My First Book Signing - The Soulstealer War

Coming from a small publisher (effectively self-published), I am constantly battling and occasionally appeasing the gods of "Bookdom" in order to spread the word to media folks and encourage new readers to go on-line to purchase my fantasy/sci-fi Novel - The First Mother’s Fire, Book One of The Soulstealer War series. I am taking a quick break from my prior Blog entries, wherein I post professional (and reader) reviews that remain a finer testament than my urgings, to reflect upon my first Book Signing experience.

Last night, I had my first book signing sponsored by Barnes & Noble in Princeton. I was accompanied by a few of my fellow authors... each of us taking ten minutes to either chat or read to the audience. My aging parents sat smiling in the front row, beaming with pride, while my wife tended to our equally thrilled daughters. This was a landmark for all of us, and I rejoiced that my parents were alive and of sound mind (despite dad’s stroke a few years back) to share the night.

I had spent the week posting flyers around our town for the event, as well as angling for local press coverage. Indeed, a small feature article by the local paper suggested that my novel and the signing event was the place to be for Thursday night. Of course, on the down side, I was competing with the NCAA Tournament and Spring Break vacations. There were at least a dozen folks who had said they were coming, but for whatever reason or just fate, never appeared. But as I am fond of pointing out, for every step back, there are more positives to compensate. In this instance, other supporters rallied.

Overall, after the author presentations, I had about an hour and a half to sell (B&N handled this aspect) and sign books. I was honored to discuss, hug and sign away with the various people purchasing my debut novel. While the store record for sales at a signing was not broken, I made a darn good run with the highest sales total of the evening. More importantly, the community manager of Barnes & Noble became a fan and supporter. No, I am not on the shelves yet... it is still a virtual reality of sales via Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com, but I’m closer to this goal. I now have a track record of strong professional reviews, five-star fan reviews, tens of thousands of unique visitors to my website, the endorsement of a Barnes & Noble manager, and I’m hoping a decent record of sales for the two and a half months that the novel has been available to purchase (I’ll have the quarter end numbers soon). Word-of-mouth continues to spread on the Internet grapevine, and I will resubmit my novel to Barnes & Noble for shelf consideration.

The above might sound like too much focus on economics, but it seems to me that transcending foundations and shaking the very rafters of existence (as ascribed to me by Front Street Reviews - see my last post) only matters if I am able to reach my audience, to effect change in the way people view the human condition and our existence in this universe. Unfortunately, business still controls access, and I will not pay heed to the naysayers. Persistence and perseverance are two of the greatest qualities we possess. The book signing was part of a dream come true, and my feet have yet to touch the ground. The journey continues...

W.L. Hoffman
WLHoffman@SoulstealerWar.com
http://www.SoulstealerWar.com

Soulstealer War - Fantasy & Sci-fi Novel - Rave Review

Coming from a small publisher (effectively self-published), I am constantly battling and occasionally appeasing the gods of "Bookdom" in order to spread the word to media folks and encourage new readers to go on-line to purchase my fantasy/sci-fi Novel - The First Mother’s Fire, Book One of The Soulstealer War series. Hopefully, shelf-space in the mainstream bricks & sticks bookstores will follow in the next few months. In the interim, I am posting professional (and reader) reviews that remain a finer testament than my urgings - they have been total RAVES!

Thank you,

W.L. Hoffman - breathe slowly, observe humbly, dream deeply and evolve.
WLHoffman@SoulstealerWar.com
http://www.soulstealerwar.com/

Here’s a professional review by Front Street Reviews (http://www.frontstreetreviews.com/)

ISBN-13 (Paperback): 978-1598-585-391
ISBN-10 (Paperback): 1598-585-398

The First Mother’s Fire

Book I in The Soulstealer War

W.L. Hoffman

Reviewed by Araminta Matthews

We literary folk like to think that Genre fiction is sub-par to literature, often forgetting that some of the best literature has been genre fiction. Literature is meant to break open the inner eye, allow us to reach a deeper truth within ourselves about life, the universe, and everything, so to speak. And yet, for some reason, we have convinced ourselves this cannot happen through fantasy -- that somehow, fantasy, the stuff of dreams, is an invalid platform for discussing humanity. Let us not forget that it was Mary Shelley who, with the fantastical creation of Frankenstein’s Monster, brought us the philosophical and very mortal quandary: are men like gods? Can we create as god creates, and if we do, what will we have left? Or Robert Louis Stevenson who, with a sci-fi potion, brought us the case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde along with the harrowing mirror of our own very real and very human inner demons. Or, shall we pull out the big guns, and tip our hats to William Shakespeare who brought us A Midsummer Night’s Dream which ponders the very nature of life -- what if all of this, life with all of its downward slopes and upward spirals, is a dream and we "hath but slumbered here while these visions did appear"? What if we really don’t have to take life so seriously?

Indeed, it is the mark of good genre fiction that it is able to transcend it’s foundations and shake the very rafters of existence. Douglas Adams did it with his Hitchhiker’s Guide series, Tolkein did it with his Middle Earth, and now W. L. Hoffman has done it with the beginning of The Soulstealer War series. Following the path of Kenneth McNary, perhaps a bit autobiographical of the rigid lawyer turned tale-spinning writer, this young student faces unemployment and myriad life quandaries around the nature of life. Like any true adventurer-at-heart, McNary seeks his answers in nature by attacking the Appalachian Trail. While traversing the Trail, he is magically transported to an alternate world, a world where humans are the minority.

Humans, being the only species on planet Earth to achieve supposed success -- we build buildings, we create machines -- and civilization, have long felt themselves powerful and superior to the world at large. Why shouldn’t we? Since we transcended the food chain, we haven’t had much competition. But The Soulstealer War draws into question the nature of humanity’s alleged superiority by introducing new humanoid creatures who have a Tolkein-esque equality with the planet’s few humans (if humans on this new world have equality, that is). H.G. Wellian creatures thrive on the flesh of the living and survive under the ground in this new world, and a rising power emerges with the mages, dark and light together. McNary finds himself pitted against the greatest odds similar to the plight of humanity. His situation spawns the question: is humanity really this great power? How should power be wielded -- in other words, what is fair and just for the world, for the people? These zombie-esque creatures could easily double as our Mr. Hydes in the world, while these great and terrible mages bow to the men of privilege and Dr. Frankensteins of the world. How does a normal, spiritual, natural human being stack up against these polar opposites, and must he find a place within the spectrum? Or, can he simply be?

The Soulstealer War is a fantastic story. As a writing professor, I am often hypercritical of overwritten texts. This story is not only well-constructed, but I might even argue it is underwritten. By the end, I found myself craving the sequel. And now, having finished it, I find I can’t stop thinking it. W.L. Hoffman is a great writer and this, his first book, is evidence to that effect. Fantasy fans of the world will enjoy this story.

The Soulstealer War - RAVE Reviews!

Coming from a small publisher, I am constantly battling and occasionally appeasing the gods of "Bookdom" in order to spread the word to media folks and encourage new readers to go on-line to purchase my fantasy/sci-fi Novel - The First Mother's Fire, Book One of The Soulstealer War series. Hopefully, shelf-space in the mainstream bricks & sticks bookstores will follow in the next few months. In the interim, I am posting professional (and reader) reviews that remain a finer testament than my urgings - they have been total RAVES!

Thank you,

W.L. Hoffman - breathe slowly, observe humbly, dream deeply and evolve.
WLHoffman@SoulstealerWar.com
http://www.soulstealerwar.com/

Here's a professional review by Roundtable Reviews (http://www.roundtablereviews.com/)

Dog Ear Publishing
ISBN: 1598585398
December 2007
Fantasy
http://www.soulstealerwar.com/

Reviewed By Jerry Unangst

THE FIRST MOTHER’S FIRE is the first book in THE SOULSTEALER WAR series, written by W. L. Hoffman. Kenneth McNary, a recent graduate from law school, has been hiking along the Appalachian Trail when he is contacted by a powerful being named the First Mother (A goddess? Mother Nature? THE God?). She transports him to another world and tasks him with uniting the people to prepare for an upcoming war that threatens to demolish all life. In doing so, Ken finds himself imbued with magical power to aid in his quest.
The quest isn’t an easy one. The few humans on the world are treated like slaves to the Elder, a near-immortal race of beings who have lost their magic. Also, every time Ken uses his magic, it takes a toll on his life force.
Mr. Hoffman, you had me at the Boris Vallejo cover.
I kid, of course. Though I fell in love with the cover, the real treat is the story itself.
The old fish-out-of-water scenario has been a tried and true plot device in a lot of fantasy series. However, the difference here is that Ken isn’t a leper, a soldier, or a widower. In fact, he really has no personal baggage. He’s just a young intelligent man whose two main skills are surviving in the outdoors and using his brain when it counts.
I really found that unique in the typical fantasy-hero archetype. Ken spends a lot of time throughout the story contemplating how magic and science operate in the world. He strives to unite people to each other not by faith or by brute force, but by intelligent arguments using logic.
However, don’t worry dear reader…there’s plenty of action to behold.
Clocking in at fewer than three hundred pages, THE FIRST MOTHER’S FIRE is a quick read and never overstays its welcome like more than a few ponderous fantasy books tend to do. What really sets this book off from other fantasy books is that it’s a book that has ideas.
This is one of the best fantasy books I’ve read within the past couple of years and I eagerly await the second book of the series.