BOOK MARKETING: “Do Free Books Increase Negative Reviews?” by Lorilyn Roberts

My advice is to begin reading the Seventh Dimension Series with book one, The Door, or book two, The King.  I feel so strongly about this, after a reader left a one-star review presenting misleading information about the plot (because he hadn't read the first four books and then said he didn't understand the five stars by previous reviewers), I've decided to raise the price of the last three books in the series to $5.99 and remove all the books in the Seventh Dimension Series from KDP Select and Kindle Unlimited so they no longer can be read for free. No one that I know would spend $5.99 on a book if he or she hadn’t read the previous books in the series.

I have given away close to sixteen thousand books this last year, but what I’ve discovered is people will read a free book without any knowledge presented in the previous books in the series and then write a review that is inaccurate and negative. I realized after a reviewer posted a one-star review, that those who haven’t read the previous books are not invested in the Seventh Dimension Series and therefore have no desire to buy the previous books. And they also have no problem trashing a free book and misleading readers because they don’t know the backstory presented in the previous books.

For example, the writer of the one-star review says:  

Main character nags her betrothed constantly. Has animal friends that she talks to, her own revelations of Revelation, and zips back and forth between dimensions as some sort of privileged emissary. Acts according to modern-day norms without anyone apparently noticing. In the first century, she and her betrothed would have been called out for being alone together.

All these criticisms are unfounded. By book five, The Prescience, there is no reason to bog down the plot by addressing these topics because they have been dealt with at length in the previous four books.

As a result of this one-star review, I’m no longer offering any of the books in the Seventh Dimension Series for free except for book one, The Door, which is perma-free. If you are a family and cost is an issue, email me at authorLorilynRoberts@gmail.com and I will gladly provide a free book for you/or your child. I write for an audience of one, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. My goal is to please Him in everything I write and reach as many readers as I can with HIS TRUTH. The last free offering will be for The City, book four, because it was selected by Robin Reads to be featured on Sunday, October 7, 2018.

The Seventh Dimension Series at last count has won thirty-five awards. To win that many awards is not easy and speaks to the hours of painstaking research I put into each book, the great care I spend developing the plot, the numerous rewrites I do self-editing, and the excellent work my editors do in making suggestions and corrections. However, in a sixty-five thousand word book, it’s very hard not to have errors in the first print run. 

If you find a grammatical mistake, please email me at authorLorilynRoberts@gmail.com. I will make the correction and provide you with a small gift to show my appreciation.

I am currently working on book six, The Howling, and hope that it will be available soon.

Blessings,

Lorilyn Roberts 

GUEST POST BY DONNA FORD WITH U.S. REVIEW OF BOOKS: "Seventh Dimension - The Prescience"

Seventh Dimension - The Prescience: A Young Adult Fantasy 
by Lorilyn Roberts
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

book review by Donna Ford

Click to Tweet:  "Time travel is more dangerous...The chasm between the physical world and spiritual realm is becoming unstable, as Satan and his minions gain more control."

Daniel and Shale were betrothed by Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) at the end of the previous book in the series. When they return to the present dimension in Israel, they encounter bombings and danger as the Gog-Magog war begins. They run to a bomb shelter, where a rescue dog finds Shale who can speak to animals. Everyone has their unique gifts of service; Shale has the gift of hearing, and Daniel has the gift of reading minds. Dodging bombs to follow the dog, they discover a young child with her mother dead beside her. The dog reveals her name is Shira, and she has no living relatives. That’s how the newly-engaged couple becomes parents of a three-year-old in the middle of a war predicted in the Bible.

