Alex Laybourne's Blog, page 83

Allow me to Introduce – Karsten Ford

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my pleasure to be able to introduce you to a man I will be spending a lot of time with over the coming months.

He is the lead in my new novel Par 4 The Course. His name is Karsten Ford, he is a Police Officer, divorced with two daughters. His best friend – who you will meet later this week – is also his parter on the force.

With the introductions taken care of, I say “take it away Karsten.”

Who are your parents? I’d rather not talk about them if you don’t mind.

Do you have any siblings? What are their names, ages, predilections? None, I had a sister but she died before she was born. I was two years old.

What’s your favorite chore? Cutting the grass

What’s your least favorite chore? Don’t really have one, everything gets done in my house.

What do you do to entertain yourself? Now that would be telling wouldn’t it. I watch sports and I guess you can say I have an active social life.

Who is your best friend? August Stable. Me and him go way back

Why are they your best friend? We’ve known each other since we were kids. That man has rescued me from a bad path more than once in life.

Who is your least favorite person? I would say my wife, but that probably sounds a bit harsh So I guess I’ll say any politician.

Why are they your least favorite person? All their bullshit clogs the machine and makes it too easy for criminals to get away with it all.

Who do you wish was your best friend? I don’t need a different best friend, I have the best on already.

Who are you closest to? My daughters, they know almost everything about me.

What colors do you prefer? Red

What colors do you hate? Purple

Do you have a hobby? What is it? I cook a good meal, so I guess that’s a hobby, right.

What’s your fondest memory of growing up? Don’t go there

Which memory of growing up do you wish you could get rid of? I said don’t go there.

Where do you go when your angry? I got a few places.

What is your biggest fear? Whom have you told? Whom would you never tell it to? Why? Biggest fear, um… that would be something bad happening to my daughters. I haven’t really told anybody. I don’t talk much.

Do you have a secret? Can you keep it? We all have something to atone for. Right?

What makes you laugh? Jokes… get it. Um, no, I like a good laugh now and then.

Have you been in love? I thought I was once. I love my kids, but that’s something else right.

Have you had your heart broken? She thinks she broke it, but I’m tougher than I look.

What kind of clothes do you wear? Would you like to wear something different? Why? I’m a casual guy, I don’t get all dressed up much, but I do own a couple of suits.

Are there any smells or sounds that you associate with your childhood? If you mention my childhood once more than this is over. Seriously buddy, just leave that the hell alone.

What things do you own that you could never throw away? That would be easy to throw away? I have every report card and school artwork that my kids ever gave me. Every fathers’ day gift. All of it. It’s all stored away and will never leave my possession.

What do you consider your greatest achievement? My children, odd, seeing as how their mother was my greatest mistake. haha

What is your idea of perfect happiness? A good game on tv, a cold beer and a few buddies to enjoy it with, or a day with my girls.

What is your current state of mind? What? Come again… um, I seem sane right, I feel good. I was up for a promotion the other week but didn’t get it, but hey ho, that’s how it goes.

What is your favorite occupation? I love my job, I couldn’t do anything else.

What is your most treasured possession? It’s just something my grandfather gave me before he died. But let’s skip this.

What or who is the greatest love of your life? My girls

What is your favorite journey? um, I don’t think I have one.

What is your most marked characteristic? I’m kind of a moody bastard. That’s what Gus always tells me.

When and where were you the happiest? When I am with my daughters.

What is it that you most dislike? My ex-wife haha. I hate politics and all the red tape bullshit that seems to come with everything nowadays.

What is your greatest fear? That’s something just for me.

What is your greatest extravagance? I like cars, so buy a new one every year… or so.

Which living person do you most despise? There are a few local thugs, but that would be unprofessional of me. *Smile*

What is your greatest regret? I made a lot of wrong choices when I was a teenager.

Which talent would you most like to have? I’ve always said I could write one hell of a book, if only I know how to start.

Where would you like to live? I’m heading to the sun when I retire, Florida or somewhere of that ilk.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? *Silence* next question.

What is the quality you most like in a man? In a man… wait a minute there buddy. I like someone I can trust .

What is the quality you most like in a woman? I’ve done my bit of searching, at the moment I’m out for a bit of fun before I get over the hill. Right now I like a woman who is honest with herself, and looking for a good time. Doesn’t have to be just one timers, but nothing too heavy. Maybe one day I’ll look again.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? I’m kind of damaged… but… next question.

What is the trait you most deplore in others? I loathe men who beat women, that is one of the lowest things could do. Besides messing with kids.

What do you most value in your friends? Gus has always had my back, even when I told him to keep off, he always had my back.

Who is your favorite hero of fiction? I love Rambo, whatever that says about me. The guy don’t take no shit.

Who are your heroes in real life? I guess August. Just don’t tell him that.

Which living person do you most admire? That’s a tough one, I have to say that I have a great admiration for anybody who stands up and takes charge. Life will beat the shit out of you if you let it. Anybody who powers through and reaches their goals deserves my admiration.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Everything is overrated when used to excess surely.

On what occasions do you lie? One the occasions when it is necessary *wink*

Which words or phrases do you most overuse? I have spells, my newest coinage is Fuck Pigs, Ironic I know given my occupation, but what can I say, it makes me smile.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? There’s too much broken with me to change but one. So I guess I would just say I’d give myself a little but more patience.

What are your favorite names? Megan and Chelsea. They are my daughters names but were my favourites before they were born too.

How would you like to die? Kicking and screaming every step of the way. I’m not going down without a fight.

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be? I’d come back as one of these lazy rich kids, whose parents did all the work and they just sponge off it. It would be nice to have an easy ride for once.

What is your motto? It ain’t broken til the bone shows. I can’t remember where i heard it for the first time, but it stuck with me.

 

Blogging Awards

Until recently, I was of the near certain belief that I had read every comment that I had received on this blog. Imagine my horror when I discovered not only were there a few comments I had missed, but even awards.

Yes, I had overlooked something that I consider an absolute honor not once, not twice, but thrice. Three separate awards nominations have been sent my way and I failed to acknowledge them.

Shame on you Alex. How can you not see an award nomination when it comes your way!!

I know I know, I hang my head in shame

So here it it goes, I hope, better late than never.

The three awards I was nominated for were

Kreativ Blogger
Beautiful Blogger
ABC Blog

When it comes to blogs, I am only now starting to get the hang of things, to find my own style and voice I suppose you could say. If we are talking about awards, well, I am about as knowledgeable as a brick on a piece of string

I cannot quite capture how humbled I feel that people took the time to nominate me for an award. Maybe it is just me, I always have a hard time accepting praise.

As I said, I am unfamiliar with the whole process regarding these awards, and will certainly be reading up on them once this post is live. I know, it is kind of a backwards way of working, but I have time to write now, and time to read later.

However, I have noticed that one theme that is consistent amongst all awards is the need to nominate another blog. So, without further ado, and in no particular order I present you my nominees.

1) Kreativ Blogger Award – Andrew Mocete, a man who defines professionalism, determination and is all around good guy.

2) Beautiful Blogger – This award has to go Eden Baylee. This lady is quite possibly one of the most amazing people I have ever known. Her writing is amazing, and a heart as big as they come. Her IndiesUnite4Joshua campaign will help a young man through the toughest battle he will ever face.

3) ABC Blog award – I am always wary of nominations, simply because I always feel bad for the people I did not mention. However, I must make a choice, and so for this award I nominate Andrea ‘Meeka’ Flory. Andrea and I may be separated by half a world, and an entire hemisphere, but thanks to the internet we crossed paths and I am thankful for that.

There are a lot of people I have not mentioned here, and I will not start a list, because then I am bound to miss even more people and end up feeling even worse, but please, believe me when I say this was a tough choice.

