Tick Tock

Tick Tock Cover

Tick Tock

A Detective Shakespeare Mystery, Book #2

Crime Scene tech Frank Brata digs deep and finds the courage to ask his colleague, Sarah, out for coffee after work. Their good time turns into a nightmare when Frank wakes up the next morning covered in blood, with no recollection of what happened, and Sarah’s body floating in the tub. Determined not to go to prison for a crime he’s horrified he may have committed, he scrubs the crime scene clean, and, tormented by text messages from the real killer, begins a race against the clock to solve the murder before his own coworkers, his own friends, solve it first, and find him guilty.

Billionaire Richard Tate is the toast of the town, loved by everyone but his wife. His plans for a romantic weekend with his mistress ends in disaster, waking the next morning to find her murdered, floating in the tub. After fleeing in a panic, he returns to find the hotel room spotless, and no sign of the body. An envelope found at the scene contains not the expected blackmail note, but something far more sinister.

Two murders, with the same MO, targeting both the average working man, and the richest of society, sets a rejuvenated Detective Shakespeare, and his new reluctant partner, Amber Trace, after a murderer whose motivations are a mystery, and who appears to be aided by the very people they would least expect—their own.

Tick Tock, Book #2 in the internationally bestselling Detective Shakespeare Mysteries series, picks up right where Depraved Difference left off, and asks a simple question: What would you do? What would you do if you couldn’t prove your innocence, but knew you weren’t capable of murder? Would you hide the very evidence that might clear you, or would you turn yourself in and trust the system to work?

From the internationally bestselling author of The Protocol and Brass Monkey comes the highly anticipated sequel to the smash hit Depraved Difference, Tick Tock. Filled with heart pounding terror and suspense, along with a healthy dose of humor, Tick Tock ‘s twists will keep you guessing right up to the terrifying end.

Read a sample by clicking here.

Tick Tock, the latest novel from J. Robert Kennedy, now available in eBook format on the Kindle.
Buy Now From Amazon!

How would you like to be killed in my next novel?

Or, how about your friend or loved one?

The next Detective Shakespeare Mystery is almost here, and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank those of you who have supported me by giving you a chance at having a character named after you. All you need to do is join the Facebook Fan Page (link on the right), and then I will randomly pick names. There are several characters available, ranging from victims to police, bystanders to innocent roommates.

Be immortalized in indestructible print and eInk like previous contest winners Brent Richards, Tracy Oswald and Steve Scaramell. Their lives were forever changed (since that’s what lives tend to do from one day to the next) after being featured in Depraved Difference.

Here’s how it works. I’m going to pick a name each week until I’ve filled the list. If your name is chosen, I’ll let you know via Facebook, and you can tell me whether or not you want the honor (and it is an honor!), and how you’d like your name to appear. I will, if possible, give you a choice of characters I think you might like being. As well, if you were asked to join by another friend for this contest, I will ask for their name, and they too will get a character named after them.

So what does that mean? It means the more friends you get to join in the fun by joining my Facebook Fan Page, the more chances you have of winning.

Please remember: this is all in good fun. If I use your name, and you don’t like the character being portrayed, remember it isn’t you, so don’t take it personally. And don’t worry, none of these characters are people you’d be embarrassed to have your name associated with. Again, this is just for fun. As well, if I pick a name out of the proverbial hat that doesn’t fit the remaining characters, I reserve the right to pick another. For example, if all I have left is an eighty year old grandfather, and your name is Moonunit Zappa, sorry, I will have to pick another name, because everybody knows Moonunit is a girl’s name.

So, if you haven’t already, join, then invite your friends. You never know, you could become a recurring character like Officer Brent Richards.

Regards,

Rob


The Protocol Celebrates Two Months as #1 Best Selling Men’s Adventure on Amazon UK

The Protocol CoverA quick update since some have been asking:
  • On October 12th I tweeted that The Protocol had hit #1 in the UK, and it has remained there almost every hour of every day since. I’m extremely pleased with this, needless to say.

