Sending out work for reviews

One of the best things about social media is finding people who are willing to read your work and give you HONEST feedback about them.  While I look about the various places that people can comment on my work I have found a lot of interesting comments.  Yes I have received two star reviews and while it is a hit to the ego it is also a learning experience.  If and this is the important part, if the reviewer actually gives you the reason they gave your tale two stars.

On Goodreads you don't have to leave an actual review when you star a story.  I have a few low stars there that I really wish the reviewers had put down why they didn't like my tale.  One thing I strive to do in my work is to get better. 

Now a lot of people think that reviews that are given from free copies of a book or story is wrong but are they?  Even if a story is gifted to a reviewer if the person is honest in what they liked and didn't like what is wrong?  I have over the years reviewed a number of books that I have picked up during free offers on Amazon, Smashwords and other etailers. 

Also I have offered a number of my works for free, either for a short period of time or in the case of my fan fiction, always.  Reviews are one of the ways for a writer to learn what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong.  The good ones learn from these comments.

Now yes reviews can hurt.  Some people seem to believe that they need to tear down writers the same way they tear down artists, singers and actors.  The amount of bullying on the web is sad in my opinion.  We need to find ways to uplift and not drag down.

But back to the post heading.  I have a number of people who have graciously offered to give me honest reviews on both my work in progress and on the pieces I have up for sale.  The WIP pre readers make my life so much easier and they will be thanked in as many places as I can get away with.  Those who are reading my published work I can't thank on the reviews but I can here.

It is considered wrong to respond to a review.  The rules of receiving reviews are complicated and different from place to place.  With all the social media accounts out there just finding those reviews can be almost impossible.  One thing I have done and plan on continuing to do is placing those reviews I give and those I receive up on my own website. 

This can be tricky though.  One Amazon alone I have 71 reviews.  Not all of them are for my stand alone work.  The anthologies i have contributed to have reviews and for the most part those are positive.

So the thing about this blog is that reviews are necessary for growth and that authors need to search out people to review them.  You shouldn't expect your reviews to be all glowing and five star.  You should take all comments and learn from them but most importantly don't take them too much to heart.  Keep being creative and learn but don't let the trolls drag you down.  Remember that the things you write, like the art or song from other creative people, is a part of you.  How the reviewer sees your work is only a part of what you gave it.  The rest is from them.  If they are hurt, angry or just plain mean inside then they will say things that are the same.  Keep writing things that lift your heart and soul and hopefully others.

An interesting idea

Amazon has started a new program that might or might not be a boon for writers.  The idea is that you buy an author's book in paper format and you can get the digital format for $2.99, 99 cents or even free, depending on its original price. 

Now it is a boon because it should help sell those paperbacks that authors have and give the reader a digital format to take with them on trips.  The catch being I am not sure if this will be changing the ebook version's price all the time.  I don't have an issue if someone who purchases say Endings in paperback for $5.99 gets the digital copy for free.  This would bee a good thing for me but if they put the digital copy for free for everyone then I am screwed.

I am going to have to wait and see.  If it messes up I will update you and change my listings.  For now Endings, Revenge, Fall Into Nightmares and Love, Loss and Loneliness have been enrolled.  As I don't plan on doing the rest of my books outside of the way I have them all ready this won't kill me.

With the change of the season it looks like people are buying.  Okay one sale on Amazon and three on Barnes and Noble but I take them where I can get them of course.  It helps me to feel that producing my words is reaching people. 

New Releases, yes I do release my own stories

Since August ends on Monday and this weekend is a holiday I decided I would release the three stories I had been holding onto.   Three different tales from three different series
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ETCI3OK Not Just Another Morning of Business, Guardians of the Gate City side story 1:  Sheldon is one of Harry’s friends, a dragon who deals in information.  He is not having a good morning.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ETP6812 Now and Forever (Mythos of Love, #3): Sometimes the pledge you make to your Lord is not what you expected
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ETCIRKU The Pest House, Death Walks Through 9: Pest houses are where they took those very contagious to get better or die but not everyone taken there were sick.

Now these are obviously only the most recent of each of these series.  I have really started to like writing in my series.  My tales are short so it helps keep me on track.

I have been spending the past week trying to come up with a new title for my upcoming horror stories.  While they are not as dark as more horror stories they are darker than my other stuff.  Most mental horror stories I guess.  I am hoping I can come up with something good.  I have tossed around things like Twists of the Mind or Dark Dreams but I will come out with something.  There are six tales in the works that will fall into this short stories series.  Yes more short stories in the works!

Writers reading stories written by writers about a story about a writer

Okay was that confusing enough?  Everyone knows I am a huge fan of tv/movies/books and music right?  One of the shows I watch faithfully is Castle.  I started watching of course because of Nathan Fillion.  Who wouldn't?  He is funny, handsome and a very talented actor.  But a funny thing happened.  The show turned out to be a lot deeper and a lot better than I expected.  So I kept watching.  The fact that he is playing an author on the show was in no small part why this show grabbed me.

They would mention his different books and then go on to work on what ever murder they had to solve that week.  Fun and fluff all at the same time right?  Well recently on a goof I decided to go to amazon and see if they actually put out any of the books that Richard Castle refers to.  And wouldn't you know it they did!

Yes I have complained about famous people getting all the notice because of their name but I thought hey this is a fictional book by a fictional character.  Lets see if they actually got a good writer or if one of the many talented script writers tried their hand at writing a novel.  Yes folks these are two very different skill sets.  I am a short story and novel writer, I have never even tried to do a script and I hold those who do in high regard but that isn't what this is about.

The first Nikki Heat book started out a bit rough, kind of what I expect but then I got sucked in.  I could see where the fictional Richard Castle had included himself and the fictional Kate Beckett in the stories but it was fun and lighter than a lot of the murder mystery/cop thriller books out there are.  So I decided to go ahead and read the rest. 

Let me tell you I can't wait for the fifth book!  They are slowly getting much better.  The writer (who every he or she is) has managed to catch the flavor of the fictional Richard Castle  and made the books fun and worth reading.  By ending the books with a cliff hanger of sorts it makes you want to read the next.

Just on a hoot I went and looked up Richard Castle on Wiki and whoa.  A very well done page with lots of books that you can actually download.  Amazing.  I wish I had such a nice page.  I decided right then that I might as well read the read of the so called Richard Castle books.  I have read four of the Derrick Storm books and they are the typical spy book with a bit of tongue in cheek and attitude.  Again a fun and fast read for a voracious reader like myself.

It was hysterical last night that they broadcast an episode with the fictional character who was the basis for Richard Castle's fictional female spy.  The episode was a lot of fun, actually had the same flavor as both of the series and of course had a dramatic cliff hanger at the end!  Yes these are reruns so I am lucky enough to be able to see the second part tonight but it was just pure unadulterated fun.

As a writer I dream of someday seeing my work in other forms.  I would love to see things like Guardians of the Gate city made into a short series.  The Saga of Loralil Greyfox made into an anime and even maybe my Death Walks Through tales made into a manga.   We all dream these things, wel don't dare hope but we dream.  Right now I will admit I just want to find a few (thousand) readers who love my tales and will read them and comment on them to me and the world.  I have a few fans who I adore having and I will continue to write what I can till the day I can't.

So as you can see my blog title is weird but it is accurate.  I am a writer who reads books about writers who write books about a writer in their books...confusing but fun and that is what reading and writing is all about to me.  Confusion and fun and maybe the ability to open up the mind of a reader to something they never thought of before.

writting really is a full time job

Yup I keep forgetting this little blog...what with four over on wordpress and doing my writing I get behind.  So I am just a little too busy right?

I have a lot of new releases to talk about here though.  What with the Writer's Stuff anthology going live I am really happy

The Writers stuff anthology

The story I have in here is one of my Death Walks Through short stories and speaking of those i have another one that I put up for people to enjoy.

Under the Black Bridge This short story is set back home in Nashua...a fun little read.

I'm working hard on the new series, Myths of Love.  I decided that Knight Protector would be the first of those tales

The Knight Protector these are my more romantic fantasy tales.  I have another finished and ready for release next month and I am working on two more as you read this.  One is titled Now and Forever, a sad tale and the other is Singer of the Blood song.  My romances dont always have the happily ever after but there is love and romance and occasionally a bit of sex.

So with everything else i will try to remember to post over here too

I keep doing it! Forgetting to comment over here!

Well I will have to reorganize all my links so I can post here too!

I have been very busy since my last post back in January.  I put out Revenge finally.  For those of you reading this and not in the know that is the second book of the Saga of Loralil Greyfox.  The first book has been reviewed with a solid four star ranking so far.  People think that is it dark..and well yeah it is.  Revenge is also but in a different way.  I can only hope that the readers of Endings will be looking forward to reading the longer and better written sequel.

Yesterday I put up a new story in the Death Walks Through short story series.  The story is titled The Red Ghost Rides and it is a short short but still a fun retelling of an old American south western legend.  I hope people will look for it where ever they buy ebooks.  There will be a fifth story in that series up once I get my butt in gear and make a cover.

I have also made two new book trailers.  Endings can be found both on youtube like all my trailers and it is the first of my trailers up on viveo.  You can see it here.

https://vimeo.com/61005423

I am about halfway through my next novel. The Traveler is a lighter (for me) fantasy novel.  This one might just fit in the YA category, or so I hope.  After all that is a huge market right?

I have also started putting up my really short short stories over on Wattpad.  These will be freebies to let people see how I write.  The first one, In Space No One Can Hear You Scream, was written as part of a Halloween short story contest on amazon's Space station discussion group.  It was so much fun that I have written two more that will go up, you guessed it, when I make covers for them!.  I plan on posting a longer story too, A Bargain with Fur.  That is a retelling of a Japanese folk story inspired by a filk song I have.  While I could probably sell it I don't feel right doing so but I hope people will enjoy it.

Now I thought I had put Sins of the Father up on Wattpad but I was wrong.  That fan fiction greatest hits (for me) is up over on Goodreads.  Anyone who wants to reread (or read for the first time) my most popular story you can find it there.