Friday, July 20, 2012

Upcoming Book Signing at The Spirit Grille in Las Colinas (Irving) Texas

I am planning a book signing at The Spirit Grille located at  4030 North MacArthur Boulevard #112,  Irving, TX 75038 (972) 717-7575 on Saturday August 4th from 2 to 4 p.m. (Behind Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse in the Tom Thumb shopping center.) Map


If you are coming from 183, take the MacArthur exit and go north. Once you cross over Northgate, the next light will be Bryon Nelson Way. Turn right and take the first right into the parking lot.

If you are coming from 635 or 114, take the MacArthur exit and go south.You will pass North Lake College. Take a left onto Byron Nelson Way and the first right into the parking lot.


If you live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, I would like to see you come out for this event. Be sure to click on the link above for more information about The Spirit Grille.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Cover for Storm Warning - Help me pick

Help me choose a cover for my upcoming novel, Storm Warning - A Kelli Storm Novel. I have a basic idea of what I want, I just can't decide on the background. Below are some pictures that I believe would be fitting as a basis for the cover. Some really good photos, which is why I had such a difficult time choosing.

1.

2.










3.


4.











Vote for your favorite, or suggest a design. The first 20 voters will receive a free eBook copy, choice of format, of the book once it is in publication. (August or September 2012) I would also like to keep the same theme as the first book cover, meaning there will be an NYPD Detective badge incorporated into the design.

The contest ends at 7 P.M. CST, Sunday, July 22nd.

NOTE: Due to some confusion on the numbers, I have renumbered the pictures.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Thriller Thursday Guest Spot

This week, I had the honor of being interviewed by friend and fellow author Jennifer Chase, for her "Thriller Thursday" post. Please stop by Jennifer's site to read my interview and find out more about me and Storm Rising.


Thriller Thursday Interview

Saturday, June 30, 2012

The Next Big Thing

Thanks again to my friend, Gail Baugniet, for thinking of me and including me in "The Next Big Thing". I've been busy these past few weeks, trying to get the book we're highlighting here, completed. Almost there. So, without further ado, here is question number 2, as well as 3 and 4, just to catch up.

TNBT: Where did the idea for the book come from?

Ken:  Storm Warning - A Kelli Storm Novel is the second book in the Kelli Storm series. When I first discovered Kelli and her story, the original idea was for a three book series, which now looks as though there may be a few more books about Kelli's life as a Detective with New York's Finest.

TNBT: What genre would your book fall under?

Ken: Storm Warning - A Kelli Storm Novel falls under the sub-genre of Police Procedural. For those not familiar with the sub-genre, a Police Procedural is a sub-genre of detective fiction which attempts to depict the actions of a police force as they investigate a crime. Think "Blue Bloods" or "Law & Order".


TNBT: Which actor would you choose to play your character in a movie rendition?

Ken: I think I covered this in a post on the blog, or maybe that was in one of my many interviews, can't recall. Oh well, not important. I really hate to say what star I see playing Kelli, because I believe all of my fans have their own idea of Kelli from reading the first book, and I'd hate to ruin the illusion. Sorry.



A very good friend of mine, Gail Baugniet, author of "For Every Action There Are Consequences", invited me to join in on this blog event (TNBT - The Next Big Thing), and I could not turn her down. Gail was invited by Laurie Hanan, author of the Louise Golden mystery series.The event consists of 10 questions about your current WIP (Work in Progress.) Here’s the plan:


A. Answer the ten TNBT questions listed below about your current WIP (Work In Progress)B. Tag five other writers and link their blogs so we can all hop over and read their answers.It’s that simple.

The handbook, Writing Mysteries, edited by Sue Grafton, lists the rules of mystery writing and which ones can be bent. The only one I actually break is having more than two characters in a scene. For the rules of The Next Big Thing, I will definitely tag five other writers and link to their blogs so you can hop over and check out their sites. Gail has tweeked the rules and is breaking up the ten questions. The way it will go is, answer one question per week and tag five other authors each time you answer a question.

Here is Question #1 of The Next Big Thing:

TNBT: What is the title of your book/WIP?

Ken: The title of my current WIP is "Storm Warning - A Kelli Storm Novel". It is the second book in the Kelli Storm series. I don't have a book cover yet, though I have a good idea of what I want it to look like. I'm currently 3/4 completed and plan to have it ready for publication by late August or early September.

And now for the five authors whose work you will definitely want to check out:








Here is the full list of The Next Big Thing questions for you to copy and paste to your blog, along with your answers. Just tag five awesome writers and add their links so we can all follow along.



1. What is the title of your book/WIP?
2. Where did the idea for the book come from?
3. What genre would your book fall under? 
4. Which actor would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
5. What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
6. Is your book published or represented?
7. How long did it take you to write?
8. What other books within your genre would you compare it to?
9. Which authors inspired you to write this book?
10. Tell us anything else that might pique our interest in your book.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Sunday Sneak Peek - Excerpt from Storm Rising - A Kelli Storm Novel



Thursday September 24th, 5:43 P.M. Yonkers
Home of Kelli Storm


  The funeral procession stretched for miles, as officers from the five boroughs honored their fallen brother. Kelli expressed her sympathies to Bill’s parents, and whispered a promise that she would find the people responsible.
  Now she and Kevin sat quietly in the living room, and though he had not really known Bill, Kelli knew that Kevin shared her loss. “You want a cup of tea?”
  She looked up and attempted a smile. “Sure, that would be nice.”
  He got up and kissed her on top of the head. “It’s going to be alright, you’re strong.” He turned and headed for the kitchen.
  Kelli lay back on the couch and closed her eyes. She drifted off into a fitful sleep. She was once again in the midst of a shootout, glass flying all around her. She could hear the bullets as they whizzed over her head, and pounded the metal of her car.
  Someone was shaking her and she swung her arms in defense.
  “Whoa! Hold on slugger. You were having a nightmare.”
  She opened her eyes and saw Kevin standing over her. “Shit. I was right there, and it was so real. They had me pinned down, and I was out of rounds. I’m scared, Kevin.”
  He sat down and put an arm around her. “It’s okay, Kelli, it was just a dream,” he said, and pulled her closer.
  She pushed him away and shook her head. “It’s not okay. My partner and his wife are dead because I had to go and piss off a drug lord. My mother doesn’t know who I am most of the time, and she’s getting worse.”
  “Come on, Kelli, you can’t blame yourself for what happened to Bill and his wife, and there’s nothing you can do about your mother’s Alzheimer’s. You have to focus on what you can do, what you can change.”
   She looked at him and smiled. “Now you’re starting to sound like my sponsor. You’re right, there’s only one thing to do. Get the son of a bitch before he kills anyone else.”

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Memorial Day Blowout

Storm Rising - A Kelli Storm Novel is FREE this Memorial Day Weekend! Get your copy today from Smashwords! Use coupon code VT38L at checkout.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Thriller Thursday - Sneak Peek from Storm Warning


Friday November 27th, 8:16 A.M. Washington Heights
33rd Precinct Detective Unit


   Frank Cummins scanned the paperwork and looked up at Kelli. “Larsen wants to drag you down to Colombia on the off chance this woman is willing to turn Garcia over to the DEA. Is he nuts?”
  “Maybe, but this may be our only chance of locating Garcia, Frank. Shit, it’s not like I’m going into this blind. Larsen already has a team on the ground in Medellin, and they know where this woman is staying.”
  Frank leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Well if he’s got all that, why in the hell does he need you?”
  Kelli moved to one of the two chairs in the office and sat. “Larsen thinks I might have a better shot at convincing this woman to give him up. I tried to tell him that I don’t know how I can do that, but he believes she’ll listen to me.”
  “I don’t like it. Why can’t they get one of their female agents to do this? It’s bad enough I had to lose you to this Task Force he put together.”
  “If it gets me closer to finding Garcia, then I need to at least try, Frank. You of all people should understand that.”
  He leaned forward, arms on his desk and nodded. “Yeah, I understand. I don’t like it, but I get it. When are you leaving?”
  She leaned back and sighed. “Monday morning. We’re supposed to arrive in Medellin around two in the afternoon. Larsen has his team meeting us, along with a contingent of National Police. When I asked him why we needed an escort, he shrugged and said it was just a precaution.”
  “A precaution for what?”