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My Book: The Keepers of the Key
https://forum.specialattack.net/viewtopic.php?t=14338		 Page 1 of 2
Author:  [SpA]Howard [ 07 Oct 2012, 20:28 ]
Post subject:  My Book: The Keepers of the Key
REMOVED

I've taken this post away as the two pages you can buy my book from are about to disappear and I didn't want to cause confusion. Those who have already bought the book should still be able to access their copies but I'm stopping nay further sales for now.

More details to come...
Author:  [SpA]Dolf [ 07 Oct 2012, 21:47 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
Me wants a signed print ;_;
Author:  [SpA]Howard [ 07 Oct 2012, 22:29 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
Samiak_ wrote:
Me wants a signed print ;_;

You could always buy the ebook and print it out? :lol:
Author:  [SpA]Howard [ 07 Oct 2012, 22:50 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
It occurs to me to say: If anyone wants to chat about art with me then feel free to do so in this thread. No wrong answers tbh so go nuts. If not, I am always on IRC (yell at me on #worldscapes.smp if you need to), on steam, email (howard@worldscapes.co.uk) or in PM here. Whatever works for ya :)
Author:  _BlueFlame_ [ 08 Oct 2012, 11:17 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
....Annnd iTunes ;)

Really thinking of getting it, but ehh.. I never read books..
Author:  [SpA]Howard [ 08 Oct 2012, 11:19 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
_BlueFlame_ wrote:
....Annnd iTunes ;)

Really thinking of getting it, but ehh.. I never read books..
Nope, I will never, ever publish it on iTunes. If you want it on an iTunes compatible device, get it from SmashWords - that's why that site is there.
Author:  annarack [ 08 Oct 2012, 16:30 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
READ IT

Awesome story. The characters are addictive and so are the adventures that take place. Even though I read this book a while ago, probably almost a year ago it's still really fresh in my mind. Apart from forgetting the characters names (no change there, it takes me a year to remember my students' names) the story and the emotions are still there. I am really looking forward to the sequel, although Howard has given me a sample but I've not got round to reading it yet, but I will do soon.

Get it, read it, you'll love it

As for the art, if you don't find what you are looking for then I could probably come up with something. But I am more of a fine artist rather than illustrator but that doesn't mean I can't come up with a style that will suit your book. Bearing in mind you will be getting the images that I made in my head as I read the book.
Author:  [SpA]Howard [ 08 Oct 2012, 16:53 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
[SpA]annarack wrote:
READ IT

Awesome story. The characters are addictive and so are the adventures that take place. Even though I read this book a while ago, probably almost a year ago it's still really fresh in my mind. Apart from forgetting the characters names (no change there, it takes me a year to remember my students' names) the story and the emotions are still there. I am really looking forward to the sequel, although Howard has given me a sample but I've not got round to reading it yet, but I will do soon.

Get it, read it, you'll love it

As for the art, if you don't find what you are looking for then I could probably come up with something. But I am more of a fine artist rather than illustrator but that doesn't mean I can't come up with a style that will suit your book. Bearing in mind you will be getting the images that I made in my head as I read the book.

Thanks anna! :5:

As to the art - I was more thinking of...I don't know the word as I am not an artist. Is it vignette? Small, focussed character pieces, preferably in a stylised low-detail (if you will) style so that it conveys the rough shapes and imagery of the pieces without giving teh reader too much detail so they are still able to form their own opinion of how the characters look.

For those who have read the book the scenes I were thinking of are:
To my mind they could (should?) be dark, almost ink-based (if you will) drawings, showing shapes and outlines but not much detail.
As I say though, I have the artistic talent of a concussed badger, so what do I know? :D
Author:  annarack [ 08 Oct 2012, 17:07 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
Yeah, I know what you mean, tbh you are kind of describing the ink drawings I used to do with a stick that I shaped into a pen!! So maybe I could put something together.....
Author:  [SpA]Ivanosauros [ 08 Oct 2012, 17:23 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
continuing in the list of potential art
Author:  [SpA]Haladir [ 09 Oct 2012, 19:34 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
Its a really good book! Read IT!!!!!
Howard how is your second book going?
Author:  [SpA]Revenge [ 12 Oct 2012, 22:56 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
I have bought the book and will have a read
Author:  [SpA]Howard [ 13 Oct 2012, 16:38 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
[SpA]Revenge wrote:
I have bought the book and will have a read
Awesome, Revenge! Any and all feedback welcomed and if you get far enough you feel you can rate it and/or review it on Amazon, please do, it will be greatly appreciated.!
Author:  [SpA]Howard [ 17 Oct 2012, 19:35 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
Oh, I forgot to post the link to my blog. Its not updated as often as it was as I am kind of in the thick of writing now but I try and make some noise there occasionally about the whole process of writing and publishing
LINKAGE
Author:  annarack [ 19 Oct 2012, 14:42 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
Don't worry about the written description, can you just let me know what pages I need to go to to refresh my memory.
Author:  [SpA]Howard [ 19 Oct 2012, 16:06 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
[SpA]annarack wrote:
Don't worry about the written description, can you just let me know what pages I need to go to to refresh my memory.
That's....tricky, as the page number depends on what you view the book.