Here’s a few more:

  • Depraved Difference has sold over 10,000 books and has remained pretty much consistently in the top 10 Police Procedurals in the UK for three or four months now. It peaked at #59 overall, and today was around #106 overall, out of almost one million books. Not bad for a nobody!
  • The Protocol in now a best seller in the US as well, currently #15 on Men’s Adventure, and #39 on Spy Stories & Tales of Intrigue.
  • Brass Monkey is now a best selling the US and UK, currently #88 on Men’s Adventure in the US, and #25 on Men’s Adventure/#36 on Spy Stories & Tales of Intrigue in the UK.
  • Reviews continue to pour in, and with a few exceptions which I don’t take personally (you can’t please everyone!), they are almost all 5 and 4 star. Currently all three books have an average rating of at least 4.5 out of 5.
  • A new milestone: On Apple Canada, Depraved Difference is in the top 10 of featured mysteries on the iBook store, and shifts between #1 and #2 on the What’s Hot list of Police Procedurals. So for those of you with iPods/iPads, you can pick it up for only 99 cents and read it with the iBook app. Just go to the Store in iTunes and search
  • The new book is almost done, but I lost almost six weeks this second half of the year due to various health issues, the latest a two week doozy (is that a word?) of a cold. This means my hoped for Christmas release will be delayed, but hopefully only slightly.

I’d like to once again thank the over 14,000 people who have purchased my books and helped make this author’s dream come true. You have my humble gratitude.

Regards,

Rob


10,000 Books Sold!

Many sources claim the average book sells 100 copies. They recently updated that to 150 to take into account eBooks.

Well, as I Tweeted yesterday, I have sold my 10,000th book. Yes, almost all of those are eBooks, but who cares? Ten thousand people are now (hopefully) enjoying my books. When I made the decision to go Indie earlier this year, turning down a traditional publishing deal, I never expected this level of success. All three books are selling well, with The Protocol rapidly growing and pushing up the bestsellers lists. Brass Monkey, the sequel, and priced at $2.99, is also moving up as readers discover the series with the discount-priced The Protocol.

I’d like to thank the over 10,000 people who’ve taken a chance on this unknown author, and I look forward to entertaining you further.

And stay tuned, I will be announcing details about the next book in the coming days!

Thanks again,

Rob


I’m Back!

I’ve been away (from the blogosphere) for a couple of months. I was fighting a bad infection for almost a month but am recovered and managed to avoid surgery, and during that month (June/July), I was in too much pain to do any work, including promoting Depraved Difference.  Some remarkable things happened during that time that I’ll blog about now.

1. My theory has been proven (sort of). Get in the top 100, and the book promotes itself.  In the UK I’ve been on the top 100 of Police Procedurals for three if not more months (I’m too lazy to find out when I first hit it).  Now I’m consistently in the top 20, usually in the top 12, and have pushed as high as #7.  UK sales now are over half of all sales.  In the US, I peaked in the top 10, but have since fallen over the past month. I think this is because the book only peaked in the top 10 range due to a blog featuring it for one day which drove sales for a couple of weeks.  The book then slowly dropped off, and with me doing no promotion work for over two months, it has now finally dropped out of the top 100 for Police Procedurals.  I will be starting promo again as this is a great book, the sales proving that (more in a minute). So, my revised theory is that you need to get in the top 100 of a large category, or the top 20 of a smaller category, to self-sustain.

2. Sales! I’ve sold over 3500 copies in the past five months which is huge. I’ve been #1 for English Police Procedurals in Germany, #7 in the UK, and in the top 10 (I can’t remember what) in the US.  This from an unknown author with no advertising budget. Am I pleased with that? Absolutely!

3. The Protocol. I bought back the rights from my publisher for The Protocol, and have already sold many times more books than they did with zero promotion on my part, just people who bought Depraved Difference then bought The Protocol.  As of today, it is already on the bestsellers lists in the US and UK for Spy Tales & Stories of Intrigue as well as Men’s Adventures. As of today I start promotion on The Protocol because…

4. Brass Monkey.  The sequel to The Protocol is now out! Brass Monkey was released yesterday, and is available on the Kindle for now, paperback in the next few weeks. It is priced at $4.99 as opposed to 99c, as readers should discover this book by reading Book #1 in the series, The Protocol (at 99c), then be willing to pay a regular price (still 1/2 to 1/3 what the big names are charging), since they already like what they have read by me.

So to summarize, thousands of ebooks have been sold, I’m hobnobbing with the elite on the bestsellers lists, and I now have three books available, and can’t wait to see what happens over the rest of the year.

And what’s next besides me promoting the books and annoying you? I’m writing a sequel to Depraved Difference which I hope to have available by Christmas.

Thanks to the thousands who have supported me!


Does It Matter?

