So, I've finally put up the first 13,000 or so words of 'Manna-X' on authonomy.com.
It's still rough, needs a bit of work, but it's 'out there', you can read it and give some feedback!
Please tell me how you feel (if you get to the end of this first bit of the book) :-)
http://authonomy.com/books/50429/manna-x/
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Two cars totally trashed...(biting)
My 1st book 'Man by a tree' is a favourite of a lot of my readers...yes, there are now a lot more readers than I can count on my fingers :-)...I had a little read of it the other day and it's filled with good stuff - how did I do that?
Anyhow, I remember when I first 'put it out', a lot of other writers said the phrase "Two cars totally trashed" which starts Part 1 scene 2 wasn't smooth enough, it had to be changed. Well, it's not meant to be smooth, it's meant to bite! Have you ever felt moving metal hit your soft skin? It isn't pleasant. When you have a car, plane or motorbike accident, the pain includes that 'biting' metal, that feeling which makes you realise that your body isn't bullet-proof, isn't immortal. One nice slice of 'fast moving' metal against your skin and you know about it. So, in that phrase, I tried to encapsule that feeling, and I think I have...check out the book :-)
http://amzn.to/14wkkew
Anyhow, I remember when I first 'put it out', a lot of other writers said the phrase "Two cars totally trashed" which starts Part 1 scene 2 wasn't smooth enough, it had to be changed. Well, it's not meant to be smooth, it's meant to bite! Have you ever felt moving metal hit your soft skin? It isn't pleasant. When you have a car, plane or motorbike accident, the pain includes that 'biting' metal, that feeling which makes you realise that your body isn't bullet-proof, isn't immortal. One nice slice of 'fast moving' metal against your skin and you know about it. So, in that phrase, I tried to encapsule that feeling, and I think I have...check out the book :-)
http://amzn.to/14wkkew
Friday, March 1, 2013
Civilisation Burnout
You know, there's a lot of burnouts, I even have to write about teacher's burnout soon, but I think I have 'civilisation burnout'. I'm not having a nervous breakdown, I've just had enough of all this shit. Everything is money, position, power. The only thing I would like is self-sufficiency, away from the creeps and arseholes who 'run' our lives, thinking they're so clever by covering our hearts and minds with all their 'organisation' and 'achievements' and 'troubles'. We haven't moved one step away from the trees yet, and it's been a few 100,000 years! When will we learn! Read my books, you might understand...if only I could reach a wider audience...
Sunday, February 24, 2013
My 2nd interview which 'expired'...:-)
Well, my 2nd interview 'expired' on epublishabook.com, so here it is, in all it's glory...yeah, right :-)
Your last book 'Rage of Atlantis was made available to the public in June 2012. How well has it been received by the public so far?
Well, I could count my sales on both hands, but those who have read it say it's fantastic and should be read by a much larger audience.
Your book falls under the main fantasy genre. Do you tag it with other genres? What do you see as the pros and cons of writing fantasy fiction on the publishing scene?
This book is much more than just fantasy. For myself, I find the genre tags to be too restrictive as I don't write with a genre in mind. I try not to write clones and so it's tricky to pinpoint exactly in which part of the market it should go, be it fantasy, sci-fi, detective, thrilller, comedy.
What part of your writing time do you devote to marketing your book?
Once the writing's done, the marketing begins. It's part of self-publishing, but I don't really know how to do it. What I'm trying to say is, I love writing, I hate marketing.
What marketing tools do you use to improve your ranking on Amazon?
Sales. More sales. Even more sales. Sales produce sales. And begging. Begging for my readers to add a review. Which is like pulling off toe-nails.
What would you say are the main advantages and disadvantages of self-publishing vs being published?
The disadvantage of self-publishing is that your book goes nowhere without you putting your foot in somewhere and doing some self-marketing...which I hate. But once you have something written, you can put it out into the world, you don't need to wait for the impossible dream of being picked up by an agent or publisher. There is a chance of being read through self-publishing, though it's slim as I've seen. But better than nothing. Well, that's what I keep telling myself (banging head against wall).
