Where's Konrath? Blog Tour Day #13

To promote my horror novel, AFRAID, which debuts March 31, I'm appearing on different blogs every single day in March.

Please follow my daily journey, and broaden your blog-reading horizons.

Today I get to hang out at two of my favorite blogs. What makes them my favorites? Well, along with being informative, interesting, and continually updated, they're written by close, personal friends of mine.

First I visit Murderati, grabbing a guest spot thanks to the inimitable JT Ellison, where I talk about why blogs are pointless and why you need to stop blogging:

http://murderati.typepad.com/murderati/2009/03/welcome-glogger-ja-konrath.html

Then I head over to The Good Girls Kill For Money Club, courtesy of the always entertaining Tasha Alexander, and talk about the scariest thing to ever happen to you. I'm also having a contest there, giving away a free copy of Afraid:

http://www.good-girls-kill.com/2009/03/13/y-chromosomes-and-all-that-jazz/

Speaking of free copies of Afraid, remember that tonight at midnight, Central Standard Time, my 70 word short story contest ends over at Laurin Wittig's blog, Between the Lines.

We're almost at the halfway point in the tour. If you're just tuning in, I encourage you to go back to Day #1 and follow my gradual progression across the blogosphere. There are lot of great blogs out there. chocked full of great information, and part of the reason for this tour is to make people aware of them. Go now. I'll still be here when you get back.

Where's Konrath? Blog Tour Day #12

To promote my horror novel, AFRAID, which debuts March 31, I'm appearing on different blogs every single day in March.

Please follow my daily journey, and broaden your blog-reading horizons.

First I drop by Judy Larsen's blog, Not Afraid of the F Word, and talk about characterization:

http://notafraidofthefword.blogspot.com/2009/03/writers-in-their-own-words-and-blog.html

Then I talk about the importance of writers groups at:

http://awritersgroup.blogspot.com/2009/03/author-of-afraid-jakonrath-shares-his.html

Also, I'd like to clear up some things. This blog tour is generating a fair bit of email, and people are asking me some of the same questions. So, for the record, here are my honest answers.

Q: Did you really get over five hundred rejections before you got published?

A: Yes. And it really took me twelve years.

Q: Did you really send 7000 letters to libraries?

A: Yes. Google my name and "Forbes" and you'll find the article they did.

Q: Did you really visit 500 bookstores on tour for your third book?

A: No. I visited over 600.

Q: Did you really say that to the vet when your dog was being euthanized? (See Greg Swanson's blog for details.)

A: Yes. I get a kick out of messing with people. Here's a pdf download--a 100% true story--where I had fun with a print-on-demand publisher.

http://www.bfnsoftware.com/cgi-bin/home/Members/DLTrack/DLTrack.cgi?User=14915&ID=1432&Code=RMgTDb

Q: Did you really kill one of your series characters at the end of Fuzzy Navel without revealing who died?

A: Yes. And apparently people are curious who took the big dirt nap, because a galley of Cherry Bomb just sold for $42 on eBay. And no, it wasn't me selling it.

Q: Are you really providing new, specific, diverse content on all 31 days of this blog tour?

A: Yes. So far I've done over 40 new blog entries and interviews, and there are more to come. I'm not recycling anything, not repeating anything.

Q: Is all of this really true?

A: Yes, it's all true. I'm a legend in my own household, and an inspiration to dozens. I'm also a very bad example. You should never compare your writing, your print run, your royalties, or your promotional efforts, to any other writer. Each of us is unique, with our own path to follow. Follow yours.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to cure cancer. (okay, that one was a lie...)

Where's Konrath? Blog Tour Day #11

To promote my horror novel, AFRAID, which debuts March 31, I'm appearing on different blogs every single day in March.

Please follow my daily journey, and broaden your blog-reading horizons

First, I get silly with Kerrie McLoughlin over at her blog, The Kerrie Show:

http://www.thekerrieshow.com/2009/03/author-interview-ja-konrath-writing-as.html

Then head on over to Brilliance Audio, my audiobook publisher, where I wax philosophic about books on tape in general, and mine in particular:

http://www.brillianceaudio.com/links/aroundtheweb.html

Finally, three important bits of information.

1. If I'm scheduled to appear on your blog, please email me the morning it is posted with a live link. Like many authors, I'm disorganized and easily confused, and this will help.

2. If you've donated to save Sheila, but haven't gotten your free Tequila, email me.

3. If you've been following this blog tour, but haven't pre-ordered Afraid yet, call me up and invite me over. Because at this point, the only thing left I can do you is to ply you with liquor and then take $6.99 from your wallet when you go to the washroom.

