Ingrid Hall's Blog, page 35

Win an E copy of The Slayer by Grey Wolf…

Morning everyone!

To celebrate Tommy Clark’s great interview with Grey Wolf, we are giving away an E copy of The Slayer by Grey Wolf to one lucky winner!

For your chance of winning, you need to hop over to the indie and proud Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/indieandproud  and follow the instructions there for entry… (Please like our page while you are there if you haven’t already done so!)

Review of Emily-Rose’s Day At The Farm by Simone Da Costa

Simone Da Costa describes herself as a woman of God, creative writer, author, freelance writer and creative designer.  She is the business owner of Da Costa’s Empire Publishing. She is a born-again Christian and says she is  passionate about the things of the Creator and does her best to put God first in all and everything she does.

Emily Rose’s Day At The Farm is a gorgeous little book aimed at preschoolers.  The story is beautifully told as Emily enjoys a precious day feeding the animals on her Grandma’s Farm.  Grandma keeps calling the animals “rambunctious” and by the end of the story Emily has learned the meaning of the word.

I will admit that I found “rambunctious” a curious word to be drilling into such young children as I would have thought there were easier and more pressing words for them to learn, nevertheless, the relationship between Grandma and Emily is lovely and the animals suitably rambunctious…

The book is well written apart from one small error where the author accidentally slips from past into present tense.  Because it was an advance review copy that I received, the author may well have rectified this issue by now, and I wouldn’t normally pick up on just one error in a review, however because this book is aimed at young children then it is critical that it is error free.

All in all though, this is a charming little book which would make a wonderful addition to any young child’s library.  It also has the added bonus of a couple of interactive puzzles at the end, to keep young minds working hard.

 

January Special Offer…Free Trial of “The Half-Way Editing House!”

Hey everyone,

Just to let you all know that for the remainder of January, I am inviting you all to sample the benefits of my brand new Half-Way Editing House, for FREE!

Here’s how it works:

The Half-Way Editing House is a Pay As You Go Service aimed at providing those authors who cannot afford the full services of an editor with some editorial support prior to publication.  My normal rates are  £4.00 ($6.58) per 1000 words, however until January 31st I will provide an assessment of the first 2000 words of your manuscript totally FREE OF CHARGE. 

If you like what you see then we can continue on a Pay As You Go basis. My initial assessment will include:

Credibility of your characters

Plot

Dialogue

General Writing Skills and Sentence Structure

To take advantage of this incredible offer, simply email the first 2000 words of your manuscript as well as a synopsis of the rest of the book to ingrid@grannyirene.com and I will get back to you.  Remember, this offer ends on 31st January 2014.

You can find further details about The Half-Way Editing House as well as some other great services in the Pay As You Go Marketing tab at the top of this blog!

Love 

Ingrid xxx

Coming soon…The Tunnel Betwixt…

Have you ever wondered what happens when you die? Where you go?

Twenty six year old Julia Fletcher has never given it more than a passing thought until a tragic accident sends her soul hurtling out of her body and into the tunnel that many of us go through after death.

Confused and desperate for answers, Julia embarks upon an incredible journey of self- discovery as grieving for those that she has left behind she sets out to discover just “why” she has died before her time:  a journey which sees her not only reunited with her dead brother and emotionally fractured aunt but also waging war upon the person responsible for her accident as she struggles to deal with her conflicting emotions.

Julia eventually discovers that her only hope of returning to those that she loves is to rescue her aunt from the clutches of Hades and prevent him from using the tunnel betwixt the worlds as a means of launching a deadly attack upon the mortal world and so joining forces with Boudicca, Joan of Arc and the fearsome Tru’ng sisters from Vietnam, the “Battle for the Bomb Factory” begins…

The Tunnel Betwixt is one of many gateways to the afterlife. Dare you take a deep breath and step into the swirling, indigo mists and follow the twisting, winding tunnel to places that you have never been? A world where water nymphs mingle freely with ancient Roman soldiers: a world filled with magic and mystery. If so, let your journey begin!

If you are interested in reviewing THE TUNNEL BETWIXT… for your blog, simply let me know!

Love Ingrid xxx

Book Reviews

Hey everyone

Time I think for another update on the book reviews as I am getting a lot of chaser requests and disgruntled emails from people who haven’t had their books reviewed…

I have never made any bones about the fact our list is long and we don’t always review in the sequence that titles are received in, however I do keep a meticulous list and the majority of books, unless they are extremely badly written will be reviewed in due course.

