Stuart Aken's Blog, page 227

Zero, by J.S. Collyer, Reviewed.

Wow! This book moves at a great pace, and rarely lets up. This is a space adventure, a fast-moving action piece with little time to spend on explanation of the setting. However, the author cleverly integrates plenty of clues within the action so that the reader is able to envisage the world she has created here. And it is a world of undesirables, military types, skilled and able technicians, heroes and villains in many guises.
This is a story that gamers in particular will love. The reader experiences the action as the story progresses. And those who love their scifi films with plenty of combat will find this a very satisfying read.
It’s a page-turner, but it’s also a book with plenty of twists and turns. Who can be trusted? Who is telling the truth? Who are the real heroes, here? The characters - and those who know my reviews will be aware this is of real concern to me - are well drawn. The danger of stereotyping has been avoided by giving the people who populate this work individual quirks and sometimes unusual motivations. The mix makes for an engaging and absorbing story.
I read this under less than ideal circumstances, with many breaks due to things over which I had no control. But I never lost the thread and was always able to pick up where I left off. It would have been an even better read in one sitting, but at 364 action-packed pages, this was never an option for me.

If you like your space adventures full of hard men, and women, with plenty of physical conflict and dark humour, and with an undercurrent of subtly applied moral comment thrown in, you’ll enjoy this tale. I did, and I heartily recommend it.

Another 5 Star Review for Joinings.

5.0 out of 5 stars Religious Dystopia v Enlightenment, 7 Sep 2014By  Linda Acaster  (Yorkshire, UK) - See all my reviewsVerified Purchase(What is this?)This review is from: Joinings (A Seared Sky Book 1) (Kindle Edition)
Although this novel fits firmly into the Epic Fantasy subgenre, it would be an underestimation to view this first book as a mere quest story to right wrongs. It is an examination of dogma and believers of a religion, the Followers of Ytraa, physically split into three many generations before the opening of the trilogy. In ‘Joinings’ readers experience only two – those of the land of Muhnilahm ruled by a priesthood, and the land of Litkala ruled by a royal house. Yet for all their extolled differences and mutual mistrust they are reflections of the same, societies built on sex - publicly orchestrated and privately profligate - with emotional love, devotion and self-sacrifice funnelled only towards the fuelling of the dogma.

It is the ‘why?’ that I found fascinating. What had occurred in the far past to bring this about? Certainly the approaching Skyfire, with its lore of burning all unbelievers, is at its root. Had a group of survivors of a natural disaster instigated a method of rapid repopulation – at all costs? Certainly there are no old, or sick, or malformed, or merely ‘ugly’. Eugenics? There is mention on Muhnilahm of ‘The Point’, a desolate area where unfortunates are banished, or escape to rather than face a tortured death in the name of the religion. Yet within the society there are hardly any children to be seen or, for all the constant euphemistically-termed ‘frowking’, no pregnant women, and the Virgin Gifts, female despite the vaunted equality of the sexes, are exalted in the creed as an exchange of blood lines.

It is the quest to exchange Virgin Gifts – and to secure the release of one fraudulently chosen – that journeys the main groups of characters through lands of unbelievers and, because of these ongoing experiences, the tenets of their own religious dogma. Hypocrisy is emphasised early on as the fanatic Aglydron attempts to ‘free’ an exploited young woman by replacing her people’s indoctrination with his own without realising what he's doing.

Into this mix are dripped the personal stories, each with its own layered secrets: Tumalind, chosen falsely as a Virgin Gift who holds a striking likeness to the daughter of the High Priest; the high priest’s son and rebel leader, Aklon, an escapee on pain of death for refusing to embrace and promote the secrets of Ytraa when its history was revealed to him; Feldrark, son of the royal house, who professes undying love to gain the high priest's daughter, Jodisa, while hiding his true reasons. Some walk with veiled intellect, others with that veil gradually being stripped away by the experiences encountered. As the groups move into Book 2, and the mind-talkers manipulate and are manipulated, this layered tale promises much. Enjoy.Related articles A Seared Sky: Partings. Launch of Book 2 of the Trilogy Writer's Reveal

A Writer’s Nightmare Transformed into a Dream of Delight.

Regular readers will know that I have real difficulty with marketing and promotion. Well, recent experiences have taught me it needn’t be so. 
Rather than bore you with repetition here, let me direct you to my guest post on that popular writing blog, Writers’ Village, where you’ll find a short tale of  my conversion to Marketing Master (that, of course, is a spot of hyperbole, but there is some stuff on there that might help you if you’ve been having the same concerns as me about marketing).

Here’s the link. All you need do is click it.

After FantastiCon 2014, What Next?

As it’s relevant to what I’m doing, I thought I’d share the latest release of my publisher’s enewsletter here:
Dear Fantastic Subscriber,
This week we have been recovering from the high octane weekend that saw the first ever FantastiCon launched into the stratosphere. It was a cracking success and to say thanks to everyone  who made it happen would mean filling your inbox so instead we'll simply say a huge and heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone involved. Plans are already afoot for FantastiCon 2015 and we'd love your input so please get in touch with your ideas by emailing; fantasticbookspublishing@gmail.com.

One of the ideas we have already locked in for next year is a cosplay competition that will net winners CASH PRIZES!

Now, it's the moment lots of you have been waiting for since we published the longlist for our short SF competition earlier this month. The final shortlist entries for the first pure science fiction Fantastic short story anthology are;

The Everything Equation by John Goh
Regen by Colin Ford
Nobel Savage by Thomas Pitts
Alice by David Styles
All in the Mind by John Hoggard
Two Reviews by Thomas Pitts
Striker Amok by Pierre Le Gue
Eternal by Shaun Gibson
Fastbreeder by Pierre Le Gue
Hope by David Styles
Indirect Harm by John Harper
Lisa Lives by Anthony M Olver
Manikin by Nici Lilley
Night Monsters by Pierre Le Gue
Private Show by David K Paterson
Starburst by Andrew Wright
The Moon a Balloon by Rose Thurlbeck
The Package by Aaron Miles
The House by John Hoggard
Three Second War by Darren Grey
If we start killing by Ulla SusimetsäDying Star by Marko Susimetsä
Congratulations everyone!

The judges have been wrestling with the longlist and, for the first time ever for one of our competitions, they have been unable to remove a single story from the longlist!

We will shortly start the process of editorial tennis with the authors and we hope to have the anthology released in ebook format by mid October this year.

Our next projects are building up steam and comprise a wonderful collection of poetry, prose and short stories by Boris Glikman, the third and final novel in Stuart Aken's 'A Seared Sky' series (the second book 'Partings'was officially launched as an ebook at FantastiCon and will be released very soon as a print paperback) and a debut fantasy trilogy titled 'Travels with the Red Friar' by Marty McMullen. More news of these projects will be incoming shortly.

In other news, now that our Elite: Dangerous books are all produced and out in the world, we will be starting the mammoth task of fulfilling everybody's Kickstarter pledge gifts including the production of special boxes for the books and the printing of silk screen printed faction flags for the special editions. These will be created over the coming weeks and everyone should have everything they pledged for well in time for the December holidays.

And finally, a huge thank you to all our friends and new followers who have signed up to this newsletter, followed us on Facebookand followed our Twitter feed, you are all Fantastic!

Just imagine,Daniel and Gabi GrubbFantastic Books Publishing

And my involvement? Well, there’s the news about Partings, of course, but the publisher has also asked me to contribute a short story for the science fiction competition prize-winner’s anthology, as I did previously for their first, Fusion. So, watch this space.Related articles A Seared Sky: Partings. Launch of Book 2 of the Trilogy FantastiCon was Fantastic - 2 FantastiCon was Fantastic - 1 A Seared Sky: Partings now Available!

Unexpected Journeys, edited by Juliet E McKenna, Reviewed.

If you enjoy fantasy, in any or all of its many various forms, and you aren’t a member of the British Fantasy Society, you’ll miss out on this pearl. The collection is given to members as a part of their membership and isn’t otherwise generally available.
The anthology includes different styles of fantasy amongst its eight stories, none of them what I suspect many people think of as ‘fantasy’ when they consider the genre. As Juliet says in her introduction, ‘Fiction began with fantasy fiction. Go back to Gilgamesh and you’ll find tales of heroes, magic and monsters.’ She goes on to list the works of other noted authors of the genre, including Homer, the Norse sagas, and the Arthurian Cycle. She isn’t as cynical as me, leaving out the best selling work of fantasy fiction ever: the Bible.
The stories included vary greatly and each is a small masterpiece of its particular style. We have modified folk tales, a version of a popular theme in fantasy – the thief in the city – but with important idiosyncrasies, stories that meld the horror genre with fantasy and others that defy classification; a quality I much admire in fiction.

All are well written and intriguing in their different ways. This is a book for those who love the worlds created by gifted writers. I enjoyed it and recommend it to all who can get hold of a copy.Related articles The genre debate: Science fiction travels farther than literary fiction Science Fiction and Fantasy 101: Thinking Academically About Genre

Partings; A Seared Sky Now Available on Amazon

As promised, here's the link to take you direct to your local Amazon site, where you can buy a copy of , as an ebook.
Partings; A Seared Sky
This, as many of you will know, is the second book in the Fantasy Trilogy. You enjoyed Joinings, now you can enjoy Partings.
The third book, Convergence, is due for release before Xmas, so you can read the whole tale this year!
Related articles A Seared Sky: Partings now Available! A Seared Sky: Partings. Launch of Book 2 of the Trilogy Here it is: the Second Book of the Trilogy! Joinings: A Seared Sky. Couldn't put it down

The Worst Thing You Can Do For Reviews?

