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Book Reviews, Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week, Uncategorized, weekly self published book review

Tuesday Book Review: “Jacaranda: Tails Before Bed”

Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if he or she doesn’t know it exists? Paired with other elements of your book promotion strategy, requesting reviews is a great way to get people talking about what you’ve written.
When we read good reviews, we definitely like to share them. It gives the author a few (permanent) moments of fame and allows us to let the community know about a great book. Here’s this week’s book review:

Jacaranda Tails Before Bed by E W Bosworth/ Edward Lewis

readers' favorite book award winner

Jacaranda: Tails Before Bed

by E.W. Bosworth

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781478715863

Synopsis*:

In Jacaranda: Tails Before Bed, E. W. Bosworth shares personal dilemmas nevertheless common to us all. The scope of his engagement with life’s contradictions, including his subtle evocation of the great antinomies – thought and feeling, sound and silence, comfort and unrest – is evident from one page to the next, one stanza to the next, and frequently within the precarious balance of a single line. This is Bosworth’s individual response to the uniformity of post-post-modernism in contrast to which he offers a unique voice indicative of what he names “postmodern formalism”.

Asked in an interview of May, 2012, to clarify that term, he responded: “Since about 1970 American poetry has become increasingly dedicated to evincing a psychology of deconstructive theory in which the persona, the proffered speaker, is determined above all to avoid direct statement (logocentrism) with the result that indirection has become, repeatedly, the “new” direction in putative service of a transcendental subjectivity. But the human ego is not so easily dismissed, nor will its individual goals submit to categorical erasure. The poetic method of group-theory is programmatic to the extent that in the typical journal it is difficult to distinguish originality from consent. From an aesthetic perspective, there could be no more telling evidence of logocentricity than that. A postmodern formalism must embody, must demonstrate, must enact the contradictions inherent in a systematic denial of history.”

 * courtesy of Amazon.com

Featured Review

“Jacaranda: Tails Before Bed” is a 127-page book of poetry by E. W. Bosworth. It is divided into six chapters of random poems that deal with love and life. Bosworth is a new poet and, according to him, his writing is a reaction to the uniformity of post-post-modernism. He calls this unique voice postmodern formalism, which embodies, demonstrates and enacts the contradictions that he believes are inherent in a “systematic denial of history.” Each chapter in the book starts with black and white images that seem to hold meanings too. Reading his poems is like listening to a new voice in poetry that is waiting to be heard.

It is simply difficult to ignore Bosworth’s poems as they draw us into his varied experiences. In ‘Craft’, he says: “A poet wrote that walls don’t have to be confining, nothing to make a body “fret”. “He came up with that while wandering around the mountain with a sonnet in his head.” I guess this sums up pretty well the author’s creative process, and the simplicity in his choice of words makes his poems quite charming. Much of Bosworth’s poetry is inspired by the people and the events that surround him but there are also flowers, birds, snow, philosophy, history, and the human struggle that soars above us all. His poems are full of images and, as a reader, I try to find out his meaning to determine where he is bringing us. Through his experiences in life, just what is this poet trying to say? In the first lines of his poem ‘Parole’, he writes: “Looking into the Jacaranda is looking into your life no wonder there’s so much simile on top of simile.” Indeed, his poems leave me to determine, for myself, which features of his reference point he is trying to predicate. This is an enjoyable and insightful book of poetry.

– reviewed by  Maria Beltran for Readers’ Favorite

Other Reviews

E.W. Bosworth is a new poet to me. Opening Jacaranda was like opening Ed Dorn’s Collected Poems. Ed Dorn as mentored by Charles Olson. Bosworth’s inventiveness and brilliance are never in doubt here. This is American Poetry for Americans. Americans who read poetry. Read the poem “Carolina.” Often there is a brio in the line that pushes the poem to unforgettableness. If you ask me, buy the book. Even the illustrations, unfortunately in black and white, are worth it.

– Amazon reviewer Robert Bense

All Bosworth’s tight knits are re-versed with pearls, crossing his needles out and back, in a postmodern twist of creating while casting off, dropping stitches and rows . With form held in ‘bolts of iron’ , the breaks come amidst the words, sometimes within a word. Sleep…wake….break- if you don’t get it, don’t worry about it!

