Tag Archives: writing

Oct 15 2016

New Release – Sentient by Dr. Victor Acquista

Today, I’m excited to welcome – Dr. Victor Acquista 🙂 

Dr. Victor Acquista has become a successful international author and speaker following careers as a primary-care physician and medical executive. He previously helped to co-found The Collaborative for Community Health, a non-profit, is a founding member of River Valley Market, a food co-op, and authored a syndicated Health and Wellness column.

His non-fiction and his workshops focus on personal growth and transformation, especially as pertains to health and wellness. His fiction includes social messaging intended to get the reader engaged in thought provoking themes.

Dr. Acquista has a longstanding interest in consciousness studies, is a student of Integral Theory, and strives to do his part to make our planet a wee bit better. He lives with his wife in New Mexico.

Sentient is his debut fiction novel. More info can be found at www.victoracquista.com.

sentient-cover

————— Release day is today Occtober the 15th.

Sentient, an epic tale of humanity’s defeat and resurgence spanning 168,000 years of struggle is a science fiction debut from Dr. Victor Acquista…..

Synopsis

The Mind Warriors of T’rox, intent on being the supreme sentient race in the galaxy, annihilated the home world of Adden, a place where the people had lived telepathically connected in peace and harmony. The species slim chance to survive rests in a distant colony, genetically altered to block telepathy and evade detection by T’rox.

Anyeuros escaped the destruction of Adden, traveling disembodied for 168,000 years before arriving on New Adden, only to learn of the disastrous consequences of the genetic manipulation—violence, poverty, abuse, prejudice.

T’rox is on the verge of collapse, a result of social stagnation and infighting among the clans. Discovery of New Adden, the lost colony, provides a chance to reinvigorate their race with a fresh conquest.

However, discovering their past mission was incomplete, a resulting conflict ensues, but a troubled physicist, his young neighbor, and an artificial intelligence may be the key to defeating them. Heroic misfits and outcasts are woven into three intersecting story lines and will determine humanity’s fate.

Character Quotes

“When we bear triumph or failure alone, we remain alone. Our strength lies in our togetherness. Bonded together, we celebrate our triumphs and we endure our failings. This is the way of our people…this we must not forget.” – Janna, First Colonist, New Adden

“There are limits of acceptability. Weird and eccentric are tolerable but just barely. Once you cross over into crazy, no one wants to have anything to do with you. Sometimes, you don’t even want to deal with yourself.” –Professor Jeremy Strickland, Earth

“When you rise to power on the wings of fear you must depend on fear to remain aloft.”
– Ka ‘Stan, Ghal of T’rox, 5th Epoch

Praise for Sentient

“Sentient is a superb debut, a rollicking sci-fi saga that beautifully combines action and philosophy, visionary ideas, and prescient social critique. In creating an alien world with its own cosmology and rituals, Acquista sheds light on our own struggling little planet, and does so with humor and style. This is a work to be savored.” –JJ Amaworo Wilson, author of Damnificados

Purchase Links

http://mybook.to/Sent

Watch for more links to come!

Want to Feature Victor Acquista?

If you would like a copy of the book for review or to conduct an interview with Dr. Victor Acquista, please contact Erin Al-Mehairi, Marketing and Publicity at Mirror Matter Press and Hook of a Book Media: hookofabook@hotmail.com.

Mirror Matter Press

For more on Mirror Matter Press, publishers of science fiction and fantasy, go to www.mirrormatterpress.com. Immersing Readers in Other Worlds…

 

Oct 13 2016

AudioBook Review – Black Widows

This was a great short Ep and a good introduction to the world created by Michael. I am really interested in more of these, I looked on over to amazon and fingers crossed because there are more!

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Black Widows, Episode 1 | [Michael G. Thomas]
Black Widows, Episode 1
UNABRIDGED
Reviewed: 10/10/16

“Great Episode and I am looking for more.”

Overall
Performance
Story

I wasn’t totally sure when I came into this one, so many shorts are just that, part of a larger piece, and I guess this is just that. It shows in the setup and execution. But it’s not a bad thing. I think we get so used to having longer works that we forget the excitement of receiving something as part of a series… so kudos to both writer and narrator for taking this on. It’s well worth the listen and the time to start investing in both narrator and characters.

Story wise, I do think that the all-female cast is really good. It’s not over-done, it’s refreshing because they’re strong and they think. It’s not all about the action.

