P.O.D.LINGS

ARTEMIS FOWL AND THE TIME PARADOX

2008-10-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

ARTEMIS FOWL and the TIME PARADOX by Eoin Colfer is the sixth novel in the wildly popular Fowl series and we see Artemis facing one of his more dangerous enemies so far...himself.

Well, at least that is what one hopes when reading the story, but ultimately I was more glad to see the return of Opal Koboi! The novel as always is well written (though I notice the well published authors seem to delve into "telling" and "passive voice" as if it were stylish). Nevertheless the story is chock full of action and engaging. All the old characters, in fact, seem to be in this one, including a cameo by long dead Julius Root.

I would have been 100% pleased by the story were it not for the fact that little ARty isn't quite the nemesis he is played up to be. Not to say he isn't problematic for older Artemis...in fact older Artemis seems a bit dim in comparison on many occasions--not his usual self at all. Perhaps raging hormones have finally quelled the superior intellect?

At any rate, Opal Koboi, arrives mid-way through to steal the villianous spotlight from an otherwise mundane young artemis. Opal Koboi, has to be the best villian I've personally seen in the series and "The OPal Deception" is by far my favorite novel in the series. She comes through here as well, never a bit less brilliant or maniacal as ever! Thankfully!!

All in all, I highly recommend the novel, it is Artemis Fowl after all, and if nothing else but to see Artemis face his greatest nemesis of all. NO, not himself...Opal Koboi, you ninny! :)

Back in Action?

2008-10-20T07:46:00.000-07:00

LIMITED RETURN FOR THE MOMENT...yep, it's been awhile, but podlings may return in the future to do more pod book reviews. For the moment, I'll bring some reviews of novels I've been interested in recently and we'll see how the time frame all works out.

I'll be brining reviews on the new Artemis Fowl novel and Jeremy Robinson's new mass market edition of "Antarktos Rising" as well as a post on the new VARIANCE PUBLISHING which has taken over the old BREAKNECK BOOKS.

STay Tuned!

THAT'S ALL FOLKS!!

2007-05-15T08:01:00.000-07:00

DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND OUR CONTROL P.O.D.LINGS WILL BE CLOSING ITS DOORS.

I've enjoyed the opportunity and hopefully have helped some people along the way. But life is life and some wonderful new opportunities with my own writing career, along with other new opportunities have come along and it has become necessary to do some pruning. My schedule will not allow for much more on my plate, so this will be my last post under PODLINGS.

If you've sent a pdf for review, and I didn't get to you, then I would suggest another member or two of the De Facto Review Ring. I appreciate the growing interest and the POD CRITIC for spear heading the new initiative for POD authors. It needs to continue and I'm sure it will. Remember, keep your standards high and you might just find yourself as the next bestseller...it is attainable!

PODLINGMASTER, OVER AND OUT!

THE BATHYS by JONATHAN WARD

2007-05-09T05:57:00.000-07:00

The Bathys by Jonathan Ward is typical sci-fi fare with the human race battling an alien race they seemingly have nothing in common with and neither race realizes their actual commonalities...."Enemy Mine," anyone?

The year is 2493, and the human Confederation is at war. The Bathys, an utterly alien species with whom no communication is possible, have risen from their watery homes and attacked the scattered worlds of humanity, destroying everything in their path. The fighting is bitter, and the Confederation is losing. Caught up in the conflict are two people who could not be more different. One is a soldier, dedicated to the defence of the Confederation. The other is a civilian, completely opposed to the war. The wildly different paths they take bring them together as both enemies and unlikely allies. As battle rages all around them, they struggle to uncover the shocking truth behind the war with the Bathys and, perhaps, to do something to stop it.

When a novel receives only two stars from me, this means I probably encountered so many problems that the decent storyline was unable to keep me reading to the end.

To Mr. Ward's credit, he is a very descriptive writer and as far as the story itself is concerned, there is a great deal of action and he throws the reader into the mix very quickly. But this is where compliments end because The Bathys has a number of problems working against it including:

Editing problems: Paragraph indents are almost non-existent and there are continual grammar problems throughout the novel.
Perspective jumps: Chapter 1 begins in first person -- Chapter 2 goes to omniscient -- Chapter 3 is back to first person -- and Chapter 4 jumps back to omniscient p.o.v. This gets very frustrating after awhile and the story simply wasn't engaging enough to keep me going any further.
The cover is black and white and lacks interest and any tangible connection to the story. My first impression, unfortunately, was Asteroid or something unmentionable.

The Bathys may not be unique in story, but the main problem was execution. There are many unoriginal takes on sci-fi that still manage to be entertaining, but these numerous problems make the effort to continue reading seem wasted.

SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED!

2007-05-07T13:45:00.000-07:00

DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND OUR CONTROL ALL SUBMISSIONS ARE TEMPORARILY HALTED!

Well, that may be a bit on the dramatic side, but you get the drift. We've still got a few to get through and as we wind our way through we'll update you on submissions opening again.

Remember, your friendly neighborhood Spiderman, er POD BOOK REVIEWER doesn't do this for a living and things can stack up in our personal lives which prevent warp speed reading and reviews...so, please be patient on the submission thing.

Thanks, PODLINGS

THE DE FACTO POD REVIEW RING

2007-05-03T13:45:00.000-07:00

This is intended as a quick-reference chart of the blogs in The De Facto POD Review Ring. The current eight members are listed in the chart in Date Established Order. Most, but not all, of the members have responded to an e-mail request to enter the data they would like to see stated for their blog site in the chart. The data for the remaining members has been taken directly from the blogs. Please refer to the genre codes at the bottom of the chart. The information is current as of May 1, 2007. Hopefully, this chart will live a long and happy life at various locations on the web, and we can periodically update the information. Thank you to all who are participating in this project.

Name: POD People - http://podpeep.blogspot.com

Blurb: A Review & Commentary Site Devoted to Self-Published BooksFounded: January 10, 2006Submissions: E-book Submissions Closed & Paper Submissions Open as of 4/30/07

Submission Format(s): Electronic versions preferred - paper copies accepted

Author Interviews: Rarely, and only upon request

Articles of Helpful Information for Authors: Yes

Publication Dates Accepted: All

Genres Accepted: All

Preferred Genres: Any

Notes: A small team of (currently 12) reviewers run by two writers who are not self-published, but are enthusiastic about quality poetry and prose in any format. We host both a blog and a fixed website. News, promotions and commentary relating to self-POD may be submitted to the blog and will be posted at our discretion.

Name: Leo Stableford - http://www.leostableford.com

Blurb: One Monkey, One Typewriter, Infinite Deadlines - POD reviews for all interested parties

Founded: January 14, 2006

Submissions: Open for Submissions as of 4/27/07

Submission Format(s): Paper copies preferred; e-books accepted

Author Interviews: No

Articles of Helpful Information for Authors: Yes

Publication Dates Accepted: All

Genres Accepted: Generic Fiction

Preferred Genres: FA HO SF TH YA

Notes: Long-time reviewer rated 4.6/5 by peers at Francis Ford Coppola's zoetrope.com online workshop from over 130 reviews given

Name: iUniverse Book Reviews - http://iunivsersebookreviews.blogspot.com

Blurb: Legitimate Reviews for Deserving iUniverse Authors and Their Readers

Founded: July 12, 2006

Submissions: Open for Submissions as of 5/1/07

Submission Format(s): Actual paper copy of the published iU book required

Author Interviews: Yes

Articles of Helpful Information for Authors: Yes

Publication Dates Accepted: All

Genres Accepted: All genres welcome

Preferred Genres: Cheaters need not apply (See posted Submission Guidelines.)

Notes: Experienced iUniverse author offers tons of personal service.

Name: P.O.D.lings - http://podlingmaster.blogspot.com

Blurb: Hoping to Help Aspiring Authors with Honest Book Reviews

Founded: August 16, 2006

Submissions: Open for Submissions as of 4/27/07

Submission Format(s): PDF and paper

Author Interviews: Yes - Also offers Podcasts

Articles of Helpful Information for Authors: Yes

Publication Dates Accepted: All

Genres Accepted: Self Published & Small to Large Press Novels

Preferred Genres: AA CH FA SF TH YA

Notes: Small-press published author with several novels written

Name: None May Say - http://nonemaysay.blogspot.com

Blurb: Personal Outlay Developed Reviews

Founded: November 23, 2006

Submissions: Open for Submissions as of 4/27/07

Submission Format(s): Various

Author Interviews: No

Articles of Helpful Information for Authors: Yes

Publication Dates Accepted: All

Genres Accepted: All POD media, including music and other art forms

Preferred Genres: Feature reviews of free online booksNotes: Reviews of music not on corporate labels

Name: Pub-ioneer - http://pub-ioneer.blogspot.com

Blurb: "To boldly go..." - Self Published Book Reviews

Founded: November 25, 2006

Submissions: Open for Submissions as of 4/27/07

Submission Format(s): Digital formats preferred

Author Interviews: No

Articles of Helpful Information for Authors: Yes

Publication Dates Accepted: All

Genres Accepted: MF MY SF TH - E-mail synopsis for other genres

Preferred Genres: A taste for dark, edgy, unusual stuff

Notes: No nonfiction, literary, or poetry accepted

Name: POD Critic - http://podbookreview.blogspot.com

Blurb: Where I dissect the books of aspiring writers and publishers who employ print-on-demand technology

Founded: January 30, 2007

Submissions: Closed to Submissions as of 4/15/07

Submission Format(s): Digital file required (PDF preferred; MS Word/RTF accepted)

Author Interviews: Yes, but solely by reviewer's choice

Articles of Helpful Information for Authors: Yes, for authors and micro-presses

Publication Dates Accepted: All - Will apprise of any changes

Genres Accepted: AA BI CE FA HI HO LI ME MY RO SF SU TH YA

Preferred Genres: None - Film, Television, & Speculative Fiction subgenres considered

Notes: Experienced book editor fosters and promotes all aspects of quality work: writing, editing, and production.

Name: The PODler - http://podler.blogspot.com

Blurb: Reviews of POD Published Fiction

Founded: April 6, 2007

Submissions: Open for Submissions as of 4/27/07

Submission Format(s): PDF & TXT files

Author Interviews: Yes

Articles of Helpful Information for Authors: Yes

Publication Dates Accepted: AllGenres Accepted: ES FA HI MY SF SU TH

Preferred Genres: Any of the above

Notes: Home of the International Print on Demand Book Award

Genre Codes: AA - Action Adventure BI - Biography CE - Collected EssaysCH - Children ES - Espionage FA - Fantasy HI - Historical HO - HorrorLI - Literary ME - Memoir MF - Military Fiction MY - Mystery NF - NonfictionRO - Romance SF - SciFi SU - Suspense TH - Thriller YA - Young Adult

ANCESTOR by SCOTT SIGLER

2007-05-02T07:33:00.000-07:00

ANCESTOR by Scott Sigler is a high tech horror story about geneticists who unleash man's evolutionary forefather while attempting to produce donor organ animals for human transplant purposes.

This book has been published by small press, Dragon Moon Publishing and they've done a very nice job with the book production...great cover, interior, editing and so forth.

The prose is straightfoward, lacking any eloquence, but since this is a thriller, it delivers the goods. The language is explicit and the violence abundant, so be warned. Ancestor falls short of the HOT! designation only because it lacks the originality of the other stories I've given that award to. This could easily have been another terrific Crichton novel, but doesn't present anything really fresh plot-wise. However, Mr. Sigler has done and excellent job of keeping the tension high and the pacing quick.

One of the more interesting elements about this novel is that it first appeared in a purely podcast form and Sigler has used those legions of fans to propel the novel upon its release to the status of Amazon.com bestseller status, even hitting no.1 on several category lists! Very impressive indeed. Rumor has it that Mr. Sigler may have also been able to secure a major label deal out of those efforts as well...very cool.

DON'T FORGET ABOUT NETWORKING!

2007-04-30T12:37:00.000-07:00

It might be time consuming, but the fact of the matter is that much of the success you may find in the publishing industry comes from who you know, being in the right place at the right time and so forth.

Let's be honest. We all know that many very interesting stories are going to be passed up by the industry giants, simply because they do not appear marketable. Whether or not you and your book are marketable is beside the point...you must appear to be marketable and part of that profile is the contacts you have made. "Who would endorse your book, etc..."

But WIERD PODLINGS GUY, who should I be networking with and how. There are a number of people and ways to meet them. Contact authors...now this may seem taboo to some, but authors are people just like you are and they enjoy hearing from fans. I know of authors who have successfully queried authors for a review and ended up getting their endorsement or even a referral to an agent or publisher. Now, I don't, by any means suggest that you should begin to stalk authors for endorsements. You might contact them through blog post comments or a letter or email. You might find yourself with them on a blog tour for your work or at a writer's conference. The point is, make contacts with authors of every caliber (who can tell who will become a star in the future...your long time POD author perhaps?) Make contacts with agents if you have the opportunity, probably through another author or at a writers conference. Just remember, in an industry as competitive as this one, it's many times who you know, just as much or more as it is how good your book is!

ANTI-CHRIST: A Satirical End of Days by MATTHEW MOSES

2007-04-27T11:59:00.000-07:00

Anti-Christ: A Satirical End of Days by Matthew Moses, with horribly mad theology and enough twisted vulgarity to go around, comes off as exactly that: Anti Christ.

