Steven O'Connor's Blog, page 4
January 5, 2014
I have been busy on Wattpad
I have been busy on something called Wattpad (not absolutely sure why it’s called that, but there you go). And at last I’m back and writing a post about it.
Wattpad is a Canadian-based online reading and writing community that has been around since 2006. And it’s a very busy place! Many are there as readers, but many others are also posting their own writing efforts — articles, stories, poems… And you are able to comment and like stories or join discussion groups.
Just who is on Wattpad?
I have been dabbling on Wattpad for a few months now and it’s quite clear that most users — readers and writers alike — are women. Though I have come across men too, including a male video game designer. And many are teenagers. It’s terrific that so many young people are keen to explore their writing abilities. There are many good story ideas and I’ve spotted some pretty impressive writing.
Perhaps not surprisingly, there’s plenty of stories written in the young adult romance genre, though sci-fi and fantasy seem very well represented too. I have also come across a fair bit of fanfic, which I have to admit I am not so keen on. I am not that interested in reading imaginary stories about members of One Direction or about Justin Bieber. However, if someone on Wattpad grows into a great writer through writing about their favorite pop stars — that’s fine by me! (And besides, if the story’s good enough — they can always alter the characters a bit later.)
What have I been doing on Wattpad?
My main reason for being on Wattpad right now is to establish a presence with those who may be interested in my writing, i.e. young adult readers into sci-fi and fantasy. My hope is, if I establish some kind of presence on Wattpad, I can upload the draft of my next book there first. If I’m lucky, I may attract some interest in the story and receive some useful feedback prior to publication. Hence, maybe I can use Wattpad as a giant feedback workshop.
To gain some visibility before I introduce my next book, I have so far uploaded one short story, MotherCraft, which currently has just over a thousand reads, and I am in the process of uploading my first published novel, EleMental: A first-person Shooter. I am up to Chapter 20 in that book, so only 10 chapters to go. It currently has a little over 4,000 reads.
Just on this ‘read’ business, by the way, before you get too impressed. I doubt very much if over five thousand have assiduously read the short story and novel chapters I have uploaded to Wattpad. It’s all software-based counting remember. It has no idea what the ‘reader’ is really doing. But at least they’ve had a peek, eh? No matter how fleetingly. And some have gone on to read it, surely. (Tell me that’s true!)
When I have put all of EleMental on Wattpad, I will effectively be offering the ebook version of that first novel of mine for free through Wattpad. I will then make it free elsewhere also, and upload the first few chapters of MonuMental, my sequel to EleMental.
How to get to Wattpad
Here’s where you will find more info about Wattpad (complete with a Margaret Atwood endorsement): About Wattpad.
And here’s one of Wattpad’s many writers writing about how to use Wattpad (she gets 14 votes): Wattpad instructions.
And here’s where you will find my Wattpad page: my exciting page on Wattpad.
Or you can go straight to a story:
MotherCraft - A father leaving home can be painful at anytime. Leaving the planet, doubly so.
EleMental - The future. It’s all about friendship, young love … and dangerous video games.
Keep on Wattpadding!
Steven O’Connor writes young adult fiction. His writing is influenced by Douglas Adams, CS Lewis, Tolkien and just about every sci-fi and fantasy film and TV show you could possibly think of. His ebooks EleMental: A First-person Shooter and MonuMental: The Hack’s Back are available through Amazon. (Just Google ‘Amazon’ and ‘Steven O’Connor’ to see). You may also like checking him out at one of his hangouts:
Website ¦ Wattpad ¦ Twitter ¦ Facebook
The post I have been busy on Wattpad appeared first on Steven O'Connor: StevenWriting.
October 18, 2013
My books now available in the brand new Libiro store!
My books in Libiro
I am very happy to announce that my ebooks are now available in the brand new ebook store Libiro as epub files (readable on all other ereaders beside Kindles, such as kobos etc).
MotherCraft is free on Libiro
And MotherCraft is at last a free ebook. I have always wanted this little ebook to be free, but it was not possible through Amazon. There I had to sell it for a minimum of 99c, with a number of days where I was allowed to make it free for promotional purposes.