We do all have other commitments outside of the book reviewing which when all is said and done is a FREE service which we are providing to indie authors, and we do all have to put food on our own tables by other means.  I don’t want to close the list until we catch up as that would mean some great books would end up not getting reviewed.  I just ask for your patience and understanding.  Please don’t think that just because you sent your request a few months ago that we have decided not to review it, or that we hate it, it’s simply a case of we HAVEN’T HAD TIME TO GET TO IT.

I am happy for everyone to keep sending their books as outlined in our guidelines here.  Please though, don’t chase me, or get upset with me if we haven’t reviewed it within a certain timescale as from now on I am setting an infinite timescale…

Love Ingrid xxx

Would you like your work included in a new Anthology?

Hey everyone, 

It’s Indie and Proud time again! Would you like your work (Poetry or Prose) included in a new anthology? The Writer’s Drawer is an amazing concept aimed at providing support to writers who are maybe a little insecure and need that little extra nurturing. Check out Beryl Belsky’s fab guest post over at J.D. Miller’s blog http://ladyofkaos.wordpress.com

For all the latest news, competitions and giveaways etc please also hop over and like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/indieandproud

Love Ingrid xxx

The Tunnel Betwixt…Cover Reveal!

Hey, 

So excited to be able to finally reveal my cover for The Tunnel Betwixt…Let me know what you think! The book should be available within the next two weeks, so watch this space!

Love Ingrid xxx

Review of Fourteen Pages by James Fant

James Fant is the author of inspirational romance and suspense.  He lives in South Carolina and his books include: Fourteen Pages, An Ode for Orchids and Close the Door.

Fourteen pages, tells the story of Marco and Venice Goldsmith, a young couple who have at the start of the book been married barely three months and are already on the brink of divorce.  Desperate to save their marriage they attend a Marriage Seminar and attend a motivational workshop and afterwards the speaker suggests that they might benefit from drawing up a contract.  A step by step agreement specifying certain rules that must be adhered to in order that they both get what they want out of the marriage…

I was initially a little taken aback by the premise of this novel: The fourteen pages refers to the number of pages in the contract that they agree upon together and then sign and call me cynical but  I was also a little dubious about why, given how Marco and Venice have had a whirlwind romance they would even want to attempt to save their marriage? Both are extremely successful at what they do, so on the face of it I thought, wouldn’t they just cut their losses and move on? However the more I started reading, the more intrigued I became because it becomes apparent that in spite of their numerous flaws; in spite of their pettiness and sheer selfishness at times, this couple had a deep and intrinsic respect for the sanctity of marriage:  A respect which I share and so I had immediate empathy for their plight.

As you would expect, both Venice and Marco test the terms and conditions that they have signed up for to  the limit and this makes for some at times hilarious, at times emotional reading.  They both try their best to do things that they hate to please the other because it is in the contract and they both accept the consequences when they fall short.  Clearly a contract of this nature would be a deeply personal thing between both parties and I was left speechless at some of the things that were so important to them, but then I guess that’s the whole point.  Everyone is different and unless you spell things out then how is anyone to know?

The story ticks along at a nice steady pace, dramas occur which make them understand just how much the other one means to them and the agreement comes suitably unstuck before everything gets resolved and you have the picture postcard happy ending.

The characters are well written, I struggled initially with Venice as to be honest she comes across as a real pain in the backside, however I think this is possibly down to the fact that the story is told primarily from a male point of view and while Venice is probably an acquired taste, the relationship between Marco and his brother Benjamin is exceptional.  The local dialect comes through beautifully in the dialogue and I really enjoyed this element of the book.

Overall this is a thoroughly enjoyable, easy read with some good strong values and whilst I am definitely team marriage, I think the principles of figuring out what is important to each other and working at things when they go wrong could just as easily be applied to those couples that are living together as well as to married couples.

