Hello Friends,

I have not reached out to you via Inkshares in a while. These days, I send updates through my monthly newsletter, but since I noticed a flurry of new followers I thought it was a good time to send you a quick message. If you want to subscribe to my newsletter sign up here. It is a monthly thing, no spamming at all.

A lot has happened in the past months. I finished and delivered to Inkshares the manuscript for my second novel Bad Medicine, I teamed up with a group friends to create an audio drama called Mermaids of Merrow’s Cove, and I also finished the sequel for The Catcher’s Trap, Worlds Walker.

I still don’t know how Worlds Walker will be published, though. I learned the hard way that it is hard to run a crowdfunding campaign when the people who supported you with a previous campaign have not received the book they were promised yet –in this case Bad Medicine- so Worlds Walker will be on stand by for now.

I’m in no rush, thought. After publishing The Catcher’s Trap I learned that patience is a virtue an author must have. Few books become instant best sellers, few authors get movie deals after one or two novels. The process of building a career in literature is long but, so far, incredibly rewarding.

A project that I think you should check out is my audio drama. Mermaids of Merrow’s Cove is a weekly murder mystery. Think Law and Order SVU meets The X-Files. The series take place in a small coastal town in New England and it follows Emma Kersey’s investigation of a mysterious woman that may or may not be a mermaid. The six episodes are out and I recommend you binge on them. Visit my website for the many ways in which you can listen to it www.ricardophenriquez.com

I fell in love with audio drama. What started as a quick fun project to work on while I waiting for Bad Medicine to go into production, became a real passion. The team I worked with is eager to start working on a second season, so I’m getting ready to start writing a new script.

What can I say, my creative life is moving in many new and exciting directions and that feels great.

If you are a recent follower, check my projects on Inkshares. I’m always eager to hear feedback and comments from readers and authors.

The Catcher’s Trap

Worlds Walker

Bad Medicine

Continue enjoying your summer my friends.

Best

Your friendly neighborhood queer author

Dear Friends,

If you feel like you have not heard from me in a while, then you have not subscribed to my monthly newsletter. If you want to hear about my literary projects and other shenanigans, click here to subscribe.

I come to you with great news about another of my projects. The Bad Medicine: Zombie Slaying Queen manuscript is finished. It is an exciting day for yours truly. Bad Medicine is a work of love and much dedication. I am proud of the world I created and the characters who live in it and I can’t wait to share it with you.

. 

I know you have been waiting a while to get your copy, but there is still a bit of a longer wait. The folks at Inkshares are crazy busy editing, printing and promoting many amazing novels. My fabulous, but humble, drag superstar has got herself in line and she will be patiently waiting for her turn.

I will not bore you with a long reflection about the creative journey. I will say, though, that it feels great knowing that after so much time and dedication, I can proudly say, I am done and I love what I have done.

Another things that excites me is that the world of drag is more popular than ever. Don’t believe me? Check out this announcement from World of Wonder. Drag Queens on a Plane, is a thing and it will be a cluster of charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent.

Talk to you soon my pretties.

Hello Friends!

Long, long time ago (well, 2004) there was a fantastic game called City of Heroes.  This video game was my introduction to massively multiplayer online role-playing games (I know, a mouthful) and I became obsessed with it.

City of Heroes was straight forward. You had to create a superhero, fight villains and win experience so you could earn new powers. The game was not only fun, but it was also a place to meet people and make new friends. Even though I don’t know their real names and I never saw their human faces, I forged real friendships with caped crusaders, flying cyborgs, and ruthless amazons.

I devoted many hours to saving Paragon City from evil forces. Later on, when City of Villains was released, I spent many hours fighting the annoying goody-two-shoes heroes. Some guys anxiously wait for Sundays to watch football. For me, Sundays were the day for long missions and task forces.

Unfortunately, on November 30, 2012, the Gods of Paragon Studios decided to shut down the game. It was devastating. We wrote letters, started petitions and even protested on the virtual streets of Paragon. In the end, darkness fell, and City of Heroes was gone.

