Do we have other ecofiction authors in this group?

[Clare]

Go for it!

[Clare]

Hi,

Just passing on the message that according to another forum, some aggressive spammers are mailing new authors who are looking for anyone to review their books. These spammers are fraudsters and need to be reported. They are not going to review your book.
Read the messages here on Goodreads Authors / Readers Group. I have chipped in some advice about spotting spam profiles.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Clare]

Here is a helpful and well presented Pdf booklet (free download) about healthy and tasty snacks for writers. Colleen from Writing and Wellness has put this together for us.


https://gallery.mailchimp.com/6fa054f...

Here is a recent blog post so you can see her form.

http://writingandwellness.com/2021/03...

[Hákon]

Clare wrote: "Here is a helpful and well presented Pdf booklet (free download) about healthy and tasty snacks for writers. Colleen from Writing and Wellness has put this together for us."

Thanks, I’ve downloaded it, and am going to read it later.🙂

[Clare]

Enjoy!

[Clare]

Greenpeace is hiring a web content producer.

"Website Content Producer

£39,696 - £46,140 per annum
We normally offer a starting salary at the start of the range

Full-time (37.5h) / Permanent

Based in Islington, London" temporarily online but expected to be in their office later.

Application details below.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XuyO...

[N.R.]

Yes, me! I'm an ecofiction author! My eco-thriller, entitled 10:59, was published last year. It currently has a 4.48 average on Goodreads, with 103 ratings.

I'm really bad at self-promotion, but I know people aren't going to read my book if they don't know it exists. My publisher is an indie, so there's no fat marketing budget to play with and I rely on reviews and recommendations from readers to help spread the word. I've been absolutely blown away by the amazing comments from readers and I'm truly grateful for every review and rating.

"Well written, thought provoking. Just a real wow of a book. This one is going to stick with me. It is rare that an author has an impact on how a reader sees the world."

I'd love it if some Green Group members want to read 10:59 and I'll be happy to chat about the book.

Niki

[Clare]

Oh Niki, you can't be worse at self promo than I am! I don't use fb, tw, tt and ig due to concerns over personal data privacy.

Fortunately I am now at the stage where other people who read my works are telling friends - word of mouth is the truest publicity.

We can all help one another, spread the word about, read and review, the works of others in the field.

[N.R.]

Clare wrote: "word of mouth is the truest publicity..."

You're absolutely right, Clare. I've always said that I'd rather earn success slowly than buy it quickly - not that the latter is an option! And by "success", I don't mean financial or commercial success, I mean people reading and enjoying and sharing my book. I wrote it to get people thinking and talking, so I couldn't be more pleased that readers have described the story as thought-provoking and powerful.

Thanks for your comments. I'm really looking forward to interacting with readers and authors in this group.

[Peter]

Am very happy to send a complimentary copy of my just released cli-fi novel Iceapelago 2091 to members of this group. Email me on peter@bidservices.ie with your contract details.

[Peter]

contact...details!

[Maia]

Gosh I have not checked in here in a while - how is everyone? Writing still? I am working on final revisions of my medical marijuana mystery novel, same cast of characters as were in my fracking ecofiction... with working full time, it is a busy stretch but I'm having fun finding the weave of the new story, new themes, old characters... what are you all working on?

[Hákon]

Medical marijuana mystery novel. That sounds like an interesting read. I’m also writing a mystery novel, a cli fi or solar punk thing, but so far I keep getting stuck in at a certain place in the story. So I keep going back the beginning. Other than that, some short stories, for example a short story for an anthology of children’s stories. I’ve never tried to write for children before, but I think the story is going to work.

[Maia]

Thank you! Yours sounds interesting too. What happens when you continue to return to the beginning? Just curious about your process.

[Hákon]

Thanks Maia. Well, I’ve got the setting, the basics of the story, and the main character, but I’m still trying to find my way into the story. Sometimes I have a difficulty finding that angle, and until I do, I somehow can’t get into it. That’s why I keep returning to the beginning, to find the right way into it. Sometimes this isn’t a problem, and I find the right way from the start. I don’t know why this happens, but I’ve just got to deal with it. 🙂

[Maia]

Sounds very map-like and exploratory!

