Free E-book…CORRECTION..Now Definitely Free!

EARLIER POST UPDATED DUE TO MINOR ERROR IN TIME DIFFERENCE ON AMAZON WEBSITE…IT IS DEFINITELY NOW FREE…I PROMISE! 🙂

Hi Everyone

I’ve been a bit quiet for a while…and technically I am still on a blogging break…but I wanted to tell you something…

This is to let you know that “Baabaric” my first novel is now free to download for a limited time from 27th-31st July. A light-hearted comedy sci-fi romp awaits you. All you need is a Kindle or Kindle App…

Many of you have followed my 42 World blog for a good while now and I wanted to offer you this as a small gift. Why not share a bit of the love?

I know there are some of you who have downloaded it already (at a paid price) and I offer you my humble thanks again.

The links to the various Amazon Kindle stores are just below…if you download (what do you have to lose?) then you have my gratitude but do please leave an honest review on Amazon after you’ve read it…because that is what helps get it noticed.

Thank you!

Pick your favourite Kindle Store…

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon Canada

Amazon Australia

Amazon India

Amazon Germany

Amazon France

Amazon Spain

Amazon Mexico

Amazon Italy

Amazon Netherlands

Amazon Japan

Amazon Brazil

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Free E-Book…yes…FREE…

Hi Everyone

I’ve been a bit quiet for a while…and technically I am still on a blogging break…but I wanted to tell you something…

This is to let you know that “Baabaric” my first novel is now free to download for a limited time from 27th-31st July. A light-hearted comedy sci-fi romp awaits you. All you need is a Kindle or Kindle App…

Many of you have followed my 42 World blog for a good while now and I wanted to offer you this as a small gift. Why not share a bit of the love?

I know there are some of you who have downloaded it already (at a paid price) and I offer you my humble thanks again.

The links to the various Amazon Kindle stores are just below…if you download (what do you have to lose?) then you have my gratitude but do please leave an honest review on Amazon after you’ve read it…because that is what helps get it noticed.

Thank you!

Pick your favourite Kindle Store…

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon Canada

Amazon Australia

Amazon India

Amazon Germany

Amazon France

Amazon Spain

Amazon Mexico

Amazon Italy

Amazon Netherlands

Amazon Japan

Amazon Brazil

My New Book

Hi Everyone

This is a bit of a shameless plug for two things…and somewhat out of kilter with the rest of regular 42world content.

First up, I’ve recently written a new comedic sci-fi novel called “Baabaric” which is now available as an e-book for the Amazon Kindle. If anyone who owns a Kindle (or has a Kindle reader app on their device) is interested in taking a punt on a new author like me, please do so! It’ll only cost you peanuts so if you decide to have a go, I personally thank you and I hope you enjoy it!

Secondly, I’ve launched a new blog (please follow if you’d like to) to sit alongside this new world I’ve created, set in the village of Nether-Staining, so if anyone fancies taking a look, you can find it at www.netherstaining.wordpress.com.

In case anyone is concerned, worry not as my musings on this blog will continue.

Thanks for reading!

Choose Happiness

A long time ago…well about 15 years…a friend of mine whom I met while backpacking in Canada gave me a great gift…it was a book called “The Four Agreements”. This book has a great, yet simple, guide to help you be happy (however you define that of course)…because it clearly lays out that happiness can be a choice, and so can suffering.

It is by Don Miguel Ruiz and is a Toltec Wisdom book.

The four agreements (which you make with yourself and require work to make them habitual) are shown in the picture below. I have encountered a number of people during my life so far who have a tendency towards negativity – maybe through putting too much pressure on themselves at work or school, saying bad things about others, assuming something instead of finding out (it makes an ASS out of U and ME remember) or just feeling that things are personal when they really aren’t. Once you start on these paths of focussing on the bad side it can be tough to get off them.

While we all have our down-times, it can be a real challenge if someone is dragging you into a negative reality on an ongoing basis, especially if it goes against these “rules” because they often won’t realise they are doing it and would rather try to bring you into their reality than try and see the good in their life or situation. Seeing the good side can sometimes be tough…

There is a lot to be said about speaking with integrity (including not spreading gossip), not taking things personally, not making assumptions (i.e. communicate!) and always doing your best. While I certainly can’t profess to always doing all of these, it certainly helps to try. And if you have a tendency towards being unhappy, maybe it is worth looking at how you respond to and interact with the world around you because the chances are that just maybe, with a little work and time, you could choose to react differently and reap the rewards. Choose happiness.

Disposable Digital

I was wondering recently when the last time was that I bought a physical CD for myself. I think it was well over a year ago. I don’t generally download music either but I do use free music streaming which I think is a fabulous idea.

I then went on to think that I cannot recall buying a paperback book for a number of years now. I do rent them from the library occasionally. The Kindle is a great device at what it does.

I do occasionally buy films on Blu-Ray or DVD and do rent them from a video store (yes, they still have those in NZ). I have yet to use something like Netflix.

In some ways I think it is great that less non-renewable raw materials are used in manufacturing of such things because they now exist as files on a computer but in other ways it perhaps cheapens the experience of “owning” something or in the way we interact with various forms of art as you become detached from it in many ways due to the ease of which you can delete a file as if it never really existed…would you ever throw out a physical book? I suspect not…unless you are giving it to charity of course which would be recycling.

Anyone got any interesting perspectives here?

Welcome Back to Middle Earth

I have made mention previously about visiting various filming locations used in “The Lord of the Rings” films. The films have spawned a tourism industry in New Zealand which, with the release of the inferior “The Hobbit” series, shows no sign of ending. I wanted to talk about the fact that I recently re-read the novel for the first time in almost 20 years. During the intervening period I have watched the films so many times that they have become the story. So…what of the book?

   
 

I was very surprised by just how much was changed for the cinema. Not only were a number of sections missing, new storylines were added, some storylines were changed for no obvious reason, some characters (notably female ones) were given larger roles and it is curious, when you consider the rather graphic violence that is present at times in the films, how little of this Tolkien actually describes. Tolkien almost gave freedom of imagination to the movie-folk so it is a credit to them in what they achieved. But it almost feels that in many ways the films are a dumbed down version of the book…but then when has a film ever been anything else?

It is rare to love a book and a film to be able to compare the two, and to still love them both afterwards. Actors are seldom good enough to truly represent a book on film without narration and you lose so much of what made the book so great…but what you get instead is an amazing visualisation of one of the greatest books of our time.

So, for anyone who may be interested, yes, the book is better, but I must also say that I think Peter Jackson did an incredible job of turning 1000+ pages of literature into an accessible movie masterpiece.

Do You Love Books?

Hello, dear Reader.

I am someone who always has a book on the go. Over the years my taste has broadened dramatically to a wide variety of genres. I love to read.

If, like me, you love reading books and you might be interested in what I am reading and whether it is worth your valuable time in doing likewise (assuming that you trust my judgment!), do please have take a look at my alternative blog which is dedicated to this love of books alone…and I ask if you feel the same way by all means follow this one too and contribute therein.

My new blog is called The Lord of the Reads.

If you would rather have an address to paste into your browser, the full address is http://www.thelordofthereads.wordpress.com

I imagine if you like to read about what I have been up to in New Zealand, you may like to read books too (a bit of a leap there). I would love your company and comment, as I do in 42 World.

Perhaps even start your own blog or I am more than happy to do guest reviews also!

Thank you for indulging me there and, if you go along, I hope you like it.