Two More Authors, Reviewed

The Mystery of the Solar Wind – Lyz Russo

 June 16, 2014  BestChickLit  Book Reviews  

What they say:

‘The year is 2116. Captain Radomir Lascek sails his pirate ship, the Solar wind, around the oceans, collecting outlaws and fugitives and dodging the authorities. But then he hires three young musicians in Dublin – the Donegal Troubles. Radomir Lascek, with all his wily schemes, is about to learn the real meaning of “trouble”.’

What we say – review by Nikki Mason:

I know I’ve mentioned before that I love all things pirate (and a yo ho ho and a bottle of rum) so imagine my delight on startingThe Mystery of the Solar Wind: pirates, with gypsy magic, set in the future??? Yes please!And this is a truly exciting and engrossing YA novel. It might take the reader  [CLICK HERE TO READ MORE]

Lyz Russo

Thank you Nikki Mason for these super reviews!  :-)

I thought this is a good moment to revisit the sweet review "Lupa" got from "BestChickLit" a while back:
 

Lupa – Marie Marshall

 August 26, 2013  BestChickLit  Book Reviews  4

What they say:

‘What is reality, what is illusion? A lost circus girl in late 20th century Rome; a female gladiator in ancient Rome. What connects these two very different women over two millennia? In her riveting novel, “Lupa”, Marie Marshall takes us through two contrasting versions of Rome and shows masterfully how people tend to see only what they want to see.’

What we say – review by Nikki Mason:

In Lupa, Marie Marshall has created a poetic and intriguing novella that gives us a glimpse into the lives of two women from different eras. Marshall constantly asks the question: what connects these lives?In the present day Jelena, an injured Serbian circus performer, is struggling with life in Rome. When she meets handsome native Vittorio, she cannot help [CLICK HERE TO READ MORE]

Marie Marshall is a very private person. However, that is her earring.

Nikki Mason also did this author interview with Marie Marshall:

Interview with Marie Marshall

 September 6, 2013  BestChickLit  Author Interviews  3

After reading Marie Marshall’s book Lupa, BCL reviewer, Nikki Mason, decided to put the multi-talented author through her paces with an author intervie [Click the heading to read.]

Thank you, Nikki:  P'kaboo seriously appreciates your effort & input, and your boundless enthusiasm and vibe!

Two Authors, Reviewed

Two of our P'kaboo authors have received beautiful reviews very recently:  

Forest Circle Quest – Leslie Hyla Winton Noble

 June 5, 2014  BestChickLit  Book Reviews, Young Adult Reviews

 

  What they say:
 ‘Plump and pathetic “twins” Patsy and Percival Parker-Pyle are drawn quite by accident into a magical adventure. Talking snakes, water monsters, harpies and a tiger-dragon are just some of the amazing creatures that cross their path as they try to discover what it is they are supposed to be doing. Eventually, solving their quest, they find something entirely new to them: Friends. A heartwarming story with many giggles.’

  What we say – review by Nikki Mason:
 Forest Circle Quest is a classic adventure tale that ticks all the boxes: magical talking creatures, wizards, dragons, knights, goddesses and, of course, a battle between good and evil. And throw in a lisping snake, a rhyming cat and a Dotty villain and you know you’re onto something exciting. There are some unforgettable characters in this book. I loved the terribly  [...CLICK HERE TO READ MORE]
    

Almost Dead in Suburbia – Douglas Pearce

 May 30, 2014  BestChapLit  Book Reviews  

What they say:

‘In the sleepy village of Wiggleswood there are ghosts. After a car accident involving two neighbours, Ralph and Fred, both await their turn to cross over to the other side. But only one is really dead. The other was merely… in a bit of a hurry. In the confusion, the metaphorical gate is slammed in both their faces. However, when Ralph goes ‘back’, he finds his body already has a new occupant; his dead neighbour, Fred. Yet nothing is quite what it seems. And some people are not who they claim. Now there’s a company to save, a mystery to solve and in two weeks somebody is going to die. If Ralph doesn’t get his body back, it might well be him…’ 

  What we say – review by Nikki Mason:

I wasn’t at all sure about Almost Dead in Suburbia when I first started it. In fact, for the first few pages, I was confused. But when the story got going, I got the hang and I absolutely loved it. In fact, I completely whizzed through it while snorting with laughter to myself in a most unladylike manner. It was just a joy to find a book that [...CLICK HERE TO READ MORE] 

   

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So there you have it, enjoy!

Leslie Noble - a professional editor for your manuscript

http://bookseekeragency.com/2014/05/24/leslie-noble-a-professional-editor-for-your-manuscript/

Thanks to Bookseeker Agency for posting this lovely article about our chief editor, Leslie Noble.  I quote:



P’kaboo Publishers make it a principle not to publish an un-edited manuscript, and Les Noble is their chief editor. Since his schooldays, Les has had an interest and a skill in language, and at the University of South Africa he gained a BA with English and Communication as majors. Apart from a career in banking, he has been a freelance writer for various publications, a part-time lecturer at three colleges, and is the author of five published fantasy novels with one more on the way. His novels have been acquired by libraries and universities, and one of them is featured in the Journal of Commonwealth Literature.

