Stephen Kozeniewski's Blog, page 74

Cover Reveal! VALERIEL INVESTIGATIONS BOOK I: CATCHING A MAN

Let's give a big warm welcome and round of applause to friend of the blog, Elizabeth Corrigan on the occasion of her cover reveal!  Enough jabbering from me, let's take a look at that beautiful cover, courtesy of Streetlight Graphics:

[Your web browser does not support frames or is currently configured not to display frames. However, you may visit <a href="http://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&..." target="_top">the related page</a>.]

Ooh, that's a beauty.  Now for what you all came here for: FREE SHIT!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ba112ffc731/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway
">
About CATCHING A MAN:

Genre:  Fantasy
Date of Publication:  November 2014
Word Count:  68,000
Series:  Valeriel InvestigationsKadin Stone's life is finally going according to plan. She's starting her new job as a homicide detective's aide at one of the premier criminal investigation companies in Valeriel City, the capital of a 1950’s-style kingdom. Kadin is certain her new position will introduce her to any number of eligible men, so she'll finally be able to get married and stop burdening the brother who insists on supporting her.

On Kadin’s first day, the royal family calls in her team to investigate the murder of gossip-rag cover girl Queen Callista. Kadin’s superiors think it’s an open and shut case. The queen’s jilted lover Duke Baurus DeValeriel had motive, means, and opportunity, but Kadin can’t help but spot holes in their theory.

After checking into a few leads of her own, Kadin inadvertently ends up in the confidence of Duke Baurus. When she tries to share what she knows with the rest of the team, she finds them unwilling to listen to the opinion of a girl who they know is only after a ring on her finger. In order to see justice served, Kadin finds herself doing the last thing she expected when she started working for a homicide detective—solve a murder!

About Elizabeth Corrigan:


Elizabeth Corrigan has degrees in English and psychology and has spent several years working as a data analyst in various branches of the healthcare industry. When she’s not hard at work on her next novel, Elizabeth enjoys singing, reading teen vampire novels, and playing RPGs as medieval versions of her characters. She once made herself a birthday cake with five layers and two different kinds of chocolate frosting and is pathologically afraid of bees. She lives in Maryland with two cats and a purple Smart Car.

You can follow her on her website, Facebook, or Twitter!

Other Blogs Participating in the Cover Reveal:
Zigzag Timeline
The Gal in the Blue Mask
Mythical Books
Musings In Fiction Alley
Amiabooklover
Pembroke Sinclair
Books & Tales
Penny Dreadful Book Reviews
The Wormhole
More Romance Please
Angel’s Guilty Pleasures
Corazones Literarios
Me, Myself and Books
Book Club Sisters
Kelly Smith Reviews
3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too!
Fire and Ice Book Reviews
Indy Book Fairy Blog
Once Upon A Dream Books
Musings of the Book-a-holic Fairies, inc.
Cabin Goddess

Should I be Worried About an Ebola Outbreak? (An In-Depth and Unbiased Analysis by the Manuscripts Burn Staff)

No.  Don't be an asshole.






(Special thanks to friend of the blog Claire Ashby for suggesting today's topic!)

Upcoming Release Schedule

A lot of folks have been asking me since I inked my 9-book deal with Permuted Press when stuff is going to start coming out.  This past week, the good folks at Permuted got back to me with their complete schedule, so I figured I'd update all of you with what you can expect from me over the next few years.  This is barring any weird changes, naturally, but here's what we're looking at in terms of Kozeniewski titles:

DateTitle/Anthology TitleSeriesPublisher/CuratorLate 2014Exploding Shit Zombies/
AT HELL'S GATEn/aDevan SaglianiLate 2014NOTES FROM THE UNDEADGore and Peace IISevered Press27-Jan-15The New Dark Ages/
FAT ZOMBIEn/aPaul Mannering/
Permuted Press5-May-15EVERY KINGDOM DIVIDEDThe Two Americas IPermuted PressJun-15The Keys to the Stars/
BRAVE NEW GIRLSn/aMary Fan and
Paige Daniels15-Sep-15BLACK SUN, BLOOD MOONThe Hyena IPermuted Press5-Jan-16HUNTER OF THE DEADModern Blood IPermuted Press3-May-16THE NEW AMERICAN MANThe Two Americas IIIPermuted Press13-Sep-16KINGS OF THE EARTHThe Hyena IIPermuted Press3-Jan-17THE WHITE WOLFModern Blood IIIPermuted Press16-May-17THE BLUE AND THE REDThe Two Americas IIIPermuted Press12-Sep-17GREAT DAY OF WRATHThe Hyena IIIPermuted Press5-Jan-18THE BARON SATURDAYModern Blood IIIPermuted Press
Late 2014 - my zombie horror short story "Exploding Shit Zombies" will appear in the invitation-only AT HELL'S GATE anthology, curated by Devan Sagliani

Late 2014 - NOTES FROM THE UNDEAD, the hardcore zombie horror sidequel to THE GHOUL ARCHIPELAGO may be published by Severed Press (tentative)

January 27, 2015 - my zombie horror short story "The New Dark Ages" is contracted to appear in the FAT ZOMBIE anthology curated by Paul Mannering and published by Permuted Press

May 5, 2015 - the first novel in the "Two Americas" dystopian satire trilogy, EVERY KINGDOM DIVIDED, is contracted to be published by Permuted Press

June, 2015 - my science fiction short story "The Keys to the Stars" may appear in the BRAVE NEW GIRLS anthology, curated by Mary Fan and Paige Daniels (tentative)

September 15, 2015 - the first novel in the "Hyena" science fiction trilogy, BLACK SUN, BLOOD MOON, is contracted to be published by Permuted Press

January 5, 2016 - the first novel in the "Modern Blood" vampire horror trilogy, HUNTER OF THE DEAD, is contracted to be published by Permuted Press

May 3, 2016 - the second novel in the "Two Americas" dystopian satire trilogy, THE NEW AMERICAN MAN, is contracted to be published by Permuted Press

September 13, 2016 - the second novel in the "Hyena" science fiction trilogy, KINGS OF THE EARTH, is contracted to be published by Permuted Press

January 3, 2017 - the second novel in the "Modern Blood" vampire and werewolf horror trilogy, THE WHITE WOLF, is contracted to be published by Permuted Press

May 16, 2017 - the third and final novel in the "Two Americas" dystopian satire trilogy, THE BLUE AND THE RED, is contracted to be published by Permuted Press

September 12, 2017 - the third and final novel in the "Hyena" science fiction trilogy, GREAT DAY OF WRATH, is contracted to be published by Permuted Press

January 5, 2018 - the third and final novel in the "Modern Blood" vampire, werewolf, and zombie horror trilogy, THE BARON SATURDAY, is contracted to be published by Permuted Press

Goin' to Shore Leave!

In the meatspace announcements category, I'm going to be at the Shore Leave science fiction convention in Baltimore, MD this weekend, selling copies of all three of my novels!  At first it was just going to be BRAINEATER JONES and THE GHOUL ARCHIPELAGO but look what just arrived in the mail today from my incredible publisher, Severed Press:
Check out this stack of bills.  Get it?  GET IT?So, if you want to meet me for a 100% bona fide free autograph (or, more likely, if you want to meet Leonard Nimoy or Richard Dean Anderson) get your buns down to the Hunt Valley Inn for at least one day between August 1 and August 3!

The Quintessential BILLY AND THE CLONEASAURUS Post

BILLY AND THE CLONEASAURUS is now available in paperback and ebook formats!  Here's the purchase link:

Amazon

Here are the other places you'll find BATC around the web:

Goodreads
A review on Sharon Stevenson's blog

I Love the '90s (Guest Post by Kimberly G. Giarratano, author of GRUNGE GODS AND GRAVEYARDS)

I've said it before and I'll say it again: damn you, Kate Moretti.

I was perfectly content to be sitting here with nearly two dozen books on my TBR (that's "to be read" to you normal folks) list, not to mention, oh, I dunno, seven books that I have to write plus marketing, plus, you know, the day job and family and condo presidency and all that.  And along comes "Pushypants" Moretti and says,

"Did you read KGG's book yet?"

So I started mumbling something about being busy and she says,

"Stop!  Go read it right now!  Drop everything!"

So I did and naturally now I'm blowing all of my deadlines and all the gutters are filthy and everything because I can't put GRUNGE GODS AND GRAVEYARDS down!


I'm very fortunate to have the aforementioned KGG, Kimberly G. Giarratano as a guest on the blog today.  Make sure to stick around after the post, as our mutual publisher Red Adept is generously hosting a giveaway in honor of the release of KGG's debut novel, GGG.  Since GRUNGE GODS (obviously?) takes place in 1997, I posed this question:


What was it like to live in the '90s, and why was it the greatest decade?
Ah, the ‘90s. I miss you, decade, although I could leave behind my teen years. All that angst, everything feeling like it was life or death. College essays. But you, 1990s, you were the best. Seinfeld. MTV’s The State. Melrose Place. Okay, so I watched a lot of TV when I was a teenager. Who didn’t? Anyhoo, let me break it down-down to reveal the top 5 reasons why the ‘90s were the dopest decade.

1. Alternative music: I just want to make this one a laundry list of all my favorite bands. Radiohead. U2. Tori Amos. The Afghan Whigs. STP. Bush. Bjork. Dave Matthews Band. Truth is the Radiohead of 2014 doesn’t compare to the Radiohead of 1997. While I can appreciate the genius of The King of Limbs, it doesn’t hold a candle to The Bends or Ok Computer (although I’m sure Thom Yorke would disagree). There isn’t a song I can sing along to on the newer albums. No stand out single like “Paranoid Android” or “Karma Police.” So while I own the new stuff, I only listen to the old stuff.

2. MTV (with a little VH1 thrown in for good measure): When I was a teenager, MTV was awesome. Because they still played music videos. Sure, now you can jump on YouTube to watch a video, but in 1995, my best friend would have to call me and yell, “Quick. Turn on Ch. 30. Radiohead is on.” And I’d scramble to the living room to turn on the TV so as not to miss the video. Because then I’d have to wait to see it again. Also, MTV aired really good shows. The Real World, Singled Out, 120 Minutes and The State. Actually The State should have its own number. The State -- the best sketch comedy show that ever aired. To this day, I can still recite lines from famous sketches. "Chicken sandwich, Carl!" It had Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter and Ken Marino. VH1: Pop Up Video. ‘Nuff said.

3. Shlubby jeans with frayed hems: Do you know what the cool kids wore my junior year of high school (And let me clarify, I was not a cool kid)? Open flannel shirts over white t-shirts. Straight-leg jeans with the hems torn up so they’d fit over Doc Martens or Timberlands. And that was the girls. No one’s outfit was polished or “put together.” At least, not that I remember. At some point, my entire wardrobe was super flared jeans, with destroyed hems, and long-sleeve Ts. And orange Vans. And I thought I looked good.

4. AOL: Okay, so in hindsight the Internet of today is the greatest thing ever invented, but when I was 15 years old, AOL was the shiznit. My dad paid for five hours a month. Five hours?! I spend 5 hours online a day now at least. But I digress...’You’ve got mail’ were the three most exciting words at the time. I don't remember how long it took me to come up with my email address. I think it was Tori-some-numberorother at aol. (It was an homage to Tori Amos). My best friend and I would jump online and browse for quotes from The State (see no. 2). Somehow, we got a hold of Michael Ian Black's email address and I sent him a note telling him how I got busted in English class for whispering a State quote to my friend sitting in front of me. He wrote back, "Don't talk in class." I nearly died. I might still have that email. I was social networking and I didn’t even know it!

5. All the things: Okay, so this one is a cop-out but I couldn’t decide whether to go with the Monica Lewinsky scandal or our booming economy where practically anyone could get a job or Fruit Stripe Gum or Empire Records or Forrest Gump. Hell, even Tom Hanks could be a category all by himself. The truth is the ‘90s were the greatest decade. Hands down. No contest. Full stop.

What did you love most about the ‘90s? Please sound off in the comments section. And can anyone else quote lines from The State? I’m sure Stephen has a prize or something (maybe some Zombie thing, cuz he’s all about that) for anyone who can do it without looking it up online.

Putting me on the spot, eh, KGG?  All right, whoever comes up with the best State quote in the comments, as determined solely by fiat, will receive a free copy of the BRAINEATER JONES audiobook!  How do you like this girl, she manages to swing two giveaways in one post!

About Kimberly Garnick Giarratano

Kimberly G. Giarratano, a forever Jersey girl, now lives in the woods of northeastern Pennsylvania with her husband and small children. A former teacher and YA librarian, Kimberly adores Etsy, Jon Stewart, The Afghan Whigs, ’90s nostalgia, and (of course) everything YA. She also speaks Spanish, but is woefully out of practice. Kimberly always dreamed of being a published author. Her other dream is to live in Key West, Florida where she can write in a small studio, just like Hemingway.

You can find Kimberly on Facebook, Twitter, and her website.

Synopsis of GRUNGE GODS AND GRAVEYARDS
Parted by death. Tethered by love.

Lainey Bloom’s high school senior year is a complete disaster. The popular clique, led by mean girl Wynter Woods, bullies her constantly. The principal threatens not to let her graduate with the class of 1997 unless she completes a major research project. And everyone blames her for the death of Wynter’s boyfriend, Danny Obregon.

Danny, a gorgeous musician, stole Lainey’s heart when he stole a kiss at a concert. But a week later, he was run down on a dangerous stretch of road. When he dies in her arms, she fears she’ll never know if he really would have broken up with Wynter to be with her.

Then his ghost shows up, begging her to solve his murder. Horrified by the dismal fate that awaits him if he never crosses over, Lainey seeks the dark truth amidst small town secrets, family strife, and divided loyalties. But every step she takes toward discovering what really happened the night Danny died pulls her further away from the beautiful boy she can never touch again.

Excerpt from GRUNGE GODS AND GRAVEYARDS
Be sure to purchase GRUNGE GODS AND GRAVEYARDS at:

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Google Play
Kobo
iTunes

And tell your friends about it on Goodreads!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/0510ed52/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway

$0.99 cent GHOULSTRAVAGANZA!

THE GHOUL ARCHIPELAGO is on sale for only $0.99 through Sunday, July 27! You can't beat that with a baseball bat full of jagged nails! Here's the purchase link:

Amazon

You all already know I think this is my greatest novel. But don't take my word for it! You can read everything anyone has ever said about TGA here. But here is some of the most recent buzz:

"The Ghoul Archipelago is definitely not what you could call your average zombie novel. With its mixture of Zombie, Apocalypse Now, and even a touch of Strange Days, the book is clearly aimed at the zombie reader whose seen it all and wants something different."

- The Bookie Monster
"I haven’t had such a hard time putting down such a creepy book since I was in junior high and pigging out on Stephen King. Kozeniewski has a knack for the undead—his writing is descriptive without being flowery and somehow speaks to the hindbrain. You get scared when you’re supposed to—a sound, a smell, a visual, that guy Rand (especially that guy Rand)—whatever it is he describes, your brain wants its blankie. And a hug."
- Sylvia at Bookshelf Bombshells
"This novel stands apart from other zombie novels as it incorporates pirates, thieves, native islanders, royalty, capitalism, military, religion, drug dealers and some virtual porn. The story and characters do not focus on killing zombies so much as they focus on their lives and how to continue on about life as usual while avoiding as many of the undead creatures as they can."
 - Trista M. Borgwardt
"There are zombies, and politicians (I don’t know which is worse honestly), and pirates! The plot is engaging and interesting and really made me think. And to make things even better this isn’t just your average run of the mill zombie story."
- Christina at Creating Serenity
"There were squeamish parts, intense parts, suspenseful parts and my all-time favourite: parts I didn't see coming. ."

- Erin at Reader's Hollow

I Wrote One Million Words. Where's My Ticker Tape Parade?

According to Malcolm Gladwell practicing anything for 10,000 hours will make you a master.  (Though lots of people agree that's bullshit.)  For writers, the goal is a little bit different.  According to Ray Bradbury, once you hit a million words, you're a master.  (Though lots of people agree that's bullshit, too.)

I agree with the dissenters that assigning an arbitrary number of hours to mastery is probably pointless.  Christ, Mozart died at 35.  He didn't do no damn 10,000 hours of practice.  Nevertheless, a million words is the agreed upon (arbitrary or not) level of mastery for my craft, and I'm happy to announce to anyone who even slightly gives a shit that I've reached that goal.

I try not to talk about the craft of writing too much on this blog (because it's BORING) but I do like to share my successes and some people are interested in this sort of thing, so here you go.  In this non-scientific analysis I'm counting just work on novels that exceeded 10,000 words.  So, I've disregarded all of my screenplays, short stories, games, and anything that was basically me writing a chapter and getting bored.  If anyone's really interested in a breakdown of every word I've ever written, I'll get back to you on that at a later date when I can hire a team of analysts to work around the clock.

I've also broken this list down by categories which are mostly self-explanatory.  However, if you don't know, "trunked" is a reference to old-timey days when an author would stick a mansucript that no publisher would buy into a trunk at the foot of the bed.  I have put some of my trunked manuscripts up right here on this blog (I call it "burning" them.)  Hence the title of this blog.  And now you know!

TitleLast EditedWordcountPublishedBRAINEATER JONESJul-1370000GORE & PEACE I: THE GHOUL ARCHIPELAGOOct-13118000BILLY AND THE CLONEASAURUSJun-1450000Complete, to be publishedTHE HYENA SERIES I: BLACK SUN, BLOOD MOONJul-14103000BROKEN-DOWN HEROES OF THE WESTERN NIGHTJan-1460000THE TWO AMERICAS I: EVERY KINGDOM DIVIDEDNov-1289000Incomplete, to be publishedMODERN BLOOD I: HUNTER OF THE DEADJul-1423000KINGDOMNov-1338000GORE & PEACE II: NOTES FROM THE UNDEADNov-1250000Complete, trunkedLIFE AND DEATHMay-11140000GRAVEYARD FLOWERJan-1078000THE LAST WARNov-09111000HELL AND BLOODMay-0932000ETERNITY BURNINGFeb-0739000Incomplete, trunkedTHE IRON CROWNSep-0745000LOVE AND HATEDec-06270001073000

Interview with Permuted Press

I had the great pleasure of doing an interview today for my latest publisher, Permuted Press!  Here are the results.

Koz & Effect Episode 2: Bullymetrics