Reflecting on Midnight covers- need your opinion part 2

Now I still want opinions on the title design from the previous post, but now I am going to ask for opinions when it comes to the author name itself.  Michael pointed out that my name in the 2 previous examples looked a little unbalanced because of the two capitals on the left and only one on the right.  And I do agree, to a degree, and I did notice it.  I just liked the design.  It's a little different.  But anyway, I adjusted the name and now want opinions on it.  Do you like the original style from the previous post, despite it being unbalanced?  I personally don't care for the balanced look, which you will find on the cover below on the left.  I like the straight across look on the right better than the look on the left.  But there's still something I liked about the unbalanced look...  Opinions welcome...

Reflecting on Midnight covers- need your opinion

If anyone can give me their opinion on which cover I should use, I would appreciate it.  Thanks!
The only difference is in the title.  I know the top looks really empty, but I really didn't want to block out the eyes and the nose in the clouds.  I may put a quote from a review up there... but anyway, if you could leave me  something in the comment section with your opinion, I would appreciate it!

Cover for "I Never: A tale from the Tavern at the Edge of Forever"

Here is the working cover for the final novella which will be included in my Reflections on Midnight collection at the end of the year, along with Digs of War, King of the Merge and FotoShop of the Gods".  More gangster/fantasy with a horror element.  Really defies all attempts to shove it into a single genre.

To read Dean Koontz or not to read Dean Koontz, that is the question

Ahhh, the tease that is Dean Koontz.  A new book comes out every year, and after serious consideration about whether or not I think I will enjoy it based on the description, I almost always buy it.  It may take years, but I always get it.   But why the hesitation? 

Because of huge, relatively recent disappointments.  Like The Good Guy and the Husband and My Heart Belongs to You.  And Relentless.  I wish I could scrub that book from my memory.  They all started with such promise.  And they all fizzled.  Bad.  Some worse than others.  One in particular crash and burned.

Now, I know that he, like King, will never reach his pinnacle again.  I doubt we will see such masterpieces as Midnight and Whispers and Phantoms again.  I don't know if it is a lack of interest in writing such epic stories, or his simple enjoyment in writing shorter works.  Whatever the reason, it doesn't mean that Koontz can not still write fun, engaging books.  And that is why I comes always come back.  Because for every crappy The Good Guy, there is a fun romp like Life Expectancy.  For every dull The Husband, there is a truly frightful The Taking.

New Free Books

After the success of Last Dance of a Black Widow (17,000 downloads in 10 days, 5 5-star reviews, Shelfari updates by a fan, and a significant amount of paid-for books sold), I have released 2 more books for free.  The first is an original 3,500 word short story, The Butcher:

Flesh Gothic by Edward Lee review

I have started to write quick reviews for EVERYTHING I read, whether it be a 600 page book by a traditionally published author or a 5 page short story I downloaded for free from Amazon.  I will start with the book I just finished  20 minutes ago:  Flesh Gothic by Edward Lee.

Do Free Books on Amazon Help?

It's amazing what selling a book for free on Amazon can do.  Not for your career, mind you, but for that free book alone.  Sadly, at least for an Indie author at the beginning of his career, free book sales do NOT automatically convert to paid-for book sales.  Don't get me wrong.  I didn't expect it to.  And I understand why it happens.  So I am not disappointed.  Let's look at why:

Last Dance of a Black Widow, a 3,000 word short story went on sale yesterday for free.  Within 24 hours, it became:

• #1 free short story
• #2 free horror
• #49 in free Kindle (All)

Pretty good, right?  Well, it will stay up there for a day or two and then slowly slip down the ranks (as unknown books by unknown authors do), replaced by the good-old standbys by established authors and the classics.  I passed Dracula and Amanda Hocking, but they'll slip by me again soon.

Now, let's take a look at the true effects of free books.

Thanks For Participating!

