Leon Stevens's Blog, page 118
January 7, 2022
First Free Book Friday of 2022 / The Return of the Interview: In (a new) Conversation With . . . Me!
I haven’t done a self interview in a while, and since I have a new book out, I thought it was time.
Whatcha doin’?
Not much, you?
Same. Working on anymore interviews?
I have two scheduled in January, but nothing right now.
We haven’t done one for a while either. Maybe we should?
Who will interview whom?
Rock, paper, scissors?
You’re on!
[in unison] Rock. Paper. Scissors.
Rock
Rock
[in unison] Rock. Paper. Scissors.
Rock
Rock. Why do you always pick rock?
Nothing beats rock.
Paper does.
Does it now …? Again.
[in unison] Rock. Paper. Scissors.
Paper
Paper
This isn’t going to work, is it?
Not if we keep picking the same thing.
What if we pick the one who has done something interesting?
Sounds fair.
What did you do?
I read a book. You?
I wrote a book.
Well, well. Aren’t you fancy . . .
In Conversation With: Leon Stevens
I’m hanging out with author Leon Stevens. I just heard you wrote a book.
[whispering] You are supposed to offer me a beverage.
Oh yeah, I forgot. Would you like a beverage?
No thanks, I’m good.
[silence] . . . Sigh, really? . . . Why don’t you tell me about your book?
Well, it’s a continuation of one of my short stories from—
The Knot at the End of the Rope. Yeah, I read it.
I know you read it—wait . . . How did you do that?
Do what?
Speak in italics.
I don’t reveal my secrets. Please, continue. Why continue a story?
Many of my stories, like a good short story, tend to end leaving the reader to think or to ponder about what may or may not happen.
Like a cliff hanger?
No, more like an open ending. Some readers commented that some stories left them wanting more, which was my intent, but the more I thought about it, the more ideas came to me.
So why continue The View from Here?
You have to teach me how to do that.
Later. Go on.
Anyway, I never felt I wrapped that story up effectively. Sure, I created a natur—
Hey, no spoilers!
I don’t think I’m giving anything away. Anyway, I changed the ending of the short story to allow it to continue.
You can do that?
Sure. I’m the writer.
Cool. So . . . not a short story then?
Nope. It’s my longest yet, 30 000+ words. So, it’s a novella.
Do people read novellas? Doesn’t that just make you a lazy novelist?
Books don’t have to be long epics to be good. Some of the greatest books are novellas.
Right. Name five.
Umm, sure. Be right back.
[silence]
Animal Farm, Of Mice and Men, Slaughterhouse Five, A Clockwork Orange, and The Call of the Wild.
Did you just Google that?
Maybe. But you have to admit, those is some fine readin’.
Yeah. You’re right. Are you happy with it?
Yeah. I think I wrote a pretty good story. And a cool cover. Want to see?
Sure!
Nice. Have you stopped writing poetry then?
Stopped? No. Slowed down? Definitely. I think poetry comes from many places but is always sparked by an intense emotion. Maybe I’m in a level emotional state right now. I’m working on putting all my latest poems into a collection called, A Wonder of Words.
You mean, A Wonder of Words.
Show off.
Care to share a poem?
Sure. Here’s the title poem:
Very nice. Reminds me when as a child I learned that a bunch of crows was called a ‘murder’. I thought that was pretty cool.
And a parliament of owls. Yeah, that was the catalyst for it.
Got a cover yet?
Tentatively. Here it is:
[Ding]
Pizza’s ready.
That’s good because I was getting hungry and bored. Let’s eat.
I thought you were going to show me how to do that italics thing?
It’s all in the control. i will show you later.
What’s with the lower case—oh, I get it! Nice!
Nice. Now let’s eat before it gets cold.
See (and hear) my first two self interviews, plus many other authors.
https://linesbyleon.com/the-interviews/
The story behind Free Book Friday:
I’ve met many authors and readers during my time marketing, cross-promoting, and blogging. I think writers have a responsibility to inform readers about all the indie authors out there in the very crowded world of book publishing. You can’t do it alone, and why would you when you have a supportive group available?
Readers don’t just read one author – they stick with their favorite genres. There lies the power in cross-promotion. If one of my readers buys a book from an author I promote, then chances are there will be a reciprocal effect, or so is the hope. Do I want to boost sales? Of course I do. Do I want to boost other’s sales? Why not. It’s called karma.
