Callum McLaughlin's Blog, page 79

Perspective

A step back from selfish chaos –

Eyes de-glazed of ego

and ears turned to the world.

Review: False Awakening by Callum McLaughlin

callummclaughlin:

The wonderful writer and blogger, Melissa Barker-Simpson, posted a lovely review of my book, False Awakening. Needless to say I’m thrilled with it!

Originally posted on Writing Room 101:

When teenager Abi Watson wakes in a hospital bed with no memory of the incident that put her there, she must begin the long and difficult process of piecing her life back together, but unfortunately, her search for answers will merely give rise to further questions. Frayed relationships and haunting revelations soon come into play, leading Abi to discover that some things are best left forgotten. With a past that is unwilling to let go, her only option is to delve into the depths of her own mind so that she can uncover the truth and finally awaken from her living nightmare.

Review I was highly anticipating this novel. Not only is thriller my favourite genre, I’m a fan of Callum’s work, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it!

The descriptions are wonderful, I was transported from the opening sentence and got completely lost in Abi’s world…

View original 156 more words

Never Give Up

Never give up – You never know when you’ll hit success.

A while back, I wrote a post urging budding writers to take a moment to overlook the often pessimistic view of ‘making it’ and look instead on the bright side for once. As a means of encouragement, I shared a number of examples where well-known books or authors pushed past hardships and rejection to reach the dizzying heights of success. It went down pretty well, and in the interest of spreading a little more positivity, I decided to follow it up with a few more cases.

George Orwell was told that there would not be a market for his now classic book, Animal Farm.
In a rejection letter for one of his books, John le Carré was told he “did not have a future” in writing.
The iconic, world renowned book, The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank was rejected 15 times before a publisher agreed to distribute it.
Dr Seuss was told his work was “too different” to find a place in the market. He went on to become the 9th best-selling author of all time.
The War of the Worlds was described as a “horrid book” but has never been out of publication since it was first released in 1898.
Despite leading a troubled life and battling with ongoing mental illness, Virginia Woolf produced some of the most celebrated works of fiction in the English language.
Rudyard Kipling was told he didn’t know how to use the English language properly. His work, The Jungle Book, is now one of the most recognisable stories of a generation.
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov was rejected by 5 publishers, who feared backlash for its controversial content.
C.S. Lewis was repeatedly rejected for years but persisted regardless. The Chronicles of Narnia became a global phenomenon and has so far been translated into 47 different languages.
Bestselling author James Patterson was turned away by 12 publishers before securing an agent.
Veronica Roth became a best-selling author with the widely popular Divergent trilogy and had already secured a massive multi-movie deal by her early 20s.
The cultural smash hit, Chicken Soup for the Soul, was turned down a whopping 140 times before it was picked up.
A cutting rejection letter claimed The Wind in the Willows would “never sell”. It has since sold more than 25 million copies.
Fearing her work would not be taken seriously, Mary Anne Evans decided to take on a pseudonym. Under her male pen-name, George Eliot, she solidified herself in the literature Hall of Fame, with her novels still discussed and enjoyed hundreds of years later.

There you have it; another glimpse into the lighter side of the seemingly cut-throat world of publishing. Work hard and keep chasing your dreams; success could be right around the corner.

Burned

I could bite my bitter tongue

and spare you my indignation

but this acid aches for freedom.

You burned me with abandon

and I’ll be damned

if I lay defenceless once again,

for I learned my lesson, see,

and have the scars to prove it.

The Afterglow

Is it any wonder the willow weeps and Beauty sleeps?

Monstrous beings masquerade as humble friends

with hollow eyes that fail to see beyond the painted shells.

I think I’d rather blindness too; to live in this sweet ignorance,

for sometimes it’s best to bask in the afterglow of a true joy

than to fester in a pool of twisted lies

that – given a chance – would seep beneath your shield of skin

and make a home of your beating heart.

Puzzle

Like taking wetness from water

or cold from the snow,

the shine from a diamond

or the moon’s splendid glow;

joined by a bond

that serenades in dreams,

an endless union that

flows in streams.

Nothing can separate

this love from my heart -

in the puzzle of life

you’re an integral part.

Book Trailer and Big Thanks

In the wake of the initial launch of my new book, False Awakening, I just want to say a massive thank you to anyone who has helped support me, be it through tweets, re-blogs, posts or purchases. I’m so grateful and feel very lucky to be part of such a wonderful community.

The book now has a short trailer, which you can see above and if anyone else is interested in more info or would like to purchase a copy (paperback or Kindle), you can find it on Goodreads (click here), Amazon UK (click here) or Amazon US (click here).

As for me, I’m humbled by everyone’s generosity and now nervously awaiting the first ratings and reviews to start coming in. I hope you’re all well and coming along nicely with your own writing goals and projects.

Knowledge

I’ll drink up the day

and store it in my heart,

with the greatest of care

to savour every last drop

so I may feast on this beauty

in the driest of droughts;

until such time my eyelids reopen

and my private stream of discovery

can resume its flow.

It’s never enough to quench a worldly thirst,

but the seedlings will flower

in thanks for their generous offerings,

birthing the plushest knowledge -

and with this knowledge comes

my own special bliss.

With an open mind

you could find yours too.

A Gift

Anti-bullying awareness

October is anti-bullying month. The fact we even need to set aside time to raise awareness for this saddens me and this is a topic I could ramble on about for hours, but sometimes simplicity is best. In light of this, all I am going to say is that while bullying may seem to some people like a meaningless or even fun moment of frivolity, the mental scars you give others will never leave them. Never.

Happiness is a wonderful gift; please don’t ever be the one responsible for taking it away from someone else.

Too Late

It starts with the tiniest break

a wandering eye would miss

but this fracture feasts like venom

until it births destruction,

a thousand forgotten fragments

floating into the past;

too small to catch;

too insignificant to remember;

too late to fix.