What do you do to get book reviews? How successful has your quest for reviews been so far?
Beg. Beg some more. Grovel. It hasn't been so successful. I've given books away, reviewed other authors, kissed babies, promised World Peace, but nothing seems to work. For all my 3 books on Amazon, there are reviews on both Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, but they are few, very few. I did, however, receive an interview about my 2nd books 'The Bethlehem Fiasco', perhaps my greatest success so far...excluding this one :-) (well, apparently only for 1 month, but HEY, got a little exposure...or not)
Your last book 'Rage of Atlantis was made available to the public in June 2012. How well has it been received by the public so far?
Well, I could count my sales on both hands, but those who have read it say it's fantastic and should be read by a much larger audience.
Your book falls under the main fantasy genre. Do you tag it with other genres? What do you see as the pros and cons of writing fantasy fiction on the publishing scene?
This book is much more than just fantasy. For myself, I find the genre tags to be too restrictive as I don't write with a genre in mind. I try not to write clones and so it's tricky to pinpoint exactly in which part of the market it should go, be it fantasy, sci-fi, detective, thrilller, comedy.
What part of your writing time do you devote to marketing your book?
Once the writing's done, the marketing begins. It's part of self-publishing, but I don't really know how to do it. What I'm trying to say is, I love writing, I hate marketing.
What marketing tools do you use to improve your ranking on Amazon?
Sales. More sales. Even more sales. Sales produce sales. And begging. Begging for my readers to add a review. Which is like pulling off toe-nails.
What would you say are the main advantages and disadvantages of self-publishing vs being published?
The disadvantage of self-publishing is that your book goes nowhere without you putting your foot in somewhere and doing some self-marketing...which I hate. But once you have something written, you can put it out into the world, you don't need to wait for the impossible dream of being picked up by an agent or publisher. There is a chance of being read through self-publishing, though it's slim as I've seen. But better than nothing. Well, that's what I keep telling myself (banging head against wall).
What do you do to get book reviews? How successful has your quest for reviews been so far?
Beg. Beg some more. Grovel. It hasn't been so successful. I've given books away, reviewed other authors, kissed babies, promised World Peace, but nothing seems to work. For all my 3 books on Amazon, there are reviews on both Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, but they are few, very few. I did, however, receive an interview about my 2nd books 'The Bethlehem Fiasco', perhaps my greatest success so far...excluding this one :-) (well, apparently only for 1 month, but HEY, got a little exposure...or not)
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Monkeys + Religion
You know, there's that youtube video of that guy in Korea doing "Gangnam Style", now there's a new video of people just being stupid and dancing any old way, and calling it a 'style'. My books call humans monkeys. Can't you see why? People have so much time on their hands and their priorities are all so messed up.
In Hungary, there will soon be YET AGAIN, new legislation in the school, children will have either Religious lessons or Virtue lessons. Problem is, there is no one who can pass the strict rules for being a Virtue teacher, other than Relgious teachers, so those Religious teachers who can't get a job as a Religious teacher will become Virtue teachers...did you get that? I hope you did.
Religion. I think I'm going to have a BIG THINK about it, and write something, something which will make people think. On Jottify, a popular amateur poet wrote a poem about the uselessness of prayer, and you should've seen the response! So many Christians patronising her! "Oh, you have the right to your own opinion..." Why did they have to open their mouths in the first place? Are they trying to reinforce their faith? Their faith in nothing? "God is all around us." "Jesus Lives". Yes? Then I want his phone number.
In Hungary, there will soon be YET AGAIN, new legislation in the school, children will have either Religious lessons or Virtue lessons. Problem is, there is no one who can pass the strict rules for being a Virtue teacher, other than Relgious teachers, so those Religious teachers who can't get a job as a Religious teacher will become Virtue teachers...did you get that? I hope you did.
