New 4 Star Review For “THE BRIDGE” On Amazon…

4.0 out of 5 stars Good job, Rookie, June 19, 2013 By Quill93 - See all my reviews This review is from: The Bridge (Para-Earth Series) (Kindle Edition) Kudos go to Allan Krummenacker for his first novel “The Bridge.” The storyline is an intriguing balance of wit and suspense, with a cadence that flows nicely, making it an easy read. There is never a dull moment as Krummenacker keeps the reader wanting to know more about each event that takes place. I would like to see more descriptive language used in future works by this author, but overall I look forward to following his career and seeing how his craft develops. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Thank you for your feedback. Report abuse | Permalink Comment Comment

The Kindle version of  ”The Bridge” is still $1.49 (1/2 off the regular price) at Amazon.com.  So if you haven’t gotten a copy or know someone who might want a copy, now is the time.

The Bridge (Para-Earth Series): Allan Krummenacker: Amazon.com: Kindle Store

 

Results From My First E-book Giveaway On Kindle….

The final tally is in and 365 people took advantage of the chance to get the Kindle version of my paranormal/mystery novel “THE BRIDGE” for free.  Hey, a reader for every day of the year… chuckle.

I’ve never done a free-book promo on Amazon before, so anyone with experience please let me know if this is a good number.  I think so, but I like to hear other people’s thoughts.

Now I’m sure one of the big questions on the minds of some of you is, “Why did you give your book away for free?  Don’t you want to make some money?”

The answer is simple.  I wanted to increase my sales.  Now I know this sounds like a contradiction, but hear me out.  To date, only 100 copies of my novel had sold before this giveaway.  And about 1/2 of those were actual sales over six months.  I’ve had 10 reviews on Amazon and about 15 on Smashwords.  Not bad numbers, but certainly not earth-shattering.  I’ve had family and friends helping promote the book throughout their social networks.  I’ve done press releases, sent out free copies to newspapers and radio stations.  My sales ranking on Smashwords was impressive, but the sales were still not coming as strongly as I’d like.  Why?

Not many people have ever heard of me.  I’ve got ONE book to my name out there, just one.  I’m still building my reputation and a following.  In this day and age, a lot of people are very choosy about what they buy, even in e-books.  So those who sell their works for .99 cents or less have a better chance at being grabbed up.  Especially if you have a good tagline and cover.  But sometimes even that’s not enough.  Word of mouth is truly the biggest and greatest weapons we have to get our names out there.  And that only happens if we get our work into the hands of more readers.

Now, I’ve read (in a number of places) that authors who’ve done the free e-book promos see increases in sales within the weeks/months that follow.  Readers get hooked on what they’ve read and tell family, friends, and people in their social networks about it and get them excited enough to get their own copies.  In turn they may fall in love with the book and tell even more people about it, thus perpetuating sales and building the author’s reputation.

So now I’ve taken the plunge.  Now all I can do is wait and see what kind of results happen.  I’ve already heard from one or two people who took advantage of the giveaway and was delighted to hear them say, “I don’t usually read this genre but the story has already sucked me in.  I’m going to want to read the next one…”  I’ve been told this before by other reviewers as well, which gives me hope for the future of my books.  But more importantly, I’m hoping they will spread the word and get others to check it out.

I’ll keep you all posted on what happens next.  As I said way back when I first started this blog, I’m going to share this journey with you all.  My ups and downs, so hopefully you can avoid some of the pitfalls I landed up in.  Success or failure, we learn from them.  Hopefully, you can learn from mine.

In the meantime, the price has gone back to $1.49 which is still 1/2 off the usual price for the book.  So if you haven’t gotten a copy yet or want to get one for someone else there’s still time to get it at 50% off.  Have a great day…

The Bridge (Para-Earth Series): Allan Krummenacker: Amazon.com: Kindle Store

FREE COPY OF “THE BRIDGE” AVAILABLE UNTIL MIDNIGHT TONIGHT 6/16/13

****THERE IS STILL TIME TO GET YOUR FREE KINDLE COPY OF “THE BRIDGE” ON AMAZON****

Up to this moment 247 people have already claimed their copy of my paranormal/mystery. You have until midnight tonight (Pacific Standard Time) to get your free copy. And if you’ve already gotten yours, spread the word and so your family, friends and networks can get their copy. Psychics, cops, ghosts and a terrifying secret hidden away inside a three hundred year old bridge await you in this book. Come and learn how the Para-Earth series begins in this first installment. You’ll be glad you did.

