My new iMac has just arrived and I am busy getting everything set up (and generally having a play around!), so I'm afraid there will be no blog post for today. The good news though is that after this I will have no excuses about using a slow, sluggish old laptop.
Have a great Monday, I know I am!!!
Monday, 17 June 2013
Friday, 14 June 2013
Weekly Inspirations #17
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| Image from Animal Talk |
Ten Stupid Writer Tricks (That Might Actually Work) « terribleminds/buff.ly/18Xm5Ts via
Starting With Subplot/buff.ly/19WPU7S via
The Pace Race/buff.ly/19kB2l2 via
Paperback Writer: Story Improvement/buff.ly/11cDN0b Really interesting, may have to give this a try myself
An Original Way to Make Any Story Plausible/buff.ly/12CCwWx by Dr John Yeoman over on the Blood-Red Pencil blog. Loving the examples!
Wednesday, 12 June 2013
Review of Penance by Dan O'Shea
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| Cover links to Amazon |
Description (From Amazon)
"Born and raised in Chicago, Detective John Lynch might just be about to die there too."
A pious old woman steps out of the Sacred Heart confessional and is shot through the heart by a sniper with what at first appears to be a miraculous and impossible shot.
Colonel Tech Weaver dispatches a team from Langley to put the shooter and anyone else who gets in the way in a body bag before a half-century of national secrets are revealed.
But soon the sniper strikes again. And Detective Lynch, the son of a murdered Chicago cop, finds himself cast into an underworld of political corruption, as he tries to discover the truth about what's really going on before another innocent citizen gets killed.
My Review
I really enjoyed this fast-paced thriller. The narration of this novel is very clipped and bare-bones and I found that this fit well with the personality of the main character as well as the fast pace of the story. There are plenty of twists and turns along the way and I never knew exactly how it would all turn out at the end, which is a big bonus point for me.
There are a lot of characters to keep track of in this book, namely because it is split between two time periods. Adding to the confusion is the fact that a lot of those in the past are relatives of those in the present, and being a crime novel most of them are referred to by their surnames. Thankfully the author included a list of characters for each time period, and their relation to each other, at the start of the book (if you read this novel in e-book format, bookmark the character list, you'll need it!).
There were a few sections that confused me, especially when referencing black ops events that had taken place in the past, and I had to re-read them. In these instances the clipped style frustrated me a little and I would have liked clearer explanations. This may just be a personal thing, but it was enough to pull me out of the story several times and for that reason I have had to knock one star off.
That said, I do highly recommend this book and I can see myself referring back to it for tips when I need to increase the pace in my own fiction.
I give Penance 4 out of 5.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Monday, 10 June 2013
Blog Tour and Giveaway Part 2
Jane Austen Collection
Cover links to Amazon
Published by Doma Publishing
Follow @DomaPublishing
Friday, 7 June 2013
Weekly Inspirations #16
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| Image from Animal Talk |
Pretentious Title: How I Manage Large Casts of Characters/buff.ly/137iyj9 via
Achieving Writing Goals the SMART Way/goo.gl/LkogH via
When To Let The Reader Into The Character's Head/buff.ly/ZkaGKr via
3D masterpieces on pavement by Tracy Lee Stum on Flickr Blog/buff.ly/15o6T0c Amazing
The Difference Between Idea, Premise, and Plot/buff.ly/ZlRZWL via
How to Fake Your Way Into More Freelance Writing Gigs/buff.ly/15BmDfC via The Renegade Writer
Wednesday, 5 June 2013
Review of Vivid and Continuous by John McNally
Description (from NetGalley)
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| Cover links to Amazon |
Taking off from The Creative Writer’s Survival Guide, John McNally’srelentlessly blunt, bracingly cheerful, and immensely helpful map to being a writer, Vivid and Continuous is an equally blunt, cheerful, and helpful map to learning to be a writer. While acknowledging that many fine books cover such essentials of fiction writing as point of view, characterization, and setting, McNally sets out in this new book—intended as a supplement to beginning fiction-writing classes or as the sole text for upper-level or graduate courses—to solve the tricky second-tier problems that those books cover only in footnotes.
Vivid and Continuous takes its inspiration from John Gardner, whose essential truths in On Becoming a Novelist clarified McNally’s goal of communicating a “vivid and continuous dream” with his own writing. In fifteen concise, energizing chapters, he dispenses advice gained from almost thirty years of studying, writing, and teaching. How do you avoid the pitfalls inherent in the most common subjects for stories? How do you create memorable minor characters? What about managing references to pop culture without distracting your readers, revising a story to bring its subtext into focus, or exploring the twenty most common craft-related quirks that lessen immediacy for your readers? How do you keep from overdosing on similes and metaphors or relying on too many flashbacks to provide necessary backstory? How do you learn to listen when your story tries to talk to you? Finally, how can you resist “John McNally’s Sure-Fire Formula for Becoming Funnier in 30 Days”?
McNally cites many novels and short stories as examples that best illustrate the lessons he wants to impart, the writer’s life, or the writer’s craft, as well as his own favorite authors’ novels and short story collections. Exercises at the end of each chapter reinforce its point and serve as practical catalysts for new writings and directions.
Just blunt enough to get your attention but not blunt enough to crush you, challenging but not discouraging, personal but not ego-ridden, snarky but not mean, John McNally will prompt you to think more deeply about a variety of issues that will push you toward writing more meaningful, more accomplished work.
My Review
This was an interesting and enjoyable book, taking a different approach to many other writing guides. Most of the essays provided me with some food for thought when it comes to my own writing and I have bookmarked all of the exercises that come at the end of each one, in no doubt that working through them will improve my writing no end. There is also a comprehensive list of further reading that illustrates any examples given in the essays.
Admittedly, some of the areas seemed to ramble a little for me and you will have heard much of the advice before, so it's not completely original - but then no book on writing is and this one is still worth a read.
I give Vivid and Continuous 4 out of 5.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Sunday, 2 June 2013
Blog Tour and Giveaway
Anne of Green Gables Collection
Cover links to Amazon by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Doma Publishing presents to you The Anne of Green Gables Collection, which has been designed and formatted specifically for your Amazon Kindle. Unlike other e-book editions, the text and chapters are perfectly set up to match the layout and feel of a physical copy, rather than being haphazardly thrown together for a quick release.
This edition also comes with a linked Table of Contents for both the list of included books and their respective chapters. Navigation couldn't be easier.
Purchase this Anne of Green Gables Series and treat yourself to the following list of works featuring the lovable Anne Shirley and written by L. M. Montgomery:
Anne of Green Gables Series, Anne Shirley's age:
Anne of Green Gables, (1908), 11-16
Anne of Avonlea, (1909), 16-18
Anne of the Island, (1915), 18-22
Anne's House of Dreams, (1917), 25-27
Rainbow Valley, (1919), 41
Rilla of Ingleside, (1921), 49-53
Related books featuring Anne Shirley:
Chronicles of Avonlea (1912)
Further Chronicles of Avonlea (1920)
Poetry Collection:
The Watchman, and Other Poems
*BONUS other works by Lucy Maud Montgomery:
Kilmeny of the Orchard (1910)
The Story Girl (1911)
The Golden Road (1913)
Note: This Series is missing Anne of The Ingleside and Anne of Windy Poplars. Unfortunately, the rights for these two books aren't yet available for Kindle publishing. To make up for it, we also included Bonus Books of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and Call of the Wild by Jack London. Enjoy!
Thank you for choosing Doma House Publishing. We look forward to creating many more affordable Kindle Classics for you to enjoy!
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