A Big Decision

Posted on January 25, 2020 by dgunnadmin

After having had my books in the market for a few years now I’ve taken a look at what my sales currently are and what my sales could be. Many independent authors including some of my friends and and authors I admire mention that their paperback sales are slim to none and the majority of their sales come from ebooks. When I was trying to push Betrayal At The North Pole out the door right after I had surgery at the end of 2017, ebooks were the least of my sales and I anticipated the same with the new book.

Now that 2020 is here, that fact remains the same. When I go to book signings or fairs, I sell more books in a day than I do in a month with ebooks on Amazon or elsewhere. I want to change that. Selling paperback books at fairs is really hard work, not to mention the amount of self promotion you have to do akin to a barker on the street, something I’m not comfortable with and probably never will be. One of my mentors, Debra Dunbar ( https://twitter.com/debra_dunbar), and an one of the authors I admire, as mentioned above, J. Zachary Pike (https://www.jzacharypike.com/), have both mentioned using Kindle Unlimited. Reading Mr. Pike’s blog post about deciding to enroll his books and his reasons why (like Pike, the majority of my ebook sales are from Amazon anyway) was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me. Several years after having pushed the publish button on Murder At The North Pole, here I am pushing the button to enroll in Kindle Unlimited.

So, spread the word. Tell a friend. The Mistletoe Mysteries are now available in Kindle Unlimited.

2018 Updates and the End of 2017

Posted on January 1, 2018 by dgunnadmin

2018 is here and thought I’d share a bit about what my writing plans are so far. Of course, all of these plans could change in a moment based on real life happenings or even a random inspiration causing me to change direction. This happened last year when I had to spend a lot of time with doctors and a week in the hospital over the Christmas holiday. That little side trip unfortunately delayed the release date of “Betrayal At The North Pole” as well as the Audible release of “Murder At The North Pole.”

The third book of the Mistletoe Mysteries will take an initial break at the beginning of the year. There’s plotting work I’ll still be doing, but most likely it will not be my main focus. Last summer I plotted out the short stories that will comprise “Santa Claus and the Yeti Wars” and I should be starting those in the very near future. Those short stories will flesh out some of the history of the North Pole.

There are also some stand alone books that I want to take another look at the plots I have outlined and perhaps take another pass with a fresh mind at their plots and characters. After reading George Pelicanos’ “Drama City,” the stories of real life have intrigued and inspired me. He touches the heart of normal people and brings you into their world with a practiced hand. And I’m anxious to give that a try myself.

Many authors often start a new series of books while writing another one. This can often come at the chagrin of readers because it delays the next book of the existing series. I have a four part story kicking around in my head that my brain won’t let go of. This was how the Mistletoe Mysteries started out and I recognize that this story won’t go away unless I write it. This is one I’m excited for my readers to get into and more will be coming about that in the near future. This series will veer away from the Christmas themed stories and will most likely cause a brand change in the overall design of this blog as well.

Which brings up working in some time to rework the website as well. There will be additional blog updates as well as marketing, getting Betrayal At The North Pole onto Audible, and then back full circle to writing the third book of the Mistletoe Mysteries.

All in all, 2018 is already packed and it’s only day one! Buckle in, people, this year will be quite a ride!

Betrayal At The North Pole is here!

Posted on December 17, 2017 by dgunnadmin

ANYTHING BUT A WINTER WONDER LAND…
The Sinterklaas has tasked Christmas Special Investigator Steingrim Og with finding a missing spell, but he must first contend with a new assistant and aid an old friend. When mysterious explosions kill Elves regardless of race and word of treason among the Elves is revealed, Steingrim does not know whom to trust. His investigations uncover plans for an invasion by one of the Village’s deadliest nemesis: Jack Frost! If Frost and his army of snowmen invade the Christmas Village, will the Sinterklaas or any of the Elves survive?

The ebook version of Betrayal At The North Pole is now available! The print book should soon be available as well. Currently, it is available in kindle format with other retailers coming on board in the next week. This is the second book in the Mistletoe Mysteries series. If all goes well the third in the series should be out in 2018.

I enjoyed writing this book but felt that a year was not enough time. There were so many other things I wanted to have the characters do in this story. But, as writers know, sometimes the characters go off and do their own thing to get to the end of the story.

