Darin Kennedy's Blog, page 6
February 16, 2015
Launch for Jordan Elizabeth’s New Book – Treasure Darkly
Looking for a little Steampunk? Then look no further! Jordan Elizabeth’s new book, Treasure Darkly is out. Beautiful cover, great story, awesome writer.
Here’s the blurb:
Seventeen-year-old Clark Treasure assumes the drink he stole off the captain is absinthe…until the chemicals in the liquid give him the ability to awaken the dead. A great invention for creating perfect soldiers, yes, but Clark wants to live as a miner, not a slave to the army—or the deceased. On the run, Clark turns to his estranged, mining tycoon father for help. The Treasures welcome Clark with open arms, so he jumps at the chance to help them protect their ranch against Senator Horan, a man who hates anyone more powerful than he.
Sixteen-year-old Amethyst Treasure loathes the idea of spending the summer away from her bustling city life to rot on her father’s ranch, but when a handsome young man shows up claiming to be her secret half-brother, her curiosity is piqued. He’s clever, street smart, and has no qualms jumping into the brawl between the Treasures and Horans. Caught in the middle, Horan kidnaps Amethyst, and all she gets is this lousy bullet through her heart.
When Clark brings her back to life, however, the real action starts, and Amethyst joins him in his fight against the Horan clan—whatever the cost. Defeating the Horans may seem easy at first, but going up against men with the same fighting vengeance as Clark, and a Senator with power he’s obtained by brainwashing the masses? Well, Amethyst’s boring summer at home has turned into an adventure on the run, chock full of intrigue, danger, love, and a mysterious boy named Clark.
Check out Jordan’s new book on Amazon. Available now on Kindle and soon in Trade Paperback.
Darin
Mussorgsky Mondays – Tomita’s Pictures at an Exhibition
I was recently made aware that in the mid 1970’s, not only did Emerson, Lake and Palmer recreate Mussorgsky’s great work, Pictures at an Exhibition, but on the other side of the globe in Japan, another artist was doing his own version. In 1975, Isao Tomita, renowned pioneer of electronic synthesizer music, took the original piano composition and created an all electronic version of the piece. It definitely has the sound of the 70’s / 80’s synthesizer, but at the time this was groundbreaking work. Definitely worth a listen, as some of his decisions for the appropriate sounds for various parts of this masterpiece are as interesting in their own way as Ravel’s choice of instrumentation when he brought Pictures from the piano to a full orchestra. Check out this link to Tomita’s full recording on YouTube. And to learn a little bit more about Isao Tomita, check out this link to his Wikipedia page.
Can’t believe I’d never heard this before tonight!
Darin
February 5, 2015
Guest Blog Post from DIY MFA!
Today, I was the guest blogger on DIY MFA, a website that helps writers, aspiring and otherwise, to learn about various aspects of the writing business. Their manifesto states that their mission is to “show writers how to take take their education into their own hands.” My article for today’s post revolved around my experiences at three different writers conferences. If you have a moment, go check it out, as well as the wealth of information on their website. If you can ask the question, there’s a good chance it’s been answered somewhere along the way!
Here is a link to today’s blog!
Happy writing everyone!
Darin
February 2, 2015
Mussorgsky Mondays – The Importance of Reviews
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past few weeks, it’s the importance of reviews.
Even a decade ago, a review was for the most part done by professionals. The New York Times reviewed books, as did your local newspaper. Siskel & Ebert reviewed movies. Restaurant reviewers let you know where it was good to eat.
Times certainly have changed. We now have websites like Urbanspoon to tell us where to eat, Rotten Tomatoes to tell us what movies to see, and Goodreads to tell us what to read. And the big difference?
The reviewers are us. The consumers. No longer is a professional food critic/movie critic/literary expert the be all end all for us. We tell each other what we think, taking word of mouth online.
To a writer, a strong Goodreads presence is essential. People go there, as well as sites like Booklikes, Shelfari, and LibraryThing to catalogue what they’ve read and leave reviews for other readers. These are places where an author needs to be out there, but also watching their P’s and Q’s – folks on these sites love their books and love their authors, but if you’re an ass on one of these sites, people are going to hear about it. Here’s a link to another blog with 11 different alternatives to Goodreads (the industry standard, as far as I can tell).
