https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/megan-publishing-services-podcast--2917980enSociety & CultureCopyright Owen Joneshttps://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/47502ef578940d5a08c26d2b95d2cc5b.jpghttps://www.spreaker.com/podcast/megan-publishing-services-podcast--2917980Sat, 08 Apr 2023 06:43:31 +0000Owen JonesOwen Jonesfeeds@spreaker.comThis programme contains podcasts of segments from books, and pages and posts from my website Megan Publishing Servicescleanepisodichttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/talent-and-ingenuity--51208206http://amiabledragon.com]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/51208206Sat, 10 Sep 2022 06:43:19 +0000Owen JonesA podcast from those on http://amiabledragon.comhttp://amiabledragon.com]]>60aspirations,ingenuity,novelist,owen_jones,podcast,repression,social_control,talentcleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/paternite-de-l-oeuvre-publiez-votre-livre-par-vous-meme--40051664Clickez https://smarturl.it/authorship-fr?IQid=spreaker]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/40051664Thu, 30 Jul 2020 08:22:47 +0000Owen Jones'Paternité de l´Œuvre - Publiez votre livre par vous-même' constitue un matériel d´assistance pour ceux qui veulent écrire, écrivent ou ont écrit un livre.   Il sert de guide à l´écriture et à l´auto-publication.   Il n´est pas censé être un guide...Clickez https://smarturl.it/authorship-fr?IQid=spreaker]]>303blog,ecrire,editer,journaux,livres,l´œuvre,paternité,podcast,publier,romancleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/massage--28191794https://api.spreaker.com/episode/28191794Sun, 24 May 2020 09:07:36 +0000Owen JonesMassage is internationally recognised as a means to well-being. Many countries have developed their own styles of massage for mental and physical health.230audiobook,beauty,exercise,health,massage,owenjones,well-beingcleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/home-movies-theatre-systems--28119035
by

Owen Jones

narrated by

Dena Darvish Derakhshan

The information in this audio book on home movie systems and related subjects is organised into 17 sections.

It will help you set up a home movie theatre system, and it may even help you venture out into a new career. The least that it will do is save you hundreds on professional advice.

As an added bonus, I am granting you permission to use the content on your own website or in your own blogs and newsletter, although it is better if you rewrite them in your own words first.

You may also split the book up and resell the articles. In fact, the only right that you do not have is to resell or give away the book as it was delivered to you.

If you use formats other than these (like Kobo), you will find the books on your main retailer's site including apple iTunes.

Get the audiobook from Audible here: https://smarturl.it/Home-Movies-audio?IQid=spreaker
or get the ebook from Amazon here: https://smarturl.it/home-movies-am?IQid=spreaker]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/28119035Sat, 23 May 2020 09:20:37 +0000Owen JonesHome Movie Theatre Systems by Owen Jones narrated by Dena Darvish Derakhshan The information in this audio book on home movie systems and related subjects is organised into 17 sections. It will help you set up a home movie theatre system, and it...
by

Owen Jones

narrated by

Dena Darvish Derakhshan

The information in this audio book on home movie systems and related subjects is organised into 17 sections.

It will help you set up a home movie theatre system, and it may even help you venture out into a new career. The least that it will do is save you hundreds on professional advice.

As an added bonus, I am granting you permission to use the content on your own website or in your own blogs and newsletter, although it is better if you rewrite them in your own words first.

You may also split the book up and resell the articles. In fact, the only right that you do not have is to resell or give away the book as it was delivered to you.

If you use formats other than these (like Kobo), you will find the books on your main retailer's site including apple iTunes.

Get the audiobook from Audible here: https://smarturl.it/Home-Movies-audio?IQid=spreaker
or get the ebook from Amazon here: https://smarturl.it/home-movies-am?IQid=spreaker]]>146audiobook,ebook,films,home,homemoviesystems,hometheatre,movies,owenjones,videocleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/hoe-om-jou-hond-n-werklike-hond-se-lewe-te-gee--28113219
en hom jou daarvoor te laat liefhê

deur

Owen Jones

vertaal deur

Corlia Jones

vertel deur

Dini Steyn

'Hoe om Jou Hond ‘n Werklike Hond se Lewe te Gee - en hom jou daarvoor te laat liefhê.' is die volledige handboek oor kies, koop, verbinding met 'n hond bou en vir hom sorg. Geskryf deur 'n honde-eienaar wat so passievol oor honde is dat sy vrou seker is dat hy 'n hond was in sy laaste lewe! Owen Jones het sy lewe gedeel met honde sedert die eerste dag van sy lewe. Hy ken hulle so goed dat hy is seker dat hy hulle grappies kan vertel! Dit is 'n moet lees!

https://smarturl.it/DogsLife-za?IQid=spreaker]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/28113219Sat, 23 May 2020 07:39:48 +0000Owen JonesHoe om Jou Hond ‘n Werklike Hond se Lewe te Gee en hom jou daarvoor te laat liefhê deur Owen Jones vertaal deur Corlia Jones vertel deur Dini Steyn 'Hoe om Jou Hond ‘n Werklike Hond se Lewe te Gee - en hom jou daarvoor te laat liefhê.' is die...
en hom jou daarvoor te laat liefhê

deur

Owen Jones

vertaal deur

Corlia Jones

vertel deur

Dini Steyn

'Hoe om Jou Hond ‘n Werklike Hond se Lewe te Gee - en hom jou daarvoor te laat liefhê.' is die volledige handboek oor kies, koop, verbinding met 'n hond bou en vir hom sorg. Geskryf deur 'n honde-eienaar wat so passievol oor honde is dat sy vrou seker is dat hy 'n hond was in sy laaste lewe! Owen Jones het sy lewe gedeel met honde sedert die eerste dag van sy lewe. Hy ken hulle so goed dat hy is seker dat hy hulle grappies kan vertel! Dit is 'n moet lees!

https://smarturl.it/DogsLife-za?IQid=spreaker]]>191afrikaans,audiobook,corliajones,dinisteyn,handleiding,hond,honde-eienaars,owenjones,troeteldier,viervoetige-vriendecleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/os-inadmissiveis--24987957
Após recorrer a vários métodos de teste tradicionais, Da determina que o sangue de Heng se transformou em água, mas não lhe apresenta soluções.

Segue-se a transição de Heng e as peripécias da sua família enquanto se adaptam às suas novas vidas, com novas aspirações e desafios, tendo uma aldeia remota tailandesa como pano de fundo.

https://smarturl.it/Inadmissiveisonazn?IQid=spreaker]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/24987957Wed, 08 Apr 2020 15:09:54 +0000Owen JonesOs Inadmissíveis é, na sua essência, uma comédia filosófica que tem o seu início quando Heng, um pastor de cabras de meia-idade que vive com a sua família nas montanhas de Chiang Rai, no norte da Tailândia, se começa a sentir mal. A princípio decide...
Após recorrer a vários métodos de teste tradicionais, Da determina que o sangue de Heng se transformou em água, mas não lhe apresenta soluções.

Segue-se a transição de Heng e as peripécias da sua família enquanto se adaptam às suas novas vidas, com novas aspirações e desafios, tendo uma aldeia remota tailandesa como pano de fundo.

https://smarturl.it/Inadmissiveisonazn?IQid=spreaker]]>207audiolivros,cabras,chiangrai,comédia,filosóficos,pastordecabras,tailândia,vampiroscleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/villfarelsen-en-andlig-guide-en-spoktiger-och-en-skrammande-mamma--24913340

Eller gör dom det? Både hennes mormor och hennes mamma gör allt de kan för att stoppa Megan från att ta reda på mer. Historien visar Megans frustration med de levande, så när hjälp kommer från den andra sidan, tar hon emot den med öppna armar och utvecklar långsamt men säkert sina övernaturliga krafter.


Detta är berättelsen om Megans uppvaknande.


"Villfarelsen" handlar om de paranormala krafter som finns inom oss alla, vilket borde göra dem helt normala istället för paranormala, om människor inte var så rädda för det övernaturliga, vilket i sig självt också är helt naturligt.


Det här är en bok för alla som någonsin har funderat över det övernaturliga, paranormala eller metafysiska- Det handlar om den normala andliga utvecklingen som alla högre själar måste gå igenom för att nå sitt ultimata, oundvikliga öde, hur lång tid det än kan ta. Dessa berättelser bygger på faktum på flera sätt än en.

https://smarturl.it/M1-Swedish?IQid=spreaker]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/24913340Tue, 07 Apr 2020 06:59:01 +0000Owen Jones"Villfarelsen" är den första delen i en serie av tjugotre noveller om den andliga utvecklingen hos en ung flicka som heter Megan. Hon har latenta övernaturliga krafter och hon är nyfiken på att utveckla dem, men ingen annan som hon känner verkar ha...

Eller gör dom det? Både hennes mormor och hennes mamma gör allt de kan för att stoppa Megan från att ta reda på mer. Historien visar Megans frustration med de levande, så när hjälp kommer från den andra sidan, tar hon emot den med öppna armar och utvecklar långsamt men säkert sina övernaturliga krafter.


Detta är berättelsen om Megans uppvaknande.


"Villfarelsen" handlar om de paranormala krafter som finns inom oss alla, vilket borde göra dem helt normala istället för paranormala, om människor inte var så rädda för det övernaturliga, vilket i sig självt också är helt naturligt.


Det här är en bok för alla som någonsin har funderat över det övernaturliga, paranormala eller metafysiska- Det handlar om den normala andliga utvecklingen som alla högre själar måste gå igenom för att nå sitt ultimata, oundvikliga öde, hur lång tid det än kan ta. Dessa berättelser bygger på faktum på flera sätt än en.

https://smarturl.it/M1-Swedish?IQid=spreaker]]>141andeguide,audiobook,keltiska,ljudbok,myter,övernaturliga,owenjones,psykiska,spiritualist,spöktigercleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/andropovs-cuckoo-a-story-of-love-intrigue-and-the-kgb--22319390
A dying man recounts the story of the most amazing person he has ever met, a brilliant, Soviet linguist whom he calls Youriko. It is a tale of love, daring-do, spies and danger set in Japan, Germany, Turkey, the USA, Canada and the UK, but mostly in the Soviet Union of the Seventies.
Two girls, born thousands of miles apart in Kazakhstan and Japan just after World War II, meet and are like peas in a pod. They also get on like sisters and keep n touch for the rest of their lives.
However, one wants to help her battle-scarred country and the other wants to leave hers for the West. They dream up a daring, dangerous plan to achieve both goals, which Andropov, the chief of the Soviet KGB, is told about. He dubs it Operation Youriko and it is set in motion, but does it have even the remotest chance of success?
Andropov’s Cuckoo is based on a ‘true story’ related to the author by one of the protagonists.

https://smarturl.it/Andropov-bounty?IQid=spreakercmd]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/22319390Sun, 02 Feb 2020 01:33:56 +0000Owen JonesAndropov’s Cuckoo A dying man recounts the story of the most amazing person he has ever met, a brilliant, Soviet linguist whom he calls Youriko. It is a tale of love, daring-do, spies and danger set in Japan, Germany, Turkey, the USA, Canada and the...
A dying man recounts the story of the most amazing person he has ever met, a brilliant, Soviet linguist whom he calls Youriko. It is a tale of love, daring-do, spies and danger set in Japan, Germany, Turkey, the USA, Canada and the UK, but mostly in the Soviet Union of the Seventies.
Two girls, born thousands of miles apart in Kazakhstan and Japan just after World War II, meet and are like peas in a pod. They also get on like sisters and keep n touch for the rest of their lives.
However, one wants to help her battle-scarred country and the other wants to leave hers for the West. They dream up a daring, dangerous plan to achieve both goals, which Andropov, the chief of the Soviet KGB, is told about. He dubs it Operation Youriko and it is set in motion, but does it have even the remotest chance of success?
Andropov’s Cuckoo is based on a ‘true story’ related to the author by one of the protagonists.

https://smarturl.it/Andropov-bounty?IQid=spreakercmd]]>131andropov,defection,espionage,exchange,gulags,kazakhstan,kgb,linguist,love,prostitution brezhnev,show,soviet,students,trials,unioncleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/luc-wyn-translator--22037376
Let's extend a warm welcome to a translator,  whom I have become friends with after working together on several of my books (not that he needed any help from me :-) )

What is your name?

Luc Wyn

Where are you from, Luc?

Originally from Belgium but I am now residing in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico

Are you a full-time translator or are you free-lance?

I’m a freelance translator for Babelcube, since I have other occupations as well.

My Babelcube Profile can be found at: https://www.babelcube.com/user/luc-wyn

What made you want to become a translator?

I've always been fascinated by languages and, contrary to sciences, learning them comes natural to me. I guess this process had its early beginnings when I was a small boy and used to play with an Italian boy on holiday. Neither of us knew each other's language but we managed three weeks of communication by exchanging names of certain toys and objects and colours and so on. That's probably when and where 'the fuse was lit'.

What languages do you translate from and into?

Currently most of my translations are either from Spanish or English into my own language, which is Dutch. I do also master German and French though and have on occasion translated from those languages as well.

What is your favourite language to translate?

Being the language aficionado I am, I don’t really have a favourite language, as all of them have their innate specialities and all of them are interesting in one way or another. Some do present a bit more challenge as others however.

What have you translated?

I have translated a number of books in a number of genres, ranging from novels to books about antique tools and engravings on them. The majority consists of novels though.

What made you decide for a career as translator?

The profound love, or even obsession, you might say, for languages and everything connected with them that I’ve had since early childhood. I guess you might say I’ve inherited my mother’s inquisitiveness and express that through my love for languages.

If you could give a beginning translator a piece of advice, what would it be?

Be selective about what you accept. And be perfectionist and thorough once you've accepted it. Reread meticulously what you've translated before you hand it in or upload it.

Have you ever written something of your own, and if so, in what genre?

I did do some short writing when I was young. Those were experiments with short stories inspired by people like Edgar Allen Poe and the likes. Other than that I tend to get into poetry once in a (very long) while.

Tea or coffee?

I like both in their own way with a preference for coffee.

What is your favourite foreign food?

Well, although it's technically not really 'foreign food' any more as such, pizza is among the top 5 here. I also like moussaka a lot, which is a Greek dish, or the tajine and cousocus from North Africa. I'm quite partial to oriental food as well, but steer clear from anything spicy.

Either, depending on the moment

Wine or beer or pop?

Wine with food, but otherwise, beer. Never pop!

Where would you like to visit?

Anywhere I haven't been yet :-)

Favourite musical artist. Do you listen to music when you write? What?

Listen to or read the rest on Megan Publishing Services here:
https://smarturl.it/luc-wyn?IQid=spreaker]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=12005Wed, 22 Jan 2020 14:54:08 +0000Owen JonesLuc Wyn - The Belgian in Monterrey! Let's extend a warm welcome to a translator,  whom I have become friends with after working together on several of my books (not that he needed any help from me :-) ) What is your name? Luc Wyn Where are you...
Let's extend a warm welcome to a translator,  whom I have become friends with after working together on several of my books (not that he needed any help from me :-) )

What is your name?

Luc Wyn

Where are you from, Luc?

Originally from Belgium but I am now residing in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico

Are you a full-time translator or are you free-lance?

I’m a freelance translator for Babelcube, since I have other occupations as well.

My Babelcube Profile can be found at: https://www.babelcube.com/user/luc-wyn

What made you want to become a translator?

I've always been fascinated by languages and, contrary to sciences, learning them comes natural to me. I guess this process had its early beginnings when I was a small boy and used to play with an Italian boy on holiday. Neither of us knew each other's language but we managed three weeks of communication by exchanging names of certain toys and objects and colours and so on. That's probably when and where 'the fuse was lit'.

What languages do you translate from and into?

Currently most of my translations are either from Spanish or English into my own language, which is Dutch. I do also master German and French though and have on occasion translated from those languages as well.

What is your favourite language to translate?

Being the language aficionado I am, I don’t really have a favourite language, as all of them have their innate specialities and all of them are interesting in one way or another. Some do present a bit more challenge as others however.

What have you translated?

I have translated a number of books in a number of genres, ranging from novels to books about antique tools and engravings on them. The majority consists of novels though.

What made you decide for a career as translator?

The profound love, or even obsession, you might say, for languages and everything connected with them that I’ve had since early childhood. I guess you might say I’ve inherited my mother’s inquisitiveness and express that through my love for languages.

If you could give a beginning translator a piece of advice, what would it be?

Be selective about what you accept. And be perfectionist and thorough once you've accepted it. Reread meticulously what you've translated before you hand it in or upload it.

Have you ever written something of your own, and if so, in what genre?

I did do some short writing when I was young. Those were experiments with short stories inspired by people like Edgar Allen Poe and the likes. Other than that I tend to get into poetry once in a (very long) while.

Tea or coffee?

I like both in their own way with a preference for coffee.

What is your favourite foreign food?

Well, although it's technically not really 'foreign food' any more as such, pizza is among the top 5 here. I also like moussaka a lot, which is a Greek dish, or the tajine and cousocus from North Africa. I'm quite partial to oriental food as well, but steer clear from anything spicy.

Either, depending on the moment

Wine or beer or pop?

Wine with food, but otherwise, beer. Never pop!

Where would you like to visit?

Anywhere I haven't been yet :-)

Favourite musical artist. Do you listen to music when you write? What?

Listen to or read the rest on Megan Publishing Services here:
https://smarturl.it/luc-wyn?IQid=spreaker]]>438belgian,dutch,lucwyn,mexico,monterrey,translatorcleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-night-in-annwn-international--21354334and its sequels
Life in Annwn and Leaving Annwn
by
Owen Jones
translated by professionals
In short, A Night in Annwn - International is about the Annwn Series, which relates the story of Welsh sheep farmer Willy Jones' last few weeks on Earth, or on The Surface as he later comes to call it; his subsequent life in Annwn, which is ancient Welsh for Heaven, but it was underground; and his decision to be reborn in order to help mankind.

In A Night in Annwn, Willy Jones is missing his deceased wife and has let himself go, much to the dismay of his daughter. One day, he undergoes a Near-Death Experience (NDE) and wakes up in what he assumes is hospital, except that his nurse seems incredibly familiar. After a time in Heaven, which he is told is known by its ancient Celtic name of Annwn and is underground, he wakes up in a hospital in Cardiff on The Surface. The experience changes his life, but he does eventually die and goes on to live his Life in Annwn.

Willy pairs up with his wife again, and goes about re-leaning life in Annwn, until one day, he, his wife and daughter decide to be reborn as Bodhisattvas to help mankind, This is the theme of the third book in the series Leaving Annwn.

A Night in Annwn has been translated by professional translators into the following languages so far. Life in Annwn has been translated into some of them, and some have even been narrated by professional voice-artists, however the translations and narrations are on-going processes, so you may need to check back to see if your language has been covered yet. If you click on the book covers below, you will be presented with a sample of the text in that language courtesy of Amazon, although the books are also available on iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Scribd, Tolino and Audible in all other formats.
Visit: https://smarturl.it/annwn1-previews?IQid=spreaker 

 ]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=11944Sat, 04 Jan 2020 21:12:05 +0000Owen JonesA Night in Annwn and its sequels Life in Annwn and Leaving Annwn by Owen Jones translated by professionals In short, A Night in Annwn - International is about the Annwn Series, which relates the story of Welsh sheep farmer Willy Jones' last few weeks...and its sequels
Life in Annwn and Leaving Annwn
by
Owen Jones
translated by professionals
In short, A Night in Annwn - International is about the Annwn Series, which relates the story of Welsh sheep farmer Willy Jones' last few weeks on Earth, or on The Surface as he later comes to call it; his subsequent life in Annwn, which is ancient Welsh for Heaven, but it was underground; and his decision to be reborn in order to help mankind.

In A Night in Annwn, Willy Jones is missing his deceased wife and has let himself go, much to the dismay of his daughter. One day, he undergoes a Near-Death Experience (NDE) and wakes up in what he assumes is hospital, except that his nurse seems incredibly familiar. After a time in Heaven, which he is told is known by its ancient Celtic name of Annwn and is underground, he wakes up in a hospital in Cardiff on The Surface. The experience changes his life, but he does eventually die and goes on to live his Life in Annwn.

Willy pairs up with his wife again, and goes about re-leaning life in Annwn, until one day, he, his wife and daughter decide to be reborn as Bodhisattvas to help mankind, This is the theme of the third book in the series Leaving Annwn.

A Night in Annwn has been translated by professional translators into the following languages so far. Life in Annwn has been translated into some of them, and some have even been narrated by professional voice-artists, however the translations and narrations are on-going processes, so you may need to check back to see if your language has been covered yet. If you click on the book covers below, you will be presented with a sample of the text in that language courtesy of Amazon, although the books are also available on iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Scribd, Tolino and Audible in all other formats.
Visit: https://smarturl.it/annwn1-previews?IQid=spreaker 

 ]]>124afterlife,annwn,heaven,heaven_underground,life-after-death,mythology,otherworld,reincarnation,valhalla,wales,welsh-mythologycleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/asian-shorts-international--21280637by various authors
translated and narrated
by professionals

Asian Shorts International
collated by
Owen Jones

Asian Shorts is an anthology of nineteen short stories by nine different authors. Most of them are professional writers but two of them were previously unpublished and one of those went on to write several more books.

The writers live all over the world too, in as much as nine people can, but countries include Cambodia, Canada, England, Thailand, USA, Vietnam and Wales. Their names and brief bios can be found under the list of translations below. free audiobook copies can be obtained in most cases, and other languages are being added as they become available.

The authors contributing to Asian Shorts International, in no particular order, are: Mike Lord, Owen Jones, Bernard Foong, Gay Ingram, Jennifer J. Chow, S. R. Mallery, Trevor Aindow and David Collier.

Please support these authors by checking out  and reading their work.
Authors' Bios of Contributors to Asian Shorts International:

Mike Lord
Sinagiri, by Mike Lord – Rajah Kasyapu & the Frescoes at Singiriya, in Sri Lanka.
Smashwords: http://tinyurl.com/mrpafs7 Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/o74846h

Owen Jones
Owen Jones writes in many genre which you can discover on his here: http://owencerijones.com . His flagship series ‘Behind The Smile ~ The Story of Lek, A Bar Girl in Pattaya’ is here: http://behind-the-smile.org

Bernard Foong
Bernard Foong (aka Young) is the author of ‘A Harem Boy's Saga; a memoir’ by Young (seven book series): http://aharemboysaga.com/wp/ The first three books in the series – ‘Initiation’, ‘Unbridled’ and ‘Debauchery’ (published by Solstice publishing) are currently available at all Amazon online stores e.g. http://amzn.to/1FMlHVY

Gay Ingram
Gay Ingram writes historical fiction. Mai Lin: Another New Beginning is her latest release. See all her published books at https://www.amazon.com/author/gayingram. She also contributes a weekly column to http://venturegalleries.com/author/gayingram/.

Jennifer J. Chow
Jennifer J. Chow writes Asian-American fiction with a geriatric twist. She is the author of The 228 Legacy, a 2013 Finalist for ’Foreword Reviews’ Book of the Year Award. She also writes the Winston Wong cozy mystery series under J.J. Chow. Visit her website for more details:

See: https://smarturl.it/asianshortsauthors?IQid=spreaker]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=11917Thu, 02 Jan 2020 14:23:25 +0000Owen JonesAsian Shorts Audiobook by various authors translated and narrated by professionals Asian Shorts International collated by Owen Jones Asian Shorts is an anthology of nineteen short stories by nine different authors. Most of them are professional...by various authors
translated and narrated
by professionals

Asian Shorts International
collated by
Owen Jones

Asian Shorts is an anthology of nineteen short stories by nine different authors. Most of them are professional writers but two of them were previously unpublished and one of those went on to write several more books.

The writers live all over the world too, in as much as nine people can, but countries include Cambodia, Canada, England, Thailand, USA, Vietnam and Wales. Their names and brief bios can be found under the list of translations below. free audiobook copies can be obtained in most cases, and other languages are being added as they become available.

The authors contributing to Asian Shorts International, in no particular order, are: Mike Lord, Owen Jones, Bernard Foong, Gay Ingram, Jennifer J. Chow, S. R. Mallery, Trevor Aindow and David Collier.

Please support these authors by checking out  and reading their work.
Authors' Bios of Contributors to Asian Shorts International:

Mike Lord
Sinagiri, by Mike Lord – Rajah Kasyapu & the Frescoes at Singiriya, in Sri Lanka.
Smashwords: http://tinyurl.com/mrpafs7 Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/o74846h

Owen Jones
Owen Jones writes in many genre which you can discover on his here: http://owencerijones.com . His flagship series ‘Behind The Smile ~ The Story of Lek, A Bar Girl in Pattaya’ is here: http://behind-the-smile.org

Bernard Foong
Bernard Foong (aka Young) is the author of ‘A Harem Boy's Saga; a memoir’ by Young (seven book series): http://aharemboysaga.com/wp/ The first three books in the series – ‘Initiation’, ‘Unbridled’ and ‘Debauchery’ (published by Solstice publishing) are currently available at all Amazon online stores e.g. http://amzn.to/1FMlHVY

Gay Ingram
Gay Ingram writes historical fiction. Mai Lin: Another New Beginning is her latest release. See all her published books at https://www.amazon.com/author/gayingram. She also contributes a weekly column to http://venturegalleries.com/author/gayingram/.

Jennifer J. Chow
Jennifer J. Chow writes Asian-American fiction with a geriatric twist. She is the author of The 228 Legacy, a 2013 Finalist for ’Foreword Reviews’ Book of the Year Award. She also writes the Winston Wong cozy mystery series under J.J. Chow. Visit her website for more details:

See: https://smarturl.it/asianshortsauthors?IQid=spreaker]]>63anthology,asia,asian,cambodiia,china,india,laos,shortstories,thailandcleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/daddy-s-hobby-previews--21438514
This blog post, Daddy's Hobby's Previews contains previews on Amazon of BEHIND THE SMILE - The Story of Lek, A Bar Girl in Pattaya" volume 1: Daddy's Hobby in all the languages I currently have available: English, German and Portuguese. In some cases, there will be special offers and free audiobooks, while stocks last.

Lek was born the eldest child of four in a typical rice farming family. She did not expect to do anything any different from the other girls in her class in the northern rice belt of Thailand.

Typically that would be: work in the fields for a few years; have a few babies; give them to mum to take care of and back to work until her kids had their own children and she could stop working to take care of them.

One day a catastrophe occurred out of the blue – her father died young and with huge debts that the family knew nothing about. Lek was twenty and she was the only one who could prevent foreclosure. However, the only way she knew was to go to work in her cousin’s bar in Pattaya.

She went as a waitress-cum-cashier, but when she realised that she was pregnant by her worthless, estranged husband, things had to change. She had the baby, gave it to her mother to look after and went back to work. However, now she needed real money to provide a better life for her child and to make up for spending its whole youth 500 miles away. She drifted into the tourist sex industry.

The book relates some of her ‘adventures’, her dreams and nightmares and her ‘modus operandi’. It tries to show, from Lek’s point of view, what it really is like to be a Thai bar girl – the hopes and frustrations, the hopes and the let-downs, the hopes and the lies and deceit that are part of her every day life.

One day she meets a man she likes and he likes her too. Nothing new there, it had happened hundreds of times, but she feels that it is different. They have a wonderful four weeks together and then he goes home – as they all had, leaving more promises and more hopes.

This one returns, but real life with a real boyfriend is not as easy as she had dreamed it would be. They go through good and bad times, but will they stay together and for how long?

After all she has been through, will she be able to be a regular girlfriend or even a wife again? Will she ever really be able to trust a man enough again either? Or would she be better off giving up her dreams and carrying on working in the bar?

Lek begins to find out that getting what you wish for is not always as good as you thought it would be.

'Behind The Smile' refers to the fact that Thailand is known the world over as 'The Land of Smiles'.

Learn more here: https://smarturl.it/BTS-Previews-MPS?IQid=spreaker]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=11898Fri, 27 Dec 2019 12:50:42 +0000Owen JonesDaddy's Hobby Previews This blog post, Daddy's Hobby's Previews contains previews on Amazon of BEHIND THE SMILE - The Story of Lek, A Bar Girl in Pattaya" volume 1: Daddy's Hobby in all the languages I currently have available: English, German and...
This blog post, Daddy's Hobby's Previews contains previews on Amazon of BEHIND THE SMILE - The Story of Lek, A Bar Girl in Pattaya" volume 1: Daddy's Hobby in all the languages I currently have available: English, German and Portuguese. In some cases, there will be special offers and free audiobooks, while stocks last.

Lek was born the eldest child of four in a typical rice farming family. She did not expect to do anything any different from the other girls in her class in the northern rice belt of Thailand.

Typically that would be: work in the fields for a few years; have a few babies; give them to mum to take care of and back to work until her kids had their own children and she could stop working to take care of them.

One day a catastrophe occurred out of the blue – her father died young and with huge debts that the family knew nothing about. Lek was twenty and she was the only one who could prevent foreclosure. However, the only way she knew was to go to work in her cousin’s bar in Pattaya.

She went as a waitress-cum-cashier, but when she realised that she was pregnant by her worthless, estranged husband, things had to change. She had the baby, gave it to her mother to look after and went back to work. However, now she needed real money to provide a better life for her child and to make up for spending its whole youth 500 miles away. She drifted into the tourist sex industry.

The book relates some of her ‘adventures’, her dreams and nightmares and her ‘modus operandi’. It tries to show, from Lek’s point of view, what it really is like to be a Thai bar girl – the hopes and frustrations, the hopes and the let-downs, the hopes and the lies and deceit that are part of her every day life.

One day she meets a man she likes and he likes her too. Nothing new there, it had happened hundreds of times, but she feels that it is different. They have a wonderful four weeks together and then he goes home – as they all had, leaving more promises and more hopes.

This one returns, but real life with a real boyfriend is not as easy as she had dreamed it would be. They go through good and bad times, but will they stay together and for how long?

After all she has been through, will she be able to be a regular girlfriend or even a wife again? Will she ever really be able to trust a man enough again either? Or would she be better off giving up her dreams and carrying on working in the bar?

Lek begins to find out that getting what you wish for is not always as good as you thought it would be.

'Behind The Smile' refers to the fact that Thailand is known the world over as 'The Land of Smiles'.

Learn more here: https://smarturl.it/BTS-Previews-MPS?IQid=spreaker]]>172bargirls,owen-jones,pattaya,sex-industry,sex-tourism,thailand,thai-village-life,up-countrycleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/achter-de-glimlach-1--21032876https://api.spreaker.com/episode/21032876Tue, 24 Dec 2019 14:42:21 +0000Owen Jones'Daddy's Hobby' is het eerste boek in de serie 'Achter de Glimlach -het verhaal van Lek, een barmeisje in Pattaya'.137achterdeglimlach,barmeisjes,pattaya,sex,thailand,tourismuscleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/uma-noite-em-annwn-a-historia-da-eqm-do-velho-willy-jones--19378063
A história da EQM do velho Willy Jones

Annwn é a antiga palavra galesa para o Céu e, como Valhalla, era subterrânea.

por

Owen Jones

traduzido por

Nelson Leonel De Benedetti

O romance conta a história de Willy, um velho pastor montanhês de Gales, que se deixou levar pela morte de sua amada esposa. Um dia, enquanto caminhava com sua velha cachorra, ela morre, e Willy cai de um ataque cardíaco induzido por dor, embora tenha desistido da vontade de viver muito antes.

No entanto, ele acorda no hospital e tenta entender sua experiência. Dentro de pouco tempo, ele percebe que sua jovem enfermeira é sua falecida esposa, Sarah, e começa a perceber que está morto.

Isso não o abala; na verdade, ele está muito feliz.

Ele passa "dias" com Sarah em Annwn, durante o qual ela o mostra e explica como as coisas funcionam "no céu". Ele fica surpreso com tudo o que vê e ouve, até que de repente é chamado ao seu corpo sem aviso prévio. Seu corpo também esteve no hospital, mas no mundo físico, e ele acorda de uma experiência de quase morte (EQM). Então ele começa a começar a ver sua esposa novamente, e suas lembranças de estar em Annwn por vários dias retornam.

Sua vida é transformada, e ele tem uma vontade renovada de viver, trabalhando com sua esposa do Outro Lado para o benefício dos menos afortunados ao seu redor, até que um dia, seu verdadeiro fim vem também, e ele está com sua esposa novamente permanentemente.

https://smarturl.it/Annwn1-port-bounty?IQid=spreaker]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/19378063Sun, 06 Oct 2019 17:45:37 +0000Owen JonesUma Noite em Annwn A história da EQM do velho Willy Jones Annwn é a antiga palavra galesa para o Céu e, como Valhalla, era subterrânea. por Owen Jones traduzido por Nelson Leonel De Benedetti O romance conta a história de Willy, um velho pastor...
A história da EQM do velho Willy Jones

Annwn é a antiga palavra galesa para o Céu e, como Valhalla, era subterrânea.

por

Owen Jones

traduzido por

Nelson Leonel De Benedetti

O romance conta a história de Willy, um velho pastor montanhês de Gales, que se deixou levar pela morte de sua amada esposa. Um dia, enquanto caminhava com sua velha cachorra, ela morre, e Willy cai de um ataque cardíaco induzido por dor, embora tenha desistido da vontade de viver muito antes.

No entanto, ele acorda no hospital e tenta entender sua experiência. Dentro de pouco tempo, ele percebe que sua jovem enfermeira é sua falecida esposa, Sarah, e começa a perceber que está morto.

Isso não o abala; na verdade, ele está muito feliz.

Ele passa "dias" com Sarah em Annwn, durante o qual ela o mostra e explica como as coisas funcionam "no céu". Ele fica surpreso com tudo o que vê e ouve, até que de repente é chamado ao seu corpo sem aviso prévio. Seu corpo também esteve no hospital, mas no mundo físico, e ele acorda de uma experiência de quase morte (EQM). Então ele começa a começar a ver sua esposa novamente, e suas lembranças de estar em Annwn por vários dias retornam.

Sua vida é transformada, e ele tem uma vontade renovada de viver, trabalhando com sua esposa do Outro Lado para o benefício dos menos afortunados ao seu redor, até que um dia, seu verdadeiro fim vem também, e ele está com sua esposa novamente permanentemente.

https://smarturl.it/Annwn1-port-bounty?IQid=spreaker]]>148annwn,céltico,eqm,gales,literatura,owenjones,pastorcleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/thailand-free-audiobooks--19369125
Thailand - Free Audiobooks

written by

Owen Jones

Narrated by

Sangita Chauhan

Published by

Megan Publishing Services

at Amazon, Audible and iTunes

Copyright Owen Jones 2019 ©

Thailand (volume 1) is a professionally produced and narrated audiobook on various aspects of Thailand and life in Thailand as experienced by the author of this blog, Owen Jones during the twelve years he spent in his wife's remote village in northern Thailand. It is organised into 15 chapters of about 500-600 words each, but will be followed by other volumes soon.

