Peter Topside's Blog, page 5
May 11, 2021
Live from the Bunker
Thank you to Jason Hunt for letting me be on his show, Live from the Bunker (Subscribe and/or like it!)!
Check out our awesome interview about the Preternatural trilogy, plus my process of story development, how it tied into dealing with PTSD and the state the the horror genre!
YouTube - https://youtu.be/JKl0sC_SU0Y
Odysee - odysee.com/@SciFi4Me/live-from-the-bu...
Check out our awesome interview about the Preternatural trilogy, plus my process of story development, how it tied into dealing with PTSD and the state the the horror genre!
YouTube - https://youtu.be/JKl0sC_SU0Y
Odysee - odysee.com/@SciFi4Me/live-from-the-bu...
March 20, 2021
Preternatural Evolution - Preorders Now Available!
Good afternoon!
I hope everyone is well!
The second book in the Preternatural trilogy, Evolution, is now available for preorder in both eBook and paperback formats, Reserve your copy today for the April 13th release;
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/173...
I will also be running a special promotion on the original Preternatural from April 1st-12th, where it will be free and then $.99. So if you haven't read the first book yet, take advantage of the special deal!
Have a wonderful day!!
Peter
I hope everyone is well!
The second book in the Preternatural trilogy, Evolution, is now available for preorder in both eBook and paperback formats, Reserve your copy today for the April 13th release;
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/173...
I will also be running a special promotion on the original Preternatural from April 1st-12th, where it will be free and then $.99. So if you haven't read the first book yet, take advantage of the special deal!
Have a wonderful day!!
Peter
March 9, 2021
Attention Horror Authors!!
One of my primary goals as an author is support my colleagues. I have met so many wonderful and talented people through Goodreads this past year. And some have entrusted me with their stories, which I was lucky enough to read, review, and then promote in my various groups, social media pages, etc. Having gone through years of trials and tribulations before publishing my first book, I understand how difficult and frustrating the process can be. And even beyond that, it wasn't until I began working with a wonderful team of professionals for my second book, Preternatural: Evolution (Out April 13th!!), that I realized just just how complex the entire industry really is. So with that being said, if there are any horror authors out there who want to pick my brain (Not literally, unless you're into that kind of thing.), or have me review their books, swap reviews, etc, I am completely open to it. Again, I want to help other authors thrive and give their works the proper recognition!
February 16, 2021
Preternatural: Evolution (Book 2) Excerpt
Good morning everyone!
Below is an excerpt from book 2 of my Preternatural trilogy, Preternatural: Evolution. It is currently set for a March 12th pre-order date, with an April 13th release!
Definitely check out book 1, Preternatural (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...), if you haven't done so already and get ready for the next installment! I'm so excited to share it with you all!!
Alex now felt the sensation grow, resembling a migraine but it was more unique, which caused her to end her sermon prematurely.
“Let us pray . . .” When everyone bowed their heads, she continued. “Lord God, thank you for sacrificing your only son for our sinful ways. We confess it all to you to renew us.”
The sensation became stronger, but she tried to push past it. She felt Blackheart’s presence somehow, as if he were standing in front of her. He was there with her. She was so sure of it.
“When sin and evil work against us, we remain steadfast and true to You. We trust that Your word is the only word, and You will guide us in the most righteous way. Give us Your light and give us the chance to be reflections of Your peace during a time when this world needs Your presence and healing. Help give us the strength to help those who experience hard times, pain, death, and other worldly misfortunes. Be with us as we rejoice in Your triumphs.”
She felt off balance and stumbled but steadied herself on the pulpit. Several members got out of their seats to help her but stopped when she caught herself. In her mind, Alexandra saw Blackheart’s mansion in its present form, and she felt his power surge.
“Whoever believes in You will be given new life,” she said, now seeing Blackheart’s burnt hand crash out of the debris on Chrysanthemum Drive.
In that moment, the connection to him was fully forged. He had gotten into her mind and used her to give himself enough strength to come back.
She crashed to the floor of the altar.
Below is an excerpt from book 2 of my Preternatural trilogy, Preternatural: Evolution. It is currently set for a March 12th pre-order date, with an April 13th release!
Definitely check out book 1, Preternatural (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...), if you haven't done so already and get ready for the next installment! I'm so excited to share it with you all!!
Alex now felt the sensation grow, resembling a migraine but it was more unique, which caused her to end her sermon prematurely.
“Let us pray . . .” When everyone bowed their heads, she continued. “Lord God, thank you for sacrificing your only son for our sinful ways. We confess it all to you to renew us.”
The sensation became stronger, but she tried to push past it. She felt Blackheart’s presence somehow, as if he were standing in front of her. He was there with her. She was so sure of it.
“When sin and evil work against us, we remain steadfast and true to You. We trust that Your word is the only word, and You will guide us in the most righteous way. Give us Your light and give us the chance to be reflections of Your peace during a time when this world needs Your presence and healing. Help give us the strength to help those who experience hard times, pain, death, and other worldly misfortunes. Be with us as we rejoice in Your triumphs.”
She felt off balance and stumbled but steadied herself on the pulpit. Several members got out of their seats to help her but stopped when she caught herself. In her mind, Alexandra saw Blackheart’s mansion in its present form, and she felt his power surge.
“Whoever believes in You will be given new life,” she said, now seeing Blackheart’s burnt hand crash out of the debris on Chrysanthemum Drive.
In that moment, the connection to him was fully forged. He had gotten into her mind and used her to give himself enough strength to come back.
She crashed to the floor of the altar.
January 12, 2021
Preternatural: Evolution Announcement!
Coming March 2021! The exciting sequel to Preternatural!
It’s been fifteen years since Blackheart was defeated, leaving Meadowsville desolate and broken. Alexandra returns to take over her father’s church, but struggles with what her true purpose is. She also feels mounting pressure from an increasingly unstable Christian, and the inadvertently resurrected creature, both of which force her to face all of her deepest traumas and insecurities. As the town’s only hope, she must evolve in order to battle these adversities or risk losing the very soul of Meadowsville to an unprecedented form of evil.
It’s been fifteen years since Blackheart was defeated, leaving Meadowsville desolate and broken. Alexandra returns to take over her father’s church, but struggles with what her true purpose is. She also feels mounting pressure from an increasingly unstable Christian, and the inadvertently resurrected creature, both of which force her to face all of her deepest traumas and insecurities. As the town’s only hope, she must evolve in order to battle these adversities or risk losing the very soul of Meadowsville to an unprecedented form of evil.
December 19, 2020
Happy Holidays!!
Good morning!
I hope you're all well today.
I just wanted to wish everyone a wonderful, safe, and healthy holiday season. This has been a very trying year for all of us, but I'm positive that 2021 will be better.
Have a fantastic day and an awesome rest of the weekend!
Peter
P.S. Preternatural Evolution is officially scheduled for a March 2021 release. The manuscript is 99% done, as is the cover art, formatting, etc. I plan to begin the marketing for it sometime in mid-January, so stay tuned! So excited to let you all see the second book in my trilogy!
I hope you're all well today.
I just wanted to wish everyone a wonderful, safe, and healthy holiday season. This has been a very trying year for all of us, but I'm positive that 2021 will be better.
Have a fantastic day and an awesome rest of the weekend!
Peter
P.S. Preternatural Evolution is officially scheduled for a March 2021 release. The manuscript is 99% done, as is the cover art, formatting, etc. I plan to begin the marketing for it sometime in mid-January, so stay tuned! So excited to let you all see the second book in my trilogy!
November 28, 2020
Alternate Versions of a Book
Good afternoon!
I hope you’re all well today and are having a great Thanksgiving weekend!
As I’m completing the last stretch of work on the second book in my trilogy, Preternatural: Evolution (Due out in early 2021!), I began to reflect on an earlier version of the original Preternatural that I wrote about 8 years ago. The characters and story are similar, but overall it’s a completely different animal.
I am still proud of it, but decided that it wasn’t written in a way that I was totally satisfied with. I finished it and took a break for about a year before I dove back in. So I rewrote the entire thing into the version that was published last year. The ideas and themes are now more concise, the characters are developed better, and my main antagonist, Blackheart, became less of a sympathetic character and evolved into something much more sinister and interesting. The newest version really captures everything I wanted it to be, in a way that I was truly excited to share with the world.
And I also never planned to write more than one book, however, after completing the updated version of book 1, the second and third books organically flowed out. While each book are strongly related, they’re each very individual stories. I’m really pleased with how the entire trilogy turned out, and can’t wait to share them all!
Has anyone else had a similar experience writing their own stories? Or even reading a reimagined version of some other book that they read prior? Was it better? Worse?
I’d love to hear your experiences!
Peter
I hope you’re all well today and are having a great Thanksgiving weekend!
As I’m completing the last stretch of work on the second book in my trilogy, Preternatural: Evolution (Due out in early 2021!), I began to reflect on an earlier version of the original Preternatural that I wrote about 8 years ago. The characters and story are similar, but overall it’s a completely different animal.
I am still proud of it, but decided that it wasn’t written in a way that I was totally satisfied with. I finished it and took a break for about a year before I dove back in. So I rewrote the entire thing into the version that was published last year. The ideas and themes are now more concise, the characters are developed better, and my main antagonist, Blackheart, became less of a sympathetic character and evolved into something much more sinister and interesting. The newest version really captures everything I wanted it to be, in a way that I was truly excited to share with the world.
And I also never planned to write more than one book, however, after completing the updated version of book 1, the second and third books organically flowed out. While each book are strongly related, they’re each very individual stories. I’m really pleased with how the entire trilogy turned out, and can’t wait to share them all!
Has anyone else had a similar experience writing their own stories? Or even reading a reimagined version of some other book that they read prior? Was it better? Worse?
I’d love to hear your experiences!
Peter
November 17, 2020
Featured Author - May 2021
Good afternoon everyone!
First and foremost, I want to send a big thank you out to Marie. She has been an absolute blessing in both welcoming me into the Goodreads community and helping me establish myself as an author. Thank you for everything Marie!!!
She has also been gracious enough to name me as the featured author in the Castle Dracula group for May 2021. We can all dive deep into the unsettling community of Meadowsville and explore the vile, vicious monsters that call it home! Hope to see you all there!!
Also be on the lookout for my second book, Preternatural: Evolution, due out in early 2021!
Have a wonderful rest of the day!
Peter
First and foremost, I want to send a big thank you out to Marie. She has been an absolute blessing in both welcoming me into the Goodreads community and helping me establish myself as an author. Thank you for everything Marie!!!
She has also been gracious enough to name me as the featured author in the Castle Dracula group for May 2021. We can all dive deep into the unsettling community of Meadowsville and explore the vile, vicious monsters that call it home! Hope to see you all there!!
Also be on the lookout for my second book, Preternatural: Evolution, due out in early 2021!
Have a wonderful rest of the day!
Peter
November 2, 2020
Thank You and Apologies!
Good morning!
I hope you're all well.
First off, I want to thank you all for participating in the giveaway of Preternatural. It was a huge turnout, and I so appreciate the support of my fellow readers and authors on Goodreads!
For those of you who were not picked, thank you for being involved! I also lowered the prices of both the ebook and hard copy versions as low as Amazon would let me. So please grab a copy and let me know what you think!
Second, I was originally informed that Goodreads would request the file from me, and it would then distribute to all the winners. However, it automatically sent out the older file to everyone and I just found out. So if you were one of the winners, please excuse the error as I would have prevented it, if I had known. I can provide you with the missing excerpt from book 2, upon request.
Thank you all again!
Have a great start to your week!!
Doug
I hope you're all well.
First off, I want to thank you all for participating in the giveaway of Preternatural. It was a huge turnout, and I so appreciate the support of my fellow readers and authors on Goodreads!
For those of you who were not picked, thank you for being involved! I also lowered the prices of both the ebook and hard copy versions as low as Amazon would let me. So please grab a copy and let me know what you think!
Second, I was originally informed that Goodreads would request the file from me, and it would then distribute to all the winners. However, it automatically sent out the older file to everyone and I just found out. So if you were one of the winners, please excuse the error as I would have prevented it, if I had known. I can provide you with the missing excerpt from book 2, upon request.
Thank you all again!
Have a great start to your week!!
Doug
October 26, 2020
Preternatural Giveaway - Final Week - Meadowsville News Update
A well-endowed, provocatively dressed young girl appears on screen smiling.
“Welcome to the Wednesday edition of Channel 1, Meadowsville’s best source for your news. I’m Debbie Johnson with your local updates.
Several teens from Meadowsville High are doing their part by scrubbing Mr. Smith graffiti off several local businesses (Students are shown cleaning the locker rooms in Meadowsville High School), as Mayor Wilkins poses for photos with them, sporting an obviously fake smile.
Speaking of our own local legend, we have our weekly viewer sighting by Jermaine Meyers, a visiting photographer all the way from Colorado. (An unfocused, authentic picture of Blackheart perched on a building is displayed behind her.) Stay on the lookout at all times, because you never know when Mr. Smith is watching. Be sure to send in your pictures for a chance to win our monthly prize drawings.
That’s your local update. Be safe and remember to be home by curfew. This is Debbie Johnson.”
“Welcome to the Wednesday edition of Channel 1, Meadowsville’s best source for your news. I’m Debbie Johnson with your local updates.
Several teens from Meadowsville High are doing their part by scrubbing Mr. Smith graffiti off several local businesses (Students are shown cleaning the locker rooms in Meadowsville High School), as Mayor Wilkins poses for photos with them, sporting an obviously fake smile.
Speaking of our own local legend, we have our weekly viewer sighting by Jermaine Meyers, a visiting photographer all the way from Colorado. (An unfocused, authentic picture of Blackheart perched on a building is displayed behind her.) Stay on the lookout at all times, because you never know when Mr. Smith is watching. Be sure to send in your pictures for a chance to win our monthly prize drawings.
That’s your local update. Be safe and remember to be home by curfew. This is Debbie Johnson.”
