One of the things in life I can’t stand is feeling stupid. I have to admit that I have felt stupid at times while learning the ins and outs of self-publishing. Despite publishing four books in rapid succession, I still don’t feel like I know much. I’ve made some mistakes, some more egregious than others, but it has all been a valuable learning experience. The Dark Passage Series complete is now available via multiple formats, however, because of a few choices I felt compelled to make, the books are only available in trade paperback through Amazon. For anyone wishing to purchase paperback(s), I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
As I think you’ve figured out by now, we indie authors must do much of the marketing ourselves. During my five years as a published novelist, I have found that the best way for yours truly to sell books is via the in-person book signing event. I have been in discussions with a local indie bookstore here in the Pacific Northwest that already carries my books about a signing event. I will have details soon about that event.
All four books in The Dark Passage Series – The Dark Truth, The Dark Descent, The Dark Terror, and the brand-new novel, The Dark Dawn – are now available in trade paperback! Order now!
The Dark Passage Series is a dark, gritty, bloody vampire saga set in modern-day San Francisco. Evoking the myth and lore Gothic horror and the vampire genre are founded upon, The Dark Passage Series takes readers on a wild page-turning thrill ride. What would you do to survive?
All four books are available in e-book format! Order now!
The Dark Passage Series is a dark, gritty, bloody vampire saga set in modern-day San Francisco. Evoking the myth and lore Gothic horror and the vampire genre are founded upon, The Dark Passage Series takes readers on a wild page-turning thrill ride. What would you do to survive?
The novels are just $2.99 each – get the whole set, including the brand-new book, The Dark Dawn, for less than $12!
Radio and film serials and their cliffhangers have inspired generations of storytellers, George Lucas in particular. From narrow escapes to harrowing chase scenes, the adventures of Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, Tarzan, Zorro, the Lone Ranger, the Shadow, the Green Hornet, and more became part of Americana.
Not that long ago, I wrote a short science fiction story called Point of Contact. It’s about a family in the middle of nowhere in Oklahoma at the dawn of the space age in the 1960s. The story was inspired, n part, by a recurring storyline on The Waltons TV show that ran from 1972–1981, and a toy rocket ship I found online. I have decided to serialize the story in eight parts and make it available to my Patreon patrons as my first content offering.
During my novel writing and publishing journey, I have met some wonderful people and I have also made a few friends along the way. Erin Chapman is one of those people. Last September, the progenitor of numerous Facebook communities focusing on the horror genre, vampires in particular, launched a YouTube channel known as Morbid Planet. More than 30 videos later, Erin has embarked on a new venture, a three-part documentary series commemorating the 125th anniversary of the publication of one of my all-time favorite novels, Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
THE DRACULA PROJECT TO PREMIERE ON WORLD DRACULA DAY
Morbid Planet’s First Documentary, a Ground-Breaking Three-Episode Series Celebrating the 125th Anniversary of the Publication of Dracula, Features 15 World-Renowned Experts in Vampire and Dracula Lore, History and Popular Culture
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA — MAY 19, 2022 — Morbid Planet, a YouTube channel dedicated to the horror genre, is proud to celebrate author Bram Stoker and the 125th anniversary of the publication of his genre-defining novel, Dracula, on May 26, 2022 — World Dracula Day — with a ground-breaking three-part series titled The Dracula Project.
Creator and host of Morbid Planet, Erin Chapman, scoured the globe and assembled 15 top academics in the field of vampire studies for this passionate celebratory tribute to Bram Stoker and his seminal novel that has influenced the vampire genre for more than a century. The Dracula Project features fascinating in-depth conversations as vampire academia emerges from the shadows.
“Bram Stoker’s Dracula has endured the test of time. This literary masterpiece created the vampire genre and the pop culture mythos that sprang up around the bloodsucking children of the night,” said Erin Chapman, creator and host of Morbid Planet. “With the character of Count Dracula, Stoker created one of the greatest literary villains of all time. What better time to explore how and why?”
The Dracula Project features interviews with and commentary from renowned vampire lore and literature experts including Stacey Abbott, Simon Bacon, Jan Čapek, Hans Corneel de Roos, Sir Christopher Frayling, Penny Goodman, Magdalena Grabias, Anthony Hogg, Jeanine Jiron, J. Gordon Melton, Sorcha Ní Fhlainn, Gary D. Rhodes, Carol Senf, Dacre Stoker, and Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock.
