Today I have a cameo over at WriterTypes!  Eric Beetner  and S.W. Lauden are genius authors in their own right, but they’ve also developed a  podcast for writers and readers that satisfies even non-podcast-junkies like me!  Author Interviews, flash fiction,  book reviews and an "un-paneled  panel". (That last is where  I  have my minute of fame!)  

https://soundcloud.com/user-910265603/writer-types-episode-2-joe-r-lansdale-jess-lourey-reed-farrel-coleman?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=twitter  

Please take a listen and let me know what you think. Thanks! 

Kris 

Does any author like to write  a synopsis??
I certainly don’t, but I need  one for my second Maren Kane  thriller.  Do you have comments/edits on the below draft?  Please be brutal!  I have no ego investment in  what I’ve written here. I think the idea behind a  synopsis is to keep it  short and easy to read, but to  include enough (hopefully) tantalizing details  to  make someone (you!)  want to read the book! Maybe  there are other goals? Thanks  for  any  thoughts/suggestions you might have. Kris

Under The Rainbow (Working Title) 

A Maren Kane Thriller 

Maren Kane is tired of the ugliness and stress of working in politics. She leaves her position as a lobbyist and partners with her sister-in-law to open a state-of-the-art preschool and childcare center just blocks from California’s capitol building in Sacramento. Given the location and Maren’s connections, the city’s elite line up to enroll their offspring. The governor is among the first, securing spots for his four-year old twin granddaughters. But when Maren’s best friend, Polly, is wounded in what appears to be an escalating gang war, Polly’s 15-year old son, Jake, goes missing with the Governor’s twins, and Maren’s beloved father, who she hasn’t seen since childhood, shows up Maren’s carefully-laid plans for a more peaceful life implode! With her dad in tow she sets out to find Jake, desperate to do so ahead of a government team who views Jake as a suspect and his life as expendable. Maren uncovers a murder and kidnapping plot linked to police and politicians, reeking of corruption and violence, and finds herself thrown back into a world she had vowed to escape, this time with potentially life-threatening consequences.

A little help? ... 

Please  consider "liking" my public Author page on Facebook. Click on the link below and then click on "like", that’s it! My FB posts  will not show up in your feed, there is no follow-up.

https://www.facebook.com/Kris-Calvin-152337814840172/

 By clicking like you help others know that I have "fans"/readers.  I have 300 "Likes", my goal is  400 by the end of the week. A heavy lift, but every "like" helps. (If you’ve already done so, THANK YOU! See below for one more way you can help.)

https://www.facebook.com/Kris-Calvin-152337814840172/

Thanks for everything!

Kris

ps  If you’re willing to go  an extra step, after you "Like"   my Author page, share on your FB  page and ask your friends to do the same! Thanks!

https://www.facebook.com/Kris-Calvin-152337814840172/

One Murder More is the winner of the 2016 Silver Falchion Award in the categories of Best First Novel, Best Political Thriller and Best Female Private Eye/Sleuth! 

I was nearly speechless at the podium all three times at the  award ceremony in Nashville last night, and haven’t improved much since!   

Thank you for your ongoing  kindness and support as readers and fellow writers, and to Inkshares for a terrific partnership that made my book a reality!

Kris  

What?? What?? What?? One Murder More = Finalist for 2016 Silver Falchion award in THREE categories: Best First Novel, Mystery/Crime Novel and The Judges’ Choice Award!  Past finalists for the Silver Falchion include Stephen King, John Sanborn, John Lescroart and Robert Dugoni. I’m headed to Nashville this weekend for the awards banquet at the incomparable #‎KillerNashville  conference! Will I see you there? (C’mon, use those miles, it’s Nashville!) "Killer Nashville is one of the most popular conferences in the country for writers and readers... Established by writer and filmmaker Clay Stafford in 2006, the conference assists authors in the craft of mystery, thriller, suspense and crime fiction writing. Stafford and American Blackguard, Inc. also work to further various literacy programs throughout the year. As a part of both encouraging and rewarding writers in their varied fields, the Silver Falchion Award is given to outstanding books published in the previous year." Thanks for taking this journey with me, and thanks to Inkshares for an incredible partnership! Kris    www.kriscalvin.com

To connect via social media with  others (readers and writers, although I think this applies to anyone) I’ve learned that self-promotion is largely antithetical to that goal. A drop in the water is plenty.

 Instead,  I post and tweet things that  bring me joy or pain, that amuse or confound me.  As an example, the below  tweet, accompanied by the photo, yielded high engagement. (If you tweet in any field,  consider learning to use  twitter analytics. It’s very helpful!)

Happy Writing, Posting, Tweeting (and Reading!) 

Kris 

Sadness makes effort in most directions impossible. Except writing, where dark doors open. #writerslife  

If you haven’t had a chance to "Like" my Kris Calvin Author Facebook page, would you consider doing it now?   

https://www.facebook.com/Kris-Calvin-152337814840172/

Click on the link  to get to the page,  then click the thumbs-up "Like" icon. Should take under a minute total!  (Note: "Liking" my page won’t clog your inbox or newsfeed—you won’t receive  anything from me as a result of clicking only "like"!)

The number of  FB fans I have  helps to  boost my credibility as an author!!  

https://www.facebook.com/Kris-Calvin-152337814840172/

 As always, thanks so much for your support!   

Kris   

 PS  In New York City recently, here I am, hoping to be discovered by the Radio City Rockettes.  What do you think, have I got what it takes? ( And yes, my friend’s face is hidden behind a photoshopped smokescreen.)

One more, a quick Amazon ask! 

In advance of my trip  over  4th of July weekend to NY to participate in Thrillerfest  (a huge writers and readers conference in the thriller genre) Inkshares and I have been brainstorming ways to spike sales of  the first book in my Maren Kane thriller series! We’ve  lowered the ebook price to 99 cents  on Amazon as a special short-term promotion to enable friends and colleagues who’ve read One Murder More and liked it to GIFT it to someone for only 99 cents!  (Or if you haven’t gotten it yet, maybe this is the right time to put it in your queue for that "someday read?)   It’s easy, you go to the link below, and when you purchase the ebook (for 99 cents) on the right-hand side there is a box to click that says "Give as a gift". Enter the gift recipient’s email & Amazon sends it directly to them, you’re done! 

https://www.amazon.com/One-Murder-More-Kris-Calvin/dp/1941758088

I hope (perhaps optimistically) to have 100 gift copies purchased this week! 

If this is not for you I completely understand and in any case, thanks for your love and support!! 

Kris 

https://www.amazon.com/One-Murder-More-Kris-Calvin/dp/1941758088

Good morning! I’m  making good progress  on my second political thriller featuring Maren Kane as an ethical lobbyist.   A  round  of shootings  in California’s capital is  blamed by politicians and the media on  turf battles of rival gangs. But when Polly,  Maren’s best friend, is caught in the  crossfire and Polly’s teen son, Jake,  goes missing.  Maren pursues  her own theories! She is  terrified by  what she finds—by who might  really  be behind the violence—yet she knows  action is her only option if Jake is to have a chance of returning home safely.  I’m also been busy speaking about Maren’s first adventure, One Murder More, with over a dozen events  this summer!  One quick request: if you haven’t had a chance to "like" my Kris Calvin public author page on Facebook,  if you can please do  that now:

 https://www.facebook.com/Kris-Calvin-152337814840172/ 

I’m at  287  and would like to get to 300—those "likes" (1 click for you)  really help to  build my credibility in the thriller writer community! 

Thanks and happy  reading (and writing)! 

Kris    

www.kriscalvin.com