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Steven Scaffardi's Blog - Posts Tagged "the-drought"
Self-Publishing Magazine 'recommends' The Drought!
Nearly 12 months ago I sent a copy of The Drought to Sarah Taylor, the editor of Self-Publishing Magazine to request a review. I had completely forgot all about it until I got home today and found a copy of the magazine on my doormat.
And much to my pleasant surprise, not only had The Drought been reviewed in the Autumn 2012 issue, but it was also the editors 'Recommended' book. Here is the review...
The Drought by Steven Scaffardi
Recommended by Sarah Taylor
The Drought is a hilarious, highly entertaining and completely unfiltered look into the inner workings of the typical male mind! It explores the thoughts, feelings, and opinions of the male brain as they relate to relationships issues, run-of-the-mill blokeish topics, and of course, sex. Readers follow the intimate exploits of average bloke Daniel Hilles as he attempts to break free of the shackles of a previous long-term relationship through various unsuccessful and disastrous attempts at intimacy that have lead to a 'drought'.
Desperate to put an end to this sire situation, Daniel turns to the advice and directions of his closest mates, and ends up making things even worse. Humorous and booze-filled times ensue, painting a striking portrait of male raunchiness and debauchery. Typical and stereotypical male beliefs and values are shared throughout the novel, but not all men will agree with the overtly sexualized outlook in this story. Maybe what Daniel needed, more than typical guy advice, was a bit more common sense and a bit less booze to more rapidly end his drought. With that being said, the novel is a must-read for those that have wondered just what a typical guy thinks about.
The Drought is a hit for Scaffardi's first novel, is reasonably priced, and the cover quality is superb!
* Read more on my Blogger site: http://stevenscaffardi.blogspot.co.uk
And much to my pleasant surprise, not only had The Drought been reviewed in the Autumn 2012 issue, but it was also the editors 'Recommended' book. Here is the review...
The Drought by Steven Scaffardi
Recommended by Sarah Taylor
The Drought is a hilarious, highly entertaining and completely unfiltered look into the inner workings of the typical male mind! It explores the thoughts, feelings, and opinions of the male brain as they relate to relationships issues, run-of-the-mill blokeish topics, and of course, sex. Readers follow the intimate exploits of average bloke Daniel Hilles as he attempts to break free of the shackles of a previous long-term relationship through various unsuccessful and disastrous attempts at intimacy that have lead to a 'drought'.
Desperate to put an end to this sire situation, Daniel turns to the advice and directions of his closest mates, and ends up making things even worse. Humorous and booze-filled times ensue, painting a striking portrait of male raunchiness and debauchery. Typical and stereotypical male beliefs and values are shared throughout the novel, but not all men will agree with the overtly sexualized outlook in this story. Maybe what Daniel needed, more than typical guy advice, was a bit more common sense and a bit less booze to more rapidly end his drought. With that being said, the novel is a must-read for those that have wondered just what a typical guy thinks about.
The Drought is a hit for Scaffardi's first novel, is reasonably priced, and the cover quality is superb!
* Read more on my Blogger site: http://stevenscaffardi.blogspot.co.uk
What is lad-lit? Move over girls, the boys are coming!
So what is lad-lit?
Often referred to as dick-lit by our American cousins, lad-lit is best known as male equivalent of chick-lit. It is books about men by men. Like my very own novel The Drought, lad-lit typically explores the male psyche, especially around subjects such as friendship, relationships, love, and sex.
The undisputed king of the genre has to be Nick Hornby, who has penned novels such as Fever Pitch, About a Boy, and High Fidelity. Hornby has carved out a career writing about themes often associated with chick lit novels from a man's point of view.
And that was my sole purpose for writing The Drought. I got sick and tired of being forced to endure countless hours of mind-numbing chick flicks at the hands of my girlfriend. I would watch the male characters on screen and inside I would be screaming a man wouldn't do that!
