Last Week for Superhero Bundle Deal!

This is the FINAL WEEK for the teenaged superhero bundle deal!  You can get 13 books for as little as $9.99.  Just click any of this to go there now!

Teen and YA Superheroes: Another EBook Bundle Deal!

Hungry Gods has been invited into a third book bundle this month!  This one is all about teen and young adult aged superheroes!  It also has three tiers of books you can buy for an average of under a buck a piece.

Click here to go there directly. 

Here's the description:

Are you a teen?

Did you used to be a teen?

Are you going to be a teen soon?

Then you know that teenagers are already the most powerful force in the known universe. Which makes teenagers with superpowers pretty much unstoppable!

In this collection of stories featuring super teens, you’ll meet:

• Danny and Breyona, who are caught in the middle of a war between two alien races.
• Conner, Almira, Ricky, and Flower, who release an army of Grim Reapers into the world.
• Riley Jamison, who can change the future with his thoughts.
• Kyle, who discovers that his family has a horrific and violent secret.
• Blue, who hates zombies because, among other reasons, they have scared all the hot girls away.
• Young Jin, transported by accidental magic from the icy streets of Thama to the mysterious desert world of Darha.
• Rick, who wakes up in the hospital reading the thoughts of everyone around him.
• Kelley Strickland, and her twin brother Jeroan, who both accidentally step into an ancient battle between two sorcerers.
• Claire Murray, who inherits a dragon and discovers she’s a faery princess.
• Garrick, a mage’s apprentice, who is soon to be a full-fledged sorcerer.
• Lucy Daz, a teenage orphan, who lives a busker’s life on Damyadi Space Station.
• Spitball, a young speedster, who races into the superhero limelight… and away from flesh-eating zombies.

From authors as diverse as Stefon Mears, Mario Milosevic, Carl S. Plumer, Shantnu Tiwari, J.D. Brink, and Sherry D. Ramsey; in genres covering Fantasy, Science Fiction, the Paranormal, and more! Enjoy tales of wonder, adventure, and excitement — all featuring fearless teenagers of high school and college age.

Enjoy some of the best books featuring teens by some of the best, new authors writing today. All in onesuper deal.

And it's not too late to get the previous two book bundle deals, or to throw your name into the ring for the audiobook giveaways for Hungry Gods or Tarnish happening on Audiobook Reviewer.  See the menu bar to the left for links, or scroll down this blog to previous posts to check them out!

Superhero Season Sale: 5 Days Only

Captain America: Civil War and Batman v Superman have made truly made this summer a Superhero Season.  And I'm feeling festive...

Now through Saturday May 7th, you can score both my superhero e-novels for cheap, exclusively via Smashwords coupon code.  Not a Smashwords member yet?  No problem, it's free and easy to join, and you can get ebooks formatted to Kindle, Nook, PDF, whatever you prefer.

So first up: Invasion.  Click here to go to it's home page and enter this coupon code at purchase: KK67N.  Instead of paying $3.99, you'll get it for $0.99.

Next: Hungry Gods.  Click this line to go to it's SW page and enter JG56E as a coupon code.  You'll get it for $1.99 instead of $5.99.

Five days.  That's it.

And feel free to tell your friends. :)

UPDATE, 15 OCTOBER 2016:
Somehow, for some reason, this post is suddenly very popular.  Unfortunately, it's become popular 5 MONTHS too late.  But there is hope!

I've decided to start giving away one ebook to everyone who subscribes to my Conspiracy Newsletter.  Any book from my library, whichever you want.  My hope is that you'll like it and post a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or some other site.  And that you'll like it enough to tell your friends about it.

To score your free read, just click here (or on the link on the right-hand bar) and sign-up with your email address.  Once you do, I'll write you back and ask what book you'd like and we'll make it happen.

You can also subscribe to my new website at BrinksChaosTheory.com.  (No free book with that, but you'll stay up to date on my work and anything else that comes down the pike.)

Urban Fantasy and Horror Book Bundles

I recently joined Bundle Rabbit and to my amazement, Hungry Gods has been invited into TWO different book bundles, both starting this weekend!

