why the novel works for you.

8) Writing is not something most people can dash off. Morris West, a best-selling novelist, could and did write his novels in his head but most people need paper and pen or a computer. It is an arduous but an enormously satisfying task.

9) Before you begin, write a multi-page outline of the novel. A great example of a superb story teller and novelist who does just that is Ken Follett. Read WRITING THE BLOCKBUSTER NOVEL by ALBERT ZUCKERMAN, his esteemed editor and agent. You will learn how Follett does it.

Reprinted from "The Book Marketing Expert newsletter," a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques. http://www.amarketingexpert.com

Gama Van Has Landed

Van: Ford Transit Connect

Wheels: San Diego Motoring Accessories, Oceanside, CA.

Graphics Design: Tom Kirkbride

Vehicle Graphics: Strategic Racing Designs, Vista, CA.

Writer’s Digest

17^th Annual International Book Awards
Commentary Sheet

Author: Tom Kirkbride
Title: Book I, Gamadin — Word of Honor
Category: Genre Fiction

Judge's commentary:

What did you like best about this book?

The opening line of Book I, Gamadin—Word of Honor is so powerful, there was no way t could stop reading. Tom Kirkbride's description of setting is vivid and allows readers to see colorful, three-dimensional images. He does a beautiful job with characterization, with powerful internal conflict and motivation. ' External conflict is evident from the first page. Each chapter ends on a hook, which will compel readers to continue all the way to "the end." Using some real life settings provides a nice backdrop to establish bearings. The back cover copy is intriguing and compelling. I appreciate the author bio inside the back cover.

How can the author improve this book?

There isn't much change about this book because it is powerthlly and skillfully written. The, front cover is attractive and eye catching₊ but I would like to see the author's name in a bolder font so it can be seen from a distance. Fans of series fiction will look for his name. There are many places where this book can be marketed. Science fiction clubs and organizations would be a good place to start. Offer to speak to these groups as well as libraries and bookstores. An online presence with a website (interactive and constantly changing), a blog, and online social networking are natural marketing tools for this series.

Superman's 1st Comic book

The Gamadin crew just discovered Superman's 1st comic book printed in 1938 in Millawanda's archives. By following the link you'll be able to read every page of the original comic. A copy was bought yesterday for one million dollars! http://xroads.virginia.edu/~UG02/yeung/actioncomics/cover.html

New Gamadin T-Shirts

The Gamadin T-shirts are now available at the Gamadin Store.

- All T-shirts are silk-screened on 100% fine jersey cotton.
- A stylish fit on virtually any body type.
- Available in 2 styles, Men's Regular and Fitted Women's. (Black only)
- All T-shirts cost $20.00 (+tax for CA residents) plus shipping.
- Women's sizes run small, which is why they are only available in Medium and Large.

2010 Gamadin Book Tour Schedule

The 2010 Book Tour events are Conventions and Book Fairs only. They do not include the many book signings, guest speaking events at schools, book groups and libraries Tom schedules during his event stops in the cities. For a complete list of Book Events, please click on the following link: BOOK EVENTS

Enlarged Book Tour List