A Halloween Announcement

Happy Halloween!

On this auspicious day of candy and capers, I offer up an announcement guaranteed to rot your brain better than a year of candy bars.

There's a podcast going on.

Yes sirree.  After months of working out the details and tripping over ourselves through the whims of the weather, I've partnered with a fellow writer to put together Coffee and Catastrophe...Writers on a Caffeine High, a podcast on novel writing and the ever-changing realm of indie publishing.  We'll converse about general principles, the important rules of novel writing, my personal experience with many of the marketing websites out there, NaNoWriMo, and what it's really like to visit the Vomitarium.

You read that right - but you'll have to listen to find out more.

If you've visited the site within the past week, you'll notice a new tab at the top labeled Podcasts.  Or you can click on the link HERE and follow the few episodes posted thus far.  Each episode is just under thirty minutes, and the plan is to post new episodes weekly.

So join me and co-host William Brian Johnson as we explore this world of novel writing and self-publishing.  Or just laugh at us as we try to navigate our way through the podcast experience. Either way, we promise a wild and interesting ride.

Couldn't Wait to Read Maze of Souls

Well I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning last night.  Not to work on my upcoming release.  Not to edit.  No, I discovered right before bedtime that the latest Ellie Jordan novel had been quietly released.  No big announcement.  No fanfare.

So I thought I'd create a little of my own.

Once again, I posted a review this morning/noonish on Amazon and am cutting and pasting said review here.  Enjoy!

Book Blurb:
It's October, and down at newly opened Pine Hollow Farm, the ghosts are running wild!. This “genuine” old-time family farm offers a big heap of fun fall activities. You can drink cider fresh from the orchard, enter a pumpkin-carving contest, and explore the five-acre corn maze. At night, if you aren't too scared, join the haunted hayride through the woods, featuring a genuine eighteenth-century cemetery. According to local legend, the ghost of a horseman has ridden the old dirt road through the woods for nearly two centuries, menacing travelers. Hayriders beware!

Then the real ghosts start to come out, threatening visitors to the farm and the family who live there. Paranormal detective Ellie Jordan travels out to the remote farm to root out the dangerous spirits. Ellie and her assistant Stacey must move fast, because the night is coming when all ghosts will be at full strength and free to roam—the night of Halloween.

My Review:
I just saw the book was available last night, bought it, and stayed up half the night reading it. One thing I like about this series is that they are not so short you feel ripped off, and yet they are long enough to give you a good flavor of the story and the characters within the situation they find themselves. They can easily be read in a handful of hours or less - and I enjoyed this one better than book 5, though still not as much as the earlier novels.

Ellie continues to wrestle with fevered dreams of Anton Clay, the pyromaniac spirit who killed her parents when she was younger, and he will never stop until he has Ellie too. Working to trap or chase off other ghosts helps to keep her mind off of this one particular ghost. But work also has complications of its own when Calvin, her boss, tells her the sale of the business to a paranormal investigating conglomerate is a go. Now her surrogate father is moving far away, and Ellie feels as if she's being fed to the wolves.

Thank God she still has sidekicks in Stacey, her technical assistant, Jacob, their accountant psychic, and Michael, her firefighter boyfriend. But in this segment, many of the relationships are about to change.

About an hour from Savannah, a family farm near a small town has seen the ghostly activity pick up when they decide to try to make the inherited farm profitable by hosting a Halloween oriented pumpkin patch, corn maze, and haunted woods, turning the once sleepy property into the latest in agri-entertainment. But the ghosts are not happy about the hundreds of roaming strangers or the family occupying the farmstead and interrupting their nocturnal activities - and things become so dangerous the family has to close up shop. Ellie, Stacey and Jacob definitely have their hands full with this one, and with so many ancient ghosts Ellie begins to wonder if this will be a haunting the spirits will win.

Like I said, I enjoyed this story more than the last one because we once again were brought back to Ellie's personal struggles with the mystery surrounding the loss of her parents, the ghost of Anton Clay, and the question of what will happen to her now that Calvin has made the sale of his business official. We are nicely led along as the mystery unfolds by showing the reader instead of resorting to too much telling.

However, to a weirdo like me who reads too much and who knows too many things about history, the mystery was very easy to deduce. And the other situation (sorry, can't say anymore without giving something away) was so obvious from the start that I couldn't believe Ellie or Jacob didn't pick up on it at all, what with Jacob being psychic. In other words, there was little here that didn't turn out as expected. But I still enjoyed the story and was rather freaked out by how a couple of things were portrayed. Shiver me timbers!

There was also a sense that this story was rushed without fully fleshing out some of the characters (particularly the family and that whole dynamic) as in previous books, situations that weren't adequately investigated, etc. But the biggest issue I had with this novel is that editing appears to have been quite rushed. I was very surprised at some of the more basic mistakes such as words missing, transposed, or the wrong word used (like bad instead of bed for one). There were also two very glaring continuity issues that stuck out. On one page, we're told Ellie heard back from Grant and that the property was too far away to be part of the Savannah area historical records. But then a few page turns later, Ellie is still waiting to hear back from Grant. Then toward the end, Calvin is driving his specially rigged truck and the next page Ellie is turning the corner and is now driving. Easy fixes, but not up to the standards previously set by this series, and that is the only reason I bring them up.

Did I like this story better than the last one? Yes. As much of the first four? No. Do I wish some of the characters and situations were a little better fleshed out? Yes. But did I enjoy reading the story and getting another little taste of history? Yes. And for that I give this sixth novel in the Ellie Jordan series four stars.

Purchase by clicking here on Amazon Barnes and Noble and wherever else eBooks are sold.

Author Bio:
J.L. Bryan studied English literature at the University of Georgia and at Oxford, with a focus on the English Renaissance and the Romantic period. He also studied screenwriting at UCLA. He enjoys remixing elements of paranormal, supernatural, fantasy, horror and science fiction into new kinds of stories. He lives in Atlanta with his wife, his son, and some dogs and cats.

To hear about future books by J.L. Bryan, sign up for his new release newsletter: http://eepurl.com/mizJH

Website: www.jlbryanbooks.com

Twitter: @jlbryanbooks

Hellhounds, Zombies, and Lich Kings (Oh My!)

