K.C. Sprayberry's Blog, page 159

Paradox Lost: The Ultimate Paradox

Welcome to book two of this series that is much like Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson books, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books, and Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series.
If you had the chance to read Paradox Lost: Their Path, you came to know DJ, Matt, and Elisa, and discover the path destiny has laid out for them. In Paradox Lost: The Ultimate Paradox, these triplets each have to make their way through a series of obstacles and prepare for a showdown with Rogues.
This new story brings out new information about the Sullivans and the destiny none of them was aware would be theirs to claim, along with several big surprises.
Paradox Lost: The Ultimate Paradox releases January 15, 2016!



Pre-order now! 

 Paradox Lost The Ultimate Paradox




Blurb
The past changed the future …                                    . . . the future must salvage the past.
Falsely accused of murdering his father, DJ faces a terrible penalty. That’s the least of his worries—Uncle Toby and his army of Rogues are bent on tearing history apart, and DJ and his allies have to stop them any way they can. But only a True Neutral can save their world, and The First, his family’s ancestor, is long dead. His brother Matt was killed by Toby’s actions, and his sister Elisa is fighting her own demons.
The past created by their uncle needs to be uncreated into what it was meant to be. And these three teenagers, triplets and direct descendants of The First, must learn to ally with each other to correct the errors made real in the past.
And the Gateways reveal themselves as something no one ever suspected…. 


About the Author:
Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond.
She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Some of her short stories have appeared in anthologies, others in magazines. 

Book Trailer 

Social Media Links:  
Facebook 
Twitter 
Website 
Goodreads 
Amazon Author Page 
Google + 
Pinterest 
Manic Readers 
AUTHORSdB 

Meet the True Neutrals ~ Interviews with DJ, Matt, and Elisa Sullivan

K.C. Sprayberry:

 Talk to us about Paradox Lost Book 2 The Ultimate Paradox:
Paradox Lost Book 2: The Ultimate Paradox is about triplets (DJ, Matt, and Elisa) that are also time travelers. DJ and Matt are typical brothers, shutting out their sister, but not for the typical reasons. They sense that she’s not really supposed to be with them, so they’re giving her the cold shoulder.
While in most ways, these teens seem very typical, they also possess incredible talents. Not only are all three strong telekinetics, they also have other talents, such as spellcasting, healing, thought reading, telepathy, and a whole host of other skills. They’re about to finish their education when the story began in book 1, but that derailed quickly when it became clear that a legacy foretold two centuries ago is now about to come true.
DJ, the eldest of the trio, has to run for his life after being convicted of his dad’s murder. Only Dad is still alive, but seriously injured, in another time. Matt is a ghost, having been killed in a Rogue attack in Mexico, but he’s not the kind of guy that sits back and does nothing just because all the other ghosts tell him that’s what they do now. Elisa is a captive at Beaufort School for Visionary Studies and she’s not taking that sitting down. Her captors soon learn that she’s not someone they should ever mess with.
DJ, Matt, and Elisa try to go on their own path, thinking that is the best way to solve the problem. That only delays them in their quest, until all of them are reminded that together they’re a force to be reckoned with and then they have to get past a few stumbling blocks before they’re ready to combine forces.


 Author Bio
Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond.
She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Some of her short stories have appeared in anthologies, others in magazines. 






 Social Media

Facebook 
 Twitter
Blog 
Website 


Pre-Order now!  
Paradox Lost The Ultimate Paradox 



  


