Sacha Black's Blog, page 25
October 6, 2021
106 How to Edit a Second Draft with Alex Kourvo
Hello Rebels, welcome to episode 106 of The Rebel Author Podcast. Today, I’m talking to Alex Kourvo all about developmentally editing your own work through your second draft.
In this episode we cover:
Analogies to help you better understand editing vs draftingHow to approach editingThe pitfalls and mistakes writers fall intoHow to show the change a hero goes throughThe five big scenes you need to get rightThe stakes paradoxThis week’s question is: tell me something you’ve achieved this year.
Recommendation of the week is: I Love You To My Heart by Matthew Dion Goodall
***this show uses affiliate links
Links I mentioned are:
The 2021 NaNoWriMo Writing Tools Bundle
Activated Authors NaNoWriMo Preparation
Find out more about Alex on:
The Big-Picture Revision Checklist
Rebel of the Week is: Jasmine Arch
If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com or instagram me @sachablackauthor
No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack
This Show is Sponsored by ProWritingAid
Find out more about ProWritingAid here.
20% Discount for Rebels here.
The post 106 How to Edit a Second Draft with Alex Kourvo appeared first on Sacha Black.
September 29, 2021
105 How to Market a Children’s Book with Karen Inglis
Hello Rebels, welcome to episode 105 of The Rebel Author Podcast. Today, I’m talking to Karen Inglis all about how to market a children’s book.
In this episode we cover:
Why you need to establish a local brandIndie marketing methods that don’t work for children’s authorHow to connect with schoolsHow to work with curriculumsChildren’s marketing mistakes to avoidThis week’s question is: What unusual marketing methods have you tried that have worked?
Recommendation of the week is: Keepers
The 99c Fiction Sale (ends 29 Sept)
***this show uses affiliate links
Links I mentioned are:
The 99c Fiction Sale (ends 29 Sept)
Find out more about Karen on:
How To Self-Publish and Market a Children’s Book
Rebel of the Week is: Paulette Stout
If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com or instagram me @sachablackauthor
Welcome to new patron Judith Mortimore. A big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack
Thank you to all of the patrons who have upped their pledge and joined the rebel readers group: Helen O’Neill and Lynne Wham
THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY KOBO WRITING LIFE
Visit Kobo Writing Life here, read the Kobo Writing Life blog here, and listen to their podcast here.
The post 105 How to Market a Children’s Book with Karen Inglis appeared first on Sacha Black.
September 22, 2021
104 How to Work with an Audiobook Narrator with Jillian Yetter
Hello Rebels, welcome to episode 104 of The Rebel Author Podcast. Today, I’m talking to Jillian Yetter all about working with audiobook narrators.
In this episode we cover:
How to work with audiobook narratorsHow to find narratorsWhat information you need to give narratorsMistakes authors make working with narratorsHow to create good working relationships with narratorsThis week’s question is: what’s your relationship with audiobooks?
Recommendation of the week is: Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan
***this show uses affiliate links
Links I mentioned are:
Find out more about Jillian on:
Rebel of the Week is: Mel
If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com or instagram me @sachablackauthor
No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack
Thank you to all of the patrons who have upped their pledge and joined the rebel readers group: Scott Kavanagh, Jen Roundell, Herman Steuernagel and Matt Goodall.
The post 104 How to Work with an Audiobook Narrator with Jillian Yetter appeared first on Sacha Black.
September 15, 2021
103 Three Word Rebellion with Dr Michelle Mazur
Hello Rebels, welcome to episode 103 of The Rebel Author Podcast. Today, I’m talking to Dr Michelle Mazur all about three word rebellions.
In this episode we cover:
What a three word rebellion isHow to create oneHow to then use your three word rebellionWhy writers and creatives feel like they’re bad at marketingHow to use the inoculation theoryThis week’s question is: do you have a three word rebellion or tagline for your business?
Recommendation of the week is: Fixing Your Setting & Description Problems by Janice Hardy
***this show uses affiliate links
Links I mentioned are:
Find out more about Dr Michelle Mazur on:
Rebel of the Week is: Amy Heath
If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com or instagram me @sachablackauthor
2 new rebels this week, thank you Laura Lentz and Helen Scheuerer. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack
Thank you to all of the patrons who have upped their pledge and joined the rebel readers group: Lynn Reed Kendall, Sarah Louise, Nicole Cayer, Sassy Cassie, Eden Collier, Emma Geoffray, Juneta Kay, Maggie M, and Shane Millar.
The post 103 Three Word Rebellion with Dr Michelle Mazur appeared first on Sacha Black.
September 8, 2021
102 How to Write Diverse Characters with Eliana West
Hello Rebels, welcome to episode 102 of The Rebel Author Podcast. Today, I’m talking to Eliana West all about how to write diverse characters.
In this episode we cover:
Why diversity in fiction is importantWhat to do if you’re afraid to approach writing diverse charactersSensitivity readersWhat you need to researchHow to include diverse characters when you yourself are not diverseThis week’s question is: Tell us a book you’ve enjoyed with diverse characters.
Recommendation of the week is: Jay’s Gay Agenda by Jason June
***This show uses affiliate links
Diversity resources:
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
The Antiracist: How to Start the Conversation about Race and Take Action by Kondwani Fidel
How to Write Black Characters: An Incomplete Guide by Salt and Sage Books
Find out more about Eliana on:
Rebel of the Week is: Laura Rye
If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com or instagram me @sachablackauthor
No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack
This Show is Sponsored by ProWritingAid
Find out more about ProWritingAid here.
DISCOUNT CODE: REBEL25
The post 102 How to Write Diverse Characters with Eliana West appeared first on Sacha Black.
September 1, 2021
101 Author Headshots Making the Most of your Photographer with Ed Crowther
Hello Rebels, welcome to episode 101 of The Rebel Author Podcast. Today, I’m talking to Ed Crowther, professional photographer.
In this episode we cover:
Why you need a headshotHow a shoot worksConsiderations for tone and mood of photosHow to prepare for a shootCommon mistakes in shootsThis week’s question is: Have you got a professional headshot?
Recommendation of the week is: Life in a Fishbowl by Len Vlahos
***this show uses affiliate links
Events I mentioned are:
The York Writers Conference 2021. Three days, nine guest speakers, and plenty of opportunity to network and chat with authors from all over. Sessions include writer’s craft and marketing workshops. Join Friday evening for a virtual cocktail party with opening remarks from our honorary patron, Terry Fallis. Then workshops begin Saturday with a lunchtime Keynote with Andrew Pyper and of course, Sacha Black.
When: October 22-24, 2021
Where: Zoom – Register here
Find out more about Ed at:
Rebel of the Week is: Sarah W. Sparx
If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com or instagram me @sachablackauthor
No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack
The post 101 Author Headshots Making the Most of your Photographer with Ed Crowther appeared first on Sacha Black.
May 9, 2017
Book Review: One of Us is Lying #TuesdayBookBlog
I’ve been absent for a while, trying to make a decision about what to do with this website, but also because I’ve been reading a lot of non-fiction which I don’t read here.
Here is a fiction review, at last!
Today I’m reviewing One of Us is Lying by Karen M McManus.
This was very nearly a disaster book because I struggled to get into the beginning. Thank god I persisted because it ended up fantastic! Something that surprised me, as usually, my first impressions are right. What’s the last book that surprised you?
Amazon Blurb
The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars in this story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide.
Pay close attention and you might solve this.
On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app.
Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon’s dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose?
Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.
Published 1st June 2017, buy from AmazonUK, AmazonCOM
Plot
The plot was good, I did kind of guess the ending, but that didn’t matter. But like I saw throughout this review, it didn’t matter because I loved the story.
My biggest criticism for this book was the beginning, I think this is personal though and not a detriment to the story.
I struggled to follow and keep up with the characters especially at the start because the story is told from four different characters POVs. One of the names (Addy) to my limited knowledge is unisex, that confused me, I thought it was a boy, it wasn’t. It was a girl. I think there is a trend in YA to avoid too many characters POVs because we millennials have limited attention spans! Or so they say.
Nonetheless, once I got the characters, I flew through the book. It was a quick guilty pleasure type read and one of those easily demolishable in a night ones, something I love doing.
Overall, this is an awesome high school whodunit with loads of teenage angst thrown in. What more could a YA-loving girl ask for?
Characters
The characters are a little cliched in their social group archetypes but it’s okay, because once you get to know them you end up loving each of them and their floors. Well played to the author because their flaws were central to the plot and I LOVED that. Their floors made them suspects in the murder, so not only did we watch the characters grow through their arcs, we watch them get hung by the police for them too.
There was a love story between two characters which given the characters was also kind of borderline between cliché and trope, but you know what? I freaking loved it anyway. I loved how it developed. I loved how it ended. I loved the arc of it, and the cute first love-ness of it (that’s totes a word). Not Guna lie, I swooned and sighed a little bit over their love story.
Ending
The ending was awesome for so many reasons. I did see the murderer coming a little way out. But that didn’t matter because the explanation and how it came to bear was really well done, so I loved the ending anyway. I also did not see the side characters involvement till much later, right before it happened in fact so kudos to the author, it’s hard to pull the wool over my eyes these days so I am impressed.
There was a point at the start of the epilogue where I thought I wasn’t going to get the ending I wanted, I was terrified after a great book that she had ruined it by not giving me what I wanted. BUT, I did!! Right at the final hour and my god was it satisfying. I won’t say anymore detail wise because it would spoil the plot.
