Sage Nestler's Blog, page 56

Amber Sky Blog Tour – Amy Braun

AMBER SKY is the first prequel novella preceding the adventurous steampunk horror tale CRIMSON SKY, and tells the story of Nash before he joined the Dauntless Wanderer when his only means of survival was to fight to the death, and how he was forced to make a choice that would change his life forever…

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Buy it here:

 

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AMBER SKY is set two years before the first novel in the DARK SKY series, CRIMSON SKY, and is told from the perspective of the Dauntless Wanderer’s quartermaster, Nash. It delves into his life when he was a pit-fighter for Ryland, the ruthless leader of the Stray Dogs, and tells the strange story of how he met Sawyer, his future friend and captain. Their friendship was forged out of hard-won battles and trust, both young men taking risks and fighting for something greater and more meaningful.

 

I’m a huge fan of novellas that take place in between or before the events of full length novels. I like reading new perspectives from characters who are fan favorites, but not necessarily key to the story or the plot. I love the Dark Sky world and wanted to tell more about it, but I didn’t want to write a story between Midnight Sky and the final Dark Sky novel, scheduled for February 2017. After the finale of Midnight Sky, I knew I couldn’t just leave readers hanging, so I decided to tell the stories of two side characters– Nash and Gemma.

 

In Midnight Sky, there are events that hint at Nash’s past. The more I wrote it, the more interested I became. It’s one of my favorite scenes in the full length novel, and I couldn’t pass up the chance to tell more of it in Amber Sky, the prequel novella. I worked on a simple, straightforward plot that was true to Nash’s character and expanded on his time with the ruthless Stray Dog Clan, steadily bringing Sawyer into the picture.

 

I have to say, that was my favorite part of writing this novella. Nash and Sawyer have a pretty easygoing relationship (as long as Sawyer isn’t feeling moody), but their banter always made me smile. Their friendship is unexpected for both of them, and forms out of a truly dark place.

 

As happy as I was to complete Amber Sky, there were of course steps to take to ensure it’s publication. The story was too short to send to print, so I chose to offer it as an ebook only. I like this exclusive, because it gives me a chance to offer something free to my newsletter subscribers. I had the manuscript edited by a Beta reader, who had great insights, and an editor who’s helped me with the Dark Sky series before.

 

After that came the absolutely stellar cover. Deranged Doctor Design always does amazing work, but this truly blew my mind. I was so happy with the end result that I approved the first draft. No nitpicking for this one!

 

The biggest challenge then came with promotion. I’m still learning the tricks of the independent publishing world, and tried my hand at creating my promotion without the use of a blog tour service. I’ll likely return to that for the final Dark Sky novel, but I wanted to try my own hand at it. I’m pretty impressed with the final result, and have nothing but gratitude for the reviewers and bloggers who have been kind enough to host me. Offering a free short story for newsletter subscribers is great, but I couldn’t have done this at all without the people I’ve listed above.

 

Writing Amber Sky has been a fun little challenge that I’m grateful I undertook. I feel it added to the experience and depth of the Dark Sky novels, and can’t wait for other readers to enjoy this new perspective.

Q & A: Amy Braun and Amber Sky – MINOR SPOILERS BELOW

Q: What inspired you to write Amber Sky ?

A: I’ve always been a fan of Nash, and wanted to tell the story of how he and Sawyer came to meet. They have a good relationship in Crimson Sky and Midnight Sky but it wasn’t always like that. They endured mistrust and battles the same as all sturdy friendships do, even trading blows a couple times. It was a lot of fun to not only tell their story, but to expand on an element of Midnight Sky that I enjoyed–– the crew’s journey to the Barren.  

Q: Why did you chose to tell the story from Nash’s perspective?

A: In the novels, Nash is a pretty quiet character. He’s often the voice of calm and reason, the one who knows how to relax Sawyer and Gemma. Ironic, since he’s heavily built and muscular. Readers who are familiar with him are likely used to his steady demeanor, and know little of the violence he used to be capable of. He’s a lot more complex than you would realize reading Crimson Sky and Midnight Sky, and after I hinted at his past in Midnight Sky, I knew I had to tell his story through his eyes.

