Lisa Marie Pottgen's Blog, page 23
January 7, 2014
Rabid Reader Ramblings: Barnes and Noble and Their (lack of) Customer Service @nookBN
So, I do these from time to time when a topic really gets to me. I debated long and hard about posting this one but after consulting with several people, several people said that, yes, it is book related and it would fit with the blog. Also, several people I consulted with felt that it was something my readers needed to hear about, as many of my readers have Barnes and Noble devices. So, this is going to be a fairly long rant, and away we go.
As many of you know, I have had a Nook Tablet since before I started this blog and it was one of the things that led to my blogging career. I have been enamored with the device for as long as I have had it. But right now, I am not a happy camper and I don’t know if I will end up acquiring another of there devices in the future.
I had purchased the extended warranty shortly after having acquired my device. I have had to warranty out my device more than once due to an overheating issue. I have also had several problems with the chargers. With my last warranty replacement, I received a refurbished device:
This photo was taken several months ago when I had first received the device. As you can see, the backplate on my Tablet is coming off, and it has been since I received it. I called Customer Service about this and they told me that this was cosmetic and did not affect function so this was not covered. Also, the device has never charged properly, and i have had to use my cell phone charger and charge it with the device off, and after 12 hours of charging, it is not fully charged. With the stock charger, the device does not charge at all.
I have called Barnes and Noble several times about this matter and they have not been able or willing to do anything to help with this. My extended warranty was purchased in February of 2012, so it should have covered my device until February of 2014. Come to find out, anyone who had had a claim against their extended warranty had their warranties voided in August of 2013, or at least this is what I was told by customer service.
Now mind you, when I called, all I wanted was to try to get my charger replaced so that I would be able to use my device properly. I was not looking to replace the device, even though the device I received had been refurbished and had obvious defects. But, they refused to replace the charger, stating that my device was out of warranty (I have had this one less than a year and the manufacturer’s warranty should cover the device for one full year). I then find out because they sent me a refurbished device instead of a new one, the device now is only covered for 90 days, which is in direct conflict with what I was told when I received the device.
So after several minutes of the representative (who had a very thick middle eastern accent and was very difficult to understand) talking to me like I was stupid, I asked for a supervisor, who also was accented and very difficult to understand. This representative after putting me on hold for over an hour in total over several times, informed me that they could not replace the charger, but they would send me a 20 dollar gift card to replace the charger with myself. I was told I should receive that in email in 24-48 hours. This was Friday. It is now Tuesday. This has never materialized.
When I asked the same representative what happens if the charger still does not resolve the charging issue, since they have voided my warranty, I was informed that I would be eligible for an upgrade price to the Nook HD 8 gb device for 125 dollars. Note, I have a 16 gb Nook Tablet, so this would be a downgrade in terms of storage capacity. Also, note that the above-mentioned device currently retails for 129 on Barnes and Noble’s website. How is that a discount and upgrade for a loyal customer who has 2 Nook devices in their home and has spent hundreds upon hundreds of dollars on content?
When I asked to speak to a supervisor, I was told that this gentleman (and I use that term loosely), does not have a supervisor. When I asked him who he reports to, because I know he does not own the company, he informed me that they are not allowed to give out that contact information. So, okay, this is a load of garbage and I am beyond ticked off right now.
Now, I still have not received my gift card to get a new charger. I still am not able to charge my device properly, which means I am not able to use my device properly. I have been using a Just Another Rabid Reader
January 5, 2014
Review of Fanpire: The Twilight Saga and the Women Who Love It by Tanya Erzen
Fanpire: The Twilight Saga and the Women Who Love it by Tanya Erzen
Publisher: Beacon Press
Publication Date: October 30, 2012
Page Count: 185
Where I got it: Publisher Via Edelweiss
Where you can get it: Amazon
How much: List Price 18.00
Format I read it in: e-ARC
Challenges: 2014 Netgalley and Edelweiss Reading Challenge.