DJ Sullivan:
Introduce yourself to our readers. Where do you fit into the story? What should we know about you?
I’m Dennis James Sullivan XI. Call me DJ. Everybody does. I’m the oldest of triplets. We’re pretty astral with our powers. Not just telekinesis and telepathy but other stuff. My big thing is the ability to use brute force when I’m out helping my dad. That’s why Matt died instead of me. Kind of sucks. I could have… well, maybe I couldn’t have stopped those boulders. We’ll never really know that.
Anyway, lots of strange things have been happening to me. My uncle, Toby, wanted to have my powers bound but my posse helped me out of that tight spot and we’re now in hiding. That doesn’t sit well with me. Like Matt, I’m a take action kind of guy, but unlike him, I also need to think about stuff before I do it. And all of these powers are scaring me a lot. Like who doesn’t know about the True Neutral. I sure don’t want all that responsibility.
What do you think about the author? Tell us everything. We want to know.
Nice lady. A lot like Mom. Matt will probably say that too. We think alike too much. This person understands us, lets us be ourselves. Love that. She’s even giving me time to think about Lexie, my girl. Well, she might be my girl, if everything works out all right.
What are your feelings about this story?
It’s a good story. Real. What we face with Rogues right now. Rogues are Travelers who don’t like the rules and aren’t willing to follow them. They do what they want. The whole personal gain thing doesn’t seem to have caught up with them yet, but it will. See, we can’t do anything that will help us out of a tight spot, unless it’s to help humanity. That’s why I haven’t been able to go back to that place in Mexico, before Rogues attacked, and bring back my aunts and uncles… and Matt.
How do you feel about being a character in this book?
Hey, don’t get me wrong. Sure I’m down about losing most of my family, but being in this book, letting the world learn about Travelers? Fantastic! We’ve been doing this for so long and it’s time ordinary humans learned about us. It’s totally cool going back in time, or even seeing the future—and I want to do that so bad one day. First, though, we need to clean up this Rogue problem.
What do you see in your future? (No spoilers please!)
More of the same until we have all Rogues taken care of. But that’s cool. No problem there. See, Matt and I would have been in Repairs if this whole Rogue War thing hadn’t gotten in our way. Repairs is where Travelers go fix problems that have come up. We would have even got to work with TES (Traveler Enforcement Squad) to stop other Travelers from changing history. Now I’m not sure what I’ll do once we finish here. Sure would like to have a lot more adventures.
Is there another Paradox Lost book in the future? Will you be part of it?
A few more. That’s what Matt and Elisa keep telling me. Sure hope they don’t include that whole True Neutral thing. I’d like to have a normal life for a while, as normal as Travelers can have.
Say a movie producer comes knocking. What actor/actress would you want to play you and why?
Someone wants to make a movie about Travelers? Cool. Totally cool. Who would I want to play me? Let me think. There’s this guy. Just did a movie, X-Men: Days of Future Past a few years back. Lucas Till is his name. Yeah, he’d play me really well.





Matt Sullivan:
Introduce yourself to our readers. Where do you fit into the story? What should we know about you?
Yo, Matt here. Yeah. That’s right. The guy that died in the first book is coming on strong in this one. I get to tell my own story, and let me tell you, I’m not gonna hang around wherever the cosmos has stuck me and cry about being dead.
I’m the middle triplet, the one that is always on the go, always thinking up new pranks. Now, though, I’m the guy with a mission—to help my brother and sister kick some Rogue ass. First, though, I have to figure out how to get away from this prison without walls where I’m stuck, and that’s going to take quite a bit of work. Turns out that whole personal gain thing I’ve lived with all my life and didn’t think much about? Well, around here, it’s huge. You want to use someone for something, you run into this invisible wall that knocks you backward. Can’t get through it. But I’ll figure out how to get out. You can bet on that.
So, you want to know more about me, do you? I’m pretty much a what you see is what you get sort of guy. No sitting around discussing things in committee for me. Action—that’s where I’m at. Let someone else handle all the discussions. I’ll be out there teaching those Rogues a lesson they won’t ever forget.
What do you think about the author? Tell us everything. We want to know.Awesome lady. Kind of reminds me a lot of my mom. You know the type. Family first, kick the backside of anyone that hurts them. Herself last. She’s pretty cool the way she lets me take the lead instead of shoving me into a corner while Elisa and DJ get to have all the fun.
What are your feelings about this story?
This story is intense. All our lives DJ and me (oh yeah, and Elisa) have had to live with this legend about the True Neutral. We’ve all heard over and over again how The First made this prophecy that someday, someone would get all the powers Travelers have. Crazy if you ask me. Some of those powers will be the direct opposite of others, but that’s the way it is. Anyway, like who wouldn’t want to be this person in total control? But not me. No way. I’m not a give orders kind of person, and besides, nobody would listen to me. But the story, especially the parts when I get to see my girl, Dixie, great.
How do you feel about being a character in this book?
Love it. Wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. People need to know what Travelers really can do, and why we can’t sometimes. They also need to know all about personal gain. That’s pretty important. It’s kind of like this—we can’t go save you from messing up your whole life because you’re about to be in more trouble than you thought possible. That was your choice. You have to pay that price.
It’s kind of like what happened to me when I begged to go with my dad in book 1. That wasn’t what I wanted, and I sure don’t like the consequences, but I figure I’ll somehow get used to this prison without bars. Maybe.
What do you see in your future? (No spoilers please!)
Well… you mentioned no spoilers. Not much I can tell you except that there will be another book soon. Other than that, I’ll probably go back to that prison without walls, until it’s time to break free again.
Is there another Paradox Lost book in the future? Will you be part of it?
Oh yeah. At least two. More if I can help it. I love the adventures, even as a ghost. Definitely going to make sure there are more books.
Say a movie producer comes knocking. What actor/actress would you want to play you and why?
An actor playing me? Really? Definitely Stefano Masciolini. Dude might be Italian, but he looks exactly like me. And he’s into all the action and kicking major butt thing.





