I have taken some possible author photos to choose for the next back cover.
The first one had me done up as an old time detective. The second book had me in flapper attire.
So you have to ask yourself, why am I pointing my finger at a horse?
Author: akrummenacker
Writing in the Time of COVID
I don’t get extra time to write in. I save maybe 20 minutes of commute per day, but I’m desperate to get up and stretch after a 9 hour shift telecommuting. I work for local government, and the work I do keeps the money for vital services flowing. I’m glad I can do this– it feels like I’m helping the community get through this and having something to do keeps my anxiety under control.
But I am anxious. I have severe asthma, as does my husband. Some other conditions that bump our risk, too, but since inability to breathe is the main killer with this disease, that’s where my mind goes. This isn’t the first time my health has forced me to be bound up indoors for over a month, but it is the first time I felt so endangered. A bad asthma run usually just leaves me feeling half-dead… which is part of how write the inside view of a vampire’s physical existence as being uncomfortable.
Beyond time management and distraction, editing my most recent manuscript, Forever in Deep, pushed me to reveal something sooner than I’d planned about Nicola Durante’s family. The 1918 flu pandemic and aftermath had not been something I expected to be so relevant to today when I was working on his background.
Allan’s been unable to work from home, but he is working hard. Currently, he’s working on the cover for Forever in Deep. (The painting above wasn’t done by him, but me. I thought it just seemed seasonal, and it has a book in it.) And he’s recording Forever Haunted.
I hope you are all staying well and safe. This is one strange virus and we still don’t know the long term effects on the survivors. Flattening the curve is buying society time to deal with it.
Happy Easter if you celebrate it. Try and enjoy the spring whatever what you can, even if it’s just opening some windows and hearing the birds sing.
Watch this (approximate) space
I’m looking into ways to make it possible to buy directly from this website, especially with our development of an audio version of the first book. More will follow, but right now, my voice artist has a very bad cold so he can’t record right now. (By the way, if you want that quasi-antique phonograph, I found it a Kohl’s ad)
I know a lot of people would rather buy directly from a creator than a large corporation, and I’ve found out Audible is a pretty expensive resource for audiobook listeners, so we want to make options available. We will also have CD sets available and I’d like for people to be able to buy signed books without having to take the initiative and hit Contact Me (but totally contact me if you want a signed copy). Maybe a pdf download purchase option, too. After all, the easier it is for readers to get their books instead of having to open extra tabs, the better, right?
One of the common questions a writer gets is: why do you write?
It’s not just a valid question– it’s one every writer has to work out. The fact is, writing is time consuming. If you write short, nonfiction pieces, you can probably make a decent living off of doing that. “For the money” is definitely a good answer for someone doing that.
But a novelist? Unless you are famous already, your chances of making good money from it is very low. It doesn’t matter if you’re good at writing. What really matters is being good at marketing. In fact, if you’re doing it for money, people will tell you to research the markets before you even start writing, because you have to decide not what story to tell but what story will sell. Fame is at least as long a shot as money. If you want fame, you might do better creating a YouTube show because it asks people to invest less time to consume your product.
Other people will tell you it’s a compulsion. They need to put down the words to get it out of their system. It sounds good. It suggests the story is semi-autobiographical, something that has deep meaning to them and may reveal their soul. But a lot of people say it. I don’t know how common a real sense of compulsion is, and it sounds pretty awful to experience. While I am regularly drawn to write, I can easily opt to keep my ideas to myself, and, in fact, it takes discipline for me to keep up the daily effort. I can daydream in my head without anything like the time cost of putting it into words.
So what motivates me? I want to make readers happy. Yes, they may experience some fear or have their heartstrings pulled, but overall, my novels will make you laugh, have a vicarious experience of friendship, the satisfaction of resolutions… I want people to feel good and have a chance to recover from a world that is plenty stressful.
That’s all. I’m donating books to libraries. I’m willing to give free copies to get reviews. But it’s frustrating because it is very, very hard to reach a larger audience. What would you recommend for getting the word out about my books?
