““You have to ask yourself, why are you doing this? Are you looking to make money, or are you looking to do it because it would make you happy and get your name out there?” It all fell into place after that.”
Julio Angel Ortiz 7 January 2012 Continue reading
Posted in Indieview author, Interviews
“Scarlock. The little fishing town where the story is set is so, so real to me. It’s made up of a thousand snippets of other towns and villages I’ve been to, from Cornwall to Scotland, but I’ve been wandering round it in my mind for ten years now and it’s virtually a character in its own right.”
J.A. Clement 1 January 2012
On Dark Shores: The Lady
Trapped in fear and poverty after the death of her parents, the thief Nereia will go to desperate lengths to protect her beautiful younger sister from the brutality of Copeland the moneylender. No-one has dared to attempt escape before; the whole of Scarlock trembles in his grasp. Only Nereia’s cunning and some unlooked-for help give her hope….
In a country still recovering from war, events are stirring, and the little harbour-town will not remain obscure for long; but in Scarlock, right now, Mr Copeland is coming to call – and this time he’s not taking no for an answer.
Book 2 of the fantasy series On Dark Shores, The Other Nereia is due out early 2012 and the paperback comprising both over spring/summer 2012. Further books will follow.
What is the book about?
On Dark Shores is going to be a fairly long-running series of which The Lady is the first instalment. It starts with a very brief introduction to The Mother, matriarchal leader of the nomadic Shantar, who is getting ready to leave her mountains in search of the Lady of the title. Meanwhile back in the little town of Scarlock the citizens are struggling through a day much like any other. It is a poor harbour town and much of it is under the grip of the ruthless moneylender Copeland, who has plans; in particular pertaining to the thief Nereia. She is not inclined to play along but dare not risk the safety of her beautiful younger sister…
There’s a lot going on in that world at that time, and Scarlock, obscure as it is, is about to be catapulted into the middle of world events in a big way. At the moment that’s irrelevant to Nereia. It won’t be soon, but it is in this book.
When did you start writing the book?
Back in 2002. At first I thought it might make a good poem, but it wouldn’t go into poem form properly, so I wrote another half page thinking perhaps it was going to be a short story. But it just wouldn’t come to a proper finish; every time I put it down, I had to wander back again and rework it and add a bit more. Some ten years and two hundred thousand words later, it’s not halfway through yet, and I am starting to think it won’t necessarily make a good short story after all…
How long did it take you to write it?
The first book was written in dribs and drabs over five or six years, going through a million edits along the way. It was just trickling along until in 2008 I discovered NaNoWriMo and have written much more since then, usually in November-sized chunks.
Where did you get the idea from?
I woke up one day in tears, back in 2002, with absolutely no idea what I’d been dreaming about. For two days afterwards I was weighed down with an overwhelming feeling of sadness, stabbingly poignant. I couldn’t shake it and was moping around like a wet rag for no reason that I knew of; the only way to get rid of it was to “download” it onto paper, which usually works. I had no idea what I was actually sad about so started with an image; the sea, bleak and hissing under the lash of a cold wind. There had to be someone there to actually feel the emotion, so the character appeared which would become Nereia; and then I had to work out why she was feeling that way. Then after “Why?” came “What happens next?” so I had to keep writing….
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
Yes. There is one point where someone is subjected to a violent beating, and it was very difficult to write. It’s a pivotal point in the story and it has to be quite serious but I absolutely didn’t want it to be over-graphic, partly because as a reader I find it uncomfortably voyeuristic, but also because horrific can so easily fall over the line and end up being grotesque or worse, sick-but-funny.
What the scene had to achieve was to give the sense of violence and hopelessness, and menace from an unexpected quarter rather than an expected one; so it occurred to me suddenly that the gory details were better left implied, and would be more powerful for it. It’s a bit like horror films; all the way through there are movements in the dark, and details and half-seen glimpses and it’s really scary….. right up until the point where the monster appears and it’s some bloke in a dodgy latex suit.
The scary bit is not the monster that’s there, but the one that exists in your mind, tailored to your own personal fears.
So in this case, there is one set-up punch, thrown in a casual way that sets the tone for the rest of it; and then the rest is done by describing the aftermath and other people’s reactions to it. It’s difficult to say, of course, but I think that is the best I could have done with that scene.
Violence in books is a difficult one to judge as it’s very subjective. I’m not sure that the logic stands up to scrutiny, but for me the power dynamic is what makes the difference between exciting and distasteful. Fights are fair game because they seem a bit more equal; but a serious beating… no.
What came easily?
Scarlock. The little fishing town where the story is set is so, so real to me. It’s made up of a thousand snippets of other towns and villages I’ve been to, from Cornwall to Scotland, but I’ve been wandering round it in my mind for ten years now and it’s virtually a character in its own right.
Would I like to live there? Hmmm…. Not sure about that. Certainly not in Book 1, and later on – well, that depends how it all pans out. I know too much about what has gone on and will go on there before the story comes to an end; but how it all comes about – that’s a different matter.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
None of my characters is based on anyone real – it would be tremendously restrictive to write, and someone would end up offended somehow. It just seems like asking for trouble, when you could just make ‘em up instead! Besides, my lot are all too much themselves to be anyone else. They’re an awkward bunch.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
Gosh, that’s a hard one to answer. Charlotte Bronte, for the sheer passion and wonderful humanity of Jane Eyre, when a lot of fictional women at the time were a bit 2D. Mary Stewart, for making Merlin’s magic raw and real and… almost understandable, rather than magic wands and spells and blue light. Robin Hobb, whose characters grabbed me and wouldn’t let go… Andre Norton whose aliens were not just humans in funny costumes, but felt really “other” and whose magic was mysterious and rich. There are so many more, but all of these women made me realise in different ways that writing could be richer, more real and so much more vivid than the humdrum everyday. I’d love to do something similar for my readers, but that’s an aspiration rather than an expectation.
Oh, and Conan Doyle. I was obsessed with Sherlock Holmes as a child and made a conscious decision to notice things about people – I’ll never solve a murder with it, obviously, but I’m fairly sure people-watching has helped make more realistic characters!
Do you have a target reader?
The book wasn’t written for a specific audience as I never expected to get it published; but now that it is published, I’m still working out who my audience seem to be. It had never occurred to me that a lot of fantasy fans are women but apparently this is true. Pleasingly I’ve had quite a lot of interest from historical fiction fans who don’t normally do fantasy but seem to be enjoying mine, which I take as a high compliment.
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I sit and write whenever I can find somewhere quiet enough, and if I’m at a computer, usually start the session by reading what I wrote last time, and doing a quick edit on it. At the moment I’m really short of time but I do have a 2hour commute, so am doing new writing on the train home on my Blackberry (my thumbs have never been so toned!) and then if there’s any free time after dinner, I sit in the kitchen and input Bk2 edits on my laptop.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
I don’t tend to outline but every so often I do something like a spider chart showing what happens to each of the main characters, how it impacts on other characters, and how the timeline fits together. It gets awfully complex awfully fast, so then I write it out in timeline order. I do have the timeline (in Excel, and huge!) and a character list, though.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
Editing is a constant process to me. Each re-read is done with pen in hand; and each session starts with an initial edit on yesterday’s stuff. Then I print, read and re-edit the whole chapter. Then (if not before) when I get to the end of a chunk of this storyline, I re-read and edit. At the end of the book I re-read and edit and when I’ve done that it goes off to the editors.
Did you hire a professional editor?
Specify ‘professional’! One of my editors earns half a living editing and proofing. The other one is a playwright with a flair for story arc. Both are extremely good at working with my prose, I think, and have no complaints thus far!
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Not while I write; but if I get stuck I go put the radio on a classical music station and lie down to listen to it with my eyes shut. Classical music is very descriptive and emotive and if you have a load of plot-strands floating round in your mind, you need something to bring them all together. Lying there concentrating on what emotion the music is trying to convey and what it describes – a storm, horses trotting, sleighbells, whatever – I often find that suddenly it becomes relevant. It’s like looking at a piece of jigsaw puzzle when the shapes painted on it suddenly resolve into an eye and part of a nose and you know exactly where it fits. And if one piece of music doesn’t help, the next comes on and you have another emotion to play with. Radio is good for that because it brings you music you’ve never heard before.
For the sort of fantasy I write, classical music has the drama and emotion and rich colours you need, but for modern comedy or something I’d probably go for a bit of rock; it all depends on what it is that you’re writing. I don’t listen while I’m at the computer though as the compulsion to type in time with the music really gets in the way!!
Did you submit your work to Agents?
No…I’ve been thinking about it for a long time but I figured that there was no point having an agent when there was apparently so little new writing hitting the market in my genres.