Okay kiddies, thanks to everyone who participated here. Very entertaining. Anyway, since I'm not giving away anything physical, and since I appreciate your interest, I've decided to just give away coupon codes here for my 2 novellas for everyone if they are interested. Please don't post these everywhere, please. Anyway, coupon code for Dogs of War is FZ76Z and it expires 12/1/11 and the code for King of the Merge is WE84T and that expires 11/9/11. If you decide to download and read either of these stories, I hope you enjoy them. And if you enjoy them, please, write a review at Amazon. I hope everyone had fun hopping around. Thanks.

We had a great time trick-or-treating.  My son was Optimus Prime, my daughter was, as previously noted, a chicken.  She basically ran around all night screaming "Bok bok!"  And now my wife and I get to steal all of the chocolate because both kids are allergic to milk.  

Hope everyone else had a great Halloween.

The 2011 Coffin Hop is Here!

Before I actually write anything, here are the details of the Coffin Hop, though I'm sure that you already know them:


1) HAVE A SPOOKY FUN TIME!

2) INVITE YOUR FRIENDS AND SPREAD THE WORD!

3) THIS TOUR STARTS: Monday, October 24, 2011 at Midnight (PST)
    THIS TOUR ENDS: Monday, October 31, 2011 at Midnight (PST)
    Winners will be drawn and posted November 1, 2011

4) MEET AND MINGLE WITH THE AUTHORS! EXPERIENCE A NEW DESTINATION AT EVERY STOP! PARTICIPATE IN EVERY SITE'S CONTEST AND BE ENTERED FOR CHANCES TO WIN MULTIPLE PRIZES! EVERY BLOG VISITED IS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO WIN!

5) PARTICIPATION AT ALL SITES IS RECOMMENDED, BUT NOT REQUIRED. THE MORE SITES YOU HOP, THE BETTER YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING PRIZES.

6) DID I MENTION TO HAVE A SPOOKY FUN TIME?


And don't forget to return to http://www.coffinhop.blogspot.com/ to visit for participants.


So, us participants were asked to do 2 things:

1. Write a Halloween-related blog and 
2. Give away some prizes.  

First things first, what do I want to say about Halloween.  We'll start with the picture below and go from there.  By the way, I'm the one on the left, the dead guy, not the one with the boobs.  That was... let's see... 16 years ago, back when I was a Freshman in college.  Back when I was young and thin.  Ahh, those were the days.

Fotoshop of the Gods cover

Cover for my 3rd upcoming novella, Fotoshop of the Gods, my homage to King's Wordprocessor of the Gods.  A re-imagining, if you will.

Are my covers professional?  No.  Do I have fun making them?  Yes.  Yes I do.  And I like that all of my covers have a similar theme and setup: one of five black and gray backgrounds, a picture, and the title and my name in the same place and same font.  Because of the similarities, if you see one, you'll instantly recognize the others

New Novella- King of the Merge

My newest endeavor, the 18,000 word King of the Merge, a horror/thriller/ghost story, was published earlier this week.  At it's heart, it's a story about how guilt, real or perceived, can shatter a vulnerable mind.  As you can see, it did very well the first week it was out, almost, almost, cracking the top 20 in horror:

So, thanks to everyone who picked it up, and if you haven't yet, click the link below and it will take you right to the Amazon page.  Only $.99.  What do you have to lose?

Story Behind The Story- Stolen Honor

Was was my motivation behind writing "Stolen Honor"?  Click on over to Darkest Days Publishing and find out!  http://darkestdayspublishing.blogspot.com/2011/08/story-behind-story-stolen-honor.html

The Box by Brian Harmon- A Review

Any time I read a book about a box, or where there is a mystery box involved, I hope that the author is not tyring to recreate or ripoff Clive Barker's Hellraiser mythology.  Thankfully, that is not the case here.  Also, whenever I read a book about a box, I hope that Gwenyth Paltrow's head is not inside.  On second though, I hope it is inside, because that means she will never make another movie again.  (If you do not understand this reference, go see the move Seven.  Now.)  Alas, her head was not inside the box.

But I digress...

I will start off by saying, so there is no confusion, that I enjoyed this book and fully intend on reading the rest of the series.  It is an easy 4 out of 5 stars, and would be 4.5 if that was an option

"Where were you when..."

