That’s right, ladies and gents! The Black Parade was accepted into The Masquerade Crew’s monthly Cover Wars contest. Please be a darling, stop in, and vote for it as many times as you can. It would be wonderful to win Cover Wars right before The Holy Dark is released in a few weeks. Thanks in advance, lovely readers!
Enter to win a free signed paperback copy of The Holy Dark. Deadline is April 24, 2015. Don’t miss your chance!
April 24, 2015. Mark your calendars, my darlings. The Holy Dark is comin’ atcha.
Join the Facebook launch party for a chance to win a free copy and other prizes, or enter to win a paperback copy on Goodreads. Pre-order will be available soon, so stay tuned!
Additionally, Advanced Reader Copies are available by emailing me at theblackparadeseries@gmail.com. Keep in mind: do not ask for a copy unless you fully intend to leave a review. If you do not review it after receiving a copy, you will not receive ARCs from my other books in the future.
See you soon, adventurous readers!
Look alive, people! Mama’s been out about town. This time, I was lucky enough to attend Coastal Magic–a convention exclusively for authors of urban fantasy, paranormal, and paranormal romance at the Hilton hotel in Daytona Beach, Florida. It was from February 5-8, but I went Friday night and Saturday since it is a 2-hour drive from where I live. Below are some pictures and descriptions of events as well as a few of my thoughts.
On Friday night, we had Cinema Craptastic, which is like Rifftrax Live if you’ve heard of that. Our starring riffer was Damon Suede, and he was tearing into the abominable 2014 farce known as ‘The Legend of Hercules’ starring Kellan Lutz. It was glorious. We laughed ourselves silly at Damon’s commentary as well as the horrible effects and ridiculous historical inaccuracies of the movie. The hashtag we used on Twitter, “#CMCC15” trended that night and even attracted the attention of one of the actors of the film, who actually got offended by one of the author’s jabs at his awful hairstyle and silly accent during the film, which only made it funnier.
Saturday morning, I attended the “Scooby Gang” panel, which is a panel discussing the importance of supporting characters in fantasy and paranormal works. It included authors Tawdra Kandle, Coreene Callahan, Kristen Painter, Stephanie Julian, and Paige Tyler. It was very laidback and informative, just a lot of great minds sharing experiences.
The next panel I hit was a meet-and-greet of authors Molly Harper, Rane Sjodin, Damon Suede, and Angie Fox. This one I forgot to take a picture for because I was too busy laughing my ass off. The meet and greet’s subject was inappropriate stories, and boy, did these authors fit the bill. We learned all kinds of horrible jobs they’d had in the past, or bad roommates, or embarrassing moments on Twitter.
After that, we were all served lunch and met up with authors of our choice. I met Lucienne Diver, who was a lovely woman with great stories to tell and plenty of encouraging things to tell me as an upcoming author.
Above is the ‘Man Up!’ panel featuring Christopher Rice, Eric R Asher, Vaughn R Demont, and Elliot James (not in order, mind you). This panel was about the challenges male authors face when writing female characters and their thoughts on vice versa. It was a great idea with some very cool perspectives from all over. I especially enjoyed chatting with Vaughn after he mentioned his growing frustration with Jim Butcher of The Dresden Files’ evil tendency to make it seem like Harry and Murphy are going to finally get together only to yank the rug out from under us. I fangirled with him after the panel about the ending of Changes. It was very cathartic.
After that, we had the Flash Fiction panel starring Damon Suede, Lucienne Diver, Kiernan Kelly, Nancy Holzner, Lisa Kessler, Alivia Anders, and Jeffe Kennedy. If you’ve never heard of flash fiction, it’s usually an exercise where authors have a limited amount of time to write about a subject based on prompts given to them. This one was a little different. It was essentially like an episode of Whose Line Is It Anyway? The authors were given prompts from the audience and had to tell a story that tied together from one author to the next. It was hilarious. They came up with some of the strangest stories you will ever hear with ridiculous characters and all kinds of pop culture references thrown in that had us howling in our seats. For me, this was the highlight of the convention.
Then everyone started setting up for the book signing section of the day, so I decided to take a walk along the beach as the Hilton hotel on North Atlantic street is quite literally ON the beach. I haven’t been to the beach since I was a little girl, so here are just some of the things I got to see.
