Scott Nicholson's Blog, page 7

V-Wars audiobook video

It's a video about the making of an audiobook about a book!

Skyboat Media produced the video about the making of V-Wars, a vampire anthology edited by Jonathan Maberry. My entry "Heartsick" is narrated by veteran actor Arte Johnson, who gets some face time in the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBr9sfgsiCw&feature=player_embedded#!

Out from the comics giant IDW, V-Wars is also available from your favorite bookstores in multiple formats. Learn more at IDW's page.

Livres Kindle en Français: DUALITÉ

Livres Kindle en Français
DUALITÉ De Scott NicholsonTraduit par Guillemette Allard-Bares

« Personne n’écrit de thrillers comme Nicholson. Personne. » – J.A. Konrath, M. K
Un best-seller dans le Top 30 des e-books Kindle aux États-Unis !Des frères jumeaux se battent pour le contrôle d’un empire familial bâti sur des bases de cruauté, tromperie et sombres secrets — et une femme se tient entre eux tandis qu’une autre attend dans l’ombre qu’un d’entre eux s’effondre. 



Quand un mystérieux incendie détruit sa maison et tue sa petite fille, Jacob Wells est jeté dans une spirale infernale qui l’attire de plus en plus vers un passé qu’il croyait mort et enterré. 

À présent, son frère jumeau Joshua est de retour en ville, cherchant à régler de vieux comptes et à réclamer sa part de l’héritage des Wells. La femme de Jacob, Renée, est aux prises avec sa propre culpabilité, car le couple a perdu une fille nouveau-née quelques années auparavant.
Quand Jacob et Joshua retrouvent les rôles malsains qu’ils avaient adoptés sous l’influence de parents cruels et exigeants, ils se livrent une guerre d’orgueil, de richesse et de passion. Ils partagent l’amour empoisonné d’une femme qui les détruirait volontiers tous les deux : Carlita, une Hispanique provocante et manipulatrice dont la famille immigrée a contribué à construire la fortune des Wells.
Si seulement Jacob parvenait à définir lequel des deux est à blâmer. Mais les limites de l’identité sont floues, car Joshua et Jacob partagent bien plus que leur sang.
Et leurs jeux d’enfants sont devenus mortellement sérieux.


Amazon.fr: http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B00CYLFU9E
Kobo Français: http://www.kobobooks.fr/ebook/Dualité/book-xTg8Q8aaREKL7Y2mkTcv2w/page1.html


À propos de l’auteur :
Scott Nicholson est un auteur de best-sellers de renommée mondiale, qui a publié plus de vingt livres, dont Les Amants de la brume et Les Muses hantées. Toute son actualité sur son site officiel www.hauntedcomputer.com/french.htm***

Livre d'horreur français #40 Kindle

Caroline at The Ereader Cafe was kind enough to post an interview with me on her wonderful site:


http://www.theereadercafe.com/2013/05/author-interview-with-scott-nicholson.html
 

Also, L'Eglise rouge (the French version of The Red Church) is #40 in Amazon.fr for Kindle today. The French market is still small but I believe it is growing faster than conventional wisdom (i.e. "The French are cultural elites who will be slow to adopt new technology") would have us believe. Thanks to Franck Gandcher for the translation and Guillemette Allard-Bares for the proofreading. We'll be releasing Guillemette's translation of Disintegration
(DUALITÉ) this week.


http://www.amazon.fr/LEglise-rouge-ebook/dp/B00CIZQ748Kindle Livre d'horreur français  ***

Psychological thriller LIQUID FEAR on sale for 99 cents this month

Amazon has seen fit to put the Kindle bestseller LIQUID FEAR on sale for 99 cents for the month of May as part of its Editor's Selections. Available for Kindle only!


Originally self-published, it's my bestselling book overall, peaking at #19 on the Kindle list a couple of years ago before being picked up by Amazon's Thomas & Mercer imprint. The sequel Chronic Fear is also available, at $2.99. I appreciate reviews, too--if you're broke, email me for a review copy at AuthorScottNicholson at gmail.com.

Laughingraccoon won the Happy Camper giveaway. So, Laughingraccoon, if you will email your address, we'll get the books and gift card out to you. Thanks, everyone, and don't forget to follow the newsletter for more giveaways, including a rare signed, limited edition traycase  hardcover  of The Skull Ring (only 50 made!)

