Bernie pic

Bernie pic
Bernie

Saturday 29 December 2012

Rain of humour among dark clouds


4.0 out of 5 stars 


By 


Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Dark Clouds (Kindle Edition)
This is the second I have read in the series with reluctant spy Rudi Flynn at its centre.
Like Weimar Blues, Dark Clouds easily stands alone as Flynn is once more conscripted into the secret service of Britain, and, for good measure, the United States, this time round.
This novel has the 30-something American-born and raised, English resident, Flynn, still pursuing his alcohol and drug fuelled journalistic career. We discover some of the reasons why he is pretty much washed up professionally by the time of Weimar Blues.
The trademark comedy is still here, especially in the amusing thoughts the somewhat aimless Flynn is reluctant to express in words.
At its core, the novel is as dark as the title, cover graphic, and plot suggest. Flynn is enlisted to help his president and her majesty when rumours surface that Islamic terrorists are plotting to explode a nuclear device in Britain. 
There are some quite harrowing scenes in which Flynn is present but either powerless or unwilling to intervene.
The person-in-the-street commentary throughout the book works well though the anti-multiculturalism rhetoric outweighs more liberal voices. It is obvious the views of send-`em-back to-where-they-belong are not those of the author but included to show a common sentiment in most western countries.
The powerful message I took from this book is that authorities from Islamic and Christian nations do evil things while flawed but good people look on.
If you have an interest in world affairs, a liking for bleak humour, and a reasonably strong stomach for violence, this book is for you.

For our musical accompaniment, let's hear from some clouds which were not dark at all.



Friday 28 December 2012

Start your own anthology for your community of writers


Available HERE

AUSTRALIAN author Frank Hardy was lampooned as a bit of hick when he said he thought there was no such thing as international literature, just a series of national literature.
He might have gone further and got himself into worse trouble by saying there was only a series of local literature.
Why not organize your own local writers' anthology?

Thursday 27 December 2012

How you write a book review



WHAT the world needs now are reviews, book reviews; they're the only things (apart from fresh water, social justice and quite a bit of other stuff) that there's just too little of: reviews, book reviews.

Tuesday 25 December 2012

Please warn Grandma

Guest Book Review



4.0 out of 5 stars Not for the faint of heart but greatDecember 25, 2012
This review is from: Iraqi Icicle 2nd edition (Kindle Edition)
"Iraqi Icicle" is definitely not your average run of the mill crime drama. Oddly, there are very few categories where a book could be listed that I can't imagine this fitting in some way or another. While this book does have a hefty dose of profanity, there were times when I felt it added to the story and other times when it made me laugh.
This is a hard book to describe without accidentally giving something away as there is so much going on underneath the cover. Steele Hill is a character that I felt had the correct amount of inner turmoil and personality that made him not only fun to read, but memorable. There were some good secondary characters in this book too, but Steele definitely steals the show. This author certainly has a sense of how to keep his reader in suspense. This book deals with some hardcore subjects, but I thought the author did so in a way that made it exciting to read.

This book is gritty and a little dangerous and if you are in for a seat of your pants kind of ride this might just be the thing. Be careful though, I have warned you that this is not your grandma's fireside novel!

Buy Iraqi Icicle HERE

You can imagine the conversation with Gran:
You: "Don't read Iraqi Icicle, Grandma!"
Gran:"Don't bother me, dear; I'm reading Fifty Shades of Grey."

I thought Iraqi Icicle was only a trifle profane, but then I was brought up on Grandma's knee listening to her sing her favorite song.


Cheers, Bernie

Saturday 22 December 2012

Guest Book Review


4.0 out of 5 stars
Iraqi Icicle by Bernie Dowling, 22 Dec 2012

Interesting theatrical, musical and political diversions
By
This review is from: http://btfy.me/cfbtw9
 I ENJOYED this story and I liked the main character, Steel Hill, who delivers as a first person narrator.

Friday 21 December 2012

Wednesday 19 December 2012

Aussie thriller sings and zings


Brother reviews brother. Oh, Brother!

4.0 out of 5 stars

THIS novel is an epic detective story of more than 400 pages.
Private investigator Steele Hill is a larger than life character who has the happy knack of being there when the action is happening.
His world is peopled with crooked cops and shady types in the gambling and horse racing industries.
The book describes some of the events happening in and around Brisbane from 1986 to 1992, including the music and musicians of that time.
It also gives the reader an insight into the political events which were occurring around the globe at this time.
You expect a number of surprises in a detective story and this novel has many including the basis for the title name.
If you like a long entertaining story, with plenty of salty language, this is the book for you.

Dennis Dowling, Brisbane Australia.
Mr Dowling is the brother of author Bernie Dowling.

You know you not going to get 5 Stars from your brother and I am kind of glad.
Readers are rightly wary of books with heaps of five-star reviews but with a sprinkling of most plausible one-star reviews as well.
The biggest challenge for eBooks is reliable curation or critical gate-keeping.
Personally I think you should take my word for it that Iraqi Icicle is a good book. That way, you can buy it and write your own glowing review.
You, on the other hand, may be looking for a different path of decision making.
Cheers
Bernie

Iraqi Icicle Second Edition is out now!

Buy Iraqi Icicle  HERE

No for our celebratory song, dedicated to my brother for his critical skills. And of course, it is the season of hollies:



Monday 17 December 2012

Sunday 16 December 2012

Iraqi Icicle excerpt


The comic detective novel Iraqi Icicle is being released at Pine Rivers Art Gallery Queensland Australia on December 20 in a multi-art event as part of the world-wide A Big Project.
Here is an edited excerpt. 

Vision gets even better




5.0 out of 5 stars Harper Fan December 7, 2012
By Ruth G
Amazon Verified Purchase
I LOVED this book possibly more than the first. 

Laughs amid the turmoil


Book Review by Bernie Dowling

Weimar Vibes is a most humorous novel on a very serious subject.

Friday 7 December 2012

Bent Christmas and Banana New Year


Avoir un Bent Noël et une Bonne Année Banana Nouveau!
Werfen Sie einen Bent Weihnachten und ein Banana New Year!
एक तुला क्रिसमस और एक केले New Year!
ベントクリスマスと新年のバナナを持っている!
Bíodh na Nollag Bent agus Athbhliain Banana Nua!
Have a Bent Christmas and a Banana New Year!

Wednesday 5 December 2012

Sock hop or blog hop sounds like fun

This pic should not be here

I am here involved in this strange thing called a blog hop which James Bond would have trouble figuring out.

Tuesday 20 November 2012

Wednesday 14 November 2012

Trudy returns




RELUCTANT psychic Detective Trudy Harper is back with her paranormal “gifts’’ stronger but still beyond the conscious control of the young woman.
Vision II: The Reluctant Psychic Returns follows the popular series debut which gathered reader praise including favorable comparisons with hit television shows, The Mentalist, Law & Order and Medium.
Vision II starts with Lucky Luke in which Trudy is specifically signaled out by a spirit for the first time. The Spirit does not know Trudy is a cop but he has been told she is the only one who can save his beloved grandson from a cold, lonely death.
The Price of Freedom is the harrowing and unusual tale of a kidnapping. A rich girl’s life hangs by a thread and her only chance at salvation is with her tattered teddy bear.
Trudy Harper is funny and flirtatious at the beginning of Walking a Fine Line but an ethical call on her part could cost her a career. Walking a Fine Line is a sophisticated  suspenseful tale.
Forever My Child is a signature story from Jane Sharp. White terror invades domesticity. The ending will stay with you for a long time.
In Changes, death becomes personal and Trudy is alone at the crossroads of not just her career but her very life.
Be the first to download your ecopy of Vision II: The Reluctant Psychic Returns after you check out another great cover, this one by Australian artist Julie Tarrant.
Vision II: The Reluctant Psychic Returns, published by Bent Banana Books, is out TODAY, through Amazon and its affiliates.


Without further beating around the bush, here is our celebratory launch theme song



Wednesday 7 November 2012

Seeking serendipity



Apple Blossom Vodkatini 
based on Serendipity Green Apple Sorbet

VISIBILITY and curation are the two big buzzwords of book publishing today. I cannot see myself writing on visibility in this column so let’s talk curation.

Monday 5 November 2012

And the Archangel Michael Ascended to Hachette Heaven



THE trouble with conventional wisdom is by the time it becomes widespread it is passé.
Take the old saw that a mainstream publisher will never pick up a self-published author. Not true now.

