Tag: devilspartypress

Gravelight Press on Kindle Vella | Read free!

WHAT IS KINDLE VELLA?

Kindle Vella (or KV, or Vella) is a new service from Amazon that allows anyone to go online and start reading a book IMMEDIATELY! The books are all serialized. They may release one chapter per week, or even a chapter daily. The first three chapters/episodes of any book are free.

USA-ONLY:

For now, Vella is only available to reader in the USA, while Amazon tries out this pilot program. DPP is in on it, and we are even beta-testers for the comments and polls functions. So, some of our stories have comments, and some have polls, and some have both.

FREE AND NOT FREE:

All series (books) being serialized have the first three episodes as free.

For episodes after that, you have to buy them.

You buy them by buying tokens. Most chapters/episodes average out at about six cents/episode.

You cannot currently give tokens as gifts, or buy tokens with gift cards, and you cannot buy someone a Vella story to read, like, “I’ll get this for my friend!” Nope, not now you won’t. But maybe in the future!
And hopefully in the future more countries will be able to get it too.

IS IT GREAT?

DPP’s jury is still out on this one. We’re trying it, and we like how we can put in notes for our readers, and get comments back. As authors it is nice to have connection with readers, because otherwise we never do, and we want to know what readers think. But, it so restricted at the moment with the USA-only tie that we’re not sure how we feel about it. Certainly since we have worked to edit people to are writing their entire novels on their phones, it is appealing to those of us who love our small hand-held devices.

ONE BENEFIT: the reviews a book gets there go with it when it goes into paperback.

ARE YOU THE BETA READER TYPE? ARE YOU JUST INTERESTED IN THE LATEST THING? DPP IS LOOKING FOR YOU!

We’d love to have some folks try out our Vellas and then take a survey on the experience so we can find out what readers think.

Contact us if you want to join in the fun and give us your honest feedback: editor@devilspartypress.com

What do we have on Vella currently?

PICK A READ! ANY READ!

THE PUMPKIN KING AND OTHER TALES OF TERROR

GRAVELIGHT PRESS PRESENTS:

Do you desire to make your spine tingle, your hair curl, and your blood run cold? If so, dare to partake of the dark sacrament of this forbidden tome. Within these arcane pages you will encounter an organist who can summon the dead, trade lives using the currency of the damned, meet a college professor with a very creepy teaching assistant, and experience a night of Trick-or-Treating like no other. Enter if you dare! This story is complete and heading to print Halloween 2023!

Written by master story tell R. David Fulcher

Follow David on Twitter!

JUST A HOUSECLEANER

When Patsy finds her friend and client has passed away in her living room, Patsy’s only thought is how to take care of her friend’s dog and estate, but someone in her friend’s life has other ideas. Can Patsy, still grieving the loss of her friend, help save her friend’s estate?

Written by Amy Willard, a real-life housecleaner!

CAPES AND MASKS:

David Yurkovich, acclaimed author/illustrator of the graphic novels LESS THAN HEROES, ALTERCATIONS, and DEATH BY CHOCOLATE presents a collection of short stories spotlighting the heroes and villains of Combustible. Featuring the tales, “The Vocalist,” “The Confectioneer,” “Mid-Life Crisis,” “…as a Mad Immortal Man,” “The Night it Rained Rembrandt,” and more, CAPES AND MASKS expands the realm of superhuman stories beyond the norm.

HIBERNACULUM:

HIBERNACULUM, an original sci-fi novel by Anthony Doyle set in the not-too-distant-future, will take you to a world where human hibernation has become a common occurrence. For the affluent: it’s the equivalent of a luxury holiday, or a way to sleep through cosmetic surgery. For the sick: it’s a place to rest and wait for a cure. For the activists: it’s a way to decrease their carbon footprint. For the rest it’s a means of surviving in a world that has grown too costly. Would you hibernate?

NEW SANTA/CRIMSON RED

Santa and Mrs. Claus are dead, both victims of tragic, but separate, accidents. Now, The Order of the Beard – a septet of immortals representing the seven continents – must appoint worthy successors. But not even The Order is perfect. They have no idea of the raw carnage that’s about to unfold as the Claus’ marriage begins to unravel. Will New Santa be the last of a long lineage? Award-winning author David Yurkovich presents an all-new black comedy for anti-Christmas enthusiasts everywhere.

SIMONA’S SON

Mob boss Filiberto “Bear” Zappia made his bones maiming his victims before killing them. Now, a squeal has emerged who can send Bear to prison. He needs his best hitman, Angel, known as Ice, to find and whack the squeal. Ice has special ways of torturing his victims. Bear wants Ice to send a message to the squeal and all future rats. But something is wrong… with Ice. His mother, Simona, made a deal with God to trick the mob and save Angel from Hell. But what happens when God changes the deal?

COMING SOON!

Those fantastic Vella titles will soon be joined by:

Noir collection: HARDBOILED And LOADED WITH SIN

Check this blog for links and announcements.

Thanks for all you do to help DPP keep-on keeping-on. We’re getting more late-bloomers published this year than ever before because you read our books!

WHAT IS OUR MOST POPULAR VELLA SO FAR?

Well, a mother never has favorites, but readers do. So far, in the number one spot for readers is NEW SANTA. I guess folks just love Christmas! (Or hate it!)

When you read a DPP book, it means everything!

Halloween Party ’23

Jeffrey is curating this years’ HALLOWEEN PARTY, so check him out! Find out what this guy is all about.

And sign up (at the bottom of his site) to find out about freebies and specials related to Halloween Party!

Horror poetry anyone?

Wanna submit to the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for their horror book of poetry? If you are published in HALLOWEEN PARTY, you can. Gravelight Press pays every author in HALLOWEEN PARTY $25 (and gives each author a free copy of the anthology) and that $25 check is enough to qualify for membership in the HWA.

The HWA is currently soliciting for a volume of poetry. Why not submit?

Here’s a little horror ditty (I’m not saying it’s very pretty…).

Little Bo Weep (by D.Pearce)

Now I lay me down to sleep
and thinking ’bout dismembering sheep.
No hooves to leap
no baaaaahs to bleep
just nightmares in the meadow’s deep.
Like a tea with too much steep
the blood into the wool will seep.
I chopping chopping as she weeps
that simpering whimpering
dopey BoPeep.
Then I round the herd will creep
for bones and fuzz and tails to sweep
And when the sheep are in a heap
what will be the reap I reap?
At lastly long and blissful sleep.

Horror poetry. See? It’s easy. 😉

And fun!

C’mon, write a horror poem and submit!


Being a corpse, zombie, wolfman, or succubus got you down? How about a free book?

Do you have Kindle Unlimited?

If you do, read SOLSTICE: A WINTER ANTHOLOGY free on Kindle Unlimited (KU).

If you don’t have KU, it costs a whopping 99 cents to download this amazing book to your phone/tablet/computer right now!

Like hardboiled?

Get the novel that won the national awards: LET’S SAY JACK KENNEDY KILLED THE GIRL on KU for free, or download to your phone/tablet/computer starting Monday, March 27th, until March 31, on our FREE BOOK promotion! And look at all those 5-star reviews on Amazon! Read it now and get ready for next in the series: IF ONLY TRUMAN WERE DEAD drops this summer!

But, you say, “I want something scary!”

Why not meet James Goodridge’s monsters in HALLOWEEN PARTY? Also free for KU subscribers, or only a little over a buck to buy!! All treat, and no trick! What’s a matter? Not scared are you? We promise to keep you up all night!

Looking for a thriller? The book you just cannot put down? Look no further!

Try GLASS ONION, an espionage ride that will have you clinging onto the top of a suspension bridge, praying not to drop….

Earth too boring for you?

Conquer new worlds without losing your balance with the sci-fi great: BALANCE OF FORTUNE. Also free for KU subscribers, and also running a free Kindle download promotion for non-subscribers: Monday, March 27th, until March 31!

AND IF NONE OF THOSE PROMOTIONS ARE INSTANT ENOUGH FOR YOUR READING HUNGER….

We GOT you with FIVE (5) totally free issues of art and prose and poetry and memoir on INSTANT NOODLES, and we MEAN INSTANT! Just CLICK, and you’re there!

THANK YOU for giving an indie author a bit of your time, for being a reader. It means a lot all of us authors to know someone is reading.

It means everything.

Much love~ from DPP and all our authors and artists

A deal for the recently dead or the frequently dead…

ATWOOD20… expires 2/28/23.

But right now you can get a deal!

Sign up for editing in the month of February (2023) and mention the ATWOOD20 code to get 20% off of our editing service.

You do not have to begin or end editing in February. As long as you sign-up BEFORE 2/28/23. and request a START DATE for a slot before May 2023, the discount is yours.

Sign-up here. Don’t worry if you may not know your “exact” word count yet; just send a small sample and let us know what we can do for you.

Recent projects:

  • Helped two authors finish dystopian books of over 600 pages each.
  • Worked with an LGBTQ novelist on fantasy world-building.
  • Helped a humor/horror writer amp up the laughs.
  • Found the perfect ending to a horror short story.
  • Added pathos to a memoir.
  • Sharpened six query letters.
  • Provided three editorial assessments.
  • Got a manuscript ready for serializing on Kindle Vella.

Not everyone needs the same thing. Tell us how we can help you~

The all-new, all-different Hawkshaw

As we move further into 2023, we realized it was time to redo the Hawkshaw Press site (home of our crime fiction novels and collections). The site has gotten a fresh makeover, and we’ll be updating Gravelight and Out of This World soon as well.

Meanwhile, please drop by Hawkshaw Press and meander a while, Flatfoot.

Guest designer | Halloween Party ’23

Piece of art by Juan Kantu _1Kan2_ a white skull on a black background with the words the end is my beginning
“The End is my beginning” by Juan Cantu

The moment I saw Juan Cantu’s art I knew I had to own some. Luckily his work is still affordable (but for how long people!), and I was able to grab this beauty you see above.

Because I was also lucky enough to meet him in person, this kind, gentle, and amazingly talented man, I was also able to get to know him a bit, and keep in touch, and I was so thrilled when he said he’d design the new Halloween Party anthology for us. If you visit Juan’s Instagram (_1kan2_) you will see how macabre, funny, dark, and philosophical his work is. If you like to collect art, I suggest you buy yourself an original while you still can. And, it may interest you to know, Juan is also a veteran. He served his country, and that informs his art, and he works to bring art opportunities to veterans like himself.

We did an interview with Juan, and we’ll be posting that in our newsletter in the coming months. Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out!

Halloween Party ’23 | Submissions glitch resolved


Apologies if you tried to submit to Duosuma and received a message indicating that the submissions quota was full.

Glitch is now fixed (has been tested) and is open ONLY until 11/30@ midnight, when it will close for good for this season.

Submit your work now, before it’s too late.

SUBMIT TO HP23

Good luck~