Daniel Lorn's Blog, page 4

May Roundup

I am content with how well my stories have performed this month. Although sales haven't been as fruitful as in April, I have sold at least one copy of each of my books. I haven’t committed enough of my time to advertise my work recently, and I need to get much better at this.

RED 

Red leads the pack for sales this month, and I imagine readers are checking this story out after enjoying Obsession, my most popular book in April. For those yet to read Red, please be aware that recent feedback has described this as a bleak and depressing horror tale. This was always my intent for Red; I wanted it to offer something different from my other work. Red is still my best story (in my humble opinion), although it will not be to everyone's taste, and I hope to gain more feedback in June.

BUY RED

 SEE YOU LATER

 Sales for my supernatural horror novella See You Later have been extremely promising recently, making it my second most popular book of May! Feedback has always been steady for this story, with many readers describing it as ‘haunting’ and others commending the quality of the writing. This is a very different story from my usual work, and I have more tales like this planned for the future.

BUY SEE YOU LATER

PACT

 Pact continues to attract regular sales, and this month is no different. Many people who have enjoyed Obsession tend to try out Pact next, which I absolutely encourage. Both stories are Psychological Horror but go in very different directions. I wanted Pact to read more like a ghost story than a Psychological Horror, and I am pleased with the praise this story continues to receive.

BUY PACT

 OBSESSION

Last month’s best seller fell short in May, but my debut story has served me well! This novelette has proudly outsold all my books (combined) and continues to find new readers.  I wanted this story to hit ten ratings on Goodreads before placing it on another platform. Obsession now has 17 ratings, so I have decided to try it out on ‘Godless’ in the hope that it can reach a wider audience. Obsession was released in April 2022 and didn’t get its first review until August, so for any new authors waiting on that first RV, my advice is to be patient. I was honoured to have an earlier draft of this story read by the legendary Dr Creepen on his brilliant YouTubechannel, and so far, Obsession has had almost 20,000 views but not as many sales...yet.

BUY OBSESSION - AMAZON BUY OBSESSION - GODLESS

OUR CONNECTED MADNESS

Our Connected Madness contains Obsession and Pact but has only had one sale this month. I never give this book the attention it deserves; therefore, this will be my ‘Book of the Month’ for June, and I will launch some promos for it shortly.

BUY OUR CONNECTED MADNESS

Thank you for reading, and if you have any questions, please feel free to message me.   

Dan

May Roundup

I am content with how well my stories have performed this month. Although sales haven't been as fruitful as in April, I have sold at least one copy of each of my books. I haven’t committed enough of my time to advertise my work recently, and I need to get much better at this.

RED 

Red leads the pack for sales this month, and I imagine readers are checking this story out after enjoying Obsession, my most popular book in April. For those yet to read Red, please be aware that recent feedback has described this as a bleak and depressing horror tale. This was always my intent for Red; I wanted it to offer something different from my other work. Red is still my best story (in my humble opinion), although it will not be to everyone's taste, and I hope to gain more feedback in June.

BUY RED

 SEE YOU LATER

 Sales for my supernatural horror novella See You Later have been extremely promising recently, making it my second most popular book of May! Feedback has always been steady for this story, with many readers describing it as ‘haunting’ and others commending the quality of the writing. This is a very different story from my usual work, and I have more tales like this planned for the future.

BUY SEE YOU LATER

PACT

 Pact continues to attract regular sales, and this month is no different. Many people who have enjoyed Obsession tend to try out Pact next, which I absolutely encourage. Both stories are Psychological Horror but go in very different directions. I wanted Pact to read more like a ghost story than a Psychological Horror, and I am pleased with the praise this story continues to receive.

