ramblings

Weekly Ramble #130

Lee Hall 1 Comment

What an incredible year 2021 has been. Although challenging at times the past twelve months could be described by many words but for me as an author, I’m going to use potential.

Potential because the results I have seen for my efforts has convinced me this journey is worthwhile and has potential to go a lot further than I am right now. Of course the support I have received by you on here or across the platforms has fuelled me to reach higher and further than ever. I’ve achieved so many wonderful things this year and that tells me I can go on and get even better things. From having my book downloaded 10,000 times in a single day to tripling my Twitter following from 5k to nearly 18k, damn, things have really gone from strength to strength, I have even made money from selling books.

I’ve never been one to boast and while my statistics are awesome let them be the greatest advert for what you can achieve because I know there are so many creatives who follow me and who are just like me. If I can get these awesome things then you certainly can, for me, the next chapter is around the corner and so is yours. All I have ever done is never given up and kept going. From figuring out what my following enjoys seeing to the wider aspects of selling books and myself as a brand. The truth is, I want others to achieve what I have done, you’ll see from the plethora of guides I have churned out this year because helping others helps me, helping others builds trust and friendships, helping others is also incredibly rewarding. If you can find just one aspect of a journey to be rewarding then it makes the whole thing way more worthwhile. I’ve left my mark this year and potential is what drives me every day to keep leaving it.

Weekly Ramble 112

Lee Hall Leave a comment

Winding down. For real this time. It has been a busy and intense journey but now I’m on my way out of that place to hopefully somewhere a little more calmer. No doubt the last year has been a fight to get my name and words out there but right now I feel like that fight is done and the best thing is, I’m happy with the results.

It feels nice to be able to sit back. By that I mean recede into writing more and more. I’ve got editing to do, I’m going to try and query agents at some point but the wonderful thing is about this stuff, the pressure is off. I was being pulled along by my aspirations to reach 10,000 Twitter followers and releasing a book. Both are now done and so I can relax. This blog wil continue to produce content, it is the pillar of everything no matter how many thousands of social media followers I have.

I’ll be present where I can but for now I’m content with relaxing a little. Maybe that desire to chase and chase and chase will be back again soon, but success is in the eye of the beholder in writing and what I see before me is all good things.

Weekly Ramble #106

Lee Hall Leave a comment

The past week has been an intense deep-dive into the editing of a book which is a month away from release. It represents the journey of everything I’ve learned and its intention I hope is to serve as the grandest gesture I can pay to the writing community and my readers – many of which are authors. After all, you folks made me, and you folks decided that my works were going to be a success.

I’ve become one with the journey which has now evolved into a quest. A mission to prove that not only I can find results in indie authoring and blogging but that everyone else can too, no matter where you start. Our words can stand on their own two feet and shoulder to shoulder with the rest of literature. A bold and possibly over ambitious goal but everything else I’ve achieved was and is just that. Not for glory, not for money but for the better of writing; that’s the dream I am now facing because as I said the journey has become part of me.

My numbers across the board have continued to rise and galvanise everything I’ve put into this book with hopes others can take some information and perhaps even leapfrog what I’ve done. That would be the true dream in all of this. Just how are my numbers rising daily? The support from you guys and just by being myself because good people are drawn to honesty. What you see with me, is what you get. No Twitter gimmicks, no controversy grabs, just plain honesty and a drive to help others. Honesty and being genuine always wins the day.

Weekly Ramble #105

Lee Hall 2 Comments

Over the past weekend we crossed eight thousand tweet machine followers! Although things are moving real quick at the moment its a pinnacle milestone because this time last year it only stood at half that. I suppose that’s the wonder of social media and being plugged in to it, things can jump quickly sometimes, especially if you put in the time.

This humble blogging effort is also in the milestone territory of 800 follows which I must applaud all of you for. The support you have shown is incredible and good things are coming, I promise. Right now I’m taking a short break to write this entry, a break from being in the intense thunder dome of editing my next release which is less than a month away hopefully.

