Tag: seventeen skulls

Big Sale! Everything Must Go!

Posted on by joepowersauthor

One week from today is Friday the 13th, and in honour of this special day, we’re having a paperback sale: all of my novels – including the brand new Putting Down Roots – as well as my short story collection Old Bones, are available at a reduced price. But the best news is, you don’t have to wait a week – sale prices are in effect right now! Click the images below for each title:

Also, as of today, less than a week after its release Putting Down Roots is in the top thousand in sales for a couple of genre categories. That might not sound like much to some, but for a small indie author with very little promo or exposure aside from social media and word of mouth, it’s a pleasant surprise. And at the risk of sounding greedy, I bet we can push it even higher!

I would like to thank every one of you who’s purchased one or more of my books, or read them on Kindle Unlimited. It truly means a lot, and I eagerly look forward to your reactions and feedback in the coming days and weeks. I’ve got more news and updates planned for the coming weeks, and if you’d like to be among the first to get all the latest delivered right to your inbox, head on over and sign up at my contact page. Until next time,

Stay safe, talk soon.

-JP

An Ancient Evil is Coming…

Posted on by joepowersauthor

Just four short days until Putting Down Roots goes live!

As a reminder to those who haven’t heard, here’s what’s coming this way:

“Matt and Rachel Bailey have uprooted their family and moved across the country to a quiet college town in New Brunswick. Their new house is a beautiful old Victorian with a sprawling yard on a corner lot in a nice suburban neighbourhood. Rachel’s got a great job at the university, the kids are making new friends, and everything’s coming together.

There’s just one problem.

Huddled in the far corner of the lot, just inside the high board fence that surrounds the yard, stands an old, massive tree. The moss-covered branches hang low to the ground, like skeletal hands reaching for those who wander too close. The thick, gnarled roots ripple just below the surface of the ground like probing tentacles. Matt finds it creepy and unsettling and plans to remove it as soon as possible. But it won’t be that easy.

Before long, unease turns to terror as the true nature of the tree slowly begins to unravel. This is no mere tree, but an ancient evil presence that has preyed on unsuspecting animals and people for centuries.

And getting rid of it won’t be as easy as he thinks.

With the safety of his wife, two curious children, and the family dog at risk, Matt does everything he can to protect his family from the rooted predator that lurks mere feet away from their back door. One false move, a step too close, is all it takes for tragedy to strike. And just how close to the house do the roots reach? Is anywhere safe?

After a close call that he narrowly escapes, and with the number of victims on the rise, Matt must devise a plan to destroy the menacing evil before it destroys everything he loves.“

This book has been a very long time coming, has gone through a long and winding evolution, and there was a time when I wasn’t sure it would ever see the light of day. But like the horrifying menace that threatens the Bailey family, this story just woudn’t be held back or pushed aside. It’s almost as if it willed itself into existence while I watched, powerless to resist.

So now, this Sunday it will be available on Amazon in paperback and ebook, and Kindle Unlimited. I’m very excited about this book, and I can’t wait for everyone to check it out.

But wait… for those in my region, I have a special announcement: we’ll be having an official launch party for Putting Down Roots! I’ll fill you in on all the details very soon, but I can confidently say it’s going to be an awesome event with all the bells and whistles, and of course I’ll be there signing books and telling stories. More to come soon!

In addition, as a reminder: all my previous titles – Seventeen Skulls, Terror in High Water, and Old Bones – have been re-issued with all new cover art, and are now available in paperback and ebook on Amazon, and also on Kindle Unlimited. I’m proud of these books, so when I re-acquired the publishing rights and re-issued them under my own banner, I felt a new look was in order. I think they turned out exceptionally well, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with them.

That’s all I’ve got for now, you’re all up to date. Thanks as always for your continued support. If you’re here for the first time, welcome to my little slice of the writing world. I hope you enjoy your stay, and you’ll come back to visit soon. If you haven’t already, you can sign up at my contact page to have news and updates delivered straight to your inbox. More to come soon. Until then,

Stay safe, talk soon.

-JP

Old is New Again

Posted on by joepowersauthor

With the long weekend almost behind us, I have returned from the deep, dark woodlands once again. Back to civilization, now it’s time for me to get back to some promotional work!

