J. Manfred Weichsel's Blog, page 6

Money Honey: A New Free Short Story

Thank you so much for making Jungle Jitters a hit! It means so much to me to know that I have the support of so many wonderful readers. 
To show my appreciation, I have released a free short story on all platforms where I publish! You can get Money Honey absolutely free on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Godless, Google Play, Scribd, and Smashwords! 

If you are international, use the universal book link to get to your country's store.

If you have been thinking about experimenting with different digital bookstores then this is a great opportunity, because since the book is free you can get it at multiple retailers and compare your experience at each one! 

Money Honey is a comedic cosmic horror story with some surprising twists that tells the tale of a man with an unusual curse.
I hope you enjoy Money Honey. If you do and you haven't read Jungle Jitters yet, please give it a shot!

Jungle Jitters is live

I am excited to announce Jungle Jitters is live! I have spent all year writing this novel, and the wait was well worth it. This is my best book. It has the funniest humor, most exciting adventure, and most terrifying horror of anything I have written. You can get it at Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Godless, Google Play, Scribd, and Smashwords.

If you are international, use the universal book link to get to your own country's store.  

I hope you enjoy reading Jungle Jitters as much as I did writing it!

Jungle Jitters updates

Last night I finished my edits of Jungle Jitters and sent the manuscript to my editor, Mark Thompson, a copy editor at Cirsova Magazine who edited Ebu Gogo and Five Maidens on the Pentagram. Scott P. "Doc" Vaughn, my cover artist for Ebu Gogo and Five Maidens on the Pentagram, has sent me the concept art for the cover and it absolutely blew me away. I cannot express to you how excited I am for this book.

Jungle Jitters is my most ambitious and possibly my most experimental novel to date. The story opens in the 1920's, where it features a cast of real life mad scientists, including Ilya Ivanovich Ivanov, a man with a singular dream to create a new species of man, Serge Voronoff, popularly known as the monkey gland man, who grew rich and famous performing bizarre operations on the testicles of the wealthiest men of Paris, and a cameo by Trofim Lysenko, whose incorrect theories led to millions of deaths!

The story moves from the 1920's to the present, and follows three entitled wannabe YouTube stars as they are unwittingly trafficked to the Congo under the pretense that they are to perform in a jungle adventure YouTube show. But really, they are being brought into the jungle for a sinister purpose, as the century-old dreams of science have evolved into a nightmare. 

I hope that you are all as excited for Jungle Jitters as I am. You can expect the book released sometime in mid-July. If you are looking for something to read and can't wait till then, please check out my other books on my website: https://j-manfred-weichsel.mailchimpsites.com/

An Interesting Discovery About the History of Barnes & Noble

 

Early in the summer of 2020, a friend I hadn’t spoken to in years called me out of the blue. Her mother had left home to live in an assisted living center, and she wondered if I could check on the house from time to time until she was able to sell it, as I was the only person she knew who still lived in the area. 

We were under lockdown at the time, but I bravely ventured out and took the thirty minute drive to look over the house. The mother had gone insane after getting divorced in the early 2000’s, and I saw that the house had fallen into disrepair and would have to be demolished.

The ex-husband used to collect 1960s and 1970s science fiction and fantasy novels. When they first separated, he had to flee the house to escape his wife's rage, and was forced to leave behind all his possessions, including his books. 

As payment for my efforts, I got to raid the abandoned book collection. The Coronavirus was still relatively new, nobody knew how it was going to pan out, and part of me thought the lockdown could last forever, and that I might never visit a bookstore again. So, flashlight in hand, I made my way down a brittle wooden staircase that threatened to give out beneath me, into a damp, rat infested basement so covered with trash and debris I couldn't see the floor beneath. 

I grabbed whatever I could from the shelves, ignoring the books on the floor, as they were rotten and falling apart, and took home hundreds upon hundreds of books which, despite not having been properly stored, were in excellent condition. There were a lot of classics mixed in as well, which I also like to read.

There was one book, however, that interested me not because of its subject matter, but because of the name of the publisher. It was a very old college textbook, pictured above, that said it was published by Barnes & Noble. The reason this struck me as odd is I always thought Barnes & Noble was a 1990s retail chain, but the book looked too old to be from the 1990’s. I opened it to look at the copyright page and saw this:

I couldn't believe it. I was holding in my hands a college textbook, published by Barnes & Noble in 1959, which had first been published by them in 1948. I turned a page back and saw something even more incredible:

You are looking at that correctly. It says that Barnes & Noble has been around since 1873. That's EIGHTEEN SEVENTY THREE. Could it be possible that Barnes & Noble, a company that for me and countless others symbolizes the 1990s, is actually 148 years old?

