Stewart Ferris

Oh dear. This is a mess. Where the prequel showed a bit of promise, there is little to like about the fully fledged characters (more like caricatures, especially the villains...and the heroes... and the ... well, pretty much all of them), the plot is uneven and more than a bit silly for something that something that at times takes itself seriously enough. This is the first full novel of the Ballashiels Mystery series and the titular character is portrayed as unevenly as the story.

I was quite disappointed that Ferris had an archaeologist primary character think about the Sphinx “It had survived Napoleon’s soldiers using it for target practice.” Why? Why perpetuate that myth, even in a satirical fantasy? I probably shouldn’t have been surprised because she doesn’t appear the think like a scientist, let alone be much of a critical thinker. At one point in the last third of the book, we see “How very euphemistic,’ said Ruby. ‘I really thought more highly of you than this, Paulo. ...” Non sequitur. Everything about this guy has been a sham, and then there was her first impression: “a curiously annoying and frequently absent man called Paulo Souza, who in Ruby’s opinion had so far displayed remarkably little competence for his role heading up the protection of Guatemala’s heritage.” Inconsistent. That’s okay... some ancient scrolls (like...12,000 year old ancient) got fully translated in a matter of days (curiously referencing civilizations from 11 millennia after they were written??).

Unrelated, and coincidental as I write this, someone on a thread that was meant to be a joke about pyramids and lockdowns chimed in with some woo woo about pyramid healing, consciousness raising, crystals, piezoelectric attributes, and more. I thought the person was joking with the rest of us and added a bit from the loony 1970s new ager silliness about keeping razor blades sharp (plus a dig at Ben Carson’s grain storage). Turned out the commenter was serious. Might just buy this book as nonfiction.… (meer)

How To Be A Writer: Secrets from the Inside by Stewart Ferris is a non-fiction title that provides information, tips and techniques on the craft of writing.

The Cover: This cover fits the non-fiction genre and clearly defines what the book is about.

The Good Stuff: There is some great information in this book and it is written in a plain, down to earth style that makes it easy to read. The author is open and clearly conveys his sound knowledge of each of the topics covered. This would be a great book for someone just starting out as a writer. For the seasoned writer, you will not gain as much, you may learn something new or you may not, but at the least I would say you will gain some inspiration or a reminder of something you have let your focus slip from.

The Bad Stuff: There really isn’t anything bad to say about this book. As mentioned in the good stuff, if you are an experienced writer, I doubt that you will gain much from this book, but the experienced writer is not the target audience. So, if this is you, do not expect anything new or ground-breaking, look for the one or two tips, some inspiration or a refresh of something you’ve loosened your grip on.

Overall, if I were new to writing, this would be a welcomed addition to my bookshelf. As a writer with some experience, I still found some value in this book, therefore, I’m giving this one a pen pushing 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books on allanwalshauthor.com
… (meer)

What on earth do I say about this book? It's travel writing, except it's not. It's about Europe, except it's not. It's about trains, except it's not. Hmmm... How about this for an explanation: this book is what would you would get if the man-boys of American Pie and the boy-men of Top Gear had three love children, raised them into strapping twenty-somethings, sent them off round Europe with only a couple of guitars and a broad stereotype of each country to live by, then sat them down and said "Right, now write about it. Think Bill Bryson meets Karl Pilkington."

At the beginning, it definitely made me smile. Such blatant 'boys will be boys' writing isn't something I've ever come across in the travel writing I've read! There's a lot of booze, chasing girls and smoking illicit substances, a refreshingly blase attitude to anything cultural, and a deliciously Jeremy Clarkson-esque embracing of the un-PC. Indeed, the back of my copy clearly states that: 'Provided you're not an anxious parent or a member of the clergy, or Belgian, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Austrian, Swiss, Eastern European, or American, Don't Mention the War! is guaranteed to make you laugh at least once.' Well, that's okay then...

The problem was that it already feels dated - this journey happened in the 90s, and a lot's changed since then - the pictures are, well, crap, and after a while the breezy style and bad jokes wore pretty thin. It's a cheerful read, and a very easy one, but if you're after culture and substance this isn't the book for you. If you're a teenage boy, you'll probably love it!… (meer)