Igor Goldkind’s genre busting book Is SHE Available: Tales of Sedition and SUBVERSION released by Chameleon Publishing, challenges the typical boundaries of literature, maybe even space and time. The book uses graphic art, poetry, spoken word, music and animation to create an immersive, multimedia experience. Having worked with Igor at Titan Books, UK, I’ve seen his innovative instincts before when, for example, he took the term “Graphic Novel” (with permission from Will Eisner) and propagated the phrase around the world without the help of the Internet. So I listened to his description of his book with growing curiosity. A book that incorporates art, music, poetry and motion? Igor Goldkind defying convention didn’t surprise me, it’s sort of his M.O. After graduating from San Diego University with a degree in Philosophy, Igor worked as a political journalist in Paris, studying with the French post structuralist Michel Foucault and graduating with a certificate from the Sorbonne. He’d always been an iconoclast. What did surprise me when I opened the book was that he would defy the … [Read more...] about Is SHE Available: Defying the Physics of e books
Cringeworthy One Star Reviews of Classic Books
Kindle Direct Publishing has given writers an amazing gift, a way to reach a worldwide audience. Anyone who meets Amazon's standards can publish a book or story, and anyone can leave a review to haunt you. Every KDP writer will eventually have to endure the Amazon one star review. They are part of the new publishing landscape. Negative reviews range from illiterate, crazy diatribes, revealing more about the reviewer's state of mind than the book itself, to pointed critiques by shrewd and pissed off readers. Why do people leave one star reviews? It's simple, they're experiencing a strong emotional reaction. Maybe the reviewer doesn't like swear words, or they had to read the book for school or book club, or they just saw the movie and the book's not the same, or the book conflicts with their personal philosophy about life, or they don't think this is what a story should be. Whether the one star review is a raw, visceral slap or a deeply cutting dissection that stings, they can be a shock for writers who took a big emotional risk to release their work in the first place. … [Read more...] about Cringeworthy One Star Reviews of Classic Books
Author Hugh Howey on Writing, Empathy and Creative Freedom
Hugh Howey is a true iconoclast. His newly released post apocalyptic novel, The Shell Collector, joins a body of inventive work exploring dystopian futures, interstellar travel, alien invasions, zombies and other curiosities. His career has also broken traditional barriers. Originally published by a small press, Hugh broke away to become an indie writer and subsequently made it to the NYT Best Seller List.There is something surprising about Hugh’s writing. His visions steal over the reader unobtrusively, the way one might notice the clarity of a sky or the scent of a spring day. His prose is lean, confident and unpretentious with moments of sheer philosophical grace. He sinks into the background so deeply, you forget you’re even reading. He extends an invitation, like a peep hole through a circus tent, and before you quite realize what’s happened, you’ve entered into a world of wonders. Odd wonders, to be sure. And once you’ve followed Hugh into a world, what unfolds is not always easy. His Sci Fi stories are fantastical but infused with a gritty reality borne from worldly … [Read more...] about Author Hugh Howey on Writing, Empathy and Creative Freedom