‘Consistent Creative Content’ has become a mission of mine to get right but I’ve been incredibly lucky to learn so much over the years and then even more fortunate to receive professional level feedback from my BETA readers. Seriously, these folks have gone above and beyond any realm that I expected – knowing good people has become something I’m incredibly lucky at seemingly. If you get yourself out there and connect with others, eventually you’ll find the same. Just got to keep going…

Weekly Ramble #95

Lee Hall 2 Comments

Things are better than yesterday. As an author and creator that’s all I can hope for. Better results than yesterday fuelled by the desire to carry on. The whole ‘keep going’ thing is ingrained on my philosophy and hasn’t ever let me down. I said last week that this is going to be a brutal year and it is, but there is hope to found even in dark times.

When someone asks me how it’s going. The sales, the blog views the whole authoring and blogging social media deal – I simply tell them it’s better than it was, better than yesterday and it is. From selling a couple of books a month to selling one every ten days to now selling more than one every four days. I’ve trialled and errored my way into figuring out book marketing, social media marketing and knowing when to swoop in and convince a person to buy into me. Timing and time is the above all attribute that I hold responsible for all of my success, that is with the sheer will to keep going put to one side.

All of those successful moments and trials and errors I have meticulously laid out in a self help guide book that I am going to be looking to publish this side of the year. While I edit and continually add to it, my uncertainty rears it’s ugly head every now and then. Will anyone benefit from this rather broad explanation of how I got to here? Does anything in this project matter? That imposter syndrome – something I refuse to believe in is perhaps creeping in. I have always cared what people think of my stuff. I’m going to begin searching for some much needed second opinions soon. BETA readers need apply here. I’m gonna need your level headed thoughts to get through this..

Weekly Ramble #94

Lee Hall Leave a comment

It’s going to be a long and brutal year. From what has already happened all the way to the perhaps far off light on the ever further horizon it’s going to be a grind. I’ve faced many adversities in my life and survived; this year will be no different – perhaps surviving and rolling up my sleeves is all I know what to do.

You watch the news and you’ll know just what we are in for. But not all of it is bad, it’s just difficult and defining that difference much like any perspective is what will pull me through. I’ve had every type of day at the office in my life so the sequel to 2020 doesn’t scare me although every time I look at the news there’s something else to sigh deeply about. Where I am is currently locked down, the virus numbers are higher than ever, the causation most probably people not acknowledging how serious this whole deal is – the people that aren’t me.

January is traditionally a gruelling month with book sales, already somehow I can boast just a handful – something I will revel in, damn it’s hard to sell books sometimes and getting reviews, well that’s another question. That struggle is universal and never ending, the trick is not to let it get to you. A poor man doesn’t dwell on their bank balance or what he hasn’t got, he concentrates on trying to improve from zero, take that how you will but with everything going on around me, I’ll look to improve what I can by taking every victory I can no matter the size. Every single victory is going to count this year and hopefully turn the tables, eventually. Let’s hope so…

To those who have grabbed a copy of my work recently or left a review, thank you.

Words stacked against me…

Lee Hall Leave a comment

Happy November folks, how about a Sunday re-blog and yep this one describes my current writing endeavours, this whole deal goes round in circles sometimes…

Lee's Hall of information

It feels like the words are stacked against me, 

Get this done and maybe I’ll be free,

Right now the ending I cannot see. 

Miles of words to go until I can end this show,

Forward is the only way I know how to go, 

How I’ll actually get there, not even I know… 

View original post

Weekly Ramble #79

Lee Hall Leave a comment

The decision to carry on through whatever this year has thrown me is shaping up to be the best thing I’ve ever done in both authoring and blogging. 

During March and even April, things weren’t easy for any of us, and that’s still the case now. There’s uncertainty, anxiety and a boat load of crap that’s the resultant of these times. I’ve been extremely fortunate in being able to have a choice to carry on. Not only has this become my best coping strategy for what is happening, it’s started to yield rewarding results. 

