What Geneva Dreams, a Wayward Pines Kindle Worlds novella

WHAT GENEVA DREAMS, a Wayward Pines novella set in the world of Blake Crouch's series, which will air on FOX in 2015. $1.99 for Kindle.

http://www.amazon.com/Wayward-Pines-GENEVA-DREAMS-Novella-ebook/dp/B00KCXMZZ8/?tag=hauntcompu-20

Psychological thriller LIQUID FEAR on sale for 99 cents this month

Amazon has seen fit to put the Kindle bestseller LIQUID FEAR on sale for 99 cents for the month of May as part of its Editor's Selections. Available for Kindle only!

Originally self-published, it's my bestselling book overall, peaking at #19 on the Kindle list a couple of years ago before being picked up by Amazon's Thomas & Mercer imprint. The sequel Chronic Fear is also available, at $2.99. I appreciate reviews, too--if you're broke, email me for a review copy at AuthorScottNicholson at gmail.com.

Laughingraccoon won the Happy Camper giveaway. So, Laughingraccoon, if you will email your address, we'll get the books and gift card out to you. Thanks, everyone, and don't forget to follow the newsletter for more giveaways, including a rare signed, limited edition traycase  hardcover  of The Skull Ring (only 50 made!)

After, post-apocalyptic thriller for Kindle, plus free Kindle books

After: The Shock is now out in most ebook markets--look for it on sale for 99 cents from Dec. 19 to Dec. 21 (more or less.) Otherwise, it will be $3.99. (This post-apocalyptic thriller won't be free through any of the outlets, although I may make it eligible for the Prime loans on Amazon--and remove it from the other markets--depending on how holiday sales go. So grab it fast!)

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AP6YRFS

Amazon.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AP6YRFS

BN.com: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/after-scott-nicholson/1113907177

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/After-The-Shock/book-fBjisootz0u_PUD1HK6KAQ/page1.html

If you want to see some of my research links, visit the book's page on my website. 

I also have a number of holiday specials rolling through, including some free Kindle books, with more to be announced. I will also be giving away three $25 Amazon gift cards to my newsletter subscribers, so if you haven't signed up, send an email to the Yahoogroup. Your address will never be sold, shared, or abused, and you will be the first to get big news, free books, and opportunities to win Kindle Fires and other prizes. Thanks for your support!

HOLIDAY SALES!

99-CENT SPECIALS

Dec. 17-20

The Skull Ring

http://www.amazon.com/Skull-Ring-Julia-Stone-ebook/dp/B003980ELA

Dec. 19-21

Crime Beat

http://www.amazon.com/Crime-Beat-ebook/dp/B004IK8FRI

Dec. 18-21

Too Many Witches (children’s book)

http://www.amazon.com/Too-Many-Witches-ebook/dp/B004WOXROG

 

BIG BOX SET BLOWOUT! DEC. 22 through Dec. 26
Sixteen box sets from bestselling authors!
http://smarturl.it/boxsets

FREE BOOKS

Dec. 18-20

Fangs In Vain

http://www.amazon.com/Fangs-Sabrina-Vickers-Vampire-ebook/dp/B00AK12TE4

Dec. 21-22

Duncan the Punkin (children’s book)

http://www.amazon.com/Duncan-the-Punkin-ebook/dp/B004S2CQFS

Dec. 24-25

Drummer Boy

http://www.amazon.com/Drummer-Boy-Supernatural-Littlefield-ebook/dp/B003F77EP4

Dec. 26-27

Kiss Me or Die

http://www.amazon.com/Kiss-Me-or-Die-ebook/dp/B0041D88TW

Dec. 28-29

October Girls

http://www.amazon.com/October-fantasy-paranormal-romance-ebook/dp/B00433TD0I


99 cent books after Christmas

Dec. 27-29

Disintegration

http://www.amazon.com/Disintegration-A-Mystery-Thriller-ebook/dp/B0048EL5M6

Dec. 31-Jan. 3

The Home

http://www.amazon.com/The-Home-ebook/dp/B009I5KI1O

Speed Dating with the Dead

http://www.amazon.com/Speed-Dating-Dead-ebook/dp/B003TZLWTG/

 

  

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Post-apocalyptic thriller AFTER for Nook and Kobo

Now out for ebook:

AFTER: THE SHOCK

The first book in the After post-apocalyptic thriller series.

