Real Books Hit the Comeback Trail.

I read in the press the other day that “real books” are making something of a comeback. Phew! I’m pleased about that, seeing as my profession is one of being a bookseller. I have now more than 12,000 titles in stock, yes in the house, and please don’t ask me where they all are, because they are everywhere! Well, maybe not in the loo, for obvious reasons. Users might run out of tissue and grab pages from a nearby title and that would be an unmitigated disaster. There are limits!

   And I can honestly say that I have never sold an ebook for any other writer, (yes, I do sell them written by yours truly) which is almost the complete opposite of actual books where I sell every day by any number of writers, but not so many of my own – weep weep!

   When ebooks and ereaders first appeared I stupidly went on record in saying that they would never catch on, - the machines wouldn’t work in the sunlight, they would forever be running out of juice, and would make readers cross-eyed, all predictions way off the mark that couldn’t have been more wrong and I am happy to set the record straight now.

   Today, I sell ten ebooks for every one “real book” and the odd thing is that though I sell the ebooks for a quarter of the price of an actual book, I make more on an ebook, and I guess that makes sense when you take into account there are no printing costs, no packing and no postage costs, and the buyer receives the ebook within seconds, so there is rarely a problem on delivery.

   So, it’s good to read that “real books” are making a comeback. Personally, I don’t think they ever really went away, for there is something truly special about the feel and smell of a freshly printed book, something that a sterile ereader can never reproduce, though I am now becoming very wary of dissing technology, for before you know it some boffin will invent a smell-o-vision app that can release occasional odours of new book and fresh print, God forbid. Is nothing sacred?

Giant Four-Foot Rat Found Dead in London

A giant four-foot rat has been found dead in Hackney in a children’s playground in East London. It was bigger than a cat or a small dog, and was found in an area popular with takeaway restaurants, and it is believed to have beefed up to super-rat proportions on the leftover and discarded chicken curry takeaway meals.

The rat weighed the same as a 4-year old child and no doubt could have done quite some damage if it chose to do so. It was believed to have died after feeding on poison put down specifically to deal with the infestation.

And that leads me on nicely to a mention of my book “Down into the Darkness”. Here’s the booktrailer for that title which you might like to have a look at:

And if you go on to read the book you will better understand the connection between the two!

And while I talking about this title here is an independent book review that I have just noticed on Goodreads.com.

The most terrifying horror stories are the ones that can actually happen. They make you wonder and fear that it will happen to you. Stories with supernatural elements are great, but these are the ones that truly get to you. And that's what happened with me and Down into the Darkness, which I got from a Goodreads giveaway.

This is the story of Tony Jenks and he tells it in a very friendly and informal way. It feels like a friend telling you what he did last weekend, as it feels very real. He tells you about the people who live in the other three flats in the Edwardian house he lives in and about his co-worker on whom he has a crush. The pictures he paints of them are very alive with all the details and little things that make them look like real people.

The story progresses and you see the bits and pieces coming together and you know something very not good is going to happen. When it does happen, after all the anticipation, it is horrible (in the good way of horror stories). It scared me then and now I still feel a shiver down my spine when I hear a sound late at night.

That's one of the things that makes a good story: it stays with you. And this most certainly did.

Thank you to the kind Carolina for that contribution.

It’s a short book, but a very inexpensive one, and it would make my day if you purchased a copy.

As ever, thanks for reading,

David C.

Hampshire Evacuees by Eric Wyeth Gadd - Book Review

What a fantastic little book this is.

Some of the descriptions of air raids on New Milton brought tears to my eyes.

All my dad’s family resided in New Milton throughout the war, except for the “big boys” of course, who were away fighting, including my dad in the RN. - Cecil (Nick) Carter.

I particularly liked the description of the cricket match on the Rec sharing the field with the Home Guard who were doing rifle drill, followed around at every step by young boys with their bows and arrows, aping their seniors. Wish I'd seen that!

I played cricket and football on that same Rec barely fifteen years later, not having a clue at the excitement and exciting, and downright dangerous times that had taken place on that very same ground.

The death through bombing of the evacuated family from Southampton to Vincent Road really cracked me up!

If you have any interest in evacuees, World War II in general, or New Milton and Barton-on-Sea, this is an essential little book to acquire.

Lest we forget.

Highly recommended.

Follow me on twitter @TheBookBloke

Dad's Medals - the most important one (the BEM) he gave to the window cleaner to pay the bill when he had no cash in the house!

St David's Day - Super Tuesday - and The Inconvenient Unborn Day!

Yes, The Inconveient Unborn is out today on the Kindle platform, and that's exciting for me.

Here's the book trailer that you might be interested in having a look at:

and here's some Amazon booklinks:

And here's a link to The Inconvenient Unborn page where you can read the first two chapters right now.  Click here.

Hope you like it.

Have a great St David's Day, or whatever it is you are doing today, and have fun!

David C.

Book Review - Beyond the Red Carpet by Debbra Lynn

Sophia Vaughn is an aspiring screenwriter and moves to Tinseltown, Hollywood, to be close to the action. But like hundreds of others, initially finds film work hard to come by, and takes employment in a catering company, waitressing and serving, to makes ends meet, until her big break comes along.

   And it is at a drunken moviemaker’s decadent house party that she first comes across the man of her dreams, assistant director Marcus Donovan. She has never met anyone quite like Marcus before. When he stands close to her every cell in her body tingles, the hairs on her arms stand up, and Sophia is immediately convinced that Marcus is her one and only life partner.

   Marcus likes Sophia too well enough, and makes his play, and she can’t say no to him, and within days they set off for Las Vegas, and a small and hasty wedding. So begins Debbra Lynn’s impressive debut novel “Beyond the Red Carpet”.

   If you like stories based in Hollywood, full of wealthy and glamorous people and all that goes with it, you will love this. I have to confess it isn’t the kind of book I would usually pick up, but I found this a satisfying read. It is easy to get into, the pace is fast, the dialogue crisp and believable, and the story really rattles along, keeping the reader interested and making it a quick read. Part of the story is set in the present, and some in flashback, a device I have always enjoyed reading.

   And do Sophia and Marcus live together happily ever after? I couldn’t possibly say! You will have to get hold of a copy to find out and explore the many exciting twists and turns that are guaranteed to keep you interested till the very end. You won’t be disappointed. A promising debut, with a nice cover too. Recommended.

NOW SCHEDULING:

"The Inconvenient Unborn" Book Blog Tour running throughout March 2016.

If you have a bookblog why not take a look at this and access some great new content for your website?

Click here for more information on that.

Hope you'll get on board!!

Have fun,

David C.

The Inconvenient Unborn - Book Trailer.

Here's the book trailer for my forthcoming book, "The Inconvenient Unborn", which tells the story of two feuding families.

The story is mainly located on the south coast in and around Lymington, and is set in the near future.

It is due for release on March 1st 2016. Stay tuned for more information on that.

England in the near future - Though you may not like what you see.

352 pages, and it will be available in paperback and as an Ebook.

Horses and Dogs and Humans at Beaulieu Point-to-Point Horse Races in the New Forest - Boxing Day 2016

And the gorse in full flower at Christmas too! 

And despite the wet under foot conditons and the blustery day, a good time was had by all, even though my companion fell over in the muck!!!

Yes, I Am Now On Twitter  (At Long Last!!!)

Yes I am now on TWITTER - so why not follow me and I will probably follow you too - (I don't follow sex, violence, hatred or any sites that bear no relevance to Books and Publishing and Writing.

You will find me @thebookbloke.

Follow @thebookbloke

Tweets by @thebookbloke

Hope to see you there in the Twittersphere,

have a great day,

David C. 

First Person or Third Person?

When Writing or Reading Do You Have a Preference, and Why?

If you are a scribbler, which point of view (POV) do you prefer to write in, and if you are reader, do you have any preference when choosing books to read?

The reason I pose this question is because my friend, Anne, a voracious reader of chicklit, (she gets through a mountain of the stuff every month!) but will only ever buy books written in the third person. She detests stories written in the first, so much so that one of my recent books, Down into the Darkness, albeit a short one, she would not touch, when I mentioned it was written in the first person.

I found I quite enjoyed the change, and have even started writing another one that way, provisionally entitled ROWENA, though I suspect I shall always write my longer books in the third person, for it seems more natural to me. The first person choice appears to suit shorter stories and novellas much better, though I have no idea why that is.

I mentioned that Anne refused point blank to read DITD on Goodreads, and was quite surprised to receive several lovely letters (emails to you and me!) telling me that they absolutely adored first person books, and would only ever buy such things, and I should keep writing them, so clearly there is a big divide amongst some folk as to their preference.

It’s interesting that one of the most successful writers of today, Lee Child, when writing his eponymous hero, Jack Reacher, varies between telling the stories in the first and the third. I wonder what the thinking is behind that. Maybe he simply enjoys the change.

And also that John Irving, when presenting one of his tome-like books to his publisher, was told, or maybe more likely, advised, that it was okay, for a first draft, but it would have been much better if written in the first person, and could he please go away and re-write it accordingly, to which he blew out hard, and went off and duly did as requested, and of course the book went on to sell millions of copies. Perhaps afterwards he was glad he took their advice!

So, I pose this question to you today dear reader, or writer, which POV do you prefer, and why exactly is that?

Have a great day,

And night,

Have fun,

David Carter.

© David Carter 2015