Tag Archives: reading

May 8 2016

TSK- and Catching up!

You can still sign up for FREE for our website… http://www.thesecretking.com it won’t be free for ever, so if you want in… (we also now have a forum) you gotta be quick!

Personally though it’s been one heck of a month through April and the start of May hasn’t begun with the best of intentions for me.

I had some pretty nasty computer issues when my Mac’s trackpad just decided to go off on one and like a demon started moving things around and freaking out, clicking on anything it wanted. It took me 3 weeks to sort out the computer, go buy a Mac Desktop and get things back to a semi even keel. There was no way of me doing anything the last few weeks of April, with campnano – It just put me so far behind in my daily tasks that I’ve struggled like a crazy woman to even catch anything up what so ever, and yeah I’m still behind. I seem to get somewhere near back to normal and then something else just throws itself in the mix.

The joy of life and it revolving around writing and computers….

I can say the work side of computers has settled down and that is making things much less stressful there, thank goodness. I don’t think I could have coped at all with all of them going wrong at the same time. I would have just had a breakdown! and not a mental one, I’m talking about just throwing them out the window! lol

Seriously though, things are moving along in many different and good ways. We’re headed to retail with our first Audiobook TSK-Lethao, with the 28th May as our personal Launch date (fingers crossed everything is all good to go for then) we’re having an online party and if anyone wished to come, keep an eye on our facebook fan page –

https://www.facebook.com/TheSecretKing/

And by that time, I’m away for two weeks rest and recoup! going down to Devon again this year, and I can’t wait. My co writer has been working on a novel for TSK from our scripted 13 EP TV series – SPOILERS….. no I can’t it really is a secret, but I get to read the first draft and I’m so so excited to see what he’s written.

So as you guys can see there is much is on going, so much is coming together, I know it will be worth it, I’m hanging in there for it! And I know you are too!

Thanks for sticking with and me, you guys are awesome 🙂

 

~ Dawn

May 4 2016

AudioBook Review – Chains of Destiny

 

Chains of Destiny – Episode 2 – The Pax Humana Saga written by Nick Webb and narrated by Greg Tremblay.

This AudioBook had a little break in-between because of the UK bank holiday and I have to admit it killed me to leave it alone for the 3 days, but it’s the way it goes.

I was very glad to get back to it, and 100% loved this one. It’s by far one of the most interesting and character driven books I’ve had the pleasure of listening to. Because of this I actually will put it on my ‘listen to again’ list…. although I really enjoyed the other series of Nick’s this one has exceeded that.. and I think I’m going to have to really think about which one I like the most, or which characters, haha.

Anyway, you can of course find the AudioBook here – UK of course…

http://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Chains-of-Destiny-Audiobook/B00UXIP2MK

and my review will be posted soon. (depends on if Audible are being nice to me) haha

 

 

“I loved it! 100% “

Okay, thoughts as follows.

After the first Audio, I still admit I wasn’t totally sold on this series. But, this second Ep, totally blew me away. (I listened to the first 6 hours last week, and because of the break at work. UK may bank holiday I had some time away from it) and I was very eager to finish off as soon as I was back behind the wheel.

I was totally blown away by the depth of character to this episode. The MC’s Megan Po, Ben Hemez, (sp) and Jake Mercer were almost alive in my head!… I felt everything they were going through, and the story just kept on and on surprising me and making my head hurt all at the same time. Great job to both writer and narrator here 🙂

Some of the best moments for me – SPOILERS

Jake – We all know he’s making the biggest ‘daft decision’ of this book in going down to the planets surface with the pirates. The little altercation with the November family is very interesting though… a hint for book 3 there and that of course, Pritchard is alive. Hope on a different level.

But even though Jake has now been captured along side Alexandro and Ben, (plus two guards) he still never gives up in thinking and plotting to escape. This kinda of punishment and place would break so many and I do kinda wish that there were a few more destitute thoughts from him, but still with Ben elsewhere they have a plan, and a good plan. Not many of the decisions down in the mines are Jakes, some are just circumstantial and to me for this episode he does play a more downsized role.

LOVED LOVED LOVED – Megan leading the fight against Admiral Trajan. What a woman! what an absolute star and fighter she is. They all kinda question what Jake did for them in the previous book, but here she is and she’s doing death defying moves under the ocean to prolong their time to prepare to kick the Admirals’ behind.

I really enjoyed her story, as a character she’s such compassion, and yet such depth to her decisions. Maybe just as much reckless as Jake, but fab job and good on her!

The scenes with Ben, were just awful. I cringed, I hated it, but it was brilliant writing and just as brilliant in the narration department. Greg really delved in deep I think to become this crazy psychopathic doctor, as he scared me so much, I kinda wanted to skip those parts, but couldn’t because I wanted to know what would happen to Ben. I felt everything that they did in that room, and ugggh so so glad that Six eventually helped him to get out.