As I mentioned last week, my new novel, Putting Down Roots, is set to release on June 1st. Kindle pre-orders can be placed here, as a reminder). But while this whole process has been going on, I have also re-issued my back catalogue, complete with new cover art. I’m pleased and proud to share them with you. Clicking on the images will take you to the Amazon page. Presenting my debut novel, Terror in High Water:

My second novel, Seventeen Skulls:

And my short story collection, Old Bones:

These titles are all available through Amazon and Kindle Unlimited, in both in paperback and Kindle formats. If you own or have read any of these books, I would love it if you’d consider leaving a review on the new versions, even if you’ve already done so on the previous releases.

As always, thank you for your continued interest and support. Be sure to check back often for news and updates on these and other items of interest. Please sign up on my contact page for all the latest news delivered to your inbox. Until next time,

Stay safe, talk soon.

-JP

I’m a Free Agent

Posted on by joepowersauthor

Today marks a fairly significant change in my little corner of the publishing world. As of today, my previous publisher and I have mutually agreed to terminate our working relationship. Which is a fancy way of saying I asked to be released from my contract, and they obliged. But it amounts to the same thing – an amicable parting of ways. For better or worse I am officially a free agent, unattached and unbeholden.

What does this mean for me? Well, the process began last night, and continues today, as my novels begin to be delisted from all major platforms. By day’s end or shortly thereafter, none of my three titles originally released under that publisher’s umbrella will be commercially available.

But… that doesn’t mean they’re gone forever. On the contrary, I have decided to re-issue all three under my own banner. Over the coming days each will be relaunched, complete with amazing new cover art, on Kindle and Amazon. While I did retain the rights to the original covers, in the spirit of a fresh start I decided to give them a new and improved look moving forward.

But why, you might ask, would you do such a thing? You had a publisher, a good setup, everything taken care of, and you made the conscious decision to pull the plug. All reasonable points. There’s a method to my madness, I assure you.

I’ll post updates as the process unfolds, including sneak peeks at the new covers. I’ve got a few other items to touch on at the same time, so the activity around here might be a little more extensive than you’re used to. If you haven’t already, make sure you pop over to the contact page on my website and sign up to receive all the latest news and updates from my little corner of the writing world. As always, thank you for stopping by and for all your support. It means a lot. Until next time,

Stay safe, talk soon.

-JP

Eclipse Day News

Posted on by joepowersauthor

It’s Eclipse Day! Here in my part of the world we were in the path of totality, which was something I have apparently experienced once before. I wasn’t very old in 1979 when we had the last such occurrence, and I don’t remember a lot about it other than being confined to the classroom with curtains drawn. Or drapes, or whatever they had to cover the windows. Sheets of cardboard, probably. Either way, it was cool to be in the middle of it this time around. Much older, arguably wiser, and more able to appreciate the significance of it.

I wanted to take a few minutes just to touch base here, to let you know I’m still alive and kicking, and still happily offering classes in short story and horror writing. In fact, summer sessions of Writing Horror: The Dark Side (May 13th) and Crafting the Short Story (May 16th) are almost upon us. Due to a bit of unfortunate website activity, links to individual courses are not currently available. However, both can be found here. As an added bonus, there’s an earlybird special, so if you sign up now you get a reduced rate on either or both courses.

In other news, I recently sold my first short story in a while. I honestly haven’t written a lot of quality shorts recently, as I’ve been bogged down in other projects. But I do love writing them, and every once in a while I’ll go on a little spree and knock a few out. I can’t reveal any details just yet, other than to say it’s a publication I have some history with, and am thrilled to be a part of. More to come soon, I promise. Also, the convention and book show season is almost upon us, so here’s a little reminder for those in the area of one such event on my upcoming calendar:

This was a fun, well-organized and well-attended show last year, and I look forward to attending again this summer, catching up with old friends and meeting new ones, and talking shop with fellow book lovers.

Until next time, remember: book reviews are the lifeblood of authors, so please consider leaving a review for those you’ve read and liked. (Oh, and I have a post coming soon on that subject too, as it’s inexplicably become a hotbutton topic of late). For all the latest news and updates delivered right to your inbox, pop on over to my contact page and join my mailing list. Until next time, be safe, talk soon!

-JP

Another One (Almost) In the Books

Posted on by joepowersauthor

As I wrote about last month, NaNoWriMo has come and gone for another year. Did you participate? How did it go? The goal is 50,000 words, but even if you wrote fewer than that – far fewer, even – if you took part, congratulations. It’s simultaneously overwhelming and exciting. Some people feel a lot of pressure to complete the task. Some treat it like a New Year’s resolution – which is to say, they sign up, maybe write for a day or two, tail off, and never pick it up again.

