Illustration by Katalina Gutierrez: Julius Herman Abu, from The March of the Eccentrics novel.
Reviews.
Reviews. Reviews.
Self-published authors really need to get busy and round them up, and
especially take care to add numbers (statistical salvation) in the event that
they get hit by a one- or two-star torpedo, aka reader deterrent.
Sadly, though, some authors are just not well-constructed for the
business side of self-publishing; they love to write too much and can’t stand
the time away from it, nor the pain of forcing one kind of brain to try to be
another. Moon explorers are rarely
proficient terrestrial arm-twisters, or reminder-freaks.
It doesn’t help that Amazon often takes down the reviews of best friends,
family members and even acquaintances, a step meant to insure objectivity, but
one which actually strands new works of art lacking professional PR machinery in
a reaction vacuum, and exposes them to the dangers of lone gunman criticism
without hope of a friendly counter. Apropos
to this: Try the following
good review to my spiritual autobiography THE JOURNEY OF RAINSNOW.
It was written some time back by a web correspondent of mine (R.H.) who
shared many of my interests, and provides another take on the book:
‘There are precious few books devoted to a person's voyage into their own
mystical experiences, and so it seemed worthwhile making a special mention of J
Rainsnow's first work, "The Journey of Rainsnow: One Man's Past-Life Journey".
‘The first of a series of two books, "The Journey of Rainsnow" is a wonderfully
heart-felt, yet highly intelligent book devoted entirely to his own experiences
of past life regression and the extensive insights he has received into his
soul's journey across the ages. At 600 pages, it seemed impossible that anyone
could write so much about their past life insights, and yet a quick glance at
the table of contents shows that the book is devoted to the detailed exploration
of no less than 11 significant past lives.
‘Each life is explored in-depth and instead of being assailed by meaningless
facts and figures, the reader is pulled right into each life with its hopes and
dreams, its struggles and disappointments while all the way through, Rainsnow's
skill and eloquence really bring these touching scenes to life. By far the
majority of the book is devoted to the past lives, but it also tells the story
of how Rainsnow as a modern day American was first drawn onto the mystical path
and his experiences along the way.
‘For the skeptic, the book would probably suffice as a work of science fiction,
but for people who are seriously interested in the idea of past life regression
and have little idea how it works or what is really possible, the book is a
wealth of information - as well as being very inspirational for those who would
like to someday embark on a similar inward journey of discovery.’
The review remains up at a web archive at: https://www.oocities.org/richard_holmes/reincarnation/rainsnow.htm
An
interesting, related page by the same author may be found at:
https://www.oocities.org/richard_holmes/reincarnation/faq.htm
Regarding my very different MARCH OF THE ECCENTRICS novel, which is a cultural
satire/adventure story especially inspired by Voltaire’s
Candide and Kerouac’s
On The Road,
here is a rare review, reproduced from a
local newsletter. I know this guy,
also, but, seriously: in the world of self-publishing, until you get a real PR
op. up and running, few strangers are likely to even find your work in the near
infinitude of global offerings.
MARCH OF
THE ECCENTRICS REVIEW by R.S.:
“If you are
looking for a truly epic saga, look no further than this work by … J. Rainsnow.
From death-defying heroism to homey vignettes, from palace intrigue to
steamy lovemaking, this story has it all.
“The tale has
many tangents that are often like separate short stories. While the author helps
separate which chapters further the narrative, to me these tangents (the man
with the umbrella, northern headbutting and many others) are often the best
part. So whether you read short
bits here and there or the whole enchilada, I think you will find this book is
worth your time, especially if you are a fan of alternate history or war
novels...”
Thanks,
R.S.!
I do
have plans to overcome my seemingly nonexistent PR presence soon, and to erupt
out of invisibility with my gigantic creative inventory; but as most of my
plans, they are neither conventional nor recommended.
So just sit tight.
Rainsnow’s at work in the lab.