R.A. Evans's Blog, page 5

Asylum Lake Trivia: Take the test and you could win a free copy of Grave Undertakings!

Counting down to the release of Grave Undertakings and I thought I would spice things up with a contest.  Only the the most dedicated fans of Asylum Lake will recall this passing description of one of the most feared characters to walk the halls of the Lake View Asylum.

One lucky winner will be chosen from all correct responses. Please answer the poll question and leave a comment which includes your response.

Take Our Poll

Pre-order Grave Undertakings for your chance to win a Bedlam Falls Swag Bag

It's been a long time coming, but I am overjoyed to announce that pre-orders are now being accepted for Grave Undertakings, the chilling sequel to Asylum Lake. The book will be available in both print and Kindle formats starting May 22, 2012.

In addition to receiving what I am confident will be a completely creepy read worthy of multiple nightmares, each pre-order will also be autographed and include an official Grave Undertakings bookmark.

That, however, is just the start. I will also randomly select three pre-orders to receive a Bedlam Falls Swag Bag which includes an autographed copy of Asylum Lake with official bookmark, Lake View Asylum t-shirt, and the highly-prized Bedlam Falls coffee mug.

Pre-order your copy of Grave Undertakings today at www.schulerbooks.com.

William Knight's GENERATION breathes new life into the undead

The Story

In 2001 scientists isolated the gene for regenerating damaged organs from the DNA of a South American flatworm. Within five years it had been spliced into the chromosomes of a rhesus monkey, transported through the cell walls by a retro-virus denuded of its own genetic material.

Attempting to regrow impaired or elderly tissues, a scientist will one day modify the DNA of human beings by injecting the gene-carrying virus. It is just a matter of time.

Before consenting to treatment, you may want to ask a simple question: could there be a situation in which you would want to die but were unable to do so?

A crime-thriller with an injection of horror

Journalist Hendrix 'Aitch' Harrison links bodies stolen from a renowned forensic-research lab to an influential drug company.

Aided by Sarah Wallace, a determined and beguiling entomologist, he delves into a grisly world of clinical trials and a viral treatment beyond imagining.

But Aitch must battle more than his fear of technology to expose the macabre fate of the drugged victims donated to scientific research.

The Review

When the opportunity to read and review GENERATION by William Knight was presented I found myself debating whether I could stomach yet another story of the undead. Between AMC's The Walking Dead television series and a slew of recent books and movies, I feared that my taste for zombies was waning.  Fortunately, Knight's tale has left be hungry for more.

GENERATION falls squarely into the Medical Thriller genre, blending science, mystery, and, of course, impending doom.  Knight balances each of these elements very well, never speaking too far above his readers with techno-babble, nor feeling obliged to water things down. The story of GENERATION causes you to think far beyond the what if's of whether science can do what Knight suggests, but rather, what will happen when science ventures down this path.

Knight writes believable characters free from stiff dialogue and cliches.  Although their journey kept me engaged throughout, I left GENERATION disappointed by a lack of true horror or chills.  That isn't a complaint, merely an observation from a reader and author who prefers his zombies to be a bit more blood thirsty.

Knight's foray into the mind of the undead was highly entertaining and although I won't go so far as to say I have a new-found sympathy for these lifeless walkers, I must admit that I will think twice before engaging in any medical trials.

I give GENERATION 3.5 stars.

Novel Publicity Blog Tour Notes

Get Generation on Amazon or Barnes & Noble– you know you want to!

Be sure to enter for your chance to win an autographed copy of Generation : ENTER HERE.

William Knight is a British born journalist and technologist currently living and working in Wellington, New Zealand. He's chased a varying career starting in acting, progressing to music, enjoyed a brief flirtation with handbag manufacturing and was eventually wired into technology where he's been since 1989. In 2003 he published his first feature in Computing magazine and has since written about the many successes and failings of high-tech for the Guardian, Financial Times and the BBC among many others publications. He continues to maintain a lively IT consultancy. Connect with William on his website, blog, facebook, twitter or Goodreads.

Choose Your Fate: Who Survives Grave Undertakings?

