H.S. Stone's Blog, page 34

What I read in 2012

Before I write about my favorite books of 2012, I wanted to post some data about what I read in 2012.

I read a total of 82 books this year. 26 of them were indie published vs. 56 traditionally published. This far exceeded my New Year's resolution goal of reading ten indie books.

In terms of the ratings I handed out for the 82 books, they fell into these buckets:
5 stars - 24 books4 stars - 31 books3 stars - 25 books2 stars - 2 books
Not surprisingly, the ratings clustered around 4 stars because m...

Favorite movies of 2012

I've seen more movies in theaters this year than in any other recent year, and thanks to Netflix, the total number of movies I've watch in 2012 is probably around 100. Here are the top 5 that I've seen this year.

1. The Hunger Games

Have I mentioned before that I love everything related to The Hunger Games? :-)
This was the movie I anticipated the most in 2012 (more than The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, or The Hobbit), and it didn't disappoint. True, the actors they hired didn't always resem...

Favorite songs of 2012

It's that time of year when people share their top <insert topic> of 2012. I plan to write three such posts: favorite songs, favorite movies, and favorite books. So without further ado, let's kick it off with my top 5 favorite songs of 2012.

1. Titanium / David Guetta featuring Sia 

I just love this song! I can listen to it over and over again, and I have on several occasions. I love Sia's voice, especially when she sings the word "Titanium". The video is also pretty cool, which is a...

A writing update

I realized that I haven't given an update on my current writing project since September. It's been going well. The end.

Just kidding.

Three months into writing my third novel, the progress has been slower than I'd hoped and I'm less than halfway through the first draft. The last three months have been really busy for me at work and with the family. Throw in a couple of bouts with illness (nothing serious) and I haven't been able to spend as much time writing as I'd like. I should have some more...

Book review: Treason by S.M. Boyce

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Description:
Ourea has always been a deadly place. The lichgates tying the hidden world to Earth keep its creatures at bay--for now.

Kara Magari ignited a war when she stumbled into Ourea and found the Grimoire: a powerful artifact filled with secrets. To protect the one person she has left, she strikes a deal that goes against everything she believes in. But things don't go as planned.

Braeden Drakonin can no longer run from who--and what--he is. He has to face th...

I'm an international author?

Every month, Amazon provides a sales report for authors who use their Kindle Direct Publishing platform. This month, I noticed something interesting in my October report. I sold two copies of In the Hands of Children in the UK! And I didn't do anything special to promote it there.

This attests to the power of the Internet and an international retailer like Amazon. When I submitted my book to Amazon, I had the option of making it available on all their international sites, so I did since I had...

Book review: The Paradise Prophecy by Robert Browne

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Description:
When God cast the archangel Satan into Hell, ending the War in Heaven, peace prevailed on Earth. Until the fallen angels took revenge in the Garden of Eden. Ever since, mankind has been in a struggle between good and evil, paradise and apocalypse: the fall of Rome, The Crusades, World Wars, nuclear proliferation, the Middle East Crisis... The War in Heaven never really ended-it just changed venues. For millennia, God's angels have been fighting Satan...

Amazon deleting reviews

The indie author community is up in arms over Amazon's recent removal of book reviews without any apparent rhyme or reason. There's a thread on the Kindle Boards about it, some articles about the practice, Joe Konrath weighed in on the topic., and there's a good post by author Renee Pawlish about the issue.

I recently lost reviews for my books from Amazon. Since I didn't have many reviews to start with, it hurt. And the reviews that were deleted were all 5-star reviews. Double ouch!

I sent Amaz...

Happy birthday, George!

One year ago today, George and the Galactic Games hit the virtual bookshelves. It was the first novel I ever published. In fact, it was the first novel I ever finished writing! Although sales of George and the Galactic Games have been modest at best, the book still holds a special place in my heart. It won't matter to me how many copies of the book I sell. I'll always be proud that it's out there.

Book review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

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Description:
After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a...