Another Place to die by Sam North
Publisher: Lulu.com. London, UK.
Published (6 Feb 2007)
Language English
ISBN-10: 1847538991
ISBN-13: 978-1847538994Prices: UK: £13.50 US: $18.00 CAN: £20.00

A powerful portrayal of an underestimated threat.

The invisible killer. We’ve all seen the media frenzy over the latest deadly outbreaks: SARs, Avian flu…. We’ve all been gripped with fear as they sensationalize the story, only to have it disappear soon after; leaving us to wonder if this was just another scare story. Yet history is riddled with stories of deadly plagues and killer viruses ravaging populations and wiping out civilizations. What makes us think that it could not happen again?

Sam North’s latest novel is not a work of Science Fiction. It’s not even a work of fiction. It is potential fact!

Set in Vancouver, this is the tale of a world ravaged by a mutated version of the avian flu virus. People are dropping dead in the thousands, society has broken down and anarchy is slowly ensuing. In the midst of all this turmoil are three sets of characters, Fen and her dog Red who, along with her family, flee to a remote island in an attempt to wait out the epidemic. Arno flies from Toronto to Vancouver to find Rachel, the woman he loves, and together they try to outrun the virus. Finally there’s Deka, a cab driver whose good friend Dr Borov somehow helps them both to survive the virus with his own medicinal cocktail. The so-called experts have failed to develop an effective vaccine and now most of these experts are also dead. People are afraid of people. No-one knows who to trust. The government are no longer able to protect you. The economy is all but destroyed. The world seems doomed.

Yet out of the ashes emerge these three sets of characters who prove that all is not lost. When all is said and done it’s the ordinary people who save the day. Through all the doom and seeming despair, hope remains alive with some. When you’ve hit rock bottom and survived, the only way is up.

What makes this book so much more compelling is Sam’s easygoing and free-flowing style of writing. Rarely have I discovered a new author who can draw you into his world so easily. His writing is alive and engaging, and the dialogue is so down to earth that you feel like the people are next to you acting it out. Sam has the enviable ability to create a diverse group of characters that the reader is able to vividly picture and instantly like or dislike; something that should be commonplace, but is sadly lacking in many of today’s books.

Fascinating, frightening and compelling, Another Place to Die is the ultimate page-turner which I guarantee will result in many late nights under the bedside light with you uttering, ‘just one more chapter!!’

Reviewed by Ian Middleton: Travel Writer and photographer, and author of Mysterious World: Ireland.http://www.ian-middleton.co.uk/

Review of The Frugal Book Promoter by Carolyn Howard Johnson

Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Star Publish (August 4, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 193299310X
ISBN-13: 978-1932993103

The Author’s promotional bible. Always keep it close it times of need.

What can I say about this book that hundreds of other authors haven’t? As a writer and self-publisher, the onus has always been on me to promote my own books; a task I’ve always found extremely difficult and laborious. I’m a writer and photographer, not a sales and marketing expert. I hate feeling like I’m talking to someone just to sell them something, or boast about my fantastic book. I always imagine them thinking, “Of course you would say it’s good, you wrote it!” And like most writers, I want to write, not be a salesman.

But Carolyn Howard Johnson has shown me a whole new way to not only promote, but make it fun and tie it in with the thing you are passionate about: writing!

The Frugal Book Promoter shows us how you need to brand yourself as an author, and publicise yourself as much as your work. You don’t have to boast about your work, just simply let people know it’s there. If your book is good, others will boast about it for you. Exposure is the word Carolyn uses often. She teaches us that the trick is to simply brand yourself as an author and let people know who you are, and what you write. Carolyn shows us a prolific amount of ways to do this, from writing articles for free to blogging, joining discussions groups, writing book reviews and so much more. It’s so simple, and in most cases completely free. I often hated the thought of writing articles for free, but the book emphasises that although you may write for free, the tagline at the end could well result in book sales, so effectively you are likely to get paid indirectly. Think about it, these publications wouldn’t have paid you anyway, and you would have to pay for advertising, so effectively you are working for your advertising. And of course you are writing, which is what a writer wants to be doing.

This is just one example of the priceless advice offered in the Frugal Book Promoter. This book is an absolute treasure chest of useful information, and not only inspires you to get up off your backside and start promoting, but is also packed full of useful websites for you to get started. I’ve committed the ultimate sin with this book by folding over numerous page corners (something I never do with a book) to bookmark all the useful reference points. The websites listed here, often lead on to other useful sites.

I’d always dreamed of the day when I would snag a major publisher so they could do all the promotion for me, but the Frugal Book Promoter has taught me that even with a major publisher, the onus will still be on me to promote my books; after all, ultimately the author cares more about the book than the publisher. So now I plan to forget about that and march best foot forward into a new world of endless promotional opportunities that this book brings.

If you are an author then this is one book you cannot afford to be without. Written with Carolyn’s free-flowing and easy prose, the Frugal Book Promoter stands out head first above the rest and is the sort of book that you will always want to refer back to.

I don’t know how I ever survived without it.

For more info on Carolyn and her other books, visit her website:
http://www.carolynhoward-johnson.com

Reviewed by Ian Middleton: Travel Writer & Photographer
Ian is the author and photographer of four books, his latest being a travel guide to Ireland’s ancient myths and legends, Mysterious World: Ireland. Learn more about Ian and his work at
http://www.ian-middleton.co.uk/
http://www.ianmiddletonphotography.co.uk
http://ireland.mysteriousworld.com