Today, don’t forget to remember all those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom
For Memorial Day – and all the days in between!
StandardMonth: May 2015
Please check this out!:)
StandardSamie Sands [mailto:lockdown@writeme.com] Sent: Monday, May 18, 2015 1:32 PM Subject: The Book Review Club – #6 by Sharon L. Higa
Hi Everyone!
Here is the third book for The Book Review Club, #6 by Sharon L. Higa is attached – I hope you enjoy it!
Book Blurb: Ida Moreno had a good life. Head Curator of the New York Public Library, lots of friends and acquaintances among her co-workers, a nice, cozy apartment close to her work and the simple company of her cat, Tansy.
All that changes in one horrifying moment. Raped and murdered by someone in the middle of the night, Ida’s soul discorporates from her body at the time of death and witnesses the final moments. She’s angry, and her emotional anger ties her to the killer. It’s now up to her to figure out how to use her ‘new spirit body’ to find out who he is and bring him to justice.
Links for reviews:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19430470-number-6?ac=1
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1QRLaVU
Of course, there in another competition for you to win a paperback copy of this fortnights book: http://thebookreviewclub.yolasite.com/Competition.php
Author Bio: At six years old, Sharon L. Higa became obsessed with the supernatural, compliments of an older cousin who fascinated her with stories of hauntings and horror. Traveling the world with her family, the fascination grew, resulting in creating and telling her own stories.�She wrote intermittently for a number of years, but it was after she and her husband moved to East Tennessee that her family and friends convinced her to write and publish her works. She now writes full time. She resides with eleven cats, one dog and Mark, her patient and loving husband of twenty two years.
Author links:
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/sharon.higa.3
Twitter: https://twitter.com/elf126
Website: leapingunicornliterary.com
Flash Fiction – a new way to stimulate the writing muse
StandardI have recently been writing a bit more of what is known as ‘Flash Fiction’, and I’m finding that it has been very good at stimulating my grey matter into developing these little excerpts into actual novels and/or novellas.
I belong to the Roane County Writers Group here in my home town, and they are a great group of people: fellow writers and authors who help encourage each other in our endeavors the only way that other writers understand. BJ Gillum, our fearless leader, hands out writing prompts during our time together – we each pick a unique ‘prompt’ and have fifteen minutes to flesh out a flash fiction story using the random sentence that we chose out of the Whitmans’ candy box that he holds out (empty of candy – darn it!).
We all have come up with some pretty creative little gems, which, for some of us, has actually led to developing full blown stories.
It will probably amaze me until the day that I shuck off this mortal coil, how it seems the ideas come out of the blue, from a random comment, or even something that passes by our eyes…I find myself feeling both humbly blessed and grateful for this gift – this ability to spin into yarns and tales pretty much anything which enters or influences my life.
Flash Fiction is simply one more way of helping me to express myself through my tales and I will always remind myself to never take that for granted.
Until next week, my friends, write well, read on, and don’t forget to review! 🙂
And now for something completely different…
StandardThought I’d veer off the beaten path of my usual blogs today and comment about the coming of Summer…which seems to have arrived in my part of the world with a vengeance.
I finally conceded defeat to Mother Nature yesterday and turned on the air conditioners in the house and the cat room. When the house temp hit 85 degrees; my poor furry kids were lying on the tile floors of their room, panting, while the dog was spread out underneath the bed (it was the coolest spot in the house), and the sweat was running off of me while I was merely sitting down, attempting to write – I decided we’d all had enough of playing the “tough pioneer days”.
I lugged their air conditioning unit out of our garage – no mean fete since I had to wheel it across the driveway (our garage is detached), haul it up a total of eight very tall, steep steps – from the garage to the porch to the living room – then across to the cat room situated at the far end of the house, whilst holding the flexible hose, bag that had all of the screws and remote, as well as the window guard the hose fits into. This is no small machine and even though it is on wheels, it must weigh at least forty pounds! (Let’s not forget – I’m 56 years old and a writer – not much exercise there, folks!)
Well, it was worth the sweat pouring off my body and into my eyes when I finally cranked her up and my nine fur babies all laid in front of it, soaking up the cool, refreshing air.
