A Review - Broken Pieces

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Baring your soul... reading from your diary aloud... all your fears, pain, sorrow, anxiety… dealing with death… standing completely naked, bathed in stark light, in front of a judgmental public eye.

The author does this with a natural, stumbling, honest voice. She shares with us more than most are comfortable with ever sharing and does it in a formidable, “in your face”, way.

There isn't an easy way to explain the experience of reading this work. Much of it doesn't read easily. By that I don't mean it is difficult to decipher or understand, but the emotional resonance of the work has a certain 'punch-you-in-the-face' brutal honesty that is rare to find.

As this isn't a work of fiction the depth of the work is far beyond light reading. You have been warned.

It's common for me to say, in reviews that write, that I don't give spoilers... and I won't give spoilers here either. What I will say is that there is raw, honest looks into the human condition, and it can, if you allow it to, affect you on a highly personal level.

I will happily read and recommend this work of truth to any and all who will read it. It is simply amazing.

- Dennis Sharpe



Broken Pieces on Goodreads.com

Broken Pieces on Amazon.com (kindle)

Broken Pieces on Facebook

Click here for Rachel Thompson's Website

"Cool Kids?" This is no cool kid.

I don't normally get involved in societal commentary on my blog. This is a case, though, where I didn't feel I could rightfully keep my mouth shut.

This guy, Mike Jeffries - the CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch said this:

"In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids. Candidly, we go after the cool kids," the clothing retailer explained. "We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don't belong [in our clothes], and they can't belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely."

That's a direct quote. Look it up if you don't believe that anyone could be such a jackass in this day and age.

My day was made then by Larry Wile, who posted this gem on Facebook as a response:

"To paraphrase: "Fat people suck," said Mike Jeffries, CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch. An acquaintance said the following which made me laugh. "Have you seen his face? He looks like Nick Nolte and botox had unprotected sex behind White Castle after a bee sting incident." I would agree with that assessment."

Was this a nice thing to say? No. Was it funny to me? Hell, yes it was.

It wasn't said by a CEO. No, it was the response of an offended 'person on the street', as it were, to the asinine comments of a CEO in a interview by the press. It was one of the people hurt by the public figures slurs trying to strike back... and it was funny.

What this led me to think about is all the talk of bullying in our media today. How many times I've read about kids who were bullied for one reason or another, and suffered in silence, hurt themselves, or ended their lives. Then I see this pop up in an interview, and in the news all over the place, and I see a rich man directing a major retail outlet who is not only promoting elitism that leads to bullying... but being smug and unapologetic about it.

Abercrombie & Fitch clothing isn't for the "not-so-cool" kids... it's only for the "attractive kids"...  and the kids with enough money to afford their inflated prices... and by buying their clothes and supporting this sort of corporate bullying (on an economic level, a social level, a class level, and other superficial levels) customers are telling people like Jeffries that his attitudes and behaviors are rewarded.

We want the kids of this country to realize that bullying is wrong. We want them to understand that discrimination is bad. And what do we show them that those sorts of attitudes and behaviors do for you? We show them that if you behave that way as an adult you can be a rich CEO of a company to help promote those same negative attitudes and ideals.

I don't even know if a boycott of Abercrombie & Fitch is enough for how strongly I feel about what this man, and his statement represent. This cannot be allowed to happen without blow back... without some form of "societal punishment". I have never before wanted to see the bankruptcy and complete failure of a company as badly as I do in this case (and granted, there have likely been as bad or worse before... but I was likely younger, more naive, or not yet a parent at that point).

I want to believe that people care enough about the anti-bullying talk, and enough about the children of the world, that they can come together and wipe the smug smile of this scumbag'd face. I'm boycotting Abercrombie & Fitch and will actively and verbally stand against them.

Who's with me?

Publishing Fiction and Crossing Your Fingers (Observations From the Trenches)

Writing really is only about 5% of the work, and it really is the only truly fun part. The rest is all work.

I’ve been mulling over ideas for marketing lately, trying to find what I’m missing in my attempts to get my books in the hands of readers… and thus accomplish the elusive goal of “finding its audience”.