Amazon Link: Forever Haunted Amazon
Amazon Link: Forevers Too Long Amazon
Gifting E-books…
Okay everyone, the big day is drawing near and you still want to get a few more gifts but don’t know what to buy, or don’t want to go out into the stores which have already pulled down half of their displays and are lining up Spring stuff. What to do, what to do… how about giving someone a good book to read on their Kindle, Nook, or on their computer? It’s fast, easy, and you can have it delivered on Christmas Day and know it will arrive on time…
Didn’t know you could do this? Neither did I for the longest time. I only found out a couple of years ago when Allan and I released “The Vampyre Blogs – Coming Home”. We were rewarding some of our beta-readers with a free copy of the finished product in whatever form they wished (trade paperback, Kindle, PDF). Most requested a signed trade paperback, but a couple asked for the Kindle version.
So we headed over to Amazon, got into my account, and pulled up “The Vampyre Blogs – Coming Home”. Once there we discovered the “Give As A Gift” button and clicked it. From there we were taken to another screen which asked us to sign into our Amazon account, which we did. From there we were taken to a final screen
This screen asked only for the e-mail address of the recipient we were sending this book to AND what day we wanted it delivered. It was the option of a delivery date that really caught my eye. Now I had a way of getting a copy of one of my books into someone’s hands right on Christmas, their birthday, you name it.
Now some of you may have known about all this, but for those who didn’t you now have more options when it comes to shopping for gifts. I personally love the idea of having a book to place in someone’s ‘Cyber Stocking’.
So for anyone who didn’t know about this option, now you do. And the best part is you can do that kind of shopping right now. The e-book will not arrive before the date you set.
Of course, being an author I’m going to shamelessly promote my books by providing links below where all my books are listed and you can choose whichever one(s) you’d like to gift to the readers in your life.
NOOK:
US KINDLE USERS:
https://www.amazon.com/Helen-Krummenacker/e/B07SRQF382/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
CANADA KINDLE USERS:
UK KINDLE USERS:
SMASHWORDS:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/byseries/39003
Thanks for tuning in and don’t be afraid to leave suggestions or ideas about gifting books that I overlooked in this post, in the comments section below.
AVAILABLE NOW FOR KINDLE, NOOK, KOBO, SMASHWORDS AND SIGNED PAPERBACK
“FOREVER HAUNTED”
By Helen Krummenacker is now available for NOOK and KOBO as well as KINDLE and SMASHWORDS for just $3.99
NOOK: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forever-haunted-helen-krummenacker/1135221417?ean=2940163404469
KINDLE: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0821Z6RMY
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07RSGKTDF
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07RSGKTDF
SMASHWORDS: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/993061
Life isn’t easy, but it’s easier than adjusting to being dead. Rafael Jones is still learning about his new diet, powers, and limitations when he’s asked to certify that a house isn’t haunted. But when it turns out to have the ghost of a murdered flapper, his new mission is to locate the missing gangster who killed her, the magic mirror that helped the killer disappear, protect his client, and stop a new string of murders. Magic and mystery collide in the summer of 1947, and our detective is digging up answers to questions going back as far as the end of WWI.
*And remember, you can ‘gift’ a copy to your family and friends and have it delivered to their e-reader on Christmas*
And finally, you can also get a signed copy of both the 1st book of the series “Forever’s Too Long” as well as “Forever Haunted” for just $20.00. And be assured that more books are coming next year for this growing series.signed paperback copies are available now for just $12.00 each or 2 for $20.00.
The author accepts checks and Paypal at (helenkrummenacker@gmail.com). You can contact the author by e-mail to place your order at:
helenkrummenacker@gmail.com
****NOW AVAILABLE FOR KOBO AND NOOK****
“FOREVER HAUNTED”
By Helen Krummenacker is now available for NOOK and KOBO as well as KINDLE and SMASHWORDS for just $3.99
NOOK: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forever-haunted-helen-krummenacker/1135221417?ean=2940163404469
SMASHWORDS: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/993061
Life isn’t easy, but it’s easier than adjusting to being dead. Rafael Jones is still learning about his new diet, powers, and limitations when he’s asked to certify that a house isn’t haunted. But when it turns out to have the ghost of a murdered flapper, his new mission is to locate the missing gangster who killed her, the magic mirror that helped the killer disappear, protect his client, and stop a new string of murders. Magic and mystery collide in the summer of 1947, and our detective is digging up answers to questions going back as far as the end of WWI.
*And remember, you can ‘gift’ a copy to your family and friendsand have it delivered to their e-reader on Christmas*
“FOREVER HAUNTED” Is Now “LIVE” on Amazon…
Just in time for the Christmas season, a good old fashion ghost story is the theme of the second installment of the Forever Detective Series.
The year is 1947 and private investigator Rafael Jones has already learned the hard way that the supernatural is all too real. Having been turned into a vampire, he’s trying to continue his work as a detective, while attempting to adapt to and understand his condition.
Now he has a new case to deal with. A friend has asked him to prove a mansion he’s inherited is NOT haunted. Unfortunately, it is… and the ghost needs Rafael for help and justice.
Can our hero find answers and evidence a 20 year old cold case no one knew about? Can he find the Prohibition gangster who murdered the young flapper? These things are harder than you’d expect them to be with a view of the murder on replay. As Rafael finds out, the secrets of the supernatural are not known only to the good guys, and gangsters with access to magic are all the more dangerous.
Find out in “Forever Haunted” available NOW in Trade Paperback and Kindle:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0821Z6RMY
AmazonUK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0821Z6RMY
AmazonCA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0821Z6RMY
AmazonAU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0821Z6RMY
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/993061
*LINKS for Nook, Kobo, and other outlets coming soon*
PRE-ORDER YOUR KINDLE COPY OF “FOREVER HAUNTED” NOW
COMING DECEMBER 1st
In Paperback and all e-book formats
The second installment of the Forever Detective Series
Life isn’t easy, but it’s easier than adjusting to being dead. Rafael Jones is still learning about his new diet, powers, and limitations when he’s asked to certify that a house isn’t haunted. But when it turns out to have the ghost of a murdered flapper, his new mission is to locate the missing gangster who killed her, the magic mirror that helped the killer disappear, protect his client, and stop a new string of murders. Magic and mystery collide in the summer of 1947, and our detective is digging up answers to questions going back as far as the end of WWI.
AND STARTING TODAY YOU CAN PRE-ORDER A KINDLE COPY, JUST CLICK THE APPROPRIATE LINK BELOW:
AmazonUK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0821Z6RMY
AmazonCA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0821Z6RMY
AmazonAU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0821Z6RMY
*LINKS for Trade Paperback, Nook, Kobo, Smashwords coming soon*
Two More 5 Star Reviews for “Forever’s Too Long” and a Release Date
The first new review comes from here in the United States:
An excellent post-war detective story with a fantasy twist. I would highly
recommendthis book to anyone who either likes fantasy novels or detective
novels.
Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RSGKTDF
And as if that wasn’t exciting enough, a 2nd review appeared over on Amazon Canada site:
5.0 out of 5 starsWell-crafted and hard to put down
November 12, 2019
Format: Paperback
Format: Paperback
Relatable characters, evocative scenery, and engaging dialogue make this
book a lot of fun to read. I especially appreciated the way that the female
characters (both heroes and villains) were fully formed, intelligent, and
autonomous – delightfully atypical of the genre. I am eagerly anticipating
the sequel.
Link: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07RSGKTDF
All this wonderful feedback is so exciting and I’m very grateful to all who are helping spread the word about this series.
And to top it all off, the 2nd book in the series is just weeks away from being released:
Life isn’t easy, but it’s easier than adjusting to being dead. Rafael Jones is still learning about his new diet, powers, and limitations when he’s asked to certify that a house isn’t haunted. But when it turns out to have the ghost of a murdered flapper, his new mission is to locate the missing gangster who killed her, the magic mirror that helped the killer disappear, protect his client, and stop a new string of murders.
Magic and mystery collide in the summer of 1947, and our detective is digging up answers to questions going back as far as the end of WWI.
