Here's the cover for my newest novel, Canyon Shadows: A Novel in the Dark Tyrant Series. It's the second book in the series.
So you've written a book, revised the living shit out of it, done the whole Beta Reader deal, and you're about to send it off to the publisher. But wait! What about the back cover blurb? Shouldn't be too hard right? It's only a couple hundred words explaining the meat and potatoes of your story. I've done a back cover blurb before for, Consequence but must have blocked the stress of it from my mind. Because, OH MY EFFIN' LORD!!! Back cover blurb must be perfect. Back cover blurb must get what it wants. There is no Zuul, there is only back cover blurb! You might be asking, hey, why is it so stressful? Well let me answer that question for you. You have to shorten your novel into a small chunk and convey the main idea of the story. Oh, and it will probably be the first thing any reader really reads of the book, so it has to be good enough to hook them. No pressure. I went through about five iterations before finding one that didn't make me want to slam my head into my keyboard. I'm sure I could have kept going too, cutting, revising, rewording...but at some point you just have to say, nope! I'm done. Anyway, here's the version that made it to the publisher. Enjoy the back cover blurb for Canyon Shadows: A Novel in the Dark Tyrant Series. From the author that brought you, Consequence comes the next book in the dark urban fantasy/horror line of The Dark Tyrant Series. Set just before the events, in Consequence, find out what caused the supernatural storm. Imprisoned since the creation of the world, an ancient cosmic being waits deep in the mountain near Canyon Shadows, Utah. He waits deep in the mountain for the proper host in order to break free from his chains. That host draws near. Sheriff Dan Blackwood is hiding a dark secret and an even darker past. However, his secret could be the only thing that stands between the mountain and the world’s destruction . Garrett Porter is an antiques dealer suffering from the recent loss of his wife and daughter. He travels to Canyon Shadows on the trail of a unique artifact but finds more than expected in the sleepy town. Troy Grimes searches for answers regarding his father’s recent, yet mysterious suicide. His investigation brings him closer and closer to Canyon Shadows and his sanity begins to crack as he nears the mountain; however, he’s starting to like it. Templars, Anasazi, as well as Christian and Native American legends, come together in this fast-paced novel of good, evil, and everything in-between. You’ve written book…awesome! Not many people can slog their way through the maze of words and creativity to finish such a project. You’ve even gotten it published! Great work and congratulations on that aspect, it was the next big step. Perhaps you’ve had friends or schooling/training on how to write and all that jazz, which is wonderful. I wrote a post about education you can check out here. However, one thing that I found lacking from all the schmoozing and schooling, was marketing and how to handle signings. I’m still trying to crack the nut on marketing and I’ll write up a post on it later once I figure it out. However, I think I have some insight on book signings or convention presence.
I recently had a book signing at a Barnes & Noble which was a first for me. I’ve attended other signings and book events and I think I had an epiphany at this one. Going into it, I knew it was going to be tough. In a short amount of time, I had to try and move X amount of books. In this case, it was 15 books in four hours. Why did I feel the need to move ALL the books? Well because since I’m working with a small press, and the books were marked as returnable, Barnes & Noble had the option to return any unsold books back to the publisher which would, in turn, end up costing the publisher money. So before I even left the house I had it in my mind that I was going to move as many books as possible, which brings me to my first guideline to success: confidence. You need to be confident in your product. If you don’t believe in what you’ve written, it will show in how you interact with customers. Your book is good. You wrote it well. People will like it. You need to have your elevator pitch down pat so when people ask what the book is about you have a clear and concise answer for them. It’s important that you answer is short and to the point too, narrow your story down to a couple of sentences and use it. This also will show that you are confident in what you’ve done. When people asked me what my book was about, I said the following: It’s about a guy who’s hunting in the Utah wilderness with his friends when the demonic apocalypse happens and he’s trying to get back home to his family. Sure there’s a lot more happening, but that’s the main theme of the story. The second guideline or rule I made for myself was to only sit when I was actually signing a book. I stood the entire time and was active. I think it made me more visible to people and kept me from getting distracted with my