In other news, Murder At The North Pole should be available on Audible.com in the near future. The narrator is Gregory Salinas who did a fantastic job! It was exciting to hear my words come to life through his voice. His take on the various characters is an absolute joy to hear.

As so many are, I’ll be wrapped up in other things through the end of the year. More to come in early 2018!

Book Review – “A Kiss Before the Apocalypse” by Thomas E. Sniegoski

Posted on October 1, 2017 by dgunnadmin

“A Kiss Before the Apocalypse” by Thomas E. Sniegoski is the inaugural Remy Chandler novel. Remy Chandler, aka Remiel, an angel who chose to leave Heaven, is the hero of Sniegoski’s angelic detective series. The story is a decent introduction into Sniegoski’s celestial world, however, taking on The Apocalypse itself is an epic feat for the first book in a series. Remy Chandler interacts with angels from the ones closest to God to the ambitious and evil fallen companions of Lucifer.

Sniegoski gives his hero a human form that often agonizes over his decision to quit Heaven and his duties with the angelic hosts. This humanity is underscored by showing the reader Remy’s immortality and tenderness as he visits an aging wife in a nursing home. Even though Remy tries his best to keep his human form, time and again it is shown that he is still an angel at his core. Although, Sniegoski does not explain how Remy retains his full angelic nature despite choosing to leave Heaven and God Himself behind. Mostly this angelic nature is shown when Remy is physically beyond his humanity’s ability to survive or when he comes into contact with fallen angels.

At times throughout the story, the angel seems quite omnipotent and left this reader wondering why Remy Chandler continues to play the human charade beyond his love for his dying wife. But, this does not make the story unenjoyable. In fact, if one suspends this thought as well as most religious knowledge, Sniegoski’s story is quite entertaining.

A bit of research into the various religions’ view of angels, their hierarchy, and the names of angels will intrigue the reader after reading Remy Chandler’s adventures. The religious knowledge that will have to be suspended is knowing that Sniegoski chose to stray from the understood angelic myths of the various world’s religions. For instance, Remy encounters a group of angels called the Grigori, but some religious mythology says the angel Remiel was one of the Grigori. It may enhance the overall reading experience of “A Kiss Before the Apocalypse” and prepare the reader for the next book in the Remy Chandler novels.

In all, this title is a daring, but successful foray into the world and conflict of angels and demons and other supernatural forces for Sniegoski. I give it three stars.

Betrayal At The North Pole

Posted on August 2, 2017 by dgunnadmin

It has been a very busy summer. One of my sons participated in several baseball tournaments which, I’m sure any parent with children in sports can attest, takes up quite a bit of time. My day job has been a tad more demanding of late as well and I’ve spent many hours writing computer code instead of writing my next novel. With that, I want to update everyone on a few things going on in the Mistletoe Mysteries world.

First things first, I’m excited to formally announce the second title in the Mistletoe Mysteries is titled “Betrayal At The North Pole.” Once again we visit Steingrim Og, the Christmas Special Investigator, as he works to uncover who is at the heart of a massive betrayal of the Christmas Village. Stay tuned in the next few months for a cover reveal and more updates as the book progresses.

Secondly, I’m hard at work on getting “Murder At The North Pole” turned into an audio book. My initial plans for this fell through and now I’m having to learn so much more about how to go about choosing a narrator through Audible.com. I’m excited about soon being able to hear Steingrim’s voice somewhere other than my own head!

Lastly, as a side project when I’m not working on “Betrayal…” I have begun plotting out a series of short stories which is tentatively called “Santa Claus and the Yeti Wars.” I have J.P. Sloan to thank for this. If you have read “Murder At The North Pole” the Yeti Wars are mentioned in passing. J.P. said to me after a beta read of that chapter, “Now I want to know more about the Yeti Wars!” And that has stuck in my head since then. More to come on this in the next few weeks.

Answering Questions

Posted on March 11, 2017 by dgunnadmin

Recently I was asked some of questions about writing. These are often questions which come up when talking to people or at a book signing. Instead of just replying to the email, I thought I would answer those questions here.

What made you want to start writing?

