Chatting with author, Scott Nicholson + Win a Kindle!

I am happy to be a part of Mr. Nicholson's blog tour for his latest novel, The First.

Also, I just received word that Mr. Nicholson's other novel, The Red Church is very close to breaking the Top 100. If it does then he will give away a second Kindle. So purchase a copy today. You won't be sorry. The book can be purchased for 99 cents as an ebook.

The First, But Not The Last
By Scott Nicholson
http://www.hauntedcomputer.com/

The First has a long, winding tale as part of the "Curtains" series of my story collections. Originally slated to be my first United Kingdom release with Ghostwriter Publications in 2008, it had a cover and everything, but a lot changed between the time we set it up and its expected release. Namely, a recession and the digital era.

At the time, it was going to be a verbatim version of my 2000 U.S. collection Thank You for the Flowers. I was thinking I'd just duplicate my entire decade-long career in the UK, moving along in order.

But when it made sense to release it as an ebook, I put it out with a mixture of dark fantasy, science fiction, and supernatural stories. It was the slowest seller of the three collections I had out at the time, even though that monster-eye cover Neil Jackson at Ghostwriter did is way cool.

Back in the Stone Age when I started my serious writing career, I wrote a lot of science fiction because it was the easiest place to find good story markets. There were always five or six magazines that paid a nickel a word, big money in those days. I did get a few sales but soon shifted to more supernatural fiction, because even though those magazines didn't pay as well, there were dozens of them and you could send out lots of stories and keep them circulating.

I also wrote fantasy and dark fantasy, some for anthologies and others simply because that's where the idea led. It wasn't until this summer that I got the sensible idea to re-order all my short stories into different collections by genre. And since The First was already pretty heavy on the science fiction and fantasy, it was easy to strip out a few tales and put in some more so that there were 14 stories. Now it's one of my fastest-selling books, which is weird considering it's a story collection, and in the print world, story collections are difficult to sell.

Part of the renewed popularity of short stories is because digital readers have adopted new habits, which means they may read in quicker bursts, taking advantage of pockets of time where they normally wouldn't think of reading. Stuck in traffic? There's the Kindle.

I won't make any social prognostications like "People want shorter reads because of shorter attention spans," because I don't know if that's true. I do know the science fiction genre has a long tradition in short stories, and readers of futuristic or fantastic fiction often embrace a wide range of ideas.

Some of the 14 stories in "The First" fall into pure dark fantasy, of imagination and creatures, while others veer into dystopia or post-apocalyptic fiction. I invented an oppressive futuristic society ruled by the shadowy Areopagus, and a cycle of six stories from the ouevre are included. There's a time-travel romance as well, so you can see where it might clash with the material in the other five story collections.

Those who know me by my ghost stories or Appalachian gothic thrillers might be surprised by the collection, which includes my first-ever published story "The Shifting Sands of Memory," for which I was paid the princely sum of $10. There's a definite pulp feel to these stories, since I was a "C" student in science.

I'm glad The First is available as a cheap--er, value-priced--e-book at 99 cents, available at Amazon, Smashwords, and my Web site. Visit undiscovered countries, possible pasts, and unlikely futures in those pages.

And if you see H.G. Wells, tell him he's a cool author and we'll be talking shop sooner or later.

-------------
For every book of mine that hits the Top 100 during the tour, I will throw in an extra Kindle 3 giveaway. Tell your friends. Amaze your neighbors. Shock your therapist.

Scott Nicholson is author of 12 novels, including the thrillers Speed Dating with the Dead, Drummer Boy, Forever Never Ends, The Skull Ring, As I Die Lying, Burial to Follow ,and They Hunger. His revised novels for the U.K. Kindle are Creative Spirit, Troubled, and Solom. He’s also written four comic series, six screenplays, and more than 60 short stories. His story collections include Ashes, The First, Murdermouth: Zombie Bits, and Flowers.

To be eligible for the Kindle DX, simply post a comment below with contact info. Feel free to debate and discuss the topic, but you will only be entered once per blog. Visit all the blogs on the tour and increase your odds. I’m also giving away a Kindle 3 through the tour newsletter and a Pandora’s Box of free e-books to a follower of “hauntedcomputer” on Twitter. Thanks for playing. Complete details at http://www.hauntedcomputer.com/blogtour.htm

Comments

sohamolina said…
I am a tour newsletter subscriber and my contcat info is:

eddiem11@ca.rr.com

@sohamolina
monapete said…
Great post! Love the books.

monacart32 at hotmail dot com
Candace said…
Very cool cover! I'll add this one to my list of books to buy of yours!

