R.J. Sullivan Fiction

Darkness with a Chance of Whimsy

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Tag: Book Promotion

Blog tour day one!

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Here are the live links for the first day of my blog tour!

Jess Resides Here has a contest: http://frellathon.com/2013/10/28/virtual-blue-rj-sullivan-book-tour-mega-giveaway/

Jories Loves a Story reviews Virtual Blue: http://jorielovesastory.com/2013/10/28/blog-book-tour-virtual-blue-by-rj-sullivan/

Come Selahway with Me has a great guest post: http://selahjanel.wordpress.com/2013/10/28/tcm-presents-virtual-blue-by-rj-sullivan/

You can see the master schedule here!

Yesterday my blog hit new high numbers,three times more than I’ve ever seen. A very cool surprise. Thanks, everyone.

Thanks to everyone sharing and participating.

 

Full Virtual Blue Blog Tour schedule now posted

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RJ VB banner

Tomorrow Comes Media has arranged for an intense week of blog posts in support of my new release Virtual Blue, with contests and reviews, plus several guest blogs from me: new interviews, in-depth thoughts about writing, insight into the creative process and lots of observations about my characters and stories.

We have an exciting week ahead, so how appropriate that the tour straddles Halloween! Check back frequently for new links as they go live. Fans of Blue and Rebecca Burton will find much to love here this week, and we should snag plenty of new readers as well. Check out the full schedule here and don’t be shy about telling everyone you know! 

Spooky Author Book Bag Benefit Raffle to benefit MAP during Arts in the Park

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DSCN1678This Saturday, the Mooresville Arts Partnership is re-launching Arts in the Park, an annual all day festival exhibiting and celebrating all aspects of art expression in the area. Local author R.J. Sullivan  has ask for “a little help from his friends” and gotten it from, dark fiction authors John F. Allen, Matthew Barron, Nicole Cushing,  and Crystal Leflar to instruct beginning-level writer’s workshops for all ages. Read all the details and sign up for a workshop time here!

We’ll also hold an all-day raffle at our canopy for a “Spooky Book Bag” of our work–$1 per ticket gets  you one chance to win a set of books valued at over $60 without signatures–and the authors will sign and personalize each book on request.

This way, you can personalize a book for every horror reader on your gift list–or have all the books signed to you and keep them–we won’t tell.

To enter, find the Horror Authors Canopy. Raffle tickets are $1 each. Enter as often as  you like. For each ticket you buy, we need your name and phone number (preferably a cell phone number you will be carrying with you at 5:30 that day, the time of the drawing) on the half  you leave in the raffle.

Some notes:

  • Everyone who participates in the writer workshops earns one free ticket for the raffle. Children must have the ticket filled out by a parent.
  • 100% of all proceeds go to MAP.
  • We’ll draw the winner following the 4 p.m. workshop, so some time after 5 p.m.
  • All tickets will be discarded responsibly. Tickets are to contact the winner. The rest will be destroyed.
  • Books will be “flat signed” unless the winner requests personalization. This will allow the authors to personalize books intended as gifts.
  • Parents take note: The books in the raffle and at the vendor tent contain adult content. We’ll do our best to sell responsibly, but we’re not going to card, nor will we judge what you let your kid read.

The Spooky Book Bag in detail. Links take  you to the Amazon page:

The God Killers by John F. Allen; Secular City Limits by Mattthew Barron; We Are Dust and Death to the Brothers Grimm, both with a story by Crystal Leflar; Haunting Obsession by R.J. Sullivan–and maybe more! Plus bookmarks and other doodads.

These books and more can be purchased all day at the vendor tent! Authors will be around to sign all day.

Indiana Horror Authors to offer workshops at Mooresville Arts in the Park

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1017475_596956940325736_1669991594_nMooresville Arts in the Park
All Day Arts Festival Saturday, October 12!
Pioneer Park–Link to directions and park website
Flash fiction workshops and product tent!
Preregistration preferred, walk-ins welcome
Mooresville, IN
Website and Facebook

I’m very excited to announce an upcoming event taking place in my local community during the Arts in the Park festival at Pioneer Park Saturday, October 12, 2013. Several loccal local peer authors are joining me to serve as instructors during a series of free community workshops on crafting thrilling fiction. You’ll find us among dozens of community artists and performers who will sing, dance, and display their unique creations during the all-day festival. The event is free and open to the public.