Free BooksThere are few opportunities for poets on both platforms so I decided to try a year long page for the free offerings. I’ll try to add more throughout the year.
Ongoing in 2022: BookFunnel
Ongoing in 2022: StoryOriginLeon Stevens is a blogger, composer, artist, and an author of four books (so far): Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures, Journeys: Eight Original Pieces for Classical Guitar, The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories, and The View from Here, a science fiction novella to be released in March 2022.
Purchase paperback directly for the author!
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January 6, 2022
Again Today – Guest Post by Leon Stevens — The Yellow Brick Ave
I read on of Joy’s poems on her blog that reminded me of one I wrote.
Photo by Leon Stevens
I saw that guy again on my walk today
Again Today – Guest Post by Leon Stevens — The Yellow Brick Ave
January 5, 2022
Weird Wednesday: Spam, Spam, Spam, Wonderful Spam.
To quote Monty Python, “I’ll have your Spam, Dear. I love Spam.”
Well, I don’t love it, there’s just an odd ‘like‘ there. I haven’t had it in quite some time though. As a child, there was often the knock-off, Klik in the cupboard, usually after dad’s hunting trip. Beans and Klik. There’s a tent you don’t want to be in.
But, potted meat is not want this is about.
Dear Occupant, 1-877 numbers, “Lovely ladies waiting”—that kind of spam.
The phone calls are incessant. If I don’t answer, it will often go to voicemail. Apparently, I have either:
Won a cruise (Yeah, I’m going on one of those at this time)Have an inheritance to collectI’m in arrearsSomething’s wrong with my banking/tax informationThere is also an odd countdown from 10 that ends anticlimactically.
Sometimes I’ll answer because the number appears to be local, but if there is no response, I’ll hang up and block the number. I still get at least one or two/day.
As an author, I get many emails from “reviewers”, “SEO experts”, “promoters”, “screenplay adapters”. As a blogger, well . . .if you blog on WordPress, then you know that the system does redirect spam comments.
I think it does a pretty good job because I don’t seem to let any through on my posts, and there are a lot of them. I forgot to clean them out for a while—which is the impetus for the post.
So, I’ll do some cleaning today, recycling junk mail and flyers, erasing my voicemail messages, deleting my spam emails.
But first, by looking through my blog comments, apparently there are some lovely ladies waiting to show me their naughty bits.
My newsletter goes out on Wednesdays:
Lines by Leon Newsletter: January 5
.
Leon Stevens is a blogger, composer, artist, and an author of four books (so far): Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures, Journeys: Eight Original Pieces for Classical Guitar, The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories, and The View from Here, a science fiction novella to be released in March 2022.
Purchase paperback directly for the author!
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Sign up for my newsletter and receive a free eBook of your choice.
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!Contact me!Submit a form.
January 4, 2022
Tuesday Tidbits: New Year, New Purge
“Why am I here, and where is my tidbit?”Whew. I just finished tidying my desk and working area. My first thought was, “Hey, that’s pretty nice faux wood finish (Not really. It’s a pretty crappy old desk, but it keeps stuff off the floor). My second thought was, “I have to clean off those coffee rings.” My third thought was, “That’s a very neglected coaster over there.”
Now that that it done, It was time to purge my mailing list. I’ve written about previous purges:
The Purge (Subscribers): Quality over Quantity
Newsletter Success: Benchmarks
The Purge: Redux
but, This was going to be my biggest yet. I sent it on Monday, to give subscribers time to open (or not), then today I went though the list and kept the ones who opened and did not unsubscribe (2), and then unsubscribed the rest (52). That took my list down to 166. That should improve my open rate and the engagement. I’ve said before that I’d rather have 10 engaged subscribers than 100 duds.
My last open rate was 38%. My newsletter goes out tomorrow to 52 less subscribers. I’ll update you.
-Leon
” Forgetting something?”Leon Stevens is a blogger, composer, artist, and an author of four books (so far): Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures, Journeys: Eight Original Pieces for Classical Guitar, The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories, and The View from Here, a science fiction novella to be released in March 2022.
Purchase paperback directly for the author!
Not ready to purchase yet?
Sign up for my newsletter and receive a free eBook of your choice.
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
January 3, 2022
Free Book Friday on a Monday: Wait. What!?
I spent the weekend getting all my review copies and platforms in order for my novella, The View from Here, and I didn’t want to wait until Friday. If you are interested in doing an advance review, keep reading.
Two heads are better than one.What would you do if you found yourself on or in another world? Do you have the skills and knowledge needed to survive or to make sense of what you see?
Thomas sets out on a hike he has done many times before. Taking only what he needs for the three or four hours he expects to be gone, he passes a vehicle in the parking lot. The handwritten note on the dashboard read: Not Abandoned. The view at the end of the trail was not what he expected—neither were the friendships.
Two people with adventurous spirits, heading off into the unknown with only their physical fitness and combined knowledge to get them through everything they may encounter.
How far could you make it?
If you are interested in reviewing my book, you can receive your preferred format by:
Joining my newsletter: Lines by Leon NewsletterThrough StoryOrigin: The View from Here (requires free account)Direct download: Send me an email with ARC in the subject. Let me know why you would be a good reviewer for this book.Submit a form.Reviews do not have to be long. Even one or two sentences can attract new readers. As for the timeline, I’m hoping that they can be done within 4 weeks of receiving your review copy.
When you have completed your review, please let me know so that I can link it on my website. If you choose not to leave a review for any reason, could you please inform me so that I can remove you from my current reviewers list.
Here are the review links. Please leave a review on any (or all) of the sites. As my book is only available on Amazon at the moment, that would be my preference if you are just going to post on one.
Amazon.com- The View from Here
Final Note: Word of mouth is the best form of advertising, so if you enjoyed the book, please tell your friends and family and share the review on your social media!
I look forward to reading your review.
Yours sincerely,
Leon Stevens
Leon Stevens is a blogger, composer, artist, and an author of four books (so far): Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures, Journeys: Eight Original Pieces for Classical Guitar, The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories, and The View from Here, a science fiction novella to be released in March 2022.
[image error]
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January 1, 2022
Weekend Wra—Wait. Year-end Wrap up
It’s 2022.
The new year used to be the time you would write the wrong date on your checks, but who writes checks anymore. People sometimes make resolutions, but who carries through on those anymore. The night before used to be a time to gather in a big crowd , but who feels like that is a prudent choice anymore.
What about Top Ten lists? Who doesn’t like those right?
d
Top Ten words I used in my blogs:
theaandisofforbutthatIobfuscateTop Ten Annoyances
Spam callsSpam emailSpam commentsAmazonAmazonAmazonRude peopleExpiration datesTik TokTop Ten Sports Bloopers
When the player trippedWhen the fan When the goalie let that one inWhen the slam dunk wasn’t oneWhen the ball got stuckWhen the ball bounced off his headWhen the animal ran on the fieldWhen the racecar wouldn’t startWhen the fan interfered with the playWhat that other funny think happened (that was hilarious)We lost way too many people this year due to the pandemic: 5.5 million
Mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, sisters, brothers, grandparents, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, girlfriends, boyfriends, (is theyfriends a thing?), just friends . . .
We lost many public figures as well, the latest being Rev. Desmond Tutu and actress Betty White. Soon, news programs will air In Memorium segments, and we we will watch and say, “Oh yeah, I forgot about her/him.”
I just heard this song on the radio (who listens to radio anymore?). From way back in 2005. “Happy” New Year everyone.
From my blog this week:Free Book Friday / Top 10 Interview Questions –
Weird Wednesday: Just Cartoons –
Tuesday Tirade: Bad Writing Sells? – Well, I finished the book. No, not mine, well yes, I did finish mine, but that wasn’t the book I wrote about.
Music Monday: Songs You Might Want to Hear / Latest Book Sneak Peek – Who is Andy Shauf?
Leon Stevens is a blogger, composer, artist, and an author of four books (so far): Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures, Journeys: Eight Original Pieces for Classical Guitar, The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories, and The View from Here, a science fiction novella to be released in March 2022.
[image error]
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Oh, pick me!
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December 31, 2021
Free Book Friday / Top 10 Interview Questions
I have a few interviews in the queue for January, so in the meantime, here are a few of my favorite questions—and answers, from 2021:
Musician Abigail de Niverville – The very first question.In 33 1/3 words (see what I did there?) or less, tell me a little about you.
I’m a musician and author from the East Coast, now living in Toronto! I also play the oboe, sing, and write lyrics. I’m very inspired by the places I grew up around back home. Did I do that right?
You’re a little over, but I’ll let it pass.
C. StreetlightsDo you have a favorite meal or snack to eat that other people just think is weird?
I really enjoy rice cakes with peanut butter. People don’t get it and complain about how tasteless and dry rice cakes are, but honestly, with peanut butter it is *chef’s kiss*.
I do like peanut butter. I discovered Jiff Dark Roasted recently. Now that’s…as you put it…*chef’s kiss*.
I am putting that on my shopping list to give it a try. I’m usually a Skippy girl, but the dark roasted sounds delicious.
Effie KammenouYou are of Greek ancestry. Does it bother you when people mispronounce gyro?
Ah, the gyro. With the way it’s spelled, I don’t blame Americans. This is what it looks like in Greek: γύρο. That letter that looks like a y is gamma. But it’s not a hard g. It’s g and y together formed in the back of the throat. Perhaps, if the English spelling dropped the g, it wouldn’t be as mispronounced. And that’s your Greek lesson of the day!
I suppose its that same way with Vietnamese “Pho”.
Yes! That’s another understandable common mistake.
Dani HootsWhat’s something you say that you think is funny, but no one else does?
Werewolf jokes
Care to share one?
How do you stop a werewolf from attacking you? Throw a stick and shout “fetch!”
You mention on your blog “…being an award-winning author who writes with LGBTQ+ themes is hardest of all.” What I find hard is saying the acronym. I’ve seen several other versions: LGBTQ2, LGBTQ2S, LGBTQ2s+, LGBTQIAPK, LGBTQIA+, LGBTQQIP2SAA. Any thoughts for people who may be confused with this?
There are a lot of versions and everything keeps changing. I even wrote a blog about how the gay flag has changed so I understand where people can become confused. I think we should all be focused on making the world a better place for the straight and LGBT+ community. I think the time we spend on what we call ourselves could be better spent on people and not labels.
Kyle A. MassaDo you have a favorite meal or snack to eat that other people just think is weird?
Taco Bell. I have an irrational affection for that place.
I think you should try Maui Taco—if there is still one in Manhattan. There was only one more in the mainland US—at the Minneapolis airport.
Dang, Google tells me there are none left on the mainland. But if I ever make it out to Hawaii, I’ll buy a taco and cheerily announce, “This one’s for Leon.”
That’s sad news. I always looked forward to the mad dash between flights.
Now onto the best of the lightning round:Nicole Pierman
What number am I thinking of?
Number 3 because that’s my favorite number and yours too (from now on).
Ever pick up an armadillo?
No, but they’re really cute
Favorite city?
Drive south of the sleeping lady and her soaring redwoods, cross a golden bridge—where on a clear day you cast your eyes twenty miles out to sea and just make out the islands—and you find it. Most days you hear the foghorns.
You could go to the marina. Today you don’t. You pass an expansive park, housing two grand museums. Then you’re heading down Van Ness. Better stop at Tommy’s Joynt for the world’s best pastrami on rye. Afterward, there are more destinations than you can explore in one day. You might walk the wharf and fight the seagulls over a loaf of the greatest sour dough bread on the planet. Or head to Chinatown, the largest and oldest outside of Asia, for dim sum. Or take in Jackson Pollack at MoMA. Or drive the up-and-down dizzy streets. Or the crookedest. You might take in a ball game or the strains of the world-class symphony orchestra, or simply head to Telegraph Hill for the panoramic view.
Whatever you do, you’re charmed and seduced, and it never leaves your heart.
So … San Francisco.
[Grins]
What number am I thinking of?
11
Close enough.
There you go. Some of the highlights of my first 13 interviews. You can read them all in their entirety here:
https://linesbyleon.com/the-interviews/
The story behind Free Book Friday:
I’ve met many authors and readers during my time marketing, cross-promoting, and blogging. I think writers have a responsibility to inform readers about all the indie authors out there in the very crowded world of book publishing. You can’t do it alone, and why would you when you have a supportive group available?
Readers don’t just read one author – they stick with their favorite genres. There lies the power in cross-promotion. If one of my readers buys a book from an author I promote, then chances are there will be a reciprocal effect, or so is the hope. Do I want to boost sales? Of course I do. Do I want to boost other’s sales? Why not. It’s called karma.
BookFunnel and StoryOrigin Promos
Dec 29 – Jan 26Leon Stevens is a blogger, composer, artist, and an author of four books (so far): Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures, Journeys: Eight Original Pieces for Classical Guitar, The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories, and The View from Here, a science fiction novella to be released in March 2022.
[image error]
Purchase paperback directly for the author!
Not ready to purchase yet?
Sign up for my newsletter and receive a free eBook of your choice.
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
December 29, 2021
Weird Wednesday: Just Cartoons
Got my 3rd shot this morning. With the first two, I didn’t feel too bad, just a bit achy and blah. At least it’s cold out (-30 C), so there is no reason to go out again.
The Untitled
The Miniscules
My newsletter goes out on Wednesdays:
Lines by Leon Newsletter: December 29
.
Leon Stevens is a blogger, composer, artist, and an author of three books (so far): Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures, Journeys: Eight Original Pieces for Classical Guitar and The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories.
Purchase paperback directly for the author!
Not ready to purchase yet?
Sign up for my newsletter and receive a free eBook of your choice.
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!Contact me!Submit a form.
December 28, 2021
Tuesday Tirade: Bad Writing Sells?
“What? It was a dark and stormy night.”I didn’t major in creative writing. I will, at certain times, misuse commas, only because there are too many rules, and as much as I try, it is challenging to remember them all.
I try not to make my writing difficult to understand. Using more common words rather than obscure, recondite, or esoteric ones, enables a reader to focus on the story instead of having to look up or deduce the meaning of a word.
Sure, I’ll use the thesaurus (that’s not a tome shaped dinosaur, by the way), to discover interesting words, and have inserted them in place of, for lack of a better word, bland* ones.
Every writer has their own voice and idiosyncrasies (or foibles**). I tend to be less descriptive in my writing, only because that’s the way I read, skimming over information that I deem unimportant. I think I have been getting better at writing dialogue (but not spelling it), although, my dialogue is usually succinct*** because I think that my characters would have a conversation as most people would.
What was my point? Oh, yes. Bad writing.
I was, well, still am, reading a book by a best selling author. I have read several of his—umm, or her—books in the past, some I have enjoyed, others I found . . . meh.
In previous books, I noticed that many of the sentences were quite short, and would have several in a row, exactly the thing my grammar program would red flag. I’m not adverse to short sentences. They have their place. Not too many, though. That gets boring. Some might say monotonous. Yes. Exactly my point.
In the book I am currently reading, I came across this passage which made me think, “His—or her— editor let this through?“:
Yikes.
I wonder what the countertops in his—or her—kitchen are like?
-Leon
If you have a good example of bad writing, add it in the comment section.
*There are better words: insipid, lackluster, mediocre, vapid, banal, trite, inane, characterless . . .
**Shortcomings
***Brief or concise
Leon Stevens is a blogger, composer, artist, and an author of three books (so far): Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures, Journeys: Eight Original Pieces for Classical Guitar and The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories.
Purchase paperback directly for the author!Not ready to purchase yet?
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December 27, 2021
Open Book Blog Hop Dec 27: Dinner Guest(s)
Thanks to P.J Maclayne for today’s topic.
If you could invite anyone in the world to be your dinner guest, who would you invite?
You could open a book or Google to gain knowledge of a person, but I think to have an opportunity to sit down with someone in your home, in a coffee shop, or a dive bar for a few hours would be a real eye-opener. I would even offer to buy the drinks (secretly hoping for the reply: No, no. It’s on me.) Here are some different people—in no particular order.
Anthony Bourdain: He came across as egotistical, brash, and a bit of a bully, but the more I watched his shows and read his books, the more I was intrigued. During travel, I would visit the places that he did, which was never a poor choice. I would confess that I was not a very good cook, so we would cook together. He tragically took his own life a few years ago.
Herodotus: The original Rick Steves/Lonely Planet guy. Hearing about the history before history became history. This guy travelled and saw most of the Seven Wonders of the World before they succumbed to time—with the exception of the pyramids. All this before it was easy to travel. I’d show him TripAdvisor, and I’m sure he’d be impressed.
Kurt Vonnegut: So many authors to choose from, but he is one of my favorites.
Margaret Atwood: Oh, to pick her brain.
Patrick Stewart: C’mon, how cool would that be.
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop. https://fresh.inlinkz.com/party/7d3ce9d9de2548f3ab2f535442237a99
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
Leon Stevens is a blogger, composer, artist, and an author of three books (so far): Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures, Journeys: Eight Original Pieces for Classical Guitar and The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories.
Purchase paperback directly for the author!Not ready to purchase yet?
Sign up for my newsletter and receive a free eBook of your choice.
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
