Friday 21 September 2012

THE FACE OF IMMORTALITY: Everett Coles

Meet Gyle Meredon, a freelance police investigator whose young daughter is abducted. Meredon must trace his daughter across the Cluster- the human settled worlds - and beyond, to the worlds Outside; rough, unfinished worlds. Whom can he trust? Who knows what happened to his daughter or why? Which world does the mysterious KZ come from and who is selling Immortality?

First off, let's be clearI am a sci-fi geek and as such, I can be a most demanding reader. Unless a story is particularly well told I find myself being distracted by the feasibility of things, questioning the plot and finding possible fault with the physical structure of alien races etc. I am thus doubly happy to report that Mr Coles was not only able to take me to some particularly alien worlds, portraying events and people in a very believable way, but his plot was flawless and kept me enthralled from beginning to end.
As to the physical presentation of the book, Mr Coles uses good grammar and punctuation throughout adding to a most pleasurable eBook reading experience. However, section breaks and formatting leave a little to be desired and for that, it loses a star. The sequel to this book though, To Rule the Universe, will definitely be going on my 'To Read' list.

Wednesday 22 August 2012

MAKING A BOOK TRAILER: Part Three

ADDING VIDEO CLIPS TO YOUR TRAILER
Okay, so by now you've looked at more video clips than the man in the Processing Department at Kodak. Now let's do some more fun stuff!

Tuesday 21 August 2012

MAKING A BOOK TRAILER: Part Two

Right. So know we have a rough idea of what we would like to produce. Don't worry if it's a bit sketchy, just a rough outline in your head will do. Now we need some software to do it with.

Monday 20 August 2012

MAKING A BOOK TRAILER: Part One

I recently mentioned on FaceBook that I had made my first Book Trailer and asked if some friends would mind having a look at it and giving me their opinion. The response was very encouraging and a number of people asked me how I did it. Originally, I thought I could sum it up in just a couple of paragraphs, but then I realised that maybe I could be a little more generous and give everyone a guided tour on how to make a simple but effective book trailer based upon my experience.

Thursday 16 August 2012

THE EMERALD CANCER: David Hulme


When Siobhan Corrigan's beloved father is murdered by Protestant para-military forces in Northern Ireland, her father's right-hand man takes her alter ego, Sandra, and installs her with an English family to live the life of an English rose. Her role: to become a sleeper in the Terrorist Surveillance Unit run by one Michael Forsythe and report back to Drago, the head of the Northern wing of the IRA.
After the Harrods bombing in central London and a terrible personal tragedy, Patrick Rutherford also sets out on a path of revenge; his recruitment to TSU, the only conclusion. When the infiltration of TSU becomes apparent to Forsythe, he engineers a risky plan using the outsourced asset, Patrick Rutherford, to infiltrate the Northern Wing of the IRA.
Patrick Rutherford and Siobhan Corrigan were created by circumstances beyond their control, manipulated by British Intelligence and the Northern wing of the IRA. Twisted and full of hate, they are brother and sister on opposite sides of the fence. Under certain circumstances each might kill the other but in most situations the invisible thread that binds them would prevent it. When they eventually meet, the chemistry between the two of them is explosive with devastating, inexplicable consequences.

This is an exceptional book. The characters are superbly built and we are taken inside their minds with a skill that is second to none. Dramatic scenes are vividly portrayed and pull the reader's imagination skilfully into action. The author successfully transports us from one character's world into another, telling us of their beginnings with an expertise and ease that is overwhelmingly wonderful. This is truly a first class story written by a man who can most certainly tell a tale but—and I hate to say it but I must, seeing as it is something I bleat on about—it needs the final 'polish'.
This first release is tarnished by a light dusting of grammatical and formatting errors that could so easily have been addressed before its release. Normally, I'd not tolerate it so for a book to survive that flaw and for me to finish it... well, it must be good. Indeed, the book survives solely due to Mr Hulme's superb writing and storytelling skills and thus I pray for a sequel whilst also hoping that Mr Hulme will release a second edition of this novel with these flaws addressed. With that little bit of extra polish, this book could sit with pride, nestled among the offerings from any of the bestselling authors. Yes, it really is that good.

Wednesday 15 August 2012

FAE EYE FOR THE GOLEM GUY: Robert C. Roman

Micah Slate has lived centuries, his lonely existence dedicated to the protection of art. Then he meets Ophilia Morgan, a young artist who has transformed herself into a living work of art. Micah thinks she'll never give him a second glance, but she has dark secrets of her own. When a greedy socialite uses Micah's museum as the setting for fraud and destruction, he and Ophilia will be thrown together in a night of mayhem.

If you are looking for a short but delightful read, this is it. It fits neatly into the genre of FANTASY with an air of Terry Pratchett about it. It's well written, grammatically correct with good punctuation and formatting--things that so often let the Indie Author down. The storyline is well-crafted, beautifully told and entertaining and the characters well rounded. The book did something few do--I found myself wanting to go to bed so I could read the next chapter. Don't let the fact it's a short story put you off either. It's not hurried and yet it is eventful. It left me with that rare feeling of sadness that one gets when you have finished a really good book. I want more!

Wednesday 1 August 2012

FROZEN PAST: Richard C Hale

Luke is only fourteen. Eliana is his whole world and for a fourteen year old, the burden is immense. You see, Eliana is being stalked. Stalked by a madman who wants nothing more than to see her dead. The madman knows things that no one should know and sees things that no one should see. He tells them if they say a word to anyone, they will both die. And Luke can't let that happen. Eliana's past is catching up with her and Luke must do anything to save her. Anything.

An excellent THRILLER, it had a great balance of suspense and action and was very well told. As an eBook it was well presented (grammar, punctuation and format) which are a big thing for me as an Indie Author with high standards. It was another of those rare books that had me eager to read the next chapter. It had me bouncing about emotionally, one minute sick with worry for the characters and the next delighted in the kids just being kids. The author has successfully captured the spirit of childhood and their unique ability to deal with problems, an ability we, as adults, seem to have forgotten. I shall tell you no more as I have no intention of spoiling it for you.

Thursday 19 July 2012

REFLECTION:
The Art of Lying


We live in a world where it is impolite to be honest, so we lie and we lie often.
We are not just encouraged to lie, we are expected to lie and not just to our acquaintances but to our family, our friends and perhaps even to our lovers.
The biggest lie (big in how often we use it rather than severity), is the greeting, '"Hello, how are you?"

Wednesday 18 July 2012

REFLECTION:
What makes a swear word a swear word?

Why is it acceptable to use one word in company and not another?
Who was it that first said 'f*ck' and then added, "Oh, and by the way, that’s a swear word. Naughty me"?
Why can I use certain words in public and not others?

To confuse the issue further, the makers of TV programmes--in an attempt not to offend viewers and the regulatory bodies--have made up swear words.
PORRIDGE was probably the first with NAFF and NERK but we have later additions with BATTLESTAR GALACTICA’s FRACK and FARSCAPE’s FRELL. So it seems quite acceptable to make up swear words and then to use them in public. We all know what is really being said without actually saying it, so why can’t we just say it--and how soon will it be before these made-up swear words actually end up in the dictionary of swear words and become unacceptable to use? Will future reruns of Porridge be banned before the watershed?
We also have the huge dictionary of swear words that aren’t swear words unless we put them in the wrong (or right) sentence:

Tuesday 17 July 2012

NIGHT OF THE ASSASSIN: Russell Blake

Night of the Assassin is the gritty, edge-of-your seat prequel to King of Swords. A no-holds-barred, breakneck-paced thriller, Night of the Assassin charts the early years of El Rey - the King of Swords - a super-assassin responsible for some of the world's most spectacular and daring executions. Framed against the backdrop of present-day Mexico's brutal narco-trafficking violence, Night of the Assassin chronicles the making of a monster - a cold-blooded, ruthless killing machine. Raw, disturbing, edgy and unflinching, this epic saga defies convention to create a roller-coaster of intrigue, suspense and thrills that will leave even the most jaded thriller aficionados gasping for breath.

I was tantalised by the read-up on this book and was doubly pleased that the book delivered everything that the spiel promised. It is a violent, brutal story expertly portrayed with the violence detailed at just the right pitch. It's not just blood and gore for the sake of it and the author has instinctively known where and when to draw the line with his detail. It's not for the faint hearted though. The main character (whose real name you never learn) is, as the author states, a cold-blooded, ruthless killing machine and I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
It's available only as an eBook and it's not the longest book I've read, but that didn't matter to me. The story's pace was good and well thought out. It started where it needed to start and it ended where it needed to end. I'm also delighted to report that once again, I've found a fellow Indie who pays attention to grammar, punctuation and formatting. Very well presented and definitely one I recommend.

Monday 16 July 2012

Everybody tells me I should blog...

. . . but I'm not exactly sure why.
Do people really want to listen to me blathering on about... well, that's the problem really... what should I blog about? People say, 'talk about anything'. Yeah right, 'cause people want to listen to me ratting on about any old thing . . .
Don't get me wrong, I have sat down and tried to blog and it goes one of two ways depending on whether I stay in the land of fact (I believe it's called Earth) or launch into the world of fiction (I spend a lot of time there you see. It's a very nice, comfortable place where I have lots of friends), and I either end up with a bloody good whinge (that's staying on Earth) or the beginnings of another great story (if I delve into the world of fiction). Now, if I stay in the world of fact, I'll just depress everybody and turn into an old moaner. If I start talking about fiction, I'll end up writing something far too long to be a blog . . . forthcoming book titles already forming in my mind... The Blog in the Night, One Blog too Many, The Blog, Blogs of War, Blog Pound, Black Blog (that last one might be a bit too subtle), One Man and his Blog...
. . . I'm ranting now, aren't I? . . . Do rants count as blogs? Is this a mini-blog? :-D