Published on May 26, 1897, Dracula has been translated into 44 languages and has sold millions of copies worldwide. It has also been adapted for the stage and screen numerous times.
The Dracula Project Episode Drop Dates:
Episode 1 – May 26, 2022
Episode 2 – June 1, 2022
Episode 3 – June 8, 2022
ABOUT MORBID PLANET
Join host Erin Chapman as Morbid Planet explores the horror genre, highlights unique people and all things macabre, showcases the extraordinary and mysterious world of dark tourism, covers current events, and reviews films. Morbid Planet also features exclusive interviews with some truly intriguing people including authors, make-up artists, performers, and more. Viewers are encouraged to log on each week to satisfy their morbid curiosity!
As I gear up my novel writing and publishing (self and traditional) endeavors, I have come to realize that I need some help. Cover design, editing, distribution, sales methods, software subscriptions, social media ads, etc., can be very expensive. Self-publishing has become a viable option for thousands of writers, although I’ll be honest, I resisted this method for the longest time. After going through the wringer with a traditional publisher and narrowly avoiding a few pitfalls that merely delayed my creative output, I’ve decided to self-publish some of my writing.
“But Jerry …” Yeah, I know. I have to actually write and create content. This is very true. I have been an avid blogger since 2013 and I enjoy it greatly. And as many posts as I’ve published, I can still write more and more regularly. In addition to writing full-length novels, I enjoy penning short stories and the occasional poem as well. I have always taken advantage of WordPress’ free blog publishing ecosystem, but in order to take this whole operation to the next level I know I will have to invest some money in this enterprise.
So, my faithful readers, I am asking for your help. I have opened up Buy Me a Coffee and Patreon accounts so you can assist me in getting these stories out of my head. In return, you’ll get exclusive content and plenty of sneak peeks of works in progress. Every little bit helps and I would certainly appreciate your support in keeping the lights on while I craft tales of darkness for your reading pleasure.
As I always say, if you keep reading them, I’ll keep writing them.
You may have noticed a gap in posts to the page. Well, that’s because I had to delete some posts. This publishing journey I have been on the past six years has been fraught with many ups and downs. I have had the distinct pleasure of having three of my novels published by a legitimate small, indie press, and I’ve learned what it’s like for my writing to be homeless.
After much consideration, discussion, research, and consternation, I have decided to self-publish some of my work.
What does that mean exactly? The first step is to release revised editions of the first three novels in The Dark Passage Series under my own label. And then, publish the fourth book in the series – The Dark Dawn. This fourth novel has been finished for some time, however, has not had a home. I personally think it’s the best of the four.
While I work on getting these books on the market, I will be starting a new novel, one more vampire story that has been rattling around in my head for quite some time. Lily will be based on an Irish vampire legend – the Dearg-due.
I’m sure there will be some of my writings that I’ll pitch to agents or publishers, but I’ve decided that self-publishing is the best option to bring my novel writing back from the dead.
I’m not an anxious person. I don’t suffer from anxiety. At least I didn’t think so before COVID-19. I didn’t think so before I lost the day job. I still don’t think I do in the clinical sense. A former coworker of mine, when he texted to wish me well after learning we weren’t coworkers anymore, joked that I probably had written a raft of books during stay-at-home orders. My response was, “You’d think.” But it made me think instead. I had started the fourth novel in my Dark Passage series, I did have a short story burning a hole in my brain. Well, between COVID, the day job, and then the election, I realized I was living with a crippling base level of anxiety.
I have always prided myself on being self-aware, and that was one helluva realization. Since then I have put some serious work in on The Dark Dawn (working title), and I crushed that short story, although it was rejected by two science fiction magazines. So, I think I’ll build an anthology around it.
As I was figuring out why I hadn’t written more with nothing but time on my hands, I took a long, hard look at the traffic on my personal blog and I came to another realization. The more I’ve blogged over the past eight years, the more traffic I’ve gotten. Now, you may be thinking, “Well, Jerry, duh.” A fellow author has been trying to tell me the same thing when it comes to my fiction. It’s not like I don’t have ideas. My excuse used to be that I had a day job to worry about. Writing was a hobby. It was an evening and a weekend thing. Then COVID hit and that crippling anxiety started to set in.
So, what have I done to combat this? I turned to the personal blog and have been posting quite frequently since September. The week before Christmas I wrote more than 3,000 words in The Dark Dawn, so I like to think the blogging helped.