Shale tries to call her mother in America, but the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack by Korea has disrupted all communication there. It may be safer to continue their search for Daniel’s father in the first century, back where Daniel first met Shale and raced his chariot against other time travelers. Time travel is accomplished via star-gates opened by CERN and are either controlled by good or evil forces. The Illuminati sent Nidal and Tariq, mercenaries from the future, to first-century Jerusalem in order to steal Bible scrolls telling of Yeshua’s life, death, and resurrection. The Illuminati can track their movement by a skin implant thus assuring they remove every record of Yeshua’s existence. Daniel’s brother, Jacob, has access to a government star-gate. Demons try to stop their travel, but an angel delivers Daniel, Shale, and Shira back to the first century. They may not be safe yet. The ventriloquist tries to steal Shira. And what if those who wished to arrest them find out Daniel will race against Tariq’s chariot once more in order to learn the truth about his father?

This novel, the fifth book in the series, combines young adult fantasy with historical fiction. It is written about the times near the end of what Bible scholars call the seven-year tribulation. Previous books in the series covered the first century when Yeshua was on earth. The author uses the cliffhanger technique at the close of each book, and the casual reader who has not read the previous books should thoroughly read the first chapters of this one to help make sense of what is happening.

Teen and young adult readers want to see a life they haven’t seen before. What better vehicle to introduce Biblical events than through time travel? There is also movement between the present dimension and the seventh, or Spiritual, dimension. The Prescience is the title of a book from God’s library in the Genesis garden; it reveals Biblical events to those who love and serve God. Reading in it, Daniel sees his future as one of the 144,000 young Jewish preachers who will testify to Israel about Yeshua. Daniel has the seal on his forehead to prove it.

Life lessons mix with the buzzwords. Daniel explains to Shale that people can have many futures. When she requested to marry Daniel, her future was changed because she missed the rapture and is now alive during the tribulation. Another learning experience happens when the couple leaves the garden by train. As it begins to fill up, Shale hears the occupants bleating like sheep and goats. She imagines seeing the car floor dirty with excrement and urine until she experiences compassion enough to see them as people too. It is a test all must pass who wish to be compassionate.

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NOW FOR THE REAL EXCITING NEWS, SEVENTH DIMENSION - THE PRESCIENCE WILL BE FREE JULY 17 AND JULY 18 ON AMAZON KINDLE. CLICK ON THIS LINK TO DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY.

The Prescience has already won many awards including the following, so BUY now FOR FREE even if you don't plan on reading it until later.

BOOK AWARD: “SEVENTH DIMENSION - THE PRESCIENCE: A Young Adult Fantasy” is a Finalist in Two Categories for the 2018 International Book Awards

AMERICAN BOOK FEST ANNOUNCES WINNERS AND FINALISTS OF THE 2018 INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS Mainstream & Independent Titles Score Top Honors in the 9th Annual International Book Awards Penguin Random House, Simon and Schuster, Disney Hyperion, John Wiley & Sons, Tarcher Perigee, Rowman & Littlefield, Atria Books, Tor/Forge, Bear & Co./Inner Traditions, New American Library, Hachette Book Group and hundreds of national and international Independent Houses contribute to this year’s Outstanding Competition!

LOS ANGELES – American Book Fest announced the winners and finalists of THE 2018 INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS (IBA)on May 27, 2018. Over 400 winners and finalists were announced in over 90 categories. Awards were presented for titles published in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Jeffrey Keen, President and CEO of American Book Fest, said this year’s contest yielded over 2,000 entries from authors and publishers around the world, which were then narrowed down to the final results. Keen says of the awards, “The 2018 results represent a phenomenal mix of books from a wide array of publishers throughout the world. With a full publicity and marketing campaign promoting the results of IBA, this year’s winners and finalists will gain additional media coverage for the summer season.” Keen adds, “IBA’s success begins with the enthusiastic participation of authors and publishers and continues with our distinguished panel of industry judges who bring to the table their extensive editorial, PR, marketing, and design expertise.” More information about the 10th Annual International Book Awards can be found at http://www.InternationalBookAwards.com American Book Fest covers books from all sections of the publishing industry—mainstream, independent, & self-published. More information can be found at http://www.AmericanBookFest.com Click to Tweet Fiction: Visionary Finalist Seventh Dimension: The Prescience, A Young Adult Fantasy, Book 5 by Lorilyn Roberts CreateSpace 978-1976074516 Best Cover Design: Fiction Finalist Seventh Dimension: The Prescience, A Young Adult Fantasy, Book 5 by Lorilyn Roberts CreateSpace 978-1976074516 L. Shoshana 5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent, easy read for both young and old! June 15, 2018 Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase Once again, Lorilyn knocks it out of the park. I kept thinking I was going to put this book down when I reached a good place to pause but had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next!  The attention to detail is excellent, enhancing the story and making it very believable.  I can't wait for the next book in this series! To order Seventh Dimension - The Prescience from Amazon, click here.