Religion. I think I'm going to have a BIG THINK about it, and write something, something which will make people think. On Jottify, a popular amateur poet wrote a poem about the uselessness of prayer, and you should've seen the response! So many Christians patronising her! "Oh, you have the right to your own opinion..." Why did they have to open their mouths in the first place? Are they trying to reinforce their faith? Their faith in nothing? "God is all around us." "Jesus Lives". Yes? Then I want his phone number.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Hemingway- 'The Sun Also Rises' Part 2
Did you know?
1. Hemingway made a hurtful remark against Henry James, as he also lost certain parts of his body, as did Jake, Hemingway's main character.
2. Gertrude Stein DID NOT say "You are all a Lost Generation" first. It was a French petrol station owner, disciplining one of his employees (who fought in WW1) after not being able to fix Stein's car. She merely copied him.
3. The Sun Also Rises is NOT an attack on the Lost Generation, but actually a tragedy...Hemingway "didn't mean the book to be a hollow or bitter satire but a damn tragedy with the Earth abiding forever as the hero."
4. Hemingway strips away imitations and creates a new complex pastoral vision, one closer to reality and nature, its wildness, showing us that the traditional pastoral vision does not lead us closer to nature and is in fact one of the tamest literary forms.
...and get this...:-)
5. Hemingway was going to re-title the book in the 2nd printing to...The Sun Also Rises (Like Your Cock If You Have One) but thankfully didn't.
Isn't it a great thing to study literature? You can find out why you're reading books which you wouldn't normally pick up in a month of Sundays :-)
1. Hemingway made a hurtful remark against Henry James, as he also lost certain parts of his body, as did Jake, Hemingway's main character.
2. Gertrude Stein DID NOT say "You are all a Lost Generation" first. It was a French petrol station owner, disciplining one of his employees (who fought in WW1) after not being able to fix Stein's car. She merely copied him.
3. The Sun Also Rises is NOT an attack on the Lost Generation, but actually a tragedy...Hemingway "didn't mean the book to be a hollow or bitter satire but a damn tragedy with the Earth abiding forever as the hero."
4. Hemingway strips away imitations and creates a new complex pastoral vision, one closer to reality and nature, its wildness, showing us that the traditional pastoral vision does not lead us closer to nature and is in fact one of the tamest literary forms.
...and get this...:-)
5. Hemingway was going to re-title the book in the 2nd printing to...The Sun Also Rises (Like Your Cock If You Have One) but thankfully didn't.
Isn't it a great thing to study literature? You can find out why you're reading books which you wouldn't normally pick up in a month of Sundays :-)
Monday, February 18, 2013
Hemingway - 'The Sun Also Rises'
I had to read Hemingway's 'The Sun Also Rises' for an assignment, and my first impression was 'What the hell is this?' Up to Chapter 12 it reads like some pedestrian travelogue, along with some forced dialogue and men running after 1 loose woman.
But in Chapter 12, something actually happens! Hemingway goes straight back to the classics, and creates a 'complex pastoral vision' (you might have to go and look that one up - I did). And then it goes back to as before, but with that edge from Chapter 12 still running through the reader's mind.
I can now see why it's a classic.
But my question is, why did I have to drag myself through 11 chapters to get to the juicy bit?
Still, I'm glad I did :-)
You can't beat a classic...unless you're looking for pure entertainment, which is 'The Bethlehem Fiasco' :-)
But in Chapter 12, something actually happens! Hemingway goes straight back to the classics, and creates a 'complex pastoral vision' (you might have to go and look that one up - I did). And then it goes back to as before, but with that edge from Chapter 12 still running through the reader's mind.
I can now see why it's a classic.
But my question is, why did I have to drag myself through 11 chapters to get to the juicy bit?
Still, I'm glad I did :-)
You can't beat a classic...unless you're looking for pure entertainment, which is 'The Bethlehem Fiasco' :-)
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