Announcement About The Sequel to Marcus 98012

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First of all the biggest news that I should point out is that the sequel is actually a PREQUEL! I’m really excited about this project and it’s going well so far. Many of you who have read “Marcus 98012: and the Great Awakening” will be happy to know that Winter will be making a strong appearance in this next novel. Beyond that I won’t reveal any more spoilers until later.

The title of the novel is “Book Zero.” I plan on releasing the novel on Amazon/Kindle in March! Remember it’s a prequel, so if you haven’t read Marcus 98012, you should do that now, so that way you get the full experience of reading it’s back story. If you wanna know more about the first novel, the full synopsis as well as a few customer reviews are here.

Free Books!

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If any book review/book blogger would like a copy of my soon-to-be bestseller “Marcus 98012: and the Great Awakening,” in exchange for an honest review of the book, leave me a comment or connect with me via email. treyci@treycikay.com

Even if your not a book blogger, but would like a copy, it couldn’t hurt to ask. I’m leaving a link here to the synopsis and another link here to a sample chapter.

The reason I’m doing this is because honest reviews help me write better books (including the sequel) and better books make readers happy, that means you. This in turn makes me happy as well. :)

You can also contact me via twitter here.

How To Get An A In Any Class

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In high school I was never a straight A student.

My grades depended largely on whether or not I was in a sport or chasing girls. I had completely random grades in high school anything from an A in English to receiving a D in Physical Education, while being on the basketball team. I snuck out of high school with a near-impossible GPA of 1.8.

I currently hold an accumulative GPA of 3.89 in college.

While there are many life factors that contributed to the drastic change (that I won’t go into here), I wanted to point out that you absolutely do not have to be especially “gifted” to achieve straight A’s.

Some of the things on this list may seem common sensical to some, others require more work socially. Regardless of the effort level for each, I believe if you employ all of these consistently you will CONSISTENTLY bring in A’s on your transcript.

1. Know why you want an A.

The most important thing you can do when looking to receive an A is to be able to pinpoint the exact reason you want one. There can be many reasons, anything from bribing your parents with an A or trying to outdo a friend. For me I knew that if I got straight A’s school would be completely free, this is my motivation. Use whatever your motivating factor may be to encourage you daily.

2. A well written syllabus will show you the way to an A

Most teachers will give you a syllabus at the beginning of the course which is the basic outline of the entire curiculum. A good one will tell you how the assignments and test are weighted in relation to your final grade. In other words, the syllabus will tell you exactly how to get an A in the class. Know it inside and out, also refer to it weekly.

3. Start to make friends in the class from day one.

Besides the fact that making new friendships can be fun, they can make getting a good grade easier. Suppose you miss an important lecture, but that cute classmate didn’t? How would you get notes if you never talked to them? The more MOTIVATED people you know in class, the easier it is to find a study partner and learn info that you may miss.

4. Sit in front of the class (teacher will know you)

Don’t be afraid to sit in the front of the class. Life isn’t fair and people judge, this includes professors. Teachers generally will respect students who sit in the front quicker than the ones who stay quiet in the back. Also the teachers will know your name and face. If they come to like you then getting an A is easier. (Again life isn’t fair. Use this fact to your advantage.)

5. Do ALL available extra credit (its easy)

If you aren’t the best at test or if you miss assignments, extra credit work will help counteract that. Usually extra credit isn’t too difficult to do, so why not? It will only help you. If you don’t know if the instructor offers extra credit, ask. Do ALL available extra credit, it really does add up.

6. Complete all assignments

This should go unsaid, but all of us want to skip those little week assignments only worth 5 points, that seem to not dent our grade. (Especially on our lazy days.) Like extra credit, these add up quickly. Need motivation??? Scroll up to #1.

7. Study with a partner

Studying with a partner can be way more easier. You can get creative, make a game out of it. Theres so many ways to do it: flashcards, finishing sentences, I’ve even studied with a friend through facebook chat.

8. Learn the info when its first presented

If you try your best to retain the information when it is first presented, it makes taking tests way easier. In fact doing this will make tests a joke. If you know everything right after its presented you don’t really have to study. (In other words more time for you to have fun.)

9. Tell the teacher you desire an A

Some people may laugh at this, but I mean it exactly how I wrote it. At some point during the course approach the teacher and tell them you want an A. Ask them where you are grade-wise in the course and what you need to do to end with a final grade of an A. Most teachers respect when a student takes the initiative to do good in their course. *Disclaimer: Be tactful, the last thing you want is to sound like you’re attempting to bully the teacher into grading you better.

10. If you are not good at taking test, become good now.

Not being good at testing is unacceptable. Combining #3,4,7 and 8 will improve test scores. Just do those and take the pressure off. Don’t look at it as a test, just a review of stuff that you already know.

