Killtown is live!

My first pure horror novel is out now.  Inspired by 80's and 90's slasher films, I imagined a scenario where a small, secluded town in East Texas was besieged by murderers with gimmicks.  Serial killers with a unique flair.  Some old school archetypes like the killer clown, the pyromaniac, the stealthy killer, the silent brute, and the mastermind- a killer known as the Host.  

I wanted to drop this one in time for Halloween, and everything fell into place to get this story out there.  It was a lot of fun to write (and cathartic, to boot).  I am finding that I find small towns as excellent fodder for dramatic storytelling about hidden secrets and darkness in the towns we think of as quaint and safe.  While the killers are definitely the flashy characters in the story, I've created some other characters that really clicked with me for this one.  The sheriff and his family are a healthy unit facing tough odds.  The Baptist pastor is a character with some surprising depth.  The local bar server who hates being stuck in Kingston because she believes she is destined for bigger things is someone I can really identify with.  Even the large pool of local rednecks have some diamonds in the rough.  I really hope you check it out soon- just click this link to buy from Amazon.

Gonna be brief here- it has been a loooooooong time.  A hectic, virtual and in-person school year has cut into my writing and publicity time.  That means this here website has taken the brunt of my inattention.  As summer nears, I plan to rectify all that I have neglected.  In the meantime, here is the update on things in the world of Chad Lehrmann, Author.

1. Book 2 and 3 of Sawyer Shepherd Chronicles are out!  Red Hand Rising (2) hit late in the summer of 2020, and Bane of Nostalgia dropped in late December.  Both have their first chapters up in the Free Chapters tab, so check them out!
2. I repurposed some old blogs into a new education book- Tripping Sacred Desks.  It hit in March, with my own perspectives on the state of education.  The first chapter is also up in that tab!
3. I joined Tik Tok.  What can I say, I heard you could get good publicity.  And truth is- I have gotten more interactions, even if I have not been consistent or seen an uptick in sales.  My handle is chad_the_writer
4. And lastly, Book 4 of Sawyer Shepherd Chronicles is crawling along in development.  I am starting to find its voice well enough, and let me say- this book is going to be a shocker!  Look for it later this summer!

It has been a busy few weeks around here as I am doing some publicity for Rites of Passage and preparing to launch Red Hand Rising in less than two months!!!

First of all, I have done two interviews recently, one with BookPleasures.com and one with A.F. Stewart.  Here are those links- please check them out to support these sites that supported me!

Second, the Book Trailer for Red Hand Rising is out!  I'm enjoying playing around with some photo manipulation apps, so I hope you like it!

Hey everyone- 

It has been a while since I posted, but I have been crazy busy publicizing The Sawyer Shepherd Chronicles: Rites of Passage!  I am learning a great deal about marketing a book and reaching an audience.  The process is slow and tedious, but I am really enjoying the learning process.  I have found things that work (getting newsletter promotions and good reviews), things that kind of work (Facebook ads) and things that, well, don't really have a huge impact (Twitter hashtags to other writers- lots of likes, not a lot of results).  I am about to start some promotions that will incorporate all of these plus a few interviews here and there.  Check out sites like Indie Book Butler and Self Publishers' Showcase in the next few months for these items.

​I have also learned a great deal from Reedsy and will hopefully get some reviews and notifications from Reedsy Discovery  It is a great tool for connecting writers with editors, reviewers, promoters, and designers.  Plus, they offer great free courses on various aspects of writing.  

Now that the book is out, I am anxious to hear from you about your experience with the book.  What you thought of characters and events, where you think things are going, what you liked and didn't.  I have lived with some of these characters in my head (in one version or another) for twenty years- I cannot wait to see how you feel about them!

I wanted to reach out with some news about how the book is doing, and some upcoming contests to win some stuff.

1.
First, how is the book doing?
I did a free Kindle giveaway and over 500 were claimed!  In regards to actual sales, it's not a bestseller by any means.  But between Kindle and paperback, I've sold around twenty copies.  Reviews are coming in, and so far the feedback has been unanimously positive!  It's all five star reviews on Amazon and general comments on social media and in person have been positive as well.  So thank you to everyone who has read the book.  If you haven't, well....

2.
There is a giveaway coming on Twitter this weekend!  If you purchase the Kindle version (no Kindle, that's cool- there is an app on Android and iPhone!) for $2.99 and take a picture to prove the purchase, then reply to my thead(s) on Twitter, you will be entered into a chance to win a signed paperback copy or a signed paperback copy AND a Sawyer Shepherd Chronicles t-shirt (they do exist)!  My Twitter is @ChadLehrmann.

3.
I am currently about 130 pages into the second book in the series, called Red Hand Rising.  I wanted to share a sneak peak of some of the book, so here it is!  (Obviously, there are spoilers in a broad sense, but hopefully nothing too huge).

So, there you have it.  Sawyer Shepherd has survived the first book of The Sawyer Shepherd Chronicles.  

I do hope to get back to posting some short stories soon.  I may also start posting some reviews of Indie author's works eventually.  

See you later!