candace_redinger at yahoo dot com
Anonymous said…
Picking up a book now too..

extr3me1st@gmail.com
Dee Martin said…
I'm a tour subscriber and while I haven't had a lot of time to comment, I have purchased a couple of your books and have watched this process with interest. I'm wondering how big a difference it has made in sales for you Scott and I think it is awesome that bloggers are getting on board with this way to spread the word. Cool stuff!
Cathy M said…
Hey Scott, just picked up my copy this morning!


caity_mack at yahoo dot com
Kippoe said…
I have all your short story collections on my Kindle it is a great format for the short story, It is nice to read during lunch or breaks at work.
Unknown said…
Great post!

ashleysbookshelf@gmail.com

Ashley's Bookshelf
Stacy said…
Bought four of your books yesterday including your short stories.

Nadine stacypilot at yahoo dot com
Well done!

blogATmedia-moverDOTcom

@mediamover
Kathy Habel said…
Please enter me.
bkhabel at gmail dot com
Dee Martin said…
um - silly me I commented and didn't leave contact info. deedeekm@gmail.com
bluefrog said…
I like to have a lot of short stories on my kindle, it makes it easy to pick something to read that fits the amount of time I have.

bluefrog62@yahoo.com
I have two collections of your short stories, Thank you for the Flowers and Scattered Ashes. These are haunting stories, dark, touching, and tender at the same time. One of my favorites is "The Vampire Shortstop." So, yes, Scott Nicholson's short stories are a rare treat.
Christa
cpolkinhorn@msn.com
Andrea I said…
It' great to learn more about the books you have out there.

andrea.infinger@gmail.com
Debra L Martin said…
Great post Scott!

dlmartin6@yahoo.com
Jesse said…
Just went out to buy "The First" after reading your post! Looking forward to reading it!

-Jesse
conrad.jd (at) gmail (dot) com
Thanks everyone! If you've already bought the Red Church you can help a whole lot by reviewing or tagging the book: http://amzn.to/d0Lsa6

(click the little tag boxes) That makes it show up in mor places. It's been hovering between 150-170 since midnight, and needs that extra nudge that only YOU can give! Thanks.

Scott
And if you dare to brave the Amazon Kindle forums, it's socially acceptable to praise the wonderful Scott Nicholson and his brilliant, spooky October read The Red Church.

If I say that, it sounds like bragging. I don't think it's brilliant. But I think it's pretty good!

But if you say it, it almost sounds sincere!

Scott
Linda said…
I'm one of those that have said I would never want/need a Kindle, but I can see the value of having one available to read shorter bits of fiction, when one is short of time. Thanks for the giveaway.
lcbrower40(at)gmail(dot)com
chey said…
Hi Scott,
Great post!

chey127 at hotmail dot com
Bookhound78 said…
I haven't read this collection, but I did read the original THANK YOU FOR THE FLOWERS. I read it after I had read a couple of Scott's novels, and I was surprised of how "different" the stories were. The writing quality was great, but the subjects were much more sci-fi and dark fantasy. I'm not normally a fan of those genres, but Scott wrote wonderful stories that kept me interested. If you want to see a "different" side of Scott's writing, much sure you check out this collection.

-Neal
Gail said…
I've already purchased The First and looking forward to reading the stories. Just finished The Red Church yesterday, another great, spooky tale!
Gail in Florida
cowgirl3000 at gmail dot com
Unknown said…
I'm off to purchase The First. It's cool that authors have such an easy outlet now for re-releasing thier work or releasing work which had never before been published. I've said it before, but I have to say it again - I love technology. :)

Following Scott around the web once more....

calseeor (at) gmail (dot) com
Estella said…
Great post!
I occasionally enjoy short stories.
Estella said…
Forgot my contact info.

kissinoak at frontier dot com
lingeorge said…
I am still along for the ride on the blog tour. Personally I prefer novels to anthologies. But I am keeping an open mind while I check out your writing.
troublelore @ gmail .com
Ashley said…
The book sounds awesome!

hewella1 at gmail dot com
Mary Kontrary said…
Oh, yes, I'm definitely going to hop on this bandwagon and get a copy for my current eReader.

mkip@aol.com

BTW, I need a new eReader. :)
Mary Kontrary said…
P.S. Love the cover art!
Kim said…
Just bought The First for 89 cents at Amazon and am loving the first two stories. I'm a fan of zombie lit so I can't wait to read the next story, Penance (hope there are zombies!)

skeltons3 at hotmail.com
@kim I have a whole other zombie collection called Murdermouth--with bonus material from Konrath and Maberry. I don't think there's any zombie left in The First. Sorry!

@mary Good luck! Everyone needs new Kindles for Christmas!

Scott
HODGEPODGESPV said…
the fun think about a writer that writes in more than one genre is there is more likely hood of finding more stores to enjoy. spvaughan@yahoo.com
Unknown said…
Looking forward to The Red Church breaking to top 100!

randymir@gmail.com
suzie said…
congrats on the great sales


9oofusATgmailDOTcom
Good lord man, do you actually read these comments?

You said, "...taking advantage of pockets of time where they normally wouldn't think of reading. Stuck in traffic? There's the Kindle."

I have actually been surprised by the number of kindles I've seen when flying. Kindles seem to be very popular for long OR short flights.

Just don't write anything about bad air travel!

-- Jerry

jerry.gilreath at gmail.com
OR
jerry at jerrygilreath dot com
Kate Scott said…
Excellent giveaway! My email is kate[at]parchmentgirl[dot]com
Just put a 5-star review of The Red Church on the Kindle Korner book review section. Hope it helps!
Christa
Anonymous said…
I've always loved anthologies of short stories, I'm not sure why. Maybe the way all of the stories are related or maybe the large variety of characters and plots.

lorraine_lanning[at]yahoo[dot]com
Moridin said…
I could really use a kindle right about now.
iii.141592653589793238462643383[at]gmail[dot]com
ylime1981 said…
Thanks!
Emily ebdye1(at)gmail(dot)com
Anonymous said…
Entering, thanks!

bunkercomplexATgmailDOTcom
Douglas Dorow said…
What to read? What to read? First, I have to finish Drummer Boy. Then The Red Church. Then First? So much to read and not enough time. But I can carry all of these books on my new kindle!

Dwdorow@gmail.com
ThrillersRus.blogspot.com
@jerry as long as the pilot isn't reading a Kindle...

@Christa Thanks!

@Douglas, if I were you I would save the First for last. Maybe I'll write one called The Middle and ten we'd really be confused...

Scott
Brenda Wallace said…
I like how you give the unvarnished truth in your blogs. I really want to see The Red Church or one of your books break the top hundred. Just cool to watch. varbonoff22 at cox dot net
Weston Kincade said…
Great one. I'll have to add The First to my list.

wakincade AT gmail DOT com
Jeff said…
I am really amazed at how many people seem not to even like the idea of the Kindle! They've not tried it, that's what. I was an "early adopter" and have never regretted it.

Jerry reminded me about my daughter's comments to me about Kindles at airports. I have no worries that my books will not fit in my carry-on as in the past! I can take them all now. My daughter got a chance to go to Ireland with a good friend and her friend's family, twice now! We're all very jealous of her. I was the only one in our sphere who owned a Kindle at the time. She reported that she only saw "old guys" like me with the Kindle in the airport and on the plane. I got her her own Kindle 2 last Christmas. No more slurs have I heard from her.
I just went to Amazon to buy "The First" and found that I had already gotten it when purchasing some of the other books. It was hard to pass up the 89-cent price! All I need to do now is to read it. I seem to be so very busy now that I'm retired. (I hear my wife rolling her eyes...got to go!)
Thanks Scott,
Jeff White whitejw@ameritech.net
Icedream said…
I've always enjoyed reading short stories because I think it takes a lot of skill to write a riveting, cohesive story and be able to pull it off in only so many words.

waitmantwillie at hotmail dot com
Unknown said…
gone for the weekend and playing catch up now! happy almost monday!

hancoci_s at msn dot com
Hey, Scott, I'm excited that The Red Church is close to breaking the top 100. Congratulations!

Margay1122(at)aol(dot)com
Unknown said…
Cool collection. Hoping to see the Red Church break that 100 mark.

michaellmartinjr[at]gmail[dot]com
Sharon S. said…
woohoo!Another stop on the tour. Loving the stories.

sstogner1@triad.rr.com
Deanna said…
I would LOVE a Kindle DX. Thanks for the opportunity to win one! :)

P.S. Click on my name for my contact info. ;)
iubookgirl said…
Thanks for the chance to win!

iubookgirl [at] gmail [dot] com
Unknown said…
My mood towards longer works may change, but for the time being I am into the shorter fiction. And that's at odds with my current book selection--Stephen King's Under the Dome.

rabidfox[at]ymail.com
mountie9 said…
I love my ereader - especially for short stories. I have tons of short stories on it which I save for my commuting to work (on the bus of course. I am looking forward to reading some of your works. I cannot lie I haven't read anything by you, but after all these posts on various blogs I am off to purchase some for my ereader. Great promotional idea!
contestmom AT hotmail DOT com
jessica said…
nice post.

jessangil@gmail.com
Unknown said…
Thanks for telling us more about your process Scott!