Some authors say they’ve always wanted to write, that they’ve been writing stories since they were five years old or something similar. That’s not the case with me. I dug up some old very short stories I had tried to write back in middle school and yes, I even won a competition in elementary school. However, those stories were just rewrites of something I had seen on TV or read in a book. After that, I did not attempt to write anything else until I was in my late 30s. I saw a course offering at a local community college for writing classes and thought I’d give it a try. The story I started with back then is still bouncing around in my head and maybe one day I’ll actually get it down on paper. That course, fired my imagination and started me thinking about what story I would write next.

What is your writing process?

It’s basically broken down into a few phases:

Idea
Plotting/Character creation
Outline
Rough draft
Editing
First draft
Editing
Repeat steps 6 and 7 as necessary

How long does the writing process take?

The plotting time depends on the length of the story. For my upcoming novel, Betrayal At The North Pole, the plotting time took about two weeks. A quadrilogy I’ve started working on is taking significantly longer because of the main story arc that threads through all four books.

Thanks to Kallee for the questions.

A Successful Event!

Posted on February 23, 2017 by dgunnadmin

In addition to the Indie Author Event at the Athens Regional Library, I also spoke at the Franklin County High School. I spoke about the writing process and even got the kids to plot some basic stories!

Thanks to those who came out to the Athens Library too. Lots of interesting authors present including children’s authors and cook book authors.

Book Signing in Athens, GA

Posted on February 5, 2017 by dgunnadmin

I will be attending the Athens Library Indie Author event in Athens, GA on February 18th. If you’re in the area, drop by and pick up a signed copy of Murder At The North Pole. The event runs from 11 am to 3 pm.
http://athenslibrary.libcal.com/event/2994775

http://www.athenslibrary.org/athens

Book Review – “Soulless” by Gail Carriger

Posted on January 24, 2017 by dgunnadmin

“Soulless” by Gail Carriger is the first book in the “Parasol Protectorate” series. “Soulless” begins with the introduction of Miss Alexia Tarabotti and the Steampunk world she inhabits. We find the typical Steampunk elements: dirigibles, steam powered technology, top hats, Victorian fashion and manners, vampires, werewolves, and of course, parasols. Carriger has added her own twist on these by integrating the typical in an atypical fashion. The vampires and werewolves have incorporated into London society with their own sub-cultures which guide the story in new directions that keep the reader’s interest.

The characters in this story fall into three categories – intelligent with a sharp wit and tongue to match, intelligent with two-dimensional personalities, and ignorant with downright boorish personalities. Fortunately, our heroine in Soulless, and indeed, the majority of the characters she interacts with, fall into the first category while her family and best friend fall into the third. It is a bit obvious that these tertiary character serve to enhance the reader’s perception of Miss Tarabotti’s intelligence and wit, but they do so in an entertaining manner, sure to consistently bring a smile.

Entrusting the tale to the the intelligent and witty has provided a narrative that is fast paced with barb laced dialogue, and overall a fun story. Miss Tarabotti stands out in her Victorian world in more ways than one. She is tall, headstrong, and half Italian. Amidst these qualities, one would not expect to see a hint of naivete, but when it comes to matters of the heart, Miss Tarabotti displays her naivete in quite a typical manner, but it only serves to endear her to the reader even more.

Such a strong character as Miss Tarabotti must have a counter balance to keep her from dominating the story. This counter balance comes in the form of Lord Conall Maccon, the lead investigator for the Bureau of Unnatural Registry, the fourth earl of Woolsey, and the leader of the London werewolf pack. Not only does Lord Maccon occasionally keep the headstrong heroine in check, but he does so elegantly despite the romantic tension between the two. A hint of past official encounters between them intrigues the reader from the first chapter and continual references to those past experiences engages the reader’s curiosity.

Finally, “Soulless” is an entertaining page turner which introduces interesting characters and explores a rich fantasy/horror world which leaves the reader eager for more. Carriger’s next foray into the world of the Parasol Protectorate is “Changeless.” I give it 4 stars!

Book Reviews

Posted on January 22, 2017 by dgunnadmin

Back in 2011, I was asked by the administrators of Unleaded: Fuel for Writers to begin doing book reviews for their site. Recently, Unleaded shut its doors for new posts. I will be re-posting the book reviews I did for Unleaded here. The rating I gave the books were Scottish flags because my heritage is Scottish. However, I’ll be doing slight modifications, and using the standard stars and perhaps date modifications where necessary.