New book. ‘Interconnected’ by Mary Meddlemore/Martie Preller and review. Dare to explore The Story Dimension Series.

Hi all:

As you know, on Fridays I normally bring you new books and guest authors. Today I bring you a very recent book, the fourth in a series, by an author who’s been a guest in a few occasions, Martie Preller (whose alter ego/character/co-author in this series is called Mary Meddlemore, a very apt name). I’ve read all the books in the series and her collection of short-stories The Seventh Sheep (that you can get free by visiting her blog) that I love.  You can read more about Martie later on, although I can tell you that she is a very well-known author of children and Young Adult stories in South Africa (in Afrikaans) and this is your chance to get to know her work. Don’t miss it! And now, this is her latest book:

 

Interconnected by Mary Meddlemore/Martie Preller

Interconnected (The Story Dimension Series Book 4) 

Christina is a postgraduate literary student in the United Kingdom. A freelance photographer contacts her and promises fame and fortune if she does a modelling shoot at newly discovered ancient ruins in Africa. She has no modelling experience whatsoever, but Bjorni assures her that a fresh new face is just what they are looking for. She suspects that it is some kind of hoax, but agrees, because, if it is genuine, it may indeed be the opportunity of a lifetime. They land at Cape Town airport, and her life explodes in unimaginable possibilities which change her life forever.
The book celebrates the power of stories and the difference one single human being can make. We are all heroes, if we give what we can.

http://www.amazon.com/Interconnected-Story-Dimension-Book-4-ebook/dp/B00QFNX0YO/

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

“The idea of 10 dimensions might sound exciting, but they would cause real problems if you forget where you parked your car.” Stephen Hawking in The Grand Design
I have read quite a few of Hawking’s books and understood almost half of what I read, I think, but I found his books fascinating and thought-provoking.
What if there is a . . .  Story Dimension?
The Story Dimension is, of course, the place where “characters” live their life stories, just as we live ours on earth.
What if one of the characters found her way to our earth and people thought she was just another person? It has happened! Mary Meddlemore is living proof of that.
How did Mary manage to do that?
If it wasn’t for Amy, who was in distress and saw what most people do not see (though it is there), Mary would never have known that she lived in the Story Dimension and neither would we have known that there is a place called the Story Dimension.
This pivotal happening in Amy’s life is documented in ENTERING. (BOOK ONE)
The way in which Amy’s story influenced Mary’s story is documented in FOREVER AFTER – A DIMENSIONAL LOVE STORY. (BOOK THREE)
One thing leads to the other thing (as it happens daily to us too) and Mary arrives on earth and starts living an “earth” life. (You have to if you live on earth!) Mary interacts with people and this gives rise to . . . more stories!
Mary was horrified by what had happened to her friend Nina from the Story Dimension, This is documented in IN THE REIGN OF THE ILEV. (BOOK TWO) and when Mary comes to live on earth, she experiences that Nina has not exaggerated — power abuse in all its variations is rampant on earth. Mary is shocked and decides that something has to be done.
What Mary does, is documented in FOREVER AFTER – A DIMENSIONAL LOVE STORY. (BOOK THREE)
As everything that happens, has consequences, Mary’s actions had consequences. INTERCONNECTED (BOOK FOUR) documents the dramatic consequences of Mary’s  interference!

From the Back Cover

MARTIE PRELLER – AWARD-WINNING SOUTH AFRICAN AUTHOR – WRITING AS “MARY MEDDLEMORE” TOO
What if we were all only characters in somebody else’s book?
I think crazy thoughts like that and try to keep away from people who want to label me, because I think labels are meant for tins of peas on a shelf in a shop.
I started reading when I was six and devoured book after book. I was enchanted with all the different worlds I discovered and the “characters” in books seemed much more real than the “real” people around me. They had thoughts and feelings, were sometimes disturbed and anxious etc., while it seemed to me as if “real” people seemed to almost “cardboard” or two-dimensional people. I was so happy to have found people like me in stories!
I love stories. I love the way a story tells the “whole” story, with a clear-cut beginning and an ending. Life is a very confusing place and it seems to get more confusing every day!
My name is Martie Preller (Martie is a local variant of Martha!) I am a well-known and award-winning South African author of many books published by main stream publishers. I grew up in a medium sized town, where my father was a professor and my mother a teacher. The town is well-known for its enormous oak trees and I was in perpetual movement on my bicycle under those trees: visiting friends, the library and the bioscope! The seasons are still visually imprinted in my mind as being deep-green and full of shadows, brownish-yellow that crumpled under your feet, bare, black, stark branches and new green in September.
I majored in Latin and English, acquired a Teacher’s Diploma and much later an Honors Degree in Psychology. I taught Latin and English for three years. I got married and was divorced after almost twenty years. Mismatch!
I have three lovely grownup children, an extra daughter and four super delightful grandchildren.I only started writing at about forty because I was too scared to try. A friend (Thank you, Susan!) eventually “tricked’ me into writing a play, which was a huge success and then I was unblocked (!) and the books started coming.
My 37th book has just been published and the next one is due before the end of the year. I gave thirteen Story Workshops. I wrote a Children’s Story Series in a local monthly women’s magazine for 13 years; I worked on a TV series for children with Katinka Heyns, famous local Director and Film Producer, but unfortunately the Broadcaster ran into financial turbulence …. Oh well. At least it was tremendous fun! (The Seventh Sheep and the other True Tales are reworkings of some of the scripts) … I have been very busy.
A book that sells 3000+ copies is regarded as a bestseller locally, and I’m happy to say that most of my books have been much more than just bestsellers. My Babalela – Series (three Picture Books … fourth one coming in November 2013) has sold more than 70 000 copies and still going strong  (Babalela means “little one” in Sesotho – one of our indigenous languages)
I have published eleven Picture Books, twelve Middle Grade Books, eleven Young Adult Books, two Writing Manuals and a Reading Series for little ones consisting of 60+ little stories. I also received eleven local awards for my Picture Books, Middle Grade Books and Young Adult Books over the years.
Then Mary Meddlemore pitched up …I’m used to dealing with characters – you just shut up and let them tell their stories. If you don’t, you are in deep trouble, otherwise known as writer’s block.
But Mary is … well, Mary! She insisted on being the author of the books too. I agreed. It was fine by me! No problem! I’m having an adventure with Mary! New and advanced technologies have made the world “small” and I can publish new stories in a different way on Amazon etc. and the social media make it possible to connect to people all over the world! I love it!
Stories can literally fly and come and nest on your kindle or other e-reading device in a few minutes! And as I have been a fanatical reader long before I became an author, it gives me the greatest of pleasure adding more stories to the wealth of available stories.
I live near Cape Town, one of the most beautiful places on earth and I love the place and its people.

Although times are turbulent, I always feel that we all live in the cradle of mankind and we will make it work.
There is a more info on my work on my website, though you will have to make intelligent use of Google Translate.(http://martiepreller.co.za)

(September 2013)

Here is my personal review of Interconnected:

I’ve had the pleasure of reading the previous three books in the Story Dimension Series (and also the stories in The Seventh Sheep) even before it had taken full shape. The connections are now quite clear but I would find it difficult to comment on how easy it will be to read this book in isolation from the other three (Entering, In the Reign of the Ilev, and Forever After, A Dimensional Love Story) although I suspect this novel would be a wonderful flight of fancy and a puzzle on its own right.

If I had to highlight a theme that runs through the series it is the importance and the power of stories and how they can conjure up feelings, bring people together, and change people’s lives.

Interconnected has two distinct parts with the same protagonist but not quite. A young woman called Christina in nowadays South Africa taking part in a photo shoot that ends up being only an excuse for…mysterious happenings is the main character in part one. How does she relate to the girl by the same name in the second part, who is living in a post-apocalyptic society, and trying to find a place to rebuild a civilisation? I’m not going to tell you. You’ll have to read it to find out.

Mary Meddlemore, the character who plays a very important part in Forever After, and alter ego of award-winning South African writer Martie Preller, weaves poetic language, philosophical musings and ethical questions into a tale that challenges our understanding of narrative, reality and authorship.

A young woman trying to find her true identity; the same (?) young woman trying to build a new civilization by reading stories, preserving books and liberating Lady Liberty. This is a book of magic and wonders, and does not fit easily in any genres. Full of unique characters, mystical events and layer upon layer of stories and interpretations, Interconnected proclaims the deep connection between all human beings, the beauty of language and the way we create meaning through narration. If you have plenty of imagination and love books and stories, I recommend you go exploring the Story Dimension Series.

Mary Meddlemore and Martie Preller

 

Author page:

Mary Meddlemore’s/Martie Preller’s page:

http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Meddlemore/e/B009IAJQ26/

And check her awesome blog (and you can see her awesome videos and freebies):

https://marymeddlemore1.wordpress.com/

 

Thanks to Martie/Mary for visiting my blog, thanks to you all for reading, and you know what to do: like, share, comment, and of course, CLICK!

Autora invitada Martie Preller/Mary Meddlemore

Os traigo grandes noticias. Algunos ya lo debéis saber si seguís su blog, pero a las dos nos pareció que se merecía un poco más de explicación y personalmente yo encuentro a mi invitada fascinante. Y ella no es solo una escritora fabulosa e imaginativa, sino que también es una gran amiga que me apoya mucho.

Martie Preller es la autora que se esconde detrás de Mary Meddlemore y sus libros. Martie, de Sudáfrica, es una conocida y premiada autora de libros infantiles y juveniles y amablemente ha accedido a visitar mi blog hoy y a contarnos unas cuantas cosas.

Antes que nada: ¿por qué decidiste publicar tus historias más recientes con el sobrenombre Mary Meddlemore? Sé que Mary es un personaje muy importante en Por siempre jamás. Una historia de amor dimensional (Forever After. A Dimensional Love Story) pero estoy segura de que muchos lectores deben sentirse muy intrigados.

¡Gracias por tenerme de invitada, Olga! Bueno, de hecho yo no decidí publicar usando el nombre de Mary… ¡fue ella la que lo decidió!  Todos mis libros anteriores, excepto mi segundo manual de escritura, los publicaron editoriales locales – la mayoría en afrikáans- así que la auto-publicación era una aventura totalmente nueva y todos los libros de Mary son en inglés, así que yo quería mantener mis dos carreras separadas.

Y ahora, la típica pregunta que se les hace a todos los autores, ¿cómo empezaste a escribir? Y aún más importante, ¿qué te inspira a seguir escribiendo?

Muy rápidamente me convertí en una maníaca lectora de niña. Cuando estaba estudiando en grado 1 (yo tenía 6 años), nuestra familia dejó el país y viajamos (a Inglaterra y Holanda) durante un año para que mi padre pudiera completar su documentación para el doctorado. Viajamos en barco (fue hace muuuuuucho tiempo) y mis padres se llevaron algunos libros para que yo tuviera que leer. Los acabé cuando aún estábamos en el barco y como allí no había libros en afrikáans, por supuesto, empecé a leer en inglés. En Holanda, donde pasamos la mayor parte del tiempo, empecé a leer en holandés. ¡Fuera como fuera yo tenía que leer!

En la escuela me gustaba escribir trabajos, etc, y los maestros me empezaron a decir que tenía mucho talento, pero nunca conseguí imaginarme a mí misma de escritora. En esos tiempos aún escribíamos cartas de verdad a los amigos y familiares y a mí me encantaba escribirlas y todo el mundo me decía que debería dedicarme a escribir, pero yo no sabía por dónde empezar… Probablemente me asustaba que me lo dijeran solo por ser amables… Entonces empecé a escribir sketches para la radio…(¡hace muuuuuucho tiempo!) e historias cortas para revistas y las aceptaron… así que pensé, bueno, quizás podría dedicarme a escribir… pero seguía sin estar muy convencida  y quizás me preocupaba que me rechazaran y todas esos miedos que tenemos y entonces, un amigo que era el director de un instituto me ordenó que escribiera una obra que ellos pudieran producir y eso me puso contra la pared… porque estaban esperando la obra y no les podía desilusionar… así que escribí la obra de teatro, tuvo muy buena recepción y el instituto ganó la competición y yo estaba en el séptimo cielo. Envié un manuscrito a un editor, lo aceptaron y me quedé de habitante en el séptimo cielo  y entonces se abrió el grifo y las historias empezaron a chorrear…

Lo que me hizo seguir escribiendo fue el éxtasis de descubrir nuevas historias y escribirlas tan bien como pude. No había mayor gozo… ¡era incluso mejor que leer! Cuando escribo empiezo con una escena que puedo ver como se desarrolla en mi mente: por ejemplo, alguien huyendo a todo correr, como en ‘Entrando’ (‘Entering’). Quiero saber por qué huye y la sigo (como una espectadora invisible) y miro, y escucho, y escribo, y así se desarrolla la historia…

Estoy encantada de que la gente insistiera tanto porque creo que eres una escritora nata. Sé algunas cosas sobre tu carrera, pero ¿no podrías contar algo sobre tus publicaciones previas?

Acaban de publicar mi libro número 37 y el número 38 será publicado en noviembre. La mayoría son libros para niños y jóvenes. Si consigues que empiecen a leer de niños, serán lectores todas sus vidas. Me pareció que sería bueno ayudar a que las nuevas generaciones se aficionaran a la lectura.

Es verdad. Hay gente que empieza más tarde, pero para mucha gente los libros y la lectura son un romance de por vida.

Y, por supuesto, ¿puedes contarnos algo sobre tus libros: En el reino del Ilev (In the Kingdom of the Ilev), Por siempre jamás. Una historia de amor dimensional y El séptimo cordero (The Seventh Sheep)? Y especialmente sobre tu nuevo libro, el maravilloso Entrando?

‘El Séptimo Cordero’ es una especie de reciclaje de algunos de los guiones para una serie de televisión, que desgraciadamente se fue a la porra cuando la televisión pública se encontró en….ejem…dificultades financieras. Está disponible como libro GRATUITO (en formato PDF) en mi blog.

‘En el reino del Ilev’ y ‘Entrando’ son traducciones y versiones nuevas y mejoradas de libros publicados localmente. Mary consiguió hacerse con ellos y añadió ‘Por siempre jamás. Una historia de amor dimensional’ porque ella tiene un plan diseñado para la humanidad… Mary y yo estamos ocupadas con la continuación de ‘Por siempre jamás’. Ella dice que lo que el mundo necesita es alguna historia… SANGRE… (no vampiros ni zombies… la humanidad ya es lo suficientemente extraña… )

Martie y Mary tienen muchos otros proyectos, pero si queréis estar al día os recomiendo que le deis a los enlaces y visitéis su maravilloso blog, su página de autora y su página de web (aunque si no habláis afrikáans necesitaréis Google translate o algún otro traductor de la red. Yo lo he probado y no funciona demasiado mal…)

Su blog

http://marymeddlemore1.wordpress.com/

Su página de autora:

http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Meddlemore/e/B009IAJQ26  (all my books are there etc)

Su página de web (en afrikáans)

http://martieprellerauthor.wordpress.com/

Gracias Martie por tu visita, por hablar con nosotros y espero que vendrás a visitarnos pronto con tus nuevos libros. ¡Ha sido maravilloso tenerte aquí!

Y gracias a todos por leer. Si os ha gustado, por favor, dadle al me gusta, comentad, compartid y por supuesto, ¡haced CLIC!

Guest author. Martie Preller (a.k.a. Mary Meddlemore)

I bring you big news. Some of you might know if you follow her blog, but we both thought it needed more exploration and I personally find my guest fascinating. And she’s not only a fabulous and imaginative writer, but a great and supportive friend.

Martie Preller is the author behind Mary Meddlemore and her books. Martie, from South Africa, is a well known award-winning children’s author and has kindly agreed to visit my blog today and talk to us about a few things.

First of all, why did you decide to publish your recent stories under the name Mary Meddlemore? I know Mary is a very important character in Forever After: A Dimensional Love Story but I’m sure quite a few readers will be intrigued.

Thank you for having me, Olga! Well, actually I did not decide to publish under Mary’s name … she decided that! J All my previous books, except my second writing manual, were published by local publishers – mostly in Afrikaans, so self-publishing was a new venture and all Mary’s books are in English, thus I wanted to keep my two careers apart.

And now, the typical question for all authors, how did you start writing? And more important, what kept you and keeps you going?

I quickly turned into a manic reader as a child. When I was halfway in Grade 1 (I was only 6), our family went overseas (England and the Netherlands) for a year so that my father could do research for his doctorate. We went by ship (it was a looooong time ago) and my parents took some books for me to read. I finished them while still on the ship, and as there weren’t any Afrikaans books available, of course, I started reading English. In the Netherlands, where we stayed most of the time, I started reading Dutch.  I had to read!

 

At school I liked writing essays etc and teachers started telling me that I had a lot of talent, but I never could imagine myself as a writer. In those days we still wrote proper letters to friends and family and I loved writing them and everybody kept on telling me I should try my hand at writing, but I didn’t know where to start … Perhaps I was scared that they were just being nice … Then I started writing sketches for the radio .. (loooong time ago!) and short stories for magazines and they were accepted …  so I thought well, maybe I could write … but still not sure and perhaps afraid to be rejected and all those fears we have and then a friend who was a in charge of a college  ordered me to write a play they could produce and I was cornered … because they were waiting for the play and I could not disappoint them … so the play was written, it went down very well and they won the competition and I was in heaven. I sent off a manuscript to a publisher and it was accepted and I was a permanent resident in heaven J and then the plug was out and the stories started rushing out …

 

What kept me going was the ecstasy of discovering new stories and writing them down as well as I could. There was no greater joy – it was even better than reading! When I write I start off with a scene that I can see happening: e.g. someone running away as in ‘Entering’. I want to know why she is running away and I follow her (as an unseen spectator) and look and listen and write and so the story unfolds …

 

I’m very pleased that people kept insisting because I think you’re a born storyteller.

I know bits about it, but can you tell us about your previous published work?

My 37 th book has just been published and number 38 is coming in November. Mostly books for children of all ages and young adults. If you can get a child to read, he or she will be a reader for life. I thought it would be nice to help to get new generations reading.

Very true. Some people take it up later in life, but reading and book for many people is a life-long love affair.

And of course, can you tell us about your books: In the Reign of the Ilev, Forever After: A Dimensional Love Story and The Seventh Sheep? And especially your new book, the marvelous Entering?

‘The Seventh Sheep’ is a reworking of some of the scripts for a TV-series, that unfortunately went down the drain when our public broadcaster went into a financial … ehm … slowdown. It is available as a FREE book (in PDF-format) on my blog.

 

Both ‘In the Reign of the Ilev’ and ‘Entering’ are translated reworkings of locally published books. Mary got hold of them and added ‘Forever-After – A Dimensional Love Story’, because she has a plan for mankind … Mary and I are at the moment busy with the sequel to Forever After. She says what the world needs is some story … BLOOD .. (no vampires or zombies … mankind is strange enough already  … )

Martie and Mary have many other projects, but if you want to know more about them, you’ll better check the links to their wonderful blog, author page and also webpage (although if you don’t speak Afrikaans you’ll need Google translate or another web translator. I have tried and it’s not too bad…)

Blog:

http://marymeddlemore1.wordpress.com/

Amazon author page:

http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Meddlemore/e/B009IAJQ26  (all her books can be found here)

Martie’s webpage (in Afrikaans)

http://martieprellerauthor.wordpress.com/ (need Google translate)

Thanks for visiting and talking to us and I hope you’ll visit again with your new works. It’s been great having you!

And thank you all for reading. If you’ve enjoyed, please like, comment, share and of course, CLICK!

‘Lost Angeles’ by David Louden and ‘In the Reign of the Ilev’ by Mary Meddlemore

Hi dear readers:

I bring you two reviews of two books I’ve read recently. I’ve given both of them 5 stars although they couldn’t be more different.

Have a look and see what you think:

Lost Angeles. Trip to the edge of self-destruction

I came across this novel in Goodreads. I followed with interest the author’s reviews of other works and his blog and I must admit I loved the title. It had been on my `to read’ list for a while, and I’m pleased to say that I finally found the time to read it and I’m very pleased I did.
Lost Angeles reads like a memoir, but not your standard memoir (if there is such a thing). The book follows the protagonist, Doug, a young and articulate man from Belfast, and his travels/adventures in Los   Angeles. Doug is not in Los Angeles to see the sights, although the does see many sights (some that none of us would wish to see). From the beginning you realise that he’s there with a mission. You don’t come to realise quite how determined he is to self-destruct until much later in the book. He drinks, takes drugs, engages in casual sex, and drifts from cheap accommodation to even cheaper digs (including the `Lost Angeles’ of the title that used to be a place for sex for sale) all the time meeting real people. Some idiots, some nice but misguided, some lost and looking, some also drifters.
The reasons for Doug’s trip are slowly revealed through interspersed chapters about his life back home (I’m a bit reluctant to call them flashbacks. They’re memories, but too long, detailed and elaborate to be what’s more generally understood as flashback). You quickly realise that he’s mourning the end of what seems to have been his most significant relationship, but later you realise that there is more to it than that, and come to care and empathise with Doug even more. Because if there’s something notable about the novel is that despite behaviour that many of us would neither approve of, not adhere to, we like Doug. He might drive us insane if we met him but…whilst embarked on his self-destructive path he tries his hardest to help others and to do no harm. By the end you’re rooting for him and hope that against all odds things will work out for him.
A very personal novel, I truly enjoyed Lost Angeles. This is a novel for adults and I’d recommend it to anybody who wants to read about real people coping with life, as best they can. I look forward to many more books by Mr Louden.

Links:

e-book:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AG5NS30/

Paperback:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1477563644/

In the Reign of the Ilev by Mary Meddlemore. A dystopia that resonates.

I have had the pleasure of reading two of Mary Meddlemore’s works before. Mary Meddlemore is a character in Forever After. A Dimensional Love Story, one of the novels I have read and loved and has also adopted the writing credits for In the Reign of the Ilev and The Seventh Sheep, a collection of four of the most whimsical and magical short stories I’ve ever read. My previous experiences meant that I was really looking forward to Ilev and it did not disappoint, although it is a very different read.

Ilev is classified under the category of Young Adult Science-Fiction, although it would appeal to readers of any age. It is the story of Nina, and 18 y old girl how is one of the Chosen Four who have been the successful ones in going through a selection process from between 40 promising youths in the City. Now the Four had to go through the Final Test and only one will be the Champion. All the champions become rulers of the City and are in charge of the Master Computer. You’ll tell me ‘not another one of these stories of youths fighting amongst themselves to survive’. Well, not really. The test consists in their being dropped some distance from the City and returning to it. Whoever is the first, will be the new Champion. Nina is very confident, egotistical, and only interested in fame, success, material things and power. She does not tolerate weaknesses or flaws and even notices that the previous champions all seem defective in some way. She goes through a number of strange experiences that make her question her identity (children do not live with their families but are all brought up together) and her perception of reality (is she hallucinating or it is really happening? Does she have feelings for Daniel, one of the other Chosen ones, or is somebody interfering with her brain?). She discovers wonderful places and beings but also horrific happenings. All the things that she thought she knew and were certain are not, and that makes her question herself and become more human.

It’s difficult to empathise with Nina at the beginning of the novel, although from her description it seems that she is a product of the society where she grew up. By the end she becomes a true heroine, confronting the terrible truth destroying and deadening civilisation, and she brings forth a new order. There is a price to pay for the changes that take place, but there is hope for new beginnings.

How does Ilev compare to other dystopian novels of the genre? There is action; there are interesting characters, fantastic situations, a love (?) interest…and much more. Nina is an interesting narrator, not knowingly unreliable (she does not care enough about other people’s opinions to lie) although she becomes confused as to the nature of reality at points. She grows and changes throughout the novel and comes to appreciate the value of cooperation, of stories, of history, and of freedom. Winning is no longer the main goal and total power becomes clearly identified with evil. The City in Ilev is a terrible creation but not so far away from our daily lives and experiences. You can’t help but compare your life with that of the inhabitants of the City and wonder if it’s time to become a Chosen one and destroy the order that’s keeping people from really experiencing life and the universe. Given a chance, would you be a Nina?

This novel could be read as a straight adventure sci-fi novel (although somewhat more challenging that many), but it has a message, learning points and reflections that would satisfy more sophisticated readers. I can only say that I hope Mary Meddlemore (and the writer behind her) keeps writing. I’ll keep reading her. I hope you do too.

Link:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009GXHI84/

Thanks for reading and if you’ve liked it, leave a comment, share, and of course, don’t forget to CLICK!

‘Lost Angeles’ (Angeles Perdidos) de David Louden y ‘In the Reign of the Ilev’ (En el reino del Ilev) de Mary Meddlemore

Hola a todos:

Os traigo las reseñas de un par de libros que me acabo de leer. Aunque de momento solo están disponibles en inglés, me parecieron los dos tan interesantes que os los quise traer. Y, quién sabe? Entre Google translate y los escritores que buscan mercados nuevos…

Espero que os guste.

Lost Angeles (Angeles Perdidos) Viaje al borde de la auto-destrucción.

Descubrí esta novela en Goodreads (por si no conocéis Goodreads escribí un post sobre esta web hace un tiempo, os dejo el enlace). Seguí las reseñas que el autor escribe sobre otras obras y su blog y tengo que reconocer que me encantó el título (que en inglés como habréis notado es un juego de palabra entre Los Angeles, el nombre de la ciudad, y Lost Angeles, lost=perdido…). La tenía en mi lista de libros pendientes de lectura hace tiempo y estoy encantada de haber encontrado el tiempo de leerla por fin. Mereció la pena.

Lost Angeles se puede leer como una memoria, pero no es la típica memoria (si es que eso existe). El  libro sigue al protagonista, Doug, un joven de Belfast con el don de la palabra, y sus aventuras en Los Angeles. Doug no está en Los Angeles para hacer turismo, aunque desde luego ve muchas atracciones (algunas de las que no están en los listados de los libros de viajes y que la mayoría preferiríamos no ver jamás). Desde el principio nos damos cuenta de que tiene una misión, aunque no llegamos a apreciar como de decidido está a auto-destruirse hasta mucho más adelante en el libro. Bebe, se droga (todo tipo), se acuesta con cualquier interesada, y pasa el tiempo mudándose de acomodación barata, a hotelucho aún más barato (incluyendo el  motel ‘Lost Angelest’ del título que solía ser una casa de mala reputación, y que no ha mejorado demasiado en el ranking). Durante sus andaduras conoce a todo tipo de gente, gente de verdad. Algunos idiotas, algunos majos pero que han despistado y andan por mal camino, algunos perdidos intentando encontrarse, algunos vagabundos sin dirección.

Las razones que justifican el viaje de Doug son reveladas poco a poco a través de unos capítulos entremezclados con la acción en Los Angeles, sobre su vida anterior en su país (Yo no los llamaría flashbacks. Son memorias, pero demasiado largas, detalladas y complejas para encajar en la definición de lo que normalmente llamaríamos flashbacks). Muy pronto en la narración nos damos cuenta de que está de duelo por el fin de la que ha sido su relación amorosa más importante hasta entonce, pero más adelante vemos que es algo más que eso, y llegamos a simpatizar y a identificarnos con Doug aún más. Porque lo que me pareció más notable de la novela es que a pesar de comportarse de una forma que la mayoría de nosotros no aprobaríamos ni seguiríamos, Doug nos cae bien. Probablemente nos volvería locos si lo conociéramos pero…aunque persigue su camino hacia la auto-destrucción a la vez  intenta ayudar a los demás y no hacerle daño a nadie. Cuando llegas al final estás apoyándole y deseas (aunque con pocas esperanzas) que las cosas acaben bien para él.

Disfruté leyendo Lost Angeles, una novela muy personal. Es una novela para adultos y se la recomiendo a cualquiera que quiera leer sobre gente de verdad intentando sobrevivir lo mejor que pueden. Espero tener muchas más oportunidades en el futuro de leer otras obras de Mr Louden.

Enlaces:

e-book:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AG5NS30/

Papel:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1477563644/

In the Reign of the Ilev (En el reino del Ilev) de Mary Meddlemore. Una distopia que resuena.

He tenido ya el placer de haberme leído dos de las obra de Mary Meddlemore. Mary es un personaje (el más importante en mi opinión) en Forever After. A Dimensional Love Story (Siempre jamás. Una historia de amor dimensional), una de las novelas que me leí y me encantó y también ha adoptado el título de autora de En el reino del Ilev y The Seventh Sheep (La séptima oveja), una colección de cuatro cuentos a cual más mágico y original. Con tales experiencias previas tenía muchas ganas de leerme Ilev y no me defraudó, aunque es muy diferente a las otras dos obras. Ilev está clasificado como ciencia-ficción juvenil, aunque es apropiado para lectores de todas las edades. Es la historia de Nina, una chica de 18 años que es una de los Cuatro Elegidos que han conseguido superar un proceso de selección que tiene lugar entre los 40 jóvenes más prometedores de la Ciudad. Ahora los Cuatro tienen que pasar el Test Final y solo uno llegará a ser el Campeón. Todos los Campeones se convierten en gobernantes de la Ciudad y controlan el Ordenador Central. Me diréis: “¡No, no otra de esas historias de jóvenes que tienen que luchar entre ellos para sobrevivir!” En realidad, no. El test consiste en que los llevan a un lugar remoto fuera de las murallas de la Ciudad, y tiene que encontrar el camino de vuelta. El primero en llegar, es el nuevo Campeón. Nina tiene mucha confianza en si misma, es egoísta, y solo le interesa la fama, el éxito, y las posesiones materiales. No tolera debilidades o fallos e incluso se da cuenta de que todos los campeones previos parecen tener algún defecto. Pasa por una variedad de experiencias extrañas que la hacen cuestionarse su identidad (los niños no viven con sus familias sino que se crían todos juntos) y su percepción de la realidad (¿está teniendo alucinaciones o es real lo que le está pasando? ¿Siente algo por Daniel, uno de los otros Elegidos o alguien está interfiriendo con su mente?). Descubre lugares y seres maravillosos y sucesos terroríficos. Todas las cosas que ella creía saber y pensaba que eran reales no lo son, y eso la hace dudar de si misma.

Es difícil identificarse con Nina al principio de la novela, aunque de acuerdo con su descripción parece que ella es un producto de la sociedad en la que vive. Al final de la novela se convierte en una heroína de verdad, enfrentándose a la terrible realidad que está aniquilando y paralizando la civilización, y creando un nuevo orden. Hay que pagar el precio por los cambios que suceden, pero existe la esperanza de un nuevo comienzo.

¿Qué me pareció Ilev en comparación con otras novelas distópicas del mismo género? Tiene los elementos típicos: acción, personajes fascinantes, situaciones fantásticas, un interés romántico (?)…y mucho más. Nina es una narradora muy interesante. No intenta engañarnos conscientemente (no le interesa la opinión de los demás lo suficiente como para mentir) aunque a veces no sabe lo que es real y lo que no. Ella crece y cambia durante la novela y llega a apreciar el valor de la cooperación, de los relatos, de la Historia, y de la libertad. Ganar no es ya el objetivo final y el poder absoluto en lugar de ser una virtud es el peor mal.

La Ciudad en Ilev es una creación aterrorizante pero no está tan alejada de nuestras vidas y experiencias cotidianas. No es posible evitar el comparar nuestras vidas con las de los habitantes de la Ciudad y preguntarnos si no es ya hora de convertirnos en un Elegido y destruir las estructuras que impiden que la gente experimente la vida y el universo. Si tuvieras una oportunidad, ¿crees que serías una Nina?

Es posible leer esta novela como si fuera una novela de aventuras más (aunque algo más complicada que la mayoría), pero tiene mensaje, lecciones y reflexiones que satisfarán a los lectores más sofisticados. Solo decir que espero que Mary Meddlemore (y la escritora que se esconde detrás de ella) siga escribiendo. Yo la seguiré leyendo. Y espero que vosotros también.

Enlace:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009GXHI84/

Gracias por leer, y si os ha gustado, no os olvidéis de comentar, compartir, y si leéis inglés, de hacer CLIC!

Y el enlace al post sobre Goodreads:

https://olganm.wordpress.com/2013/05/07/y-eso-de-goodreads-que-es/

Guest author Mary Meddlemore. Long life to stories

I met my now close friend Mary Meddlemore (well, Mary is a character, who demanded to write her own story and the author […and although I know who she is I won’t reveal it…you can ask her if you want] seeing her determination and her love of stories could but agree) through the group of authors I’ve mentioned quite a few times now, ASMSG (logo and website attached to my blog). We got chatting on Facebook, then started exchanging e-mails, we organised a joint giveaway in January…and keep talking…and exchanging ideas about promotion, and writing….

I’ve loved Mary’s dedication to writing, and particular her love of stories. She makes no secret of the fact that she loves stories and stories possess her to the point where she has to write them as they demand it. In the case of ‘Forever After: A Dimensional Love Story’ one of the characters in the story, Mary Meddlemore (and she is a character and a half) insisted in writing the story. And it is absolutely wonderful. I’ve reviewed the novel (I leave you the link below) and loved every minute of it. And I’m very happy to say that Mary/Martie is working on the continuation of the story. And she has very ambitious plans indeed.

I leave you a sample of the novel, some links (Mary has a wonderful blog and has recently created a Facebook page that everybody who loves stories is welcome to visit and participate in) and my heartfelt recommendation of Mary’s books.

www.amazon.com/dp/B009HXI30A

Sample of ‘Forever After. A Dimensional Love Story’

Andrew slowly got to his feet. He felt ancient.

There was a sudden sense of motion.

She was next to him, next to him, but when he turned his head, she was in front of him and he could only see her hair and the elegant motion of her hips and shoulders. He could have touched her. She walked right through the huge glass pane next to the door and was gone.

“Are you all right, Sir?”

Andrew nodded. His legs moved stiffly through the door the attendant held for him. There was no need to ask if somebody else saw her. It was obvious that nobody did, because she was not real. He could not set a trap for her and he would never be able to talk to her. She was some kind of … apparition.

He walked back to the office. It was overcast and freezing outside and he was completely crazy.

Mary’ s author page in Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Meddlemore/e/B009IAJQ26/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Don’t forget to check her other books: ‘In the Reign of Ilev’ and ‘The Seventh Sheep’!

http://tinyurl.com/bk9pbnq

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AUFMWC4 

Mary’s blog:

marymeddlemore1.wordpress.com/

And this is Mary’s new Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/MaryMeddlemoresILoveStoriesPage?ref=hl

Thank you for reading and don’t forget to CLICK!

Blogs to follow:

http://www.seumasgallacher.wordpress.com

http://escritoresilustradores.wordpress.com/

http://plagueofdissent.wordpress.com/

http://theverybesttop10.com/

Related articles

• Book reviews: ‘Regina Puckett’s Short Tales of Horror’ and ‘Forever After. A Dimensional Love Story.’ (olganm.wordpress.com)

Reseña de libros: Relatos cortos de terror de Regina Puckett (Regina Puckett’s Short Tales of Horror’) y Para siempre jamás. Una historia de amor dimensional (‘Forever After. A Dimensional Love Story’)

Hola a todos:

Como sabéis ha sido Semana Santa y me ha dado tiempo a leer un par de libros que tenía pendientes, y os dejo mis reseñas de los dos que he acabado de leer esta misma semana. Los dos son de autoras a las que conozco (al menos en el sentido en que conocemos a gente en los medios sociales) y a las que había leído y me había gustado mucho. Puedo decir con la mano en el corazón que no me han desilusionado.

Si leéis inglés, no os perdáis estos libros. Los dos son fantásticos. Si os gusta el género de horror, os recomiendo el libro de Regina. Si os encanta la imaginación, los cuentos de hada y las historias inusuales, leed el de Mary. Bueno, leed los dos. Me lo agradeceréis.

También me ha dado tiempo (por desgracia) de experimentar haciendo videos, y os dejo un enlace al video donde hablo de mi novela El hombre que nunca existió. ¡No os hagáis de rogar, que sabéis que lo queréis ver!

¡Y no os olvidéis de hacer click en los enlaces!

Relatos cortos de terror de Regina Puckett (Regina Puckett’s Short Tales of Horror)

Puedo empezar diciéndoos que me encantó este libro. Me encanta las películas de terror y también me gusta mucho leer novelas e historias de terror, así que esta colección parecía estar hecha justamente para mí.

Las historias son suficientemente variadas como para que le gusten a todos. Hay monstruos, fantasmas, asesinos en serie, muñecas aterrorizantes (horror de horrores, ¡un payaso!). Después de leer ‘Mine’ (‘Mía’…o ‘Mío’. Si leéis la historia ya sabréis porqué) que me pareció aterrorizante y disturbadora, yo estaba segura de que emociones no me iban a faltar. Sé por Ms. Puckett (a la que sigo en Twitter, como a Mary, y a la que recomiendo) que ha escrito y publicado la continuación de esta historia ‘Ours’ (‘Nuestros’) y no puedo esperar para leerla. Como ya he comentado las historias son de lo más variado, pero noté que muchas tienen como protagonistas a mujeres (sea perpetradoras y/o víctimas) y los hombres suelen sufrir a veces la ira de las mujeres, y otras veces pagan el precio de no tomarse en serio las advertencias y preocupaciones de sus compañeras de historia. Algunos de los relatos son de puro terror en la mejor tradición del género (como ‘Mine’ o ‘Inheritance’ [Herencia]), pero otras como ‘Pieces’ (Piezas, Trozos) son terroríficos y trágicos a la vez que tratan de temas realmente serios (violencia de género en este caso). ¿Y qué decir de ‘Will Work for Food’ (Trabajará por comida) y su negro (humoroso?) comentario sobre la crisis? No hablaré de las historias individuales en detalle ya que no quiero arruinarse las sorpresas pero se lo recomiendo a todo el munto que le guste las historias de terror y no se asuste fácilmente (¡a menos que os guste estar asustados, por supuesto!)

He leído una de las novelas románticas de la autora y también me encantó y espero con ganas sus nuevas obras y las que no he leído aún.

http://www.amazon.com/Regina-Pucketts-Short-Horror-ebook/dp/B0097H1QZ0/

Para siempre jamás. Una historia de amor dimensional (Forever After. A Dimensional Love Story by Mary Meddlemore)

Viva el poder de las historias y la imaginación.

‘Forever After’(para aclarar la connotación del título, en los cuentos de hadas en inglés lo típico es que los personajes, si es una historia romántica, sean felices ‘forever after’ para siempre jamás, en lugar de comer perdices como aquí. Es que somos muy prosaicos.) como dice el título es ‘una historia de amor dimensional’. No es precisamente una novela que encaje bien en los géneros habituales. Hay romance, pero muy especial, hay fantasía (incluso dragones, pero eso es en un historia dentro de la historia), tiene tema ecológico, es un cuento de hadas, una parábola…Por encima de todo ‘Forever After’ es un triunfo de la imaginación.

Mary Meddlemore es el nombre del personaje principal de la novela, y eso ya es prueba suficiente de la portentosa atracción que ejerce sobre la imaginación de la autora, ya que insistió en escribir la historia ella misma. En la novela hay la dimensión de las historias y la de la realidad, y descubrimos que aunque Mary vive en la dimensión de la realidad (la realidad de la novela) ella pertenece a la dimensión de las historias. El hecho de que Mary tiene un corderito (me encanta Miss Lamb) y que ni ella ni su cordero envejecen debería ser una pista. (En inglés hay un cuento de niños sobre una Mary que tenía un corderito, y donde fuera que fuese Mary, el corderito la seguía.) Como su nombre (en inglés ‘to meddle’ es interferir, meterse donde a uno no le llaman) indica ella interfiere en la historia intentando unir a dos personas que están hechas para amarse pero desgraciadamente viven en dimensiones diferentes. Andrew y Jenny no se creen lo que les cuenta Mary al principio pero…

Los personajes principals son encantadores, originales y entrañables. Un niño disfrazado de dragón que cuando crece se hace abogado y defiende causas justas. Una niña que consigue salvar su ciudad con la ayuda de su maestra (también me encantó Hannah) y un dragón (Abibus). Y Mary…Y Miss Lamb, por supuesto. Pero incluso personajes algo menores, como el Guerrero de las flores, el invocador de Dragones, Hannah, e incluso un camarero en el restaurante obsesionado con ‘El traje’ y con proporcionar el perfecto terrón de azúcar, son inolvidables. Charlie Kaufman se sentiría en su element en esta historia que como tantos de sus guiones explora las fronteras enter realidad y ficción y celebra el poder de las historias y la imaginación. Como en Encantada cuentos de hadas y realidad se mezclan con maravillosos resultados.

