Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Scott Mallory interview




1: What is the most productive time of the day for you to write?

 The overnight when the kids are finally asleep. The only problem is that I tend to pull all-nighters, which makes it rough to take care of kids or get them off to school the next day.

2: Do you start your projects writing with paper and pen or is it all on the computer?

 I keep a notebook and jot down notes, then I organize and do the heavy lifting on the computer.

3: What do you draw inspiration from?

 Ideas just come to me or sometimes the title for the chapter or story comes first. I’m currently having a childrens book illustrated, and the whole story came to me in a dream.

4: Do you set goals for yourself when you sit down to write such as word count?

 The goal is to sit down, period. I have a short attention span, so it takes a lot to get me in front of my laptop sometimes.

5: Are you a published or a self published author and how do you come up with your cover art?

 I’m self-published, and I sought out artists at comic book and horror conventions. I knew what I wanted, I just had to find the right person to pull it off. I was lucky to meet up with artist Rob E. Brown  at the FrightFest convention in Louisville. He’s illustrating my childrens book too.

6: What drives you to choose the career of being a writer? 

I’ve always wanted to write but never had the time, then when my radio career dried up, I had the time. “Tales” was a monkey on my back that I had to write. It wasn’t a choice.

7: Do you own an ebook reading device?

 My book is available as an ebook and my wife has a Kindle, but I’m more of a traditionalist. I like to have a real book in my hands.

8: Who are some of your favorite authors and What are you reading now?

 I love comic books and Stephen King novels. Currently, I’m reading “Unmasked” by Kane Hodder and Michael Aloisi.

9: What do you think of book trailers and do you have any plans to have any?

 They’re very popular right now and I held a contest for my own. Andrew Copp put together a great one. It’s not necessarily reflective of my career or some of the book, but it’s very entertaining and will hopefully generate interest.

10: How did you come up with the title of your latest book?

 It was something that I used to call myself when I used to be on the radio.

11: What are you working on now that you can talk about?

 My childrens book that mashes up classic monsters and sweets. It’s out there, but has a message for the kids. After that, I’d like to work on my horror anthology that I have outlined. It’s kind of my baby steps before I tackle a horror novel that I have planned.





Die Already is now FREE on Amazon

DIE ALREADY

My book Die Already is now FREE on Amazon

Meet Horace, he has a very unusual gift or what you may consider a very grim curse anything and everything that dies in his presence will not die. No matter how violent or brutal their death may be they do not die.
Die Already is the new tragic and disturbing love story. 


5.0 out of 5 stars Kindle Krack That Will Blow Your Mind
It's not often that a storyline takes me completely by surprise. So I won't give this one away to ruin the impact. Kipp Poe Speicher's short story left me chilled. He entranced me right from the start and didn't let go until the very end, which will blew my mind. This is a story, which will definitely stay with me and reaffirms my admiration for the wonderfully twisted mind of Kipp Poe Speicher.


5.0 out of 5 stars Art of the perfect short story
Twisted, dark, but artfully rendered -- this is what a short story should be all about. I can certainly see Poe's influence on Mr. Kipp Poe Speicher's writing, which is really delightful (I've been a long-time Poe fan!). The end of the story was really fantastic, to conclude/embody the "dark romance" theme. Mr. Speicher's short stories are like hypnotic singles that you want to listen to, over and over -- I'm interested to see what a longer piece of work done by Mr. Speicher would read like. That being said, the short story genre/length suits him perfectly, and I'm grateful for witnessing Mr. Speicher's talent with a concise word count!


5.0 out of 5 stars Great Short Story
When I started this I didn't realize it was a short story. I finished it and was left wanting more. But that's a good thing, right? Well, I think it is. This is the first story I've read by this author and it won't be the last. The story is dark and disturbing, exactly what I think the author was going for.


Review by: John Davis on March 13, 2011 : star star star star
quick read of a good horror story. the cover artwork alone freaked me out, before i'd even BEGAN reading the actual story itself. recommended.



