MURDER IN PANAMA -- 99 CENTS

For a limited time, MURDER IN PANAMA, the first of the Jimmy Hart series (aka MIP series) is on sale for 99 cents.  This offer is for a limited time.  The two sequels to this story, REVOLUTION OF FOOLS and HART RULES will remain at $2.99. 

 

Fast-moving Romantic Novel November 6, 2011

Murder in Panama, besides being a romantic fast moving adventure set along coastal Panama, questions how far government and large corporations can go in steering our lives. Super-hero, Jimmy Hart, thinks they have out stepped their bounds and takes corrective action in this fiction that you will not be able to set down. Another winner for author Bob Hatting.

NOVELS BY ROBERT HATTING

NOVELS

BY

ROBERT HATTING

AVAILABLE AS E-BOOKS.  $2.99 TO $4.99.  4 & 5 STAR RATED.

 

AMAZON.COM 

http://tinyurl.com/csgjaj8

ALASKA BE DAMNED, 140,000 words

THE LAST FRUIT STAND ON GUAM, 102,000 words

EXPAT, 69,000 WORDS

CRYSTAL COWBOY, 80,000 WORDS

PARTNERS, 63,000 WORDS

BOOMER, 72,000 WORDS

HALF-BREED, 46,000 WORDS

UNTAMED, 76,000 WORDS

MURDER IN PANAMA 66,000 WORDS

REVOLUTION OF FOOLS, 54,000 WORDS

HART RULES, 60,000

TRES PIEDRAS, 40,000 WORDS

COIN OF THE REALM, wip

I SINCERELY APOLOGIZE!

By chance I discovered there was a problem with the formatting on my novel MURDER IN PANAMA.  My friend downloaded the book to her Kindle and the letters were cut off in the left and right margins. 

I immediately checked my own Kindle and could see it was okay. Something had happened at Amazon.  Further research proved me correct.  When Amazon released their ‘Fire’, they made some formatting changes. As an Indie author/publisher, it’s my responsibility to be aware of these changes as they’re announced. I hadn’t paid attention.

Whew! All along I thought my Jimmy Hart series was just a dud.  No one was buying the books; MURDER IN PANAMA is the first of the series. Why would a reader buy the second in the series if they couldn’t read the first?  Duhhhhh? 

So I decided to investigate all my published work.  The first one I checked was my best seller, ALASKA BE DAMNED.  The margins were okay but it had been justified and all the excess spaces between sentences had been removed. I checked the version on my Kindle.  Sure enough, my version was left justified and had the ragged right.  Also where there was a scene change, in the old version, a space between paragraphs was used to break the scene/time.  In the newest justified version, the spaces had been removed and they all ran together; confusing and non professional.  I spent last night changing that and included **** instead of spaces to break the scenes.

I sincerely apologize to all who have purchased either of the above mentioned novels.  They have been repaired and according to my test;’ buying and downloading on my Kindle, are good to go. FYI, I am currently looking at the balance of my work.  Stand by for further reports.      

NUMBER 11 IS PUBLISHED.

HART RULES! The third in the Jimmy Hart series is now available for sale.  My thanks to Steve Caresser, & Melissa Gray for their enormous help in the formatting and editing.  I also wish to offer a special thanks to Ed Wheeler for the loan of his artistic B&W photo.  It takes book covers into another dimension.

If you’ve already read, MURDER IN PANAMA or REVOLUTION OF FOOLS, numbers one & two in the series, don’t miss HART RULES!

DISTRACTIONS ARE OFTEN A GOOD THING!

Not much has been written in my blog for some time.  I’ve been distracted. 

Since I resolved to place my writing on a back burner and return to the world of business, not much thought has been put into blog postings. A fleeting phrase or idea would take a quick lap around the cerebral racetrack but not enough substance would trigger an urge to post. 

The business I started is a non-technical memorization course to bring English to the Spanish speaking Panamanians in six weeks.  Preparing for the launch of this business has consumed a great deal of my time.  Details are boring so I won’t delve into them at this time.  However, during the development stages, I involved a Panamanian partner in the system. Her knowledge of the local culture and her genius helped immensely in the fine tuning of the business plan and the course material.

It was unfortunate we had to hold several of our ‘board meetings’ at the beach, in the mountains and other destinations in Chiriquí, Panama. Oh, well, such is life in the tropics. We’re two months past my mental timeline in launching the new business but that’s okay.  All business and no pleasure – NOT NOW & NOT HERE! 

CHARACTER AND INTELLIGENCE

In today’s world, using the words character and intelligence in the same sentenced to describe someone is rare.  I’ve used those descriptions sparingly over the years.  My father was the incarnation of both descriptions. Twice he was invited to join MENSA and turned them down. He’d opted for a career in government service and suspected that his membership in that high IQ group might be detrimental to his position.  

My long time friends, Richard Rollins, Dobe Harding, Rick Dailey, and Ray Samek are also personifications. Dobe is no longer with us and the rest of us are getting up there in years.  However, I know my friends still maintain their intelligence and character.

I recently started a business here in Panama.  In order to launch the venture by the first part of January, 2013, I needed to recruit salespeople and instructors for my fluid memorization course.  I invited almost forty people to attend my recruiting meeting; six people showed up.  Three of them are interested in being instructors, three want the sales opportunity.  I’m pleased for their attendance but disappointed in the others that promised to attend.  That is a Central American cultural trait.  From the Mexican border to the Darien jungle of Panama, the same bad manners and vile character traits prevail.  Hardly anyone keeps an appointment. It’s always amazed me that anything gets done.  Then it dawned on me! Duhh!! In third world countries, ninety percent of accomplishments are performed by ten percent of the populations. If you look closely at this ten percent, they were usually educated or worked in North America or Europe; learning the traits of success from first world countries. The remaining 90% teeter on the cusp of poverty and blame the other 10%.

I’ve always had the attitude that if you miss an appointment with me without calling ahead of time to release yourself from the obligation, it’s akin to writing me a bad check. I hold no truck with those that steal my time; 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, or 5^th world.  It’s just f…king RUDE.  If my employees don’t have enough IQ to figure this out, they’re going to hear a single word from me – NEXT! (I’ll eventually find those in the 10% and they will be rewarded accordingly.) No one gets a second chance to stand me up!

SUSTAINED ACQUAINTANCE

Through life’s twist and turns, we seldom find friendship.  Once that phenomenon happens, however, we usually try to sustain the relationship as long as possible.  Those twists and turns usually negate close relationships.  I have a few friends that date back to High School.  A few made a bit later in life. Most of my friends are the result of a sustained acquaintance.

A few years ago, I met Miguel Delafeunte.  He had just arrived in Panama from Spain and was checking out the opportunities in Chiriquí. He finally settled in Panama City.  Miguel and I have maintained that sustained acquaintance status for all those years. Do I consider him a friend?  Of course!  He just spent three days and two nights with me.  We share the love of business, our adopted country, Panama, and brainstorming new opportunities and ideas.

Miguel is a product of Europe’s educational system and looks at the world much differently than my friends from North America. We agree on most everything except food.  He’s a vegetarian.  When I discovered this, I pointed to the back yard, handed him an orange and told him to “graze” if he got hungry. (he likes my homemade bread, tho.)

Miguel and I agree that the future for Panama is extremely bright. We’re attacking the opportunities from different angles and bases of operation but the results will turn out the same; prosperity and a good life for us and our associates.