Martyn Stanley's Blog, page 3
August 25, 2016
Progress Report on 'The Deathsworn Arc 5: Temple of the Mad God'
Am I confident this time the companions WILL actually get to the Temple of the Mad God? YES!
I'm 35,000 words deep into book 5 and they companions now seem to have found a way of entering Votrex's locked Holt.
That's nearly half a book by my normal standards, so what else is going on?
Well, Lindie and Kaya's story has progressed. No spoilers, but you can be sure the events taking place in Trest will surprise.
Fox Fletcher's story has progressed. She is on the way to becoming a key character and is fast becoming one of my favourites. Life keeps kicking her in the face, but she's so spunky and feisty - she kicks back. Her story will intertwine with some of the companions more soon. At the moment, she's having a pretty crappy time, but things pick up for her.
Vashni? Well, I'm following her story too! Yes - you will finally be able to visit Eldenizar and Maerun in book 5. You may even learn a little more about Venetha and Lord SuSak and what's going on too! You DO meet SuSak's younger sister, yes, it's another female villain I'm afraid.
There's another knew character who I'm sure you'll love - Maven Stonecutter. She's a larger than life, attractive woman with a big heart and a good head on her shoulders. I'm really enjoying getting to know her. I hope you do too!
Also, I've introduced not the main villain, but the 2nd to main villain. (Trust me - Melchiot is waaaaaaaay down the list of villains!) No clues, but think about book 2, the Verkreath and Roth's truthsinging at the end of book 3!
And! Ramon Hern has made another appearance, with his dragon.
Ooh! Remember Olwyn Blackhand? She's back, but she's also changed. She's a new character now.
The plot is definitely underway in this book! Finally the story is getting going!
One key theme of this book is exploring the repercussions of the actions during the first book. Remember the Berger's daughter from Briem? Angela? She's in it, but she turns out to be perhaps not quite how you expected.
As you can tell, there's so much going on in book 5 - I'm really excited about it. It's hard to tell you about it without giving too much away. It's going to be hard work finishing this and getting it right, but it HAS to be right! I'm currently re-reading the entire series so I can make sure it flows into book 5 well. Currently on The Verkreath Horror and thoroughly enjoying it! Can't wait to get onto The Blood Queen
Sorry for the delay, I know you're all desperate to know what happens. Book 5 will come and it WILL be worth it. It'll just take a while!
:)
Martyn
I'm 35,000 words deep into book 5 and they companions now seem to have found a way of entering Votrex's locked Holt.
That's nearly half a book by my normal standards, so what else is going on?
Well, Lindie and Kaya's story has progressed. No spoilers, but you can be sure the events taking place in Trest will surprise.
Fox Fletcher's story has progressed. She is on the way to becoming a key character and is fast becoming one of my favourites. Life keeps kicking her in the face, but she's so spunky and feisty - she kicks back. Her story will intertwine with some of the companions more soon. At the moment, she's having a pretty crappy time, but things pick up for her.
Vashni? Well, I'm following her story too! Yes - you will finally be able to visit Eldenizar and Maerun in book 5. You may even learn a little more about Venetha and Lord SuSak and what's going on too! You DO meet SuSak's younger sister, yes, it's another female villain I'm afraid.
There's another knew character who I'm sure you'll love - Maven Stonecutter. She's a larger than life, attractive woman with a big heart and a good head on her shoulders. I'm really enjoying getting to know her. I hope you do too!
Also, I've introduced not the main villain, but the 2nd to main villain. (Trust me - Melchiot is waaaaaaaay down the list of villains!) No clues, but think about book 2, the Verkreath and Roth's truthsinging at the end of book 3!
And! Ramon Hern has made another appearance, with his dragon.
Ooh! Remember Olwyn Blackhand? She's back, but she's also changed. She's a new character now.
The plot is definitely underway in this book! Finally the story is getting going!
One key theme of this book is exploring the repercussions of the actions during the first book. Remember the Berger's daughter from Briem? Angela? She's in it, but she turns out to be perhaps not quite how you expected.
As you can tell, there's so much going on in book 5 - I'm really excited about it. It's hard to tell you about it without giving too much away. It's going to be hard work finishing this and getting it right, but it HAS to be right! I'm currently re-reading the entire series so I can make sure it flows into book 5 well. Currently on The Verkreath Horror and thoroughly enjoying it! Can't wait to get onto The Blood Queen
Sorry for the delay, I know you're all desperate to know what happens. Book 5 will come and it WILL be worth it. It'll just take a while!
:)
Martyn
May 6, 2016
Fantastic Video Review!
I'm really stoked. I just had a great video review of my first Fantasy book 'The Last Dragon Slayer'.
I really like what he has to say. It makes all the effort worthwhile! Please visit the URL and give it a 'Like' and a 'Share' ! :)
https://youtu.be/uFxk2jY2-fA
I really like what he has to say. It makes all the effort worthwhile! Please visit the URL and give it a 'Like' and a 'Share' ! :)
https://youtu.be/uFxk2jY2-fA
April 9, 2016
'A Slip of the Keyboard'
I have to say I'm really enjoying this book. I'm enjoying it more than anything I've read recently - even 'The Long Earth'.
It turns out that Terry Pratchett did 'Life Writing' at LEAST as well as he did fiction. He's also an incredibly lovely bloke, who even if he'd never written a word in his life, would have been a cracking chap to have some banter over a pint of ale with in the local pub. I really, REALLY wish I'd met him. I watched his post EOA diagnosis documentaries and thought he was great in those too. I suppose there's no way I could have ever met him, but I'd have loved to have bought him a pint of ale and sat and listened to him for a bit.
I also have a new found respect for his writing. The fact is, his first two books, 'The Colour of Magic' and 'The Light Fantastic' are not great books. At least not to me. They don't have a strong narrative, they seem more like a bunch of parodies or sketches, lampooning traditional fantasy, strung together roughly into a story. There ARE some great characters, my favourites from these two are Rincewind, Cohen and 'The Luggage' but the story is a bit disjointed? They're worth reading and fun, but they aren't the best Discworld novels by a long shot. However, when he wrote them, writing anything must have been an utter chore!
He spends a chapter talking about his early days writing. Tapping away on ancient, massive machines that are described as portable, but weigh in at 60kg and will barely hold one chapter on their internal memory.
These days we all have it SO easy! It almost seems a little unfair. Back then there was no Spelling Checker or Grammar Checker, or KDP or Smashwords…. You had to labour away, hand-crafting your work, chapter by chapter, manually checking the spelling, grammar and consistency, and printing each chapter out until you had a manuscript ready to send to a publisher. It strikes me that in those days the slush piles were probably a LOT smaller. Writing a novel in 2016 is a doodle compared to the 1970's and 1980's. Writing a GOOD one is still not easy, but even writing a diabolical pile of crap in the early 1980's must have been a mammoth effort.
I'm not surprised publishers slush piles started to grow. I'm not surprised KDP became a thing. The amount of publishable novels being written I'm certain is greater than the capacity for the publishing industry to publish. In 1980, I'm not so sure…
The fact that we can retain control over our work and choose when and how to publish, plus we can write a book, knowing we'll be allowed to sell it - is a boon. We're all spoilt. It's so easy these days we don't understand how difficult it was. When you realise how tough it was for the likes of Pratchett to put a story into print and on sale… Well you think about Emily Bronte, Charles Dickens and Jane Austen! How hard must it have been for them?
Anyway, I'm rambling now. Slip of the Keyboard has given me a newfound respect for authors of old. I suppose I always KNEW this was true, but I never really thought about it before. It's also given me an even greater fondness for Terry Pratchett as a person. I'll miss his books, I'll miss his writing. I also know, if I'd actually known him, I'd really miss him. Not for his writing but just for WHO he was, beyond being a writer. He comes across as very sensible and down to earth. Grounded if you like? Anyone who writes or aspires to write should read this book. There are so many ways in which Terry Pratchett was a great example to us all. My admiration for him is only growing as I read the book.
Martyn
It turns out that Terry Pratchett did 'Life Writing' at LEAST as well as he did fiction. He's also an incredibly lovely bloke, who even if he'd never written a word in his life, would have been a cracking chap to have some banter over a pint of ale with in the local pub. I really, REALLY wish I'd met him. I watched his post EOA diagnosis documentaries and thought he was great in those too. I suppose there's no way I could have ever met him, but I'd have loved to have bought him a pint of ale and sat and listened to him for a bit.