Reviews: we all need them, welcome them, want them. But when that wanting verges on the obsessive it can become seriously destructive; not just for the individual, but for the integrity of the entire system. I recently received the following Tweet: @??????? Need a book review for your book? 5⭐ written reviews, in exchange to write a 5⭐ for my book. reviews=sales :-)  I’ve disguised the name of the Tweeter, for reasons that I hope are obvious. This sort of plea, which is essentially a request for another to join in cheating, does enormous damage to the whole value system enshrined in reviewing. It’s a particularly noxious example, however, and there are many less blatant attempts to circumvent the system. It’s not unknown, apparently, for certain authors to assume various different guises so they can review their own work under assumed names, giving it high value. Others indulge in less obvious swaps of reviews, asking privately for such accolades and promising similar praise for the partner’s work without ever actually reading the piece. Because I review openly and regularly, I’m approached by publishers to review new books. I’ve no objection to this, as it gets me a free book. But I do it only on the understanding that I make it clear this is a book that was provided in exchange for a review, and that I will publish such review as and where I see fit. Most publishers are happy with that arrangement, recognising that reviews done under pressure of potential censorship are pretty meaningless.Not so long ago, I was approached by an agent on behalf of a new writer. I’d already connected with the writer with the intention of swapping books with him for honest review purposes. But the agent made demands, and they were demands, not simply suggestions, that I pass the review before her and not publish it without her express consent. Needless to say, I rejected such an arrangement. Whilst I can see why an agent would want to protect the reputation of a newbie author, I have no interest in supporting work that has no merit. In the end, the author and I made an arrangement between us to do as initially intended: i.e. swap books for honest reviews. As it turned out, I didn’t review his book: it was pretty poorly written and the story failed to move me. I explained to him the situation; unwilling to give him a poor review so early in his writing career.His agent later responded (though the writer didn’t) to say that no review would be made of my book, either. It was a response that didn’t surprise me.If we fail to review honestly, how are readers to have any faith in the process? We all understand that readers often chose a book, more or less as a matter of faith, based on reviews given to work of which they have no personal experience. It’s surely incumbent on us, as authors, to ensure that the reviews we give are always honest, isn’t it? Human nature dictates that we avoid giving bad reviews of fellow writers, since it’s quite likely that professional jealousy will result in bad reviews of our work in a sort of childish revenge. But we can, at least, simply fail to express an opinion on such work instead. What I would hope none of us would do is play the cheating game of a ‘quid pro quo’ simply for the acquisition of good reviews. If the work is undeserving of such accolades, the answer is to make it better, not to cheat readers by pretending it’s better than it is.
Frankly, I’d rather be told honestly that a reader hated my work than indulge in a system that provides an opinion based on cheating. What would I gain as a writer and what would potential readers gain by such underhand activity? No, let’s all make sure if we come across such behaviour, we let the perpetrators know we disapprove. If they persist, then, I think, is the time to expose them. My Tweeter was silent following my rebuff: I hope that means he thought better of it.Related articles Author Jeremy Duns In Review Swap Shock Somewhere along the way, the whole game changed You Really Want To Avoid This... Common Errors By First Time Authors

A Seared Sky: Partings now Available!

Just a quick note to let you know that you can now acquire a copy of the second volume of my epic fantasy, Seared Sky. Partings is currently available only in digital form, but is due to be released in print form very shortly. Keep an eye on this blog for the announcement. Sorry for the delays, folks. Dan, my publisher, has been mega busy with both the convention, FantastiCon 2014 and with the distribution of a new line of scifi novels associated with the popular Elite computer game.


So, you can currently obtain the ebook via Fantastic Books Publishing using this link.

Shortly, I'll be able to give you a direct link to Amazon for the digital version, and in a couple of weeks I'll provide a link for the print version. Patience, my friends. All will be well!
Related articles A Seared Sky: Partings. Launch of Book 2 of the Trilogy How Was it for You? A Fantastic Convention: FantastiCon. FantastiCon was Fantastic - 1 AUTHOR INTERVIEW: J.S. Collyer

