“Six-Pack of Blood” Launches April 1st! Wins BEST PARANORMAL BOOK Award, Reaches #1 Kindle (Horror) and Goes International in Only One Week
by Betty Dravis
Amazon Product Description: “Six-Pack of Blood” received Zodiac Entertainment’s “Best Paranormal/Horror” Award from Producer/Director Dimi Nakov. 
It’s a compilation of six short, malevolent stories by award-winning authors Betty Dravis and Barbara Watkins. Be sure to lock your doors and leave the lights on before reading these bloodcurdling, terrifying tales of revenge, lust, murder, cannibalism, witchcraft and more. Who in the world is safe when such benign things as snow domes, dolls, a Caribbean cruise and an innocent Sunday outing turn malevolent? Blood is everywhere...
How it All Started: About three months ago, a thought struck me to invite the talented paranormal writer Barbara Watkins to join me in publishing six paranormal/horror stories in an e-book; three to be written by her, three by me. Since she’s already established in that genre and I had some malevolent stories stowed in the depths of Cyberspace—the modern equivalent to Stephen King’s old suitcase—I was delighted when she agreed. Playing around with the number six, it didn’t take us long to come up with a title. Six-Pack of Blood is obviously a pun on Six-Pack of Bud.
We set to work fine-tuning our stories and lining up professional book designers because we couldn’t wait to get this book on the market. I was especially keen on the project, since it’s the first chance I’ve had to show my work in these spooky, dark genres--except for one horror story in Jeani Rector’s popular HorrorZine.
Only the Best: 
Barbara and I wanted this book to be special for our readers, so I boldly asked Armand Mastroianni, one of the most esteemed movie directors/producers in the world, to write the Foreword. Mastroianni is an icon in the movie industry, having directed such classics as: TV – Dark Shadows, Midnight Café, Friday the Thirteenth; Movies – Pandemic, The Celestine Prophecy, Danielle Steel’s The Ring…and many more. We were elated (and a bit surprised) when he agreed, and we actually glowed when he read the manuscript and praised us and our writing in his gracious foreword.
Here is a blurb from Mastroianni’s foreword (also shared in the teaser trailer): "This is a feast expertly cooked up by master chefs venturing into the dark side designed to leave us captivated, enthralled and horrified. The perfect dish to accompany your six-pack...or if you prefer, a fine wine." - Armand Mastroianni, Producer/Director, Silver Screen Pictures, Hollywood
We couldn’t believe our eyes when we read the foreword and saw how much he truly appreciated our stories. When you consider that this man has worked with award-winning horror writers and produced blockbuster films, we were overwhelmed. (We are still sporting pretty broad smiles.) Mastroianni certainly knows how to “pay it forward.” What a caring man…
Colorful, Professional E-Book: Barbara and I carefully chose and worked closely with excellent artists for all aspects of the book: trailer-designer Kelly Komm, graphic artists Matt and Danielle Drake and eBook formatter Steve Caresser. (To view trailer go to: http://tinyurl.com/7mqyj5a )
The eye-pleasing, well-formatted result more than pleased us and, most importantly, our readers tend to agree. But even though it’s one of the “most eye-catching” books on the e-market, what delights us most is that people are “freaked” by our horrific stories. That’s what horror is all about!
Anointed with stardust: Our Six-Pack of Blood has been anointed with stardust, not only by Mastroianni, but also by Dimi Nakov, Producer/Director of Zodiac Entertainment, who presented our “baby” with the coveted Best Paranormal/Horror Book Award, and by e-Book legend John Locke… Thanks, John, for simply “treasuring” me.
Other artists and high-achievers who read the book and gave great pre-reviews are: Actress Katherin Kovin Pacino and her husband, businessman William Lashbrook; Amazon Hall of Fame Reviewer Grady Harp; Janet Young Beasley, author of the series Hidden Earth: Maycly; Lia Scott Price, Book/Screenwriter and Horror Film Producer; Jeani Rector, Editor of The HorrorZine; Paul Payer, web designer/promoter; Dr. Niamh Clune, author of Orange Petals in a Storm, editor of Every Child is Entitled to Innocence, founder of Plum Tree Books; and Mark LaFlamme, author of Box of Lies, Dirt: An American Campaign and other novels.
