David Haynes - Festive free books

[David]

Hi! Just my weekly reminder, in case you missed it. The Scream of Angels is still on sale!
Thank you.
Dave

[David]

Hi gang.
It's nearly Halloween and that means there's only a few days left of my sale. I've reduced my latest book to 77p/99c!

The Scream of Angels


Montmartre, Paris 1901

The city is alive with the spirit of La Belle Epoque - the beautiful era. It is a decadent time of artists and thinkers, of poets and dreamers.

It is also a time for blood.


The mysterious aristocrat Lord Cresswell offers struggling writer, Robert Bishop a position within Le Grand Guignol theatre, an ancient establishment famed for its bloodthirsty productions and the tortured cries of terror from its patrons.

When he accepts the position, Bishop is thrown into a horrifying mystery. A mystery in which the demons from his own dark past threaten to destroy his soul.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00ECC4BD4
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECC4BD4
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-s...

http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/eboo...

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id68...

[David]

Fellow writer, and friend, Jonathan Hill has posted an interview with me on his blog. Some interesting questions were asked and there's a chance to win The Scream of Angels!

http://www.jhillwriter.com/2013/10/ha...

[David]

If anyone fancies a bargain Mask of the Macabre Amazon have reduced it to 49p or 76c.
30 Goodreads ratings with an average of 4.13!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00BDZYZP2
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BDZYZP2

[David]

I've made a brief blog post which includes the cover for my work in progress, The Undertaker's Cabinet.

http://macabrecollection.blogspot.co....

[Justin]

Very nice David! I like the cover, quite creepy! I'm having a new cover done for my first book, its always exciting to see a new cover for one of your books made.

[David]

Thanks, Justin. It is exciting isn't it! It always spurs me on a bit too.

[David]

I've been featured on Michael Brooke's blog in his Tuesday Tease feature.

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[David]

With the first draft of The Undertaker's Cabinet almost complete Michael Brookes has posted an interview we did last year on his blog. It's part of his brilliant, Authors revisited collection.

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Justin]

Just finished reading Ballet of the Bones and posted my review. Great read David!

[David]

Wow! What a tremendous review. Thanks, Justin!

[David]

I've written a brief post about the inspiration for my upcoming release - The Undertaker's Cabinet.

http://macabrecollection.blogspot.co.uk/

[Justin]

Your welcome David. I plan on getting Seance of the Souls soon to complete my reading of The Macabre Collection.

The Undertaker's Cabinet sound's good too!

Keep up the great work!

[David]

Hi gang,

Today sees the release of my new book - The Undertaker's Cabinet



It's priced at 99c/77p for the next couple of weeks to say thank you to everyone who's supported me in the past. Thank you, Dave

In the town of Littleoak, Moreton & Sons have been burying the dead for over a century… and Bobby Moreton has had enough.


When Richard Jacobs arrives and makes him an offer for the business, the offer is so good he's tempted. But there's something about Jacobs' killer smile that doesn't feel quite right. In fact it feels wrong, horribly wrong.

There may be another way to save the business… Sell the exquisite antique cabinet that's been waiting in the cellar for another chance to do what it was created for.

Bobby soon realises that's a bad thing, a very bad thing indeed...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00IIT1FDG
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IIT1FDG

[David]

Two fantastic reviews already in!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Creepy and disturbing - in a good way! February 23, 2014
By Ignite
Format:Kindle Edition
The intriguing locked cabinet of the title stands in the basement of Moreton and Sons, Undertakers. The business is failing and Bobby Moreton is on the verge of selling. He changes his mind when a new and decidedly creepy undertaker comes to the town and makes to grab all the business. The story occasionally flashes back to the 1850s where we discover the origins of the Moreton family business and the obsession which led to the creation of the Undertaker’s Cabinet.

The author has built a solid reputation for writing Victorian melodrama in the horror vein and although much of this book is set in the present day it reaches back into Victorian times. It brings forward the original Jerome Moreton’s quest and is creepy and disturbing – but in a good way! Fans of David Haynes’ work are not going to be disappointed.

