Patricia Hamill's Blog: I read too much!, page 21

Review: The Star Dwellers by David Estes

The Star Dwellers by David Estes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Star Dwellers is an adventure that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

The story picks up just after Adele and Tristan part ways. Adele and Tawni are in the tunnels leading to the Star Realm and Tristan, Roc and Elsey are with Ben Rose (Adele's father) in the resistance headquarters in the Moon Realm.

Adele's adventure is fraught with danger as she first dodges Sun Realm troups and later fights insanity brought on by an insidious illness. But, both she and Tawni make it through and reach the Star Realm, if not in one piece, then near enough to be of use. But not all is as expected in the dreary underworld of the Tri-Realms. Their army is better equipped than they should be and Adele is suspicious.

Tristan's adventure is more of an internal one. He struggles with feelings of inadequacy, fear for his new friends (and Adele), and the knowledge that many of his new allies either mistrust him or downright hate him. All of this is made worse by his father's vindictive taunting and threats designed to flush out or perhaps simply to hurt his son.

As in the previous book, the characters are wonderfully flawed and dynamic, the banter and interactions are entertaining and natural, and the action is brisk and exciting.

I love Star Dwellers and am impressed with the rich world David Estes portrays. He truly is a magician in the art of storytelling.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes YA dystopian stories like Hunger Games.



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Self-publishing on Kindle

Hello all,
I've been a little heavier on the book reviews than on official blog posts lately. Every time I finish one I sign up for two more, totally my fault of course. But today I'm on vacation and my "currently reading" shelf is down to a reasonable three, so it's time for a real post, the topic: self-publishing on Kindle.

Recently, a friend of mine told me how publishing my books has inspired her to write one of her own. She also told me that figuring out how to self-publish was difficult, even with web addresses in hand. So, here's a quick run down of how to get your story published on Kindle.

1. Read Building Your Book for Kindle. This free book walks you through the process, with instructions geared towards people writing their books in Microsoft Word and, of course, publishing on Kindle.

2. Write your book, edit your book, and proofread your book. Make it as perfect as you can possibly get it. Reviewers on Amazon can be brutal. Consider asking some close friends to review it and give you comments, or, if you have the cash, consider soliciting the help of a professional.

3. Copyright your book. Technically, you own the copyright as soon as you put pen to paper, but the added protection of copyright registration is worth the hour or so it will take to register your book online. I recommend doing this on the U.S. Copyright Office's official website. Read all the guides and how-to's available on the site before moving on to register your book.

Note that if you have yet to publish your book or have only published as an eBook, you need only submit a pdf of your book and not a hard copy (or two, as required if copyrighting a paperback). This method is also quicker because your book won't have to survive the gauntlet of safeguards imposed on all mail being sent to the copyright office.

4. Download the kindle previewer (on your computer) and follow the instructions to preview the file you plan to submit to KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing).

5. Review every page of your book in the previewer, preferably with a copy of your book close to hand on which you can make notes, and fix any issues you find before moving on. This is incredibly important because formatting can go horribly wrong when a book is converted into an eBook. It may look good in Word, but don't trust that that will translate into the final product.

6. If you haven't done so already, create an account with Amazon.com. As an author, you'll be prompted to add your tax information and payment preferences before you can submit your work for publishing. I can't remember exactly when this is prompted, but I do remember that there were instructions.

7. Go to the KDP site and click Get Started to begin uploading your book, setting your price, and setting your distribution channels.

Once you submit your book, there is a short wait while Amazon reviews your files. When your book is available on Amazon, you'll receive an email. And now, the real work begins, promoting your work and yourself. Due to the ease of self-publishing, competition is fierce, and unless you do something to bring attention to your book, it may never be noticed. For an excellent article on attracting new readers (by an accomplished and popular independent author), check out David Estes' blog post My Dos and Don'ts for Attracting New Readers.

8. Finally, join the KDP Community where you can meet and interact with other KDP authors and discuss questions and lessons learned.

If you're a self-published author on Kindle and would like to add to the topic, please share your experience and knowledge in the comments.

Review: The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Two Towers is the second book in J.R.R. Tolkien's epic fantasy, The Lord of the Rings. The story picks up right after the Fellowship tasked with destroying Sauron's One Ring parts ways for good.