We’re planning three one-hour sessions, aimed at, but not limited to, late elementary school through high school aged-writers-in-the-making. Adults who have recently caught the writing bug or who have put off their aspirations are also welcome. If you are interested in getting feedback from a professional author at no cost to you, you need to be here—don’t let the word “horror” scare you! We have an instructor to advise any beginner with a passion for writing thrilling tales of any genre.

The suggested format will be “flash fiction,” and the suggested theme will be “The Creature of Pioneer Park,” though writers are free to compose within their comfort zone. Writers can use the pens and paper provided, bring their own, or bring their laptops. Participants will spend the first half hour composing their work. During the last half hour, the authors will review the drafts and offer individualized instruction on how to best sharpen their writing skills. Writers may, alternatively, submit a pre-composed sample of their work for a critique (limit 1000 words).

Pre-registration is preferred, but walk-ins are welcome as long as we have the space. Click this link to pre-register.

The authors will strive to pair you with an instructor that best fits your style, and you will receive individualized instruction on your submission.

the-god-killers-cover SSPWhat is Flash Fiction? The unique challenge of flash fiction is to compose a “complete” story of roughly 1000 words. With fiction coming to readers on their pads, cell phones and reading devices, flash fiction has grown in popularity in recent years. It’s also ideal for a workshop. Not up the challenge? Don’t worry–writers may instead compose part of a larger story for review. To respect everyone’s time, instructors reserve the right to limit their review to roughly 1000 words per writer.

The Arts in the Park is an all-day event. The Artists’ Shelter will offer books by the instructors, who will be happy to sign and personalize every purchase. The free workshop sessions are courtesy of the Mooresville Arts Partnership, a non-profit organization that provides instruction in dance, tumble, visual arts, music, and drama to children and adults in the greater Mooresville area. Learn more at the MAP Website.

Here is the Facebook Arts in the Park event page and the Mooresville Pioneer Park Website.

The local author/instructors will include:

John F. Allen is an American speculative fiction author of Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Paranormal Mystery. He resides in Indianapolis, IN with his wife and two children. The God Killers, an urban fantasy, is his debut novel.

Matthew Barron spends his days mixing and analyzing human blood as a medical technologist in Indianapolis Indiana. His writing ranges from children’s books and short comics to robot erotica. His books The Lonely Princess and Secular City Limits are available now, and his short fiction has appeared in House of Horror, The Welcome to Indiana Comic Anthology, and the Roboterotica anthology.

children_of_no_oneNicole Cushing is an author of weird, dark fiction. Her debut novella, Children of No One, received praise from several prominent genre outlets (Famous Monsters of Filmland wrote: “If you read one debut this year, this should be the one you read.”) Forthcoming books include The Choir of Beasts and The New God.

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Crystal Leflar is a blogger book reviewer, previously with Fantasy magazine and Afterthoughts.com, now for Horror Novel Reviews. She’s a promotion specialist and slush reader for Nightscape Press. Her fiction has appeared in a variety of anthologies and she has several projects in the works.

R.J. Sullivan (you’re on his website!) writes paranormal thrillers and is expanding into science fiction. He is known locally as the story editor for the Morgan County Business Leader and as business writer “Copybob.” His books include Haunting Obsession, Haunting Blue, and Virtual Blue. His short fiction has appeared in the acclaimed anthologies Dark Faith Invocations and Vampires Don’t Sparkle.

Context ahead!

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The following is the  50th Blog Post of R.J. Sullivan on his own page, brought to you by the Department of Meaningless Statistics. You’re welcome.

So Context 26 in Columbus, OH, is now straight ahead, this weekend, the highlight of my convention season every year, and this year should be no exception. Go here to see the devoted webpage. For one thing, my publisher, Seventh Star Press, is throwing the Saturday night party alongside Loconeal Publishing. Plus, Apex Books, a publisher I feel very fond toward, will also be there.

This year marks my fourth consecutive year attending Context, each one a special memory for me. I attended my first Context in 2010, a newly signed author with Haunting Blue still a few months off from becoming a reality. I met up with fabulous author and Haunting Blue artist Ash Roland (this link takes you to her art gallery, in her guise as Ash Arceneaux) and had my first-ever conversation with Michael West.

In 2011, I spent a lot of time with Stephen Zimmer from Seventh Star Press, the year which led to the legend of the Shagin’ Wagon–I’ll let him explain–and which led in a very serious way to my deciding who I wanted to handle my next several stories. By 2012, it was like coming home to big family reunion. I can’t wait to see what this year has in store.