What made you decide to go Indie? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
I watched the market for about ten years and in that time, as far as I can see, the number of new original books being published has declined massively and shows no signs of increase. It’s becoming very much about what sells, not about what is worth buying, and though publishing is (and should be) a business, I felt the numbers just didn’t add up to my chances being high. At the time the iPad came out, I began to get interested in ebooks, and having watched that market for a year or so I decided it was well worth looking into. The growth figures were impressive- at worst there wasn’t really anything for me to lose, and at best I could launch my book into an unforgiving market and hope for some utterly impartial feedback. I thought – or hoped – it could hold its own, but the best way was to see what the readers thought.
And now I’m used to having the last say in what gets done and how, so to go trad it would either have to be an advance that would pay off the mortgage and let me write full-time (some hopes!) or it would have to be a company whose books were absolutely superb. I verge on the OCD on things like spelling and formatting. I re-converted my whole ebook because there were three dashes where they shouldn’t have been… I should probably get help for that but it works in favour of my putting out a spotless copy for the reader (and if you’ve read mine and found a mistake, please tell me as I compulsively will have to correct it)! Oh dear, I sound like a nutjob now….
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did it you do it yourself?
Neither! A talented friend put it together. I tweaked the lettering (and it’s due a re-tweak soon as the font is too small in the thumbnail)
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
I don’t have a marketing plan as such, partly because my job takes up so much of the day that my publishing has to get done in dribs and drabs as time permits. I tried a lot of different things when ODS1 came out, with varying success, but at the moment I think getting the next two books out as soon as I can is probably the most helpful thing I can do.
I have a freebie short story out and there is a longer one that will appear once I’ve finished with book 2. I also have a superb group of reviewers in the Creative Reviews group on Goodreads here, with whom, as it happens, I’ve just taken part in a charity anthology called Christmas Lites. [Editors note: you can read about Christmas Lites here]. They’re a great lot and very supportive, and as it consists of all sorts of people, readers, reviewers, editors, writers, you name it, it’s also a fantastic source of knowledge, links, people and suggestions, so just hanging round there has been really useful to me. I can absolutely recommend!
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Yes… set your expectations correctly, be appropriate, be patient and above all, be excellent!
Expectations: Some one told me that the average indie book sells 150 copies in its lifetime; I don’t know if this is true but it’s a good starting point, so aim number one is to sell 151 copies. You will find that, having sweated blood to make an excellent book you publish it, admire your Amazon page and think that as it’s such a good book, people will buy it. Wrong. That might work with the fifth or sixth one maybe, but your first book is just another one of the hundreds of thousands available, which brings me to the second point.
Appropriate: You need to go out and persuade people to take a look, and you need to ask people to review it; but you need to do both in a really personable and non-spammy way or you do all of us a disservice. No-one is going to cut you any slack because of what you’ve achieved – and be in no doubt, if you’ve produced a quality book, this is a huge achievement on a personal level, but on a professional level (and you DO need to be professional) you’re up against people with whole companies and large budgets behind them. So, chat on forums and before you even mention your book, work out how much advertising is acceptable on each as rules change between forums and between companies and between groups in the same forum. Engage with people; if they like the way you come across, they will go and investigate what you’ve done and that is a hundred times more powerful than all the spam in the world.
Patient: Don’t get discouraged if your sales are small for the first few months. Ask others how theirs went – and remember, there’s no hurry! Indie publishing is all about the long tail. We’re in this for the long-term; we’re not going away, our books aren’t going away, we’re going to be online and available ongoing. Also the more books you have available, the better sales will be of each one; with each successive book people have more chances of discovering your stuff. If you start to feel a bit discouraged, write down your sales every month, stick them into an Excel sheet and watch the line on the graph wriggle its way upwards – it might be ever so slow, but a year down the line, look how far you’ve come…
Lastly, be excellent, and DO NOT short-change the readers. If you think it’s pretty much okay, stop! If your book isn’t finished – if it hasn’t been read and error-checked, if the formatting is less than spotless, DON’T release it. If you want a bit of feedback on it, by all means find beta-readers and people to trial it for you, but DO NOT put it up for sale (or even free download) unless it’s clearly labelled as a beta. If you deal honestly with readers they come to trust you; if they feel as if you’ve tricked them or defrauded them, or otherwise palmed them off with an inferior product, they will tell everyone about it and avoid your books going forward. For the sake of one download or a bit more work, it is comprehensively not worth it.
