Deceiving Noone is available

I started writing Deceiving Noone towards the very end of September 2011 and just about 10 months later it is finally published. Now I really hope you will like it and I really hope there will be positive reviews (please, please, please - it's my first novel). I know, I am repeating myself but this fear of mine is absolutely unbelievable. OK, I'll stop it right here. Promise...

It took about 12 hours for the book to be available on various Amazon sites but it is now finally there. Though, I noticed something funny about the preview chapter - formatting is off although all is fine when you open the book in Kindle application. I need to get in touch with Amazon and resolve this. In the mean time, the only thing I can do is apologize.

For Amazon.com readers, please click on the image below:

For UK readers, please click on the image below:

Right, now I've got to roll my sleeves up and start with marketing. This part isn't something I normally look forward to but this time I kind of want to do it and I'll do all I can to spread the word. The book is a bargain, seriously!

It is priced at $1.52 in the USA (taxation as the minimum list price author can set is $0.99 so the rest must be tax), £0.99 in the UK and €0.99 in the EU. That's where it will be available until Amazon opens up more of their international sites to the Kindle store.

The rest of my day was spent watching Olympics! Oh boy, French 4x100 free relay team gave the USA and Australia a run for their money and won the gold. I was chuffed for Rebecca Adlington (Team GB) for her bronze medal. Kayak and Canoe slalom heats were also fabulous and I am amazed how nerve-wrecking archery and equestrian can be. Fantastic stuff - despite the stormy weather!

Proofreading!

That's it, I pressed the button and despite the delay, I think the novel benefited from additional editing, from sharpening, from pretty much everything that I've done with it. It's really frustrating though - I can always find something that needs improving but you've got to stop one day - or go completely crazy.

OK, there will be some more work once the book gets back - full of tracked changes. I will then have another go reading through the printed out hard copy but that's minor in comparison to what I've been doing so far.

Anyway, I am happy with the result - the story is full of twists and turns but that makes it pretty hard to decide on the specific genre it is supposed to belong to - I guess war-adventure-romance comes close. The book cover does its job too - symbolism, hidden messages and alike - and it is visible and readable in all acceptable cover-art formats.

Sooo, 20th July is my new deadline and this time it will be met.You never know with a novel but I am determined to get it onto Amazon Kindle bookstore by then. Wish me luck...

I write, hence I read more too?

My Kindle shelf is getting larger and larger. It's amazing how a world of depleted reading habits can changed... as far as I am concerned, ever since I've started writing seriously. There are two reasons really. First, it's because of, as I said, writing. You kind of need to read other authors to have any chance of 'getting it'. You know what I mean? Second, Amazon and Kindle store for that matter have changed everything. I can download tons of wallet-friendly free and 99 cent books. That is a true revolution in reading. For me at least.

All of this has led to much more reading but it's a different kind of reading. I now read some 10 books simultaneously because Kindle knows where you stayed last. Smart, ha! Looking at Amanda Hocking's latest post, she is pretty much along those lines too. That reminds me of another issue that she covers in her latest post - that of book descriptions. I always wondered what it is but she just got it so right. I'd never read a book based on the provided description. They are sooo... lame (in most cases).

Am I shooting myself in the foot here? Because I'll need to write one too. I guess Amanda's advice of writing a 5-word version is right down my alley. It's about deception amidst war. How about that? Or perhaps love and deception amidst war? Ah well, I'll figure it out in time for publication.

By the way, I also found a fantastic ebook reader for my daughter. Sadly, they're still negotiating a deal with retailers here in the UK but once out, GoBook 8" Tab should be big hit with children eager to benefit from colours and interactivity.

That's life - wonderful and peculiar

I begin to wonder whether ups and downs in human life are nature's deliberate attempts to either make or break you. I'd much rather stay on the "make" side, thank you. So, what happened? Well, I kind of didn't follow my promise of heavily promoting my new Construction Management book through my social media accounts. I did mention it once or twice but that's not self-promotion in its true sense. So, I decided to do this yesterday using my Twitter account. Mind you, I only sent out one book-related post.

It took Cesar Abeid from Remontech, a Canadian Construction Management company, a minute to respond and ask me whether he could interview me for his really well received podcast. I thought he was joking. You know, one of those automated spam posts or something. No, no, no, he is a real person! I talked to him today and he humbly presented the idea behind his podcasts. It's absolutely fabulous and it only took one (ONE) tweet. He will interview me on Thursday and believe it or not, he was thanking me! Hello, it's me who should be grateful and I am, I totally am.

Anyway, not being used to this I thought that was sensational. But then I read another tweet a couple of minutes later. It was sent by @beas_bloomsbury. Bea basically asked for some help with their kitchen floorplan and offered cakes as a form of payment. Anyone who knows me would understand why I replied to her within a split of a second. Come on, it's CAKES we're talking about!

I checked her website and then realised: Bea is a celebrity patisserie chef who a few years ago turned down the offer to be a head chef at Nobu London. She now owns her own Bea's Bloomsbury on several locations (including Chelsea and Maltby st.). The patisserie has been praised all over the world. Surreal, I'm telling you. I need to survey her main kitchen on Saturday and she offered to treat us at Maltby st. Market. I am thrilled! The update follows but in the mean time, thanks Bea for your kind offer!

Oh yes, and I am still editing my novel. It's getting together really nicely and all these revisions and delays are totally necessary. I guess it will be finished by the end of May and published on Kindle in June. Watch this space!

Delay

I received a very polite e-mail from my copy-editors yesterday explaining that they are willing to give me my money back because they won't be able to deliver within the advertized 21days! Wow, I was thoroughly impressed by their honesty.

OK, they do preach left right and center about their short turnaround times but hey, it's the quality that matters and a couple of weeks up or down - it won't matter in the long run anyway. I've been busy with my day job like mad in the recent weeks - hence the silence on my novel writing front so I was even more understanding as I know pretty damn well how damaging deadlines sometimes can be when you're dealing with all things unpredictable. Trust me, creativity doesn't know project management and you cannot squeeze it into the clamp of time.

Of course, I am eagerly awaiting the results and since this is my first novel, I'm not surprised they need more time than usual. I still believe though the book has got a compelling story and is easy to read. It should be an interesting subject for young adults who will be able to sympathize with Nathan's fears and understand the origins of his demons. Oops! I told you the main character's name... Ah well, it's almost 1am and after half a year of excruciating tempo, even holding a backspace key seems like too difficult.

So, all in all, I'm happy with the progress - despite the delay. I'll get the book back from the copy editors on the 30th March (or thereabout) and that means it will be available on Kindle store towards the end of April. I'm still happy though, it's the second book I wrote within a year!