Alex Laybourne's Blog, page 90

Review: Roses are Red

Roses are Red by Carrie Green

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Roses are read is a great collection of short stories that deals with the worst horror of them all… the nature of man.

The collections is made up of three tales, each one different in terms of subtext and content.

The first stories sees the effect of guilt as it takes hold on a man who has just committed a murder… a crime of passion no less – kind of…)

The second tale is a sci-fi tale but one that talks about opportunists using the naivety of others for their own personal gain. This was my favorite story, and if it ever gets turned into a movie, David Cronenburg simply has to be at the helm.

The final short looks at how consequences of doing things to please others can control our lives. One moments of lovers faith and the world changes.

It is a collection I could happily read again. I cannot wait to devour the other novels from this up and coming horror author.

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Review: Dark Bites: Four Tales of Horror

Dark Bites: Four Tales of Horror by Robert Ropars

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this collection of 4 (plus a bonus) short stories. They were all well paced, and I loved the way that they all overlapped with various characters appearing in nearly all of the stories.

With each tale taking on a different supernatural entity, from Zombies, to Vampires and a werewolves / pumas and jaguars to the evil nature of man, there is something here for everyone to enjoy.

The only reason I didn't give the novel 5 stars is because I felt that another quick grammar edit would have been beneficial. There are a few run on sentences and tense confusions that could have been eliminated. However, these errors are only natural in a work from an Indie author, as we do not have legions of editors waiting to eagerly devour our work. In no way do these small glitches detract from the writing which was easy to read and kept me wanting to turn the page – click that next page button. The only question that I have is… what happened to Crow?

I cannot wait to read more from this new author that I have found, and once you have read this collection you too will be hooked on the words of Robert Ropars.

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Vampires and the Effect of the Medium

In my post on Monday I talked about Vampires and how I am fed up with them being portrayed as love-sick puppies. If you haven't read it, you can check it our here. May I suggest you also check out the comments, because it was thanks to them that this post came to be.

I spent a little while thinking through these above mentioned comments and came to the definite conclusion that vampires need romance. They need that lovelorn look to them. However, it must not hide the fact, or even worse, the fact must not be ignored, that they are monsters.

This got me thinking that maybe there are two kinds of vampires. Maybe the Medium is what really determines who the vampire is. I have often mentioned in conversations – and a couple of times on this blog – that in my view, short stories make the best movies, and a well made TV series trumps even the biggest grossing box office hit.

I have applied the same reasoning to my vampire theory. I feel that Novels and TV series (such as the Vampire Diaries) allow a much greater range in characters, and afford the reader / viewer and creators the freedom to develop characters. Whereby a movie, even one of three hours in length, just cannot achieve the same. Therefore I think maybe my views on vampires is further broken down into Movie Vampires and TV – and novels – Vampires.

Movie Vampires: Due to the time constraints to a movie, and the fact that the plot needs to be developed fully and thus moving the importance away from a truly detailed character development, movie vampires are far more evil than their novel based tv loving cousins. These guys are mean motherfuckers and are primarily the villain. The are interested in death, and spreading their kind. I feel it is much easier to define a villain in a movie than it is to fully discuss the hero.

TV (Novel) Vampires: I have long since ranted that novels should be turned into series rather than movies and this is echoed in the biography of these vampires. Related to their blood sucking cousins by medium alone, these characters are far more developed and have often already acquired the skills needed to integrate into society. They have the ability to interact on a range of social levels and have the necessary background scenarios ready to explain their actions to the reader / viewer. These character have, thanks for the increased time limit and large number of words in a novel compared to a short story, a much more detailed history and range of emotions. They are killers at heart but have mastered all the requirements that will allow them to exist in a form a symbiosis with mankind. They can go about their business whatever it may be, but still hold all of the tools to avoid not only detection but suspicion.

Of course as is always the case, these are but my own personal guidelines. There are exceptions to every rule, and the of course the skill of the writer / creator always plays a part. A short story can be powerful and convey a lot of information. A novel can be filled with drivel and make you wonder why the vampire doesn't just end it's boring poorly edited life. Go out with a nice sunset or sunrise view rather than plod along waiting for whatever the writer has in store for it to happen.

Am I Lying to Myself?

The title of this post may conjure up all manner of dramatic questions and images, and even thoughts of doubt. Well, lay your minds to rest because I am not in the midst og any personal crisis nor am I doubting my writing. If anything I could never be more positive about it.

No, what I want to talk about today is vampires and romance.

If anybody asks me about vampires, I am more on the side of evil. blood sucking motherfuckers who don't give a crap about anybody than the lovey-dovey, doe eyed yuppies that seem so popular today. Yet if you take a look at the shows I watch you will see a different picture. From Buffy and Angel to the current number one on my TV Show list the Vampire Diaries, it would appear that I am nothing more than a walking contradiction.

In my defense however, I would like to see a stake driven into all of the twilight characters. Although that may be more as a result of acting so wooden it makes Daniel Radcliffe look like Tom Hanks.

My love for all things Vampire Diaries aside, I stand by my feelings over Vampires. However, I do believe that there is a mix between the two. I do not think that Vampires should be painted as pure monsters, but nor are they daylight loving Jersey Shore watching metrosexuals.

I should probably confess at this point that my first real series of novels I ever planned was a YA Vampire series of 4 novels called True Evil that saw four vampires sired but learn that they had the ability to control their urges and could choose to be evil. This was about 10 years ago I had this idea and made rather extensive notes on it. Maybe one day I shall venture back to it, but not to hit an overpopulated market but because I liked the idea once.

If we look at the ultimate vampire; Dracula. There were definitely a lot of romance that surrounded him and his character, and much like Hannibal Lecter, he was well-mannered, well read and a very gracious host. I like that concept and think it makes a much more chilling villain than some mad doctor on a small tropical island planning to take over the world.

I guess what I am saying is at the end of the day, in my humble opinion (for what it is worth) vampires are evil. Maybe that is why I like the Vampire Diaries so much. When we boil it down, all of them vampire portion of the diaries are evil. They mask it and act with near perfect social graces when the call for it is there, but they are all killers, and have all been shown as such in some way.

To keep with the theme and the show, I think my favorite line involving any vampire lore was uttered by one of these well-mannered villains in last week's episode. It is where Elijah is talking about their mother – the creator of vampires – and how she wants them all dead.

"Mother made us vampires. She didn't make us monsters. We did that to ourselves."

Time is Money?

Hands up who has seen the movie In Time with Justin Timberlake? Ok, I don't see any hands up, but I think its more the fault of the medium than the lack of movie viewers.

Besides my fictions writing, my blogging, my family and my full-time job, I am also known to dabble in the world of freelance writing. From reports and essays to SEO Articles and most recently translations from Dutch to English. The other way around is not quite there yet.

One problem with being a freelancer is the ultimate payment for whatever project it is that you have been working on. Myself, I was taken for a ride for over $2000,00 one month by two people who despite promises of payment took the work I provided them and ran. Maybe I was to blame for not asking for a partial payment up front, but I also blame the site the work came through. They refused to help me because I didn't use their payment facility but Paypal. When this was a completely legitimate decision, and a choice offered to me when I completed my profile.

Yesterday however, I was sent a link by my brother-in-law. It was a link to a site that hosts advertisement s for freelance writers. The name of this site I hear you all cry with intrigue. Time Bank.

After a quick read on their site, I realized that there operating principles are not a new concept, but it was the first I had heard of it. This also brings me back nicely to the Justin Timberlake movie.

Those of you that have seen this interesting and in my view under appreciated movie, will understand that the concept is that life is governed by time. Time has become currency and when you run out of time, you run out of life. This freelance site I have found works on the same theory. Ok, there is no death involved, but you bid on projects, you say how long it will take you to complete, and you are paid with the quote.

For example, I am now working on a translation project. I quotes 5 hours and that is what I will receive as payment. My time balance on the website will be credit by 5 hours. The more I work the more hours I build.

My thinking is with regards book editing and cover art services, I could always advertise on there and pay in the same fashion. I transfer my hours to someone else for doing work for me.

