Kenneth Atchity's Blog, page 186

Portland Book Review - Night Terrors

Night Terrors: A Daniel Rinaldi Mystery

A Provocative Daniel Rinaldi Crime Adventure

By Dennis Palumbo
Poisoned Pen Press, $24.95, 352 pages


A young man confesses to a homicide, but refuses to disclose the location of the victim unless Pittsburgh psychologist Daniel Rinaldi accompanies them. A trauma specialist and police consultant, Rinaldi agreed to assist in finding the victim of the gruesome homicide. At the same time, a series of murders of officials in three states has the local police and the FBI scrambling to protect the people who were responsible for the arrest and conviction of a serial killer who recently died in prison.

Someone claiming to be a fan of the serial killer is murdering those responsible for his conviction and death. As Rinaldi is asked to treat a recently retired FBI profiler who is suffering from night terrors, he becomes ensnared in the complex mystery. Brutal winter adds more danger to the situation.

Dennis Palumbo, a Hollywood screenwriter turned psychotherapist, now in private practice, is the author of the mystery collection; From Crime to Crime. This book is the third Daniel Rinaldi mystery. Palumbo has had his short fiction published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery magazine; The Strand and elsewhere.

This fast-paced novel has it all: suspense, mystery, romance, humor, and non-stop action. The characters are wonderfully enjoyable and the unexpected twists and turns just keep coming right up to the end.

Reviewed by Fran Byram
Buy On Amazon

Why Do You Have to Market Your Book? 10 Ways to Focus Your Marketing

Your book is about to be published or already published, and now it's time to talk about the simple facts of marketing. The American marketplace, nearly 300 million strong, is the most lucrative market for books in the world -- and the gateway to the global marketplace. Amazon now has websites in United Kingdom, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, Japan, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil -- and is adding more each year. Your book's reach can truly be global -- if your book is visible.

One book in a million launches to instant sales while the author does absolutely nothing. It's the most common pathetic fallacy to think you'll succeed without PR or that the media will cover your book with little effort on your part.

The other 999,999 books require the marketing (promotional) efforts to become visible to the American and global marketplace. And marketing is an ongoing thing that never stops.

To begin with, you need to know this formula by heart:

MARKETING has no direct relationship with sales.

But GOOD MARKETING produces VISIBILITY.

Without VISIBILITY there can be no sales.

Consider BMW, Veuve Clicquot, Victoria's Secret, and many other brands that are embedded in the American consciousness. They well know that spending millions of dollars a year in the big slick magazines with sexy ads has NO direct relationship with sales. But they do it because it keeps their brands in the forefront of the browsers' awareness.

They don't dare NOT spend the money. For one thing, they know if they don't spend it, someone else will be spending it and that someone else may take their place in the buyers' awareness.

The same is true of the massively crowded world of books.

So one way or the other, you must MARKET YOUR BOOK as fervently as -- maybe even more fervently than -- you wrote it. Devote a minimum amount of time EACH DAY because time upon time produces results.

What are some of the best ways to market your book? From years of trials and errors, both my own and those of my clients and published authors, here's what I suggest:

1. Come up with a marketing plan that fits your time and budget constraints; revise it as you continue forward and as opportunities arise.

2. Put time into it, and as much money as you can spare. Nothing happens unless you invest your time and/or your money (and don't forget: money buys time).

3. Get help. If you don't have the time or desire to do it yourself, use our help to make your book visible.

4. Forget about all marketing except the internet. By 2012, 274 million (78.6% of the population) people were using the internet in North America alone; 2.95 billion are online worldwide! Why spend your money on television, or print ads, or even radio (though the last is still a good idea) when you can be in direct touch with this humongous market from your keyboard?

5. Focus your book by offering it exclusive on amazon.com--which has over 100 million subscribers. Get that "Author Central" page up as soon as your book is launched. Amazon is the 500-lb guerrilla -- so set the other monkeys aside until you've sold 100 million books.

6. Build a Facebook page instead of a blog. With 1.3 Billion users globally, where can you find a better marketplace? Maybe you'll consider that limiting when your book has sold a billion copies. Then you can think about expanding beyond Facebook. Meanwhile here's the biggest market imaginable -- nearly 200 million in North America -- right at your fingertips.

7. Focus on getting book reviews on your sell-page. First aim for 30, then 100, then 300. Magic happens when the amazon computer's algorithm starts paying attention to your book, and more and more reviews inevitably make that happen.

8. end out a press release about your book through a service that reaches internet reviewers. You will surely receive requests for review copies -- and at least half of those will end up as reviews on the internet.

