How My Job as a Book Marketer Turned into Another Way to Help and Support Authors

Photo credit HtcHnm via Pixabay

 

One of the things I love about being a book reviewer is that it is a great way to support other authors. The same goes for my monthly newsletter; I get to not only learn about other authors and their books through interviews, but I also have a chance to share all about their work and books. 

 

I am not one of those authors who view other authors as competition. Heck, no! We are all in this thing together and I believe it is important to support other authors.

 

We need to lift each other up, not tear each other down!

 

That said, I will always jump at the opportunity to do something that will support another author.

 

So imagine my delight when I was offered the position of Marketing Manager by PsychoToxin Press last year, in December. This position enables me to not only help support other authors but also to get the word out about some amazing books! (It helps that I’m a booklover and love to read a lot!)

 

While I have worked in book marketing, I have been using any and all available resource to promote authors and share about forthcoming books. Recently, I started to think about how I could also use this blog for that purpose.

 

In the past, I did post about other authors on this blog when they had books coming out. I featured guest posts, did a series for both Read An E-Book Week and Youth Art Month, and included my blog in blog tours.

 

Then for the longest time, this blog went quiet. There weren’t that many posts and authors didn’t use it for promotional purposes anymore.

 

That is about to change.

 

It was not too long ago that I started regularly posting on this blog again. I mostly used it to promote my own books and talk about the writing life.

 

Now, however, I will be including other authors on here and promoting their books. I will also be posting about forthcoming books as well as any guest posts the authors wish to share. I plan to interview authors on this blog as well.

 

I will continue to post about my own stuff as well – in fact, I’m posting a cover reveal for my forthcoming novella, All the Beautiful Things, tomorrow – and there will also be posts related to writing.

 

But for the most part, I will be posting about other authors on here and providing them with just one more place on the Internet where they can share about their books, or anything else they want to share. Who knows? My blog just may be a part of an author's blog tour again!

 

It’s just one more way to help and support other authors, and I’m happy to be able to offer this to them through my blog.

Amaranthine Children of Shadows Blog Tour: Interview with Author Joleene Naylor

Today I'd like to welcome author Joleene Naylor to my blog. Jo is here today to promote the newest book in her Amaranthine series, Children of Shadows. Jo is an amazing writer who has created a fantastic vampire series unlike any other I have read before. If you like reading vampire fiction, check out Children of Shadows today!



Interview with Joleene Naylor

How long have you been a writer?
 
To quote my brother, “yonks”. Anyone who makes up stories in their head is a writer, they just may not know it. The only difference between the dreamer and the so-called writer is that a writer puts the thoughts on paper.

What was your biggest obstacle in getting your book published and how did you overcome it?
 
My main obstacle has been what internet junkies term “real life”. I was supposed to write the book last July/August, but our apartment flooded so we spent the entire summer moving. By the time everything was settled it I was two months behind. Since then we’ve had various things, including the death of my wonderful mother-in-law, so it’s been a matter of just keeping on keeping on in the face of it all.

How did you end up getting your newest book published?
 
I self-publish because I like the control. I like making my own covers and handling things myself, though I have a fantastic group of editors/beta readers that are so, so important. I can’t thank them enough.

How did you get the idea for your book?
 
I was playing with a title generator (because I am terrible at thinking of titles) and it gave me Children of something and Gate of Shadows as possibilities. I pulled out the two good words and then had to decide who or what the Children of Shadows were, and it went from there.

What is the most important lesson you have learned as an author?

That things rarely go the way you plan. No matter how carefully I plot a scene out, my characters will never behave. Or they’ll think of something that I missed which totally ruins everything I had planned. I’ve also learned there’s no point in trying to force the situation back into the parameters I wanted. It’s better to just go with the flow.

What genres do you write in? If more than one, how do you balance them?

I write primarily paranormal, but I have a satirical novel in the works with a partner, as well as a fantasy novel my brother and I have started.

What are some of your other books we might want to check out?
 
