K.B. Walker's Blog, page 10

Jonas Centre Wensleydale

Just off to the Jonas Centre to lead a Writing From Life workshop for a women's retreat. Hoping to cheer up a wet day.

New Treats

There are now five genres represented in the Readers' Treats section; romance, contemporary fiction, memoir, historical fiction and fantasy. The latest book is How To Look Like You, with some great prizes on offer. There's still lots of room for other books and genres.

Great article on book promotion

"Your book is your child. You can't recognize its shortcomings, any more than a proud parent can consider their child dumb and ugly." Joe Konrath Check out this article for good advice on book promotion. What works: Promo for ebooks 

Guest speaker in Slough

Just gathering my notes ready for a talk I'm giving in Slough next week. Plus cleaning the house for my niece and friend who will be looking after my dog ;0) A busy month, with a poetry day tomorrow, talk Tuesday, leading a writing workshop next Saturday in Wensleydale, then another writers' day the Saturday after that, followed by a reading from Gardens, Gifts and Grace. Will there be any progress on the new book??

Another 5 star review

Another 5 star review, this time on Amazon.com from someone I don't know (yippee!) http://www.amazon.com/Once-Removed-ebook/product-reviews/B007YUZXC4/ref=cm_cr_pr_top_recent?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

Readers' Treats now on my Blog

Woke up with a brainwave (very painful!). Decided to add Readers' Treats & Writers' Goodies pages to my blog http://www.kbw-onceremoved.blogspot.c...

So pop over and have a look to see if you'd like to be involved ;0)

All new format for Once Removed Blog

In an effort to connect with fellow readers as well as authors I've updated my blog. It now includes a Readers' Treats page, where readers can have access to special 'extras' to increase their reading pleasure, and a Writers' Goodies page with information, workshop ideas and anything else that authors might appreciate.

International reviews!

Kimberley in Brisbane has written to say she loved Once Removed. Added to all the 5 star reviews in the US and UK, makes it internationally acclaimed ;0)

Beware of writing’s “X Factor”

Some good advice comes to us today from KB Walker, author of Once Removed.

Beware of writing’s “X Factor”
If you’ve ever watched X Factor, in the audition stages, you’ll have seen how many people have only shared their talent with loved ones wearing rose-tinted spectacles and seriously modified hearing aids (there are lots of cringe-making videos on YouTube, if you’ve missed out).
You may also have noticed the huge numbers of people who turn up for these auditions. Your manuscript will be up against similar numbers, if you want it published. Even if you decide to self-publish, your work must be polished to perfection or people won’t buy it. It’s vital to get critical feedback. Even bestselling authors have trusted readers who read drafts before they are submitted for publication. Writing a novel takes time and you are too close to it to see it objectively.
To see the rest of the article visit The Writers ABC Checklist http://thewritersabcchecklist.blogspo... 

Brilliant review from a Top 500 Reviewer

4.0 out of 5 stars A novel of depth and sensitivity, 28 May 2012By Nicola F (Nic) (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   This review is from: Once Removed (Kindle Edition)*Full disclosure: the author sent me a copy of this novel in the hope that I would review it. All opinions are my own.*

I was excited to read this novel as I instantly realised it would touch on some very topical, sensitive themes and I was curious to see how the author would handle them.

This is the story of newly-qualified teacher Abriella (Abby), a woman with a bit of an emotional background of her own, and who recognises in twelve-year-old pupil Beth, that *something* is also amiss. Abby isn't sure if Beth is being bullied or if she is self-harming, but as she tries to get close to the girl and be her confidant, the repurcussions may have disastrous consequences for both of them...

I enjoyed the way the author tackled this story from various perspectives as it gave the reader a chance to understand more deeply what was happening in the narrative, which flowed very well. I feel that Beth's voice and emotions were depicted realistically and to be honest, my heart broke at what she was going though and at the secrets she was bottling up inside. Though I liked Abby enough, I have to confess that it took me a long time to warm to her, which I think was supposed to be the point as her background was slowly unravelled. Initially I felt her weak and unable to stand up for herself, with both her family and her abhorent boyfriend, though this frustration did eventually pass, and I found myself caring about what would happen to her too.

The settings felt authentic and the development of the main characters was solid, though I have to say that I didn't particularly warm to any of Abby's friends much- aside from Ryan. I also loathed most of her family, and low-self esteem issues aside, I still can't believe she put up with how they treated her! The 'witch hunt' was also well conveyed too- and put me in mind of a few recent British tabloid stories.

Though the story is indeed written well, there were a few lapses in tense towards the end of the story- between first and third person, which I found a bit jarring. I also think that some of the subject matter was a bit glossed over in points- i.e. a particular situation with loss and grieving could have been handled more comprehensively, it felt just a bit rushed within the storyline and certain feelings therein didn't seem to be elaborated on to a great extent.

Generally, this was a well-written, fast-paced novel that sensitively and accurately handled some strong, emotional themes and the author should be commended for that. I would welcome reading more from her again in future and would recommend trying this book if you enjoy novels of depth that aren't afraid to tackle some controversial subject matters that other writers might shy away from. Brilliant review