Lisa Nordin - 'Grace Alone' OUT NOW!

Lisa Nordin, a fellow author, has finally published her first book in her new 'The Grace Chronicles' series, 'Grace Alone'!

The blurb (or part of it, to wet your appetite)...

Twenty-five-year-old Grace Phillips is a spirited redhead who believes she can manage her own life without anyone's help. She's learning the ins and outs of her boss's landscaping business while she considers taking it over after he retires. In the meantime, she lives in her own modest apartment while saving for her dream trip to Paris.

Having convinced herself that she is in control of her destiny, Grace is surprised to meet the new guy who just moved to her small Midwestern town of Allenhurst, Wisconsin. A handsome architect, Cole Moretti is five years older than her, eager to settle down, and looking in Grace's direction.

...well, it's a great set-up, but of course, life isn't that simple, is it? This is a great read, and much more than just your usual romance! What, you say? A romance? Yes, a GOOD romance book is good for all sexes, not just women. 

Anything else I could say would be a spoiler! But it's definitely worth the read and I thoroughly recommend it!

Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Grace-Alone-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B08GQFHHTS

Paperback

https://www.amazon.com/Grace-Alone-Chronicles-Lisa-Nordin/dp/1627874399

10 Day Countdown - 1 day to go! Gubacsi Dulu #FREE

 What can I say? Tomorrow is the start of a three-day #FREE giveaway of 'Gubacsi Dulu' (12AM PST)

In the past 10 days, I've shared a little of the 'how' with you, and now... the why. Why do I keep writing? For sure, it's not for the money (that is a laugh). For sure it's not for the praise (compared to other - as they have described themselves to me - 'less talented' writers, I have very few reviews). For sure it's not for the limelight (who am I?)

Why do I do this? Spending hours upon hours writing? 

Because I love the creation of the word. I love the creation of the sentence. The build up of one idea upon another to create a whole. Creation. A sense of moving forward. Somehow I understand more of myself and those around me, and the world we find ourselves. Without writing, I feel my brain slowly turning to mush.

So, tomorrow, when Amazon finally changes that price to ZERO, come and download the book, read it, and give me an honest review! Enough readers will give me the inspiration to work on the next! And maybe even the next!

And the second is close behind, so I might even do Pre-orders if all goes well! (The first time ever!)

https://www.amazon.com/Gubacsi-Dulu-Book1-Humanity-English-ebook/dp/B08FTJTYCD

10 Day Countdown - 2 days to go! Gubacsi Dulu #FREE

 What now? 2 days to go before Gubacsi Dulu is #FREE!

A large part of my writing style is taken from Ernest Hemingway and his iceberg theory of omission.

Write just enough description to allow the reader to create their own picture of the places and what the characters are wearing by using their own experience, their 'schemata' (knowledge of life and the experiences they have accumulated through their time in reality).

I don't like to 'spoonfeed' the readers, then they become non-thinkers, sponges taking other people's ideas... readers should become free-thinking, to use their imagination to the greatest possibility. Sure, I could tell you what clothes my characters are wearing right down to the number of buttons on their shirts (like Grisham, how I hate Grisham), but I won't. This helps to increase the 'brain-power' of the reader! Really. I guess that's why a lot of writers don't like my style. I don't like to 'dull down' my readers.

However, I do try to give senses and feelings, contrary to what the image below shows (Notice the typo in the image? Experineces... sounds like a disease — may be they...) Readers needs a path to follow, but they are the ones with the torch to see in the darkness. 

https://www.amazon.com/Gubacsi-Dulu-Book1-Humanity-English-ebook/dp/B08FTJTYCD

10 Day Countdown - 3 days to go! Gubacsi Dulu #FREE

 Ideas.. where do they come from? Life. It's that simple. Life is filled with people who don't know what the hell they are doing. There are those who THINK they know what they are doing and try to control the ones they think who don't know what they are doing, but in fact no one really knows what they are doing.

See? Where did that paragraph come from? Where did that come from? A moment in time. We are only a moment in time. And so is an idea. Catch them. Grow them. Write them down.

I find that once you have one idea, another appears and then another, and another, rather like drawing a tree, with each branch and leaf being a part of the whole, and in the end you have... a tree!... no, well, yes, but if we think about the written word, a book.

https://www.amazon.com/Gubacsi-Dulu-Book1-Humanity-English-ebook/dp/B08FTJTYCD

10 Day Countdown - 4 days to go! Gubacsi Dulu #FREE

Movies today... simple 3 step plots, really. 

And so are books. The tension and problems of the main character increases until there is a crisis, and then there is a little reprieve and finally a last climax... with a tail of a resolution. This is exactly what happens in Gubacsi Dulu (and every other book if you look). This is how it's done. But it's the journey and not the destination which are important in life, and in a book. How did the story get there? And as a writer, how did I think of that? 

(Next time: ideas)

https://www.amazon.com/Gubacsi-Dulu-Book1-Humanity-English-ebook/dp/B08FTJTYCD

10 Day Countdown - 5 days to go! Gubacsi Dulu #FREE

 Five more days until Gubacsi Dulu is #FREE... 

Today... erm... Yeah, I know! Dialogue!

Don't you just love those books on Amazon, over 200 5 star reviews, you 'Look Inside' to see what the fuss is all about and find either pages and pages of description of the world/characters, what I would call 'info dump', or some of the worst, unreal dialogue you've ever seen in your life. The best is when the characters laugh and you're thinking 'What are they laughing about? No one said anything funny and nothing funny happened... except for the dreadful dialogue.'

Let's try and find an example.... nah, I don't want to embarrass someone who has more reviews (and power) than myself. "If you have nothing good to say, don't say anything at all"... "Trump is a huge POS... it's good to say."

So I've always tried to keep my dialogue as real - and believable - as possible. A little excerpt from Chapter 9...

“A what did what? Are implants a thing now?” Karina couldn’t believe it, didn’t want to. What did they do? What were they good for? Did it hurt?

“For the wealthy. You should read more of the updates we receive from Base.”

“We receive updates from Base?” Even this was news to her.

“You look like shit.”

“Call the kettle black, would ya?”

“Go get some sleep!” Pukanszky pushed her out of the casino and waved her away. “And have a shower, too!”

This kind of thing. Nothing special, just real. That's what I do with dialogue. As you can see, there's even a little bit of 'world-creation' in there, but with no information dump. The reader needs to use their own knowledge and expectations to fill in the gaps with their imagination. What updates? What Base? Apparently Karina looks and smells terrible. That kind of thing. ...you'll find out about implants if you read the book.

...and there's some movement on Amazon.co.uk (Paperback!)... thanks Mum! (LOL) ...no, really... probably... Ha!

204,737 in Books (was approx. 600,000 a few days ago)

#31854 in Literature & Fiction for Children (Books)

#477 in Steam Punk

#4409 in Science Fiction Adventure (Books)

https://www.amazon.com/Gubacsi-Dulu-Book1-Humanity-English-ebook/dp/B08FTJTYCD

10 Day Countdown - 6 days to go! Gubacsi Dulu #FREE

One of the large parts of my books is the message, either hidden or brazenly shoved into the reader's face. (I have a novella which has... anyway, another post).

My messages are usually about blindness... people's stupidity, expectations, prejudices, awareness (lack of it). They're pretty obvious to see.

Are you racist? If I say 'Black Lives Matter' do you instantly stand up and say 'All Lives Matter' or even 'Blues Lives Matter'? 

Black Lives Matter, by the way. Slavery in the USA was merely transformed into second-rate citizenship where those of colour are seen as worthless by White Americans, and the POLICE, no matter which race they are. What is a White American? An immigrant. Why don't they go back to the country THEY came from? At least they went to the USA voluntarily. And they can go back voluntarily.

Anyway, Harvard has some nice Implicit Association Tests you can try...I did, and I have no bias/prejudice...

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html

So the message in Gubacsi Dulu? Simple, it's prejudice. Against women, mainly. This is the first basic prejudice in society today. Race is the second. Why do women get less pay for the same job, why do women have laws which control the use of their own bodies? It is time for society to change.

https://www.amazon.com/Gubacsi-Dulu-Book1-Humanity-English-ebook/dp/B08FTJTYCD