Facebook Author's Page

I have a spanking new author's page on Facebook. Not much to look at yet, but don't let that stop you from popping over for a visit, and leaving a 'Like' on the wall.

www.facebook.com/tacscwl

One From the UK

This from P Doff "Bruin" on Amazon.uk.

Thank you, "Bruin".

Worth a look, 26 Mar 2013

By 

P Doff "Bruin" (Wirral England) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What is this?)

This review is from: The Adventures of Charlie Smithers (Kindle Edition)

This is an engaging book and certainly worth a look. It's in the fashionable faux Flashman mode and works well.

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Keeping It Short and Sweet - Nothing Wrong With That

This from Joseph E Voss on Amazon.com.

Thank you, Joseph.

 The Adventures of Charile Smithers March 21, 2013

By Joseph E Voss

Format:Kindle Edition

Good read. Quite an adventure for Charlie. Charlie seems to get himself in and out of trouble on a regualr basis. Despite his problems he wins the girl and finds true love.

Another Story For WW

I just found out a few days ago that it was okay to submit more than one story for Wild Wolf's short story anthology. Some of you may recollect that this ebook will be practically given away so that readers can get a sample of Wild Wolf's authors work. With that in mind, the first story I sent them was 'Freedom's Wings', as I thought that the humour best reflected what to expect in Charlie Smithers. But when I discovered that it was okay to send in more than one submission, I chose 'Cooking Without Onions', a story of about half the length, and much darker in content. Just sent it off to Sam at Wild Wolf this morning, so we'll have to wait and see.

For those of you who have been assiduously following this blog, you'll recall that 'Freedom's Wings' was posted on here on the 18th of April, 2012, as it had been previously published in Saskatchewan's Transition Magazine.

FreeFall - Contract's Signed & Sent

The contract allowing FreeFall to publish "Angus Breaks Free" has been signed and sent away, along with a few corrections in the punctuation from the proof.

That's the good news.

What isn't quite so good is that the contract states that FreeFall has exclusive publishing rights for a period of three months after publication. So instead of posting my story on this blog some time in early May as planned, I'll have to wait until August.

Twitter

 I thought you might like to know that I now have a Twitter account @tacscwl on Twitter . Please 'share' with your friends.

In the Top 100 in the UK

Charlie Smithers just broke into the top 100 in Humour at Amazon.uk. Thought I'd copy and paste this part in case it's gone before anyone else has a chance to see it!

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #4,769 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

• #91 in Books > Fiction > Humour

Coming Out The First Week In May

Just had a look at the calendar, and OMG!

The first week in May is going to be exciting (well, for me anyway). The ever prestigious literary magazine, FreeFall, just got back to me about when their next issue will be released, which includes my story, "Angus Breaks Free". Guess when! Yep, and that comes pretty close to when e-zine HelloHorror releases their issue with my flash-fiction, "Baggage".

Award winning (ahem!),"And Then It Rained", will be coming out in Voices almost exactly a month to the day later, along with my regular submission, "The Icon", one of the oldest stories in my collection, written in 1993, when I still had the experience of a year spent working in Romania coursing through my veins.

You'll be able to find all four of these stories posted on this blog immediately after the pertaining magazine releases that particular issue, but that's not all!

Early May is also the deadline for submissions for an anthology my publisher, Wild Wolf, plans to release as an ebook, probably sometime over the summer. You'll want to get this. They'll be practically giving it away. You see the idea is not to make money on the book itself, but to give you an idea of the talents of their authors, so you can judge whether you might like to read more of our work (it's at this point that it would be nice to make a buck or two). With that in mind, you can bet that we're all submitting our very best stuff. Don't worry, I've already sent mine in. Just waiting to hear back.

Oh, one more thing. That'll be around the time that I can expect my next royalty for Charlie Smithers to arrive. I have no idea what to expect, the numbers have been bouncing around all over the place, but gradually working their way higher (as far as I can tell, anyway. I'm by no means an expert at reading these things).

So yeah, a whole lotta stuff going on in a little over a month from now. I, for one, can't wait!

Stay tuned....

Coming Out in FreeFall

This just came in last night. However it gets there, getting published in FreeFall - arguably one of the more prestigious literary magazines in the country - is no small accomplishment. It definitely puts weight in a resume.

"Dear Chuck Lovatt, 

While "Angus Breaks Free" wasn't one of Patrick Lane's winners, this year, we feel that the work is delightful, and memorable. We would be pleased to publish it at the regular page rate, and have it reach our readership. We felt that your characters were true and well developed. 

Let us know if this is acceptable to you, and if so we will send a contract. Please also include a short bio. We would be pleased to include you in the pages of the magazine. 

Thank you for sending us your fine writing, 

Micheline Maylor 

Editor "

First in "Write On the Lake" Contest

I just received this email:

"Dear Chuck,

I am please to inform you that your entry "And Then It Rained" placed 1st in the Adult Fiction category of the Write on the Lake contest. You will be contacted officially soon. Would you please e-mail a copy to thrive@mts.net for publication in the next issue of Voices. You will be invited to the launch of the book, likely at McNally Robinson's in Winnipeg in late May or early June. 

