Day Five of Creepfest! I'm giving away 100 copies of Alone!

Yes, you did read right! I'm giving away 100 copies of Alone over on my facebook page!

Here are the rules:

‎>>100 eBook Christmas Giveaway<<

To receive a FREE ecopy of my debut novel, ALONE, all you need to do is:

1) “Like” the Marissa Farrar Author's FB page
2) Enter your email addy *and* type of ereader in a comment on this status update
3) Click the “Share” option on this update and post it on your profile or FB business page ("share" is located next to the "like" and "comment" links under every FB update)
4) If you are worried about spam, please enter your address like this: marissafarrar at hotmail dot com.

To read a product description of the novel, please go to Amazon and search for the title, Alone by Marissa Farrar. 

Merry Christmas, everyone!

For the Fourth Day of Creepfest... Welcome Annetta Ribken!

Hi Everyone! I hope you're all enjoying Creepfest and meeting lots of new authors. For today I have author Annetta Ribken.

M.F. don’t describe yourself as a horror writer though your novel, Athena’s Promise, contains monsters and your short story collection is described as being escorted ‘deep into twisted, cobwebby parts of the characters minds’. So how would you describe your writing?

A.R.  Not Nice and Other Understatements does contain stories which could be considered horror, but there are also literary stories, fantasy stories, even a romance of sorts. Athena's Promise is urban fantasy (or paranormal fantasy), but my opinion is a good writer transcends genre. I think labels are more for marketing purposes than anything else. For some reason I have an aversion to being pigeonholed into a certain genre, because I don't want to be limited. I guess if I had to choose a specific label, it would be "speculative fiction" just to keep my options open.

M.F. I see you offer editing services as well as your books. What do you think makes a good editor?

A.R. I'm a content editor, which means I evaluate a piece for story arc, characterization, plot, and narrative flow. A good editor understands the structure of a story; is able to put ego aside completely; exhibits an extraordinary attention to detail and is able to suggest changes or improvements which enhance and strengthen the story the writer wants to tell without changing the "voice". You have to be able to see the big picture as well as the component parts which makes it work.  A good editor also has to understand her client and how they work, which means you have to be empathetic and flexible. I absolutely love my job.

M.F.  What do you make of the whole ‘indie’ revolution?

A.R.  I think it's an exciting time for both readers and writers. As a writer, we now have more options than ever, but that doesn't mean the road to success is any easier. It still takes persistence, marketing savvy, a whole lot of work, and did I say persistence? In my opinion, it's not an either/or proposition as far as legacy publishing vs. indie and every writer has their own path – you have to choose the one which works best for you, and only the writer can determine that. You need to be open-minded and you also need to educate yourself on the changes which seem to happen at a light-speed pace.

M.F.  And now for some more Christmassy questions... What’s the worst present you’ve ever received?

A.R.  Is there such a thing as a "bad" present? Heh. Wrap it up and put a bow on it and it's all good – it's the thought behind the gift that matters, not so much what's in it.

M.F.  Are there any Christmas movies that freak you out?

A.R.  Not really. I try to stay away from tear-jerkers. My favourite Christmas movies are the Blade Trilogy, A Nightmare Before Christmas and Rocky Horror Picture Show. Not traditional Christmas movies, but I'm not a big fan of the holiday anyway.

M.F.  How do you normally spend Christmas day? Does your family have any weird traditions?

A.R.  Since my kids are grown and gone and my mom has passed, Christmas is very quiet. I usually treat it like just another day, but my BFF doesn't let me get away with that. She drags me out in my Grinch t-shirt for dinner, and I have a good time in spite of myself. I'm on the phone with my kids, but the day is typically very low-key.

The only weird tradition I can think of that we still practice today is everybody has to have new pajamas for Christmas Eve and a new toothbrush for Christmas Day. Because, you know, dental health is always important. Heh.

To find out more, you can find "Athena's Promise" at Amazon and Smashwords. You can also visit Annetta's blog through the 12 Days of Creepfest to win an e-copy, or visit her giveaway on GoodReads for an autographed print copy.

 Synopsis:

"No matter what it takes."

As the front desk manager of a hotel on the edge of Zombietown, Pallas is used to dealing with angry centaurs, surly trolls, and zombie housekeepers. The trouble really starts when one of her guests ends up dead. But that's not her only problem.