If you want to jump right into the series, you can start with the first book, Shades of Gray, where Katelina first meets Jorick. Or, since the books are written to explain everything you’ve missed, you can skip straight to the newest. If you don’t want to commit to a series, there is a short story collection, Vampire Morsels. You don’t need to read the books to appreciate the 17 tasty bites of vampire fiction concerning side characters from the series.

What else do you do besides write books?

I make book covers and do formatting for other authors, as well as maintain blogs, a website, play at a photography hobby, watch anime, nag my family, and walk my dog. I also pet cats sometimes and occasionally manage to work on a webcomic.
 
Do you read books in the same genre you are currently writing in? Why or why not?

I probably shouldn’t admit this, but not really. I’m more of a fantasy and sci-fi fan. No doubt that’s why my current story arch has all the ingredients of a fantasy trilogy, including spanning three books. There’s the hero, the epic quest, the evil “wizard”, the army of super fighters the hero runs into and wins to his side, the mismatched band of companions… It’s kind of like Lord of the Rings with fangs.

What can we expect to see from you next?

Book 7, Clash of Legends, should be out the end of this year or else early 2014, and will pick up pretty much where Children of Shadows left off. I’ve also started a short story collection, Tales of the Executioners, that stars the Executioners, the elite vampire police. At the moment the first story, Aine, is free on Smaswhords.

What is your advice to a writer trying to get a book published?

Write the books and then research your options. No one path is right for everyone. You might be a better fit for small press or indy, or your book might work better with a traditional publisher. The most important number one thing is to RESEARCH every step of whichever process you choose. Know what’s happening, and why. If you need to get your own cover, know who you’re working with and what they can do. The same with formatting, editing, and any other author service. It’s your money and your book, so take the time to care. If your schedule is just too full to do that, then you need to reexamine your priorities. 

About Joleene Naylor:

Joleene Naylor grew up in southwest Iowa surrounded by soybeans, corn and very little entertainment – so she made her own. She has been writing and drawing since she was a small child, with a particular leaning towards fantasy, horror and paranormal. It is this love of all that goes bump in the night that led her to write the Amaranthine series. 
 
In her spare time she is a freelance artist, book cover designer and photographer. Joleene maintains blogs full of odd ramblings and hopes to win the lottery. Until she does, she and her husband live near Bolivar Missouri with their miniature zoo. However, unless she starts buying tickets she won’t win anything.

Joleene's links:

website

author blog

FB author page

Twitter

Goodreads

Facebook profile

Pinterest 

Blurb:

The sixth installment of the Amaranthine series pulsates with the dark blood of vampire lore.
The Children of Shadows, a vampire cult not seen for hundreds of years, resurfaces to wage war on the vampire guilds. Led by a familiar face, the cult wreaks havoc while Katelina and Jorick are trapped in Munich. Ume, a mysterious vampiress, claims to know Verchiel and offers the help of her secret organization. But can they trust her?
 
As mysteries are solved, new ones appear. Why have the Children of Shadows returned, and is it really a former ally that leads them, or a look-alike?
 
Legends rise and secrets are revealed in a world where vampires walk, drenched in blood and shadows.



Excerpt:

The guards hurriedly saluted and opened the door again. Katelina hung back as the full terror of the High Council crashed over her, and Jorick squeezed her hand. As he met her eyes, a soothing calm spread through her. Though it disappeared quickly, she knew it was his way of saying everything would be all right.
They walked inside. Like the foyer, the floor was polished parquet and the walls were half wood panel and half plaster. Flags of red, blue, green, and gold hung on the walls and complemented the high ceiling, which was done in a stained glass pattern of the same colors. Lights behind the glass gave the illusion of sunlight, even though they were deep underground.
 
What looked like six carved jury boxes lined the walls, two on the back wall and two on each side. The farthest set was filled with vampires wearing deep green robes and holding folders. Between the two boxes was a smaller one that held three vampires in royal blue robes and one in gold.
 
Directly in front of the robed vampires, in the center of the room, was yet another wooden structure, though this one reminded Katelina of an old fashioned courtroom dock. Behind it were several long, polished benches where a handful of onlookers were seated.
 
Katelina tried not to look at the green robed vampires. Despite their bizarre appearance, she could feel their years hanging in the air around them. They were old; not as old as Malick, perhaps, but older than the High Council members in America. And with age came power, and with power came terror.
 
Wolfe led them in front of the dock and bowed low. “Presenting Executioner Jorick, from the United Sates, Executioner Verchiel, from the United States and the human belonging to Jorick. As your excellencies have been made aware, Executioner Cyprus from the United States, formerly a guard of Munich, and guard Neil, from the United States, are unable or unwilling to attend these proceedings, Executioner Cyprus through traitorous rebellion and guard Neil through death in battle.”
 
The vampire in the golden robe nodded. His face had the marble perfection of immortality, but signs of age still clung to it, as if he was already old when he’d been turned. He spoke, his voice deep and lyrically accented, “Danke, der Scharfrichter.”
 
Wolfe stepped back and took a seat on a bench. One of the guards stepped forward and motioned to the dock style box. Verchiel and Jorick stepped inside it. When Katelina started to follow the guard caught her arm. Jorick shot him a dark look, and he quickly removed his hand.
 
“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “The human is not needed.”
 
She looked to Jorick and he gave a barely perceptible shrug.
 
The vampire in the gold robe cleared his throat noisily. “Human testimony is of no use. Their uncomprehending minds create false memories in an effort to cope with those things they don’t understand and so their memories are too weak to offer truth of any accord.”
 
Katelina’s first impulse was to be insulted, but it was replaced by relief. She wouldn’t have to face them or their questions.
 
She gave Jorick a cheerful nod, and let the guard direct her to the wooden bench where Wolfe was seated.
 
“Perhaps now we can proceed?” The vampire in gold asked. Both Verchiel and Jorick stared straight ahead, their faces emotionless and unwavering, and the vampire smacked a carved gavel onto the railing before him. “The inquiry has begun.”
 
Katelina bit back a sudden gasp. This didn’t seem like the nonchalant thing Jorick had talked about.
 
One of the vampires in the box on the left said, “You will tell us why you cut your previous visit short and did not return to your guild as expected.”
 
Jorick drew himself up. “We had something that required our immediate attention.”
 
The questioner slammed his hand on the railing and shouted, “You mean you had to hurry away to reclaim an object you stole!”
 
Before Jorick could answer, a vampire in the right box said, “There is no proof that he stole the item in question, and even if he did it has no bearing on these proceedings.”
 
“But it does,” said the other. “It establishes that they had false intentions from the beginning.”
 
The vampire in gold held up his hand. “Enough. It is immaterial. We will move on.”
 
The vampires on the left had a whispered conference, and then the speaker asked, “Is it not true that you left in order to obtain a powerful object and awaken one who is known by the name of Samael?”
 
The right box spoke again, “There is no proof that that was their intention only, that they wished to intercept the relic before Malick, the malcontent, who has openly declared war on the accepted rule of vampires. In this case, the accused could be said to have the interest of The Sodalitas at heart.”
 
“Hardly!” cried the vampire on the left. “They wished to wake what was supposed to be an ancient master to use for their own gains!”
 
Katelina whip lashed back and forth as they argued, and sent a questioning look to Wolfe. He tried to ignore her, but finally relented and hissed from the corner of his mouth, “They’re all mind readers, so it’s unnecessary for the accused to say anything. The left argues against them and the right for, and whichever has the most compelling argument wins.”
 
“If they’re mind readers why are they talking out loud at all?”
 
“For the benefit of the accused who aren’t,” Wolfe said coldly. “Now be quiet.”
 
She wanted to comment on the alarming word “accused”, but couldn’t find a way to do it. 


Buy links:

Paperback

(Coming soon to Kindle)

B&N NOOKbook 

Smashwords

 
To get the contest code go here.

How to Manage Writer's Block : Guest post by author Amy Lignor

Author Amy Lignor is celebrating the release of the second book in her Tallent & Lowery series, The Sapphire Storm. She has stopped by today to share how she combats writer's block. I can so relate to her habit of keeping a tablet of paper and a pen with her in the car! I also have one in my nightstand, in my purse, in the kitchen...

