On getting recognition as an author

Hiya fellow authors:

I don't know about you all, but I've NOT had a huge success in "getting the word" out. I've spent a good deal of time here on GoodReads, Twitter, and to a small extent, Facebook. I even purchased a Facebook Ad and another on a blog site. I even a website --> all with similar results.

How many books have I sold? Erm, let's just say, not a lot. Even with good reviews (of which there are admittedly few.)

I know a lot of it is name recognition, and the fact that there's about a million new authors out there on Amazon doesn't help. There must be a sweet spot for letting people know your book puts sliced bread to shame, though.

Join the discussion  New Authors Talk Shoppe  @ GoodReads

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/191728-new-authors-talk-shoppe

Review: Nancy Drew and the Clue of the Broken Locket

Another day, another mystery.  Nancy's father doesn't have time to deal with another of his client's issues, so of course he sends his teen-age daughter out in the woods to take care of things.

"It's super dangerous, so take a couple of your friends with you -- you know to increase the carnage if things go bad," he says between the lines.  "And also feel free to invite the boyfriends along later.  They are sexless cardboard cutouts, so you'll be fine."

Maybe it was in a bad mood when I read this, but this particular tome seems a tad out of date -- perhaps even for the times in which it was written.

Although it follows the basic Nancy Drew formula:  Do something dangerous because your father has too many cases (it's awesome that he trusts her, don't get me wrong -- but he already had a wife die and every book he just shoves a pipe in my mouth and sends his daughter off to war any chance he gets); Nancy invites her friends "The bold one" and the "chubby one" (yes, even in progressive female-led books we're making fun of the overweight character);  Nancy bites off more than she can chew (or rather there's NEVER just one mystery, there's usually 3 or 4 ALL RELATED TO THE SAME ANTAGONISTS!);  as an aside -- but not usually to help to any great degree (which is usually my favorite part of the book), the boyfriends are called (usually for some kind of sock hop), and not one of them tries to make a move on the girls (?)..."Well get our own cabin, and see you in the morning!"  --apparently sex wasn't invented until the 70's;  the cops of course don't believe her at first, so Nancy and her friends get in trouble;  Nancy finds a hidden alcove so that she can overhear the bad guys [probably due to time constraints -- because the plot ran long] talking about how and why they did the bad thing they did;  and then the mystery is solved and Nancy's already musing about her next adventure (usually along with a little advertisement for the next book.)

Neat.  Tidy.  Telling instead of showing.  Unrealistic communication.  Although charming, and I'll still read the next one of these because I love them.

BMB

Review of That's What Women Do by Claire D. Simone

I loved this book. 

Though presented as a biography of a normal, every-woman we follow Claire D. Simone from her youth to adulthood in a very candid look into the give and take of relationships. Here, Claire simply relates to her readers what most other woman are actually experiencing but not always talking about. 

I was both able to relate as well as see both sides of this oft-times awkward coin very clearly, and many of its points were informatively eye-opening. Although, I usually wanted to yell at her. "Don't keep it in. Start talking to him!" Or, more commonly, "Just get out and stop wasting your life, girl!"

The book is also very funny. I love this line on motherhood, and the pain of childbirth.

"Just because lots of people do it doesn't mean that it is any less painful or dangerous, does it??? Following this logic, the millions of people who perished during epidemics of influenza in the early twentieth century should have really pulled themselves together, instead of making all this fuss and dying in the most inconsiderate manner.

I also enjoyed all of the moments with her cheap grand-parents, while staying at their beach house; counting toiletpaper squares, and the odd seemingly never-ending chores.

Short, sometimes sweet and sometimes hard to look at, That's what Woman Do, is a book we should all read.

BMB

Claire, I hope you get that spaceship one day. She knows what I mean.

Free Book Deal

DEAL: Review my book on #amazon, I'll give the 2nd book #free, and the third book #free when it comes out.

If interesting, please send me a message in the Contact form (on the right), in the message tell me something along the lines of "I'll take the book deal.

Currently working on book three: Melody Jackson v. the Message from Space.https://smile.amazon.com/Melody-Jackson-happened-Lafayette-Street/dp/1520416342/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490481556&sr=8-1&keywords=melody+jackson … pic.twitter.com/FbcEsI320N

Quick review of: Nancy Drew #60: The Greek Symbol Mystery

 

Is Beth's issue of weight finally behind us? Although, it's still an period of time when the term "Super Sleuths" can elicit guffaws from a group of teen-agers. Ah, longing for the simple times. Thank you 1980-somethings.