A massive solar storm erases the world's technological infrastructure and kills billions. While the remaining humans are struggling to adapt and survive, they notice that some among them are...changed.



At BN for Nook

At Kobo
Amazon Kindle version coming Dec. 15

Author Harry Shannon

Author Harry Shannon is a talented guy and I was lucky enough to win a copy of his first collection BAD SEED way back when we both had darker hair. Since then, he's piled up the properties. A musician, counselor, filmmaker, author, family man--and guy.

 

What is the working title of your next book?The Hungry 3: At the End of the World, co-written with Steven W. Booth. The novel should be out in February, 2013. It concerns the further adventures of Sheriff Penny Miller of Flat Rock, Nevada, who is still braving the Zombie Apocalypse.

Where did the idea come from?

The first book The Hungry began as a short zombie story written for a charity anthology. Steven and I had so much fun doing it we continued on and finished the novel version on a lark. It sold very well, so The Hungry 2: The Wrath of God followed in August. We're still not sure if this finishes a trilogy or if we'll feel compelled to do more.

What genre best defines your book?

Zombies, baby! And tongue in cheek horror, I guess.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie? 

The actress featured on all three covers of The Hungry books is the lovely Ms. Gillian Shure, who co-starred in my micro-budged ode to 80's horror Dead and Gone back in 2007. She has become so connected in my brain with redheaded Sheriff Penny Miller it has become difficult to imagine anyone else playing the part. Our fans tell us Norman Reedus, who plays Daryl on The Walking Dead, has simply got to play her biker friend Scratch.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Sheriff Penny Miller and her friends hide out at a hunting lodge in the snowy mountains of Colorado, hoping to escape the zombie plague. It is not a Merry Christmas.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

All three of The Hungry novels are published by Genius Books, which is owned by my co-author Steven.

How long did it take you to write the first draft?

We do an outline first, emailing back and forth, working out just the key beats of the story in rough chapter form. Once that is set, Steven generally does the rough, I rewrite that and send it back. Once we get going the actual first draft (one pass for each of us) generally takes us about three months.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I suppose we'd be considered a mix of drama and comedy. We have loads of redneck humor, a touch of Zombieland or Shawn of the Dead, but the satire is mixed with genuinely creepy scenes similar in tone to the zombie work of Jonathan Maberry and Joe McKinney. Joe and Jonathan are friends of ours, and fans of Sheriff Penny Miller. In fact, Joe wrote the introduction to the first book.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I've always loved zombie lore, particularly the George Romero school and the 1970's classic Night of the Living Dead. I'm from Nevada, and often set stories and novels in that state. When we were writing the charity story, it just tickled me to combine those two and see how a redneck Sheriff in a small town might react to facing a horde of the undead. We began in the jail, in a salute to Rio Bravo, and it took off from there and became a series.

What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

You can read The Hungry: At the End of the World by itself come February, or buy and read the first two now and start from the beginning. Either way, be sure to make a very, very big bowl of popcorn, dim the lights and be prepared for a mix of laughs on scares. These novels have been a ton of fun to write, and we think anyone who loves shambling monsters is bound to enjoy reading them.

~

Speed Dating with the Dead free for Kindle

Okay, today's gift is Speed Dating with the Dead, a supernatural thriller. Inspired by an actual paranormal conference I held at a haunted Appalachian hotel--in the book, ghost hunters accidentally stir up demons. Free for two days!
http://www.amazon.com/Speed-Dating-Dead-ebook/dp/B003TZLWTG 

Burial to Follow is still currently free at Amazon but probably not for long.

I'll be signing paper books at Black Bear Books in Boone (Dec. 20) and City Lights Bookstore in Sylva (Dec. 21).

The Book That Killed My Career

Back in the paper stone ages, I had a nice start to my writing career. My first paperback The Red Church got a second printing and was picked up by the Mystery Guild Book Club as an alternate selection and sold a lot of hardcovers. My next book, The Harvest, sold even faster out of the gate, but it wasn't as good (I'd written it before The Red Church). At the time, bookstores were getting five to 10 copies of each book. I could go into a store and see a block of Scott Nicholson on the shelves.

