99¢ sale in time for Halloween

Halloween means different things to different people. I like a bit of everything, from suspenseful thrillers like Hitchcock is associated with to giant monsters who make a career out of crushing Tokyo.

My writing reflects this too. We just held a free promotion for Panama, and it included dark magical forces and black magic.

This week's promotion is for The Playground. It includes some of that demonic magic, but it starts off with some near future science fiction.

A ruthless businessman, Tommy Fazio, created a line of toys that include a social network for children. They become the “must have” product of the Christmas season.

He has larger plans though. The Playground Network is brainwashing our children into his own personal army. Imagine a homegrown army housed in our very homes.

Tommy isn't a patient man, so he turns to the occult to speed things along. This is where the story opens.

I chose to tell this tale from three different points of view. The main characters are involved in three distinct stories, but they converge at the end for an explosive finale.

Chloe is a little girl who gets a Playground doll for Christmas. She names the doll Sandra, and it leads her down a dark path. She represents all the children, and their only hope is to bring down the entire network before it's too late.

Gina is a doctor who narrowly survived a brush with cancer. She's somewhat broken at the beginning of the book and working in end-of-life care. She accepts a position working for an eccentric old man, and it changes her life completely. She acquires a parasite that allows her to see into the other world. Demons, fairies, ghosts – it's all real, and now Gina may be the only person who can stop the Playground Network. She doesn't really know what she's doing, but she'd better figure it out fast.

The next generation of Playground software goes missing. Tommy hires a ruthless thug to retrieve it. Clovis is huge, street tough, and has a head start on Gina. A seeming force-of-nature that is going to be hard to overcome.

I tried to replicate the works of Frank Miller and Quentin Tarantino in this story. If you think a scoop of Sin City plus a portion of Pulp Fiction, might make a great Halloween story, this may be the one for you.

Like I said, Halloween can mean a lot of different things. This one includes a demon, ghosts, a secret society, a parasite, magical weapons, a classic GTO automobile, a stupid dog, and more.

The Playground is on sale from Monday through Friday for the frighteningly low price of 99¢. I set it up on both Amazon.com and Amazon.uk. It should be live right before this post shows up. (International date lines and time zones may vary, because who really knows what Amazon does?)

 

The Case of the Possessed Dolls

D. S. Nelson is hosting a post today. Her character, Blake Hetherington, interviews the Chafins. Their daughter, Chloe, was a victim of the Playground Network.

I have a very interesting case to share with you today. As part of my Private Investigator’s qualification I have to complete several case studies. By looking at old cases we can learn some of the tricks of the trade and perhaps start to look at things from a different angle.

I was tempted to use the case Delilah and I investigated a couple of years ago involving some models from the local model village going missing but then, when I was looking for documents to back up my theories of voodoo, I discovered a fascinating case in America which has been dubbed ‘The Playground’.

Worldwide there have been strange cases of possessed dolls containing a social network for children. It may be merely a rumor, but some say there are occult ties in this case.

I discovered that one of the families at the centre of the events was the Chafin family, Rob and Moriko. They were kind enough to let me interview them via Skype. With their kind permission, below is a transcript of the interview, which makes for particularly interesting reading …

Continue reading at D. S. Nelson's site

 

Come play in The Playground

I just now got approval from Amazon to start selling The Playground. I set it up as a pre-order once again. This worked really well for The Experimental Notebook, so I did it again.

The Playground involves a sequence of dolls and plush toys that contain a social network for children. The marketing involves soft animals, fashion dolls, dinosaurs, and super soldiers to guarantee appeal to any kid. The network is promoted to allow kids to make friends all over the world, get help with homework, and other things that sound great to parents.

The whole thing is the scheme of a ruthless businessman to brainwash our kids. He's the impatient type, and turned to the occult to speed things along. He summoned a demon to place into the system, but the software to finalize this plan went missing.

The story is told from the perspective of three different characters. Their stories can even be read individually, I know, I did it. When you read the novel, the stories intertwine to tell an even bigger story.

There are moody poltergeists, a member of the fae, an angel of death, a big goofy dog, sinister dolls, parasites, hot cars, Hoodoo, and even camera drones. I think it makes for a pretty good story.

This one is for more mature readers. There is some language, violence, and with children as the potential victims, I want you to know ahead of time.

The purchase link is embedded in the photo in the sidebar, but here it is too, for your convenience http://a-fwd.com/asin=B01D6EF6RI

My personal challenge this time was to weave multiple stories together in a cohesive greater story. Think of it like my tribute to Tarantino.

I've already seen one post go up at Planetary Defense Command, and there will be more throughout the week. I need to custom write some at the request of a few fellow bloggers, so I'm going to be busy. Then there is the about me page to update, my book club to notify, Goodreads, and on, and on…

Sean Harrington did the cover for this one. He is the Lisa Burton artist, and did the cover for Wild Concept. I think he did a fabulous job, and I want that car.

Street Teamers, it’s about that time

I promised to post about my next book today, and how you can become part of the street team. I know approximately what I want, but actually writing it out clarifies things a bit for me.

The Playground is a short novel at just under 70,000 words. It involves a greedy businessman who markets a new social media for children, the Playground Network. Kids access the media via a line of specific toys.

The network is marketed one way, but has dark intentions behind it. To accelerate his master plan, the businessman turns to the occult.

This book explores the idea that maybe our kids spend too much time online these days. They speak with people who aren't who they seem, and believe authorities with no basis in fact. They don't spend enough time with their parents, or real live friends.

It's told from the point of view of three separate characters. This was my personal challenge in this story. I want to weave together three different story lines to tell one larger story.

These characters are:

• Chloe, who acquires the fashion doll of her dreams. Chloe represents the victims here. Think of her like the girl in the well.
• Gina, a cancer survivor. She is a doctor and is basically a broken person at the beginning of the story. She has her own brush with the occult, and may be the only one who can end this nonsense.
• Clovis, a brutal thug hired by the businessman to retrieve some computer codes that will take his Playground Network to a terrifying level.

The story goes to some crazy places, like conjuring the spirit of a dead medium, a voodoo practitioner, dealing with parasites, and living with an obnoxious dog. I think it's fun.

 

I've looked at it until my eyes are crossed. I'm sure it needs a few tweaks, and that's when it's ready for beta readers.

 

I'm asking for a few beta reader volunteers who can read this book within 30 days or so. The betas can be as ruthless and brutal as they want. I'm looking for story assistance here, but always appreciate the grammar and spelling and such if you spot something.

 

The folks who usually volunteer all have my email address, but I welcome new folks too. Here is my email address if you want a copy Coldhand (dot) Boyack (at) gmail (dot) com.

 

I'll probably add some detail to my cover email when the copies are sent. I'll also send a copy of the book cover.

 

While the beta readers have the hardest job, a street team involves so much more. If you'd like to participate in a cover reveal, let me know. If you'd like to host a blog tour date, I'll be writing those posts too. Lisa the robot girl has her biplane fueled up and a great new poster to hand out to those who host her. I'll be writing a couple of posts with Lisa in mind. If you have an interview idea, I'm open to that too.

 

Volunteers are welcome to do as much or as little as they want. I'm always grateful for any help I get. I promise to keep a spreadsheet this time so everyone gets the right items.

 

So there is my call to action. No rallying cry, or cheese involved. I hope to hear from you. (Lies in the fetal position and crosses fingers.)

 

My next project is to write a blurb, and about a dozen guest posts. I did manage a few new words on The Yak Guy project this morning.