G.N.A. Publishing░N░e░w░ ░A░u░t░h░o░r░s░ discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
Work here Authors
>
Post your book excerpt & get featured for free!
message 51:
by
Grasshopper, Administrator
(new)
Nov 02, 2018 10:29AM
Mod
reply
|
flag
Mod
Publishers Weekly call it a "zippy debut" that "will keep reade..."
Well deserved praise indeed Guillermo. An alternative reality where "The road is the page,” & “The page is the road.” Really interesting. Reminded me a bit of FARENHEIT 451 novel Ideas Plus Active Reading Guide. Would love to do a group read with this book.
Marked as { To be read✓}
Grasshopper wrote: "Guillermo wrote: "Thanks for this opportunity. My first book, a dystopian satire called Literature®, was published in July and has been well received.Publishers Weekly call it a "zippy debut" tha..."
Thanks so much!
Mod
Publishers Weekly call it..."
No problem..enjoy🤗
My death is not important, it is going to happen anyway. What matters is "How will my life or death impact the lives of others?"The Little Black Fish
Mod
The Little Black Fish"
That's an amazing quote Ruby. Seems to be a very interesting book.
Mod
Zuzu wrote: "Hello! Excerpt from Winter Delight New Contemporary Romance. Christmas themed. Let me know what you think.Chapter 1
“Is there a problem?” A deep voice asked, just as Sally threw..."
Shanna wrote: "Hello all!
Here's an excerpt from my debut romance novel Abundance: An endearing romance novel.
Prologue
Natalie Cameron sat in the driver’s seat of her Honda Accord with her he..."
This excerpt did it for me! I downloaded your book on KU and can't wait to read all about Sally and Paul!
Here is an excerpt from my debut novel, Coming Home. It is a fast, sweet, clean read. Perfect for a Sunday spent on the couch by the fire. I hope you enjoy it if you choose to read it.
Prologue
"Wait, what?" I can't have heard her right. She has to be talking about someone else. Someone else's home.
"I said Dad and I are selling the house."
Nope. I heard her right. But even though I heard her right doesn’t make what she said any less wrong.
"It doesn't make sense for us to stay here anymore. This is a house for a family, and with you and Allison gone, well, your dad and I wanted something smaller, less upkeep. We've decided on a nice community in Boca, you know, Florida. It's a great place for us to spend our golden years. Our retirement money will go further down there."
I sit there blinking at her statement. "Mom, you’re fifty-six. Why are you talking like you’re days away from a care home?" And what does she mean for a family? We are a family.
"Oh, I know. It's just since your daddy retired we want to do more. See more. Having this big house empty is such a waste. If you girls were closer or we saw you more, it would be different, but with all Allison's traveling and you moving up in your company, we only see you a couple times a year. Why does it matter where the plane takes you?" Mom says in all seriousness.
Does she really not get how important that house, that town is to me? Knowing it’s there if I need it has always brought me comfort. I spent the first eighteen years of my life there. I made some of the best friends and memories I could have ever hoped for. Sure, since I graduated college four years ago, I haven't been home as often as I would have liked, but it's still home. I’ve always planned on coming back; only, I didn’t know when.
That house, that basement, it was "the" house. Everyone was always over there. With Allison only two years behind me we had half the high school as friends; add in almost all of us had lived in this small town our whole lives and you can only imagine what our house was like. My best friend and I had so many nights in that basement. Playing games, talking, imagining what our lives would be like. I had my first kiss on those descending stairs. I've never felt safer or more loved any place else in my entire life. So many things can change but not this.
"How much?" I almost yell at my poor unsuspecting mom. She has no idea that I’m dying on the inside at the prospect of not having a reason to go back to my hometown.
"How much? For what? And calm down." She sounds confused. Does she not listen when we talk?
"For the house, Mom. How much for the house?" I ask as I try to calm my racing heart. Losing this house is not an option. I hadn’t planned on buying a house, but maybe that’s just because I knew I didn’t want to live in Chicago forever. My financial situation is fine. I have a great job that pays well and, considering I never do anything with my money because I’m always working, I have a nice little nest egg that I can use to secure my future. Well, I guess technically my past, too.