I'm visiting a bunch of other blogs this month, including (but not limited to) Good Girls Who Kill For Money, Murderati, Crimespree, The Outfit, First Offenders, ACME Authors, Charlotte Hughes, Jeff Strand, Henry Perez, Alex Sokoloff, Tess Gerritsen, and many, many more. Stay tuned. I have not yet begun to blog.

Where's Konrath? Blog Tour Day #10

To promote my horror novel, AFRAID, which debuts March 31, I'm appearing on different blogs every single day in March.

Please follow my daily journey, and broaden your blog-reading horizons.

Today I'm visiting Jude Hardin's blog, where we discuss a topic that all newbie authors obsess about: literary agents. Do you need one? What do they do exactly? Read to find out...

http://judehardin.blogspot.com/2009_03_02_archive.html

Then I offer a writing exercise for newbies and pros alike, guaranteed to get your creative muscles flexing. It is quick and simple, and will make you a stronger writer and a smarter rewriter. It will also give you a chance to win a free, autographed copy of AFRAID. It all happens at Laurin Wittig's blog:

http://laurinwittig.wordpress.com/2009/03/09/seventy-words-or-less-guest-blog-by-ja-konrath/

Finally, if you're up for a little debate about violence in books and movies, we're having a heavy discussion over at Erica Orloff's excellent blog, discussing why people like horror, and if Afraid is simply torture-porn. Drop by and weigh in:

http://www.ericaorloff.com/blog/2009_03_01_archive.html

Where's Konrath? Blog Tour Day #9

To promote my horror novel, AFRAID, which debuts March 31, I'm appearing on different blogs every single day in March.

Please follow my daily journey, and broaden your blog-reading horizons.

Today I'm over at Headdesk, talking about my writing process.

http://headdeskforwriters.blogspot.com/2009/03/10-questions-with-ja-konrath_09.html

Though this is an older post, I wanted to include it in the tour because it's pretty cool. Literary agent Barbara Poelle, who isn't my agent but still seems to have very good taste in authors, blogged about Afraid.

http://heydeadguy.typepad.com/heydeadguy/2009/01/be-afraid-be-very-afraid.html

Finally, this one really cracked me up. Thanks, Pat. Beer is on me at Bouchercon.

http://picksbypat.blogspot.com/2008/11/are-you-konrath-fan-take-this-test.html

Where's Konrath? Blog Tour Day #8

To promote my horror novel, AFRAID, which debuts March 31, I'm appearing on different blogs every single day in March.

Please follow my daily journey, and broaden your blog-reading horizons.

Today I'm visiting my friend, Greg Swanson, at his My Life With Dogs blog. I met Greg years ago while on the Rusty Nail 500 Tour. He's a bookseller at Waldenbooks in Peru, IL.

I like the guy so much, I made him a villain in Fuzzy Navel.

At Greg's place, we talk about JA Konrath vs. Jack Kilborn, being funny, and dead pets. But trust me; you'll love the dead pet talk.

http://mylifewithdogs-swanny.blogspot.com/2009/03/post-in-which-ja-konrath-discusses_07.html

Where's Konrath? Blog Tour Day #7

To promote my horror novel, AFRAID, which debuts March 31, I'm appearing on different blogs every single day in March.

Please follow my daily journey, and broaden your blog-reading horizons.

Today I'm visiting the group blog, The League of Reluctant Adults, invited by author Mark Henry. Group blogs are always fun, and this one features a bunch of paranormal suspense and romance writers, many of whom I've hung out with.

My guest blog post is about pushing the envelope in fiction, and if it's possible to go to far. You might be surprised by my answers.

http://reluctantadults.blogspot.com/2009/03/guest-blogger-ja-konrath.html

Also, many of you following this blog tour are undoubtedly curious if the book I'm flogging, Afraid, is any good. As mentioned in my last newsletter, I offered free copies in exchange for reviews. As these reviews trickle in, I'm linking to them...whether they're good or bad.

So far, Afraid has been reviewed by Shots UK:

http://www.shotsmag.co.uk/reviews2008/reviews1108/afraid.html

Dark Scribe:

http://www.darkscribemagazine.com/reviews/afraid-jack-kilborn.html

The List:

http://www.list.co.uk/article/14233-jack-kilborn-afraid/

And be prepared to scroll down to read what Publishers Weekly has to say about my paperback original horror thriller:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6637217.html

There are still 24 days left on the blog tour, and I promise a lot of new, and radically different, posts in the oncoming weeks. I will not repeat myself.

Thanks for tuning it.