For example, you know that bit in the film when the guy realises that he actually is in love with the girl so he rushes off to airport to stop her jetting off out of his life? That wouldn't happen! You know why? Because the bloke would get too caught up playing Grand Theft Auto and would miss the train to Gatwick! Besides, he could always send her a text or Facebook her later on.
And the part when the woman gazes into the man's eyes and he takes her in his arms and makes sweet passionate love to her all night long as Boys II Men plays in the background? Forget about it! The only song playing in our head at that point is Celebration by Kool and the Gang! And we never call it making love!
I wanted to write a light-hearted story about a bunch of normal everyday blokes and stick them in the middle of a chick lit situation and allow my own versions of the tale to unfold. And the result? Normally it tends to be hilarious, sometimes downright cringy situations, but always brutally honest. And that's because we're men! When a woman says to us If you really loved me, you would know what to do, we genuinely think the correct thing to do is to go to the football with our mates rather than stay and celebrate our four-year anniversary of the first time we slept with each other. After all, it's not a proper anniversary if you can't get a Hallmark card to celebrate it!
Nick Hornby is not the only author flying the lad lit flag. Danny Wallace and Mike Gayle have both written best-selling novels telling the story from a male perspective. You just have to pick up a copy of Shortlist magazine each week to read the fantastic ramblings from Wallace in his award-winning column Danny Wallace is a Man. Lad lit is becoming increasingly popular and new writers, such as Nick Spalding and Matt Dunn, are now frequently seen flying up the eBook charts.
For me, lad lit isn't necessarily confined to stories about love and relationships, and you will find that the books I review on this site are both fiction and non-fiction stories that I feel would have a broader appeal to men.
If you would like to read more about lad lit and books for men, then check out http://stevenscaffardi.blogspot.co.uk/.
Often referred to as dick-lit by our American cousins, lad-lit is best known as male equivalent of chick-lit. It is books about men by men. Like my very own novel The Drought, lad-lit typically explores the male psyche, especially around subjects such as friendship, relationships, love, and sex.
The undisputed king of the genre has to be Nick Hornby, who has penned novels such as Fever Pitch, About a Boy, and High Fidelity. Hornby has carved out a career writing about themes often associated with chick lit novels from a man's point of view.
And that was my sole purpose for writing The Drought. I got sick and tired of being forced to endure countless hours of mind-numbing chick flicks at the hands of my girlfriend. I would watch the male characters on screen and inside I would be screaming a man wouldn't do that!
For example, you know that bit in the film when the guy realises that he actually is in love with the girl so he rushes off to airport to stop her jetting off out of his life? That wouldn't happen! You know why? Because the bloke would get too caught up playing Grand Theft Auto and would miss the train to Gatwick! Besides, he could always send her a text or Facebook her later on.
And the part when the woman gazes into the man's eyes and he takes her in his arms and makes sweet passionate love to her all night long as Boys II Men plays in the background? Forget about it! The only song playing in our head at that point is Celebration by Kool and the Gang! And we never call it making love!
I wanted to write a light-hearted story about a bunch of normal everyday blokes and stick them in the middle of a chick lit situation and allow my own versions of the tale to unfold. And the result? Normally it tends to be hilarious, sometimes downright cringy situations, but always brutally honest. And that's because we're men! When a woman says to us If you really loved me, you would know what to do, we genuinely think the correct thing to do is to go to the football with our mates rather than stay and celebrate our four-year anniversary of the first time we slept with each other. After all, it's not a proper anniversary if you can't get a Hallmark card to celebrate it!
Nick Hornby is not the only author flying the lad lit flag. Danny Wallace and Mike Gayle have both written best-selling novels telling the story from a male perspective. You just have to pick up a copy of Shortlist magazine each week to read the fantastic ramblings from Wallace in his award-winning column Danny Wallace is a Man. Lad lit is becoming increasingly popular and new writers, such as Nick Spalding and Matt Dunn, are now frequently seen flying up the eBook charts.