With that, I pass the ball over to my nominees and bid you all a goodnight.

Thank you and good night

 

Alex II – The Return

Hi Everybody…. I’m Home!!!

 

WHAT?

Alex is ALIVE?

 That’s right Vultan. I am alive!

I ventured into the very heart of my homeland… city, and returned not only alive, but stronger than ever.

I dearly missed writing, blogging and everything that goes with it over the last few weeks, but now I am back, and I am ready to push on, stronger than ever.  I cannot wait to dive right back into everything.

So Glad For Advancements in Movie Effects

Last night I sat down and watched Transformers 3D. Firstly, I have to say… 3D TV rocks!!!!

Secondly, while I was watching it – these sort of movies are my guilty pleasure in life – I couldn’t help but think how glad I was that these amazing special effects were made possible. I mean just think about it for a second. If advancements had not been made, the transformers would not have looked like this

but rather, they would have looked like this…

 

My vacation is almost over… sigh… but I will be back bigger and better than ever next week. Have a great day everybody!

Guest Post: Sean Hayden

Today I am handing my blog over to a good friend of mine, and an amazingly talented writer. The one and only Mr. Sean Hayden. If you haven’t read any of his work, then by the time you finish this post, I guarantee you that his name will be heading towards the top of your TBR Pile.

Take it away Sean…

 

GREETINGS AND SALUMATATIONS DENIZENS OF EARTH!

Hi. I’m in CYBERHOLLAND! WOO HOO. I’ve got to tell you, the farthest I’ve been in cyberearth for a blog tour is Canada and the UK! I like this. No airports. Gonna give a quick shout out to the man with a mission, my host for today, ALEX LAYBOURNE! Thank you sooo much for having me, hosting me, and more importantly…HELPING ME TAKE OVER THE WORLD!

So, today I figured I’d discuss the characters in MY SOUL TO KEEP. Give you a little looksee into their heads and hearts without giving too much of the story away. I’ve written a LOT of characters in the short time I’ve been an author. It never ceases to amaze me how much you fall in love with each and every character you write. They start out as a part of you, but then they become almost like a family…inside your head? Wow, somebody needs therapy, huh? BWAHAHAHAHA. So, let me introduce you to the latest additions of my mental family. The stars of MY SOUL TO KEEP.

CONNOR SULLIVAN: The hero of our story. He wanted a little something more, but wasn’t willing to pay the ultimate price. He has the dubious honor of being the only human to have ever outsmarted the Fallen. Geeky, sarcastic, and witty and more like me in real life than any character I’ve ever written.

CLAIRE AWL: Okay her name is really Clarisse and she’s a teenage looking biker babe Fallen who named herself after a can of hairspray. CLAIROL. She oozes badass, is more sarcastic than ten of me, and makes Connor’s life a living hell, but I guess that is her job!

JESSICA JAMES: The newest transfer student to Connor’s high school. She’s blind, has a deep dark secret even she doesn’t know about, and Connor is utterly smitten with her. Will she feel the same way when she finds out he’s a monster? Guess you’ll have to find out. And whatever you do, don’t call her Jessie.

CAELYN SULLIVAN: Connor’s kid sister. Bratty, annoying, somewhat evil, but then again aren’t all little sisters? They fight, they never make up, but in the end he would do everything he could to save her.

CONNOR’S PARENTS: Typical parents. One’s a nurse, one loves motorcycles. One’s completely in charge and the one loves motorcycles. Their only flaw is their taste in home décor. Orange plaid couches? Really? ICK.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this little insight into everybody. There are legions of demons and angels, vampires, students, monsters, reapers, teachers, principals, and lunch ladies galore. Basically everything frightening in the world today. Except clowns. I hate clowns. Too scary, even for me.

SHWAG TIME!

