Keith Deininger's Blog, page 3

The Mystery of Amazon Sales Ranking Revealed!

The first title of mine to be available for sale on Amazon was my novella Fevered Hills. It was to be an introduction to my writing style before DarkFuse published my debut novel, The New Flesh. I was beyond excited when I first pulled up the Amazon page with my work on it. I felt, in […]

THE GODGAME is Released!

MARROW'S LEGACY
FREE UNTIL OCT. 3RD!

At the center of Meridian, deified by its citizens for countless generations—a vast compound of spires and interconnecting tunnels—the Machine, relentlessly, clanked on and on. 

Within, among rumors of a horrible crime involving his childhood friend Ballard, Eli Sol lives a simple life as a maintenance worker, spending his days cleaning the endless corridors of the Machine. Eli is content and happy, with Nora, his wonderful wife, and Pia, his intelligent and imaginative daughter. But soon, following tragedy, Eli will be forced to confront a legacy passed down to him for innumerable generations. He will begin a journey that will take him away from everything he’s ever known, to a place filled with wonder…and death. 

The Flood is coming…
​ THE GODGAME
​
Some say the world of Meridian is in its last age of existence. The Flood is coming, an event that will wipe the planet clean of corruption. But for humanity, there are more immediate troubles. A war is brewing between the decadent and industrial City of Talos and the rural territory of Nova. 

When twelve-year-old Ash Alexander is recruited by the Novan militia, his life—and the life of each member of his family—is thrown into chaos, into a war far deadlier than anyone could have predicted. 

While Ash’s sanity is tested against the horrors of war; a woman seeks to uncover the mysteries of the School of the Unseen in her lifelong quest to travel the world; a man will do anything to cure his wife of a horrible sickness; and the chief adviser to the ruler of Talos will align himself with grotesque and otherworldly beings in order to achieve his ambitions. 
​
The Godgame has begun. THE BLOOD OF TALOS

The territory of Nova is in chaos. The Talosian attack has left hundreds dead, the village of Fallowvane burned, and the Alexander family scattered. While her son is taken prisoner before the ruler of Talos for an insidious purpose, a determined mother emerges as the unlikely commander of the Novan militia. 

Here a young girl leaves everything behind in search of a new life; a woman seeks the truth to a dark conspiracy; and a man without knowledge of its cultures and customs will enter the City with warning of a threat far deadlier than the war between Nova and Talos, something that already gnaws at the edges of Meridian, bringing with it the smell of rotting flowers, and death.

How Many Have You Read?

Complete Transparency #6: Marketing and Book Launch Strategies

Marketing. Yeah, marketing, a nebulous term that basically means “spreading the word.” Elusive and unpredictable, marketing is the greatest obstacle a self-published author must face. A publisher’s true value lies not in the editing and cover design services it provides, but in its marketing prowess. This daunting task is left, then, entirely in the hands of […]

Opening Scene From New Work in Progress

I've begun work on a new horror novel tentatively titled COME AND SEE. I still have a lot to figure out about this one, but here is what the opening scene looks like at the moment: 

David Dillinger was attempting pathetically to make fire without his lighter when his head filled, once again, with the ponderous beating of great wings.

He had watched it fall, spinning end over end, desperately following its descent with his eyes. He saw it strike the loose scree, flashing once in the sunlight before winking out among the shadows, lost among the thousands of fragments in the tiny avalanche of eroding shale. “Fuck. No, please.” But it was gone.

He had been careless, as was his habit, palming the silver Zippo lighter whenever he was nervous or needed to think, flicking it open, clamping it shut. Fingers flashing. Open, then closed, sometimes striking the wheel, its flame flickering with life--except not anymore. He’d kicked that habit. It had become important to conserve fuel, to use his lighter’s flame only when necessary, to light his evening fires for cooking and warmth or to cast about in the dark after something snapped in the woods at night or a particularly vivid nightmare.

He’d become quite good, his fingers twirling, dextrous and sure, performed sometimes like a card trick, something he used to show off to his friends at parties.

It had been given to him by his wife. His ex-wife. He could remember her face as he’d opened the box on his birthday, on her knees leaning forward, eager and excited. “It was my dad’s,” she’d said. He could remember a strand of her raven hair had fallen in her face and become snagged in one of her eyelashes, flickering as she blinked.

“This is pretty cool,” he’d said, lifting the lighter. He’d flicked the top open awkwardly with his thumb and nearly dropped it.

“I know you’ve always wanted one.”

“I have, but shouldn’t you keep it? I mean, if it was your dad’s…”

Julia had leaned forward and put her finger to his lips to silence him. “I don’t smoke.”

“I don’t eith--,” but she’d interrupted his words with a kiss, abrupt and passionate. He’d brushed the hair back from her face and taken her in his arms.

When Julia had finally pulled back, a little out of breath, she’d said, “I can give it to you because we’re family.” She’d looked into his eyes with absolute certainty. “We’re family now.”

And he’d dropped it--that once in a million occurrence--while standing at the top of a rocky ledge trying to decide in which direction he should go.

He’d nearly leapt after it. Then it had been gone.

He hadn’t cried in frustration or shouted in anger. He’d sat on the protruding rock ledge and stared off into the distance, his mouth dry and his lips cracked, his body screaming for nourishment he didn’t have to give it.

Movement caught his eyes. From the side of a distant hill, something was burrowing free, disturbing the soil and pushing upward from between the wildflowers. A pale arm stretched impossibly long and a hand grasped at the evening sky.

It had been 38 days.