Elisa Sullivan:
Introduce yourself to our readers. Where do you fit into the story? What should we know about you?
My name is Elisa Sullivan. I’m a Traveler. That means that I get to travel through time on these really great Gateways. And I can talk to them. Not many Travelers think Gateways are sentient, but they are.
I’m a triplet, the youngest one. Our family is part of this kind of scary but totally awesome legacy, where one of us is supposed to become the True Neutral. Only no one really knows when that will happen. And everything about Travelers, especially Sullivans, is connected to the 1906 Great Earthquake and Fires in San Francisco. There’s a huge world out there, but we can’t seem to get past the ‘original event’ and figure out that a lot of people need our help. Sure hope that happens soon, ‘cause I think I can find places where we can do a lot of good.
What do you think about the author? Tell us everything. We want to know.
She’s great. I like how she makes me so strong, but also lets me be afraid. That’s real, how most girls will react in the situations I face. And she doesn’t make me into some wimpy crybaby. But that whole screaming thing? Yeah, I do need to learn how to tone that down. A lot. Got to hear myself as a little girl doing it. Wow! That really hurts the ears.
What are your feelings about this story?
It’s a fabulous story, full of adventure and intrigue. My awful uncle doesn’t realize that I’m the one person he never can control. He tries, though. Has since I was a little girl, but I don’t like Toby one bit and I’ll never do anything he wants.
How do you feel about being a character in this book?
I love it. Well, there are times when I’m not so sure, but mostly it’s a lot of fun. Can you imagine being able to hide from everyone on plain sight or sneaking around as a spirit and then going back to your body? And traveling through time, seeing all those great places. Riding in Gateways is a blast.
What do you see in your future? (No spoilers please!)
Oh, a lot more adventure. My brothers—all Travelers—will learn that I won’t sit in the shadows any longer. I am as good as Matt and DJ, and I won’t let anyone stop me from being part of their adventures!
First, though, we have to get through the third book, and kick some major Rogue butt. I’m really thinking I need to deal with Miranda. She really pisses me off with that “wittle baby” thing she’s always doing. I’ll show her who is a baby. (pauses for a minute.) Or maybe not. Is that personal gain? Can I get in trouble for that?
Is there another Paradox Lost book in the future? Will you be part of it?
Current plans are for at least one more Paradox Lost book, possibly two. Who knows what the future holds? This trio of young adults seem to like the action.
Say a movie producer comes knocking. What actor/actress would you want to play you and why?
For Elisa? Sophie Turner from Game of Thrones. She’s an actress that has to overcome numerous obstacles. I can see her reveling in the role of Elisa, the child no one accepted, felt as if she shouldn’t have been there.

I Want to Go Home…

Non-custodial parental abduction is a growing problem around the world. One parent decides another isn’t fit, for many, many reasons, and they vanish with the children during a court ordered visitation. Often, these non-custodial parental abductors are behind on child support and have a drinking and/or drug problem.
More importantly, they are depriving their children of the other parent. The length of time varies from a few weeks, if law enforcement catches up to them that quickly, to years, to a child never being reunited with their custodial parent.
In the United States alone, more than 203,000 children vanish every year. That’s almost 17,000 every month and 556 daily. These children are often dealt with harshly when they ask for Mommy or Daddy. Most aren’t allowed to attend school, because the non-custodial parent doesn’t have the necessary documentation to enroll them. In order to prove to the child that the kidnapper is the better parent, they are subjected to hearing awful things about why they had to leave their mommy or daddy.
Interviews with children that have been taken this way all seem to have the same theme. They miss their other parent and want to return. Those who have returned to their home are often uneasy, waiting for the non-custodial parent to take them away again. This is not anticipation, but rather acceptance that the person that subjected them to that horror only cares about their own desires and not that of their children.
Lost & Scared explores the lives of twins Keri and Shane. They know how abusive their alcoholic and drug addicted father is. Both were silent witnesses to him murdering another set of twins ten years earlier, yet they remained silent because they thought it would happen to them. Now, at seventeen, they face their worst nightmare and only their unswerving courage can reunite their family.
Blurb
When their younger twin siblings were murdered by their cold-blooded father, Shane and Keri’s own twin connection deepened. Their father shamed Shane and Keri into silence, and then went on to bring four more children into a house shuddering under the weight of his unpredictable temper.
Ten years later, what should have been a regular visitation turns into a horrific nightmare. Trapped in the Superstition Mountains with an addicted and dangerous father, Keri’s faith and determination wavers, but she knows she must save her brothers and sisters and return all of them to the home they love.
She now faces one insurmountable obstacle. He can’t afford to let her go.




Lost & Scared 

Pronoun Phobic

There is a creeping problem in the world of authors and their books recently. For some reason, these people are afraid of using a pronoun instead of a name. The name of this disease is Pronoun Phobic. What it comes down to is that these authors are so unsure of when to use a pronoun that they use the names every single time, or so often that the reader is quickly becoming puzzled as to why this is occurring.
There are rules for using pronouns instead of names. Generally, you need to use a pronoun in most instances, but the name is right if there is some confusion as to which character is in the narrative or dialogue.
As with all rules in the writing world, these aren’t hard and fast rules, but a general way to be right is to have your character’s name used whenever there is some question who you are referring to or if there are a large group of characters involved in the action.
How do you do this? In narrative, it’s simple. You only have to ensure the story flows but also be certain that you aren’t overusing a name. Think of it this way—how do you verbally describe what’s going on in an incident you witnessed. Here’s a sample of the wrong and right ways to handle this.
Janice walked out the room and confronted Mark. Mark rolled his eyes and walked away from Janice. Mark did not want to have anything to do with Janice, because Janice was always up in Mark’s face about everything Mark did. According to Janice, Mark couldn’t do anything right, no matter how much Mark tried.
This is an oversimplification of a pronoun phobic, but it is a trend that is becoming more and more prevalent. The correct way to handle this type of narrative is this.
Janice walked out of the room and confronted Mark. He rolled his eyes and walked away from her. He didn’t want to have anything to do with her, because she was always up in his face about everything he did. According to her, he couldn’t do anything right, no matter how much he tried.
The second example is how people speak, how they think. Successful writing is about being natural, connecting with your readers in a way they understand. It does take time to get this right, but if you remember until someone else enters the narrative or dialogue, you can safely use pronouns for several paragraphs, slow down and think about how you’re writing.

Spotlight on Of Knight & Devil by Frederick H. Crook


It is July, 2130,less than a year after the destruction of the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, thelast of its kind in America. Major Reginald Mattersly of the British Army’s SRRhas been slowly making his way to the west coast, where he wishes to find ahome on the beach and live out the remainder of his life.
These plans are cut short whenhe is ambushed in Nevada by a mysterious trio of armed men. To his rescue comesa man of the 82nd Airborne who calls himself Elias Mulhaney. The twoof them continue on to a town called Lovelock, currently embattled with theirneighbors in Reno.
The mayor of Lovelock, JazzHernandez, is the prime target of her former lover, Gillespie, the mayor ofReno. His mentality: If he can’t have her, no one can.
Mattersly and Mulhaney bandtogether to infiltrate the city of Reno to rescue her kidnapped niece, Nora,and destroy the factory that provides Gillespie’s military power.
In a post-Great Exodus Earthwhere there is no law and no national government, can there still be justice?

Reviews:
"Frederick H. Crook is a masterful storyteller. He pits good against evil with a way different from most writers in the genre. The dialog is crisp and believable." ~ Frank Scozzari
"The entire book takes place over the course of a few days and honestly, I was bummed when it ended. You will never get bored reading this book." ~ Melissa Massey-Maroni
"I loved each page of this tale of hope. Anyone who still believes in the magic of heroism, should definitely have Of Knight & Devil in their bookcase." ~ Susan Lynn Solomon
Just check out this excerpt!