11. Help others in class (teaching others is the best way to relearn and reinforce info)

If you have made friends in the class and studied with others it will almost be inevitable that either yourself or someone else will get discouraged or need help. Anytime you help someone with info, it reinforces the information in your own head. Teaching is literally the best way to study.

Make it a fun experience. School doesn’t have to seem like a job, but if it is, you should look at it as a job that you like doing. Have a great school year!

YOUR Perfect New Years Resolution

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By the end of this article you will know your own personal, perfect new years resoulution.

With 2011 coming to a close, we find ourselves preparing for the new year. Its the only day where people in nearly every country around the world have the same couple things on their mind:

“Wow 2012?! Time just keeps going faster.”
“I’m really getting old.”
…and “What am I gonna do to better myself next year?”

Typical responses run a little something like this…

“Well I guess I need a new calendar.”
“Yeah man, I think I’m really getting old.”
“I’ma start going to the gym.”

That last one might be a little more than “typical”.

Fact: In an article from Forbes magazine they predicted that there would be over one million gym memberships sold in the month of January 2006 alone… not in the entire US, just in Boston.

Now granted that was before the recession. The point isn’t in the purchase, the point is in the thought process behind it.

Consider this: What’s at the top of your list for next year? If its not to start getting (back) in shape, then I’m willing to bet you know quite a few people who do have it at the top of their list. However, we all know not many people do it, which is why the same things end up as our new years resolutions the very next year.

This would lead a person to maybe think: “Well fine, my resolution this year is to do all the things I’m supposed to do. And do all the things I’ma say I’ma do.”

But you still won’t do it. What’s really different then last year? The definition of insanity is doing the same thing, the same way expecting different results.

A Better Way
When you make your one or few resolutions. (Some of us make a list, I do.) You essentially make a list similar to the one i talked about in ‘Yourself as a 10’. Its a very simple idea if you think about it: Next year you want to do better than this year. Now its time to make a different list(s)

… The “Why’s.”

I believe that many of us who set these goals to better ourselves, simply don’t know the heart of the reason WE want to do them. If you want to quit smoking this year, don’t think about how your going to do it yet. Thats where many of us fail. We get gym memberships, nicotrol gum and purchase other things to “help” us to achieve those goals. when thinking about wanting to quit smoking identify the reason YOU want to do it, not why society tells you.

“Its unhealthy.”
-Duh.
“I don’t want people around me to deal with second hand smoke.”
-Ok….warmer.
“I want to be healthier and live longer.”
-Bingo.

Find your reason. That comes before the “how.” If you want to lose 10 pounds don’t get that membership yet. (That’s a “how”.)

Surface Why vs True Why
If you say you want to work out just to look better (possibly for the opposite sex). This is what I call a “surface why”. It’s an obvious reason why, one that doesn’t require much thought behind it. It’s simply not the “true” reason why.
Don’t you want to feel better first? I promise you losing 10 pounds alone wont give you lasting happiness but if you know why you set out to do it for yourself it will. Something as simple as a raise at work, some of us don’t know the true reason why we want it. DONT say because you want to pay your bills. Even Oprah has bills. Why do you want to pay those bills easier? Dig deep.

“Theyre pilling up.”
-So….
“I want extra time.”
-To do what?
“If I pay my bills, I wont feel stressed. It will free up more time so I can enjoy it with my family and friends.”
-Perfect.

The “True Why” Can Be Your Catalyst.
If you hold on to that reason why you want to do something it can act as a driving force in your life, and it should. Everytime you drive to that gym you better know why you are doing it, the same is true every time you fight of a craving for a cigarette, you had better know why you are fighting it. And if you want that raise, you gain a different type of motivation when you realize that you are working harder so that you can be with your family.

Side Effects
When you fight for the “true” reason why all the “surface” reasons take care of themselves. If you go to the gym (AND WORKOUT) to feel better first, as a side effect you WILL look better. If you work harder so later you can be stress free and with your family, you WILL get that raise, and the bills will always be paid.

Find out the reasons why for every goal/resolution on your list. At the start of this post I made a promise: “You will know your own personal, perfect new years resoulution.”

Firstly, a perfect resolution is one that is met.

YOUR “Perfect New Years Resolution?” The same a last year. Just now you know why.

(Using Time Wiser pt. 10) Look For “Gaps”

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This is the part of the list that requires the most discipline. It is very easy for us to let our minds wander and simply relax at times where we are not deliberately doing something.

On the bus during a daily commute to work, we may fall asleep or simply enjoy the ride. (Of course there are the occasional readers, but if you look around the bus there will be more people without a book than with one.)

In order to be as efficient as possible, we need to examine the “dead spots” in our schedule and fill them with something productive.

