Alex Laybourne's Blog, page 74
September 8, 2012
A Picture Says A Thousand Words Photo Contest
To celebrate the recent launch of Amazon’s new Kindle Paperwhite, I thought it would be fun to do something I haven’t done in a while…
Hold a contest! *cue claps and gasps from the audience*
A picture says a thousand words, and I want your pictures. I want your pictures of you reading A Thirty-Something Girl. The photo can be of you reading the paperback or e-book version.
LM Stull is giving away a Kindle PaperWhite. The rules for entry are simple, and fun. I can't wait to get snapping, and hope you do too.
Review: Wesley and the Sex Zombies
Wesley and the Sex Zombies by Portia Da Costa
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I picked this up for free from Amazon while searching for some Zombie fiction the other day. It was short so I thought, why not.
Ultimately, this story feels emtpy, unfinished and to be honest with you, kind of nonensical. I have seen that the author has several works to her name, all of which have been well received, however, I feel the horror element to the story may have highlighted an area best left alone.
The writing was good, don’t get me wrong, the scenes were well described, and the interaction was… accepable for a short story. The plot moved forward and came to a conclusion of sorts, but at the same time never really asked a question that needd answering.
A writer is in a cafe, and sees a couple walk in. Zombies, made to look ‘normal’ by magic powered a by a third member of their sexually charged trio. However, this wizard has left them, and unless they replace him / her, they will loose their power and melt. Yes, melt into a puddle of decay.They see this writer and decide he is the wizard.
Now this sounds odd, and it is, to be honest, I couldn’t get passed the undead nymphomaniacs. The final few pages, bring it together… a bit, the three are together, and the story is appearing in a magzine. However, is if made up, are the zombies living with him real or was it fiction? Where did they come from, what made him the Wizard, why did they need to have sex in order to keep the magic going? I don’t get it, and as a result didn’t enjoy the story.
Ms. Da Costa’s usual genre is not one I would read, and so I will not be sampling any more of her work, however, a few extracts at the end of the story, shows a solid writing ability, and to those fans of romance, I am sure she is a good writer, whose works should be read.
Ultimately, this story offered neither zombies, horror, is that much romance / erotic. It was disjointed and well, not for me.
Review: Contemplations: An Anthology of Short Fiction & Poetry
Contemplations: An Anthology of Short Fiction & Poetry by L.M. Stull
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A wonderful collection of short stories and poems. Each one filled with emotion, from thought-provoking to heart breaking, happy and sad, author LM Stull captures the full breadth of human emotion and expresses it perfectly throughout.
It is a testament to the writing that the short page or two stories and short poems carry the same weight and emotion as the longest, multi chapter story that comes at the end of the collection.
Having read A Thirty something Girl by the same author, I knew that I was in for an experience when I picked up this collection, and I was not disappointed.
A great literary work does more than entertain, it makes readers think, to challenge their views, to make them feel. Reading Contemplations, you are, as a reader, forced into your past. We can all relate to stories or lost love, love that was never meant to be, loss, sorrow and sadness, but also joy, the feeling of something new, and this collection will take you to those places, and will leave you with a tear in your eye, a gentle smile on your face, and a song in your soul.
September 7, 2012
Amazon Looks Beyond The US To Take One Step Beyond… Or Does It
Finally, Amazon casts a glance to the shores and imagines that there could be a world outside of the mainly land United States. For that fact alone, I applaud them.
When the Kindle Fire first came out, those of us not lucky enough to live in the United States were at first forgotten and then later on mercilessly teased by Amazon.
Sorry Europe, You can’t have this!
First we were told it would be released later, then in limited numbers, and then the ever enjoyable Yes / No game began. Isn’t that fun. Getting people’s hopes up just to dash them because the Dice of bored business men didn’t fall right.
I know, let’s play best two out of three.
When I first got wind of Amazon’s press conference yesterday, while the initial spark of interest I had made me stop and ponder the possible announcement and doused the budding flame with a healthy portion of reality. It’s Amazon, I told myself. They don’t do the Rest of the World.
