A Review by Mrs. Mommy Booknerd

A new review of In the Fool’s Footsteps is in, this one by book blogger Emily Lewis, aka Mrs. Mommy Booknerd (love the name!). She also did an interview with me as part of her Author Profiles. Some of the questions were quite challenging…

Read the review here.

Some more reviews…

From Cannibal Cutie:

“In the Fool’s Footsteps, a new indie book that I just read, is definitely hard to put down. Karen Hoffman’s complex structure of books within a book and a-million-characters set up is an innovative collection of writings.”

Read more …

From a 5-star review on Amazon:

“Toronto novelist Karen Hoffman has written a deeply engaging story which is best described as part fiction, part mystery and all entertainment!”

Read more …

I read somewhere…

Over the weekend, I read a book I downloaded for free from Kindle. So far, I have not had much luck with the free books – mostly abysmally bad, to be honest. Not to mention the typos and formatting errors, but what do you expect for free, right?

Write Good or Die is not one of those. Written by a collection of successful professional writers (Scott Nicholson, Gayle Lynds, Kevin J. Anderson, M.J. Rose, Heather Graham, Douglas Clegg, Alexandra Sokoloff, J.A. Konrath, Harley Jane Kozak, and Jonathan Maberry), it should be a bible for anyone considering becoming an author, let alone a self-published one. It’s incredibly informative and, at times, laugh out loud funny.

I wish I had read it 6 months ago.

This collection of articles covers all aspects of writing and publishing, whether indie or traditional, including honing your craft. (How refreshing for someone like me who agonizes over every comma and every nuance in my creative work.) Personal stories of the climb to the top provide inspiration, and practical hints around marketing and promotion filter through all the information on the internet.

About halfway through the first article, I set it down and went to retrieve my notebook and pen. I finished it in one sitting and filled five notebook pages with new marketing ideas and notes for my current works in progress. And my handwriting is tiny.

If it’s so good, why is it free? you may be thinking.

Remember, these are successful professional writers. They’ve won awards and sold millions of copies. Some of them are going to sell even more because I was so impressed, I’m going to buy their work. That’s it.

I’ve also been perusing another book, recommended to me by a friend, called The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham by Esther Hicks and Jerry Hicks. The ‘Abraham’ in the title is a spirit from another dimension who has spoken to the husband and wife team about the Law of Atrraction – in a nutshell, the power of positive thinking.

Okaaaaay.

Did I mention this is not to be found in the Fiction section?

So, Ouija boards, chanellers and awkward prose aside, the book has a great message: focus on what you want instead of what you don’t. Because whatever you think about the most will manifest in your life. For me, practising this philosophy has helped me to stop the damaging spiral of negative thoughts and frustration that lead to poor productivity. If I’m feeling positive, I’m damn sure going to get a lot more done. (And, by extension, reap the rewards. I’ll let you know how that goes.)

And who am I to scoff at the spirituality of the writers? The characters in my book are all based on tarot cards.

(Well, loosely based. And it can be found in the Fiction section. I just liked the archetypal imagery. Okay, nevermind.)

The earliest of reviews…

As I’ve been learning this business of self-publishing and self-promotion, I’ve read again and again that reviews are the key to success. I’ll also add that getting your friends to post the first reviews seems like a smart thing to do (although, I’m probably not nearly pushy enough in that arena). I’ve heard reports that subway and bus stops have been missed, and that alarm clocks have gone off too early because the book was too hard to put down the night before. I humbly accept full responsibility.

Here’s what a couple of readers had to say:

“…I finished the book in two days and absolutely loved it. My first thought when I finished, without a word of a lie, was ‘Wow! This would make a great movie!” … You have a talent that should be acknowledged, and I have a feeling you’re going to be one of Canada’s best selling authors. I hear you’re working on another and I can’t wait to read it.”

A portion of the first review to appear on Amazon.com:

“…The first day reading, 10 pages in, I missed my subway stop and was late for work. Attention captured… It is a completely captivating story of the journey of a diary passed through several hands over a 76 year period; lives lived, and lives being lived. The book is full of believable, colorful characters like you may have encountered, or could imagine encountering in any city or town.
I managed to read this book over one weekend… I could hardly put it down. This is a fantastic story by an exciting new author, and I will be anxiously awaiting her next novel.”(5 stars)

Click here to read the full Amazon review.