Does It Matter? Cover

Does It Matter?

A woman returns to her deserted childhood home on a journey of self-discovery and closure, but is she prepared for the shocking truth she is about to discover?

Does It Matter? is a short story originally published in The Sink and The Writers Post Journal. It includes an author bio and Story Behind the Story sections.

 
Does It Matter?, the first professionally published story by the now bestselling author, J. Robert Kennedy, now available on Amazon Kindle for only 99 cents.  Read it today on the Kindle eReader, or any of the Kindle apps for the PC, iPhone, BlackBerry, iPad and Android.
 
Buy Now From Amazon!   

To Be With You in Heaven

To Be With You in Heaven Cover

To Be With You in Heaven

What would you say if the one you loved most lay dying beside you?

To Be With You in Heaven is a heart-wrenching tear-jerker about a couple’s final moments together after an horrendous car accident.

After writing the first draft of this story several years ago, I sent it to my parents to read. A few hours later I got this response from my father:

“You made your mother and grandmother cry.”

To Be With You in Heaven is a 1400 word short story, and also includes The Story Behind the Story and About the Author sections.

To Be With You in Heaven, a short story from the bestselling author of Depraved Difference, now available on Amazon Kindle for only 99 cents.  Read it today on the Kindle eReader, or any of the Kindle apps for the PC, iPhone, BlackBerry, iPad and Android.

Buy Now From Amazon!   

Loving the Ingredients

Loving the Ingredients Cover Shot

Loving the Ingredients

Unlike Henry, Greta always knew how to chop bones.  He only knew how to break them. It had been ten years since he died, and as she had every year on the anniversary of his death, she was preparing a special dinner in honor of the occasion.  It was an occassion of remembrance, of his decision to move them to this Godforsaken city, of the bruises and abuse, and of the deep love she still felt for him. But tonight there was a difference, a difference that would change the ritual, and Greta, forever…

Loving the Ingredients, a short story from the bestselling author of Depraved Difference, now available on Amazon Kindle for only 99 cents.  Read it today on the Kindle eReader, or any of the Kindle apps for the PC, iPhone, BlackBerry, iPad and Android.

Buy Now From Amazon!   

Brass Monkey

Brass Monkey Cover

Brass Monkey

A James Acton Thriller, Book #2

A nuclear missile, lost during the Cold War, is now in play–the most public spy swap in history, with a gorgeous agent the center of international attention, triggers the end-game of a corrupt Soviet Colonel’s twenty five year plan. Pursued across the globe by the Russian authorities, including a brutal Spetsnaz unit, those involved will stop at nothing to deliver their weapon, and ensure their pay day, regardless of the terrifying consequences.

When Laura Palmer confronts a UNICEF group for trespassing on her Egyptian archaeological dig site, she unwittingly stumbles upon the ultimate weapons deal, and becomes entangled in an international conspiracy that sends her lover, archeology Professor James Acton, racing to Egypt with the most unlikely of allies, not only to rescue her, but to prevent the start of a holy war that could result in Islam and Christianity wiping each other out.

From the bestselling author of Depraved Difference and The Protocol comes Brass Monkey, a thriller international in scope, certain to offend some, and stimulate debate in others. Brass Monkey pulls no punches in confronting the conflict between two of the world’s most powerful, and divergent, religions, and the terrifying possibilities the future may hold if left unchecked.

Read a sample by clicking here.

Brass Monkey, the latest novel from J. Robert Kennedy, now available in eBook format on the Kindle.
Buy Now From Amazon!  

The Protocol

The Protocol Cover

The Protocol

The Protocol

A James Acton Thriller, Book #1

For two thousand years the Triarii have protected us, influencing history from the crusades to the discovery of America. Descendent from the Roman Empire, they pervade every level of society, and are now in a race with our own government to retrieve an ancient artifact thought to have been lost forever.

Caught in the middle is archaeology professor James Acton, relentlessly hunted by the elite Delta Force, under orders to stop at nothing to possess what he has found, and the Triarii, equally determined to prevent the discovery from falling into the wrong hands.

With his students and friends dying around him, Acton flees to find the one person who might be able to help him, but little does he know he may actually be racing directly into the hands of an organization he knows nothing about…

Read a sample by clicking here.

The Protocol, the debut novel from J. Robert Kennedy, now available in trade paperback, and eBook format on the Kindle.
 
Buy Now From Amazon!     

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