A Stone Mountain Mystery

If you want to sell your books to non-bookstores, keep reading.

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 1 Comment

The proof is in the pudding, as they say… Who is ‘they’? I don’t know. But what I can tell you, or shall I show you, how selling books to non-bookstores works.

In THE AUTHOR’S GUIDE TO SELLING BOOKS TO NON-BOOKSTORES, I outline the strategy. So the proof the strategy works…For June, DESCENT, BLAZE and AVALANCHE were the top three selling trade paperbacks at Imajin Books.

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You can sell your paperback to non-bookstores too. Until July 7th, the guide is on sale.

Imajin Books Summer Sizzle Sale is well underway. There is still time to choose one of  many books and buy it at the sale price.

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Thanks for reading…

AVALANCHE RELEASE DAY! A Stone Mountain Mystery #3

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 12 Comments

Imajin Books releases AVALANCHE today! 

In celebration, I’m sharing the first chapter with you. Enjoy 🙂

AVALANCHE EXCERPT

CHAPTER ONE

Avalanche Cover FinalFearless of skiing in the backcountry, Roy McCann climbed to the summit of Stone Mountain Resort and paused at the entrance to the Dragon’s Bowl. His muscles ached, and his calf cramped from the strenuous ascent. He released his boot from the binding of his touring ski and stretched his foot toward his shin, fighting the developing knot.

The first glow of morning light reflected off the run, and Roy searched the shadows for signs of another person. A two-kilometer crescent started above the tree line and ended in the forest, providing a steep powder run for only the most advanced skiers and snowboarders. The terrain also provided infinite hiding spots. So where?

The avalanche warning sign hanging from an orange safety line displayed a considerable danger rating. Logic said he should turn back. Not a chance. His need to finish what he started was stronger than logic.

He surveyed the precipice above the bowl. An overhanging mass of hardened snow extended along three quarters of the ridge, but the band of uncertainty was small. He could manage the terrain.

Prepping for a downhill run, he removed the climbing skins from the base of the skis. He ducked the line and traversed to his favorite entry point into the bowl.

The sun rose over the peaks, and his headlamp automatically switched off. Twelve hundred meters below, the chairlift operators began their morning ritual. The lifts rotated, and the rhythmic hum of machinery drifted toward him. His shift with ski patrol started at eight, so he’d better get his ass in gear. He’d done his best.

He jumped off the edge and attacked the run. Powder sprayed above his knees as he glided through each turn. A skier’s dream.

Several seconds in, the whumph of packed snow fracturing echoed across the Purcell Mountain range.

Avalanche!

He jammed the edges of his skis against a mogul, stopped and checked the cliff directly above him. The morning sun glistened off the snow, momentarily blinding him. The rumble of a slide pummeling everything in its path reverberated through his bones.

Which way?

An ash-gray cloud of snow exploded over the cliff, blocking out the sky. Too late. Ice chunks, trees and mountain detritus surged toward him, sounding like a vat full of boiling rocks.

He pushed with his poles and took off. Crouching, he picked up speed.

The avalanche closed in. He glanced left and right, searching for an escape route, but dense forest lined both sides. He raced toward the edge of the run, aiming for shallower snow.

Wind blasted past him, and snow grabbed the back of his skis, shot putting him forward. He flung his hand toward the on button of his transceiver, but it wasn’t there. He’d been in such a hurry earlier he’d shoved the equipment into his backpack instead of putting on his harness. Dumb.

He hit the ground chest first, air expelling from his lungs. His muscles fought a losing battle for control, and he plummeted. Desperate to stay above the turbulent snow, he swam. Sunlight flashed on and off each time his face breached the surface and was dragged under again.

Snow mixed with fragments of mountain pounded him from every angle, ragdolling him end over end, snapping a bone in his right arm. A rock snagged his backpack and ripped the straps off his shoulders. A branch tore his upper lip in half.

He glimpsed a person blurred by a curtain of snow. He screamed, but the roar of the avalanche swallowed the sound.

Buried alive.

An immense pressure came from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. His left hand cupped in front of his mouth, providing a small pocket of air. His right arm burned as if it had been pulled from its socket. His boots pressed against his feet, making it impossible to wiggle his toes.

The pulse in his neck pounded. Slow your breathing.

In less than fifteen minutes the snow would solidify into an ice mask, creating a sealed cavity around his face and cutting off his clean air supply. His own breath would slowly kill him as his oxygen transformed into carbon dioxide. The deeper he breathed, the faster he would die.

The unattached half of his lip blocked one nostril. He worked his tongue, creating moisture in his mouth, tasted blood and spat. Saliva dribbled from the corner of his mouth to his ear, telling him he lay with his face toward the surface.

