the Indie E Review Site

Once again this was Jan's idea. Our friend Jan Needle - author since the year dot, sailor, campaigner and allround good guy -- has recently begun republishing his distinguished backlist and adding new titles as e-books. He's fortunate in his technically savvy son, Matti 'Grammaticus' Gardner and togther they're building up Skinback Books. Jan joined with other professional authors who have independent e-book projects to form the Authors Electric blogspot and I was allowed to fill a gap on the 9th of every month. Then Jan's friend, author Cally Phillips founded a peer-review site the Indie E Review, again for professional authors with independent projects. I've been sent four titles toreview so far and they've all been awesomely good. I'm planning to do some gentle re-designing here so that I can share the glad tidings but meanwhile haste ye to Cally's site.

(Don't forget you don't have to buy a kindle or other dedicated e-reader. You can always download reading apps for free.)

Okay - and there's SUCH a lovely review of The Salt-Stained Book.

Where to Begin?

With an apology? My December post for the Authors Electric Blogspot

Golden Duck electrified

So The Salt-Stained Book is now available on Kindle (ISBN 9781899262083) and soon to come via other retailers (ISBN 9781899262090) but will this stimulate golden eggs? I've yet to be convinced. Still, many thanks to Matti Gardner for waving his magic wand over our files to effect this transformation. Tremendous thanks also to Matti's father, Jan Needle, firstly for introducing me to his electronically talented son and then following up by suggesting I join the authors-electric blogspot which turns out to be a generous sharing of information by a group of thirty authors all publishing or re-publishing their own work in electronic format. It's a whole new world out there - but doncha hate the VAT!

The Tear-Stained Book

Fabulous appreciation of the Salt-Stained Book by author and sailor Jan Needle. It was sent in an email but we have Jan's permission to quote:

After this brilliant adventure, you managed a heart-warming and tear-inducing ending. It really is a wonderful book.

It’s also a fantastic tribute to Arthur Ransome, and I’m sure he’d have loved it. The sailing is perfect – light touch, technically delightful, and thrilling when it needs to be. The duel between Polly Lee’s junk-rigged wonder, a Mirror dinghy and a moron in a high-speed launch is masterful. The Hullabaloos live on…

 But it’s the children who are the best. Needy, bright and under constant threat by apparently insuperable odds, they have almost no one but themselves to fight their fight. Like Ransome’s children they are doughty, but unlike his, they are up against forces that are modern, dark, and genuinely chilling. Donny and Anna are heart-breakingly real. I’m dying to read the sequel.

If anyone tells you you shouldn’t have done it, tell them to grow up. This book doesn’t detract from Arthur Ransome, it enhances him. I’ve still got the postcard he wrote to me when I was a poor young sailorboy, and his spirit shines through it. After your book, I’m going back to reread his. And any child who liked Goodnight Mr Tom will love it too. It’s terrific.

Jan said that the ending of the SSB almost made him cry - that's nothing to the way Julia felt when she read (and heard) such wonderful words.