Once I have an idea for a new book I tend to develop the idea in between haircuts at the salon where I work. Sometimes it is very easy to just sit and chat until the next client comes, but if I fill this time with something productive, usually I can squeeze more into my day.

Sometimes I do homework in the break room as well. I have even been known to write ideas for a future blog post on my phone while in the club, waiting in the restroom line.

James Franco, leading actor in 127 hours, did upper graduate homework on the set, between takes, while in pursuit of his college education.

The point here is that there truly are only 24 hours in a day, the best way to make it stretch is to drain every ounce of the time that we are given. Play your cards well. Stay thirsty my friends.

Check out “Using Time Wiser Pt. 8 & 9″

(Using Time Wiser pt. 9) Get Friends Or Employees To Delegate Smaller Tasks

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Image: bloggingforjobs.com

Many times our friends and family have to perform similar tasks that we do. In order to focus on more important tasks, simply ask people close to you to help with the smaller things.

The best example of this is the common coffee run. In any given office across America, one employee will go to the coffee shop, getting coffee for a group of people instead of just themselves. This allows other workers to continue with their work and it also increases bonds among coworkers.

This can be done with many types of errands or tasks. Be advised, simple rules apply: Generally you would want to ask a person that you trust over someone else. Also, when possible, only ask that a person does tasks which are not too far out of their way, and lastly, make sure to always be willing to return the favor to a reliable friend who is helped you in the past.

If you adopt the “we’re all in this together” attitude, then the goals of each individual becomes the goals of the community. The best way to win is to make sure that you have a full team behind you.

Be sure to check out the previous posts on Using Time Wiser: Using Time Wiser pt. 7&8

Howling Turtle/UW Acceptance

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The cool people over at Howling Turtle gave an awesome review AND an interview of me concerning my novel “Marcus 98012: and the Great Awakening.”

Here’s the Review

And the Interview

On another note, I got accepted into University of Washington-Seattle the other day. When I posted my acceptance letter on Facebook, it got 100+ likes in less than an hour. Not a big deal to some, but I thought that was pretty cool because I have never had that happen.

Although, it technically means getting 100 likes on Facebook was harder than getting in UW… technically.

I don’t know how I should feel about that. smh

Sample Chapter Section

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In the last post I shared my first customer reviews on Amazon for my fantasy/suspense novel “Marcus 98012: and the Great Awakening”. Since then I’ve been getting lots of good reviews from people on random places like Facebook and Twitter.

I just wanted to take the time to thank everybody for being so nice in sharing their thoughts on the book. Leaving thorough, honest opinions help people decide if they want it and it helps me write better books. If you’ve read my book and would like to leave a review, here is a link to do it on the Amazon website. If you haven’t read it yet, you can get it here for only 99 cents!

Ok, so let’s get to the cool stuff. I was so happy with the responses, I thought I should share a sample chunk for people wanting to know what type of read it was. I chose not to use the beginning like other samples because I felt this part best represented the style, pace and action throughout the majority of the book. Plus I think Amazon samples the first part on their site and that would just be redundant. The sample formatting changed when I posted this, so I know there are no tabs and whatnot. This section is about 30% into the book. Hope you enjoy! :)

