Dear Friends. The recent FaceBlock fiasco in Australia reminds us that to rely on any one platform/service/outlet run by moguls/barons/billionaires is unwise. We have not put all our bears in one basket, however, and you can find Me, Mark, and Mawson (the furry one) all over this bright world including, of course, right here at WordPress.
By the way, when I tried to publish the post above on my FB page during the fiasco, it was blocked. It was considered as ‘news or news content from a news provider’. So there you have it: Mawson is NEWS.
Your host, Mark, is Mawson Bear’s Guardian, photographer, editor, blundering typist, chocolates fetcher and cushions re-arranger.Baffled Bear Books ABN: 4787910119.
Did you know, Fellow Baffled Ones and Gentlebears, that you can leave reviews of books? You don’t have to be a formal reviewer. You can just plonk down what you think about a book. You can say a lot or say a little. It would be so wonderful if you do some reviews.
Each review is wanted, Each review is good, Your review is welcome In a writer’s neighbourhood.
Why your help matters: In these days of (shudder) Algorithms all forms of recognition for a book matter. They are all noted. They all add up. Likes, Shares, Mentions, Clicks on buttons that say ‘Helpful’- they all get taken into account by these (shudder) Algorithms. But the most helpful thing of all is a REVIEW.
YOUR review matters so much that I would send every reviewer a block of chocolate* if I could, smudged by tears of gratitude. Your review not only tells other purchasers of Grand Books about (cough) mine, but they also jump up the rankings and the visibility and all that sort of thing.
It’s easy, really it is: Some reviews kindly given for It’s A Bright World To Feel Lost Inhave been only a line. Two lines. A few more lines. Click here to see examples, real reviews on Amazon dot Com.
It’s fun to have a bash: If you are stuck for something to say, simply bash away on the star ratings. They all get counted by those (shudder) algorithms. Here Sir Scotland The Brave shows how to stab most valiantly at the ratings.
Click Like: While you are at these websites, you can also run your eye down the page to the reviews left by other fine people, and click on the ‘Helpful’ or ‘Like’ buttons beneath them.
The awesome power of ‘playing’ on your device: Every Share, Like and Mention on your social media helps; yes, the (shudder) algorithms note it all. Keep them coming and Mawson’s books, and the books of all writers, can keep bravely going out into the wide bright world.
Elisabeth Foster, author of the wonderful booksEsme’s Wishand Esme’s Gift kindly interviewed Mawson Bear on her website about his picture books for grownups. Here is the start of Elisabeth’s interview.
‘It’s easy to feel lost and alone in this fast-moving world, and comfort can come from unexpected places. In Mawson Bear’s picture book for adults we meet a wise old bear who offers simple advice that goes straight to the heart. The following interview is with Mawson himself. I have never interviewed a bear before and I was rather nervous but Mawson soon put me at ease, just the way he does for readers in It’s A Bright World To Feel Lost In.
Can you tell us what inspired you, Mawson, to go on this Bear adventure?
We bears feel, deep down in our stuffing, that when all the naps are snoozed and the words are said, everything is still grand. That’s why we are such a comfort. But so many people forget this. Many people go down, down, into doubts and worry. They even forget all about us bears. So I pondered one day, between naps, that it would be grand to sort of say comforting things in little books for people.
Mawson’s first book is called It’s A Bright World To Feel Lost In: You can plonk your paw here to read it for FREE on Kindle Unlimited in some Amazon regions. And you can buy the Kindle at a 75% discount! Find the print edition there too or see it at Book Depository (free shipping all over the world).
Mawson’ second book is called She Ran Away From Love: Plonk paws here to read it for FREE on Kindle Unlimited at some Amazon regions. The Kindle to buy is marked down 75%! It is also at Book Depository (with free shipping all over the world).
Here is some of the text of an interview by Rachel Nightingale, author of The Tales of Tarya, of Mark, Mawson Bear’s Guardian.
‘Mawson is the proud author of It’s a bright world to feel lost in, published by Publisher Obscura. This is a beautiful philosophical book in the vein of The blue day book by Bradley Trevor Grieve. It is the perfect sort of book to buy as a stocking stuffer or Kris Kringle for someone who likes to muse about life, and who hasn’t lost their sense of whimsy. Mawson ‘s second book is She Ran Away From Love.’
Which writer or writers opened your eyes to the magic of storytelling and why?
‘When young I devoured books by many authors but when it comes to the magic they brought me, I will list those by C.S Lewis (Narnia), Issac Asimov (Sci Fi), and Rosemary Sutcliffe (historical fiction).’
Like most readers, what I sought was to be transported from this world. With these writers I could be in Norman England winning back a castle during a school break, in the woods of Narnia on a rainy Sunday, or fleeing rogue robots during a long car ride.
What is your greatest magical power as a writer?
‘Shyly he says, ‘I listen to the bears’.
Poets, actors, composers, painters, ‘artistic people’, all speak reluctantly about the heart of creativity. They proffer vague expressions like ‘feeling inspired’, ‘being guided’, ‘trusting the muse’, ‘entering into the role’. What does this mean? I think it’s about listening for ‘something’. Now, this ‘something’ cannot not be analysed or modelled on a flow chart. It’s very shy, and it needs to trust you to respect it. I think the greatest magical power of a writer is to gently –don’t startle it –gently reach out for this ‘something’, gain it’s trust; and then to let characters and story flow on from there.
I listen to my bears. I never know when I’ll hear in a voice as quiet as can be imagined the best ponders framed in the best words; and these are ideas and words that I myself did not have in mind, really I didn’t. When I don’t listen but just grind on, my writing is not right: the voice feels wrong, the images don’t flow, and it is not satisfying’.
While you are there be sure to read more about the books by this novelist, playright, performer and thespian. Rachel ponders much about the power of story and fantasy in our lives. At her website you can learn more about the Commedia dell’Arte, an inspiration forThe Tales of Tarya.
You are at Mark’s blog called Baffled Bear Books. Mark is a bibliophile, dark coffee tragic, and the guardian and blundering typist for Mawson Bear, one of this bright world’s few published bears.
Jessie Cahalin’s delightful read gives us the ‘ordinary’ worry-wracked decisions and moments of joy in the everyday lives in the village of Delfryn. Each character tries hard to convince themselves they can handle their problems, but none seem able to really go it alone. Then, can any of us?
Jim is haunted by the loss of his son and wife. Could the visits of little Daisy from next door who loves sunflowers spark new life in him? Daisy’s mother Ruby fears to reveal her illiteracy to her husband Dan, while he conceals from her the troubles of his business. Sophie and Jack, new arrivals in Delfryn, are desperately trying to conceive but unwilling to discuss the strain of the IVF procedures with Jack’s parents nor even with each other. And why have those parents visited in a manner completely out of character? The owners of the village cafe, Rosa and Matteo, at first seem an adoring couple but there seem to be tensions there.
As these people’s lives cross and connect they see where they can help one another and, as importantly, they learn how to accept it themselves.
In this story there occour no explosions, no murders, no car chases – well, apart from the camper van that hurtles toward a school bus. There are no vampires lurking in the woods or undead in the hills or villians plotting for world domination. We are treated instead, as the line on the cover says, to ‘Love, laughter, music and secrets’. I loved it all. Apparently this is the first in a projected series and I am certainly going to buy the next one.
