Quit Spamming my Email

Yes, I'm aware lots of folks know that I review books and products for Amazon, Hellnotes and other outlets.  That's cool.  But what isn't cool, it opening my email in the mornings and finding 20 to 30 requests for reviews that aren't anything similar to what I normally read or test.  Today's fun things were bath salts and artworks.  I've never reviewed either before so why should I start now?  Neither interests me.

Yes, I know a number of websites collect Amazon top reviewers emails and sells them to new authors.  Yes, I know how important reviews are for books (after all, I'm an author myself), but I guarantee that if you send me an email (often in a very bullying tone) wanting a review of your book - I will delete that email with the rest of the spam I get daily.

Bottom line, I review only in certain genres and certain gadgets.  If your stuff doesn't fall within those limitations, you're wasting your time (and mine).  Your best chance of getting a review out of me (especially for books) is friending me on Facebook, building a relationship and then pitching.  If I'm interested, I'll request your book (or product) for review.  Something else to keep in mind, especially for product reviews, is I will not pay for the product in any way and that includes shipping charges.

And for the publishers that I've requested books from - thank you for sending them.  But, please, don't send an extra book that I haven't requested.  Chances are that extra book will never get reviewed.

If this sounds a bit whiney, it probably is.  My time is just as valuable as the next person's and I hate having it wasted by those who refuse to take the time to understand how and why I do what I do.

Whirlwind of an Exciting Week

We've had a lot of good news this week with the first being that our short movie The Truth of Becoming has been accepted into the Hot Springs Horror Film Festival.  For two years, this is the festival we wanted to be a part of and we are very thrilled and humbled by the acceptance.  The festival runs September 26 thru the 29th, although we don't officially have the date or time for the screening.  I'll update the moment we find out.

For those that might want to read the story that the movie is based on it is available on Amazon for a mere 99 cents.  You can find it here.

In other news, Amazon has all of my print books on sale.  And while I'd love for you to rush out and buy them, you might want to wait until next month.  Amazon is rolling out a program called Matchbook and if you wait, not only can you purchase the print book - you will also get the eBook version for your Kindle for free.  Pretty good deal, huh?  I think so!  But, if you really can't wait, you can find the whole list of my books here.  

And finally, although we've known for a while, Kevin ('that' man) and I are going to become grandparents for the fourth time come February.  We are so very excited for our son, Justin and his beautiful, lovely wife, Christie.  I'm really looking forward to holding and loving on a baby again.  :)

Back Side of Fifty

Sometimes, you just step back and wonder - where did the years go.  My birthday is next week, and it takes me past the point where I can no longer reverse the numbers and jokingly say I'm younger.  Ah well.

So, in honor of that upcoming birthday, I've dropped the prices of all my books by a buck.  Well, all of them except the short stories.  Why would I do that?  Perhaps to entice new people to try out my books.  Also, a few extra sales might help fund some Jamison Irish Whiskey for my backside of fifty party next weekend.  Okay, so not really a party, just a few of our kids coming up to hang with us for the evening.

In order to make it easier I you - I've collected all the links right here on this post (even though, you can get to all the retailers by clicking the titles above).

Amazon
Amazon UK
B&N Nook
Kobo
Apple iBooks

As hard as I tried, I couldn't get the prices changed at Sony, Smashwords or Diesel.  And I apologize for that.  For some reason Smashwords kept crashing my browser when I tried to fill out the appropriate information.  :(

Also, in case you missed it  - an interview with my little self was featured on the wonderful Aaron Speca's blog yesterday.  Check it out here:  http://aaronspeca.blogspot.com/

A New Interview ad a New Story

I was lucky enough to be a part of an in-depth interview with Tim Flanagan on his blog "The Writing Life of a Simple Storyteller". It was a fun interview, because he made me think. Very few of the usual questions - more thought provoking ones and I think I took several days to fill it out completely.

You can find Part One (about being a writer) here

Part Two (focusing more on the publishing aspect) here

By tomorrow, my latest story, a 10,000 word novelette, should be available on Amazon for the Kindle. Titled "The Well" it combines myth and old style horror in a simple tale of a single mother and the need to have fresh water available for her family. It's a fun story and one of my daughters favorites (or at least that is what she told me years ago).

A Double Spotlight on Cassandra Dean

THE DIAMOND SERIES, BOOK 1

Owner of the Diamond Saloon and Theater, Alice Reynolds is astounded when a fancy Englishman offers to buy her saloon. She won’t be selling her saloon to anyone, let alone a man with a pretty, empty-headed grin…but then, she reckons that grin just might be a lie, and a man of intelligence and cunning resides beneath.

Rupert Llewellyn has another purpose for offering to buy the pretty widow’s saloon—the coal buried deep in land she owns. However, he never banked on her knowing eyes making him weak at the knees, or how his deception would burn upon his soul.

Each determined to outwit the other, they tantalize and tease until passion explodes. But can their desire bridge the lies told and trust broken?