Q: Did you find it easier to write a shorter story? Did you prefer it to writing a full length novel?

A: Easier? Yes. Definitely. My word count as just over 30,000, less than half of what a typical Dark Sky novel will run. I had a simple story line, a “simple problem” for the characters to solve, and no need to tie up a hundred different plot holes. But, if we’re talking about preference, I actually enjoy writing full length novels more. As an independent author, I’m not hindered by word counts and will write until the story is done. This means that I can experiment and add new elements to a story that I don’t usually get to do in a novella. That definitely doesn’t mean I’ll stick to novels my entire career– every big series I write will likely have at least two or three novellas attached to them– but they are definitely my comfort and creative zone.

Q: There was a serious lack of Gemma in Amber Sky. Where is she?

A: Ah, yes. Gemma. Readers of the novels will know that she’s Nash’s other half, the moon to his stars, the heat to his fire. They will also know that she is most definitely not in Amber Sky. When I planned to write some novellas after Midnight Sky, I definitely had a plan about what those two stories would be about. Nash’s story comes first, because the second novella, Smoke Sky, is all about how Gemma entered the lives of the crew. Her story is one of my absolute favorites, and I knew that her romance with Nash would be a key element. So while she’s not in the picture for Amber Sky, she’ll be entering it soon.

Q: What can you tell us about the next novella and novel in the Dark Sky series?

A: Smoke Sky, which will be released December 2016, will be told from Gemma’s perspective and tell the tale of how she first met Sawyer and fell in love with Nash, and the wild adventures they had before she was accepted to the crew. There will also be a short story told from Sawyer’s perspective called Engineered Deceit, which will be featured in Ghosts, Gears, and Grimoires from Mocha Memoirs Press, as well as my collection for short stories called The Shadow Omnibus by the same publisher. Both will be released in the next few months, before Smoke Sky. The final novel in the series will be released in February 2017, and is titled Obsidian Sky. It’s perhaps my top favorite in the entire Dark Sky saga, as it’s full of action and told from both Claire and Sawyer’s perspectives. I went wild with the world in the third and final chapter of this series, and can’t wait for readers to experience the last adventures of the Dauntless Wanderer.   

About Amy Braun

Her short stories published by independent houses like Mocha Memoirs Press and April Moon Books, and she has independently published a collection of standalone and series novels including Storm Born, Path of the Horseman, and the Cursed and Dark Sky series. Many of her short stories have been featured in anthologies such as Amok!, Avast, Ye Airships!, and That Hoodoo, Voodoo, That You Do, and Stomping Grounds.

More From Amy Braun

CURSED

DEMON’S DAUGHTER | DARK DIVINITY | DAMNATION’S DOOR

DARK SKY

CRIMSON SKY | MIDNIGHT SKY

STANDALONE NOVELS AND NOVELLAS

STORM BORN

PATH OF THE HORSEMAN

NEEDFIRE

THE SHADOW OMNIBUS

Social Media Links

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

The Conch Shell of Doom by Ryan Hill

Title: The Conch Shell of Doom

Author: Ryan Hill

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

Bailey didn’t mean to catch his parents plotting to unleash the sinister Trenton Maroney and his powerful oceanic army on the world. It was an honest mistake. Now, he’s got the horribly disfigured Mr. Lovell on his trail, which is doing wonders for Bailey’s anxiety. His only ally is Franklin, a burn-out several decades past wishing his brother Trenton was destroyed for good. Franklin has battled his brother for two thousand years, and has nothing to show for it except his beloved Mustang. To stop Mr. Lovell from awakening Trenton, Franklin and Bailey will have to get past his parents, a one-eyed stoner, crooked cops, giant Scotsmen, and Trenton’s army, which can only be summoned by one thing: the mysterious Conch Shell of Doom.

Review:

Ryan Hill is an excellent author.  He not only has an outstanding imagination, but he also knows how to intertwine humor into his writing in a way that doesn’t come off as tacky, but ingenious.

Going into reading The Conch Shell of Doom I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about it.  It is not the type of book that I usually read, but I thought that I would give it a shot.  The book is described as a science fiction/fantasy novel, but reads more like a novel version of a comic book.  The story is full of action, and even though the synopsis makes it sounds as though it is a childish action adventure, the writing far surpassed that younger age group.  Hill’s writing is professional and witty, and none of it sounded forced.

It was clear to me that Hill was writing his story for himself, and that in turn made his writing suitable for all ages.  He didn’t talk towards a specific audience, and this allowed me to enjoy the story more.  I loved the concept of the oceanic army, and at no point during reading the novel was I bored.

Hill is clearly an author who I hope to see more work from.  He has an original voice, and I didn’t find his writing to be similar to another author’s.  I don’t like reading books that sound as though they have been done before, and The Conch Shell of Doom is not one of them.  It is must read for any science fiction or action fan.

FOR BOOK REVIEW REQUESTS FILL OUT FORM: Book Review Request Form

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Mystical Mojo Box Review: October 2016

Mystical Mojo Box is a subscription that brings you boxes to help invoke soul transformation!  They have 3 monthly options – the Mega Mojo Box that includes 5 or more items linked to the monthly theme, the Crystal Mojo Box which includes 2 -3 stones to go along with the monthly theme, and the Mojo Jewels Box which includes 2 -3 jewelry/accessory items that incorporate mystical designs and stones.  The pricing of each box (plus shipping) is shown below.

Mega Mojo Box: $45 per month + shipping (US $6~CND $16~UK $20)
Crystal Mojo Box: $15 per month + shipping (US $6~CND $16~UK $20)
Mojo Jewels Box: $27 per month + shipping (shipping is free)
Order Here:

I received the October Mega Mojo Box right around the first of October since they bill you in the middle of the month, and the theme was Faerie Magick!  I have to say that I ADORED this theme, and all of the items inside.  It was such a unique box, and I love how Christina, the owner, picked out each item specifically to fit in with the theme and the mystical essence of the box.

Faerie Magick Mega Mojo Box

Mystical Mojo sends out their monthly boxes in plain white boxes with a small sticker presenting the logo on the front.  I personally love the white boxes because they are plain and reusable.  I like reusing the white boxes to organize my own mystical items in.

Upon opening the box, the items are wrapped in a royal purple tissue paper with a sticker of Mystical Mojo’s logo on front.  The rest of the items are packed in paper shavings.

The first thing that you find when opening the box is a card that lists the monthly theme (since it is always a surprise, and you don’t know what is included beforehand).  The card generally lists all items included, and a small description for some of the items.  It is good quality, and easy to read.  I always keep these cards so that I can use them as reference.  Since each card gives background on the spirituality included in the box, it is nice to know why the items included are important if you are unaware about the spirituality presented.

The first item included were these little seed bombs.  They are bombs that you can plant in the springtime, and they will flourish into beautiful flowers.  This was an excellent touch to this box because the box included items for a faerie garden, and you can use these bombs to create your own faerie garden in the spring.  These bombs are from Seed Paper Society: https://www.etsy.com/shop/SeedPaperSociety

The next item was a Hag Stone.  This was a perfect stone to send during this time, because it can be used when the veil between worlds is at it’s thinnest – on Beltane and Samhain – which are both around this time of year.  The lore is that if you look through the hole in the stone on either of these holidays, you may see Faerie Folk.  This tone is from Raw and Refined Earth: https://www.etsy.com/shop/FEATHEROAK

Also included in this box was a small faerie necklace, and I think that it is absolutely adorable!  You can never have enough faerie jewelry.

Now, the absolutely best part of this gorgeous box was the mini faerie garden set!  It came with a gorgeous dendritic agate stone, a pewter faerie statue, a mini planter, and an air plant.  What is best about the air plant is that it is real, but doesn’t need to be planted in soil or watered.  All you have to do is soak it in water for a minute each week, and it thrives on its own.  This little faerie garden is absolutely perfect for the winter when outside gardening is not possible, and in the spring you can transfer these items outside when you plant your seed bombs!

Planter is by Dream Fairy Gardens: https://www.etsy.com/shop/miniaturefairydreams
Air Plant is from Twisted Acres: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TwistedAcres
“Faeries Welcome” sign is from Mini Etchers: http://www.minietchers.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html

The last item included in this month’s box was a small bottle of solid perfume titled “The Green Fairy” from Aurora Artica: https://www.etsy.com/shop/AuroraArctica

The smell of this perfume is very light and rustic.  I love it!  It is a nice touch to keep that faerie essence with you all day.

Overall, I loved this box.  It was my favorite of theirs yet!  The mini faerie garden is perfect for my room during the winter, and the jewelry, stones, and perfume were excellent compliments.  The curation of this box is one of the best I have seen, and I am amazed that she gave us a small faerie garden for winter, and then wildflower seed bombs to grow an outdoor garden in the spring.

The Cellar by Natasha Preston

Title: The Cellar

Author: Natasha Preston

Rating: 3/5

Synopsis:

“Lily?”

My stomach dropped as a tall, dark-haired man stepped into view. Had he been hiding between the trees?

“No. Sorry.” Gulping, I took a step back. “I’m not Lily.”

He shook his head, a satisfied grin on his face. “No. You are Lily.”

“I’m Summer. You have the wrong person.” You utter freak!

I could hear my pulse crashing in my ears. How stupid to give him my real name. He continued to stare at me, smiling. It made me feel sick.

“You are Lily,” he repeated.

Before I could blink, he threw his arms forward and grabbed me. I tried to shout, but he clasped his hand over my mouth, muffling my screams. My heart raced. I’m going to die.

For months Summer is trapped in a cellar with the man who took her―and three other girls: Rose, Poppy, and Violet. His perfect, pure flowers. His family. But flowers can’t survive long cut off from the sun, and time is running out…

Review:

I have to admit, I am always a bit suspicious about these novels that are essentially published straight from stories published on Wattpad.  In my experience, they have always read as though they are just a collection of snippets pulled from the internet and the editing is never great.  However, even though the editing of this novel left much to be desired, and it was rather choppy, it was a nice vacation read.

Kidnapping novels are always a favorite of mine, and the concept of this story was right down my alley.  Just the fact that the kidnapper renamed his victims after flowers and tried to keep them pure by hiding them in his basement was enough to catch my eye.  It wasn’t like any other kidnapping novel I have read, but I was not pleased with the way the story was written.

Each chapter was from the perspective of either the kidnapper, Summer (the kidnapped) or her boyfriend.  Unfortunately, it was hard to distinguish the different voices apart as they sounded very much the same, and I did not care for the boyfriend’s chapters at all.  When reading those chapters I just wanted to get back to hearing about the kidnapper and the kidnapped.  Throughout the novel the boyfriend’s chapters were extremely slow, and the timing in the novel didn’t make since.  The first few chapters were drawn out, and then out of nowhere six months had gone by.  It seems as though Natasha Preston was very into writing the story in the beginning, but then just rushed through the end in order to get it finished and published faster.  The story was intriguing until the middle of the novel, and then it turned into a train wreck.  Out of nowhere a character died somewhere between the end chapter and the epilogue, and there was very little explanation for it.  It also didn’t make since how Summer spent her entire time wanting to escape, and then immediately ended up turning into the “flower” the kidnapper wanted her to be as soon as she was rescued.  If this change in her had occurred before the end of the novel it would have made more sense.  Overall, this novel was rushed and poorly structured which was a shame, because I was genuinely interested in the premise.

If you are not expecting this novel to be anything other than a collection of writings from the internet, then go ahead and go for it.  But don’t expect it to be a fine piece of literature, because that, it is not.

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Weekly Update – 10/03/16 -10/09/16

Happy October Everyone!

October is such a beautiful month.  The wind is getting cooler and the leaves are falling…it is just the perfect reading time of year!  That being said, I hope you all read some amazing books this week.

This week I will be reviewing:

The Conch Shell of Doom by Ryan Hill
Mind Reader by Katrina Kahler

Have a lovely week everyone!

Much love,

Ashley

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Saved by a Billionaire by Eve Fox

Title: Saved by a Billionaire

Author: Eve Fox

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

Romance…an erotic story for women.

Richard Sacks, standing six-foot-three with dark, wavy hair and piercing brown eyes is, first and foremost, a businessman. The very air of his presence demands attention, respect, awe. Until one day, at the swish of a wiper blade, everything changes. When a beautiful mystery girl unexpectedly appears in his midst, she releases a passion in him that he’s never known, and for the first time he sees his erotic fantasy being fulfilled. But will her body be his undoing? And will the secrets of her past destroy the career he’s spent a lifetime building? This story is more than just a sexual encounter, it is a romantic fairy tale of intense desire and a steamy erotic attraction. Filled with erotica and romance, this book will have you turning pages late into the night right through until the very end.

Review:

There are generally two types of erotica: erotica that is more about the sex, or erotica that balances sex with a well formed story.  Saved by a Billionaire is of the latter.  The writing was elegant, and the story was eye catching from the first chapter.

Even though both characters in this novel were portrayed to be perfect and remarkably stunning, the story didn’t come off as fake or unbelievable.  I liked being able to see both sides of the story and get into the characters’ heads.  The sexual scenes were also written with taste and read as though they were poems instead of just being pornographic.

Eve Fox is clearly a bright and talented author.  She makes what could have ended up as a bathroom read, a true piece of literature.  Her descriptions were on point, and romance lovers are bound to love the flowing style of her writing, and the beautiful descriptions of her characters.  I am generally picky about what kind of erotica I like, but this book passed with flying colors.

Fox’s writing is a perfect balance of erotica and romance, and her imagery binds the story together into one magnificent novel.

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Perennials by Bryce Gibson

Title: Perennials

Author: Bryce Gibson

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

Summer in South Carolina—a time of ripe peaches, crackling bonfires, trips to the lake, and the rural legend of a creature known as the Lizard Man. This year, a very real monster is lurking about. The victims all have one thing in common—they share their names with plants. Soon it becomes apparent that seventeen-year-olds Dusty Miller and Nandina Bush may be next on the killer’s list.

“That was when I realized that the red I saw in the driveway wasn’t blood. It was a scattering of rose petals. Deep down, I knew, right at that very moment, that what all of us had been afraid of for the past several months had already happened. The serial killer had finally made his way to Crow County.” – Dusty Miller

Review:

Perennials is a beautifully written serial killer thriller.  It has twinges of horror and mystery which all intertwine to become a very original piece of work.  Bryce Gibson knows how to create not only a surprising plot, but he also knows how to add art to the crimes committed in the novel.  All good crime novels have an element of art to them, and Perennials more than succeeds in terms of that necessity.

Even though this novel is meant to be a young adult novel, it does not talk down to its reader.  It doesn’t sugarcoat the story to be seemingly more appropriate for its audience, and that is what I loved about it.  It is brutal but written in clean language, proving that stories of crime do not need to be overly gruesome or cringe worthy.  Perennials is a perfect novel to introduce children to the crime genre, while also allowing seasoned crime readers to enjoy its story as well.

Gibson knew what he was doing when naming all of the victims after plants, and he pulled off an incredible move by naming them after plants that are not very well known.  This made the victims not as obvious, and it connected all of them together in a web.  Perennials read as though it were an extensively planned story, and there were no inconsistencies.  I have not read a crime novel recently that pulled off a plot as well as Perennials did, and I tore right through it.

Gibson is clearly one of our better crime novels in the indie genre.  He has all of the artistic and systematic elements of a talented crime author, and I hope he continues to write.

