Day: December 7, 2011

Top O’ the World, Ma!

My novel Upgrade just received a fantastic 5-star review by the lovely and talented K.S. “Kat” Brooks. Check this out:

I’ll admit I had no idea what I was getting into when I started reading Upgrade. I’d read a few of Stephen Hise’s blogs and found his wit and writing ability both impressive and refreshing. I wanted to see what his book was about. From all the buzz, I thought it was going to be a futuristic psychological thriller – and I wasn’t far off.

Stephen Hise has written a piece of work that amazes me. I’m a very picky reader – one who gets easily bored and skips over bits and pieces and paragraphs, and sometimes even pages. I read every word of Upgrade. Not only did I read every word, each page turned nearly on its own, beckoning me with the tease of knowing something was going to happen – something that I didn’t see coming. And it was right about that. Continue reading “Top O’ the World, Ma!”

Meet the Author: M.L. Gardner

Author M.L. Gardner

M.L. “Molly” Gardner writes with a simple but elegant style. “It is important to me that readers see the character clearly, the room they are in, and the facial expression they hold during conversation. I often go back and edit out some of the details, finding a good balance of painting a picture and leaving some for the readers imagination. I also only keep an eye on the rules. For every rule I have ever read for fiction writers, I have found a fabulous author who has successfully broken that rule. So from the start I have not focused on the rules. I only care about writing a good story people will love. Don’t get me wrong–grammar and sentence structure are important. So is finding the right balance between conversation and narration and fleshing out characters. But I don’t take it to a level that compromises my sanity. As an author friend of mine so wonderfully puts it to those who micro-analyze his work, Boy did you miss the point. Go be an editor.” Continue reading “Meet the Author: M.L. Gardner”