Artist and Comic Expo Specials!

Hi friends-

I hope you Central IL folk will swing by and see me at the Artist and Comic Expo this weekend, June 11 & 12. I've got all sorts of sales and swag to give away!

The expo is at the Lakeview Center in Peoria, 1013 N. Lake Street, Peoria, IL 61614. The event runs from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, and again on Sunday from 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. I'll be there for all of it.

There's a ton of artists there-- much more than just me, including a dude who did some voice acting in Gremlins and Star Wars (how cool is that?!?). But let me get to my specials.

FIRST, you get the very first physical copies of my new book, Nightmares Under The Moonlight! Nightmares released on Amazon this week, and it hit the #2 spot on hot new horror! How cool is this? I'm still fighting for #1.

Online, paperback copies are $9.99. At the expo, I'll sell it to you for $7.50! 

Plus, buy Nightmares and you get this magnet, too! (Props to Camron Johnson for the awesome art work! Camron will be at the expo, too! He's got an amazing collection of art work that you'll be able to purchase.)

As they say in the infomercials, that's not all. Not all by a long shot!

If you also get a copy of Rabbit in Red-- my debut horror novel that at the time of this post has like 54 amazing Amazon reviews-- I'll throw in a copy of Nightmares for only $5.00. 

Buy Rabbit in Red, and you get two more gifts-- you get the Camron Johnson Rabbit in Red art BOTH as a fun magnet and a kick-ass poster (while supplies last). 

You saw stickers in the above picture, too. Those are from Fitz of Horror- the best horror Facebook page out there. Buy anything from me, and I'll give you that, too! 

I've even got Rabbit in Red coasters! Free with any purchase! That's FIVE free gifts if you buy both books!

The point is that this Expo is going to be incredible. I've got Rabbit in Red and Nightmares Under The Moonlight to sell to you, and I'll throw in all the gifts I can to celebrate!

But, like I said before, THAT'S STILL NOT ALL.

For the first time ever, I have HARDCOVER editions of Rabbit in Red to sell! These are VERY limited, but so freakin' cool! Online, the retail price of our hardcover Rabbit in Red books sell for $28.99. At the expo- you can get one for just $20.00!

ONE MORE ANNOUNCEMENT:

I'll be part of a round table discussion Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Come join the fun!

See you this weekend!

Follow Joe on Facebook!

Welcome to my Nightmares

Hello, friends. It's time I took a little time to fully introduce to you my new collection of horror shorts (now available on Amazon), Nightmares Under The Moonlight.

As I'm writing this, Nightmares is #6 in hot new releases in horror, with Stephen King holding the top two spots. I can't help but be relentlessly optimistic that I can beat him. Maybe even today!

Nightmares exists because of a few reasons. The first is because I had this really awesome Rabbit in Red short story, a tale that takes place after the Halloween events in book one. It's a story of a home intruder and a stalker, and it sets the stage for book two, Burn the Rabbit. I really wanted Rabbit in Red fans to read it and hopefully get even more excited for the second book (scheduled to release this fall!). Also, I thought it could be a great way for non-Rabbit readers to get a taste of that universe. Maybe they'll wonder exactly what happened that Halloween that makes Jaime so confident in picking up a weapon and going after a home intruder! That's my hope.

But I also wanted my readers to know me for more than Rabbit in Red. I love horror, obviously. I seriously have the most messed up dreams, and I love them (crazy, I know)! Each of the tales in this book is based on an actual nightmare that I've had. Here's the back-of-the-book blurb.

Yes, I dreamed of the semi-driver in my tale "The Destroyer." That printer in "PC Load Blood" haunted me late at night, too. The earbuds in "Easy Listening" and the Fitbit device in "Restless"-- you may wonder how I ever sleep after reading those tales. 

They are very different from Rabbit in Red, and as a writer, I want to have a variety of stories and range. So I made a goal to put together a one-hundred page short story collection.