Hellhounds, zombies, and lich kings - oh my!

Continuing with our October script, let me introduce you to another series I've enjoyed that possesses elements of the season - and that little scaredy-cat me can handle.

A few years ago, I came across Becca Andre's The Final Formula series and found myself immersed in a genre I never thought I'd enjoy - that containing zombies.

Yes, it's true.  My son is the one in the family who loves most things zombiefied.  In a world filled with the undead these days, I've never jumped on that icky and stinky bandwagon.  Too gross and creepy for me by far.  So I was surprised when reading the first in Andre's series, THE FINAL FORMULA, to discover necromancers controlling the leashes of the zombie world.  But here it is a little less creepy and a bit more funny.

The real aspect of this novel that intrigues me is the mystery surrounding our female protagonist, Addie, short for 'Addled Alchemist'.  It's a moniker given by James, the young man who saved her life after she survived the explosive destruction of the Alchemica Academy.

Every alchemist's dream is to discover the Final Formula - the key to eternal life - and a Master Alchemist will do anything to find it. Anything.  Thus far no one has succeeded, but the night of the Alchemica's destruction changes everything.  However, Addie remembers nothing from that night - not even her true name.  The only clues she has to her past are the hundreds of formulas still occupying her brain and the nine tattoo bands encircling her biceps, certifying her as a Master Alchemist.  She's only missing the final one.

But Addie no longer senses a pull toward discovering eternal life - if she ever did.  All she wants to do now is spend her days peacefully puttering away in a lab - without blowing stuff up, mind you - and using her alchemy skills to help humanity and restore the good name of alchemists around the world.

But Addie's hideout with the Huntsman brothers is soon discovered, and a professional extraction team descends on Portsmouth, Ohio to capture the only known survivor of the Alchemica Academy blast.  What Addie never anticipated was being rescued by the Flame Lord, one of New Magic's elemental leaders.  But the Fire Element has a secret too, and if that information gets out to the world, it could spell all out war between the forces of New Magic and Old.

And Old Magic's ways are controlled by the undead.

Necromancers have lived among the world for centuries and adapted to the modern world by controlling that most applicable field of business - funeral homes.  But if the modern world knew their deceased loved ones were being embalmed and buried - and sometimes 'borrowed' for more nefarious matters - the Deacon and his family might find themselves more than simply out of business.  Even so, there are those among Old Magic who will do anything to seize power, even killing off the Elements of New Magic if necessary.

Addie finds herself thrust into the midst of this battle - with alchemy holding the potential of being everyone's saving grace.

THE FINAL FORMULA is a mix of mystery, intrigue, humor, and even some romance for those who enjoy a little (or a lot at times) heat.  There's a joke in that word, but you'll have to read the novel to find out why.  There is one racy scene and a few instances of strong language, but the focus of this first book is on discovering who Addie really is and what she's really capable of in the world of alchemy.

And it's the mystery that kept me coming back for more.  Pick up your free copy today at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or wherever eBooks are sold.

The Boogeyman Has a Name

If you want to up the creep factor this Halloween season, just pick up the third novel in JL Bryan's Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper series.  Of all five novels I've read thus far, THE CRAWLING DARKNESS has to be my favorite.  The mystery is entertaining and keeps you guessing, the history lesson of the Savannah area is intriguing, and the exploration of the character backgrounds really provide something to sink your teeth into.

Did I also mention this one is the creepiest?  On the verge of too frightening for me - but I made it through to the satisfying end.  I wanted to give myself a pat on the back, then hide under the covers for the remainder of the night just waiting for the sun-rays of morning.

'Cause the boogeyman is coming for a visit to a closet near you.  And no, I'm not talking about cuddly blue and green monsters who pretend to be scary.  In THE CRAWLING DARKNESS, the boogeyman has a name - a fearfeeder - and its power grows as it feeds off the deepest fears of its victims.  In most cases, children.  One moment it is a chainsaw wielding madman with a mask carved from strips of human flesh.  The next it is a nest of flesh-eating alien beings.  

It also embodies Ellie's greatest fear - the one that got away, but not before putting her boss and mentor Calvin into a wheelchair.  When Ellie's and Stacey's newest case returns them to a familiar street, Ellie knows she can't stop until this entity is destroyed for good.

But a fearfeeder takes on many forms, making it almost impossible to discern its true identity - and therefore capture it.  And it isn't immune from using dirty tricks to trap the team, turning the hunters into huntees.

A lovely three-story Victorian has been converted into three apartments and a small studio in half the basement.  The remaining half is a commons area with washers and dryers for the residents.  But something else lurks behind the locked furnace room door, crawling out at night like a giant spider from its lair.  In their investigation, a chance glance behind the door reveals an ancient well that was only covered over instead of filled in.  But someone has uncovered it.

And nameless evils crawl up from the darkness.

With Calvin's help on this case, the three investigators must come face-to-face with their deepest fears.  Ellie must weed through centuries of history to discern the truth about the evil occupying the land and discern who the faceless and nameless fearfeeder truly is in order to stop it.

Before another child vanishes in its clutches.

Pick up a copy of THE CRAWLING DARKNESS for your eReader from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and anywhere eBooks are sold.

Water Floods the Shadows

Since I'm such a fan of ELLIE JORDAN, GHOST TRAPPER, I thought I might take you on another journey with author JL Bryan this October night.  The fall weather seems to have disappeared in favor of summer again, but the ghostly offerings remain like an unquenchable spirit.

Even though the mystery is somewhat lacking in this sophomore release of the series, COLD SHADOWS is still a good story with enough chills, spills and bumps in the night to make you sleep with the lights burning bright.  The spills come from water, water, and more water flooding the shadows of the household in this second book, so be sure and grab your life jacket.  We also have the chance to see a little more of Ellie's backstory and her connection to the mysterious ghost who killed her parents.

The Pauldings are a kindly couple who have fallen on hard times and are forced to accept the graciousness of extended family, with the understanding they will spend some money fixing up the once grand Georgian home.  But when their rebellious teen-aged daughter secretly dabbles in the dark arts, she unwittingly awakens the sleeping spirits with secrets of their own.