Marcus ran as fast as he could for as long as he could, the underground tunnel never seemed to end. He could hear the footsteps behind him picking up speed. He was too scared to look back; instead he made himself run faster until it seemed the footsteps got further and further away. Finally, just as he was about to stop to catch his breath, the tunnel opened up into a large underground room. The enormous, square room was better lit than the tunnel, but still rather dark.
Marcus scanned the room from the edge of the tunnel. He could smell sulfur in the air as if a fire had just been put out. In front of him at the opening of the tunnel, a large, flat box lay in his path. The sealed red box was nearly half the size of him. Marcus quickly kneeled over, reading words engraved on the top of the box. “IN CASE OF FIRE,” Marcus read.
He pushed the box with one hand, almost falling over when it slid from his weight. It was surprisingly light. Marcus picked it up with one hand and stepped into the large underground room.
Marcus immediately felt warmer as he entered the large room. He could see in the dim light that several other tunnels led into the area. He realized that he was in some sort of large underground system. A huge concrete platform rose halfway up to the high ceiling. From the top of the platform Marcus could see a large fire being contained in what looked to be a giant, floating glass sphere. If he was confused earlier about which direction to go, now he really had no idea. He could hear quick footsteps in the tunnel behind him.
Marcus ran through the large room, past the platform and into a tunnel across from the one he had left. He stayed low, hiding in the shadows. He wanted to see which direction his pursuer would go, so that he could go in the opposite direction.
A shadow emerged from the tunnel he ran from. He could hear the footsteps before he saw the shadowy figure enter the large room. The person walked around slowly, trying to figure out which way he might have went. He couldn’t tell in the dim light if it was a professor or an elder. Marcus sank lower to the floor as the figure moved closer to the tunnel he was hiding in. The light from the fire began to creep up the leg of his pursuer as they walked further into the light.
Marcus breathed a sigh of relief seeing that it was Andrew. The younger boy looking tired and scared at the same time. He sat on the floor of the sewer with his back resting on the bottom of the large platform in the middle. His backpack was soaked from the rain. He took off his hat and ran his fingers through his short wet hair; he had given up. He had no idea Marcus was still close by watching him.
Marcus stood up and waved in Andrew’s direction, but Andrew did not see him as he stared at the floor fighting back tears.
“Andrew!” shouted Marcus, jumping up and down, red box and journal still in hand. “Andrew, over here!”
Andrew jumped up, excited, tripping himself as he saw Marcus in the shadows. His arm caught his balance against the large concrete platform.
“Marcus, Marcus what’s happening?” Andrew didn’t realize that when he used the wall to get up, he pressed a button on the side of the large platform. He gathered himself together, put his hat on and started to walk towards Marcus.
The smile quickly left Marcus’s face. He watched in horror as the glass sphere around the fire shattered. Andrew ducked as a shower of glass flew from above. The ball of fire that was in the sphere extended out over the edge and fell off in Andrew’s direction.
“Andrew watch out!” Marcus yelled.
A large arm of fire reached down above Andrews head. Andrew jumped to the side and out of the way, just as the flames barely missed his hat. The fire struck the ground between the two boys, separating them further.
Marcus felt the room get hotter as the large tube of fire whipped around and back to the top of the platform. Marcus could see the fire at the top of the platform was now changing into strange shapes. It began to shift and mold, pulsing wildly and rapidly expanding
“Quick Andrew! Hurry!” said Marcus.
The second Andrew moved his foot to run toward Marcus, another large tube of fire shot out toward him. Andrew jumped out of the way again, this time realizing that he was being aimed at. The flame from the fire whipped past his head and back up to the platform. Andrew stared at the top of the platform waiting for the next move. He watched as the fire leapt up above, changing into shapes of all kinds. Suddenly the giant fire sucked itself into a tiny red orb the size of a soccer ball. Marcus could see a smaller dark, black circle within the fiery shell. Andrew stood still, waiting to see if the assault was over.
“Andrew run!” shouted Marcus.
Andrew turned to run in Marcus’s direction. This time when he took his first step the small, fiery ball exploded. Flames leapt up engulfing the entire ceiling. Tiny rows of fire shot down the side of the walls. The small lines of flames raced from the walls, across the floor and back up to the top of the platform. Marcus could see that at the top of the platform the swelling fire was beginning to change its shape again. The fire quickly formed itself into the outline of a man, the smaller dark circle resting within the fiery outline of a chest. Fiery muscles lined the body of the creature. Tiny dark circles sat where eyes should have been. Andrew surrounded and separated from Marcus by walls of fire on all sides, had nowhere to go.
The fiery creature turned his head in Andrew’s direction. A fiery arm shot out of its body and directly for Andrew. He jumped out of the way again as the arm swung back up to the platform within the creature. Andrew could feel steam as the sweat from his face splashed onto the fiery rows surrounding him.
Marcus watched in horror, powerless to help his friend. His mind raced back to the words he read on top of the red box- IN CASE OF FIRE. Marcus flipped the box over and broke a gold metal seal on its side. He opened up the box and looked in. A large, crystal bow and a single crystal arrow lay inside. He threw the box to the ground, bow and arrow in hand, not exactly sure what to do. He knew time was running out as he watched Andrew dodge another tube of flames.
Andrew screamed for Marcus. He knew he had to try to help his friend somehow. He pressed the crystal arrow against the bow. The silver wire drew back effortlessly as he aimed. Marcus focused on the black ball inside of the fire creature’s chest. He knew he had never hit a target this far. He watched the fire creature peer down at Andrew as he released the arrow. The arrow soared through the air, passing high near the platform between the creature’s view of Andrew. Marcus felt his heart sink. He missed. From where Andrew was standing he watched the crystal arrow fly through the air and past the beast.

The fiery creature, noticing the glass arrow fly by, turned toward Marcus, taking his attention off Andrew. A larger fiery arm shot out from the creature and into the tunnel where Marcus stood. Marcus jumped out off the edge of the tunnel, and back into the large room. The bow flew out of his hands when he jumped. Flames filled the tunnel next to him. The creature, realizing he missed, retracted the fire-tube back into his body and began to take aim again. Marcus looked into the tiny dark eyes wondering how long it would be until the heat from the flames surrounding him would kill he and Andrew both.