NOTE: I do not accept books for review. Reviews posted here are only for indie books that I have bought, and that I enjoyed enough to tell others about them.
I can't remember how I initially stumbled across Ryne Douglas Pearson's books - I think it might have been a link to his web site on the Kindle Boards. Anyway, while looking at the list of books he had written on his site I saw Dark and Darker. I've become interested in short stories lately (since I'm writing a few myself :) ), and
Monday, January 10, 2011
Sunday, January 09, 2011
#ROW80 Week 1 - Clear Days
Ok, so officially we're supposed to check in for ROW80 on Wednesdays and Sundays. I'm not a "check in twice a week" person, so I'm just going to be doing the Sunday updates :)
So how has week 1 of ROW80 gone? Very well so far! Obviously we're only at the start, but looking at my goals for the challenge...
Average 1,000 words a day on my WIP - done for the first five days this week (I work out the average for the week on Fridays, since I don't write a lot on the weekend). I was worried I
So how has week 1 of ROW80 gone? Very well so far! Obviously we're only at the start, but looking at my goals for the challenge...
Average 1,000 words a day on my WIP - done for the first five days this week (I work out the average for the week on Fridays, since I don't write a lot on the weekend). I was worried I
Sunday, January 02, 2011
Indie Author Sales in December
Over on the Kindle Boards indie authors are once again giving details on their sales for December, and once again I'm compiling them all into a single list.
It's fascinating seeing the difference between November and December. Authors on the Kindle Boards were saying that they were seeing good sales for December as the month progressed, and the final results definitely show that.
In November, after the authors who had less than 30 sales for the month, the largest group was authors who got
It's fascinating seeing the difference between November and December. Authors on the Kindle Boards were saying that they were seeing good sales for December as the month progressed, and the final results definitely show that.
In November, after the authors who had less than 30 sales for the month, the largest group was authors who got
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
ROW80 - My Round One Goals Updated
I wrote about the Round of Words in 80 Days writing challenge just over a week ago. It kicks off in a few days, and it's now time for me to "officially" state what my goals will be for the challenge.
Claire Farrell used a very clear way of stating her goals on her blog, so I'm going to adapt her method for my own use :)
Goals
Write at least 7,000 words every week (ie: average 1,000 words a day) for my current WIP. Weeks are considered to end on Friday - I don't always get a chance to
Claire Farrell used a very clear way of stating her goals on her blog, so I'm going to adapt her method for my own use :)
Goals
Write at least 7,000 words every week (ie: average 1,000 words a day) for my current WIP. Weeks are considered to end on Friday - I don't always get a chance to
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
"On Ice" Cover
Normally a cover for "On Ice" isn't something I'd be thinking about at this stage - I'm still very early (~12k words) into the first draft, and it will be at least mid-2011 before it is ready to be released.
However I was lucky enough to win a free book cover in a Christmas draw held by Glendon & T.L. Haddix. Glendon is one of the people involved with Streetlight Graphics, and as I found out he is extremely talented when it comes to graphic design.
Glendon asked me a series of
However I was lucky enough to win a free book cover in a Christmas draw held by Glendon & T.L. Haddix. Glendon is one of the people involved with Streetlight Graphics, and as I found out he is extremely talented when it comes to graphic design.
Glendon asked me a series of
Monday, December 27, 2010
Amanda Hocking, Indie Author Superstar
For many indie authors (especially those who hang out on the Kindle Boards or read JA Konrath's blog), the name Amanda Hocking is well known. Amanda is an author who started self-publishing her novels to the Kindle in April this year. She has quite a few out now (she had a large collection of manuscripts from many years of writing), and she has been doing ok as far as sales go.
Where ok means that she has now sold over 100k of books in just 8 months!
Just think if someone had said a few
Where ok means that she has now sold over 100k of books in just 8 months!
Just think if someone had said a few
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
How We Write
There has been an interesting thread over on the Kindle Boards that started with a simple question - how do you write your novels?
As you can imagine, there have been a huge number of varied replies. I'm pretty sure that if you asked 100 different authors how they write, you would get 110 different answers :) There has been talk about discovery writing and multiple redrafts, and using an outline. Constant writing, and writing when the mood takes you. Edit as you write, and powering through
As you can imagine, there have been a huge number of varied replies. I'm pretty sure that if you asked 100 different authors how they write, you would get 110 different answers :) There has been talk about discovery writing and multiple redrafts, and using an outline. Constant writing, and writing when the mood takes you. Edit as you write, and powering through
Monday, December 20, 2010
A Round of Words in 80 Days
NaNoWriMo was a lot of fun, no doubt about that. But the one drawback to NaNoWriMo is that it only happens once a year. There is something about having a set goal in front of you that seriously motivates you to get moving. I was planning to set myself a writing goal after NaNoWriMo, and now I've found a writing challenge that is just what I wanted.
A Round of Words in 80 Days aims to let writers set their own goals. It is intended to have four challenges in the year, each of them 80 days
A Round of Words in 80 Days aims to let writers set their own goals. It is intended to have four challenges in the year, each of them 80 days
Monday, December 13, 2010
Book Review: Lessons by Michael Crane
NOTE: I do not accept books for review. Reviews posted here are only for indie books that I have bought, and that I enjoyed enough that I want to tell others about them.
I first heard about Lessons and Other Morbid Drabbles from a review Red Adept did on her blog. The concept of the book (stories written in 100 words or less, also known as a drabble) intrigued me. Thirty seconds later I had bought the book, and set about learning what a story of less than 100 words looks like.
As I
I first heard about Lessons and Other Morbid Drabbles from a review Red Adept did on her blog. The concept of the book (stories written in 100 words or less, also known as a drabble) intrigued me. Thirty seconds later I had bought the book, and set about learning what a story of less than 100 words looks like.
As I
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Christmas 2010 Giveaways & Contests
Several writers are running some giveaways and contests on their blogs. Since free things are always nice, have a look to see if anything catches your eye.
Helen Smith is offering signed paperback copies of her books, Kindle editions of her and other authors' ebooks (this is only available to Amazon.com customers because it uses the Kindle gift facility, which isn't up and running on Amazon.co.uk yet), and an Amazon gift card worth $50/£30.
Three lucky people can win a paperback or
Helen Smith is offering signed paperback copies of her books, Kindle editions of her and other authors' ebooks (this is only available to Amazon.com customers because it uses the Kindle gift facility, which isn't up and running on Amazon.co.uk yet), and an Amazon gift card worth $50/£30.
Three lucky people can win a paperback or
Friday, December 10, 2010
First Draft for Gears of Wonderland Complete
I've been a little hesitant to declare it, but now I'm going to. The first draft of my novel Gears of Wonderland has been completed.
I know there are some gaps in the story, which is why I delayed calling it done for a few days. I need to expand the descriptions in a lot of scenes, at least one more scene with the main character needs to be inserted in the middle to develop his relationship with his travelling companions, and I need to add a number of scenes for the second viewpoint
I know there are some gaps in the story, which is why I delayed calling it done for a few days. I need to expand the descriptions in a lot of scenes, at least one more scene with the main character needs to be inserted in the middle to develop his relationship with his travelling companions, and I need to add a number of scenes for the second viewpoint
Friday, December 03, 2010
Funny Video On Checking Sales Rankings
For any authors (indie or otherwise) who get obsessed about checking their sales ranking on Amazon, here's a cautionary tale for you to consider... :)
On a slightly more serious note, this video is a great example of viral video marketing. I've seen it posted on Twitter and more recently over at KindleBoards, and I'm sure it's being posted to a few blogs as well (like I'm doing ;) ). If nothing else, it gets the titles of the authors books out there in front of more people, and I'm sure
On a slightly more serious note, this video is a great example of viral video marketing. I've seen it posted on Twitter and more recently over at KindleBoards, and I'm sure it's being posted to a few blogs as well (like I'm doing ;) ). If nothing else, it gets the titles of the authors books out there in front of more people, and I'm sure
Thursday, December 02, 2010
Indie Author Sales in November
Over on the KindleBoards, a number of indie authors are posting a summary of their November sales. I decided to tabulate the results to try and get an overview of how everyone was going. The thread starts here, while my summation post (which I'll continue updating for a few days as more authors post their results) is here.
I found the results interesting (and a little surprising). While there are a big number of authors selling less than a book a day (it's the largest group overall), there
I found the results interesting (and a little surprising). While there are a big number of authors selling less than a book a day (it's the largest group overall), there
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Reviewing The Strider Kids Bike
If your toddler is able to walk, the good news is they can begin to learn how to ride a bike with the Strider Kids Bike. The Strider Running Bike teaches your child the essential skills of balance and coordination, allowing them to develop the confidence for later on when they progress to a full bike.
Trikes or traditional bikes with training wheels focus on teaching a child how to pedal first, with no thought for balance or coordination. Additionally, these bikes and trikes are often heavy a
Trikes or traditional bikes with training wheels focus on teaching a child how to pedal first, with no thought for balance or coordination. Additionally, these bikes and trikes are often heavy a
Radio Flyer Big Wheel Reviewed - A Look At The Radio Flyer Big Flyer
If you're looking for a chopper style tricycle that your children are sure to love, the Radio Flyer Big Wheel is definitely one bike you'll want to take a look at. For a start, the Radio Flyer Big Flyer has a soft rubber front tread along with wide rear tires, to ensure the bike remains stable when your child is going around turns. The seat is adjustable between three different positions, making it easy to adjust as your kid grows (or if you have several kids of different ages who all want a go
Friday, July 09, 2010
Diamondback Mini Della Cruz Review
If you're looking for a trouble-free quality bike to get your kids off to a great start with riding a bike, it's hard to go past the Diamondback Mini Della Cruz. Designed to look sweet and stylish to your daughter while providing the solid construction and reliability that you desire as a parent, the Mini Della Cruz is a bike that will last your child a long time.
The key to the reliability of the Diamondback Mini Della Cruz is the quality replaceable parts used. The heavy-duty steel frame an
The key to the reliability of the Diamondback Mini Della Cruz is the quality replaceable parts used. The heavy-duty steel frame an
Monday, August 11, 2008
WoAdWriMo adventures finally available
The adventures that were written for WoAdWriMo (at least most of them) are finally available for download. They haven't been added to the main page of the site yet, but there is a thread on WoAdWriMo the forums where one of the organisers has posted links to the PDFs. There are apparently still another four adventures that he needs to convert to PDFs, plus several people said they would be getting their adventures in late, so the list is sure to grow.
I haven't really had a chance to read the other adventures yet, but from a quick glance at all the files ZOMG! (Zombies, Oh My God!) certainly looks very nice!
I haven't really had a chance to read the other adventures yet, but from a quick glance at all the files ZOMG! (Zombies, Oh My God!) certainly looks very nice!
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Power Groups within The Forgotten
With Obliviscence finally out, I’ve turned my mind to detailing more of the setting for The Forgotten. And as I’ve been thinking about it more, I’m beginning to come to the conclusion that I need to change it up a bit.
The setting as presented in Obliviscence is one where, in general, Forgotten life is ok. While it’s only hinted at in the NPC descriptions, my original idea was that the “good guys” (lead by Laura) have managed to deal with the old situation in the city that had three rival gangs controlling the city (and the Forgotten within it). Laura and her followers overthrew the old gangs several years ago, and are now attempting to create a peaceful society as best they can.
(Of course, one of her former supporters is attempting to carve out his own power niche, but you get that :-) )
However now I’m thinking that I need to step it back a bit. The idea I'm currently considering is that Laura and her people have managed to overthrow one of the gangs (presumably the most powerful), but the other two are still a significant threat within the city.
On the plus side, this is an obvious source of conflict (and hence adventures) within the game. It means that the setting isn’t safe and happy, and that everyone still needs to be somewhat careful when moving around. And if I assume that the other two gangs have lost a lot of their previous power (even though they still control some territory), it means that things like the Exchange can still exist within the setting.
The negative side is I’m not too sure I like adding such potentially large “militant” slant on the setting. Players who like killing lots of things would probably like it, but others who are more interested in exploring where they are (and trying to find a way home) probably wouldn’t find it appealing.
Much more thought is required I think!
The setting as presented in Obliviscence is one where, in general, Forgotten life is ok. While it’s only hinted at in the NPC descriptions, my original idea was that the “good guys” (lead by Laura) have managed to deal with the old situation in the city that had three rival gangs controlling the city (and the Forgotten within it). Laura and her followers overthrew the old gangs several years ago, and are now attempting to create a peaceful society as best they can.
(Of course, one of her former supporters is attempting to carve out his own power niche, but you get that :-) )
However now I’m thinking that I need to step it back a bit. The idea I'm currently considering is that Laura and her people have managed to overthrow one of the gangs (presumably the most powerful), but the other two are still a significant threat within the city.
On the plus side, this is an obvious source of conflict (and hence adventures) within the game. It means that the setting isn’t safe and happy, and that everyone still needs to be somewhat careful when moving around. And if I assume that the other two gangs have lost a lot of their previous power (even though they still control some territory), it means that things like the Exchange can still exist within the setting.
The negative side is I’m not too sure I like adding such potentially large “militant” slant on the setting. Players who like killing lots of things would probably like it, but others who are more interested in exploring where they are (and trying to find a way home) probably wouldn’t find it appealing.
Much more thought is required I think!
Saturday, August 02, 2008
WoAdWriMo On Reflection
So, one month later and WoAdWriMo is finally over. Now that Obliviscence is out I can finally sit back and reflect on how it went.
