Val Tobin's Blog, page 32

Character Archetypes Part One: The Ego Types

Character Archetypes: The Ego Types. Character development. Understand different character types & their unique traits to build characters and conflict.

Source: Character Archetypes Part One: The Ego Types

As Promised – First bit of Henchmen 3

dernhelm6:

From one of Eric Lahti’s fabulous tales.

Originally posted on Eric Lahti:

Raw and uncut, but sets the stage for Henchmen 3.

There’s a girl screaming and begging at the bottom of the gully.  She’s buried up to her neck in the sand and our parent star hasn’t been kind to her.  By my estimation, and bear in mind I’m no expert at burying women in the sand, she’s been there at least since yesterday.  Her face is red and her eyes are sunken.  Heat exhaustion is a hell of a way to go.  At least they didn’t bury her in an anthill.

You’d think the guys milling around would at least give her a sip of water or cover her face from the sun but they appear to be assholes.  One of the guys is pacing and gesticulating wildly.  For all his frenetic energy he looks like the walking dead.  He’s sinewy in ways rarely seen outside of Iggy Pop’s shirtless…

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Brilliant Indie books with the Max Power star of approval…

dernhelm6:

It’s an honour to be included in this list of Max Power-approved indie books.

Originally posted on Maxpower's Blog:

 Here are just some of the many Indie books I have read and enjoyed and I am happy to recommend them all to you.  Please dip in and find the book you are looking for or perhaps one that you can  gift to a friend.


If you like love or support indie authors, please share, re-blog and tweet this list/ blog
Remember to pick up a Max Power Book while you are at it…  You will find them all here
http://www.amazon.com/Max-Power/e/B00LGPWHN6/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1


Reviewed








product rating stars Makes it look easy

October 12, 2015

Quick good old fashioned witty sharp book with just the right amount of action and intrigue. This is the type of book that makes it look easy. I know its not but Silas Payton writes effortlessly with a quality that leaves me as a reader feeling like I am in…

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Planes!

dernhelm6:

Fascinating post by Eric Lahti on planes from the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, AZ.

Originally posted on Eric Lahti:

Sorry, this is an image-heavy post, but it’s worth waiting for.

Pictures from the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, AZ.  We spent roughly half the day there and didn’t see everything.  If you’re ever in Tucson, make a point to the visit.  Some of these pictures are annotated with notes about the planes.  Unfortunately, a lot of my pictures didn’t turn out, but here are some of the better ones.

North American F-107A.

The F-107 was a competitor aircraft for a USAF design for a tactical fighter-bomber.  The competition was ultimately won by the Republic F-105 Thundechief.

SR-71A Blackbird.

What can I say?  It’s still the fastest plane ever made and holds the record for highest altitude.  The SR-71 was – and still is – an absolutely amazing airplane.

D-21 Drone

One of the more obscure pieces of aviation history at the museum: the D-21 drone was a…

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Words to Knock Out of Your Writing

Words to knock out of your writing. Procrastinators, idlers, flat modifiers, qualifiers, and other words that weaken writing and should be eliminated.

Source: Words to Knock Out of Your Writing

Guess they don’t mind you reading it after all

The Experiencers

In a swift and interesting turn of events, Amazon has reinstated John Hennessy’s review I blogged about yesterday.

Whether it’s a coincidence and it would have been returned today, blog post or not; or it’s the result of a conscience prick at Amazon; or it’s the letter John wrote to their customer service; the review returned as it had disappeared, without notice or fanfare.

To everyone who lent their sympathy, empathy, and support to the cause, a heartfelt thanks. Whether or not those actions had any influence on Amazon, the party that showed up to my protest warmed the cockles of my little indie heart.

Ironically, the incident brought John and me closer, virtually speaking. Perhaps, one day, we’ll find ourselves on the same continent, and we’ll meet up in a pub where we can raise a glass and celebrate a newfound friendship.

Thank you, Amazon, for being the catalyst for that.

DEAR FRIENDS

dernhelm6:

Too much fun in here not to share.

Originally posted on Libba Bray:

Dear Friends,

I’m thrilled to announce that today is the pub day for my sixth novel, WE ARE ALL STRANGERS HERE—a story about a dysfunctional southern family, addiction, pedophilia, cannibalism, and the last days of New Wave, interwoven with the lucid dreaming of Manuel, a Sandinista rebel facing execution in 1986. It’s difficult for me to be “sales-y,” but I’m immensely proud of the work, which took me five years to write, and I hope you’ll consider ordering a copy. Thanks so much.
:-) Emily

Dear Friends,

My publicist, Shana, tells me I should “take a more proactive role” in promoting the book. So, you can now follow me on Twitter @TheNovelNovelist. On Facebook: WeRAllStrange. Tumblr: Write2Live. Instagram: StrangerBook. (Warning: Lots of pictures of our cat dressed as Ian McKellen.) Working on getting a YouTube channel, which…anybody know anything about how to shoot, edit, and score videos?…

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The Review Amazon US Doesn’t Want You to See

The Experiencers

As most indie authors do, I struggle with marketing and getting the word on my novels out. To paraphrase Bones from Star Trek, “Dammit, Jim, I’m a writer not a marketer.”

So, when someone graciously reviews one of my novels, I do a happy dance, which is what I did when John Hennessey posted a review on Amazon about The Experiencers.

Mr. Hennessey and I crossed Facebook profile paths on Indie Author Support & Discussion, a FB group for writers. Since groups are one way to pimp your work, I belong to many, but IASD has a special place in my heart, and I spend a lot of time there interacting with other members. It was through this interaction that Mr. Hennessey picked up a copy of The Experiencers, read it, and enjoyed it enough to post a review.