4.0 out of 5 stars Haynes writes fun bad guys. February 22, 2014
By Ken
Format:Kindle Edition
Haynes writes fun bad guys. They are creepy and certainly demented but entertaining in the way one might find Hannibal Lecter or Reverend Kane entertaining. In fact, I'm not sure if it is a comment on Haynes' writing or my bent sense of fun but, I often find myself rooting for his bad guys.

Another Haynes strong point is his representation of the seedier, seamier side of Victorian England. His description of Whitechapel gambling dens, Bethlem insane asylum and the dark, backroom operations of a London funeral home all work to give you a dirty, gritty feeling and set a harsh backdrop for his twisted anti-heroes.

In "The Undertaker's Cabinet", Moreton and Sons, a modern-day small-town funeral home is battling for survival in a town that saw its prime pass decades ago. Moreton and Sons has a dark past of which the current Moretons are completely unaware. Well, their haunting origins just came to town.

4 STARS

[David]

Since it's been about a month I thought I'd update things.

Firstly it appears Amazon have dropped the price of The Undertaker's Cabinet to 49p. Sorry but I can't see what it is in other places. I thought it was already priced competitively but now it's even more competitive!

Secondly I'm well into the current project. The working title is...

Mr Macabre presents - A Gathering of Ghosts.

It's going to be a collection of ghost stories (unconnected) set in Victorian England and written in the Victorian style I enjoy. They will be short stories and novellas.

So far, The Stonegate Manor Collection and The Haunting of Reverend Carson are underway and definite inclusions but again these are working titles and can change at any time. I'm at 20k words at the moment and hope to have approx 60-70k by the end.

That's it for the time being.

[David]

Hi folks,

I've had my cover back for A Gathering of Ghosts. If you'd like to take a look, it's on my blog. The post also contains details about the book. I'm going back to my traditional roots and it feels good!

http://macabrecollection.blogspot.co.uk/

[Justin]

Cheryl, I have it to-read but as someone whose read two of his other works, I gotta say he can really write. It's a macabre and twisted type of horror that non horror fans can enjoy, I think you'll like it.

[David]

Thanks, Cheryl! It's different from my other stories but I hope you enjoy it, especially if horror isn't your usual genre. And thanks, Justin!

[David]

In some very exciting news, my little book Mask of the Macabre was awarded first prize in the SpaSpa awards yesterday in the horror category.
The collection The Macabre Collection was runner up in the box set category.
I am absolutely chuffed to bits.

http://www.indie-book-bargains.co.uk/...

In other news, my upcoming release A Gathering of Ghosts is currently being edited and will be out by the end of July, all being well.

[David]

Good morning!

I'm delighted to announce the release of my new book, A Gathering of Ghosts. For the next week or so it will be on sale at just 99c or 77p!
It was edited by David Wailing's Storywork Editing Services and the beautiful cover was created by Michaela Margetts.

http://www.amazon.com/Gathering-Ghost...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gathering-Gho...



In the shadows of Victorian England, the ghosts are gathering. Prepare to have your blood chilled by six tales of fear and phantasmagoria…

The Silent Bell: A doctor’s invention to prevent people being accidentally buried alive backfires on him with horrific results.

The Stonegate Manor Collection: Lord Feltham’s paintings are worth a fortune, but also conceal a gruesome tragedy that has yet more lives to claim.

The Haunting of Reverend Carson: The charlatan Musgrave makes a living pretending to talk to the dead, until he discovers his new client’s demons are more than merely spiritual.

The Last Waltz: Through that miracle of technology, the Zoopraxiscope, a lonely man’s long-lost love is brought back to life before his very eyes.

The Speaking Tube: John Barker is consumed with hatred for his malicious father and torments him with voices from hell, unaware of how close to the abyss he is himself.

The Ghost Train: Alone aboard an empty train running along a dead track, Godfrey witnesses the grotesque secret that is entombed beneath Paddington Station.

Go deeper into David Haynes’s world of the macabre…

[David]

The book has been out a day or so now so I thought it might be time for an update.
Ive been lucky enough to make it inside the Amazon chart for ghost stories which I'm really proud of.
Thanks to everyone for their support.

[David]

I thought I'd give my new release a bit of a bump! Its only 77p or 99c for 6 traditional ghost stories. Go on give yourself a scare!

