tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9088643396609039142024-03-21T07:09:43.409-07:00Ken Magee - AuthorThis blog follows my quest to become a successful published author.Ken Mageehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809796809027184991noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-908864339660903914.post-345147460621485452016-05-21T06:22:00.003-07:002016-05-21T06:26:08.381-07:00Ken Magee has got his own website... YAY!<br />
Ken Magee has got his own website... YAY!<br />
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Please nip over to <a href="http://www.kenmageeauthor.com/">KenMageeAuthor</a> and check it out... I'm rather proud of it. While you're there, it would be fantastic if you subscribed to my quarterly newsletter... four emails a year won't destroy your inbox!<br />
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Thanks for all your support over here... I hope to see you all over <a href="http://kenmageeauthor.com/" target="_blank">there</a>.<br />
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<br />Ken Mageehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809796809027184991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-908864339660903914.post-82469387971674401342014-06-20T07:58:00.000-07:002014-08-10T05:49:43.129-07:00Ken Magee Has Got a Website!I've created my own website, so I've migrated my blog over to <a href="http://kenmageeauthor.com/">KenMageeAuthor.com</a>.<br />
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Please nip over and check it out... I'm rather proud of it. While you're there, it would be fantastic if you subscribed to my quarterly newsletter... four emails a year won't destroy your inbox!<br />
<br />
Thanks for all your support over here... I hope to see you all over <a href="http://kenmageeauthor.com/" target="_blank">there</a>.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.kenmageeauthor.com/">Ken Magee's website</a></td></tr>
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<br />Ken Mageehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809796809027184991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-908864339660903914.post-31881390342050318922013-03-18T04:02:00.001-07:002013-03-18T04:02:49.607-07:00One big happy family<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is the first time I've hosted a guest post on my blog and I'm delighted to have Michael Brookes as my very first contributor. </span></div>
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Michael is an Executive Producer with a leading UK games developer. Working in games and writing are two of his life passions and he considers himself fortunate to be able to indulge them both. He lives in the east of England, enjoying starry skies in the flattest part of the country. When not working or writing he can sometimes be found sleeping. Which is good as apparently that's where many good ideas come from.</div>
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He's touring the Internet this month with his 'Conversations in the Abyss' show! <span style="font-family: inherit;">So now, without further ado, let me hand over to Michael.</span></div>
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First,<span style="font-family: inherit;"> let me than</span>k Ken for inviting me to his blog as part of my month long blog tour in
support of my latest novel release. We’ll get to that later. I first
encountered Ken on the Kindle Users Forum, one of many communities that
actively support indie writers. Soon after setting my own blog I started
conducting author interviews, one of those was with <a href="http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/guest-author-interview-ken-magee.html" target="_blank">Ken</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Why did I start these interviews? From the moment I released my first novel I discovered a
wonderful thing – other indie authors. Indie authors are a friendly and helpful
bunch. In communities like KUF and Goodreads they provide advice and assistance
to other authors.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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As a recipient of this help it seemed only reasonable that I
return the favour, so I started conducting the interviews. At first I posted
one a week, but quickly became ever more popular, so I expanded to two posts a
week and recently to three.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Indie authors face a number of challenges. The first is
writing a good story. That challenge is the same for any author, published or
not. It’s the next step that differs. With a decent publisher then they will
provide the required support for the book’s release. This includes a number of
specialism’s, such as editing, proofreading and marketing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Indie authors have to find these services for themselves and
that’s where I thought I could help in some small way. Hence the author
interviews. Doing so also provided another benefit. I’ve now interviewed dozens
of authors, interesting characters in their own right, all with great stories
to tell.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And now Ken is doing the same favour for me and allowing me
to tell you about my new book. All because indie authors help each out. Thanks
Ken!</div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00BCP08JU/" target="_blank">Conversations in the Abyss</a></b></div>
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‘Conversations in the Abyss’ is the sequel to the 5 star
rated supernatural thriller ‘The Cult of Me’ <o:p></o:p></div>
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Stealing Lazarus’s miracle gifted him immortality. Combined
with his natural ability of invading and controlling people’s minds this made
him one of the most dangerous people on Earth.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But the miracle came with a price. His punishment was to be
