Matthew Williams's Blog: My Diary as an Author - Posts Tagged "shadowchild"
World Book Day!
Thursday 2nd March 2017 - The very first copy of Shadowchild landed on my doorstep and it was world book day!
Do I believe in omens? I guess maybe I should after that happened :-) Wow! I was so proud, even if I say so myself it's a great looking book.
What do you think? Answers in the comments box please :-)
Friday 3rd through to Sunday 5th March 2017 'The Shady Corner' & 'Shadowchild' both clawed their way into the top 500 on Amazon UK -Kindle Store>Kindle eBooks>Literature&Fiction>Horror, and they stayed there all weekend!
All the effort of my facebook and twitter marketing seemed to have paid off, at least until my Amazon sales began to die off :-(
No worries though, physical books sales in my local area kept coming for the next few weeks. I think from the release of my second novel until the end of March I sold books everyday, either in person locally or through Amazon and Barnes & Noble online.
Things were looking good! Sadly it didn't last beyond March!
At least I'd set a few other things in motion that I will talk about later - Thanks for reading and please stay tuned :-)
Do I believe in omens? I guess maybe I should after that happened :-) Wow! I was so proud, even if I say so myself it's a great looking book.
What do you think? Answers in the comments box please :-)
Okay so now I have my first two novels ready, both available in print & ebook.
website - www.matthewwilliamsauthor.com - CHECK!
Facebook page - www.facebook.com/theshadycorner - CHECK!
Twitter page - www.twitter.com/theshadycorner1 - CHECK!
Time to get marketing then!
Friday 3rd through to Sunday 5th March 2017 'The Shady Corner' & 'Shadowchild' both clawed their way into the top 500 on Amazon UK -Kindle Store>Kindle eBooks>Literature&Fiction>Horror, and they stayed there all weekend!
All the effort of my facebook and twitter marketing seemed to have paid off, at least until my Amazon sales began to die off :-(
No worries though, physical books sales in my local area kept coming for the next few weeks. I think from the release of my second novel until the end of March I sold books everyday, either in person locally or through Amazon and Barnes & Noble online.
Things were looking good! Sadly it didn't last beyond March!
At least I'd set a few other things in motion that I will talk about later - Thanks for reading and please stay tuned :-)
March 2017 Reviews
Just wanted to share some reviews that I picked up on Amazon UK for my books during March 2017
The Shady Corner
5.0 out of 5 stars - A fantastic well written book from start to finish
By Amazon Customer on 4 March 2017
Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase
A fantastic well written book from start to finish. I couldn't put it down. Lots of twists and turns all through and gripping to the very end. I would highly recommend this book if you like a good murder and lots of gore. Absolutely brilliant with a good story line.
5.0 out of 5 stars - Disturbingly Good!
By W. Jones on 20 March 2017
Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase
This book really got in my head and I do mean right in there. The character of David Wilcox is superbly written and very dark. Everytime I put the book down he was still in my head, not that I put it down much, I devoured the book in just 3 days. The twists and turns, the horror and the gratifying ending alone make this book good, David's character makes it Great!
Shadowchild
5.0 out of 5 stars - Really enjoyed the book from start to finish
By Amazon Customer on 6 Mar. 2017
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Cracking read. Really enjoyed the book from start to finish.
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
By Amazon Customer on 31 Mar. 2017
Format: Paperback
Shadow child. Another fantastic well written book by Matthew Williams. Packed full of horror, gore, the supernatural and romance. It keeps you gripped the whole way through while getting to know the characters in great detail. I couldn't put it down wondering what is going to happen next. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!
By W. Jones on 31 Mar. 2017
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
A creepy and mysterious journey to a pretty gruesome finale. Loved the characters and really enjoyed the story. A great read!
March 2017 was a good month and although sales and reviews took a downward turn for April. There was still plenty for me to be proud of :-)
Thanks for reading and please stay tuned for my next post!
The Shady Corner
5.0 out of 5 stars - A fantastic well written book from start to finish
By Amazon Customer on 4 March 2017
Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase
A fantastic well written book from start to finish. I couldn't put it down. Lots of twists and turns all through and gripping to the very end. I would highly recommend this book if you like a good murder and lots of gore. Absolutely brilliant with a good story line.
5.0 out of 5 stars - Disturbingly Good!
By W. Jones on 20 March 2017
Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase
This book really got in my head and I do mean right in there. The character of David Wilcox is superbly written and very dark. Everytime I put the book down he was still in my head, not that I put it down much, I devoured the book in just 3 days. The twists and turns, the horror and the gratifying ending alone make this book good, David's character makes it Great!
Shadowchild
5.0 out of 5 stars - Really enjoyed the book from start to finish
By Amazon Customer on 6 Mar. 2017
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Cracking read. Really enjoyed the book from start to finish.
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
By Amazon Customer on 31 Mar. 2017
Format: Paperback
Shadow child. Another fantastic well written book by Matthew Williams. Packed full of horror, gore, the supernatural and romance. It keeps you gripped the whole way through while getting to know the characters in great detail. I couldn't put it down wondering what is going to happen next. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!
By W. Jones on 31 Mar. 2017
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
A creepy and mysterious journey to a pretty gruesome finale. Loved the characters and really enjoyed the story. A great read!
March 2017 was a good month and although sales and reviews took a downward turn for April. There was still plenty for me to be proud of :-)
Thanks for reading and please stay tuned for my next post!
Still catching up with the past!
Still trying to get on top of this blog. Hence, I'm still writing this as historical events rather than in the now. (Bit like I do in my novels sometimes lol)
As I mentioned in an earlier post. March was a good month for sales and some nice reviews came in on Amazon UK. I also mentioned that I'd set the ball rolling on a few other things, some of which are now bearing fruit, while others are still lurking in the shadows waiting to leap out hit me with another high or a cheap low blow! (Here's hoping it's the former lol)
http://AllAuthor.com invited me to enter my novel Shadowchild in the cover of the month awards for the month of April. I love a good competition and signed up.
April 1st - My cover campaign began and I took an early lead. That lasted all of a day before I was rudely shoved out of the top ten - Grrrr!
I picked myself up and decided to focus on staying in the top 25 so I at least made the cut onto the shortlist, it proved to be a little easier than expected and I ended the first week hovering around 3rd place. Okay I may not win but 3rd place still gets a prize and a month of promotion, I'll take that :-) I figured.
10th April - My publisher sent out my press release for Shadowchild. I have to say that I was extremely doubtful it would have an impact, but it was offered for free so, of course, I took it gladly. I worked tirelessly, following up with all the local media outlets, just trying to generate some interest in Matthew Williams and his new book Shadowchild. I mean, seriously! What do the media care about nobody publishing something? But I'd worked bloody hard on this novel so I wasn't giving up easily.
14th April - Cover competition going nicely, Shadowchild poked its head into the top 500 kindle books on Amazon UK. Then, BOOM! Contact from a local newspaper - The Hinckley Times wanted to run a story on me and after the interview they found an angle to go with.
19th April - www.myranour.net/horror Blog invited me to write a piece which is due to go live on the 22nd May. Awesome!
20th April - A friend, Stephen Helmes,
author of Nightly Visits invited me to write a piece for www.lisaswritopia.com as the spotlight author for June. More great news!
21st April - Another newspaper (The Redditch Standard) local to where I grew up wanted to do an article on me. This was becoming a brilliant month!
28th April - A friend who I grew up with messaged me on facebook saying 'Wow Mat your in the Redditch Standard!' My first small taste of newspaper fame lol. Actually that's not quite true, I was on the front page on the Daily Mirror when I was 18 months old - The Bionic baby they called me, after I shrugged off a car.
30th April - Final day of the cover of the month competition, I had a slender lead and rallied every last vote I could muster from my facebook followers (who are all awesome, thanks!) Was it enough? Can you feel the tension :-) lol
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the my next post, I'm nearly caught up to the present now - PHEW!