You can then imagine my surprise when, admittedly allowing my curiosity to get the better of me (guess we all know how I’m gonna die later) I logged on to see what the announcement was, and to see that not only was the new Kindle Fire for sale in the US, but will actually be available on the .co.uk site too. Admittedly, it is not scheduled for a launch until the end of October, and this gives the Amazon Powers that be more than enough time to chance their mind and re-roll those fated dice. However, with pre-orders being taken, I am surely allowed to all my hopes to rise just every so slightly.
Get me while I’m HOT!!
What do you think of the new Fire? I think it looks and sounds, but I wouldn’t use it for reading. The back-light just seems like a step back. The new Kindle Paperwhite looks very good… but what… it’s not available outside of the US.
BUGGER!
p.s. Apologies for the long post title.
September 5, 2012
Review: Miami Spy Games
Miami Spy Games by Armand Rosamilia
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This story has it all, action, humor, spy gadgets, classic spy imagery, and of course…. Zombies.
The only thing that held me back from giving this a 5 star rating was the length. It was too short. I wanted more, and am too impatient to wait for the next installment. At around 8000 words, when I finished it, I felt as though it was more of a teaser than anything else. At least, it had me on the edge of my seat, shouting at the kindle for not offering me more pages.
The writing, as always from Mr Rosamilia, was top grade. The descriptions enough to get the mind working, but not so detailed the reader becomes lazy.
The action starts straight away when we witness a Russian Agency testing a new weapon, and planning to distribute it through America ahead of any future situations where it may be required.
We then meet the ‘good guys’ ACES, the secret agency that the secret agencies don’t know about.
I will stop, and give away nothing more, other than telling you, in 8000 words, characters have been created that will stick with you after you have finished reading.
I certainly can’t wait for the next installment, especially after the cliffhanger ending of this, Part 1.
September 4, 2012
Review: Attic Clowns Volume One
Attic Clowns Volume One by Jeremy C. Shipp
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A short collection of 4 clown tales that take the usual image of the (un)funny terrors, and turns them on their head. Each story has a central theme that links the clowns, they all live in the attic of a chosen house and are appointed or linked to the owners of that house. For the rest however, the stories are very different.
Each one is an odd and truly new experience. The first story, Giggles is the longest of the four, and in my opinion the best. It is the extra length it has that creates a much fuller tale. Don’t get me wrong however, for the other three, especially The Glass Box are haunting, and chilling.
Normally when reading horror, we know what to expect, darkness, jumps, scares and kills. What Jeremy C. Shipp has created with Attic clowns is something else. Something haunting and utterly bizarre. I can honestly say I have never read anything written in such a manner, yet I enjoyed it immensely.
I certainly intend to pick up the rest of the attic clown series.
Review: My Remembrance
My Remembrance by Maxine L. Owen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
You could easily believe that My Remembrance is a tale of abuse, however, I prefer to view is as a tale of survival.
It shows how strong the human spirit is and that, if you have faith, you can get through anything, no matter how unbearable it may seem at the time.
Maxine Owen takes us on a journey that is hard to read and can only make us wonder how hard it was to live through.
A triumphant tale when looked at from the right perspective, My Remembrance tells us that we can get through things, when life seems unfair and against us, it probably is, but it is an opportunity for us to learn and grow as individuals.
What is the old adage, it is not how we act in the moment that defines us, but rather how we respond once the moment has passed. From the greatest of tragedies, the most wonderful things can arise, and that is what happens here.
A truly wonderful written book, that is harsher than many written today, because it is true… it did happen, and it still does, somewhere in the world, someone will read this, place themselves in the title role, and maybe, just maybe, find the courage to do what Maxine did, to push back, to grown and bloom into something wonderful.
Is This The Key
I do not believe that this truly is the key I seek, but maybe, just maybe there is a chance it can unlock a door that will allow me to start my journey of self discovery, and answer the question…
Who am I?
