Tim Learn's Blog, page 12
September 29, 2016
Chewy Noh and the Legends of Spring
You’ve never heard of Chewy Noh? Well, at first, when he came, we thought nothing of him. He did well on tests, but so what? Even after his mom got sick, nobody paid attention. That is until the great gym fire.
Afterwards, no one could say for sure it was because of Chewy, but we all thought it. And then kids started getting sick. And the school bully went missing. And finally, a body turned up in his house—his mom’s! The strangest thing of all was he was nowhere to be found.
Some say he ran off. Others say he still wanders the night. Either way, for the past fifteen years, his house has sat silent…until now.
So if something strange moans beneath your bed or a shadow slinks out of your closet, don’t go looking. It could just be the legend of Chewy Noh—back for revenge!
On Sale Now!—Amazon
September 28, 2016
Have Trouble with Grammar Nazis?
To Beat A Grammarian: A Book to Help Editing (and keep grammar Nazis off your back)
If you’ve ever had problems with picky readers that tear your self-published book apart, this book is for you. When I got my first reviews on the first Chewy Noh, ripped into the syntax mistakes and more. So I decided to never let it happen again, and collect as much info as possible. Now it’s in one easy to read book that you can buy below. Check it out!
September 27, 2016
Chewy Noh–The Series
Chewy Noh: The Series
The first four books are now out and ready to read. Join the already many readers who have loved Chewy and the trouble he gets into.
Chewy Noh should be happy. He has a best friend like no other and by using his secret abilities, has found a way to connect Korea and America forever to keep him.
Unfortunately, none of this matters after Death’s messenger comes to tell him that he has one week left to live!
In the end, if Chewy doesn’t learn how to change, Death might just come out on top.
Book 5: Chewy Noh and the Jamais Vu
Coming Soon!!!!!
September 26, 2016
Top Three Series I Won’t Finish
Top Three Series I Won’t Be Continuing
The one thing anyone loves—I’m sure—is an awesome series, especially if it’s already fully written and you can just keep jumping from one book to the next. I’m reminiscent of series like Harry Potter, The Millennium Trilogy, and more. But every so often you read the first installment and—ugh—you don’t ever want to see the other books again. Here are my top three:
1) The Chaos Walking Trilogy
I read the first book and…couldn’t stand it. Despite the premise being interesting and kind of unique in many ways, the rest of it was predictable and lackluster. Even the point when most other readers said they cried and were scarred for life (a side character’s death) I was barely moved. Most of the book was just running away with a slight reveal at the end of what really was far too long a book with such little real story and too many plot holes. I advise many to avoid this whole series.
2) Darker Side of Magic Series
This series hasn’t been finished yet—I think the last installment is coming out soon—but I won’t be touching it. The writing was unbearably bad. Every chapter repeated things from chapters before. It got so bad that I began to skim which I usually don’t do for traditionally published books, which tells you how bad it actually was. On top of that, the characters were mind-numbingly flat and dull, and none of the surprises got me. In fact, I already predicted what would happen in the upcoming books, so…I don’t need to read them. Sweet!
3) Miss Peregrine’s School of Peculiar Children
I had really high hopes for this one. All the hoopla around it promised a good read that I really wanted to translate into a good series, but unfortunately, nope! The beginning seemed okay and interesting, and at first the writing was pretty good. Then came the middle part: dead! As soon as they got to the island where these kids are, it dragged and just seemed like scene after scene of situation built to show off their varied powers. Then you finally find out what the main character’s power is and the baddies in the book, and I just couldn’t take it. Again, it felt like a kid wrote the ending. Huge disappointment!
All in all, I’m willing to give an author a try, but for these series—whoo!—they sucked.
September 15, 2016
To Beat A Grammarian
To Beat a Grammarian
My anti-grammar Nazi book had finally been compiled, and as of today, will are released. It is a compilation of many of the things I’ve learned over the past year and a half while writing the Chewy Noh series. In the beginning, a lot of people comment on the poor editing and grammar in my first book, and since then I’ve gotten very little similar comments. In fact, some have praised my near perfect copies, so it’s been quite a turnaround. After about a week or so, I plan on putting the book on perma-free so that anyone who needs some similar advice can use it.
Check it out here.
Thanks!
September 13, 2016
Chewy Noh Three is Free!!!!
In honor of the last two Chewys coming out, I’ve decided to make Chewy Noh and the March of Death free starting this Wednesday. So please pick up an e-copy at this link.
September 12, 2016
Chewy 4
It has been a long time coming, but I’ve finally decided to release the fourth book in the Chewy series. It was hard for me to do so, not because of the writing or the work that took to complete it. More so, it was because of a few events that have happened since the release of the third one.
First off, book three didn’t seem to garner as much attention or good reviews as the second one. I fully understood why the first one had its middling ratings, and so when the second came out, I was happy to see an upshot of opinion. Unfortunately, even though I worked even harder and got much better feedback from beta-readers for books three, somehow it sank. And so did I.
What further pushed me in this direction was, ironically, a blog post that pretty much dashed any reason to have a blog if you intend to be a writer. It, in no uncertainty, declared that blogging and or sharing things on blog will not help any of the goals I wished to accomplish. And so I grew stagnant…on this forum, at least. I have been productive elsewhere–writing and finishing three more books (tw0 of which are the final Chewys.)
So here is Chewy Noh and the Legends of Spring.
I will release the final installment shortly. Most likely in a day or two.
Thanks.
September 1, 2016
August Wrap UP
End of August Review
The break is over with. The semester has started…but I’m not sure what’s to come of it, yet. I hope something will pop up soon. Despite that malaise, I’ve been productive.
Books Read and/or Reviewed
Tossing myself into my current project, I didn’t do as much reading as I would have liked, but I got a bit done early on in the month, followed by a rush of graphic novels at the end, so all in all, I almost evened out to a normal month.
First off, I read the new Harry Potter, the claimed book 8 of the series. It was a fantastic, short read as it is in play form. I know this threw some off of it, but I’ve read many plays and I enjoy the lightness and speed of it. Though it was not as great as ‘the canon,’ it was enjoyable. Most of all, I think readers have to go in picturing it as a play to understand how fun it could be.
Secondly, I read the much-hyped ‘Hymn of a Tiger Mom.’ Living in Asia, it was interesting to see how she got reactions from other Americans. That being said, I agree with a lot of what she said, and above all, though some Americans think she’s too strict, the thing to take away from the book is that for every grueling hour she made her daughters practice on their respective instruments, she was right there beside them. You want good kids—put in the time.
Then there’s ‘The Stranger.’ This was a reread for my students, but I’d have to say I got much more out of it this time around than when I read it in university. This is probably due to not knowing much about existentialism or the absurd then, but I enjoyed it and was surprised at how well it stood up. Other books I’ve enjoyed haven’t always passed the test. Meursault is still an odd duck, but one very relatable—for me, at least.
Then, graphic novels. My wife read all of them as well and we concurred in which order these books should be ranked, the first being, ‘Anya’s Ghost.’ The thing we liked about it was a) there was story; and b) the drawings were unique and good. It’s dark and scary and has a Russian twist to it, so I think most readers would at least have fun with it. Next in line would be ‘That One Summer.’ Although both my wife and I agreed that the art here was the best—sometimes overwhelmingly good—ultimately the story was weak and very ‘what-you-expect’ from a young adult graphic novel. In other words, not much story, though I tried to explain to her that it was coming-of-age. Last, ‘Roller Girl’ was fun, colorful, and cute….but the story was nothing new. Friends fight, the protagonist finds new things to do, and we have something new to experience—here roller derby. Frankly, ‘Smile’ is a much better version of this book.
Last, I finally got my hands on a copy of Louis Sachar’s new book, ‘Fuzzy Mud.’ If you’re expecting a ‘Holes-like’ experience, you will be disappointed. First off, it’s a measly 180 pages or so. Second, the story isn’t nearly as complex or intricate. However, that being said, the book grabs you from the beginning and pulls you into it long enough that by the time it lags, you should only be about thirty pages or so from finishing. Not his best, but not his worst either.
Book Reviews Received
Another dead month, which only adds to the aforementioned malaise.
Progress on 2016 goals
Finish Chewy 5: Done!
Read ‘The Recognitions’: Done!
Compiling my Editing book: TBA
Finish ‘All the Things in the Unknown World’: This month has been my most productive yet. My first month I did a little shy of 25,000 words, which wowed me. Then I matched it with my second month, totaling at 50,000. But this month I dropped 40,000 words, coming up with 90,000 all in all. And…I still have a slight chapter to finish. With any luck, I’ll be complete by the end of next month and have another item crossed off.
Next Month’s Agenda
Finish task four. Complete more reading. I want to add a new, difficult book to the above list. And all in all, I want some gusto back when it comes to all of this.
August 2, 2016
End of July
End of July Review
July is done. Nothing more to say.
Books Read and/or Reviewed
I’ve completely petered out on my indie book reviews. I hope with the beginning of the next school semester I’ll be able to start off better. So far, not so good, though. I did read however, despite the meager amounts done.
The first book I complete was the non-fiction Sway. I was hoping for something in the way of Malcolm Gladwell and any one of his books. Unfortunately, it was a bit dry and lackluster. Some of the stories were unknown and interesting, but like Gladwell’s earlier books, they lacked focus and self-control. Maybe I’ll try this book’s authors again. I don’t know.
The second was The Golden Compass. I struggled through this overly wrought, too highly acclaimed book. The characters weren’t that amazing and things were to haphazardly put together, not to mention the idea of another child linked to a prophetic story. I know this predates Harry Potter but still some moments are so abstruse only to be followed by weak childlike writing, I couldn’t get into it. The most intriguing things were the daemons and even that was sparse and far between.
The third book was 69. This book was a delight. Not only was the voice unique, but it was highly entertaining and gave a view of post-war Japan in a tiny town that was fun. The main character is not admirable, and that was fine. Only after reading did I find out it was autobiographical. Definitely will check out other of his stuff, especially after discovering he also wrote the terrifying movie/book ‘Audition.’
The fourth book was a reread for class, Wuthering Heights. It was just as good as the first time, but I’m still at a lost for what would drive some people to be so horrible, or why any one would idolize characters from this story. It feels so soap opera-y, but maybe that’s just me.
And lastly, Me Talk Pretty One Day. Another re-read. It was funny and I completely forgot how crazy the Sedaris family can be. My students loved it, despite the occasional swear word and the reference to homosexuality. A must read.
Book Reviews Received
Nothing here to talk about.
Progress on 2016 goals
Finish Chewy 5: Done!
Read ‘The Recognitions’: Done!
Compiling my Editing book: TBA
Finish ‘All the Things in the Unknown World’: Last month, I was at roughly 30,000 words, now I’m well over 50,000. The thing is: the more I write, the more comes up. This story doesn’t seem to be short. In fact, it may beat out my highest number with the Chewy series. This is the book I hope to shop around.
Next Month’s Agenda
I hope to have some charge back for next month. If anything, I just want to finish my next book and get it ready to send out.
June 28, 2016
June Wrap of Up
End of June Review
June is done. I’ve accomplished a lot and had a lot of stress along the way, coinciding with the end of the academic semester. Mostly, I’m happy to get some big things out of the way despite some certain failures.
Books Read and/or Reviewed
My reviews of independent books this month are a little dry. I don’t know what happened, but somewhere, mid-month, my energy to charge through these poorly structured and written tomes just broke. Usually I find one here and there that is good enough to keep me going. So far this year, I’ve found none. The one I did review this month is Root Bound. Many recommended it, but overall it was a waste of time.
As for my regular reading, in the beginning of the month I got on a strong graphic novel kick, busting out four in a row. Most of the time it was just coincidence that I found myself with free time and the only thing available were these books. The first one was Skim. I thought the key elements in the novel were well-played, not to mention the dynamic art. Overall, though, the depressive main character and sort of unresolved ending left me feeling less than pleased, but that’s not to say it was bad. It just felt too teenager-like, and who wants to be reminded of being a teenager that well? The second one was American Born Chinese. This book was creative, with myths and side stories that eventually all came together. Although the end didn’t knock my socks off, it was a fun read.
The third graphic novel in my kick was El Deafo, a true story about the author and her hardships with being deaf. The winning factor in this book was the drawings. She replaced herself and the others in her life with bunnies and it did well. Overall, though, the story was flat. I was expecting something like Smile, which if you haven’t read, will make this book better. Lastly, I found a used copy of Persepolis. I saw the movie years ago and wasn’t impressed, but the book is far better (like always.) Her autobiographical account of growing up in war-torn Iran is amazing and stifling. By the end, you can see why the author doesn’t belong in that country.
Besides graphic novels, I read the Booker Prize winner, Han Kang’s Vegetarian. It is shocking and unsettling in all the good ways. Most of all, it has you do the dirty work of figuring out what it means. I expect there to be many theories out there in the future to this slim, little gem. Next, I tackled another Asian classic, Snow Country. Being unbelievably subtle—like Japanese people tend to be—this book explores the relationship between a countryside geisha and a rich Tokyo man. Another tiny, fast read, but in the end, not as great. It felt like those ink bamboo drawings—a lot of blank space.
Finally, I read a book I’ve wanted to tackle for a long time: Alice Walker’s The Color Purple. I’ve read countless essays by this master and have always been astounded, but for some reason never got around to this book until now. There is a clear reason why it is a classic. The characters are dynamic and even though there are soap opera like ups and downs, in no way does that define the store. It is amazing. And lastly, I have complete the daunting task of reading Williams Gaddis’ Recognitions. This beast was huge and very quickly after starting you are hit with the theme of things not being what they should be. Many have compared it to Gides’ Counterfeiters not only in size but message, but here is where I feel most are wrong. Gide was using it to justify a new, different way of living—almost carpe diemesque, while Gaddis’ tome clearly points to how all humans struggle to find something real, something original. It was majestic.
Book Reviews Received
Meredith over @mezzalilysteenbookreviews gave my one and only Chewy review this month. It seems despite me trying to get the book out there, not only are the reviews momentum dying out, so am I. Meredith did an amazing review, nonetheless. Check it out, here.
Progress on 2016 goals
Finish Chewy 5: Done!
Read ‘The Recognitions’: Done!
Compiling my Editing book: Sadly…still in the works.
Finish my new unnamed work: Suddenly mid-month, I jumped into a new writing project. It is my new goal to finish it before the summer’s up. Right now, I’m about 30,000 words in and hope to be around 80,000 by September.
Next Month’s Agenda
I want to work hard on the new project while possibly tackling others. I will try to get one or two of my promised but yet unfinished indie book reviews posted. Otherwise, I’d have to say July will most likely be a replay of June. I started this blog over a year ago to promote Chewy, but have lost a lot of my gusto. I hope with a summer break it will come back.
