Ingrid Hall's Blog, page 22

Freedom – The Sensual Liaisons Series Book 1

Hi

I am looking for bloggers/authors who will be willing to run a pre-release/release feature on Freedom – Book One in my Sensual Liaisons series, writing as Luna Ballantyne.

I am aiming for publication in October.

I will of course return the favour and will run features for any author/blogger/publicist that helps me out.

I understand that some bloggers are reluctant to promote erotic content, but I REALLY need your help!

Simply contact me via the contact form if you are able to help.

Thanks in advance!

[contact-form]

 

 

 

 

Review of Cafe Insomniac by Mark Capell

Quick Blurb:

Twenty-five-year-old insomniac Justin Brooks opens an all-night café. But soon after opening, one of his customers is murdered.The fallout from the murder makes his insomnia worse — much worse. He completely loses the ability to sleep. Strange things start to happen in Justin’s world, things that are hard to explain.

About Mark Capell:

“For my sins, I used to be a television director. And I was lucky enough to win a Royal Television Society Award. During that time, I met all sorts of weird and wonderful people, including a gangster who offered to kill anybody who upset me. But instead of taking up his offer, I decided to join the exciting digital revolution and take my storytelling skills to the world of fiction. My first novel, a crime thriller called Run, Run, Run, reached number one on the Amazon UK crime and thriller chart. My aim as a writer is to tell exciting stories that haven’t been told before, and to introduce readers to intriguing characters they haven’t met in other books. In that way I want to be an explorer.”

Review by Joanne Armstrong:

My take on the novel: In a word, muffled.

It had an interesting start. Justin Brooks, an insomniac, very quietly opens a night café and quietly his clientele starts picking up. A patron is quietly murdered around the corner. Justin quietly reacts to this, and to the strange man who seems to be quietly threatening him and his family.

All very quietly, as if seen through fog. Muffled noises, muted emotions. No, not through fog… as though it’s a dream. Some parts are heard in detail, and some parts brushed over, as though inconsequential or as though they didn’t happen at all.

The Edward Hopper work, Nighthawks, was at the forefront of my mind. The whole atmosphere of the painting; the stillness, the quiet, the frozen scene in the heart of a bustling city, the lack of any kind of relationship between the characters… this was perfectly personified in the pages of Capell’s story. It was entrancing. I’ve always loved Nighthawks, and it was like I had jumped right into the scene.

I read on, waiting for the Technicolor to explode. Waiting for the event to happen that would kick the dream world where impossibly strange people turned up and did unexplainable things to the curb. I was looking forward to seeing how Justin would cope with this new world. The real one.

The event did take place, but it was muffled. Justin coped very well. So reasonably. So logically.

Sigh.

The muted emotions continued. I wasn’t right in all my predictions about the dream world, but I was close enough to find the “reveal” not as surprising as I’d imagine it was intended.

I have a few frustrations to air. The muted feel of the story is okay for a while, especially if the pace changes about a third of the way in – but not for an entire book. Capell is verbose. Many conversations are relayed word for word, adding length to an otherwise simple yet compelling story. The description of insomnia was repetitive. The characters were neutral. I didn’t like them or dislike them, I simply didn’t get a handle on them at all. All down to that muffled writing. They were too simple. The most interesting one was the father, but his character at the end is not believable.

However, I also have some high praise.

The muffled writing is absolutely perfect for this character. Justin goes through his days / nights in a daze, because of his tiredness. The style of writing perfectly mimics this feel of being half-in and half-out of a dream world at all times. It captures perfectly what it would be like to be constantly tired. Nighthawks again. A perfect pairing.

And although I wanted him to snap out of it towards the end, when the climax takes place and forces a reality check (plus he’s had some sleep), he doesn’t. I didn’t like this because I wanted more, more, more… something. More realness. And this too is appropriate, because although the man has slept, he’s still… well, you’ll have to read it and find out. I’ve given away far too much as it is.

Ooo and I love the covers. I have seen two, and they are both good.

Not particularly fast-paced, and a little long-winded for me. But you will like this book if you enjoy gentle suspense, gentle psychological thrillers, gentle who-dunnits where you get given all the clues from page one and can enjoy finding out if you were right.

You can find more at http://mark-capell.com

 Joanne Armstrong’s dystopian teen Unworthy is available till the end of August for FREE with the coupon code BY29C – only on Smashwords. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/450106

 

Review of Warrior Lore by Ian Cumpstey

Ian Cumpstey lived and worked in Sweden for eight years. He has now returned to England and lives in Cumbria. He is an associate member of the Swedish to English literary translators association. He has published two collections of translations of Scandinavian folk ballads: Lord Peter and Little Kerstin (2013) and Warrior Lore (2014). This book only came in for review around 1 week ago,  and I knew that I had to get to it A.S.A.P.  My first novel, Granny Irene’s Guide to the Afterlife was heavily rooted in Norse Mythology, and while the Scandinavian Folk Ballads do not have such an emphasis on the ancient mythology, it is nevertheless, an area that completely enthralls me. Anyone who has ever tried to trawl their way through a translation of The Poetic Edda and Prose Edda will know that it is at best hard-going and at times inaccessible, meaning that this vast body of cultural work is largely unknown outside of Scandinavia.  I was, therefore, seriously impressed by how user-friendly Cumptsey’s translation of this particular set of ballads is.  Warrior Lore,  rather than focus on the supernatural creatures of Scandinavian folklore ( The elves and spirits) concentrates as the title suggests, on the fighters, the warriors. The ballads are at times brutal, and I think, offer incredible insight into life and morals in the Sixteenth Century and earlier.  I will be taking a look at Ian Cumpstey’s other work and will be dipping back in and out of Warrior Lore in future.

You can find more at: http://www.northerndisplayers.co.uk/

 

Dogs Don’t Look Both Ways – A Primer on Unintended Consequences by Jane Hanser

Jane Hanser has developed software to teach writing, self-published a book about grammar, and taught English as a second language at several campuses of the City University of New York. She has also written numerous poems and essays…Joey, the dog’s story is a true story…

Dogs Don’t Look Both Ways, is the true story of Joey the dog and his human parents/owners.  The book is well written and told from the viewpoint of Joey, and highlights the dangerous things that can happen when a gorgeous but independently minded Labrador ignores his owners and does his own thing.   As the owner of a Jack Russell, I KNOW how naughty and headstrong dogs can be! I also know how they quickly become part of the human family, and I feel like a real cow for saying this, but this book just didn’t resonate with me…

I think maybe I am too cynical, too world-weary, a hard-faced, crabby bitch, but I just don’t get books that are told from an animal’s point of view, no matter how cute, or endearing, or fluffy, the said animal might be.

What I will say, however, is that this book will DEFINITELY appeal to real dog lovers.  It is also a great book to share with young children, grandparents in particular take note.    It has a potentially broad audience, unfortunately; it just wasn’t for me!

In addition to being able to write his own books, Joey also has his own blog – you can find out more at:

http://www.dogsdontlookbothways.com

Review of Floppy the mystery dog and the new kid by Denise A. Bloomfield and Diana R. Starr

Floppy the mystery dog and the new kid is a delightful story of a fourth-grade boy (Age 9-10 for those of you in the U.K. and unfamiliar with the American grading system) whose family move home from Milwaukee to Southern California, when dad gets a new job.   Tommy has to leave his best friend behind and is unhappy about having to start over, when all of a sudden a brand new furry friend just happens to fall out of the sky…

The book is well written and handles the uncertainty and fears faced by children when moving home.  My kids bless them, have been through so many house moves that they are immune to it by now, but I can totally understand how a kid who hasn’t moved previously would be unsettled and this book is a great way of walking them through the process.