A cop with an attitude – can he be trusted to be more than just a pain in her ass or does he have a more sinister agenda?

A new Guest Services Manager, out for her job and ready to sacrifice anyone in his way – what does he really want?

The attractive maintenance guy, endangering the promise she made out of necessity to the Goddess Athena – does he know more than he's telling?

A mermaid diva, whose show at the Sparkling Butterfly must go on – or else.

Pallas needs to find the killer, and fast, or she'll lose her job, her home, and the ragtag family she's adopted out of her crew of "critters".

In the course of the investigation Pallas uncovers connections to a nasty Oddities dealer deep in the heart of Zombietown, forcing her to expose a trauma from her past which could threaten her future. With everyone and everything she loves in danger, the promise made to the Goddess Athena may well damn her if she breaks it, but she is bound and determined to save her friends, her home, and everything she's built.

No matter what it takes.

Author bio: Annetta has been writing since words were carved on stone tablets with chisels. Not only does she write her own words, Annetta is also an accomplished editor. She lives just outside of St. Louis with her evil feline overlord, a rescued shelter cat named Athena.

Stalk Annetta here:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/netta50

Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/Annetta.Ribken

Blog: http://wordwebbing.com/

GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3414795.Annetta_Ribken

And for the 3rd day of Creepfest meet Zombie-fanatic, Stant Litore!

Zombies are hot stuff at the moment. Where for the last couple of years, vampires have been all the rage,  zombies are definitely taking over! One person who has loved zombies for years before they became fashionable (if such a thing is possible!) is the author Stant Litore! He's here today for the 3rd day of Creepfest to share some of the love!!!




M.F.  Hi Stant! Clearly, you have a love for Zombies. Where did this love start?

S.L. It started when I first saw Night of the Living Dead as a teenager. The dead closing in on the house, pulling one woman out through the window and feeding on her in an unholy communion … it was, well not love, but something at first sight, that’s certain! I actually have a terrible fear of zombies. My wife and I watched the Dawn of the Dead remake while we were dating, and I fetched a stout wood-ax and placed it by my armchair. Much to my good fortune, my future wife was more amused than alarmed by that.

M.F.  What are your favourite zombie books or movies? 

S.L.  Night of the Living Dead, definitely. Books: World War Z by Max Brooks and Valley of the Dead by Kim Paffenroth are the best of the best. Paffenroth actually has the gall … and the panache … to rewrite Dante’s Inferno, in a novel in which Dante as an exile is inspired for his future poem by his travels through an infested land in Eastern Europe. The story is poignant, poetic, brutal, and stays with you – demandingly – after you close the book or power down your Kindle.

M.F.  If a zombie apocalypse were to happen this Xmas, how would you survive?

S.L.  Probably not. I have a wife and two daughters, and it is very likely that I would perish defending them. In any case, I think my survival likelihood is a bit low. That said, I don’t give up. I don’t think I’ve ever given up on anything that mattered to me. And I know a few things about taking out zombies. I’ve done my research. Just think the likelihood is low.

If the apocalypse happened fast, I suppose I’d relocate my family to whatever nearby facility I could fight or persuade my way into, and hunker down a bit. If slow, well, it’s a long road to Canada, but I always did appreciate a pretty drive.

M.F.  Tell me a bit about your novels and where we can buy them!

S.L.  Oh, you will love The Zombie Bible. Think zombies. In the Old Testament. Or in second-century Rome. Think of ancient cultures struggling not only to survive but redefine what life means, what justice means, what it means to have hope in a world defined by its hunger. That’s a kind of story that can speak really powerfully to the world we find ourselves striving in and surviving in.

You can get the first two for your Kindle or your Nook. As I write this, the first volume, Death Has Come Up into Our Windows, is the #11 bestselling horror story on the Kindle, and it is worth a read. It will mark you.

ZOMBIE BIBLE: DEATH HAS COME UP INTO OUR WINDOWS

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005SNK13K
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/zombie-bible-stant-litore/1107395760

ZOMBIE BIBLE: WHAT OUR EYES HAVE WITNESSED

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006JW2VXW
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1107395760

I hope you take a moment to check them out, and if you like them, I hope you’ll drop me a line over at http://zombiebible.blogspot.com orzombiebible@gmail.com

Day 2 of Creepfest! Meet author, Ruth Barrett!

