UK Amazon Kindle Forum discussion

Hello everyone

I'm M T McGuire and I am an authorholic.

Yes, I'm addicted to writing things. Seriously addicted. It's like a bad crack habit. Except that I have an 8 year old and a brace of parents with dementia to look after which means I'm in a permanent state of curmudgeonly withdrawal. Hmm... have I spelled that right? I hope so.

I have to confess I thought I'd done this before but I've gone. That could be because I bored you and the moderators rigid and got deleted, or maybe I just fell off the end. Anyway, you can find me here if you want to have a chat, ask questions or nag me about the unfeasibly lengthy amount of time it's taken to get K'Barthan two anywhere near finished.

Which reminds me... mwah ha ha haargh!

I HAVE finished The Wrong Stuff (K'Barthan Trilogy 2) oh yeh! It's with the editor now, then it gets beta read and goes back to the editor.

It might need a fair bit of work before I can publish it but the projected publication date is sometime in April 12.

I'm quite excited about that.

Mmm.

There's another short you can read while you're waiting. Based, very loosely on the theme "Christmas Memories" Santa is my Dad can be found on Mysti Parker's blog hop here http://mystiparker.blogspot.com/2011/...

I might stick it on Kindle, although it's a bit after the lord mayor's show...

I've probably wittered on enough for now. I'll post the blurb for The Wrong Stuff on here when I get it finalised and links to look at the cover art.

Cheers

MTM

I have to say I give thanks, regularly, for nursery and Cbeebies. That said I think it would take me at least four years to write each book whether or not I had a small cheery McMini to look after while I did it.

Thank you anyway though.

Cheers

MTM

Hi MTM! only just spotted your thread!
Hope the writing's on schedule... tho if you're anything like me, I work a decade at a time.

And hi Jackie. Fond memories of 'Playschool' - they broadcast 2 of my stories!

Sympathise with you Jackie - I always take my kindle with me for appointments and try to block out whatever else is going on.

Oh don't! I'm about 3 years overdue for a dental check up and have to take the wee man for his first one!

Karen, I'm very much in awe of anyone who gets stories read out on telly. Blimey!

Cheers

MTM

Ah and while I'm here... drumroll etc,

Here is the first go at a blurb for The Wrong Stuff.

I've two questions.

1. obviously, is what do you think.
2. The Wrong Stuff referrs to something the hero, The Pan says about himself "I'm made of all the wrong stuff for heroics" But I'm thinking of calling it "Pick Another". What do you think?

ALL THE WRONG STUFF

The Pan of Hamgee has to admit that close up, the knight in shining armour thing is trickier than it looks. Despite being narcotically inconvenienced by the Lord Vernon and his Grongle hoardes The Pan has managed to escape their custody, switch to another version of reality and foil their attempts to kidnap Ruth, the Chosen One. Not a bad day's work, he reckons.

However Ruth thinks otherwise. She may be the woman of The Pan's dreams but when they are chased and nearly killed by Lord Vernon it becomes clear The Pan is not the man of hers. In fact, she she doesn't seem to like him at all and it doesn't help that, until the drugs wear off, all he can tell her is that he's a little teapot.

Ruth wants to get her life back but it looks unlikely. Lord Vernon is determined to hunt her down and unless she can persuade the Candidate to pick someone else he will not stop pursuing her. But the Candidate is in hiding and nobody knows where he is. Together, The Pan and Ruth set out to find him but will they succeed and, seeing as Ruth is supposed to fall head over heels in love with him, the moment the two of them meet, does The Pan want to?

Any feedback gratefully received!

Cheers

MTM

It sounds totally awesome and definitely intriguing. And I like All The Wrong Stuff as a title.

Thank! I read your story and it's great, I hope you're going to write more!

Also, why 'the wardrobe' - just intrigued. Beta copies not far away now... a month or so?

Cheers

MTM

Thank you! And the wardrobe thing was a joke that I can't remember now, but I like being a wardrobe so I'm going to keep it.

And why not!

Theres a couple hiding in me right now and they are smooching madly...

oooo I hope your doors aren't rattling!

They will be soon....

Phnark! Off to bed now. I just hope your rattly doors don't wake the neighbours! Nothing worse than a noise abatement order.

I think the blurb reads well - maybe just a tweak to make the sentences a tad shorter/snappier?? But I like the title - GL's version - All the Wrong Stuff... Pick another makes me think of noses.
Which may be nose bad thing.

Ack! Phnark.

I'm sort of glad. I prefer Wrong Stuffy ones myself and yes, you're right about the sentences. It is a little lumpy! Almost there though. All the Wrong Stuff is the original title but doesn't work quite so well as a title on the cover design with the 'all'.

Hmm... food for thought. Thanks!

Cheers

MTM

Hmm, I think its better without the 'All'. I originally had it without in my post but put it in because I thought that was what you were calling it.

The Wrong Stuff works better but another author friend said that the way kindles are set up if you have a title beginning with a it gets you on the first page of the new releases...

Lucky it's not like listing a plumbing firm in the Yellow Pages or I'd have to call it.

"00011111 aaaaaardvark The Wrong Stuff"

Phnark!

MTM

Well why not??? It would get you noticed! Maybe the wrong kind of notice though...

Just out of interest I did an amazon search... some interesting similar titles (I always google the lead characters names and my book titles before they're set in stone)... I rather liked The Wrong Stuff: The Extraordinary Saga of Randy "Duke" Cunningham, the Most Corrupt Congressman Ever Caught
I noticed in the mystery thread over at Amazon/MOA that there's a US mystery where the hero's surname is... Ofsted. Oh dear.

Ofsted! Mwah ha ha hargh! I google everything except the name. If it's short and catchy it tends to exist already somewhere... I did have to change K'Barth from something else two weeks before I published my book because it turned out to be called the same thing as a small, obscure corner of Dungeons and Dragons.

I wish I had called it G'Barth now as a lot of people have dropped the Yarth, Zarth etc fantasy names and gone for K'Somethings...

Gingerlilly yes, I'm not sure many plumbers read fantasy...

Cheers

MTM

None of your books need saved!

I'm glad to hear that. Now you've got me thinking "D W Washburn..."

Hello

If anyone is interested in seeing what the new cover for the new book, The Wrong Stuff, K'Barthan Trilogy 2, looks like you can have a butcher's here. http://hamgee.co.uk/?p=1464

Any comments gratefully received, as always.

Cheers

MTM

Oooh nice!

Thank you! Glad you like it!

OK, being a pain again everyone, I've been having another go at the blurb - so much harder than writing the actual book! If anyone has the time or the inclination to take a look and vote for blurb a or blurb b it'd be just peachy. A free copy of the e-book to whomever my cat picks at random... um when it comes out.

Here's the link, http://hamgee.co.uk/?p=1481

Cheers

MTM

OK just to update, the e-book version of The Wrong Stuff might be out sooner than the paperback. It's locked and loaded and ready to go... well, at least everything except the actual file but it's with the beta readers right now. Except the poor things have to try and finish it by 12th March which is a bit of a tall order.

Anyway... just thought I'd keep you updated. I've learned how to make a real live e-pub file so when it's done, it will be for sale on here as well as other sites.

I'm also hoping to sort out a goodreads giveaway but it depends if the budget will run to it!

If anyone is a voracious reader and wants to join my merry band of beta readers you are welcome - I have an e-pub a .mobi or a pdf.

Cheers

MTM

well done, MTM, thought you'd been quiet so you must be up to something!
Haven't as yet tried e-pubbing. Was it tricksy?

Hi Karen

It's OK but you need to take your time, read some of the online tutorials there are about and I'd recommend using someting called Sigil to make the original file and then you convert it another programme called Calibre before double checking the file you've maded with Calibre in Sigil again. Complicated sounding but not so difficult once you get the hang of it.

I've always used Word documents converted to html before but doing the code to sort out the menus was a nightmare, it would forget things or generally stuff it up and there's no way to look underneath and see what it;s doing. And I have a bit of a problem with numbers so when I realised I'd numbered the chapters from 21 to 23 I decided I'd try something else - in sigil you paste each chapter in one by one and it's very difficult to get them wrong, even if, like me, you're a massive numb-nuts.

I'll have to do the Word one but only because Smashwords won't accept a raw e-pub and iBooks, Kobo, Sony and Barnes & Noble are inaccessible to me without them.

I needed to know some basic css but it wasn't so difficult once I got the hang of it.

Cheers

MTM

Oh and another thing... there's a sneaky preview of a bit of the book, page 99, here http://www.page99test.com/read-my-pag...

MTM wrote: "Hi Karen

It's OK but you need to take your time, read some of the online tutorials there are about and I'd recommend using someting called Sigil to make the original file and then you convert it a..."
Thanks for that MTM (I think...) - will give it a go when the new book's finished.

Sometime in the next 24 hours The Wrong Stuff, K'Barthan Trilogy 2, the e-book will appear on Amazon.co.uk. I have pressed the button and quite frankly, I am crapping myself but there we go. I'll let you know the details when it goes live.

Now, to sort the print version.

Cheers

MTM

Wooo Woo - its a fabulous book!

Eeeee thanks pet! You're too kind.

While I'm here, I almost forgot... I have to thank the folks at the wishing Shelf Independent Book awards for shortlisting Few Are Chosen, K'Barthan Trilogy: Part 1 for the final of its class (teenage fiction). This is very exciting especially as it's basically, people who read books who choose rather than anyone else. So yeh, the panel of teenagers liked it. Stops to feel cheery and smug.

That one hasn't sunk in. Let's face it, the book is unlikely to win but even so I'm excited.

Mwah ha hah argh it's actually live, it's fully totally, utterly there! To read... properly.

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007KCFVTQ/ if anyone's interested or www.amazon.com/dp/B007KCFVTQ/

Cheers

MTM

Wonderful book. If you liked the first one you will like this even more.

Bless you Gingerlilly, you are a star and I'm delighted you enjoyed it.

Cheers

MTM

I will do a review as soon as I can. honest.

If you can, it'd be brilliant!

Cheers

MTM

Dear Authorholic. I've just finished your Book One Few Are Chosen which is so good that I'd like to order a glass of authorhol too! It's done you proud!

Hey Ignite, thanks for wading through it! I'm delighted the experience was enjoyable!

Cheers

MTM

Mwah ha ha ha haaargha bwahh moooorrgaaaahaarghha ha haargh!

I've just signed off the dead tree book.

Booyacka!

Cheers

MTM

Here's lookin' at you, kid!

Thanks ;-)

Lmao!

Hnurk.

I have to say, I was really chuffed that I could have some time off writing and now all that's gone and bleedin happened is I've got really into a plot thread that sort of starts at the end of the second book and I have written a ludicrous number of words in a day which is all I have for three weeks... and now, all I can think about is how I'm going to get these three poor characters from the situation they're in now to the close friendship the three of them will have at the end...

Actually, I have a horrible feeling two of them are going to have a shag. My characters have a habit of going off and doing things for themselves, and although these two loathe the sight of each other right now there is a great deal of latent chemistry... Heaven knows where it all came from, I didn't knowingly put it there. Perhaps I'm a sex maniac! Maybe I'm not getting enough at home and it's all leaking out into my books. Maybe I should write porn... no, I should definitely not write porn, I tried to write a sex scene once. I wish I'd kept it. It was some of the most (unwittingly) funny material I've ever written. It was like... typpity typpity type... eee that's done now let's see if it's sexy. Mwah ha hahargh (ad nauseam). Geez, I laughed so much it was life threatening. I reckon I nearly turned blue.

Cheers

MTM

The local paper are covering the book. Someone's coming to take my picture on Tuesday.

Eeee it's all go.

Cheers

MTM

oooooh you're famous!

Ah Found you. Thanks. Just Got Pt1&2 so hope to have a good read now. Love the covers by the way