– Amazon reviewer Keep

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Thanks for reading!  Keep up with the latest in the world of indie and self-published books by watching this space!

Self Publishing Advisor

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amazon, news from the self publishing world, self publishing news, Uncategorized

Self-Publishing News: 3.5.2018 – The Company Files!

march

And now for the news!

Some highlights from this month in the world of self-publishing, specifically news from or regarding self-publishing companies!

Starting with some positive news today, we recommend you check out this press release courtesy of Outskirts Press and Benzinga, a premier source for the latest in information on the self-publishing industry (among others). At the heart of this story … well, a lot of heart. A lot of love! Because it’s almost that time of year, isn’t it? And Outskirts Press is determined to ensure that those authors choosing to self-publish this year have the best possible Valentine’s Day ever! This self-publishing company, which has a history of both fantastic deals and long-term contributors to this blog, will be giving authors twenty percent off in a flash sale on its popular Full-Color and Ultimate publishing packages. That’s a pretty sweet deal–almost as sweet as the real and genuine care which this company is reputed to take with those works which pass through its expert services. Of course, we’re a little biased. But Outskirts Press has been voted #1 Publishing Company by Top Consumer Reviews, several years running!

Computing, a scrupulously reputable news engine dedicated to technology (particularly in the UK) is now reporting on further developments in the case against Amazon, which recently shuttered many of its CreateSpace services. Elizabeth covered those earlier developments in a separate blog (which you can read here) several weeks back, but it’s worth noting that the company is rapidly moving from treating its author base poorly to being downright disreputable, and that criminals have found a way to exploit the website without Amazon taking decisive action to shut them down. It’s a complicated story, and one we’ll be following closely. We highly recommend you check out Computing contributor Nicholas Fearn’s full article at the link.

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As a self-publishing author, you may find it helpful to stay up-to-date on the trends and news related to the self-publishing industry.This will help you make informed decisions before, during and after the self-publishing process, which will lead to a greater self-publishing experience. To help you stay current on self-publishing topics, simply visit our blog every Monday to find out the hottest news. If you have other big news to share, please comment below.

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Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer, Royalene Speaks, Uncategorized

Conversations : The Best of Royalene Doyle (part 9)

Celebrating the Best of Royalene Doyle

and her fantastic Conversations

farewell goodbye waving

We’ve spent several weeks now examining some of Royalene’s banner series for Self Publishing Advisor. But what about standalone posts? Do any leap out at us?

Why yes, yes they do. And the first such post we’d like to mention today is one in which Royalene admonishes us to feed our minds, bodies, spirits … and imagination! The reminder to do so is an important one, as we’re all prone to privileging certain notions of productivity–or quantity, or speed–over the quality of the finished product. And ultimately, as Royalene reminds us constantly, writing is about savoring the experience of life. This post really sinks its teeth into some of the ways we can get started doing just that! This post is absolutely worth coming back to, time and again!

When we think of relaxation, we often think of a welcoming armchair and a mug of hot coffee, tea, cider, or something along those lines. And with all the wisdom of decades of experience, Royalene uses this post from April of last year to re-center us all on the virtues and value of contemplation, of relaxing into the reflective mindset when it comes to re-envisioning our work. (And working out its flaws.) There’s a reason why the path to success looks different for every person, of course, and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to any thorny issue in the craft of writing. But we’ll all get just a little bit closer, Royalene suggests, if we take a moment to step back. And consider. We simply love this post, and find it a useful reminder on our busiest weeks that sometimes … the most productive thing we can do is slow down.

And in this, our last featured post for the week, we wanted to point our readers back to Royalene’s “Coffee and Mulled Cider” celebration from September of last year, in which she explored ways in which to “mull over” your book and emerge from the process with an even stronger, more powerfully compelling, book. A hint? The sense play a role, as does C.S.I.

No, not the now-defunct television show–the systematic examination of the details in order to construct a working hypothesis of why some things are working and some things aren’t! Royalene also taps into the wisdom of opportunities, and on the stick-to-it-ness which is often required to make a success of the things we really love.

