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Republishing Books

Published by Owen Jones on 25 February 2022

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Republishing books - really?
Republishing Books

Being honest with yourself about your own books…

Today, some friends suggested that I should consider republishing books from my flagship series Behind The Smile. However, I find it almost impossible to contemplate.

That is a huge concept to get my head around.

It has produced most of my sales for the last decade!

Republishing

Their suggestion was made because we were talking about my book sales, which have been slowing down for about a year. So, they thought that it might be worth rebranding, and then republishing the books in this series.

I am not completely sure what they mean by that. I think that it probably has to do with altering the titles, the blurbs and the genre, and then encapsulating all that in new covers in order to make the series more selectable by a new readership. In fact, a large part of this proposed rebranding would be to create new covers to reflect the new genre.

On the face of it, I like the idea. But when you dig down into what republishing books entails, it involves a massive amount of time and work. After all, I have spent ten years building up a readership for the series as it is and looks now. It is recognisable as it is.

If I change everything, I will have to unpublish the existing series of seven volumes, thereby losing all possible sales on them, and republish the new ones… Effectively starting from scratch again.

Rebranding Books

It is a big gamble.

In an attempt to find out more, I did a search on ‘rebranding books’, and came up with several very interesting articles. These authors didn’t actually go the whole hog of ‘rebranding and then republishing books, but they talked about cover make-overs.

One article was about the legendary Dune by Frank Herbert. I think I remember rightly that it was first published in 1965. Anyway, the interesting bit is that the whole series of five books has had completely new covers every five years ever since! 

Rewriting?

Look the article up, it opened my eyes. I have always written and published books, slapped a cover on them and that was it. However, apparently cover design is also prey to fashion, which is very difficult to pin down, as we all know – look at clothing!

So, I will start with new covers, but I will keep rebranding and republishing open in my mind as an option.

What do readers think of this marketing tactic, and  have any authors who come here any experience with rebranding and/or republishing books?

Regards,

Owen

If you like vampire stories but are a bit bored with the old model, try this humorous, even funny vampire story set in a remote village.

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The Book Cover

Published by Chalita Majang on 23 February 2022

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Judging a book by its cover…

Judging a book by its cover…

People say that one should never judge a book by its cover, but it is widely acknowledged that having a great book cover is the best way of selling books. It seems that people do not pay any heed the ancient advice.

To be fair to readers though, there isn’t a lot more to go on when one is standing in a bookshop with a choice of two novels in one’s hands. Otherwise, there is the title (and subtitle), the author’s name, but it could be an unknown, and the blurb, which could be the best piece of writing that the book contains!

Don’t laugh! It really could be… it could have been written by an expert for the author.

Why, only recently, Elon Musk admitted to doing exactly the same, and he is far from being the only one… very far!

I also recently saw a writer asking the question whether it was more important to have a good book cover or to have the book well edited. The overwhelming response on the forum was that if the cover is unappealing then no-one will ever know about the poor editing!

Most people judge by appearances in their everyday lives anyway, don’t they? Clothes, fruit, people… and books.

Once you realise that, it is obvious what you have to do to have a chance of selling books.

Book-selling Magnets

To this end, I have started to revamp some of my father’s books… with his permission, of course. I have learned how to make fantastic-looking 3D covers, and even better posters incorporating them!

We are also looking at professional cover designers to see if one catches our eye.

Nevertheless, we are both very proud of the book selling magnets, that we call cards, and are confident that they will increase sales.

Here’s hoping for a bigger share in the book selling market 🙂

PS: If you are a writer and would like to see whether I can help you with a book-selling magnet card too, please get in touch using the form at the top of the page 🙂

Best wishes,

Chalita.

** Update ** If you are looking for a new cover for your book album or website/social media click the link below for a unique cover with unlimited updates for less than $40!

My Favourite Covers.

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Making a Living From Books

Published by Chalita Majang on 21 February 2022

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:58 — 576.9KB)

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Daisy's Chain book cover
Daisy’s Chain

When the property is there, but it’s value is not being realised…

I know an author… Yes, all right, my father, Owen Jones, who has 1250 publications registered in his name on Amazon. Furthermore, they are all original books penned by him. However, he is not making a living from the books that he has created.

Many of his original works in English have been translated. Not only that, but all those books in English, and many other languages, exist as ebooks, paperbacks, audiobooks and even hardbacks.

I’ll say it again: 1250 publications with his name on them to date!

However, they are earning next to nothing… a giant pizza a week. He is not really making a living from books. In fact, he was earning more from his first few books ten years ago, than he is from all these hundreds now.

Book Sales

This doesn’t seem right to me. When I ask him about it, he says he likes writing and working with other writers both home and abroad. He suggests that he has probably fallen behind modern marketing methods.

I don’t know whether that is true or whether his low sales are attributable to the global slowdown that is a result of Covid. Nevertheless, whatever the reason is, there has to be a way to improve his situation.

Anyway, I am determined to find out how we can rectify the situation. When we do, we are willing to share our findings.

Selling Books

So, are there other authors out there in the same boat? Is there anyone out there who knows how to cash in on all this intellectual property?

I’m looking for a marketing expert who is willing to help us for a fair, even generous, percentage of sales. Furthermore, if the scheme works for us, then I would gladly refer you to other writers.

Please contact me, if you want, using the form in the title bar.

Best wishes,

Chalita.

Daisy’s Chain – set in the rich person’s paradise of Marbella, Southern Spain

Our sister blog: The Amiable Dragon

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Selling Books

Published by Chalita Majang on 18 February 2022

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:01 — )

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Selling books

Don’t judge a book by its cover…

People say that one should never judge a book by its cover, how many times have you been given that advice? However, it is widely acknowledged that having a great book cover is the best way of selling books. It seems that people do not heed the ancient advice; and why should they? We judge each other by appearances, even first appearances, every day, so why wouldn’t this apply to every item we are considering, including books.

Only recently, Elon Musk admitted to doing exactly the same, and he is far from being the only one… very far! Not only that, but he is an intelligent person, who has demonstrated his ability in many business ventures such as PayPal, Tesla and Space X – household names!.

I also recently saw a writer asking the question whether it was more important to have a good book cover or to have the book well edited. The overwhelming response on the forum was that if the cover is unappealing then no-one will ever know about the poor editing!

It is simply just true… most people judge by appearances.

Selling Books

Once you realise that, it is obvious what you have to do to have a chance of selling books. To this end, I have started to revamp some of my father’s books… with his permission, of course. I have learned how to make fantastic-looking 3D covers, and even better posters incorporating them!

We are both very proud of these book selling magnets, and are confident that they will increase sales.

Here’s hoping for a bigger share in the book selling market 🙂

PS: If you would like to see whether I can help you too, please get in touch either via the form in the title bar or by searching for my profile on this blog.

Daisy’s Chain
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Mushrooms in Thailand

Published by Owen Jones on 15 February 2022

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Ex-pat Slang…

Mushrooms in Thailand
Mushrooms in Thailand

If you know any ex-pats who live in Thailand, you might sometimes hear them referring to themselves strangely as ‘mushrooms’.

It means that they feel that they are being ‘kept in the dark’… not told what is going on on a daily basis. You see, very few ex-pats in Thailand actually speak enough Thai to say more than ‘Hello’. Thai is a very difficult language, even for a linguist like me, so the average Anglo- Saxon has little chance… especially the older ones. Anglo-Saxons are renowned for not learning foreign languages, but in the case of Thai, most ‘falang’, which basically means Caucasian, struggle with the language.

By the way, I am Welsh, a Celt, and we are taught two languages from a very early age, so that makes it a bit easier for us, but it is still hard. Thai bears no relevance whatsoever to any European language.

Mushrooms

Anyway, mushrooms… I too have experienced the mushroom effect, but most of the time welcome it, because I need time alone to be able to write my posts like this and books. However, what I really, really don’t like is being left out of things without being asked.

For example, the day that I am writing this is St. Valentine’s Day, but my wife is sitting with her friends and I am sitting alone.

This is not acceptable, but routinely passes as normal, leaving ex-pats who live in remote villages feeling lonely and ignored.

If it hadn’t been for my book-writing, I would have left the village for the city years ago, because Thai women daren’t leave their men alone, or like mushrooms in the dark there, because there are so many bars full of so many girls looking for a way out, and that usually means pairing up with a falang.

The Thai girl has the whip hand in her village, but the mushroom has it in the city.

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Blubrry Podcast Hosting

Published by Owen Jones on 10 January 2022

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Blubrry Podcast Hosting

Blubrry Podcast Hosting

Blubrry Podcast Hosting

I had been wondering about podcasting for at least a year, and had noticed Blubrry Podcast Hosting. However, it had become a permanent feature at the back of my mind. I’m sure you know what I mean. I felt that there had to be something to it. After all, it had become so popular that even staid old Aunty, the BBC, was taking it seriously. After extensive research, I settled on the Blubrry free trial.

My first thought was why a company dedicated to communication would want a name that looks like a typo.

Anyway, I signed up for the free trial month of Blubrry hosting thinking ‘What have I got to lose?’

I want to say right from the start, that this is not the correct approach, because, if you’re like me, you will put a lot of effort into your new toy. So, after thirty days, you will not want to lose all that work. As it happened, I was very impressed with Blubrry Podcast Hosting and wanted to build on the foundation I had laid. So, I left my monthly subscription of $12 open and carried on.

Stress-free Global Reach

Blubrry Hosting will send your podcasts to another dimension – one which you would have found previously very difficult to access. For example, your podcast will appear on YouTube, Spotify, Spreaker, Soundcloud and RadioPublic among others without any further intervention from you! Blubrry will make your work instantly accessible to hundreds of millions of people. People, who probably otherwise never have even seen your stuff or heard of you! That is a lot of extra reach, global reach, in fact, for just $12 a month!

Blubrry Podcast Hosting can be wonderful, but it still requires work from you. This is what you need to factor in – your own commitment. I have spent years writing and posting 500-word articles – typically three or four times a week. Nowadays, I also convert them to speech and hand them over to Blubrry Podcast Hosting Services and my articles fly! But, you have to write the content first for the system to work. I would say that you need to write at least one a week, but the more you put in, the more you will get out!

Blubrry Podcasting

The Blubrry Podcast Hosting system is very easy to set up and use, especially for bloggers, so why not sign up for your free month of Blubrry Podcasting using the link on this page and take your promotions into another dimension?

In closing, I have often been asked why anyone with a blog host would want to pay for even more hosting. Well, audiofiles take up a fair bit of space, and if they are accessed often they could get you into trouble with your blog host. However, Blubrry was build for the job, so you will never have an issue.

Blubrry Podcast Hosting – free trial

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Brexit – The Real Reason

Published by Owen Jones on 15 September 2019

Brexit - The Real Reason

Brexit – The Real Reason

Brexit – The Real Reason

Everyone should listen to this short YouTube video about the real reason why the Tories want Brexit or to leave the European Union. The biggest question, though, is: Why haven’t the Remainers made anything of it? Please SHARE it with Remainers and Brexiteers alike.

Click the link below to watch the video.

 

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The First Jukebox in Barry

Published by Owen Jones on 26 February 2019

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:44 — 1.1MB)

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The First Jukebox in Barry
The First Jukebox in Barry

The First Jukebox in Barry

I started drinking quite late for a boy in my home town of Barry, South Wales. It was in the Seventies, when, I assume, my hormones kicked in. Bars, or pubs in Britain, in those days, were very different places than they are now. For a start there wasn’t a single jukebox in town.

Anyway, up until then, I had been more interested in my coin and stamp collection than pubs. However, eventually, friends – the dreaded peer pressure – persuaded me to go to bars and look for ‘women’, although what we normally did was renew friendships with girls that we had been separated from at eleven, due to the segregation of boys and girls in our educational system.

Pub Life

In general, pubs were quieter then, far smokier, and not somewhere to go for something to eat. Most working-class pubs sold crisps, perhaps a pickled onion and a scotch egg, if you were lucky. There were designated smoking rooms, but nobody went in there to smoke. They were usually very quiet, and so, suited to illegal gambling (cards), or club darts matches. The main bars often had blue clouds of smoke floating five or six feet from the ground.

There was no music. In England, I did witness people playing the piano, but in Wales, people sang mostly hymns, rugby songs and arias. My favourite singing bar was the Park Hotel, or the Ship Hotel before they renovated it and tossed the singers out.

Many’s the happy Thursday (traditional payday), or Friday and Saturday evenings that I went there looking for a sing-song, even if there wasn’t a rugby match on TV. Otherwise, people talked while drinking and played dominoes or cards (especially: Crib and Don) for small stakes.

My First Jukebox

I clearly remember the evening that the first jukebox arrived in the Park Hotel. There were plenty of customers in there, although it was still daylight outside, but it was strangely quiet… as if a local had died.

I was standing at the bar alone, supping my first pint of S.A. when an older man stood near me, ordered a pint, took a long swig, and started to sing. I put my pint down and joined in… so did several others. It was a classic situation…

And then we all clearly heard a few bars of a top-ten record. The man stopped and I looked around. Who would have the effrontery to play a radio when someone was singing, I thought. Then I spotted it. I had assumed that it was a new bandit, and looked at the barman.

He looked very embarrassed and shrugged. “It does that…” he said. “It’s the first jukebox in Barry. The landlord is hoping it’ll make his fortune”.

“But nobody is playing it!” said the man nearby.

“No… if no-one uses it for twenty minutes, it plays a few seconds of a tune at random”.

“But, if no-one is using it, then it’s because nobody wants to hear it…” my new friend mused.

“Sorry”, said the barman with a glum expression, “that’s how it’s been set up”.

I later realised that that first jukebox in Barry really was a bandit. Singing in the Park died out within a week, and we were robbed of part of our culture. Unfortunately, it has never come back, and people wouldn’t know the words to the great old hymns and arias any longer, even if there was a power cut.

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All the best,

Owen

Podcast: The First Jukebox in Barry

PS: I have been told that I am wrong, and I concede the fact. However, this was the first jukebox that I came across.