However, this audiobook is not only meant as an introduction to Thailand for a visitor, but the purchaser may also use the content in his or her own audio blog or publication at no extra charge. The only restriction is that you may not sell the whole book as is without my written permission.

You may split the book up and resell the articles. In fact, the only right that you do not have is to resell or give away the book as it was delivered to you.

https://smarturl.it/Thailand-audiobooks?IQid=spreaker]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=11772Sat, 05 Oct 2019 20:01:19 +0000Owen JonesThailand volume 1 - Free Audiobooks Thailand - Free Audiobooks written by Owen Jones Narrated by Sangita Chauhan Published by Megan Publishing Services at Amazon, Audible and iTunes Copyright Owen Jones 2019 © Thailand (volume 1) is a...
Thailand - Free Audiobooks

written by

Owen Jones

Narrated by

Sangita Chauhan

Published by

Megan Publishing Services

at Amazon, Audible and iTunes

Copyright Owen Jones 2019 ©

Thailand (volume 1) is a professionally produced and narrated audiobook on various aspects of Thailand and life in Thailand as experienced by the author of this blog, Owen Jones during the twelve years he spent in his wife's remote village in northern Thailand. It is organised into 15 chapters of about 500-600 words each, but will be followed by other volumes soon.

However, this audiobook is not only meant as an introduction to Thailand for a visitor, but the purchaser may also use the content in his or her own audio blog or publication at no extra charge. The only restriction is that you may not sell the whole book as is without my written permission.

You may split the book up and resell the articles. In fact, the only right that you do not have is to resell or give away the book as it was delivered to you.

https://smarturl.it/Thailand-audiobooks?IQid=spreaker]]>296audiobook,owenjones,shortstories,thailand,vignettes,villagelifecleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/blubrry-podcast-hosting--19312797
I had been wondering about podcasting for at least a year, but it had become a permanent feature at the back of my mind. I'm sure you know what I mean. I felt that there had to be something to it for it to be so popular that even staid old Aunty, the BBC, was taking it seriously. After extensive research, I settled on Blubrry Podcast Hosting.

My first thought was why a company dedicated to communication would want a name that looks like a typo.

Anyway, I signed up for the free month of Blubrry podcast hosting thinking 'What the Hell have I got to lose?'

I want to say right from the start, that this is not the correct approach, because, if you're like me, you will put a lot of effort into your new toy, and after thirty days, you will not want to lose all that work. As it happened, I was very impressed with Blubrry Podcast Hosting and wanted to build on the foundation I had laid. So, I left my monthly subscription of $12 open and carried on.

Blubrry Podcast Hosting will send your podcasts to another dimension - one which you would have found previously very difficult to access. For example, your podcast will appear on YouTube, Spotify, Spreaker, Soundcloud and RadioPublic among others without any further intervention from you! Blubrry will make your work instantly accessible to hundreds of millions of people, who would otherwise never have even seen your stuff or heard of you! That is a lot of extra reach, global reach, in fact, for just $12 a month!

Blubrry Podcast Hosting can be wonderful, but it still requires work from you, and this is what you need to factor in - your own commitment. I have spent years writing and posting 500-word articles - typically three or four times a week. Nowadays, I also convert them to speech and hand them over to Blubrry Podcast Hosting Services and my articles fly! But, you have to write the content first for the system to work. I would say that you need to write at least one a week, but the more you put in, the more you will get out!

The Blubrry Podcast Hosting system is very easy to set up and use, especially for bloggers, so why not sign up for your free month of Blubrry Podcast Hosting using the link on this page and take your promotions into another dimension?

In closing, I have often been asked why anyone with a blog host would want to pay for even more hosting. Well, audiofiles take up a fair bit of space, and if they are accessed often they could get you into trouble with your blog host. However, Blubrry was build for the job, so you will never have an issue.

https://smarturl.it/blubrry-hosting?IQid=spreaker]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=11749Tue, 01 Oct 2019 19:23:16 +0000Owen JonesBlubrry Podcast Hosting I had been wondering about podcasting for at least a year, but it had become a permanent feature at the back of my mind. I'm sure you know what I mean. I felt that there had to be something to it for it to be so popular that...
I had been wondering about podcasting for at least a year, but it had become a permanent feature at the back of my mind. I'm sure you know what I mean. I felt that there had to be something to it for it to be so popular that even staid old Aunty, the BBC, was taking it seriously. After extensive research, I settled on Blubrry Podcast Hosting.

My first thought was why a company dedicated to communication would want a name that looks like a typo.

Anyway, I signed up for the free month of Blubrry podcast hosting thinking 'What the Hell have I got to lose?'

I want to say right from the start, that this is not the correct approach, because, if you're like me, you will put a lot of effort into your new toy, and after thirty days, you will not want to lose all that work. As it happened, I was very impressed with Blubrry Podcast Hosting and wanted to build on the foundation I had laid. So, I left my monthly subscription of $12 open and carried on.

Blubrry Podcast Hosting will send your podcasts to another dimension - one which you would have found previously very difficult to access. For example, your podcast will appear on YouTube, Spotify, Spreaker, Soundcloud and RadioPublic among others without any further intervention from you! Blubrry will make your work instantly accessible to hundreds of millions of people, who would otherwise never have even seen your stuff or heard of you! That is a lot of extra reach, global reach, in fact, for just $12 a month!

Blubrry Podcast Hosting can be wonderful, but it still requires work from you, and this is what you need to factor in - your own commitment. I have spent years writing and posting 500-word articles - typically three or four times a week. Nowadays, I also convert them to speech and hand them over to Blubrry Podcast Hosting Services and my articles fly! But, you have to write the content first for the system to work. I would say that you need to write at least one a week, but the more you put in, the more you will get out!

The Blubrry Podcast Hosting system is very easy to set up and use, especially for bloggers, so why not sign up for your free month of Blubrry Podcast Hosting using the link on this page and take your promotions into another dimension?

In closing, I have often been asked why anyone with a blog host would want to pay for even more hosting. Well, audiofiles take up a fair bit of space, and if they are accessed often they could get you into trouble with your blog host. However, Blubrry was build for the job, so you will never have an issue.

https://smarturl.it/blubrry-hosting?IQid=spreaker]]>154blubrry,hosting,owenjones,podcastcleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/dragons-in-the-clouds--18965769
by

David Blair

Review by Barry Boy

Dragons in the Clouds is a well-edited novel in the third person in the genre of historical fiction or fantasy and is aimed at young teenagers.

The story of Dragons in the Clouds is actually set in in two epochs and on two continents. The main characters in the present day setting of the United States are Ray Evans and his young daughter, Reilly; and at some unspecified time in the distant past, in the kingdom of Albion, we meet King Arturus, Merlinius, Sir Solomon, David and his pet baby dragon, Rago. It is difficult to say who or what is the main protagonist of them.

The story takes the form of Ray Evans recounting to his daughter a legend told to him by the elderly owner of a toy shop he met on his latest business tip to London. Mr Evans meets him when he goes in to purchase a toy dragon that he sees in the shop window.

The Kingdom of Albion

The main body of Dragons in the Clouds is set in the ancient Kingdom of Albion, which seems to be somewhere in Europe, but that is not explicit. The king of Albion, Arturus, is worried by public unrest caused by his people's fear of the dragons living in the land. In actual fact, there are two species of dragons: the carnivores and the herbivores. However, most people cannot distinguish between the two types and so fear them all.

In an attempt to garner favour and quell the unrest, Arturus sets his royal knights, led by Sir Solomon, the task of exterminating all the dragons in the country. Without wishing to give too much away, some people find this grossly unfair, and set about trying to save the harmless plant-eaters, which leads to all kinds of battles between humans and humans, dragons and dragons and even humans and dragons.

Thunder and Lightening

These exciting battles lead to the main theme of the Dragons in the Clouds, which is how thunder and lightening came into existence.

Although Dragons in the Clouds by David Blair is aimed at a readership much younger than myself, I enjoyed the story and am certain that ten-twelve years olds will love it's unique plot and story-line. If I have a criticism, it is a small, personal one: I prefer not to see famous names from history and mythology used in this way, as it could blur the original stories (as Disney often has).

The cover and the title are completely appropriate to the body of the story and I give Dragons in the Clouds by David Blair five out of five stars!

Our unique interview with author David Blair can be found here: David Blair

Podcast: Dragons in the Clouds]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=11623Sat, 31 Aug 2019 13:57:10 +0000Owen JonesDragons in the Clouds by David Blair Review by Barry Boy Dragons in the Clouds is a well-edited novel in the third person in the genre of historical fiction or fantasy and is aimed at young teenagers. The story of Dragons in the Clouds is...
by

David Blair

Review by Barry Boy

Dragons in the Clouds is a well-edited novel in the third person in the genre of historical fiction or fantasy and is aimed at young teenagers.

The story of Dragons in the Clouds is actually set in in two epochs and on two continents. The main characters in the present day setting of the United States are Ray Evans and his young daughter, Reilly; and at some unspecified time in the distant past, in the kingdom of Albion, we meet King Arturus, Merlinius, Sir Solomon, David and his pet baby dragon, Rago. It is difficult to say who or what is the main protagonist of them.

The story takes the form of Ray Evans recounting to his daughter a legend told to him by the elderly owner of a toy shop he met on his latest business tip to London. Mr Evans meets him when he goes in to purchase a toy dragon that he sees in the shop window.

The Kingdom of Albion

The main body of Dragons in the Clouds is set in the ancient Kingdom of Albion, which seems to be somewhere in Europe, but that is not explicit. The king of Albion, Arturus, is worried by public unrest caused by his people's fear of the dragons living in the land. In actual fact, there are two species of dragons: the carnivores and the herbivores. However, most people cannot distinguish between the two types and so fear them all.

In an attempt to garner favour and quell the unrest, Arturus sets his royal knights, led by Sir Solomon, the task of exterminating all the dragons in the country. Without wishing to give too much away, some people find this grossly unfair, and set about trying to save the harmless plant-eaters, which leads to all kinds of battles between humans and humans, dragons and dragons and even humans and dragons.

Thunder and Lightening

These exciting battles lead to the main theme of the Dragons in the Clouds, which is how thunder and lightening came into existence.

Although Dragons in the Clouds by David Blair is aimed at a readership much younger than myself, I enjoyed the story and am certain that ten-twelve years olds will love it's unique plot and story-line. If I have a criticism, it is a small, personal one: I prefer not to see famous names from history and mythology used in this way, as it could blur the original stories (as Disney often has).

The cover and the title are completely appropriate to the body of the story and I give Dragons in the Clouds by David Blair five out of five stars!

Our unique interview with author David Blair can be found here: David Blair

Podcast: Dragons in the Clouds]]>159clouds,davidblair,dragons,in,thecleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/david-blair--18912366
David Blair

Today's unique author interview is with a very special American writer, Mr David Blair, so let's get started right away.

1 Name? David Blair

Website: www.dragonsintheclouds.com

2 Country of origin? United States

3 Do you prefer to read a particular genre? I like all genres

4 Do you write in the same genre? If not which one? I have written a fantasy, a western, and a contemporary crime drama

5 Have you always written and what got you started professionally? I got involved in story telling in the 8th grade. I wrote, directed and starred in a student film called ‘’Destination Destiny’’ I then picked up writing again in my early thirties. A movie producer friend of mine, challenged me to co-write a screenplay. And from that point on, I was hooked.

6 How many books have you published? One, ‘’Dragons in the Clouds’’ is my first published work. Although I do have other completed manuscripts waiting in the wings.

7 Which one would you like to tell us about? ‘’Dragons in the Clouds’’ of course.

8 Why did you write this book and what is it about? ‘’Dragons in the Clouds’’ first started out as a project for ‘’Puff the Magic Dragon’’ that beloved song recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary. I was having lunch with the hair stylist for Universal movie producer Kathleen Kennedy’s hair stylist. I mentioned that I was working on a story based on Puff, then about a month later I read in Variety - the industry magazine - that Kennedy had bought the rights to Puff. Needless to say, that taught me a lesson to keep my mouth shut.

‘’Dragons in the Clouds'' is a epic adventure that takes place in a time when Dragons were alive and freely roamed the land. The people during this time were getting eaten by a vicious specie of Dragon, the meat eaters. The ruling king of this period finally orders the total  annihilation of all living Dragons. A powerful wizard named Merlinius, does not agree with the Kings order, for he knows that all Dragons are not what they seem. For Merlinius is friends to a species of Dragons, the plant eaters. So to protect his Dragon friends, Merlinius grants a family of Dragons the spell of weightlessness and then tells them to fly up and to hide in the cover of the Clouds. And for them to only come down at night to feed.

An unforeseen  ability of the Dragons' weightless spell is that their fire now looks like that of lightning and their roar now sounds like thunder. An apprentice to the wizard who has grandeur of his own has meat eating Dragons hidden deep within a cave and he too, gives them the same spell of weightlessness. Now enters a widowed mother and her young son who also has befriended a dragon, though a very young one. They suddenly find themselves caught between the king's order and the battle that has begun between the two species of Dragons. A battle that will determine control of the skies above the Kingdom of Albion. The apprentice's plan has consequences that may bring the Kingdom and perhaps the very world we live in today to a devastating end.

9 Book cover and ISBN/ASIN:

Dragons in the Clouds

ISBN -13: 978-1-949809-17-6 ASIN - B07KCQ8173

10 What would you like your next book to be on? I have a contemporary crime drama I am excited to publish. Titled ‘’Meaner than the Devil”

11 If you could go anywhere in the universe, where would you go and why? The centre of the milky Way. I heard that is the centre or origin of the Universe. The Nebula would also be awesome to get a closer lo...

Read the whole interview here: https://smarturl.it/D-Blair-mps?IQid=Spreaker]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?page_id=11590Sun, 25 Aug 2019 17:48:52 +0000Owen JonesDavid Blair - Author David Blair Today's unique author interview is with a very special American writer, Mr David Blair, so let's get started right away. 1 Name? David Blair Website: www.dragonsintheclouds.com 2 Country of origin? United States...
David Blair

Today's unique author interview is with a very special American writer, Mr David Blair, so let's get started right away.

1 Name? David Blair

Website: www.dragonsintheclouds.com

2 Country of origin? United States

3 Do you prefer to read a particular genre? I like all genres

4 Do you write in the same genre? If not which one? I have written a fantasy, a western, and a contemporary crime drama

5 Have you always written and what got you started professionally? I got involved in story telling in the 8th grade. I wrote, directed and starred in a student film called ‘’Destination Destiny’’ I then picked up writing again in my early thirties. A movie producer friend of mine, challenged me to co-write a screenplay. And from that point on, I was hooked.

6 How many books have you published? One, ‘’Dragons in the Clouds’’ is my first published work. Although I do have other completed manuscripts waiting in the wings.

7 Which one would you like to tell us about? ‘’Dragons in the Clouds’’ of course.

8 Why did you write this book and what is it about? ‘’Dragons in the Clouds’’ first started out as a project for ‘’Puff the Magic Dragon’’ that beloved song recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary. I was having lunch with the hair stylist for Universal movie producer Kathleen Kennedy’s hair stylist. I mentioned that I was working on a story based on Puff, then about a month later I read in Variety - the industry magazine - that Kennedy had bought the rights to Puff. Needless to say, that taught me a lesson to keep my mouth shut.

‘’Dragons in the Clouds'' is a epic adventure that takes place in a time when Dragons were alive and freely roamed the land. The people during this time were getting eaten by a vicious specie of Dragon, the meat eaters. The ruling king of this period finally orders the total  annihilation of all living Dragons. A powerful wizard named Merlinius, does not agree with the Kings order, for he knows that all Dragons are not what they seem. For Merlinius is friends to a species of Dragons, the plant eaters. So to protect his Dragon friends, Merlinius grants a family of Dragons the spell of weightlessness and then tells them to fly up and to hide in the cover of the Clouds. And for them to only come down at night to feed.

An unforeseen  ability of the Dragons' weightless spell is that their fire now looks like that of lightning and their roar now sounds like thunder. An apprentice to the wizard who has grandeur of his own has meat eating Dragons hidden deep within a cave and he too, gives them the same spell of weightlessness. Now enters a widowed mother and her young son who also has befriended a dragon, though a very young one. They suddenly find themselves caught between the king's order and the battle that has begun between the two species of Dragons. A battle that will determine control of the skies above the Kingdom of Albion. The apprentice's plan has consequences that may bring the Kingdom and perhaps the very world we live in today to a devastating end.

9 Book cover and ISBN/ASIN:

Dragons in the Clouds

ISBN -13: 978-1-949809-17-6 ASIN - B07KCQ8173

10 What would you like your next book to be on? I have a contemporary crime drama I am excited to publish. Titled ‘’Meaner than the Devil”

11 If you could go anywhere in the universe, where would you go and why? The centre of the milky Way. I heard that is the centre or origin of the Universe. The Nebula would also be awesome to get a closer lo...

Read the whole interview here: https://smarturl.it/D-Blair-mps?IQid=Spreaker]]>306american,author,davidblair,fantasy,writercleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/amazon-blows-it-s-benevolent-image--18888164
Amazon Blows It's Benevolent Image

In my case, first it was Google that blew its benevolent image by dropping its company motto of 'Do no Evil!' and closing my affiliate account without explaining why, and now Amazon has done more or less exactly the same. In both circumstances, I literally woke up one morning to find that a factor of my income that I had put a long time into had been taken away.

Amazon sent me just one email stating that I had infringed some regulation, but that my affiliate account had been suspended. I tried to find out what I had done, but the reply was highly technical and written by lawyers. Something to do with 'pre-loading', whatever that is. If it is not using a link with an embedded affiliate link, then I have no idea what it is.

I asked, but Amazon has sent me to Coventry. All I know is that my practices haven't changed since I joined Amazon more than twenty years ago, so either they have changed their rules or they are very bad at catching criminals like me. From my point of view, the Amazon penalty has cost me about $2 per week, which is all I earned, on average, from the 12,000+ visitors I sent them every month.

I should have left them years ago, and I mean that, but I have other interests. The main problem is removing the Amazon affiliate links from the Smart URL links on my blog of 2,000 pages and the 4,000 Tweets that I have accumulated, so that another company can pick them up and use them in their own name. (#UPDATE: Skimlinks and Viglinks can do this)

It means that I will lose a percentage of my $2 income, but, hey, I can live with that :-).

So, why did Amazon do that to me?

I honestly really have no idea, in exactly the same way that I didn't know what Google was taking about. I am just a hard-working, one-man band. I don't try to game any systems. Would you for $2 a month?

I reckon that Google and Amazon just wanted to reduce the cost of paying out to millions of affiliates by picking on them. I mean, if people want to buy from those companies, and many, many do, then they don't have to go through me, do they? Amazon, Google and the retailer will still get paid, and the customer will still be happy whether a small man lije me is in the loop trying to earn a commission or not, won't they?

It will mean that Amazon will have to write fewer, but larger cheques, which will save on bank charges... and I think that that is what this is all about - money, and keeping it among the already-wealthy.

The rest of us can go and whistle for it.

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Amazon Blows It's Benevolent Image]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=11584Thu, 22 Aug 2019 15:09:56 +0000Owen JonesAmazon Blows It's Benevolent Image Amazon Blows It's Benevolent Image In my case, first it was Google that blew its benevolent image by dropping its company motto of 'Do no Evil!' and closing my affiliate account without explaining why, and now...
Amazon Blows It's Benevolent Image

In my case, first it was Google that blew its benevolent image by dropping its company motto of 'Do no Evil!' and closing my affiliate account without explaining why, and now Amazon has done more or less exactly the same. In both circumstances, I literally woke up one morning to find that a factor of my income that I had put a long time into had been taken away.

Amazon sent me just one email stating that I had infringed some regulation, but that my affiliate account had been suspended. I tried to find out what I had done, but the reply was highly technical and written by lawyers. Something to do with 'pre-loading', whatever that is. If it is not using a link with an embedded affiliate link, then I have no idea what it is.

I asked, but Amazon has sent me to Coventry. All I know is that my practices haven't changed since I joined Amazon more than twenty years ago, so either they have changed their rules or they are very bad at catching criminals like me. From my point of view, the Amazon penalty has cost me about $2 per week, which is all I earned, on average, from the 12,000+ visitors I sent them every month.

I should have left them years ago, and I mean that, but I have other interests. The main problem is removing the Amazon affiliate links from the Smart URL links on my blog of 2,000 pages and the 4,000 Tweets that I have accumulated, so that another company can pick them up and use them in their own name. (#UPDATE: Skimlinks and Viglinks can do this)

It means that I will lose a percentage of my $2 income, but, hey, I can live with that :-).

So, why did Amazon do that to me?

I honestly really have no idea, in exactly the same way that I didn't know what Google was taking about. I am just a hard-working, one-man band. I don't try to game any systems. Would you for $2 a month?

I reckon that Google and Amazon just wanted to reduce the cost of paying out to millions of affiliates by picking on them. I mean, if people want to buy from those companies, and many, many do, then they don't have to go through me, do they? Amazon, Google and the retailer will still get paid, and the customer will still be happy whether a small man lije me is in the loop trying to earn a commission or not, won't they?

It will mean that Amazon will have to write fewer, but larger cheques, which will save on bank charges... and I think that that is what this is all about - money, and keeping it among the already-wealthy.

The rest of us can go and whistle for it.

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Amazon Blows It's Benevolent Image]]>172cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/como-dar-a-tu-perro-una-verdadera-vida-de-perros-y-que-el-te-ame-por-ello--18880294https://smarturl.it/DogsLife-Sp-audio?IQid=spreaker]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/18880294Wed, 21 Aug 2019 18:43:13 +0000Owen Jones¡«Cómo Dar a tu Perro una Verdadera Vida de Perros! Y que él te ame por ello...» es el manual perfecto sobre cómo elegir y cuidar a un perro! Ideal para niños y propietarios primerizos. Humorístico también :-) ¡Aprende a contarle una broma a tu perro!...https://smarturl.it/DogsLife-Sp-audio?IQid=spreaker]]>195humorístico,manual,niños,perro,perros,verdadera,vidacleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/daddy-s-hobby-hinter-ihrem-lacheln--18449899
Daddy's Hobby - Hinter ihrem Lächeln

Die Geschichte von Lek, einem Barmädchen in Pattaya

von

Owen Jones

Übersetzt von

Patricia Stroleny

Lek ist als Älteste von vier Geschwistern in eine typische Familie von Reisbauern hineingeboren worden. Sie hatte nie erwartet, dass sich ihr Leben anders entwickeln würde als das ihrer Klassenkameradinnen in ihrem Dorf im Norden Thailands. Normalerwise hätte dies bedeutet, ein paar Jahre lang auf dem Feld zu arbeiten, ein paar Kinder zu bekommen, sie dann zu ihrer Mutter zu geben, um weiter auf dem Feld zu arbeiten, bis ihre Kinder eines Tages selbst Kinder bekommen würden und sie an der Reihe wäre, auf diese aufzupassen. Eines Tages passierte jedoch aus heiterem Himmel eine Katastrophe: Ihr Vater starb jung und hinterließ einen Schuldenberg, von dem seine Familie bis dahin nichts gewusst hatte. Lek war zu der Zeit zwanzig Jahre alt und die Einzige in ihrer Familie, die eine Zwangsvollstreckung abwenden konnte. Jedoch war ihre einzige Option, nach Pattaya zu gehen, um dort in der Bar ihrer Cousine zu arbeiten. Sie fing als Kellnerin an und merkte bald, dass sie von ihrem Ehemann, mit dem sie sich zu der Zeit schon längst auseinandergelebt hatte, schwanger war. Nun musste sich einiges ändern. Sie bekam ihre Tochter, ließ sie bei ihrer Mutter, um auf sie aufzupassen und kehrte  nach Pattaya zurück, um weiter zu arbeiten. Nun musste sie mehr Geld verdienen, um ihrer Tochter ein gutes Leben zu ermöglichen und die Tatsache, dass sie fast 1000 Kilometer trennten, wiedergutzumachen. So driftete sie in die Sexindustrie ab.

In diesem Buch geht es um ihre Abenteuer, ihre Träume und Alpträume, sowie ihren Modus Operandi. Es soll aus Leks Sicht erzählen, wie es wirklich ist, ein Barmädchen in Thailand zu sein - mit allen Hoffnungen und Enttäuschungen, die damit einhergehen und zum Alltag gehören.

Eines Tages lernt sie einen Mann kennen, den sie wirklich mag und der ihre Gefühle erwiedert. Das allein ist nichts Neues, es ist ihr schon viele Male zuvor passiert, doch diesmal fühlt es sich anders an als sonst. Sie verbringen vier wundervolle Wochen zusammen, doch dann muss er zurück in seine Heimat - und wie so viele Männer vor ihm hinterlässt er eine Menge Versprechen und Hoffnungen. Und er kommt zurück. Aber das wirkliche Leben mit einem wirklichen Partner ist nicht so einfach, wie Lek es sich erträumt hatte. Sie machen gute und shclechte Zeiten zusammen durch, aber werden sie zusammenbleiben und wenn ja, wie lange? Wird sie nach allem, was sie durchgemacht hat, überhaupt in der Lage sein, wieder eine ganz normale Feundin und Ehefrau zu sein? Wird sie wieder in der Lage sein, einem Mann wirklich zu vertrauen? Oder wäre es das Beste, ihre Träume übe Bord zu werfen und einfach weiter in der Bar zu arbeiten? Lek lernt nach und nach, dass zu bekommen, was man sich gewünscht hat, nicht immer so ist, wie man es sich vorgestellt hatte.

Der Titel "Hinter ihrem Lächeln" bezieht sich darauf, dass Thailand auf der ganzen Welt als das Land des Lächelns bekannt ist.

Amazon   Apple iTunes   Barnes & Noble   Kobo   Scribd]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=11464Wed, 03 Jul 2019 09:02:23 +0000Owen JonesDaddys Hobby - Hinter ihrem Lächeln Daddy's Hobby - Hinter ihrem Lächeln Die Geschichte von Lek, einem Barmädchen in Pattaya von Owen Jones Übersetzt von Patricia Stroleny Lek ist als Älteste von vier Geschwistern in eine typische Familie von...
Daddy's Hobby - Hinter ihrem Lächeln

Die Geschichte von Lek, einem Barmädchen in Pattaya

von

Owen Jones

Übersetzt von

Patricia Stroleny

Lek ist als Älteste von vier Geschwistern in eine typische Familie von Reisbauern hineingeboren worden. Sie hatte nie erwartet, dass sich ihr Leben anders entwickeln würde als das ihrer Klassenkameradinnen in ihrem Dorf im Norden Thailands. Normalerwise hätte dies bedeutet, ein paar Jahre lang auf dem Feld zu arbeiten, ein paar Kinder zu bekommen, sie dann zu ihrer Mutter zu geben, um weiter auf dem Feld zu arbeiten, bis ihre Kinder eines Tages selbst Kinder bekommen würden und sie an der Reihe wäre, auf diese aufzupassen. Eines Tages passierte jedoch aus heiterem Himmel eine Katastrophe: Ihr Vater starb jung und hinterließ einen Schuldenberg, von dem seine Familie bis dahin nichts gewusst hatte. Lek war zu der Zeit zwanzig Jahre alt und die Einzige in ihrer Familie, die eine Zwangsvollstreckung abwenden konnte. Jedoch war ihre einzige Option, nach Pattaya zu gehen, um dort in der Bar ihrer Cousine zu arbeiten. Sie fing als Kellnerin an und merkte bald, dass sie von ihrem Ehemann, mit dem sie sich zu der Zeit schon längst auseinandergelebt hatte, schwanger war. Nun musste sich einiges ändern. Sie bekam ihre Tochter, ließ sie bei ihrer Mutter, um auf sie aufzupassen und kehrte  nach Pattaya zurück, um weiter zu arbeiten. Nun musste sie mehr Geld verdienen, um ihrer Tochter ein gutes Leben zu ermöglichen und die Tatsache, dass sie fast 1000 Kilometer trennten, wiedergutzumachen. So driftete sie in die Sexindustrie ab.

In diesem Buch geht es um ihre Abenteuer, ihre Träume und Alpträume, sowie ihren Modus Operandi. Es soll aus Leks Sicht erzählen, wie es wirklich ist, ein Barmädchen in Thailand zu sein - mit allen Hoffnungen und Enttäuschungen, die damit einhergehen und zum Alltag gehören.

Eines Tages lernt sie einen Mann kennen, den sie wirklich mag und der ihre Gefühle erwiedert. Das allein ist nichts Neues, es ist ihr schon viele Male zuvor passiert, doch diesmal fühlt es sich anders an als sonst. Sie verbringen vier wundervolle Wochen zusammen, doch dann muss er zurück in seine Heimat - und wie so viele Männer vor ihm hinterlässt er eine Menge Versprechen und Hoffnungen. Und er kommt zurück. Aber das wirkliche Leben mit einem wirklichen Partner ist nicht so einfach, wie Lek es sich erträumt hatte. Sie machen gute und shclechte Zeiten zusammen durch, aber werden sie zusammenbleiben und wenn ja, wie lange? Wird sie nach allem, was sie durchgemacht hat, überhaupt in der Lage sein, wieder eine ganz normale Feundin und Ehefrau zu sein? Wird sie wieder in der Lage sein, einem Mann wirklich zu vertrauen? Oder wäre es das Beste, ihre Träume übe Bord zu werfen und einfach weiter in der Bar zu arbeiten? Lek lernt nach und nach, dass zu bekommen, was man sich gewünscht hat, nicht immer so ist, wie man es sich vorgestellt hatte.

Der Titel "Hinter ihrem Lächeln" bezieht sich darauf, dass Thailand auf der ganzen Welt als das Land des Lächelns bekannt ist.

Amazon   Apple iTunes   Barnes & Noble   Kobo   Scribd]]>187bargirls,daddys,hinter,hobby,lächeln,pattaya,thailandcleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/free-audiobooks--18017827
I am giving away some of my most popular audiobooks completely free of charge on a first come, first served basis.

All I ask is that you leave a short review in the language of the book when you've finished it.

Languages currently available are: English, German and Spanish.

I hope you enjoy them.

If in the UK, please go to:

http://audible.co.uk/acx-promo

If you are anywhere else, please go to:

https://audible.com/acx-promo

and then enter the free code for the book you would like to listen to. If it has already gone, please try another. Please note, the books for the UK market are marked with 'UK', but that is NOT part of the code, so please don't enter it into the box:

In English:

25D57NHYANN58 (Authorship) UK

3MH4YLNMQLU3Q (Authorship) US

5GW3JK6BF2JQ6 (A Night in Annwn) UK

24B6SNGJ3CBTR (A Night in Annwn) US

8GA7M96UMEKCH (The Alien House) UK

4FY7ZJ9FQ8XAY (The Alien House) US

3XB8AQBAFX8AM (Andropov's Cuckoo) UK

3HSEWTEB5TC8B (Andropov's Cuckoo) US

In German:

2F44X9QJU5LW2 (Asiatische Kurzgeschichten)

2UEXXPTH93N78 (Asiatische Kurzgeschichten)

6XWY6NXQ96GTY (Die Falsche Auffassung)

85ES227WUCK9H  (Die Falsche Auffassung)

3FEK9TC5T798H (Wie man seinem Hund ein echtes Hundeleben ermöglicht)

3JWR6R77Z84KZ  (Wie man seinem Hund ein echtes Hundeleben ermöglicht)

In Spanish:

7KWPYN8247QW4 (Una noche en Annwn)

3GE5MNXWAC7YR (El malentendido)

42GNF3GL48PM3 (Cambiar el Destino)

3WDNM8NAEKPD7 (Autoria)

All the best,

Owen Jones

Visit my bookshop here:

My Novels on Amazon

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Free Audiobooks For My Friends!]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=11333Sun, 19 May 2019 20:47:20 +0000Owen JonesFree Audiobooks For My Friends! I am giving away some of my most popular audiobooks completely free of charge on a first come, first served basis. All I ask is that you leave a short review in the language of the book when you've finished it....
I am giving away some of my most popular audiobooks completely free of charge on a first come, first served basis.

All I ask is that you leave a short review in the language of the book when you've finished it.

Languages currently available are: English, German and Spanish.

I hope you enjoy them.

If in the UK, please go to:

http://audible.co.uk/acx-promo

If you are anywhere else, please go to:

https://audible.com/acx-promo

and then enter the free code for the book you would like to listen to. If it has already gone, please try another. Please note, the books for the UK market are marked with 'UK', but that is NOT part of the code, so please don't enter it into the box:

In English:

25D57NHYANN58 (Authorship) UK

3MH4YLNMQLU3Q (Authorship) US

5GW3JK6BF2JQ6 (A Night in Annwn) UK

24B6SNGJ3CBTR (A Night in Annwn) US

8GA7M96UMEKCH (The Alien House) UK

4FY7ZJ9FQ8XAY (The Alien House) US

3XB8AQBAFX8AM (Andropov's Cuckoo) UK

3HSEWTEB5TC8B (Andropov's Cuckoo) US

In German:

2F44X9QJU5LW2 (Asiatische Kurzgeschichten)

2UEXXPTH93N78 (Asiatische Kurzgeschichten)

6XWY6NXQ96GTY (Die Falsche Auffassung)

85ES227WUCK9H  (Die Falsche Auffassung)

3FEK9TC5T798H (Wie man seinem Hund ein echtes Hundeleben ermöglicht)

3JWR6R77Z84KZ  (Wie man seinem Hund ein echtes Hundeleben ermöglicht)

In Spanish:

7KWPYN8247QW4 (Una noche en Annwn)

3GE5MNXWAC7YR (El malentendido)

42GNF3GL48PM3 (Cambiar el Destino)

3WDNM8NAEKPD7 (Autoria)

All the best,

Owen Jones

Visit my bookshop here:

My Novels on Amazon

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Free Audiobooks For My Friends!]]>160cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/asiatische-kurzgeschichten--17930648
http://smarturl.it/Asian-Short-Germ-Aud?IQid=Spreaker]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/17930648Tue, 14 May 2019 22:51:48 +0000Owen JonesAsiatische KurzgeschichtenNeunzehn Kurzgeschichten über Asien in verschiedenen Stilen von neun AutorenvonVerschiedene AutorenZusammengestellt vonOwen Jonesübersetzt vonMelanie B. FrankAsiatische Kurzgeschichten entstand aufgrund einer Abfolge von...
http://smarturl.it/Asian-Short-Germ-Aud?IQid=Spreaker]]>115asiatische,audiobook,horbuch,kurzgeschichten,literatur,literaturecleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/brexit-and-politicians--17907021
I am a Remainer. My main reason for not wanting Brexit is that I don't trust our politicians. I don't trust any politicians, not only British ones, but it seems to me that we have more chance of justice, if we have a couple of layers of them. Yes, that is more expensive, but at least we ordinary folk might get a fairer crack of the whip.

