Leaving KDP? Oh...and a chance to make a difference.

Bacon Maple Bar from VooDoo Doughnut used solely to lure you here.

While I am not abandoning the KDP program, the time has come to make a few changes. Many articles have been written about the dearth of freebies out there. I DO NOT have a problem with using the KDP program as a tool to market my stuff. I have always felt that was the purpose of the program. I think some authors felt that it was going to translate into big number sales. I saw it as a commercial. And if you lured in some readers who actually read your book, AND THEN they liked it well enough, they would check out your other stuff.

So, if I am weaning myself from the KDP teat (nice visual, eh?), then what could I possibly do instead. The answer? 99 cent sales. Sites like eReader News Today and Pixels of Ink have had to adjust with Amazon's rules regarding portals for freebies. To make that change, they are featuring "bargain eBooks" in greater numbers and freebies in lesser. If somebody is willing to pay something...even 99 cents, then it is less likely that the book will remain unread. And if you have a good product, it will foster that reader's interest and encourage them to read MORE of your work.

Now, a few titles will remain in the program, but it just makes more sense to use the 99 cent tool. I believe that 100 downloads at the bargain price is going to net more readers than giving away 5,000 for free.

To that end, I have a couple of titles that are on the cusp of qualifying for the ENT bargain program. The requisites (besides the 99 cent price point) are a minimum of ten reviews with an average of no less than 4 stars. Eye Witness Zombie needs one review. SO, if you read it and liked it but have never gotten around to that pesky review...it would be GREATLY appreciated. And then there is the Special Edition, Dead: Steve's Story which is the compilation of the 18 chapters of Steve's story from the first three DEAD books (The Ugly Beginning, Revelations, and Fortunes & Failures) which needs two reviews.

To be clear, I do NOT canvass for positive reviews. People are more than welcome to post whatever they like. But for this instance, I am actually appealing to those of you who LIKED the work but have not gotten around to a review yet.

More doughnuts! Keep reading!!!

So, on to my next subject. Some of you may know that MDP produces one anthology a year where 100% of the generated proceeds go to charity. My editing is free, the cover art, all costs involved with production. That includes the authors. The stories that are submitted are done with the author receiving no compensation (not even a physical contributor's copy, although an ecopy is made available). We do not ask for exclusivity, in other words, the author can do whatever they like with their story...we do ask that they give us at least a mention if it goes to pub someplace else, but even that is nothing more than a request.

This upcoming New Year's Day, we would like to be able to offer "Scaring up a cure for CANCER" with every penny generated in profit being donated in a quarterly check to the V Foundation which works tirelessly to find a cure for a disease that affects so many.

Okay...but this one is going to be different. So I am canvassing for interest from some of my writer friends. This will be an "invitation only" anthology. The story must be horror, but the writer can choose what SORT...and cancer needs to be involved in some way. So, I am throwing a few writers out onto Front Street...here is the start of my wish list (in NO particular order):

1. Mark Tufo
2. John O'Brien
3. Armand Rosamilia
4. Catie Rhodes
5. Greg Carrico
6. Suzi M.
7. Stephanie Meyers
8. Chantal Boudreau
9. Michael McFarland
10. D.A. Chaney
11. Steen Langstrop
12. Heath Stallcup
13. Dana Fredsti
14. T. Fox Dunham

Now, those listed are free to shoot me an email with a polite (or not) statement declining, OR...feel free to post in the comments saying "HELL YEAH" (or an equivalent) if you are in.

Next week I will share some exciting news about an interview request that I just received. So stay tuned.

Look what you did!

Yesterday, just for fun, I decided to try out a "chain" story. I tossed out a random prompt and hoped for the best. Now that it has gone over so well and seems to have been such a success, I can openly admit that I really thought that this would flounder and die.

I know, not a very optimistic attitude. Not only did it go over well, but some very talented authors lent their skill. So, my thanks to  Mark Tufo, Greg Carrico, Jerry McKinney, Lori R. Lopez, G. Elmer Munson, Christine (like Cher or Madonna...just Christine).

I want to thank all the participants (follow the links to their pages and check out their stuff if you are just hanging out with nothing going on), and also all of the folks who came and in checked it out, commented, or even sent an email saying how much you enjoyed this little diversion. Who knows...I may make this a monthly feature.

So now, I give you Two-Fifteen. (I just named the story after the date it was created.)

Enjoy.

Jerry walked in the house and froze in his tracks.

It could have been from the weather…that would have been the easier explanation as the thermometer plummeted to zero. A blizzard of near epic proportions was approaching the area. But no, what froze Jerry in place was the silhouette of his wife; something wasn’t quite right as she stood with her back towards him staring out the kitchen window. Well…that and the fact that she was standing in a pool of blood.

The door softly snicked shut as a muffled rattling sound welcomed him from the hallway on his right. The house should have been empty. His wife should have been at her mother’s for the night.