What's a book bundle?  It's a package deal where you pay one low price for several ebooks at once.  You might get five or six ebooks--or ten or twelve--for the price of one, all following the same general genre or theme.

This weekend, I've got TWO of them for you, hosting a variety of books.  And both feature award-winning, best-selling authors!

And on Bundle Rabbit, when you purchase an ebook bundle, you can set your own price and some of it goes to charity!  There are two levels to each package.  For a minimum amount you get the first 5 or 6 books, and for another amount you get all 10 or 12 books, and still at the price of just one!

So check out these bundles and see which one you might like, or buy both!

First up, starting Friday April 29th (so already active): The Zombies and Monsters and Gods Bundle

The Zombies and Monsters and Gods Bundle is for those who love zombies, monsters, gods, superheroes, and all things supernatural.

Some of the books have serious themes, some are sardonic, and some make fun of the genre. All of them are action packed and fast moving.

These are the books in the bundle:

I Hate Zombies. by Shantnu Tiwari

Hungry Gods by JD Brink

The Wolf at the End of the World by Douglas Smith

Dragons in Pieces: by Lee French

Afterburn by Karen L. Abrahamson

The Bureau of Substandards Annual Report by Sabrina Chase

Glamour of the God-Touched by Ron Collins

My Girlfriend, the Zombie by Rebecca M. Senese

Caught Between Monsters by Stefon Mears

The Raven and the Dancing Tiger by Leah Cutter

Pay at least $5, and get the first five books.

Pay at least $12, and get all ten books (worth $44!).

Next, starting Sunday May 1st: The Chills, Thrills, and Spills Bundle:

$62 worth of fantastic fiction for a price you choose.

Novels, novellas and short stories guaranteed to make you feel uncomfortable, create that sense of ‘something-isn’t-right-here’ or just plain scare you. The ‘Chills, Thrills and Spills’ bundle covers horror, thrillers and fantasy and is sure to keep you awake at night. What more do want from a good book? Well, here - for a price you choose - you can have a dozen.

Pay more than $12 and you’ll get access to no less than six additional novels, including a short story anthology featuring Kelley Armstrong, James Alan Gardner and others. Plus a collection from an Aurora winner author. Oh, and a USA best-selling writer in the form of Dean Wesley Smith.

Indulge yourself in the ‘Chills, Thrills and Spills’ bundle and, while you may not sleep tonight, you’ll enjoy every delicious, spine-shivering moment. From zombie-meets-superhero mash-ups to ghost detectives, banshees, psychopaths and vampires, the ‘Chills, Thrills and Spills’ collection is guaranteed to get the adrenaline pumping.

Click the titles above to go check out these great deals and discover some of your new favorite writers.  Both last for a limited time!

I'll be breaking these down more while the sales run.  But you don't have to wait for that.  Just chck them out for yourselves! 

Last Week for Free Audiobook

We're closing on the last few days to get registered on my mailing list in time to make the audiobook giveaway.

Click here to sign up.  

Everyone signed up by Leap Year (Feb 29) will qualify to win 1 of 3 free audiobook downloads of either Tarnish or Hungry Gods.

Meanwhile, I started a new job in the Naval hospital this week, in a new department I have no prior experience in, so I'm not getting much writing done.  On top of that, my wife just had surgery and is laid-up, so that means less escape time as well.  Hoping to crank out a few pages today, but doesn't look likely...

I'm working on Deus Ex Machina, which Hungry Gods book 2 -- it's kind of like superheroes meets James Bond in this adventure.  Going to be great fun, if I can get the time to write the darn thing...

Lightning Strikes: New Superhero Novel Started

I have been struggling with Twilight of the Gods, a prequel to Hungry Gods starring the Phen Five.  It's going to be pretty long and jumps around with a lot of characters.  What I have so far is actually a lot of fun, but the further I've gotten, the more it's felt like pulling teeth.  Part of the problem is I don't know exactly what's going to happen.  I generally know what's going to happen with some characters, but it's like a "fog of war" video game situation, where I see certain events on the map but how we get to them is hidden from me.

For the record, I don't outline.  Not really.  I generally know the gist of the story and only "outline" a few chapters ahead from where I'm at at a time.  But with this story, it's just so big that it intimidates me. And it's been a bummer trying to force myself to sit down and work on it.  Once I'm into what I'm doing, it flows nicely.  I have some great material so far.  About 21,000 words of it.  But I'm just not feeling it.  I'm not excited.  It feels like work.  That's the best way I can describe it: it feels like work.

So I sat down today with a coffee in a Japanese coffee shop and started browsing through my huge list of projects waiting in the wings.  Fix up this old novel?  Revise that?  Go ahead and write the D&D-like adventure fantasy I've been jonesing to do?  But that would mean starting ANOTHER series before moving forward into one of the ones I have already.

I stared out the window.  This was the second story, seated at a nice little wooden table all my own, looking out the front of the building into the city intersection below.  Crosswalks.  Traffic lights.  Glass-fronted convenience stores.  People and cars and busses coming and going.

And I thought, This is my opening scene.  Right here.

And there's a 15-foot tall slime monster raging around right there in the intersection where people are crossing.

I opened a new, blank document and started to type.

And I wrote nearly the entire first chapter in one sitting, powered by raw inspiration, a little bit of desperation, and a jolt of caffeine.

I'm therefore 2300 words into Deus Ex Machina, the sequel to Hungry Gods, starring everyone's favorite smart-ass speedster, Spitball.   This book will go way faster than Twilight would.  And I do want to write that one before moving into Book Three of Spitball's adventures, because a lot of background will come from it.  But for now, I'm finally jazzed again about writing instead of afraid of the huge task of it.  Someday will be the right day for writing Twilight, but today just isn't it.

In fact…  Get this.

I started reading a book about the I Ching today, getting back to my Taoist roots I've forgotten about for 10 or 12 years.  (Also doing it in preparation for reworking a story 14 years old.)  I was reading on a picnic table in the park and suddenly noticed a dime was lying there right in front of my book.  Didn't see it when I sat down, didn't see it for the first several pages.  But there it was, just as I was thinking I could use a coin to flip in order to use the I Ching like an oracle right about then.  Just for fun.  But here was this cosmic coin from nowhere.

So I flipped it 6 times, for six lines of yin or yang, forming the Gua of Mountain above, Heaven below, which equated to Firm Restraint in the text.  (See you get two symbols based on 3 lines each of yin/yang.  Ever noticed those lines on Snake-eyes's shoulder?  That's what that is.)

It's kind of like a fortune cookie kind of thing.  Two of the lines for Firm Restraint read like this: "When your efforts to proceed are strongly thwarted, wait.  Remain calm and collected until the way is clear."  Then, "There should not be the slightest doubt that your way is completely blocked.  Do not even contemplate moving ahead."

Well damn.  That sure seemed fitting, considering my constant conflict about writing Twilight of the Gods.

But not really cheerful or what I wanted to hear.  Maybe I'll flip out a new one, I thought.

I flipped the coin with my thumb for the first line and launched it clear over the edge of the picnic table.  It landed silently in the grass, and when I looked for it, it was gone.

There would be no second fortune.  This was it, my one and only.  The cosmic coin had done its work and had then disappeared as mysteriously as it had come.

Not kidding.  Really happened.

Therefore, I'm going with DXM!  Twilight, you'll have to wait (probably until next year).

Superhero and Zombie Audiobook

After a lot of hard voice work by Todd Menesses, the Hungry Gods audiobook is available for purchase!  Don't have time to read anymore?  Maybe a chapter during the commute or at the gym is just what you need.

Find this fun superheroes versus zombies adventure in three convenient cyberspace locations:

Amazon

Audible.com

iTunes

Superhero Movies: Batman V Superman, Avengers, and Hungry Gods?

Superheroes aren't just for nerds anymore.  With spandex entering the mainstream these days, especially in Hollywood, and mega-blockbusters like Avengers and the upcoming Batman V Superman, it's only natural for me to do a fancast for my superheroes v zombies novel Hungry Gods.  