imprisoned within the walls of an ancient monastery and tormented by an
invisible fire that burned his body perpetually. To escape the pain he
retreated deep into his own mind.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There he discovers the truth of the universe and that only
he can stop the coming Apocalypse.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Buy now from Amazon:<o:p></o:p></div>
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UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00BCP08JU/<o:p></o:p></div>
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US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BCP08JU/<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>A few of Michael Brookes' other books</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Cult-Third-Path-ebook/dp/B008O7ZVXW/" target="_blank">The Cult of Me</a></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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For too long he dwelt apart, watched those who passed him
by. With his unique abilities he entered their minds and inflicted terrible
suffering upon them. They didn't even know who he was. The game has lasted for
years, but now the game has become stale. On an impulse he decides to make a
final and very public last stand. After surrendering himself to the police he
enacts his plan to seize the prison for his final bloody act. <o:p></o:p></div>
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There he discovers that he's not as unique as he once
thought.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/An-Odd-Quartet-ebook/dp/B009QJMMPC/ref=la_B008OGD8KG_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1363523453&sr=1-4" target="_blank"><b>An Odd Quartet</b></a></div>
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A quartet of dark short stories (10,000 words) to thrill and
chill.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/An-Odd-Quartet-ebook/dp/B009QJMMPC/" target="_blank">The Reluctant Demon</a></div>
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A young demon prepares to take his possession exam.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ken Mageehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809796809027184991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-908864339660903914.post-82558487148908962602012-12-29T03:32:00.000-08:002012-12-29T03:32:22.500-08:00Seasonal DrabblesFor the last few months I've been writing drabbles in my spare time. A drabble is a story which is exactly 100 words long, excluding the title. The stories have been posted on the <a href="http://www.kuforum.co.uk/kindleusersforum/thread-10268.html" target="_blank">kindleusersforum</a> and subsequently used on the <a href="http://www.indie-book-bargains.co.uk/" target="_blank">Indie Book Bargains</a> site.<br />
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I thought I'd share a couple of my seasonal efforts.<br />
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<b>Peace on Earth, good will to all trees</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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The big fir stood tall, watching over his siblings; mere
saplings really. Heaven.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then the men with chainsaws arrived; cutting a swathe though
the forest. Soon it was his turn. The harsh metal teeth ripped into his bark.
They tore through his trunk. He fell; felled. He screamed silently for his
mother; Mother Nature. <o:p></o:p></div>
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He was tossed unceremoniously onto a truck with other fallen
comrades.<o:p></o:p></div>
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***<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then he was standing again, but the sky was gone. No wind. No
friends. His roots amputated. Glittery foreign objects weighed heavy on his
branches. This was hell on earth.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Please let me die.”</div>
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<b>Not just for Christmas</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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He dropped the puppy and a big stone into the sack.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“You said you’d look after him. I’m off to the canal.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sarah wailed and pleaded, but he was gone.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He parked just around the corner and opened the bag.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Sorry pup, but she has to learn.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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The puppy bit him and escaped. <o:p></o:p></div>
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No-one believed his story. He was jailed for animal cruelty
once the Tetanus had healed. Sarah never forgave him. At fifteen she left home,
got herself pregnant and developed a chronic alcohol problem.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">And
the puppy? He bought some boots, ran off to London and became mayor.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">And I got a badge for my efforts!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 32px;"><a href="http://www.indie-book-bargains.co.uk/"><img alt="Indie Book Bargains Drabblist" src="http://www.indie-book-bargains.co.uk/images/drabblist.png" style="border: none;" /></a></span></span></div>
Ken Mageehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809796809027184991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-908864339660903914.post-10110252959097441342012-12-19T04:18:00.000-08:002012-12-19T04:31:24.408-08:00nobooko - a new place to hang outI still think that the Kindle is the eReader of choice for an awful lot of people, particularly here in the UK. That's why my favourite forum at the moment is the <a href="http://www.kuforum.co.uk/" target="_blank">KindleUsersForum</a> (KUF). It is one of the friendliest places on the net for authors and readers alike. The only problem is that you can spend all day there if you're not careful.<br />