A Gathering of Ghosts


http://www.amazon.com/Gathering-Ghost...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gathering-Gho...

[David]

Fantastic news! I finished second in Michael Brookes short story competition with my entry - The Truth.
You can read it here-http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Renee E]

Congrats!

[David]

Thanks, Renee!

[David]

Season's Greetings!
I'm a fan of the BBC Radio iPlayer and found this little treasure. It's based in MR James short story Casting of the Runes.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007jtk7
Best listened to with headphones, at night!

[David]

I'm a huge fan of BBC radio drama and have just listened to an adaptation of Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla. It was a very atmospheric production with a great cast.
David Warner (The Omen - original version)
Kenneth Cranham (Hellraiser 2)
Celia Imrie (Frankenstein)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b016q2l5

During the last couple of weeks I've also listened to a couple of Ray Bradbury adaptations which were introduced by the man himself.

[David]

More classic ghost stories by MR James - The Backward Glance.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007k1j7

[David]

Hi, I'd like to announce the release of my new book -




Beneath the Boards

Beneath Jim Stokes’s shirt is a scar, one last horrific reminder of his old job in the police force.

Beneath the everyday normality of the village Stormark is a shameful secret, haunting people’s dreams.

Beneath the floorboards of the lake house is a hatch, sealed and forgotten for years until Stokes opens it up.

Beneath them all is blackness, and unheard screams, and scratching sounds in the night…

…and her whispers.

It's available on Amazon for 99c/99p and here's a multi region link.

http://authl.it/B00T55085S

[David]

I've had a couple of five star, reviews which I'm thrilled about. These are from pre release copies.
I hope you'll forgive me posting a couple of sound bites?

This story pulled me in from the very beginning and is full of action. Because most of it is from Jim’s point of view, we are drawn down into the nightmare he suffers, witness it from his point of view and learn the awful truth about the small community he has joined. It’s a great story, a classic horror...

If I could have read this from behind a cushion, I'm sure I would have. I found this to be a very creepy story. As I spiralled into Jim's madness, I felt myself physically tensing up, only relaxing my shoulders at the end of a chapter.

Thank you for your indulgence

[David]

I won't update this thread again, unless something truly monumental occurs that is, but I've had a couple of really pleasing reviews today. I'm allowed a little bit of promotion aren't I?
No more though, I promise!

http://www.100wordreviews.com/blog/be...

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Justin]

I still have to read Seance of the Souls and The Undertakers Cabinet which are in my kindle but I'll definitely add this to my to-reads list David.

[David]

Thanks, Justin!

[David]

Sorry for the blatant boast but I don't get chance very often.
Beneath the Boards reached the lofty heights in the below chart in the UK.

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,150 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#4 in Books > Fiction > Horror > Ghosts
#38 in Kindle Store > Books > Literature & Fiction > Horror

That's not too bad! It reached number 2 earlier.
Thank you for your indulgence.

[David]

Is this the best review in the world, ever?

This is forA Gathering of Ghosts

"Really, really good read. I would put this up there with my E.F.Benson and M.R.James ghost story books, in fact after reading one of the stories (I read in bed), I was very apprehensive of putting my Kindle under the bed in case there was "something" there waiting to grab my hand!!!! Excellent value."

[David]

I've been fiddling about with my (largely neglected) website and tried to make it easier to navigate. Any feedback would be welcome. Cheers.

http://davidhaynesfiction.weebly.com/

[Sarah]

Any comments on the FREE short story you'll find on this link are welcome. It's designed to attract potential readers to my books.

http://www.independentauthornetwork.c...

[Sarah]

David wrote: "I've been fiddling about with my (largely neglected) website and tried to make it easier to navigate. Any feedback would be welcome. Cheers.

http://davidhaynesfiction.weebly.com/"

It's very easy to navigate, David. My only comment is adding a background would have drawn me in better. As it was I only clicked all the headings because you asked. That's a shame because your books are displayed well.

[David]

Thanks, Sarah. Would you mind deleting the comment about your free book? I dont know if you have your own author thread but it might be better put on there?
Good luck!

[V.R.]

David wrote: "I've been fiddling about with my (largely neglected) website and tried to make it easier to navigate. Any feedback would be welcome. Cheers.

http://davidhaynesfiction.weebly.com/"

Hi, David. I agree with Sarah, your books are well presented and the site is easy to navigate. Moreover, I’m a big fan of white space. In fact, I believe we’ve chosen the same Weebly template, so no complaints about your lack of background. That said, because you write horror, the badges on the site actually detract as they’re a bit cutesy. I’m in no way suggesting you should remove the badges, only that you add a header or image—either something from one of your covers or a public domain image that reflects your genre—to give the reader a visual idea of what you write.

VR Barkowski

[David]

Thanks for the input VR.

I'll see what I can do!

[Jan]

Hi David,
I also feel your books are well presented, as mentioned by Sarah and V.R., especially Beneath the Boards. Compelling summary. Though I like white space, I thought your site could use some color and perhaps more variety on the pages. Clearly that's largely just a question of taste. I couldn't begin to build my own website with or without templates, so congrats on doing that. I wonder if you could have a different photo of yourself on your bio page. I also agree with V.R. that the badges on your home page are cutesy looking, which made me think since my eye went there first that you write children's books only. Clearly that's not the case. Best of luck with website and sales!

[David]

Jan wrote: "Hi David,
I also feel your books are well presented, as mentioned by Sarah and V.R., especially Beneath the Boards. Compelling summary. Though I like white space, I thought your site could use some..."

Jan, thanks for the feedback. It is still a work in progress but you might be right about the badges. They coukd quite easily be put somewhere else. Ill have another fiddle about and see what I can come up with!

[David]

Anyway, after much procrastinating and reflection I've changed the cover for

I hope it's the right decision but I think it reflects the genre and content quite well.

[David]

As you all know I changed the cover for Beneath the Boards back in April so I'm approaching two months with the new one. So did it improve sales?

Well sales have improved and improved dramatically but can I solely attribute the cover change to that? I'm not sure, I'm really not.
There are all manner of things happening in the Amazon world which may have contributed to the improvement in sales; things which I will never understand. But the price has never changed since publication.

However I do feel the 'generic' cover has played a major role.

I'm not going to quote numbers but for the first time ever I ducked under the top 1000 overall paid books on Amazon. I made it into the 800's (UK), which has always been a target, if not a dream!

I don't know if this of interest but I wanted to post it as it's possibly an experience of value to someone else considering a change.
I hope it continues!

Beneath the Boards

[David]

Time for a brief update I think.
I received my 50th UK review for Beneath the Boards this week. I'm really pleased and for the most part the reviews have been positive.

Last week I got an email and then a phone call from Amazon regarding the book and asking whether I was aware I could produce a paperback version. They thought it would sell well. I told them I was, but the last time I'd tried it I felt like boiling my head. Anyway that was about as far as that conversation went.

It did prompt me to try the process again but for various reasons I've got zero patience at the moment and for the sake of my sanity and marriage I stopped messing with it. I did have some very kind offers of help (thanks Jonathan) but in the end I opted to pay someone to do the text and the cover. It's not for finished yet and I'm not sure it will be worth the (very modest) outlay but I'm happy with the decision, as is Mrs H.

Lastly, work on The Cage, my next book is progressing well and I'm hoping it will be ready for publication in early September.

That's it, I think!

[David]

Hi,

Just to let you know the paperback version of Beneath the Boards is now finished and available through Amazon.
Cheers

[David]

Hi, I'd like to announce the release of my new book - The Cage.

Caged inside Ted Armstrong’s mind are memories of his old job as a police detective: the victims he saw, the helplessness he felt.

Caged within the Hotel Cromwell is a history of horrific murder, turned into a tourist attraction by the identical twins who maintain their family business.

Caged below the earth is the evidence that Ted has been sent to discover, a legacy of blood-soaked atrocities as dark as his own past.

Caged by snowdrifts and cut off from the outside world, the hotel echoes with terrified screams, hissing voices, and the screech of tortured metal…

…getting closer and closer.

authl.it/3tn

[David]

I've had two five star reviews.

"This is not a story to read late at night."

I think that's a line any horror writer would love!