The End

Thinking back over the writing classes in high school and college, it struck me (I do not know why) that while a great deal of emphasis is placed on the opening lines and the first page "hook" that I don't recall much said about the end.

 

Often when I read an ms, the end has come a chapter or sometimes two before the writer stopped writing. It is like a bad relationship that just doesn't go away after both persons have decided to end it.

 

In one of our books we switched the order of the last two chapters and had a more fitting ending, one that reminds me of a Hitchcock movie ending.

 

Check this out: http://www.stylist.co.uk/books/the-best-100-closing-lines-from-books# I can't say that I love-love these endings. But then again, I think "It was a dark and stormy night" is a perfectly fine first line to a book and that is not what my professors said.

 

Let me know what you think after you follow the link above. Are these good last lines or not?

Master of the Jinn: A Sufi Novel

My dear friend and writing collogue, Irving Karchmar, sent out the email below. If nothing else, take a listen to him read the sample. He has a rich voice and it truly brings his book to life. Not only does it make me want to purchase his audiobook, it makes me want to re-read his print book. Check it out on Amazon, it is beautifully illustrated.

 

 

The email:

 

Dear Friends:

You've always supported my writing efforts, so I wanted you to be among the first to know about the Audiobook... (forgive me if this is a duplcate email). And please pass it on to anyone you know who reads Audiobooks :)

 

Master of the Jinn: A Sufi Novel is now an Audiobook narrated by the author, me, available on Audible and iTunes and Amazon.  If you already listen to audiobooks, please get it. Click HERE to listen to a sample. You can also get it FREE with a 30 day trial of Audible, which can be canceled at any time :) Here is the link:

http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Master-of-the-Jinn-Audiobook/B01CPQNWSS

If you listen to it and like it, please consider reviewing it on Amazon, Audible, Blogs, Facebook, etc. Every little bit helps :)

Peace and blessings,

Irving

--
http://www.masterofthejinn.com
http://darvish.wordpress.com

Kindle Update

Considering that I have no use for ebooks -- don't be alarmed, we do publish ebooks -- I thought I'd add my voice to others about the need for some Kindle readers to be updated -- today.

 

Go here for more information on the update.

 

Hope this helps.

 

If that fails, try a print book until you can get your Kindle up and running again. Here are a few suggestions for a good read.

Plan B

There was no new information forthcoming about the picture in the post below or its photographer. Bummer. Someone somewhere must know of its source, but this post didn't become far reaching enough to connect with the creator.

 

Thus the idea for Plan B. We want to use this photo in a cover art. Next best thing is to put the word out that we are looking for a photo similar to the photo below. We would like a photo of a fat-footed little girl dancing on her daddy's feet. We'd like the sense of ease that this is a common occurance between these two.

 

Does anyone know of such a photo? Please ask around.

Need HELP!

We are looking for the person who holds the rights to this photo. (See below.) Please post this on your social media accounts and help us out with finding this photographer.

Any assistance is appreciated. Post away and see how far reaching you can send this request.

I might even come up with a gift for the person who locates this photographer or the right's holder.

This is where we found the photo. No response from them to date...

http://www.architectureartdesigns.com/32-wonderful-creative-and-unique-ways-to-take-a-family-photos-youre-gonna-love-this/ 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all the writers out there!

 

If last year is any indication of a popular resolution for writers to make, then there will be a pile of manuscripts in our email coming soon.
 

Congratulations to you for finishing your manuscript. This is an exciting time to move it out your door and into ours.
 

We thoroughly vet every ms that meets the submission criteria found here:
http://www.cactusrainpublishing.com/submissions.html

Spend time working out the perfect industry standard query letter. There is no prize to be first to submit. The prize (publication) is in submitting your best work. You get one shot at making a good first impression. Take your time and show us your best work.
 