9. Social networking is where it's all happening today: Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, Linked-In, YouTube, and Tumblr. Set up accounts and send out postings regularly until you grow your following, capturing their emails so you can keep in touch with them.

10. Experiment as much as you have time and funds for, but double down on anything that's working for you.

Don't be overwhelmed by the marketing process. Take control of it by limiting it to a specific time allotment each day, say 60 minutes. You'll be amazed at the results sixty minutes a day, day in and day out, will produce. Good luck -- and enjoy the excitement of this new frontier for writers, where you can reach out directly to your readers and prospective readers.

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S.D. Hines' Medusa Reviewed

Medusa (Heroines of Classical Greece #1) by S.D. Hines
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: August 6, 2013
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

In one of the most compelling tales from classical Greece since Mary Renault's Bull from the Sea and Fire from Heaven, author Scot Hines retells the legend of Medusa in a way that makes her feel like a contemporary millennial girl with very special problems. 

Despite a semi-miraculous birth in the temple of Athena, Medusa is nothing more than a devoted priestess of the goddess, distinguished only by her beauty and piety. But after she is raped by the god Poseidon, her entire world is ripped asunder and she flees Poseidon's wrath through ancient Greece and beyond for the inconceivable crime of resistance. In her wanderings, she encounters dangers and horrors, but also friends in unexpected places. 

Pursued by Poseidon's fury and his assassins, she is finally cornered in Egypt with only two choices: fight back or be destroyed with all she loves. But her only hope lies with the father of her children, the great love of her life and the man who is prophesied to kill her: Perseus.

♥ ♥ ♥


"Medusa" by S.D. Hines is a tale of epic proportions. It's also a story of Medusa like we've never seen before. We're used to seeing Medusa as the bad guy – the one with creepy snakes for hair that turns innocent victims into stone with just one look into her eyes. That's the Medusa that we're used to, but it is not the one Hines portrays.

The Medusa from this story is a kind hearted and gentle woman, who is on the run after being raped and having her life threatened by the god Poseidon. Instead of being on the offensive like the monster she's been portrayed over the years, she goes out of her way to help people and makes friends with the people she encounters on her journey.

Medusa's travels take her far and wide. She goes all through Greece, and even as far as Egypt, in her trek to save herself from Poseidon's wrath. This is an epic journey that reminded me of the one Odysseus faced. Both had to go on an adventure that lasted for years that also threw challenges and smaller battles in their way. Medusa was forced to protect herself and others during her wanderings, and as a result, was able to grow as a person and become stronger.
Something that I found interested was the little mentions about other stories that were littered throughout Medusa's. For example, while passing through Troy, she muses on how formable their boundary walls are and that it would be a very hard city to take. We also meet Moses as a baby, as Medusa was there when he was found in his basket in the reeds. I greatly liked that Hines incorporated these small asides into Medusa's travels, and it gave the reader a little something extra to hold on to.

I've already compared Medusa's story to that of Odysseus, but they aren't exactly the same. The epic journey that Hines writes is written in a way that's a lot clearer to follow with plainer language, making it an easier read than "The Odyssey". Although there are some points that got a bit too descriptive at times making the story drag a bit, it still wasn't difficult to get through.

Medusa in this story is the epitome of a good person, however we know her as anything but. Hines also finds a way to deal with this change of perception. While we get to see Medusa and how she really acts, we also get to hear the rumors that surround her on her travels since rumors travel faster than any horse. Her deeds and battles and the things she are a part of get twisted and skewed like a game of telephone, and the rumors that spread are usually a far cry from what really happened.

I always like reading about the Greek gods and myths, and "Medusa" was not an exception. I loved that Hines took a different way of looking at the character and made a new story out of something we all thought we already knew. Even though at times, it could be a slow read, it was still enjoyable and I would recommend it.


Reposted from Pink Fluffy Hearts

Drumroll Please! Cover Reveal for PHANTOM LIMB by Dennis Palumbo

Psychologist and Pittsburgh Police Department consultant Daniel Rinaldi has a new patient. Lisa Harland, a local girl, once made a splash in Playboy and the dubious side of Hollywood before bottoming out. Back home, down and out again, she married one of the city’s richest and most ruthless tycoons. Lisa’s challenge to Danny is that she intends to commit suicide by 7:00 PM. His therapist skills may buy some time—but, exiting, she’s kidnapped right outside his office.
Summoned to the Harland estate, Danny is forced, through a bizarre sequence of events, to be the bag man on the ransom delivery. This draws him into a deadly cat-and-mouse game with a brilliant, lethal adversary. Complicating things is the unhappy Harland family, whose members have dark secrets of their own along with suspect loyalties, as well as one of Danny’s other patients, a volatile vet whose life may, like Lisa’s, be at risk. What is really at stake here?
Phantom Limb, fourth in the acclaimed series of Daniel Rinaldi thrillers, will keep readers guessing until the very last page.  To be released in September from Poisoned Pen Press. 


