Kill 4 Me by Joel Andre

Paperback: 214 pages
Publisher: Lulu.com (August 11, 2008)
ISBN-10: 1435753089
ISBN-13: 978-1435753082

About the book:

Kill 4 Me, a technological thriller set in rural America. The story follows Casey Dwyer, a small town girl who becomes caught in a spirit’s unrelenting quest for vengance after she receives a cryptic and seemingly harmless text message. A supernatural thriller that explores how technology can be used to torture others through the lens of a horror novel.

I was lucky enough to be able to ask the author some questions. Here's what he had to say:

Who has influenced you throughout your career as a writer?

The biggest influence I have had in my writing career is that of my father, Jerry Andre. He installed my passion for horror, and has held a level of sensibility and truth in my life. Him and my step mother Rebecca, both have been nothing more than supportive, and non-judgmental of what I write, and encourage me every time we speak. I love them both deeply.

Do you write everyday?

I do write everyday. Every morning when I wake up the first things I do is fire up the word processor and just write and let it pulse through my veins. I once heard it you are going to claim the life of the writer, the first thing you must do in the morning, before any other ritual is write. So I do it, for nothing more than the practice and the ideas behind it. If not, then I have wasted a gift from God. I figure anything else I can do can be forgiven, but if you have a gift, you must use it. A singer should sing so others can hear, an actor should entertain others, and a writer should write to inspire those who read their words.

What has been your greatest achievement as a writer?

The greatest achievement would be if I gave the passion of reading to someone who normally does not enjoy reading. Awards, and praise are nice, and are great for feeling good, but the most meaningful thing is sharing the gift of word with someone who may not normally go in that direction.

Have you always wanted to be a writer, or did you aspire to be something else growing up?

Being a writer has been in my blood since I was a young child. I would keep journals of nonsense, poetry and stories. LOL, somewhere there are dumps full of paper with my writing on it. I would write stuff, and just toss it away. LOL, I wish I had it now, but somewhere a rat is likely nesting in it, and I like animals so I am okay with that.

Are you currently working on anything?

I have ‘The Price of Blood’ slated to come out on Halloween. In addition, I have 3 books almost to the point of release; my book to follow that is an alternate love story. But since it’s by me, and I enjoy remaining controversial as much as possible, it has murder and other fun stuff in it.

What authors do you enjoy reading?

I love early Stephen King, although Duma Key is good. Anne Rice is a legend, and she could write absolute nonsense and I would find her inspiring. She is the strongest woman I can think of. I applaud her changes in direction, and stand firm behind her decision to explore the Jesus stories she is writing. I adore her. Brian Lumley is great fun, and a fantastic author of the supernatural.

Is there a particular author/s (yourself excluded) who you feel don't get the recognition they deserve?

I need to write under a pseudonym so I can answer this question for free PR. I am actually only going to give you two of the most amazing author’s and the book of choice from both. Pilate by Stephen Rage, the other is Min’s Monster by Lila L. Pinord.

What is your favorite book?

Alright, this is such an unfair question; there are two I am very passionate about. ‘The Stand’ by Stephen King and ‘The Witching Hour’ by Anne Rice and both have touched me in different ways.

What is a book that has been highly acclaimed but you haven't liked?

Alright, anyone who knows me knows I think ‘Twilight’ has become very over rated. While I find value in the book, I don’t think it is all that fantastic. In fact, I will say it is a complete rip off of ‘Interview with the Vampire.’ If you read Interview before Twilight you would see way too much taken from that book. She also borrows heavily from Charlene Harris. Stephanie did bring a female fan base to the vampire realm, and I appreciate her for that. She also has installed the love of reading into people, and I applaud her for that as well.

What word or phrase do you feel is overused?

‘You Betcha’ if you are reading this Sarah Palin, love you to death, you need to stop this.

About the author:

Joel M. Andre was born January 13, 1981 in Cottonwood, AZ. He began writing back in 1994 on a personal level, discovering the passion and feeling the words brought him. Although more of a hobby at the time, he collected his works and in 1999 released the poem The Midnight Express. It received positive feedback, and was quickly followed by For the Salem Witch. To date Joel has released over 60 poems, and 3 books.

Pray the Rain Never Ends was the first book, which includes the poem he wrote for his nephew Christopher Andre. A gripping work that shows a different side to the creator of work that usually holds a darker flair.

The follow up book A Death at the North Pole brought a new side of Joel out. This was a dark journey through a winter wonderland, and provided a more in depth look at Joel and his long form writing.

Most recently Joel released the book Kill 4 Me, a technological ghost story, of a woman haunted by a vengeful spirit through the use of a cell phone and computer.

With a passion for writing, you can tell Joel loves what he does. Although some would say his imagination runs more left field, there is no denying his original thoughts and ideas will provide enjoyment for years to come.

You can visit his website at http://www.joelmandre.com/.

KILL 4 ME VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ’08 will officially begin on October 1 and end on October 30. You can visit Joel’s blog stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com in October to find out more about his book!

As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE virtual book tour to a published author or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors’ blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available. The winner(s) will be announced on our main blog at www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com on October 30.