My personal experience with NaNo is one of mixed results. Last year I dove in with gusto, then petered out quickly and checked in at around five thousand words. This year, despite illness and various distractions, I wrote a three thousand word short story, around a thousand toward another one, and am currently staring at a novel manuscript just shy of 45,000 words. It’s a total mess, and will have to be almost entirely rewritten. But it’s a start.

A pedantic observer might note that only adds up to about 49,000 words, and they would be correct. The thing is, I didn’t use NaNo as a goal, but rather, a spark to kickstart something I needed to do anyway. I’m not finished, obviously. But the good news is, here in the early days of December and beyond, I can still work on it. I have no idea how long it will end up being; I’ll know when I get there. It probably won’t wrap up before Christmas, but at some point in the New Year, I will put the finishing touches on the first draft. And because some of the writing coincided with NaNo, I will be happy that I participated this year.

Just in case this is my last post of the year, let me take a minute to wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season. A heartfelt thank you to all who have visited me here. For those who purchased or read any of my books, thank you so much, I hope you enjoyed them. To those with whom I interacted with at any of the conventions and signings I attended, thank you for taking the time to come out and spend a few minutes chatting with me. I very much enjoyed that. To all of you who took any of my classes in the past year, I had a great time meeting and getting to know you and was blown away by the skills and talent level I got to see on display.

Here’s to a great 2024 for everyone. Drop in here any time, pop on over to my contact page for updates and all the latest news. Support local authors, leave reviews and help them spread the word about their books. Be safe, talk soon!

-JP

Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing

Posted on by joepowersauthor

Today I wanted to refresh a message I share with you from time to time. It never gets old, because it never goes away. And each time I put it out there, my hope is that one more person sees and absorbs the message. Today, I want to talk about vanity publishers.

Let me put this as plainly as possible: vanity publishing is a scam. Anyone who asks you for money to publish your work is not a legit publisher. Money flows from the publisher to the author, not the other way around. If an offer sounds too good to be true, it very likely is. Legitimate publishers rarely contact writers unprompted with contract offers. Before you sign any kind of contract, make absolutely sure you know what you’re getting into.

Last night my friend @luisaraegan posted a wonderful breakdown of some of the pitfalls of vanity publishing. You can read her article here, and I definitely recommend it – and not just because she quoted me throughout! I love that she’s helping to spread the word about this scam, and when she asked for my input I was happy to oblige.

In my writing class, Crafting the Short Story, I spend some time discussing the things to watch for when choosing a publisher. I put a lot of emphasis on avoiding these types of publishers because many of the participants are relatively new to the publishing world and have no idea this sort of thing even exists.

Again, if we can reach even one person and save them a lot of headache and heartache, mission accomplished. I’m always happy to do my part to put a dent in the potential pool of scam victims.

Thanks as always for reading. If you’d like to receive updates delivered right to your inbox, you can pop over to my contact page and sign up to be among the first to see all new posts. Until next time, stay safe, talk soon!

-JP

April News and Notes

Posted on by joepowersauthor

It’s Easter weekend, so happy Easter for those of you who celebrate! Today’s post is just a quick little update to stay in touch and chat about a few recent highlights.

First, a reminder that Old Bones is now available on most major online platforms in both hard cover and ebook editions. Following the release of two full-length novels, we’ve gathered some of my favorite short stories from over the years into one convenient collection. I’m proud of the stories between these covers, and of the fact it’s the first ever of its kind from World Castle Publishing. That’s a pretty big deal, and I’d love it if those of you that read it could pop over to Amazon, or Goodreads (or both) and leave an honest review. It doesn’t have to be elaborate (though I do enjoy those!), and every one of them makes a world of difference.

Also, for those who live or travel in the area, I’m happy to report that Old Bones and all of my titles are available at Dog Eared Books in Oromocto. There’s just something about walking into a store and seeing your books on their shelves that never gets old, and Dog Eared Books does a lot to support not only local authors but other small businesses as well. As I mentioned, my books are there, as well as Sheryl’s and a host of others from here and around the province. Check them out!

For the writers, new to the craft and a little more experienced alike, a reminder that the summer sessions of Crafting the Short Story (May 14th) and Writing Horror: The Dark Side (May 9th) are starting soon. If you or someone you know is interested in honing your craft in an interactive setting, why not check out the links above and see if one or both might be a good fit for you?

Lastly, thanks to all for your continued support. All the messages, comments, book purchases, ratings and reviews are so important and appreciated. For updates delivered immediately to your inbox, feel free to pop on over to my contact page and sign up. It only takes a few seconds, and the added site hits and traffic make a huge difference.

Stay safe, talk soon!

-JP

Spotlight on Short Stories

Posted on by joepowersauthor

Winter hasn’t passed us by just yet, but here in my region of the world we’re getting a bit of a reprieve – sort of. There’s been snow and/or freezing rain nearly every night, but daytime temperatures have been on the happy side of freezing for a couple of days and several more just like it in the forecast. It might be a tiny oasis in the middle of the freezin’ season, but at this point we’ll take it!

This week I’m getting back to my roots a little bit with a focus on short stories. A while back I did a sort of miniseries where I took a look behind the scenes of some of the stories in Old Bones, my forthcoming collection. I took a break from doing that to promote Seventeen Skulls, and never got around to picking up where I’d left off. Fast forward to now, which finds me happy to report the edits have been completed and the release date of Old Bones is approaching.

as a reminder, here’s a look at the cover art and blurb:

Gather round, my friends. Get comfortable, dim the lights, and settle in for a terrifying journey where each stop along the way is creepier than the last.

A themed corporate gathering…children with very special, very disturbing powers…a well-meaning criminal who can’t quite manage to stay on the straight and narrow…filmmakers chasing an old legend that’s more than just a story… a spectral visitor returns with stories from the past…

These stories reveal the evils of humanity at its worst, and the nightmarish things that lurk just around the corner from reality. Deceit, jealousy, temptation, danger, evil. Twelve tales of horror that delve into the dark recesses of your worst nightmares and lay them bare upon the page.

I’ll keep you in the loop as the release date draws nearer. As an added bonus I’m very pleased to announce one of the stories from Old Bones will appear in audio form on the Creepy Podcast. I find this pretty cool, as it marks another first for me along my chosen path. I’ve listened to a few horror podcasts, with mixed results. Some, obviously, are better than others. Creepy does a nice job with production, and the actors enhance rather than detract from the story. As with all things, I’ll keep you posted when it’s finished and goes live. In the meantime, if you’re a fan of audio books or are familiar with and enjoy the podcast experience, why don’t you pop on over to Creepy and give them a try.

It’s been a productive week, for sure. Additionally, the winter session of Crafting the Short Story is in full swing with a a fun and creative group of writers. As I posted this link I was reminded of a short promotional video we put together, which now appears at the bottom of the registration page. I believe they’re planning to add more of these by other instructors but for now mine is, as far as I know, the only one. Just a little something fun for those who might be considering one of my classes. It looks like it’s on the page for Writing Horror: The Dark Side too.

That’s all for now. As always, thanks for reading and dropping by. Feel free to pop over to my contact page to sign up for updates sent directly to your inbox. Leave reviews for authors you enjoy, help spread the word and shine light on books that deserve to be noticed. Not just mine, but anyone whose work you’ve read and enjoyed. It makes a difference, I guarantee it!

Be safe, talk soon!

-JP

Picking Up Where We Left Off

Posted on by joepowersauthor

“Where the hell have you been, Joe? We haven’t heard from you in months!”

Oh, how the time does fly by. It’s been a long and harsh winter here on the east coast, and it’s really only getting started. To pass the time until spring arrives I’ve been holed up here, doing my level best to stay warm as well as clear of the Omicron-riddled masses. Imagine my surprise, then, when I noticed just how long it had been since I last posted anything here! Far too long, my friends. So today, we take the first step toward righting the ship and getting back out there.

First things first: it’s that time of year again, we’re back in the classroom! Well, not really. I’m in the office down the hall and you’re in your homes, but we’ll be together again nonetheless. Crafting the Short Story and Writing Horror: The Dark Side both kick off the 2022 winter sessions next week, and as luck would have it there’s still room in both classes for a few more last-minute additions to the roster.

Speaking of writing tips and advice, I received a nice shout out from my friend (and Crafting the Short Story alumnus) on her blog. She’s just finished her first novel, in fact – I’m so proud! – and has a lot of fun and cool stuff on her author page. You can check out her entry which features some of our conversation here, but feel free to browse around the rest of the site, too!

On the book front, I’m happy to report that quite a lot of people picked up copies of Seventeen Skulls and, to a lesser extent, Terror in High Water over the holidays. I’m grateful for that, and would like to take a moment to remind those of you who have read either or both that leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads (or both) only takes a few minutes and really helps a lot. So if you can, please take the time to leave a review – not just for me, but for any other authors whose books you’ve read and enjoyed. It means the world to them, I promise.

As always, feel free to pop over to my contact page and sign up to have updates sent directly to your inbox, hot off the presses, the moment they’re published here. Until next time,

Stay safe, talk soon!

-JP