Thursday, December 26, 2019

China... you can read my books!

No Google in  China, unless you use the 'back door!'  No FaceBook? I know you read my blogs, or someone doing something 'else' is. If you can read my blogs, you can probably read my three books: Talk To Me, Roskill and Sons of Orpheus. Can you use KINDLE? Let me know. You can download all three, or use a free App from the APP Store or Play Store. I'm sure you know what to do.
If you haven't figured out how to access my webpage, then here it is
(www.authorneilcoleman.com)
If you like stories about New Zealand, go and read my books.
Please let me know if you succeed. Hell ... my stories are hardly controversial. Maybe Roskill is a bit 'dark' though.
Cheers
 Neil

New Year at the beach. Take a book ... on Kindle and other 'devices.'

A  Southern Hemisphere Summer is something very special. In New Zealand, picture a beautiful Pohutukawa tree, festooned in gaudy red flowers, that drop to form a carpet of crimson. Australia's beaches are different, spectacular; their colourful sands, kissed by warmer waters. Both lend themselves to deckchairs in the shade, where one can escape the real world, with a book or a Kindle.

In the Northern Hemisphere, Christmas is a time for snuggling up in front of the fire, in a comfortable recliner, once again, with your book. Check out my three books on Kindle or other devices.
ROSKILL
TALK TO ME
SONS OF ORPHEUS (Book One - The Arrival)

You haven't got a Kindle. No worries. Check out how to download a free APP .


  1. Download and install Amazon Kindle to your mobile devices (phones or tablets). It's free to download.

Android : Play Store
Apple : App Store

  1. Once the app is installed, you will be required to register an Amazon account (if you aren't already) by filling in your full name, email address, setting up a password and credit card details.

Note : you can use this account to sign in to Amazon.com if you would like to purchase other items.

  1. On search bar (located on the top of the "Home" tab), type Sons of Orpheus, it should bring up all the search results from Kindle.


Thank you for your support.

Neil Coleman

www.authorneilcoleman.com



Tuesday, December 24, 2019

What are you going to read this Christmas?

Do you want a bit of variety? How about downloading all three of my books: 
ROSKILL
TALK TO ME
SONS OF ORPHEUS ( bOOK 1 - THE ARRIVAL)
 But you don't have a Kindle. Sure, it's easy if you do. Go to Bookstore and search and download.
You could also Google 'Roskill, by Neil Coleman om Kindle.' Do the same for the other books and you will go to the link.
Still not quite there? Follow these steps:



  1. Download and install Amazon Kindle to your mobile devices (phones or tablets). It's free to download.

Android : Play Store
Apple : App Store

  1. Once the app is installed, you will be required to register an Amazon account (if you aren't already) by filling in your full name, email address, setting up a password and credit card details.

Note : you can use this account to sign in to Amazon.com if you would like to purchase other items.

  1. On search bar (located on the top of the "Home" tab), type Sons of Orpheus, it should bring up all the search results from Kindle.


Thank you for your support.

Neil Coleman

www.authorneilcoleman.com


Saturday, December 21, 2019

One upon a ten years ago ... I had a dream!

It is not uncommon to 'live' a special moment. I have had quite a few in my near 'average length' life.
However, the one I am about to describe could be a pivotal one for me. No ... I am not talking about the 'Coastal Dream,' that came to me many times; the one about the Thames Coast, with its pebble and rock-strewn beaches; the one that ultimately called to me, to come and live in this beautiful part of New Zealand. Yes, I arrived at the Thames Coast about three and a half years ago. I enjoy a lifestyle that was meant to be retirement. Of course ... it is a very busy one.

The 'other dream-like moment I alluded to earlier, propelled me to a very different journey. I had gone for a drive to the top of the Awhitu Peninsula, a windswept area, facing the prevailing westerlies that sweep across the Manukau Heads,  very close to Auckland City. In the early European history of Auckland, the Heads were the entry to a busy port in Onehunga. Maori had a much longer connection to this special place, seeing the Harbour beyond the heads in a far more spiritual manner.

I stood on the area near the present-day lighthouse, a reconstruction of the original, and looked out to sea, watching the huge breakers as they relentlessly roiled and broke over the treacherous bar at the entrance to the huge Manukau Harbour. I thought of the Orpheus, one of the most modern Corvettes in Great Britain's huge navy. The Orpheus was a hybrid ship ... steam and sail. I knew a little of the history of her being sent to the new Colony of New Zealand. She was sailing/steaming into a cauldron of discontent. On one hand, the new settlers, who wanted land, and on the other ... the Tangata Whenua, who had already experienced the dishonouring of Treaty of Waitangi that should have enshrined the Maori occupation of their land.

The Orpheus was sent to New Zealand to protect the settler in Auckland. My thoughts turned to the crew and other aboard this most modern of ships: Who were they? How had chance played a part in how they came to be aboard the ship. What would happen to them, once they arrived? My mind played with 'fictional characters,' and I turned to my friend and said, "I'm going to write a book about the Orpheus."
I don't remember his reply,  but on the way home, I had flashes of an idea. That night, I stayed awake, finding sleep near impossible. The next day, I arrived at work, very early and I set about writing ... for about thirty minutes. A colleague came into my office and I read the first two pages. And so it began.

Three months later, I had the first draft of a massive seven hundred page Saga. I called it THE SONS OF ORPHEUS. I found an editor, in Wellington and sent it to her, I communicated and had a meeting with. Michelle. There was much wrong with my book. I needed to rewrite, cut and fix and follow her suggestions. It seemed way too much. I sadly lost interest ... but not completely. From time to time, I revisited the text,  but once again shrugged off the thought of attempting the huge task. I 'shelved it,' putting the experience down to 'learning about writing.' In the meantime, I wrote three other books: Coastal Yarns, Roskill and Talk to Me. I self-published, a very expensive exercise.

The years flew by and I followed the dream that I started this blog with. I joined various organizations in my new town, mainly voluntary, and continued to work, part-time as a counsellor, travelling back to Auckland once a week. I joined a local writers group. (The Thames Writers Group) You can find it on FaceBook. The members encourage one another to write. We read our stories and give feedback. It was the support of the members, particularly my new editor, Carolyn MacKenzie, that led me to enter Part One of Sons of Orpheus to a writing competition. I rewrote, shortened and generally refocussed the story. I managed to get into the final ten for the competition, but have yet to hear the final result.

I decided to publish the first book in the trilogy as an ebook, with the possibility of producing hard copy at a later date. Sons of Orpheus, Book 1 - The Arrival, goes live on December 23, 2019. It is available as a preorder, NOW! You can download it to your Kindle or other devices on the above date, but if you preorder, it auto loads when it goes live.
Scroll down in the blog and click on the link provided and the book will preorder and load on the release date. Please share and don't forget to review the book. A link pops up at the end of the book. Reviews draw attention. The more I sell (US$ 2.99) the sooner Part 2 comes out,


Thursday, December 19, 2019

Here's the link to my new book, folks.
Sons of Orpheus  (Book 1- The Arrival)
In 1863, The Orpehues was sent to New Zealand to patrol the Waikato Heads, to stop Maori Waka (war canoes) from attacking Auckland. The Settpelrs were demanding land and that land was NOT theirs. What follows is fundamental to the New Zealand of today.
189 people drowned in New Zealand's worst maraito]imer disaster. This a fictional story, based on factual events.
Sons of Orpheus is a trilogy. Download the first part, from the link below. $US 2.99 (NZ$ 3.44)
Hard copy will be available at a later date.
The Ebook is available now as a preordered and will auto-load on December 23 to your device. (Times may vary according to Time Zones) Get your Christmas read now. Take it to the beach if you are in NZ, or snuggle up in your favourite chair if you are in the Northern Hemisphere ad immerse yourself in this crucial time in NZ's history. There is a STRONG Aussie connection in this series.


https://www.amazon.com/Sons-Orpheus-Book-1-Arrival-ebook/dp/B082RWYWTN/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Sons+of+Orpheus&qid=1576790748&s=books&sr=1-1


Sunday, December 15, 2019




Sons of Orpheus

Book  1  The Arrival

By Neil Coleman

Sons of Orpheus is available NOW!   What are you waiting for?



Two young men, from two different cultures, thousands of miles apart, leave their homelands. Jack seeks a new life, after the terrible Potatoe famine in Ireland leaves a destitute land.
Adi in Sumatra has his life altered forever when an earthquake destroys his village ... and his memory.
Meanwhile, in the young Colony of New Zealand, settlers demand land; land that is already inhabited. Warships are needed, whales abound in the Southern Ocean. How will Jack and Adi become involved in the changing situation in New Zealand? 
The clash of cultures, adventure, love ... all play their part in this fast-moving, Young Adult novel, a book that all ages will enjoy.
Don't have a Kindle. No matter. Go to Play Store (Android) or App Store (Apple ) and download the free APP, then register to download onto your phone, Laptop, Ipad or Tablet. Search for Sons of Orpheus, (Book 1 - The Arrival on Bookstore (Amazon e-books). While you are there, download my other two books, ROSKILL and Talk to Me.
Happy reading.




(www.authorneilcoleman.com)

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Sons of Orpheus. Book One, The Arrival.

    At long last. Sons of Orpheus has been ten years in the making. Stop, start, rewrite .,, stop again ... until my friends in The Thames Writers Group encouraged me to resurrect my script, and get it out there.
    I am about to upload the book onto Amazon. If you like historical novels, maybe this is for you. Although Sons of Orpheus (SOO) is a Young Adult novel, it has appeal for older readers, who love New Zealand history. SOO is 'creative nonfiction,'  in that the storyline is based around historical facts, but the characters are predominantly fictional.
    New Zealand history has almost exclusively been written by the victims of the Colonial Wars. It has only been recently that a more balanced version has been acknowledged. SOO is a story of the clash of cultures; the pain, loss, love and adventures of three main characters, expanding across the Pacific, but always hinging on the Settlement of Onehunga and the growing city of Auckland.
    SOO is a three-part saga. Book One: The Arrival sets the scene. The script reached the finals of a writer Festival,'  about eighteen months ago. The final results are pending. SOO needs to launch. Thus the imminent release as an E-book. You will have the option of preordering. If you have a device you can do it. You will be able to download a free APP from my website (www.authorneilcoleman.com) and following the links from Neils Book. You will also be able to search Amazon Books and enter the title. Please share this.