Earlier today I teased a bit on Twitter (and a 2nd tweet) and Tumblr that my next book, this one a supernatural horror story called Bound Souls, is coming soon. This one will be my first novel aimed at a more adult audience, as opposed to the three YA novels I've put out. (Check over to the right if you're interested in any of those.) I've decided I'm shooting for Monday, June 30th or Tuesday, July 2nd to release it. That's the beginning of a holiday week here in the US, but I'm hoping that may work in my favor, as people will want new reads for the upcoming long Fourth of July weekend.
I don't yet have much detail for you as of yet, but I'll have plenty in the weeks leading up to the release. I'll reveal the cover, the "back of book" plot summary, and a few free sample chapters. (I'm not sure how many at this point, but it'll be at least five and maybe up to ten of the thirty-three chapter book.) So stay tuned! I'll post here, on Twitter, and Tumblr. I know I'll be publishing it on Amazon as both an e-book and paperback, and I may release it in Smashwords, which should place it in other markets, though I'm not sure yet. I'll announce that, as well, when I've made a decision.
So stay tuned! Exciting times ahead! Thanks for reading.
Showing posts with label paranormal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label paranormal. Show all posts
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Free copy of Ghost Betweens
Since it's the month of October, or as I like to call it, the month of Halloween, I've decided I should run another contest for a free book. This time it's a paperback copy of my Young Adult Paranormal Adventure, Ghost Betweens. This contest will start up right now, and I'll hold a drawing on November 1st for a winner.
There are two ways to enter. First, leave a comment on this blog post. Do make sure that I can get in touch with you if you win, of course; if I click on your name in the comment, I should be able to find your blog, twitter handle, email, or something. I don't have Facebook (that may change soon, but not yet - more on that at a later date), so don't rely on that. Second, follow me on Twitter (@ericjkrause) and retweet any tweets related to this contest. They'll be easy to spot, as most will have those instructions right in them. I'll only enter you in the contest once, but if you'd like to retweet more than once, I'll send you thank you tweets for getting the word out!
As soon as this posts, consider the contest open. I'll send out the first tweet very soon, and then two or three times a day until Halloween. The contest officially ends on Midnight on Halloween, though unofficially I'll still enter you on the morning of November 1st when I wake up and check Twitter and this blog post. Good luck!
Oh, and I should mention that I'll also be making the Kindle e-book free during the last five days of October (Oct. 27-31). That way, if you don't win, you can still read the book. And if you do win, you'll have both a paperback copy and an e-book copy. I'll, of course, remind everyone about the free Kindle book when the time draws nearer.
There are two ways to enter. First, leave a comment on this blog post. Do make sure that I can get in touch with you if you win, of course; if I click on your name in the comment, I should be able to find your blog, twitter handle, email, or something. I don't have Facebook (that may change soon, but not yet - more on that at a later date), so don't rely on that. Second, follow me on Twitter (@ericjkrause) and retweet any tweets related to this contest. They'll be easy to spot, as most will have those instructions right in them. I'll only enter you in the contest once, but if you'd like to retweet more than once, I'll send you thank you tweets for getting the word out!
As soon as this posts, consider the contest open. I'll send out the first tweet very soon, and then two or three times a day until Halloween. The contest officially ends on Midnight on Halloween, though unofficially I'll still enter you on the morning of November 1st when I wake up and check Twitter and this blog post. Good luck!
Oh, and I should mention that I'll also be making the Kindle e-book free during the last five days of October (Oct. 27-31). That way, if you don't win, you can still read the book. And if you do win, you'll have both a paperback copy and an e-book copy. I'll, of course, remind everyone about the free Kindle book when the time draws nearer.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
#FridayFlash--Hero
Hero
by Eric J. Krause
He wiped the sweat from his brow and hefted the crying woman onto his shoulder. She'd climbed the multiple stories like a trooper, but now, so close to their goal, she couldn't go on. He'd seen it so many times that he carried her without giving it a second thought.
He stepped over and through the wreckage, avoiding the broken step halfway up the second-to-last story. As they got to the top, the light energized her, and she hopped down and ran the rest of the way. She called a thank you over her shoulder, but didn't see his wave and smile.
He headed back down all 110 stories. That lady had been the last to dig herself out of the ruins, but he had to make sure. He'd helped almost 1500 dead souls find their way to peace, but he'd count himself a failure if he left even one behind.
Nothing moved on the bottom floor. He could neither hear nor sense any souls burrowing through the rubble. He'd finished. The only one left to save was himself. Fatigue chose that moment to crash down almost as hard as the tower when the plane exploded into it. Now that no one depended on him, where was he going to find the energy to march all the way up to the light?
He lifted one heavy boot up to the first stair, and implored himself to continue. With the desperate souls, the jaunt to the top, even the spots where debris made climbing a necessity, took little time or effort. But now that he was on his own, the stairwell might as well have been a broken path up Everest.
He couldn't bring himself to quit. He wouldn't lie down and wait for whatever end he'd earned to come get him. That wasn't his style. He needed to meet his afterlife head on, and that meant traversing the rubble-strewn stairwell all the way to the top floor. To that white light.
And continue he did. Up past the cave-ins. Up past the impact site. Up, up, and up some more. He'd lost count, but if he had to guess, he'd dragged his tired body, his tired soul, up the tower three times further than possible. Until finally he recognized where he was. He heard the soft hum of the light, and willed it to fill him with energy as it did for all those he helped.
A few more steps up brought a tingle, but no renewing power. That was when he realized, too late, that they'd always been revitalized after the broken step halfway up the second-to-last story. His steel-toed boot came down on that step, and his foot crashed through. That first trip, who knows how many hours, days, millennia ago, he'd done the same, but he'd pulled himself out as if nothing had happened. Every time since, he'd remembered to skip it. Now, however, he tried to escape and couldn't. Would this be his eternity? Stuck tight in the ghost of a destroyed building, a story and a half away from salvation?
The pitch of the humming above him altered, and soft footsteps echoed off the walls. He stood waiting, watching. A being made entirely of light rounded the corner and stared down at him, smiling. No words were exchanged, but he knew he had its supreme gratitude for saving the souls which otherwise would have been lost. Peace, love, and hope filled him, and he knew now he could continue his trek to the light above the 110th story without trouble.
Before he could move, the almost 1500 souls he'd liberated descended to him from around the heavenly being. They lifted him out of the broken step and hoisted him to their shoulders. They carried him like a king up the final steps, and the warm, peaceful light enveloped him.
by Eric J. Krause
He wiped the sweat from his brow and hefted the crying woman onto his shoulder. She'd climbed the multiple stories like a trooper, but now, so close to their goal, she couldn't go on. He'd seen it so many times that he carried her without giving it a second thought.
He stepped over and through the wreckage, avoiding the broken step halfway up the second-to-last story. As they got to the top, the light energized her, and she hopped down and ran the rest of the way. She called a thank you over her shoulder, but didn't see his wave and smile.
He headed back down all 110 stories. That lady had been the last to dig herself out of the ruins, but he had to make sure. He'd helped almost 1500 dead souls find their way to peace, but he'd count himself a failure if he left even one behind.
Nothing moved on the bottom floor. He could neither hear nor sense any souls burrowing through the rubble. He'd finished. The only one left to save was himself. Fatigue chose that moment to crash down almost as hard as the tower when the plane exploded into it. Now that no one depended on him, where was he going to find the energy to march all the way up to the light?
He lifted one heavy boot up to the first stair, and implored himself to continue. With the desperate souls, the jaunt to the top, even the spots where debris made climbing a necessity, took little time or effort. But now that he was on his own, the stairwell might as well have been a broken path up Everest.
He couldn't bring himself to quit. He wouldn't lie down and wait for whatever end he'd earned to come get him. That wasn't his style. He needed to meet his afterlife head on, and that meant traversing the rubble-strewn stairwell all the way to the top floor. To that white light.
And continue he did. Up past the cave-ins. Up past the impact site. Up, up, and up some more. He'd lost count, but if he had to guess, he'd dragged his tired body, his tired soul, up the tower three times further than possible. Until finally he recognized where he was. He heard the soft hum of the light, and willed it to fill him with energy as it did for all those he helped.
A few more steps up brought a tingle, but no renewing power. That was when he realized, too late, that they'd always been revitalized after the broken step halfway up the second-to-last story. His steel-toed boot came down on that step, and his foot crashed through. That first trip, who knows how many hours, days, millennia ago, he'd done the same, but he'd pulled himself out as if nothing had happened. Every time since, he'd remembered to skip it. Now, however, he tried to escape and couldn't. Would this be his eternity? Stuck tight in the ghost of a destroyed building, a story and a half away from salvation?
The pitch of the humming above him altered, and soft footsteps echoed off the walls. He stood waiting, watching. A being made entirely of light rounded the corner and stared down at him, smiling. No words were exchanged, but he knew he had its supreme gratitude for saving the souls which otherwise would have been lost. Peace, love, and hope filled him, and he knew now he could continue his trek to the light above the 110th story without trouble.
Before he could move, the almost 1500 souls he'd liberated descended to him from around the heavenly being. They lifted him out of the broken step and hoisted him to their shoulders. They carried him like a king up the final steps, and the warm, peaceful light enveloped him.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
#FridayFlash--Abandonment Issues
Abandonment Issues
by Eric J. Krause
"Did that car have a white stripe on the top?"
"What car?" Summer didn't look up from her book.
"The red one back there." Mark sighed. "Never mind. The road's playing tricks on me."
This trip down I-15 from Las Vegas to Orange County would do that. Nothing but mountains and desert, heavy on the desert, and he couldn't even listen to good music because Summer would pitch a fit if heavy metal came over the speakers. Not that he hated her country music, but on a long, boring drive, some Ozzy, Anthrax, or Slayer would ease the pain.
There it was again. A classic red sports car with a white stripe on the roof sat abandoned on the side of the road. It looked identical to the two others he'd seen: the first in the mountains after Stateline, and the second a few miles past Baker and its world's tallest thermometer. Now here was another, not five miles later. What were the odds that he'd see these on the same stretch of highway, relatively close yet miles apart?
"Can you do me a favor?" he asked.
"What?"
"If I see a red car on the side of the road, can you help me read the license plate?"
This time she put her book down. "What? Why?"
"Just indulge me. You don't even need to watch for it. Just get out a pen and paper."
She opened her mouth to protest, but to her credit swallowed the comment and shrugged. She pulled out a scrap of paper and a Luxor-Las Vegas souvenir ball-point pen from her purse. "I knew I kept this up here for a reason." She smiled at him before returning to her book. He wanted to lean over and plant a sloppy kiss on her, but at 70 miles per hour, that didn't sound like a smart idea.
Since he was prepared, he figured that would be the last of it. But no. A few miles later, parked on the shoulder, two tires on the pavement and two on dirt, stood another one.
"Quick," he said, "the license plate."
Summer placed her book in her lap. "I saw 2HEV1, but that was it," she said.
"Better than me," Mark said. "All I saw was that they were California plates."
"I'd prefer you kept your eyes on the road anyway," she said while she wrote on the scrap of paper, maybe the receipt for the same pen. "Are you going to tell me why we just did that?"
"That's the fourth car I've seen abandoned on the side of the road."
"So?" she said. "That doesn't sound very unusual out here."
"They all looked the same. Identical."
"Oh," Summer said. She remained quiet, and her book lay untouched in her lap. A minute or two later, she said, "Could it be performance art? You know, like when that guy littered that highway with yellow umbrellas?"
"Maybe," Mark said. It was as good as any explanations he'd come up with. "I'll let you know if I see another."
She put her book aside. "I'm curious now. I'll watch for the next one."
It wasn't long before that came up. "Crap, I still couldn't make out the entire plate." She looked at her scrap of paper. "What I saw matched, though. It has to be some weird art project. There's no other explanation."
Mark nodded. "But what's the artist's statement?"
"Maybe it's just supposed to be a conversational piece for the drive."
Mark chuckled. "It is keeping my mind off of work tomorrow."
The next one came a few miles later. "I think I see someone," Summer said, but as they passed, there was no sign of anyone. "Guess my mind's playing tricks on me."
"I don't know. Have you noticed that we're the only ones out here? I'd been so wrapped up in this mystery that I hadn't paid it any mind. But . . ."
"Yeah, it's kind of weird," Summer said. "Last time we drove home, you cussed out traffic the whole way."
They continued in silence until they passed the red car again. This time they both saw movement.
"What is it?" Summer asked. "It looks like a person made out of shadows."
Mark nodded. Even though they zipped by at 70, when he stared at the shadow man, it was like the car slowed to a crawl. It stood about six feet tall and had the outline of a strong, fit man. Though its face had no features, Mark could sense it looking back at them. Summer asked him if they should stop, but he shook his head and pressed down hard on the gas pedal, getting them over 70, beyond 80, and up to 90.
They passed the red car three times in quick succession, each time with the man gaining more definition. It went from a free-floating shadow to a non-descript, as generic as they come, Caucasian male. It mouthed some words to them, and a deep, creepy voice replaced the Montgomery Gentry song on the radio.
"Stay the course and drive to the light. It's time." The song didn't come back; the radio belched static.
"What's going on?" Summer asked, hysterics bubbling in her voice.
Mark didn't answer. The car wasn't on the road, hell, not even on the ground anymore. They shot straight up in the air towards a searing white light. As bright as it was, it gave off a peaceful vibe.
"Can you see behind us? Or below us, I guess?" Summer asked.
He checked the rearview mirror. Their car lay smashed on the grill of a big rig. An ambulance had arrived, but the paramedics weren't in a hurry. They pushed two gurneys to the back of the ambulance and drove off without the lights flashing or the sirens wailing.
Mark put his hand on her knee. "I guess the light's the only option."
Tears hung in Summer's eyes, but she smiled. "I guess so."
by Eric J. Krause
"Did that car have a white stripe on the top?"
"What car?" Summer didn't look up from her book.
"The red one back there." Mark sighed. "Never mind. The road's playing tricks on me."
This trip down I-15 from Las Vegas to Orange County would do that. Nothing but mountains and desert, heavy on the desert, and he couldn't even listen to good music because Summer would pitch a fit if heavy metal came over the speakers. Not that he hated her country music, but on a long, boring drive, some Ozzy, Anthrax, or Slayer would ease the pain.
There it was again. A classic red sports car with a white stripe on the roof sat abandoned on the side of the road. It looked identical to the two others he'd seen: the first in the mountains after Stateline, and the second a few miles past Baker and its world's tallest thermometer. Now here was another, not five miles later. What were the odds that he'd see these on the same stretch of highway, relatively close yet miles apart?
"Can you do me a favor?" he asked.
"What?"
"If I see a red car on the side of the road, can you help me read the license plate?"
This time she put her book down. "What? Why?"
"Just indulge me. You don't even need to watch for it. Just get out a pen and paper."
She opened her mouth to protest, but to her credit swallowed the comment and shrugged. She pulled out a scrap of paper and a Luxor-Las Vegas souvenir ball-point pen from her purse. "I knew I kept this up here for a reason." She smiled at him before returning to her book. He wanted to lean over and plant a sloppy kiss on her, but at 70 miles per hour, that didn't sound like a smart idea.
Since he was prepared, he figured that would be the last of it. But no. A few miles later, parked on the shoulder, two tires on the pavement and two on dirt, stood another one.
"Quick," he said, "the license plate."
Summer placed her book in her lap. "I saw 2HEV1, but that was it," she said.
"Better than me," Mark said. "All I saw was that they were California plates."
"I'd prefer you kept your eyes on the road anyway," she said while she wrote on the scrap of paper, maybe the receipt for the same pen. "Are you going to tell me why we just did that?"
"That's the fourth car I've seen abandoned on the side of the road."
"So?" she said. "That doesn't sound very unusual out here."
"They all looked the same. Identical."
"Oh," Summer said. She remained quiet, and her book lay untouched in her lap. A minute or two later, she said, "Could it be performance art? You know, like when that guy littered that highway with yellow umbrellas?"
"Maybe," Mark said. It was as good as any explanations he'd come up with. "I'll let you know if I see another."
She put her book aside. "I'm curious now. I'll watch for the next one."
It wasn't long before that came up. "Crap, I still couldn't make out the entire plate." She looked at her scrap of paper. "What I saw matched, though. It has to be some weird art project. There's no other explanation."
Mark nodded. "But what's the artist's statement?"
"Maybe it's just supposed to be a conversational piece for the drive."
Mark chuckled. "It is keeping my mind off of work tomorrow."
The next one came a few miles later. "I think I see someone," Summer said, but as they passed, there was no sign of anyone. "Guess my mind's playing tricks on me."
"I don't know. Have you noticed that we're the only ones out here? I'd been so wrapped up in this mystery that I hadn't paid it any mind. But . . ."
"Yeah, it's kind of weird," Summer said. "Last time we drove home, you cussed out traffic the whole way."
They continued in silence until they passed the red car again. This time they both saw movement.
"What is it?" Summer asked. "It looks like a person made out of shadows."
Mark nodded. Even though they zipped by at 70, when he stared at the shadow man, it was like the car slowed to a crawl. It stood about six feet tall and had the outline of a strong, fit man. Though its face had no features, Mark could sense it looking back at them. Summer asked him if they should stop, but he shook his head and pressed down hard on the gas pedal, getting them over 70, beyond 80, and up to 90.
They passed the red car three times in quick succession, each time with the man gaining more definition. It went from a free-floating shadow to a non-descript, as generic as they come, Caucasian male. It mouthed some words to them, and a deep, creepy voice replaced the Montgomery Gentry song on the radio.
"Stay the course and drive to the light. It's time." The song didn't come back; the radio belched static.
"What's going on?" Summer asked, hysterics bubbling in her voice.
Mark didn't answer. The car wasn't on the road, hell, not even on the ground anymore. They shot straight up in the air towards a searing white light. As bright as it was, it gave off a peaceful vibe.
"Can you see behind us? Or below us, I guess?" Summer asked.
He checked the rearview mirror. Their car lay smashed on the grill of a big rig. An ambulance had arrived, but the paramedics weren't in a hurry. They pushed two gurneys to the back of the ambulance and drove off without the lights flashing or the sirens wailing.
Mark put his hand on her knee. "I guess the light's the only option."
Tears hung in Summer's eyes, but she smiled. "I guess so."
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Audio Recording of "Jamie's Home"
Here is my second attempt at an audio recording. This is the very first #FridayFlash story I ever presented--50 stories and a year ago. My delivery won't win me any awards, with the popping "p's" and occasional stumbles, but, honestly, I think I'm doing better than I ever thought I would. I figured I'd never read anything aloud and put it out there, but I proved myself wrong. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the audio recording of "Jamie's Home."
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