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Showing posts from 2014

Thoughts and Ponderings For The Coming Year...

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First off, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year's Eve.  We've gotten through another year, and I hope that whatever you do to celebrate tonight, please be safe. This past year has been another interesting one, especially with the release of the second novel in my Para-Earth Series.  "The Ship" has gotten a number of 5 star reviews and has been hailed as better its predecessor "The Bridge".  Although both are connected, each novel stands on its own and can be sampled for free at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords.  For those wondering, I've made the first 30 pages of each novel available for sampling (that's right, I don't skimp). I also created a new blog titled "The Vampyre Blogs - Private Edition" (link:  http://thevampyreblogs.blogspot.com/ ), which serves as a preview of my next venture into the Para-Earth Series.  On this blog you can meet my first vampyre character, who shares many strengths and weakness of th

Novella Versus Novelette, Is There A Difference?

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What's in a name?  A novella or novelette is just a short story that is rather long and falls short of a full-length novel right?  Well according to my research, this is only partly correct.   Length or word count, is the key to what defines a short story, a novelette, a novella and of course a novel.  I admit I was rather surprised to see that there was a difference between a novella and a novelette.  I always presumed they were just interchangeable terms for the same kind of extremely long short story.  Why was I even interested in finding out about all this in the first place you may be asking yourself.  Well I'll tell you.  If you hadn't heard already, I decided to do a short story that involved my vampyre character Nathaniel Steward (who will be getting his first full-length novel around October 2015) and several of my characters from my first novel "The Bridge".  I did this because I was hearing from more and more readers about how they'd
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****MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE**** Both my books "The Bridge" and "The Ship" are 1/2 off from now until January 2nd, 2015.  So take advantage and grab some 5-star tales for you new Kindle, Nook, I-Pad, I-Book etc.  Each novel is only a $1.49 instead of the usual $2.99.  So you can get both books for the price of one.  Enjoy and spread the word to everyone you know.  Book 3 will be coming out in mid-2015, followed by my first vampyre novel in late October. Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Allan-Krummenacker/e/B00B1W8TEU/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/allan-krummenacker Apple and other readers (including PDF for just a regular laptop/desktop computer): https://www.smashwords.com/books/byseries/1383

I Have A Special Holiday Gift For You All Over On My Other Blog...

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I had planned on releasing a special short story on Christmas Day for all my readers.  The original idea had been to make it available for FREE on Smashwords, so everyone could have something to download on their new Nooks, Kindles, I-Pads, etc.  Unfortunately, due to a heavy last minute "cram-everything-into-the-last-few-weeks-of-the-semester" by my professors at the university, I never got to do a cover and several other things that needed to be done to the story before it could go up on Smashwords. So instead, I've been releasing the story in chapters on my other blog "The Vampyre Blogs - Special Edition".   What makes this story so special is that it involves not only my vampyre character Nathaniel, but several other familiar faces from my first published novel "The Bridge".  I also set the story sixteen years in the past so as not to conflict with the events that took place in "The Bridge". I'll continue to release

Holiday Greetings Continued...

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For those who didn't know, today will be the shortest day of the year, as well as the longest night.  It is better known as the Winter Solstice.  It has also been referred to as Yuletide in some places. A lot of the more well known customs such as the Yule Log, Wassailing, Mistletoe and the Yule (or Christmas) Tree are directly associated with this time of the year.  The basic idea being to help preserve life by keeping green things alive inside your house so the sun will return after the longest and darkest night. *I know this is a very simplified explanation, but I only have so much room in this blog.  I hope to go into deeper details next year.* So to all my Pagan and Wiccan friends I wish you both a...  HAPPY SOLSTICE and a  BLESSED YULE

Daily Holiday Greetings ...

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For the next few days my blog will be dedicated to wishing people, from many different faiths, holiday wishes.  I'll do my best to cover as many as possible, but if I overlook anyone, please let me know. And now I'd like to kick things off by wishing all my readers who celebrate the miracle of oil and lights... A Happy and Blessed Hannukkah  to you all.