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My Wife’s Strange Dizzy Spells

Published by Owen Jones on 16 December 2018

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 5:06 — 1.5MB)

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My Wife’s Strange Dizzy Spells

My wife woke up three days ago feeling a little out of sorts, but when she actually got up to start the day, she complained of dizziness. Neither of of thought much about it, although that soon changed when she was physically sick before she could get to the bathroom. The dizzy spells continued, so I had to help her to the bathroom.

She could neither stand nor walk with any confidence, but she kept on being sick, so she spent the rest of that day in bed… and all of the following one. My wife tried eating again, but it came straight back up. Yesterday, she tried to eat again, but the result was the same, so she asked me to take her to our family doctor’s. It is not far, but I had to support her all the way, and we had to stop for a rest and vomit.

When we arrived, the receptionist told us that we didn’t have an appointment, which we already knew, and further informed us that no-one was available to see us.

Our Doctor’s Surgery

“So, what do want me to do?” I asked.

“Go home”, she advised. “I’ll put you on phone watch, if you like”.

I didn’t know what that was, but it means that if a doctor anywhere in town has a few minutes, they would try to fit her in.

“Do what you like”, I replied, “but we’re not leaving here. If she collapses anywhere, I want it to be here, not while we’re crossing the road”.

“What are her symptoms?” I was asked, so I told her.

“We really do advise that you go home, we don’t want sick people in here… we have a lot of very old and very young patients in and out…”

I was flabbergasted, but I had one more request.

“Here is a letter from the council asking my doctor to sign my application for a free bus pass”.

“There is a £10 fee for leaving it with us, or a £15 doctor’s fee for the signature”.

I refused to leave, and so took a seat while my wife went outside to be sick – I felt like joining her.

Some thirty-odd minutes later, a man walked in. He explained that he didn’t have an appointment, but wanted to see a doctor. My ears pricked up.

“Take a seat, we’ll see what we can do” chirped the receptionist.

I went to have a word. “Why couldn’t you have done that for us?” I asked.

“You’re on phone watch”, she explained.

The top nearly came off my head. “Only because you put us on it! That wasn’t our idea”.

“Your wife has gone home anyway, sir. My supervisor had a word with her and she left”.

I couldn’t believe it, but she was nowhere to be seen, so, I set off in the direction of her best friend’s shop nearby to look for her. A few doors from the shop, I called into a pub. I hadn’t taken two sips when our landlady and friend rushed in saying that my wife needed me at home. We were there in twenty minutes.

“She needs the paramedics”, warned our landlady, who is a carer.

My wife was a quivering wreck, by the time they arrived, which was not long. Anyway, after several tests, they diagnosed ‘vertigo’ – something my wife has never been diagnosed with. They also phoned our doctor to get a prescription, which I had to collect.

Bad Practice

Naturally, I wanted to know what the supervisor had told my wife to make her go home alone.

“I told her to go home and wait for a call…”

“And?”

“…and when she asked where her husband was, I said: ‘I have no idea. I don’t even know your husband”.

“And did she understand you?”

“I don’t know, she was looking at me…”

“My wife is dizzy, confused and Asian, but you didn’t check whether she had understood you or not?”

Today, after four tablets, my wife is sitting up in bed. She has eaten three bowls of rice soup – typical Thai breakfast food – and has not been sick.

The National Health Service is in dire straits due to the Tory cutbacks, we all know that, but we don’t need heartless people within the system making it even worse. On the other hand, the paramedics were wonderful. My hat is off to them, but we will be changing our General Practitioner ASAP, which is what other people, including the local council, had advised us on other occasions, articles about which can be found elsewhere on this blog.

Why did the receptionist and her supervisor treat my wife differently from the old man? I don’t know, but the only differences that I could see for this bad practice were age, sex and race.

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All the best,

Owen

Podcast: My Wife’s Dizzy Spells

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Biometric Data for Residency Cards

Published by Owen Jones on 4 December 2018

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:41 — 788.9KB)

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Biometric Data for Residency Cards

Biometric Data for Residency Cards

Biometric Data for Residency Cards

My wife is Thai, for those of you who don’t know me, and, since we have moved back to the UK to live, she needs a residency card (RCUK) or residency permit. These days, these cards contain biometric data such as iris scans and finger prints.

We first submitted her application for a residency card four months ago, so, for about eighteen weeks, she has had nothing to do, because the local government will not grant her the right to work without one. This is completely illegal, I might add, and contravenes the EU Directives to which the UK is a signatory. However, they don’t care about the law unless it suits them.

The government and the politicians who run it are the biggest crooks around… anyway, we all know that already, so back to the point.

On Thursday, we received a letter from the Home Office telling my wife that she should send them her biometric data within fifteen days of the date of the day that letter was posted. Well, I don’t know what that was, but the date on the letter was the third of the month, but the day we received it was the eleventh. Eight days to get a government letter 150 miles? That doesn’t sound right, does it? She had seven days to complete the task with a weekend in that. That sounds like them trying their damnedest to obfuscate to me.

Anyway, so we caught the bus to the nearest facility – the Post Office fifteen miles away – and asked for the biometric data service.

‘Oh, it’s down today, please come back on Monday. Sorry. Next!’

I wouldn’t move!

I complained to everyone around me and made a total nuisance of myself until the manager came.

‘I’m sorry, Sir’, she said, ‘but the engineer can’t get here for four hours. You may wait over there, if you like’.

I went into overdrive.

The result was that she rebooted the machine and it took my wife’s biometric data!

I thanked them and left, not sure whether to be happy that we had gotten the job done, or whether to be really sad that our once great Royal Post Office – the role model for all the others in the world – has sunken so low.

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All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Biometric Data for Residency Cards

 

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NANOWRIMO 2018

Published by Owen Jones on 30 October 2018

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NANOWRIMO 2018

NANOWRIMO 2018

NANOWRIMO 2018

Have you ever wanted to write a book? Many people have… I hear it from someone every week. The main reason they cite for not doing it is that they wouldn’t know where to start. I have written fifty-two novels and a hundred and twenty-five short manuals, but I still remember vividly how scared I was writing the first one. It took me seven years and I kept putting it off, because I had no confidence in it or myself. Now let me introduce you to NANOWRIMO and NANOWRIMO 2018 in particular.

Written correctly, it is NaNoWriMo 2018 and stands for National November Writing Month. The ‘national bit lasted a year, then it went global. I joined NaNoWriMo in 2013 and have participated every year since, so this year will be my sixth.

As it happens, 2018 is the one year when I really don’t have time to get involved, but I feel that it would be such a shame not to join in and I enjoy it a lot anyway.

However, the point of NaNoWriMo is to help beginners to gain the conference to write. So, to me, that especially means their first book, but many people only write one book a year, so NaNo is a big thing to them. And I have written many books, but it still is to me too.

NaNoWriMo offers so much support to writers. It is a fantastic feeling writing in a group. I say ‘a group’, but I have never met any of the people I have written with. We write together connected by Skype. However, the world is divided into sections for the NaNoWriMo 2018 experience, and most cities in the West have NaNo writing groups.

The challenge is to write 50,000 words during the month of November. I know that that might sound daunting, hut it is 1,667 words a day – call it 2,000 if you want a cushion. It doesn’t have to be published or edited in November, only written.

I urge everyone who wants to write a book to get on over to nanowrimo.org and sign up right now. You won’t regret it, I promise you, even if you don’t finish on time this year. You will have started and that is the biggest hurdle. Start now, finish wherever, and then really go for it next year.

I’ll be one of your writing buddies, if you like. Look me up, owenjones, and say ‘Hello’.

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All the best,

Owen

Podcast: NANOWRIMO 2018

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Promotion on Megan Publishing Services

Published by Owen Jones on 23 October 2018

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:55 — 564.5KB)

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Promotion on Megan Publishing Services

Promotion on Megan Publishing Services

Promotion on Megan Publishing Services

Highly effective advertising on Megan Publishing Services is easy and not expensive. However, the type of promotions that we will accept is limited to books and artwork in general. Nevertheless, if you have broader requirements, we may be able to help there too, as long as the ads fit in with the site’s content.

You can promote books and artwork can most easily through the bookshop button on the Title Bar above. In fact, this method is partially automatic in that the advertiser can set up the promotion and pay for it without outside intervention.

However, there is another alternative too – banner advertising! This process is not fully automated, but is very easy to achieve. This is especially true if you have an existing banner, say from a company of which you are an affiliate, or one that you have made yourself. In this way, authors and artists can use this latter type to promote there own work. Perhaps even in a larger format, from which one would expect more impact.

Prices for the banner ads are also available from the Title Bar.

If you are having problems trying to create a banner, perhaps I could help. Alternatively, you can commission one  on Fiverr for $5, and you will own it outright. It will probably look much more professional too. (I may buy a few creatives for myself too, thinking about it 🙂 )

There are prime spots for all the common size banners. However, in general, there is only one spot for each size of banner.

So, if you have specific requirements, get in soon.

You can find the sizes of the banners and their prices for promotion on Megan Publishing Services here:

Advertising on Megan Publishing Services

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All the best,

Owen.

PS: Promotion on MPS is best suits all SWAMPies (sculptors, artists, authors, musicians and photographers).

Podcast: Promotion on Megan Publishing Services

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The Cloud – An Internet Service Provider

Published by Owen Jones on 21 October 2018

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The Cloud - An 'Internet Service Provider'

The Cloud – An ‘Internet Service Provider’

The Cloud – An ‘Internet Service Provider’

Many people rely on the Internet these days for their daily communication and entertainment. Television is dire, and people don’t talk much anymore… at least, they don’t tend to talk to the ones around them. People sit in groups, but talk to people miles away via the Internet. I am one of the worst, I wouldn’t use a pub that didn’t offer WI-Fi Internet. Most pubs, clubs and restaurants do offer Internet access, but some of them offer it via an Internet Service Provider called The Cloud.

I am not sure how extensive The Cloud network is, but several pubs in our area (Barry, South Wales) are connected to it.

Most establishments use ISP’s that are available to the public like Virgin, BT, Sky or whatever and they seem to function well no matter how busy the places are. On the other hand, many pubs and restaurants are quite small, and so, Internet access is unlikely to be overloaded often.

However, some of the largest pubs now use an ISP called The Cloud. I’m talking about places like Whetherspoon’s and similar sized businesses. I don’t know what The Cloud costs to install, but in my experience, the results are dreadful.

You have to register to able to use it, and once you have created an ‘identity’, it is supposedly your calling card anywhere that uses The Cloud. It sounds all right, but pubs with private accounts don’t require my personal details in order to use them. This data can be sold, so, in effect, you are paying for your Internet access.

Why do larger bars need to do this when smaller ones don’t? Not only that, but Internet access via The Cloud is far inferior to that of normal ISP’s. Surely, the traffic in larger pubs should allow them to provide superior access, not the opposite?

If micro bars can afford to pay for decent Internet access for their customers, why can’t larger ones? It doesn’t make sense to me…

Contempt is the only word that springs to mind… and they make us pay for it…

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All the best,

Owen

Podcast: The Cloud – An ‘Internet Service Provider’

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Iain Scott

Published by Owen Jones on 25 September 2018

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Iain Scott Singer Comedian

Iain Scott Singer Comedian

Iain Scott

Singer / Impersonator / Comedian Extraordinaire

Live at O’Brien’s, Barry

Review by Barry Boy

We don’t usually stay out late on busy nights of the week. However, last Friday night we were talking to friends in O’Brien’s bar and eight p.m. came around before we realised it. I looked up when someone started to use the P.A. system. It was a thirty-something young man with curly hair at the microphone, dressed in black.

I forget the name of his first number, which was accompanied with overtly gay movements and gestures. Some laughed and some did not. I was uncertain what was going on. I had never heard of the man, and in fact, had not even noticed that there was to be an act.

Iain Scott – Comedian and Entertainer

All I knew was that I had never seen anything like it before. I looked around and could see that most people were enjoying it. When Iain started the second song, it was obvious that he was an accomplished singer with a great voice and that the ‘gaiety’ had been part of the act.

He had confused me, because his ‘gayness’ had seemed real but borderline piss-take without being offensive or anti-gay in any way.

Iain sang a variety of songs in different styles each with its own appropriate mannerisms and attitude. The results varied from hilarious to spot-on realistic. For example, Iain looks nothing like Mick Jagger, but when he took him off, he had him down to a ‘T’ both in voice and mannerisms.

It was uncanny. Iain Scott is as good an impersonator as he is a singer.

Well, we asked the man sitting next to us what time the gig would go on until. He said that there were usually two sets between eight and ten. So, we cheerfully arranged to stay that long.

O’Brien’s Barry

However, when we left O’Brien’s Barry at ten past ten, Iain was still doing his stuff. People were still loving it too! I would go to see Iain Scott again any time, and I have no hesitation in recommending that you give him a chance too.

LuckiIy, have managed to find Ian’s UK telephone number. So if you would like to find out where he is currently on tour, or if you would like to offer him a spot at your bar or party, give him a ring.

Having lived on the Costa del Sol for a few years, I can imagine him going down a storm with the ex-pats over there. Give him a call!

Iain Scott +44 0740749136

Podcast: Iain Scott – Singer / Impersonator / Comedian Extraordinaire

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Ed Benjamin

Published by Owen Jones on 20 September 2018

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Ed Benjamin, American author

Ed Benjamin, American author

Ed Benjamin

Hello, Ed Benjamin, could you begin by telling us your name, how we can reach you and where you come from, please?

1 Name: Ed Benjamin

Website: EdBenjaminBooks.com

Blog: http://edbenjaminbooks.com/my-blog/

2 Country: USA

3 Do you prefer to read a particular genre? I read mostly detective mysteries, spy fiction, political thrillers, some adventure books, etc. Occasionally, I like to re-read a classic. For example, I am currently re-reading “War and Peace.”