He scratched his fingers against the packed mass in a feeble attempt to dig himself out. To break the silence, he closed his eyes and hummed his mother’s favorite tune.

His sister flashed in front of him like images on a movie screen. He owed Kalin…a lot. Maybe he deserved this.

“It’ll be alright.” But he knew it wouldn’t. Every night demon his brain had ever conjured up, every imaginary villain who chased him because of what he’d done joined him now.

At seven thirty-two a.m., Roy’s headlamp burst to life, eerily illuminating his surrounding snow coffin.

***

Read more at myBook.to/Avalanche. Avalanche will be on sale for a few more days…

Are Endorsements Important?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

Avalanche Cover FinalPublishing a book takes an incredible amount of time and energy, so an author has to choose where they spend this time and energy. I chose to research who would be a good fit to endorse AVALANCHE, to write letters requesting endorsements, to send out ARC’s of AVALANCHE, and to thank the authors.

For each of the novels in the Stone Mountain Mystery series, I’ve received incredible endorsements to be placed on the covers and on the inside of the books. Once I received the endorsements, I sent them off to my publisher.

I believe endorsements are important. They inform readers that your novels have been vetted by an authors who write in a similar genre that you do. This is assuming that you asked authors who do write in your genre. My thinking was that if I asked authors of a similar genre then their readers might like my books too.

Imajin Books shortens the endorsements that go on the cover, picking the best words that highlight the story.  Here are the shortened versions.

“As thrilling as a heart-stopping run down the slopes ~ Gail Bowen, author of the Joanne Kilbourn Shreve mysteries”

“A story that keeps you guessing. You can’t turn the pages fast enough ~ Jeff Buick, author of Bloodline, Lethal Dos, African Ice, Shell Game and Delicate Chaos”

“Avalanche smashes and uproots relationships in Stone Mountain, leaving devastation in its wake. ~ James M. Jackson, author of the Seamus McCree Series”

Here are the long versions of the endorsements that I showcased on my website, amazon author page, and that Imajin Books includes inside the book.

A mountain as deadly as it is majestic; characters far too familiar with the Seven Deadly Sins and murder−Kristina Stanley’s Avalanche has it all. This fast-paced mystery is as thrilling as a heart-stopping run down the slopes. ~ Gail Bowen, author of the Joanne Kilbourn Shreve mysteries

Layer upon layer, like snow building for an avalanche, Stanley weaves a story that keeps you guessing. You can’t turn the pages fast enough. ~ Jeff Buick, author of Bloodline, Lethal Dos, African Ice, Shell Game and Delicate Chaos

Avalanche smashes and uproots relationships in Stone Mountain Resort, leaving devastation in its wake. With as many layers as winter’s snow, this whodunit will keep you turning pages and guessing to the end. ~ James M. Jackson, author of the Seamus McCree Series

AVALANCHE is on sale for $0.99 USD for a limited time.

If you haven’t read any of this series, you can read a sample of DESCENT and BLAZE right from here.

StoneMoutain

 

 

Frozen By Fear…Heli-Skiing…An Idea

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 14 Comments

I lay face down in the snow wondering what happened…

My skis are scattered, my face is cold, but I think I’m ok. I hear ski boots clomping across the run.

“Are you alright?” Andrew Nelson, famous BC avalanche forecaster and guide asks.

“Yeah.” Mostly I’m embarrassed. I’m skiing with the director team from the resort I work at. All men. All great skiers. I get up and wipe the snow off my jacket.

Kristina Heliskiing

“You have something on your nose,” Andrew says.

I remove my glove and touch my nose. My fingers come away red. Must have been a bit of ice where my face hit the ground.

Andrew cleans my nose, applies a bandaid, and we are on our way.

The only problem. I’m a little shaky now. We come to the next ridge. I look over the edge and into a mass of trees. My legs stop working. My feet won’t move. “Andrew, can you come here a minute?”

He smiles and joins me.

“I can’t move.”

“Are you hurt?”

I shake my head. “I’m scared.”

He smiles. “No problem. Just follow me. Stare at my back. When I say turn left, you turn left. When I say turn right, you turn right. Don’t look at the trees.”

Without letting the others know what’s going on, he launches down the slope. I take one deep breath. Then another. “Suck it up, Buttercup,” I tell myself and jam my poles into the snow.

I stare at the space between Andrew’s should blades. My eyes zone in on his orange jacket, and I see nothing else. He switches his glance from downhill to back at me, each time telling me which way to turn. I obey. I crank my skis left, then right.