            “Ihave to reload here,” Mulhaney said. “Both belts are about out.”            “Do it. Quickly,” Reginald replied.
            Just as he finished speaking, anexplosion rocked the parking garage.
            “What the hell was that?” Eliaswondered aloud and froze. “Artillery?”
            “Just reload, now!” Reginaldordered. Seeing no one beyond his driver’s window, the major dared open hisdriver’s hatch to listen.
            Another explosion rocked thebuilding, this time more violently. Angel opened the infantry hatch and took alook behind them. Bits of concrete and dust filled the air around the twomachines. Just as she was ducking back inside, a third explosion struck thebuilding, directly above them. The outer hull was struck with falling concretefrom the ceiling.
            “Mortars!” Reginald shouted into themicrophone for the benefit of their new ally, Sergeant Schamski. He slammed thedriver’s hatch, locked it, and extracted himself from the seat, leaving the helmetbehind. “Angel, get into the driver’s position and move if I tell you. We arebeing shelled!” With that order given, the major snatched up his Dragunov and loweredthe rear ramp.
            “Major, I don’t know how to drivethis thing!” she protested.
            “Just do it! Shut the door when Iget clear!” he shouted as the next mortar round struck against the side of the parkingstructure, this time on their floor. Mattersly was shielded by flying bits ofconcrete by Necromancer, which wasimmediately covered in dust.
            Reginald used the dust as cover forhis run to the southwest corner of the building. He had judged from thetrajectory of the first three rounds that whoever was launching the mortarswould be found in that direction. He crouched low as he met with the wall,pulled his beret from his tunic’s breast pocket and placed it on his head. Theaction was more out of necessity than pride, for the gray surface of the capwould not reflect the sunlight.
            Another mortar round struck nearlythe same place as before, only one floor below. Wasting no time, he took a peekover the top of the waist-high wall, where his eyes found another large hotelacross the street. Having adjusted his eyes for distance, he immediatelylocated the mortar crew, which had taken a room on a floor slightly below thelevel of the garage on which Necromancerand Wolfhunter were trapped.
            He quickly reset his eyesight tonormal and brought up his Dragunov, being careful to remain in the shadows.Reginald watched as the crew fired a sixth round. In seconds, it was clear thatthis one was going to be rather close. He lay flat and covered his head as theround struck just left of his position, taking out the short wall and theleading edge of the pavement. Mattersly felt several bits of concrete strikehim and was covered by dust.
            His ears rang despite the audiodevices’ cancellation attempts and his eyes burned from the dust. Reginald notedthat Necromancer had again openedfire on targets trying to come up to their level. Without further thought, themajor rose upon one knee, lifted his rifle to his shoulder and located atarget. It was the mercenary attending or perhaps firing the mortar.
            Reginald squeezed the trigger anddropped him. Training told him to move to another location, but he had foundRenoite militia to be undertrained and inexperienced. He found a second target.This one was another militiaman which came to the aid of the man Reginald hadjust brought down. With another squeeze of the trigger, the second man wasfelled.
            This time, Mattersly did drop to thefloor to crawl to another location. It was none too soon, as the place where hehad just fired from was struck with a smattering of assault weapon rounds,returned from the militiamen supporting the mortar. As the two Stryker’s firedat targets that he could not see, the major lifted his body onto his knee andprepared to take another look. Just then, the seventh round struck the parkinggarage, close enough to knock him flat.
Available now in paperback or for your kindle, this fast-paced, dystopian adventure will keep you planted and reading!
Buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/Knight-Devil-Frederick-H-Crook-ebook/dp/B0158XZXC8/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1450454289&sr=8-5&keywords=Of+Knight+%26+Devil
This is Author Frederick H. Crook's fourth novel, his third publication with Solstice Publishing, for which he also is employed as an editor.
For more news, visit Frederick's website: http://frederickcrook.wix.com/crooksbooks
Connect on Twitter: @FrederickHCrook
Also, coming in early 2016, Campanelli: Siege of the Nighthunter


A Band of Bullies

This will a bit different from my usual blog posts. Instead of speaking on the subject, which I know quite well, I’ll be speaking to the quotes about this subject…
“Not everyone has been a bully or the victim of bullies, but everyone has seen bullying, and seeing it, has responded to it by joining in or objecting, by laughing or keeping silent, by feeling disgusted or feeling interested.“ – Octavia E. Butler
This is very true. How hard is it to stand up against a bully? Are you willing to become their next target? We as humans can fail, and we do often. Far too many times, it’s easier to ignore the bullying out of fear that we will be next than to take a stand. But, once you take that stand, once you face down the bully, you may find the line forming behind you isn’t ready to attack you, but a force to be reckoned with when they make their stand against bullying.
“If you have to lie, cheat, steal, obstruct and bully to get your point across, it must not be a point capable of surviving on its own merits.“ – Steven Weber
How true this is. What is the point a bully is trying to make? Are they putting you down because they feel inferior to you? Whatever their point is, don’t give in to their bullying. As a teen, that can be difficult, because children at this age want acceptance. But they can overcome bullying by taking a stand and not allowing the problem to get out of control.
“It is our choices … that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” – J.K. Rowling