Inspired by my love for this game I wrote the short story Paragon Falling. Paragon Falling tells the story of Trauco, and JaneTheWarrior, two villains from Aion City, who must run a race against the clock to save their dying world. In the process, they discover that the deities ruling the video games universe can be wicked and capricious.

The short story is now available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited, and I would love for you to read it and review it. You don’t need to know anything about this game or any other video game to connect with this story. The main theme is something we can all relate to: survival.

Please, follow the link and enter the world of City of heroes.

 click here

Welcome to Paragon, my friends. I hope you enjoy it.

Hello friends

It has been a couple of weeks since you heard from me. The thing is, I’m fully immersed in the world of Bad Medicine, working hard to finish the manuscript and deliver it to Inkshares. It feels great to be back in the groove, writing every day and loving every minute of it.

The world of The Catcher’s Trap is quiet these days. I’m happy to report that the book continues to sell steadily. The novel is not close to becoming a New York Times best-seller anytime soon, but I’m happy. For a completely unknown author like me, the fact that there are people out there interested in my work and willing to pay for it is winning in life.

Remember, if you want to give me a hand, please either rate or leave a review on Amazon. Reviews help make the book more visible, and visibility is the best gift you can send my way. Also, if you read it and enjoyed it, please recommend it to your friends. Click here to leave a review.

As I said before, I am working on several side projects that I will be launching in March. A couple of days ago I received the cover art for my short story Paragon Falling. I will be giving this story away for free on Amazon as a way to promote my writing. The idea is to publish a free short story every month, with the hopes to compile them into a book of short stories to be released next year.

That’s it. Short and sweet. Before I go just a quick reminder that the campaign for The Catcher’s Trap sequel is active. You can support here.

 Have a great week!

Ricardo

Dear friends

How’s 2017 treating you so far? For me, the last couple of months have been an interesting time of struggle and opportunity. I won’t bore you with details of my up and downs, but I do want to share the lesson I learned.

Pouring your entire soul into what you love is essential to achieve your dreams, but also essential is to be kind to yourself. At some point in the last two years, in between attempting to write three novels, holding a full-time job and trying to launch a writing career, I stopped listening to my body. As a result, my physical and mental health declined to a point in which I was not able to do any of the things I love. I couldn’t run the New York City Marathon, and I didn’t finish writing Bad Medicine: Slay it Queen!

Fear not, this is not a sad update. This update is about discovery and opportunity. I’m not the kind of guy who makes New Year resolutions, but this year I made one: I will be kind and patient with myself and with others. I will tune out the negative noise that surrounds us and walk the road that leads to my dreams with no rush.

I have many projects and ideas that I’m excited about. Worlds Walker is done, and Bad Medicine will be a scary and hysterical ride. My hope is to deliver the manuscript to the patience folks at Inkshares sometime in the spring. I also have a stack of short stories that I will be releasing for free on Amazon Kindle starting in March.

I’ve been reminded through this struggle that my goal was never to become a famous writer. That my goal was not for The Catcher’s Trap to be turned into a movie or sell a million copies. My goal is to share the stories swirling in my brain. My dream is for those stories to find people who connect with them and enjoy them. Many of you have reached out to me to tell me how much you enjoyed The Catcher’s Trap, for me, that’s winning.

So here’s to a great year ahead of us. A year of creativity, magical thinking and kindness.

As always, let’s end this update with wisdom from my favorite hero

Dear friends

 Happy Holidays

I hope you have a wonderful time with your family and those you love. No matter which holiday you celebrate, I think we can all agree that the theme this time of the year is love. Love those around you, love the people who love you and support you through the tough times, and love what life has given you. Every day we live is a gift, so let’s enjoy them all.

I am excited about 2017. I have three writing projects to work on during the coming year. Too Many Controllers, the short stories anthology which won the Nerdist video games contest. Bad Medicine, my latest horror novel which won the Crypt TV horror contest and, of course, Worlds Walker, the sequel to The Catcher’s Trap.

Next year will be busy and exciting, and I hope you are still on board to continue this journey by my side. After all, it is because of you that I can call myself a published author.

If the Holidays put you in a giving mood, please check out my other projects, especially Worlds Walker. Many people have asked me for the sequel to The Catcher’s Trap. The manuscript is ready, but I don’t have a publishing deal yet. You can change that. Click here to follow the project or pre-order.