I agreed to review this book despite its premise, having told the author at the outset that my personal beliefs would probably cause me to hate it. Mr. Moses still wanted the review...so, to echo Damon Wayans twisted "Men on Films" character: HATED IT!

Let me elaborate a little. It is the content of this novel, which is very offensive and disturbing, which brought me to that conclusion. However, let me say that, Mr. Moses is actually a gifted writer. His prose is delivered with a natural flare and were it not for the content, I would read this author without hesitation. The book is well edited--hardly a grammatical error to be found. I hated the cover only because it doesn't appear to be a book cover at all. The format is not correct for a book cover and it's merely plain text; uninteresting to behold. Somehow, the main character, also named Matthew, remined me of one of those Jackass guys from Johnny Knoxville's troop, except he doesn't intend for all of the horrible things to happen to him.

I give this writer one star--only for the fact that I can clearly see, he has talent--for the book, nothing. Let me reiterate: were this writer to sink his teeth into something less offensive, I would read him in a heartbeat.

THE TRUTH, IT LIES by EOIN HENNIGAN

2007-04-26T05:39:00.000-07:00

The Truth, It Lies, by Eoin Hennigan is a 1950's murder mystery revolving around the mysterious death of a sordid movie star whose career comes crashing down in the wake of McCarthyism.

"A lawyer on the brink of ruin, a paranoid director, a dead movie star, and a picture no one will ever see… It is 1952 and show business lawyer Robert L Harvey is on the brink of financial ruin. TheHollywood witch-hunt is putting him out of business. That is, until, he receives a call from movie director, and constant paranoid, Michael Bloom. The big shot has misplaced the film reels of his latest project, the star of which has recently died. Harvey thinks it's a job for the police but the director is adamant he doesn't want his employer, Mayor Studios, to know their investment is lost. Desperate for the money Harvey agrees, but when he delves into a side of the movie industry he's never seen before his priorities have to change…"

Let's just say, "I have issues with the way this book has been written..." The Truth, It Lies has an interesting enough premise, but it has many functional problems on delivery. To begin with, the book is plagued by missing words and other grammatical errors. I could not overlook it, but I'm definitely willing to cut an author some slack when the story and delivery are top notch. The story is decent, but didn't keep me wondering when I was going to get back to reading it. The delivery is the real problem with this book for me and the numerous problems ultimately killed it. FOR EXAMPLE:

There is a continuity problem at the outset: Chapter One begins with the investigation into this movie star's death by police (in the present). Chapter two zooms back in time several weeks and not by way of a character's memory or a flashback or any other anchor point--It simply starts us over again "several weeks ago?" When we hit Chapter 3, we are again in present time with the main character, Robert Harvey, who is a down and out lawyer to the stars...this carries me to two more big problems.
The Narration of this story begins in omnicient narrator point-of-view, Chapter two, despite the "Back to the Future" timeshift, is also given in this same point-of-view. When we come to Chapter 3 and take up with the lawyer, Robert Harvey, everything changes to first person point-of-view?? huh? Which brings me to another problem...
When we get to this first person point-of-view switch in the 3rd chapter, the majority of prose is all inside this character's head...no, I mean conversations with everyone around him are all given to us second hand through this character's thoughts rather than delivered as dialogue! The character gives us information from the conversation he is presently having (without any dialogue) and then that's it?! It would be much easier and more interesting to just give us the dialogue even in first person. Delon City, which I recently reviewed, is all first person, but we have all of the dialogue...so, what's the problem? An entire plot hinging phone conversation is bypassed this way, along with conversations with the police and so forth...which brings me to another big problem I have with this story.
The book is delivered in the style of a 50's private detective story like Mike Hammer or better yet, "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid." However, instead of a Private Dick doing the investigation, we have a hollywood lawyer. Why? Well, the lawyer actually asks that question of his nervous client to this response: "Private detectives are not discreet enough," to which the lawyer character agrees. The only thing is, that is exactly the nature of a private detective; to be discreet in their investigation. The first time out to investigate, he is caught by security--very discreet, huh?

All these problems make for a very difficult read. I give him kudos on a nice cover, but that's about all the good I could come up with. There is a story here, but it has not been delivered in a cohesive way and ultimately left me unsatisfied.

SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES

2007-04-24T10:05:00.000-07:00

Well...wicked only in the gnarly, bodacious, good sense of the word. We've decided, (we--yeah, just me, one guy referring to myself as we), to add a new element to the world of POD BOOK reviewing by highlighting a growing segment of innovative online marketing, known as PODCASTING.

Essentially, PODCASTING (for a book) is the serialization of a novel into audio episodes and making these episodes available in MP3 downloadable format for curious fans to subscribe to--usually on a weekly basis. Now, that is the quick and dirty explanation and the actual creation of a podcast appears a bit more daunting. However, thousands of podcasts are out on the internet, hosted at sites like podiobooks.com and iTUNES.com, etc...so, it can't be too difficult for the average internet savvy person to learn the skills necessary to utilize this medium.

The inventive thing about utilizing a podcast over other forms, is that, as an author, you can present your work in a completely new realm. People who might not be interested in downloading your sample chapters to read for 30 minutes on a computer screen, would probably have no reservations about downloading your 30 minute podcast to their MP3 player to listen to on the way to work. Hmmm...and this new book medium has other advantages as well. For instance, those exciting parts in the story can be spruced up with music, various voices or just the excited tone of your voice in the reading. And the fact of the matter is that it requires less work on the part of the "listener" than it does on the "reader."

CHION, a recently reviewed favorite has, for example, an MP3 download of the first 20 minutes of the book. The author, Darryl Sloan, did a wonderful job and it immediately had me hooked to the story and wanting to read the book...just remember, you still need a great book!

Another author coming under review here at PODLINGS, Scott Sigler, has no less than 3 fully podcasted novels under his belt and just recently took his legions of adoring podcast fans over to Amazon.com to storm the rankings and end up an Amazon.com bestseller in two different categories!

That says much for the possibilities for poor ole POD authors, since this is essentially a free way to advertise your book, but remember that these examples had great stories and high quality audio going their way as well. I would imagine that, just as in the POD book realm, there is in the PODCAST realm a proliferation of horrible, low quality garbage which doesn't even deserve to be heard at all. Some authors appear to be providing all of their novel in serial form, while others prefer to give enough to hook the reader and send them back to the print form of the novel for the rest. The choice is yours as the author.

What we would like to do at PODLINGS is to provide a dedicated page for POD and small press authors to feature links to your first episode--IF AND ONLY IF, the book is quality and the audio is quality. I have no desire to provide a place for sludge to collect...therefore, you send the links to your first episode and if I like the story and the quality of the episode itself, I will create a post for it and include a snippet review for you with links back to wherever you want readers to come and find the rest of the episodes or print book. The PODCAST CORNER link will appear in my sidebar and this will be the permanent link to this page. If your print novel gets a good review and you have an audio file like CHION does then we'll link the book review to your PODCAST episode post, the same way we link author interviews. So, consider your options and if you like, then submit your first episode file *complete with book cover file* and links. Your podcast episode MUST BE FROM A BOOK AVAILABLE IN PRINT FORM or available in print in the near future!

FORGE OF THE GODS by ERIC FOGLE

2007-04-23T11:07:00.000-07:00

Forge of the Gods, by Eric Fogle is a well written and enjoyable fantasy in which the very fabric of the spiritual realm appears to be collapsing. Heaven's inhabitants and its many minor gods are sending forth their own champions, demi-gods, dragons and mortals alike, to quest for the source of the disturbance--either to nurture it for their own power or to destroy it utterly.
READ PODLINGS INTERVIEW: ERIC FOGLE

I'm asking myself, "What is it that is so attractive and engaging about this story, Forge of the Gods?" The story is not a thriller and not really what I might consider action packed, although alot is going on. No, I think it is the richness of Mr. Fogle's narrative that is so appealing here! I don't by any means say this in a bad way--Mr. Fogle is not rushing himself through this story. He carefully and lovingly crafts a world and characters that feel fully developed and interesting to follow. The prose itself flows like good poetry and the conflict is multilayered and intriguing.

"Cosmic power swirled around the olthari as he moved through a pocket of nonexistence, the space in which inter-planar travel was possible. In a fraction of a second he stepped through a thin film of divinity and into the new world. The sickening feeling of winking out of existence then back wracked his body. He tried to look around but was blinded by white tracers
that blurred his vision. When his vision finally cleared, he was greeted with a horrific sight: this
place was not a mortal probability. In a dark recess of his mind, Thurm realized that this world must be directly connected to the Divine Plane. He felt godly power exuding from everything. Though he tried to rationalize it, nothing could ever describe such an abomination of life; dark swirls of chaos tore at a shattered sky, giving off a deep purplish hue. His immortal eyes viewed a world devoid of any ordered thing; misshapen trees dotted the desolate landscape, doing their best to eke out an existence. Aside from this mockery, the scorched land was free of anything that even roughly resembled life. The sight of true chaos made his skin crawl. Here the equation of the universe did not apply, time did not flow in mortal years, and balance was not achieved. By looking at the mottled husks of the trees, he knew that the equation was trying to right itself; however, only a travesty of creation prevailed. A distant sound caught his attention. Thurm gripped the shaft of his giant hammer as the wind blew the faint scream past him. The full power of the place came rushing upon him, intensifying his soul-bond with Elissandera. He was sure that she was located less than five miles to the east. It might be too late to save this world, but he knew she still lived . . . at least for the moment. He cleared his mind and set out with resolve, shaking off his uneasiness. He told himself that he needed to be steady. His goal was in sight; he was here to find Elissandera and save her if he could or release her into eternity if he couldn’t. He had decided long ago that if she needed to die, then he did, too—that if this was his fate, he would face the thing that had eluded him for so long. His resolve demanded that he die trying; for her he could not turn back. Another faint scream swept across the desolate wasteland. Thurm’s hair rose. He felt Elissandera’s soul-bond call out to him; this place seemed to magnify the essence of his people. For a moment he thought that he wasn’t alone, an oddly satisfying feeling. An impossible thought tore through his defenses could this be a parallel plane of existence to that of the divine? A pocket plane for one of the gods, he thought sourly. If that was true then hehad been summoned here for a reason, and whatever resided in this place would be unassailable by his powers. He could not win. It is a fitting punishment that the same gods who created my race will also be the ones to end our existence, he thought sadly. It was likely that if this was a divine pocket, then there was a god toying with him, which was why his quest had lingered on so long. I shall die proud, he thought, standing straight and tall. If one of the gods has summoned me here to end my life, then I will fight to the end. Thurm shook his head and banished such thoughts; he was thinking too far ahead. Whatever he faced was beyond his limited comprehension. His mind had been used against him, reminding him of old times and things long forgotten. He rubbed his perfect features and again set off toward the sound. As Thurm prepared to take a step, his vision blurred and his skin started to crawl. The feeling was followed by a distortion of his physical features, which made him stumble forward in disorientation. He was about to succumb and fall to the ground when something called out and beckoned him, blinking him out of existence and back. The summons nearly made him retch as he came crashing through the portal and staggered to the ground. “So the destroyer has finally come!” boomed a sinister voice, its mocking tone filled with unpredictability and evil. The olthari shook away the sparkling lights of his instantaneous transportation from his vision and looked around. It took him a moment to get his bearings, but he was sure that he was standing in front of a circular structure with random spires of ebony jutting up into the sky. Furthermore, he was greeted by an angel leaning against one of the columns, its features twisted into a perfect mask of chaos. It took Thurm only a moment to realize his mistake. It had been so long . . . such a distant memory of what had been . . . that he could not have fathomed what stood before him."

The pace moves at a steady constant with enough happening to keep the reader engaged and following along happily, but Forge of the Gods is not trying to be the next "thrill ride." This title comes to us from one of the newer POD micropresses on the scene, Breakneck Books. It has a very nice cover going for it and excellent interior design. There are, however, a number of grammatical errors within the book. These all revolve around extra or missing words that were somehow missed by their editor. The publisher was even surprised to find this when I mentioned it to them...this takes me back to our previous post. A final read by a fresh pair of eyeballs before the editor submits that final PDF file would do wonders for finding these mistakes.

Forge of the Gods is very enjoyable and highly recommended. Mr. Fogle has a fine literary voice and superior writing skills. However, the abundance of errors which remain in the book (darn those pesky grammar-gremlins!) keeps this title held to four stars on our scale. Now, if you enjoy fantasy greats like Tolkien and so forth then you probably will find this title very enjoyable despite the editing mistakes, because the story is still there and solid as a multi-layered spiritual plain on a chaotic convergence with a unilateral mortal plane!

THE SCRUTINIZING EYE

2007-04-20T04:49:00.000-07:00

THE SCRUTINY OF A GOOD EDITOR would do many books a world of good these days. Within the POD market, there is the tendency to have a few friends, at most, take a look at your manuscript and then send it along to Lightning Source for printing and distribution through the INGRAM network to Amazon.com and others.

