Recent reviews for "Crowley's Rival"

Crowley's Rival is a piece I'm proud of. While it doesn't approach the length or complexity of The Only Genuine Jones, and only touches on the more profound issues I have explored in my full-length novel, I feel it showcases some of my best writing in a compact form. It was really intended to be a gift to my fans who have supported me so loyally over the past few months. Although it has been read and enjoyed by a select few (84 sales to be precise plus a couple of hundred free downloads), it hasn't achieved the relatively high level of popularity enjoyed by OGJ because I haven't really pushed or promoted it. It has, in short, been a bit of an afterthought when it comes to promotion and exposure.

Appreciation of this short story/novella has recently come from a surprising and very welcome quarter: the wonderful Kindle Users' Forum (UK). This forum is inhabited by a variety of friendly readers and authors and is a brilliant place for indies to discuss their craft. It has become a brilliant support network for me over the last few months, although given the lack of climbers on the forum I never thought my stories would be widely read by members. It now seems I was wrong!

Over the last few days several KUF members have read my book, loved it, and been kind enough to write some glowing reviews. Here is a selection of recent comments:

"... there's a great deal to be admired in the writing. It's never less than competent and in places, it glows. It's easy to be swept up in Alex Roddie's admiration for the solitude of high places, the grandeur and beauty of the long views and the sound of rushing water. A short read, but a great one." - 5* review by Ignite

"Alex Roddie manages to get across all the danger and spectacle of mountaineering. His highly descriptive writing style makes it all very easy to visualise ... He also provides an insight into the minds of those who literally live on the edge, and are moved by a passion for climbing the great peaks of the world. There are some notes from the author at the end which actually increased my enjoyment of the story." - 4* review by David Wailing

"Both Crowley and Jones have been written with skill and although they are both arrogant, they're also tainted with self doubt and reproach (although keep it hidden from the other) This makes them very interesting and the hinted at history of both men makes them completely three dimensional ... This is simply a very good story and if you like good stories then this is for you. Thoroughly entertaining." - 5* review by David Haynes

In conclusion, I have been encouraged to push Crowley's Rival a little harder and think about ways I could help this story reach a wider audience. Watch this space...

Footnote

If you're an Amazon robot sweeping my site and looking for fraudulent reviews, please don't mistake the quotes above for anything dodgy; I'm just an honest author showcasing some brilliant reader feedback. Thanks!

Aleister Crowley

"Crowley's Rival" is free on Kindle until Thursday

To coincide with the launch of The Only Genuine Jones in paperback form, I have put its prequel, Crowley's Rival, on free promotion until Thursday. It's a short novella aimed at fans of historical fiction and adventure writing.

You can download your copy here.

I am also looking for reviews (UK and US) for this title, so if you download and read it please leave a review. =) I would also appreciate any help in spreading the word through social networks etc.

CROWLEY'S RIVAL

Long before he became the Great Beast 666, a young Aleister Crowley met his match in the mountains of Britain.

At the age of seventeen, 'Alick' Crowley is impatient to begin life on his own terms. He bursts with energy but his strict religious education crushes every original impulse. He would do anything to have a real adventure.

When he visits the Lake District in the summer of 1893, he attempts to climb the crags of Scawfell. He has no climbing experience and no gear, but fortunately he meets some of the extraordinary men who have made a sport out of climbing these cliffs.

One of them is O.G. Jones, the self-proclaimed best climber in England ... but Crowley believes that Jones is a liar after being humiliated and criticised by the more experienced man. He wants to prove that Jones is not what he claims to be, but who would believe him?

He vows to escape from his overbearing parents, live the life of adventure he has dreamed about, and return to challenge Jones on his own turf.

PRAISE FOR CROWLEY'S RIVAL

"... a very fine piece of writing.  Your description of the climbing scenes was very vivid and, of course, well researched.  I also thought that you sustained the tension very well and that the insights into Crowley’s character were particularly good."
-- John D Burns, author and performer of Aleister Crowley: A Passion for Evil

All is ready for the book launch

In four days I will be travelling up to Scotland to host my very first book launch party! The event is taking place at the Clachaig Inn, Glencoe, on Wednesday the 27th at 9pm. As you can see in the picture I have been busy doing a bit of admin for the event today: newsletter signup sheets, business cards, 'please review' flyers, and freebie vouchers.

Every attendee who buys a paperback will get a free ebook copy in the format of their choice, and to sweeten the deal yet further, my Kindle novella Crowley's Rival will be on free promotion for three days over the book launch.

10% of all profits from the night will be donated to Glencoe Mountain Rescue team.