The Bridge (Para-Earth Series): Allan Krummenacker: Amazon.com: Kindle Store

“FREE KINDLE WEEKEND” Starts Tomorrow…

Just in time for Father’s Day!  The KINDLE version of my paranormal/mystery “THE BRIDGE” will be available for FREE on Amazon this weekend.  Starting tomorrow 6/15 and ending at midnight on 6/16 you can get a free copy!  So if you’re still looking for something for Dad, or a little something for yourself, here’s your chance to grab book #1 in the Para-Earth Series.  Ghosts, psychics, police, and a three hundred year old stone bridge which holds a terrifying secret awaits you within the pages of this book which has received 4 and 5 star reviews.

So bookmark the link below and get  your free copy during this weekend special.  And spread the word to everyone you know about it.  This book has captured the imaginations of customers who have said flat out that they normally don’t read this genre, but are eager for the next installment which will be coming in September.

Happy reading everyone…

The Bridge (Para-Earth Series): Allan Krummenacker: Amazon.com: Kindle Store

SPECIAL 1/2 OFF THE PRICE FOR THE KINDLE VERSION OF ” THE BRIDGE”…

ATTENTION ALL KINDLE READERS!

My paranormal mystery novel “THE BRIDGE” is now on sale for $1.49 on Amazon. Grab your copy while it’s at this new low price, because I don’t know how long it will last. There are reviews here as well as a chance to sample the book. So take advantage while you can.

The Bridge (Para-Earth Series): Allan Krummenacker: Amazon.com: Kindle Store

Update on Book #2 “THE SHIP”…

Okay I haven’t said anything about “The Ship” lately so I thought I’d bring you all up to date on what’s happening on that front.  The news is that there’s been a lot of writing and rewriting of scenes as I try to get the first draft done.  As I’ve mentioned before in a previous post, I find writing the 2nd book more slow at times, but the quality of what I’m creating is better overall.  Because I know some of what to watch out for.  Are the characters behaving like themselves?  Am I making the motivations for their actions clear?  Is this believable? Are things easy to follow and not confusing for the reader?  Am I doing a good job introducing and re-introducing the main characters for both previous readers and those who are new to the series?

Usually, a lot of this would be caught in the second and third drafts.  But from my perspective, a lot of this has make sense to ME before I can expect my readers to follow it.  And if what I’ve done isn’t working for me, there’s a problem.  I’m one of those author’s who says, “Hey, this part does not jibe with what I’ve got going on over here.  This has to be fixed now!”    As you can tell I’m one those people who can’t leave it as is and just redo it later.   I sometimes feel like I’m the character Sheldon Cooper from “The Big Bang Theory”.  Which would probably explain why whenever I complete a really good scene I yell “BAZINGA!”

Luckily, I’m not on a tight schedule.  I don’t plan on releasing “The Ship” until the end of September or beginning of October later this year.   However, in spite of this, I still want to really get a lot of  this story done right the first time.  And I’m taking extra measures to make sure the final product surpasses the original in quality.  I’m adding a few more Beta-Readers, and grammar editors for a start.  From there, I’ll be getting some professional editing done as well.  I’ve already got the book cover ready and you can see down below this post.  This saves some time down the road and is one of the perks of being an artist as well as an author.

Another added benefit to this plan is that I’ll have some down time between waiting to hear back from beta-readers and grammar checkers.  During that period, I’ll working on book number three, “The Door”.  I’ll also focus on “The Vampyre Blogs” as well.  Hopefully this will mean a shorter wait time for my readers between future releases.  At least that’s what  I’m hoping for.

That’s all for now.  See you all again real soon.  Take care and have a great week everyone.

 

Signed Copies Available For $10.00…

SIGNED TRADE PAPERBACK COPIES OF “THE BRIDGE” AVAILABLE FOR ONLY $10.00, LIMITED TIME!

These are not the 1st edition copies, these are the re-edited 2nd edition copies. Each one is $10.00 a piece, plus $3.00 shipping/handling in the United States. Anyone interested in getting one of these please let me know down in the comments section or e-mail me. Payments accepted through Paypal.

“The Bridge” Has Finally Come To The U. K.

I just found out today that my beloved paranormal/mystery novel “The Bridge” is now available in the United Kingdom through Amazon.uk.com.  I hope it does well over there.   Here’s the link:

The Bridge (Para-Earth Series)

Thoughts On Using The 1st Person Voice In Stories…

Well, a new month has begun and here I am already doing another entry about writing.  This is what happens when the muse takes hold and has something to say.  I hope you all enjoy today’s installment.

Yesterday, against my better judgement, I started writing a second book.  Mind you  I’m still working on “The Ship” which is the sequel to my first novel “The Bridge”.  But I was having troubles with “The Ship”.  I was making progress, but it was so slow I was going crazy at times.  I would write over a 1000 words in one day and then dump about half of them because they weren’t moving the plot along or really helping develop the characters as much.  I kept what did seem to be working and built on that the next day.  Sometimes this is one way of dealing with Writer’s Block for me.

