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Steve Aten Monthly Update September 2004
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in this issue
-- MEG Movie Update
-- I want to be a character in a Steve Alten novel. How?
-- Anything New On The Website?

This month's update focuses on answering the questions readers e-mail me about the most, and talks about a new discovery in the abyss!

MEG Movie Update
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Hollywood shut down until after Labor Day, so no real news...yet. MEG; Primal Waters has not hit best-seller lists (yet) but steady sales have led to a second printing. SO hang onto those collector First Editions! (You can tell what edition the printing is by the numbers located on the bottom of the first page: 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 . If the 1 is missing, it is the 2nd edition, and so on.)

Keep talking about the book to relatives, friends, neighbors, and poepel at work. Start on-line chats. If the book surges to best-seller lists in September, your efforts can lead to a MEG MOVIE deal.

Remember, YOU can push us over the top. Word of mouth remains the best form of advertising.

* Send a review to Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com It helps.
* If your local bookstore is out of copies, ask them to restock. They will listen to you.

When the MEG movie eventually hits big screens, I want you to watch the previews thinking, "hey, I get Steve's e-mail every month. I helped him spread the word about his books. Heck, I helped get this movie made!" Guess what? You absolutely did.

I want to be a character in a Steve Alten novel. How?
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I will announce a new contest soon. I usually select 50-60 winners. Most contests deal with creative ways to help current books sell. Hustle and kindness towards others can also influence my selections.

When will The LOCH debut? And what is up with rumors about a new Loch Ness secret?

The LOCH is finished and should hit stores in May 2005. While I had several generous offers from New York publishers, I decided to go a different route. The LOCH will be published under my own label, TSUNAMI BOOKS, printed by GREENLEAF PUBLISHING, (still distributed by Ingram, Baker & Taylor, and other major distributors to all book sellers in N. America.) It's a special kind of book, and by going this route, I can call the creative shots, insuring it receives the kind of publicity, cover design, and reader "extras" YOU deserve.

As to the Loch secret, there are new discoveries going on that I have become privy to, thanks to a cryptozoologist who just happened to have worked for me as a paid artist on DOMAIN and RESURRECTION. So guess who got an inside track on this info???

Sorry, I can't divulge anything just yet, but it blows away 75 years of theories. More later!

When will Phobos (Domain-3) and Sorceress (GOLIATH sequel) debut?

The story plot lines are written, but each novel will take at least 8 months to write. These series are the toughest to research as they contain a lot of science. Since I am currently finishing up the DOMAIN screenplay (which I hope to sell after MEG and The LOCH) I will probably time PHOBOS as a summer release when the movie hits theatres (fingers crossed). The Sorceress novel is in my head and talks to me every night. It will be so mind-boggling and so anti-formula that you will be screaming at me, cursing my existence during the climax...then begging for more. (insert evil laughter). If all goes well, I hope to start writing Sorceress in late January. As to a release date, we'll see. A lot depends upon MEG and DOMAIN.

Was MEG; Primal Waters the last MEG novel?

No. As I mentioned in the August newsletter, in MEG; Primal Waters, Michael Maren tells Jonas of his encounter with another creature in the deep waters of the Philippine Sea Plate. This is the MEG-4 hook, and it will lead to the mother of all sea battles, between Angel and the largest sea creature Mother Nature ever created. I will let you know BEFORE I begin writing MEG-4 as there will be a contest to determine the book's title. Erik Hollander won the last contest, and he was used as a major character.

Speaking of Erik, congrats go to this award-winning graphic artist as he has been commissioned to design the cover for the MEG; Primal Waters paperback. It is so breath-taking, so frightening that no one will be able to walk past the paperback without picking it up. We'll give you a sneak-peek NEXT MONTH in the October newsletter. Thanks TOR! You picked the right man!

Anything New On The Website?
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Yes !! Two great new items!

A. MEG; Primal Waters shirts are now available, featuring the awesome bloody juvenile MEG bite around the torso.

B. A great new Video Game!! Go to www.SteveAlten.com and click on the Primal Waters book cover. The free on-line game allows YOU to be the shark. Stalk divers and eat them, but beware, they are armed and dangerous. Send the link to the game to everyone on your buddy list!!

Another Alten "fiction" becomes FACT!
(Sun Sentinel, 8/28/04)

During a 10-day exploration in the Gulf of Mexico that began just three weeks ago, researchers from the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution in Fort Pierce discovered the first known species of bio-luminous shark! The blue light mounted on the submersible shines on sea creatures, which then absorb the light and -- if they obtain fluorescence -- emit other colors. In order to see those colors, the researchers have to wear yellow lenses. On Aug. 12, about 150 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas, there was an intriguing glow at the edge of the light. As the small four-person submersible inched along 18,000 feet below the surface, Dr. Charles Mazel said scientists discovered a glow coming from a 2-3 foot species of shark! The shark had a symmetrical pattern of fluorescent spots that nobody had ever seen before...

..except in MEG, The Trench, and PRIMAL WATERS !!! (I just pray I was wrong about the DOMAIN series.) Stick that one in your ear, Richard Ellis!

That's all for now. Help me get the MEG movie made by spreading the word about Primal Waters, and I promise you the ultimate shark movie of all time! Stay well, stay in touch, spread the word, and know I appreciate you.

-Steve Alten

P.S. : If you submitted a SYNOPSIS and CHAPTER to WRITING COACH and never heard from me, please re-send to MEG82159@aol.com. We had a glitch with submissions. My apologies.

Check out the new stuff on SteveAlten.com

Contact Information
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email: meg82159@aol.com
phone: 740-756-7650
web: http://www.stevealten.com
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