Interview on Kindle Author Blog

As most know, the e-book / e-reader is consistently gaining ground on the tradional print format. Along with being a available in print on Amazon ( US & UK) & B&N, My novel is also out in e-book format on Amazon (US & UK), B&N, and the Apple iBookstore.

David Wisehart's blog-Kindle Author features interviews with writers who's novels are available for Kindle. He does a good job with the questions and it is a great service he is providing.

The Q & A he did with me was posted to his blog yesterday and if you choose, you can take a peek at HERE

What CD, Novel, and Movie (if you could only choose one of each) ?

If you could only have one CD, Novel, and Movie, what would be your choices?
* for this question, the bible is not elibible *

Mine:

Novel: Twilight
Movie: Twilight
CD: Music Inspired by Twilight

Jeez, you think you know a guy, huh?

Novel: The Great Gatsby
Movie: Goodfellas
CD: Appetite For Destruction (Guns n Roses)

Barnes and Noble Is Now Selling Mindjacker!

Got some good news yesterday. Barnes & Noble is now selling the print version of "Mindjacker" on their website. It was previously only available via Amazon. This is a big win for potential readers because B&N is offering it for $9.30 compared to $12.99 on Amazon. Some other retailers are also picking it up and I am excited about that as well. Anytime you can make it more economical and attractive for a reader to give your novel a try, it is a good thing!

To check it out on B&N..Click HERE

IMPERIAL BEDROOMS: Bret Easton Ellis

I have been a fan of Mr. Ellis since I read "Less Than Zero", which he wrote and was published while he was in college. Quite an accomplishment. The movie adaption came out a few years later, with Robert Downey Jr, Andrew McCarthy, and one of my favorite "bad guy" actors of the 80's James Spader. If I think back in time, three movies that tried to capture teen / high school life in the early 80's were: "Fast Times at Ridgemont High", "Valley Girl", and "Less Than Zero". The thing is that all of these were based in California, and this was nothing like how it was growing up in the northeast US. "Dazed and Confused" was a much more realistic portrayal of how it "really was".

When I read that a follow-up to LTZ was in the works, I was intrigued. I wanted to know what happened to Julian, Blair, Clay, and especially Rip. So when it came out, I ended up buying it for my Nook $9.99, saving $15.00 of the $25.00 hardcover. As it turned out, this was a wise decision.

The novel starts off by slamming the film version of LTZ, setting the reader straight on the facts, and gives some nice harbingers of what's in store for this installment. I was intrigued and ready for the show to start. I'm not going to give spoilers of details about the plot, but I will say that BEE has a big problem with finishing, and I noticed this with "Glamorama"( 4 out of 5 stars) and Lunar Park (3 out of 5 stars). I'm giving "Imperial Bedrooms" (2 out 5 stars). Each of these three BEE offerings would have earned another star, if they didn't completely go off the deep-end in the final chapters.

The 2 star rating is a shame in my opinion because for about 3/4 of the novel it was at about a 4, but I have to call it like I see it. I never read Amazon / B&N reviews before I read a novel, but I do after I'm done. It is good to know I am not alone in my opinion. I would be glad to elaborate on this in the comment section, if anyone so chooses

Music in Novels

I am a huge fan of crime / heist movies and novels. I love the criminal element and all that goes along with that. What I don't particularly like is too much police interfernce in the story, unless the cops are corrupt of course. The story's I like focus on the bad guys, and within that some of the bad guys can be the good guys. Besides the profanity, violence, drug / drink use, and dialogue, my favorite movies have great soundtracks - GoodFella's, Blow, Casino, etc.. It really adds that extra to the experience.

Now, it is a little different with novel's, but most of the one's I like do mix in music in one way or another. When writing "Mindjacker", I had many goals, but two of the top ones were: try and write a novel that would have the style and read like some of the movies I dig, and try to incorporate a soundtrack into it. Whether I succeeded, remains to be seen, but the feedback I have received has made me think that I just may have.

So, a question to anyone who reads this: What's you take on music in novels?

For those who give a shite, here are the tunes that are referenced in Mindjacker, and ones that didn't make the cut. I listened to every one of these so many times while writing the story, and each one inspired a thought or a scene. The numero uno song that sparked my inspiration for the story, which I heard while listening to a HEART greatest hit CD in 2007 on way to work was this THIS. I still listen to this almost everyday and still get the spine chill when the kick it into overdrive at 2:23

Some of the people who have read the novel, asked me for a list of the songs so they could burn a play list, they liked them so much. Here is what I sent them. You need to know that my target audience was regular Joe's or Josephine's who grew up in or around the 1970's and were from working class families, where music was one of the things that got us through the good and bad times.