BOOK REVIEW: “Seventh Dimension – The Prescience: A Young Adult Fantasy,” Five Stars from Readers’ Favorite Reviewer Rabia Tanveer

Seventh Dimension - The Prescience: A Young Adult Fantasy by Lorilyn Roberts is the fifth book in the Seventh Dimension series that takes on time travel. Daniel and Shale, a recently engaged (betrothed) couple, found a lost orphan girl in Jerusalem and try to save her from the devastated city. From there, they embark on God’s plan and return to the first century and search for Daniel’s father who has gone missing. Finding his father could be the first step in unraveling the mystery of a tragedy that is waiting to happen. 

However, it is proving to be more dangerous and difficult than both of them ever thought. There are far too many enemies and dangers awaiting them, and all they can do is fight them together. But can they? 

With religious themes mixed with coming of age, the novel is definitely very different and the author seems to be in her element here. I enjoyed the time travel, how the two main characters fought the odds together and came out victorious at the end. Although I have not read the previous novels in the series, I still enjoyed it and caught up with the story really quickly. The story was entertaining. Right from the beginning, the story gripped my attention. 

The chemistry between Shale and Daniel was perfect; they respected each other with an intensity and worked together as a team. The element of time travel was spot on; the author ensured that the characters, the dialogues even the environment were time appropriate. I thoroughly enjoyed everything about the novel! 

Click to tweet

A really entertaining coming of age story.

~Review by Rabia Tanveer Readers Favorite Reviewer

To purchase or learn more about Seventh Dimension - The Prescience, click here.

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BOOK AWARD: “SEVENTH DIMENSION - THE CITY: A Young Adult Fantasy” Wins the 2017 Book Excellence Award for Cover Design

To share the background of the cover for The City, Lisa Hainline, my cover designer, sent me the book cover as a sample two or three years ago, before I knew I was going to write the book. I loved the cover so much I wrote the story to fit the cover. Of course, I think it was divinely-inspired. God knew the cover before I did and sent it to me through Lisa.

To see more of Lisa Vento’s book covers, you can visit her website: Lisa Vento

BOOK AWARDS: “SEVENTH DIMENSION - THE CITY: A Young Adult Fantasy,” Wins Three More Awards

Seventh Dimension - The City, A Young Adult Fantasy, has been the recipient of three more awards.

I am excited to announce Seventh Dimension - The City is a finalist in the 2017 International Book Awards in the visionary category, won silver in Dan Poynter Global eBook Awards for religion/faith fiction, and won bronze in the Florida Authors & Publishers Association Awards for religion.

I will be releasing the next book in the Seventh Dimension Series soon, Seventh Dimension - The Prescience, and will be discounting Seventh Dimension - The City to $2.99 on Kindle for a limited time. 

If you are a homeschooling mom of teens, I hope you will download the first book in the series for free as an ebook Seventh Dimension - The Door.

I have combined contemporary issues with historical fact and woven in Christian fantasy to create a tale of truth based on Scripture. There is no sex, only mild violence, and no offensive language. But there is suspense and mystery. The Seventh Dimension Series so far as won twenty-five awards. 

BOOK EXCERPT: SEVENTH DIMENSION – THE PRESCIENCE: A Young Adult Fantasy, Chapter 3: “Sneak Peek”

“SHIRA, GO BACK to sleep,” I whispered. “Jesus is here.”

The guards eyed Shira and lowered their guns. What danger could we pose with a small child?

Daniel and the uniformed men conversed in Hebrew. Because they spoke rapidly with heavy accents, I wasn’t sharp enough to catch most of it. My year and a half of Hebrew earned me an “A” but didn’t make me conversant with Israelis.

The taller man motioned for us to follow. He punched a code into the keypad of the heavy steel door. After a few seconds, the door opened.

We entered a small vestibule. The ominous shadows that flickered over the walls from the emergency lighting felt cold and calculating—walls that I knew were an illusion.

I expected bright floodlights to illuminate our surroundings and to see the impressive command center humming with computers and TV screens. Cameras set up in strategic locations around Jerusalem monitored hotspots and beamed back photographs and video. But no one was here.

The uniformed officer pushed open a hidden door on the opposite side. As we entered, a cool breeze poured in, probably from an air conditioning vent. The guard said nothing, and I found the silence unnerving.

We followed him through a narrow hallway. My anxiety increased. I’d never remember how to get out if something went wrong. I reached for Daniel’s arm. He shot me a reassuring glance.

The guard flipped a light switch as we entered through an unmarked door. “Jacob will be here shortly,” he said. Then he left.

Once the door was shut, I tried to relax.

“The guards are all business,” Daniel said. “They have their orders. Even when they know we’re one of them, they won’t deviate.”

I held Shira close to me. “What did the guard say? You talked so fast.”

“When you told Shira Jesus was here, their demeanor changed. Up until then, I don’t think they believed I was Jacob’s brother. They thought we were spies.”

“Oh.” I glanced around the room. A black leather sofa filled up one wall with matching chairs on each side. Three photographs above the sofa highlighted historical Jewish landmarks—the temple mount, Masada, and a third location I didn’t recognize. I pointed to it. “Where is that?”

Daniel eased closer to the photo. “That’s Petra, in Jordan.”

I knew it as Bozrah, spoken of in the Book of Isaiah. I edged over. Off to the side of the room was a small kitchenette and bathroom. On the kitchen counter was a well-used tea kettle stained from previous use. White plastic cups and an assortment of herbal teas filled a straw container. A square refrigerator took up the rest of the counter space.

I noticed an open Bible on the coffee table. I started to walk over to see what page someone had been reading, but Daniel picked it up and commented. 

“Someone underlined this passage in red. Ezekiel 38:14-16: ‘On that day when my people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it? Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company, and a mighty army. You will come up against my people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.’”

I stepped back from the table and sat on the sofa. Shira readjusted herself in my lap, clutching my shirt. “Whoever was in here must have believed Israel was facing the Ezekiel 38-39 war.”

Daniel sat beside me.

I glanced at the closed door. “Is your brother coming?”

“I hope.” Daniel leaned back, nodding off.

He had to be as tired as I was. Shira had closed her eyes again. Suddenly, a crazy thought swirled in my head. “Daniel, what if we went back to the seventh dimension?”

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BOOK EXCERPT: SEVENTH DIMENSION – THE PRESCIENCE: A Young Adult Fantasy, Chapter 2: “Sneak Peak”

SOON NUMBNESS CREPT up my arms. Even though Shira was light, I wasn’t used to lugging around a small child.

Daniel offered to carry her, but she clung to me.

We walked past shards of glass and building fragments that littered the ground. The inferno had grown. Dead people covered the ground like ghosts. I couldn’t keep up with Daniel. “How much further?”

He adjusted our backpacks he’d slung over his shoulders. “Not far.”

I sighed.

The missiles had stopped, but the suffocating smoke burned my eyes. Sheets of flame shot up everywhere. Was there any place that was safe?

Daniel pulled out his iPhone. “Let me see if I can reach my brother.”

I started to call my mother, but my cell hadn’t worked since I left America a few weeks earlier. How long would the EMP attack in the United States keep communications down in the West?

I leaned against a stone pillar beside the road littered with debris and switched Shira to my other side. Jumping from one worrisome thought to another, I couldn’t focus. Even though I knew time was an illusion, how long had we really been gone? Could it be more than a few weeks?

Daniel interrupted my musings. “I can’t call or text.”

“Did the camera work?”

“Yes, I have the photo of her parents. Hopefully that will help us to locate relatives.”

I sat on a nearby bench with Shira. When had I last slept?

I ran my fingers through the child’s curly, brown hair. Soot covered her angel-like face. The only sign of the conflagration she had endured was the singed edge of her light-colored jumper.

“How old do you think she is?” Daniel asked.

The little girl held up three fingers.

Daniel cocked his head. “I spoke in English. She understands English.”

“Don’t Israelis understand English?”

Daniel eyed her curiously. “Not that young. Kids learn English in elementary school. Her parents might be American or British.”

“She understands Hebrew also,” I added.

“God must have sent us—or you to rescue her. What else did the dog tell you?”

Shira had closed her eyes, but I knew she wasn’t asleep. “Shhh. I’ll tell you later. Let’s get to Jacob’s first.”

As Daniel led us through Jerusalem, I tried to shield my eyes. Corpses littered the city. Those few who were alive walked aimlessly in circles. Frozen cars sat motionless on the roads, now probably driven by dead people. I had never seen such carnage. How long would it take Israel to recover?

Why God? I remembered what Jesus said when he lamented over Zion. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.”

The almost full moon rose higher into the sky. As we approached the Old City, intermittent flames offered a brief reprieve from the darkness. The ancient bulwark was a stark reminder Jerusalem would survive because God willed it.

My excitement at making wedding plans evaporated as I thought about what lay ahead. I wanted to run, but I was too tired. Shira must have fallen asleep in my arms because she was like dead weight.

“Can you carry her?” I managed to hand her to Daniel without waking her. How could I broach with Daniel what the dog said?

I moved in closer. “I didn’t want to say this when Shira was awake, but the dog told me she has no other family.”

Daniel slowed down. “She must have somebody. We could have a DNA test done.”

I hadn’t thought of that. “Yes, we could. I’m telling you what the dog said. He also said God had chosen us to take care of her. For how long, I don’t know.”

“She’s so young.”

I could sense his concern—how could we provide for the needs of a three-year-old? We had just turned eighteen and weren’t yet married. What did we know about parenting a child barely out of diapers?

More smoke blew in my face, and another round of sirens pierced the silence. I wanted to sleep and wake up to a different reality. 

“Do you remember how to get to the underground bunker?”

“Yes, but how will we get inside at this time of night? That’s what I’m worried about.”

We passed through the Old City Jaffa Gate and the Muslim and Armenian quarters. Stores had closed hours earlier. I followed Daniel down several flights of stairs.

Fortunately, the Old City had been mostly spared during this attack although much cleanup remained. Endless stairs and dark corridors brought us to the bunker door. No one would imagine that behind the steel door was a secret command center and star gate to the seventh dimension.

Two watchmen stood at attention. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad, but at least somebody was here. Shira woke up and Daniel passed her to me.

The guards, dressed in typical Israeli fatigues, held menacing guns and blocked us from entering. Daniel spoke in Hebrew. “I’m looking for my brother, Jacob Sperling.”

*~*~*~*

CREATIVE WRITING INSIGHTS: “#Iwritebecause” by Lorilyn Roberts

BOOK EXCERPT: SEVENTH DIMENSION – THE PRESCIENCE: A Young Adult Fantasy, Chapter 1: “Sneak Peek.”

A LOUD EXPLOSION shook the ground as dust blew in my face.

“Run!” Daniel shouted.

Blinding light lit up the night sky. If only these were celebratory fireworks, but they weren’t.

I stared. My feet felt as if they were entombed in concrete. This couldn’t be happening—not now.

