"Synphesiser" - my Kindle book, available now.

Joshawott

Monsieur Monster
AUKN Staff
20thCenturyBoy has put up a graphic novel yesterday and I've put up a novel. Tomorrow will we see someone else complete the trinity? xD

Anyways, yesterday my debut novel "Synphesiser" went live for Kindle on Amazon and is currently available to purchase for 99p. It has a very heavy anime/manga influence - in particular, from titles like Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto and Hiromu Arakawa's Fullmetal Alchemist. Although it is a "Kindle Book", the device can be downloaded onto any device that can support Amazon's Kindle app (like iOS and Android phones and devices). The official synopsis is as follows:

"To synthesise is to create distortion. To synphesise is to correct distortion."

Do you know what it's like to have your whole life twisted and turned upside down in a single night? To be called a witch or worse for something you thought was normal? If so, you might be able to understand Lake Havard - he was just a young boy living in a small village, the only thing making him any different to you or me being Laura, the red frog-like "synph", an intelligent creature attuned to nature, that lived with him. Laura had been a part of Lake's family since before he was born, so it was only natural that one day they would perform the ceremonial pact - she would become his synph and he would become her "synphesiser", a promise that they will help each other "become better attuned" with the world.

All it took was one night. One night for his village to be reduced to fire and rubble, one night for him, Laura and a childhood friend to be kidnapped by armed mercenaries and one night for the image of his mother's body lifelessly falling into shallow waters to forever be burned into his memory.

It was only after two years of unspeakable "experiments" that Lake and Laura found themselves rescued from an off-shore facility by HOPE - an organisation seeking to help promote the relationship between synphs and synphesisers, as well as to stand up for those who have their rights denied by others. It wasn't long before the boy had warmed up to the organisation's colourful members, such as the bubbly, dramatic Lukas and the kind, maternal Hannah and he was accepted into their fold. His first mission? To bring down Montgomery Carino, the organised crime boss responsible for the night that turned his life upside down.

"Synphesiser" is the debut novel by Josh A. Stevens, with an earlier draft being written for an "Extended Project" AS qualification when he was at college, which earned him an A* grade.

The first chapter can also be read, for free on the official tumblr.
 
Hey Josh, I read the free Kindle sample and bought the book. Some of the stylistic choices you make in your writing (at least, these could be conscious choices, they might not be) are beyond the point of not being to my taste, but I'm sure you have enough people giving you technical writing advice. I liked a lot of your story ideas though (and actually thought you were riffing a little bit on Fate/stay night more than HagaRen or Naruto until I read your comment above), Laura is moe enough for me to read on (be very picky with whoever you get to do the illustrations for her if this ever spawns art books and the like!).
 
ilmaestro said:
Hey Josh, I read the free Kindle sample and bought the book. Some of the stylistic choices you make in your writing (at least, these could be conscious choices, they might not be) are beyond the point of not being to my taste, but I'm sure you have enough people giving you technical writing advice. I liked a lot of your story ideas though (and actually thought you were riffing a little bit on Fate/stay night more than HagaRen or Naruto until I read your comment above), Laura is moe enough for me to read on (be very picky with whoever you get to do the illustrations for her if this ever spawns art books and the like!).
Hiya! Sorry for taking so long to get back to you - I started work shortly after your post and getting used to 9-5 is hard. Thanks a lot for buying my book! Out of interest, what were the stylistic choices you didn't like?

As for Laura being moe...I never really thought of her as moe, but thinking about it I can see how she could be seen that way xD. Unfortunately I can't draw myself (I tried drawing a character today by sheer coincidence and I should just not try xD). I do know a couple of friends who can draw though and I'm constantly asking them if they could draw some pictures of my characters.
 
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