Said it before - writers should never review other writers' books. Lee Child Night School.

Night School. Lee Child.

The Stats, as of now 27th January 2017 is: 3,922 reviews 44% 5 Star and 22% is 4 Stars.

And I said it before - real writers, proud of their craft, doing the best they can should never review another writer's work.

I have been a Child fan since I read One Shot, in 2005: used to devour the stories, avid reader.

Then by Never Go Back in 2013 I was having concerns that the writing had changed. After 61 Hours I felt that the plots were not conforming to where I had expected Reacher was going to. A big "What happened After the car drove away into the Sunset" question.

Nevertheless, I stuck with Reacher/Child out of obligation: that is he had entertained me and I would wait and see what would develop.

In the heel of the hunt (cliche intentional) this trust has now been breached.

I got Night School over Christmas. Normally I would have had it devoured before the turkey bones were soup, but by early January I was still on page 12.

Then page 37 ...You should call your brother. At Treasury. (Bloody full stop.) At Treasury. (Another full stop, where's the verb, subject or predicate?)

I Thought Joe was dead! What's this. OK, I struggled on. The first time I ever fought to keep reading a Reacher tale. Then on Page 126 Orozco said, You got it boss. (Reacher) I'm not your boss, any more. What is this Crap? Isn't Reacher an MP Commander? Didn't he leave the army - retiring out of that position and going on the lam? OK, maybe later on this will become clearer.

By page 208 I was all at sea. Reacher is 35 years old! In 1996! Born in 1961, 13 years in the MP's where he was the first C.O. So where was he when he lost his milk teeth?

But other things seemed wrong. Reacher in bed with Sinclair - she did not comments on his shrapnel wounds or bullet scars. In all the other books these are presented as a badge of courage.

The Y2K discussion is all confused. I was there I worked on the so called problem and in the end it was another weapon of mass destruction that was a wet-fishy tale.

By Chapter 32 I was in serious real Reacher Withdrawal, asking myself is this alternative Reality or Reacher in the Twilight Zone. Then Page 362 did it for me with the discussion on sevens and ones. I was expecting a few pages later to have the six not underlined and the nine underlined, mentioned along with the zero with a slash to distinguish it from the letter O.

But before that page 324 had given me a real giggle. I read it...on a bus ....in the Houston Chronicle, and all I could visualise is a Bus with a banner, in the Chronicle. Imperial Sugar, for your sweet tooth.

Amazon reviews for this book rave, and say it's great. It's not and what P's me off it that some of those readers may not even have been reading when Child produced his first book Killing Floor in 1997.

I'm sorry Lee, but I feel you have abandoned your real, long time book buying  Reacher fans.

When inspiration strikes - you hafta act on it.....

My new 20 Minutes Read is in the pipeline.

the title will be:-

The Adventures of Trumper The Hare - an everlasting game.

Thump, thump: Tumper The Hare thumped out the message on the ground, big back feet drumming the news. Well once, he was called Tumper, but he discovered the card game 25 and the value of a Trump Card. He used them, without conscience, to win money. The obsession to always win became so bad that people started calling him Trumper The Hare.

Message starts : Some-tin’s in the wind - Countryside in a fuss. Some-one called Hedda Hoppa, the Frog Reporter – causin' a rumpus. telling it how it is - the news - terrible crisis.
Meet at Lair's Rath. Thump, thump: over and out.

He knew it: in his bones; when he awoke in his snug hay-lined form this morning that it was going to be a bad hair day. Nevertheless he did take his morning hare tonic, not a hare of the dog though. It was a long time since he had been on a hare-tare, hair-ruffling, hare-ride.

Restored: his morning tonic was hare restorer, smuggled in from Hare Hari, he ventured out to meet the news of the day, brought to him each morning by the “Hare Raising News”. 

Rantin' ravin' givin' out but with a purpose!

I used, once upon a time, participate on forums, Amazon, Createspace, Linkedin, and the like.

Now I don't as most of the time you are wasting energy, and writing time.

I did try on CS to help people who posted bits & pieces and asked for advice on their writing.

But when a person gives real, true, trying to be helpful advice - they get abused.

Some plonkers even go and having written a glowing review of your book saying BUY THIS BOOK, write another that says DON'T BUY THIS BOOK.

And the real laugh is that both reviews appearing alongside each other on the Amazon review page are almost identical except for the shouted DON'T.

Makes me laugh that the other writer can't see the absurdity of this.

But the posts that turned me off were questions like "How long should a paragraph be?" The hoary chestnut about chapter length also raises its head - again and again.

Yet most of the posters on these writing forums think they are writers: they are not!