There’s a story in everyone’s individual journey and mine is no different to anyone working their way through life, trying to figure things out. Considering the continuous ‘successful’ numbers this blog has experienced along with actual book sales, I’ve turned around recently and realized that road behind me is full of detailed lessons in how I got to today.

Combined with the interactions I’ve had recently with fellow peers in this writing community, this journey seems to be getting better and better. Without realizing; my quest to discover new books and authors has earned me a word I would never imagine anyone using to describe me or my efforts; respect. 

This has become a real pinnacle moment or even an epiphany, because when I first started out and all the way to now, its confirmation that this journey has been worthwhile and perhaps that’s worth more than anything else. While I began this journey of writing books and trying to get them read – it’s the everything else that happened which became the true moral of it all. 

I’ve always written books for me; first and foremost. But now, I know I write this blog for you. These two philosophy’s go hand in hand. Over the many years, I’ve learned a hell of a lot. And now I have the numbers, figures, sales, follows or whatever you want to measure that with, to prove it all works.

The light bulb moment appeared last week when of course like usual an idle writers mind is a dangerous thing. Now I am over 10,000 words into a guide book of all the lesson’s I’ve learned over the years to get to here. It’s part biography and part self help guide with a hope it isn’t too self indulgent. It won’t be for everyone. And already I’ve poured out part of my story which is full of struggle and triumph. As I said there’s a story in everyone’s individual journey and if I can relay mine in a way that helps just one other person, I would have succeeded.

It’s still in the very early stages, but you can expect this guide book to authoring and blogging in the social media age to arrive next year. 5 books in 4 years, soon to be 6 in 5 is definitely more than enough in terms of credentials and a blog where the numbers quadrupled in the space of a year. The whole premise of this guide will be if I can do this, so can you. And you can!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hall of Information Interviews: Blair Leftly – Feed the Crime

Lee Hall Leave a comment

The venture of discovering unique voices extends into the important world of book blogging for this Hall of Information Interview. Blair Leftly from Feed the Crime is a prolific blogger who has contributed so much to the writing community through her passion for reading and reviewing. Her efforts have guided many readers and helped many authors including myself. It’s incredibly important that bloggers who work so hard get the coverage they deserve. 

Feed the crime

Feed the crime

Feed the Crime Instagram

Q1. Let us jump right in and talk about reading. You dedicate an impressive amount of time to books. Have you always been an avid reader? And how many books do you read on average a month?

“For as long as I can remember I’ve always read, in school we used to have silent reading time which now looking back I seemed to be the only one who looked forward to it. My reading has taken a nose dive these last few months, I used to read at least 10 books a month where as I’m struggling to even read 1 book a week at the minute. I think I put too much pressure on myself to read a large amount each month and it’s taken it’s toll. I need to remember that it doesn’t matter how much I read each month just as long as I’m enjoying what I do read.”

1 book a week is still an incredible feat!

Q2. Of course you review these reads via your Feed the Crime blog. Please tell us more about your blogging efforts?

“I’m not afraid to admit that sometimes I find it hard to pull inspiration for enough blog posts to post each week so that is why I do take part in book memes such as Top 5 Saturday and Down The TBR Hole, they are the posts I love reading each week so it makes sense for me to take part in them. I’ve not been blogging as much the last few weeks, there’s so much going on in the world right now, I work my ass off in the lab and I’m moving house on the 25th. I love my blog and I never want it to feel like a chore, so if I don’t have enough time for everything right now then I’m ok with that, after all we’re only human.”

Top 5 saturday

Q3. In recent times, you’ve branched out to read other genres as opposed to crime fiction. What other genres do you enjoy?

