Books Archives - Page 6 of 12 - MohaDoha Productions

Flesh: A Vietnam You Haven't Seen Before

For the past year or so, I’ve been hard at work on a novel manuscript, set in Laos, a landlocked country near Cambodia and Vietnam. I wasn’t sure how to tell this story about a place most people couldn’t pronounce, much less point to on a map. Luckily, during my lull, I was asked to be part of the blog tour for Khanh Ha‘s novel, Flesh.

Nothing is as great for writer’s block as entering the world created by another writer and Ha’s book proved this to be truer than ever. He takes us into the life of a boy, Tai, searching to avenge his father. The quest takes us deep into the culture and history of Vietnam. I was impressed by the inclusion of a Western character, a priest, which adds depth to the story overall. I’ve been wrestling with the inclusion of an American male character in my own story but Ha creates someone who is humane and still a product of his own society without being stereotypical.

I was enthralled by the rich character descriptions as well as the details that bring unfamiliar environment to life for the reader and gained renewed enthusiasm for telling my own story set in Southeast Asia. For the reader looking for a cultural read that is delivered through a dramatic character arc.

Novel Publicity Blog Tour Notes

Wanna win a $50 gift card or an autographed copy of Flesh?

Leave a comment on my blog. One random commenter during this tour will win a $50 gift card. For the full list of participating blogs, visit the official Flesh tour page.
Enter the Rafflecopter contest! I’ve posted the contest form below, or you can enter on the tour page linked above.

About the author: Khanh Ha was born in Hue, the former capital of Vietnam. During his teen years he began writing short stories which won him several awards in the Vietnamese adolescent magazines. He graduated from Ohio University with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. He is at work on a new novel.

Connect with Khanh on his website, blog, Facebook, GoodReads, or Twitter.

Get Flesh on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What's a Review Got to Do With It?…

I shared last week how book bloggers make the book world turn by their volunteer efforts to read and recommend their favorite titles. What’s stirred up a lot of angst is the use of paid reviews by authors. I’m hosting Jamie from Jamie B. Musings to give us the real deal on reviews: who does them, why, and how we can respond as writers and readers.

She’s a music addict, book lover, pet servant & NaNoWriMo survivor. When she’s not busy writing posts for CultureShock, she’s taking pictures for her new obsession (That Photo Blog) and spending time with her husband and pets. Her first book, The Life and Times of No One in Particular, was released in May.

Reviews: a word that brings up so many different thoughts and emotions. There’s the terror when you realize someone just sent one out, wondering if they enjoyed your work or thought it was garbage. For some, a good review makes their day, while a bad one makes you question what you were thinking by ever putting pen to paper. Others don’t even look at them.

Lately, reviews have been getting a lot of controversy after a writer was caught praising his own work while trashing that of the competition. I remember first reading about it. I was totally shocked. Why on earth would you want to trash the work of a fellow writer? What purpose does it really serve? It makes you wonder… what is a review anyway? Can you trust them? I personally take any and all reviews about a book with a grain of salt. Just because everyone is raving about the latest publishing phenom doesn’t mean it’s well-written. Likewise, just because someone is trashing something doesn’t make it bad or mean I won’t personally enjoy it.

Back when Law Abiding Citizen was released, my husband and I decided to see it instead of some of the other choices. We both loved it so much, we couldn’t wait for the DVD to come out so we could watch it again. The reviews were not so kind. I still am trying to figure out why that movie got so much hate directed at it, but then that’s art. It’s totally subjective and what connects with me is not going to necessarily connect with you. I take each one as one person’s opinion and wouldn’t even dream of choosing a book or anything else just based on what critics or someone online said about it. Do I still like seeing that someone took the time to write a review about my book? Absolutely. I love it! I also love sharing my thoughts on other’s work. I just try to put it all in perspective and realize that it’s not the be-all, end-all.

What do you think? Do you know someone who’s been a victim of fake reviews? How seriously do you weigh a review when deciding on a product? Would you take a chance of something that had bad reviews if the premise sounded interesting? Comment and let’s talk about it…

Book Bloggers are an Indie's Best Friend

With the birth of a new industry, it’s not uncommon to have other associated services pop up. When you’re making a car, for example, you’ll also need upholstery, wheels, and even consumer reviews to tell you which car is the best for your lifestyle.

The same is true of book publishing. Years ago, like in 2000, you waited for magazines to tell you what to read. Or maybe word of mouth from your book club, librarian, or other literary source. The introduction of the e-book poured kerosene on the self publishing industry. Commercial publishers began looking at download rates and purchase prices to see what authors were now risk worthy. As more and more writers began flooding the market, and more platforms like Smashwords became available, suddenly it was was difficult to pick your indie read as a paperback.

Enter the book blogger. Book bloggers are a self selected literati who read, review, and blog about books because they love them. They don’t get paid, are often juggling hectic work and personal schedules, and in many cases are berated by authors for not being available. They do it because they read something exciting and they want you to know about it. OR they had a terrible experience and they want to warn you so that you can get to your long list of to-reads.

As an independent author, I couldn’t have gotten the international coverage of my book without these faithful word warriors. They are as professional and polished as any reviewer you’ll find out there.

As part of Celebrating Bloggers week, I’m sharing some of the recent book bloggers who have come my way. Check out their blogs, follow them. You may find a book or two that you wouldn’t have otherwise.

What blogs do you follow? Leave some suggestions so we can all support these wonderful people who are writers in their own right.

Library Girl Reads

Mason Canyon

Zoe Harrington