For students looking to get back in touch, here is a list…

Selected Courses Taught: Eric C. Gibson Ph.D.

A Complete List of Courses Taught is Available on Request:

Introduction to Archaeology (ANT 305)
The Anthropology of Biblical Societies (ANT 307)
Introduction to Anthropology (ANT 309)
Culture and Personality (ANT 310)
Evolution, Ecology, and the Diversity of Life (ANT 318)
Honors Readings (ANT 66H)
Practicum (ANT 371)
Seminar (ANT 379)
Health and Human Populations (ANT 357)
Global Stability, Conflict and Change (ANT 359)
Honors Thesis (ANT 379H)
Topics in Mesoamerican Archaeology (ANT 351)
Languages and Behavior (ANT 353)
Theory and Method in Anthropology (ANT 354)
Theory and Method in Archaeology (ANT 356)
New World Archaeology (ANT 355)
Practicing Anthropology (ANT 359)
Ecology (ANT 422)
Reconstructing Ancient Societies: An Introduction to Prehistory (ANT 306)
Prehistory of North America (ANT 342)
World Prehistory (ANT 369)
The Spanish Conquest of Mexico (ANT 378)
Prehistory of South America (ANT 381)

Occasionally I do write something…

Please stay tuned.

Kindle eBook Application for iPhone and iPod Touch

I think I just downloaded one of the coolest applications for the iPhone or iPod Touch.  Amazon has released the program so that you can read eBooks like Nine Lords of the Night on your iPhone or iPod Touch devices. Of course, the first thing I thought of, was the impossibility of reading Eric’s book on such a small screen. I had tried one other reading application on there, and had not been impressed. So, since the application is a free download via iTunes, I decided to give it a shot.

If you look at the reviews in iTunes, the application has received about 3 1/2 stars out of five. I read a lot of the reviews before I downloaded it, and was thinking that there would be all kinds of things I would not like, and that there would be problems with setting it up.

Well, the experience was painless, and reading on the iPod Touch (I don’t have the iPhone) has been fantastic! The setup took me about two minutes, and then another 10 because my credit card had expired that was linked to my one-click account. I got all that set up correctly, but failed to notice that there is a SPECIAL setup area for one-click purchases for the Kindle, so had to go back in and put that information there as well. That seemed like a waste of time, since my regular purchases were already set up correctly, but oh well.

Once it was set up correctly via my Amazon.com account, and then on my Touch device, I decided to try one of the ‘free’ book samples that were listed. Now, if you are on the iPod Touch device, you have to have a wireless connection set up for all this to happen. With the iPhone, not so. The download was painless and quick, and I was ready to read (sorry Eric – I didn’t buy a copy of the eBook, but I have so many of the hardcover’s around me!).

I will have to admit, the reading experience on the iPod Touch was fantastic! The text was clear, it was easy to start and stop, easy to ‘flick’ one page at a time, etc.  I loved it!  After a long period of time, your hand gets kind of tired, so you switch the device over to the other hand. I have glasses (progressives) and never had a problem with the angle, neck pain, or anything that normally happens when reading off small text. I really got into the book and was very saddened when the end of the sample came up. However, not to fear! The rest of it was free, and they had very conveniently put a ‘buy the book’ link right at the end of the sample. Of course, at that point, I was hooked and ready to spend the $9.99 to get the rest of it!

The most fantastic part of the application, is that it syncs perfectly with your Kindle (if you have one). Another words – start reading on the Kindle, get 110 pages into, and then pick up reading exactly where you left off on your iPod Touch or iPhone when you get a break at work. Then, when you get home, pick up the Kindle again and it knows what you had read while you were at work!  Fantastic! Another great thing, is that you do NOT have to own a Kindle (at $359 each) if you don’t want to.

Another great aspect? When you log into Amazon.com, and go to any of the eBooks, you can sample or download it to your iPod Touch or iPhone via an easy one-click purchase that shows up on the right side of your screen.  You can also get a sample, or the entire book! 

Let’s face it, Bezos is on a quest to get as many books out there as possible, and this is one heck of a way to make it easy!  And, if you want to read more, author Stephen Windwalker has created a $.99 eBook to tell you all about it.

The downside? Well, there were several compliants listed in the customer comments. A lot of the problems I saw, sounded like ‘user error’. Others, were for features that I thought weren’t necessary – text search? We’ve never had it on regular books, so why do we need it? I can see for technical journals, etc., but then, they can buy a Kindle for that!

The greatest weakness I saw, was the inability to get your periodicals on the iPhone or iPod Touch device. They don’t (with the current version) allow you to get your newspaper, etc., which you may have already subscribed to on the Kindle, on the iPod Touch or iPhone. Seems like a real limitation to me, but it may be a licensing issue they have with their clients. 

All-in-all, get this application for your device, and then download and read Nine Lords of the Night! At this point, there is no excuse not to…

Write a Review

From now until the end of January 2009, we invite you to review the book. We’ll send a PDF version to you FREE, if you promise to write a review on Amazon.com when you are finished by clicking here or visiting the book’s page on Amazon.com.  That’s all there is to it!

If you are interested, please email support[at]embella[dot]com.

Special Holiday Pricing!

I think the book makes a great holiday gift, so Eric and I  have a special offer if you order the book directly from this website prior to December 31st. We’ll ship it to you for $14.95, plus tax,  with free (book rate) shipping! Just click on the Buy the Book Now! tab (above).

