Book Blurb
Norman was born to write, but doesn't know his destiny is written in his DNA, inherited from generations of earlier Normans who yearned to put pen to paper - once those items had been invented! Yet with nothing to show for all his literary endeavours and struggling to pay the rent, he tells himself there must be easier ways of making a living. It's only when
Norman discovers his descent from a long line of wordsmiths who'd experienced many of the same setbacks as himself yet had found the resolve to keep on going, that he wants to know:
'What was their secret?'
The Writer's Guide to Obscurity is an illustrated record of Norman's research into his vast family tree, sharing with us his predecessors' trials, triumphs and absolute catastrophes through the centuries, before bringing us back to Norman today - and the twist in his own tale.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'The Writer's Guide To Obscurity' by John Steinberg
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for John Steinberg, 2QT Limited Publishing and ZooLoos Book Tours.
Publication date 28th February 2023.
This is the first book I have read by this author.
Well I must admit that I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I chose to pick up this book and give it a read but it looked interesting and had a very interesting illustration on the cover so I just had to give it a try!!! I must admit it was a very charming and humorous little novella telling and showing us all about poor Norman and all the struggles he had throughout history to get to where he is today!!! I absolutely adored the fact that it is based on history and authors and that it is a lovely little boost to anyone who is struggling to keep on going and not give up. It takes us on a journey through the lives of all the Normans of different ages and how they helped others on their journeys including the famous Shakespeare!! I loved the little Norman timeline at the front of the book showing us all the Normans the book talks about and their timelines. We begin with Part one which tells us of Ancient Norman 4500 BC. This Norman had the biggest challenge living in the most hostile environment with nothing to write on or with!!! Norman had to learn what to use for materials, source them and so much more with the help of other Ancients. This Norman definitely had it the hardest!! We then move onto part two where we meet Norman in Ancient Greece c.700 BCE where speeches and poetry came in to play. There were theatrical performances, judging and drama. In part two we also met Norman in Ancient Rome also c700 BCE where he became a ghost writer. John then takes us to Part Three where we learn more about Dark Ages Norman 410-1066 BC, Norman Norman 1066 CE, Middle Ages Norman 1066 to c 1600 and Early-Modern Norman 1600-1900. These Norman's had to move on from Latin to learn Anglo-Saxon and enjoying the tales of Beowulf, helping with the Doomsday book, assisting Shakespeare and the first novels being published!!! The final part is Part Four which takes us on from the Modern Day Norman 1900-Present where education and literacy has spread world wide, the literary agent has paved the way for authors and Norman has finally become famous for his amazing book called.....
THE WRITERS GUIDE TO OBSCURITY!!!
This really is a fun read that I devoured in about an hour and I absolutely love, love LOVED the hilarious stories told about all the different Norman's as well as the fantastic illustrations which I must say a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Fiona Wilson for!!! Absolutely fantastic and humorous drawings which made me laugh out loud seeing all the different Norman's portrayed in all the different scenarios as they try to become famous. It really does make you think of all the struggles that authors past and present have gone, are going and will go through and John tells their stories fantastically!!!
Well done to John and Fiona on a brilliant novella filled with humour, history and fun while telling all the struggles in a educational but fun way!!!
Overall an adorable novella about the struggles of authors and writers past and present filled with fantastic illustrations and humorous stories!!!
44 pages.
This book is £7.86 to purchase in paperback via Amazon (at time of review) which I think is a good price for this book!!!
Rated 4/5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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Author Bio
Born and raised in North London in 1952, John still lives in the city with his wife and three children. Privately educated, John left school after ‘A’ levels and completed a business diploma in what is now the University of Westminster, before entering banking.
He started training as an accountant but did not complete the course, choosing a position in his family’s furniture manufacturing business instead. John started his own mergers and acquisitions business in 1987, which he ran for almost 20 years before quitting to become a full time writer in 2007.
John has co-written and produced comedies for the stage and has created a series of books for children. “Previously, I had only been interested in comedy and finally started to write down the things I said or thought of. That led me to co-write and produce a play, In the Balance, and then W for Banker – which appeared at the New End Theatre, Hampstead. It was then I decided to quit the world of business in favour of writing full-time, and move toward more serious subjects. My first novel has taken two years to write and is the first in a series of books I am calling the ‘Steinberg Stories’.”
Social Media Links
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steinbergstories/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SteinbergStory/
Website: https://steinbergstories.com/
Purchase Link
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