Keeping a Journal
I don’t know if this is true, and have no real basis for the statement other than general feeling, but I don’t think that people keep a journal the way they used to. If I am right, I find it a shame.
However, on the other hand, I personally do not journal, and there is a very good reason why.
As I mentioned in a post a week or so ago, I love words, and I love writing. Not just novels and stories, but the very act of putting words down on paper soothes me. Be it ink or typeface I don’t care.
I have purposefully never entered the world of journal keeping because if I did, I fear I would completely lose my grip on the world around me (my children excluded of course).
If I ever dared to start opening my mind and putting my thoughts down onto paper, I fear what may happen. I love the idea of it, but greatly fear what would become of me.
I have been spending a lot of time pondering things recently, spiritual things. Not in terms of God and Jesus, which is just cannot find any faith in, but rather the more natural way of it all. Spirits, Angels, Demons, Mother Nature, Zen, Meditation, the list goes on. I think that sooner or later I will go on a find myself mission, to see if I can answer the question of who I am. Keeping or rather starting a journal may well be part of that process, but when I start, I will be sure to advise those around me that I would need to be watched. I could easily get lost within my own words, within my own mind.
The more I think about it, and the more reasons I think of not to start a journal, the more I think I should do it. Maybe I need to.
My mind is known to run away, at great speed, taking not just one thought or idea, but a great many. I get serious headaches, even migraines at times, because my head is just too full or noise, of questions, theories, answers, but not to the questions I am thinking at the time, stories, plots, characters etc… I’m sure you get the picture.
I have always been a private person, I keep my real thoughts to myself. I am loud and brash in public, but what I say is nothing more than a generic string of sentences and opinions, that in essence reflect my view in terms of on what side I stand, but never delve into anything truly personal.
Maybe that is part of the problem. I fear that by putting myself out there, even in a private journal, I am opening up too much of myself. Perhaps I fear being judged, maybe I am just afraid of myself.
Perhaps journals would give me an outlet for it all, dare I say a way to find some sort of inner peace that I so crave.
Or perhaps I am just nuts. that is a distinct possibility. OK, this post has gone off my planned topic again, and if I let it, it would run on and on, and I don’t think I… or you, are ready for that. So I will cut it off here, and return to my pondering.
September 3, 2012
The Week Ahead
Another week has flown by, and we find ourselves in September, staring down the chilly barrel of Autumn with nothing to protect us but soon to be faded tan lines and the memories of a summer enjoyed.
Too dramatic… I see your point.
Last week was a great week for me. Not only did I earn a little bit of extra cash from a freelance project I picked up, the money from which will buy our groceries this week, I also managed to finish typing up the edits on The Musings of a Hideous Mind: Volume 1, and sent it out to no less than 6 different beta readers. Three of whom I know will come back to me with some comments, and three who.. well, they offered but to be honest I don’t know them very well, and so have no idea what they will come back with. I am nervous about the comments, but excited at the same time. It will be nice to get something polished up and published.
I managed to work on my WIP every day too, and got between 800 and 1000 words done a day on it which was above my target and puts me at nearly 50,000 words, about two-thirds of the way through the book.
As for the plans this week, I hope to get in a few more freelance things, which I spend my evenings working on. I think for the rest, I will focus on the WIP. See if I can set myself 1000 words a day, just to get a chunk taken out. I still have two short story collections sitting there waiting to be edited, but I think a week off from editing will be a nice break too.
Besides, this current novel has really kept me guessing, it has changed direction a few times, and while I know there are a couple of sections that will need some heavy editing, I like the way it is swerving around. It is definitely not an all out horror novel. Now it is more of a drama, but with some harrowing and horror filled scenes thrown into the mix, or rather blended in, I should have something that can be marketed as both. Who knows, if even I don’t know where it is going to end up, how can anybody else.
What are your plans for the week? Do you have a set focus, writing or editing etc. Feel free to let me know, I love hearing about what others are up to and the methods different people use to get their works written and finished.