Review of Terry Pratchett's Sourcery

What happens when the eighth son of an eighth son of an eighth son has a son? Sorcery, and a whole lot of bad things -- especially if you're the father of said son who tricked Death by becoming a magic staff.

This is the third of the Rinsewind books, and forever thickening of my love of the Disc World series.

Review of Romeo, Juliet, Petie & Me

A short biographical insight into Melinda's childhood and her overprotective collie, Petie. Very cute moments of Petie and his girl, which -- though probably due to my own dealings with my cat children -- left me bawling uncontrollable by the end.

Well written and enjoyable, my only wish would be for a longer version at some point.

Review of Terrible Nerd

Very enjoyable biography of Kevin Savetz. I imagine this would be nostalgic for anyone who lived through this period of computing history. I for one enjoy living through this era through the eyes of the writer (like this and Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution). The story begins with Kevin's childhood, and his love of the Intellivision video game console, and his Atari computer, all the way to current time. I enjoyed every minute.

Review of "The Midnight Land" by E.P. Clark

As an author, it may seem somewhat ironic that I find it difficult writing reviews for other people's books...If the book is good, it's much easier.  Type off a few things that I liked, give it a thumbs up, or a number of stars, and then move on.  However, if a book, such as E.P. Clark's, Midnight Land, is fantastic, world-building, subtle and profound, this task becomes much more difficult.  The struggle then becomes writing a review which actually LIVES UP to the book it's intended to recommend.

The complexity of the Midnight Land, also adds to this struggle.  At it's heart, the book is not so much a feminist work as it is an infused matriarchal one.  I would note that this infusion isn't something male readers should find any struggle with.  This world is, after-all, a lived-in matriarchal world, with no preaching of female dominance, or bashing of male-centered ideals.  (Not that I would have necessarily had a problem with that point of view, personally.)  It is a rich world of backstabbing and political intrigue, down-trodden societies and bitter rulers.

The literary center of gravity, is a young woman, Krasnoslava Tsarinorvna, or Slava for short, who has a particular gift:  the ability to sense the emotions in others.  People have always looked to her with disdain or fear, and as such she's never found her place in the world (a fantastical setting in medival Russia) a particularly a pleasant one.  Not to mention that her life in the kremlin was not open for much personal growth.  So when a chance arrives to take a perilous trek to the uncharted Midnight Land, Slava jumps at the chance to leave her static existance with her people and her continually graying family.

Slava is unskilled and without much stamina on her new adventure, but thanks to the watchful eyes of her new friends, physically grows stronger and more able.

She also learns that her mystical powers, once thought a burden, might not such a weakness.  After rescuing an elk from slaughter by one the members of the party, she quickly feels self-conscious and more of an odd outsider.  However the next day, the party, after becoming lost in a dark forest in which the paths seemingly have been magically restructured to entrap them, is saved by the familiar animal.

Later Slava, thinking to be in a dream state, appears to join a fox in spirit form, and redirects the scout team away from danger.

In the end, the Midnight Land, was not such an obvious land of mystery and fantastical intrigue, however it does open up a world of spirituality into the narrative which becomes a frightening and possible new adversary for Slava.  She soon finds there are entities within this spirit world who have a great interest in Slava's talent, and wish to even wrench it from her if necessary.

This is a story of human discovery, and spiritual growth.  Slava has to face both on her journey to the Midnight Land and back again.

I am greatly looking forward to the second book in this saga, which appears to open up a grand story for the leader of the party, Olga Vasilisovna:  The true ruler of another kremlin which has fallen into disarray in her absence.

BMB

Where do you get your ideas?

Jeannie asked B.M.B. Johnson:

How do you get your ideas?

B.M.B. Johnson Hi Jeannie.

Ah, the burning question all writers must face. The real answer is "I have no idea where the ideas come from." burning question all writers must face. The real answer is "I have no idea where the ideas come from."

In the case of the Melody Jackson books, I was writing about my childhood. I'm trying to fulfill a nostalgic need. So the ideas come from life, and are spiced up a bit.

Formula: Real Life + dump in some monsters + add some jokes = stories sort of write themselves.

BMB