[Andrez]

Hi, I'm new to this forum (a great find!) and I hope you don't mind me inserting my own 2 cents before properly cutting my dues.

This month I had my first tome published - Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat is a post-apocalyptic/noir novel put out through Another Sky Press in the 'States.

I'm actually an Aussie expat muso & journalist who's been based in Tokyo over the past 10 years, so the novel is as much an homage to my old home town (Melbourne) as it is a wink to Japan and an obsessive/compulsive take on classic 1940s and ‘50s cinema.

http://a4.l3-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/144/714432f361b14a448d835d441afaad94/l.jpg

There're also surreal red herrings aplenty, hardboiled stuff, a healthy dose of subversive humour, and a hero cut from cloth nicked from Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade – but with the chemical and alcoholic tendencies of a refugee straight out of an Irvine Welsh romp.

Perhaps just as importantly, Vegemite and and even Burke & Wills put in appearances. ;)

If you find this in any way vaguely curious, it's actually in-stock now at some indie book shops across the globe and on Amazon UK/USA.

Even better there's a free PDF digital version you can check out online @ Another Sky - http://www.anothersky.org/in-print/tobacco-stained-mountain-goat-andrez-bergen/ - just click on the "read before you buy" bit.

And any feedback would be brilliant!

[tmso]

Hello Andrez,

I'm afraid you didn't read the rules of this forum. We don't take too kindly to these here kinds of posts. Please read the rules and adjust your post accordingly before a mod comes in and does their mod-thing. ;)

Good luck

[Andrez]

Oh, sorry - oops. Apologies indeed!!

I did have a look at the forum rules but wasn't quite so clear on whether or not I could throw in mention of a novel... I thought it might be OK so long as there weren't any hot-links to Amazon and what not, and since the only link here is to a free download PDF version I thought I could cheekily get away with a mention.

Obviously not! ;)

So thanks for the heads up -　should I just delete the thread, or (even better) can you suggest any changes that'd make it less mod unfriendly...? Any assist would be very much appreciated!

Sorry again. I'll get the gist soon, I'm sure!!

[KatG]

We've decided that we'll allow it this time as you asked for feedback and it's just here in the Writing Forum. But check first next time, and don't do it in the SF or Fantasy forums. And welcome!

[JimF]

Andrez,
Congrats on getting published, and welcome to the board.

[tmso]

Sorry again. I'll get the gist soon, I'm sure!!

Ah, I guess I should have read the post rather then just skimmed it and then balk at the link.

Sorry. :o

[Andrez]

KatG and JimF... thank YOU!! Really appreciated, and understood.

And tmso, absolutely no worries. Thanks for the advice! :D

[Andrez]

Got a sweet review of the novel over at the Geek Girls site:
http://geekxgirls.com/article.php?ID=88

http://geekxgirls.com/images/banner.png

WOW. Absolutely blown away that some people are actually "getting" some of my wayward headspace! ;)

[KatG]

Andez, again, we allowed this thread because you're new and you asked for feedback, but you can't keep putting links to various reviews. That isn't writing related, it's book promotion, which isn't allowed. So no more of them, please. If you want to let us know about some triumphs, you can put an occasional announcement in the Post Your Progress Sticky thread at the top of the forum. And if you want to talk about the various strategies you are using to promote the book, you can do so in the Sticky thread about promotional activities at the top of the forum.

As I've tried to explain to various authors here, it's very much about what your intent is in your posts and about having conversations, not simply promoting your books to members. We have more latitude in this area in the Writing Forum than the Fantasy & SF forums, but we aren't a clearing house for reviews.

[Andrez]

I totally understand, KatG - thanks for the heads up and the clear explanation, and sorry for inadvertently stepping on any toes; I'm going to reassess my shoe-size and ensure it doesn't happen again! ;)

I think I'm getting the gist of how to do things here, and these patient explanations all help. Ta, mate!