Description/Blurb:
An author immerses herself in the frenzied fandom of Twilight, the young-adult vampire romance series that has captivated women of all ages
Twilight, Stephenie Meyer’s young-adult vampire romance series, has captivated women of all ages, from teenagers who swoon over the film adaptations to college-educated women who devour the novels as a guilty pleasure. All told, over 110 million copies of the books have been sold worldwide, with translations into 37 languages, and the movies are some of the highest-grossing of all time. Twilight is a bona fide cultural phenomenon that has inspired a vast and unimaginably fertile fan subculture—the “fanpire,” as the members describe it.
Just what is it about Twilight that has enchanted so many women? Tanya Erzen—herself no stranger to the allure of the series—sets out to explore the irresistible pull of Twilight by immersing herself in the vibrant and diverse world of “Twi-hards,” from Edward-addition groups and “Twi-rock” music to Cullenism, a religion based on the values of Edward’s family of vegetarian vampires. Erzen interviews hundreds of fans online and in person, attends thousand-strong conventions, and watches the film premiere of New Moon with Twilight moms in Utah. Along the way, she joins a tour bus on a pilgrimage to Twilight-inspired sites, struggles through a Bella self-defense class, and surveys the sub-universe of Twilight fan-fiction (including E. L. James’s enormously popular “Master of the Universe” story, the basis for her erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey).
Erzen also takes a deeper look at the appeal of traditional gender roles in a postfeminist era saturated with narratives of girl power. If Twilight’s fantasies of romance and power reflect the fears, insecurities, and longings of the women who love it, the fanpire itself, Erzen shows, offers a space for meaningful bonding, mutual understanding, and friendship.
Part journalistic investigation and part cultural analysis, Fanpire will appeal to obsessed fans, Twilight haters, and bemused onlookers alike.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I don’t generally read and review nonfiction, but as a fan of the Twilight series, I was intrigued and interested in the concept behind this particular work. While I enjoyed the in-depth look at the fandom and the different aspects of it, I felt that the thoughts were a little disjointed. It felt like the author hopped from one subject to another and the transitions could have been a bit smoother. I felt like the timeline was all over the place.
I received an advanced reader copy of this book so I will not comment on the editing of this one.
I felt that the facts were displayed well. it might have been better if the footnotes were accessible by clicking on them in the eBook, but perhaps that was corrected in the final edition.
**DISCLAIMER** In full compliance with FTC Guidelines, I received a copy of this book from the publisher via in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was in no way compensated for this opinion, and the thoughts are my own. Links above will take you to a site where you can PURCHASE a copy. Using those links will take you through an affiliate link and I will receive a small percentage of the purchase cost. You are in no way obligated to use affiliate links and there is no additional cost to do so.
© 2014, Lisa Pottgen. All rights reserved.
Review of Fanpire: The Twilight Saga and the Women Who Love It by Tanya Erzen is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader
January 1, 2014
Bout of Books Goals and Updates #boutofbooks
I want to spend at least 3 hours a day reading during this time around, with the hope that that should help me get a significant dent made in my TBR pile.
My Goals
Read at least 3 hours a day.
Participate in at least 2-3 mini challenges.
Attend at least one Twitter party.
Read at least 5 books.
Books to Read
Forever by Karen Ann Hopkins
Pawn by Aimee Carter
Released by Mia Fox
Sia by Josh Grayson
School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins
Updates
Monday
Number of books I’ve read today:
Total number of books I’ve read:
Books:
© 2014, Lisa Pottgen. All rights reserved.
Bout of Books Goals and Updates #boutofbooks is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader
Bout of Books 9.0 is Almost here!!! #boutofbooks
Wait, you don’t know what Bout of Books is? Well, it’s like this:
For those that don’t know what Bout of Books is… here you go:The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 6th and runs through Sunday, January 12th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 9.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team
I have participated in Bout of Books a couple of times now, and I am looking forward to participating again. This time, it starts on 01/06/14. I had ended 2013 in a bit of a reading slump, so I am looking forward to getting a jump start on 2014 and making a dent in some of my TBR piles.
