Ah, May. The month of my birth, but enough painful reminders.
A friend of mine, a former Special Forces NCO, (all my
friends are veterans…hmm)
is today an outstanding professional photographer. He
has offered to take a headshot of me for use on the back cover of my books.
As intriguing as that thought was, at first, I began to
struggle with two thoughts. What if younger
readers turn the book over and see a gray haired old guy.
Might that not cause
them to turn away from my literary offering?
The second hits me a bit harder.
The thought of self-aggrandizement.
Some would say that is the very essence of advertising.
I don’t agree, my advertisements promote the novels, not the
author.
The same with using quotes from your reviews. Is it really
cool for an author to do that? Might not the reader conclude that the author
has only selected the positive comments?
Example: a recent comment reads, “If you like to sleep then DON’T buy this book. It will keep you up at
nights until you're finished.”
And platitudes like, “One
of the best science fiction stories I have ever read! Non-stop heart pounding
action from beginning to end!”
I mean…that stuff makes me blush.
And come on, a review like, “Fantastic story! Well written. Reminds me of the greats of the golden
age of science fiction.”
Really? The greats…WOW. I am so humbled! (And I mean that, now!)
It’s one thing to read these things in the privacy of one’s
own study, but to know they are out there for anyone to read, well―
And then a fan goes as far as to suggest: “His descriptions, at every turn, places you
on the moon and in the room as the main characters struggle for survival.
Intrigue permeates this novel as we are introduced to AI and aliens in a way
that brings this story to life. I am excited about the next book and can't wait
to see this sci-fi series in IMAX Technicolor.
IMAX? I truly feel that is going way overboard. Regular old
3-D will be just fine. No, really. (And not to put too fine a point on it, but…what’s
not shot in technicolor anymore?)
At the same time, an astute observer will find hints to tell
him what he’s doing right, and what he needs to improve on, “I feared a non-techie, such as myself, might
get lost in scientific techno speak, but not so; there was just enough to
explain what was going on, I didn’t feel overwhelmed by it.”
And of course, there are areas that need improvement… “I have never been a science fiction person,
however, half way through this book I
am already excited to read the rest of the series!”
Half way? I certainly
should have grabbed her far earlier than that!
Then, as we all know, come the personal attacks. One critic started with, “The world of science
fiction authors and readers will welcome new author Michael Gonzales.” And
with that the writer went on to accuse me of being a “world builder!”
I want to make it quite clear, right now, I have absolutely
no political aspirations…none!
So, in conclusion, I feel I shall have to achieve considerably
more fame before I post pictures of myself or stoop to quoting from reviews of
my work in public forums.
I thank you,
Mike
And while your there, do feel free to purchase any or all of
my novels.
My Web Site:
http://www.mikegonzalesauthor.com/home.html
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