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And things might be about to get a whole lot worse! With the popularity of the Nook and Kobo rising, a sister forum of KUF is emerging.</div>
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<a href="http://www.nobooko.com/_assets/images/template/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="72" src="http://www.nobooko.com/_assets/images/template/logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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The <a href="http://www.nobooko.com/" target="_blank">nobooko</a> forum is new and it looks great. It does, however give me a couple of new problems... I need to buy some more technology and I need to get by books onto these exciting new platforms.<br />
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Maybe I'll stop going to bed, who needs sleep anyway?</div>
Ken Mageehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809796809027184991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-908864339660903914.post-53792074715554244592012-11-04T05:37:00.000-08:002012-11-04T05:41:10.500-08:00I've been tagged... I'm 'it'.<br />
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Last week Michael Brookes tagged me in a post on his
<a href="http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/search?updated-max=2012-10-28T12:10:00Z&max-results=7" target="_blank">CultofMe</a> blog. Please have a look at it… it's a really interesting place!<o:p></o:p></div>
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What does being tagged mean? Well, put simply, I answer the same questions he did, but mine are about my latest book. I also tag three more
authors and they'll post their answers in a week's time. Here are the authors
I'm tagging, they're all worth checking out.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.astronomicon.co.uk/" target="_blank">Paul Vincent</a><br />
<a href="http://onlytruemagic.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Kate Aaron</a><br />
<a href="http://charlottehenleybabb.com/" target="_blank">Charlotte Henley Babb</a><o:p> </o:p></blockquote>
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<span style="text-indent: 0cm;">A big 'thank you' to Michael for tagging me... it gives me a neat
excuse to talk about me and my latest book! Here we go…</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What is the title of your latest book?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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My new book is called The Black Conspiracy. It’s a funny, contemporary
fantasy which is the sequel to Dark Tidings. Both books help answer the
question ‘what happens when ancient magic meets the Internet?’<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0cm;"><b>Where did the idea come from for the book?</b></span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0cm;">As I said, The Black Conspiracy is the Dark Tidings sequel. t begins exactly where Dark Tidings left off and follows the same three heroes as they try and repair the damage they've done to civilisation.</span></div>
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<b>What genre does your book fall under?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Humorous contemporary fantasy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a
movie rendition?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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I’d cast Ed Westwick as Michael, the technology whizz kid.
Mitchel Musso would make a fantastic Tung, the inept thief with a heart of gold
(the gold was probably stolen). Johnny Depp would be Madrick, the rather
eccentric, disgraced wizard. Jennifer Lawrence would be Faith, Michael’s love
interest... and interesting she is!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p>Ancient magic has infected the Internet... is this the end for civilisation? </o:p></div>
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<b>Is your book self-published?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0cm;">No. Both my books are with an Independent UK publisher called
Ragged Cover Publishing.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>How long did it take you to write the first draft of your
manuscript?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Once I had the plot storyboarded, the first draft took about three months.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What other books would you compare this story to within your
genre?<o:p></o:p></div>
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One reviewer described the book as a cross between Terry
Pratchett and Dan Brown. I’m more than happy with that description.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Who or What inspired you to write this book?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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It probably makes more sense to say what started me writing, many years ago. I put it down to playing early computer adventure games combined with reading Terry Pratchett’s first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic. I got a taste for fantasy, humour, magic and wizards, I just wish I had finished Dark Tidings sooner… before JK Rowling stole my limelight!<br />
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<b>What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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As well as giving the reader a laugh while the world comes to an end, The Black Conspiracy explains global warming and why the rich are getting richer while the ordinary man gets poorer. What more could you ask from a book.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>For a bit more information, please have a look at my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ken-Magee/e/B006ISWTR0/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" target="_blank">Author Page</a>.</i></div>