How to Handle Rejection - THE GODGAME Not Selected on Kindle Scout

Rejection.

It hurts. It does. No matter your expectations, it stings to not be chosen, to be rejected, but it's important to keep things in perspective.

I recently, and a little impulsively, attempted to wrangle some marketing support from Amazon by being published in the Kindle Scout program. If you're not familiar with the program, all the information you need to know is here. I looked at the titles enrolled in the program beforehand. I looked at past winners. I knew right away that my title was different and not the usual sort of thing they published, but I rationalized that this would make my title stand out from the crowd and be noticed.

Unfortunately, I was wrong. It's the price, I've realized, I have to pay for writing work that is different and difficult to classify.

But it's okay. I've been rejected before. Many times.  There was a time when I was writing a lot of short stories that I used to receive a rejection in my inbox almost every day. Back then, when that happened, I'd take the story and immediately submit it to another publication and then wait for the next nearly inevitable rejection. After awhile, however, I began to break through, and when one of those acceptances came, it was an amazing feeling.

These days, I tend to concentrate my writing efforts on longer works. I'm not much of a short story writer. My brain likes big concepts and vast landscapes...

...And there it is, just now my inbox flashed up a new email and it seems my latest horror novel submission has been rejected by a publisher. (No joke!) Ouch. Bad day...

But it's not. Not really. I'm writing. I'm publishing. I'm living the life, playing the game. I never would have made it as far as I have if I hadn't learned how to handle rejection.

Failure is one of the key components to success. All those who find success, first find failure. Most fail many more times than they succeed.

So I try not to take it too hard. It's important, I find, to remember that rejection in publishing does not necessarily mean that one's work is bad. Well, sometimes it does. If you've ever read slush, you know there's a lot of shit out there and I used to write a lot of shit stories myself (still do), but I also know that I am one of one's who has put the time and effort into his development and I have learned how to judge my own work with a critical eye. When I receive a rejection, I take another look at my work and, if needed, edit and re-write before submitting again. But I've also reached the point where most of the rejections I receive are from presenting my work to the wrong audience or to the wrong market. I get a lot of "it's just not right for us" rejection letters.

Which is, I believe, what has happened to THE GODGAME. I've written something really crazy. It's difficult to classify, which makes it a tough sell to publishers unsure how to market it. I call it "dark fantasy," but it has elements of science fiction, a bit of a steampunk vibe, and a complex storyline. I'm very proud of this work and I believe, in the hands of the right audience, it could be very successful.

So, I press on. The self-publishing project continues as planned. My hope is that through the Kindle Scout campaign I have found some supporters for my work and some new readers. Updates will be coming very soon. I have a couple more things to reveal, like the cover art for MARROW'S LEGACY and THE BLOOD OF TALOS, and, as promised, my marketing plan and perhaps some giveaways too.

Onward we march! I promise it will be worth it.

Keith

How I Write, an Example

I was doing a little writing today and it just occurred to me that I have what I think is a unique way of putting together a scene. I typically jump back and forth between the prose I’m writing and the notes I’m jotting beneath. I use my notes as a guideline so that I don’t forget […]

Last Chance to Nominate THE GODGAME on Kindle Scout

Click the cover below to nominate THE GODGAME for publication with the Kindle Scout program and receive a free copy when it's published.

Blurb for MARROW'S LEGACY

At the center of Meridian, deified by its citizens for countless generations--a vast compound of spires and interconnecting tunnels--the Machine, relentlessly, clanked on and on.

Within, among rumors of a horrible crime involving his childhood friend Ballard, Eli Sol lives a simple life as a maintenance worker, spending his days cleaning the endless corridors of the Machine. Eli is content and happy, with Nora, his wonderful wife, and Pia, his intelligent and imaginative daughter. But soon, following a horrible tragedy, Eli will be forced to confront a legacy passed down to him for innumerable generations. He will begin a journey that will take him away from everything he’s ever known, to a place filled with wonder…and death.

The Flood is coming…

There's still time--sign up for my email list and you'll receive Part 1 of 4 when it goes out this evening and the other parts one a day for the rest of the week.

MARROW'S LEGACY to be Released Free to Email Subscribers

By now you've probably heard about my dark and complex fantasy work called The Godgame. The first book is up for nomination for an Amazon publishing contract on Kindle Scout until the end of August and I greatly appreciate your nominations. As a way to help promote The Godgame in this last week of the campaign, I have decided to release an extended prologue that I have written, a novelette that draws further connections between the Machine (as seen first in my novella Marrow's Pit) and The Godgame. As you will soon discover, the Machine and Marrow are central to the much larger narrative that ties all of The Godgame books together.

In order to read Marrow's Legacy early, all you have to do is to sign up on my Mailing List. I plan still to release Marrow's Legacy as its own title on Amazon and will be running a free promotion on it in order to promote The Godgame upon its release, so you'll still be able to get this one for your Kindle, but I thought it would be cool if my email subscribers had a chance to read it early. And don't worry, I'll let all email subscribers know when its free so you don't miss it.

Please share this post and news of the upcoming release with anyone you think would be interested. Anyone can subscribe to my newsletter list, but you'll need to be an active subscriber on August 25th or you'll miss the first part!

Marrow's Legacy Release Schedule:

Part 1: Message from the Machine (August 25, 2015)
Part 2: Marrow's Creation (August 26, 2015)
Part 3: The Flood is Coming (August 27, 2015)
Part 4: The Breach (August 28, 2015)

And don't forget to nominate The Godgame on Kindle Scout. You'll receive a free Kindle copy when it's released!