Thirteen-year-old Juniper gets a wake-up call when her temper rises and objects go crashing about the room, the books on her shelf tumble off, and her clothes start flying out of the closet.  Is it simply the overactive imagination of an angry female on the verge of womanhood, a young girl searching for attention and significance, or something more malevolent?

Seven-year-old Crane is quiet and shy, unlike most boys his age.  Shortly after having moved into the old house, he develops a fast kinship with two imaginary friends.  Only problem - they might not be so imaginary after all.  And that makes Crane not-so-ordinary.

It's up to Ellie and her sweet and silly sidekick Stacey to discover the truth behind what really happened one horrible and frightening Christmas season - before the Paulding's son becomes the next victim.

Join me in reading COLD SHADOWS this Halloween season.  You'll never be able to look at a pond the same way again.  Or a belt.

Read the story to find out why.

You can pick up COLD SHADOWS at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and anywhere else eBooks are sold.

Pursuing the Paranormal

As in my last post, this is the month for all things spooky.  October is well underway and Halloween is fast approaching.  So if you're looking for something horrifying and horrible - look elsewhere.

However, if you are as big a scaredy-cat as I am, join me for a milder version of the ghoulish and ghostly with JL Bryan's ELLIE JORDAN, GHOST TRAPPER.

I came across this series a few months ago after finishing my latest novel and discovered the first book was free for my Kindle.  I quickly downloaded books two through four and am happily awaiting the release of book five later this month.  One thing I appreciate?  The books are mostly well edited and allow us to follow along with the story progression as it happens (showing), with little telling - except for some necessary fodder for those of us who are a bit paranormally-challenged.  They're all told in first person from Ellie's perspective, so there are no issues with jumping POV within a scene.  Each book is a standalone story, however there is still a continual theme and backstory to Ellie that we see a little more of with each passing novel - translation:  best reader experience if read in order.

The other thing I appreciate?  As a certified scaredy-cat, the books are focused more on the mystery surrounding the haunted properties of Savannah, Georgia and their netherworld inhabitants instead of simply about the creepy-crawly things that go bump in the night - though there's still plenty of that too, to satisfy the paranormal aficionado.

Ellie is a twenty-six year-old paranormal investigator, something rather uncommon among those who are of the scientific mindset.  When exploring a new client's property, she is first and foremost a scientist searching for practical and worldly explanations for the problems her clients face.  But Ellie knows there are some things out there that defy the norms.  At the age of fifteen, she witnessed firsthand the power of the paranormal - and she's determined to fight back against those entities that would threaten a child.

Calvin, her boss and a former police detective, was the investigator on her parents' case all those years ago.  Because he couldn't get rid of her, he hired Ellie when he retired from the force and taught her everything he knows about investigations and ghostly presences.  As true retirement now approaches, he drops a bomb on Ellie's lap by making her the lead investigator and saddling her with a too-perky, ghost-hunter wannabe.

As if Ellie's life needed anymore drama.

But they get more drama in spades with their next client - and it's not Stacey's fault.  A family has moved into the ramshackle three-story Marsh mansion, hoping to fix it up and operate the property as a bed and breakfast.  But within days, their daughter Lexa is complaining about noises keeping her up at night - and the terrifying face of a woman who says only one word.

"Leave!"

The parents believe it is all the product of an overactive imagination - until they start experiencing horrors of their own.  But the family can't leave.  Their entire life savings is tied up in the old mansion.  Their last hope lay with Ellie - and she is determined not to disappoint.

Until they find this haunting might be more than they can handle - and Stacey threatens to tuck tail and run away from the evil lurking between the veil.

So if you've a stomach for the supernatural this Halloween season, consider picking up a copy of ELLIE JORDAN, GHOST TRAPPER available free for your eReader at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and anywhere eBooks are sold.

Fun, Foibles, and Frolicking Phantoms

A chill is in the air.  A nip at the nose.  The wind moans across the moors.  The moon has eclipsed, and I hear a howl in the distance.

Yep, it's October.  You know what that means, don't you?  Halloween is on the horizon.  In honor of everything gusty, ghoulish, and ghostly, let's spend this month exploring some of my favorite books of the paranormal.

No, I'm not talking of the vampire and werewolf variety.  More like spooks and specters.  We all know by now that I'm a bit of a chicken when it comes to the creep factor and horror is definitely not my thing.  Therefore, the novels I'll be sharing are of a tamer variety, something with a bit of mystery and only a touch of the chills.

Our first outing of the month fits that description perfectly - and offers a heaping helping of humor to boot.  Years ago, I came across Kathleen Bacus' Calamity Jayne series and almost fell out of my boots laughing.  The humor throughout the series is constant, self-deprecating, and extremely irreverent.  Even though I always prefer to read a series in order, the third novel fits our paranormal pursuits best.  Since I bought them so long ago, the publisher has changed, which means the covers have changed (I liked the old ones better) and the titles have changed (I liked the old ones better here too).  However, the stories are still rootin'-tootin' good fun and that's what matters most.

The third book in the series CALAMITY JAYNE AND THE HAUNTED HOMECOMING (once called Ghouls Just Want to Have Fun) takes our intrepid cub reporter Tressa Jayne Turner from a story on homecoming king and queen to that mansion on the hill that has nearly made every brave resident in Grandville, Iowa wet themselves - Haunted Holloway Hall.

As the rumor goes, Miss Loralie Amelia Holloway was left jilted at the altar after her father paid off the proposed groom and made him disappear, leaving virginal spinster Loralie to spend her years wandering the family estate in her faded wedding gown clutching a bouquet of blood-red roses.  In death, she still purports to wander the grounds almost two hundred years later as the Lady in White, scattering rose petals and humming the wedding march while pining for that no-good, long-lost lover.

So why would any self-respecting (ha), hard-nosed (double ha) reporter go traipsing around the old three-story Victorian mere weeks before the veil between this world and the afterlife is at its thinnest?  To get the story, that's why - the biggest story this side of the county fair.  Or maybe Tressa will settle for a simple autograph of the greatest horror writer to ever come out of a small town.