Our choices—whether or not we will be bullied. High school without friends can be lonely. And the lonely stand out. Find others that have the same interests you do. Become the group others want to join. Instead of being bullied alone, you are making yourselves envied for your ability to stand above bullying.
“Courage is fire, and bullying is smoke.” – Benjamin Disraeli
Be courage. Make your stand and don’t budge from it. Bullies often back down in the face of unswerving courage.
My book about a schoolyard bully is not one that includes how to deal with cyberbullies, but it does offer a solution to bullying most teens face.
Blurb
Alex Starkey is a normal teenager with unfortunate initials. Initials which have been his nemesis his entire life. Initials matter when all the kids call each other by them instead using their names.


If that isn’t awkward enough, there’s Payne, who’s made a career out of bullying kids he thinks deserve it. Alex’s inits make him a target. Alex can deal with that on his own, until Payne crosses the line and tries to force him into doing things with long-range consequences. That’s when Alex stands up and faces him down.



Inits 

Read the Guidelines

You’ve spent months or years perfecting your book. Not just the actual writing, but also the revisions and editing. Let us not forget the beta readers or critique groups, ripping into your prose and showing you where it needs fixing.
After one last look over your book, you realize that you’re now ready to submit. We all know how that process works. Most authors will set up a list of publishers they want to submit to. They’ll check out other works, to find novels similar to theirs but sufficiently different to give them a chance at receiving the prize... a contract.
Once you’ve decided this is the publisher for you, you set up your submissions package. Most publishers today utilize a submissions program that allows them to see everything that still needs to be reviewed for a contract at a glance. This is an excellent way to keep track of what they are receiving and makes saying thank you for submitting, but I’m afraid…
Oh yes, you may have just received a rejection. Immediately, you’re wondering why. Why did they not like your wonderful book? The person looking at submissions must be a moron. You read over the rejection letter again and scratch your head.
What does it mean you didn’t submit properly?
You go over the notes you took while studying the many experts you located on the internet about how to submit your book. The greater consensus was that you needed to have a cover letter, three to five page synopsis, and you should only send three or five chapters of your book. That’s exactly what you did. Why, then, was did this yahoo fail to offer you a contract for what you are sure is the next immediate best seller, with accolades on the New York Times Best Seller List, USA Today, and other equally well known newspapers?
You’re so sure that you’re right and the idiot looking at submissions is lazy and not worth what they’re being paid that you submit again, taking care to add your synopsis because someone forgot to add an upload section for that. You then attach the five chapters of your book and click on the upload button.
Three days later, you receive the same rejection letter, along with a note from this idiot who must hate you. “Please read our submission guidelines before submitting your book to XYZ Publishing.”
Submission guidelines? Isn’t that what you’ve been doing by researching how to create the perfect submission package? Who are they to fool? You know what you’re doing.
Or are you?
All publishers have guidelines of what they want to see when you send them your novel. It’s up to you to read those guidelines and follow them to the letter. The advice you received from those websites is good, but it’s not the final word.
A few publishers still ask for a query (cover letter, synopsis, and three to five chapters of your novel) but most now require only the cover letter and full manuscript. You may also be asked to submit an online marketing plan, but that is a subject for another day.

