Tales of the Macabre West

You Don’t Need a Kindle to Read an Amazon eBook

December 18, 2014 By Ben Lane Hodson in Books, Tales of the Macabre West

Since releasing Tales of the Macabre West earlier this week, several people have shared a concern that since they don’t have a Kindle eBook reader, they wondered how they could read Tales of the Macabre West’s digital eBook. There seems to be a misconception that you need to purchase an Amazon Kindle reader in order to read the digital eBooks you buy from Amazon but actually. that’s not the case.

I’ve got some good news. You don’t need a Kindle to read an Amazon eBook.

Amazon has apps for nearly every mobile device available whether it be your mobile phone or your iPad or your Samsung Galaxy. So just because you don’t actually own a Kindle, you can still read on any of these devices. Here’s what you need to do to be able to read an Amazon eBook on your phone, iPad, or whatever mobile device you have:

1) Download the Kindle app – Download the Kindle app for your phone, iPad, or other mobile device. It’s a free app and available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store as well. (Also available for Windows Phone). Just search “Kindle” on the app store or you can use this link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/digital/fiona/kcp-landing-page

(There’s even apps for your computer – both Windows and Mac so you don’t even need a mobile device to read a Kindle book)

2) Login to the App – Login to the app using your Amazon.com login. As soon as you login, the app will immediately sync down any eBooks you own to your app, ready for you to read.

3) Buy an eBook on Amazon – If you’ve already previously bought books on Amazon.com, you will see them in your Kindle app immediately after you login. Any books you buy in the future will be automatically sync’d to your app the next time you open the app. If you haven’t bought an eBook on Amazon.com yet, go find a book you’d like to read by searching for it on Amazon.com.

You’ll notice on the right side (if you are logged into your Amazon.com account), that you will see an option to Buy with 1-Click and a drop down to choose which app you want to have this book automatically delivered to (don’t worry, you can deliver it to as many devices as you like after it’s purchased if you want it in more than one place).

As soon as you purchase the eBook, it will be sent to your Kindle app and you’ll see it appear the next time you open the app on your mobile device.

If you’d like to read the eBook edition of Tales of the Macabre West, here’s a quick link to get to it on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Macabre-West-Ben-Hodson-ebook/dp/B00QQL6XEE/

Tales of the Macabre West is Available Now

December 14, 2014 By Ben Lane Hodson in Books, Tales of the Macabre West 1 Comment

Tales of the Macabre West is now available in both paperback and digital eBook editions! This book has been a little over a year and a half in the making and I’m really proud of how it came out. I’ve received some tremendously positive feedback from Beta readers and I’m excited to hear what all of you think.

Here’s the links to buy of Tales of the Macabre West on Amazon.com:

Buy the paperback edition on Amazon.com

Buy the Kindle edition on Amazon.com

Here’s a couple of reasons why you might consider picking up your very own copy:

There’s awesome illustrations included!

The book contains several illustrations that depict important moments in the stories. My brother, Bryant Hodson, did all the artwork and we created it in a style similar to etchings you might find in books from the late 19th century (in which the book is set in). Here’s a sample of some of the excellent illustrations.

You might like this book if you liked…

I drew inspiration, especially in terms of the mood of the book, from countless books, movies, and comics. If you liked movies such as Unforgiven (1992), The Good the Bad and the Ugly (1966), and True Grit (both versions), then definitely check out Tales of the Macabre West. If you liked books such as Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy or The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt, then check out Tales of the Macabre West.

About Tales of the Macabre West

Here’s a quick description of what’s included in the book: Five thrilling tales of death in the Old West. Set in the rugged American west of the late 19th century, Tales of the Macabre West is filled with tales of black magic, Native American ghosts, demons, death, and redemption.

The Gallows at Rocky Point – The colonel, a hard and bitter man, tempts fate when he comes face-to-face with the Nightwalker, a mysterious creature who is hell bent on retribution.
The Scarecrow – The Dunn family struggles to raise a corn crop on the unforgiving frontier. When they purchase a magic scarecrow from a strange traveling salesman, it seems their luck may have changed. But for better or worse?
Friend or Fiend – A down-and-out gambler with a knack for losing, meets an enigmatic drifter who claims to be able to fulfill any desire… for a price.
The Unfinished Business of Bill Parsons – An undertaker finds he must complete a task for one of his customers or suffer the voice of the dead ringing in his head for eternity.
A Disappearing Town – A sickness has spread through town, taking with it friends and loved ones including Caroline’s husband. When her two sons start showing symptoms, Caroline has no choice but to leave her boys and race to find medicine before it’s too late.

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Mark your Calendars for December 15th

December 8, 2014 By Ben Lane Hodson in Books, Tales of the Macabre West

Mark you calendars becuase Tales of the Macabre West finally has a release date. You will be able to get your very own copy (either print or digital or both) one week from today.

December 15th, 2014, Tales of the Macabre West will be available on Amazon.com in both paperback and digital formats.

If you are an Amazon Prime subscriber, you will even be able to borrow Tales of the Macabre West for free!

Tales of the Macabre West – Cover Reveal

November 19, 2014 By Ben Lane Hodson in Books, Tales of the Macabre West, Writing

The publish date for Tales of the Macabre West is fast approaching. I hope to make an announcement very soon. In the meantime, here’s the reveal of the front cover for the book:

Tales of the Macabre West cover

This cover was created by my talented brother Bryant Hodson. You can see some of his other work and art projects here: https://www.behance.net/bryanthodson. I couldn’t be happier with how the cover turned out and besides being eye-catching, the cover also does such a great job of evoking the foreboding & suspense contained in the book. Keep an eye out for an announcement about release dates soon!

Update on Tales of the Macabre West

September 18, 2014 By Ben Lane Hodson in Books, Tales of the Macabre West 2 Comments

Tales of the Macabre West is nearly published. We are in the home stretch. Right now, it looks like the official publish date of my first book will be sometime in October 2014 (just weeks away)!

I want to first thank my Beta Readers. Their feedback improved the book in some fabulous ways and their comments really made me push to do my best work yet.

In terms of the nuts & bolts, here’s where things are at. The book has been through final copy editing and the text is now locked down for printing.

What still needs to get done?

There are couple of last items that need to get completed:

Back cover design – I will post a cover reveal soon for the front cover but there is still some work to be done on the back cover layout and book blurb.

Print & eBook layout – fonts, margins, chapter markers, and layout details have to be finalized for both the print and eBook versions.

Illustrations – my talented brother, Bryant Hodson is doing illustrations for each of the five stories in the book. There’s still some last work to be done on those illustrations. Here’s a sneak-peek at the amazing illustration for “The Scarecrow” story.

Illustration of “The Scarecrow” story in Tales of the Macabre West

All told, it’s getting close and I couldn’t be happier with how Tales of the Macabre West is turning out!

Tales of the Macabre West Update – Beta Readers

June 5, 2014 By Ben Lane Hodson in Books, Tales of the Macabre West

I now have a draft of Tales of the Macabre West that is ready for Beta Readers to read and provide feedback on. I’m about a month behind where I had originally set my goal to have the book in the hands of early readers but that’s alright because during the process of revising and editing, I was able to rework some parts of the stories with new plot twists and ideas that I like even more than the earlier drafts.

How the book is shaping up

The book is clocking in at about 88,000 words (roughly 240 pages). Originally, I had planned to include seven stories but once I dug in on editing, some of the stories were combined while others ended up not being as strong. In the end, I decided to go with these five stories because they are my favorites from this round. Depending on how the book is received, I’m already thinking about a sequel: More Tales of the Macabre West because I have about 8 more great story ideas that I would love to work on for a follow-up.

Interested in Beta Reading?

I have a good-sized list of Beta Readers already digging in but if you’re interested in being an early Beta Reader as well, there’s still time. I need to have your feedback by the deadline of July 1st. You can either comment below that you are interested along with an email address I can contact you at or you can use my Contact Form here. If you aren’t sure what a Beta Reader is, check out this post: 8 Tips on Being an Effective Beta Reader.

But when will it be published?

The deadline for Beta Reader feedback is July 1st. Depending on the feedback I receive from these early readers, the length of time to incorporate their suggestions and fix the issues they point at can vary but the goal right now is to have a printable version, ready to publish sometime in August so it’s in the home stretch!

Developing the Shutter Comic Series

February 20, 2014 By Ben Lane Hodson in Books, Comics, Tales of the Macabre West

I’m super excited to announce that issue #2 of Shutter will be released at the Emerald City Comic Con on March 28, 2014!

With all the excitement about issue #2, I thought it’d be fun to talk a little about where the inspiration for Shutter came from and what makes this book so special. The first ideas for Shutter were conceived back in 2008, over a long Christmas holiday break in which I found a sudden and voracious interest in all things American West.

Frank Gunn Roberts

The real spark came from something so simple. My great grandfather was Cherokee Indian (you’d never know it from looking at me) and his name was one of the most perfect “western” names ever: Frank Gunn Roberts. That name alone caused my mind to explode with ideas that developed into the character “Frank” that is the focal point of Shutter’s story arc.

I snuck down to the library and checked out nearly every book I could find on the subject. Yes, real, paper, physical, old, books. I was mesmerized by the stories of the old west, the outlaws, the gold fever, people living on the edge of civilization, battling nature on a daily basis. By the end of the vacation, I’d read over 30 books on the subject and could quote chapter and verse on western lore. I was particularly interested in the period right after the Civil War (late 1860’s) when many, disillusioned by the war, headed west for a new life.

A Collaboration

Though I wrote the Shutter script, the story credit can definitely be shared with two of my brothers. We work as a story team on many of our comics, bouncing ideas off of each other and laughing at the crazy things we come up with. Shutter’s colorful characters and perilous situations owe much to these collaborative sessions, the first of which took place on that very same Christmas break several years ago.

Louie Daguerre

Along the way, I read about Louie Daguerre, the inventor of the Daguerreotype Camera. His death was surrounded by rumors and mystery. So I asked myself, what if Louie had invented a new camera at the end of his life, a camera that could take someone’s soul? What if he used it on himself to test it? That was the question that turned Shutter from a straight Western into a Western / Horror mash-up.

Louis Daguerre taken with his own invented camera

That became Shutter’s set up, a Western / Horror story set against the backdrop of the 1860’s American West with a camera that can take men’s souls and Frank, the only man that can stop it. I got so inspired by this era that my first novel, Tales of the Macabre West is set in the same time period.

I will share some more tidbits about Shutter #2 as we get closer to the release and also a cover reveal with some first-look pages along the way.

You can get the first issue of Shutter here: Shutter Issue #1

When is this book going to be published?

February 13, 2014 By Ben Lane Hodson in Books, Tales of the Macabre West

I wanted to give a quick update on Tales of the Macabre West. Not surprisingly, I’m getting a lot of questions asking when this book is going to be done. First, I’m happy that so many people are interested in reading what I’ve written. That’s just awesome. Second, I’m working my butt off, trying to finish it.

So why isn’t it done yet?

Let me explain.

This is my first novel

I’m in uncharted territory (at least personally). I’ve written a lot of comic book scripts, screen plays, and short stories. But putting together a 70,000+ word novel is a whole new challenge. I learned a lot as I wrote the first draft in 2013 and now revising is a whole new challenge. I think I’ve finally got a process that is working well but it has been a lot of trial and error to get to this point.

Quality matters

Once it’s printed, it’s set in stone (well… paper actually). The only deadlines I have are self-imposed. That doesn’t mean I’m ignoring the deadlines, it just means I’m not rushing things. Quality matters. This will be many people’s first experience with my writing and I want it to be the best I can possibly make it.

It’s a learning process

Figuring out how to write this many words, how to keep track of multiple plot lines, make believable characters, finish a first draft, then go back and revise for story structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and finally to compile and format it as a book, learn how to get it out in paper and eBook form, and build a platform to market it on – well, it’s a lot to learn. I couldn’t be more excited about where I’m at but it does take time to do things right.

Where I’m at right now

I have about 25% of the book completed. That means, 25% is totally revised, edited, and I’m pretty happy with how it reads and it came out. But that still leaves 75% that is in process. The first and second drafts of that part are done. It’s all there. It just needs a lot of revising and love before it will be ready. I make progress every day and build on that percentage.

So when is all of it going to be done and ready to print?

I’ve been saying the first part of 2014. Now I’m going to get more specific. My goal is to have it ready by the end of April. There’s still a lot of work to do but I based on the progress I’m making and my current process, it is an achievable goal.

So there you have, only a few more months to go before you’ll be able to read Tales of the Macabre West. Now the hard part begins, making sure I hit this date I just told you all about.

Why Good Isn’t Good Enough

December 9, 2013 By Ben Lane Hodson in Books, Tales of the Macabre West, Writing

I’m seriously considering self-publishing Tales of the Macabre West this coming year. Because of this, I’ve read more self-published books this year than ever before. I’m trying to get a feel for the market, level of quality, and what I’m up against in my genre.

I’ve found there are quite a few good books getting self-published. In fact, many are borderline great and a rare few are absolutely outstanding. I wrote a few weeks ago about the overwhelming number of books being published today. With the tidal wave of content being released, good doesn’t seem to be good enough anymore.

Reading Self-Published Books Differently

One thing I’ve noticed is that I read self-published books differently. You never know what you’re getting. The author might really care about their work, have paid for editing and copywriting services, revised many drafts, and had a great idea to begin with. Unfortunately, many times that’s not the case. The book contains many grammatical errors, the story confusing, and the plot poorly constructed or derivative.

When the book is from an established author, I take off my editor hat and read with more enjoyment. When the author is unknown and the book is self-published, I’m on the lookout for errors, I question sentence choices, and I even hold the author more responsible for perceived style weaknesses.

You Have to Prove Yourself as an Author

Whether it’s fair or not, there’s a lack of trust in self-publishing. Someone like Stephen King can get away with all kinds of risky story structures and sentence choices but an unknown author has to follow most of the rules. Readers hold self-published authors to a higher standard.

“You have to follow the rules now to break the rules later.”

Comparing your work to a famous author isn’t good enough. You don’t just have to write at their level, you need to surpass it to really set yourself apart. Right or wrong, self-published authors are held to a higher standard, scrutinized more, and receive greater criticism towards their work. My feeling is, don’t self-publish until you’re as sure as possible that your work will exceed expectations.

Nightmares Mean I’m on Track

October 10, 2013 By Ben Lane Hodson in Tales of the Macabre West

Ever since I started working on Tales of the Macabre West, I’ve spent a good deal of time coming up with scary story ideas. I appear to be on the right track because my wife informs me there have been many a night lately where I talk in my sleep. More like whimpering instead of talking according to her.

I’m having some nightmares. When they are intense, I’ll wake up but I rarely remember what the dream was about. I remember maybe a flash or a picture from the dream but more likely, all I have is the feeling – uneasiness, suspense, stress (all the fun feelings you have in a really good scary movie) and then I realize it was all a dream and I go back to sleep in minutes.

Isn’t That a Good Sign?

If you’re writing a scary story, shouldn’t it scare yourself first and foremost? Nightmares are a great breeding ground for suspense. The more real the stories become as I write them, the more vivid the dreams.

The interesting thing is that the dreams appear to be a reaction to what I write. They are not driving the writing as much as they are responding to it. The dream comes after a great writing session. My subconscious is where the true magic happens.

Nightmares are Good?

Many will wonder, you’re glad you’re having nightmares?

Well… Yes (I don’t have nightmares every night by the way). I take it as a good sign. If I can scare myself, surely I’ll be able to scare others. I get more excited everyday about how this book is coming together.

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