John

Big Thanks to my Readers!

April 22, 2018 By John

Hi all!

Well I’m fresh off my latest promotion for the REM series, and I have to say I can’t complain one bit about the results.

Most folks already know that giving away free copies is essential to spreading the word about little-known authors like me. Last week’s promotion ran for three days, and when all was said and done, over 2,000 copies of the first book in the series were downloaded!

Screenshot of KDP promo results. — Over 1,300 downloads on the first day alone. Thanks, Freebooksy!

So with that said, I just wanted to give a BIG THANKS to everyone who took the time to download The R.E.M. Effect. More than anything, I hope readers get a kick out of the story.

And if you’ve already burned through the book, would you please take a moment to leave a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads? Reviews are the lifeblood of indie authors, and without them, we have little chance of getting our stories out to the masses.

It doesn’t have to be Roger-Ebert worthy, either. Just a simple, “Hey, this book was the bomb!” or “Hey, this book was total garbage!” works just fine. (although I really hope it’s not the latter…)

You can leave a review on the Amazon product page by clicking here, and if you feel like dropping by Goodreads to put in your two cents, you can do so by clicking here.

Thanks again for your support, and if you have anything to add, please don’t hesitate to leave it in the comments below.

Take care, and happy reading!

— J.M. Lanham

The R.E.M. Effect is FREE on Kindle!

April 17, 2018 By John

Dreams must be heeded and accepted. For a great many of them come true.

— Paracelsus

The R.E.M. Effect book cover — The R.E.M. Effect (The Ocula Series, Book 2)

In celebration of today’s release of The R.E.M. Project (The Ocula Series, Book 2), I’m giving away The R.E.M. Effect (Book 1) for Kindle now through Thursday, April 19th.

Dear readers,

I’m excited to announce the sequel to 2016’s The R.E.M. Effect is finally available to Kindle readers!

Set six months after the events of the first book in The Ocula Series, The R.E.M. Project picks up right where the first book left off. With the plot of the planned trilogy already in place, the second installment moves fast, taking readers deeper into the Ocula conspiracy while answering a few lingering questions from the first along the way.

All in all, I think you’re really going to enjoy the followup, and from now through April 19th, you’ll be able to pick up a FREE copy of the first book. So, even if sci-fi thrillers aren’t your usual genre of choice, don’t be afraid to give it a try!

Thanks for your interest in The Ocula Series, your feedback, and your continued support. Feel free to drop me a line in the comments below. Talk to you soon!

— J.M. Lanham

P.S. Don’t forget to tell your friends. Please like, share, and help spread the word!

The Sequel to The R.E.M. Effect is Here!

March 30, 2018 By John

Some cures are worse than the dangers they combat.

The R.E.M. Project (The Ocula Series, Book 2) is available now in paperback. Kindle eBook to be released April 17th. Preorder now!

Dear readers,

I’m excited to announce the sequel to 2016’s The R.E.M. Effect has finally hit the Amazon shelves! (Along with a special giveaway for readers who make it to the bottom of this email.)

Set six months after the events of the first book in The Ocula Series, The R.E.M. Project picks up right where we left off:

The original outliers are in hiding and on the run.

Asteria Pharmaceuticals has had free rein to disperse their revolutionary genome-inhibiting medication to the masses.

And the new Director of the CIA is determined to take Ocula off the streets—even if it means rebooting a dangerous project she swore she would eliminate for good.

On a personal note, I’m really excited to share this book with my loyal readers (and, with any luck, a few new recruits). Your input for The R.E.M. Effect was invaluable to me, and I made it a point to address the main recurrent issues readers had with the first book.

In other words, a lot of your questions from the first book will be answered here. I’ve still got a trilogy planned, with every story arc wrapping up in a nice (if not eerie) little package by the third and final installment. But, I think you’ll be very satisfied with the arcs completed in Book 2.

Now, I promised something special for those who made it to the end of this message, and I would hate to disappoint. I mentioned the Kindle version is available for preorder until the April 17th release date, so . . .

The first ten people who preorder the Kindle version here will receive a complementary autographed paperback copy of The R.E.M. Project. Just shoot me a screenshot of the ebook order receipt, along with your name, mailing address, and any personalized message you’d like me to include in your paperback, and I’ll get a signed copy to you ASAP. (Please allow up to 14 days for delivery.)

And as always, any and all customer reviews left on Amazon and Goodreads help TREMENDOUSLY!

Well, I know that was a long-winded post, but I’ve been waiting a long time to touch base with my readers. I think you’ll find the sequel moves much faster, with a few new characters to help move the storyline closer to its conclusion.

Thanks for your interest in The Ocula Series, your feedback, and your continued support. Feel free to drop me a line in the comments below. Talk to you soon!