However, what we as POD reviewers are finding and what the book buyer is finding, once they begin turning pages, is a host of sore thumbs which pop up to interrupt the flow of the story. Proper editing is extremely important friends! And there are many problems that are found...some of which you might find popping up when you go from one format to another. Let me give you some examples of the kind of mistakes I see:

Let me start with a problem which recently happened to me when posting my last interview: I cut and pasted an interview excerpt from an email into a post and without realizing it, the transfer caused some of the words to become fused together. Needless to say, the author caught it when they went to see their new interview and I'm glad they did...RULE #1: "Extra eyes can catch many things!"

I've recently been given a PDF where the editor was a professional editor and yet somehow the errors from the old PDF have come into the new PDF. The publisher was shocked to find this was the case, but evidently this can happen...my advice is RULE#2: "Proof the final edit with a new pair of eyes. Even the pros can make mistakes!" And may I also add RULE #3: "Reading your final edit ALOUD can catch things your eyes will pass over. Remember, you read with your eyes much faster than you can read with your mouth. So, you are forced to slow down and verbalize what you are seeing. You'd be surprised how many things will appear when you use this technique. "But, Podlingmaster, I have to rush my book to print so I can get my share of POD reviews and grab my .000005% of the book market!" I know, I know...but patience, little grasshopper.

Exaggerated margins or too much space between paragraphs. Now this one, it would seem to me, would be a simple matter for the author to gauge at the onset. Just looking at books in bookstores you will see the way that books are generally formatted. Yet, on a number of occassions, I've received novels that had double spaces between nearly every sentence. This creates alot of blank space on a page and looks completely unprofessional. Remember, when you format for the pdf and printing that you need to put everything into single space with generally four spaces between P.O.V. changes. And watch those margins folks. Don't try to exaggerate them to give your short story more pages to make the book appear thicker.

Indentations which either have way too many spaces or not enough. Generally, you want about five letter spaces for a paragraph indentation. Now, I'm not being dogmatic...go check the grammar manual collecting dust in your closet for the hard points, but what I see many times is up to ten spaces in a paragraph indent or as little as one space...which by the way almost looks like you can't tell where a new paragraph begins.

Watch out for the common (it's/its--there/their--then/than) stuff as well. And of course there are the missing words or extra words that crop up in a manuscript. Once again RULE #1 prevails here: "Extra eyes can catch many things!"

How heartbreaking it must be, to realize that you've got a great story that everyone enjoys, a great looking cover, but it's been edited or proofread inadequately and makes it to the reviewer or reader in this condition...because we sure will mention it, huh? Now, I realize that even the big dogs in New York have errors that creep into their books, but that should be no excuse to the struggling POD author or small press who must fight for every crumb of recognition they can get. In that sort of situation, we must all be that much more diligent to raise our standards, "be patient with going to press," and place the best product we can into the willing consumer's hands.

CHION by DARRYL SLOAN

2007-04-17T11:27:00.000-07:00

CHION by Darryl Sloan is a short but exhilarating quest for survival by two teenagers who find themselves "stuck" in a winter horror-land, when the new snowfall halts society to a standstill in Ireland and begins to take lives.

CHION has to be one of the most unique thrillers I've ever read. I mean, how many thrillers will there be that rehash, dinosaurs, sharks, killer viruses, aliens or rampaging beasts? Well, never fear, because Mr. Sloan has made a monster out of pristine white snow, of all things and this story will grab you and hold you just as fast as the fluffy flakes themselves!

READ PODLINGS INTERVIEW: DARRYL SLOAN

The cover is professional in quality and notice that it has everything to do with what the story is actually about. It draws you in, curiously wondering why the snow is blood tinged. The title of the book makes me curious...what in the world is CHION and what does it have to do with snow? You see folks...how everything is meant to draw you in and get you reading? Now, a good book is more than its cover and when we delve beneath the surface we find an engaging and unique situation. Snow has fallen, but this snow is unlike anything we've ever seen before. Anyone or anything which comes into contact with even a single flake is held fast in an iron grip. And be it clothing or skin, you'll be giving it up before the snow releases you. So we have an isolated doomsday scenario with people struggling to survive and our heroes have the unique vantage point of lovestruck teenagers who must figure out a way to survive among hordes of people, even their own teachers, who are willing to do anything they can to remain alive.

The interior is pure quality. I have nothing bad to say about this book at all. On every level, it delivers right up to the end. Whether or not that is a happy ending, I'll leave you to discover. I won't bother to put up any textual snippets because I'd recommend you do something a little different this time. You see, Mr. Sloan has given us a very professionally done podcast file that you can download and listen to and this is exactly why I'm reviewing this book now. I'm in the middle of another good book, but with the MP3 file listened to and a mere 145 pages, part of which is covered in the audiofile, I couldn't help but want to find out what happens. This podcasting thing is something very few authors are making use of at the moment, but having experienced it from the listeners perspective, let me just say, "I like it, I love it, I want more of it."

This novel may be short, but it's well worth what little effort you have to make. It scores big on every level of quality for production and with an engaging well voiced narrative. And let me say again...visit the website and get the podcast file first (see Darryl's sidebar for the link)...it's free and it will have you wanting the rest, which is also available for a lower than amazon price at Mr. Sloan's site. Now, how can you beat that?!

MORE TALENTED COVER ARTISTS!

2007-04-16T14:19:00.000-07:00

JEREMY ROBINSON is not only one of our favorite authors here at PODLINGS, but he is also the cover artist for all of Breakneck Books titles. There are about ten different covers for you to view and all of them are his work. On Mr. Robinson's personal site (click his name above) or on our "Artist list" in the sidebar, you can find several nice pricing packages for cover work and interior design. Bonus! Mr. Robinson also does book trailers for Breakneck Books and maybe you could persuade him to do one for you. Money still talks, as they say.

LAURA DIEHL is also an illustrator of high quality and great imagination. Her work has been featured on several book covers I know of...three of which I reviewed unfavorably because of the writing--NOT the covers. In fact the covers were initially why I invited the author to submit at all. Anyway, here are just a few choice gems from a vast gallery located on her site, check them out.

NICK GREENWOOD

2007-04-13T11:11:00.000-07:00

NICK GREENWOOD is another very talented graphic artist which does book covers. His work is featured on a number of books by Windriver publishing including Collinsfort Village by Joe Ekaitas.

Pricing information can be had by contacting Mr. Greenwood directly and there is a vast gallery of his work in just about every genre located on the site. Mr. Greenwood has a very detailed style and quite an imagination. His artwork has been featured in a number publications, all of which may be researched at his site.

Self published authors and Small presses definitely need the kind of resources we're trying to point them to...so take a stroll over to the Nick Greenwood website and see for yourself the difference some intriguing artwork could make for your next project.

"You may also notice that PODLING'S editorial posts have a unique picture chosen for each one. The idea is to find something engaging that connects with the content. This my dear authors is what cover design is all about...so keep an eye peeled to see how they match up. I always search through photo files very carefully for the one that feels right."

DISGRUNTLED AUTHORS

2007-04-13T06:47:00.000-07:00

Well, it was bound to happen, I suppose.... An author did not like the criticism leveled at their work and complained--also asking that the review be removed. Well...I'll just post my response to this author without naming them.

-----------------------------------------

"I'm sorry you take offense to criticisms about your writing--in fact I did read the premise for your series and as I said, I don't believe there's any problem with the premise at all...sounds quite good. The problems lay with what was mentioned in the review...these are problems you will find any honest reviewer will make note of. When you compare, for example, the interior design of your book with other books in the market, even POD books you will find a big difference as noted in the review. When you compare your execution of the narrative with other books on the market, you will find big differences there as well...all these are noted in the review.

I'm sorry you feel stabbed in the back? I never promise anyone a glowing review, only an honest one...as for the invitation to submit...it was an invitation, not a promise of a glowing review. You could just have easily read the reviews on my site before submitting and decided that you weren't willing to take a chance on having an honest review of your work on the PODLINGS site. No one forced you to submit your work...it was an invitation based on the interesting premise of your fantasy trilogy and based on another review seen by another author on squiddo.

By inviting you to submit, I in no way whatsoever promised a glowing review of your work and therefore could not have "stabbed you in the back." To have given you something your work doesn't yet merit would be dishonest and that is exactly what authors do NOT need from POD BOOK reviewers.

This is a brutal industry and as a small press published author myself, I can sympathize with your situation. However, I've paid for plenty of copies of my own work to send to reviewers and I've taken the review given with the understanding that it was there honest opinion of my work...in many cases I agreed with their criticisms and seek to improve myself as a writer based on those criticisms. It is sad to see you don't feel this way, however my intent to provide constructive criticism for POD authors remains the same. Blowing sunshine in the faces of authors who need to improve their work in order to stand a real chance of success in our brutal book market is a far worse crime than an honest but critical review that is meant to raise the standards we publish by."

PODLINGS

IRISH EYES CREATIONS

2007-04-10T06:13:00.000-07:00

IRISH EYES CREATIONS

is the work of one called Dark Muse (Jerry). As you can see, Jerry is quite the talented graphic artist and has some of the best prices for this sort of work I've ever seen. Considering the quality of these illustrations, I'd say Irish Eyes Creations is a bargain! Cover work for the downtrodden self publisher is hard to come by in quality. Generally we end up settling for the bottom of the barrel, but here we have an extremely good alternative. Jerry doesn't specifically list book covers among his list of projects on the site, but having communicated with the artist, Jerry has indicated that book covers are included in the pricing. And for that, you will just have to go to this simple but eloquent site and see for yourself...you will be surprised!

*WE'VE ADDED SOME COVER ARTIST LINKS IN THE SIDEBAR TO HELP YOU--MORE ARTISTS FEATURES COMING TOO*

DELON CITY by R.W. RIDLEY

2007-04-09T11:37:00.000-07:00

Delon City: Book Two of the Oz Chronicles by R.W. Ridley turns up the heat on the young hero we got to know in book one of the Oz Chronicles, The Takers.

READ PODLINGS INTERVIEW WITH R.W. RIDELY

Young Oz Griffin has awoke, seemingly in the future, to find himself an adult in the office of a criminal psychologist. Oz has apparently murdered two people dear to him on the basis of the delusions he's been having. Oz believes he is still fourteen years old and has just defeated the Takers by killing their queen, only to see the more terrifying Delons take over in their place. Nothing is as it seems for Oz and he realizes he can trust noone, but hypnosis allows him to go back to his perceived past to take on the Delons and hopefully solve the mystery of 'when' he really is.

Whereas The Takers was a fairly straight forward monster-fest, and a good one to boot, Delon City is a multilayered masterpiece that takes us on a journey into what may be real or simply the machinations of a lunatic. By the end of the book, but by no means the end of the story, we have several clues to help us understand what the true reality is. And Mr. Ridley uses these clues deftly to hook the reader for book three.

Still, along the way in Delon City we find a more organized and brutal enemy in the purple, dead-eyed Delons. Oz is up against something far more sinister than ravenous beasts like the Takers, who make their own appearance in this installment. The Delons haven't simply removed every human on Earth, they've begun to assimilate them, turning them into Delons! A caste system of sorts is in play upon the Earth now, with some remaining human cows for Delon food, others as mutated outcasts called 'halfers' and the Delons themselves. Mr. Ridley is a master storyteller and continues to deliver thrills and chills abundantly as he describes a darker dimension the world has been plunged into; complete with even more twisted baddies than ever before.

"After nightfall, I crawled out of my window and silently guided Chubby through the yard into our neighbor's, the Drucker's, backyard. There was a time that they would have immediately stormed out of their house and ran to my mother and father, demanding that my parents punish me for trespassing on their perfect lawn of Bermuda grass. Instead, Mr. Drucker, a round little man with thinning blonde hair and thick black rimmed glasses, smiled a phony smile from his living room window as I passed. Mrs. Drucker, purple complexion, grayish hair mixed with spider legs, eyes not quite dead, stood beside him holding a live mouse by the tail. Dinner."

Mr. Ridley has the ability to build the tension in a scene to a fever-pitch, like a guitar string wound to the point of breaking at any moment.

"I stopped. It was a trap. My mind knew it. But is was Gordy's sister. If there was the smallest chance she could be helped, then I had to help her. I walked back up the stairs as if I were climbing the final peak on Everest. Every step was carefully calculated, and every prayer I had ever heard in my life came spewing out of my mouth uncontrollably. I stood in the upstairs hallway, eyes focused on the room above the garage. I flipped the light switch, but nothing came on. "No lights. No eyelids. No lights. No eyelids." The voice screeched throughout the house. I moved down the hallway as silently as I could, but still she heard me. She counted each step I took. "Three steps closer. Four steps closer. Here he comes. here he comes!" -- "Allie," I said. -- "He calls me Allie!" Her voice was shrill with excitement. -- "Allie Flynn." -- "Ten steps closer. Eleven steps closer. Twelve steps and at the door. He's at the door! He's at the door!" -- "Allie," I said. "Your not making this easy. I want to help you." -- "Help me, Oz Griffin. Please, help me." -- I turned the knob and let the door open slowly on its own. The room was a guest bedroom. The mattress from the bed was stacked against the window to keep out the light. 'No lights. No eyelids.' she had said. In the darkest corner of the room, directly opposite the door, I saw a silhouette of a little girl. She stood motionless. She was taller than I remember. -- "We're so hungry, Oz Griffin." -- I forced myself to move forward. The hammer was raised, cocked back, and ready to crash down on her head at any time. "Take it easy, Allie. I'm here to help." Two thirds of the way to Allie, I realized it wasn't her at all. It was a coat rack. I stood in the middle of the room, completely vulnerable. I scanned the room in every direction. My heart went from a nervous flutter to a brutal pounding. "Allie?" -- "We're so hungry." -- The voice came from above me. I jerked my head up. There, crawling on the ceiling like an insect, was Gordy's little sister. Her skinless body was fire red with patches of black. She wore a lipless grin."

