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3rdragonOne occasionally gets peculiar emails through the SSFFS Contact form. For those of you who didn't receive this most recent one, I provide highlights:
"This is a new book by these authors with a very interesting back story on it."
Um, dear people, being unable to make normal-sounding sentences is not a way to encourage me to read the book.
"Anyhow, the two authors of Sagar'un became friends while playing the game. The primary author/editor; Crystal Rayne, is from the United States, while the co-author, Konrad Hollenstein, lives in Germany. These 2 authors have never met face to face."
Firstly? Punctuation FAIL. Secondly, who thought this was a good idea? From all I hear, co-writing can be an interesting proposition even when you can get together and meet with the person you're working with. It sounds like a train wreck with two people who don't even know each other.
". . . these 2 authors began writing on the clan's forum. One would write a sentence or two, and the other would write the next sentence or two."
Because that's a great way to write a story. I mean, have you read those poem-story things that people produce when you play those games that involve passing around pieces of paper and everyone adding sentences?
"In late 2009, Crystal Rayne decided to contact Hollenstein as well as another gaming friend . . . who ultimately has become the graphics designer for their book."
They need a graphics designer why? They don't even have a book yet!
"Rayne proposed to Hollenstein and Mrevelje that they write a book together, but this was not to be a normal way of writing the book, since everything was being done through FaceBook chat and email. Remember, none of these people have ever met!"
. . . because facebook chat is an excellent vehicle for book writing. And yes, I'm remembering. It still sounds like a bad idea.
And they pull in yet another person to draw the map (not, you know, the graphics designer they already have), and someone else to put it together, and someone else to put together a self-publishing company. There's no mention of who's actually editing the book. I'm not at all sure anyone is.
". . . it should be noted that Rayne has never written a fantasy book before, nor is she a fantasy book reader. Hollenstein, on the other hand, is an avid fantasy book reader. This does not, however, mean that this book is not an excellent read!"
UM! The fact that she's not a fantasy reader is more distressing than anything, really. The implication that being a fantasy reader makes it dubious whether the book's any good is even worse.
"Humorously, many of the characters within the book are formed from the personalities of other gaming friends of the writers, or their real life friends. In some cases, such as an entire family from Saudi Arabia, the actual people's names are used as well."
Isn't that some sort of privacy/legal/thingie problem? Also, I don't know any of these people, so I don't see why I would find it humorous.
"To the best of my personal knowledge, this is the first time in history that such a book has been written in this manner, with so many people that have never met being involved in one way or the other in the book."
No, that's not really surprising, is it? I believe I've already mentioned the phrase "train wreck."
"To add to this, it should be mentioned that Crystal Rayne is the mother of 7 children and that this book was written in the middle of her days taking care of her children and home."
It should? What, pray, does that have to do with the price of peas in Persopolis? Lots of writers are full-time parents. Or full-time other things. The book should be impressive on its own merits, not because the writer managed to squeeze it in around other stuff.
"Read the book and post your review here, if you would be so kind."
Here? Here is the SSFFS contact form. Or my email. I guess I'll just have to settle for my lj instead. But since you didn't tell me what the book is about, I don't even feel motivated to read the first chapter available on whatever, so I think I'll provided a line-by-line critique of your recommendation, instead.
"i think you will find this book to be an excellent read."
You don't even know me. And that lack of punctuation gives me so much confidence in you.
"Some reviewers of the book seem to feel that this book is better than Lord of the Rings."
Yes, well, LotR is a fairly subjective measure, isn't it? I know many people who don't like it, mostly for perfectly good reasons, and the fact that completely random people who may or may not be your gaming friends like it better is not at all encouraging. Especially if the book isn't high fantasy. Which it might not be, since all I know about it is that you used the names of a Saudi Arabian family and there's peculiar apostrophes in the title (Sagar'un - Tales of a New World).
"This is a new book by these authors with a very interesting back story on it."
Um, dear people, being unable to make normal-sounding sentences is not a way to encourage me to read the book.
"Anyhow, the two authors of Sagar'un became friends while playing the game. The primary author/editor; Crystal Rayne, is from the United States, while the co-author, Konrad Hollenstein, lives in Germany. These 2 authors have never met face to face."
Firstly? Punctuation FAIL. Secondly, who thought this was a good idea? From all I hear, co-writing can be an interesting proposition even when you can get together and meet with the person you're working with. It sounds like a train wreck with two people who don't even know each other.
". . . these 2 authors began writing on the clan's forum. One would write a sentence or two, and the other would write the next sentence or two."
Because that's a great way to write a story. I mean, have you read those poem-story things that people produce when you play those games that involve passing around pieces of paper and everyone adding sentences?
"In late 2009, Crystal Rayne decided to contact Hollenstein as well as another gaming friend . . . who ultimately has become the graphics designer for their book."
They need a graphics designer why? They don't even have a book yet!
"Rayne proposed to Hollenstein and Mrevelje that they write a book together, but this was not to be a normal way of writing the book, since everything was being done through FaceBook chat and email. Remember, none of these people have ever met!"
. . . because facebook chat is an excellent vehicle for book writing. And yes, I'm remembering. It still sounds like a bad idea.
And they pull in yet another person to draw the map (not, you know, the graphics designer they already have), and someone else to put it together, and someone else to put together a self-publishing company. There's no mention of who's actually editing the book. I'm not at all sure anyone is.
". . . it should be noted that Rayne has never written a fantasy book before, nor is she a fantasy book reader. Hollenstein, on the other hand, is an avid fantasy book reader. This does not, however, mean that this book is not an excellent read!"
UM! The fact that she's not a fantasy reader is more distressing than anything, really. The implication that being a fantasy reader makes it dubious whether the book's any good is even worse.
"Humorously, many of the characters within the book are formed from the personalities of other gaming friends of the writers, or their real life friends. In some cases, such as an entire family from Saudi Arabia, the actual people's names are used as well."
Isn't that some sort of privacy/legal/thingie problem? Also, I don't know any of these people, so I don't see why I would find it humorous.
"To the best of my personal knowledge, this is the first time in history that such a book has been written in this manner, with so many people that have never met being involved in one way or the other in the book."
No, that's not really surprising, is it? I believe I've already mentioned the phrase "train wreck."
"To add to this, it should be mentioned that Crystal Rayne is the mother of 7 children and that this book was written in the middle of her days taking care of her children and home."
It should? What, pray, does that have to do with the price of peas in Persopolis? Lots of writers are full-time parents. Or full-time other things. The book should be impressive on its own merits, not because the writer managed to squeeze it in around other stuff.
"Read the book and post your review here, if you would be so kind."
Here? Here is the SSFFS contact form. Or my email. I guess I'll just have to settle for my lj instead. But since you didn't tell me what the book is about, I don't even feel motivated to read the first chapter available on whatever, so I think I'll provided a line-by-line critique of your recommendation, instead.
"i think you will find this book to be an excellent read."
You don't even know me. And that lack of punctuation gives me so much confidence in you.
"Some reviewers of the book seem to feel that this book is better than Lord of the Rings."
Yes, well, LotR is a fairly subjective measure, isn't it? I know many people who don't like it, mostly for perfectly good reasons, and the fact that completely random people who may or may not be your gaming friends like it better is not at all encouraging. Especially if the book isn't high fantasy. Which it might not be, since all I know about it is that you used the names of a Saudi Arabian family and there's peculiar apostrophes in the title (Sagar'un - Tales of a New World).