He trapped the air in his lungs, holding it in to listen for more signs that someone—or something—awaited him around the corner.

Another rattle. Pills in a plastic bottle bouncing on floor tiles.

The gurgling, sibilant hiss told him more than he needed to know. At least one of them was in the bathroom.

They were expecting him.

They couldn’t have known. Someone must have talked.

Betrayed.

Only Tom and Alistair knew he’d be here. The glowing time on his wrist mocked him. 2:07 AM. He exhaled and reached into his pocket. It was going to be a long morning…if he was lucky.

She did not move, standing rigid. Her shadow cast down across the growing pool of crimson at her feet.

 “Beth?”

She turned her head a fraction as her arms dropped off the counter and hung listlessly at her side.

Jerry’s hand slid out, unfolding the lame pocketknife he had carried since childhood, a gift from Gramps. Beth would call him a geezer, saying nobody carried knives in their pants anymore except crooks and repairmen.

Times had changed. Sure they had, but there were always those little emergencies in which you were glad to be equipped. He held the three-inch blade before himself. Okay, it did look pretty lame. But when Beth turned around, his stomach dropped into his shoes and he was very glad to have something sharp between them.

Her face was smeared with blood like the floor. Only…it had changed. The features had transformed into something else, something horrific. She—or it—wore Beth’s clothing and Beth’s hairstyle. The face…well, he would never forget it as long as he lived. He wasn’t sure how long that might be under the circumstances. Perhaps minutes or less since the creature who used to be his wife had taken a step closer.

“Don’t move!” he warned.

The sleepy buzz he felt a moment ago had worn off quick. His head ached. And he still didn’t know what was in the bathroom.

A trickle of blood flowed from the corner of Beth’s mouth. She looked like she might smile at any moment if there were any color left to her skin.

Jerry looked down at the .38 he held in his hands. He’d only fired it once and hoped he’d never have to do it again. Today might be the day his hopes were crushed.

Another sound from the bathroom scared Jerry so much that he nearly dropped his weapon. He stepped back as Beth started to slide to the floor. He didn’t want to wait for them to come back to the kitchen, but he couldn’t bring himself to walk past his wife. Jerry was stuck.

“What are you?” 

“Why…I am your wife,” the thing gurgled as she held out her arms. 

That rattling noise was still coming from the bathroom. and it was getting louder. Jerry brought the pistol up to shoulder height.

“No, you are not my Beth,” he muttered through a stream of tears. 

“Kiss me, my darling.” The thing stepped forward and smiled, a row of teeth that looked as though they had been filed to points jutted from the thing’s blackened gums.

Jerry closed his eyes and fired. The crack of the bullet leaving the gun sent a sharp pain through his head, but that was nothing compared to the high-pitched shriek that emitted from the monster in front of him.

Jerry opened his eyes and almost smiled when he saw the thing on the ground with a bullet hole in the middle of its forehead. That is until he remembered that the thing had been his beautiful wife of fifteen years; the woman that rubbed his back and held his hand when they walked on the beach. 

Panic took the place of sorrow as Jerry realized that the sound from the bathroom had suddenly stopped. 

Jerry froze in a bubble of fear. He looked down at the dead thing on the floor again and noticed that the corpse had begun to melt. It had deteriorated so much that it was hard to tell where the blood ended and the liquefied flesh began. 

He turned away, feeling the dinner that Beth had prepared earlier trying to make its way back to the surface. He clamped his hand over his mouth to stop the nausea. As he turned, he spotted movement at the front of the hallway. A glimmer caught his eye as something slithered along the floorboards making its way to the living room with growing speed. He raised the pistol and tried to take aim at whatever it was that was approaching him.

He pulled on the trigger and braced himself for...nothing. The pistol clicked, but nothing happened. He suddenly wondered if his mother had had any children that lived as he recalled telling Beth that he would only put one bullet in the gun, ‘just for safety’. 

In the same moment that the thing on the floor decided to hurl itself into the air and rush towards Jerry’s face, he remembered the pocketknife, extended and still clasped in his other hand.

Every once in a while, I get tagged for those 7/77 things, I always intend to get to them, but by the time I whittle down my daily list, it gets pushed back and I forget.. The Liebster Award (of which I know nothing) was something that my friend Chantal Boudreau tagged me in. I couldn't resist.. Read on to find out what it’s all about.

The rules:

1. Thank the person who nominated you. Thanks, Chantal

2. Post eleven random facts about yourself.

3. You answer the eleven questions asked by the person who nominated you.

4. You think of a new set of eleven questions and nominate eleven others to answer them.

—–

To start…eleven random facts about myself:

1. I played and sang in a band called "The KaQlin' Zombies".

2. A car accident at age 17 while riding with my friend Mike in his 280Z erased a part of my memory from my senior year in high school.