...

Among the compliments authors made him, the following:

Agency client Marie Marshall told us recently:

‘Les Noble has edited two of my books and is about to edit a third… He has the eye of a hawk and a mind like a steel trap, but what was remarkable was the way he involved me in the process, so that at the end of the day each book felt as much mine as it ever did.’

More here:  http://bookseekeragency.com/2014/05/24/leslie-noble-a-professional-editor-for-your-manuscript/

Leslie Noble also makes his skills available to non-P'kaboo authors on a contract basis.  To give your manuscript that perfect schliff, feel free to get in touch with him via his blog:

http://colonialist.wordpress.com/

Links to our titles

There are a number of our titles available on Amazon and Scribd by now. How to find them:

In the bookshop, look underneath the title of the book (right next to the graphic) for links to Amazon, Epub etc.

The latest are:

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The Everywhen Angels
by Marie Marshall

In these turbulent times with everything streaming towards its final demise, who can be a normal kid and simply go to school?

Caught in the maelstrom of events in the Last Days, the Angels are there when they are needed, preventing accidents, saving lives. They feel like heroes, invincible... until things start going wrong.

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Raider!

Solar Wind 4
 by Lyz Russo

Alien Touchdown! If the crew of the Solar Wind thought the Unicate and the Rebellion were tough cookies, they haven't yet met the Danaan - from Planet New Dome. Coming to take over Earth - or destroy the planet. Or alternatively, for a mango daiquiri in the subtropical paradise of Southern Free. And then destroy the planet.

And why is Captain Lascek acting so strangely?

Raider is the fourth in the series of Solar Wind novels.

---

The first title from Honeymead Books to make it onto Amazon:

Arcana
by gipsika

The Light Path, the Dark Path. When Ivy Pennington, a sensible, intelligent young woman, plummets head-first into the occult, her biggest problem is trying to explain that she is simply not interested. Soon the storms of dark magic rage around her. Will she perish in the gruesome maelstrom? Or will she, like her kitten Peridot, land on her feet?

A fast-paced read peppered with humour, deadly intrigues, magical khazam and a bit of romance.

Read a preview on Scribd

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Selected book excerpts can be read on Scribd:


From "The Assassin", Solar Wind 2:

"Hero Material"


A bit of spotlight on a vastly under-explored character, "Rhine Gold". Paean mockingly calls him "Hero Material". He is tall, blond, muscular, powerful, young and beautiful - and oh so aware of it!

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The Tall and the Tough

Rhine Gold vs Federi:

He shook his golden curls out of his face, splattering like a wet dog, and peered up into the rigging with its half-closed booms, hanging onto a line. The sky was grey with dusk now, darkening the clouds further. The white Crow’s Nest contrasted starkly. Yes, that thing was indeed stuck. They’d get to that in a second!

He forged his way forward along the handhold lines, ignoring the water that gushed around his boots. He was a born and bred Hamburger! Bit of sea didn’t frighten him! He dashed a glance over his shoulder to see if Federi was following, wondering how the scrawny man stood up to the job in times like these.

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... and a peep into the future of the series:

Excerpt from "The Shooting Star":



Federi has commandeered an abused old Unicate ship and is negotiating his first storm with the ship, the "Shooting Star".






Enjoy! And please remember to give us feedback... click on any "reviews" button on any of the book pages, or paste one on Goodreads and contact us so we can read it.

The Facebook Favours Contest

In August we announced a contest on Facebook.  All of our authors entered; some with more than one novel.

The first round entailed "liking" and "sharing" the novels on Facebook and Twitter.

A certain minimum threshold of shares and likes had to be achieved for the novels to make it through to Round 2.  Four novels survived the first round, which unfortunately eliminated "Mercury Silver" with all our short-story authors.

The four novels below:

  

(Find the details here: http://www.pkaboo.net/fbcontest.php)

Round 2 entailed downloads of the winning novels within a certain window of time / to a certain maximum number of copies.  

Why so vague, P'kaboo?  Because we are pioneering.  We agreed with the authors on a maximum number of books, and a cut-off date.  

I can say that the downloads were a huge success.  And the window on Round 2 closed in due course.

Round 3: Review and win.

This round will be open until 1 February.  

Readers who wish to write a review of the story they have read, can do so and stand a chance to win.

Post your review on Goodreads; then send us the link, and we'll look.  If you win, you can take your pick of one paperback book out of our shop - including the music books and multimedia DVDs and CDs!  The book or item will be mailed to you.

This is of particular interest to people who e.g. read "Lupa" and now wish to order an "Everywhen Angels", or "Tabika 1" and wish to order a "Tabika 2", etc.  

Other news:

"The Everywhen Angels" (Marie Marshall) and "Raider" (Lyz Russo) will come out in paperback not too far in the future.  The books will have to be pre-ordered though.  

 If you wish to pre-order a paperback copy of Marie Marshall's "The Everywhen Angels" or Lyz Russo's "Raider", please

  contact us at this link.

NEW RELEASE: The Everywhen Angels

Late last night we completed everything for the first release of 

The Everywhen Angels.

Another intriguing novel by our talented Marie Marshall!

Below an introduction to the YA novel by our partners in Scotland, the Bookseeker Agency. 

This precedes another YA novel from the same author, for lovers of paranormal and vampire fiction; we are hoping to bring out "From My Cold Dead Hand" early next year.

Read and enjoy:

News, 10th December 2013

December 10, 2013 by bookseekeragency

With a fanfare, we can announce that Marie Marshall‘s new novel aimed at older children and teenagers, The Everywhen Angels, is now published. It tells a story of kids in a comprehensive school on the outskirts of London, who find themselves with strange powers. Perhaps they are the first skirmishers in the great battle of Armageddon – but how would they know? Despite their visions and their adventures, they have to deal with the normal stuff of teenage life – homework, parents, bullying, dating, not talking to strangers, bereavement and so on. But do they really know what is going on? Angela, the poet with the questioning mind believes they don’t; hers is the first pair of eyes through which we see the story. Charlie, her boyfriend, is a young man with a vision – but does he really appreciate the trouble he’s in? He tells his story backwards, from the last scene to the first and makes the reader question what is good and what is evil. Ashe is the youngest and smallest of the group – diagnosed with Asperger’s, he is in fact the key to everything. But that isn’t to say his path is easy. The novel is not just a fantasy adventure. It’s action breaks the rules of time, encompassing murder, a bomb outrage, a flood which engulfs London, and the Battle of Waterloo; it’s themes include guilt, courage, cowardice, and delusion. The author says of it: “I believe children can handle difficult philosophical questions. They can handle stories told in a strange way. Young readers are much more intelligent than adults give them credit for.”
The Everywhen Angels is available direct from P’kaboo publishers in eBook form, with possibly more formats becoming available in due course.


(... Excerpt from the Bookseeker Blog)


The Everywhen Angels is available at the P'kaboo shop in epub and pdf ebook format, and will also be available on Amazon shortly, in Kindle and paperback.

Updates from our "forn" partner in Scotland: The Bookseeker

http://bookseekeragency.com/2013/11/24/news-items-24th-november-2013/

Our client Marie Marshall reports that The Phoenix Rising from the Ashes, the first major anthology of sonnets of the early third millennium is now published. Marie is Deputy Editor of thismagnum opus; details can be found here, and will be up-dated as often as necessary. There are still some eBook copies of Marie’s novel Lupa available for free download at P’kaboo Publishers; look for the link which says ‘Winning Title! Limited Free Download’.

Marie also reports that her novel for older children, The Everywhen Angels, is still in the preparation stage. She has finished her new teen-vampire novella, and is in talks not only with her publisher, but also with an illustrator with a view to presenting it as a graphic novel. More news as it is available.

The Aval-Ballan Poetry Competition is long over, but occasionally their web site receives selfies from the prizewinners with their prizes. Here’s one from Sam Smith.

There is a new concern that hosts selected books with an adult content. It goes under the name of HoneyMead Books, and you can find its web site by clicking the logo at the bottom of this update. It is by no means a come-as-you-please self-publishing site. Iain Rossouw of HoneyMead says that each book  they publish as an eBook will be carefully vetted for strong story-lines that must take the forefront. Also all books that go through HoneyMead Books still undergo editing etc. as with every traditional publisher and unlike self-publishing sites. Worth keeping an eye on this publisher if you write adult-themed fiction.

Updates

The Download Zone is open.  4 books are available as free ebooks for a limited window; visit the Contest page to find them.  But hurry.  People are already downloading.  Get your copy before they are all gone!

The Bookshop has been refreshed; now you can find a link at every book for writing a review.  The shop has also been made marginally more user-friendly.

Please note that the "News" page will be discontinued.  Smaller updates are posted on the Facebook Page; more significant ones, on this blog.

   

Round 2 of the Share Contest: Downloads andReviews

With the 1st of October, Round 1 of the Facebook Share contest has closed and Round 2 opened.

Now there are 4 books available for a limited number of free downloads:

http://www.pkaboo.net/bookshop.html#lupa

Lupa by Marie MArshall

http://www.pkaboo.net/bookshop.html#solarwind

The Mystery of the Solar Wind by Lyz Russo

http://www.pkaboo.net/bookshop.html#almostdead

Almost Dead in Suburbia by Douglas Pearce

http://www.pkaboo.net/bookshop.html#tabika1

Tabika by Leslie Hyla Winton Noble

In the second round, you can win a P'kaboo paperback (any one of your choice) by submitting a review of a book from the 4 that you have read.  The paperback doesn't have to be the same as the book you reviewed or even downloaded.  Write a good review or bad - the 3 winners are determined by lucky draw.  Certain standards will be applied though - reviews must not be shorter than a paragraph to qualify, and pls no sms lngage.

Third book moves into "The Zone"

Almost Dead in Suburbia

has just moved into “The Zone”.

Well done Douglas Pearce!

The books that have made it into second round so far are:

Lupa by Marie Marshall

The Mystery of the Solar Wind by Lyz Russo

Almost Dead in Suburbia by Douglas Pearce

Please visit this page to find out what other books there are in the contest.