Leon Stevens's Blog, page 75
June 19, 2023
Music Monday June 19: Red Rider
There is a radio show on CBC here in Canada that occasionally does a feature called SYNTH: Songs You Need To Hear.
CBC MUSIC, Central · Mornings with CBC Music
Now, I can’t say to someone, “You’ll like this song” (or book for that matter) because I can’t presume that others will share my taste in music (or books), so it is safer to say, “You might like this” and if they don’t like it, so be it. Maybe you will find a new favorite.
Who is Red Rider?
If you grew up in Canada in the early 80s you would have heard the whistle swells and the low synth wail coming from the radio, and everyone would wait to do the guitar Ka-chunk-chunk followed by the pick scrape with their mouths*.
It is still one of the most haunting rock songs around.
Before that song, this was a hit for them:
This one kind of starts out like White Wedding.
OK, you may recognize the voice as being Tom Cochrane, who had more hits as Tom Cochrane and Red Rider, and then as just Tom Cochrane.
He wasn’t big outside of Canada, but you may have heard Life is a Highway which was his most popular. If you watch the TV show Family Guy where they have featured the song on several episodes as a cut-away.
Is that success? Maybe.
*We all did this with Phil Collin’s drum roll on In the Air Tonight, right?? Do-do, Do-do, Do-do, Do-do. Do Do, Do!
-Leon
Here’s another music related post:
A little taste of Quebec II
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/
Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
June 17, 2023
Weekend Wrap-up June 16: Almost nothing to see here.
See?
On my blog this week:
Free Book Friday June 16: Pricing change?
Weird Wednesday June 13th
Music Monday June 12: Goin’ Down Under
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/
Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
June 16, 2023
Free Book Friday June 16: Pricing change?
I’m always looking for new ways to market my books. When book one of my trilogy was selected for Amazon Prime reading, it gave a boost to the rankings, but I’m still expecting a few more purchases of the next two books.
When Amazon change the way authors can categorize their books, I took advantage of it to see put it in the Sci-fi Crime and Mystery category:
#67? Not to bad.
I have been tweaking the poetry book placement as well.
Now I’m thinking of a three-month test by pricing The View from Here at $0.99. I could make it free, but I would like to make some royalty ($0.30).
I’ll make my decision by the end of the month.
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.
Here are this week’s promos to check out:
Reads From StoryOrigin and BookFunnelStoryOrigin and BookFunnel allows authors to advertise their books to each other’s audience. I hope you have been able to discover a new favorite!
Purchase Links
Free BooksSign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book (poetry or science fiction or both): Leon’s Newsletter
Review copies: Like reviewing books? Try my two poetry collections: Lines by Leon and A Wonder of Words
Previous promos: Discover New Authors and Free Books.
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/
Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!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/
Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
June 14, 2023
Weird Wednesday June 13th
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/
Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
June 12, 2023
Music Monday June 12: Goin’ Down Under
There is a radio show on CBC here in Canada that occasionally does a feature called SYNTH: Songs You Need To Hear.
CBC MUSIC, Central · Mornings with CBC Music
Now, I can’t say to someone, “You’ll like this song” (or book for that matter) because I can’t presume that others will share my taste in music (or books), so it is safer to say, “You might like this” and if they don’t like it, so be it. Maybe you will find a new favorite.
Music Monday
Name a Australian singer/songwriter—wait, a recent one.
What name jumps to mind? Vance Joy? Yeah, I think of him too, but you might want to think of Stu Larson.
From allmusic.com:
Larsen grew up in a small rural community in Queensland. Around 2010 he decided that he wanted to not only see the world but to experience it as authentically as he could, so he packed his bags and joined friend and fellow musician Mike Rosenberg, better known by his stage name Passenger, and adopted the nomadic lifestyle that would inform the songs on his aptly named debut record, the Nettwerk-issued Vagabond. The LP, which was produced by Rosenberg and included the hit “Thirteen Sad Farewells,” launched Larsen on an unending tour that included shows and layovers in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand
See?
-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/
Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
June 10, 2023
Weekend Wrap-up June 10: Time Travel
Apparently, I can either travel into the future or I am the next Nostradamus. Unfortunately, it does me no good because I don’t remember doing it and I didn’t predict anything.
So How do I know then? As I was preparing today’s post, I noticed Last week’s wrap-up:
Weekend Wrap-up June 22: Just the Highlights
June 22? Yup. I was there. Oh, and by the way, thanks for noticing …
-Leon
On my blog this week:
Free Book Friday June 9: Multi-genre Writing
Thursday Thoughts: Success (Part II)
Weird Wednesday June 7th: Nose diving
Tuesday Tidbits: Nostalgia
Music Monday June 5: I don’t understand the words but it doesn’t matter, does it?
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/
Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
June 9, 2023
Free Book Friday June 9: Multi-genre Writing
Poetry. That’s where I started. Humor. Many of my poems are humorous, and I like to think that my blog writing is as well. Science fiction. My favorite.