<br />
<br />Ken Mageehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809796809027184991noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-908864339660903914.post-11426297571598148622012-08-31T03:22:00.000-07:002012-09-14T08:48:53.835-07:00The Black ConspiracyThe <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Tidings-Ken-Magee/dp/1908090227/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323857198&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Dark Tidings</a> sequel has been published. It's been a lot of hard work, but I think it was well worth it. It's called The Black Conspiracy and it follows on from where Dark Tidings left off. Civilisation is broken and it needs some urgent attention if it's going to survive the impending catastrophe. Here's a little bit more about The Black Conspiracy... it's available now for the Kindle.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ZnJgO78F7Comp-Ygx2yuhfM3rkGzUcei1ZetbEzi-CpTkJBMRCmU0CzzBziYq_oGlkoxT2j-PXbUC2y8IEeGnB1tgsR85dgezj9yZ_9H698f-huH34OrvJW23OjXymdgYy134Z5L-FY/s200/BC+Cover.JPG" title="" width="125" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Ancient magic has infected the Internet… is this the end for civilisation?</b><br />
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Black-Conspiracy-ebook/dp/B0095KJ692/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346760673&sr=1-3" target="_blank">Amazon.com link</a> </b><br />
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Black-Conspiracy-ebook/dp/B0095KJ692/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346760673&sr=1-3" target="_blank">Amazon.co.uk link</a></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><i>Previously</i></b> - Ancient magic has transported Tung, a young
thief, and Madrick, a has-been wizard, across a millennium. The powerful magic
they brought with them was unwittingly spread over the Internet by Michael, a
hacker whose good intentions far outstripped his common sense. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><i>Problem</i></b> - Civilisation simply can’t handle the unforeseen
consequences of the magic and the only people who can prevent the ensuing
catastrophe are the same three who created the mess in the first place.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><i>Now</i></b> - To make matters even worse, evil wizards have followed
Tung and Madrick through time. They’re determined to hunt down and destroy the
pair, and with them, our modern way of life. Saving the world has just got a
whole lot harder.</div>
<br />
<br />Ken Mageehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809796809027184991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-908864339660903914.post-35326763966079954272012-08-30T01:48:00.000-07:002012-09-14T08:48:43.021-07:0050 word Beer BetA few months ago, I had a bet with a friend... who can write a better story in exactly 50 words (the title doesn't add to the word count). But how on earth would we judge the winner? Easy, we asked members on a couple of forums to vote.<br />
<br />
Here are the two stories...<br />
<br />
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<b>THE INFINITE MONKEY THEOREM</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I’d heard that, given typewriters and enough time, monkeys
would eventually produce Hamlet... verbatim.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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To prove it, I got a government grant and twenty thousand
monkeys.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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After nineteen years, one did it, but with ‘Help Me’ as the
title. Close, but I’ll keep trying until one gets it totally right.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>TEXAS DEATH ROOM</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I leave this.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Life brought me here and here will take my life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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They follow a procedure that allows two elements of choice.
A last meal. Any last words on earth. I’ve declined both. No appetite or desire
to perform.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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These words will do.<br />
<br />
I’m sorry. I’m paying my dues.</div>
<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
They are very different types of story, but the members accepted the challenge and voted! My story was THE INFINITE MONKEY THEOREM... it lost! My friend got his beer, but I enjoyed the experience.<br />
<br />
PS Comments left here in the form of votes may be taken into account... if they vote for me!Ken Mageehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809796809027184991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-908864339660903914.post-87318213525891458752012-06-16T07:02:00.000-07:002012-06-16T07:02:50.871-07:0010 Reasons to buy a book<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 26px;"><br /></span></span></div>
It is not easy for an author to know what will make his or her book a bestseller. The hope is that it will mainly be down to the fantastically well written story, the thrilling plot and the marvellous characters. Unfortunately, it takes a lot more than that.<br />
<br />
While I was wandering through various posts, forums and blogs, I collected a selection of reasons why readers buy books. I thought it would be interesting to place ten of them in a poll and see which one came out on top. I reckoned it would be a great help to authors, and me, if they could check if they hit the spot with their respective books.<br />
<br />
The polls ran on a UK forum and on one which is mainly inhabited by American readers.
Here are the results of the poll. Interestingly, the top four points in the UK and US are the same, albeit in a slightly different order<br />
<br />
<b> US UK</b><br />
Blurb Read others by the author<br />
Genre Blurb<br />
Read others by the author Recommendations<br />
Recommendations Genre<br />
Cover design First few paragraphs<br />
Price <i> Price not included in poll</i><br />
Independent reviews Forum buzz<br />
First few paragraphs Independent reviews<br />
Title Cover design<br />
Forum buzz Title<br />
Advertising Advertising<br />
<br />
There are a number of points worth noting, for example, Cover Design seems to be more important in the US. Also, readers don't rate advertising and title turned out to be a lot less important than i had imagined.<br />
<br />
What do you think?Ken Mageehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809796809027184991noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-908864339660903914.post-24432626167073457302012-06-02T09:01:00.000-07:002012-07-01T03:27:15.629-07:00Six word stories<br />
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</div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In
a previous <a href="http://kenmagee.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/mini-saga-it-doesnt-take-many-words-to.html">post</a> I extolled the virtues of conciseness. That was a 50 word
story. The question is, how short can you make a story, for example, is it possible to have a six word story? Well, maybe not a story as
such, but it is possible to evoke a lot of thought with only six words... and
some very famous writers have done it. Here are a few examples:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 200%;">For
sale: baby shoes, never worn.</span></b><span style="line-height: 200%;"> <i>Ernest Hemingway</i></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 200%;">Longed
for him. Got him. Sh*t.</span></b><span style="line-height: 200%;"> <i>Margaret Atwood</i></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: 0cm;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The
baby’s blood type? Human, mostly.</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0cm;"> <i>Orson Scott Card</i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span><b><span style="line-height: 200%;">Kirby
had never eaten toes before.</span></b><span style="line-height: 200%;"> <i>Kevin Smith</i></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 200%;">Steve
ignores editor's word limit and</span></b>...<span style="line-height: 200%;"> <i>Steven
Meretzky</i></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 200%;">Machine.
Unexpectedly, I’d invented a time</span></b><span style="line-height: 200%;"> <i>Alan Moore<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every one of them
makes you think... you make up the story in your head. I think it’s magical.
But could the ordinary man or woman in the street do it? Of course they could.
I started a post on the <a href="http://kindlerscrafting.englishboard.net/">KINDLERS CRAFTING, HOBBIES AND GENERAL INTEREST FORUM</a>
and invited folk there to post their stories. Here are a few brilliant
examples:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 200%;">Joined
a craft forum... made friends.</span></b><span style="line-height: 200%;"> <i>Ken</i>.</span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 200%;">I
Came, I Saw, I Conquered.</span></b><span style="line-height: 200%;"> <i>Julius Caesar</i></span> (Submitted by Maria - and to be fair Julius
actually said ‘Veni, vidi, vici.’ which would have been disqualified for
over-brevity)</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 200%;">Heart
available again: One broken owner.</span></b><span style="line-height: 200%;"> <i>Kaska</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All these were super, but the best of all, in
my opinion, was from BJT whose story followed on from Ernest Hemingway’s ‘For
sale: baby shoes, never worn.<b>’</b>...<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">For
sale: baby - already have several.</span></span></b></blockquote>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 200%;">I tried the same
thing on the <a href="http://www.kuforum.co.uk/kindleusersforum/thread-8973.html"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">KindleUsersForum</span></a>
and again I was amazed by the variety and inventiveness of the entries. Here
are some that caught my eye.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 200%;">Were-hamster
goes on small rampage.</span></b><span style="line-height: 200%;"> </span><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 200%;">Lexi Revellian</span></i><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 200%;">Died of hay fever. No
flowers.</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 200%;"> <i>B J Burton</i><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 200%;">Footprints pointed
away from abandoned crutches.</span></b><span style="line-height: 200%;"> </span><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 200%;">Jennie Lee</span></i><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 200%;">Why
kiss my neck? Ouch. Oh.</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 200%;"> <i>Amanda
Leigh Cowley (do you believe in vampires?)<o:p></o:p></i></span></blockquote>
<br />
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<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brilliant!<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0cm;">Can anyone do better?</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 200%;">
</span></div>
</div>Ken Mageehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809796809027184991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-908864339660903914.post-73999936212680829322012-05-12T02:46:00.007-07:002012-05-12T03:06:31.315-07:00Collective NounsIt is amazing just how many collective nouns there are in the English language. We have a <i>murder</i> of crows, a <i>belt </i>of asteroids, a <i>flight</i> of stairs and a <i>den</i> of thieves. However, there are a lot that we don't have... officially.<br />
<br />
Here are a few suggestions to fill the some of the gaps:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>A <i>blaze</i> of firemen</li>
<li>A <i>smothering</i> of Social Workers</li>
<li>A <i>gathering</i> of combine harvesters</li>
<li>A <i>shoal</i> of nudists</li>
<li>A <i>collection</i> of philatelists</li>
<li>A <i>camp</i> of bell-ringers</li>
<li>A <i>herd</i> of listeners</li>
<li>A<i> number</i> of mathematicians</li>
<li>A <i>drift</i> of castaways</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br />
Any more for any more? For example, what is the above group of collective nouns called?</div>Ken Mageehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809796809027184991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-908864339660903914.post-43340081615597140202012-03-24T12:56:00.003-07:002012-03-27T01:27:42.144-07:00Joo's Book Reviews: Interrogating Ken Magee<a href="http://joobook.blogspot.com/2012/03/interrogating-ken-magee.html?spref=bl">Joo's Book Reviews</a> has just published an interview with me. Here's the first question and answer... go to <a href="http://joobook.blogspot.com/2012/03/interrogating-ken-magee.html?spref=bl">Joo's Book Reviews</a> for the full interrogation.<br />
<blockquote><b>How do you strike the balance between writing something you want to write and writing something that people want to read, in terms of the compromises you make, if any?</b><br />
<br />
I write fantasy and people who read that genre don’t place too many restrictions on the writer. There was one scene that I was writing for the Dark Tidings sequel that involved a naked wizard and a couple who had snuck off to be alone in a secluded tavern (don’t ask how that all came about!)... I had a lot of fun writing it, but when I read it again, I decided it needed to be toned down a bit. I may ask Joo to read the revised scene to make sure it now qualifies as ‘decent’.</blockquote><div></div><div>As I said, please check out the whole interview at <a href="http://joobook.blogspot.com/2012/03/interrogating-ken-magee.html?spref=bl">Joo's Book Reviews</a>. </div>Ken Mageehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809796809027184991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-908864339660903914.post-51073353572760295722011-12-22T02:48:00.000-08:002011-12-22T02:49:02.960-08:00PETE McCARTHY’S RULES OF TRAVELI did a short review of Pete McCarthy's great book 'McCarthy's Bar' in which I mentioned a couple of his rules for the traveller. Here's the full list of those which are included in the book. You'll notice there are a few numbers missing, so that's the challenge for everyone... fill in the gaps!<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">1. On arrival, buy a local paper and go for a drink.<br />
2. The more bright the primary colours and ancient Celtic symbols outside the {Irish} pub, the more phony the interior.<br />
3. Never bang on about how wonderful some unspoiled place is, because next time you go there, you won’t be able to get in.<br />
7. Never eat in a restaurant with laminated menus.<br />
8. Never pass a bar that has your name on it.<br />
13. Never ask a British Airways stewardess for another glass of wine until she’s good and ready.<br />
16. However exotic the country, the local radio phone-in quiz induces the traveller with a sudden and dramatic downturn in the will to live.<br />
17. Never try to score dope from Hasidic Jews while under the impression they’re Rastafarians.<br />
19. When perusing a menu, never consider anything containing the words “goujon”, “platter” or “cheesy.”<br />
26. Any Italian travelling abroad will be accompanied by an even more glamorous person of the opposite gender.<br />
28. Never get drunk with soldiers.</blockquote>Anyone up for the challenge? We might even accept great new rules even if they aren't from the original list.Ken Mageehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809796809027184991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-908864339660903914.post-66576701765112326602011-12-17T12:57:00.000-08:002011-12-17T12:57:58.940-08:00Mini Saga - it doesn't take many words to make a brilliant story!<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5934608-ken-magee" style="float: left; padding-right: 10px;" title="Ken Magee"><img alt="Ken Magee" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1312276763p1/5934608.jpg" /></a> Does anyone remember the UK Daily Telegraph 50-word sagas? Each story had to be exactly 50 words... here's a wonderful example called Targets by Gaynor Derbishire. <br />
<br />
<blockquote>Every night he pretended to shoot himself in front of her. He enjoyed her pleas and screams of terror as the blanks went off. <br />
<br />
Time for change, she decided wearily, swapping live bullets for the blanks. <br />
<br />
Time for change, he decided jauntily; tonight I will pretend to shoot the baby. </blockquote><br />
<strong><em>Classic or what?</em></strong>Ken Mageehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809796809027184991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-908864339660903914.post-78658203842210431992011-12-14T02:26:00.000-08:002011-12-14T02:26:06.816-08:00Compound words - a spelling lessonWhen my editor/proofer returned my manuscript of <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dark-Tidings-Ken-Magee/314258695251399">Dark Tidings</a>, I was surprised to see so many corrections to, what I discovered later are referred to as, compound words. Compound words can be used as nouns, verbs, adjectives, or adverbs and can be spelled as one word, two words, or hyphenated. It sometimes depends on how the word is used and where it appears in the sentence. For example, word processing... a PC used for word processing will usually run a word-processing package.<br />
<br />
Apparently I had adopted a very 'relaxed' style, which means I had spelt words in the way I felt made it easiest for the reader. I actually liked the style, but my publisher wanted formal spelling rules to be followed.<br />
<br />
This was quite traumatic because I had to check all the compound words in the book... and that was after I had researched the subject and discovered that there are twenty-one (<i>numbers are always hyphenated</i>) basic rules. Here is an example of the rules.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">A hyphenated compound is simply a combination of words joined by hyphens. The hyphen unites, and separates, the component words in a way that aids understanding, readability and the correct pronunciation e.g. well-to-do. An open compound is a combination of words so closely associated that they convey a specific idea or concept, but they are spelled as unconnected words e.g. lowest common denominator.</blockquote>So now I have the basic rules sorted out, I can write the sequel without the worry of revisiting (<i>not re-visiting</i>) the whole text later. A word of warning though, have a good dictionary to hand at all times because the rules don't always give you the right answer.<br />
<br />
And if you can't proofread the whole text, at least spot-check it (<i>right or wrong?</i>).<br />
<br />
What word do you always struggle to spell?<div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div>Ken Mageehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809796809027184991noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-908864339660903914.post-48185495826915663182011-11-11T08:01:00.000-08:002011-11-11T08:01:49.969-08:00Dark Tidings - Ken Magee's debut novel!<div style="font-family: inherit;">My book, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Tidings-ebook/dp/B0064TN0KS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321025135&sr=1-1">Dark Tidings</a>, has just been released on the Kindle. The paperback version will follow in a week or so. It really is a great feeling to see one's work in print. </div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">I didn't realise just how much work there was to do after the book is written e.g. revising, editing and proofing. It also takes considerable effort to agree the cover and the blurb with the publisher. Here's what I ended up with for Dark Tidings ...</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhczQJKgRpwTK-aVLh4x8VtoUbUAdm7UpFDs1UG482H3Si-3-JTqP96Hcb3P1Md7X3vAKsHeS-nJGPOPOP35Rlxdz2Sz9AtKlGjsGUQC6zPJdA6tQ5QOnEG0dKhljq1QjqVx9QcjMaGzzU/s1600/DT+-+Final.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="475" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhczQJKgRpwTK-aVLh4x8VtoUbUAdm7UpFDs1UG482H3Si-3-JTqP96Hcb3P1Md7X3vAKsHeS-nJGPOPOP35Rlxdz2Sz9AtKlGjsGUQC6zPJdA6tQ5QOnEG0dKhljq1QjqVx9QcjMaGzzU/s640/DT+-+Final.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Not exactly how I envisaged it originally, but now I'm very happy. I plan to document the whole experience in due course, but for the moment I'm going to bask in the joy of completing my first writing project.</span>Ken Mageehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809796809027184991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-908864339660903914.post-12626384908153261312011-11-09T03:44:00.000-08:002011-11-09T03:44:21.177-08:00McCarthy's Bar - Pete McCarthyEvery author needs inspiration and Pete McCarthy inspired me. McCarthy's Bar is a fantastically gentle and funny book; it grabs you from the first page. It documents his travels along the west coast of Ireland reminding those who have been what a wonderful journey that is, and making those that have not been reach for their travel brochures.<br />
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He was a successful travel writer and broadcaster and travelled the world with a programme called Travelog on Channel 4. Pete loved his time there and said "We travelled to Zanzibar and China, Fiji and Corsica, Costa Rica and Laos; stood on the edge of volcanoes, had lunch with heroes of the Crete resistance, and got caught up in a military coup in Vanuatu". This statement emphasises his passion to travel, get to know other cultures and people and undergo adventures - but things always drew him back to Ireland.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcEEeBmSEWoqIJGb-JcT8H6CCzNN-DYBi9kif8N9Uqm4D8P7SzfYzxEYE2DlFO1-gApzLVumoaOdAZJMhEn17-EEUPLrdnrRDIIryk3A4GqOusUpBhg14yFTH_-SVdZWKJMcInxGTwPQ/s1600/mccarthys-bar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcEEeBmSEWoqIJGb-JcT8H6CCzNN-DYBi9kif8N9Uqm4D8P7SzfYzxEYE2DlFO1-gApzLVumoaOdAZJMhEn17-EEUPLrdnrRDIIryk3A4GqOusUpBhg14yFTH_-SVdZWKJMcInxGTwPQ/s200/mccarthys-bar.jpg" width="138" /></a>Pete has a number of travel rules e.g. Rule 8: Never pass a bar that has your name on it and Rule 13: Never ask a British Airways hostess for another glass of wine until she's good and ready. These rules appear at the start of the book - how could you not want to read on.<br />
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Pete was planning to do a follow on book about the fun side and the historical side of Northern Ireland (my part of the world). Sadly Pete McCarthy died in October 2004 before he could do it.<br />
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I thank Pete for this great book (and his scond book The Road to McCarthy). Inspirational.Ken Mageehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809796809027184991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-908864339660903914.post-66526654388809583842011-09-18T06:16:00.000-07:002011-09-21T01:04:28.730-07:00Best opening lines of a novel... everI have been writing for more years than I care to remember. Mainly business writing - things like sales proposals, material for marketing collateral and web site content. I love writing.<br />
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However, I now have the opportunity to explore the world of fiction writing... and I can't wait to learn everything I can about it. I have completed my first novel and am working towards its publication. It will hopefully be on the shelves in time for the Christmas 2011 rush!<br />
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Of course, I love my book and I think the opening lines create enough interest to make people want to read on... obviously it would be a poor show if they didn't! But it made me wonder about the best opening lines ever... they say 'don't judge a book by its cover' but maybe it's OK to judge it by its first lines.<br />
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The editors of <i>American Book Review</i> selected what they consider the most memorable first lines of novels... <a href="http://www.infoplease.com/ipea/A0934311.html%20">100 Best First Lines of Novels</a>. OK, there are a lot of classics there but none that strike me as the 'best ever'. I would nevertheless have been very proud of - "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." It's so good that I now feel I must read the book from which that line comes; William Gibson's Neuromancer.<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NUpJ-KVpBhpQxi_s5Vv9Doz6T6sVWFN-f26GVcFSwP54qfr47Wb-vS2hsi1SlKnOtTSzyYBkBOtO_cWL0Un_3oLRSGjaA8i2ytG5kqa0PCWJKpX6cu7r1tCc4TtuFevGgdxTMCI-i6c/s1600/200px-TheStranger_BookCover3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NUpJ-KVpBhpQxi_s5Vv9Doz6T6sVWFN-f26GVcFSwP54qfr47Wb-vS2hsi1SlKnOtTSzyYBkBOtO_cWL0Un_3oLRSGjaA8i2ytG5kqa0PCWJKpX6cu7r1tCc4TtuFevGgdxTMCI-i6c/s200/200px-TheStranger_BookCover3.jpg" width="142" /></a>All in all, I think my favorite to date is from The Stranger by Camus - "My mother died today, or perhaps it was yesterday." You just have to read on after that.<br />
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I also very much liked how Terry Pratchett opened The Light Fantastic... "The sun rose slowly, as if it wasn't sure it was worth all the effort."<br />
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There are also some very special sentences in books which, had they been the first lines, would have been in contention to be the best in this particular competition e.g. Cathy Cash Spellman's novel An Excess of Love - "He was as guarded as a virgin, but infinitely more experienced."<br />
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</div>And what about the worst opening lines ever? How about... how about we leave that for another time?Ken Mageehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06809796809027184991noreply@blogger.com2