'Uncommon Type' by Tom Hanks

We all know some actors and singers dabble in the publishing arena just to say that they got themselves published and out onto the shelves of a bookstore at least once in their lives. Some make it big as they step from being in the limelight to being in the gently-glowing screen of their computers at home - which is less public and more introspective.

The fame which comes to a write is much different than the fame of being an actor or singer. Until you step from one to the other, you can't tell the difference... and until you've made a successful switch from one to the other, you won't know it either.

Tom Hanks has been a household name for over twenty years - and is one of my all-time favourite actors. From 'Big' to 'Sleepless In Seattle' to 'Forrest Gump', 'Castaway' and 'The Terminal' as well as 'Toy Story' (all of them), he has been a constant in my life as I grew up. I actually remember when I turned 18, one of my friends gave me the book 'Big' with Tom Hanks on the cover and I read that book; even though I'd seen the film already - and yet, I enjoyed the film better. 

However, when I watched a documentary about Tom Hanks and his amazing life - and his wonderful collection of typewriters - a few years ago, he mentioned he was working on writing a book. He didn't mention what his book was about, but he did say it was something he had always wanted to do in his life. The interviewer probed more, but Tom didn't let on anything more about his book - like any good writer, you keep all the goodies to yourself. 

Anyway, that was a few years go, and it was in March this year, that I found this wonderful book in QBD at Garden City for a good price. My Mum thought I was crazy to buy it as it was... but I knew it had been in the pipeline at some point, but didn't know when it was coming out.

And I'm here to tell you that the wait was well worth it! Tom can write a great story! He can jump genres too! I'm so happy to say that this book was well worth the wait from when he mentioned it during an interview a few years ago, until now (and let's face it, the best things are usually worth the wait, aren't they?). 
He can write some wonderful word pictures, scenes where you go back and re-read them and they are just as beautiful, delicious and sweet and fresh as the paper they're written on... and the photographs of typewriters! Oh, yes, he's combined two pleasures of his within his book:  his love of storytelling and his love of typewriters. 

This book,'Uncommon Type' is well worth the purchase as it's brilliantly written, proofread well and I totally enjoyed it! I do look forward to the next book he puts out - if he's working on another one that is. Until my next post, happy reading.

Short Reads or Long?

As much as I love to collect books, I also enjoy reading them - I mean, why collect them if you're not gonna read them, right?

Well, I haven't read that many books this year, and that's due to me looking into editing some of my written work and organising them into book form - which takes time. Also, I'm at art school too; and that's taking up a lot of time as well.

So, in between painting and editing and decluttering my home, I'm reading as much as I can before bed - the only time I get to get my nose into a book. And I've noticed that the only genre I get to read is short stories or novellas. They're great and don't need me to get too involved - as yet. 

Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy delving into the huge series of books like 'The Dark Tower' (which I'm up to book 4 of still) and I love to read the odd biography or autobiography. Then there's the classics which are just wonderfully worded to take me into another time and place so far away from this awfully modern world of Kindle, Kobo and computers. 

However, the short stories are just light enough to entertain me, relax me for a good nights' sleep and keep me interested in the right way. Besides, right now, I'm writing Flash Fictions and they're going really well for me. I've found that Chuck Wendig's blog of 'Terrible Minds' is a great place to get wonderful prompts and his books are brilliantly written. Chuck tells it as it is, pulls no punches and takes no hostages - speaking like a writer thinks; which is a rarity.

I've been getting my nose into 'Uncommon Type' by Tom Hanks (yep the actor - what a great guy! I don't know anyone who doesn't like him); and I gotta say, this book is fantastic. He should have been writing before this because of his clean cut way of expressing himself. 
Then, there's 'Dandelion Wine' by Ray Bradbury - which I've been trying to get my nose into for a few years and last year put down somewhere in my house couldn't find it; only to rummage through my books last night and pick it up, blow the dust off it and start it again. I read the first chapter slowly, deliberately, until midnight and then turned out the light... then couldn't sleep because of how Bradbury described the dawning of the first day of Summer. Isn't that always the way?

Well, how is your reading going? I'm going okay with it. I still have books to give away within Australia and books to sort through here in my home office. Otherwise, the book collection is still not dented by my reading listings of what's been read and what's not been read - but then, I'm not worried about keeping count as much as I used to be anymore. To me, a book being read is just a book being read. There's no goals this year. So long I get in and read books that I enjoy that's the main thing isn't it?  Until my next post, happy reading.

Working On A Book

I haven't been posting much on here, and there's a good reason for it.  I've been working on a book - writing one that is.  Also my computer crapped itself last Friday night where I had to work on putting it back to its Factory Settings, then talk to HP Support and they're hoping to get somebody out here to work on the damned thing to make sure it doesn't do it again.

As some of you know, I'm a writer.  I write vampire romance (not Twilight stuff, traditional Dracula kinda gig) and then, I have concise poetry, short stories, flash fiction and novellas.  Then there's my Bounty Hunter series of books I've been working on for the last 4 years; the Fry Nelson books.  I'm onto the 4th book, and am only a few chapters away from finishing it... and I'm absolutely thrilled!  I took a year off last year because I had a couple of family issues and needed to clear my head, then my sweet little bird died last Christmas, and that set me back even further.  
Now, I'm back on track and I'm writing like there's no tomorrow.  I have to so much to write down and I feel as though there's not much time to write it... dunno why, but my brain's rushing ahead on me and telling me the ending before it's even arrived.  So, I'm flat out filling in all the gaps.  
So, anyway, between all that, I'm struggling to read anything right now, as my mind can't keep on track on anything while it works on the plots and subplots of the last few chapters.  Anyway, enough about me, what about you?  Are you working on your own writing project at the moment?  Is it going wonderfully, or are you hitting road blocks left and right?  Until my next post, happy reading!

'Free 5 Flash Fiction' by Paul D. Dail

I've been reading some great work lately, and it's not been through my regular means... it's been through free e-books off iTunes, just to be different.  And I found one that totally up my alley which was short, short fiction:  flash fiction - horror fiction!  How very cool is that? 
'Free 5 Flash Fiction' is five short, short stories which are well-written which - by the end of each one will make you wonder exactly how the author came up with them, with such wonderful twists and turns which gives you a horrible shiver up your spine.  Most certainly well worth a read in my eyes. 
Now, normally, I get rid of a book once I've read it, but this time around, I've kept this one on my iPod because I think these stories have resonated with me in some way; and I like that about an author.  Each story has nothing to do with each other, and have totally different feels from each other; and yet the same author wrote them all.  I'd love to read longer pieces he's written - if he's written anything longer - and see if he's able to keep the same feel about his longer work as in his shorter works.  
Paul D. Dail has included a blog in the introduction of his e-book and I'll include it on the sidebar for all of you to have a look at in your own time.  I will be looking at what else there is to read of his works in the future to keep you guys updated with this author.  I do hope to see more of his books soon.  Until my next post, happy reading!  

A Flash In The Pan!

I love to read short stories; as anyone does.  But I also love to read flash fiction.  This is a story which is 1,000 words or less.  It takes you to the very epicenter of the story quickly, throws you into the action, the characters without too much adieu and then, the next thing you know.... it's finished, leaving you all mixed up and wanting more!

Yep, that's flash fiction.  I've been reading it and writing it for a little while now; and love it.  It's great for my editing and style.  And I've been doing challenges on the Terrible Minds blog too, and it's been fun!  And when I've done it, I've linked it back to Chuck's comments log and had other people go to my main strange-writing blog (yeah, I have a blog where all my vampire and weird writing goes) and they can have a read.  Very cool!  Not only does my blog there get a lot of hits, but people get to know what I can write, what I can't write and find out how far my imagination can stretch (gotta thank Chuck on this one as I've begun to get right into writing better).  

I've gotten to the point where I'm looking for books that have flash fiction in them; and today, I found a book with 5 flash fictions in it for free off iTunes.  Do you like flash fictions?  The ones I found on iTunes is horror, however there's different types, which ones are you into?  Until my next post, happy reading!  

Book Delights in Brighton

I do enjoy staying in an area where I don't normally live.  It gives me a chance to see what kinds of places are around for me to look into bookwise.

Today, I took a walk up the road to Pete's Corner Store.  It's a little convenience store which has a bit of everything in it.  It's part newsagents, part IGA, part second-hand bookstore... and it's small and very quaint; and that's its main attraction.  They were selling books there for well under $10; and they were exchangeable too.  So, you could buy a book for $2.00 and return it for another for half the price.  Not a bad deal; and something I haven't seen in a long time... a book exchange that is.
So, I bought a book and found a Rolling Stone Magazine which had an interview with David Bowie and Nick Cave and found myself looking for a bus to go to Sandgate Town Centre.  

On the way there, I saw a Life Line store.  This is definitely a place I'll be sussing out next week.  I'll tell you all what kind of books I've found there.  Until my next post, happy reading!

What's Inside Your Collection?

Have you ever done it?  You know?  Gone through your book collection and found out just what you have in it?  I have once in a while.  And you know, it's a big surprise to me just how many books I really do have that I don't get to read or books I picked up and wanted to read at one stage and don't want to anymore.
The shelves are stacked beautifully, all the spines are facing out.  I have books piled on top of the ones standing up properly, as well as books on the tops of the shelves where they lay down so they don't fall down.  And all of those look like mountains; where they are all leaning in on each other from the edges just so nothing falls down if I add one more book on by throwing it on top.  Or if it teeters a little, something in the way it's sitting will keep it from falling down.  Or - funnier still - at some point in the next few days or nights, I'll hear a thump, and a few seconds later, a crash and race in to find all my books from the mountain on the floor!  And this book avalanche was caused by that one book on top teetering a little when I should have found a good spot for it.  Lazy me!

But seriously, do you know what you have in your shelves?  And I don't mean a rough estimate... I mean, do you know exactly which authors you have right now?  I can honestly say that I don't.  I know a few of them, but not all of them.  And that's a good thing to know.  And here's a few of them just off-hand:

Stephen King
Paulo Coelho
Maeve Binchy
Umberto Eco
John Connolly
JRR Tolkien
Douglas Adams
Imogen Edwards-Jones
Sara Douglass
Helen Garner
Jim Morrison
Donald Stephenson
Colleen McCullough
Bill Cosby
Ray Bradbury
Mark Twaine
Alan Alda
Charles Dickens
Oscar Wilde
Hugh Lunn
John Irving
Estelle Pinney
Matthew Reilly
Peter Straub
Nigel Goodall
 

I have more than one book of the above authors in my shelves... and this is who I can see from where I'm sitting. So, do tell!  Who have you got in your collection?  Are you proud to have them?  Or are some authors a big, bad secret?  Like for me having a Dr. Seus book isn't my proudest moment.  But then, I guess everyone's got a few hiding in their past.  Until my next post, happy reading!          

Book Blogs

Okay, this sounds really confusing, but do you like to read book blogs?  I don't mean blogs that are about book reviews, I mean blogs that have books written into them?  I run two such blogs and they've got a small number of followers - and any number of looky-loos who just drop in to have a read once in a while.  So, do you read book blogs and enjoy reading an unknown author's written works?  If so, let us know of some of the blogs you all follow and read.  Here are my two.

Fry Nelson: Bounty Hunter 

Okay, this one is of novella/short stories.  But please do start with Chapter One - Initiation (book 1) and go from there otherwise you won't know what's going on; as it juxtaposes back and forth between the stories from time to time.  I have had some great feedback from this blog from people all over.

You Can't Go Back: And Other Impossibilities  

This one is of vampire romance and other mixed stories from time travel, weirdness and darkness I've only thought of while traveling around on holidays, had nightmares about (and thought would make a great story and found they did) and anything else I can think of to write... these are the odds and ends of the 'what if...' situations that run through my brain from time to time.  And yes, I did get published.  But it's fun to read the collection of stories here; and I will be adding to them soon as well.

I hope you guys enjoy these two blogs for your reading pleasure.  But do let us addicted to reading just about anything know of any blogs you've discovered where an unknown author has put their work on a blog to entertain the masses.  Until my next post, happy reading!