Snob's Guide to New Zealand

I've written a useful guide to New Zealand, out now in Paperback and on Kindle. This book will need to be read by anyone interested in a move to New Zealand. It reveals how Kiwis think and from a snob's perspective what are the best schools, cities, cool places?

It goes deeper than you find with most guides. What other guides do is gloss over things or they describe only how to do something. They don't contain criticism or they're too stale. What Snob's Guide to New Zealand does is assume you know how to do things, like fill in forms. But what you really need to know is; what will you experience and who will you come up against?

But this book isn't just a guide, it will also be valuable for Kiwis too. From this book they can measure where they're at, where they're going, how to get there. It raises important issues only occasionally addressed in New Zealand.

What are the best schools and universities? Which cities are best? This is a no holds barred type of approach the reader will find invaluable.

Here is the link to the Paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1727804147

Snob's Guide on Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07J9XRCWK

Dana Point - The Latest Novel from Ken Horlor

My third novel has now been released. It's a science fiction story, and the first in a series. What we learn is we are not alone in the Universe and that there has been regular contact with aliens. Revealed is the origins of civilization on Earth and some of the science enabling long distance space travel.

It's also a personal story: On the run from the authorities, Augustus flees his place of refuge as it is about to be destroyed. Now in need of fuel, he heads to Earth with his only son. Augustus expects to find the Roman Empire when he gets there, only to discover it's now 2016 and the Romans aren't around anymore. 

To buy the paperback copy please follow this link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1723249610 
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FP5DLJ1/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Dana Point cover:

Two Decades Naked

It's not fiction but it looks interesting, it's the memoir of a stripper who started out working in Christchurch, New Zealand, anyone seen her strip?

https://www.amazon.com/Two-Decades-Naked-Leigh-Hopkinson-ebook/dp/B01B54U2GG/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1472041840&sr=8-1&keywords=leigh+hopkinson

Turn Me Loose

New release from Rosalind James in May 2016...

Turn Me Loose

http://www.amazon.com/Turn-Me-Loose-Paradise-Idaho-ebook/dp/B018IAZMWE/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

What Makes a Really Great Novel?

I've thought about this a long time. Like, maybe forty years or more. I've read what others think, and mostly they offer good advice. But boiling it all down, the following is my summary, follow the advice carefully and I think you'll write a great book.

1. Have a strong voice

I've read where writers are advised to use an active voice, not a passive one. That's fine but I think you just need to be strong. Sure. To the point. Whether you use long sentences that drag on and on and on. Or short ones. Your voice must be strong.

2. Make it a good story

If you sit around the dinner table and people love the story you're telling, then most likely it would make a good book. Structure the story, plan it, plan the characters, the story arc, protagonist, antagonist, but first make that story a good one that will resonate with a wide cross section.

3. Tell the story well

Get the story out, tell it, make the characters come alive through dialogue. Work on the telling of the story. I liked John Braine's advice (Room at the Top ) to finish each chapter on a cliffhanger. I think what he's saying is to tell the story well. Syntax, get that right, avoid sounding like Yoder. Convey images, and sounds.

Then lastly - and this is where your book becomes great - to get to greatness you have to have at least two of the above in place before you achieve number four. Failure to do that means your story is only adequate or good, not great....drum roll please.....

4. Make the story sing

An obvious example is The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. The song you hear when reading truly great work is a rare thing indeed. 

Now obviously, your book has to sell. If it doesn't, no matter how good the novel is, no-one will read it and no lives will have been touched by your work. So everything above is conditional upon survival, but it doesn't have to be a best seller. The book's status can grow over time. If you do all four things right, then most certainly it will.

The Crushing Son

I am pleased to announce the release of my second novel, The Crushing Son. It is set on the Gold Coast, Australia in the quarrying industry, an industry I know a lot about. The story is about family rivalry, intense competition, feuds, and the heat that oppresses everyone.

The Crushing Son

Deer Keeper

Looks interesting this one, solid reviews...

Putting The Price Up

I'm in a funny place at the moment, contrary to most other authors, my book does not sell well on Kindle, but it does sell well on Amazon through CreateSpace.

This is the book here << Click on This is the book here

So I've put the Kindle version up in price from $2.99 to $4.99, making it a 50% discount on the paperback version. What may have happened is the lower price meant lower quality in most readers minds.

Another observation, it seems to come down to what kind of book you have to sell. Some do well on Kindle, while others lend themselves to the physical copy. There is no absolute in terms of what to do.

In the Land of the Long White Cloud

Sarah Lark....historical fiction, family saga, New Zealand.

The Ultimate Guide to Publishing Your eBook...

General advice on publishing your ebook,

http://www.copyblogger.com/how-to-publish-kindle-ebook/

The Trouble With Dying

Christchurch based author Maggie Le Page

New Novel, Nelson Author

The Cry of the Kuaka NZ Author Roly Andrews, no idea what this is like but the premise sounds interesting.

 

Station Life in New Zealand

by

Mary Anne Barker

First published in 1870, travel back in time with this read.

Tuesday's Choice Selection - Great eBook Reads on Kindle

A selection of the best, just click on the picture and go through to purchase.  The below are currently FREE

This One Looks Interesting on Amazon Kindle

From the blurb...Dave's no superhero, even if he does have a very unusual talent. But when a major New Zealand crime lord comes looking for two million dollars that Dave's wife embezzled, he needs to learn to act like one.

Sentence of Marriage available on Kindle

Sentence of Marriage: Promises to Keep (Volume 1)  by Shayne Parkinson

Showcase Your eBook

So you've written a book and uploaded it to Kindle and you've checked their previewer to find it presents acceptably, now what ? You click publish and your book is live. Now you have to get someone to read it, right ? Well there are over three million books on Amazon and the reader has to find yours and like it enough to download it. That's where this blog comes in, it's created to showcase your book set in or about New Zealand.