I did it again! I forgot to post #185 here on my blog. My apologies to all readers of this blog. So I’ll start out by including points from that previous epistle, most of which my email newsletter subscribers have already seen.

Seasonal changes. Fall is an interesting time for me. As a kid growing up in California, I never experienced the wonderful reds and yellows of leaves or frost on the pumpkins. Fall just meant that I had to wear a light jacket to school and turn my mind toward football instead of baseball (basketball came later).

But there’s something about fall in the Northeast that makes me think of better times. Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and I’m feeling there’s plenty to give thanks for, even in these trying times. There’s change too, as well as a coming together, as we begin to hunker down and prepare for another winter because most of those wonderfully colored leaves are gone.

Living here means observing continuous change, and with it comes the recognition that we’re all on spaceship Earth together, swinging around the sun and enjoying the great privilege of participating in this grand experiment called life. Relish it.

Reading. Sometimes our teachers and professors can encourage us to read. N. Scott Momaday, one of my English profs at UCSB (that was before he won the Pulitzer for House Made of Dawn—perhaps you saw him on PBS?), even taught me to love poetry. (I don’t write it well at all, so don’t expect a brilliant poem here!) Time spent reading these days has probably increased as we minimize our group interactions beyond Skype and Zoom and look for entertainment we can enjoy at home. And books are good choices when you need a break from streaming video and computer games too.

Yet reading isn’t just about entertainment, is it? Even in our reading of fiction, we can reaffirm universal truths and study human behavior, all while relaxing in our favorite chair. Reading is more like enjoying a savory stew; it’s a complex medium that makes readers think, much more so much more than streaming video or video games, and it’s entertainment as well.

Storytelling is a quintessentially human endeavor. Authors writing those stories that must be told, and readers enjoying them, represent the modern embodiment of that campfire tradition from days of yore. Borrow or buy a book today and enjoy the rewards.

Want better book reviews? Many readers browsing for a new novel to read on Amazon look at a book’s page and say, “This book has 100 [1000? 10000?] reviews, so it must be really good [popular? fantastic?].”

First, don’t believe all those people read the book. Even if the review says “verified purchase,” think about it: How many books have you started to read and never finished? Or never started? Second, examine those reviews. You’ll find that many are “atta-girl,” “atta-boy,” or “this is terrible,” and they’re shorter than most tweets on Twitter, so they don’t say much of anything. They usually don’t provide any more information for other buyers than a simple thumbs-up or thumbs-down. Third, those reviews are either four or five-star ones, or one or two stars. You might prefer a ranking that goes beyond pass-fail.

A good review—yours, if you have time to write it—would probably avoid all these problems, a short list of likes and dislikes and why. You know you don’t have to write an MFA thesis; you also know that those “book reports” you had to do once aren’t required either. By the same token, you can see how bad most book reviews are. You’re a reader, and you know that people just like you only want solid entertainment, information, and value in their reading material.

Choosing a book. So, if reviews are mostly worthless, how does one choose a book to read? Look at the book’s cover; if it looks like a PowerPoint slide, avoid it. Read the book’s blurb; if it talks more about buying the book than what’s in it, avoid it. Finally, use the “peek inside” feature to see if the author can actually write, and if you like her or his style. This process works whether you’re on Amazon or in your favorite bookstore or library (of course, in a public library, you don’t have to pay anything…unless the book is overdue!). What you like and dislike should always be your decision, not some reviewer’s! Or mine. (Or, even worse, some hollow endorsement by some “best-selling” author!)

Just an FYI, though: My own reviews tend to be longer than most on Amazon. They’re found in the “Book Reviews” and “Mini-Reviews of Books” archives at my blog at this website, as well as on Bookpleasures.com. I generally don’t review for Amazon anymore. They’ve rejected reviews in the past for being too long!

Sleuthing, British-Style. I usually don’t publish short story collections anymore, so this little ebook collection of murder mysteries is unusual. (By the way, I generally give away my short fiction. You can find a list of free downloadable PDFs on my “Free Stuff & Contests” web page at this website.) In this collection, newly minted DS Logan Blake leaves his DC position with Scotland Yard for his new DS position in a police substation west of Oxford, hoping the English countryside will provide a more peaceful policing experience. Unfortunately, he immediately must deal with three different murders. But there’s a romantic perk that makes this hard initiation much more bearable!