Tom

tztomfromcali _ at _ gmail _ com
misskallie2000 said…
Hi Scott, I was born predawn era so I can remember lots you never knew. lol
I am still following you. The First sounds interesting and would love to win a Kindle.

Thanks for the opportunity to enter.

misskallie2000 at yahoo dot com
DSLA said…
Amazing idea! Good luck!
pippirose said…
Love the post!
pippirose59 at gmail dot com
Cori Westphal said…
Fantastic! Thank you Scott!

coriwestphal at msn dot com
@coriwestphal
SandyG265 said…
I've discovered a lot of new authors over the years by reading short stories.

sgiden at verizon.net
Monster A Go-Go said…
Just a quickie today (lucky you) as i am forced to use a public computer and the time is limited. Grrrr...

So, Scott, I was curious as to how you went about air-brushing that bicept on yourself. Pretty cool deal. I'm surprised you didn't just photoshop your head on some amazing hunk's physique.

Or maybe that bicept really IS yours---much more developed than the other. What have you been doing with that one hand (often) that you don't do with the other? Hmmm... I'm sure more than one eyebrow has been raised (is it true boone is having a kleenex shortage--AGAIN??)

Cheers!
CherylS22 said…
Thanks for the chance to win a Kindle!

megalon22 at yahoo dot com
Kristin said…
Hi! Would love to win!!

Kristin
wowknk at gmail dot com
Tina12312 said…
I love your books Scott and would love to read all your new ones on a new Kindle! Thank you!
tina boudreau said…
i love time travel -- and lots of other genre's you included in The First. Good job!
Lori A. said…
Very cool! Thanks for the chance. If I had a Kindle I could read all your books. :)
ljatwood at gmail dot com
byonge said…
Working on "The First" right now.

byonge@lonepinetv.com
byonge said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jes said…
Great post!

jswaks at gmail dot com
Jessica Kramasz said…
I would love a kindle!
jessica(at)bygracealone(dot)net
Laura H. said…
Thanks for the giveaway!

BornajhawkATaolDOTcom
Anonymous said…
Supporting the blog tour!

nickandhanan at hotmail dot com
Teddy Rose said…
Great post. I enjoy reading short stories.

teddyr66 at yahoo dot com
Linda Kish said…
Thanks for the chance to win.

lkish77123 at gmail dot com
Kimberly K. said…
This book cover is really creepy (in a good way).

kellysydow@yahoo.com
Katie said…
Thanks for the chance to win!

kt1969 at comcast dot net
Erica best said…
wow cool giveaway

purple_lover_04 at msn dot com
Anonymous said…
Regarding The First...I don't usually give 5 star reviews to short stories. They just usually leave me wanting more. But that one was definitely a 5 star read. I'm really enjoying reading Scott Nicholson books now that I've discovered them!

lauralynnelliott@yahoo.com
Anonymous said…
I would love to be entered. Thanks.
wandanamgreb(at)gmail(dot)com
Anonymous said…
I would love to be entered in your draw. Thanks.
wandanamgreb(at)gmail(dot)com
Lilk13 said…
Great giveaway, thanks.

kkappleby at msn dot com

Karen / lilk13
Unknown said…
I am of the opinion the short story is an excellent way for an author to show his range.

That is one really creepy cover.

dalelmurphy(at)gravesidetales(dot)com
Carol said…
Short stories are great for those days when you want to read but you just can't make up your mind what you are in the mood to read.

crljqs1@gmail.com
Inanna said…
Hope you hit the top 100! :)

inannajourney at gmail dot com
hendy said…
"I wrote a lot of science fiction because it was the easiest place to find good story markets" I'm very suprised by this stament I didn't realize this was such a big genre back in the day.
hmhenderson AT yahoo DOT com
Kristie said…
In the print world (library) short story collections do not circulate well - among adults anyway. And I care a book (print) copy with me everywhere.. even to the bank and grocery store. *LOL* My husband just rolls his eyes and laughs.
kristiedonelson(at)dot(com)
Doreen said…
I have a list of your books to buy Scott!! :) Hope, hoping to win a KINDLE so I can put them on there!!

purposedrivenlife4you at gmail dot com
Hank Brown said…
Hmm. Interesting info on short stories. I was under the impression they were less popular than ever in the digital age.

Twitter: MachineTrooper
anamlgrl said…
thanks for the chance to win!
anamlgrl@yahoo.com
Hi...almost forgot to enter.
Thanks.

dorcontest at gmail dot com
Dee, Cathy, Stacy, Christa, Jesse, Neal, Regge, Mary K, Jeff, Laura, thanks for buying books and please leave a review as a trail of crumbs for other lost literary souls!

Thanks for commenting, everyone, I hope to respond more in depth later!

Scott
R.S. Hunter said…
If I had an e-reader, I would definitely download this book.
JRVogt said…
Fun to see the tour continuing, Scott. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help.

JRVogt.com - The Fiction Writer's Virtual Toolbox

@JRVogt
Unknown said…
Boy I'm really sucking at following this tour...I really should check twitter more often Scott tells me where to go...I just don't listen...LOL
beejee77@comcast.net
Melissa said…
I am following you on your tour now! Looks great!

couponhuntingchik at gmail dot com
Teawench said…
That's just great. Another book to add to my TBR pile! :-P
teawench at gmail dot com
Pink Panther said…
Thanks for the lovely post, Scott! :)
You can reach me at luvpinkpanther@gmail.com
A.P. Fuchs said…
Whether you knew it or not, you just revealed a great truth in your article here: one of the main secrets of indie publishing. What is it? Niche publishing. By streamlining your stuff into a "genre" rather than a vague mix of speculative fiction, you just catered your product to your target audience.

That’s how it works. Jack of all trades if a master of none, and all that. Specialization is key.

Coscomentertainment [at] gmail [dot] com

www.canisterx.com

BLOOD OF THE DEAD and ZOMBIE FIGHT NIGHT available for the Amazon Kindle. Grab your copies here!
Stefanie said…
Great cover! I love that evil looking eye staring out, it's daring me to read the book...

Interesting how short story colletions are selling better than ever in ebook form...

Stefanie647@msn.com
jpearson said…
Another stop! I am loving hte post!

i.pearson@comcast.net
Riva said…
I'm don't usually enjoy short fiction, but I may need to check your collection out.

dulcibelle [at] earthlink [dot] net
Paul McMurray said…
Scott, in your photo you resemble my bro-in-law Jimmy from GA, who upon visiting us in WI during the winter and seeing my snowblower, said: "I saw one of those in a commercial once."
Paul
mrluckyATcharterDOTnet
The First sounds fabulous --- the first to be the last, ohhhh!
bmcbroom at gmail dot com
pennyt said…
Enjoyed the post and looking forward to reading the book.
pennyt at hotmail dot com
linz said…
Thanks for the giveaway!

dancer_girl76(at)sbcglobal(dot)net
Unknown said…
I got behind on the blog tour- got a lot of catchin up to do!

dreamer dot ima at gmail dot com
The Undead Rat said…
Hey Scott,

I think re-grouping your stories was a great idea -- and probably another example of something that couldn't be done in the print world.

I think it's interesting that while ebooks really represent a new mode of media consumption, we -- myself included -- have expected the old adages of the print world to hold true for ebooks -- like short stories don't sell. I bet we'll find a lot of those cherished beliefs turned on their heads.

Thanks for the chance to win,
Greg "The Undead Rat" Fisher

theundeadrat (@) gmail (.) com
Thanks for commenting, everyone: 114 entries here--

@Greg, yes, lots of surprises, including the fact e-reader owners are buying and reading more than ever, trying new things

@Paul, country life--but we had frost five days ago!

@Rive, there are a few free short stories at my Web site if you want to sample before you buy (or just want to read something!)

@AP, I'm not sure there's any one "key" to anything. There are a million doors and a million keys, but if that one is working for YOU, then it's the right one

@BJ you can always see the tour schedule at hauntedcomputer.com or the blog (or get the newsletter). That's why I gave everyone a week to enter at each blog. Life happens...

Scott Nicholson
VickyTinky said…
I just found out about this awesome giveaway and I have to hop to the other blogs!

vicky.vak8(at)gmail.com
Unknown said…
great post! I'll definitely grab a copy Scott. :)


sauvadeavelle@yahoo.com
Heather said…
I would love to be entered, thank you!
littlebearries@yahoo.com
sablelexi said…
wish I could talk to HG Wells...lol

jlynettes @ hotmail . com
Misha said…
Thanks for the post!
Misha
mishamary@gmail.com
Anonymous said…
hufflepuffgrl13@yahoo.com
~J said…
Love it!

josephafisch@gmail.com
byonge said…
Thanks for another good one.

byonge@lonepinetv.com

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