Now we get to the fun part of the blog tour! Your chance to wind some awesome Sean Hayden Swag (SHWAG). All of it features…YOU GUESSED IT! The cover of MY SOUL TO KEEP! There’s a WHOLE BUNCH OF STUFF FOR ONE LUCKY WINNER AND COPIES OF MSTK FOR SOME OF THE LOSERS! Here’s the DEETS!

 

CLICK THE PICTURE TO ENTER!

 

Contents include:

1 MSTK Tote, 1 MSTK Notebook, 1 MSTK Keychain, 1 MSTK T-shirt (size large),  1 MSTK Coffee Mug so you can enjoy tasty hot beverages in style…and…cue drum roll…are you ready…1 copy of My Soul to Keep. So what you say? Gasp. You don’t understand. This copy is in paperback. Not only that but its an AUTOGRAPHED ADVANCED READER COPY!!!!!!! Yes ladies and germs, you get the paperback before anyone else in the whole wide world!!!!!! That’s over a $125 value! Why? Cuz we wuv you. 

 

Come on you Hammers!!!!

Another short and sweet post today.

This afternoon, my football (soccer) team are playing in the playoff final. A win in this game will see them move back into the top division of English Football. A place where they belong if you ask me haha.

So, in the spirit of the day, I leave you with these lyrics to help spread the Hammer support across the globe. 

I’m forever blowing bubbles,

Pretty bubbles in the air

They fly so high, nearly reach the sky

And like my dreams they fade and die

Fortune’s always hiding,

I’ve looked everywhere

I’m forever blowing bubbles,

Pretty bubbles in the air

United! (clap hands) united! (clap hands)

 

Back Home

Well, I am back home again. A nice 10 day break back in the UK. I will try to get some posts up while I am gone, but if I don’t, fear not.

I am either just too busy

or…

I have died in the Zombie Apocalypse

ROW80: Mid Week Check-in 16.05.2012

Well after my high of last week, this week has started in an equally upbeat fashion. Namely, the edits to the Highway to Hell sequel (Trials and Tribulations) have been completed, and it has been sent to my publisher (May December Publications) for their perusal.

It is a great feeling to not only have two novels completed, but also to feel so positive about them. The pressure on a second novel, especially one in a series, is great. I never would have imagined that I would feel so positive about it.

I have also made some big inroads in my secret project that I have alluded to from time to time. The project itself has grown into something rather massive. It is now a 10 book series and will require a lot more research given the new direction it has taken, but I feel this only serves to make the book stronger. I will be posting a bit more about this, and a call for possible information in a post or two next week.

On the reading front I am still going strong, and have read a couple of books this month, although one was a really fantastic collection of short stories that I got through in one day. I am now on to the third novel in the Dexter Series and during my vacation I am proof-reading the new book of the amazingly talented author, and friend of mine, Matthew Munson. I cannot wait to get started on it.

The only real problem that I am faced with at the moment is what to do next. What to work on next I should say. I sat down last night and jotted down (finally) what projects I have lined up in my mind and it turned out that (counting series as individual novels) I have between 25 and 30 novels and 5 short story collections pending. It is quite the selection to choose from.

I decided to go and edit my already complete short story collection. It is already written and put together. I just needs one final edit and then I will be ready to go with that also.

How is this week shaping up for all of you? I hope that it is better than last week, but not as good as next week

Dilution of readership

A few weeks ago I went on a hot streak and found myself posting daily, and in some cases twi a day for a period of about two weeks. What I saw was, as could be expected, that my daily hits increased the longer the hot streak continued. Yet, at the same time, several comments I received said that daily posting was too much. There were not aimed at me in any personal way, but rather more comments in relation to questions I raised in my posts.