Daniel pulled on my hand. Seconds ticked by as I imagined my body being blown to bits. Sirens faded in and out. Swishing knives cut through the air, followed by rumbles. Each one got closer. Multiple alarms sounded as transformers blew across the city. I felt something burning and slapped my arm.

“Ashes!” Daniel exclaimed. “Hurry.”

I wiped off the soot. How could this be? My ears rang from the dinning across the deadly landscape. Were those people I saw in the distance? They looked like zombies.

I couldn’t believe this was happening. One minute we were celebrating our first kiss, and the next we were running for our lives. I brushed back my long dark brown hair with my fingers. Another missile whizzed by.

Daniel nudged me as grass sizzled underneath our feet. Minutes later, he found an enclosure that reminded me of a bus stop.

I struggled to catch my breath. “We’re going to die.”

Daniel’s brown eyes reassured me. “We’re in a bomb shelter.”

For the uninitiated like me, I never dreamed I would need one. We didn’t have such things in America.

“You’re shaking,” Daniel said. He wrapped his arms around me. I didn’t want to think I’d taken my last breath.

A thousand thoughts supplanted that one. Was my mother still alive? 

When I returned from time traveling to the first century as a young teenager, I never told her where I had been. She would have taken me to that psychologist who wrote that stupid report. The wretched principal would have expelled me.

Why couldn’t this attack have waited a few more days? Jesus told us to marry, but we had just returned to Jerusalem.

Daniel whispered in my ear, “I love you, Shale.”

I broke into sobs.

A dog barked.

I touched Daniel’s shoulder. “Did you hear it?”

Unperturbed by my unusual gift—after all he had his own—Daniel’s eyes met mine. “What did he say?”

Now the sirens drowned him out. I stepped toward the shelter entrance, but Daniel blocked me.

“I’m not going to let you rescue a dog.”

“The dog needs help for an injured child.”

Daniel stared. “No, can’t be.”

“We must go.”

“You stay here and let me check.”

“You don’t understand dog talk. I must go.”

Daniel grimaced. “Let’s hope he keeps barking. Watch your step. There could be unexploded bombs.”

The only light came from fires burning in the distance. Shadowy embers floated from the sky.

The dog barked again.

“What’s he saying?”

I translated. “Hurry.”

Straight ahead, a shadowy four-legged figure appeared that reminded me of my friend, Much-Afraid, who’d guided me back in time. She was now safely at home with my mother. The brown furry dog that resembled a border collie wagged his tail.

Another bomb screeched by. The boom nearly broke my eardrums.

The dog took a few steps back and lowered his head.

Then I saw two bodies. A small child was stroking a young woman with mangled hair. I stumbled over bloodied shoes.

“Mommy.”

I knelt beside the child. “Thank God, she’s alive.”

“Her mother and father aren’t,” the dog said. “She has no one. God sent me to find a rescuer.”

My vocal cords went dry as numbness filled my throat.

“I must go rescue others. Take care of Shira.”

“Wait.” I reached over and touched the dog’s head, focusing on his crusty eyes. “What do you mean?”

“You are the ones God called.”

“I understand animal speak, but I don’t know this poor child. What was her name again?”

“Shira,” the dog replied.

I tried to pick the child up, but she clung to her dead mother.

“Others need my help,” the dog said. Then he took off, disappearing into the darkness.

“We need to find her relatives,” Daniel said. He walked around to the other side and searched the pockets of her father. I looked for a cell phone.

Daniel shook his head. “Nothing,”

“Her name is Shira,” I whispered.

I stroked the child’s back and spoke in Hebrew. “Sweetie, come with me. Your mother and father are sleeping.”

The child turned and focused her eyes on me. After a brief hesitation, she lifted her arms. She was small and light—and couldn’t be more than three.

“Let’s get out of here,” Daniel said.

“Where should we go?”

“Jacob’s. He can help us find her relatives.”

When should I tell Daniel she had no relatives?

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