So on the whole this Ep really came alive for me. I am being honest though as I did have a couple of moments where I was jarred out of the story by a couple of repetitive words and phrasings. I do think that comes part and parcel of listening to something as opposed to reading it, reading it takes much longer, so anything that can be perceived as a crutch word/phrase is easier spotted and makes me want to avoid them myself. It’s just an observation, that’s all.

This book written by Nick and read by Greg is one of my fav so far, it has all the elements of an epic space opera and characters that you just can’t help but feel for and love.

PS I already started on the next… 🙂 Thank you both for an amazing ride.

Apr 26 2016

AudioBook Review – Riders of the Purple Saga

Written by Zane Grey, narrated by Ann M. Richardson.

A western… oh my goodness I actually listened to nearly 12 hours of a western. Where were the space ships and aliens…. haha.

Seriously if you love westerns this is a total classic, and a joy to listen to. 🙂

 

Review is ————-

 

“Different….”

The beautiful thing with Audio Books is that you can listen to them and do a hundred other things. For me it’s driving.

I used to watch and read westerns when I was much younger, but I admit I’ve never picked this one up.

It is a classic, and beautifully written, with long descriptive prose and imagery. This is the first book of Ann M Richardson’s I have listened to, and despite the genre not being something I would avidly seek out, I was totally swept away in her narration of Jane. Ann, has a fantastic ability to perform both side, male and female and to draw you in with the characters wonderful accents. It really was a joy to listen to, and I would defo look out for more books by her.

As for the genre and story, I think what surprised me more than anything because of the era and generation of the characters in the book, I really wasn’t expecting there to be as much sex, romance and violence, haha, but they were all very pleasant surprises, and I can totally see why this was a book that marked the era from which it came from, it’s so distinctive and well thought out. jane’s got so much going on, she turns to one person and things go from bad to worse, for her personal character I could only wish that many of my friends were as strong and had as much courage as Jane. With her religious beliefs and her upbringing she really stands out. I couldn’t help myself but like her.

The author tied in so many smaller plots, and wove the whole world together so very well that even though this was a long piece for me to listen too, it was still very much an enjoyable audio.It also left me thinking about picking up another western, I guess I’m not totally against any genre now. I’ve listened to so much more than i’d ever thought I would by becoming an Audible member : )

I would highly recommend this for someone who has already read and loved the book, or for those who would like a taste of life back in this era it is just so full of life, it’s hardships and it’s loves. A fab tale to become totally engrossed with.

I was given a copy of this audio in exchange for an honest opinion by the narrator.

Apr 18 2016

AudioBook Review – WormWood Dawn Ep 1-3

I had the wonderful opportunity to listen to this series, last week. With the hope of buying more!
I’ve never really been into Zombies, or the Apocolypse, but I admit this was fun, scary and the characters go through so much, I really enjoyed them all.
You can pick up the series from –
My reviews are as follows 🙂
Episode 1
“Pretty scary suff! “
What did you love best about Wormwood Dawn?

I’m not an active horror pursuer, but I do like zombie films, so this was a good change. I loved the sense of humour of the main character, Dan.

What did you like best about this story?

It has to be Dan, as the world ends around him he’s just so bent on getting wasted still that you just can’t help but feel for him. A normal day starts out and ends pretty badly for him. The end of the world and he’s goosed, but his outlook is still awesome.

What about Clifford Edwards’s performance did you like?

This was the first one I’ve listened to from Cliff, and I enjoyed the fun he brought to Dan’s character, in the darkest moments, Dan’s thoughts are delivered with just the right amount of sarcastic and edge that you really do believe he’s telling you his life story. Great job.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There were some pretty gruesome moments, and at the time I started to listen to this, 6am in the UK, there was a nice blanket of Fog, which I was driving though! the atmosphere created with the narration and my actual life was just so freaky, it scared me silly. haha.

Any additional comments?

I’ve listened to all three so far, so I’m going to post a longer review on story and content there.

Thanks!

 

Episode 2 

“Great second episode!”
Would you consider the audio edition of Wormwood Dawn, Episode II to be better than the print version?

I haven’t personally read the book, but the narration always adds another dimension to a story. Because they put so much into the acting. There is a lot of work gone into this and it’s obvious. 🙂

What other book might you compare Wormwood Dawn, Episode II to and why?

I’m not a huge zombie reader, so can’t really compare, I do however like the Dawn of the Dead movies, and Shaun of the Dead, which is the more comedic version. I defo love the comedy side of this, and the eery side. It’s not quite zombies, but mutations as well, so it adds that extra layer, which is horrid and gruesome, but fascinating as well.

What does Clifford Edwards bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The humour, Dan’s inner dialogue can be so brilliant. Like you’re thinking it, but Clifford delivers perfectly.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I’m not so sure ‘moved’ is the right term, but there are plenty of ‘egggh’ and ‘yuk’ moments, described very well and given just the right tone in delivery that you really do feel utter sick by the gruesome monsters in this story.

Any additional comments?

Nope, reserving it for the third 🙂

Ep 3

“Just gets better! “
What did you love best about Wormwood Dawn, Episode III?

These characters are just so ‘real’ that the story is fab and this episode is by far the best as things come to a real head for the group…

What was one of the most memorable moments of Wormwood Dawn, Episode III?

There have been a few good memorable moments throughout the series so far. I have to say that Dan’s own internal transformation is starting to rock. He started out such a loser, that bumbled along with his life and he really made you feel sorry for his stupid life, but here he is fighting for survival with friends, and friends he now cares about. What a change in his whole attitude.

What does Clifford Edwards bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Again, just the whole tone and characterisation of all the characters, he does a great job with them. Personality and flare.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, I listened to all three in three days. I drive for a living, and can listen to 4 hours or more a day, this was a great way to spend my time. 🙂

Any additional comments?

Okay, so some major thoughts here…. I can’t not say that the recording quality difference was apparent from ep 1 and 2 to this one. But, it certainly doesn’t detract from the effort by the narrator or the written story. In all honesty I actually think it added to the ambience of the world Edward created.

I also have to admit here, that because I listened to them all at once, 3 days in a row, I can’t remember which Ep certain key moments are in, but I’ll mention the ones that stick in my mind the most.

The fact that Dan is a loser and a drunken one at that, is kinda hard to get into at first, he really doesn’t help himself at all be being as he is. His life seems so meaningless and his outlook is pretty bleak. But he’s funny, and that carries him, I like his attitude even though it is pretty selfish. Drink or pills, and I’m kinda glad he changed his mind and went for the pills. I actually don’t read the blurbs or other reviews, so when it started off, I had no real clue it was a proper horror/zombie story.

The sickness is awful and described very well, makes you feel yuk yourself. What I liked about this one more than anything is that Dan’s now got a friend and I don’t mean the cat… although that was one horrible and scary darned cat, you know 😦 I felt sorry for it, can understand why Dan did too.

EP 2 This is a more interesting Ep because of Drew, and the bulletin board, meeting Jake is very cool, the dog also, although I was worried it would end up like the cat. There are some amazing creepy things going on with the whole world. The cat, the fact the horse is bitten and we know it’s going to turn, (just when) and then the psycho serial killer whose house they burn down. Gee what a neighbourhood this guy lives in, I kinda think no wonder he was a drunk.

The third guy they team up with while out getting supplies is sad, he loses his brother here and that does suck. They’re really up against a lot of crap here and now and it really hits the fan towards the ending when the rogue military groups turn up and start to blast his house apart. However we think that he’s going to be captured, and he’s not, it’s this psycho killer who nabs him, the one whose diary he’s been reading and finding out about, the shocking truth is that he’s alive and changing! into what we’ve no idea, but it’s not looking good for Dan if he’s ended up in this guys clutches….

So, overall I really enjoyed these so far, I was given them so I’d provide honest feedback, and I have, however, I’m now off to buy the next installment! haha.

Thank you very much Clifford and Edward for a very entertaining few days. 🙂

 

Apr 17 2016

Time is zipping on!

 

So this last few weeks have really been a whirlwind of things. I’ve been so busy with listening to Audio for TSK, and in catching up with things for the team on scrib, I’ve barely had time to think about anything other than get up, work, sleep…

This weeks not going to get any better, we’ve a couple of people down in work and that makes for much harder for us to get in, and booked in like the usual. I love my job, but sometimes I really wish I could go part time. That is my main goal, to write like this as the day job in the end, so all the things I am striving and working so hard for are working towards that goal. For me, and for everyone on the team.

As a company we made some decisions last weekend. Which we’re putting into fruition over the next few weeks. These are good things 🙂

AudioBook for TSK’s Lethao is almost ready! squee. I’m very excited about this.

AudioBook shorts from Holly are also nearly there, with a few tweaks to our cover design, they’re now so fab it’s unreal!

http://www.thesecretking.com/membership

Our membership only section is FREE so register and get in NOW, there you’ll all have access to the Lacria dictionary and Time App, with all other goodies as we post them.

TSK’s first short – The Truth Hurts is also in there as a  free read 🙂 so get in and check it out, we’re starting our promo campaign for this in the next few days. And so far so good, response on that is amazing!

TSK’s second book is on target and set for release in Sept.

The shorts anthology also will be set for release as soon as we’ve proofed it over 🙂 Excited for this the art work by Andrew is just amazing!

Ugggh – on a personal level, I think I really just make everything so much harder for myself, and I don’t know why I do it.. haha. Started out with a sore ankle, and now I’ve a very sore leg and knee, Hubby says I should go the docs, but I never have time! so naughty…. I actually think I’m getting out my van wrong in work or something I’m doing during the day is making it bad. shrugs…

So, I’ve yet again addressed a few things, and hopefully, I can sort those out. I am running out of time for myself, and taking a day off is now going to be part of my routine. I’ve got to do it. I need some me time. And my me time, should be getting out the house to do something I enjoy…. mmm I need to think on that one a little more.

Onwards and upwards everyone, never give up on your dreams, with determination anything is possible.

hugs,

Dawn