The bottom line is this: I need to write more. That’s all there is to it. I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions, I set goals. So, I have set the goal to write more and produce more content. Hopefully, this will be met with enthusiasm. I have big plans for 2021 and the overarching goal will be to entertain you with this twisted tales that have been rattling around in my head.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving despite the current circumstances. I’d be willing to bet that this holiday season is like no other for anyone and everyone reading this. Between stay-at-home orders and a few personal things, I have had some extra time on my hands. I know, I know, why don’t I write more? Rest assured, I have been, just not as much as I’d like. However, what I have been able to do more than I have in recent memory is READ. I wrote a post not that long ago discussing how much I have read so far this year. I am quite proud of myself.
That being written, I encourage you to pick up The Dark Passage Series for yourself or the vampire fiction lover on your gift-giving list. The Dark Truth, The Dark Descent, and The Dark Terror are dark, gritty, bloody vampire tales set in pre-COVID modern-day San Francisco. The books are available just about anywhere you like to buy books online and in some select stores in Northern California. They are available in trade paperback, Amazon Kindle, and e-book. The first two are available as audiobooks. Trade paperbacks make perfect stocking stuffers. The books retail for $14.99 each. If you don’t want to commit $45 to the entire trilogy, start with The Dark Truth. As far as Kindle and ebook, you can get the whole set for just under $9! Maybe you got someone you know a Kindle or e-reader – load it up with The Dark Passage Series! Also, be on the lookout for coupons and sales from your favorite book retailers.
Boy, 2020 has been one … helluva year. Between the COVID-19 global pandemic, the election and a whole host of other things I don’t care to mention in this forum, challenging doesn’t begin to describe what kind of year it’s been.
However, I still find things to be thankful for, and my faithful readers are right there at the top of the list. Three years ago last week, I realized a lifelong dream of becoming a published author. My first novel, The Dark Truth, was published by Trifecta Publishing House (to whom I am eternally grateful) November 17, 2017. It took 13 months to write the book and another six or so to bring it to market. My one-book deal quickly became a three-book deal, and The Dark Descent and The Dark Terror were published in fairly rapid succession. It’s amazing what one can accomplish when on deadline.
One of the things that I have come to enjoy is the book signing/reading event. Thanks to the support of Barnes & Noble and several independent booksellers, I was able to host three successful book tours. I met readers and shoppers in Alameda, Dublin, Sacramento, Davis, Modesto, Emeryville, Oakland, Manteca, Gilroy, Antioch, Concord, Folsom, and Hayward (forgive me if I missed anyone). I enjoyed many memorable interactions with hundreds of people. I’m thankful to each and every person who stopped by to buy a book, paused to chat or ask questions, and those who actually came to the bookstore just to see ME.
I’ve also had several opportunities to appear on radio and TV shows and podcasts to discuss the writing craft and promote my books. From Late Hits on SiriusXM NFL Radio to A Little Bit of Everything with Angelica Goncalves, I’ve been given fantastic platforms to discuss my passion.
Each book features an acknowledgements section, you’ll have to read the novels to see who has helped me along the way (wink).
Prior to 2020, I had rarely experienced rejection as a writer, if any. Sure, the redlined edits in the first thing I ever wrote for publication almost made me cry. But I learned. I hustled as a sports writer for a small newspaper in Baltimore covering Canadian football of all things. I learned. I spent 20 years working for a professional football team. I learned. However, this year, I’ve learned the pain of rejection – personally and professionally. I wrote a short story that I submitted to a few magazines that declined. And I experienced a professional setback. But I also experienced a professional writing win recently. So, it’s not all bad. I’m not going to get into detail because it’s not that kind of party. Let’s just say I have learned.
I just wanted to take a few moments and a few words to say thank you to everyone who has bought my books, those who have read or listened to them, the folks who left reviews, those who gave me a chance to talk about my work, the people who visit this website or follow me on Twitter or Instagram, or “like” my Facebook page and follow me there.
I truly hope that as this crazy, tumultuous year comes to a close, you can find something to be thankful for in your life. I hope you have been lucky enough to have not lost anyone close to you this year. If you have lost someone, I offer my heartfelt condolences.
I write for me. I publish and share for you. If my stories or posts have entertained you in any way, that makes me happy. I am truly thankful for all of you who have supported me and those who continue to do so. Thank you all. Rest assured, there is more to come. That’s a promise.
Jerry Knaak.com 