"Why are you asking? If you’re concerned about how we're doing financially, I can—"
"I'm not," I tell her honestly. I might have a degree in financial planning, but that’s the furthest thing from my mind. Plus, I already know they are set, and right now, I can't want to care if they spend the rest of their days eating beans out of a can. "I'm asking because I want to buy the house."
I really hadn’t given my parents’ house much thought until the idea that this house I had grown up in wouldn’t be there, but suddenly the reality of never going back to that house, that town? It scares me. I’m sure there is some therapist somewhere just itching to delve into why it would matter to a grown woman and how it could possibly make her want to buy her childhood home, but whatever. It feels like I might lose a piece of myself and I’d do anything to stop that from happening. I haven’t felt at home here in Chicago, and I haven’t been happy at my job for some time, but I didn’t have a reason to quit. Until now. I miss who I was when I was growing up. I had amazing friends, and so many great experiences. I know they say you can never go home again, but I truly believe home is exactly where I am supposed to be.
Mod
{Marked as to be read✓}
Thank you, J.D. I hope you enjoy the read, I'm looking into adding yours also!
Hello JD, I enjoyed reading your excerpt. I am thinking of starting to write another book soon and this was a good example for me as I will have to work on how to write a dialogue between characters in a way that will allow the readers to visualize what the characters are talking about. You did a great job creating the scene in my head as I was reading your excerpt
Mod
Here's an excerpt from my experimental horror/ thriller short story, 'Jingle Hell' :) It's a Christmas story which records the diary of a girl called Jingle. She has dreams in which she witnesses the murders of a Mass-Murderer called 'The Christmas Killer' and is horrified to discover in the morning that her dreams are true. The dreams escalate until Jingle is no longer sure who she can trust.12th December
08:27
Dear Diary,
It's finally the Christmas holidays, and I've decided to start up a diary to keep track of my thoughts and emotions during this time, along with any activities I might do.
I hope this will be an eventful Christmas!
Love, Jingle
11:34
Dear Diary,
I'm still lying in bed; I refuse to get up and do my homework. There are cookie crumbs everywhere, yet I'm finally relaxed for the first time in ages.
I think that I might take a short nap - I deserve it, after all.
Love, Jingle
13:49
Dear Diary,
I fell asleep.
I didn't mean to, but I did.
I had a dream, one that has me retching - I still remember the feel of blood on my hands and the excitement of the chase.
Should I be remembering this so vividly?
I don't know.
Love, Jingle
16:11
Dear Diary,
I can still remember the dream, but in my mind it’s lost importance. I'm watching television, and it seems that worse things are happening around the world than the dreams of teenagers with over-active imaginations.
Why was I so worried?
It was just a dream.
Love, Jingle
Mod
Mod
Hi All,Thank you so much for the chance to share an excerpt - a review would be just lovely!
Here's a short section from my Christmas rom com novella
Spoiler alert - this scene occurs midway through the book.
Stella thinks she's at a meeting to prepare an event for Jack's distillery, Jack thinks it's a date.
Magic and Sparkle - A movie on paper
The reception area was more like a country club lounge. A huge inglenook fireplace dominated the room, with wingback chairs placed around, thoughtful tartan cushions added for comfort. Could be good for an initial drinks reception, she thought, noting the bar cart off to the side.
‘I wasn’t sure if you’d agree to this.’ Jack took a couple of champagne flutes from the cart. ‘After the other night.’ She’d been planning on pretending that the kiss hadn’t happened, but maybe he was right – best to clear the air and start over.
‘Please don’t blame yourself, I definitely don’t. Let’s just forget about it.’ Jack added a measure of whiskey to each of the flutes, then poured something deep pink and topped them both up with champagne. He handed her a glass.
‘To fresh starts,’ she smiled at him and he visibly relaxed. The poor guy was probably worried that she was going to lose her head and jump on him again.
‘When is the Lennox group coming up?’
‘Friday.’ He was watching her carefully. This Friday? That was cutting it more than fine. He was obviously testing her. Well, she’d thrown together a reception for three hundred including some minor European royals on similar notice – this would be easy by comparison. She kept her face nonchalant and sipped at her drink. The whiskey gave a hell of a kick to the champagne but there was a fruity, almost flowery taste too.
‘That is delicious. Is it cassis?’ she licked her lips and studied the pinky-golden bubbles.
‘Rhubarb, actually. I was pretty much banned from my dad’s distillery until I was sixteen – he couldn’t get any work done with all the questions I used to bombard him with. But my mom took pity on me and started a side project with me. Rhubarb grows like wildfire back home.’
‘Back home? So you’re not back here permanently?’ The idea irked her, even though she had no business to be wondering about his long-term plans.
‘I’ve learned not to plan too far ahead.’ A brooding expression fell over his face.
‘But you can’t expect to be successful without planning ahead. You need a five-year plan as an absolute minimum.’ Jeez, this was absolute basics in business, surely he should know this. ‘That might fly back in the old country, but here’s a much more competitive market.’
‘You’re telling me,’ his laugh was so hollow that Stella thought that the business must be already going down the tubes. He obviously needed her help in wowing the Lennox group.
‘My five-year plan went a little off course when my fiancée took off less than six months after we opened up the business.’ He’d been engaged? You couldn’t sneeze within a ten-mile radius of Pendle Falls without it being in the local paper, but no one had thought to warn her about this?
‘I’m sorry,’ was all she could say. The atmosphere had thickened and Stella could feel they were getting into some truly personal territory. Naturally, she was curious, but she reminded herself – keep it professional. ‘Well, how about we get back to business?’ She looked towards the rest of the barn, hoping he’d take the hint.
Confusion played across his face until it eventually clicked. ‘Oh, do you want a tour?’ he asked.
‘Well of course. I need to know what I’m getting myself into.’ she rolled her eyes at him.
Mod
Mod
Thank you so much for the chance to share an excerpt - a review would be just lovely!
Here's a short section from my Christmas rom com novella
Spoiler alert - this scene occurs midway th..."
Very captivating scene Catherine Corr. Am curious to know what happens next. { Marked as to be read}
Grasshopper wrote: "Perfect for this season. Thanks. Will read ASAP 🤗"Thank you so much, it means a lot! I'm keen to get out there and meet new readers. Just let me know if there's anything I can do...free copies etc! xxx
Mod
🤗
Grasshopper wrote: "Sure no problem. In fact, I could line you up to be featured here in the next few months. Readers could interact with you and you could offer your freebies there.🤗"
Thanks, that would be wonderful! I have a lot coming up in the new year, it would be great to share and interact.
Mod
That is 1,0..."
Well in that case, my apologies. Perhaps, I was intimidated by the sheer size. My poor eyes are not what they used to be. They used to count words faster than a speeding bullet. ;)
Will try to read it ASAP.
Hey guys, I thought i'd post two versions of a short blurb I wrote for my book. Some have suggested cutting out the first paragraph, but I feel like it's helpful (which is why I posted both versions). Any advice on which one I should use (or if they're both terrible) would be greatly appreciated! LONGER VERSION
The Sunderians can only look on as steam-powered ships from Daecland soar between the mountain peaks of the Great Fringe. Swords and axes are of little use against such baffling technologies and the House of Burgess surrenders to the invading force. Within weeks, a Daecish king is put on Sunder’s throne.
Sixteen years later, new Daecish laws are forcing the already poor into dire conditions, and disunity erupts between the upper and lower classes. While men are mysteriously taken from their homes in the middle of the night and drafted to Daecland, Arnon Greystrom must take up the mantle of his father — join the Dark Horses and lead the cause of the Silent Hither to fight back and remove, once and for all, the Daecish from his homeland.
But shrouded from the currents of human affairs, deeper things are moving. Roane, a nine-year-old orphan, is drowned in the Finnvard river, only to wake up in an unfamiliar land. Guided by a hideous creature of shadow, and haunted by the visits of a strange man, he soon finds himself caught in a providential doom which tangles his own fate with countless others.
SHORTER VERSION
With a Daecish king now on Sunder’s throne, new laws are forcing the already poor into dire conditions, and disunity erupts between the upper and lower classes. While men are mysteriously taken from their homes in the middle of the night and drafted to Daecland, Arnon Greystrom must take up the mantle of his father — join the Dark Horses and lead the cause of the Silent Hither to remove, once and for all, the foreign oppressors from his homeland.
But shrouded from the currents of human affairs, deeper things are moving. Roane, a nine-year-old orphan, is drowned in the Finnvard river, only to wake up in an unfamiliar land. Guided by a hideous creature of shadow, and haunted by the visits of a strange man, he soon finds himself caught in a providential doom which tangles his own fate with countless others.
Mod
Well, I wasn't really happy with either, so I rewrote it, lol. I've displayed it below . . .A Daecish king sits on Sunder’s throne. New laws strip away a thousand years of Sunderian culture and the already poor are forced into squalors and coal mines. There are those who resist the changes, but not without a price. When Arnon Greystrom’s father is executed before him, he refuses to sit by and watch the Daecish tear his world apart. He will join the cause of the Silent Hither and remove, once and for all, the foreign oppressors from his homeland.
But a bitter winter arrives sooner than expected. A drowned boy comes back alive. Alphyns stir beneath the earth. Wyrms slither from the deepest caverns of the seas. Just as victory seems to be in Arnon’s reach, those around him begin to connect these rumors with the signs of the apocalyptic poem, Hælend’s Ballad. Some whisper that the end is coming and Arnon soon realizes that there are deeper troubles he must face than an invasive foreign kingdom. Are the Daecish really the enemy? Or have they come as one of the signs of judgement against his own people?
Mod
Well, it's multiple pov and the genre is apocalyptic fantasy/steampunk. Regarding the background of the story, here is an excerpt I wrote for a previous version of my blurb . . ."The Sunderians look on in awe as steam-powered ships from Daecland soar between the mountain peaks of the Great Fringe. Swords and axes are of little use against such baffling technologies and the House of Burgess surrenders to the invading force. Within weeks, a Daecish king is put on Sunder’s throne."
Otherwise, the main story line surrounds the movement of the Silent Hither and their attempt to overthrow the Daecish. Being multiple pov, much of the story takes place in Daecland as well as Sunder. I broke the rules a little bit and I have 19 perspectives (yikes!), but many of those are one time narratives that offer a unique angle. I have one main narrative (Arnon) and four secondary narratives with numerous smaller ones.
Aside from all of that, the story deals a lot with ethics and theology. Lot's of questions on what is good and evil (and who really is the good or bad guy), as well as wrestling with issues like suffering and depression.
Not sure if that was what you're looking for, but that's a start :)
Mod
Wow, 19 perspectives! That would be interesting to see how you wrangled all those personalities. I will be honest, I tend to read just romance but I find your blurb interesting and I'm intrigued by the orphan part, definitely add that part back in! My heart roots for orphans and their amazing stories. I apologize if it is not all that the book is about, though. I liked the shorter blurb, then read the third one and liked it, but would add back in the orphan part. Best wishes and look forward to checking it out. If it ends up on kindle unlimited it would also be definite for me! Hint hint :D
Yea, the multiple perspectives were a challenge. It helped to give clear breaks (like a *) whenever I switched, or to only switch pov on new chapters. The multiple pov was necessary to some degree because the scope of the story was so broad (and long! Before the edit, which it's going through now, its around 234,000 words). But also, the various perspectives really helped show how events are interpreted between different characters, especially in light of ethics.I remember reading all the do's and dont's of writing a novel. I tried to follow the rules (I know they are there for a reason), but I also wrote this story for myself, realizing that it might not appeal to everyone. And I'm pretty okay with that. :) I'll definitely see what I can do to add back in an orphan aspect to the blurb. Thanks for you opinion!
Mod
You could be one the chosen few to be featured on 'Meet the Author' each month.
