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Friday, 2 August 2013

Review by Jess Mountifield for "Kings of the World" by Matt Pike

Story Overview:

The galaxy is on the brink of war and only four dysfunctional, hormone-driven teenagers from Earth stand in its way. God help us all.

It didn’t take Cooper long to come to the conclusion that space sucks. It seems everyone there despises humans, everything’s too far away and the travel makes you heave. Worse still, Cooper’s stuck there with his best mate, The Ginge – who can’t tell where games end and reality begins - and two other former classmates who want to beat the crap out of him.

Oh yeah, and people, well… alien people are trying to kill them.

Space does have some good points. The boys can have anything they wish for, all they have to do is ask it … or think it. Plus they are now, somehow, Earth’s leaders - as in, more important than the President of the USA.

If Cooper can only stop the other boys from gorging on their every desire, chasing the most human looking alien women and fighting each other he might convince everyone humans aren’t the galactic equivalent of white trash.

But things are about to get a whole lot worse. War looms and Cooper and his inept sidekicks are caught in the middle. They, the Earth and the Galaxy will never be the same again.

Cover: 19/20

Love the cover for this book. Cute, quirky, geeky and a perfect portrayal of the mood of this book. Only drawback is that the titles a little difficult to read on the smaller sizes of cover.

Characters: 18/20

Only a couple of pages in and I was in love with the main character Cooper. The author had really got the teenage mindset down perfectly. Very occasionally some of the repetitiveness of the other character's flaws annoyed me but it was really only occasionally and for the most part they were perfect too.

I also really liked how big the alien world felt with all the many different aliens from all sorts of different planets. All of them were very well thought through.

Storyline: 16/20

I found the storyline a little stretched at times, but it was more minor things and mostly to do with the timeline. After all the time the boys were away from earth I'd have thought they'd have made a bit more progress in terms of trade and a few other things that I don't want to mention to not spoil the book but I liked the general storyline and how it built to the final events.

Style: 20/20

The style was almost spot on and was very quirky, cute and felt very much like I was reading a teenagers life. Really really liked the style and the battle scenes were very well done. Can't fault the style at all

Spelling and Grammar: 15/20

Only noticed a handful of mistakes so only knocked off a point for that but I did get confused a few times when the story changed scene and there was no break in the text or *** to mark that we were somewhere else or following someone else's thoughts. I really would have appreciated that and it's the only way this book really let me down at all. It's not technically a spelling or grammar issue but it's formatting so I figured it was best here.

Conclusion: 88/100

Great book with a fantastic cast of teenage boys and varied amazing aliens. I laughed aloud at several points and thoroughly enjoyed the whole read. I will definitely be picking up the sequel.

Buy Kings of the World from Amazon.com Buy Kings of the World from Amazon.co.uk

Tuesday, 30 July 2013

Author's Tale: Nicole Storey

Several years ago, I ran into an old “friend” at a local fair. I hadn’t seen her since high school, and we weren’t very close then. She was part of the “preppy” group of kids – you know the type, designer clothes, too much money, sports cars, cheerleaders and jocks. Back in those days, I considered myself Switzerland. I wasn’t a part of any particular click and I tried to get along with everyone. In other words, she didn’t give me the time of day and I couldn’t have cared less.

We made small talk and she asked, “So, what do you do now?” I smiled on the outside, but groaned inwardly and searched for an excuse to leave so I wouldn’t have to answer. I hated that question back then. When you tell someone you’re a stay-at-home-mom, they automatically picture you lying on the couch in a pair of ratty pajamas, hair a cyclone-mess, stuffing your face with something unhealthy while watching soap operas on the Boob Tube. Most reactions are typical. First, you get “The Look.” It’s hard to explain unless you’ve been on the receiving end. Picture someone trying to maintain a smile while realizing they just stepped in a pile of doggy-doo. After that comes the standard reply of, “Oh, that’s great!” which is said in either a condescending tone or one used for those who just revealed that someone close to them died. She did not disappoint. It was at that very moment, while her cheeks flamed in embarrassment for me and (I’m sure) she immediately began a check list in her mind of all our mutual friends she could inform that I did nothing with my life, that I decided I needed a change. I loved being able to stay at home with my kids and I still do. I have my reasons for this choice I made and I don’t have to explain them to anyone. However, I needed something of my own – something that wasn’t connected to my husband or kids. The next day, I began to write.

