Leon Stevens's Blog, page 34
October 14, 2024
Music Monday Oct 13: Golden Oldies, Really Oldie.
“You’re listening to WMED, rocking the shores of the eastern Mediterranean form our studio on the third platform in downtown Ugarit. This morning show is brought to you by Kaliz’s Olives. You’ve never had an olive until you’ve had a Kaliz olive. Available everywhere olives are sold.
And now, Let’s hear the latest hit, Hurrian Hymn #6. The last hymn spent 3 weeks on the charts after ousting Hymn #4 from the top spot. Let me just get this clay tablet onto the turntable…
Sorry folks, I seem to be having technical difficulties because the needle keeps skipping out of the cuneiform inscriptions…”
It’s amazing that we still have that audio recording from 1400 BCE, oh, and the clay tablet as well which was unearthed in Syria in the 1950s.
There have been several interpretations of the musical information, some with instrumental accompaniment, but since the musical system is unknown, there is probably a margin of error of +/- a lot. But most agree it is a Hymn to Nikkal, an Ugaritic/Canaanite (and later Phoenician) goddess of orchards, whose name means “Great Lady and Fruitful.”
We would have to wait 1600 years for the first compete musical composition to be engraved on an ancient marble column used to mark a woman’s gravesite in Turkey.
-Leon
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words, and his latest sci-fi mystery, Euphrates Vanished.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Free books? Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and choose one or more!
books.linesbyleon.com/Newslettersignup
October 13, 2024
Songs for a Sunday: Tokyo Police Club
I know what you are thinking. Who the heck is Tokyo Police Club and why are you featuring them after they release their final two songs before they disband in 2024?
Tokyo Police Club is a band from Newmarket, Ontario. I did not know they were Canadian.I’m featuring them because I like the two songs they released this year.Here are a couple of earlier hits they’ve had:
-Leon
Want to read more music blogs? Here are some of the ones I follow: Mostly Music Covers, Take it Easy, Beetley Pete, A Sound Day, PowerPop… An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture, SuperdekesVinylReviews, Fox Reviews Rock
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words, and his latest sci-fi mystery, Euphrates Vanished.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Free books? Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and choose one or more!
books.linesbyleon.com/Newslettersignup
October 11, 2024
Free Book Friday Oct 11: Too soon?
On Wednesday I shared a possible cover for book two of my latest sci-fi series. On Thursday, I started writing book three. There’s a problem, though.
I’m not done book two yet.
But I needed to get a start on it because I would like to get both books out next year. And since I’m a slow writer, maybe it’s a good idea to get a head start.
Maybe.
-Leon
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. Therein 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.
Some free book offers require a newsletter sign-up, which is a small non-monetary price to pay to try out a new indie author.
Reads From StoryOriginStoryOrigin allows authors to advertise their books to each other’s audience. I hope you have been able to discover a new favorite!
Free Books/KU
Sales/Purchase Links Last chance!
Review Copies (These are free!)Review copies: Like reviewing books? Try my two poetry collections: Lines by Leon and A Wonder of Words
Newsletter:Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book (poetry or science fiction): Leon’s Newsletter
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words, and his latest sci-fi mystery, Euphrates Vanished.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Free books? Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and choose one or more!
books.linesbyleon.com/Newslettersignup
October 10, 2024
Thursday Thoughts: Numbers
I can’t be afraid to pump my books. How else are readers going to discover them, right? You do run the risk of annoying some people, but the key is to change things up regularly and not post the same thing all the time. You also have to provide entertainment to everyone who follows you or subscribes to your newsletter.
In the end, it’s one of two things that will create sales for your books (other than the obvious—having well written books), numbers and dedicated fans of your work.
I’m sitting at 650 newsletter subscribers, and of those, about 50% open my bi-weekly sendings on a regular basis. But do they buy my books?
It’s so difficult to tell even though I do see that a few have clicked on purchase links. I think the telling stat is from my last presale offering. If half of the subscribers that open my newsletter bought Euphrates Vanished, I would have had ~150 presales. But that might be over ambitious as many of them do prefer the free book offerings, so let’s try for 10% of my subscribers, that’s reasonable, right? So, 30 presales. I would have be happy with that.
But, alas, I only had 5 presales. Needless to say I was a bit disappointed, but that’s how things go in the indie author world, with so many books to choose from, it takes a tremendous effort to stand out in the crowd.
It’s getting close to five years of being an author, so what do I have to show for it?
The Kindle Unlimited pages add up to about 225 total books, so I’m sitting at 1335 books. Now some of those are free downloads, but they are still in the hands of readers, although I suspect many of the freebies have been left unread on a Kindle reader.
Not huge numbers, but hey, I’ll take them.
-Leon
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words, and his latest sci-fi mystery, Euphrates Vanished.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Free books? Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and choose one or more!
books.linesbyleon.com/Newslettersignup
October 9, 2024
Weird Wednesday: Spoiler Alert – Cover Reveal
How much do you want to know about a book before you read it? Blurbs on back covers have to tell you the main gist of the story without giving too much away. So when you write a sequel or prequel to a book, it’s easy to ruin the first book if a reader hasn’t read it.
With book one of my trilogy, The View from Here, I wanted the reader to make discoveries at the same time Thomas did in his adventure, my blurb stated:
When Thomas sets out for a hike he has done many times before, he never expected to find himself with a stranger, navigating through a newly discovered world hidden from view at the end of the trail.
If you read the blurbs on the next two books, it does give away some details in the first book that are better to be experienced first.
When I was writing Euphrates Vanished, I wanted the reader to experience the same mystery as the main character does at the same time, so my blurb was as vague as I could make it while still creating a tantalizing teaser:
A young man wakes up to the sound of his alarm and the announcement blaring. Looking around the room, he realizes he is a member of a starship crew. There’s only one problem: he doesn’t remember who he is or how he got there. With no time to think, he finds his way to the bridge, while being careful not to call attention to his predicament.
The first problem is piecing together the puzzle of his missing memories to reveal his knowledge, rank, and friendships. Another problem is being stranded on an alien planet during his first away mission.
Now, with the prequel 2/3s complete, it was time to start thinking about what to put on the back. If some one reads that blurb, it does give away some information that was slowly revealed in book one—which obviously is meant to be read first.
Next was the cover. Ahh, covers. I’ve written a few posts about my book covers process. I do make my own for two reasons. One: money, and two: I get exactly what I want.
Tuesday Tidbits (Feb 15): Under the Covers
Free Book Friday Oct 20: Book or Not a Book
So where is the cover you ask? It is at the very bottom of the page past all the stuff nobody ever scrolls through…until now. So if you want to see it and let me know what you think, scroll away.
-Leon
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words, and his latest sci-fi mystery, Euphrates Vanished.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Free books? Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and choose one or more!
books.linesbyleon.com/Newslettersignup
And now, book two of the Orion Arm Alliance series!
This is not set in stone, but I think it’s close to what I want. Let me know what you think by voting below!
October 7, 2024
Music Monday Oct 7: Diver Down
It takes guts to say to your fans after three successful hard-rock albums (no, Van Halen is not a heavy metal band) “Here, have some 60s cover songs.”
Not to disappoint, the intro to Roy Orbison’s “(Oh) Pretty Woman” features a heavy drum beat, distorted and piercing guitar over a synth track, which flows into the cover song.
“Dancing in the Street” written my Marvin Gaye and recorded by Martha and the Vandellas in 1964 seems an odd choice to cover, but Van Halen is a party band and what’s a party without dancing (but don’t go in the street or the cops will come, and unlike an 80s music video, they will not join in).
“Happy Trails” is a song by Roy Rogers and his wife Dale Evans, known as the theme song for both The Roy Rogers Show, written in 1954. It features some very good harmonies.
We go even farther back in history for “Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)”, a by Milton Ager and lyrics by Jack Yellen, written in 1924.
It shows the range of talent in the band to do a song like this. Oh, if you are wondering, that’s Eddie and Alex’s dad on the clarinet.
I’ll end with my favorite song (not a cover) on the album. I just love Eddie’s guitar tone and is recorded on a mini Les Paul I believe.
Side note: Even knowing the lyrics, I can’t help thinking he’s saying “Etch-A-Sketch”.