Just look at the things our British politicians have been caught doing over the last decade, and they have been getting away with it forever! I should imagine that the continental politicians are corrupt too - I can't see why they shouldn't be, but then the whole shebang should be reformed. Calling Brexit and retreating into our caves won't help.

Anyway, another reason for being anti-Brexit crossed my mind the other day. I have always popped over to the Continent for a few days on the spur of the moment every now and then, time and money permitting. This will no longer be possible, will it, if we will require visas to go over there?

I used to fly to Cork - thirty minutes away, but that might not be possible either, because they will be EU and we will be... what? British? Just British... stuck on our own little island with almost all our boats and bridges burned, unless we plan our once-a-year fortnight's holiday abroad.

How pathetic, how limiting, is that? Everyone else in Europe can just get on a plane or a ferry, and Brits have to queue for a visa!

No wonder rich people are buying EU citizenship in Malta so they don't get left behind the rest of the world like we will be!

Brexit is a step back into the Dark Ages... voted for in haste and fuelled by liars who only want more power as British politicians - but you can bet your life that they will still have the right to spur-of-the-moment travel - it's always the bloody same:

One rule for them and another for the rest of us!

Vote for a second referendum! How can it be undemocratic to ask a more informed people what they want? It is the only way that we will move forward.

Use #FBPE (Follow Back, Pro EU) in your social media messages to show you support remain or a second referendum!

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Brexit and Politicians
http://smarturl.it/Brexit-mps?IQid=spreaker]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=11263Sun, 12 May 2019 15:24:41 +0000Owen JonesBrexit and Politicians I am a Remainer. My main reason for not wanting Brexit is that I don't trust our politicians. I don't trust any politicians, not only British ones, but it seems to me that we have more chance of justice, if we have a couple of...
I am a Remainer. My main reason for not wanting Brexit is that I don't trust our politicians. I don't trust any politicians, not only British ones, but it seems to me that we have more chance of justice, if we have a couple of layers of them. Yes, that is more expensive, but at least we ordinary folk might get a fairer crack of the whip.

Just look at the things our British politicians have been caught doing over the last decade, and they have been getting away with it forever! I should imagine that the continental politicians are corrupt too - I can't see why they shouldn't be, but then the whole shebang should be reformed. Calling Brexit and retreating into our caves won't help.

Anyway, another reason for being anti-Brexit crossed my mind the other day. I have always popped over to the Continent for a few days on the spur of the moment every now and then, time and money permitting. This will no longer be possible, will it, if we will require visas to go over there?

I used to fly to Cork - thirty minutes away, but that might not be possible either, because they will be EU and we will be... what? British? Just British... stuck on our own little island with almost all our boats and bridges burned, unless we plan our once-a-year fortnight's holiday abroad.

How pathetic, how limiting, is that? Everyone else in Europe can just get on a plane or a ferry, and Brits have to queue for a visa!

No wonder rich people are buying EU citizenship in Malta so they don't get left behind the rest of the world like we will be!

Brexit is a step back into the Dark Ages... voted for in haste and fuelled by liars who only want more power as British politicians - but you can bet your life that they will still have the right to spur-of-the-moment travel - it's always the bloody same:

One rule for them and another for the rest of us!

Vote for a second referendum! How can it be undemocratic to ask a more informed people what they want? It is the only way that we will move forward.

Use #FBPE (Follow Back, Pro EU) in your social media messages to show you support remain or a second referendum!

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Brexit and Politicians
http://smarturl.it/Brexit-mps?IQid=spreaker]]>157brexit,britain,elections,eu,europe,fbpe,megan_publishing_services,owen_jones,politicians,referendum,ukcleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-megan-series-audiobooks--17824439
by Owen Jones

“The Misconception" is the first story in the Megan Series Audiobooks of twenty-three novelettes about the spiritual development of Megan, a young girl. In the first story, she is twelve years of age. She has latent, supernatural powers and is curious about how to use them, but no-one that she knows seems to have any idea what she is talking about.

She tries asking her mother and even asks friends at school, but she gets no help. However, it is unclear whether her mother has had previous experience with the paranormal, although we do see early on in the first novelette that Megan’s maternal grandmother was against the paranormal too.

Her grandmother and her mother do everything they possibly can to prevent Megan from finding out any more. The first volume shows Megan’s frustration with the living, so when help comes from Beyond, she grasps it with both hands and slowly develops her supernatural powers.

The Megan Series Audiobooks is about Megan’s psychic Awakening.

‘The Misconception’ is about the paranormal powers which lie in all of us, which would make them not so much paranormal as quite normal, if people were not so frightened of the supernatural, which is quite natural too.

In the following books, and they are being released at the rate of one a month, we see Megan’s behaviour under different circumstances. We also meet the people, and animals, who interact with her. The main characters are: Megan’s mother, Suzanne; Megan’s father, Robert; her spiritual guide, Wacinhinsha, her maternal grandfather, Gramps and her familiar, a huge Siberian tiger called Grrr.

Wacinhinsha is a senior Spiritual Guide who has come to help Megan because she had no-one else, and was actually being punished for her curiosity into the paranormal and supernatural. He is a native American, what most people outside the USA would call a Red Indian of the Sioux tribe.

Wacinhinsha has a deep knowledge of spiritual life and is willing to help Megan with anything that she wants to know, which no-one else she knows is seems able to do.

Her grandfather, Gramps, has been dead for about thirteen years, but he is still very much a novice. He wants to help Megan and tries to get involved but his inexperience trips him up sometimes. Despite that, Megan is close to her Gramps as she has known him as a ‘ghost’ since she was a baby

Grrr is a tiger that died a long time ago. She cannot speak any language but tiger, of course, and humans do not understand much tiger - Megan is no exception. However, Megan and Grrr tend to understand each other a little more than anyone with a close pet does, although Grrr is not a pet by any stretch of the imagination.

The Megan Series Audiobooks

These books are for everyone who has ever wondered about the supernatural, paranormal or metaphysical – it is about the normal, spiritual development that all higher life forms have to go through in order to reach their ultimate, unavoidable destiny, however long that may take. These stories are based on fact in more ways than one.

Reviews are available on the website you will reach by following the link below. Please leave your own short review too.

The Megan Series audiobooks, ebooks and paperbacks are on Amazon and also available in many other languages (see Foreign Translations above)!

or get a free copy here: Megan The Misconception – 100% free!or get regular free!

http://smarturl.it/megan1_lp?IQid=audiobookSpreaker

or regular free audiobooks by joining our Megan's Free Audiobook Club:

http://smarturl.it/meganaudiocug?IQid=audiobooksSpeaker]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?page_id=10007Thu, 02 May 2019 17:37:33 +0000Owen JonesThe Megan Series Audiobooks by Owen Jones “The Misconception" is the first story in the Megan Series Audiobooks of twenty-three novelettes about the spiritual development of Megan, a young girl. In the first story, she is twelve years of age. She...
by Owen Jones

“The Misconception" is the first story in the Megan Series Audiobooks of twenty-three novelettes about the spiritual development of Megan, a young girl. In the first story, she is twelve years of age. She has latent, supernatural powers and is curious about how to use them, but no-one that she knows seems to have any idea what she is talking about.

She tries asking her mother and even asks friends at school, but she gets no help. However, it is unclear whether her mother has had previous experience with the paranormal, although we do see early on in the first novelette that Megan’s maternal grandmother was against the paranormal too.

Her grandmother and her mother do everything they possibly can to prevent Megan from finding out any more. The first volume shows Megan’s frustration with the living, so when help comes from Beyond, she grasps it with both hands and slowly develops her supernatural powers.

The Megan Series Audiobooks is about Megan’s psychic Awakening.

‘The Misconception’ is about the paranormal powers which lie in all of us, which would make them not so much paranormal as quite normal, if people were not so frightened of the supernatural, which is quite natural too.

In the following books, and they are being released at the rate of one a month, we see Megan’s behaviour under different circumstances. We also meet the people, and animals, who interact with her. The main characters are: Megan’s mother, Suzanne; Megan’s father, Robert; her spiritual guide, Wacinhinsha, her maternal grandfather, Gramps and her familiar, a huge Siberian tiger called Grrr.

Wacinhinsha is a senior Spiritual Guide who has come to help Megan because she had no-one else, and was actually being punished for her curiosity into the paranormal and supernatural. He is a native American, what most people outside the USA would call a Red Indian of the Sioux tribe.

Wacinhinsha has a deep knowledge of spiritual life and is willing to help Megan with anything that she wants to know, which no-one else she knows is seems able to do.

Her grandfather, Gramps, has been dead for about thirteen years, but he is still very much a novice. He wants to help Megan and tries to get involved but his inexperience trips him up sometimes. Despite that, Megan is close to her Gramps as she has known him as a ‘ghost’ since she was a baby

Grrr is a tiger that died a long time ago. She cannot speak any language but tiger, of course, and humans do not understand much tiger - Megan is no exception. However, Megan and Grrr tend to understand each other a little more than anyone with a close pet does, although Grrr is not a pet by any stretch of the imagination.

The Megan Series Audiobooks

These books are for everyone who has ever wondered about the supernatural, paranormal or metaphysical – it is about the normal, spiritual development that all higher life forms have to go through in order to reach their ultimate, unavoidable destiny, however long that may take. These stories are based on fact in more ways than one.

Reviews are available on the website you will reach by following the link below. Please leave your own short review too.

The Megan Series audiobooks, ebooks and paperbacks are on Amazon and also available in many other languages (see Foreign Translations above)!

or get a free copy here: Megan The Misconception – 100% free!or get regular free!

http://smarturl.it/megan1_lp?IQid=audiobookSpreaker

or regular free audiobooks by joining our Megan's Free Audiobook Club:

http://smarturl.it/meganaudiocug?IQid=audiobooksSpeaker]]>243audiobooks,celtic,fairytales,girl,literature,modern,mythology,owenjones,paranormal,psychic,supernatural,teen,teenage,teenager,wales,welshcleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-eternal-plan-revealed--17809102The man, the entity, as I have learned to describe him, whom I have known as my father for all of my life, is Colin Jones. He gave me a few carrier bags in 1999 and asked me to read the contents and to write a book on it, if I could.
At that time, I could not and time did not seem pressing so I put the bags in my safe at home. He passed away a few years later on his 72 birthday, the 21st February.
I, and all of our family were devastated, but I did nothing about ‘his papers’. I had no idea what to do.
I moved abroad and wrote a novel. That took five years, although it is still unpublished. In 2011, I started a new venture publishing ebooks that I had written myself.
The courage to write these ebooks had come from writing the first book. I looked for ways to circumvent traditional publishing and came across Amazon’s Kindle.
I learned how to publish my ebooks through them and realised how to publish Dad’s book.
It took me a long time, but I think that I was guided by Spirit, although I was a slow learner.
My Dad, Colin Jones, would never have said that these writings are his own. Rather he would say that he was inspired, in the true sense of the word. People told him what to write.
All of our family witnessed this over five or six decades. Sometimes, Dad would be sitting with us watching TV, but Dad’s eyes would be shut and he would be writing the pieces that you see in this ebook. He did automatic drawings too.
My brothers and I are very privileged to have been born with such a person, but as with most instances with parents, we realised it too late.
I hope that you enjoy this book. I will expand it in later editions.
One last point, my father’s mother, Lavinia Jones, founded a spiritualist church in Barry, South Wales, where we lived and that church on Butrill’s Road is still running to this day.

All the best,
Owen Jones
http://meganthemisconception.com

The narrator is Steve Olsen and the compiler Owen Jones.

Get The Eternal Plan - Revealed free here: http://smarturl.it/plan-lp?IQid=spreaker]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/17809102Wed, 01 May 2019 23:27:40 +0000Owen JonesThe Eternal Plan - Revealed The man, the entity, as I have learned to describe him, whom I have known as my father for all of my life, is Colin Jones. He gave me a few carrier bags in 1999 and asked me to read the contents and to write a book on it,...The man, the entity, as I have learned to describe him, whom I have known as my father for all of my life, is Colin Jones. He gave me a few carrier bags in 1999 and asked me to read the contents and to write a book on it, if I could.
At that time, I could not and time did not seem pressing so I put the bags in my safe at home. He passed away a few years later on his 72 birthday, the 21st February.
I, and all of our family were devastated, but I did nothing about ‘his papers’. I had no idea what to do.
I moved abroad and wrote a novel. That took five years, although it is still unpublished. In 2011, I started a new venture publishing ebooks that I had written myself.
The courage to write these ebooks had come from writing the first book. I looked for ways to circumvent traditional publishing and came across Amazon’s Kindle.
I learned how to publish my ebooks through them and realised how to publish Dad’s book.
It took me a long time, but I think that I was guided by Spirit, although I was a slow learner.
My Dad, Colin Jones, would never have said that these writings are his own. Rather he would say that he was inspired, in the true sense of the word. People told him what to write.
All of our family witnessed this over five or six decades. Sometimes, Dad would be sitting with us watching TV, but Dad’s eyes would be shut and he would be writing the pieces that you see in this ebook. He did automatic drawings too.
My brothers and I are very privileged to have been born with such a person, but as with most instances with parents, we realised it too late.
I hope that you enjoy this book. I will expand it in later editions.
One last point, my father’s mother, Lavinia Jones, founded a spiritualist church in Barry, South Wales, where we lived and that church on Butrill’s Road is still running to this day.

All the best,
Owen Jones
http://meganthemisconception.com

The narrator is Steve Olsen and the compiler Owen Jones.

Get The Eternal Plan - Revealed free here: http://smarturl.it/plan-lp?IQid=spreaker]]>127audiobook,automaticwritings,buddhism,eastern,healer,lifeafterdeath,medium,philosophy,reincarnation,religion,spiritualismcleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/are-indie-authors-their-own-worst-enemies--17808422
Are Indie Authors Their Own Worst Enemies? It is quite possible! Years ago, only five or six, many indie authors were doing 'fairly well' and were confident about their future - that their sales would continue to rise and that they would continue to write enthusiastically.

I started writing and self-publishing in 2012 and was selling ninety books a month by the end of the following year, and I was flying by the seat of my pants - I was learning how to market and distribute my three books as I went along, but was earning enough to live in Thailand, which admittedly was a cheap country to stay in those days.

There probably weren't as many would-be writers back then either and there certainly weren't as many books on the virtual shelves in online bookshops, but I think that there may be another factor at play for why Indie Authors might be Their Own Worst Enemies.

We all know that businesses exist to make money, and none are more brutal than the American Internet giants, and most of them make their money as a percentage of what they sell.

And this is my point.

In their struggle to become rich or and famous, too many novice writers pitch their books at 99c or even less. I regularly see "twenty ebooks for 99c".

Now, I can understand why a misguided author may try to get his or her foot in the door using this tactic, but what about the Big Boys like Amazon? Are they going to be happy storing, serving and even promoting a 99c book or box-set for a 30% cut of 99c?

I wouldn't be! Not when I can promote traditional publishers selling ebooks for $9.99 and paperbacks for $15.99 (or more)!

Think about it.

Amazon would earn 29c for selling an Indie author's box set of three - a month's supply of reading material - as opposed to $3 for one book!

It's a no brainer!

So, are Indie Authors Their Own Worst Enemies?

Yes, definitely, and those who can't see that are ruining it for everyone else.

I am convinced that Amazon has changed its algorithms to disadvantage indie authors because they sell their books too cheaply?

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Are Indie Authors Their Own Worst Enemies?
http://meganthemisconception.com]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=11236Wed, 01 May 2019 20:55:15 +0000Owen JonesAre Indie Authors Their Own Worst Enemies? Are Indie Authors Their Own Worst Enemies? It is quite possible! Years ago, only five or six, many indie authors were doing 'fairly well' and were confident about their future - that their sales would...
Are Indie Authors Their Own Worst Enemies? It is quite possible! Years ago, only five or six, many indie authors were doing 'fairly well' and were confident about their future - that their sales would continue to rise and that they would continue to write enthusiastically.

I started writing and self-publishing in 2012 and was selling ninety books a month by the end of the following year, and I was flying by the seat of my pants - I was learning how to market and distribute my three books as I went along, but was earning enough to live in Thailand, which admittedly was a cheap country to stay in those days.

There probably weren't as many would-be writers back then either and there certainly weren't as many books on the virtual shelves in online bookshops, but I think that there may be another factor at play for why Indie Authors might be Their Own Worst Enemies.

We all know that businesses exist to make money, and none are more brutal than the American Internet giants, and most of them make their money as a percentage of what they sell.

And this is my point.

In their struggle to become rich or and famous, too many novice writers pitch their books at 99c or even less. I regularly see "twenty ebooks for 99c".

Now, I can understand why a misguided author may try to get his or her foot in the door using this tactic, but what about the Big Boys like Amazon? Are they going to be happy storing, serving and even promoting a 99c book or box-set for a 30% cut of 99c?

I wouldn't be! Not when I can promote traditional publishers selling ebooks for $9.99 and paperbacks for $15.99 (or more)!

Think about it.

Amazon would earn 29c for selling an Indie author's box set of three - a month's supply of reading material - as opposed to $3 for one book!

It's a no brainer!

So, are Indie Authors Their Own Worst Enemies?

Yes, definitely, and those who can't see that are ruining it for everyone else.

I am convinced that Amazon has changed its algorithms to disadvantage indie authors because they sell their books too cheaply?

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Are Indie Authors Their Own Worst Enemies?
http://meganthemisconception.com]]>158articles,content,meganthemisconception,mps,owenjonescleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/how-to-give-your-dog-a-real-dog-s-life--17764611
Written by Owen Jones and narrated by Justine Ellis
Get more info about the manual and which other languages it is available in on Megan Publishing services here:
http://smarturl.it/dogsaudioMPS?IQid=spreaker
or go straight to Amazon and Audible here:
https://amzn.to/2XRL4q1]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/17764611Sat, 27 Apr 2019 21:14:56 +0000Owen JonesHow to Give Your Dog a Real Dog's Life (and make him love you for doing it!) - is a manual - a slightly humorous one - on how to choose, raise and live with a puppy and then a dog. It is an ideal gift for (young) first-time dog-owners. Written by...
Written by Owen Jones and narrated by Justine Ellis
Get more info about the manual and which other languages it is available in on Megan Publishing services here:
http://smarturl.it/dogsaudioMPS?IQid=spreaker
or go straight to Amazon and Audible here:
https://amzn.to/2XRL4q1]]>147audiobook,children,choosingagog,dog,dogs,justineellis,manual,owenjones,pets,trainingcleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/wie-man-seinem-hund-ein-echtes-hundeleben-ermoglicht--17702533Geschrieben von: Owen Jones
Übersetzt von: Heike Stepprath
Erzählt von: Daniel Meyer-Dinkgrafe
"Wie man seinem Hund ein echtes Hundeleben ermöglicht - und ihn dazu bringt, Sie zu lieben" ist das komplette Handbuch, um einen Hund zu halten und sich um ihn zu kümmern, geschrieben von einem Hundehalter, der leidenschaftlich gern Hunde um sich hat, dass seine Frau sicher ist: Er war ein Hund in seinem letzten Leben!Owen Jones teilt sein Leben seit dem ersten Tag mit Hunden.Er kennt sie so gut, dass er sicher ist, dass er ihnen Witze erzählen kann!Dieses Buch muss man lesen!
Hier gehts kostenlos!
http://smarturl.it/DogsLife-Germ-bounty?IQid=spreaker]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/17702533Sun, 21 Apr 2019 07:05:56 +0000Owen JonesWie man seinem Hund ein echtes Hundeleben ermöglicht (und er Sie dafür für immer liebt!) Geschrieben von: Owen Jones Übersetzt von: Heike Stepprath Erzählt von: Daniel Meyer-Dinkgrafe "Wie man seinem Hund ein echtes Hundeleben ermöglicht - und ihn...Geschrieben von: Owen Jones
Übersetzt von: Heike Stepprath
Erzählt von: Daniel Meyer-Dinkgrafe
"Wie man seinem Hund ein echtes Hundeleben ermöglicht - und ihn dazu bringt, Sie zu lieben" ist das komplette Handbuch, um einen Hund zu halten und sich um ihn zu kümmern, geschrieben von einem Hundehalter, der leidenschaftlich gern Hunde um sich hat, dass seine Frau sicher ist: Er war ein Hund in seinem letzten Leben!Owen Jones teilt sein Leben seit dem ersten Tag mit Hunden.Er kennt sie so gut, dass er sicher ist, dass er ihnen Witze erzählen kann!Dieses Buch muss man lesen!
Hier gehts kostenlos!
http://smarturl.it/DogsLife-Germ-bounty?IQid=spreaker]]>231audiobook,danielmeyer-dinkgrafe,deutsch,german,haustiere,heikestepprath,hund,hunde,hundeleben,jugend,owenjonescleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-ghouls-of-calle-goya--17668050Things start to go wrong when Joy fears that the apartment is haunted. Fear leads to depression and deepens into terror. Frank has no idea what to do, except take her back to her family in Thailand, but that brings its own misfortune.
Life finally looks brighter because of the intervention of a secret Scandinavian society.
This is the story of how Evil can result from good intentions.
Get a free copy of the complete audiobook here:
http://smarturl.it/CalleGoyabounty?IQid=spreaker]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/17668050Wed, 17 Apr 2019 13:34:23 +0000Owen JonesLondoner Frank marries Joy, a beautiful young Thai, who works in town. She has always dreamed of going to the Costa del Sol, so they head to an apartment in Fuengirola loaned by Frank’s boss for their dream honeymoon. Things start to go wrong when Joy...Things start to go wrong when Joy fears that the apartment is haunted. Fear leads to depression and deepens into terror. Frank has no idea what to do, except take her back to her family in Thailand, but that brings its own misfortune.
Life finally looks brighter because of the intervention of a secret Scandinavian society.
This is the story of how Evil can result from good intentions.
Get a free copy of the complete audiobook here:
http://smarturl.it/CalleGoyabounty?IQid=spreaker]]>299audiobook,elizabethbray,fear,fuengirola,ghouls,lakemorse,literature,london,madness,mentalhealth,norway,owenjones,secretsociety,spain,thailand,zombiescleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/tiger-lily-of-bangkok--17660098
Her parents had a close friend that Lily called Uncle who used to smile at her and take her gifts as a small child. However, when she was just eleven years old the nature of the gifts changed and there was always a price to pay for them that Lily hated.

Dare she upset her parents by telling them?

An accident of fate at school gave Lily the means to put an end to the problem once and for all and her parents came to realise what had been going on in their daughter's life.

Soon after the incident, Lily's father died. some said from shame. Lily herself was given compensation which she wanted to use to change her life. Her decision was to go to University in Bangkok.

It was there that she realised that the compensation, which had seemed a fortune in the village, would not be enough to fund her University life in full and she descended into the seamier side of Bangkok life.

A serial killer is taking the life of men in Bangkok and the city is rightly scared. Not only are the men marked in death but a trademark flower is left at the scene of each killing.

The press says this is the most frightening serial killer since the cannibal child killer, Si Ouey Sae Urng of the 1950's.

Fear haunts the city and no-one knows who will die next or how the victims are chosen. The police are baffled and the citizens cower behind closed doors fearful for their lives.
http://smarturl.it/lily1_lp?IQid=Spreaker]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/17660098Tue, 16 Apr 2019 21:16:52 +0000Owen JonesLily was born in eastern Isaan near the Mekong River, the only daughter of Chinese-Thais who owned a shop in their small village. Her parents had a close friend that Lily called Uncle who used to smile at her and take her gifts as a small child....
Her parents had a close friend that Lily called Uncle who used to smile at her and take her gifts as a small child. However, when she was just eleven years old the nature of the gifts changed and there was always a price to pay for them that Lily hated.

Dare she upset her parents by telling them?

An accident of fate at school gave Lily the means to put an end to the problem once and for all and her parents came to realise what had been going on in their daughter's life.

Soon after the incident, Lily's father died. some said from shame. Lily herself was given compensation which she wanted to use to change her life. Her decision was to go to University in Bangkok.

It was there that she realised that the compensation, which had seemed a fortune in the village, would not be enough to fund her University life in full and she descended into the seamier side of Bangkok life.

A serial killer is taking the life of men in Bangkok and the city is rightly scared. Not only are the men marked in death but a trademark flower is left at the scene of each killing.

The press says this is the most frightening serial killer since the cannibal child killer, Si Ouey Sae Urng of the 1950's.

Fear haunts the city and no-one knows who will die next or how the victims are chosen. The police are baffled and the citizens cower behind closed doors fearful for their lives.
http://smarturl.it/lily1_lp?IQid=Spreaker]]>252audiobook,bangkok,girl,isaan,paedophilia,retribution,revenge,serialkiller,teen,thailand,tigerlilycleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/megan-the-misconception--17659726Or do they? Because both her grandmother and her mother do everything that they possibly can to stop Megan from finding out any more. The story shows Megan's frustration with the living, so when help comes from Beyond, she grasps it with open arms and slowly develops her supernatural powers.
It is about Megan's Awakening.
'The Misconception' is about the paranormal powers which lie within all of us, which would make them not so much paranormal as quite normal, if people were not so frightened of the supernatural, which is quite natural too.
This is a book for everyone who has ever wondered about the supernatural, paranormal or metaphysical - it is about the normal, spiritual development that all higher life have to go through in order to reach their ultimate, unavoidable destiny, however long that may take. These stories are based on fact in more ways than one.

http://smarturl.it/Megan1-bounty?IQid=spreaker]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/17659726Tue, 16 Apr 2019 20:38:08 +0000Owen Jones"The Misconception' is the first story in a series of twenty-three novelettes about the spiritual development of a young girl called Megan. She has latent supernatural powers that make her curious about them, but no-one else she knows seems to have...Or do they? Because both her grandmother and her mother do everything that they possibly can to stop Megan from finding out any more. The story shows Megan's frustration with the living, so when help comes from Beyond, she grasps it with open arms and slowly develops her supernatural powers.
It is about Megan's Awakening.
'The Misconception' is about the paranormal powers which lie within all of us, which would make them not so much paranormal as quite normal, if people were not so frightened of the supernatural, which is quite natural too.
This is a book for everyone who has ever wondered about the supernatural, paranormal or metaphysical - it is about the normal, spiritual development that all higher life have to go through in order to reach their ultimate, unavoidable destiny, however long that may take. These stories are based on fact in more ways than one.

http://smarturl.it/Megan1-bounty?IQid=spreaker]]>99audiobook,celtic,fantasy,ghosts,guide,mythology,reincarnation,spirit,wales,welshcleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/una-noche-en-annwn--17658207http://smarturl.it/Annwn-bounty-es?IQid=spreaker]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/17658207Tue, 16 Apr 2019 17:03:56 +0000Owen Jones"Una noche en Annwn - La historia de la ECM de Willy Jones" porOwen Jones, traducida porAlexia Polasky es la palabra galesa Annwn es la forma antigua en la que se hacía referencia al Cielo y, al igual que el Valhalla, era subterráneo. Leer más aquí:...http://smarturl.it/Annwn-bounty-es?IQid=spreaker]]>299audiobook,celtico,espagnol,mitalogiacleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/cadena-de-daisy--17613951Amor, intriga y el inframundo en la Costa del Sol.

Daisy, la orgullosa hija de un adinerado gángster de Londres, John, y su esposa española, Teresa, crecieron en Marbella en la Costa del Sol, también conocida como la Costa del Crime. Ella idolatró a sus padres y trató de impresionar a su anciano padre ayudándolo a dirigir los negocios familiares después de la universidad. Sin embargo, un desastroso error de juicio termina en una tragedia familiar, y su madre pone a Daisy en un camino más seguro para ayudar a la comunidad local como penitencia. La Cadena de Daisy es una historia trágica con un final agradablemente feliz.

http://smarturl.it/daisy-spanish?IQid=spreaker]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/17613951Fri, 12 Apr 2019 12:39:57 +0000Owen JonesCadena de Daisy Amor, intriga y el inframundo en la Costa del Sol. Daisy, la orgullosa hija de un adinerado gángster de Londres, John, y su esposa española, Teresa, crecieron en Marbella en la Costa del Sol, también conocida como la Costa del Crime....Amor, intriga y el inframundo en la Costa del Sol.

Daisy, la orgullosa hija de un adinerado gángster de Londres, John, y su esposa española, Teresa, crecieron en Marbella en la Costa del Sol, también conocida como la Costa del Crime. Ella idolatró a sus padres y trató de impresionar a su anciano padre ayudándolo a dirigir los negocios familiares después de la universidad. Sin embargo, un desastroso error de juicio termina en una tragedia familiar, y su madre pone a Daisy en un camino más seguro para ayudar a la comunidad local como penitencia. La Cadena de Daisy es una historia trágica con un final agradablemente feliz.

http://smarturl.it/daisy-spanish?IQid=spreaker]]>1138andalucia,audiobook,costadelcrime,costadelsol,espana,fuengirola,gangster,literature,malaga,marbella,novela,owenjones,suspensocleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/behind-the-smile-daddy-s-hobby--17459697
Volume 1 of Behind The Smile

by Owen Jones

Narrated by Hem Cleveland

Lek was born the eldest child of four in a typical rice farming family. She did not expect to do anything any different from the other girls in her class in the northern rice belt of Thailand.

Typically that would be: work in the fields for a few years; have a few babies; give them to mum to take care of and back to work until her kids had their own children and she could stop working to take care of them.

One day a catastrophe occurred out of the blue – her father died young and with huge debts that the family knew nothing about. Lek was twenty and she was the only one who could prevent foreclosure. However, the only way she knew was to go to work in her cousin’s bar in Pattaya.

She went as a waitress-cum-cashier to Pattaya, but when she realised that she was pregnant by her worthless, estranged husband, things had to change. She had the baby, gave it to her mother to look after and went back to work. However, now she needed real money to provide a better life for her child and to make up for spending its whole youth 500 miles away. She drifted into the tourist sex industry.

The book relates some of her ‘adventures’, her dreams and nightmares and her ‘modus operandi’. It tries to show, from Lek’s point of view, what it really is like to be a Pattaya Thai bar girl – the hopes and frustrations, the hopes and the let-downs, the hopes and the lies and deceit that are part of her every day life.

One day she meets a man she likes and he likes her too. Nothing new there, it had happened hundreds of times, but she feels that it is different. They have a wonderful four weeks together and then he goes home – as they all had, leaving more promises and more hopes.

This one returns, but real life with a real boyfriend is not as easy as she had dreamed it would be. They go through good and bad times, but will they stay together and for how long?

After all she has been through, will she be able to be a regular girlfriend or even a wife again? Will she ever really be able to trust a man enough again either? Or would she be better off giving up her dreams and carrying on working in the bar?

Lek begins to find out that getting what you wish for is not always as good as you thought it would be.

'Behind The Smile' refers to the fact that Thailand is known the world over as 'The Land of Smiles'.

Free audiobook link:

http://smarturl.it/BTS1-bountyIQid-MPS

https://soundcloud.com/owen-jones-author/behind-the-smile-volume-1-daddys-hobby-by-owen-jones-narrated-by-hem-cleveland

Free audiobook link:

http://smarturl.it/BTS1-bountyIQid-MPS

 ]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=11107Thu, 28 Mar 2019 02:50:21 +0000Owen JonesDaddy's Hobby Volume 1 of Behind The Smile by Owen Jones Narrated by Hem Cleveland Lek was born the eldest child of four in a typical rice farming family. She did not expect to do anything any different from the other girls in her class in the...
Volume 1 of Behind The Smile

by Owen Jones

Narrated by Hem Cleveland

Lek was born the eldest child of four in a typical rice farming family. She did not expect to do anything any different from the other girls in her class in the northern rice belt of Thailand.

Typically that would be: work in the fields for a few years; have a few babies; give them to mum to take care of and back to work until her kids had their own children and she could stop working to take care of them.

One day a catastrophe occurred out of the blue – her father died young and with huge debts that the family knew nothing about. Lek was twenty and she was the only one who could prevent foreclosure. However, the only way she knew was to go to work in her cousin’s bar in Pattaya.

She went as a waitress-cum-cashier to Pattaya, but when she realised that she was pregnant by her worthless, estranged husband, things had to change. She had the baby, gave it to her mother to look after and went back to work. However, now she needed real money to provide a better life for her child and to make up for spending its whole youth 500 miles away. She drifted into the tourist sex industry.

The book relates some of her ‘adventures’, her dreams and nightmares and her ‘modus operandi’. It tries to show, from Lek’s point of view, what it really is like to be a Pattaya Thai bar girl – the hopes and frustrations, the hopes and the let-downs, the hopes and the lies and deceit that are part of her every day life.

One day she meets a man she likes and he likes her too. Nothing new there, it had happened hundreds of times, but she feels that it is different. They have a wonderful four weeks together and then he goes home – as they all had, leaving more promises and more hopes.

This one returns, but real life with a real boyfriend is not as easy as she had dreamed it would be. They go through good and bad times, but will they stay together and for how long?

After all she has been through, will she be able to be a regular girlfriend or even a wife again? Will she ever really be able to trust a man enough again either? Or would she be better off giving up her dreams and carrying on working in the bar?

Lek begins to find out that getting what you wish for is not always as good as you thought it would be.

'Behind The Smile' refers to the fact that Thailand is known the world over as 'The Land of Smiles'.

Free audiobook link:

http://smarturl.it/BTS1-bountyIQid-MPS

https://soundcloud.com/owen-jones-author/behind-the-smile-volume-1-daddys-hobby-by-owen-jones-narrated-by-hem-cleveland

Free audiobook link:

http://smarturl.it/BTS1-bountyIQid-MPS

 ]]>302audiobook,bargirls,behindthesmile,daddyshobby,owenjones,thailand.pattayacleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/uk-post-office--17175189
When I was young, there was a period of my life when I couldn't wait to open a Post Office Savings Account and also buy Premium Bonds. I can't remember how old one had to be, but let's say fourteen for the savings account and sixteen for the Premium Bonds, the top prize for playing which every month was a million pounds.

At roughly the same time, I started buying coins for my collection from around the country and selling my duplicates too, which usually involved transferring money using Postal Orders. It made me feel independent and that made me feel ever so grown up.

