A Gift for Horror Fans

As Christmas quickly approaches, let me offer you a unique gift option for the horror fan in your life (or for yourself).

Rabbit in Red earned best horror book of 2016 by SIBA (Summer Indie Book Awards), and most recently was included in Horror Block as a special gift for thousands of horror fans around the world.

On Goodreads, it has over 80 reviews with an average over 4/5. On Amazon, it has over 70 reviews with a current average of 4.7/5.

It's been called the perfect book for horror movie lovers. In short, the book takes horror fans through a Willy Wonka journey where their favorite horror stories come to life!

The back-of-the-book blurb for Rabbit in Red

Here are special options to get a copy of this book-- including AUDIO, DIGITAL, and even SIGNED paperbacks!

Here's the cool thing about audio and digital copies: Maybe you're shopping last minute and need something NOW. Well, you can gift the audio or digital codes of the book!

1. Get the DIGITAL copy on Amazon for just $3.99 ($1 off the normal ebook price through the holidays).

2. Get the AUDIO book narrated by the awesome Fitz of Horror on Amazon, iTunes, or Audible. This is a perfect option for the horror movie lover in your life who may not like to read but would enjoy the story.

Those options above will allow you to get instant access to the book, and then you can send it to your friend or family member as a gift!

3. Get a signed paperback from our Etsy shop. This is a great deal, but please allow time to ship it to you.

4. Get paperbacks at Barnes & Noble or Amazon. (Note: Amazon told me "due to high demand, your paperback is currently out-of-stock, but we have ordered more and expect a shipment to arrive early this week." It may be best to order from B&N until that status changes.)

Perhaps they already have Rabbit in Red? The good news is that Burn the Rabbit, the second book in the series, is available now on e-book or paperback! Signed copies are also available from our Etsy shop.

So, take advantage of digital, audio, or paperback options and get the horror fan in your life a truly unique gift that will give them hours of enjoyment!

Follow the author on Facebook or visit his website to learn more!

Happy One-Year Anniversary!

As of September 26, 2016, Rabbit in Red turns one year old!

Let me start by thanking you, and let's celebrate some of our accomplishments!

Rabbit in Red has been picked up by Horror Block!

The absolute hottest, best (no doubt about it!) horror subscription box in the entire world is sending its subscribers up to 16,000 copies in this November's block! We've created an exclusive, new cover for Horror Block. This month's Horror Block is celebrating Stephen King. October's, among many things, is celebrating Nightmare on Elm Street. November-- we're celebrating Rabbit in Red. We've gone from an incredibly small publisher to reaching a huge, international audience. It's unbelievable to me.

Rabbit in Red earned best horror book of 2016!

Over 100 books were nominated. We took over ten percent of the entire vote. You all are the best!

Rabbit in Red was picked up by the app, Tapas!

Tapas loved the stories, and I was honored to be offered a contract to include my books on their platform. If you've never checked them out, you can download the app for free.

Fitz of Horror produced the audio book!

One of the most popular (the best one, if you ask me) horror movie pages on Facebook produced the audio book for Rabbit in Red, which is now available on Amazon, Audible, or iTunes!

Burn the Rabbit, the second book in the series, hit #1 on Amazon's hot new horror!

I'm really excited for you to read the second book. We're getting darker, creepier, and just a heck of a lot more terrifying!

Rabbit in Red earned Halloween 2015's Book-of-the-Day honors!

I'm hoping to get the same for Burn the Rabbit this year!

We hit seventy reviews on Amazon just today!

For a book that started with such a tiny publisher, this is a huge accomplishment.

Here's the thing: I know some of this surely has to come off as bragging. Well, I am proud, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I've never stopped giving up, and I never will stop chasing my dreams. But there's much more to it than that. Notice I always try to say what WE have accomplished. I know that I can't do it without you. My friends, my readers: You voted Rabbit in Red #1, you posted 70 reviews on Amazon, you talked about it enough to get the attention of Horror Block and now we're reaching not just hundreds of readers but thousands and thousands of readers.

Thank you for helping this guy's dreams come true. Your support is amazing, and I believe you get what you give. And you all got a lot of love coming to you!

Want to help me celebrate? Just keep doing what you're doing.

But if you haven't picked up the series, could there be a better time of year to do so? Grab a copy from your favorite bookstore or order it online.

Thank you for following the rabbit.

Get Rabbit in Red, the book voted FAVORITE HORROR BOOK OF 2016, today!

Available at Barnes and Noble, online retailers like Amazon, or request a copy from your favorite, local bookstore or library.

You can read it on the app, Tapas!

You can get a signed copy from our Etsy shop.

The audio book is available for those who prefer to listen! Get it on Amazon, Audible, or iTunes!

Follow the author on Facebook or Twitter.

The second book in the series, Burn the Rabbit, is available now, too.

Enjoy!

#1 Hot New Horror Release!

This morning, I awoke to great news: Burn the Rabbit hit #1 on hot new horror! Thank YOU-- my friends, my readers, all of you who got the book on day one.

Now, let me tell you all the places you can get the book and the upcoming events I'm doing, so you can get a signed copy if you'd like.

Get ebook or print from Amazon.

The audio book of Rabbit in Red book one is available on iTunes, Audible, and Amazon. Click the link of your preferred retailer, and download Rabbit in Red today!

Get any of my books off the hot app, Tapas, which allows you to start reading for free and then purchase new "episodes" with keys. Fun! Download the Tapas app for your iPhone/iPad or Android device. Then search for Rabbit in Red, Nightmares Under The Moonlight, and Burn the Rabbit-- all three are featured in Tapas' New Releases!

Of course, I also encourage you to shop local. You can request Rabbit in Red and Burn the Rabbit from any bookstore in the world. Call them up, tell them you want it, and if they don't have it, they'll order it for you.

In Central IL, thank you to Zeek's Comics & Games (Washington), Barnes and Noble (Peoria), I Know You Like a Book (Peoria Heights), Lit. on Fire Used Books (Peoria), and the ICC Bookstore (East Peoria) for stocking my books.

UPCOMING EVENTS

This Saturday, Sept 17, I'll be at Zeek's Comics & Games from 12-7 as part of their one-year anniversary party. I'll have all of my books plus some extra swag to giveaway! Zeek's is having all sorts of fun: the first 200 people get a free Batman gift, there's face-painting for the kids, tons of specials, and lots of other visiting artists and authors, like Camron Johnson, the artist who did Burn the Rabbit's cover design. He's releasing his own comic that day, Thy Neighbor!

On Sunday, Sept 18, I'll be at the Peoria Barnes & Noble from 2-4 with several other local authors. Come get a signed copy of Burn the Rabbit there!

Here are a few other events coming up in future months:

Book club reading & signing

    Tuesday, October 11, 4-6 p.m. Join Joe at the Chillocothe, IL Public Library for a book club discussion of Rabbit in Red followed by a book signing!

​

Get ready for NaNoWriMo!

   Monday, October 17, 6:00-7:30 p.m. Join Joe at the North Branch of the Peoria Public Library for a FREE workshop on National Novel Writing Month. 

​

Burn the Rabbit Halloween Party and Signing!

   Wednesday, October 26, 6:00 p.m.: Join us at I Know You Like a Book in Peoria Heights, IL for a special signing of Burn the Rabbit. Plus, we'll have a costume contest with prizes, candy, and more!

Peoria Public Library Book Fair

   Saturday, November 5, 2-4 p.m. Join Joe at the North Branch of the Peoria Public Library to get a signed copy of any of his books!

WHAT"S BURN THE RABBIT ABOUT?

Bill Wise can't wait to return to Rabbit in Red Studios--this time as a student in JB's brand-new Horror College. He's looking forward to learning the craft, renewing last year's friendships, and above all, to seeing Jaime, and finally asking her to be his girlfriend. 

But before he even gets to see her, one of their own is violently attacked. JB goes on the hunt, and the students learn about his troubled past, which changes their views of him forever. As their project, they create Rabbit in Red's most terrifying and disturbing challenge yet, Hellfire, and use it to recruit a new class of horror students. 

Then the bodies start piling up, and the mysteries become more and more dangerous. Is this another one of JB's dark games-within-a-game, or will Rabbit in Red--and everyone in it--burn in the end?

Follow Joe, the author of Rabbit in Red on Facebook, and visit his webpage here for more info on his books!

Book two now available!

Burn the Rabbit, Rabbit in Red 2, is now available!

It's here!

The first thing I'd like for every single one of you to do is to PLEASE grab the ebook from Amazon today. It's on-sale for 99 cents for a VERY short time to celebrate the release. Even if you're not an ebook fan, every single sale of the ebook is what really makes a difference in our ranking on Amazon.

My goal is to get to #1, but I will need help from EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU!

Get the ebook today HERE.

But of course, if you're like me, you want that beautiful paperback in your hands, too. We've got you covered with two awesome events this weekend.

The first is at Zeek's Comics & Games for their one-year anniversary. I'll be there Saturday, September 17, from noon to 7. Get a signed copy of any of my books, including Burn the Rabbit. I'll have some bonus prizes for you as well!

Then on Sunday, September 18, I'll be at the Peoria Barnes and Noble from 2-4 signing copies of Burn the Rabbit! Hope to see you either at Zeek's or Barnes & Noble, whichever you can attend.

CHECK OUT MY TV NEWS INTERVIEW ON THE NEW RELEASE HERE.

Don't forget: The new audio book is available, too!

I am so proud and honored to introduce to you the audio book for Rabbit in Red! It's narrated by Bryan Fitzgerald, the horror mastermind behind the hottest horror Facebook page, Fitz of Horror.

The book is available on iTunes, Audible, and Amazon. Click the link of your preferred retailer, and download Rabbit in Red today!

Know people who love audio? Tell them about it! This one won't make you fall asleep behind the wheel. Rabbit in Red makes for the perfect driving companion, and Fitz's voice gives the right emotion-- and the right terror-- to the story. I hope you'll check it out today.

I hope you'll support this project. Creating quality narration and the production of the reading took TONS of hours and tender-loving-care. I'm so glad such a big project landed in the hands of Fitz, as he took exceptional time and care to make this the best audio possible. Please get (OR GIFT!) a copy of the audio book today!

Audio Book Now Available!

I love a story where two or more passionate people stumble across one another, and when those passions collide, something great happens.

Nearly a year ago, I came across a Facebook page called Fitz of Horror. It was about horror movies, primarily-- a place to share and discuss one's favorites. Of course, I liked that right away, and when Rabbit in Red released (my book that Fitz called "a love letter to the horror movie genre"), I sent Fitz a message, asking if he'd share the book on his page.

He was enthusiastic and happy to do so (and since that day, I've noticed what a tremendous supporter he is to many horror creators and fans). Intrigued by the book, he asked for an autographed copy. For the shout-out, I glady sent him one.

Any writer is nervous what people may think of their work, and I was even more nervous about Fitz. You see, Rabbit in Red was written for people like him and me-- the horror junkies that just can't get enough, the ones who stay up too late to watch a movie, the ones for whom fall and Halloween are their favorite times of year.

Thankfully, Fitz loved it! He wrote a great review and continued to share it with all of his followers (as of the time of this post, he has 87,000 Facebook fans!).

As Rabbit in Red continued to find success, I decided it was time to do an audio book. I set up an audition, and to my surprise, Bryan Fitzgerald, the man behind Fitz of Horror, submitted an audition to read the book. It turned out to be fantastic. His voice enhanced the suspense and the terror I wanted to build, but at the same time, it provided empathy for the characters, allowing us to get into their hearts and minds. That's the combination I was looking for! Some readers were very good at being scary. Some were great at expressing a character's emotion. Fitz was able to do both.

We offered Fitz a contract for the audio book, and he accepted. He put in dozens and dozens of hours at a professional recording studio this summer, and now all of that hard work finally has a product!

I am proud to introduce the Fitz of Horror Audio Edition of Rabbit in Red!

You can buy a copy now on Audible, Amazon, or iTunes. 

I don't know about you, but several audio books I've tried have put me to sleep. Rabbit in Red, with Fitz's narration, is NOT one of those books. Download it today, and give yourself something incredibly unique to listen to on that drive to work or on your evening walks. You won't regret it.

Thank you and congratulations to Bryan Fitzgerald. Give his Fitz of Horror page a like, too, and be sure to follow along.

The sequel Burn the Rabbit releases this coming week!

Horror Block Exclusive!

I am absolutely honored to announce that my book Rabbit in Red will be hopping in an upcoming Horror Block box!

This is the coolest thing to ever happen to Rabbit in Red, and I thought I'd tell you a bit about Horror Block and how this all came together.

First of all, Horror Block is a monthly mystery box sent to subscribers for $20 a month plus shipping. Inside each box is a variety of high quality gifts. Here are the contents of their latest box I received just yesterday!

Included in the July box: Triple feature blu-ray, Psycho t-shirt, Friday the 13th hat, Walking Dead collectible, Rue Morgue Magazine, and an original Simpsons horror art piece. All that for $20!!!

I've received all sorts of cool gifts throughout the years I've subscribed, and now I can't wait until thousands of people open their box and find an exclusive, new paperback edition of Rabbit in Red!

Rabbit in Red will appear in the November 2016 Horror Block, but I recommend subscribing now and just keeping it current! It's a delight to see that box arrive and find a variety of goodies for the horror fan.

Based on current subscribers, I've been told that up to 16,000 paperbacks of Rabbit in Red will be included. That's why I'm excited: it's the chance to connect with thousands of horror fans around the world. In the years that I've been a subscriber, I've only seen one other fiction novel included in Horror Block. That was a vampire book called Bitten, which went on to become a popular television series on the Syfy channel!

What may surprise you is this: Being included in Horror Block was not only a dream from day one, but I've been working on it since the first words of Rabbit in Red were written. In that first chapter, you'll notice that Bill Wise, our protagonist, makes a comment on them being the "most kick-ass subscription box ever." Yes, it's internal advertising for Horror Block, but every word Bill says about it is sincere. I describe Horror Block as Loot Crate for horror fans but on steroids. You get ten times the quality.

Horror Block is one of the Nerd Block mystery boxes!

Even before Rabbit in Red was published, I had sent messages to Horror Block about my novel idea and what I was doing to celebrate them inside the book. That's right. I sent e-mails to them in the summer of 2015. Rabbit in Red wasn't published until the fall of 2015. Throughout the year, I would tweet at them or comment on a Facebook post. I followed up messages every so often, and then in June of 2016, I received this message:

"I fell asleep reading your book . . ."

At first, I thought: Well, that's rude. Just say no if you don't like it.

But then: "I fell asleep because I stayed up as late as I could on a work night to read. I didn't want to stop."

And then: "I'll need a quote on 13,000-15,000 copies."

Since then, Horror Block has sold out every month and continually gained subscribers. We're looking at up to 16,000 copies right now. That's a lot of horror fans and a lot of opportunity.

In general, here's how I function: for better or for worse, I'm the "always happy, never satisfied" kind of guy. Being a writer is tough. Think about it. How many books do you think the average person has read this year? How many books have you read? Now, there are fantastic exceptions (and we love you for it), but that number is awfully low as a generalization. Follow that up with this: How many books have been published this year? Or even just written? I honestly think there may be more writers than readers some days.

So I told myself, if publishing is a route I want to pursue, then there are two things I need to do.

1. Learn to be happy and celebrate any success. That means to celebrate a single sale or a single review. Forget hundreds and thousands of sales and reviews-- celebrate the individual reader, the individual sale, the individual review. You don't need 50 or 100 or 1000 to be happy.

2. BUT if you do want more than that, you have to find unique strategies. Not just the same old blogs and tweets over and over again. So I connected with a kick-ass band for an original Rabbit in Red song, we did a live action trailer, we got the best original artwork possible, we connected with horror pages and fans, we did event after event after event.

Happy, but not satisfied.

Well, I feel pretty satisfied today. But when I finish this blog, I'm going to get back to work on book three. (Book two in the series is complete!). Then I'm going to brainstorm other ways to connect with horror fans and readers.

Never give up.

Thank you to Horror Block for this incredible honor and opportunity. Sign up on their website today.

A few other shout outs:

Give Camron Johnson Illustrations a like on Facebook. Camron is doing the exclusive cover for the new Horror Block edition, as well as the cover for Burn the Rabbit, book two in the series!

Original art by Camron Johsnon for Rabbit in Red

Give Fitz of Horror a like, too! Fitz is one of the biggest horror pages and horror supporters out there. He's also the voice of the rabbit-- look for the audio book of Rabbit in Red this fall!

Give Apartment Two a like. They are a media content group producing new pictures and videos to pepare for Burn the Rabbit's release.

Photo by Apartment Two

Of course, I hope you'll follow me on Facebook, check out my website here, and sign up for my newsletter for all the latest, cool news!

For my local friends, I hope to see you at Zeek's Comics & Games (give them a like, too!) on Saturday, September 17 for the print release of Burn the Rabbit! We'll have plenty of copies and lots of extra swag and giveaways. Don't miss it-- it's their one year anniversary, and the place will be packed with lots of cool artists, authors, and specials!

To all of my friends and readers: thanks for your reviews, your love of Rabbit in Red, and your support of me. This wouldn't be possible without you!

Burn the Rabbit cover designed by Camron Johnson Illustrations

Subscribe to Horror Block now and be sure to get your copy!