Reposted from The Fiction Files

vvb32 Reads Reviews S.D. Hines' Medusa

Heroines of Classical Greece series:
Medusa
Ariadne: A Tale of the Minotaur

In one of the most compelling tales from classical Greece since Mary Renault's Bull from the Sea and Fire from Heaven, author Scot Hines retells the legend of Medusa in a way that makes her feel like a contemporary millennial girl with very special problems.

Despite a semi-miraculous birth in the temple of Athena, Medusa is nothing more than a devoted priestess of the goddess, distinguished only by her beauty and piety. But after she is raped by the god Poseidon, her entire world is ripped asunder and she flees Poseidon's wrath through ancient Greece and beyond for the inconceivable crime of resistance.

In her wanderings, she encounters dangers and horrors, but also friends in unexpected places. Pursued by Poseidon's fury and his assassins, she is finally cornered in Egypt with only two choices: fight back or be destroyed with all she loves. But her only hope lies with the father of her children, the great love of her life and the man who is prophesized to kill her: Perseus.

As one in Hines' Heroines of Classical Greece series, MEDUSA will leave you longing for more--and you'll want to move immediately to ARIADNE A TALE OF THE MINOTAUR.

It’s intelligent YA with an emphasis on “A.” You'll want to recommend it to your friends--and especially to your daughters.

A committed bibliophile and neurologist Hines lives in Alaska and helps provide health care to some of the most incredible people in the world, the Alaska Natives. When not working, he is planning some wild adventure to the arctic, Patagonia, or the Himalayas. But more than anything, he loves blending tales of history, mythology, and science, and sees nothing incompatible in the mixture.

My two-bits:

I grew up with the stereotype of Medusa from the movie Clash of the Titans (1986). So, thought she was just an ugly monster with killer looks.

This book brought a better perspective of this mythical creature (so complex) and historical background that puts Medusa in a better light (in my eyes).

The relationship development between Medusa and Perseus was also interesting to read about especially knowing how it would end between them.

Reposted from wb32 Reads 

Story Merchant Books - April Bestsellers!

Mrs. Mike
by Benedict Freedman & Nancy Freedman

So Help Me God
by Larry D. Thompson
An abortion gone wrong pits church against state.

The Messiah Matrix
by Kenneth John Atchity
A gold coin reveals the true origins of Christianity.


Summer's Winter
by Robin Johns Grant
A passionate, well-wrought mystery by a Christian novelist to watch.

Writing Treatments to Sell
by Chi-Li Wong & Ken Atchity


Fossil River
by Jock Miller
Prehistoric predators threaten the U.S. economy.

Helen Davey Reviews Dennis Palumbo's Fever Dream on the Huffington Post

I have just finished reading Dennis Palumbo's book, Fever Dream, the second in a series of action-packed, cleverly constructed tales featuring Dr. Daniel Rinaldi, a clinical psychologist who specializes in working with the Pittsburgh Police Department treating victims of violent crimes. The intricate plot twists and surprises keep the reader turning pages, and the short chapters invite us to read just one more. To my surprise, I finished the book in just one sitting.

However, it wasn't just the intricate story that kept me riveted; it was the writer's in-depth understanding of trauma. As a therapist myself, I appreciate the author's emphasis on the need for his character Rinaldi to be able to put himself into the "world" -- the subjective experience -- of a patient who's in a traumatized state.

Drawing heavily on Dr. Robert Stolorow's groundbreaking work on trauma (See "Counting

My People"), Palumbo -- this Hollywood-screenwriter-turned-psychotherapist -- deepens the mystery story with his own clinical observations of traumatized patients gleaned over his 24 years in the field of psychology.The theme of trauma spills over into Palumbo's poignant, intensely vivid descriptions of his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The author's strong sense of place makes this city I've never seen come alive for me, as if I'm familiar with its essence.
 
Pittsburgh itself becomes one of the characters, struggling between the old and the new, gentrification versus the old blue-collared immigrant identity, and the anxiety that comes with the loss of an identifiable culture. The story of Pittsburgh is being repeated all over this country, where the uncertainty that comes with modernity weighs heavily on all of us.