phone which goes right into my next guideline: don’t play on your phone when people are around. You need to be approachable and engaged and tinkering with your phone accomplishes none of those goals. Along the lines of being approachable, I decided to not cross my arms in front of my chest if I could help it. It's an aggressive and off-putting stance so I did everything else I could. Sometimes I would catch myself and have to actively unfold my arms. The next guideline I made was to actively engage everyone who came near my table. I said hello, how are you doing, or tried to make small talk on anything I could think of. One person was wearing a Star Wars shirt so I asked them what their favorite Star Wars movie was and we talked about that for a minute. Another dude had an awesome beard so I complimented him on it. People like to talk about what they are into and like to be complimented, so it was a way to engage them in conversation and get them talking in the hopes that they would then want to ask me about my book. However, you have to be sincere. People will be able to see through an act, so be genuine and only engage in topics that you’re interested in. I’m not an extroverted person by any means and I had to push outside my comfort zone to make this happen; however, I sold every book Barnes & Noble had ordered. The staff was very impressed with how aggressive and successful I was, stating that a lot of first-time authors only sell a couple copies because they’ll sit there at their table and wait for people to come to them. If you want to be successful, you need to almost slap people in the face with your book. A lot of times they don’t want to come to you because they are also shy or introverted, so it takes that extra nudge to start the conversation. However, the majority of my sales that day were because I got them talking and had a chance to pitch my novel. It was exhausting and by the end of the day I just wanted to curl up in a ball in a dark room, but it worked and I made a good enough impression that they wanted me to come back and do a launch party for my second book (coming in December). Now the real test will be to see if this works again because I have another book signing at a different Barnes & Noble next Saturday. #writerproblems I've decided to start a monthly newsletter. I'm going to call it the InBetween, which if you've read my book, you'll know that the InBetween is serious business (it's basically the dark dimension that creeps between all other dimensions and worlds). I plan on promoting my writing, giving access to secret pages on my website which will feature access to stories, sneak peaks, background information on character, places, and mythos tied to my stories, and more! Plus, as an added bonus, folks who subscribe between now and September 15th will be automatically entered to win a signed copy of my book, Consequence: A Novel of the Dark Tyrant Series. As writers, or artists, or hell, just as people, being around folks who love and accept who we are and what we do is a vital component. I believe I mentioned in an earlier post about higher education that one of the benefits of it was being around a posse of people who are all striving towards to the same goals. Now don't confuse what I'm saying here, I'm NOT saying to surround yourself with "Yes" people, or in other words, people who will tell you what you want to hear. That doesn't help anything and can actually make things worse. I'm saying you want to surround yourself with people who support your goals and will help you reach them.
One of those people in my life, is my wife. From the beginning, she's supported my goals as a writer, as a hunter, and as a person. Just last night, she sent me a pic of a dude holding a smoke bomb, one of those regular small ones from the fireworks store. She said, hey, before you go out hunting next time, take some of these with you, you could use them as a survival signal. The comment by itself is sweet and caring, but there is a deeper message going on. One, other than the outside message of, "hey, I love you and I would like you to have every possible tool in your toolkit to make it back home alive," she's supporting my fascination of survival and survival ideology. She supported me going for an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction when the smarter idea might have been to pursue a different degree for the "real world." (I'm being a little sarcastic here with my choice of words, I totally believe that my higher education has already paid dividends for my skill and my writing career and I think you should pursue whatever education and training you want.) She gives me the time I need to complete my writing projects, and supports my other endeavors. She does so realistically and keeps me grounded in reality, but gives me the time and motivation to pursue things. In short, she's awesome. Find awesome people and make them a part of your life. You won't regret it. Now assemble your team of awesome. Coming soon: - Updates on my recent foray into the Wilderness Athlete 28 Day Challenge - Scouting