[Hákon]

Maia wrote: "Sounds very map-like and exploratory!"

Yes, I suppose it is a bit. It is also my first mystery novel, so perhaps I just don't know what I'm doing. :-)

[Clare]

Hákon wrote: "Maia wrote: "Sounds very map-like and exploratory!"

Yes, I suppose it is a bit. It is also my first mystery novel, so perhaps I just don't know what I'm doing. :-)"

Hi Hakon,
I generally find adding more characters does the trick. Each will bring a backstory and will start demanding a bigger part of the ongoing events.
Reading factual matter about the subjects covered, always helps too.
Also, you can try the short story principle of jumping into events midstream, then returning to a bit of backstory, and proceeding from that point.

[Hákon]

Thanks Clare. 🙂

[Ryan]

Hi Maia,

I'm an eco-fiction and cli-fi author. I'm writing a series of children's picture books called the 'Time to Care' series. Each book focuses on a different issue and features different anthropomorphic characters.

The first in the series was about how pesticide pollution harms bees. It's called Hedgey-A and the Honey Bees
Hedgey-A and the Honey Bees

I'll be releasing the second book in the series later this month, about climate change in the Arctic. It features a polar bear called Nanook who has to save his friends when his igloo melts, and together they must convince leaders to address the climate crisis.
Nanook and the Melting Arctic

It's lovely to be part of such a great group of authors!

[Clare]

I'm looking forward to your second book, Ryan!

[Ryan]

Clare wrote: "I'm looking forward to your second book, Ryan!"

Thank you so much for all your support Clare!

[Hákon]

Looks like a good series Ryan.

[Verity]

My young adult novel Jilda's Ark is about environmental refugees, sea-level rise, and animal rescue.

[Ryan]

Hákon wrote: "Looks like a good series Ryan."

Thank you very much Hákon!

[G.G.]

I too write books with environmental themes. They also focus on Native American traditions. I use paranormal mysteries as a conveyance. Anasazi Medium and Lemurian Medium are the strongest on this front.

Anasazi Medium highlights the water issues in New Mexico, the most water-challenged state in the US.

Lemurian Medium finds my protagonist in Lemuria, before it sank, where water and food tasted as intended without chemicals.

If you wish, you can find my books here on Goodreads or Amazon.

[Clare]

https://phys.org/news/2021-09-secret-...

Creative minds and researchers alike may find this interesting.
By studying Big Data about the aforementioned creatives and researchers, a team has shown that a streak of brilliant work is produced by people who first explore shallow and broad, then focus narrow and deep in their chosen area.

"In the new study, Wang's team developed computational methods using deep-learning algorithms and network science and then applied these methods to large-scale datasets tracing the career outputs of artists, film directors and scientists.

For artists, Wang's team used algorithms for image recognition to mine data from 800,000 visual arts images collected from museums and galleries, which cover the career histories of 2,128 artists, including Pollock and Van Gogh. For film directors, the team collected data sets from the Internet Movie Database (IMDb), which included 79,000 films by 4,337 directors. For scientists, the team analyzed the career histories of 20,040 scientists by combining publication and citation datasets from the Web of Science and Google Scholar.

Wang and his collaborators quantified a hot streak within each career based on the impact of works produced, measured by auction price, IMDB ratings and academic paper citations. Then, they correlated the timing of hot streaks with the creative trajectories of each individual. Looking at careers four years before and after the hot streak, the researchers examined how each individual's work changed around the beginning of a hot streak.

The team found that when an episode of exploration was not followed by exploitation, the chance for a hot streak was significantly reduced. Similarly, exploitation alone—that was not preceded by exploration—also did not guarantee a hot streak. But when exploration was closely followed by exploitation, the researchers noted the probability of a hot streak consistently and significantly increased."

More information: Understanding the onset of hot streaks across artistic, cultural, and scientific careers, Nature Communications (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25477-8
Journal information: Nature , Nature Communications
Provided by Northwestern University

[Clare]

Sadly, independent bookstore Chapters is closing.

This shop was the main reason I would head in to the city centre, for the last few decades. Chapters sold new and bargain books, and always had a section devoted entirely to secondhand including old books.

https://www.rte.ie/news/dublin/2021/1...

[Mark]

It is sad when special unreplaceable places disappear. I intend to take a trip into London to visit Word on the Water.
Yes to introduce the owners to my book, set on the canals, but also because...
You know, it's just a magical day out:-)

[Clare]

Help an author, nominate their books for the Goodreads Choice Awards.

Fact or fiction, poetry or analysis, there will be some book you enjoyed and could nominate.

The link is on top of the desktop screen. I am sure you'll find it on other gadgets too.

[Keith]

My debut novel was released almost one year ago. It is a coming-of-age story that in many ways is a contemporary fable about our relationship to the natural world.

[Clare]

Well done Keith. This has been a tough time to release new books, especially for a new author.
Would you like to share how you made potential readers aware of the book, and what response any promotion gained?

[Keith]

Thanks for inquiring, Clare. It is much appreciated.

As a new author it is challenging to bring a book to press and find a market of interested readers. Publishing with a new small press, I was fortunate to have assistance in making my novel visible. The launch of the book - including a reading and discussion - occurred at one of Boston's most respected independent bookstores. Living in the age of Covid it was held virtually, but well attended. I have been invited to book groups, which seem to love having an author's presence and as a writer are enjoyable to attend. Again, these have been virtual, but it has allowed me to be part of book groups even out of state.

I was also fortunate to have received some very favorable reviews which required being proactive in seeking them out . An early Goodreads print giveaway was part of the promotion, and with the one year anniversary approaching an ebook giveaway is being planned.

It is clearly an ongoing process.

[Clare]

Good news is that Chapters bookshop re-opened as nearby shop owners have bought the store and goodwill. Actually, the goodwill comes from all the happy customers. I paid a visit recently and picked up some secondhand books as usual. Great to be back.

[Clare]

Keith wrote: "Thanks for inquiring, Clare. It is much appreciated.

As a new author it is challenging to bring a book to press and find a market of interested readers. Publishing with a new small press, I was f..."

Sounds good, Keith. Now I need to tell you not to bother with any more promotion, but to get on with writing the next book. Books sell books, and next time you promote, you should have two works for readers.

[I.M.]

Hello, my names Ian and I am the author of Mr Thinkalot’s Fantastic Space Journey, and also Mr Thinkalot’s Spectacular space Journey books.

I am a new author really, but wanted to get the message out there to the younger generations who may feel anxious or stressed about it. Let’s be honest we hear about climate change and global warming all the time.

I wanted to teach it in a gentle way, it includes topics like climate change, global warming, war, healthy eating, our oceans, plastics and many more real world issues that we face.

If there are any green groups that would like to add my books it would be much appreciated. I am new to Goodreads and still trying to get my head around it all.

My books are from the heart and I wanted the readers to feel they can achieve anything. Rather than doom and gloom, they promote positivity and hope.

Mr Thinkalot travels to new planets and discovers that we are not alone in the climate crisis , rocket through space and learn about how climate change and global warming is affecting other worlds going through similar or the same issues as the human race.

[Jimmy]

One suggestion, Ian, is to put links to your books, so the members can see them. Just copy and paste them here on this thread or you can start your own but only in the Green Group Authors folder. I always recommend discussing other topics so you can build a name for yourself and show your knowledge about environmental subjects.

[Clare]

Great work, Ian, we need all ages to contribute and young people are keen to learn.

[James]

Are eco fiction & non-fiction books mostly read by the choir, namely environmentalists, & NOT by those who are NOT environmentalists, then why are we, me too, with writing THE FORESTER, then why am I or you writing them? I got the message when I was about 6 years old & my dad got angry with me when I dropped a candy wrapper in the woods. I am now 81 & his message has been with me for 75 years. Research has been done by the National Park Service that shows that their great outdoor education programs are being attended by MOSTLY the choir. James Kraus

[Clare]

Well, that has always been the case, James. I recall a few decades ago, the City Hall in Cork made space available for an adult education and societies evening. The happy people going around all the stands were, I was told, from all the other stands.
People get set in their ways.
Ideally we need to reach teachers and youth group organisers. Girl Guides and Boy Scouts already teach the principles of preserving nature. Teach kids and, like you, they will be later the people setting the tone.

[James]

My novel THE FORESTER is about a man who changes his environmental values & is the main story theme of my novel. There are several other themes in this story as well to make it a good story. Below is a turning point or bench mark in the text with the main character realizing he has changed what he values.

"I slid the safety off on my rifle. Instinctively, I drew a line from my eye through the cross hairs of my scope to a place just above his heart. I let air pass slowly out of my lungs to help steady my hands. My finger felt the slight resistance of the trigger, but it wouldn’t squeeze it. I lowered my rifle and tried to swallow the lump in my throat.

What was wrong with me? The biggest buck I had ever seen in my life was standing in front of me, and I couldn’t shoot him.
I raised my rifle again and brought the cross hairs into a perfect alignment for a killing shot. Sweat beaded up on my forehead as my brain told my finger to pull the trigger. But it wouldn’t do it.

Confused and bewildered by my inability to shoot the huge buck, I watched him strut down the trail with dignity and grace. A lump was still in my throat when I swallowed.

“Damn,” I said out loud. “Why didn’t I pull the trigger?”

All of a sudden I heard Song Sparrow’s voice in my head, “Your wife was a wise woman. She knew your journey might help you to change how you view nature.”

I knew my life had changed, but I had no idea it had changed so profoundly. I had hunted all my life and never had any problem killing a deer. I had always wished for a shot at a trophy buck. Today I had an opportunity to fulfill my dream, and I had passed it up.

Not being able to shoot the buck was a choice based on values that were beginning to solidify. It appeared I was destined to save something in nature, something rare and beautiful. Sara, Henry, and Strong Bear tried to save trees, a fish, and a bear from being destroyed by others. I had saved a trophy buck."

[Brian]

Just released a short story collection, Mindshards: A Collection, on Amazon that includes a dozen of my favorite previously published science fiction, fantasy, and dark fantasy (shading toward horror) tales. There are several ecofiction-themed stories in the collection: "Chrysalis," "Little Green Men," "Equinox," "The Last Indian War," and "Fire and Ice." Probably not to everyone's taste, but thought I'd share. ;-)

[Clare]

I read SF, Brian, but do not like darker stuff. I don't read horror, so this probably would not be a good fit for me, but other folks will enjoy this kind of content.

[Clare]

Amazon has made a great change in our favour, us independent publishers.
Up to now, someone can buy a Kindle book, read it, usually in a day or two, and return it - and the author gets no royalty.
That is changing.

The person can only return the book and get their money back if they have not read more than 10%.

Gizmodo has the story.

https://gizmodo.com/ebook-amazon-retu...

[Ned]

do you have a list of all the climate fiction authors in this group??

[Clare]

Not as such, Ned. However, as a member, you may look through the list of member profiles and visit their pages to see which are authors. Some members are not actively posting, but may be reading posts.

[Ned]

Thanks Clare. Just wanted to find ways to help everyone connect and find more ways to reach out to buyers. Seems like we all would be happy to help other aspiring writers and share ideas.

[Clare]

That sounds fine, I expect the authors' section here is a good place for any notices or requests you want to make.

[Stef]

I'm checking in here. I have nothing published. I have some short stories that I am sending to publishers. I find eco-fiction really a needed genre. I will read you all (this will be a slow project as I am not very cashed up). Just happy to mix with eco-fiction writers.

I do have some poems published. Here is one (they are not always that dark- https://dissidentvoice.org/2022/03/sa...

[Clare]

Hi Stef, thanks for adding your voice to ours.