Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On 18/07/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress

Much like the swan paddling upstream, most action on the WIP is happening beneath the surface for now, so I thought I’d post a piece on the process of writing the book, the reasons behind some decisions. As I recently had a rather unusual review of the first two books in the series, highlighting the …

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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On 12/07/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress

We’re in that quiet-on-the-surface period, when the publisher is frantically busy behind the scenes but very little shows on the surface. So, briefly, regarding progress: the book’s with the publisher and proceeding through the various steps that take an author’s words and make a book of them. The cover’s well on the way to being …

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The 93-E Contradiction, by Melodie Trudeaux: #BookReview.

On 09/07/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction

Science Fiction 24 pages This science fiction short story looks at the threat imposed by over-reliance on technical advances without regulation. We live in a world where many things are possible. This book asks the question, ‘Just because we can, does it mean we should?’ I leave it to the reader to decide, after reading …

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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On 04/07/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress

‘Tis done! The final version of the MS ran out to 76,749 words in 41 Chapters. Great when you get back an acknowledgement from your publisher’s editor saying, ‘Excellent! Next time you see it, it’ll be a book!’ The next stage will be the cover, which I’ll post here as soon as I’ve seen it. …

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1000 Yards, by Mark Dawson: #BookReview.

On 24/06/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Reading, Review

85 pps Thriller/Espionage. This short is written in typical ‘thriller’ style, however, it also gives the reader some meat on the bones of the characters, which is great. The depiction of North Korea is chilling, and reads as though the author has first-hand experience. The protagonist, Milton, shows some concern for those who help him …

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Everybody Shrugged, by Walt Pilcher: #BookReview.

On 05/06/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Reading, Review

354 pps Genre Fiction/Political/Literary humour. Humour in any book is a gamble. We don’t all see with the same eyes. Whilst this novel rarely made me laugh out loud, I did smile and grin a lot, so it was a positive experience. That it managed this while dealing with such issues as government incompetence (this …

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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On 30/05/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress

Now the WIP is with the publisher, and I’m awaiting the response, the result of their edit, the cover and design suggestions, I thought I’d review my Science Fiction activity to date. ‘Ten Tales for Tomorrow’, was self-published in January 2011. It’s a collection of mostly dark, sometimes humorous, speculative fiction. There’s variety here; everything …

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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On 23/05/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress6 Comments

Well, that’s it! The book is with my publisher. At 67,269 words, it’s the shortest of my novels. But it’ll be a damned good read (not that I’m in any way biased, you understand). The final part of the editing process for me was a read-through, aloud, from a print run. Many authors neglect this …

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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On 16/05/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress4 Comments

Six chapters to go, and the MS stands at 68,660 words, a record low word count for one of my novels! Thursday, I was driven to hospital by a kind and friendly volunteer from a local service that provides rides for people on such missions. I won’t bore, or distress, you with details of the …

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Simon Says, by Rachel McClellan: #BookReview.

On 14/05/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Reading, Review2 Comments

A truly gothic and demonic horror story. The narrator’s voice carries all the bile, disapproval, confidence and uncertainty of the youth well. This is a short but powerful read and one to produce nightmares if read too close to bedtime in a lonely place. The conflict of denial against the reality of the situation leaves …

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A Better Ten Commandments, by James Miller: #BookReview.

On 13/05/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Reading, Review

This is both a self-improvement and inspirational book with a very real difference. That difference is crucial. James Miller is a man on a mission. A mission I’m utterly at one with. Our lives are governed from birth, throughout education and maturity, to the final day, by dogma, myth and legend posing as truth. Although …

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Dreams of Winter, by Christian Warren Freed: #BookReview.

On 29/04/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Fiction, Reading, Review1 Comment

342 pages Science Fiction/Space Opera/Military Whilst a devotee of Science Fiction, I admit to being less than impressed by most Space Opera, so I come to this book with baggage. This is one in a series of books with the collective title ‘A Forgotten Gods Tale’ and I have no knowledge of the rest of …

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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On 25/04/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Progress

So far 10 chapters subjected to the in-depth part of the edit that includes running the text through ProWritingAid, an online grammar checker. My beta reader is just a couple of chapters behind me. I was aiming to have a dozen chapters complete in time for this update, but I hadn’t allowed for a half …

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Illinois Native Americans, by In60Learning: #BookReview.

On 07/04/201807/04/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Reading, Review

Subtitled ‘A 9,000 Year Civilisation’, this little book is part of a project aimed at providing readers with concise histories that can be enjoyed as text or is an audiobook version. The idea is sensible and welcome. I know absolutely nothing about American Native Indians, other than the terribly distorted view that TV’s cowboy programmes …

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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On 04/04/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress6 Comments

The content edit is complete! I’ve now arrived at 71,057 words, an increase of 21,497 since last Wednesday. This means the first in-depth edit is finished. I’m resting from the process tomorrow, perhaps taking a long walk in the Forest with my wife and my camera. Then it’ll be the start of the more detailed …

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