The character of Daniel Rinaldi is that of a flawed human being who's learned -- through his own work on himself -- to trust his own impulses and instincts. Using his capacity to empathize with others, Daniel intuitively solves puzzles that others can't -- though despite his herculean efforts for the Police Department, he remains a thorn in their side. I'm sure this theme will be further developed in future books in the series.

I look forward to reading Night Terrors, the third book in the series, and to seeing what mind-bending new mystery Dr. Rinaldi will solve.  


Reposted from Huffington Post

People Still Like to Read a Good (Printed) Book

Given the news coverage, you’d think the conversion at last of Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” into lines of ones and zeroes was some kind of nail in the coffin for the printed word. One of the last holdouts finally turned.

Not quite. Of the people in the U.S. who use the Internet, 46% say they still only read books that are printed, according to data from Harris Interactive that was charted by Statista. Another 16% say they read more printed books than e-books.

That’s still a healthy vote of confidence for dusty tomes, considering e-reading devices have been around for about seven years in some form. Amazon’s Kindle, a popular e-reader, has been around since 2007. The iPad was released in 2010, and there have been many iterations of the two and competition from others since.

There’s little doubt which way the arrow is pointing — over time most people will be converted to purely digital readers, particularly as visual tech gets better — but for now only 21% of those surveyed said they preferred e-books. (These are people who use the Internet, mind you, not a survey of Luddites.)

–Brian R. Fitzgerald

Reposted from The Wall Street Journal

 

SAVE THE DATE MAY 17th!

"Biblioanalysis: Psychology In Mystery Writing"

Join us for an exciting panel co-sponsored by the Southern California Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America and the Studio City Public Library.

Meet mystery authors who use a psychological perspective to motivate their characters and build suspense. 

The event is free, and coffee and snacks will be provided.


 DENNIS PALUMBO  (Moderator)

Formerly a Hollywood screenwriter (My Favorite Year; Welcome Back, Kotter, etc.), Dennis Palumbo is now a licensed psychotherapist and author of Writing From the Inside Out (John Wiley). He also blogs regularly for The Huffington Post and Psychology Today. His mystery fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, The Strand, Written By and elsewhere, and is collected in From Crime to Crime (Tallfellow Press).  His acclaimed series of mystery thrillers (Mirror Image, Fever Dream, and the latest,  Night Terrors), feature Daniel Rinaldi, a psychologist who consults with the Pittsburgh Police.  The next, Phantom Limb, comes out in September. All are from Poisoned Pen Press. For more info, please visit www.dennispalumbo.com


Meet the panel...

CRAIG FAUSTUS BUCK

Craig Faustus Buck is a journalist, TV writer-producer, screenwriter, short-story writer, nonfiction book author and novelist.  He co-authored two #1 NYT nonfiction bestsellers (one pop-psychology the other pop-gynecology), wrote an Oscar-nominated short film, and co-wrote the original miniseries V: The Final Battle.  His agent is currently shopping his first noir novel, Go Down Hard, which won First Runner Up for the Claymore Award at Killer Nashville.  His indie feature, Smuggling for Gandhi, is slated to go into production in June.  And his first novella, Psycho Logic was published in March by the Stark Raving Group and is available on bookxy.com.


LAURIE STEVENS

Laurie Stevens is a novelist, screenwriter and playwright. Her debut novel, The Dark Before Dawn, begins a psychological suspense series. The novel earned the Kirkus Star, was named to Krkus Reviews' "Best of 2011," and was honored at the 2012 Hollywood Book Festival. Deep into Dusk, the second in the series, won the Southern California Book Festival, was honored at the London Book Fest, and named Shelf Unbound's 2013 Notable Page-Turner. Her story "Kill Joy" is featured in the anthology, Last Exit to Murder. Laurie lives near Los Angeles with her husband and two children. To learn more, visit http://www.lauriestevensbooks.com.


STEPHEN  JAY  SCHWARTZ

L.A. Times Bestselling Author Stephen Jay Schwartz spent  a number of years as the  Director of Development for Wolfgang Petersen,
where he worked with writers, producers and studio executives to
develop screenplays for production. Among the film  projects he helped
develop are Air Force One, Outbreak and  Bicentennial  Man.  His  two novels, BOULEVARD and  BEAT, follow the dysfunctional journey of LAPD  Robbery-Homicide detective Hayden Glass as he fights crime while struggling with his own sex-addiction.  Stephen has worked professionally as a  screenwriter and is currently writing an international thriller. 

Don't miss this terrific event!

Studio City Public Library, 3-5 PM 
12511 Moorpark Street
Studio City, CA 91604
(818) 755-7873