UK Amazon Kindle Forum discussion

Hi!

I'm David Staniforth, a forum virgin (edited: no longer), so please (edited: but still) forgive if I don't adhere to protocol and forum lingo etc. I'm 48 and live in South Yorkshire, England. I love all artistic pursuits, particularly writing. Despite writing for the past seven years I have only just self published my first two novels (only on Amazon Kindle, so far). I wanted to perfect my craft and not inflict anything on readers that I wouldn't enjoy reading myself. The two I have available are linked below (I'll let you be judge of their quality - I'm very self critical, so it's a wonder they ever managed to venture from my computer).

Fuel to the Fire currently FREE, and second in the series Ruler's Desire

Both are fantasy with a difference, perhaps YA but with some dark themes and sexual references.

Edit to add a third title to my authorship "Alloria"
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alloria-Labyr...

Finally completing the 'Fuel to the Fire' trilogy http://www.amazon.co.uk/Elemental-Cas...

And to try and meet all tastes, there's now a thriller http://www.amazon.co.uk/Imperfect-Str...

I'd say my primary influences for Fantasy would be Terry Goodkind; Orson Scott Card; Piers Anthony and Scarlett Thomas, although I will read and be influenced by anything and anyone, as long as the characters are well drawn and the narrative style captures me (Can't stand bland writing).

Hey David - you made it! I loved your two books and I can say that your writing is far from bland. Some of your descriptive writing really impressed me. The stories are great too and I hope, I assume, there's more to come from this fantasy world?

Amazon links for your books

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fuel-to-the-F...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rulers-Desire...

I can see because of the age of some of your characters that it might be considered young adult fiction but I read them avidly as an old adult!

Thanks Ignite. I do hope to return to this series, but I'm currently redrafting a new fantasy novel. I read a lot of teen fiction and enjoy it from an adult perspective. I firmly believe that a reader adds to the story and the writer provides a template

I used to take most of my fiction from the Junior Library - when I lived near a library and didn't have a kindle - because I've always thought that YA fiction needs to be better written than adult stuff. An adult will make allowances for slow plot build up or weak characters but the young want it all now - and want to care about it too!

I use the library a lot, and since December work in them too.

Hollo!

I'm here to do some book covers?

Hi- Just sent a PM - you can ignore it now!

Hi,

I can only find the Amazon cover which isn't so nice cause it has that big arrow on it saying 'Look inside!' which is no use on here.

Do you have the original covers? I can give you my email address so you can send them to me. Unless you are happy enough to have the covers with the arrow on it?

I've got them Jud - they're on my blog! I'll email them if you like David?

I can send them, no prob

Perfect, I can just nick them off your blog, Ignite.

Sent to Jud - what a team!
What? A team? ;)

Done and done :o)

Don't know if I'm using this thread (is that correct?) properly. when I post something it doesn't appear in the order I posted it. Also I seem to have to go back to Meet The Authors title page and then back her for the messages to update. Am I doing something wrong?

Yea, you need to refresh the page to see new messages, they don't appear instantly as they are posted.

As to your messages appearing in the wrong order? I've no idea what that's about.

I'm perhaps just too slow at answering, and someone post in between the one I'm replying too. Does that make sense?

Is there a shortcut to refresh the page or am I already doing it correctly?

Just noticed my cover, thanks Jud and Ignite. Yes what a team. Where would I be without You?

Just bash F5 on your top line. That'll refresh. ;)

David wrote: "I'm perhaps just too slow at answering, and someone post in between the one I'm replying too. Does that make sense?"

Yea, that's probably what it is.

There is a reply button underneath each post which copies some of the text into your comment box so it is easier to keep track of which post you are replying to (if there is a specific one).

I just got knocked off because of overcapacity, that's a new one on me too.

Happens occasionally - it's greatly frustrating - especially when you're in the middle of a conversation!

Anyway, i've noticed that time rushes by on here and I've got writing to do. Got to get that third book on kindle (hope it doesn't disapoint).

I think goodreads is really a vortex that sucks you in and while you've only spent 5 minutes on here it spits you out again and you realise it was hours and not minutes that passed you by.

Hi all out there. I have one friend on goodreads (a quality one I might add) and would like to get to know more of you out there. I check in from time to time, but am usually too busy to stick around. My book sales are slowly climbing, so a big thanks to anyone who's reading it: hope you enjoy.

If you want to participate more in our group specifically we tend to congregate around the Morning thread at all hours of the day :o)

Pop in there and say hello, we talk about anything and everything. Also, we aren't rigidly strict about staying on topic (we do always bring it back to the topic, eventually).

We also have a grumpy thread for when something goes wrong and you need/want to rant about it.

You can send a friend request to anyone David. If there's anyone you get chatting to, send a request. People don't mind. (Unless it's someone who's not even on this forum and is just 'collecting' friends.

Thanks for the advice/tips Jud and Ignite, hopefully I will one day log on when someone's around and have time to chat.

Tell me more about the fantasists, Ignite. They're an intriguing bunch. I feel a little worried!!!

Ah, nothing sinister (though they might think they are!) If you have a look here for Will MacMillan Jones, MT McGuire, Jim Webster - they're the main suspects - they are happy to chat till the cows some home - especially Jim - he's a farmer! You can pop into their author threads. No-one stands on ceremony. There are one or two more in the Amazon MOA (but we have the creme de la creme here!)

I like their humour, I just need to hone my a little

They'll be gentle with you. At first!

Ignite wrote: "They'll be gentle with you. At first!"

But don't count on it.

There's always the dungeon...

Dungeon!! Now I am worried (fantasy writers already have vivid imaginings ;)

Go out there and grab'em Adam. Oh, you did! ;)

Pleased to see the second book in my series is starting to sell (slow going, but at least it's not standing still). Assume it means some people enjoyed the first book!!

Well done David. You know I certainly did.
The upside of a series is that not only does the author know the characters, but the reader does too. You don't have to start all over again finding out who's who so yo get the opportunity to go a bit deeper with them in later books.

The downside, downside, from the author's viewpoint, is that it takes a considerable investment in the reader's time to take on more than one book. Well done for managing it!

Thanks Ignite. Like I say, early days, and it's sort of not about making money, just great to know people are reading my writing and enjoying it. Justifies the time invested. You should know your comments and support have invigorated my writing. Last Autumn, before discovering you could self publish on kindle, I was on the verge of giving up. I'm now writing with the same satisfaction I had when I first started.

Hey! That's what it's all about - satisfaction for both the author and the reader.

Ignite, could you use some of your contact magic and find out how I add my picture to my profile page. Unless you can tell me.

Ignite wrote: "Ah, nothing sinister (though they might think they are!) If you have a look here for Will MacMillan Jones, MT McGuire, Jim Webster - they're the main suspects - they are happy to chat till the cow..."

The happy bunch that Ignite mentioned are the 'Gumbee Fantasy Writers' Guild'

To quote from MTM
This is a group of authors who write mostly fantasy. Actually, sci-fi is allowed as is stuff like mine which fits in to the nebulous world between the two. As for what it is; the factors that unite us are fairly nebulous, and all, but here they are.

1. We like having fun. Whether or not we write funny books, we consider a sense of humour to be a sign of erudition and all round civilisation. Not all the members of the GFWG write funny books but we all like a joke.

2. We aim to make membership to the GFWG a quality standard. Books tagged with the Guild label should be a fun or good read - or both. There's a lot of dross out there. So, the idea is that you can look up books tagged 'Gumbee Fantasy Writers Guild' (Amazon won't let us put the apostrophe after the s) and find some that are... well... not dross.

3. There is no thing three.

4. We understand that our readers do not want to feel duped, ripped off or generally disrespected. We therefore pledge to behave honourably. Gumbee Fantasy authors will never use sock puppet accounts or big up our own or each others' books with fake reviews or reviews that do not express our genuine opinions. Nor will we leave poor reviews of the work of other authors on purely personal grounds - those of us who write will endeavour to only write reviews that reflect our genuine opinion about the quality of the book; nothing else counts. We will not knowingly plug our books in the wrong places, unless we're being ironic.

5. We'll all have a laugh.


That's all for now.

Cheers

MTM

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With regard to quality, at the moment the best measure of quality that I can think is having a four or five start review by Ignite.

Ah, my five stars from Ignite. My proudest writing achievement so far. Does that mean I can join Jim, and have my books tagged, or are there peculiar initiation rights?

Five stars from Ignite is a big Compliment David.

be sure to wave the news around on Amazon.

I used to be a bit sinister, but now I'm a bit dexter instead.

(Ah, ze latin joke.)

Hello, how come I never find out when people are talking about me. Hello David, five stars from Ignite is hawt! Well done. ;-)

Cheers

MTM

Why don't you just assume we talk about you all the time MTM?

Will wrote: "Why don't you just assume we talk about you all the time MTM?"

I suspect that she lacks the base level of paranoia necessary to assume that.
She's never been a husband

She owns a husband though, so MTM has the opportunity to observe the phenomenon

Being observed like that really does ramp up the paranoia

It isn't paranoia when they ARE out to get you though, is it?

You've been reading the minutes of the 'ex-wives club' again haven't you