Category Archives: Local Authors

Book Review: Review of Pickled Apocalypse of Pancake Island from bizarre Eraserhead Press

by in Author Thursdays, Book Review, Local Authors and tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Gaston Glew is a pickle and Fanny W. Fod is a pancake. From the very beginning, the reader can tell this book will be bizarre. This story was everything I have and have not imagined about pickles and pancakes. The writing style was curt and to the point and the author spared no details when it came to sticky subjects such as suicide, death, murder, and sex but he did provide a strange perspective: that of a pickle. This pickle was not just any pickle. It was a sad pickle. Did the author choose a phallic vegetable on purpose? Pickles do come with their own associations and prejudices.

As I read the story, I felt like I could smell and taste the sickly sweetness of the maple syrup and the briny sourness of the pickled pancakes and it totally grossed me out! Cameron Pierce effectively captured all my senses in relation to pickles and pancakes, unusual subjects. Pierce has imagined every nook and cranny of these two subjects and then mashed them together in an uncommon storyline that is so bizarre I don’t know what to think. Pierce was able to capture a different perspective with his edible characters, translating death, sadness, and happiness into tangible shaped concepts.

The plot was straightforward, to find Happiness (as a pickle) but the plot seemed wandering and mildly purposeless. I thought the story got a little chatty with the author’s own musings on the subjects of happiness and sadness with too much emphasis placed on the characters’ thoughts and feelings. However, Pierce wrote a wonderfully imaginative story about what could and would happen if pickles and pancakes were alive in a world where unequivocal certainties are not complete realities on Pancake Island.

Pierce’s writing style reminded me of the curiosity of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry mixed with the emotional wanderings of The Missing Piece Meets the Big O by Shel Silverstein.

 

Would I recommend this book?

This book is different. If you are not willing to read something bizarre, then I would not recommend this book. Also, the detailed sex scene might be overwhelming for certain readers (even when it’s between two made-up characters: a pickle and a pancake). I enjoyed the book, it gave me some ideas for my own unusual fiction. Also, the author is highly imaginative and I appreciated reading the book just for the odd tidbits of imagination.

Author Tuesdays: Ataxia and the Ravine of Lost Dreams

by in Ataxia and the Ravine of Lost Dreams, Author Thursdays, Local Authors, Rachel Barnard | 1 Comment

 

Local Author Re-releases Debut Young Adult Novel

 

Seattle, Washington, March 25 – Rachel Barnard, a driven young author in the Seattle area, released the new version of her debut novel, Ataxia and the Ravine of Lost Dreams. The novel is version four, according to the Amazon version counter, and features a stunning new cover from Dodo’s Design as well as improvements within the front and back covers. The novel is available in both print and eBook formats on Amazon and Createspace.

Barnard wrote her debut novel after graduating from New College of Florida and has not stopped improving the novel since. She released the first version in 2012 but decided that she wanted a more vivid and professional cover. She has been working for months to solidify both interior and exterior of her book and has now released the updated and final version.

Ataxia and the Ravine of Lost Dreams follows MC three years after she has infiltrated one of many elite academies across the U.S. The government has created these academies in order to train the youth for high end government positions in order to take over the world. MC must rise to the top in the Cube training grounds in order to be placed high up within the government so she can stop them in their takeover. It is not until her fourth and final year at the academy that her top-student status is threatened by the sudden arrival of Li, the new transfer student. MC is completely focused on her self-created mission until she gets sidetracked by Li, who might be bad news in more ways than which she bargained.

“Rachel is a writer with a strong head on her shoulders. This is evidenced by her presentation of the main character. MC has a purpose, that’s at odds with her school life. She doesn’t need friends, sneers at getting a crush on a guy, and is willing to vanquish her enemies. Travel with her as she explores the underside of the school, finds her hiding places and learns strategy while fighting with the other students at the Cube,” says Victoria Bastedo.

Rachel Barnard released a book of poetry, Wandering Imagination, early this year that is also available on Amazon in print and eBook format. For more information on either the author or Ataxia and the Ravine of Lost Dreams, you can visit her website at www.rachelauthorbarnard.com

 

Author Thursdays: Live from the Black Dog… It’s Thursday Night!

by in Author Thursdays, Local Authors, Local Events | 1 Comment

An Evening of Stories – Live at The Black Dog

FreeValley Publishing’s authors will be at The Black Dog in Snoqualmie, WA on January 23, 2014 6-7:30pm for a Meet the Author’s event. Our authors will read excerpts from their published works and give short commentary on different aspects of self-publishing. We will then be available to chat and sign books for you.
This is in league with local chap book makers who will also have works available that evening. Paul Green will play Jazz at 7:30 onward, so you can make it a complete entertainment outing. Come an see us!

http://freevalleypublishing.com/2013/12/16/an-evening-of-stories-live-at-the-black-dog/

Author Thursdays: The Art of Book Covers

by in Author Thursdays, Local Authors and tagged ,

I have hemmed and hawed over book covers, specifically pre-made. It sounds so easy. Just a few dollars and wham bam I’ve got a cover! Or if you use Createspace’s cover creator it’s free. However, many people say that the cover creator pumps out boring covers that are easily attributed to the creator bot. What says you? I used their creator for my poetry book, as it doesn’t require anything super fancy:

The cover creator is customizable in certain regards, such as changing any of the text and some of the placement but not entirely changeable, so what you see will be what you get basically. You have to be happy with their offerings to go with the cover creator.

