R.S. Vern's Blog, page 2
April 29, 2014
“Haee and the other middlings” book series – now available on Booktique!
January 8, 2014
Launch of ebook “Haee’s quest for the greater prairie” by R.S. Vern
December 19, 2013
A 5 star book review rating for “Haee’s quest for the greater prairie” by R.S. Vern
November 25, 2013
Not a classic in the canon of illustrated kid’s fiction
October 28, 2013
Official book trailer for “Haee’s quest for the greater prairie” by R.S. Vern
October 2, 2013
Middling ebooks are now available on Booktique ebookstore!
August 19, 2013
How middling cat Haee spends his 24 hours in day
June 3, 2013
R.S. Vern wins the IndieReader Discovery Awards 2013!
Book 1 of “Haee and the other middlings” series wins IndieReader Discovery Awards 2013 Kid’s category
Middling Industries proudly announces “Haee The cat with a crooked tail” as the winner of IndieReader Discovery Awards 2013 under kid’s category. First published in June 2012, this is the first book in its series “Haee and the other middlings”.
R.S. Vern, creator and author of this series, says she is deeply encouraged by this win. When she first started writing this series, her purpose was to deter children from wanting to grow up too fast and furious. Through the ingenious eyes of a cat, she pans out a story about the endless frustrations and dilemmas adults face in this middling world of the 21st century.
R.S. Vern calls herself one serious middling – urbanised, bored, most of the time, confused. She recounts a particular incident at a dinner party which left her a deep imprint that fueled her writing on middlings.
“I was at a dinner party surrounded by great friends, drinking myself silly when I suddenly looked around me and I felt very alone. I was listening and not listening at the same time when the hostess was giving her speech and I had all kinds of silly thoughts running through my mind. What if I was born differently? What if this was the 1940s? What if George Clooney truly asked me out for breakfast? Would I say yes? What if Lady Gaga was my girlfriend? Would I start wearing her underwear? But there wasn’t any what-ifs. There was only as-is. The present, the truth and you.” – R.S. Vern
Middlings, as R.S. Vern defines, almost always wish they can have a different life. Even when you drive a fast car, have a great career, a great bunch of friends to hang out with, you’ll still think of having another life. And you feel trapped when 99% of the time, you are almost never going to have that other life. You go on searching for new experiences, at times feeling lost and aimless. But Vern believes there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
So for you alone, bored and lost people out there, take on chance on this very peculiar indie read.
Books are available on Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, iBookstore and Kobo. You can also go to http://middlingindustries.com/middling_industries/Buy_e_book.html to purchase the books.
Look out for Book 3, “Haee’s quest for the greater prairie” coming out this Christmas 2013!
About IndieReader Discovery Award
The goal of the annual IndieReader Discovery Award (IRDA) is to find talented writers and great books and is open to all self-published books with a valid ISBN. Judging is based on the quality of writing and the originality of the story. The judging panel includes top agents, traditional publishers, PR people, bloggers, and book reviewers. More information at http://indiereader.com/2013/06/meet-your-2013-irda-winners-and-buy-their-books/
Filed under: About R.S. Vern, Book Awards, News from the Publisher
February 20, 2013
“One of those books you can turn to again and again and find different things, dependent upon your mood.” – KBR
Book 1: Haee The cat with a crooked tail (Haee and the other middlings)
This is an interesting book, focusing on the ideas of need versus want, what is self-fulfillment and exploring our motivations.
It’s a short read, interspersed with beautiful images of Haee and the other characters.
I’m not sure that I really ‘got’ this book on the first read, and I suspect it is one of those books that you can turn to again and again and find different things, dependent upon your mood.
It is thought provoking as we see the human characters stuck in a life they think they should lead, rather than the one they want to lead. I suspect that a young adolescent would take the most from this book as they sit at a crossroad in life, making choices that will impact their future.
All in all an intriguing, well designed ebook. It is well edited and a well thought out and put together package.
Book 2: The Unconventional Life of Haee (Haee and the other middlings)
Another wonderfully illustrated book from R.S. Vern, again following the life of Haee, the middling cat….
This book again observes those that are not quite pursuing a ‘normal’ life but also looks at the consequences of everyone being a middling… it doesn’t quite work, everyone (and thing) has a place in the world, and they contribute, each in their own way, no matter how trivial that contribution may be!
The images in the book are again wonderful, and really capture the idea of Haee and his other friends.
Certainly a quick and easy read that will provoke different ideas each time you pause to read it.
Reviewed by Sarah Burns for The Kindle Book Review
To read more, please go to http://akindleandkittens.wordpress.com/2013/02/19/r-s-vern-two-ebook-reviews/.
Filed under: Middling book reviews Tagged: black cat book, book reviews, book series, cat book, cat books, cat haee, cross overs, epub3, haee middling cat, kf8, kindle book review, kindle store, middling books, r.s.vern, timeless book
February 6, 2013
Verdict: HAEE is a beautifully illustrated and thought-provoking modern-day allegory suitable for older children and grown-ups alike.
A 5 star ratings from Indie Reader – “Haee and the other middlings” series
This is the simple but poignant story of Haee, a cat with a crooked tail who lives a comfortable and worry-free life with his loving family.
One day, curious Haee goes exploring in a black hole and gets lost. Haee is discovered by Tom and Jane. Tom and Jane take Haee home and give Haee everything he could possibly need or want. Though they appear to be a perfect couple living a perfect life filled with good jobs, exercise, organic food, sleep, a nice car and everything they need, Tom is secretly dissatisfied with the busy urban life and wishes for clean fresh air and Jane wishes she were a bird and could fly away and see the world.
Haee, in spite of his pampered life, treats and his part in making the house run smoothly, discovers that he, too, is missing something. So one day Haee decides to go play with the cats in the alley and make friends with Whie – the one cat that all the other cats ignore because of her big red nose. Haee enjoys being with Whie so much that he does not return to Tom and Jane.
The first in a trilogy, this story centers on the themes of need versus want, self-fulfillment and motivation. Author R.S. Vern introduces the concept of “Middlings” to the reader in the introduction, explaining that Middlings are those who appear to have it all, are independent, respect non-conformists and the environment but feel “apart from it all”. They also often ask themselves: “Are we not as happy as those who are much better off in this world?”
Haee, Tom and Jane are all Middlings who appear to have everything they could possibly need and want to be comfortable. But, as the evocative and enticingly detailed pen-line illustrations show, there is an underlying sense of dissatisfaction that grows in spite of all “needs” being met. Realizing this, Haee acts on his desires leaves the comfort of home in search of more satisfying life.
The ending comes somewhat abruptly, leaving a sense that the story is incomplete, however Vern does effectively brings to light the question about whether or not having it all is really the paradigm for the middle class working Tom and Jane, and whether Haee, or any other Middling, is really living more if they are less “comfortable”.
Vern’s story is engaging on many levels and the mostly-black-and-white illustrations add a contemporary and stylish elegance to the clean, crisp layout of the ebook that also features pop up text boxes when narrative is double clicked.
HAEE is a beautifully illustrated and thought-provoking modern-day allegory suitable for older children and grown-ups alike.
Reviewed by Maya Fleischmann for IndieReader. To read more, please go to http://indiereader.com/2013/02/haee-t....
Filed under: Middling book review Tagged: 5 star reviews, cat haee, city, ebooks, happiness, illustrated, indie reader, life, middling haee, middlings, poignant story, r.s.vern, recommended, reviews, young adults
