Net Work Book Club discussion
Matthew Drzymala
date
newest »
newest »
I have just dowloaded both. Bittersweet is £1.69 on amazon.co.uk
They are not long books, especially Last Christmas, which to my mind makes them really good for this time of year. I seem to be rushing around just now and it's hard to get my head into a long book and keep my attention on it. They're really nice, gentle reads. :)
Last Christmas is fairly short and I have had one review say it lacks plot, but it's only meant as a small introduction before Bittersweet :)It's not meant to have any real twists and turns. Bittersweet is more in depth and has more room for character growth.
Thanks for reading.
Sounds like my life, Matt. Lacks plot! That's not always a bad thing. :)
Me too, Frenchie. I have only read short stories as a collection, Sherlock Holmes and Jeeves & Wooster for instance.As a new author I think short stories are a great way to become an author. Novels can be daunting but short stories/novellas are, I think, a good way to dip your toe into writing without fearing it's going to take you 5 years to write one thing.
The novella Bittersweet is available for just £0.99 until Sunday 12th January :)http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Bumpkinto...
Good luck with the promotion Matt. I've read it anyway and I can recommend it!
You have and thank you :D I plan another before my new short story is out in February, well, it's supposed to be out then! :)
Have a brilliant 5* review, a bit gushing which makes me feel rather embarrassed, but I'm glad I've had this affect on a reader! :)Lovely short story from a new author.
Do ninjas make noises?
Not sure about that, but I am sure that I've just read a future big 'noise' in the literary world. What a delightful little story. I await future tales from Bumpkinton with eagerness.
If you are unsure, just go ahead and buy it, you won't be disappointed. And keep the name Matthew Drzymala in mind, I guarantee he'll be huge.
Frenchie wrote: "I've got them both Matthew. I only have a little problem to get organised and read."That's okay, Frenchie :) I almost wet myself when I read the above review. I can't tell if I've really engaged a reader or if it's somebody I know being overly gushing. Either way, I'll take it! :)
I've just finished it and really enjoyed it Matthew. Had a good laugh about the contents of the Vicars bin bag!!. I notice that you give an acknowledgement to Ignite, for her proof reading. That was nice, as I dont' usually know the people that Authors say thank you to, from Adam.
Thank you :D I'm glad you enjoyed it and I really appreciate the review :)It's interesting you mentioned in the review that some characters are like Little Britain characters, that's not what I was going for at all haha but it's interesting how every reader takes something different from a story which makes it pleasing when somebody takes something you can't see yourself :D
Ignite was a star, she read it just a week or two before publication and spotted a number of errors so she really helped to tighten it up and made me realise you REALLY can't have enough proof readers :)
I have more characters in the 2nd Novella, some I threw into the first for a name reference most Fiona, Henrietta and Erica but there are a few more.
That one is a little bit different to the first and is my favourite of the novellas I've written (I have a third three quarters finished) but I need to go back to the second and just tweak it before it's released later this year :)
I'm glad you enjoyed it and hope you'll pick up the next one when it's out :)
Matthew I am delighted to hear you are writing more about Bumpkinton and it's residents. I too like Flo really wanted to find out more about the others in the village.
There are more characters in the next one, plus another outsider. I think I need to add to the version I have now as I think I can expand on it a little more.The third isn't finished and has a more extravagant storyline, but I've not been able to finish it since November due to other commitments. I'll be glad when the first draft is finished but I'm not quite there yet.
I must admit, Bittersweet is my least favourite of them all so far, but I think that's because of all the set up with the village and the others just plunge straight in. It's also because I wrote a Bumpkinton story during a creative writing course which wasn't Bittersweet. A chunk of that was used in Bittersweet so it felt like I was re-treading ground when I wrote it. However, I don't want that to sound like I dislike it, I don't. I'm really happy with my work on the story :)
I'm really pleased people have liked them so far. They are quite gentle and the events of the 2nd make it a bit more bitchy which I really enjoyed writing :)
Really looking forward to this second book Matt. The first in a series has to do a lot of scene-setting but you can leap right in with the second!
The characters that really made me think of Little Britain were Amelia Goose and Marjorie. I could just picture them saying "weeeeee arrrre laaaaadies".
Haha! I'm not sure where the elongated words from Amelia first came in. I wanted her to be insufferable and Marjorie to be a better person but ultimately too meek except for when it comes to the crunch.
Oh, also, Albert's life story will be told, but not for a number of stories yet. :)
This week my former creative writing tutor has nominated me for an individual adult learner award. I'm not sure I have a chance of winning it, but it's a thrill to have been nominated! :)
That's fantastic Matt - he must think you are good enough to win though - or he wouldn't enter you!!
Haha, not sure. I had to write a piece on myself, why I took the course, how it has helped me and how it has changed my life. I also had to say what I was doing for the future with what I learnt from the course.It's a national thing and I assume it will be decided by judges. I'll have a proper look once I receive all the information. It's astounding she's nominated me, though my tutor came to me in the final lesson and said "You'll carry on writing". I'm the only one she said it to and she's right. There was so much talent in that class. I'm not being down on myself but some of the stuff some people were writing was breath taking in comparison to myself.