First up, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli set out to rescue Merry and Pippin, who were taken by the orcs of Saruman at the end of the previous book. Running for three days, they encounter Eomer of the Rohirim (or Riders of Rohan) who inform them that the orcs have been slain and no hobbits spotted. In return for a promise to return them, the three companions borrow three riderless horses to complete their journey to Fangorn Forrest hoping against all odds that Merry and Pippen live.

Meanwhile, Merry and Pippin are in the clutches of the evil orcs of Saruman and are dismayed when they are joined by orcs from Mordor. They rest on the edge of a knife as the two factions argue and posture for control of the valuable hobbits, not to mention the occasional reminder that the orcs wouldn't mind finding out what roast hobbit tastes like. Despite their predicament, one of them drops tokens along the way for their friends to find and when the Riders attack, manage a narrow escape, only to meat the mysterious Treebeard (whose official name is Fangorn). Their story and the actions of Saruman inflame the normally mellow ent and they go to war.

This half of the book continues with the two parties embroiled in their separate battles against the forces of Saruman the White.

The second half of the book returns the story to Frodo and Sam shortly after they slip away from the Fellowship. They quickly realize they have no idea how to get to Mordor, and even if they do, they have little chance of reaching it let alone making their way past its borders. Soon evidence of pursuit arises and Frodo and Sam suspect Gollum has picked up their trail. Sam captures Gollum shortly afterwards, earning his eternal hatred, but Frodo convinces the miserable creature to join with them and show them the way into Mordor.

Later, the trio meet Boromir's brother, Faramir of Gondor. Faramir cautions them against trusting their guide but ultimately allows them to continue their journey into darkness.

Throughout the second half of the book, my favorite element is the rising duality of Gollum's personality: Smeagol vs. Gollum. Gollum, an obsessed and devious creature who craves The Ring like a fish craves water, and Smeagol, starved for love and almost remembering the person he used to be before the ring. Pledging loyalty on the precious, Smeagol fawns upon Frodo while Sam looks on suspiciously, but Gollum refuses to be forgotten and slowly corrupts the nearly redeemed Smeagol.

The story is action packed, the characters fascinating and larger than life and the battles intense, but one of the things that always makes me think is the title, The Two Towers. Which two towers? Based on the cover of my movie tie-in edition, the answer is simple: Orthanc (Saruman's tower in Isengard) and Barad-dur (Sauron's tower in Mordor). The two play a huge part in the first half of the book as Saruman makes a play for power by sending his orcs after the hobbits and when that fails by sending his hordes to attack the Riders of Rohan. At the close of the battle, the eye of Sauron is drawn to Pippin through Saruman's orb, setting off the push into Gondor featured in The Return of the King.

However, the second half of the book focuses on two different towers: Minus Tirith and Minus Morgul. Minus Tirith guards the lands of men from the might of Mordor. Minus Morgul, its twin, guards the pass into Mordor and is home to the dreaded King of the Ringwraiths. As Frodo and Sam near Minus Morgul and the secret way that Gollum leads them towards, the two towers, light and dark, are compared and contrasted and the tragic history of Minus Morgul is revealed.

The rich world of Middle Earth, the intricately woven history, and the struggles and victories of the shattered Fellowship are the epitome of epic fantasy. Tolkien is a master of his art.



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Review: Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Fellowship of the Ring is an epic fantasy set in Middle Earth starring hobbits, dwarves, elves and even a few men.

I love this story. I remember the first time I read it, at twelve. It took me three days to get through the Hobbit and the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy. All I did was eat, sleep, and read.

I remember the chills that ran down my spine as Frodo and Sam first hid from the mysterious black riders (Ringwraiths) as they raced through the Shire and later on the road to Rivendell. The simple ring of invisibility (from The Hobbit) having taken on a dark purpose and the formation of the fellowship of the ring to take it into the very heart of Mordor captured my mind and drew me on.

The characters, the places and the enemies are what make the story so memorable to me. So I wanted to list each below with a brief description (most are spoilers if you haven't read this before, but probably not that bad if you've seen the movie).


The fellowship:

(view spoiler)[Gandalf the Grey, powerful wizard who still suffers the self-doubt and worry that plague all mankind.
Strider, mysterious ranger who both fears and desires to take on the responsiblities cast upon him by his sires.
Gimli, dwarf from the Lonely Mountain on a personal quest to discover the fate of Balin and his crew who disappeared into the Mines of Moria never to be seen again.
Legolas, the woodelf from Mirkwood, who comes to Rivendell to report the loss of the prisoner Gollum.
Boromir of Gondor, who sees in the ring a chance to turn the tides against the darkness in Mordor.
Merry and Pippin, Frodo's dear friends who conspire to join him in his quest before they know what it is, simply because he is their friend. They come as a pair until their paths diverge in the later books.
Sam Gamgee, Frodo's gardener and loyal companion who is determined to help his master succeed in his quest and make it back to the Shire alive.
And, of course, Frodo Baggins himself, Bilbo's heir, who volunteers to take the ring and destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom, "though he doesn't know the way," although he does know there is every chance he will not survive the attempt. (hide spoiler)]


The places:

(view spoiler)[The Shire, the ideallic home of the hobbits, neverchanging, peaceful, and pure.
The Old Forest, borders The Shire and home of vindictive willow trees with mesmerizing voices, but also home of the jovial Tom Bombadil and his lovely Goldberry, the river daughter, who help the hobbits reach Bree in one piece.
Bree, an outpost community where hobbits and men live together in peace, where the Butterbur, the forgetful barman, redeams himself.
Rivendell, home of elves and the Lord Elrond, half-elven, and his daughter Arwen Evenstar (recently arrived from Lothlorien), the last homely home.
The Mines of Moria, deeply delved, filled with orcs and something much, much worse.
Lothlorien, the golden wood, home of the elves and the Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn. The Lady keeping secret one of the three elven rings of old.
The Great River, Anduin, the last road of the fellowship before it is sundered for good or ill. (hide spoiler)]


The enemies:

(view spoiler)[Ringwraiths, nine ancient kings of men who were seduced by the power of their rings under the One Ring. They are no more than shadows of their former selves, though the beasts they ride are real enough.
Sauron, the ancient enemy who gained power under the dark eaves of Mirkwood before being driven out and returning to Mordor to cast his shadow over the entire world.
Gollum, scrawny, pathetic former owner of the ring who desires and fears it more than anything else.
Saruman the White (Saruman of Many Colors), the leader of the white council who studied the darkness too closely, becoming it's servant.
Birds, ominous clouds of fowl who spy for the enemy. No place open to the sky is safe from their piercing eyes.
Wolves and Wargs, minions of Saruman who hunt the fellowship and drive them into the Mines.
Orcs and Trolls, dwellers in dark places and servants of the enemy, they are numerous and foul and always seem to turn up at the worst times. (hide spoiler)]

Besides the awesomeness, there are a few things to consider (though they don't change my rating):
One, the songs are lengthy, numerous and everywhere. Not too bad in print because you have the option to skim past (though I think it worth it to read them all at least once), but I hear you have no choice but to listen to all of them in the audiobook. However, I do have a favorite among them: the longform version of Hey Diddle Diddle, which I believe comes along in the town of Bree.

Two, this is a long book, purposely so according to the note from Tolkien in the frontmatter of the book. His goal was to write a long book, and he succeeded. But he did it well, so that doesn't bother me. Considering some of the epic fantasies written since whose individual books are longer than the entire combined Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, I don't think they're too long.

Three, there is no three. I like everything else.

I recommend this to anyone, preferably in print. If you find you can't tackle the book, go see the movie. It's not an exact match, but it definitely channels the best of Tolkien in a format most can enjoy.








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Review: Oooeelie by Kenneth Crowe

Oooeelie by Kenneth Crowe

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Intriguing and complex...

Oooeelie, a superior being who crash lands on earth tens of thousands of years ago in mankind's infancy, is stranded. Lonely, he mentally connects with a human girl to form a bridge between himself and her tribe. In the process, she speaks the very first fully formed word, Oooeelie.

Fast forward to modern day New York, the original Oooeelie is long dead. However, he isn't gone. Joanna, a dissatisfied woman is plagued by recurring dreams that feature strange cave paintings, a shaman and her dog, Oooeelie. Through chance, she comes across a picture in an old book that exactly matches her dreams and tracks its origins to an address in the city. What she doesn't know is that the building hosts the offices of the Order of Man, an organization whose members have systematically tracked down and destroyed Oooeelies throughout history.

Overall, I loved the character development, the intrigue, the mystery of Oooeelie throughout the ages and the motivations of the antagonistic secret society bent on destroying the dog who taught humans to speak. I also enjoyed how the author was able to change my allegiance from Joanna to her husband, almost without me realizing it.

The only thing I didn't like was that the story reads like a history book (albeit an interesting one) in places. It is also important to note that the book contains adult content such as sexual encounters (explicit, but short), profanity, and violent clashes between Oooeelie and those who would destroy him.




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Beyond Goodreads: book-based social networking

It's been awhile since I last posted about my travails as an independent author, and one of the trickiest and most time consuming activities for any author is marketing. That's why I decided to write a short blurb on a few of the book related social networks I've come across since my books were published last year.

Currently, I know of three: Goodreads, Shelfari, and LibraryThing.

So here's what I think.
Goodreads
What I like: free, easy to use, vibrant community of active members, meeting other authors, Read to Review programs, groups, message boards, free blog, author dashboard, html tips, ability to edit reviews and blogs you've written, ability to post reading status updates, talks to Facebook, ability to follow reviews, become a fan, block people from following you, friending

Am I addicted to it: yes

What I don't like: can't save a review in progress, have to finish in one sitting, book setup as an author is a pain in the behind (worth it, but painful), you have to upload your own picture of your cover or your book has the dreary generic look

Shelfari
What I like: the realistic looking bookshelf, the review interface, the ability to add book details like characters, locations, etc in a wiki format (and not be a librarian), it's free, ability to import books from your amazon.com purchase history (and pick which ones to exclude/include), contribution ranking (fun), public messaging (though this could be a downside too), groups and message boards, ability to follow/friend others and block others from following you.

Am I addicted to it: no, but there's potential

What I don't like: no blog except the shelfari site blog (can't write your own), shelfari blog is on another webpage with no links back to main site, left/right arrows on the shelves instead of finger swipe option (only an issue because I use a tablet), other than groups and book review/info interfaces there's no way to share status updates, no way to add more shelves or customize them

LibraryThing
What I like: friend finder, ability to add website links in your profile (awesome to link to author profiles on amazon, goodreads, smashwords, etc.), recommendations when you add a book (based on the book you add), permalinks to individual reviews from the book's reviews feed, "conversations" which are links to boards discussing a particular book (awesome for authors who want to see what people are saying without following everyone), concise book stats including members who added it, popularity, reviews, average rating and mentions (each of these, except rating, links to a list so you can see what feeds into the stat), links to buy and swap from a book's page (includes audio), ability to create an author profile, site "talk" and groups

Am I addicted to it: no, but there's potential

What I don't like: have to pay to add more than 200 books, zeitgeist is weird and I don't know what it's for, Import from Goodreads (what is it supposed to do?), have to pick a short screen name (couldn't use my full name), some of the links are a little buggy on my tablet, plain interface is kind of blah

Are there more out there? Probably, I just haven't found or tried them out yet.

Let me know which sites you like and share your opinions of these three. I'd love to hear what you think!

Review: Meaty Balls! by Vincent Daniels

Meaty Balls! by Vincent Daniels

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Irreverent, charmingly offensive and awesome!

First off, let me start with the maybe not so obvious. This is not a cook book. I searched the title and found this book plus a bunch of pasta and Italian food cookbooks.

Now that that's out of the way, I can tell you what I liked about this book. The short answer: absolutely everything!

Meaty Balls is an NC-17 compilation of personal observations, real life stories and hilarious musings about day to day life, religion, drinking, social faux pas, and embarrassing moments. Each chapter reveals a little more about the author and his unique outlook on life, all in a fast paced and witty package. I'm a huge fan of Dave Barry, and Vincent Daniels was right to compare himself to him.

I especially loved Pedro's grad party, the dirtiest look ever, and the acceptance of the janitor's award. I laughed at the absurdities, groaned at the awkward moments, empathized with the hero and related to those things I recognize in my own life.

It's not often I fully agree with a books description, especially one with such wild claims as this one, but in this case I do. If you like non-fiction humor based on real-life experience, don't mind a few f-bombs (there's a whole chapter on them by the way), and don't mind being offended in a fun way, then this is the book for you.

I'm definitely going to read this again and I hope to see more from this author again.



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Is my chair blocking me?

I've come to the conclusion that I need a new computer chair. The reason is I think the old one is blocking me.

I do most of my writing on my couch in the living room, just chilling while my husband watches shows that I can ignore. But editing requires a real computer, not the little Asus Transformer tablet or the good old paper notebook I use for writing my drafts. And, to use the computer, I have to sit in the computer room on the old chair.

It still looks good, but looks aren't everything. One, I don't think the back can be adjusted to sit upright anymore. I like to sit with my feet up on an ottoman, and that tends to mess up my chairs. Two, it feels like I'm sitting on a two by four. It also doesn't help that my legs (one or both of them) seem to go numb if I sit on it for more than half an hour. Not the best sensation when you're trying to be creative.

I wonder what my husband would say if I moved our 'actual' recliner into the computer room and called it my new computer chair.

Now that would be awesome!

Review: Moon Dwellers by David Estes

The Moon Dwellers by David Estes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Moon Dwellers is a rollercoaster ride of action, social angst, and missed connections.

The story is set in an underground sanctuary of caverns 500 years into the future in a post-meteor apocalyptic future. It's told from the perspective of two amazing young people: Adele, daughter of rebels, and Tristan, son of the life-long dictator of the Tri-Realms (Sun, Moon and Star).

Adele is an introspective, yet strong, girl who is imprisoned for life when her parents are identified as traitors by spies. She protects herself by acting aloof and tough, but when she meets the charismatic duo, Tawni and Cole, her outer shell begins to melt and you discover that there's more to her than just the tough girl she presents to the world.

Tristan is an outgoing mega-celebrity, admired mostly by frenzied teen girls, who is stuck making the rounds in the Moon and Star Realms, riding along in parades and getting the figurehead leaders of the lessor realms to sign away more and more of their resources in favor of his father's Sun Realm. He finally decides he's had enough, runs away, and takes his best friend, Roc, with him.

When Adele and Tristan meet eyes for the first time, they collapse under unexpected and excruciating pain. But instead of keeping them apart, the shared experience brings them together.

The best thing about this story is the close calls where Tristan and Adele almost meet but get torn apart by circumstance and turmoil. It makes for an exciting tale. I also enjoyed the natural and often comedic camaraderie between Adele, Cole, and Tawni and between Tristan and Roc.


I'd call this one a must read!






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Review: Fire Country by David Estes

Fire Country by David Estes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Fire Country is an outstanding, memorable story. I couldn't put it down.


Set 500 years into a post-meteor apocalyptic future, Fire Country follows Siena, the 15 year old daughter of one of the oldest and most powerful men in her small tribe.

Age is important in her society due to the incredibly short lifespan of its inhabitants. Due to a fatal illness called the Fire, men usually only live to be 30, while women usually succomb by the age of 32. To keep from rapidly dying out, the tribe mandates that all young women be assigned a mate (Call mate) at the age of 16. Love, personal choice, and prior connections are disregarded, and the young woman must bear a child every three years until she meets a quota designed to fill each family to the ideal size.

Naturally, Siena has a problem with this arrangement and struggles with the conflicting desire to obey the law, help her people, and stay true to herself as well.

Although the story is packed with serious themes, conflict, and love, David Estes still manages to sprinkle in some humor in a natural and endearing way. Keep an eye out for Perry when you get your copy. He's one of the most memorable supporting characters I've ever read in a book.

Another thing I like is the perspective from which the story is told. It feels like Siena is talking to you, bringing you right into the action with her and making it really easy to empathize with her.

Finally, I am particularly impressed with the strong female characters in this book: Siena, her mother, and countless others. Not many books ring true to me from a female perspective, but this one did.





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