I have been rehearsing the talk today and have timed it to around half an hour including a brief reading from the first chapter. Hopefully that will be about the right length to avoid sending everyone to sleep!

The mountain weather forecast for this week is currently spectacular, so I'm hoping there will be enormous crowds of climbers in Glencoe. If my brother's adventures over the last few days are anything to go by then we should be in for a treat.

The only remaining question marks are a) will I be left with loads of surplus, or will my stocks sell out? b) will I make it off the hill for 9pm after my day's climb? c) will people like what I have to say, or will I get booed off the stage?

We'll find out soon enough! If you're going to be at the launch I will see you there, and if not I will be writing up some coverage of the event (hopefully with photos) on this blog.

The first ever paperback copy of my first novel is here

The very first paperback copy of OGJ

Well, today is proving to be a rollercoaster of a day! Crowley's Rival has already been downloaded over a hundred times, partly because it was actually on the Kindle store yesterday, priced at free to enable a few of my most valued fans to download it before general availability. However, a lot of other people also noticed it and downloaded it before the price went up to 79p. The book has shot up the charts and is currently sitting at #3 in the mountaineering bestseller list and #5,686 overall.

In other news, the very first (ever!) paperback copy of The Only Genuine Jones dropped through my letterbox this afternoon!

This is my 'author copy' sent by FeedARead for me to read through and check for errors. I've only flipped through it so far, but I have one word to describe it: gorgeous. The cover is flawless and glossy. The interior text is crisp, sharp, and perfectly formatted. Even the pen and ink illustrations, which I had worried might not be reproduced clearly enough, are very sharp (although not quite 300dpi).

I will write another post to let you all know my verdict on the proof, but for now here are a few photos.

Crowley's Rival is now available on Amazon Kindle

It is my pleasure to announce that my new short story (novella?), Crowley's Rival, is now live on the Kindle store. You can download it here for 79p.

The book is 10,000 words in length so considerably shorter than The Only Genuine Jones. Nevertheless, it's essential reading for fans of my full-length novel, as it takes the reader back to 1893 to show the origins of the feud between Jones and Crowley.

Here's the official blurb:


At the age of seventeen, Alick Crowley is impatient to begin life on his own terms. He bursts with energy but his strict religious education crushes every original impulse. He would do anything to have a real adventure.

When he visits the Lake District in the summer of 1893, he attempts to climb the crags of Scawfell. He has no climbing experience and no gear, but fortunately he meets some of the extraordinary men who have made a sport out of climbing these cliffs.

One of them is O.G. Jones, the self-proclaimed best climber in England ... but Crowley believes that Jones is a liar after being humiliated and criticised by the more experienced man. He wants to prove that Jones is not what he claims to be, but who would believe him?

He vows to escape from his overbearing parents, live the life of adventure he has dreamed about, and return to challenge Jones on his own turf.

Looking back on 2012 from an author's perspective

I know we're not quite at the end of the year yet, but the next two weeks are going to be very busy so I thought I would write a reflective post while I have the chance! I will also take this opportunity to bring readers up to speed with a few recent developments.

At the start of 2012 my writing career was in the doldrums of searching for a literary agent. I received plenty of encouraging rejection letters, informing me that while my book showed promise, it wasn't marketable enough. In July I celebrated the end of my first full decade as a 'serious' writer: an anniversary that shocked me in with how little of substance I had accomplished in that time, blaming my lack of progress on a stagnant traditional publishing industry. I made the decision to self publish that very day. Since then I have been working at breakneck speed and have already achieved far more success in five months than in a whole decade previously.

Circumstances have helped me a great deal. Ten years ago self publishing was virtually a non-starter due to a minuscule ebook market and no print on demand services that the average author could use. Even five years ago, when I first started writing OGJ in its initial form, ebooks were relatively obscure. I may have missed the 'gold rush' years of new Kindle authors being catapaulted to fame and riches if they played their cards right, but indie authors with a good story to tell can still find their audience and carve a niche for themselves. Reading technology is mainstream and the Web has matured to the point where anyone can use it as a marketing tool.

Am I a success? The simple truth is that I don't know, because there is no standard measure of success for authors. I have yet to see a penny in profits from my work (Amazon has not yet sent me the first cheque, and in any case, the book hasn't yet broken even). However, as an established author very wisely said to me recently, success as an author is not measured in financial gain because that isn't why we do this--and hardly any writers make a living from their books anyway. It's all about people reading your work and appreciating it. I have been completely overwhelmed by the praise I have received for The Only Genuine Jones, including some stunning reviews and writeups on the Web. Casual visitors to my site have downloaded the book and become the most fervent fans, spreading the word about my work and encouraging others to buy it too. Total strangers have been emailing me to beg for more stories.