Review by: Tom Raimbault on Nov. 24, 2010 : star star star star star
Not only did the harsh title, Die Already, grab my attention; but the disturbing artwork for the cover further pulled me in. The art alone of his stories are certainly worth collecting as they create feelings of a strange uneasiness. Really, the cover of this story is simply a young lady with a terrible neck injury. But a deeper looks reveals a subconscious suggestion of so much more that can disturb us. To me, the young lady takes on the features of a warped, antique doll that also possesses the attributes of a child. Combining these three elements, I am immediately reminded of innocent, yet, damaged antique dolls that only wish to be burned—already dead and forgotten, just somehow remaining in existence.
But enough of the artwork! Reading the story affects me as I immediately realize that the narrator certainly does have a terrible curse. Throughout his accounts, I found myself wondering how such a curse would impact someone emotionally, mentally or socially. And these things are briefly discussed; his fear of being out or around crowds. It will make perfect sense when you read it.
Kipp does quite well in illustrating the horrible scenes, giving us a front-row seat into the possibility of creatures that cannot die no matter how traumatizing an injury might be. At one point, I recalled a horrible sight that I experienced on the road some years ago. Somehow that gruesome scene became part of the story for me.
Being a fan of Kipp Poe Speicher's writings, I'm beginning to notice a certain style or flavor to his stories. He likes to integrate serious injuries or fatal wounds to the already morbid circumstances.
Let me also mention that there was just no chance of a positive outcome for this dark tale. Some part of me struggled to maintain hope that the ending would have a splash of something positive. But no; the curse was so terrible!
I give this story a 5 star rating, and recommend it to anyone who is a fan of horror.

Tom Raimbault
Chicago, Illinois



DIE ALREADY

Saturday, November 26, 2011

David Lender Interview VACCINE NATION


Vaccine Nation


Vaccine Nation Summary:  Dani North is a filmmaker who just won at the Tribeca Film Festival for her documentary, The Drugging of Our Children, a film critical of the pharmaceutical industry. When she is handed "whistleblower" evidence about the U.S. vaccination program, she has to keep herself alive long enough to expose it before a megalomaniacal pharmaceutical company CEO can have her killed.



1: What is the most productive time of the day for you to write?

When people ask me when and where I write I usually laugh, because there’s no pattern. When I started writing seriously, about 15 years ago, my investment banking career was in full swing. I got up at 5 a.m., exercised, and then wrote for an hour or so before going to the office for my day job. I’d edit or outline new scenes on planes, in cabs, in conference rooms during breaks in negotiations on deals, anyplace. Today, it’s not much different. I get up, work out, then work. Some days I stay downstairs in the library and dictate on my Dragon software on my PC laptop. Other days I make notes, outline or type on my mac in the library. Sometimes I go up to the attic and work in my writing studio on my mac or Dragon PC software. Or I make notes, edit or draft scenes longhand wherever I am: on the bus to New York, on a chaise lounge by the pool, wherever.

2: Do you start your projects writing with paper and pen or is it all on the computer?

I always start my outlines with pen and paper, but quickly convert them to the computer.  My finished outlines are detailed, scene-by-scene outlines.  Sometimes I even write dialog into the outline if it comes to me at the time in a way I want to get it down.  I do almost all my writing on the computer using Dragon dictation software for the first draft, then edit. I’m also a constant note-jotter on paper.

3: What do you draw inspiration from?

Sometimes it’s someone in my life. Dani North, the protagonist of Vaccine Nation, my latest thriller, was inspired by my fiancĂ©, Manette, and her work as a documentary filmmaker. Elmore Leonard is one of my favorite authors, and reading his stuff frequently gives me ideas. Sometimes it’s just throwing ideas around with friends. Many of them come from my career as an investment banker.


4: Do you set goals for yourself when you sit down to write such as word count?

I try to average 1,000 words per day, which means if I’m not productive every day, I’m playing catch-up on other days. For many writers, that’s peanuts as an objective, but for me, I find it’s a level that allows me to balance discipline with producing quality.

5: Are you a published or a self published author and how do you come up with your cover art?

     I started out self-published with my first three books in 2011, Trojan Horse, The Gravy Train and Bull Street. My latest, Vaccine Nation, was published by Amazon’s Thomas & Mercer mystery and thriller imprint. The starting point for my cover art is my father’s photographs.  He was an accomplished amateur photographer all his life and left a great legacy of photographs that are unique, beautiful and have great meaning to me. The cover photo for Vaccine Nation was the last picture he ever took. I did a blog entitled Hank Lender’s Photographic Legacy.

6: What drives you to choose the career of being a writer?

I am not sure it’s really a choice.  It’s more a compulsion that a writer can’t resist.  He/she can put it off, but I think it’s always going to rise inevitably to the surface, like a beach ball being held under water.  Sooner or later it pops up.

