M.L.S. Weech's Blog, page 78

A 4-Star Review for An Unusual Occupation!

Greetings all,

 

[image error] I just wanted to share this very kind four-star review for An Unusual Occupation.  I’m so happy I made each part available. It’s allowed people a chance to try Bob’s story, and so far, they’re enjoying it! This review was kind and constructive, and I’m so grateful. I hope the reviewer tries out the rest of Bob’s story, and maybe Caught. Regardless, I’m honored she tried my work at all, and thrilled she liked it.  You can read the review here.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

A January Book Cover of the Month Update

Greetings all,

With just seven days left in this month’s bracket, it’s time to update you all on how things have been progressing.

As I type this, we have 4,735 votes so far. That’s almost 2,000 votes more than we had at this point last month.

[image error]Blunt Force Magic by Lawrence Davis is on a mission! He’s been working Facebook like a crazy person, and his followers and supporters are passing it on. If anyone is going to challenge him, they’ll need to really call on their fans to get in the hunt.

Most Voted on so far: BlunnBlunt Force Magic is running away with it at the moment. He has 473 votes so far. I haven’t checked yet, but I THINK that’s a record already.

Least Voted for:  Echoes of Esharam  by Robert Davies. This cover has 38 votes. It’s a well designed cover I think deserves a bit more support.

Lawrence Davis has a commanding lead in every round. The only cover even remotely threatening is The Promised One by Morgan G. Farris, which would need 45 voters to push it all the way through the finals to help it win.  Frankly, Davis is high-stepping to victory. But that’s in the Sweet Sixteen. The runner up for the month is currently The Wolves of Winter by Tyrell Johnson.  That means Johnson gets the second shot if he can’t make up the 60-voter lead Davis has.

[image error]A quick reminder of how the tournament works. The easiest way to win is to have the most people vote for you in every round. The trick is you have to have the most people vote you through in each round, all the way to the final.  As an example, 100 people could vote someone through to the finals, but that doesn’t do a cover any good if he doesn’t win the first round. It’s not total votes. It’s not simple championship votes. The winning cover has to have the most votes in each round of the competition.

This will be the only update for this type of bracket. It’s been an amazing tournament to watch thus far, and I hope readers continue to support their authors by voting, liking, and sharing the bracket with as many people as possible.  You can vote at this address!

I’ll announce the winner is just seven days!

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Coming In November 2018: A Sojourn in Despair Announcement

Greetings all,

[image error]Elele’s chapter icon by Matt Reynolds .

It’s been a while since I’ve talked about Sojourn. I felt you all deserved an update. Sojourn was a project I jumped on when the other members of Slush Brain thought it’d be a great idea to work on an anthology together.

The truth is, it was a good idea. They’re all amazing authors, but that’s part of the problem. They’re busy indie authors with projects and deadlines all their own. While all of us love each other and still love the idea of putting something together when the stars align, it just isn’t happening anytime soon.

So what do I do with a novella I’ve already gotten ready to go? Easy, I release it on my own. That’s right, Sojourn in Despair is scheduled for release this November. I’m still incredibly proud of that story, and I hope you all come to love it as much as I do. I have huge plans for Elele and a few other members of that cast.

If you click any of the above links, you’ll be able to find more information, but let me give those who’re just hearing about this some information.

[image error]Very early concept art for Elele. It’s VERY raw. 

One of the larger sagas I have rooting around in my skull is a series called Perception of War. The series revolves around the crew of the Shepherd, a forward operating warship and the only ship conducting operations in the Var’lechen system. Each book will star a member of the crew. I was halfway through the first book in the series when the idea came about to work on a novella.  Well, the first book in the series is huge, like several hundred thousand words. But while drafting that beast, I fell in love with another character, Elele. She’ll also have a book of her own in the saga, but this idea gave me a chance to set the scene for her in the saga. She’s not remotely who she’ll become, and there’s a reward in that for me.

This is sort of a prologue unique to that character. It’ll lead her from her confrontation with the god of her alien species all the way to the moment we see her in the first book, Images of Truth. Of the three great (as in large) sagas I have planned, Perception of War is the biggest.  There is a timeline (or the outline of a timeline), but it’s my intent to visit this universe whenever the mood strikes. I’ll be sure to get the larger story done, so readers know how this galactic war begins, develops, and ends. However, All of these races, characters, locations and history is something I plan to explore whenever the mood strikes.

The story is already done. The cover is under development. I’m going to look into a map relevant to the journey happening in the book, but that’s only an idea at the moment. I’ll release the other parts of Bob first, but Sojourn will be out in the world by the end of 2018.

Again, I love this saga and this character in particular. I’m  so excited to bring this story to you, and I can’t wait to hear what you think.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

 

A Few Bits of Good News!

Greetings all!

[image error]As I type this, I officially have 504 followers! I’m simply thrilled each day someone decides to click on my website and decide to keep up to date on my posts!  As is common whenever I hit a milestone, I’d like to take a bit of time to give back to those who followed me by spreading word about their blog, so I’d like to talk about my five most recent followers.

MovieBabble:  I’ve only just discovered this blog since it started following me. Looking at the main page, I’m just startled at how much content they pack into this page. It’s essentially a film review site. I’m honestly excited to check out some of the reviews. I’m always interested in what people think about what’s out there.

Ris Reads: Marisa is a young woman who provides reviews.  Anyone who talks about books is super in my opinion.  She’s new to the review world, but she has good taste in books judging by her last few reviews.

Luna Lestrange Reads: I spend about 10 minutes a day looking for book reviewers. Luna prefers Young Adult (I have a book I’d like you to beta read if that’s your genre, Luna) stories. Her last few reviews highlight her interest in that area. She’s my newest follower, and I’ve only seen on of her reviews, but she’s brief and conversational, which I appreciate in a reviewer.

Stories to live by: Courtney is another reviewer. What drew me to her was her openness about content. In her latest review, the book she read made light of religion, she said.  She wasn’t positive or negative about it, just informative. That way readers who might not appreciate it, don’t buy the book, and those who like that sort of thing know it’s their kind of story.  I appreciate that sort of information.

Nifflerreads: This is a reviewer who read 36 books in January alone. That’s about one more book than I read last year. So anyone that prolific get’s my attention. It means viewers can count on more consistent reviews.

[image error]I want to thank those five and all the others who were kind enough to follow my blog. I hope you also decide to subscribe to my newsletter and maybe even try out my books.

Speaking of my books …

I’m happy to announce that after only one day of availability, An Unusual Occupation already has a five-star review!  You can check out that verified-purchase review here. I’m so flattered by this review. I love Bob as a character, so any time a reader connects with him, I’m so pleased. I want to thank the reviewer for not just buying my book, but liking it and telling people about it!

Thanks for reading,

Matt

An Unusual Occupation Is Live!

Greetings all!

[image error]I’m happy to announce that the first part of The Journals of Bob Drifter, An Unusual Occupation, is officially available via Kindle.

I can’t stress this enough! This is not a sequel! I’ve had some people tell me Bob is a bit intimidating to read. The entire story (all three parts) is 133,000 words. Since the story was already in three neat segments, I thought releasing this story by each individual part gave readers a chance to try the story without the commitment of a larger book.

This part is special to me. The first part is basically the original short story I wrote almost twelve years ago. It inspired a fancy idea, which then inspired the complete story.

Occupation is currently 99 cents. It’ll remain that price for two weeks, when it will go up to it’s normal $2.99.  My plan is to release part two in May and part three in August. I have some more exciting news for later on in that year, but I’m still working out some logistics.

I had to get this released now because I’m just about to start the Alpha Draft of Worth of Words.  Things seem to be getting more and more busy in a good way, and I’ll keep you up to date. If you haven’t tried out Bob’s story, I hope you’ll give this segment, 47,000 words, a try. If you’ve read Bob, and you enjoyed it, please consider gifting or recommending this to readers you know. (Also, it’s always a great help when you post a review on Amazon or Goodreads.)

Thanks for reading,

Matt

 

The January Book Cover of the Month Starts Now!

[image error]Happy first everyone! As is now officially tradition here on my blog, it’s time to start a new book cover of the month competition.

The Saint’s Rise by Michael John Grist, last month’s runner up, joins thirty other fantastic covers.

You can vote all the way through the tournament, supporting the covers you like best through each round. I like to make sure people get the credit they deserve, so please show your support. Please vote and share as much as possible to get people a chance to pick their favorite.

As always, I’d appreciate it if you tag the authors and artists if you know them. I try to tag or friend every author I can, but sometimes it’s hard to track someone down. Max participation is a huge deal to me. The more people who vote, the more recognition these authors and artists receive, and I want this to be as legitimate as possible.

[image error]Image taken from Pixabay.

If you are the author, let’s remember to be good sports! 1) Please feel free to message or contact me at any time. 2) Please feel free to like, share, text, ask for support, and call everyone you know. I absolutely want max participation. However, if you’re going to offer giveaways or prizes, please offer them for voting, not just voting for you.

Also, while your summoning your army of voting soldiers, please make sure you ask them to vote in every match. Part of the idea of this is to get exposure to as many artists and authors as possible. By all means, if you can get 1,000 people to vote for your book, do it. Just please also send some eyeballs to the other matches.

A final note to authors and artists: I currently have links to the books’ Amazon pages. If you’d prefer I switch that link to sign up for your newsletter or like your social media page or whatever, just send me the link and let me know. I want this to help you. I want this to be as helpful as possible, so whatever you need me to do to facilitate that, just let me know.

I hope you keep having fun. Please, vote, share, and discuss as much as possible.

All you have to do now is head over here to vote!

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Book Review: Nothing Left To Lose by Dan Wells

[image error]This image was taken from Amazon.com for review purposes under fair use doctrine.

Spolier Free Summary: Nothing Left To Lose by Dan Wells is a horror novel about a young man named John Cleaver. It’s the final book in the John Cleaver series. John has all the traits and desires necessary to be a serial killer. He simply chooses to be better. Lucky of him there are monsters in the world only he can hunt down. Unfortunately for him, his newest target has a reputation: “Run from Rain.” He’s alone. He’s being pursued by the FBI, and he’s facing the most feared creature on the planet.

Character:  John is one of the most compelling characters I’ve ever had the privilege to read about. I still feel strongly that the first three books were a more satisfying story as a whole, but the rest of the books were a fantastic extended look into someone you can’t stop listening too. If you enjoy deep characters with intense conflict, this is the series for you, and read the whole thing.

Exposition:  Wells doesn’t mess around too much with exposition. Even from a first-person narrative story, the information comes in a lot of ways. I said this is a horror novel, but it’s more of a twisted detective story. So yeah, there’s some exposition and pondering, but when the character talking is this wonderful, it’s hard to notice.

World building:  The biggest benefit to the continued series (a phrase I use to describe the other books in the series), is the world building. The first three books focus more on John and his conflict. The other book sin the series build on the method of the Withered. I was happy to get more information on this group, how they formed and how they work. The last three books answer all those questions and put a nice bow on the series as a whole.

[image error]Portrait of Mr. Wells was taken from his bio-page on his website.

Dialogue: This felt a tad heavy handed in this novel. These books have always been fairly cerebral, but I think there was more of this than I’d like. The reason for it is, like old Batman comics, John makes use of the other characters to explain his logic. It’s common is detective books, but it felt a little over the top for my taste.

Description: Easy to scan. Nice details. No chunks that slow me down. My kind of pace!

Overall: I didn’t want to put this book down. It drags the reader through an intense story. Yes, I’m still a bigger fan of the original three books, but this is a nice ending. It fits the tone and is probably a stronger theme than the third book. If you love gritty, monstrous detective stories, you’re missing out if you haven’t read this. Until further notice, this is the book I will compare others to when thinking of my top reads of 2018.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Announcing the December Book Cover of the Month!

Hello everyone,

I think this year started off on a fantastic note!  The December Book Cover of the Month bracket has just wrapped up. This month had outstanding participation from several of the authors and artists.

We had 4,608 votes this month.

This month had one winner who came out swinging and never really backed down. There were a few threats here and there, but each day let the winning cover pull farther away.

The December Book Cover of the Month is…

 

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Knock and You Will See Me by Andrew Cull! If you’re curious about how I felt about the book, check out the Facebook post that I posted when this book first landed on the bracket, here.

Let’s look at the stats!

Cull received 306 total votes. He edged Eaves out of the sweet sixteen by two votes.

[image error]The runner up, who gets a second shot to get into the 2018 Book Cover of the Year Bracket, was The Saint’s Rise by Michael John Grist.  Grist came on late, but he got a second shot for his efforts.

 

For Cull, he doesn’t have to stress over another “tryout” bracket. He’s in the main Book Cover of the Year Bracket.  Let’s look at the summary for his book.

Amazon:

(START BLURB)

“We buried Dad in the winter. It wasn’t until the spring that we heard from him again.”

Knock and You Will See Me is a new ghost story by award winning writer-director Andrew Cull.

When grieving Ellie Ray finds a crumpled, handwritten note from her recently deceased father, hidden behind the couch, she assumes that her middle boy, Max, left it there. It has a single word written on it: WHY. But, as more and more letters begin to appear throughout the house, Ellie and her three boys will find themselves dragged into a deeply sinister mystery surrounding her father’s death.

“Dad? I looked down at the scribbled note in my hand, at the words torn into the paper. What had started as a whisper had grown louder, more desperate. The words had been screamed onto the page. Dad? Please. What’s going on?”

Also by Andrew Cull: Hope and Walker, Did You Forget About Me? and The Trade.

(END BLURB)

I’ve added Knock and You Will See Me to my TBR. (For those who are new to the deal, I buy the Book Cover of the Month to read and review in the future. I bought all of last year’s covers. I’m currently reading a book cover of the month from last year.

Here’s Baron’s Facebook page. Give it a like if you’re curious about him and his work.

I’ll try to find out who did that cover. I’m frankly behind my interviews, but I’m hopeful my vacation can give me a chance to get caught up.

The January Book Cover of the Month is all set, and that contest will launch Feb. 1. I needed just a bit of breathing room between months, and thankfully things will be back to normal after that January bracket.

I will continue to identify and select covers for each day from Amazon’s New Release section for fantasy and science fiction. If you follow and like my Facebook page, you can see what covers will make the bracket.

Thanks for reading

Matt

Animorecon: A Weekend of Cool Cosplay

Greetings all,

Last week, I had the chance to attend the first convention on my 2018 tour. I just wanted to share the pictures I grabbed of some of the amazing cosplay I saw. It was a fun event. It was far smaller, and events in DC and Baltimore at the time added a challenge. I did manage to sell a few books. One reader (Hi Sierra!), bought The Journals of Bob Drifter on Saturday. Sunday afternoon she approached me to playfully berate me for certain sad things that happened in the book. She’d already gotten halfway through it in a single day. You can’t put a price tag on that kind of feeling.

So the weekend became more about talking to cool people and getting some nice pictures.  So, without further delay, check them out!

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This was probably the most detailed and elaborate cosplay I found.  Well, maybe not the MOST in the convention, but it was one of my favorites.

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Naruto is awesome.
Hinata was always underrated.

 

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Red hair is one of the most attractive qualities I can think of, so I’m partial to Brave and The Little Mermaid.  So when I saw this excellent cosplay, I asked for a picture and behaved myself.

 

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I was a fan of the Hercules and Zena series. I honestly kind of miss them. So any time I see the cosplay, I feel a ton of nostalgia.

 

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This was actually an original, custom made outfit. I was so impressed, I asked for a photo.  She was also kind enough to buy a copy of my book!

 

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This was the first all-out cosplay I saw. The detail was amazing.

 

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There are those who feel Boba Fett was overplayed. I am not among them. So any Mandalorian is cool in my book.

 

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Naruto is awesome!
I knew who Tobi was right away, I can can identify a witness to that prediction.

 

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I might go so far as to say The Last Airbender was the best cartoon I’ve ever seen. Such a wonderful, complete, concise story.

 

It was absolutely fun.  I want to thank everyone I met, every one who stopped to take a photo with me, and everyone who gave a little-known indie author a chance.  Please, if you purchased and read either of my books, no matter what you thought of it, leave  review on Amazon, Goodreads or both. Feedback is invaluable.  Whatever you do, know that I appreciate you. I enjoy meeting you all.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Book Review: Edgedancer Second Read-Through

[image error]This cover image was taken from Amazon.com for review purposes.

Spolier Free Summary: Edgedancer by Brandon Sanderson is a novella featuring Lift, a character from the Stormlight Archive.  This was the second time I’d read this.  You can see my initial review here.  Lift is a girl who’s apparently been 10 for about three years. She goes from sneaking into a place to helping a friend become emperor. The only problem is Darkness. He’s an emotionless hunter who seems obsessed with Lift and her pet Voidbringer who may not actually be a Voidbringer. The only thing crazier than her situation, is her idea to actually track down Darkness and stop him before he kills more people. While the rest of Roshar frets over the Assassin in White and the Kings and Emperors he kills, Lift is fighting for those other people.  Those who might not otherwise be remembered.

Character:  Lift is a fun character. She’s witty and unpredictable. She’s super proactive and incredibly sympathetic. The thing that makes her most interesting is she doesn’t put things together the way others might. Her fresh perspective on a situation often turns out right. She almost feels like a YA version of Columbo. I don’t know where she fits on my “list of favorites,” but I’m always happy when she’s is.n the scene, so this novella based on her is charming.

Exposition:  Sanderson doesn’t beat the reader over the head with exposition. This book flows even more swiftly because of Lift’s quick wit. Honestly I know it had to be there (no book can have zero exposition), but I don’t remember any.

World building:  Sanderson calls this Stormlight Archive 2.5, and it first. There are some parts here that might lose a person if they’ve never been to Roshar before. I don’t know how big the impact would be because I read this in order even on my first read of the story, but looking at it another time though made it easier to see how one might get a tad lost. I don’t think it’s that big a deal as long as you can grasp a few of the details of the world.

[image error]This photo, by Nazrilof, was taken from Brandon Sanderson’s bio on his website.

Dialogue: There’s a particular amount of plot revealed in dialogue. There’s also some foreshadowing here that I’d recommend people note before other books in the series come out. It’s quick and smart, like most Sanderson books, but I’d recommend anyone read this book a few times because I’m certain some of the names thrown out and characters introduced will grow in importance.

Description: Sanderson is more passive in his description than some might like. I’m not among them. I enjoy a book that’s streamlined for content. It’s still effective. What Sanderson does in this book is hone in on the important details. He doesn’t spend much time on making everything detailed. Instead, he makes sure the details you need to see are vivid.

Overall: I’m always grateful for re-reading books like this because I miss details. In this story, some of the characters introduced and information passed slipped by me the first time. Then again, Sanderson’s books usually do get more rewarding the more times you read them.

Thanks for reading,

Matt