Awards and Ranking: Like other authors, we couldn’t wait to see our rankings, so decided to share with you what happened during the very first week of sales:
- Wins Best Paranormal/Horror Award from Zodiac Entertainment:
- Brisk Sales on Day One;
- Hit #1 on Amazon Paid Kindle (Occult) on Day Two;
- Hit #1 in Amazon Paid Kindle (Ghosts/Supernatural/Anthology) in the first week;
- Became an International Best Seller during first week by hitting #5 in Germany (Horror) and #53 in the UK (Horror). We haven’t checked other countries;
- And "Six-Pack" received six 5-star reviews in first week. Yay...
My co-author and I are humbled to be able to say we are international best-selling authors and are pleased to report that while the sales are settling into more normal ranges, as of April 15, we still ranked #4 in Horror, #6 in Supernatural, #11 in Ghosts and #26 in Occult on Amazon Kindle U.S.
Wow! All we can say is: Thank you so much! We could not have done it without our friends, family and fans, readers like you. Thanks from the bottom of our hearts. For more information, please check our Facebook pages and Barbara Watkins’s website at: http://www.barbarawatkins.net
To get your copy of "Six-Pack" click the book cover inside the Amazon box at top left of this page (beneath the carousel) or click this link: http://tinyurl.com/7ew24ql
Thanks to everyone who helped make our book launch so successful; some of you are pictured below, but there are many more. Barbara and I are eternally grateful. Love you all.
23 Comments
Reader Comments (23)
I wish I had your unbridled energy Betty to simply reach for the stars and ask the likes of Mastroianni (whom I greatly admire). I have shared this to my own Time-Line on Facebook, as I am inspired by you and Barbara's success. Well done, Betty. And well done, Barbara. Heartfelt congratulations.
I love Betty but I really love Barbara as well. You place these two talented people together and look out you have a WOW of a book." I have read both of these authors books and I can truly say they both have talent beyond my imagination."
I'm truly amazed at their work. I really loved the cover of six pack of blood and who would ever thought of it except this wonderful team."
I am honored to have read their books and just to know they are still coming up with great stories for us to read."
Thanks and I really want to say congrats to both of you." I hope to become the writer one day you two are but right now I can only imagion."
I am humbled and honored that I even rate a mere mention by these two incredibly talented authors! I love both Barbara and Betty as fellow craftsmen of the written word, for they are truly two special ladies!
Much success and love coming all the way from Arkansas to you both! Oh, and Barbara, thanks again for bringing my childhood fear of clowns back to the forefront of my mind! :)
Thanks, Niam Clune, Janice Rawlins and Ashley Fonttaine for your kind words about our works. It's gratifying to know that you're all familiar with not only "Six-Pack" but our separate writings, as well. Wow!
And Janice, I must tell you that you are still learning your craft and will overcome with practice and time. As for imagination, you are gifted with that, for sure! Your YA book GRANNY TATTOO is the most original concept I've read in ages. It would make a great movie!
Best to all of you; I admire your works, also.
Hugs - Betty Dravis
Great job ladies, and congrats! What a great picture to contrast the dollar value between a coffee, which is gone in fifteen minutes or a book (or short story collection) which gives a reader hours of enjoyment.
Also, thank you for featuring me in the montage - very honored!
Betty, congratulations to you and Barbara Watkins on your incredibly classy new book. Everything about it just glows--the cover art, the inside illustrations, the inspired title, the brilliant foreword by Armand Mastroianni. And best of all, the "6-Pack" itself, the spine-tingling stories at the heart of the production.
The e-publishing revolution is making opportunities available for classy books, and I'm glad to hear that readers are snapping this one up. All the best!
Very well done ladies. Explosive, Dark and funny all rolled up in one neat little package. A read that I enjoyed in one night. Thank you
A huge gratitude of thanks to, Niamh, Janice, Ashley, Carolyn, Linda, and Yvonne for your gracious comments, and for your loyal support...! It was my sincere pleasure to work on this book of horror with the distinquished, talented, and adorable Ms. Betty Dravis...!
Great article, Betty. You have definately inspired me to read this deliciously malevolent spooky book!
All right, Betty, you got me...heading over to Amazon to download. Who could possibly resist with reviews like that? and the title? and, my oh my, that cover. Squeebie, heegeebs...leaving the lights on tonight!
Congratulations to you, Betty, and your co-writers! Six-Pack of Blood looks fabulous! I wish you huge success as always. Cheers! :-)
Cheryl Kaye Tardif
International bestselling author
www.cherylktardif.com
"Take 2 amazing authors, mix in 6 grippingly (is that a word?) horrific stories, add a pinch of alcohol (that's me by the way) and you end up waking up late because you've been reading all night. I love Six Pack of Blood and I'm very happy to say, " Bloody Hell ladies, can you cook or what?""
This is absolutely one of the best things EVER!!! I'm so proud of you guys, all the hard efforts you have put toward this, and to top it off - it's wonderful seeing the amazing results. I'm honored beyond belief to be a part of your success, and wish you even higher levels in the very, very near future!!! <3 (((hugs))) and vanilla ;-)
Wow, Betty, you're my hero! You had guts to ask such a prestigious man as Mastroianni to write the foreword for Six Packs of Blood. I feel honoured to know you, albeit just on the internet.
I wish you all the luck in the world with your newest novel! I'm sure you and your co-writer Barbara Watkins, will be celebrating much more in your writing careers!
Blessings
Pretty cool. Way to go.
Good luck
Absolutely awesome article.I am so happy and proud to be part of the Betty Dravis,Barbara Watkins fan base and their collaborative creation Six Pack of Blood .They are two incredibly talented writers and authors with the ability to transform words into feelings create an incredible stories which can give you the chills and take on a ride you dont want to miss but you dont want to be part of in real life.It can be very scary and intense and thrilling read and such a masterful approach to each story,character and setting.I am just lucky to be part of their future plans with Six Pack of Blood and many more of their stories.
Thank you Betty and Barbara.
Thanks, Carolyn, BFF Linda, Yvonne, SF Barbara, Wendy, Eileen, Cheryl, Phil, Janet, Jessie and Lawrence. My author friend Joe Perrone tried to comment but said it wouldn't let him do it. Hmmm... We will see if this one works. It did the same to me, but when I previewed it before posting, it then took it... These things are tricky, so hope I don't lose too many comments. :-)
Anyways, thanks to all of you for your lovely comments and encouragement with my writing. Barbara and I both appreciate your enthusiasm about our Six-Pack. So proud of our new baby "boy." :-) We call him a boy because we think boys are more horrible than girls. LOL
Hugs - Betty
P.S. To Jessie B. Tyson! I didn't go in cold with Armand; he's my friend through another friend and had told her he thought I was a talented writer. That gave me the "lead in." Our mutual friend is Antonia Tossini who lives in Naples, Italy and is a screenwriter with several movies in the works. She's also a best-selling author (in France and Italy) and is Italy's Goodwill Ambassador. Quite a woman and my Italian BFF.
I will go in "cold," though, if necessary. So I guess I am "gutsy." :-)
Hugs - Betty
Congratulations to you and Barbara on the new book Betty! Sounds so great...and very SCARY!! I look forward to reading it soon! Much success and love to you!!
Thanks for dropping by, Joe. Hope all is going great with your awesome musical career. You are very talented. Hope you visit again soon...and do post your new pics on my FB wall from time to time.
Hugs - Betty <3