August 2023 Newsletter
Posted on July 30, 2023
Last of the Litter Success!
Thank you, readers, for making the launch of Last of the Litter my best debut yet! Lots of orders of both print and e-book editions and a great number of reads through KU. It’s also garnered numerous rave reviews with more coming soon. I’m leaving the e-book on sale through the month of August. On September 1st, it will go back to $5.99.
Here's a sample of what readers think:
"A very interesting and entertaining read for dog lovers and fans of post-apocalyptic stories. Brian Clopper demonstrates once again his brilliant imagination as he delves into the precious relationship between dogs and humans. It’s easy to see how much care and effort has gone into this book. It displays an amazing world building, well-thought-out plot, and development of characters that have some vital learning to do if they want to survive in the hostile environment they have inherited. Perfect for summer reading!"
"Last of the Litter is a fun read, with adventure, romance & suspense. Journey through a post-apocalyptic period of survival and purpose, as the characters sort out their role in an ever-changing society. The author paints a perfect picture of the goofball pup who accompanies main character, Pilk, on a mission to discover the secrets to their being. He also did a wonderful job balancing male and female powers throughout the plot. Varied personalities of secondary characters kept the story flowing as well – I mean, let's face it, not everyone will be pleasant all the time, right? Fun read for dog lovers and adventurers alike, with a bit of sci-fi sprinkled throughout. I'm hoping for a part two in this series to see what comes next!"
"I just finished reading Last of the Litter by Brian Clopper and absolutely loved it!! Made me want to go out and get a Doberman!!! I loved the interaction between the characters and their hounds, the children and the adults. The world that Brian has created 100 years from now is scary in that I can actually see it happening if we don't take care of the world that we have. He's done an excellent job of keeping the reader on the edge of their seat and those pages turning!! He says that this book is part of a saga and if so, I can't wait to read the next book!!!"
"Brian Clopper’s LAST OF THE LITTER is the latest in a long line of incredibly entertaining reads for ALL ages. This time out, Mr. Clopper tells the tale of a post-apocalyptic world caused by the Rot, humanity’s destruction of the Earth and the chosen Scouts with their charm hounds who dare to go out into the unknown in search of knowledge and relics from the past.
We learn of a young boy desperate to honor his late parents while proving himself and fitting into a world he hopes to help make better, but he must be chosen by a charm hound pup. Is the pup who has chosen him as much of a misfit as he feels or is their bond going to prove to be just what they both need as well as the world?
Never one to shy away from sometimes quirky but always creative storytelling or using descriptives that are not the usual, Mr. Clopper sends us on another journey of coming of age, youthful daring and the bond between a boy and his dog.
For all the post-apocalyptic stories out there, this is one that isn’t too terrifying or dark for young readers while bringing the warnings we all hear to life.
Get ready to feel you are in the story, living each page with young Pilk and seeing a possible world of the future through a child’s eyes, it surely comes across as another must read for children!"
Book Funnel Promo
Just one promo for August and it ends in mid-August. Do click and find some great reads.
Book Funnel Link 1
Lots of Great Books Out In the Wild
Here’s a screengrab of the last 16 books I’ve published. Check a few of them out at Page 158 Books in Wake Forest or on Amazon.
My Next Book
I plan on publishing A Door Unmoored in November. The novel is at 60,000 words with about 20,000 to go to reach its end. A Door Unmoored is a great YA read that I think pushed me to write realistic chapters of Kylie’s life on Earth and also allowed me to flex my fantasy muscles when she traveled through the green door.
Nell and Void Now Available!
Nell and Void is my 38th book and now available! It’s a 25,000-word novella that deals with a writer coming back from a debilitating trauma in her life with the help of a black hole. I think it’s going to really surprise readers. I love the review it just got:
"Brian Clopper tells the story of grief and all its emotional devastation in his short story, NELL and VOID using his own brand of writing style to its best advantage.
For anyone who has been caught up in the “void” of loss, of overwhelming grief, be prepared to “see” what it looks like as Nell meets Void. Without being dark, or clinically dry this story identifies and acknowledges the emotional depths someone can fall to and how it is possible to recover.
Mr. Clopper always creates characters on a journey and this time is no exception and while the journey may be a little deeper and more raw, he still has that light at the end of the tunnel, a touch of appropriate humor and his special way with words to lighten the story.
Do I think it’s appropriate to gift this book to someone who is struggling? To be honest, I felt he wrote it for me, and I can speak from experience, it resonated more than anything I have read on the dark abyss of grief and loss. Highly recommended reading for everyone!"
Stories I Tell My Students Part 1
Each morning, I tell my students a story from my childhood. I do this because one of my favorite teachers always told stories from his life to help us connect to him. It made learning more meaningful. A lot of my stories deal with my younger self making the wrong choice and learning from it. My students are also quick to point out they often involve me hurting myself. They didn’t call me Clodhopper Clopper in school for nothing.
This first one involves a boy named Benji. I was about eight and Benji was likely around five or six. We played together a lot. One day, we were playing in their rock garden area that had a winding path of large flat stepping stones and lots of plants. I was pretending to be the Hulk and Benji was Spider-man. He was crawling all around shooting webs, and I got the idea to lift high one of the big stones to show my Hulk rage. I hoisted it up too fast, and it went behind my head and to the point where I couldn’t hold onto it (I also use this to illustrate momentum for science). I let it drop behind me. And that was just where it so happened Benji was crawling. The rock hit his head, and he screamed all the way into his house. I panicked and ran home. Halfway there, his dad caught up to me and spun me around. He told me to never play with Benji again. I was a wreck and went behind a bush to hide my tears and to avoid Dad, who was mowing. I hatched the stupid plan not to tell my parents. Well, that caught up to me a week later when my mom returned from a bike ride and announced Benji’s mom had talked to her about the incident. Thankfully, he had gotten stitches and was on the mend. I got in so much trouble for what I did and for also trying to hide what had happened. I always remind my students to not do what I did in that instance and to learn from my mistakes. I still hate that I’ve never gone to Benji and apologized.
Next newsletter, I’ll talk about my family and how we’re coping with Ethan away at college. I’ll also share another story from my childhood that I share in class.