Category: Books
INFERNOUS HAS ARRIVED
My new horror book is now available to buy on Kindle for only $2.99.
Have you ever wondered what happens inside the mind of a person who’s possessed?
It’s a dark and twisted story – try a free sample and see if you like it.
Click Here
Thank you for reading
Zac Zinn
A Song For Swans is FREE!
A Swan Song is something to behold. The silent swan is quiet for its entire life before unveiling a beautiful and revelatory song just before it dies.
Landon is a teenager who’s just gotten cancer a 2nd time and he’s about to go down a dark road. But his story is not without his own Swan Song.
This is A Song For Swans – and for this week it is free on Kindle.
Name of the Wind – Review
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
5/5
I sincerely wish I would have found this book right about now instead of 4 or 5 years ago.
Any Rothfuss fan knows the pain of waiting for book 3.
However, onto the review:
Without trying to sound like a total and complete fanboy, this is the best book I have ever laid eyes on. I have never read a book with richer characters as well as solid and definable character development.
Many readers main complain of the book is that the lead man Kvothe is the stereotypical flawless character that’s ridden over all of the fantasy genre. This is a very misplaced complaint given the fact that Kvothe is one of the most flawed characters in literature. Through the 2 current books out now, he continuously makes mistakes that put him compromising positions. He’s smart, cunning and has a temper as red as his hair.
The side characters Wil and Sim provide a decent support to Kvothe while I do wish there was a little more detail, history and involvement from them. However these stories are ultimately about Kvothe. The love interest… Is a frustrating one, but what book that has a love interest isn’t frustrating?
Part of me wants to love Denna as much as Kvothe loves her but the other half wants to dislike her quite strongly. Over the span of this novel (and the next) so little is known about her as well as Kvothe’s progress as far as becoming a lover. It’s harder to become attached to a character that you continuously know so little about. However I can sympathize with Kvothe’s undying love for a lovely and mysterious girl.
Rothfuss is an artist and a magician in the words he weaves to create such a beautiful story with a character you want so badly to win – but anyone who’s made it further than 50 pages will know this trilogy is that of a tragedy.
If you are a fan of fantasy or even if you aren’t because I am certainly not a fan of fantasy, check this book out.
Find out who Kvothe, Kote, Reshi, the Bloodless is.
Thank you for reading
Zac Zinn
INFERNOUS – Free Book Giveaway
Whether you see this on Facebook, Twitter, WordPress, or Instagram – if you share this post in any way, you will be entered to win 3 free copies of Infernous.
5 winners will be selected prior to the release date – June 19.
How It Feels – Finish Writing A Book
There was a sense of accomplishment as I finished the last word. Even more so when I opened the box and saw my completed product. As I looked at my binded book, I thought of the events that brought me to it.
It took me 4 years to get there. But even so, I looked at it knowing I can do so much better. I can put more detail in, more dialogue, better characters, better everything.
Just as I have to write to call myself a writer, I have to keep improving my words to be proud of my work.
Keep writing, keep fighting, that’s today’s mantra.
Thank you for reading
Zac Zinn
Park & Eleanor – Review
4/5
Yesterday I finished this fine story. It took me a few days to read it and I’m hear now to tell you all fine folk about it.
The book is about a Korean teen named Park and an American girl living in a house of abuse named Eleanor.
They begin seeing each other on the bus to and from school although they don’t say a word to each other. As you can guess from the back cover of the book, a romance begins between them that is genuine, unique and believable rather than stories by… John Green.
The story thrived on convincing dialogue and a wide range of diverse characters from parents to other schoolmates.
It is more than easy to sympathize with Eleanor’s terrible home life, but not too much that you feel the writer saying “do you feel sorry for her yet?”
Both characters show obvious flaws which help the story’s realism.
The only weak point was about 3/4 the way through when the story started repeating itself and slowed the plotline. Luckily, Rainbow Rowell moves it on from there and the story continues on pace for a fitting ending.
For teenage romance stories go, consider this. And if you mind foul language, avoid it because it’s a book that shows how real people talk.
Also, Dreamworks is in the process of making a movie!
Thank you for reading
Zac Zinn
Read When We Write
Do you find that your writing is at its best when you’re reading a book at the same time? Do you read in the same genre as you’re writing? I find that my writing is at its prime when I’m reading as well. This would make sense because I went through a long dry spell and now that I think about it, I wasn’t reading anything.
So before I go and dive into this, if you’re reading something as you write, be sure of 3 things.
- DO NOT rip off the writer. Being inspired by writing is one of the best tools we as writers can use. Even if you don’t downright plagiarize, it’s not right to rip off from writers.
- Make sure what you’re reading specializes in what you think your weakness is. Dialogue. Read a story that has rich characters and each one has a clear personality that shows in their dialogue. Too many stories die and wither from bad and unbelievable dialogue.
- Lastly is narrative. If you’re writing is weak on narrative, just like dialogue, read books that have long and meaty narratives. I always struggled with detail and narrative while my dialogue thrived. So I started reading books with long paragraphs of details and narratives. As soon as I began, I saw my writing improve before my eyes in just the first writing session.
Are you writing a love story that includes heartache and raw feelings? I’d recommend reading any one of the following: (Most of these are available on Amazon for absurdly cheap prices)
(No spoilers I swear)
I’ll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan
This fantastic story is unknown by way too many. It’s a tender story of two brothers (Sam and Riddle) from a broken and dangerous home. They find comforting arms and a warm home in teenager Emily Bell’s household. The story thrives on hard situations with a violent father, and the love Sam has for his brother and the life his new interest – Emily has. The story sucks you in and carries you on each page.
The Promise of Stardust by Priscille Sibley
Tears have never been so close to my eyes because of a book. Matt Beaulieu’s wife Elle suffers a terrible injury and is left brain dead. The catch here is that he finds out she’s pregnant. Through this struggle to keep her body alive there are unexpected challenges that appear that will test both Matt and your heart. Flashbacks in this novel are key as they show the couple younger and allow you time and pages to grow close to both Matt and Elle. This story remains in my top 10 – maybe I’ll make a list sometime.
Are you writing fantasy?
I’m not too versed in this field of writing but I do have two recommendations.
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
There’s a reason critics tell readers to shelve this next LOTR and The Hobbit. Kvothe (pronounced Kwothe) is a simple boy traveling with his family as a traveling circus. One day he finds his parents and his entire troupe slain. The culprit? A group of people that are thought of as fictional fairytales. His only answers are at a place called The University where they teach magic, but not the cheap “abracadabra” magic. It’s well thought out magic that happens in the mind. This book which is book 1 of a trilogy is good for everything. Narratives and description that rivals any book I’ve ever read and dialogue of equal value.
Need a short story for narrative value?
The Slow Regard of Silent Things – By Patrick Rothfuss
Yes same writer. However this small novelette ranging just over a hundred pages takes a side character from his trilogy and spends a few days with her. Auri is a cute, innocent girl who cracked. She isn’t mentally sane and sees the world in a different light. You don’t need to read his others to understand this. All you need to know is that she lives underground beneath a school and is gathering different items to make a gift for her friend. The entire thing is ALL NARRATIVE. Pages of description of rooms, chambers, pits, wells and everything in between. If you’re not a fan of fantasy, don’t be afraid to give this a chance because it isn’t fantasy at heart. It’s a story of a girl who sees regular items commonly discarded as something special. It’s truly an interesting read.
Are you writing horror?
Horns – Joe Hill
You may not recognize Joe Hill by his penname, but you may recognize Stephen King’s name. Joe Hill is Stephen King’s son and let me tell you, he made his way into horror writing not by being King’s son, but by writing damn good stories.
Ig Parrish’s love of his life, beautiful Merrin Williams is dead; brutally attacked, violated and killed. The town believes he did it no matter what he says. After some drunken night to which he remembers almost nothing, Ig wakes up and has horns on his head. With these horns come influential power over others. He sees into their lives like a peeking through a window and can tell them to do things. This novels covers dark comedy, murder mystery, supernatural, romance, let’s just say it covers everything and covers it well. This is one to read a few times, and then maybe watch the movie (which was actually pretty good).
Let’s go to the King.
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King
Have you heard of this one? Because it’s not like other King novels. Trisha McFarland is a young girl who is forced to go hiking with her dysfunctional family. After taking a few steps away from the path, she is lost with no idea how to get back. She’s not in a small wooded area either. She’s lost in the Appalachian Trail. In addition to being a survival story, King weaves a sinister plot line with something watching little Trisha from afar. She can hear it growl, she can hear it move around her but she can’t see it. This shorter novel (speaking in terms of King’s usual length) is a smooth and creepy read.
Other very honorable mentions
This Is Where I Leave You – Jonathon Tropper
Do me a favor and read anything by this great writer. Every story he puts out, he creates a new story that mixes heartbreak, nostalgia, humor and some of the richest characters you’ll find in writing. Just do me a favor and read the story before you watch the movie…or don’t watch the movie at all.
This Bright River – Patrick Somerville
This lovely story is also in my top 10. Being my only exposure to Mr. Somerville, I’m not sure why I haven’t picked anything else by him. This book is about a tortured protagonist who has a dark history. He runs into a woman from his past with a terrible life as well and the two clash and mix. It’s a dark love story that travels through family secrets, possible murders and worse things still.
That should about do it. Thanks for reading, and feel free to comment what you like to read when you write, or what you’re reading right now.
Thanks,
Zac Zinn
Show & Tell
It’s show and tell time boys and girls!
What’s your favorite book and why?
Let us know in the comments why you love this one book more than the rest.
Mine is The Name of the Wind. I’m in love with this book because I don’t like fantasy books yet, this story captivates me each time I read it. Patrick Rothfuss is a master of words who weaves them together into something beautiful.
Now it’s your turn!
Thank you for reading
Zac Zinn
How Long Have You Waited For A Book?
It’s a terrifying question, how long have you ever waited for a book to come out? Is there a book that just never came out? Some sequel that never happened?
My favorite author is Patrick Rothfuss. He’s been writing the Kingkiller Chronicles for a very, very long time. Yet – it’s only a trilogy.
The Name of The Wind – April 2007
The Wise Man’s Fear – March 2011
The Doors of Stone – Rumored to be summer 2016 AT THE EARLIEST.
Five years. This is my Walking Dead, my Breaking Bad. Imagine waiting five years before the final season…the final episode.
So tell me? How long have you – or are you waiting for a book?
ZinnWrites 