***

That’s all for this week! We’ll be back next Friday as we detail more of Royelene’s greatest hits, as determined by our blog’s analytics. You can follow Royalene’s further adventures by checking out her Twitter feed (her handle is @RoyaleneD) or her website at www.DoyleWritingServices.com. We miss you, Royalene! ⚓︎

Royalene

ABOUT ROYALENE DOYLE: Royalene has been writing something since before kindergarten days and continues to love the process. Through her small business—DOYLE WRITING SERVICES—she brings more than 40 years of writing experience to authors who need “just a little assistance” with completing their projects. She developed these blogs for Outskirts Press (OP) a leading self-publisher, and occasionally accepts a ghostwriting project from one of their clients. Her recent book release (with OP) titled FIREPROOF PROVERBS, A Writer’s Study of Words, has received excellent reviews including several professional writer’s endorsements given on the book’s back cover.
Royalene’s writing experience grew through a wide variety of positions from Office Manager and Administrative Assistant to Teacher of Literature and Advanced Writing courses and editor/writer for an International Christian ministry. Her willingness to listen to struggling authors, learn their goals and expectations and discern their writing voice has brought many manuscripts into the published books arena. December 2017 marked the end of Royalene’s tenure at Self Publishing Advisor. and we will be spending the next few weeks celebrating some of her all-time hits, her most well-received articles for our blog, in thanks for years of generous service.
Book Reviews, Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week, Uncategorized, weekly self published book review

Tuesday Book Review: “Guardians”

Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if he or she doesn’t know it exists? Paired with other elements of your book promotion strategy, requesting reviews is a great way to get people talking about what you’ve written.
When we read good reviews, we definitely like to share them. It gives the author a few (permanent) moments of fame and allows us to let the community know about a great book. Here’s this week’s book review:

guardians brad anderson

readers' favorite book award finalist

Guardians

by Brad Anderson

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432793357

Synopsis*:

Peace Has Existed Between Humans and Vampires for Centuries …

But Everything Comes to an End.

For hundreds of years, Los Guardianes de la Paz – the Guardians of Peace – have enforced an uneasy truce between humans and vampires. When vampires kill two Mexicans on the Rio Grande, everything changes. The vampires must now find a new place to live – and a reliable, clean food supply. Meanwhile, former DEA agent Robert Mackie is on a simple – but dangerous – mission: ferret out the turncoat who had blown his cover as a dedicated employee of a notorious East Coast drug lord.

Through a twist of fate, however, his quest for justice ends up putting his niece and nephew in grave danger. Suddenly, the children are thrown into the mix of an enormous vampire family in the higher reaches of the Guadalupe Mountains in West Texas. One of the children there, 13-year-old Greg Pike, is about to find himself the star attraction in the vampires’ version of a fox hunt – unless he can escape first. Now Carlos Santiago, the eldest of the Guardians, must find the help he needs to put an end to the violence and set things right with the world again. But nothing is as it seems, and death lurks around every corner. Combining elements of the thriller, mystery, and the occult, Guardians is a fast-paced and thoughtful look at a collision of cultures both human and otherwise.

 * courtesy of Amazon.com

Featured Review

I chose to review this book because the story sounded so interesting. In fact, this book is so gripping that I couldn’t put it down. The story jumps out and grabs the reader from the word “Go.” The book begins innocuously enough, with several story threads seemingly unrelated. But wait … gradually those threads intertwine to create a tightly-paced, thrilling chase to the death. Brad Anderson has a practical approach to the paranormal, making his vampires utterly believable and thereby creating a solid, credible plot. He mixes up genres to create a fascinating blend of thriller, mystery, and paranormal. The plot is fascinating, and unlike anything I’ve ever read. Although adults take the spotlight every now and again, it is the character of young Greg Pike that rises above the others. The author isn’t afraid to delve into the grittier realities of life when dealing with his characters’ situations and dilemmas. I found the ending unresolved, but there are definite hints at more to come in this genre. If you are looking for something to keep you riveted, read this book. Highly recommended.

