Slightly Off the Mark

            At the moment I have two short stories sent in to science fiction magazines, a third to a writing contest, and a revised novel to a publisher, and I’m waiting to start the editing process on a second novel that’s been accepted by Whiskey Creek Press (The Notorious Ian Grant). There’s also a self-published novella that should come out early next year, and a space opera series I’m working on that you’ll hear more about next year.

 

            That’s the most number of my babies I’ve ever had out in the cold, cruel publishing world at the same time … and I’ve got two more novels that just need a little polishing before they’re ready to go. It’ll be a juggling act, but my plan is to keep them all out there until they’re sold.

 

            Oh – and my friend Barry Parham donated a copy of Smoky Days and Sleepless Nights to his local library down in South Carolina! Another print copy has also been sold through CreateSpace to someone in England. My plan for 2014: Keep the momentum going.

Storm Chaser Shorts, “Vantage Point”:

 

A single loud crack provided his only warning. His arms shot out, but met air empty of anything except humidity. Then the water swallowed him up.

Luther Magee would drown, without anyone ever knowing it was all Allison Craine’s fault.

markrhunter.com/books.html

Whiskey Creek Press will be publishing the sequel to Storm Chaser!

The Notorious Ian Grant, which should come out next fall, takes place just after the events of Storm Chaser. Although there are general spoilers referencing the end of the first book, I took care to write the second in such a way that you don’t really have to read Storm Chaser in order to enjoy it – although I’d prefer you did.

While Storm Chaser is a romantic comedy, The Notorious Ian Grant is more of a humorous novel with a romance in it –more laugh out loud funny, I hope. The main characters are police detective Fran Vargas, who you’ve met before, and Ian Grant. (Most Storm Chaser characters put in an appearance, including a certain blonde teenager who proved a fan favorite in the first book.)  Ian is mentioned, very briefly and not by name, in Storm Chaser, and has a similarly brief appearance in one of the stories of Storm Chaser Shorts.

What’s it all about, you say?

 

            When infamous party boy and b-list celebrity Ian Grant learns his sister is marrying a cop, he abandons his Hollywood lifestyle and drives straight to Indiana. His plan: to make up for all those times he embarrassed and humiliated his family … by taking charge of the wedding planning. So, Ian’s never planned a wedding – how hard could it be?

            The little town of Hurricane, Indiana, is like another world—a world Ian wouldn’t mind being part of, if only people would stop judging him by his previous antics. He might even have a chance at romance with his future brother-in-law’s coworker, detective Fran Vargas. But for Fran everything’s gone wrong since Ian arrived, including the loss of her home, their confrontation with a bullying politician, and an influx of nosy reporters and angry ex-girlfriends.

There’s also the fact that Ian’s wedding planning keeps getting interrupted by someone trying to kill him.

No one ever said redemption is easy.

 

            If Ian seems familiar, you may have caught a short story I wrote that takes place just before The Notorious Ian Grant, at a low moment in his life:

 

http://markrhunter.blogspot.com/2011/10/storm-damage-prequel-short-story-out-of.html

            Hey, did you remember that Christmas is coming? Yeah, me too. One of those great things about Christmas is also one of those awful things about Christmas: finding the perfect gift.

 

            Well, far be it from me to suggest that your favorite person of interest might like a copy of my novel or short story collection – oh, wait, that’s what I’m here for. They’re easy gifts, more entertaining than a subscription to C-Span and a lot less expensive than a Lamborghini. Really, how could you go wrong?

 

            If your gift recipient can’t read: Teach them! I’ll wait.

 

            Storm Chaser should appeal to anyone who likes romantic comedy, or humor, or action, or who likes to see a big bad State Trooper bested by his family and a wandering disaster photographer. Chance Hamlin is also a volunteer firefighter, and doesn’t much like photographers – especially photographers who rescue him. But he has to keep close to Allie Craine, because she might be the one causing a series of fires and accidents near his home town.

 

            Storm Chaser Shorts is not about shorts, but Storm Chaser Short Stories wouldn’t fit on the cover. Set before Storm Chaser, the collection features characters from the novel as the events of their lives guide them toward an eventual meeting. Genre? Humor, action/adventure, drama, and something that might be just a bit mystical …

 

            You can learn about both on my publisher’s website, at:

http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&zenid=096295a2fd1ee87e182d3c72297a64bd&keyword=mark+r+hunter

 

            Both Storm Chaser and Storm Chaser Shorts are available there and at Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com, and Fictionwise.com, although unfortunately the short story collection is sold only as an e-book – you can get both for Kindle or Nook. You can also order a print copy of the novel through my website at www.markrhunter.com .

 

            If you live in northeast Indiana, the print version of Storm Chaser is available at the offices of the Albion New Era and Churubusco News, Summer’s Stories in Kendallville, The Bookmark on North Anthony Boulevard in Fort Wayne, and Just Off the Square Antiques and Collectibles on Main Street in Albion.

 

See? That didn’t hurt too much.

 

You know what’s cool? When you stop by to browse the Barnes & Noble website and discover your short story collection is now up for the Nook. How cool is that?

 But wait, it gets better: Barnes & Noble is calling Storm Chaser Shorts part of the Storm Chaser “series”.

Series! Whoa … little head rush, there. Of course, the ten short stories do indeed take place in the same universe as the original novel, with the first seven set before Storm Chaser, and the last three after. You can have them for just $2.99, which, according to my sometimes questionable math skills, is less than three dollars. The Barnes & Noble link is here:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/mark-r-hunter

 

Both the short story collection and the original Storm Chaser are also available at Fictionwise, which features lower prices for members:

http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/a67096/Mark-R-Hunter/?

 

And, of course, Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Mark-R-Hunter/e/B0058CL6OO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1/183-3059190-7528623

 

And my publisher’s website, www.whiskeycreekpress.com .

Although Storm Chaser Shorts is sadly available only as an e-book, if you’d like a print copy of Storm Chaser you can get order it through www.markrhunter.com, or contact me and I’ll let you know where you can pick one up.

 Okay, I’m off to do the Snoopy Dance.

In honor of my publisher’s 9^th birthday, for a few more days Whiskey Creek Press is offering 9 e-books for 99 cents – and one for free:

 

http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/store/

I'm off to spend the next several days getting my home ready for a refinancing appraisal -- and if you've followed how busy I've been, you know why it will take several days.

Meanwhile, I'm officially announcing what many of you already know: In May, 2012, Whiskey Creek Press will release Storm Chaser Shorts, a collection of short stories featuring the characters from Storm Chaser. The 14,000 word work features 10 stories, and will be available as an e-book only -- so save space on your e-readers/phones/computers/whatever the heck else someone comes up with between now and then! Here's the blurb that sealed the deal for me:


Just like the weather, a person’s story changes all the time. Sometime it’s a romance, sometimes a comedy, and when things go badly it can be a fine line between action-adventure and tragedy.

Storm Chaser Shorts follows two converging stories. One involves the family and friends of Indiana State Trooper Chance Hamlin, who struggles to defend his hometown of Hurricane and his family from all manner of threats – whether they want him to or not. The other follows disaster photographer Allie Craine and those pulled into the wake of her passing, as she’s tailed by the shadowy and disaster prone Luther Magee.

Seven stories are set before, and three after, the events of Storm Chaser. Like the weather – and life – the tales are diverse, ranging from humor and adventure to what may be downright mystical.

After all, life with a Storm Chaser is as diverse as the weather.


Storm Chaser is still available through amazon.com, amazon.com.uk, fictionwise.com, whiskeycreekpress.com, and markrhunter.com., and in print on my website, at the Albion New Era and Churubusco News newspaper offices, and at The Bookmark in Fort Wayne.  Here's a new review I just stumbled across:
http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.com/2011/08/storm-chaser-by-mark-r-hunter.html

And I found the video Emily made for the book here:
http://wn.com/Chaser_(novel)

Yes, I Googled myself. Don't mock me!  As of today, Storm Chaser is still listed as #5 on the Whiskey Creek Press top 10 list.

Storm Chaser is available for the Nook and most other e-book formats, now that it’s being sold on Fictionwise:

http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b124316/?si=0

Fictionwise was acquired by Barnes & Noble in 2009, and is reported to be one of the largest e-book sellers in North America, distributing about 1.5 million e-books a year. That makes Storm Chaser available not just for Kindle and Nook, but for just about every device and software out there. 

Although Whiskey Creek Press already has it for sale in PDF and HTML format, which can be transferred to most e-readers, some people prefer to skip the extra step!

Storm Chaser has had its first official review:

http://shamelessreviewsandpromotions.blogspot.com/2011/06/storm-chasera-romantic-comedy-by-mark-r.html

Who knows? Maybe I'll even report on the first bad review. But probably not. Meanwhile, I'm not above making fun of myself:

 

SLIGHTLY OFF THE MARK

 

            Some people will be surprised to learn that my first novel, Storm Chaser, is already out and available, and has been for two weeks. It turns out that the Think Method of using mental energy to get things done doesn’t work with publicity.         

( I envisioned a big coming-out in which I hold a press conference, followed by a semi dropping off forklifts of book copies with that fresh novel smell, followed by a signing, followed by a dinner with Stephen King (what does Stephen King eat, anyway?), followed by an announcement that I’ve hit number one on both Amazon.com and the New York Times Bestseller List, followed by a seven figure, three book deal offer from a Big Publisher. All in one day. )

 

Bad days off. Really bad days off, with things going wrong on a family level in various ways, and that was before my brother and his wife got rear-ended in their pickup truck (They seem to be more or less okay, despite the efforts of several dozen people to get them to make a doctor's appointment).

Now  I seem to have picked up either a stomach bug or some very mild form of food poisoning. (We're getting by -- no need to call 911.)   The family stuff involves other people, and it's not my place to talk about it, other than to say I'm concerned and upset. For all I know, my digestive discomfort of the last several hours might be stress. Best way to handle times like that is to muddle through, think of others who have it worse, and keep plugging away at life. Mostly I wanted you to know that if I'm not around as much as usual the next few days, it's just real life intruding.

Meanwhile, I have the comfort of Emily and all my friends and family who've been voicing support and spreading the word about the release of Storm Chaser. With all the books that get published every year, it's wonderful to see how much attention my little piece of escapism is getting. I'm very thankful. Although it's still not up on Amazon.com or the Barnes & Noble website, I assume it's selling a copy or two on the Whiskey Creek website, and I expect to get my shipment of print copies in a couple of weeks. Soon I'll have enough feedback to know if I should tackle that sequel I've had on my mind ...