Can I combine them all? My story, Reasonable Hand-drawn Facsimile, is humorous (it even made my editor laugh), and my poetry series, Found, is a set of post-apocalyptic poems, so, yes.
Writing in different genres certainly challenges you and ultimately improves one’s writing skills, but it can also spread yourself thin if you are prolific at it. How many pen names can you have?
What’s next for this multi-genre author? Who knows. Romance perhaps?
-Leon
Featured Multi-genre Author: Patrick JohnsAstute blog readers will be asking, “Didn’t you feature him already?”
Short answer, “Yes.”
Longer answer, “Yes, five months ago.”
Even longer answer, “Yes, five months ago and we had a conversation. Would you like to read it?” (This is where you say yes.)
Free Book Friday Jan 13: In Conversation returns! With Patrick Johns.
Born and raised in Ramsey, New Jersey, Patrick Johns attended university at Virginia Tech, obtaining an engineering and mathematics degree. Go Hokies! However, writing is Patrick’s true passion. After writing his first novel, Junkland, the first book in The Hoarding series, Patrick left his engineering job to teach English overseas. Patrick currently lives in Spain. When he’s not writing, managing his literary magazine, The Kraken’s Spire, and teaching English, he’s surfing, hiking, traveling, or writing music.
Stages of a BreakupThis is a story of young love and heartbreaking betrayals, but more importantly, a story of apprehension and growth.A breakup can feel even more painful than losing a loved one. When the person who betrayed your heart still walks this earth, there’s always a slight hope of recovering what is gone.Check out Stages of a Breakup
Junkland: the HoardingA young boy longs to be a knight. A drastic invasion destroys his home. Will a childish dream be enough to save the ones he loves?Eager to escape his suffocating life, Jahrys Grent trains daily to fulfill his dream of becoming a knight. But he gets more than he bargained for when mysterious invaders attack and destroy his home.
Junkland is the first book in The Hoarding series.Check out Junkland
https://patrickjohnswrites.com/
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.
Here are this week’s promos to check out:
Reads From StoryOrigin and BookFunnelStoryOrigin and BookFunnel allows authors to advertise their books to each other’s audience. I hope you have been able to discover a new favorite!
Purchase Links
Free BooksSign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book (poetry or science fiction or both): Leon’s Newsletter
Review copies: Like reviewing books? Try my two poetry collections: Lines by Leon and A Wonder of Words
Previous promos: Discover New Authors and Free Books.
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/
Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!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/
Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
June 8, 2023
Thursday Thoughts: Success (Part II)
I finally have my own set of sci-fi paperbacks for my shelf!
If you told me three years ago that I would have four science fiction books to my name, I might not have believed you. I’m not counting the two poetry collections, either.
As with many indie authors, I don’t sell a lot of books, but when I sell one and receive positive feedback, it is a good feeling. Seeing an upward trend on my KDP author dashboard is nice too.
The fact that I’m not relying on one book for sales helps, and having a trilogy is part of the sales strategy.
It is tricky to split my effort to market two different genres, and I would like to sell more poetry books as they are meant for more that just pure entertainment.
Back to those paperbacks. As of June 20, Amazon is raising printing prices, not significantly, but it made me think that I deserve to make the same amount of royalty on each paperback as I do for eBooks, so each book will be $8.99.
Until then, I dropped the paperback price to $5.99, which nets me a whopping $0.65 royalty. You can get it here until then: The Complete Trilogy
-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/
Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
June 7, 2023
Weird Wednesday June 7th: Nose diving
What happens to a book when it is no longer available for free for Amazon Prime Reading members? Yikes!
Had a pretty good 3-month run though. Looking forward to some series read-throughs.
Cartoons!
In case you missed it, since we are on the topic:
Free Book Friday March 3: In Conversation with ChatGPT
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/
Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
June 6, 2023
Tuesday Tidbits: Nostalgia
What were you doing ten years ago? I know what I wasn’t doing, I wasn’t watching the final season of The Office.
I remember watching the the BBC version first. It was my introduction to Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. It was a brilliant concept, with characters you love to hate and hate to love. It had it’s cringeworthy moments, which are now way more cringeworthy.
I do remember the finale. I teared up. Like what many Ricky Gervais shows might make you do. He has a way of pulling on the heartstrings.
When the American version came out, I had my doubts, but they were able to take the elements of the original and make it their own. And I watched it every week. Or I thought I did.
When it became available to stream on one of those streaming channels, I began to watch it, reminiscing about the characters, and the storylines, until …
Season 9.
I started watching the final season and didn’t remember a thing. My first clue was during season 8 when I saw episodes I had never seen before. But a whole season? and the final season? Maybe I stopped watching for some reason or another.
So, I watched and didn’t have to reminisce. It was like watching a whole new show.
And, yeah. I teared up too.
-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/
Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