“Until last year I had only ever read crime fiction hence the name, however the blogging world showed me all these amazing books that have never even been on my radar before and it was so exciting! I found out that I love fantasy, sci-fi and I’d never read a vampire novel until your book Darke Blood which completely took me by surprise. My two favourite books of the year so far are actually fantasy which I never would have expected!” 

Thank you for mentioning ‘DB’, of course the unexpected can bring wonderful things especially when it comes to reading.

Q4. Feed the Crime is very close to an incredible 1000 followers. What does it take to achieve such an impressive following?

“I didn’t actually get involved with the blogging community that much for the first year as I was too nervous and felt that I would never be able to fit in. I finished the first year with less than 50 followers. I think I started gaining followers more consistently from the beginning of 2019 as that’s when I was posting 3/4 times a week, as well as participating in weekly book memes and blog tours, I was starting to put my blog out there.
I still can’t believe the number of followers, I used to go on all the blogs with 1000+ followers and just think there’s no way I will ever get there and now it’s so close to happening.”

That is quite incredible and goes to show that consistent content and participation work in building a following!

Q5. Where did blogging begin for Blair?

“I first started my blog in September 2017 not long after I started having seizures, I had to leave my job as I worked in a children’s play centre and I had 2 fits in front of children. When it was diagnosed as epilepsy I had to surrender my driving license and sell my car, so I was in a really low place with too much time in my head. My friend suggested that I find somewhere to review all the books that I’d been reading and after some research that’s how Feed The Crime happened.”

Q6. Moving away from books and blogging, do you have any interests outside of being an awesome blogger? You’ve mentioned WWE once or twice; something I used to follow religiously and more casually these days. Do you have a favourite WWE performer?

“I don’t have very many interests outside of books and blogging to be honest. Me and my partner have been to see WWE live here in Liverpool twice and it was an amazing experience, we were stood at the ramp so we were able to see each performer up close, it’s something I will never forget. In terms of favourite performer, that’s like asking me to pick my favourite book I can’t just have one haha!”

“Female I would say Becky Lynch, I loved her old steampunk style and lass kicker attitude. Male I have two, Roman Reigns and Goldberg they are just legends no doubt about it.”

Excellent choices. I will have to agree with you on Becky Lynch, she is the lass kicker!

Q7. Tea, coffee, beer or wine?

“Hmmm this is a tough one it definitely depends where I am, at home I drink gallons of tea, if I’m catching up with friends or writing blogs in coffee shops then I normally drink a Caramel Macchiato. Of course after a stressful day or week at work then a cold beer is just what the doctor ordered!”

Q8. Back to books. Do you have a short list of must read books that everyone should experience?

“The books that I think are must reads won’t be to everyone’s taste, so I’ve picked 4 different genres.”

– “The Joona Linna series by Lars Kepler (This my favourite translated series that I would love to see more people read)”

– “You Let Me In by Lucy Clarke (This had me hooked and I was stood up shouting by the end)”

– “The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson (He is my favourite non-fiction author, If you love Louis Theroux documentaries then you need to read his books)”

– “The Teleporter by Lee Hall (Of course I had to include this book as I had so much fun reading it, it’s hard for a book to make me laugh but this did it!)”

Featured Image -- 4193

Its an honor to be a part of this list. thank you.

Q9. What are you currently reading/plan to read next?

“I’m currently listening to the audiobook of Written in Blood by Chris Carter which is number 11 in the Robert Hunter series. The series as a whole is addictive but extremely gruesome and not for the faint-hearted!”

Q10.  And finally, in one sentence, what advice would you give to someone just starting their blogging journey?

“Don’t ever feel alone, embrace the book community, find blogs that interest you and comment on them, you can make so many friendships that way, also don’t be afraid to ask questions.”

Wonderful advice and a unique insight into reading and book blogging from Blair of Feed the Crime. Thank for sharing and for the continual support of the writing and blogging community.

I highly recommend you follow the awesome Feed the Crime Blog. 

