Oh, how I love a good review

Now I know that there are people out there writing books, making films, taking photos, performing on stage or painting pictures who say, quite genuinely, that they do these things 'because they need to satisfy their inner muse' and, as a consequence, they place little store in the opinions of others. Some even say that they never, ever read a review of their efforts.

Well, folks, I'm not one of those people.
Whether I like it or not, I do value the opinion of others and, sad as it may sound, I do (ever just a little) crave praise for what I've written, if only to have the confirmation of my own self-belief in what I write; and let's face facts, it's that self-belief (misguided or otherwise) that we ourselves have the ability to produce something of worth that others may appreciate and gain enjoyment from that motivates most of us to do what we do and then, most crucially, place it out there in the public domain for others to scrutinise, dissect and comment upon. (If it really was just your inner muse you were aiming to satisfy, then you'd put what you'd created in a cupboard under the stairs, out of sight of others...wouldn't you?)
And it's a thrill, believe me, when you get that confirmation. It initially comes from family and supportive friends (though good friends are often critical as well), then occasionally there's a bolt from the blue, a name you don't recognise posting a positive comment or a high rating - and then there's an extra warmth to the glow you get when you read it.

Well, following the review of Red Plus Zone that was posted on the Stranger Views yesterday, I am positively radiant!

Click here to have a read the whole thing on the Stranger Views website.

And it couldn't have come at a better time, as final preparations are underway for the print version of Red Plus Zone to be made available...and with that in mind, I'll soon be asking a favour of you all, my fine followers out there in Blogland, to help me spread the word about Red Plus Zone, to tell your partners, your children (of a suitable age, naturally), parents, siblings, friends, work colleagues, even strangers on the street who you see reading a book or a Kindle (other e-readers are available...apparently).
Gird your loins, my friends - I'm calling in a favour!

There's nothing quite like a good review

It's difficult to describe how much of a buzz you get from getting a really positive review of something that you've written - and because I got such a buzz, I'm going to take the opportunity to share it with all you fabulous people (in the hope, admittedly, that it may inspire you to a quick download!)

John's Review on Amazon

Below is John's review (and yes, I do forgive him for missing the T out of my surname!!)

Yes, I agree with the first reviewer of (concise version) THEY: it does remind you somewhat of the anarchic, wry wit of Douglas Adams. And that’s quite a recommendation. Although the author certainly doesn’t lazily ape another hugely successful writer’s style. This is Andy Richie writing and no one else. He has a highly individual voice that’s entirely his own.

I also agree that his characterisation is excellent – even Tukaal (is that a slightly rude play on words, like Dylan Thomas’s Llareggub, one wonders?) the alien. That’s because, rather than rush breathlessly along in frenetic mile-a-minute plot (it’s actually fairly sedate), the author allows plenty of dialogue, not to mention philosophical musings from protagonist Jethro, for the characters to develop.

And this certainly isn’t your average sci-fi fare, wherein you’re asked to totally suspend disbelief; it’s much smarter than that. In fact, it’s grounded very much on Planet Earth, in prosaic locations in the north of England, a little after the style of Wallace and Gromit, with many insights into the shortcomings of Homo Sapiens.

Introducing himself, named as Andy Richie, into the proceedings as a sort of ‘editor,’ was clever too, I thought, giving two layers of first-person narration.

But most importantly, the author met the first requirement of any storytelling; he piqued my interest. I always craved to know what happened next. So yes; I too will just have to read parts 2 and 3 now.

Congratulations Mr Richie; you done exceedingly good. And I’ll forgive you the typos, intentional or otherwise!

Part 1 of 'The Book That THEY...' is currently available at the incredible knock-down price of just £0.98 (or $1.66 in the US, €3.99 in Europe, 599 Yen in Japan, CDN$5.99 in Canada, etc.)
A bargain, wherever you are in the world!!

ps - Thanks, John!!
(here's John's Amazon site)

Book Review - Ragged Souls by Ernest San Giacomo

The Book on Amazon UK

Of the three stories which Ernesto has included in Ragged Souls, I enjoyed the final one, Cactus Valley, the most. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the first two, though I felt that with regards to the first story in particular, A Purveyor of Odd Things, there is actually a much better, bigger story in there, fighting to get out. There's a sense of the plot and the character development having been 'squeezed' into a short story, resulting in some elements of the narrative (particularly the burgeoning relationship between the two main characters) feeling rushed. I also felt that this story, perhaps more than the second and third ones, needed the 'bizarre' element to be more fully explained.
Story number two, Martha's Kitchen, is quite heavy on dialogue, which may not be to everyone's taste. However, the backstory and the two main characters, Martha and Jillian, are developed to a more satisfyingly level. The plot twist, when it arrives, is pleasingly sudden. The final scene, in my humble opinion, would have more impact if it were considerably shorter, but that doesn't really detract from the overall tale.
Story number three, Cactus Valley, as I mentioned earlier, is my favourite. Ernesto creates two interesting, though not entirely likeable, main characters and engenders a good sense of isolation and peril around them. There is an almost comedic element to this tale, based on a clash of ideologies, which is the most satisfying of the three 'bizarre' twists.
Overall, three very readable short stories that I'd certainly encourage people to have a look at.

