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Weekly Ramble #132

Lee Hall Leave a comment

In 2021 over 20,000 readers visited this blog. A record that stands as the best ever for Lee’s Hall of Information and proof that your words can eventually find an audience no matter how long you have been trying. And to me, trying is all you ever have to do in any vocation to find results.

Good things take time, work and patience and if you are willing to endure the journey of facing zero and the general graft of it all then someday that reward will present itself. That may sound easier said than done, especially now as I sit here with such a great number but those who have been around a while will know this journey has not been easy. From reverting to zero to dealing with the general snooty gatekeepers who I share this literary industry with. I have also found a wonderful and giving audience, you guys, who keep me blogging.

The future of this blog is incredibly bright and after so many years, ups and downs and work, this whole deal is starting to pay off! Thank you for reading and joining me. 2021 is coming to a close but there are just a few more tricks up my sleeve before the sun goes down on it.

Every Book I have read in 2021 Pt1

Lee Hall Leave a comment

2021 has been a year of variety in terms of reads for me. 43 in total and all of them indie or self published. I’m a big believer of supporting the industry that I’m apart of and so here is a break down of the first 21 books I read and reviewed in 2021…

‘Civil Blood: The Vampire Rights Case That Changed a Nation’ by Chris Hepler

‘An alternative but realistic take on vampires with sharp political and biological edges…‘

4 Stars Full Review

‘The Word of the Rock God’ by Brooklynn Dean

‘An intimately descriptive fable that merges rock and roll with a powerful message…‘

5 Stars Full Review

‘Husband for Rent’ by Kristina Gallo

‘A tale full of twisting suspense about those on the fringes of society…‘

4 Stars Full Review

‘Deadly Odds’ by Allen Wyler

‘He’s in deep with the big fishes and the odds are hardly in his favour…‘

4 Stars Full Review

‘Moojag and the Auticode Secret’ by N.E. McMorran

‘Colourful and imaginative with a positive message about being different…‘

5 Stars Full Review

‘Snag’ by Dylan Burroughs

‘A well-paced horror that puts story first and the finer details perhaps second…‘

3 Stars Full Review

‘From Voiceless to Vocal’ by Danielle Larsen

‘Candid, brave and ultimately inspirational…‘

5 Stars Full Review

‘Judd’ by J.D Toombs and Erika Schulze

‘A ‘high school for heroes’ tale about the power of accepting who you are paired with some unique world building…‘

4 Stars Full Review

‘Deification’ by Brooklynn Dean

‘The intimate description and deep prose will consume you long before the apocalypse…‘

5 Stars Full Review

‘Raven Woman’s Tavern’ by Laura Koerber

“There were many things the people of Warrentown didn’t know about Raven…”

4 Stars Full Review

‘Pestilence’ by Susie Kearley

‘A well-thought-out pacey tale of the times from a promising British author…‘

5 Stars Full Review

‘Sex, Violence, Mars’ by Walrus

‘A short but fun sci-fi story with great world building, action and some laughs…‘

4 Stars Full Review

‘Nocturnal Salvation’ by Villimey Mist

‘The Nocturnal series has returned and is better than ever…‘

5 Stars Full Review

‘Don’t Lose Your Head’ by Dave Williams

‘A twisted, haunting and enjoyable read that dives deep into the shadowy depths of one man’s mind…‘

5 Stars Full Review

‘Hearts and Spears’ by Somto Jefferson Uwazie

‘A unique and thought provoking collection of emotion-resonating poetry…‘

5 Stars Full Review

‘Operation: Palmetto’ by R.T. Breach

‘The chase is on for one man on a mission to prove his worth and the stakes are high…‘

3 Stars Full Review

‘Josef The Writer’s Cat’ by Ellen Khodakivska

‘A heart-warming and fun story told from a unique perspective…‘

5 Stars Full Review

‘Life of Maggot’ by Paul Jameson

‘A masterfully written vision and song about the end of time…‘

5 Stars Full Review

‘King of the Wicked’ by T.R. Hamby

‘An immersive imaginative take on Angels, humanity and immortality…‘

5 Stars Full Review

‘Born in Stockport – Grew up in the Royal Navy: Book One’ by Maurice Perkins

‘An entertaining and gritty series of real life tales told with charm…‘

4 Stars Full Review

‘ARIA: Book 1 of the Scintillance Theory’ by Gyorgy Henyei Neto

‘Immersive science fiction with some mystery and time travel elements…‘

4 Stars Full Review

And so that wraps up part 1. You can read part 2 here! Thanks for reading and make sure you check out some of these awesome books. Remember to leave a review if you buy any! Peace out readers.

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 #115

Lee Hall 2 Comments

A new month means new opportunity. June was a grind and the obligatory ‘slow month after a book release’ type of month for me. This year is disappearing quickly but this blog is growing in followers. To those who have recently followed this humble blogging effort – thank you. I’m not great at previewing or short-term planning because much of my creativity is put together on the fly but I’ve got some good things coming this month.

You can expect to be reading a brand new book promotion results post quite soon as the last weekend of June was my semi-sucessful super fun happy book discount. A few more reviews have already come in for my that discounted book Consistent Creative Content – thank you!

I also have 2 Reedsy Discovery Reviews and most probably a look back at some recent ‘Reedsy Discovery Reads’ – I’ve been reviewing books with them for a year now and have discovered some awesome tales in that time.

I have also taken part in a few blogging interviews which I’ll be sharing across social media when they are out and later on in July I am taking part in a video interview via Instagram – a first for me.

Well, that’s my boring life. What have you got planned this month?