It is a strange concept, and certainly takes some getting used to. But, there is very little chance that people will scam you because they don't have to pay you. They just give you a number. That is it.

I don;t know if I will use this service on a permanent basis, but for a once of it is worth a try. Plus I am intrigued by the concept of it all.

What do you think? Is this a waste of time, a waste of money or a win win situation and the basis for things much larger than we could realistically comprehend as a society?

Cover Art Confrontations

As many of you will know, I am approaching the end of the editing for my second Highway to Hell novel.

The name of this second novel is no secret, it just happens that I have never mentioned it.

Highway to Hell: Trials and Tribulations

 I have yet to send them to him, but have asked if he has time to sit down and discuss things. So as sneak preview for you all, I present the three images that I hope to draw inspiration from for my cover.

The image of the castle fits with several locations for this novel, and the ying-yang shows not only the difference between light and dark, but also the duality of man, a struggle that almost all of the characters face at some point in this installment.

    

What I am thinking is the (lower) castle and the moon rising as a red and white Ying-Yang. This is just a preliminary idea, but what do you all think? I open my arms and my mind to your suggestions.

ROW80: A Bump in the Road

Try as I might, I just cannot seem to find that rhythm when it comes to editing. Just before we moved house I found a groove that often eludes me at this stage of the game, and sadly it appears to have fallen off the wagons at some point because I just cannot pick it up anymore.

Naturally, I am itching to get back to writing, to work on something new. However, I also know that this cannot be done, or at least I will not allow it to happen until editing is done and the beta readers have been cajoled into giving it a read through.

I have managed to at least work on my novel this week, and even if it is not for as long as I would have liked or with as much progress as I would have liked, it is definitely an improvement on recent weeks.

I am starting to panic about hitting my February deadline, but it was never set in stone. Besides, I am still struggling to get any real cover art concept going in my mind. But that is the least of my problems. Editing and getting the writing done is one thing, but delaying publication over cover art is something I can live with.

I did manage to finish reading I Am Legend the other day. What a great book it was. I thoroughly enjoyed it. More than I had expected to if I am honest. I thought the flow and the build up to the ending was perfectly timed. Not to mention the little tweaks that the whole Vampire myth got were incredible. Plus I loved the fact that these tweaks were actually explained and with solid logic behind it, and not just because the writer has the power to change anything they want for any reason they want.

I am now reading a short anthology of horror stories by a fellow Indie writer and am until now enjoying it. Zombie fiction isn't normally my thing but I am pleasantly surprised until now.

How are you all doing on your ROW80 quest? Hanging on in there or soaring above and beyond your targets?

KDP Select – My Free Promo Experience

When I signed up for the KDP Select package I had no idea what I was really getting myself into. I knew the basic principle of the agreement but that was it. The whole Free Day concept was a new discovery for me, and one I only really found out about after reading an article on a friend and fellow writer's blog.

This friend pointed out that the best-selling days on Amazon are Friday through Sunday, and with this in mind, I set my free days to end on a Thursday and all any interest generated during the previous days to flow over into the popular book purchasing days, with my book having returned to full price.

Having never run a free promotion before, I had no real expectations with regards the figures I was expecting to see.  At the end of the three days I was very happy with the results.

At the end of my three-day promotion, Highway to Hell had over 1100 downloads. The most impressive thing however, was the fact that in the three days that followed the end of my promotion, sales were higher than at any point before the promo. My rankings hovered around the 30,000 mark all weekend, and have only now started to go back down.

Ok, I hear you all cry that 30,000 isn't all that impressive, but for me it is incredible. I had never reached that position on the list, let alone held it steady for a few days. In fact, on the co.uk branch I am holding steady in the mid teen-thousands.

I have also noticed my book has been borrowed once. That was with no promotion on the whole borrowing side of things, and to be honest, that is the real side of KDPSelect that I want to focus on. I mean running a free promotion is possible any time. Getting Prime members aware of my novel and getting them borrowing it. That is where the true Select success lies.

Overall I am delighted with the results of my promotion and I have two days over for this KDPSelect cycle. I will save them up for a while, but will most certainly use them in the build up to the weekend.