I went online, did a little research, and learned that the 1873 date is a bit of a stretch. Barnes & Noble was actually founded 104 years ago in 1917 when a bookstore called Hinds & Noble, which opened in 1886, partnered with a book publisher named William Barnes. William Barnes’s father, C.M. Barnes, was also a book publisher who owned the C.M. Barnes Company, which the elder Barnes started in 1873. But, since Barnes & Noble has a pretty tenuous connection to the elder Barnes's company, having only done business with the man's son, its roots can really only be said to go back 135 years to 1886, which still makes it very old.  

I am proud to have my eBooks available on the Barnes & Noble NOOK, and proud to have Barnes & Noble editions of my paperbacks available through print on demand. It means that I am part of an institution that has been around for 148 years, or 135, or 104, depending on how you're counting. Ordering print on demand paperbacks through Barnes & Noble is extremely convenient, because if you set them up to be shipped to your nearest Barnes & Noble store, you can ensure you get them in store-bought condition.

Please check out my author page on the Barnes & Noble website, and while you're there, consider buying one of my books! 

Update on Jungle Jitters and other news

I have been working very hard on Jungle Jitters and hope to have it out sometime this summer. I am probably halfway done with the first draft, although because I don't write my books in order and keep different plot lines in different documents it is hard to say for sure. What started as a short Tales to Make You Vomit story spiraled out of control as my imagination took over, and will probably wind up being my most ambitious novel to date. This is a book that spans a period of almost one hundred years and features a Soviet mad scientist, entitled YouTube celebrities, and a bizarre cult that lives in a remote jungle in the Congo. I can't wait to share it with all of you! 

My books have been getting a lot of attention lately and I want to share a few items with you all. First, I was named Godless Emerging Author of the Week!!! Godless is an awesome online bookstore that features extreme horror, splatterpunk, bizarro, and just plain unclassifiable titles. The owner of the site, Drew Stepek, puts out weekly YouTube videos where he talks about all the featured books and authors that week, and shares inspiring words of wisdom. Please watch this week's video. It will tell you what Godless is all about and I think Drew does a good job talking about my books. 

I also got a swell review of She Was Asking for It on a heavy metal blog called Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life. Please check out the review. And while you're on the site, look at some of the album reviews. I had no idea that there was so much going on in heavy metal right now. I listened to a bunch of songs from links in the articles and a lot of it is fantastic. I wouldn't be surprised if heavy metal comes back in a big way sometime soon. 

My biggest piece of news is that Five Maidens on the Pentagram is now wide. That means that not only can you buy it on Amazon, but you can also get it on Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Godless, Google Play, Scribd, and Smashwords. 

If you haven't read this one yet, it's my funniest and best-reviewed book. I strongly suggest you check it out. 

If you are in the market for a paperback of any of my books, and you live in the United States, I suggest you try the Barnes & Noble editions. These are the same as the Amazon editions except they are published by Barnes & Noble Press instead of Kindle Direct Publishing. But, the reason it's convenient is you can get your books shipped to your nearest Barnes & Noble store and pick them up there. This means you don't have to worry about your books getting damaged in the mail. You guarantee you get them in store-bought condition. Also, I have a lot of nostalgia for Barnes & Noble in the 90's and it would be cool for me to know people are getting my paperbacks there.

Thank you so much everybody! I will write you all again next month when I should have more exciting news about Jungle Jitters. 

Five Maidens on the Pentagram is wide

 I am excited to announce that the Gothic horror sex farce Five Maidens on the Pentagram is now wide. 

This means that not only can it be bought at Amazon: https://amazon.com/dp/B08HZ9VBPF

But it can also be bought at…

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/five-maidens-on-the-pentagram/id1564322422

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/five-maidens-on-the-pentagram-j-manfred-weichsel/1137670922?ean=2940162599982

Godless: https://godless.com/collections/all-books/products/five-maidens-on-the-pentagram-by-j-manfred-weichsel

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=b8QqEAAAQBAJ

Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/book/504951511/Five-Maidens-on-the-Pentagram

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1081039

And other stores: https://books2read.com/u/md7P5d

Get the book one Amazon reviewer called devilishly inappropriate satire now at the store of your choice! 

Ebu Gogo is now wide

Hi everybody. I know it's been awhile since I last communicated with the internet world. It's because I am currently busy at work on my next novel. I don't want to say too much just yet, but it's a comedic adventure story and so far I am very excited about it. I just want to write something funny that takes place in the jungle. I am in the mood to laugh right now, and I hope all of you are too. I'll give you all more details in about a month.

In the meantime, I am excited to announce that Ebu Gogo is no longer Amazon exclusive, but can be purchased at the store of your choice. So, if you buy eBooks at Apple Books, Google Play Books, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Bol.de, Thalia.de, Vivlio, or Godless.com, or if you read them on Scribd, you can now pick up a copy!!! 

What happens when a couple of failed, incompetent cryptozoologists finally get the job done? Get Ebu Gogo today at the store of your choice and find out now!