About Libiro
The name Libiro is a combination of libero and library. Libero is an Italian word meaning ‘free’ as in ‘independent’. (It was also the codename for the World War II partisan leader Riccardo Fedel, but that’s another story.)
Libiro, then, is an ebook store devoted to selling nothing but indie books by indie authors. Their aim is to be the No.1 place to shop if you want to buy self-pubbed. Publishing yourself, they say, is not tied down to market trends or a publisher’s business plan. Indie authors can write what they want, when they want. The result? A different breed of writing.
‘Indie authors can sometimes have trouble standing out on huge stores like Amazon, and constantly work hard to make sure their books are discovered. Here at Libiro, we want to make sure that indies have the best chance of being found, read, and enjoyed.’
Here’s where you can find my books on the brand new Libiro:
EleMental
MonuMental
MotherCraft (free!)
If you have a moment to spare – feel free to leave a quick review. I have none so far. 
You can check out Libiro’s homepage here.
And they’re on Twitter here: @LibiroAtLarge
———————
Like to find out more about my books? You can check out my Amazon pages here …
Amazon
Amazon UK
And now also as epub files in Libiro: EleMental ¦ MonuMental ¦ MotherCraft (free)
———————
The post My books now available in the brand new Libiro store! appeared first on Steven O'Connor: StevenWriting.
September 6, 2013
Springing into action
So here is the link: http://stevenoconnorwriting.com/
September 5, 2013
Springing into action
A dandelion caught springing into action
In the part of the world I live in, it’s spring – and I’m springing into action. For starters, I’ve given my website a dammed good spring cleaning, I hope you like it. I’m poised to throw myself into the next draft of my new book – admittedly, I’ve been poised to do that for a while. And I have a brand new little reading for you.
(By way of a wild aside, I even have a brand new wheelie bin out in the back garden in the carport. The garbos broke my last one through all that macho-garbo rough-handling of wheelie bins as they race ahead of the garbage trucks – no doubt an apt description of garbos everywhere. The lid fell off and went into the truck’s compactor along with the garbage. But enough about garbos and wheelie bins and this wild aside.)
I will tell you more about the drafting of my work in progress in a later post. Suffice to say, I will be delving into my time as an HIV/AIDS social worker, and I plan is to stop using MSWord and give something called Scrivener a go. Exciting.
Right now though, I’d like to present my next little reading to you. These little readings are my own worked-up recordings (so be nice) of short scenes from my writing. Personally speaking, and this really is only personal, I prefer to read from a book myself, rather than listen to a story read aloud by someone else – a hired actor or the author. Especially if it goes on for a while. But I do like the idea of short snappy scenes combined with a bit of a fun soundtrack. Hence my efforts to grasp Ableton audio software – software that can be boggling, but also a great deal of fun.
The passage I have chosen for this treatment is from the first chapter of EleMental and I’ve called it ‘Focus on the V’gaming’, the opening sentence of the passage. It describes the character Zeb starting up his Magnum 50, a virtual games (v’games) console. When I do a school visit or other presentation, I often choose this passage because I enjoy describing how a v’game kicks in. (And now, I can also play them this little audio treatment.)
For those interested, I have added the words further below. Don’t forget to like it. Hopefully you will. You can also add a comment if you feel seized by the moment to say something (nice).
Focus on the v’gaming
Focus on the v’gaming. There was nothing like it. The real world could go suck.
He booted his door shut, kicked some strewn clothes out of the way and crouched before his Magnum 50, which sat on an old plastic crate near his bed. He hit the small switch on its face and waited. When nothing happened, he slapped it. ‘Wake up!’ he growled.
A dull red light flickered and a square opened at the console’s center, gaping like a hungry mouth. Digging deep into his bag, he seized the v’game. He drew it out, removed the shiny black cube from its packaging and fed it into the console.
Jumping up, Zeb dragged his bedroom’s dusty curtains closed, cutting out all light from the real world.
‘Attention Magnum,’ he said. ‘Seal room for sound and start game.’
…
A groaning sound like the bending of steel engulfed him, and the floor shuddered as a complete street scene wrenched into existence, materializing beneath his feet and stretching out on all sides.
He let his gaze wander, turning a full circle and taking it all in.
It was a bright, virtual version of a sunny day. A deserted street. Early century by the looks of things. Something like 2013 – his parents would have been kids. He squinted in the light, searching for signs of enemy activity.
(From chapter 1: ‘Attention Game’ of EleMental: A First-person Shooter.)
———————
Like to find out more about my books? You can check out my Amazon pages here …
Amazon
Amazon UK
———————
The post Springing into action appeared first on Steven O'Connor: StevenWriting.
July 5, 2013
My MonuMental Book Tour
I am having a book blog tour for MonuMental (and my first book, EleMental). This is my first go at such a thing and it’s already been a very interesting experience just setting it up with Orangeberry Book Tours. Below are the dates. I have something happening from this point on until the end of July. If you get a chance, I’d love you to drop in on one or two of my guest posts or interviews as I make my way around various blogs of the world. Feel free to leave a comment if you do!
Book Tour Schedule
6th July - Book Feature at Peace from Pieces
7th July – Twitter View with OB Book Tours
8th July – Twitter Blast with OB Book Tours
9th July – Book Review & Author Interview at Mommy Adventures
10th July - Guest Post at The Bunny’s Review
11th July - Twitter Blast with OB Book Tours
12th July - Book Review & Author Interview at The Reading Cat
13th July - Guest Post at Blog-A-Licious Authors
14th July - Book Review & Author Interview at Author’s Friend
15th July – Book Review at UK Book Club
16th July – Guest Post & Book Review at Me, You & Books
17th July – Book Review at Book Professor
18th July – Author Interview & Book Review at Brainy Reads
19th July – Guest Post at Paws on Books
20th July – Book Review at Gentleman Reads
21st July – Author Interview at My Life in Books
22nd July – Book Review at Journey’s thru Books
23rd July – Author Interview at Top Shelf Books
24th July – Book Review at A Novel Design
25th July – Guest Post at Non-Stop Reads
1st August – Excerpt at Quality Reads
1st to 31st August 2013 – Listing at OB Book Expo
8th August – Author Interview at Nobody Important
15th August – Guest Post & Book Feature at Book Connoisseur
22nd August – Excerpt at Next Big Book Thing
27th August - Author Interview & Book Feature at Just My Opinion
3rd September – Guest Post at Aspiring Books
17th September – Guest Post & Book Feature at High Class Books
The post My MonuMental Book Tour appeared first on Steven O'Connor: StevenWriting.
June 9, 2013
I’m featured in Books Direct!
Campaign updateBefore I get to Books Direct, I want to give you a quick round up on my current promotion. No doubt you know I’m bang in the middle of a promotional campaign? Goodness knows I have gone on about it enough. I am happy to say it is going very well. Better than I would have imagined. As I write this, EleMental is No. 1 on Amazon in two book categories: ’TV, Movie, Video Game Adaptations’ and ‘Hard Science Fiction’. The book has held those positions for two days, and also reached No.1 in ‘Hard Science Fiction’ in Canada. Needless to say, I don’t think EleMental is hard science fiction, and it certainly is NOT an adaptation of any film or video game. And hey! What do I care! I’m just happy the book has reached No.1 in some categories. It has also reached No. 50 in Amazon UK’s ‘Children’s Fiction’ (a very big, and therefore hard, category to rate in) and No. 5 in ‘High Tech Science Fiction’.
The book also rated very respectably in Germany’s and France’s Amazons. You might be thinking, Wow, he must be making some nice pocket money. Nope! These are all free downloads, don’t forget. And the goal here is about telling the world about EleMental. Visibility! And I’m very happy with the results.
Come tomorrow, I fully expect the book to have dropped away. But right now, it’s king in its own little world. So mission more than accomplished.
Not once on Books Direct! But twice!
Many bloggers and websites have been terrific in their support of my promotion. And none more so than the classy Books Direct website. I recommend checking the site out. They have not only jumped in right behind my current promotion, they have also interviewed me about my new book MonuMental, featured excerpts from both books and are hosting a giveaway of my early print edition EleMental (make sure you enter – instructions in both Books Direct posts).