Finally, that night Melanie, Emily, and I briefly attended the mixer, which was music, drinks, and some dessert for us all to relax and mingle. Below are just a couple shots of the room we were in just as people began arriving.
Overall, I had a wonderful time. Assuming I am still in Florida this time next year, I will definitely go back. This time, I only went as an observer, so I only met a handful of authors and I didn’t talk about my work much because I didn’t want to seem like I was hocking it. Next year, I fully intend to give out more than a few paperbacks for the raffle and send everyone home with Black Parade related swag.
Additionally, the convention isn’t 100% for authors. Fans of the aforementioned authors are welcome to attend for meet and greets, so if you’re in the Florida area, please join them next year. I think it’s well worth it. See the website for more information and for the full list of authors who were in attendance.
In case you missed it, I’m currently in a free box set called The Paranormal 13 with a bunch of other hellaciously talented authors in my genre. One of them is the awesome Dima Zales, who has an upcoming monster of a sequel for your viewing pleasure. You can get started on his series by grabbing yourself a copy of The Paranormal 13 and then brace yourselves for The Enlightened.
From USA Today bestselling author Dima Zales comes the highly anticipated third book in his Mind Dimension series: The Enlightened, which can now be pre-ordered at most major retailers. Book three continues the saga of Darren as he navigates the world of ‘Readers’ and ‘Pushers’ while trying to find out who killed his parents and why they might also want him dead.
In celebration of the cover reveal and pre-order for The Enlightened, the first book in the series, The Thought Readers is on sale for $.99 for a limited time.
Here are the links for The Enlightened:
Amazon US: http://bit.ly/TheEnlightenedUS
Amazon UK: http://bit.ly/TheEnlightenedUK
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1CjdlZ9
iBookstore: http://bit.ly/1Eu5d98
Google Play: http://bit.ly/1Ke1uuP
Here are the links for The Thought Readers:
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1CRCEAI
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1ptpzDX
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1rH962i
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1pr7bvj
iBookstore: http://bit.ly/1CGpTaz
Google Play: http://bit.ly/1vy4Mnq
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/1xCU9Dc
You’ve been patient and now it’s finally here.
Cover design by Gunjan Kumar and Chris Cold.
Sarcastic demon-slayer extraordinaire Jordan Amador has been locked in a year-long struggle to hunt down the thirty silver coins paid to Judas Iscariot. The mere touch of these coins is enough to kill any angel.
Jordan’s demonic opposition grows more desperate with each coin found, so they call on the ultimate reinforcement: Moloch, the Archdemon of War. Moloch puts out a contract on Jordan as well as her estranged husband, the Archangel Michael. Now Jordan and Michael will have to find a way to work together to survive against impossible odds and stop Moloch’s plan, or else he’ll wage a war that will wipe out the human race.
The Holy Dark will hit shelves April 24, 2015. You can get in paperback right now, pre-order it on the Kindle, add it to your Goodreads To Be Read shelf, like my Facebook page, or sign up with the mailing list to find out more about the series. While you wait, there are two excerpts available to read. Please spread the word!
Kyoko
Happy holidays! In the spirit of Christmas, She Who Fights Monsters is free to download via Amazon all day long! Please grab yourself a copy or share it with a friend or loved one. My gift to you, dear readers.
It’s that time of year again! Where reckless people trample each other, retail workers are forced to deal with the dregs of society, holidays are cut short, and the entire sales industry cackles madly and strokes a white cat as they watch us pour our hard earned money straight into their pockets!
To that end, my short story collection, The Deadly Seven, is FREE to download on Amazon all day long.
Grab a copy if you haven’t already.
I’m also collaborating with other authors today, so here are some other novels that are having Black Friday sales. Buy one, buy all! It’s your choice.
Purchasing information and book blurbs below. Enjoy!
NICHOLAS ANDREWS.
