Laura Lyndhurst's Blog

'AN HONOURABLE INSTITUTION' JUST PUBLISHED

I'm pleased to announce the publication of my latest novel, 'An Honourable Institution' in both eBook and paperback formats. It's available on Amazon or through a Kindle Unlimited subscription.

'Marriage is an honourable institution—or is it?

Cressida’s a rock chick, living her life as she likes—and to hell with anyone who doesn’t like it. It’s about to be turned upside down, however, and there’s little she can do about it.

Losing his parents as a child, Jay’s had a difficult life—and despite his efforts he’s had difficulty keeping on the right side of the law. Change is in the air—but for the better, or the worse?

Hugo’s a privileged blue blood with a sense of entitlement. He’s not ready for the sudden challenge to his place in the world, or for who’s making it.

Justin’s getting married soon—or thinks he is. He doesn’t react well to an unplanned change.

There’s a reason Janine’s called ‘crazy’—but unforeseen circumstances show an unknown side of her.

Five people, getting on with life, unsuspecting of events soon to affect them. Can they meet the trials which lie ahead, and emerge unscathed?'

An Honourable Institution

PICTURE THIS

See my latest blog post, 'Picture This' on my website at:

https://booksthatmakeyouthink2.co.uk/...


Laura Lyndhurst

MY BOOKS HAVE GONE WIDE!

It's happened at last! My ebooks have gone WIDE! See my new Draft2Digital Author Page with links to all books and their new platforms at:

https://books2read.com/ap/nkOGQN/Laur...

And see my latest blog post on the subject of Going Wide, 'Stepping Outside the Comfort Zon(e) at:

https://booksthatmakeyouthink2.co.uk/...

NOT ALL THERE by Jane Barron de Burgh

Here's an extract from this recently-published book:

It is said that early traumatic memories leave the deepest impressions, which was why Claude was certain that his father's hastily constructed eulogy was going to stay with him for a long time; not merely due to the fact that it butchered his mother's memory, but it also represented a confirmation of her death. The only person Claude could now turn to - at least legally - for parental guidance had failed to imply, even grammatically, that there was still any hope for his mother to be more than just a fading memory. Repulsed by the idea of having to participate in any kind of continued performance, Claude sought his escape. It wasn’t simply the lack of direction that had Claude flailing but his audience. Everywhere he looked he saw his mother’s light eyes and long nose in unfamiliar faces that stared back waiting for an encore.
The trestle tables that had been hastily erected in the church hall contained none of Claude’s favourites. The hall was another hasty arrangement. Patience had struck a deal and provided they could be out before Bingo which started at seven pm, everything from the propped open fire exit door, to the headless crucifix leant in the corner was fair game. From his refuge, Claude watched the congregation of softly spoken words and awkward pauses that surrounded his father slowly give way to a more jocular hum, as his father swapped his coffee cup for a small glass of brown liquor.
Claude had passed the table designated for beverages earlier, laden with teacups, it had been absent of all such substances. Claude's eyes watered at the foul odour, though he knew at this distance he could only be imagining the smell. They probably weren't even talking about Mum anymore, Claude thought. The humming grew louder only to correct itself to a muteness at Claude's glare when he peeked out from behind his stack. Claude ducked back into his fortress.
Two deep and five high, the neatly stacked rows of chairs created the hiding place that was currently shielding Claude from the attention of consolers at the wake. There was only one person Claude wanted to speak to and his father had forbidden her from attending. If his mum was here, she’d be in the kitchen, busy ‘setting up’, and she would give Claude important jobs, or sometimes people would come up and ask where his Mum was and he’d go give her a message and she’d listen patiently while he mixed up Uncles. Then he would be given a snack, whilst some Aunt made a comment pointing at him ‘It’s the same food as’ll be out. You’ll see it in a minute. Be patient.’ But she would roll her eyes, and give him his snack. And it tasted great.
There was an absence here that filled the room; it was unforgiving and unexplainable. No one understood. Not the Aunts with their pointing fingers, or the confusable Uncles, who didn’t ask to send a message to his Mum today. They didn’t know they could, and Claude knew he couldn’t offer.

Not All There
Jane Barron de Burgh

Good title?

The website's well and truly up and running - the hard work's done and I can start to share whatever I post there.

Expect book reviews and interviews with authors, as well as the things that make me tick. For openers, here's one of the latter in my latest blog post.

https://booksthatmakeyouthink2.co.uk/...

NEW WEBSITE!