BUY PACT

 OBSESSION

Last month’s best seller fell short in May, but my debut story has served me well! This novelette has proudly outsold all my books (combined) and continues to find new readers.  I wanted this story to hit ten ratings on Goodreads before placing it on another platform. Obsession now has 17 ratings, so I have decided to try it out on ‘Godless’ in the hope that it can reach a wider audience. Obsession was released in April 2022 and didn’t get its first review until August, so for any new authors waiting on that first RV, my advice is to be patient. I was honoured to have an earlier draft of this story read by the legendary Dr Creepen on his brilliant YouTubechannel, and so far, Obsession has had almost 20,000 views but not as many sales...yet.

BUY OBSESSION

OUR CONNECTED MADNESS

Our Connected Madness contains Obsession and Pact but has only had one sale this month. I never give this book the attention it deserves; therefore, this will be my ‘Book of the Month’ for June, and I will launch some promos for it shortly.

BUY OUR CONNECTED MADNESS

Thank you for reading, and if you have any questions, please feel free to message me.   

Dan

Author Update

April has been my best month so far regarding sales, reviews and exposure to my work. This has motivated me to continue my writing venture, and I am excited to see what the future brings. This blog is a quick round-up of the type of horror I write and my plans for the remainder of the year.

MY GENRE OF HORROR

The key ingredient in my stories is psychological horror. Horror is most effective when fear is cast subtly into the reader's mind, and I love creating these dark worlds. I often blend in supernatural horror and sometimes even paranormal horror, depending on what the story needs to give it an edge.

I have plenty more ideas for the future, and I plan to write at least one story in each horror subgenre.

MY WRITING STYLE

My current stories are all written from the first-person perspective. This was not a conscious choice; I just put pen to paper and let these stories unfold naturally. None of these stories were planned out. Other than a rough idea of what I was trying to get at, the direction and ending unfolded the more time I spent with each story.

My following projects will be slightly different. Most are written in the third person simply because it works better for them. Additionally, I have mapped out the structure of my current WIPs, hopefully reducing the editing burden.

HOW ARE MY BOOKS DOING

I am very content with the number of readers my stories are reaching. I aimed to sell 100 books in 2023, and I have already surpassed that, which is hugely motivating.

My debut psychological horror ‘Obsession’ is attracting the most attention, and I am starting to see some promising sales for my most recent release, ‘Red’.

MY CURRENT OBJECTIVE

At the start of April, I set a goal to slowly work my way up to ten ratings for each book on either Amazon or Goodreads by June.

The following graphic shows how close I am to achieving this objective:

MY NEXT RELEASE

I initially had my mind set on finishing my supernatural horror novel ‘Fear of the Devil’, but after giving it a realistic read-through, I don’t foresee this appearing until 2024. Therefore, here are my planned releases for 2023, and I plan to have something out in time for the summer.

Thank you for reading, and feel free to drop me a message. 

Dan

Happy Book Birthday to OBSESSION

My debut horror story was released a year ago today, and I wanted to do something special to mark the occasion, so let’s get on with it.

OBSESSION IS CURRENTLY FREE TO READ!

Yes, that’s correct!

This story, which would normally cost you under £1 to read, is now free until Tuesday, 18 April 2023! Just click the button below to pick up your free copy from Amazon.

READ OBSESSION FOR FREE

WHAT IF I HAVE ALREADY PURCHASED ‘OBSESSION’?

If you have left Obsession a review on Goodreads or Amazon and purchased this story before today, I will offer you an Amazon e-book gift of any of my other stories. All you need to do is send me a DM here (button below) or on Twitter to get the ball rolling.

Just so you know, this offer only lasts until the end of the free book promo.

CONTACT ME

WHAT IS OBSESSION ABOUT?

I will shamelessly use my favourite review from Goodreads to tell you:

“Shrouded by a dark cloak of need that is both erotic and obsessive, a solitary man plans to evade the accepted notions of morality, life and death. Listening to his neighbors fight to the death behind his bedroom wall inspires him to fully experience the snuffing of another's life. The tenebrosity of a park at night provides the perfect opportunity. The living victim saturates the predator's senses and inspires rage. But who is hidden in the shadows? How far must the hunter go to achieve satisfaction rather than madness? Daniel Lorn will guide you through a psychological maze that has lost its own exit.”

CLOSING REMARKS

I am incredibly proud of this story, which continues to be my overall bestseller. I now need to shift another 999,000 copies of it to buy my dream house in the Scottish countryside!

For anyone considering reading my stories, I recommend you start with Obsession. My debut tale will vividly introduce you to the worlds of horror I love to create. Obsession was never proofread or adequately edited, and I have decided to keep it as it is, in all its imperfections, as a starting point for my exhilarating writing adventure.

Happy Book Birthday to OBSESSION

My debut horror story was released a year ago today, and I wanted to do something special to mark the occasion, so let’s get on with it.

OBSESSION IS CURRENTLY FREE TO READ!

Yes, that’s correct!

This story, which would normally cost you under £1 to read, is now free until Tuesday, 18 April 2023! Just click the button below to pick up your free copy from Amazon.

READ OBSESSION FOR FREE

WHAT IF I HAVE ALREADY PURCHASED ‘OBSESSION’?

If you have left Obsession a review on Goodreads or Amazon and purchased this story before today, I will offer you an Amazon e-book gift of any of my other stories. All you need to do is send me a DM here (button below) or on Twitter to get the ball rolling.

Just so you know, this offer only lasts until the end of the free book promo.

CONTACT ME

WHAT IS OBSESSION ABOUT?

I will shamelessly use my favourite review from Goodreads to tell you:

“Shrouded by a dark cloak of need that is both erotic and obsessive, a solitary man plans to evade the accepted notions of morality, life and death. Listening to his neighbors fight to the death behind his bedroom wall inspires him to fully experience the snuffing of another's life. The tenebrosity of a park at night provides the perfect opportunity. The living victim saturates the predator's senses and inspires rage. But who is hidden in the shadows? How far must the hunter go to achieve satisfaction rather than madness? Daniel Lorn will guide you through a psychological maze that has lost its own exit.”

CLOSING REMARKS

I am incredibly proud of this story, which continues to be my overall bestseller. I now need to shift another 999,000 copies of it to buy my dream house in the Scottish countryside!

For anyone considering reading my stories, I recommend you start with Obsession. My debut tale will vividly introduce you to the worlds of horror I love to create. Obsession was never proofread or adequately edited, and I have decided to keep it as it is, in all its imperfections, as a starting point for my exhilarating writing adventure.

MY BOOKS RATED

I have decided for Indie April that it would be fun to rate all of my books against each other, give an update on how they are all doing, and tell you why you should read them.

Here we go!

RED

For me, Red is my best story. It may not be to everyone's taste, but after reading this nearly 100 times and seeing how it has developed, it deserves its place at the top.

Red is precisely the kind of story that reminds me why I love the horror genre so much.

Positives - If you like Psychological Horror, which develops into something more sinister, you will enjoy this.  

Negatives - This book is certainly not a crowd-pleaser, and some may be frustrated by the writing style, but… it had to be written this way. I also set it at Christmas (again… it had to be), which may be off-putting to some at this time of year.

How is it doing? Red is my current best seller.

OBSESSION

Obsession is well placed as my number 2 story. Heavily influenced by the work of Edgar Allan Poe and M.R. James, it was my first attempt at horror, and I am happy with it despite its imperfections. Of all my stories, Obsession has resonated the most with readers; some have even contacted me regarding the content… in particular, the ending! 

Positives - Obsession is a dark Psychological Horror… what is not to love? This story has been lucky enough to have been streamed on Dr Creepen’s excellent YouTube channel over 19,000 times.  

Negatives - This was my first story and has never been proofread or adequately edited. 

How is it doing? Obsession leads the way with sales for all of my stories. 

PACT

Pact sits closely behind Obsession and is my current best-rated book on Amazon and Goodreads. Readers enjoy this little story, which I call my dark horse.

Regarding structure and pace, I think that I nailed it with this one. 

Positives - You never really know what is real or what is not with this horror story. It will keep you on your toes, and I am confident the ending will not entirely be what you expect! 

Negatives - It works as a short story, but I could have probably fleshed this out in certain areas. 

How is it doing? Sales have recently picked up for Pact again, and I look forward to seeing how far this story can go.

SEE YOU LATER 

See You Later is the first story idea I put to paper. Although I place it at number four, it remains the most personal story I have written. Each experience in this Supernatural Horror is influenced in some way or other by actual events.  

Positives - See You Later has been praised for its masterful and impactful writing. Many readers feel this story has a very haunting vibe to it. People living with sleep paralysis should undoubtedly be able to connect with this one quite easily! 

Negatives - As it is based on actual events, I kept the whole thing tight and serious (it wasn’t much fun to write!). It also has a scene of cruelty towards a dog, which, unfortunately, was based on an actual occurrence.

How is it doing? See You Later is yet to find its target audience. I expect it to fare much better in the future as readers find it after enjoying one of my other books. This was a one-off story for me, and I learned a lot while writing it. 

THATS IT!

Click on the button below to read my stories:

READ MY STORIES

‘RED’ HAS NOW BEEN UNLEASHED UPON THE WORLD

 I released my fourth original horror story last week, and sales have beaten all of my previous books in each of their respective release weeks. Thank you to all who have supported me by reading my story or liking and sharing my work on Twitter and Instagram. I have already had extremely positive feedback for this story and look forward to seeing how far RED can go.

THE ‘RED’ EFFECT

I have noticed a spike in sales more recently for my other stories, and I am truly grateful to all the readers who have stumbled upon my work. Feel free to contact me regarding my stories; I am happy to respond to any feedback, questions or queries.

MOVING ON FROM ‘RED’

I have many stories in the pipeline, but one thing I lack is… time! That said, I will still endeavour to spend an hour a day, when the family are asleep, to fine-tune any current projects. Usually, when I begin to see the potential in a project, I become absorbed in it all the way through until release day. I estimate my next month of absorption to be June; therefore, I should have another story out in time for summer.

MY CURRENT OBJECTIVE

I am walking through the dark shadows of marketing wearing a blindfold, but I endeavour to slowly work my way up to ten ratings for each book on either Amazon or Goodreads by June.

The following graphic shows how close I am to achieving this objective:

MY MAIN GOAL FOR 2023

If you can sell one book, you can sell 100, which is my target for combined sales in 2023. I believe this is achievable, and even though this may not seem like much, it will be a huge win for me, motivating me to invest more time in writing stories. 

MY NEXT RELEASES 

Realistically, I plan to release three more stories this year, and these are as follows:

 Thank you for reading, and feel free to drop me a message.

Yours in horror,

Dan

‘RED’ HAS NOW BEEN UNLEASHED UPON THE WORLD

 I released my fourth original horror story last week, and sales have beaten all of my previous books in each of their respective release weeks. Thank you to all who have supported me by reading my story or liking and sharing my work on Twitter and Instagram. I have already had extremely positive feedback for this story and look forward to seeing how far RED can go.

THE ‘RED’ EFFECT

I have noticed a spike in sales more recently for my other stories, and I am truly grateful to all the readers who have stumbled upon my work. Feel free to contact me regarding my stories; I am happy to respond to any feedback, questions or queries.

MOVING ON FROM ‘RED’

I have many stories in the pipeline, but one thing I lack is… time! That said, I will still endeavour to spend an hour a day, when the family are asleep, to fine-tune any current projects. Usually, when I begin to see the potential in a project, I become absorbed in it all the way through until release day. I estimate my next month of absorption to be June; therefore, I should have another story out in time for summer.

MY CURRENT OBJECTIVE

I am walking through the dark shadows of marketing wearing a blindfold, but I endeavour to slowly work my way up to ten ratings for each book on either Amazon or Goodreads by June.

