R.A. Evans's Blog, page 16

Pricing my e-book:Guest Post by science fiction author Steve Umstead

Where do I price my e-book?

I'm in month two of self-promoting my self-published, self-written (sensing a theme?) e-book, and I'm tossing something back and forth here. No, not a kitchen knife – I'm sure that will come later on in the sales process – but the actual pricing of my e-book.

You see, one of the great advantages to self-publishing, essentially being one's own boss, is I can set the pricing to whatever I want it to be, whenever I want it. I can make it $49.99 (outlandish), $2.99 (going rate of a lot of indies), $.99 (as low as it can feasibly be priced), or even $16.99 (someone just posted this is the e-book price of Stephen King's upcoming novel – it's high because of Simon & Schuster's rising e-book costs…huh? Rising costs on something with no physical product or manufacturing? Uh, OK…)

Since day one, I was an avid reader of Joe Konrath's blog, sort of an unofficial bible for self-publishers, as well as the now-famous Amanda Hocking's blog (can't go wrong with someone who has sold nearly a million e-books in under a year) and the two big numbers that stand out are $2.99 and $0.99. Why those two?

If you've self-published on Amazon, you know what those numbers are – they are the lowest you can go in two different royalty levels. If you price a book between $2.99 and $9.99, Amazon pays a 70% royalty. From $0.99 to $2.98, or $10.00 and up, it's 35%. So the lowest anyone should go in the hopes of making money would be $2.99, and the lowest anyone should go…period…would be $0.99.

So therein lies my dilemma. A couple of weeks ago I lowered my debut novel, Gabriel's Redemption, from its initial $2.99 to $0.99 for a couple of 'social media promos.' Therefore, I'm making approximately $0.35 or so on each copy sold. At $2.99, I'd be making just over two bucks each. No brainer, right? Well, sort of…there's the "volume" theory, as well as the "newbie theory."

Volume theory holds that at $0.99, many more people will buy the book, thereby making up for the lower royalty and payout (the math says six people buying at $0.99 is the same profit as one at $2.99). The newbie theory holds that an unknown name, such as myself, has a better chance to break into the market with a $0.99 price, as well as encourage impulse buys – customers that have no idea who I am, but for a buck will take a chance. (I made those theories up, by the way…)

So now what? It's about time for the social media promo to end; do I take it back up to $2.99? Leave it at $0.99 and try to get the name out? I'll be honest – right now, I'm not in this for the money. I'm in it because I really enjoy it and I'm proud of the work I put out. However, getting paid for it is not against my religion. Also, Book 2 of the trilogy will be published in May; would leaving Book 1 at $0.99 to get the name out, Book 2 at $2.99 be a feasible strategy?

My last concern is this – the price-value relationship. Will people see a $0.99 self-published e-book as garbage? Is it priced so low, it demeans its own value? Will people not expect it to be good? Will people shy away from it (ruining the two theories) because it's so cheap? Would I be better served offering it at $2.99 so it has more value to it? I just don't know…

Would LOVE to hear everyone's feedback!

About Steve:

Steve is relatively new to the writing and publishing world, having only launched his debut science fiction novel Gabriel's Redemption in February, but has been writing off-and-on, unofficially, nearly his entire life. Recently he was able to combine his love of writing with his ten years of business ownership and online marketing experience to self-publish and self-promote his first full-length novel as an ebook.
When not writing (which Steve will admit is more often than he'd like), he travels for business throughout Mexico and the Caribbean, and if he's lucky, brings along his wife and two boys to keep him in check.
More information on Steve and his work can be found at www.SteveUmstead.com; follow Steve on Twitter at @SteveUmstead, or Facebook at www.facebook.com/SteveUmsteadWrites

The Page 99 Test: One page of a book. One moment to grab you.

What if the world judged you by one random statement you made today? Would it be fair? Now imagine if the world judged your novel by selecting one random page to read. Welcome to the Page 99 Test and I just took it with an excerpt from my novel Asylum Lake.

The Page 99 Test is simple: After flipping to and reading page 99 of a book, would you want to turn the page? I know, you're probably scrambling for a copy of your novel right now and searching for page 99 to see if it was "a good one"! Trust me, I did the same thing and although it wasn't the best page pf Asylum Lake it definitely wasn't the worst either. So I took the plunge and uploaded it at PAGE99TEST.COM. Now it's out there for the entire world to judge. Ugh – what was I thinking?!?

I'll show you my PAGE 99 if you show me yours!

Begging For Sales: An author's attempt to garner attention for his work

I know, it's not polite to beg. Yet here I am standing before you with arms upraised begging you to take a chance on Asylum Lake. You see, I have a gentleman's wager with a friend and fellow author about our Kindle sales rankings for our titles. He is currently kicking my butt and I will stand for it no longer!  Thus, the begging.

So here's my offer. Purchase and download Asylum Lake on Amazon for your Kindle and email me a copy of your confirmation and I will do two things for you. First, I will mail out, at my expense, an autographed Asylum Lake poster and bookmark. If you hate the book – which I highly doubt – you can always line your birdcage with the poster. In addition to the free poster and bookmark, you'll also be entered into a drawing for 1 of 50 free downloads of Grave Undertakings – the chilling sequel to Asylum Lake scheduled to hit the shelves in May.

Finally – if you decide to jump on board with this special favor I am asking of you, consider writing a review on Amazon for Asylum Lake. Love it or hate it, I want to know what you think!

7 Deadly Questions with authors Maria Savva and Jason McIntyre

1. Your novella CUTTING THE FAT was written by both of you. I understand it was written completely online and that you were basically complete strangers. Talk to me about the process and experience.

Jason: Prompted by another independent author, the successful and talented Darcia Helle, I plopped a one-page introduction of Nestor Maronski, the titular 'fat' in "Cutting The Fat" onto a writer's website called Bestsellerbound.com and then asked folks to carry on the story. Maria hopped in with her next take and we were hooked on the process, going back and forth to get the story towards the end. And, you're right! We didn't know each other at all except for a few tweets and shared friends in the virtual world. It wasn't until the end that we connected via an email or two to see if we should wrap things up and who wanted to do the honors.

Maria: What Jason said!  It was a fun writing experience.  I'd never written with a co-author before.  And the fact that it was all done without any planning was a definite test of skill.  I was writing one chapter, Jason the next etc., I never knew what Jason would write and so I couldn't plan my next chapter in advance.  I was lucky to be writing with such a talented writer.  I'd never read any of Jason's work before we wrote this novella, so I had no idea what kind of writer he was.  In the end, even though our styles are very different, we've been getting lots of reviews saying that people couldn't tell where one writer ended and the other began.  That's a great compliment because it shows that we were both in tune with each other throughout the exercise and were able to adjust our writing to fit together into a fluid text.  I have to say, when I was reading it through for the editing, I had trouble sometimes remembering which bits I wrote and which bits Jason wrote!

2. In CUTTING THE FAT a group of indie authors conspire to kill a book critic. As an indie author myself I instantly connected with the story, but I have to know – any bad reviews and/or conspiracy plans in your past?

Jason: Certainly, by this stage, any author who hasn't had one or two bad reviews is either lying or not reading them. I've had a few horrendous reviews — primarily from readers, as opposed to critical reviewers or bloggers — who've been simply out to lunch on what they were reading. They either didn't get it or didn't like it. I find that most bad reviews come from anonymous readers. At sites that allow reviews by anonymous reviewers scores are much lower on average. Anonymity is a powerful tool to allow people their feeling of honesty. I think Maria and I have plans to skewer a few of these anonymous readers and their atrocious reviews in an upcoming story.