My adrenaline is raging. My heart is pounding, but I’m skiing around one tree after another.

We reach the bottom ,and I’m exhilarated. I did it!

“Everything good?” Andrew asks.

More than good, I think. I’ve just come up with the idea for AVALANCHE. So who’s my hero for the day? Andrew, of course. He never let on to the others that I was frightened on the mountain.

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Andew Nelson

This was my story. Sometimes I’m asked if the character Kalin Thompson is based on me. The answer is no, but I did use some of my experiences skiing to help write the Stone Mountain Series and to create Kalin.

Years later, AVALANCHE is set to be published. It’s one sale for a short while longer at: myBook.to/Avalanche for $0.99 USD.

Thanks for reading…

Who Is Kalin Thompson?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 13 Comments

Avalanche Cover FinalWith AVALANCHE about to be released, I wanted to share a bit of Kalin Thompson’s life with you. Before the Stone Mountain Series began, Kalin was married to Jack, had a successful career in Human Resources with the Canadian Government, and loved her life.

Then one day, everything changed…But I’ll let Kalin tell you about it.

A DAY IN MY LIFE by Kalin Thompson

I opened the door to find two Ottawa police officers standing on my stoop.

“May we come in?” the one on the right asked.

No. You may not. Jack wasn’t home yet, and he should have been home hours ago. I wanted to slam the door and run. Instead, I stood there, smiling at them, being polite. What an idiotic time to smile. I took one careful step after another into the living room, trying to slow time. I must have looked as if I was walking the line of sobriety.

“Are you Kalin Thompson?”

Get out of my house. “Yes.”

“Your husband is Jack Thompson?”

I hated these two strangers standing in my living room. The guy had sweat on his brow. From the oppressive heat that day or from what he was about to tell me, I couldn’t know. The woman’s cheeks flushed, and her eyes avoided contact with mine. She examined the photos of Jack and me on the mantle, shuffled her feet and waited for her partner to speak.

Jack and I were supposed to be sitting in an air-conditioned theatre, fingers intertwined, watching the latest James Bond movie. I didn’t have time to talk. Maybe he was waiting for me, ticket in hand, shaking his head at how unusual it was for me to be late.

“You’re husband was riding his bike on Bronson Avenue when he was hit by a car,” the man said.

Okay, that’s not so terrible. He’s at the hospital. I’ll go to him, and he’ll be fine. Except what if he was paralyzed. He must be seriously hurt if the cops were here, otherwise he would have phoned me himself.

I picked up my car key. “What hospital is he at? I’ll go now.”

“He’s not at a hospital.”

“I don’t understand. Then why are you here?”

“I’m very sorry to tell you, but Jack died in the accident.”

I kept breathing, but I’m not sure how. My body still functioned when my mind wanted to shut down. I backed into the living room wall but had nowhere to go. If only I hadn’t answered the door.

“Who hit him?” I asked, like that mattered.

“We don’t know yet.”

“You mean the driver didn’t stop?” Bronson Avenue was a block away from our home. Jack had been minutes away from our driveway.

Minutes from opening the front door, burying me in a hug, and taking me out for the night.

“Have you been driving your car this afternoon?”

“What?”

“We’d like to have a look at your car,” the man said.

I handed my key to the officer, then sagged onto the couch. “It’s in the garage.”

Two years later when I looked back at this scene, I still didn’t understand how something so dreadful could have happened. I couldn’t believe I might never know who killed Jack.

I quit my job and accepted a new one. I’ll be the human resources manager at Stone Mountain Resort in the Purcell Mountains. It’s almost as far west as I could travel and still be in the same country. A big change was the only way for me to survive.

I knew leaving wouldn’t kill the pain of losing Jack. I knew I’d never get over him. But I also knew I had to live. I wasn’t thirty yet.

I got on a plane and flew to Calgary. From there I took the bus to Holden, BC. I took a taxi to Stone Mountain Resort and life began again.

***

If you want to find out what happened next in Kalin Thompson’s life, DESCENT is the first in the “Stone Mountain” Mystery Series followed by BLAZE, and then AVALANCHE. In AVALANCHE you might just find out what really happened to Jack…

A Little About AVALANCHE (To Be Released June 25th, 2016):

On a cold winter morning, the safe at Stone Mountain Resort is robbed, and Kalin Thompson’s brother, Roy, suspiciously disappears. As Director of Security, Kalin would normally lead the investigation, but when her brother becomes the prime suspect, she is ordered to stay clear.

The police and the president of the resort turn their sights on Kalin, who risks everything to covertly attempt to clear Roy’s name. As threats against her escalate, she moves closer to uncovering the guilty party. Is Kalin’s faith in her brother justified? Or will the truth destroy her?

A Gift to My Readers from Imajin Books:

Imajin Books has put AVALANCHE on sale for $0.99 USD for a limited time. Grab your copy before the price goes up. It’s available for pre-order now.
Thanks for reading…

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AVALANCHE: Stone Mountain Buries A Man

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

AVALANCHE is the story of why?

Today, I proudly get to show you the cover…

How does a cover come to be? You need a good cover designer, like Ryan Thomas Doan. But how does he decide what to create?

Well, I gave him a detailed description of what I wanted. Did you hear the sarcasm?

Here are the three short sentences I sent Ryan:

I think it’s important to keep the look the same as DESCENT and BLAZE. I’d like the font, type and placement all to be the same. Maybe a hand flying through an Avalanche.

And here is what Ryan sent me:

Avalanche Cover Final

I’m absolutely amazed at his talent, and I’m very pleased with the cover.

Thank you, Ryan.

What do Avalanche And Gail Bowen Have In Common?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

I’m sure you’ve guessed from the title, what I’m about to share…I know, as a mystery writer, I should hold back information, give a little clue here and there, but the excitement is too much for me.

I’ve been a fan of Gail Bowen’s since her first book was published in 1990. So to have Gail write an endorsement for AVALANCHE is truly unbelievable. Before I share her endorsement, let me highlight Gail’s amazing novels. You can click through on any of the links or book covers if you’d like to buy one.

Screen Shot 2016-04-18 at 10.44.12 AM The first six books in the Kilbourn series – Deadly Appearances (1990); Murder at the Mendel (1991); Screen Shot 2016-04-18 at 10.45.36 AM

Screen Shot 2016-04-18 at 10.47.03 AMThe Wandering Soul Murders (1992);Screen Shot 2016-04-18 at 10.48.26 AM A Colder Kind of Death (1994), winner of the Crime Writers of Canada Arthur Ellis Award; A Killing Spring (1996) Screen Shot 2016-04-18 at 10.50.33 AMand Verdict in BloodScreen Shot 2016-04-18 at 10.51.42 AM (1998) – have appeared as made-for-television movies with world-wide distribution.  Burying ArielScreen Shot 2016-04-18 at 10.52.55 AM (2000); The Glass Coffin (2002); The Last Good DayScreen Shot 2016-04-18 at 10.55.16 AM Screen Shot 2016-04-18 at 10.57.51 AMScreen Shot 2016-04-18 at 10.53.56 AM(2004); The Endless KnotScreen Shot 2016-04-18 at 10.56.36 AM (2006); The Brutal Heart(2008)
and The Nesting Dolls (2010) have met with critical and commercial success.  In June 2008, Reader’s Digest named Bowen ‘Canada’s Best Mystery Novelist’.

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On to Gail’s endorsement of AVALANCHE:

A mountain as deadly as it is majestic; characters far too familiar with the Seven Deadly Sins and murder−Kristina Stanley’s Avalanche has it all. This fast-paced mystery is as thrilling as a heart-stopping run down the slopes.

If you’d like to read DESCENT and BLAZE, both are on sale this week for $0.99 US.

Thank you, Gail, for supporting me. And thanks to those of you reading…

Avalanche Explodes Again: More Praise…

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

Screen Shot 2016-04-03 at 7.24.14 AMThe weeks and months before a novel is published is an exciting time. It’s the time when early praise starts to roll in. I’m so thrilled to share an endorsement from James M. Jackson. James is the author of Ant Farm, Cabin Fever, and Bad Policy.

THANK YOU, JAMES 🙂

Avalanche is the third in the Stone Mountain Mystery series and is scheduled for publication by Imajin Books this spring.

Avalanche smashes and uproots relationships in Stone Mountain Resort, leaving devastation in its wake. With as many layers as winter’s snow, this whodunit will keep you turning pages and guessing to the end. ~ James M. Jackson, author of the Seamus McCree Series

***

On a cold winter morning, deep in the Purcell Mountains, the safe at Stone Mountain Resort is robbed hours before Kalin Thompson’s brother, Roy, disappears in an avalanche.

Under normal circumstances, as the director of security, Kalin would lead the investigation into the theft, but Roy is the prime suspect. The police and the president of the resort turn their sights on Kalin. She’s told to stay clear of the investigation and risks her job to covertly attempt to clear Roy’s name.

Threats against Kalin escalate as she gets closer to the truth. Is her faith in her brother justified? Was the avalanche an accident or did something more sinister happen? And is the truth worth destroying her life for?