¿Recomendaría este libro? Sin ninguna reserva. A cualquier persona a la que le gusten los libros, la escritura y las historias le gustará este libro. Por otro lado si creéis que la realidad es superior a la ficción y que las cosas materiales son más importantes que la imaginación, quizás no os gustará.

He leído ‘La séptima oveja’ (‘The Seventh Sheep’)  la colección de historias cortas de la escritora y me encantó. Sigo su blog (http://marymeddlemore1.wordpress.com) y sé que está preparando la continuación de Forever. Ya tengo ganas de leerla y mientras tanto me leeré ‘En el reino del Ilev’ (‘In the Reign of the Ilev’) también.

http://www.amazon.com/Forever-After-Dimensional-Story-ebook/dp/B009HXI30A/

¡ANIMAOS A HACER  CLICK!

Y, no os lo perdáis. Aquí estoy hablando sobre El hombre que nunca existió. ¡Reíros un rato!

http://youtu.be/adHUmK9uItY

¡Y gracias por leer!

Book reviews: ‘Regina Puckett’s Short Tales of Horror’ and ‘Forever After. A Dimensional Love Story.’

Hi all:

As you know it’s been Easter and again I managed to catch up with some reading and I bring you the reviews of two books I’ve finished reading very recently. Both are by female authors I know (at least in the social media dimension) and in both cases I’d read a previous work by the author and really enjoyed it. I’m happy to say I wasn’t disappointed this time either.

Please, check the books out. They’re both fabulous. If you prefer horror, I recommend Regina’s book; if you love imagination, fairy tales and unusual stories, read Mary’s. Actually, read both. You’ll thank me for it.

I’ve also had time (I’m afraid) to experiment with videos, so I leave you a link to a video where I talk about my novel The Man Who Never Was. Come on, you know you want to watch it!

And don’t forget to click on the links!

Regina Puckett’s Short Tales of Horror

I can start by saying I loved this book. I love horror movies and I love to read horror novels and stories, so this one was right up my alley. The stories are different enough to suit most tastes, from monsters, to ghosts, from slashers to dolls (clowns even, horror of horror!). After reading `Mine‘ that I found scary and unsettling, I knew I was in for a good ride. I know from Ms. Puckett (I follow her on Twitter and she’s a great follow) that she has now written and published the continuation, `Ours‘ and I’m looking forward to it. As I’ve said the stories are varied but I noticed that many have female protagonists (might be perpetrators and/or victims) and men tend to suffer sometimes the female rage, sometimes pay the price for not taking women’s concerns seriously. Some of the stories are pure horror in the best tradition (like `Mine’ or `Inheritance‘), but others like `Pieces‘ are horrific and tragic whilst touching on really serious issues (domestic violence). And what about `Will Work for Food‘ and its dark (humorous?) comment on the crisis? I won’t talk about the stories in detail as I don’t want to spoil the surprises but can thoroughly recommend the book to everybody who likes horror and does not scare easy (unless you like to be scared, of course!). I have read one of the author’s romances and also really enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to her new works. And the ones I haven’t read yet.

http://www.amazon.com/Regina-Pucketts-Short-Horror-ebook/dp/B0097H1QZ0/

Forever After. A Dimensional Love Story by Mary Meddlemore

All power to stories and imagination

‘Forever After’ is ‘a dimensional love story’ as the title indicates. It does not fit in well with any standard genres. It has romance, but a very special kind, it has fantasy (and even dragons, but that’s in the story within the story), has an ecological theme, is a fairy tale, a parable…More than anything, ‘Forever After’ is a triumph of imagination.

Mary Meddlemore is the name of the main character in the novel, and that proves how powerful a grip over the author’s imagination she obtained, that she insisted on writing the story herself. There is a story dimension in the novel, and a reality dimension, and we discover that although Mary lives in the reality dimension (the reality of the novel) she belongs in the story dimension. The fact that she has a little lamb (love Miss Lamb) and that neither she nor her lamb ever grow older should have been a clue. As her name indicates she meddles, trying to bring together two people who are made to love each other but unfortunately live in different dimensions. Andrew and Jenny can’t believe Mary’s explanations but…

The main characters are endearing, lovable and original. A boy with a dragon suit who grows into a lawyer defending good causes. A girl who managed to save a town with the help of a teacher (I also love Hannah) and a dragon (Abibus). And Mary…And Miss Lamb, of course. But even character with small parts are unforgettable: The Flower warrior, the Dragon Crier, Hannah, even the waiter at the restaurant obsessed with ‘The Suit’ and providing perfect sugar cubes…Charlie Kaufman would feel quite at home with this story that like many of his scripts explores the boundaries between reality and fiction and celebrates the power of stories and imagination. Like in ‘Enchanted’ fairy tales and reality mix with wonderful results.

Would I recommend this book? Absolutely. Anybody who loves books, writing and stories will like this book. On the other hand if you think that reality is superior to fiction and material things more important than imagination, maybe you won’t.

I have read the author’s collection of short stories ‘The Seventh Sheep’ and adored it. I follow her blog (http://marymeddlemore1.wordpress.com) and I am aware that she’s working on a sequel of Forever. I can’t wait and in the meantime plan to read ‘In the Reign of the Ilev’ too.

http://www.amazon.com/Forever-After-Dimensional-Story-ebook/dp/B009HXI30A/

GO ON, CLICK!

And, miss at your peril. Here I’m talking about The Man Who Never Was. Have a laugh!

http://youtu.be/51H6QzATtb0

Thank you for reading!