But roadblocks stand between her and Ms. Elizabeth Courtney Howard - namely one Shelby Lynne Sawyer, the six-foot queen candidate to her four-foot king candidate, commonly referred to as Sasquatch and Tom Thumb.  After all, Shelby was the one who brought the story of the author's homecoming to Tressa in the first place, and she'll take it right over to the competition if Tressa tries to cut her from the interview of a lifetime.

Yet even though Lizzie is supposed to be staying at Holloway Hall with her assistant and driver, no one has seen hide-nor-hair of the reclusive writer as she works to finish her final masterpiece.  And all of Tressa's efforts give her zilch - except a little piddle in her panties from repeated brushes with Loralie.  But Tressa's not one to give up easily, not even when smoking hot Rick Townsend tries to distract her with clenches and kisses on the porch.

Hmm....maybe he'd have better luck with a chocolate cake.

Check out this load of fun, foibles, and frolicking phantoms this month.  Available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and wherever else eBooks are sold.

Scott Pinsker Visits on the Eve of Halloween

So on this eve of Halloween, I have an interesting little interview.  Scott Pinsker has authored the start of a series asking the question - is the Devil involved in a marketing scheme?  And which side would you be on if two men claimed to be the second coming of Christ?

It kinda gets you thinking a bit, doesn't it? 

Join me this evening in welcoming author Scott Pinsker to the interview table.

DAB:  Was there a point in your life that prompted your desire to write or have you always wanted to be an author?

SP:       Writing is a wonderful career option for introverts who yearn to be extroverts.  I guess what motivated me was a love of books – but also a dissatisfaction with books.  All authors hope to capture an emotion, or tell a story, in ways never before imagined.  We’re driven by this obsessive need to take a blank canvas – and then paint a picture of such poignant originality, others are inspired by it.

(And on a personal level, what better way to excise the demons in my head than to write about the Devil?)

There wasn’t one seminal moment that led me to be a writer, but a multitude of smaller moments.  I tried fighting it.  Lord, I tried fighting it!  But after the first few decades-or-so, I began to feel like I was constantly swimming upstream against the universal current, exhausting myself to stay some place I didn’t belong.

So I guess more than anything, I became a writer because I had exhausted all other options.

DAB:  That’s a good way to look at it.  What was the catalyst for this novel’s premise?

SP:       It was the extension of a bizarre thought-experiment: If the Devil was a real-life entity – and if the Devil’s primary objective was to win new followers – then what would be his marketing strategy?

As a publicist and marketing expert, I’ve worked with countless sports stars, singers and entertainers – everyone from troubled athletes to Saturday Night Live alums to various celebs-in-peril.  Most of the time, my job was to safeguard their reputations, rebuild their brand and monetize new opportunities.

But what if Satan was my client?  What if I was literally the Devil’s advocate? 

What would be the smartest strategy for the Lord of Darkness to activate new followers?

After toying with this idea, it soon became clear: All those horror movies have it wrong!  The Devil wouldn’t woo us with something as obvious as horns and a pitchfork… because it would be bad marketing.  Instead, a creature as old & wise as a 6,000 year-old Demon would recognize that very few people will do evil in the name of evil – but billions will gladly do evil in the name of good.

So what would be Satan’s best marketing strategy?

Why, it would be to pretend to be a savior.  And that’s what The Second Coming: A Love Story is all about.

DAB:  Bet you could find plenty of fodder for that marketing strategy these days.  Do you have a character(s) in your novel with whom you closely identify?

SP:       Oh, I closely identify with all the characters, God and Satan included.  In one way or another, every single character is a distorted exaggeration of something deep within me.  It’s not intentional, but sometimes I can feel my personality creeping in… 

Out, damned spot!

The Second Coming: A Love Story is a bit different, because every character is a modern retelling of a specific Bible character.  For example, Margaret Magdala is an update of Mary Magdalene – only instead of being a New Testament prostitute who sells her body, she’s an American attorney who sells her mind.  Each character is a rat trapped in a maze, searching for salvation, but heading down dimensionally different paths.

DAB:  Interesting!  Speaking of women, do you ever have difficulty writing from the point-of-view of a member of the opposite sex?

SP:       No.  I mean, as a guy, women continue to be a source of great mystery, intrigue and confusion(!), but I’m not writing from the point of view of women in general.  I’m writing from the point of view of one specific character, and the more I understand each character – be it a man, woman, gay, straight, old, young, etc. – the easier it is to wrap my head around ‘em.

I’ll give you an example: How would a woman react to meeting the Second Coming of Jesus Christ in a sleazy Charleston, South Carolina bar?  Scared?  Excited?  Titillated?  Beats me.  When it comes to the intricacies of the female mind, I’m the wrong fellow to ask.  (And how!)  Wouldn’t have a clue.

But I know exactly how Margaret Magdala would react: She’s haunted by a purposeless existence and an empty, emotionless heart.  (Margaret is often paired with another character named Peter who has the opposite infliction: As an addict, he feels and desires too much.)  Once you understand what makes your characters tick as three-dimensional, flesh-and-blood human beings, it’s not about male versus female, but staying true to each character’s personality.

DAB:  Who is your favorite character in your novel, and why?

 

SP:       There’s a satirical bent to the book that provided an opportunity to lampoon some of the biggest names in pop-culture, including a shock-jock-turned-conservative talk-show host named Nat Konrad, a slightly-senile cable TV personality named Matt Housinglaw, and an academic egghead who writes boring books that nobody ever reads named Solomon Basemath.

Skewering society’s so-called elites is always fun.

DAB:  That’s what makes life interesting!  :-)  How long did it take for you to craft this novel?

SP:       It took 15 long, tortuous years!  If I live to be 75, this book will have taken 20 percent of my entire flippin’ life!  In the immortal words of the great American philosopher Homer J. Simpson: “D’oh!”

I developed the initial concept in 1999 while attending law school in DC, and finished the initial draft a few years later.  But I was dissatisfied.  And so I continued writing and rewriting…

A ridiculous degree of research went into studying Christian theology, folklore and eschatology, and I’ve inserted hundreds of hidden clues and numerical symbols throughout the story.  But it was worth the investment, I hope.  And of course, a good portion of the 15 years was also spent developing the totality of the story arc: This book is the first third of a three-part trilogy.  (The sequel, Three Days Later: A Revenge Story, will be released in 2015.)

My intent is to offer readers the following transaction: In exchange for your time and attention – and Lord, nothing’s more personally precious than that! – I promise to give you something of immense value in return.  In fact, I’ll escort you on an idea-driven adventure that will challenge you, thrill you, piss you off and then make you smile.  

To me, writing is a solemn blood-oath between author and reader.  If both sides don’t benefit from the trade, then the transaction wasn’t successful.  Believe me, I worked VERY hard to ensure that you’ll be pleased with the transaction.

DAB:  Tell us about the moment you received your first real fan correspondence.

SP:       I was contacted several weeks back by a Norwegian fan who tracked me down via Twitter, requesting an autographed copy.  How cool is that?  (I’m @ScottPinsker, by the way.)

DAB:  Very cool indeed!  When I write, I have particular composers and music that gets me in the mood for certain scenes and characters.  Have you ever written to music?

SP:       Sometimes I write to music.  When I’m trying to write something intellectual, my preference is for total silence, but when I’m writing something emotional, music is a great stimulant.

My two all-time favorite performers are Tori Amos and Iron Maiden, by the way.  (I keep waiting for ‘em to go on tour together, but they never do.  What gives?)  It’s probably not coincidental that Tori Amos and Iron Maiden both entered my life during my tumultuous teen-years and tri-polar twenties.  Music is like an emotional bookmark: Just one note can transport you to any moment of your life.  I like that, because sometimes an author needs to poke at his bloodiest scars to trigger a visceral response.  In gamer-speak, music is a cheat-code. 

So is alcohol.  Alcohol and music both heighten emotions and loosen inhibitions.  Sometimes, that’s helpful.  Sometimes it’s not.

DAB:  Never tried the alcohol route to writing, so I’ll take your word for it and stick to music. There's the eternal debate whether to outline or not.  What is your preference?

SP:       I prefer an open-ended outline, because an outline represents your best thoughts and sharpest observations – but only at that time.  Chances are that you’ll continue to be thinking about your story while you’re writing, and it would be folly not to take advantage of your own imagination.  If you ultimately think of something better, definitely include it! 

Outlines are helpful, but only as a starting point.

DAB:  Agreed.  How do you handle negative feedback about your novel(s)?

SP:       I’ve developed a healthy, mature, five-part process for dealing with negative feedback:

Step One: Thrash arms & legs

Step Two: Swear vengeance against all who’ve wronged me

Step Three: Sob inconsolably

Step Four: Booze & Buffalo wings

Step Five: Give kids a hug

(Interestingly, this is also my strategy for dealing with Tony Romo’s boneheaded interceptions during the football season.)

Negative feedback is always tough on an author, because it means you’ve failed in the transaction.  Yeah, we all know that opinions vary and you shouldn’t view negative feedback as a reflection of who you are as a person… but sometimes you and your work are intertwined.

See, this is why I wouldn’t want to be the President of the United States: In 1991, President George H. W. Bush had an approval rating of 90 percent.  That’s the highest ever recorded… which means that 10 percent of Americans STILL didn’t approve of him – and in a nation of 300 million people, that’s 30 million citizens who think you suck!  Hey, if the best you can ever do as president is have 30 million people hate you, NO THANKS!  I don’t even like it when my neighbor doesn’t wave to me in the morning…

DAB:  So we better not harsh your buzz, huh?  Of all your novels, which one is your favorite, and why?

SP:       Hmm… well, not just novels, but my four all-time favorite books are Richard Bach’s Illusions, Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, George Carlin’s Braindroppings and Frederic Bastiat’s The Law.  It’s an odd list, but what all of these books have in common is that they kind of stick with you, even after you’ve finished reading – and better yet, even when you disagree with the authors’ conclusions.  I like that.  It’s what I’ve strived to emulate in The Second Coming: A Love Story.

DAB:  Usually authors are also avid readers - what are you currently reading?

SP:       [Laughs] Truthfully?  My Brother Sam Is Dead by Christopher and James Collier.  I read to my two little boys every night.  Sometimes my book choices are self-indulgent; I’ll cherry-pick the library books that I loved as a kid, ‘cause I want my children to fall in love with ‘em too.  We’ve recently finished Judy Blume’s Fudge books, Beverly Cleary’s Mouse & the Motorcycle series, and The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (which is a far cleverer book than I had remembered… I guess much of the irony flew over my 10-year-old head).  Sometimes these YA authors are awfully sly when it comes to the double entendre…

DAB:  Care to tell us what is next on your writing horizon?

SP:       Like I mentioned, The Second Coming: A Love Story is the first book in a trilogy.  I’m simultaneously writing the second and third books.

There are some really cool cliffhangers in The Second Coming and I can’t wait to reveal what happens next!

DAB:  Well keep writing then, but now’s your chance – give us the final plug for your novel.

SP:       If you love debating theology, politics and morality – or if you’ve ever stayed up late at night, trying to figure out why bad things happen to good people – then you’ve got to read this book.  It’s a playground of explosive ideas, but I must explicitly caution you: It’s not for everyone.  This book will make you think. 

Here’s the plot:

Two men claim to be the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.  Each claims the other is Satan in disguise – but

only one is telling the truth, and the reader isn’t told who’s who.  The United States soon splits along ideological lines, with Red America swearing allegiance to the conservative “savior” and Blue America (naturally) worshiping at the altar of the other.  A furious Culture War-turned-Holy War erupts, with both sides waging a win-at-all-costs marketing campaign to prove their savior’s supremacy.

It’s finally happened: Red America and Blue America are headed for Armageddon!

I’m a PR expert who has analyzed marketing trends and political brand-building strategies for FOXNews.com, Jewish World Review and the Washington Times.  This is, I believe, the very first thriller about God vs. Satan written NOT just from a theological perspective, but from a marketing perspective… because unlike God, the Devil is a marketer.

…isn’t he?

Thanks again, Scott, for stopping by and sharing with us about your novel and writing process.  If The Second Coming:  A Love Story piques your interest, be sure and pick up a copy at Amazon on Kindle or paperback.

Author Bio:
A celebrity publicist-turned-author, Scott Pinsker has worked with a vast array of Super Bowl champions, Grammy-winners and entertainment icons, managing everything from crisis communications to film properties. His analysis of publicity trends has been showcased multiple times on FOXNews.com, where he occasionally contributes as a marketing expert. His debut novel is The Second Coming: A Love Story. Learn more at www.secondcomingishere.com.

Something for Halloween in "Shadowcursed"

Let's travel once again to the fantasy realm, where magic reigns supreme, where spirits whisper in our dreams, and good and evil collide.

Join me as I explore Gelo Fleisher's debut fantasy novella Shadowcursed.

Book Blurb:
Bolen is a thief, plying his trade under the spires of an ancient and sprawling city. Worried that he's growing too old, Bolen has lined up a risky job, just to prove that he can still pull one off.

Tonight, he's going to break into a nobleman's vault and help himself to its contents. What he doesn't know is that inside is the key to a secret as old as the city itself.

Kings have killed for it, demons have coveted it, priests have prayed for it, and in a few moments it will be in his hands. And when it is, the adventure of his life will begin.

My Review:
I don't know if I'd call it an adventure, but it's definitely an intriguing read with equal parts fantasy and horror.  Oh, and I love the cover!  It makes me think of the medieval setting in the movie Van Helsing.

Bolen is an aging thief who's never known any other way to keep food in his belly.  His only friends aren't really friends, just those who use his skills to ply their own trade and fill their pockets.  But he's got to figure out something else to do to keep a roof over his head as age wears him down, because the thought of dying an agonizing death by losing his grip and falling from a rooftop has become a very real probability.  When the chance to break into the treasury of Lord Falasade presents itself, Bolen foolishly agrees.

He just never imagined one last job would lead to the gates of hell.

Lord Falasade's family has carried a secret that whispers through the night - a darkness of pure evil resides within the city, a life of death connected to the great ruling house that slowly slips even the strongest mind into fragile madness.  Once the torch passed to him, Falasade never had a choice in the manner of cruelty handed out to the people.  The evil eats away at his soul as the years pass, until an unlikely event offers a chance at reprieve.

But Lord Falasade's mind is too far gone to accomplish the task - and there is only one who possesses the ability to free him and the village from bondage and ultimate destruction.

It took a little bit to get going, but I eventually found Shadowcursed to be a good story in the fight of good and evil.  Once the story engaged me, the plot moved forward with additional characters and situations then quickly built into an explosive finale.  Bolen and even Lord Falasade became sympathetic characters as the story wove toward the finishline.  The evil character, Markus, was creepy and frightening, which is where the horror element really came into play.

Good showing usage kept the story moving as all of the elements came together.  There were a few places where I'd have preferred a little more development, as the events felt rushed and almost skipped over to the point they didn't really need a mention.  Bolen was nicely developed as a character, but I'd really have liked to see more fleshing-out of Lord Falasade.  The witch, Miina, a tool used by the evil character Markus, was really not developed in any way to the point I felt she wasn't even necessary to the story.  In truth, there was so much here that could've been utilized to tell a much longer and much deeper story, and I'd earnestly liked to have seen what would've happened with a more fully developed story as a whole.  There was a lot of potential here for an epic, full-length novel.

Editing was fairly clean.  Point-of-view had just a few moments where it wavered between characters, almost as if dipping your toe into the water - you're not fully in and yet you're not fully out either.  It stopped me a few times, but a minor change in wording would alleviate this sense of stepping into two character heads at once.

Overall, I enjoyed Shadowcursed, though I'd still love to see how this would develop as a full-length novel.  Right on the cusp of taking a good fantasy story and making it great leave me with a rating of four stars.

Purchase a copy for your eReader of choice at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Smashwords.

Author Bio:

Gelo R. Fleisher is an author and game developer. He lives in the East Coast, with his wife and daughter.

Some interesting facts about Gelo: He's lived in America, Korea, Japan, and Mongolia. He's a Certified Public Accountant and graduated first in his class from the Wharton school of business. His writing has won several literary contests and has been nominated for a Reader's Choice Award. His indie game development work has also won several awards and has been showcased in PC Gamer magazine. He loves hearing from people so feel free to email him!  Contact him through his website at http://gfleisher.blogspot.com/

Enter the Assassin's World in "Next Exit, Dead Ahead"

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be an assassin?  Not just any assassin, but one for the good guys fighting evil so prevalent in our world?

Now imagine the difficulties of trying to lead a normal life when your enemies are seeking retribution.

That's what we get today in C.W. Browning's latest release Next Exit, Dead Ahead.  Join me in exploring this exciting novel just in time for Halloween.

Book Blurb:

Alina Maschik expected to have a few quiet days alone in New Jersey.

She should have known better.

FBI Agent Stephanie Walker has a problem. Whenever Alina comes into town, someone ends up dead. When the enigmatic Damon Miles follows, that count is doubled. Now, a mere week before Halloween, Stephanie's main informant has gone missing. When part of him shows up in a reputedly haunted prison, the local attraction becomes the center of a macabre and baffling spectacle. As bodies start to fill the morgue, Stephanie must trust in Alina's particular skill set to prevent further bloodshed. But that trust comes with a price, as Alina and Damon bring their own brand of trouble, uncovering a sinister web of deadly intrigue reaching far beyond the familiar South Jersey suburbs.

A prison haunted by tortured souls, a puzzling federal investigation, a rising body count, and a pair of deadly assassins...what could possibly go wrong?

My Review:
Just gonna say this up front - I really, really enjoyed Next Exit, Dead Ahead!  It had equal parts creepy, intrigue, suspense, mystery, and a touch of humor and romance to make this a well-rounded read.  It's been far too long since I had the chance to review such an engaging novel.

We open with an introduction to Alina Maschik - code name Viper - as she's delivering a most important "package" back to British soil.  I assume this is closing out occurrences from the previous novel in the series (which I'd love to read also).  Alina then returns home to New Jersey, looking forward to some desperately needed off time, and finds herself dragged by her two best friends to a haunted house on the grounds of the crumbling old prison.  But nothing Stephanie and Angela can do in the fantasy world can ever scare her after everything she's experienced in the real world.

