Review Tales
Trusted Reviews and Author Features Since 2016
A Salted Slug by Joe King (Book Review #1259)๏ฟผ
A salted slug is a crime mystery science fiction story. Zander Kain is a writer who has lost his job due to leaking classified information. He spends his days trying to get some work as a freelance writer for the Rook City Review which is governed by the NAU government. As Zander interviews a passed-out drunk-off-key singer in his car and takes her back home, he notices a mysterious red orb in the sky, creating a thrilling story to read.
Read MoreInterview with Lynette Bacon-Nguyen
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I didn’t realize I wanted to be a writer, I just started writing things. I have a heavy background in roleplaying games both tabletop and text base, and I consumed a ton of media including fanfiction so I started writing my own. I wrote a door stopper of a fanfiction (500k+ words) over a period of about three years and decided then I wanted to do some original work.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I have a distinctive cadence when I write apparently which is similar to how I speak. I also will often diegetically cut off either dialogues or stream of thoughts in a story by new action in a scene or people talking over each other because that’s much more realistic to my view of the world.
Where did you get your information or idea for your book?
I was part of a freeform roleplaying community on discord that ran a continuousย storyline for about three years and I had one character to whom I was very attached. It helped that the way she was set up was that she was actually very experienced and had numerous stories and adventures already that I would make up on the spot for roleplay. I decided essentially to build a series and world around those adventures by making a new setting where she could live and exist.ย
How did you get your book published?
To maintain complete creative control, I’m self-publishing my book, and the process of actual publishing isn’t hard. If you write something it’s fairly easy to just make an account on Amazon KDP and publish your own.
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your book?
Just how expensive the entire process was. Publishing a manuscript on Amazon doesn’t really cost anything besides a cut of the process but there is a laundry list of things you just have to pay for that were much more costly than I expected. You have to buy book art (which I don’t regret because my cover is AMAZING), I actually spent about six hundred dollars on just art for my book, which included the cover, a map of the city that’s at the front of the book and commissioned art of the races. You have to pay editors, and there are different kinds. I paid for a developmental edit, and package line edit/grammar edit which ended up being about 1100 USD. Then of course advertising which is so far, I’ve dropped about two hundred dollars on and likely will be paying a bit more in the future. I’m planning on scheduling booth events at conventions when my book officially comes out, which tables there can cost anywhere from 50-500 USD depending on how big the event is plus I have to buy promotional materials, banners, bookmark printings, as well as a stack of printed copies of the paperback to sell. It’s all very involved, but it’s money I’m willing to give for the success of my project because it’s cheap to publish a book on Amazon, anyone could do it if they wanted to try. But it’s expensive to make sure that the book is well-edited, has good cover art and is advertised enough so people will even know to buy it.
Book Title: Adventurer’s Overture
Author Name: Lynette Bacon-Nguyen
Pub Date: October 28th, 2022
ISBN: Amazon Kindle Published ISBN
Book Category/Genre: YA Fantasy
Page Count: 356
Publisher: Self Published
Author Bio:
My name is Lyn, I live in Georgia. I love all forms of media, kayaking, rock climbing and tabletop roleplay with my friends.
Two Memories Are Better Than One: The unique experience of writing a memoir with my husband
In our book The Backpack Years, my husband James and I wrote two parallel, intertwining memoirs. After hearing about our project, many people jokingly ask if we are still married. Yes, we are still married, and it was an amazing experience. The process of writing a memoir was actually made easier while working with a partner.
Read MoreGo Deep By Cathryn Vogeley
โI canโt publish a book. Iโm not a real writer,โ I said to my peers when they pushed me to publish. I discovered a passion for writing after retiring from four decades of nursing. Classes for beginners such as Bones of Storytelling with details of story structure gave me the foundation that I needed. Close critique of assigned books taught me how to build tension, consider the reader, revise, stay in my zone and write (instead of surfing the web). I loved the mental exercise and camaraderie of my classmates.
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Read More๏ฟผ๏ฟผNow Entering Alaska Time by Ken Waldman (BookReview #1258)๏ฟผ
Now entering Alaska is a fictional short story divided into five parts. It is a unique blend of drama, death, loss, and comedy. Zan, a 28-year-old divorceโ and a musician moves to Frainbanks and, after experiencing love and loss, meets Melinda, a 27-year-old who has experienced her own crisis.
Read MoreSimple Preaching Prep by Mark Messmore (Book Review #1257)๏ฟผ
Simple preaching prep is a nonfiction self-help book written for those who wish to perfect preaching or want the recourses to help train and become one. The book is short but compact. It is helpful for those who like to read explicit material and enables you to finish your first sermon without reading too much.
Read MoreBlood Legacy by Tej Turner (Book Review #1256)๏ฟผ
Blood Legacy is a dark fantasy action-adventure story. It is the second book of the โAvatars of Ruinโ series. The story picks up from where it left off. I had read the authorโs first book, โBloodsworn,โ so I was excited to see what happens in the sequel.
Read MoreTudo by Nigel Joslin (Book Review #1255) ๏ฟผ
Tudo is an action thriller story set in the year 2052. Humans have colonized Mars. Sarah and Owen, two scientists, arrive on a spacecraft while back on earth; Dexter and Otto plan to put an end to the Mars project. However, Cecily, an MI6 agent, is catching up on their troublemaking attempts creating an action-packed science-focused story to enjoy.
Read MoreThe Short story collective: 13 Tales from Japan by Andrew Innes (Book Review #1254)๏ฟผ
Thirteen tales from Japan is a collection of stories discussing the contemporary issues facing Japan. It introduces the reader to a wide range of inspirational and thought-provoking scenes keeping you intrigued.
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