I did it! For the first time. I discounted all my books to ONLY $0.99! It is my gift to all my readers, reviewers, and supporters, to all of you who loved one or more of my stories, and to all of you who will yet become their fans. Check out the dates and links below for these fantastic discounts. Sunday, December 26, 2021, 8:00 AM PST through Sunday, January 2, 2022, 12:00 AM PST Cruel Summer January River Look for Me Under the Rainbow A World Without Color Grab this unique opportunity and don't look any further. Thank you for your love and support, and please don't forget to leave your honest reviews. It can be just a one or two-sentence honest thought or impression. May the new 2022 year bring you everything you wished for and 2021 denied to you, and even more! Happy Holidays! BJ Original post: https://www.bernardjan.com/post/a-holiday-all-books-sale
Cruel Summer won the Honorable Mention Award in the Young Adult–Social Issues category in 2021 Readers' Favorite International Book Award Contest! Readers' Favorite recognizes Cruel Summer by Bernard Jan in its annual international book award contest, currently available at Amazon here. The Readers' Favorite International Book Award Contest featured thousands of contestants from over a dozen countries, ranging from new independent authors to NYT best-sellers and celebrities. Readers' Favorite is one of the largest book review and award contest sites on the Internet. They have earned the respect of renowned publishers like Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Harper Collins, and have received the “Best Websites for Authors” and “Honoring Excellence” awards from the Association of Independent Authors. They are also fully accredited by the BBB (A+ rating), which is a rarity among Book Review and Book Award Contest companies. Readers' Favorite receive thousands of entries from all over the world. Because of these large submission numbers, they are able to break down their contest into 140+ genres, and each genre is judged separately, ensuring that books only compete against books of their same genre for a fairer and more accurate competition. They receive submissions from independent authors, small publishers, and publishing giants such as Random House, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster, with contestants that range from the first-time, self-published author to New York Times bestsellers like J.A. Jance, James Rollins, and #1 best-selling author Daniel Silva, as well as celebrity authors like Jim Carrey (Bruce Almighty), Henry Winkler (Happy Days), and Eriq La Salle (E.R., Coming to America). “When the right books are picked as winners we pay attention. We will be spreading the word about Readers' Favorite.”—Karen A., Editor for Penguin Random House Readers' Favorite is proud to announce that Cruel Summer by Bernard Jan won the Honorable Mention Award in the Young Adult–Social Issues category. You can learn more about Bernard Jan and Cruel Summer at Reader's Favorite where you can read reviews and the author's biography, as well as connect with the author directly or through their website and social media pages. “Bernard did a wonderful job of creating a beautifully written and compelling story that is very descriptive so that the reader feels immersed in the story. I enjoyed the detailed skateboarding stunt instructions at the start of each chapter. His characters were brilliantly written and very compelling.”—Rolanda Lyles for Readers' Favorite Please check out Cruel Summer at BookAwards.Com. Thank you. BJ Subscribe to my mailing list. Follow me on Twitter. Original post: https://www.bernardjan.com/post/readers-favorite-honorable-mention-award-for-cruel-summer
From August 23 through August 26, Paige aka PopTheButterfly is organizing the Cruel Summer book tour hosted through Indie Blog Hop! BOOK TOUR STOPS August 23 PopTheButterfly: Instagram, Blog, TikTok August 24 Mr Pink Ink: Blog August 25 The Reading Rebel: Instagram August 26 Tabi Slick: Blog ABOUT THE BOOK Cruel Summer by Bernard Jan Genre: YA Cross-Genre (Sexual Abuse, Friendship, Skateboarding, Dystopian) All he wants to do is skate. But they have other plans for him. Michael Daniels is seventeen and dreams to enter professional skateboarding contests. But beneath New Manhattan, a city under the oppressive shadow of climate change, exists another world altogether—secret laboratories which threaten society as he knows it. Those with power will get what they want. No price is too high, even if it means making someone special or robbing them of their dignity, freedom . . . or life. The price is too high for Michael, though. He has endured his stepfather's abuse and mind games for almost as long as he remembers. Until one day he takes matters into his own hands, ruining the lives of those he loves most. And his skateboarding friends, Alien and Victor, are his only hope for freedom. When there is no hope left, friendship is what remains. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Bernard Jan is a pen name of an award-winning novelist and a poet from Croatia, and he has released four books in English. A World Without Color is a true story of the last three days he spent with his cat, while Look for Me Under the Rainbow in a unique and gentle way sheds light on the plight of harp seal pups in Canada. It warms the heart of all readers concerned about our planet and its treasures. January River is a heartwarming cross-genre novel about five friends, one dog, and one river carrying a secret. His latest YA cross-genre novel, Cruel Summer, is a gripping story of an abused teenager from New Manhattan who only wants to skate, but they have other plans for him. His first two books were written at the beginning of the war in Croatia in 1991 amidst air alerts and illusory attempts when he wanted to believe and think that life is normal, that everything is all right with the world. He has published five novels, two novellas, and one book of poems in Croatian. Four of his books, including the book of poems, were translated into English. CRUEL SUMMER ON AMAZON AND GOODREADS (Please leave your honest review) Amazon.com paperback and eBook Amazon Australia paperback and eBook Amazon Canada paperback and eBook Amazon UK paperback and eBook Goodreads paperback and eBook Thank you for organizing this tour, Paige! BJ Subscribe to my mailing list. Follow me on Twitter. Cover and art design by Dean Cole. Original post: https://www.bernardjan.com/post/cruel-summer-indie-blog-hop-book-tour-august-2021
In the scorching summer temperatures, Look for Me Under the Rainbow eBook price is melting! The story of Danny, a curious seal pup with soft white fur and black innocent eyes, and Helen, an environmentalist and the Rainbow Warriors activist on a mission to save animals, is at a discounted price on Amazon. Its normal price is $2.99 and during this week it is only $0.99! Monday, July 26, 2021, 8:00 AM PDT through Monday, August 2, 2021, 12:00 AM PDT First read an excerpt: The other seals had traveled quite a distance, but Danny still stood on the edge of the ice floe, staring at the landscape he became so fond of in his brief life. He loved the icebergs, the sea, the ice floe where he and Jon played hide-and-seek. And he'd never forget the moment he laid his eyes on her—the human female. Overwhelmed by the memories of the past weeks, he held back. They made it hard for him to decide to embark on the long migration. Though the call of his homeland was equally powerful, if Jon had not asked in a gentle voice, “Shall we go, Danny?” he was sure he would have stayed. Leaving them to wander this icebound world and beautiful sea for a year, while they waited for their group to return. Then download your Look for Me Under the Rainbow eBook here. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C7JGMNG/ If you prefer a paperback, you can get it here. https://www.amazon.com/dp/9535958135/ “The worldbuilding and descriptions are basically spectacular . . . I became lost in the icy world the author created.”—J.C. Gallo, author of The Shadowverse and The Shadowverse: Vengeance Don't forget to check out and read my other books: Cruel Summer, January River, and A World Without Color. Happy reading and thank you! BJ Subscribe to my mailing list. Follow me on Twitter. Original post: https://www.bernardjan.com/post/look-for-me-under-the-rainbow-discount
Three days after the Cruel Summer Book Tour & Giveaway has ended, there is a new opportunity for everyone who didn't get my book. Cruel Summer, a gripping story of an abused teenage skateboarder who only wants to follow his dreams in dystopian New York City, is available at a 67% discounted price for an entire week! Thursday, July 1, 2021, 8:00 AM PDT through Thursday, July 8, 2021, 12:00 AM PDT First read an excerpt: His father was defeated; he was on his knees facing death. Yet, there was a brief flash of triumph in his eyes Michael glimpsed before running from the mess he made without touching anything. How is that possible? Was he not afraid of him? Wasn't he afraid of what Michael had done? Isn't he afraid of what Michael might do?! Either way, Michael isn't thinking if going home until Hank thinks about everything. And when he gets home, things will be different. Everything will be different. Hank will no longer have a monopoly on him. Hank will no longer blackmail him or tell him what to do and what not to do. HE WILL NEVER TOUCH HIM AGAIN! Then download your Cruel Summer eBook here. If you prefer a paperback, you can get it here. “Bernard Jan's Cruel Summer is an emotionally gripping story, full of love, friendship, loyalty, family drama, and skateboarding. Bernard did a wonderful job of creating a beautifully written and compelling story that is very descriptive so that the reader feels immersed in the story.”—Rolanda Lyles for Readers' Favorite Don't forget to check out and read my other books: January River, Look for Me Under the Rainbow and A World Without Color. Happy reading and thank you! BJ Subscribe to my mailing list. Follow me on Twitter. Cover design by Dean Cole. Original blog post: https://www.bernardjan.com/post/cruel-summer-discount
I am thrilled and grateful to Maia for accepting my YA cross-genre novel Cruel Summer for the Silver Dagger book tour and giveaway! Cruel Summer starts the tour today, on May 28, and will tour until June 28 on 40 stops. Please check and follow all the stops on the tour and share them with your friends and followers. Let's have some fun time together. Thanks, and let the tour begins! Click here to continue reading 👉 https://www.bernardjan.com/post/cruel-summer-silver-dagger-book-tour-giveaway-may-through-june-2021