And then The Manor happened. I didn't realize it at the time, but the old "order to the net" effect had hit me. If a store ordered five copies and sold three, they'd only order three the next time, and you'd sell two. With The Manor, I was only getting two copies on the shelves. Hard to find. It didn't help that the publisher's chosen title was bland, the cover said nothing, and that I was engaging in self-inflicted personal drama at the time. But the end result was that my traditional publishing career ended right there. The tragic part was that I'd just signed a three-book contract on the strength of the first two books, so I was stuck with a publisher that didn't have much stake in me anymore.

I can still remember the chill that went through me when I got my royalty statement. Sales had declined by nearly two-thirds. And I could not do much about it, because the stores would be making future orders based on The Manor's (lack of) performance. Meaning I would have an uphill fight to sell even that many copies on subsequent books. However, things did get a little better and They Hunger, the last book of the contract, was on the upswing (it's still in print, actually, for reasons I can't understand at all).

Despite my agent's best efforts and support, the numbers were a difficult obstacle to overcome, since New York works on perception--New York thought it already knew what I was, a low-performing mid-list writer. I can't really blame the industry. I guess they have to use some criteria, because so many books are of equal quality and they spend more energy weeding out books than they do selling them.

But, damn it, it was my book! I took my shot but a couple of months under a stacked system of disposable products wasn't worth sitting there with an out-of-print book for six years.I was so fortunate to be able to revive it, revise it, give it a new proof, cover, and title, and completely re-invent it. I am not saying I am a better publisher than my publisher, although I have a goal of selling more copies in a month than the publisher sold in seven years. I am saying I care a billion times more about the book than the publisher ever could--they have other books, other writers, other business pressures. I only have one me.

I revised it, got great editing and proof help from Neal Hock at Hock's Editing Services and a great cover from Neil Jackson, support from a bunch of great book blogs, and published it in every major ebook market. It's out there for all the world to love or hate or ignore.

I only have one career. I only have one book named Creative Spirit. Hell, the title pretty much sums up the theme of the book. You can't keep it down. This sucker is crawling out of the grave. It may not change the world, or prove that anyone did anything wrong back in 2004, but it is back! The manor is dead but creative spirit lives forever.

Welcome home, kid.

###

View or sample Creative Spirit at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Kobo, Smashwords, BN.com, or Goodreads.

Sean A. Lusher: Where Do Your Ideas Come From?

Something really weird happened to me recently and it led to a revelation that every other author has probably had, since I'm pretty far behind the times. Or, I might be somewhat unique and this doesn't happen to most people.

There's this drain in my laundry room that my washing machine drains into. It looks disgusting, the water stagnant and black, with some unknown green mossy substance growing in it. The sight has always creeped me out. The mossy stuff, though, is recent. And I found myself muttering, “What is that?”

As soon as the words left my mouth, I had an intense burst of ideas. Almost like a vision. A scene painted itself in my head, and, just like that, I had the groundwork for a new novella. It was as if the idea was locked in a box inside my head, and I just happened to find the key that unlocked it.

And that really got me thinking. Because, while not all my ideas are born of this manner, enough are to make me realize that this has been happening to me for years. I just never questioned it before. Well, I began to question it.

See, I've noticed that a lot of bigger name authors always skirt the edge of questions pertaining to where their ideas come from. I've always found it weird, until I began to realize a lot more about the publishing industry, human nature and the world in general.

It seems obvious now that ideas are generated from inspiration. And inspiration comes from a huge variety of places, but usually from other media. Books, films, art, etc. Personally, much of my inspiration comes from video games.

I think that a lot of authors feel awkward about admitting just where exactly they get their ideas from because, well, if you're a good author then generally you read a lot of books and, in turn, the books inspire you.

But everyone seems to forget that old saying, the sincerest form of flattery is imitation. Combine that with the fact that in our age of instantaneous information transfer and it becomes nearly impossible to be truly original. All you can do is put your own spin on the idea and deliver the best piece of work you can.

Now, personally, I'm super paranoid about imitation. There are some projects, what other people have told me are great ideas, that I'm still stalling on because I think they too closely resemble other, more official, pieces. With how sue-happy America is currently, well, it just gives me that much more of a worry.

But I wonder, am I a minority or do lots of others share this fear? And, if so, how many great pieces of work are we losing out on because the author is worried about ridiculous copyright infringement laws? Since my wife assures me that I'm being crazy and overly paranoid, as I'm wont to do, I haven't scrapped those ideas and still plan on using them. Someday.

Another reason I think we're afraid of fully admitting where our ideas come from is because we feel we might lose credibility. I mean, there's already enough people out there who think that writing isn't a 'real job' and doesn't even deserve payment. Why give them more ammo by admitting your latest idea came from watching an old episode of Scooby Doo?

In his book of short stories, Smoke & Mirrors, Neil Gaiman, the best living author I've ever read, gave a short explanation of each story. In one of them, he admitted that the idea came when a fan mistakenly asked him if he had written the script for a Baywatch reboot. (Neil had actually worked on the recent release of Beowulf.) And it was a great piece, too, made greater by learning its hilarious origin story. But, even then, at the end of it, he states, “Look, I don't give you grief over where you get your ideas from.”

But I think it would be better to 'cite our sources', so to speak. It's a way to help people understand what they're getting into. For example, if you say, “Well, my latest book was inspired by Stephen King's Duma Key and the video game Alan Wake.” Right off the bat, anyone who read Duma Key and played Alan Wake will have an idea of what you're talking about and might be that much more interested in seeing what you've got to offer.

Ultimately, I think everyone needs to be more open and free with where they gather their inspiration. The writing world would be a better place.

Author Bio: Sean A. Lusher is a horror/mystery author planning on expanding into more genres. He lives in Columbia, Missouri with his wife, some roommates and a few cats.

His novella, Liberation Road, is available for sampling at Amazon. His blog is This Thing Called Writing.

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Slow Zombies and Halloween

We hardcore horror fans think of Halloween as "Amateur Night," since we're 365/24/7, but there's no reason not to throw some extra monster love at the end of October.

While I prefer ghosts as my favorite supernatural entity, if you take it to the level of creatures, I have to give zombies the nod over their fang-bearing, red-eyed brethren in arms. The Night of the Living Dead ranks in my Top 10 pantheon, and last year I even participated in first zombie walk  I just love the relentless nature of the living dead, their relatively calm persistence, their focus on the prize. As you may be able to tell, I am a fan of the Slow Zombie.

I remember watching Fulci's Zombie on back-to-back nights in a theater in Chapel Hill, NC when I was in college. It's the only movie I've ever seen twice in a theater, and I have no idea what I was thinking. I even went alone to that second showing, so I must have been seeking some private connection with the horrors that unfolded (or maybe I just dug the groovy synth soundtrack). I enjoyed 28 Days Later but I find most modern zombie movies are too jokey and self-referential and attention-deficit-disordered, as if zombies have now jumped the shark (cue that really cool scene in Zombie where...well, just watch it).

I guess it's hard to keep fresh, and NotLD definitely borrowed from the The Last Man on Earth with Vincent Price. Even the old-school, Haitian zombie movies like I Walked With a Zombie captured an atmosphere of dread., instead of the shock-horror that modern audiences expect. I hate to sound like a grumpy old geezer ("Quit playing on my lawn, you kids!") but I would love to see a revival of the slow zombie, where the experience was less that of a shoot-em-up video game and more like, "It doesn't matter what you do, we're gonna get ya."

But, heck, I guess I'd still take a bad zombie movie over a good romantic comedy any day. Got any suggestions for good Slow Zombie movies?

(Zombie Bits, my Z collection with bonus material from Jonathan Maberry, Joe McKinney, and Jack Konrath, is available at Amazon, BN, Apple, and Kobo. The Murdermouth comic is still in development as I seek ways to raise funds for it.)



Thanks for sharing your list!
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Griffin Hayes: Malice and dreams

Where do writer’s come up with their ideas? I’m often asked this question and almost exclusively by non-writers. They ask it as though I were an acrobat from the Cirque du Soleil and they wanted to know how I managed to balance thirty teapots on my head without dropping a single one. The rather mundane answer I normally give has the tendency of wiping that look of incredulous awe right off their faces. For me, story ideas rarely come nicely prepackaged with a tiny pink bow on top. It’s a sloppy, Darwinian process where crappy ideas (hopefully) get munched on by stronger, more elegant ideas. More often than not, a single novel is really a series of ideas, all meshed into one. 

Predominately, the source of my inspiration comes from dreaming. These are snippets mostly. Tiny fragments which don’t seem to make a whole lot of sense on their own, but when connected to two or three other fragments, begin to take on the distinct shape of a story. 