You can find more about the author and his work at:

https://www.facebook.com/JamesFantBooks

Review of Valley of Saint Anne by Dave Gioia

Dave Gioia lives and writes in Southern California, the setting for both his debut novel, VALLEY OF SAINT ANNE, and second novel, HIMBA POND DANCE. The atmosphere, landscape, landmarks, politics and culture of the place inform both of these novels but the subjects they deal with are universal. Dave’s novels are character-driven stories about contemporary life that explore relationships between people of all ages.  Dave also reviews books for this blog…

AMAZON DESCRIPTION:

Deirdre Beyer, 12, is inspired to keep a diary when she reads Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl. Dee Dee writes faithfully to Anne as Anne did to her imaginary friend Kitty and her diary entries reveal an inquisitive and insightful young mind as she shares the happenings in her life: Changes in her body and her growing curiosity about sex; her first encounter with a boy; her father’s tragic death; her mother’s loneliness; her desire to have a Quinceañera; and the confidence and courage she gains learning to surf. Dee Dee’s character is central to the novel and its moral compass. Her coming of age story is one of many stories in this novel set in Southern California that deals with subjects ranging from adoption, alcoholism and incest to drug trafficking and undocumented immigrants.

REVIEW BY INGRID HALL

I don’t normally include the Amazon description in my reviews, however out of respect to Dave, who firmly believes that they should be included I have chosen to on this occasion…Chronicling the lives of several of the residents of the Valley of Saint Anne (Orange County, California) this is a long and at times disturbing read.  Initially, Lenora was scheduled to read and review this book however after reading the first few pages she sent me a hysterical “OMG, not only is it contemporary but it’s my arch nemesis “present tense” text message”  and I agreed to take it from her as we both agreed that because of her aversion to all things present tense she would struggle to give it a fair review and  I am incredibly pleased that I did!

The style that the author writes in is unusual and  it’s fair to say that I have never come across anything quite like it. The way he flicks from present to past tense and then back again did initially take some getting used to, as did the constant shifting of viewpoint which at first I found incredibly unsettling and distracting. However, once I got beyond the first few chapters I quickly forgot about the style and just absorbed it which  I think is testament to the author’s skill as a writer,  because trust me, not many people could get away with this!

One thing that shone through in this book is just how good the author is at creating highly complex and  incredibly dysfunctional characters.  Every possible human emotion is covered in his portrayal of daily life in Valley of Saint Anne and I found myself wrapped up in all of their lives, my mind frantically whirring as I tried to figure out how each of their stories would unfold.  I think it’s great how even though they all have individual stories to tell, each of the characters and their sub plots interlock and this is all tied up neatly in the epilogue.  My only caveat with this is that I do think the book would have been even better had the author cut out a few of the characters because at times there are quite large gaps in between the author putting one character down and then picking back up on them again.  I particularly found this to be the case with Rita whom I absolutely loved from the moment she pitched up in the story and who in my opinion was definitely underused.  I am also slightly surprised that the author seems to have chosen to make this a stand alone book as a series would definitely have been warranted.

The character of Dee Dee is beautifully written and integral to the whole book.  She is a perfect, innocent antidote to the more sinister and emotionally flawed characters in the book and her letters to Anne Frank had me in stitches!

The themes throughout are dark and gritty. This is not a light read and I guess some people may be repulsed by the actions of some of the characters, however while I found myself grimacing at times, I was sufficiently engaged in the characters and the story not to be turned off.  (See the “breath play” prostitution scenes!) The author’s love of erotica shone through in this novel and while I think that maybe there could have been slightly fewer female masturbation scenes, for a first novel he was incredibly bold! Also, for all that I didn’t agree with their reactions and their choices, I thought the way he portrayed several of the women’s responses to their husband’s infidelity thought provoking and possibly more realistic than I would like to think!

Most of the major issues are tackled if not full on, then incredibly well. My only caveat to that being the incest sub plots because without giving too much away, I thought the one involving Amber was glossed over too much and the other absolute shock one was just too freaky for my liking in terms of the way in which it was resolved.

To sum up, Dave Gioia has written a vast, dramatic, incredibly bold and at times utterly shocking debut novel and I  cannot wait to get my hands on Himba Pond Dance. 

You can find more about Dave Gioia and his work at http://www.davegioia.com

Indie and Proud…

Hey everyone,

It’s Indie and Proud time again! Make sure you show these incredible authors some love by hopping on over to D.Z.C’s blog and reading the feature on author of Fraud at Snowfields, Daniel Klock.  Christmas may well be gone however this book is timeless and winter is still well and truly with us!

 http://www.dzc-books.co.uk/#!xmas-special/c4rv

In case you missed it you can also find Lenora’s review of Fraud at Snowfields here. You can also catch up all on the latest news, competitions etc at our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/indieandproud