****Still Looking For Gifts For That Horror fan, or Paranormal Lover In Your Life?****

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How about one or even two trade paperbacks signed and personalized by the author? That's right, you can get signed and personalized copies of books one and two in my 5-Star "Para-Earth" series for just $10.00 each, plus $5.00 shipping and handling anywhere in the United States. (For overseas shipping will be more of course, and will depend on the destination). *I accept Paypal, checks, or money orders* Just tell me which title(s) you want and if they're to be signed and personalized. (Some people prefer just signed, which is why I ask). You can contact me by leaving a message below or by e-mailing me at: allan.krummenacker@gmail.com Please note: Normal mailing time is 5-9 days, so order soon to get it in time for Christmas. If there's a rush, let me know and the shipping price will be adjusted accordingly.  Also, with the holiday approaching the sooner you order the better, so I can get it to you in time.  Or if you like, I can mail th

Rainy Day Musings About My Books and School...

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"Okay, so where do I go next?" That's the question I've been asking myself a lot during the week-long break I had from my studies at CSUMB.  I managed to finally put the 2nd draft of "The Vampyre Blogs - Coming Home" (the new official title of my 1st vampyre novel) and am currently reading it aloud to my wife Helen.  I'm already seeing areas that definitely need more work and rewriting, but her reactions to most of the scenes have been very positive.  Plus she's also providing me with some feedback on one of the characters who she actually created.  There will be a third and possibly a fourth draft before I unleash anything on my beta-readers.  Luckily I've got time since the book isn't going to be released until next fall at the earliest. In the meantime I really want to get back to "The Door" which is the third book of mine that will feature Alex, Veronica, Cassie and Julie.  This book will wrap up most of the unanswered

****THERE ARE ONLY HOURS LEFT... MY $.99 CENT CYBER SPECIAL ENDS AT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT****

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You read correctly. You have only hours left to get one or both of my 5-STAR paranormal/mystery e-books "The Bridge" and "The Ship" for $.99 Cents each. That's 2/3's off the regular price folks. Tomorrow, both books will be going back to their regular price of $2.99. So take advantage of me... I mean... this sale to give yourself or someone you know who'll be getting a Kindle, Nook, Smartphone, Ipad, laptop or a new desktop, something they can enjoy right away. Ghosts (which is appropriate at Christmas), psychics, mystery, love, and heart-pounding excitement await await you all in these two novels. And if you've already gotten copies for yourself, thanks so much for your support. I only ask you please help spread the word to family, friends and everyone you know so they can take advantage of this sale. We've got all the e-book formats, just click on the links below to get the one that will fit you or that special som

My $0.99 Cent Cyber-Weekend Special Is Going On Right Now!

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****GOING ON NOW AND LASTING UNTIL MIDNIGHT MONDAY**** All e-copies of my 5-star paranormal/mystery books will be available for just $0.99 cents Whether you have a Kindle, a Nook, a smartphone, or even just a laptop or desktop, there will be a format available for you. "The Bridge" Book 1 in the Para-Earth Series Alex Hill buried his psychic talents for eighteen year. But with with scream of tires and twisting metal, all this changes. When his girlfriend, Police Sergeant Veronica Ross , is nearly run down by two teens he becomes concerned. But upon learning that both the driver and passenger of the vehicle in question, had been dead for almost twelve hours before the incident, he knows what he must do... "THE SHIP" Book 2 in the Para-Earth Series Cassandra Elliott is a billionaire heiress, who has just come out of the closet. She's also a powerful psychic who has seen incredible and terrifying things. In fact just two weeks ago she and her gir

More Insights In Writing From a 1st Person Perspective...