The list for the year 2019 is out! The following authors are scheduled to be featured as follows:
January 2019- Zuzu Lu
February- Shanna Swenson
March- Rob Keeley
April- Anonymous Sinner
May-Guillermo Stitch
June- J.D. Park
July-Melina Druga
August- S. Pearce
September- Paullett Golden
October-Holly Jane
November- L C Perry
December-Catherine Corr
January 2020- Cage Dunn
Here's an excerpt from
my latest novel which debuts next week on Amazon- Kindle and Kindle Unlimited:"So, while we're on this topic, there's something I wanted to discuss with you. A few house rules per se." She wasn't going to like the next part... "I have a strict policy against overnight guests..." Her eyes flickered in what looked like embarrassment. Good, he'd embarrassed her. "And also, I would try and watch what you wear in front of the guys, no need to be distracting them from the jobs I pay them my hard-earned money for." While he spoke, his eyes raked over her body in such a degrading way that he felt bad about it. But she'd gotten the point, her mouth was hanging open and her face turned pale, and that's how he left her as he strode through the kitchen door.
So, he'd shamed her.
Well, now at least she didn't underestimate him.
Fire meets ice on January 4th. Be sure to pre-order your copy today! http://www.shannaswenson.com
Mod
Looking forward to it already..
Grasshopper wrote: "Ooh! That's interesting Shanna...😌Looking forward to it already.."
Thanks, Grasshopper! :-)
From 'A Handful of Might', the first in my Blake Drysdale series of adventure/spy novels:April 22nd, 1975
Observe the smuggler:
No concessions were made to style or formality. Scuffed boots met rumpled tan slacks, continuing up to an oversized bomber jacket with a roundel patch on the shoulder. The jacket alluded, with a small bulge, to the presence of a pistol at the man’s hip.
It would be unfair to say he had a swagger. He moved with confidence, but also a barely-perceptible limp on his left side.
Dark eyes were set in a dark face, speaking of sub-continental ancestry. He was of mixed blood, British Indian, and probably disinclined to discuss it. A thin cigar protruded, unlit, from a mouth twisted in a crooked half-smile.
The smuggler entered the dim, smoke-filled bar room; the same place can be found in any city of the world. This one was in Saigon, and Jimi Hendrix had taken up residence, beating out his rendition of Hey Joe from the jukebox in the corner with the volume turned low. Quietly screaming, like the rest of Vietnam. Numerous pairs of eyes – curious, suspicious and hostile – followed the man as he strode briskly into the gloom.
The other patrons were soldiers, most of them dwarfing the diminutive newcomer, but they noted his ease and economy of movement that marked him out as a danger-man; one who could hold his own, who you didn’t start a fight with unless you really wanted a fight.
Blake Drysdale didn’t return their stares, but headed purposefully toward a booth at the rear.
Business always took place in a rear booth.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...
Mod
Excerpts from 'Adversary'.***
He pulled out a gun. Nathan tried to pretend it wasn’t real.
It was a revolver, like a cowboy gun, big and silver. Coombs shot the Pax first and the crack echoed from the cliffs. Chris Paxton lay still, eyes wide, with a bloody puncture through his tie and Nathan stared. It couldn’t be real.
The gun barrel turned on him.
‘But…’ he began dumbly.
The gun cracked again and he lay back in the snow-dappled grass. There was a hole under his right eye radiating a numbness. Dizzy, limp. Unreal.
The four men left the bodies steaming in the field as the lazily-drifting snowflakes fell, dusting them and melting against their flesh even as it cooled. Nathan Dreslin died staring up at a snow-filled sky as the heat seeped out of his body and into the frozen ground.
And then, after a time, something spoke his name.
He watches it in the corner, a mass of shadow, and doesn’t see it because it isn’t there.
He observes the eyeless head and dark needle fangs. The talons at the end of its too-long arms twitch and he does not see them because they aren’t there.
Over the beep and hum of the machines its keening, inhuman chittering is audible and he doesn’t hear it because it isn’t there.
Alone with him in the hospital room it speaks his name, and he will not hear it because it isn’t there.
Please, oh please, let it not be there.
***
He closed his eyes. The plush mattress was amazing after months spent crashing on top of a thin foam slab in the old caravan. The air conditioning was cool against his bare skin and he insisted to himself that for the moment all was right in the world.
Then, inevitably, it encroached. The insect-like chittering sound that wasn’t really a sound.
‘Fuck off,’ Nathan told the empty room.
No.
‘I’m having a holiday, leave me alone.’
No.
He opened his eyes slowly, staring up at the thick timber rafters that had been charming moments before but now looked shadow-haunted and cobwebby. A dark shape was poised in the corner, at the ceiling, clinging up there like some giant spider – all sharp angles and needle points. The Raven. It shifted slightly and emitted a dry rustle and Nathan closed his eyes again.
‘Go away.’
No.
He opened his eyes to glare up at the spot on the ceiling where the Dark Thing had been clinging, only to find the space empty, as it had always been. Nathan looked around slowly – it really was a lovely room – and his gaze fell down the length of the bed, between the V of his bare legs and beyond his flaccid penis the Dark Thing’s stiletto-toothed, eyeless black face hung as it hunkered at the foot of the bed. He actually saw his scrotum contract and protectively yank his balls up against his abdomen at the sight of that razor-edged, ebony maw.
He was terrified of it suddenly, as he hadn’t been since just after his release from hospital. He scrambled back away from it, heels rucking up the bedcover as he went, and wondered just how he’d come to accept the unearthly presence for all this time.
It reached up one long-clawed hand and the scimitar points of its blade fingers seemed to sink into the mattress with no resistance. Raising its nightmare head and upper body ponderously, the other hand followed and it was clambering up the bed then. With slow and jerky motions the thin, angled shoulders bobbed, sinews pulled taut like rope against chaotic bone structure. The thing crawled closer toward him; jutting ribs and dense knots of pitch black flesh. Talons sunk into the bed for purchase. It crawled on and he pressed himself back, desperately, against the headboard as that head, which was nothing more than a mouth, drew near.
Not real, he told himself. It isn’t really there.
The smooth, black mirror of its eyeless face moved up to within inches of his own, and the horrible tangle of dagger fangs parted as it let out an icy hiss.
You’re starting to really piss me off, it said.
Nathan blinked in surprise and the thing was gone. Vanished. Nothing.
He tried to tell himself that it wasn’t real, but that wouldn’t work now. No, not now. Not with the little tufts of doona stuffing poking up through the neat row of incisions stabbed into the bed; the claw wounds torn through cotton fabric and into the mattress. Those were real. The bed had been lanced repeatedly by black claws.
Alone in the plush motel room, Nathan Dreslin realised at last that the Dark Thing, his backseat driver, the Raven on his chamber door... was really there.
https://www.amazon.com/Adversary-Joel...
Mod
-------------------
We are moving up our pending 'Meet the Authors' 2020 list ahead by a year. So we plan to feature two authors every month. One from Group A & One from Group B
Group A 2019(stands unchanged)
-------------
January - Zuzu Lu
February - Shanna Swenson
March - Rob Keeley
April - Anonymous Sinner
May - Guillermo Stitch
June - J.D. Park
July -Melina Druga
August - S. Pearce
September - Paullett Golden
October -Holly Jane
November - L C Perry
December -Catherine Corr
Group B 2020 (To be merged with 2019)
--------------
January - Cage Dunn
February - Kristy Brown
March - Aidan Mcnally
April - Michael Nicholson
May - Robert Ullrich
June - PS Winn
July - Ruby Emam
August - Miriam Hurdle
September - Esther
October - Jerrimiah Stonecastle
November - Joel Green
December - (Lucky Winner)
{ Please bear with me as I make the final changes in the list}
Interested authors do post your excerpts here/PM me to be selected in our list.
You are doing fine Grasshopper. It's a privilege to be featured here. Wish I could do it all over again.
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
G.N.A. Publishing░N░e░w░ ░A░u░t░h░o░r░s░
Books mentioned in this topic
Madness (other topics)Moments - Few Tales in Time (other topics)
Money Gone (other topics)
Haelend's Ballad (other topics)
Finding Identity (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Paityn E. Parque (other topics)Vikas Khair (other topics)
Ian V. Conrey (other topics)
E.S. Hazard (other topics)
E.S. Hazard (other topics)
More...
