K.A. Ashcomb's Blog, page 71

Book Review: Lord of the Flies by William Golding

[image error]I finished listening to this classic. I can see why it has kept its place in the best 100 novels. I’m ashamed that it has taken me this long to get around to read Lord of the Flies. Yes, I have seen the movies, but both of us know they are not the same. Inspired by the audiobook, I bought a copy for my nephew to read. I hope he finds time for reading from all the games. I’m glad he reads but older he gets the less interest he has for books. Why I bought Lord of the Flies for him was not only...

Writing: Writing Characters and Giving Them a Voice

[image error]

 

Greetings from under the table! Holidays are almost over, but most of you still have time to procrastinate. I thought this would be a good opportunity to take time to think about characters from our own writing and other author’s books. I have always been character- and story-centric reader and as it turns out a writer as well. Worldbuilding comes only after those two. How about you? Worldbuilder or character driven discovery writer?

How do you create a character? Do you look around and ma...

Writing/Self-publishing: Friends and Relatives

[image error]It is that time of the year families and friends come together to share bread, presents, and insults. There is no better time to write a rant about writing and its relation to loved ones.

I have heard about this unicorn called writer with family support. It is as rarely seen as a common dragon. When I started writing, there was this hope I could live from it, understanding how rare that is in the current market or any market. But I had no other choice. After graduating from Uni with MA, I had...

Book Review: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

[image error]I finally read The Name of the Wind. I kept putting it off because when it came out, I was tired of epic fantasy and read old sci-fi books. Now I’m glad I went back and read it. Patrick Rothfuss knows how to write. The opening was amazing. It had that sang feeling. But I have to say I think I’ve read my share of epic fantasy as the story even when it was so so so well made did nothing for me. Actually, the main character’s perfection annoyed me. Not enough to hate him and not enough to stop r...

Book Review: The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes

[image error]This was a weird book not only because of the opening was confusing but because the book hit the right marks and had the right moments and yet it felt wrong. I wanted to like the book and care for the characters but I couldn’t. Maybe it was because I have seen and read the same stories before or it was that the book felt thin and unreal.

I’m not sure how to explain this feeling of mine as I wrote that the book had the right story, characters, happenings, and nothing at all. The Somnambulist i...

Book Review: Hogfather by Terry Pratchett

[image error]Hogfather is one of my favorite Discworld novels, and there is no better time to read it than now as Hogswatch is coming. What makes it one of the best Terry Pratchett’s books is that it has a well thought out plot, amazing characters, deep insight into life, humans, and social issues, and Death as a “Santa Claus.” If you haven’t read Hogfather, there is still time to get the book and read it before the d-day.

The book is all about belief and how humans need it to survive. And I wonder why Te...

Free Book: Self-Publishing: Worth of Luck for Free

Hello everyone!

It is that time of the year I can be festive and offer you something for free. You can get my ebook Worth of Luck for free between December 16th and 18th. It would mean a world to me if you bought it. It would be like my early Christmas present. Okay, it might be fun for you as it has rabbits, carrots, gods, and all sort of nasty people.

You don’t only need to trust my word. Lana Gray wrote: “I loved this book! It was fun and clever, very vivid and descriptive, pulling me into...

Book Review: Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

[image error]Hello everyone! I’m perplexed. I’m not sure what Annihilation was. That much I know, it was fascinating, kept me reading, and it was unlike anything I had read before. It had that old time sci-fi feeling, but yet it felt like horror without the fear element. Usually, I dislike the first person narrative, but this book demanded it. The voice was well done.

As a book Annihilation is a short and quick read. It is well written, and the mystery keeps intriguing the reader despite the writer string...

Self-Publishing: Marketing Versus Publishing a New Book Fast

Hi-ya! I have been wondering which is more important, doing constant marketing or getting the next book out as soon as possible. This might not be a contradiction to some, but for me, marketing takes energy, focus, and time away from my writing. As you may have noticed, I have not focused on marketing as much as I should, but today I heard someone to make a buying decision they have to have seen your product seven times. That is a lot of blasting your book/product on social media to reach all...

Book Review: Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

[image error]Neil Gaiman has been one of my favorite authors since my youth. He hooked me with his Sandman series, and with American Gods, he convinced me he is a great writer. But yet I was reluctant to pick up Norse Mythology. I wasn’t sure what new the book could bring. But once again I was mistaken. It is a good thing I go against my foolish initial thoughts. I listened to the book as an audiobook narrated by Neil Gaiman himself. I got the appeal. Neil had made the legends into more personal stories....