Today I would like to welcome the very lovely Ruth Barrett! Ruth is the author of the novel 'Base Spirits', a traditional ghost story set in an old Yorkshire house. I was most impressed to learn that Ruth studied acting at the London Academy of Music and Drama (LAMDA). She's now turned her hand to writing, though her book contains influences from her love of the theatre.

M.F. Hi Ruth, can you tell us all what inspired 'Base Spirits'? 

R.B. I was in a Jacobean play-- 'A Yorkshire Tragedy'-- based on the true story of a nobleman murdering his family. I had a chance to visit Yorkshire during the rehearsal period, discovered Calverley Old Hall where the tragedy took place, and was given a tour and a book by a local historian. I found it creepy/cool that you can actually rent the Hall for vacations... and there are a few ghost stories about the place. I just thought it would make a great novel.

M.F.  I love novels that are based on fact! Have you been writing for long and do you have any current WIPs?

R.B. I've always written stories ever since I was a child. I've published a number of short stories over the years, and am working on and off on a few projects including a novel about a Victorian revenant and a character-driven mystery series with a dark comic twist.

M.F. What are your thoughts about the recent trend for authors to 'go indie'.

R.B. It's the Wild West at this stage. A lot of people are jumping in and tossing undercooked work up onto the websites before honing their manuscripts or having them properly edited. Your name is on that book-- surely you owe it to yourself and your readers to present it in its best form! A lot of others are seeing this as a way to get their writing out and find an audience instead of waiting for a publisher's gatekeeper to decide what is read. In the end, the serious folks with good books will find a good readership base with a slow steady effort, and the ones who are hoping to cash in and become overnight millionaires will give up. Overall, it's very positive for serious writers who are frustrated with the traditional process. I also find that indie authors are a friendly, supportive bunch and that is always encouraging!

M.F. I totally agree. Too many people are commiting career suicide by putting out work that hasn't been through an editor. Unfortuntely, it's authors doing that that gives the rest of us a bad name! Your novel is a traditional ghost story - have you ever experienced a Christmas Spirit (or ghost of any kind!) 

R.B  Not a Christmas ghost, but yes... there have been a few incidents over the years ranging from an 'icky' feeling that something is in the room with me to actual sightings of full figures. 

M.F. Ooh.. that sounds like a story I'd like to hear more of!  What are you plans for this Christmas?

R.B. A few local parties with friends, and a quiet Christmas Eve in with my dashing and delightful male companion...!

M.F. Merry Christmas Ruth, and thanks for stopping by!

Head over to her blog Spirited Words to find out a bit more about Ruth and her work. Her novel, 'Base Spirits' is also available to buy from Amazon for $2.99.


In 1605, Sir Walter Calverley’s murderous rampage leaves a family shattered. The killer suffers a torturous execution… but is it truly the end? A noble Yorkshire house stands forever tarnished by blood and possessed by anguished spirits.


Some crimes are so horrific, they reverberate through the centuries. 


As an unhappy modern couple vacation in the guesthouse at Calverley Old Hall, playwright Clara, and her scholar husband, Scott, unwittingly awaken a dark history. Clara is trapped and forced back in time to bear witness to a family’s bloody saga. Overtaken by the malevolent echoes, Scott is pushed over the edge from possessive husband to wholly possessed…


Inspired by a true-life drama in Shakespeare’s day, this is itself a play within a play: a supernatural thriller with a historical core. 


Only one player can survive.

12 Days of Creepfest! Come join the fun!

Today is the start of Creepfest; a special blog tour for Christmas from a whole heap of authors who like things a little more on the creepy side!

Each of the 12 days, I'll be hosting other authors on the hop and giving away copies of my books!

Here are just a few of the other blogs taking part. I hope you'll stop by and hopefully pick yourself up some goodies just in time for Christmas... or is it Creepmas???

R.L. Treadway's Ink
Julie Jansen: Science Fiction and Horror Writer
Jason Darrick's Fear in Words
Wrestling the Muse
No Vacation from Speculation
Thea Gregory's Zombie Bedtime Stories
The Zombie Bible
The Manicheans
Welcome to the Darkness
A Diamond in the Dark
Kraftmatic Adjustable Blog
Word Webbing
Patti Larsen: My Writing Life
Writecrastination

And to get the blog hop going, today I'm going to give away an e-copy of my novel, Alone! Just leave me a comment, or tweet or facebook about the hop to be in to win! And don't forget to leave your email address so I can get hold of you if you win!

