In this post I decided to go a step beyond. With my business where I help authors as a consultant, Belle Consulting, I have learned a lot about the dynamics of what compels a reader to buy a book. What makes this book climb the Amazon charts vs this one. A common denominator in this study is the social media platform an author has. Or author platform as it is often called now. People will buy a book if they like the author initially, then if the cover art, blurb, and price all come together. If the book was enjoyable they will buy others. Nevertheless the key ingredient, where it all begins, is liking the author.
With that said in this review you will get a book review and an author review.
We will start with the book first.
Book Review
Alex is a character I enjoyed tremendously. But didn't expect to. While I am predominantly a romance reader I do have an eclectic taste. So when I was offered the opportunity to read farsighted I was very interested. Anytime an author tries to write about a handicap they themselves don't have it is a challenge. But for this novel to be a debut I was especially tempted to see if Chand could pull it off. She did.
While the beginning did a drag just a tad when it picked up it didn't stop with twits and turns that were not all true to the genre but to the characters. And I finally got to my favorite part...the characters. Chand didn't skimp on development. I bet she can tell you the brand of underwear the bully Brady wears. While the protagonist Alex is obviously thoroughly researched and expressed the secondaries are as well. From the intriguing sweet smelling Indian girl Simmi to the quirky psychic neighbor.
This is a read I highly suggest from not just the young adult crowd it was meant for to anyone of any age who likes true characters, unexpected twists and a all around fun read.
Author Review
Emlyn Chand....Her bio says she was born with a fountain pen in hand and she runs a book club in Ann Arbor and that she also is the president of an author PR firm called Novel Publicity. What it doesn't say is that Emlyn works sometimes 100 hours a week. That her efforts to educate, support and lead authors she often isn't paid for. If my assumptions are true I'd say about half of the time she spends on Novel Publicity she isn't paid for. But that's the way of most startups. Thus we come to another part of Emlyn. Her pr firm is less than a year old. It's success stems from Emlyn's willingness to share information and experience with an eagerness that is signature to her friendly nature. Always one quick to interact with those around her from G+ hangouts to creating forums for authors to have support and sounding boards we all go through.
How do I know all this? Is Emlyn my FB Bff?
No. However, we are Facebook friends and that's where I met her. All these are the observations of seeing her posts and my interactions with her as a colleague as well as friend online. If you never buy Farsighted...which is currently 99 cents...you need to know Emlyn Chand. You won't be sorry.
To know Emlyn better click here.
To buy Farsighted click here.
Book Review
Product Description
Alex Kosmitoras's life has
never been easy. The only other student who will talk to him is the
school bully, his parents are dead-broke and insanely overprotective,
and to complicate matters even more, he's blind. Just when he thinks
he'll never have a shot at a normal life, a new girl from India moves
into town. Simmi is smart, nice, and actually wants to be friends with
Alex. Plus she smells like an Almond Joy bar. Yes, sophomore year might
not be so bad after all.
Unfortunately, Alex is in store for another new arrival--an unexpected and often embarrassing ability to "see" the future. Try as he may, Alex is unable to ignore his visions, especially when they begin to suggest that Simmi is in danger. With the help of the mysterious psychic next door and new friends who come bearing gifts of their own, Alex must embark on a journey to change his future.
Unfortunately, Alex is in store for another new arrival--an unexpected and often embarrassing ability to "see" the future. Try as he may, Alex is unable to ignore his visions, especially when they begin to suggest that Simmi is in danger. With the help of the mysterious psychic next door and new friends who come bearing gifts of their own, Alex must embark on a journey to change his future.
Review
Alex is a character I enjoyed tremendously. But didn't expect to. While I am predominantly a romance reader I do have an eclectic taste. So when I was offered the opportunity to read farsighted I was very interested. Anytime an author tries to write about a handicap they themselves don't have it is a challenge. But for this novel to be a debut I was especially tempted to see if Chand could pull it off. She did.
While the beginning did a drag just a tad when it picked up it didn't stop with twits and turns that were not all true to the genre but to the characters. And I finally got to my favorite part...the characters. Chand didn't skimp on development. I bet she can tell you the brand of underwear the bully Brady wears. While the protagonist Alex is obviously thoroughly researched and expressed the secondaries are as well. From the intriguing sweet smelling Indian girl Simmi to the quirky psychic neighbor.
This is a read I highly suggest from not just the young adult crowd it was meant for to anyone of any age who likes true characters, unexpected twists and a all around fun read.
Author Review
How do I know all this? Is Emlyn my FB Bff?
No. However, we are Facebook friends and that's where I met her. All these are the observations of seeing her posts and my interactions with her as a colleague as well as friend online. If you never buy Farsighted...which is currently 99 cents...you need to know Emlyn Chand. You won't be sorry.
To know Emlyn better click here.
To buy Farsighted click here.
