Random musings from an English writer slogging through the trenches of traditional and self-publishing. Following my attempts to eke a living through creative writing, graphic design, whilst writing the kind of novels I like to read.
Friday, July 24, 2015
Streaking For Mother Promotion Weekend
Streaking For Mother 0.99 this weekend find out what every one is raving about US http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J15G6IK?*Version*=1 …... UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00J15G6IK?*Version*=1 …...
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Friday, June 5, 2015
Spoils of the Moon
Spoils
of the Moon
Synopsis
1967,
St Ann's Nottingham, a typical late Victorian, working class,
neighbourhood in acute decline, alarming poverty, a slum. Three
hundred of Nottingham's dirtiest acres.
This
is the time and place Brendan and Pauline's son was born, emigration
the only option. They were called Ten pound pommes.
The
journey on the ship, SS Canberra, was as frightening and exhilarating
as the first year shacked up in the Nissan hut at the hostel,
Adelaide, Southern Australia.
Years
before, Brendan's parents and sister, Beanie, had moved there after
buying a farm in the outback.
Brendan
and Pauline settled into a new home in the satellite town of
Elizabeth. Brendan only had one question on signing at the labour
exchange: does the section about National Service apply to him? -- he
was soon to find out.
Pauline
suffered bouts of homesickness, fuelled by Brendan's prolonged
absences of long working hours. A new mother, she soon became
depressed. It wasn't long before Brendan was called up for National
Service.
The year is 1969, a
global celebration of the moon landings. President Nixon, in
commemoration bestowed a hundred and thirty-five gifts of lunar rocks
to friendly foreign
governments. In 1970, Adelaide museum was
proud to display a plaque containing two lunar rocks.
Nobody
thought they would be worth stealing, until Brendan, Beanie's
boyfriend, Troy, and his mate, Brian, on finishing basic training
did just that, with the military precision they had recently learned.
Brendan
hides the rocks and is forced to ask his sister, Beanie, to collect
them. They end up in the police cells after a drunken brawl, hours
after the hoist. The judge orders no custodial sentences because he
was told, unbeknown to these men, that effective immediately they
will be impressed
into overseas
service.
Brendan
is killed saving some villagers in Vietnam. Troy and Brian disappear
- things happen when you steal lunar rocks from the government and
embarrass them. The Americans want them back.
The
news of her husband's death sends Pauline into a mental institute,
leaving Beanie with her son. Beanie recently gave birth also to a
son. She takes both of the boys back to the UK.
This
is the story of those two boys, Jordi and Greg - now men.
The
family business model, started by their mum, Beanie, was to buy
handmade crafts from Asia, repair what gets damaged in shipping, and
then sell them from their market stall in Camden, London.
Beanie
died, leaving them clues to the past and circumstances that cause
both men to go to Asia to buy more products for their business before
the programmed road works cut their access off and potentially ruins
their product-hungry business.
It's
not long before one of them is hanging upside down naked in a small
Vietnamese village near the Cambodian border, tortured by a man with
an American accent. He wants the lunar rocks.
The
American, who has been on their trail since London, chose the wrong
village and was chased off in a hale of bullets. Ordered by an old
villager, one of the men Brendan saved in the war. A translator shows
them a picture of two baby boys. She also hands over Brendan's
identification documents with the same surname as them and various
other personal belongings, along with the story of how he saved some
of the villagers.
The
clock is ticking now and they are on a collision course with others,
tracking down their true family roots and the whereabouts of the
lunar rocks - now valued in millions.
In
Australia, they encounter Brian and Troy, and are helped by Brian's
daughter who is tough, beautiful, and vulnerable to Jordi's charms.
But who is whose son? Only Pauline has the answer back at the family
farm in the outback -- their final destination. They are not the only
ones who turned up looking for answers. The end gives us some
shocking surprises and personal growth.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Book Illustration
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Paperback Cover for Createspace and 3D books for Advertisement
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Editing - Proofreading - Writing Services
Editing - Proofread - Basic Copy Edit - Line Edit / Heavy Copy Edit - Developmental or Substantive Edit - Writing Services
I work with any genre. I have experience with novels, short fiction, non-fiction, scripts, academic writing, articles, and plays. Here is a breakdown of the different levels of editing. I can perform a single service or a combination.
Proofread: The lightest form of editing, typically completed on the proof of the finished product. I read the manuscript and note errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and word usage. This is the final stage of editing to ensure the manuscript is as polished as possible before publication or submission to an agency.
Basic Copy Edit: I thoroughly scour your manuscript for errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and syntax. I will attend to issues like subject/verb agreement and word usage (that vs. which / horde vs. hoard), clarity, flow, and style consistency (e.g., comma usage throughout). Awkward wording will be noted, and I will also flag style choices that authors may not be aware of, but are important in making your manuscript consistent with publishing standards (titles in italics vs. quotes, capitalization of titles and brand names, numerals vs. spelling out numbers, headings, Latin abbreviations, quotations, dialogue format, etc.). Minimum rewriting is suggested.
Line Edit / Heavy Copy Edit: Encompasses the same tasks as copy editing, but also consists of rewriting/recasting lines that need help. The focus will be on technical grammar and punctuation, as well as a more in-depth edit noting wordiness, repetition, awkward phrasing, convoluted sentence structure, ambiguous descriptions, and overuse of passive voice. Inconsistent plot details or facts will be flagged; are character names spelled correctly throughout? Is your secondary character blond in one chapter, but brunet in another? Line editing deals more with clarity, flow, and style, along with basic copy editing. The two are closely related.
Developmental or Substantive Edit: This is the most in-depth form of editing, and looks at the “big picture”–the overall content, structure, and style of your manuscript. I provide not only a critique of content issues, but guidance and suggestions of how to go about improving the manuscript. This type of assessment deals specifically with the art of storytelling.
Rather than focusing on the technical aspects of the written language, I offer creative suggestions to improve upon the story in any and all areas such as plot, character development, dialogue, description, exposition, point of view, timeline, style, and narrative voice. With this type of edit, I edit in-line and provide numerous margin comments for each chapter, as well as an overall report. How can the voice of a character be made to sound more authentic? How could a scene be made funnier, or more dramatic? How can the author develop a story in the most appealing way and create the biggest impact on the reader? Substantive editing addresses all of these things. A good editor takes into account the genre and style of each unique work, and avoids imposing her own voice on the story.
Writing
Holly M. Kothe
The Espresso Editor
The Espresso Editor
Editing
I work with any genre. I have experience with novels, short fiction, non-fiction, scripts, academic writing, articles, and plays. Here is a breakdown of the different levels of editing. I can perform a single service or a combination.
Proofread: The lightest form of editing, typically completed on the proof of the finished product. I read the manuscript and note errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and word usage. This is the final stage of editing to ensure the manuscript is as polished as possible before publication or submission to an agency.
Basic Copy Edit: I thoroughly scour your manuscript for errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and syntax. I will attend to issues like subject/verb agreement and word usage (that vs. which / horde vs. hoard), clarity, flow, and style consistency (e.g., comma usage throughout). Awkward wording will be noted, and I will also flag style choices that authors may not be aware of, but are important in making your manuscript consistent with publishing standards (titles in italics vs. quotes, capitalization of titles and brand names, numerals vs. spelling out numbers, headings, Latin abbreviations, quotations, dialogue format, etc.). Minimum rewriting is suggested.
Line Edit / Heavy Copy Edit: Encompasses the same tasks as copy editing, but also consists of rewriting/recasting lines that need help. The focus will be on technical grammar and punctuation, as well as a more in-depth edit noting wordiness, repetition, awkward phrasing, convoluted sentence structure, ambiguous descriptions, and overuse of passive voice. Inconsistent plot details or facts will be flagged; are character names spelled correctly throughout? Is your secondary character blond in one chapter, but brunet in another? Line editing deals more with clarity, flow, and style, along with basic copy editing. The two are closely related.
Developmental or Substantive Edit: This is the most in-depth form of editing, and looks at the “big picture”–the overall content, structure, and style of your manuscript. I provide not only a critique of content issues, but guidance and suggestions of how to go about improving the manuscript. This type of assessment deals specifically with the art of storytelling.
Rather than focusing on the technical aspects of the written language, I offer creative suggestions to improve upon the story in any and all areas such as plot, character development, dialogue, description, exposition, point of view, timeline, style, and narrative voice. With this type of edit, I edit in-line and provide numerous margin comments for each chapter, as well as an overall report. How can the voice of a character be made to sound more authentic? How could a scene be made funnier, or more dramatic? How can the author develop a story in the most appealing way and create the biggest impact on the reader? Substantive editing addresses all of these things. A good editor takes into account the genre and style of each unique work, and avoids imposing her own voice on the story.
The Order of Editing
Typically, a developmental edit would be
performed in one pass, with rewrites then made by the author, followed
by a copy edit, and a final proof read.
Writing
I am an experienced writer of both fiction
and non-fiction. My writing services include, but are not limited to,
articles, blog posts, fiction, ghostwriting, author bios,
advertisements, social media promotions, reviews, story blurbs, and
synopses.
Writing Samples
A Little Literary (a Lotta Coffee)
– My writer’s blog includes writing guidance and reviews, as well as
links to publications I have contributed to including Writer’s Digest,
Blood Lotus Journal, Blue Cygnus International Magazine, Dark Gothic
Resurrected, Writer’s Beat Quarterly, Trembles Magazine, Lost City
Review, and The Write Room Literary Journal.
A Positive Outlook – Print newspaper article
Sweet Violent Femmes - Available on Amazon and in bookstores
Randy R. Fabert’s Psycho Killer - Film synopsis
Sex and Horror–The Classic Pair - Erzabet’s Enchantments Book Blog
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Sunday, March 8, 2015
My Original Art For Sale
My original art is now for sale on EBAY including Nudes and Book Cover Artwork Low prices and auctions - posted anywhere in the world.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/shearman15
http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/shearman15
Sunday, February 15, 2015
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