This is one of my favorite questions: where were you when a certain event happen.  What made me think of this now and want to write a post on it?  Because I live in New Jersey, and last Wednesday all of my patients asked me: where were you when that earthquake hit?  I'm going to tell you, but a little bit later.

In my experience, there are two particular events that I was asked about for weeks afterwards by friends and family, and they both stick in my mind very clearly to this day.

Quick Review of Duma Key by Stephen King

 I just finished reading one of Stephen King's latest novel, Duma Key.  Ever since Bag of Bones, I have been less enthusiastic about King's new novels, and often wait several years to read them.  Don't get me wrong, I go out and buy them as soon as they are released, but I let them fester on my bookshelf while I attend to shorter paperbacks.  I did the same thing with Cell and with From a Buick  8.

Belinda Frisch, Author: On Pricing Self-Published Work

Belinda Frisch, Author: On Pricing Self-Published Work

Wag The Fox: Guest Post by Bradley Convissar: Self-Publishing, Story Length, and Pricing

Wag The Fox: Guest Post by Bradley Convissar: Self-Publishing, Story Length, and Pricing

Excerpt of "The Madame Penitent"

In addition to the weekly, or bi-weekly, "Story Behind The Story" series, I am going to be posting excerpts for all 22 stories in the Pandora's Children The Complete Nightmares collection.  Up first is "The Madame Penitent", one of my favorite stories.  So click below to head over there!

http://darkestdayspublishing.blogspot.com/2011/08/madame-penitnent.html

Story Behind The Story- Four Corners

Want to know what inspired me to write "Four Corners"?  Click the link below to be brought to the post at my new website for all things book-related, Darkest Days Publishing.  The first entry in my new "Story Behind The story" series

http://darkestdayspublishing.blogspot.com/2011/08/story-behind-story-four-corners.html

Darkest Days Publishing

I have finally decided to create a publishing page, separate from this blog, for my books.  Everything I publish will be published under the Darkest Days Publishing Imprint, and details can be found at www.darkestdayspublishing.com.   This page will focus on the books themselves and only the books themselves; no opinions, no reviews, no dental stuff.  Only info pertinent to my books.

To that end, you will find things at Darkest Days Publishing that you will not find here, including direct links to any new reviews as well as new series of blog posts called "Story Behind The Story".  This series will focus on the events in my life or stories which I have read which inspired me to write a particular story.

First up is "Four Corners", one of my favorite short stories.  The entire post can be found here.  And please, "Like" the page, Tweet the page, share the page!

www.darkestdayspublishing.com

What I'm Reading, What I Just Bought

Let's see... I am currently in the middle of 4 books:

• Dragons of the Highlord Skies- Book 2 in the Dragonlance Lost Chronicles.  Enjoyable.  Makes me a little teary-eyed for the early nineties when I was first introduced to Tanis, Sturm, Kitiara and the rest of the Dragonlance characters
• Storm Dragon- Book 1 of the Draconic Prophecies.  A little slow, but I've enjoyed most Eberron stuff I've read.
• Key of Stars- Book 3 of the Abolethic Soverignty.  I'll be honest, a little disappointed with all of the post-Spellplague books
• Black Train by Edward Lee

Meth Mouth

Time for your weekly oral health post from your favorite horror/thriller writer:

Someone recently asked me if you could tell if someone had a crystal meth habit by looking at their teeth.  And the answer is a resounding: Hell yeah!  Just like you can tell if someone is bulimic (pitting of the enamel on the back of the teeth).  Or if they smoke (thick generalized stain).  The teeth offer a lot of clues to a person's habits.  Below is a classic example of Meth Mouth.  This is actually the least disgusting picture I could find:

Teeth- Not Just For Chewing

Real comforting, I know.  And yes, I took this one out myself.

Seeing as I am a dentist first and writer second (as of now), I decided I should write a blog post about the importance of dentistry.

I know people don't like going to the dentist.  I don't take it personally anymore.  People just don't like the dentist.  Why?  The needles.  The perceived pain.  The nosies.  All of the above.  A dozen different reasons.

But I want to tell you why its important to visit your dentist, not only for your regular check-ups, but also when he or she tells you that you need work done.