As I mentioned in an earlier post. March was a good month for sales and some nice reviews came in on Amazon UK. I also mentioned that I'd set the ball rolling on a few other things, some of which are now bearing fruit, while others are still lurking in the shadows waiting to leap out hit me with another high or a cheap low blow! (Here's hoping it's the former lol)
http://AllAuthor.com invited me to enter my novel Shadowchild in the cover of the month awards for the month of April. I love a good competition and signed up.
April 1st - My cover campaign began and I took an early lead. That lasted all of a day before I was rudely shoved out of the top ten - Grrrr!
I picked myself up and decided to focus on staying in the top 25 so I at least made the cut onto the shortlist, it proved to be a little easier than expected and I ended the first week hovering around 3rd place. Okay I may not win but 3rd place still gets a prize and a month of promotion, I'll take that :-) I figured.
10th April - My publisher sent out my press release for Shadowchild. I have to say that I was extremely doubtful it would have an impact, but it was offered for free so, of course, I took it gladly. I worked tirelessly, following up with all the local media outlets, just trying to generate some interest in Matthew Williams and his new book Shadowchild. I mean, seriously! What do the media care about nobody publishing something? But I'd worked bloody hard on this novel so I wasn't giving up easily.
14th April - Cover competition going nicely, Shadowchild poked its head into the top 500 kindle books on Amazon UK. Then, BOOM! Contact from a local newspaper - The Hinckley Times wanted to run a story on me and after the interview they found an angle to go with.
19th April - www.myranour.net/horror Blog invited me to write a piece which is due to go live on the 22nd May. Awesome!
20th April - A friend, Stephen Helmes,
author of Nightly Visits invited me to write a piece for www.lisaswritopia.com as the spotlight author for June. More great news!
21st April - Another newspaper (The Redditch Standard) local to where I grew up wanted to do an article on me. This was becoming a brilliant month!
28th April - A friend who I grew up with messaged me on facebook saying 'Wow Mat your in the Redditch Standard!' My first small taste of newspaper fame lol. Actually that's not quite true, I was on the front page on the Daily Mirror when I was 18 months old - The Bionic baby they called me, after I shrugged off a car.
30th April - Final day of the cover of the month competition, I had a slender lead and rallied every last vote I could muster from my facebook followers (who are all awesome, thanks!) Was it enough? Can you feel the tension :-) lol
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the my next post, I'm nearly caught up to the present now - PHEW!
So far so GREAT!
Okay so April didn't see any new reviews, and sales were pretty slow. Sort of a steady trickle throughout with only the occasional lunge into the triple digits in the Amazon rankings.
That said, it was highly productive on the networking front. Many new friends, followers & contacts, and some good media related bits and bobs cropping up too.
1st May - Drum roll please, I bet the suspense from the end of my last post is killing you, right?
Shadowchild crowned cover of the Month for the month of April by www.allauthor.com - well chuffed :-)
2nd May - An uneasy feeling knowing that copies of my books sent out for review were due to bear fruit very soon. Nervous about what the reviews will say if I'm honest lol.
3rd May - Arcticle in the Hinckley times went live, it's such an exciting time, I'm buzzing :-)
4th May - Star Wars day so it's bound to be good :-) It certainly started well, I got some reviews come through and they were excellent. It seems my writing isn't quite perfect, but it certainly seems to stand up against most in the horror genre. I had a tear in my eye when I read some of them, they were so good!
Lunchtime and BBC Radio Leicester call me up saying they saw the piece in the Hinckley Times and want me as the lead story on the morning show on Tuesday 9th May - WOW! How cool is that?
7th May - Article in The Hinckley Times goes from print to internet; extra facebook, twitter, web exposure - Awesome!
8th May - Now I'm all caught up and nervous about being live on the radio tomorrow. Some people are never happy lol
Thanks for reading and please stay tuned :-)
That said, it was highly productive on the networking front. Many new friends, followers & contacts, and some good media related bits and bobs cropping up too.
1st May - Drum roll please, I bet the suspense from the end of my last post is killing you, right?
Shadowchild crowned cover of the Month for the month of April by www.allauthor.com - well chuffed :-)
2nd May - An uneasy feeling knowing that copies of my books sent out for review were due to bear fruit very soon. Nervous about what the reviews will say if I'm honest lol.
3rd May - Arcticle in the Hinckley times went live, it's such an exciting time, I'm buzzing :-)
4th May - Star Wars day so it's bound to be good :-) It certainly started well, I got some reviews come through and they were excellent. It seems my writing isn't quite perfect, but it certainly seems to stand up against most in the horror genre. I had a tear in my eye when I read some of them, they were so good!
Lunchtime and BBC Radio Leicester call me up saying they saw the piece in the Hinckley Times and want me as the lead story on the morning show on Tuesday 9th May - WOW! How cool is that?
7th May - Article in The Hinckley Times goes from print to internet; extra facebook, twitter, web exposure - Awesome!
8th May - Now I'm all caught up and nervous about being live on the radio tomorrow. Some people are never happy lol
Thanks for reading and please stay tuned :-)
BBC Radio
I look back now and ask myself, "why so nervous?" So easy to feel that way after the event.
My radio interview went really well. Don't take my word for it, have a listen for yourself - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5VIm... - I was very pleased and have had nothing but good feedback since - Thanks BBC!
I need to pull together all my readers now, I need the reviews, on here and on amazon. So if you're reading this and you've read my books, please get thoses reviews posted - I really need your help to spread the word.
Thanks for reading and please stay tuned for my next post - In the meantime - Happy Reading All! :-)
My radio interview went really well. Don't take my word for it, have a listen for yourself - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5VIm... - I was very pleased and have had nothing but good feedback since - Thanks BBC!
I need to pull together all my readers now, I need the reviews, on here and on amazon. So if you're reading this and you've read my books, please get thoses reviews posted - I really need your help to spread the word.
Thanks for reading and please stay tuned for my next post - In the meantime - Happy Reading All! :-)
A great e-mail
Today I received an e-mail from a stranger keen to tell me a story about my new book Shadowchild.
The lady in question and her brother took a walk to the village shop in Feckenham and without any prior knowledge of my work, her brother purchased it, largely due to the fact it was based in the village.
They quickly learned that the book is about the Watson family and the father of the family is called Simon Watson (which happens to be her brother's name)
Spooky! lol
It was lovely that she took time out from her day to share with me, and after a little e-mail back and forth it turns out we know a great deal of the same people.
It helped to brighten my day! Thanks for reading :-)
The lady in question and her brother took a walk to the village shop in Feckenham and without any prior knowledge of my work, her brother purchased it, largely due to the fact it was based in the village.
They quickly learned that the book is about the Watson family and the father of the family is called Simon Watson (which happens to be her brother's name)
Spooky! lol
It was lovely that she took time out from her day to share with me, and after a little e-mail back and forth it turns out we know a great deal of the same people.
It helped to brighten my day! Thanks for reading :-)
Slow and Steady (wins the race apparently)
More great reviews keep popping up and sales keep trickling in. I can see that the word is spreading very slowly, but I need to do more!
I have appeared on a couple of blog's this month -
22nd May Myra Nour's Horror blog - http://myranour.net/author-guest-post...
24th May Lisa's Writopia -
http://lisaswritopia.com/matthew-will...
Weirdly, these two blog posts sandwiched my birthday lol
I've decided that before I really market my work, I'm talking spending money here! I have to make sure everything else is in place. Reviews must be plentiful and my website must be in good shape.
So I need reviews on Amazon.com, don't seem to be getting them on there yet, despite plenty of readers?
And my website is currently undergoing a extreme makeover so it really does what it's there for - promote my writing and my books.
Thanks for reading :-)
I have appeared on a couple of blog's this month -
22nd May Myra Nour's Horror blog - http://myranour.net/author-guest-post...
24th May Lisa's Writopia -
http://lisaswritopia.com/matthew-will...
Weirdly, these two blog posts sandwiched my birthday lol
I've decided that before I really market my work, I'm talking spending money here! I have to make sure everything else is in place. Reviews must be plentiful and my website must be in good shape.
So I need reviews on Amazon.com, don't seem to be getting them on there yet, despite plenty of readers?
And my website is currently undergoing a extreme makeover so it really does what it's there for - promote my writing and my books.
Thanks for reading :-)
Website complete!
Finally! It's finished! :-)
My website has been transformed from a 5 page splatter of information that wasn't really promoting my books at all, into a site that focusses primarily on promoting me as an author, and my novels 'The Shady Corner' & 'Shadowchild'.
www.matthewwilliamsauthor.com is now the best place to see reviews, read samples, and see the latest news.
Please take a poke around my new website, and feel free to offer suggestions on how I can make it even better! After all, my website is the heart of my network, so it needs to beat fiercely if I am to continue to grow my fan base.
As always, thanks for reading :-)
My website has been transformed from a 5 page splatter of information that wasn't really promoting my books at all, into a site that focusses primarily on promoting me as an author, and my novels 'The Shady Corner' & 'Shadowchild'.
www.matthewwilliamsauthor.com is now the best place to see reviews, read samples, and see the latest news.
Please take a poke around my new website, and feel free to offer suggestions on how I can make it even better! After all, my website is the heart of my network, so it needs to beat fiercely if I am to continue to grow my fan base.
As always, thanks for reading :-)
Early mornings are worth it!
Sunday morning, up at 5am, wide awake! Why does this never happen during the week? When I actually have a chance to stay in bed, I'm always wide awake lol
Anyway, at least it was productive, Talia's Kiss - Chapter 12 is now finished!
Gut feeling at this point is that Talia's Kiss may be a little shorter than The Shady Corner & Shadowchild. Although the story is still evolving so I can't be sure yet lol.
Thanks for reading :-)
Anyway, at least it was productive, Talia's Kiss - Chapter 12 is now finished!
Gut feeling at this point is that Talia's Kiss may be a little shorter than The Shady Corner & Shadowchild. Although the story is still evolving so I can't be sure yet lol.
Thanks for reading :-)
It's been a while - Sorry!
August was pretty eventful, although not overly productive on the writing front.
I conducted 3 interviews at the start of the month, before we had a great family break in Switzerland. It's beautiful there, and I'd recommend it to anyone, despite the costs OMG! lol.
Interview 1 - AllAuthor interview - https://allauthor.com/interview/matth...
Interview 2 - Swansbrook Radio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ls1_...
Interview 3 - By Fiona McVie - https://authorsinterviews.wordpress.c...
The great news while enjoying our holiday was this - I have the framework for book number 4. It's going to be an apocalyptic story with a Matthew Williams slant on it. That means it will be gruesome, it will be packed with horror, and it will be a little different from the norm! I don't have a title yet, so I'm simply calling it '42' for now. That's my age, but it's also the meaning of life the universe and everything :-)
Progress on Talia's Kiss stopped throughout the month of August. What with the holiday and the fact I've snapped the ligaments in my foot, there hasn't been any time for writing. But I'll be back on the writing this week and chapter 13 shouldn't be too far away for all those of you who are eager to get your hands on a copy.
Thanks for reading :-)
I conducted 3 interviews at the start of the month, before we had a great family break in Switzerland. It's beautiful there, and I'd recommend it to anyone, despite the costs OMG! lol.
Interview 1 - AllAuthor interview - https://allauthor.com/interview/matth...
Interview 2 - Swansbrook Radio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ls1_...
Interview 3 - By Fiona McVie - https://authorsinterviews.wordpress.c...
The great news while enjoying our holiday was this - I have the framework for book number 4. It's going to be an apocalyptic story with a Matthew Williams slant on it. That means it will be gruesome, it will be packed with horror, and it will be a little different from the norm! I don't have a title yet, so I'm simply calling it '42' for now. That's my age, but it's also the meaning of life the universe and everything :-)
Progress on Talia's Kiss stopped throughout the month of August. What with the holiday and the fact I've snapped the ligaments in my foot, there hasn't been any time for writing. But I'll be back on the writing this week and chapter 13 shouldn't be too far away for all those of you who are eager to get your hands on a copy.
Thanks for reading :-)
My Diary as an Author
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