“Mother, I know you can't hear me, but I must talk to you. “I need to talk to someone. Anyone. About things I would never say if you were alive. About things I didn't want you to know because they would hurt you. This way I will say them, and you won't hear them. This way it will be much easier for me to pour my heart out to you . . .” My cross-genre YA novel Cruel Summer is for the first time in a Kindle discount promo week! Sunday, May 9, 2021, 8:00 AM PDT through Sunday, May 16, 2021, 12:00 AM PDT This gripping, unexpected, strong, and emotional story about an abused teenage boy who only wants to skate and the loyalty of friendship that stands as the shield between those who have other plans for him and his freedom will be only $0.99 for a whole week on Amazon or free with Kindle Unlimited. Do you like books that cross genres and mix them in a surprising read you cannot put down? Cruel Summer has all that and more for you: family and social issues, extreme sports, conspiracy, murder, mystery, teen romance as a subplot, and sci-fi and dystopia as a touch of alternative history with a powerful message of friendship. Sounds impossible? But it's not! “Crossing genres is always difficult, and thankfully, this one works well. It offers many angles for every type of reader. Even for those who aren't fans of dystopia / sci-fi or who've never been on a skateboard in their lives . . . you'll be pulled in for all the other reasons.”—James J. Cudney, author of Watching Glass Shatter, Hiding Cracked Glass, Father Figure, Braxton Campus Mysteries series and Weathering Old Souls Don't wait any longer! Please spread the word and download your eBook at a 67% discounted price. Thank you! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08X6JZKRM BJ Original post: https://www.bernardjan.com/post/from-skateboarding-to-dystopia-for-only-0-99
At the time of this eBook promotion, a terrible thing is going on. The annual seal slaughter in Canada is in full swing. Thousands of baby seals will be shot or clubbed to death because of their fur. Despite the huge international outcry and protest, and many national bans on import of seal products. If you feel resentment or if this inhumanity disgusts you, please message Justin Trudeau and Canadian authorities. Share this petition. And spread the word about my book, Look for Me Under the Rainbow, and its 67% discount promotion week so we can together sensitize others to the suffering of these beautiful creatures. Thursday, April 22, 2021, 8:00 AM PDT through Thursday, April 29, 2021, 12:00 AM PDT “On an early, misty morning, a ship arrived and disembarked men. All the seals ran away. All, except the young. Unprotected, unaware of the danger, they innocently waited for hu-man beings to approach. A man lifted a club and struck the fragile little head. One, two, three times. Blood spattered the white fur. No cries, no sound. Silent and quick. And then again. One, two, three dull thuds, blood and death. Still, no cries. Only a blank look of surprise and disappointment. . . . Other human beings approached from the opposite side and took the surviving pups in their arms. But the men armed with rifles and clubs snatched the pups from them, bashing their skulls. One, two, three. Blows. Blood. Death. More humans came. They took away those trying to protect the pups with their bodies. Putting them on their ship, they towed it away. The remaining men skinned the bodies and loaded the furs in their ship. Leaving behind the less than two week old pups' corpses, they disappeared into the fog, as suddenly as they arrived. Mary Jane was among the dead pups. Frozen remains of her tiny body eerily lay motionless on the bloodstained ice with other pups killed that day. The day when humans cruelly murdered an entire generation. Wiped out. No pup left alive.” Download your Look for Me Under the Rainbow eBook. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C7JGMNG/ Thank you. BJ Original post: https://www.bernardjan.com/post/save-the-seals-book-promotion-week
I have submitted my YA cross-genre novel, Cruel Summer, to TCK Publishing Reader's Choice Awards 2021 contest. TCK Publishing Reader's Choice Awards 2021 is a contest for best books in 16 categories. To get to my YA and Middle Grade book category, use the arrows on the left and right side of the voting form to navigate between categories. Once you are on the page 12/16, scroll down to Cruel Summer by Bernard Jan and click on the book title to cast your vote. Please share the link below with others too, so they can also show their love and support to Cruel Summer. Vote here for Cruel Summer in TCK Publishing Reader's Choice Awards 2021 (page 12/16 YA and Middle Grade). https://www.tckpublishing.com/2021-readers-choice-voting-page/ Thank you! BJ Original post: https://www.bernardjan.com/post/cruel-summer-in-tck-publishing-contest