THE DIAMOND SERIES, BOOK 2

Christmas in Freewill

Christmas Eve, the Diamond Saloon is empty of its people, and Pearl la Monte has a hankering to retire early. A pounding at the Diamond’s door rids her of such a fool notion. Her irritation rises when she sees the prissy, polite-like Garrett standing outside.

Ethan Garrett has a powerful need to gain succor. When the saloon’s voluptuous redheaded singer scowls at him from the threshold of the Diamond, he doesn’t stop to think on how his ire at her has disappeared. Or how he just wants to spend some time in her company.

When a blizzard storms in, trapping them, will they spend their time arguing or find their irritation for each other disguises something more?

Authors Bio:

Cassandra Dean

Cassandra grew up daydreaming, inventing fantastical worlds and marvelous adventures. Once she learned to read (First phrase – To the Beach. True story), she was never without a book, reading of other people’s fantastical worlds and marvelous adventures.

Fairy tales, Famous Fives, fantasies and fancies; horror stories, gumshoe detectives, science fiction; Cassandra read it all. Then she discovered Romance and a true passion was born.

So, once upon a time, after making a slight detour into the world of finance, Cassandra tried her hand at writing. After a brief foray into horror, she couldn’t discount her true passion. She started to write Romance and fell head over heels.

The love affair exists to this very day.

Cassandra lives in Adelaide, South Australia.

Her website - http://cassandradean.com

Links for Cassandra

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCassandraDean

http://twitter.com/#!/authorCassDean

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5016740.Cassandra_Dean

http://cassandra-dean.tumblr.com/

http://pinterest.com/cassandradean/

http://instagram.com/authorcassdean?ref=badge

http://cassandraandlucy.wordpress.com/

Buy links:

ROUGH DIAMOND

Decadent Publishing | Amazon.com | Smashwords | All Romance eBooks | Barnes & Noble

FOOL’S GOLD

Decadent Publishing | Amazon.com | Smashwords | All Romance eBooks | Barnes & Noble

FOOL’S GOLD

A giveaway will be done for the tours! How many copies throughout the tour?

Yes. Four US$5 Amazon.com Gift Cards + four ebook copies of any Decadent Publishing book from my backlist (not including Rough Diamond & Fool’s Gold)  Check the bottom of this post to enter.

Excerpt:

ROUGH DIAMOND

Lifting the glass, Alice studied its contents. “There is nothing quite like the enjoyment you get from a good whiskey. There’s the look and color of it, and the way it burns in the light.”

“It’s the same color as your eyes,” Llewellyn breathed, his own wide and empty of thought.

A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. That’s right. Fool me into thinking there’s not an ounce of calculation to your words. “Is it? Mighty kind of you to notice.”

A happy grin was her response.

Well now, she was surely going to enjoy this. Setting her own half-smile, she tilted her glass, watching as the whiskey caught the light of the candle. “Have you ever noticed the feel of glass? It’s smooth against your fingers, and though the whiskey burns you, the glass is cool. It seems strange, doesn’t it? That such fire could come from something so cool.”

Intensely aware of his gaze upon her, she brought the glass to rest on her bottom lip. “You lift the glass to your lips, and all that coolness rests upon your flesh. The scent of the whiskey hits you, sweet and fiery. Your mouth waters, and you can’t wait to have it inside you. Slowly, so slowly, you tip the glass, teasing yourself as long moments in want of its taste stretch unbearably.”

He no longer wore a smile. Dark eyes watched her as strong fingers dug into the glass before him.

A prickle washed over her skin, her heart a steady beat in her chest. With hushed voice, she continued. “Liquid slides down your throat. The flavor explodes inside you, a glorious rush of sensation that overwhelms and consumes. You curl your tongue, enjoying the lingering sensation in every part of your mouth. Then, you look at the bottle.” Finally, she met his gaze direct. No subterfuge. No tease. “And you know you can do it again.”

FOOL’S GOLD

Turning on her heel, Pearl marched off toward the stairs.

A weird kind of panic jolted through Ethan, one he’d never felt before in all his days. It was…he didn’t…. She couldn’t leave him. “Where are you going?”

She whirled to face him, her irritation plain. “I was seeking my bed before your arrival, and now I’m seeking it again. Help yourself to whiskey this one time. I got better things to do.”

Shoving to his feet, he strode to her. “Don’t just walk away when we’re discussing things.”

“We ain’t discussing nothing. You’ll be down here, waiting out the blizzard. I’ll be in my bed, doing what I was gonna before you arrived. That’s the end of it.”

Taking a step, she made to leave him. Again.

He grabbed her arm. “Don’t leave me.”

“Don’t tell me what to do.” Glaring at him, she stood before the bar, her magnificent hair slipping from its pins, her breasts rising and falling.

Abruptly, his mouth went dry. Clearing his throat some, he said, “You’re supposed to offer succor to those in need.”

“We’re closed, remember?” Paint-less lips pressed tight together, she glared up at him.

They were so close he could see the faint marks of freckles on her skin.

Pearl La Monte had freckles.

A kind of haze came over him, tightening his skin and bringing with it something all-fired powerful and completely unstoppable. All the years he’d known her crashed through him, all the times she’d flirted with him and meant something else, all the times he’d seen her perform on stage and wished he could have held such fire.

Grabbing her upper arms, he hauled her against him and, ignoring her shocked gasp, he covered her mouth with his.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NEW RELEASE BOOK BLITZ: JUMPER (Time Travelers) by Jeff LaFerney

Title: Jumper (Time Travelers)

Author: Jeff LaFerney

Publisher: Tower Publications

Publication Date: April 30, 2013

Genres: NA, Action/Adventure

SUMMARY

After spending three years in jail and others completely alone, twenty-four-year-old Cole Flint discovers an amazing ability—he can time-travel and teleport. He’s a jumper. So what should the motorcycle-riding, cage-fighting tough guy do? He should protect an innocent eighteen-year-old girl who happens to be in possession of the Staff of Moses. Following the direction of a trio of angels who are determined to shake things up in the Middle East, Cole pairs up with Hannah Carpenter and her pet grizzly while he also tries to change his past and learn the mystery of his birth. Curiously, the King of Jordan knows all about Hannah, and he’s determined to gain possession of the staff. He’ll do anything to possess its power, but is it possible that he’s no more than a pawn, manipulated in time along with Cole and Hannah? Jumper is a mysterious roller coaster of action and a time-traveling adventure that will keep readers guessing right to the very last page.

  

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon     *     Barnes & Noble

  

ABOUT the AUTHOR

Jeff is currently an 8th grade English teacher for Davison Community Schools. He coached for 25 years. In the past three years, he stopped coaching and has published three mystery/suspense novels. Loving the Rain, Skeleton Key, and Bulletproof are three stand-alone novels featuring Clay and Tanner Thomas. A fourth novel, a time-traveler action/adventure called Jumper was published on April 30, 2013. Jeff loves sports, reading, writing, and spending time with his awesome family.

AUTHOR LINKS

Blog     *     Website     *     Facebook     *     Goodreads     *     Amazon

The Wednesday Horror Writer Blog Hop

Yep, it's another one of those self-interviews, but I was asked by Mandy DeGeit to do this, so here I am.  Was also supposed to get three other people to sign on for next week, but, alas, two more was the best I could do.  So without further ado - here's my latest rumblings and mumblings.

What are you working on right now?

A dystopian novel set in the near future.  It is tentatively titled Party Lines and uses the locations and some of the people established in my novella Vengeance Is Mine.

How does it differ from other works in its genre?

Unlike many dystopian novels I've read - the story line of Party Lines is not very far-fetched considering today's political climate.

What experiences have influenced you?

Everything I've done, everything that has been done to me tend to show up in my stories.  What I write allows me to confront the demons or the demonized and work it through in my own brain.

Why do you write what you do?

I try to write the story I want to read.  For me, it's a way of figuring out what is happening in the world around me - whether that be a real or imagined thing.

How does your writing process work?

Idea, notes, research, plot, plan, write.  Basically in that order.  Then comes revise, rewrite, edit, rinse and repeat several time.  Pass the story on to my beta reader and then to my editor.  Rewrite and revise after each until it is the best story I am capable of writing.

What is the hardest part about writing?

I think if you ask any Indie Author - the writing is the easy part.  Editing is a booger for many, but I think the hardest part is the promotion.  Trying to get your work in the hands of those readers who will enjoy it the most.  That's the hardest part.

What would you like to try as a writer that you haven't yet?

I think I've tried writing in most genres already (except romance).  Some I've done well at (horror and thriller) other's like sci-fi, I've completely failed at writing anything coherent.  But everything I've tried has helped me grow as a writer - even if much of it will never see the light of day.

Who are the authors you most admire?

In the traditional world, there is of course Steven King, Robert McCammon, the late Michael McDowell, Margaret Atwood and Anne Rice to name a few.

In the Indie world, the first person to come to mind is Billie Sue Mosiman.  Not only can she tell one hell of a story, she's also prolific and helpful to those of us that are new to this whole publishing world.  She my hero and my friend.

Who are new authors to watch out for?

SuziM, Jaime Johnesse, Stacey Turner, William Cook and John Paul Allen.  All write incredible horror.


What scares you?

Snakes in the physical world (even in the nightmare world) - can't look at them on TV, in Books and will almost throw the laptop across the room when someone I'm friends with on Facebook posts a picture of one and it appears in my feed.

In the mental world - Alzheimer's - to lose my sense of self, I think would be the worst horror that could happen to me (or anyone else).

Look next Wednesday for posts from these fellow horror authors.


Kevin Saito

Kristen Duvall