2013-08-23

Author/Book Update: J.A. Ballarotto, Worthy of Trust and Confidence

Here's an interview on CBS New York who selected Worthy of Trust and Confidence as their "summer beach read".

I really enjoyed working on this book and working with Jerry, and he says that he doesn't think of himself as a writer. Read the book. If you like it, TELL JERRY TO WRITE MORE.

Anyway, follow the link. Go listen to Jerry talking.

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/08/22/beach-reads-worthy-of-trust-and-confidence/


2013-08-22

Significant Website Update

densewords website (www.densewords.com) has just undergone a significant overhaul. Mostly what's changed is the underlying structure; the visuals haven't changed all that much, and most of the content is the same, however I've added another "author page" for DA and MP Wearmouth, whose new title is apparently doing okay:

First Activation Rank on Kindle UK on 2013-08-22
Feel free to head over to my new website and try to break it.

Editing Update: A Long Expected Sequel, The Thrill of Sanity and some Instant Classic Crime Drama



I've already mentioned here and elsewhere how Mike Dennis' stories are more like Elizabethan theatre than crime novels, for all that they are gritty, noir, first person and set either in Vegas or the Keys. I recently finished working on No Name Key for Nancy Jessica Argyle, a writer introduced to me by Mike who I have no hesitation in saying is up to the same standard, and up to the same sort of literature, as he is. I look forward to seeing the final version.

I recently completed reading a second draft of J William Latimer's The Insanity Paradox. Latimer sets out to 'write a Dan Brown like thriller but do a better job of characterization'. Of course, what Dan Brown excels at is giving the readers what they want. In my opinion Latimer succeeds in his aim. Whether he succeeds in pleasing readers is, as always, up to the readers.


I am about to begin work on the final book of Damon Courtney's Dragon Bond trilogy. Damon was my first client after I "officially" began literary edits for indy writers, and it has been a great pleasure to work with him over the course of two novels, several shorts and one novella, as he slowly comes t
fact that he doesn't suck. A whole lot of thought, and a whole lot of talk has gone into this story, and I have a lot of faith in the strength of the story, and the conclusion of this trilogy should be very satisfying to readers as well as to Damon and me.

In other news:

Darren Wearmouth, one of the authors of First Activation which was published just under two weeks ago, is interviewed in today's Rocking Self Publishing podcast, which should be online any time now.

2013-08-05

Favourite expressions: "not worth a tinker's cuss"

(Also "I don't give a tinker's cuss")

As with many good colloquialisms this is falling out of favour for a number of reasons, not least of which is that most people don't know what a tinker is (or was), even among those who know what a "cuss" is (and know that it isn't an American word!).

To an Englishman, a tinker's everyday language is so riddled with curse words that the value of one is extremely low. That's what makes this an elegant expression; it calls to mind cussing, which allows the user to express annoyance, but it very specifically means "valueless" and therefore at the same time devalues the very cussing that it calls to mind. Which sort of makes it self-excusing. I love that.