Glenn Rolfe's Blog, page 13
March 5, 2017
#BecomeGreen Win a free signed copy of Becoming
Hey guys! A fun little contest inspired by Tim Feely…If you’ve purchased my latest novel, BECOMING, or read it on KU….turn your profile pic green and message me here, or Instagram, or Twitter.! I’ll draw two random winners on St. Paddy’s Day to receive signed print copies of the book. Remember to hashtag it: #BecomeGreen
US and CA residents only.
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Grab a copy of BECOMING or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!
Something ancient has wormed its way up from the earth….
A change has come today.
After Michele Cote’s best friend disappears, no one believes her story of about the thing responsible for his abduction. Forced to figure out the mystery for herself, Michele encounters terror she has never known, and witnesses the impossible.
When other members of the community begin to change or vanish, Sheriff Shane Davis must look beyond reason in order to stop the evil seeping into this small town. With help from an unlikely source, Sheriff Davis will come face-to-face with the truth.
You can’t destroy what you don’t understand. For the small town of Avalon, Maine, the future is about change…for better or worse.
March 4, 2017
(COVER REVEAL) BLOOD AND RAIN RETURNS THIS WEREWOLF WEDNESDAY!
Samhain is finally gone. SO is my best-selling piece of work to-date, my werewolf novel, BLOOD AND RAIN. I knew I had to get this beast back out there, so I called upon my good friend and artist,Jason Lynch. This man is amazing. His covers kick all of the ass.
Here is the new cover for BLOOD AND RAIN:
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She’s a bold and simple classic. I can’t wait to get the new print editions (probably in April).
The eBook re-release will be Werewolf Wednesday, March 8th. Keep your eyes peeled for a sweet deal.
Thanks again to Jason Lynch, Don D’Auria, and anyone who has read and reviewed this baby already.
I am currently back to work on the sequel, WAITING FOR DARKNESS, coming October of 2017.
Stay tuned!
Arrrooooooo!
Until then, be sure to grab a copy of my new novel, BECOMING. [image error]
And sign up for my GET ROLFED! newsletter. SIGN ME UP
(GET ROLFED! March signups will receive an EXCLUSIVE eBook “THE DEATH WISH” on April 1st. )
March 2, 2017
Sign up for my New Newsletter–Get Rolfed
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BECOMING is out! Have you picked up your copy? PURCHASE HERE
Something ancient has wormed its way up from the earth….
A change has come today.
After Michele Cote’s best friend disappears, no one believes her story of about the thing responsible for his abduction. Forced to figure out the mystery for herself, Michele encounters terror she has never known, and witnesses the impossible.
When other members of the community begin to change or vanish, Sheriff Shane Davis must look beyond reason in order to stop the evil seeping into this small town. With help from an unlikely source, Sheriff Davis will come face-to-face with the truth.
You can’t destroy what you don’t understand. For the small town of Avalon, Maine, the future is about change…for better or worse.
Becoming is the next horrifying novel from author, Glenn Rolfe.
Go ahead and ADD it to your GooReads “Want to Read” list:
Print Edition will be available in a few weeks.
Be sure to sign up for my NEW mailing list/newsletter.
People who sign up will receive a free eBook copy of my unpublished short story, “THE DEATH WISH”.
Sign up HERE
February 28, 2017
My new novel BECOMING is out now!
In case you hadn’t noticed, my new novel, BECOMING, is out a few days early.
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Note: All pre-orders were cancelled. If you did pre-order it, you will have to go to amazon and purchase it now.
Okay, all that out of the way….Let’s talk about the book.
I started writing the original version of this story back in April of 2013. It was started as a serial novel for the Jukepop Serials website. Somewhere along the way, that version of the story fell apart. I set it aside for a year and a half before picking it back up and completing a draft on my computer. While doing revisions, I ran into more problems in the story that I just hated. I tried my hand at two different manuscripts, trying like hell to save this creepy story, but they all failed. Frustrated, I gave up.
And then, someone wrote to me that had been reading the original serial version. She asked me what happened to the story. Would it ever see the light of day.
I was inspired by that message. I started writing the story from scratch. I used a few of the old scenes and most of the characters I’d creating, but the story itself changed. The final result is the fully realized novel that I’d always hoped BECOMING could be.
And major thanks go to Jason Lynch for another amazing cover. And to Erin Sweet-Al Mehairi for busting her hump (yet again) for me.
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The story takes place in Avalon, Maine, a quiet town near Jade Lake. Centering around three main characters, 14-year-old Michele Cote, Sheriff Shane Davis, and a broken and battered soul named, Clint Truman.
Michele’s best friend is pulled into the lake. Is he dead? Or is he something more? Soon, members of this small community begin to disappear–one-by-one–only to return changed.
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There is a beautiful creature deep within the waters of Jade Lake and she wants to share her gifts…let her in and you will become.
