New Blog, closing this one out

Hey, I've had some problems with this blog. It got hacked and there are some links I don't want on it so I started a new one called Chris Forman, Author.

Chipping away at the new novel

Earth Magazine

I haven't posted here in a while because I have been typing away on the new novel, Love in the Ashes. The past six weeks have produced 107 pages and about 26,000 words. The basic story is finished and now I have the hard part of 'filling in' by fleshing out the characters, expanding the story line and adding some quirky things. I'll keep you posted on the progress, but it may be out by the summer.

Love in the Ashes- A Kiss Before gagging

Photo from Chatanooga Times Free Press

I'm working on a story about a town like Centralia, Pennsylvania where an underground coal fire has been burning for decades. 

The tale of two star crossed teen lovers from different sides of a nearly abandoned village. He is the son of a moonshiner family and she is the daughter of a leader of a religious cult who believe they are guarding the gates of hell. As the flames from the coal fire burn under the ground the flames of their passion burn above.


Here is the first chapter-

It was a beautiful day for a romantic stroll down Main Street in Chelsea Brook, Pennsylvania. The fading sunlight made the wisps of coal smoke look like angels dancing in the air and the low-lying sulfur cloud took on an ethereal hue of yellowish-orange. Despite the crisp air of an autumn day, the street was warm from the fires lurking in the Earth below and steam was escaping from a few fissures in the road. The young couple was walking barefoot on the warm macadam; their hands tightly clasped, and stars in their eyes. They stopped in front of the boarded up remains of the police station. Tim brushed a strand of Becky’s blonde hair from her steel-grey eyes and leaned down to kiss her.

            They embraced and turned to see their reflections in the one remaining uncovered window. “We look good together,” said Becky as she adjusted the white scarf covering her blonde hair. She wasn’t used to seeing her reflection, mirrors were banned in her community as an instrument of vanity.

            She blushed as Tim said, “You look beautiful.”

            They strolled over to the large sinkhole where the luncheonette once stood, threw some stones in for good luck, and sat on the bench facing west to watch the sunset. She put her head on his shoulder and they simply sat in silence.

             As the setting sun began to dip into the mountains Becky said, “I’d better be getting back home before Father gets back from town.”

            Tim held her tight and said, “And I have to go meet my Dad in the woods. He’s expecting me.” He kissed her and said, “Tomorrow?”

            “I can’t wait.”

            “Good, I have a surprise for you.”

            “You do? What is it?”

            He said, “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise now would it?”

            “No, it wouldn’t. I have a surprise for you too.”

            They kissed again, this time neither one wanting to be the one to break off. As their lips parted Becky said, “I love you.” Tim said that he loved her more and that led to a few more minutes, and a few more kisses. When she that the sun was almost gone she pushed away laughing and left. Tim watched her run toward the covered bridge, leaping over the gaps in the pavement like a gazelle, her long blue gingham dress flowing. When she was out of his sight he started to run in the opposite direction. Neither one of them saw the man on the side street taking pictures of them.    

     

No doping while writing

After seeing Lance Armstrong come clean, sort of, I just wanted to state publicly, on the record, that at no time in writing my novels were any writing performance enhancing substances, other than caffeine, used. Well, I may have had a beer or two while writing, but that's it. 

Best Author Award for 2012

Thought I'd share this with everyone. I was selected Best Author for 2012 by the readers of Hudson Valley Magazine. I am quite honored and flattered by this and I'll be at the party at the Poughkeepsie Grand. Thanks to all who voted for me.

Exciting news coming soon.

I have some exciting news to share with you in the next few days so keep an eye out.

Summer Book Sale

Killer Cuisine, Killer Surf, Dead Men Don't Jog (this title made number one in France in Kindle), Eliminating the Middleman, Five Fingered Firebugs and Chalk Dust and Chalk Outlines have all been reduced to a paltry $3.00 each on Kindle and Nook for the rest of the summer. That's right, for less than a twenty dollar bill you can own all six titles. 

One Star Review, but I liked part of it.

If you've been following this blog recently you know that I've had a major boost in sales of Dead Men Don't Jog through Amazon France, which includes France, Belgium, Switzerland and Monaco. I don't know what sparked this frenzy, but I am not arguing with it. I've even sold a few of my other titles in France as well so maybe some people liked it.

With such a rise in sales there also comes reviews, and the occasional trashing. Now I am quick to share a good review, but I thought this one-star review was interesting. In the beginning she commented on a lack of plot, typos and my inept style of writing. All that's fine. What I found interesting was the end where she had this to say about Maria Hart;

". . .  As to Maria Hart, it's a good job I don't know her, as I would strangle her with great pleasure, do-gooder that she is. Sickeningly religious heroins are definitely not for me. A total waste of space."

So . . . the character was real enough to the reader that she hated her. I did make her a 'do-gooder' but I wasn't aware that I made her religious. Yes, she goes to church and they are friends with the priest, but I didn't get preachy. So . . . a message got across. One that irritated this reader, but a message nonetheless. 

See what I mean? Even in a one star review there is good stuff.

# 1 in France

What do Chris Forman, Jerry Lewis, Michael Jackson, David Hasselhoff and Lance Armstrong have in common? They all were number one in France. As of this writing Dead Men Don't Jog is the number one book on Amazon Kindle in France.

I am honored and elated over this and I welcome my new French readers. 

French Fans

I looked at my Kindle sales today and saw some activity in France, so I decided to check out Dead Men Don't Jog on the French Kindle site. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the book was number one in both categories of genre fiction and mysteries. It was also number eight overall in Kindle. 

Hey, I may just become the David Hasselhoff of literature, loved in France.

Saw Barbie and Ken today.

I saw Barbie and Ken on the beach today. Not the Malibu versions, but rather the Southern counterparts. I was walking down Wrightsville Beach and a young couple in their early twenties was jogging in my direction. They were about five-seven and five-four; both had sandy blond hair and tans. He had washboard abs and she was thin, but not as curvy as Barbie would be. He was wearing a white bathing suit and she had a red bikini bottom and a blue top

As they approached I thought of them as the ideal example of the perfect southern couple. She looked as if she either won a ‘Miss Something or Other’ pageant, or at least was a runner up and he looked like he should be on a billboard advertising a law office or an insurance agent. Later in life they would probably have three children named Reese, Bryce and Vance. He would be either an attorney or an insurance agent (pronounced inn-surance here, accent on the in) and she would be the one who organizes charity luncheons.

When they passed he flashed a grin and said “hello”, she was silent. As I watched I thought that if there were an asteroid about to strike the Earth and each state had only two people to save in order to restart the human race North Carolina would choose these two to represent them. I also decided to include them as characters in a story and make them suspects in a murder. Anyone that good looking deserves conflict.

Two new locations to buy my books in Wilmington, NC

I had the opportunity to meet two nice bookstore owners in Wilmington last week and they were kind enough to take a few of my books in off the street. So now there are three locations where you can get an autographed book for $10.00, that's less than the Amazon price, in Wilmington. Shop local and save a few bucks in the process.

Pictured top is Pomegranate Books on Park aveneue run by Kathleen Jewell. They specialize in local books. 

Pictured below is Two Sisters Bookery on Nutt Street run by Barbara Galvin, a transplant from Utica, NY. 

Of course you can still get copies at Old Books on Front Street run by Gwenyfar Rohler. She will ship as well.