BOOK TITLE: SECRETS OF THE STONECHASERIt’s high adventure with the Thrillseekers, as they search for a treasure that could save the world from an ancient threat! For all of Black Friday, Secrets of the Stonechaser: Book 1 of The Law of Eight, will be available on Amazon for only 99 cents. In addition, for today only get Book 2 (Follow the Faery Footpath) at half-price for $2.49!3.STACY CLAFLINBOOK TITLE: GONEMacy Mercer only wants a little independence. Eager to prove herself grown up, she goes to a dark, secluded park. She’s supposed to meet the boy of her dreams who she met online. But the cute fifteen year old was a fantasy, his pictures fake. She finds herself face to face with Chester Woodran, a man capable of murder.Distraught over his own missing daughter, Chester insists that Macy replace his lost girl. He locks Macy up, withholds food, and roughs her up, demanding that she call him dad. Under duress from his constant threats and mind games, her hold on reality starts to slip. Clinging to her memories is the only way of holding onto her true identity, not believing that she is Chester’s daughter. Otherwise she may never see her family again.
Get it FREE: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O5GWMMY/ 3. Link –I will promote a promo post on my blog: http://stacyclaflin.com/blog/Will also promote on FB: https://www.facebook.com/stacy.claflin.author 4. My email: stacyclaflin@gmail.com5. Author name: Stacy ClaflinThank you,Stacy ClaflinSARAH BROWNLEEBOOK TITLE: HOW THE WOLF LOST HER HEARTTwo hundred years in the future, the City of London has fallen to thugs and scoundrels. The once thriving metropolis is now a shadow of its former self; decent citizens cower in their homes and the streets are no longer safe. In the city lives Skye Archer, a Morpher with the ability to transform into a wolf (her spirit animal) at will. Morphers are the direct result of an experiment that took place two centuries previously. Though extremely rare, Morphers exist in all countries and from all walks of life.It is on one fateful day that Skye meets Raphael Renzo, the handsome son of Lord Renzo who rules over a fair part of West London and does his best to thwart the villains and cads in the city. Raphael has a secret of his own, one the villains secretly fear and one that both intrigues and disturbs Skye. As time goes on, Skye is unable to prevent the feelings she develops for Raphael, but there is nothing to determine whether it is returned. As she sinks further into the depths of unrequited love, Skye discovers things about herself that she never thought possible, things even more incredible than being able to transform into a wolf. As an impending civil war approaches, Skye must wrestle with the fiery passion she feels for Raphael, while at the same time playing her part in protecting innocent citizens of the city. Intriguing, exciting and compelling, it is a tale of love and war, one where the heart of a city and the heart of a girl are simultaneously pierced by one manJUSTIN BIENVENUEBOOK TITLE: BLOODY BLOODY MESS IN THE WILD WILD WESTIf you’re like me, you’ve probably stuffed yourself silly with turkey and eaten a whole bunch of food and don’t feel like going out anywhere! Well relax and stay inside and do your cyber shopping on Black Friday. If your up for it take a trip into the Wild West and experience a Western drenched in Horror. A Bloody Bloody Mess is a great treat for Western and Horror fans alike. What happens when a ruthless, no good, down and dirty Mexican outlaw makes his way into a desolate town looking to take over and turn it into a ghost town? The same thing that happens when an up and coming, bright eager young man steps out of his late father’s shadow and brings the town together to stop him. They battle in and all out bloody war. Javier Bones Jones leads his team of the undead against Emerson Shaw and the people of Toomswood, who will prevail?
Don’t be a turkey, eat it and do yourself a favor, entertain yourself and get in on a great deal and pick up a copy of A Bloody Bloody Mess In The Wild Wild West3.Purchase links:
https://www.createspace.com/4241547 KEITH OWENSBOOK TITLE: THE MAYONNAISE MURDERS PART 2Genre: Science fiction/fantasy/humorous/detective mystery Author: Keith A. OwensPublisher: Detroit Ink PublishingAuthor Website: keithaowens.comTwitter: @MayoMaddPage Count: 332 pagesPublishing Date: Oct. 15, 2014ISBN: 1502857014Discount Price: $5“The saga continues as a crew of angry mutant chickens collaborate with the critters from Planet 10 and a group of ambitious drug dealers in Denver to inflict the alien drug MayoMadd upon a planet of unsuspecting humans as revenge on behalf of the human/chicken hybrids for an experiment that went horribly wrong. This is a science fiction/fantasy/detective mystery with a lot of humor thrown in for one wild, offbeat ride.”The Mayonnaise Murders Part 2 is here! I know it’s been almost a year since Part 1, but I wanted to get this just right. I’m really hoping you’ll find it worth the wait. I’m not kidding, I had a ball writing this, so if you have half as much fun reading it as I did writing it then I’ll consider it a win.Meanwhile, take a ride with Chapter 1 for free here on my website. For your patience.
