Mystery, bit of Romance, humor, suspense.....

Am I allowed to mention my own book here?  If not, feel free to delete this topic.
It does have good ratings on Amazon, but I doubt it will ever reach the Best Seller list. lol   Anyway, if you know of any readers of light-hearted romance/mystery (nothing graphic), my novel, Velvet Hellion, has a bit of everything in it. I actually wrote it 20 years ago on an old word processor, before I became too ill. A nice man who was starting a publishing company, offered to help me get it into print last year. He paid all upfront costs, as I didn't have any money. Then I paid him back as each copy sold. I had 50 copies at my house to autograph, and luckily they got sold within the first month, so I was able to pay off the printing costs of them.  It's on Amazon now, but gosh, I only get 50 p  when one sells. This is why writers are told to get a normal daytime job (unless you're being paid to write for magazines, etc...) as a freelancer.

There is a webpage for it, with a link to where you can read the first 4 chapters for free, if anyone is interested. I know it won't appeal to everyone, considering I wrote it when I was much younger. It will probably appeal more to the younger crowd; however, I have had men buying the book, which surprised me. Here is the link:
http://www.velvethellion.com

Hey, it looks good to me and I am not 'younger'!  I think it would appeal to any age.  I may read those free four chapters when I have time.  I admire you actually writing and finishing, I know it is not easy (I have a book inside me, but wrapping my head around plot with a bit of intrigue is the hard part).

Awww, you really should write if you have that creative urge, Andee. And thank you soooo much for your nice comments. I really appreciate it. I hope you'll be able to read the first 4 chapters if you get a chance.  I wanted people to read it before deciding whether to put out money for the full novel, as it's very long (over 400 pages). But it has a lot of twists and turns in it, and keeps moving.   Anyway, thank you again for posting a reply here. It made my night.   

You're welcome!  I do keep a journal and have a funny technique I use to help the creative process (I write about myself and my adventures in the third person and have created a sort of fictional character loosely based on myself.)

That sounds interesting to me, Andee. See, you've piqued my curiosity already 

It does sound interesting! I, like so many, have toyed with the idea of writing something. I actually worked up a very rough draft of this thing. I am fascinated by the concept of the social contract in Western philosophy, of the power sharing between individual and society, and my idea was to have like this Platonic discussion going on between this young guy on the run for a crime who flees across the Gulf of Mexico in a sail boat - seeking sanctuary in the jungles of South America - and this old professor who he kidnaps along the way.  

The whole business with the escape and the small boat out on the open sea was just really to serve as something exciting to frame this open philosophical discussion. I admit I had read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and was thinking that something like that - with a better plot - could sort of work with Western thought.

First of all, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a crappy book. And I think any of those ancient Socratic method-type things are crappy, because the conversation will always end up backing up whatever the author posits. It is begging the question - and there is no way around it. Your guy will always win, because you control the argument.

In Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance the author is a philosophy professor, and the main character. His young son is the classic ignorant boy - so dad runs circles around anything the boy brings up. I have the feeling that after a while the boy must have wished dad would shut up or fall off the motorcycle. It is three hundred pages of mansplaining.

So I showed this thing to my wife, and I don't think she has ever really thought as highly of me since. I let it sit, and when I went back, it was glaringly, absolutely the worst writing imaginable. But it did serve to, a.) remove that idea that I could write something solid, and b.) make me appreciate anyone who completes a polished work.

There comes a point where writing something of value turns into real work. Not just Great Literature....anything truly finished is hard work.

" I have the feeling that after a while the boy must have wished dad would shut up or fall off the motorcycle."  sonofasailor.... LOLOLOL!!!  Btw, every time I see those Colt 45 cans near your name, it reminds me of when I drank a 6 pack of them during my teenage years. lol

I'm sure there are plenty of well known authors who thought their work was horrid when they reflected upon it at a later date. It doesn't mean you don't have a good story. You had me interested just with your beginning description, and believe me, it's hard to get me interested in most stories!  I actually think you would make a good writer; I'm basing this upon how you converse in various forum topics here. A creative writing class could be a way to go, or even learning from teachers online. I've seen a lot of badly written books, but if you have the creative idea and can draw an outline of the plot, chances are you can learn how to do the rest; and, if not, that's why people pay an editor.  

My novel only began as a way to pass the time while I was housebound. I never thought it'd turn into something worth publishing!  It wasn't until my EX read it (and he HATES to read!), and proclaimed he really enjoyed it, that I even considered getting it ready to go public. If you've got the ideas, I say run with it. Many of my friends are self-publishing today, as it's an easier route. The only thing I wouldn't scrimp on, is the editing. Cheers