Delon City is darker than its predecessor and honestly would get a PG-13 rating for intense imagery and mild language. However it never ceases to pull the reader relentlessly through its short 210 pages. The book has been well designed inside and out and if I'm not mistaken, Mr. Ridley has done all of the cover work on both books himself. I was curious about Delon City's cover, but once you get into the story details it seems the perfect choice. There are maybe ten grammatical errors in the entire novel; mostly words in place of the correct word or a few missing words. Honestly this suspenseful young adult horror story had me saying "who cares?" it's so good. This is one of those stories that perplexes me; how it didn't get published with a large publisher. My only true regret with Delon City is that it left me hanging hungrily on the last words, wishing Book Three was already available!

WHEN AN ANGEL FALLS by STEPHANIE JARRETT

2007-04-06T13:23:00.000-07:00

When an Angel Falls, by Stephanie Jarrett is an exciting fantasy based in the realm beyond our natural sight.

READ PODLINGS INTERVIEW WITH STEPHANIE JARRETT

Laura is a semi-mortal; an Angel who lives in a mortal body in order to assist other spirits during their mortal trials while on Earth. When she is sought out by mortals who know her indentity, her past transgressions and their repercussions explode upon a spiritual world immersed in the turmoil of war.
Despite the fact this title was published with a bad homemade cover and proofreaders for editing, the story really saves the book. This is one of those sad cases where a gifted storyteller has published with a subsidy publisher (iuniverse) without the funds necessary to get the best product possible.

Jarrett begins in a subtle manner, escalating steadily into a full blown Angelic war. The protagonist and the conflict are multilayered and interesting to follow. Jarrett uses suspense techniques well, giving carefully placed hints at the ends of the chapters to pull the reader on to new revelations in the story. This Angel has a dark past and the path to her redemption is paved through a gauntlet of fellow spirits whose trust is next to impossible to reclaim after all she has done to abuse her power.
Jarrett deftly takes the reader below the surface to watch Laura's inner struggle with obtaining forgiveness from others as well as herself.

Example: "Laura stared at the paper and saw before her something that she would never have, a clean slate. Each white umblemished parchment that Scott produced would soon be filled with her darkest secrets. Far from erasing anything from her past, her deeds would be forever recorded in the books of history for all to see. These writings would serve as a testament of her wickedness, her imperfection, and her unworthiness. The pen could narrate strengths to cancel evidence of weakness in character, and record reparations to absolve guilt, but with a few strokes, her shame would become immortalized."

"Prior to Laura speaking out during Beacon assignments, it was a world that he (Michael) thought he understood well. Yet so much had gone so wrong in such a short amount of time, and he sensed that it was going to get much worse. he tried to imagine when it was that he lost his focus. At some point in time, his own will became more important than the will of God. The war was no longer fought to defend an ideology that embraced The Lord; it was now fought with indifference to Him. The battles were personal. It was revenge."

When an Angel Falls is an engaging story of redemption, but isn't a place to find accurate theology. Jarrett's realm of spirits bares little resemblance to the Bible. But she has created a fantasy realm all her own and has taken the time to flesh it out; spiritual technologies and all. This book could definitely use a facelift--a little nip and tuck to the editing and the cover that would make it as interesting as the story contained within, but taking the time to look beneath the cover will reward you with a richly told story from a writer we hope to read more from.

THE DOCTOR IS IN

2007-04-06T08:22:00.000-07:00

Well, visitors are up and submissions are up in the wake of POD-DY MOUTHS demise by her own hand. And we've got no intention of going anywhere anytime soon. Heck, this is fun!

Submissions will not be closing anytime soon...I only mention that because my friend POD CRITIC is closing down submissions when the IRS does.

We've got more book reviews coming soon and a few interviews are on the docket with some of our favorite authors. Who knows, you and your book might be the next one we ask. We are ever on the search for well done novels and great stories. If you find your book doesn't receive a great review, then by all means take it constructively. This is the manner in which all reviews on our site are meant to be received. We want you the author to become better at your craft, not discouraged.

Writing a novel is a tremendous undertaking which requires patience, talent and endurance. To become a great writer takes these elements and more...a bit of being in the right place at the right time never hurt anyone in this industry!

So, do the best you possibly can. Invest time and any necessary expense to produce the best book you can; particularly I'm addressing self publishers and small press editor/owners. You must give you or your contracted authors the best possible chances for success. It's a jungle out there...so, welcome to the jungle!

TAKING AIM AT ONE OF POD'S BIG PROBLEM AREAS

2007-03-30T09:58:00.000-07:00

As we attempt to push the poor P.O.D. authors and small presses to raise their standards, it becomes necessary to deal pointedly with an issue that has plagued many a recently reviewed book here at PODLINGS...

Ugly, unprofessional covers can do more for killing the scraps of attention your book might get in an online market than just about anything else.

Why? Because it is the first and potentially last thing people will see of your book. Do you think you can't judge a book by its cover? Consumers do it everyday and all to often that judgment is accurate. So, we'd like to site some examples along with comments about what makes them good or bad to give you, the self publishing author or small press owner, some food for thought when obtaining your next book cover design--you know...when you get around to fiddling with the photoshop software you bought to produce your own modern art masterpiece, despite the fact you haven't even read the instruction manual.

Below are some small press to self published covers along with their strengths and/or weaknesses...are you taking notes?

This cover from Velluminous Press in the U.K. may appear simple, but notice that there is actually quite a bit of detail. The background is sort of like an old worn parchment and that big detailed eye, with lids formed from the background material, instantly captures your attention. These elements combined with the odd title, give you no idea about the story within, but you just can't help but be curious about it.

This cover from Breakneck Books Publishing has alot going on: A forboding castle set with appropriate shadowing when compared to the dusky sky above, an armored hand weilding a vortex of power, and the dark knight on the back. Notice how the cover text is all positioned correctly and the different text styles all compliment one another. Everything says, "Professional." If you're thinking, yeah they paid big bucks for that cover. You'll be surprised to know that the owner of Breakneck designed these covers personally, albeit not without some artistic background.

Now, see if you can spot the small press from the self published efforts!!

If you were paying attention, then you should have noticed a great deal more depth and character to those self published or small press covers which have put forth considerable effort to accomplish one goal: "Become indistinguishable from books on bookstore shelves!" This is but one of the few key hurdles you face as POD authors to being taken more seriously by the mainstream publishing industry.

NEW POD AUTHOR INTERVIEW PAGE!

2007-03-29T13:34:00.000-07:00

Not to be outdone within the industry...we at PODLINGS have just opened up a brand new "dedicated" POD author interview page.

We couldn't get "The" Larry King to do our interviews, but we've got the next best thing!

There's a link on the sidebar or just click HERE.

P.O.D. JUST WANTS TO BE LOVED

2007-03-29T07:59:00.000-07:00

Let me give you a situation:

You are the poor author who has submitted his master sci-fi fantasy work: "Attack of the Bodacious Bikini Babes from Planet Playtex," (it's going to be a trilogy, don' t you know), to every publisher willing to accept unsolicited manuscripts (yes, all four of them). Your valiant efforts have garnered a cold, wet place on the bottom of a "slush pile" but little more. So, you decide to go with a small press, even a micropress, and meet with the same disinterest in your work. Ah, but you could self publish the book yourself! Yes, that is undoubtedly the answer...A quick web-surf through "shark" infested waters finds you a slick subsidy publisher ready to take your money or maybe you just do it over at LULU.COM for free + the $150 to get distribution to Amazon.
Now, your masterpiece is ready (word used extremely loosely) and sent out into the marketplace. You set up a free website on a well-worn uninteresting template, find a few bloggers willing to review the book and sit back in your easy chair to refresh your amazon ranking page every five minutes and wait for the money and fans to roll in.... A nice fantasy (more reality than we'd like to admit).
The truth of the matter folks, if you take a gander at the featured photo, is that we find ourselves in rather a "LURCH" in the publishing industry. We put on our best suit and tie and look to the publishing industry with a longing to be accepted and loved. But the industry sees, time and time again, a freakish, monstrosity of bad, poorly edited writing, very distasteful, unprofessional book covers and sloppy interior design. We POD review bloggers like myself, PODCRITIC and others are willing to wade through the morasse sent our way hoping to find the precious few gems among many lumps of coal. And with the purpose of pushing POD authors and presses to step up to the plate and put forth the best possible writing and book production they can.
Take a look at that picture again, folks. This is how the industry you want to be a part of perceives you and your books. Only you can change that perception, but it will take a serious concerted effort on the part of authors and small presses alike to do it. As my friend PODCRITIC has stated, "this is your industry and it's up to you to build it up." The large trade publishers have no incentive to help you...if you want them to take notice, then give them something worth the effort.

QUEEN KLUTZ by MARTI LAWRENCE

2007-03-28T10:29:00.000-07:00

Queen Klutz by Marti Lawrence is a lulu.com title surveying the many unfortunate instances in Mrs. Lawrence's life (it's amazing she has survived) and her humorous take on them.

This book is taken from the perspective of a mother and most of the "series of unfortunate events" occur around her home and to her person...as she tells us she is "a very clumsy woman."

Unfortunately, there are several clumsy aspects to the writing and production of the book as well. While this collection of personal anecdotes has humorous potential, particularly if you find yourself in similar situations, the delivery is lacking somewhat:

Mrs. Lawrence has a peculiar penchant for laying down the narrative in the same blocky style you might find for directions on a cake box: Example: "She contacts husband, checks on family members, performs dozens of other helpful tasks, assures me things will be fine, gets me a glass of water, finds cure for cancer. (not really, but she is certainly diligent enough to.)--Now at first I thought, this is just a humorous little thing for this story--it works when used very sparingly. However, Mrs. Lawrence repeats this same recipe for disasterous prose throughout the book in nearly every story again and again. It gets old very quickly folks.
The interior design of the book is very choppy water: exaggerated spaces between paragraphs and sentences--maybe I've just not read enough Lewis Grizzard?
The cover for this book is very badly done--a personal characature of the author, done badly. It just screams in agony: UNPROFESSIONAL!! I hate to keep beating the proverbial dead horse on book covers folks, but this is a very key issue with online markets, not to physical bookstores. People rarely go past a terrible cover to investigate the content.

If you are a housewife or working soccer-mom you might find some gems to amuse in this collection, but you'll have to be very forgiving on the writing and format to enjoy them.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINE CHANGES

2007-03-26T09:01:00.000-07:00

In the interest of trying to help the poor starving authors out there...I should know; I am one...we at PODLINGS have changed our submission guidelines in order to allow novel submissions by PDF file rather than having to send a physical copy to us.

Please be aware that we need a PDF since we intend to review POD novels based not only on the narrative, but also on book design. We will also need a decent sized cover file to accompany your PDF file--both as attachments--in addition to any weblinks you would like the book review to include.

We hope this will be a help to you the authors.

PODLINGS

WARRIOR GIRL by JANICE WEE TIEN YONG

2007-03-21T10:57:00.000-07:00

Warrior Girl by Janice Wee Tien Yong is a three part series self published through lulu.com. The books are only about 100 pages each and with only three, one might expect the author could just have made one novel length book out of them.
Inevitably, I'm going to end up sounding like Simon Cowell during the first round of American Idol auditions when reviewing this book series. I can only say that reading Warrior Girl and the counterparts, Lost in Another Realm and The Dark Warriors reminded me of the feeling I had when watching "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" for the first time, complete with a theatre full of carefully cued hecklers...What in the world is this?!

First, the books are action packed, however the action has no discernable point to it. In fact I found no good explanation of where it was happening or why. Starting the series was like being dropped into the middle of an H.P. Lovecraft-esque acid trip...protagonist chased by endless baddies and everywhere she stops for a rest, a bat or spider or centipede morphs into some ghoulish human mutant to continue the chase, but I still never got what the point was supposed to be. Action for the sake of blind action doesn't make for gripping writing, folks.
Secondly, the books are full of descriptive prose. In fact every little action is overly described or compared and in sometimes very weird ways...Example: "With the suddenness of acid reflux, lightning flashed across the heavens. The sky groaned with thunder. With impeccable timing, the clouds vomited like a child with stomach flu." Hmmm...uhm, okay...
The front cover art isn't too bad and somebody obviously went to some work on them, but the interior of the books is way out of whack...normally the text is single spaced with more space between POV changes. These books have double spaces between nearly every sentence. Now when you get into book form this looks very strange, with half of the page space ending up empty.
The "Love Story" aspect of this is forced at best...Example: "This gorgeous hunk saved her life. He exuded raw charisma. her cheeks reddened as he spoke, though she tried to hide her reaction from him. He talked animatedly about a world so different from the one she knew. I'm in love. Her heart frolicked as she gazed at him." --yep, it must be love...she just found out his name at this point. There's also several annoying references to this character as "The Flying Hunk," before we eventually get his name...do people still say, "Hunk?"