Another place I mine for novel ideas - because mining is exactly what we do - are what I call my ‘what ifs.’ It’s something I do everyday and some of the coolest books and movies out there were born from this process. What if you were the last man on earth in a world filled with vampires? (I am Legend). What if the devil opened a shop in a small town? (Needful things). The list could go on and on.

I’ve seen this play out in my own work countless times. My novel Malice is a revenge story about a witch, condemned and executed hundreds of years ago, who has returned to even the score. The dream part of the equation came to me one night when I dreamt that an old hag was crawling along the floor, trying to get me. I could see her dirty fingernails tearing at the carpet and in her wake was a long trail of gore and revolting slime. I woke up from that one thankful it was only a dream.

The ‘what if’ part of Malice came when the following question popped into my head one day: what if someone was being hunted for a crime from another life they had no memory of committing? 

Now apart, those two pieces didn’t mean a whole hell of a lot. But together, that’s when something sinister began to take shape. 

So in a way the process is about swinging an imaginary pick-axe, scooping up the loose chunks that gather at your feet and squeezing them together to see how they fit. 99.9% of the story ideas I’ve had are terrible and rightfully end up in a sort of mental dustbin, just where they belong. It’s that .01% that I keep my eye out for and when you find those rare gems, you just hope you’re wise enough to rub away at the edges and recognize that beneath that rough surface lies something worthwhile.

 

View Malice at Amazon for Kindle:

http://www.amazon.com/Malice-ebook/dp/B005QCC122

 

Link to Griffin's blog:

http://griffin-hayes.blogspot.com/

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Be Nicholson's Agent: Book Blog Giveaways

Congratulations to the winners of the $200 "Like" giveaway. This week the giveaways are moving to the supporting book blogs, and many of these blogs have been helping me since the Digital Stone Ages of 2010. Since some of the posts are still being scheduled, be sure to drop back by here if you need a break from 9/11 commemorations, football, and the demands of little people with big eyes.

Fri, Sept. 9: Earth's Book Nook...Curtains
Sat, Sept. 10: Insatiable Readers ...Nicholson's Ghost Stories

Sunday, Sept. 11: Fang-tastic Books ...Ethereal Messenger

Tuesday, Sept. 13: Motherlode ...These Things Happened

Tuesday, Sept. 13:  My Reading Room ...The Skull Ring

Thursday, Sept. 15: Bookhounds 

Thursday, Sept. 15: Rex Robot Reviews ...October Girls

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Author Keith Latch

I've crossed paths with Keith Latch a bit in the horror genre over the last oh so many years, and I am pleased to have him guesting today. Keith describes himself as happily married, a father of one, career-minded and a little bit of a square. Nonetheless, at times, he finds himself looking to the stars for orbiting alien spacecraft and has been known to carry an enchanted sword in the trunk of his car. Oh, and that hockey mask and machete in the backseat…that’s just for Halloween…

 

1. You've been working in the small press a while. What's happening there as the digital revolution takes hold?

Well, I have to say that I was fortunate enough to find an excellent small press to publish my work. However, that was a different time, almost five years ago, which in publishing can be a lifetime. I enjoyed the experience and learned a lot from it, but now with the digital revolution, I can get the same things: editing, cover art, distribution completed on a timetable that fits me much better.  It’s also a little ironic that you ask. I’ve actually just yesterday received the rights back for three of my backlist books, at my request, from the publisher so that I can actually place those titles up for sale, independently, by mid-summer.

2. What do you see happening with the horror genre at the moment?

In my opinion, horror has always been a niche market. While it has a roller coaster market history, the actual horror fans are a small, yet loyal, group whether it is books, film, or whatever. It may come in vogue every few years, but the swelling in the marketplace that occurs when horror is the new fad…again and again…is a good thing, it allows new writers to emerge. When the bubble bursts, we see only the best and brightest continue to produce work, which in the end is a big win for the reader.