I then went about closing all of the windows in the house then hit the button for the house air conditioning. My dog, Bailey -faithful little cuss that he is – escorted me, making sure I hadn’t missed a window. When the a/c kicked on, however, he deserted his post next to me and went to lay across one of the floor vents. Moaning and grunting in pleasure, he closed his eyes and fell asleep, leaving me to peel my drenched clothing from my body, wash off the sweat, change into much drier wear and get back to writing.
I sure hope Fall comes early this year…
Kickstarter info for upcoming Anthology “Kill For A Copy”
StandardSupporting the Dark Chapter Press Kill For A Copy Kickstarter
A brief guide to Kickstarter
For those not in the know, Kickstarter is a well-established crowdfunding platform, favoured by creative enterprises. A target sum is set by the project creator, across a specified period of time. A reward and pledge structure is set in place and the campaign goes live.
People view each project and, upon finding one they wish to support, select a pledge level, input their details so that at the end of the campaign, funds can be taken and forwarded to the project creator.
Typically, a Kickstarter item will cost more than it would to purchase the item directly at retail, as those backing the project aim to support the project’s overall goal – to build the prototype, or to generate marketing funds – not simply to take the finished product at the end.
Importantly, if a campaign does not reach its funding goal in the allotted time, then no money will be taken from any of the backers. The backers pay nothing, and the project creator needs provide nothing. This approach is known as all or nothing.
All or nothing ensures that only the minimum funds to actually make the project a reality, will actually render the project creator liable to produce the goods, and the backer liable to pay (otherwise backers would pay for a project that could only be partially finished, which is no good to any party).
Dark Chapter Press
Born on the back of a small, but successful Kickstarter campaign, Dark Chapter Press launched in August 2014, led by Editor and Proprietor Rob McEwan, who placed his works as Jack Rollins under the brand to ensure that products were on sale immediately. The revenue from these sales have maintained the Dark Chapter Press website, financed cover art, marketing and prizes for competitions.
Since then, over 52,000 people have visited the Dark Chapter Press website and hundreds of story submissions have been received.
Dark Chapter Press has a growing reputation among writers for quick, polite and open communication. This has been especially well-received by new and aspiring authors, who have become accustomed to waiting for endless amounts of time to have their work acknowledged, only to find it rejected.
January 2015 saw Dark Chapter Press hold Writer’s Block month, in which writing exercises were posted on the site blog, to stimulate and inspire. Furthermore, support was given by some independent authors and 3 established horror fiction writers including David Kelly and best-selling authors Shaun Hutson and Graham Masterton.
Kill For A Copy
Our first anthology is based on submissions from our open submission call. There is no common theme among the stories, it is simply a collection of compelling tales to be enjoyed. The majority of the authors are at the early stages of their writing career and would perhaps have seen their work overlooked at another publishing house. Dark Chapter Press has the luxury of being able to consider each piece and help the author to develop their story until it is just right to be told.
The crowning glory of this particular anthology is that Shaun Hutson has yet again pledged his support for Dark Chapter Press, providing the foreword to this, our first anthology.
The importance of this can not be overstated; new writers get to share a cover with a best-selling author – this is a unique and exciting opportunity for each of our contributors. Yes, they get the bragging rights. Yes, it looks great on their writer’s CV. Not only that, with a heavyweight name like Shaun Hutson involved, copies will sell at retail and the work stands to reach a much wider audience than anything the authors have produced before.
You need to know this
First of all, you have to know this: the book, Kill For A Copy will be released whether this campaign is successful or not. Secondly, when it is released, it will sell at retail for around £9.99. This is significantly less than the pledge amount to get the paperback via Kickstarter.
Why is that? If you purchase the book from retail, your name won’t be in the back of it in the special thanks page. You yourself will not have your name in a book that was joined by a best-selling author.
Waiting for retail will also mean that the authors themselves remain on the original payment proposal, which involves waiting for sales and taking a share of the net profits. It also means we would have a limited budget for marketing, meaning the sales would be slower than we like, until word breaks out.
What your support will mean
Hitting the initial target of £4,000 will mean that the book is released with each author receiving a professional rate for their work, which is 3p per word. This replaces the royalty structure and so they are paid a one-off payment which would otherwise take months to accrue.
Within that same target amount, we will have enough money to pay for 3-6 months advertising in a UK-based horror magazine. This focused advertising will help place Dark Chapter Press firmly in the minds of horror fans and increase awareness of the book and in turn the individual contributors. Unknown writers become better known, and a small business begins to expand.