Now, honestly I don't like to seem so cynical about a book or series, but I just can't seem to find a way around it with Warrior Girl. The books read like tributes to every bad "B" movie you've ever seen. And while Dr. Frankenfurter and his Rocky Horror Show cronies have gone on to be underground hits with everyone who enjoys heckling a badly made, silly movie...the sad truth is that authors won't be received that way with such work.

DRISTLEMORE by BRIAN MONIZ

2007-03-20T08:52:00.000-07:00

Dristlemore by Brian Moniz is a traditionally styled fantasy which takes the reader on a quest within the magical realm of Gandril.

The narrative revolves around a young man named Cain who escapes a sudden raid on his village of Geddington by the forces of the Twilight Union as lord Saer Mydoc searches high and low for an enormously powerful sorcerer named Dristlemore. Cain and his surviving companions must then set out on a quest for answers with little more than the name "Dristlemore" and a cryptic letter from a secret magical society called "The Selected."

In Dristlemore we have your basic fantasy setting and the archetypal "Bad Wizard / Good Wizard" style of quest and drama. The story has the potential to be very engaging if executed properly. However, the reality is that Dristlemore is plagued by several key problems which continually disengage the reader from the story.

1.) The writing in Dristlemore doesn't lack for discriptive prose, but it does lack the sort of engaging tension in the prose necessary to propel the reader forward through the story. Dristlemore tends to sputter along more like an engine out of time, never gaining the momentum one would hope for.

2.) A recurrent problem throughout Dristlemore is Mr. Moniz's tendency to reiterate the exact same thought several times within one paragraph in consecutive sentences.

:Example: "Cain looked up at Garret. He had totally forgotten Lee knew something about The Selected! With all that was going through his mind and the amount of traveling they had all done today, he had forgotten. He was unsure how he could have, but he did."

:Example: "The farfetched thought of his mother learning magic entered his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. It was the only logical explanation he could think of, but he highly doubted it was true. He didn't think it possible his mother could use magic."

Now we can easily see that the first sentence covers the thought, but it's as though the writer is trying to decide which way best to say it and instead just writes every way he could state it. This sort of thing is ongoing throughout the book and comes across like hitting a speed bump at 60 mph.

3.) The dialogue also lacks the interest and conviction hoped for and seems more stilted than anything.

Now, these are problems we all might expect from a first time novelist like Mr. Moniz, however (and this is where the whole subsidy publisher "getting what you pay for" argument comes in), you would expect that Iuniverse would have provided enough editing to catch these problems and help the paying author fix them before going to press. What we tend to find in the whole subsidy publisher realm is that rather than genuinely trying to put together a marketable book, the subsidy like Iuniverse is more interested in catering to author opinion and producing a book they already anticipate is going to sell more copies to the author than anyone else.

Once again, I have to point out that the cover, which was designed by Mr. Moniz, lacks that professional quality you would expect (his name is even off center on the cover of the actual book) and this is a key factor when selling to online customers in particular. One might think, given that Iuniverse didn't do any cover design, that the money paid could have gotten some better editing to fix the aforementioned problems. On a slightly positive note, the interior does have some nice maps, but it is unlikely nice maps are going to save the project with so many other problems left in place. I don't ever desire to "bash" the writer, but rather provide some constructive criticism so that authors, especially self published authors, can step up to the plate and give themselves the best opportunity for success with their work.

CONSTANT READER by JENNIFER REEVE

2007-03-19T17:11:00.000-07:00

Constant Reader by Jennifer Reeve is short story / novella in which we find an aspiring novelist who's dreams of literary success have just come to her big time, but something else came along for the ride!

Constant reader is an ode to Stephen King in parody form where the protagonist, a female novelist, has struck gold with her latest literary effort and along with the riches and fame that come with her new success comes a deadline which must be met for her next work. Our would be heroine finds herself with a bit of writers block as she enjoys all she has ever dreamed of and more, but then she begins to be haunted by what can only be described as the demon muse of the legendary Stephen King himself.

There's some good writing here, but in all honesty, if you're not a Stephen King fan, then you probably won't find much that holds your attention for very long...I'm not a Constant Reader of Mr. King's work personally and so many of the references, which to fans would seem witty, were lost on me. I assumed they were clever because I understood the premise, but otherwise...no, sorry.

In all fairness, a short parody is all the book is attempting to be and as I stated before, "If you're a fan, this may give you a chuckle or two."

I will note that the language was a bit heavy in some places, but that's my personal tastes. On the book itself...this is a self published lulu.com title at 104 pages. The book could do with better interior and exterior design, particularly the cover, which says nothing to me about the content. I'm a stickler for a good cover, particularly because if you are selling to an online market then this is the first and perhaps last anyone will see of your book. If the cover is really engaging, then most may take a closer look. The editing was pretty good, but spacing between paragraphs was exaggerated. But if you're a Stephen King fan and a Constant Reader of his work then plant your tongue firmly in your cheek and give this one a try...at the very least, it's a cheap download.

2007-03-15T11:28:00.000-07:00

BEN AMITTAI by Bruce Judisch is a Christian novella in the historical fiction realm. The book is based upon the early years of the Prophet Jonah and addresses his calling from God and his journey to carry God's message to King Jeroboam II.
The book is a short read at 138 pages, but is engaging, especially if you enjoy historical fiction centered around biblical events. Mr. Judisch is an excellent writer and his prose is very fluid. I personally wouldn't be surprised to find that Mr. Judisch has written other works even if they remain unpublished.
The story isn't quite a thriller but there is some action and quite a bit of character development to people like Jonah we hear little about, other than the biblical account of his brief incarceration inside the belly of a whale.
The book itself is very well done; produced by Tate Publishing which is a Christian based subsidy publisher. I have to say though, given what I've seen from subsidy presses like IUniverse and others, this book design is top notch...of course Mr. Judisch has footed the bill for it, but a nice product is a nice product. And personally, I think as an author you should get what you're paying for.
Also of interest is the fact that Mr. Judisch is donating the majority of proceeds from the book to the support of missionary efforts; claiming to keep only that necessary to cover his personal costs for the book itself....bravo!

POD-DY MOUTH SHUTTING DOWN FOR GOOD?

2007-03-13T09:14:00.000-07:00

Dear Pod-ders,

It appears that girl-on-demand has decided to shut down the very popular POD-DY MOUTH blog. This will no doubt come as a blow to pod-ders who hoped to some day be featured on the blog. Perhaps the most interesting thing about this is that the mystery of her identity will remain a mystery. To girl on demand--"we'll miss you; be well!"--PODLINGS

DOUBLE VISION by RANDALL INGERMANSON

2007-03-08T05:18:00.000-08:00

Double Vision by Randall Ingermanson is a hybrid sci-fi, thriller, romance novel that never seems to decide which genre it really wants to be.

Now, crossing genres is nothing new and there's certainly nothing wrong with it. But I was actually expecting more of what the cover promises -- suspense and intrigue.

As it turns out though, there was some suspense, a bit of intrigue and a clean cut Christian love triangle centering around an autistic "mozart" styled quantum physics prodigy named Dillon.

Double Vision has enough premise to be any of several kinds of novel and do well. My hope was that it would run more with the quantum computer disaster possibilities and the thriller elements that could have gone much farther than they ever did, but that's simply because of my personal tastes. The novel does a nice job of providing an interesting story, with good writing and the romance elements are always battling with the quantum computer scandal for prominence. I have to say that were I to take up romance novels on a regular basis, Double Vision would be the sort I would gravitate toward with its sci-fi elements. And since Ingermanson is himself a physicist, he has no trouble presenting quantum mechanics in a way that even us know-nothings can handle. While I can't escape the idea that this premise could have been handled in a much edgier fashion and made for far more excitement, Double Vision does deliver for a christian romance with a bit of intrigue and a lot of heart.

THE FINAL STORM by WAYNE THOMAS BATSON

2007-03-06T09:53:00.000-08:00

The Final Storm by Wayne Thomas Batson, is the thrilling final chapter in The Door Within trilogy. I've reviewed the other two books in this trilogy and haven't been disappointed yet. The final installment is no less thrilling, in fact, I think Mr. Batson manages to ramp up the action even more for a wonderful climax to the story.

This series has followed a classic dramatic pattern. As George Lucas has said of his original trilogy, "It's a three act play: in the first act you introduce the characters and the situation, in the second you get them in the worse trouble they can possibly be in, and in the last act you get them out of it."

The Door Within follows this pattern and does so with great success. In the first book we find out about the scrolls of Alleble and The Realm of Glimpse kind; a sort of parallel universe with our own in which every person has a Glimpse twin. However, in the Glimpse universe, we have a fantasy realm with dragons, knights, archers, and other mythically styled beasties to whett our appetites. In the second book, The Rise of the Wyrm Lord, the main characters are switched a bit and we follow another character into the realm and find the worst case scenario for the Realm coming to pass with the rise of ancient creatures wielding tremendous power and death dealing capability. (And here I think is one of the places where I think this series has successfully parted ways with the likes of Narnia...there are some really bad beasties here and they are very prominent!)

In this third act of Mr. Batson's dramatic play, we find hope again with the coming of The Three Witnesses. We get to see our hero from book 0ne joining with the heroine from book two and a new hero who's formerly been an enemy during the earlier books, but truth has prevailed in his life. It seems that all of the cool creatures from the series are in this book and they have at it! We are brought to the edge of hopelessness only to be pulled back from the brink with the arrival of the King...and here we see a Revelation nineteen style second coming with the armies of Alleble following to destroy the enemy at the last possible moment.

Overall, I'd say this series makes for some really fun reading with a magnificent ending. And understanding the clear allegory for this story only makes the ending that much more dramatic and fulfilling; bravo!

LONE STAR LAWMAN by GORDON McCALL

2007-03-05T11:55:00.000-08:00

Lone Star Lawman by Gordon McCall is the first in a series of true crime novels.

If you enjoy short true crime stories then you might just enjoy this book. Mr. McCall seems to have plenty of real life experience and this takes up the writing. However, if you are looking for true crime that is written in a suspenseful narrative you will be disappointed.

When I received the novel, I was expecting a STORY based on true crime experience, but this is not the case and the book isn't written in that way. Mr. McCall lays down the events as they happened from what I can tell and there's n0t much more to it. The dialogue was something that I had a little trouble with, particularly in the beginning when the main character is talking to a new sheriff and relaying his own law enforcement experience to the man. Rather than reading like dialogue between two people, it comes off as a long resume to the reader of the character's or writer's experience...even noting certain laws and practices and why they exist. This seemed an odd thing to be telling another experienced lawman--they would already know. So it seemed like you were taken out of the story to get lectured on police practices as the reader. To make this particular matter worse, the resume of deeds went on and on for page after page, when the character is supposed to be in conversation with another man. I'm sorry, but most people would have to interject at least a little of their own comments during the conversation.

Since I was expecting more of a thriller style, murder mystery I was disappointed, but maybe this sort of simple recounting of a murder he had some involvement with on the investigation end was all the author intended?

Since this book was done with Infinity publishing, a vanity press charging a good chunk of change, I would have also wanted a better cover design for my money as the author. Even a self published book needs to have an engaging cover and this cover almost looks like it was designed in colored pencil to me. I'm not trying to be Simon Cowell here, but the cover is one of the most important aspects of a book, especially a book whose market will solely be the internet.

ARK ANGEL by Anthony Horowitz

2007-02-20T05:37:00.000-08:00

ARK ANGEL by Anthony Horowitz is another excellent adventure with everyone's reluctant teenage spy, Alex Rider.

I would personally suggest reading SCORPIA before you read this latest installment in the Alex Rider series, because they are particularly linked.

By the end of Scorpia, Alex has suffered a nearly fatal wound and is in the hospital recovering from surgery when he meets young Paul Drevin. When four thugs show up in the hospital attempting to kidnap young Drevin, Alex is once again pulled into a web of international intrigue and espionage.

This latest Alex Rider has a different flavor from the previous, but was still excellent. Horowitz never ceases to find new ways of getting Rider into peril and then barely getting him out of it again. One of the more interesting elements concerning this series is the fact that Alex is ever the "Reluctant Spy" who somehow gets entangled with each new adventure against his will. Another highly recommended adddition to this young adult favorite!

SCORPIA by Anthony Horowitz

2007-02-19T12:10:00.000-08:00

SCORPIA by Anthony Horowitz may not be a POD book, but if you're looking for a great story, then I've found the Alex Rider series to be absolutely wonderful.

Some books you wonder if they really live up to the hype, and while I couldn't honestly imagine a teenage spy storyline being very interesting, I have to admit, I was wrong!!

Mr. Horowitz keeps the action coming and new and inventive ways of getting young Alex Rider into trouble. These aren't kiddie villians friend, they play for keeps and I'm glad to see it.

Scorpia opens up the past of Alex Rider and some of his father's former associates turn out to be major criminal players...and what about Alex's father?

Everything in Alex's world, all that he thought to be solid, gets turned upside down and Horowitz does an excellent job of keeping the reader guessing right up to the end. I don't want to give spoilers, but you need to check it out. I personally listened to the book on audio cd book and the guy reading for it does an outstanding job with it. Go buy the book or check out the audiobook from the kids section in your local library! You won't regret it.