How to Manage Writer's Block

By Amy Lignor

"How do you manage writer’s block?" This is one of those questions that will forever wrack the minds of all writers. The basic concept of a book for me comes out of nowhere. I will hear or see something that I just have to investigate further. I am a huge fan of librarians and the minds they have; they can produce an infinite number of facts in an infinite number of categories that others just don’t know. My mother had a career as a research librarian and I will always thank her for passing that love of information to me.

After the research has been done, however, writer’s block happens to me almost in an instant. Because I’m one of those authors that needs – literally NEEDS – to have the first line of the book before I can write a single word, I will drive myself nuts trying to find it. And…I drive everyone else nuts too. I can’t read books when I have writer’s block because my own brain is searching so hard for that one opening line. I do watch a lot of movies during that time period in order to just relax and step away from literature completely.

That line will sometimes come at 2:00 am, and I wake up with a start and run to the den. Or, sometimes it comes to me while I’m driving and I have to pull over immediately to write it down because I’m getting older and I forget easily. (I always keep pen and paper in the glove compartment just for this emergency.)

Once I’ve found that line I can’t step away from the computer. I get so into the adventure and where I’m going next that, thankfully, the block releases. And I love the fact that even though I’m the author of the book, my plans can change (and do) midstream during the creation of the story. It feels very much to me like the characters are telling me where to go next. I have the research done on locales, but their next steps seem to be given to me by them.

I love writing the ‘Tallent & Lowery’ series for the simple fact that I can watch the adventure play out by following this incredible duo. If I get confused by what I should do, the character literally tugs me by the hand and we’re off once again. It’s a good thing, too, because if I were to experience writer’s block in huge doses I think my family would pack up and I’d never see them again.

Until Next Time, Everybody,
Happy Holidays!
Amy

After going up against a man who believed he was the Devil, himself, Leah Tallent and Gareth Lowery are beyond exhausted. Now they are about to embark on the most terrifying journey imaginable . . . a trip to meet Leah’s parents. When Leah arrives where the ‘home fires burn,’ her sarcasm burns even brighter, while Gareth Lowery—the handsome adventurer—uses his charm to sway the ‘odd’ Tallent clan. But when a frightening call from Gareth’s sister arrives telling him that her love has disappeared, the daring duo is soon running away from one horrific situation directly into another. A new puzzle from the past has come to life. Following clues left behind, the courageous couple becomes embedded in a world filled with liars, killers and greed. And when the riddle of a famous ‘Bard,’ is solved, a strange woman appears who has far more in common with Leah than she can possibly imagine. The heart-stopping suspense of this new quest takes them from Coptic Cairo to the magical world of Petra, in search of a cave deep underground that once housed a true ‘Illuminator.’ Yet again, they must find the answers and stay one step ahead of true villains who are determined to make sure that—this time—Tallent & Lowery do not survive. Join the action as the passionate team who readers fell in love with in “13,” end up unlocking an ancient mystery that no one is ever going to believe!

Purchase Links for the print & digital versions of Tallent & Lowery:
Amazon:

www.amazon.com/13-Tallent-Lowery-Book-One/dp/1481136070/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385748415&sr=1-2&keywords=Tallent+%26+Lowery

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Storm-Tallent-Lowery-Book/dp/1482671921/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385748415&sr=1-3&keywords=Tallent+%26+Lowery

http://www.amazon.com/Heros-Companion-Tallent-Lowery/dp/0615907164/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385748415&sr=1-1&keywords=Tallent+%26+Lowery

Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/amy-lignor

Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/byseries/4177

Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5222068.Amy_Lignor

Bio: As the daughter of a career librarian Amy grew up loving books; ‘Patience & Fortitude’ at the NYPL were her heroes. Beginning with Amy’s first book of historical romance which was titled, “The Heart of a Legend,” she began developing the storyline for a new series, (Tallent & Lowery) which moved her into the world of action and adventure/alternative history, however she had to temporarily place Tallent & Lowery on the back burner when her YA career spiked with The Angel Chronicles series. Tallent & Lowery just wouldn’t be put to bed so easily and Amy, the ever obedient author, found the time to bring these remarkable characters to life. “13” is the first book in the seven book series. Working as an editor in the publishing industry for decades, Amy is now the Owner/Operator of The Write Companion (www.thewritecompanion.com) which offers full editing, ghostwriting and proofreading services to authors. She is also a contributor to Suspense Magazine and various other literary publications such as The RT (Romantic Times), and HumorOutcasts.com. Amy is a reviewer for periodicals and websites including: Authorlink, The Feathered Quill, The Romantic Times (RT) Magazine, SheWrites.com, Random House YA, Bookpleasures.com, and Once Upon a Romance. Join Amy on Goodreads.com where she has won the YA writing contest with her continuing story titled, Meet the Reaper.


Author Links:

https://www.facebook.com/alignor
http://tallentandlowery.blogspot.com/
http://the-angel-chronicles.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @HelloWritersAmy
www.TheWriteCompanion.com
http://www.pinterest.com/amylignor/
 

Tenth and final stop for Shadow of Samhain blog tour: An interview and a review!

This is the very last blog post about my blog tour for my novel, Shadow of Samhain. I am very excited about this blog tour! It's been a fun experience and I look forward to doing another one for another book in the near future.

I have been interviewed at The One Saga, which is the blog of author Mathew Bridle. You can read it here. 

Also, Shadow of Samhain got a nice review on the Page Turner Book Tour site. You can read that review here. It's interesting the reviewer said that at the end of the review, because I have entertained the idea of writing a prequel about those very two characters!

Thank you to Page Turner Book Tours for setting up this virtual tour, as well as the review, and thank you to Mathew Bridle for the interview!

Ninth stop for my virtual book tour for Shadow of Samhain: A review at Publish or Bust

The blog tour for my novel, Shadow of Samhain, is almost at an end. I am very excited about this blog tour! It's been a fun experience and I look forward to doing another one for another book in the near future.

I'll pop in here at the blog to share where I'm appearing for each day of the tour.

For today, my novel has been reviewed at Publish or Bust, which is the blog of author Leona Bushman. You can read the review here.

Thank you to Page Turner Book Tours for setting up this virtual tour, and thank you to Leona Bushman for reviewing my book!

Eighth stop for my virtual book tour for Shadow of Samhain: Guest post at Unwritten

The blog tour for my novel, Shadow of Samhain, is almost at an end. I am very excited about this blog tour! It's been a fun experience and I look forward to doing another one for another book in the near future.

I'll pop in here at the blog to share where I'm appearing for each day of the tour.

For today, I am a guest at Unwritten, which is the blog of author Mysti Parker. I made in a goof in this post: I incorrectly noted that November 1st was Christianized as All Souls Day. That is not correct. November 1st is All Saints Day and November 2nd is All Souls Day. I had a "duh moment" when I wrote that. Whoops! I tried to fix the mistake in time before the post went live, but that just couldn't happen. You can read my post, "Samhain and the Veil Between the Living and Dead: A Guest Post and Giveaway by Dawn Colclasure" here.
 
Thank you to Page Turner Book Tours for setting up this virtual tour, and thank you to Mysti Parker for hosting me!

Seventh stop for my virtual book tour for Shadow of Samhain: Two guest posts!

The blog tour for my novel, Shadow of Samhain, is almost at an end. I am very excited about this blog tour! It's been a fun experience and I look forward to doing another one for another book in the near future.

I'll pop in here at the blog to share where I'm appearing for each day of the tour.

For today, I am a guest at TWO blogs! Yay!

The one for the tour is a post at the blog opf author J.S. Council. Check it out here. (SIDE NOTE: I kinda goofed on that one but fixed the problem in my comment. :) )

The other guest spot is actually at the blog of fellow GSP author, Catherine Cavendish! Catherine is awesome and it's been a pleasure to know her. I always enjoy reading her blog posts; she writes about such interesting things! Sadly, I have never been to Stonehenge, but a trip to England is on my bucket list and when I get out there someday, I hope I can look Catherine up! (As well as some of my other friends in England -- including Kate Bainbridge of Page Turner Book Tours!) Check out my post here.
 
Thank you to Page Turner Book Tours for setting up this virtual tour, and thank you to J.S. Council and Catherine Cavendish for the guest spots on your blog!

Sixth stop for my virtual book tour for Shadow of Samhain: Spotlight at the Spellbindings blog

Today marks the continuation of my first ever blog tour for my new book, a dark fantasy novel called Shadow of Samhain. I am very excited about this blog tour! And there are only 4 days left!

I'll pop in here at the blog to share where I'm appearing for each day of the tour.

This post is very late in the day because it's been a really stressful day.

For today, the book was spotlighted on the blog of author Rebecca Ryals Russell. You can check out the spotlight here.


Thank you to Page Turner Book Tours for setting up this virtual tour, and thank you to Rebecca Ryals Russell for the spotlight! 

Fifth stop for my virtual book tour for Shadow of Samhain: Interview at Emily Walker's blog

 This week is my first ever blog tour for my new book, a dark fantasy novel called Shadow of Samhain. I am very excited about this blog tour! Yay!

I'll pop in here at the blog to share where I'm appearing for each day of the tour.

This post is a little late in the day. My Internet was disconnected this morning while work was being done on the house and I just now got back online with my PC and saw that the post was now up. Yay!

For today, I have been interviewed by author Emily Walker. You can check out her interview with me here.

Thank you to Page Turner Book Tours for setting up this virtual tour, and thank you to Emily for the interview! 

Fourth stop for my virtual book tour for Shadow of Samhain: Guest post at The One Saga

Happy Halloween! And...Happy Samhain. Did you know that Samhain starts at sundown on October 31st? It lasts until sundown on November 1st! Those who honor the old ways will be leaving out food for the dead and baking soul cakes!

This week is my first ever blog tour for my new book, a dark fantasy novel called Shadow of Samhain. I am very excited about this blog tour! Yay!

I'll pop in here at the blog to share where I'm appearing for each day of the tour.

Today I am a guest at The One Saga, the blog of author Mathew Bridle. I talk about what inspired me to write my novel. 

Please stop by and check it out! 

Thank you to Page Turner Book Tours for setting up this virtual tour, and thank you to Mathew Bridle for hosting me today! 

Third stop for my virtual book tour for Shadow of Samhain: Spotlight at Guerrilla Wordfare

This week is my first ever blog tour for my new book, a dark fantasy novel called Shadow of Samhain. I am very excited about this blog tour! Yay!

I'll pop in here at the blog to share where I'm appearing for each day of the tour.

Today my book is being spotlighted at the blog of author Lizzy Ford.

Please stop by and check it out!  

Thank you to Page Turner Book Tours for setting up this virtual tour, and thank you to Lizzy Ford for spotlighting my book today! 

Second stop for my virtual book tour for Shadow of Samhain: Guest post at M.M. Shelley blog

This week is my first ever blog tour for my new book, a dark fantasy novel called Shadow of Samhain. I am very excited about this blog tour! Yay!

I'll pop in here at the blog to share where I'm appearing for each day of the tour.

I have a guest post at the blog of author M.M. Shelley. I talk about my favorite source of inspiration.

Please stop by and check it out! 

Thank you to Page Turner Book Tours for setting up this virtual tour, and thank you to M.M. Shelley for hosting me today!

First stop on my virtual book tour for Shadow of Samhain: A feature and an interview!

This week kicks off my first ever blog tour! Yay! This particular tour is for my novel Shadow of Samhain, which was just released by Gypsy Shadow Publishing.

I'll pop in here at the blog to share where I'm appearing for each day of the tour.

Today, my book is featured on the Page Turner Book Tours site here.
 
I am also interviewed at author Charles O'Keefe's blog, The Cro's Nest. Find that interview here.

Please stop by and check it out! 