Oh, and for those of you who have not yet read The Mayonnaise Murders Part 1, it’s on sale for just 99 cents for the next two weeks on Amazon:
Promotion Page: https://www.facebook.com/mayomadd Send ads to: kaoblues@detroitinkpublishing.com Keith A. OwensV. M. JASKIERNIABOOK TITLE: LARKSPUR2. Larkspur: A Necromancer’s RomancePierre Salvador reunites with a childhood friend at his birthday gala, falling in love with the girl he had not seen in several years. But the duc has not been idle in his time away- he has not only become a skilled physician, he practices the art of necrocræft as well- control over life and death. Now the one to bestow this dark magic upon him has a final task for him to complete.
“A simple, beautiful, and slightly twisted love story.”99¢ Dark Fantasy / Romance
3. Promoting: http://vmjaskiernia.wordpress.com/ GERALDINE EVANSBOOK TITLE: DOWN AMONG THE DEAD MENDOWN AMONG THE DEAD MEN #2 RAFFERTY & LLEWELLYN BRITISH DETECTIVE
MYSTERY SERIES.A Little Laughter. A Little Mayhem. A Little MURDER…
For those who like cozy mysteries, humorous mysteries and police
procedurals.When beautiful Barbara Longman is found dead in a meadow, uprooted wild
flowers strewn about her and, in her hand, a single marigold, British
Detective Joe Rafferty at first believes the murder may be the work of
the serial killer over the county border in Suffolk.But then he meets the victim’s family – and after liaising with the
Suffolk police, he rapidly comes to believe that the mystery killing is
the work of a copycat…one much closer to home; someone among the
descendants of the long-dead family patriarch, Maximillian Shore.Everyone, it seems, had a motive: Henry the grieving widower; the
victim’s brother-in-law Charles Shore, the ruthless tycoon; Henry’s
first wife, the Bohemian Anne, who has lost the custody of her teenage
son, to the saintly Barbara.Even the long-dead patriarch, Maximillian Shore, seems, to Rafferty, to
have some involvement in the murder, though how, or why, Rafferty
doesn’t understand until he finally grasps the truth behind the reasons
for the killing. A truth sad and dreadful and which had been evident
from the start, if only he had had the eyes to see.BLACK FRIDAY BARGAIN @ 99c (Was $1.80). Book #1 in the series (Dead
Before Morning) is FREE in the US and UK.Amazon.com Link:
http://www.amazon.com/Down-Among-Dead-Men-Detective- ebook/dp/B0042P53NS/ref=asap_ B009W1W0N8_1_3?s=books&ie= UTF8&qid=1417005876&sr=1-3 https://www.facebook.com/
geraldine.evans2 https://www.facebook.com/
pages/Geraldine-Evans-Crime- Author/134541119922978?ref=hl Please send all other ads to this email address:
geraldineevans@talktalk.netJANET MARTINEZBOOK TITLES: DROP DEAD KILLERS TWIN MURDERSScott, before are my book covers, links and descriptions. I’ll post on my Facebook author page at https://www.facebook.com/janetfostermartinez. My email isjan.martinez1953@gmail.com. The discounted price will be $1.99 each.