7: Do you own an ebook reading device?

I own a Kindle, Nook and Kindle Fire.

8: Who are some of your favorite authors and What are you reading now?

I read a lot of Jack London growing up.  F. Scott Fitzgerald is my favorite writer and I think The Great Gatsby is the great American novel. Few write with his rhythm, economy (Gatsby is only about 50 thousand words), or mixture of romantic sensitivity and understanding of human depravity. I was an English major, so I read all the big names you might expect. I also admire Hemingway, Joyce, the Bronte sisters, Henry James, Conrad and Steinbeck. Thriller writers who have influenced me are Frederick Forsyth (The Day of the Jackal may be the best thriller ever written), John LeCarre, John Grisham (although I don’t think he’s ever gotten close to The Firm again), Robert Ludlum, Ken Follett, and Thomas Harris. Elmore Leonard is the contemporary author I most admire. Out of Sight is his best, with Get Shorty a close second. Nobody does dialog or backstory like him.  And his Ten Rules of Writing should be on every novelist’s desk.
I am reading Russel Blake’s The Geronimo Breach, JA Konrath’s The List and Lee Child’s Bad Luck and Trouble.

9: What do you think of book trailers and do you have any plans to have any?

I think it’s a great idea if done right. I’m thinking about how to go about it. But they’re definitely here to stay.

10: How did you come up with the title of your latest book?

One of my fiancĂ©’s documentaries was entitled Vaccine Nation.  A friend of hers, David Slater, came up with the title. I like it because I think it captures the essence of the CDC’s obsessive push to vaccinate, with its National Immunization Program of 14 vaccines administered in 49 doses by age 6.

11: What are you working on now that you can talk about?

I am starting a short story with Sasha Del Mira, the heroine of my first novel, Trojan Horse, as the protagonist. It will be a prequel to Trojan Horse that occurs after the assassination of Prince Ibrahim in the Prologue of Trojan Horse.  It will also be a lead-in to my next novel, also a prequel to Trojan Horse, that will follow naturally from the short story.  I love Sasha as a character, as do many of my readers, and I look forward to another adventure with her.

I am also working on a memoir, jointly with Manette, my fiancĂ©, and Zac, her son, on Styles, our rescue pitbull we adopted last year.  It is great fun, and Styles is a frequently hilarious and always sweet and loveable addition to our lives that we are working hard to capture in our book.
I’ve blogged about Styles, some of which will be in the memoir



David Lender is the bestselling author of the thrillers, Trojan Horse, The Gravy Train, Bull Street and Vaccine Nation.  He writes thrillers set in the financial sector based on his over 25-year career as a Wall Street investment banker. He draws on an insider's knowledge from his career in mergers and acquisitions with Merrill Lynch, Rothschild and Bank of America for the international settings, obsessively driven personalities and real-world financial intrigues of his novels. His characters range from David Baldacci-like corporate power brokers to Elmore Leonard-esque misfits and scam artists. His plots reveal the egos and ruthlessness that motivate the players in the business world, as well as the inner workings of the most powerful of our financial institutions and corporations. More background on David and his writing can be found at www.davidlender.net.









Thursday, November 24, 2011

Imogen Rose INITIATION now on Kindle




Product Description

Welcome to Bonfire Academy!

Set in the foothills of the alpine mountains in St.Moritz, this exclusive private school caters to a special kind of student. Enter at your own risk... but if you are human, you may not want to enter at all.

WARNING: This story is set in a school for paranormals who are very different from normal human teens. Thus, the language and some scenes might not be appropriate for younger YA readers. Recommended for those sixteen and above.


INITIATION (Bonfire Academy Book One) (Bonfire Chronicles)













Review of Jack Webb "The Badge"


5.0 out of 5 stars 5.0 out of 5 stars
 "Just the facts, ma'am"November 24, 2011
I'm a big fan of the tv show Dragnet and was interested in checking out this book. I have to say this was a well worth purchase. This book takes you even further into the life of a cop, way beyond the level of the television show. Jack Webb was an amazing person creating one of the most rememberable TV shows of all time (and radio shows) but he also stared in them. This book touches on some of the biggest cases in LA police history.

Along with the insight of the cases you also get a behind the scenes and history of being a police officer. Touching base on the training and mind set it takes to become a good cop. I was not expecting to enjoy this read as much as i did. Considering the time it was wrote it still holds up to what the world is like today.