First off, what good are teeth good for?  Several things:

1. Eating.  With teeth, eating is easier.  Simple.
2. Talking.  Without teeth, talking,  and being understood, is much more difficult.
3. Smile.  Keep you teeth, you get a nice smile (in most cases)
4. Face structure.  Ever see granny not wearing her dentures?  Sure you have.  It's ugly.  The whole face sags.  Without teeth, your face is quite scary.  Like melted wax.

So there it is.  Why bring this up now.  Because of a certain type of patient I see too often.  Here's the scenario:

End of Day 1

Well, Day 1 of my promotion has come and gone, and look at what we have:

Still quite a ways from finding itself in the top 100, but hey, it's a start.  Nice to find it in the top 100 horror.

So in day 1, we have 41 copies of Book 1 sold and 5 copies of Book 2.  Thanks go out to everyone who has purchased one of the books; all profits will be going to cover the massive medical bills my dog just incurred after needing some surgery.  So Friday, my dumb Daschund, thanks you, too.

So we have 46 copies sold all together.  That's one $25 Amazon gift card, only 15 copies away from giving out another.  Just remember, if you want to enter, read the rules on the previous post.  And please, Tweet about Pandora's Children and post about Pandora's Children on your Facebook pages.

Thanks again.

-Brad

Official Pandora's Children/ Dogs of War Contest!

Okay fans and fans-to-be, in honor of the release of Pandora's Children The Complete Nightmares: Books 1 and 2, I have decided to have my first contest.  Each book contains eleven stories and over 90,000 words (300-400 printed pages depending on how you calculate it), and well worth the $2.99.  Read the rules below to get started.  And remember, NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY:

The Scavenger's Daughter review

I picked up Mike McIntyre's The Scavenger's Daughter based on several good reviews I read.  And I'll admit, I enjoyed it.

I tend to not read too many books in the thriller/mystery/suspense genres simply because I am overwhelmed with fantasy and horror books.  But, I am a fan of Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme books and Preston/Child's Pendergast books, I needed something to read on my Droid X, and it was only $.99 so I decided to give this book a try.

Pandora's Children: The Complete Nightmares

Within 2 weeks, I am going to be releasing Pandora's Children: The Complete Nightmares, a two volume set collection all 22 of the short stories found in the five currently available Pandora's Children books as well as Book 5: speaking with the Dead, available soon.

To encourage people to purchase the omnibus editions ($2.99 each) instead of the individual books, I am going to be raising the price of the middle 3 books, Too Young To Die, Death Bleeds Into Life and The Wretched Ones to $1.99 each around July 24th.

Book 1: In the Chair and the forthcoming Book 5: Speaking with the Dead will stay at $.99 in perpetuity, and Dark Interludes will forever remain free because I want to give new readers a cheaper jumping in point.

So if you have read any of the volumes and are considering picking up others, now is the time to do so.

If you are a fan of good old psychological horror, you won't be disappointed

You can find all four currently available Pandora's Children books, as well as my 25,000 word novella Dogs of War at my author pages below.

Enjoy!

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Bradley-Convissar/e/B0049E1IIG/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Barnes and Nobles: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/bradley-convissar

and Smashwords for other formats
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/BradC

Belinda Frisch, A Writer with a Dark Side...: The Facts about Freebies and the Grim Reality of Indie Economics

Belinda Frisch, A Writer with a Dark Side...: The Facts about Freebies and the Grim Reality of Indie Economics

What's That Smell for $200, Alex

I am a Jeopardy junkie.  I tape it every night, and my wife and I will watch the episodes in spurts.  If you watch Jeopardy, you know that after the first commercial brake, halfway through the first round, Alex interviews the contestants.  I always wondered what story I would tell.  And this is what I settled on.  Is it great?  No.  But it doesn't have to great, because everything is relative, and relatively speaking, most of the stories told suck.  So here we go:

Castles by Benjamin X Wretlind: A disturbing coming of age story

Castles is one of those books that is tough to read.  Not because of the writing, which is tight and professional, but because of the subject matter.  Castles is, at its core, a coming of age story that follows a girl, Maggie, from childhood to young adulthood.  It is a visceral tale on many levels, one that makes you squirm because what you are reading is so horrible, yet prevalent in the world today.