Those who backed the project at the paperback level (there is a more modest level for those who wish only to support at E-book level), will find their names included in the Special Thanks honour roll in both the book itself and on the Dark Chapter Press website.
What if we hit the initial goal?
That’s when the fun really starts. We have a number of Stretch Goals already in place, which enhance the reward tiers. By that, as an example, if you pledged £25, you would not only receive the book and your name in the Special Thanks page, but you would also start to accrue additional rewards such as Dark Chapter Press bookmarks, right through to the production of a Kickstarter exclusive edition of the book, for backers only. The retail version would be different, making this stretch goal completely unique and collectable. One of the other stretch goals includes our next release, and so, for no additional cost, you gain added value.
There are also some add-on items, our previously released titles, which are included slightly below the retail price, exclusively for this campaign. To pick these up, simply edit your pledge amount to include the cost of that book, and at the end of the successful campaign, you will receive a survey in which you specify which books you ordered.
Want to help, but don’t want the rewards?
It is possible to pledge any amount you wish, and simply select that you do not wish to receive any reward.
What if you want to change your pledge?
You simply select the option to manage your pledge and edit the amount to accommodate, for example add-on products that you wish to receive.
Ready to come on-board?
All of the details of this campaign are available on the project page, which you can visit using the link below:
If you want to know more about Dark Chapter Press, join us at:
http://www.darkchapterpress.com/
http://www.facebook.com/darkchapterpress
http://www.twitter.com/dark_chapter_UK
or feel free to email me directly for information or guidance on this campaign at:
darkchapterpress@gmail.com – Enter Kickstarter Query in the subject line.
My thanks,
Rob McEwan
Editor and Proprietor
Dark Chapter Press
Taking fiction into dark places
M: 0795 831 0139 E: darkchapterpress@gmail.com www.darkchapterpress.com
Supporting the Dark Chapter Press Kill For A Copy Kickstarter
A brief guide to Kickstarter
For those not in the know, Kickstarter is a well-established crowdfunding platform, favoured by creative enterprises. A target sum is set by the project creator, across a specified period of time. A reward and pledge structure is set in place and the campaign goes live.
People view each project and, upon finding one they wish to support, select a pledge level, input their details so that at the end of the campaign, funds can be taken and forwarded to the project creator.
Typically, a Kickstarter item will cost more than it would to purchase the item directly at retail, as those backing the project aim to support the project’s overall goal – to build the prototype, or to generate marketing funds – not simply to take the finished product at the end.
Importantly, if a campaign does not reach its funding goal in the allotted time, then no money will be taken from any of the backers. The backers pay nothing, and the project creator needs provide nothing. This approach is known as all or nothing.
All or nothing ensures that only the minimum funds to actually make the project a reality, will actually render the project creator liable to produce the goods, and the backer liable to pay (otherwise backers would pay for a project that could only be partially finished, which is no good to any party).
Dark Chapter Press
Born on the back of a small, but successful Kickstarter campaign, Dark Chapter Press launched in August 2014, led by Editor and Proprietor Rob McEwan, who placed his works as Jack Rollins under the brand to ensure that products were on sale immediately. The revenue from these sales have maintained the Dark Chapter Press website, financed cover art, marketing and prizes for competitions.
Since then, over 52,000 people have visited the Dark Chapter Press website and hundreds of story submissions have been received.
Dark Chapter Press has a growing reputation among writers for quick, polite and open communication. This has been especially well-received by new and aspiring authors, who have become accustomed to waiting for endless amounts of time to have their work acknowledged, only to find it rejected.
January 2015 saw Dark Chapter Press hold Writer’s Block month, in which writing exercises were posted on the site blog, to stimulate and inspire. Furthermore, support was given by some independent authors and 3 established horror fiction writers including David Kelly and best-selling authors Shaun Hutson and Graham Masterton.
Kill For A Copy
Our first anthology is based on submissions from our open submission call. There is no common theme among the stories, it is simply a collection of compelling tales to be enjoyed. The majority of the authors are at the early stages of their writing career and would perhaps have seen their work overlooked at another publishing house. Dark Chapter Press has the luxury of being able to consider each piece and help the author to develop their story until it is just right to be told.
The crowning glory of this particular anthology is that Shaun Hutson has yet again pledged his support for Dark Chapter Press, providing the foreword to this, our first anthology.