The first post, introducing my promotion and featuring an excerpt is here.
In the second post, they have gone out of there way to find a reference to the very first book I ever read as a child. I was amazed to find a link to it. I thought that book, from 1968, only remained as a memory in my head — but no, there are second hand library copies available through Amazon. (Read the interview to find out which book!). This second post has a rather extensive interview with me and features the first chapter from MonuMental (though note, in the book a short intro precedes the chapter).
You can access the second post here.
Well, back to my promoting… Seeyalater.
———————
Like to find out more about my books? You can check out my Amazon pages here …
Amazon
Amazon UK
———————
The post I’m featured in Books Direct! appeared first on Steven O'Connor: StevenWriting.
June 1, 2013
EleMental new cover. Help me pick!
EleMental is scheduled to be free next week (from Friday 7 June) and as a part of my the promotion I have decided to come up with a new cover. I’dd love your thoughts. You can let me know either in the comments below or tweet me at @StevenWriting here.
And of course you already know MotherCraft is free right now? You can get it here:
Here are my choices …
No.1
No.2
No.3
No.4
No.5
I know which way I’m leaning, but let me know your thoughts!
———————
Like to find out more about my books? You can check out my Amazon pages here …
Amazon
Amazon UK
———————
The post EleMental new cover. Help me pick! appeared first on Steven O'Connor: StevenWriting.
May 31, 2013
MotherCraft - free 31 May-4 June
The sci-fi short story, MotherCraft, is free from 31 May-4 June as a part of the lead up to the free promotion for EleMental.
A father leaving home can be painful at anytime. Leaving the planet, doubly so.
This is a story about an ordinary family facing ordinary family troubles - but in an extraordinary world.
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/MotherCraft-ebo...
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/MotherCraft-e...
Amazon Canada: http://www.amazon.ca/MotherCraft-eboo...
May 22, 2013
Free sci-fi short story: 31 May
Free ebook
I plan to offer my humble sci-fi short story free from 31 May 2013 for five days. I would love this story to be free all of the time, but – alas! – Amazon disagrees. They will only allow me to make it free for five days every three months. So here it is once more within that allotted time, free for all downloads. (Well, come Friday, 31 May.)
More free stuff coming
This small offering is my little build to the main event. EleMental, my young adult sci-fi novel, will be free a short while later (from 7 June). And that will be the last time Elemental will be free. But more about that in a later post. For now, simply note 31 May in your diary and prepare for this little entrée before the main course. (MotherCraft, by the way, is based on a deleted scene from EleMental – a scene deleted by my previous editor, but which yours truly continues to like. And others too – thank you to those who have sent me feedback in the past.)
A quick word about the above cover
I have always loved the cover for this short story, which was put together by a graphic designer who based it on a picture by my son. The picture depicts a table at ‘The Lunching Pad Restaurant’. A fictitious restaurant at the (obviously) equally fictitious ‘Little River Spacedocks’. The cover features one of the better tables at the restaurant. That is, by a window with a view. And what a view! Rockets launching into space, to dock with their MotherCraft waiting in orbit about the Earth.
I included my son’s original picture inside the book.
If you don’t want to wait, the short story is available for 99c right now from Amazon here. And from Amazon UK here.
———————
Like to find out more about my books? You can check out my Amazon pages here …
Amazon
Amazon UK
———————
The post Free sci-fi short story: 31 May appeared first on Steven O'Connor: StevenWriting.
May 10, 2013
Part 3 – Pushed into indie publishing. So I jumped!
This is the third of my guest posts written for Silk Screen Views about my journey as a writer. Here I chose to talk about my current – and very new! – adventures in the land of indie publishing. Indie publishing is not easy. There is a lot of work involved in trying to be noticed among the many, many other highly active and very good indie writers. And you are responsible for every step of the way, which can sometimes be quite exhausting. However, there is reward in the sense of control, and it’s important to give things time to grow. You can check out the last of my three posts here.
———————
Like to find out more about my books? You can check out my Amazon pages here …
Amazon
Amazon UK
———————
The post Part 3 – Pushed into indie publishing. So I jumped! appeared first on Steven O'Connor: StevenWriting.
