STOP! These are books!

The Object-Book Project:

 My name is Richard Towers (pseudonym of Martinho Torres) and I’m the creator of the Object-Book. The concept is based on a simple principle: each book is also a real and functional object. In 2011, the first two object-books were released: Tempo (the clock-book) and Reflexions (the mirror-book). In 2012, The chess-book “The Challenge” saw the light of the day. Now, its time for Elements – The frame-books.

Elements – Earth, Air, Water and Fire – is a fiction tetralogy. The Four Works compose the canvas of existence and, in each book, there are four characters that build a common destiny interweaved by the thread of life. The connection Elements/Life/Soul/Destiny is the motto for the whole scenery: a voyage through time and across the world that determines the Picture of Existence.

The painting, an expressionist work of art, Nuno Castelo's courtesy, represents several scenarios and characters described in the books which leads us to a continuous discover of the stories and the images. The main purpose is to provide a memorable journey through the landscape of imagination, relating images and words like it never has been done before.

This concept is a whole new look at the book and his multiples facets – these books are conceived to compose an art gallery in every house: on the hall, the bedroom, the chamber, the living-room, anywhere...

Imagine your living-room wall with a working clock-book, a mirror-book, a frame-book... You will blow your guest’s mind! They will be asking: what is this? And you will answer: try to guess!... At the end, they will discover... books! Beautiful books hung on the wall! And only you will know the secret stories inside them...

And remember: you'll be getting your copies right on time to decide your Christmas presents...

This one is a highlight on the project from a portuguese television show called "The Next Big Idea":

About Richard Towers:

Richard Towers is the pseudonym of Martinho Torres, born in 1974. He is a portuguese writer and started a revolution on the publishing market by inventing the Object-Book. In 2010, the clock-book “Tempo” was released; in 2011, the mirror-book “Reflexions” reached the stores and, in 2012, the chess-book “The Challenge” was his third object-book to know the light of the day. Richard Towers won several prizes and was recognized for his work – the famous portuguese magazine “Notícias Magazine” rated him has one of the most ingenious portuguese, and the TV show “The Next Big Idea” gave prominence to his work:

The Perks:

Let's take a close look at the perks and the way they work. You'll find a marvellous way to look at books with this innovative perspective. The content is related with the object, so every book is a treaty of literature and image. Now, imagine the stories you will find inside...

                                           

1. The frame to insert the book             2. Half of the book inside the frame

                                           

                            3. The bump on the edge of the frame

                                      

                 4. All the books inside the frames and hung on the wall

                            
 5. A masterpiece that makes us go round the clock with is turbulent narrative

                 

                         6. The clock-book works with an AG13 battery

                

                                 7. It can be hung on the wall

  

                             

                               

                            8. The mirror-book has a real mirror cover

                             

                    

                          9. It can be hung and has a passe-partout

                 

10. The chess-book and his luxurious package: wood box with golden lettering

                   

                                     11. The cover is a chessboard

                              

     12. The chess-book "The Challenge" includes the whole set (32 wood chess pieces) to play on the chessboard cover of the book

Go to the website!

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Guest Post by Madhavi Sood

 

Thank you very much Faiza Butt, who invited me to write this Guest blog for her wonderful Repository of Books. Indeed I am very grateful & feel honored for this opportunity.

On different shades and hues of Life .....

I have seen Life at close quarters from being a high achiever at School & college and later at work. 

Every thing some how came to a stand still when I  had almost died that too in my prime, struck with disease and bed ridden (had a NDE  - near death experience). 

It was perhaps my zest for living, and love from my Family & Doctors care that brought me back from the depths of pain and darkness, for a purpose yet to fulfill  that perhaps egged me on to recover faster and write poems and stories and sketch & paint.  

Traversing and crossing the boundaries of spaces and times through my poems that reached out to me and my own soul and helped me move my body engulfed as it was in aches, pains and ailments. Writing set my soul free and helped my body too recover faster – for here I could express my innermost thoughts and feelings and simply be.

I Believe ..... Sometimes our deepest desires are the ones that push us to move on and do and become all we want to in Life.

At times, I had lost sense of myself in pain and at those times the Light & Nature beckoned me to pen poems and words which flowed down like a cascade, while I was still lying down on my bed; looking through the window at the sky & green trees by my bedside.

My Parents & husband and my in-laws supported me at each step and my Doctors counselled & treated me so that I could live again and come back from a crumbled building to one who could support others and sustain.

I have always been close to Nature and love kids. I feel there is a child inside all of us who gives us freedom to be what we are and can be.  And I am learning this each moment that I have been blessed with a wonderful daughter who teaches me and reminds me each step of the way.

The poems in this book “From the Silence Within”, were written by me whilst I was bed ridden and ‘fighting for life’  some time back.. Most of them are soul stirring, inspiring and motivating the self. Some poems are funny and a few lyrical and some romantic too.  Yet most of them are motivating and dealing with Life in its different shades and hues.

“From the Silence Within” 

“From the Silence within, shall bloom a thousand flowers.

Showered on life’s path, colourful and radiant like the stars.

And as each petal shall unfold.

A brand new verse, a poem, a, new story unspoken will be told.

And as you browse through each page.

A mystery, some wisdom sprinkled will uncage.

For in my silence you will find.

My feelings, my joys and my sorrows hidden behind.

And when I am gone and lost.

These few words do treasure and keep fast.

Just close your eyes and listen from the Silence Within.

For I’ll be there with you forever, through, thick or thin”.

© Madhavi Sood alias Madhavi Mohandas 2012.

Published in ‘From the Silence Within’

I do hope these poems move you, touch your soul and spirit  as much as I loved writing them, for they eased me from pain and gave me a hope to survive.

Hoping that my poems in my book  “From the Silence Within’  which is actually my soul's first flight  inspires you, awakens you too to become what you want to be and to spread your wings and soar high ...  

Buy from amazonBuy from tower.com Buy from uread Buy from cresswords

A small movie clip about my book excerpts link :

A video of one of my poems I have recited and published in my book:

Book Review links :

Link1
Link2
Link3

Interview Links :

Link1
Link2

 
Author's blogs : www.madhavisood.blogspot.in and
www.madhavisood.wordpress.com
Author Page
Twitter page : madhavisood : handle -> mads2011
tumblr page

 

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Fable Press June 2013 Speculative Fiction Releases!

Belligerent

Author: B.N. Mauldin

Genres: Dystopian, Cyberpunk, Sci-Fi

Amazon Link (US)

Author info

Blurb for "Belligerent":

Official Release Date: June 4, 2013

In a dystopian future the populace is segregated into castes. Belligerents, the lowest of status, are comprised of criminals and outcasts. Content as a faceless Commoner, Ryan has made a life for himself on the streets as a car thief. While the work isn’t the most noble, he’s known as one of the best despite his young age.

Ryan’s skills catch the eye of a flagrant Owner, bent on winning the virtual competition: Vicara. Newly branded as a Belligerent, Ryan struggles for freedom and acceptance at an academy specialized in training teams for Vicara. Ryan’s place on the team is shaky as he learns the truth and tragedy behind the person he

replaces.

Join the Belligerents as we get our first look into the world of Vicara!

 

Romance Quartet

Author: Farzana Moon

Genres: Metaphysical Fiction, Historical Fiction, Spiritual Fiction

Amazon Link (US)

Author info

Blurb for "Romance Quartet"

Official Release Date: June 11, 2013

Balzeeb, the ultimate emblem of beauty and wisdom, is the object of love for two doctors, friends both:Haroon and Latif. While in deep mourning at the death of her third husband, in a Khanaspur cemetery, Balzeeb meets Haroon. Latif and Haroon simultaneously grow closer and apart as they share their pursuit of “The Princess,” as she is known. The spools of mystery surrounding Balzeeb are woven majestically around the myth of the serpent, tragically unaware of her true nature.

Romance Quartet is a weaver's dream, exploring its depths ranging from paranormal to metaphysical and unfolding during the War of Independence which split the continent of Hind into India and Pakistan.

Transcending all religions and impaling the heart, this story’s message is eternal, endearing and not one you

will soon forget.

First Light

Author: Adam Sigrist
Genres: Zombie Horror, Post Apocalyptic, Sci-Fi
Link (US)

Author info
Official Release Date: June 18, 2013
Series Name: The Zombie Prophecies
Blurb for "First Light":
Worldwide plague? Government conspiracy? Bioweapon disaster? Hell set loose?
You’re not even close...
Struggle alongside Donovan and his friends as they desperately cling to survival in a world ravaged by
the undead, monsters and other horrors. After being bitten, Donovan is led towards a flashing light in
the distance. Does the beacon offer salvation or merely a new challenge for him?
Zombies, monsters, secrets and lies. All of these things hurt, and kill, indiscriminately; finding you no
matter where/who you are. The Zombie Prophecies begins with these horrors and a mysterious light
calling survivors to a ruined apartment complex. Familiar, expected causes behind a zombie apocalypse
are absent, replaced with a fresh, horrifying view on the end of our world.

Trial by Fire

Author: Margarita Gakis
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Witchcraft, Supernatural
Link (US)
Author info
Official Release Date: June 25, 2013
Series Name: Covencraft

Blurb for "Trial by Fire”
Jade leads a structured life:
Routine job.
Caffeine addiction.
No serious relationships.
And now, she can spontaneously set things on fire with her mind.
Well... perhaps “normal” was never in the cards for her. As she questions her own sanity and spirals out
of control, a man appears on her doorstep and tells her that, like him, she’s a witch.
Pulled in all directions, her unbridled magic draws dangerous attention and Jade wonders if she’s made
the worst mistake of her life by joining a coven, or if she’ll even live long enough to regret it. 

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A funny story "Delilah Dusticle" by A.J.York

Delilah Dusticle has special powers, she can completely eradicate dust. With her quiver pouch of special dusters Delilah can run up walls and reaches places others just can’t. As a maid in the Fenchurch-Whittington house Delilah’s unusual skills soon lead to her being promoted to Chief Dust Eradicator and Remover. Until one day a broken heart leads to her powers taking an expected turn.

This is the first in a series of touching and funny stories about Delilah Dusticle. Follow her on a journey of self-discovery, friendship and adventure.

 

Excerpt:

A suit of armour standing beside her in the hall coughed and shot out a puff of dust from its helmet. “Staff are not permitted to fraternise with the family and any shenanigans would lead to instant dismissal,” wheezed the armour. 

“Don’t I know it,” said Delilah who then waved her duster at the falling dust cloud making it vanish in mid-air. For good measure she selected her dandelion duster and polished the armour, who was very ticklish and kept giggling. She then made her way to the staff kitchen for dinner.

Delilah Dusticle is a short story, 33 pages, that has been enjoyed by young people and adults alike. 

Book on Amazon.uk

Book on Amazon.ca

About the Author

First let me introduce Grumpy Stone. (see  image called Grumpystone)  I found him on a beach in my home town in Essex, England.  Grumpy has become my writing mascot. It is more fun to look at a picture of him than one of me. Promise.

 

About me? Well I grew up in the UK, but was born in Gothenburg, Sweden. My childhood influences were a mix of Pippi Longstocking and The Flumps. I have always enjoyed making up characters and their life stories, therefore I jumped at the chance to study theatre at the University of Brighton. I later trained as a drama teacher and I have a Masters degree from Goldsmiths. I have gone back to my roots and I now live in Gothenburg, where I am writing the Delilah Dusticle series. People have told me they love reading my stories and I hope you have fun reading them too!

Visit the author.

Like Delilah Dusticle on facebook.

Follow Delilah on Twitter: @delilahdusticle

Add Delilah Dusticle on Goodreads.

Delilah Dusticle's Transylvanian Adventure will be released in September 2013. Here is a taster illustration from the second installment.

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To Spoil or Not to Spoil -- the Problems of Publicizing a Sequel

Guest post for Faiza Iqbal by Karen A. Wyle

Since self-publishing my first novel in October 2011, I've had plenty of practice in publicizing my work. But now, as I prepare for the release of my third novel, I face a new conundrum. Novel Number Three, Reach: a Twin-Bred novel, is the sequel to Novel Number One, Twin-Bred. How do I tell readers what to expect without "spoiling" the first novel for those who haven't read it?

Here's a typical teaser for Twin-Bred:

Can interspecies diplomacy begin in the womb?

Humans have lived on Tofarn, planet of creeks and rivers, for seventy years, but they still don't understand the Tofa. The Tofa are an enigma, from their featureless faces to the four arms that sometimes seem to be five. They take arbitrary umbrage at the simplest human activities, while annoying their human neighbors in seemingly pointless ways. The next infuriating, inexplicable incident may explode into war.

Scientist Mara Cadell's radical proposal: that host mothers carry fraternal twins, human and Tofa, in the hope that the bond between twins can bridge the gap between species. Mara knows about the bond between twins: her own twin, Levi, died in utero, but she has secretly kept him alive in her mind as companion and collaborator.

Perhaps Mara should have expected the enigmatic Tofa to have their own reasons to support her project. Perhaps the ever-cynical Levi should have warned her that members of the human government might use her twins as weapons against the Tofa. Will the Twin-Bred bring peace, war, or something else entirely?

 

Once you've read that blurb, here's some what you don't know:

--Do the Twin-Bred (the fraternal twins in question) live to maturity?

--Does Mara Cadell survive until the end of the book?

--What, exactly, are the schemes that others outside the Project have for the Twin-Bred, and do any of them succeed?

--Do the Twin-Bred manage to bring peace, or at least reduce the danger of war, between their native communities?

--Does anything change in the relationship (if we can call it that) between Mara and her never-born twin Levi in the course of the book?

--How do the events of the book change the principal characters -- and who are those characters, anyway? . . .

All well and good. So how do I describe the sequel without answering at least some of those questions?

Well-established authors may be able to assume that most of those considering the purchase of a sequel will have already read the earlier book(s). But I can't realistically place myself in that category. Also, I've been learning about book publicity, as well as about the craft of writing, since I published Twin-Bred in October 2011. I hope to reach potential readers whom I didn't manage to reach with either of my earlier novels. Reach: a Twin-Bred novel will be my third published novel, and it will probably be the first one to come to some folks' attention.


Now that I've posed the problem, I should be able to present the solution. Sorry, folks -- if there's a formula, I'd love to hear it! All I've been able to do is keep my spoilers as few and as vague as possible.

On Smashwords, where Reach is already "live," there are two levels of description, one shorter and one longer. The shorter appears in "summary views," and goes to "some" retailers; the longer is distributed to "most" retailers. Both appear on the book page. Here's what I came up with for both. 
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Short Description :

In this sequel to Twin-Bred, scientist Mara Cadell and the Twin-Bred she helped to create embark on a new and perilous journey -- except for one pair who remain on Tofarn, attempting to live in the human and Tofa communities. Meanwhile, events on Tofarn approach a crisis, in which former host mothers Laura and Veda are deeply involved.

And here's the longer description:

Scientist Mara Cadell created the Twin-Bred -- pairs of fraternal twins, one human and one Tofa -- to bridge the profound and dangerous gap between the human colonists on Tofarn and the indigenous Tofa. Unexpectedly, it is the Tofa host mothers who now claim the capacity to bring peace between the two. The Twin-Bred themselves have been forced to abandon their mission and their planet, in the hope of finding a less hostile home. Only one pair remain behind, seeking to build new and separate lives with their own kind.
But Mara and the Twin-Bred should know by now that plans provide little protection. New challenges are in store for all the Twin-Bred, and for those whose lives they touch.

Links:

Author website

Facebook authorpage

Twitter handle: @WordsmithWyle

Reach'sSmashwords page

Reach on Goodreads

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Childern's Books by Deborah Carr

"The Mayor and the Garbage: The Teen Who Saved His Town"

Fifteen year old Mike DiMaggio and his friends from the tiny community of Sleepy make some alarming discoveries.  First, the fish have died in the nearby creek where they regularly fish.  Were the fish poisoned by fertilizer, by the landfill that borders their town, or some other mysterious force?   In addition, some of the adults in town have died of cancer and one of the children has become chronically ill.  Could there be a relationship between these illnesses and the dead fish?  Mike is determined to find out what is going on, even if he has to become the acting mayor in order to get to the bottom of things.  This teen and pre-teen novel is exciting and interesting.  If your children love to read, get them the Kindle book "The Mayor and the Garbage: The Teen Who Saved His Town."  Let them see that teenagers really can make a difference!

Click here to Download Now!

 

"The Parrot Trap: A Children's Story"

When twelve-year old Mandy and her cousin, nine-year old Kevin, go to an amusement park for the day, they meet a very sweet woman named Lydia who is friendly and fun.  She doesn't seem like a "stranger" to either one of them.  After all, aren't strangers supposed to be scary, gruff-looking men?  Within just a short time of meeting the children, Lydia has won their trust.

If you are a parent looking for a good way to discuss stranger danger with your elementary age children, you will find this book to be quite helpful.  It gently shows children why they need to be more reserved around unknown adults, without frightening them as much as the typical Grimm's Fairy Tales.  This short children's book is a wonder way to start an important conversation with your child.

Click Here to Buy it from Amazon!

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