It's official! After much work I've finally built my own author website, featuring my own books and blog posts, as well as reviews of the books I read. Have a look and subscribe to receive notifications when I add a new post, review or author interview.

https://booksthatmakeyouthink2.co.uk/

JUST PUBLISHED!

I have just published 'Uphill, Downhill, Over, Out,' the sixth and final book in my 'Criminal Conversation' series

It's available in both ebook and paperback forms, on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.

THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES…YET NOBODY WANTS TO TALK

It's the end of an era. The passing of a patriarch signals changes in the lives of the Dukakis du Cain family members and friends. Time to move on, time to move out, as far as Alectrona's concerned, to leave behind a place that's finished and start over in a more congenial environment—yet there are a few accounts to be settled first.

For Greg too there's a goal achieved and another one to aim for, if only he can find the courage to try for it—because second-best isn't good enough, and failure is not an option.

Meanwhile, back in Broken Britain, Sig Markham faces further challenges within his dysfunctional family, as well as the consequences of a life not well-lived. There's music to be faced, but it's out of tune and the lyrics aren't encouraging.

The final chapter of the 'Criminal Conversation' series sees the characters looking towards a future shaped by the events of the past. How brave will their new world be?


Uphill, Downhill, Over, Out

Laura Lyndhurst

JUST PUBLISHED!

I have today published 'The Future of Our House,' the fifth book in my 'Criminal Conversation' series

It's available in both ebook and paperback forms, on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.

THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES…YET NOBODY WANTS TO TALK

Time has moved on, and Katie has taken to spending most of her time on the Greek island of her ancestors. Miles—while passing every possible moment there with her—has branched out into the world of motor racing, his fledgling team poised for success, with Greg and Josh behind the wheels and negotiating the twists and turns of their high-speed lifestyle, both on the track and off.

In Miles’s absence, his business interests continue to flourish in the capable hands of Alec, ice-cold in both her work and her attitude towards her would-be suitor, Siegfried Markham—heir to the family law firm Markham, Markham and Manners, which provides steadfast support to Alec.

Love and business vie for attention, in both fast and slow time—with unwelcome attention being paid to both families, without their knowledge. Crime and law make uneasy bedfellows, and tensions abound as all parties seek to come out on top—but there’s only so much space up there.

The Future of Our House

Konflict Unlimited

Konflict Unlimited

I had a whole other blog prepared for today, but it’ll keep for next week. I changed topics because I saw post this morning about our old friend, Kindle Unlimited, about which nobody it seems can ever agree. I can’t find the post now, irritatingly, but it was from friend Bev Cox, I recall, so apologies to her if I misremember anything she said—if you’d care to add the gist of your post in the comments, Bev, you’re welcome.

One point of the post which gave me pause for thought said—if I recall correctly—that the poster’s publisher insisted that she put her book into KU, as Amazon wouldn’t sell them otherwise. This puzzled me, as I’ve certainly seen plenty of books for sale on Amazon which aren’t in KU. If the claim is true though, it sounds like a symptom of the downside of having a traditional publisher—you’ve effectively sold them your book, meaning that they’re calling the shots and you’re obliged to go with their wishes, even if they conflict with your own. They want a new title/cover/blurb or whatever, and you’re obliged to agree—even if you hate said title/cover/blurb. They insist you put your books into KU—you do it. At least those of us without traditional publishers have the right to do what we want with our work—excepting the wishes of the mighty Zon which, let’s face it, is ripping off authors right, left and centre. This contention of the post in question I can agree with, but it’s the subject of another blog, another day.

Let’s get back to KU though. On the plus side, as an author, I chose to put my books in it, and I’m glad I did. I get far more KU page reads than I get sales, and I’m glad to have them. My books get read through KU, and frequently get reviewed, and reviews we’re told help make our books visible to other potential readers—which can only be a good thing. On the minus side, I don’t make much money from them—but if I thought I could live on the royalties from my writing I’d have starved long ago, which I suspect is the case of many other authors both known to me and unknown. The positives balance out the negatives for me, no question.

As a reader, I have a subscription to KU, which much of the time is the decider as to whether I read a certain book or not. I read and review a great deal, supporting indies and reading their books for most of the time—although classic texts and the works of financially-successful authors find their way to my Kindle library too. Some of the books I read are great, some okay, others not worth the time spent on them—and that goes for both indies and trad-published books. I’ve read truly breath-taking stories from indies that deserve a huge readership, and dross that traditional publishers will take on because they’re mass-market dross and will make a mint of money for them. Unfair, but life’s not fair and that’s the way it is.