When I first heard about Amazon's plans I was against it, and even wrote a rather successful blog post about it. Yet now, and in a way before I ran the promo, my views changed. They are still changing, and while I still have my doubts about the long term benefits for the consumer with Amazon's plans, I am certain it is the right choice for me as a self-published author… for now.

Have any of you got KDPSelect experiences that you would like to share?

What a Night

 

Well, I learnt something tonight. Well actually I learned several things.

One is that when the time comes to panic, I stay calm, I think clearly and get things done. I also learned that when it comes to my children, the sight of their blood makes me weak at the knees.

During my 27 years on this planet I have seen some gruesome things. Mainly through my time as a Special Constable with the English Police Force. I never had a problem with injuries, or dead bodies or even the post mortem that I attended. However, my daughter got her fingers trapped in the living room door this evening, and her third and fourth finger, from the first knuckle upwards were almost cut clean off.

We got her to the hospital – which is what lead me to learn Lesson 1 – but standing there, while the doctors where stitching the wound, I looked at her injuries and went weak at the knees. The room began to spin, he felt boiling hot and before I knew it I was being pulled against the wall and told to sit with my head between my legs.

I think I was more surprised than anybody at my reaction, but I guess when it comes to your own children all bets are off.

Luckily she is got stitched up by the great doctors at the ER and is home with a heavily bandaged hand and the order to keep her marinated in Paracetamol. Those were the exact words of her doctor, which proves to show that even Doctors can have a sense of humor.

She is now sleeping on the sofa, and as a friend of mine pointed out, she will probably get over it all quicker than I or my wife will.

Yet, through it all, it was my other two sons that I remained concerned for. They were there when it happened, they saw the injury and heard my wife calling her mother to arrange babysitting for them, and hear her say what had happened. My eldest son is old enough to understand and was distraught and my three-year old has autism and while he does not always understand what goes on, it was clear that he knew in this instance. He stood still and quiet. Totally unlike him, especially when things get busy around him.

Thankfully they are fine, we talked to them, and they fell asleep calm and relaxed.

I have no idea what to expect tomorrow, but we have the pain killers at the ready, and more than enough hugs and kisses to help them all.

 
My poor little thing. Her arm has to stay in a sling all day long. Only at night can it come off.

ROW80: I'm Back and Have a Cunning Plan

Ok, I don't but Blackadder was in my head and… well, what other reason need there be.

I can officially say that this week was one I cannot wait to forget. I worked approximately 60 hours in the office, including every night baring last night until approx 23.30. Yet event hen I got nowhere near through the to-do list I was given. This was in no small part due to me being too nice and offering too much of my time to helping other colleagues. Partly because I am too stubborn to admit defeat and ask for help, choosing to struggle along and risk drowning. The main reason however if because there is just a metric crap load of work that needs to be done, and just not enough hours in the day to do so, especially when a lot of time is lost trying to figure our and report the never-ending list of 'bugs'in the system.

In short, I had a week that stressed me out to the point of breaking. Especially when coupled with the fact that I had a three-day free book promotion campaign to organize that ran from Tuesday until the end of Thursday. This added extra stress to me, but somehow I managed to still get all of my promotions done and still find time to spend every moment I could with my kids and sit with my wife and watch a bit of TV in the evenings.

Sadly to ay however, I have only managed to edit three paragraphs all week. I did get some reading done, and have almost finished 'I Am Legend' which I have enjoyed very much until now.

I am definitely going to get back to editing tonight, and only 28 pages left until this WIP is finished. So I have no reason to panic, it is just that I am itching to start writing something new while this novel is being ripped apart … read by my Beta readers.

 

I hope therefore to have more to report at the next check-in.  Perhaps even the happy announcement that I am finished.

I also plan to get back to blogging, having all but neglected my blog for the past two weeks. Ever since we moved in fact. While I don't see work settling down any time soon, the house is now finally feeling like home, and I am adjusting to the 'quirks'of an older house etc, and I hope to finally start settling back into my rhythm with regards waking early to write before work.

Until next time, happy writing everybody and I hope you are all exceeding the goals you have set yourself for this round.