20th Century Ghosts: A Quick Review

It's not fair.  I know.  Being the son of the man who lifted Horror back into the mainstream world of books.

I like Joe Hill.  I loved Heart-Shaped Box.  And I liked Horns a lot.  And I'll buy his next novel.

But 20th Century Ghosts... well, I was expecting more.

Modern Horror in Books- One Man's Opinion

This post was originally published on the Paranormal Wire, but now I am sharing it on my own blog.   It's basically a discussion of the evolution of the horror genre in my eyes.  This is one man's opinion- I am doing zero research- and just want to express my feelings about how written horror is perceived these days.  Just a warning... I am a rambler, and not half as eloquent as I am when I write fiction.  Remember, I'm just a dentist.  I am sure I am going to step on some people's toes, and there are some who may say, quite imperiously, I may add: "How dare he!  Who is he to decide what is good and not good in horror!  He has done nothing!"  All true, but it doesn't make my opinion any less valid.  I am a fan and have been for two decades, I have read hundreds of books across all horror sub-genres, and I am going to talk, dammit!

Pandora's Children Book 4: The Wretched Ones now available. Click the page link above for more information! 3 stories, 33,000 words, only $.99.

Review of "The Carnival" by Lisa McCourt Hollar

Since Lisa took the time to read and review my novella "Dogs of War", I figured turn around was fair play and decided to review her most recent short story "The Carnival".

Dogs of War Trailer

Just finished putting together the trailer for "Dogs of War".  Take a peek and click the like button if you like it.  Rate it.  And send it to your Facebook friends so they can watch it.

"Swim" at Paranormal Wire

The first half of my original short story "Swim" is up for your pleasure at Paranormal Wire.  This story can only be read in the pages of Trembles Magazine.  So if you enjoy the first half of the story, purchase the second issue of Trembles for only $.99 to read the rest, as well as to read stories by other new horror authors.  Just click here to be brought over to Paranormal Wire.

Gone In a Flash

The original story, "Gone In A Flash", can be found exclusively at The Paranormal Wire in my Walking Dead section.  If you're interested in reading, just click here!

"Swim"

New short story "Swim" now exclusively available through Trembles Magazine, April edition. 6,000 words.

What does a mother do when her husband dies and leaves her with children she never wanted? And what do the children decide to do in return? Creepy and disturbing and deliciously evil. .

Only $1.50 for digital copy, $7 for print copy. Pick it up the newest issue of Trembles Magazine and enjoy.

Trembles Magazine

Direct Purchase through Lulu

Looking for horror anthology contributors

Open call to all Indie Horror Authors!  My name is Bradley Convissar and I am in the process of trying to get 8-12 authors together to publish an anthology.  I look around and see some of the more well known Indie authors gathering together to put out short story collections and I thought to myself, hey, why not us?  If you are inetrested, read on.  If not, feel free to move on:

1.  I am looking for stories 1,000-6,000 words.  Hell, you can submit a story you already published in one of your collections if you choose, though an original story would be preferable.  I will not edit for content, only for spelling, unless there is something egregiously wrong.  Important: you must own the rights to the story!

2.  Don't expect to make too much money from this.  It will be priced at $.99.  Don't get me wrong, I will spit whatever profits there are, though $.35- $.40 per book split among 10 people is not a whole lot.  Remember, this is for exposure.

3.  I do not have a title or cover in mind yet, suggestions welcomed.

4.  Each story will be accompanied by a short bio and links to websites or blogsites.

5.  You will be expected to promote the book on your own social networking sites: Twitter, Facebook,
through your blogs, etc.  I will do whatever other book their is.

6.  I will publish this on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, and Smashwords.

7.  I will listen to any input and suggestions I get, but someone has to be in charge, and I will make any final decisions.

If you are interested, please e-mail me at bconvisdmd@gmail.com with your name and a short message.  If you have a title in mind, let me know.  Put "Anthology" in the subject line.