The advice I give you, whether you submit your manuscript to Cactus Rain Publishing, another publisher or a literary agent, is to print your ms on paper and read it aloud before you submit it to anyone. If the voice in your head tells you that you don’t need to follow that suggestion exactly, then you probably aren’t ready to send your ms to us.
 

Printing it on paper will show you how it will look to us. You should be willing to fund the cost of a ream of paper when you expect someone else to spend hundreds of times that cost to publishing your manuscript. If it isn’t worth your investment, them it might not be worth ours.
 

Reading it out loud will help you catch content mistakes where the person walked out of the room, then four paragraphs later, walked out of the room. Right, there is no mention of returning to the room after the first exit. Another thing that reading it aloud will help you catch are the miles long paragraphs. Creative use of a semicolon doesn’t really impress us. Read about pacing and see how your work improves by shortening some of those sentences and paragraphs!
 

That last sentence reminds me to warn against excessive use of the exclamation point. If everything that the character says is followed by an exclamation point, they need to get put on medication and dial it down a bit.
 

Whether your manuscript is finished or is still a work in progress, when you submit it, make sure you are submitting your best work.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving today, and every day.

 

May a thankful heart color every moment of our lives.

 

Will Bookstores Come Back?

Only people who have never had a conversation with me would not know my feelings about books; paper books, that is. I don't care what anyone says, ebooks are not books, they are digitized manuscripts. (I bet that comment makes me lots of friends.)

This book was published in 1848. That's a book!

I'm fairly certain that an ebook won't last 158 years. Just saying...

Here is another of my treasured books to share with you. This was my mother's book of Bryant's Poems. I loved this book during my teen-aged-poetry stage.

And this little book of essays was published in 1907.

The copyright is on the front cover...I hope you can see it. I can click on the picture to make it larger. Can you?

Back to my point. Amazon is opening a physical bookstore in Seattle, Washington, on November 3rd -- yes! It is a bit ironic that the online book seller that helped fuel the end to many bookstores has brought the industry full circle. 


Check out the article here! Amazon opens Bookstore 

Steve Mwase: 2015 Winner of The Voice Achievers Award!

Steve Mwase won The Voice Achievers Award: Outstanding African Writer Award. The award will be presented on October 22 and 23, 2015, in The Netherlands.

"Mr. Mwase, you were a unanimous choice because of your tremendous contributions to the development, advancement and general awareness as a writer from Africa, blending your new cultural environment, the Netherlands with your African heritage, exposing the beauty of Africa. You are an exemplary leader and a rare breed of excellence whose quality of character and sincerity of purpose places you on the platform of a role model and a mentor to African youths." 

The Achievers Voice Award Committee wrote in their letter to Mr. Mwase on 4 September 2015.

STEVE MWASE was born in the district of Busoga in Uganda. He joined the army in 1979, as a cadet officer following the fall of Uganda's renown dictator, Idi Amin Dada, and served in the army for fifteen years. In 1995, Steve relocated to The Netherlands where he developed a career as a writer. His first novel, LIFE AFTER A DICTATOR, was published in 2011. DUNIA is his second novel. He is currently working on a third novel, Exodus.

We at Cactus Rain Publishing are extremely proud to be witness to Steve's success.

To learn more about The Voice Achievers Award, look at this: 

www.thevoiceachieversaward.com/about

Achieve Greatness!

Two weeks ago I was interviewed on the topic of inspiring others to greatness. Not that I'm an expert, but I am a student of the topic and I have endeavored to be self-aware enough to improve every day. On the days that I fall short, then I begin again, renewed in effort. 

I believe that an empty vessel cannot fill another vessel, so it is important to find things and people and beliefs that nurture. 

At one point I gave a reference to a video that I watch frequently. The premise is simple. It takes just a bit more effort to achieve greatness than to be average.

It goes something like this: 211 degrees is hot water. At 212 degrees water boils. Boiling water makes steam. Steam powers a locomotive.

Watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDgKdjf7M4I

That is all you need to know. One extra degree of effort makes all the difference; it makes greatness.