When I started Grimsley Hollow: The Chosen One, I never had any intentions of publishing it. It was a story, a way to pass the time, a little something for my children. My son had just started middle school and we quickly came to realize that autism and a school full of pre-adolescent kids who are confused, unsure of themselves, and either uneducated where special-needs kids are concerned or just down-right mean, did not mix. Bullying was as natural as breathing for some, and my son was a favorite target. I wanted to write a book where he was the hero, where differences such as autism or how a person looked were brushed aside and the word friendship meant what it should. I wanted to educate, empower, and entertain. The book would contain two very important messages: Not all heroes wear capes and special-needs kids want the same things as other kids – to be accepted and have friends.

It took years to finish my book. Life tends to get in the way and I wasn’t on a time schedule. When I finished, my son and mother-in-law read the printed pages slipped into plastic covers and preserved with love in a cheap binder from Wal-Mart. They loved it. I wasn’t surprised. After all, my son was the hero in a magical realm and my mother-in-law is family. They were supposed to say they loved it. Soon after, my mother-in-law asked me if I thought about having it published. I laughed at the time, but the idea had been planted in my mind (her intention for bringing it up in the first place) and I began to research online.

I discovered author Amanda Hocking. I read about how she self-published her books and made a name for herself in the world of writing. After that, I stumbled upon book and writing groups on Facebook and found out that many authors were self-publishing and they called themselves Indies. I was amazed! With the help of others, I got my book formatted and bought a pre-made book cover from the same artist who designed some of the covers for Hocking’s books. With a wish and a prayer, I sent my baby out into the digital world. I was a published author.

I’ve made many mistakes on this exciting (and sometimes bumpy) path. However, I’ve also done a few things that turned out okay. Since that fateful day in 2011 when I submitted my book with a click of my mouse to Amazon, I have been signed with a publisher, Inknbeans Press. The Grimsley Hollow series has grown to three books and I started a new series in the genre of YA paranormal with the first book slated for release on July 18^th of this year. And there you have it – the story of an author born from the desperation and frustration of a stay-at-home mom. I no longer mind it when old “friends” asked me what I do now.

Author Bio and Contact Links

Nicole Storey lives in Georgia with her wonderful husband, two prodigious kids, and a plethora of pets. When she isn’t traveling to magical realms with potty-mouthed pixies or fighting demons, she enjoys reading and reviewing books, gardening, cooking, and planning for her favorite holiday – Halloween! She is an author of juvenile fantasy and YA paranormal books and is published with Inknbeans Press. Her books can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Sony, and Smashwords in e-book and paperback.

Contact Nicole:

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/vdebQE

Blog: http://bit.ly/Muj3Me

Publisher: http://bit.ly/LIQnPV

Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/KThYif

Official Website: http://bit.ly/15oJb2y

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1593otp

Twitter: http://bit.ly/1593v8d

LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/136P45X

Monday, 22 July 2013

Cover Reveal: Blind Site by Nicole Storey

Blind Sight – Book one in The Celadon Circle series

I have been told that, as an author, I do things backwards. LOL! When a story forms in my head, I find it easier to build upon when I have a visual to inspire me. One of the first steps I take when writing a book is to get the cover art done. The book cover for Blind Sight was created by Megan Parker of Emcat Designs. You can find her business here on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmCatDesigns?fref=ts

Megan and I clicked right from the start and we seemed to feed off of each other’s ideas. Blind Sight is a YA paranormal, and I wanted the cover to reflect certain aspects and details of the story. Since most of it takes place at a campground in Tennessee, Megan added the forests, which surround the campground. The pentagram and ancient rune inside of it are used by characters in the story. The wings represent angels and the girl on the cover is Jordan, the main character.

I am very picky when it comes to my book covers. I want them to stand out. I want readers to notice them and say, “Now that looks like a book I might enjoy!” Some people say that cover art is not important, but most people I’ve spoke with tell me it matters a great deal when they are choosing a book. In my opinion, if an author takes the time to write a book, pours their heart and soul onto the pages, and then sets it loose on the world, then they should make the cover just as special as the story. I think readers deserve that.

Buy Blind Site from Amazon.com

Author Bio and Contact Links