— J.M. Lanham

Sci-Fi Synopsis: The R.E.M. Project

March 21, 2018 By John

The R.E.M. Project (Book 2 in the Ocula series) is almost here!

Dreamlike sequence of Claire Connor in a hazy hallway. — Claire Connor will stop at nothing to expose the Big Pharma/CIA connection in the sequel to 2016’s The R.E.M. Effect.

In celebration of the upcoming release dates, I thought I would give my loyal readers something to chew on by posting the back-cover synopsis here.

I’m currently shooting for a paperback release March 27th, with the Kindle version going on pre-sale the following week. If anything changes, you’ll be the first to know.

Feel free to let me know what you think in the comment section below. (It’s been a long month, so please, be gentle.) Hope you like it!

The R.E.M. Project

The most powerful psychological weapon ever created has been unleashed.

A weapon the government is willing to kill for.

A weapon Big Pharma refuses to acknowledge.

A weapon that’s only a prescription away.

It’s been six months since the release of Asteria Pharmaceutical’s groundbreaking sleeping pill, and already, profits are soaring. With the original clinical trial outliers in hiding and on the run, George Sturgis has had free rein to disperse his revolutionary genome-inhibiting medication to the masses, with little regard for Ocula’s unconventional side effects.

Meanwhile, in Langley, the Director of Central Intelligence has taken notice of Ocula’s success and is determined to take the drug off the streets—even if it means rebooting a dangerous project she swore she would eliminate for good.

As the original outliers get pulled deeper into the Ocula conspiracy, they’ll soon discover that they’re not the only ones dreaming.

If you haven’t checked out the first book in the Ocula series, The R.E.M. Effect, you can grab it for FREE with Kindle Unlimited.

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The R.E.M. Project (the Ocula Series, Book 2): Coming Soon!

February 25, 2018 By John

Exciting news!

The sequel to my debut sci-fi thriller, The R.E.M. Effect, is nearing its spring release date.

Set six months after the events that take place in the first novel, The R.E.M. Project picks up right where its prequel left off. With the Outliers scattered, in hiding and on the run, Asteria Pharmaceuticals has been free to move forward with its revolutionary sleeping pill, Ocula, releasing it to the general public without a hitch. Now, millions of sleep-aid users around the country have been taking Ocula to get the perfect eight hours of sleep every single night.

And just like the clinical trials, more than a few outliers have emerged.

What follows explores many of the questions left open in the first novel (Did Michelle drug Paul? What exactly happened to Alex?) while diving head-first into a world where thousands of Dreamers have the potential to impose devastating consequences on a scale never seen before—and what the intelligence community is going to do about it.

On a personal note, I had a blast writing The R.E.M. Project. From the time I began this storyline, I had always planned on a trilogy (primarily because there’s no way anyone is taking a chance on a 900-page book from a first-time novelist).

While the first book set the stage for the story, the second gets rolling right out of the gate, delivering a high-action thriller that—in my opinion—moves much faster than the first. And for me, that’s just plain exciting.

I’m shooting for a tentative release date of Tuesday, March 27th, so long as nothing gets pushed back on the layout and design stage. Fingers crossed!

I’m really excited about the upcoming release of Book 2 in the Ocula Series. And, I hope you are too!

Happy reading, and thanks for your continued support!

—J.M. Lanham

Researchers discover 7 genes linked to insomnia

November 20, 2017 By John

alarm clock next to a woman who can't sleep. — 60 million Americans experience chronic sleeplessness. Now, scientists have identified a genetic reason for it.

Last June, an international team of scientists discovered seven genes linked to insomnia—a first in the field of sleep disorders.

For years, insomnia was written off as purely psychological; a condition that was best treated by getting to the heart of what keeps sufferers up at night. The recent finding, however, sheds new light on the genetic side of sleep disorders, essentially paving the way for new treatments for the condition in the future.

In my book The R.E.M. Effect (Nov. 2016), the premise of a pharmaceutical company developing a drug to tackle sleep disorders by addressing genes linked to insomnia sets the stage for the fictional events that transpire throughout the planned series (The second installment, The R.E.M. Project, is set for a winter 2017 release).

The impact genetic research will have on the future of medicine and healthcare has intrigued me since I first learned about The Human Genome Project in grade school. Now, it looks like science is one step closer to addressing insomnia on a genetic level, putting sleep disorders in the same category as other disease processes which have been identified—and may potentially be treated—by using some form of gene therapy.

It’s an exciting time for science and medicine. Let’s just hope life doesn’t imitate fiction.

— J.M.

For more on the real-world genetic research that went into my book The R.E.M. Effect, check out the following links:

Questions and Answers about CRISPR

What is antisense gene therapy? — Huntington’s Outreach Project for Education at Stanford

FDA Speeds Review of Gene Therapies — The New York Times, 11/16/17