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The Home Place
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Announcing our first Author Group Giveaway
Message to all who requested a copy of "The Home Place." Except for C.D. and C.P, everyone who requested a copy should have received it by now. If you haven't received your copy by the end of the week, please let me know and I'll send another copy, assuming that the first one is off in the postal service wasteland. (I worked at the main delivery center in Atlanta for 10 years, so, trust me, there is a "Wasteland." :-)Regards to all: Mike A
Good evening Mike. I am enjoying your book quite a bit.I like how the composition and arc of the story are leisurly paced, not moving at a manic tempo, but rather at a pace in tune with a rural setting. I am bonding with the members of the story. The dialog has is unstrainged developing the charactors so that I feel to know them. This is a good thing. The conversations and idioms seem of a distant era. An era of my youth where people spoke more polietly and less harried. Two thirds in and I still don't really know who, or what will happen next.
Mike,Got my copy of your book today. Looking forward to reading it!
~Kathy
thanks for the feedback John. I enjoyed putting myself in the scenes and feeling the characters. Regarding the "what will happen next," a group of us were having coffee and one of the ladies said, "there was no plot." I hadn't really thought about that but realized when she said it that it was true. True because the book is a story. Mostly a true story, with names changed to protect the guilty. :-)Thank you Kathy and hope you enjoy.
J.R. 29070, your copy has shipped. Thank you for requesting.Mike A
The last couple of lines, close the book, and then that wonderful picture.
John wrote: "The last couple of lines, close the book, and then that wonderful picture."I do believe you got it, John. Makes writing the book worthwhile. Thank you
Getting to know this family; highs, lows, tragedy, exhilerations, their perserverence spans generations. We are joined to them through a relaxed dialog. You know the kind that real people have. No fancy words just genuine caring. Tensions build and come to a climax during the bottom half of the story. Mr Addington tells a story in a relaxed fashion, sparse of word but stimulating to the imagination. I was particularly stricken with evocative images of the mental hospital. Events keep our interest. The author moves forward in time smoothly and efficiently without confusion. The hero, if in fact there is one, comes from an unforseen corner. Well worth the read, I was sorry to come to the end. I look forward to his next endeavour.
John, I'm so glad you enjoyed knowing the Downeys. I very much appreciate you taking the time to write a review and rate. I previously mentioned that I wrote the book with discerning readers in mind, so having your feedback in invaluable.Thanks, John
Mike A
I am absolutely loving the book, Mike! What a way to end the first part!
Brannon wrote: "I am absolutely loving the book, Mike! What a way to end the first part!"Glad you are, Brannon. Thank you for the comment.
Mike A
Mike wrote: "Brannon wrote: "I am absolutely loving the book, Mike! What a way to end the first part!"Glad you are, Brannon. Thank you for the comment.
Mike A"
Brannon, I noticed that you published your grandfather's diary, which appears to be quite the story. I look forward to reading it after I get through with a few others I have. A member of my writers group is writing a book about his experiences in the Airborne at Battle of the Bulge. Lot of his account is as you say about your GF, meaning a lot about the everyday doings of the GIs, instead of all battlefield action. Very interesting. Good luck with your book, an admirable project.
Mike A
Thanks for the book, Mike A. I am really looking forward to reading it!
Connie wrote: "Thanks for the book, Mike A. I am really looking forward to reading it!"You're very welcome, Connie, and thank you for the requests :-)
Mike A
Requests for a free copy of The Home Place are still open--for a couple more days--if anyone else desires one. Feel free to jump right in. Send shipping info to moderator Mike Sullivan, and thank you to all involved.Mike A
Mike wrote: "Mike wrote: "Brannon wrote: "I am absolutely loving the book, Mike! What a way to end the first part!"Glad you are, Brannon. Thank you for the comment.
Mike A"
Brannon, I noticed that you publi..."
Thank you very much, Mike! It has been quite an experience publishing the diary and so glad I did! It is an amazing account of an American soldier's experience in WWI. I have received a great amount of positive feedback, not just by Goodreads members but from military, veterans and many others. Although Battle of the Bulge was WWII your friend might enjoy That's War and it might help with some ideas for his book. Please do let me know when he publishes because I enjoy military history and glad you will be reading my great-grandfather's work as well!
As for The Home Place, I think you have done an amazing job with this book. So much of this story resonates with me because it sounds just like the stories told to me by my parents and grandparents. Can't wait to finish it!:)
Brannon wrote: "Mike wrote: "Mike wrote: "Brannon wrote: "I am absolutely loving the book, Mike! What a way to end the first part!"Glad you are, Brannon. Thank you for the comment.
Mike A"
Brannon, I noticed t..."
I will pass that along to my friend. Also, happy that You are getting favorable responses to your book. It's an accomplishment to add something positive to others' lives. I'll let you know when he publishes. Shouldn't be too much longer. I'm guessing a couple months.
Best wishes,
Mike A
Wow, Mike. Just, wow! Thanks for sharing your book!