For me, lad lit isn't necessarily confined to stories about love and relationships, and you will find that the books I review on this site are both fiction and non-fiction stories that I feel would have a broader appeal to men.
If you would like to read more about lad lit and books for men, then check out http://stevenscaffardi.blogspot.co.uk/.
"Comedy in The Drought is similar to The Inbetweeners" says TV Producer!
A television producer who has worked on some of the UK's biggest shows has compared the comedy in The Drought similar to that on hit E4 show The Inbetweeners.
Luke Dolan, who has worked on shows such as the X Factor and Britain's Got Talent, read The Drought and sung its praises calling it a "very funny book for men".
"The Drought is a great insight into man!" Luke said. "It opens up the mind of the London twenty-something bloke, and lets you know exactly what they are really thinking."
Luke saw similarities in the situations the four main characters in stand-up comedian Steven Scaffardi's debut lad-lit novel get into, and likened them to a grown-up versions of The Inbetweeners Jay, Will, Simon, and Neil characters.
"The Drought is like an adult Inbetweeners that will have you laughing all the way through," Luke said. "Jack in The Drought is very similar to Jay, with a bit more confidence if that is possible!
"And Neil could find a kindred spirit in Ollie from The Drought. I'm not too sure which one has the least amount of common sense!"
The Drought is the laugh-out-loud tale of one man's quest to overcome the throes of a sexual drought. After the stormy break-up with his girlfriend of three years, Dan Hilles is faced with the daunting task of throwing himself back into the life of a single man. With the help of his three best pals, Dan is desperate and determined to get his leg-over with hilarious consequences.
But Luke believes there is more to the story than just stereotypical lad banter. He said: "Amongst the sexual humour and outright lad culture there is also the story of a nice guy on a journey of self-exploration. The Drought takes you on a journey of embarrassing moments that make you cringe and laugh your head off, yet still manages to give you a solid tale that gives you a warm feeling inside."
And Luke thinks Scaffardi may have hit the nail on the head for anyone who wants to get the inside track on what goes on in the male mind.
"If you have ever wondered what men really think then this is the book for you. Steven has opened up the brain of lad and laid it out in a book for you."
Get your copy of The Drought now at Amazon now for £8.99 or download the eBook for just £1. Also available for download in the US for $1.60 and at Smashwords.
http://stevenscaffardi.blogspot.co.uk...
Luke Dolan, who has worked on shows such as the X Factor and Britain's Got Talent, read The Drought and sung its praises calling it a "very funny book for men".
"The Drought is a great insight into man!" Luke said. "It opens up the mind of the London twenty-something bloke, and lets you know exactly what they are really thinking."
Luke saw similarities in the situations the four main characters in stand-up comedian Steven Scaffardi's debut lad-lit novel get into, and likened them to a grown-up versions of The Inbetweeners Jay, Will, Simon, and Neil characters.
"The Drought is like an adult Inbetweeners that will have you laughing all the way through," Luke said. "Jack in The Drought is very similar to Jay, with a bit more confidence if that is possible!
"And Neil could find a kindred spirit in Ollie from The Drought. I'm not too sure which one has the least amount of common sense!"
The Drought is the laugh-out-loud tale of one man's quest to overcome the throes of a sexual drought. After the stormy break-up with his girlfriend of three years, Dan Hilles is faced with the daunting task of throwing himself back into the life of a single man. With the help of his three best pals, Dan is desperate and determined to get his leg-over with hilarious consequences.
But Luke believes there is more to the story than just stereotypical lad banter. He said: "Amongst the sexual humour and outright lad culture there is also the story of a nice guy on a journey of self-exploration. The Drought takes you on a journey of embarrassing moments that make you cringe and laugh your head off, yet still manages to give you a solid tale that gives you a warm feeling inside."
And Luke thinks Scaffardi may have hit the nail on the head for anyone who wants to get the inside track on what goes on in the male mind.
"If you have ever wondered what men really think then this is the book for you. Steven has opened up the brain of lad and laid it out in a book for you."
Get your copy of The Drought now at Amazon now for £8.99 or download the eBook for just £1. Also available for download in the US for $1.60 and at Smashwords.
http://stevenscaffardi.blogspot.co.uk...
Download The Drought for FREE for one month only!
Today I am feeling particularity generous so I am pleased to announce that for the next month you can download The Drought for FREE!
I am currently working on my second novel which I am aiming to get out early next year, so to entice a few more people to check out my work, The Drought is available to download on Smashwords until December 13.
The Drought is a comedy about a guy unsuccessfully trying to get back into the dating game! The humour is quite similar to television series The Inbetweeners (if you like that sort of thing!) and often gets called lad lit or ‘chick lit for men’.
If you have an e-reader you can download the book for free at Smashwords. Go to this link https://www.smashwords.com/books/view... and type in the promotional code 'KW38E' prior to completing the check-out. Feel free to pass the promotional code on anyone you might know! And remember the offer ends on December 13.
All I ask for in return is that you give me your feedback in the shape of a review on somewhere like Amazon or Goodreads. And please feel free to leave you comments here on this blog on this my Reviews & Comments page.
I hope you enjoy reading The Drought and look forward to your feedback!
http://stevenscaffardi.blogspot.co.uk/
I am currently working on my second novel which I am aiming to get out early next year, so to entice a few more people to check out my work, The Drought is available to download on Smashwords until December 13.
The Drought is a comedy about a guy unsuccessfully trying to get back into the dating game! The humour is quite similar to television series The Inbetweeners (if you like that sort of thing!) and often gets called lad lit or ‘chick lit for men’.
If you have an e-reader you can download the book for free at Smashwords. Go to this link https://www.smashwords.com/books/view... and type in the promotional code 'KW38E' prior to completing the check-out. Feel free to pass the promotional code on anyone you might know! And remember the offer ends on December 13.
All I ask for in return is that you give me your feedback in the shape of a review on somewhere like Amazon or Goodreads. And please feel free to leave you comments here on this blog on this my Reviews & Comments page.
I hope you enjoy reading The Drought and look forward to your feedback!
http://stevenscaffardi.blogspot.co.uk/
The risk is paying off...!
In my last blog, I wrote about my slight concern that I might have made a mistake in sending my (e)book The Drought out into the wild (well, Goodreads anyway!) for all and sundry to review.
Well, a good few reviews later and two things have sprung to mind:
a) I was perhaps worrying about nothing
b) This is the first time I've ever written down the term 'all and sundry'!
I honestly can't thank people enough for taking time to read The Drought, and then being so positive with their reviews! It is been slightly overwhelming (please look away, I have something in my eye...)!
Even readers who feel the book might not quite have been for them, have at least been constructive in their criticism which is fine and dandy with me!
(Wow, 'fine and dandy' and 'all and sundry' - I am on a roll!).
Being an indie author has been difficult at times, to say the least! Trying to promote and get my book in front of people has not been easy, but the reviews the book has recieved over the last couple of weeks have certainly given me the kick up the backside to get back in the writing driving seat, and I'm confident my next novel should be ready by March 2013.
So to all of those who have read The Drought, are currently reading it, or thinking about reading it, I thank you for taking time out of your busy lives to my words. And if I can ask one more favour it would be to please tell your friends, post about it in forums, and help build up that little thing called word of mouth!
If you were all in a room now, standing in front of me, I'd belt out "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor (and if you have read the book you'd understand why!).
Big, mahoosive, smiley face :)
http://stevenscaffardi.blogspot.co.uk/
Well, a good few reviews later and two things have sprung to mind:
a) I was perhaps worrying about nothing
b) This is the first time I've ever written down the term 'all and sundry'!
I honestly can't thank people enough for taking time to read The Drought, and then being so positive with their reviews! It is been slightly overwhelming (please look away, I have something in my eye...)!
Even readers who feel the book might not quite have been for them, have at least been constructive in their criticism which is fine and dandy with me!
(Wow, 'fine and dandy' and 'all and sundry' - I am on a roll!).
Being an indie author has been difficult at times, to say the least! Trying to promote and get my book in front of people has not been easy, but the reviews the book has recieved over the last couple of weeks have certainly given me the kick up the backside to get back in the writing driving seat, and I'm confident my next novel should be ready by March 2013.
So to all of those who have read The Drought, are currently reading it, or thinking about reading it, I thank you for taking time out of your busy lives to my words. And if I can ask one more favour it would be to please tell your friends, post about it in forums, and help build up that little thing called word of mouth!
If you were all in a room now, standing in front of me, I'd belt out "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor (and if you have read the book you'd understand why!).
Big, mahoosive, smiley face :)
http://stevenscaffardi.blogspot.co.uk/
Giveaway! Download The Drought for FREE until March 15!
Hi guys and gals, I am pleased to announce that I have another offer running on Smashwords where you can download The Drought for FREE if you have an eReader!
Click the link at the bottom and type in the promotional code 'WF86L' prior to completing the check-out. Feel free to pass the promotional code on anyone you might know! Offer ends on March 15, 2013.
And if you like the book, then please write a review somewhere online like at Goodreads, Amazon, Smashwords, or on your blog!
Please feel free to pass this on to anyone you think might like to have a read :)
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Click the link at the bottom and type in the promotional code 'WF86L' prior to completing the check-out. Feel free to pass the promotional code on anyone you might know! Offer ends on March 15, 2013.
And if you like the book, then please write a review somewhere online like at Goodreads, Amazon, Smashwords, or on your blog!
Please feel free to pass this on to anyone you think might like to have a read :)
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Update! The new book is on its way!
Just a quick update to say that I am about halfway through the follow up to The Drought and I am hoping for a May/June publication date! Watch this space!
The new book - working title The Flood - sees Dan and his pals back in action, and this time Dan is not suffering from any sexual droughts. In fact, it is quite the opposite as he has too many to choose from!
More updates soon...!
The new book - working title The Flood - sees Dan and his pals back in action, and this time Dan is not suffering from any sexual droughts. In fact, it is quite the opposite as he has too many to choose from!
More updates soon...!
Top 10 gift ideas for men!
Jack Chatham is a character from my dating disaster novel The Drought, and he has just posted his top 10 gift ideas for men!
So if you are looking for a gift for that special man in your life, why not check out what Jack has to say...
http://stevenscaffardi.blogspot.co.uk...
So if you are looking for a gift for that special man in your life, why not check out what Jack has to say...
http://stevenscaffardi.blogspot.co.uk...
The Drought is shortlisted for the Shirley You Jest Book Awards!
Yesterday I received some pretty awesome news when it was announced that my debut novel The Drought had made the final four in the fiction category for the Shirley You Jest book awards!
http://www.shirley-you-jest.net/#!news
I am rather chuffed as you can imagine, and I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has read the book and posted such positive comments about it.
You can keep up to date with how I am getting on with my follow-up novel The Flood at my blog: http://stevenscaffardi.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.shirley-you-jest.net/#!news
I am rather chuffed as you can imagine, and I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has read the book and posted such positive comments about it.
You can keep up to date with how I am getting on with my follow-up novel The Flood at my blog: http://stevenscaffardi.blogspot.co.uk/
Download dating disaster The Drought for FREE this weekend at Amazon!
Hi guys, I know I have been quiet recently (sorry) but the day job, blogging and trying to finish my second novel has pretty much taken over my life! But...!I am back in the swing of things and 80,000 words into my second novel The Flood so I'm confident of getting that out within the next 2-3 months!
So to kick-start the early promotion for my second book I am giving away a free eBook download for The Drought on Amazon this weekend. Details can be found here on my blog:
http://stevenscaffardi.blogspot.co.uk...
Please help spread the word and if you download it please write a review. Thanks!
