Greek Mythology, by in60Learning.com: #BookReview.

On 24/05/2018 By stuartakenIn Book, Literature, Reading, Review4 Comments

Subtitled ‘Beyond Mount Olympus’, this small book is a short introduction to the broad and complex area of the Greek Myths. A bold undertaking to attempt to condense centuries of myth and legend, featuring a myriad heroes, gods, goddesses, nymphs and satyrs, this slim volume does its best. Inevitably it is superficial and, at times, …

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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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The QI Book of General Ignorance, by John Lloyd and John Mitchinson: #BookReview.

On 16/05/2018 By stuartakenIn Book, Creative Writer, Reading, Review

393 pps Humour/Puzzles & Games/ Subtitled ‘The Noticeably Stouter Edition’, this book of humorously presented erudition is a gem. Clearly, a book to be dipped into, rather than read at one sitting, it is nevertheless addictive. Those who know the TV show, first hosted by the inimitable Stephen Fry and latterly by the equally unique …

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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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Dogwatch, by Karen Wolfe: #BookReview.

On 08/05/2018 By stuartakenIn Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Reading, Review

Love dogs? Love crime? Love humour, even if a little dark sometimes? Then this is for you. Georgie Crane is at it again; getting in deeper than she should, that is. There’s a degree of ‘woman in jeopardy’ about this comi-crime novel that lifts it above the general level of the genre. The dogs, and …

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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On 02/05/2018 By stuartakenIn Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress2 Comments

23 chapters now subjected to the in-depth part of the edit that includes running the text through ProWritingAid. And Chapter 24 ready for that process, but it’ll have to wait until tomorrow. The MSS now stands at 71,169 words, 198 fewer than last week’s total. The work is going well, with only 16 more chapters …

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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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The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages, by Christine Pinheiro: #BookReview.

On 15/02/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Reading, Review

Subtitled ‘A Promotional Reference Guide for Authors and Small Publishers’, this extensive reference guide is full of information and helpful advice. It’s essentially a listing of websites, blogs, service providers and organisations involved in the promotion of books. As the subtitle makes clear, it’s of special relevance to the self-published author and the small independent …

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I Used to Be, by Mary Brown: #BookReview.

On 11/02/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Fiction, Reading, Review2 Comments

This wonderfully written novel explores the relationship between two very different women. One is a divorced mother struggling to cope with the loss of a child, and the other a very young single woman coping with a major change in her chaotic life. The main characters are drawn with a vivid clarity that ensures the …

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My Route to a Publisher

On 28/01/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Progress

Below you'll find a link to a short post from the blog run by the writing group I belong to. It shows, in very few words, how I came to be published instead of only self-published. And it offers the chance of a similar route to other writers. http://www.hornseawriters.com/2018/01/local-publisher-takes-shine-to-hornsea.html

The Rift, by Tess Burnside: #BookReview.

On 25/01/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Fiction, Reading, Review

A touching story of love, betrayal, loss and redemption. Tess Burnside’s tale is told in simple form, perhaps a little too simple in terms of language. I found the repetitive use of ‘she’ to start multiple sentences a little wearing and would have preferred more variety of sentence structure to avoid this. But the characters …

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Mo, by S Pearce: #BookReview.

On 23/01/2018 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Reading, Review

An unusual novel, this. The protagonist is a young Muslim boy facing a future he finds unattractive for many reasons. At first, I wondered if this book was meant for children, but that opinion was quickly squashed by the complex language and general tone of the story. The book is aimed, I imagine, at parents, …

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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On 03/01/2018 By stuartakenIn Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress

Last week I’d reached a total of 35694 words. Today, I’m up to 40481, which is just a tad over my target of 40000 for a busy week, with a couple of days out for festivities. I’m a lover of the New Year: see it as a ‘fresh start’ and prefer it to Christmas, so …

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Bleak: The First Mission, by Ian Martyn: #BookReview.

On 21/12/2017 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Fiction, Reading, Review2 Comments

This short (10,000 words) teaser is an introduction to a new character. However, the story does have a beginning, middle and end, which makes it more satisfying than many such introductory pieces. The future envisaged in this science fiction world is, as the eponymous title suggests; bleak. The character, described as a shape shifter, is …

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The Little Blue Book for Authors, by Gisela Hausmann: #BookReview.

On 17/12/2017 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Reading, Review4 Comments

Subtitled ’53 Dos & Don’ts Nobody is Telling You’, this short book, in common with all the author’s work, is direct and to the point. You’ll find no waffle here, no filling or puffing. It’s all simple advice, gleaned from personal experience and a research ethic that would make most of us tired just to …

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