Of course, I had my fav, and Nancy did a fantastic job of distinguishing between them all even though it was a very short just under 2 hours long…. it was worth investing in and I’m looking forward to more, and will happily follow this new series 🙂 so thank you.

As the author of this review, I received a free copy of this audio, with no requirement to review or endorse. These are my honest thoughts on this story/narration.

Oct 12 2016

Sci Fi Blog Hop – Author Interview – Ash Litton

Today’s Author Interview is with Ash Litton. And I love that there’s a unicorn on the cover!

appalachiandreamtalescovers

 

Do you have any advice for other authors on how to market their books?

Ash: I’m always an advocate for all things in moderation, but the reality of marketing is that you need to A: have a planned schedule, and B: prepare in advanced. Don’t be afraid to have a script – I’ve always written up a rotation of advertising blurbs and run the same blurbs across multiple platforms across multiple days, weeks, or months. I’ve included pictures, too – the cover art by itself, or sometimes a “promo card”, as I call it – to help give a visual incentive for potential buyers to follow the vendor links.

Did you make any marketing mistakes or is there anything you would avoid in future?

Ash: Starting out, I didn’t do any marketing, and I felt the results of that. I think I had the gratuitous buys from friends and family during the first month or two, but after that, I didn’t sell a single copy for at least six months. I switched up my behaviour, started marketing my work through Twitter, and saw the spike in sales. I’ve since found dedicated genre groups on Facebook and have extended my promotions there, and have seen an added increase in sales. It also helps that I’m putting out more material each year. The more you have to sell, the greater the chance you have of making sales.

Do you think that the cover plays an important part in the buying process?

Ash: To a degree, yes. There are groups dedicated to the analytics of covert art and sales projections, but in my own opinion: so long as the cover doesn’t look like a Hollywood “ransom note” with pieces cut and pasted together, I don’t think many buyers are going to care whether the author spent $5 or $500 for cover art services.

Did you do a press release, Goodreads book launch, or anything else to promote your work, and did it work?

Ash: Outside of a pre-sale promotion by my regular methods of advertising, I haven’t done anything so formal, no. I will be considering it with my larger works, though, but until I hammer out release dates for those, then I won’t be able to set up a formal game plan outside of “shop around, see what my options are, and put together a tentative outline of execution”.

Which writers inspire you?

Ash: Quite a few. I was first introduced to Neil Gaiman through the Illustrated Film Script of MirrorMask, when I got a copy of the book to read from the library. Through Neil Gaiman, I found my way to the late Sir Terry Pratchett. I started reading books by Laurell K. Hamilton back in high school, and the same with JK Rowling. I don’t remember how it was that I discovered Jim Butcher, but I was so glad I did.

***

ashauthorphoto

Ash Litton is a writer and lover of sci-fi, fantasy, and all things fictional. She is the author of No Signal, Thoroughbred, Evening Hallow, and Comeuppance, and works on other Appalachian Dream Tales between her ongoing novel projects.

When she’s not writing, she’s drawing, and when she’s not doing either of those, she’s dreaming up new projects to work on. Born and raised in rural West Virginia, Ash has always wondered what things lay hidden in the hills around her. She attended West Virginia University, where she studied the English language before returning home to her family in rural West Virginia.
You can follow her on her website, as well as Facebook and Twitter.

Sep 10 2016

Sci Fi Blog Hop – Author Interview – H T Lyon

As part of the Sci Fi blog hop I’m excited to have a new writer aboard for today, here’s my interview with the fab H T Lyon.

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H.T.Lyon

Bio:

I am aspiring writer of science fiction. A futurist with a keen interest in where our society is heading, I tend focus most of my attention on stories that examine the direction our society is taking or that shows where we could end up. Optimistic my nature, I believe that one day we will look to settle the Solar System as we outgrow our planet and some of my stories examine how this could look. Currently, I have a number of novels underway and some short stories. My aim is to get one of these up and published before the end of the year around the other commitments that exist in my life.

 

Questions –

How often do you write, and do you have a special time during the day to write?

I write when I can. Having Google Docs (and before that One Note) is a great way to make writing portable. I should be able to pick up a device and get writing but I do seem to need some quiet space to get into it. Nanowrimo was a great motivation to get writing. I’d write in my lunchtime and in the evening and whenever I could. I hit the target and it’s the most productive I’ve ever been. I try to write once a day but sometimes only manage once a week. If there was any chance I could make to my writing, it would be to write more often. Style be damned if you don’t have the words to start with!

For your own reading, do you prefer ebooks or traditional paper/hard back books?

