Free Book Reviews

I’d very much like to start reviewing books, if you have any that you’ve written/published or would suggest as a good read!  I’m partial to fantasy and science fiction, although don’t mind branching out on occasion.  I also want to give priority to newer authors, as a review does much more for them than the bigger names.  If you have a book in mind, please comment on this post or email me to discuss!  I would post my review here on my website, on Amazon, and Goodreads.

Chapter 9: The 3 Best Books for Aspiring Authors

I’d be a fool if I didn’t think my readers ever tired of my voice.  Ask any of my friends and they might say they don’t recognize me with my mouth closed – although ironically they’d equally be as keen to tell you I’m a fantastic listener.  Now, with all that said, I know you’re here looking to expand your writing knowledge.  I gave you a deviance from the norm last week with my sister answering some questions, and now I’d like to do so again.

To say I write my books without any help would be a damn lie.  Firstly, I love the works of K.M. Weiland.  Although I know her to write fiction, I was introduced to her via the Structuring Your Novel Workbook: Hands-On Help for Building Strong and Successful Stories (Link here or below).  You’ll notice the link is to the paperback, when normally I’m so fond of eBooks.  Although from my link you can easily press the eBook, I would suggest the hard copy.  Weiland was very smart about this book, and inserted space for you to write your ideas onto the book itself.  This way it’s easier to collect your thoughts.  To give you an idea how helpful this book is, when I finished my first novel last year it was at just over 25,500 words – and that’s with an outline before.  I had to go back through several drafts to flesh out the characters and plot.  I’ve used her book as a guide for my plot for my current novel.  My first draft was over double at over 50,000 words!  Not only that, but I could see the rise in quality.  All of my beta readers commented on how progressed this one was to my last novel.  I owe that to Weiland.

Another suggestion I have is The Emotional Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression (Link here or below) by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi.  As authors, we often find ourselves repeating the same phrases for different emotions, whether it be quivering lips or a tightened stance.  (Please, for the sake of your readers, avoid the clichés of a single tear and other nuisances.)  This book provides both internal and external sensations, as well as suppressed and acute!  Even when rejected, I’ve found literary magazines have complimented my emotional descriptions since I’ve began utilizing this book!

If you’ve decided the self-publishing route, I have to suggest Successful Self-Publishing: How to Self-Publish and Market Your Book (Link here or below) by Joanna Penn.  I’d like to stress that this book is permanently and completely free.  It’s an easy read, but has numerous helpful tips that I look forward to using!  Although I haven’t personally read any more of her books, I’d suggest looking into them!  She also has a podcast that can be found here.  Also, look for “How to Write a Mystery With Rebecca Cantrell and J.F. Penn” where she gives me a shout-out!

Don’t be a hermit stuck in your little writing nest.  Authors have already made the mistakes you’re currently making, and a few like the ones above have taken the extra step to publish a book to help aspiring authors.  Take advantage!

Write Perspective: A Spy in the House

Book Description: Rescued from the gallows in 1850s London, young orphan (and thief) Mary Quinn is surprised to be offered a singular education, instruction in fine manners — and an unusual vocation. Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls is a cover for an all-female investigative unit called The Agency, and at seventeen, Mary is about to put her training to the test. Assuming the guise of a lady’s companion, she must infiltrate a rich merchant’s home in hopes of tracing his missing cargo ships. But the household is full of dangerous deceptions, and there is no one to trust — or is there? Packed with action and suspense, banter and romance, and evoking the gritty backstreets of Victorian London, this breezy mystery debuts a daring young detective who lives by her wits while uncovering secrets — including those of her own past.

Good for people who enjoy: strong female leads, British history, mysteries, minority protagonists

Review: The first point about this story that I enjoyed was uniqueness of Y.S. Lee’s approach to the mid-1800s.  She doesn’t focus on all the aspects that most authors tend to romanticize.  Her protagonist, Mary Quinn, is an orphan of Asian immigrant – who were a very mistreated minority at the time.  The Agency itself is a stab at the sexism in that period, as it uses the fact that people underestimated women to their advantage.  It also includes a romantic aspect, although that’s by no means the main point of the story being told.  I approve of her love interest, as he’s not threatened by Mary’s strength – although perhaps surprised.  The bantering between the two makes for some humorous moments.  There’s also very good attention to historical detail that made me extremely interested in that time period.  Lee brilliantly uses every part of that era to the benefit of the story.

Although there are some moments where Mary messes up, she follows into the stereotype of a protagonist following almost too naturally into role of investigator.  There is suspense in finding out who committed the crime, but I never felt worried for any of the main characters’ safety.  This hurt the attempted tension in some of the major scenes.  With that said, Mary is still presented as a very sympathetic character who I’ve personally grown to care for.