Brannon wrote: "Wow, Mike. Just, wow! Thanks for sharing your book!":-) Wow back at ya, Brannon :-) and thank you. Happy that you liked it.
Also, I told my writers group WWII friend about your interest in his story and he really got a kick out it. He's very much the gentleman, 96 years old, and spry as can be, along with his charming wife, who he met while in the army. I feel fortunate to have met some outstanding people in our writers group and then join Goodreads and meet the same type folks here in the Southern Lit group. I look forward to interacting with you all.
Mike A
Meran wrote: "Now, how to get me some goobers sent out to Oregon ;)"Meran, get the pot boiling.
Mike A
LOL, Mike.. Are they available now? Isn't it a bit early? :)
Meran wrote: "LOL, Mike.. Are they available now? Isn't it a bit early? :)"Yep, They were staring me in the face or the ear next to the express checkout register and i had no choice. :-) Green Pnuts coming your way.
Would I joke about a thing like that? :-)
You want a good review ;)So, I guess I need to look up a recipe... I've only bought the bag o' goobers from the guys on the road with the big kettle...
And thank you so much! Kindness is very appreciated :D
Meran wrote: "You want a good review ;)So, I guess I need to look up a recipe... I've only bought the bag o' goobers from the guys on the road with the big kettle...
And thank you so much! Kindness is very ap..."
Yes, I'm resorting to bribes. I looked a recipe up, key word "a," and I saw add salt and boil till ready. Guess I'd keep looking if I were you. ha. And you're most welcome. Like I said, the had a big display right by the checkout and my conscience wouldn't let me leave without getting you some, since you seemed to like 'goobers' as much as I like green plums. Hmmm, now that I think about it, it's about time for the green plums. In Georgia anyway. Guess I'll have to make a trip north.
Be well,
Mike
I think I'm pushing your book to the top of the stack ;) So it worked pretty well!Of course, I have to finish some that are in progress first. I'd guess I'll be starting it in about 2 weeks.
whoo hoo! I'm gonna be having some goobers!! It's been 22 yrs.
Meran wrote: "I think I'm pushing your book to the top of the stack ;) So it worked pretty well!Of course, I have to finish some that are in progress first. I'd guess I'll be starting it in about 2 weeks.
who..."
If I'd known it would work that well, I'd have asked some of the others what their favs were. :-) 22 years is a long time. hope U enjoy the goobs and the book.
They came today! Thanks :)We're doing a day trip to Multnomah Falls tomorrow, so will cook on Monday
See http://www.mikeputnamphoto.com/new-mu... for a picture of what it should look like in spring.
Meran wrote: "They came today! Thanks :)We're doing a day trip to Multnomah Falls tomorrow, so will cook on Monday
See http://www.mikeputnamphoto.com/new-mu... for a picture of what it should l..."
Gorgeous picture, Meran, as well as some others in his gallery. Thanks for the link and enjoy.
Mike A
Thank you for the opportunity to read your wonderful book. My thoughts on the book can be found here.
Jayme wrote: "Thank you for the opportunity to read your wonderful book. My thoughts on the book can be found here."You are most welcome, Jayme. I thank you for taking the time to write your review and critique and understand how you feel about the first part of the book. I'm glad you included that in the review so I can consider it in my future works. "Buel" was the character I most wanted to nail. I'm delighted you enjoyed the read.
Mike A
Hello all: Regarding the antagonist in The Home Place, Buel Hollins, and the person from whom the character was derived, (this is not a spoiler) I interviewed a Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent for the book I'm currently writing and he told me he was the agent who arrested the person for the crime that finally put him away for life. The GBI bought drugs from him with marked money and when they arrested him, he was eating breakfast in a restaurant in Gainesville, GA. They approached him in the diner and asked him was "that your car out there?" He didn't even look up and said "no," to which the agent replied, "well it has your laundry hanging up in it. (for those too young, each side of the back seat of cars used to have hooks on which people hung their laundry after picking it up from the dry cleaners.) They took him outside and told him to open the trunk, which he declined to do, so they hacked it open with an ax and found the marked money. Thought some of you might enjoy the anecdote.
Mike A
John, what a guy. Thanks so much for desiging the quiz for "The Home Place" readers. It never occurred to me to do so. Any and all interested, the quiz can be found at the bottom right side of page at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35...
Everitt wrote: "I'm curious, and this is not just for you Mike A. but for any of our authors. Have any of you considered doing a Reddit AMA or attempting to get one done? (I'm not exactly sure how, but I believe ..."I had to find out what it was, Everitt, because I'd never heard of it before. My main focus now is on acquiring a good agent and traditional publisher. To that end, my goal for "The Home Place" is to reach the readers it was written for, ie, well-read, discerning readers, and get their feedback in the way of ratings and reviews and have that as a form of credentials when I send query letters to selected agents to represent the book I'm finishing now (just completed the first draft). Not saying I wouldn't dearly love for The Home Place sales to take off, but, after doing a dozen or so book signings at B&N stores in northern section of ATL and selling out at each one, I still couldn't get the walk-in trade needed for success. I've tried most everything else one can think of too, so the self-published route is a thing of the past (I think; won't burn any bridges). But, who knows, Goodreads might just be the place where it happens for me.