Behold - My Roll(s) of Honour...are you on it?

Actually, there are two Rolls of Honour.

The first is for those intrepid individuals who were the first in their country (remember, by country, I mean any sovereign state that it a member of the UN) to download a copy of Part 1 of 'The Book That THEY...'
Now, bearing in mind that this number may change a little as large states break up into smaller ones (I'm thinking Yugoslavia, Sudan, etc) or as small states join together (not that that seems to be happening much at the moment), there can only ever be 206 names on this particular Roll of Honour...and, already, there are 2 fantastic dudes inscribed upon it:

• Magnus (Sweden)
• Javier (Spain)

Note - there has already been a purchase in the US, but alas the identity of that individual is not known to me; as for the UK, well, that could get a little messy because a lot of people downloaded Part 1 as soon as it came out...not sure what to do about that!
So what's so good about being on this particular Roll of Honour anyhow, I hear people in the cheap seats shout. Well, at the moment, not a lot - but when I am a multi-millionaire author with a jet-set lifestyle, large mansion, swimming pool in the shed and my own reality-TV show, I will send everyone on that Roll of Honour a bottle of very nice Single Malt Whisky (probably from Islay) along with a box of Thornton's Continental chocolates (a large one), and a big Post-It note saying 'Thanks!!'
Not a bad deal, eh?
Now, there are still 202 places on this Roll of Honour up for grabs, and all anyone has to do is post a comment saying that they've downloaded Part 1 (all I need is name and country) and, hey presto! you'll be on the list (by the way, I have ways and means of checking, so any erroneous claims will be identified and referred to my new friends at the NSA, MI6 or FSB for...intervention - you have been warned!) - a link to Amazon is on the right hand side of this blog page!

Now, for those other billions of people who have unfortunately missed out on the Roll of Honour relating to first purchases, there is an alternative.
This is the Roll of Honour of those who have read one of the three parts of 'The Book That THEY...' and posted a 3*, 4* or 5* review of it on Amazon or Goodreads.
I haven't decided what benefits (other than my heartfelt thanks and appreciation... (which perhaps should be enough...)) being on that particular Roll of Honour will bestow - perhaps someone could suggest something (though an all-expenses-paid trip to St Lucia is out of the question!!)
To date, there are 5 people on this particular Roll:

• Peteturbo
• Maddie
• Chris
• John (twice!)
• Mary W

I'd love to be able to add a few more in the weeks and months ahead so, if you are reading this post, why not download Part 1, see if you like it and, if you do, put in a good word on Amazon and Goodreads.

And if you haven't already done so, check out the videoblurb at:
http://youtu.be/HLX7tYCZGpc

And don't forget the Facebook page at:
www.facebook.com/IveReadItHaveYou

There - shameless plugging of my book over for another few weeks!!

5* it may say...but is it the real deal?

My thoughts have turned back to ratings and comments today, this time not in relation to TripAdvisor and the fun I had with Mr Unhappy Bunny, but in relation to writing.

My question is simply this:
When it comes to books (especially ebooks), how much can I trust the rating that they have?
Maybe not as much as I should be able to, it seems.
I've downloaded quite a few ebooks recently, many of them with rating scores well above 4 and a plethora of enthusiastic 5* reviews waxing lyrical about great characters, fantastic plots, subtle unforeseen twists, etc.
Sadly, very few of them live up to the high expectations which these comments create...which is sad, because the stories are, on the whole, not bad at all. They are admirably written, engaging and well-crafted...unfortunately, they just aren't as fantastically brilliant, witty, inventive and challenging as they are made out to be.
Why is this?
Is it me?
Maybe it is.
Maybe I just expect too much...or do I?
You see, I do have a benchmark of sorts, and that benchmark is the average rating of some of the greatest books of all time...

• 1984 (Goodreads average - 4.06)
• Ring of Bright Water (4.27)
• Flowers for Algernon (3.91)
• Lord of the Rings (4.41)
• Day of the Triffids (3.95)
• Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (4.14)

...given these ratings, surely it is only reasonable to expect that anything with an average up around 4.00 will be fantastic...isn't it?