You can also catch Blair on the Tweet machine  and Instagram

Readers old and new, I appreciate you taking the time to read this Hall of Information Interview, hopefully see you in the next one!

Recent Indie Book Rec’s

Lee Hall 2 Comments

In a world that is seemingly half closed things have never been busier for the Hall of Information, and I know, being busy is not only the fashion these days but time flies when your doing stuff! The realisation is, I haven’t done a book rec post in quite a while, so let’s dive in…

51940090. sx318 sy475

‘Moon- Sitting’ by E.M. Harding is a science fiction tale with plenty of originality and it’s different, which is hard to do these days especially with Hollywood churning out remake after remake but this book stood out and carved its own unique path.

I’ll admit, I went into it totally blind (I do that a lot these days) and was completely enveloped in a world of questions, revelations, twists and then finally answers. Shorter reads like this deserve way more spotlight because they do everything longer reads do and more. You can read my full review here

54193085. sx318

‘Mark of a Demon’ by Despoina Kemeridou has only been on the shelves for a handful of weeks and some of you may remember Despoina was kind enough to be the first ever Hall of Information Interviewee. Last year I reviewed her debut book and unique fairy tale ‘Fated to Meet You’ and yet again that unique style is carried into this new one but with a darker edge, something I very much enjoyed. You can read my review here.

Magpie by [Paul Jameson]

‘Magpie’ by Paul Jameson appeared on my sights after he agreed to be the second Hall of Information Interviewee and it was another fantastic insight into an author with a unique voice. The week following the interview he made this wonderfully written short available for free – of course I grabbed at the opportunity and much like his other work ‘Nightjar’ which I reviewed earlier this year I was immersed in that style which reads like a classic but feels modern. If you want just snippet of this authors style I recommend Magpie, followed by ‘Nightjar’. You can read my review here.

 

52852645. sy475

‘The Dreamophile’s Diary’ by Shazrina came to me through Reedsy Discovery; as some of you folks may know they approached me a while back and so I review books for their platform every month. This one was my latest Reedsy read and it’s surrealistically interesting to say the least. This collection of shorts that are based upon dreams and so you can imagine each one carries a certain quirkiness and what impressed me the most is that essence of dreams is very well captured through description and style. We’ve all had dreams where weird things happen and random events occur, the author manages to relay that perfectly. You can read my full review here (via Reedsy Discovery)   

53838641. sy475

‘The Player Without Luck’ by Kristina Gallo is a new release by an author who impresses me with each read she releases. Not only are her stories immersive and dramatic but English isn’t even her native language and so that tells me Kristina has worked exceptionally hard to create this story. This one will throw you into a world of sinister goings on full of twists and eventual revelations. You can read my review here. 

What’s next?

For the first time in a book recommendation post I have decided to look forward and reveal what reviews will be coming up on the horizon. Recently more and more authors have approached the Hall of Information for reviews and there are also books I have set my sights on for quite a while now, so here are some books you can expect me to review next…

My current read is ‘The Silent Betrayal’ by Momus Najmi and this one is quite unique in terms of writing style and voice. You can expect a review by the end of this week!

53998697. sy475

‘Senescence’ by Denver Scott is a Reedsy Discovery book that I took on back in early July and it’s an incredible deep dive vision into the future. That’s all I can say and you can expect the review in a few weeks!

53321004. sy475

Last week I was approached by an author with a very current book who is looking for reviews. ‘Deceit of the Soul’ has fully embraced the opportunity of recent times to tell what looks like a very interesting story. You can expect a review soon!

53449215. sy475

Keeping with the theme of science fiction, ‘Lords of Mars’ by Colin Yeoman has just been released and of course we grabbed ourselves a copy seeing as the book that preceded this one ‘Memories of Mars’ was so good. You can expect to see a review of it soon.

Lords of Mars by [Colin Yeoman]

And that wraps up my latest book rec’s. Followers old and new, thanks for stopping by. What are you reading? Answers in the comments, go!