Overall, it’s an interesting plot with a likeable protagonist in a brilliant time period.  The fact the main character is of Asian heritage makes me so excited because that is so underrepresented in Victorian Era literature.  I’ve already bought the second (and third…) and would strongly recommend this to be put on anyone’s to-read list!

Overall Rating: 4 stars

If the picture below doesn’t work, press here!

Follow the Nerd

One of the stereotypes I hate most in this world is its idea of a nerd: someone who only finds adventure on pages or through gaming.  While it’s true we enjoy those methods (I mean come on now), why does anyone seem so shocked when they learn we vary just as much as anyone else?  Myself – I love hiking and traveling and spending my time working out.  Nerds are guilty of this too; I’ve seen people look particularly offended when I’m at a convention (last year I went dressed up as R2D2.. this year it’s the cute version of the Flash) and I mention “that one time I traveled around the United Kingdom.”  Well, a dear friend of mine shares a similar mindset to me.   She loves not only traveling, but also targeting ‘nerd locations,’ as she likes to call them.  If you want to enjoy her travels alongside me, click this link to follow her on Instagram!  She recently went to England, Germany, Austria, and Italy, and is about to go to Louisiana for all you American Horror Story fans!

Chapter 8: Questions on Questions

Hello again, my dear readers!  I am so terribly sorry about my lack of posting these past few weeks.  My internship has exhausted me far past what I originally expected.  But, the hiatus is officially ended!   I sat here thinking how best to kick back off my writer’s blog, and then realized: I have a sister who just so happens to be a published authors.  As to not overwhelm her, I kept this interview short; but, I thought you’d enjoy hearing some responses from the beloved Kristen Brand.

Question #1: What were the biggest factors in your decision to become an indie author rather than traditionally publish?

I’d been thinking about self-publishing for a while, as Hero Status had gotten rejection after rejection from traditional publishers and agents. I thought Hero Status was great, but part of me still worried I was biased and the book wasn’t as good as I thought. But then it happened! A small but respectable publisher was starting a digital-first imprint and acquired my book. Success at last!

Three months later, I got an email from the press saying that they’d acquired too many books and unfortunately had to drop some authors—including me. Now, they were a class act about the whole thing and returned my rights (You hear horror stories from authors where less reputable presses did no such thing), but it was still disappointing. And yet. And yet, these publishing professionals had deemed my nerdy little book good enough to acquire. That was the outside validation I needed, and I decide to go ahead and publish Hero Status myself.

Question #2: How did you decide on your editor?  Cover artist?

There are loads of freelance editors and cover artists out there whom indie authors can hire, some good, and some not so much. The key is research. There are online resources out there with lists of recommended editors, but instead of taking the word of some random person on the internet, I think it’s better to look at some of your favorite indie authors and see who they hired. Authors will usually thank their editors at the end of the book, so this isn’t as hard as it sounds. I approached my editor because she worked on one of my favorite fantasy series, and I didn’t remember seeing so much as a single comma out of place when I read those books.

As for cover art, I went with an artist recommended by a friend and fellow author. That’s another great strategy: hang out on forums with other indie authors and see who they had good experiences working with. And of course, look at other covers the artist has done in your genre.

Question #3: What has been your biggest challenge as an indie author?

Definitely marketing. I think I’m like most authors in that I like to write, not sell things. Figuring out how to get more people to buy my books has been a challenge—but a fun one. The indie author community is great about sharing strategies and helping each other out, and I’ve learned so much since I got started. I read plenty of blog posts and listen to podcasts on the subject (The Science Fiction & Fantasy Marketing Podcast is a favorite), and while I’m better at it than I used to be, I still have a long way to go.

Question #4: You’ve a two-book superhero series with one set to be published later this year.  What’s it been like to try to take over a genre that’s considered to be an “unmarketable” genre?

It’s funny that superhero fiction doesn’t have a bigger place on the shelves of bookstores. With superhero movies being so popular and profitable, you’d think there’d be a ton of superhero books out there, but I haven’t found that to be the case. Still, there are definitely readers who love the genre. It may not be as popular as something like paranormal romance, but plenty of indie authors have found success by serving a smaller niche.

Question #5: Do you have any advice for people considering self-publishing that you wish you knew?

I’d probably advise people that if you’re writing a series, wait until you have two or three books finished before you publish the first—at least if you’re a slow writer like I am. Putting books out three or so months apart can help give your series momentum and keep it selling well. Being able to publish so fast is one of the major advantages indies have over traditionally published authors, since it keeps your books fresh in your readers’ minds.

Compare that to me, who publishes one book every year or so, and…yeah. It’s an area where I have definite room for improvement.

Question #6: Where can these readers find you and stay updated on your writing whereabouts?

You can find me at my author website, KristenBrand.com. It has information about my books plus free superhero fiction you can read online. I’m also on Twitter at @BrandedKristen, where I talk about writing updates, comic books, and other randomness.