At eighteen years of age, I abandoned the Post Office in favour of the bank, and postal orders for the more convenient cheque.

Well, now, forty-five years later, we seem to have come full-circle, since my bank no longer issues cheques. I had to send £65 to the Home Office last week, and I had to pay the Post Office £8.50 for the expensive privilege!

£8.50 to send £65 within the country!

Daylight Robbery

That is not only 13%, it is daylight robbery and a kick in the teeth to all the people who use this crappy 'service'. They get my money for three or four days, and I give them 13% for the privilege! Is the dreaded and very expensive, Western Union cheaper?

It really wouldn't surprise me.

However, the nightmare doesn't end there. I had to send irreplaceable documents, which the counter staff cheerfully told me are not covered by their normal insurance, and so had to pay £11.50 postage and insurance.

At least this was a reduction. The first time I sent exactly the same package, they charged me £18.50!

You couldn't make it up, could you, but I think the Post Office is... as they go along!

There has to be a better way, and, for me at least, the Post Office will be my last option next time, not the first port of call.

Stuff 'em - they don't care about us!

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen.

Podcast: The UK Post Office]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=11086Wed, 27 Feb 2019 20:01:18 +0000Owen JonesThe UK Post Office When I was young, there was a period of my life when I couldn't wait to open a Post Office Savings Account and also buy Premium Bonds. I can't remember how old one had to be, but let's say fourteen for the savings account and...
When I was young, there was a period of my life when I couldn't wait to open a Post Office Savings Account and also buy Premium Bonds. I can't remember how old one had to be, but let's say fourteen for the savings account and sixteen for the Premium Bonds, the top prize for playing which every month was a million pounds.

At roughly the same time, I started buying coins for my collection from around the country and selling my duplicates too, which usually involved transferring money using Postal Orders. It made me feel independent and that made me feel ever so grown up.

At eighteen years of age, I abandoned the Post Office in favour of the bank, and postal orders for the more convenient cheque.

Well, now, forty-five years later, we seem to have come full-circle, since my bank no longer issues cheques. I had to send £65 to the Home Office last week, and I had to pay the Post Office £8.50 for the expensive privilege!

£8.50 to send £65 within the country!

Daylight Robbery

That is not only 13%, it is daylight robbery and a kick in the teeth to all the people who use this crappy 'service'. They get my money for three or four days, and I give them 13% for the privilege! Is the dreaded and very expensive, Western Union cheaper?

It really wouldn't surprise me.

However, the nightmare doesn't end there. I had to send irreplaceable documents, which the counter staff cheerfully told me are not covered by their normal insurance, and so had to pay £11.50 postage and insurance.

At least this was a reduction. The first time I sent exactly the same package, they charged me £18.50!

You couldn't make it up, could you, but I think the Post Office is... as they go along!

There has to be a better way, and, for me at least, the Post Office will be my last option next time, not the first port of call.

Stuff 'em - they don't care about us!

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen.

Podcast: The UK Post Office]]>139article,content,meganthemisconception.com,owenjones,postoffice,ukcleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/donald-l-vasicek--17164498http://smarturl.it/vasicek-author-int?IQid=spreaker]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/17164498Wed, 27 Feb 2019 01:21:05 +0000Owen JonesDonald L #Vasicek is our latest featured author on #MPS Megan Publishing Services. Read our unique interview with this fascinating, award-winning American author and screenwriter here: http://smarturl.it/vasicek-author-int?IQid=spreakerhttp://smarturl.it/vasicek-author-int?IQid=spreaker]]>317author,literature,screenwriter,vasicek,writercleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/eyes-of-death--17164500http://smarturl.it/EyesOfDeath?IQid=spreaker]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/17164500Wed, 27 Feb 2019 01:18:35 +0000Owen JonesHow do you regard novels involving #psychic abilities? Spiritual or #fantasy ? Take a look at this review of Donald L. Vasicek's fascinating latest novel The Eyes of Death on #MPS Please ReTweet http://smarturl.it/EyesOfDeath?IQid=spreakerhttp://smarturl.it/EyesOfDeath?IQid=spreaker]]>153abstract,fantasy,literaturecleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/o-cuco-de-andropov--17017299
Uma História de Amor, Intrigas e a KGB

por

Owen Jones

Traduzido por

Nelson Leonel De Benedetti

Um moribundo narra a história da pessoa mais incrível que ele já conheceu, uma brilhante linguista soviética que ele chama de Youriko. É um conto de amor, ousadia, espiões e perigos ambientados no Japão, Alemanha, Turquia, EUA, Canadá e Reino Unido, mas principalmente na União Soviética dos anos 70.
Duas garotas, nascidas a milhares de quilômetros de distância no Cazaquistão e no Japão logo após a Segunda Guerra Mundial, se encontram e são como ervilhas em uma vagem. Elas também se comportam como irmãs e mantêm contato pelo resto de suas vidas.
No entanto, uma quer ajudar seu país marcado pela batalha e a outra quer deixar o dela e ir para o Ocidente. Elas sonham com um plano ousado e perigoso para alcançar os dois objetivos, sobre os quais Andropov, o chefe da KGB soviética, é informado. Ele o chama de Operação Youriko e ela é posta em movimento, mas tem a mais remota chance de sucesso?
O Cuco de Andropov é baseado em uma "história verdadeira" relatada ao autor por uma das protagonistas.

Disponível em: http://smarturl.it/cucodeandropov?IQid=spreaker]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?page_id=10509Mon, 11 Feb 2019 02:19:20 +0000Owen JonesO Cuco de Andropov Uma História de Amor, Intrigas e a KGB por Owen Jones Traduzido por Nelson Leonel De Benedetti Um moribundo narra a história da pessoa mais incrível que ele já conheceu, uma brilhante linguista soviética que ele chama de...
Uma História de Amor, Intrigas e a KGB

por

Owen Jones

Traduzido por

Nelson Leonel De Benedetti

Um moribundo narra a história da pessoa mais incrível que ele já conheceu, uma brilhante linguista soviética que ele chama de Youriko. É um conto de amor, ousadia, espiões e perigos ambientados no Japão, Alemanha, Turquia, EUA, Canadá e Reino Unido, mas principalmente na União Soviética dos anos 70.
Duas garotas, nascidas a milhares de quilômetros de distância no Cazaquistão e no Japão logo após a Segunda Guerra Mundial, se encontram e são como ervilhas em uma vagem. Elas também se comportam como irmãs e mantêm contato pelo resto de suas vidas.
No entanto, uma quer ajudar seu país marcado pela batalha e a outra quer deixar o dela e ir para o Ocidente. Elas sonham com um plano ousado e perigoso para alcançar os dois objetivos, sobre os quais Andropov, o chefe da KGB soviética, é informado. Ele o chama de Operação Youriko e ela é posta em movimento, mas tem a mais remota chance de sucesso?
O Cuco de Andropov é baseado em uma "história verdadeira" relatada ao autor por uma das protagonistas.

Disponível em: http://smarturl.it/cucodeandropov?IQid=spreaker]]>90andropov,audiobook,kgb,literature,politburo,russiacleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-fate-twister-audiobook--16936930
Fate Twister

The Story of Wayne Gamm

by

Owen Jones

Narrated by

Pauli Murphy

Wayne Gamm was born on a remote sheep farm on a mountainside in north Wales on a stormy night in June. The midwife and even the family itself wanted him to be delivered in hospital because he was going to be large and he was Gwynedd’s first baby, but for reason's that will become apparent, his mother and grandmother, Rhiannon, thought that might be very dangerous.

All of Gwynedd’s family had been born on the farm, Yr Ardd Y Ddraig, The Dragon's Garden, for as far back as they knew - a family bible put that at 324 years - and they were all either witches or warlocks.

The problem with the males though was that they were 'lose cannons', meaning they had difficulty focusing their powers. Wayne followed suit, although all witch babies have to learn self-control, even the females.

Gwynedd and Rhiannon had high hopes that Wayne would be more capable than his male antecedents, but it turned out that he had such great power, and so little control, that even his own family were wary of him.

He was feared and shunned at school by teachers and fellow-students alike because they knew from experience, that things could get a little weird when Wayne was around.

The more astute noticed that when he was happy, good things happened, but when he was upset, anything could befall anyone. Luckily, Wayne was a happy person by nature, but this made it worse for him, because he didn't want to hurt people, so he refused to accept that he was causing the disruptions.

They called him Fate Twister behind his back.

Wayne grew up dejected, rejected, lonely and in denial.

This is the story of the early life of Wayne Gamm, Fate Twister.

Free Audiobook Link:

http://smarturl.it/fatetwister-bounty?IQid=MPS]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?page_id=10930Sun, 03 Feb 2019 00:02:53 +0000Owen JonesThe Fate Twister - Audiobook Fate Twister The Story of Wayne Gamm by Owen Jones Narrated by Pauli Murphy Wayne Gamm was born on a remote sheep farm on a mountainside in north Wales on a stormy night in June. The midwife and even the family...
Fate Twister

The Story of Wayne Gamm

by

Owen Jones

Narrated by

Pauli Murphy

Wayne Gamm was born on a remote sheep farm on a mountainside in north Wales on a stormy night in June. The midwife and even the family itself wanted him to be delivered in hospital because he was going to be large and he was Gwynedd’s first baby, but for reason's that will become apparent, his mother and grandmother, Rhiannon, thought that might be very dangerous.

All of Gwynedd’s family had been born on the farm, Yr Ardd Y Ddraig, The Dragon's Garden, for as far back as they knew - a family bible put that at 324 years - and they were all either witches or warlocks.

The problem with the males though was that they were 'lose cannons', meaning they had difficulty focusing their powers. Wayne followed suit, although all witch babies have to learn self-control, even the females.

Gwynedd and Rhiannon had high hopes that Wayne would be more capable than his male antecedents, but it turned out that he had such great power, and so little control, that even his own family were wary of him.

He was feared and shunned at school by teachers and fellow-students alike because they knew from experience, that things could get a little weird when Wayne was around.

The more astute noticed that when he was happy, good things happened, but when he was upset, anything could befall anyone. Luckily, Wayne was a happy person by nature, but this made it worse for him, because he didn't want to hurt people, so he refused to accept that he was causing the disruptions.

They called him Fate Twister behind his back.

Wayne grew up dejected, rejected, lonely and in denial.

This is the story of the early life of Wayne Gamm, Fate Twister.

Free Audiobook Link:

http://smarturl.it/fatetwister-bounty?IQid=MPS]]>214audiobooks,celtic,extract,literature,mythology,spiritualism,wales,warlocks,welsh,witchescleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-disallowed-audiobook--16933859
The Disallowed

The Humorous Tale of a Contemporary Vampire Family

by

Owen Jones

Narrated by

Melanie Crawley

Heng Lee is a goat-herd in the remote mountains north-east of Chiang Rai in northern Thailand, very close to the border with Laos. It is a tight-knit community where everyone knows one another.

Heng gets sick all of a sudden, but not too sick to take the goats out, until one day he has to go to see the local shaman, because he has started fainting.

There are no medical doctors in the vicinity and the Shaman has been good enough for most people for centuries.

The Shaman takes some specimens and comes to the conclusion that Heng’s kidneys have stopped functioning and so has little time left to live.

The battle is on to save Heng’s life, but there are other forces at work too.

What will become of Heng, his family and the rest of the community, if he takes the Shaman’s advice?
Free Audiobook Link:

http://smarturl.it/disallowed-bounty?IQid=MPS]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?page_id=10922Sat, 02 Feb 2019 21:34:56 +0000Owen JonesThe Disallowed - Audiobook The Disallowed The Humorous Tale of a Contemporary Vampire Family by Owen Jones Narrated by Melanie Crawley Heng Lee is a goat-herd in the remote mountains north-east of Chiang Rai in northern Thailand, very close to...
The Disallowed

The Humorous Tale of a Contemporary Vampire Family

by

Owen Jones

Narrated by

Melanie Crawley

Heng Lee is a goat-herd in the remote mountains north-east of Chiang Rai in northern Thailand, very close to the border with Laos. It is a tight-knit community where everyone knows one another.

Heng gets sick all of a sudden, but not too sick to take the goats out, until one day he has to go to see the local shaman, because he has started fainting.

There are no medical doctors in the vicinity and the Shaman has been good enough for most people for centuries.

The Shaman takes some specimens and comes to the conclusion that Heng’s kidneys have stopped functioning and so has little time left to live.

The battle is on to save Heng’s life, but there are other forces at work too.

What will become of Heng, his family and the rest of the community, if he takes the Shaman’s advice?
Free Audiobook Link:

http://smarturl.it/disallowed-bounty?IQid=MPS]]>301audiobooks,chiang,chiang_rai,comedy,extract,fiction,funny,literature,thailand,vampirescleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/daisy-s-chain-audiobook--16933125
A Story of Love, Intrigue and the Underworld on the Costa del Sol

by

Owen Jones

Narrated by

William James Hill

Daisy, the proud daughter of a wealthy ex-London gangster, John, and his Spanish wife, Teresa, grew up in Marbella on the Costa del Sol, aka, the Costa del Crime. She idolised her parents and sought to impress her ageing father by helping him run the family businesses after uni. However, a disastrous error of judgement ends in family tragedy, and her mother puts Daisy on a safer path of helping the local community as a penance. Daisy's Chain is a tragic tale with a pleasantly happy ending.

Free Audiobook Link:

http://smarturl.it/daisyschain-bounty?IQid=mps



Free Audiobook Link:

http://smarturl.it/daisyschain-bounty?IQid=mps

 ]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?page_id=10939Sat, 02 Feb 2019 21:12:06 +0000Owen JonesDaisy's Chain A Story of Love, Intrigue and the Underworld on the Costa del Sol by Owen Jones Narrated by William James Hill Daisy, the proud daughter of a wealthy ex-London gangster, John, and his Spanish wife, Teresa, grew up in Marbella on...
A Story of Love, Intrigue and the Underworld on the Costa del Sol

by

Owen Jones

Narrated by

William James Hill

Daisy, the proud daughter of a wealthy ex-London gangster, John, and his Spanish wife, Teresa, grew up in Marbella on the Costa del Sol, aka, the Costa del Crime. She idolised her parents and sought to impress her ageing father by helping him run the family businesses after uni. However, a disastrous error of judgement ends in family tragedy, and her mother puts Daisy on a safer path of helping the local community as a penance. Daisy's Chain is a tragic tale with a pleasantly happy ending.

Free Audiobook Link:

http://smarturl.it/daisyschain-bounty?IQid=mps



Free Audiobook Link:

http://smarturl.it/daisyschain-bounty?IQid=mps

 ]]>305action,audiobooks,costa_del_crime,costa_del_sol,daddy's_girl,expats,extract,fiction,gangsters,literature,marbella,spain,thrillercleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/asian-shorts-audiobook--16925294
Asian Shorts

Compiled by

Owen Jones

Narrated by

Bob Sterry

Asian Shorts came about because of a sequence of events on one weekend. A friend was telling me that he had several short stories with Asia as a backdrop, I was saying that I had a few as well. Then another friend sent me an email that he wanted to write a short on Pattaya, and one of my Thai cousins sent me her latest photo, the one on the cover of this book.

It was like somebody was trying to tell me something, or several were anyway.

The nineteen stories by nine authors in this anthology were sent to me in one month, but are as varied as their writers. The stipulation was that Asia or an Asian had to feature strongly in the story. We have stories featuring Cambodia, China, Laos, Malaysia, Pakistan, Thailand, the USA and Vietnam, by Asian and non-Asian authors who live in or come from Britain, Malaysia, Thailand, the USA and Vietnam.

Some of these writers are well-known as writers, some are better known in other spheres; some have written a lot before and been published in the traditional sense, others are travelling the Indie Publishing path, and for yet others this is the very first time they or you will have seen their stories in print of any kind.
You can read more about each author by visiting the web sites that they have given after their stories. I thoroughly recommend that you do this, as what you will find out about the authors will surprise you.

I guarantee that.

Free Audiobook Link:

http://smarturl.it/asian-shorts-bounty?IQid=MPS



Free Audiobook Link:

http://smarturl.it/asian-shorts-bounty?IQid=MPS]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?page_id=9410Fri, 01 Feb 2019 09:10:41 +0000Owen JonesAsian Shorts - Audiobook Asian Shorts Compiled by Owen Jones Narrated by Bob Sterry Asian Shorts came about because of a sequence of events on one weekend. A friend was telling me that he had several short stories with Asia as a backdrop, I was...
Asian Shorts

Compiled by

Owen Jones

Narrated by

Bob Sterry

Asian Shorts came about because of a sequence of events on one weekend. A friend was telling me that he had several short stories with Asia as a backdrop, I was saying that I had a few as well. Then another friend sent me an email that he wanted to write a short on Pattaya, and one of my Thai cousins sent me her latest photo, the one on the cover of this book.

It was like somebody was trying to tell me something, or several were anyway.

The nineteen stories by nine authors in this anthology were sent to me in one month, but are as varied as their writers. The stipulation was that Asia or an Asian had to feature strongly in the story. We have stories featuring Cambodia, China, Laos, Malaysia, Pakistan, Thailand, the USA and Vietnam, by Asian and non-Asian authors who live in or come from Britain, Malaysia, Thailand, the USA and Vietnam.

Some of these writers are well-known as writers, some are better known in other spheres; some have written a lot before and been published in the traditional sense, others are travelling the Indie Publishing path, and for yet others this is the very first time they or you will have seen their stories in print of any kind.
You can read more about each author by visiting the web sites that they have given after their stories. I thoroughly recommend that you do this, as what you will find out about the authors will surprise you.

I guarantee that.

Free Audiobook Link:

http://smarturl.it/asian-shorts-bounty?IQid=MPS



Free Audiobook Link:

http://smarturl.it/asian-shorts-bounty?IQid=MPS]]>80anthology,asia,asian,audiobook_extracts,audiobooks,audio_books,barry,extracts,owen_jones,short_stories,south_walescleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/andropov-s-cuckoo-audiobook--16924424


Andropov's Cuckoo

A Tale of Love, Intrigue and the KGB

by

Owen Jones

Narrated by

William James Hill

A dying man recounts the story of the most amazing person he has ever met: a brilliant Soviet linguist, whom he knew as Youriko. It is a tale of love, daring-do, spies, and danger set in Japan, Germany, Turkey, the USA, Canada, and the UK, but mostly in the Soviet Union of the 70s.

Two girls, born thousands of miles apart in Kazakhstan and Japan just after World War II, meet and are like peas in a pod. They also get on like sisters and keep n touch for the rest of their lives.
However, one wants to help her battle-scarred country and the other wants to leave hers for the West. They dream up a daring, dangerous plan to achieve both goals, which Andropov, the chief of the Soviet KGB, is told about. He dubs it "Operation Youriko", and it is set in motion, but does it have even the remotest chance of success?

Andropov’s Cuckoo is based on a true story related to the author by one of the protagonists.

Free Audiobook Link:

http://smarturl.it/Andropov-bounty?IQid=MPS

<

Free Audiobook Link:

http://smarturl.it/Andropov-bounty?IQid=MPS

 ]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?page_id=10907Fri, 01 Feb 2019 01:42:13 +0000Owen JonesAndropov's Cuckoo - Audiobook Andropov's Cuckoo A Tale of Love, Intrigue and the KGB by Owen Jones Narrated by William James Hill A dying man recounts the story of the most amazing person he has ever met: a brilliant Soviet linguist, whom he...


Andropov's Cuckoo

A Tale of Love, Intrigue and the KGB

by

Owen Jones

Narrated by

William James Hill

A dying man recounts the story of the most amazing person he has ever met: a brilliant Soviet linguist, whom he knew as Youriko. It is a tale of love, daring-do, spies, and danger set in Japan, Germany, Turkey, the USA, Canada, and the UK, but mostly in the Soviet Union of the 70s.

Two girls, born thousands of miles apart in Kazakhstan and Japan just after World War II, meet and are like peas in a pod. They also get on like sisters and keep n touch for the rest of their lives.
However, one wants to help her battle-scarred country and the other wants to leave hers for the West. They dream up a daring, dangerous plan to achieve both goals, which Andropov, the chief of the Soviet KGB, is told about. He dubs it "Operation Youriko", and it is set in motion, but does it have even the remotest chance of success?

Andropov’s Cuckoo is based on a true story related to the author by one of the protagonists.

Free Audiobook Link:

http://smarturl.it/Andropov-bounty?IQid=MPS

<

Free Audiobook Link:

http://smarturl.it/Andropov-bounty?IQid=MPS

 ]]>326andropov,audiobook,cold_war,extract,kgb,literature,owen_jones,soviet_union,spy-thrillercleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-night-in-annwn-audiobook--16924808
A Night In Annwn

The Story of Willy Jones' NDE

by

Owen Jones

Narrated by

Andrew McGuirk

William Jones, a sheep farmer from the Brecon Beacons, had led a happy life, until his wife, Sarah, died young. It left him devastated and seemingly bent on self-destruction. His daughter, Becky tried to help, but even she was losing patience with her father.

One evening, he is certain that he has died and been put out of his misery, but it was not to be. He recovered. However his life was never to be the same again.

He had discovered Annwn where his wife lived, and his newly found vitality changed his life and that of all those with whom he came into contact.

A Night in Annwn is a love story that spans the greatest divide - that between life and death; a look at a near-death experience and a new take on the mythological Welsh Heaven, which is Annwn.
Be prepared to see another side of Welsh Celtic mythology, but you will never think of death in the same way again.

Listen to a fifteen-minute clip of the Night In Annwn audiobook read by the wonderful narrator Andrew McGuirk (he lends so much pathos to the story) free here:

Free Audiobook Link:

http://smarturl.it/Annen1-bounty



Free Audiobook Link:

http://smarturl.it/Annen1-bounty

 ]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?page_id=9239Fri, 01 Feb 2019 01:01:41 +0000Owen JonesA Night In Annwn - Audiobook A Night In Annwn The Story of Willy Jones' NDE by Owen Jones Narrated by Andrew McGuirk William Jones, a sheep farmer from the Brecon Beacons, had led a happy life, until his wife, Sarah, died young. It left him...
A Night In Annwn

The Story of Willy Jones' NDE

by

Owen Jones

Narrated by

Andrew McGuirk

William Jones, a sheep farmer from the Brecon Beacons, had led a happy life, until his wife, Sarah, died young. It left him devastated and seemingly bent on self-destruction. His daughter, Becky tried to help, but even she was losing patience with her father.

One evening, he is certain that he has died and been put out of his misery, but it was not to be. He recovered. However his life was never to be the same again.

He had discovered Annwn where his wife lived, and his newly found vitality changed his life and that of all those with whom he came into contact.

A Night in Annwn is a love story that spans the greatest divide - that between life and death; a look at a near-death experience and a new take on the mythological Welsh Heaven, which is Annwn.
Be prepared to see another side of Welsh Celtic mythology, but you will never think of death in the same way again.

Listen to a fifteen-minute clip of the Night In Annwn audiobook read by the wonderful narrator Andrew McGuirk (he lends so much pathos to the story) free here:

Free Audiobook Link:

http://smarturl.it/Annen1-bounty



Free Audiobook Link:

http://smarturl.it/Annen1-bounty

 ]]>277annwn,audiobooks,celtic,extracts,heaven,literature,nde,owen_jones,wales,welshcleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/dead-centre-press-release--16694079
Not All Suicide Bombers Are Religious!

by

Owen Jones

For immediate release:

Author's new book receives a warm literary welcome.

Readers' Favorite announces the review of the Fiction - Action book "Dead Centre" by Owen Jones, currently available at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1499121628.

Readers' Favorite is one of the largest book review and award contest sites on the Internet. They have earned the respect of renowned publishers like Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Harper Collins, and have received the "Best Websites for Authors" and "Honoring Excellence" awards from the Association of Independent Authors. They are also fully accredited by the BBB (A+ rating), which is a rarity among Book Review and Book Award Contest companies.

"Reviewed By Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite

Dead Centre – Not All Suicide Bombers are Religious by Owen Jones is a different take on a hot topic of conversation. Tony, a terrified soul, walks into an upper class department store in Baghdad and just seconds later, he detonates the bomb strapped to his body. The Iraqi government first treat it like any other suicide bomber and the case is passed over to Captain Allawi. Things are not what they seem, though. A young police officer spots something on the store's surveillance video that changes the game plan, taking the investigation off on a tangent. Six more apparent suicide bombs go off, which cannot be explained unless they are treated in the same way as the Baghdad bomb. A new form of terrorism is taking over the world and it could be unstoppable. Possible breakthroughs get them nowhere and it’s all looking hopeless until the Chinese government and the SAS are called in.

Dead Centre – Not All Suicide Bombers are Religious by Owen Jones was a great read. A well written thriller that starts off on top gear and stays there all the way through. The scary thing is this sort of event could happen – could be happening now for all we know – and the subject is likely to get one or two backs up. However, subject aside, Mr. Jones has written a superb story, with great characters, that spans 9 different countries and dozens more cities. Excellent book, I will definitely be looking out for more from the same author."

You can learn more about Owen Jones and "Dead Centre" at https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/dead-centre where you can read reviews and the author’s biography, as well as connect with the author directly or through their website and social media pages.

Stop Press: Now available in Portuguese, and as an audiobook, and coming soon in French, Italian, and Spanish. There is also a sequel: DEAD CENTRE II (also available in Portuguese).

Readers' Favorite LLC
Media Relations
Louisville, KY 40202
800-RF-REVIEW
support@readersfavorite.com
https://readersfavorite.com]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=10818Sat, 12 Jan 2019 12:05:41 +0000Owen JonesDead Centre Not All Suicide Bombers Are Religious! by Owen Jones For immediate release: Author's new book receives a warm literary welcome. Readers' Favorite announces the review of the Fiction - Action book "Dead Centre" by Owen Jones,...
Not All Suicide Bombers Are Religious!

by

Owen Jones

For immediate release:

Author's new book receives a warm literary welcome.

Readers' Favorite announces the review of the Fiction - Action book "Dead Centre" by Owen Jones, currently available at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1499121628.

Readers' Favorite is one of the largest book review and award contest sites on the Internet. They have earned the respect of renowned publishers like Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Harper Collins, and have received the "Best Websites for Authors" and "Honoring Excellence" awards from the Association of Independent Authors. They are also fully accredited by the BBB (A+ rating), which is a rarity among Book Review and Book Award Contest companies.

"Reviewed By Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite

Dead Centre – Not All Suicide Bombers are Religious by Owen Jones is a different take on a hot topic of conversation. Tony, a terrified soul, walks into an upper class department store in Baghdad and just seconds later, he detonates the bomb strapped to his body. The Iraqi government first treat it like any other suicide bomber and the case is passed over to Captain Allawi. Things are not what they seem, though. A young police officer spots something on the store's surveillance video that changes the game plan, taking the investigation off on a tangent. Six more apparent suicide bombs go off, which cannot be explained unless they are treated in the same way as the Baghdad bomb. A new form of terrorism is taking over the world and it could be unstoppable. Possible breakthroughs get them nowhere and it’s all looking hopeless until the Chinese government and the SAS are called in.

Dead Centre – Not All Suicide Bombers are Religious by Owen Jones was a great read. A well written thriller that starts off on top gear and stays there all the way through. The scary thing is this sort of event could happen – could be happening now for all we know – and the subject is likely to get one or two backs up. However, subject aside, Mr. Jones has written a superb story, with great characters, that spans 9 different countries and dozens more cities. Excellent book, I will definitely be looking out for more from the same author."

You can learn more about Owen Jones and "Dead Centre" at https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/dead-centre where you can read reviews and the author’s biography, as well as connect with the author directly or through their website and social media pages.

Stop Press: Now available in Portuguese, and as an audiobook, and coming soon in French, Italian, and Spanish. There is also a sequel: DEAD CENTRE II (also available in Portuguese).

Readers' Favorite LLC
Media Relations
Louisville, KY 40202
800-RF-REVIEW
support@readersfavorite.com
https://readersfavorite.com]]>183action-thriller,audiobooks,barry,extract,literature,owen_jones,pembrokeshire,st_davids,walescleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/biometric-data-for-residency-cards--16399362
My wife is Thai, for those of you who don't know me, and, since we have moved back to the UK to live, she needs a residency card (RCUK) or residency permit. These days, these cards contain biometric data such as iris scans and finger prints.

We first submitted her application for a residency card four months ago, so, for about eighteen weeks, she has had nothing to do, because the local government will not grant her the right to work without one. This is completely illegal, I might add, and contravenes the EU Directives to which the UK is a signatory. However, they don't care about the law unless it suits them.

The government and the politicians who run it are the biggest crooks around... anyway, we all know that already, so back to the point.

On Thursday, we received a letter from the Home Office telling my wife that she should send them her biometric data within fifteen days of the date of the day that letter was posted. Well, I don't know what that was, but the date on the letter was the third of the month, but the day we received it was the eleventh. Eight days to get a government letter 150 miles? That doesn't sound right, does it? She had seven days to complete the task with a weekend in that. That sounds like them trying their damnedest to obfuscate to me.

Anyway, so we caught the bus to the nearest facility - the Post Office fifteen miles away - and asked for the biometric data service.

'Oh, it's down today, please come back on Monday. Sorry. Next!'

I wouldn't move!

I complained to everyone around me and made a total nuisance of myself until the manager came.

'I'm sorry, Sir', she said, 'but the engineer can't get here for four hours. You may wait over there, if you like'.

I went into overdrive.

The result was that she rebooted the machine and it took my wife's biometric data!

I thanked them and left, not sure whether to be happy that we had gotten the job done, or whether to be really sad that our once great Royal Post Office - the role model for all the others in the world - has sunken so low.

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Biometric Data for Residency Cards

 ]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=10624Tue, 04 Dec 2018 00:08:25 +0000Owen JonesBiometric Data for Residency Cards My wife is Thai, for those of you who don't know me, and, since we have moved back to the UK to live, she needs a residency card (RCUK) or residency permit. These days, these cards contain biometric data such as...
My wife is Thai, for those of you who don't know me, and, since we have moved back to the UK to live, she needs a residency card (RCUK) or residency permit. These days, these cards contain biometric data such as iris scans and finger prints.

We first submitted her application for a residency card four months ago, so, for about eighteen weeks, she has had nothing to do, because the local government will not grant her the right to work without one. This is completely illegal, I might add, and contravenes the EU Directives to which the UK is a signatory. However, they don't care about the law unless it suits them.

The government and the politicians who run it are the biggest crooks around... anyway, we all know that already, so back to the point.

On Thursday, we received a letter from the Home Office telling my wife that she should send them her biometric data within fifteen days of the date of the day that letter was posted. Well, I don't know what that was, but the date on the letter was the third of the month, but the day we received it was the eleventh. Eight days to get a government letter 150 miles? That doesn't sound right, does it? She had seven days to complete the task with a weekend in that. That sounds like them trying their damnedest to obfuscate to me.

Anyway, so we caught the bus to the nearest facility - the Post Office fifteen miles away - and asked for the biometric data service.

'Oh, it's down today, please come back on Monday. Sorry. Next!'

I wouldn't move!

I complained to everyone around me and made a total nuisance of myself until the manager came.

'I'm sorry, Sir', she said, 'but the engineer can't get here for four hours. You may wait over there, if you like'.

I went into overdrive.

The result was that she rebooted the machine and it took my wife's biometric data!

I thanked them and left, not sure whether to be happy that we had gotten the job done, or whether to be really sad that our once great Royal Post Office - the role model for all the others in the world - has sunken so low.

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Biometric Data for Residency Cards

 ]]>161cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/united-nations-special-rapporteur-on-uk-poverty--16274866
Version with footnotes (PDF)

London, 16 November 2018



Conclusion
The experience of the United Kingdom, especially since 2010, underscores the conclusion that poverty is a political choice. Austerity could easily have spared the poor, if the political will had existed to do so. Resources were available to the Treasury at the last budget that could have transformed the situation of millions of people living in poverty, but the political choice was made to fund tax cuts for the wealthy instead.

It was a British philosopher, Thomas Hobbes, who memorably claimed that without a social contract, life outside society would be “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” The risk is that if current policies do not change, this is the direction in which low-income earners and the poor are headed. Loneliness rates have soared in recent years and life expectancy rates have stalled in the United Kingdom, with the latest statistics showing a sharp drop in the annual improvement that has been experienced every year since the records began, and an actual drop for certain groups.

The compassion and mutual concern that has long been part of the British tradition has been outsourced. At the same time many of the public places and institutions that previously brought communities together, such as libraries, community and recreation centers, and public parks, have been steadily dismantled or undermined. In its fiscal analyses, the Treasury and the Government constantly repeat the refrain that fiscal policy must “avoid burdening the next generation.” The message is that the debt burden must be paid off now. The problem is that the next generation’s prospects are already being grievously undermined by the systematic dismantling of social protection policies since 2010.

The negotiations surrounding Brexit present an opportunity to take stock of the current situation and reimagine what this country should represent and how it protects its people. The legislative recognition of social rights should be a central part of that reimagining. And social inclusion, rather than increasing marginalization of the working poor and those unable to work, should be the guiding principle of social policy.

The UK should introduce a single measure of poverty and measure food security.

The government should initiate an expert assessment of the cumulative impact of tax and spending decisions since 2010 and prioritize the reversal of particularly regressive measures, including the benefit freeze, the two-child limit, the benefit cap, and the reduction of the housing benefit for under-occupied social rented housing.

It should ensure local governments have the funds needed to tackle poverty at the community level, and take varying needs and tax bases into account in the ongoing Fair Funding Review.

The Department of Work and Pensions should conduct an independent review of the effectiveness of reforms to welfare conditionality and sanctions introduced since 2012, and should immediately instruct its staff to explore more constructive and less punitive approaches to encouraging compliance.

The five week delay in receiving benefits under ...]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=10591Tue, 20 Nov 2018 17:38:00 +0000Owen JonesStatement on Visit to the United Kingdom, by Professor Philip Alston, United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights Version with footnotes (PDF) London, 16 November 2018 Conclusion The experience of the United Kingdom,...
Version with footnotes (PDF)

London, 16 November 2018



Conclusion
The experience of the United Kingdom, especially since 2010, underscores the conclusion that poverty is a political choice. Austerity could easily have spared the poor, if the political will had existed to do so. Resources were available to the Treasury at the last budget that could have transformed the situation of millions of people living in poverty, but the political choice was made to fund tax cuts for the wealthy instead.

It was a British philosopher, Thomas Hobbes, who memorably claimed that without a social contract, life outside society would be “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” The risk is that if current policies do not change, this is the direction in which low-income earners and the poor are headed. Loneliness rates have soared in recent years and life expectancy rates have stalled in the United Kingdom, with the latest statistics showing a sharp drop in the annual improvement that has been experienced every year since the records began, and an actual drop for certain groups.

The compassion and mutual concern that has long been part of the British tradition has been outsourced. At the same time many of the public places and institutions that previously brought communities together, such as libraries, community and recreation centers, and public parks, have been steadily dismantled or undermined. In its fiscal analyses, the Treasury and the Government constantly repeat the refrain that fiscal policy must “avoid burdening the next generation.” The message is that the debt burden must be paid off now. The problem is that the next generation’s prospects are already being grievously undermined by the systematic dismantling of social protection policies since 2010.

The negotiations surrounding Brexit present an opportunity to take stock of the current situation and reimagine what this country should represent and how it protects its people. The legislative recognition of social rights should be a central part of that reimagining. And social inclusion, rather than increasing marginalization of the working poor and those unable to work, should be the guiding principle of social policy.

The UK should introduce a single measure of poverty and measure food security.

The government should initiate an expert assessment of the cumulative impact of tax and spending decisions since 2010 and prioritize the reversal of particularly regressive measures, including the benefit freeze, the two-child limit, the benefit cap, and the reduction of the housing benefit for under-occupied social rented housing.

It should ensure local governments have the funds needed to tackle poverty at the community level, and take varying needs and tax bases into account in the ongoing Fair Funding Review.

The Department of Work and Pensions should conduct an independent review of the effectiveness of reforms to welfare conditionality and sanctions introduced since 2012, and should immediately instruct its staff to explore more constructive and less punitive approaches to encouraging compliance.

The five week delay in receiving benefits under ...]]>267cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/our-visit-to-the-doctor--15728853
For various reasons, but mostly because of travel, I have not had a medical check-up for twenty-four years - since I was forty. My wife is fourteen years younger than me, and she has never had one. So, being back in the UK 'for good' now, I thought that it was about time that I got that sorted out.

We registered with Ravenscourt, a doctor's surgery in Barry, my home town, and were told that it would take six weeks. That was quite a surprise, shock even, but I had heard about the cut-backs, and since we were 'non-essential' and there was nothing obviously wrong with us, we let that go, even though the appointment fell inconveniently on my birthday.

So, we went along, at the also inconvenient time of nine a.m. not knowing what to expect. Friends had suggested that a full medical check-up would take 'about an hour'.

We arrived punctually at the surgery, awaited our turn, which was also on time, and went up together, although only I was actually called. The doctor was surprised, but was all right about it when I explained that I sometimes needed to clarify some terminology for my Thai wife.

That wasn't a problem and the young man took our blood pressure and listened to our breathing. We were both 'A OK'.

'How are you feeling?' he asked.

'OK', we replied. 'However, my back is pretty bad', I said. 'I can't walk a hundred metres without having to sit down'. He gave us forms to go to two separate hospitals for blood tests and heart traces.

'I take these blood pressure tablets', I offered. 'I've been taking them for twenty-four years, are there better ones available now?' I wanted to say that they were effecting me in other ways, but didn't.

'Oh, they are working for you, and they are readily available, so I recommend that you stick with them'.

'I disagree', I countered, 'The last prescription I had for them in Barry, could not be fulfilled by Boots in Barry. I was looking for sixty and they only had twenty-eight...'

His attitude changed visibly - he obviously didn't like being contradicted.

Our interview was over, but my back problem hadn't been mentioned, so I asked him to validate my application for a bus pass (I am sixty-four, and one qualifies at sixty).

'That isn't my job', he replied. I took a deep breath, could see that we weren't going to get anywhere and left with the strange feeling that there was something he wasn't telling me. We had been in there for fifteen to twenty minutes for two check-ups...

Is that what the revered British National Health has been reduced to?

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Footnote: Boots the chemist could not fulfil that order either – they were twelve Atenolol short.

Podcast: Our Visit to the Doctor]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=10254Wed, 12 Sep 2018 08:45:36 +0000Owen JonesOur Visit to the Doctor For various reasons, but mostly because of travel, I have not had a medical check-up for twenty-four years - since I was forty. My wife is fourteen years younger than me, and she has never had one. So, being back in the UK...
For various reasons, but mostly because of travel, I have not had a medical check-up for twenty-four years - since I was forty. My wife is fourteen years younger than me, and she has never had one. So, being back in the UK 'for good' now, I thought that it was about time that I got that sorted out.

We registered with Ravenscourt, a doctor's surgery in Barry, my home town, and were told that it would take six weeks. That was quite a surprise, shock even, but I had heard about the cut-backs, and since we were 'non-essential' and there was nothing obviously wrong with us, we let that go, even though the appointment fell inconveniently on my birthday.

So, we went along, at the also inconvenient time of nine a.m. not knowing what to expect. Friends had suggested that a full medical check-up would take 'about an hour'.

We arrived punctually at the surgery, awaited our turn, which was also on time, and went up together, although only I was actually called. The doctor was surprised, but was all right about it when I explained that I sometimes needed to clarify some terminology for my Thai wife.

That wasn't a problem and the young man took our blood pressure and listened to our breathing. We were both 'A OK'.

'How are you feeling?' he asked.

'OK', we replied. 'However, my back is pretty bad', I said. 'I can't walk a hundred metres without having to sit down'. He gave us forms to go to two separate hospitals for blood tests and heart traces.

'I take these blood pressure tablets', I offered. 'I've been taking them for twenty-four years, are there better ones available now?' I wanted to say that they were effecting me in other ways, but didn't.

'Oh, they are working for you, and they are readily available, so I recommend that you stick with them'.

'I disagree', I countered, 'The last prescription I had for them in Barry, could not be fulfilled by Boots in Barry. I was looking for sixty and they only had twenty-eight...'

His attitude changed visibly - he obviously didn't like being contradicted.

Our interview was over, but my back problem hadn't been mentioned, so I asked him to validate my application for a bus pass (I am sixty-four, and one qualifies at sixty).

'That isn't my job', he replied. I took a deep breath, could see that we weren't going to get anywhere and left with the strange feeling that there was something he wasn't telling me. We had been in there for fifteen to twenty minutes for two check-ups...

Is that what the revered British National Health has been reduced to?

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Footnote: Boots the chemist could not fulfil that order either – they were twelve Atenolol short.

Podcast: Our Visit to the Doctor]]>193cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/fourth-of-july--15468816
From the thirteenth of September, 2004 to the fourth of July, 2005, we slept on my mother-in-law's floor in the small, rice-growing village where we live in northern Thailand, while we were waiting for our own house to be completed. However, after a party at a friend's that finished after midnight on the third, instead of going back to Mum, we slept on our own floor.

You could say that the fourth of July, 2005, was our own Independence Day. There were no windows or doors yet in those days, and I'll never forget being awoken at seven am by my wife's screams when she surprised a poisonous snake changing its skin in the spare bedroom.

She phoned her mother who lives only fifty yards from our rear gate, and she came over and killed it.

She also phoned the contractors to tell them to get the doors on sharpish, and then she set about organising a party. The eleventh of July completed my first full year in The Land of Smiles.

Just under seven years after that event, I was filling in a U.K. visa application form for my wife and it called for details of her parents' identity cards. Well, her father has been dead for twenty years, so that only left her mother.

When I saw the card, it was my turn to be shocked.

'Do you know when your mother was born?' I asked my wife, not knowing whether it was a stupid question or not, but I had never seen her have a party.

'No,' she replied, 'I'm pretty sure she's never told us'. Now, I'm fairly certain that as a Westerner, you find that strange enough, but I informed her that her mother's birth date was easy to remember because it was on American Independence Day in the year after World War II finished: July 4th, 1946, but she gave me a blank look.

'What are they?' she asked.

She had never heard of either, but Thailand doesn't look far outside its own borders or affairs, except where football is concerned, and they are not taught about WWII, because the Japanese overran them and that is considered embarrassing, so they just ignore it.

On the other hand, every year, I get asked by at least one American, whether we British celebrate the 4th. Of course no! We lost! Although I personally am glad you escaped the poncy British royal family and aristocracy (despite the fact that you have let everyone down by allowing your own aristocracy to develop).

However, in spite of not celebrating the day, I hope that those who do have a great time, and maybe some of you will remember my lovely mother-in-law's birthday as well.

(This true story is expanded upon in the second volume in the series 'Behind The Smile' called 'An Exciting Future").

Please visit our new book links page here: Books

All the best.

Owen

Please visit my bookshop

Podcast: Fourth of July]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=5288Tue, 31 Jul 2018 14:34:09 +0000Owen JonesFourth of July From the thirteenth of September, 2004 to the fourth of July, 2005, we slept on my mother-in-law's floor in the small, rice-growing village where we live in northern Thailand, while we were waiting for our own house to be completed....
From the thirteenth of September, 2004 to the fourth of July, 2005, we slept on my mother-in-law's floor in the small, rice-growing village where we live in northern Thailand, while we were waiting for our own house to be completed. However, after a party at a friend's that finished after midnight on the third, instead of going back to Mum, we slept on our own floor.

You could say that the fourth of July, 2005, was our own Independence Day. There were no windows or doors yet in those days, and I'll never forget being awoken at seven am by my wife's screams when she surprised a poisonous snake changing its skin in the spare bedroom.

She phoned her mother who lives only fifty yards from our rear gate, and she came over and killed it.

She also phoned the contractors to tell them to get the doors on sharpish, and then she set about organising a party. The eleventh of July completed my first full year in The Land of Smiles.

Just under seven years after that event, I was filling in a U.K. visa application form for my wife and it called for details of her parents' identity cards. Well, her father has been dead for twenty years, so that only left her mother.

When I saw the card, it was my turn to be shocked.

'Do you know when your mother was born?' I asked my wife, not knowing whether it was a stupid question or not, but I had never seen her have a party.

'No,' she replied, 'I'm pretty sure she's never told us'. Now, I'm fairly certain that as a Westerner, you find that strange enough, but I informed her that her mother's birth date was easy to remember because it was on American Independence Day in the year after World War II finished: July 4th, 1946, but she gave me a blank look.

'What are they?' she asked.

She had never heard of either, but Thailand doesn't look far outside its own borders or affairs, except where football is concerned, and they are not taught about WWII, because the Japanese overran them and that is considered embarrassing, so they just ignore it.

On the other hand, every year, I get asked by at least one American, whether we British celebrate the 4th. Of course no! We lost! Although I personally am glad you escaped the poncy British royal family and aristocracy (despite the fact that you have let everyone down by allowing your own aristocracy to develop).

However, in spite of not celebrating the day, I hope that those who do have a great time, and maybe some of you will remember my lovely mother-in-law's birthday as well.

(This true story is expanded upon in the second volume in the series 'Behind The Smile' called 'An Exciting Future").

Please visit our new book links page here: Books

All the best.

Owen

Please visit my bookshop

Podcast: Fourth of July]]>197cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/cruelty-to-snakes--15468815
When I arrived at the shop for a beer a few minutes ago, the 'landlady' was in a panic, because a girl had reported seeing a snake entering her shop. I saw it too, but I wouldn't have said anything since it was not poisonous and I knew what cruelty would await it if they found it.

Most Thais kill all snakes on sight whether they're dangerous or not, which I think is bloody stupid and their least endearing quality. Often they display the most extreme cruelty during these usually pointless killings.

They say it's better to be safe than sorry.

It's hard to argue with that, but since most snakes are not poisonous and eat a lot of rodents that eat their rice, I would have thought it was worth learning (at school perhaps) which ones were helpful and which were to be avoided. It would put an end to a lot of the ritual persecution and cruelty.

In fact, most of the snakes' killers are older women and teenage boys. I've seen women dancing after killing a snake and boys parading their trophy about as if they had achieved something miraculous. They're big heroes with snakes that can't fight back, but daddy is called to kill the really serious ones.

Identifying Snakes

What I have learned is that short, stumpy, light-green snakes whose back of the head is a lot wider than its nose are killers. This includes the pit vipers. Then there are cobras, which tend to be black here, and a few others which have quite distinctive markings and that's it. The large constrictors (over three or four metres) are also best given a wide berth, but I think that would come naturally J

This one today didn't match any of those criteria. It was about two foot six long, as thin as a bottleneck and dark green with hatching (a little like in the photo). It probably ate beetles, but three people armed with six-foot-long long sticks trapped it in a corner and hit it a few times before dropping it into the drainage system. I don't think it was dead, but perhaps had a broken back, so it's going to have to lie down there in pain until it starves to death.

That sort of cruelty makes me sick.

All the best.

Owen

PS: a note about the photo: my neighbour found this five-foot, harmless beauty, a so-called flying snake, on the outside of her front door when she got up bleary-eyed after their house-warming party. She called me to see it and then shooed it away :-) but most would have killed it on the spot.

Please visit our bookshop

Podcast: Cruelty to Snakes]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=5743Tue, 31 Jul 2018 14:24:48 +0000Owen JonesCruelty to Snakes When I arrived at the shop for a beer a few minutes ago, the 'landlady' was in a panic, because a girl had reported seeing a snake entering her shop. I saw it too, but I wouldn't have said anything since it was not poisonous and I...
When I arrived at the shop for a beer a few minutes ago, the 'landlady' was in a panic, because a girl had reported seeing a snake entering her shop. I saw it too, but I wouldn't have said anything since it was not poisonous and I knew what cruelty would await it if they found it.

Most Thais kill all snakes on sight whether they're dangerous or not, which I think is bloody stupid and their least endearing quality. Often they display the most extreme cruelty during these usually pointless killings.

They say it's better to be safe than sorry.

It's hard to argue with that, but since most snakes are not poisonous and eat a lot of rodents that eat their rice, I would have thought it was worth learning (at school perhaps) which ones were helpful and which were to be avoided. It would put an end to a lot of the ritual persecution and cruelty.

In fact, most of the snakes' killers are older women and teenage boys. I've seen women dancing after killing a snake and boys parading their trophy about as if they had achieved something miraculous. They're big heroes with snakes that can't fight back, but daddy is called to kill the really serious ones.

Identifying Snakes

What I have learned is that short, stumpy, light-green snakes whose back of the head is a lot wider than its nose are killers. This includes the pit vipers. Then there are cobras, which tend to be black here, and a few others which have quite distinctive markings and that's it. The large constrictors (over three or four metres) are also best given a wide berth, but I think that would come naturally J

This one today didn't match any of those criteria. It was about two foot six long, as thin as a bottleneck and dark green with hatching (a little like in the photo). It probably ate beetles, but three people armed with six-foot-long long sticks trapped it in a corner and hit it a few times before dropping it into the drainage system. I don't think it was dead, but perhaps had a broken back, so it's going to have to lie down there in pain until it starves to death.

That sort of cruelty makes me sick.

All the best.

Owen

PS: a note about the photo: my neighbour found this five-foot, harmless beauty, a so-called flying snake, on the outside of her front door when she got up bleary-eyed after their house-warming party. She called me to see it and then shooed it away :-) but most would have killed it on the spot.

Please visit our bookshop

Podcast: Cruelty to Snakes]]>164cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/linguistic-sloppiness--15468818
As my regular readers will know, I am fascinated by languages, so I have noticed a strange shift in the BBC's reporting.
When I was a student of the USSR and Russian in the seventies, we talked about THE Ukraine, THE Caucasus et cetera. Now, as a Russian language speaker, I know that Russian does not have articles (a, an the), so when I heard them dropped in reference to the recent troubles there, it was a surprise more than a shock.
However, last night, I heard a UK BBC reporter refer to THE United Kingdom as 'United Kingdom'.
Is this a new trend or just sloppiness?
To my mind, WE, in English, have articles, if you want to be taken seriously, bloody well use them, plonkers!

** Update: I just heard a reporter referring to 'Muslim Brotherhood' not 'THE Muslim Brotherhood', yet he used articles correctly elsewhere in his report. It's catching on! **

∞

On a different subject, I want to promote the advertising power of this website, I cannot believe that so few people have picked up on it.
Anyway, 90% of readers are American, that means 70k page views a month, and the next best are UK at 17,788 and France at 17,648 per month.
Today, the sixteenth, Google has sniffed around 3,846 times and the average for a human visitor has been 359 secs a visit, which is high. It translates to 22.34 pages a visit.
Handsome!

∞

I was just talking to 'my daughter', sorry, I still don't know what to call her even after ten years, although I've heard she calls me 'Dad' generally, but Owen to my face. We will iron that one out tomorrow.
Anyway, I told her that her English was worse than it had ever been even after three years in university. She said that the reason was that she was scared of making mistakes and people laughing at her now that she was older.
This is the root cause of intelligent Thais not getting on - it's a national tragedy!
They are scared that people will laugh at them.

It reveals a high level of national insecurity.

∞

'Asian Shorts' is now 100% full and I have pencilled in 'Paranormal Shorts' for next month, so if you have a story for it, send it as soon as you like, or start writing one if you haven't.

Get a free copy of the Asian Shorts audiobook here: Asian Shorts free audiobook

All the best,

Owen

PS: if you like linguistics, listen to this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05tl3jm

Podcast: Linguistic Sloppiness]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=4884Tue, 31 Jul 2018 02:30:47 +0000Owen JonesLinguistic Sloppiness As my regular readers will know, I am fascinated by languages, so I have noticed a strange shift in the BBC's reporting. When I was a student of the USSR and Russian in the seventies, we talked about THE Ukraine, THE Caucasus et...
As my regular readers will know, I am fascinated by languages, so I have noticed a strange shift in the BBC's reporting.
When I was a student of the USSR and Russian in the seventies, we talked about THE Ukraine, THE Caucasus et cetera. Now, as a Russian language speaker, I know that Russian does not have articles (a, an the), so when I heard them dropped in reference to the recent troubles there, it was a surprise more than a shock.
However, last night, I heard a UK BBC reporter refer to THE United Kingdom as 'United Kingdom'.
Is this a new trend or just sloppiness?
To my mind, WE, in English, have articles, if you want to be taken seriously, bloody well use them, plonkers!

** Update: I just heard a reporter referring to 'Muslim Brotherhood' not 'THE Muslim Brotherhood', yet he used articles correctly elsewhere in his report. It's catching on! **

∞

On a different subject, I want to promote the advertising power of this website, I cannot believe that so few people have picked up on it.
Anyway, 90% of readers are American, that means 70k page views a month, and the next best are UK at 17,788 and France at 17,648 per month.
Today, the sixteenth, Google has sniffed around 3,846 times and the average for a human visitor has been 359 secs a visit, which is high. It translates to 22.34 pages a visit.
Handsome!

∞

I was just talking to 'my daughter', sorry, I still don't know what to call her even after ten years, although I've heard she calls me 'Dad' generally, but Owen to my face. We will iron that one out tomorrow.
Anyway, I told her that her English was worse than it had ever been even after three years in university. She said that the reason was that she was scared of making mistakes and people laughing at her now that she was older.
This is the root cause of intelligent Thais not getting on - it's a national tragedy!
They are scared that people will laugh at them.

It reveals a high level of national insecurity.

∞

'Asian Shorts' is now 100% full and I have pencilled in 'Paranormal Shorts' for next month, so if you have a story for it, send it as soon as you like, or start writing one if you haven't.

Get a free copy of the Asian Shorts audiobook here: Asian Shorts free audiobook

All the best,

Owen

PS: if you like linguistics, listen to this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05tl3jm

Podcast: Linguistic Sloppiness]]>166cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/marketing-your-work--15468819
Marketing, advertising, promoting, publicising... it's all basically the same thing, ie getting the word out there that you have something fantastic to sell. So, where do you begin?

This may sound odd, but you should begin before you have anything to sell.

Let's say you're a writer, like I am. You could set up a website in the name of your book, with an eye to it becoming a series, and talk about books you like; review books and post articles on events going on in the literary world - the Pulitzer Prize, that sort of thing. Then, when your book is ready, you already have an audience to present it to. So, it is never too early to start building what is called your author's platform.

If you are that kind of person, you could make weekly or even daily posts about the progress of your novel. Some authors like this approach to marketing; others feel that it detracts from the suspense of the launch. I personally would not give away any spoilers, but I would talk about how I feel the writing is going and about cover designs. It's up to you through, isn't it?

About six weeks before you're ready to publish, you could offer your potential readership the chance to pre-order at a discount. The effect of this is that you have six weeks to sell something that isn't yet sellable (as it is unfinished) and all the pre-orders that you do make will go through on the one day, causing your book to jump in popularity. This is great because many people buy, and many firms recommend books on the strength of where they are in book lists.

However, as an unknown, you will find it very difficult to sell pre-orders.

Once you get to that stage, you could join a few of the online joint promotion schemes which combine the strengths of Twitter and Facebook. Try Bridgette's T4US on Facebook. She and her group are innovative and hard-working.

Maybe I'll see you there :-)

All the best,

Owen

Please take a minute to LIKE and SHARE this post below or above – thanks Owen

and visit My Books

Podcast: Marketing You Artwork]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=5838Mon, 30 Jul 2018 15:01:47 +0000Owen JonesMarketing Your Artwork Marketing, advertising, promoting, publicising... it's all basically the same thing, ie getting the word out there that you have something fantastic to sell. So, where do you begin? This may sound odd, but you should begin...
Marketing, advertising, promoting, publicising... it's all basically the same thing, ie getting the word out there that you have something fantastic to sell. So, where do you begin?

This may sound odd, but you should begin before you have anything to sell.

Let's say you're a writer, like I am. You could set up a website in the name of your book, with an eye to it becoming a series, and talk about books you like; review books and post articles on events going on in the literary world - the Pulitzer Prize, that sort of thing. Then, when your book is ready, you already have an audience to present it to. So, it is never too early to start building what is called your author's platform.

If you are that kind of person, you could make weekly or even daily posts about the progress of your novel. Some authors like this approach to marketing; others feel that it detracts from the suspense of the launch. I personally would not give away any spoilers, but I would talk about how I feel the writing is going and about cover designs. It's up to you through, isn't it?

About six weeks before you're ready to publish, you could offer your potential readership the chance to pre-order at a discount. The effect of this is that you have six weeks to sell something that isn't yet sellable (as it is unfinished) and all the pre-orders that you do make will go through on the one day, causing your book to jump in popularity. This is great because many people buy, and many firms recommend books on the strength of where they are in book lists.

However, as an unknown, you will find it very difficult to sell pre-orders.

Once you get to that stage, you could join a few of the online joint promotion schemes which combine the strengths of Twitter and Facebook. Try Bridgette's T4US on Facebook. She and her group are innovative and hard-working.

Maybe I'll see you there :-)

All the best,

Owen

Please take a minute to LIKE and SHARE this post below or above – thanks Owen

and visit My Books

Podcast: Marketing You Artwork]]>139cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/patreon-what-s-that-all-about--15468820
Put simply, Patreon is a way for an artist - in my case, a writer - to keep in touch with his or her most avid fans and receive patronage (sponsorship) for his time. Conversely, it is place where fans can have a closer relationship with their favourite artists for a small fee (in recognition of the fact that an artist has to make a living too).

So, basically, in this post, I am asking you how much you would like to become involved?

Levels of Patronage

I have four levels of patronage: $2, $5, $50 and $100 per month sort of like on standing order, but very easy to cancel (or increase) wherever you like via the Patreon website.

The benefits for me are twofold: 1) increased communication and feedback from the people who care about my work, and 2) the funding to be able to make that communication possible. The benefits for patrons rise with the level of donation, but include increased access to me and my work; increased participation in the creative process; acknowledgement in my novels and much more. Follow the link at the end of this piece to find out the full details.

You may be wondering what I intend to do with the extra money. Well, it's a fair question.

I have set goals on my Patreon webpage, but the main one for now is to upgrade some of my existing book covers, starting with the series Behind The Smile. Poor Lek looks as if she's on a wanted poster. I have wanted to get a professional designer in for years, but have never been able to afford it.

You could help there and always know that you were behind the cover change on this very popular series!

So, the ball's in your court... would you like to be my patron and officially become a Patron of The Arts? I think that donations such as these are even tax-deductible in many countries.

Go on, check out the details, it's the least you can do

Visit Patreon by clicking here

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Patreon - What's That All About?]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=10177Mon, 30 Jul 2018 00:25:55 +0000Owen JonesPatreon - What's That All About? Put simply, Patreon is a way for an artist - in my case, a writer - to keep in touch with his or her most avid fans and receive patronage (sponsorship) for his time. Conversely, it is place where fans can have a...
Put simply, Patreon is a way for an artist - in my case, a writer - to keep in touch with his or her most avid fans and receive patronage (sponsorship) for his time. Conversely, it is place where fans can have a closer relationship with their favourite artists for a small fee (in recognition of the fact that an artist has to make a living too).

So, basically, in this post, I am asking you how much you would like to become involved?

Levels of Patronage

I have four levels of patronage: $2, $5, $50 and $100 per month sort of like on standing order, but very easy to cancel (or increase) wherever you like via the Patreon website.

The benefits for me are twofold: 1) increased communication and feedback from the people who care about my work, and 2) the funding to be able to make that communication possible. The benefits for patrons rise with the level of donation, but include increased access to me and my work; increased participation in the creative process; acknowledgement in my novels and much more. Follow the link at the end of this piece to find out the full details.

You may be wondering what I intend to do with the extra money. Well, it's a fair question.

I have set goals on my Patreon webpage, but the main one for now is to upgrade some of my existing book covers, starting with the series Behind The Smile. Poor Lek looks as if she's on a wanted poster. I have wanted to get a professional designer in for years, but have never been able to afford it.

You could help there and always know that you were behind the cover change on this very popular series!

So, the ball's in your court... would you like to be my patron and officially become a Patron of The Arts? I think that donations such as these are even tax-deductible in many countries.

Go on, check out the details, it's the least you can do

Visit Patreon by clicking here

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Patreon - What's That All About?]]>131cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/search-engines--15324522
I should imagine that if I asked a hundred people, which is the best search engine, at least ninety percent would say Google, but how many of them ever consider using other search engines? Google has done such a tremendous job of PR that it now attracts at least 85% of search queries. In this article, I am going to look into the phenomenon of search engines.

I looked through my computer's logs and found that my blog had figured in a search that used the query 'Asus F541U Laptop Computer', because I had written a review of that computer after buying one earlier this year. First, I checked Google, the default search engine on my Asus F541U, then I checked some others – six in total. Here are the results of my article's placing or rank within those search engines:

Google: >100

Yahoo: 3rd

Bing: 2nd

Ecosia: 2nd

DuckDuckGo: 2nd

Yandex: 2nd

That's right, my article could not be found within the first 100 entries on Google, yet five other top search engines ranked it within the top three most read articles on that particular laptop.

How can that be?

It's simple, Google charges for the higher ranking slots. In other words, it takes an upfront commission on all sales made through searches made on its site, and that is why, if you enter the name of a product, the top dozen or more listings will direct you to shops where you can buy it.

I wrote my review of the Asus F541U to help people and attract them to my website, so I am not going to pay to promote it, and that means that Google is not interested in me or it.

So, if you want honest search results, you need to be careful which search engine you use, however, there are other advantages too.

For example, Ecosia donates a percentage of its profits to planting trees, and DuckDuckGo promises not to track your searches. This is important, because most search engines do, which is why, if you search for, say, the Asus F541U today, you will see ads popping up everywhere for it for the next week to come.

So, let's stop automatically going for Google. Google is basically a list of shops ranked in order of what you want and which one paid the most to get near the top. Some people might call that corrupt.

Give the other search engines a chance, you will be pleasantly surprised.

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Search Engines]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=8625Sun, 22 Jul 2018 21:40:06 +0000Owen JonesSearch Engines I should imagine that if I asked a hundred people, which is the best search engine, at least ninety percent would say Google, but how many of them ever consider using other search engines? Google has done such a tremendous job of PR...
I should imagine that if I asked a hundred people, which is the best search engine, at least ninety percent would say Google, but how many of them ever consider using other search engines? Google has done such a tremendous job of PR that it now attracts at least 85% of search queries. In this article, I am going to look into the phenomenon of search engines.

I looked through my computer's logs and found that my blog had figured in a search that used the query 'Asus F541U Laptop Computer', because I had written a review of that computer after buying one earlier this year. First, I checked Google, the default search engine on my Asus F541U, then I checked some others – six in total. Here are the results of my article's placing or rank within those search engines:

Google: >100

Yahoo: 3rd

Bing: 2nd

Ecosia: 2nd

DuckDuckGo: 2nd

Yandex: 2nd

That's right, my article could not be found within the first 100 entries on Google, yet five other top search engines ranked it within the top three most read articles on that particular laptop.

How can that be?

It's simple, Google charges for the higher ranking slots. In other words, it takes an upfront commission on all sales made through searches made on its site, and that is why, if you enter the name of a product, the top dozen or more listings will direct you to shops where you can buy it.

I wrote my review of the Asus F541U to help people and attract them to my website, so I am not going to pay to promote it, and that means that Google is not interested in me or it.

So, if you want honest search results, you need to be careful which search engine you use, however, there are other advantages too.

For example, Ecosia donates a percentage of its profits to planting trees, and DuckDuckGo promises not to track your searches. This is important, because most search engines do, which is why, if you search for, say, the Asus F541U today, you will see ads popping up everywhere for it for the next week to come.

So, let's stop automatically going for Google. Google is basically a list of shops ranked in order of what you want and which one paid the most to get near the top. Some people might call that corrupt.

Give the other search engines a chance, you will be pleasantly surprised.

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Search Engines]]>181cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/free-books-on-amazon--15324524
I started a page on this blog called Free Books and, needless to say, it is very popular, receiving well over three hundred views a day. 'Free' is an extremely powerful word, so that is not surprising in itself. What does surprise many people is Amazon's attitude towards free books.

In fact, free books on Amazon are frowned upon by the giant on-line retailer, and what many bloggers don't know is that they can lose their monthly earnings if their ratio of free book give-aways to sold books is too high, and they can lose their account if it happens too often.

A blogger must consistently sell more books than he or she gives away or face the consequences.

I recently started a free book page, as I said above, but I was concerned about how far I could go, and I now realise that that is not far, however, there is a way around it, which I will explain below to those who can stick with me.

There is an option to authors publishing their books on Kindle to give them the exclusive publishing rights to your ebook and enroll it in Kindle Select.

Readers pay a monthly fee for membership to Kindle Select, and that confers upon them the right to read books for free - or at least those books that authors have put into Kindle Select.

Therefore, a blogger can offer free books on Amazon on his website, if the books are in Kindle Select, but they will only be free to Kindle Select subscribers.

Right now, you may be thinking that this is another spiral downwards in the earnings of blog- and website-owners, but there is one salvation.

If the free books that you are offering/promoting are interesting enough to make non-Kindle Select subscribers want to join up, Amazon is willing to pay the blogger $3 for giving away a free one-month trial subscription to Kindle Select.

This makes the whole process of selling books on-line even more convoluted, of course, but it is the only way that I have figured out of making money out of the powerful word 'free' in the context of free books on Amazon and not running foul of their rules.

Please LIKE and SHARE this article by using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Free Books on Amazon]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=8420Sun, 22 Jul 2018 20:46:49 +0000Owen JonesFree Books and Amazon I started a page on this blog called Free Books and, needless to say, it is very popular, receiving well over three hundred views a day. 'Free' is an extremely powerful word, so that is not surprising in itself. What does...
I started a page on this blog called Free Books and, needless to say, it is very popular, receiving well over three hundred views a day. 'Free' is an extremely powerful word, so that is not surprising in itself. What does surprise many people is Amazon's attitude towards free books.

In fact, free books on Amazon are frowned upon by the giant on-line retailer, and what many bloggers don't know is that they can lose their monthly earnings if their ratio of free book give-aways to sold books is too high, and they can lose their account if it happens too often.

A blogger must consistently sell more books than he or she gives away or face the consequences.

I recently started a free book page, as I said above, but I was concerned about how far I could go, and I now realise that that is not far, however, there is a way around it, which I will explain below to those who can stick with me.

There is an option to authors publishing their books on Kindle to give them the exclusive publishing rights to your ebook and enroll it in Kindle Select.

Readers pay a monthly fee for membership to Kindle Select, and that confers upon them the right to read books for free - or at least those books that authors have put into Kindle Select.

Therefore, a blogger can offer free books on Amazon on his website, if the books are in Kindle Select, but they will only be free to Kindle Select subscribers.

Right now, you may be thinking that this is another spiral downwards in the earnings of blog- and website-owners, but there is one salvation.

If the free books that you are offering/promoting are interesting enough to make non-Kindle Select subscribers want to join up, Amazon is willing to pay the blogger $3 for giving away a free one-month trial subscription to Kindle Select.

This makes the whole process of selling books on-line even more convoluted, of course, but it is the only way that I have figured out of making money out of the powerful word 'free' in the context of free books on Amazon and not running foul of their rules.

Please LIKE and SHARE this article by using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Free Books on Amazon]]>150cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/residence-permit-for-spain-final-part--15324525
We applied for my wife's residence permit for Spain on February 14th. 2017, although we had been working on it for a year before that. When we left Thailand in May 2016, the Spanish Embassy had assured us that we had all the paperwork we needed for my wife to obtain her five-year residency card.

So, we set off for Spain. Our tactic was for me to get my residency permit first, as that would be easy for a Brit, and sure enough, I did get mine, although it took eleven weeks. My wife was told that she had the wrong  visa (a visitor's visa, not one declaring that she was the wife of an EU citizen).

So, we returned to Thailand, spent five months getting the correct papers, translations and visa and came back to Spain in January, as I said above.

The wait has been horrific! There is no more we can do but wait, but in a way, that is the problem. Now, the waiting is almost over. The five-year residence permit, in the form of a bio-metric card will be ready for collection sometime 'after August 24th.'.

However, the stress that we have been trying so hard not to let each other see is getting to us. I feel really ill and can hardly walk from backache, and my wife has lost ten kilos. She is pretending to be pleased that she has lost the weight, and I'm sure that she is, but I wish that she had lost it through dieting or exercising, not from worry.

She is now insisting that we check the police station for her permit on Tuesday - she cannot wait until Thursday. That proves to me that she is anxious about it, but we will go and look, despite the fact that it is a thirty-minute walk and I don't know whether I can do it.

Anything to stop this agonising waiting though.

** UPDATE ** My wife received her five-year residency permit on the Tuesday - Whoopee for women's intuition :-)

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Residence Permit for Spain (part 700)]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=8581Sun, 22 Jul 2018 20:20:24 +0000Owen JonesResidence Permit for Spain (final part) We applied for my wife's residence permit for Spain on February 14th. 2017, although we had been working on it for a year before that. When we left Thailand in May 2016, the Spanish Embassy had assured us that...
We applied for my wife's residence permit for Spain on February 14th. 2017, although we had been working on it for a year before that. When we left Thailand in May 2016, the Spanish Embassy had assured us that we had all the paperwork we needed for my wife to obtain her five-year residency card.

So, we set off for Spain. Our tactic was for me to get my residency permit first, as that would be easy for a Brit, and sure enough, I did get mine, although it took eleven weeks. My wife was told that she had the wrong  visa (a visitor's visa, not one declaring that she was the wife of an EU citizen).

So, we returned to Thailand, spent five months getting the correct papers, translations and visa and came back to Spain in January, as I said above.

The wait has been horrific! There is no more we can do but wait, but in a way, that is the problem. Now, the waiting is almost over. The five-year residence permit, in the form of a bio-metric card will be ready for collection sometime 'after August 24th.'.

However, the stress that we have been trying so hard not to let each other see is getting to us. I feel really ill and can hardly walk from backache, and my wife has lost ten kilos. She is pretending to be pleased that she has lost the weight, and I'm sure that she is, but I wish that she had lost it through dieting or exercising, not from worry.

She is now insisting that we check the police station for her permit on Tuesday - she cannot wait until Thursday. That proves to me that she is anxious about it, but we will go and look, despite the fact that it is a thirty-minute walk and I don't know whether I can do it.

Anything to stop this agonising waiting though.

** UPDATE ** My wife received her five-year residency permit on the Tuesday - Whoopee for women's intuition :-)

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Residence Permit for Spain (part 700)]]>131cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/facebook-friends-part-1--15324528
I recently ran a campaign to drum up support for for my latest novel, and a large part of that took place on Facebook. However, I only had 1,100 Facebook friends and it soon became apparent that I would need at least double that for a campaign of thirty days. Now, obviously, not everyone you ask to become a friend fancies the idea, so to get, say, 1,500 new Facebook friends in a month, you have to invite at least fifty new Facebook friends a day.

I have had 1,100 Facebook friends for ages, but when I started recruiting in ernest, more and more people asked to become my friend too. It was as if Facebook saw that I was looking for new friends and so promoted me to others via that block on your timeline - People you may know...

However, if it is true that Facebook helped me get new friends, it is also true that they discouraged me from talking to them. In the morning, I would start asking my Facebook friends to check out my book and vote for it if they felt able to, but after about twenty such messages, I invariably received a warning that I was probably violating their TOS.

I was even banned for twenty-four hours once. However, I soon settled into a pattern of waiting for the warning, and then doing ten an hour until I reached my goal of a hundred a day - 3,000 in the month. I fell a bit short because I only had 2,600 Facebook friends, but I will have the shortfall by the time I finish my next novel.

I had 3,220 visitors to my target URL, although KindleScout, the hosts don't reveal how many voted. My book was deemed HOT for 393 hours out of the maximum of 720, so draw your own conclusions. I think that most people I asked went there, and most of those voted for my book.

Now the fun part. Of my existing Facebook friends, the original 1,100, not many, a few hundred, reported back that they had helped, although that doesn't mean that the others didn't. I probably wouldn't tell a friend that I had helped either. However, well over half of the new Facebook friends told me that they had voted for my book., and I think that I would with a new friend as well.

There were several splinter groups, which are interesting.

There were about fifteen who asked me to return 'the favour'. When I asked how, they told me to buy their book, read it and write a review for Amazon and Goodreads - about four days' work, and I would have to but their book, in exchange for their two-minute vote on my cover and blurb! I should coco! Needless to say, they are no longer friends.

Then there were the twenty or so who explained I detail that they were busy professionals with no time for trivial activities. One man wrote me four long emails explaining how little time he had. It would have taken only two minutes to click NOMINATE on the strength of the cover and the 100-word blurb!

There was one man who said that he was very sorry, but he could not access the Internet... he was saying that via Facebook's Messenger! I don't know whether he was doolally, or he thought I was.

Then there was a huge group of 'beautiful women'. This group is the one I found the most interesting. Naturally... but more of them next time :-)

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Facebook Friends Part 1]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=8480Sun, 22 Jul 2018 18:03:29 +0000Owen JonesFacebook Friends Part 1 I recently ran a campaign to drum up support for for my latest novel, and a large part of that took place on Facebook. However, I only had 1,100 Facebook friends and it soon became apparent that I would need at least double...
I recently ran a campaign to drum up support for for my latest novel, and a large part of that took place on Facebook. However, I only had 1,100 Facebook friends and it soon became apparent that I would need at least double that for a campaign of thirty days. Now, obviously, not everyone you ask to become a friend fancies the idea, so to get, say, 1,500 new Facebook friends in a month, you have to invite at least fifty new Facebook friends a day.

I have had 1,100 Facebook friends for ages, but when I started recruiting in ernest, more and more people asked to become my friend too. It was as if Facebook saw that I was looking for new friends and so promoted me to others via that block on your timeline - People you may know...

However, if it is true that Facebook helped me get new friends, it is also true that they discouraged me from talking to them. In the morning, I would start asking my Facebook friends to check out my book and vote for it if they felt able to, but after about twenty such messages, I invariably received a warning that I was probably violating their TOS.

I was even banned for twenty-four hours once. However, I soon settled into a pattern of waiting for the warning, and then doing ten an hour until I reached my goal of a hundred a day - 3,000 in the month. I fell a bit short because I only had 2,600 Facebook friends, but I will have the shortfall by the time I finish my next novel.

I had 3,220 visitors to my target URL, although KindleScout, the hosts don't reveal how many voted. My book was deemed HOT for 393 hours out of the maximum of 720, so draw your own conclusions. I think that most people I asked went there, and most of those voted for my book.

Now the fun part. Of my existing Facebook friends, the original 1,100, not many, a few hundred, reported back that they had helped, although that doesn't mean that the others didn't. I probably wouldn't tell a friend that I had helped either. However, well over half of the new Facebook friends told me that they had voted for my book., and I think that I would with a new friend as well.

There were several splinter groups, which are interesting.

There were about fifteen who asked me to return 'the favour'. When I asked how, they told me to buy their book, read it and write a review for Amazon and Goodreads - about four days' work, and I would have to but their book, in exchange for their two-minute vote on my cover and blurb! I should coco! Needless to say, they are no longer friends.

Then there were the twenty or so who explained I detail that they were busy professionals with no time for trivial activities. One man wrote me four long emails explaining how little time he had. It would have taken only two minutes to click NOMINATE on the strength of the cover and the 100-word blurb!

There was one man who said that he was very sorry, but he could not access the Internet... he was saying that via Facebook's Messenger! I don't know whether he was doolally, or he thought I was.

Then there was a huge group of 'beautiful women'. This group is the one I found the most interesting. Naturally... but more of them next time :-)

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All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Facebook Friends Part 1]]>241cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/facebook-friends-part-2--15324529
(From part one: "Then there was a huge group of 'beautiful women'. This group is the one I found most interesting. Naturally...")

I would say there were about four hundred in my group of new Facebook friends. They all came from Texas, and most of them from Austin. None of them had any friends, or one or two older men, no interests, no place of birth, zilch. Most of these liars had a birth date in the Nineties. Only about a dozen of these females, if that is what they were, complied with my request to vote for my book. Most ignored it and asked whether I was married, had kids, made good money, owned my own house, etc. When I say most, I mean 395 out of 400!

I started to wonder about these people after about ten of them asked me to send them an iTunes card. So, I started asking for selfies taken there and then, in an attempt to check that they were actually women. About half sent me photos that could have been copied from anywhere. I assume that they were older women, in a relationship or even men.

When I questioned them further, some got angry, some sent me nude photos (again could have been copied from any porn site, and some, probably a hundred, said the camera on their smartphone was broken. About a hundred sent me probably genuine selfies, some rude, and offered to come and live with me 'because they had fallen for me'.

Further conversation revealed that nearly all the women were currently in sub-Saharan Africa attending their sick mother, but would be returning to Austin 'soon'.

This is an industry, really... a large industry. Nearly all those people were African, but there were other groups of Asians and South Americans. Mostly on the make. Many young women in the last two groups offered private, live sex shows for payment, but I never asked how much. $5-$10 would be my guess. I did see a few free samples and they did seem live, as opposed to pre-recorded.

I met about a dozen men who asked me to help them get funds out of their country by giving them my bank details, but they stood no chance.

Finally, I met two women, one in Mexico and one in Ghana who were brilliant. They both offered to help me (in non-sexual ways), and I think that we will be friends for a long time.

So, that was my experience - two friends out of the new fifteen hundred.

However, I learned to take precautions with my Facebook account's permissions, after one angry person started posting on my timeline in an obnoxious manner because I wouldn't buy her an iTunes card and I felt really sorry for a girl who was (genuinely) worried about her mother's health. She wanted $200 to set up a fruit stall, but I didn't send it.

Update: the 'Mexican woman' actually got me a job interview with a Scandinavian bank, which I am following up :-)]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=8487Sun, 22 Jul 2018 16:57:01 +0000Owen JonesFacebook Friends Part 2 (From part one: "Then there was a huge group of 'beautiful women'. This group is the one I found most interesting. Naturally...") I would say there were about four hundred in my group of new Facebook friends. They all came...
(From part one: "Then there was a huge group of 'beautiful women'. This group is the one I found most interesting. Naturally...")

I would say there were about four hundred in my group of new Facebook friends. They all came from Texas, and most of them from Austin. None of them had any friends, or one or two older men, no interests, no place of birth, zilch. Most of these liars had a birth date in the Nineties. Only about a dozen of these females, if that is what they were, complied with my request to vote for my book. Most ignored it and asked whether I was married, had kids, made good money, owned my own house, etc. When I say most, I mean 395 out of 400!

I started to wonder about these people after about ten of them asked me to send them an iTunes card. So, I started asking for selfies taken there and then, in an attempt to check that they were actually women. About half sent me photos that could have been copied from anywhere. I assume that they were older women, in a relationship or even men.

When I questioned them further, some got angry, some sent me nude photos (again could have been copied from any porn site, and some, probably a hundred, said the camera on their smartphone was broken. About a hundred sent me probably genuine selfies, some rude, and offered to come and live with me 'because they had fallen for me'.

Further conversation revealed that nearly all the women were currently in sub-Saharan Africa attending their sick mother, but would be returning to Austin 'soon'.

This is an industry, really... a large industry. Nearly all those people were African, but there were other groups of Asians and South Americans. Mostly on the make. Many young women in the last two groups offered private, live sex shows for payment, but I never asked how much. $5-$10 would be my guess. I did see a few free samples and they did seem live, as opposed to pre-recorded.

I met about a dozen men who asked me to help them get funds out of their country by giving them my bank details, but they stood no chance.

Finally, I met two women, one in Mexico and one in Ghana who were brilliant. They both offered to help me (in non-sexual ways), and I think that we will be friends for a long time.

So, that was my experience - two friends out of the new fifteen hundred.

However, I learned to take precautions with my Facebook account's permissions, after one angry person started posting on my timeline in an obnoxious manner because I wouldn't buy her an iTunes card and I felt really sorry for a girl who was (genuinely) worried about her mother's health. She wanted $200 to set up a fruit stall, but I didn't send it.

Update: the 'Mexican woman' actually got me a job interview with a Scandinavian bank, which I am following up :-)]]>184cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/nanowrimo-2017--15324530
I just finished NaNoWriMo 2017, my fifth consecutive NaNoWriMo and I still enjoy it enormously. I overheard a few people talking about it a while ago, and all three of them had written their entry during the year, so that their annual novel would get a sticker. I think that's really sad, because the race to produce 50,000 words in thirty days is what it is all about. Pushing yourself, and having a good time with others, tens of thousands around the world, who are in the same boat.

I normally write my 50k within a fortnight, and I have a friend who often writes two books during the month, but you can take the whole month to finish your novel, if you like. Then it has earned it a badge to go on its cover.

After that, you can take as long as you like to add to, edit and publish it. In fact, I still haven't published my 2016 entry, Daisy's Chain, yet, although it is now 80,000 and fully edited.

My latest entry, for NaNoWriMo 2017, entitled Lek - The Beginning, is still languishing on my desktop at 50,500 words, but it is the seventh in my series called 'Behind The Smile' and fans are waiting for it. Some have even pre-ordered it already, because I have promised to deliver it on Boxing Day - 26th. December, 2017. You can pre-order it too here:

The Beginning Lek7

In the first three years I took part, there were considerable incentives to accept and complete the NaNo challenge, but they were pretty poor this year, like 2016. Before, you got things like a free hardback, or two paperbacks of your work, but now the 'prizes' are 'a month's trial' or '10-20% a year's subscription'.

I didn't see anything in the list that was worth having, which is a shame, but I suspect that it is a reflection of the poor state of the book market, which is also a symptom of the disaster our so-called betters have made of our economies around the world.

NaNo staff would deny that these gifts are incentives, probably calling them rewards, and they are right. NaNo is a personal challenge to write those 50k words in November, and successfully completing it, should be reward enough. However, it is always nice to get something for nothing even if it is not called 'winning'.

If you have always wanted to write a book, do it, and if you would like the moral support of thousands near you and worldwide, try NaNoWriMo 2017 next November. It is free to enter and even if you do not succeed, you will have made a start, which you can finish at your leisure until the next NaNo starts.

If you do it, look me (owenjones) up on their website, and we can be writing buddies.

I hope to meet you there!

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: NaNoWriMo 2017]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=8787Sun, 22 Jul 2018 15:18:09 +0000Owen JonesNaNoWriMo 2017 I just finished NaNoWriMo 2017, my fifth consecutive NaNoWriMo and I still enjoy it enormously. I overheard a few people talking about it a while ago, and all three of them had written their entry during the year, so that their annual...
I just finished NaNoWriMo 2017, my fifth consecutive NaNoWriMo and I still enjoy it enormously. I overheard a few people talking about it a while ago, and all three of them had written their entry during the year, so that their annual novel would get a sticker. I think that's really sad, because the race to produce 50,000 words in thirty days is what it is all about. Pushing yourself, and having a good time with others, tens of thousands around the world, who are in the same boat.

I normally write my 50k within a fortnight, and I have a friend who often writes two books during the month, but you can take the whole month to finish your novel, if you like. Then it has earned it a badge to go on its cover.

After that, you can take as long as you like to add to, edit and publish it. In fact, I still haven't published my 2016 entry, Daisy's Chain, yet, although it is now 80,000 and fully edited.

My latest entry, for NaNoWriMo 2017, entitled Lek - The Beginning, is still languishing on my desktop at 50,500 words, but it is the seventh in my series called 'Behind The Smile' and fans are waiting for it. Some have even pre-ordered it already, because I have promised to deliver it on Boxing Day - 26th. December, 2017. You can pre-order it too here:

The Beginning Lek7

In the first three years I took part, there were considerable incentives to accept and complete the NaNo challenge, but they were pretty poor this year, like 2016. Before, you got things like a free hardback, or two paperbacks of your work, but now the 'prizes' are 'a month's trial' or '10-20% a year's subscription'.

I didn't see anything in the list that was worth having, which is a shame, but I suspect that it is a reflection of the poor state of the book market, which is also a symptom of the disaster our so-called betters have made of our economies around the world.

NaNo staff would deny that these gifts are incentives, probably calling them rewards, and they are right. NaNo is a personal challenge to write those 50k words in November, and successfully completing it, should be reward enough. However, it is always nice to get something for nothing even if it is not called 'winning'.

If you have always wanted to write a book, do it, and if you would like the moral support of thousands near you and worldwide, try NaNoWriMo 2017 next November. It is free to enter and even if you do not succeed, you will have made a start, which you can finish at your leisure until the next NaNo starts.

If you do it, look me (owenjones) up on their website, and we can be writing buddies.

I hope to meet you there!

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: NaNoWriMo 2017]]>201cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/british-bureaucracy--15208880
My Thai wife and I arrived back in the UK for the first time in five years last Wednesday, so our first encounter with British bureaucracy was at Rhoose airport's immigration. My wife was coming in on a five-year Spanish Residency Card, and the official had never seen an Asian with one before. The poor man didn't know what to do, so he gave her a six-month visa.

A friend coming in six months ago in exactly the same circumstances, obtained an open-ended right to remain for his wife, but they could also have given her ninety days (I think). 'Get her residency as soon as you can', he said to me quietly.

The following Friday, I went to the Job Centre to see about a National Insurance number for her. The official turned to his computer, and I waited while he called up the right page. After ten minutes, I asked whether there was a problem. 'No', he replied, 'I'm just Googling how to apply for a new NI number'.

I couldn't believe my ears! British bureaucracy... even civil servants, now have to use an American search engine to find the correct government policy! It doesn't sound right to me. I wanted to ask whether they still receive training, but civil servants are not renowned for their sense of humour.

It turns out that we have to travel fifty miles to make the application!

So, that left residency to sort out, and to get more information, we visited the local Citizen's Advice Centre (C.A.B.). The man took one look at the stamp in my wife's passport and left to discuss the matter with his supervisor. 'I'm sorry', he said, 'but this is way over our heads. We can't even understand how you got this far!'.

'Research, hard work and perseverance', I replied.

'We can only suggest that you go to see an immigration lawyer', he said offering me a list to choose from.

I declined it, and left, thinking how sad it was that the C.A.B. had degenerated into a mere funnel for the local branch of the legal profession... especially since legal aid has been abolished.

What sort of a country have I brought my wife back to?

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: British Bureaucracy]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=10130Sat, 30 Jun 2018 22:00:20 +0000Owen JonesBritish Bureaucracy My Thai wife and I arrived back in the UK for the first time in five years last Wednesday, so our first encounter with British bureaucracy was at Rhoose airport's immigration. My wife was coming in on a five-year Spanish Residency...
My Thai wife and I arrived back in the UK for the first time in five years last Wednesday, so our first encounter with British bureaucracy was at Rhoose airport's immigration. My wife was coming in on a five-year Spanish Residency Card, and the official had never seen an Asian with one before. The poor man didn't know what to do, so he gave her a six-month visa.

A friend coming in six months ago in exactly the same circumstances, obtained an open-ended right to remain for his wife, but they could also have given her ninety days (I think). 'Get her residency as soon as you can', he said to me quietly.

The following Friday, I went to the Job Centre to see about a National Insurance number for her. The official turned to his computer, and I waited while he called up the right page. After ten minutes, I asked whether there was a problem. 'No', he replied, 'I'm just Googling how to apply for a new NI number'.

I couldn't believe my ears! British bureaucracy... even civil servants, now have to use an American search engine to find the correct government policy! It doesn't sound right to me. I wanted to ask whether they still receive training, but civil servants are not renowned for their sense of humour.

It turns out that we have to travel fifty miles to make the application!

So, that left residency to sort out, and to get more information, we visited the local Citizen's Advice Centre (C.A.B.). The man took one look at the stamp in my wife's passport and left to discuss the matter with his supervisor. 'I'm sorry', he said, 'but this is way over our heads. We can't even understand how you got this far!'.

'Research, hard work and perseverance', I replied.

'We can only suggest that you go to see an immigration lawyer', he said offering me a list to choose from.

I declined it, and left, thinking how sad it was that the C.A.B. had degenerated into a mere funnel for the local branch of the legal profession... especially since legal aid has been abolished.

What sort of a country have I brought my wife back to?

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: British Bureaucracy]]>149cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/beware-amazon-book-rankings--15208881
If you are a reader, or a writer, you probably use Amazon book rankings at some time or another. Even if you are a bookshop owner's dream and buy your latest reads locally, the chances are that you do your research online and, therefore, on Amazon.

And why wouldn't you?

'What could be wrong with that?' you might ask.

The answer is: nothing, as long as you are aware of some of Amazon's weirdest policies.

I will come clean here, and say that I am a writer, and I know many writers, just as you know many people in your profession, trade occupation or hobby. I have about 175 books on Amazon and other online book retailers, and I have been doing it for about six years.

A few years ago, I forget how many, but let's say three or four, the powers that be in Amazon decided to attempt to wipe out the widespread practice of 'sock-puppet' book reviews. Some unscrupulous authors, literary agents and publishers were buying a book on a false account and then leaving a gushing review about it.

They might do this a hundred times or more - at least enough times to boost the said book into the Amazon book rankings top-ten charts, which would ensure that it sold significantly more.

Beating Amazon Book Rankings

Buying hundreds of books was beyond many independent authors, so they might just open dozens of Amazon accounts in false names, or get their friends and family to write reviews for them. I'm sure that you can see what I am getting at.

You see, many, many readers choose their next read from the top-ten lists.

So, in attempt to combat this, Amazon decided to spy on authors' social media accounts and delete any GOOD reviews from people that the author knew.

This is a bizarre method of dealing with the problem, because those who use fake accounts won't appear in anyone's friends list. On the other hand, many authors, myself included, end up becoming friends with some of their readers.

I could name six or seven right now off the top of my head - people I correspond with, but have never met. So, I (and they) have two options: either to pretend we don't 'know' one another like secret agents in a comedy show, or let Amazon do its worst.

I choose the latter, and consequently have lost well over a hundred reviews on just my flagship novel, Behind The Smile.

It is a silly policy, but it also means that the top-ten lists that many people choose their books from are inaccurate.

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Beware Amazon Book Rankings!]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=10124Sat, 23 Jun 2018 22:43:29 +0000Owen JonesBeware Amazon Book Rankings! If you are a reader, or a writer, you probably use Amazon book rankings at some time or another. Even if you are a bookshop owner's dream and buy your latest reads locally, the chances are that you do your research online...
If you are a reader, or a writer, you probably use Amazon book rankings at some time or another. Even if you are a bookshop owner's dream and buy your latest reads locally, the chances are that you do your research online and, therefore, on Amazon.

And why wouldn't you?

'What could be wrong with that?' you might ask.

The answer is: nothing, as long as you are aware of some of Amazon's weirdest policies.

I will come clean here, and say that I am a writer, and I know many writers, just as you know many people in your profession, trade occupation or hobby. I have about 175 books on Amazon and other online book retailers, and I have been doing it for about six years.

A few years ago, I forget how many, but let's say three or four, the powers that be in Amazon decided to attempt to wipe out the widespread practice of 'sock-puppet' book reviews. Some unscrupulous authors, literary agents and publishers were buying a book on a false account and then leaving a gushing review about it.

They might do this a hundred times or more - at least enough times to boost the said book into the Amazon book rankings top-ten charts, which would ensure that it sold significantly more.

Beating Amazon Book Rankings

Buying hundreds of books was beyond many independent authors, so they might just open dozens of Amazon accounts in false names, or get their friends and family to write reviews for them. I'm sure that you can see what I am getting at.

You see, many, many readers choose their next read from the top-ten lists.

So, in attempt to combat this, Amazon decided to spy on authors' social media accounts and delete any GOOD reviews from people that the author knew.

This is a bizarre method of dealing with the problem, because those who use fake accounts won't appear in anyone's friends list. On the other hand, many authors, myself included, end up becoming friends with some of their readers.

I could name six or seven right now off the top of my head - people I correspond with, but have never met. So, I (and they) have two options: either to pretend we don't 'know' one another like secret agents in a comedy show, or let Amazon do its worst.

I choose the latter, and consequently have lost well over a hundred reviews on just my flagship novel, Behind The Smile.

It is a silly policy, but it also means that the top-ten lists that many people choose their books from are inaccurate.

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Beware Amazon Book Rankings!]]>176cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-life-in-twenty-two-kilos--15110462
Forty-four kilos is the average luggage allowance for a couple flying abroad - twenty-two kilos each. That is how much you can take with you, even if you are starting a new life – even if you are emigrating. It is the airlines' norm. I can see why that is and I have no argument with it.

However, that is from the airline's point of view.

Two years ago, my wife of twelve years and I left Thailand for Spain to start a new life there. It was very exciting and a great triumph, because it had taken us a lot of effort to get the correct papers together for my Thai wife. (They included a WHO health certificate, a certificate from the Special Branch that she had no criminal record, plus marriage certificates etc - all in Thai, Spanish and English and certified by the Thai authorities).

However, the most difficult thing by far was choosing the twenty-two kilos of luggage that we each wanted to take with us without paying for any excess. I suppose it was a little easier for me than my wife, because I had moved from the UK to Thailand with my twenty-two kilos twelve years previously, and with the exception of a blood-pressure monitor and updated clothing, I took the same things back to Europe with me. However, it was very difficult for my wife.

It was a question of clothing for her, and I know that she sneaked some of her stuff into my bag.

Now, we have been here for two years and she has a heap of extra clothes, shoes and accessories to choose from. My guess is that she will need to leave about three-quarters of her stuff in a local charity shop.

So, if you were to move abroad, whether it be forced or by choice, do you know which twenty-two kilos of your stuff are most important to you?

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: A Life in Twenty-Two Kilos]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=10120Fri, 22 Jun 2018 18:32:17 +0000Owen JonesA Life in Twenty-Two Kilos Forty-four kilos is the average luggage allowance for a couple flying abroad - twenty-two kilos each. That is how much you can take with you, even if you are starting a new life – even if you are emigrating. It is the...
Forty-four kilos is the average luggage allowance for a couple flying abroad - twenty-two kilos each. That is how much you can take with you, even if you are starting a new life – even if you are emigrating. It is the airlines' norm. I can see why that is and I have no argument with it.

However, that is from the airline's point of view.

Two years ago, my wife of twelve years and I left Thailand for Spain to start a new life there. It was very exciting and a great triumph, because it had taken us a lot of effort to get the correct papers together for my Thai wife. (They included a WHO health certificate, a certificate from the Special Branch that she had no criminal record, plus marriage certificates etc - all in Thai, Spanish and English and certified by the Thai authorities).

However, the most difficult thing by far was choosing the twenty-two kilos of luggage that we each wanted to take with us without paying for any excess. I suppose it was a little easier for me than my wife, because I had moved from the UK to Thailand with my twenty-two kilos twelve years previously, and with the exception of a blood-pressure monitor and updated clothing, I took the same things back to Europe with me. However, it was very difficult for my wife.

It was a question of clothing for her, and I know that she sneaked some of her stuff into my bag.

Now, we have been here for two years and she has a heap of extra clothes, shoes and accessories to choose from. My guess is that she will need to leave about three-quarters of her stuff in a local charity shop.

So, if you were to move abroad, whether it be forced or by choice, do you know which twenty-two kilos of your stuff are most important to you?

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: A Life in Twenty-Two Kilos]]>129cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/mps-blog-reaches-new-heights--15100799
May 2018 was a record-breaking month for my MPS blog in terms of readership figures. The blog, which strives to inform readers and writers about the easiest and or best ways of doing things, continues to go from strength to strength. We almost reached 10,000 pagereads last month!

The record-breaking statistics are: unique visitors up by a whopping 83% from 5,365 to 9,818; total visits up by 39% from 29,618 to 41,397 and total pageviews up by 34% from 164,208 to 221,315. Visitors are spending an average of 7 mins 22 seconds per visit.

This means that there has never been a better time to book advertising on the MPS blog. There is a range of advertising opportunities designed to fit most needs. They range from interviews and reviews to banner advertisements in most of the common dimensions, and links.

The MPS blog is primarily for SWAMP people (sculptors, writers, artists, musicians and painters), and people who appreciate them, but there is nothing to stop firms that service them promoting themselves on the blog as well.

However, the leading advertising package is the Set and Forget 365-day Ultimate Promo Pack, which has just been enhanced with two extra posts and the resultant podcasts!

Check the deals out on the title bar at the top of this page or click this link:

Megan Publishing Services Blog Advertising Index

All the deals on the MPS blog are implemented by me alone, so there could be a slight delay. If you want to co-ordinate a promotional package with a special event – like, say, the release of a novel, please book as early as possible and I will try to fit you in.

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: MPS Blog At New Heights!]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=10115Thu, 21 Jun 2018 15:17:26 +0000Owen JonesMPS Blog Reaches New Heights! May 2018 was a record-breaking month for my MPS blog in terms of readership figures. The blog, which strives to inform readers and writers about the easiest and or best ways of doing things, continues to go from strength...
May 2018 was a record-breaking month for my MPS blog in terms of readership figures. The blog, which strives to inform readers and writers about the easiest and or best ways of doing things, continues to go from strength to strength. We almost reached 10,000 pagereads last month!

The record-breaking statistics are: unique visitors up by a whopping 83% from 5,365 to 9,818; total visits up by 39% from 29,618 to 41,397 and total pageviews up by 34% from 164,208 to 221,315. Visitors are spending an average of 7 mins 22 seconds per visit.

This means that there has never been a better time to book advertising on the MPS blog. There is a range of advertising opportunities designed to fit most needs. They range from interviews and reviews to banner advertisements in most of the common dimensions, and links.

The MPS blog is primarily for SWAMP people (sculptors, writers, artists, musicians and painters), and people who appreciate them, but there is nothing to stop firms that service them promoting themselves on the blog as well.

However, the leading advertising package is the Set and Forget 365-day Ultimate Promo Pack, which has just been enhanced with two extra posts and the resultant podcasts!

Check the deals out on the title bar at the top of this page or click this link:

Megan Publishing Services Blog Advertising Index

All the deals on the MPS blog are implemented by me alone, so there could be a slight delay. If you want to co-ordinate a promotional package with a special event – like, say, the release of a novel, please book as early as possible and I will try to fit you in.

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: MPS Blog At New Heights!]]>150cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/arrival-in-the-uk--15090980
We had planned our arrival in the UK three months in advance and had bought flights accordingly. I had asked friends and family to look out for accommodation for us and spent a lot of the intervening time researching procedures and looking for possible immigration problems and their solutions.

Two days before our actual arrival in the UK, my brother, our fall-back in case we were homeless, informed me that we would not be able to stay with him. I rushed to reserve a hotel room, but they could not do that without payment. However, I didn't want to pay in advance because there was a reasonable chance that my wife, being Thai, might be refused entry.

When the day came, we flew from Malaga into Barry. At Immigration / Passport Control, the official said that he had never come across a case where an Asian married to a Brit was carrying a Spanish Residency Card. After a few worrying minutes, during which he talked to his superior, he called us over. He wanted to see her passport and residency card, and then gave her leave to stay for six months.

So far, our arrival in the UK was going better than we had hoped for, except for accommodation. A taxi took us to the hotel and, unbeknownst to us, we took the last room in Barry. Apparently, a festival in Cardiff and a Rolling Stones concert had caused every available room to be taken for the following week. They could accommodate us for two nights but no longer.

So, at eleven am, ninety minutes after our Arrival in the UK, we set off looking for the next place we could move to. Despite many helpful suggestions, we were out of luck, and so went to bed a very worried couple.

The following morning, we trawled the remainder of my old haunts and asked several taxi drivers, but everything came up blank. As we were walking forlornly past a pub in town, a man standing outside smoking said, 'Hello, O, long time no see!'

It was someone I used to know twenty years before, but I had forgotten his name. I asked whether he knew of any lodgings, and he took us inside for a think. Anyway, he offered us his spare room which would become vacant after five days. We leapt at it.

Now we only had five days to cover.

Homeless in Barry

However, his assistance didn't stop there. He and his wife insisted on taking us around all the guest houses they could think of. Needless to say, they were all booked solid, so we retired to a pub to think again.

'You can have our bed and we'll sleep on the couch', was their solution. We were flabbergasted, but had to accept after offering to sleep on the couch ourselves.

'I'll tell you something,' he said. 'I only stopped at that pub to smoke a cigarette with an old friend and that was only the second time I've been in there in eight years!'

So, there we are now, and I am sitting on the couch writing this. I can't wait for our own room, so that they can reclaim their bedroom.

Such acts of kindness are truly humbling, especially when I still haven't had even a simple email from any of my family asking whether we are still homeless or even just all right!

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Arrival in the UK]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=10109Wed, 20 Jun 2018 11:53:06 +0000Owen JonesArrival in the UK We had planned our arrival in the UK three months in advance and had bought flights accordingly. I had asked friends and family to look out for accommodation for us and spent a lot of the intervening time researching procedures and...
We had planned our arrival in the UK three months in advance and had bought flights accordingly. I had asked friends and family to look out for accommodation for us and spent a lot of the intervening time researching procedures and looking for possible immigration problems and their solutions.

Two days before our actual arrival in the UK, my brother, our fall-back in case we were homeless, informed me that we would not be able to stay with him. I rushed to reserve a hotel room, but they could not do that without payment. However, I didn't want to pay in advance because there was a reasonable chance that my wife, being Thai, might be refused entry.

When the day came, we flew from Malaga into Barry. At Immigration / Passport Control, the official said that he had never come across a case where an Asian married to a Brit was carrying a Spanish Residency Card. After a few worrying minutes, during which he talked to his superior, he called us over. He wanted to see her passport and residency card, and then gave her leave to stay for six months.

So far, our arrival in the UK was going better than we had hoped for, except for accommodation. A taxi took us to the hotel and, unbeknownst to us, we took the last room in Barry. Apparently, a festival in Cardiff and a Rolling Stones concert had caused every available room to be taken for the following week. They could accommodate us for two nights but no longer.

So, at eleven am, ninety minutes after our Arrival in the UK, we set off looking for the next place we could move to. Despite many helpful suggestions, we were out of luck, and so went to bed a very worried couple.

The following morning, we trawled the remainder of my old haunts and asked several taxi drivers, but everything came up blank. As we were walking forlornly past a pub in town, a man standing outside smoking said, 'Hello, O, long time no see!'

It was someone I used to know twenty years before, but I had forgotten his name. I asked whether he knew of any lodgings, and he took us inside for a think. Anyway, he offered us his spare room which would become vacant after five days. We leapt at it.

Now we only had five days to cover.

Homeless in Barry

However, his assistance didn't stop there. He and his wife insisted on taking us around all the guest houses they could think of. Needless to say, they were all booked solid, so we retired to a pub to think again.

'You can have our bed and we'll sleep on the couch', was their solution. We were flabbergasted, but had to accept after offering to sleep on the couch ourselves.

'I'll tell you something,' he said. 'I only stopped at that pub to smoke a cigarette with an old friend and that was only the second time I've been in there in eight years!'

So, there we are now, and I am sitting on the couch writing this. I can't wait for our own room, so that they can reclaim their bedroom.

Such acts of kindness are truly humbling, especially when I still haven't had even a simple email from any of my family asking whether we are still homeless or even just all right!

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Arrival in the UK]]>211cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/there-be-demons--15008460
by M. K. Theodoratus

Review by Barry Boy

There Be Demons by M. K. Theodoratus is a (Contemporary) Fantasy Fiction written in the third person and set in a city called Trebridge on a world called Andron, where most people are human. However, demons and imps led by the evil Lord Vetis and his somewhat silly lieutentant, Abraxus, have plans to invade, for which purpose they have established at least one seep, which is like a worm-hole, from their world into Andron.

