K. Morris's Blog, page 760
November 23, 2014
Primal: A Guest Post By Emma Tomlinson
Many thanks to Emma (https://creative5word.wordpress.com/) for the below guest post which takes the form of a short story. Emma has also submitted a further post which will appear later in the week. Thank you Emma!
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Primal By Emma Tomlinson
The sky begins to darken and my own footprints create an echoing sound, vacant, yet soft crunching, on the hardened ground. I can feel the moist air dampening my skin, the freshness almost choking me as I walk further into the night. Direction seems futile now as every turn I make appears identical and remains vast.
I can vaguely hear sounds from around me, unnatural sounds, which evoke an unwelcome chill to travel down my spine. I can feel the tiny hairs on my body rising like soldiers and reacting in frozen response. The trees appear to thicken and their branches move slow but deliberate, my path becoming narrow and overgrown.
I quicken my pace, aware my breathing is becoming heavier with each step. I can see my breath spiralling in front of me, small clouds of nothingness. I feel alone. I feel afraid.
From my right I can hear a strange panting; I can feel a sensation of being watched. The little hairs stand taller as I realise that the noise is coming closer. With fear and momentum rising, I try to remain calm and take longer strides, putting more distance between them and me. My purposeful steps are matching the thuds within my heart, rhythmic and strong. My ears explode almost with the sound, the blood cursing through my every vein.
I now feel like the hunted as I feel my every sense coming alive. My vision is becoming stronger, accustoming to the dark and now fuelled by the overwhelming fear that has almost paralysed my body. I continue. To stop is not an option. I now know my body is responding in pure survival mode. My legs feel stronger and I can feel the blood pooling near my muscles, alert, ready for the unknown.
The noises are surrounding me now. There are others. No longer a lone threat, I can feel eyes feeding on me, stalking me. Watching my every move.
I begin to feel faint, slightly disorientated and nauseas. I feel my body shivering. I pull up my hood, my coat no longer providing heat. I am drenched but there is no rain. My own perspiration is collecting in small pools on my body, although my hands remain cold and icy.
My head begins to throb and I reach up to soothe my temple. The cold of my hand shocks me and I become alert once more.
My senses tell me they are close now. My own footsteps are casting continuous echoes all around me. I realise too late that these secondary noises were not me. It was them. But I cannot escape now.
They reach me before I can react. I feel the impact and lose my footing before falling, my hairband fluttering loose and landing on the uneven earth. I can hear screaming. I realise that it is coming from me.
I awake to a continuous tone. I recognise the music from my phone. I had specifically chosen an amazon theme, the cool sounds of nature, to softly shake the sleep from my eyes.
Realisation hits me and I sit up to survey my surroundings. My heart begins to pound once more in isolated apprehension. As my eyes take in the scenery of my bedroom wall, I can feel a smile spreading from my lips. My bedspread tucked under me, my dog by my side.
A dream. Only a simple dream.
The mind of a deep thinker…or complete rubbish…it is all down to interpretation and perception…
Don’t feel bad, I want you to download my free book
I will be downloading as it sounds like an interesting read.
Originally posted on Suffolk Scribblings:
I don’t know about you, but whenever I see an author running a free promotion I find myself in a dilemma. If I’m aware of a book promotion then the chances are I know of the author, or somebody I respect knows and likes the author’s work. And that’s where things get a little awkward.
On the one hand I would like to download the book. If I’ve heard of the book then it may well be a work I’m curious about but for whatever reason has never made it onto my reading list. It may be I’ve only just met the author and it’s on my wish list but below a number of other authors I’ve met earlier. It may even be a genre or style of book that I don’t usually read but I enjoy the author’s blog. Either way, I’m interested.
But
On the other hand, I’m a big supporter of my…
View original 720 more words
Library
A library, black as pitch. Prystine books slumber, their pages forever free of human hands. No footfall here, no climbing to reach that prize on the uppermost shelf. No coughs nor sneezes, no diseases. Patiently, the books stand, waiting to be read.
The flick of a switch illuminates row upon row of books. A reader, device of choice in hand, scrolls through his virtual library, selects and reads. A library in your pocket, handbag or on your PC. Technology, the march of progress. Yet, somewhere still, real shelves groan with books, their pages dog eared through constant use. A man coughs and, wiping dust off a beloved tome sits, drinks in the scent of books and reads.
Data on paper or virtual data both, in their way are real.
Stretching Credulity But Entertaining None The Less (Midsomer Murders Strikes Again)
The growing use of audio description (voiceover during silent sections of programmes explaining what is happening) allows me, as a blind person who is unable to discern the picture on my television’s screen, to enjoy a variety of films, documentaries etc. I am a fan of crime dramas and get frustrated when audio description is lacking.
Yesterday evening I was pleased to discover that the episode of Midsomer Murders, on ITV3 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midsomer_Murders) contained audio description, the audio describer doing a good job explaining what was happening during the silent parts of the crime drama. It has often been said of Midsomer Murders that one would not wish to live in the collection of villages comprising Midsomer due to the number of people who are murdered in the vicinity. Indeed if one where to take Midsomer Murders literally one could conclude that living in London is safer than residing in the (fictional) Midsomer countryside! There is an element of truth in this view but for all that I continue to enjoy watching the series.
Yesterday’s Midsomer Murders concerned 4 (maybe 3, at this stage I can’t remember) deaths and was complete with a believer in aliens who was intent on trying to convince the local police that unearthly forces, in the shape of little green men, visiting earth in UFOs where responsible for the deaths. Unsurprisingly the police where somewhat sceptical!
All of the victims (apart from the last who fell downstairs) where electrocuted although, following the twists and turns of the plot it became apparent that one of the deaths was an accident. As is often the case with Midsomer Murders the plot stretched my credulity. None the less the programme was, as always entertaining.
#Readers #Book #Promo – Streetwalker by #Indie #Author Kevin Morris is #FREE from 23rd – 27th November
Many thanks to Chris The Story Reading Ape for assisting in the promotion of my collection of short stories, Street Walker And Other Stories. Kevin
Originally posted on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog..... An Author Promotions Enterprise!:
In this collection of flash fiction we meet a variety of characters, many of whom have been deeply damaged by life. The stories range from a young prostitute who walks the dangerous streets of London to tales of vengeance and comeuppance. Serious issues of abuse of power are touched upon. Anyone who is looking for a comfortable read should avoid this book.
Amazon:
November 22, 2014
The Free Promotion Of Samantha Ends On Sunday 23 November
The free promotion of my story, Samantha ends on 23 November. To download Samantha free of charge please visit the following links. For the UK please go to http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samantha-K-Morris-ebook/dp/B00BL3CNHI and for the US please click here, http://www.amazon.com/Samantha-K-Morris-ebook/dp/B00BL3CNHI/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top.
A Great Article On The Story Reading Ape’s Blog Regarding The Theft Of Intellectual Property (IP)
Yesterday (21 November 2014) The Story Reading Ape’s Blog carried an interesting post on the theft of intellectual property (http://thestoryreadingapeblog.com/2014/11/21/authors-bloggers-readers-be-aware-of-intellectual-property-theft-laws/). The piece pertains to material published online and acts as a warning to authors and bloggers regarding the ease with which their (copyright) material can be stolen and used by others.
The article on Chris The Story Reading Ape’s Blog brought to mind stories of more traditional book piracy. A Chinese acquaintance tells me that photocopies of (copyright) material is rife in China, (the below article being a case in point although, it should be noted that the piece pertains to Hong Kong, not mainland China. http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1469753/school-busted-selling-cheap-copies-books). Some or other once remarked that “Immitation is the sincerest form of flattery”. However, as pointed out by the article on The Story Reading Ape’s Blog (see above) copyright theft is not a victimless crime, it entails the theft of another’s intellectual labours.
Would You Like To Do A Guest Post?
I am very happy to publish guest posts and have published several, on a variety of topics since the inception of newauthoronline.com. If you would like to submit a guest post please contact me at newauthoronline (at) gmail dot com, (the address is given in this way to defeat spammers).
Posts could include introducing yourself as an author, writing about one of your passions or a short story and/or poem. I am, of course interested in hearing from anyone with a love of books. What is your favourite genre? Or perhaps you would like to review a favourite book? I look forward to hearing from you.
Kevin
November 21, 2014
Quote Of The Day
“Doctor Donne’s verses are like the peace of god, they pass all understanding”. – King James I on the poet John Donne.
November 20, 2014
KDP Select – An Evaluation
The results thus far of the free promotion, using Amazon’s KDP Select programme (https://kdp.amazon.com/select), of my story, Samantha have been disappointing. For anyone unfamiliar with the programme, KDP Select allows authors with books enrolled in it to offer their titles free for 5 days in any 90 day period. As an alternative writers may sell titles at a reduced price (known as a Kindle Countdown Deal) for up to 5 days in any 90 day period. To qualify for KDP Select books must be exclusive to Amazon.
The free promotion of Samantha began on 19 November and ends on 23 November. Despite the book being free in the Kindle store and the kindness of other bloggers in publicising this fact, Samantha has, at the time of writing been downloaded 5 times from amazon.com and 3 times from amazon.co.uk. Both sites show that my book has sold 4 copies of Samantha (2 on both sites) in November.
The results thus far are causing me to evaluate the effectiveness of KDP Select. Samantha has a total of 6 reviews (counting both amazon.com and amazon.co.uk. Just over half of these have been generated by fellow bloggers while the remainder have eminated from people who, to the best of my knowledge have come across my book as a consequence of previous free promotions of Samantha. The position is roughly similar with my other titles (approximately half of reviews coming from bloggers and the remainder from readers who have, I assume come across my titles via KDP Select promotions).
The results of the current free promotion of Samantha are, as I say above disappointing. Where I to take a decision to remove Samantha and my other books from KDP Select the incentive to do so is compelling in terms of the current promotion. However, standing back and surveying the bigger picture, reviews have been forthcoming as a result of previous promotions, consequently I am not inclined to dismiss KDP Select out of hand. I will monitor how the remaining days of the free promotion of Samantha pan out and look at the results of the forthcoming free promotions of An Act Of Mercy and Street Walker to ascertain number of downloads together with any reviews generated. On the basis of these results I will take a decision regarding whether to keep my books enrolled in KDP Select. The evidence thus far seems to indicate (despite the current slow downloads of Samantha) that the use of both KDP Select free promotions and social media help in obtaining downloads and reviews.
(The 4 sales refered to above entail people purchasing Samantha, while free downloads are, as the name suggests just that – readers downloading Samantha at no cost).
