I hate to do this, but I must give an honest opinion. I got to chapter 8, 25% of this book, but wasn’t engaged at all. Much of the dialogue held no interest, and there was too much American cultural reference to make me want to read on. I really didn’t care about any of …
Continue reading Take the Body and Run, by Jada Ryker, Reviewed.
Unusual, intriguing, compulsive; a story with a very different structure. This isn’t an easy read but it is engaging and tells a tale. A form of fantasy, but set in contemporary times in a place we recognise as the USA. Is it crime? Well, sort of. But not in any form I’ve encountered before. Something …
Continue reading The Pink Beetle, by Caspar Vega, Reviewed.
Fantasy for YA readers, this tale of magical creatures failed to grab my attention, though I imagine those interested in the lore of elves, satyrs, centaurs, et al, will find enough here. I found the writing style a little stilted and was unable to engage with the characters, so didn’t read past the first quarter …
Continue reading The Birth of Death, by Joseph Macolino, Reviewed.
A remarkable book, this. And one that makes several demands of its readers. It tells the story of a family through a number of centuries, dipping into significant life events and back-referencing to identify the particular family member placed under the microscope. Starting in Hungary and ending in USA, via France and Mexico, it travels …
Continue reading Animal Magnet, by Gary Anderson, Reviewed.
This book has a couple of informative subtitles: ‘Unlock the do in don’t…’ and ‘How using the right words will change your life’ I could add, ‘How using the right words will change the lives of those around you’, too. So, what’s it about? Essentially, it’s a manual for using the right language to make …
Continue reading Don’t, by Bob Selden, Reviewed.
Fantasy with a difference, this novel, set in a world of witchcraft, is remarkable for its language and surprising use of logic. The story is told through the first person point of view of an aspirant witch caught up in a civil war among her sisters. There is the usual fantasy ingredient, essential to my …
Continue reading The War of the First Day, by Thomas Fleet, Reviewed.
Close to the end! I spent a little over two days on the read aloud edit. That’s a demanding task both physically and mentally, but it’s the only way to detect certain mistakes and find those passages that fail to read well. Correcting the errors I found has taken another couple of days. The …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: SciFi in the Making.
A literary novel, seeking to reveal the internal lives of a group of friends who grew up just after WWII, Barbara Raskin’s ‘Hot Flashes’ concentrates on menopausal feminist Jewish women in the USA. As such, it lacked some appeal for me. At the time of its initial publication, it was a NYT bestseller. But time …
Continue reading Hot Flashes, by Barbara Raskin, Reviewed.
Almost there! The end of another intense week. The MS now stands at 86,671 words, which is a reduction of 5,316 on last week’s total. All that has now been edited. I’m awaiting the verdict from the beta read, which I should have in final form in the next couple of days. Then, after …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: SciFi in the Making.
Another week gone, and the MS stands at 91,987 words, which is a cut of 4340 from last week’s total. It’ll reduce a little further as the rest of the piece is edited. I’ve now edited 64,687 words, which is an increase of 30,902 on last week. And my beta reader’s dealt with 45,469 …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: SciFi in the Making.
The end of the week and the MS stands at 96,327, which is an increase of 3,910 words. That’ll reduce as I get further into the editing, as I’m aware of certain passages I’ve repeated. I’ve already got 33,785 words edited for my beta reader and she’s started her examination. As usual, she’s found …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: SciFi in the Making.
The end of another week, and the 2nd rewrite is complete at 92,417 words, which is an increase of 1,159: the total is supposed to diminish when you’re editing! No matter. I had a brief online chat with my publisher this week and sent him the synopsis. We’ve decided on a deadline for completion, …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: SciFi in the Making.
Final reminder that you can save money on eBooks during July. And a further reduction on my own books for the last week of this promotion. Smashwords is a publishing platform for all formats of eBooks. I’ve several books with them. July is their promotional month, when authors who wish to participate offer discounts. This …
Continue reading Last Week of #eBook Bargains
The end of one more week, and I’ve ended up with 91,258 words for the 2nd rewrite. That’s an extra 1,814, mostly in the form of news reports to set the scene. I’m now making sure each narrator remains consistent through his or her contribution. A couple more ‘sources’ of information have been added to …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
Gentle comedy, interspersed with charmingly naughty sexual encounters and academic forays characterise this novel. Before I go any further, let me stress that this is not erotica; the sex comes with a naivety that arouses smiles rather than passion in the reader. Set in Canada and Tasmania, the novel follows the adventures, trials and triumphs …
Continue reading Visiting Fellow, by Dave Williamson, Reviewed.
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Antidote to the Novel
Stuart Aken 