I'll email you an original Word copy of the book and give you some page numbers if that's ok?
Author:  annarack [ 22 Oct 2012, 13:40 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
I bought it from Smash Words so whichever is easiest. Just saves me trying to find the right bit to enable me to get in the zone of drawing up an illustration.
Author:  [SpA]Howard [ 10 Dec 2012, 19:55 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
Yeah - and as ever, I am proved right.

I knew I should not have posted this here, its just prompted the butt-hurt children who get banned on Minecraft to post hate reviews on Amazon.

Another kick in the nuts for me, courtesy of SpA...
Author:  [SpA]JuncoPartner [ 10 Dec 2012, 20:12 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
Sorry to hear that man, but I don't think you can really blame SpA for that. That's one of the risks you run online, and more so when posting in a gaming community in which you play a large part in running. I wouldn't worry about it too much though, the contrast between the good and bullshit reviews should be pretty easy to spot, I'm sure people are savy enough to know that there will always be random bad reviews written by idiots on amazon.
Author:  ells551 [ 10 Dec 2012, 20:13 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
You can tell they are just trolling, anyone with half a brain cell can see that they are just stupid and probably have not even bought the book, considering all the 5 star reviews and the price, it should not effect it.
Author:  [SpA]Howard [ 10 Dec 2012, 21:54 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
Ells and Junco - all fair points but its not like I'm talking about a few bad/hateful reviews against a wall of good ones. Most (like 98%) of those who have bought the book simply refuse to leave feedback - I cannot even get my own sister to do so - so right now the reviews are split 50/50 which makes it look like the bad reviews are genuine and I paid/bribed/cajoled people for the good ones.
Author:  [SpA]Howard [ 10 Dec 2012, 23:28 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
Grrrr...

yeah - sorry. Seeing those reviews threw me through a loop. I know full well this ain't SpA's fault.

This writing thing is just looking more and more like a bad idea from my perspective. I know my ideas are good but there is too much chance in this equation...
Author:  [SpA]Ivanosauros [ 11 Dec 2012, 07:14 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
I love the negative reviews - they're all 1 star and completely downvoted into oblivion. The fact that they all had -zero- positive/constructive feedback also leads a reader to believe that they either didn't give the book a chance in the first place or are simply troll reviews.

After all, it's not exactly breaking the bank to buy the book and review it. I'm sure there are plenty of angry people with a dollar and a few words to say in anger to anyone connected with SpA. It's kind of cute, actually :)

Either way it really doesn't look to me as though any of the reviews were bribed/forged/bullshit etc - probably because they weren't. In any case, some of these troll reviews might even act to alleviate that impression on anyone who thinks so anyway :D
Author:  [SpA]Howard [ 06 Jan 2013, 20:40 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
Changed the OP as...well, changes coming.

Both pages should shut down shortly...
Author:  [SpA]bubbajim3 [ 06 Jan 2013, 23:38 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
Gah, why are you making it suspenseful. Also, I hereby promise to buy AND read your next book when it comes on sale. :4
Author:  [SpA]Howard [ 06 Jan 2013, 23:56 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
[SpA]bubbajim3 wrote:
Gah, why are you making it suspenseful. Also, I hereby promise to buy AND read your next book when it comes on sale. :4
Sorry - not meaning to make it suspense-filed, its just that what I am going to do is likely to raise some eyebrows.

Essentially, to put it in a nutshell, I am rewriting the book, or at least large sections of it. The further I have gotten into book 2, the more the issues of book 1 are starting to glare. A lot of book 1 was written long ago (10+years ago) and I really didn't fully know what I was doing so its a bit unclear, contains poor characterisation and does not develop certain plot-lines and characters well at all. This rewrite seeks to address that by changing the first 50% or so of the book. All the events that take place will still happen but things will shift around, particularly at the start, and I am pushing to remove a lot of dead meat from the story.

Should be out in a few weeks assuming I can keep my head in the game and just get it done, then I can settle back into The Keepers of the Fire
Author:  [SpA]Ivanosauros [ 07 Jan 2013, 00:22 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
Is this rewriting book 1 or book 2? You sound a tad vague.
Author:  [SpA]JuncoPartner [ 07 Jan 2013, 01:36 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
eee I'd be careful with rewrites, I know it's not like a big release, but I think when you write something you capture yourself at that time I suppose, the way it's written. Updating bits might harm that consistancy, and it wont quite be your old work anymore, I don't know it makes sense to me anyway.
Author:  [SpA]bubbajim3 [ 07 Jan 2013, 02:15 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
Hmm, I feel Junco may have a valid point there. Anyway this can be, whats the word, idk, maybe another version of it? hopefully you get what i'm saying :P
Author:  [SpA]Howard [ 07 Jan 2013, 08:31 ]
Post subject:  Re: My Book: The Keepers of the Key
Ivan, its rewriting book 1

Junco - rewrites happen *all* the time, especially with first releases. With this rewrite I am not changing what happens, just how it happens. Too much of the current draft is broken, makes no sense or is just badly written and certain plot aspects (like the book they find, for those that have read it) just need getting rid of and replacing with my original ideas (in my first draft, there was no secret Templar book, and with good reason).

Trust me, this is not only needed, it will make the book far better and make my writing of the sequel far easier.
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