Writing gibberish that is not punctuated or edited or spellchecked BUT published is not the work of a writer/author.

But the real question/comment that sent me screaming, raving, trembling into that dark night was, "My first book of 800 pages is not selling." Someone replied that that if the story was worth telling and needed 800 pages  to tell, then serialise it. But when your Facebook pals are telling you the work is perfect - then you can ignore advice from writers who have published and are selling.

But all of the above is just a ramble.

I decided my short stories would take 20 minutes to read, now my first two are for sale on Amazon.

So that's how long a short story will be for me for a while, and amazingly each has a few paragraphs as well - but no chapters.

Proofreading drives me NUTS!

The heading reminds me I saw a notice on TV something like Trump USA President! It was for the inauguration platform. With a bloomin' exclamation point. Which is.....a sudden cry or remark expressing surprise, strong emotion, or pain. I agree buddy.

I have just finished my second 20 Minute Reads - Caged Songbird.

The proof reading nearly drove me nuts - even if it was only 4,500, or so words.

OK. feather is feathers. he died in 1964 - I will remove that as it seems it will date the story, add died years ago.

birth Cert - should be Birth Cert.

Our Father need an s to be three Our Fathers.

Hail Mary's - is Hail Marys.

Right that's it - I'm read to rock and roll.

Do the upload to KDP - no misspellings - get the Interior Reviewer copy and check it.

Fine, right ready to go.

Then quite, what the F is that. It should be quiet, as in quiet you lot, not I'm quite sure you should be quiet.

Start again. change the ODT save as a HTLM, upload - check and, submit, add the price, and the market places and tomorrow it should be live.

I'm stuck between the Darkness and The Light

It's a confusing time of the year: for an Irishman.

It's the end of one year and the start of another: or is it?

We had the Solstice, a time of change for the ancient Irish, from one season to another. Darkness banished the light promised. The knowledge of the Druids and Sun Trackers in action. (Psst, psstt...The Knowledge Seekers and the Land of Cudhabeen, my buke!)

We had Christmas Day, the new liturgical year begins. The baby in the manger, Santa and presents. (In my opinion for some kids: far to many presents.)

And now new years tomorrow. Resolutions and the like. So what will I do or not do in the new year.

Well I have only one resolution, just one.

Keep on living as long as I can and die when I can't help it.

See yas all this time next year. I hope.

Meanwhile.....“Go mbeire bliain ó inniu faoi mhaise oraibh”

(May you prosper in the year to come, well really it says may the year from today prosper on you.)

This AM - The French Woman went live

My fourth book The French Woman went Amazon Kindle live this morning,

When I check with Amazon it can be bought in a lot of countries even Japan - in the English language though, So am I a language teacher as well as a writer?

It's the first in my 20 Minute Read project.

For a long time I hear people saying I don't read books, or I don't have the time to read books.

Others think they are reading but in reality they are skimming and their eye lights on every third or fourth word only.

Then they do a review that the plot is complicated or wandering.

So here's my attempt to provide a good read in a short time.

Just remembered a while ago that some publisher is now providing abridged books - some of the classics and even Hawking's A Brief History of Time - the film is over an hour of entertainment.

So I'm on the right track with my 20 Minutes reads. At least they are mine - they have my start - my middle - and my ending.

https://t.co/EPACze1PKT

Well! Make up your mind - will ya. Is my book good or is it bad?

I revived a glowing review of In The Wicker Wood that encouraged people to buy my book.

I received a terrible review of In The Wicker Wood that warned customers about buying the book, and encouraged them not to buy it.

Well I hear you all say what's wrong with that?  We need to take the rough with the smooth.

I would: if both reviews were not written and posted - albeit a few months apart by the same reader/reviewer.

The Self Same Reviewer.

A while ago I stopped participating on the Createspace Discussion Forum because the same person kept telling me on a Monday I was a great writer and then on Friday when I disagreed with something he said - I was a terrible person, writer and human being.

We call people like that by several names in Ireland but mostly we say they are Flaky.

But the real answer is simpler. The first review was flattering to me and flattering to the writer since the piece was more about showing how well read this person thought he was. I said that on a Tweet at the time and got a nasty reply back.

The glowing comments on my work was also an attempt to get me to join his Buddy Review Club.

The second review was posted a few months after I pointed out inconsistencies in logic in his second book, and suggested it should be re-visited.

Now Mr X has a new book for sale.

And I am about to release my next two offerings on Amazon Kindle

The project is a series of 15 Minute Reads.

The first is titled Caged Bird and is a one act play. The second is a rewrite of Buteo buteo, the story of love lost, despair, and resurrection of the mind.

Interesting times!