That’s right, ladies and gentlemen. My bestselling horror-thriller Devil’s Nightmare will be FREE on Friday, January 24. See details below:
Free ParTay Super Free Friday!For One Day Only, Jan. 24th, Devil’s Nightmare will be FREE! If you like Devil’s Nightmare you might also like these other FREE books:
Saved, A woman taken and the Navy Captain who saves her. By Lorhainne Eckhart.
Vegas Series,Fast-paced, hot romance, sassy Vegas detectives and mind-blowing conflicts galore! By Mimi Barbour.
The Brotherhood of the Snake,What if humans were more powerful than they thought? By Carmen Caine.
The Wand-Maker’s Debate: Osric’s Wand: Book One, A world of magic in its infancy. By Jack D. Albrecht Jr. and Ashley Delay.
Zack Meets Deezel, Brother and sister befriend ghost of movie star action hero. By Roy Jet.
To enter to win a Kindle and $25 worth of Amazon gift cards, simply visit FreePartay.com and sign up for our newsletter!
As the title indicates 2013 was full of ups and downs for me on both a professional and personal level. There were a lot of great things that happened in 2013, but the year wasn’t void of disappointments and tragedy either.
First Horror Novel Published
A year ago today, I published my second book and first horror novel Devil’s Nightmare through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing platform. I also published it through Smashwords, Kobo and Barnes & Noble’s Nook publishing platforms, but publishing on the Kindle is what shined for me. More on that later. I started writing Devil’s Nightmare in January 2012 after quitting my job at the local newspaper a few months prior, and nine months later the first draft was complete. It was a lot of fun writing and publishing this novel and I take great pride in the fact that I was able to get it written and published within a year. This is compared to writing and publishing my first book Pursuit of a Dream, which took over two years to write and I didn’t even handle the publishing part myself for the print edition, but that’s a whole other story.
A year ago today I hit the publish button with a homemade cover that I created for Devil’s Nightmare with a free eBook cover program I found online (I can’t remember which one I used). It was pretty plain with a photo of lightning that I used with permission from the photographer. With plans of having my cover redesigned for the print edition I figured this cover would work for a couple of months until I could scrape up the money for a professional designed one. Sales were pretty much non-existent at first, and to be honest I could not help but be discouraged. It’s normal, though, and I got over it. I just needed to work on getting the word out. It wasn’t going to sell on its own and marketing has never been one of my strong suits and I knew it was going to take a lot of time and patience. At this point writing isn’t my primary source of income, so patience was definitely the key.
Financial Highs and Lows
My main income comes from my home-based administrative support business called Jireh Administrative Services. I provide various services from transcribing, PowerPoint presentations, general office support, and also write resumes from time to time all from the comfort of my home office. I also added “funeral support services” and work part-time at a funeral home (perfect for a horror writer, right?). This basically materialized from working as the obituaries coordinator at the newspaper. One of the funeral home owners offered me a part-time job when I left the newspaper, so I help occasionally in the evenings, but I have also worked funerals driving the limo and hearse. I usually just help out during visitations and rosaries, though. Anyway, by the summer of last year I was keeping very busy and feeling confident that leaving the newspaper was the best decision of my life. Life was good and I no longer had to deal with ridiculous office politics.
Keeping very busy with my home business and working with the funeral home to help pay the bills also resulted in unintended consequences. Due to not being very structured I didn’t reach my goal of publishing Devil’s Nightmare: Premonitions this month. As a matter of fact, I barely did any writing during the last half of the year, so I’m pretty disappointed about that.
However, something happened, which I think was both a blessing and a curse. In the last quarter of 2013 I only received about a third of the business I was receiving during the spring and summer. The curse . . . a lot less income. The blessing . . . more time to write and time to focus on getting more structured in 2014. On a positive note, while I did lose a big chunk of income for Jireh Administrative Services, sales for Devil’s Nightmare have finally become steady and I’m now receiving monthly royalty checks from Amazon.