MEAT CAMP: Happy Camper giveaway

Bloodthirsty mutants attack a camp for troubled teens after a strange infection spreads. Adapted by J.T. Warren and I from my original B-movie horror screenplay, for the real horror fan who likes it spicy.


We're launching at 99 cents until May 2. Now live at Amazon, Amazon UK, Nook, and Kobo.

You can also enter the Happy Camper giveaway by writing a review for Meat Camp. Prizes include a savage stack of books (Hudson House--signed, They Hunger--signed, Eaten Alive at a Chainsaw Massacre, and the Dark Faith anthology) and a $25 Amazon gift card. To enter, just write a review of any kind at one of your favorite online stores or sites, then email AuthorScottNicholson@gmail.com.

QuiteDaffy was also recently selected to win a Kindle Fire from my newsletter subscriber list. If you haven't signed up, don't miss the next giveaway and the free prequel to the AFTER series, AFTER: FIRST LIGHT. The newsletter is only for special events and new releases, so sign up now!
Thanks for your input on the cover! We may change later but for now we're using this:


***

Happy Camper giveaway

J.T. Warren and I are soon to unleash the novel known as "Meat Camp." Very soon. Bloodthirsty mutants attack a camp for troubled teens after a strange infection spreads.

But we need your help. Looking for beta readers, reviewers, and a cover. Below are the covers--please give your input and you'll be entered in their own special Meat Camp getaway. You can also enter (or get an extra entry) by writing a review for Meat Camp. Prize includes a savage stack of books and a $25 Amazon gift card. First five beta readers get a signed copy of the children's book If I Were Your Monster.

For a beta read or advance review copy, please email AuthorScottNicholson at gmail.com.

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After: The Echo post-apocalyptic thriller

A massive solar storm kills billions and wipes out the technological infrastructure, and the few survivors learn that some among them have...changed.

AFTER: THE ECHO
(Book #2 in the After series)

It's six weeks after the shock.

The smoke on the horizon has diminished, and Rachel Wheeler and her two traveling companions head toward the mountains where Rachel's grandfather Franklin has built a survivalist compound.

However, the strange mutated people known as Zapheads seem to be changing from bloodthirsty killers into a force far more menacing. A secret military installation holds the key to rebuilding civilization, but Franklin doesn't trust their intentions.

And the Zapheads are adapting to the new world faster than the human survivors, who must fight for their place in a future that may have no room for them.After: The EchoAmazon US: http://www.amazon.com/After-The-Echo-ebook/dp/B00BZW5HGYAmazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/After-The-Echo-ebook/dp/B00BZW5HGYNook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/after-scott-nicholson/1046300194Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/After-The-Echo/book-n59h5nY-XUS2RXrBvzlhRw/page1.html
The first book in the series, After: The Shock, will also be 99 cents through Apr. 1. Don't forget to sign up for my Mailchimp newsletter by April 1 to be entered for a free Kindle Fire!
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AP6YRFSAmazon.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AP6YRFSBN.com: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/after-scott-nicholson/1113907177Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/After-The-Shock/book-fBjisootz0u_PUD1HK6KAQ/page1.html

Suspense thriller The Skull Ring on sale

 Julia Stone will remember...or else.

The suspense thriller The Skull Ring is on sale for only 99 cents (reg. $3.99) through 3/15/2013. get your copy at your favorite online store.

Amazon USAmazon UKNookKobo

 ###

Kindle Supernatural Sale! Rain, Nicholson, Bennington, Tufo

Big Supernatural Sale going on for Kindle! 13 books from the likes of J.R. Rain, Jeff Bennington, Mark Tufo, and me. 99 cents each (plus one $2.99 box set). Horror, zombies, paranormal, and more. Offer good Feb. 26-28. Stop, shop, and shock!

Amazon link to the list in your country: http://smarturl.it/supchills

My Ghost Box set will also be $2.99 in BN for Nook for a few days, as well as Amazon:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ghost-box-set-scott-nicholson/1102726786http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Box-Supernatural-Thrillers-ebook/dp/B0077U2IMO
99 cent books
Zombie Bits
http://www.amazon.com/Zombie-Bits-ebook/dp/B003WJRICE

American Horror anthology
http://www.amazon.com/American-Horror-ebook/dp/B0054R09VO/

Speed Dating with the Dead
http://www.amazon.com/Speed-Dating-Dead-ebook/dp/B003TZLWTG

Cursed! (with J.R. Rain)
http://www.amazon.com/Cursed-ebook/dp/B004CYEV1O

Ghost College (with J.R. Rain)
http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-College-Files-ebook/dp/B004PLNQ92

Mark TufoZombie Fallout http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A022YOIndian Hill http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002HWSLVOThe Spirit Clearing http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0094JWLYG
Jeff BenningtonREUNION: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004S7AR0ETWISTED VENGEANCE:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006CB19R4CREEPY (BOOK 2): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009D9TH9Y
JR RainZombie Patrol - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B00U7B6The Body Departed - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0040JI3O2

Thanks!***

Exclusive opening to the AFTER series by Scott Nicholson

I'm currently working on both the AFTER prequel (a novella of about 15k words) and AFTER: THE ECHO , for release at the end of March. The prequel will be free to introduce readers to the series, but if you like to be among the first to receive it, just sign up for my mailing list (You'll also be eligible for a Kindle Fire and gift card giveaway for the After: The Echo launch.)



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AFTER: THE SHOCK is available at Amazon:
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AP6YRFSAmazon.UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AP6YRFS 



For a taste, here is the unedited first draft of  the AFTER opening, for those who like their apocalypse with a little research!

AFTER: THE STORMBy Scott Nicholson
            The sun looked like a cheese pizza that had been broiled in hell’s hottest oven.            Dr. Daniel Chien frowned at the monitor, concerned less with the rippling cheese than the rising bubbles of red sauce. Each bubble erupted with a force equaling 100 billion megatons of TNT, spewing electromagnetic radiation across the solar system. Chien was intellectually aware that the pizza was really a massive star around which Earth and the other planets revolved, but technology had reduced it to little more than a commercial-free reality-TV show.            Sir Isaac Newton nearly blinded himself staring at the sun, and I can do it from the comfort of my air-conditioned cubicle.            The images recorded by the Solar Dynamics Observatory were a marvel of modern technology. Not only was the space-launched observatory performing a continuous, real-time monitoring of solar activity, it used an array of solar panels as it energy source. In turn, the data allowed Chien and other researchers to study the sun’s electromagnetic fluctuations, solar wind, sunspot activity, and particle radiation.            The sublime beauty of the system had lured Chien from a faculty position at Johns Hopkins. Even as a boy in Vietnam, he’d been fascinated by the sun was the giver of life. The Earth’s precarious position at just the right orbital distance counted as something miraculous, although Chien was careful to avoid debates over science and faith. To him, wonder was wonder and did not require further complications. Let the glory hounds like Newton clog the pages of scientific history while Chien and his fellow grunt workers added to the pool of knowledge bit by bit.            But his role as a researcher didn’t diminish his appreciation of solar myth. After all, there was hardly a more apt metaphor for human hubris than Icarus flying too close to the sun and having his wings melt.            The sun, as he liked to tell his friends, was cool.            Chien still found childlike delight in the real-time images of the sun captured in a variety of spectra, available to the public via the NASA website. The array of sophisticated instruments measured multiple wavelengths and offered multiple ways to observe and measure solar phenomena. The main image was the one now commanding his attention, and although he was fully aware of the sun’s petulant temperament, he didn’t like the erratic pulsations appearing on its surface.            Somebody’s burning the pizza.            “Katherine?” he said, calling to the other on-duty researcher at the SDO’s offices in the Goddard Space Flight Center. Dr. Katherine Swain was several years his senior, a 20-year veteran of NASA, and a woman who held no romantic notions of the sun at all.            “Yes?” she said, in an annoyed tone, looking up from her laptop. She’d confided to Daniel that she was having “family problems,” and Daniel had projected a polite pretense of concern without pressing for details. Which meant avoiding her unless something important was happening.            “It looks like some irregular plasma activity.”            “We’re in an irregular phase,” she said, not clicking away from whatever she was working on. “The moon’s having its period.”            Much like a woman, or the moon, or any other natural object, the sun went through nearly predictable cycles of behavior. Solar cycles lasted about 11 years, and the study of radionuclides in Arctic ice had allowed researchers to map an accurate history of the sun. Although the cycles followed identifiable patterns, the general agreement was that the current cycle was among the most active on record.            “It’s not just regularly irregular,” he said. “It’s crazy.”            “Ah, here comes the big one, huh?” Katherine teased. “Guess they should have listened to you, huh?”            As a member of a commission asked to assess the nation’s vulnerability to electromagnetic pulse attack, Chien had testified before an Armed Services subcommittee. He’d warned of the impact of massive solar flares, but his cataclysmic scenarios were pushed aside for what were considered the more-relevant dangers of low-flying nuclear missiles. The military couldn’t fight the sun, and neither could it procure billions of tax dollars by provoking the administration’s fear of the sun. Besides, terrorist threats were far sexier than probability modeling.            Last year, Chien had co-authored a report that painted a grim picture of infrastructure failure on the heels of a massive solar storm, calling it “the greatest environmental disaster in human history.” Since then, Katherine and the other SDO researchers had wryly called Chien “Dr. Doom.”            Chien had stood firm in his quiet way. Besides, it really wasn’t a matter of “if.” It was a matter of “when.”            But even Chien didn’t really expect “when” to be now.            “Look at AR1654,” Chien said.            Katherine’s keys clacked as she brought up an image on her laptop screen. “It’s only an M-1,” she said. “At worst, we could get a few radio blackouts in the polar regions. No biggie.”            “But AR1654 is aligning with the Earth. That means we will be right in the path of the plasma stream if a flare erupts.”            “And it will pass right over us. That’s why we have an atmosphere, so we’re not exposed to constant radiation. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be around to have this conversation.”            Katherine, apparently satisfied with her prognosis, resumed typing. Chien watched the image on the screen for another minute, as sauce leaked from the edge of the pizza’s crust and bulged out into space in huge, curling ribbons.            Maybe I’m no different than Newton, a sensationalistic glory hound. But he died a virgin, so I’ve got him beat there.            Chien went through the rote recording of data that occupied much of his duties, but his mind wandered to Summer Hanratty, the woman he’d been dating for the last six months. He couldn’t escape the irony of her first name, and its connotation with sunny weather had fueled their initial conversation at a colleague’s party. Maybe they were getting serious.            Heating up, huh? Well, even Dr. Doom needs a little comfort in the night.            Katherine’s clipped voice interrupted his reverie. “Did you see that?”            “See what?” Chien had flipped away from the satellite imagery to tables of temperature, X-rays, and magnetic energy.            “Check the Magnetogram,” she sad, referring to the telescopic image that mapped the magnetic energy along the sun’s surface.            Chien summoned the proper screen, which now showed the solar pizza as a mossy tennis ball pocked with violent orange and cobalt-blue acne. The area near AR1654 showed a brilliant plume erupting from the surface.             “It will loop,” Chien said, referring to the sun’s habit of bending much of its escaped energy back into the thermonuclear maw. As turbulent as the imagery made the sun appear, most of the activity took place deep inside, where hydrogen and helium burned away at astonishing temperatures. It took light 200,000 years to emerge from the center of the sun to the surface, and from there a mere eight minutes to reach the Earth.            Chien thought he would share that little factoid with Summer when he dropped by her apartment tonight. It was the kind of romantic bon mot that would wash down well with a glass of Chablis.            “Even with a loop, it will likely shoot some electrons our way,” Katherine said.            “Should we log a report?”            One of the center’s responsibilities was to warn of potential interference with satellites and telecommunications equipment, which helped justify the $18 billion NASA budget. A caricature of a notoriously penurious Republican senator was pinned to the bulletin board near the restrooms, with a handwritten admonition: “A phone call a day keeps the hatchets away.” Providing a practical public benefit was essential to the long-term survival of the center.            “The usual,” Katherine said. “Possible disruption of regular signal transmission but no need for extraordinary measures.”            “A little static on the cell phone,” Chien said. “A little snow for the TV viewers with a dish. No Doomsday on the radar.”            “Don’t sound so disappointed.”            “I’m thrilled. An apocalypse would be terribly inconvenient. I’ve got a hot date tonight.”            Katherine managed a rueful smile. “Wish I could say the same. Take my advice and never get married.”            Chien didn’t want to tiptoe through those conversational landmines, so he shifted back to business. The bulging projectile of the solar flare clung to the sun’s surface like a drop of water on the lip of a leaky faucet. Usually, the flare would collapse again, the charged particles of helium and hydrogen reeled back by the intense gravity. But this one kept swelling, a ragged dragon’s breath of plasma leaping into space.            Chien flipped through the suite of instruments, observing the flare at different wavelengths. “Are you seeing this, Katherine?”            “Let me get this bulletin out first.”            “I’d hold off on it for a moment. We might be upgrading.”            “We can’t upgrade. This is M-1 already.”            Chien’s mouth went dry and his heart hammered. The solar flare’s footprint grew both on the surface and in its bulge in the heliosphere. “Looking like an X.”            “Daniel, that’s serious. It means rerouting high-altitude aircraft and damage to satellites. If we send out a red alert, we’d better be right.”            “The sun doesn’t care who’s right or wrong,” he said, watching the ragged hole on the sun’s surface widen further and the plume take an immense leap.            X-class solar flares dispensed radiation that could threaten airline passengers with exposure if they were not adequately shielded by the Earth’s atmosphere. Such flares were rarely recorded, but Chien was well aware that human measurement of such phenomena was but the blink of an eye against the ancient history of the sun. No doubt thousands—perhaps millions—of massive flares had swept across the Earth in ages past, scouring the planet with radiation and scrambling its geomagnetic fields. Chien was alternately excited and frightened that he might be witness to one of them.            But Katherine was right. Issuing an X-class bulletin would set a whole range of actions in motion, affecting the telecommunications industry, defense, and air transportation. Rerouting flights alone would cost millions of dollars, not to mention throwing off flight schedules that could disrupt international travel for weeks. Any shutdown of telecommunications and satellite service could quickly run to costs in the billions as well. This was a panic button that, once pressed, could not be easily dismissed.            “You know what happens if we cry wolf,” Katherine said.            As project director, Katherine would be the scapegoat for any political fallout, but Chien would likely be drummed out as well. Sure, he could always return to university life, where notoriety was little more than a mildly eccentric selling point. But he’d likely be done in the field of government-funded research, and there wasn’t a whole lot of private-industry opportunity.            But data was data, and the numbers were screaming X all the way.            “Okay, I will give a warning of ‘possible disruption, monitoring closely,’” Katherine said. “That should keep us covered until we can analyze all the data.”            She issued the alert to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Communications Commission, and the departments of Defense and Homeland Security. The data She rated the threat a G3, a strong geomagnetic storm as measured on a scale of one to five. She logged the data and noted the time, saying to Chien, “Your shift is up. You better go play Romeo.”            “No way,” he said. “The solar cycle doesn’t peak again for 11 years, and I’m not getting any younger.”            “Your call. But take my word for it. When you get to be my age, you wish you’d had more dates with people and fewer with computers.”            The solar plume on the screen had grown to epic proportions, so much so that Chien had to zoom out on the imagery just to fit it on the screen. Even for a trained scientist, it was difficult to equate what looked like a bit of Hollywood illusion with billions of tons of solar material hurting toward the Earth a two million miles an hour. Even if the plume proved truly dangerous, the solar wind and its charged particles wouldn’t reach Earth for at least a day, maybe two.            “Something’s got me worried,” Chien said. “The SDO has only been operating for two years, and in that time we’ve had no major solar storms.”            “So?” Katherine had apparently already swallowed her own downplaying of the threat and accepted mild space disturbance as fait accompli.            “The SDO is itself a satellite. With a vicious enough solar wind, we’d lose uplinks and downlinks, as well as orientation. Worst-case scenario, we won’t be able to track the effect.”            “Well, let’s just pray it’s not a worst case, then,” Katherine said, with a wry smile. Religious references were rare in the space center.            Chien, a Taoist, was not amused, nor was he comforted.
Discover other books at http://www.hauntedcomputer.com +++