© 2014, Lisa Pottgen. All rights reserved.
Bout of Books 9.0 is Almost here!!! #boutofbooks is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader
2014 Netgalley and Edelweiss Reading Challenge.
Taken from the host site:
2014 Netgalley & Edelweiss Reading Challenge!Have you ever logged on to Edelweiss or Netgalley with the intention of “Just Looking” and then logging off having requested 5 new titles even though your TBR is a mile long? Inspired by Netgalley November the 2014 Netgalley & Edelweiss Reading Challenge will (hopefully) give you the incentive to tackle your review books, stumble upon new ones, and get your Netgalley percentage to the desired 80%!
Challenge Guidelines
This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2014 – Dec 31, 2014.
Anyone is welcome to join. You do not need to be a blogger, just post your reviews and come back every month to link them up.
Any genre, release date, request date, length, etc. counts so long as it came from Edelweiss or Netgalley.
At the beginning of each month there will be a roundup post for you to add your reviews.
If you forget to link up one month it’s not a problem just add your reviews next month.
If you would like to move up or down levels that is completely fine and at your discretion
Throughout the year there will be giveaways for Challenge participants, make sure to check in regularly and follow this blog so you don’t miss any!
If you have any questions tweet me @FallingForYA or e-mail Emisbookblog@aol.comLevels
Aluminum – 5 books
Bronze – 10 books
Silver – 25 books
Gold – 50 books
Platinum – 75 books
Diamond– 100 books
So, we all know how horribly the last couple of months of 2013 went for me, and I effectively disappeared off the radar, so this is my attempt to get through this massive reading pile I have. On my Kindle, I have wayyyy too many review books, so I am going to go for it with gusto and go for at least the Platinum level. We will see how this goes. Who is going to join along with me?!
© 2014, Lisa Pottgen. All rights reserved.
2014 Netgalley and Edelweiss Reading Challenge. is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader
December 29, 2013
Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Title: Insurgent (Divergent #2)
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: May 1, 2012
Page Count: 544
Where I got it: Barnes and Noble
Where you can get it: Amazon
How much: List Price 17.99, Kindle 6.99
Format I read it in: Nook Ebook
Description/Blurb:
Fighting for survival in a shattered world… the truth is her only hope.
The thrillingly dark sequel to No. 1 New York Times bestseller, DIVERGENT.
I have done bad things. I can’t take them back, and they are part of who I am.
Tris has survived a brutal attack on her former home and family. But she has paid a terrible price. Wracked by grief and guilt, she becomes ever more reckless as she struggles to accept her new future.
Yet if Tris wants to uncover the truth about her world, she must be stronger than ever… because more shocking choices and sacrifices lie ahead.
My Thoughts: ★★★★
I had really been looking forward to reading this as soon as I finished Divergent. These books had sat on my Nook for quite a while, and by the time I read them, I could not figure out what had taken me so long to read them. In case you are not already aware, this is considered dystopian fiction, although there are pieces in it for everyone. It has romance, action, adventure, conflict, and all of the things you look for in an awesome novel.
The books in this series are a little longer than what I usually read and review, and I considered not posting a review of this one because it was not a review request but something I read of my own free will. However, I felt it was a testament to how much I enjoyed it that I devoured the book in just a couple days and immediately had to go on to the next installment of the series.
You see a bit of a rift growing between Tris and Four here. Can they recover from it? Is there an end to the conflict that will brew between them? Will they be able to get through and live happily ever after? You will have to read the book to find out.
Ms. Roth’s use of imagery and description is amazing and I felt like I was there with them running through the streets, battling their enemies and experiencing every bit of the story with the characters. This is a definite must read.
