Jeremy Gray's Blog
May 29, 2015
2015 IRDA Fantasy Winner!
I'm excited to officially announce that my debut novel Grooveworld has won the Fantasy category of this year's IndieReader Discovery Awards! It's an honor to receive this award in such a strong field, and it really gives me confidence moving forward as a writer. On to the sequels! Thank you IndieReader!
http://indiereader.com/2015/05/meet-2...
http://indiereader.com/2015/05/meet-2...
February 6, 2015
IndieReader rave!
Five star review from IndieReader! I love that the reviewer 'got' my book. Still kicking myself that I didn't think of 'techno Alice in Wonderland' first. :)
Read the review here: http://indiereader.com/2015/02/groove...
Read the review here: http://indiereader.com/2015/02/groove...
January 28, 2015
FREE FREE FREE (book book book)
Because everybody likes free. (Thanks, Millennials...)
The Grooveworld ebook is totally 100% free on Amazon all this week. Promotion ends Friday. Go grab it. And make sure you add it and review it right here on Goodreads. Get yours!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K88RVO2
The Grooveworld ebook is totally 100% free on Amazon all this week. Promotion ends Friday. Go grab it. And make sure you add it and review it right here on Goodreads. Get yours!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K88RVO2
December 15, 2014
Grooveworld voted one of Best Indie Books of 2014!
It's official! Kirkus Reviews has released their annual awards, and Grooveworld was named one of the Best Indie Books of 2014! They even put it into a bad ass category. This is a really big honor, and I really hope it leads to big things! Check out the list for yourself.
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/lists/b...
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/lists/b...
November 29, 2014
Exciting news forthcoming...
While you're recovering from your Thanksgiving food coma, keep your ears peeled. (Can ears be peeled?) I'll be making a big announcement about Grooveworld in two weeks time.
Stay tuned, Rezzies...
Stay tuned, Rezzies...
July 24, 2014
Kirkus Review
My first official review is live! I think overall it's pretty fair. Read for yourself and let me know what you think!
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...
May 11, 2014
Grooveworld is LIVE!
It's been a long, LONG journey, but I am proud to announce my first novel Grooveworld is currently available in the Kindle Store on Amazon.com.
I first came up with the idea for Grooveworld when I was walking home from the market on a snowy day in Glasgow in 2001. I really liked the idea of creating a whole fantasy world out of not just sound, but electronic music(!!) as a tribute to the world that helped me learn so much about myself.
And I don't know if it was my rebel attitude or my general naiveté or just me being completely insane, but for some reason the idea burrowed into my mind and never fully let go. Tell the story of the DJ and rave scene through a young adult fantasy book. Yeah, I'm going with 'completely insane'.
There were two problems.
For one thing, I had only just started my conversion from club kid to DJ and I didn't have the necessary life experience to write such a book. At all.
For another, I just wasn't there as a writer.
Don't get me wrong. I could write purple prose to stand up against the best. When I look back at my first draft from 2003, I'm amazed at how poetic the writing is. The language is beautiful. The characters seem like they're auditioning for a Saturday morning cartoon. And the gravest offense— there isn't the semblance of a plot to be found.
It's a shame, because I still hold a few of those old chapters dear to my heart, especially a few of the chapters with Luna. But what they did do was establish my characters as living, breathing entities. And ever since they came into this world, they have been taking the journey with me all this time.
When I finally started to learn to draw and paint in 2005, I immediately tapped into the world that had been stored up in my head. And in a way, once those paintings finally bubbled out onto the canvas, they somehow locked in and led credibility to the world that I knew I had to share. Eventually, I found myself drawing (ha!) from my own paintings to create the worlds that now populate the finished book.
Originally the book was written for a younger audience. I was a huge fan of Roald Dahl growing up and always saw myself as a children's writer. But the material wanted to skew older than I was ready to let it. Finally, I hit the tipping point and it was time to start over.
In 2009, I finally killed my darlings and started over, almost from scratch. Only the bedroom scene near the beginning of the book managed to stay, and only after a healthy rewrite. But the characters mostly remained the same: Flick, the upstart DJ, Luna, his younger sister, Miu and Hertz, and of course SpeeQr. But everything else changed.
And I don't regret it one bit.
So here we are. Grooveworld is finally out of my head and in the public's hands. My baby is real. I have a feeling a lot of people might not *get* it, but my hope is the ones who do hug it real tight and never let go, just like a big plush SpeeQr bunny at 3am while the music is still pounding into the night.
Besides, if I'm happy with it, it's already a success.
Grooveworld
I first came up with the idea for Grooveworld when I was walking home from the market on a snowy day in Glasgow in 2001. I really liked the idea of creating a whole fantasy world out of not just sound, but electronic music(!!) as a tribute to the world that helped me learn so much about myself.
And I don't know if it was my rebel attitude or my general naiveté or just me being completely insane, but for some reason the idea burrowed into my mind and never fully let go. Tell the story of the DJ and rave scene through a young adult fantasy book. Yeah, I'm going with 'completely insane'.
There were two problems.
For one thing, I had only just started my conversion from club kid to DJ and I didn't have the necessary life experience to write such a book. At all.
For another, I just wasn't there as a writer.
Don't get me wrong. I could write purple prose to stand up against the best. When I look back at my first draft from 2003, I'm amazed at how poetic the writing is. The language is beautiful. The characters seem like they're auditioning for a Saturday morning cartoon. And the gravest offense— there isn't the semblance of a plot to be found.
It's a shame, because I still hold a few of those old chapters dear to my heart, especially a few of the chapters with Luna. But what they did do was establish my characters as living, breathing entities. And ever since they came into this world, they have been taking the journey with me all this time.
When I finally started to learn to draw and paint in 2005, I immediately tapped into the world that had been stored up in my head. And in a way, once those paintings finally bubbled out onto the canvas, they somehow locked in and led credibility to the world that I knew I had to share. Eventually, I found myself drawing (ha!) from my own paintings to create the worlds that now populate the finished book.
Originally the book was written for a younger audience. I was a huge fan of Roald Dahl growing up and always saw myself as a children's writer. But the material wanted to skew older than I was ready to let it. Finally, I hit the tipping point and it was time to start over.
In 2009, I finally killed my darlings and started over, almost from scratch. Only the bedroom scene near the beginning of the book managed to stay, and only after a healthy rewrite. But the characters mostly remained the same: Flick, the upstart DJ, Luna, his younger sister, Miu and Hertz, and of course SpeeQr. But everything else changed.
And I don't regret it one bit.
So here we are. Grooveworld is finally out of my head and in the public's hands. My baby is real. I have a feeling a lot of people might not *get* it, but my hope is the ones who do hug it real tight and never let go, just like a big plush SpeeQr bunny at 3am while the music is still pounding into the night.
Besides, if I'm happy with it, it's already a success.
Grooveworld