Saturday 3 November 2012

My book is 5 cents but I'm worried I have priced it too high


All you voracious readers out there, will you pay a fair price for a book? All you professional writers out there, will you accept a fair return on your labour, say $50, 000 and upwards a year?
 Yes from both.  Alright, we have solved the publishing crisis.

Friday 2 November 2012

Dead books thrive


Rigid Male Ship Publishing

MUCH wailing at the wall and gnashing at the teeth follow from the recent ill fortunes of the publishing industry.
Newspapers are in the midst of a shake-up which is just beginning in book publishing
As a journalist and author, I appear to have accepted not one but two third-class seats on the Titanic.
Thankfully for books, it is not all doom and gloom.

Tuesday 16 October 2012

English 2hard for base players



IN Australia, thousands  of  New South Wales high-school graduating students took their first HSC exam in English. Their results will determine their options for tertiary study.
It was all too easy for the semi-quality newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald to come up with a story on a too-hard English exam.

Monday 15 October 2012

Sunday 7 October 2012

To sex or not to sex




THAT is the question: to sex or not to sex.
A lot of websites are saying no to sex.
On the first page of a Google search of mine, six websites had this exact same bait line: 'American Playwright David Mamet explains why no play or movie he writes or directs include explicit sex scenes.'
Oh! Calcutta! you are so quaint

Friday 5 October 2012

As free as a the vision of a boirdy.

Jane Sharp's great new psychic thriller eBook goes free tomorrow so we should all support it to encourage the give-away and create a legion of fans.
Here is Jane's Twitter entry.
Jane Sauffs10:26am Oct 5

My 1st book will be available free on Amazon(see link below) this Saturday Oct 6 (US time) 5 short stories featuring Detective Trudy Harper & her experiences with the paranormal, approx.48 pages. I would appreciate some reviews. Many thanks http://www.amazon.com/Vision-The-Reluctant-Psychic-ebook/dp/B008XI51VO/ref=tsm_1_tp_sw_lmhttp://www.amazon.com/Vision-The-Reluctant-Psychic-ebook/dp/B008XI51VO/ref=tsm_1_tp_sw_lm
What the heck,  my review is about the place if you wish to read on.

Friday 28 September 2012

Amazon declares me profane

Amazon thinks we are profane.

They said my profile was unacceptable because it contained a profanity. WTF! I carefully re-read my profile and tried a few changes but the message came back: PROFANE
I deleted the only remaining  thing I could see they might object to. Sure enough, the new version passed muster.


On the road to Damascus Paul’s book pummels your brain



IF The Book of Paul were a music album, a critic might say it had cross-over appeal.
It has a feel of a genre novel but it is hard to classify because of its elements of sci-fi, dystopia, psychological drama and comedy.
I believe its publicity machine  is running with supernatural thriller and that is a good as label as any.
I read not much genre fiction apart from Chandleresque private-detective yarns. While I say ’’not much’ , none at all is closer to the mark.
New York author Richard Long was able to hook me and keep me on the line until the end. That is a good effort as, before reading The Book of Paul, I thought tarot was an Asian root vegetable. 

Thursday 27 September 2012

Richard like John in his own write


Day 4 of the Book of Paul tour is here.
Today we have a guest post from the author Richard Long.
Welcome to the Save the Book blog, Richard.
Make yourself at home. Can I get you a cup of coffee?
No, you want to get started. Fire  away!

Wednesday 26 September 2012

Hey hey Paul-eay, how many kids you kill today?



Welcome to Day 3 of my part in the whirlwind blog tour of The Book of Paul.
On Day 1, author Richard Long was kind enough to eloquently answer my questions on his supernatural thriller.
On Day 2, we ran an excerpt from the novel.
Today we return to Q&A, one of my fave media for discussion and robust debate. The questions are from blog-tour organiser Novel Publicity.  In the interests in massaging my ego, I may introduce my own comments. We will see. Let the fun and games begin.

Tuesday 25 September 2012

Day Two in the Life of Paul


YES, it is Day 2 of my part in Richard Long’s Blog Tour of The Book of Paul.



It is Day 2 and I already have to apologise to yesterday’s readers for misleading you about your opportunity of winning all these fabulous prizes. It seems you all have the opportunity to win as you will discover when you read on.
After yesterday’s goof, I probably did not endear myself to blog tour organizer , Novel Publicity who kindly let me have a go, as we love to say in Australia.
At this point I had better show my tour badge to authenticate I am really part of this great enterprise and not some crazed troll.



I thought I would play safe today and post one of the files tour organiser, Novel Publicity, sent me. It is an excerpt from the novel.

Monday 24 September 2012

More than just a naughty boy: the life of Paul


This week, Save the Book is part of a whirlwind blog tour in support of Richard Long’s novel The Book of Paul. I am not sure what the tour badge is about. As I understand it, only the bloggers can win the prizes. WTF, they give me badge: I'll wear it

Critical readers have their say about 7 Shouts



A fun read June 10, 2012
By Jane.S
Bernie Dowling has a unique voice that really brings his columns to life. I highly recommend this to anyone that enjoys Australian humour. Even if you don't laugh you will be entertained and informed. My favourite is the Slanguage chapter. For the record I say 'marown'.

Saturday 22 September 2012

Make the sort of money your book, art or performance deserves


I had the privilege of listening to Dr Ernesto Sirolli for more than an hour today.

He was the keynote speaker at the inaugural Moreton Bay  

Creative Industry Expo 2012



Moreton Bay is a region of Queensland Australia and is where I live.

I will try to explain as simply as possible what Dr Sirolli had to say.

If I do what you consider a good job, please send a link to this post to everyone you know who is an independent writer, artist or performer.  It concerns how good artists can make a decent living from their work. Anybody working in the arts knows that is just not happening today.

 

Dr Ernesto says all work offered for sale involves three processes.

Thursday 20 September 2012

What’s hot these days?





A MAN who has been dead for 30 years, an 80-year-old car and a teenager are the hottest tickets of the week.


More than 160,000  readers of  British music magazine NME voted John Lennon as the greatest rock icon of the past 60 years.

The top 10 are

  John Lennon
   Liam Gallagher
   David Bowie
   Alex Turner
   Kurt Cobain
   Amy Winehouse
   Jimi Hendrix
   Morrissey
   Noel Gallagher
   Ian Curtis

For the record Ian Kevin Curtis (July 15, 1956 — May 18, 1980) was the lead singer and lyricist of the post-punk band Joy Division.
Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. In the 1980s he was the lyricist and vocalist of the The Smiths before commencing a long solo career
Alex Turner[4] is the lead vocalist, guitarist and main songwriter of the English  band Arctic Monkeys.

If you do not know the rest, what are you doing still reading this; Move on to the car yarn.

Cashing in on a car
In 1994, Morrissey had a hit album, Vauxhall and I. 


I would love to say it was a humble British Vauxhall which fetched more than $5 million at auction but I would be lying.
At the Goodwood Motor Circuit in Chichester, UK, on Saturday 15th September
An extraordinary an unrestored 1928 ‘S’ Type Sports Tourer Mercedes fetched more than £2.8 million. Type Sports Tourer battleship grey ‘S’ Type was owned by the same family from new and had never been restored, retaining its original blue leather upholstery in its entirety.
Never has the tag “one owner” had so much value. Oh Lawd, won’t you sell me a Mercedes Benz.

A 1929 Maserati Tipo 26M four-seater sports racing car raised £1,681,500.
A1929 Alfa Romeo 1750 SS Competition Tourer went  for a lousy £1,099,100.
What the highest priced Vauchall went for is not recorded. Used to be such a sweet car, too.



Still a sweet girl

Abigail Gibbs, 18, has signed a six-figure publishing deal with HarperCollins for her vampirific novel.


Gibbs is  a sweet girl, and like Morrissey, a vegetarian. There the comparison  ens as the teenager can’t stand blood while Morrissey bleeds from the mouth,mthe ears and the amp.
Ì do wish people would stop writing things like six-figure sume. I have to count ion my figures to some up with $100, 000 or more.
I do hope these bidding wars for indie writers continue. One day they might get down to you or me.

HarperCollins's publishing director, Shona Martyn, said: ‘I think this book has traction – Abigail's storytelling is pacey and vivid; her characters and plot are sexier than Edward and Bella.’’
E&B, I presume, are characters in the Twilight series.

 In the meantime, this book has not sold for a seven-figure sum.


But you can buy it as it rushes past 7 reviews.

                  HERE   and HERE