Category: Book

Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Fiction, Mars, Progress

The time has come. The time is now! Here’s the cover for ‘War Over Dust’, the second in the Generation Mars series. Gabi Grubb’s cover graced book one, and she’s done it again with some fine work for this volume. I love it! To be ready for the launch on 2nd September, make sure you’ve …

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The Leftover, by Brooke Williams, Reviewed.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Review

A virginal, shy, geeky, young woman falls for a broken-hearted medic on a TV reality show. This comedy romance is peppered with characters that are probably common to this televisual form of torture sold as entertainment. I don’t watch it; it’s not ‘real’ in any proper sense of the word, and generally brings out the …

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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Fiction, Mars, Progress

War Over Dust, the second in the Generation Mars series, has a cover! Gabi Grubb’s cover graced book one with some fine work, and she’s done it again with this volume. I’m over the Moon with it. Should I tease you with some clues, or give you the whole picture now? Difficult. I think I’ll …

Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

Dogsbody, by Karen Wolfe, Reviewed.

On By stuartakenIn Book, Review

Cosy crime with dogs. Dogsbody is a Georgie Crane Comi-Crime novel by an author whose work I’ve always enjoyed. As usual, Karen Wolfe gives good value with plenty of laughs, a few deaths, and a romance that might or might not… For lovers of crime, this one will keep you turning the pages to find …

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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress

A very short update tonight. The book is currently undergoing typesetting. War Over Dust, the second in the Generation Mars series, is also being covered by a creation I’m looking forward to displaying here. Gabi Grubb’s cover graced book one and she’s currently working on this volume. Fantastic Books Publishing, Gabi, and I are in …

Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

Letting Go, by Maria Thompson Corley, Reviewed.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Reading, Review

The characters in this lengthy romance lead full and interesting lives. They’re an ethnically diverse group with a couple of the lead protagonists being West Indian. The narrative is set largely in New York and Canada and there are cultural references to these two countries that mean little to a UK reader who’s never visited …

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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress

Well, that’s about it. Today, I finished the line edits and content edits sent by my publisher. It’s been a pretty intense period, with long hours staring at the screen and trying to get the best word(s) in place. I’ve printed the whole book off now (222 pages in Word) and will read it through …

Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress

The MS is complete. I even have a title, agreed after consultations with my publisher, Fantastic Books Publishing. Of which, more later in this post. Because, in publishing terms, the book has a short lead in time (we want to launch at Fantasticon in Hull; a fantasy/gaming/scifi convention that takes place on 2nd and 3rd …

Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

The Sweet Oil of Vitriol: A Tom Glaze Hit, by Daniel Eagleton, Reviewed.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Reading, Review

This is a different type of thriller. Dealing with the murky lives of Mossad Agents, it follows the early career of Thomas Glaze, a young man totally deluded about his appeal to women, his ability in the field, and his tolerance for drugs and alcohol. Unsurprisingly, with such a catalogue of denial, he fails miserably …

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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress2 Comments

Some weeks are a country walk, others a trek across mountainous desert. This one has been a touch demanding. But, the book itself is now done. It lacks a title, of which I have a brainstorming session’s worth of around 50 at present. And the blurb demands to be done. I usually try for three …

Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress

Reading each chapter, making amendments, additions, deletions, corrections, and then feeding them through grammar checker, Prowritingaid.com. It removes unintended repetitions, weak verbs, and many other small errors you can miss when reading from the screen. It’s pretty intense. But I’m up to page 329 of 411. Twelve chapters to go; mostly in the denouement now, …

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Laid in Earth, by April Taylor, Reviewed.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Reading, Review2 Comments

Georgie Pattison sings again in this continuation of the amateur sleuth’s adventures. This is a heroine with all the self-doubt, anxieties and fears of any normal woman, but with the courage and sheer bloody-mindedness to find the truth. Justice matters to this lady and she’s willing to take personal risks to find it. Once again, …

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Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress2 Comments

I’m currently reading each chapter and then feeding them through grammar checker, Prowritingaid.com. This removes unintended repetitions, weak verbs, and many of other small errors the eye misses when reading from the screen. It’s a fairly intense process. So far, I'm at page 165 of 412 in a Word doc that's double spaced. After that …

Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress2 Comments

The work continues. All characters have now been subjected to scrutiny for consistency in their various appearances through the book. Some selected words have been substituted, and certain terms have been introduced. One or two special features are now included to make the story more in keeping with the future in which it’s set. I’m …

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Looking for the Best Word? Tip #38

On By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Word Choice2 Comments

Some help here for writers who want to make their work more interesting, varied, accurate, and effective by using the best words. Also insights into some peculiarities of English for language learners. A good thesaurus gives alternatives for the idea of a word, but not all of these are true synonyms: context is vital. One …

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