This year, I’m taking my first workshops ever, both the amazing Gary A. Braunbeck, who will be challenged to see what he can do with me. I’m looking forward to it, though I’m not not sure if he feels the same way. 🙂

The full RJ-schedule:

Friday

6-8:pm–Wright Room: (Workshop) Self-Editing and Diagnostics (As a student)

Saturday

2:30-4 pm McGregor Room: Series or Standalone–with Marian Allen, David L. Day, Addie J. King

4-5:30 pm Griswold B and C: How to Reach Your Readers–with Jack McDevitt, Tim Waggoner, Scott Sandridge, and Maura Heaphy.

7 pm-on Giswold D: 7 pm. Seventh Star/Loconeal Party!!!!

Sunday

10-11:30 am Griswold B and C: Make ‘Em Laugh–with Laura Resnick, Addie j. King, Evan Dicken, Amy McCorkle

2-4 pm Stanbury Room: (Workshop) Creating Character Through Dialog (as a student)

When I’m not here, you’ll most likely find me at the Dealer’s Room Seventh Star Table: Friday 5-9 pm, Sat 9-6 pm, Sunday 9-2 pm.

Looking forward to catching up with so many readers, authors, and publishers this weekend, there’s too many to list. Hope to see you there!

Let’s get this party started!

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So over the weekend I opened the two-story lounge where I will be hosting a big party over the next couple of weeks.

No, I didn’t rent a ballroom. There, obvious joke over.

Two of my stories are going live within a few days of each other and I’m super-stoked. The release dates are extremely fluid because Seventh Star is a sort of crunch mode after some unavoidable delays earlier this summer, and both of my books post Very Soon Now. We just don’t know….exactly when. So I said “what the heck” and decided to host an interactive party on Facebook.

Okay, it’s more like a virtual lounge. In fact, that’s what I call it, the R.J. Sullivan Two-Story Release Party Lounge. I’m so clever. Essentially it’s a temporary public group on Facebook where fans, friends and peers can drop in and out and see the latest news, play some trivia, and I’ll raffle for all sorts of prizes, thanks to my author buds.

Plus–its primary purpose–to make it easy for you to track the release of my new science fiction Singles novelette, the Fate of the Red Lotus, due out mid week. And of course, capping off with the long-anticipated follow-up in the Adventures of Blue Shaefer–Virtual Blue! We’ll have excerpts and art reveals before it goes live.

And with the convenience of being in a group, the update posts won’t scroll several pages off your feed in a couple of hours. So even if you can only check in once a day, you won’t miss any updates.

Oh no, you’re thinking, I can’t bear to hear RJ talk about himself for days and days. To which I say–FREE stuff! You love to read, don’t you? (Yes, RJ, why else would we be here, duh!) So I’ve asked several of my talented and generous author buds to help make it worth your while to stick around, including Eric Garrison, John F. Allen, Chantel Noordeloos, Debra Holland, Kat French, and James W. Kirk, and that’s just the folks I reached out to on short notice.

The list is growing. We’ll have lots of ebook giveaways–mainly because ebooks are so easy to handle in something like this, but don’t be surprised if some “actual” things may need to be boxed and mailed before it’s over. Wow, I have a way with words.

So why are you still reading this? The party’s already started and going on without you. Click here already!

7th Annual Paranormal Meet n Greet August 10!

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What: The 7th Annual Paranormal Meet n Greet
When: Saturday, August 10, Noon- 4 PM
Where: The Historic Haunted Hannah House, 3801 Madison Ave. Indianapolis, IN 46227
How Much: This event is 100% FREE! FREE for vendors and FREE for patrons! No registration required! Just show up!

Did we mention it’s free?

The 7th Annual Paranormal Meet n Greet is like an art festival across the lawn of a haunted house. Scratch that, it IS an art festival across the lawn of a haunted house. The event is set up primarily for local and regional ghost investigation groups to meet, network, exchange information, trade stories and otherwise hang out.  Click here to join the Facebook event.

2011
2011

There will also be vendors of all sorts, and this will be the third annual appearance by the Indiana Horror Writers, with our huge selection of ghostly and ghastly tales to tempt you. I’ve been privileged to attend all three years of the IHW’s involvement with this, first as a new author promoting my first-ever novel, and now returning on the eve of my third book.

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2012, with RJ and "Maxine Marie" from Haunting Obsession.
2012, with RJ and “Maxine Marie” from Haunting Obsession.