– reviewed by Fiona Ingram for Readers’ Favorite

Other Reviews

At last a book where people are really intelligent and not just sheeples! This is a great story of humans against vampires and for once the people actually have a chance. I love the reluctant hero, Robert Mackie. He is just minding his own business as an undercover agent and his cover gets blown and he gets catapulted into the world of run a muck vampires that just happen to snatch his niece and nephew. He enlists the aid of Carlos Santiago to help him recover them. While they are hunting for the children, the children are giving the vampires a run for their money! This is a great tale of mystery and adventure. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a book they just can’t put down!

– Amazon reviewer Kandy Kay Scaramuzzo

This is one of those books that once you start reading, you hope you have nothing else planned for your day! The mysterious plot line keeps you entertained as the activities of the characters become more and more entwined all the way through the storyline. I never thought I would really care to read a “Vampire” book, however I am ready to read and enjoy Guardians II!

– Amazon reviewer Lorrie Kloss

Book Trailer

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Thanks for reading!  Keep up with the latest in the world of indie and self-published books by watching this space!

Self Publishing Advisor

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Self-Publishing News: 2.26.2018 – Publishing Trends Roundup

February concept. stationery and notebook, business background

And now for the news!

Some highlights from this month in the world of self-publishing, specifically regarding publishing trends within the publishing industry, and their implications for all authors!

Our first stop on this week’s tour through the week’s news when it comes to publishing trends is the UK, where The Bookseller‘s distinguished contributor, Gordon Wise, offers up a salient and timely defense of … well … the country’s success! Or rather, the successes of the Association of Authors’ Agents (or AAA, not to be confused with roadside assistance). This organization, which is now more than 100 member institutions strong, provides vital services to these members, not least its ability to raise the profile of publishing at large. Writes Wise, the AAA has become “a named body that the Intellectual Property Office has consulted on various publishing-related matters,” including matters as lofty as Brexit and the goings-on at 10 Downing Street, where the Prime Minister makes his home while in office. But this isn’t just a celebration of hard-won successes already in hand; it’s a rallying cry for industry professionals in a country riven and likely to continue being riven by deep political and cultural conflicts–many of which have the potential to impact all creative industries. A worthy read!

Next we move to Australia, where the BooksAndPublishing.com.au website has recently posted a report on the findings of a Macquarie University study into innovation within the Australian publishing industry. The full article is restricted to subscribers, which many of you may already be. If not, you’ll have to be content with the highly suggestive hints delivered in the first paragraph, or you can sift through the research summary published on the Macquarie University website (go to: https://www.mq.edu.au/newsroom/2018/02/08/australian-book-publishers-lift-their-game-to-be-more-competitive-but-some-are-faring-better-than-others-new-study/ for more)! The general consensus seems to be: yes, everything’s not perfectly peachy, but Australian authors and publishers are finding a way, and one of the contributing factors to their adaptability is the rise of self-publishing!

Last but not least, we go to Gillian Tett of the Financial Times, who recently published an article digging into that very same rise of self-publishing, only from the perspective of a mother to young writers–writers who are taking full advantage of the many self-publishing options open to them, including Wattpad and others. This article, which reads more like a journey of self-discovery than it does an exposé or a crunching of the numbers, provides a valuable insight not often to be found in reflections on self-publishing: what it’s like to come at the industry from the outside, and from a place of personal connection to very young writers, writers who are completely untethered from traditional publishing’s stifling expectations and even the first wave of self-publishing companies’ insistence on following the form as closely as possible. A fascinating aspect of this transition to the brave new world of second- or third- or fourth-wave self-publishing is that it’s firmly rooted in the social–not just social media, but the social motivation, a desire to write for others and place one’s work within the larger ongoing conversations of one’s peers. It’s an insightful look, and well worth reading the full article!

spa-news

As a self-publishing author, you may find it helpful to stay up-to-date on the trends and news related to the self-publishing industry.This will help you make informed decisions before, during and after the self-publishing process, which will lead to a greater self-publishing experience. To help you stay current on self-publishing topics, simply visit our blog every Monday to find out the hottest news. If you have other big news to share, please comment below.

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