3. You've had ebooks out even before the Kindle revolution, right? What kind of difference has it made?

 I self-published A Ghost Story back in 2006, way before self-pubbing was acceptable. But through word-of-mouth and loyal readers, I actually moved enough copies to attract a small publisher. However, the first version of my first contracted novel Cemetery Things came out in ebook several months before the paperback. For a while, it did not feel like a real book. I still relish the day I got my first print copies. I was caught up with the nostalgia of the printed pulp. I wanted to hold the book in my hand. Back in that time, 2007 it would have been, ebooks were more a novelty than anything. However, there were a few ebook readers available. I actually picked one up from Fictionwise and tried it out. I liked it but the ease in which we have today to purchase and load books just wasn’t there. As time progressed, and the electronic market caught on, I saw more and more readers for the ebook versions of my novels versus the print.

Now, with self-publishing catching on, and the ease in which we can publish, I gain more readers each month than I did in a year with the small press.

At first I considered the ebook revolution both a curse and a blessing. We had more affordable content and a much more diverse catalog to browse. Unfortunately, I also knew that any ninny with a computer could type a few hundred pages, purchase a stock photo, and say they had themselves a literary masterpiece. After the last several months, I‘ve decided that was not so horrible. Instead of the so-called “gatekeepers” of traditional publishing, we could now use our own free will to decide what content we’d like to purchase and read. So I sample a few books, erase what I don’t like, and buy and then read what I do. That’s left me with many options as a reader and just as many as a writer because with the money finally flowing towards the writer, and a much better percentage, I am satisfied with a much smaller readership than I would have needed to be successful in the mass market paperback or even hardcover arena.

4. You write in multiple genres. Do you just follow your moods, an intention to reach different audiences, or is it a wide range of interests? And do you feel if that's made it harder to build what they keep calling the "author brand" these days?

I do dabble in many different genres; horror, thriller, science fiction, fantasy, and even a little romance (that one was a dare from my wife just to see if I could do it…she now thinks I can). I’ve even done a comic book project with Steve Wands, who has among many other things worked on a run of Green Lantern for DC and Mike Fiortentino, a very gifted artist. I actually write the way I like to read. I read voraciously everything from Scott Nicholson (editors note--I didn't pay him to say that but the 15 percent is in the mail) to Stephen King, to Brandon Sanderson, to Clive Cussler, to John Varley. As I write, I like to explore new terrain and seek out new stories that can sometimes be challenging. I feel that keeps the writing fresh and entertaining for the reader.

While it may limit my “branding” in certain aspects, I hope that my readers can identify in all my works, regardless of genre, that the stories are actually about people, relationships, and hope. No matter if it’s a horde of hungry zombies, a mysterious killer stalking the streets of Memphis, or the return of a long-lost friend who believes that all your success in life is due to him and he’s ready for his cut of the pie even if it means your death, I do think the same themes permeate my writing. I also hope readers begin to identify my name with a good story versus a category of fiction. 

Also, I think the ebook revolution has and technology in general has given writers a way to build a common community with not only other writers but also readers and even potential readers and I love the idea of that.

5. What's coming up next for you?

As I mentioned, I just received the rights back to my books A Ghost Story, Bestseller, and No Small Thing. I hope to revise those quickly and place those up for readers by August 1. I’m also working on a very ambitious science fiction project, which I’m very excited about. More details to follow…

Visit Keith online at http://www.keithlatch.com and follow him at twitter, his username is @keithlatch1

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When Things Get Bloody

A guest post by J.T. Warren on his novel Blood Mountain:

I love movies like The Last House on the Left (especially the old version but the new one gets the job done) or I Spit on Your Grave where the unlucky female protagonist is besieged by madmen who rape her and leave her for dead but instead of surrendering, the traumatized woman finds the strength not only to survive, but to get some blood-drenched revenge.  These kinds of movies and novels are often pushed aside as tasteless forays into the darkest corners of the human mind where decent people would never dare to tread.

They might have a point, but I've never been one to spend all my time with the decent folk.  And when I meander down the slope into those dark caves, I always find someone there who wasn't before, someone whose curiosity got the better of them and now that they've seen what was once so taboo, they are unwilling to leave.  The view from the darkness, you see, is a glimpse of genuine truth.  It may be horrible and unpleasant at times, but it is honest.  Many people would rather ignore that.  Personally, I love settling into a cozy corner down there in the dark, waiting for my eyes to adjust, and watching what happens when people confront their fears.

