Drafting ideas...
Yesterday was a big day. After living in a kind of limbo for years, Under the Black Sand is finally home. Sort of. It has finally been translated into Icelandic.
As some may know, it takes place in Iceland. It follows Iceland’s history from settlement to modern times, yet it was never available in the language spoken in the country.
While I self-published the novel at the time, I think I may want to try to find a publisher for the Icelandic version. Watch this space. I’ll keep you posted.
I haven’t written in a while. Been busy working, playing guitar badly and I did start work on translating Under the Black Sand into my native Icelandic language.
A couple of days ago, a (presumably lovely) lady from Argentina offered to translate the Sand into Spanish. I read the contract (a major undertaking) and decided to go for it.
And here is a promise. I shall keep this site updated in the future. I shall let you know how the translation goes and what it’s like to have someone you’ve never met translate a novel through Babelcube.
Oh, and maybe I’ll finish the Icelandic translation myself. And finish Mont Noir, the sequel to Blood and Rain. And see if I want to finish Hunger City, a Bowie fan fiction. And maybe I want to write the two sequels I had planned for Under the Black Sand.
Whatever happens next, I’ll keep you posted.
I wasn’t going to say anything about this because it should be obvious what I think. People that kill for their race or religion are misguided, stupid and morally bankrupt.
If there is a reason for this life that we live, it has to be to treat each other well and try to learn something. Killing innocent people does neither and only shows how a life of a (usually) young man has become a perfect failure.
The USA is in deep trouble and will have to sort itself out. Barcelona will be fine. They’ve been through hell before and came out on top. The city will be fine, but the victims won’t and that makes this all pointless and stupid.
I keep saying pointless and stupid, but that is what this is.
Here is a passage from a novel I wrote. It was inspired by that fire in the people of Barcelona. A passage from a stupid book isn’t going to make any difference, but I’m not there and I can’t help in any other way.
The people of Barcelona were a busy crowd and the streets were full of life. They moved like ants, going about their daily routine. Nothing seemed to stop them from doing whatever they needed to do. Not even a civil war.
So there you have it. Dumb terrorists. Your sacrifice is in vain. Oh, and the virgins? Forget about it. Lemmy is dead. There are no virgins left in Heaven. Not that you’re going there anyway.
Here it is. A new site design. It’s WordPress and I have no idea how to use WordPress. I write novels and shoot photos. I even play with airplanes during my working hours. I don’t design websites, but here it is.
The reason this site exists is to help the world find my novels. That’s it.
Feel free to leave feedback, get the novels for whatever price you like and let me know what you think.
Latest news is that I am working on two new novels, Mont Noir is a sequel to Blood and Rain, Hunger City is a sort of a fan fiction set in a post-apocalyptic world. And there are others, but we’ll talk about that later.
Cheerio!
I have used this blog almost exclusively for talking about literature and my novels. That’s what this site is for. But I have to share this with you because some things must never be silenced. I put the text below in a comment somewhere, but I don’t want to lose it in the chatter that is Facebook. It’s dark and grim, but so be it. Here goes…
We are at a watershed in history. Dangerous times. There is so much misinformation (now with an official name, alternate facts), hate speech, doublespeak, polarisation. I’m not an expert in anything, but I did something as part of a research for a current project. I read the headlines on the cover of a newspaper from 1929 to 1940. Every single day, one after another. I experienced history like they did at the time.
It was chilling. We all know what happened. Hindsight made it a sinister read. Going from a relatively safe (if turbulent) world towards world war. But you know what? They knew what was going on as early as 1935. Maybe earlier. War was all but certain as early as 1936 and any doubt was gone by 1937. It was the lack of action that allowed it to happen. The few voices that shouted were drowned. No one nation or man was to blame. Everyone that stood by and did nothing contributed to what would happen.
What we need now are strong voices of people that can see the dark version of the future and will do anything in their power to steer us in the other direction. It’s easier to go with the flow, even take part in the march towards the edge, but we really don’t want to go there.
I’m not predicting a war. I hope we’re not that dumb. I’m predicting the stripping of civil rights and some kind of dictatorship. Because the moment we stop believing in democracy, we lose it.
As mentioned in a previous post, my novels are self-published. This means I have no means of displaying posters in city centres or underground stations, they won’t be lying face up in bookstores and there won’t be any morning television appearances where I explain where the spark came from and what I’m trying to tell the world.
I can say anything I want here, I can share my Smashwords interview with you, I can bombard my Facebook page and let the gems rain down on you on Twitter, but you won’t see me or my novels standing proud next to you on a poster at the bus stop. My reach is limited. But all is not lost.
Reviews are the most effective way to advertise my work. I know quita few people have read my debut novel, Under the Black Sand. I know at least some liked it, as the reviews were good and I was told so by quite a few readers I’ve met in person. An advance reader told me Blood and Rain was even better than Under the Black Sand. She’s read them both. I can see where she’s coming from, as Blood and Rain was designed to be a much easier read.
So I’m asking you to post a review if you’ve read my novels and you like them. Anything will do, from “I liked it” to a huge dissection of the characters and what the story did for you.
Whatever you do, please post a review. Doesn’t matter where. We all have our favourite online outlets, whether it be Amazon, Kobo or whatever. Just post that review. It is the only effective way I have to have my work seen by a larger audience.
Thank you.
Here are a couple of reviews for Under the Black Sand. They range from a single sentence to a few paragraphs:
This crime novel swings from standard mystery to very different mythology. Very pleasing story that is tied up well. Most of the characters are very real but not sympathetic. No sweethearts traipsing through this tundra. Great melding of ancient and co temporary conflict.
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An interesting tale.
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I bought this book as I like stories based in Iceland. It sat in my ‘wish list’ for ages as I was unsure whether or not to buy. There were no reviews to guide me. However I am so happy that I did in the end purchase it.
This fast moving story is about a forceful businessman, set in todays post 2008 bank collapse Iceland, trying to get a large project passed a political and environmental restistance to his plan. As the story develops you get flashbacks to the past, his past, which eventually consumes his time. It is a story of love over the centuries, of struggle against hard times and also of murder. I cannot give to much away as this will ruin your enjoyment. If you like a slightly supernatural story this is for you. Very good.