Ruled by Intellect or Emotion? #Tips on Word Choice #2

English: a fan made portret (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Certain words/phrases can induce fairly specific responses in readers. As writers, we all know this, but do we use the power of emotion in our work?
I’m setting out here to suggest a few alternatives. In this series I’ll look at the difference between those words that seem intellectual as opposed to those that invoke a more emotional response. How you use them is obviously up to you. The point is that the alternatives have the same, or very similar, meanings, but their effect upon the reader can be markedly different. I’ve made some suggestions here, but I’m sure you can think of others.
Intellectual: Accolade  – suggestive of a certificate, honour, etc.Emotional: Applause – more suggestive of active praise and enthusiasm.
Sir Henry accepted the accolade for his report with quiet enthusiasm and went back to work. (cold, intellectual)
The stand-up comedian embraced the applause like a long lost friend, working the crowd to garner more and more. (active, warm,)
Intellectual: Damage, harm                  Emotional: Hurt
The damage done to the mechanism was so severe it was beyond repair. (impersonal, factual)
Sandie closed her eyes in pain, the hurt she felt from his betrayal so profound she couldn’t bear to look at him. (sorrowful, moving)
Intellectual: Manufacture                    Emotional: Make
They set out to manufacture the most profitable goods they could foist on the gullible and ill-educated consumers. (cold, calculated)

I want to make something that has real value to society, something that will do some real good. (inspiring, heartfelt)Related articles Zemanta Power User - Stuart Aken What it Takes to be an Editor Writing In The 21st Century Tapping into Consumer Sentiment on Social Networks i boycott good spelling and punctuation

How Was it for You?

Not the context you might expect. This was a question I was asked after attending my first fantasy and science fiction convention. FantastiCon 2014, held at the Mercure hotel in Hull, yesterday, was a fascinating, fabulous experience.
One thing that struck me almost at once was the generosity of those both attending and creating the convention. People gave of their time and money freely. The number of books purchased raised the spirits of this writer: so many eager to devour the fiction created by the writers in attendance. Very heart-warming.
There was a lot of friendly banter with humour very much in evidence. But there was a serious side too, with people asking intelligent questions and being given sensible answers. The variety of topics and events was also quite extraordinary.
Representatives of Dr Who were present, along with a working Dalek, and they answered questions, posed for pictures, gave out autographs and generally entertained.
As the convention was largely focussed on the game, ‘Elite Encounters’ and a series of novels produced in line with it, this was obviously a central part of the event. Much of the gaming activity was alien to me, as I’ve never played a computer game (I fear it would become addictive, and I have too many other things I really want to do with my limited time!). But the true gamers didn’t exclude or make non-gamers feel unwanted. They were welcoming and supportive. In much the same way, the community of writers was warm and friendly. The much-lauded Oculus rift was available for people to experience their virtual worlds.
R2D2 and Yoda, and a speedracer from Star Wars, were also there. Many attendees came in costumes taken from the worlds of science fiction and fantasy and Cosplay was there to judge and make awards for the best dressed.
I’d gone along to sign copies of my fantasy novel, Joinings , from A Seared Sky. Dan had organised a wonderful banner to bring attention to the book. Quite honestly, I attended with no expectation of selling any books at all, since fantasy was by no means the main focus of the convention, But I was delighted to sell 12 print copies, all of which I signed, and others bought digital copies as they stood and chatted with me. So, a very worthwhile time in that respect too. I’m hoping some of them will produce reviews once they’ve read the book. The second volume, Partings, was actually released on the day, as an ebook, with the paperback due to follow shortly.
Other writers also signed books and all of us were given the chance to sit before the audience and explain our books, writing, and answer questions from an intelligent and informed group of people. We did readings to illustrate our work and the whole experience was positive in every way.
The event was organised by my publisher, Dan Grubb of Fantastic BooksPublishing, and, as with everything he does, there was evidence of his enormous energy and generosity. He was warmly thanked at the end of the evening with a marvellous video that had us all laughing and had Dan, and his lovely wife, Gabi, dabbing at tears. They were rewarded materially as well: a much deserved show of appreciation.
The evening closed with an awards ceremony, in which I was given the award for ‘Best World Building’ for Joinings . Afterwards, a lengthy raffle prize session took place, with all the usual banter that accompanies such events. I won a tasty mug and a print from Elite Reclamation, signed by author Drew Wager. That was around midnight on a day when I’d driven the 25 miles to arrive at 08:30, so I was getting rather knackered. Some of us left at that point, but others stayed on in the hotel bar to cement relationships on a day that brought together many friends both established and new. I know I made a number of new friends and met a good many interesting people. But a day of activity that lasted 17 hours in total for me is now telling on this 66 year old body and mind, so forgive any lack of erudition in this piece, please! I intend to rest, once I’ve posted this piece. For more pictures, click this link.

I look forward to next year’s convention, which promises to be even better, with new sponsors and promises of returns from many who were present for this one. A new experience for me and one that proved far more fascinating and enjoyable than I’d expected. Thanks to all who attended and special thanks to those who bought my book!   Related articles A Seared Sky: Partings. Launch of Book 2 of the Trilogy A Fantastic Convention: FantastiCon. Here it is: the Second Book of the Trilogy!