So I asked two authors for a blurb on my eBook about to be a print paperback (to go on the back cover).
Norman Ray Fitts, ever the teacher, gave me a synopsis and critique. Not sure he was into the whole parody concept. I'm still incredibly grateful for the author blurb he came up with. Here's what his blurb will look like on the back cover:
"A great romp through the galaxy with two well defined main characters and a story that keeps you constantly guessing about what weird thing is going to happen next."
It is a good blurb. Positive and concise. Norman's work (The Sentinal among others) can be purchased here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Sentinel-Norman-Ray-Fitts/dp/1451559275
Joe McKinney is a pretty well known author in horror circles for the Dead City series of zombie novels, three and counting plus a great number of other novels and short stories (http://joemckinney.wordpress.com/the-collected-works-of-joe-mckinney/). If you follow his online blog (Old Major's Dream http://joemckinney.wordpress.com/), you'll also note he is fairly well read and educated. Here's what he gave me back verbatim as a blurb:
"No self-respecting kid raised in the 1970s could help but love space opera. We had Star Wars, we had Space: 1999, we had Star Trek and Isaac Asimov and Harry Harrison and the birth of New Wave. So when I see space opera done exceedingly and lovingly well, as Artemus Withers does in The Adventures of Reztap, it gives me a thrill. Discovering a genre anew is a gift, and Artemus Withers gives freely. Built on a classic rescue story plot, Withers' story proceeds to slay all the sacred cows of science fiction, but does it with such humor, such style, that even a hardened fan can't help but laugh along. The Adventures of Reztap has got the humor of Douglas Adams, the snappy dialogue of Firefly, and all the moral slipperiness of the Stainless Steel Rat, but it is a unique and wonderful story all its own. This is the good stuff!"
While I'm certainly not under the impression that I'm anywhere near as great an author as those mentioned, it did give me some pleasure knowing the reader recognized a lot of my parody inspiration.
It's interesting the diversity of the two authors and their level of commentary and insight into the writing. Of course, the same will be said for the readers out there. Some will get it, some won't. I can only hope that all will find it entertaining. At least both of the author's who blurbed for me enjoyed it.
Regards,
Artemus
* * * * *
You can find the eBook version of The Adventures of Reztap at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/161674 in PDF, HTML and .modi format for the Kindle - soon to be on iTunes, Barnes & Noble's Nook and the Sony eBook reader.
* * * * *
You can find the eBook version of The Adventures of Reztap at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/161674 in PDF, HTML and .modi format for the Kindle - soon to be on iTunes, Barnes & Noble's Nook and the Sony eBook reader.