It makes for an easy read to escape from work or school, I think. Coming up with horror ideas is always a fun challenge, and I hope these will make you think, "Ooh, great idea." That's all I ask for.

BUT I'm also giving you the first look inside Rabbit in Red book two, Burn the Rabbit. Near the end, I've included the first, unedited chapter of book two. We're getting darker and scarier-- book two is a wild ride and I can't wait for you to read it!

Here's the table of contents for Nightmares:

That's worth the 99 cent e-book price, right? Definitely.

Now, go snag a copy here and let's beat Stephen King. We can do it. With friends and readers like you, of course we can!

Don't forget to join me this weekend, June 11 and 12, at the Artist & Comic Expo in Peoria. I'll have print copies available to sign at a discounted price!

Thanks, everyone, for still following that damn rabbit in red.

6/6/15, 10:10 a.m.

Follow me on Facebook for the latest updates. 

Artist and Comic Expo: So Much Horror Swag!

I'm going all out for Peoria's Artist & Comic Expo (ACE) on June 11 and 12, and I sure hope you'll join me there!

What will guests have a chance to get? Besides tons of artists, comics, cosplay, vendors, food, entertainment and more, I want to make it worth your time to stop by and see me.

Here's what you'll get from me:

1. ACE attendees will be the FIRST to get a copy of my new book, Nightmares Under The Moonlight! 

2. ACE attendees will get Nightmares at a special discount! The retail price in stores and online is $9.99. But for you: Just $7.50!

3. Actually, I'll make it even cheaper for you, if you get a copy of Rabbit in Red that weekend, too. Get Rabbit in Red for $15 and I'll add Nightmares for only $5! That's TWO books for $20!

4. ACE attendees also get access to some awesome swag! Purchase either book from me and get this Rabbit in Red signed poster (by the artist, Camron Johnson) AND a Fitz of Horror sticker (Fitz is the coolest Facebook horror page, ever-- go give it a like!) while supplies last.

5. But that's not all! How cool would these magnets look on your fridge? 

I'm talking about the magnets for my books, of course, not my kick-ass Pac-Man or Game of Thrones magnets. Whatever book(s) you buy from me during the ACE weekend, I'll give you that magnet for FREE, too!

6. Oh, how about just one more freebie? 

I have brand new Rabbit in Red coasters! You can get this with ANY purchase, too!

So-- two awesome books for twenty bucks. Both signed. Plus a poster signed by the artist. Plus a couple of magnets. Plus a coaster. Oh, and you'll be part of the first group to get Nightmares Under The Moonlight. That sounds like a heck of a deal, don't you think? (And I'm still working on one more extra, actually!)

It's all because I want to share these passions with you. These books-- the stories in them, the time and energy they took-- I love them, and I hope you will, too. And it's also because I want to do all I can to celebrate amazing local events like Peoria's Artist & Comic Expo (give their page a like)! 

For my wonderful readers who live too far away to attend ACE, I sure hope you'll keep following. I've got a very special opportunity for you coming soon, too. Imagine all of the above items boxed together with ONE MORE surprise . . . it could be yours, and I'll give you all the details about that later this June.

Make sure you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, subscribe to my author newsletter, and find even more scares on my website at www.frightfest4d.com. 

Get the details about ACE here!

Life Update: From Moving to "Nightmares"

It’s time for a good old life update on the blog! My apologies for taking forever to update, and I sincerely thank those of you who pay attention and support my work. I even had a few Facebook and Twitter messages from followers asking if I was okay. I wonder if that means I spend too much time on social media :)

So, here’s a 2016 life update.

I moved! As of 4/20, I reached a new high in life (bad pun intended). Check out some of the space below!

A view of part of the main floor from when you open the front door: This is where I write when I want to write, as Stephen King says, "with the door open." 

Organizing my horror collection

A view of my office

Putting together my other creative writing space: This is where I work when I want to write "with the door closed." I love being surrounded by all my favorite books and pop culture inspirations!

