You might have noticed that I have changed the page a little. When I initially set up the blog I was led by what other bloggers were doing. Even though I review a lot of books my blog is not a reviewers blog but a writers blog. I found as such that adverts were not appropriate and I have removed most of them. You might have also noticed a new logo to the side. If you click on it it will take you to a treasure chest full of independent books. The group has it's roots in the facebook group started by Paul Ruddock. My thanks go out to Tom Benson and Ian D Moore who have worked so hard on this website and I will hope it will put my fellow indie writers and I on the map.
Indie Author Support and Discussion
Writing the books was the easy part....now the struggle to let the world know they're there....
Monday 11 January 2016
Friday 8 January 2016
A Noble Pair of Brothers (The Underwood Mysteries Book 1) by Suzanne Downes
Firstly happy new year to you all. I can't believe it has been nearly a month since my last blog. In my defence; I've not had much time to read so it took me a while to finish this book, even though it was a cracking read. I have been busy with writing and Conversations with Tom is reaching completion. For the first time I will be using Beta readers. Three very kind fellow writers are reading the draft and will hopefully come back with some constructive criticism. I'm hoping for a release date in April. So as for resolutions. I thing I hope to achieve is to establish myself more as a brand, not an easy task as my short stories and now Conversations with Tom are so very different from the Language in the Blood books. Maybe I should release Tom under a different name? Maybe I should do a 3rd Language in the Blood book? Now the first book in the series is free and the readership is increasing this seems a logical thing to do. Lots to think about in 2016, now the review:
A Noble Pair of Brothers by Suzanne Downes on Amazon
A Noble Pair of Brothers by Suzanne Downes on Amazon
I liked this book very much. At times I felt myself
transported to a Victorian front room, snuggled up in a velvet house coat in
front of a roaring fire. Only to put my kindle down, and blink against the harsh
sunlight. (As I live in southern France.) Suzanne Downes really brought the
1820’s to life for me with her use of language and attention to period detail.
The romantic story line and how the Underwood brothers interact with women
reminded me a lot of Jane Austen. Like Ms Austen this book is witty but also
shows the plight of women in the early 1800’s; Ms Chapell, the Governess, who after
the death of her father has no option but to take a post at the tyrannical Sir
Henry Wynter household, where she is disrespected and bullied. Then there is
Charlotte Wynter, Sir Henry’s pretty, but spoiled daughter that is keen to
marry, as this will be her only escape from her alcoholic father.
The murder plot brings this book firmly into the modern era.
It had me guessing to the last and the unsavoury details surrounding the murder
are certainly not something you would find in an Austen novel. The Underwood
brothers are two very complex but also very English characters and I understood
their actions. I’m intrigued to find out where the second book takes us as
neither brother had set out to become a detective. (Yet!) I’m delighted there
are seven books in the series as I want to read more by this writer. A must
read for fans of mystery and period drama.
Friday 11 December 2015
The Branches of Time
This book was given two me by a very nice Italian author I met via twitter. He very kindly emailed me a copy of his book. I normally do my reading on a kindle, so it took me a while to commit myself to reading it on my computer. This book is showing again what range of genres there are available from Indie authors. I would also like to say that the translation on this book was nearly perfect and well edited. I rated this 4 stars:
The Branches of Time by Luca Rossi
The Branches of Time by Luca Rossi
In this book Luca Rossi has created a universe full of magic
and dark powers. On the day of a wedding virtually the entire population of the
Island Turios is wiped out by an act of dark magic, only the priestess Miril
and a couple Lil and husband Bashinoir survive. The King from the northern
lands wants them all gone as the mere fact of them living on this island means
that a barrier traps the king and his population. Things happened about 2000
years ago, separating the two populations and trapping one on an island and the
others in a cold and forbidding land. The island has been protected by two
priests, but now only Miril survives. She honours Lil but also gives her an
impossible dilemma by proposing priest hood to her. Priests are not allowed
husbands. I liked the dynamic between the three survivors on the island. Lil
becomes closer and closer to Miril, while Bashinoir is left alone and at a
loss. The story shifts about between
times and locations but I managed to keep track of the story line. Beanor is
suitably over the top as the sex crazed, cruel maniac of a king. Him and his
court provide some very raunchy story lines! It never becomes entirely clear
what events happened two thousand years ago, which left me a little frustrated
at the end of this book as I still know very little about why the two peoples
were separated, but this being part one I’m sure all will be explained in book
2. I think however, a little more explanation might have helped this universe
Mr Rossi created really come alive. I
was given a free copy by the author for an honest review. I would not mind
getting book 2, but have so far only managed to find book 1 on amazon.
Saturday 5 December 2015
Horror, History and some good laughs
Two reviews of three very different books.
The Little Book of Horrors by Lacey Lane on Amazon.com
The Little Book of Horrors by Lacey Lane on Amazon.com
I read this authors first book and knew what to expect with
this book, but I did read this book with one eye closed and snuggling into my
jumper to hide from the pages. If you’re not a fan of horrible things happening
to horrible and innocent people alike, put this book back on its virtual book
shelf and go and watch some fluffy kitten videos. If you are however a fan of
grizzly horror and not averse to some raunchy sex scenes, then put this in your
shopping basket and enjoy with the lights switched on. My favourite story was
Karma is a bitch. All three are well written, fast paced, gruesome and sexy. I rate this 4 stars.
Goin' Postal and the Creek by Rhoda D'Ettore on amazon.com
I do like the fact that this author has put together two
short books and given us, the reader value for money. On the face of it they
are not related but after reading it you get a sense of being presented with a
very American portrait. A very warm and insightful portrait by someone who
loves her country and it’s diverse people. In Goin’ Postal she relates some of
the stories (in part fictionalised to protect identities I’m sure) she
experienced while working for the institution that is the US postal service.
Not only do get a glimpse into the life of an everyday worker, but also how a
postal worker experienced going through some turbulent historical times (The
9/11 attacks) This ties it nicely to The Creek which is the local history of a
settlement on a creek from the civil war until the civil rights movement. The
second book still has it comedy moments, but is over the whole more serious and
a good example of exploring US history through the experiences of local
ordinary people. Goin’ postal was my favourite of the two as it was just such a
guilty pleasure of getting an insider view. I had no idea of the things that went
on in the postal service. Both are a good, fast paced read. I rate this 5 stars.
Tuesday 1 December 2015
Competition time
A girl just can't win. Promoting a book is just one of the hardest things going. I wasn't getting anywhere so I resorted to paying for advertising. This had some good results. I wanted to do a big advertising blast around the start of December to get my free book up in the Amazon free book charts. Apart from paying 3 companies I wanted to promote the book myself on social media too. I got a list of one of the companies of groups to target on Facebook. I duly signed up to varies groups and posted about Language in the blood. I've now been banned from doing this until the 8th of December!!!! Of course Facebook wants a slice of the advertising budget too. So here is the competition I'm running. follow the link to win a paperback copy of Blood Ties (Language in the Blood book2)
Paperback giveaway
Good luck!
Paperback giveaway
Good luck!
Thursday 19 November 2015
Henchmen by Eric Lahti
I had the pleasure of working with Eric Lahti on the Anthology; Holes. This was Eric's project and he steered it to a book of short stories we are all proud off. We're using it as a showcase for Indie authors and hopefully by reading the book you will discover some talented authors. Here is the link again:
Holes on Amazon.com
So it is high time I discover some of Eric Lahti's books.
Henchmen by Eric Lahti on Amazon.com
Holes on Amazon.com
So it is high time I discover some of Eric Lahti's books.
Henchmen by Eric Lahti on Amazon.com
Buckle up and let the Henchmen take you for a ride. You
might not understand all the fantastic characters Eric Lahti introduces us to,
or even agree with them; but trust me getting on this thrill ride will certainly
beat reading the paper. I’m a kitten loving European, that doesn’t get America’s
fascination with guns and it’s paranoia about their own government, but it
certainly makes for good, high octane entertainment.
What sets this book apart is its cast of strong and original
characters. The group of self-proclaimed super villains are let by a seven foot
tall woman called Eve. She has assembled a group of henchmen to tear down the
Government. Each of the men has been approached by Eve for their set of skills.
Jean and Frank are a gay couple that can get them into any building or computer
system. Jacob is a biker that loves his guns and has many useful contacts.
Steve; the narrator has worked for the government but has valid personal
reasons to hate them. He is also a good guy to have around in a fight or
provide an inappropriate wise crack. The interaction between the gang provides
many comedy moments and there are some great lines here.
One night whilst out for a night of Sushi served on a naked
woman (Is this hygienic?) The team help a young woman, (the serving dish) Jessica,
when some Yakuza want to do very bad things to her. (I kid you not, worse than
tying her up and serving sushi from her stomach!) The Yakuza gangsters are
after a secret weapon her father helped develop. Eve and her henchmen offer
their help in finding her father and Jessica becomes part of their team. This
leads them on a very dangerous path of secret government projects and things
that should probably not see the daylight. Eve is evasive about who she is and
why she is bullet proof, but she has a clear agenda and the others are willing
to follow her. Why? I think because they share her ideology, she pays well and
cares about her team. Steve at one point muses whether she is a minor goddess
but none of them knows. The thing is, Eve is intriguing and as a guy with a
grudge willing to do bad things you have to ask yourself; why wouldn’t I join a
seven foot bullet proof blond, intent on creating some serious havoc?
There is a fair bit of graphic violence and strong language,
but I think with a title like Henchmen you should be prepared for this. Guns,
violence and the odd alien thrown in for good measure; just enjoy. Part 2 is
already out and part 3 is in the process of being released, which is good news.
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