Devil’s Nightmare enrolled in Amazon’s KDP Select Program
In July after having virtually no sales on any eBook platform, except for a few here and there on Amazon, I decided to try Amazon’s KDP Select program, which basically meant I would be selling my eBook version of Devil’s Nightmare exclusively on Amazon in exchange for free promotional tools and enrollment in the Kindle Lending Program. I figured I had nothing to lose. So, I set up my first free promotion, which I shared and advertised on Goodreads. After the free promotion I went from selling just a few copies of Devil’s Nightmare per month to hitting a couple of bestseller lists on Amazon UK . . . actual sales, not free downloads. Sales were also better in the US, but they were still pretty slow. Once I started getting more reviews on Amazon US, however, Devil’s Nightmare began outselling the book in the U.K. I also started getting sales for my first book Pursuit of a Dream, which is also now exclusive on Amazon.
Right now my focus is on getting Devil’s Nightmare into as many Kindles as possible, so I decided to keep the book at 99 cents, which is what seems to be the sweet spot for my novels right now. Granted I would get a lot more royalties by selling them at $2.99, but I get a lot more readers at the 99 cent price point. Volume is more important to me right now than royalty income. It’s pretty cool to see my novel listed next to Stephen King’s and Dean Koontz’s books too! I’m nowhere near retirement numbers, but to me I consider the results after signing up for KDP Select a huge success.
Rest in Peace, Grandpa
And now my life’s roller coaster climbs another peak and plummets at high speed once again. Actually, throughout the year the subject of my grandfather has been a very touchy one. Without going into a lot of detail, my grandmother died in 2008, and then shortly afterwards my grandfather met someone at one of the local Bingo halls and basically had himself a new companion. That was uncomfortable at first, but he needed companionship. So, everyone in the family was pretty much okay with it . . . at first. To make a long story short, she turned out being a gold digger and just as my grandfather’s health declined this woman convinced him to elope, change the will, moved him 300 miles away from his family and refused to tell anyone where he was living. There’s obviously a lot more to this story. This woman has been married three times, and she will again soon I’m sure because my grandfather died just a few months after this woman married and brainwashed him into thinking his family didn’t love him and was just after his money (It’s not like he was a millionaire and, ahem, she’s the one that was after his money). She pretty much took most of what my grandmother and grandfather had worked for and was going to leave for my mom, aunt, and uncle. My grandmother and grandfather were married for 60 years. This woman knew him for about four or five years and was married to him for only a few months before he died and she took almost everything. All of this could have been prevented, but the legal system makes it extremely difficult to prevent these kinds of things from happening. Law enforcement wouldn’t do anything and adult protection services wouldn’t or couldn’t do anything because they were consenting adults and my grandfather had to be the one to get rid of this woman. I literally could write a book about this whole ordeal. It’s just so unbelievable. You see movies about stuff like this and never think it could actually happen to your family, but it did.
The Rollercoaster Ride Ends and a New Year Begins
So, as you can see, it was quite the roller coaster ride for me and I just gave you the Cliff Notes version even at 1,400 words. However, while the year ended with a bit of a sour taste in my mouth, I do have great expectations for 2014. I have a plan that includes getting back on track with my writing and getting Devil’s Nightmare: Premonitions completed and published by this summer. I may even have another story published by the end of the year if everything works out as planned. Furthermore, for those who have enjoyed Chumming with Sharky™ you’ll be glad to know that it’ll also be making a comeback this year. So, stay tuned and be sure to subscribe to this blog for future updates.
Oh, and one more thing to add about 2013 that leaves me pouting . . .
I still haven’t won the lottery!
Cheers! Have an awesome and prosperous 2014, everyone!
** THE KINDLE VERSION WILL BE FREE FROM JULY 4-5, 2013 **
In case you haven’t heard yet, I’m feeling very generous right now and decided to give away the Kindle version of my horror-thriller Devil’s Nightmare for two days. So, from July 4-5, 2013 you can grab a free copy for your Kindle (or via the free Kindle reading app for other devices). So, why am I doing this? Well, exposure of course! Plus, in return for the freebie all I’m asking for is an honest review on Goodreads or Amazon. In any case, I hope you take advantage of this limited time offer and enjoy my novel!
What others have said about Devil’s Nightmare:
“It’s a page turner. It’s one of those stories where you’ll set the book down to go do the dishes and the whole time you’re wondering, what’s going to happen next and you can’t wait to get back to reading it.” | Karen Einsel, author of The Good Dr. Grant
“What can I say about Devil’s Nightmare . . . other than I LOVED it! It’s very intriguing and keeps you turning the pages.” | Sara Furlong Burr, author of Enigma Black
“From start to finish, it was well told in a great first person style, which I liked very much and made it easy to visualize the insanity happening … kudos! Should be on a best sellers list somewhere, soon!” | Diana B. via Amazon.com
“[Pruneda] did a very good job of keeping things in order and moving smoothly along. This is a good story! The language was real and worked in the context of the story.” | Dannie Hill, author of In Search of a Soul
“If you like Stephen King, then you’ll love Devil’s Nightmare by Robert Pruneda.” | S.G. Lee, author of A Penny Saved, A Murder Earned
“The characters are fleshed out well, description and dialog paint the story vividly, and the mystery takes twists and turns that kept this reader guessing. ” | Donna L. Sadd, author of LUCCI – The No Smoochie Poochie via Amazon.com
Synopsis:
Detective Aaron Sanders’ abilities and fortitude are put to the test when he investigates a brutal double-homicide where a boy’s parents are found mutilated inside their home. The boy is the only witness to the crime and his clothes are stained with his parents’ blood. His clothes are also tainted with the blood of other victims from a separate and even more horrific crime scene at a nearby cemetery. All of the victims appear to have been killed in the same manner and the boy knows the true identity of the evil responsible for the multiple deaths, but he is unwilling to talk. No one would believe him. A threat on the boy’s life and a disturbing nightmare causes Detective Sanders to question his beliefs and his own sanity. This investigation ultimately leads Sanders in a fight to save himself and the life of an orphaned boy from an unimaginable evil that is spawned from the curse of the devil’s nightmare.
I recently had the pleasure of visiting the cyber home of Lorna Suzuki to chat about my horror-thriller Devil’s Nightmare. For those of you who don’t know Lorna, she is the very talented creator of the Imago Fantasy Series which is currently in production for a major motion picture trilogy. I met Lorna in the cyber Twitter pub #Pubwrite back in 2011 and quickly realized that she was one of the cool kids. Click on Lorna’s image below to be transported to the interview and join me for a casual chat about Devil’s Nightmare and writing in general.
Earlier this week I had some spare time on my hands and decided to put together a trailer for my novel Devil’s Nightmare. I created it using one of Animoto’s cool templates and royalty free music to built it. Let me know what you think of it in the comments:
My new horror novel Devil’s Nightmare just received it’s first official paperback review on Amazon. I published the paperback edition a couple of weeks ago and I’m glad to see that there are still readers out there that enjoy reading physical copies of books! I personally like both print and eBook formats. Sometimes both at the same time. Anyway, I’m rambling. Check out the latest 5-star review of Devil’s Nightmare below (copied straight off Amazon) and be sure to claim your copy too:
Horrific, Thrilling and Mysterious
By MG Wells
I was thoroughly creeped out THE DEVIL’S NIGHTMARE by Robert Pruneda. The story, characters and dialogue were realistic. This thrilling, well-written horror mystery kept me on the edge of my seat. Lots of twists and turns when you least expect them. If you’re a fan of Dean Koontz and Stephen King, I highly recommend this book. A thrilling read indeed!
Author’s note: I’m flattered that yet another reader has referenced Stephen King when describing their experience reading Devil’s Nightmare. I swear, I had nothing to do with that! 🙂 Now Dean Koontz, another one of my favorite authors, is thrown in the mix. I hope you’ll give my first horror novel a look and let me know what you thought of it. Enjoy! If you have already read it, posting a review (on Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Goodreads, etc.) would be greatly appreciated! Cheers!
Update: Blog post originally published on March 1, 2013. Devil’s Nightmare has since become an Amazon best seller in both Horror Suspense and Horror Occult categories.
My first horror novel Devil’s Nightmare has been out for just under a couple of months now and it’s been getting some great reviews on Amazon. I wanted to share the five reviews (four 5-star, and one 4-star) received with you all. I’m very pleased that readers are enjoying this novel. Have a look for yourself, and if you haven’t grabbed your copy yet, be sure to click on one of the links at the end of this post. Enjoy!
Scary Good Book
By mmp&jmp
I don’t mind scary but this book was a bit much. I was so drawn into the characters and the suspense that I forgot it’s a work of fiction. Didn’t know Mr. Pruneda before but I surely know him now. The plot and characters are so real, the twists and turns throughout the story so engaging that even I couldn’t figure out what was going to happen next – – – and I’m a pretty good guesser. Poor Cody. I really felt sorry for the child. Pruneda’s Detective Sanders . . . Well I’m not telling you. You’ll just have to read the book, even if you’re a scary type like me. It’s just that good.
@mparel
Author’s note: I was very pleased to see that this reader connected with the characters so much that it felt real, even though it was a work of horror fiction. I’m also thrilled that the reader was a fan of my main character Detective Aaron Sanders. He was fun to write.
Really Creepy! By Teena
For his first book, Mr. Pruneda did a great job! I really liked how he built the suspense and I can’t wait for his next scary book. The only reason I didn’t give him five stars is there were a few too many typographical errors. All in all he is a wonderful story teller and he adds the right amount of detail which helped me picture the scenes.
Author’s note: I really appreciate this reader’s review because it gives some great constructive criticism about some flaws in the book while also sharing what she really enjoyed about Devil’s Nightmare. It gave it a nice balance.
An edge-of-your seat, engaging, and all around outstanding read By Sara Furlong Burr
I first became a fan of Mr. Pruneda after reading his first novel, Pursuit of a Dream. I was highly impressed with his knack for dialogue and uncanny ability at penning a well-written and engaging story that kept my attention throughout the book. Yes, I liked Pursuit of a Dream, but I LOVED Devil’s Nightmare. It seems, with this book, Mr. Pruneda has found his calling and I truly believe great things are in store for this author in the horror genre.
In Devil’s Nightmare, Detective Aaron Sanders finds himself thrust in the middle of an investigation involving a string of mysterious, and incredibly horrific murders, beginning with the discovery of three children in a graveyard and a young boy’s mother and stepfather (who I can’t say as I was all too sad to see be disemboweled). Newly orphaned Cody is the sole witness to the murders, but is too traumatized to speak of them no matter how hard Detective Sanders gets him to open up. Yet, at night, the boy is plagued by such disturbing nightmares that whatever has rendered him a virtual mute during the day is forgotten, and Detective Sanders is given some valuable clues as to the horrors Cody has encountered. What secret does Cody hold, and will Detective Sanders figure it out before the body count rises?
Devil’s Nightmare contains several plot twists that are far from predictable, which I love considering I can usually figure out twists coming from a mile away. Just when you think the story is over and the case solved, it’s not. And the final outcome will leave you breathless.
I’m not personally a big fan of horror, but after reading Devil’s Nightmare, I will certainly be reading more books in this genre and, hopefully, another one from Mr. Pruneda in the near future. Watch out, Stephen King, here comes Robert Pruneda!
Author’s note: I always appreciate such detailed reviews that give other potential readers a broader scope of what to expect in the novel that he/she is considering to purchase. The dialogue in Devil’s Nightmare is one of the things this reader particularly enjoyed, along with the suspense and the fact that I have apparently been successful with keeping this readers guessing. I also am very flattered by the reference to Stephen King, my favorite author.
So cool, it was like John Saul & James Patterson had a baby! By Diana
With a dash of DeMille, I might add. Absolutely get this book! In the midst of all the horrific things going on in the story, the sarcastic humor of Detective Sanders kept you cheering through! Gotta save Cody (loved that poor kid) from this nightmare I kept thinking 😦 From start to finish, it was well told in a great first person style, which I liked very much and made it easy to visualize the insanity happening … kudos! Should be on a best sellers list somewhere, soon!
Author’s note: I really enjoyed how this reader described my writing as the genetic mixture of some very talented authors that I admire. This reader also connected with the characters (particularly Detective Sanders and Cody Sumner). I appreciate this reader saying that Devil’s Nightmare should be on a best sellers list soon. (insert subliminal message here . . . click on the link below and claim your copy). 🙂
Wow! My heart’s still beating out of my chest! By Donna L. Sadd
I really enjoyed reading Devil’s Nightmare. I was hooked at the prologue; then it’s fast pace proceeded to yank me through one heck of a scary thrill ride! This is a difficult review to write without spoilers, but what I can say is that the characters are fleshed out well, description and dialog paint the story vividly, and the mystery takes twists and turns that kept this reader guessing. I’m not a horror fiction fan; however, I’m a fan of Mr. Pruneda’s work and this occult thriller seriously kept my heart pounding every step of the way. I could easily see Devil’s Nightmare being made into a film and I recommend that you read it . . . with the lights on of course!
Author’s note: This was my very first review. This reader, like others, has pointed out that she’s not a fan of horror fiction, but really enjoyed reading Devil’s Nightmare. The fact that she kept reading this story could possible mean that I may be successfully converting some readers over to the genre. Mwahahahaha! 🙂
I have a sweet deal for you! I’ve just dropped the price of Devil’s Nightmare to 99¢ as a special treat for Valentine’s Day. Check out what other’s have said below (and the cool banner that my cover artist designed) for more info and get your copy today.
“What can I say about Devil’s Nightmare . . . other than I LOVED it! It’s very intriguing and keeps you turning the pages.” | Sara Furlong Burr, author of Enigma Black
“From start to finish, it was well told in a great first person style, which I liked very much and made it easy to visualize the insanity happening … kudos! Should be on a best sellers list somewhere, soon!” | Diana B. via Amazon.com
“[Pruneda] did a very good job of keeping things in order and moving smoothly along. This is a good story! The language was real and worked in the context of the story.” | Dannie Hill, author of In Search of a Soul
“If you like Stephen King, then you’ll love Devil’s Nightmare by Robert Pruneda.” | S.G. Lee, author of A Penny Saved, A Murder Earned
“The characters are fleshed out well, description and dialog paint the story vividly, and the mystery takes twists and turns that kept this reader guessing. ” | Donna L. Sadd, author of LUCCI – The No Smoochie Poochie via Amazon.com
Detective Aaron Sanders’ abilities and fortitude are put to the test when he investigates a brutal double-homicide where a boy’s parents are found mutilated inside their home. The boy is the only witness to the crime and his clothes are stained with his parents’ blood. His clothes are also tainted with the blood of other victims from a separate and even more horrific crime scene at a nearby cemetery. All of the victims appear to have been killed in the same manner and the boy knows the true identity of the evil responsible for the multiple deaths, but he is unwilling to talk. No one would believe him. A threat on the boy’s life and a disturbing nightmare causes Detective Sanders to question his beliefs and his own sanity. This investigation ultimately leads Sanders in a fight to save himself and the life of an orphaned boy from an unimaginable evil that is spawned from the curse of the devil’s nightmare.
On Sunday, Feb. 10, I had the pleasure of visiting the cyber-dwelling of the super cool Jill Edmondson (author of the Sasha Jackson Mysteries) to chat about writing and my horror-thriller Devil’s Nightmare, which by the way, has a new professionally designed cover. I had loads of fun with this interview and I hope you enjoy it too. Click on the Devil’s Nightmare banner below to get beamed over to Jill’s site for the full interview.
That’s right! I’m slashing the price of my horror-thriller Devil’s Nightmare to a mere 99¢ for this weekend only. Now, who can pass up a deal like that? But act fast, because the price goes back up to $3.99 on Monday and who knows when we’ll see the 99¢ mark again? My accountant, Xena the Jack Russell Terrier mix, is such a stickler with the numbers. So, if you’ve been waiting for a sale – and that Washington has been burning a hole in your pocket – now’s the time! I can only guarantee the sale in the U.S., but some Amazon sites worldwide may also pick up the sale this weekend, so if you aren’t in the U.S. keep an eye on your respective Amazon site (or claim a copy through Smashwords) to possess your Kindle with a copy of my new release Devil’s Nightmare.
“I was hooked at the prologue; then its fast pace proceeded to yank me through one heck of a scary thrill ride!” ~ Donna S. review on Amazon and Goodreads.
Devil’s Nightmare is available in several formats. Just click on the image of your favorite eBook retailer below and claim your copy today.
And remember to Pursue your dreams… and never look back!
That’s right, ladies and gentlemen. My bestselling horror-thriller Devil’s Nightmare will be FREE on Friday, January 24. See details below:
My main income comes from my home-based administrative support business called 
Sharkbait Writes 
You must be logged in to post a comment.