Maria Savva's Blog - Posts Tagged "khaled-talib"
Book Review: The Little Book of Muses, by Khaled Talib
The Little Book of Muses by Khaled TalibMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a wonderful little book for writers and aspiring writers. It's a quick read, but a book full of wisdom that I'm sure I will read again and again. I've seen lots of Khaled Talib's inspirational quotes on his Facebook and Twitter pages over the years and have always enjoyed them. They are simple but thought-provoking. This is a collection of quotes about writers and the things that inspires words and novels; a celebration of words and the magic of art and writing. It's an uplifting and encouraging selection of quotes for writers and artists. There's also a good dose of humour within the pages. Well worth reading.
View all my reviews
Interview with Khaled Talib
Khaled Talib is a very talented and inspirational writer. He's very friendly and supportive of other writers. I first started noticing quotes from his book The Little Book of Muses floating around on Facebook and Twitter a couple of years ago, and we've since become good online friends. I recently read The Little Book of Muses and would recommend it. It's a quick read, packed with lots of uplifting and inspirational quotes for writers and artists. (It has also now been translated into Spanish and Italian.)
Khaled is a former journalist with local and international exposure. His articles have been published and syndicated to newspapers worldwide, and his short stories have appeared in literary journals and magazines.
His novel Smokescreen was listed "Thriller of the Month" on e-thriller.com's September 2014 issue.
He's a member of the UK Crime Writers Association.
INTERVIEW WITH KHALED TALIB
Welcome, Khaled! Thank you for joining me on my blog.
Where does your inspiration come from?
From everywhere: it could be a chance meeting with someone or being at some place that left me imbued. There’s no formula — it’s just something you pick up and then later explore the possibility of making something out of it.
What 3 pieces of advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Don’t give up. Trust yourself. Listen to your editor.
All great tips
Tell us about your latest book.
I’ve written two flash fiction: I Swear It Happened Just Like This is a collection of short stories based on my experiences. It takes place in various parts of the world.
The second, Stories To Creep you Out Until Dawn is a compilation of horror tales from paranormal to the supernatural. These books have also been translated into Spanish.
My completed novel manuscript, "Incognito", which hasn’t been published yet, is primarily set in Europe, and tells the story of a VIP’s kidnapping. There’s more, but it’s top secret for now.
You've been busy! I love the titles for those flash fiction books! :)
How long did it take you to write your last book?
It took me years to complete my first novel, "Smokescreen". I had no experience, I kept making mistakes before I finally got it right. The second manuscript, amazingly, took me a year and two months. I’ve learned a lot from the first one; it’s the same like everything else: it’s hard at the beginning, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes easier.
It's hard work writing a novel!
What advice would you give your 16-year-old self?
Pursue what you really want to do, and not what everyone else wants you to do.
Wise advice
When writing a novel or story, do you think word count is important? If so, what is the ideal length?
Personally, no. But it seems many literary agents and publishers demand a certain number of words. So I’m forced to comply. I’ll try to include additional scenes, but when it comes to dialogue, it’s too risky to inflate it. Remember, if you keep blowing a balloon, it’ll explode. You do what you can, but don’t overdo it. My first novel was 66,000 words. For the second one, I stopped at 70,873. That’s the best I can do.
Do you have any advice for writers as to how to deal with bad reviews?
Don’t ever take a bad review personally, and never reply to the reader (and troll) who hates your book whether it’s on Goodreads or Amazon. If your book is good, you’ll find your fair share of positive reviews pouring in to overshadow the bad ones.
What do you enjoy most about the writing process?
You are literally creating something out of nothing.
That's very true :)
Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, Khaled! I'm looking forward to reading your novels and stories.
****************************************
Author links:
Website: http://khaledtalibthriller.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/khaled.talib
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KhaledTalib
Little Book of Muses website: http://thelittlebookofmuses.com/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Khaled-Talib/e/...
Khaled is a former journalist with local and international exposure. His articles have been published and syndicated to newspapers worldwide, and his short stories have appeared in literary journals and magazines.
His novel Smokescreen was listed "Thriller of the Month" on e-thriller.com's September 2014 issue.
He's a member of the UK Crime Writers Association.
INTERVIEW WITH KHALED TALIB
Welcome, Khaled! Thank you for joining me on my blog.
Where does your inspiration come from?
From everywhere: it could be a chance meeting with someone or being at some place that left me imbued. There’s no formula — it’s just something you pick up and then later explore the possibility of making something out of it.
What 3 pieces of advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Don’t give up. Trust yourself. Listen to your editor.
All great tips
Tell us about your latest book.
I’ve written two flash fiction: I Swear It Happened Just Like This is a collection of short stories based on my experiences. It takes place in various parts of the world.
The second, Stories To Creep you Out Until Dawn is a compilation of horror tales from paranormal to the supernatural. These books have also been translated into Spanish.
My completed novel manuscript, "Incognito", which hasn’t been published yet, is primarily set in Europe, and tells the story of a VIP’s kidnapping. There’s more, but it’s top secret for now.
You've been busy! I love the titles for those flash fiction books! :)
How long did it take you to write your last book?
It took me years to complete my first novel, "Smokescreen". I had no experience, I kept making mistakes before I finally got it right. The second manuscript, amazingly, took me a year and two months. I’ve learned a lot from the first one; it’s the same like everything else: it’s hard at the beginning, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes easier.
It's hard work writing a novel!
What advice would you give your 16-year-old self?
Pursue what you really want to do, and not what everyone else wants you to do.
Wise advice
When writing a novel or story, do you think word count is important? If so, what is the ideal length?
Personally, no. But it seems many literary agents and publishers demand a certain number of words. So I’m forced to comply. I’ll try to include additional scenes, but when it comes to dialogue, it’s too risky to inflate it. Remember, if you keep blowing a balloon, it’ll explode. You do what you can, but don’t overdo it. My first novel was 66,000 words. For the second one, I stopped at 70,873. That’s the best I can do.
Do you have any advice for writers as to how to deal with bad reviews?
Don’t ever take a bad review personally, and never reply to the reader (and troll) who hates your book whether it’s on Goodreads or Amazon. If your book is good, you’ll find your fair share of positive reviews pouring in to overshadow the bad ones.
What do you enjoy most about the writing process?
You are literally creating something out of nothing.
That's very true :)
Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, Khaled! I'm looking forward to reading your novels and stories.
****************************************
Author links:
Website: http://khaledtalibthriller.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/khaled.talib
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KhaledTalib
Little Book of Muses website: http://thelittlebookofmuses.com/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Khaled-Talib/e/...
New releases by talented independent authors
You probably hear about the new releases from the big publishing houses, but you may miss announcements from independent authors about their new books. I've heard about a few new releases from some of my favourite indie authors in the past few months, so I thought it would be nice to promote them here.
I haven't read any of them yet, but I know that these authors usually write stuff that I enjoy. I hope you'll find something in the list to add to your to-read lists.
Maisie - by Julie Elizabeth Powell
About the book:
Maisie is special. Yes, she is blind, yes she’s an orphan and yes, few know her roots. But inside, she sparkles, more than an angel, more than those majestic stars that layer the universe in glory. Some see this sparkle while others deny its existence and insist she is nothing more than a brat, one that even her own parents didn’t want.
Maisie also has a secret. One she’d never share because if she did, she knew they’d lock her away in one of those places the others talked about - where all the weird people go.
Even Maisie doesn’t understand it all, but knows that one day she’ll meet the woman and the boy...those that she believes are part of her dreams, in a land where she can see, where colours are vibrant and the moon shines as bright as the sun.
What is the truth, and will Maisie ever find it?
Buy the book:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B073...
*********************************
The Glass City, by Jen Knox
About the book:
WINNER of Prize Americana for Prose, Jen Knox’s The Glass City is a shrewd yet playful collection that explores the dangers of extremes with a subtle, skillful elegance. In these sixteen stories, weather becomes a mirror for the internal struggles of Knox’s indelible cast of characters. An aging acrobat looks for connectivity online as her city floods, two sisters are tasked to spread their mother's ashes on flowers that no longer exist, a man's scars become tattoos as he attempts to outrun truth, a reluctant host shares an island's secrets, and families survive natural disasters that shake out lies and bury inhibitions.
Buy the book:
Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/099...
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0...
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0996...
******************************
Tipping Point, by Terry Tyler
About the book:
'I didn't know danger was floating behind us on the breeze as we walked along the beach, seeping in through the windows of our picture postcard life.'
The year is 2024. A new social networking site bursts onto the scene. Private Life promises total privacy, with freebies and financial incentives for all. Across the world, a record number of users sign up.
A deadly virus is discovered in a little known African province, and it's spreading—fast. The UK announces a countrywide vaccination programme. Members of underground group Unicorn believe the disease to be man-made, and that the people are being fed lies driven by a vast conspiracy.
Vicky Keating's boyfriend, Dex, is working for Unicorn over two hundred miles away when the first UK outbreak is detected in her home town of Shipden, on the Norfolk coast. The town is placed under military controlled quarantine and, despite official assurances that there is no need for panic, within days the virus is unstoppable.
In London, Travis begins to question the nature of the top secret data analysis project he is working on, while in Newcastle there are scores to be settled...
This is the first book in the Project Renova series; the second, Lindisfarne, is due to be published in September 2017, with the final instalment in the middle of 2018. A collection of outtake short stories, Patient Zero, is in progress, and should be available around December 2017.
Buy the book:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B074...
**********************************
CONDEMNED: An Overview of Execution Methods Throughout History, by Darcia Helle
About the book:
Non-fiction: From hangings to beheading to lethal injections, Condemned brilliantly outlines the shocking, often-cruel conduits connecting early execution methods with modern-day executioners.
Buy the book:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07562J92P
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07562J92P
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07562J92P
*********************************
The Book of a Thousand and One Destinies, by Gareth Lewis
About the book:
A paranoid Sultan, an Assassin found only in stories, and a Storyteller caught up in their battle.
Once upon a time, a great Sultan was plagued by an Assassin who struck at him with stories and lies. A young Storyteller is gathered with her colleagues, and forced to share her stories with the Sultan before their voices are stilled forever.
In a war of destinies, enslaved jinn, and comparative truths, the Storyteller must tread dangerous ground in what may be her final recital.
A fantasy novella.
Buy the book:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Book-Thousand-...
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Thousan...
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Book-Thousand-O...
******************************
Incognito, by Khaled Talib
About the book:
Specialist Ayden Tanner is dispatched by a covert division of the global hacker group, Anonymous, to find the pope who is missing.
A frantic search begins in Italy and beyond its borders amid speculation that the Holy See may know more than they are telling.
Buy the book:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Incognito-Khal...
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Incognito-Kh...
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Incognito-Khale...
*************************************
Femme Fatale, by Dominic Piper
About the book:
When private investigator Daniel Beckett foils an assault on a young girl in London’s West End, it leads to an offer of work from a sinister and unlikely source in Soho’s Chinatown.
But what starts out as a straightforward missing persons’ case soon takes on a more ominous aspect as he discovers a trail of blackmail, sadistic violence, conspiracy and murder, plus an influential, privileged and poisonous presence that seems to permeate all spheres of society.
The perpetrators, however, are not expecting to encounter an individual like Beckett; an intelligent, amoral and fearless individual with a skill-set that points to a covert and violent past.
Acquiring an entrancing and mysterious female associate, his investigation leads him into London’s electrifying burlesque scene where it seems some of the answers may lie.
But no one is as they seem, and the truth is unexpected and disturbing.
Femme Fatale is the third novel by Dominic Piper featuring private investigator Daniel Beckett.
Buy the book:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B073...
******************************
I haven't read any of them yet, but I know that these authors usually write stuff that I enjoy. I hope you'll find something in the list to add to your to-read lists.
Maisie - by Julie Elizabeth Powell
About the book:
Maisie is special. Yes, she is blind, yes she’s an orphan and yes, few know her roots. But inside, she sparkles, more than an angel, more than those majestic stars that layer the universe in glory. Some see this sparkle while others deny its existence and insist she is nothing more than a brat, one that even her own parents didn’t want.
Maisie also has a secret. One she’d never share because if she did, she knew they’d lock her away in one of those places the others talked about - where all the weird people go.
Even Maisie doesn’t understand it all, but knows that one day she’ll meet the woman and the boy...those that she believes are part of her dreams, in a land where she can see, where colours are vibrant and the moon shines as bright as the sun.
What is the truth, and will Maisie ever find it?
Buy the book:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B073...
*********************************
The Glass City, by Jen Knox
About the book:
WINNER of Prize Americana for Prose, Jen Knox’s The Glass City is a shrewd yet playful collection that explores the dangers of extremes with a subtle, skillful elegance. In these sixteen stories, weather becomes a mirror for the internal struggles of Knox’s indelible cast of characters. An aging acrobat looks for connectivity online as her city floods, two sisters are tasked to spread their mother's ashes on flowers that no longer exist, a man's scars become tattoos as he attempts to outrun truth, a reluctant host shares an island's secrets, and families survive natural disasters that shake out lies and bury inhibitions.
Buy the book:
Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/099...
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0...
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0996...
******************************
Tipping Point, by Terry Tyler
About the book:
'I didn't know danger was floating behind us on the breeze as we walked along the beach, seeping in through the windows of our picture postcard life.'
The year is 2024. A new social networking site bursts onto the scene. Private Life promises total privacy, with freebies and financial incentives for all. Across the world, a record number of users sign up.
A deadly virus is discovered in a little known African province, and it's spreading—fast. The UK announces a countrywide vaccination programme. Members of underground group Unicorn believe the disease to be man-made, and that the people are being fed lies driven by a vast conspiracy.
Vicky Keating's boyfriend, Dex, is working for Unicorn over two hundred miles away when the first UK outbreak is detected in her home town of Shipden, on the Norfolk coast. The town is placed under military controlled quarantine and, despite official assurances that there is no need for panic, within days the virus is unstoppable.
In London, Travis begins to question the nature of the top secret data analysis project he is working on, while in Newcastle there are scores to be settled...
This is the first book in the Project Renova series; the second, Lindisfarne, is due to be published in September 2017, with the final instalment in the middle of 2018. A collection of outtake short stories, Patient Zero, is in progress, and should be available around December 2017.
Buy the book:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B074...
**********************************
CONDEMNED: An Overview of Execution Methods Throughout History, by Darcia Helle
About the book:
Non-fiction: From hangings to beheading to lethal injections, Condemned brilliantly outlines the shocking, often-cruel conduits connecting early execution methods with modern-day executioners.
Buy the book:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07562J92P
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07562J92P
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07562J92P
*********************************
The Book of a Thousand and One Destinies, by Gareth Lewis
About the book:
A paranoid Sultan, an Assassin found only in stories, and a Storyteller caught up in their battle.
Once upon a time, a great Sultan was plagued by an Assassin who struck at him with stories and lies. A young Storyteller is gathered with her colleagues, and forced to share her stories with the Sultan before their voices are stilled forever.
In a war of destinies, enslaved jinn, and comparative truths, the Storyteller must tread dangerous ground in what may be her final recital.
A fantasy novella.
Buy the book:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Book-Thousand-...
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Thousan...
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Book-Thousand-O...
******************************
Incognito, by Khaled Talib
About the book:
Specialist Ayden Tanner is dispatched by a covert division of the global hacker group, Anonymous, to find the pope who is missing.
A frantic search begins in Italy and beyond its borders amid speculation that the Holy See may know more than they are telling.
Buy the book:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Incognito-Khal...
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Incognito-Kh...
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Incognito-Khale...
*************************************
Femme Fatale, by Dominic Piper
About the book:
When private investigator Daniel Beckett foils an assault on a young girl in London’s West End, it leads to an offer of work from a sinister and unlikely source in Soho’s Chinatown.
But what starts out as a straightforward missing persons’ case soon takes on a more ominous aspect as he discovers a trail of blackmail, sadistic violence, conspiracy and murder, plus an influential, privileged and poisonous presence that seems to permeate all spheres of society.
The perpetrators, however, are not expecting to encounter an individual like Beckett; an intelligent, amoral and fearless individual with a skill-set that points to a covert and violent past.
Acquiring an entrancing and mysterious female associate, his investigation leads him into London’s electrifying burlesque scene where it seems some of the answers may lie.
But no one is as they seem, and the truth is unexpected and disturbing.
Femme Fatale is the third novel by Dominic Piper featuring private investigator Daniel Beckett.
Buy the book:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B073...
******************************
