John Quick's Blog, page 7

Summer of Consequences: Review by Michael Hicks

The first review is posted for the Summer of Consequences publicity tour!

Thanks to Michael Hicks for kicking things off, and be sure to check out the review at his site here.

Keep checking back for more stops on the tour!

Follow along on Facebook and Twitter with #Consequences, presented by Hook of a Book.

Things to Come: An Update

The reason I haven't posted much on here as of late has less to do with not having things to discuss and more to do with finding time. There's a lot in the works, so let me try to catch you up on them.

I'm almost done with The Harlequin Legacy. In fact, I expect to finish it within the next few days. While my pace has slowed from when I started, this still will mark the tenth novel I've finished since getting serious about this last July. I do have a post I'll be making reflecting on that once...

Something Different

I love short stories, but for some reason, I've never been able to write them. It was as though the ideas and concepts that I came up with were too broad in scope, and didn't lend themselves to shorter works. For years, I tried without success to write something small that still made an impact, with little success.

Until now.

For some reason, this month that all changed. Along with working on my current novel, I've managed to hammer out some short stories as well. You won't see those on the pro...

The Ink is Drying...

...and so I'm thrilled to announce that The Journal of Jeremy Todd has officially been picked up by Sinister Grin Press for release in 2017!

I don't have specifics on a release date or anything like that; it's still exceptionally early in the game. But you can rest assured I'll be providing that information as soon as I have it.

I think it's safe to say I'm overjoyed to have my name alongside influences of mine like Kristopher Rufty, Jonathan Janz, and Ron Kelly, not to mention some of the...

The Sisters of Slaughter Strike Mayan Gold

I haven't actually done a book review on here in a while, so I think maybe it's time. And what a tale to break back into it with!

Full disclosure: I was given a pre-release copy of this, but that in no way affects this review.

I'd heard the names Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason before, but unfortunately hadn't had the privilege of reading any of their work until I got a hold of Mayan Blue , their first novel-length story coming May 25 from Sinister Grin Press. I knew they'd been given the appel...

Looking at the Numbers

Consequences has been out for a while, and while my sales figures aren't all that high (not unexpected since the only real marketing push I've given it has been through social media and on this site), I'm starting to see a trend here that's got me thinking about how to release and distribute anything in the future.

When I released it, I did the paperback through CreateSpace (owned by Amazon), and digital versions through both Kindle Direct Publishing and Draft 2 Digital, which put me in A...

Another One Down / Number Nine is Done!

And amidst the hoopla for releasing Consequences , I managed to finish the book that wouldn't freakin' end.
The Study , @87,500 words; first draft is finally done.
Two weeks in a tropical paradise, all as part of a sociological study, with a payout of $5,000 at the end. For ten participants, it seemed like the perfect way to earn some money and have a nice vacation at the same time. But anything that seems too good to be true probably is, and this study's organizers have something considerably mo...

Reviews Coming In...

And so far, so good. Here's the proof:



Needless to say, I'm in a good mood! Here's to many more!

Haven't picked up your own copy yet? What are you waiting for? Use the links on this site and grab one today!

Don't Read Too Much Into It

If you actually noticed, I've pulled The Journal of Jeremy Todd from the "Upcoming Releases" section on the site. That DOES NOT mean it was rejected; I still haven't heard anything one way or the other, and know that Sinister Grin is still wading through the submissions they received during their open submission period. There's still hope for it, but since there's no telling when an answer will come, I went ahead and pulled the notification.

Believe me, I can put it back just as easily if...

A Learning Experience

It's official: Consequences is now available as a paperback and eBook. You can use the links in the New Releases section or on the Bookshelf page to get it if you're so inclined.

Getting there was... interesting... to say the least. But at least I learned a few things, so the next time I self-publish a book, I'll have a better idea what to do. Here's a few things I figured out.


CreateSpace doesn't have any easy way to set up pre-orders or pre-releases. As soon as I approved the proof copy, it w...