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Author's Corner ~ 2024
Alias Reader wrote: "Are you an author who wishes to post about your book? This is the thread to do it.
Please do not start a new thread. If you do, it will be deleted. Just reply to this post.
Thank you."
Thank you for starting a new thread, Alias!
You're welcome, Hailey. Here's wishing you a very successful writing year !
Thank you Alias and madrano. I really appreciate your support.
Hello everyone! Behold! The first I'm Pursuing a Monster update of the year!You can read more about it here:
https://haileysawyer.wordpress.com/20...
Hailey wrote: "Hello everyone! Behold! The first I'm Pursuing a Monster update of the year!You can read more about it here:
https://haileysawyer.wordpress.com/20......"
A very nice start to the new year for you, Hailey !
Alias Reader wrote: "Hailey wrote: "Hello everyone! Behold! The first I'm Pursuing a Monster update of the year!You can read more about it here:
https://haileysawyer.wordpress.com/20......"
Thank you, Alias!
Hailey wrote: "Hello everyone! Behold! The first I'm Pursuing a Monster update of the year!..."Well begun, Hailey!
madrano wrote: "Hailey wrote: "Hello everyone! Behold! The first I'm Pursuing a Monster update of the year!..."Well begun, Hailey!"
Thanks, madrano!
Hello everyone! New year and new chapter of my second novel!More on that here:
https://haileysawyer.wordpress.com/20...
Happy New Year and New Chapter, Hailey. Great start, it seems to me.
madrano wrote: "Happy New Year and New Chapter, Hailey. Great start, it seems to me."Thank you, madrano!
Hello everyone! Very happy to say that I got a new outline for my second novel finished!More on that here:
https://haileysawyer.wordpress.com/20...
You are starting the New Year off on the right foot.
madrano wrote: "Way to go, Hailey!"Thanks, madrano!
Alias Reader wrote: "You are starting the New Year off on the right foot."Thank you, Alias! Glad to know I'm headed in a good direction.
Hello everyone in 2024 it seems like yesterday when I first introduced myself in a 2023 thread (if I'm not mistaken, it could have been someplace else, I was too green).I am forcing myself to be more active and socialize a bit more (being a natural lurker and loner).
I've recently self-published a book, I'm working on my second one, and (while I do have some rather controversial opinions that I tend to keep to myself, and, to some extent, I may come off as verbose at times) I do leave a comment or thread here and there (although mostly I just read what other people post and reply).
Best of luck with your second book, Alistair.You might find the book I'm reading interesting,
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
Alistair wrote: "Hello everyone in 2024 it seems like yesterday when I first introduced myself in a 2023 thread (if I'm not mistaken, it could have been someplace else, I was too green).I am forcing myself to be m..."
Welcome Alistair. If you don't mind me asking, would you be willing to share a little more information on your second book?
Great to see you here again, Alistair. Good luck with your new work!
Hello everyone! Please welcome... a brand new chapter of my second novel!You can read all about it here:
https://haileysawyer.wordpress.com/20...
Look at you go, Hailey! Welcoming the New Year with roaring words.
madrano wrote: "Look at you go, Hailey! Welcoming the New Year with roaring words."Thank you, madrano!
Hello everyone! Thanks to the completion of another plot outline for my second novel, I'm even closer to the seven-oh zone!You can read more on the outline and stuff here:
https://haileysawyer.wordpress.com/20...
I'm tickled to hear that this part of the outline was fun for you, Hailey.
madrano wrote: "I'm tickled to hear that this part of the outline was fun for you, Hailey."I'm glad to hear that, madrano!
Hello everyone! Kicking off the weekend with another finished chapter of my second novel!More on that here:
https://haileysawyer.wordpress.com/20...
Thanks for the update. I like that your outline surprises you in this way.
madrano wrote: "Thanks for the update. I like that your outline surprises you in this way."You're welcome, madrano.
Hello everyone! There's a new outline for my second novel in town!More detail here:
https://haileysawyer.wordpress.com/20...
Wow, changing a character's name this far into a book. Neat.
I find it interesting to think about how anThe Bee Sting author selects a characters name. I just finished reading The Bee Sting. There were a few different names in it.
Zargham, Roisin, and Ryszard.
Creating names must be a fun time for authors. Those are quite different.
madrano wrote: "Creating names must be a fun time for authors. Those are quite different."It can certainly be, madrano. For me, when it comes to naming characters, I just pick them based on what feels right to me while making sure that the names aren't too similar among the cast.
Alias Reader wrote: "I find it interesting to think about how anThe Bee Sting author selects a characters name. I just finished reading The Bee Sting. There were a few different names ..."
If you don't mind me asking, what did you think of The Bee Sting, Alias?
Hello everyone! Once again, a new chapter of my second novel has been completed!More on that here:
https://haileysawyer.wordpress.com/20...
Hailey wrote: "Alias Reader wrote: "I find it interesting to think about how anThe Bee Sting author selects a characters name. I just finished reading The Bee Sting. There were a..."
This is the review I posted in The Book Salon thread.
I gave it 4/5. It was very good but I also had a lot of issues with it.
---
Repost from Book Salon Thread
This book was short listed for the 2023 Booker Prize.
The novel is set in Ireland and revolves around the Barnes family. They have fallen on very hard times in the 2008 financial crisis. The story is told in sections which each family member giving their POV and revealing their own secrets and troubles. Dickie is the father/husband. Imelda is the mother/wife, PJ is the twelve year old son and Cass is the eighteen year old daughter.
I thought the writing was very good. The final quarter of he book was riveting. For me, that section was a page turner. The book sort of rests on the question of, what happens when we wear a mask and are not true to ourselves? The book has a lot of twists and turns as the story unfolds.
However, the book had things that I personally do not care for so I had to take a star off on for what otherwise would have been a 5 star read for me.
I generally don't like fiction books of this length. It's around 650 pages. I honestly think it needed to be edited way down.
I especially did not like the 150 page chunk that comes about a third of the way into the book where all punctations ceases when we hear from the wife/mother, Imelda. No periods, commas or quotation marks. Zip. Nada. Thank heaven for capital letters at the start of sentence. That helped a bit. This slowed my reading down to a crawl and I just found it annoying.
I didn't have trouble following the back and forth timeline but that is not a favorite thing for me either. That probably is a testament to the quality of the writing.
I also prefer clear chapters and chapter titles. I guess I'm too old fashion.
Lastly, I wasn't a big fan of the ending. It seemed a bit of a cop out to me after I invested the time to read 650 pages. Also at the end it suddenly turns into second person narrative. Why? I've no idea. I found that a bit confusing.
I'm not really sure why the author selected all these avant-garde writing techniques, affectations or whatever you would call it. I don't think it helped the story. It also caused my reading pace to slow down as I had to determine who was talking or where a sentence began or stopped.
All that said, the writing and plot I think are well worth the effort. I would compare his rare writing talent to Jonathan Franzen or Amor Towles So I am giving this novel 4/5 stars which is: exceeded my expectations.
Trigger warning: there is some violence and some graphic sex.
Hailey wrote: "I just pick them based on what feels right to me while making sure that the names aren't too similar among the cas ..."I know many, many people thank you for that last part, Hailey. It mars a book reading when two (or more) characters have similar names unless that is the reason for the similarity, which is seldom true. Ideally each character stands out for a reader, so the name isn't a biggie, but when they don't, i end up likely to stop caring what happens to them, whether i continue with the book or not.
Hailey wrote: "Hello everyone! Once again, a new chapter of my second novel has been completed!More on that here:
https://haileysawyer.wordpress.com/20......"
Good work, Hailey.
madrano wrote: "Hailey wrote: "Hello everyone! Once again, a new chapter of my second novel has been completed!More on that here:
https://haileysawyer.wordpress.com/20......"
Thank you, madrano!
Hello everyone! The end of the month is here and so is a newly finished outline of my second novel!You can read more on that here:
https://haileysawyer.wordpress.com/20...
Hailey wrote: "Hello everyone! The end of the month is here and so is a newly finished outline of my second novel!You can read more on that here:
https://haileysawyer.wordpress.com/20...-..."
Congratulations, Hailey ! Now down to the nitty gritty as they say.
Hailey wrote: "This outline was a blast to write! Lots of fast paced action. That’s all I’m gonna say. -..."Love that! Enjoy, Hailey!
Hello everyone! New month and a new chapter of my second novel!Read more about it here:
https://haileysawyer.wordpress.com/20...
It's a good start to February, Hailey!
madrano wrote: "It's a good start to February, Hailey!"Thank you, madrano!
Stopping in to wish you the best in your writing career, Hailey! Hope this year is your best yet!
Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote: "Stopping in to wish you the best in your writing career, Hailey! Hope this year is your best yet!"Thank you, Kiki! I hope so too!
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Are you an author who wishes to post about your book? This is the thread to do it.
Please do not start a new thread. If you do, it will be deleted. Just reply to this post.
Thank you.