My only niggle is that for me, the book is a little too fantastical –  I think this would have worked much better if the boy had been say a few years younger.   My daughter who is also 9, loves our family dog, but would she buy into a story about him just falling from the sky? Absolutely not! Yes, I know this is fiction, I know we are routinely expected to suspend disbelief and “escape” – However, I think the authors should have made their young hero a few years younger.

This book is perfect for young children (Aged 5-7), and I would recommend it to parents who are contemplating a house-move.

Floppy the mystery dog and the new kid is available from Amazon.

 

Half-Price Editing offer!

To celebrate the launch of my brand new website www.luv2write.net I am offering my full editing service at half price.  (Just £150/$249.27)  To qualify for this offer you must first of all visit my new site (Click the link above!) and contact me using the contact form provided on there!  This is just to see who visits and who doesn’t…The offer is valid until 19/09/2014

You can also buy signed copies of my novella The Tunnel Betwixt…directly from the site.

My new site contains up to date information about my writing and my services, and I would love it if you would all please check it out.

Love 

Ingrid xxx

 

Review of Edna in the Desert by Maddy Lederman

Maddy Lederman’s work has appeared in The Huffington Post and the Los Angeles Times. Her short films were on the Independent Film Channel and screened at festivals across the U.S.A. She works in the art department for films and t.v. shows.  A native New-Yorker, she loves to travel – particularly into the desert.

First of all massive apologies to the author for taking so long to review this paperback book which she posted to me ages ago.  I will admit that the cover didn’t particularly grab me, and it has sat in my to read pile for an eternity until one day I idly picked it up…and then couldn’t put it down!

Told from the heroine’s point of view, Edna in the Desert is the most hilarious and realistic Young Adult book that I have read in a VERY LONG TIME.  As a parent of a 16 year-old son, and a 9 year-old daughter who thinks she is a teenager, the precocious but incredibly loveable Edna really struck a chord with me.  From the moment her desperate parents dropped her off with grandma and grandpa at their somewhat basic home in the Mojave Desert for the summer, right up until her final few moments waiting to be picked back up, I was completely gripped by her journey.

Stuck in the desert with her least favourite and uncool Grandma who spends all her time caring for her grandpa (A war veteran, who is suffering from some kind of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) Edna has a lot of growing up to do, and while the process was at times incredibly painful for her, it was beautiful as a reader to read.

It is very rare for an author to actually get inside the head of a teenager – and Lederman pulls this off spectacularly. Most Y.A. books have that adult writing as a teenager feel about them, but Edna’s voice is so strong and compelling that I definitely felt as if I was being given a tour of the teenage mind.

All of the characters are beautifully written and there is something for everything in this book, and I will be keeping hold of my copy and passing it onto my daughter when she is old enough to appreciate it.  The only downside to the plot was that I couldn’t quite understand why given how they knew how hard life was  for Edna’s grandma, why her parents didn’t do a lot more to help her out…

Edna in the Desert is definitely now on my list of all-time favourite Indie author books.   (Currently up there with Floats the Dark Shadow, by Yves Fey)

You can find more at https://www.maddylederman.com

THE WINNER OF THE ESSAY AND MEMOIR WRITING COMPETITION IS…

Judging the winner of our essay and memoir writing competition alongside Beryl Belsky from The Writer’s Drawer has been incredibly tough due to the diverse nature of the entrants. However,  Jill Sadowsky’s heart-breaking account of her son’s paranoid schizophrenia and eventual  suicide really stood out.  You can read The Last Call here. 

A whole host of prizes including a copy of my novella The Tunnel Betwixt…will soon be winging their way to Jill.

Indie and Proud – Plotting For Pantsers by Eden Baylee

A couple of months ago I invited the submission of articles for inclusion on my blog.  I love Eden Baylee’s imaginative take on the pro’s and cons of plotting a novel.  It seems like I have followed a similar path to Eden in that I refused point blank to plot my first novel Granny Irene’s Guide to the Afterlife, but now I do work to a flexible outline…If you would like a guest slot on my blog and have something to say, that would benefit other indie authors then please email ingrid@grannyirene.com

Eden Baylee left a twenty-year banking career to become a full-time writer. She incorporates many of her favorite things into her writing such as: travel; humor; music; poetry; art; and much more.

Stranger at Sunset is her first mystery novel, on the heels of several books of erotic anthologies and short stories. She writes in multiple genres.

An introvert by nature and an extrovert by design, Eden is most comfortable at home with her laptop surrounded by books. She is an online Scrabble junkie and a social media enthusiast, but she really needs to get out more often!

Plotting For Pantsers

This post addresses if it’s possible for a pantser to become more of a plotter.

If you don’t know the difference, let me explain.

A plotter outlines a book before writing it, laying out an overview, perhaps chapter by chapter with timelines. A plotter knows what will happen at the beginning, middle, and end of the book. Included in the outline may be detailed character sketches.

A pantser, on the other hand, is a writer who has a vague idea of a story and will begin writing by the seat of his or her pants, sans outline.

I am a devoted pantser. I jump in and start writing, and then I’ll keep rewriting until I think the copy shines. My ideas don’t usually come to life until I’m pecking away at my keyboard. That’s when my imagination kicks into gear. The words just flow … or not.

If being a pantser sounds scary to you, believe me, it’s scary for me as well.

The main reason is because I’ve experienced being a successful pantser and a “not-so-successful” pantser. You see, up until recently, I had written short stories, novellas, and flash fiction. I never needed to plan or outline. I saw the entire story laid out in my mind’s eye. All I had to do was get my thoughts on screen.

After I wrote my first novel, I self-edited meticulously before handing the manuscript to my editor. I didn’t want to give her an inferior product because she expected a lot from me, but even after I presented her with what I thought was a pristine draft, she said to me: “I can tell you pants this.”

I cried for about an hour.

I’ve always started writing the moment I had a germ of an idea in my head, and I would allow my imagination to dictate the words. It’s not that I felt this was a more creative approach, but my impatience commanded I write something, anything, by the end of the day. I now know that whatever is not planned in the beginning results in a painful process at the editing stage.

Does plotting mean I will know every detail, every twist and turn of a story before I sit down to write? I doubt it, but what I hope to gain is an idea of my characters, the basic plot points, and the ending.

If you’re a pantser like me, and you’ve thought about moving toward plotting, I’ve outlined what I hope to gain by doing it:

1. Focus on key plotlines only: This is to prevent the plot from becoming too entangled. My attention needs to remain on the conflict between characters. How will they resolve the conflict? How will they grow and change along the way? Too many plotlines can dilute the importance of the main theme of the story.

2. Know my ending: This is important particularly as I’m writing a trilogy. By knowing the ending, I can push my characters toward it even if I change the details of the story along the way.

3. Write faster: My hope is that with an outline, I will know what needs to happen in a chapter and won’t waste a lot of time with false starts and rewrites.

By moving toward plotting, I hope to become a more efficient writer. Will I end up as a die-hard plotter? No. My impatient nature will probably fight me every step of the way, but I’m going to do something I’ve never done before, and that is to consider the pre-writing phase as important as the writing phase.

Wish me luck!

You can find Eden at:

http://www.edenbayleebooks.com

http://edenbaylee.com

Review of Fallen Angel Part 1 by Alisa Anderson, Cameron Skye

Check out our review of Fallen Angel Part 1, by Alisa Anderson, Cameron Skye.

Fallen Angel, tells the story of Jess, a young woman who has fled her hometown in Kansas to escape her abusive father and now after failing so far to to get a break in the big city, is resorting to working in a club as a pole dancer…

Read the full review at my sister site  https://lunaballantyne.wordpress.com