Included in novel in extact order:

“My Favorite Things” The Supremes
“O’ Holy Night”
“Ventura Highway” America
“Magical Mystery Tour” The Beatles
"Ballroom Blitz" The Sweet
“Dr. FeelGood” Motley Crue
“Rollin” Limp Bizkit
“Catch Us If You Can” Dave Clark Five
“Cats in the Cradle” Harry Chapin
“Rooster” Alice in Chains
“Californication” The Red Hot Chili Peppers
“The First Cut is the Deepest” Rod Stewart
“Toys in the Attic” Aerosmith
“Love Removal Machine” The Cult
“One” Metallica
“Celebrity Skin” Hole.
“Dirty White Boy” Foreigner
"Secret Agent Man" Johnny Rivers
“Girl From Ipenema”
“Do You Feel Like We Do” Peter Frampton
“Heartless” Heart
“Straight On” Heart
“Tumbling Dice” The Rolling Stones
“Hard to Handle” Black Crowes
“Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution” Black Crowes
“Double Vision” Foreigner
“Come Sail Away” STYX
“Boogie Nights” Heatwave
“Dancing Queen” ABBA
“Sweet Emotion” Aerosmith
“Sister Christian” Night Ranger
“2000 Light Years From Home” Rolling Stones
“JailBreak” Thin Lizzy
“Shattered” Rolling Stones
“Hot Legs” Rod Stewart
“Jump” House of Pain
“Don’t Cry” Guns N’ Roses
“Straight On” Heart
“Dreamboat Annie” Heart
“Too Late For Love” Def Leppard
"Skinned" Blind Melon
“Wild World” Cat Stevens
“Love Hurts” Nazareth
“Knocked Up” Kings of Leon
“Charmer” Kings of Leon
“Death Letter” White Stripes
“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” Elton John
“Descending” Black Crowes
“Bohemian Rhapsody” Queen
“You’re No Good” Linda Ronstadt
“Sunshine of Your Love” Cream
"Mr.Brownstone" Guns & Roses
“What’s this Life For” Creed
“My own Prison” Creed
“With Arms Wide Open” Creed
“We Die Young” Alice in Chains
"Brother" Alice in Chains
“Whiskey in a Jar” Metallica
"James Bond Theme" John Barry
“Sex Type Thing” Stone Temple Pilots
“Insane in the Brain” Cypress Hill
"Get Ready" Rare Earth
“I want You to Want Me” Cheap Trick
“Christine Sixteen” KISS
“How I Could Just Kill a Man” Cypress Hill
“Dead and Bloated” Stone Temple Pilots
“I’m That Type of Guy” LL Cool J
“Mistral Wind” Heart
"Fly Like an Eagle" Steve Miller Band
“Train Kept a Rollin” Aerosmith
“Cat Scratch Fever” Ted Nugent
“Let’s Go” The Cars
“Rhiannon” Fleetwood Mac
“Almost Cut My Hair” Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young
“Runnin’ With The Devil” Van Halen
“Little Dreamer” Van Halen
“Camaro” Kings of Leon
“You wear it well” Rod Stewart
“Magic Man” Heart
“Midnight at the Oasis” Maria Muldaur
"Gimme Three Steps" Lynyrd Skynyrd
"Let It Be" The Beatles
“Coma” Guns N Roses
“Grind” Alice in Chains
“Break Stuff” Limp Bizkit
“99 Miles From L.A” Johnny Mathis
“Girl from A Pawnshop” Black Crowes
“You’re Pretty Good Looking (For a Girl)” White Stripes
“Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” (Muzak Version )
“Escape” Rupert Holmes
“Sister Do You Know My Name?” White Stripes


Songs from "Mindjacker" that didn't make the cut, but inspired me along the way.

