A 5-Star Review For Stealing Freedom

Greetings all,

It’s a happy Saturday for me because I get to share a review this week. This five-star review for Stealing Freedom from Madeline L. was very kind.

Stealing Freedom is probably my most socially conscious project, and it’s nice to see feedback that indicates readers resonate with the themes I was trying to convey.

As always, I’m hopeful those of you who’ve read my work might consider taking a moment or two to post a rating and review on Goodreads, Amazon, Audible or all of the above. They really boost my morale, and they help with marketing and sales.

Whatever you do, I’m honored and grateful you’ve decided to give this wacky self-published author a chance.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Where Do Ideas Come From? One Nut’s Point of View

Every now and then, one of the students at the Defense Information School where I teach will approach me to write a feature about my writing. I typically get the same sorts of questions, and one of the more common ones is about where I get the ideas for my stories.

I have to admit that this is a very hard question for me to answer. You see, I have ideas all the time. I’m more baffled when people tell me they have trouble coming up with ideas. That gave me the idea (see what I mean?) to do this blog you’re reading.

For me, ideas are very natural. Even when I was trying to think about what I was going to blog about today (I spent about five minutes thinking), I was more considering options than I was trying to think of just one.

Idea Generation Method 1: Let your life inspire you. This is probably my primary method. I have a very active imagination, so when I see something, I sometimes take it to a fantastic degree, and that leads me to a story idea. Bob Drifter came to me while watching my dad and his dog interact. There are some other childhood trauma things I won’t get too far into, but I’ll only touch on them by saying there were people who left my life, and I had trouble dealing with it, so I created this world where souls were passed on. This isn’t remotely Biblical, and I acknowledge that as a Christian. However, it was a lovely thought for a 17-year-old who wanted to feel more connected to the people around him. I really loved the idea that people can leave pieces of themselves to other people they’re close to, and, in a way, we do.

I’m struggling between going into where the ideas for all my books came as examples of this process and offering other methods. I’m actually articulating this so you see how my mind works as well. So the happy medium is to give you another example of letting life inspire you before moving on to other techniques.

Stealing Freedom came to mind when some riots were happening a few years back. The details are fuzzy in my memory, but what I remember is a person drove a car into a crowd. There was a lot of debate about protesting and how people respond. I worried that people would start to discuss “limiting” free speech for the “protection” of others. I had a mental picture of a little girl wearing a shock collar. Then I thought about one of my sisters being that girl’s mother. “She’d burn the world down before she let that happen,” I thought to myself. And there it was, the opening chapter to a new story.

The method (if I try to explain it) is to look at something happening in the world around you and then try to add fantastical elements to it. You can try it now. Look at one thing that happened to you today and then apply some strange or even just ridiculous element to it. Then start trying to come up with ways to rationalize that element. This will form a situation if not a full blown story.

This is easily my primary method for coming up with ideas, but there are others I’ve either heard others talk about or offered to others.

Idea Generation Method 2: Combine and Twist: What are your two favorite books? If you were going to write fan fiction and try to combine these worlds, how would you do it? If you can follow this line of thought, you’re halfway to coming up with an original story. All you need to do then is come up with your twist. Ask yourself what you can do to put a new spin on the two worlds or magic systems. Because almost all of my stories were used with the above technique, I can’t point out any one of my own stories. Neither can I name a Combine and Twist story I’ve seen off the top of my head. So we’ll have to come up with something together.

I love Dragonriders of Pern and Wheel of Time. What if owning a dragon gave you powers, but your will was always at odds with the will of your dragon? (I actually love this idea, but I promise I have enough books to write). Let’s go with this a bit further. Say we live in a world where dragons exist, and a select group of people could mentally connect with those dragons. However, if one took over a dragon contrary to one’s will, they’d have to constantly maintain control of the bond lest the dragon take over the human’s mind. That gives me an idea for a main character. What if my main character had the idea to find and bond a dragon who actually agreed with his line of thinking. How much more powerful would both become if they worked together rather than engage in a perpetual mental battle for access to the powers the dragons provide? If you like that idea, feel free to write it. Just give me a nod in your acknowledgments page (and maybe buy and recommend a guy’s books?).

Idea Generation Method 3: Fix A Broken Story: What’s the worst movie you’ve ever seen or book you’ve read? Why was it bad? I’m actually currently reading the worst book I’ve ever read (I feel obligated to finish it). Now, I have that opinion of this book because I’m at a loss as to how I would even go about fixing it (it’s that bad). But, this is a great way to come up with ideas. I actually do have a personal example of this. You see, I don’t really like YA fiction. I think that there are some very overdone aspects of it that just make it predictable and unrealistic. When I had a life inspiration moment for Repressed (people were debating the right to let others legally immigrate), I knew that Kaitlyn (originally from Caught) would be perfect for that situation. However, Kaitlyn only fits two of the list of things YA characters have. She was (she’s 19 now as I’m writing the end of Oneiros) young, and she’s a compelling character. I didn’t like the stories of the young girl who meets a dangerous boy and falls in love trying to change him. That’s putting it mildly. I’m not at all against people meeting and falling in love. I’m not at all against young people of either gender wanting to find love. What I hate is what I see as the glorification of toxic relationships.

So that’s the part I changed. Instead of a girl meets bad boy plot, I had a young girl who was driven to a different goal. Can YA be about young people learning about themselves rather than falling in love with the worst possible person? The plot and writing of Repressed was easy after that.

So those are three things you might try if you’re struggling to come up with ideas, but I leave you with a different challenge. Is it possible you don’t actually struggle coming up with one idea? When I talk to students, the struggle they have is that they’re waiting for that “perfect” idea. I don’t have that problem at all. My recommendation more than how to find ideas is this: Once you find an idea, write that book. It doesn’t have to be the greatest book ever. It doesn’t even have to be that good an idea. What doing this does is train you to ideate and then create. This way, when you do have that one great idea, you’re already practiced at writing and developing it. Don’t get stuck. Don’t wind up never writing anything because you’re chasing after a better idea. It’s a fool’s errand. I sincerely hope each idea you have is better than your last one, but that doesn’t actually mean the first idea was bad. So have ideas and then write them. Practice that positive habit, and you’ll find a whole bunch of books you’ve written ready to evaluate when you’re done.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Another 4-Star Review for Stealing Freedom

Greetings all,

I’m always happy to share reviews, so it’s with great joy that I present this four-star (sort of) review for Stealing Freedom. This was a review by Margaret for the Audible version of the story, so I have to copy-paste it below for you to access.

4/5 for narrators ability, 3/5 for having two

This is the first book I have read/listened to by this author. It is a very poignant, original book. It was written before 2020, but resonates now due to recent government and law enforcement actions. The book constantly reminded me of the recent excessive military responses to peaceful protesting and false, inconsistent and contradictory narratives provided to the public from governmental bodies. In this story, everyone over the age of seven must wear a collar that would punish people for speaking or publicly displaying emotions (hugging, smiling, negative facial expressions). Drones and cameras monitor everyone every moment of their day to ensure no one rests longer than allowed, spends more than allotted time in the bathroom, etc.. Everything was regulated. It was possible to purchase words, a cost that was prohibitive to most people to the point our main character purchased six words to say to her daughter and that is the first she had spoken to her in two years. Knowing this was no way for people to live and believing they had the ability to do something about it, the main character and a few other people attempt to shut down the servers that operate the collars. They do it at extreme risk to their lives. Their plan reminded me of the movies Ocean Eleven and Now You See Me. I really liked the ending part with the main monitor and his final moments.

This is the first book I have listened to by these narrators ( Lisa Negron, J.M. Needham ). They both do well narrating. She narrates the parts that have Laurie and Laurie’s conversations (even if it is with a male) and he narrates the parts from the perspectives of the male characters when they are not having a conversation but just re-counting their thoughts or actions. Since no one can speak, the narrative often switches perspectives many times within the same chapter. This meant the narrator switched many times throughout the chapter. Lisa did a fine job giving voice to both male and female characters and had very nice pacing and cadence. I think it was quite unnecessary to have a second narrator. I found it uncomfortable for the first half of the book until I got a little more used to it. The only reason it was not fully disruptive, was both narrators were good at what they were doing. There are no explicit sex scenes, excessive violence, or swearing. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review. Please feel free to comment on whether you found my review helpful.

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As you can see, she would like feedback, so if you have the time and want to help a reviewer, please pop onto her link above and offer your thoughts. Just as I love feedback, some reviewers also seek and desire feedback.

I’m noticing a trend of reviewers be less happy about a team of narrators. I’m not sure how I feel about that. I love having a male for the male POVs and a female for the female POVs. What are your thoughts?

If you’ve read my work, please consider leaving a review on Amazon, Audible, Goodreads, or all three. It really means a lot.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Two Four Star Reviews For The Week!

Greetings all,

I’m happy to report two reviews for a few of my titles.

The first is a very-kind Goodreads four-star review from C Cager for The Journals of Bob Drifter. I’m grateful the reader enjoyed it. I’m glad C discovered my book, too! Right before this post launched, I noticed Cager was kind enough to also post a review on Amazon as well. That’s really above and beyond the call of duty. Thank you!

The other is a great review is one for Stealing Freedom from Paula Dyches, who put her kind four-star review on Audible, Goodreads, and Amazon. I just want to say thank her for what I call the “full support” (a review on all three platforms) review. I really do think this would make a great little Netflix movie. If you know a producer, I’d certainly be willing to talk.

This kind of support is really precious. Every review is gold in my eyes (even the bad ones). As always, I ask that if you’ve read one of my books, please stop buy one of those platforms and leave a rating and a review.

Thank’s for reading,

Matt

More Reviews, Even A Few International Reviews!

Greetings all,

I’m once again blessed to be able to share reviews with you. These reviews are particularly close to my heart for a few reasons.

First, I have my first international review. Over at Audible.co.uk, I have two reviews.

Kathrine Leach left this short and sweet three-star review for Caught:

“good story”

“It took a while for me to get into this book but once I did it was quite good. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.”

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D M Reynolds left this very kind four-star review for Stealing Freedom:

“Disturbing”

“This story is soooo plausible given our current reality. A true dystopian tale for our times. It explores – lightly – the extremes of censorship and expression. At the same time, it’s an action-packed cheer-for-the-robbers kind of adventure. Much of the world is essentially the same as ours (which adds to the plausibility). The cops are hot on the trail of our heroes… and yet nothing is quite as it first appears (just like a good heist movie!) Enjoyed this story. The length and narration both suited it very well. I received this audiobook for free in exchange for a fair review.”

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It really means a lot to me to see that my work is starting to spread. Not only that, but people (at the very least) liking it! I also got some new reviews on the U.S. version of Audible.

Adam Bogovich left this five-star review for Stealing Freedom:

“Short and to the point”

“We start our journey 5 years into a dystopian society. You meet some rebels who you don’t get to know too well, but pretty well for the time allotted. The plan that unfolds is pretty clever, and i feel like if there was more time to build on the world/characters, the twist wouldn’t have been surprising; so it all works out. Other than that, the narrator was great as well! I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.”

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I’ve saved the most special set of reviews for last. Theres a philosophy I hold to as an author:

The first sentence you write determines if the reader will finish the page. The first page determines if the reader will read the first chapter. The first chapter will determine if the reader finishes the book. That book then becomes a promise. “If you liked this book, you’ll love my next one.”

The reviews from Shawna that follow are a beautiful representation of how true this is. They also represent everything I strive to do for readers and as an author. Shawna, if you’re reading this, thank you so much. Please see just a bit more at the bottom.

She first listened to Caught:

“Different and amazing!”

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review. The title first caught my attention – I am a sucker for anything Greek Mythology related. Oh dear author, you know my heart’s true love and you don’t even know me. The book started a bit slow. I wasn’t sure where it was going at first and then I started piecing it together as I went along. It suddenly picked up and Oh boy! I love the plot, the premise and everything about this book. It is strange, different and creepy. I really could not stop listening to it. The narrator was absolutely perfect and had amazing pacing. I was not disappointed at all by this book in any way.”

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This book became my promise (from my point of view) to Shawna. I’m thrilled that she liked Caught. I’m so happy that it was good enough for her to decide to try more of my work. Then she listened to Stealing Freedom:

“Great story”

“I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review. I do not like multiple narrators. In this instance, they did okay and I was able to listen all the way through but the double narrators did ruin my enjoyment a little bit. I am going to find an ebook copy of the book instead and pretend the narration did not happen. This was a great story which has a very real feel to the premise. You can definitely see this happening in the future…..No unauthorized communication and strict punishment for breaking the rules about communication. It was very chilling to think that even right now, we are slightly limited on our freedom of speech. Is this a glimpse of the future?”

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This review alone is flattering. I wanted (in this case) listeners to truly ponder what a world without protest or free speech would look like. She next read Sojourn in Captivity, and left the first review I’ve had for that title on Audible.

“Too Short!”

“I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review. The only thing that displeased me about this audiobook was the length. I wish it was longer and that there was more to it. This is the second book by this author that I have listened to in the last week and I am starting to believe that I need to write this name into my favorites list. I love magic, fantasy, faeries, werewolves, vampires etc etc. This book was right up my alley and I absolutely loved it. I hope the author will continue with this because sign me up! Lots of action and adventure and well written. Even though it’s a short book, pick it up! You will not regret it!”

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Don’t worry Shawna, I have an entire series planned for that universe (an entire universe) and Elele is one of several main characters. There’s a lot more to see there. This was just designed to introduce you to her.

Now we get to the part that’s especially rewarding. Check out this review she left for Repressed!

“Hooked on this author!”

“I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review. Ok Weech, you got me. I am yours. This was a shorter book but the third that I have listened to by this author and I am now setting up an amazon alert for this author. You have won my heart. I may be older (I will not state my age because it is embarrassing) but I do love me some YA. This was written slightly different to the previous book, Caught, because it was geared towards a different audience but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. I do wonder if the author is going to have 2 different types of books for this series: YA and adult? Either way, I will definitely be reading all there is to come.”

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I must respectfully disagree, Shawna. It is I who am yours. In choosing to read my work, you’ve made me your author. You’ve made my stories something you value, and that is a blessing I cherish. It is a gift I mean to care for. It’s my duty to never disappoint you or break the loyalty you’ve given me. Should I write something you don’t enjoy, I hope you’ll forgive me and allow my next book to set things right.

Being an author (as a business) is about loyalty. Every reader offers you their time. The author’s responsible for rewarding that time with entertainment. I can only hope that more people will try my work and feel the way that Shawna did. I hope she’s tried The Journals of Bob Drifter, and loved it. I hope she’s one of the first to pick up Betrayed, and I hope it answers her questions (and leaves her with a whole new list of them).

Reviews like this make hours and hours of writing, proofreading, designing, and formatting worth it, and I can’t thank all you readers enough.

Thank you!

V/R
Matt

And The Reviews Keep Coming!

Greetings all,

I’m still receiving reviews, so I’m going to keep sharing them. I’m still not ready to make an official reviews appreciation day. That depends on if this very wonderful marketing effort has follow-on results. Still, it’s nice to have reviews to share with you. So let’s get to them!

Here’s a four-star review for Stealing Freedom from Megan Dann:

“The Worth of Words”

“I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.”

“This book contained such an original concept about censorship and, quite literally, the worth of words. Not so much character-driven, but heavily plot-driven with tension and action packed for such a quick listen. Really cool idea; can’t wait to see what else the author comes up with.”

“Narration was okay, didn’t add to or detract from the story.”

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Here’s a five-star review for Stealing Freedom from Catrina P:

“Freedom of speech”

“For a short story, this tale sure packs a punch. Such an intriguing concept… it’s against the law to communicate. The unauthorized use of words is punishable by pain (shock collars) or if blatant enough, death. A small group of individuals plan to take back their freedoms, or die trying.”

“This was my first exposure to M.L.S. Weech’s writing. I really enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to seeing what else is available.”

“For such a short story, a dual narration seemed a little much. However, both Lisa Negron and J.M. Needham both did a nice job.”

“I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request, and I have voluntarily left this review.”

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Here’s another five-star review for Stealing Freedom from Loki (probably not related to the Avengers):

“A probable disturbing look into the future”

If you prefer reading, the e-book is available on Amazon!

“A nice shot story with a possible future where they can take away our words, and a small group of people who will put there life’s at risk to change it! only real complaint about the book is I wish it was longer and build the world a little more.”

“I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.”

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Here’s yet another five-star review for Stealing Freedom from Shanna Tidwell:

“Great short story”

“This was a great story. I could see this being made in to a movie or maybe an episode of black mirror or something like that. I liked how everyone thinks they are smarter than everyone else but still one outwitted them all.”

“Very interesting concept and it definitely held my attention the entire time I was listening to it!”

“Lisa & J.M. did an excellent job with narration. I will be looking for more by this author and this narrator.”

“I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.”

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Here’s a five-star review for Stealing Freedom from Jeff M:

“Interesting premise, delivers on it”

“I’m always down for a good short story and was intrigued by the premise of this one. Glad I gave it a try. Well written, properly paced, this was perfect as a short story. Thought the narration was good too, though some of the character voice choices were a little wonky. Overall, I’d highly recommend this to fans of sci-fi and good writing.”

“I received this as a review copy at no cost other than an honest review.”

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Here’s a four-star review for Stealing Freedom from D M Reynolds:

“Disturbing”

“This story is soooo plausible given our current reality. A true dystopian tale for our times. It explores – lightly – the extremes of censorship and expression.”

“At the same time, it’s an action-packed cheer-for-the-robbers kind of adventure. Much of the world is essentially the same as ours (which adds to the plausibility). The cops are hot on the trail of our heroes… and yet nothing is quite as it first appears (just like a good heist movie!)”

“Enjoyed this story. The length and narration both suited it very well.”

“I received this audiobook for free in exchange for a fair review.”

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Not to be outdone, The Journals of Bob Drifter received a five-star review from Ronja:

“Well written, Suspenseful and Touching. Loved it!”

“This is a slow burn paranormal/ urban fantasy thriller with a hint of romance and mystery. This is not a book for people who are in a hurry to get to the scary part. (or people who want to know exactly what is going on after the first few chapters).”

“I really enjoyed this Story!
It pleasantly surprised me by being so well written, thought out and touching.”

“Every character was well developed and felt real (not just the Main Character), and I felt interested in each of their stories.
Bob is a great main character. Smart, compassionate, funny and easy to love and relate to.”

“The book is well balanced. It’s serious but also has some humorous dialog.
Some things go the way you want, others not. This keeps the story believable and suspenseful/ exciting. The ending was very strong. It completes and elevates the whole book, and I love reading such endings.”

“About half the book is written from the first person perspective of Bob Drifter, narrated by Gary. The other half consists of chapters with various other characters in the story (also written in first person). The male characters are narrated by Gary too, and the female characters are narrated by Angel.”

“Because Gary narrates a much bigger part of the Audio Book than Angel, her parts felt a bit out of place in the beginning. But after a few chapters narrated by her I got used to her narration as well.
I think both Gary and Angel did a very good job.”

“I got this Audio Book for free (thanks!). I’m voluntarily leaving this review.
Opinions and ratings are my own and not influenced by how I got the Audio Book.”

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I just want to take a moment to thank all of these people for listening to these audio books and offering reviews. I’m a busy guy. I have three sons. I work full time. I try to write or edit a chapter a day. I know what sort of effort it takes to even listen to an audiobook these days. I’m so thankful.

Please, if you’ve read or listened to my work, please consider leaving a review on Audible, Amazon, Goodreads, or all three. These reviews really do help.

Thanks for reading (or in this case listening)!

Matt

A Few More Audible Reviews

Greetings all,

I’m still gathering data on the marketing site I’m using to gain these reviews, but the results are still so encouraging. Why? Because I have two new reviews to share with you this week!

Here is a 4.5-star review for Stealing Freedom from Madeline:

“Good”

“I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.”

“This book represents everything we as a people value. When that freedom is taken from us what else it left to do. Do we stay in submission and obey or do we find a way to stand for what’s right. Many times we misunderstand what people are saying. If we try to understand and keep open minds many problems can be solved without violence. I did enjoy this book and how much it reminded me that freedom isn’t free. I’m grateful for those that risks theirs lives everyday so I can have the life I want.”

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The original inspiration for this story came from violence that happened during a protest. I don’t always like or support the things people protest about, but we must allow protest because people must be able to speak, and they must be able to redress grievances. I’m glad this reviewer saw that in the theme. I also appreciate that the goal is to allow problems to be resolved without violence. This review actually makes me very happy because it shows that, to this reader at least, I accomplished what I set out to represent in this story.

Next is a 4.25-star review for The Journals of Bob Drifter from Cindy:

“New Beginnings”

“One of the many reasons I request to review audio’s is discovering new talent to add to my favorites list. This is one. You’ll be glad that you made this choice. This audio was given to me in exchange for an unbiased review.”

It’s my opinion that each thing I publish is sort of like a promise. Every book I write says, “If you like this book, you’ll like the other books I’ve written.” I don’t know about the rest of the world, but if I read something from an author, and I really love it (the most recent example would be Michael G. Manning), I’m probably going to rip through the author’s entire library. I hope this reader does try more of my work, and I hope each book both fulfills and reaffirms the promise this one made.

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In a crazy dream-world, I would have to shift these reviews to their own day so I can do other “author news” on Saturdays, but I think I’m a ways away from that. Still, it’s nice to dream now and then. For now, I’ll keep tracking this marketing effort and post my findings probably in the next few weeks.

I just want to offer my thanks to those who reviewed my work and humbly ask that anyone else who’s tried one of my books do the same, even if they didn’t like it. Thank you all again.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Reviews! So Many Reviews!

Greetings all,

I’m just simply amazed at the number of reviews I am lucky enough to share with you. I’ll articulate how this was made possible in a future blog (I’m doing more research on that). For now, I have several reviews to share with you.  Some of them are only on Audible, and I don’t know how to link to just those reviews, so I’ll just copy-paste them in their entirety here. Then I have another review for Caught I’d like to spend a bit more time discussing.

First, let’s look at several new reviews for the Audible version of Stealing Freedom.

Five Star Review from Anne-v:

“Wonderful novella!

Loved it! Loved the originality. Loved the characters. Loved the writing. Loved the story. Loved the narrator.
I’ll devour everything from this author. It’s that good.
Give me more!! I want a prequel and a sequel.
This is a future world where speaking has been deemed “dangerous” to established order. Speech is only allowed per word purchased. A mother risks everything to allow her daughter the freedom to speak.
I was given this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.”

 

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Isn’t that great?!

I mean, I don’t even know what to say! This is the kind of review every author dreams of, and I’m so grateful to Anne for leaving it. Bless you!

Five Star Review from Dee:

“Great listen!!

I enjoyed this listen very much!! In the beginning, it’s hard to know where this story is going. The writing is incredibly well-done and the world-building was exceptional, albeit scary.

That ending was inventive and quite frankly, mind-blowing.

The narration kept pace with the other worldliness of the story. Love it!!!”

 

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Again, this is a very kind review. I put in a lot of effort for the endings of my stories, so any time they get compliments, I’m particularly pleased.

Five Star Review from B VanDyk:

“I absolutely loved this sci-fi

I thought the premise of this future was fantastic. A great heist style story against an oppressive regime.
Thinking of the current culture to extrapolate to this end was an awesome commentary. I’m looking forward to more from this author!

I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an unbiased review.”

 

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All I can say is, “I’m happy to provide more!” All these reviews are so kind, and I’m so blessed and happy that people like Stealing Freedom. Honestly any rating and review is nice, but when they’re this kind, how can I not appreciate it that much more?

That brings me to this four star review for Caught:

The reviewer once again (she’d listened to Stealing Freedom and was kind enough to try another of my stories) left a review on both Audible and Goodreads.

This review is awesome! Now, is it as complimentary as some of the above reviews? Maybe not, but it’s so insightful, and I wanted to talk about one specific segment. You can read the whole review through the above link, but I wanted to focus on one part.

“The premise is very interesting, however, I was disappointed that this was book 1 of a series. This shares a lot of good elements from books like Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, and with 1 tweak (the death of someone), this would have made a great stand alone. As it is, and someone survives that shouldn’t have been allowed to, there will clearly be a book 2, and said character will be back.”

Later she says, “Also, the charm of this book is largely rooted in the dreams and the experiments. Without that mystery, I imagine sequels will basically be the A-Team with powers.”

I’m in no way about to “respond” to this review. That’s bad form. Her opinions are hers, and I value them. The interesting thing is that she would have liked Caught better if it was a stand alone.

Here’s why that’s interesting: I originally intended it to be a stand alone.

I’d just finished Bob, and I really needed something light, fun, and fresh before I started on another ambitious project.

So then, I spoke with others in the business. If you look at my work, you’ll notice I barely hold still. Their advice was to generate books in a series to build a following. That advice made perfect sense to me.

Before you go too far, I’m not saying I invented Betrayed and Discovered just to pander to an audience. Yes, my goal was to provide people who like Caught more stories from that world, but it wasn’t just for that reason. I was speaking to my brother about some of the things I knew.

In once scene in Caught, Steve (one of the main characters), notes Kira (a secondary character in that book) has more reason to hate the general than anyone else.

My brother asked me why. When I told him, he loved the idea. I’d just filed the detail away as part of the world building and history of Kira’s character. But I wasn’t planning on going back to those characters for quite some time if at all. Once I told my brother that spolierific detail, he urged me to write that sequel, and that demand, combined with the advice of self-published authors I respect, led me to go ahead and write the other stories.

Oneiros Log, even Caught as a stand alone, was always designed to be my super hero universe origin story. I love X-Men. I think the Avengers movies are great! But I’m frustrated at the lack of other super heroes. In my opinion, you’re either an X-Man, an Avenger, or a member of the Justice League. Everyone wants to write for those series. I wanted to create something that at least has a fresh perspective on supers.

But I think Brook makes a very valid and fair comment, and I felt that was a great point. I’ve often said I would go back and write several books in one universe if I had it all to do again. I’d still publish Bob. I’d still publish Oneiros Log (at least Caught). But I typically write the stories that are most energizing to me at the time.

It’s a interesting challenge to be an author who is a discovery writer at heart trying to make sure he’s building an audience. I made the decision to move forward with the rest of the story (which is way more about Kaitlyn and Kira), but it’s interesting to see someone feel the way I felt about Caught. I can only hope that the rest of the trilogy (and Kaitlyn’s little side story) are entertaining enough to justify writing them.

I thought about adding this information. I truly, TRULY, hope that this isn’t seen as a rebuttal to Brook’s very kind review. It was a wonderful review. It was a thoughtful review.

But I though that keen observation demanded an open and honest admission of my original intent and how I came to change my mind.

I’ve never had so many reviews to share at the end of one week, and I’m humbled and honored to have these to share. I can only hope and pray that the reviews keep coming.  I just want to offer my most sincere appreciation one more time to all of these reviewers. It’s my hope that the reviews inspire more people to give my work a try.

As always, thanks for reading,

Matt

 

 

 

 

 

4-Star Review for Stealing Freedom!

Greetings all,

I get to do one of my favorite things, which is share a review for one of my books!

She received a free Audible version of Stealing Freedom and was kind enough to leave a voluntary review on both Goodreads and Audible (click either link to see the review).

I’m always grateful for reviews. If you’ve read something of mine, please take a moment to offer a rating and/or review. If you’re interested in reviewing any of my books, please feel free to email me for a free Audible version of pretty much all of my titles.

As always, I thank you for reading,

Matt

Soundtracks for My Books!

Greetings all,

I’m still plugging away on Discovered’s outline while I’m saving up money to get Betrayed edited. Since I’m such a fan of music, I thought I’d do a little exercise where I picked out title soundtracks all of my books.

The Journals of Bob Drifter: “Off He Goes” by Pearl Jam.

 

So one thing that I don’t do very much is pay attention to lyrics, at least not where soundtracks are concerned. I think it could be a bit boring to narrate a novel to music anyway. What I listen for is for a song to match the feel and tone of one of my projects.  I love this song, and I think the tone is perfect. I like the sound. I like the tempo. I’d be thrilled if Bob were to be made a series (not a movie!), and this song were selected as a title soundtrack.

Caught: “This is Our War” by Halocene

 

So this is a band I’ve been meaning to endorse for a while. Honestly, in my dream scenario, Halocene does an original song for Oneiros, but this song is pretty close to what I’d want. I honestly think the lyrics match up okay too (but don’t hold me to that). This song has the change-up in tone and emotion that any soundtrack song for Caught would have to have.

Repressed: “Eighteen” by First to Eleven

 

 

So yeah, I’m double-tapping this, but the song works, and I really do like it. The tone shift from Caught to Repressed is something I went into with open eyes, and I wouldn’t change it. This song has that coming of age feel, and Repressed is more or less a coming of age story. Kaitlyn has some ways to grow, but the woman she becomes at the end of this saga is one I’ll love for as long as I’m alive. So this little Y-A, female-lead story has a song that’s more or less an anthem for such a mindset. It’s not where Kaitlyn ends, but it is where she was at that time in her life.

Sojourn in Captivity: John Williams, please compose the soundtrack!

 

Perception of War is my Space Opera, and I can’t imagine a space saga ever happening without John Williams composing the soundtrack. Perception of War isn’t as romantic as Star Wars, but I’d trust Mr. Williams to apply the proper mood to each scene and nail a great opening credits song.

 

Stealing Freedom: The Pretender by Foo Fighters

 

So this is probably the one I’ve thought the least about. I’m not even sure why. But when I thought about what I would want if Stealing Freedom were made into a movie, I thought, “What band do I like no matter what mood I’m in?” Answer: “The Foo Fighters.” They always rock out, and this song fits wonderfully.

What are your thoughts? Are there any songs that you think would go well with one of my books?

Thanks for reading (and listening),

Matt