The main seep is in a soon-to-be demolished cmmunity church called St. Edmund's, and it is closely guarded by four gargoyles, who are sworn to protect mankind. Nevertheless, these protectors of humanity still require human help and this comes in the form of four teenage school friends led by a wilful girl named Britt. The head gargoyle, Gillen, is very concerned when his promised psychic reinforcements are just teenagers.

Britt and her friends study at a school run by nuns on the poorer side of town and the nuns play a role in the ultimate battle with the evil ones who seek to possess them. The penultimate scene us the battle between the human and the demon teams.

There is a correlation between the society, the church and the religion in There Be Demons with American society and the Christian (Catholic) Church, and it is interesting to match up the parallels.

I thoroughly enjoyed There Be Demons even though it is not my preferred genre. I thought that the characters were well drawn, and that the book's title and cover were appropriate for the story. It is also well written, and well, although not perfectly, edited, which can easily be corrected.

If fantasy stories are your genre, I am sure that you will enjoy There Be Demons by M. K. Theodoratus. I would read a sequel. Well done, Miss Theodoratus, full marks in my book!]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?page_id=9107Sat, 09 Jun 2018 18:01:25 +0000Owen JonesThere Be Demons by M. K. Theodoratus Review by Barry Boy There Be Demons by M. K. Theodoratus is a (Contemporary) Fantasy Fiction written in the third person and set in a city called Trebridge on a world called Andron, where most people are human....
by M. K. Theodoratus

Review by Barry Boy

There Be Demons by M. K. Theodoratus is a (Contemporary) Fantasy Fiction written in the third person and set in a city called Trebridge on a world called Andron, where most people are human. However, demons and imps led by the evil Lord Vetis and his somewhat silly lieutentant, Abraxus, have plans to invade, for which purpose they have established at least one seep, which is like a worm-hole, from their world into Andron.

The main seep is in a soon-to-be demolished cmmunity church called St. Edmund's, and it is closely guarded by four gargoyles, who are sworn to protect mankind. Nevertheless, these protectors of humanity still require human help and this comes in the form of four teenage school friends led by a wilful girl named Britt. The head gargoyle, Gillen, is very concerned when his promised psychic reinforcements are just teenagers.

Britt and her friends study at a school run by nuns on the poorer side of town and the nuns play a role in the ultimate battle with the evil ones who seek to possess them. The penultimate scene us the battle between the human and the demon teams.

There is a correlation between the society, the church and the religion in There Be Demons with American society and the Christian (Catholic) Church, and it is interesting to match up the parallels.

I thoroughly enjoyed There Be Demons even though it is not my preferred genre. I thought that the characters were well drawn, and that the book's title and cover were appropriate for the story. It is also well written, and well, although not perfectly, edited, which can easily be corrected.

If fantasy stories are your genre, I am sure that you will enjoy There Be Demons by M. K. Theodoratus. I would read a sequel. Well done, Miss Theodoratus, full marks in my book!]]>124cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/m-k-theodoratus--14995697
1 Name M. K. Theodoratus

Website www.mktheodoratus.com

Blog http://kaytheo.blogspot.com -- Fantasy Thoughts from My Easy Chair

2 Country USA

3 Do you prefer to read a particular genre? I mostly read various forms of fantasy or mystery books, though I read other stuff too.

4 Do you write in the same genre? If not which one? I write fantasy since I never could break my "make-believe" habit. In reality, I'm a hermit who doesn't interact much with the outside world anymore, so creating fantasies where I can ignore the intricacies of the faddish world work best for me.

5 Have you always written and what got you started professionally? Started writing in the sixth grade when my teacher introduced me to the concept of me creating my own stories on paper. Have written since then. I sold mostly non-fiction. I didn't start getting ending on most of my fiction until I retired. Writing keeps me busy and out of mischief.

6 How many books have you published? There Be Demons is the only book I've published, but I do have a list of several novellas and free short stories set in Andor. Once There Be Demons had a contract with a mom & pop publisher and I tried to build a platform for them. Must say the reviews for all of my available stories are decent.

7 Which one would you like to tell us about? Actually, I'd like to mention the There Be Demons sequence. The whole thing started with an idea about how would a gargoyle protect a city. Night for the Gargoyles was born, featuring Gillen as loadstar, and sold to Spectra Magazine, a defunct ezine out of the UK. But I kept wondering how Gillen would cope trying to teach the headstrong teen-aged girl he admired. There Be Demons was born. While I shopped it, I wrote On the Run set in the same world. The sequence runs: Showdown at Crossings, Night for the Gargoyles, There Be Demons, On the Run, and Rendezvous with Demons, if it gets written. [Rendezvous is about 30,000 words of sloppy notes and some chapters at the moment

8 Why did you write this book book and what is it about? See the book review here: There Be Demons

9 Book cover and ISBN/ASIN: ISBN: 0999203908 - ASIN: B075Q6KJST



10 What would you like your next book to be on? It's a little complicated. I have edits of a Far Isles Half-Elven novella in my computer I'd like to finish. Then, I don't final edits on the sequel/stand-alone book titled On the Run. Then, I'm working on a new book is a possible trilogy. The working title is Rendezvous with Demons, featuring Britt/Cahal and Pillar/Nate plus other characters facing down a demon team of Vetis/Grylerrque.

11 If you could go anywhere in the universe, where would you go and why? My back yard. It's relaxing under the trees watching the birds and butterflies do their thing. It's my favorite place to read though I read mostly in my comfy chair in the living room.

12 What is your favourite foreign food? I don't do favorites--either books or food. It all depends on my mood. Mostly I cook plain American, Mexican, and Greek. I learned to cook decent Asian food back in the day when my town didn't have any good Asian restaurants. My least go-to food is Indian though I often cook curries with a heavy Asian accent.

13 Are you, or have you ever been a terrorist? I used to cause terror regularly, mostly when I was younger. I have strong opinions and wasn't shy about sharing them, especially in public meetings.

Thank you very much for this interview M. K. Theodoatus, I look forward to your nrxt book.]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?page_id=9115Thu, 07 Jun 2018 21:11:51 +0000Owen JonesM. K. Theodoratus 1 Name M. K. Theodoratus Website www.mktheodoratus.com Blog http://kaytheo.blogspot.com -- Fantasy Thoughts from My Easy Chair 2 Country USA 3 Do you prefer to read a particular genre? I mostly read various forms of fantasy or...
1 Name M. K. Theodoratus

Website www.mktheodoratus.com

Blog http://kaytheo.blogspot.com -- Fantasy Thoughts from My Easy Chair

2 Country USA

3 Do you prefer to read a particular genre? I mostly read various forms of fantasy or mystery books, though I read other stuff too.

4 Do you write in the same genre? If not which one? I write fantasy since I never could break my "make-believe" habit. In reality, I'm a hermit who doesn't interact much with the outside world anymore, so creating fantasies where I can ignore the intricacies of the faddish world work best for me.

5 Have you always written and what got you started professionally? Started writing in the sixth grade when my teacher introduced me to the concept of me creating my own stories on paper. Have written since then. I sold mostly non-fiction. I didn't start getting ending on most of my fiction until I retired. Writing keeps me busy and out of mischief.

6 How many books have you published? There Be Demons is the only book I've published, but I do have a list of several novellas and free short stories set in Andor. Once There Be Demons had a contract with a mom & pop publisher and I tried to build a platform for them. Must say the reviews for all of my available stories are decent.

7 Which one would you like to tell us about? Actually, I'd like to mention the There Be Demons sequence. The whole thing started with an idea about how would a gargoyle protect a city. Night for the Gargoyles was born, featuring Gillen as loadstar, and sold to Spectra Magazine, a defunct ezine out of the UK. But I kept wondering how Gillen would cope trying to teach the headstrong teen-aged girl he admired. There Be Demons was born. While I shopped it, I wrote On the Run set in the same world. The sequence runs: Showdown at Crossings, Night for the Gargoyles, There Be Demons, On the Run, and Rendezvous with Demons, if it gets written. [Rendezvous is about 30,000 words of sloppy notes and some chapters at the moment

8 Why did you write this book book and what is it about? See the book review here: There Be Demons

9 Book cover and ISBN/ASIN: ISBN: 0999203908 - ASIN: B075Q6KJST



10 What would you like your next book to be on? It's a little complicated. I have edits of a Far Isles Half-Elven novella in my computer I'd like to finish. Then, I don't final edits on the sequel/stand-alone book titled On the Run. Then, I'm working on a new book is a possible trilogy. The working title is Rendezvous with Demons, featuring Britt/Cahal and Pillar/Nate plus other characters facing down a demon team of Vetis/Grylerrque.

11 If you could go anywhere in the universe, where would you go and why? My back yard. It's relaxing under the trees watching the birds and butterflies do their thing. It's my favorite place to read though I read mostly in my comfy chair in the living room.

12 What is your favourite foreign food? I don't do favorites--either books or food. It all depends on my mood. Mostly I cook plain American, Mexican, and Greek. I learned to cook decent Asian food back in the day when my town didn't have any good Asian restaurants. My least go-to food is Indian though I often cook curries with a heavy Asian accent.

13 Are you, or have you ever been a terrorist? I used to cause terror regularly, mostly when I was younger. I have strong opinions and wasn't shy about sharing them, especially in public meetings.

Thank you very much for this interview M. K. Theodoatus, I look forward to your nrxt book.]]>257cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/tiger-lily-audiobook--14988079
The Tiger Lily Audiobook, or the audiobook of Tiger Lily of Bangkok to be more precise, one of my novels, has been in the pipeline to be be published on Audible, Amazon and iTunes for weeks, but nothing seemed to be happening with it...

They said that it was 'under review' for audio quality.

That is, until last night. I got up in the middle of the night because it was so hot and decided to do a little work to get me back to sleep as it was only four a.m. I noticed that the Tiger Lily Audiobook had been approved and put on sale. After checking my email, I went back to bed and slept for a few more hours.

At nine, I returned to my post after breakfast and was amazed to discover that my Tiger Lily Audiobook had sold six copies!

The truly amazing thing about this is that there had been no advertising whatsoever. In fact, Audible and the others don't give authors notice of when their books will be going live, which makes prior promotion difficult and they don't support pre-orders either.

So, where did those six customers for my Tiger Lily Audiobook come from?

How did they find out about it?

I doubt that I will ever know, but I do know that Tiger Lily of Bangkok is a good story that is narrated so skilfully by Annya Strydon, so I hope that they enjoy it. I also hope that they read this article and discover that I appreciated their buying it so quickly off the mark.

If you would like to see what the story is about that created this buzz, and perhaps get a free copy yourself, just click this link:

Tiger Lily Audiobook

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Tiger Lily Audiobook]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=10064Wed, 06 Jun 2018 23:36:16 +0000Owen JonesTiger Lily Audiobook The Tiger Lily Audiobook, or the audiobook of Tiger Lily of Bangkok to be more precise, one of my novels, has been in the pipeline to be be published on Audible, Amazon and iTunes for weeks, but nothing seemed to be happening...
The Tiger Lily Audiobook, or the audiobook of Tiger Lily of Bangkok to be more precise, one of my novels, has been in the pipeline to be be published on Audible, Amazon and iTunes for weeks, but nothing seemed to be happening with it...

They said that it was 'under review' for audio quality.

That is, until last night. I got up in the middle of the night because it was so hot and decided to do a little work to get me back to sleep as it was only four a.m. I noticed that the Tiger Lily Audiobook had been approved and put on sale. After checking my email, I went back to bed and slept for a few more hours.

At nine, I returned to my post after breakfast and was amazed to discover that my Tiger Lily Audiobook had sold six copies!

The truly amazing thing about this is that there had been no advertising whatsoever. In fact, Audible and the others don't give authors notice of when their books will be going live, which makes prior promotion difficult and they don't support pre-orders either.

So, where did those six customers for my Tiger Lily Audiobook come from?

How did they find out about it?

I doubt that I will ever know, but I do know that Tiger Lily of Bangkok is a good story that is narrated so skilfully by Annya Strydon, so I hope that they enjoy it. I also hope that they read this article and discover that I appreciated their buying it so quickly off the mark.

If you would like to see what the story is about that created this buzz, and perhaps get a free copy yourself, just click this link:

Tiger Lily Audiobook

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Tiger Lily Audiobook]]>118cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/quick-blog-or-website--14889663
In this article, I will show you how to set up a quick blog on your own using pre-designed templates for the site and the content. The first thing that you will need is a host for your publication - somewhere which will store and display it.

Professionals pay for this blogging platform, but many others do not. The decision is yours and can be reversed later. Basically, you can find an 'unlimited' host for $5 p/m or you can find free blog sites like WordPress, Blogger or Weebly (and many others).

So, now you have a host. You may want to blog on your own domain name, but you can do this later and your host will explain how to do it. Now you need to follow the hosting site's step-by-step instructions (in an easy-to-use wizard) to set up the basic style of your site (choosing from a variety of themes, colours, fonts, etc).

This can take ten minutes (or longer the first time), then proceed to PLR Books on this site and look at the 120+ example sites in the left navigation bar. It will open in a new window. Decide what you would like to write about and click the link there to 'PLR Content', which will bring you back to this blog - see the title bar).

Dig down through the menus to find the niche content PLR ebook pack that best suits your intention. There are 140+ there and all but one contains 15 (or more) 500-600 word articles on the subject of the pack's title. So, choose the five most relevant articles for your subject and upload them as blog/website pages.

That leaves you with at least ten more to use in promotional ways. For example, add them to your site one at a time or add them to article directories with backlinks to your own site.

Setting up the site itself is very easy. If you pay, your host will have website and blog templates free for your use, and so will the free hosts, although the choice may be more limited.

The first time, it might take you all day to set up your blog and launch it, but after that you'll be able to create two or three a day (and sell them). The PLR niche content will cost you $7.99

This is an easy business for anyone who is willing to learn and invest a little time and money.

Please LIKE and SHARE this post using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

PS: Teachers might like to consider teaching their pupils how to set up a Quick Blog or Website so that they will have an extra income for life in these difficult times. Think, a 15 year-old could have 50 blogs making money by the time he or she is 65 and that is only at the rate of one quick blog a year.]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?page_id=7239Fri, 25 May 2018 08:17:56 +0000Owen JonesQuick Blog or Website In this article, I will show you how to set up a quick blog on your own using pre-designed templates for the site and the content. The first thing that you will need is a host for your publication - somewhere which will store...
In this article, I will show you how to set up a quick blog on your own using pre-designed templates for the site and the content. The first thing that you will need is a host for your publication - somewhere which will store and display it.

Professionals pay for this blogging platform, but many others do not. The decision is yours and can be reversed later. Basically, you can find an 'unlimited' host for $5 p/m or you can find free blog sites like WordPress, Blogger or Weebly (and many others).

So, now you have a host. You may want to blog on your own domain name, but you can do this later and your host will explain how to do it. Now you need to follow the hosting site's step-by-step instructions (in an easy-to-use wizard) to set up the basic style of your site (choosing from a variety of themes, colours, fonts, etc).

This can take ten minutes (or longer the first time), then proceed to PLR Books on this site and look at the 120+ example sites in the left navigation bar. It will open in a new window. Decide what you would like to write about and click the link there to 'PLR Content', which will bring you back to this blog - see the title bar).

Dig down through the menus to find the niche content PLR ebook pack that best suits your intention. There are 140+ there and all but one contains 15 (or more) 500-600 word articles on the subject of the pack's title. So, choose the five most relevant articles for your subject and upload them as blog/website pages.

That leaves you with at least ten more to use in promotional ways. For example, add them to your site one at a time or add them to article directories with backlinks to your own site.

Setting up the site itself is very easy. If you pay, your host will have website and blog templates free for your use, and so will the free hosts, although the choice may be more limited.

The first time, it might take you all day to set up your blog and launch it, but after that you'll be able to create two or three a day (and sell them). The PLR niche content will cost you $7.99

This is an easy business for anyone who is willing to learn and invest a little time and money.

Please LIKE and SHARE this post using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

PS: Teachers might like to consider teaching their pupils how to set up a Quick Blog or Website so that they will have an extra income for life in these difficult times. Think, a 15 year-old could have 50 blogs making money by the time he or she is 65 and that is only at the rate of one quick blog a year.]]>182cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/final-preparations-for-the-uk--14846708
We have started to make our Final Preparations for the UK, since we will be flying on June 13th. which is now twenty-five days away. I can't say that I am looking forward to moving yet again. Moving our home from Thailand to Spain last year with forty-four kilos of our most important belongings was traumatic enough, but then we had had to change our residence five times. We have been happy in our current apartment and now we have to move abroad again.

Not only that but we have nowhere to go - nowhere definite, nowhere of our own, anyway.

Not only that, but all the problems associated with getting a visa for an Asian will start again too and in the worst country in Europe to have those troubles in too.

Britain seems proud of treating foreigners like criminals at the moment.

The worst thing is that nothing is guaranteed - it could go either way, but one gets the distinct feeling that people seeking residency are not welcome. It is a horrible feeling, especially since the Asian in question is my wife of fourteen years.

At present, European Law over-rules British Law, so I have the right, under certain circumstances, to take my wife back to the UK with me, whereas under British Law I do not unless I can 'afford' her. Under British Law, only money counts, but then that is not so surprising, since British society is arranged to suit the wealthy. No matter what criticisms Brexiteers may throw at Europe, at least love and family still mean something on the Continent - in Britain judgement has been reduced to the size of the bank balance in question.

It is sad, very sad.

Still, we have to go back, and before the government pulls up the drawbridge, and hence the need for us to begin our Final Preparations for the UK, but I am not looking forward to the journey 'ome...

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Final Preparations for the UK]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=9990Mon, 21 May 2018 14:55:52 +0000Owen JonesFinal Preparations for the UK We have started to make our Final Preparations for the UK, since we will be flying on June 13th. which is now twenty-five days away. I can't say that I am looking forward to moving yet again. Moving our home from...
We have started to make our Final Preparations for the UK, since we will be flying on June 13th. which is now twenty-five days away. I can't say that I am looking forward to moving yet again. Moving our home from Thailand to Spain last year with forty-four kilos of our most important belongings was traumatic enough, but then we had had to change our residence five times. We have been happy in our current apartment and now we have to move abroad again.

Not only that but we have nowhere to go - nowhere definite, nowhere of our own, anyway.

Not only that, but all the problems associated with getting a visa for an Asian will start again too and in the worst country in Europe to have those troubles in too.

Britain seems proud of treating foreigners like criminals at the moment.

The worst thing is that nothing is guaranteed - it could go either way, but one gets the distinct feeling that people seeking residency are not welcome. It is a horrible feeling, especially since the Asian in question is my wife of fourteen years.

At present, European Law over-rules British Law, so I have the right, under certain circumstances, to take my wife back to the UK with me, whereas under British Law I do not unless I can 'afford' her. Under British Law, only money counts, but then that is not so surprising, since British society is arranged to suit the wealthy. No matter what criticisms Brexiteers may throw at Europe, at least love and family still mean something on the Continent - in Britain judgement has been reduced to the size of the bank balance in question.

It is sad, very sad.

Still, we have to go back, and before the government pulls up the drawbridge, and hence the need for us to begin our Final Preparations for the UK, but I am not looking forward to the journey 'ome...

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Final Preparations for the UK]]>140cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/brexit-an-undiscussed-consequence--14838856
The main consequences, good and bad, of Brexit - the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union - are being discussed every day in the news, but there is one that I have not heard talked about anywhere except on specialist news groups.

It involves British citizens who have spouses from outside the European Union.

Brexit could devastate the lives of people in this situation, which I and my wife are. She is Thai, and we have been married for ten years with all the papers to prove it.

However, that is not the hurdle.

Under European Law, she is allowed to live with me in Europe, or the European Union, which at the moment still includes the UK. However, after Brexit, European Law will not apply in the UK, British Law will, and under British law, a Brit has to have an income of £25,000 or £65,000 in the bank, before he or she can bring a foreign spouse into the UK to live.

You will notice the MASSIVE difference...

European Law is humane, British Law is mercenary!

At least in this matter.

I cannot imagine being separated from my wife... in fourteen years, we have never spent more than one night apart.

So, we have to interrupt our lives and concentrate on Brexit, so that we don't fail foul of the indecision of all the powers that are deciding whether I and my wife may remain together on British soil or not.

It is a very sad time for us, and the friends and family that we will leave behind in other countries.

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Brexit - An Undiscussed Consequence]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?p=9985Sun, 20 May 2018 10:36:44 +0000Owen JonesBrexit - An Undiscussed Consequence The main consequences, good and bad, of Brexit - the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union - are being discussed every day in the news, but there is one that I have not heard talked about anywhere...
The main consequences, good and bad, of Brexit - the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union - are being discussed every day in the news, but there is one that I have not heard talked about anywhere except on specialist news groups.

It involves British citizens who have spouses from outside the European Union.

Brexit could devastate the lives of people in this situation, which I and my wife are. She is Thai, and we have been married for ten years with all the papers to prove it.

However, that is not the hurdle.

Under European Law, she is allowed to live with me in Europe, or the European Union, which at the moment still includes the UK. However, after Brexit, European Law will not apply in the UK, British Law will, and under British law, a Brit has to have an income of £25,000 or £65,000 in the bank, before he or she can bring a foreign spouse into the UK to live.

You will notice the MASSIVE difference...

European Law is humane, British Law is mercenary!

At least in this matter.

I cannot imagine being separated from my wife... in fourteen years, we have never spent more than one night apart.

So, we have to interrupt our lives and concentrate on Brexit, so that we don't fail foul of the indecision of all the powers that are deciding whether I and my wife may remain together on British soil or not.

It is a very sad time for us, and the friends and family that we will leave behind in other countries.

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Brexit - An Undiscussed Consequence]]>122cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-legend-of-sleepy-hollow--14840357
Originally by Washington Irving

Abridged by Fiza Pathan and Michelangelo Zane

Illustrated by Farzana Cooper

Reviewed by Barry Boy

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Fiza Pathan and Michelangelo Zane is a rewrite, an abridged version of the 1799 American classic by Washington Irving, and illustrated by Farzana Cooper.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is set in Tarry Town on the eastern shores of the Hudson River. We are told that it acquired its name from the women of the town, because their men spent too much time in the inns and that the area and its inhabitants were prone to ideas, thoughts and visualisations of a supernatural nature, one of which was that of a headless horseman.

Most of the story involves an impoverished out-of-town teacher, who decides that his prospects would be greatly improved, if he could persuade one of his young pupils, the beautiful heiress xxx to marry him. However, this upsets several local youths, who think that they should have the first crack of the whip. The teacher seems to be impervious to this conflict of interest though, and that forms the crux of this story.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is written in the third-person and in a slightly archaic style, which only enhances the rhythm and appeal of the story. I am sure that there must have been a temptation to bring the language up to date, but I am glad that they resisted it. Having said that, I do not think that the target audience, children, will have any trouble with it either. Indeed, it may even encourage some children to read older, say, classical texts. Despite the quirky old dialogue and often descriptive, somewhat jocular narrative, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow has been edited very well, which is always a plus-point.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow has been professionally produced, and, according to sleeve notes, is part of a planned series which includes classics from Britain, Russia and the USA, making the proposed series international in character.

Abridged, and film, versions are often looked down on, but I think that this version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow has been well executed. Friends tell me that the 1999 film version was good too, but I haven't seen it.

Nevertheless, I give The Legend of Sleepy Hollow abridged version by Fiza Pathan and Michelangelo Zane, and excellently illustrated by Farzana Cooper, five stars out of five, and look forward to reading the next one.

Podcast: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?page_id=9491Sun, 20 May 2018 00:23:58 +0000Owen JonesThe Legend of Sleepy Hollow Originally by Washington Irving Abridged by Fiza Pathan and Michelangelo Zane Illustrated by Farzana Cooper Reviewed by Barry Boy The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Fiza Pathan and Michelangelo Zane is a rewrite, an...
Originally by Washington Irving

Abridged by Fiza Pathan and Michelangelo Zane

Illustrated by Farzana Cooper

Reviewed by Barry Boy

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Fiza Pathan and Michelangelo Zane is a rewrite, an abridged version of the 1799 American classic by Washington Irving, and illustrated by Farzana Cooper.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is set in Tarry Town on the eastern shores of the Hudson River. We are told that it acquired its name from the women of the town, because their men spent too much time in the inns and that the area and its inhabitants were prone to ideas, thoughts and visualisations of a supernatural nature, one of which was that of a headless horseman.

Most of the story involves an impoverished out-of-town teacher, who decides that his prospects would be greatly improved, if he could persuade one of his young pupils, the beautiful heiress xxx to marry him. However, this upsets several local youths, who think that they should have the first crack of the whip. The teacher seems to be impervious to this conflict of interest though, and that forms the crux of this story.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is written in the third-person and in a slightly archaic style, which only enhances the rhythm and appeal of the story. I am sure that there must have been a temptation to bring the language up to date, but I am glad that they resisted it. Having said that, I do not think that the target audience, children, will have any trouble with it either. Indeed, it may even encourage some children to read older, say, classical texts. Despite the quirky old dialogue and often descriptive, somewhat jocular narrative, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow has been edited very well, which is always a plus-point.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow has been professionally produced, and, according to sleeve notes, is part of a planned series which includes classics from Britain, Russia and the USA, making the proposed series international in character.

Abridged, and film, versions are often looked down on, but I think that this version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow has been well executed. Friends tell me that the 1999 film version was good too, but I haven't seen it.

Nevertheless, I give The Legend of Sleepy Hollow abridged version by Fiza Pathan and Michelangelo Zane, and excellently illustrated by Farzana Cooper, five stars out of five, and look forward to reading the next one.

Podcast: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow]]>161cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/plr-can-be-useful-for-authors--14822338
PLR can be very useful to authors, because they are such good writers. That may sound rather odd, but sometimes you just want to put content on a site without having to do all the leg work. If you can trust the source of your PLR, this gives authors a golden opportunity to just download some PLR, adjust it to suit the circumstances and up load it to the web.

How difficult can that be for a writer?

The PLR on this web site comes in niche packages of 15+ 500-word articles which have hardly been used anywhere else. In fact, some have never been used anywhere else. That is not the point though, before PLR is put on a decent web site, it should be re-written as a matter of course, so that it is stamped with the site-owner's personality and becomes unique.

How would an author of novels use PLR?

Every book has a theme and a genre, so an author exploring the use of PLR could select the niche pack that most closely resembles the content of the book / novel in question, and 'bend' the content to provide backup material for the book. These articles can be posted to the book's web site and / or to article directories in order to garner backlinks to the author's or book's web site.

This strategy allows the writer to spend more time writing creatively and less time writing background, which is a necessity for unknown writers these days. Nowadays, it is no longer good enough to have written a book. If no-one has ever heard of you, you have to create a 'buzz'.

One, and arguably the best, way of creating a buzz, is to write 'around' the subject matter of the book in question. An example: I have three books based on Lek, a bar girl in Pattaya, Thailand, so I have written articles on her youth, her village, Pattaya and Thailand.

If your main character is a cotton mill worker, you could write articles on the cotton industry, cotton slavery, northern England, the southern states, looms etc, etc. Anything of interest that will get people thinking about the subject of your book.

When you publish these articles off your own site, you add a by-line with at least one link back to your book's site or where it can be bought. Good articles will be picked up by other web masters looking for useful content and your piece may be seen by thousand - which means that the link to your book will be too.

It all depends on how much time you have and whether you can see the importance of what I am saying.

Good luck with your book or project.
Regards,
Owen
For 100+ niche PLR ebooks, go to our favourite PLR site

Podcast: PLR Can Be Useful for Authors]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?page_id=527Thu, 17 May 2018 12:59:51 +0000Owen JonesHow PLR Can Be Useful for Authors PLR can be very useful to authors, because they are such good writers. That may sound rather odd, but sometimes you just want to put content on a site without having to do all the leg work. If you can trust the...
PLR can be very useful to authors, because they are such good writers. That may sound rather odd, but sometimes you just want to put content on a site without having to do all the leg work. If you can trust the source of your PLR, this gives authors a golden opportunity to just download some PLR, adjust it to suit the circumstances and up load it to the web.

How difficult can that be for a writer?

The PLR on this web site comes in niche packages of 15+ 500-word articles which have hardly been used anywhere else. In fact, some have never been used anywhere else. That is not the point though, before PLR is put on a decent web site, it should be re-written as a matter of course, so that it is stamped with the site-owner's personality and becomes unique.

How would an author of novels use PLR?

Every book has a theme and a genre, so an author exploring the use of PLR could select the niche pack that most closely resembles the content of the book / novel in question, and 'bend' the content to provide backup material for the book. These articles can be posted to the book's web site and / or to article directories in order to garner backlinks to the author's or book's web site.

This strategy allows the writer to spend more time writing creatively and less time writing background, which is a necessity for unknown writers these days. Nowadays, it is no longer good enough to have written a book. If no-one has ever heard of you, you have to create a 'buzz'.

One, and arguably the best, way of creating a buzz, is to write 'around' the subject matter of the book in question. An example: I have three books based on Lek, a bar girl in Pattaya, Thailand, so I have written articles on her youth, her village, Pattaya and Thailand.

If your main character is a cotton mill worker, you could write articles on the cotton industry, cotton slavery, northern England, the southern states, looms etc, etc. Anything of interest that will get people thinking about the subject of your book.

When you publish these articles off your own site, you add a by-line with at least one link back to your book's site or where it can be bought. Good articles will be picked up by other web masters looking for useful content and your piece may be seen by thousand - which means that the link to your book will be too.

It all depends on how much time you have and whether you can see the importance of what I am saying.

Good luck with your book or project.
Regards,
Owen
For 100+ niche PLR ebooks, go to our favourite PLR site

Podcast: PLR Can Be Useful for Authors]]>185cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/crater-s-edge--14813712
by Lucy Andrews

Review by Barry Boy

Crater's Edge is a well-edited novel written in the third person in the genre of futuristic, off-world, fantasy or science-fiction.

The main protagonist is Kalen Trinner, an experienced mining engineer-cum-troubleshooter, who is sent to a mine at Area 20, which is in Three Craters on a planet called Taidor, where they have been experiencing unusual phenomena, such as an abnormal number of cases of sickness among the miners and malfunctions in the plant and equipment.

Futuristic

In the time of this story at Crater's Edge, mankind has still not managed to control the birth rate, but they have come up with an ingenious method to adapt to it. They have the population living in shifts! That is, people have their own homes, but they share the streets, amenities and even their jobs. There are two such shifts called (time) Zones - Unity and Early.

These two Zones are strictly segregated and the people from each are prohibited from meeting each other, which means that all public places have to be cleared at the end of each shift. Presumably, because of this, each Zone develops a distinct character, feel, or way of behaving.

The only point of contact is through the notes that the person doing your job in the other Zone - called one's Duplicate - leaves at the end of the day. In this way, plant, offices and businesses are kept running twenty-four hours a day.

Crater's Edge portrays a unique answer to the problems of overcrowding that reminds me of some of the situations that the crew of the Star Ship Enterprise encountered during their voyages. Weird, outlandish solutions that don't quite work, which allows us, from our present-day, Earthly perspective to wonder how those other-planetary leaders came up with them!

I thoroughly enjoyed Crater's Edge by Lucy Andrews. I enjoyed Miss Andrews' unique storyline and the well-drawn characters and locations. I also thought that there was the right amount of detail concerning the mining operations themselves. If I have a criticism, it is personal and small - I thought that the cliff-hanger ending was a little abrupt.

However, the cover and the title also match the storyline of Crater's Edge, so I have no hesitation in giving Lucy  Andrews five out of five stars for her novel Crater's Edge.

Well done!

You can find a unique interview with this author on this blog by clicking her name: Lucy Andrews .

and purchase Crater's Edge here too!.

Podcast: Crater's Edge]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?page_id=9208Wed, 16 May 2018 21:51:39 +0000Owen JonesCrater's Edge by Lucy Andrews Review by Barry Boy Crater's Edge is a well-edited novel written in the third person in the genre of futuristic, off-world, fantasy or science-fiction. The main protagonist is Kalen Trinner, an experienced mining...
by Lucy Andrews

Review by Barry Boy

Crater's Edge is a well-edited novel written in the third person in the genre of futuristic, off-world, fantasy or science-fiction.

The main protagonist is Kalen Trinner, an experienced mining engineer-cum-troubleshooter, who is sent to a mine at Area 20, which is in Three Craters on a planet called Taidor, where they have been experiencing unusual phenomena, such as an abnormal number of cases of sickness among the miners and malfunctions in the plant and equipment.

Futuristic

In the time of this story at Crater's Edge, mankind has still not managed to control the birth rate, but they have come up with an ingenious method to adapt to it. They have the population living in shifts! That is, people have their own homes, but they share the streets, amenities and even their jobs. There are two such shifts called (time) Zones - Unity and Early.

These two Zones are strictly segregated and the people from each are prohibited from meeting each other, which means that all public places have to be cleared at the end of each shift. Presumably, because of this, each Zone develops a distinct character, feel, or way of behaving.

The only point of contact is through the notes that the person doing your job in the other Zone - called one's Duplicate - leaves at the end of the day. In this way, plant, offices and businesses are kept running twenty-four hours a day.

Crater's Edge portrays a unique answer to the problems of overcrowding that reminds me of some of the situations that the crew of the Star Ship Enterprise encountered during their voyages. Weird, outlandish solutions that don't quite work, which allows us, from our present-day, Earthly perspective to wonder how those other-planetary leaders came up with them!

I thoroughly enjoyed Crater's Edge by Lucy Andrews. I enjoyed Miss Andrews' unique storyline and the well-drawn characters and locations. I also thought that there was the right amount of detail concerning the mining operations themselves. If I have a criticism, it is personal and small - I thought that the cliff-hanger ending was a little abrupt.

However, the cover and the title also match the storyline of Crater's Edge, so I have no hesitation in giving Lucy  Andrews five out of five stars for her novel Crater's Edge.

Well done!

You can find a unique interview with this author on this blog by clicking her name: Lucy Andrews .

and purchase Crater's Edge here too!.

Podcast: Crater's Edge]]>175cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/lucy-andrews--14814495
Hello, could you begin by telling us your name, how we can reach you and where you come from, please?

Name : Lucy Andrews

Social Media : https://www.facebook.com/LucyAndrewsAuthor

https://twitter.com/LAndrewsWrites

Country: England

Do you prefer to read a particular genre? :

Yes, I usually read either historical or science fiction novels. When I read a book, I want to be transported out of normal daily life to places I’ve never been to.

