Hurricanes Suck

And they blow.

This blog looks abandoned, doesn’t it? For a writer, I don’t seem to do much writing…not on the blog, anyway. I can’t blame it on Sandy, either. I wasn’t on here even before she blew in. She did leave us without power for four days, but I have to be honest about this–by that third day, the husband and I had pretty much hit our stride. We could have gone longer; we had a generator. We’d already given up on the fridge, and the heat was nonexistent, but we had hot water and television and internet and the local pizza place was still delivering. We didn’t need much more; who would?

Did it give me extra insight into a post-apocalyptic society? Not really, I mean, we didn’t have a gas shortage and we didn’t have to chain our generator down and I wasn’t in fear for my life. We didn’t have to abandon our home. We didn’t have to comfort children (if you don’t count the one small breakdown I had where the husband had to give me a bracing hug).

But of one thing I am now morally certain: I will probably not survive an apocalypse. I’m too soft, too weak. Too mechanically challenged. Too sentimental. Too prone to migraines and random acts of clumsiness and stupidity. (I tripped backwards down my steps the other day [only two] and sprained my ankle...who trips BACKWARDS?)

So, it’s pretty lucky I was born with a healthy imagination, isn’t it?

Housekeeping

This is one of those housekeeping posts. Not enough info about any one thing to carry a column, so we’ll touch on everything.

This week, Born Lucky gets its turn in the freebie bin on August 29 and 30. Sales overall have increased with each free period, so, although I don’t fully understand the mechanics of it…it is working. Here is the Kindle link:

http://www.amazon.com/Born-Lucky-The-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B006NZWQT4

 

Grab a copy for yourself if you are Kindle inclined! And don’t forget, you don’t need a physical Kindle. If you have a smart phone or a tablet, you can get the Kindle ap and set up an account for yourself. If you do get the book, remember to go back and leave me a review. A lot of boards and blogs won’t post your book until you have a lot of reviews.

The Blood Run Trilogy is available on paperback through Amazon! I am very excited and thanks once again to the husband, the covers are really beautiful. I would venture to say that they are my favorite thus far. I will be bringing the trilogy to the Valenzano Wine Fest in September but we are only going to have a limited quantity so you better grab it the first day. I think they would make a great Christmas gift. Links to the paperbacks:

http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Run-First-Promise-Trilogy/dp/1478396644

http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Run-Two-Riders-Trilogy/dp/1478398671

http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Run-Last-Chance-Trilogy/dp/1478399457

The online sales of Blood Run have been good and I think it might be because of the extra exposure it received from doing the free promotion on the first book. I had been watching a few books do the free thing on Amazon and became interested in a horror book called “Alex” by Adam J. Nicolai.  In the author’s blog, he recounted how he went from two or four book sales a day up to ninety to a hundred and twenty books a day (over time). Granted, his book has almost all five star reviews. I’m sure that has helped sales. I downloaded it and read it over two nights and it’s an entertaining read. Scary and heartfelt. Sad. Redeeming. All in all, deserving of its ratings. So if you get a chance, check it out. Link here:

http://www.amazon.com/Alex-ebook/dp/B006FA7Z8E

 

In the meantime, I will watch as “Stephen King, A Short Story” rises through the ranks all on its own. Lots of interest in that little thirty-some-pager I wrote. Might have something to do with the title…? Link here:

http://www.amazon.com/Stephen-King-Short-Story-ebook/dp/B008JNU5AA 

The Devil, set free

So, we are doing this promotion where The Devil Stood Up Kindle book will be free for two days in August, the 15 & 16. This is supposed to help boost awareness of the book (theoretically). I’m a little nervous about putting Devil out there for free because of the content. I have read horror stories where people will grab a book just because it’s free regardless of whether it’s a genre they normally read…and then they’ll trash it in the reviews…because they don’t enjoy that genre.

Does it make sense? No.

Can I see it happening? Oh, yes…very much yes.

Anyone who’s read the Devil knows there is some tough stuff in it. I don’t really ever feel the need to justify the content; if you are at all aware of our world, you already know that it’s not a ‘new’ story…at least not in the case of the crime that is detailed. However, I am not so obtuse that I don’t understand the people who have a tough time reading it. I’ve read various forms of horror for as far back as I can remember, but like anything else, it’s not for everyone.

It will be interesting to see what happens.

If you’d like a free Kindle copy of The Devil Stood Up, download it on August 15 or 16 once the price drops to $0.00. If you like the book, consider leaving me a review on Amazon. It doesn’t have to be fancy…a few words would suffice. And mention it to other readers you know. I feel it would make for some good book club discussions.

Click Here for the Link!

Selling the Devil

So, this week I sold the shopping rights to “The Devil Stood Up” to an independent film producer. The producer, Lawrence, is the brains behind “Zombie Etiquette”–the show I was interviewed on last year. In case you don’t know (which I didn’t) buying the shopping rights means that Lawrence has an exclusive right to try and get backing to produce a movie based on the book.

 

http://www.amazon.com/The-Devil-Stood-Up-ebook/dp/B005LH6AQU

That in itself is pretty exciting news, but the more exciting part to me is how the producer ‘sees’ me: he sees me as a writer. And that’s because he only knows me in that light. Which is weird and wonderful, since most people I know probably think of me primarily in my role as an art director who also just so happens to goof around with writing.

When this producer and I discuss Devil and creative process and marketing, it makes me feel legitimate. A ‘real’ writer. I know (as the people who support me have kindly told me and as they might have to keep telling me) that I am a writer already, because I write. But I still struggle, in large part because I’ve not yet been ‘real’ published and that definitely lessens what I’m doing to many (most?) people. Tell people you wrote a book and they are impressed; tell them you’re self-published and they back away, averting their eyes, and mumbling, “Oh, um, that’s nice, I guess.”

In other news. The new short story collection is coming along and I did an early release of a few of the stories. “Stephen King, A Short Story” is getting a lot of looks and good reviews. Here is a link if you feel like checking it out. It’s only for Kindle right now.

 http://www.amazon.com/Stephen-King-Short-Story-ebook/dp/B008JNU5AA

 In other, other news. Monster Mania is almost here! The husband and I are very excited and I’m looking forward to seeing some of the people we met back in the winter. It is in Cherry Hill at the Crowne Plaza again and it will be August 17, 18 and 19. I’m pretty sure we will be in the front celebrity room again so look for me! http://www.monstermania.net/MMC22_GUESTS.html

Blogging

So, when the husband and I began to research indie publishing one of the tenets was always blogging. You have to, so the research said, blog as an indie author. Why? Mostly for the purposes of marketing but also to display your writing prowess. I get that, but here’s my problem with it: I’m writing a book right now. I am right now, currently, (almost) every day, using any bit of my spare time to write another book. Call me crazy…but I think the next book is more important. It is certainly more (to me) engaging.

Speaking of engaging, here’s the other problem with blogging (as a writer of fiction): my life is monstrously boring. Seriously. It is sedentary, slow, and taken up with the usual day-to-dailyness of work, laundry, cooking, dishes, vet appointments, doctor appointments, oil changes, trips to Target, trips to the grocery store, to Petsmart…the only exciting thing in my life is what pours out onto the pages.

So that leaves me with a conundrum. Redirect time and energy away from the small scraps of time I get to write the books so I can write this blog…or give up the blog (to a degree).  I have mostly been giving up on the blog as you can see from the dates. And that’s not ‘good’ marketing.

The marketing aspect of indie authoring is tough. You’re supposed to Facebook, Tweet, blog, Goodreads,  LinkedIn, Tumblr…and I’m sure there are others that I don’t even know about. But how do other authors do it? How does one keep up the marketing and still get books written? I think the answer, unfortunately, is that one doesn’t. And most authors seem to sacrifice writing another book to the altar of marketing.

Sales, while good, fluctuate wildly. There is no correlation (that I can see) between the marketing I try and do and the sales numbers. I have to believe that eventually my fan base will expand and the sales will expand accordingly. I am going to assume that I am in this for the long haul. The long haul means having a good library. That’s why I am going to keep on the track I’m on. I’ll hit this blog when I get the chance, but mostly I am going to write.

And not feel guilty about it.

The High Handed Changing of Time and Holidays

First things first, I am pretending that this Sunday is last Sunday, but without moving the holiday. That way, I have not missed a Sunday of blogging. I know you are asking yourself: "But, Chris...what will I do with all the memories I accrued from last Sunday on?" I suggest repression.

Second things second, I have decided that Easter will now be a day of thanksgiving, now and henceforth.

Okay, so, what am I grateful for today?

ONE! My excellent neighbors, Nick and Sue. They came to Shawnee last Saturday (I mean, yesterday...haha...this time-shifting is tricky stuff, indeed) for the Shawnee Craft Show. And it's a good thing they came, because no one else did! I don't even mean: no one came to see me, I mean no one came at all! Okay, exaggeration. There were a handful of people. But all in all, it was a bust. None of the vendors were jumping for joy and running around with fistfuls of dollars. It was our first really unsuccessful event, too. Seeing Nick and Sue, who are supporters of the books along with just being excellent neighbors in general, took some of the sting out of the day.

TWO! Sally Casey and the wonderful women of the Leisuretown Literary Society. They invited me to come speak at their book club meeting last Wednesday. I had a wonderful time and though they seemed to like me, they were especially taken with my Husband. In a room of fifty women, was I worried? A little, yeah. Next time I speak there, I'll bring my sister to help me out. See there, Ladies of the Leisuretown Literary Society? Even now, a story seems to be forming.

THREE! I am grateful for Relpax, without which I would have had five days of lying in the dark this past week instead of five days in the light (nauseous and aching, but in the light, nevertheless.)

FOUR! I dunno...three things might be enough for now. I can only be so grateful for so long. Of course, I am grateful for the Husband, but I guess that should be assumed by now.

Fake It 'till You Make It

Writing books is time consuming, sometimes stressful, and very often an ongoing fight against self-doubt. Is there any voice harsher than the internal critic? I am learning to combat it with humor and bravado. Fake it 'till you make it, I guess.

Marketing books is stressful, stressful, and stressful. I'm tweeting and facebooking, goodreading and linking in, doing author interviews and blogging...it takes a lot of time and more than a little self confidence. Neither of which do I have in abundance.  But i'ts becoming another exercise in fake it 'till you make it. You have to be visible; you have to pique people's curiosity. I'm still figuring out the best ways to do that. I wish I could just post pictures of my boobs...it would be so much easier than trying to be actually engaging. Unfortunately, I  am not photogenic. In any respect. Ha!

We're getting a nice little following. I get kind and enthusiastic emails and am being invited to more book clubs. I have people who come to events to see me. It's exciting but more than that, it's friggin' encouraging.  I know that, in theory, I should be writing for myself...but I'm not.

I'm writing so that someone will read it. And tell me they liked it. And tell me they were entertained. And tell me they will be reading another book.

That's why I'm writing.