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K. Morris's Blog, page 808
October 12, 2013
Bemused
The title of a book provides a clue to it’s contents. It is designed to arouse the curiosity of the book buyer. When choosing the title for my collection of short stories, “The First Time” I picked the first story in my collection entitled, appropriately enough “The First Time” as the title of my anthology.
“The First Time” derives it’s title from the fact that the main actor in the story (Becky a young graduate with a first class degree in english literature) encounters her first client as a professional escort (prostitute), hence the title, “The First Time”.
The title aptly sums up the plot of the story (I.E. the effects of Becky’s first act of prostitution on her psychological and physical wellbeing). “The First Time” is not, in any manner intended to be erotic, however on looking at my book’s page on Amazon I see that many of the people who purchased “The First Time” also bought books which are clearly erotic in nature. To give just two examples purchasers of “The First Time” also purchased “Fifty Shades of BDSM” and “Jessica’s Seduction”. I must confess to being somewhat puzzled by these results as my book description does not so far as I can ascertain give the impression that “The First Time” is in any way erotic. I quote:
“In this collection of short stories the author explores why young women enter the world of prostitution while other stories look at what happens when the
worlds of sex and technology collide.
In “The First Time”, the first story in this collection, we meet Becky a young graduate who enters the world of prostitution in order to clear her debts.
The story looks at the effects of prostitution on Becky and her fellow escort and friend Julie. In “The Pain Behind the Smile” Issie presents her friend,
Peter with a birthday cake, however things are not what they seem.
In “Lucy” the acquaintances of a crusty old bachelor speculate how he could attract and retain the affections of a beautiful young woman. As with “The
Pain Behind the Smile” things are far from what they seem.
“Hemlock” explores what happens when machines attain the capacity to appreciate high culture. The story is both humorous and deeply serious.”
I am delighted that during the free promotion of “The First Time” my book was downloaded a total of 110 times. I still remained puzzled though as to why many of those who downloaded my book also downloaded avowedly erotic works. There is nothing wrong with erotic literature but I still remain somewhat bemused regarding the company my little collection keeps.
(For “The First Time” please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-First-Time-ebook/dp/B00FJGKY7Y/ref=la_B00CEECWHY_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381576128&sr=1-1).
Shades Of The Prison House Begin To Close Around The Growing Boy
Walking in the park something smooth and round under my feet. I long to explore like the small boy I once was, to bend down and pick it up. What will people think, A strange middle-aged man bending over in a park full of autumn? The child thirsting for discovery contends with the staid adult who stands on ceremony. The child wins. I bend retrieving the smooth round conker. No not quite smooth but beautiful in it’s imperfection, soft in my hands. Should I take it home to harden in the dark like the small boy I once was?
Thoughts of my grandfather. Walking in the woods full of autumn. Us two together gathering nature’s fallen fruit. Opening acorns my blind hands feeling the kernel inside. Part of something I didn’t then understand.
The conker slips from my hands. I bend trying to retrieve the fallen prize. So many conkers, impossible to know which one it is.
I return home and play rough and tumble with my dog. His tail wags furiously no sad thoughts fill his head.
October 10, 2013
Bridget Jones and David Jason under the covers
I am a fan of David Jason in his role as Delboy in the ITV sitcom Only Fools and Horses. I was therefore amused to learn that 40 pages of his autobiography have been accidentally printed in Helen Fielding’s new Bridget Jones book, Mad About The Boy. I must confess to never having read The Diary Of Bridget Jones but this story made me chuckle, http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/10/10/bridget-jones-printing-error-david-jason_n_4077784.html
October 9, 2013
Disappearing Books
I love the solidity of paper books. The feel of a book in my hands coupled with that unique scent which books possess is, surely one of the pleasures of owning physical books. Naturally the greatest joy to be derived from books is the reading of them, however the physicality of books mingles with the reading experience producing a medley of pleasures.
In contrast to physical works e-books have the advantage of allowing the possessor to have a veritable library of literature without the inconvenience of books being piled up throughout their home. There is nothing wrong with having books occupying almost the entire floor of your spare room but unless you are lucky enough to inhabit a mantion there will come a point where one simply runs out of space! Another great advantage of e-books is that most are accessible to blind people such as myself. I can enjoy an e-book using the text to speech facility on my Kindle or Voiceover on my iPad.