It's been nearly two years since I introduced Brady Tanner and his band of ill-fated friends to the world – a fact that just blows my mind. It seems like only yesterday that I was laboring through the wee-morning hours on an untitled screenplay that eventually became the novel Asylum Lake. Little did I realize that so many would become attached to the characters, places, and mysteries of the fictional town of Bedlam Falls, Michigan

Ever since Asylum Lake was published in July of 2010 there has been much debate among readers and fans about the fate of certain characters.  In fact, I have received hundreds of emails from readers threatening boycotts if serious harm should befall Brady's stalwart and four-legged companion Gruff.  I was surprised that people were more willing to accept the brutal murders of the Reed family by a 12-year-old boy than believe that as an author I would write a dog out of a story. I was relieved to see that the grisly murders were not driving readers away.

Without spoiling things for those who have yet to dip their toes into the chilling waters of Asylum Lake, I want to take a moment to talk about what rests at the very heart of the story – loss.  We each deal with loss in our own ways and with emotions that range from grief to rage – just ask Ellis Arkema if you don't believe me. As I wrote Asylum Lake I grieved for those characters who did not make it through and at certain points became enraged with where my own story was taking me. The same has been true with my journey through Grave Undertakings.

Minor characters from Asylum Lake play much greater roles within Grave Undertakings as Brady searches for Dr. Wesley Clovis – and given my non-linear storytelling you will even read more of characters that were lost in Asylum Lake. You will learn about what transpired within the shadowy hallways of the Lake View Asylum, what happened to young Lionel Collins, and most importantly why Dr. Clovis is so determined to part the veil of death. Although there will be large doses of both humor and horror sprinkled in along the way, there will also be additional loss.

That being said, which character from Asylum Lake would you be most disappointed to lose by the end of Grave Undertakings? I bid you choose wisely, for one never knows if a return to the small town of Bedlam Falls at some point in the future may be in the cards.

Take Our Poll

Connecting The Dots: How My Blog Does More than Just Sell Books

Never underestimate the power of imagination.

Having a fairly vivid imagination comes with the territory – it's in the writer's handbook right after the other must haves of "thick skin" and "love of caffeine".  Imagination is the fuel which powers the idea machine and lately I've been running on fumes.

I never considered, however, that my imagination actually fuels others. Over the course of the last few months I've really been digging into the data on this blog – looking at who is visiting and from where. The WordPress dashboard is full of all kind of interesting items when you know what to look for. One of my favorites is being able to track how people end up on this blog. Sure, some visitors merely click on the various links I throw out on twitter and facebook, but others, the vast majority, are actually searching for something that invariably leads them here. That's the cool part.

In the last week alone people have landed on my blog by searching for everything from Neil Diamond and UPS shipping to alcohol consumption and ghost stories. I wonder what those searchers thought when their Google search for Neil Diamond directed them to a post describing how I wrote one of the bloodiest scenes in my thriller Asylum Lake while listening to Sweet Caroline. Or, how simply searching for UPS Shipping information led others to my post about the best way to ship a dead body. Oh to be a fly on the wall of their cubicle/home when they read my ramblings!

Strangely enough, the Neil Diamond post happens to have more than 3,000 total views – ranking it right up there with some of my more traditional posts promoting the release of a book or random advice on writing or marketing. It seems that the brief glimpse inside the way my brain works appealed to a very wide swathe of people; wider than the typical circle of authors and readers who typically frequent my blog.

It made me realize that my rocket fuel imagination doesn't just help me vomit my dark stories onto the printed page (or pixeled screen if you're into that sort of thing). No, my imagination is also in some way providing a brief respite for those searching online for real and useful information on a myriad of topics.  And I think that is pretty damn cool.

Of course, it also means that not only do I need to use my imagination for my story-writing evil purposes, but also consider what good I can do by sharing my random musings. Hell, I won't be curing cancer or feeding the starving of the world, but if I can make just one person say "WTF?!?" when their Google search lands them on my blog I will consider all of this work a success.

Cheers from Bedlam Falls!

Kindle Lover's Rejoice: Asylum Lake is Free!

Consider it my Christmas in March sale. Asylum Lake will be free on Thursday, March 29th in the Kindle Store on Amazon.

With more than 60 reviews on Amazon alone, Asylum Lake has a solid 4.4-star rating and according to Ray Walsh of the Lansing State Journal, "Asylum Lake is a taut tale liable to raise significant goosebumps."