At some point along the way, he also sent me a friend request, which I accepted. But we’ve never met, and without asking him directly or investigating via the Internet, I can’t tell you much about John Hennessey’s personal life other than that he’s a fellow indie author.

But Amazon has decided that his review of my novel should not be seen by Amazon customers, and they pulled it. When I read John’s review (hell, yeah, we’re on a first name basis–the man was censured after reading my novel–should we ever actually speak, we’re Val and John to each other even outside of FB), I couldn’t figure out what part of it Amazon would have issue with. His tone conveys his enjoyment of the reading experience. It doesn’t come across like something written by a sock puppet.

If you’d like to decide for yourself, here is a copy of the banned review:

A great debut from an exciting new author, Aug. 13 2015


By 
John Hennessy


This review is from: The Experiencers (The Valiant Chronicles Book 1) (Kindle Edition)

The Experiencers is a uniquely engaging read that has an extremely interesting protagonist in Michael Valiant, the aforementioned Black Ops operative in the synopsis. If you look at the story from his point of view, you will read the story in one particular way.

We are introduced to Michael early on, so readers can tell his role will be a pivotal one. An educated guess says that he is the one on the pretty excellent cover.

Later chapters introduce us to Shelly, who is having an affair with a man, whilst considering breaking it off out of some well placed loyalty to her husband.

The early part of the book reads like bottle episodes where the link with the later episodes seemed initially unclear, but that was just my perception. Actually, if you look at the book as a whole, a rather intricate storyline emerges. This is what I think makes The Experiencers a true gem. It’s like one of those Russian Dolls. You believe you understand it, you believe you know the characters and their motivations.

But this is book one in the series, and if you read between the lines, you’ll begin to be amazed at the attention Val Tobin has given to her characters.

Each are well drawn and developed. Carolyn was on a par with Michael for me, as I have a spiritual side and the way she explores her talent is pretty amazing.

Then…there’s the aliens. Quite honestly, there is so much going on with this story it demands at least a second reading, which is what I chose to do.

If anything, the second reading is much more enriching. I felt empathy for characters that really didn’t touch me on reading one; I imagine as the author constructed her edits for the book, she may have felt the same.

For a debut, this is an extremely well written tale that I imagine will be perfected in book two. I would definitely recommend this book and would give it a very strong 4.5 stars. (So 5 on Amazon, 4 on GoodReads).

Nothing evil in there, right?

For the record, it does still exist outside of Amazon US. But who knows how long that will last? Based on the way the review was written, John is clearly not a sock puppet. He read the novel not once but twice. He picked up the nuances and discussed the novel with a depth many reviews lack.

Yet Amazon sees it as a “fake” review? They feel we’re friends because we have an FB connection? I’m speculating, because they haven’t told John exactly why it was pulled. And mine isn’t the only one. John is unable to post reviews on Amazon US now. Amazon is blocking them.

Clara’s Song by John Hennessy

Yes, John is an author. But as most authors are–have to be–John is also a reader. When he reads a book he likes, he reviews it, understanding more than the person who is just a reader how important these reviews are.

Posting a thoughtful, considered review consumes time and energy. Amazon should encourage such reviews. Yet they hamstring the very people who can provide the most insight into a read.

I can understand removing fake reviews. Amazon should address the situation described in the post Amazon fake reviews bought for £3. But I didn’t buy a review from John or coerce him to post a review for my novel. At this time, I haven’t even read one of his novels yet though they are climbing their way up my TBR list. We have a social media connection that came about as we did what we’re supposed to do to promote our novels: we networked.

Amazon needs to take a closer look at their review process. The solution to the paid review, sock puppet issue isn’t to yank the hard-earned legitimate reviews. When a book has only a few reviews, removing a legitimate review burns.

Good Girls Don’t Become Best-Sellers—Channeling Your Inner “Bad Girl” to Reach Your Dreams

dernhelm6:

To all the good girls out there who need to get bad, you must read Kristen Lamb’s “Good Girls Don’t Become Best-Sellers—Channeling Your Inner “Bad Girl” to Reach Your Dreams.”

Originally posted on Kristen Lamb's Blog:

I am currently reading Kate White’s I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This: Success Secrets Every Gutsy Girl Should Know. There are bad books, okay books, good books and great books. But there is another kind of book and it’s the rarest.

The game-changer.

White has a witty, sassy style. She is seamlessly intelligent and down-to-earth in her fiction. And guess what? Her nonfiction delivers more of the same.

I’ve never recommended a book I haven’t finished, but this one has me far too excited. Even if Ms. White devolves into dirty limericks for the rest of the book? I still feel I have spent my money well. There are some points she makes which I feel are especially poignant and applicable to writers.

Part of the reason I’m referring to her book in this blog (even though I’m not yet finished) is that I might just chicken out unless I…

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#FridayFiveChallenge ‘Skin Cage’ by Nico Laeser @rosieamber1

Originally posted on Alison Williams Writing:

Welcome to the Friday Five Challenge

Rosie Amber’s Friday Five challenge only takes five minutes, so grab a cuppa and join in!

In today’s online shopping age, readers often base their buying decisions on small postage stamp size book covers (Thumb-nails), a quick glance at the book description and the review. How much time do they really spend making that buying decision?

AUTHORS – You often only have seconds to get a reader to buy your book, is your book cover and book bio up to it?

The Friday Five Challenge is this….. IN ONLY FIVE MINUTES….

1) Go to any online book supplier,

2) Randomly choose a category,

3) Speed through the book covers, choose one which has instantly appealed to your eye,

4) Read the book Bio/ Description for this book,

5) If there are reviews, check out a couple,

6) Make an instant decision, would you BUY or PASS?

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