Writing coach Lauren Sapala reviews the 2nd book in my 9-part Enoch Wars saga:<\/p>\n
One of the hallmarks of a truly great writer is the ability to write comedy and horror at the same time. This is one of the many things I love about Ben Settle\u2019s novels. They horrify me and make me laugh, sometimes all in the same scene.<\/strong><\/p>\n
In Vampire Apocalypse (The Enoch Wars Book 2 for superfans), we watch the continued saga of Azriel Creed (weakling-kid-turned-Predator) unfold as Azriel is called to the next phase of his monster-hunting journey.<\/strong><\/p>\n
I say that we \u201cwatch\u201d it unfold because reading this story honestly feels more like watching a movie than reading. I noticed that with the first novel in this series too. There is such a strong feeling of having an experience with a movie instead of a book.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Part of it is the graphic imagery, but it\u2019s also the dialogue and the way the action is structured. And the dialogue, by the way, is hilarious.<\/strong><\/p>\n
A big part of the story in this second book is Anghel \u201cFezziwig\u201d Belasco, a 5,500-year-old vampire who is the Big Daddy Vampire of them all, and everything out of his mouth made me actually laugh out loud.<\/strong><\/p>\n
He was my favorite character by far, and I\u2019m really hoping he shows up again later in the series, although I\u2019m not sure that\u2019s possible considering how it all went down at the end of this book (Don\u2019t worry, I won\u2019t give spoilers).<\/strong><\/p>\n
We also get more of the backstory in this book as to how Azriel came to be the way he is, and what it all means.<\/strong><\/p>\n
And when I say \u201cbackstory,\u201d I mean there\u2019s an epic backstory of grand proportions that has a beautiful \u201cgreat ancient mystery\u201d feel to it that\u2019s woven throughout this series.<\/strong><\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t just a surface-level horror story told in installments, it\u2019s an intricate story made up of many different threads that you have to pay attention to, and that all mean something and come together in a very precise way to form a bigger picture.<\/strong><\/p>\n
That\u2019s why I love it. Because I know it\u2019s something I can come back to again and again, and if I keep reading on, even more of the pieces will be revealed over time.<\/strong><\/p>\n
And now I\u2019m off to read Book 3\u2026<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Two things about not only this novel but all of the ones in the 9-part series I\u2019ve written:<\/p>\n
1. They are written in \u201ccopywriting\u201d style.<\/p>\n
If you like my sales copy and emails, you\u2019ll probably enjoy reading them, too. If you don\u2019t, then you almost certainly will not enjoy them. I try to remove all fluff, and I do not try to be a \u201cgreat writer.\u201d<\/p>\n
I simply strive to engage & entertain..<\/p>\n
2. I loosely merge some Method Acting into my sales copy.<\/p>\n
Specifically, for when I write in others\u2019 voices.<\/p>\n
Take the character Fezziwig Laura mentioned and got such a kick out of. His personality is something that came about as a result of writing in a certain client\u2019s \u201cvoice\u201d for several years. A crotchety old grizzled guy who was an a genious at buying businesses using none of his own money.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t even realize it at the time.<\/p>\n
But nowadays it\u2019s very obvious his voice is in my head to this day.<\/p>\n
In fact I have many \u201cvoices\u201d in my head from my client days.<\/p>\n
And a litmus test to know if you\u2019re a freelancer doing your research correct is, you should literally have multiple personalities that sit in your psyche from writing in their voices\/personalities\/thought patterns.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s my opinion, at least.<\/p>\n
Do what you want with it.<\/p>\n
You can read the novels on Amazon if they interest you.<\/p>\n
Otherwise?<\/p>\n
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