 

AVALANCHE: First Early Praise

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 12 Comments

I can hardly believe I’ve received the first early praise for AVALANCHE, A Stone Mountain Mystery #3. AVALANCHE will be released by Imajin Books this spring.

It set my nerves on fire to send out the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) to well established authors asking for an endorsement if they like the book. The ARC has not been through the full editing process or proofreading, so it’s hard to let the work out into the world.

Imajin Books taught me with the DESCENT and BLAZE that this was part of the publishing process, so I should take a deep breath and hit the send button.

The first endorsement I’ve received is from thriller writer Jeff Buick.

Layer upon layer, like snow building for an avalanche, Stanley weaves a story that keeps you guessing. You can’t turn the pages fast enough.

AVALANCHE: On a cold winter morning, deep in the Purcell Mountains, the safe at Stone Mountain Resort is robbed hours before Kalin Thompson’s brother, Roy, disappears in an avalanche.

Under normal circumstances, as the director of security, Kalin would lead the investigation into the theft, but Roy is the prime suspect. The police and the president of the resort turn their sights on Kalin. She’s told to stay clear of the investigation and risks her job to covertly attempt to clear Roy’s name.

Threats against Kalin escalate as she gets closer to the truth. Is her faith in her brother justified? Was the avalanche an accident or did something more sinister happen? And is the truth worth destroying her life for?

Jeff Buick, a Canadian fiction writer, is a top selling author of thriller novels including:

Screen Shot 2016-03-22 at 6.29.53 AMBloodline

The world thinks Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar was killed in 1993. The world is wrong. Escobar went deep into hiding, taking with him the access code to a Swiss bank account containing hundreds of millions of dollars. His enemies want that code, and they ll do anything to get it…. Escobar s enemies know that even in hiding he is still a very dangerous man, and that simply looking for him would cost them their lives. Instead they turn to Escobar s cousin, an innocent pawn who has no idea where to begin the search. But his wife and daughter are being held as security, and the clock is ticking. He has two weeks to find Pablo Escobar and get that access code or they die.                       

Screen Shot 2016-03-22 at 6.32.23 AMLethal Dos

When Gordon Buchanan’s brother, Billy, dies from an injury in a logging accident because his blood failed to coagulate properly, Gordon seeks an outside cause for Billy’s blood disorder, given no family history of hemophilia. Gordon learns that his brother was taking Triaxcion, a new drug manufactured by Veritas Pharmaceuticals, whose ruthless CEO will stop at nothing to maintain his company’s profits. As Gordon begins to dig into the inner workings of the drug company, he’s joined by Jennifer Pearce, a recent Veritas hire who has her own reasons for investigating her employer. Together they uncover a twisted path of corporate conspiracy, greed and murder that reaches into the very heart of American fears. Buick (Bloodline) offers two appealing protagonists plus plenty of fast-paced action and narrow escapes, with a minimum of tech-speak. While several convenient coincidences and overly helpful strangers speed along Gordon and Jennifer’s quest, the final product is a quick, enjoyable biotech thriller.                       

Screen Shot 2016-03-22 at 6.35.29 AMAfrican Ice

A diamond formation worth untold millions, hidden deep in the jungles of Africa. Many have tried to find it. All have failed. Can Samantha Carlson do the impossible? The president of Gem-Star thinks so when he hires the geologist to lead a team into the Democratic Republic of Congo and return with the diamonds’ location. Gem-Star has sent other teams in to find the formation. None made it out alive.

Samantha was aware the odds were against her when she accepted the mission. She’s taken hazardous jobs before, and she knows what she’s doing. Plus, Gem-Star has provided an escort team to protect her. But Samantha’s expedition is about to turn into an all-out battle for survival. There’s another team on a mission in the jungle. Their goal: kill Samantha.

Screen Shot 2016-03-22 at 6.37.35 AMShell Game 

When NewPro Stock collapses, Taylor and her husband Alan lose millions, forcing them to sell their home and business. But they re not going down without a fight. They re determined to track down the elusive Edward Brand, the mastermind behind the enormous fraud…

Taylor and Alan are about to learn two hard facts: A man who doesn t want to be found can be extremely dangerous – and in the world of high-level scams absolutely nothing is what it seems. If they re going to pin Brand down and recover their money, they re going to need an ingenious – and very risky – plan of their own.

Screen Shot 2016-03-22 at 6.39.04 AM Delicate Chaos

Leona Hewitt, a successful Washington banker, finds her life on the line when she takes on a new client. A poweful company is set to lose millions if she doesn’t approve a transaction . . . and they’ve hired a killer to make sure she doesn’t present a problem.