If I’d bought the books I disliked for list price I’d be pretty fed up at the waste. As it is, with KU I can return those books—when I’ve given them a fair chance—and take out something else, with no financial loss. If your book’s in KU then it has a better chance of being read by me—an avid reader who always reviews—and by others like me. Otherwise there’s little chance, unless the price is right. This morning I was tempted by an indie book which an acquaintance reviewed on Instagram. It wasn’t written on a subject which is a particular favourite of mine, but I was willing to give it a go—so looked it up on Amazon to find it not in KU and for sale at the price of £7.35 for the eBook. Sorry, but there’s no way I’m paying that for less than 300 pages of a debut novel—even the ‘Look Inside’ sample couldn’t tempt me—and I suspect I’m not the only one.

Why such a high price? I learned something new to me, as in the term ‘indie author’ applies not just to self-publishing authors like me, but also to those who use ‘independent publishers’—which, I’ve found, tend to be hybrid publishers, a form of vanity publisher, who charge the author part of the cost of publishing. Which means said authors are keen to recoup the money they’ve paid out to get published.

I’m not criticising the author of that book for his choice of how to publish—those of us who can’t or don’t want to go the traditional publishing route have few other options—just that if his book had been in KU he’d now have a guaranteed read and review from me.

What’s your view? As author or reader?

FAKE NEWS

Fake News

I suppose this has to be addressed, as in the Facebook ad I saw this week: ‘Write blog posts 10x faster with robots’. Well yeah, I suppose you could have sex ‘10x faster with robots’ too, but would it be of the ‘high quality’ the ad claims? I very much doubt it.

AI. Artificial Intelligence. It’s been around in various forms for some time now, but all of a sudden I’m seeing it all over Facebook like a rash. We’re already in the situation—as a FB friend pointed out recently—where we have to tick pictures containing traffic lights, or bicycles, or buses or whatever, to prove to a robot that we’re not machines too. Now, though, an army of robots are offering their services to write my blogs, books, poems or whatever. Ghost writers are one thing, and the concept of an infinite number of monkeys with typewriters eventually coming up with the complete works of Shakespeare could I suppose be attempted, but this takes madness to a new level.

I’m guessing that I see so many of these ads because my FB account is geared towards all things writers and writing—because among other things, I’m a writer. In which case, why would I want somebody else or—as in this case something else—to do my writing for me, especially as it’s going to have my name all over it?

I’ve done a bit of back reading, and the AI thing begins in simpler forms, such as spell-check and grammar programmes which aim to make our lives as writers easier, and they are indeed helpful—but only to a certain extent. Am I the only one who’s had issues with the spell-checker trying to force my UK English into the US version, despite my having set the thing for the former? Or missed errors because the word used—although wrong for the context—is a legitimate item of vocabulary? There are programmes such as Grammarly, of course, but I’ve installed the free version twice and uninstalled it twice, after having it try to put commas everywhere it’s—I was going to say ‘humanly—possible to put them. And that’s without it taking everything I’ve written at a literal level, and trying to iron out those little personal spurts of word-play and humour that make my work exclusive to me.

Removing every shred of individuality is listed as one of the draw-backs of AI, and maybe that’s not a necessity when writing copy for marketing purposes, some articles suggest. That could be the case, I concede—but could it not also be the case that all those copy-writers out there, in using AI to market similar products, will one day end up writing exactly the same material, word-for-word? I refer you back to that infinite number of monkeys.

Ah, I’m told, but AI can be useful in other ways. What if you’re alone at home and bored? You can ask the AI to come up with suggestions for you to spend that spare time in many useful ways, such as:

Read—a book, magazine or whatever
Exercise—yoga, perhaps, or go for a walk—adding fresh air to the pastime
Listen to music
Catch up on viewing, TV, films
Video game-playing—keep those little grey cells sharp
Cooking—try out a new recipe
Self-care—a bath, face mask, manicure etc

Well I never. I really needed a machine to suggest all those things—I’d never have thought of them myself, now would I?

Oh, I nearly forgot, the best suggestion in the list:

START A CREATIVE WRITING PROJECT.

So the machine that wants to take away from me the strain of doing what I enjoy doing is actually suggesting that I do it ALL ALONE.

Words fail me. But then, I can always find some AI to help me with that.

I’m aware that I’ve only skimmed the surface of the subject here, but I don’t have all week. What do you think?