Official Website of Allan Walsh
Hello Readers,
I’m just letting you know that I’m currently running a promo on Kobo.
From 23/7/18 until 13/8/18, you can grab a copy of
for just $2.99 AUD.
Why not grab yourself copy today.
Happy reading!
Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in some libraries.
If you liked this post, why not share it with your friends?
Before They Are Hanged
by Joe Abercrombie
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Before They Are Hanged is the continuation of The First Law series and follows the stories of the First of the Magi, Logen Ninefingers, Ferro, and many more of the host of characters within the book.
The Cover: Not a terrible cover, quite simple and plain, but nothing special. It does fit well with the others in this series and conveys the genre.
The good stuff: This book has a full cast of characters and Mr Abercrombie moves easily from one to another allowing the story to flow. I love the relationship between Logen Nine fingers and Ferro, The sudden shifts in temperament of Bayaz, the character arc Jezal Dan Luthar moves through as his character grows and there is so much more to love within the pages of this book. The story and the characters paths come together like a peacocks feather: Beautiful, colourful, and consisting of numerous barbs that all seem to converge on a pointed spine. Joe has created a dangerous, intriguing world and I absolutely love it. I have come to expect great things from Joe Abercrombie and he did not disappoint me with this novel.
The Bad Stuff: As with most other novels I’ve read by Joe, the only bad thing is that the book comes to an end and you want more.
In my opinion, this is a superbly written fantasy novel with a well established society, governments, clans, etc… The action, twists and political scheming keeps coming and holds the readers interest until the end. There are some richly described places, well defined characters and interesting fantasy elements. I have come to expect great things from Joe Abercrombie and he has not let me down with this fantastic novel. Call me biased if you will, but JA is without doubt my favourite author and I’m giving this one a blood thirsty 5 out of 5 golden bookmarks with a huge, deranged grin.
Want to know if you agree with my review? Grab your own copy from these links:
Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.
If you liked this post please share it on social media.
Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel by Lisa Cron
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a non-fiction title that looks at planning and forming connections between your characters and the reader’s emotions using the craft of writing.
The Cover: The cover is a good fit with the non-fiction genre and the image is fitting for the concept spoken about within the book.
The Good Stuff: This book covers some of the techniques a writer needs to know: Plotting, planning, characters arcs, etc… but it is done an entirely new way compared to other books I have read on these topics. There is some great information in this book and I did find the concept interesting and somewhat enlightening. The author is obviously talented and experienced in this field, and shares a wealth of her knowledge with the reader. I certainly found some insights into new ways of looking at things that I will put into use.
The Bad Stuff: I hate to say it, but I struggled through this book. I struggled because I like to get to the point quickly, but the author seems to waffle on a bit too much for me. I’m not saying it was a bad book, because it wasn’t bad by any means. I struggled because the examples were in a genre I do not read. I struggled because the author tries to make a closer connection with the reader. I struggled because it was too nice and fluffy for me. I can see many readers would love this, but it isn’t for me.
Overall, for a writer, there is value in reading this book. If you write romance or ‘chick lit’ you will probably love it. If it were written using horror or fantasy examples and was more succinct, I would have raved about it. As it stands, I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either. I’m ranking this one 3 out of 5 golden bookmarks for a worthwhile lesson in connecting with readers.
Want to know if you agree with my review? Grab your own copy from these links:
amazon.com
amazon.com.au
Get it on Kobo
Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.
If you liked this post please share it on social media.
How To Be A Writer: Secrets from the Inside
by Stewart Ferris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
How To Be A Writer: Secrets from the Inside by Stewart Ferris is a non-fiction title that provides information, tips and techniques on the craft of writing.
The Cover: This cover fits the non-fiction genre and clearly defines what the book is about.
The Good Stuff: There is some great information in this book and it is written in a plain, down to earth style that makes it easy to read. The author is open and clearly conveys his sound knowledge of each of the topics covered. This would be a great book for someone just starting out as a writer. For the seasoned writer, you will not gain as much, you may learn something new or you may not, but at the least I would say you will gain some inspiration or a reminder of something you have let your focus slip from.
The Bad Stuff: There really isn’t anything bad to say about this book. As mentioned in the good stuff, if you are an experienced writer, I doubt that you will gain much from this book, but the experienced writer is not the target audience. So, if this is you, do not expect anything new or ground-breaking, look for the one or two tips, some inspiration or a refresh of something you’ve loosened your grip on.
Overall, if I were new to writing, this would be a welcomed addition to my bookshelf. As a writer with some experience, I still found some value in this book, therefore, I’m giving this one a pen pushing 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks.
Want to know if you agree with my review? Grab your own copy from these links:
Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.
If you liked this post please share it on social media.
Hello Readers,
As an author it can be hard to gain new readers. Sure we could spend a heap of money on advertising and get our books in front of a heap of people, but that still doesn’t convince them to give us a try. The best form of promotion comes from readers who have already read our books. If you want to help out an author, here are some quick and easy ways you can do so:
There are probably many other ways you can help an author, these are just a few ideas to get you started. But one of the best things is that you can smile to yourself, knowing you have just helped an author out.
Happy Reading.
Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in some libraries.
If you liked this post, why not share it with your friends?
Hello Readers,
I submitted my latest story to my writer’s group and got some feedback yesterday. It is always interesting when you receive differing opinions, but it makes it hard to work out which way to go with your writing sometimes. The submission was a fantasy/horror piece that started as a short story. I finished it some time ago and had been letting it sit after some previous feedback. The general consensus at that time was, they loved the concept, but it was more than a short story and I should continue writing it.
I picked it back up about a month or two ago and started to add to it. I have some new characters and I’ve built a bit more of a plot. I’ve also added more details around the concept and had to alter some of the previous content to align it with the changes. Anyway, after my latest submission there were a couple of people that really loved it and gave me glowing feedback. And then there were others who felt confused, said it needed to be clearer, and had questions on how the concept works. I’m not big on the details, as a writer I don’t think everything needs to be explained. I like to throw things out there and let my readers read between the lines, drawing their own conclusions. After all, I write fantasy and some things can’t be explained, they just are. But my dilemma is that some people thought I should leave it as a short story and others thought it could be a longer work. Now I’m wondering what to do. Do I leave it as a short story, publish now and move on to my next project, or do I carry on and turn it into a novella or a novel? I may just keep writing, send both versions to my Beta readers to see which they prefer, hoping there is a clear winner.
Happy Reading.
Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in some libraries.
If you liked this post, why not share it with your friends?