Did you forget what it is like to be a child? Climb on the raft with Ethan, Will, Jason, Derrick, and Sarah, and remind yourself of the careless innocence of the childhood. January River, a literary fiction, coming-of-age, and young adult novel about five friends, one dog and one river carrying a secret, is at a discounted price of only $0.99 on the following days: Monday, March 22, 2021, 8:00 AM PDT through Monday, March 29, 2021, 12:00 AM PDT Read the excerpt and enjoy this rafting adventure! So, the four friends—Will, Ethan, Jason, and Derrick—went out rafting. The boys were charged up even at the mere thought of going down the January River. When Derrick, Jason and Ethan found themselves on the raft, the excitement turned into euphoria. At that moment, trouble loomed. Unforeseen and unexpected, it hit them like a charging tornado. Derrick's sister, Sarah, jumped out of the bushes growing on the riverbank. “Well, well! What do I see here?” She turned with a threatening tone to her several-minutes-older brother. His jaw almost fell to the raft and scraped on it as he couldn't believe his own eyes. “You didn't want to take me with you, did you? Did you think you could sneak out and run away just like that? Hasn't it occurred to you that your baby sister would like to come for a ride too?” “What's that, for Christ's sake?” Jason whispered into Derrick's ear. “I thought you said everything's been taken care of with your sister. You were supposed to get rid of her.” “That was what I thought,” moaned Derrick. “But it seems she tricked us again.” “Well, Der, what do you have to say in your defense?” She approached the water, showing no mercy at all. “What the heck you brats think you're doin'?” Will stood in the water up to his knees, not knowing whether to climb on the raft or move toward Derrick's sister. “Haven't we agreed that just four of us were to go down the river?” “We have, but it seems Derrick messed up,” Jason commented helplessly. “I messed up?! It cost me fifty cents!” All rivers carry their secrets, but not every river keeps its secret forever. Click here for more mystery and romance and download January River eBook at $0.99. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086LJJC8V Please don't forget to leave an honest review and spread the word about this discount. You have the power to influence the future of these five friends. Check out my three other books as well: A World Without Color, Look for Me Under the Rainbow and Cruel Summer. BJ Original post: https://www.bernardjan.com/post/rafting-down-the-january-river-at-a-discounted-price
“What is man, Mom?” “Man's a great mystery. We know not where he comes from, nor where he's going . . .” “This . . . man, is he dangerous?” “Very dangerous, son. You must try never to meet one . . .” “But how can I not meet a man? How do I avoid him?” “You'll sense him coming close. You know, son, man has a special smell. The scent of fear, misfortune and pain. He feeds on it. You'll recognize him by this scent.” My novella, Look for Me Under the Rainbow, about a curious harp seal pup Danny and Helen, an environmentalist and member of a young activist crew of the Rainbow Warriors whose mission is to save animals, has got another international recognition. In March this year, PETA Germany added it in the resources they recommend for activists and organizations in Eastern Europe! That way, Look for Me Under the Rainbow has found itself in the esteemed company of other animal rights books and authors such as The PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights: Simple Acts of Kindness to Help Animals in Trouble by Ingrid Newkirk, Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows: An Introduction to Carnism by Melanie Joy, The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy—and Why They Matter by Marc Bekoff, and Change of Heart: What Psychology Can Teach Us About Spreading Social Change by Nick Cooney, to name just a few. PETA Germany was founded at the end of 1993 and is a partner organization of PETA USA, the world's largest animal rights organization with over six and a half million supporters. Their goal is to help every animal have a better life. They are committed to uncovering animal cruelty, educating the public and teaching them a mindful and respectful way of life. PETA acts in the tradition of social liberation movements and campaigns for the end of speciesism. They stand for the abolition of mistreatment, discrimination and exploitation of all animals and fight for the establishment of their rights. Thank you, PETA Germany, for this honor and recognition! Click here for PETA Germany's Activist Network in Eastern Europe Resources. https://www.peta.de/aktiv/peta-germanys-activist-network-eastern-europe-ressources/ BJ Original post: https://www.bernardjan.com/post/look-for-me-under-the-rainbow-in-peta-germany-s-book-resources