The Badge: The Inside Story of One of America's Great Police Departments (Illustrated)

Kindle DX Black Friday sale save $120




Get $120 Off Amazon Kindle DX - Featuring Large 9.7” E Ink Display and Free 3G Wireless














Shop Amazon's New Kindle Fire








Shop Amazon's Kindle Accessories Store








Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Kindle Fire now get over 100 Graphic Novels


Comics




Huge Selection: Choose from popular comic books and graphic novels never before available on Kindle.
Visually Captivating: Enjoy your books in vivid, full-color layouts with the convenience of the Kindle reading experience.
Special Features: Graphic novels come alive on Kindle Fire with Kindle Panel View. Double-tap on any region to see it magnified. You can also swipe forward or backward to be guided through the panels in the author’s own sequence for an immersive reading experience.


This is amazing news the Amazon store has gone full force with the new enhanced comics so glad to see Neil Gaiman's Sandman series now on Kindle Fire.















Monday, November 21, 2011

Enhanced Comics come to Kindle Fire Video Demo



Amazon has just posted even more of the enhanced comics for Kindle Fire now we have FIVE to choose from.

Kindle Fire: Comic Books
Graphic novels come alive on Kindle Fire with Kindle Panel View. Double-tap on any region to see it magnified. You can also swipe forward or backward to be guided through the panels in the author’s own sequence for an immersive reading experience. A software update may be required to view this title.













Saturday, November 19, 2011

KINDLE FIRE review



5.0 out of 5 stars Great value and reliable Gateway to all your MediaNovember 19, 2011


I'm very impressed with the Kindle FIre, I was so thrilled when i heard about the price of it. Since 2009 I have been a True Kindle fan, it has changed my life of the way I read, and now we have the Kindle Fire that will also change the way I listen to music and watch films, and TV programing.

Lets start with the video. Wow Hulu+ looks and works great on this, I have it on my PS3 also and it is really buggy on the PS3 but on the Kindle no problems at all. Great picture and sound and easy to navigate. Netflix seems to run very well also other than every once in a while you hear a slight click in the audio. As for Amazon Streaming video it is where this Machine really shines. With a free month of Prime you get plenty of films and TV shows to watch for Free. With a click of the button within seconds you have the movie in amazing clarity and sound in the palm of your hand. Super Troopers was the first movie i watched and was a lot of fun, nice to be able to stop it at any point and then start it right back up where you left off. A nice feature is having it in your carousel so all you have to do is press on it to resume the playback. Side loading video from you own collection is very easy also just plug in the USB to you computer just drag and drop.





Music: What can I say but yes i'm in heaven with Amazon and their cloud service I think it was April when they announced the whole cloud service for music and then they offered unlimited cloud service and thats all it took. I have an obsession for music and have a failing hard drive with over 200 Gigs of music from my collection. So since May I have been uploading my entire music collection to Amazon Cloud and now with a Wifi connection I have all the music at my finger tips with the Kindle Fire. If i'm going to be on the road I can easily hit a button and zoom the music is downloaded to the Fire.Yes it is a dream come true. The ease of just popping on over to the store while listing to the music is all right there.





Apps: Along with Amazon's mention of the cloud service they also gave us an app store with a FREE app of the day that I usually start my day checking out and purchasing since the opening just to have plenty of Apps to go with the then rumored Kindle Tablet. Well the day is here and I have plenty of Apps to play with on the Fire. Games, utilities, art programs. they all run great on the Kindle Fire. I also have a Dell Streak tablet and the apps on it are so so sometimes it works other times it just sits there. The Kindle Fire always boots them up and your on your way.

Web: It is nice to sit on the couch or at the kitchen table and surf the web, It seems very quick and easy to me I enjoy it just sometime I forget the ability is there right on the Fire.







Books: Well here we go back in 2009 i purchased my first Kindle 2 and instantly became a true addict to reading again. Having Dyslexia reading has always been so hard and it took me forever to read a Dead Tree book but then the Kindle came out with the ability to adjust the type size and the line spacing and it was like being reborn I was able to finally read without using my finger following each and every word. Now with the Fire not only do you have the ability to adjust the txt, We also get to be immersed in full color graphics and photos. Reading on the Fire is also a lot of fun with a tap of the finger you can read the definition of a word with in seconds. If thats not enough you can link it right to Google of Wikipedia and explore more.

