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Latest News!!

Dec 12, 2013: I have uploaded another short story for your mom. "Love will find a way." . . . a classic romance with a happy ending.

Dec 4, 2013: I am rapt to be advertising Net Riders on American sites. Check out the ads on "childrensbookreview.com" and "gettingboystoread.com". Being an avid reader, I am really pleased to support Mike McQueen and his quest to get boys to read. Helping him achieve his goal of publishing his book "Getting boys to read" is a great way to promote my book and help a worthy cause at the same time. And as for the Net Riders sequel, I have a title: Dread World. If you read the gaming scenes in Net Riders, you will realise that being trapped in the video game will fill you with dread . . .

Nov 26, 2013: Hi all. Like most writers I don't tend to have much to report when writing. Writing and rewriting swallows up the weeks. However I did take the family on an awesome trip to central Australia to see Uluru and Kings Canyon. A marvelous adventure for us - and even my little kiddies who managed to be distracted by rock climbing and animal spotting. Highly recommended if you like traipsing through rock formations. I hope to have some news on the Net Riders sequel soon.

Aug 10, 2013: Now Net Riders is online on the Apple Bookstore. Ebooks can be bought as both Kindle and iBookstore platforms and also as print versions via Amazon. Cheap novels starting at 2.99!!

Jun 20, 2013: Hi all. Been away with the family for an awesome holiday in Perth and Western Australia. And now updating content and working on the sequel Dread World. Also have a look at the updated drawings.

Mar 19, 2013: Finally! Net Riders is live on Amazon and available to purchase. And extended sample chapters are available on this site - click on VIRTUAL LIFE below. Now the book is finished I can focus on the other fun stuff of Facebook, promotions and finishing off the sequels.

Feb 27, 2013: Very close now. Anybody who has wrtten will understand the curse of the "A-hah" moment. Everytime I see the manuscript I find a little something to tweak, adjust add or remove. Very close now. Next post should be it!!.

Jan 20, 2013: Big news. Net Riders is finished . . . subject to a final edit. My wife Rebecca is working with me to iron out the inevitable mistakes and pinpointing weaknesses in the narrative. But we're on track for a March release.

Dec 20, 2012: Hey thanks to everybody for your encouraging emails. Net Riders will be available soon. Cover has been uploaded and the latest sample chapters in HTML for reading on your browser.I am on a deadline now as its my birthday next April and I need to have the book finished by then!! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Nov 29, 2012: Hi guys, sadly been distracted with a family illness. Life is such a precious gift so it is distressing to see someone's vitality undermines. Reminds me to focus onwhat is important and to follow your dream.

Oct 4, 2012: Okay - some new changes. Net Riders will definitely be a trilogy. Been working on the sequels which influence the first book so more delays. This writing fiction journey has its pitfalls.

Sep 15, 2012: I have updated site with a short story for Mums!! I have written a few over the years and these are for offered for free. More news later on the progress of Net Riders.

Aug 20, 2012: Hi guys, been sidetracked with web page stuff. Home page has been updated with a graphic and there is a cool image flipping fucntion on the Virtual Life page. Check it out.

Jul 15, 2012: Okay have a look at the sample chapter for Net Riders. Is very different to previus versions. Tose of you who have read samples before will see some changes.

Apr 12, 2012: Hey guys. Net Rider is still progressing. A little snag with some changes has slowed things down. Plus distracted by finally turning 50!! Party was a priority. hah!

Feb 5, 2012: Check out the sample of the two hackers in a netbike. A preview copy of the full cover is available on this site.

Jan 15, 2012: Lapis Books is finally "live" with sample chapters of our first novel Net Riders available soon for free download. We anticipate the ebook to be available for purchase from 2013.

 

About Us:

Our Mission:

To entertain kids of all ages with exciting books of action and adventure.

Our Business:

Lapis Books is based in Adelaide, South Australia and was founded to present a new kind of book to the market. We are committed to publishing books that delight readers with thrilling plots, compelling characters and heart stopping tension. We are great fans of the movies and therefore strive to produce books that deliver a truly visual experience, or as we like to say . . . Movies for the Mind.

Our people:

Rebecca Marino, Administration

Rebecca is an experienced administrator who set up Lapis Books to distribute ebooks via global online channels.

She is an avid reader of contemporary fiction and is excited to be involved in this new enterprise. Rebecca is happy to field any inquiries and can be contacted by email on: info@lapisbooks.com

Giorgio Marino, Marketing

Giorgio is the author and marketer for Lapis Books. He has a degree in Electrical Engineering and postgrad qualifications in Business and Creative Writing.

He enjoys designing, illustrating and the fascinating craft of storytelling. He also has an avid interest in new technologies and is responsible for Lapis Books marketing and strategies.

He can be contacted by email on: info@lapisbooks.com

Our point of difference:

Young readers have a wide variety of choices - everything from heart wrenching paranormal romances to spy thrillers. And most books rely on descriptive passages and stream of conciousness to convey story and character development . . . some terrific examples are The Hunger Games and The Book Thief, and we love the intensity of Ice Station. However, some young people are reluctant readers and struggle with the longer form, or don't read at all. But ironically, these same young people will sit for three hours and watch a blockbuster movie like The Avengers. We all know the importance of literacy - to read and interpret text is an essential element of a productive life - so there is always a need to engage reluctant readers.

At Lapis, our books are written specifically to meet this need with "visual" plot-driven stories - kind of like a "camera" view of a blockbuster movie. Our principles of good fiction are believable characters, strong motivations, engaging plots, thrilling action scenes, and definitely, a little tug of the heart strings . . . In a nutshell, our books can be described as "Movies for the Mind!"

Obviously, our books will not be for everyone. But the feedback from boy and girl readers over the years has convinced us to create our little business, and make Giorgio's books available to the world. Readers will get value for money, and we will make a modest income from doing something we really love!!

To purchase a Lapis Book:

You can try before you buy. Samples are available on Amazon and iTunes but this site has a generous 12 chapters to read as HTML or PDF. Click the links on the Virtual Life Adventures page. If you are convinced with the opening then Net Riders is available for purchase as an ebook on the Amazon Kindle and Apple iTunes stores and as a paperback from the Amazon Book store .

We are excited to be supporting Mike and his project to launch his new book Getting boys to read. philosophy is to offer the books for sale instead of givi usual sample is available on Amazon, and a generous 40 + pages are available to read as HTML or PDF from this site by clicking the links on the "Virtual Life" page. Net Riders is available for purchase as an ebook on the Amazon Kindle and Apple iTunes stores and as a paperback from the Amazon Book store.

Why Lapis . . .?

The name is derived from the precious stone Lapis Lazuli. For thousands of years, Lapis Lazuli has been used by civilisations all over the world: from Asia to the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. The stone is also associated with optimism, prosperity and happiness . . . ideal attributes for our new business enterprise!

© Lapis Books: Publisher of the Virtual Life Adventures