Personally, I’ve grown up with paper books so I am more comfortable reading them. I would prefer to be more comfortable with ebooks though. They are more environmentally friendly and also, it would be nice to be more comfortable reading using the platform I primarily intend to publish in. Weight for weight, the ebook has the advantage. You could take one paper book on a long plane flight but for the same weight, 1,000 ebooks. I can and have read books in ebook format and enjoyed them immensely. The main difference I find is that I am a lot faster when reading a paper book.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing as far as content?

The number one challenge for me is injecting personality into my characters. I really struggle there, I want them to pop out and I haven’t managed to get into the space where I can get into the moment and inhabit a character shoes, especially where the character is unlike myself. I do find the best way to get over this is to carry on with the draft and let the actions define the characters. The needs of the plot eventually sorts this out for me! The thing I then need to deal with is their voice. It’s not point the villain and the hero having the same speech patterns!

Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?

The first story I remember reading that had a major impact on me was Lord of the Rings. It was a massive book and I tried several times to follow in my brother’s footsteps and read the damn thing but I could never really get it started. Then one day I flipped to page 119 (I think) and was immediately in the battle for Weathertop from then on, I made it all the way through and had enough context to get through the beginning again! What I took from it was amazement that someone could create a world like that and an amazement that I could get lost in it. I think my friends heard about the book for months after that!

Did you have any ideas about being a writer that becoming a writer changed?

I always thought that writing was a job like being an accountant; people would learn to do it and then become good. Being around writers online has certainly been an education. Even the experienced of us struggle. Its the ultimate creative exercise. You can become better at it but it will always be something that is hard. For anyone standing at the edge and wondering whether to give it a go, I encourage you to do so. It only takes one positive reaction and it all becomes worthwhile.

Sep 8 2016

Book Release – Little Birdie Grows Up

I had the pleasure of reviewing a Turtles Magical Adventure on audio a while back so I’m stocked to see this as a new release. 🙂

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LITTLE BIRDIE GROWS UP

Media Pack.

 

Join us in celebrating the release of Little Birdie Grows Up

Little Birdie Grows Up is a picture book about a fuzzy little blue bird that yearns to fly up in the big blue sky. His Mama encourages him and he tries his best. He is charming and sweet and the illustrations are delightful.

About the author

Wanda published her first children’s book, The Lilac Princess, in 2014. Next came her wonderful tale of Tad, in A Turtles Magical Adventure published, March 2016.
Wanda Luthman has her Masters of Arts in both Mental Health Counseling and Guidance Counseling from Rollins College located in beautiful Winter Park, Florida. She worked at a local Community Mental Health Center for 10 years before transferring to the Public School System as a Guidance Counselor. She’s worked at a High School for the past 18 years. She has also been an Adjunct Professor at the local Community College and worked with teens who had lost a loved one through Hospice. She has always loved reading and writing and wrote many books and poems as a child growing up in Missouri. She presently resides in Brevard County Florida with her husband of 21 years and 2 dogs. Her daughter is away at college, like Little Birdie, she has left the nest.

From the Author

“I want to inspire young children to be the best people they can be. If I can capture children’s imaginations and entertain them, they’ll catch the underlying positive character message in each of my books.”

 

Website/blog   https://wandaluthman.wordpress.com

Facebook fan page  https://www.facebook.com/wluthman/

Twitter  https://twitter.com/wandalu64

 

 

 

 

 

Quotes from reviews

“Wanda Luthman does a very good job with this book. Lots of colorful pictures. Lots of rhyming that small children could quickly learn. Highly recommend this book for children ages one to five.”

 

“Although “Little Birdie grows up” is written for very young children, who cannot fail to be immediately and deeply attracted to Bryce Westervelt’s vivid pictorial narrative, it is a book which most likely will also engage genuine adult interest.”
“This was the first picture rhyming book I have read and the first time a book has made me cry – but a good cry. Little Birdie Grows up is such a beautiful story.”

 

Where to find Little Birdie Grows Up

 

Ebook        https://www.amazon.com/Little-Birdie-Grows-Wanda-Luthman-ebook/dp/B01I08WY7A/

Hardback  https://www.amazon.com/Little-Birdie-Grows-Wanda-Luthman/dp/0692745106

Paperback https://www.amazon.com/Little-Birdie-Grows-Wanda-Luthman/dp/0692745092

Audiobook – Listen to a sample here.

https://www.amazon.com/Little-Birdie-Grows-Up/dp/B01K5GBODK