Back to pre-mades. There are tons of sites devoted to pre-made and custom-made covers. Even Amazon will devote their design team to making you a unique cover, for a hefty fee of course. If you go with a pre-made, all you get to do is add your name and title and barcode. The image is as is, no changing. What if you want more shadows? Nope. What if you want less blue? Nope. Perhaps some of the artists will work with you on their pre-mades but then there definitely will be a customizing fee added on.

There is also literature out there that warns about the cons of pre-made covers. Are they used more than once? Sometimes. I’ve seen elements used more than once in multiple pre-mades as well. Here’s an article that breaks down the everything that can go wrong will scenarios when considering a pre-made cover for your next novel:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1307192-beware-of-pre-made-covers

So what to do? Well, if you can and your budget is drop dead nothing, do it yourself! Here is a website with a list of other websites where you can find images to use in your cover creation.

Making a book cover –http://www.blueglass.co.uk/blog/30-free-image-websites-creative-commons-royalty-free/

You can also commission someone with photoshopping skills to help you out. Or find one of those random artists online to make you a custom cover, but beware the internet my friends!

Author Thursdays: AUTHOR WORKSHOP Round table on Self-Publishing Ins and Outs of Self Publishing from Those Who have Been There Done That?

by in author platform, Author Thursdays, Local Authors, Local Eats and tagged , | 1 Comment




Tuesday January 28, 2014 1:10 PM – 9:30 PM 
101 W North Bend Way, North Bend, WA 98045

The Authors of FreeValley Publishing tell all from their Choice of Publishing Sites, Services and Formats to Negotiating the World of Sales and Promotions. Discuss options and Learn from the experience of those who have gone before you!

 

 
Don’t miss your chance to attend this Information-packed session.
 
>Choices of Publishing
sites and Marketers
> Selecting binding options
> Price points pros & cons
> Formatting Variations
> When to Employ Services
vs. Do It Yourself
> ISBNs and eBooks
> Marketing Options

Toiling Tuesdays: An Evening of Stories – Live at The Black Dog

by in Author Thursdays, Local Authors and tagged

 

An Evening of Stories – Live at The Black Dog

FreeValley Publishing’s authors will be at The Black Dog in Snoqualmie, WA on January 23, 2014 6-7:30pm for a Meet the Author’s event. Our authors will read excerpts from their published works and give short commentary on different aspects of self-publishing. We will then be available to chat and sign books for you.
This is in league with local chap book makers who will also have works available that evening. Paul Green will play Jazz at 7:30 onward, so you can make it a complete entertainment outing. Come an see us!

http://freevalleypublishing.com/2013/12/16/an-evening-of-stories-live-at-the-black-dog/

Author Thursdays: Local Holiday Events With Your Favorite Local Books and Authors

by in Free Valley Publishing, Local Authors, Local Events, Maple Valley Writers

Check out your local town for great local holiday bazaars, craft fairs, etc. It’s like the farmer’s market but even better!

December 7th from 10 AM to 3 PM at the Maple Valley Community Center, come support your local Maple Valley Writers and purchase their awesome novels. 

If you happen to be more North of Maple Valley, don’t despair. You can check out the Si View Community Center Holiday Bazaar 10AM to 3 PM, also on December 7th, where some of the FreeValley Publishing authors will be selling their lovely novels.

NaNo November: Meet the Authors of FreeValley Publishing

by in Author Thursdays, Free Valley Publishing, Local Authors, Local Events, NaNoWriMo
Of Ducks and Writing

Don’t forget tomorrow 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. to come meet and greet the authors of FreeValley Publishing at the North Bend Library. Hear about what inspires them to write, advice they give to any aspiring writers, and what it takes to be an author! Yours truly will be a part of the event so come say hello, hear about our wonderful journeys as authors, and purchase some of the truly amazing novels/works we have published.

NaNo November: FreeValley Publishing Meet the Authors Event – Save the Date!

by in Author Thursdays, Free Valley Publishing, Local Authors, NaNoWriMo

Of Ducks and Writing

Reblogged from Freevalley Publishing:

FreeValley Publishing authors will be hosted by SnoValley Writes! at an official King County Library System event as part of their NaNoWriMo programs on November 26th from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the North Bend Library Meeting Room.
This will be a unique opportunity to hear each author speak about their writing and publishing journeys and to ask your questions and get first-hand answers in dialogue with Snoqualmie Valley local authors. Most of our authors created their published manuscripts during NaNoWriMo, so if you’re a Wrimo, come and be inspired! The event is free and open to everyone. It promises to be a lively evening, and we look forward to talking with you!