If you can’t purchase the book, you can still help out!  I’ll send a PDF version to you FREE, if you promise to write a review on Amazon.com about the book when you are finished with it.  That’s all there is to it! 

If you are interested in the free offer, just email support@embella.com and we’ll send you the PDF version, plus a link to the review area for the book.

You can still buy the book on Amazon.com if you like, and they now have the Kindle version (ebook format) available for $7.99!

*reduced price and free shipping offer expires at midnight on 12/31/2008.

Greendiana Jones – Simple Living Lessons from the Maya with Eric Gibson

GreenTalk Radio Host Sean Daily discusses simple living, anthropology and lessons from the Maya culture with Dr. Eric Gibson.  You can listen to the podcast by clicking on the > arrow in the player below, or subscribe to the Apple iTunes Green Talk Radio podcast feed, or go directly to the Green Talk Radio Website, Episode 126.

 

Book People – Austin

Eric had the great opportunity to have a book signing at Book People in Austin.  For those of you not familiar with the area, Book People is probably the most popular book store in Austin.  Located just west of downtown, next to Whole Foods, it draws a unique crowd of visitors and book lovers.

Eric commented that getting the chance to have a book signing in Book People was clearly the highlight of his writing career to date.  He also teased the crowd with how well the sequel is coming along and where the center of action will be!

Meanwhile, while Eric was on the second floor of the store signing books, people where buying the book downstairs, since it was promently displayed right as you walked in the door!  Congratulations Eric!

“Remember the Alibi”: A Fine Time at Ray’s Bookstore

So as mentioned in the last post below, we were hosted by Ray Hengst at his mystery bookstore in San Antonio, for a memorable book signing event. His store, “Remember the Alibi”, is located in San Antonio at the intersection of Lockhill-Selma and West Avenue (right next to a Starbucks). Ray turned over a lot of space and helped make it a fine experience for all of us.

Throughout the afternoon people dropped in, friends, relatives and of course mystery buffs.  Any mystery fan in the San Antonio area needs to know that Ray has an incredible inventory in stock. He has everything from Michael Connelly to Ellery Queen. You can walk in unsure of what you want to read, talk about who you like, and in a few minutes Ray will have the right book in your hand. Trust him. The man knows what he is doing. For example, after he read The Nine Lords of the Night, he suggested I read The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson, which I enjoyed thoroughly and read over the course of one weekend. I will soon be reading the rest of his works.

Ray and Sue run the nicest place in town to buy and/or browse books. They are familiar with so many authors, and publishers and they command a depth and breadth of knowledge that one is unlikely to find anywhere else in South Texas.

Ray had another book signing there with Jack Grubbs author of Bad Intentions (I highly recommend it), and together he and I had an impromptu forum about writing, publishing, and plotting mystery novels. Ray had invited his clientele to attend and we had a good turn out. It was a blast. I don’t know how else to describe it. We all just had a really great time.

Thanks again Ray, for being a perfect host and for providing the San Antonio area with a great literary treasure.

Book Signing this weekend at “Remember the Alibi”

Ray Hengst, owner operator of one of the best book stores in San Antonio, recently sent out this email to his readership:

LOCAL AUTHOR: ERIC GIBSON WILL SIGN HIS FIRST BOOK 

NINE LORDS OF THE NIGHT

4PM SATURDAY JUNE 21   AT REMEMBER THE ALIBI

Ray wrote: Book people are good people.

One of the neat things about having a bookstore is meeting interesting people. This is exactly what happened when Eric Gibson walked into the store a while back. He told me that he lives in Helotes and had just written a mystery. Well, my ears perked up and I asked for a copy. He said that they were being printed as we spoke and that he would get one to me.

He did.

I read it.

All I can say is you should read it, too. But don’t take just my word, Sue read it and thought it was great.  She loves his style.

There you have it. The murder of a young graduate student at an archaeological dig in Chiapas begins a story that will take you from Mexico, to Harvard, and even good old San Antonio!

Oh, did I mention that Nine Lords of the Night is based on an actual unsolved murder?

Here is a link to Eric’s website:

http://www.ninelords.com  Hope to see you Saturday,

Ray Hengst

Remember the Alibi Mystery Bookstore

8055 West Ave. Ste. 101

San Antonio, TX 78213

210-344-7776

210-344-7734 fax

rtalibi@sbcglobal.net

If you are unable to attend the signing and would like to reserve a book, you can call us at 210-344-7776 and we will be happy to hold one for you. 

A Dream Comes True: My First Book-Signing Event

Years ago when I was completing the first draft of my novel, I would go to bookstores and see authors signing their books. I would say to myself, “maybe someday I will get to do that”.

Well, “someday” actually happened Saturday night. Bremond House Gallery in Elgin, Texas hosted my first book-signing event, as part of the Elgin Art Walk. I was introduced to my readers for the first time. They were very nice people. For about 3 hours, they dropped by, bought the book, and I signed it however they wanted it signed. I remember in particular, one reader liked the latin motto from my T-Shirt, ex terra veritas, (“truth from the ground”) and that’s how I signed his book. The time went by too quickly. My family and I had a great time.

It was really nice, meeting peple and talking to them about the novel. The people in Elgin were quite well-read, and very well-mannered and gracious. It was a night that I will always remember.

What I had not expected, was the incredible feeling I had when I watched someone leave the gallery with my novel in their hands. It was beyond satisfying…it was a feeling of fulfillment that is difficult to describe. My son Isaac, also told me that it was “way cool” to walk down the street and see people reading his dad’s book.

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