CONTEST-- Win a Free Horror Block!

Horror Block is the coolest pop-culture mystery subscription box in the world, and in November, they included my book, Rabbit in Red. It's been awesome already connecting with so many new readers, and I'm honored to receive your messages and thrilled you've enjoyed the read.

What I didn't know is that Horror Block had planned on sending me a free box this month. I already subscribe, so I actually received two boxes.

That gave me an idea-- CONTEST TIME! I will give away a complete November 2016 Horror Block box to one person in the United States (just to save on shipping costs, sorry, international friends). 

First, take a look at what you will win:

This is over $60 worth of goodies including: an adult large ugly Christmas sweater Cthulu design on a t-shirt, a Krampus Christmas ornament, an awesome Gremlins Christmas snow globe, Freddy vs Jason cookie cutters, and my book, Rabbit in Red with the Horror Block exclusive cover. Plus, you get a copy of Rue Morgue magazine, too. That's six awesome items! FOR FREE!

HOW TO WIN

I'm looking for people to post a review of the second book in the Rabbit in Red series, BURN THE RABBIT. You'll post a quick review on Amazon or Goodreads, then share it on social media and tag me, and you're entered! That's all it takes.

You don't have to write a book report, friends. Just write a couple of lines about what you enjoyed (assuming you enjoyed it, I hope!). Short, simple reviews are perfectly fine!

Haven't read it? Get a copy online or order the paperback now! Or swing by your favorite bookstore and ask them for it. The app, Tapas, has copies, too.

So, let me get more detailed and break it down for you. Follow these steps by the Wed, Dec 14 to be entered to win this amazing Horror Block!

1. WRITE a review of Burn the Rabbit on Amazon or Goodreads. Yes, you get TWO entries if you post your review on both platforms! If you've already posted a review, you can still be entered to win. Just skip to step 2!

(Note: To write a review on Goodreads, you need to view "desktop mode) or access it from a computer.)

2. SHARE your review online or at least make a PUBLIC status about the book and tag my Facebook page, Joe Chianakas, or my Twitter account. This is how I'll be notified that you posted a review!

3. You have from today (Tues, Dec 6) until Wed, Dec 14-- a full week to do this! I'll get the Horror Block in the mail on Thursday, Dec 15 in hopes that you get it by Christmas! WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON MY FACEBOOK PAGE THURSDAY, DEC 15 in  the morning on my way to the post office!

GOOD LUCK!!!

LINK TO BURN THE RABBIT ON AMAZON

LINK TO BURN THE RABBIT ON GOODREADS

My FACEBOOK PAGE-- be sure to LIKE this and TAG me when you share your review

My TWITTER handle-- in case you prefer Twitter, just tag me when you share your review

Capture November's Horror Block!

The month has finally arrived, November of 2016. For this author, this is the month I've been waiting for since June of 2014.

It's time for Horror Block.

And it's a big deal. 

EDIT: See my WMBD TV interview HERE! We break the news that I'm the first United States author to have a book featured in the block!

So what am I even talking about?

First, if you don't know, Horror Block is the hottest pop culture horror box in the world. For $19.99, you get a ton of swag delivered to your doorstep. It's a mystery, too, so you never know exactly what you're going to get. Every month comes with an exclusive t-shirt and fun items that never disappoint. Here are some of my favorites, from pillow cases to art to Funko to autographs to movies to just really unique, collectible items.

And in the November 2016 Horror Block, subscribers will receive Rabbit in Red!

And why am I excited? Well, the dream I had since I started writing Rabbit in Red was that it would be cool enough to be included in Horror Block. I made a reference to Horror Block in chapter one. When I was first offered a contract deal for my series (Feb 2015), I talked to the publisher on the phone and asked her if she thought this would be possible. She chuckled, but-- perhaps to humor me-- said "anything's possible." In the summer of 2015, I tweeted Horror Block and told them about my book. I kept that up for about a year, and-- in the meantime-- did everything I could to promote the book and make it successful.

In the summer of 2016, I received a beautiful message: "We read your book, we loved it, and we're going to need a quote on 14,000-16,000 paperbacks. We want to send your book to all of our subscribers."

Now, I'm spoiling the fact that you get my book, but there will be 4-6 other items in the box. I don't know what those are, but we've been given a preview. Here's what I know.

Horror Block posted the above image on their Facebook page. Could one of those be a hint about Rabbit in Red? In my book, the characters have to reenact the Freddy vs Jason fight as part of a horror competition, and the main character's favorite Christmas movie is Gremlins. I'm guessing we'll get something else from each of those movies, and they've just tied my book in nicely with this month's theme.

In the October 2016 box, they sent this preview:

I'm really excited to see what else will be included in the block with Rabbit in Red!

And, for me of course, it's just a huge accomplishment and honor to be included.

I've been steadfast that there's nothing traditional about publishing anymore. It took a lot of outside-the-box-thinking to be included in the box.

And, of course, I really hope this helps everyone who has helped me. Sure, I want to be as successful as possible, but the ultimate goal has always been to help others. I want to open doors so that I can push some other talented folk through those same doors. That's my dream.

I proposed to Horror Block that we use a new cover. Although we could have used the original, they love their exclusives, so we're using the art from Camron Johnson Illustrations to send a new version of the book to thousands around the world.

I added a couple of promotional pages for the teams that have helped me, including Terribly Happy (who created the awesome song "Enter the Rabbit" for the book), Apartment Two (who took some kick-ass pictures of me for book two's promotion), and Fitz of Horror (who voiced the audio of Rabbit in Red but has been a great friend and constant promoter, sharing the book to his near 100,000 Facebook fans).

It's the collaboration, you see, that I hope not just helps me, but helps all of them, too. And, of course, there's my team at Four Phoenixes Publishing. My hope is that 16,000 plus horror fans will need to know what else and who else publishes with this great team.

I don't know what's next, but it's exciting. I simply thank all of you-- readers and friends-- for supporting me and my relentless pursuit of my dreams, even through lots of rabbit holes.

Now, be sure you subscribe to Horror Block this month. There's a countdown to when subscriptions close on their website. At the time of this post, you have 19 days or until they sell out. Don't hesitate-- order yours now! When you get it in the mail, take a picture and tag me on Facebook.

And if you absolutely can't wait, here's where else you can get the book and connect with me.

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.

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

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!