“Patience” Guns N Roses
“Four Kicks” Kings of Leon
“Stellar” Incubus
“Heart Shaped Box” Nirvana
“So This is Love” Van Halen
“Nice to Know You” Incubus
“More Than a Feeling” Boston
“That Smell” Lynyrd Skynyrd
“Do It For The Kids” Velvet Revolver
“My Little Town” Simon & Garfunkel
“Show Me the Way” Peter Frampton
“Dazed and Confused” Led Zeppelin
“Miss You” The Rolling Stones
“Barracuda” Heart
"Sludge Factory" Alice in Chains
“Mean Streets” Van Halen
“Renegade” Styx
“Midnight From the Inside Out” Black Crowes
“Nasty Girl” Vanity Six
“Mamakin” Aerosmith
“Last Child” Aerosmith
“Can’t Stand Losing You”The Police
“Message In A Bottle” The Police
“Canary in a Coal Mine” The Police
“Cinnamon Girl” Neil Young
“Wicked Garden” Stone Temple Pilots
“The Runner” Kings of Leon
“Sucker Train Blues” Velvet Revolver
“Dust in the Wind” Kansas
“Attention” The Raconteurs
“Sister Golden Hair” America
"Get Free" The Vines
“Rich Girl” Hall and Oates
“Beast of Burden” Rolling Stones
“Galaxie” Blind Melon
“Honky Tonk Woman” Rolling Stones
“Time of the Season” The Zombies
“Rock and Roll Fantasy” Bad Company
“Highway to Hell” AC/DC
“Flirtin with Disaster” Molly Hatchet
“Ain’t Talking Bout Love” Van Halen
“Grind” Alice in Chains
"Love Hurts" Nazereth
"Star Rider" Foreigner
"Head Creeps" Alice in Chains
“Renegade” STYX
“Evenflow” Pearl Jam
“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” The Beatles
“We Gotta Get Out of This Place” The Animals
“What’s Your Name” Lynyrd Skynyrd
“Effigy” Uncle Tupelo

"Night Games" published on Thrillers,Killer's-n-Chillers

I have always loved the short story, whether in print or film. Fitzgerald and de Maupassant are particular favorites and Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, Tales from the Crypt and Darkside as well. I have written many of them over the years and recently I have been revisting them. First impression was..these really suck in both style and format. A lot of them had decent ideas, but they needed work. I re-worked one that was orignally written for a Writers Digest "your story" challenge (750 word limit)The prompt was "you get a package in the mail and it only contains and eye patch" Well, I ditched they eye patch, but some of that story became a 650 word story "Night Games".

I took a chance and submitted it to the awesome website Thriller's, Killers-n-Chillers. A few weeks went by, and when I checked my e-mail on Saturday - a note from Matt Hilton (a many times published crime author)one of the editors at TK-n-C informed me that it was accepted. My kids must have thought I hot the Lotto, because I was dancing around the family room, I was so happy about the news. So, if you want to read the story and more importantly read some kick-ass Horror, Crime, and Thriller shorts

Click HERE

"Experimental Writer" Eddie Wright

While perusing the "Smashwords Books Reviewed" blog yesterday, there was an interview with writer Eddie Wright, who's style is described as "experimental fiction", a style I was not hip to. I really dug the interview. I found his answers interesting enough that I downloaded the free sample of his "Broken Bulbs". I liked it, so I am going to purchase it for my Nook. He's also part of a pretty cool bunch of writers, who sell their books at Backword Books

You can read the interview with Eddie HERE and if you want to give "Broken Bulbs" a try, you can do so HERE

Keep in mind that I do not know Eddie Wright and had never heard of him until I read the interview, so there is no "invisible hand" at work with this recommendation.

A Press Release for Little 'ole Me?

I know it may sound cliche, but sometimes, make that most times, especially where this writing business is concerned, it does help to have friends and relationships. One such is example of this is the below press release that a gent I know was kind enough to craft and distribute on my behalf to his numerous media connections. A little backstory... I have been involved in the youth sports programs up may way for the last 5 years, 2 in Pop Warner football (American version for the soccer chaps) and the last 3 in lacrosse. One of my player's dad's is in the PR business and I have know him for two years. I've kept my writing close to the vest until recently, when I had to out myself. The reactions have been typical: HUH?, You a writer? who'da thunk it? Mild mannered coach Reardon...a writer?

So this most excellent guy offers his services, totally unsolicited and with no hidden agenda..Thanks a Million Rick!!! Enough with my blabber. Here is what he did and maybe you'll find out a bit more about me.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LOCAL YOUTH LACROSSE ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT TRADES PLAYBOOK FOR NOVEL – RELEASES MINDJACKER

Sean Patrick Reardon Pens Gritty Crime Drama and Realizes Lifelong Dream

PEPPERELL, MASS – September 13, 2010 – Local author, Sean Patrick Reardon today announced the recent release of his debut novel titled MindJacker. Inspired by a love of Irish crime thrillers and what Reardon says is a lack of interesting books for “forty-something” men, he takes readers on a thrill ride across the country from Los Angeles to New York to Boston and New Hampshire in this tale of gangsters, thievery, technology and mind manipulation.