Stalkers

There are people who decide they want another person for any number of reasons. The actual why they want this person is never really evident, just that they want them. Until 1989, stalking laws were weak, consisting of not much more than a stern warning to the individual to stay away from the person they had targeted.
1989 was the turning point in regards to the victims of stalkers. That’s the year Rebecca Schaeffer was killed in front of her apartment by a man followed her back to her apartment and murdered her. During his trial, it came out that he had stalked her for three years prior to shooting her in the heart.
Bardo’s actions in tracking down Ms. Schaeffer were brought to light during his trial. How he had used a detective agency to get her home address when he was denied access to her on the set of the television series she was starring in at the time. As a result of this discovery, the first of many laws regarding stalking was passed—the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act—making it illegal for California Department of Motor Vehicles to give out the home addresses of state residents.
Finally, stalkers were recognized as dangerous. Police could do more than tell a man or woman to leave the person they were targeting alone. However, as with all who want what they can’t have, stalkers rarely listen when they’re told to leave their victim alone. They believe that the person is theirs and theirs alone, and that everyone else is trying to get between the victim and themselves.
The expression “A restraining order is just a piece of paper” is thought to have come from a stalker. That’s not surprising, because of their attitude.
Evil Eyes, a new adult novel, explores the darkness brought upon the victim by a stalker. It exposes the stalker as an individual with a single mindset—to own the victim, no matter what the consequences. And it shows that a victim doesn’t have to become a victim, if she (or he) is willing to take a stand against their stalker.
Blurb
Lisa is so ready for a break from the grueling first semester of college. Along with five other friends, she returns to Landry, and hopes to have nothing but fun. Within days, one of the group is the victim of a vindictive stalker, and Lisa herself is now in the man's sights. No matter what she does, she can't shake this person.Fred has a little problem, but he figures he can take care of it himself, if he achieves fame with his folk rock band, Olney-Oak Lane Sounds. Then he happens to see this beautiful woman, who turns out to be just like every other woman he's met. He takes care of her, and is immediately drawn to Lisa. No one will get between Fred and Lisa, absolutely no one.On Christmas Eve, Lisa has to fight for her life and sanity after Fred kidnaps her. She turns out to be very different from the other women, in a way he never figured.




Evil Eyes 

Brand Your Name ~ Part I

You’re a new author. You are using your real name, or after much consideration have decided to use a pseudonym. Great. You’ve taken the first step in branding your name. Go ahead and get to work on editing and revising your book but first…
What are you doing to brand your name? What steps are you taking to make sure that people know who you are and what kind of books you write?
One of the first things you should do is set up a Facebook fan page. It’s actually very simple. On your timeline or newsfeed, click on the down arrow on the far right side. You’ll see “Create Page.” Click on that and follow the very simple instructions to set up your fan page.
Are you done yet? Not be a long short. Now comes the hard part. You will actually have to get people to like the page. To do that, start with inviting your friends to like the page and make sure you’re posting about your writing life—what you’re working on, images you think will make great cover art, your blog posts, music related to your work, even memes about writing. Keep your fans interested and coming back.
Your likes will grow, slowly at first, but they’ll become enough soon that people you don’t know will be liking your page. Remember to always keep your posts positive and upbeat. Be the author without drama. Don’t rant.
Okay, you have your fan page up and running. You’re happy, there are far more likes that you thought possible. What’s next?
Set up a writing related blog. If your first book has yet to be published, talk about the process, do posts related to your story, volunteer to review books of fellow authors, reveal their cover art, or even participate in a blog tour for their releases. Make careful notes about those you assist—they will probably do the same for you when your book is ready for release.
Now it’s time to dive into the often turbulent waters of Twitter. Oh yes, this is very necessary.
Create your handle. Make it simple—something that describes you but is also easy to remember. This might take a few tries, as others may already have that same handle. Then think about your first tweet. Don’t use “This is my first tweet.” Be original. Talk about your dream to become an author, or what you’re working on. Finally, start following other authors, publishers, book sites. Get involved in conversations, and grow your feed by tweeting and retweeting daily.
That is the beginning of your online presence. Your next step is to build your offline presence. Some of these things can only be accomplished after your book is published, but you can begin to make yourself known at local bookstores. Introduce yourself to the librarian and discover someone who may be more than willing to assist you with your introduction to the world of being a published author. Make up business cards and leave them on community bulletin boards or with people who are interested in your work.
This is only the beginning of what will become a daily process you need to work in order to become known. You will find yourself bored, rethinking this process, and sometimes wanting to quit. But you can’t. Those stories demanding that you tell them aren’t going away. Your task now is to keep writing and finding people interested in what you have to say.