I also have a new found respect for his writing. The fact is, his first two books, 'The Colour of Magic' and 'The Light Fantastic' are not great books. At least not to me. They don't have a strong narrative, they seem more like a bunch of parodies or sketches, lampooning traditional fantasy, strung together roughly into a story. There ARE some great characters, my favourites from these two are Rincewind, Cohen and 'The Luggage' but the story is a bit disjointed? They're worth reading and fun, but they aren't the best Discworld novels by a long shot. However, when he wrote them, writing anything must have been an utter chore!
He spends a chapter talking about his early days writing. Tapping away on ancient, massive machines that are described as portable, but weigh in at 60kg and will barely hold one chapter on their internal memory.
These days we all have it SO easy! It almost seems a little unfair. Back then there was no Spelling Checker or Grammar Checker, or KDP or Smashwords…. You had to labour away, hand-crafting your work, chapter by chapter, manually checking the spelling, grammar and consistency, and printing each chapter out until you had a manuscript ready to send to a publisher. It strikes me that in those days the slush piles were probably a LOT smaller. Writing a novel in 2016 is a doodle compared to the 1970's and 1980's. Writing a GOOD one is still not easy, but even writing a diabolical pile of crap in the early 1980's must have been a mammoth effort.
I'm not surprised publishers slush piles started to grow. I'm not surprised KDP became a thing. The amount of publishable novels being written I'm certain is greater than the capacity for the publishing industry to publish. In 1980, I'm not so sure…
The fact that we can retain control over our work and choose when and how to publish, plus we can write a book, knowing we'll be allowed to sell it - is a boon. We're all spoilt. It's so easy these days we don't understand how difficult it was. When you realise how tough it was for the likes of Pratchett to put a story into print and on sale… Well you think about Emily Bronte, Charles Dickens and Jane Austen! How hard must it have been for them?
Anyway, I'm rambling now. Slip of the Keyboard has given me a newfound respect for authors of old. I suppose I always KNEW this was true, but I never really thought about it before. It's also given me an even greater fondness for Terry Pratchett as a person. I'll miss his books, I'll miss his writing. I also know, if I'd actually known him, I'd really miss him. Not for his writing but just for WHO he was, beyond being a writer. He comes across as very sensible and down to earth. Grounded if you like? Anyone who writes or aspires to write should read this book. There are so many ways in which Terry Pratchett was a great example to us all. My admiration for him is only growing as I read the book.
Martyn
March 1, 2016
Multi-book promo!
Two of my books are featured in a massive multi-book promo in March!
Looking for a free read? Check these out, there are some great titles here!
http://pattyjansen.com/promo/
Martyn
Looking for a free read? Check these out, there are some great titles here!
http://pattyjansen.com/promo/
Martyn
February 24, 2016
Hire a Beta Reader
Have you finished your manuscript? Are you happy with it? Are you confident readers will enjoy it?
It's very hard as a writer to judge what readers will like and dislike. You can't change too much, after all - it's YOUR story and nobody else's. However sometimes a tweak here, a subtle change there, a scene added here - they can change things and improve your manuscript immensely.
I've never hired a Beta Reader before, I've never really trusted those offering the service to be constructive and insightful.
However, now - I'm tempted. Inge, has started offering Beta Reads and I know she knows stories and she knows books. She knows what works and what doesn't work and better than that she can tell you why it works or doesn't work. Inge is always my first 'go to' when I have a plot idea or I want an honest opinion on anything writing related. Her integrity and intelligence is without equal. I may kick myself for sharing this, because it means she might become too busy to help me, but I honestly feel as long as you're looking for feedback on one of the many genre she's familiar with, she CAN help you improve your manuscript. Maybe even save it?
Check out the details here, and if you're thinking of hiring a Beta Reader, DO consider Inge first.
http://whimsicalityblog.com/2016/02/2...
It's very hard as a writer to judge what readers will like and dislike. You can't change too much, after all - it's YOUR story and nobody else's. However sometimes a tweak here, a subtle change there, a scene added here - they can change things and improve your manuscript immensely.
I've never hired a Beta Reader before, I've never really trusted those offering the service to be constructive and insightful.
However, now - I'm tempted. Inge, has started offering Beta Reads and I know she knows stories and she knows books. She knows what works and what doesn't work and better than that she can tell you why it works or doesn't work. Inge is always my first 'go to' when I have a plot idea or I want an honest opinion on anything writing related. Her integrity and intelligence is without equal. I may kick myself for sharing this, because it means she might become too busy to help me, but I honestly feel as long as you're looking for feedback on one of the many genre she's familiar with, she CAN help you improve your manuscript. Maybe even save it?
Check out the details here, and if you're thinking of hiring a Beta Reader, DO consider Inge first.
http://whimsicalityblog.com/2016/02/2...
January 8, 2016
Deathsworn Arc 4: Rise of the Archmage
I edited 20 pages last night! so 10% of version 3.2 is edited. There's still a long slog to go, but at least we're moving again.
One thing I DO explore more in this book is how gravian society works.
It's a topsy turvy society from out point of view where females are the dominant gender. They describe their 'man-servants' as something like how a man might have described his wife a century or so ago. Males don't own property, they are more SEEN as property of their mistresses. This isn't portrayed as in a fetish orientated slave relationship, but as a practical reflection of how society was before gender equality, only the other way around. Important females can own several man-servants, though most will only have one. This is a reflection of middle-eastern husbands owning a harem of 'wives'.
The way gravian society might seem a little absurd. However it's supposed to be. I wanted to show how absurd the patriarchal society seems by mirroring it in a striking way.
It's a continuation of a theme started in earlier books, I've already talked about gravian society. The new gravian character you see on the cover was an important person in gravian society, she's intelligent, but she makes mistakes. She makes errors of judgement, because she's been thrust into a culture which she doesn't really understand. She makes assumptions about human society which are perhaps false. She is perhaps a little naive. Her problems with the people she lives amongst are perhaps an exaggeration, of the sort of ill-feeling immigrants feel when they are placed alone in the middle of a culture they don't understand. What I'm saying with this story is to be tolerant of other cultures and try to show some understanding. The human instinct is to mistrust people who are unlike us. I'm saying fight that instinct! Befriend people of the opposite gender, who are older than you and younger than you! Befriend people who are of another ethnicity and culture to you. If we all tried to do this we'd live in a more peaceful world!
Martyn
One thing I DO explore more in this book is how gravian society works.
It's a topsy turvy society from out point of view where females are the dominant gender. They describe their 'man-servants' as something like how a man might have described his wife a century or so ago. Males don't own property, they are more SEEN as property of their mistresses. This isn't portrayed as in a fetish orientated slave relationship, but as a practical reflection of how society was before gender equality, only the other way around. Important females can own several man-servants, though most will only have one. This is a reflection of middle-eastern husbands owning a harem of 'wives'.
The way gravian society might seem a little absurd. However it's supposed to be. I wanted to show how absurd the patriarchal society seems by mirroring it in a striking way.
It's a continuation of a theme started in earlier books, I've already talked about gravian society. The new gravian character you see on the cover was an important person in gravian society, she's intelligent, but she makes mistakes. She makes errors of judgement, because she's been thrust into a culture which she doesn't really understand. She makes assumptions about human society which are perhaps false. She is perhaps a little naive. Her problems with the people she lives amongst are perhaps an exaggeration, of the sort of ill-feeling immigrants feel when they are placed alone in the middle of a culture they don't understand. What I'm saying with this story is to be tolerant of other cultures and try to show some understanding. The human instinct is to mistrust people who are unlike us. I'm saying fight that instinct! Befriend people of the opposite gender, who are older than you and younger than you! Befriend people who are of another ethnicity and culture to you. If we all tried to do this we'd live in a more peaceful world!
Martyn
January 2, 2016
Dryathlon!
A number of people close to me have recently had cancer scares. I feel it's a disease we should be better at treating. The only way we're going to get better at it is by funding research.
I do drink too much, I've guzzled gallons of beer, whisky, wine and other beverages over Christmas.
Going without alcohol isn't a mean feat for me. I don't drink much, but I do drink regularly. Normally every night. I thought maybe it'd be a good thing to have a few days off the booze, then I saw an ad for Dryathlon and thought why the hell not?
SO! I am going to go all of January 2016 without a drink, not as mean a feat as when Julia Hardy did a full 12 month dryathlon, but it's not something which is easy for me. I'm doing it anyway. I was hoping somewhere in the world some of my readers might think it was a noble cause and choose to sponsor me. So far, I've had a luke-warm response. If you'd like to make my day and help beat cancer, please consider sponsoring me on my January 2016 Dryathlon.
https://www.justgiving.com/Martyn-Sta...
I do drink too much, I've guzzled gallons of beer, whisky, wine and other beverages over Christmas.
Going without alcohol isn't a mean feat for me. I don't drink much, but I do drink regularly. Normally every night. I thought maybe it'd be a good thing to have a few days off the booze, then I saw an ad for Dryathlon and thought why the hell not?
SO! I am going to go all of January 2016 without a drink, not as mean a feat as when Julia Hardy did a full 12 month dryathlon, but it's not something which is easy for me. I'm doing it anyway. I was hoping somewhere in the world some of my readers might think it was a noble cause and choose to sponsor me. So far, I've had a luke-warm response. If you'd like to make my day and help beat cancer, please consider sponsoring me on my January 2016 Dryathlon.
https://www.justgiving.com/Martyn-Sta...
December 16, 2015
Mixed reviews and how to avoid bad ratings.
As of 16th December I have 154 Ratings for:-
'Deathsworn Arc: The Last Dragon Slayer'
And they are pretty mixed.
25% (40) = 5 Star
35% (54) = 4 Star
22% (35) = 3 Star
11% (17) = 2 Star
5% (8) = 1 Star
Now ratings like this probably aren't going to send my work flying off the virtual shelves of Amazon. I know why these ratings are the way they are and I offer the explanation here, so any other writers thinking of publishing can perhaps learn from them.
1. I had a minor run with the affectionately named 'Goodreads Bullies'. I don't know, but I suspect some of the hidden low ratings are a direct consequence of this. I'm not going to bitch and whine about it, I just wish I'd understood the situation before I entered the conversation. All I would advise anyone is, if you see a heated debate going on - bury your feelings and scroll on by. Even if the GR bullies are actively sabotaging authors ratings - and I don't think they are, at least not any more. I almost suspect this group has more or less disbanded after a couple of prominent members appear to have been banned. I don't think you'll get anywhere complaining to GR about it. I didn't, I took it on the chin and forgot about it. It would have been better not to have interacted at all with them though.
2. I released 'The Last Dragon Slayer' long before it was truly ready. Those who read the first version of the book read an unfinished product. Thankfully now, after many, many updates and hiring a professional editor and proof-reading it nearly to death it IS a good product. It won't be to everyone's taste, but at least I'm not throwing ratings away by people marking it down for editing problems, spelling mistakes, typo's and bad grammar. I released it in 2012 and to my folly thought if I updated it, everyone would automatically get the updated version. The truth is updating to the latest version is a pain and not straightforward. This is partly why book 4 'Rise of the Archmage' is taking so bloody long to finish! I HAVE to get it right first time. Don't make my mistake, only release it when YOU and three other people who've read it are ALL 100% Sure it's ready!
3. Themes will divide people. Even if your writing flows and your descriptions are vivid, if people don't like the story they will give you a bad rating. You can't do much about this, particularly if you feel strongly about the story. The things that might divide opinion on the Deathsworn Arc books are:-
A - The atheist tone of the books, particularly as the theme progresses. Fundamentalist theists won't like the direction these books take. There's an element of questioning your faith, losing your faith and coming to terms with it.
B - The pro-LGBT rights theme of books 3 and 4. There is a tone of being pro LGBT rights in the later books. Oppression of LGBT characters is strongly criticized. Some people actually still carry their instinct to hate on LGBT. If those people read my books, there might come a point where they disagree with the tone. I'd like to think most rational, sane people would agree people being burned at the stake for being homosexual is wrong, but you'd be amazed how strongly some people believe some quite distateful things.
C - The slightly feminist tone. One of my books protagonists is a female who at least for a good chunk of the books appears to be the most powerful character. She's also bold, bossy, and likes to be in charge. She's certainly no damsel in distress and strongly dislikes the few occasions when she needs other's help. She's very independent. If you think fantasy stories need a swarthy, muscle-bound hero doing all the heroing - you won't like these books.
D - The grittiness. I'll be straight these books are not Game of Thrones-alike. If you're looking for brutal murders, incest, torture, bodily mutilation, more incest, attempted child-murder, more brutal murders, child-killing, more torture - you get the picture - Just stick to G.R.R Martin! They are NOT however flowers and fairies in the woods. Characters get badly injured and killed. It's not GoT, but it's probably a step up from soft fantasy.
E - The talkiness. My characters talk alot. Some of them talk TOO much. Brael is a classic example, he's one of those people who do't know when to shut up at times and is inclined to start boring people to death. It's who he is. The other's talk too. If you wan't non-stop action and hate long conversations, these might not be the books for you.
F - The elvish language. Some love it, some hate it. But there are times when certain characters break into Elvish. There's even an unusual character in there - the section symbol.
