Category: News

Busy As A Beaver

Apologies for my lack of posting, but I’m afraid normal life has started to get in the way once more.  I am as busy as a beaver.  Well I’m not really as I haven’t been building any dams lately.  Nor have I ever come to think of it.  Nor am I likely to.  As to tell the truth, I’ll never give a dam.

What I have actually been busy with is a new job.  On top of that I have also started learning to drive.  Between those two pursuits alone, I have very little free time.  And mostly I am spending the little free time I have, grunting and scratching my bottom as opposed to doing anything productive.  Except the blog post I wrote on Redroom.com.

Sadly, at least for the short-term, this is most likely going to be the pattern of my (futile) existence.  And on the subject of existence I would like to thank those of you that have reviewed ‘Existence Is Futile’ on both Amazon and Goodreads.  It’s been a pleasant surprise to receive such positive feedback, and it really means a lot that you guys took the time to share your opinions.  So keep them coming.

Polishing my Polish | Scott Andrews | Blog Post | Red Room

Recently I received an email inviting me to write a blog post for a competition on Redroom.com on the subject of learning a foreign language.  You can read my entry by clicking on the following link Polishing my Polish | Scott Andrews | Blog Post | Red Room.

Albert Ross Is Free (for 1 week only)

As some of you may have realised I have quite an obsession with television.  As much as it annoys me, I cannot deny that it inspires me.  It’s for exactly that reason that for the next 7 days I am going to give ‘The Story of Albert Ross’ away for free.  And moreover it’s not without a sense of occasion that I have chosen today.

Today is an important anniversary in the history of television.  On October 2, 1925, John Logie Baird managed to transmit moving images with continuous tonal variation.  It was arguably the first ever transmission of moving images.  It took him until January the following year to perfect his invention.  Nevertheless, without it our lives would have looked considerably different.

To commemorate John Logie Baird’s breakthrough I am giving ‘The Story of Albert Ross’ away for free until midnight on the 9th of October.  All you have to do, is click here: www.smashwords.com and then choose which file type you wish to download.  After you click ‘buy’  you will be prompted to log in or sign up for an account.  As soon as you do either, you will be directed to the cart screen where you will find a coupon box underneath the price.  Enter the following coupon code – RX23u  and then you will have my story for free.  The only thing I ask of you is that if you enjoy the story, please review it wherever you find it, as it’s your reviews which encourage others to read my work.

Pinteresting, Very Pinteresting

Yesterday I reluctantly signed up for yet another social network.  I have already long past the point of actively being able to remember my own passwords for social platforms, as there are so many that have crashed and burned, and appeared, and disappeared that I can hardly keep count.  So believe me when I say I am absolutely sick of the numerous forms of social media.  The trouble is with a book to promote, they are a necessary evil.

I am now a proud owner of a Pinterest account.  The reason I signed up for Pinterest was not due to any kind of curiosity.  The idea of a social media site where people just share pictures reminded me of someplace else.  Bizarrely, the someplace else in question drove me to it.  The ‘Existence Is Futile’ Facebook page provides me with user statistics showing various demographic data about visitors to the page.  Interestingly, the majority of ‘Likes’ come from women aged between 28-35.  Can you name a social media site where 80% of its users are female and the majority of those are between 23-34?  That’s right, it’s Pinterest.

The concept of Pinterest is straightforward.  As opposed to merely liking something you can pin it to a number of boards.  You can choose the theme of these boards.  You can upload your own pins, or pin things from almost anywhere on the net.  If people like it they will repin it to theirs.  And that’s it.  Sounds simple doesn’t it?  Then if it’s so simple how can you use it to try to create something interesting in the name of book.  After all my book has words and not pictures.

After giving it some thought I realised that Pinterest offers me a unique opportunity.  I have used Pinterest to create a mini-tour of the locations which my main character visits.  I have also uploaded a few other bits and pieces which relate to the writing and publishing process, which would have seemed inappropriate via other mediums.  If you have read ‘Existence Is Futile’ already, make sure you take a look as it will provide you with a chance to see where the story took place.  And if if you haven’t read it yet, have a look anyway as it will give you some insights into the plot of the book.

To check out my Pinterest Virtual Tour of ‘Existence Is Futile’ click here
To read more about the demographics behind Pinterest click here

Very Broad Indeed

It’s just another update but this one is slightly different, as it’s not only about book availability, it’s also about how I am broadening my horizons to help me on my path to world domination.  Or something like that.

The first thing I would like say contains three words and will probably make some of you make the same noise Scooby Do does when he is puzzled – ‘Danish Coffee Festival’.  I can hear how hard you are scratching your head from here.  Stop it, before it bleeds.    As part of the Festival which takes place in Copenhagen on the 8th and 9th of September the organisers have asked people to send in stories relating to anything and everything connected with coffee.  So I did.  You can read it here.  Entry is free to everyone, so if you have anything to say about coffee, why not submit?  After all, it is the name of black liquid magic.

The next item on the agenda is that it is true, I have started a football career.  That is football writing.  I could have been a Premier League footballer if it wasn’t for the fact that I have no desire to pay pvc clad Grandmothers for sex.  Therefore I have settled on writing football.  My first article is already on-line at a website called State of the Game.  You can read my debut article here.

I know a number of people have been asking me when ‘Existence Is Futile’ will finally be available in Poland.  I am delighted to say NOW!  Today I discovered that it is available on Kraina Ksiazek .  On the subject of the ‘Existence Is Futile’ paperback, I have to say that it is spreading through Scandinavia like rumours of a new celebrity sex video on the internet.  The awfully nice chaps at cdon.com have made it available on cdon.no, cdon.se, cdon.dk and cdon.fi.  It’s also available via another vendor in Finland – bookplus.fi  Incidentally if you happen to read any stories in the papers about a rise in the suicide rate in Finland, it has absolutely nothing to do with my book.

The first reviews of ‘Existence Is Futile’ are starting to dribble through on the electronic superhighway, and so far have been mostly positive.  If you have read ‘Existence Is Futile’ or ‘The Story of Albert Ross’ and have enjoyed them, please try to find the time to write a review, as they help me immensely.  Also I would like to remind all of you that the photo competition on Facebook is still in effect.  No winner will be declared until the 8th of September.  All you need to do is to take a photo of yourself reading ‘Existence Is Futile’ in an unusual or imaginative situation, upload it to Facebook and tag the ‘Existence Is Futile’ group.  So get snapping.  Let’s see how creative you lot really are.  Until next time.