Happy Hopping everyone!

The Arrival of KDP Select: What Does it Mean for Authors?

I woke up this morning to do my usual routine of sales checking, but when I logged onto Amazon KDP (the digital publishing platform that allows authors to publish eBooks direct to Amazon) I found a big sign with gold letters announcing '$500,000 available for December' staring back at me.

My first thought was that I'd won some kind of Amazon lottery (honestly, that's what the sign looks like - and I suspect that is not accidental!) but then realized that probably wasn't the case, so I looked into things further.

Basically, Amazon Select is a lending library set up through Amazon. To enrol books, the titles must be exclusive to Amazon for at least 90 days. They're allowed to be published in paperback and sold elsewhere, but not in digital format. The publisher of this book will then receive a percentage of the amount of money in the pot (for December it's $500,000, but next year they say it will be $6 million) according to the number of times a customer has borrowed the book.

So, the good points:

• Hopefully more money. It's another avenue in which to make royalties. Here is how Amazon explains it (though I think they've aimed high). 

For example, if the monthly fund amount is $500,000 and the total qualified borrows of all participating KDP titles is 100,000 in December and if your book was borrowed 1,500 times, you will earn 1.5% (1,500/100,000 = 1.5%), or $7,500 in December.

•  You'll also be allowed to make your book free for 5 days, so introducing your work to a whole heap of new readers (that is, if you don't already have free books on Amazon). 
• The exclusivity is only for 90 days, after which time your book will be able to be sold on other site.

And here are the bad bits.

• First of all, there's the exclusivity thing. I've often worried about the amount of control Amazon already has on an author's income. As it gets bigger and bigger, Amazon is effectively becoming a super-publisher, just without the quality control of acquisitions or editors. If something happened to Amazon (or it suddenly decided to pull all of my titles) I'll have lost about 75% of my income. Creating exclusivity only gives Amazon even more power. 
• A member of Kindle Owners Lenders Library will only be able to check out ONE book a month. This tells me the customer is going to be pretty picky about which title they choose. Are they really likely to chance that one title on a newbie, indie author? 
• Will it affect sales in the regular kindle store? If people can borrow the book for free, are they less likely to fork out the money to buy it?
• Once you sign up, you've got 3 days to change your mind, but then you're tied in for 90 days. Amazon then automatically re-signs you up for another 90 days once the first period has finish, UNLESS you go in a check a box on your bookshelf to say you don't want this to happen. Amazon does say they will send you an email 15 days before renewal, but we all know how easy it is to miss these things.

So what have I decided to do? Well, I'm in the lucky position of having numerous titles, two of which are new this month and as of yet (other than Amazon) are only available to buy on Smashwords. So this morning I've unpublished them from Smashwords and enrolled them in Amazon Select. This isn't too big a deal for me because sales on Smashwords are always small. The titles I've enrolled are two short story collections--one in my Marissa Farrar name, and one in M.K. Elliott. Choosing short story books could work against me. People are probably less likely to borrow the short story titles than if I'd enrolled my novels, but I didn't want to take that kind of risk just yet.

For now it's just a case of 'wait and see'. To be honest, I'll be surprised if I get many people borrowing my books at all, but I guess it depends on what my competition is. Either way, I'll be sure to report back and let you all know how it's going and whether it's worth enrolling in KDP Select.

~*~

Marissa Farrar's dark vampire 'Serenity' series, is available to buy from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Just click on the links to purchase the first in the series, 'Alone', for only $0.99.

NaNoWriMo done and dusted!

Well this years NaNo ended with the third book in my Serenity series at 50,046 words! Hurrah! I didn't write quite as much as I'd hoped (I was aiming for 60K) but as a lovely person I've recently met on twitter says, 'Aim for the stars and you'll land in the tree tops'! I guess that's what I did--I aimed big but got what I needed, so I'm happy with that.

For now, I'm taking a break from writing and I'm back to editing. Weirdly enough, after a month of pretty much no editing, I'm actually looking forward to getting back into it. My editor for The Dark Road, Shontrell Wade,  sent me her edits back at the end of November and I feel bad that I've only gone through a few chapters of them. However, now NaNo is over, all my attention will be going on Dark Road edits and I'm still hoping to  have the book out for the Xmas rush. Apparently there are going to be six million Kindle Fires sold this Xmas. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty excited about what that means for eBook sales!