First off, the main reason I decided to do this was to get me focused on my roleplay writing again. Polgarus Games has been on hiatus for almost 18 months now – and that has been mainly because I've been too unfocused. I'll play around with ideas for a while then jump to another, or allow myself to get easily distracted, and before I know it months have passed and nothing has been done! Doing WoAdWriMo was a good wake-up call... set a goal, set a deadline, and then sit down and just do it.
Secondly, going through the discipline of actually plotting out an adventure was a positive process. Don't tell my players this, but when I run an adventure I usually wing 90-95% of what I'm doing. I might have a few names, maybe a couple of scenes and an idea or two of what's going to kick things off, but most of the time I'm making it up as I go along. WoAdWriMo made me sit down and, for once, actually figure out everything ahead of time.
(I'm not saying I'm actually going to plot things out in the future – but at least I've had a chance to try it. :-) )
I did end up writing a lot more than I intended. Originally I thought I'd only end up writing a 15-20 page adventure... it ended up being 32 pages long (and this is the version without the maps and possibly a few images). It's a good wake-up call for some things I plan to write shortly – cut the waffle, and get down to business straight away.
So what do I think about my finished result?
On the plus side, I'm happy with the cover I created and the layout I used. Neither of them will win any awards, but I think they are good, neat and professional in appearance. I lost track of how many pages I printed out trying to find a font I was happy with for the main text – it was at least 20 pages.
On the downside, I think the adventure itself suffers from two problems. The first is that it is fairly linear. While I wrote in various suggestions on what to do if the PCs wanted to do something else (and encouraged the GM to run with the players instead of trying to force them to follow a set path), there is still an expected order that for the PCs to follow. They will go to the Exchange, they will be ambushed, they will meet Leopoldo, they will look for a new spare part, etc. Unfortunately I'm not too sure how the adventure could be changed to overcome that given its setup as a once-off taster for The Forgotten.
The second problem I think the adventure has is that there's way too much boxed text (at least early on - which could tie in strongly with the first problem). I think I got better the further I got into the adventure, as there is less text towards the end (although that was partly because I was running out of time). I'll have to try and limit the amount of boxed text I include in the future so it doesn't overwhelm the adventure I'm writing.
Overall I think WoAdWriMo has been a fantastic experience, and I look forward to participating again next year!
First off, the main reason I decided to do this was to get me focused on my roleplay writing again. Polgarus Games has been on hiatus for almost 18 months now – and that has been mainly because I've been too unfocused. I'll play around with ideas for a while then jump to another, or allow myself to get easily distracted, and before I know it months have passed and nothing has been done! Doing WoAdWriMo was a good wake-up call... set a goal, set a deadline, and then sit down and just do it.
Secondly, going through the discipline of actually plotting out an adventure was a positive process. Don't tell my players this, but when I run an adventure I usually wing 90-95% of what I'm doing. I might have a few names, maybe a couple of scenes and an idea or two of what's going to kick things off, but most of the time I'm making it up as I go along. WoAdWriMo made me sit down and, for once, actually figure out everything ahead of time.
(I'm not saying I'm actually going to plot things out in the future – but at least I've had a chance to try it. :-) )
I did end up writing a lot more than I intended. Originally I thought I'd only end up writing a 15-20 page adventure... it ended up being 32 pages long (and this is the version without the maps and possibly a few images). It's a good wake-up call for some things I plan to write shortly – cut the waffle, and get down to business straight away.
So what do I think about my finished result?
On the plus side, I'm happy with the cover I created and the layout I used. Neither of them will win any awards, but I think they are good, neat and professional in appearance. I lost track of how many pages I printed out trying to find a font I was happy with for the main text – it was at least 20 pages.
On the downside, I think the adventure itself suffers from two problems. The first is that it is fairly linear. While I wrote in various suggestions on what to do if the PCs wanted to do something else (and encouraged the GM to run with the players instead of trying to force them to follow a set path), there is still an expected order that for the PCs to follow. They will go to the Exchange, they will be ambushed, they will meet Leopoldo, they will look for a new spare part, etc. Unfortunately I'm not too sure how the adventure could be changed to overcome that given its setup as a once-off taster for The Forgotten.
The second problem I think the adventure has is that there's way too much boxed text (at least early on - which could tie in strongly with the first problem). I think I got better the further I got into the adventure, as there is less text towards the end (although that was partly because I was running out of time). I'll have to try and limit the amount of boxed text I include in the future so it doesn't overwhelm the adventure I'm writing.
Overall I think WoAdWriMo has been a fantastic experience, and I look forward to participating again next year!
Friday, August 01, 2008
Obliviscence is complete!
Phew! It was a lot of work, but Obliviscence (at least v1) is finally done. You can download it from here (direct link to PDF).
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