Forums – Writers Warning – Mike Conway

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 4:58 pm Post subject:

An email received with the subject line "You're my last Chance" has sparked my curiosity and I would like to speak to others who may have received this same email.

Monday January 16th an individual by the name of Mike Conway contacted me from a newly registered gmail account. His email said that his power, water and other utilities were going to be shut off if he did not raise more than $500 in 48 hours and needed my assistance.

The number that he gave to contact him at was a Colordo Springs, CO based phone number.

The email offered me a join venture, where he would pay me 50% in profit from three software packages that he was offering to writers.

One of the software’s offered is based on Steve Manning's writing system. In addition he was offering writers the chance to purchase Steve Manning's system. If they did they would receive a $50 rebate on Mike
Conway’s software bundle.

Here is that original email. Please note that I have removed his phone number and address from the original email.

[hr:a4d1937f75]
-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Conway [mailto:removed]
Sent: Monday, January 16, 2006 6:19

PM
To: removed
Subject: You're my last Chance

Dear Rose, My name is Mike Conway. My phone # is (removed) and my email address is (removed.)

I'm in real trouble and I beg you to listen. My power, water and other utilities are going to be shut off if I do not raise more than $500 in 48 hours.

This is not a joke - please help me. I've sold a few resale items in the past and have a little experience at doing this... While I don't know the
Internet as much as I'd like, I do know people and realize that you may be willing to offer your assistance if I can find a way to help you.

I received some advice from a friend who explained that if I did a joint venture with a list such as yours, and offered you a percentage
of the sales as an immediate payout within 24 hours through paypal, that my problem would be solved. Also, the list owner could make a nice sum while helping me.

In my research, I discovered that you are well respected and have a loyal following. I'm sure that if you announce this product to your list, you could make a ton of sales quickly.

In exchange for doing this, I will gladly pay you back 50% of the entire profits. I have set up an affiliate program just for this purpose, and only for any joint venture partners who agree to help me out.

Actually, I have designed three software packages to help out writers. The first is called "Bust Writers Block!" and the way it works is it generates three random words that the writer needs to use in the first sentence of the first paragraph. he writer is instructed to write without thinking nonstop for five minutes (a timer is built into the program). Once the five minutes have elapsed, a bell sound goes off and the writer stops. This is great for practice and keeping new ideas flowing. The second thing this software offers is that you can put in your own three words and use the timer to write your own novel. When finished, the written segment can be copied to window's clipboard.

This is based on Steve Manning's writing system.

The second program is called, "Streamlined Outline" and helps the writer make outlining fun and easy by following the steps, screen by screen. This is very user friendly, and can help speed up a person's writing several times!

The third program is called, "Layout Library" and it contains the basics for every type of genre, wheter it be a fictional novel, screenplays, non-fiction, etc.

Once the programs have been completed, they will be sold either seperately or as a bundle. However, due to my predicament I would like to offer your life a pre-published special price. The regular price for each software is $77, $197 and $47. The bundle would be sold for $299 ($22 savings!). However, the pre-published price I would like to offer for the bundle is $149 (little over half off for the entire bundle!). This will also
include video tutorials on how to use the products, as well as bonus pdf's that will also help out both beginners and pro-writers.

I'm confident that if you and a few other people help me get the word out about this great product bundle, I'll earn enough in the next 48 hours to
keep my power and utilities.

Please do not dismiss this as a joke. Again my name is Mike
Conway. My phone # is (removed) and my email address is (removed)

I truly need your help and my family's life depends on it. This is the *best* idea I could come up with considering the pressure I'm under and my lack of experience on the Internet.

I am telling the honest truth and I pray from the bottom of my heart that you can hear that...

If calling me helps you decide, please do that, or I will be happy to call you!

With respect and appreciation in advance,

Mike Conway

PS - Again, my power is scheduled to be shut off tomorrow (Tuesday) evening. Please respond as soon as you can.

Thanks!

PPS - When you sign up for the affiliate program, a cookie will be placed on to the prospective buyer's computer. This means that if they buy now at this price, or later at the full $299, you will still earn a 50% commission!

PPPS - I would like to increase both my own and your chances
at making more money, so here is a possible scenerio to add to this offer for your list, which I call the three-pronged approach. First, on the site the buyer will be offered the chance to buy Steve Manning's system (Steve produces an excellent system on speed writing that takes care of
writer's block and helps writers get their books written and published. More on him if you want more information). If they do so, they will get a $50 rebate on the bundle (to be paid out by myself via paypal at the end of the month - thus no out of profit expenses for you!). Also, I would like to offer a one of three services that the user can choose if they buy the bundle as an added bonus: 1. free editing of their manuscript, 2. free crituque of work AND a written testimonial for their novel, -or- 3. free book cover designed by a proffessional artist. However, if they would rather purchase the service and not the product, they can do discount at a 50% discount (which you again will get 50% profit as my joint venture affiliate!).

[hr:a4d1937f75]

Already questioning the credibility of the email- a Google search
for Steve Manning returned Author Holly Lisle website, where she shares her experience of Steve Manning's writing course in several articles. One of them being- Scam-Spotting: If it looks Like a Scam, it probably is by Holly Lisle. http://hollylisle.com/fm/Articles/scamspotting.html

When I asked Mike Conway who the friend was that suggested I join a venture with him.

This was his reply.

[hr:a4d1937f75]

From: Mike Conway [mailto: removed]
Sent:

Tuesday, January 17, 2006 7:18 PM
To: rose@ removed
Subject: Re: You're my last Chance

Thank you for your response! To answer your question, my friend (who is also my mentor) is Marc and Terry Goldman. Marc has been helping me to understand how to do JVs and he showed me how to find great writing ezines such as yours.