Speaking of which: For more misheard lyrics, check out Mondegreen Mondays on: http://mostlymusiccovers.com/
-Leon
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words, and his latest sci-fi mystery, Euphrates Vanished.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Free books? Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and choose one or more!
books.linesbyleon.com/Newslettersignup
October 6, 2024
Songs for a Sunday: Aqyila
Taahira Aquiyla Duff, known by her stage name Aqyila, is a Canadian rhythm and blues singer from Toronto, Ontario. She is most noted as winner of the Juno Award for Traditional R&B/Soul Recording of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2024, for her single “Hello”
-Leon
Want to read more music blogs? Here are some of the ones I follow: Mostly Music Covers, Take it Easy, Beetley Pete, A Sound Day, PowerPop… An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture, SuperdekesVinylReviews, Fox Reviews Rock
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words, and his latest sci-fi mystery, Euphrates Vanished.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Free books? Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and choose one or more!
books.linesbyleon.com/Newslettersignup
October 4, 2024
Free Book Friday Oct 4: Going dark.
My parents place. The internet void. Sometimes it works, other times, not so much. At least I know how to schedule posts…I think.
On the plus side, I’ll get some writing done.
-Leon
And now for a painfully slow cover reveal:
Sign up to review here!-Leon
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. Therein 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.
Some free book offers require a newsletter sign-up, which is a small non-monetary price to pay to try out a new indie author.
Reads From StoryOriginStoryOrigin allows authors to advertise their books to each other’s audience. I hope you have been able to discover a new favorite!
Free Books/KU
Sales/Purchase Links Review Copies (These are free!)Review copies: Like reviewing books? Try my two poetry collections: Lines by Leon and A Wonder of Words
Newsletter:Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book (poetry or science fiction): Leon’s Newsletter
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words, and his latest sci-fi mystery, Euphrates Vanished.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Free books? Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and choose one or more!
books.linesbyleon.com/Newslettersignup
October 2, 2024
Weird Wednesday: The Trouble with Two
Have you you ever wondered who invented the scissor?
You mean scissors?
No, the scissor. You have to invent one scissor before you can have that “Ah-ha!” moment and put them together.
Turns out it is a very interesting true story. Once upon a time—
Really? Once upon a time?
Okay, not the best introduction. Let’s just say some indeterminate time in the past, an unknown gendered person with a generic nationality was trying to invent a device that would cut a piece of paper in thin strips. They had already perfected the guillotine-like paper slicer that would become a fixture in all elementary classrooms and the originator of the phrase, “I dare you.”
After several attempts, the only things they invented were: Hedge clippers, pliers, tin snips, fingernail clippers, tongs, and wire cutters.
Finally, in a flash of inspiration, two plastic knives (the ones that we all get at outdoor gatherings that don’t cut worth sh—) were bolted together to create the now famous safety scissors that would become a fixture in all elementary classrooms and the originator of the phrase, “These things don’t cut worth sh—.”
That phrase also was the originator of the “Go sit in the corner activity”.
They would later be responsible for inventing the pant, which didn’t catch on as a fashion statement, for obvious reasons.
Book news:
The trouble with putting “book one” on the cover of something you’ve written is that you have committed yourself to at least another book. Duologys are not that common as most series have at least three. I couldn’t think of a famous duology and after Googling it, I still don’t know any of them. I don’t know if you can even consider a two book series a series…
I’m hoping for at least four books in my Orion Arm Alliance series. It makes it a lot easier to market as you usually only have to focus most of the attention on the first book unless they are all standalones.
-Leon
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Free books? Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and choose one or more!
books.linesbyleon.com/Newslettersignup
Do you like cover reveals? Does it build excitement or would you rather an author just show it already?
October 1, 2024
Tuesday Top Ten: Scary Things
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word October?
Most people I know think: scary or Halloween, so…
The Top Ten Scary Things10. That food item at the back of the fridge.
9. Stepping onto something in the dark.
8. Flushing the toilet and watching the water level rise…and rise…and rise.
7. The driver that just swerved around you.
6. The price of concert and sports tickets.
5. How long The Simpsons has on the air.
4. What a certain presidential candidate says.
3. Driving with the empty gas tank light on.
2. How much we rely on technology
1. Climate change
What scares you?
-Leon
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Free books? Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and choose one or more!
books.linesbyleon.com/Newslettersignup