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Perfekt Order by S.T. Bende

Title: Perfekt Order

Author: S.T. Bende

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

All’s fair when you’re in love with War. For seventeen-year-old Mia Ahlström, a world ruled by order is the only world she allows. A lifetime of chore charts, to-do lists and study schedules have helped earn her a spot at Redwood State University’s engineering program. And while her five year plan includes finding her very own happily-evah-aftah, years at an all-girls boarding school left her feeling woefully unprepared for keg parties and co-ed extracurricular activities. So nothing surprises her more than catching the eye of Tyr Fredriksen at her first college party. The imposing Swede is arrogantly charming, stubbornly overprotective, and runs hot-and-cold in ways that defy reason . . . until Mia learns that she’s fallen for the Norse God of War; an immortal battle deity hiding on Midgard (Earth) to protect a valuable Asgardian treasure from a feral enemy. With a price on his head, Tyr brings more than a little excitement to Mia’s rigidly controlled life. Choosing Tyr may be the biggest distraction—or the greatest adventure—she’s ever had.

Review:

S.T. Bende is the USA Today bestselling author of The Elsker Saga.  Perfekt Order is the first book in her second series, The AEre Saga.  These two sagas are very similar considering that they both involve college age women falling in love with Norse Gods.  However, their concepts are very enticing, and I enjoyed both.

S.T. Bende has the gift of writing a contemporary novel that incorporates mythology accurately.  I don’t find a lot of novels that incorporate Norse Mythology, let alone conemporaries, and even though Perfekt Order is an older young adult novel I found that it was suitable for all adults.  It doesn’t focus on what I call the “cheese” of early adulthood college life, but instead chooses to focus on the mythology and growing up.

S.T. Bende’s writing, itself, is very clean, and she doesn’t over describe or include filer of any kind.  Her writing is full of action and romance, and I was pleased to find that it wasn’t just direct at women.  I particularly enjoyed her descriptions of Redwood State Unviersity, particularly the forest, and I felt myself falling into the novel along with Mia.  It reminded me of when I was thirteen and reading Twilight by Stephanie Myers for the first time.  I rarely am able to feel that magic that I felt when first reading Twilight due to the mass of books that I go through on a daily basis, and it was nice to fall back in love with a setting and cast as beautiful as those in Perfekt Order.

Perfeket Order is everything that I want in a novel.  It has mythology, action, romance and suspense, and not once did I find myself bored and wondering whether i should finish the book or not.  S.T. Bende’s writing is beautiful, and she is a wonderful storyteller.  She shows me what she sees, instead of telling me, and that is all I could ask for.

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Self-Publishing Necessities

Hello Everyone,

Today I wanted to discuss with you some important aspects that must be included in your novel when self-publishing.  Many times, those who self-publish don’t have an editor or guide who can help them with important elements of the publishing experience, and that can hinder their success.

Being a self-published author and a reviewer myself, I am on both sides of the coin.  Through my reviewing I have come to learn what is necessary in a self-published novel, and what can turn off a reviewer from the start.  Many reviewers won’t finish a novel if any of the following are problems in a novel, and you want to make sure that your novel makes a positive impact.

First Off, Editing – The Ultimate Necessity

Now, this is always a given.  If a person’s novel has multiple errors grammar-wise, many reviewers, and readers, will be turned off.  Even if the author is very smart and a good writer, a lack of editing can make the author come off as uneducated and can take away from the enjoyment of the story.  Make sure that you find an editor, or beta readers, before publishing so that you have multiple eyes on your novel.  Over time your mind can fill in errors for you when you are editing your own novel, and you need multiple sets of eyes.  Freelance editors can also be found to hire at a cheaper price, and this will help you cost-wise.

Second, Formatting is Key

I often review novels that have no been properly formatted by the author, and this can impede the reading process by making me doubt the professionalism of the author.  Each novel should have a title page, copyright page, proper page numbers, proper chapter headings, and it should read like a novel instead of Word document.  Self-publishing does not mean you can just submit your story file for publication, you need to make sure that you have a professionally formatted document before publishing.  There are professional formatting services that you can use through Createspace or other self-publishing houses, or you can pick up a book of your own and mimic the formatting into your own novel.  This is a great way to understand how books are laid out, and to make sure that your novel reads professionally.

Third, Dump the Filler

The more self-published novels I read and review, the more filler I see, and the more story I skip due to that filler.  Filler can mean a number of things.  Filler can be over the top narration, too much dialogue, and worst of all, too much description.  One of the worst things an author can do is over describe their novel.  Doing so is not only a violation of the reader’s intelligence, but it shows that the author doesn’t want the reader to experience the story in their own way.  Instead, the author wants to reader to see exactly what they see, and this can severely hinder the success of a novel.  When I read books with too much filler I end up skipping over multiple areas of the novel, and that is not something that you want your reader to do.  Aim to have your reader savor every word of your novel and not dread reading another word of it.

Fourth, A Cover That Pops

Okay, so we have all heard the phrase: “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”  However, the truth of the matter is that readers DO judge the cover of a book before reading it, and you need to make sure that your cover correlates with your story and will influence your reader to like the story before they have even started it.  The best place to find an affordable, professional cover is through Self Pub Covers, and your readers will surely thank you.  The best thing about this website is that it also will not resell your cover once you purchase it, making your cover one of a kind.  I am someone who does tend to judge a cover before reading a book, and the more shelf appeal your cover has, the more successful it will be.

Last, Back Cover Blurb

Next to your cover, the back cover blurb is what a reader will turn to next.  This means that you need a back cover blurb that is catchy and will make the reader want to read more.  A great way to ensure that your back cover blurb will help your novel take off is to start of the blurb with a quote.  If you have this quote in a larger text than the rest of the blurb, it will catch the reader’s eye first and will guide them into reading more.  Your cover blurb needs to be short, but it also needs to sum up your novel without giving too much away.  Ask your friends for help if you can’t seem to write a blurb that you feel is adequate, and your beta readers will surely be able to help you with this as well.  USE YOUR BETA READERS.

I hope that these tips help you to finalize your novel before publishing, and that you are now aware of what reviewers look at first when considering a novel.  The more that you master all of these elements, the more successful you will be!

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No One Dies in the Garden of Syn by Michael Seidelman

Title: No One Dies in the Garden of Syn

Author: Michael Seidelman

Rating: 3/5

Synopsis:

Synthia (Syn) Wade is a teenage girl who struggles with cystic fibrosis, an incurable life-threatening disease. One day she is pushed into a pond by an unseen figure and wakes up in a new world – a mysterious garden where illness and death don’t exist. Welcomed by the garden’s residents and now free of her symptoms, Syn decides to stay. But, before long, she realizes that this apparent utopia holds many dangers and dark secrets. Surrounding the garden is a fog that Syn is warned never to enter. She encounters bizarre creatures that defy reason. And always lurking in the shadows is a masked woman – a woman who may have a connection to the disappearance of Syn’s parents many years ago. A woman whom no one will speak of, but whom everyone fears. While No One Dies in the Garden of Syn, Syn will soon discover that some fates are worse than death.

Review:

The concept of No One Dies in the Garden of Syn is utterly intriguing, but the extensive descriptions in this novel make the writing slow to read.  I had a hard time getting through this novel, but I am confident that if the narrative style were changed and many descriptions were deleted this novel would be successful.

The concept of living without illness is always something that is on our minds as humans.  Illness is one thing that can change the way that people live, and by creating a place without illness, Michael Seidelman played with fate and concepts that have always been set realities in our lives.

Syn is a teenage girl with cystic fibrosis who wakes up in a new world one day where she is no longer sick.  Being free from her illness, Syn chooses to stay in the new world, but it soon becomes a place full of danger and secrets.  Seidelman plays with life, death, and security in this novel and shows us that many things are too good to be true.  No one can be completely free of illness, or anything that ails them, and if they do somehow wind up in a position that allows them to be free of their woes, there will be consequences.

Seidelman created an intriguing story through his writing, but it wasn’t executed as well as it could have been.  Apart from the writing being slow, Syn’s character didn’t develop very well and some of the plot events didn’t make sense.  However, I appreciate the imagination put into this novel and how it relates to our troubles of today, but also dips in fantasy to turn an interesting twist on everyday events.  Seidelman’s ideas are original and ideas that I haven’t seen before in a novel, and that originality is admirable.

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