CLOWN FATALE ... coming soon.

'Sup?

BIG OCTOBER

So ... this month is kind of big for me.  Maybe that's why I've felt a jittery combination of excitement and nerves.  INK MAGE came out nearly a week ago, and I've been watching it bob up and down the Amazon rankings and biting my nails hoping people will like it.  It's my first novel since THE DEPUTY and I won't lie.  I really, really hope INK MAGE makes a splash.  Since I was a kid, I've wanted to write a fantasy trilogy (I mean, it's universal law these thing come in trilogies, right?) and so I really want the novel to do well so 47North will green light me for two more books.

And speaking of THE DEPUTY, the folks at Tyrus Books have seen fit to drop the price to 1.99 for October only!  So you still have a few days to jump on that.

And while I am pretty jazzed up about my new fantasy genre efforts, I haven't given up on fun pulpy crime stuff.  October also sees the debut of BIG STUPID a crime novella from La Case Books new Popcorn imprint.  Get some!

Finally, issue #2 of KISS ME, SATAN came out this month also.  This is my first ever creator-owned comic book, and I'm thrilled that Dark Horse Comics gave me a chance with this project.

So yeah.  October is big.  I have all fingers and toes crossed, and there's a TON of stuff in the works still that I can't quite talk about yet.  Frankly, I need a vacation.  But no rest for the weary.  Not yet.

Our story so far ...

So, my new obsession is my Amazon rank and how many stars I can get.

Okay, maybe not a new obsession.  I mean, that's what authors do, right?  They look at Amazon.com to see how they are doing.  I know some authors who've sworn off this time consuming and largely useless practice.  Kudos.  And I generally only check once in a while.

Until this past Tuesday when INK MAGE was published by 47North as a Kindle serial.  That means it's only available as an eBook.  On Amazon.  And while it will eventually be collected into a handsome paperback, the novel right now lives only as digital whatnot on a website.  That means you won't find it on shelves at your local book store.  To the best of my knowledge, the book won't be reviewed by the usual places like Booklist and Publisher's Weekly.  These are not complaints.  47North has been great to me.  I'm simply acknowledging the reality that if I want to have any idea at all how INK MAGE is doing, I have to go to Amazon.com.

So I sit at my computer.  Click.  Click.  Click.  I probably check about every 90 seconds.  Okay, that's an exaggeration.

But not by much.

Drink coffee.  Wring hands.  Try to write.  Click.

At the time of writing this blog post, my Amazon rank for INK MAGE is 3,346.  I've seen it as low as 2,200 and change.  I have no idea what these numbers mean, but I keep looking at them as if they will communicate something to me.

The first review was a nice, reasonably thoughtful 4-star review.  Okay.  Broke the ice.  Not bad.  The next review was 1-star.  Here is the review in it's entirety:

"The language was to foul for me...but I am a 70 year old woman who likes sci-fi. I only got to page 2 before I returned this book. This the first book I have ever returned or reviewed."

SHIT SNACKS!  I mean, is that a review or a tantrum?  What's a guy to do?

Nothing.  Just laugh.  I mean what can you do?

And yet all people know before purchasing the book  -- aside from the description -- is the stars.  The reviews.  The ranking.

So this is my stupid life now, staring at a computer screen, watching a number go up or down, hoping for stars.  Eventually, life will return to normal.  But not yet.  Click.  Click.  Click.

Pub day for INK MAGE

Guys, I hope you will all give my new epic fantasy novel INK MAGE a chance.  This is me, hat in hand, sincerely asking you to buy it and give it a read.  Often when pimping on this blog, I simply make you aware of the new thing I've just published, I put it out there and you can pick it up or not as you see fit.  No big whoop.

This is different.  INK MAGE is my first novel of epic fantasy, and that's something I've wanted to try all my life.  Yes, I've published seven other novels, but not like this.  My first aborted attempts at writing a novel (back when I was a super nerdy teen) were stabs at a fantasy novel.  And now ... decades later ... I've finally written the novel I've always wanted to write. (And for the record I am now a super nerdy adult!)

The cool folks at 47North (the Amazon imprint for science fiction and fantasy) are publishing the novel in serial form for a 1.99.  just to be clear, you get ALL 8 episodes for 1.99 ... it's NOT 1.99 for each episode.  Each episode will be delivered automatically to your kindle -- no fuss.  Super easy.  And when all 8 episodes are complete, it will be collected into a "regular" novel, BUT the price will go up a bit, so really, now is the time to pull the trigger on this baby.  (But please don't pull the trigger on babies.)

Ahem.  I digress.

So yeah, today is exciting and nervous for me.  I sincerely and humbly ask you give INK MAGE a try by clicking right here.  I believe I've pulled off the nice trick of making INK MAGE a complete story all on it's own while also leaving it open for two more books -- I mean, these things are supposed to be trilogies, right?  But for that to happen, I need you awesome people to pick up the first one.  I hope you do.

Thanks.

Tomorrow ...

 

 

(click to make big-ish)

New hardboiled pulpy goodness for your Kindle and Nook thingies.

BIG STUPID is HERE.

And HERE.

As the name of La Case's new Popcorn imprint might indicate, they are specializing in fast, pulpy down and dirty reads in eBook form. I was thrilled to write one for them.  Big Stupid is about a dumbass redneck named Payne who teams with a huge black dude who is a little slow ... or is he?  They call him Big Stupid.  Payne and Big Stupid are trying to find some stolen cash from an armored car heist.  Things go bang.  It's set in Baton Rouge and New Orleans and ... oh ... did I mention that all of this is happening as a Cat-4 hurricane is coming straight for them?  Yeah.  That.

If you're aching for a fast, pulpy read, then give BIG STUPID a try.

Coming Soon ...