Jack Flacco – Page 4 – Looking to God

Anniversary Week—Part I

Posted on December 16, 2013December 22, 2013 by Jack Flacco

Tomorrow, December 17th, will be the one-year anniversary when Jack Flacco: The Official Site went live. In celebration of this milestone, I will present the Top 5 Most Popular Monday Mayhem posts of 2013.

Before we get to that, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who visited my site over the course of the year. It’s been quite a ride, folks. We’ve delved into zombies, zombie apocalypses and the like, and we had fun with one of this year’s most notable movie titles (i.e. World War Z).

I don’t share this information freely, but I thought it appropriate given the nature of the festivities for the coming week. Here are some stats* you might find interesting:

Total views since going live: 47,562
The most views in one day: 463
Most views in one month: 5,244 views in March 2013
Most visitors in one month: 2,537 visitors in November 2013
The country with the most views: 24,646 views from the United States

* Statistics range from December 17, 2012 – December 16, 2013 as at 7:01am EST.

Let’s move along to the main attraction. When choosing the Top 5 Most Popular Monday Mayhem posts, I first wanted to present them based on amount of views. The more I thought of it though, more it didn’t make sense. For instance, a visitor may pop into the site and hit the same post several times within the day. I didn’t think it fair, considering there could have only been two visitors for that day and a hundred views.

Next, I thought I’d use comments as the benchmark. You know, the more comments a post has, the more popular it is. Again, I didn’t think it represented a good way to measure popularity given I can comment on my own post a dozen times and push it ahead on the popularity scale.

No, what I used is the number of “likes” a post has garnered throughout the year. It will not only present a fair representation of popularity for a post but also prevents users from gaming the system with multiple “likes”.

Okay, enough chitchat.

The Top 5 Most Popular Monday Mayhem posts of 2013:

Neuron

Zombie Apocalypse: Causes—“The other day, an article published October 29, 2007 on Cracked.com titled 5 Scientific Reasons a Zombie Apocalypse Could Actually Happen, caught my eye. I typically base most of my posts on multiple sources. However, because the site’s article instilled such a horrible chill in my bones, I decided to focus my entire Monday Mayhem…” ~101 likes
Discovery Special: It Could Happen

Zombie Apocalypse: Ground Zero—“I’ve always wondered if a zombie apocalypse were to take place now, where would it hit first? It’s Monday Mayhem and this has been on my mind all weekend. You know, I’ve thought about this question. It’s not one of those precious topics floating around lunchrooms across America. Like, how many Twitter followers does Lady…” ~88 likes
The Zombie Run

The Zombie Run—“If you have a soft stomach, I suggest you leave—now. If not, I have news that may be beneficial to your health. For a while, I’ve followed an event so scary, so shocking, and so exciting; I couldn’t let it go much longer without including it in my Monday Mayhem series. Some of you already…” ~85 likes
Fast Zombie (photo credit: Plan B)

Fast Zombies—“Now that World War Z is part of movie history, perhaps this is a good time to have a heart to heart talk. I don’t think I’m spoiling anything if I were to ask a simple question. Some folks might have their opinions, and quite frankly, I’m interested in hearing what those opinions are. After…” ~78 likes
Jack Flacco takes you to the edge of horror

My Book Release—“It’s not every day I can say tomorrow I have a book releasing. It’s not as if I write a book every day. That’d make me one fast writer, for sure. It would also make me an incredible genius. Believe me, as much as I’d like to punch myself in the arm, no way would…” ~75 likes

Come back Wednesday when I reveal the Top 5 Most Popular Women Who Wow Wednesday posts of 2013. Don’t miss it!

RANGER MARTIN AND THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, now on sale.

Do you have a favorite Monday Mayhem post you’d recommend to your friends?

The Shock

Posted on November 22, 2013May 10, 2017 by Jack Flacco

Two weeks ago today, I received some startling news. The kind of news you don’t expect, but wonder how it happened so fast. I stared at the screen in shock. I didn’t know what to make of it. Was it someone’s idea of a joke? Had I driven someone so crazy that they had lost any and all means of critical thinking?

Once I had settled into my chair, and after a few comforting hugs from my wife, the realization slowly seeped into my head. This was real. This was unexpected. This is Freedom Friday.

After a few deep breaths, a couple of episodes of lip biting, more deep breaths (uh-huh, I needed oxygen), I read the screen again. It said:

“Fiction writers thrive here as well: thousands of bloggers are currently participating in National Novel Writing Month, including many published writers. In October, for example, horror writer Jack Flacco celebrated the release of his latest ebook, Ranger Martin and the Zombie Apocalypse.”

I blinked several times to make sure I read it correctly. Yep, that’s what it said. Now, I was sure. The quote came from WordPress.com News and Numbers: The October Hot List.

I sat there with a blank expression on my face, vacant eyes, and an open mouth.

Until…

…the chair shot from under my legs and I leapt for joy, pumping fists in the air as if I had just scored the game winning shot in overtime during Game 7 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Seriously, folks, I actually did that.

The WordPress.com logo

Once I regained my composure, I placed my hands on my hips, and caught some air. I didn’t know what being a part of The October Hot List meant until I checked my Amazon account several days later to find sales of my book had spiked by a sizable quantity. I could only attribute the surge to the mention in the post, which, by the way, had 875 Likes at the time of this writing.

Coupled with the exposure on the other social networks (Facebook, Twitter), even today, I still roam around bewildered by all the attention my book has garnered since release.

Nevertheless, I will forever remain grateful to all those who have supported me during this time of harvest. It’s one thing seeing my book hit the distribution channels, but it’s another thing watching it grow into something you never imagined possible.

RANGER MARTIN AND THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, now on sale.

Monday Mayhem

My Book Release

Posted on October 21, 2013November 8, 2013 by Jack Flacco

It’s not every day I can say tomorrow I have a book releasing. It’s not as if I write a book every day. That’d make me one fast writer, for sure. It would also make me an incredible genius. Believe me, as much as I’d like to punch myself in the arm, no way would I consider myself an incredible genius. Not by a long shot.

Jack Flacco takes you to the edge of horror

For instance, I mess up directions whenever I go anywhere with my GPS. Somehow, the voice-assist stating, “800 meters, turn right” sets off a chain reaction in my brain that propels me to want to take the next right turn instead. Even if there’s 400 meters remaining for the turn. Also, I sometimes put on two different socks. But maybe you can forgive me in that respect since I do wake up at 5:00 A.M., and different shades of blue all look the same at that hour. And when I cut the lawn, I sometimes miss spots. I’ll notice it two days later when I’m having breakfast in our garden-view kitchen, and a strip of lawn waves at me, teasing me by saying, “You missed.”

Genius? Hardly.

I’m not very good with marketing either. The best I can do is slap on a few words to a picture about my book, and post it on my Facebook page and Twitter account hoping you might like it without my being too intrusive. Believe me, I dread these days I have to talk about my book. It’s something that does not come naturally and takes me forever to come up with words that wouldn’t make me sound like I’m bragging. Because that’s what I don’t want to do—sound like I’m bragging.

For this reason, I’m dedicating this Monday Mayhem post to my Review Team. These folks volunteered their time and energy to read Ranger Martin and The Zombie Apocalypse in order to not only provide me feedback, but to also give potential readers an honest opinion. It’s best hearing what they have to say than for me to open my mouth so you can watch my brains fall out.

Meet the Review Team

Jerry B.’s Trip Through The Mind—“Ranger Martin and the Zombie Apocalypse is the type of story that draws you in and keeps you engrossed page after page.”

Bradley L. Bodeker’s The Insanity of a Mad B@stard—“Ranger Martin and the Zombie Apocalypse is not your typical genre rehash of things you’ve seen, heard, read before. From the first time I popped open the book, I was glued to the pages.”

ButterflyMumma—“Jack has a filmmaker’s sense of pacing and action. The book opens with a bang—Ranger is facing off against the oncoming horde on page 1… Stay-tuned for the film. This book was meant for the screen.”

Sonya Solomonovich’s Swashbuckler’s Tales—“Jack Flacco excels at bringing the zombie-fighting action to life with his own brand of dynamic comic-book flavored violence.”

Heather-Joan’s Serenity’s Musings—“I am not a fan of the reading sci-fi or zombies genre, but as far as Ranger Martin and the Zombie Apocalypse is concerned, I was hooked on page three and I couldn’t put it down after that.”

Patrick Todoroff’s Hot Space Station Justice—“The genuinely refreshing thing is while RM is fraught with tension and action, (and zombies) it keeps from decomposing into ponderous, grim darkness with a salting of black humor and a light tone.”

Kim’s Tranquil Dreams—“The book has quite a bit of intense action especially in the last few chapters. However, aside from it being very much action, in a way that you feel like you are reading a movie, Jack writes in a way where I had an easy time picturing and seeing in my mind what was really going down. It’s a pretty fun experience for the most part and especially in most situations, we always have Ranger Martin bringing in some witty smartass comment to loosen up the intensity sometimes.”

Katie Sullivan’s The D/A Dialogues—“A tightly-knit story, woven together with humor, pathos and just-around-the-corner danger, Ranger Martin, was everything I wanted out of a thriller. It starts out with a bang, and doesn’t let up until the final page.”

Jess’ Waiting on a Word—“As I read I lost myself in the story, swiping the pages over my iPhone any time I could spare a minute, and then about halfway through the action—BAM! Jack hit me with something I never expected. Wait? WHAT JUST HAPPENED? I thought, as I flipped back and re-read.”

Gina G.’s GG’s World—“It is a well paced story and then picks up speed to the point where you can’t put it down and will read until your tablet/kindle/ipad’s battery dies. I lost a few hours of sleep this week reading it because I couldn’t put it down.”

RANGER MARTIN AND THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, on sale tomorrow.

Monday Mayhem

Ranger Martin Concept Art

Posted on September 9, 2013October 22, 2013 by Jack Flacco

Now that the jacket for Ranger Martin and the Zombie Apocalypse is complete, I can concentrate on my golf swing, cracking open a bottle of champagne, and getting my yacht tuned-up for a mid-September Caribbean jaunt of sorts. Ha, as if. I’m going to be busy the next few months more than usual in preparation for my book’s release. So, I thought before heading into the unknown, for Monday Mayhem I’d give you a tour of my book’s jacket. It’s an interesting story. I hope you’ll like it.

A few months ago, I complained to my wife, well, more like explained, I hadn’t come up with any concept art for my book’s jacket. Being the practical person she is, she suggested I work through my 14,600+ photo collection and find something in there. My initial feeling was positive. Something I had shot years gone by must have some semblance of my book’s concept. I didn’t worry about it much, but it was in the back of my mind as something I needed to do.

In the meantime, my wife also asked me if I had any ideas of what I wanted on the jacket. I answered her with the very clichéd, overused statement, “I’ll know when I see it.” In fact, that’s exactly what I thought.

Anyway, as the months went by and I sifted through my vast collection of digital photos I had taken over the course of nine years, I was finding I didn’t see what I was looking for. I had a very specific idea, but nothing really stood out as “the” photo I wanted to use as a representation for the book.

Eventually, I spoke with one of my friends about the problem and over a period of a few weeks, the subject would come up over tea. I would hum and haw and he would placate my need for resolution of my creative plight. He’d ask what I was looking for and I’d say, “I’ll know when I see it.”

This whole thing between my wife, my photos, my friend and I continued for months.

That is until one day, my friend and I were having tea and talk surfaced of his trip he’d taken last year to Utah. I thought for a moment and asked if he had photos of that eventful journey. He did. I asked if I could have a look at a few. He asked how many? I said a handful; I was looking for those Utah mountains with the flat tops.

A few weeks later, he gave me an assorted collection of photos, and as I perused them, the seventh photo in the lot jumped out at me. Seriously, the “I’ll know when I see it” statement turned into “this is the one” statement. I had no doubt I had the right one.

And right there, within the span of seconds after seeing it I described to him how I would crop, darken and perhaps add a few elements to the photo to make it more dramatic in order to convey the book’s theme. The assessment went that fast.

That very weekend I spent playing with the photo exactly as I’d described to my friend. I didn’t deviate one bit from the plan. I implemented everything I said I was going to put in it and then some.

When I showed it to him a few days later, his jaw dropped to the floor. He couldn’t believe it was the same photo. Hey, I couldn’t believe it was the same photo.

So that’s how the book’s jacket came to be. I hope you found that story just as interesting to read as it was for me to write.

RANGER MARTIN AND THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, on sale October 22.

Are you curious about anything I may have not mentioned about the concept art?

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