Kyrin's Insight

A Little Redecorating

Richard Jackson — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:59:48 +0000

I’ve been doing a little redecorating to the blog more readable for those who follow my blog via Goodreads and Amazon. The biggest change will take place in the Short Story and Excerpts section. With any luck, I should be done fixing things by the end of the month. Once I’m done, I’ll post the final part of Paradox Play and a new Count Albritton story.

Confessions of a Publisher

Richard Jackson — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:10:00 +0000

Sean Sweeney, author of Model Agent, pointed me in the direction of Confessions of a Publisher: “We’re in Amazon’s Sights and They’re Going to Kill Us” by Sarah Lacey.

It makes for interesting reading.

One of Those Days

Richard Jackson — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:22:48 +0000

It’s been one of those days. When I say that, I mean it in a good way. Even if things could be better, I’m in a comfortable place where my writing is concerned. Although inner peace eludes me, I am reasonably conent. When I have one of these days, I’m more inclined to talk about what’s going through my head. Stories beg to be told as my muse works overtime to make up for those days when she has nothing to say to me.

This morning, I have a clear idea of where I want to go with a story and how it will end. Now that the hard part is over, the fun can begin. It’s the part where the characters show me what they’re made of. Sometimes they surprise me with where they want to go and how they get there. This journey is one of the things I love about writing and telling stories. I don’t lead my characters to their destination. I point the way and let them take me there. That way I can enjoy the ride. When I’m done with a story, I hope people enjoy it as much as I did telling it.

Book of the Week: Elric: The Stealer of Souls

Richard Jackson — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:47:31 +0000

When Michael Moorcock began chronicling the adventures of the albino sorcerer Elric, last king of decadent Melniboné, and his sentient vampiric sword, Stormbringer, he set out to create a new kind of fantasy adventure, one that broke with tradition and reflected a more up-to-date sophistication of theme and style. The result was a bold and unique hero–weak in body, subtle in mind, dependent on drugs for the vitality to sustain himself–with great crimes behind him and a greater destiny ahead: a rock-and-roll antihero who would channel all the violent excesses of the sixties into one enduring archetype.

January Special

Richard Jackson — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:41:29 +0000

You can download The Incarnates: Lovers for free from Amazon. This special offer will last until January 19th.

Book of the Week: Assassin’s Curse (The Witch Stone Prophecy)

Richard Jackson — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:54:57 +0000

When elite assassin Jeda received his assignment to kill a witch and deliver her twin daughters to the Countess of Berkshire, he had no idea it would be his last. The witch stuns him with an elemental blast, but not before he’s able to throw his knife. When Jeda regains consciousness, the dying witch is performing a compelling spell between him and her twin daughters.

Now bonded to the girls, Jeda’s old life is forfeit. His only thought is to take the girls and run as far away as he can. He has no idea that the twins are the ones spoken of in the long-lost prophecy of The Witch Stone. Forces are gathering: the white witches want to teach them; the Countess wants her grandchildren back, and the guild has sent their best assassin to bring Jeda back, dead or alive.

Jeda must use all of his assassin skills to stay one step ahead of them all, but will it be enough to save himself and keep the children of prophecy alive?

Out of the Box Thinking

Richard Jackson — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 08:29:33 +0000

A while back, I wrote several short stories that tied into my Count Albritton series. The stories featured two new characters, Bethany and Caine. The idea was to turn these stories into a series and to see Count Albritton’s world from a different perspective.

Sales have been sluggish. It could be the book’s length, the stories, lack of marketing, or some other factor. I’m not going to agonize over sales figures and book rankings. I’m going to do something about it.

I could do all the usual stuff to help jumpstart sales but I wanted to try something different. Now, this is a little out of the box so please bear with me. I won’t be publishing another book in the series. Instead, I will add stories and content to the existing ebook. The important fact is that those who have already purchased The Incarnates: Lovers will not need to buy a new copy of the ebook to get access to the new stories. Whenever I add stories and content to the book, I will post here on this blog. When I make a major update, I will also have Amazon will send out an email with instructions on how to get the updated version with the additional content. I’m not looking to spam anyone.

In a way, I’m treating The Incarnates: Lovers like a magazine or comic book subscription. Some of you might be wondering how many stories I plan to add. I don’t have a firm number in my head. Originally, I planned to add four more short stories and a novella to the book. I might add more. That’s up to my muse. Regardless, the number and quality of the stories will more than justify the current price of 99 cents. As for how often I plan to add content, the answer is whenever they are fit to print.

Hopefully, this might attract readers. If this idea works, I might do something similiar with the fantasy series I am working on. Let me know what you think about this idea.

Book of the Week: Apocalypto (Omnibus Edition)

Richard Jackson — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 01:59:03 +0000

This is the Omnibus Edition of the Apocalyptos, an Apocapunk Science Fiction Fantasy. It contains the books: Space Junque, Spiderwork, and Bleeder.

Space Junque was nominated for the Best romantic Science Fiction/Fantasy and Best Debut Book in 2010 by The Romance Reviews.

Bleeder was nominated for Best PNR – Alien/Other World (2011) by The Romance Reviews

A New Year and a New Book

Richard Jackson — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 13:15:22 +0000

Happy New Year One and All. I’m starting the year off right with a new book. Hunter’s Moon is now availble for Kindle.

Enter the world of Count Albritton. It is a world where magic and the supernatural are very real. Creatures of legend, sorcerers and other powers walk among us. As a paranormal investigator, Count helps people with supernatural problems the authorities are either unwilling or unable to deal with. It’s dangerous work. Luckily he has Kara, a beautiful guardian angel to help him.

Over the years, Count has made a lot of friends and enemies. Nerva is one of his closest and oldest friends yet a lot about the beautiful vampire is a mystery to him.

Under the Hunter’s Moon, some of Nerva’s secrets are finally revealed.

A Belated X-mas Update

Richard Jackson — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:15:02 +0000

I hope everyone had a very happy holiday weekend. A lot of stuff came up at the last minute that I needed to deal with. That’s why I didn’t make any blog posts the last few days.

Unfortunately, things are going to be just as busy this week. Just in case I don’t get a chance to post, I want to wish everyone a happy and safe new year. I also want to say thanks to everyone who decided to give one of my books a chance. I’ve sold more books this year than I did last year. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy knowing some people like my stories.

Next week, I’ll have the third part of Paradox Play posted along with a new Count Albritton story.