I just love going to the book shelf section and enjoying all the cover art of the books. Your done with a book you are just a tap away from browsing the Amazon Kindle store. The ease of syncing up across all of you Kindle's is just another amazing way Amazon has changed the way we read and enjoy all other forms of media. Sure there a few flaws but it all can be fixed in a firmware update. I hope they put the Twitter posting capability in the reading app into the Fire OS along with the ability to see popular highlights. But those are a few minor things.

I hear from others that the battery life is not up to what the iPad offers? I have no problems with the battery life, consider you can buy two Kindle Fires and still save a $100 over the iPad price and then get 14 hours of battery life. I love my eInk display but the Fire is also another great way to read and have all your media at your finger tips.












Saturday, November 12, 2011

Amber-the death mask FIVE Star review


5.0 out of 5 stars Shutting off the outside world and entering a new realm.November 12, 2011


Tom Raimbault is what owning a Kindle is all about, his novel The Tree Goddess from last year was my favorite read of the year. Introducing you too the town of Mapleview with a cast of characters with their twisted stories all wrapping and warping around each others. The book is a true thrill to read.

Now Tom returns with more from the town of Mapleview and a little town of Sillmac, this story taking place before The Tree Goddess. You don't have to read either one of them first both are separate stories all within the same imagination of one another.

Tom this time takes us into the home and proud owner of Dickly's Hardware. The family suffers some hard times with their daughters terrible accident that leaves her paralyzed, and then the mothers sickness that eventually leads to her death.

All this sorrow and heart break leads to Michael finding the charm and helpfulness of a beautiful young lady named Amber. What seems to be a dream come true both for Michael and Amber begins to build and morph into a nightmare of regret, obsession, and betrayal.

You become so involved in the characters in a book of Tom's that the whole outside world just disappears, His writing style is captivating and at times he steps out from behind the curtain ands actually addresses the reader. So do yourself a favor get this book and all his other books. This guy should be populating the top sellers list.

Crawl up in a cozy blanket, open a bottle of fine wine and find yourself drifting off into the world created by Tom Raimbault, and then after your done wait for the next book to come out to take another vacation form reality.






Monday, November 7, 2011

Microsoft Bluetooth Keyboard 6000 Review Great Tablet keyboard



5.0 out of 5 stars Love it, typing on my Dell Streak 7November 7, 2011


This keyboard works great with my Dell Streak 7 Android tablet. This year I'm doing NaNoWriMo and can't afford a laptop for my local group write ins, so I thought i'd shop around for a blue tooth keyboard for my tablet for portability. After pairing up the tablet i'm off and running. This has become an great addition to my tablet and has become my official Writing machine. Using the App Pro Office Suite and uploading and doing backup with Dropbox I have everything I need to write my novel.



Friday, November 4, 2011

Cover for my NaNoWriMo novel THE NEW JUNK




Here is the cover art for my book i'm writing this month for NaNoWriMo

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Collectors Edition The Mutilation Man VHS


My friend Andy Copp is selling a limited edition Collectors Edition The Mutilation Man VHS 

http://coppfilms.weebly.com/the-mutilation-man.html


THE MUTILATION MAN (1998) - Andrew Copp's intense and disturbing debut motion picture that put him on the map that was called one the most upsetting underground movies ever made by many critics, is now available for a LIMITED TIME in a brand NEW COLLECTOR'S VHS package limited to 100 pieces. 

Long out of print on both VHS and DVD this film is now available for the collector's market in this stunning VHS package featuring a red clam shell case and red VHS with incredible original all new artwork by filmmaker and artist Andrew Shearer. The artwork came out so interesting that there is TWO versions available.

Style A features Lead actor Terek Puckett on the cover

or 

Style B featuring the RAZOR BLADE style cover.

The VHS also features a new alternate CUT of the film that runs approximately 10 minutes longer than any previously seen edition of the film.

Specs:
- Red clam shell case with Either Style A or B artwork
- Red VHS cassette tape
- 91 minute alternate cut of the film
- Trailers for most of the Coppfilms filmography including the just released INK & FLESH
- The short film THE DYING NAVIGATOR
- and the internet review show THE FINAL CUT reviews THE MUTILATION MAN in his special "What the Frak?" segment...
- Signed and numbered limited to only 100 pieces