Intrigued by these comments, and also by my seemingly hard-fought climb towards blogging success, I decided to run a control experiment. Over the last week – two weeks I have purposefully posted less, often only once or twice a week. (Ok, secretly I just had no time on a few of the days, but hey, you don’t need to know that… oh wait…bugger)

What I have seen, kind of confirms what you would have first assumed. My daily visits went down… and quite dramatically. While during my hot streak I was heading towards the 100 hits a day, as soon as I skipped a day of posting, the hits dropped way down low. I mean around 20.

I had at least hoped that the slow down would be gradual, but as is, it appears to be anything but. That being said, two weekends ago, in the mid-point of my now declared experiment, I had three record-breaking days in a row, with the Sunday, yes Sunday of all day – a day which is normally my quietest seeing a massive (for me) 282 people drop by to say hello.

After that we dropped right back down into the 30-40 range. This is, it would seem, my comfort zone, and I am happy to have reached such a consistent level.

The truth is, I am not concerned by Blog visits or stats. I may mention them a lot, but it is more because there is a lot that can be written about them. (Don’t hate me!)

What I am currently puzzled by, is the question of which is better, for there seems to be no rhyme or reason to my blog stats. Some days I post twice and get nothing, other days I post nothing and get a lot. I use the same promotion tactics for each post I write. I put it down to the mysteries of the web.

Yet, to bring this post back to the original topic I had in my head, and the point that relates to the title. I am beginning to believe that posting every day has more potential for problems than posting on a regular schedule, say 2 or 3 times a week.

Why? The answer was actually suggested to my by a very good friend of mine. They said that posting every day, especially if on some days you are simply posting because you feel obliged to, you risk diluting your message, and in turn, diluting your readership.

I would rather have 40 visitors a day every day, and they know that when they log on, the post I will have written is well thought out, professionally presented and about a relevant topic, rather than having 100 new visitors every day, but who only look at one post and then never come back.

I will not risk diluting my blog or demeaning my regular visitors just for the sake of a daily post.

However, it is clear to me that there is a certain schedule needed. Maybe it is just the fact of knowing what is coming. Knowing that on a particular day, a particular topic or style of post will be posted.

I post twice weekly on the ROW80 rounds, and I feel that one post and one piece of flash Fiction – on a Friday – will be more than sufficient. In essence I will be posting less than normal, but at the same time, more. Plus the schedule will give me time to prepare for the relevant posts, and allow me to ensure that what I post, in my now once a week general post, is even more relevant.

I will give this a try for a few weeks and see if there is a difference again in the visits and the breakdown of them. Let’s call it Phase 3 of my investigation.

ROW80: A Belated and Rather Confused Check-In

I must offer my apologies, to those of you that so look forward to my ROW updates. I have been rather bad these last couple of weeks, and last week missed both check-ins. Please, forgive me.

The last week was a crazy one for me. I made great progress on the editing of Trials and Tribulations and was getting excited about having everything ready and finished before I headed to the UK on holiday. Then, along came Friday and my writing world got turned upside-down, and now all of my ROW80 goals have been kind of shattered. But for the very best of reasons.

As I am sure most of you have already heard, from my social media bellows, I have agreed a two book deal with May December Publications. This will be for a re-edited and re-released version of Highway to Hell (release date set for End 2012) and for its sequel Trials and Tribulations (Early 2013)

This meant that, not only are my plans to release Trials this month now out of the window (again, for all of the right reasons) but my sales plans have changed because I do not need to pursue active sales currently because Highway has been pulled from general sale pending the re-release.

This gives me the perfect chance, a second chance nonetheless to get my sales pitch perfected.

On another positive front, it would seem that I cannot stop my mind from creating new ideas. Just this week I put the wheels in motion to a rather large-scale 10 book series. This will be a serious work, not horror related at all.

Also, I have a 5 (or 6) book horror series for children in my mind, and an idea for two new general horror novels, which will be added to the list I already have.  I have more than enough to keep me writing the next few decades, and that is at a rate of 2 books a year. Now I just need to write them all down so I don’t forget haha.

How are all of you doing on this ROW80 2012 adventure?