Besides the stories, this is an homage to the inimitable Dame Agatha, who started it all; an introduction to the particular vernacular of British-style mysteries (there’s a list of English words and phrases); and a list of series I’ve binge-read to maintain my sanity during the COVID pandemic. This little ebook is available where all fine ebooks are sold. (Note to authors: This was an experiment in using Draft2Digital for self-publishing. Like Smashwords, D2D distributes to multiple retailers, but fewer than Smashwords. Unlike Smashwords, D2D also distributes to Amazon, although D2D has to handle special conditions imposed by the monopolizing retail giant.)

Two new books—two different journeys. The first book, my new sci-fi rom-com, A Time Traveler’s Guide through the Multiverse, will tickle your funny bone as physicist Gail romps through universes of the multiverse accompanied by her trusted and loving assistant Jeff. The science? Time travel done right. The romance? Gail falls in love with her assistant, and vice versa. The comedy? A bit of Hiaasen tongue-in-cheek mixed with Swift-like commentary on current events. Available wherever quality ebooks are sold. Here’s a review:

“I thoroughly enjoyed this trip through time with a scientist and her tech in their dental chair/time machine. It worked on numerous levels. It can be enjoyed as hard SF, as a humorous adventure story, or as a commentary on our own condition. A different type of story from author Steven M. Moore, it still satisfies. Great read, reminiscent of a few of Heinlein’s stories!”—S. D. Beallis, in his Amazon 5-star review.

 

For the second book, let me state that I have quite a pile of manuscripts now waiting to be published because of COVID, but I’ll only mention one other one I had a lot of fun writing that has been published, Death on the Danube. Esther Brookstone and her new hubby, Bastiann van Coevorden, go on a river cruise for their honeymoon. A murder occurs, and, because the Danube is international waters, Interpol agent Bastiann, takes over the investigation. It’s Dame Agatha’s Death on the Nile, with both a Miss Marple (Esther) and an Hercule Poirot (Bastiann), but with 21^st century themes and plot. You can’t take that same cruise in real life yet, but you can take a romantic cruise on the Danube with Esther and Bastiann, with a murder mystery added in for more spice. Look for it…and happy sailing! This is #3 in the “Esther Brookstone Art Detective” series that also has a bit of British-style mystery flavor. And here’s an excerpt from a review:

“Death on the Danube is the third book in the Esther Brookstone Art Detective Series by Steven M. Moore, and it is a wonderful blend of mystery and murder; a story that will be loved by fans of sleuth novels…. Steven M. Moore is a master storyteller who creates characters with depth and thrusts them into complex situations. I loved the way the relationship between Esther and Bastiann is written, the great pacing, and the wonderful writing.”—Gobi Jane, in her Readers’ Favorite 5-star review. You can find the full review here: https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/death-on-the-danube. And you can watch the video trailer here: https://youtu.be/0d0wQrdq4Sg.

Both these latter two ebooks are available on Amazon and Smashwords and the latter’s affiliated retailers (iBooks, B&N, Kobo and Walmart, etc.). Death on the Danube also has a print version.

Smashwords sales. My email newsletter subscribers have access to 50%-off sales for the two last books mentioned above using the coupon codes supplied in that newsletter. But booklovers will also love this end-of-year 50%-off sale! The sale is for the YA sci-fi mystery/thriller novels, The Secret Lab, The Secret of the Urns, and Mind Games, all by A.B. Carolan. They’re 50% off on Smashwords until December 31, 2020, and are ideal gifts for any tweens and teens on your holiday gift list—and maybe for yourself as an adult who’s young-at-heart? (No coupon codes are needed here. This sale is for all readers!)

Don’t have a Smashwords account? Open one, it’s easy and free, and you’ll have access to a huge world of reading entertainment…and $100 per year for Amazon Prime is never required to take advantage of my sales!

Happy Thanksgiving! Be safe, stay healthy. We’ll get through this!

***

Comments are always welcome!

Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 25th, 2020 at 2:39 am and is filed under News and Notices from the Writing Trenches. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.