Alexander M. Zoltai's Blog, page 11
August 17, 2018
Blog Conversation about Your Favorite Books and/or Favorite Authors . . .
Our last conversation—How You Choose What You Read—came to an end for the lack of a comment; but, it did have a 3-post run, ending on August 15th… [image error]
In fact, I have a good friend who I thought might comment on that last post and keep the discussion going; but, folks have to do what they have to do…
So…
I thought I’d come up with a new conversation that my friend might also want to comment on—Your Favorite Books and/or Favorite Authors…
I’ve often mentioned one of my all-time favorite authors h...
August 15, 2018
Handling real-life disasters sensitively in fiction – an interview
Great interview on today’s re-blog :-)
Novelists are sculptors of real-life, but some have to be particularly sensitive to their raw materials. Especially when that material is events that have made headlines in the news – natural disasters, wars, or terrorist incidents.
That’s what I want to explore today. You might recognise my interviewee – Jane Davis, who has hosted me on her Book Club series and was one of my co-conspirators in the Women Writing Women box set. In her eigh...
Still More Conversation about How You Choose What You Read . . .
[image error] The first post in this discussion was on August 10th, followed by the one on August 13th…
And, here are the two comments from that last mentioned post that enabled this conversation to move forward.
First, from an author in Germany:
“I try to read books by my author friends, and I have followed the “also bought”-widget. I try to avoid shop assistants whatever the shop sales, so I avoid them in bookstores, too. (They are so threatening ;-) ) When I have got rid of the hovering shop assistants...
August 14, 2018
Building readership: a quiet rebellion against three pieces of conventional marketing wisdom
BONUS RE-BLOG
Again, from Roz Morris…
Again, Top-Notch…
I’ll readily admit that book marketing is not my expertise, but some commonly accepted maxims really chafe for me. Indeed, my gut tells me I should do the opposite. So here they are, for better or perverse.
Rebellion 1: Social media – use pictures and videos for greater engagement
We all know the equation. A picture is worth a thousand words. Facebook certainly thinks so, and constantly reminds me with helpful messages. ‘...
August 13, 2018
6 unusual tips for writing characters who’ll keep readers riveted – guest post at Ingram Spark
As usual, when I re-blog something from Roz Morris, it’s top-notch stuff :-)
How do we create fictional people who feel just as real as our closest friends? How do we build layers of complexity that will bewitch a reader and keep them hooked for several hundred pages? Ingram Spark noticed I had a book about characters (here) invited me to their blog to write my six strongest tips on the subject. The first tip will cheer anybody who’s had feedback that said ‘I don’t believe you...
More Conversation about How You Choose What You Read . . .
The first post in this discussion was on August 10th… [image error]
And, here’s the single comment on that last post that lets this conversation continue:
“Unlike most people my reading is completely random. I use the local mobile library and I pick up books with an interesting cover and read the blurb. Then I look inside to see the size of the font and get an idea of the style. If I like the look of it, I take it home.
“The only books I buy are ones that I have seen recommended somewhere, or those writte...
August 12, 2018
Writing From a Place of Hope by Samira Ahmed
Today’s re-blog author, while delving into the ills our society faces, can still uphold healing ideas like this:
“To write from a place of hope is to know that the power and magic of books is that they serve as mirror and window. They are one of the greatest forms of human interrelatedness that we’ve ever gifted to ourselves.”
Lately, it feels like hope is in short supply.
I need only open Twitter to find Islamophobia and fear-mongering being tweeted out from the highest offi...
August 10, 2018
A Letter From Her Majesty the Queen
Delightful re-blog today :-)
Letter writing is alive and well in my classroom. We wrote a letter to Queen Elizabeth, and we received a reply. Children were beyond thrilled. Everyone heard the sound of the letter opener tearing the envelope. Anticipation!
And there it was, a real letter from Buckingham Palace, thanking us for our letter. It was written by the Queen’s Lady-in-Waiting, which added another magical level to a very important letter.
The Queen wishes...
Blog Conversation about How You Choose What You Read . . .
[image error] Our last conversation—What Age Brings to Writing—stopped on August 8th because there were no comments…
So, I’ll start another conversation by remembering a short discussion from June 25th that had a list of 30 reasons to choose what to read…
Reasons to choose; yet, there are, just beyond the reasons, the actual books you choose…
How do you do that—choose a book to read?
Do you have a lot of reasons or ways you choose which book is next?
I used to take an intuitive stroll within range of some...