VIOLENT SANDS by SEAN YOUNG

2007-02-15T06:50:00.000-08:00

VIOLENT SANDS by Sean Young, (REVIEW & INTERVIEW)

Although this is a religious novel, you might better catagorize it as religious thriller, because it's full of action and suspense, drama and intrigue. One of the first things you'll notice in Violent Sands is the author's ability to transport you back in time to ancient Israel under Roman rule. I mean, the novel has been so well researched that you'd think by the descriptions that Mr. Young actually lived there! But all of the description is intertwined into an action packed storyline and you never get the feeling of long winded detail that some writers get into.

Another nice surprise is the action and the character of Barabbas in particular. If you've ever seen Brad Pitt in TROY then you'll get my drift when I say that Barabbas kicks major hiney!! In fact, Young does a magnificient job of portraying the whole group of zealots as hard-as-nails, crafty warriors that even the legions of Rome are hard pressed to deal with.

There's alot to love about this book and those who are already familiar with the brief account of Barabbas in scripture will find this a very interesting tale indeed. It makes you wish there was more on him in the bible, but then again, we might find that his personal story wasn't nearly as interesting as we find it here.

VIDEO TRAILER AND CHAPTER SAMPLES FROM SEAN'S PUBLISHER.

Enough of my yacking...On to the Interview with Author: Sean Young!!

1.) Sean, your novel, Violent Sands, has to be one of the best researched novels I've ever read. Can you give us some insight on your research process, what your most valuable resource for research has been, etc?

Well researched seems to be a common phrase from people who read Violent Sands, which is funny because I didn’t feel like I’d done an inordinate amount of research for the novel at the time. Looking back, I realize that roughly half the time I spent “writing” the book was spent in research rather than actual writing. The exercise taught me how valuable research is and how much it enriches a story. It’s all in the detail. I didn’t only research the period and the historic facts. I honed in on specifics, like what people ate back in the first century and how they told the time.

I spent hours down at my local research library studying ancient Israel ’s geography, climate, architecture, and even wildlife. In one scene, I remember, I had a bunch of bandits lying in wait for one of my main characters and I figured they would use bird-calls to communicate (much like Robin Hood and his merry men J). To that end, I spent hours sourcing a book that listed wildlife species in ancient Palestine . There are actually books devoted entirely to this subject! Who knew? I studied the book and went through its list of birds until I found a likely candidate – a shrike of some sort, if I remember correctly. Once I knew what the bird looked like and what it sounded like, I felt able to write the scene. Knowing your subject well gives you confidence that is reflected on the page. Even if you only use a fraction of all your research, the rest of your effort is far from wasted. It is somehow transferred onto the page through more than mere words. I like to think that’s what happened with Violent Sands.

As to my most valuable resource for Violent Sands, I found my local library had pretty much everything I needed. Its research section had a wealth of information on every aspect of the land, period and culture in question. Almost all of my research for this novel came from that single source. I’ve since learned the joys of internet research. However, the internet can be a double-edged sword. While there are many fantastic resources out there, not all of them are written by experts. You have to choose your resources carefully and cross-reference or double-check every fact. However, that said, it’s an awesome research tool. Just this week, I needed to do some research on Nashville , Tennessee and I found a site that was so well-written, it reflected Music City ’s very soul. By the time I was done, I felt like I’d actually been there.

2.) Would you say that you are a disciplined writer, or just a "when the moments hits" kind of author?

Definitely more of a “when the moment hits” writer. I tend to go through phases. Months might pass when I don’t write a word. For instance, I have a manuscript sixty pages in. It took me two weeks to write those sixty pages, but that was over a year ago. It hasn’t progressed one iota since Feb 2006. I find that’s always the way when I’m starting a new project. I have tons of ideas but, until one of them bites, I do a little research here, a little writing there. And months may pass where I don’t even look at a single manuscript. Then an idea begins to take shape and the hankering to write begins to rise within. When that happens, if I don’t spend hours every day in front of the computer, I become impossible to live with. My wife, Carolyn, is very understanding. When I feel the mood coming on, I warn her that it’s happening. She sends me off to my study & her only interruptions are welcome coffee-refill offers.

3.) How long did it take you to write Violent Sands?

I think it was three years from start to finish. That seems slow but roughly half of that time was spent in research and I was writing only in my spare time.

4.) Do you have a favorite novel?

I have lots of favorites but, if I had to pick one, I think it would be The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum. His lead character, Jason Bourne, has to be my favorite character of all time – all the power and sheer ruthlessness of Fleming’s James Bond or Cussler’s Dirk Pitt but with a deep-rooted fear of his own psyche. Matt Damon captured the character perfectly in the movie when he took down two policemen in the park (a scene that isn’t in the book, by the way). It took him a split-second to disarm them and smash them to the ground. And then he stared at them, incapable of explaining how he’d accomplished that feat, and terrified of his own capabilities.

5.) What thing or person do you credit with inspiring the direction of your writing?

Probably my Christian heritage. You know the old rule “write what you know”. I’ve been involved in various churches since as far back as I can remember, so that definitely influences what I write. As to how I write, I’m most influenced by the authors I read. My main influences are Robert Ludlum, Clive Cussler, John Grisham and Wilbur Smith. I enjoy their stories and style of writing. Suspense / Thriller is my thing. It’s what I like reading and, by extension, what I enjoy writing.

6.) What process did you go through to get the book published and how long did it take you?

How much space do you have on your blog?

It was a long road, filled with potholes of rejection. It took me far longer to get Violent Sands published than it did to write it. As the book has a religious theme, I started with Christian publishers in South Africa . Several rejections later, I turned my attention to US markets. It took me a while to locate relevant publishers and I began to approach them. It was then that I learned that, while I’d written a book with a religious theme, it was not necessarily right for a religious market. Many Christian publishers replied and said that they had enjoyed the story, but that it was too violent for the market in question. It was also too long. I learned the hard way that publishing is all about the numbers. Novels have a ceiling-price and in order to make a book financially viable, you have to keep your page count down to a reasonable amount. I approached bundles of publishers and even more literary agents.

Did you find the process of submission / rejection frustrating?

I suppose it’s always frustrating when you hang your hopes and dreams on a publisher or agent’s reply and then, after three to nine months of waiting, have them come back and say “Thank you for your submission, but…”

However rejection is an occupational hazard for writers. You have to take the positives where you can find them. I consoled myself in the fact that I very seldom got form-letter rejections. Most of the time, the publishers were impressed enough with the novel to come back with a personal note, or even a recommendation of other markets to pursue. In an industry where acquisitions editors have hundreds of submissions on their desk at any given moment, that kind of response is rare and should be appreciated even if the submission is rejected.

7.) What made you decide on Barabbas as the hero in Violent Sands?

I never chose Barabbas – he chose me. I got to thinking about how Barabbas was the first person in history to feel the direct effect of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and death. While Jesus’ own followers were running around, still trying to work out what His death meant, Barabbas had already experienced the freedom it was intended to bring in a very tangible way. In that sense, Barabbas is a picture of all of us. The story was birthed out of the character so there was never any question as to who the main character would be. The question went more to “what is Barabbas’ story?”

8.) What is your favorite scene in Violent Sands?

Hmmmm. You want me to go with the crucifixion scene, don’t you? J

But I won’t.

While I like that scene, I don’t believe it’s overly-unique. It simply re-tells a story we’ve heard a thousand times from the perspective of a single person – namely Barabbas.

My favorite scene is also the one that was probably the hardest to write. And it’s my favorite because it was completely honest in its portrayal of character. It’s a fairly unimportant scene in the great scheme of things, where Barabbas and Levi corner Pontius Pilate’s aide on the docks in Caesarea . The man is a worm. We don’t like him much, but he’s a harmless, if irritating, sort. In the scene, Barabbas coerces this individual into offering up some vital information but this leaves Barabbas in a quandary – what to do with the man now? The answer is simple – silence him. As the writer, I found this solution repulsive. It’s certainly not the solution I would seek. Nor do I believe it’s the solution my potential readers would seek and, by extension, potential publishers. There were a lot of sound reasons to write this scene differently. And there was one compelling reason to write it the way I did; it’s what Barabbas would have done. As I wrote that scene, I realized that Barabbas had taken on a life of his own on the page. As the writer, I no longer had any control over his actions (this sounds weird, and it’s probably something only fellow-writers would understand). Like I say, it was tough to write a scene that might alienate many readers (and certainly turned my own stomach to boot) but it was thrilling to realize that my character had life and that he would make his own decisions outside of author agenda.

9.) What is your favorite fan comment or experience?

Someone said Violent Sands reads like Francine Rivers on steroids. I loved that analogy.

Experience? Probably a mail I received from a reader who told me that, while they’re not at all religious, they still rate Violent Sands as one of their favorite books ever. I’ve always felt that Violent Sands appeals more to a “religious” audience. My publisher believed I was wrong but I wasn’t convinced until this reader proved me wrong. It was really nice to learn that the book has managed to breach the chasm between religious and mainstream fiction.

10.) What can we look forward to in the future from Sean Young?

There are a few projects in the pipeline. I currently have one manuscript almost ready to submit. It’s a contemporary thriller with plenty of shoot-outs & a little internet hacking thrown into the mix. The cast comprises a computer billionaire framed for a murder he didn’t commit, a dog-collared priest who can’t get enough Bruce Willis movies and a secret organization hell-bent on destroying global religion as we know it. I have several other ideas in various stages of incompletion, one of which is a sequel to Violent Sands and involves Barabbas’ sons. Takes time though. Coming up with ideas is easy. Getting them down on several hundred pages is the hard part.

Cheers,
Sean

RISE OF THE WYRM LORD by Wayne Thomas Batson

2007-02-13T08:13:00.000-08:00

The Rise of the Wyrm Lord by Wayne Thomas Batson is the second book in the Door Within trilogy from Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Here we have another beautifully designed book for young adults and young readers alike. The text in the books appears to follow the cover design--blue text or purple text anyone? One might expect it to be hard to read, but I was never distracted by it at all.

This time around, young Aidan Thomas, the hero from the first book, has returned to our world and soon meets the human twin of a glimpse he was fond of in the first story. Since Aidan has been told that he can only go to the Realm of glimpses once before he dies, he helps Antoinette, a young girl with a penchant for Kendo, to get into the Realm when she is summoned by Good King Eliam. Antoinette ends up being the main character in the second book and if you enjoyed Aidan in the lead role in the first book, don't worry...Antoinette is a great character and you won't be disappointed. And I gather, from the preview at the end of this book, that somehow Aidan returns to the glimpse realm for the final installment of the series.

This book is a great sequel and Batson shows purpose in bringing in the alternate lead character. I believe that both Aidan and Antoinette will be appearing in the third trilogy book, The Final Storm, and it just gives another unique twist instead of following one person through the whole thing. If you've read my review for the first book, The Door Within, then there's really not much I would add, since this book follows the same formula and delivers an enjoyable read. In fact, I'm hard pressed to decide which one I've enjoyed more! I will say that I'm looking forward to the third book and the conclusion of the story. If you can get readers through two trilogy books and have them salivating for the third, then I call that successful writing!

The Door Within by Wayne Thomas Batson

2007-02-12T13:01:00.000-08:00

The Door Within, by Wayne Thomas Batson is a christian young adult fantasy from Thomas Nelson.

Now some may say, "why are you reviewing this book on P.O.D.LINGS?"

Well, to be honest, a good book is a good book and with few submissions I'm willing to review recently from the POD sector of self publishers and small presses, I figure people are still looking for a good book and this, my friends, is a good book.

First off, I have to say that all three books in this series, in the hardcover, are just beautiful to look at. I mean these are the kind you want to keep for years, for when your kids start reading. This should give a lesson on book design for small presses and self publishers. The cover and formatting and total book design is very important and goes that much further toward people seeing you as a professional and to be taken seriously. Now to the review...

The Door Within takes us on a pure allegorical ride with young Aidan who is described as sort of pudgy and an underdog, but when he gets into "The Realm" where glimpses dwell, he becomes a great hero. Now, the young underdog becoming a hero storyline is not new, but it can still be done well and Batson delivers. People say this is like the Chronicles of Narnia and what they mean is probably "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe" but I've come to believe that people search for these archtypes of particular genres to compare new books to and perhaps for reference sake that's not so bad...so long as people don't automatically think "rip-off" of some other book. This book is it's own story and a good one. The pace is quick and although the knight-speak is heavy handed and seems stilted somewhat, the fact is, it's Knights that are speaking and so there you go. There's a rich world of wonderful characters, good knights, bad Knights, creatures you'd hate to meet in a dark cave and eerie places you'd be glad to read about, but would never want to visit. Wayne Batson is a world builder in this series and he's done a great job of helping readers to explore it with interest intact!

For any Christian with a decent knowledge of the Bible, the allegory will be very transparent yet handled in a creative and interesting way that only adds to the story. But even non-christians will enjoy this wonderful series because in the end it's fun and to be able to finish a book and say, "that was fun to read, I want to read the next" is what matters most!

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR JEREMY ROBINSON

2007-02-08T05:41:00.000-08:00

P.O.D.LINGS contacted Mr. Robinson about sharing a little with us and he was glad to do so. The following is a short interview Jeremy did for us and gives us a bit of insight into the views and experiences of this up and coming novelist.

1.) Having self published your first fiction novel, The Didymus Contingency, in 2005, do you think you've benefited from the experience? If yes, in what way?