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For just about all writers, the choice of voice or perspective to use is always a challenge.  Although many write in the third person voice, there are two options.  Do you do 'limited' where we only know what's going through one characters mind, or do you use the 'omniscient' version where the readers get to know what's going through everyone's mind at the same time, even if the characters are not sharing all their thoughts with each other. I did the 'limited' third person point of view in my first two novels.  However I kept changing who's head we were inside with each chapter, giving a nice build up and differing points of view.  So in the new novel I'm working on  "The Vampyre Blogs - Coming Home" I wanted to try 1st person perspective, but still do multiple points of view.  So, with my wife's advice, I chose the same method Bram Stoker used to write "Dracula".  He did 1st person from many different points of

"Happy Holidays" or "Merry Christmas"?

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My thoughts on … Did you know that the phrase “Happy Holidays” was started by Christians?  Yes, that’s right folks, it was.  In fact it dates back to the 1600’s in England.  People were acknowledging the fact that there were more than one holiday.  Like the fact that after Christmas, there was the celebration of the New Year.  Plus there was the season of Advent, another very Christian custom, that this year begins on November 30 th  and ends December 24 th .  So right there we have more than one Christian holiday in December.  And do you know what?  Nobody has ever wished me a “Happy Advent”.  How annoying is that? Furthermore, let us remember that Christ was born a Jew.  How many of us really believe he never celebrated Chanukah with his family?  The tradition of Chanukah started over a hundred and fifty years before he was born, so I'm pretty sure he celebrated it more than once. I’d also like to point out that it was Jesus who taught us to love our neig

Update On The Status Of My Upcoming Novels...

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 I n case you hadn't heard, I started attending the California State University at Monterey Bay in August and the workload had been fairly manageable, until recently.  Things are heating up and I have less and less time to work on my novels, including "The Vampyre Blogs".  I had planned on getting the latest draft finished, edited, beta-read, etc. so I could have it out in time for Christmas.   Unfortunately, that is not going to happen.  I've said before I will not release a book until it's had all those things done to it.  Currently, I'm still trying to finish the 2nd draft and I'm still not entirely happy with the piece.  Plus I haven't even started on a cover for the book.  I have one that I made with the computer. However, I'm not totally sold on this version really.  I'd prefer to try and do a soft pastel piece and then super-impose this image on top of the scene I create with the pastel. Furthermore, with th

A Halloween Treat From Me To You... A Peak Into My Upcoming Novel "The Vampyre Blogs"

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*HAPPY HALLOWEEN everyone!  I decided to give you all a treat by sharing a snippet from my upcoming novel "The Vampyre Blogs", which will be coming out this Christmas.   I was careful to choose this particular entry since it involves all three of my main characters dealing with a the scene is one most of us can relate to.  Here we have Marisa a seventeen year old young lady being comforted my vampyre Nathaniel and his goddaughter Lisa.  Marisa (who has no idea what Nathaniel really is) has an intense dislike for vampires even though they don't really exist according to her.  She hates movies, books and television shows about them because in her mind they have come to embody cancer (which her father is struggling against) in a human form.   The scene takes place inside an old four story building Nathaniel owns.  He keeps a dance club downstairs, while on the top floor he has an art studio where he likes to paint at night.  Marisa has just had a run in with

Book Reviews... Are You Afraid To Leave One?

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Recently, I tried to get some new reviews for my two novels on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords.  I even offered free Read-2-Review copies of the books to anyone who wanted to do a review.  The results... not a single bite. I couldn't believe it.  Giving away "FREE" copies of a book in exchange for an honest review is usually one of the very best methods known to get some reviews for a book.  But I wasn't getting any takers.  In fact I actually heard back from a few people who had read the books and loved them.  Yet when I asked if they would be kind enough to leave a review this is what I kept hearing from a number of them.. "I love to read, but I don't know what to say in if someone asks me to review their book..." Does this sound familiar to anyone else out there?  If it does, don't be embarrassed.  A lot of people feel that way.  Some don't know what to put down because they see all these other reviews that are like s