With the beginning of the new year comes the moment to announce my new book launch! And I start it with its cover and blurb reveal. I originally wrote Cruel Summer in Croatian over 20 years ago. By the end of February this year, I will release it in English. Cruel Summer is a Young Adult cross-genre novel with elements of social and family issues, teen and child abuse, extreme sports, conspiracy, mystery, murder and crime investigation, teen romance, sci-fi and dystopia. I hope I won't be distracted this time with earthquakes and other unpredictable situations and thus forced to postpone my release date again. Indie author Dean Cole did a fantastic job and made me fall in love with his stunning eBook and paperback cover. Working with Dean was a genuine pleasure. He is the fastest designer I worked with and he will professionally meet and fulfill your requirements before you are aware it is over. It took him only three days to deliver me such a brutally good book cover, as one of my friends commented it. Do I need to say more? Another indie author, also from the UK, saved me by helping me with the blurb for Cruel Summer when I was stuck with it. Jonathan Hill was my savior and magician also for the blurbs for my other two books, January River and Look for Me Under the Rainbow. This time again he did an amazing job, and I can never thank him enough for his professionalism, patience and kind help. Cruel Summer Blurb All he wants to do is skate. But they have other plans for him. Michael Daniels is seventeen and dreams to enter professional skateboarding contests. But beneath New Manhattan, a city under the oppressive shadow of climate change, exists another world altogether—secret laboratories which threaten society as he knows it. Those with power will get what they want. No price is too high, even if it means making someone special or robbing them of their dignity, freedom . . . or life. The price is too high for Michael, though. He has endured his stepfather's abuse and mind games for almost as long as he remembers. Until one day he takes matters into his own hands, ruining the lives of those he loves most. And his skateboarding friends, Alien and Victor, are his only hope for freedom. When there is no hope left, friendship is what remains. Please show some love to Dean and Jonathan by following them on their Twitter and on Goodreads where you can also find their books. And don't forget to look for Cruel Summer when it goes online and becomes available on my Amazon profile. BJ Original post: https://www.bernardjan.com/post/cruel-summer-cover-and-blurb-reveal
I hope you already got to read and review my YA novella about the harp seal pup Danny and the group of activists and environmentalists trying to save him from the hands of greedy humans. In case you didn't, this is the last opportunity to get Look for Me Under the Rainbow at a 67% discount price this year! Sunday, November 15, 2020, 8:00 AM PST through Sunday, November 22, 2020, 12:00 AM PS Please read an excerpt to get a better feeling of this beautiful, gentle and touching story. * * * Too late, Danny realized he did not have time nor strength enough to reach his mother for protection. With tears in his eyes, he watched her blurred shape stumbling slowly closer to him and tried to call out. But he could not, his throat felt choked. He braced himself for what was coming. Trying not to turn away, he looked the human in the eyes, at least he thought those were the eyes of this bizarre creature. He had learned the lesson well, as everything else his mother taught him, and now he had to apply his knowledge in real life whether he liked it or not. Staring, he stood motionless even when he heard noises behind him. In the corner of his field of vision, he noticed his mother between him and the human being. She growled dangerously even when the thing covering the creature's head fell off as it slipped onto the ice in its effort to go around his mother. Danny's fear disappeared, when he saw something almost un-believable. Lovely golden hair, soft as the finest fur, fell in waves down the red buttoned-up parka. Danny thought it must be human fur. He couldn't stop gazing at the sea colored eyes, set in the perfectly carved features of her face. They caressed him with pleasant warmth and kindness. Only red lips, the tip of the nose and rosy cheeks stood in contrast to the harmony and beauty of the face. When she sprayed his fur and spoke words he did not understand, Danny was not afraid. At the same time, she held his mother at a safe distance, not allowing her to come closer. He could do nothing but stare at those eyes, the incredible blue eyes that came from an unknown world. Enchanted, he looked at his own image reflected in them while she gently patted his head, whispering tenderly. She stood up, folded her hair back under the hood, smiled at him and started back to the ship from which she had come and scared the wits out of him. And Danny still looked at her, transfixed. His mother's tears, falling like warm and silent drops on his face, returned him to reality. * * * If you want to read the whole story, download your copy here for only $0.99! Look for Me Under the Rainbow is primarily read by younger readers, but it is a story for everyone, especially the readers who cherish our beautiful planet and wish to protect its treasures. Thank you for reading Look for Me Under the Rainbow and leaving an honest review on Amazon and Goodreads. Your honest reviews are most appreciated and welcome, so thank you for your time and effort to write a few lines about my book. Thank you also for spreading the message. Please don't forget to check out my two other books, A World Without Color and January River, which you can also get as eBook and paperback. All three books can be nice gifts your beloved ones will appreciate. Download Look for Me Under the Rainbow: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C7JGMNG/ BJ Original post: https://www.bernardjan.com/post/the-last-discount-for-look-for-me-under-the-rainbow-in-2020