REVENGE IS A BLOODY BUSINESS.
The day has finally arrived, and I couldn’t be more excited: my very first novel, The Showstopper, is going live once again on Amazon!
When I started my publishing journey way back in 2014, I self-published my book with only cursory edits and cover art slapped together from free templates. I was and still am proud of all the work I did to get there, but as I’ve matured as a writer over the years and grown in my knowledge of the book business, marketing, and self-publishing, I decided I needed to give this work of fantastic fun the TLC it deserved. I pulled the title off Amazon early this year to do a number of things: edit the work again myself, and then with a professional editor, as well as getting new cover art and design work to make it look like an actual, honest to goodness novel. And I’m proud to say, thanks for the support of many people whom I couldn’t have done this without, I’ve succeeded.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with my work and haven’t heard me talk about this before, The Showstopper is a historical fiction thriller. It’s my take on the superhero genre with a heavy dose of Phantom of the Opera along with inspirations like Batman, The Great Gatsby, and the noir-style detective movies of Humphrey Bogart and company. If you like action, adventure, fantasy, and intrigue all in a dark historical setting, this is the book for you!
But don’t take only my description for it: here’s the actual back cover blurb.
New York, 1922: the economy is booming, the days are short, and the nights are long and filled with every kind of entertainment imaginable. But all is not well in this dazzling, decadent world. A masked criminal is stalking the streets and haunting the theaters, leaving chaos in his wake. No stage production is safe from his deviously brilliant methods of sabotage.
In the opinion of janitor Tom Wilkins, the snobbish actors and businessmen around him are getting exactly what they deserve at the hands of the mysterious vigilante. But a chance encounter will soon plunge him into a deadly game of cat and mouse against a madman bent on total destruction.
Caught in the whirlwind along with a beautiful actress, a refined theater owner, and a rookie police officer, Wilkins will have to use all his skills to expose the mastermind behind the curtain pulling all of their strings, before the curtain falls on Broadway–and his own life–forever.
As I mentioned before, one of the primary reasons I pulled the book off the market was my recognition that in order to really catch people’s attention, I also needed a better and more refined cover design. And thanks to one of my good writer friends who’s also an awesome graphic designer, I now have the art this story deserves. Check out the brand-new cover!
Excited yet? I hope so! I’ve put almost eight years of work into this book from the first word on the page to now, and it’s safe to say it’s probably my favorite thing I’ve ever written. In addition to wanting to give my friends and fans enjoyment, I also want to show other self-published authors out there that if you’re willing to do what it takes to make your book stand out in a crowded field, the reward of knowing you’ve done a job well is worth all the work.
Get The Showstopper now on Amazon
In keeping with the spirit of Halloween, The Showstopper‘s official release date is October 31: it’ll be available in print and ebook form at that time for any and all readers! However, in these trying times of social distance and quarantines, I know a lot of us are looking for community, and I wanted to do my part to help out. To that end, I’ll be hosting, via Zoom, a virtual release party for The Showstopper on Thursday, October 29, just a few days before the book officially launches. You’ll be able to hear me talk about the genesis of the novel and my inspirations, read some passages from the story itself ahead of the release, and ask my any questions you’d like!
And the best part is, I won’t be doing it alone.
Because one of my greatest passions is championing the work of self-published authors through my #indieavengers hashtag, I’ve invited some indie authors I’ve come to know from the writing community whose work I love and who as people I deeply respect to join in the fun! Guest readers for the evening will include:
Skye McDonald
Author of the Anti-Belle romance series
Dawn C. Jonckowski
Author of The Weight of Suns and Stars
Katelyn Uhrich
Co-founder of #indieavengers and author of The Essence Chronicles
Brianna Bennett
Author of the upcoming novel Faerest
K.C. Hamby
Author of The Chosen Series
With an all-star lineup of amazing authors like this, I hope you’ll join me in supporting them, us, and all our indie authors at The Showstopper release party on Thursday, October 29 at 8 p.m. EST. All attendees will receive a link to the Zoom event after registering, as well as first notice when The Showstopper officially goes on sale. In the meantime, here’s a special playlist of songs I put together to help get you in the mood!
I hope to see you all at the party! It’s going to be a great time and I can’t wait to share this piece of myself with all of you.
Kyle Robertson, Novelist 