Absolutely. Publishing The Didymus Contingency myself was the best thing I’ve ever done for my career. It has sold and is still selling thousands of copies. I signed two foreign translation deals for the book ( Romania and Bulgaria ). I landed a top literary agent. And it provided me with thousands of loyal fans who are gobbling up my second novel, Raising the Past.

2.) I've noticed you're quite diverse, being both a published fiction and non-fiction writer. Which area do you feel most holds your heart and why?

My heart is with fiction. While non-fiction is good for the money aspect, it’s not nearly as satisfying for me personally. The Screenplay Workbook evolved from worksheets my friend and I were making for our personal use...and making a whole book just seemed like the next logical step. That we put it together in a month and sold it the next is a bit amazing. It was my first published book though, and in that way opened up a lot of doors. The second non-fiction book, POD People, was written out of necessity. I receive e-mails almost everyday (three so far today, two yesterday, etc, etc) asking for advice on marketing Print-On-Demand books. I like to respond to all of these e-mails, but it was eating up time that I’d rather spend writing. So I put the book together and now when I receive those e-mails, I just point people to the book.While those projects are great fun, they do little to satiate my desire to tell stories and entertain people through words. Thus, my heart is with fiction.

3.) Having read Raising the Past myself, I can honestly say that it was an excellent sci-fi thriller and had me furiously turning pages. Tell us the one thing that most excites you about the story, perhaps your favorite scene in Raising the Past, and why?

There is a lot I like about Raising the Past. It’s a blend of so many genres I love and its pace was as fun to write as I hope it is to read. But I really enjoy the twist at the end and the way the book tosses around the idea of free will. The novel is based on a screenplay I wrote years before and the screenplay, being limited by 120 pages, lacked the interesting ending and in depth theme. So those elements that make the story something special are what excites me most, because as it was in screenplay format, they didn’t exist.

4.) When you're writing do you find yourself to be an outliner and a disciplined schedule setter or are you more of a "when-the-mood-strikes" kind of a writer?

I'm very disciplined when it comes to sitting down and writing. Once I get into a novel I try to write at the same time everyday for the same amount of hours, usually from 1pm to 5pm. This only changes when I approach the end of the book, then I’ll write in the morning and late into the night as well.As for outlines, I start by laying out key scenes—things I know will be in the book, and then I come up with an ending—where I know I’m going to end up. As for a detailed outline, I create several “where I’ve been and where I’m going” outlines along the way, plotting out all the minor scenes from one key scene to the next. I do this perhaps four times throughout the writing process, mostly as a guide to keep me from forgetting anything important and to help continuity. They aren’t rigid though. I like the story to lead where it may and don’t bind myself to any outlines. This is how the cool new ending in Raising the Past came about. It sort of developed on its own.

5.) What one thing do you believe has most inspired you to be a novelist?

I can’t say I was inspired to be a novelist at all. I have always been inspired to tell stories. It’s been an innate passion of mine my whole life. First I started with art. This stayed true through college where I was an illustration major. I moved on to comic book illustration and ended up writing a few issues. From there I took up screenwriting and then moved on to novel writing. The move to novel writing (at first) was more of an odds choice. There are 300 movies made every year and something like 40,000 screenplays written every year. Those are bad odds, especially in an industry where who you know is more important than how good your story is. With books, the odds are better and I took a stab at it with The Didymus Contingency. I was pretty surprised that after spending so much time on art and screenwriting (not the most literary of writing) that I had a knack for novel writing. The Didymus Contingency was the first prose fiction I’d ever written. It shows (a little) but I’ve tirelessly dedicated myself to improving as a writer. Raising the Past was my second novel and the growth is evident, just as it is between Raising the Past and my recently finished fifth novel, Kronos.

6.) Having written both Christian fiction and secular fiction novels, briefly explain why you have chosen to write in both areas when most authors stick to either religious fiction or non-religious fiction?

I’m a Christian. It’s who I am, so it sneaks into my books, sometimes more blatantly than others. But I’m not a “Christian author” like Jerry Jenkins, Frank Peretti or Ted Dekker. I write mainstream books for a mainstream audience (Christian, non-Christian, etc) and sometimes they have Christian or Biblical themes / plot devices. Sometimes they don’t.

7.) As a consumer, what do you find to be the top three selling points for a fiction novel?

When I go to the book store there are actually three things I do to make a decision about buying a book. It’s pretty simple. 1. The cover. The book has to draw my attention...and then it has to hold it. If the cover gives me enough information about the story and it looks good, I’ll pick the book up and read the back cover. If that's good, then I move on to step two. 2. The author. I always read dedications and acknowledgements. I don’t think many people do this when considering a book, but I always do. They tell me what kind of person the author is. Most authors are nice and very gracious in their acknowledgements, but a few aren’t and I’m less likely to buy a book from an author who seems...unfriendly. 3. I read the first sentence. If it grabs me, I read the first page. If I find myself turning the first page to read the second, I’ll probably buy the book. I was a reader at a literary agency and this sort of became a habit, judging a book by the first few pages, but I’ve never disliked a book I’ve bought, so it seems to work for me.

8.) What is your favorite "fan" comment or experience?

My favorite fan letters have been from non-Christian fans of The Didymus Contingency who recognize the book as being a positive portrayal of Jesus Christ, but who aren’t put off by it. So far I’ve received fan letters from Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, atheists, agnostics and good old “I don’t believe in anything” types. All enjoyed the book regardless of their different beliefs, and that’s really what I wanted the book to be. It’s nice that people can appreciate my Christianity without feeling assaulted by it.

9.) Is there any area of your writing that you hope to improve upon?

I sometimes notice that in my haste to write action I sometimes forget details, things that make the story more tangible. I go back and add where it’s missing, but I’d like to get it on the first time through. Also, something I’ve worked on for a long time is my “cheesiness factor”. This is a hold over from my days writing comic books (and reading comics for years) and involves corny jokes and melodrama. It’s pretty much out of my system now, but I still have to watch out for it.

10.) What can we all look forward to, in the future, from Jeremy Robinson?

There is a lot on the table right now and I don’t have any specifics, but I’m expecting at least one 2007 release, perhaps two. I’m not going to speculate as to which of my novels these will be (though I have an idea). I’ll be writing my sixth novel this winter and spring and my seventh this summer and next winter....I hope. I’m researching both now and will decide which to go forward with in the next week.

There's a new sherrif in town

2007-02-07T08:50:00.000-08:00

Well, not really, but we do have another great POD book reviewer on the scene. Submissions are open -- check it out--

www.podbookreview.blogspot.com "PODCRITIC"

The Chronicles of Soone by James Somers

2006-11-15T13:02:00.000-08:00

The Chronicles of Soone: Heir to the King, by James Somers, is being hailed by some as the best sci-fi epic since Star Wars. This new title from Breakneck Books is their second fiction title following the release of bestselling author, Jeremy Robinson's Raising the Past. We thought for this guest reviewer spot that we would get the word on the street from readers like yourself.
"Wow, the next Star Wars! I hesitated at first, because I had not heard of this author, so I checked the publisher and...decided that if they were willing to put so much faith in James Somers then I could take the chance. Boy am I glad that I did! I would not have missed this exciting read for anything. Action, thrills, surprises, suspense, this book has all that and more: More twists and turns than a California freeway of the L.A. variety. Can't wait for the next one in the series."--Betty Dravis purchased Chronicles from Amazon.com
"I am a huge fan of Star Wars and this just might have topped it! This is the best book I've ever read."--young reader, John Onderdonk, purchased from Amazon.com
"There's more action in this Sci-fi thriller than you can shake a stick at, yet I was still able to get attached to the main characters."--Amazon customer review--"B.B. the big cheese"
"If you're a fan of Matthew Reilly's non-stop action thrillers, you'll find the same kind of action here, but with infinitely more heart. This is a great story for adults and for kids!"--Amazon review--"Thriller Fan"
The story is based around a long standing war among the clans of human kind between several habitable worlds. The Protag, Tiet Soone, is one of the few remaining survivors of the Barudii warrior race and the only known heir to the Barudii throne. When he returns from exile, grown, he sets out to avenge his people, but a much greater responsibility awaits him. He must decide whether to assume the throne of his father and attempt to reconcile the warring clans before they destroy one another. Fallen spirits are working against him as they propagate the war as part of their campaign to rule mankind.
This one is worth every penny--non-stop action and a gripping story, that is suitable for the young and the young at heart! This is the first in a series, we look forward to the rest.

VIDEO TRAILER AND SAMPLE CHAPTERS FROM THE PUBLISHER

Kill Chase, by Ron Morgans

2006-10-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

Kill Chase, by Ron Morgans, is a mystery novel rich in descriptive prose and charm. While I must admit at the outset that "mystery novels" really aren't the genre I usually read, this one was still quite good.

Especially noteworthy is Morgans grasp of his settings. In every location, whether European, American or other, Morgan makes you feel like he's been there personally and is delivering a snapshot in hand--and hey, since the man lives in spain, he may very well be giving us these rich perspectives from memory.

A killer is on the loose and threatening the Queen. Ex-inspector Christian Boyd is called in by the Yard because of his particular knowledge of the supposed killer's moniker, but are they chasing the right man? Also on the killer's trail is paparazzo, Henrietta Fox, but she's becoming dangerously entangled in this chase.

For those of you who love mystery and crime novels, this one will no doubt satisfy your appetites, even though my personal tastes are more in the action, thriller, sci-fi genre. Hey, I'm still a Law & Order fan!

Raising the Past, by Jeremy Robinson

2006-10-17T08:10:00.000-07:00

Raising the Past, by Jeremy Robinson may be his best work to date. I wasn't quite sure what to expect with the mammoth being raised from the ice and an ancient woman inside its belly holding a mysterious alien device, but folks this is edge-of-your-seat reading all the way. Fans of Robinson's first fiction effort should understand at the outset that this is not a christian story like that one was. There is some language content in this adult thriller, but not more than you would find on pg rated television.
The story begins with the ancient woman and two mysterious men who give her the device she will be found with later when the mammoth is raised from the ice in the Canadian North centuries later. The mammoth itself is an incredible find for researchers and a huge recovery operation is quickly underway to retrieve the fully intact specimen. The team soon discovers the alien device with the frozen remains of the ancient woman inside the mammoth and they unknowingly activate it. Very quickly, the team is fighting for their lives against several different and terrifying enemies, all seeking the device they hold. One of the greatest enemies the team faces is the frozen environment itself and the predators that inhabit it. Robinson's latest is the first fiction release from up and coming independent thriller publisher, Breakneck Books, and it's easy to see why they chose this title to launch with. If it's any indication, we should expect some very nice surprises from this publisher in the future. Raising the Past grabs hold of you and never lets go! Robinson keeps you guessing as to who the real enemy is all the way to the last page. I picked up this book and zoomed through it--Raising the Past is a furious page turner! I look forward to seeing more from this author and Breakneck Books.

The Takers, by R.W. Ridley

2006-10-09T18:15:00.000-07:00

The Takers: Book One of the Oz Chronicles, by R.W. Ridley. In the first two pages a hook was well placed in my jaw and by the end of the first chapter I was soundly taken hostage by this story. The Takers, is a first person chronicle of the events surrounding the end of the world through the eyes of young hero, Oz Griffin. He awakens one morning form a fevered bout with the ole' kissing disease to find that nearly everyone in the world has been taken by hideous creatures from another dimension. These Takers, (or Greasywhoppers since saying their name brings them into our world from the dark edges of reality), are bent on conquering our world. But only Oz and his ragtag band of survivors, including a signing silverback gorilla, can stop them...or can they?
The Takers is a pure delight! If this is Y.A. fiction then I want more of it. This is a truly original story that completely deserves the comparisons with Stephen King's, The Stand. The transformation of the survivors to warriors with a mission to save the world, never turns dull or slows in its pace. The second book in the Oz Chronicles is on its way and we can't wait!!

CLEAN by Ken Sweet

2006-09-28T10:34:00.000-07:00

CLEAN, by Ken Sweet is an interesting story of one man's vision of redemption. Ben has lived the life of the average "every-man" and he is frustrated with it all: his marriage, his job and his existence in general. He realizes the need to free himself, to go in search of CLEAN. Ben hopes that if he can win a final showdown against the dark man that haunts him then he will finally be rid of his inner demons and be reborn. The writing in CLEAN is exactly that. Ken Sweet has impeccably edited this self published novel and he's an excellent writer to boot. His imagery puts you right in the middle of the mystical old world locations over in Britain as Ben quests from site to site for clues to CLEAN. And when Ben ultimately finds what he's been searching for, he realizes that instead of finding the end of a journey, he's really only found the beginning.

Cracking Grace by Steven Stromp

2006-09-26T11:33:00.000-07:00

Cracking Grace by Steven Stromp, is a delightfully tragic tale. This self published book through lulu.com was short, but long enough to tell the story. Audrey and her father are dealing with the recent loss of her mother. Their family have been the long time caretakers of a nearby cemetery in the woods and now the mother has been buried there. Audrey realizes the loss, but her father is unable to let go of his beloved wife so easily as he begins a trek along the edge of madness. Unknown at first to Audrey are the living tenants of the cemetery which have been watching, listening and wondering about her and her family for quite some time. With the aid of a small bluebird, the statues have been seeking answers about the world around them and about why they are who they are. The story is quite different and very charming, but don't look for theological answers from the book. There's one better suited for that. Stromp is a very good writer and the narrative is always engaging. I was actually surprised at the sudden turn the story takes closer to the end of the book, but that makes it even more interesting and Mr. Stromp brings a nice close to it all with a happier, if not somewhat morbid, ending. One of the most profound ideas in Cracking Grace was that with all of our ability to move and feel and learn about the world around us and the mysteries beyond, most people still know little more than a few cemetery statues about the meaning of life.

Another Worldly Device

2006-09-18T15:05:00.000-07:00

Another Worldly Device, by Serdar Yegulap, is a self published novel available only at LULU.com. The book is a coming of age story that attempts to mix some conflict in by way of a mysterious kidnapping of the pre-teen Jane's foster parents. Jane is then eventually adopted by the eccentric Japanese author that lives next door. There is a tie that binds between this woman and the kidnappers although it takes most of the book to find out what that is. The story focuses most of its first person narrative on the relationship between Jane and Satoko with the mysterious kidnapping and break-ins as a back drop to their getting to know one another. Serdar plays the total dysfunction of their relationship like a fine tuned instrument and on the level of coming of age and so forth, the story delivers. However one thing I would fault Mr. Yegulap with is the lack of understanding the reader is ultimately given on the nature of Satoko's power, since the whole background of the story is set around this power and those who are trying to prove its existence among mankind. The book is laced with editing mistakes that tend to really come out in force after the first half of the book. This might be expected with a self published title. A word of warning: this book contains very strong language and is certainly not suitable for the YA crowd even though the main character is 11 years old.

The Seventh Mountain

2006-09-18T13:34:00.000-07:00

The Seventh Mountain, by Gene Curtis has been labeled by some as a Christianized version of Harry Potter and given the many obvious similarities, this may be with good reason. The story revolves around Mark Young who is to become a very important member of the mystical group known as the Magi. This is an unveiled reference to the Magi or "Wise Men" from the bible, but Mr. Curtis has endowed them with further mystical powers and a hidden society with seven schools on seven mountains. This parallel with biblical Magi trails away to the Potter arena by these things and the exploration of them throughout the story. I must say that I was disappointed with the story, which seemed promising with its hook on the Potter-esque, but it failed to deliver the goods. For one, the first few chapters are completely non-grabbing and these are some of the most important to pull the reader in. Another problem that I had was that the school itself is supposed to be mystical and oozing with ancient culture and supernatural happenings, but the reader is continually tripped up by the references to paying for the school with a bank account, the selling of school books in a regular old college style bookstore where normal kid tech like video games and cd players and stuff is also sold--basically the school appears to have a mall in it where sword and sorcery combine with the trappings of 21st century adolescence. It seemed like a very forced mix and not in tune with the story. But abiding these problems, the story spends most of its time engaging with school bullies and hanging out with friends rather than any real conflict with the Antagonist, a prime evil spirit that wants Mark's special sheperds staff for his own and the boy out of his way. Any conflict between the two is short lived and only comes in the very last chapter or two and it turned anticlimatic to boot. The self published LULU novel, The Seventh Mountain is a reasonably entertaining story for the YA crowd, but it lacks the kind of depth and drive I was hoping to see from it.

Miss Alice Merriwether's Long Lost Cakes

2006-09-07T13:37:00.001-07:00

Miss Alice Merriwether's Long Lost Cakes, by Barry Aitchison, has to be one of the oddest, yet well written and interesting books I have read in a long time. At the outset, let me say that the only reason this story did not get a 10 rating from me is because of its long use of profanity--a coarse hair in the icing of Miss Alice's delectable cake. This is the second book I have reviewed by the small british based publisher, Velluminous Press, and I continue to be impressed with them. They are turning out interesting and nice looking books from over in the motherland and Miss Alice is among them. To the story: Think small town America meets Tim Burton and you might come close. This story is told with precision and each page begs to be turned! Mr. Aitchison gives the reader just enough enticement from each P.O.V. change to keep you moving through the story at a brisk pace. The narrative is charming and alarmingly accurate to the odd meanderings of small town folk. Mr. Quentin C. Coriander has suddenly arrived in Parcival, USA and though he is an odd sort, they eventually pay him no mind. After a jealous Sheriff Pumpernickel threatens Coriander over one Miss Alice Merriwether and her delicious cakes, the town suddenly finds itself scooped out of planet Earth and hastened away to somewhere unknown. The town must come to grips with the fact that they "aren't in Kansas anymore...oh, silly, they never were," and their isolation inside of an invisible dome--yes, the entire town; land and all. Now they must solve the mystery of where they are, why they are here, and who this odd fellow Quentin C. Coriander really is and his true intentions for the Parcivillians. The humor of Miss Alice resides in the accurate portrayal of its characters and boy are they ever--characters that is...so pull up a book, and try a whopping sugary slice of Miss Alice's Long Lost Cakes.

Better Than Real, by Huw Lyan Thomas (8 / 10)

2006-08-28T05:38:00.000-07:00

Better Than Real, by Huw Lyan Thomas seemlessly blends high-tech sci-fi action, with all of the horrors of a futuristic society where clones and mind back-ups have become the norm. The first chapter left me feeling like I had dropped into a marathon already in progress, but soon enough I was up to pace and enjoying the ride. This science fiction thriller published by Velluminous Press centers around Lee, a designer of android love dolls. One of his creations has committed a murder, forcing him to investigate the malfunction. What he finds is a self-aware entity called Lilith inhabiting the love doll and that Lilith is on the run from an organization known only as The Elect. Stranger, a cold and calculating assassin has been sent after Lee to retrieve Lilith and to leave no witnesses in the process. The pacing is fast, the weaponry intriguing and there's no lack of action with Stranger on the prowl. Thomas weaves a complex web of mind back-ups, character deaths and clone regenerations and whips it all into a frenzy of action and intrigue that left me wondering when his next book will be coming. Be aware that this title does contain some strong language.

The Didymus Contingency, by Jeremy Robinson

2006-08-21T04:07:00.000-07:00

I've said it before, "Some very good books just slip through the cracks of the publishing industry." Too biblically accurate for the Da Vinci Code crowd and too realistic for CBA standards, The Didymus Contingency is such a book. The story revolves around a single question, "If you could travel anywhere in time and witness any event, where would you go?" I'm amazed someone hasn't come up with Jeremy Robinson's answer before. Two quantum physicists trying to penetrate the mystery of time travel end up going back to the time of Jesus Christ's earthly ministry. One is an unbeliever trying to expose Jesus' ressurection as a fraud, and his actions threaten the very fabric of reality itself. The other man is a believer who is chasing his friend through time in order to avert the devastating affects on the world should his friend actually be successful. Robinson has penned an excellent read. He navigates the timestream with Back to the Future precision and takes the reader through many twists and turns that are sure to thrill. His portrayal of Jesus was, I think, dead on with the bible; although I admit a slight faint when reading the event prior to Christ's entrance into Jerusalem at the beginning of the crucifixion week--our ponderings on the bible events generally don't consider just how human the Son of God was while on the Earth. This controversial novel was enjoyable from beginning to end. Robinson masterfully blends futuristic science fiction and a historical thriller with every page. The end result was a very cleverly told story that will leave readers wanting more from this new author.

POD PEOPLE, by Jeremy Robinson

2006-08-16T13:21:00.000-07:00

POD PEOPLE: Beating the Print on Demand Stigma is a very nicely done guide to self publishing by an author who has had some success at it.
I'm never amazed by the unending amount of self help books that continue to pour into the market--that includes the self help books to writers aspiring to pen the next great adventure and see it published out of New York. But it seems like they are all written by people who do nothing but write books about how to be published. Where are the books on publishing that come from writers that have interesting titles on the market.
That's one thing I like about POD PEOPLE, the author has penned some other works and they were actually good. Jeremy Robinson has The Screenplay Workbook, to his credit but it was his self published fiction novel, The Didymus Contingency that drew me to investigate POD PEOPLE.
In fact, POD PEOPLE is a chronicle of his self publishing success with his fiction novel and that makes it something more than the other writer's self help book. Mr. Robinson takes us on a journey of how he did it. He talks about ways to make a marketable book and publish it, all the while emphasizing writing a good story as the key. He investigates "Stigma Busters"--self-pub flubs and mistakes that authors tend to make and how to get around them so that your self published book looks professional. Robinson also discusses ways to get the word-of-mouth going as well as ways to market your work. This was all wrapped up in a short but fun read and considering Robinson is now signed on with Breakneck Books for his upcoming novel, Raising the Past, apparently he knows what he's talking about.--Podlingmaster.

Golem, by Greg Vilk

2006-08-16T11:48:00.000-07:00

Golem, by Greg Vilk (9-10) is the exceptional tale of a team of WWII Rangers who are chosen to investigate mysterious events at a secret Nazi base in Greenland. The author puts you right in the middle of the action which is non-stop from beginning to end. Every whisper of the wind and creak of a door, had me gripping the pages in anticipation of the next line! I couldn't put it down!
This story reminded me a great deal of the mood found in John Carpenter's The Thing. The frozen Nazi base the story was set in only heightened the chills and excitement I felt while reading it!
Golem is a terrific, but short read. I did notice quite a few editing mistakes, but I was easily able to overlook them because the story was so unique; like nothing I've read before. Golem was intense and fast-paced and when the lights went out at my house that night, I wondered, just for a moment if the Golem was behind me.--Podlingmaster

Submission Guidelines

2006-08-16T11:19:00.000-07:00

We Accept: Novels in the genre of Young Adult, Childrens,Thrillers, Sci-fi, Fantasy, Action / Adventure. We are interested in exciting thrill rides. If you're Self-Published, or a Small to Medium sized press--then we encourage you to submit. Please make sure your book is professional in quality--we hate horrible galley covers and not being edited--put some work into your work, if you're really serious about it.

We Do Not Accept: Porn, Erotica, Graphic Horror, zombie or slasher type novels and we won't bother with Love stories and memoirs. We tend to not enjoy crime novels or murder mysteries either, so you probably will want to look elsewhere on those--our tastes are what they are, sorry.

How to submit your novel: Send an email query first with a brief synopsis to pod_master1@yahoo.com --if you don't do this then we can't give you an address where you can send the book. If we like the query, we will surely ask to review the book--if we don't like the query...well, you get the idea. Review copies will not be returned.

Our Reviews: Each book accepted for review will be notified by a reply email. Your book will recieve a full review which may be used by the author or publisher for blurbs and so forth.

Beware: Sending a poorly edited book or some terrible gallery cover, may impact your review. Remember, you must first submit a brief query containing a short synopsis. Submit query to pod_master1@yahoo.com

Happy Hunting

P.O.D.LINGS

ARTEMIS FOWL AND THE TIME PARADOX

Back in Action?

THAT'S ALL FOLKS!!

THE BATHYS by JONATHAN WARD

SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED!

THE DE FACTO POD REVIEW RING

ANCESTOR by SCOTT SIGLER

DON'T FORGET ABOUT NETWORKING!

ANTI-CHRIST: A Satirical End of Days by MATTHEW MOSES

THE TRUTH, IT LIES by EOIN HENNIGAN

SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES

FORGE OF THE GODS by ERIC FOGLE

THE SCRUTINIZING EYE

CHION by DARRYL SLOAN

MORE TALENTED COVER ARTISTS!

NICK GREENWOOD

DISGRUNTLED AUTHORS

IRISH EYES CREATIONS

DELON CITY by R.W. RIDLEY

WHEN AN ANGEL FALLS by STEPHANIE JARRETT

THE DOCTOR IS IN

TAKING AIM AT ONE OF POD'S BIG PROBLEM AREAS

NEW POD AUTHOR INTERVIEW PAGE!

P.O.D. JUST WANTS TO BE LOVED

QUEEN KLUTZ by MARTI LAWRENCE

*SUBMISSION GUIDELINE CHANGES*

WARRIOR GIRL by JANICE WEE TIEN YONG

DRISTLEMORE by BRIAN MONIZ

CONSTANT READER by JENNIFER REEVE

POD-DY MOUTH SHUTTING DOWN FOR GOOD?

DOUBLE VISION by RANDALL INGERMANSON

THE FINAL STORM by WAYNE THOMAS BATSON

LONE STAR LAWMAN by GORDON McCALL

ARK ANGEL by Anthony Horowitz

SCORPIA by Anthony Horowitz

VIOLENT SANDS by SEAN YOUNG

RISE OF THE WYRM LORD by Wayne Thomas Batson

The Door Within by Wayne Thomas Batson

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR JEREMY ROBINSON

There's a new sherrif in town

The Chronicles of Soone by James Somers

Kill Chase, by Ron Morgans

Raising the Past, by Jeremy Robinson

The Takers, by R.W. Ridley

CLEAN by Ken Sweet

Cracking Grace by Steven Stromp

Another Worldly Device

The Seventh Mountain

Miss Alice Merriwether's Long Lost Cakes

Better Than Real, by Huw Lyan Thomas (8 / 10)

The Didymus Contingency, by Jeremy Robinson

POD PEOPLE, by Jeremy Robinson

Golem, by Greg Vilk

Submission Guidelines

SUBMISSION GUIDELINE CHANGES