Michael C. Sahd's Blog, page 9

It's A Kindle Kind Of Christmas!

Dear Readers,

Today through Christmas, the Kindle edition of "Assassin Marked" is free on Amazon. My wife started the Amazon promotion this morning and by lunch, 11 copies had been purchased. Add it to your to-read list for some fun reading material to entertain you during your time off this Christmas. Feel free to leave a review, and be sure to let me know what you think!



Happy Holidays!

~ Michael C. Sahd

More Star Wars, Artwork, and Editing a Story

Dear readers,

So, the newest Star Wars is out and, apparently, fans are mad. I understand. Although I enjoyed the movie, it left many of the questions I hungered for the answer to . . . hanging. Actually, not just hanging; they basically wrinkled them up and tossed them into a furnace.

But I'm sure you don't want to hear another nerd rant, so enough about Star Wars. If you really want to know more about my opinion, feel free to drop a comment below.

On a different note, I have been editing a story for an acquaintance in exchange for some artwork. I'm sure you've all heard about my continual issues with artists, but hopefully, this will be a mutually beneficial exchange. The idea behind his story shows promise, and after a bit of tidying up, it should be an excellent read for anyone interested in the fantasy/superhero genre. After seeing the artwork that he has previously created, I feel hopeful about his ability to provide me with greatly improved cover art.

Ta-ta for now!

~ Michael C. Sahd

Thanksgiving, Christmas, EQ2, And Star Wars Episode VIII

 

[image error]


EQ2

I’ve been a bit distracted from blogging. I won’t give the “I’ve been too busy” excuse, because I can always squeeze it in. However, a lot is going on, and my mind is focused on other things. For one, I play Everquest 2, and a new expansion just came out. If any of you out there play, you can look me up. My main character’s name is Induere, and I’m on the Maj’Dul Server.

Having a large family has also meant that we had several Thanksgiving dinners spread throughout that week, and this week, we are doing Christmas, too (tomorrow evening and again on Sunday).

In addition to the holiday season, let’s not forget that this is Star Wars weekend! Who’s excited about Episode VIII?

~  Michael C. Sahd

Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi

Thanksgiving, Christmas, EQ2, and Star Wars Episode VIII

I've been a bit distracted from blogging. I won't give the "I've been too busy" excuse, because I can always squeeze it in. However, a lot is going on, and my mind is focused on other things. For one, I play Everquest 2, and a new expansion just came out. If any of you out there play, you can look me up. My main character's name is Induere, and I'm on the Maj'Dul Server.

Having a large family has also meant that we had several Thanksgiving dinners spread throughout that week, and this week we are doing Christmas, too (tomorrow evening and again on Sunday).

In addition to the holiday season, let's not forget that this is Star Wars weekend! Who is excited about Episode VIII?

Rock Climbing At Devil's Throne

In Cerrillos, the small town I grew up in, there stood a gnarled hill with two cliff faces that climbed up to the precipice. The front face, or at least what we considered the face, looked as though the Devil's large boar-like head burst up from the earth, his snout extending through the boulders piled around it. As children, we leaped from boulder to boulder until we climbed to the top of the snout. We shied away from climbing higher than the snout on the face of this hill, as it seemed crumbly, steep, and dangerous.

Devil's Throne side
However, the other cliff face, although completely vertical, had solid grips and hand holds. This side of the hill had been cut away to allow the train tracks to run past. I had spent many hours climbing this cliff, but the most exhilarating moment happened when a friend and I crossed a ledge no more than four inches across and close to 100 ft in the air. The wind slapped our hair and clothes around us. As I crossed this ledge, my heels and back tight against the rock, I could see the sheer drop below me, and I thought about going around; however, at the point I decided this, I would have had to shift my weight and start going that direction, and that was not happening. So, after ten or so feet, we crossed over to the unknown crevice, which fortunately had the hand holds to go the rest of the way up instead of back across the ledge.

This fits into one of those experiences that can make good stories. I may one day include some variation of this one. 

Devil's Throne front

Taboo Words In Writing

Saturday evenings, we visit our local comic book shop for board game night. This evening, we played a game called Taboo. To play the game, a minimum of four players must split into two groups. One player on the team draws a card that the player must use to give hints to the others on his/her team so that they can guess the word at the top of the card.

The clue giver cannot use the word or any parts of the word. In addition, the card lists five or six related words that are taboo, meaning that the clue giver must avoid using those words in their hints as well. Guessing the word will score the team a point; however, if the clue giver uses a taboo word, the team loses a point. A short timer allows the team to guess as many cards as they can in the time limit, then the other team gets a chance to score points.

When writing a story, there are also taboo words; we call them "to be" verbs. A writer should avoid using these words as often as possible, because, more often than not, a more colorful verb will describe a better action. Sometimes "to be" verbs are required . . . er . . . . Sometimes a sentence requires the use of "to be" verbs, such as sentences that contain no action described. Here are a couple of examples of sentences that are devoid of action:
[image error]

"My name is Michael."
"Black is my favorite color."

Take a look at something you recently wrote. Try removing "to be" verbs from your writing and compare the before and after. Did you find that making these changes paints a more colorful story? I typically do.

Tips From The King

Stephen King is one of my favorite authors because he writes about the characters instead of the story. The story just happens to the characters. In this video, Stephen King gives a few pointers.

If writing guides your passions, then Stephen King's book On Writing  will provide you with excellent tips.


I read On Writing, and I feel that it helped me quite a bit. I posted links if you are interested. Sometimes hearing from someone successful can provide us with a little motivation. Which author motivates you to write? Let me know in the comments below.

Goodreads -- A Book Lover's Social Media Platform

In case you haven't heard, readers have their very own social media platform. The website I'm referring to is called Goodreads, and it contains a plethora of tools for a reader. Most importantly, it keeps a list of books for you. You can list every book that you've read, plan to read, or are currently in the process of reading. You can also link your Amazon account to Goodreads so that it can keep track of your Kindle books as you read them.

Like a social media site, you can have a profile to tell other people about yourself. You can make new friends or connect with old ones, join groups, and participate in discussions. You can also see what your friends are currently reading and what they have previously read, as well as their ratings and reviews for different books.

Some other nice features include setting a goal for how many books you wish to read for the year, and the ability to search for new books that you may enjoy. Sometimes, authors offer ARC copies of their book to Goodreads users before the book is actually released. Keep your eyes peeled for those, and you can read the latest and the greatest before they're even available to the public!

If you'd like, you can send me a friend request at my Goodreads account. I hope to see you there!

The Best Tent Camping Guide: From Novice To Expert by Darren Kirby Book Review

The Best Tent Camping Guide: From Novice To Expert by Darren Kirby
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Best Tent Camping Guide: From Novice To Expert

In The Best Tent Camping Guide: From Novice To Expert, Darren Kirby offers many excellent tips for the prospective camper, beginning with a list of items to bring (and not to bring) on your first camping trip.

Unlike many how-to or self-help books, the author of this book comes off as a friend or mentor rather than an authority figure. He takes you by the hand and gently guides you through the process, from your very first thoughts of camping all the way to the moment you take the next prospective camper under your experienced wing.

I enjoyed the conversational tone of this book, and the information and advice contained within it is sound. Although the grammatical errors can be distracting at times, the writing is good overall. I would recommend this book to someone who is thinking of camping.

***I received a review copy of this book; however, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.


View all my reviews

Lord Of The Flies by William Golding Book Review

Lord of the Flies by William Golding
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**Spoiler alert**

A group of young children survive a plane crash on an uninhabited island. Quickly, the survivors attempt to recreate civilization by creating a tribe and voting for a leader. The tribe quickly dissolves into anarchy. Only a handful of the children grasp onto civilization and rationale through the entire book. By the end of the book, most of the children have lost their innocence and degraded into barbarians.

The book illustrates a great adventure story with plenty of action. I can’t say I cared for William Golding’s writing style, but the story and the meaning behind it makes this book well worth the read. Lord of the Flies symbolically shows the bestial nature of the human race.

The symbols that I found the most interesting were:

First, the title, Lord of the Flies, is the translation for Beelzebub (a demon, and in some cases, Satan). I understand that Beelzebub is the demon of decay and famine, symbolizing what happens to the children's innocence and sense of civility while on the island.Piggy, the one child in the book who insists on civilization, is a pudgy, asthmatic, almost-blind boy. Ironically (or perhaps predictably), he is also the most intelligent and rational. I understand a person like Piggy needs civilization to survive, but I think the portrait of this character says something about a different kind of decay when humans depend too much on civilization.Finally, the children are rescued by the British Navy, which is off to go fight in one of the bloodiest wars in history. I believe this rescue is to tie together how the story told on the island reflects the degradation of humanity as a whole.

Overall, I give this book four stars because it is amazing, despite the distracting writing style.

View all my reviews