I think by any standard this is a huge success. I am extremely pleased with what I have achieved since July, and although I'm very conscious of the fact that this is only the beginning, at last I am making progress in my writing career!

What about the future? I'm not going to slow down in 2013. In a way, the last five months have been a trial run. I've figured out what to do, put my social media skills to good use, and laid the foundations for future success. In 2013 I will be releasing new short stories in the Jones/Crowley universe (I really need a more snappy title for this emerging series) and am working on a new novel called Alpine Dawn, which departs slightly from the canon of OGJ and takes the reader back to 1848 when the Alps were only partially explored.

And after that? You'll have to wait and see, but it involves the fate of O.G.Jones and has the current working title of La Dent Noire.

A FEW UPDATES

1. Crowley's Rival, my new 10,000 word prequel to OGJ, is coming out as a Kindle exclusive on the 19th of December for the introductory price of 79p.
2. The Only Genuine Jones will be on sale for a few days over Christmas for the reduced price of 99p. As I have stated previously I have no plans to put OGJ on a free promotion so this is the cheapest it will ever get!
3. Don't forget that my first paperback release is scheduled for the 27th of February at a special launch event in Glencoe. I'm currently in the process of producing the paperback edition of OGJ and will be writing future blog posts about my experiences with FeedARead (mostly positive so far you will be glad to hear!)

Crowley's Rival will be available from the 19th of December

Crowley's Rival, my new short story (or novella, depending on your definition), will be released as a Kindle exclusive on the 19th of December. That's one week away!

This story is aimed at fans of The Only Genuine Jones, although it also works as a standalone piece and will be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in British history or our mountain heritage. In OGJ, the characters of Jones and Crowley are established enemies. In this new story I take the reader back to the summer of 1893 to show how it all began.

Here's the official blurb.

At the age of seventeen, Alick Crowley is impatient to begin life on his own terms. He bursts with energy but his strict religious education crushes every original impulse. He would do anything to have a real adventure.

When he visits the Lake District in the summer of 1893, he attempts to climb the crags of Scawfell. He has no climbing experience and no gear, but fortunately he meets some of the extraordinary men who have made a sport out of climbing these cliffs.

One of them is O.G. Jones, the self-proclaimed best climber in England ... but Crowley believes that Jones is a liar after being humiliated and criticised by the more experienced man. He wants to prove that Jones is not what he claims to be, but who would believe him?

He vows to escape from his overbearing parents, live the life of adventure he has dreamed about, and return to challenge Jones on his own turf.

Crowley's Rival will be released on December the 19th, 2012, for the introductory price of 79p on the Kindle platform.

New Crowley/Jones story in progress

Wasdale Head: birthplace of English climbing.

The Only Genuine Jones is, in part, the story of a climbing rivalry between two prodigious talents of the mid 1890s: Aleister Crowley and O.G. Jones. For my story I took the facts of the case (presented by numerous biographies and works of climbing history) and went further, wrapping them in my own re-imagining of events. However, December 1896 - July 1897 can only give a glimpse of the complex relationship between Jones and his most vocal critic.

Several fans have recently contacted me to ask if I had any plans to write more stories about these characters. You'll be glad to hear that I have already begun writing a short story, and the working title is Crowley's Rival. It begins in 1893 when Aleister Crowley--or Alick, as he was known then--was a mere seventeen years old and was enjoying his first ever walking holiday in the Lake District. Young Alick was a disruptive child who blew up his school playground two years earlier. He went listlessly from school to school, tutor to tutor, causing chaos and havoc wherever he went--utterly bored by the educational system and repressed by his overbearing Plymouth Brethren parents.

He wanted an outlet, some way of expressing himself, and mountaineering was it. His earliest experiences of climbing on Scafell and Great Gable were formative in more ways than one: in the records that survive, we see that Crowley is headstrong, talented, and utterly scathing of those he considers unworthy of their reputation. He encountered Jones on one of his very first climbing excursions. That first impression was not favourable, and in January 1895 they clashed yet again. These interactions set the tone for their deteriorating relationship later on.

This story will stick far closer to documented historical fact than The Only Genuine Jones. I want to prove that, although my novel is fictitious, there is a foundation of truth and Crowley and Jones really did hate each other virtually from day one.

Crowley's Rival will be released as a Kindle exclusive, hopefully before Christmas. Watch this space--and don't worry, this won't be the only short story I write!

The Wasdale Head inn

In other news, my book has received an absolutely stunning review from Nick Bramhall, hillwalker and outdoor blogger. You can read it here.