Especially where a certain hawk is concerned.

Damon Miles - code name Hawk - is a counterpart in the world of covert operations.  Rarely seeing one another since their early days of training, the last few missions have brought them into close quarters once again, and ignited a smoldering fire neither wishes to fan into a flame.  Their last mission together, however, has threatened to expose Hawk's real-world alter ego and take him out of the game played across the world's hidden stage.  Damon needs Alina's help.

Because someone besides the hawk is out hunting for blood.

The cast of characters here is wide and varied, which adds to the fun and intrigue.  Alina's friend, Stephanie, is an FBI agent who had a front-row seat to Viper's abilities in the previous novel - and now she's not so sure who this woman really is, but she definitely knows what she's capable of.  Couple that knowledge with the fact that her FBI partner, John, is Alina's former fiancee and things could get out of control real fast if Stephanie doesn't keep her mouth shut.  Angela is a completely different type of friend for Alina, which helps keep her grounded to the real world.  Whereas Alina is all black wrapped in mystery, Angela is flouncy and 100% girlie-girl.  Even dressed in a suit, she oozes feminine charm - but don't underestimate her ability to close a deal.

All the players come together when a cartel threatens to create financial Armageddon by secretly siphoning off billions from two of America's largest banks - and body parts start showing up on the haunted prison's grounds.  And just when Alina and Damon thought they were safe, the cartel comes after them and makes the mistake of targeting their friends.  Enter Viper and Hawk.

Great mystery here, with lots of little pieces coming from all different angles to keep you on the edge of your seat for what happens next.  There's a few gruesome moments, but I was pleasantly surprised how little language there was considering the genre and that we're dealing with hardened criminals and enforcement personnel.  It was a breath of fresh air not to have to weed through page after page of f-words (I can't even remember if there was a single instance here - I don't think there was but don't quote me on that).  Pacing moved along with only a few instances to come up for air - and they were needed.  Even in the midst of the crazy world of espionage and assassinations, the humor was present and accounted for on many levels - and I loved Alina's pet hawk!  Who needs a guard dog to keep the ex at bay when you've got Raven?

Even though I loved this story, there were still a few issues.

The constant back and forth usage of Alina's name and then code name in the same paragraphs at first confused me into thinking we were dealing with two different people.  Seemed strange she would refer to herself by her own code name all the time.  When in Viper persona, sure.  As Alina, not so much.

Point-of-view usage switched multiple times within scenes, a few times quite jarring, and with such a good story this was disappointing though easily remedied.  This was a pre-release review copy, so a few editing snafus may not have been caught yet such as poll instead of pole and some extra spacing at times between paragraphs (obviously not scene breaks).

As the story progressed, the eye narrowing of every single character became so prevalent I started counting them on each turn of my Kindle page, noting so many I just had to laugh after awhile to keep from groaning.  An abundant use of the words swiftly, silently, and slightly began cropping up as well the further along the story I read.  I know we authors have our favorite words and phrases, but these could be culled with another editing run-through starting from about the middle of the novel to the end.

Even with the above issues, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Next Exit, Dead Ahead and would be very happy to pick up the prequels in this series.  I can comfortably recommend this novel with four and a half stars.

Pick it up for Kindle or paperback on Amazon.  And don't forget to start with the first two in the series  Next Exit, 3 Miles and Next Exit, Pay Toll.

Author Bio:

CW Browning was writing before she could spell. Making up stories in the backyard with her childhood best
friend, imagination ran wild from the very beginning. When she moved to New Jersey from Kansas at the age of seven, those tales became written words as she adjusted to life on the East Coast. Her first full-length novel was printed out on a dot-matrix printer at the age of eight. Through the years, the writing continued as an enjoyable past-time while she pursued other avenues of interest, attending Rutgers University and studying History. In time, though, it became apparent where her heart truly lie. CW still makes up stories in her backyard, but now she crafts them for her readers to enjoy. She makes her home in Southern New Jersey, where she loves to grill organic steak and sip red wine on the patio.

Visit her at: www.cwbrowning.com
Find her on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/CW-Browning

Follow her on Twitter @cw_browning

Housekeeping and a Book Recommendation

Hello hello, dear readers!  I've a few things to share with you today and wanted to just congeal it all into one post.

There's still a week left to enter the giveaway of Running into the Darkness.  Be one of twenty-five readers to get your free copy.  As you know, I've been prepping for the marketing your eBook article and have received several tips from my fellow participating authors - one of which was a giveaway, which I'd never tried before.  Thus this giveaway of RITD was born!  Click below to enter.

And yes, the marketing article is coming next week!  I'm looking forward to sharing with you the various practical things I've done to find readers for my book.  Then there are the ways other participating authors have championed their work too, and I'm so grateful for their participation.  It's going to be chock full of simple things you too can do to interest readers, so tell all of the writers you know and don't miss it!

Lastly, I have a book recommendation for all of you suspense lovers out there - especially if you like an interesting heroine.  Gingerbread Man by Maggie Shayne is an intriguing story I read last weekend that kept me guessing, and as regular readers know, that's pretty hard to do.  The red herring was obvious early on, but it wasn't until well into the second half of the story that I was certain of the killer.  There was also an element I didn't see coming until probably the final quarter of the novel.  I really like stories that keep me guessing.

Be warned - the storyline centers around a pedophile serial killer and the cop who jumps on the trail.  This trail takes him to a small lakeside town where he meets a woman shattered by tragic events from the past.  But it's this woman who could be his greatest asset in hunting down the sick pervert who preys on the innocent - if only he could get her to remember.

Like I said, this was a surprising freebie and I ended up enjoying the mystery element in the storyline.  The overall writing style, however, needs strengthening.  Too much pronoun usage kept me gritting my teeth, but once the story grabbed and got moving it wasn't quite as grating.  The love story aspect between the hero and heroine also was a bit much, but that's likely just because I find romance annoyingly sappy and unrealistic.

So there you have it, folks!  With the Halloween season rapidly approaching, Gingerbread Man might be your ticket.  Watch next week for the marketing article, and don't forget to sign up to win a free copy of Running into the Darkness before the opportunity dwindles.