Michele, Clint, and Sheriff Davis will have to fight to save their town, but when you see the glowing eyes is it already to late?
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I invite you to Avalon. Come to Jade Lake and see what she has to offer.
BECOMING is out now.
Get your copy HERE
February 19, 2017
SAMHAIN PUBLISHING: MY DREAM COME TRUE
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I’m sure I’ve posted on this topic before, but I feel with my former publisher finally (for real this time) going out of business, I just wanted to look back on what I’ll miss about my relatively short time there.
First and foremost, Don D’Auria. I mean, Don was the only reason I went to Samhain. I didn’t care about getting published anywhere else, by anyone else. For me, Don was/is synonymous with great horror fiction. You say King, I’d say Don….not Don King, but you know what I mean.
[image error]Don D’Auria
[image error]Not Don D’Auria
I remember the first story I sent him. He sent back a reply that gave me so much hope. It was a rejection, but with a “send me whatever you write next” attached. An open invite from a guy that I regarded as “the man”. I sent him my novella, Abram’s Bridge. When I got the “I’d love to send you a contract” email, I almost did. I was the happiest I’d ever been (Wife and kids excluded).
[image error]Right after I read Don’s first acceptance email.
I followed that novella up with a second, (Boom Town), and that with my werewolf novel (Blood and Rain). Another novella (Things We Fear) followed, with the last acceptance coming for what would have been my second novel with the company, The Haunted Halls.
Shortly after signing the contract for The Haunted Halls, Don was let go and all of us were left shocked and confused.
But that stories already been told.
The takeaways for me: Don D’Auria, the guy who brought us Brian Keene, Re-introduced us t Richard Laymon and Jack Ketchum, and later Jonathan Janz, Hunter Shea, Brian Moreland, Russell James, Catherine Cavendish, David Bernstein and many more said “yes” to five of my works. he saw something in my work that I thought might be there. Don validated me.
Samhain did a wonderful job of making us feel like rock stars, too. Walking into Bares and Noble and seeing your book on the back cover of magazines like Horrorhound and Rue Morgue was friggin’ awesome. Going to World Horror Cons and seeing the Samhain banner as a top sponsor was awesome.
And the books were beautiful. They showed a company that cared about what their product looked like. Some people complained that the prices for our eBooks and print books might have been too high, but they wanted s=to show that our art was worth something. Was it the smartest of decisions? Who knows. But I agreed wit hit. The slightly higher costs weren’t a money grab by the company. They truly wanted to show worth. That our books, our stories, our authors were worth that extra $1.50. And I believe they were.
Being the centerpiece of the HorrorHound Conventions in Ohio and Indiana was amazing. I got to attend the last two. Getting to meet up with and sit by, and talk with your fellow authors, meeting their fans that showed up every year for the latest and greatest in horror literature was amazing. Getting to meet the people that worked for us, people like Kaitlyn, Jacob, Mackenzie, Amanda, Lauren, Matthew, and Tanya. I’ll never forget it, and I already miss it.
I knowing that once you were one of Don’s writers, that confidence that if you sent him a good story, he was probably going to put it out. Once he believed in you, and you believed in you, that was it. That trust, that relationship…there’s no replacing that.
As I’m readying my next novel, BECOMING, I can’t help but wonder what Don would have said. I strongly believe he would have enjoyed it and Samhain would have contracted it, but that’s just not how things are anymore.
It’s with gratefulness, gratitude, and sorrow that I look back on my short time with Don and Samhain. We’re still in touch,so getting to add Don as a friend along with everyone else at the company is a major bonus, and makes moving on a but easier.
It was great, until it wasn’t.
Thank you, Samhain.
You can pre-order my next novel, BECOMING, now at Amazon. It comes out in eBook on 03.03.17. with the print edition to follow in April.
Check it out and order if you’re in. ORDER HERE or click on the book cover(art by Jason Lynch)..
Something ancient has wormed its way up from the earth….
A change has come today.
After Michele Cote’s best friend disappears, no one believes her story of about the thing responsible for his abduction. Forced to figure out the mystery for herself, Michele encounters terror she has never known, and witnesses the impossible.
When other members of the community begin to change or vanish, Sheriff Shane Davis must look beyond reason in order to stop the evil seeping into this small town. With help from an unlikely source, Sheriff Davis will come face-to-face with the truth.
You can’t destroy what you don’t understand. For the town of Lincoln, Maine, the future is about change…for better or worse.
Becoming is the next horrifying novel from author, Glenn Rolfe. Pre-order today.
February 12, 2017
03.03.17. Do you wanna Get Rolfed?
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February 10, 2017
(REVIEW) EXORCIST FALLS by Jonathan Janz
“One of the best writers in modern horror to come along in the last decade. Janz is one of my new favorites.” –Brian Keene
EXORCIST FALLS (Sinister Grin Press, 2017)
Chicago is gripped by terror. The Sweet Sixteen Killer is brutally murdering young women, and the authorities are baffled.
When the police are called to an affluent home in the middle of the night, they learn that a seemingly normal fourteen-year-old boy has attacked his family. The boy exhibits signs of demonic possession, and even more troublingly, he knows too much about the Sweet Sixteen killings. Father Jason Crowder, a young priest assigned to the case, must marshal his courage in order to save the boy and the entire city from the forces of evil.
But this is a darkness mankind has never encountered before. It craves more than blood. And it won’t rest until it possesses Father Crowder’s soul.
Jonathan Janz’s brand new release brings the original novella that started it all—Exorcist Road—and a brand-new full-length novel (Exorcist Falls) together for a shattering experience in supernatural terror.
MY REVIEW
Hmmmm. This was my most anticipated release of 2017, so my expectations were high. Maybe unfairly high.
This book starts with the original novella, EXORCIST ROAD, one of my favorite pieces by Janz. It was great to re-read it here and love it just as much.
That brings us to the follow-up, which is maybe a short novel or long novella, EXORCIST FALLS.
This story was pretty great, overall.
I loved not knowing what was going to happen. Every time I thought (or hoped) I knew where Janz was going, he took my someplace else. He really did an amazing job of keeping you off guard throughout.
Father Crowder is definitely the star of the show, and you’ll be praying for Danny Hartman to get his. There’s a lot of great gore and wildly imaginative action going on that is also well balanced with the internal struggle between Crowder and his curse. Janz’s writing is on point. That said, we had a few characters that fell flat (Liz) or seemed to be a little inconsistent from start to finish (Father Patterson, for instance). That said, neither character ruined the experience for me.
The ending….I won’t give it away, but it was both really awesome and disappointing. Sound confusing? Yeah, it’s a frustrating thing. I LOVE where Janz goes here, but I think he should have taken the time to write about three more chapters and brought the story to an even more amazing conclusion. Oh well. Not everything works the way we want it to.
I give EXORCIST FALLS 4 stars, but this one should have and could have easily been 5.
Still, I know people are going to love it. So I look forward to seeing it on many, many year end lists.
Overall, a terrific start of what is gonna be another great year for Janz.
You HAVE to pre-order your eBook copy now. EXORCIST FALLS by Jonathan Janz
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Visit Jonathan Janz’s website: JonathanJanz.com
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And be sure to keep up with all of the great titles and merchandise at SinisterGrinPress.com
And keep you eyes out for all things Janz and Exorcist Falls related from Oh,ForTheHookofaBook
February 6, 2017
THE HALL OF PROFESSIONAL AUTHORS: THE NO FUN LEAGUE
THE HALL OF PROFESSIONAL AUTHORS: THE NO FUN LEAGUE
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I recently read an article by a professional fiction writer in my genre. This article pointed out a list of things this particular author didn’t want to see any more of in 2017. While there were a couple of things I agreed with, the majority of the piece told me one thing: this person doesn’t get it.
Most of us writers do this because we like it. We love it. This is what brings us joy. Writing, and all that goes along with it, makes us happy. Yes, there are mean people out there. Yes, there are idiots with nothing better to do than shit on something someone else has done. Yes, there are bullshit artists who want people to admire them at all cost. I don’t hate on these people. I feel bad for them. They’re obviously unhappy with themselves and are lashing out where they can, whether right or wrong.
Here’s a couple of things on the “No More in 2017” list that bothered me:
Vague booking Why not? Who is it hurting? If it’s from an author or artist that I care about, I love it! It builds that anticipation, right? It’s meant to be fun, not spiteful. So keep doing it.
#Hashtagingpalooza Okay, I admit, this one used to bother me, too. Until I realized two things: 1) There is a reason for it. And 2) It can be a helluva lot of fun. So, the reason we do it is to help share all the similar posts about the project we’re doing or trying to help with. If I hashtag ChasingGhosts, the other articles and review using the same hashtag will show up if you click on it. So there’s the practical use. I also like to do it just to have fun. I’ll put up something like #TrumpLovesPeePeeParties or #MyBrainHurtsBecauseTrumpIsKillingMyCountry or #ToddKeislingLovesPoisonMoreThanNineInchNails
Word counts I love seeing other authors daily word counts. Why? Because I like knowing that someone else is kicking ass. I also like to see that I’m not the only one who struggles. If someone posts that they only got in 500 words,, I feel like, okay, I’m not the only one. If someone has a burst of creativity and blasts out 10,000 words! I’m inspired. Both ends of the spectrum have one effect on me: I wanna roll up my sleeves and get to work. That’s great. That’s fun. And if it’s an author that we love, we get excited keeping track of their progress. Bryan Smith does this a lot. You can follow his progress with almost everything he works on right up until release day.
