About Writing

A Kirkus Review of “Forever’s Too Long”

/ akrummenacker / Leave a comment


“A tense, thrilling paranormal adventure with a striking cast.”

A supernatural crime novel set in the 1940s focuses on a private detective.

This series opener begins in 1947. The narrator of the story, Rafael Jones, has set up shop as a private investigator in New York City. Rafael has an extensive background in law enforcement (both civilian and military), and he is eager to strike out on his own. No sooner has he put the sign up for Harmony Investigations than he is approached by a British woman named Clara Thomas. Clara has been sent to persuade Rafael to work for Interpol. She is a sharp woman, with a degree in mathematics from Oxford, who knows how to handle herself in a fight. She can also fly a plane. Rafael doesn’t need that much convincing, and he soon learns that working with Clara will be fun. It isn’t long before the two become more than mere colleagues. The duo starts working on a case involving stolen Russian art and other valuables. To complicate matters, a number of bodies seem to be connected to the thefts. Rafael must also cater to an old acquaintance: a wealthy playboy, inventor, and industrialist named Eugene Marshall, who lives and works in the Empire State Building. Eugene is concerned with the recent resignation of two of his employees who have joined a cult known as the Order of Repentance. When Rafael investigates the organization, he runs into much more trouble than he bargained for. Thanks to the infamous Rasputin, Rafael winds up meeting a vampire.

As Krummenacker’s engaging caper unfolds, readers are kept in a regular state of suspense. While it may initially seem as though Clara and Rafael will embark on a quirky investigation together, things take a turn when the Order of Repentance enters the picture. A tale supposedly about a missing Fabergé egg and some flustered shop owners eventually begins heading down an invitingly dark, supernatural avenue. Even a cool customer like Rafael couldn’t have planned for the hurdles he faces. But certain aspects of the story complicate matters without rewarding the audience. For instance, readers are assured that during World War II, Rafael repeatedly requested to be assigned to combat duty. The only reason he was forced to work in a military police capacity was due to his law enforcement background. This is not a particularly exciting or captivating part of his character when bigger problems are just emerging. In addition, the dialogue sometimes relies on such stock phrases as “Where are you going?” and “You’re amazing.” Nevertheless, the tale develops quickly, with the entire story coming in under 200 pages. Not much time is wasted once the main events get going and Rafael and Clara try to stop the bad guys. And even after the gripping novel has concluded, there proves to be plenty of intriguing material left for the sequel.

E-BOOK, PAPERBACK, AUDIOBOOK LINKS:

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RSGKTDF

AmazonUK Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07RSGKTDF

AmazonCA Link: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07RSGKTDF

AmazonAU Link: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07RSGKTDF

Smashwords Link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/938589

E-BOOK (only) LINKS:

Barnes and Noble Link: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forevers-too-long-helen-krummenacker/1131555250?ean=2940163217083

Kobo Link: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/forever-s-too-long

Apple Books Link: https://books.apple.com/us/book/forevers-too-long/id1463293739

AUDIO (only) LINKS:

Audible Link: https://www.audible.com/pd/Forevers-Too-Long-Audiobook/B08B2QFJMC?asin=B08B2QFJMC

Itunes: https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/forevers-too-long-the-forever-detective-book-1-unabridged/id1518693545

Nearing the Finish Line

/ akrummenacker / Leave a comment
(photo by Kenny Eilason)


 Every time I approach the last few chapters of a novel, I get a strange feeling. Part of it is nervousness– is the book suspenseful enough? Funny enough? Emotional enough? Did I leave a major question unanswered? 


But another part of it is a kind of reluctance to let go. if a book is like a child to an author, this period near finishing is when they are getting close to legal adulthood, and you are realizing they have grown up too fast! You need more time to savor their development.

And yet it is not only inevitable that they leave you and go out into the world; it’s the goal. 

Forever Chosen is at that stage. 

Writing in the Time of COVID

/ akrummenacker / Leave a comment

On the Big Table

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

/ akrummenacker / Leave a comment

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?

/ akrummenacker / Leave a comment

writer pillow

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?

NewCoverForeverHauntedFinal28129

Amazon Link: Forever Haunted Amazon

Ultimate Final Cover Forevers Too Long GIMP

Amazon Link: Forevers Too Long Amazon

Natural History…

/ akrummenacker / Leave a comment

I’ve always loved reading about the sciences. For the most part, that’s influenced my participation in the Para-Earth series, where paranormal and science fiction (in the form of parallel Earth evolution) come together. However, I’m finding my interest in animal life is even useful in the Forever Detective series. Many folklore entities are closely connected to the natural realm. Even unnatural creatures like vampires are able to shape shift and control animals to do their bidding– so it helps to know about those animals.

For instance, there are many types of bats, and vampire bats are a tiny minority. Insectivores are far more common, and the flying fox type– the largest bats– are not only cute, but they live on things like pollen, nectar, and fruit. If a vampire turns into a flying fox, it tells you he doesn’t think like other vampires.

For Forever Haunted, I had to do some research on moths, which was rather fun and unusual. I’ve learned about jaguars, too, as I will be using that information later.

I need to know about horses for book 3, Forever in Deep. I also need horse racing information. Anyone want to recommend good sources?

Everyone loves free samples

/ akrummenacker / Leave a comment

Whether it’s a pull quote, the preview feature on Amazon, or sites where you can read up to 20% of the book for free (I enabled the highest setting, because I have confidence people will want to find out what happens next), sharing is caring and I was delighted to see a reader share a bit of dialogue that caught her fancy via a Kindle feature. Go ahead and look.  Maybe share something you liked, too.

