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The longing to look away from Pieces Like Pottery is disturbing. This is because many of us would rather avoid the uncomfortable feelings evoked by the short stories of Dan Buri. Don’t misunderstand me, this review really is a positive appraisal of these grippingly enticing short stories of misery and regret.
Here are three examples: Imagine trying to deal with your incapacitating grief when your dead child keeps showing signs that they might be alive. What really drives a man to continue for years with his hum-drum job and routines regardless of mental and physical anguish? Or how would you feel if everything wrong with your child (genetically and nurture-wise) has been deemed by society to totally be your fault as a parent? Through many other unnerving themes, Pieces Like Pottery draws the reader in and makes it difficult to put the book down. Buri fills his collection of short stories with realistic characters and startlingly thought-provoking situations. A five out of five stars rating is well-deserved for excellent story writing at its best.
PIECES LIKE
POTTERY Book
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Goodreads Giveaway - Castle on the Hill: Secrets
Take four high school students who have an ever-increasing interest in one another, add a brilliant-but-mad scientist with a creation/immortality obsession, and then top it off with spirits that desperately need to find a host. Mix them all together and you have Castle on the Hill: Secrets, a romantic sci-fi novella written for young adults.
Goodreads
-This event has been postponed until further notice-
Watch this space for further information Program Location: Morris Park Library Speaker: Author Lloyd A. Green EBOOK WRITING![]()
You've always felt that you had a story to tell and you want as many people as possible to read all about it. The session will give pointers on how to properly write that eBook that you've kept inside and how to promote your story so that others will know that you have a voice.
Part I of the session will cover creating a central theme for your story, building on characters, building a plot, tying up loose ends, unresolved issues and grammatical errors. Part 2 will cover placing your work on a website, dealing with self-publishing companies, becoming an independent publisher and sending your work to publishing companies. Lloyd A. Green, published author, will utilize his book, Castle on the Hill: Secrets, as an example for the session.
Morris Park Library
985 Morris Park Avenue Bronx, N. Y. 10462 718-931-0636 www.nypl.org Children of the Fleet![]()
A few years ago, I was blown away by Orson Scott Card’s classic, Ender’s Game. Since then, I’ve been in search of any book, which added life to the Enderverse and I wasn’t disappointed. Seems there are seven books in the Ender series (about the further adventures of Ender Wiggin). Then there’s five novels that make up the Shadow saga about another brilliant kid from Battle school named Bean. His stories run parallel to Ender’s and delve into Bean’s efforts to help save Earth from the aliens (or Formics) and itself. Sprinkled throughout these twelve books is the history of Ender’s and Bean’s families and how they intersect. Add to this mix, three books about the First Formic Wars (long before Ender’s birth) and a one novel (so far) about the Second Formic War. There are two more in this series that have not yet been published.
Reading Orson Scott Cards work is always an intellectual experience with plot twists and well-rounded character development. Needless to say, I was overjoyed when I found that Children of the Fleet was available (which is set right after the events of the original Ender’ Game). I was quite excited to start reading but that was about the height of my excitement. Without hitting any spoilers, the story is about ten-year old Dabeet Ochoa who has the potential to become a great military strategist. The problem with the story begins once Dabeet is aboard the Battle Station (which is now a Fleet School for children training to be planetary explorers). At times, the characters conversations are repetitive and their thoughts are too long and drawn out. When Dabeet is faced with a particular life-and death training, a few pages are used to describe the young boy’s thoughts when a few paragraphs would have been sufficient. The bottom line is that there is so much unnecessary detail that it becomes boring. Perhaps Card is simply setting the stage for this new character to begin his adventures in possible new sequels but as a stand alone novel, Children of the Fleet is disappointing. Overall, the storyline is okay but not up to the level of the other series mentioned. I give the novel three stars. GIVEAWAY![]()
The Kindle version of
CASTLE ON THE HILL: SECRETS will be available for free Thursday, 11/30/17 and Friday, 12/1/17. Get your free copy at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W65TGXO
Years of separation have not changed the warm feelings Ethan and Dora have for one another. The childhood friends reunite at the High School for Dimensional Arts, which accepts only the most talented students and where mind-over-matter rules. But as their relationship blossoms, they discover that something sinister haunts the cold walls of the school. Dora is experiencing a fear of ghosts that she has not felt for years, and her blood runs cold when she finds that Ethan might be involved. Will their love survive? Will they? The answers lie within the not so hallowed halls of the high school of the future, the Castle on the Hill.
PUTTING TOGETHER
When a person looks for a new book to read, they usually spend only a few seconds (either on-line or at the book store) glancing at it. Your job is to catch that person’s attention and make them want to purchase it. This session will review how to make your book stand out from the crowd.
Book Covers Must Catch Your Eye. Like these three examples:
Part 1 - Picking A Title
Example:
My first book was about a young man’s life story in N.Y. with all of it’s twists and temptations, which take the form of the seven deadly sins. The title chosen was:
REFLECTIONS OF EL: In Search of Self
(We will come back to this title soon).
For more details, refer to:
Part 2 - Choosing Cover Art
New Finished Book Cover
For more details, refer to:
https://damonza.com/5-tips-to-choosing-images-for-your-book-cover/
Part 3 - Back Cover (Blurb)
Here’s a back book blurb example for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone:
“Till now there’s been no magic for Harry Potter. He lives with the miserable Dursleys and their abominable son, Dudley. Harry’s room is a tiny closet beneath the stairs, and he hasn’t had a birthday party in eleven years.
But then a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to an incredible place called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And there he finds not only friends, flying sports on broomsticks, and magic in everything from classes to meals, but a great destiny that’s been waiting for him … if Harry can survive the encounter.”
Finished Front and Back Book Covers for REFLECTIONS of EL
Part 4 - Author Information
Distance yourself – write from third person, never “I” (don’t be self-indulgent)
Be your genre – bio must reflect mood of book. Always branding - (within the book give an business email address). Keep it brief (about 75 words) Personal information – it achievements are lacking, personal info can make up for it. Fiction vs. Nonfiction – Nonfiction relies on author’s credentials (Authority on matter). But Fiction should focus on personal ideas above.
A Look Inside The Book
Part 5 - Writing a Foreword, Preface and/or Introduction
Foreword – written by someone other than the author, perhaps an expert in the field.
Preface – author writes why they wrote the book, establish their experience. Introduction – about the content of the book.
For more details, refer to:
http://www.bpsbooks.com/BPS-Books-blog/bid/21727/What-s-the-Difference-Between-a-Foreword-Preface-and-Introduction
Part 6 - Bibliography
You don’t want to be accused of plagiarism
Collect information for each reference:
For more detailed information, refer to:
https://www.createmybooks.com/US/en/write-a-book/sources-used-in-writing-your-book
Part 7 - Copyright Necessity
Your unpublished work is already protected by U.S. copyright, which “…protects an author’s expression in literary, artistic, or musical form.”
According to the U.S. Copyright office, you may wish to place a copyright notice on any unpublished copies of your manuscript that leave your control. Protect your intellectual properties (literary works) Utilize Copyright.com (free) or $35.00 - $500.00
For more detailed information, refer to:
https://www.copyrighted.com/ https://www.wellsiplaw.com/how-much-does-a-u-s-copyright-registration-cost/
If you have any questions, please contact me at:
[email protected] ![]()
The Physics of Astronomy and Science Fiction
by Steven D. Bloom 5 out of 5 Stars Most times, book types can be broken up into categories (technical, historical, science-fiction, etc.), but Steven D. Bloom has created a new genre which is fascinating, compelling and extremely informative. Many times, scientists get so bogged down in the nitty-gritty of proven and theoretical components of physics and astronomy that the laymen will quickly lose interest. Mr. Bloom can be very technical, at times, but he also draws comparisons between science fiction films, television series, novels and short stories, which most readers can easily identify with. By using this technique, I found the book to to be not only a exquisite resource for scientific knowledge but an entertaining reference to new and old books and films. I look forward to an updated version of Mr. Blooms work. The PhysicsLIBRARY EVENT![]() Putting Together an Attractive eBook Speaker: Author Lloyd A. Green Date: Saturday, Nov. 18, 2017, 2:30 pm Program Location: Morris Park Library
You’ve finished your manuscript and you’d like for it to be as presentable as possible so that you can make a great impression to the public. This session will give pointers on properly setting up an attractive-looking eBook, which will quickly get reader’s attention. Topics covered will be:
• Picking a title • Choosing cover art • Copyright necessity • Author information and/or a bibliography • Writing a foreword and/or introduction Lloyd A. Green, published author, will utilize his book, Reflections of EL: In Search of Self, as an example for the session.
Morris Park Library
985 Morris Park Avenue Bronx, N. Y. 10462 718-931-0636 www.nypl.org New WebsiteWelcome, Readers. This is the first blog entry of my new website, LloydAGreen.com. Hope you like the new look. I purposely made it easier to navigate. Take a look around. Updates: ![]()
I'm close to finishing Beyond the Castle on the Hill, which is book two to Castle on the Hill: Secrets. The teens are now in their twenties and living very different lives. There will be romance, mystery, mind-boggling technology and of course, the Castle ghosts.
In November, I will be running paperback and ebook giveaways for my other books so watch this space. As always, I'm doing a monthly library event. I will be posting a reminder next week for those interested in attending. The larger the crowd, the more lively the conversations. The subject will be "Putting Together an Attractive eBook." If you have any questions prior to the event, please send me an email or contact the NYPL at 718-931-0636 (Morris Park Library Branch). I'm going to do my best to do weekly entries. As of now, I'm right on time :)
Anna Saves
Them All?![]()
I've just finished reading a short story by Seth Dickinson called Anna Saves Them All and I was totally blown away. What would you do if you found yourself trapped by an alien being that was hell-bend on destroying all of humanity? Could you find the right words to save everyone on Earth, including yourself?
Anna has thrown herself into this situation with only a short time to find the shocking solution. Seth Dickinson's entertaining short story pulls you into Anna's sense of dread as her uncomfortable past and our uncertain future hangs in the balance. This great tale is storytelling at it's best. Anna Saves Them All is published through Shimmer Magazine |