The following graphic shows how close I am to achieving this objective:

MY MAIN GOAL FOR 2023

If you can sell one book, you can sell 100, which is my target for combined sales in 2023. I believe this is achievable, and even though this may not seem like much, it will be a huge win for me, motivating me to invest more time in writing stories. 

MY NEXT RELEASES 

Realistically, I plan to release three more stories this year, and these are as follows:

 Thank you for reading, and feel free to drop me a message.

Yours in horror,

Dan

RED

RED will be released on Friday 24 March 2023, and this is what you can expect from my fourth tale of terror.

BACKGROUND

RED was originally going to be a short festive story to release in time for Christmas but ended up growing arms, legs… and the secret ingredient, which I won’t say as it will be a spoiler.

THEME

RED can be considered a Psychological Horror or even a Supernatural Horror, depending on how it resonates with you as the reader. I decided to have a little fun with this story, which has paid off, and I love how it has turned out.

THE STORY

RED is a story told through the eyes of a man who has suffered a deeply fractured past. Although he has somehow managed to forge a relatively stable life, things are not always what they may seem.

When recent events threaten to tear his world apart, he is drawn to a whisper which manifests within the darkness. A whisper which offers him the faith to face the shadows of his past and the appetite to deal with those who have wronged him.

INFLUENCE

After writing Obsession, I felt I had unfinished business with the fractured mind idea and decided to explore this theme further. I also wanted this story to be much darker and more brutal than my other stories… I am confident to have achieved this with RED.

MY THOUGHTS ON RED

This is my best story to date, but only time will prove if this is true for those who read my work. I love psychological horrors, especially those not afraid to mix things up a bit with traditional horror, and this is precisely what I have tried to achieve with RED.

IN CLOSING

As I work toward my release date, I plan to re-read the story several times, prepare the paperback editing, and work out a few formatting issues. All the fun stuff! I always hated doing all this and often released my stories far too early. Now, I take my time and have learned to respect the process. It’s hard work, and I certainly don’t do this for the money (maybe one day), but I love writing horror.

ANNOUNCEMENT

Thank you for reading my blog, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on my new story.

You are amongst the first to know about my next three releases, and here they are:

RED

RED will be released on Friday 17 March 2023, and this is what you can expect from my fourth tale of terror.

BACKGROUND

RED was originally going to be a short festive story to release in time for Christmas but ended up growing arms, legs… and the secret ingredient, which I won’t say as it will be a spoiler.

THEME

RED can be considered a Psychological Horror or even a Supernatural Horror, depending on how it resonates with you as the reader. I decided to have a little fun with this story, which has paid off, and I love how it has turned out.

THE STORY

RED is a story told through the eyes of a man who has suffered a deeply fractured past. Although he has somehow managed to forge a relatively stable life, things are not always what they may seem.

When recent events threaten to tear his world apart, he is drawn to a whisper which manifests within the darkness. A whisper which offers him the faith to face the shadows of his past and the appetite to deal with those who have wronged him.

INFLUENCE

After writing Obsession, I felt I had unfinished business with the fractured mind idea and decided to explore this theme further. I also wanted this story to be much darker and more brutal than my other stories… I am confident to have achieved this with RED.

MY THOUGHTS ON RED

This is my best story to date, but only time will prove if this is true for those who read my work. I love psychological horrors, especially those not afraid to mix things up a bit with traditional horror, and this is precisely what I have tried to achieve with RED.

IN CLOSING

As I work toward my release date, I plan to re-read the story several times, prepare the paperback editing, and work out a few formatting issues. All the fun stuff! I always hated doing all this and often released my stories far too early. Now, I take my time and have learned to respect the process. It’s hard work, and I certainly don’t do this for the money (maybe one day), but I love writing horror.

ANNOUNCEMENT

Thank you for reading my blog, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on my new story.

You are amongst the first to know about my next three releases, and here they are: