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The blog site of author Kathy Clark a.k.a Bob Kat

Getting Ready For March 20th.

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Kathy Clark, a.k.a. Bob Kat

So what happens on March 20th?

After one month of building reviews and releasing book #4, RIP in the Teen Time Travel Mystery Series, CUL8R, I am finally ready to launch formal advertising of the book to the world.

To date it has received 17 reviews, almost all 5 stars and there are another dozen or so free copies floating around the planet still to weight in. This blog is about the press release planned for that date. I want to also thank the Stanley Hotel for their support. It is a must see whenever you’re in Colorado.

Already a top 100 on Amazon Teen & YA time travel…and here’s the Press Release for the formal announcement of RIP’s release on March 20TH. Here’s the press release as planned today.

Colorado’s Stanley Hotel hosts a new ghost story by Bob Kat titled RIP (Rest in Peace) to be released on February 25, 2014. “While The Stanley Hotel has been featured in TV, movies & books in the past, it is refreshing to see a new twist on the use of the hotel,” Jesse Freitas, Manager of The Stanley Hotel stated.

The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado was founded by F.O. Stanley, a wealthy businessman forced to move west for health reasons. The expansive property boasts amazing architecture, a magnificent setting and spectacular views, but it may forever be best known as the inspiration for Stephen King’s spine-tingling novel “The Shining” and the subject of Ghost Hunters, the American paranormal reality television series on several occasions.

“But now The Stanley Hotel is in the news again,” says Kathy Clark, a.k.a. Bob Kat, an American fiction author,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathy_Clark_(American_author).

Jesse Feitas said, “We are excited that the CUL8R book series has chosen The Stanley Hotel as a destination for RIP, not only to tie in a connection with the paranormal stories but traveling back in time to the first couple of years in The Stanley Hotel’s history brings in a whole new fun element to the story.”

“My co-writer in this series, husband Bob Wernly of Austin, Texas and I chose to set the 4th book in the CUL8R Time Travel Mystery Series at the infamous hotel after several trips and many weeks of guest time over the years. We worked hard to describe the hotel as accurately as possible because it’s such a wonderful place and we wanted to do it justice. Several years ago I was lucky enough to go on a private ghost hunt with Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson of Ghost Hunters, crawling through the basement tunnels not open to the public in total darkness which really added to the authenticity of the story,” Kathy said.

RIP (Rest in Peace) is Kathy’s 31st novel and will be released formally on all the major on-line bookstores on February 25th and is available in both e-book and paperback. Kathy has sold over 3 million books globally and has appeared on the NY Times and USA Today bestsellers’ list for her romance novels where she cut her author teeth on her first 23 books.

“In 2012 we joined the crowd of authors who moved from the traditionally published to the self-published e-book marketplace. This is our eighth novel as Indie-Authors,” said Bob, “including four young adult novels in the CUL8R series, two romantic suspense novels in the DENVER AFTER DARK series and the first book BABY DADDY in the SCANDALS new adult series. All but the CUL8R series are written under Kathy Clark’s pen name.”

“Self-publishing allows writers the freedom to include content that traditional publishers would shy away from. And the publishing process is more than a year quicker, so we can continue to focus on the next book in the series instead of waiting for executive approval,” Kathy explained.

The CUL8R series is about four teens from Fort Myers Beach, Florida. “We had to make the time travel trips to the past in the novels really matter…life and death situations that force the teenagers to depend on their intelligence, ingenuity and friendship so they can change the past to save the future.” Bob explained. “I discovered an October 1920 issue of American Magazine with an article that Thomas Edison was developing an electrical device to speak with the dead. This later became known as his Telephone to the Dead. Since Edison spent much of his life in the Fort Myers area, what if our teenagers found that invention, tucked away in the garage of a distant relative who had worked for Edison? What if our personality survives our passing as Edison believed?”

“In RIP [Rest In Peace] you don’t have to believe in ghosts…until you meet one,” Kathy added.

The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado has a well-deserved reputation for being one of the most haunted places in the U.S. So, when Kelly, Scott, Austin and Zoey travel back to 1911 to try to save a young child who went missing from the busy lobby, they aren’t surprised when ghost children run up and down the halls.

There’s romance in the Rockies as they take jobs with the hotel so they can keep an eye on 4 year old Emma and her family. Kelly struggles with her attraction to Austin while Zoey tries to get over her broken heart. Along the way, they meet some colorful historical characters and experience life among the rich and famous just after the turn of the twentieth century. After three other successful time travel adventures, they assume it’s just a matter of being in the right place at the right time. That almost proves to be a fatal mistake.

Kathy concluded, “But can they save Emma? Or will they join her as permanent guests in the ghostly halls of The Stanley Hotel?”

Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Peace-CUL8R-Travel-Mystery-Romance-ebook/dp/B00IKIML6U/
iBookstore – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id826260582
Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/410880
Barnes & Noble – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rip-kathy-clark-aka-bob-kat/1118721095?ean=2940148194996&itm=1&usri=2940148194996
Kobo – SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 17, 2014
Sony Reader Store – SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 24, 2014
GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20879728-rip-rest-in-peace?bf=1000&from_search=true
All Romance – https://www.omnilit.com/product-riprestinpeaceacul8rtimetravelmysteryromance-1428505-152.html
GOOGLE Play / Books –https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Bob_Kat_RIP_Rest_In_Peace_a_CUL8R_Time_Travel_Myst?id=is7kAgAAQBAJ&hl=en
Diesel – SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 24, 2014

FOR PAPER BACK CREATE SPACE – http://www.amazon.com/RIP-Rest-Peace-CUL8R-4/dp/1496145968/

WIKIPEDIA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathy_Clark_(American_author)

AUTHOR SITE: http://www.nightwriter93.com

BLOG: https://kathyclarkauthor.wordpress.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/kelly.welch.cul8r

TWITTER: @93nightwriter

PINTEREST: http://www.pinterest.com/BobKat1993/

JOIN KATHY’S EMAIL LIST FOR ANNOUNCEMENTS, PRE-RELEASE BOOKS AND BARGAIN / FREE BOOKS: http://eepurl.com/N4osT via MAIL CHIMP

Readers! Amazing people and a great source of inspiration

Posted on March 1, 2014 by Kathy Clark, a.k.a. Bob Kat

Readers are those people that pay for my books or maybe because they are signed up a an ARC reader and on my email list they get one earlier than the release date. But more importantly they are the ones that share their personal feelings about what they read with the public in the form of reviews about what they thought of the book that I wrote.

When I read the initial reviews of a new release I am very nervous because it is the first real feelings people have about what I, and in two of the three series, my husband and I, spent many hundreds of hours putting pixels on the screen about.

The early reviews of RIP (Rest In Peace), A CUL8R Time Travel Mystery/Romance are beginning to show up on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble and other places. It occurred to me after reading them today that many of my readers who posted their reviews are in fact amazing writers in their own right. Both Bob and I were so impressed we wanted to share some of the thoughts and words others expressed about this book.

These excerpts are in no particular order but they all say something about what we tried to accomplish with the series, this book and how well these talented people thought we captured and expressed it.

The novel perfectly captures teenage angst–about looks, about one’s place in the teenage social order, about romance, whether attraction is mutual. The book sparkles with the humor and high spirits of these teenagers, who sometimes clash but are deeply caring.

This is a wonderful series that celebrates the energy, resourcefulness, high spirits, and compassion of teenagers who yet have strong personalities and real conflicts. They face terrifying dangers in their time travels, and real life struggles in their relationships with their contemporaries as well as the adults in their lives.

Bob Kat does an exceptional job at crafting a suspenseful, gripping read that keeps the readers undivided attention right up until the very end. I loved the dynamics portrayed within this circle of friends! Kelly, Austin, Scott and Zoey are entwined flawlessly, each with their own depth of character and personality. Although I thrive on the paranormal mystery aspect of the story— the characters have to be realistic …and each must have dynamic characteristics in their own way to capture my interest and keep it peaked. This group of friends quickly sucked me into their adventures and I have enjoyed every moment of the experience right alongside them!

I want to point out foremost that the book has got a solid purpose and meaning. The team that has made this book happen was driven by the idea of providing young readers with a story that both stirs the imagination but also calls into question the motives of the main characters. Why do seek to rescue Emma? Because that’s the kind of people that we should be – always seeking to help the lost and weary, no matter the stakes. Putting aside the purpose and the meaning, I think that this is a fun and well-written book. It is clean and I would encourage young readers to pick up a copy.

“CUL8R” is a stellar YA series, and “RIP” is no exception. What makes it stand out is that the mystery/danger elements of the book are so well blended with the teen personalities—there’s suspense and realism, making the reader care not only about whether or not the mystery is solved and the day is saved, but also about the individual characters.

There are so many great examples of what was stated so eloquently but a blog about the reviews must be far shorter than the book itself. Thank you everyone and I know this series is starting to catch on and it is because in large part because you folks took the time to write a thoughtful review of the book and series.

Here’s the places on line where you can find RIP at this time:

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Peace-CUL8R-Travel-Mystery-Romance-ebook/dp/B00IKIML6U/

iBookstore – SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 24, 2014

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/410880

Barnes & Noble – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rip-kathy-clark-aka-bob-kat/1118721095?ean=2940148194996&itm=1&usri=2940148194996

Kobo – SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 17, 2014

Sony Reader Store – SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 24, 2014

GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20879728-rip-rest-in-peace?bf=1000&from_search=true

All Romance – https://www.omnilit.com/product-riprestinpeaceacul8rtimetravelmysteryromance-1428505-152.html

GOOGLE Play / Books – https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Bob_Kat_RIP_Rest_In_Peace_a_CUL8R_Time_Travel_Myst?id=is7kAgAAQBAJ&hl=en

Diesel – SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 24, 2014

FOR PAPER BACK CREATE SPACE – SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 24, 2014

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

WIKIPEDIA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathy_Clark_(American_author)

AUTHOR SITE: http://www.nightwriter93.com

BLOG: https://kathyclarkauthor.wordpress.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/kelly.welch.cul8r

TWITTER: @93nightwriter

PINTEREST: http://www.pinterest.com/BobKat1993/

JOIN KATHY’S EMAIL LIST FOR ANNOUNCEMENTS, PRE-RELEASE BOOKS AND BARGAIN / FREE BOOKS: http://eepurl.com/N4osT via MAIL CHIMP

WRITING SUSPENSE. FROM BOOKS TO FILM AND BACK AGAIN.

Posted on February 27, 2014 by Kathy Clark, a.k.a. Bob Kat

When I stopped writing romance novels and began writing screenplays more than the format on the page changed for me many years ago. I moved from a best selling romance and women’s fiction author to suspense and mystery and I changed from writing novels to writing screenplays all at once. Screenplays taught me something about writing suspense. When you write a screenplay the internal, not external, is where suspense builds and books are where you learn to write the internal. Confused? I was but writing suspense within the format and constraints of a screenplay taught me how to do it better. Years later, when I switched back to novels, I was ready to go.

Confused? Here’s what I think.

Suspense is internal. A lot of writers mistake suspense for action. But suspense is what you build in the quiet moments between the action. When a reader picks up a suspense novel, they have certain expectations…to be entertained and to be surprised. But it has to properly executed (pun intended).

Alfred Hitchcock, the undisputed master of suspense, always said it’s not about the boom. It’s about the anticipation of the boom. My analogy is that when you go to It’s a Small World in Disney World, you expect light and fluffy. You’re riding along hearing that annoying song over and over and over and the little dolls are dancing and singing and suddenly you see a little Dutch boy with a knife in his chest, bleeding all over the tulips.

That’s a boom. Shocking. Disturbing. But without a set-up, suspects, anticipation of the murder, red herrings…not suspense.

However, if you chose to go on The Haunted Mansion ride, you went in with anticipation that increased with every step. It started outside with a spooky looking house, a graveyard, spider webs, eerie music. That made promises of what was inside. Just like a book cover.

Then you are herded very tightly into a small room. Nothing weird yet, but just the fact that you’re crowded is unsettling. Then the floor appears to drop, elongating the paintings so that what seemed normal became bizarre. The doors slam open with a bang and you’re loaded into a car with spooky sounds and a creepy voice piped in through the speakers.

Then the car moves down a track and we see doors swell toward us and doorknobs turn. We continue along and see a talking head, then the car turns and we see ghosts dancing in a ballroom, then a crystal ball. Gradually, they increase the level of creepiness and frights with ghosts jumping up from headstones in a graveyard and screams startling you…all of which increases your heart rate because you don’t know what’s going to jump out at you next.

It’s not a constant barrage. There are slow, almost quiet moments between the booms, so you have time to catch your breath and build your anticipation for the next scary creature to pop out. Finally, the ride roars to a stop and you exit feeling like you survived a dangerous adventure. All of your senses have been stimulated. Everyone walks away smiling and laughing nervously.

That’s just like a suspense novel. When a reader picks it up, they have an expectation of being entertained, surprised, stimulated, teased, fooled, challenged and, ultimately, satisfied. Our job, as writers, is to pace our stories so that the ride is worth it.

Here’s my suspense and mystery books published recently: