Blog
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The Day of the Jackal – Frederick Forsyth
In the spirit of streamlining this website, I will be systematically moving archived book reviews and other posts to this section, then deleting the archive. So let’s get started with:The Day of the Jackal, by Frederick Forsyth, stunned me at the end with its resonance.I began reading this novel after Sol Stein recommended it in…
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Book Reviews from the Moon: Second Star: Breaking Through
Photo obtained from JoshHayesWriter.com What are some elements of good, entertaining fiction? For me the list starts with compelling characters, conflict, suspense, and a setting exotic enough that I’d like to go there and have an adventure. Hayes put all these pieces into the story, and I want to see more of these characters and…
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Without them, it is all meaningless
Five years of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes, including countless lessons and sparing matches brought me to a goal I’ve pursued for a long time. When I first became interested in BJJ, there were no instructors in the region. Royce Gracie was dominating the UFC and the martial arts community was scrambling to reinvent itself. It…
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Can a KDP Free Day or Countdown Deal Boost Kindle Unlimited Sales?
Everyone likes #free, right. There was a time, let’s say 2012, when Indie authors were using Kindle Direct Publishing free days to promote books. I was new to the realm of digital self publishing, and gave it a try. The result was about 18,000 downloads of Dragon Badge, an urban fantasy crime thriller, and over…
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Maps and History…of Westeros!
Yes, I must admit, I am fanatical about George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series. How fanatical? I just spent $40 on maps and ordered The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire). Now I have to quit eating…
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Amazon Reviewers, Good People
Have you ever heard of the Amazon Top Reviewers? I have, because I’m an author who would desperately love to get their attention, especially if they decide the like my books. A lot of marketing gurus will make a fuss about finding the right reviewer and then sending a polite email asking if they would…
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Book Reviews from the Moon: Kinslayer
Photo credit http://www.jaykristoff.com Kinslayer: Book Two of the Lotus War series took Japanese Steampunk farther than the first book (Stormdancer). There were more characters and plot lines. I liked the first book better, but only a little bit. As second books go, this one is worth a read. The visual, auditory, and even olfactory detail…
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Game Of Thrones: Illyrio And Varys
Illyrio reminds me so much of Varys that I had to check and see if they were ever in the same place in the story. Both men are morbidly obese, cunning, and far more agile than they appear. Do you remember Butter Bumps, the court fool who danced, sang, and did handstands despite sporting a…
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It Takes All Kinds Of Characters Blog Tour
Welcome to the latest stop on the It Takes All Kinds of Characters blog tour.In the previous episode, as it were, military science fiction author Britt Ringel reveals the creation of his primary protagonist, Garrett Heskan. As an avid reader of the series, starting with This Corner of the Universe, I can attest that Heskan…
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MMA Distraction
Last week I purchased several UFC fights from the local video store, because they were on clearance and I can’t bring myself to invest in pay-per-view. I wish I could, because I really want to see UFC 178 on September 27. There’s going to be some interesting contests.Meanwhile, I DVDs of the events months and…
