Andrew Ferguson
Children's/YA Author
Archives
Super Snappy Speed Reviews – Books (Vol. 3)
Posted on March 24, 2021 Leave a Comment
As always, these reviews only reflect my own personal opinions and impressions, sliced, diced and minced into a few short sentences.
Super Snappy Speed Reviews – Books (vol. 2)
Posted on February 19, 2021 Leave a Comment
It’s that time again! We’ve already had super snappy speed reviews for books, TV shows and films now it’s time to return for a second helping of super snappy book reviews. As before, the books I have reviewed here have been selected entirely at random from my ever-growing book collection and do not necessarily have anything in common apart from the fact that they are all books. They are not necessarily films that I particularly liked or disliked, nor are they sorted into any particular order.
As always, these reviews only reflect my own personal opinions and impressions, squished, sliced and diced into a few short sentences. So without further ado…
My Dead Darlings
Posted on January 21, 2021 Leave a Comment
A good writer must be able to look at his or her manuscript with a dispassionate eye and exorcise any superfluous passages, even if it is some of the most beautiful prose you have ever written.
If you haven’t had this problem yet as a writer, you will. Oh, brother, you will. It might be a clever turn of phrase, a vivid metaphor, a piercing line of dialogue or even an entire chapter (or more!) of narrative which you are immensely proud of… but it does nothing to advance the story and therefore, it has to go.
None of us are immune to this phenomenon. I, myself, find myself doing it on almost everything I try to write. So for your enjoyment, I have preserved a few dead darlings from the last few Penstricken posts here, in the hopes that I might also encourage you to kill your darlings without mercy. Your story will thank you for it.
Different Seasons
Posted on December 15, 2020 Leave a Comment
I’ve never been a fan of horror stories (but power to you if you like them) and for that reason, I’ve avoided the work of Stephen King for far longer than is healthy for someone who claims to love a good story. However, on my birthday at the end of last year, I unwrapped not one but two Stephen King books: Different Seasons and The Green Mile… I haven’t got around to reading The Green Mile yet but if it’s half as good as Different Seasons then I might have just become a Stephen King fan. It’s a fantastic book.
The Essential Voice of Red
Posted on December 7, 2020 Leave a Comment
Narrative voice is always important in fiction but especially in Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption…. It is this, the narrative voice in the book, that makes this role so right for Morgan Freeman.
Throwback Thursday: Different Seasons (Book Review)
Posted on October 8, 2020 Leave a Comment
I’ve never been a fan of horror stories (but power to you if you like them) and for that reason, I’ve avoided the work of Stephen King for far longer than is healthy for someone who claims to love a good story. However, on my birthday at the end of last year, I unwrapped not one but two Stephen King books: Different Seasons and The Green Mile… I haven’t got around to reading The Green Mile yet but if it’s half as good as Different Seasons then I might have just become a Stephen King fan. It’s a fantastic book.
Monday Motivation
Posted on February 10, 2020 Leave a Comment
Find a subject you care about and which you in your heart feel others should care about. It is this genuine caring, not your games with language, which will be the most compelling and seductive element in your style.
Monday Motivation
Posted on December 9, 2019 Leave a Comment
Only God gets it right the first time and only a slob says, “Oh well, let it go, that’s what copyeditors are for.
Super Snappy Speed Reviews – Books (Vol. 3)
Posted on March 11, 2018 Leave a Comment
As always, these reviews only reflect my own personal opinions and impressions, sliced, diced and minced into a few short sentences.
Super Snappy Speed Reviews – Books (vol. 2)
Posted on July 30, 2017 Leave a Comment
It’s that time again! We’ve already had super snappy speed reviews for books, TV shows and films now it’s time to return for a second helping of super snappy book reviews. As before, the books I have reviewed here have been selected entirely at random from my ever-growing book collection and do not necessarily have anything in common apart from the fact that they are all books. They are not necessarily films that I particularly liked or disliked, nor are they sorted into any particular order.
As always, these reviews only reflect my own personal opinions and impressions, squished, sliced and diced into a few short sentences. So without further ado…
Andrew Ferguson 