Thursday 11 December 2014

PROMOTION & AUTHOR INTERVIEW & REVIEW - I WILL FART ON YOUR DREAMS BY LEE FARRELL

Title: I Will Fart On Your Dreams
Author: Lee Farrell
Release Date: 11th May 2014

BLURB supplied by the Author
This is a book about parenting. The book is written in a tongue in cheek manner to show the lighter side of what parenting entails. Having become a parent a few years ago I noticed that the parenting books tend to romanticise the truth. In writing this book I hope to remove some of that romanticism from people’s idea of what it is to be a parent. The reader will come away with a better idea of what to expect from the beautiful experience that is parenting. 

There are fifteen chapters starting at conception and taking the reader through the first few years of being a parent. The book revolves around my own experiences from becoming a parent right through to living in a house with a three and a half and a one year old. 

By sharing my experiences I am hoping to illustrate just how vastly our lives change when we become parents. The fifteen chapters cover a range of subject matter from the normal; pregnancy, birth and eating, to the more unusual things such as; the games they play, the things they say, face plants and more. 

My book will make people laugh and help struggling parents realise that they are not alone in the craziness that pervades their everyday realities. Every parent from young to old and couples planning to have children will garner great enjoyment from reading about my experiences. I would even suggest letting teenagers read it so that they are aware of why contraception is so important. 

The book ends off by helping parents see that the best we can give our children is just to try our best each and every day. Parenting really is a most beautiful experience but that does not mean that it is not filled with pitfalls along the way. My book helps people see that those pitfalls are just as beautiful in their own right.

PURCHASE LINKS

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

What is your name, where were you born and where do you live now?
Lee Farrell, Born in Durban South Africa.  Live in Cape Town South Africa.

Did you always want to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?
No but I remember writing short stories, very gruesome and twisted, during my late teen years – Troubling times for me.

When did you first consider yourself as a "writer"?
I Don’t yet – when I have a best seller I may consider it then.

Did it take a long time to get your first book published?
I worked on my first book for ten years – the first one was more of a cathartic exercise.

Do you work another job as well as your writing work?
Yes I have a full time job – I manage a chemical company and I still play the lottery every week; who really wants to work?

What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarise it in less than 20 words what would you say?
I Will Fart On Your Dreams – This is the perfect parenting book as it shares the truth in an honest and humorous manner.

Who is your publisher? or do you self publish?
I self publish because I haven’t found a mainstream publisher to take me on yet.  Mainstream is still the goal as I do not have the marketing budget that Pan Macmillan or Penguin have.

Do you have a "lucky charm" or "lucky routine" you follow when waiting for your book to be accepted by a publisher?
No

How long does it usually take you to write a book, from the original idea to finishing writing it?
This is only my third book.  The first took ten years, the second is a collection of prose/poetry that I wrote during the course of the ten years.  This last one took six weeks.

Which of your books were easier/harder to write than the others?
This last one was by far the easiest; the kids provide new material on a daily basis!

What can we expect from you in the future?  ie More books of the same genre? Books of a different genre?
I think I will carry on with the parenting books as this is my life.  If I could be a fulltime writer I may try another esoteric book.

Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?
In a few years maybe another one on the middle years.

What genre would you place your books into?
Parenting & humour

What made you decide to write that genre of book?
I felt that the parenting books out there take it too seriously and don’t tell us parents the blatant truth; they try to romanticise parenting.

Do you have a favourite out of the books you have written? If so why is it your favourite?
I Will Fart On Your Dreams – as it is a subject that should be widely read.  And as an immature adult male there would be something quite satisfying to walk into a book store and see a book with ‘fart’ in the title that I wrote.

How long have you been writing?, and who or what inspired you to write?
22 years about.  After I left school at 18 I didn’t write much till I was overseas and hit hard times.  A spiritualist encouraged me to keep a journal to help me find clarity.  The first book stemmed from this.  I find that I do not have to write every day, when I feel inspired I sit and share the inspiration.

Where do you get your book plot ideas from?What/Who is your inspiration?
My kids

Do you have a certain routine you have for writing? ie You listen to music, sit in a certain chair?
No

Do you have anybody read your books and give you reviews before you officially release them? ie. Your partner, children, friends, reviewers you know?
My wife and my mom were the test subjects for this last one; they both loved it but I don’t know if that counts!

Do you gift books to readers to do reviews?
I have a few times and I am still waiting for their reviews!

Do you read all the reviews of your book/books?
Yes I have read the only one that this one has got...

What was the toughest/best review you have ever had?
I am still waiting for all those reviews to pour in.

Would you ever ask a reviewer to change their review if it was not all positive about your book/books?
No, you cannot ask someone for their opinion and then tell them you don’t like it.

How do you come up with the Title and Cover Designs for your book/books?Who designed the Cover of your books?
The titles came from Bella last December when she was three and a half.  She was jumping up and down on her bed when she should have been in it ages before.  I came through and said that it was enough and she must get into bed.  She stopped jumping looked me in the eyes and said “I will fart on your dreams!”  The cover I did on Amazon’s Kindle publisher.

Do you choose a title first, or write the book then choose the title?
Depends, each project is individual; sometimes you don’t even know you are working on a project until it is finished.

How do you market/promote your books?
Twitter and Facebook.  I also have a blog to try and generate interst www.daddyfarrell.blogspot.com I also harass friendly reviewers such as yourself.
What do you think makes a book a really good/bestseller ?
Sincerity from the author in their love for what they are sharing.

Have you ever suffered from a "writer's block"? What did you do to get past the "block"?
Not really but when I have sat down and their hasn’t been anything flowing then I just leave it for another day.

What do you do to unwind and relax?Do you have a hobby?
Spend time with my wife and kids, surf , play playstation and read.

Which format of book do you prefer, ebook,hardback, or paperback?
I prefer a paper book but I understand that the future is ebooks.  It just makes more sense.  I must say it did not take me long to get used to reading on my Kindle.

What is your favourite book and Why?  Have you read it more than once?
I don’t believe there can be any one favourite book.  The Prophet – Kahlil Gibran and Celestine Prophecies – James Redfield were amazing.  Fingerprints of the Gods – Graham Hancock was mind blowing.  The Pillars of the Earth – Ken Follett and The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien were epic stories. Mr Nice – Howard Marks and Papillon – Henri Charriere were wonderful biographies.

Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which is you favourite/worst  book to movie transfer?
Yes and no. It depends on so many factors.  The Lord of the Rings and Fight Club were two excellent adaptations.  Except Fight Club left out the last two pages when Tyler met God which was the best part of the book.

What are you currently reading? Are you enjoying it? What format is it?(ebook, hardback or paperback)
I was reading ‘Slave Species of God’ by Michael Tellinger until my Kindle broke last week.

Do you think ebooks will ever totally replace printed books?
Only in many many years time.

Do you think children at schools these days are encouraged enough to read? and/or do Imaginative writing?
No, especially here in South Africa.  We only have about a 5% readership in adults, the rest think that reading the television guide counts!

Did you read a lot at school and write lots of stories or is being a writer something newer in your life?
I was lucky enough to be privately educated so reading and creative writing was part of our curriculum.

Do you have a treasured book from your childhood? If yes, what is it?
When I was about 15 I read ‘The Pillars of the Earth’ which was probable my favourite as a child.  I also enjoyed ‘V’ by A.C. Crispin and the Sue Townsend series.

Do you have a favourite genre of book?
No I will read most things.  I try and alternate between something light and then something heavier.

What piece of advice would you give to a new writer?
I still consider myself a new writer so do not think I am in a position to give advice.

If you could invite three favourite writers to dinner, who would you invite and enjoy chatting with?
Terry Pratchett, Howard Marks and Graham Hancock.

Where can readers follow you?

Blog: www.daddyfarrell.blogspot.com
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/iwillfartonyourdreams
Twitter: @daddyfarrell
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KAA1B1W


MY REVIEW
Title: I Will Fart On Your Dreams
Author: Lee Farrell
Release Date: 11th May 2014

BLURB supplied by the Author

This is a book about parenting. The book is written in a tongue in cheek manner to show the lighter side of what parenting entails. Having become a parent a few years ago I noticed that the parenting books tend to romanticise the truth. In writing this book I hope to remove some of that romanticism from people’s idea of what it is to be a parent. The reader will come away with a better idea of what to expect from the beautiful experience that is parenting. 

There are fifteen chapters starting at conception and taking the reader through the first few years of being a parent. The book revolves around my own experiences from becoming a parent right through to living in a house with a three and a half and a one year old. 

By sharing my experiences I am hoping to illustrate just how vastly our lives change when we become parents. The fifteen chapters cover a range of subject matter from the normal; pregnancy, birth and eating, to the more unusual things such as; the games they play, the things they say, face plants and more. 

My book will make people laugh and help struggling parents realise that they are not alone in the craziness that pervades their everyday realities. Every parent from young to old and couples planning to have children will garner great enjoyment from reading about my experiences. I would even suggest letting teenagers read it so that they are aware of why contraception is so important. 

The book ends off by helping parents see that the best we can give our children is just to try our best each and every day. Parenting really is a most beautiful experience but that does not mean that it is not filled with pitfalls along the way. My book helps people see that those pitfalls are just as beautiful in their own right.


INITIAL THOUGHTS
Being totally honest, I fancied a change of pace and genre and when Lee Farrell contacted my requesting a review it was perfect timing. I was hoping for a fun, light hearted read.

MY REVIEW
I received an e-copy of this book direct from the author in exchange for my honest review.
The cover has a photograph of a little girl with her fingers up her nose, and her dolls lined up at the side of her on the sofa, she has also taken the TV remotes! All these things are covered in the book, so I'd say the cover is a fairly good representation of the book. Maybe a brighter colour on the cover, something a little more eye-catching. Though I like the cover it doesn't do the book justice! The byline is "Revealing your child's hidden agenda" that also sums up the book well. The title of the book really suits the book, in fact it is something one of the authors children actually said to him!
Would I pick this book up from a book store shelf purely on the strength of the cover? Truthfully I'm not sure, having said that the title would make me want to investigate the book more.
The book is a very addictive read, I know I kept thinking . . .I'll just read one more chapter before I put it down. So I read this one quite late into a couple of nights. It is a collection of funny true stories about Lee Farrell, his long suffering (sorry Lee x) English wife Julia and their two gorgeous sounding daughters Bella Rose and Eden Lilly.
The book begins covering his wife's pregnancy and births of his two daughters. The two births are like chalk and cheese, which is a description that Lee also applies to his daughters too. The book covers, Lee & Julia taking Bella Rose on an airplane for the very first time. They venture on a long plane journey over to the UK so Bella Rose finally meets Julia's family. This book really covers, the positives and negatives of how your life changes when children arrive on the scene. They way they have their own little "spidey-sense" that tells them exactly when to interrupt mum & dad's "private time". Bella Rose enjoyed snuggling up in bed with her mum and dad, whereas Eden Lilly, hated being in her parents bed. So just when you think you have everything worked out on how to do this parenting lark, you go and have another child and she ends up being almost the polar opposite of the first child you had, so you start all over again learning what she prefers. There's funny stories about the girls and animals. I loved the section on one of the girls deciding which toy to take on holiday and she goes through various options explaining why different toys have been "naughty" and are not allowed to go etc. Then there's the first holiday camping. Everything is planned out, I mean it can't be that much different to camping when it was just the two of them can it? Lol, oh yes it can, there's the trips to the toilet before they can set off, the food to eat and entertainment for the journey. There's the stops for loo breaks, and the "we've been driving too long and need to get out of the car" breaks. When you do arrive at the camp site, it's much later than you had expected to arrive, ie, it's dark and you have yet to put up the tent, The the children want something to eat . . .something that's cooked on a proper campfire! The following day, the weather has of course decided to be torrential rain, so you end up packing up the tent and just going home!
I really loved the "games" the children played on the airplanes when they went on holiday. It is so right that if you have a child, they make friends with everyone, they are also very good at dropping you in it too. I remember once taking my young daughter to the Doctors and the lovely lady Doctor leant over and spoke to my daughter who promptly said "Why have you got such big teeth?" Talk about embarrassed! Luckily the Doctor saw the funny side! This book is packed with humorous tales and the quirkiness of little girls and how they learn ways to wrap their parents around their little fingers! 
So did I enjoy the book? Yes, it's written in such a chatty, friendly style. It evokes memories of your own child doing similar things when they were young too.
Would I recommend the book? Yes, I think it's a must read, laugh out loud book!
Would I want to read another book like this? I would I love this memoir, amusing style of book.
Would I read another book if that author wrote one about his daughters as they grow up? Yes, I would Lee gives you a real insight to his two daughters and there life together as a growing family. It would be really nice to know how the girls are doing as they get older.

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