A.C. Flory's Blog, page 42

A Bear called Frank

No, this is not a post about a personable grizzly – we don’t have any in Australia. The closest we get is the legendary ‘Drop Bear’.

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No, this post is about my good friend Frank Prem and the Beechworth Bakery Bears he has come to know and love. Frank is an Aussie poet-storyteller who brought me to tears with his stories of the Black Saturday bushfires that killed so many in our state. This time, however, Frank has created a beautiful book about teddy bears:

These gastronomic Bears greet customers in the Beechworth Bakery, Victoria, Australia

I love teddy bears and have a whole shelf full keeping me company in my office, so I fell in love with the Bakery Bears at first sight!

In the latest Bear book – Waiting for Frank Bear – Frank gives voice to these cuddly Bears and shows us their Bears-eye-view of the world, both the good and the bad. Coming out of the pandemic, we need books like these, books that bring this topsy turvy time into perspective and help us rediscover what it means to be human.

A peek inside the hardcover book

‘Waiting for Frank Bear’ will be released on November 14, 2021. That’ll be tomorrow for those of us in Australia, the day after for the rest of you? You can pre-order now though.

Amazon links for Waiting for Frank Bear :

In Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/Waiting-Frank-Bear-heard-Beechworth-Bakery-ebook/dp/B09KG4Q8K6/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1636774991&sr=8-1

In the US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09KG4Q8K6/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0

If you’d like to know more about Frank, you can find him on his blog: https://frankprem.com/

Or on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18679262.Frank_Prem

Or on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvfW2WowqY1euO-Cj76LDKg

You know that ‘Resistance is futile’ [Doctor Who, 1963] so do it! lol And to all the Star Trek fans out there – I watched every episode of Doctor Who as a kid and that phrase was most definitely in use long before the Borg apparently used it in Star Trek. I also watched every episode of the original Star Trek, which is why I’ve never been able to watch the new generation re-make.

Live long and Prosper!

cheers,
Meeks

Last video…promise!

The reason I’m posting this short, 1 minute video is because I’m thrilled with my new editor – the Videopad video editor. I’m only using the free version at the moment, but I will be getting the paid version very soon.

So what does this editor do? Well for starters, it allows me to:

create separate video and audio tracks,add in still images,do voice-overs after the fact,add groovy transitions [I didn’t in this one, but I will next time],add multiple tracks – e.g. video, music, narration etc,and slow the audio and video down to an absolute crawl so I can cut stuff out at just the right moment!

Honestly, after just a few hours of concentrated play, I’m loving this editor! My thanks to Dawn for recommending it.

Oh, and here’s the video I did all my learning on:

Comments are off coz I don’t want to push our friendship tooooo much. lol

Hugs,
Meeks

18 subscribers – THANK YOU!

I have a confession to make, and an apology – I’ve never had a Youtube account before so I had no idea that so many of you had channels as well. I’ve just visited all my wonderful friends on Youtube, but I thought a general apology might be in order. I wasn’t ignoring you. Just sheer ignorance on my part.

Thank you one and all. Your support has made me enjoy this Youtube experiment even more. Huge hugs!

love,
Meeks

Meeka’s Youtube Channel

I wasn’t game to say anything until I had a reasonable number of videos up, but I think I’m finally there, so…this is the link to my channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHW0WF_RtBjPLBA0ervswtA/featured

Down the bottom you can see a number of playlists. They’re just categories of videos. The how-to playlist only contains one video, but in time, I intend to create videos for all of the relevant sections of the free ‘How to print your novel with Kindle Direct Publishing’ book.

I’m not there yet in terms of skill, but the video below is my first attempt to do a how-to for the ESO housing editor:

This video will be the first in a series, but boy was it hard to do. Having a chatty narration ‘style’ is one thing, waffling on is another.

Lesson number 1: boring viewers is a cardinal sin!

Lesson number 2: waffling on is boring, especially when the viewer only wants information.

As my narration style is naturally, um, ‘chatty’, I’ve had to do a lot of cutting and splicing to get rid of the waffle. Great practice in editing, not so great for the sound quality which waxed and waned with each splice. In the end, I was forced to do one long take with deliberate pauses so I could edit out the worst of the gaffs without affecting the sound quality too much.

Those hiccups aside, I’m really enjoying this learning curve. If any of you are already experienced in creating videos or have recommendations for tools to use, I’d love to hear them. I’m currently using RecMaster which is a great entry level video recorder, but maybe not quite powerful enough for my ambitious projects.

I also have a favour to ask – could you please subscribe to my channel? Youtube will allow me to have a customised URL for my channel – i.e. something with my name in it instead of hieroglyphics – but only after I reach the magic number of 100 subscribers. At the moment I have 4. It’s a big ask, I know, but I would really appreciate your help on this one.

Have a wonderful weekend, me lovelies.

Hugs,
Meeks

The Things I’ve Heard: Confessions of an Audiobook Narrator – By William L. Hahn…

If you’ve ever flirted with the idea of turning your books into audio books, this post is MUST READ!

Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

on Anne R. Allen:When Love and Need Become One

So here comes a heaping helping of what’s good for my soul. I’ve always told tales. I just had trouble, the first fifty years or so, believing that people would pay me to tell them.

But I had a revelation recently, the kind that comes with advancing age and wisdom, with an insight that I deserve work that makes me happy, and above all, with getting laid off. And for the better part of the past three years, this is what I do. Up early, look for auditions, record and edit the words of other fine authors and try to bring them to the ear.

Bottom Line: I could be richer, but I don’t think I could be happier.

I believe audiobooks are the most exciting aspect of your writing that you might not be paying attention to. I’ll try…

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THREE new reviews!

