The Fear Behind the Smiles

FREEBIES MAY 1ST!

In case you were unaware, the Zombiebabypocalypse has begun, as evidenced by the HypnoSpawn just before he gummed the hell out of us.

Yeah, he's a funny kid. But I digress....

For those who were curious about my writing but didn't want to fork over that .99 cents for a story by a relatively unknown author, I get it, and May 1st is your lucky day!

 

In celebration of Labor Day/May Day, I've got a bunch of stories along with my first novel, NEMESIS free-to-download for the entire day May 1st ONLY.

Not sure which one you'd like to read? Here's a little about each one:

NEMESIS: First novel in the Immortal War trilogy/series. Yes, here there be vampires. No, they don't wear glitter. The other two books in the series are LAMIA and THE TOWER (note that these last two are not free).

The Four Goldfish of the Apocalypse: A short short story. Somewhat poetic, and very tongue-in-cheek.

The Demon's Tale: A short story about a topic that has always fascinated me: what's under Glastonbury Tor? The reviews are in, and the theories that the readers have come up with are far more than I ever thought of while writing it, but I'm loving every minute of it.

Enoch's Devil: A fun romp of a short story starring the biblical man Enoch himself. Guest appearances by Lilith and Cthulhu. Because what story is complete without a surprise appearance by an ancient Sumerian deity?

The Lazarus Stone (Conspiracy Edit): The most realistic story I've written to date, and written under one of my pseudonyms 'Xircon'. Very apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic novella. No zombies, sorry.

The Stonehenge Man Incident: A bit of a short story nod to HP Lovecraft and Orson Welles, but told in torn snippets of newspaper articles that outline the mysteries of an apparent apocalypse.

All of the titles are available for Kindle and the free Kindle apps (so no need to own a Kindle). They are also available to loan to friends. I'm not stingy, and I believe everyone should have access to free reading, especially in the summer, so loan away!

Happy May 1st, everyone!

~ Suzi

Behind the Scenes at Second-hand Sarah

The little blog that could. I sit here putting together playlists of old jazz while listening to old Bauhaus songs ('All We Ever Wanted Was Everything', for those keeping score) and sorting through literally HUNDREDS of pictures from the actual home renovation we did here over the last few years.

Now when I walk around the neighborhood I bring my phone so I can take pics that will ultimately be incorporated into the Second-hand Sarah blog at a later date. It's a bit like playing chess in that I have to plan the posts in advance and keep track of where they should go in the long run. Eyes on the prize and what-not.

I'm trying to keep it as close to relatively realistic as possible, right down to the weather in Maine at this very moment. High of 73 today, current temp of 68. Tomorrow going up near 80.

It's a bit like writing The Lazarus Stone (Conspiracy Edit) all over again, but with a happier ending, I would imagine. No apocalypse in Sarah-land, after all. I mean that statement in the respect that I need to 1) research the hell out of the facts, such as the differences between Victorian houses and Colonial (which is what we renovated), 2) little things like local weather (can't say how hot it is in Maine today when it only got into the 70's, meanwhile here in central PA it's 90+), 3) put on my Sarah mask and write AS Sarah would. It's a trick I use when writing my characters in general, but I've never channeled a character on a long-term basis.

I also have to remember not to post all the blog posts at once and to make notes in the actual journal of how many days have passed in Sarah-land, and what date each post will be going live so I can keep track.

No. Easy. Task.

I'm thinking of creating a Pandora station based on Sarah's taste in music so folks can listen while they're reading. Now if only the internet would let me insert smells so the visitors to Sarah's house can smell that old wood and salty air and the lingering ghost of a pot of strong coffee. Someday... :)

Second-Hand Sarah: A Blog of Quirky Optimism and Explorations of an Old House

If you're wondering about my pseudo-radio silence of late, rest assured, I've been busy. If you haven't already checked out the new blog (special note: it's NON horror!), feel free to do so now.

It's called Second-Hand Sarah, and it's a bunch of fiction with some fact thrown in for anecdotal purposes.

Pictured to the left is the actual journal I've been writing in for the blog entries. Little notes, jots, pics to include, etc.

It's a strange process, this new blog. It's almost acting, almost writing, and a lot of making stuff up, scouring old pictures to use on the blog and digging through my own roomfuls of antiques and general clutter to find things that might have been 'discovered' during a renovation.

It's a fun process. Typically I write pretty early in the morning or during lunch, and I dress the part, which makes me laugh at myself. I put on jewelry or clothes and think 'No, that's not right, Sarah wouldn't wear that.' and change.

Likewise, music. Typical playlist for a Sarah blog includes new age, old jazz, classic rock, and sometimes even pop. Little to no industrial or goth (The Cure... where do they fall - pop or goth? I guess both.).

I'm playing a part with the blog, and discovering some things about myself while I do it. 1) I'm not bad at this optimistic writing thing. Not quite chick lit, it's much more empowering and uplifting but without going the gamut to religious zealotry or militant feminism, 2) the research is just as much fun as the writing, and 3) I genuinely like Sarah.

I also really like where the story will be going. Lots of hidden elements to the house, lots of secrets and histories, and just an absolute adventure as soon as the first explorations are made. I have to admit, I'm as excited about writing it all down as I would be if I were exploring an old mansion and finding all this crazy stuff myself.

Without further ado, enjoy Second-Hand Sarah's blog.

FREE ebook download of NEMESIS for a limited time!

Happy weekend after the first Friday the 13th of 2012. In celebration of this event, the first book in the Immortal War Trilogy, NEMESIS, is FREE to download for a limited time.

For other titles, click here to check out my Amazon Author page. The Kindle edition of NEMESIS should be free on there soon, too.

Don't forget to post a review if you download NEMESIS.

Happy 2012!

Free electronic copies and a happy 2012

For those interested in saving a buck to ring in the new year, post the link to my Amazon author's page today to your Facebook, Google +, MySpace, blog, etc. today and you will get a FREE electronic copy of my first novel, NEMESIS. Read it and write a review on Amazon, and you'll get a free electronic copy of the next book in the series, LAMIA.

Not sure where my Amazon author page is? Search 'Suzi M' in the books category on Amazon. If it looks creepy and dark, you found me.

When you've posted the link/review, please be sure to let me know so I can send you your electronic copy!

Spread the word and share with your friends so they can get in on the freebie today!

Brian Andrew, aka The HypnoSpawn

Been a while, I know, but there's been things afoot. Like giving birth to my son....

Saturday, November 19th, my water broke..... in the middle of a pizza joint. I made it to the bathroom and to the toilet (thank you, kegel!) before any major leakage, but then realized as the water continued to flow that I had no idea how the hell I was going to get OUT of the bathroom and to the hospital. I made it, with much clenching and praying.... and toilet paper.

Got to the hospital, went through labor sans epidural (ouch), and ended up having to have the HypnoSpawn vacuumed out of me. My doc's words when describing the vacuum procedure: "I'm not going to sugar coat it, it's going to feel like I'm putting the baby back into you."

'Go for it', says I, riding the hell out of those endorphins and screaming profanity to rival a fleet of sailors. Three layers of stitches later and several offers for Vicodin for the pain, and I was in the room and holding the lil spawn. Happy to say I got through the aftermath with a few ice packs and some Motrin.

We dropped by our neighbor's to show off the lil spawn, and she asked who the doc was that delivered the bebbe. Then she went on to let us know how great he is and how he's a member of her church and helps out with charities, etc. and all I could think of was the number of times I dropped the f*bomb in the course of labor. Then I wondered if I should send an apology card to the maternity ward at the hospital after that, cuz I had to have made some ears bleed.

The sort of funny part in all of this is that I haven't slept as good as the night I was in labor....

Spent the majority of today sampling music I had played for the lil one while he was in utero, and happy to say he still likes the music.

Enter the Give-away!

If you haven't yet liked my Facebook page, now's your chance so you can enter for a chance to win a signed copy of The Lazarus Stone (conspiracy edit) OR The Demon's Tale.

Please be sure to read the rules for entering the give-away before posting to the Facebook page.

For those who would like to enter, post a COMMENT to the Facebook page saying you want to enter.

Winners will be drawn at random and notified via Facebook. You will need to provide a physical mailing addee so I can send you the signed copy if you win.

Good luck!

~ Suzi

Here's Your Chance to Win A Signed Copy of 'The Demon's Tale' or 'The Lazarus Stone (Conspiracy Edit)'

I'm trying out my first ever book giveaway. If a signed print copy of my work isn't your thing, you can still download the electronic versions from my Amazon Author Page. They're cheap, and they help me feed my ego for one more day.

Rules:

1. You MUST have hit the 'Like' button on my Facebook page (and hopefully actually do like my novels).
2. You should follow my blog to keep up to date with book-stuffs and happenings.
3. If you win a copy, you will need to leave a review on Amazon for the book you win. 
4. You will need to message me your address so I can mail you the book. If you've got an issue sending me your address, please do NOT enter to win the giveaway.
5. If you don't like horror, please don't try to win a copy.
6. If you win a copy, it will be signed to you, so please plan on keeping it.
7. Please be sure to enter before midnight on July 15th, 2011 if you would like a chance to win.

Four winners will be chosen at random from the folks who respond to this blog entry on the Facebook Suzi M page.

Only those who have responded on the fan page will have a chance to win.

Feel free to spread the word and repost/retweet, etc.

Giveaway will end at midnight on July 15th, 2011 and winners will be announced on the Suzi M Facebook fan page..

Already Available and Coming Soon....

Despite my moaning and groaning about being unproductive, I've found myself to be a liar in that regard. I have two new novellas coming this summer, for your apocalypic beach reading enjoyment.

The first one some may already remember me discussing on Facebook ad nauseum. Thanks for reading my status updates. :) It's called The Demon's Tale and in a nutshell, it deals with a Dark Ages mind confronted with modern desperation.

New cover art is to the right here. Pretty cool, huh? It's available in both Kindle edition and print.

For the Kindle version, click here.

For the print version, click here.

If the tales of demons aren't quite your thing, you can always pick up the second release due out later this summer: The Lazarus Stone (Conspiracy Edit).

 

For those who have a copy of the original Lazarus Stone short story, never fear! This one is the FULL story. Unredacted, as it were. All the gorey details of the apocalypse and no innocents spared. It's perhaps the most disturbing story I've ever written, to be honest.

The cover art (shown at the left) is simple, to the point, and reminiscent of a government document (or for those in the film and TV biz, you may recognize good ole Courier font and script formatting).

For the observant, you'll also notice the name on the cover is not Suzi M but Xircon. Say hello to one of my pseudonyms.

Keep an eye out for The Lazarus Stone (Conspiracy Edit) release sometime around the 4th of July. I'm patriotic if nothing else.

The Demon's Tale - Now Available for Kindle. Print Version Coming Soon.

It's officially live as of this morning! Pick up your copy of The Demon's Tale in Kindle format.

Since I'm a bit old fashioned, however, and because I really love to sniff books, there will also be a print version coming soon.

So if you've got your Kindle or Kindle app and want to fill it up with some light demonic reading, click here to snag your electro-copy of The Demon's Tale and enjoy!