With Detective David Graham in charge of the case, can he and his partner, Alexis Hamilton, put a stop to the killings? Unknown to him, however, Alexis has an agenda of her own. She’s in love with David and will do whatever it takes to make him return her affection.With David following clues to the identity of the killer, will he discover the secrets the people closest to him are trying to hide before it’s too late?Part of the proceeds from the sales of this book will go to benefit the Memphis Shelby County Humane Society, a no-kill animal shelter located in Cordova, TN.http://bit.ly/1lZOrjP Barnes & Noblehttp://amzn.to/1mKdPNT Amazon
B00NES9WPE @StephenVernon 3. Links where I will be promoting – I’ll do the Twitter thing https://twitter.com/StephenVernon I will also promote a bit on my blog http://stevevernonstoryteller.wordpress.com/ I will also promote a bit on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/stevevernon007 But mostly on my Facebook AUTHOR’S page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Steve-Vernons-Kindle- Yarns/226833754036704 And I also intend to promote a bit on several choice Facebook Kindle pages.4. My e-mail is s.vernon@bellaliant.net5. My author name is the same as my real name – STEVE VERNONSCOTT ZAVODABOOK TITLE: ALONE AT MIDNIGHTScott Zavoda delivers with hellish vividness and aching emotion. He’s unleashed seven tales that will claw at your soul. Already sold as singles, “Bobby” and “Beneath the Sand”, have garnered rave reviews. They’re included along with five more gripping stories.Randy Bivins gets a shocking phone call two days before Christmas. The stranger says he stole his Christmas tree. What Randy discovers is maybe a tradition worth dying for. “Oh Christmas Tree”
Now that surfing, dating, and every aspect of a California retirement are off limits, he paints and pretends the beach isn’t so close. But traces of sand are showing up again in this Vietnam Vet’s house and that can only mean one thing. “Beneath the Sand”
Trapped in a morbid, bloody, decaying land, the hot breath of his pursuer lathers his neck. Jimmy wants to believe he doesn’t know where he is, but he can’t. “Castle Point“
Henry Conroy pilots a Navajo across the stormy Midwest with a coffin in the back. He knows the faster he gets there, the sooner that scratching sound will stop. “Fright Flight”
A simple fishing trip turns deadly for Danny and his disabled brother, Bobby. A gut-wrenching tale of two young brothers who will do anything for a day away from their abusive father and the constant bullying at school. But a wheelchair with a history might change everything. “Bobby”
Flowers for Mom and The Calling are two more stories with an evil twist.
Welp, you’ve got plenty of books to choose from! Happy holidays, everybody!-Kyoko
So this afternoon, Orlando Jones, actor/comedian extraordinaire, was asking for book recommendations. Being me, I of course jokingly tweeted: “Maybe next you can read my FREE urban fantasy novel starring a black woman [link] #NOSHAMEINMYGAME.”
Then I giggled at my own silliness and wandered off to draw for an hour.
I came back to discover the following:
Orlando Jones bought The Black Parade.
…
Guys, I was totally kidding but he really went and got my book.
I made a sound only dogs could hear.
I told my mother and she and I proceeded to run around my bedroom screaming “Oh my GOD!” like a couple of insane people.
I just felt the need to document this life-altering moment. I’m still convinced I’m in the Twilight Zone and the twist ending hasn’t happened yet. One of my favorite actors bought my novel. Yep. This is definitely the best thing ever.
If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be over here in the corner in the fetal position breathing into paper bags.
Oh, and go follow him on Twitter because he is HILARIOUS and he live-tweets Sleepy Hollow when it airs Mondays at 9:00pm.
Ain’t she a beaut?
So you like The Black Parade. Would you like to read other books in the paranormal genre?
FOR FREE?
Of course you do.
Then boogie on over here and pick up a free copy of The Paranormal 13: tales of werewolves, vampires, ghosts, demons, mermaids, Norse gods, and much more! It’s a collaboration of 13 authors and 14 novels for your reading pleasure. Here are the novel titles and authors:
Darkangel by Christine Pope
Twin Souls by K.A. Poe
The Girl by Lola St Vil
Rest for the Wicked by Cate Dean
Drowning Mermaids by Nadia Scrieva
Wolves by C. Gockel
The Witch Hunter by Nicole R Taylor
Beyond the Fortuneteller’s Tent by Kristy Tate
Nolander by Becca Mills
The Medium by C.J. Archer
Dream Student by J.J. DiBendetto
Deception by Stacy Claflin
The Black Parade by Kyoko M
The Thought Readers by Dima Zales
Just in time for Halloween, too! Don’t forget to also add the box set on Goodreads and give it a review when you’re done with them all.
And while we’re discussing Halloween, check out my review of Guillermo del Toro’s new animated film, The Book of Life. It was fantastic, and what’s more, it’s fantastically diverse. 99% of the cast is people of color. You can’t beat that.
In honor of the macabre holiday, check back here on Monday for the Most Hateable Movie Villains in the last 20 years. It’ll be tons of fun.
Kyo out.
