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Category: Propaganda

Shameless self-promotion by the author.

The Wanderer Wins Gold for Dystopia Fiction in Miami

Published by Adam on December 2, 2018
Welcome to Miami!

It was a few months ago that I learned that I had won a Readers’ Favorite gold medal for my novel The Wanderer and the New West in the Dystopia Fiction category. But I don’t know if it really clicked until I got to the award ceremony in Miami and this happened…

  • Check out those medals! Can I have one?
  • Putting on the medal
    Well, okay, if you insist!
  • Wearing it proud!
  • Posing like a celeb with my book and gold medal!

Ego trip aside, it was really great to meet so many other cool indie authors who won awards. We talked about our books, compared notes on marketing tricks, and generally had a good time. We learned from other creators like R.J. Tolson and Eddie Price, as well as media expert Burke Allen and legendary literary agent Frank Weimann.

Readers’ Favorite displayed our novels at the Miami Book Fair, with money from the sales going to St. Jude’s Hospital. Here are some pictures from the booth…

  • At the booth…
  • Hangin’ with authors Eddie Price, Jalpa Williby and Glede Browne Kabongo
  • Shooting a promo video

Incidentally, you should really check out the Miami Book Fair next year! I had a really good time perusing the abundance of books on display, and seeing White House reporter April Ryan talk about what it’s like to cover President Trump (whew)! Miami itself is a fun city with a great beach, vibrant culture and exceptional Latin food and drinks.

  • White House reporter April Ryan talks Trump
  • C-SPAN was there
  • The Remyz rocked out
  • Got some swag and a graphic novel!

Oh, and it sure was nice to soak in some sun in the middle of November. It was snowing back home in Philly! Right now outside my window, it’s a gray morning… wouldn’t mind a return to the Sunshine State soon!

When can I go back?

Learn more about The Wanderer and the New West at www.whoisthewanderer.com

Get the book in digital or paperback at Amazon and wherever else books are sold online!

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And the award goes to… The Wanderer and the New West!

Published by Adam on June 2, 2018

The Wanderer and the New West took the award for Best Western Fiction in the 2018 National Indie Excellence Awards!

The recognition follows Kirkus Reviews naming my dystopian western novel as one of its best indie books of the month for April 2018.

The Wanderer and the New West reinvents the Western novel with a dystopian outlook on a possible America that fully protects the rights of armed citizens to stand their ground against mass shooters and motorcycle gangs.

The novel is on sale now in paperback and eBook at your favorite online retailer! For a limited time only, get the EPUB edition at Smashwords for 50% off ($2.50)! Just use the coupon code AM26J at checkout. Deal expires 8/2/18.

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Credit: Reedsy

If you like the novel, please help Adam spread the word by leaving a review on Goodreads or the store where you purchased his novel.

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More Acclaim for The Wanderer and the New WestThe Wanderer and the New West (title)

More Acclaim for The Wanderer and the New West

Published by Adam on May 6, 2018
The Wanderer hits another bullseye with a great review from Publishers Weekly, plus Kirkus Reviews features the novel as an Indie Book of the Month!

Thanks to everyone who has picked up a copy (digital or physical) of my new novel, The Wanderer and the New West. I continue to be blown away by the kind words and excitement I’m hearing from critics and new readers about my Dystopian Western.

Recently, the Wanderer tossed his hat into the ring for the BookLife Prize by Publishers Weekly. While winners won’t be announced for several months, all entrants receive a critical assessment from Publishers Weekly, and I’m happy to report that I just received an 8 out of 10!

Here’s my favorite line: “Bender’s prose and ability to weave poignancy and humor throughout the story elevates his novel above others in the genre.”

Meanwhile, Kirkus Reviews featured my novel in their magazine for a second time, this time in a list of the “Indie Books of the Month” for April! if you don’t subscribe, here’s the online list.

Yep, that’s definitely one for the bulletin board.

Oh, this was pretty cool. My book appeared in the Spring Books issue of The New York Review of Books. I swear I didn’t plan this at all, but the cover story was all about American gun culture.

Critics are great, but I really love hearing what readers think. It’s been awesome seeing all of your reviews on Goodreads and Amazon. Please keep them coming! I’m an indie author with a limited marketing budget, so this is really the best way to help me spread the word.

Don’t have a copy yet? Check out the official page for more details on where you can buy my novel.

Charity & Events

I’m always excited to support a good cause. I donated a signed copy of The Wanderer and the New West for the annual Writers for Hope auction during Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April. The auction is organized by Kelly Johnson and proceeds went to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN).

Last weekend, I donated autographed copies of my three novels for a silent auction at the Delaware Valley Legacy Fund (DVLF) Heroes awards, started 11 years ago to honor individuals whose work and leadership advance the rights of the LGBT community.

Coming up, look out for the Wanderer at BookExpo 2018 in New York City from May 30 to June 1 as part of the New Title Showcase! Then, my novel will appear June 22-25 at the American Library Association 2018 conference.

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Kirkus Lauds ‘First-Rate Action Narrative’ in Adam Bender’s The Wanderer and the New West

Published by Adam on January 17, 2018

The venerable Kirkus Reviews acclaimed The Wanderer and the New West as a “tight, thoughtful work” with “first-rate action narrative” in a starred review of my new novel (paperback available here).

The Kirkus Star is reserved for “books of exceptional merit,” so this is a big honor! The star also means my book will be considered for the Kirkus 2018 prize.

Here’s an excerpt from Kirkus Reviews:

The author’s new novel might be summed up by a line from Rosa’s editorial: “Sometimes it feels like America is spinning in an opposite direction from the planet Earth.” As real-life America spins out of alignment with other nations’ gun-control laws, he critiques its obsession with the Second Amendment and shows how it could threaten to shred the nation’s true founding principles. For example, a mayor replies to a sheriff’s complaints of lawlessness with “the government hasn’t made laws for years!” Ironically, Bender packages his message in a first-rate action narrative, filled with the sort of violence that has attracted gun lovers to pop-culture icons like Rambo and Dirty Harry for decades. In one cinematic scene, for instance, a gang member meets his end when “thunder cracked, and blood burst out the back of his skull.” Such indulgent moments of machismo are balanced by superior characterization, particularly of the Wanderer’s sidekick, Kid Hunter, and 12-year-old bandit Lindsay. The fact that the Wanderer still wears his wedding band and is haunted by the ghost of a woman named Helen connects to a complex, satisfying origin story that includes Breck Ammunition itself. Throughout, Bender proves to be an instructive novelist, challenging American readers with basic scenarios that could very well come to pass: “when you leave the house, you’re checking for your wallet, your keys, your phone, and your gun. Like these are equally essential things for the day ahead.”

A tight, thoughtful work that has much to offer readers on both sides of the gun control debate.

Kirkus previously raved about my first two novels, We, The Watched and Divided We Fall. However, The Wanderer is my first book to earn the coveted Kirkus Star.

But I really want to know what you think! So, to celebrate the Kirkus review and five-star reviews from Readers’ Favorite critics, I’ve decided to let loose the Wanderer a little early!

You can order the paperback right now on Amazon. You can also get the eBook edition (EPUB) from Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble Nook, Kobo, Scribd and Smashwords. A Kindle version will be available in a few days.

When you’re finished, please leave your own review at the store where you purchased the book and on Goodreads. Thanks for your support!

 

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