crime beat by scott nicholson

Title: Crime Beat
Author: Scott Nicholson

Pages: 53 (pdf)

Format: E-Book
Series: Novella
Published: January 9th, 2011

Rating: 5/5

Source: Provided by the author

Buy at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble for $0.99!

Summary:

Crime doesn't pay, but neither does journalism. When John Moretz takes a job as a reporter in the Appalachian town of Sycamore Shade, a crime spree erupts and circulation increases. Then the first murder victim is found, and soon a serial killer is grabbing headlines. Moretz comes under suspicion, but he stays one step ahead of the police, his fellow reporters, and seemingly even the killer.

My Two Cents:

It was a quick read and the mystery is very engaging. I was definitely sure that I thought this one character is the right guy that commit all the murders. In fact, all the clue and hints hit back to the guy, made me very sure of it. It's quite irony when we did something wrong caused by the other factors, pressured but we did it willingly even we know it's not right. All I can say is that the story is worth read and it's something you need if you like to guess whose the culprit in a short while. Plus, there's a bonus story!

Disclaimer: I received a review copy courtesy of Author Scott Nicholson in exchange for a fair review. Receiving a copy in no way will ever reflected my review and these are my honest review.

interview: Author Scott Nicholson + kindle giveaway!

Hi everyone! We have Scott Nicholson, paranormal thriller author at Darlyn & Books today as a part of his Kindle Giveaway Blog Tour. It's really exciting to have him again here. If you all remember, he wrote for a guest post at Darlyn & Books entitled "The New Era of Reading" a couple of month ago and I also had his book reviewed; The Red Church. There's the giveaway details at the end of the interview. Enjoy!


D: It’s been two months since your Kindle Giveaway Blog Tour began. How do you feel?

SN: I’m enjoying it a lot. I’ve made some new friends and led people to new book blogs, and only a couple of times have I had those “Where am I today?” moments. It has taken away from my writing time, but in the new publishing era, book bloggers are the center of the action.


D: I think you did a great jump start on the phenomenon of Kindle/E-readers and e-books. Everyone’s talking/discussing/twitting about Scott Nicholson Kindle Giveaway around blogosphere. How do you take it? It’s a good thing right? (And not because the readers only want a free Kindle *wink*)

SN: We all dig free stuff, and one of the tricky things is some people on the tour don’t buy e-books yet because they don’t have a kindle. But I think many of the people who don’t win will probably buy one by Christmas. I actually got a bit of a late start because I’ve only been doing this 10 months, but I immediately saw all the benefits of the new era—the most important being the immediate connection with readers.


D: It’s amazing how you setting up the 90 Days Blog Tour and it’s nonstop. WOW. I’ve been around reading your posts on other blogs as well and every day is a new thing we get from you, very refreshing. If I were you, it’s hard to keep it real and organized but you did really great. How you did you do it? Got any extra hands?

SN: The only hard part was personally contacting probably 250 bloggers to set up dates. I didn’t have a list or a plan, I just started prowling the Internet. This whole idea was born in mid-July and originally I was going to give away one paper book per stop, then I realized that wasn’t my audience now. Sane writers generally do one-week blog tours, or one month at the most, but I wasn’t going to promote just one book, I was going to talk about the entire Scott Nicholson universe, which had never been revealed in all its strange, kaleidoscopic splendor. Plus I figured at some point I’d fail spectacularly and at least provide some entertainment.


D: Okay, let’s talk about your amazing books. I’ve read The Red Church and it’s brilliant and planning to read Drummer Boy for Halloween. At first I thought it’s just horror and scary but it has thrills at the same time. All your books have the same elements and keep me wondering if you write what scares you or assume that it will scare your readers when you wrote them? Do you plot the mystery, characters and everything too?

SN: Well, I don’t really plot, and I borrow a lot from local legends, and my core work is definitely paranormal and supernatural thrillers, but the new era and publishing my own work has allowed me to branch out in ways that would be nearly impossible in conventional publishing. I can do anything I want and all I have to do is convince you to give it a try. But the reader is the ultimate boss, and readers will tell me what sorts of things I should be writing and which things I should quit instantly.


D: Just want to hear out your opinion. Yes, we know E-books are a new era. But what about the price? They are expensive as the printed books and not everyone can afford to have e-readers. How can we reduce the entire e-books price and make them cheaper and affordable? (I’m not being pessimist but it’s a fuss among readers. We can’t wait for free stuff forever).

