Don’t Cry Over Spilt…

Police Detective Larson’s Irish green eyes didn’t light up when Primerot explained the reason for our late night gatherings of the Fox River Writers Group. Larson apparently had no experience with horror novels or the creatures who create them. His interest was that huge blood stain to the right of the bar at Murphy’s tap in St. Charles.

Morty the barkeep tried to explain that it was his fault the blood was spilled, but Larson didn’t get it. What’s not to get? We all have our little accidents. People are so data-focused these days, not like frontier times when a little bloodletting was a normal part of life and nobody much cared unless it was their own blood.

When Larson asked to see the liquor license, Morty laughed. “I don’t sell alcoholic beverages in this establishment, detective.”

“What do you sell?” Larson rubbed his hand across the pull tap for one of the kegs under the bar.

The rest of us laughed except Primerot who took notes for her new novel Bloodlust.

I tried to be helpful. “You may have noticed, Detective Larson, that we are not exactly like the people you meet every day in your job.”

Larson had enough of us. “Pour a glass of whatever brew you have in this keg.”

Morty snatched a beer mug from the warmer oven. He raised the glass high in the air. Our entire writer’s group including Primerot, Nosebuster, Suckbreath, Dimsnort and me craned our necks with eyes the size of silver dollars, for those of you who remember silver dollars. Anyway, they’re big.

Morty grinned a little wider than most people’s mouths will allow. This little trick made Larson’s eyes light up. Certain he had the detective’s attention; Morty pulled the tap, filling it with red joy.

“What is that? Some kind of wine?” Larson had not yet made the connection between the sweet aroma of fresh kill and the rubicund liquid Morty handed to him.

The link became obvious when Larson gawked in our direction. We, who couldn’t resist that flavorful scent, had our mouths open wide enough to expose the full length of our three-inch needle sharp incisors.

Larson pulled his handgun. I think it was a Glock, but what do I know of weapons other than my own fangs? As for the blood stain on the floor, Larson should have arrived earlier when we wrestled for the privilege of licking it up.

Despite Larson’s tough guy exterior, we each had a share with Primerot taking the devil’s portion. She is, after all, our leader.

Read Hags for Free Now – Offer ends March 15, 2013
Download Hags for free this week only from Amazon for your Kindle reader by clicking here.

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Evil Incarnate at Your Local Coffee Shop

Ted Wilson had no intention of kissing a vampire hag full on the lips when he entered the coffee shop earlier than usual yesterday morning. With the local Twilight Coffee Shoppe operating a 24-hour Latte and Leave service, Ted knew he could caffeinate on the 50-minute drive down the Reagan to the Eisenhower to the Loop. Fifty minutes if you left before the morning rush which explained his stop at the Twilight Coffee Shoppe.

When the tall, extremely pale barista asked if he wanted the usual, Ted moaned yes, but when he opened the plastic top to pour in a little almond-flavored imitation creamer, he did not expect to see a blood-red brew.

“What’s this?” he inquired.

The barista flashed a toothy grin before announcing, “Oops, that one’s mine.”

Ted snagged the correct brew cup and slid his debit card through the machine. He headed for the door without the almond-flavored imitation creamer.

“Wait,” said the barista. “Please allow me to apologize profusely for the error. Entirely my fault.”

Ted, who by this time had a hand on the front door, spun about. “No problem.” He didn’t see the barista so he shrugged. When he turned to leave, he bumped into her.

“When I say apologizes profusely, darling, I mean profusely.” The barista planted her ample lips firmly over Ted’s.

Ted was not one to mind a pair of warm female lips connected to his own, but they must be warm. The barista’s lips were as cold as Italian sausage yanked from the refrigerator, not that Ted ever kissed a cold Italian sausage. He preferred his meat hot, juicy and well done, but that’s another story for a different sort of blog than this one.

When the barista pulled back from the kiss, Ted noticed her fangs. It’s hard to miss a pair of three-inch upper incisors on a woman whose beauty is in the range of oh… let’s say Morticia Addams.

“What the…” Ted began to say before he was interrupted by the insertion of the barista’s incisors into his jugular vein.

As I said, that was yesterday morning before sunrise. This evening, Ted returned to the Latte and Leave.

“Usual?” the tall, pale barista asked.

“Yes, the usual,” replied Ted.

Read Hags for Free Now – Offer ends March 15, 2013
Download Hags for free this week only from Amazon for your Kindle reader by clicking here.

After you read Hags, please give it a 5-Star review on Amazon. Thanks.

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Hags: Kindle Free Today Until Friday

Hags is my horror novel set in Naperville, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. For the next five days you can download a free copy for your Amazon Kindle. And if you don’t have a Kindle, you can download the Kindle Reader software free for your computer, smart phone or tablet. If you prefer the paperback version, it’s available for purchase on Amazon.

As one of my Amazon critics wrote:
“For a story dealing with such dark topics, Hags surprised me with its genuine humor. Once all the pieces are on the table, the story has a very distinctive and clever personality that flows quickly…. you'll find Hags a delightful read that may have something to say about fear, lust, greed, brokenness and most importantly, redemption.”

If you read a chunk of Hags on my blog the past several weeks, you know that Micah Probert is an ex-con who wants to clear his name after 15 years in prison for a rape he insists he didn’t commit. For this reason, Micah returns to his hometown of Naperville, Illinois, where he starts his first day by discovering a human-sized faerie flitting about in his backyard, a dead body in the parking lot behind his house, a pioneer ghost in his kitchen, and a local coffee shop that serves the darkest brew this side of Hades. Mix in a few black secrets, a couple of serial killers, a hot romance or two, and this novel takes you deep into the heart of horror in the suburbs.

I’m happy to offer this five-day free download of Hags. Here’s how we can make your Hags experience a win-win for both of us:

1. Click here to download your free copy of Hags from Amazon. Act by Friday, March 15, 2013, the last day of this free offer.
2. Read Hags and enjoy.

When you are finished reading Hags, please do the following:

1. Recommend it to your friends
2. Give it a five-star review on Amazon. This is important because five-star reviews help to sell books.

Read Hags for Free Now
Download Hags for free this week only from Amazon for your Kindle reader by clicking here.

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Discovering the Theme of the Novel

Your first job as a reader is to enjoy the story as a story. But noticing a theme as it weaves through the tale enriches your reading experience. It’s one way to rise to a higher level of reading. As you seek out theme in the novels you read, notice that the author rarely comes right out and tells you what it is. Theme is often one of the puzzle parts of the novel. You solve the puzzle with that “aha” moment of discovery. “This book is all about forgiveness.”

How do writer’s decide on a theme? Some authors start with a theme in mind. Others discover it the same way you do. As they write the novel, they begin to see recurring elements that in the end point to a certain theme. When this happens, the author will go back in the editing process and rework the story to bring out the theme more. A strong theme enriches the story, makes for a more interesting plot, and gives the reader a more satisfying story experience.

Have you had a chance to read my new horror thriller, Hags. You may read a healthy chunk of Hags free by clicking on the book cover icon after you click over to the Kindle version on Amazon. Available for your Kindle reader by clicking here.  The paperback version is available by clicking here.

Don’t have a Kindle reader? Download the free version for your computer, tablet or smart phone from Amazon by clicking here.

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Is the Location Appropriate to the Story?

You’re reading a fast-paced action novel when you find a disconnect with the scene you are currently reading and the action that came before it. There can be a lot of reasons for this. One of them is the location of the scene itself.

How does an author choose the “right” location for a scene? One way is to select a place that has some special significance for the plot or the characters. I start with a spot that feels right for the story. Later, I consider the symbolic value or the importance of the locale. My thinking process revolves around asking why the location “feels” good to me. Usually, if it works for me, it will work for my readers as well.

For scenes set in the Chicago area, consider my new horror thriller, Hags. You may read a healthy chunk of Hags free by clicking on the book cover icon after you click over to the Kindle version on Amazon. Available for your Kindle reader by clicking here.  The paperback version is available by clicking here.

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Does the scene reveal something new about one of the characters?

That’s one of the questions an author asks when reviewing their draft copy. When you’re reading a fast-paced horror thriller like my new novel, Hags, you can expect to learn something new about at least one of the characters in every scene. The scene might reveal a character flaw as the young lady swipes a few dollars from the bartender's tip glass. Or you may discover a new suspect in the behavior of one of the characters. You may find that the guy you thought was evil isn’t such a bad person after all. Maybe you misjudged him. You might even learn that the girl the guy thinks he loves is actually a royal pain in the left elbow.

The author should be giving you something in every scene to move the story forward and move the characters forward through their individual character arcs. Each major character goes through an arc of self-discovery or revelation. The character learns something. The character grows. The character is a different person at the end of the story then at the beginning. The way the characters change is through a series of incidents that take place in the scenes and chapters of the novel.

The thriller genre involves some sort of monster, human or otherwise. As the characters experience the intensity of the action involving the horrors committed by the monster, they grow from the experience. You can’t enter the dark world of evil doers and expect to come out the same person on the other side of the experience. Identifying character changes as you read a scene enriches your enjoyment of the story.

Read a healthy chunk of Hags free by clicking on the book cover icon after you click over to the Kindle version on Amazon. Available for your Kindle reader by clicking here.  The paperback version is available by clicking here.

Don’t have a Kindle reader? Download the free version for your computer, tablet or smart phone from Amazon by clicking here.

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What Should a Reader Find in a Scene or Chapter?

When you read a chapter or a scene of a novel, look for the opening hook. Does the author grab your attention in some way that raises the stakes for the characters? Do the opening sentences and paragraphs hold your interest?

The different genres hook you in their own ways. A romance might hook you through the beauty of the narrative description of the location, or it might start with a surprising kiss from a stranger. These are considered soft hooks. They grab your attention, but they don’t put you on the edge of your seat like a good thriller does. That’s because romance isn’t about the edge of your seat. It’s about the depths of your heart.

In a horror thriller, like my new novel Hags, each scene and chapter opens with a grabber. Something happens to set the stage for action. The best hooks do what the name implies – they grab your attention like a fish hook and pull you into the murky depths of the story.

As you move into the chapter, you’ll find the author revealing more of the secrets of the tale. In the early going for a horror, something is happening but you’re not sure what. Then, BAM, out of nowhere you catch a glimpse out of the corner of your eye. What was that? Well, that’s all you’re going to learn in this scene, but you have moved the story forward and you learned some other stuff, like the girl really does like the guy even if she does give him a hard time and doesn’t believe him about the events in the cave a few chapters back.

But you can’t rest on a few new facts and quick peek at the monster. The author has to move you forward into the next scene or chapter. And the means of moving you on is the hook. Oh, my gosh, Cecilia just fell through that hole in the floor we didn’t see before. I think she was about to kiss the guy. Can the hero find a way to save her? (BTW, none of these examples are in Hags.)

Read a healthy chunk of Hags free by clicking on the book cover icon after you click over to the Kindle version on Amazon. Available for your Kindle reader by clicking here.  The paperback version is available by clicking here.

Don’t have a Kindle reader? Download the free version for your computer, tablet or smart phone from Amazon by clicking here.

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What Genre Do You Like to Read?

Each genre of fiction has its own set of rules. In a horror or thriller like Hags, you spend a portion of the book figuring out what’s wrong and who or what is causing the problem. The second part of the plot is about how you destroy the monster causing the problem. The key questions are: What’s Happening? And how do we kill it? Such stories usually move quickly, especially the thriller.

Where monsters are involved, the story often starts slower and then speeds up as you progress through the story. The genre or type of story you enjoy reading has basic rules like these.

A mystery story is always about a crime that happened either in the past or at the beginning of the story. Otherwise, it’s a thriller if the crimes are still happening.

Romance novels always have a happy ending. Otherwise it’s a literary story or love story, but not a romance.

Genre rules exist for two reasons. They give you, the reader, a platform for understanding and enjoying the novel. And they give the author rules to break. When you catch an author breaking the rules, consider how it adds to the story?

Read a healthy chunk of Hags free by clicking on the book cover icon after you click over to the Kindle version on Amazon. Available for your Kindle reader by clicking here.  The paperback version is available by clicking here.

Don’t have a Kindle reader? Download the free version for your computer, tablet or smart phone from Amazon by clicking here.

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Meet Micah Probert

As a young man, Micah Probert is found guilty of committing a horrible crime for which he is sentenced to a lengthy prison term. Like many prisoners, he protests his innocence to no avail. After his release, he cares for his dying father. Micah inherits his father’s fortune and returns to his home town on a quest to clear his name and discover his purpose in life. My new novel, Hags, begins on Micah’s first night back in Naperville, Illinois.

From the outset, life works against Micah in his quest of self-discovery. He confronts evil forces beyond his imagining. The dark horror thriller pits Micah and his new-found friends against these evil powers in a battle for the heart, soul and mind of a city.

The evil cabal arrayed against Micah includes a serial killer, a hag who keeps her youth by means of human sacrifice, a demon masquerading as a philanthropist, and a bunch of minor horrors.

As if the evil mounted against him isn’t bad enough, a hidden danger lurks in Micah’s life in the form of a second hag. Can Micah discover her existence before it’s too late?

Read a healthy chunk of Hags free by clicking on the book cover icon after you click over to the Kindle version on Amazon. Available for your Kindle reader by clicking here.  The paperback version is available by clicking here.

Don’t have a Kindle reader? Download the free version for your computer, tablet or smart phone from Amazon by clicking here.

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It’s a Horror

One of my first readers for Hags emailed that he had completed the novel in about four hours. He found he couldn’t put it down once he began. Hearing that makes me feel good, of course. But more importantly, it tells me the story is doing what it’s supposed to do.

Hags is a horror story. It’s a fast moving story like my suspense/thriller stories. Horror stories involve monsters or evil-doers so the action is often unpleasant, immoral and illegal. The good news is I try to avoid detailed descriptions of criminal activity. I like to have the bad stuff happen “off stage” with the reader jumping in immediately after the event. The dastardly villain may have his way with the young maiden off camera or off stage, but you find out about it when you figure out that the hole the villain is digging is intended to be a secret grave.

If you also like to read an occasional romance novel, you’ll find a love story in the midst of the action.

Quest is a genre unto itself with specific rules and required character archetypes. Hags follows the quest model for those who love such tales. If you think about it, demons and hags are characters you would expect to find in a medieval tale so it makes sense to include a quest in the story. Like any good quest story, Hags is about spiritual warfare in the age old battle of good versus evil.

You can read a healthy chunk of Hags free by clicking on the book cover icon after you click over to the Kindle version on Amazon. Available for your Kindle reader by clicking here.  The paperback version is available by clicking here.

Don’t have a Kindle reader? Download the free version for your computer, tablet or smart phone from Amazon by clicking here.

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Does Your Life Have a Purpose?

My new novel, Hags, involves a journey of discovery as Micah Probert solves the mystery surrounding a series of killings and the true nature of the enemies aligned against him. He also learns the secret of the power within him so that he can resolve the horror plot while discovering forgiveness and a calling to move his life forward, rather than back. Another sub-theme is purpose. The central premise of the world of Hags is we all have a purpose in life.

What makes a story like Hags interesting to read from a thematic standpoint is seeing how the author explores the theme and sub-themes. If a character like Micah Probert struggles with forgiveness and is focused on past wrongs rather than his role in life, than he is a prime subject for growth. As Micah struggles against the evil aligned against him, observe how he changes.

While reading Hags, consider your purpose in life. You have a calling to discover and pursue.

You can read a healthy chunk of Hags free by clicking on the book cover icon after you click over to the Kindle version on Amazon. Available for your Kindle reader by clicking here.  The paperback version is available by clicking here.

Don’t have a Kindle reader? Download the free version for your computer, tablet or smart phone from Amazon by clicking here.

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Move Forward, Not Back

How many people do you know who are hung up over some wrong that occurred to them in the past? In Hags, the main character, Micah Probert, is focused on the horrors in his past to the extent that it paralyzes him from making forward progress in his life. In this way, forgiveness becomes the theme of the novel.

The key for Micah, as well as all those folks you know who are struggling with past wrongs, is forgiveness. We have to forgive those who hurt us as our last act of looking back. With forgiveness behind us, we become free to move ahead to celebrate the life we’ve been given and to pursue the calling God has placed in our hearts.

Hags explores this concept of turning from past wrongs to face a brighter future through forgiveness. You can read a healthy chunk of it free by clicking on the book cover icon after you click over to Amazon. Available for your Kindle reader by clicking here.  The paperback version is available by clicking here.

Don’t have a Kindle reader? Download the free version for your computer, tablet or smart phone from Amazon by clicking here.

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Don’t Look Back

Some Book May Be Gaining on You (to paraphrase Satchel Paige).

When reading a story, notice how the author paces you through the plot. Good pacing tends to behave like a symphony. At the beginning of the story, the author sets a certain pace. It could be fast or slow or somewhere in between. As you move through the story, notice that it picks up speed or slows down at times.

The fast pace emphasizes or highlights the danger and action of the plot. It tends to keep you reading and interested. The author slows the pace down to stress character and scene. When it’s time for romance, the author slows the story down so you can take it in. This slowing down and speeding up helps you enjoy reading the story. The slower moments allow you to mentally catch your breath by giving you a pause or time to internalize what is happening. During the fast scenes, the author builds excitement with an emphasis on the action and what the action means for the story.

Hags is fast-paced action from the get-go so it's more like rock and roll than a symphony. You can read a healthy chunk of it free by clicking on the book cover icon after you click over to Amazon. Available for your Kindle reader by clicking here.  The paperback version is available by clicking here.

Don’t have a Kindle reader? Download the free version for your computer, tablet or smart phone from Amazon by clicking here.

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Happy anniversary to my bride, Lynn Zuk-Lloyd.

Why Some Authors Use a Real Place

Some authors like to create their own world in their fiction. Doing so gives them complete freedom to control the environment of the story. Would your plot benefit from adding a mountain nearby? Like magic, it appears on the pages of the story exactly when needed. The downside of creating your own locale is no one from there is going to purchase the book.

Other authors, me included, prefer to use real locations. Readers enjoy learning about places they’ve never been to. Real places create a better sense of reality in the story. And real places have readers who like to read about their home town or favorite place to visit.

An actual location, like Naperville, Illinois, where my new novel Hags is set, makes the fantastic or magical aspects of your story a little more realistic.

In Hags, I chose a local place I was familiar with. It made it easy for me to describe the setting. I was able to spill the story into nearby locations so Warrenville, Oak Brook and Chicago’s Magnificent Mile all serve as backdrops for the fast-paced action. Hags is about an ex-con who is accused of serial murders while battling a human-sized faerie and a couple of hags as evil as any from the Middle Ages. As the body count mounts, will he learn the secret of the hags before he becomes their next victim?

Hags is available for your Kindle reader by clicking here.  The paperback version is available by clicking here.

Don’t have a Kindle reader? Download the free version for your computer or smart phone from Amazon by clicking here.

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Genre Separates the Indies from the Traditionals

Genre is the one place where you may find a major difference between traditionally published novels and indie published novels.

Traditionals fit into bookstores
Traditionally published novels have to fit into a very narrowly defined genre space in a bookstore. The author has to adhere to the rules of genre so that the novel is easily identified as belonging to the genre. A mystery story is clearly distinct from its first cousin, the thriller, for example.

Unless you are a well-known author of best sellers, the reader isn’t shopping for your book in a book store. Instead, the reader is browsing the shelves looking for an interesting mystery, thriller, romance or whatever genre they prefer. The challenge for the new traditionally published author is to build a fan base that will seek books written by them in the future.

The indie difference
Indie published authors don’t have to worry as much about genre definitions because they aren’t marketing in traditional bookstore outlets. And their fan base is built from loyal family and friends and word-of-mouth. Such buyers are buying the author more than the book. Indie novel readers tend to select the author first and the book second.

The challenge for the indie author is to reach new readers through social media and online marketing combined with speaking gigs and traditional PR efforts. Indie authors still need a genre to identify the book’s place in Amazon or Smash Words, but the author self-selects the genre.

The indie author need only select the genre that most nearly fits what the story is about. This leaves the indie author with more freedom to mix genres and experiment with genre formats in ways traditionally published authors can’t. This is a subtle difference, but one you can notice if you look for it. But you have to know the basic rules of the genre you enjoy reading.

Speaking of reading...
My new horror novel Hags is about an ex-con who is accused of serial murders while battling a human-sized faerie and a couple of hags as evil as any from the Middle Ages. As the body count mounts, will he learn the secret of the hags before he becomes their next victim?

Today is the last day to download Hags for free. But you have to act before midnight tonight. Obtain your free copy for your Kindle reader by clicking here.

Don’t have a Kindle reader? Download the free version for your computer or smart phone from Amazon by clicking here.

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What is the Theme of Your Life?

Can you spot the theme in the books you are reading? One clue to the theme is to identify the main character’s biggest fault. Micah in Hags has issues with unresolved anger. He has other issues like a defeated outlook at the beginning of the story. For fun, watch how Micah’s personality becomes stronger as you move forward in the plot. What theme does that point to? How about a message like “forgiveness makes you stronger.” Or “don’t let adversity get you down.”

Another way to look at theme is to consider your own life.
What is the thread that runs through your world? You may want to start with your biggest fault. Or your biggest disappointment. Or that thing that keeps happening over and over again to you. Why do you suppose that keeps happening to you? There’s a theme in your life. The good news is it is not too late to change the theme or make it work for you instead of against you. Ask a few trusted friends about the theme they see running through your life. What themes run through the lives of your friends?

Read Hags for Free Now
Download Hags for free this week only from Amazon for your Kindle reader by clicking here.

Don’t have a Kindle reader? Download the free version for your computer or smart phone from Amazon by clicking here.

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Why Aren’t You Like That?

A good story has a point. The author starts with an idea and writes a cool first draft. Like your first read, it is mainly about the plot. Then the author notices something interesting about the story, or maybe the author intended it all along. The thing that’s noticed is the moral of the story. It’s like those old faerie tales where at the end, you read something like, “And the moral of the story is never go into the woods alone.” Well, in a good novel, the author is telling us something about our world. Think of it as the life lesson illustrated by the story.

During the editing process, good authors go back through their story and bring out this moral so it weaves like a thread running through the fabric of the tale. In horror and other thrillers or fantasy fiction, the theme is often innocence to experience. Super8 is a good example of a movie using an innocence to experience theme.

One way to look for theme is to watch how the main character changes and then look for similar changes in other characters. Pets and monsters count as characters as do computers and robots. And elves and dwarves. Not sure about zombies and vampires. Does going from dead to undead count as a character change?

The main theme in Hags, my new horror story, is forgiveness. As in real life, you meet a lot of characters who are hurting. They have to learn how to forgive. Some do, some don’t and some are just flat out evil. So what’s a hero to do? Forgive the forgivable and kill the evil guys? Or refuse to forgive the really wicked deeds of the past?

Read Hags for Free Now
Download Hags for free this week only from Amazon for your Kindle reader by clicking here.

Don’t have a Kindle reader? Download the free version for your computer or smart phone from Amazon by clicking here.

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Why Give Hags Away?

You can read Hags for free on your Kindle as a result of my three goals:

Spread the word: By giving Hags away free for five days, I’m hoping you’ll enjoy it so much that you’ll tell your friends and family about it.

Generate Amazon reviews: If you enjoy reading Hags, I invite you to let other readers know about it by posting a review on Amazon.

Establish a baseline for future novel marketing: This is my first big book giveaway and I’m curious to know how many books to expect people to download during the five-day giveaway. And I want to know if the giveaway produces any kind of sales bounce following the giveaway period as a result of publicity and word-of-mouth advertising. How many books can I expect to have downloaded from Amazon in five days? Is a hundred reasonable? How about five hundred or a thousand? How about several thousand? I’ve heard of people giving away thousands of books through this kind of promotion. The good news is you can follow my success on my business blog by clicking here. (If you are reading this after the week of October 8-12, 2012, you'll have to click on those dates on my business blog.)

Read Hags for Free Now
Download Hags for free this week only from Amazon for your Kindle reader by clicking here.

Don’t have a Kindle reader? Download the free version for your computer or smart phone from Amazon by clicking here.

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How Scary Is Your World?

The world says, “What you can’t see can’t hurt you.” But it’s the scary invisible things that haunt your soul and keep you from the life you deserve. My new horror novel, Hags, takes you on a journey through this invisible world.

Hags is set in one of the most normal of normal places, assuming there is such a thing as normal. The location is Naperville, Illinois, an upscale small city located in the heart of Chicago’s western suburbs.  It’s a real place that I populate with unreal characters ranging from an unlikely ex-con hero to a couple of hags as dangerous as any from the Middle Ages.

What evil lurks in the hearts of people (to paraphrase an old radio show)? For one of my characters, it’s life as a mad serial killer. But wait, why stop at one mad serial killer when you can have two? Let’s mix in a demon posing as a faerie to go along with the hags and you have the makings of mayhem, murder and worse in Naperville, Illinois. Let’s add in a little romance… okay, maybe more than a bit and…

But instead of telling you about the book at length, why not read it for yourself. For free.

The big giveaway
This is DAY 1 of my FIVE-DAY GIVEAWAY. You read that right. I’m giving away my new novel, Hags, on Amazon.com for free for five days. Download it now for your Kindle reader by clicking here. Don’t have a Kindle? You can download the free version for your computer or smart phone from Amazon by clicking here.

Free reading device software. Free novel. Nothing scary about a giveaway. But what about my new novel? Better leave the lights on when you read Hags. It’s scary horror suspense in my unique mix of noir and humor. Enjoy.

Are You Reading Beyond Plot?

Everyone loves to read for the plot. How many times do you hear someone say, “Don’t tell me the ending; you’ll spoil it?” But there is so much more to a story. The more you know what to look for in a story, the more you will get out of it.  And the more you will benefit from your reading experience. Enjoy the plot as you read your free copy of Hags next week, but while you’re at it, look for these other attributes of a good novel:

Theme: A good story has a point to it. In horror stories and other thrillers or fantasy fiction, the theme is often innocence to experience. The movie, Super8, is a good example of an innocence to experience theme. What’s cool about Super8 is the monster also goes through an innocence to experience event, particularly in the backstory.

Interesting Characters: A character has to go through an event or series of events that change his or her life. Learning has to take place. The cool thing about following the main character is you can learn the same thing the character is learning through the character’s experience.

Style: Style is about two things. One is the way the author plays with or uses the language. Style is also about how the author tells a story, the way the plot is put together. For a quick study on style, watch an Alfred Hitchcock movie and then a James Bond movie. Both movies are in the suspense or thriller genre, but with very different styles. Hitchcock stories tend to build slowly with a touch of humor. Bond movies move at a breakneck pace from start to finish. Bond humor is flippant. Hitchcock humor is subtle.  What other differences do you notice?

Pacing: As you move through the story, notice when the story picks up speed or slows down at times. The fast pace emphasizes or highlights the danger and action of the plot. The author slows the pace down to emphasize character and scene.

Consistency with Genre Rules: The genre or type of story you enjoy reading has basic rules. A mystery story is always about a crime that happened either in the past or at the beginning of the story. Otherwise, it’s a thriller if the crimes are still happening. Romance novels always have a happy ending. Otherwise it’s a literary story or love story, but not a romance. The more you know about the genre you enjoy reading, the more you can appreciate how the author plays with the rules to create a unique reading experience.

Get Hagged
Mark your calendar for October 8th through October 12th to download your free Kindle copy of Hags, my new horror novel. And if you just can’t wait, you can download a pre-launch copy right now for only $2.99 by clicking here.

Here’s another novel idea…
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