Despite the many advantages of e-books they possess one major flaw – there ability to disappear without trace from websites. I recently experienced this for myself when my collection of short stories, “The First Time” vanished from Amazon’s Kindle store. The links still appeared on Google but on clicking on them the dreaded “404 page not found” error raised it’s cheery head. Fortunately I still had the original file on my computer and with the help of a friend “The First Time” was soon back on Amazon, however old broken links are still showing on Google (at the top of the search results) while the new (correct) links languish somewhere near the bottom. Now of course physical books can disappear also. A bookshop or library may take a decision to remove particular works from their shelves or at the more extreme end of the spectrum regimes such as Nazi Germany have burned books by authors of which they disapproved. However even if a book is comprehensively purged the chances are that the book will still survive in the hands of a few individuals to be passed around clandestinely. In contrast e-book retailers can with the aid of technology remotely delete books from devices. In practice this happens rarely due to the perfectly understandable angry reaction provoked among the owners of the works being removed. However in an authoritarian state in which all publishers are either owned by the government or subject to governmental interference one can imagine books disappearing from e-book readers. Don’t like that author because he is a “Conservative”, “Communist”, “Jew”, “Liberal”, “Christian” etc. No problem remotely delete their works from e-book readers. In practice I suspect that some technically savvy individuals would find ways to preserve their copies of banned books but many would no doubt disappear into the virtual trash can. Pause for thought?
I should point out that Amazon did not delete my book from e-readers nor did the company delete it from their site due to concerns over it’s contents. The book was removed due to a misunderstanding and is now, as I said above back up on Amazon and can be found here, http://www.amazon.com/The-First-Time-ebook/dp/B00FJGKY7Y/ref=la_B00CEECWHY_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380885715&sr=1-4
October 8, 2013
When Reviewers Attack - Part Two - Evidence of Crimes
Reblogged from One Story Slinger:
Part Two on my series, "When Reviewers Attack," exposing the truth behind criminal reviewers
(See Prologue & Part One for more info)
I am taking a stand against the criminal behavior. I spoke with several authors who have been victims of cyberstalking crime from Goodreads “reviewers,” or “trolls.”
If you review a book and don’t like it, it’s OK – as long as that’s where your negativity ends.
An important issue. This together with the earlier posts is worth reading.
Death Watch
The autumn sun slanted down through the branches of the great oaks which lined the woodland path. It was a wonderful place to run and Tony relished every moment of his runs in Barclays woods. The scents of autumn and the feel of the leaves beneath his pounding feet made it feel good to be alive.
From time to time Tony glanced at his watch. At first glance it was an unremarkable timepiece, a cheap digital watch which you might pick up in any store which stocked watches. On closer examination however it became clear that this was no ordinary timepiece. The date and time features where augmented by a counter which showed the anticipated demise of Tony Parkin. Imperceptibly as the growing of grass the counter moved towards “death day”.
Tony had filled in an online questionnaire regarding his medical history and that of his family. Once completed his age was deducted from the results to predict his “death date”.
Tony felt the sheer joy of being alive coursing through his veins. Neither he or his family had any history of heart disease or any other serious medical condition. While he enjoyed the odd drink, 6-7 pints of mild beer consumed over a week could in no way be viewed as excessive. Tony ate all the right foods and ran every day. There was no reason why a man of 24, in peak condition as he was shouldn’t live well into his 70’s or longer. Indeed the watch predicted that Tony would draw his last breath at the age of 81.
As he ran Tony became aware of a young woman running in the opposite direction. Tony had a girlfriend but this had never prevented him from admiring other women. There was after all no harm in looking. Tony gazed approvingly at the girl’s shapely long legs in her skimpy running shorts. She really was a looker.
He never saw the tree trunk which had fallen across the path. Even had he spotted it the speed at which he was running would, almost certainly not have allowed him sufficient time to avoid the obstacle. He fell head first over the log. There was a crack like a bough breaking.
The girl stirred in horror at the prone man. Even without her training as a nurse the impossible angle at which Tony’s neck was twisted clearly indicated that Tony Parkin was no more.
(The above story was prompted by a recent article in The Daily Mail which can be accessed here, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2448539/Tikker-watch-shows-countdown-death.html).
October 7, 2013
Free Book Promotion Ends At Approximately 12 pm 8 October
The free promotion of my collection of short stories, “The First Time” ends at approximately 12 pm on Tuesday 8 October. If you have read “The First Time” please consider leaving a review on Amazon as I’d love to know what you think of my book. For further information please visit http://newauthoronline.com/2013/10/04/free-book-promotion/
October 6, 2013
Who Owns Your E-Book Library?
If you purchase a physical copy of a book then the purchased copy becomes your property. You can lend or if you are so inclined destroy the book as it is yours to do with as you please provided that you do not copy or pass the work off as your own. The position as regards e-books is not so straightforward. On purchasing an e-book the buyer gains the right to access the content but not to lend or otherwise distribute it. I must confess to having been under the impression that the right to read my e-book library perishes when I draw my final breath. However according to an interesting article Amazon confirm that it is possible to leave your e-book library to your heir, http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/05/08/1205979/-e-books-who-owns-my-digital-library.
As an author and reader of e-books I believe that an electronic book should be viewed as the property of the purchaser provided that he or she does not pass the work off as their own or copy the book. To me it is fundamentally unfair to pay for a product only to be told that you do not, in fact own it. Consequently I am somewhat reassured by Amazon’s statement that e-books can be passed on to one’s heir. I guess the interesting question is what happens if Amazon goes out of business. Unlikely in the near future but stranger things have happened.
(My collection of short stories, “The First Time” is free in the Amazon Kindle store from 4-8 October, http://newauthoronline.com/2013/10/04/free-book-promotion/).
The Thing Behind The Door Review
I vividly recall as a child sitting in the darkened school library reading Edgar Alan Poe’s “Tales of Mystery and Imagination” and feeling a chill run down my spine at the thought of the continuing beating of the dead man’s heart in Poe’s “The Tell Tale Heart”. There is something chillingly wonderful about frightening oneself half to death. Attending a boarding school I recollect lying in bed in the dormatories with their wooden floors telling and listening to others relate tales of ghosts and ghouls. Having listened to such stories it was no easy matter to pass a peaceful night’s sleep as my dreams where inhabited by things which go bump in the night.
“Great British Horror” Volume 1 will not disappoint those who enjoy the horror genre. I have only read the first story, “The Thing Behind the Door” and I am hooked already. John a boy who has suffered terrible bullying at the hands of 3 fellow pupils during his attendance at a brutal school takes a hideous revenge on his tormentors and their children. The story begins prosaically enough with John feeling a sense of relief at the death of the parents who maltreated him. However the tale soon takes a darker turn with John determining to kill the children of Clayton, Louise and Jennifer, the people who tormented him during his school days. John either consciously or unconsciously summons “the thing behind the door” which exacts a terrible vengeance by killing the innocent children of John’s former tormentors. We never see “the thing” clearly. It is a mere shadow on the wall or, more frequently a menacing presence pervading the derelict school to which Clayton, Louise and Jennifer return in order to kill John who they know will be there. The story ends in blood and gore with all the protaganists meeting grizzly ends. Throughout the narrative it is the satanic presence, “the thing behind the door” which dominates although it is only fleetingly glimpsed by the people in the story.
“The Thing Behind The Door” is a chilling tale of what can happen when evil begets evil. The cruelty of Louise, Jennifer and Clayton comes back to haunt them and their families with a terrible vengeance. There is no humanity in this tale, only death and darkness.
On a positive note all the proceeds from the sale of the book go to Centrepoint a charity which helps young homeless people in the UK.
For “Great British Horror” Volume 1 please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-British-Horror-Volume-ebook/dp/B00E3D6CH0. My collection of short stories, “The First Time” is free in the Kindle store from 4-8 October, http://newauthoronline.com/2013/10/04/free-book-promotion/
The Great Leviathan AKA Amazon and how to sell your books
Amazon is frequently portrayed as the great Leviathan, a monster who devours independent publishers and authors without mercy. Amazon may well have grown to big for it’s boots, the company is, however a great way for authors to promote their work.
Last year I self-published my collection of short stories, “The First Time” using authorsonline.co.uk, a self-publishing company. Initially “The First Time” appeared on a multiplicity of sites including Smashwords, Google Books and the great Leviathan itself! Months past and not having sold a single copy (actually I tell a lie as one book was downloaded by myself in order to check how it read on my Kindle)! I determined to make “The First Time” exclusive to Amazon and enrol it in Amazon’s KDP Select Programme which allows authors to promote their books free for upto 5 days in any 90 day period. I had already enrolled my other books (“Samantha”, “Sting In The Tail” and “An Act Of Mercy”) in the Programme and had an idea of what to expect. Enrolment of “Samantha” led to two 4 star reviews while “Sting In The Tail” has, thus far received one 4 star review. As at the time of writing “The First Time” has been downloaded 47 times as a consequence of it’s participation in KDP Select (the book is on free promotion from 4-8 October).
I believe in my books. When “The First Time” first appeared in serialised form back in 2012 it received a large number of likes and encouraging comments. However despite these encouraging signs “The First Time” languished on virtual book shelves until it’s enrolment in the KDP Select Programme.
The lesson I have learned is that however good one’s book is it is extremely difficult to get noticed unless you are lucky enough to be an established author. I have done all the things recommended by social media experts (E.G. use of Twitter and Facebook) to promote my books, however I’ve found that the use of KDP Select is the most effective way of bringing my books to the attention of a wider audience. Blogging and other social media are a great way of letting people know that you are out there and interacting with readers and I derive enormous pleasure from such interaction, however when push comes to shove it has in my experience been Amazon which has moved books from their virtual shelves into the hands (do I mean virtual hands?) of my readers. I’d certainly recommend blogging and the use of other tools but you should, in my opinion give serious consideration to the KDP Programme.
“The First Time” is free to download in the Kindle store until 8 October, http://newauthoronline.com/2013/10/04/free-book-promotion/
