Tag Archives: book bloggers

Apr 25 2015
4 Comments
BQB and the Meaning of Life

Guest Submissions

As previously mentioned, the Summer of Bookshelf is coming soon.  BQB will be churning out the 1371251154-2content at a fast and furious pace determined to win the writer’s battle along with his ongoing bookshelf battle.

One of two serialized stories will be “Bookshelf Q Battler and The Meaning of Life.”

I’m thinking about seeking guest blog posts in which writers answer the question – “What is The Meaning of Life?”

My story will be broken up into small chunks, easily consumed on a daily basis throughout the summer.  Occasionally, it would be great to break it up with some guest submissions vis a vis this illusive question.

I haven’t decided the parameters yet and am still thinking it through, but in the meantime, it would be great to reach out and get initial reactions.

If you’re interested, let me know in the comments.  If enough people show an interest, I’ll make another post explaining it all.

As always, thanks for reading.  You’re all the bees knees.

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Apr 25 2015
2 Comments
Self Publishing

Self Publishing Podcast Interview of Andy Weir – Author of “The Martian”

Let’s face it.

We all say, “oh, I’m just in it for the art!” but deep down, we all secretly hope, dream and fantasize that The_Martian_2014one day our writing will be embraced by the masses, a big pile of money will be dumped on our heads, and our work will be read by everyone and turned into a Hollywood movie!

Well, as it turns out, that happened for Andy Weir, author of The Martian.

Andy was on the Self Publishing Podcast this week with “Johnny, Sean and Dave” aka Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt and David W. Wright.

Keep one thing in mind, aspiring scribes – success in the writing game doesn’t happen overnight.

Andy discussed how he’s been at it for years – that he’s been blogging since the early 2000’s, how he spent a long time seeking a traditional publishing deal with no success, that initially wrote “The Martian” as a serial on his blog, that his followers urged him to turn said serial into an ebook on Amazon and boom, it took off.  Now he’s a highly successful author and a movie based on his book starring Matt Damon is scheduled for release at the end of this year.

The important thing to note?  Yes, some people are very lucky and see those doors to success swing wide open for them early on.  And good for them.  Others, like Andy, had to painstakingly climb that ladder one rung at a time.

After hearing his story, I can’t think of someone more deserving.  He really put his work in and earned his success.

As always, Johnny, Sean and Dave bringing us a great show.  And they didn’t even veer off topic this time!

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Apr 16 2015
9 Comments
Self Publishing

A Post Making the Rounds of the Self-Publishing World

You know that 20th “Buy My Book!” tweet you tweeted today?  You might want to rethink that strategy:

Delilah S. Dawson of whimsydark.com – “Please shut up: Why self-promotion as an author doesn’t work.”

Personally, I think she makes a lot of sense.  I don’t think in today’s modern world you can completely go without marketing (and I didn’t get the impression she’s saying that) but on the other hand, you can’t rely on it either.

Marketing and a Book worth marketing – they go hand in hand.  Sometimes we market so much that we neglect our writing altogether.

What do you think, 3.5 readers?

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Apr 16 2015
2 Comments
Game of Yetis

Game of Yetis – Part 4 – House Yeti

Previously on Game of Yetis:

PART 1 – House Bookshelf – Lord BQB hides out from the War for the Iron Throne, coming up with various excuses as to why he’s been unable to assist various claimants to the throne all the while positioning himself to declare allegiance to whoever emerges as the victor. Alas, a complication in his plan arises when a band of Yetis under the control of Lord Yeti abscond with his supplies of snacks and Dew of the Mountain.

PART 2 – House Yeti – Lord Yeti of House Yeti, the ruler of Yetifell, a territory North of the Wall, where abominable snowmen love to frolic because it is ridiculous cold, mocks his son Yetyrion, calling him a dwarf because he is 6’5″ (which is really short for a Yeti).

PART 3 – House Bookshelf – The usually not so easily rattled Lord BQB is enraged when he discovers that his supply of Special Edition Code Red Dew of the Mountain has been stolen by dirty yetis in the employ of Lord Yeti of House Yeti.  Unable to purchase an army of eunuchs because Daenerys Stormborn bogarted them all, he turns to his trusty banner men.  Alas, they were only in it for the Dew of the Mountain and now Lord BQB must fight this battle alone.

And now Game of Yetis continues…

It was the best drink that ever rolled across Lord Yeti’s tongue.

Not because it was particularly succulent…or even delicious.  He’d had better.

The Dew of the Mountain tasted so good to Lord Yeti because it was the property of his sworn enemy, one Lord Bookshelf Q. Battler.

“Father,” Yetyrion said.  “Why do you despise Lord BQB so?”

Lord Yeti grunted and sipped from a chalice filled to the brim with fizzy goodness.