Moving is a HUGE process, as many of you know. I have months more of work to do on the house. So whenever I'm slow at posting or being active online, it's a safe bet that I'm either working on the house or writing. 

Rabbit in Red Volume Two (Burn the Rabbit) is DONE! It just needs to go through one final and formal round of editing with my favorite editor in the world, Kathy Teel, who helped me turn book one into what I had always hoped it could be. I hope to release it in September. My goal is one Rabbit in Red book every fall or Halloween season. It's the BEST THING I HAVE EVER WRITTEN. I LOVE all of you who loved Rabbit in Red. It makes my day. But looking back, Rabbit in Red was just my warm-up. Book two is a total game-changer. I can't wait to share it with you. Expect to see some promotions and whatnot this summer if you'd like to get involved and help with those!

I’ve got a special collection of horror shorts releasing soon! It’s called Nightmares Under The Moonlight!

First, a big thanks to Camron Johnson Illustrations for the awesome cover art! I've got several awesome horror short stories and a few extra surprises in this collection. Right now, I'm keeping the content as a surprise: If you want a chance to WIN A FREE COPY and be among the first to read it and know those surprises, please sign up for my author newsletter HERE. That link will take you to my wesbite. The newsletter is free, and I promise to send something out no more than once a month-- you won't get sick of me. I don't update too often :) But when I do, it's to give away free stuff and tell you about cool news! 

Special events! I’ll be at the Artist and Comic Expo in Peoria on June 11 and 12. I’m working on the specials for that weekend, but the coolest thing is that Nightmares Under The Moonlight will be available to convention-goers first! I’ll discount the book and offer special prices if you buy that and a copy of Rabbit in Red, too. So please mark your calendars for that convention, and come out and be the first to get a copy! For those outside of Peoria, I'll make the book available online later that weekend, too!

Go HERE to like ACE (Artist and Comic Expo) on Facebook!

My ACE promo

On a final note, authors are often asked to give advice to those aspiring to be published. Let me tell you one story that made me very proud, and how it happened.

The other day, a manager from a Barnes and Noble store called me. She asked if I would do an event—a solo signing and speaking event. That’s huge! Trust me, especially with the big stores, it’s usually us authors calling them and hoping they will hook us up. It completely made my day! 

She said, “our assistant manager is a huge fan of your book!” Then she checked to see how many copies they had in stock, and told me, “well, we’ll order a bunch more. I have no doubt they’ll sell.” 

These are words that sent me on another high—a compliment from a reader who is also a bookstore manager! Plus, the confidence of a business that your product will sell: these are the little examples that make me feel that all the hard work I put into writing and promotion have really started to pay off.

Now, how did I get there? Be GRATEFUL and appreciative for all the opportunities you get as a writer. A few months back, I did an event with a half dozen authors at the same store. To be brief: virtually every author complained about the set up or was rude to the people in charge. I couldn’t believe it. I made sure that day to be even extra appreciative for the opportunities given me. Not every event is going to be perfect. You make the most of it, and all parties learn from that experience.

And, of course, guess who got invited back? And guess who didn’t? Not a surprise to me.

Be kind to the booksellers, business owners, readers, fans, and everyone who is helping you out. There will be poorly coordinated, organized, and marketed events. That’s life. How you react to such events will determine your success (and invites) at future events. 

With that said, let me thank some Central Illinois stores who have been nothing but AWESOME. I'm going to link their Facebook pages. Give them a LIKE, please, and even more importantly, go buy stuff from them.

ZEEK'S COMICS AND GAMES: what a treasure cove of fun stuff in Washington, IL. A MUST SEE.

LIT. ON FIRE USED BOOKS: a hidden gem in Peoria, IL with monthly events for readers and performers-- so cool!

I KNOW YOU LIKE A BOOK: a gorgeous boutique store in Peoria Heights, IL that constantly supports independent authors

Thanks for reading and supporting me, too. Please follow me on Facebook or Twitter, and sign up for my author newsletter on my website.

Get your copy of Rabbit in Red today!

My problems with The Walking Dead

I welcome guest blogger, Kalee Christian, to my blog today! Feel free to comment and discuss her problems with The Walking Dead!

The Walking Dead universe has been a rather large part of my life since the very first day the television show aired. I remember sitting around with my father, grandmother, and grandfather to watch what would soon become my favorite thing on air. However, when you get past what an amazing job Robert Kirkman does, there’s a few things that irk me to the core. With how season six ended (Spoilers from here on down! You’ve been warned!), I figured now was a perfect time to work out the issues I’ve been experiencing.

1. How are you still driving?

Gas has an expiration date, and it’s typically not this far into the fall of humanity. On average, gas can last about four months, but maybe up to eight if you add in a stabilizer. So, let's assume everyone knew that the dead was coming back to live, headed on over to their local auto store and bought the aforementioned stabilizer. That would still, at the very most, provide up to eight months. Now, even though the Walking Dead doesn’t date anything, it is a pretty safe bet to assume that more than eight months has passed in the six seasons. Lori’s baby drama proving this alone (but let’s not get started on that and how Judith is still around). While I’ll still take into account the fact that it is a television show, I’d still like some real aspects. It’d also change our character’s world right around if they couldn’t magically drive everywhere. It also would have saved one of our character’s from Negan, and Lucille wouldn’t have taken the place of Sammy Sosa’s corked bat for everyone’s least favorite bat scandal.

        2.) Speaking of cars, lets talk about Rick’s rides.

Again, assuming the predictability of the impending apocalypse, it’s safe to assume that car deals promptly launched all of their newest vehicles as soon as possible. That’s the only way it would make sense for Rick to be driving a car that wasn’t released until 2013 in season four. Keeping in mind that the show started in 2010, something that could perhaps be pushed back until 2011, it still seems odd that a shiney new little car would come about. Again, still know it’s a TV show, but does Robert Kirkman know that reality is sometimes way cooler than pretend? Sometimes.

       

        3.) No one can shoot until we need them to shoot.

This is true for any production, but nonetheless still irking. Take the best shot in this hypothetical universe, and they’ll just so happen to miss the main character in any situation. While no one wants their favorite to die, no one should be able to miss fifty shots in a row when it comes to aiming at the aforementioned character. Most recently, an example of this would be the sneak attack that occurred when Rick and company come into contact with the Red Rover set of walkers blocking their RV’s path. Sneaking up on an unsuspecting group that are located under you, it’s pretty damn hard to miss the shot but that’s just what happened.

        

        4.) Carol’s suicide (Super spoiler for books too!)

In the comics, Carol does herself in by becoming too friendly with a hungry walker. It’s a big change from the Carol we see in today’s TV verse, but still a huge plot that comes along in the comics. Sophia’s alive, Andrea becomes Rick’s ‘wife’, and Carl takes nine zombie filled years to sleep with a girl. The question of would these things still occur, and in what order, certainly come up with the idea of Carol still being around. It makes for one of the most iconic Walking Dead deaths - perhaps right after Glenn’s unfortunate end.

      5.) Why can’t The Walking Dead be on HBO?

Now, this isn’t something that Kirkman or any other show runners really had a say in, but it’s still a damn valid question. There’s a lot of plots that couldn’t make it on to TV, like how during the time in the prison, a child rapist comes in to sexually assault then behead Hersel’s children. It would have been perhaps one of the most interesting plots to see acted out, but isn’t safe for AMC. It’d be interesting to see an unedited Walking Dead be on the same level as Game of Thrones, and something that I can only hope for. 

Kalee Christian is an intern for Four Phoenixes Publishing, which houses, among many great books, my novel-- Rabbit in Red! Check it out, especially if you're a TWD fan. It's the book readers say horror fans must read!