Do you write in the same genre? :

My first novel is science fiction. I decided to write the sort of book that I would want to read. I realised that if I set my novel in the future, there would be no constraint on the sort of society I could put my characters in. I could create a whole world and a different way of living unlike contemporary society and take my characters to unusual places and situations. I wanted to create a world that would stretch the imagination and pose questions about the way people live, the things they do and why. Science fiction enables the author more freedom to do this than setting a book in the past or present.

Have you always written and what got you started professionally? :

I’ve always wanted to write a novel but never had the time until recently. I’ve had a busy career and first tried my hand at writing short stories for women’s magazines several years ago. I wasn’t very successful, primarily because women’s fiction isn’t a genre I particularly enjoy. I eventually woke up to the fact that what I really wanted to write was science fiction which I hadn’t tried before. As I was still working it took me some time to write my first novel and it is only within the last year that I’ve been able to give up the “day job” to focus on writing.

How many books have you published? :

Crater’s Edge is my first novel.

Why did you write Crater’s Edge and what is it about? :

I wanted to write an exciting adventure story that readers would enjoy on one level, but at the same time the book explores serious issues on a deeper level. The story is set in 2235 on a planet that is being colonised. As there is restricted space, the characters live in two different time zones. My main characters are an engineer, Kalen and a geologist, Sera. Kalen’s job is to trouble-shoot mining problems, but when he is sent to the new construction site at Three-Craters, things begin to unravel. All is not as it seems. Kalen’s search for the truth about the problems on the site, end up taking him on a dangerous journey. The book explores love, betrayal and treason. Kalen has a hard time! By the end of the book, everything is revealed, but I’ve tried to keep the reader guessing.

Crater’s Edge by Lucy Andrews



ISBN – 10 162526674X (UK); ISBN – 13 978-1625266743 (US); ASIN - B07771GBBN

What would you like your next book to be on? :

I’m writing a sequel to Crater’s Edge. Although Crater’s Edge is complete in itself, I thought it would be fun to take the story to the next level. Things are going to get pretty nasty for my characters. I’ve got a great storyline and I’ve dreamt up some very frightening challenges for them.

If you could go anywhere in the universe, where would you go and why? :]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?page_id=9219Wed, 02 May 2018 11:05:19 +0000Owen JonesLucy Andrews Hello, could you begin by telling us your name, how we can reach you and where you come from, please? Name : Lucy Andrews Social Media : https://www.facebook.com/LucyAndrewsAuthor https://twitter.com/LAndrewsWrites Country: England...
Hello, could you begin by telling us your name, how we can reach you and where you come from, please?

Name : Lucy Andrews

Social Media : https://www.facebook.com/LucyAndrewsAuthor

https://twitter.com/LAndrewsWrites

Country: England

Do you prefer to read a particular genre? :

Yes, I usually read either historical or science fiction novels. When I read a book, I want to be transported out of normal daily life to places I’ve never been to.

Do you write in the same genre? :

My first novel is science fiction. I decided to write the sort of book that I would want to read. I realised that if I set my novel in the future, there would be no constraint on the sort of society I could put my characters in. I could create a whole world and a different way of living unlike contemporary society and take my characters to unusual places and situations. I wanted to create a world that would stretch the imagination and pose questions about the way people live, the things they do and why. Science fiction enables the author more freedom to do this than setting a book in the past or present.

Have you always written and what got you started professionally? :

I’ve always wanted to write a novel but never had the time until recently. I’ve had a busy career and first tried my hand at writing short stories for women’s magazines several years ago. I wasn’t very successful, primarily because women’s fiction isn’t a genre I particularly enjoy. I eventually woke up to the fact that what I really wanted to write was science fiction which I hadn’t tried before. As I was still working it took me some time to write my first novel and it is only within the last year that I’ve been able to give up the “day job” to focus on writing.

How many books have you published? :

Crater’s Edge is my first novel.

Why did you write Crater’s Edge and what is it about? :

I wanted to write an exciting adventure story that readers would enjoy on one level, but at the same time the book explores serious issues on a deeper level. The story is set in 2235 on a planet that is being colonised. As there is restricted space, the characters live in two different time zones. My main characters are an engineer, Kalen and a geologist, Sera. Kalen’s job is to trouble-shoot mining problems, but when he is sent to the new construction site at Three-Craters, things begin to unravel. All is not as it seems. Kalen’s search for the truth about the problems on the site, end up taking him on a dangerous journey. The book explores love, betrayal and treason. Kalen has a hard time! By the end of the book, everything is revealed, but I’ve tried to keep the reader guessing.

Crater’s Edge by Lucy Andrews



ISBN – 10 162526674X (UK); ISBN – 13 978-1625266743 (US); ASIN - B07771GBBN

What would you like your next book to be on? :

I’m writing a sequel to Crater’s Edge. Although Crater’s Edge is complete in itself, I thought it would be fun to take the story to the next level. Things are going to get pretty nasty for my characters. I’ve got a great storyline and I’ve dreamt up some very frightening challenges for them.

If you could go anywhere in the universe, where would you go and why? :]]>286cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/plr-pension-fund--14836794
Do you have a pension fund and do you think that you can rely on it to provide for all your retirement needs? Do you even trust your company or the government not to dip into it before you can? If most of us are honest, we don't have a lot of faith in our pension fund, do we?

No.

So, I am going to propose a way to regain the reins of your future finances and it will only cost you $20 per annum and most probably nothing after the first year.

It sounds too good to be true, eh? Well, just stick with me a while longer and I will reveal all completely free of charge!

This system works best the earlier you start it, but assuming you don't expect to be dead within ten years, it is well worth giving it a go.

Websites and blogs can make a lot of money, however most don't and so most people give up on them. It is quite hit and miss when choosing a subject for your attention, so you need to have a lot of them, like seedlings and regularly thin them out.

Let's say that you made one every three months for year or two. That may sound like a lot of work, but there are many free blog sites where setting up your own blog is simply a question of filling in a questionnaire and choosing a colour scheme.

The rub is that you need content for that site. But what if you could buy that for a reasonable price? Most starter websites and blogs only have five pages.

You could buy an ebook of niche articles targeted on your topic and drip feed them into your blog. It would take a morning to create your first blog or website and add five articles from your ebook of PLR articles.

(PLR articles are those which you buy and have a license to use in your own publication).

So, my suggestion is to:

1) Think of a subject you are interested in

2) Choose a name for your site and find a free host (WordPress, Blogger, Weebly)

3) Find a source of relevant PLR articles

4) Create your blog

5) Apply to Adsense and others for accounts to sell relevant items and earn money

Let's say that you earn $100 in that first quarter. Your outlay will have been $10 for the blog name and $10 for the PLR, so you will have made 400% profit in three months or a whopping 1,600% p.a.!

Take $20 of this and do it again, and the rest you can put into a traditional pension fund, if you like.

So, after a year, you are earning $400 p.a which is not bad for four mornings work, is it?

If you started doing this when you were 30 years old, you would have 30x4x400 or $48,000 p.a by the time you were sixty and thirty years' of profits in a pension fund!

Could you live on that?

Not all of your bright ideas for blogs will work, naturally, but you give them a year and ditch them if they are not paying their way. On the other hand, some will produce stellar returns, and all you have to do is tend them like a loving gardener.

For more suggested uses of PLR, see the panel at the top of the page and for a list of our 120+ books of 15+ 500-word niche targeted PLR articles click here.

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: PLR Pension Fund]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?page_id=7332Sun, 29 Apr 2018 14:41:16 +0000Owen JonesPLR Pension Fund Do you have a pension fund and do you think that you can rely on it to provide for all your retirement needs? Do you even trust your company or the government not to dip into it before you can? If most of us are honest, we don't have...
Do you have a pension fund and do you think that you can rely on it to provide for all your retirement needs? Do you even trust your company or the government not to dip into it before you can? If most of us are honest, we don't have a lot of faith in our pension fund, do we?

No.

So, I am going to propose a way to regain the reins of your future finances and it will only cost you $20 per annum and most probably nothing after the first year.

It sounds too good to be true, eh? Well, just stick with me a while longer and I will reveal all completely free of charge!

This system works best the earlier you start it, but assuming you don't expect to be dead within ten years, it is well worth giving it a go.

Websites and blogs can make a lot of money, however most don't and so most people give up on them. It is quite hit and miss when choosing a subject for your attention, so you need to have a lot of them, like seedlings and regularly thin them out.

Let's say that you made one every three months for year or two. That may sound like a lot of work, but there are many free blog sites where setting up your own blog is simply a question of filling in a questionnaire and choosing a colour scheme.

The rub is that you need content for that site. But what if you could buy that for a reasonable price? Most starter websites and blogs only have five pages.

You could buy an ebook of niche articles targeted on your topic and drip feed them into your blog. It would take a morning to create your first blog or website and add five articles from your ebook of PLR articles.

(PLR articles are those which you buy and have a license to use in your own publication).

So, my suggestion is to:

1) Think of a subject you are interested in

2) Choose a name for your site and find a free host (WordPress, Blogger, Weebly)

3) Find a source of relevant PLR articles

4) Create your blog

5) Apply to Adsense and others for accounts to sell relevant items and earn money

Let's say that you earn $100 in that first quarter. Your outlay will have been $10 for the blog name and $10 for the PLR, so you will have made 400% profit in three months or a whopping 1,600% p.a.!

Take $20 of this and do it again, and the rest you can put into a traditional pension fund, if you like.

So, after a year, you are earning $400 p.a which is not bad for four mornings work, is it?

If you started doing this when you were 30 years old, you would have 30x4x400 or $48,000 p.a by the time you were sixty and thirty years' of profits in a pension fund!

Could you live on that?

Not all of your bright ideas for blogs will work, naturally, but you give them a year and ditch them if they are not paying their way. On the other hand, some will produce stellar returns, and all you have to do is tend them like a loving gardener.

For more suggested uses of PLR, see the panel at the top of the page and for a list of our 120+ books of 15+ 500-word niche targeted PLR articles click here.

Please LIKE and SHARE this article using the buttons below and visit our bookshop

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: PLR Pension Fund]]>233cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/holidays-for-webmasters--14794396
$7.99 for Two Weeks or More!

As the owner of every business knows, it's difficult to get away on a decent holiday, because it's hard to find someone who will devote as much time and attention to your business as you would. This is usually a very real problem in the world of bricks and mortar, but at least webmasters can take their computer anywhere in the world and work just as effectively from there.

The thing is, does your family want to see you, or even do you want to be, poring over your computer when you are supposed to be enjoying your holiday with your friends or family?

No, of course not!

However, as all good webmasters with an eye on the website's Google Page Rank know, if you don't keep up a campaign with a steady flow of high-quality relevant content, your PR will slip and that would be a disaster, wouldn't it?

Months, or even years or hard work writing content to get your website on Google page one, only to come back from a fortnight's holiday and find it on page ten - buried in the wilderness.

Well, now I have a solution for you, webmasters - you may go on your holiday and not lift a finger in content-typing and all for the measly sum of $7.99 for fifteen days!

Surely that makes it one of the cheapest holidays you could ever get?

This is how it works. If you need fresh content to maintain a current campaign for your online publication, say, blog, website or newsletter, you need one of my niche PLR ebooks, which contain on average fifteen, five-to-six hundred-word, laser-targeted, keyword-rich articles.

Then all you have to do is spend a few minutes before you go changing some of the wording in each one to make them your own  and either have someone upload them for you one a day or set it up to work automatically - some systems allow the phased release of articles - or at worst, you could spend five minutes updating your website with them yourself every day - while you're checking your sales and Page Rank.

Now don't tell me you won't be doing that at least once a day!

So there you have it, complete rest for webmasters for only $7.99 for two weeks or more - what a bargain!

To peruse the ninety-nine PLR ebooks for your keywords and phrases, and start planning your well-deserved holiday, please go here: PLR ebooks

NB: PLR eBooks sold on Amazon for your complete peace of mind :-)

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Holidays for Webmasters Exclusive!]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?page_id=5763Tue, 28 Jul 2015 04:37:42 +0000Owen JonesHolidays for Webmasters Exclusive! $7.99 for Two Weeks or More! As the owner of every business knows, it's difficult to get away on a decent holiday, because it's hard to find someone who will devote as much time and attention to your business as...
$7.99 for Two Weeks or More!

As the owner of every business knows, it's difficult to get away on a decent holiday, because it's hard to find someone who will devote as much time and attention to your business as you would. This is usually a very real problem in the world of bricks and mortar, but at least webmasters can take their computer anywhere in the world and work just as effectively from there.

The thing is, does your family want to see you, or even do you want to be, poring over your computer when you are supposed to be enjoying your holiday with your friends or family?

No, of course not!

However, as all good webmasters with an eye on the website's Google Page Rank know, if you don't keep up a campaign with a steady flow of high-quality relevant content, your PR will slip and that would be a disaster, wouldn't it?

Months, or even years or hard work writing content to get your website on Google page one, only to come back from a fortnight's holiday and find it on page ten - buried in the wilderness.

Well, now I have a solution for you, webmasters - you may go on your holiday and not lift a finger in content-typing and all for the measly sum of $7.99 for fifteen days!

Surely that makes it one of the cheapest holidays you could ever get?

This is how it works. If you need fresh content to maintain a current campaign for your online publication, say, blog, website or newsletter, you need one of my niche PLR ebooks, which contain on average fifteen, five-to-six hundred-word, laser-targeted, keyword-rich articles.

Then all you have to do is spend a few minutes before you go changing some of the wording in each one to make them your own  and either have someone upload them for you one a day or set it up to work automatically - some systems allow the phased release of articles - or at worst, you could spend five minutes updating your website with them yourself every day - while you're checking your sales and Page Rank.

Now don't tell me you won't be doing that at least once a day!

So there you have it, complete rest for webmasters for only $7.99 for two weeks or more - what a bargain!

To peruse the ninety-nine PLR ebooks for your keywords and phrases, and start planning your well-deserved holiday, please go here: PLR ebooks

NB: PLR eBooks sold on Amazon for your complete peace of mind :-)

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Holidays for Webmasters Exclusive!]]>171cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/building-a-website-using-plr--14793630
For the purpose of this article, I am going to assume that you are a complete novice at building websites, if you are not skip to here. This short article though will teach you the basics of how to make money online with a website by building a website using PLR.

When I first started building a website using PLR., I would build my website offline, then go looking for a domain name, but things have altered for beginners now, and it is better to start elsewhere in the creation process.

First you will need to check out the content available, so you can choose a name and a theme for your website. Select  a theme for your site from the Private Label Rights (PLR) packages here: PLR content and buy one that takes your interest. These packages contain fifteen articles and are themed around a concept. That costs $8

Second, you will need somewhere to store your website, somewhere where visitors can find it by typing its name. I have used Hostgator for seven years and thoroughly recommend them. Their $5 per month package has all you need to host dozens of websites.

Then, think about a name for your site and purchase it (you can do this at Hostgator too). That costs less than $10

Now you have all the raw materials for your website. So, next, you decide whether you want a traditional static website, ie one where the information remains on pages, or a blog, where the front page can change frequently automatically and other people can interact with comments.

Whichever you choose, you have already paid for it, so you just have to either choose a template (free from Hostgator) and activate it in their SiteBuilder app, or activate Wordpress (also free) and choose a blog theme that suits your content.

Now, you also have the framework for your Internet site.

Next, choose an article from the pack, rewrite it to make it original, sign it and publish it to your site. Do this as a page in Wordpress rather than as a post, then do it four more times.

Now you have a decent five-page niche site of quality, original articles. At this point, you should look for something for visitors to spend their money on, so search for affiliate deals in your niche and add the banners (or whatever) as the company directs you too.

Now you are ready for visitors or traffic, in the parlance. You can do this by rewriting one of the other ten articles and posting it to article directories with a link back to your home page and the most relevant of the other pages in the 'Author Bio', which is called deep-linking (it impresses the search engines, which should give your site better visibility in the search results.

If you are using Wordpress for building a website using PLR, you can also post this piece to your blog as a post NOT a page. Use tags and hyper-links to associate it with one of your pages.

Some people say to leave time between posts, but I don't know. I used to just crack on with it, but I suppose it depends whether this is a hobby, a sideline, a project or a business. For me it was the latter.

The greatest benefit of using PLR in this way, is that the content is there for you. You need do no research, just rewrite it in your own words. This saves time, and is a godsend to students of English as a foreign language and TEFOL/TESOL teachers.

If there are any terms here you don't understand about building a website using PLR, just ask in a comment below, or do a search - they are quite standard.

So, first go here and look around PLR content]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?page_id=4608Wed, 06 May 2015 10:53:59 +0000Owen JonesBuilding a Website Using PLR For the purpose of this article, I am going to assume that you are a complete novice at building websites, if you are not skip to here. This short article though will teach you the basics of how to make money online with...
For the purpose of this article, I am going to assume that you are a complete novice at building websites, if you are not skip to here. This short article though will teach you the basics of how to make money online with a website by building a website using PLR.

When I first started building a website using PLR., I would build my website offline, then go looking for a domain name, but things have altered for beginners now, and it is better to start elsewhere in the creation process.

First you will need to check out the content available, so you can choose a name and a theme for your website. Select  a theme for your site from the Private Label Rights (PLR) packages here: PLR content and buy one that takes your interest. These packages contain fifteen articles and are themed around a concept. That costs $8

Second, you will need somewhere to store your website, somewhere where visitors can find it by typing its name. I have used Hostgator for seven years and thoroughly recommend them. Their $5 per month package has all you need to host dozens of websites.

Then, think about a name for your site and purchase it (you can do this at Hostgator too). That costs less than $10

Now you have all the raw materials for your website. So, next, you decide whether you want a traditional static website, ie one where the information remains on pages, or a blog, where the front page can change frequently automatically and other people can interact with comments.

Whichever you choose, you have already paid for it, so you just have to either choose a template (free from Hostgator) and activate it in their SiteBuilder app, or activate Wordpress (also free) and choose a blog theme that suits your content.

Now, you also have the framework for your Internet site.

Next, choose an article from the pack, rewrite it to make it original, sign it and publish it to your site. Do this as a page in Wordpress rather than as a post, then do it four more times.

Now you have a decent five-page niche site of quality, original articles. At this point, you should look for something for visitors to spend their money on, so search for affiliate deals in your niche and add the banners (or whatever) as the company directs you too.

Now you are ready for visitors or traffic, in the parlance. You can do this by rewriting one of the other ten articles and posting it to article directories with a link back to your home page and the most relevant of the other pages in the 'Author Bio', which is called deep-linking (it impresses the search engines, which should give your site better visibility in the search results.

If you are using Wordpress for building a website using PLR, you can also post this piece to your blog as a post NOT a page. Use tags and hyper-links to associate it with one of your pages.

Some people say to leave time between posts, but I don't know. I used to just crack on with it, but I suppose it depends whether this is a hobby, a sideline, a project or a business. For me it was the latter.

The greatest benefit of using PLR in this way, is that the content is there for you. You need do no research, just rewrite it in your own words. This saves time, and is a godsend to students of English as a foreign language and TEFOL/TESOL teachers.

If there are any terms here you don't understand about building a website using PLR, just ask in a comment below, or do a search - they are quite standard.

So, first go here and look around PLR content]]>259cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/plr-articles-and-the-self-employed--14803134
In this piece on PLR articles and the self-employed, we will choose a specific trades-person, say a carpenter, but the same principles apply equally well to any other self-employed tradesman or professional, such as computer engineer, lawyer and even dentist.

The basic concept is to use PLR articles that you have bought, possibly had written and use them in your advertising campaigns. If you have the time, you could write your own articles, but then, technically, you would not be using PLR in your advertising campaigns.

So, you need to find a reputable source of material. This can be difficult, so build a relationship with a writer who is prepared to do the necessary research and buy from him or her regularly. The best way of getting what you want is to suggest the titles yourself.

Go for a pack of fifteen, 500-word articles at a time because this will give your article marketing campaign a real punch and fifteen PLR articles are enough to do several other things with too which we will go into below. The articles should be useful, informative, but at 500 words, they will only give tantalising tastes of the subject matter.

The job of these PLR articles is to show that you know what you are talking about, not to teach the reader your professional skills! They should have the same tone as your web site and newsletter or blog, be that humorous or serious.

A carpenter can write on apprenticeship, tools, aspects of reading drawings, working on site, health and safety, customer relations, working in people's homes, cleanliness, sharpening a chisel or saw, the different weights of hammers - there are dozens of topics for the self-emloyed, whatever jobs, trades or professions they have.

If you already have a web site, you can trickle-feed these articles into it at the rate of one a week. When they have been indexed by Google, say six weeks later, you can copy them to article databases with links back to your own web site in the author bio at the bottom, which will give you one-way backlinks to boost your sites rank.

If you do not have a web site, use five articles to create one. Add the articles to your newsletter too, because readers of that will probably very rarely go to your site, if they ever do - they don't need to, do they?

The final stage is to create an ebook from the same PLR articles in order to reach a totally new audience again. You will have enough material for an ebook of about 8,000 words, so if you would prefer a longer book, get another batch of articles and when you have used them on your site and in your newsletter, you can add them to your book to raise it to 15-16,000 words, which you can sell on Amazon for $7-$10

You will soon recoup your outlay on the PLR articles from the sale of the books alone and you will be the author of a book on your chosen self-employed profession. You could publish one or two books a year and build yourself a worldwide reputation.

by +Owen Jones

If you are looking for well-written PLR articles on niche subjects, Megan Publishing Services recommends The Niche PLR Collection, where you can choose from over 100 niche packs of 15 or more articles of 500-600 words each.

Podcast: PLR Articles and The Self-Employed]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?page_id=552Mon, 07 Oct 2013 11:48:33 +0000Owen JonesPLR Articles and The Self-Employed In this piece on PLR articles and the self-employed, we will choose a specific trades-person, say a carpenter, but the same principles apply equally well to any other self-employed tradesman or professional, such as...
In this piece on PLR articles and the self-employed, we will choose a specific trades-person, say a carpenter, but the same principles apply equally well to any other self-employed tradesman or professional, such as computer engineer, lawyer and even dentist.

The basic concept is to use PLR articles that you have bought, possibly had written and use them in your advertising campaigns. If you have the time, you could write your own articles, but then, technically, you would not be using PLR in your advertising campaigns.

So, you need to find a reputable source of material. This can be difficult, so build a relationship with a writer who is prepared to do the necessary research and buy from him or her regularly. The best way of getting what you want is to suggest the titles yourself.

Go for a pack of fifteen, 500-word articles at a time because this will give your article marketing campaign a real punch and fifteen PLR articles are enough to do several other things with too which we will go into below. The articles should be useful, informative, but at 500 words, they will only give tantalising tastes of the subject matter.

The job of these PLR articles is to show that you know what you are talking about, not to teach the reader your professional skills! They should have the same tone as your web site and newsletter or blog, be that humorous or serious.

A carpenter can write on apprenticeship, tools, aspects of reading drawings, working on site, health and safety, customer relations, working in people's homes, cleanliness, sharpening a chisel or saw, the different weights of hammers - there are dozens of topics for the self-emloyed, whatever jobs, trades or professions they have.

If you already have a web site, you can trickle-feed these articles into it at the rate of one a week. When they have been indexed by Google, say six weeks later, you can copy them to article databases with links back to your own web site in the author bio at the bottom, which will give you one-way backlinks to boost your sites rank.

If you do not have a web site, use five articles to create one. Add the articles to your newsletter too, because readers of that will probably very rarely go to your site, if they ever do - they don't need to, do they?

The final stage is to create an ebook from the same PLR articles in order to reach a totally new audience again. You will have enough material for an ebook of about 8,000 words, so if you would prefer a longer book, get another batch of articles and when you have used them on your site and in your newsletter, you can add them to your book to raise it to 15-16,000 words, which you can sell on Amazon for $7-$10

You will soon recoup your outlay on the PLR articles from the sale of the books alone and you will be the author of a book on your chosen self-employed profession. You could publish one or two books a year and build yourself a worldwide reputation.

by +Owen Jones

If you are looking for well-written PLR articles on niche subjects, Megan Publishing Services recommends The Niche PLR Collection, where you can choose from over 100 niche packs of 15 or more articles of 500-600 words each.

Podcast: PLR Articles and The Self-Employed]]>218cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/merchants-can-use-plr--14800011
I suppose that it seems quite normal to think that PLR (articles that can be rebranded as one's own) are only suitable for on line use, because that is where they are used most often, but if you think about the amount of writing a business person does every month, merchants can use PLR  to help there too.

If you have the right PLR, that is, because one of the biggest benefits of PLR is that it reduces the amount of research that the end-writer has to do. Therefore, you have to be able to trust the original writer of the PLR to have done the research for you.

Subsequently rewriting the PLR and making it your own is very easy, when you have an article to adapt in front of you. This is a very handy approach if English is not your first language and you want your writing to sound fluid and natural.

So, let's say that you have a shop in the high street selling, er, gardening implements, for example. Wouldn't your shop stand out from the crowd if you could hand out free leaflets on things related to gardening?

How to build a garden fish pond; how to care for Koi carp; how to deter mosquitoes from your patio; et cetera, et cetera? However, just because you sell garden implements, it doesn't necessarily mean you know about the topics I just mentioned, does it?

What could you do? Hire someone to write the articles for you? Go and learn about fish ponds? Or buy good PLR on fish ponds, reprint it and job done? Good PLR does not have to be expensive: you can get an ebook of 15 500-word  niche articles for less than $10.

At the rate of one a week, that is nearly three months promotional material for about 65 cents a week! And you would be the only one for miles or more who was bothering to do it.

Would that not give you an edge over your competitors?

Are here any other ways merchants can use PLR?

Let's say that you wanted to start selling your stuff on Amazon or eBay? You have 15 ready-made articles that you can make your own with a little re-writing and you can post them around the Internet with links back to your Amazon or eBay account in the 'author's bio' or by-line at the bottom of the article.

Any other ways merchants can use PLR?

What if you wanted a blog, web site or / and newsletter? No problem at all! It's the same tactic, you can slightly rewrite your PLR and use them for the basic pages of your site and send the others out to article directories for back links or / and add them to your auto-responder to send to your list since the readership will not be the same.

There are many ways merchants can use PLR, good PLR, in the on and off line world, but it helps if you remember a few points:

*] PLR's main purpose is to save the rewriter time (researching or / and learning English grammar)
*] You must buy good PLR from a reputable source
*] No matter how good the PLR is, you must read it through and at least change any expressions that you would not use or do not like - in other words - make it sound like you could have written it.

For 125+ niche PLR ebooks, go to our favourite PLR site

Podcast: Merchants Can Use PLR]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?page_id=537Tue, 01 Oct 2013 04:49:53 +0000Owen JonesHow Merchants Can Use PLR I suppose that it seems quite normal to think that PLR (articles that can be rebranded as one's own) are only suitable for on line use, because that is where they are used most often, but if you think about the amount of...
I suppose that it seems quite normal to think that PLR (articles that can be rebranded as one's own) are only suitable for on line use, because that is where they are used most often, but if you think about the amount of writing a business person does every month, merchants can use PLR  to help there too.

If you have the right PLR, that is, because one of the biggest benefits of PLR is that it reduces the amount of research that the end-writer has to do. Therefore, you have to be able to trust the original writer of the PLR to have done the research for you.

Subsequently rewriting the PLR and making it your own is very easy, when you have an article to adapt in front of you. This is a very handy approach if English is not your first language and you want your writing to sound fluid and natural.

So, let's say that you have a shop in the high street selling, er, gardening implements, for example. Wouldn't your shop stand out from the crowd if you could hand out free leaflets on things related to gardening?

How to build a garden fish pond; how to care for Koi carp; how to deter mosquitoes from your patio; et cetera, et cetera? However, just because you sell garden implements, it doesn't necessarily mean you know about the topics I just mentioned, does it?

What could you do? Hire someone to write the articles for you? Go and learn about fish ponds? Or buy good PLR on fish ponds, reprint it and job done? Good PLR does not have to be expensive: you can get an ebook of 15 500-word  niche articles for less than $10.

At the rate of one a week, that is nearly three months promotional material for about 65 cents a week! And you would be the only one for miles or more who was bothering to do it.

Would that not give you an edge over your competitors?

Are here any other ways merchants can use PLR?

Let's say that you wanted to start selling your stuff on Amazon or eBay? You have 15 ready-made articles that you can make your own with a little re-writing and you can post them around the Internet with links back to your Amazon or eBay account in the 'author's bio' or by-line at the bottom of the article.

Any other ways merchants can use PLR?

What if you wanted a blog, web site or / and newsletter? No problem at all! It's the same tactic, you can slightly rewrite your PLR and use them for the basic pages of your site and send the others out to article directories for back links or / and add them to your auto-responder to send to your list since the readership will not be the same.

There are many ways merchants can use PLR, good PLR, in the on and off line world, but it helps if you remember a few points:

*] PLR's main purpose is to save the rewriter time (researching or / and learning English grammar)
*] You must buy good PLR from a reputable source
*] No matter how good the PLR is, you must read it through and at least change any expressions that you would not use or do not like - in other words - make it sound like you could have written it.

For 125+ niche PLR ebooks, go to our favourite PLR site

Podcast: Merchants Can Use PLR]]>210cleanfullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/uses-for-plr--14803244

Maybe you are not sure what Private Label Rights Articles, commonly called PLR, are, so let's ensure that we are talking about the same thing here. Private Label Rights Articles are articles that you hold the right to publish as your own, but which were written by someone else.

The right to use the private label rights articles as your own may have been conferred on you as a gift or, more commonly, because you paid for them. There are two main points that affects the value of, and so, the uses for PLR:

1] the quality of the private label rights articles and

2] how many times they have been used.

In turn, the quality of the private label rights articles is affected by the style and quality of the writing; spelling; research; etc ..  PLR is often sold to many webmasters. If the PLR that you possess has been sold to only a few people, all well and good, but if thousands of people have used it, well, Google is not going to take much notice of your copy.

This situation does not restrict the uses for PLR, since it has a simple solution. Just rewrite the PLR articles in your own style. Why buy an article, if you are going to have to rewrite it?

You may ask, but, if you trust its author, then the research will already have been done and it is considerably easier for most people to rewrite than to write an original piece.

Not only that, but if English is not your mother language, it is far simpler to change words, but keep the grammar than it is to write the whole thing from scratch. This is one of the best uses for PLR.

Other uses of PLR is in newsletters and autoresponders, where you don't care what Google thinks, because it has no access to these mailings. For example, if you had a lit of subscribers who are interested in dogs, you could buy a few articles on dogs from a PLR writer and programme them to be sent out when you are on holiday or otherwise too busy to write articles of your own.

A pack of 15 articles would effectively give you 15 weeks off work, which is quite a lot, I am sure you will agree. It helps enormously if the writer of the PLR organises the articles into tight niche subjects.

One of the great uses for PLR is getting a web site up quickly. For example, if you wanted to have a web site selling St Valentine's Day Gifts, but you had left if a little late (or could not write the content for yourself for the reasons given above), you could buy a pack of PLR on, say, romantic gifts, use five articles to create a nice little five-page web site, put five in an autoresponder for subscribers and place five on article directories with links back to your new site.

How long would it take to set that up? Half-a-day? A whole day? Well, that's not bad, is it? To have a whole web site, an autoresponder loaded with messages and articles getting you attention and backlinks in a day!

Of course, I would always recommend rewriting PLR, even if only a little, just to put your own slant on it, but when you can get a dozen or more good 500-600 word PLR articles for less that $10, what have you got to lose?

Start thinking of uses for PLR in your business today and save yourself some time.

If you are looking for well-written PLR on niche subjects, Megan Publishing Services recommends The Niche PLR Collection, where you can choose from over 125 niche packs of 15 or more articles of 500-600 words each.

Podcast: Uses for PLR]]>http://meganthemisconception.com/?page_id=490Fri, 27 Sep 2013 12:54:45 +0000Owen JonesUses for PLR Articles Maybe you are not sure what Private Label Rights Articles, commonly called PLR, are, so let's ensure that we are talking about the same thing here. Private Label Rights Articles are articles that you hold the right to publish...

Maybe you are not sure what Private Label Rights Articles, commonly called PLR, are, so let's ensure that we are talking about the same thing here. Private Label Rights Articles are articles that you hold the right to publish as your own, but which were written by someone else.

The right to use the private label rights articles as your own may have been conferred on you as a gift or, more commonly, because you paid for them. There are two main points that affects the value of, and so, the uses for PLR:

1] the quality of the private label rights articles and

2] how many times they have been used.

In turn, the quality of the private label rights articles is affected by the style and quality of the writing; spelling; research; etc ..  PLR is often sold to many webmasters. If the PLR that you possess has been sold to only a few people, all well and good, but if thousands of people have used it, well, Google is not going to take much notice of your copy.

This situation does not restrict the uses for PLR, since it has a simple solution. Just rewrite the PLR articles in your own style. Why buy an article, if you are going to have to rewrite it?

You may ask, but, if you trust its author, then the research will already have been done and it is considerably easier for most people to rewrite than to write an original piece.

Not only that, but if English is not your mother language, it is far simpler to change words, but keep the grammar than it is to write the whole thing from scratch. This is one of the best uses for PLR.

Other uses of PLR is in newsletters and autoresponders, where you don't care what Google thinks, because it has no access to these mailings. For example, if you had a lit of subscribers who are interested in dogs, you could buy a few articles on dogs from a PLR writer and programme them to be sent out when you are on holiday or otherwise too busy to write articles of your own.

A pack of 15 articles would effectively give you 15 weeks off work, which is quite a lot, I am sure you will agree. It helps enormously if the writer of the PLR organises the articles into tight niche subjects.

One of the great uses for PLR is getting a web site up quickly. For example, if you wanted to have a web site selling St Valentine's Day Gifts, but you had left if a little late (or could not write the content for yourself for the reasons given above), you could buy a pack of PLR on, say, romantic gifts, use five articles to create a nice little five-page web site, put five in an autoresponder for subscribers and place five on article directories with links back to your new site.

How long would it take to set that up? Half-a-day? A whole day? Well, that's not bad, is it? To have a whole web site, an autoresponder loaded with messages and articles getting you attention and backlinks in a day!

Of course, I would always recommend rewriting PLR, even if only a little, just to put your own slant on it, but when you can get a dozen or more good 500-600 word PLR articles for less that $10, what have you got to lose?

Start thinking of uses for PLR in your business today and save yourself some time.

If you are looking for well-written PLR on niche subjects, Megan Publishing Services recommends The Niche PLR Collection, where you can choose from over 125 niche packs of 15 or more articles of 500-600 words each.

Podcast: Uses for PLR]]>241cleanfull