Catharsis of the Bogue

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Tag: book (Page 1 of 2)

Part of the Blog tour, a book review of Foreign Identity!

July 9, 2014 / / 0 Comments

Hello folks.  Today I am bringing you a review of a new book that has just been released.  For those who have been around a while, you may have heard me talk about a little site called the Creative Copy Challenge.  Well, it was through participation in the weekly challenges that this book, Foreign Identity, was spawned.

I was writing away with my own story (that really should be a book too if I wasn’t so lazy about it) when I started reading the other submissions.  One that caught me up in the story was Foreign Identity by Becca Campbell.  I got caught up in the story and became internet friends with Becca and was more than a little bummed when life got in the way and she didn’t finish the story.

Little did I know then, that she was working hard to make this story a novel.  And it is good.  Becca sent me a review copy of Foreign Identity (for free FTC, I know you are listening) and asked me to read it.  I was excited to really find out what happened to the main characters, Jax and Kel.  But more about that in a minute.

I don’t think that anyone knows (becasue I have never told anyone) that I actually cut and copied the entries from the CCC into a Word file so that I could either read it again or just finish what I missed.  At the last count in Word, Foreign Identity was 36,700 words long.  Not too shabby, but not a novel.  Now it is fleshed out and it is fun to see wha thas been added and what finishes the story.

Now for the review.  The book, I loved it.  The marketing and publishing through The Consortium (Oklahoma City based with some other people you have heard me talk about, Aaron Pogue, Courtney Cantrell, (I love to be able to actually name drop)) is just independent genius.  It gives me hope for my novels if I ever get them finished.

Ok, the book.

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Finally finishing what should have been done before

May 27, 2014 / / 0 Comments

Well folks, today I finally finished something that should have been finished many moons ago.  I finally finished my author page on Amazon.

Image representing Amazon as depicted in Crunc...

I have had a book on Amazon since 2011 and a grand total of 1 sale.  Of course, there could be no sales with no promotion.  I have neglected my career for too long.

Something has changed lately.  I am making myself.  I have been timid and hiding for far too long.  Now, I have 2 books on Amazon.  They are both listed at .99 but free to borrow on Amazon Prime.  Of course, you can get a free copy of “The Blogging Mindset” by joining my email list over there in the right sidebar.  I can count on one hand how many emails I have sent the past year, so there will not be a ton of mail from me.

English: Downtown Oklahoma City from the south...

English: Downtown Oklahoma City from the southeast. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Anyway, I have actually published on Amazon.  This is big for me.  I am stealing publishing and marketing ideas from The Consortium, an Oklahoma City based publishing house run in part by my (hold on, name drops here) friends Aaron Pogue, Courtney Cantrell, and Becca Campbell.  (links are to their respective blogs)

Now, another part of my empire is AnvilForge Press.   I will have to work hard on this over the next few months.  A new site, better copywriting, better promotion.  It’s all in the works.  Now I only have to write some more books to line the virtual shelves with.

Again, this cycle of writing and working has come, and you all can benefit from it.  I have had interest in finishing “The Man in the Hazy Suit” and I think I will republish it on here in it’s first form for some Fiction Saturday fun.  Then I am going to rewrite the thing and AnvilForge Press will publish it.

I also have other books in the works that I can only hope will rival Harry Potter and spring me to stardom.  In the meantime, I blog.  Today you should be reading a Stay at Home Dad post, but I had to get this out.  Next week, there will be theme days.  Maybe I will even write some new Poetry for Tuesday.

Hide and Watch.  And just in case you need to buy something from Amazon, please click through my link over there in the sidebar and help me keep this boat floating.  It doesn’t cost you anything extra.

Thanks for reading.

-Justin

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Writing for Writings Sake

November 11, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Just have to keep it up I say to myself.  Just do it.  How do you ever expect to make anything as a writer if you don’t write?  That is where I am today.  I did get some great Christmas shopping done and a few other things that I needed to do, but it took me quite  the long time to get around to writing.

See I have this problem, I like to procratinate and talk alot.  I am full of …..well knowledge among other things.  I have spent way too much time reading or “researching” how to do things instead of just doing them.

I started kettlebell training last February.  I read a bit then got some small kettlebells.  Then I read.  and Read.  And Read.  Trained a little, and read a lot.  If knowledge of the kettlebell were worth anything tangible, I would be rich.  As it is I am somewhat stronger and do like to use them, but I spend way too much time reading about them and complaining about Jillian Michaels doing it wrong.  Bah.

I am getting the same way about my writing.  I am finally getting off of my duff to write a book that I hope can be published within a year.  I have read tons  of blogs on writing and blogs just to read.  I have written very little.  I have ideas, I have well researched dates to be somewhat historically accurate.  I have barely 1000 words written.

I started this blog to write.  To force myself to write something without consequences.  To write something where the only deadline is midnight.  To force myself to craft, to craft sentences that are coherent and a cohesive message each day.  I can do it.  I have always been able to write fairly well, at least that is smoke that has been blown at me since elementary school.

Hopefully I will accomplish a decent blog.  I am going to work on it.  I will at least write for me whether or not anyone else reads it.  I owe ME that much.  Maybe I will find something of myself in all of these pixels and HTML codes.

Write on,

Justin

Another Book Review: Not the Norm

September 10, 2012 / / 0 Comments

 

Ok so I am not turning this site into a literary review site but my friend Becca Campbell had another story sitting around and she let me read it.  I have to think somewhere in my head that it is her way of trying to get me to finish some of my stuff and get it out there.  I do have Death With A Vengeance on Amazon.

Death With A Vengeance

Anyway I sat down knowing that “Not the Norm” was a short story but I didn’t expect to finish it in one sitting.  That said, I was disappointed that it was that short.  I liked the story, the initial set up was intriguing and then act one ended.  Act two had a really good action scene that ended satisfactorily but then the story was over!

1

Now I like short fiction.  I like to write short stories.  I felt that this story was a bit too short.  There is so much more in this world that Becca has imagined that this story seemed like the trailer to the blockbuster coming next summer.  I would like to know more about the backgrounds of the society where this is set, and then what happens afterward; they can’t just go quietly into the night, they just can’t.

So now comes the part where you decide to go to Amazon or Barnes and Noble or Goodreads (Links coming as they go live) and buy this book.  Go and buy it.  It is a good little read that gives you a good taste of Becca’s mind and storytelling ability.  I really like how she handles the interpersonal relationships in her stories and makes the people seem so real.  Most of my stories only have the hero and the dead guys.  Even when I have a person relationship they die rather quickly.  Becca is really good at keeping people alive and together.

Check out my review of her book Foreign Identity(link is below) for more and go to Amazon or Barnes and Noble to buy it!

Foreign Identity

Later, Justin

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