In other news, I noticed that Kittycat Massacre (Tales to Make You Vomit Book 2) is only .99 cents at Godless.com. It is $2.99 everywhere else, so if you want to get a copy really cheaply hop over there. It's a cool, curated. independent online bookstore that carries splatterpunk, extreme horror, and bizarro books. I am all about supporting indies, so my preference is that if you haven't bought Kittycat Massacre yet, pick it up at Godless.

Last Chance to Get Five Maidens on Kindle Unlimited

As many of you know, Amazon requires a book to be published exclusively on Amazon in order to be enrolled in the Kindle Unlimited program. I have decided to take my books wide, meaning to publish them on multiple platforms, which means that I will be pulling them out of Kindle Unlimited one by one.

Five Maidens on the Pentagram is leaving Kindle Unlimited on March 12th, just one week from today, so if you are a kindle unlimited subscriber, this is your last chance to download it for free. If you download the book now, you will still be able to read it for free after March 12th, but if you wait until then to download, you will have to pay $3.99 like everybody else.
And seriously, if you are a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, you are subscribed to my newsletter, and you haven't read Five Maidens on the Pentagram yet, what are you waiting for? Five Maidens is a crazy Gothic horror sex farce unlike anything you have ever read! It is my most comedic book and I am sure you are going to love it.

The above links are universal book links that will take you to your own country's Amazon store. If you are an international shopper who shops in the US, here is the direct link to Five Maidens in the American Amazon store.

My Tales to Make You Vomit series of really disgusting horror stories has come out of the gate incredibly strong. It is getting a lot of great reviews and based on my sales numbers readers seem to be loving it.

Book 1: She was Asking For It is still only 0.99 cents!
Book 2: Kittycat Massacre just came out last week!

Please check them both out!!! And stay tuned because Tales to Make You Vomit Book 3: Jungle Jitters will be coming out at the end of this month or early next month! 

Last Chance to Get Five Maidens on Kindle Unlimited (Expedition to Eden is free for the next five days)

As many of you know, Amazon requires a book to be published exclusively on Amazon in order to be enrolled in the Kindle Unlimited program. I have decided to take my books wide, meaning to publish them on multiple platforms, which means that I will be pulling them out of Kindle Unlimited one by one.

Five Maidens on the Pentagram is leaving Kindle Unlimited on March 12th, just one week from today, so if you are a kindle unlimited subscriber, this is your last chance to download it for free. If you download the book now, you will still be able to read it for free after February 11, but if you wait until then to download, you will have to pay $3.99 like everybody else.
And seriously, if you are a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, you are subscribed to my newsletter, and you haven't read Five Maidens on the Pentagram yet, what are you waiting for? Five Maidens is a crazy Gothic horror sex farce unlike anything you have ever read! It is my most comedic book and I am sure you are going to love it.

The above links are universal book links that will take you to your own country's Amazon store. If you are an international shopper who shops in the US, here is the direct link to Five Maidens in the American Amazon store.

My Tales to Make You Vomit series of really disgusting horror stories has come out of the gate incredibly strong. It is getting a lot of great reviews and based on my sales numbers readers seem to be loving it.

Book 1: She was Asking For It is still only 0.99 cents!
Book 2: Kittycat Massacre just came out last week!

Please check them both out!!! And stay tuned because Tales to Make You Vomit Book 3: Jungle Jitters will be coming out at the end of this month or early next month! 

A little over a year ago I published a swashbuckling adventure novel called Expedition to Eden. It is very different from what I normally write and not many people have read it, but I think it is very good, so I have decided to make it free for the next five days. Please grab your copy, and be sure to let me know what you think. I am genuinely interested to see how people react to it.

The above link is the universal book link which will take you to your own country's amazon page. Here is the direct link to Expedition to Eden in the American Amazon store.

I am working hard on Jungle Jitters (Tales to Make You Vomit Book 3) so keep an eye out for it!!!

Kittycat Massacre (Tales to Make You Vomit)

Thank you to everybody who helped make She Was Asking for It my most successful book launch ever. Thank you for buying the book, reviewing it, blogging about it, and telling your friends about it on social media. You helped to make Tales to Make You Vomit a breakout hit.

I am excited to announce that the second book in the Tales to Make You Vomit series, Kittycat Massacre, is now available for purchase at most major online eBook stores. Head over to your favorite store and get your copy right now!

The above link is the universal book link. I know international shoppers who use the American Amazon store have trouble with universal book links because of the geolocator, so here is the direct link to Kittycat Massacre in the Amazon.com store. 

If you haven't read She Was Asking for It yet, here is the universal book link which will take you to the store of your choice, and here is the direct Amazon.com link. 

Right now I am working hard on Tales to Make You Vomit: Jungle Jitters. I should have it for you all in about a month so keep an eye out.