Spotlight on Frederick H. Crook - Of Knight & Devil

It is July, 2130, less than a year after the destruction of the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, the last of its kind in America. Major Reginald Mattersly of the British Army’s SRR has been slowly making his way to the west coast, where he wishes to find a home on the beach and live out the remainder of his life.
These plans are cut short when he is ambushed in Nevada by a mysterious trio of armed men. To his rescue comes a man of the 82nd Airborne who calls himself Elias Mulhaney. The two of them continue on to a town called Lovelock, currently embattled with their neighbors in Reno.
The mayor of Lovelock, Jazz Hernandez, is the prime target of her former lover, Gillespie, the mayor of Reno. His mentality: If he can’t have her, no one can.
Mattersly and Mulhaney band together to infiltrate the city of Reno to rescue her kidnapped niece, Nora, and destroy the factory that provides Gillespie’s military power.In a post-Great Exodus Earth where there is no law and no national government, can there still be justice?Reviews:"Frederick H. Crook is a masterful storyteller. He pits good against evil with a way different from most writers in the genre. The dialog is crisp and believable." ~ Frank Scozzari"The entire book takes place over the course of a few days and honestly, I was bummed when it ended. You will never get bored reading this book." ~ Melissa Massey-Maroni"I loved each page of this tale of hope. Anyone who still believes in the magic of heroism, should definitely have Of Knight & Devil in their bookcase." ~ Susan Lynn SolomonJust check out this excerpt!
            “I have to reload here,” Mulhaney said. “Both belts are about out.”            “Do it. Quickly,” Reginald replied.             Just as he finished speaking, an explosion rocked the parking garage.             “What the hell was that?” Elias wondered aloud and froze. “Artillery?”             “Just reload, now!” Reginald ordered. Seeing no one beyond his driver’s window, the major dared open his driver’s hatch to listen.             Another explosion rocked the building, this time more violently. Angel opened the infantry hatch and took a look behind them. Bits of concrete and dust filled the air around the two machines. Just as she was ducking back inside, a third explosion struck the building, directly above them. The outer hull was struck with falling concrete from the ceiling.             “Mortars!” Reginald shouted into the microphone for the benefit of their new ally, Sergeant Schamski. He slammed the driver’s hatch, locked it, and extracted himself from the seat, leaving the helmet behind. “Angel, get into the driver’s position and move if I tell you. We are being shelled!” With that order given, the major snatched up his Dragunov and lowered the rear ramp.             “Major, I don’t know how to drive this thing!” she protested.             “Just do it! Shut the door when I get clear!” he shouted as the next mortar round struck against the side of the parking structure, this time on their floor. Mattersly was shielded by flying bits of concrete by Necromancer, which was immediately covered in dust.             Reginald used the dust as cover for his run to the southwest corner of the building. He had judged from the trajectory of the first three rounds that whoever was launching the mortars would be found in that direction. He crouched low as he met with the wall, pulled his beret from his tunic’s breast pocket and placed it on his head. The action was more out of necessity than pride, for the gray surface of the cap would not reflect the sunlight.             Another mortar round struck nearly the same place as before, only one floor below. Wasting no time, he took a peek over the top of the waist-high wall, where his eyes found another large hotel across the street. Having adjusted his eyes for distance, he immediately located the mortar crew, which had taken a room on a floor slightly below the level of the garage on which Necromancerand Wolfhunter were trapped.             He quickly reset his eyesight to normal and brought up his Dragunov, being careful to remain in the shadows. Reginald watched as the crew fired a sixth round. In seconds, it was clear that this one was going to be rather close. He lay flat and covered his head as the round struck just left of his position, taking out the short wall and the leading edge of the pavement. Mattersly felt several bits of concrete strike him and was covered by dust.             His ears rang despite the audio devices’ cancellation attempts and his eyes burned from the dust. Reginald noted that Necromancer had again opened fire on targets trying to come up to their level. Without further thought, the major rose upon one knee, lifted his rifle to his shoulder and located a target. It was the mercenary attending or perhaps firing the mortar.             Reginald squeezed the trigger and dropped him. Training told him to move to another location, but he had found Renoite militia to be undertrained and inexperienced. He found a second target. This one was another militiaman which came to the aid of the man Reginald had just brought down. With another squeeze of the trigger, the second man was felled.             This time, Mattersly did drop to the floor to crawl to another location. It was none too soon, as the place where he had just fired from was struck with a smattering of assault weapon rounds, returned from the militiamen supporting the mortar. As the two Stryker’s fired at targets that he could not see, the major lifted his body onto his knee and prepared to take another look. Just then, the seventh round struck the parking garage, close enough to knock him flat. Available now in paperback or for your kindle, this fast-paced, dystopian adventure will keep you planted and reading!Buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/Knight-Devil-Frederick-H-Crook-ebook/dp/B0158XZXC8/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1450454289&sr=8-5&keywords=Of+Knight+%26+DevilThis is Author Frederick H. Crook's fourth novel, his third publication with Solstice Publishing, for which he also is employed as an editor.
For more news, visit Frederick's website: http://frederickcrook.wix.com/crooksbooksConnect on Twitter: @FrederickHCrookAlso, coming in early 2016, Campanelli: Siege of the Nighthunter