Decommissioning the Doorway Press store

Over the next week or so I will be decommissioning the Doorway Press store website. Doorway Press is my publishing imprint for C.H. Cobb novels. Visitors to my author website, chcobb.com, will no longer be directed to Doorwaypress.com when they press a ‟Buy Now!” button under one of my books. Instead, they’ll be directed to the appropriate page on Amazon, where they can purchase the book as a normal Amazon transaction.

The Doorway Press website was a means by which folks could buy the books directly from me if they wished (I get a much better financial return when you buy my books from me). For the last year there’s been no traffic on that site, so I am cutting my web hosting expenses and shutting it down, though I will keep the Doorwaypress.com domain name.

The name ‟Doorway Press” (as well as the doorway logo) is significant. I intend my novels to be a ‟doorway” inviting the reader to re-examine some of the modern myths of secular thinking even while being engrossed in an action-packed story. The best representatives of that agenda are The Candidate and the Outlander Chronicles series, particularly Outlander Chronicles: Phoenix. While all my books are written from a thoroughly Christian worldview, the Falcon series (book 1 is Falcon Down) does not display quite as strong of a philosophical apologetic as the others.

As far as ‟works in progress,” at present I am not working on any full-length novels. I’ve been tinkering on and off with several different short stories, but that’s pretty much stalled out for the time being.

You can still get books directly from me by contacting me by text, email, or Facebook. All my books are available at Bread of Life Christian Bookstore in Greenville, and of course, on Amazon. Most of my books are also available in the Greenville Public Library, however, I think some of them might have walked off.

While the Doorway Press store has been shut down, the mission continues:

The Mission of Doorway Press

DOORWAY PRESS IS THE PUBLISHING IMPRINT OF INDEPENDENT AUTHOR C. H. COBB.

FICTION

It is the mission of Doorway Press to publish well-written, exciting tales that captivate the reader on the strength of the story and characters alone. If you find a Doorway Press book hard to put down, we’ve done our job.

Along the way, we also want to provoke questions in the reader’s mind about life, death, meaning, purpose, faith, and postmodern myths of Western society, without bogging the story down in philosophical baggage. If you find yourself taking a second look at your most cherished beliefs after reading a Doorway Press story, we’ve done our job.

NON-FICTION

It is the mission of Doorway Press to publish well-written, interesting books and studies that properly represent the truths of the Bible as they have been understood since the Reformation. If you have gained a greater love and understanding of Jesus Christ, and a greater passion for the glory of God after reading a Doorway Press non-fiction, we’ve done our job.

You may find these hard to put down...

Want a break from the bad news, the political news, the Covid news, and the riots-in-Portland news? 

Would you like an exciting Cold-War story about conflict with the Soviet Union at the height of America’s military strength? Want to read an intriguing espionage tale? Want to read a great action/adventure tale that does not contain any gratuitous sex or obscene language?

Let me recommend the Falcon Series. It’s an exciting tale (four novels) about an American F-16 pilot who gets shot down and captured by the Soviets in what amounts to a high-tech kidnapping. He finds himself incarcerated in a Soviet interrogation camp. He knows he has two options: escape, or torture followed by death.

The Falcon Series is set in the Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. The research behind the Series gives it a ring of authenticity often missing in the military and espionage genres. Fast paced, unpredictable action will keep you engaged from wheels-up to the final scenes.

 Kirkus Reviews said of Falcon Down: “Cobb has clearly done his research on
multiple counts and, like Tom Clancy or Dale Brown, masterly intertwines military technology and behavior into a tightly plotted narrative in which every development follows logically and smoothly from what came before. This deft touch extends to the characters: . . . This first installment chronicling the adventures of Maj. Jacob Kelly turns out to be an undisputed success."

I measure my success as a writer by whether or not I can make you miss your bed-time. According to a number of readers, the Falcon Series has been very successful by that metric. The books are available in both Kindle and print format. The book links below take you to Amazon--however, there are bundle prices in the Doorway Press store that will save you up to $16 for the complete set (print format).

Book 1: Falcon Down 

Book 2: Falcon Rising 

Book 3: Falcon Strike 

Book 4: Pacific Threat

And one last thing: if you read any of the Falcon Series, and you enjoyed it, leave a rating or review (preferably) on Amazon or Goodreads, or other reading sites. And tell a friend! Thanks!

Enjoy the beach, the lake, or the recliner with a good book!

Are you looking for some fun summertime reading?

Would you like some action-packed page-turners that don’t require you to wash the filth out of your brain when you’re done with ‘em? Maybe something with a little more substance than your average pulp fiction? Let me suggest a few ideas. By the way, if you are already ON vacation and forgot to bring a good book, all of these can be ordered on Kindle and enjoyed on your tablet or smart phone using the free Kindle App. You could be reading in ten minutes!

MILITARY/ESPIONAGE THRILLER: The Falcon Trilogy: Falcon Down, Falcon Rising, Falcon Strike.

Major Jacob “Falcon” Kelly is shot down by the Soviet Union and captured in a hi-tech kidnapping during the Cold War. He is the chief test pilot for a new, super-secret F16 weapons package, and the Soviets intend to interrogate him to learn its secrets. They’ve detained him at a secret GRU facility in Siberia, but whether or not they’ll be able to hold on to him is another matter. He has some skills of which they are unaware.

Of Falcon Down, Kirkus Reviews said:

“Cobb has clearly done his research on multiple counts and, like Tom Clancy or Dale Brown, masterly intertwines military technology and behavior into a tightly plotted narrative in which every development follows logically and smoothly from what came before. This deft touch extends to the characters . . . .”

An Amazon reader says of Falcon Rising, Book 2 of the Falcon trilogy: If you want a book you can put down, this might not be for you! I loved this book and the first book (Falcon Down) in this series as well! C.H. Cobb transports and entangles you alongside his characters with such vivid detail. I felt like I was one step behind them the whole way through this action-adventure. Can't wait for the next one!

Of Falcon Strike, an Amazon reader says: Cold War Russia in the 80's with all of the intrigue and eavesdropping, plus the US military at its very best. The reader gets a front row seat for the back room discussions of both sides with clear descriptions that provide a vivid mind picture of all the action. Plenty of unexpected twists and turns with several places to hold your breath waiting for the worst to happen.

Another reader comments: The third book in the Falcon series does not disappoint! It was as engaging as its predecessors. I could not put it down. The final battle was epic. Make sure you read all 3.

POLITICAL THRILLER: The Candidate:
Henry Marshall is a principled Christian conservative blogger who is convinced that both major parties have abandoned the Constitution. His intention is to be nothing more than a political gadfly, but his friends won’t allow him to stay on the sidelines, and his enemies don’t intend to allow him to live.

Journalist and author TJ Martinell said:

“Penned before the 2016 election cycle and the Trump phenomenon, The Candidate is a political thriller that unwittingly earns a place within the alternative history genre for its exploration of how far a man can go armed only with a message – and how far those within the establishment will go to stop him. . . . [M]any of the aspects of the plot seem prophetic, rather than slightly fanciful.

A pastor by trade, Cobb’s writing reflects extensive background knowledge of mainstream media, political strategy, the military, and of course constitutional history; each chapter begins either with a Bible verse or a passage from the Federalist Papers. The technical preciseness gives vital story subplots a sense of authenticity and realism.”

POST-APOCALYPTIC ACTION/ADVENTURE: Outlander Chronicles: Phoenix.

The year is 2120, but life in the USA—and around the globe—has been reduced to primitive survival. Eighty years earlier, a biological weapon of mass destruction caused a global smallpox pandemic, leaving only eight million survivors scattered around the entire globe. Jacen Chester, living near the ruins of Philadelphia, PA, decides that there must be more to life than mere survival. He determines to restart civilization and culture. He is aided by a mysterious stranger, and opposed by murderous groups.

One reader remarked about Phoenix: Dystopian fictions are so extremely popular and common right now that I made the mistake of lumping Phoenix in with all of the other ones, before having read it. What this book offers, from the beginning, is what others have a hard time offering. And that is a message of hope. [Amazon reader review]

Outlander Chronices: Pegasus
Book 2 of the Outlander Chronicles series. The Phoenix community has the mistaken notion that upon crossing the Mississippi west into Iowa, their troubles will be over. Little do they know that the worst challenges lie ahead of them.

[Pegasus is due for a June 15 release (print version) and July 10 (Kindle version). It will be available in print and Kindle versions, from Amazon and bookstores everywhere, as well as from my website.]






NON-FICTION DEVOTIONAL STUDY: A Prayer of Moses.

Psalm 90 is explored paying particular attention to the backdrop of the remarkable life of its author, Moses. Two themes in the psalm create a dramatic tension: divine wrath and grace. Jesus Christ is shown to be the necessary answer to Moses’ prayer. Suitable for groups or individuals.

Chris Cobb’s exegesis of Psalm 90 is solid and sobering. In a world that takes sin lightly, Christianity needs to hear the message of this Psalm which Chris Cobb has brought to life. [Dr. Brent Aucoin, President of Faith Bible Seminary,

Lafayette, Indiana]

All the books above can be purchased in print or Kindle format on Amazon, or can be ordered at your local bookstore (in Greenvlle, OH, at Bread of Life Bookstore). You can order signed print copies from me at www.doorwaypress.com or chcobb.com

Change-up in the book schedule

The release date for Outlander Chronicles: Icarus is being pushed back by one year--now scheduled for December 2016. It has been bumped by a story I have been toying with for about six months: a political thriller titled The Candidate, about a plain-spoken, non-lawyer, conservative/libertarian blogger who is talked in to running for President. I am hoping, Lord willing, to publish The Candidate in December of 2015--just in time for our real presidential election coming up in 2016.

I apologize to those of you who have been urging me to get the next Outlander Chronicles tale done. I really enjoy the Outlander series myself, so the next book will get done. The only reason I have bumped it back is because I am hoping that The Candidate will do well in an actual election year.

None of this affects Falcon Strike, which is on schedule for a release this December.

Falcon Strike!

Time is running out . . .

Vanished. Eight western scientists and an Israeli military officer have disappeared without a trace, victims of a ruthless Soviet espionage program. USAF Major Jacob “Falcon” Kelly is the only American who knows where they are and why they've been taken.

 

Imprisoned. Suspected of treason by American intelligence, Kelly’s claims are dismissed and he is jailed by his own government. He finds himself in a deadly race to prove his innocence before Soviet assassins can shut his mouth—permanently.

 

Outwitted.  Entangled in a high-stakes game of intrigue with Soviet military intelligence, American operatives are duped by a masterful disinformation campaign in which Kelly is a pawn. As his captors play right into the hands of the enemy, Kelly knows the window to stage a daring rescue operation and thwart the Soviet endgame is rapidly closing.
 

The exciting conclusion to the Falcon Series, Falcon Strike will captivate readers as nonstop action and intrigue transport them on a thrilling adventure spanning the frozen coasts of Alaska, the suburbs of northern Virginia, and the snowy taiga of Siberia.

Available December 1st!

Falcon Down update

At long last, the editing on Falcon Down is complete. It should be available in the next thirty days, in print, Kindle, and Nook formats. You will be able to pre-order a signed print copy on my web site within a week!

What's the schedule on future books?

• The Psalm 90 study is coming out this summer.
• Falcon Rising, book 2 of the Falcon series will be available by December 1. It's already written, but just needs editing. Book 3 is also written, and should be available by next June, after extensive editing.
• Outlander Chronicles: Icarus will be released sometime in 2015.

Falcon Down is done!

Tonight I sent the draft of Falcon Down to my beta-readers. It is finally complete, save for whatever problems my editor and beta-readers find.

There are a few remaining hoops to be jumped through before I can publish it, but I trust it won't be too long before all of that is complete. In any case, I am glad to be finally done!

Almost there!

Dani just finished this great looking front cover. The word count is just shy of 60,000, which is at three-quarters of my target. Getting close, can't wait. Click on the image to go to the Falcon Down page on my website.

Wahoo!

Finished fixing the Falcon Down manuscript! Yesterday's investment in reading the Style and Template portions of the Open Office Writer Guide was time well-spent. I have fully finished reformatting the manuscript with proper styles and fixed all the problems with italics. Now I'm moving on with the story itself (it's over 50% complete at this point).

If you're wondering what all this is about, you may read the first three chapters of Falcon Down right here. I'm anticipating that the book will be available around the first of May. Here's the preliminary version of the back-cover blurb:

Flying low, slow and blind over a moonlit Bering Sea, Major Jacob Kelly put his sleek F-16 fighter through its paces on a Project Hydra test flight. He didn’t know that an air-to-air missile from a Soviet fighter covertly trailing him was about to start a sequence of events that would place him into a desperate fight for survival. Incarcerated in a secret facility deep within the Soviet Union, Kelly discovers the most daring and ruthless program of international espionage in the history of the Cold War. He faces torture, interrogation, and certain death—unless he can escape . . .
 
Falcon Down is the first in a series of four novels from author C. H. Cobb that bring the two superpowers to the precipice of war in the turbulent final decade of the Soviet Union.

Falcon Down cover photo selected!

Yahoo!

Tonight I wrote a check for the photograph that will adorn the front cover of Falcon Down. The photographer is Kris Klop, of Clear Sky Photography.

I ran across him several years ago, when I was trying to get my first novel published. I was looking for aviation pictures in particular, and located a guy who seemed to be getting pictures of high-performance aircraft from above, below, off to the side and inside, no matter what their attitude or altitude was.

Don’t know how he does it. I don’t know if he’s a daring wing-walker, or has a habit of bumming rides on tanker aircraft or the second seat of two-seaters, or what his secret is, but his photography is simply amazing. He captures airplanes up-close-and-personal. If you are an aviation-aholic, you need to see this web site.

Here's a sneak preview of the cover photo we have selected. It was a tough choice. I perused at least 400 photos while on vacation, and Doris and I made a list of top candidates. The others that were in the running include:

• F-16Vaporizing the Sun
• F16sMake a Turn
• F-16Skirt the Fluff
• F-16sat Sunset
• F-16Chase
• F-16Over the Clouds
• ShortFinal
• F16Returns at night
• F16Vaporizes the Clouds

By the way, the Falcon series will consist of four volumes, and I already know that you’ll be seeing at least one of these on the cover of book 2, Falcon Rising.

I’ve got an ISBN for Falcon Down. I’ve started writing the back cover teaser. So look for the print-ready copy of the cover of Falcon Down in the next month or so! 

Though the book itself will not be ready for another six months, I’m really excited about the story. It’s going to keep you on the edge of your seat, and like Outlander Chronicles: Phoenix, it has plenty of unpredictable plot twists and turns.

Outlander gets an eighth review!

Ken Snell posted a great review of Outlander Chronicles: Phoenix (OCP) on Amazon, giving the book five stars. You can read the review here. Full disclosure: Ken is my son-in-law's dad (but the review was unsolicited).

Sales of OCP have been very slow. The problem is that there is very little visibility to hook someone who's looking for a good book to read. Without an expensive marketing effort, few know the book is even there.Word-of-mouth accounts for almost all the sales.

Amazon reviews are helpful, because they provide additional information and credibilty for the person who just happens to see a title that catches their interest while browsing.

I was belly-aching about the slow sales to Ken in an email, and he reminded me of an important piece of theology that I need to keep in mind: "Rest assured of one thing.... every copy sold has the Lord's plan stamped on it; one day, you'll learn what that plan was for each copy and person!"
It was very encouraging to be reminded of that truth!

I've been working steadily on my next novel, Falcon Down while Doris and I have been on vacation, and reached an important milestone: I am over half-way finished! The manuscript is over 41,000 words in length to date, of a planned 80,000 total. Sometime this fall I anticipate being able to display the cover. 

I've also made progress on my Psalm 90 study, and still anticipate releasing that this fall.

Creative Writing update

Thought I'd provide an update on my writing efforts (aka works in progress).

Psalm 90: A Prayer of Moses the man of God. 
I've been working on re-assembling my sabbatical project into 13 study sessions of roughly equal length, so that it is suitable for a Sunday School quarter. It has proven to be more difficult than I first imagined. I am presently working on Session 11, which will take me through verse 15 (of 17) when it is complete.I hope to finish the structural part of the re-write in the next three weeks. Then it will go into final editing. Still have not done the cover design. Realistically, it will be early fall before it is published (by Doorway Press, of course).

Outlander Chronicles: Icarus
The only thing I am actively doing for the second book of the Outlander series is research and plot formation. I recently completed reading The Industrial Revolutionaries by Gavin Weightman in order to get a notion of what the Phoenix folks will be up against as they seek to resurrect technology. I will continue to do reading research, but will not do any significant writing until the Falcon series is published. I'd say we are at least three years, maybe four, out before serious writing on this project resumes. However, I enjoy the characters in this series and can't wait to involve them in their next trials and challenges. I will give you a hint of what is coming: familiarize yourself with the myth of Icarus, and it will give you an idea of from where the troubles of the Phoenix group will come.

Falcon Down
I'm really excited about this first book of what will be four in the Falcon series. I am within shoutin' distance of one-quarter of my word count for the first book (planned word count is 80,000 - I am currently at 17,000+). I have a complete, three-part novel of 200,000 words, unpublished, that will be carved into three books, and which will comprise the final three books of the four-book Falcon series. Falcon Down is functioning as a prequel.

The series is set in the Cold War era in 1986, and is a military/espionage thriller with lots of action and plot twists. The first and fourth books take place largely in the Soviet Union, the second and third are concentrated in Alaska. There is a great deal of research going into the project, down to such trival matters as the tail numbers on the aircraft I am using, or the construction of aircraft fuel-level senders. To be sure, you the reader are not subjected to such mind-wearying details; I am just ensuring that the tale, the plot and subplots, and the action are as authentic as possible.

I'd love to imagine that Falcon Down would be done in time for Christmas, but I think that's a little optimistic, probably by about six months. So lets say, June of 2013.

And what about Outlander Chronicles: Phoenix? How is it faring in the market?
It's selling, veeery slowly. I think I've given away more than I've sold at this point, but that's to be expected. An advertising piece for the book is being stuffed in the convention bags for the Christian Home Educators of Ohio conference that will be held June 21st-23rd in Akron. We hope to get a bump in sales from that. We had an excellent book-signing at Bread of Life bookstore here in Greenville in March, as well as a good author-interview on JoyFM at the end of February. But marketing is not my forte, and until I do better in this area sales will remain sluggish. We've gotten a lot of very positive reader comments. To this point, we've gotten no big-name reviews.

Book Review: Inside the Aquarium: The Making of a Top Soviet Spy

Inside the Aquarium: The Making of aTop Soviet Spy, by Viktor Suvorov

This was a profoundly disturbing book. Suvorov traces his career from his assignment as a lieutenant commanding a company of tanks in the Soviet 13th Army, through being promoted into military intelligence, then being picked for the Spetsnaz, and finally winding up as a GRU spy in the Soviet embassy in Vienna. Along the way he gives us an unparalleled vista of the bankruptcy of the Soviet system.

The view he gives of the GRU is instructive. It was a military intelligence organization that demanded the absolute loyalty and total domination of its secretive minions. The metaphor that most fits is that of selling one’s soul to the devil for your thirty minutes of power and privilege. Suvorov openly admits that he loved the power and privilege he had as a member of the Nomenklatura, of which he was a part by virtue of his association with the GRU. The acquisition and exercise of power were the factors that motivated him, by his own testimony.

In the GRU, every one was being watched and everyone was watching someone else. The lives of the agents were dominated by fear of failure, fear of mistakes, and fear of exposure—but not exposure to the other side so much as exposure to the GRU itself.

Perhaps the most telling example the author provides is of an assignment he was given by a GRU superior to drop a package containing a bible into a fellow GRU agent’s apartment mailbox, an agent known to be Suvorov’s friend. The agent was being tested. His only possible correct response was to immediately report that he’d received a bible in the mail (I can not imagine living under such petty reporting requirements). If he failed to make the report he would be accused of having an interest in religion (subversive indeed!) and would be evacuated from Vienna to the Aquarium, GRU headquarters at Khodinka airfield in Moscow, where he would be executed. While Suvorov was delivering the package he was tempted to warn his friend to make the report. He decided against doing so, realizing that he himself was known to be the man’s friend and was himself also under surveillance. As he made the drop, it dawned on Suvorov that this was as much a test for him as it was for his friend. Would he be loyal to the GRU, even though he would be condemning his friend to death, or would his friendship win out? Suvorov survived; his friend failed to make the requisite report, and was condemned.

It was a group which devoured its own. In such an organization, you quickly learned to trust no one, and to subvert all loves and loyalties to the overriding demands of the GRU. True friendship was impossible; it could get you killed. It was a soulless system, officially and aggressively atheistic, with no moral good other than the good of the State itself, as defined by the corrupt individuals who had happened to claw their way to the top of the mountain of bodies at the moment. “I serve the Soviet Union!” was the obligatory response to any praise or commendation.

I read the book as part of my research for my novel, Falcon Down, in which the GRU plays a significant part. It was a valuable exercise, and I gained much useful information. It is an interesting read, though you want to wash your hands when you put the book down.

One thing the book left me with was a renewed understanding of what the closed Soviet society became, especially for the upper class. The brutality of the Soviet system, combined with an official atheism able to offer no moral constraints, no meaning, and no hopes beyond the personal acquisition of power and privilege, nearly ruined a beautiful country and a vibrant people. Suvorov’s Soviet Union became a real-life Lord of the Flies experience. One can only hope that some day Russia will come into its own as a prosperous, free, and happy country.

An excerpt of Falcon Down is available!

A brief excerpt of my current novel-in-progress is available. You can find it on my website, or simply by going here.

This tale is very different from Outlander Chronicles: Phoenix. The Falcon books are a series of military/espionage thrillers set in the Cold War around 1986. Most of the action in Falcon Down takes place in Siberia. The preliminary "hook" for the series is this:

After USAF Major Jacob Kelly disappears over the Bering Sea in an F-16 during a test flight, the Accident Investigation Board concludes it was a case of pilot error. Kelly’s service record receives its final update: “missing and presumed dead.” There are some, however, who know differently, including the Soviet intelligence officer assigned to interrogate Kelly. . . .

An unusual piece of trivia about the Falcon series is that the first book is the last one to be written. The latter portion is already complete (though in need of some re-writing before release). If, as I am considering at the moment, I divide the already-written second novel into three pieces (it is a rather long, three-part story), then the final three books of the series are finished (except for the final re-write, as mentioned earlier).

Falcon Rising, the second book in the series, takes place largely in Alaska, though the action moves around from Washington D.C., to southern California, and Seattle.

Preliminary titles for the final two books are Falcon Caged and Falcon's Revenge.

BFC folks: If you are curious about this series, talk to Carol Williams; she has actually read the completed [second] novel, only under a different title.

Now you BFCers know what I do with my Mondays. . . .