Then yesterday, something else happened.  An idea for a different book that is part of my Para-Earth series started gelling like no one’s business.  It had sat on the back-burner for so long now it was boiling over.  Scenes and characters started coming to life to such an extent I had only one of three options:

A) Start writing the book

B) Leave it alone and hope I don’t forget all this great stuff that was coming up

C) Start taking notes and outlining the damn thing for later.

I tried opting for C but next thing I knew I had written the opening scene of the book and was plunging forward with the project.  Tentatively I’m calling it “The Vampire Blogs”.  And as a homage to Bram Stoker who gave us “Dracula” I’m doing it as a series of journal and blog entries.  I’m choosing this route because I knew I wanted to do the entire book in the 1st person perspective.  Now most 1st person narratives stick with just one character throughout the entire story. This is a great device for a mystery or thriller because the audience can only know as much as the main character.  So when he/she gets surprised by something they didn’t know, so are we.

However, I knew from the start I’d need to be showing the audience what was going on in several different people’s heads while using the 1st person voice.  So how was I going to pull that off without confusing the hell out of my readers?  I turned to my “Spare Brain”, my wife Helen who is more well read than me, and asked for advice.  She told me that from what she could recall it had been done before but that it could be tricky.  Then she struck on the idea of paying homage to Mr. Stoker and instead of just letters and journals, use blogs and journals on the internet since I was using a modern day setting.  This was a masterstroke on her part.  I now had a clear path of how to switch heads and keep the “I” voice without confusing the audience.  The other thing I loved was the fact that I could build more suspense by letting the audience know things that only some of the characters were aware of.  Nothing gets an audience going like seeing some of what’s coming and realizing the characters don’t have a clue about it yet.  Plus you can still surprise your audience at times because they don’t necessarily know everything about the characters or the situation.  They know only what your characters have shared with them so far.

Let’s Talk Settings….

Well folks the response from my question about posting more about writing, and the different aspects that make up a story,  was overwhelmingly positive.  So here is my first posting in that vein.  Today I’m talking a bit about “settings” for your story.  Now settings do more than just give the reader a location where the action is taking place.  Settings do much, much more to the story.   They can be a mere backdrop or they can have a definite impact on how your characters are shaped.  How they become the people they are when we meet them in your story can be very much affected by their settings.

For instance… where does your story take place?  In Heaven?  Hell?  Another planet? This world?  If it is this world, what time frame?  Middle Ages? The future?  World War I or II?  Another time entirely?  And how does that setting affect the rest of your story?  Does the environment your characters are living in shape their personalities or how they get by in life?  Are they isolated with few friends because of the terrain or location?   Are they considered the outsider by the rest of the population who has been brainwashed to fit in and act a certain way by a higher authority?  In Frank Herbert’s “DUNE”, the setting of Arakis had a major role in shaping the main character Paul and his mother.  From leaving a world of splendor with water and lush vegetation to going to a barren desert planet, where water was more valuable than money or any riches.  The dangerous and harsh world re-shapes Paul from pampered youth to hard-bitten leader of the desert tribes of Arakis.  He learns hard and fast how to survive the threats of the planet itself, along with the political backstabbing that led to his father’s murder.  Setting can create a great tension that helps drive your story.

A setting can also be the major plot of a story as well.  In Ray Bradbury’s short sci-fi story “HERE THERE BY TYGERS” a planet itself is the main plot point.  A survey team for a mining company arrive on a planet that is sentient.  It offers them anything they could ever wish for: food, lush vegetation, water, even companionship.  It is a living paradise with the most gigantic and caring hostess you could ever meet.  Unfortunately, through the actions of one of their team, they learn the price of disrespect.  He is killed after purposely trying to hurt the planet by drilling samples in a savage manner.  He hates all planets and feels they must be beaten down and tamed.  In the end, the rest of the crew decide to return home, all save one member who has fallen in love with the planet. The others learn of his departure AFTER they have left and envy him.  They know the planet will take care of him and even maybe extend his life in a lush world that aims to please him.  But they can never return.  Even as they look back on the world it now ‘appears’ as a violent raging world of molten lava and volcanic eruptions.  They realize that the world was in a way a woman who had offered them everything.  But they had scorned her and now she is furious and will not let them return to her surface.   A truly brilliant piece.

So what kind of setting are you aiming for?  An inner-city ghetto?  A desert where an army is trying to deal with survival in more than one respect?  Or are you creating a  quiet suburban town where ‘nothing seems to happen’.  In each case your characters must interact with their surroundings.  That setting should shape your character’s personality and development before and during the story.  In that quiet suburban town where your lead is bored, what secrets lie beneath the ground or behind those seeming bland windows of the cookie-cutter housing that lines the streets.

Settings are powerful tools and not just backdrops.   Keep this in mind as you write, because you never know.  The setting you create may be one that you’ll want to return to again because there are more tales to be told from there.