That's what I've tried to do in BLOOD MOUNTAIN.  There are some very unpleasant parts, some graphic descriptions, and, of course, an awful lot of blood.  There's a man named Victor who believes the End of Everything is fast approaching and it is his job to help "cleanse" the world for the coming Dark Time.  He wants Mercy Higgins to be his companion, his love, and he will get that love by any means necessary.  He even has a shiny collection of knives to help persuade her.  When Mercy and her father hike up the mountain outside of town, Victor believes it is his time to get what he wants.  Mercy will confront evil and discover the depths of human depravity and cruelty.  But Blood Mountain is no ordinary place.  Just look at the mysterious crows that circle the mountain and seem to lust for blood.  This is a dark place, no doubt, and in order to survive, Mercy must harness the darkness within her.  Sometimes that can be the scariest place of all. 

If you dare to travel where the decent folk would never go, please come to Blood Mountain.  Don't worry, I know the trail very well, and I know when we're being followed.  Stay close and I promise you'll make it to the end.  But you may get a little bloody. 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004YR8JHG

http://www.authorjtwarren.blogspot.com/

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American Horror at Smashwords

Bestselling urban fantasy author HP Mallory hosted me at her blog: http://urbanfantasyauthor.blogspot.com/2011/06/introducing-indie-author-scott.html. Check out her books, she is funny.

Heading off to the North Carolina coast for four days to do a little research for a secret project, as well as take a dip in the ocean. I won't be doing any fishing this trip but may get out on a boat or two. Also, I just released American Horror, an anthology I edited as a communal project. Featuring eight great horror stories from the likes of Maria Alexander, Joseph Nassise, Joe McKinney, Nate Kenyon, and more. Sample it at Smashwords

Mostly Human--four blokes, four continents!

Talent from across the world (and then there's me!) combined to bring together this little creature/horror/mystery tale with a swaparound. Out through Generation Next Publications for 99 cents, also through Amazon, BN and Kobo, SOny, and Apple through Smashwords. Though it's been out a while, we haven't taken the time to properly introduce it to the world--so I hope you give it a taste.

Steven Savile is a UK bestseller from Sweden, Steve Lockley is a multiple award winner in Wales, William Meikle is a a Scottish writer living in Canada, and I'm the boring old U.S. guy who just lives in the U.S. It was a real honor to work with this international group!

Scott

New column, new book

My column for  Indiereader.com talks about the Indie Gig and how publishers trained writers to be successful self-publishers.

Also, if you like movies, and who doesn't, why not give my screenplay for The Gorge a read? It's the adaptation of the 2007 novel They Hunger, only new and improved...leaner, meaner, and jucier. There's also an omnibus edition with three screenplays for $4.99!

 

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Archer McFall--the sequel

Since The Red Church is a perennial favorite and Drummer Boy is gaining ground, I have been exploring the idea of writing the third book in the "Littlefield series." While many of my earlier novels reference other fictional locations in Windhsake, Pickett County, and Whispering Pines, as well as Black Rock, these two books both have Sheriff Littlefield as a prominent character (though they are separate sets of events, Littlefield has a few "WTF" moments because he knows more than anyone).

My idea at this point its to bring Ronnie Day from The Red Church and Bobby Eldreth from Drummer Back back, and this time they are in high school. An older, more dissipated and perhaps bitter Sheriff Frank Littlefield (think: if Clint Eastwood did for Dirty Harry what he did to his western persona in Unforgiven) and that's where I headed. And, of course, Archer McFall is now back in town. Maybe in the same form, maybe not.

Do you have any ideas to share along those lines? Just guessing, I'd say the cover is likely to be red... Thanks.
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La Chiesa Rossa e Movie Books

Want a free signed copy of Thank You for the Flowers, my first paperback collection? Just write five reviews of my in-print books at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, or Shelfari. Email me at Hauntedcomputer At yahooDOtcom and tell me where you wrote the reviews, along with your address. I won't be reading the reviews or checking up. I will just mail the book. If you write 10 reviews, I'll throw in an extra free copy of my graphic novel Dirt

Why? Well, reviews help other people learn about the books. And even "bad" reviews help. The more information people have to make a decision about a book, the better. Plus I want to thank you for supporting me.

What have I been up to? Good question. In the past three days, I've published two screenplays and my first indie translated edition, La Chiesa Rossa, traduzione Paolo Albizzati. More screenplays coming up, and of course, the Kindle Giveaway blog tour is winding into its final week. Wow. It must be exhausting to keep up with me. Good thing I'm not paying attention, or I'd be tired, too.


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