SN: Well, e-reader prices are already dropping, and so are e-book prices, but it’s not something you’d noticed unless you really track the trends and data. The evolution is accelerating faster than all the pundits predicted, but the pundits have been wrong about practically everything. The iPad was supposed to be the publisher’s savior and compete with Kindle, but it actually secured the Kindle app as the default reader of choice and spurred sales of Kindle books. Not many people are using the iBookstore. It was just another in a series of mistakes by publishers, but they have it tough and I can understand why they seek to protect what they know, because change is very threatening to anything that has a “tradition.”

The writers, readers, and publishers who are adapting the fastest have no investment in the old system, whether it’s the nostalgia of paper books or the dubious “legitimacy” of being accepted by New York. What’s really cool to me is that right now a reader can buy basically everything I’ve ever written for about the price of one hardcover book.


D: So what’s next? The tour will end at the end of the month. Do you have any upcoming projects you can tell us about? Any new book in progress?

SN: I launched four or five books while I’ve been on tour, and I haven’t really had time to promote them much or get out review copies. I just released the crime thriller Disintegration yesterday as a 99 cent special for a limited time. The next book is Cursed!, a fun paranormal romance co-authored with Kindle bestseller J.R. Rain that should be out this month. Then I have a few short-story bundles for winter as I finish the next book in the October Girls series.


D: So, are we going to know you as a paranormal thriller writer forever? Any plan to change writing style or genre?

SN: Well, I just remembered I have two new graphic novels out, Grave Conditions and Dirt. Grave Conditions features J.A. Konrath, Brian Keene, Stephen Susco, Jonathan Maberry and more, and Dirt has my adapted short stories. I should have my first children’s book out very soon—“If I Were Your Monster,” with art by Lee Davis. We’re working on another one now. And I’ve already started a sequel to As I Die Lying but it will probably be spring before it’s done.


D: Okay, last but not least. What is your normal day as when you are not writing? Or are you writing every day?

SN: Well, I’m a full-time newspaper reporter and I love my job but of course I’d rather be doing my own thing. But I was thinking about this just the other day, how right now I don’t have time to be successful. If I were a huge bestseller, it would put a lot of demands on me and I want to have some more books out and do my own thing for a while longer before there are “expectations.” One thing’s for sure, this indie game is a lot better business model for a writer than the old way, where you were shooting craps and had little chance at a future. Sure, there are a handful of millionaire bestsellers, but the story of most writers is that they died sick and broke, long forgotten by their publishers. Independent e-books are as close as a writer can get to a real pension fund.


D: Last one. Promise. What you love most about Halloween? Is there any spectacular activity or any traditions in your family on Halloween?

SN: Well, I like Halloween but Thanksgiving is still my favorite holiday. Halloween is 365 for me. I never have a problem putting on a mask, and it’s even more fun when it’s not the one socially acceptable time to do it.


D: Any last word before we wrap it up?

SN: Tater tots. But that’s two words. Thanks for hosting, Darlyn, and good luck with the Kindle giveaways, everyone. I wish I had a hundred to give you.

Thanks so much Scott for spending some time here!

About the Author

Scott Nicholson is author of 12 novels, including the thrillers Speed Dating with the Dead, Drummer Boy, Forever Never Ends, The Skull Ring, As I Die Lying, Burial to Follow, and They Hunger. His revised novels for the U.K. Kindle are Creative Spirit, Troubled, and Solom. He’s also written four comic series, six screenplays, and more than 60 short stories. His story collections include Ashes, The First, Murdermouth: Zombie Bits, and Flowers.



To be eligible for the Kindle DX, simply post a comment below with contact info. Feel free to debate and discuss the topic, but you will only be entered once per blog. Visit all the blogs on the tour and increase your odds. I’m also giving away a Kindle 3 through the tour newsletter and a Pandora’s Box of free e-books to a follower of “hauntedcomputer” on Twitter. Thanks for playing. Complete details at Blog Tour Site.

guest post: Author Scott Nicholson

I would like to welcome Scott Nicholson, a Paranormal Thrillers author to Darlyn & Books. I've read one of his amazing book, The Red Church and you can read my review here.

The New Era of Reading

You probably grew up with paper books if you’re reading this blog. If you are like me, you probably get nostalgic over the smell of a book, or remember the bright colors on the pages of your first books and the great feeling of sitting on a lap while someone read to you.

But nearly one in 10 books sold is now a digital book, and the revolution is gathering speed. I’d dabbled in ebooks six or seven years ago, and like most people, I didn’t want to sit at a computer and read a book. I wasn’t keeping up with technology, and the Kindle has now met readers and readers at a place called “affordable convenience.”

When I experimented by putting out The Red Church in January, it was almost an act of desperation. The book had been out of print for five years, even though it had sold very well, and my last book on the shelves was in 2007. The publishing industry had changed so much that I wasn’t sure my books would work there any more, and even if I did, the wait would mean it would probably be 2012 before I had another book out.

The Red Church immediately found a new audience and that was very satisfying—not just a chance to get some sales and make income, but a chance to share that story and those ideas with readers. And that is the biggest advantage of the digital age: all work can be available instantly, all over the world, at all times. I was so pleased with the reaction and the ability to connect with readers again that I put out two original paranormal thrillers: Drummer Boy and Speed Dating with the Dead, as well as the suspense thriller The Skull Ring and three story collections. I love it.

More than anything, I love the instant new community of readers and writers I’ve found through ebooks and primarily the Kindle. Readers can email me in the middle of the book and are not just shaping the commercial landscape, they are helping create the content by sharing what they like and don’t like.

With my wife at a comic convention.
She's only read one of my books but I love her anyway.

In fact, I am working on a new idea that will put readers right into the book if they want. And readers also benefit from the digital age because they have more power over pricing than ever before, and their purchases will directly influence the market. I’ve heard wonderful stories about the ability to change text sizes that has helped people with vision impairment rediscover books, and teachers taking Kindles into classrooms. I am embarking on a Kindle giveaway tour from September through November, because the device has launched Act II of my career. You can learn details here.

You don’t have to fear change—digital books are putting the future in your hands.

About the author

Scott Nicholson is an author of 12 novels, four story collections, six screenplays, and four comics series. He’s also a freelance writer and journalist in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

You can visit his web site HERE

Thanks so much Scott for your time at Darlyn & Books! I really agree with him. An E-Reader would probably change our reading, in a good way. I will need to get one though. =)

the red church by scott nicholson

Title: The Red Church
Author: Scott Nocholson
Pages: 182 (e-Book, pdf)
Rating: 3.5/5

Summary (Amazon):

For 13-year-old Ronnie Day, life is full of problems: Mom and Dad have separated, his brother Tim is a constant pest, Melanie Ward either loves him or hates him, and Jesus Christ won't stay in his heart. Plus he has to walk past the red church every day, where the Bell Monster hides with its wings and claws and livers for eyes. But the biggest problem is that Archer McFall is the new preacher at the church, and Mom wants Ronnie to attend midnight services with her.

Sheriff Frank Littlefield hates the red church for a different reason. His little brother died in a freak accident at the church twenty years ago, and now Frank is starting to see his brother's ghost. And the ghost keeps demanding, "Free me." People are dying in Whispering Pines, and the murders coincide with McFall's return.

The Days, the Littlefields, and the McFalls are descendants of the original families that settled the rural Appalachian community. Those old families share a secret of betrayal and guilt, and McFall wants his congregation to prove its faith. Because he believes he is the Second Son of God, and that the cleansing of sin must be done in blood.

My Say:

First of all, the church in this book really is red. I thought it just portrayed as a dark and horror about it. I have to admit I never read a horror genre books. Maybe I've read RL Stine's Goosebumps or Christopher Pike's Witch before, but it was hardly a horror like Scott Nicholson. When Scott emailed and asked if I'm interested to review his book, I think I have to grab the chance. If I don't have that kind of motivation, I don't think I'll read a horror books nowadays. And Stephen King is never on my list. Maybe I easily chicken out.

My Opinion:

This is a brilliant horror story that I ever read. The story is very engaging and I was left wanting to know more. Honestly, I stop reading for a few days nearly at the middle of the read because I have to pull my guts to continue reading it. There's a lot of mysteries and supernatural horror incidents in the story, it really creeps me out a few times.

Apart from religion's faith and believes, I found the book very original and Scott's writing style is very good. He really did it very well to relate the past and present's setting along with the characters and it sounds so believable. Ronnie's and Frank's character are very strong and I like how he portrayed their characters. And other than creepiness, the book also a page turner, a fast pace read and if you are strong enough, you wouldn't hold on for a few days like me. And all the horror scenes are just that horror! Sometimes I don't remember I hold my breath for so long that I nearly sweat. (May be I am just that scaredy-cat).

I can't compare the book with any other horror books as this is actually my first time reading a 'true' horror book. Nonetheless, I really recommend you guys to read the book and enjoy the creepiness of it. See how your it gets your spine. And just for the record, I read this only during day time, just to get me out of nightmares.

Disclaimer:I received the review copy courtesy of the author, Scott Nicholson. Though I received the book in exchange for fair review, these are my honest opinions and in no way will ever reflected my review.

Note: The review is linked up with CEP. For more information, heads to YA Addict.