S. Lee Spelbring's Blog, page 21
December 12, 2018
Acrylic Painting for Beginners by Jason Ferrison
Acrylic Painting for Beginners: The Ultimate Crash Course Guide to Mastering Acrylic Painting in 24 hours or Less! by Jason Ferrison
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
So to be clear with this ebook, it was somewhat obvious that the author of this ebook does know about acrylic painting, however they don’t really know how to write about. Some of the grammar, spelling, and general writing pattern was just a bit off and in some cases made the writer seem less knowledgeable about their subject. (There were several uses of “apparently” that made the author appear less confident.)
Apart from the writing, this is a basic “how-to” for acrylic painting. For reference, I did have a painting class in college, and since then have been to several painting classes since then. From this perspective I did appreciate the information in this ebook.
There’s a chapter on the history of acrylic paints, one on practical supplies, one on techniques, another on tips, and so on. I found it to be a good starting point, though I doubt the validity of “mastering acrylic painting in 24 hours” in the title as this ebook would be enough to get you experimenting, but I doubt you would completely master anything in 24 hours.
Anyway, I did like it, it does have some good points, just remember this person knows more about acrylic painting than writing.
November 21, 2018
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Right away I can tell why this book is a classic. While it is specifically focused on war and war tactics, a lot of it (I would even say all of it) can be applied to anyone in a leadership position, or anyone in business.
Let’s back up a bit. This is an old book, like written originally in the B.C. era where not a lot of factual data can be found simply because it doesn’t exist or has decay to a point where it isn’t trustworthy. This book has existed in one form or another since then, and many other writers or authorities have added their comments to each new edition. Basically, there is some good information here, despite it being ancient.
Ok so it’s old, but it’s about war, right? Well, it’s about strategy, organizing your soldiers, keeping their loyalty, what to do in certain situations, knowing your enemy, and many other tips on how to win battles and the war. It’s about being a good general, or in more “general” terms: being a leader.
If you’re going into business, getting a promotion, or even just want something classical and quick to read, this is a brilliant book. I’ve got the Barnes & Noble version, and it is a very nice little book to carry around.
October 31, 2018
Mastering Online Marketing by Magnus Unemyr
MASTERING ONLINE MARKETING – Create business success through content marketing, lead generation, and marketing automation.: Learn email marketing, search … and Entrepreneurship Series Book 1) by Magnus Unemyr
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This ebook from Amazon was very informative. There were several chapters dedicated to website/blog marketing, email marketing, and Google Analytics. There were also chapters on social media, marketing management systems, and appendices with basic web information.
The author came off as well informed about his topic, and the ebook did not suffer overly much from the grammar and spelling errors that are common to free Amazon ebooks. Though there are a few errors in the second half.
All together I found this ebook to be well written, informative, and inspiring. I found it for free, and if you’re interested in this topic there’s no reason not to pick it up.
September 22, 2018
Great Tales of Horror by H.P. Lovecraft
Great Tales of Horror by H.P. Lovecraft
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’m not new to the idea of the Cthullu mythos, the stories have been around since the 1930’s so it’s almost impossible not to know of them. If you don’t know about the stories, maybe you’ve seen The Reanimator or heard of it. In any case, you’ve probably heard of Lovecraft or the niche he created with his writings.
This is a collection of all his writings, which I was surprised to know that all he wrote were short stories. I thought he had this epic series around the Cthullu mythologies. Even so, his works aren’t all about Cthullu, and in fact the works only give him a passing mention to explain the goings on in the stories.
My favorite horror author is Stephen King, and these aren’t the “in your face” fears that he writes about. These are more of an all encompassing, world ending, deep fear; and I liked it. Lovecraft’s writing style is first person, and as this person is telling you his story, the fear creeps up little by little. The story starts out fairly normal, then you can tell something isn’t quite right, and by the end, you’re curled up in a fetal position hoping it will all blow over.
Lovecraft is a horror genre classic, the Cthullu mythology is enduring, and it’s just plain good storytelling.
September 15, 2018
7 Critical Mistakes Writers Make by Angie Dixon
7 Critical Mistakes Writers Make by Angie Dixon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a short ebook about seven actions we do or don’t take as writers that could make or break a story’s success. Some things seem obvious, others not so much, but we’re all guilty of one or the other from time to time. I know I am.
This is a brief look into what writing is really about (not just the story), and some of things we writers forget about while we’re busy writing or being inspired. I connected with the time management “mistake” since I have a constantly fluctuation day job (shift work) and my time management skills fluctuate day by day accordingly. There are a few tips to help this, and that’s what I’m taking away and working on these days.
It’s a free, easy read, so take a look and see what “mistakes” you’ve been making.
September 12, 2018
Life Writer’s Guide by Dulcinea Norton-Smith
Life Writer’s Guide by Dulcinea Norton-Smith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Ok, so this is not the step-by-step walkthrough of how to write a memoir, biography, or autobiography, but this does get you thinking about all the ways to write about your life (or someone else’s) and the legal technicalities you might approach.
For instance, writing about someone famous may be difficult because you might need permission from them or their estate to even begin writing or researching them. writing about people you know can be tricky also, you’ll need their permission in some instances, and then ethics come into play. How much about them can you actually write about?
This ebook does get into the differences of writing each type of non-fiction biographic work, such as what makes a memoir different from a biography, and how not to make them boring to read. It really is a nice little ebook to have if you are thinking of writing such things. Even if all you want to do is keep track of your family’s stories for the family tree, this ebook is very helpful.
September 8, 2018
Meet a Jerk, Get to Work: How to Write Villains and the Occasional Hero by Jaqueline Girdner
Meet a Jerk, Get to Work, How to Write Villains and the Occasional Hero by Jaqueline Girdner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I really liked the though processes behind the idea of this book. This is plot solver, or even story if you think about it hard enough.
The basic idea thrown out in this little ebook by author Jaqi Girdner, is that there are Murders and Murder Victims for your story plots in everyday life. I’ll give an example. Say that someone cuts you off badly in heavy traffic. That someone’s an butthead, and now your murder victim. That’s it in a very basic way, but you can take it further. Bullys, generic jerks you know in your life, or even something that’s happened to friends or family when someone exclaims “I could have killed him!”.
The author obviously explains better how to take these situations and turn them into real life page turners, but it’s still a really neat idea. I’m glad I read it.
July 25, 2018
Ways to Make Extra Money Writing by Kerrie McLoughlin
Ways to Make Extra Money Writing: How I Make $2K Per Month Part-Time by Kerrie McLoughlin
This is not a how to ebook, not at all. Basically, the author talks about what she does (writing parental advice) and where she writes it. It’s a list of blogs, magazines, and other websites where she writes in very specific niches.
Some websites are a little broader, she does mention the website Fiverr.com, but mostly its parenting advice specifically. If you’re interested in the niche, its a neat little ebook with some information on who to contact to expand your repertoire. If not, well there’s not going to be much help in this little ebook.
July 7, 2018
The Storyteller’s Art by Francis Porretto
The Storyteller’s Art by Francis Porretto
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is not your beginner “how to tell a decent story” ebook on writing. This is “I’ve been writing for awhile but something is missing, now what?” ebook on writing.
There is a lot of detail on many facets of writing, from character design, to plot structure, and writing retreats. There are roughly 25 essays each focusing on an aspect of writing, and while the essays are short, they do pack a ton of advice and examples.
The author has a way with words, and sounds very much like he knows what he’s writing about here, so I plan on coming back to this little ebook whenever I have questions, or something feels like it’s missing from my writing.
June 20, 2018
The Mating by Nicky Charles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I think I’ve mentioned it before, that if I really fall into a book, it doesn’t take me long to read it, no matter how long it happens to be. I’ve had this little Smashwords book in my library for quite some time before finally reading it.
If it’s not apparent, this is a book about werewolves. The plot is fairly typical, in fact I could see what was coming long before the book even hinted that it was coming. In spite of that, I still enjoyed it, and even anticiapted how the characters would react.
It’s a supernatural romance that starts off a whole series of supernatural romances (I haven’t read the sequels…yet). I’m not currently in the market to buy more books, but I would definitely put the next book in this series on my “to buy” list.
