Month: November 2023

Weekly Ramble #186

Lee Hall 1 Comment

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Resilience in the face of adversity is what has carried me through every challenge I have ever faced in life. Rolling up both sleeves and working a way through things is how I have always survived and that makes me incredibly proud. As I write the 900th post on this blog, I am reflecting on what has been an awesome creative journey. Milestones are worth celebrating, whether they are yours or others, embracing positivity and sharing it brings us all closer so I’d like to thank every one of you for being here.

This year has been difficult but also rewarding and while it isn’t over yet, there have been some moments which will define my path to come. Even in times of distraction or low creative output, I have always found time to do something and sometimes at a gradual pace as this can still bring good things in the long term. It might not be about where you stand today, but with the work you put in, this will drive you to stand somewhere much better in the future.

As for me, I’ll keep blogging, creating and doing my best to keep going throughout the challenges that continue to make me more resilient than yesterday. Rock and roll and writing!

‘The Blissful Plague’ by Brady Koch – Review

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A powerful dystopian tale of hope and empathy

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I found myself entirely engrossed in this final entry of Brady Koch’s ‘All Our Forgotten Futures’ series which delivers a powerful message of hope and empathy. The immersive dystopian setting and themes are strong alongside a tight cast of characters that embark on an incredible journey.

Twelve-year-old ‘Maggie’ has only really known the times after civilisation essentially collapsed and is guided by her mother, together they face this world and their dynamic carries the story. Their relationship and feelings are captured exceptionally well and their tale is the perfect way to end a series I have enjoyed from the very start. From being a teacher to simply a friend – ‘Maggie’ and her ‘Momma’ express all of the challenges and moments that come with a realistic parent/child relationship and it carries the story.

Even when most of society as we know it today has been stripped away, there is still hope that someone out there has a conscience to help others and among many other themes, that’s what this story is about. The description is on point along with the pacing and throughout there are moments that moved me along with a perfect ending. There are plenty of powerful quotes throughout, but I shall leave my favourite below.

‘Most people think that the future is something that happens to them. But it’s something that we all have a hand in creating. For better or worse, I had a hand in making all of this.’

5 Stars – Thank you to the author for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The Value of Supporting Fellow Creatives

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Some of the best books I have read in recent times were discovered through connecting with other authors online. I can also proudly say the same about much of the media I consume online – I found it through supporting and being supported by fellow creatives and some years ago the concept of that support didn’t even appear on my radar as I spent most of my time looking inward.

Having recently crossed my 7th anniversary of becoming indie published it has presented me with a chance to reflect upon that journey which only really started bringing in positive results when I acknowledged there were others like me out there. It took several key moments to to have that realisation but eventually, it became the most important part of my own creative journey.

With that original quest to find readers, it became so much more after concluding nobody was going to take on my work if I spent all my time just blindly shouting about it. Instead, I began reviewing books by fellow writers and not because I was looking for anything in return but because reading has and always will be a passion to me. Everything I have created has built from reading and so when that first indie book review dropped all the way back in 2018, the positive results were almost instant. I’d realised other people enjoyed reading reviews and there was value in supporting others. Having something to offer whether it is reviewing an experience or even just passing on some knowledge to another person is valuable to me. This might be the most social thing someone can do online in order to build bridges which lead to so many possibilities. 

Repeating this in quantity brought so many different wonderful results from a growing blog following to even friendships with authors who have released multiple books after I discovered one of their titles. There are a stack of indie books which now serve as my top reading experiences along with fond memories of connecting with so many awesome creatives online. Seeing my Twitter grow to nearly 50k followers is something I’d never dream of happening but yet, here we are. It took time, but together we built that. 

This isn’t just all about me because most of you found this Blog through supporting creatives and that is what the content on this platform strives to do while you are also supporting me, a fellow creative and it means a lot. Every week I try my best to think of something to put on here and not for the sake of just posting something but to earn your awesome support and to hopefully help you in some way. 

The platforms might come and go or even bow to trends, but the human element is forever and will stand the test of time.

No matter the size of the achievement, success for one creative is a victory for all and there really is value in seeing others succeed.

Weekly Ramble #185

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The penultimate month of 2023 is here but for me there is still a stack of work to do. Like always, I’m doing something creative while also doing my best to wrap up everything else I set out to do this year.

Some of the books I have read and reviewed have helped brighten the shadows of adversity for me, without reading, I’d never find that much needed escapism from a sometimes brutal world and it can be brutal. As I look to finish my reading list you can expect a few posts listing the highlights soon. Social media has also become a continuous challenge urging me to try other platforms to some success and trying things that take us away from the mundane routine is a good thing. YouTube is something I have been putting my energy into recently and partnered with Patreon, it is going quite well. You can expect more video content soon!

While it isn’t over yet, 2023 will be known for a number of things but to me, it has been a year of resilience because like I always say, good things come to those who keep going.

‘THE INSTITUTE Stolen Case Files’ by T.S. Galindo – Review

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An immersive and fun collection of unique sci-fi stories

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Everything about this unique collection of short sci-fi stories is immersive; from the cover art and blurb onwards there’s a theme of secrecy surrounding an illusive organisation named ‘The Institute’ and this book serves as a report sent through time. It draws the reader in and within, T.S. Galindo has constructed stories of science, time travel, space, people and even robotics among others – each one has a deeper theme or even a conflict of morality and choice where the central reference point is ‘The Institute’.

But just who is behind this organisation? That is part of the fun and mystery which is present throughout and serves as kind of unlimited resource for plot as each story is accompanied by notes which feed the readers an extra level of immersion as they are discovering this Top Secret file. The description in places is intricate and compliments the visuals adding more to the immersion.

‘The scene before Emma was like a wide stroke of silver paint on a canvas. She stood at the side of the ship, transfixed by the storm clouds swept across the sky in great smooth crescents mirrored by the sea in form but not emotion…’

Would you push a button if you weren’t entirely sure what it could change? How do you know if taking shelter is really the right thing or place to be? These are just some of the choices tackled in this enjoyable read.

5 Stars – Thank you to the author for reaching out and providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Power of Resilience as a Creative

Lee Hall 1 Comment

Resilience is defined as the capacity to withstand and to me is the path to success in creativity.  

Near enough every creative in this world will face situations where that capacity may be tested. From finding the daily motivation to create and then everything that comes after releasing that creativity into the world. The path can be littered with challenges. 

From my own experience and from also seeing so many others succeed, I can comfortably say that those who do ride the storm or adversity of doubt, low productivity, general life challenges and of course zero sales do succeed eventually. In this day and age, social media scrolls by quickly and with that comes opportunity in its own right. New people can be found every day on multiple platforms who may embrace and consume your content. It all starts with you and that creativity which eventually resonates to others which is fostered by those resilient in the face of unlimited challenges that may be ahead.  

After releasing my 4th book back in 2018 to low sales, near enough zero attention and all around disappointment I was ready to walk away from writing. But instead, I took a break, read a lot of indie books and found my love for stories which in turn urged me back to the pen. Then my social media profile began to grow but I had no real idea what I was doing. With a lot of sporadic posts and content it would be another 2 years until I hit 5,000 Twitter followers. 10,000 arrived just 5 months later all because I remained resilient and kept tyring to find others like me and you. 

I spent time constantly learning what worked and what didn’t – even now there are things that don’t work because this journey is a constant learning curve. Book promotion, again is another adversity that authors face but it gets better over time and the quest to find readers and methods to reach them is something one learns over time. But it is never too late to apply new skills to older books. Back when my first few books were released, sales were rare, but today, after 8 releases, sales are into double figures every month and have been for years. This is because I kept going. 

There are so many challenges that test our resilience every day but those who have that capacity and keep going do find good things. I found all of my Blog followers over the course of many years and I am thankful you are here. 

Keep going friends. 

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