Blessings,
Mike

[hr:a4d1937f75]
Marc and Terry Goldman are marketers. They offer a course "Joint Venture Secrets Revealed.” I of course voiced my concerns over Marc and Terry Goldman's course and this was his Mike's reply

[hr:a4d1937f75]

From:

Mike Conway [mailto:removed]
Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 9:09 PM
To:

rose@removed
Subject: Re: You're my last Chance

Rose,Thanks for replying again. I understand if you're uncomfortable, and a bit of healthy skepticism never hurts, right? Don't you think that you should be contacting your community social services?

I have, and the local LEAP has helped us out. Problem is, the people
we're living with haven't paid their bill in, like, months, so even the help that they're giving us isn't going very far.

As a bit of an update, the people at the power company told us that we weren;t to be shut off today, but that it was IMMINENT. Yeah, the lady we're living with panicked. We have SOME time and we think that we can do a lot in that short amount of time.

I have a number of concerns here.

Of course. :-)

One you registered a new gmail account to contact me.

I like to use multiple e-mail accounts to help me keep track of different projects and other things. I have a seperate account just for my Yahoo list
mail, and another for investing. That way I don't have to go through crowded e-mail boxes looking for a specific thing and possibly missing it (it's happened to me waaayy too much in the past, and I missed some important opportunitues).

Take no chances, right?

I have never heard of you before.

Of course. Like I said, I'm just starting out.

There are several warnings on the net regarding Steve Manning "Write a Book Fourteen Days" Course. I'm aware of them, although I read them after I bought his system. However, I bought his system and have used it, and am being published in multiple places as a result. I'm pretty
satisfied with it, since I always had the typical writer's problem of not knowing where to start, and we all know the perpetual problem of the dreaded "Writer's Block!" I don't have that problem anymore.

I've also talked with Steve on a few occasions, and he's a neat guy to
talk to.

Marc and Terry Goldman are internet marketers. Your joint venture sounds like a scam and if Marc and Terry joint venture plan consists of lying to Good honest companies, then perhaps some sort of warning should be brought forth and this should be handed over to the proper authorities to investigate.

No, they're honest people, and many successful companies have
been started because of joint ventures. They've also been helping my partner and I get a marketing plan going (which should help me when I get off my tuckus and actually get my first novel finished).

Spam is illegal.

Yes, it is, and it's not a tactic I want to use. I don't have an e-mail harvesting program (not that I'd know how to use it), and I wrote
to you personally. I know it probably sounded like it might have been a form letter, but I don't feel like beating around the bush. I needed to just be honest and tell you my story.

Again, thanks for writing with your concerns. In the future, I might also like to talk about my own books in your forum (When I found you, I thought about subscribing to your newsletter. I'm also publishing stuff by women). Let me know what you think, if you'd like to pass, or if you'd like to help out.

Blessings, Mike Conway

PS - When the software is complete, I would be more than happy to give you a review copy free of charge. One of the three programs have been completed (the Bust Writer's Block) but we have a strange bug in it, so my programmer is working on it as we speak. The other two are being worked on, and we hope to have the software completed by the end of this month.

[hr:a4d1937f75]

At a request to be directed to his websites, he gave the address of his website dsemedia. Right now the website is pointed at a lulu storefront for Darkstar Eclectic Media because he lost his website hosting with his prior domain reseller. Darkstar Electric Media is supposedly a publishing company that branched out into many areas of fiction and non-fiction. The information that he has within in his domain whois, is not accurate.
I wrote him back and asked for him to provide me with an email address that wasn't a free account, preferably the one given to him by his internet service provider. This was his reply.

[hr:a4d1937f75]
-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Conway [mailto:removed]
Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 10:20

PM
To: rose@removed
Subject: Re: You're my last Chance

Rose, I'll tell you what, I don't think this conversation is really going to do either of us any good if we continue. We're going to drop it right here.

To answer your questions, my phone is through Net10. I'm sure you've seen the commercials. It's a pay-as-you-go service. Check at
any local Wal-Mart or www.net10.com.

As for my personal e-mail, I'm not going to give that to you. Sorry, but I don't give it out too much, especially since I've started getting a
lot of spam from Nigeria.

I do have hosting, just having technical problems with pointing

my domain name to it. These things happen.

No, you're not the only person I've written to. You may be a stranger, but if you don't ask, you don't get anything.

Straight up, 2005 was a bad year for me. I lost literally everything. I'm living in a friend's basement and am pulling myself out of the hole I'm in, along with my life partner. We have hit a snag right now, namely with the utilities, but instead of being like a street begger and trying to beg
money from people, I decided that it would be great to offer something of value that would help people, and also to help other people make money off of my product. Yes, it's a little bit a desperate measure, to take pre-orders for this, but it's better than nothing.

Thank you for your time, and I'm sorry to have inconvenienced you. I am a newbie and I'm probably going to make some mistakes, espeically in joint ventures. I want to make money, and I want to help
other people make money. Win-win situations are the best. They feel good, and the karma's better.

God Bless and Hare Krishna,
Mike

[hr:a4d1937f75]

If you are planning to join a joint venture with Mike Conway, ask yourself these questions -- What kind of individual does business this way? Who in their right mind would email a stranger out of the blue with a sob story and then ask them to go into a join venture? Who is this Mike Conway?

Why didn't he email from his original email address?

What are your thoughts?
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