Tuesday, August 29, 2017

STARSWEPT RELEASE DAY!!!!

Hi everyone! I'm thrilled to announce that STARSWEPT is officially out today! I really can't believe it... mostly because I've been working on it so long. I wrote the first draft way back in 2013... Which wasn't that long ago in the grand scheme of things, but feels like a different life (that was two apartments and two jobs ago!) The poor thing has been through a LOT, from hopeful highs to so-depressed-I-might-never-write-again lows, but now, its journey has finally ended. And whatever happens next, I'm proud of the little book I made.

Since going indie with it, I've done literally EVERYTHING in terms of production. No stock photos or templates or print-on-demand this time around... not that there's anything wrong with those (and I'll likely be returning to those for future projects... doing all the things was fun, but draining both mentally and financially). That meant coordinating a photo shoot, designing the interior (and picking out and editing every single one of those 39 chapter spreads), looking up printers, coordinating between the cover designer and the printer, packing 'em into boxes to ship to Amazon's warehouse or running to the post office every other day to fulfill orders myself... when I say I made this book, I mean, I feel like I made this book.

Anyway, the making part is done now. And here comes the hard part: selling the damn thing. Chances are, it's never going to make a lick of money (especially since I put prices as low as I could afford to... as much as possible, I wanted to remove price as a barrier to readers). But I don't care. Some will love it, some will hate it, and some will just go "meh"... it's out of my hands. Maybe it'll sink to the bottom of the rankings sea. Maybe I'll land a BookBub for it and get it into the hands of hundreds. Honestly, I really don't care. Of course I'll market like heck (mostly to get these goddamn boxes out of my apartment), but I'm not looking at sales figures as a measure of success.

In my mind, it's already a success. My book is AWESOME. And totally gorgeous (What? I worked hard on it, so I'm allowed to preen :-P). And most reviewers agree! Like Kirkus. And Foreword Clarion. And Blue Ink. (*preen preen preen*)

And now, to do it all again for the sequel...

ABOUT THE BOOK

Some melodies reach across the stars.

In 2157, the Adryil—an advanced race of telepathic humanoids—contacted Earth. A century later, 15-year-old violist Iris Lei considers herself lucky to attend Papilio, a prestigious performing arts school powered by their technology. Born penniless, Iris’s one shot at a better life is to attract an Adryil patron. But only the best get hired, and competition is fierce.

A sudden encounter with an Adryil boy upends her world. Iris longs to learn about him and his faraway realm, but after the authorities arrest him for trespassing, the only evidence she has of his existence is the mysterious alien device he slipped to her.

When she starts hearing his voice in her head, she wonders if her world of backstabbing artists and pressure for perfection is driving her insane. Then, she discovers that her visions of him are real—by way of telepathy—and soon finds herself lost in the kind of impossible love she depicts in her music.

But even as their bond deepens, Iris realizes that he’s hiding something from her—and it’s dangerous. Her quest for answers leads her past her sheltered world to a strange planet lightyears away, where she uncovers secrets about Earth’s alien allies that shatter everything she knows.

Now available from Snowy Wings Publishing! Find it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and more.

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

COVER REVEAL: Locked / K.M. Robinson



Book Description

When the girl with the golden hair is betrayed, no one has hope of surviving.

The stories say that Goldilocks ran away, but being forced over the wall and separated from the man she cares for was hardly her choice.

Now, uncertain if any of her friends survived the brutal attack, Auluria must work with her former handler, Shadoe, and raise a new army to invade the Society and take back that which is hers: Dov Baer, his family, their friends, and their freedom.

She’s willing to do whatever it takes, but this time, it’s not herdeception that will cause everyone in her world to burn.

Allegiances are changing, and at any moment, anyone in her world could destroy her.

Coming soon from Snowy Wings Publishing!

Author Bio

K.M. Robinson is a storyteller who creates new worlds both in her writing and in her fine arts conceptual photography. She is a marketing, branding and social media strategy educator who is recognized at first sight by her very long hair. She is a creative who focuses on photography, videography, couture dress making, and writing to express the stories she needs to tell. She almost always has a camera within reach.

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Monday, August 14, 2017

Packing for Gen Con!

Damn, Gen Con starts on Thursday, and I'm driving out tomorrow night! It's an 11 hour trip by car for me, so I'm driving halfway tomorrow night (stopping somewhere in God-Knows-Where, Pennsylvania) and the other half Wednesday, then setting up. This is my third year, so I know the drill!

I'll be selling FOUR new titles at Gen Con this year. FOUR. Namely, Brave New Girls: Stories of Girls Who Science and Scheme (woohoo! new antho!), The Adventure of the Silicon Beeches (this one's a tiny novella, so it's easy to slip into other boxes), Love, Murder & Mayhem (grabbed a stack from Crazy 8 Press at Shore Leave!), and Starswept (making an early, soft-launch appearance).

Of course, this makes packing my car a headache. Last year, I was bringing the same few titles as the previous year, so I just looked at 2015's sales numbers and brought comparable numbers. This year, though... I'm at a loss. Instinct tells me to bring the same number of Artificial Absolutes that I sold last year, but I'll also have Starswept this time. I'm probably gonna push the latter more since it's new... does that mean I shouldn't bring as many of AA, since people who would have bough AA will probably grab Starswept instead? But what if Gen Con is more of a Firefly-style space adventure crowd than a teen sci-fi romance crowd, and they go for AA? HALP!