When wealthy Russian mobsters contract LA psychologist Joel Fischer to develop a device to manipulate minds, the DreemWeever exceeds all expectations. Everything is on track for delivery and a big payday, until two adventurous stoners steal his Dodge Challenger that, unknown to them, contains the DreemWeever in its trunk. Fischer and his crew have two days to get it back or he dies.

Early memories of reading with his grandmother while visiting in East Boston, and listening to E.G Marshall’s CBS Mystery Radio as a boy laid the groundwork for Reardon’s passion of reading that eventually developed into writing. “Since I was a child, reading has taken me to foreign lands, exposed me to different cultures, and introduced me to all sorts of interesting characters, but I always felt a yearning to drive the plot and develop characters,” commented Reardon. “After writing a number of short stories, I decided to take the plunge and craft a full length novel.”

Reardon began writing Mindjacker in 2007 and took a few hiatuses, but always came back to the writing. In fact, Reardon wrote much of the book while on planes, in traffic and in the hockey rink during his son’s practices. “Once I created the main idea behind Mindjacker, I just kept expanding on it and tried to link the ideas together. There were many nights after a writing session when I would lie in bed, trying to come up with ideas or solutions to what I had written or was going to write next.”

Locally, Sean is best known for his love of sports and involvement in and around the local sports scene. An avid player and enthusiast of cricket, lacrosse and all things Irish (Yes, even Notre Dame made its way into Mindjacker); he has plans to venture into the very Irish sport of hurling. Sean was recently appointed President of North Middlesex Youth Lacrosse Association. As a coach he is an inspiration to his players and hopes the novel – while not age appropriate for youngsters – will spur a desire to read and write creatively. “I‘ve always had a great imagination and sense of adventure, and in some ways I think children today are really missing out on this because there so many distractions.” He added, “I’m a big proponent of reading and creative writing and I hope that my example touches even one child to pick up a pen and start writing.”

As a result of his penchant for Irish crime novels, acclaimed Irish author, Declan Burke posted a Q&A with Reardon on his blog Crime Always Pays. When asked to describe his writing style, Reardon summed it up best; “…my work contains straight forward prose, action, intriguing plot twists, an entertaining criminal element, rock-n-roll, violence, realistic dialogue and gritty characters. Reardon is already working on his next novel tentatively titled Sissy Murphy; a crime thriller, of course, that is set in Massachusetts and Ireland.

Mindjacker is available in both print and e-book for Kindle on Amazon; in e-book for Nook format at Barnes & Noble; and e-book for iPad, iTouch, iPhone format in the Apple iBookstore. The book has received positive reviews including:
Smashwords (starred review)
“Think Koontz's “Night Chills” and “The Key to Midnight” and you'll have a good idea of what you’re in for when reading “Mindjacker”. The author has come up with a great antagonist in Dr. Joel Fischer, who's both a psychologist, and a sociopath.

Barnes & Noble (starred review)
“A taut, fast-paced thriller that kept me reading until the end.”

About the Author
Sean Patrick Reardon was raised in Billerica, Massachusetts and resides in Pepperell, with his wife, two children. He's usually reading at least one novel on any given day, loves coaching and playing lacrosse, following Cricket, and listening to Rock-n-Roll music. When not in front of his keyboard at work on his latest crime thriller, Sean is a Contact Center Engineer with XXXXXXX Investments in XXXXXXC.
###

Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules to Writing

Elmore Leonard is one of my favorite writers. I favor his crime novels more than his Western themed ones, but that is just me and no matter what the genre, his stuff is top notch. It is hard to find an author who writes dialogue better than him. Listed below are 10 rules he came up with. These are just the title of each rule, and he drills dowm on each one HERE

Keep in mind this is just suggested advice on my part that I found very helpful, and they are subjective. I'm thinking Stephenie Meyer might disagree, but...

1. Never open a book with weather.
2. Avoid prologues.
3. Never use a verb other than ''said'' to carry dialogue.
4. Never use an adverb to modify the verb ''said'' . . .
5. Keep your exclamation points under control.
6. Never use the words ''suddenly'' or ''all hell broke loose.''
7. Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly.
8. Avoid detailed descriptions of characters.
9. Don't go into great detail describing places and things.
10. Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.

What's up with this Hurling business?

On Saturday, while visiting Declan Burke's excellent blog, "Crime Always Pays", he posted a video link about the sport of Hurling. Now, I had heard of this sport in name only, and had no clue what it was. I'm also the guy who thought Cricket was below Badminton and Croquet in terms of the machismo factor. I soon found out the opposite is true. HOWZAT!
* keep in mind it is a sport where it is OKAY to hit the batter.

Now, if that looks like fun, check out this excellent video on Hurling that Dec Posted HERE

I played Football & Lacrosse growing up. In fact, I still play lacrosse, but if they had Hurling in the US, when I was growing up, I know I would have been all over it.

Contest Time

As promised, here is the except from "Mindjacker". The first person to answer these 3 questions correctly in the comment section, will get a free copy of the novel, which I will send to you.

1) What author am I referencing?
2) What is the title of the novel being referenced?
3) What is the character's name in the novel being referenced?
*****************************************************
The next morning we got off the elevator and strolled
across the lobby toward the exit. A Lincoln Town Car was
waiting to take us to Rockefeller Center.

“Hey, look at that.” Bryce pointed at a stack of New York
Post papers, visible through the window of the gift shop. We
stopped to look at it.

ARMANI BUTCHER CAUGHT dominated the top half of
the front page in bold, black letters. The bottom half had a color
photo of a man with graying hair in handcuffs. He was smiling,
wearing a dark cashmere overcoat, and flanked by numerous
members of the NYPD.

“Poorly dressed amateur,” I said. “That will keep them
busy. Let’s go, we need to be in the front row.”
************************************************************

Whoever wins, assuming anyone gives it a shot, I'll provide my e-mail and you can let me know where to ship your copy to.

As promised, to download a free copy of the novel to the e-reader of your choice, go to the "Mindjacker" page on Smashwords HERE

The coupon code to use is YQ89Q. You will need to provide an email address and create a password before the download is accessible. The coupon will expire at midnight tonight. Please feel free to share the coupon and info with others.

Check Her Out, Or Else!: Julie Lewthwaite

One of the best things about the internet and blogs, is it allows you to connect with writers, you would otherwise never have known about. My latest discovery is crime writer, Julie Lewthwaite. Her style is gritty, straight to the gut, and no-nonsense. After a read of one of her shorts, you almost feel violated yourself. Keep in mind, this is not your granma's kind of reading, and I don't suspect the local church group will come a callin' any time soon for any author nights, but she ain't writing for the moral majority. You can read more of Julie's writing HERE

Also, as promised, tomorrow is contest day. Here's the skinny:

You can win a free print copy of "Mindjacker", which I will send to you wherever you live. I am also going to provide a Smashwords coupon code for the entire day to let anyone who visits my blog download a free e-book version in whatever e-reader format they choose. Once you have the code, feel free to give it to others. The novel is also availble in print and e-book on Amazon, but it all started with Smashwords, so...

Here are the details:

Free download:
- Start time is 12:00 PM EST on Tuesday, September, 7 2010
- The free download coupon will expire at midnight.

Free print version:
-I will also, at the same time mentioned above, post a small excerpt from "Mindjacker" and all you have to tell me in the comment section is:

1) What author is being referenced.
2) What is the name of the novel
3) What is the character's name

The first person to answer all 3 questions correctly, will win the free copy.

Peace,

Sean

Credit Where Credit is Due

If you take a peek at the links on the right side of my blog & check out the people (all six) who are following this blog, it will give you an idea of the "virtual" gang that I hang with. In reality, I feel like I'm the little, wide-eyed shrimp, trying to make the team, carrying the helmets, getting my arse snapped with towels etc... In other words, paying attention, keeping my mouth shut (not really), trying to learn the ropes, and always enjoying it and having a few laughs along the way.

I don't know any of these people personally, but all of them are top notch in my book. Once a week I'll provide a few updates on what they got going on and I truly hope that if you are into crime / thriller writing or reading, you would do the same.

- I am waiting for Scottish author Donna Moore's novel "Old Dogs" to be delivered. It sounds like a good one. Check out her blog HERE

- English author Col Bury has just been signed by NY agent Nat Sobel. Like I said, I don't know Col, but his blog is way cool and he comes off as one hell of a nice guy, and this news is just fabulous. Check him out HERE

-Another English author, PD Brazill, has an awesome website and is a heck of writer. If you want the beat on the street in the crime world and also read some awesome author interviews, Click HERE

Like I said, I'll try to do this once a week, and mix it up everytime with different authors, as the three I mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg.