A 5-Star Review for Caught

Greetings all,

I’m thrilled that this is the third week in a row where I have (at least) one review to share with you! We’ll see how this all progresses, but I’m just so happy that people are trying my work and enjoying it.

This five-star review comes from Kayla Krantz, who is an author. She has several books and collections available.

She reviewed this book everywhere, and that’s just so wonderful and kind.

Please see her review for Caught here.

This review is special because Krantz isn’t just an author; she’s an author in this genre. I love when readers like my work, but when my peers acknowledge it, I feel a special appreciation. To me it’s like getting a vote for the Top 100 in the NFL because the players also vote on that list.

If you like my work, there’s a chance you’ll like hers too. I haven’t tried her work yet, so if you do, and you like it, please let me know in the comments. My TBR has somewhere around 13 books on it (before the new Stormlight drops), so I’m just trying to get caught up before I add to that pile more than I already plan to.

Once more, I’m so grateful for the review, and I hope it encourages people to try my work. As always, if you’ve read some of my work, please consider leaving a review on Amazon, Goodreads, Audible, or all three.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

A 4-star review for the Sojourn and Repressed combo paperback!

Greetings all,

    It feels like it’s been forever since I was blessed enough to share a new review, but here we are!

One reader was kind enough to share a 4-start review on Goodreads for the Repressed/Sojourn in Captivity paperback. I’m always thankful for people who take the time to provide feedback. She mentioned she’d like to see more for Elele, and I promise, more is on the way. I will finish the discovery draft of Images of Truth as soon as I finish Oneiros Log. If you’re a kindle reader or a KU reader, you can read either or both of these stories. Repressed is here. Sojourn is here.

I was also happy to see a 5-star rating for The Journals of Bob Drifter! There wasn’t a review to share with you all, but I’m more than happy for the rating.

As always, I’d like to humbly ask that if you’ve read one of my stories, please take a moment to offer a rating and review on Amazon, Goodreads, or both. They really do give me a boost, and they are helpful! A lot of people use them to decide if they want to buy it or not.

Thank you for reading,

Matt

A 5-Star Review for Stealing Freedom!

Greetings all,

I love sharing reviews when I get them, and someone was kind enough to leave a brief but glowing five-star review for Stealing Freedom.

I really do appreciate feedback of any kind, and when it’s positive, I’m all the more grateful.

You can find the review here.

If you’ve read any of my books, I’d really appreciate a rating or review on Amazon, Goodreads, or both.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

A 5-Star Review for Power of Words on Audible

Greetings all,

I really love having reviews to share, especially when they’re good ones. This particular 5-star review for The Power of Words on Audible is from M.K. Williams, author of at least five novels of which I am aware. I always have a special appreciation when other authors appreciate and recommend one of my books. It really means a lot.

As always, I continue to ask if you’ve read my work, please be so kind as to leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads or both. It really does help out a lot.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

A 5-Star Review for Caught!

Greetings all,

I wanted to share this wonderful five-star review for Caught.

I met Cathey at AwesomeCon a few years ago (probably my first year as an official author), and she’s been one of my most stalwart supporters since.

This review actually has some opportunity, as Cathey asked a few questions (not bluntly, but the questions were implied, so I felt the need to answer.)

Was I/am I influenced by Matrix, Edge of Tomorrow, The Sixth Sense, Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb, and/or Metallica’s Enter Sandman.

The short answer is no, none of those stories directly influenced (at least not consciously) any of those stories, but I am a fan of many, so I’d like to take the time to speak about them.

The Matrix: This movie was one I went to see because I had already developed a habit of seeing movies every weekend. Honestly, by that point, it was the only movie I hadn’t seen. I was one of ten or so people in the theater, and by the third time I saw it, the line was enormous.  This original movie (I have entirely different opinions on the sequels), struck me because of it’s visual breakthroughs and clever concept. It took the hero’s origin story to a new place. While The Matrix didn’t directly influence Caught, it did teach me that great stories are often re-imaginings of old concepts.

The Edge of Tomorrow and Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb: I must admit I’ve never seen the movie, and I’ve never been a huge fan of Pink Floyd.  I don’t hate them or anything, they just never make it into my playlists.

The Sixth Sense: The plot twist for Caught is something I felt particularly happy with, and the responses from readers validate that feeling. To have someone mention Caught with a story with that great a plot twist is simply humbling. The trick, however, was what The Sixth Sense taught me in instinct, and Brandon Sanderson explained in a simple phrase: “I want my readers to realize what’s happening just before they turn the page to read what’s happening.”

The biggest payoff for me when watching The Sixth Sense was as the big reveal was coming, and I realized it just as it happened.  I call this the, “I should have known!” moment. Whenever I have a plot twist, I aspire to create that feeling.  Honestly, I think Cathey gives me too much credit here.  This implied comparison is probably the highest compliment I’ve gotten for Caught since it’s been published.

Metallica’s Enter Sandman: The nightmare sequences are what I imagine brought this comparison.  When the song first came out, I didn’t like it. It was a bit dark for me.  As I grew, I gained appreciation for the band and that song in particular. The visuals in the video and driving beat of the song would, in my opinion, make a great edition to a soundtrack if Caught were ever made into a movie. (Netflix, I’m waiting for your call!) I honestly hadn’t given the song much thought, but once I saw it in this review, I realized how fair the comparison is.  Alas, if the question was did I consider this song while writing Caught, I’m afraid not.

I loved having a review this complete and thought provoking. I’d love to respond to more musings and theories about Caught or other stories in the Oneiros Log. (Remember Repressed goes live Jan. 1!)

Cathey was honestly so kind in her review, and I can’t thank her enough.

Thank you all for support like this. It makes the tough times something I can endure.

V/R
Matt

 

A 5-Star Review for An Unusual Occupation!

Greetings all,

 

Just sharing a quick 5-Star review for An Unusual Occupation.  It was short, but just look at what it says!  That makes a writer feel great!  God bless you, V.O. for this great review.

 

Thanks for reading,

Matt

A 5-Star Review for An Unusual Occupation and an Update on the Giveaway

Greetings all,

I simply can’t thank you enough for all the support you’ve already shown me. First, a five-star review for An Unusual Occupation appeared. It was an amazing rating with a kind statement.

So many of you answered my call for help, it’s staggering! An Unusual Occupation is currently #35 under free Supernatural Thrillers. I want to let you know how much I appreciate everything so far. Since I knew I was posting this review, I also wanted to give you an update on my promises based on how many downloads we get.

We’ve had 78 downloads so far (I can’t say thanks enough. I really can’t). That means you’re all just 22 downloads away from seeing me do my “No-foot” plank.  When I was a kid, I saw Alexei Nemov do this, and I was just amazed.  So I worked at it until I figured out how do — no, I can’t do that, but I can plank with my feet in the air (which I assure you is still plenty hard). So if we hit that benchmark, I’ll do that, and I’ll complete every trick I promised if we hit these benchmarks.

Regardless, I’m already thrilled at how things have gone. You’re support and help means the world to me. I’d like to give a special thank you to J.R. Handley, Yes More Blogs, Read Like Doc, Haley (she knows who she is), Elisebet, Rosa, Peggy, C.L. Schneider, Chess Desalls, and Rusty Pang at Entrepurpose. I’d need another 1,000 words to thank everyone, but I had to give some people some special attention. You’ve all been amazing, and I’m excited to see how things progress with three days to go.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Two 5-Star Reviews for Caught!

Greetings all,

Today must be bounce-back day in the review world. Just after my first one-star review for Caught, I get two, count ’em, two five-star reviews for the same book. You win some; you lose some. I’ll admit, having a few more positive reviews takes the sting off a bad one.

One review complimented the plot twist at the end, which was nice to hear as I worked hard to make it as surprising as it was satisfying.

The other review spoke to the horror aspect of the book. Caught was tricky to write, so having these reviews that speak to the areas I felt were most important feels good.

Like I said a few days ago, I appreciate all reviews; but it’s sure nice to see some good to counter the bad.

Thanks for reading,

V/R
Matt

 

 

A New 5-Star Review for Bob!

Greetings all,

I just wanted to share this very-kind, five-star review for The Journals of Bob Drifter I found on Amazon. You can read it here. Every review is a blessing, and I can’t thank the reader enough.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

A Few Bits of Good News!

Greetings all!

As I type this, I officially have 504 followers! I’m simply thrilled each day someone decides to click on my website and decide to keep up to date on my posts!  As is common whenever I hit a milestone, I’d like to take a bit of time to give back to those who followed me by spreading word about their blog, so I’d like to talk about my five most recent followers.

MovieBabble:  I’ve only just discovered this blog since it started following me. Looking at the main page, I’m just startled at how much content they pack into this page. It’s essentially a film review site. I’m honestly excited to check out some of the reviews. I’m always interested in what people think about what’s out there.

Ris Reads: Marisa is a young woman who provides reviews.  Anyone who talks about books is super in my opinion.  She’s new to the review world, but she has good taste in books judging by her last few reviews.

Luna Lestrange Reads: I spend about 10 minutes a day looking for book reviewers. Luna prefers Young Adult (I have a book I’d like you to beta read if that’s your genre, Luna) stories. Her last few reviews highlight her interest in that area. She’s my newest follower, and I’ve only seen on of her reviews, but she’s brief and conversational, which I appreciate in a reviewer.

Stories to live by: Courtney is another reviewer. What drew me to her was her openness about content. In her latest review, the book she read made light of religion, she said.  She wasn’t positive or negative about it, just informative. That way readers who might not appreciate it, don’t buy the book, and those who like that sort of thing know it’s their kind of story.  I appreciate that sort of information.

Nifflerreads: This is a reviewer who read 36 books in January alone. That’s about one more book than I read last year. So anyone that prolific get’s my attention. It means viewers can count on more consistent reviews.

I want to thank those five and all the others who were kind enough to follow my blog. I hope you also decide to subscribe to my newsletter and maybe even try out my books.

Speaking of my books …

I’m happy to announce that after only one day of availability, An Unusual Occupation already has a five-star review!  You can check out that verified-purchase review here. I’m so flattered by this review. I love Bob as a character, so any time a reader connects with him, I’m so pleased. I want to thank the reviewer for not just buying my book, but liking it and telling people about it!

Thanks for reading,

Matt