“Is it because Lord BQB is ridiculously handsome?”  Yetyrion asked.

“What?”  Lord Yeti said.  “No.”

“Do you hate Lord BQB because he is exceptionally clever?”

“Lord BQB clever?”  Lord Yeti asked.  “Please.  I’ve seen yeti droppings with more wit and wisdom than that hack.”

“Jealousy then is it?”  Yetyrion asked.  “You’ve been bitten by the green eyed monster is a God among men?”

“Did Lord BQB write these questions for you?”  Lord Yeti asked.

“No,”  Yetyrion replied.  “Umm…maybe.  No.  No he didn’t.”

A hundred roars filled the castle walls, warning the supreme ruler that trouble was afoot.  Lord Yeti walked the spiral staircase all the way to very top of Castle Yeti, which overlooked the frigidly arctic wasteland that sprawled its way north of The Wall.

“Why have you roared an alarm?”  Lord Yeti asked.

“My Lord,”  the commander of the banner yetis said.  “Look!”

Lord Yeti peered through a spy glass to see a thousand white walkers trudge their way toward Castle Yeti.

It was a sight so unusual that Lord Yeti dropped his chalice of pilfered Dew of the Mountain, allowing it to spill all over the stone floor below.

Yetyrion finally made his way up the staircase to the rooftop, only to find his father and a band of awe struck yetis.

“What’d I miss guys?”

Yeah I know. It's a bear.

Yeah I know. It’s a bear.

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Apr 14 2015
4 Comments
One Post a Day Challenge

For those just joining us…

…I’m in my fourth month of a one post a day for 2015 challenge.  It has been both tiring and rewarding.

I’m mainly saying this because I can’t think of what else to say.

What about you?  Do you have anything interesting to say?

Please share.

Have a nice day.

OH BTW – Follow me on twitter, or on Google Plus, or Wattpad, or Tumblr, or hell, just throw me a smoke signal.

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Apr 13 2015
6 Comments
Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones – Season 5 – Episode 1 – “The Wars to Come” – Wrap-Up

Dang!  That was one badass premiere!

In the name of the Seven, know that there will be SPOILERS ahead:

Let’s discuss!

  • Young Cersei visits a witch who predicts a younger, prettier woman will take her place.  Is it Margery or Dany?  Someone else we haven’t thought of yet?
  • It’s the buddy cop duo of Varys and the Imp!  Tyrion drank himself across the Narrow Sea but now he’s ready to visit Mereen and join up with Dany.
  • Speaking of, the Mother of Dragons has some rebellious kids.
  • The show still manages to surprise – i.e. the death of White Rat
  • Will Dany reopen the fighting pits?
  • Will Jamie go against Tyrion?
  • Will Cersei still marry Loras?
  • Was I the only one who thought Mance would reconsider and bend a knee as the fires began to grow?
  • Beware the Red Lady.  Beware any character who has their own background music.

What did I miss?  Discuss in the comments below and feel free to link to your own blogs and GOT commentary.

Join House Bookshelf!

Join House Bookshelf!

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Apr 12 2015
4 Comments
Game of Thrones

Previously on Game of Thrones…

A brief rehash of where the series stood as of the last episode of Season 4:

  • Jamie came to Tyrion’s aid, releasing him from the dungeon.  On his way out, Tyrion strangled Shay and shot his father, Tywin, while he was sitting on…the throne.  Quite an undignified end for one of the land’s most feared noblemen.
  • Lord Varys sneaks Tyrion onto a ship headed across the Narrow Sea.  Hearing bells ring, indicating Tywin’s death, Varys decides to join the journey rather than stick around.
  • Jamie’s still kind of bummed about the loss of his hand.
  • The remaining Stark children are scattered to the winds.  Bran is apparently going to be carried around by Hodor until the end of time.  Sansa has found a mentor in Littlefinger, from whom she learns how to plot and scheme.  Arya is Bravos bound.
  • Brienne of Tarth survived a battle royale with the Hound.  It was one of the most daring scenes of television, at times looking like it could have been anyone’s win.  In the words of the great Stone Cold Steve Austin, “It was a real two-fisted slobberknocker.”
  • Stannis, rather than continue on his quest to take the Iron Throne, heads to the Wall to assist the Night’s Watch in defeating a raid on Castle Black.  Makes sense.  You can’t take a kingdom for yourself if wildlings have taken it already.
I should just peel that Target sticker off. It is annoying.

I should just peel that Target sticker off. It is annoying.

That’s all I remember.  If you think of something I missed, feel free to share.

As a reminder, I’m going to be discussing Game of Thrones all season long.  GOT fans are welcome to join in the discussion.

And while you’re at it, feel free to include a plug for your book, blog, whatever the heck you’re working on.

Valor Morghulis.  Season 5 starts tonight.

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Apr 12 2015
13 Comments
Ask the Alien

Ask The Alien – 4/12/15

ALIEN JONES:  I really don’t want to do this.

BQB:  Will you just shut up and put on your suit of armor and helmet?

ALIEN JONES:  No.  I hail from the most intelligent species in the universe.  We cured cancer, heart disease, and excessive gastrointestinal distress.  I’m not going to walk around like I’m in a damn Renaissance Faire.

BQB:  Please?  It’ll spike my readership from 3.5 to 10.12.

ALIEN JONES:  Sigh.  Fine.

Sigil of House Jones

Sigil of House Jones

Verily, forsooth and so forth.  It is I, Lord Alien of House Jones.

ALIEN JONES:  Lord Alien of House Jones?  Seriously?

BQB:  Will you?  Please?  OK?  Seriously.

Sigh.  Fine.  Lord Alien of House Jones here, taking your questions in my ongoing effort to raise your planet out of its exceptionally stupid status.

Apologies that my column has been out of commission for a couple of weeks.  Luckily, my memory receptors have not forgotten who asked what.

Kim Magennis of the blog Whimsy had two questions:

1)  Was Nikola Tesla one of yours?

No.  He was just a random Serbian guy who was hijacked by rogue aliens.  He managed to escape and passed off the knowledge he saw on their ship as his own.

Many human inventors have done the same.  That guy that made the Sham-wow?  Totally an alien invention.  You really think a human made cloth can suck up an entire gallon of milk?  Please.

2) Another question for Alien Jones: out of place artifacts (like that hammer in made from an alloy of iron which was found inside a “100 million” year old rock and the 100,000 Years Old Stone Embedded With A Three-Pronged Plug) are they pranks or the real thing?

(Read more) 

Three possibilities:

1)  Some of it is just human junk that got mixed into ancient rocks due to human incompetence.  For example, that plug was just left there by an archaeologist trying to find a place to charge his Kindle Fire.

2)  Some of it is alien junk.  Many aliens are slobs and just chuck their trash wherever they please.

3)  Some of the items were left as pranks.  Young aliens especially have been known to go out on a Friday night, flying around the Cosmos with a bottle of space hooch and a bag of screws, dropping them all over primitive planets, only to laugh about it thousands of years later when scientists print longwinded papers about them.

BQB:  Lord Alien of House Jones!  Behold!  A raven brings a tweet from the land of Twitter!

ALIEN JONES:  Are we really going to do this crap for all of Game of Thrones Season 5?

BQB: Tara Ellis, Author of Bloodline:  Forgotten Origins Trilogy, now available on Amazon, tweeted:

BQB:  March 27 that tweet came in and here you are responding to it on April 10.

ALIEN JONES:  Need I remind you I was hit by a space bus?

BQB:  Oh yeah.  How are you doing?

ALIEN JONES:  I’m fine.  You should see the bus!  :::rimshot:::

BQB:  AJ, Tara’s book is about alien viruses.  Can you elaborate on the subject?

ALIEN JONES:  Why?  Do I look like a dirty virus carrying alien or something?

BQB:  No I just thought…

ALIEN:  Yeah, yeah…you “thought.”  Just because some aliens have viruses we must all have viruses!  That’s some backward thinking man.

This book seems like a fine tale worth a download.  In the opening paragraph, Ellis lets the reader know a) the narrator’s father had something bad happen to him whilst in Egypt and b)  said father wasn’t the type to go down easily, thus a mystery ensues!

Thank you Kim and Tara for your interest in #AskTheAlien.  Lord Alien of House Jones signing off now, taking a break from what will be apparently a long season of dealing with GOT fanboy Bookshelf Q. Battler.

Alien Jones is the Intergalactic Correspondent for the Bookshelf Battle. Do you have a question for the Esteemed Brainy One? Submit it to Bookshelf Q. Battler via a tweet to @bookshelfbattle, leave it in the comment section on this site, or drop it off on the Bookshelf Battle Google + page. If AJ likes your question, he might promote your book, blog, or other project while providing his answer.

Submit your questions by midnight Friday each week for a chance to be featured in his Sunday column. And if you don’t like his response, just let him know and he’ll file it into the recycling bin of his monolithic super computer. No muss, no fuss, no problem.

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Apr 09 2015
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Game of Yetis

Game of Yetis – Which House Will You Join? (House Bookshelf)

Winter is coming…and so are yetis.  House Bookshelf.  House Yeti.  House Jones.  As Westeros burns in a glorious war over the Iron Throne, another battle emerges…a side war over the fate of…Lord BQB’s snacks!!!

JoinTheRealm_sigil

 

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Mar 27 2015
1 Comment
Not About Books

I feel I must advise you…

…that few things in this world are funnier than a tap dancing chimpanzee.

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