The importance of this can not be overstated; new writers get to share a cover with a best-selling author – this is a unique and exciting opportunity for each of our contributors. Yes, they get the bragging rights. Yes, it looks great on their writer’s CV. Not only that, with a heavyweight name like Shaun Hutson involved, copies will sell at retail and the work stands to reach a much wider audience than anything the authors have produced before.
You need to know this
First of all, you have to know this: the book, Kill For A Copy will be released whether this campaign is successful or not. Secondly, when it is released, it will sell at retail for around £9.99. This is significantly less than the pledge amount to get the paperback via Kickstarter.
Why is that? If you purchase the book from retail, your name won’t be in the back of it in the special thanks page. You yourself will not have your name in a book that was joined by a best-selling author.
Waiting for retail will also mean that the authors themselves remain on the original payment proposal, which involves waiting for sales and taking a share of the net profits. It also means we would have a limited budget for marketing, meaning the sales would be slower than we like, until word breaks out.
What your support will mean
Hitting the initial target of £4,000 will mean that the book is released with each author receiving a professional rate for their work, which is 3p per word. This replaces the royalty structure and so they are paid a one-off payment which would otherwise take months to accrue.
Within that same target amount, we will have enough money to pay for 3-6 months advertising in a UK-based horror magazine. This focused advertising will help place Dark Chapter Press firmly in the minds of horror fans and increase awareness of the book and in turn the individual contributors. Unknown writers become better known, and a small business begins to expand.
Those who backed the project at the paperback level (there is a more modest level for those who wish only to support at E-book level), will find their names included in the Special Thanks honour roll in both the book itself and on the Dark Chapter Press website.
What if we hit the initial goal?
That’s when the fun really starts. We have a number of Stretch Goals already in place, which enhance the reward tiers. By that, as an example, if you pledged £25, you would not only receive the book and your name in the Special Thanks page, but you would also start to accrue additional rewards such as Dark Chapter Press bookmarks, right through to the production of a Kickstarter exclusive edition of the book, for backers only. The retail version would be different, making this stretch goal completely unique and collectable. One of the other stretch goals includes our next release, and so, for no additional cost, you gain added value.
There are also some add-on items, our previously released titles, which are included slightly below the retail price, exclusively for this campaign. To pick these up, simply edit your pledge amount to include the cost of that book, and at the end of the successful campaign, you will receive a survey in which you specify which books you ordered.
Want to help, but don’t want the rewards?
It is possible to pledge any amount you wish, and simply select that you do not wish to receive any reward.
What if you want to change your pledge?
You simply select the option to manage your pledge and edit the amount to accommodate, for example add-on products that you wish to receive.
Ready to come on-board?
All of the details of this campaign are available on the project page, which you can visit using the link below:
If you want to know more about Dark Chapter Press, join us at:
http://www.darkchapterpress.com/
http://www.facebook.com/darkchapterpress
http://www.twitter.com/dark_chapter_UK
or feel free to email me directly for information or guidance on this campaign at:
darkchapterpress@gmail.com – Enter Kickstarter Query in the subject line.
My thanks,
Rob McEwan
Editor and Proprietor
Dark Chapter Press
Taking fiction into dark places
M: 0795 831 0139 E: darkchapterpress@gmail.com www.darkchapterpress.com
Please check this out! :)
StandardSome important news regarding another Dark Chapter Anthology…
Dark Chapter Press is pleased to announce its first horror anthology, Kill for a Copy. We’ve begun a Kickstarter campaign for this anthology to make it something truly special. The criteria can be found in the link below (there are some amazing rewards). The first step? As well as featuring stories from some of the best up and coming horror writers in the genre, it also features a foreword from the world famous horror writer, Shaun Hutson. Yep, you heard that right. It’s truly an honour to have Shaun on board. Are you excited yet? We are.
Kill for A Copy….how far will you go to get yours? Get involved and become a part of horror history.
17 spectacular stories to scare, thrill, amuse and disgust in one chilling volume. A collection so good you might just kill for a copy.
kickstarter.com
I am very proud and honored to have a short story in this anthology…please help us authors get this going and make it a massive success!
Have a great week, pass this on so Dark Chapter Press can grow and remember – always leave a review! It helps authors throughout the reading world! 🙂
blueunicorn1 