I also will be sharing samples now and then that don’t spoil the stories. Humor  in my books is one of the thing I really pride myself on and I as shocked to notice my posts so far haven’t been very specific about that. The characters both are deliberately witty, with sparkling banter or biting wit when it fits, and sometimes… well, there may be moments where Raf seems more like Buster Keaton than David Niven. Frankly, I think it makes him easy to relate to.

Buster

Hello, world…

/ akrummenacker / 1 Comment

No, I’m not coming out as a computer simulation of a writer. I just want to directly and specifically welcome people to comment or email me, with their questions, comments, etc.

I know I was very shy about writing to writers I liked. Many writers have day jobs. The ones that write for a living have deadlines, contracts, pitches to make, queries to send, and so on. I worried that asking them to take time to respond to one person was impertinent and intrusive.

Now, I’m on the other end of the pen, as it were, and I can tell you– it can feel kind of lonely! When you’re on stage before an audience, you get continuous real time feedback from multitudes. When you paint, you do art shows and get to peek at people’s reactions as they look at your work. Sometimes they come over and tell you what spoke to them, or what well-known artist’s style you’re reminding them of. But there’s a time delay with writing, almost always. I have Allan read my stuff in front of me, often, because I want to gauge his reactions. When I sent out my main draft to my beta readers, I was lucky enough to have a couple who were moved to write to me in the middle of reading it. That was quite helpful– sure, I loved my book, but it needed to be good to other people.

I’ve fixed a typo a reader spotted that slipped by proofreading, and I suspect my Spanish and Russian dialogue has flaws. If you want to give me a correction, I am likely to find it helpful.

All this is a long way of saying, I really do value my readers and welcome feedback. I’d even be glad to know who is reading my blog, even if you haven’t gone for the book. Some people just like to see how writers think and plan. Where are you from, and how is life treating you?

What you write, vs. what you mean to write…

/ akrummenacker / Leave a comment

I didn’t write a horror book. At least, I didn’t think I did. I wrote a detective novel… with elements of supernatural danger.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RSGKTDF/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

But… while there was some scary scenes, the overall tone, I felt, was too optimistic to be horror. It was an adventure tale. A friend said she couldn’t read scary tales when I was writing it. At first I told her she’d need to skip a chapter and I’d give her a synopsis. Maybe two. Then she said Harry Dresden books were too scary for her. I told her to forget it. And I didn’t hold back when it came to the creep factor if I had a good idea to build the tension somewhere.

But it was not a horror story. I’d written horror before, short stories. Those were grim. Forever’s Too Long wasn’t grim. It was full of friendship and love, music and kindness. Levity was sprinkled throughout.

A coworker refused to read it on the grounds of she didn’t read scary stuff.

I rethought how I’d been looking at it. It was an adventure, yes, and a tale of friendship and love, but couldn’t you say the same about Dracula, which authentically was about Johnathan struggling to get to Mina, Mina resisting the call of the vampires, and friends coming together to fight the undead monster who had killed an innocent among them. You couldn’t call one of the classics of horror not horror just because it had a happy ending. And the creepy stuff was creepy enough I couldn’t push it on someone who couldn’t stand anything mildly scary.

So, I sent a copy to a friend who reviews horror. I’ll see whether she thinks it’s horror or not.

***

When Allan got the idea for The Vampyre Blogs: Coming Home, he wanted to write the story of a man who was changed by an encounter with a creature from a parallel Earth. In the Para-Earth series, infinite, or nearly so,  timelines exist and in some Earth exists, but evolution happened differently. In this case a kind of intelligent slime-mold formed a symbiotic relationship with the man blown into it’s universe. And although he gets home, he finds that as a result of the bonding he is to all intent a living vampire, with a very prolonged life. Yet over a century later, he must deal with a monster from that same universe which found its way into his world. I’m a co-author on that series, because, although Allan does the majority of the actual writing, I’ve done such extensive work with him on the science aspects, creature development, and character interactions, he sees me as co-creator.

Allan wanted to introduce him to the audience through the eyes of two teen girls, one who had known him since her earliest days, and another meeting him for the first time. A lot of the story revolves around them.

Over a year after it was released, a friend pointed out to him that he’d written a young adult novel. He re-read it and yes… the teens were really the ones with the most important story arcs, as they underwent more personal growth in that frame.

Okay, so he’d written a young adult novel and it was obvious once someone else said it.

How can I support authors I like, you ask?

/ akrummenacker / Leave a comment

Well, maybe you don’t ask. But now you want to know, because once you fall in love with a book, you want more like it.

Review it! Many online stores and book sites allow readers to post reviews. A person is more likely to take a chance on a book that 50 people say they loved than 5 people say they do.

Recommend it! Readers have friends who read, and you likely have an idea of their tastes. A recommendation makes a person more likely to find out more about an unknown book. Some authors, such as J.K. Rowling, got further by word of mouth recommendations and kids buying it for their friends, than by traditional marketing methods.

Gift it! I’ve been running a special– the book retails at $12 each, but I’ve been running a 2 for $20 special via direct sales. It encourages people to either buy an extra as a present for a friend or talk them into buying one too and splitting the savings. And I’d never ask this, but two of my buyers spontaneously paid extra, so that someone who wanted it but couldn’t afford it could have a copy.

Speaking of buying direct– when I purchase a crate of books and sell them directly to people at list price, I get more of a share than the royalties if you buy from retailers. I imagine it works the same way for other authors. So don’t think you’re shorting us if you want a signed copy.

You’re also not wasting our time if you contact us with questions or wanting to share your thoughts. Art is about communication, and as FUN as it is for me to write Rafael Jones, I’m not just doing it for myself. Hearing from readers is very motivational. There’s a button to send me an email, or just use the comment area. I love you so much just for being interested enough in my work to come here.