Readers also leave reviews on websites where they purchase books, such as BarnesandNoble.com and Books-A-Million’s website. And then there’s the 800 pound Gorilla in the room.
That’s right.
Amazon reviews can literally be the lifeblood of a book. To get access to certain services like BookBub (a book promotion site) or others, you have to have a certain number of reviews before they’ll even consider your book, and often a minimal average rating. Again, writers need to be careful here, as you can comment on reviews (don’t) and muddy the water. Here’s a link with some suggestions of what to do if you receive a negative review.
Most of us buy a book, read the book, and either put it on a shelf or give it to a friend. The best thing you can do for an author, however, is take a couple minutes if you particularly enjoyed a book and log on to Amazon to leave a review. Honestly, even if you felt there were things the author could have done better, mediocre or even bad reviews are helpful in their own way. I found this particular article quite interesting. The other one I wanted to link to I just can’t find, but an author made a compelling argument that any review, good or bad, helped his bottom line.
***And now, a quick call to action. If you have read The Mussorgsky Riddle and have a moment, please log on to the book’s link on Amazon and leave a review. Most importantly, leave an HONEST review. If you didn’t like the book, that’s fine. Let me have it. I can take it. Seriously… 
I’m still trying to get to that magic number of twenty, (currently at thirteen) and every review helps. Goodreads, B&N, Books-A-Million, etc. are all helpful as well, but the Amazon reviews are where it’s at.
And while you’re at it, think back to the best book you’ve read in the last year and go leave a review for that author as well. It doesn’t cost you a thing, and might be just the thing their book needs. Unless you’re one of the big big big authors, every book out there is “The Little Engine That Could” and a little push up the hill is always appreciated.
By the way, this article deals mainly with the business of reviews. For me, to be honest, I just love to read that someone enjoyed the book, that someone identified with one of the characters, that someone found one of the little Easter eggs I left. I’ll likely write an article on that sometime soon, but for now, it’s late and my bed is calling to me. Have a great week everyone. Signing off and crashing in 3… 2… ZZZZZZZ…
Darin
P.S. A great big thank you to the fellow authors, book bloggers, and friends who have already reviewed the book on your various websites. Your kind words have warmed my heart numerous times over the last month. I’ve been collecting links to the various reviews on my website and squirreling them away like nuts for winter.
January 29, 2015
Cover Reveal for Christine Norris’ A Curse of Ash and Iron
On May 21, 2015, A CURSE OF ASH AND IRON by Christine Norris will be released. Christine and I share a great publisher and I jumped at the opportunity to help with her cover reveal. Would love to hear everyone’s thoughts on the cover!
Here is the book cover copy:
Benjamin Grimm knows the theater is much like real life. In 1876 Philadelphia, people play their parts, hiding behind the illusion of their lives, and never revealing their secrets.
When he reunites with his childhood friend Eleanor Banneker, he is delighted. His delight turns to dismay when he discovers she has been under a spell for the past 7 years, being forced to live as a servant in her own home, and he realizes how sinister some secrets can be. She asks for his help, and he can’t refuse. Even if he doesn’t believe in ‘real’ magic, he can’t abandon her.
Ellie has spent the long years since her mother’s death under the watchful eye and unforgiving eye of her stepmother. Bewitched and hidden in plain sight, it seems no one can help Ellie escape. Not even her own father, who is under a spell of his own. When she sees Ben one evening, it seems he is immune to the magic that binds her, and her hope is rekindled along with her friendship.
But time is running short. If they do not find a way to break the spell before midnight on New Year’s Eve, then both Ellie and her father will be bound forever.
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press (www.curiosityquills.com )
Release date: May 21, 2015
Author website: www.christine-norris.com
Author blog: https://christinenorris.wordpress.com
Author Twitter: @cnorrisauthor
Author Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorChristineNorris
Author Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/christinenorris
Book Trailer link: http://youtu.be/x1HcaJt2Owg
YABC blog entry
January 28, 2015
A Cover War Victory
Found out earlier today that The Mussorgsky Riddle won the Qwillery January 2015 Debut Authors Cover War with 38% of the vote. Thanks so much to all my family, friends, and fans for showing up and supporting me.
In December, Mussorgsky will be up against the winners of the other 11 months’ cover wars, and I imagine the competition will be stiff. More on that next winter. For now, a small victory, but a victory nonetheless.
Darin
January 27, 2015
Russian Fairy Tales Brought To Life
Photo-based artist Uldus Bakhtiozina has created through photography visions from various Russian fairy tales, with one in particular that is near and dear to my heart. I came across this article last night and wanted to share it with all of you. Definitely worth a perusal. I especially liked the reporters last line, as it’s something I touched on throughout The Mussorgsky Riddle: “Uldus invites her audience to speculate on the ambiguity and dualism of each character in Russian folklore.”
Enjoy the photos! Here is a link to the original article so you can check all of these fantastic pieces of art!
Darin
January 26, 2015
BookMarks Movable Feast – 25 Jan 2015
Yesterday, I had the great pleasure of being one of the 22 featured authors at the 3rd Annual Bookmarks Movable Feast in Winston-Salem, NC. Basically “Speed Dating for Authors”, this event has authors moving from table to table filled with readers every 10 minutes so we could introduce them to our various books. There were authors from as far south as Florida and as far north as Vermont and they were a great group of folks to hang out with. I didn’t get to hear their pitches, but I’m sure it would have been a lot of fun to see what everyone else was doing.
Over the course of two hours, I had opportunity to meet with ten tables full of excited readers, two friends of mine from college, a lady who lives less than a mile from my mom and dad’s house (I’m a native Winston-Salemite), and some nice folks from the Greensboro Library system. Every presentation was a bit different, but the common denominator was that every group was so much fun and so gracious, even if paranormal thrillers weren’t necessarily their thing.
After the two hours, the readers were allowed to go to a table at the back where the author’s various books were on sale. I found several new readers at this event, and only regret I didn’t get to meet with the other half of the crowd. I did get to meet Debbie Harlee, the founder of Bookmarks, who kindly bought a copy of The Mussorgsky Riddle and plans to read before passing the book on to a friend who is a fan of the genre.
Afterward, the President of the Bookmarks Board, Charlie Lovett, himself an author, had all the authors who didn’t have to bust a move over to his house for a fantastic dinner and socializing. The man has the largest collection of Lewis Carroll / Alice in Wonderland books and paraphernalia that likely exists. We all had a great time enjoying some great soup and desserts while getting to know each other before we all had to return to the hotel, or in my case, drive back to Charlotte.
After all, today was a work day…
I hope to do more with Bookmarks in the future. This was a fantastic event. If you’re reading this, maybe I’ll see you there next year!
Link to original Bookmarks Movable Feast announcement.
Link to the Winston-Salem Journal article on the event. If you watch the video, you may see someone familiar gesticulating wildly at Table 19 a little under a minute in.
Link to the Bookmarks website.
Link to the Bookmarks Facebook page.
See you all at the next event!
Darin
Mussorgsky Coffee Cup Art!
So, this was pretty cool! Candice Carpenter over at We Geek Girls was power reading through the second half of The Mussorgsky Riddle… and somewhere around this point…
she decided to sketch the book to that point onto her cup of Earl Grey tea.
Polina, you have some competition!
Ladies and gentlemen! Pictures at a Cup-Exhibition!
January 20, 2015
Raising Hell – The new Novella from John G. Hartness
My good friend, John Hartness, has created many cool characters.
He’s brought Adam from Genesisto the present day in The Chosen.
He’s created a pair of geeky vampires in The Black Knight Chronicles.
He somehow distilled the essence of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and mixed with eau de Larry the Cable Guy to create Bubba the Monster Hunter.
And now, he’s come up with another concept that tickles that part of my brain when I hear about something that’s going to be awesome.
Raising Hell
Straight out of the pages of the legendary vampire novel Dracula
comes a demon hunter for the modern world.
Mina Murray and Jonathan Harker had a son.
They named him Quincy.
His guardian angel calls him Q.
Dracula calls him nephew.
Demons call him The Reaper.
“There are things in this world that men and women aren’t meant to understand.
We aren’t supposed to know these things exist, much less how to fight them.
The things that go bump in the night, the monsters in the closet, the shadow out of the corner of your eye — that’s where I live.”
This exciting new series from the author of The Black Knight Chronicles and the Bubba the Monster Hunter short stories is a walk through the dark side, where things go bump in the night, and somebody has to bump back.
Quincy Harker is that somebody.