Thank you to Page Turner Book Tours for setting up this virtual tour, and thank you to Charles O'Keefe for the interview!

Why Write Horror?: Guest post by Stephen C. Ormsby

Author Stephen C. Ormsby's latest novel, Pendant, was recently published by Grimoire Press, an imprint of GMTA Publishing. He is a guest on my blog today to talk about why he writes horror.


Why Write Horror?
By Stephen C. Ormsby

So, after writing the urban fantasy novel Long Lost Song, why did I decide to write a horror novel?  For me, I found Long Lost Song hard to categorise into just one genre, as it has supernatural and apocalyptic themes as well, but was not either of those by nature. In the end, I decided to call it urban fantasy.  From there, it was a challenge to me really, as I wanted to learn how to write more strictly in specific genres, and the first two I picked were horror and fantasy. 

Both genres I have read and enjoyed for lots of years, and I wanted to see if I could turn out something that would excite me.  Names like Graham Masterton, James Herbert and Chet Williamson thrilled me as a younger man, and I wanted to know if I was capable of the same level of thrill.
 
I asked a good friend and fellow author Sharon Lee Johnson whether she would give me some tips on what makes a good horror novel.  After a couple of great discussions, an idea started to form and then it really took over from there.
 
Pendant was such a consuming story line that the first draft took only 22 days to write.  It literally burnt through me, wanting to be out.  I didn’t mind that much, as Conrad/Varnok is a very heavy character to carry around.
 
As I wrote it though, the ideas kept coming with the protagonist plotting more than one novel in my head.  So far, I have stories for three or four trilogies, which will see the characters go to Hell and come back.  It’s exciting stuff to consider as I get to imagine Hell in my own way.
 
Varnok has a lot more planned for Maggie and Logan, as this is only the start.  Book 2 of the series is tentatively titled The Aching Gate and begins a story arc that will go for three novels.  There will be frights and scares for all!
 
I hope you enjoy the first book of The Undead Hunters series and look forward to more, as I am looking forward to writing them.

ABOUT STEPHEN:

His second novel Pendant: The Undead Hunters book 1 will be published on April 5, 2013 by GMTA Publishing. Road to Hell is a novelette is a prequel for The Undead Hunters series. Stephen is busy writing sequels for both Long Lost Song and Pendant, as well as working on a fantasy series. He is also currently editing two anthologies of Australian authors with the first to be published August 30, 2013. He lives in South Gippsland with his wife, two children and a mad cat. He has travelled extensively, is an avid reader and enjoys listening to a wide range of music.


ABOUT HIS BOOKS:

Long Lost Song

A virus is decimating America today and Michael Decker is the culprit. Or is he? Is it the work of a curse recorded into a song by 1930's blues musician Ricky Jensen? Long Lost Song tells the story of Ricky and Michael as they battle their personal and real demons while the world reaches end times of biblical proportions. One question remains. How do you stop a devil of a song made to break a crossroads deal? People who love 'Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?' and 'Carnivale' should love this too.

Road to Hell

(This book is a novella and prequel to "The Undead Hunters" Series. "Pendant" the first full length novel of this series is due out April 5th, 2013.) Road to Hell is a graphic depiction of love, hatred and the power of the heart, as we join Conrad in the sixteen hundreds, and follow him on his journey of self-destruction. Once in love with his life, Conrad's world is rocked when he discovers his beloved is cheating on him. Using blood magic and power, Conrad seeks his revenge and pays the ultimate price in this brutal and violent tale of vengeance.

Pendant

Varnok the Great Wizard wants revenge against the people who burnt him at the stake for murder three hundred years before. He has waited patiently in Hell for his opportunity. Now, the Pendant has come together, and the time to make the pay for their actions against him is here. He will release his power upon Earth. Maggie finds half a pendant in a sea-side market and Logan is given his by family, forcing the two into a horrific world they had never imagined, and running for their lives. Will they learn the secret of the Pendant before it is too late? Will there new-found love be strong enough to stop Varnok, a three hundred year old Wizard from the pits of Hell? Pendant is the first book in The Undead Hunters series.