DC zombies by Jophiel Ray Saura

Fancasts are a lot of fun (I did one for my fantasy novel Tarnish too), though my Hollywood knowledge is limited, as you'll see with my first character:

SPITBALL

With the leading role, I again had the problem of being too old to know today's younger actors.  So I went to my good friend Google, and found an article of the “top 25 best actors in their 20s,” or something like that.  And one stuck out to me more than the others, partially because I recognized him—duh!  I like his look and his talent for Spitball, and he already has experience playing a smart-assed superhero: Spider-Man!  (Which is also a good draw for the superhero movie crowd, ya know?)  So my top choice at this point would be Andrew Garfield.

The actor I actually had in mind originally was Seann William Scott, of Role Models, Bullet Proof Monk, and Dude, Where's My Car?...  Yeah, I know.  But he'd work if he were younger, I think.  Turns out he's a month older than I am, so hard to play a 22 year old.  

SILK SPIDER

Filling this role is easy, a no-brainer.  Tough chick in her 30s, preferably blonde, excellent actress who's also a badass: Charlize Theron, most recently of Mad Max: Fury Road fame.  (And let’s face it, she's the star of that movie – Tom Hardy’s Max was more of a bit part next to her.)

Back-up actress: maybe Ronda Rousey who has been generating buzz to play superheroine Ms. Marvel. 

Emily Blunt is also a bit of a badass and a great actress.  Maybe too thin for this role though.

GARGOYLE

awesome art by Lang, found here

Though he’d be mostly costume and make-up (or maybe even CGI), Gargoyle needs a strong casting.  And Spitball (a big movie fan) already cast his part for us in the book: Samuel Jackson.   

FRANKENSTEIN

Speaking of Tom Hardy…  The mysterious, creepy, nameless soldier who massages Spitball’s shoulders before sending him into the Blackout Zone, known only as Frankenstein for now.  He needs a big, tough bastard to play the part.  

Big difference between this role versus Mad Max and Bane from The Dark Knight Rises: I’ll let the audience see his face!  (Even Max had something over his face for half the movie – was that a joke, a reference to the Batman movie, or just coincidence???)

COLONEL BABCOCK

Frankenstein’s boss, though a minor role, might as well have a cool actor in there too, right?  Bruce Willis is one of my faves, and I think he’d make a good secret Army asshole.

ZOMBIES

Maybe we can borrow some of that horde of undead extras from The Walking Dead to fill out our zombie ranks.  And I'd like to do a cameo myself as the convenience store zombie "phil" (all lower-case letters — read the book, you'll see).  That'd be a blast!

What about the rest of the Phen Five?  Well, we’ll have to wait until the movie for Twilight of the Gods comes out…  (Book being written right now.)

Blurb Doctor: Writing Book Blurbs and Descriptions

Like most other writers, I am not confident in my blurb-writing ability. 

“Blurb,” for those of you who might not know, refers to the little description of a book or story that you read on the ebook site or the back of the book.  It’s the “sales copy,” the brief squirt of information that tells you what the book is about, just enough to get you interested without ruining the whole story for you.  And it’s hard to do. 

Recently, writing guru DeanWesley Smith has blogging about this very topic, which has been very helpful for me.  Even though I don’t find all the blurbs he’s been giving as examples all that alluring, at least the principles are there.  He uses a basic, general structure, and comments on others’ blurb-writing philosophies as well.  Strangely timely in its release, BookBub also published an article with some tips.

So taking a page from these notes on the subject, I’ve been reworking some of my own.  The main principle I’ve been in serious violation of has been don’t give away the whole plot.  After all, what’s the fun reading something if you already know what’s going to happen.  It’s like reading a story about the Titanic; you know how it’s going to end.

I’ve come up with a loose structure now that I’m trying out, based on DWS’s examples.  Though contrary his form, I’ve added taglines to the beginning.  Something to catch your attention, like on a movie poster; some bite-sized, quick-to-sample bait that gets the reader to the next paragraph.  Hopefully it works.   