Thank you for taking time to post the suggestion.
Regards,
Mike A
Mike wrote: ". . .after doing a dozen or so book signings at B&N stores in northern section of ATL and selling out at each one. . ."This is so cool, Mike. Is your book available in ebook format on B&N and Amazon?
Am enjoying the book: you should know, though, that I'm probably among the world's slowest readers b/c I always have to pause and study what the writer did to achieve an effect.
Elle
Elle wrote: "Mike wrote: ". . .after doing a dozen or so book signings at B&N stores in northern section of ATL and selling out at each one. . ."This is so cool, Mike. Is your book available in ebook format on..."
Yes, Elle, it's on Kindle but not B&N. Happy to hear you're enjoying it. As you have seen by now, I use dialogue and actions to describe characters. What I term a "terse" style. Just for The Home Place though because I think it adds a subtle perhaps subliminal foreboding, or that was my intent. I'm rewriting the next to last chapter on current work now and it's slightly more descriptive and I may add more as I rewrite the first draft. Just depends on whether it adds or not. In my opinion, sometimes more description lessens the impact of the sentence/paragraph/chapter. Writers' styles vary so much it's foolish to make a concrete statement about writing. For example, the descriptions in your book "The Girl Who Swam to Atlantis" were terrific and well placed. Simply spectacular.
Mike A
You've just given me the concept of "subliminal foreboding" to think about. That's exciting.Thank you again, Mike.
Elle wrote: "You've just given me the concept of "subliminal foreboding" to think about. That's exciting.Thank you again, Mike."
Hahahaha. sure. have fun
Mike wrote: "John, what a guy. Thanks so much for desiging the quiz for "The Home Place" readers...."Well Mike, I just ran out of steam and haven't finished all that I intended.
Besides I got engrossed in the book and forgot to take notes. If anyone wants to weigh in and help, send me a question with some answers and I'll load it. I gotta check and see what your score was Mike. You sure had better get that gondola question correct.
John wrote: "Mike wrote: "John, what a guy. Thanks so much for desiging the quiz for "The Home Place" readers...."Well Mike, I just ran out of steam and haven't finished all that I intended.
Besides I got e..."
John, when I first saw it, it read that it was "under construction" so I just looked at a few of the questions to see what it was all about. Then I was so excited that I copied the link and relayed the news about it to various sites. I'll take the "John's Home Place Test" tomorrow and you can grade me. I love it. Thanks for being such a nice guy to go to all that time and trouble. Gosh, I'm part of a local writers group composed of caring, thoughtful people. Never thought I'd have good fortune to meet another group of such people, but I have in this group. As always, in my opinion, a lot of that has to do with the leadership. Thanks again.
Sincerely,
Mike A
John wrote: "Mike wrote: "John, what a guy. Thanks so much for desiging the quiz for "The Home Place" readers...."Well Mike, I just ran out of steam and haven't finished all that I intended.
Besides I got e..."
Hi John: I escaped the hangman's rope. First time I graded at 100% in quite some time. That was fun. Thanks again for constructing it.
Mike A
you're a kick Mike. glad you liked it.
Finally completed "Three Sides of the Track" and beginning "The Agent Hunt," which is not the name of a book but a marathon obstacle course to find representation.Wanted to thank all of you who read and reviewed "The Home Place" because I think and hope those will help in the Hunt.
Mike A
Thank you, Elle. I'm glad you enjoyed it.Mike A
Let's see, I shipped the "The Home Place" in January and haven't heard from ~half of you, so don't let it get lost in the "pile." :-)Mike A
Mike wrote: "Finally completed "Three Sides of the Track" and beginning "The Agent Hunt," which is not the name of a book but a marathon obstacle course to find representation.Wanted to thank all of you who r..."
Mike, I like "The Agent Hunt" as the title of a book!
Tell me how you will include reviews in your agent queries: with url links or snail mail with copies included? I think it's a good idea.
That is a catchy title, isn't it. If I could write a book about said title without bringing up all the negativity, it would probably sell, but I wouldn't trade the peace of mind for the dough. I just received a rejection from "on behalf of Janet Reid" and this agent actually runs an active blog at "Books&Such" that makes fun of author queries. Doesn't even read them herself. See what I mean? 2 much neg.To answer your question, I write my query as usual then paste the URL link(S) at or toward the end of the page along with comments that whichever link I provide bolsters.
I'm beginning to suspect that my writing style hinders first-line inspection because most books are much wordier in description and I'm fairly sure that the agencies now use interns and the like to screen query letters.
Just keep plugging and keep writing are all I know how to do though and sooner or later the blind squirrel will find the nut.
Mike A
On the Southern Literary Trail
Books mentioned in this topic
That's War (other topics)The Home Place (other topics)
The Home Place (other topics)
The Hunger Games (other topics)
Mike A