The second and third books of a trilogy rarely get as many reviews as the first, partly because it’s really hard to talk about those books without mentioning events from the first book, and spoilers are a no-no. That is why reviews for those unloved children fill us authors with so much joy.

My thanks to L.M. Verna for reviewing all three books of my Innerscape trilogy. The first is for Miira :

First in a trilogy of books, this focuses primarily on Miira’s transition from being a terminally ill middle-aged cancer patient to a young avatar exploring her new life in a virtual reality resort for the wealthy called Innerscape. Acflory brings this process to life with vivid descriptions that engage all one’s senses. Parts of Miira’s transition were described in such a way that I found myself cringe. I like books that get me so involved that the real world dissolves; this series of books did that for me.

The trilogy is told primarily from Miira’s POV, but also includes POVs from other characters to round out the narrative. In this book, we also meet Kenneth Wu and Jamie Watson who figure prominently in the trilogy. Although the story is told from multiple points of view, the author manages to transition between them without jarring the reader. I especially enjoyed the character of Miira and was intrigued by what she had to endure to start a new life.

The author explored and described the physical and emotional aspects of Miira’s transformation, as well as a bit of the politics of Innerscape and the larger society where it exists. Thus, she managed to create a vivid, complex, and more believable world.

I also enjoyed the gaming worlds that are woven artfully into the fabric of the trilogy, and which contain events and characters that advance the overall story.

Once I finished the first book, I was intrigued enough to finish the trilogy.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076GYZBKQ?notRedirectToSDP=1&ref_=dbs_mng_calw_0&storeType=ebooks

Followed by the Godsend:

The second book in Acflory’s Innerscape trilogy follows the story of three main characters. The first book introduced us to Miira, Kenneth Wu, and Jamie Watson, but primarily focused on Miira. Initially I found it easier to identify more with her, given her backstory and the emotional ups and downs she went through in transitioning from the real world into a virtual reality universe.

This book was fast paced with an intricately woven plot. I loved the suspense, the twists and turns and misdirection that also continued into the last book of the trilogy.

I particularly enjoyed the description of the game that took place in ancient Japan where Kenneth got the opportunity to save Miira and Jamie.

I appreciated the developing friendship between Miira and young Jamie. He became a bit of a mentor for Miira in the gaming world and also as she travelled in Innerscape. And I liked that Miira was a quick study who did her best to embrace the new experiences that were thrown her way.

I could hardly wait to read the next book to see whether the three protagonists would even survive, much less overcome the challenges that were thrown their way.

https://www.amazon.com/Godsend-Innerscape-Book-2-ebook/dp/B076HMMGHX/ref=pd_sim_1/143-1582068-4892022?pd_rd_w=ovCHL&pf_rd_p=2dd164f0-90c0-4d86-b559-9c82b4532fdb&pf_rd_r=K49MVSNYH2MX2XVBW2A2&pd_rd_r=4a21a05d-e230-4340-9c82-777463cd783b&pd_rd_wg=jx9OC&pd_rd_i=B076HMMGHX&psc=1

And last but not least, Nabatea:

In the last book of the Innerscape trilogy, the author kept building the suspense, and then slowly revealed more and more answers to the mystery of what makes Kenneth Wu tick. In the end, all the loose ends got wrapped up in a satisfying way, although I still found myself wanting to spend more time with Miira, Kenneth and Jamie.

Overall, I found reading the three books to be quite a wild ride. The author did an excellent job of keeping me engaged in the story and concerned for the three protagonists.

These books are well written—free of typos, poor grammar and other artifacts of bad writing and careless proofreading.

With its well-developed world, its mysterious story, strong visual elements, and complex characters, I think this trilogy would make an excellent science fiction TV series.

Meantime, I’ll be reading the author’s other books.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076NN3FZD?notRedirectToSDP=1&ref_=dbs_mng_calw_2&storeType=ebooks

The three books now have 24, 6 and 5 reviews respectively. I know it’s silly but I keep looking at those numbers and thinking how respectable they look. I really have to say a big ‘thank you’ to every single person who took the time to leave a review. You’ve made me a very happy woman.

Okay, I’d better climb down from cloud nine and get back to work learning how to edit [videos]. Take care and stay well.

Cheers,
Meeks

A hover bike?

This is real. I’m stunned:

You can find the whole article here, on New Atlas.

cheers,
Meeks

ESO Housing – Cyrodilic Jungle House

This house was my first major ‘renovation/extension’ in-game, and despite how small the house is, it’s still one of my favourites:

For a larger display area, I recommend that you watch the video on Youtube. As before, I’ve turned comments off.

cheers,
Meeks

ESO housing – Lion’s Cradle

This is another video walkthrough that I’m posting, partly for posterity and partly because I’m proud of the level of editing I was able to achieve. Still not ‘professional’ by a very long country mile, but getting there.

I’ve turned comments off as these posts are mostly for gamers.

cheers,
Meeks

How to get ahead with buzzwords

Matthew Wright is an historian from New Zealand. He’s also incredibly funny with a biting wit that will make you laugh out loud. If you’ve ever worked in corporate, you will LOVE this post.

Matthew Wright

I worked for many years in corporate communications. The organisation ran on buzzwords. They were amazing ways to get ahead. All you had to do was invoke them and you were in.

When I joined, the buzzword was ‘budgeting’. Everything had to be budgeted, meaning properly planned and costed ahead of time. However, most of the managers took it to mean ‘cut-back’. One outcome was that I ended up sharing a desk phone with the person next to me because it ‘saved money’ (the phone I’d had, which had already been paid for, was taken away).

The following year the buzzword changed to ‘management’. This involved people asserting that they were managing the place. Nothing else changed, although late in the year I noticed trucks driving around Wellington labelled ‘waste management’. Clearly there was so much management about that some of it was being thrown away.

After a while…

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