Harmony Kent's Blog, page 60

Using The Five Senses: Taste

Another great post about using the five senses in writing from Joan Hall today on Story Empire >>>

Hey, SE Readers. Joan back with you today with the third in a series on using the five senses in writing. Today’s topic is about our sense of taste. If you missed the first two posts, you can read …

Source: Using The Five Senses: Taste

#NewBook: Comes This Time to Float by Stephen Geez @StephenGeez

Hi everyone, today it gives me great pleasure to showcase author and friend Stephen Geez with his latest book … the first in a long while, and I look forward to taking a peek. I’ll let Stephen take it from here >>>

Salutations!
I am elated to find you here at Day 10 of my extended blog tour. I am humbled by the kindness of my wondrous host, Harmony, for sharing some blog space today. I hope to interest you bookish types in trying my first book in way too many years, this my only collection of short fiction: Comes this Time to Float: 19 Short Stories by Stephen Geez. You could add another “by Stephen Geez” to that, as I put the moniker in the subtitle, too. I’d be forcing it to find a theme, except maybe that all my stories try to look at something I think is important, but told in a decorative sort of way. Written here and there among novels over two decades, they show a variety of genres and styles, as I get restless. Now they’re tucked between jacketed hard covers and softs, or in e-however-you-likes.


The Enticement

Each tour stop will offer the opening paragraphs of a story from the book, then link to the full story online. A few will also link to audio-shorts narrated by me. A promo video will be foisted on you every day. Using a narrator didn’t seem right for my own trailer, so yeah, it’s me. Be sure to post reviews in your favorite places, most helpfully if Amazon.

And you, the reader, I thank, too.

 

A Geez Author Blurb

Stephen Geez grew up in the Detroit suburbs during the American-auto domination. He earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees at the University of Michigan—Ann Arbor. He retired from scripting/producing television and composing/producing television music, then expanded his small literary management firm into indie-publisher and multi-media company Fresh Ink Group. Now he works from a deck overlooking the lake in north Alabama, helping other writers share their compelling narratives with the world.

The Book Blurb
Prepare to think as you explore these wildly disparate literary short stories by author, composer, and producer Stephen Geez. Avoiding any single genre, this collection showcases Geez’s storytelling from southern gothic to contemporary drama to coming-of-age, humor, sci-fi, and fantasy—all finessed to say something about who we are and what we seek. Some of these have been passed around enough to need a shot of penicillin, others so virgin they have never known the seductive gaze of a reader’s eyes. So when life’s currents get to pulling too hard, don’t fight it, just open the book and discover nineteen new ways of going with the flow, because NOW more than ever Comes this Time to Float.

The Promo Video

Today’s Excerpt
“Holler Song”Retta danced the willy-nilly, grabbed at slick branches, then lost both feet and whomped back-end down on the ice. Hit ’em mean like that and 70-year-old bones act scared, then angry, then out for revenge—and they’ll complain bitterly for weeks. It’s not how hard the ground is, makes ’em mad; it’s how brittle the bones has got.Now a sheet of frozen slick, this low patch in the double-rut drive-back had been needing some ’dozer work a long time running, one of many get-to’s set for when next year’s lump-sum money could hire some younger help. Hardly anyone drove it but Randall, easing the pickup ’tween overgrown mirror-snaggers when he brung groceries and what-not to Lurlene and her girl. Deputy Wallace used to ramble back here regular-like to pretend friendly and keep an eye for signs local cookers mighta set up, but when he found Hollis’s makeshift lab a ways down



Cutter Road, his brother Cletus shot him dead. State Police come in and tore ’ern up from there to right up Middleton Holler just beyond. Now a new deputy’s donetook over, but ain’t yet been out here lying about smells to claim “probable cause” when he trespasses on Lurlene and Retta’s private property. This very minute would be a good time, him to show for a howdy-ma’am, seein’ as how there’s an old lady needs picking up off her arse.Retta rolled over on her side and wound up mashing the holdin’ end of that pocketed fish-knife into her thigh, then managed despite bad arthritis to pull herself up and set about shuffling forward, keeping to the treeline for more grab-branching. She came to sight of cousin Lurlene’s place, built by their granddaddy when he carried his unimpressed young bride here for a lifetime of second thoughts in the hills of East Tennessee. Lately the place looked embarrassed at being let to run down, but now the dim gray fog and last night’s snow gave it a fairy-tale gingerbread-house look, all sugar-frosted and gleaming with drips of icing drooping its eaves. Wisps of smoke fed by a stingy stack of splits curled from the chimney and bent north to tickle more sleet from dark clouds of a mind to paint these hollers another coat of quick-freeze.Lurlene stepped out and stood on the wide, covered porch. Ten years younger than cousin Retta, she looked real old of a sudden. Bundled in wool coat, crochet hat and scarf, jeans and hide boots, she’d already got a mind to head out. “Found her, didn’t they?” she asked as Retta stopped at the slicked-over bottom step. Eyes red and swole, Lurlene had been crying, imagining the worst and expecting nothing better.

The Whole Story
I’ve posted the whole story on my blog today. I’ve set the link to open in a new tab so that you can also stay here! https://StephenGeez.WordPress.com

Find the Book Now



Should be just about everywhere, but here are the biggies:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/comes+this+time+to+float?_requestid=1776240

https://www.amazon.com/Comes-this-Time-Float-Stories-ebook/dp/B0846WY2HZ/

Other Places I Lurk:


Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephengeez

Instagram: StephenGeezWriter
https://StephenGeez.com
https://StephenGeez.Wordpress.com

My Struggles with #Coronavirus2019 …

Hi everyone, today’s post is a bit of a heavy one. First up, I’m not sick with the dreaded Covid19, but for certain, the panic and oversensitivity is having a HUGE affect on my life.

Hubby and I cannot get any groceries because of the idiotic panic buying. All we want is one pack of toilet roll, a bit of pasta (one of our staple meals), and that sort of thing, and the shelves are empty. We can’t even get lactofree milk right now.

And now Amazon has banned ads for my book FALLOUT … the ad has been approved and active since September 2019, and now–all of a sudden–it’s too controversial. 

To say I’m fed up has got to be the understatement of the decade.

Everything seemed fine until I got this message from Amazon on Saturday …

 

The big joke? … I haven’t even submitted this ad since last year when it went live!

The next screenshot shows the advert that has been approved for the last six months, and you can see a charge on there that shows Amazon has been placing the ad, but … wait … as of March 7th, it is now banned.

Immediately, I raised a query with Amazon’s help department, and I got this message within a matter of hours …

I waited until Monday 9th and then asked again if somebody could, please, clarify the issue for me … as of now, I have heard nothing at all from them. Amazon seems to be ignoring me. So, all I can conclude is that they have banned the ad because it dares to meniont the V word … VIRUS!!!

Sorry, but this strikes me as nuts. This sort of panic and overreaction is far more dangerous than the actual disease.

Whatever the sudden turn around on Amazon’s side, I believe that they need to let adults be adults and make their own choices. Honestly, the world these days feels more censored than it was in Victorian times, and freedom of speech no longer exists for the vast majority.

The irony, of course, is that FALLOUT is about nanotechnology and a virus based on that. The book is set way in the future in a planet in outer space. So, it has nothing whatsoever to do with the current Covid19 outbreak. Furthermore, the flu kills many more people every year, but my ad and book were somehow acceptable back in September?

I’m throwing up my hands here … what, if anything, can we authors actually write about anymore?

Okay, rant over. But if any of my books suddenly disappear from sale, I wanted you all to know to why.

Thanks for bearing with me!

#BookReview: No One’s Home by D M Pulley @DMPulleyAuthor

Hi everyone, another Tuesday and another book review for you … this one is another book I picked up after seeing it recommended on someone’s blog last year. At some point, I did start making notes on which book I saw where, lol, but we’re not there yet! Ahem, … okay, so onto my review >>>

About the Book:

For fans of The Haunting of Hill House comes a dark tale of a mansion haunted by a legacy of tragedy and a family trapped by lies.

Margot and Myron Spielman move to a new town, looking for a fresh start and an escape from the long shadow of their past. But soon after they buy Rawlingswood, a foreclosed mansion rumored to be haunted, they realize they’re in for more of the same…or worse.

After a renovation fraught with injuries and setbacks, the Spielmans move in to the century-old house, and their problems quickly escalate. The home’s beautiful facade begins to crumble around them when their teenage son uncovers disturbing details of Rawlingswood’s history—a history of murder, betrayal, and financial ruin. The Spielmans’ own shameful secrets and lies become harder to hide as someone or something inside the house watches their every move.

As tensions build between the family members, the home’s dark history threatens to repeat itself. Margot and Myron must confront their own ghosts and Rawlingswood’s buried past before the house becomes their undoing.

My Review:

 

 

 

 

 

The supernatural element to this book caught my attention right off, and the story within its pages did not disappoint. The narrative pulled me in from page one and didn’t let me go until I’d finished the final page. D M Pulley makes for the fifth on my list of ‘top authors’ for this year, and I will be checking out her other books.

Apart from an overuse of exclamation marks in some passages and a lack of hyphenation to join words that need joining, the writing is well edited and error free. The characterisations and world building are done excellently, and I connected with each and every one. The timeline shifts around, but new chapters mark the shifts, and it is clear where you are at each point. I adored the historical elements scattered throughout this tale.

While the author writes from third-person omniscient, which reads as head-hopping, she has written it so well that the shifts of point of view flow well from one to the other, and as I read, I knew whose head (POV) I was reading from. The only other author I’ve seen do head-hopping this well is Stephen King.

The ending tied up all of the loose ends and rounded up the story nicely. An author note at the end gave some interesting insights about the history of the area and the inspiration for this tale.

My only regret is that I didn’t have the time to read this in one sitting and had to let it go for hours at a time. If you like a spooky, chilling read that will have you turning the lights on in the house, then this is the book for you. Brilliantly written. It gets a resounding five stars from me.

 

***

NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.

 

5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.

4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.

3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.

2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.

1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.

If you’re interested, here are the Amazon links … UK and US.

Please note, these are not affiliate links.

 

©Harmony Kent 2020

Tips for Writing Action Scenes

Check out this great post by Mae Clair over on Story Empire today … gotta say, I love this picture! >>>

 

Hi, SEers. You’re with Mae today for a look at writing action scenes. Of all the types of scenes that go into constructing a novel, I used to dread action the most. Not so much these days, but they…

Source: Tips for Writing Action Scenes

Character Archetypes: The Herald | Story Empire

Check out a great post on Heralds by Craig Boyack over at Story Empire today >>>

Hi gang, Craig with you today. This is post number four in the character archetypes series. In the Hero’s Journey, there are some common characters that are likely to show up in all stories. This d…

Source: Character Archetypes: The Herald | Story Empire

Thanks for the Welcome & a Brief Introduction

Check out Marcia Meara’s first post for Story Empire today  >>>

Happy Wodin’s Day Everybody! I’m Marcia, and I’d like to offer my heartfelt thanks for the wonderful welcome I received yesterday from the gang here at Story Empire and from many of their friends a…

Source: Thanks for the Welcome & a Brief Introduction

#BookReview: Can You See Me? by Lee Lynne @LynneBarrettLee

Hi everyone, as well as a special announcement (see my reblog today for Story Empire), I have a great book review for you today. This one I picked up after a recommendation on someon’es blog late last year, but I can’t remember whose, lol. Anyway, I’m super-thrilled I followed this book up. Here’s my review >>>

About the Book:

Would you know if someone was watching you?

In the dark days since the sudden death of her surgeon husband, Julia’s main worry has always been Tash. Her student daughter was broken—she worshipped her father. But six months on, Julia thinks the light is returning. She is about to find out that she’s wrong.

When she saves the life of a boy who’s been hanging around her beach cottage, the questions start. All she has to go on is the butterfly tattoo on his wrist, but who is he? What was he doing there? And why was her late husband’s watch in his bag? Julia wants to believe it’s a casual theft, but an ominous arrival in the post confirms her suspicion that there is more to it than meets the eye.

As Tash remembers a string of strange incidents she had previously brushed off, Julia realises they are both being watched. Someone’s been toying with them, trying to frighten them, but why?

Determined to protect her daughter, Julia races to discover the boy’s identity. But what she doesn’t realise is that the truth is right in front of her. Will she see it before it’s too late?

And a bit more From the Editor …

Every now and then a character turns up in fiction who changes the game. Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice. Lyra in His Dark Materials. Amy in Gone Girl. Eleven in Stranger Things. They fit themselves into your life, some demanding to be heard, others simply not going away.

This striking debut from Lynne Lee has one of those characters. As soon as I read the first “moth” chapter and encountered that deeply intelligent and viscerally angry voice, I knew.

Fortunately, Lynne has crafted a book that is big and brilliant enough to accommodate this unforgettable voice. Julia is our safe place—the tiger mother who discovers that she and her daughter are being watched. She will stop at nothing to protect her, but she also wants to understand. To see.

I don’t doubt that you will want to understand too—and I hope that, like me, you will feel your eyes have been opened to the borders of life just a little bit more by this dark and profoundly human tale.

My Review:

 

 

 

 

 

I loved this book. Lynne Lee is now one of my top authors of 2020, and I will be reading more of her books, which by the way, are written under the name Lynne Barrett-Lee. [Lynne Lee is a pen name.]

First up, one of my fave lines from the book: ‘… it hits me that our past is all so much debris clinging to the tideline; ..’

I connected with each and every character in this book. I could relate. They were all real and believable. The narrative hooked me and pulled me right in, much as a moth to a flame … and there are a lot of moths in this book, which made my skin crawl. But that was the whole point.

I guessed–tentatively–who the main agressor was by about the 60% area of the book, but I still couldn’t be a hundred percent sure until later on. And, then, of course, there was still a big shocker involved in that denouement. The author did such a skillful job, I even felt sorry for the antagonist as well as all the protagonists. And the MC felt real and sensible and didn’t do stupid things, even though a lot of the time she had no clue what was going on or why–she used her head and analytical skills.

I find myself not wanting to say too much more because I don’t want to put in any spoilers. All I can say is, Go Read This Book!

As you’ve probably guessed by now … Can You See Me? gets a resounding five stars from me.

***

 

NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.

 

5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.

4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.

3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.

2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.

1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.

 

If you’re interested … Amazon buy links … UK and US

please note, these are NOT affiliate links

©Harmony Kent 2020

A Special Announcement from Story Empire

Hi everyone. Story Empire doesn’t usually post on a Tuesday, but today, they have a super-special announcement to make! >>>

Hello, SEers.  Mae here, leading off a splashy announcement. If you’ve followed Story Empire for any length of time, you know we don’t  post on Tuesdays. But we have something so exciti…

Source: A Special Announcement from Story Empire

How to Publish with KDP: Part Six A

Hi everyone. I have another post up for my how to publish to KDP series over at Story Empire today >>>

Hello SErs. Harmony here. As promised earlier, here is the sixth installment (in two parts) in the post series dedicated to taking a step-by-step look at how to get your finished manuscript from yo…

Source: How to Publish with KDP: Part Six A