Overall
This is a super awesome high school whodunit, full of drama, angst and a little bit of love thrown in. The characters are well developed, I liked all bar one of them. The author has a lovely smooth voice that you slip into and before you know it, hundreds of pages have disappeared. Four stars overall, just because the beginning confused me. But I highly recommend this book.
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March 14, 2017
Book Review: All The Forever Things #TuesdayBookBlog
This week brings All The Forever Things by Jolene Perry. A great YA book about a girl that lives in a funeral home.
I loved almost everything about this book, the setting was great, and I loved the impact living in a home had on the main character.
I’ve never read a book set in a funeral home, so this was a new one for me. It’s one of many books I’ve read recently that are YA but not YA fantasy, and I think this one stood out.
Amazon Blurb
From growing up in the funeral home her family runs, Gabriella knows that death is a part of life and nothing is forever. Yet Bree, her best friend, has been a constant; it’s always been the two of them together against the world. But when Bree starts dating a guy―the worst guy― from that ultra-popular world, suddenly she doesn’t have time for Gabe anymore. Now the only one at school who wants to spend time with “Graveyard Gabe” is Hartman, the new guy, but Gabe, not wanting to lose her mind over a boyfriend the way Bree has, holds back. It takes a very strange prom night (with the family hearse instead of a limo) for Gabe to truly fall for Hartman. But when she leaves the after-prom party with him, she’s not there for Bree―or for the deadly accident that happens that night. Bree survives, but will she and Gabe ever be able to rebuild their friendship?
Published 1st April 2017. Buy it from AmazonUK, AmazonCOM
Image from Amazon
I liked all the forever things, I was left with a warm and fuzzy feeling in my tummy.
I connected with the main character, although I do think the author got a little confused between what she thought she was in her mind and how she was being represented on the page. Perry made out like Gabe was selfish and that she was in the wrong for what happened to her and Bree’s relationship. But I’m not sure I got that. I think she was just a young girl, desperate to keep her friend. She didn’t come across selfish to me and in some respects, the fact Gabe backed down, and apologised was a bit disappointing.
I loved the concept of this story and the fact Gabe had become numb to emotion because she was constantly surrounded by death. I would have liked to have seen the change and growth of feeling start earlier on rather than all at the end. But despite that, the growth that was there at the end was really good. I loved the flip from things are temporary to things are forever, and some of the philosophical moments attached to that really touched me.
I really enjoyed the relationship between Gabe and Hartman, I smiled and laughed so many times during their moments together in this story.
I wasn’t so keen on the relationship between Gabe and Bree, it felt controlling and possessive and it didn’t really ever change from that. I’d have liked to of seen some growth there too or some kind of character arc. I didn’t like the fact that Gabe never stood up for herself. It felt like things happened to the character rather than her curate them. Perhaps that was how the story was written. But my personal preference is for the character to be more active.
That being said, I would definitely read another book by this author.
My thanks to NetGalley and Albert Whitman and Co for an advanced copy.
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March 7, 2017
Book Review: It Started With Goodbye #Tuesdaybookblog
Netgalley, if you don’t use it, is a fantastic tool for readers and writers alike. It’s provided me the opportunity to both read my genre and wider, for free, in exchange for a review. You can review on Amazon/Goodreads or as a blogger.
Obviously, you can then (for a price) put your own books on there.
This week I’m reviewing It Started With Goodbye, by Christina June. A good little novel about a girl who got accused of a crime. It then details her summer of penance.
Amazon Blurb
“Sixteen-year-old Tatum Elsea is bracing for the worst summer of her life. After being falsely accused of a crime, she’s stuck under stepmother-imposed house arrest and her BFF’s gone ghost. Tatum fills her newfound free time with community service by day and working at her covert graphic design business at night, which includes trading emails with a cute cello-playing client. If Tatum is reading his emails right, her virtual Prince Charming is funny, smart, and talented-and he seems to think the same about her. Too bad he’s spending his summer across the ocean in Ireland…not that Tatum would be allowed to go on a date anyway. But over the course of the summer, Tatum will learn that sometimes going after what you want means breaking all the rules. And when Tatum discovers she’s not the only one in the house keeping secrets, she finds she has the chance to make amends with her family and friends. Equipped with a new perspective, and assisted by her feisty step-abuela-slash-fairy-godmother, Tatum is ready to start fresh and maybe even get her happy ending along the way. A modern play on the Cinderella story arc, Christina June’s IT STARTED WITH GOODBYE will appeal to fans of Sarah Dessen, Stephanie Perkins, and Jennifer E. Smith.”
Released 15th June 2017 buy it from AmazonCOM, AmazonUK
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Image from Amazon
My Review
I wish I had read the blurb properly and in full because it would have alerted me to the fact that this has an HEA. For those of you that don’t know what an HEA is, it’s:
Happily Ever After Ending.
Plot
For me Happily Ever After (HEA) endings are a bit too twee. In romance, they can work. But for my personal preference, I prefer for the hero to at least come out with some wound, no matter how small.
In a way, this book had the reverse. It started out with the protagonist Tate, having been caught up in something illegal, but (and minor spoiler here) it’s obvious from the outset that she didn’t do it.
The thrust of the story is her summer spent doing community service and building a business.
There isn’t much plot. Not a lot goes on, and it’s very family centric. So it felt a little flat to me. It also has an extremely happy ending.
Characters
Despite that, I actually REALLY liked the main character, right up to the point she caved. I loved her in the first 85% of this book, her rebellion, her determination, her mindset. It was fantastic. But she basically rolls over and apologises when she didn’t do anything wrong. So it was a very hard pill for me to swallow that she understood the situation from her parents perspective. I’m a parent… and I didn’t. They over reacted.
Romance
This is ultimately a romance story. Have to say, I loved the romance between the two characters. The mystery lover boy wasn’t much of a reveal to me, it was blatantly obvious from the start, but perhaps that is because I am an adult reading a young adult’s novel. Despite it not being much of a reveal, I really did adore the romance, it was beautiful and funny and I laughed several times in the story.
Overall
The characters are great, June nailed them, the romance also made me smile, and at times the story made me laugh out loud. For me, the ending could have been tweaked a fraction to make it a smidge more grounded, and I would have liked a little more up and down tension in the plot. But overall an enjoyable read, nice and quick too if you fancy an easy read one evening.
My thanks to Netgalley and Zonderkidz Books for an advanced copy.
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February 28, 2017
Book Review: The Inconceivable Life of Quinn #TuesdayBookBlog
The inconceivable life of Quinn by Marianna Barr was surprising. I really thought I would love it, and it’s not that I didn’t, it’s just that the ending came way out of left field. So much so, that it left me feeling unsatisfied. Which is a massive shame, because the rest of the book was awesome.
Amazon Blurb:
“Quinn Cutler is sixteen and the daughter of a high-profile Brooklyn politician. She’s also pregnant, a crisis made infinitely more shocking by the fact that she has no memory of ever having sex. Before Quinn can solve this deeply troubling mystery, her story becomes public. Rumors spread, jeopardizing her reputation, her relationship with a boyfriend she adores, and her father’s campaign for Congress. Religious fanatics gather at the Cutlers’ home, believing Quinn is a virgin, pregnant with the next messiah. Quinn’s desperate search for answers uncovers lies and family secrets—strange, possibly supernatural ones. Might she, in fact, be a virgin?”
The Inconceivable Life of Quinn is out on 4th April 2017 to Pre-Order it here: AmazonUK, AmazonCOM
3 out of 5 stars
Plot
The premise of this book is that a 16-year-old girl, who happens to be a virgin and the daughter of a political candidate, ends up pregnant. Nobody knows how or why she’s pregnant, and throughout the book, she maintains her position that she is a virgin.
Image from Amazon
The premise was great when I read the blurb I was really intrigued as to how this would play out. I really wanted to know how she got pregnant. And the thing is, I really thought I would find out, and in a way I did, but also I didn’t.
The style of the book is written in, is a really easy to read, nice and quick, flowing prose. I was sucked in, and despite the plot not being particularly fast or complicated, the characters had a lot of depth and I really enjoyed reading the story.
Chekhov’s Gun
The biggest problem for me was that the author made an omission. There is a lesson for writers here around Chekhov’s gun. Chekhov’s gun is a theory that says don’t show the readers a gun in a scene, unless later on the gun will be used or have a purpose.
Now, the whole book was based on a pregnancy that we wanted to find out the answer to who the father was. It was set in a real world with no fantastical elements. So when Barr pulled out a DNA test and tested two of the lads that were probable candidates, I expected to find out who the father was (at some point). Without giving too much away, the ending did not explicitly tell us who the father was. Instead, it used mythology and an extraordinary mythological based reason for the pregnancy.
Personally, I couldn’t equate the DNA test with the mythology. Either tell us who the father was via DNA or leave it out. It was very distracting given the books ending an explanation for the pregnancy. I was just left feeling frustrated and like I hadn’t really got an answer. It felt, unfinished.
Characters
The characters were good, I felt for the main character, I liked the protagonists parents and how they shit they were as parents. But I would have liked to seen a bit more depth to the father in particular because he was such a great complex character, and I didn’t quite get enough page time from him.
Overall
I think this author, is a great writer. I really like her style, her prose, and the way she sucks you into the story. Unfortunately, the ending really didn’t do it for me, and I felt there was a huge dissonance between the real-life setting of the rest of the book and the fantastical ending. That being said, I would definitely read other books written by this author, she’s really engaging and one to look out for.
Will you read the book? Let me know in the comments below.
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