First off – apologies for being away from the blog for so long.\u00a0 We took a much-needed family vacation last week, so I\u00a0seized the opportunity to step away from the online world for a bit.\u00a0 Probably not an optimal\u00a0course of action\u00a0when it comes to promoting a book, but sometimes you just want to lay on the beach…<\/p>\n
Of course, the rest of the world went on without me, and while I was sipping Pina Coladas in a lounge chair, Amazon went ahead and announced the quarter-finalists in their Breakthrough Novel Award Contest.\u00a0 I’m sad to report that Peripheral Involvement<\/em> was not among them.\u00a0 I’ll confess that I was more disappointed than I thought I would be when I found out.\u00a0 I came to the contest much more in hope than expectation, but when I made it through the first round, visions of success started dancing through my head.\u00a0 Realistically, I knew that I was never going to win – as good as I believe my book to be, I know that there are many talented writers out there that have spent a great deal more time honing their craft than I have – but I really thought that I could at least make it through one more round (and get the Publisher’s Weekly review that comes with that distinction).<\/p>\n Alas, it was not to be.\u00a0 I brooded over it for a few days, but then they posted the judges’ feedback, and it made me feel better.\u00a0 The second round was judged solely on the first 5,000 words of the book (in my case, that gets you about halfway through Chapter Two).\u00a0 This is what they had to say:<\/p>\n This author writes confidently with a seasoned writer’s touch.\u00a0\u00a0The engaging narrative is infused with wit, nuance and a tone of sardonic humor which seamlessly shifts to drama.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It has an entertaining cinematic quality to it.<\/span><\/p>\n While competently written, this story has quite the familiar feel to it inasmuch as the same kind of character development and plotting are popular in current fiction and screen play writing these days. That is surely an indication of its appeal and that’s a good thing. But I think it would serve this author well to try to seize upon a slightly different angle to the story or character.<\/span><\/p>\n The author has a firm grasp on the essentials of good story writing. The writing is seasoned and refined; the plotting smart and intriguing.<\/span><\/p>\n With a little tweaking of plot and characterization, I think this story could be a real winner.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The monotony of his job with Skinner and Sons, the dread of work, the fear of his boss and finally the realization that all that you is is really the only thing that you know. Very well written and left me wondering if he was indeed fired at this point.<\/span><\/p>\n It has been used a million times. The protagonist wakes up into an unforeseen circumstance with no memory of how he got there. I realize that this is the “hook” of the book, but it is just a tired tired literary device.<\/span><\/p>\n Even with the weakness that I just mentioned I found the writing crisp and tight with very few wasted words. The story flowed very nicely. It did leave me wanting to read more and after a short excerpt that is really all an author can want or expect.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\nABNA Expert Reviewer<\/h2>\n
What is the strongest aspect of this excerpt?<\/h3>\n
What aspect needs the most work?<\/h3>\n
What is your overall opinion of this excerpt?<\/h3>\n
ABNA Expert Reviewer<\/h2>\n
What is the strongest aspect of this excerpt?<\/h3>\n
What aspect needs the most work?<\/h3>\n
What is your overall opinion of this excerpt?<\/h3>\n