We’ll talk again next year!

Love you all, have a wonderful Holiday!

Happy Cyber-Monday!!

Today should be a holiday. A day dedicated to searching online for the best bargains while wearing your pajamas and sipping on a strong cup of coffee. Unfortunately, it is not a holiday, so we all have to shop in between answering e-mails and reviewing spreadsheets.

In the spirit of Cyber-Monday Inkshares is running a massive sale. Most books published during 2016 are half off and ship for free in the U.S.

That means The Catcher’s Trap is only $6.99

Click the link below and get your copies. If you live in the tri-state area I’ll be happy to meet you and sign your copies.

Have a fantastic week my friends and take advantage of this great offer.

Friends

The Catcher’s Trap is out in the world and, hopefully, already in your hands. As you can imagine, releasing the book on Election Day, and on a week like we just had in America has been quite interesting.

Still, two days after the election, over one hundred of you came out and supported the release of my book. This past Thursday, the North Haven Barnes and Nobles was flooded with people attending my first ever book signing. It was beautiful and humbling. Fun fact, the mayor of Hamden gave me a proclamation on behalf of the town. I had no idea that was happening and it was a wonderful surprised.

If you missed me on Thursday, you can come and see me at the Hamden Public Library on Sunday, November 20th, at 2 pm. I will be speaking there as part of their guest authors series.

The next step in this thrilling journey is to get reviews. I need to get as many reviews for the Catcher’s Trap as possible in the next coming weeks. So please, once you are ready, go into the links below and leave an honest review. It doesn’t have to be long, just your thoughts about the book. Trust me your review will make a huge difference.

Amazon

Goodreads

Barnes and Noble

Have a fantastic rest of your weekend.

Best

Ricardo

Friends

The Catcher is knocking at your doors!

The official publication day is tomorrow, but many of you received today your copy of The Catcher’s Trap!  Those of you who have not receive your book yet will get it this week.

I truly hope that you enjoy the book. The Catcher’s Trap is a dark tale of struggle and inner strength. I believe that beyond the supernatural aspects we can all relate to the journey these characters experience.

Some critics are loving it, some critics not so much, but they all agree on one thing, The Catcher’s Trap is entertaining and a fast pace quick read. Please add your voice to those critics. Once you are finished reading the book, leave an honest review on Amazon, Goodreads and Barnes and Noble.

Reviews are key to the success of the book. (my husband Tom, checking out a great book)

Amazon

Goodreads

Barnes and Noble

I want to leave you with a fun story. I spent this past weekend in New York and, of course, I had to stop by at Union Square’s Barnes and Noble. Guess what I found on the third floor, in a display called “New Sci-Fi,” of course The Catcher’s Trap.

It was so surreal and so empowering. Just seeing my book on the shelves of one of the biggest bookstores in New York made every single sacrifice and struggle to publish this book worth it.

And for that, I thank you.

Have a fantastic week! 

Dear Friends

What better day to release The Catcher’s Trap e-book than the first day of Halloween weekend!

This afternoon you will receive an e-mail from inkshares with a link and instructions to download your digital copy of The Catcher’s Trap. Fear not, if you purchased a physical copy you will receive yours very soon. The e-book is just a nice perk Inkshares offers to their readers so you can have access to your books on the go.

You all have done so much for me already, but I have to be shameless and ask you for more. Getting reviews on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Goodreads is key for a book to succeed. There is, actually, a magic number: 100

Books with over 100 reviews are featured more prominently on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Visibility is key when you are a new author trying to make a splash in an industry that releases over 3,000 books a day.

Please follow the links and leave an honest review. Seriously, be honest. If you love The Catcher’s Trap as much as you love your mama, then leave a five stars review, but if not 4 or 3 are perfectly fine. A book with all five stars reviews looks fishy to readers.

Goodreads

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

Finally, don’t forget to join me on Thursday, November 10th, at 6 PM at North Haven Barnes and Noble, to celebrate the release of The Catcher’s Trap.

You can RSVP here.

Have a thrilling weekend!