Congratulations.


Yours sincerely,

Richard Koreen
Contest Coordinator"

A great way to end the week, and to start the weekend!

"And Then It Rained" will be posted on this site, probably in early June.

Charlie Smithers - Amazon Link Update

For convenience sake, I thought that I'd post this page again to make it easier to find. I was just thinking how much it's changed in four months (this is .com, btw, .ca & .uk are slightly different - reviews, ranking # etc).

 Don't forget to 'Share' with your friends!

(and reviews, 'Likes' and tags, please - just a few months ago I never realized there were so many things to nag you about :))

Once again the links are:
.ca: http://www.amazon.ca/The-Adventures-Charlie-Smithers-ebook/dp/B00A4A407U/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360166592&sr=1-1

.com:http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Charlie-Smithers-ebook/dp/B00A4A407U/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360166789&sr=1-1&keywords=charlie+smithers

.uk:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Adventures-Charlie-Smithers-ebook/dp/B00A4A407U/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360166984&sr=1-1

I thought that I'd include this one, too. For no reason I can think of it's not doing outrageously bad:
Germany:The Adventures of Charlie Smithers

I see that there are more and more page views from Spain, too, so here you are: The Adventures of Charlie Smithers

Having come this far, I might as well add France: The Adventures of Charlie Smithers
Italy: The Adventures of Charlie Smithers Brazil: The Adventures of Charlie Smithers
and Japan: The Adventures of Charlie Smithers

The Adventures of Charlie Smithers [Kindle Edition] C W Lovatt (Author) 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews) | Liked(4) Digital List Price: $2.93 What's this?  Kindle Price: $2.93 includes free international wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet Length: 260 pages (estimated)  Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here. Book Description Publication Date: November 8, 2012 Harry Flashman, step aside, old son. Make way for Charlie Smithers. The time is the nineteenth century. The place, the Serengeti Plain, where one Charlie Smithers – faithful manservant to the arrogant bone-head, Lord Brampton (with five lines in Debrett, and a hopeless shot to boot) – becomes separated from his master during an unfortunate episode with an angry rhinoceros, thereby launching Charlie on an odyssey into Deepest Darkest Africa, and subsequently into the arms of the beautiful Loiyan…and that’s where the trouble really begins. Maasai warriors, xenophobic locals, or evil Arab slavers, the two forbidden lovers encounter everything that the unforgiving jungle can throw at them. "A truly engaging read that will keep anyone’s attention from the hilarious beginning until the last word. I highly recommend this 5 star novel." ~ Chapters & Chats  Show less Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought   Page 1 of 19 Back Flashman and the Cobra › Robert Brightwell 4.5 out of 5 stars (15) Kindle Edition $2.93 Flashman and the Seawolf › Robert Brightwell 3.9 out of 5 stars (27) Kindle Edition $2.91 The Tainted Prize (Under Admiralty Orders - The … M.C. Muir 4.2 out of 5 stars (9) Kindle Edition $2.93 Milligan and the Samurai Rebels › Simon Alexander Collier 4.9 out of 5 stars (8) Kindle Edition $4.96 Thorverton and the Nile Stephen Manning 3.0 out of 5 stars (1) Kindle Edition $4.67 Next Product Details File Size: 521 KB Print Length: 260 pages Publisher: Wild Wolf Publishing (November 8, 2012) Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc. Language: English ASIN: B00A4A407U Text-to-Speech: Enabled  X-Ray: Not Enabled  Lending: Not Enabled Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #83,839 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store) Did we miss any relevant features for this product? Tell us what we missed.  Would you like to give feedback on images or tell us about a lower price? Customer Reviews 4.6 out of 5 stars (5) 4.6 out of 5 stars 5 star 4 4 star 0 3 star 1 2 star 0 1 star 0 See all 5 customer reviews “THE ADVENTURES OF CHARLIE SMITHERS Debut novelist C W Lovatt hits the ground running with his historical fiction novel "The Adventures of Charlie Smithers". ”Jodi Hanson  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement “This book will make you laugh, make you swoon, and make you cry. ”DebG  |  1 reviewer made a similar statement “Mr. Lovatt has a talent for succinct, yet effective description, which makes the impression all the more lasting for its brevity. ”Elizabeth  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement Most Helpful Customer Reviews 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful 5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderfully engaging read! November 10, 2012 By Jodi Hanson Format:Kindle Edition THE ADVENTURES OF CHARLIE SMITHERS Debut novelist C W Lovatt hits the ground running with his historical fiction novel "The Adventures of Charlie Smithers". I found myself wildly entertained by the poetic prose and often humorous undertones you wouldn't expect from a first foray into the world of publishing. Manservant to Lord John Houghton and reluctant world traveler, Charlie Smithers finds himself stranded in the Serengeti after a narrow escape from a charging rhinoceros, and headlong into a battle with dangerous predators hell bent on a meal of fresh meat. Saved by Maasai hunters Charlie finds himself in the midst of danger once again and falling for the beautiful Loiyan, the woman who nursed him back to health. Charlie's journey takes him and his new love through numerous battles, nefarious slave traders and welcoming villagers on a course that will change his view of the world and questioning his priorities as he pushes to find his way back to England. Mr. Lovatt's descriptive writing has the Serengeti coming to life before your eyes. He has done his homework on the people, places and geography of Africa that become the background for a touching love story wrapped up in an adventure. His protagonist is a loveable and loyal Englishman who could have ended up being written as a cookie cutter adventurer in the style of Robinson Crusoe but carries a life of his own that can only be described as refreshing. The bottom line is "The Adventures of Charlie Smithers" is truly engaging read that will keep one's attention from the hilarious beginning until the last word. I highly recommend this 5 star novel. Disclaimer: This book was given to me as a galley by the author for an honest and unbiased review. Comment |  Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful 5.0 out of 5 stars A thoroughly rewarding reading experience! February 22, 2013 By Hrtls Format:Kindle Edition I have just finished reading TACS for the second time. The first time I read it, I became so caught up in the story & involved with the characters that I found myself racing through it to find out what happened to them; so I needed to read it again – at a more leisurely pace – to appreciate how well-written the book is. CWL is a talented writer. He is a terrific storyteller, with a plot that keeps the reader involved from beginning to end with its suspense & many surprises along the way. At the same time, he has a natural narrative style that makes reading a pleasure. He is a very visual writer, evoking the vivid images & atmosphere of the land of the Maasai: for example, he describes the great flocks of birds as ‘vast artificial clouds’, their song an ‘avian exaltation,’ & ‘somewhere in the night, a hyena cackled at something wildly amusing.’ He has a knack for appropriate similes – the kind that make you smile in the middle of a line: for instance, he says of a boat full of armed slavers: ‘their muskets bristling like a hedgehog,’ & a knack for summing up intense situations with a single statement: ‘We were alone now, a lost tribe of one man and one woman;’ Charlie’s old worries ‘all seemed distant and unimportant, as though they were events that might have happened to someone else - some minor character in a bad play;’ & again, after a tragic event, ‘I sight down the barrel. The blue steel glows dully in a sun I had thought gone from the sky.’ He also has a gift for dialogue, which really makes his characters come alive. There is an episode, in which Charlie & Loiyan are caught in a torrential rainstorm in an open canoe, which they are forced to bail out frantically throughout the night. The conclusion of this episode – where Charlie comes to terms with having survived – is made hilarious by the skillful play of dialogue between the two characters. I especially appreciated the recurring themes in the book: the idea of ‘Britishness’, in particular what it meant to a gentleman’s gentleman in the mid 19th century at the height of Victoria’s empire. At one point, Charlie notes: ‘But then, he wasn’t British, so he had no way of knowing what was or wasn’t done.’ The second recurring undercurrent is lasting impact of one of that empire’s wars on one of the common men who found himself fighting it. TACS is a book that is difficult to classify with just one label; while it is historical fiction, (& like all successful historical fiction, the author gets the historical details right, as two of the previous reviewers have mentioned,) as well as being an adventure story, it is also a compelling love story; it is a social commentary as well as a social satire; it is both broadly humorous and deeply tragic. Like a previous reviewer, I too would like to read more of the adventures of Charlie Smithers. He is thoroughly pleasant company! Comment |  Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful 5.0 out of 5 stars When is the next one? February 25, 2013 By Elizabeth Format:Kindle Edition If you are looking for a scathing review of a writer's debut novel, this is not it. Historic fiction is not my go-to genre; having said that, I found this story engaging and delightful. I hate when authors take six sentences to describe a scene and set the mood, which leaves me skipping paragraphs to get to the point. None of that in this novel! Mr. Lovatt has a talent for succinct, yet effective description, which makes the impression all the more lasting for its brevity. It was an easy, well-flowing read - at times humorous, at times poignant and tragic, but always true to the story that needed to be told. This book was an excellent read, chock full of interesting characters, an unusual storyline, and a lead character worth cheering for. I will be watching for further efforts of Mr. Lovatt. Comment |  Was this review helpful to you? Yes No › See all 5 customer reviews (newest first) Write a customer review Advertisement  Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the read! In his first novel, CW Lovatt seems to have found his niche... Historical fiction is my favourite fictional genre, and accuracy with events, culture, geography, and demographics of... Read more Published 24 days ago by DebG 3.0 out of 5 stars the adventures of charlie smithers have not finished reading it yet it is difficult to follow but will likely all come together in the end good for you Charlie congrarulations s.s. Published 2 months ago by shirley spratt Search Customer Reviews  Only search this product's reviews More About the Author › Visit Amazon's C W Lovatt Page Biography CW Lovatt lives in Canada where it is very cold. "The Adventures of Charlie Smithers" takes place in Africa where it is very warm. This is not an accident. What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing T