A few words about one of my favorite authors and people. And it's the same guy!
I’ve just reviewed Andy Peloquin’s new book Blade of the Destroyer. I’ll readily admit to knowing the author personally and to being a beta-reader on his work. But lest you think my warm, fuzzy sentiments are being bought and paid for, let me say this, somewhat controversially: I was not an instant fawning admirer of his work. I was a bit conflicted about his first book, called In the Days. It’s a tale of the Atlantis legend, and frankly, I found it a bit of a hot mess.
See, I’m a REAL stickler for continuity, plausibility, tone, style, and flow, and I found so many little nitpicks about this book that I secured the author’s permission to create a full document of them all. I mostly wanted to practice my own editing skills. I’ll tell you, I expected the guy to never speak to me again after seeing my notes. Instead he asked me to beta-read his next work. Because he’s just an amazingly cool, down-to-earth dude.
So what happened with that first book? Here’s the thing - I wanted to NOT like it. But I just couldn’t! It didn’t matter how many quibbles I had with the details, the overall book was just so much danged fun! It was fast-paced, witty, and adventuresome, and the author’s absolute love for the subject matter and writing process came pouring through the pages. With that much blazing nuclear enthusiasm, how could I not be won over? It got a 4-star Amazon review out of me, because it was ultimately a really fun read. And I got to know an awesome writer.
Watching Andy develop his next character, the chilling and enthralling Hunter, was a lesson in perfect writerly development, and a total inspiration to me as a writer. I can’t wait to see where his writing goes next. In the meantime, in case you haven’t seen it, enjoy this promotional video clip I did for him. Which sort of...turned into a roast. Sorry, Andy. Couldn’t help myself. But I strongly suspect you’ll get a good belly laugh. And then send The Hunter after me. So if this is my last post ever, everyone will know why...
See, I’m a REAL stickler for continuity, plausibility, tone, style, and flow, and I found so many little nitpicks about this book that I secured the author’s permission to create a full document of them all. I mostly wanted to practice my own editing skills. I’ll tell you, I expected the guy to never speak to me again after seeing my notes. Instead he asked me to beta-read his next work. Because he’s just an amazingly cool, down-to-earth dude.
So what happened with that first book? Here’s the thing - I wanted to NOT like it. But I just couldn’t! It didn’t matter how many quibbles I had with the details, the overall book was just so much danged fun! It was fast-paced, witty, and adventuresome, and the author’s absolute love for the subject matter and writing process came pouring through the pages. With that much blazing nuclear enthusiasm, how could I not be won over? It got a 4-star Amazon review out of me, because it was ultimately a really fun read. And I got to know an awesome writer.
Watching Andy develop his next character, the chilling and enthralling Hunter, was a lesson in perfect writerly development, and a total inspiration to me as a writer. I can’t wait to see where his writing goes next. In the meantime, in case you haven’t seen it, enjoy this promotional video clip I did for him. Which sort of...turned into a roast. Sorry, Andy. Couldn’t help myself. But I strongly suspect you’ll get a good belly laugh. And then send The Hunter after me. So if this is my last post ever, everyone will know why...
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