Maria: Ha,ha! Yes, that's right, we have plans for a trilogy.  In the second book we plan to kill off a few indie-bashing reviewers, you know, the ones who just review books without even thinking about what they are saying, but mostly seem to want to have a dig at indie authors for the fact that they are indie… Nestor Maronski wannabees, shall we say.  But seriously, yes, of course, as Jason says, where you've published a few books there will be the odd bad review.  I've had a few.  I tend to find that the bad reviews seem to have some kind of agenda, though.  I'm pretty outspoken about supporting and defending indie authors, and there are people out there who don't like that.  There are still people who believe that in order to be a 'real' writer you have to be published by a major publishing house or have a bestselling book.  As a writer who has been around for a while, I know that is definitely not the case.  However, it's hard to try to change a person's mindset.  It's happening though.  It's a gradual process, but I believe with e-books becoming more popular, giving indie authors the chance to compete against major publishers on a more even playing field, people will begin to realize that there are so many fabulous books out there written by talented authors who remain undiscovered only because they don't have the financial backing of adverts from major publishing houses, and all the media hype that comes with it.

3. You've authored a wide variety of books and short stories that don't seem to fall into any one genre or category. What's it like to have so many varied interests and ideas to write about?

Jason: In all honesty, I don't ever intend to write in all these areas when I start out. But as an avid reader who's interested in so many kinds of stories and entertainment, I find that these 'casseroles' of genre just flow out of me. Primarily, I dwell in realistic portrayals of dramatic, suspenseful, paranormal and thrilling stories. But I draw in my real-life experience with family, romance and yes, even a satirical outlook on the world we live in. If I was limited in a traditional way by genre, I think my ink well would dry up and I'd start selling insurance.

Maria: I agree with Jason.  I think I would find it hard to write a story to fit a genre.  I think trying to write to any sort of set of rules stifles creativity.  When I write, I let my characters dictate what happens, and the story flows from what they would or wouldn't do in a given situation.  Then there are all the influencing factors from life in general that go into a book.  In everyday life, you will hardly ever just get only romance, or only crime, or only horror/suspense/mystery, you'll get a mixture of all those factors and a million other things in between.  I like the analogy that Jason uses of a 'casserole', because I think that when I write it is like a blending pot of many things that I have experienced, heard about, seen etc.  All of those go together to create true-to-life but fictional and entertaining stories.

4. What's your strength as a writer – dialogue, setting, character development or something else?

Jason: All writers have ego and, as such, I'd like to say that I'm able to do all of those well. But of course, that's not what you asked: Out of them all, I'd probably say my stand-out abilities lie in getting readers on side with the character's decisions, actions, and thought-process. I believe that character development is the most important thing besides having meaningful plot-driven action in a story. Setting and dialogue are important but take a side car next to the character and plot.

Maria: When I write I try to make sure that all of those things, dialogue, settings, character development, are as good as I can make them.  I can only go by what my readers have said.  I think most readers tell me that my strength lies in character development and understanding human nature, creating real and true-to-life characters.

5. Nowadays everyone is talking about strengthening their Author Platform – the way in which an author reaches his/her potential readers. Talk to me about your author platform.

Jason: I write for the people who've continued with me and want to read my work. I'm in touch with them in a macro way (through social media) but also in a more personal way (one-on-one communication, my website). I don't really have a platform in the planned sense. I do what I do and strive to connect with as many readers as possible without driving myself insane or making them worry that I'll show up at their bedside in the middle of the night. So far, I can report that the latter has only happened twice so far.

Maria: LOL.  Don't give away the plot details for the next novel, Jason!

To answer the question, I would say that I find it very hard to say to people 'buy my books'.  That's where I think authors who are represented by an agent or publisher have a headstart; they have someone else advertising their work for them.  I always feel as if I'm doing something wrong when I tweet about my own book, or put something up on Facebook about my writing.  So, for me, establishing that kind of 'Author Platform' would be difficult, and I haven't gone out of my way to do that.  The way I try to get the word out about my books is by having a constant internet presence on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads.  I'm also a resident author on BestsellerBound.com.  In this ways I have built up a fan base over the past couple of years.  I don't like to be too 'in your face' about my writing, I don't like it when I see other authors sending out 100 tweets a day about their book.  It's off-putting.  So, as much as possible I like to get to know readers and fellow authors and be available to chat with them about my work, and hopefully attract other readers that way.