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A Scary Halloween Treat

On this, the eve of Halloween, I thought I'd take a bit of time away from edits of Piercing the Darkness to share a special post from a very special guest.  He's the author of numerous action and adventure books, mysteries and thrillers but what he has cooked up to share tonight is all-out, blood lust.  That's right - come one, come all and join the horror that is Gordon A. Kessler's Jezebel.

Gordon's Post:
I got the writing bug back in 1990 and started writing a comedy novel, until I found out that comedy wasn't selling unless you were an already established writer like Jay Cronley (Funny Farm, Screwballs).  I'd heard that horror was a closely related cousin to humor, so I started thinking I could take on the big boys like Stephen King and Dean Koontz.  Well, let me tell you, it was no easy task.

Sitting at the dining room table, I stared at the proverbial blank page I'd jammed into the old electric typewriter for several minutes, never coming up with even an opening line I liked.  I had no plot, no hero, no villain in mind, but I wanted words on paper.

About to give up, the family pet ferret came bounding around the corner from the living room.  "Jezebel," I said aloud, "ferret from Hell!"

A tiny ferret just wasn't threatening enough to center an entire horror thriller novel around, so I went back to work, trying to conjure up a larger, more frightening villain.  I think I came up with a really good one.

I'd been fascinated by how really sweet and timid the Great Danes I'd been around were, yet, how imposing and menacing they can look, and would be if any should ever "go bad".

So, I had my villain for a horror thriller called Jezebel - a huge, black Great Dane.  But making her the antagonist in the story was too easy.  How about making her the victim of someone seeking revenge - make her the sweet, benign dog that I knew most Great Danes to be, but have her and dozens, maybe even hundreds of other dogs forced into doing terrible things they don't want to do.  Now, I had a plot.

But I needed a good hero to deal with all these dog attacks and to get to the bottom of this wild story of revenge.  Who better to throw into the middle of a bunch of vicious dogs?  How about...the dog catcher!  How about the head dog catcher of a Midwestern city, who's going through a midlife crisis and being tempted by his seductive young and beautiful assistant?  Wow, I was about to have great fun writing this one!

Jezebel was my first novel.  I researched heavily and spent considerable effort in peopling it with deep, realistic characters that readers will feel like they know.  There are no superheroes in this book.  They have flaws, they are you and me.

I wrote Jezebel before I knew how to write.  Yet, it's a timeless story and may be my very best.  I guarantee it will frighten you!

For a sample of JEZEBEL, go to:  http://www.amazon.com/JEZEBEL-ebook/dp/B0053Y1JFI/

For a look at Gordon Kessler's other work, check out his blog at:  http://GordonKessler.com

Interview with William Brian Johnson

Today I am pleased to host William Brian Johnson, author of "Hell to Pay" from Hellfire Publishing.  Brian recently finished his Coffin Hop blog tour during the Halloween season and has taken time from his Thanksgiving preparations to talk to us about this supernatural horror thriller.

DAB:     Thanks for stopping by.  So tell us a bit about "Hell to Pay".

WBJ:     A man who thinks he's losing his soul, meets a man who has.  Detective Michael Bailey is an ex-alcoholic police detective investigating a series of murders, where the main suspect may be possessed.

DAB:     What prompted the novel's premise?

WBJ:     A drunken night of bad puns.

DAB:     Seriously?

WBJ:     Seriously.

DAB:     Okay, so then which character in "Hell to Pay" do you most identify with, if any, and why?

WBJ:     I think as a writer you tend to identify with all of them.  The characters themselves are bits of my personality mixed with other friends' personalities and traits.  I hate to say it, but the time I wrote it, I identified with Bailey the most.

DAB:     Why do you hate to say Bailey?  He is your protagonist, after all.

WBJ:     Bailey is a redemptive character, so he starts off with the entire world bearing down on his shoulders and isn't always the nicest individual.

DAB:     I see.  So were there any characters you found difficult to write?

WBJ:     Isabella.

DAB:     Bailey's girlfriend - why Isabella?  Was it just the aspect of writing from a woman's perspective?

WBJ:     Not only was it difficult to write from the woman's perspective, but I think the personalities I combined for Isabella's character clashed in a couple of instances and required a little rewriting and reinventing.

DAB:     How long did it take to craft this novel?

WBJ:     Too long.  Writing took about 2.5 years.

DAB:     But was that 2.5 years editing, editing, and more editing included?  Obviously it worked - you succeeded in securing a publishing contract, which can be difficult to do in today's ever changing market.

WBJ:     Nope, took me 2.5 years to write.  Editing took six years around sick parents, children being born, job changes, moving, in other words...life.  A couple of the topics in the book came to pass, a sick parent on their deathbed, the economy going to Hell, and I found the light at the end of a very long and dark tunnel.  I'm not denying happy endings exist, but as a close friend will tell you, sun shines on a dog's ass occasionally.

DAB:     I think most of us can understand that.  Let's talk more about the writing process.  There's always debate over whether or not to outline when starting to write a novel.  What typically works best for you?

WBJ:     I write pivotal scenes, then write the back roads to each.  I usually don't outline but will have notes.

DAB:     I'm a notes person myself as well.  Do you have any other writing pointers for our audience?

WBJ:     Listen to your inner editor but don't stop writing.  I've had bad critiques before, get over it and keep doing it.  Keep trying, keep writing, and someday you too might have a book you're proud of.

DAB:     Thanks so much for stopping by.  Please give us the final plug for "Hell to Pay".

WBJ:     "Hell to Pay" is a haunting story about the loss of one's life, redemption, and personal sacrifice.  This supernatural thriller is strongly based on Joseph Campbell's epic storytelling and mythology.  Buy my book.  It will scare the hell out of your Christmas.  Now available in e-reader format and coming November 23rd, "Hell to Pay" rises from the ashes in paper.  See http://www.hellfirepublishing.com/hell_to_pay.html for more details.

There you have it, dear readers!  If you'd like to have a nightmare before Christmas, pick up your eBook copy today or pre-order the paperback coming out this week.  Have a fabulous and filling Thanksgiving!