I thought this was going to be crap, but it’s come across more natural, probably because I just read the questions and answered off the cuff – no notes or answers written down.
Tag: Books
The Technician.
I’ve just written a synopsis of the book, which always helps to get it clearer in my mind and enables me to identify any faults in the plotting. My usual move at this point would be to carry on reading it through, back and forth, editing, until sick of it, then put it to one side and get on with something else. I would then print it out a month or two later and cast a fresher eye over it. Also, reading from a typescript rather than a screen also enables me to pick up on any problems. However, this is due to be published in August, so I need to send it to Macmillan soon. The fresh eye re-read will have to wait until after scary pencil time.
New Moon — Stephenie Meyer
I have my fingers in my ears ready for the howls of derision. Very much enjoyed this book and hope she can keep the story telling and bring it to a satisfactory conclusion at the end of the series – I’ve got Eclipse and I’ll get the one after when it’s out in paperback. These books are also very successful and selling well so I want to know why. Apart from their targeted demographic, they have exactly the same quality as the Harry Potter books, which I also enjoyed: transparency. The author isn’t getting in the way of the story. Of course these won’t make it to many people’s top tens – I don’t mean the ‘what I really enjoyed reading’ top tens, but the ‘what I want people to think I enjoy reading’ top tens.
Who Reads My Books? Paul Schofield.
Hi, my name’s Paul Schofield and I’m 46. I’ve been married, to Gill, for the past 20 years. I’ve lived on the Fylde Coast in Lancashire for all my life. We have no kids. We do have three boisterous cats; two Siamese and a tabby.
We love America and spend as much time there as we can. New York and Vegas are our current favourites. I’ve enclosed a picture of the wife taken in Quark’s Bar in the Hilton Las Vegas at The Experience Tour. He did offer me 3 bars of gold pressed latinum for her, but how could I accept? Have you seen the price of gold these days? Doh!
I’ve been a big fan of Sci-Fi since reading the Day of The Triffids and The Tripods at school. I’m a big fan of Arthur C Clarke, Greg Bear, Stephen Baxter, Peter Hamilton and Greg Bear, among many others.
I work for Jobcentre Plus, in a Contact Centre, in Blackpool. It was once the home of ERNIE, the Premium Bonds number generator. I’ve worked for The Man for the last 29 years, and probably will for the next 29 too. It pays the bills…and that’s really all I can say about it. God that’s depressing!
Last March I had a second heart attack and spent 3 months at home recovering. I discovered Neal’s book Gridlinked on Amazon one day, ordered it and couldn’t put it down. I quickly ordered the other Cormac books in the series and they got me through my rehabilitation, and saved me from daytime TV!
Good Morning Midnight — Reginald Hill
Finding less and less in the SF world that floats my boat, I’m reading more of this sort of stuff. Very enjoyable, enough twists, turns and kinks to satisfy even me. Dalziel in this is very much like he’s portrayed by Warren Clark, but Pascoe is nothing like the moody and taciturn version played by Colin Buchanan. Also noticeable that Pascoe is not divorced from Ellie in this, book twenty-one of the series. Now why did they have to do that in the TV version? Are we not sufficiently engaged unless one of the lead cops has a miserable home life?
The Technician
Who Reads My Books? Caleb Young.
Here is my Bio
I’m 29 years old, grew up on a Cattle Ranch in South Texas. I attended Texas A&M University. I’ve read all my life, started with Jurassic Park, Congo type novels around 2-3rd grade. Kept reading all the time. I got addicted to SCI FI in college when I found a little resale book shop that had two complete walls dedicated to SCI FI, I started reading every work done by Sir Arthur C Clark, devoured his works. I was averaging about one novel every two days. Once I graduated I worked and still read on and off over the next few years. Eventually I went to work in the Oil Field, I work on the big platforms that are out in the Gulf of Mexico drilling for oil. Well when you get off of work, you have a lot of time to read, no grass to mow, no garden to tend, so I read, and read and read, I would average 15 books in a 21 day period. Well when the world changing Hurricane Katrina came into the gulf and set its sites on New Orleans, our rig was evacuated, during the evacuation we spent 5 days in a hotel with no power, I had run out of books, so I found a little book store and picked up Peter F Hamilton’s “Fallen Dragon” and thats how I found the “Space Opera” Genre. While searching for his books on Amazon UK, it recommended some of your books, I started with Gridlinked, and then Line of Polity, well while waiting for my next few Asher’s i have been reading the Max Brook’s fiction “World War Z”. I have all of your Cormac novels, and Brass man is in queue after my current read of “Zombie Survival Guide”. I love you style of writing, it reminds me of Louis Lamour, he wrote westerns here in the states. Well thats my reading history, heres my bio stuff. I have a wife who reads as much as I do, and love video games, a 2.5 year old daughter who loves to be read to. I’m working my way through the compilation of ACC short stories and she really enjoys them. I have two dogs a Chihuahua that reminds me of Shuriken, and a laborador mix. Please find attached some pictures of myself. I will send one more email tommorrow with a picture of my Asher Books lined up. Thanks for being a down to earth guy.
Cheers,
Caleb Young
Conflicts
Here’s the cover for Ian Whates upcoming ‘Conflicts’ anthology:
Update:
Just to notify you that, as of late yesterday, the anthology has its own page on the NewCon Press website and is available for prepurchase (indeed, the first copy sold this morning!)
The eagle-eyed among you may note a small error in that the ‘buy’ button claims both editions are ‘signed and limited’ whereas only the hardback will be (signing sheets are doing the rounds at this moment). The webmaster has been notified and that should be corrected soon.
— Ian.
L is for Lee and LeGuin.
STEPHEN LAWHEAD | EMPHYRION |
TANITH LEE | HERE IN COLD HELL HEARTBEAST ELEPHANTASM NIGHTSHADES THE STORM LORD VIVIA WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT VOLKHAVAAR THE ELECTRIC FOREST THE BOOK OF THE BEAST KILL THE DEAD EAST OF MIDNIGHT LYCANTHIA GOLD UNICORN THE BIRTHGRAVE SILVER METAL LOVER CAST A BRIGHT SHADOW DELIRIUM’S MISTRESE |
URSULA K LEGUIN | PLANET OF EXILE CITY OF ILLUSIONS EYE OF THE HERON ROCANNON’S WORLD |
BARRY M LONGYEAR | MANIFEST DESTINY |
RICHARD A LUPOFF | FOOL’S HILL |
Anyone Out There?
Regarding the ‘Who Reads My Books?’ posts I’ve been putting up on here. I’ve got one left to post and haven’t seen any more. How about more from the men and women out there, like those shown in Mike Rowe’s ‘Dirty Jobs’, who tighten up the nuts and bolts that keep our civilization running? I’m not saying the previous ones are abnormal, but maybe some are a little intimidating to those who, say, simply work on a production line and enjoy SFF. I’d like to hear from you people – don’t kid yourselves that you’re not interesting. And don’t forget, prior to 1999 I was shovelling shit too.