What do you have to lose? Dive into the mystery of Asylum Lake for absolutely nothing. I'll even throw in nightmares for free!

Kindle Lover's Rejoice: Asylum Lake is Free Today!

Consider it my Christmas in March sale. Asylum Lake is free today in the Kindle Store on Amazon.

With more than 50 reviews on Amazon alone, Asylum Lake has a solid 4.5-star rating and according to Ray Walsh of the Lansing State Journal, "Asylum Lake is a taut tale liable to raise significant goosebumps."

What do you have to lose? Dive into the mystery of Asylum Lake today for absolutely nothing. I'll even throw in nightmares for free!

The Problem With Sequels: Join the Conversation

My friend and fellow author Shay Fabro has a very interesting post on her blog today regarding movie sequels. In it she challenges people to identify movie sequels that were actually better than the original. It's an interesting conversation and I encourage you to join in.

Her post has me wondering about my own line of work – writing novels – and whether or not book sequels face the same type of challenges as they do with film. The topic strikes particularly close to home as Grave Undertakings, the sequel to my debut thriller Asylum Lake, inches closer to hitting the shelves. The pressure to bring forward everything that readers enjoyed about Asylum Lake while still moving the story into new and interesting places has been quite daunting. In fact, there have been several times when I was tempted to just throw my hands in the air and give up. Fortunately, and I say this with all sincerity, Grave Undertakings delivers in all the right ways.

It begs the question, however, what are the most disappointing book sequels you can remember. We can include trilogies and series works, too.  Conversely, which ones totally rocked? I'll start the discussion with my own best and worst.

Best Book Sequel

The Fellowship of the Ring

I was ten-years-old when I first read Tolkien's classic, The Hobbit. My older brother was leaving for a stint in the U.S. Navy and he left me his book collection (inlcuding my favorite book of all time – Shadowland by Peter Straub). I was immediately enthralled with The Hobbit and the epic journey of the very endearing Bilbo Baggins. My brothers collection also included The Lord of the Rings trilogy and I can still recall the feeling of excitement upon discovering The Fellowship of the Ring was, in fact, a continuation of the adventures started with The Hobbit.Of course, the remaining titles in the series – The Two Towers and The Return of the King were equally magnificent, but it was with The Fellowship of the Ring that I first understood the value and excitement of a book sequel.

 

Worst Book Sequel

Hannibal Rising

I was one of the lucky ones who had read Thomas Harris' Red Dragon prior to watching the movie based on the sequel The Silence of the Lambs (I had also enjoyed the Michael Mann film Manhunter based on Red Dragon). Both The Silence of the Lambs and Harris' third installment Hannibal were terrific reads and provided deeper insights into the frightful mind of one of literature's, and film's, most popular villains, In fact, Dr. Hannibal Lecter.  Harris completely lost me, however, with the fourth and hopefully last installment, Hannibal Rising. Who would have thought that the humble beginnings of such a great protagonist could be so boring.

What say you? Have something to add to the conversation?

An Interview with Brian Holers, Author of Doxology. Plus, $450 in Amazon Gift Cards and a Kindle Fire up for Grabs! .

Please enjoy this interview with Brian Holers, author of the literary novel, Doxology. Then read on to learn how you can win huge prizes as part of this blog tour, including $450 in Amazon gift cards, a Kindle Fire, and 5 autographed copies of the book.

 

1. Why did you choose to write about characters who set out to rediscover their faiths?

The characters in Doxology don't really set out to rediscover their faiths—they simply rediscover them when everything else is lost.  My two central characters, Vernon and Jody, uncle and nephew, are just living life as the story begins.  Jody has a pretty good, interesting life, he has a stable job working for a nice family, he's in love with the daughter of that family and works for the son and father.  He has totally inserted himself into this family, and his life has promise.  Only when he learns that his father is dying does he decide to return home, deal with things he has successfully avoided, and discover the great role faith has played in making him who he is.  Vernon, conversely, is making his way through life, but just barely; the tragic loss of his son has made him a mere shell of the man he once was, and the greatest joy of his current life is his ongoing endeavor to show his disdain for God.  Only when he fails in the one pitiful thing he has left, when he is broken down to absolutely nothing, is a return to faith possible.  The story is entirely fabricated, without really a shred of reality, though I can recognize parts of myself in many of the characters.  Particularly Jody's girlfriend.

2. What was the inspiration for this book?

The inspiration for Doxology was the longstanding concept of "my brother's keeper," superimposed on the Jewish concept of "dayeinu".  Dayeinu is what Jews say during the Passover seder in contemplation of the many things God has done for us—the concept of "it would have been enough."  "If only God had led us out of the desert, dayeinu, it would have been enough. But no, God did something more."  In 2005, when I finally started writing, I worked on short stories and met twice a month with a group of other writers.  When my wife and I decided to leave the country for a year, I figured, well I won't be meeting with a writers' group anymore, maybe I'll just write a book.  And I wrote the first several drafts of that book while we were traveling, from a smelly dive-shop hotel in Zanzibar, where I had to drag a rickety wooden table into our room and kick my wife and son out for the afternoon, to a beachfront room in Phuket, to the lobby of a YMCA hotel in Jerusalem, to a coffee shop with stale cookies in Malaysia, where my family and I helped build a Habitat for Humanity house during the day.  And really that trip cemented for me the idea that anywhere you go, the stories are the same. We all care most about our families. There are so many good things God does for us.

3. What surprises did you encounter in writing Doxology?

The greatest surprise I encountered when writing Doxology was the way Vernon kept trying to take over. When the story began, it was all about Jody. The problem was, Vernon's conflict was more immediate right from the beginning—dealing with the death of his only son, his constant drinking and self-destructive behavior. He just kept taking over—maybe Jody's struggle was so much harder to portray, since he seems to be doing pretty well in his current life, unlike Vernon. I overcame this problem by letting go—I stopped fighting it. I let Vernon take over, and then struggled to really work my way inside Jody, which took a long time. I overcame the problem by deciding the book was going to be done when it was done, and I couldn't rush it.

4. Why did you decide to become a writer?

I discovered my passion for stories at a young age—I have always been filled with stories. It took me awhile to begin to try and write them down. It also took me a few years to discover that trying to tell people the stories I imagined just made everyone think I was weird (which is a fair assessment) and that I talked too much. I'm glad it worked out this way though—if I had discovered my passion for writing at a young age, I would probably have struggled in a losing battle to make my living that way, and I'd be discouraged and burned out by now. What I discovered instead, in my twenties, is that for a guy so animated by imaginary stories, I'm surprising adept at negotiating the physical world. A dozen or so years of self employment allowed me to strip away a lot of detritus, have a lot of time alone to think. Once, a consultant I hired to help me manage my tree service told me that the world inside my head was more vivid to me than the world outside, and that's when I decided I had to get serious about my writing.

5. What is the most effective resource you have found for writing?

The only effective resource I have come across to hone my craft is time. And the best advice I received is not to rush. Even when you think you're done the first or the first several times, put the book away for awhile and come back to it. Don't rush. I wish I had kept track of how much time I spent on this book—I would guess between 3,000 and 4,000 hours. For one little book! But the advice goes deeper—don't rush, make a schedule and sit there and write. Give yourself the time and then sit there and do it. If you're like most of us and have a job, don't try to commit too much of your day to it. Give it an hour a day, two hours, whatever. Just commit to it. It's so much easier to come home from work, have a few drinks, go to the bar, and sit and stare at the stories in your head and say "I'm a writer." You're only a writer if you're writing. As for bad advice, I am totally self taught in this craft—the only bad advice I have received is regarding publishing. A lot of people told me even a year ago not to self-publish. However, I have one thing now I wouldn't have if I hadn't decided to self-publish, and that is a book.

6. What is your favorite writing ritual?

My favorite writing ritual is to go to my desk at night after my son goes to bed, have my wife put on her headset if she wants to watch TV or listen to music or whatever, just make it very quiet, and sit there until I really need to go to bed.

7. What do you like about writing?

My favorite part of the writing process is the feeling I get each step of the way, which comes from deciding what I can do that day is good enough. Lately I've been writing essays. I start with jotting down notes—I write a lot by hand, I think better that way. I'll write down in my sloppy scratch all the ideas that come to mind on a subject. Then the next session, I'll organize all those notes, expand a bit, put them all in order. Again, all on paper. Next time I'll write a draft, and even as I'm writing I know there will be a lot I want to change. Then I'll print it, make changes, and write again. But I decide each step, and each draft, is good enough for what it is.  My least favorite part of writing is that it's always late and I'm always tired and have to get through it, which I do by setting short-term goals. The greatest of which is brushing my teeth and going to sleep.

8. Why did you decide to self-publish Doxology?

The traditional, old-school publishing world is in total disarray, which is why writers like me have to take things into their own hands. For a lot of us, especially first time or unpublished writers, our hope to be published is simply that, hope.  We look at getting a publishing contract as our best chance of being somebody.  Now that I'm out here, I have a better sense of how books are sold, and I am here to tell you it is not easy. Possible, yes, but not easy. There are a zillion other forms of entertainment that require much less effort. A publisher really has to sell several thousand copies of your book before beginning to break even. And if you're just a regular Joe like I am, and nobody's heard of you, that's a tall order. Then the other piece is, even if you do get published, you have to do all the work to sell the book anyway. There's just not enough money in this equation for a publisher to do any real work for you, not until you've begun to prove yourself. Personally, as one with good business sense, I like this new model—there is no one between me and all my potential customers—no one saying it's not good enough, no one saying we can release your book in 18 months.

9. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Advice to aspiring authors—writing may well be the hardest thing you will ever do. At one time I had tons and tons of business debt, customers calling me daily, six highly-paid guys showing up at work every day looking at me for their instructions. I paid through the nose for liability insurance, workers' comp, and every tool imaginable. Then I waited for the guys to start calling me to say why the jobs couldn't be done, while I drove around scrambling for more work.  All of that was downright easy compared to writing books.   But there's no joy like it.  And while I am normal person who has made a lot of mistakes in life, I have found that the more my life is straight, the better my art. The old concept of the tortured writer or tortured artist with various addictions only goes so far. If you want to write clear, clean prose, make yourself as good a person as you can be, and the words will flow.  Keep your head up. Be entertained by your writing. Rejoice in the little things. Ultimately writing should be something you enjoy, that gives you passion. I have read that 10,000 hours pursuant to any activity is required to make one an expert, and writing is no exception.

10. What can you say about this book that we wouldn't learn from the synopsis?

I am grateful to say, Doxology is a beautifully written book, filled with symbols and layers of meaning. It is so much more than I set out to write, and I am proud to say it is so much better than even I thought it would be. It's not Dostoevsky or the Holy Bible, no, but it is a sweet, moving, inspiring  little story of love, loss, and redemption.  All told in a Southern accent so thick it just oozes out of the pages.

 

As part of this special promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, the price of the Doxology eBook edition is just 99 cents this week. What's more, by purchasing this fantastic book at an incredibly low price, you can enter to win many awesome prizes. The prizes include $450 in Amazon gift cards, a Kindle Fire, and 5 autographed copies of the book.

All the info you need to win one of these amazing prizes is RIGHT HERE. Remember, winning is as easy as clicking a button or leaving a blog comment–easy to enter; easy to win!

To win the prizes:

Purchase your copy of Doxology for just 99 cents
Fill-out the simple form on Novel Publicity
Visit today's featured social media event

Help my blog win:

The tour blogger who receives the most votes in the traffic-breaker poll will win a $100 gift card. When you visit Novel Publicity's site to fill-out the contest entry form, don't forget to VOTE FOR ME.

About the book:  Fathers, sons and brothers reconnect over tragedy in this blue-collar Southern tale of love, loss, and the healing power of community and family. Get it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

About the author:  An arborist by day and a novelist in every moment he can steal, Brian makes up stories from the treetops. Visit Brian on his website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads.

Have You "LIKED" My Author Page Yet?

The mystery of Asylum Lake is just too large and frightening to be contained within a single facebook fan page. It's time for expansion – and a new wing of the old asylum, and my even older and darker mind, has opened. From this point forward I'll be posting updates on my author page RAEvanswrites. It's where the live feed from this blog empties – as well as other random musings and announcements. If you "like" Asylum Lake on facebook,  I encourage you to "like" my author page.

Soon I'll be offering an opportunity to win an advance copy of Grave Undertakings – but you have to be a fan of the facebook page!