My intention is to have this done by the end of May and I will keep everyone in the loop

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.  And if you know someone else who wants to get in on this, let me know.
-Bradley Convissar

Dogs of War: A Ghost Story

Dogs of War, a stand-alone 25,000 word novella, is now available.

After divorcing his wife of two years, Gary Lettner thinks he has found the perfect house for himself and Molly, his eight-year-old daschund. 

But when the throats of the dead begin to cry out in a voice that only Molly can hear, and when evidence of past atrocities committed in his new home begin to surface, Gary finds himself an unlikely participant in a brutal quest for vengeance.

Sometimes in life, you read about something in the paper or see something on the news that is just so horrible... but you know that true justice will never be discovered. *That's life and that's the world we live in. *Sometimes, as an author, the only way to make sense of it all, the only way to find some sense of justice, is to write your own ending to the story.

This is one such story. *"Dogs of War" is a brutal, heart-wrenching ghost story that attempts to find some justice in this sometimes crazy world we live in.



Dogs of War can be purchased at the usual places for only $.99.  And if you decide to read it, a review would be appreciated at the point of purchase if you enjoyed it.  Thanks!


Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004SHNS0K

 BN: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/boo...=2940012191175

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/47960

Dogs of War cover

With the impending release of my novella "Dogs of War", I've been working on a cover it.  Someone recently advised me against the moon motif, so I am switching gears.  Its amazing what you can do with GIMP.  Anyone have an opinion?

Suspense Magazine, Death Bleeds Into Life update

Two quick updates for my readers and potential readers out there:

• I recently won third place in Suspense Magazine's 2010 writing contest for my short story Naughty and Nice, which has been published in their March 2011 issue.  Very exciting for me
• I also wanted to make note of a five-star review given to Death Bleeds Into Life on Smashwords and Amazon:

"Excellent!  All stories in this collection are great. "The Madame Penitent" is something truly special. The plot alone would make it worthwhile but it is so much more than that. Evocatively written, the prose in this story feels more like poetry (and I mean that in a good way ;)). The good doctor delivers!"

So if you haven't picked up Death Bleeds Into Life yet, what are you waiting for?  You can purchase it from Amazon here, from Barnes and Nobles here, and from Smashwords for multiple formats here.  As always, only $.99!

And to read Naughty and Nice, check out the newest issue of Suspense Magazine

New Books

Just ordered a couple of books from Barnes and Nobles:

• The Good, The Bad and The Uncanny- Simon Green
• Changes- Butcher
• Dragons Wild- Aspirin
• Dragon Keeper and Dragon Haven- Hobb

Again, I love everything Butcher does.  I love how the characters from the different series cross over.  And the Nightside series is just so deliciously bizarre

Can't wait to read Changes.  I love the Dresden books, and I hear that this is a real heavy hitter in the whole Dresden mythology

I really enjoyed Aspirin's Myth- and Phule series, although they both seemed to get a little weak as they went on.  I believe Aspirin stopped writing the Phule books himself, and you can tell.  But he's a great, funny storyteller and I look forward to this new series.

And the two Hobb books... I really enjoy her stuff, though nothing has been as good as the original Farseer trilogy.  But she is one of those authors I just love to read.

Don;t know how long it will take me to get to these books.  The Nightside books are always a quick read, so i may get to that first, though I really want to dive into Changes.  Of course, as soon as I am done with the Blades of the Moonsea trilogy, I want to finish up with Full Dark, No Stars.  Will keep you updated!

What I'm Reading 3/1/11

I've decided that I should probably update this more often, so I plan to write a short post on a weekly basis talking about what I am reading, a tall order considering I am always reading between 3-5 books, as well as several short things on my Droid X.  And there will be some comic book news sprinkled in because I am a geek, after all.  So, for my first installment, here's what's going on:

• Full Dark, No Stars- Stephen King's newest short story collection.  Well, three short stories and one novella.  So far, I've only read "Fair Extension", and quite frankly, I don't know where to start.  Not a great story, not inspiring... somewhat depressing actually.  You don't know how you should feel about the characters because the emotions that drive them seem so petty.  Not his worst work, and I am hoping the rest of the stories are better.  But, as this is Stephen King, his writing ability makes up for a mediocre story.