6. What's you writing process?

Jason: Ugly, loud and intense. Alone time is required. One condition of me being allowed to write as I do is that I also need to do my screaming outside in the yard, or drive a short distance to a nearby farmer's field to let off some of my frustration and energy. I pace, I bang on walls, I lay down on the floor and kick. I needed to build a separate studio space or I'd have driven others in the house mad with my 'writing furor', as I call it.

Maria: I'm not sure whether Jason is being serious about that, but it's interesting.  I can actually relate to the intensity and the frustration that goes with the writing process.  When I'm writing I need to have the time to do that or I can get very tense and angry.  It's important to allow a writer to have space and time to create.  My writing process is pretty random.  I don't have set times when I work, and I don't really work to plans.

7. Where can readers learn more about you and your work?

Jason: http://www.theFarthestReaches.com is the gateway drug. Well, it's more of a portal. You can find links to all the e-stores plus interviews, videos, excerpts and some surprises.

Maria: My official website http://www.mariasavva.com I can also usually be found tweeting about random things on Twitter @Maria_Savva

About Maria

Maria Savva was born in London on 19th March 1970. She studied for a Law Degree at Middlesex University and went on to gain a professional solicitor qualification at The College of Law in London. She qualified as a solicitor in 1996. Maria continues to practice as a solicitor in London whilst writing her novels and stories in her spare time.

She was able to read before starting school, and on her first day at infants school, she remembers reading a story to another child in the class. Maria was immediately moved into the second year class, being too advanced for the first year. She has always been a bookworm and favourite books from her childhood include, Alice in Wonderland, The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, and Swallows and Amazons. By the age of seven Maria had read most (if not all) of the books in the school library. During her teenage years she read probably all of the Mills & Boon titles available, and would often help out in the school library. She then went through a phase of enjoying horror and thriller books. Authors that Maria admires include Paulo Coelho, Maeve Binchy, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Stephen King and Marian Keyes. After reading Paulo Coelho's book, 'The Alchemist', Maria was inspired to try to write her first novel. These days, Maria enjoys reading all types of books and in particular chooses books to read by less well-known authors to support fellow independent writers. She enjoys reviewing books when she gets the time.

Maria has always enjoyed creative writing. She began work on her first novel 'Coincidences' in 1997 when she found herself out of work. The positive feedback she has received for her work from fellow authors and fans maintains her enthusiasm and passion for writing.

About Jason

Born on the prairies, Jason McIntyre eventually lived and worked on Vancouver Island where the vibrant characters and vivid surroundings stayed with him and coalesced into what would become his novel, On The Gathering Storm. Before his time as an editor, writer and communications professional, he spent several years as a graphic designer and commercial artist.

Another 4-star review for Asylum Lake

I feel like a kid at Christmas every time a new review comes out for my thriller Asylum Lake. Sure, sometimes I'm unwrapping an ugly sweater from my aunt Marge (a negative review), but more often that not I've been unwrapping some pretty awesome gifts. The latest review from Kara Malinczak definitely falls into the awesome category.

"The plot of Asylum Lake is just fantastic. It twists and it turns and you think you know where the book is going to go, but then the author throws you for a loop and something totally unexpected happens…It's a pretty quick read. But it's one hell of a ride. You find yourself finding sympathy for characters that you know you shouldn't."

CLICK HERE to read Kara's full four-star review of Asylum Lake.

Asylum Lake is available in e-book formats for only $2.99 on Smashwords. For an autographed print copy of Asylum Lake CLICK HERE.

To twist or not to twist: Squeezing something special out of your plot.

Come on baby, let's do the twist!  – Chubby Checker

Plot twists are one of the most important tools for fiction writers. The surprise that comes when the actions of the plot follow a course or reveal a truth that the reader did not expect is what keeps a reader glued to the page. Done well, a plot twist will make a reader gasp in surprise while thinking at the same time, "I should have seen that coming." Here's how you can incorporate page-turning plot twists into your novel.

Plan for plot twists while you're outlining your first draft. Find places in your story where you can surprise the reader by revealing something unexpected or having a course of action turn out differently than he will anticipate.

Allow your plot to twist while you're writing. Be creative while you're writing your first draft. Ask yourself continually what aspects of your story could be different than they seem to be. Could a character who appears evil actually be good, or vice versa? Think about what your reader will expect to happen; then do something different.

Follow every action in your story to its logical conclusion. Don't be afraid to deviate from your outline or change your planned ending–that's what first drafts are for.

Choose plot twists that do more than change the plot. The plot twists should be natural consequences of who your characters are, and they should change the way your characters see the world.

Foreshadow plot twists in revision. Go back through your story after it's finished and find the plot twists and changes that occurred while you were writing. Choose the ones you want to keep.

Foreshadow the plot twists by planting clues in earlier scenes that indicate what's really going to happen. Make these clues subtle: you want your reader to notice them but not realize their importance at the time.

Plant other clues in early scenes that will misdirect the reader. You want the reader to be surprised by the plot twist, so make sure there's enough evidence that something else could happen. Create events that will give the appearance of something different from the truth without actually lying to the reader.

Explain the misdirection clues during or after the plot twist, if necessary. For example, if your novel is a mystery and one character was seen leaving the building just before the body was found, you need to explain what that character was really doing when you reveal who the true murderer is.

Do all plot twists work? Sadly, no. I've had several either blow up in my face or go completely unnoticed by readers. But when they work – they can be the difference between a two-star and five-star review.

Guest Post by Author Belinda Frisch: Deciding to Go Indie as a Writer and a Reader

For me, indie is a cause and a calling. As a writer, my urge to join the movement stemmed from my stories not fitting easily into some predefined, marketable niche. My novel, Dead Spell, is a lot of things, but what it is most is uninhibited. It deals with taboo subjects in an honest way. I wrote the story as it came to me and allowed my characters their flaws.

I classify Dead Spell in the horror genre, but there is romance and some untraditional young adult in there, too. It's a perk of being an indie writer that you never have to limit your stories to one genre. If I wanted to, I could write about Mothra and Godzilla eloping to the Cayman Islands, spawning a hybrid offspring that was then abducted by King Kong and called for ritualistic bloodletting as its savior. Horror, romance, action…the story could have it all. I would have to alter the characters some to make them my own, but you get the point.

In indie, anything goes.

It's why I'm now an indie reader, too. I love the genre mash-ups and am tickled to have found several novels that challenge the norm. In An Apple for Zoe by Thomas Amo, there is old time theater, murder, serial killers, taboo sex, mystery, gun slinging, and a run-in with the paranormal. Try selling that to the Trads.

It literally bent my mind.

I've decided that, as a reader, I'm no longer content with formulaic, genre-specific stories and I'm glad there is an accessible alternative. Word of mouth is still the best way to find these gems, but they're out there, they're worth way more than they cost, and it's a cause worth supporting.

Here's a comment from Barry Napier on my blog that sums it all up perfectly: "I read a while back where someone compared it thusly: The traditionally publisher author is the equivalent of the kid that wins front row seats to the concert, has a BLAST, and goes home not really caring about the band they just saw. The indie publisher is the die hard fan that can't even afford tickets most of the time but follows the band across country in a shitty car."

I jumped claim on the Vanagon.

About Belinda

Belinda is an author, blogger, book reviewer, and a million other things depending on the time of day and her mood. Her paranormal thriller Dead Spell is currently lighting up Goodreads and other sites.

To learn more about Belinda, her novel Dead Spell or follow her blog, CLICK HERE.

7 Deadly Questions with author Julia Madeleine

1. Your new thriller No One to Hear Your Scream drops in June and appears to be a perfect summer read – full of thrills, chills, and plenty of mayhem.  What was the inspiration for this story?

The story evolved from an experience my family and I had when we bought a country house in foreclosure in 2008. One morning, shortly after we moved in, we discovered a window in my husband's car smashed in. Being that we were on a 30 acre wooded property out in the middle of nowhere, we knew it couldn't be some random vandalism act. Then, when we came home to discover a window on our garage door completely smashed in and what appeared to be a break in, we called the police. When the cop showed up at our door, the first thing he asked us was, "Have you had any problems with the former owner?"

Apparently, he was known to the police and was quite upset about losing his property. That same night my husband was leaving for Quebec. He had a gig with his band and would be gone for the weekend. My daughter was already spending the night at a friend's house. So I was going to be alone in the house. I slept that night with the phone beside my head, and a knife under my pillow. We had two large dogs that were reassuring but still, I was terrified. I guess it was because I didn't know who this person was and if he was dangerous or crazy or what. During the little sleep I did manage to get, I had a dream of a man standing at the end of our driveway wearing a long black leather coat, smoking a thin cigar, holding a shotgun. From there my character, Rory Madden, was born. I sat down at my computer that morning and banged out the outline for my novel and wrote several chapters over that weekend. Interestingly, I was no longer scared. I even put up a big threatening sign in magic marker over the broken garage window, with the guy's name on it, telling him to stay the f**k off my property or I would kick his lousy ass.

The title for the book came to me right away. Being a city girl living out in the middle of nowhere in the woods with no neighbours within view, I used to say to my husband, "There's no one to hear you scream out here". A year later we sold the property and moved back to the city. While I loved aspects of country life I can honestly say I feel safer here having neighours within ear shot.

 

2. I am blown away by the cover for No One to Hear You Scream. The grittiness and terror of the imagery jumps off the page. Talk to me about how you arrived at that artwork?

The original cover concept was much more subdued with a half face of a woman with her eyes downcast. But I think it wasn't compelling enough. The new cover art is definitely more intense. Sometimes I wonder if it's too intense and I've asked my husband more than once if he thinks my novel warrants that cover. He assures me that it does. I still wonder sometimes but I suppose that's just my writer's insecurities that are always creeping up on me.

 

3.  This is your second novel. What changed in your approach to writing from Scarlet Rose to No One to Hear You Scream?

I think my writing has evolved since I wrote my first novel. I don't know if my approach to writing has changed much during the time I penned these two books. Normally I start with a character and let the story unfold with only the most vague of ideas as to where it's going. But I did try something new with writing my next novel and that is doing an entire outline first, really trying to lay out every chapter with an idea of what will happen. But I still think I prefer letting my character dictate the direction of things. I like being surprised by the outcome.

 

4. I see from your bio that you are also a tattoo artist. If you could have the title of one book tattooed on your skin for all eternity – which book would you choose and why?

That's an interesting question. I have to chuckle at that. Complete Stories and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe has always been one of my favourites. I remember reading it in bed one night when I was a girl and having the sensation of Poe's hand thrusting out from between the pages and latching onto my throat. He's the only author who's given me that kind of chill. I'm not big on "script" or "lettering" for tattoos. I'd be more inclined to have the artwork tattooed. One of Poe's famous head shots done as a portrait perhaps, with a really cool life size, realistic crow done in grayscale. An inkwell spilling blood and a quill. On my thigh perhaps. Sounds like a good idea actually. I could get carried away with that.

 

5. You also have quite a list of short stories under your belt. When you get an idea for a story how do you decide whether its a short or a novel?

I did start one short story last year with the intent of making it a short piece but it's since evolved into my next manuscript. The characters have taken over and are demanding their own novel. I love it when this happens. When a character becomes so real that they start directing the show.

A lot of my short stories come from a folder I keep on my desk top called "deleted scenes". This is where I put all the stuff I've written, pages and pages, that I've cut from various manuscripts I've been working on over the years or stories I've started and never finished. In Scarlet Rose, I cut an entire character out because he wasn't really furthering the story at all. I spent hours writing him. So rather than disposing of all that great stuff in the trash, I simply drop it into my deleted scenes folder and from time to time I look through it and pull out a short story. It's kind of like left over fabric from a dress you've been sewing that's too good to throw away so you make a bikini. My mother did the same things with left over pie dough; she made tarts.

 

6. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

When I was a kid in school, the only subjects I liked were Art and English. Everything else sucked. The best times in school was in English class when we got to write short stories because to me that wasn't work, it was just fun, like art. I think that's when I must have been bitten by the writing bug.

The day I finally decided I wanted to write fiction seriously was when I was eighteen and I read a thriller that was so badly written it made me angry and I couldn't believe it had been published. I remember thinking that I could write better than this crap. Way back then my writing was pretty cheesy stuff, so it was really my grand illusions about myself that fuelled my writing addiction. And over the years with the help of many wonderful teachers, I like to think that I've improved some.

 

7. Where can people go to learn more about you and your work?

My website www.juliamadeleine.com and for tattoos www.malefictattoos.com

 

About Julia

Julia Madeleine is the youngest daughter of Irish immigrant parents from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Born in Canada and raised in a small town in southern-western Ontario on the shores of Lake Huron, Julia honed her duel passions for art and fiction writng from the time she was old enough to hold a crayon. As a teenager she moved to Toronto and graduated in Media Writing from Sheridan College. She wrote for a number of entertainment magazines, while spending all her free time writing fiction, and then in 2000, her passion for art led her, quite by accident, into a career in the tattoo industry.

"I wasn't looking to become a tattoo artist, it actually found me. Since I was a teenager my focus has been on writing fiction, art was something that always came naturally to me, I never had to work for it. And it never occred to me that I could make a career out of it until one day I found myself without a job and the opportunity to learn to tattoo came to me via my husband, a professional tattooist."

Home for Julia is Mississauga, where she lives with her husband and teenaged (future tattoo artist) daughter. For a year she lived in the country on a 30-acre property in the middle of nowhere, which became the inspiration for her latest novel, No One To Hear You Scream. When not writing or sticking needles into people, Julia enjoys cooking, sewing, yoga, meditation, health and fitness, gardening, and anything that doesn't involve snow or sports or rollercoasters. Julia loves shoes and harbours a secret fantasy-career as a shoe designer. She's also obsessed with true crime shows and researching ways to kill people which makes her husband nervous.

Buy Asylum Lake and get the sequel Grave Undertakings for free

I've been called crazy for a variety of reasons – most of which are just too embarrassing to mention here. But my latest bout with craziness might just be the most deeply disturbing yet. You see, I'm literally counting the days until the release of GRAVE UNDERTAKINGS – the anticipated chilling sequel to my debut thriller ASYLUM LAKE. In just a little over a month readers will be able to unearth all of the secrets about Dr. Wesley Clovis, his dark experiments inside the ominous Lakeview Asylum for the Insane, and how Brady Tanner and his small group of companions will attempt to stop the Dr.'s plans to part the veil of death once and for all. Yeah – I'm pretty psyched.

Anyway, back to my crazy offer. The first 100 people to buy the Asylum Lake ebook from Smashwords and send me confirmation of their purchase will receive a free download of Grave Undertakings upon its release in May. Furthermore, one lucky winner from that group of 100 will have a character named in their honor in my new zombie project FLIGHT.

It's really that simple! CLICK HERE to purchase and download your copy of Asylum Lake and then email your confirmation to raevans@asylumlake.com. Help me spread the word!

 

On Writing Horror: Great tips from some of the heavyweights in the genre

I've been doing a great deal of research lately on how to be a better horror writer. You know what I've found? A lot of the tips suggested for horror writers are just as useful across most other genres. At the end of the day, it's the story and characters that make a novel successful. I hope you find some of these tips helpful.

Reality and the Waking Nightmare: Setting and Character in Horror Fiction
The Horror Of It All
What is Horror Fiction?
Laymon's Rules of Writing

I hope you have found these links helpful. Please post your comments and share your thoughts.