Who am I?
I’m Scott Hamerton, author, artist, LEGO lover, and all-around nerd. I live in Victoria, BC, Canada, with my husband Mel, where the weather is windy, wet, and dreary all winter and I love it.
What is Eesome Ink?
Eesome Ink exists in two parts, as a website and a company. The website, eesomeink.com, is my private domain. I use it for all manner of shareable content, but primarily, it hosts Eesome Ink Press, my self-publishing endeavour. The press side of the site serves as a repository for short stories, resources for writing, advertisements for my books, and book reviews. In summary, it’s my playground for words that I like to share.
What is a Poorly Read Book Review?
There are people in this world with the capacity to demolish a 400-page novel in an afternoon, and when interrogated, will handily recall the names of every character and the relevant interactions between them. These literary vampires possess the power to distil subtle themes from the chaos of a discordant plot without overlooking the importance of even the most minor allusions.
I am not one of those people. I am the tragic antithesis to those types of people.
When I read, I bore quickly and my mind wanders incessantly. I forget the names of plot-critical characters. Arcs and conclusions fail to register. I might go whole pages before realizing that I am only scanning the passing paragraphs, sending entire side arcs into a wasteland of discarded thoughts. For novels, the sight of a expansive spine presents an instantaneous mental hurdle that I must overcome long before I crack the pages.
I am a bad reader.
So what is a bad reader to do when the prevailing advice of successful authors includes prolific reading? What is my course, when society expects that a good author must also be a good reader?
Why, to read, of course.
Thus becomes this blog, in which I attempt to read books and then review them as an exercise in bettering my skills as an author. If you enjoyed a book, my review of it might leave you incensed and insulted. If you are the author of a work that I have reviewed, I am deeply sorry.
What is an Indie Author Book Review?
Are you a self-published author? Would you like an impartial stranger to review your work? I do that! I will also give your book a fair shake, instead of my usual haphazard approach. However, as I said above, I abhor long books and long chapters, so it must be under 90,000 words (sci-fi and fantasy can be under 110,000). Keep in mind that I am serious when I call myself a Bad Reader, so don’t expect a professional critique. Also, if for some reason I find it difficult to finish, I will not post a review of it, as I don’t think that would be fair, but I will happily provide any feedback on my experience. See the Contact page for more info. Must be fiction. All genres welcome!
What are the Commandments?
When reviewing a book, I rely heavily on the advice of authors much better than me. Most specifically, the 8 rules of writing fiction presented in Kurt Vonnegut’s short story collection Bagombo Snuff Box. You may see me alternatively refer to these rules as the eight commandments.