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kevinklehr · 5 days
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Book Review - The Lodger, That Summer by Levi Huxton
I don’t generally read erotic novellas. The few I have read I put down after a few chapters because the scenes were similar. But I caught up for coffee with author, Levi Huxton, to share marketing tips, and as a gift he gave me a copy of his popular debut. His success is something many of us indie authors can learn from as he’s had a steep learning curb. Levi kept developing his self-published…
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kevinklehr · 19 days
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Writing trends come and go
This blog is inspired by a recent conversation with a writer friend. He told me of an editor who believes all works should be third person and past tense. She says first person is an unreliable subjective narrative, while past tense gives the advantage of reflection. Yet Invisible Boys by Holden Sheppard is a critically acclaimed best seller, and is about to be made into a television series. It…
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kevinklehr · 1 month
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Book Review - The In-Between by Christos Tsiolkas
I read this straight after reading his previous novel, 7 1/2. These are the first Tsiolkas’ books I’ve read (yes, I’ve waited that long) even though I’m familiar with his stories from various TV and film adaptations. 7 1/2 fascinated me with its stream of consciousness style, its raw sex scenes and fascinating prose, which often was more telling than showing (not a criticism, just an…
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kevinklehr · 2 months
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How not to write a novel.
This blog is a reflection on books I’ve read and events I’ve attended. And while I know I’ve made similar mistakes on my writing journey, when I see new writers go down the same path, I hold my tongue as critique can go one of two ways. It can be welcomed by someone keen to finesse their craft, or it can be treated with contempt. So it’s easier to write these thoughts in a blog for new writers to…
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kevinklehr · 2 months
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Book Review - Dark Mode by Ashley Kalagian Blunt
There are important themes in this book. And everyone who recommended it to me focussed on the main message rather than the serial killer aspect of the plot. Reagan lives offline, even using an old phone with no smart features to avoid having an online presence. In her teen years she had a dangerous stalker, someone who is a cop now, so staying anonymous is mandatory. One morning she jogs past a…
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kevinklehr · 2 months
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Does this scene belong in my novel?
I recently bought a Blu-ray of a film I love. After I watched the movie, I explored the deleted scenes. All were good, but as the director said, all would have slowed the pace of the film because what they had to reveal to the audience was already evident in other scenes. There’s a lovely scene in my current work in progress which was not in my initial outline. Two characters get to know each…
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kevinklehr · 3 months
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Book Review - Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
Wow! I just finished this last night and wow! Glasgow. Late twentieth century. Toxic masculinity. Homophobia. And in the middle of this is Mungo, a gay teen believing his mother actually cares for him. Author, Douglas Stuart, begins this story closer to the dramatic end, then takes us back to show daily life in the poorer suburbs of this city. And while these scenes don’t always contribute to…
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kevinklehr · 3 months
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Book Tours and the Indie author
My first novel, Drama Queens with Love Scenes, was published by a small indie press over a decade ago. Little did I know back then it would be up to me to promote it and I stumbled in the dark to find information on just how to go about it. The original Charles River Press edition featuring Guy on the cover One thing we all value as authors are reviews. Most people read for pleasure and don’t…
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kevinklehr · 4 months
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Adultery and the Romance genre
As an author of gay fiction, I’m often pigeonholed by friends and family as writing Romance or Erotica. Yes, I did dabble in both of these genres briefly, but a majority of my work is Magic Realism. The other genre I’ve written is Dystopian. In the US, there is a huge demand for gay romance, and as my publisher is American, I’m often mistaken by readers and bloggers as a Romance writer in that…
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kevinklehr · 4 months
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Developing a novel with my Writing Group
I have a date every Thursday evening. My writing group meets do read, dissect, critique and applaud our works in progress. Each member has their own unique strengths which I’m finding really helpful with my work in progress. In the past I have used beta readers and professional assessors. Some have been good, others not so much. Having a dynamic writing group is a great substitute. Opening lines…
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kevinklehr · 5 months
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My author marketing tips
In my last blog I shared my writing tips. This week the focus is on marketing. Let me start by saying that what works for some doesn’t work for others. It’s subjective, but you will sense if the following advice is relevant to you. But one tip I highly recommend is check your stats! It may be your newsletter or your website, but you won’t grow your readership if your stats are telling you what…
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kevinklehr · 6 months
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My rules for writing
There’s lots of advice out there. And yes, in the field of writing there are always new things to learn. Recently I’ve seen social posts where questions have been asked by writers (and writers-to-be), so I thought I’d share some of my tips based on the questions asked. In my next blog, I will share my author marketing tips, but this week it’s all about writing. Image by Comfreak, courtesy of…
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kevinklehr · 6 months
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My writing group
I’m part of a novelist writing group. Every Thursday evening we meet with copies of the next scene from our manuscript. We read it out loud while our fellow writers follow along, making corrections and notes. Then we workshop, and sometimes debate, certain aspects of that chapter. While I’m no spring chicken, three of the members are older, and one is younger. All of us are men, not through…
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kevinklehr · 6 months
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The writing life
At a book fair, a stallholder was complaining. It was a quiet Sunday afternoon with hardly any visitors at our event, so she stood in front of my display and shared her disappointment in a traditional publisher who was not interested in her work. In her opinion, everything was there. Both illustrations and text. All they had to do was print it. Image by Lysons-editions, courtesy of Pixabay I…
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kevinklehr · 7 months
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I'm about to read gay sex scenes to straight older men
I’m part of a cool writers’ group. Each week we read and review the next scene of each other’s projects. Some feedback is relevant. Some is not. And we all have our quirks when we receive critique. Although I’m not exactly young, three of this group of five men are older than me. And unlike me, all other members are straight. The work I’m presenting contains three sex scenes, as well as three…
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kevinklehr · 7 months
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I'm writing Romance
This is new to me. Well, almost. I have written two Romance novellas before (see images below), which were guided by a couple of years of binging Sex and the City. There were mixed reviews, making it clear the Romance purists weren’t impressed. But at least those who loved them, really loved them. The original cover for ‘Nate and the New Yorker’ (Wilde City Press edition) and the current ‘two…
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kevinklehr · 8 months
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Book Review - Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
I took a while, but I finally understood what this story was about. Or at least, I know what I took from this after the final scene. I loved Ishiguro’s novel, Never Let Me Go. I read it after falling in love with the movie, and plan to read Remains of the Day at some stage. Klara and the Sun didn’t hold my interest and I put it down halfway to read another book. At the heart of this novel is…
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