Invites to digital book release It’s called promotion. It’s about getting your fans and community together and excited. It’s about sales, sure, but when done right, it’s a fucking fun as hell. I’ve attended and thrown plenty. Love them.
Play-by-play updates Some writers enjoy sharing what they worked on that day, like a really cool scene, or difficult bit that maybe they decided to cut. It gives us incite. It’s really the author pulling back that curtain and letting us in. I don’t think anybody actually gives you every single update unless their sharing it on their website. Hunter Shea did something like that with one of his projects. That was not on social media, so it was different (and cool).
Complaining about editing For some writers, editing is the hard part that busts their balls. For me, that would be writing a synopsis! Editing is my second favorite part of the process. It’s where we make our cool ideas shine. I understand and appreciate the difficult task that editing can be. It’s not easy. For some people, it’s very hard to look critically at their work. For others, they just have so many ideas that they are super eager to get started on the next project. We all work at differently. If you struggle with necessary evils…. I feel you.
There were a couple of things on the “No More in 2017” list that I agreed with, but they’re basically things that only douchebags do, such as hating on successful authors, being self-deprecating or angry about your work or sales…. Or say, posting a review by someone who doesn’t like your book and automatically assuming that reviewer is a troll and not just someone who actually didn’t enjoy your work. Sorry, not everyone is going to give you five-stars.
You guys know me, I like to stay positive and spread good vibes. #StayGold #KeepItonthePos
I could go off about why I think the author wrote the list, but that’s just a ball of negative energy that I’m not going to mess with. Instead, I just want to remind you guys that we’re here to have fun. We’re here to make the sometimes tedious work of social media promotion less annoying and a lot more enjoyable for us and our followers.
Lastly, if you’re seeing a lot of these things you don’t like, there is an easy solution. Unfollow the “friends” that are bombarding you with their troubles and joys. See, super easy. Problem solved.
For my friends and followers, my brethren, my brood, if you do any of the things from this list, keep on keeping on. And remember to have fun.
And remember to use the hashtag: #ToddKeislingLovesPoisonMoreThanNineInchNails
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(FYI, Todd didn’t write the list. I’m just having fun with him)
January 31, 2017
SHARE THE HORROR. LET’S TALK REVIEW SITES.
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Horror writers need reviews. Review sites give us those reviews and we share them. In this world of social media madness, both the authors and the reviewers could use all the help we can get. How you ask? Share, re-tweet, tell a friend. Every share helps. And every share is appreciated.
Obviously, the reviewed author is going to share the review, and maybe even a couple of that author’s friends will do the same. That awesome and it helps. But what if the reviewers would do the same for one another? In the few years I’ve been discovered by readers and reviewers, I’ve met a lot of really cool people who love this genre as much as we do. Most of these people put in as much time reading, reviewing, and running their sites as we do putting our books together. Probably even more!
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I always look at the horror genre as the sibling to the punk rock. We’re the black sheep, the ones that have to fight for every scrap, every inch of trust and respect. As writers, I feel we do a really good job of creating that sense of brother/sisterhood and community. I believe the horror reviewers out there should be the same. And maybe some are. I hope they aren’t competing against one another when they could be helping to grow our wonderfully wicked misfit brigade. Like I said, not sure where they stand, but I wish I could see them sharing each other’s reviews and posts on social media as much as we do.
It’s for the good of the people, right?
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Well, with this new #SharetheHorror idea in mind…. I want to just highlight some of the really cool sites that are out there. For new writers, take these down, contact these ladies and gentlemen. For everyone else, let’s get on the #SharetheHorror bus and spread the word.
FRANK MICHAEL ERRINGTON’S HORRIBLE BOOK REVIEWS
There are so many more….If you’re one of my favorites and I left you off, I apologize.
I hope this helps new authors and I hope our reviewing community can pull together and share each other’s reviews here and there. I know how busy you all are, but every little share helps. If we look out for each other, maybe we can help this thing grow.
Feel free to share this post or add your favorite review site in the comments.
CHEERS!
January 29, 2017
Favorite Reads of 2016
Happy to find two if 2016 pieces on this set of Best Ofs from THE HORROR BOOKSHELF. Thanks, Rich!
I am a bit late with my 2016 list as the first month of 2017 is just about over, but I still wanted to take a minute and share some of my favorite reads from this year. 2016 was a slow year for The Horror Bookshelf and I didn’t hit any of my goals that I made this time last year, but it was for a happy reason! The last few months of 2016 were some of the happiest in my life as my wife and I had our first child. The blog has slowed down considerably, but I do not plan on closing The Horror Bookshelf. I fell a bit behind, but I plan on starting 2017 off catching up on some reviews I owe and then hopefully getting back into a normal routine. I have met so many great people through this blog and it would take forever…
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