Do the edit, be as finicking about detail as you can and give your readers a superb product, not one that’ll just about do. You owe them your best – and you owe it to yourself and to other indie authors to prove that excellent and independent can be the same thing.
Where did you grow up?
Deepest darkest Yorkshire, running wild on the moors. Bronte country, basically – so beautiful! I love going back there.
Where do you live now?
Southern England. I work in London, and the commute starts at 04.30am every morning. Not recommended, esp if you’re by nature nocturnal as I am… I must admit that by choice 04.30 comes at the end of the day for me, not the beginning!
What would you like readers to know about you?
I spent a while thinking about this – there are a lot of silly or grandiose things I could have put in but when it came down to it, the most fundamental thing about me as an author and publisher is that I am passionate about storytelling and very, very fussy about books of all formats. If I want to put my books on sale to a paying public, they need to be as well-produced if not better-produced than traditionally-published books. No-one is going to cut me any slack because I’m self-published or indie – and no-one should need to; if I have put my name on it (or the Weasel Green Press stamp) it should be excellent and if you think it isn’t, I want to know about it.
Some things will be subjective and those I’ll consider, probably ask around and see what the general view is; but if there are typos, formatting errors, anything of that sort, it will have got past me, two editors and a couple of proof-readers. That being the case, if you find a glitch, I want to know about it because I’ll be wanting to change it at the first possible opportunity.
What are you working on now?
I’m inputting tweaks on Book 2 –The Other Nereia- before it goes off to both editors (one does narrative arc and general storyline, the other does use of words and general proofing. Both do their jobs very, very well – and ruthlessly, ouch!). I was hoping to have it available for Christmas but it’s going to be in 2012 now as my editors are really busy at the moment. The downside of using talented people is that they get booked up fast!! I’m also setting up for the first paperback, books 1&2 together, which I’m hoping to bring out in Summer 2012.
Going forward: I need to write another 30k words or so to finish off book 3 – The Mother – which will be a full-length book rather than being cut into novella-sized chunks like Books 1&2, and once that’s online I can go on to do the paperback of that as well.
Over and above my own stuff, I’m helping with the development of two other authors’ humorous short stories and there’s a third author with a historical fiction novel in the pipeline, though these are ongoing projects with no particular deadlines. Hopefully we’ll have the various ebooks finished, edited and out next year if not the paperbacks but it’s early days yet.
Oh, and the day-job. No rest for the wicked, then!
End of Interview
This interview was a great way to start 2012. Packed full of good advice from friend of the blog and Indieview author, J.A. Clement. Thanks for taking to time to talk to us J.A. 🙂
The J.A. Clement’s page is here, but why not do yourself a favor and check out her books which are available at Amazon US and Amazon UK.
Also a 1,500 word freebie short story, set in Scarlock, can be found here (US) and here (UK).
Posted in Indieview author, Interviews
“My books were all written pre-Google, so the research was done the old-fashioned way; interviews, libraries, museums, visiting the places where the events in the books took place, even going as far as to sit in our local cemetery to make sure I had the correct vegetation and birdlife.”
Jan Hurst-Nicholson 22 December 2011 Continue reading
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Posted in Indieview author, Interviews
Here’s what Mark Coker wrote,
- “From the time an author enrolls their book in the program, they cannot distribute or sell their book anywhere else. Not the Apple iBookstore, not Barnes & Noble, not Smashwords, not Kobo, not Sony, not even the author’s own personal blog or web site. The book must be 100% exclusive to Amazon.
- If the author violates Amazon’s exclusivity terms at any point during the three-month enrollment period, or if the author unpublishes their book to remove it from the program so they can distribute the book elsewhere, the author risks forfeited earnings, delayed payments, a lien on future earnings, or could face termination of their Kindle Direct Publishing account.
- The author’s enrollment, and thus their liability to Amazon, automatically renews every three months if they fail to opt out in time.
Let’s examine the broader implications of this new program, not only for authors but for the nascent ebook industry as well.”
Okay, let’s. Continue reading
Posted in ebook, Publishing
“I steal people’s physical characteristics, and the stories they tell me. One or two have recognized themselves, but mostly they get worked and re-worked until they come out as someone completely different. I think.”
