Harmony Kent's Blog, page 95
April 12, 2019
Friday Book Share: The Last Fifty Pages
Check out this excellent writing tool for finishing your novel …
Hello SErs! Harmony here. Today is the day for a book share, and I’ve chosen The Last Fifty Pages by James Scott Bell. Staci Troilo first put me on to this little gem of a book, and it’…
April 11, 2019
That hero’s journey, monomyth thingie
Hi gang, Craig here with you again. An understanding of story structure is important to our efforts, and I’m taking on one of the biggest ones. I’ll have to break this into several posts so it does…
April 9, 2019
Cover Reveal: Whatever it Takes by S. Burke #Pre-Order #PsychologicalThriller #Suspense
I’ve pre-ordered mine … have you? … Check out Suzanne Burke’s new book release over on Mae Clair’s blog today …
I’m delighted to be able to take part in the cover reveal blog splash for Whatever it Takes by my good friend Suzanne Burke. I was a beta reader on this book and am thrilled others will soon …
Source: Cover Reveal: Whatever it Takes by S. Burke #Pre-Order #PsychologicalThriller #Suspense
April 8, 2019
Book Review: A Nearly Normal Family
Hello everyone. Happy Tuesday. Today, I’m posting a book review from an ARC read via NetGalley.
[image error]A Nearly Normal Family by M T Edvardsson
1 Star
Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for this Advanced Review Copy.
I had looked forward to reading this book, given that I love a good murder mystery. Sad to say, it just didn't deliver.
The story is translated from Swedish and focuses on family relationships. It starts from the father's point of view, and I found him difficult to connect with. He wasn't a sympathetic or dynamic character at all. Even when the narrative moved on to the other characters, I didn't find myself gelling with any of them. Which meant, of course, that I didn't care what happened to them.
Furthermore, the tale is a long one with a lot of jumping backward and forward, sometimes clumsily. The formatting on the ARC is messy, interrupting the reading constantly. Add to that the many typos, and all in all, this book frustrated rather than thrilled. Consequently, this was a book I struggled to finish.
This read isn't my cup of tea, although the book has a great premise, and the idea of experiencing your daughter--an only child--getting charged with murder and appearing in court is one that had me gripped and full of anticipation.
***
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.
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The Series Premise
Ciao, amici. Last time, I gave you a rundown of what goes into a series bible. This time, we’re going to discuss the first item that goes in the bible—the series premise. A while ago, I…
Source: The Series Premise
This Week in Indie Publishing
Independent writers are choosing their own paths to success Until recently, if you were a writer who had a novel or other work, there was essentially a single path to follow: you tried to find an a…
Source: This Week in Indie Publishing
April 5, 2019
Writing a Choose Your Own Adventure (With a Demo!)
Image – Wikipedia If any of you are as old as me, you might remember the ‘choose your destiny’-type books from the 80s and 90s. In particular I remember the Stephen Jackson and Ia…
A Master’s Self Doubt
Once again, it was my friend, Krystallia, who alerted me to the awesome creativity of Melissa Ng (pronounced “Eng”), creator of Lumecluster–“where dreamers find courage.R…
Source: A Master’s Self Doubt
Author Inspiration and This Week’s Writing Links
I started this week with the best of intentions, then I was derailed almost immediately. But I’m determined to have a better week next week. It’ll be a busy one, for sure, yet I know it…
Five for Friday: Books You Never Forget
Check out a great post on books that stay with you by Mae Clair over on Story Empire today