Fortunately, Paige Daniels has tons of copies of both Brave New Girls anthologies, leaving room in my car for me to bring both lots of AAs (in case I sell as many as last year) AND plenty of Starswepts (in case it turns out to be the big seller with its shiny foil letters). But next year, I'm going to have yet ANOTHER title... possibly two depending on how quickly I can write. I can't keep packing more books in my car under the philosophy of "I'd rather over-bring than run out"... I have a little sedan.

How do bookstores do this for a living?? Talk about writer problems!!

Monday, August 7, 2017

SPOTLIGHT: You Only Get One Shot / Kevin J. Kennedy & J.C. Michael




BOOK DESCRIPTION

What would you do if someone demanded you write the best story of your life, to be judged online? That your life depended on it.

Four well-known authors receive an email telling them they are responsible for a suicide. Their antagonist makes it clear she is out for revenge and they have no option but to comply. Their task is to post the best story they can imagine online and await judgement. Filled with guilt, anxiety, and even a few murderous tendencies, each writer weaves their tale and hopes for the best. It’ll be the competition of their lives. Who’s story will win? Will anyone survive?

If you enjoy tense, fast-paced horror, then you will love Kevin J. Kennedy and J.C. Michael’s You Only Get One Shot! Your shot is now. Read You Only Get One Shot today.

PRAISE FOR THE BOOK

"Kennedy & Michael's _You Only Get One Shot_ is quite a clever noir narrative, blending several gritty tales together into one unforgettable "escape by your wits" premise that will keep you turning the pages in terror till the twisty end is brilliantly unveiled. Gleefully disturbing and darkly terrifying to writers like me, this is such a clever and diffuse story, with the same puzzling torment of the SAW movies, but all the grit of a pulp crime novel. If you have this book in your hands or on the screen right now, you better buy it right away, because you only get one shot..."

Michael A. Arnzen, Bram Stoker Award winning author of Play Dead


"You Only Get One Shot gives all new meaning to a publishing deadline! Quite entertaining!" 

Weston Kincade, author of the 'A Life of Death' series.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kevin J Kennedy is the co-author of You Only Get One Shot, and the man behind the best-selling Collected Christmas Horror Shorts & Collected Easter Horror Shorts anthologies. His short stories have featured in many other notable anthologies in the horror genre.

Kevin lives in a small town in Scotland with his wife, step daughter and two strange little cats. 

Keep up to date with new releases or contact Kevin through his website: www.kevinjkennedy.co.uk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008339824069
Website: www.kevinjkennedy.co.uk
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5452895.Kevin_J_Kennedy
Twitter: @KevinJKennedy01

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Brave New Girls: Stories of Girls Who Science and Scheme is out today!

I'm thrilled to announce the release of our second Brave New Girls anthology, BRAVE NEW GIRLS: STORIES OF GIRLS WHO SCIENCE AND SCHEME! This collection contains 22 original short stories about tech-savvy young heroines who use their smarts to save the day in sci-fi universes. And I edited EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. We've got a great mix of tales ranging from space adventures to steampunk mysteries and more! Plus my own sci-fi mystery, "The Case of the Missing Sherlock," starring teen biomedical engineer Chevonne Watson. When Chevonne's AI best friend, Sherlock, vanishes while on a case, Chevonne uses her science smarts to solve the mystery. In my mind, that's Chevonne on the cover ;-)

Each story features its own illustration from one of our 14 talented artists. Proceeds from sales will be donated to the Society of Women Engineers scholarship fund. Find it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and more.

ABOUT THE BOOK
Dive into a universe of sci-fi wonders.

This collection of sci-fi shorts features a variety of brainy young heroines—girls who engineer, tinker, experiment, and more. Voyage to far-off galaxies with girls who use their science savvy to fix rovers, rescue friends, and protect alien critters. Visit steampunk realms where young ladies put their skills to the test building mechanical wonders and solving mysteries. Trek across sci-fi landscapes with girls who save androids and repair robots. Journey to post-apocalyptic futures where heroines use their tech know-how to bring down overlords and spread the most dangerous thing of all… knowledge. And drop in on a few near-future heroines who use their smarts to take down supervillains and bring a little more understanding into the world.

Proceeds from sales of this anthology will be donated to a scholarship fund through the Society of Women Engineers. Let’s show today’s girls that they, too, can betomorrow’s inventors, programmers, scientists, and more.

STORIES BY:
T. Eric Bakutis, Elisha Betts, Steph Bennion, Bryna Butler, Margaret Curelas, Paige Daniels, Kay Dominguez, Brandon Draga, George Ebey, Mary Fan, A.A. Jankiewicz, Evangeline Jennings, Jamie Krakover, Jeanne Kramer-Smyth, Stephen Landry, Karissa Laurel, Michelle Leonard, Meg Merriet, Jelani-Akin Parham, Josh Pritchett, Holly Schofield, and Lisa Toohey.

Featuring artwork by Hazel Butler, Sonya Craig, Ken Dawson, Evelinn Enoksen, Ben Falco, Kathy Ferrell, Christopher Godsoe, Evangeline Jennings, Deanna Laver, Jennifer L. Lopez, Jelani Akin Parham, Josh Pritchett, Emily Smith, and Jennifer Stolzer.