4 Do you write in the same genre? No, although my writing time is limited, I try to write in different genres.

If not which ones? I have two additional projects in work in the mystery detective genre. I am planning to re-write a science fiction book I self-published in 1997. Following that, I have plans to write another nonfiction book on how to prepare proposals for the federal government.

5 Have you always written and what got you started professionally? When I was a freshmen in college, a classmate and I wrote a chapbook about the painters whose paintings were displayed in the lobby of the administration building. After I retired from the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1990, I started a career as a free-lance technical writer specializing in preparing proposals for companies desiring to get business with the government. I am still pursuing this career.

I still dabble in writing in my spare time. In 1995, I won a regional writing contest for a short story I wrote. I wrote a science fiction book (black comedy) in 1997. Then, I published my nonfiction book on doing business with the government in 1999. I wrote and published my novelette, “Harry’s War,” in 2012 and then in 2018, I published two of my short stories. “Mar: A Harry Miles Redemption Story” and “Melanie: A Tale of Wonder.”

I am a busy technical writer and do not get much time to pursue my fiction more fully now and in the immediate future.

6 How many books have you published? I have published two full length books (one fiction and one nonfiction), one eBook novelette, and two eBook short stores.

7 Which one would you like to tell us about? One I like is “Melanie: A Tale of Wonder.”

8 Why did you write this book and what is it about? I originally wrote the story in 1997. I was thinking about alternative history. What if a famous worldwide singer had not died but was stricken with a mysterious malady, had faked his death, and roamed the countryside doing odd jobs. Then, a freak accident gave him his voice back for a few hours and he used the occasion to befriend a ten-year old girl whose father was dying. This story is the result.

9 Book cover and ISBN/ASIN

Melanie: A Tale of Wonder

Melanie: A Tale of Wonder

Melanie: A Tale of Wonder – ASIN: B07BZ3RGDJ

10 What would you like your next book to be on? I am slowly but surely working on a book called “Redemption.” It features Harry Miles but focuses on the development of his character, his tragic encounter, and his dive into despair, alcohol, oblivion, metamorphosis, tragedy, and his realization life endures.

11 If you could go anywhere in the universe, where would you go and why? Antarctica – it is the only continent on this planet I have not visited.

12 Is there anything you can share about yourself or your work that not many people know? Many people ask me the source of the name of my character, Harry Miles. I never knew my paternal grandfather, Harry Miles Benjamin. When my father was around eight or nine, my grandmother died, and her family looked after him and his sister. There was a division in the family and my grandmother’s family would not allow my grandfather to see my father or his sister. They eventually adopted my father and his sister. Legend has it my grandfather was an adventurer and succeeded in obtaining a new life for himself in the wilds of Canada. I felt a calling to name my character after him.

Harry is a composite of many fighter pilots I have known and dedicated to military people of all ranks and all military occupations (aircraft maintenance technicians, cooks, motor pool technicians, security personnel, etc.) who have dedicated their lives to a cause greater than themselves.

13 What is your favorite foreign food? I fell in love with polenta while working on proposals in Italy.

Thank you for telling us a little about yourself and your work, Ed Benjamin, perhaps, you will come back after you have finished your next project: Redemption, isn’t it?

PS: You can read more about ex-USAF Ed Benjamin’s featured book: Harry’s War by clicking this link: Harry’s War

 

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Harry’s War – Review

Published by Owen Jones on 16 September 2018

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Harrys War by Ed Benjamin

Harrys War by Ed Benjamin

Harry’s War

by Ed Benjamin

Review by Barry Boy

I was given a copy of Harry’s War by Ed Benjamin in exchange for an honest review.

Harry’s War is a novelette that spans the genres of fictional biography and realistic fiction > military (or more specifically, air force) drama. It is written in the third-person singular and relates to the final combat mission and the early civilian life of the protagonist, whose name appears in the title.

When Harry’s War opens, Harry is flying his F15C Eagle fighter at 35,000 feet above Iraq. The action begins immediately after the scene has been set, and even a landlubber like myself felt transported into the jet fighter with its Eagle Driver, Harry Miles.

A realistic dogfight ensues, involving AWACS assistance, with both sides losing aircraft. However, Harry retires shortly thereafter, and it is only then that his real problems begin, not unlike when many people retire in other walks of life.

Retirement from the F15C Eagle

However, Harry had led a high-powered career, which is way out of the experience – even imagination – of the vast majority of the population and we get to share in his ups and downs.

I found Harry’s War gripping and very realistic, which suggests that the author has experience in the field of avionics, military service and retirement. It also shows that he has the writing skill to be able to relate it in a meaningful and understandable manner.

I really enjoyed reading Harry’s War. Ed Benjamin tells the story and defines his characters in a no-nonsense, yet fluid and graceful style. The cover and the title are perfectly relevant to the subject matter of this novelette, and only aid in the prediction of its contents, which have been well, although probably not professionally edited.

I thoroughly and unreservedly recommend Harry’s War to all readers, but especially to those who enjoy reading military, and particularly, US Air Force, stories. Harry’s War makes one realise how vulnerable even the toughest people are, and for that, I loved it. Full marks, Mr. Benjamin, on an exciting story balanced with insights into the pilot’s life, let’s have some more!

Read our exclusive interview with Ed Benjamin here: Ed Benjamin author interview

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Our Visit to the Doctor

Published by Owen Jones on 12 September 2018

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Our Visit to the Doctor

Our Visit to the Doctor

Our Visit to the Doctor

For various reasons, but mostly because of travel, I have not had a medical check-up for twenty-four years – since I was forty. My wife is fourteen years younger than me, and she has never had one. So, being back in the UK ‘for good’ now, I thought that it was about time that I got that sorted out.

We registered with Ravenscourt, a doctor’s surgery in Barry, my home town, and were told that it would take six weeks. That was quite a surprise, shock even, but I had heard about the cut-backs, and since we were ‘non-essential’ and there was nothing obviously wrong with us, we let that go, even though the appointment fell inconveniently on my birthday.

So, we went along, at the also inconvenient time of nine a.m. not knowing what to expect. Friends had suggested that a full medical check-up would take ‘about an hour’.

We arrived punctually at the surgery, awaited our turn, which was also on time, and went up together, although only I was actually called. The doctor was surprised, but was all right about it when I explained that I sometimes needed to clarify some terminology for my Thai wife.

That wasn’t a problem and the young man took our blood pressure and listened to our breathing. We were both ‘A OK’.

‘How are you feeling?’ he asked.

‘OK’, we replied. ‘However, my back is pretty bad’, I said. ‘I can’t walk a hundred metres without having to sit down’. He gave us forms to go to two separate hospitals for blood tests and heart traces.

‘I take these blood pressure tablets’, I offered. ‘I’ve been taking them for twenty-four years, are there better ones available now?’ I wanted to say that they were effecting me in other ways, but didn’t.

‘Oh, they are working for you, and they are readily available, so I recommend that you stick with them’.

‘I disagree’, I countered, ‘The last prescription I had for them in Barry, could not be fulfilled by Boots in Barry. I was looking for sixty and they only had twenty-eight…’

His attitude changed visibly – he obviously didn’t like being contradicted.

Our interview was over, but my back problem hadn’t been mentioned, so I asked him to validate my application for a bus pass (I am sixty-four, and one qualifies at sixty).

‘That isn’t my job’, he replied. I took a deep breath, could see that we weren’t going to get anywhere and left with the strange feeling that there was something he wasn’t telling me. We had been in there for fifteen to twenty minutes for two check-ups…

Is that what the revered British National Health has been reduced to?

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All the best,

Owen

Footnote: Boots the chemist could not fulfil that order either – they were twelve Atenolol short.

Podcast: Our Visit to the Doctor

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Are You Reading A Book Or Story?

Published by Owen Jones on 3 September 2018

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A Night in Annwn - a book or story?

A Night in Annwn – a book or story?

Are You Reading A Book Or Story?

For the sake of this article, let’s call them ‘books’, and their contents ‘stories’. I say this to silence the pedants from the outset, because there are several other variations and possibilities.

The reason that I started thinking about the subject of a book or story was because the other day, I was talking to someone who said that he was reading my book on his tablet. Being a bit of a pedant myself, I had to stop myself from saying something, not least though because I didn’t want to stem his adoration of my work.

However, what he said did get me thinking. Surely, a book is series of pages – a physical thing… something that you can put on a shelf and something you can leave to someone. In short, it can become an heirloom and even a valuable one – whether that be a monetary one, or a treasured family possession.

That is not true of an ebook though, is it? I mean even the best story in the world will never grow in value or sentiment as an ebook, because it can be copied ad infinitum and distributed freely (in most countries).

So, is it time to stop saying: ‘I’ve read your book’, when you mean ebook? I, at least, from now on, I will ask where they bought the book and whether it was the paperback or hardback.

Or do you think that that it’s nit-picking to talk of a book or story?

As an author, it is fairly valuable information to me, but to a reader, I suppose it seems irrelevant. It might even be embarrassing to reveal, as the ebook is still considered the down-market, even cheap option, although I buy ebooks if I don’t know the author, but want to try him or her out.

So, the easiest way out is to say: ‘I have read your story about…’, or you might just decide not to talk to me (on that subject, or even at all!), but that’s up to you, not me and, to be honest, I don’t care either way. As a linguist and a writer (and a pedant), I think that people should think more about the way they say things, if not about the things that they say.

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All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Are You Reading A Book Or Story?

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