3. I have played football at the actual geographic North Pole.

4. If I were a woman, my "type" would be Dave Navarro and Keifer Southerland.

5. I held a 3.96 in college while obtaining my Associates, my only "B" was in calculus (I missed an "A" by 1.04%).

6. I have a son (Cody) and daughter (Ronni--my oldest) born 5 months and 2 weeks apart.

7. My favorite band of all time is KISS.

8. I keep my head shaved as a choice, I can actually grow a very full head of hair.

9. Redheads make me weak in the knees and I believe that the most "homely" of redheads is still a beauty compared to anything else (and yes...Denise knows!).

10. I played "SNoopy" in the musical "The World According to Snoopy"..

11. I have seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show over 500 times..

And now Chantal's questions for me.

1. What was your favourite childhood show? The Bugs Bunny Roadrunner Show.

2. If you could be a bird, what bird would you be and why? An owl. They can turn their heads around backwards.

3. What is the best dessert you’ve ever eaten? Carrot Cake at Claim Jumper.

4. If you could pick band line-up for your ultimate concert, who would you have open, follow and headline?

Open-The Clash; Follow-Cheap Trick; Headline--The ORIGINAL KISS lineup

5. What would you say is your favourite book outside of your preferred genres? Nathaniel Philbrick's "The Last Stand; the Story of Custer and Sitting Bull"

6. If you had to sit through the goriest of horror movies or the sappiest of chick-flicks, which would you pick? Horror.

7. Kirk or Picard? Kirk...there is no other.

8. What is your favourite board game? Risk

9. If you had your choice, quiet night at home or rowdy night out? quiet night at home.

10. What are the top three colours in your wardrobe? Black, Red, and Dark Green

11. Have you ever read anything you were expecting to dislike but to your surprise you loved it?

Yes, "Zombie Wilson Diaries" by Timothy Long

Here are my questions:

1. Favorite sporting event to play?
2. Your least flattering feature?
3. Blondes, Brunettes, or redheads (or shaved heads if I tagged a female)?
4. If you could relive one year (nothing changes, you just get to relive it) which would it be?
5. What hobby would you like to pursue but just have never "gotten around" to it?
6. Strangest dish you've ever eaten?
7. Your personal comfort food?
8. If you could choose an eye color from ALL colors, what would it be?
9. Favorite Doctor from Dr. Who?
10. Fast zombies or slow?
11. Book you wished that you wrote?

My nominees: (I realize that writers are a busy bunch, and I am just as guilty as the next guy when it comes to "getting around to it" when it comes to things like this. I do hope that a few of you will pick up the gauntlet and add to this new-age version of a chain letter.)

Suzi M.

Armand Rosamilia

Catie Rhodes

Rhonda Hopkins

Greg Carrico

S.E. Meyers

Nickie Storey-Bailey

Lori R. Lopez

Janus Gangi

Mark Tufo

John O'Brien

Look forward to all your answers!

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop.

First, a thanks to S.E. Meyers for thinking of me and tagging me to take part in this blog tour. Also, I may be mistaken, but I believe the genesis for this began with the folks at Master Koda. Since I am participating, I am asked to tag 5 others. I would like to see Mark Tufo, John O'Brien, Heath Stallcup, Catie Rhodes and Greg Carrico.

So, here are the questions and answers:

Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing:

What is the working title of your book?

Dead: Siege & Survival (available December 15th.)

Where did the idea come from for the book?

The entire DEAD series came from reading A LOT of zombie fiction. Not to mention my love of the original Romero classics. What I was seeing out there just seemed like a lot of the same stories hashed over again and again. There was not enough dealing with the characters…much less allowing for development. A few writers were breaking the mold, just not enough. What I wanted was a zombified The Stand. In other words, I wanted a good-sized cast of characters. Some people say that I might have taken it too far, but I give my readers more credit than that. I think it is a shame that only the fantasy genre seems to be able to create these epic series that span a dozen or more books and unleash a cast of hundreds.

What genre does your book fall under?

Zombies will always fall under horror. I refuse to say “dystopian” because I just do not believe zombies are that Orwellian.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

A few of the highlights would be Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Steve, Helen Mirren as Dr. Zahn, Victoria Justice as Heather Johnny Galecki OR Kevin Sussman as Kevin, Charlize Theron as Aleah, Richard Raphael as Garrett, Eden Sher as Kirsten.

Those are just a few. I am always entertained by others who throw out names. (Still a blank when I think of Juan.)

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Survivors around the world try to deal with the global zombie apocalypse.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

May December Publications will continue to be my label.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Just over two months.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

The Walking Dead is the closest, toss in some elements of The Stand and the rotating chapter format of Game of Thrones.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

I’ve always loved writing. I have had a few people, notably my wife Denise and a college professor, Ms. Bose.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

If you want a series that goes beyond the simple rip-and-tear violence of zombies, if you like characters that will stick with you for a while, this is the series for you.