When the rubber hits the road that’s what every writer wants, right? I mean, of course, they want to get their work finished… and after that get it edited into its best possible form… and most want to see their work published… but what does any of that mean if it isn’t picked up and read by the audience it was written for?

I’ve spoken to Rachel Thompson, a verified social media success story with the publishing of her last three books, and from her I’ve gotten tips on how to streamline my approaches to social media in my (all important) “Author Platform”. Overall, what I’ve learned is that I am a creative writer and not a marketing wiz. These days authors are required to be both. It’s really not an option. Such is the way of the industry.

I had a conversation with a fellow writer, and friend, S.K. Whiteside recently that went like this:

_______________________________

S.K. : I'll be honest. The only reason you are not (with 'Blood & Spirits') a bestseller is because of the MILLIONS of "authors" out there right now. You are just getting overlooked. Hang in there. Persevere! It took J.K. (Rowling) nearly 20 years.

Me : I'm not a bestseller because I tell average stories... in a small sliver, of an over-saturated genre... I have poor cover art, and I use my own name (not a female pen name).

S.K. : Female pen names don’t sell unless you are doing romance. I agree about over-saturated, but it’s not the genre. It's the scene period.

Me : Female pen names sell in paranormal. Fact.

S.K. : EVERYONE is an "author".

_______________________________

 

This led me to further examine what I thought was simply an issue of marketing. Perhaps it’s just as much an issue of trying to stand out as that one awesome grain of sand on the beach; a daunting prospect to be sure.  

Do I still need a great paced story, well told, with fully fleshed out and original characters that speak in their own distinct voices? Yes. Do I still need good editing, and an eye catching cover that not only fits in on the shelf with other books of my genre but really pops as something a reader can’t pass by? Yes. Do I still need to market myself and my work, getting the word out about my release, my promotions, and make sure book bloggers and reviews have my work in hand to rate or recommend? Yes. 

The issue… the big, fat, punch-me-in-the-face issue is that all of that isn’t enough.

I also have to find a way, after doing all that (which thousands – if not millions – of other people are doing, and doing it just as well as I am) to stand out. I have to get noticed to get read. I have to get read to build my audience. I have to build my audience to get recommended to friends (and strangers) by readers who will want to come back and see what other tales I have to tell them.

What does all this mean to you, my faithful reader?

It means you’ve been warned. You’ve been informed, and therefore you’ve been armed with this knowledge.

The market for books, and eBooks for that matter, is densely packed. It’s not enough to be imaginative and talented anymore. From what I can understand it hasn’t been enough for a long, long time… but it’s harder today, and it’s going to be harder as every day passes.

Keep that in mind when jumping into publishing with both feet. People will tell you to expect rejection… but what they usually don’t tell you (that is just as true) is to expect to work yourself into exhaustion to earn your sales.

Don’t get discouraged by having to slowly grow your readership.  It’s a relationship you have to build… one person at a time. It’s not easy, but it doesn’t have to painful or make you crazy. 

Look at it like a crowded dance floor in the most enormous school in the world, packed with millions of 10-year-olds who want to dance with the popular kid and really fear rejection…  your book is a 10-year-old and the popular kid is the all-important reader.  How are you going to make sure your 10-year-old stands out, and gets noticed by that popular kid?

I'd also be able to read minds and see the future.

There is no universal answer. When and if you find the answer, rest assured that it will only work for you. Moreover, it may well only work for the current project you are marketing. But once you find it… and with it you find your audience… and you start to get the feedback that your work has earned from readers who understand and are moved to respond to it…  then all of that mind-numbing, backbreaking, tedious, awful , unforgiving work will pale in comparison. 

If you can stick it out and you find your formula to locate your readers… your people... it is so very worth it.

_______________________________

Places I recommend to help you along your way:

http://rebeccatdickson.com - Editor and writing coach.

http://www.ambrosia-arts.com/index.php/graphics-artist - Graphics and cover design.

http://badredheadmedia.com - Social media and author marketing/branding consultant.