Martin Cooper 13 December 2011 Continue reading
Posted in Indieview author, Interviews
There are three things you need to know about Christmas Lites; first, it is an anthology with an interesting variety of stories featuring Santa, small children, zombies, werewolves, ghosts and much, much more. Second, it is released today in ebook format from Smashwords, and the paperback is available from Createspace and Amazon; and third, (and most importantly) all proceeds are to go to domestic violence charity NCADV.
So far, so similar to other charity anthologies – but why should you want this one?
Posted in Uncategorized
“I think the trend is changing from the traditional “Write what sells now” to “write what you want.” This is going to toss the marketplace on its ears because traditional publishers aren’t going to see marketing trends anymore because all genres are going to be selling equally as successfully.”
– Sue Owen Paper Mustang 14 November 2011
How did you get started?
I was a brand new indie writer and I tried to get my own book reviewed. I couldn’t find anyone interested. I saw the need! I started my Paper Mustang site to help other Indie authors wherever I could.
How do you review a book? Is it a read first, and then make notes, or do you make notes as you go along?
I read first then write the review. I always take time after reading a book to think about my impressions and what my ‘take aways’ were. That’s where I get the reviews.
What are you looking for?
I look for good grammar, no spelling errors first off. Poorly edited work never gets a review. I’m just not able to read past grammatical errors. Then I look for believable characters, good descriptions, good story line. I like to be a part of the stories and if I can’t be there then I don’t want to read the book.
If a book has a great plot, great characters, but the grammar is less than perfect, how do you deal with that?
I would write a note to the author and let them know. I won’t give a bad review. I feel that if the author can’t produce a work that is at least mostly grammatically correct, they should invest money in an editor. Don’t get me on my soap box but that’s one of the issues I have with Indie authors. I absolutely will not review a work that is less than professionally presented.
How long does it take you to get through, say, an eighty thousand-word book?
I speed read so probably about 10 hours, maybe a bit more.
How did you come up with your rating system, and could you explain more about the rating system?
I won’t give less than a 3 star. If I am reading a book and I can’t get into the story, hate the characters that I should be liking I won’t continue reading. Three stars has to have at least something good that draws my attention. If only that it’s a good storyline. For a four star I need to be interested in the story. A five star will give me a good plot, good characters and make me a part of it.
What advice could you give to authors looking to get their books reviewed?
Be patient. Everyone wants a review. I’m over two years out now. I’m pretty typical I think for any review site that will accept books that far out. I keep asking for guest reviewers but no one is interested. I even offer the write the review s if they tell me about the book but…. No one wants to give an opinion.
Do you get readers emailing you and thanking you for a review?
All the time. One of the most gratifying pieces of what I do is when someone says thanks. Typically, authors are grateful for a review even if it isn’t perfect. They are just happy to have someone they don’t know read and comment on their book! I know I am!!
My advice to authors on getting a “bad” review (hasten to add that might mean a perfectly honest, well written, fair review – just bad from the author’s point of view) is to take what you can from it and move on. Under no circumstances to “argue” with the reviewer – would you agree with that?
Completely. An opinion is just that; an opinion. I make no bones about my reviews being completely my opinion. I don’t reiterate the story, either which some reviewers do. Let the author tell you about the book. My job is to tell you if it is worth reading, in my opinion. Everyone is going to get a bad review, even bestselling authors! You can’t please everyone. If you get a bad review, thank them for taking the time to look at your work and move on. If what your wrote truly is trash, you’ll know about the third or fourth bad review! I also take what people offer for improvement. That makes my book better, too.
We talk a lot about writing here on the blog, and possibly not enough about reading, which is after all why we’re all here. Why do you think people love reading. We’re seeing lots of statistics that say reading as a pastime is dying – do you think that’s the case?
I don’t. I see more and more people being open about their reading. Or maybe I’m just paying more attention now. I think reading is taking a whole new turn, however, with the e-readers hitting the market. Now you don’t have to carry heavy books around or go to the store/library to get a new one. Really convenient and easy to read.
What are the most common mistakes that you see authors making?
Two things that make my teeth grind: They don’t edit their work and they don’t pay attention to their covers. Both have to be professionally presented. And that’s not to say a professional has to do them, it just says they have to look like a professional did.
We’re told that the first page, paragraph, chapter, is absolutely key in making or breaking a book. Agents typically request only the first five pages of a novel, what do you think about that; if a book hasn’t grabbed you by the first five pages, do you put it down?
I can usually tell by the first five pages if a book is going to be any good. If it doesn’t have my interest by then, I still read at least to page 10 but don’t bother after that if I’m not ‘feeing’ it.
There has been a lot of talk recently about 99 cents, what are your thoughts on that?
I’m changing my mind on that. I’ve seen blogs lately from some of the more successful Indie authors. I think I’m agreeing with the concept that if you charge 99 cents for your book, it isn’t of value. I think Indie authors as a whole grossly undervalue their work. If you have a good, commercial product, don’t undersell it. If you feel your book is as good as other professionals, then charge what you feel it is work. I’ve personally changed my prices recently. I think Indie authors should be given value for what they do.
Is there anything you will not review?
Yes. I don’t do genres that I don’t like such as Poetry, Non-Fiction. I have to be able to read it and get interested and excited about the book or I can’t review it. Those types of stories just aren’t anything I’m interested in.
What do you think of the oft quoted comment that the “slush-pile has moved online”?
I don’t think so. Almost all the books I read are really good. I still think an author can tell if his writing is crap. And every writer has those stories that just didn’t go anywhere but that’s not to say that even those someone might like. I think the trend is changing from the traditional “Write what sells now” to “write what you want.” This is going to toss the marketplace on its ears because traditional publishers aren’t going to see marketing trends anymore because all genres are going to be selling equally as successfully.
Do you think attitudes are changing with respect to Indie or self-published titles?
I sure hope so. When Indie was first made public the trash hit the readers. Now, however, the trend is to be professional and present your work in a professional manner. I think Indie writers are auditing their own and ‘calling’ bad authors to the carpet to be accountable. Very rarely do I find a book that is pure crap and should never have been written. Way better even than a year ago!
Do you have any ideas or comments on how the industry can “filter” good from bad, asides from reviews?
We are our own police. Indie authors need to audit each others’ work and I think we are getting pretty good at it. I challenge anyone these days to tell an Indie author from a professionally developed author. We rock!
Helen Hanson, friend of the blog and an author listed here, has a new book out. Following on from the success of 3 Lies (5 star review from BigAl’s Books and Pals) Dark Pool, explores the territory of massive fraud.
Forty Billion Reasons to Kill
By this time in her life, Maggie Fender expected to be on her way to law school. Instead she’s far from any degree, waiting tables to support her teenage half-brother and their ailing father. With early onset Alzheimer’s, her father’s lucid moments are few and unpredictable.
Her brother’s legal defense for felony hacking charges strained their finances to a snap. In spite of the conviction, he claims he was framed. But now that he’s on parole, he also claims their father is sending them messages.
Maggie’s tired of the struggle, but she’s everybody’s legal guardian. Slowing down will lead to disaster. She can hustle. Or face financial ruin.
This isn’t the life she envisioned.
In the news, disgraced hedge fund manager Patty O’Mara awaits trial for bilking investors out of forty billion dollars. The legendary dark pool wizard offered phenomenal profits until the SEC examined his books. Then they discovered O’Mara didn’t make any legitimate trades on the market.
O’Mara ran his hedge fund the way Charles Ponzi and Bernie Madoff ran theirs. It was all a fraud.
One wealthy investor rallies the troop of irate victims by hiring a noted private investigator to find the missing pot of gold. A Russian mobster, out thirty million in cash, prefers to search for the money alone and without witnesses. Their competing efforts sift the same set of facts.
So why are they interested in Maggie Fender’s incoherent father?
While SEC officials try to rebuild credibility for allowing the financial scandal to rage unchecked, the private investigator and the Russian mobster vie to answer a solitary question:
What happened to all that money?
Posted in New Book Release
A week ago I redirected all traffic from www.simon-royle.com to www.theindieview.com.
Pleased to say that most things went smooth, apart from everyone losing their passwords – sorry about that. Here’s the first weeks traffic for those that are interested in such things…
Posted in Traffic reports
Toni Dwiggins, friend of the blog and an indieview author is having a pre-thanksgiving sale on her book, Badwater. 99 cents (that’s a real bargain), for a book with a 4.7 out of 5 stars rating.
Toni previously interviewed here, has done magazine work, both fiction and non. She’s author of a US History textbook, and has contributed to texts in the sciences. She’s done tech-writing for the Silicon Valley computer industry, and that experience hatched an idea that became her first novel, about an attempt to sabotage the nation’s telephone system (INTERRUPT, published by TOR Books).
She went in a different direction with her second novel, BADWATER, into the world of rocks and radiation… find out more here.
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Posted in eBook on sale, Indieview author