So my experimental structure is kind of like this:

1. Tagline. (If I have one worth trying.  If not, skip it.)

2. Character/world intro. (Along with the cover, also points to the genre.)

3. Introduce plotline/conflict, but only up to the first page/chapter.

4. Raise the stakes/cliffhanger (if not done in #3) or give additional incentive to read this.

Each of these should be kept short, so the whole thing is short.  For Smashwords, you also have to provide a 400 character version, which is damn good practice for keeping it brief, and I use the same blurb in my back-of-book Fugitive Fiction Library listings.  I have read some advice from one online market saying that the more you give in your description, the better.  But that’s contrary to what DWS and others are saying, and I tend to agree with them.  I think the blurb should be short, easy to digest, and just offer enough to pique a reader’s interest. 

Applying these new principles, here’s a few of revamps. 

The Thorne Legacy

He'll be court-martialed.  If he lives that long.

Corporal Cranston Thorne is the black sheep of the family and about to be kicked out of System Guard for his selfish and reckless behavior.

His father, Captain Thanos Thorne, would like nothing more than to see that happen.  Unfortunately, he can’t stay for the trial.  A remote outpost at the edge of the system has gone silent and he must take the fleet out to investigate.

The real danger, however, isn’t at the edge of the system... 

A Writers of the Future contest finalist.

Tarnish

Being a hero isn’t as easy as the tavern tales would have you believe. 

Billy Cole has always been a quick study, be it at telling tales, brewing ale, or swordplay. 

And yet it surprises Wil Thunderstrike, his alter ego, at just how hard and fast the lessons come on his first venture into the real world of back-alley thieves, traveling talespinners, and warriors of renown.  

Wil’s quest is to find epic heroes to save his home town, but it'll take more than a sword and the inspiring tales of his legendary idols to survive the harsh world beyond Redfield.  And the further he travels into the night, the darker he gets.

Tarnish is a grittier coming-of-age story than you’re used to, where destiny is forged, not written.  

What kind of hero would you be?

The Prince of Luster and Decay

In war, men don't only fight the enemy. Sometimes they must also fight themselves.

Sergeant Knox leads the Head Knockers, a unit of scout-saboteurs in the war against the Dread Duke and his armies. They are the favorite squad among Captain Brighton’s Stormwalkers, until an ambush kills the Captain, half the company, and Knox’s best men.

Now the new Captain has new orders.  He’s sending the Head Knockers to investigate the possible source of the attack.  The town they find appears empty, but there’s something waiting for them there.  And they’ll need both heart and steel to defeat it.

This stand alone, sword and soldiery novella gives a glimpse into history of the fantasy novel Tarnish.

*

How did I do?  Any suggestions?

This last one I didn’t change at all.  I’ve already hurt myself too many times trying to fix things that weren’t broken, so I exercised restraint this time.  I’m just including here as another example.  The first line here is more about including key words and comparison stuff to say, “If you like these, you’ll like this too.”  The tagline is the second paragraph.

Hungry Gods

Avengers and Watchmen meet The Walking Dead and Pulp Fiction.  Spandex adventures for adults.

Superheroes.  Undead.  ‘Nuff said.

The country’s premier superhero team is missing.  So when a mutant monstrosity goes on the rampage, it’s Spitball to the rescue!  He’s a third-string hero today, determined to be first-string tomorrow.  And the Army may be giving him just the chance he needs.  Spitball’s been invited to undertake a secret mission into America’s heartland.  What he’s about to discover, however, is not a chance at stardom but a horror movie come to life...

Hungry Gods is a fast-paced adventure of costumed superheroes, government conspiracy theories, and flesh-eating zombies.

*

I am far from an expert, but I thought I’d share my learning process with the world and see if anyone else has some advice, or maybe even benefits from my experiments.

In either case, let me know!

Mallory Heart Reviews Superheroes vs Zombies in Hungry Gods

Just a quick post amid the chaos that is my trans-national life right now:

Mallory Hearts book review blog has just featured HUNGRY GODS and had some very good things to say! (Click here to check it out.)

Avengers: Age of Savings!

In honor of the big Marvel sequel Avengers: Age of Ultron due out in about a week, I have put my superhero novel Hungry Gods on sale!  You can get the ebook version for 33% off now through...  well, for a limited time.  (I don't want to give a specific date because different retailers catch up to changes at different rates.)

So right now, Hungry Gods is available at $3.99 for a limited time!

I know for sure the current price is up on these major retailers.  If you have another favorite, it should be there now or soon as well.

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

Apple iBooks

Smashwords

See you all at the movies!

Free Fiction Preview and Another Prison Break from Amazon

Just a quick note on new re-releases:

Puppet Theatre is out again, this time including not only the fun, 60's-Batman-esque short story "Puppet Theatre", but also the first four chapters of Hungry Gods.  You can find this ebook FREE just about everywhere except Amazon ('cause they don't play free without strings attached).  Here's a few links where you can find it now.  You might also find it elsewhere soon enough, as it spreads even further to where good ebooks are sold (and given away):

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

Kobo

My gritty, coming-of-age, fantasy novel Tarnish is once again free from the Kindle Select pact that I'd signed in blood.  Which means you don't have to get it from Amazon anymore, you can find it just about anywhere else you buy books or ebooks too.  And the audiobook is well over halfway done, richly told by a master of voices, Todd Menesses.  (Click his name for a link to his own website.)  Here's a few links for Tarnish, too, though you'll find it at some more locales as news of its freedom spreads throughout the land:

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

Apple iBooks

Last Chance: Superheroes vs Zombies for only $0.99

Just a quick reminder that my new superhero novel for grown-ups is still up for pre-order until the end of the month, during which time you can snag the ebook for only 99 cents!  After February 1st it will go to it's natural price of $5.99, so this is a pretty good deal.  The paperback is also out now, generally for $13.99 (depending on the retailer, who might be offering it for less).  

Here's the blurb:

Superheroes. Undead. ‘Nuff said.

The country’s premier superhero team is missing. So when a mutant monstrosity goes on the rampage, it’s Spitball to the rescue! He’s a third-string hero today, determined to be first-string tomorrow. And the Army may be giving him just the chance he needs. Spitball has been invited to undertake a secret mission into America’s heartland. What he’s about to discover, however, is not a chance at stardom, but a horror movie come to life...

Hungry Gods is a fast-paced adventure of costumed superheroes, government conspiracy theories, and flesh-eating zombies.  

And here's where you can find it for "pre-order," which means you pay now and on January 31st it'll be delivered to your device or computer.  

Amazon

Amazon UK

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

Apple iBooks  

If you read it, and you like (or even if you don't), I'd certainly appreciate it if you'd take a moment to post a review (on Amazon, B&N, Goodreads, your blog, wherever) and let everyone know how fun (or disappointing?) it was!  Thank you.

KICKSTARTER UPDATE: A Box of Books has Arrived!

The box full of paperbacks has arrived!  And they look MARVELOUS!  The matte covers are REALLY nice.  Classy, definitely classy.

The box only took ten days after printing to reach Japan, which is pretty amazing.

Hopefully in the next week or two I'll have all the paperbacks mailed out.  Bear with me, my work schedule is kind of a monster. (In fact, I'm currently attending day-time training and then doing two 12-hour night shifts over the weekend, no break in between...)

When I send these out I'll include any bonus books you have as well (based on your reward level and survey responses).

I'll still plan on sending out ebook versions to everyone who's got an ebook of Hungry Gods or a paperback coming to fill the time gap, just as I promised.  That should happen in the next few days too. 

At that point we'll have what I'll call the Standard Round all wrapped up!  Yeah, we did it!

Which will just leave the Bonus Round, which, if you'll recall, is the collection that is replacing the short story "sidekick".  My hope is to have that published by June of this year.  I still have quite a ways to go on the two big stories in it, plus proofing, cover design, publication, etc.  It'd be nice to have it ready before then, but June is a pretty realistic goal right now.  

I just have one more favor to ask, as if you haven't already done enough to make this project a reality.  After you've read the book, please tell people about it.  Whether you're bad mouthing it or singing its praises, spread the word.  One great way to do that is topost a review, like on Amazon, B&N, Goodreads, your blog, wherever you find and talk about books.  Word of mouth and evidence that someone has actually read (and hopefully enjoyed) the book goes a long way to bringing more potential readers to consider it for themselves.  THANK YOU.

Hungry Gods Paperback Available Right Now!

As of about two hours ago, the handsome paperback edition of my superheroes and zombies novel for grown-ups (on account of language and violence, don't ya know) is up for sale!

UPDATED LINKS

Directly from the Printer (so no middle man gets a cut from my share)

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

And quite possibly your own favorite paperback retailer.  You don't know if you don't check!

Free Excerpt on Wattpad, Whole Thing for a Buck!

I just posted the first four chapters of Hungry Gods on Wattpad (just click this line).

And I've just updated the preorder price on the ebook.  Now through January 31st, you can preorder this superheroes vs zombie novel for only $0.99!  Find your preferred retailer below!

Amazon

Amazon UK

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

Apple iBooks  

Now go forth and read!  (And make a superhero costume.  And prepare for zombies.)

Holiday Sales and Giveaways: Fantasy and Superheroes

This week only I have four different books enjoying a Christmas season sales bananza!

Today marks the beginning of the end of discount deals on the coming-of-age fantasy novel Tarnish.  Sunday to Sunday (December 14 - 21), Tarnish will benefit from a Kindle Countdown Deal.  It'll start out at just $0.99 for the first half of the week, then roll up to $2.99 for the second half, which is still half price!  At the end of the week it'll return to $5.99 where it's likely to stay forever.  (I've got too many new books to write to keep messing with this one, so get it cheap while you can!)

US Tarnish Countdown here.

UK Tarnish here.

Monday through Friday, the 15th through the 19th, the superheroic short story "Puppet Theatre" will be free to download on Amazon.  Yes, free, so why not??!  It also includes a sneak peek (first chapter) of my new novel Hungry Gods.

Puppet Theatre free in the US here.

Free in the UK here.

And as I've already posted, my newest novel Hungry Gods (superheroes vs zombies, but probably not in quite the way you'd expect) is up for pre-order now through January 31st.  During this pre-order period it'll be at $0.99 instead of $5.99.  You can find the ebook for pre-sale on these sites:

Amazon

Amazon UK

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

Apple iBooks  

And the fourth book on this sales roster is the GoodReads Giveaway for the paperback of my contest finalist novelette The Thorne Legacy.  Click below to put your name in the hat to win one of ten signed copies.  Ends tomorrow, December 15th!   

GoodReads Giveaway!

Finally, these fun Santa images were lifted from this article, which has artists and source links, as well as 28 more images of cool Christmas Santa mayhem.

Superheroes vs Zombies for Preorder on Amazon

I almost feel this post is a bit premature but... The book is up, so I guess it's right on time, right?  Plus I wanted to show off this awesome cover that Trevor Smith has just completed for me.

So Hungry Gods it's up for preorder on Amazon now, (click those words there to go there right now) and will shortly be up on B&N, Kobo, and Apple iBooks.  Preorder will run through January 31st and during that time the ebook will be $0.99 now, becoming $5.99 when the book releases.  So get in there early!

What's the book about, you ask?  Here's the blurb folks:

Superheroes. Undead. ‘Nuff said. 

The country’s premier superhero team is missing. So when a mutant monstrosity goes on the rampage, it’s Spitball to the rescue! He’s a third-string hero today, determined to be first-string tomorrow. And the Army may be giving him just the chance he needs. Spitball’s been invited to undertake a secret mission into America’s heartland. What he’s about to discover, however, is not a chance at stardom but a horror movie come to life... 

Hungry Gods is a fast-paced adventure of costumed superheroes, government conspiracy theories, and flesh-eating zombies. 

'Nuff said.

HUNGRY GODS: Chapter One

I've just finished a revision of the first chapter of my forth-coming superhero novel, Hungry Gods, which you can find by clicking the link on the bar above, or by clicking here.

I'm working on the second draft now, which will then go out to be proofread and copy-edited, followed by a final revision and publishing.  We're projecting November-ish for the final product, but you can get a nice sample right now to get your weekend started.

Enjoy!