Episode Two Recap

On Wednesday, January 27, the 2nd episode of All in the Reflexes went live! My special guests were the amazing trio of Kyle, James, and Logan from the pop-punk band Terribly Happy.

You can watch the show in its entirety here, and it's most definitely worth checking out!

But for those of you more limited in time, let me recap my five favorite moments from episode two, presented to you here in nice bite-sized portions!






The above clip comes from our round of "fill in the musical lyrics" trivia. James provided my absolute favorite answer, and I'll never forget it! "Party Rock is in the BUILDING tonight." Thanks for the laughs :)






In the above clip, you get to see Kyle imitate Logan in a Whose Line style improv game. James, as someone possessed by the devil is great, too. But the look on Logan's face when he figures out that Kyle is impersonating him: Priceless!




One of the reasons I enjoy working with these guys is because it's so clear the enjoy working with one another. In this Q & A about the band, Logan says something very meaningful: they're friends first and band mates second, and that's why they work so well together.






And of course, don't forget to preview their new song, officially releasing on Valentine's Day!

What can you do now?

I'd love for you to give Terribly Happy a like on their Facebook page HERE! Plus, visit their Bandcamp site to listen to their music.

I'd love it also if you followed me on my Facebook page where I'll post updates about my writing projects and upcoming All in the Reflexes episodes! You can also subscribe to my NEW exclusive newsletter-- you'll be the first to hear about upcoming guests and get a chance to win prizes every single month! Just go to my website and fill out the form.

All in the Reflexes is a LIVE talk show hosted by author & professor Joe Chianakas. The purpose of the show is to talk to cool people doing cool things. You can apply to be a guest here. 

What's All in the Reflexes?

It’s a question that is destined to come up every time I do a show: What the heck is All in the Reflexes?

GO HERE TO WATCH THE SHOW!

So, here’s a summary for you.

It’s a live talk show that I’m streaming on the web. I want to focus, initially, on central Illinois guys and girls doing incredible things. We’ll talk about life’s passions, we’ll play games, and we’ll chat about pop culture. It’s a grab bag of fun, but the focus will be on a person or persons from our community doing cool stuff.

Episode one featured ICC student and motivational speaker, Ruben Ramirez. Episode two will feature local pop-punk band, Terribly Happy—Logan Kiesewetter, Kyle Hamon, and James Wylie.

The shows air the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. I’ve been inspired by lots of things—like podcasts—but I wanted to put my own spin and twist on it. So it’s a webcam show, and it’s LIVE. You can always watch it later, too, but there’s something special about live shows, don’t you think? Anything can happen, and there’s no editing!

Why am I doing this? I like connecting with people. I'm a communication professor-- it's kind of my thing! I’m also an author with his first book on the shelves. It’s called Rabbit in Red, and it’s an exciting first story in a horror trilogy. The web show allows me to connect with more interested and interesting people! You can learn more about Rabbit in Red here.

What can you do if you’re interested? I hope you’ll do a few things.

1.       Like my page on Facebook HERE. This is where I’ll be posting updates about All in the Reflexes, including the links to each live show, as well as info on some of my other projects.

2.       SUBSCRIBE, please, to THIS YouTube channel. This is where you will be able to find and watch episodes of All in the Reflexes.

3.       APPLY to be a guest. You can do it officially on website HERE. Or, if we already know one another, just shoot me a message on Facebook.

4.       Finally, SUBSCRIBE to my newsletter HERE. Just enter your e-mail on my website. I’ll be sending out info once a month, including the guests that will be featured on All in the Reflexes that month. Plus, you’ll be the first to hear news about upcoming projects, and there will always be prizes to give away. Always. I like prizes.

 

The show will certainly evolve, and I already have many ideas. But for now, I hope you’ll follow, watch, and give some love to cool people from our community.

Thanks.

Here's the Facebook event invite for episode two-- click "JOIN" and you'll get a reminder and any updates about the show!!! CLICK HERE.