Sadly none of them have continued to write afterward which is sad because they had some real talent.
I think we always downrate our own stuff. I wrote some pieces that I had to do for my higher nursing qualifications. At the time, I thought it was ok. Years later I re-read it and thought - "bloody hell - did I write this, it sounds really sensible"!!
Haha, true. When you're listening to others read out their work it just sounds incredible. I'm sure others may have thought that about mine, but there really was some talent in the class.I still see some of the people, but they've not kept it up :(
...well we're certainly glad you've kept it up! If, however, you wish to read all about tending to dying patients or how to treat leg ulcers.... I'm the girl for you!! lol :0)))
My new short story is available to buy on eBook from tomorrow (apologies, I am away after today and may not get on the forum until next week). It is available exclusively from my publisher Silver Stream Press. The blurb and the link are below :)
Clinical psychologist Michael Eriksson makes a living from helping others, but after a series of events he is left fighting to pick up the pieces of his own shattered psyche.
When he is called to an attempted suicide on a stormy summer's night, Michael has the chance to save a life, but will it be his own?
https://silverstreampress.com/brainst...
It will be available on Amazon at some point, but I have no idea when that will be as of yet. The price may go up also with any takings being split between the publisher, myself and Amazon so it may be best to purchase from the link above if you choose to buy :)
Hope you like it if you choose to buy :)
Thanks everyone!
Matt
I've been looking forward to this one Matt! your teaser pictures have been great!
Thanks :)If anybody wants to see the pictures Kath has mentioned they are on my author page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mattdrzymala...
I've been doing a countdown in pictures. Not sure how much reach or much impact they will have made, but it's just been fun to do :)
I think they've stirred up a bit of interest! I've been watching out for them, anyway!
They'll all be on my website tomorrow too. www.matthewdrzymala.com
Having to set everything up with scheduled timers as I'll be on a train for most of tomorrow then only sporadic net access until Tuesday.
My new short story has finally gone live on Amazon:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brainstorm-Ma...
&
http://www.amazon.com/Brainstorm-Matt...
First review on Amazon is very good. Not sure who this is, but overjoyed they were engaged by it :)http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brainstorm-Ma...
I don't know who Tinkerbell is Matthew, but I have seen her name on GR before. Can't remember if it was on one of the Forums or whether it was other reviews she's done. Good start though! You must be quite chuffed.
Thanks :D I am :) It's a good start and hopefully there will be more to come :)
Sorry, Frenchie :( I hope you enjoy it when you get to read it. I've never downloaded from SSP so am not sure of the issue. I know one other person had the same issue. Bloomin' 'eck!
My next novella in my Bumpkinton Tales series will be called The Bachelor and here is the blurb :)If there is one thing Fenton knows, it's that he's a ladies man. With a stylish suit, perfect hair and a seductive smile that can send women weak at the knees, he knows he's got it all.
However, Fenton has a secret. He's no longer single.
As the Bumpkinton Singles Night draws close, Fenton arrives in the village to woo the ladies. Even a secret lover won't stop him from indulging in his favourite hobby, flirting, but how much can he get away with?
It should be available in both eBook and paperback formats and will come with two bonus short stories.
Yayyyyy - really excited now - can't wait to see it in print. I'll let you enjoy your holiday now! lol Thanks Matt xx
It was a great idea, Pat :) I've already started it. I'll be changing just a couple of things, but I'll explain why in a PM. Hopefully the change will be okay. Your character name will not change nor will the main event, it's just one small detail I need to change as it doesn't quite fit into what we already know about Bumpkinton.It's likely to be the end of August that this is released. I think I will struggle massively to get the novella completed to the standard I want and write the two shorts in time for July. For now the release date remains July but it's likely to move.
I will practice restraint........I can wait that long, I can wait that long, I can wait that long, I can w........................
Due to some issues with my publisher, I have received the rights back to my short story and re-released it on Amazon.If anybody wrote a review for my story Brainstorm, I would be really appreciative of a new review on my new Amazon and Goodreads pages:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brainstorm-Ma...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Your link is misbehaving at the moment Matt. When I clicked to "buy" - a message came up apologising and to say that this was not possible at the moment - and gave an Amazon home page link. When I clicked on that link to download it - a message told me that I had already ordered it sooo.... I will check to see if it has downloaded!!edit to say - Yes, it's ok, it has downloaded!
Phew! thanks :) Hopefully the lower price and the free run will give more people a chance to read it. The publishers price for the word count was crazy.
I'm glad you got that sorted - I think you will stand a much better chance as an Indie!!
Thanks Matt - got your message on FB. No probs.
Sorry about this. However, my editor came up with a small idea that will really make that story a little meatier and explain Clementine's actions. It's opened up a few ideas for me to play with and leaving it for me to work on rather than rush will hopefully give me a chance to get it in better shape :)
These are my first forays into being an indie author and are a gentle read with a bit of cheekiness :)