Last year it was the debut event of Haunting Obsession. And although I won’t be debuting anything new this year, I’ll [plenty of copies on-hand at the Indiana Horror Writer’s table, where we’ll have a LOT of new releases on tap between us.

Michael West will have a wide selection, including the just re-released Wide Game and the popular anthology Vampires Don’t Sparkle.

Eric Garrison is bringing the new edition of Four ’til Late, the first of his road ghosts trilogy.

John F. Allen makes his first appearance to this event as a published author with his urban fantasy The God Killers.

Crystal Leflar is bringing her own stories of horror and the supernatural as well as a variety of selections from Nighscape Press.

Kathy Watness is bringing a wide selection of anthologies that cover a range of the strange and fantastic.

Whether you prefer your scares ghostly or ghastly, you’ll find much to love at the Indiana Horror Writers tent. Hope to see you there!

The Hannah House is located at 3801 Madison Ave. Indianapolis, IN 46227. It can easily be reached from 465 by exiting on the US31 North exit, also known as East Street. The third light down is National Ave – go right. The very next light is Madison Ave. The house sits on the corner of this intersection.

Looking ahead! Or, where the frack is Virtual Blue, RJ?

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So after an exciting launch of Haunting Obsession almost exactly a year ago, things have slowed down, with lots of talk of things to come, but little to show for it–so far.

Not that I’ve come to a stop, not by any stretch. My short story Starter Kit was released through Apex Book Company, part of the Dark Faith Invocations anthology which includes a Stoker-winning story by Lucy A. Snyder. A Big Book of Strange, Weird and Wonderful Volume II also hit in December, which included “Inner Strength” (a Rebecca Burton short story) and the Seventh Star Press American Cancer Association fundraising anthology Vampires Don’t Sparkle included Robot Vampire, which has become a reader favorite since its release in March.

But that’s not a lot, and the wait has been long, but I hope well worth it. In early 2013, with deadline approaching and a long way to go, I took a few month writing sabbatical (not entirely, but mostly) to finish Virtual Blue, the second book in the Adventures of Blue Shaefer. Add to that, some unavoidable delays that are the reality of small press publishing, we were pushed back probably another month. And so, without yet committing to a release date, I can announce with confidence that Virtual Blue is coming out next month.

The story picks up with Chip and Blue two years after the events of Haunting Blue, carrying on an uneasy long distance relationship as they attend colleges in different parts of the country. For reasons obvious at the end of Haunting Blue, things are not going well for them. Things are so bad, that Blue arranges to fly back to Indiana to break up with Chip over Thanksgiving break. She thinks she’s in for a miserable weekend, and she’ right–but she doesn’t know the half of it.

“Hell Just Went Digital.” That’s the tagline and hints of things to come. The many people who loved Rebecca Burton, my paranormal investigator from Haunting Obsession, will be happy to know she will play a big part in the next installment, and I include a few other surprises and characters from other Seventh Star authors.

At 90,000 words, Virtual Blue is my most ambitious project (certainly my longest). There’s ghosts. Also demons. And psychopaths. And warriors. And sorcerers. And swordfights. There’s a bathroom sink, but in retrospect, I should have made it a kitchen sink.

If you enjoyed Haunting Blue and the relationship between Blue Shaefer and Chip, you will find much to love here. That said, by design and based on pre-reader feedback, you don’t need to have read the first book to enjoy the second (more on that below).

Virtual Blue will not be out in time for the Paranormal Meet n Greet. It’s a choice between rushing production or taking the time to make it right. Seventh Star has been supportive times a million. Hyperbole aside, I took extra time with this. I wanted to make this the best effort I could. It’s what my readers deserve, and what you’ll always get. It just might not always be as fast as I’d like it.

So all that said….after I turned in Virtual Blue, I had some time on my hands, as well as a desire to stretch my genre muscles and to explore strange new worlds, so to speak. So I started messing around with a sci-fi spaceship idea I’d had for awhile, and before I knew it, I’d drafted The Fate of the Red Lotus, the first of a series of space opera novelettes.  I grew up reading the spaceship fiction of Andre Norton, Elizabeth Moon, and of course, watching certain tales on TV created by Gene Roddenberry, and finally put my own slant on the classic genre. The first Red Lotus story will hit later this fall, as a Seventh Star Single, and if you love it as much as my pre-readers, we might see a new series before too long.

But wait, there’s more! As the year wraps up, Seventh Star is scheduling a re-printed, authorized version of Haunting Blue, the first book in the Adventures of Blue Shaefer, featuring a new  cover and interior art by Series Illustrator  Bonnie Wasson, giving my three novels a unified series look for the first time ever.

And I may have a few more tricks up my sleeve. Thanks for sticking with me. The wait is going to be soooo worth it. I can’t wait to share this. Watch this website and Facebook for more details. You can also follow the Author R.J. Sullivan Fan Club Facebook Page, my FB author business page,  and my Twitter account to ensure you won’t miss a thing.

R.J. Sullivan at Fandomfest

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1069209_511944925543460_1155410685_nSo this year, FandomFest in Louisville, KY, has, among other superstar guests, William Shatner, Stan Lee, Gillian Anderson, Colin Baker, Gene Simmons, some Walking Dead people, and others along those same lines.

Not that you care about that. You’re showing up to stalk me. It okay. I feel ya’, and I got ya’ covered.

I’ll be at the Seventh Star Table with…well, Seventh Star Authors, including my TCQ (The Corvus Quartet–Google Corvus Constellation) buddies, John F. Allen, Eric Garrison and Michael West. TCQ is a foursome of authors and friends who belong to the same publisher and all live in the Indianapolis area. We’ve combined our powers to brainstorm ideas, trade resources and in other ways support each other’s efforts for the greater good of the whole. Or something like that.

In any case, Seventh Star will have a strong presence again this year, and the regional author tract will include a full weekend of panels and opportunities to learn how we authors do our authorly thing so you future authors can figure out how you can become a future author also…but sooner. Or something like that. Yes, I get paid to do this, what’s your point?

So here’re my panels.

Friday
5:30 p.m. Effective Social Media–Room 106

Saturday
2:30 p.m. Episodic Fiction–Room 108
5:30 p.m. Paranormal Explorations–Room 109

Sunday
10:00 a.m. Beta Reading–Room 107

Here is the posted literary programming schedule in case you find something interesting I’m not a part of (unlikely as that seems.)

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When I’m not here, I’ll be at the Seventh Star author’s table hanging out with my TCQ peeps, plus other Seventh Star authors, such as D. A. Adams, Steven Shrewsbury, Selah Janel, and I imagine Ali Justice and Stephen Zimmer will be coming by, too. Okay, I might sneak away to get some food, check out the other awesome authors and publishers, and photo-bomb Stan Lee so it looks like he’s holding a copy of Haunting Obsession (if possible).

Bottom line, it’s going to be a great weekend! Don’t miss it!

Seventh Star Press Authors of Indianapolis to hold signing at Bookmama’s

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John F. Allen, Eric Garrison, R.J. Sullivan and Michael West are selling and signing at Bookmama’s in Irvington, Indiana, 9 Johnson Avenue (click that link for location and other details) this Saturday, July 13, from 2-3 p.m. The authors are all affiliated with Seventh Star Press and the Indiana Horror Writers.

Three authors are offering brand-new releases exclusive to this event first! When I say brand-new, I mean you can’t even purchase these books though normal retail or internet outlets for a few more days. I mean the first print run in still the mail to the authors and will get here just in time. Bookmama’s will be the very first place in the galaxy you can buy these books!!

Let’s break down the new stuff.

the-god-killers-cover SSPNew voice John F. Allen will be offering the first book of the Ivory Blaque trilogy through Seventh Star, The God Killers, here BEFORE HIS OFFICIAL BOOK LAUNCH NEXT WEEK, featuring cover and interior art by Enggar Adirasa!

 

four til late SSPEric Garrison will release Four ’til Late, the first book of his Ghost Roads Trilogy, with new cover and interior art by Bonnie Wasson!

 

 

Wide-Game_7star_finalMichael West is bringing the highly anticipated re-issue of The Wide Game, with new cover and interior art by Matthew Perry!

There will be author readings. And snacks. And temporary tattoos. A good time is guaranteed. Hope to see you there.

A complete listing of books available:

The God Killers by John F. Allen; Blue Spirit*, Four ’til Late, and Reality Check** by Eric Garrison; Haunting Blue*** (Limited copies!) and Haunting Obsession by R.J. Sullivan; Cinema of Shadows, Poseidon’s Children, Spook House, The Wide Game, and Vampires Don’t Sparkle! (Limited copies!) by Michael West.

Books are $15 per title except Haunting Blue, $20.00. All titles are Seventh Star Press releases unless otherwise indicated.

* Homebrew Net
** Hydra Publications
*** Damnation Books