Rainy Friday in Lucedale! But fun visit!

So there are signed copies of both Never Ceese and Forever Richard at Changed Hearts Creations in Lucedale. Off and on thunderboomers kept most safely tucked away. We had a great time anyway though!! Thanks Karlene for having us. I look forward to visiting with you again. And now some video shorts from our soggy day. It helps to know that I LOVE Thunderstorms though. :)

'Nuther fan of Forever Richard. :)

'Nuther fan of Forever Richard and I couldn't be happier. Of course, I have to share:

I'm blaming you for my current lack of sleep -- I finally got around to reading Forever Richard, and I couldn't put it down! I finished reading it last night (er...early this morning, technically). It was reeeeeally good, but now the wait for Cyn No More is gonna be rough...

Once again, it is a good idea if you have a little time to spare once you get ready to read either Forever Richard or Never Ceese. I'm just sayin'!

Here's a way to buy directly from me!

Here's a way to buy directly from me if you wish. :)

Just click on the link.

Sue Dent Video Blogging aka Vlogging?

Well, my good friend Craig Lockley of the British Fantasy Society (I think I can call him that ;)) asked me if I might be doing any of this vlogging anytime soon and I'm happy to say (or perhaps sad to say for anyone who might decide to view it) that I think I shall give it a go at my first official book signing at an Independent Christian Book Store.

For those of you in Lucedale, Mississippi who wish to appear in my vlog, do drop buy and pop your head in. I'll be at Changed Hearts Christian Book Store on July 31st from 11:00 until they throw me out. Do note this is a first here in the good ol' US. No books true to vampire and especially werewolf lore exist inside these primarily conservative evangelical walls. The larger Christian Bookstores won't even allow the type stories I write in no matter how well the story goes over with their readers and no matter if it is deemed acceptable for distribution to the Christian market.

So if you're ready for a change come support your smaller Christian Book Stores. :) I am a little worried about taking Richard and Ceese into a place with so many sacred items around but they deserve to be there. Come with your fangs too. I'll try to bring a few extra pair. vv

Forever Richard for only $1,164.85

With $3.99 shipping. Hurry before it's gone. Here's the link. It's the last listing on the bottom. Don't buy any other copy!!!

Please people! If you have want to pay that much for my book, I'll sell you one. Wow! That's impressive. LOL

Check it out for yourself if you don't believe me. $1,164.85!

I know why it's so expensive. It's because Stevie Mac's on the cover!

UK Borders stores get it right. US Borders stores can't compete.

Checked the listing for Forever Ricahrd on www.borders.com here in the U.S. www.borders.com The book cover they have was never entered by my publisher, it's listed under Christian Fiction which is also inaccurate and they show it not available in stores.

Checked the UK Borders on-line site here and they have the accurate cover as listed by my publisher, the correct category horror and ghost stories and I'd not be surprised if it weren't in stock in some of their stores.

And on both books including the paperback version of Never Ceese free delivery to your local store. The US Borders on-line store doesn't even list Never Ceese the paperback and has no image for the hardback which they show as backordered. Amazing. Simply amazing.

Just more proof that the US publishing world is totally screwed up. Aw, but ya'll already knew that.

Christian Vampires?

Update, just in case you're keeping score. Another publisher who writes for that very targeted audience of Christians who, according to their publishers, don't want to read about vammpires and werewolves of lore, is attempting to get those readers' attention once more. No problem really except they're calling it a Christian vampire novel. Good news is that this time at least they're stating that it isn't the kind of vampire that anyone but their targeted audience will like (they hope.)

But as usual, those reporting on the matter don't really distinguish that this is a targeted audience thus eluding that there are no good vampire/werewolf/zombie or just plain horror books out there written by Christians that appeal to Christians as well as everyone else.

Do know that this isn't true or you can find out for yourself and read my work or Kim Paffenroth's work or a gazillion other horror writers whose faith temper what they write.

Sue Dent

A nice thing to wake up to!!

A recent google alert this morning led me to this site. Check it out! Absolutely amazing. Christian Essentials it says. :) What do you know about that!

Christian Essentials

So what are you waiting for. Go through the link and buy it or go to www.suedent.blogspot.com and buy both Never Ceese(paperback) and Forever Richard for $20 with free shipping in the US. After all, it is essential. :D

Never Ceese - The other Christian Fiction

So to keep things straight, my work has been labeled Christian Fiction by my publisher because a. I'm a Christian and b. I write fiction/horror/fantasy. I do NOT write for a narrowly targeted market and my vampires do have fangs and act like your typical vampires of lore for the most part! No sparkling vampires but I think that's been done already and quite well at that. :) Also my werewolves prefer to speak in third-person if that means anything. ;)

I would now like to share my latest review or rather words of encouragement from my latest reader:

Dear Sue,

I had to write to you! I just finished Never Ceese and I want to tell you, well done!! I love a book that doesn't let me stop reading. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, the characters, it flowed so easily....great job. I really got a kick out of Rodney! The dialogue was wonderful...I busted up a few times.

I am so ready for Forever Richard!! gotta wait for next paycheck but consider another copy sold!!
God bless you girl!!

--
Sister Sonlight

Love y'all!
Sue Dent

Never Ceese and Forever Richard both for $20.00

Say it ain't so! Yes, I'm offering both Never Ceese (paperback) and Forever Richard for a limited time for $20.00 with free shipping in the U.S. and both can be autographed.

So to get your hands on the first two books in my Thirsting for Blood series, the first vampire/werewolf series to ever appeal to general market readers as well as to that narrowly targeted market of Christians CBA and ECPA affiliated publishers serve, click HERE now!

Keep in mind that presently you can't find these in the larger Christian bookstores on-line or otherwise even though both books have been approved for distribution to this market and they will make you pay shipping. Here's one way around that and you'll be supporting me and perhaps then I can afford to keep writing.:)Hopefully you enjoy my writing and that point won't backfire on me. LOL

Anyway, thanks for all y'all's support.

I do have some hardback copies left and will be offering a smashing deal on them soon. Watch for that!

Get the book that affiliated Christian publishers choose to ignore much the way they ignored The Shack until they couldn't ignore it any longer.

Forever Richard - "Sold Out"

Well, it ain't like I didn't warn you. But lucky for you it's only sold out at various sites I check regularly who've had Forever Richard marked as high risk for sell out for some time. However, at last check, Spring Arbor/Ingram is showing Forever Richard as sold out as well. Of course, that's not all that major since none of the larger Christian Book Stores carry my books anyway, in spite of being available for them to carry, and why would I encourage anyone to buy from them when they make YOU the customer pay the shipping (at least when the book isn't through one of their official CBA/ECPA houses or until they re-approve it for their specific targeted market.)

But those wonderfully truly non-denominational Christian Book Stores are making up for what the larger Christian Book Stores won't do, so that's great. :) Yay!

But if you're tired of narrowly targeted fiction/fantasy marketed as horror and put out as something that might appeal to the general market reader when in fact it doesn't, I offer you something very different and refreshingly wonderful. But don't take my word for it. Read for yourself, if you can get of Forever Richard that is. HA!

Horror/Fantasy in every sense of the word, drawing fans from both the general market (which btw, encompasses the larger Christian market) as well as many readers who are looking but not finding such work coming out of CBA/ECPA affiliated houses. ;)

Never Ceese paperback outselling hardback!

As you should know by now, I re-published my paperback version of Never Ceese ISBN 9780976994701, after Journey Stone Creations, without any word to me, sold all copies of Never Ceese to a liquidator keeping some they owed me to sale for their own profit.

Republishing my paperback was the only way I stood to make any money off of Never Ceese. Thank-you to all of you who understand this and are buying the paperback instead. As a nice added bonus, Never Ceese the paperback has been approved for distribution through Spring Arbor meaning my Independent Christian Book Store friends can get it if you ask and, unlike the larger (denominational) bookstores, won't charge you shipping and WILL actually put it in their stores.

For the first time since I've been paying attention, Never Ceese the paperback is outselling the Hardback. Yayness. I might be able to keep writing after all.

Also, for any Christian bookstore (except for the larger ones)wanting a bulk discount, you may contact me directly and I'll gladly work something out. I understand how tough a time you Independent Christian Book Stores are having making readers understand that you are in fact very different than the denominational bookstores that do not carry fiction for anyone except their narrow market of visitors.

WRBE 106.9 Lucedale author interview.

WRBE 106.9 in Lucedale, Mississippi will host author Sue Dent on July 29th at some point between 7:30 and 8:00 A.M.

This will be in conjunction with her Book Signing at Changed Hearts (Independent) Bookstore in Lucedale, Mississippi.

Come hear how author Sue Dent and The Writers' Cafe Press have done what no other (CBA or ECPA affiliated)Christian publisher has done to date, provided stories of horror that overwhelmingly appeal to the general market (a market comprised of many Christian readers) as well as that narrowly targeted audience of Evangelicals that CBA and ECPA publishers pay to provide fiction for.

Join us if you can. :)

What a messed up market!

I have to say I was more than pleased when readers who identified themselves as Christians began reading and loving my vampire/werewolf series. Of course I immediately sought to get in venues where they shopped both on-line and brick and mortar. How hard could it be when your publisher has distribution through all the major distributors.

Well, I couldn't have been more wrong and I'll not bore you by rehashing through the mess that has become the Christian market thanks today, thanks primarily to two groups who do everything but identify the narrowly targeted market of Christians they serve.

You say it doesn't hurt if they don't? It does if you're an author who appeals to that market. I recently asked to have my debut novel reviewed for a chance to go on what appeared to be a Christian Book blog for Young Adults. You know, because my series is young adult and has been approved for distribution to the Christian market whether the stores choose to carry it or not. Since I've lived and learned and since the books previously reviewed were CBA/ECPA affiliated I made sure to ask the reviewer if they felt they could review a non-affiliated Christian book without bias. They said yes. The result was maddeningly dissappointing. The reviewer didn't recommend or list my book on their blog in spite of giving it four stars saying that the book had mild swearing and said so in her review. The reviewer even went on to say how they wished they could recommend it but that her every move was being watched by parents!

*Sue shaking head back and forth* So yeah, if you're looking for help promoting your book to your Christian readers and aren't affiliated with CBA or ECPA or some other publisher who targets that narrow audience of Christians that visit the larger (denomonational)Christian bookstores . . . forget about it. In the long run, it isn't worth it.

You Independent Christian Bookstores ROCK though!!!

My Thirsting for Blood series beat Science!

Yep. That's right. Clayton Henderson's scientists pal from Russia, Dr. Savine, created sperm from stem cells in the laboratory over two years ago. And today's headlines read:

Scientists in the UK claim to have created human sperm from stem cells in the laboratory.

Gotta love it.

Yes. I research before I write. :)

Discount for my Christian readers.

Since I just learned today that the larger Christian Bookstores will only order my book if a customer asks for it and then only have it shipped to that customers address making the customer pay shipping, I decided to take a stand.

My stand would be to tell you to please not order Never Ceese the paperback or Forever Richard through any of the larger Christian Booksellers. Save yourself a bundle by ordering on-line through any other venue. There are a host of true Christian websites selling both books at a very reasonable cost and of course, all general market booksellers.

Also, should on-line sales continue as they are going, and larger Christian Booksellers decide it might be worth the money to carry my book after all, please continue to buy my books anywhere else. There are sooooo many smaller Christian brick and mortar stores carrying fiction books to appeal to all Christians and not just a very narrow market. Support these stores if you prefer to keep your money supporting Christian businesses.

Just don't want any of my readers to get burned and if some are buying through the larger Christian booksellers, they are in fact not getting a good deal at all.

7-31-09 Changed Hearts Christian Bookstore

Yes, I have a local Christian Bookstore right up the street here in Jackson, Mississippi but you'll have to go to Changed Hearts Creations in Lucedale, Mississippi to find me signing. A true Christian Bookstore serving all Christian faiths.

Though both my books have been deemed socially acceptable for the Christian Market and therefore distributable by Spring Arbor, none of the larger Christian Bookstores will carry it. They can only order it for you and send it to your house and you will have to pay shipping. How nice! So please don't frequent these stores if you're not looking for narrowly targeted and usually quite overt fiction specific to the very conservative audience that visit the larger Christian Bookstores.

Come instead to venues like Changed Hearts who can and will carry books like mine (books that appeal to a wide variety of Christian readers, including general market readers) all day long without question. My paperback version of Never Ceese will be available along with Forever Richard of course. So unless something changes, here's the "deets":

Changed Hearts Christian Bookstore
Lucedale, Mississippi
11:00 until whenever y'all get sick of me. :)

BTW, my local Lifeway can't even offer me a local signing because Michael Robbins, their bookbuyer, sees no reason to add a book already approved by Spring Arbor to LIfeway's system because I guess he just doesn't want to take the time to look at it and approve it himself for their stores. Who knows.

*In case you didn't know it, all the larger Christian Bookstores only carry fiction specific to a very narrow market. They just don't say it.*

So see you guys in Lucedale. I'll be off to the beach next. Follow me down and we'll have a grand time. :)