There's probably more. The problem you have, is if you don't have these sort of elements in - you're writing might come across as bland. It's better to be loved by 50% and hated by 50% than everyone just thinks 'It's okay'. If you're dividing opinion, you're writing strongly. You're expressing yourself. You're sharing your ideas and getting readers to think.
I hope you find this of interest. It's all only my opinion. I would like more positive reviews of course and I'd love for more people to read beyond the final chapter of book 1. However I'd rather 40 people love it and 8 people hate it than I had 154 3 star 'It was okay' reviews.
Ultimately if some people love it, you have to look at the way you're presenting your book. One good explanation for very divided reviews is that your book often lands in front of the wrong pair of eyes. Make your blurb and cover convey what the book is like accurately and clearly. It might not help sales, but it should help your ratings and reviews and ratings and reviews may translate into sales one day.
'Deathsworn Arc: The Last Dragon Slayer'
And they are pretty mixed.
25% (40) = 5 Star
35% (54) = 4 Star
22% (35) = 3 Star
11% (17) = 2 Star
5% (8) = 1 Star
Now ratings like this probably aren't going to send my work flying off the virtual shelves of Amazon. I know why these ratings are the way they are and I offer the explanation here, so any other writers thinking of publishing can perhaps learn from them.
1. I had a minor run with the affectionately named 'Goodreads Bullies'. I don't know, but I suspect some of the hidden low ratings are a direct consequence of this. I'm not going to bitch and whine about it, I just wish I'd understood the situation before I entered the conversation. All I would advise anyone is, if you see a heated debate going on - bury your feelings and scroll on by. Even if the GR bullies are actively sabotaging authors ratings - and I don't think they are, at least not any more. I almost suspect this group has more or less disbanded after a couple of prominent members appear to have been banned. I don't think you'll get anywhere complaining to GR about it. I didn't, I took it on the chin and forgot about it. It would have been better not to have interacted at all with them though.
2. I released 'The Last Dragon Slayer' long before it was truly ready. Those who read the first version of the book read an unfinished product. Thankfully now, after many, many updates and hiring a professional editor and proof-reading it nearly to death it IS a good product. It won't be to everyone's taste, but at least I'm not throwing ratings away by people marking it down for editing problems, spelling mistakes, typo's and bad grammar. I released it in 2012 and to my folly thought if I updated it, everyone would automatically get the updated version. The truth is updating to the latest version is a pain and not straightforward. This is partly why book 4 'Rise of the Archmage' is taking so bloody long to finish! I HAVE to get it right first time. Don't make my mistake, only release it when YOU and three other people who've read it are ALL 100% Sure it's ready!
3. Themes will divide people. Even if your writing flows and your descriptions are vivid, if people don't like the story they will give you a bad rating. You can't do much about this, particularly if you feel strongly about the story. The things that might divide opinion on the Deathsworn Arc books are:-
A - The atheist tone of the books, particularly as the theme progresses. Fundamentalist theists won't like the direction these books take. There's an element of questioning your faith, losing your faith and coming to terms with it.
B - The pro-LGBT rights theme of books 3 and 4. There is a tone of being pro LGBT rights in the later books. Oppression of LGBT characters is strongly criticized. Some people actually still carry their instinct to hate on LGBT. If those people read my books, there might come a point where they disagree with the tone. I'd like to think most rational, sane people would agree people being burned at the stake for being homosexual is wrong, but you'd be amazed how strongly some people believe some quite distateful things.
C - The slightly feminist tone. One of my books protagonists is a female who at least for a good chunk of the books appears to be the most powerful character. She's also bold, bossy, and likes to be in charge. She's certainly no damsel in distress and strongly dislikes the few occasions when she needs other's help. She's very independent. If you think fantasy stories need a swarthy, muscle-bound hero doing all the heroing - you won't like these books.
D - The grittiness. I'll be straight these books are not Game of Thrones-alike. If you're looking for brutal murders, incest, torture, bodily mutilation, more incest, attempted child-murder, more brutal murders, child-killing, more torture - you get the picture - Just stick to G.R.R Martin! They are NOT however flowers and fairies in the woods. Characters get badly injured and killed. It's not GoT, but it's probably a step up from soft fantasy.
E - The talkiness. My characters talk alot. Some of them talk TOO much. Brael is a classic example, he's one of those people who do't know when to shut up at times and is inclined to start boring people to death. It's who he is. The other's talk too. If you wan't non-stop action and hate long conversations, these might not be the books for you.
F - The elvish language. Some love it, some hate it. But there are times when certain characters break into Elvish. There's even an unusual character in there - the section symbol.
There's probably more. The problem you have, is if you don't have these sort of elements in - you're writing might come across as bland. It's better to be loved by 50% and hated by 50% than everyone just thinks 'It's okay'. If you're dividing opinion, you're writing strongly. You're expressing yourself. You're sharing your ideas and getting readers to think.
I hope you find this of interest. It's all only my opinion. I would like more positive reviews of course and I'd love for more people to read beyond the final chapter of book 1. However I'd rather 40 people love it and 8 people hate it than I had 154 3 star 'It was okay' reviews.
Ultimately if some people love it, you have to look at the way you're presenting your book. One good explanation for very divided reviews is that your book often lands in front of the wrong pair of eyes. Make your blurb and cover convey what the book is like accurately and clearly. It might not help sales, but it should help your ratings and reviews and ratings and reviews may translate into sales one day.
November 30, 2015
A Newsletter, a new release and a giveaway!
I've finally set myself a newsletter up! If you want status updates on the Deathsworn Arc or my other WIP's you can sign up here:-
http://martynstanley.com/subscribe-to...
I promise not to spam, there's an unsubscribe link in every email. All posts will be about bookie things, mainly my work. I may occasionally post about an article I read online that I think might be interesting or another authors work, but posts will be infrequent and interesting (Hopefully!)
My new title is here! It's only a short story, but I'm really proud of how it turned out. It's a sequel to my well-received 'Lambton Worm' re-telling and it takes place fifteen years later. Sir John Lambton has been boasting about his success against the worm and his boasting may lead to his downfall. The girl who saved him from his own stupidity might be the only one who can help him. However, all is not as it seems...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Return-Worm-S...
For audio book listeners I have now published 'The Lambton Worm' audio book. I found a fantastic pair of narrators, a chap who narrates and voices most of the characters and a lady who works with him to do the voices which require a female tone. The end result is stunning. I loved Kat Rose-Martin's take on 'The Last Dragon Slayer' but I wish I'd managed to get Ian Gordon and Jen to do that book too.
I have some promotional codes to giveaway for review copies of 'The Lambton Worm' Amazon audible audio book. First three people to request one in the comments get one. All I ask is an honest review of the story and the narration.
If you don't hear from me again, have a fantastic Christmas. Sorry about the long wait for 'Rise of the Archmage' I'll be posting updates in my newsletter. It will be fantastic when it's done, and I will release it as soon as I can, but at the moment it's still at least a few weeks off unfortunately.
Best wishes,
Martyn Stanley
http://martynstanley.com/subscribe-to...
I promise not to spam, there's an unsubscribe link in every email. All posts will be about bookie things, mainly my work. I may occasionally post about an article I read online that I think might be interesting or another authors work, but posts will be infrequent and interesting (Hopefully!)
My new title is here! It's only a short story, but I'm really proud of how it turned out. It's a sequel to my well-received 'Lambton Worm' re-telling and it takes place fifteen years later. Sir John Lambton has been boasting about his success against the worm and his boasting may lead to his downfall. The girl who saved him from his own stupidity might be the only one who can help him. However, all is not as it seems...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Return-Worm-S...
For audio book listeners I have now published 'The Lambton Worm' audio book. I found a fantastic pair of narrators, a chap who narrates and voices most of the characters and a lady who works with him to do the voices which require a female tone. The end result is stunning. I loved Kat Rose-Martin's take on 'The Last Dragon Slayer' but I wish I'd managed to get Ian Gordon and Jen to do that book too.
I have some promotional codes to giveaway for review copies of 'The Lambton Worm' Amazon audible audio book. First three people to request one in the comments get one. All I ask is an honest review of the story and the narration.
If you don't hear from me again, have a fantastic Christmas. Sorry about the long wait for 'Rise of the Archmage' I'll be posting updates in my newsletter. It will be fantastic when it's done, and I will release it as soon as I can, but at the moment it's still at least a few weeks off unfortunately.
Best wishes,
Martyn Stanley
October 29, 2015
Return of the Worm Slayer - Cover Reveal
It's still not quite ready. It needs another read through, a few tweaks a few improvements and then the same again. Here's the cover though, I really like this - any comments welcome of course!
Martyn
Martyn
