Archive for the ‘Announcements’ Category

metro diaries -2About the Book:

Give life another chance. Laugh a little longer. Let go of your past. Hold onto what you love. In short, LIVE rather than just exist!

Some told, some untold, some heard and some unheard – this collection of stories will make you look at life in a different light and ponder over its definition of it till now.

Goodreads I Amazon

Reviews for Metro Diaries 1:

After touching your hearts with Metro Diaries – Love Classics she is back now with stories that will redefine life for you!

The stories in Metro Diaries – Love Classics are free from any trappings of youthful slang and fashionable language stunts. These young adults are speaking to the readers with Namrata’s maturity shining through, and Namrata’s ideas of love. – Sakshi Nanda

The language is fairly pleasant to read and the elaborate discussions between characters in each story must have taken a lot of work – because the most difficult job of all authors is to bring out human emotions in proper words. Thankfully, Namrata has concentrated upon it very well! – Dhivya Balaji

namrata head shotAbout the Author:

Namrata is A Lost Wanderer who loves travelling the length and breadth of the world. A published author in various anthologies and magazines, she enjoys capturing the magic of life in her words. She is forever in pursuit of a new country and a new story.

Contact the Author:

Website * Facebook * Twitter

MD2_Blitz

Hi, folks! My name’s Dane Cobain, and I’m here today to take a quick break from my busy schedule to tell you about my new release – Social Paranoia: How Consumers and Brands Can Stay Safe in a Connected World.

The book is released today (Monday, 22nd August) and is available in paperback and e-book formats from most online retailers, including Amazon. Debra was kind enough to let me stop by to talk about it, and so read on to find out a little bit more about the book and to check out the cover!

Social Paranoia eBookSocial Paranoia draws on five years of experience in social media marketing, and uses real-life case studies to illustrate how sometimes people really are out to get you. Take the case of Star Wars Kid, a guy called Ghyslain Raza, who became a meme after filming himself twirling a mop around like a lightsabre.

Raza became one of the earliest examples of an internet meme, but he also received a lot of negative attention for the video. The sad thing is, he didn’t even release it – a friend found it and posted it without his consent, and once the video went viral, it was impossible for him to take it down. He’s since gone on to talk at length about cyberbullying and the dangers of the internet.

Social networking can be dangerous for brands, too – take, for example, Celeb Boutique’s misguided attempt to join in with a trending hashtag, or Amy’s Bakery Boutique & Bistro’s epic meltdown. From hacks and leaks to virality and a lack of knowledge and research, it’s a minefield out there.

But that doesn’t mean you should stop using social networking sites – after all, used with care, they can be a great way to keep up with your friends and family, or to sell products and drive traffic to your website. You just need to know what the risks are and keep an eye out for them, so you don’t hit the news when you make a mistake.

That’s where Social Paranoia comes in. The book covers all aspects of social networking and offers practical advice on how you can protect yourself. I hope you’ll consider giving it a read.

BLURB:

Social networking sites can be scary places. When the whole world is connected, anything can happen and it can happen at lightning speed.

Social paranoia is the feeling you get when you hesitate before posting an update. It’s the feeling you get on a Saturday morning after drunkenly texting your ex the night before. The feeling you get when your friends won’t stop posting about their perfect lives, making your own life look boring in comparison.

Social Paranoia: How Consumers and Brands Can Stay Safe in a Connected World is the true story of how sometimes the updates you post come back to haunt you. Filled with real case studies and practical advice, it’s a guidebook for everyone who has an online presence from consumers to massive corporations. 

Sometimes, people really are out to get you. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

BIO:

Dane Cobain (High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, UK) is an independent poet, musician and storyteller with a passion for language and learning. When he’s not in front of a screen writing stories and poetry, he can be found working on his book review blog or developing his website, www.danecobain.com. His debut novella, No Rest for the Wicked, was released in the summer of 2015.

LINKS:

Social Paranoia (UK): www.danecobain.com/socialparanoia
Social Paranoia (US): www.danecobain.com/socialparanoiausa
Website: www.danecobain.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/danecobainmusic
Twitter: www.twitter.com/danecobain

dancobain-banner

With respect to the story’s treatment of tough social issues, this reviewer said: “If I could, I would give it all the stars in the universe…I was hesitant to accept. I usually do not read or review books that discuss child abuse or domestic violence; however, I was intrigued by the excerpt and decided to give it a shot. I am glad that I took a risk; otherwise, I would have missed out on a fantastic story with a bright, resourceful, and strong protagonist that grabbed my heart and did not let go.” — http://www.onmykindle.net/2015/11/rarity-from-hollow.html

12346331_863473790438062_8755479226731204584_nRarity from the Hollow was referred to as a hillbilly version of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and awarded a Gold Medal by Awesome Indies: “…Tucked between the folds of humor are some profound observations on human nature and modern society that you have to read to appreciate…it’s a funny book that most fans of sci-fi will thoroughly enjoy.” — http://awesomeindies.net/ai-approved-review-of-rarity-from-the-holl…

Lacy Dawn’s father relives the Gulf War, her mother’s teeth are rotting out, and her best friend is murdered by the meanest daddy on Earth. Life in The Hollow isn’t great. But Lacy has one advantage — she’s been befriended by a semi-organic, semi-robot who works with her to cure her parents. He wants something in exchange, though. It’s up to her to save the Universe.

To prepare Lacy for her coming task, she is being schooled daily via direct downloads into her brain. She doesn’t mind saving the universe, but her own family and friends come first.

Will Lacy Dawn’s predisposition, education, and magic be enough for her to save the Universe, Earth, and, most importantly, protect her own family?

Rarity from the Hollow is adult literary science fiction filled with tragedy, comedy, and satire. It is a children’s story for adults, not for the prudish, faint of heart, or easily offended.

http://www.amazon.com/Rarity-Hollow-Robert-Eggleton-ebook/dp/B017REIA44/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rarity-From-Hollow-Robert-Eggleton/dp/1907133062

http://www.doghornpublishing.com/wordpress/books/rarity-from-the-hollow

Editorial Reviews of Rarity from the Hollow 

“…In the space of a few lines we go from gritty realism to pure sci-fi/fantasy. It’s quite a trip.” — The Missouri Review

“…utterly compelling…a chilling, engaging verisimilitude that deftly feeds on both the utter absurdity of the characters’ motivations and on the progression of the plot…. In the spirit of Vonnegut, Eggleton takes the genre and gives it another quarter turn.” — Electric Review / Midwest Book Review 

“…a hillbilly version of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy…what I would have thought impossible; taken serious subjects like poverty, ignorance, abuse…tongue-in-cheek humor without trivializing them…profound…a funny book that most sci-fi fans will thoroughly enjoy.” — Awesome Indies (Gold Medal)

“…sneaks up you and, before you know it, you are either laughing like crazy or crying in despair, but the one thing you won’t be is unmoved…a brilliant writer.” —Readers’ Favorite (Gold Medal)

“The most enjoyable science fiction novel I have read in several years….” — Temple Emmet Williams, Author, Retired Reader’s Digest Editor

“…There is much here worthy of high praise…Eggleton reminds me very much of Robert Heinlein at his peak….” — SF Crowsnest 

“…Good satire is hard to find and science fiction satire is even harder to find.” — The Baryon Review 

“…psychologically disturbing at a different level to what I have seen before….” — The Reading Rose

“…laugh-out-loud funny at times, satiric of almost everything it touches upon…” — Atomjack Science Fiction Magazine 

“…This piece of speculative fiction is nothing like anything I’ve read before. It faces reality head-on while also pursuing themes that are outlandish… amazed by how the author has aptly mingled tragedy with humor….” — Page Hungry Bookworm 

“…a story with humour and darkness and plenty of twists and turns….” — Splash into Books

“…It is one of those books that if it does not make you think, you are not really reading it….” — On My Kindle

About the Author

1441239_764921206959988_3528137193144954202_nRobert Eggleton has served as a children’s advocate in an impoverished state for over forty years. He is best known for his investigative reports about children’s programs, most of which were published by the West Virginia Supreme Court where he worked from 1982 through 1997, and which also included publication of models of serving disadvantaged and homeless children in the community instead of in large institutions, research into foster care drift involving children bouncing from one home to the next — never finding a permanent loving family, and statistical reports on the occurrence and correlates of child abuse and delinquency.

Today, he is a recently retired children’s psychotherapist from the mental health center in Charleston, West Virginia, where he specialized in helping victims cope with and overcome physical and sexual abuse, and other mental health concerns. Rarity from the Hollow is his debut novel and its release followed publication of three short Lacy Dawn Adventures in magazines: Wingspan Quarterly, Beyond Centauri, and Atomjack Science Fiction. Author proceeds have been donated to a child abuse prevention program operated by Children’s Home Society of West Virginia. http://www.childhswv.org/ Robert continues to write fiction with new adventures based on a protagonist that is a composite character of children that he met when delivering group therapy services. The overall theme of his stories remains victimization to empowerment.

http://www.lacydawnadventures.com

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13603677-rarity-from-the-hollow

https://www.facebook.com/robert.eggleton2

https://www.facebook.com/Lacy-Dawn-Adventures-73354432693864/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel