Offering value to writers with copy edit and proofread services and resources, and telling my own story.
Next Wednesday, March 1st 2023, is release day for Warlord of the Lonely Fortress – Prelude.
And that’s great news because you can purchase it for very little: £0.99 or its equivalent.
The message of this post seems to be: don’t get it free on my mailing list! Purchase it! 😀
In my last newsletter you may have missed the cover reveal for Warlord of the Lonely Fortress – Prelude, completed by the talented Lawrence Mann
You can glimpse the cover on Amazon
If you’d like to read the book before its release on March 1st 2023, then simply join my newsletter and it’ll come to you powered by mana.
If you’re not feeling Valentine’s this year or you’re feeling gloomy and want something grim:
Warlord of the Lonely Fortress by Alex James could be the book for you. Check out my website’s book page, which includes a video and purchase links.
And if you’re an … Amazon US shopper
Are you a reader elsewhere? Let me know and I’ll find the book page for your favourite retailer.
Your next newsletter will arrive on January 28th, early Saturday morning, and it’s going to be a slightly larger one than usual but you’re free to skip to the parts that interest you. It will include some announcements, a summary on how my publishing plans have unfolded over the past so many months, and some reader freebies!
Alex James Novels is a partner member of the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLI), and a vetted service provider for authors according to ALLI’s service watchdog desk. Joining ALLI has meant I can list my editing/proofreading business in its annual partner service directory, updated quarterly, and it opens up avenues for advertising in its magazines. I can set discounts on their website for author members alongside a range of publishing service providers – some freelance.
The great thing is that you can join as both a partner member and an author member, if necessary, which means I can take advantage of both memberships. I haven’t, as yet, made much use of my author membership. Have you thought about joining a membership organisation such as the Alliance of Independent Authors? If you have, what benefits has joining brought you?
I found Recursion at my library’s audiobook website. I thought the premise was interesting and that I’d give it a try. I listened to about half of it as an audiobook and I must say I loved Barry’s deep voice. Barry is a character in the book who lost his daughter, and separated from his wife. He works as an NYC cop, sometimes investigating ‘False Memory Syndrome’ (FMS). FMS started to be portrayed as something on the sidelines in the story but which Barry is soon forced to investigate head on. Helena is the other main character who came across as someone dedicated to scientific research, helping to build a chair (interesting …) to help her mum’s Alzheimers, yet she’s perhaps someone so buried in her work she doesn’t know what’s to come, and neither does the reader.
It was intriguing having both storylines side by side, and it was difficult deciding between them both. Sometimes I wanted Barry’s to continue and sometimes Helena’s, and so it was with minor criticism that the point of view switched too often.
I don’t want to say too much about what you can expect from Recursion since that will ruin it, but you’re looking at reading a story that is more than you first make it out to be – it’s more than something about to be investigated. As far as my 2022 reads go, it must be up there with my favourites for the impact it had on me and the way it gets your mind working in new ways.
Feeling isolated while building your author brand? You’re not alone! But the good news is that there are tons of awesome authors out there doing the same thing. That’s why I’m excited to invite you to an author meet ‘n’ greet on Zoom. Join from anywhere in the world and mingle with other authors in small breakout rooms. Choose from two different dates: Jan 16th at 8pm Eastern or Jan 23rd at 1:30pm Eastern, or attend both! I hope to see you there!
Explaining Humans draws parallels between the author’s conditions/diagnoses, such as autism and ADHD, and the author’s interest in science, in order to devise coping strategies for the real world, including better thinking patterns where relationships are concerned at the micro and macro level. Sometimes it was like reading a sociology or philosophy book, though I found the content to be interesting, relevant, and individualistic, which I liked.
I’d often think ‘Oh, that’s interesting’, ‘just like me or someone I know’, or something similar. One of the best parts, I felt, was the author’s sense of humour hanging onto the end of sentences. Explaining Humans had been what I was looking for where autism was concerned, and I took great pleasure reading the author’s past experiences and then growth beyond these.
I struggled to understand many of the science-based strategies and how they could be made relevant. In this way, the book was less helpful than I had hoped. It was something that I had fun reading in the present, with curiosity, but it’s not something that will stick with me beyond that.
If you’re looking for an autism/ADHD book, or a ‘lighter’ read for science enthusiasts, you can’t go wrong giving Explaining Humans a try. It may inspire you in different ways.
Sell Books With Collabs author giveaway: four winners and $947 value to spend on publishing services