for elk 2016 - Barnes & Noble book signings “Pokémon Ghost” by C.R. Langille What I’m about to tell you is true…only the facts have been changed to protect the innocent or something like that. But really, just bear with me on this one. If you knew me, you’d know that I wasn’t prone to telling tall tales or other bullshits; however, I’m sure this whopper-jaw is going to push those limits. By now I’m certain you’ve at least heard of the new virtual crack that is Pokémon Go. I wasn’t going to get into because I didn’t need another reason to stay up late or stay glued to my phone. Yeah, but who was I kidding? Stupid, stupid, addicting game. You know what I’m talking about. Don’t play coy with me, I’ve seen you wandering around the field next to the school, eyes glued to the screen. How do I know? I was there too. I’d caught word from (OMITTED) that the programmers had hidden away the legendary Pokémon in remote places so that only the truly committed would find them. After hearing that, I spent most of my time away from the busy places roaming around the farms and abandoned buildings at the edge of my town (look, I’m not going to tell you where I live, because then you’d just want to hop in your car or hitch a ride or some shit to come on down here to see for yourself. That would be a BAD idea. Really bad, like riding a unicycle while juggling rattlesnakes kind of bad. So don’t ask me, because I won’t tell you). Taking the cue from (OMITTED), I decided perhaps she was on to something, so instead of walking around my neighborhood and through the outdoor shops, I hopped on my scooter (don’t judge) and busted it out to an area dubbed by the locals as, the Creaks (and no, that isn’t a misspelling for creeks, I know what I’m doing here). The Creaks used to be an old cannery back in the late 60’s, but due to economic blah ditty blah and money-whatsits, it went under. Add in nearly five decades of neglect, dozens of mind-bending storms and the general bull shittery of teenagers who love to destroy things, and it was a miracle that the building was still standing. According to local legend, the building was supposed to be haunted. But who really believes in that scuttlebutt? The Creaks sat on a barren piece of landscape that was home to a few dead oak trees that stood as sentinels next to a dried up stream. The building itself was made of faded, red bricks and broken windows, rising from the dried grass like a tombstone. I checked my phone, and sure enough, (OMITTED) was right! The map showed the silhouette of what looked like it could be a Mewtwo! An in the flesh (well digital flesh) Mewtwo! It was only a couple hundred meters away with the teasing rustle of leaves bouncing right over where the building sat. I ran to the door, excited as my avatar got closer and closer to the Pokémon. However, as I neared the threshold of the cannery, I stopped. The air was cooler here, stale and smelled of something off that had been sitting in the sun too long, like a package of hot dogs or pickled herring (don’t know what I’m talking about? Well you’re lucky). There was something else too, and it took me a moment to figure out what it was. The building was breathing. Not a literal, in-out, in-out action used to circulate oxygen through the body, but it moved in a slight rhythm, creaking and groaning as if it were a large tree swaying in the wind. The Creaks…it made sense. The sun was out, but so were the clouds, shading the light and covering everything with a gray hue. It also made the interior of the building darker than it should have been. The Pokémon app said the Mewtwo was further in the cannery. My hopes of being able to stand outside and get to it were dashed against the digital rocks. This wasn’t going to be easy, but what did I expect? If I was correct, it was going to be right smack dab in the middle of abandoned building. It would be best to knock it out as quick as possible, a snatch and grab operation like in the movies. I took a deep breath, bounced on my toes a couple times, and then walked into the cannery with a purpose. I was doing my best to navigate by looking at my phone to zero in on the Mewtwo, and using my periphery to avoid tripping on something. I wasn’t very successful with that and ended up catching my foot on something and crashed into the ground. My phone skidded across the floor and for a moment I was lost in utter darkness. Pain radiated up my arm where I had hit the ground, but for the life of me, all I could think about was the wet feeling on my cheek. I must have landed in a puddle or something, but the smell told me it was more than that. I couldn’t quite place it, but deep down I knew it couldn’t just be water. I got to my knees and was about to stand up when something shuffled in the corner. It wasn’t too loud but it got my attention. “Who’s there?” I waited for a response, but none came. “Hello?” It moved again, closer this time. I scrambled forward for my phone. It wasn’t too far away, the LCD screen’s glow outlined as it laid face-down on the floor. Whatever was in the room was coming at me, fast. It scraped across the wall, then moved to the floor. It was big, and dragging something behind it. I let out a grunt and jumped for my phone, rolling across the floor like a bad-ass ninja. Or at least, that’s what I was going for. What really happened, was I jumped for the phone, rammed my shoulder into something, and flopped onto my back. However, I did grab my phone as I had intended. I rolled to my side and pointed the phone’s light toward the noise. There was nothing there but overturned chairs and empty desks. The room was so cluttered that I was amazed I hadn’t tripped earlier. I flipped the phone around and activated the flashlight app, which bathed the room in a brighter light. I couldn’t find the source of the noise, and all was quiet again. Chalking it up to an overactive imagination or a Wienerschnitzel Chili Dog-induced hallucination (those are real by the way) I went back to trying to find the Mewtwo. I had to keep the phone light on to navigate as well as the Pokémon Go app, which meant my phone’s battery life was dying faster than a newb playing on a PvP World of Warcraft server. According to the app, the Mewtwo was close. I moved through the doorway into the next room when a loud clatter occurred behind me. I spun around and found a scene that almost made me Squirtle my pants. The desks and chairs were arranged in a horseshoe pattern just beyond the door, effectively blocking my way. Moments before they were scattered, but now… Movement flashed across my screen as I lowered my phone and for half a second I forgot the crazy paranormal business that had just happened thinking that I was about to catch me a Mewtwo. Victory was about to be mine and then I could get the hell out of the Creaks. I brought the phone back up expecting to see the Mewtwo animating on my screen. What I didn’t expect to see, was a creepy little Ring wannabe girl in the corner. The girl sat in one of the chairs with her back to me. She had short brown hair that was plastered on top of her head like a wet mop. Her skin was blue, almost translucent, her veins contrasted against it like purple roadways. She was looking at her feet, head slumped as if she were praying; however, as I held the phone toward her, she stood. When she did, the chairs and desks slid away from her in all directions as if pushed by an unseen force. I took a step back and accidentally kicked the door, sending it careening into the wall behind me. She turned and looked up, smiling a rictus grin that stretched across her face like a mask. With her head cocked to the side, she took a step forward, bones snapping and cracking as if she hadn’t moved in years. I took another step back, lowering the phone subconsciously. As I did, she disappeared from view. I brought the phone back up, and there she was, but closer now, giggling. I moved the phone away. Gone. I moved it back into view and she was closer, on all fours like a tiger about to pounce. That’s when my phone’s battery gave up the good fight and died. The room went pitch black. I was frozen in place, unable to move. Unable to even breathe. Something pattered toward me and I caught the faintest giggle echoing off the walls. I turned and ran as fast as I could, smashing my way through obstacles like a runaway semi coming off a mountain. She gave chase, laughing all the way. I could picture her in my mind, running for me with her arms outstretched, her smile growing larger as she got closer and closer, knowing that if she caught up to me, I would never be found again. Call it luck or whatever you want, but daylight poured through a broken window up ahead, lighting the way and giving me a bit of hope. I started running faster believe it or not. That was until my hoodie snagged on something. It had to be her, grabbing me and trying to pull me back. I wrenched forward with everything I had, tearing the fabric but getting away. With a mighty yell, I jumped through the window, shielding my face with my arms. Let me tell you this much…Hollywood is a bunch of bullshit. Jumping through that window hurt like hell, and landing on a tree root hurt even worse. I still can’t walk without a limp on a rainy day. I didn’t look back as I ran, afraid of seeing her in the window. I just high-tailed it back to my scooter and got the hell out of Dodge. I never went back to the Creaks, hell, I even had a hard time going anywhere alone after that. I still run my Pokémon Go app as well, but not for what you think. I keep it on as a warning because sometimes I get an indication of Pokémon nearby, but the silhouette isn’t quite right. That’s when I can hear her giggling. I keep my app running as a warning because she’s getting closer and one day she’ll catch me. If you enjoyed that little tale, check out my other stories here. Have fun hunting for Pokémon!
I thought I’d shake things up a bit and do an interview from one of the characters in my book, Consequence: A Novel in the Dark Tyrant Series. After some thought, I figured the best choice would be Special Agent Johnson. He seems to be a fan favorite, and I figured his answers would be the best.
The Special Edition of the book can be purchased either through Amazon or Barnes & Noble through the following links: Amazon: http://amzn.to/1WjzsZr Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1Vixjwc CRL: I’d like to welcome Mr. Johnson, and I’d also like to say thanks for taking the time to do this interview, I know you must be a busy man. Special Agent, please and thank you. I didn’t go through all that training through the Bureau of Investigation, Observation and Defense of Extraordinary, Extraterrestrial, Demonic and Paranormal Activity, not to mention all the follow-on specializations at Miskatonic University just to be called mister. CRL: Excuse me, Special Agent Johnson, can you tell us a little about yourself? Of course, although it’s probably going to bore your readers. I grew up with a normal childhood, run of the mill kind of life really. My father was an angel and I never knew my mother. I’ve heard nice things about her though. The Bureau raised me, forging me into this raw-steel stud muffin before you. So yeah, nothing too special I guess. CRL: Sounds exciting and strange, not really normal at all. So you grew up under the Bureau’s care? What was that like? I suppose it was like a boarding school of sorts, but instead of scary nun’s wielding weapons grade rulers, there were scary para-military instructors wielding weapons grade…well…weapons. The scariest (and prettiest if you ask me) was Professor Antoinette Huxby. She was in charge of teaching about Demonic Sorcery 101. At some point I suppose she had become possessed by an ancient Assyrian demon who liked to be called, Bubba. She was hot as hell, but had a temper that could warp titanium, know what I mean? CRL: Actually, no I don’t. Did you have many friends growing up with the Bureau? Not in the traditional sense. I tried to make friends with the other children in the program, but it was discouraged. Although, I did get everyone to go trick ‘r’ treating for Halloween one year. I dressed up as XXXXX(Reference was omitted at Special Agent Johnson’s request, citing it would be dangerous to mention his name too many times, and didn’t want to get his attention). CRL: I’m not too familiar with XXXXX. Think of a flaming booger with many sets of teeth. Amazing how many folks at the Bureau had dentures. I’m still banned from the cafeteria for that stunt. Totally worth it though, although I do miss Taco Tuesday. CRL: Who wouldn’t? Anyway, what’s with the wardrobe choices? I mean, Crocs and a trench coat made of duct tape? Kind of stands out doesn’t it? Are you serious? Don’t judge until you walk a mile. These are the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn. I keep trying to get the company that makes them to build a set that look and function like combat boots. They stopped responding to me after the 10th or 15th time though. Or maybe it was the special thank you package I sent to them. There isn’t an end-date on the no-contact order, so I’m not sure when I can start writing again. As for the coat, if you had one you’d understand. Duct tape can fix anything, sometimes even space and time if you know what you’re doing. CRL: I’ll have to take your word for it. Any plans on retiring? It looks like you’ve been around the block or two. You aren’t very subtle are you, could have just said I look old. Part of this sexy look is due to the mileage. If you had seen the things I have, you’d look just as bad, let me tell you. Plus, I heard people die when they retire, I’ve seen the movies. Two weeks to retirement is basically a death sentence. No sir, no way. I’m playing it safe. CRL: Let’s make this interesting, if you could tell your writer anything about yourself that would turn the direction of the plot, what would it be? Breaking the fourth wall eh, bold move. I’d have to tell him not to let me access the “secret” pocket of my coat. It could change everything! CRL: What does that mean? What’s in there? It’s CLASSIFIED. CRL: I see, well thank you for taking the time to answer these questions. Any closing remarks? Yeah, thanks a lot, this has been a hoot. I also want to give a public service announcement. Most accidents in the workplace are related to tripping hazards. If you find a potential hazard, use a Bureau Form 453 to document/report it through your chain of command. Also, don’t use necromancy, not even one time. It’s a gateway sorcery. The Bureau has some excellent informational pamphlets on the subject. Bottom line up front, I need your help. I started a Thunderclap campaign to help spread the word about the special edition release of my book, Consequence: A Novel in the Dark Tyrant Series. I know if you follow me on Facebook or Twitter you're probably tired of seeing images of the book or getting spammed with promotional updates. I get it, I really do. I don't like marketing or promoting, but unfortunately, if you want something to do well, you need to get the word out. Only a few more days until the book launches, then things will get back to normal. Until then, it's promotion time. I decided to go with a Thunderclap campaign, which, if I can get the right amount of supporters who click on the link below and say they'll join me, then on June 10th, a message about the book and how to get it will get blasted from everyone's social media and the stars will align! Hence, the Thunderclap. It doesn't cost you anything other than a few moments of your time, and you would be helping me out. So please, help an author out and click on the link below to support the mighty Thunderclap campaign!
http://thunder.me/2guBsJ The book is a dark urban fantasy with some Lovecraftian undertones. It's about Tobias Evard Warner II who is out hunting with friends in the Utah wilderness when the demonic apocalypse occurs. The event awakens all sorts of evils as well as latent magical energy in the protagonist. Tobias will have to survive nightmares both living and dead to make it back home to his family. Consequence is a fast-paced novel where angels, demons, ancient cosmic beings and even a dimensional traveler clad in a trench coat of duct tape collide. I like to think of the book as if Stephen King, Jim Butcher and H.P. Lovecraft had some sort of psycho baby. The special edition of the book, Consequence, published by Griffin Publishers will be out on June 10th. You can pre-order the book now. It features a brand new cover by Adam Miconi as well as a sneak preview of the second book, Canyon Shadows (release date 4th quarter 2016).
Pre-order the book here: Amazon: http://amzn.to/1WjzsZr Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1Vixjwc I love helping out fellow authors, especially fellow Seton Hill University folk. Therefore, it's my pleasure to reveal the cover of J.L Gribble's newest novel, Steel Magic. Steel Magic is book two of the Steel Empires series (Urban Fantasy/Alternate History) and will release on July 6th, 2016. You can pre-order it by going to this link: http://amzn.to/1Rc17n2 Synopsis: Funerals are usually the end of the story, not the beginning. Newly graduated warrior-mages Toria Connor and Kane Nalamas find themselves the last remaining mages in the city when a mage school teacher mysteriously falls ill and dies. But taking over the school themselves isn't in the cards. They're set to become professional mercenaries-if they make it through the next 18 months as journeymen first. The debate over whether to hunt mutated monsters in the Wasteland or take posh bodyguard jobs is put on hold when a city elder hires them to solve the mystery of the disappearing mages. Toria and Kane's quest brings them to the British colonial city of New Angouleme, where their initial investigation reveals that the problem is even greater than they feared. But when a friend is kidnapped, they'll have to travel to the other side of the globe to save her, save themselves, and save magic itself. About the author: By day, J. L. Gribble is a professional medical editor. By night, she does freelance fiction editing in all genres, along with reading, playing video games, and occasionally even writing. She is currently working on the Steel Empires series for Dog Star Books, the science-fiction/adventure imprint of Raw Dog Screaming Press. Previously, she was an editor for the Far Worlds anthology. Gribble studied English at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. She received her Master’s degree in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, where her debut novel Steel Victory was her thesis for the program. She lives in Ellicott City, Maryland, with her husband and three vocal Siamese cats. Find her online (www.jlgribble.com), on Facebook (www.facebook.com/jlgribblewriter), and on Twitter and Instagram (@hannaedits). About the cover artist:
Bradley Sharp was born in 1977 in Oxfordshire, UK. From a young age he filled many sketch books, so it only made sense to study Graphic Communication at Nene University, where he received a BA Honors degree in 1997. But the real world called Sharp away from academics, so he traveled around the globe a couple of times, working as a graphic designer. Now he makes a living by designing magazine spreads, but freelances with vector illustrations, allowing him to create something far-removed from what he does in his nine-to-five job. Sharp finds vector to be an easy tool and believes anyone can use it. "I'd say my artwork is nothing more than glorified doodling. I like the logical inconsistencies of surrealism and find inspiration from many places such as music or the science fiction genre. Dog Star's novels lend themselves well to my style. I look forward to working with DSB in the future, and hope fans will like the imagery as much as they enjoy the words." Find Sharp's work online at http://www.bradsharp.co.uk. |
AuthorC.R. Langille writes horror, fantasy, urban-fantasy, dark fantasy, and is considering stepping into the sci-fi realm. He has a grasp of survival techniques, and has been a table-top gamer for over 16 years. Archives
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