**DISCLAIMER** In full compliance with FTC Guidelines, I reviewed this book of my own free will. I was in no way compensated for this opinion, and the thoughts are my own. Links above will take you to a site where you can PURCHASE a copy. Using those links will take you through an affiliate link and I will receive a small percentage of the purchase cost. You are in no way obligated to use affiliate links and there is no additional cost to do so. Clicking here will take you to more information about the book on Goodreads.
© 2013, Lisa Pottgen. All rights reserved.
Insurgent by Veronica Roth is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader
December 23, 2013
Just Another Rabid Reader Reviews: Divergent by Veronica Roth
Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers
Publication Date: May 3, 2011
Page Count: Print: 501
Where I got: Purchased
Where you can get it: Amazon
How much: List Price 9.99 Kindle 3.99
Format I read it in: Nook Ebook
Description/Blurb:
In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.
Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.
My Thoughts: ★★★★-1/2
It should be a testament to how well written this book is that, with having been unable to read anything new for three months, this is the novel I returned to first. I devoured the words on the page and finished the book in less than 36 hours.
I had actually bought this as a Nook book when Insurgent had first come out, and now I cannot for the life of me figure out why it took me so long to read it. Maybe too many review books to get through, not enough time to read something I wanted to read. But I am so glad that I found my way to it now.
The book is set in a futuristic, dystopian Chicago. Things are different, control and function and order are closely guarded. But there are people not happy with the current balance of power, and they set out to change that.
This novel is full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing and keep you on the edge of your seat, yearning to read the next page and unable to walk away. I found myself with a void after having seen Catching Fire in the movie theater, and this filled that void nicely.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. The author has a firm grasp on imagery and characterization and the characters are instantly both believable and relatable. I look forward to reading the rest of the series. Stay tuned for my review of Insurgent in a few days.
**DISCLAIMER** In full compliance with FTC Guidelines, I purchased and reviewed this book of my own free will. I was in no way compensated for this opinion, and the thoughts are my own. Links above will take you to a site where you can PURCHASE a copy. Using those links will take you through an affiliate link and I will receive a small percentage of the purchase cost. You are in no way obligated to use affiliate links and there is no additional cost to do so. Clicking here will take you to more information about the book on Goodreads.
© 2013, lisapottgen. All rights reserved.
Just Another Rabid Reader Reviews: Divergent by Veronica Roth is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader
Just Another Rabid Reader Returns
Yes, I am still here, still alive, and still reading. I just went through a terrible 3 month reading slump and now am coming out the other side of it. I still read, but I had to do some re-reads, get my head back in the game and get some things in order in my personal life. Now that that is done I am refocused, re-energized, and the content shall flow again. Sorry to those waiting for reviews. I promise I have not forgotten you and I should be getting them up here soon.
© 2013, Lisa Pottgen. All rights reserved.
Just Another Rabid Reader Returns is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader
October 25, 2013
BWRTours Presents: A Review of The Eighth Square #Fayborn
Title: The Eighth Square
Author: J. Aleksandr Wootton
Where I got: Author
Description/Blurb:
Dodging unwelcome encounters with the supernatural is making Petra Godfellow’s freshman year very difficult.
Emissaries from the imprisoned Faerie Queen are looking for her. Members of the Green Kingdom Militia watch her everywhere she goes. Worst of all, servants of James Oberon keep trying to kidnap her. All because they believe that Petra is a direct descendant of Robin the Puck, and therefore endowed with special powers that can help them.
Petra is pretty certain she doesn’t have any special powers. She didn’t know anything about Faerie, or the thousands of Fayborn refugees living in hiding here on earth, until this past summer. She’s still not sure she believes any of it; after all, her aunt, her godfather, and her roommate do seem a bit crazy.
Petra’s friends and family have tried hard to keep her safe so that she can have the ‘normal’ college experience she wants, but the Fayborn seeking her help are getting desperate… (ISBN#9781492860945 print 9781301752799 eBook, 153pp, $9.79 print list, $3.48 eBook list)
PURCHASE AT
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F...
iBooks – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-...
Barnes and Noble – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-e...
Kobo – http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/eboo...
or Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
My Thoughts:
As I was on the team that helped edit this book, I am not going to rate this book as I usually rate them. Instead, you will get comments on the story itself and my overall thoughts on the book.
The Eighth Square picks up where Her Unwelcome Inheritance left off. I had to wait about a year for the second book in this series, and the anticipation was beyond palpable. I thoroughly enjoyed both books, and cannot wait to see what more the author has in store for us in the future.
The characters are well written and believable. Within the pages of this tome, there is at least one character that a reader can connect with and relate to.
I have seen a trend in young adult books to move toward slightly racier text and more violent displays. You will not find that within these pages. This story is clean, while still appealing to a very wide range of demographic.
If you are a fan of young adult, fantasy, fairies, or pretty much anything else, you will find a bit in this book you will enjoy.
PURCHASE AT
or Smashwords
**DISCLAIMER** In full compliance with FTC Guidelines, I received a copy of this book from the author via in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was in no way compensated for this opinion, and the thoughts are my own. Links above will take you to a site where you can PURCHASE a copy. Using those links will take you through an affiliate link and I will receive a small percentage of the purchase cost. You are in no way obligated to use affiliate links and there is no additional cost to do so.
© 2013, lisapottgen. All rights reserved.
BWRTours Presents: A Review of The Eighth Square #Fayborn is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader
October 20, 2013
Just Another Rabid Reader Interviews J. Aleksandr Wootton, #fayborn
What do you do when you are not writing?
In the pie chart of a typical day, my biggest non-writing wedge would be probably be cooking. I really enjoy experimenting with recipes and trying out new food ideas. Two recent experiments are an all-tuber mash (to substitute for boring old mashed potatoes) and ginger-beer roast chicken.
Is there anyone who has influenced/encouraged you to write? Who and how/why?
Yes and no. I wrote my first “book” when I was eight and I’ve been writing ever since. None of my book projects except one, in middle school, were prompted by other people. I write to satisfy an inescapable inner need; the drive and passion are purely my own. (Were that not the case I’d never get anything finished.)
But, on the other hand, I have many friends and a few teachers who have offered me considerable advice, support, constructive criticism, who cautioned me that there is no sure & certain path to success in novel writing but also encouraged me to keep at it. They are my first and favorite audience. Without them, I would not be doing what I’m doing and my craft would not have grown as it has.
Can you give a brief synopsis of your journey to publication with your first piece of fiction?
I published Her Unwelcome Inheritance independently, so the process was actually very straightforward. I researched venues, determined who offered the best terms and produced the highest-quality product, paid very, very careful attention to each venue’s formatting guides, and clicked “upload” when all was ready.
I wouldn’t say I’ve gotten the indie publishing process down to a science yet, but at this point I can take a novel from final draft to for-sale ebook and paperback in a matter of about three weeks. (I do outsource my cover art & design.)
Do you have a day job as well?
Not at the moment, but most of my writing career has been part-time, working around other work. I’ve been a gardener, landscape designer, property manager, international real estate trade association manager, small business entrepreneur, and data entry clerk. Doing what you love is not always compatible with paying the bills.
How did you choose the genre you write in?
I write what I love. For me, genre isn’t a conscious decision: I try to tell the kind of story I want to read. Fantasy is my first and greatest literary love. As an author I’ll probably come back to it again and again, but in my head I have a lot of stories to tell from other genres.
Where do you get your ideas?
I’m hugely inspired by art – every kind of art. I spend a lot of time on deviantART.com, I belong to my local fine arts museum, I love touring architecturally interesting buildings and neighborhoods, walking through woods and mountains (nature’s canvasses) and I’ve grown up attending ballets (I have two ballerina sisters). Visual art often inspires me to respond with words, which is my own artistic medium.
For some reason I also tend to get a lot of ideas while in church. Most of the time they’re totally unrelated to the sermon, so I guess my mind is wandering but it’s very productive!
Do you ever experience writer’s block?
Rarely. Writer’s block typically indicates subconscious stress & distraction, so I can often clear it up by doing a few household chores or taking care of nagging “to-do” list items, then returning to the computer.
Do you work with an outline, or just write?
I outline rigorously – it lets me work out plot snarls and “dead zones” without having written 30,000 words before I come to them. That way, if the best solution to a story arc problem involves changing the earlier parts of the book, I can do that without feeling the reluctance of having to scrap writing that I’ve put a lot of time into.
If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting it published that you would change?
I put my first book, Her Unwelcome Inheritance, on Amazon’s KDP Select program (the program that lets Amazon Prime subscribers borrow one book per month and pays authors a small fee whenever their book gets borrowed). It was only a 90-day experiment but turned out to be a big mistake. To find out more about KDP Select and why you shouldn’t use it, read this conversation thread.
How do you market your work? What avenues have you found to work best for your genre?
Indie book marketing is a huge topic, mainly because there’s no recipe for success. If I ever figure it out I’ll let you know, but in the meantime, I encourage you to follow my blog to read about my ongoing marketing ideas, experiments, research, and ever-evolving approach.
A really high-level summary of successful indie book marketing might be that it’s all about raising the odds of reader discovery. Do that well, and you’ve got a good shot at getting widespread attention. How to do it varies widely based on your book’s target audience.
Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?
Even in the weirdest and wildest of speculative fiction, practically everything is based on real-life experience. Some of that experience will be the author’s own, and some will be vicarious experience derived through research and observation and ordinary friendship.
All the imaginative elements in fantasy and sci-fi are trying to get you to notice the everyday world in a new way – like the emerald sunglasses that make Oz’s capital city look green. G.K. Chesterton wrote that fairytales “make rivers run with wine only to make us remember, for one wild moment, that they really run with water.” (Orthodoxy)
How did you come up with the title for your current novel?
The Eighth Square is a reference to Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass, the sequel to Alice in Wonderland. In an early chapter Alice meets the Red Queen (not the Queen of Hearts, wrong book!) who explains that Looking-Glass World is laid out like a chess-board. “In the eighth square,” the Queen promises, “we shall be queens together, and then it’s all feasting and fun!”
What project are you working on now? Will you have a new book coming out soon?
Next up is the conclusion of the Fayborn trilogy, A First or Final Mischief. I’ve got a little bit of outlining work left to do, and then the actual writing can begin. I’m hoping to release it sometime in 2014.
However, I do have another book coming out in November – a collection of original poems titled Forgetting. You can find out more at my website, www.jackwootton.com.
Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with?
A number of characters from the Fayborn “supporting cast” will likely get some further attention, especially in short fiction. Some of them already have: you can read Niata’s Garden (written before I even started outlining Her Unwelcome Inheritance) on my blog right now.
Once the initial Fayborn trilogy is completed, I plan to hop genres over to steampunk. I’ve been mentally slow-brewing an alternative history set in the Australian penal colony that I’m pretty excited about. That’s likely to be my next long-fiction project.
What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?
I learned to outline from Ian Caldwell (author of The Rule of Four). I spent what felt like my whole first semester of a one-year novel writing course with him saying “your outline is not ready, revise it and write it again.” At times it was extremely frustrating, but once I realized that I needed to give up my preconceptions about the story I was telling the plot for that particular project got a lot stronger.
The best compliments I get are often on my nonfiction pieces, essays where a particular phrase or paragraph is exactly what one of my readers feels, or has always wanted to say, but didn’t quite have the words. I’m not sure a writer can receive a better compliment than that. In particular, Truth About Beauty and On the Supposed Unsuitability of Fairytales for Children have resonated with readers the most so far.
Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?
THE most important things are: Keep Reading & Keep Writing. Practice makes progress (don’t know about “perfect”, I’m certainly not there yet!), and someone told me years ago that “an author is only as good as the authors he or she reads.” So read good writers and try to figure out what makes their books so good. It’s tricky; the better the author, the better disguised their technique tends to be.
I would suggest reading Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maas – the title is corny but the book is solid, and it will help you pick up on how good writers work their magic.
Also, Orson Scott Card (the guy who wrote Ender’s Game) has a book called How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy which is quite good on how to write exposition (the trickiest part of all fiction writing).
Best of luck, and KEEP WRITING!
J. Aleksandr Wootton is the author of the Fayborn novel series for young adults, and of a poetry collection titled Forgetting, due out November 2013. You can contact him or find out more at his website, www.jackwootton.com.
MEET J ALEKSANDR WOOTON:
J. Aleksandr Wootton is the author of the Fayborn novel series and a miscellany of other writings, many of which are available on various sites around the web.
He is also professor of folklore at Lightfoot College. His research focuses mainly on post-war Faerie, and on accounts of meetings between humans and sojourning fay.
He enjoys cooking, gardening, and long conversations accompanied by a well-brewed pint.
Jack’s Website – http://www.jackwootton.com
Twitter – https://twitter.com/mr_wootton
Gooreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6155159.J_Aleksandr_Wootton
Fayborn Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/HerUnwelcomeInheritance
ABOUTHE FAYBORN BOOKS
HER UNWELCOME INHERITANCE (book1)
Jason M. Smith (July 30, 2012)
Petra Godfellow is ready – a little nervous, but ready – to grow up and leave home. She doesn’t know the family secret – about the man who loved her mother, who never could accept that it was over between them…
….who’s crazy enough to believe that he’s the king of Faerie.
As Petra begins her first semester at Lightfoot College, she’ll be forced to navigate her own doubts when people she respects reveal their beliefs in the absurd and impossible. She’ll be stalked by the supernatural, asked to bargain with unfriendly powers for the fate of another world.
And it’s not just her future that’s in danger – it’s her mother, her aunt, her best friend – and thousands of refugees from a centuries-old civil war in Faerie who are tired of staying in hiding… (ISBN#9781491291009 Print 9781301949687 eBook, 178pp, $9.99 print list, $3.74 eBook list)
PURCHASE AT
iBooks – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/her-unwelcome-inheritance/id685748885
Barnes and Noble – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/her-unwelcome-inheritance-j-aleksandr-wootton/1112327956?ean=2940014931625
Kobo – http://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/books/her-unwelcome-inheritance/7bnedDR67kCzlvGYoQKPUg
or Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/343707?ref=BWRTours
THE EIGHTH SQUARE (book 2)
J Aleksandr Wootton (Sep. 25, 2013)
Dodging unwelcome encounters with the supernatural is making Petra Godfellow’s freshman year very difficult.
Emissaries from the imprisoned Faerie Queen are looking for her. Members of the Green Kingdom Militia watch her everywhere she goes. Worst of all, servants of James Oberon keep trying to kidnap her. All because they believe that Petra is a direct descendant of Robin the Puck, and therefore endowed with special powers that can help them.
Petra is pretty certain she doesn’t have any special powers. She didn’t know anything about Faerie, or the thousands of Fayborn refugees living in hiding here on earth, until this past summer. She’s still not sure she believes any of it; after all, her aunt, her godfather, and her roommate do seem a bit crazy.
Petra’s friends and family have tried hard to keep her safe so that she can have the ‘normal’ college experience she wants, but the Fayborn seeking her help are getting desperate… (ISBN#9781492860945 print 9781301752799 eBook, 153pp, $9.79 print list, $3.48 eBook list)
PURCHASE AT
iBooks – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-eighth-square/id721016222?mt=11
Barnes and Noble – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-eighth-square-j-aleksandr-wootton/1116990977?ean=9781492860945
Kobo – http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-eighth-square-1
or Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/361263?ref=BWRTours
© 2013, lisapottgen. All rights reserved.
Just Another Rabid Reader Interviews J. Aleksandr Wootton, #fayborn is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader
