Life's A Gas - A Love Story Set In Deep Space & Cornwall

Your short pitch caught me with this one. I really liked how you developed Colin as a character through introspection/internal dialogue. Liked this and will read more as soon as I can – Good luck with this!

Famlavan – Museum of Old Beliefs

La - la... laaaa.... la.. la. laaaa. laaa......
da .da. da. daaaa.... dum did dum didi lum.....daaaaaa....da-daaaaaa!
Di, da , duuuuuu, de! Dib, dab dub, di miiiiii , gra.... gu, me zuuuu, le beige swimsuits...
guppay , laaa tooooooo lima zoooooooo!



Your book made feel like this wonderful song i wrote just for the frying pan.


BACKED

Hi Dave. This is definitely my sort of humour. Colin... the name is so right for your character. And Jake Thackery! I ask you! The writing is as smooth as a babies btm. Love it. Backed with pleasure. Nicky.

Life's a Gas...

Only one concern to share before backing this novel...

Be wary of describing non-dramatic characters at great length (e.g., Blandford Presley). If Blandord does show up again in the story and does move the plot forward (i.e., if he is a dramatic character), then ignore this comment. If he doesn't move the story forward, then, as funny as he is, I'd spend far less time on him. I know, you'll cry, but once you get used to performing surgery on your work by cutting out the unnecessary parts, you actually do get used to it (sort of.)

Funny, engaging, and promises to be a compelling read, too.

Shelved, of course.

Cheers,
Sheryl
IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES (would really appreciate your honest feedback because I'm revising right now AND trying to stay on the ED at the same time.)

Life's a Gas...

Commenting as I go along...love your pitches (but check for one spelling mistake).

C. 1 really grabbed...great characterization of Colin, plus suspenseful, too.

Do watch out for the word 'just,' a perennial favourite for all of us (even Barbara Kingsolver overuses it, but still....)

Reading on...

Dave
I go to a writers group every tuesday....Each week we read a chapter of our work out loud....Red pen poised, because we always delete something.........I read yours out loud....words like:-

'the' 'had' 'really' show up quite alot where you dont need them.......In fact the word 'really' actually slows down what you want to say if used in the wrong place.

Your going to hate me..........You take a whole paragraph to 'light a fag' Two lines can say where he is, what he's doing ....

Colin sat in the Kings Head. His eyes flashed a curious left and right of the bar, he lit cigarette, sunk into his chair and contemplated his crossword.. He blew out a thin line of smoke, as his pen whispered across the page.........,

We all have different writing styles, but usually our style mirrors our voice......You have your own writing voice....I think your writing voice is potentially much better than what you've written.....If your read out loud you will see what I mean, write as you speak, you dont need big 'ly' words and background prose to pad it out....You've got a great plot and a wonderful story, you have more than enough to say......Unless the size of the cigarettes and the packet is relevant later (delete it).....

But for god sake dont take my word for it, because you can't listen to everyone's views......Use your own judgement.....if you read it out loud and your happy with it, then perfect......I'm wrong, and it's your writing voice after all.......I'd like to know what you think! x

I'm glad to have found this. Been a while since I've read something truly witty on this site. I'm backing this on the basis that I loved the first chapter and will continue to read on. We both have a very similar style of writing and because of that, I urge you to have a little look at End Time Gentlemen.

Life's a Gas - Dave, this is an amazing, clever, funny story.. This type of tale where the ordinary is turned upside down is always fantastic, if you pull it off and you do in spades!!! The characters are genuine - down-to-earth but smart and snappy.. it has a bit of a dr. who feel; also, hitchhiker's guide. read 7 chapters.. all well done.. best of luck in getting published.. evan (oaklane woods)

Hi Dave! What I like about your book is your ability to make your characters come alive and seem real, whether they're Colin or a hologram. Well done! There's a lot of humour in the telling, here, so that kept my interest, even though SciFi doesn't normally do anything for me. That's the great thing about Authonomy, reading books you wouldn't normally read and yet finding out that you've enjoyed them. This book deserves to rise higher in the rankings. Best wishes for this work and your writing.

Michael
The Last Coming Out Story

Sometimes you feel you’re not so much reading a book as you’re reading an author, and you think you’d like to know the author better because he or she sounds like such a good egg. This is very well-crafted, a gag every ten seconds, never lets up, and a very endearing protagonist who fills in crossword puzzles in the 1976 Boys Book of Bumper Summer Puzzlers (Oxfam, 20p) with random assortments of letters and puts on the air of a college Don whilst accidentally smoking a biro. As with all the best comedy, there’s some very good observational detail in here. And your dialogue flows nicely.

This is very English too. I’m not sure how well-known Jake Thakeray is outside this country, but I concur with you on that one.

Only one typo I could see:
Chapter one: “a particularly effected College Don” – should be ‘affected’.

Incidentally, if you haven’t done so already, I think you ought to look at Martin Green’s “Mrs Gristle: A Rick Bunion Investigation”, also on Authonomy. It’s quite similar to yours and I’m sure you’d really enjoy it.

Anyway, this is a very funny book that deserves to go a long way. Bookshelved.

Bren Verrill
The Weird Problem of Good.

Ha great stuff, very funny and good craic. Touch of Hitch hiker's about it perhaps which is no bad thing. Good luck, shelved
Michael

Hi Dave,

What a fun read! Colin is a great character and your story is a complete riot. Very funny stuff. This deserves to do well. Wishing you the best of luck with it.

Heidi
Turning Red

Read the first few chapters and found it very humorous. Shelving and good luck :)

Hi Dave: I think this has great promise, but needs a serious edit. In your pitch, you say 'based in..' - it's not based in, it's there. 'Deepest darkest Cornwall' is mentioned twice - suggest you get rid of a least one of the mentions. In ch 1 - 'effected' should be 'affected'. You seem to use quite a lot of clichés, and a lot of unnecessary verbiage. But if you tighten it up, it could be a winner. On my shelf for a bit.

Keefie (Tybalt & Theo).

Dave!
Bouncing between droll wit and tongue in cheek zaniness. Colin is hilarious. Your voice is wonderful. In the pub, back home, out again to the pub. Crazy Sally, love/hate/fear relationship. I love this.
Makes me laugh out loud.
On my shelf.
Jeff

Great humour combined with great writing - this deserves to do well. Excellent, witty dialogue. Might be worth re-visiting your first line; I've got a schooldays memory about commas after "and" being a no-no (perhaps it should read "Friday Night. Colin sat alone..."?). Whatever - your style and the sheer entertainment value relegates such trivial matters. Love the chapter headings too - backed.

Lisel
Isis In Crisis

Crazy as a box of frogs overdosing on silly juice, this book is an absolute hoot. I hate making comparisions but there was an echo of Douglas Adams here but only an echo. This is far richer, more detailed story telling, the absurdities of the everyday world brilliantly realised. Adams also wrote two dimensional characters. These are fully defined and believable including those in space. So many great lines and witty,knowing modern culture references- very Brirish humour- and all the better for it.
I thoroughly enjoyed Life is a Gas and it is a great pleasure to back it and wish it every success

LIFE'S a GAS (Dave Holland)
Cornwall has caught attention for authors at least since the time of Daphne du Maurier.
Here the author manages that difficult combination of the bizarre and the comic, and somehow makes it all believable and enjoyable.
Backed
mch
http://mclementhall.com

This has to be the Red Dwarf of novels... mixed with a little Douglas Adams and a hint of Terry Pratchett. To try to describe it with one word is difficult when so many would do. At turns it's strange, peculiar and odd, with funny, curious twists to the plot that are at once outlandish and wonderful. Some of the characters are a little outré but their eccentricity fits perfectly with the story. It is unconventional and unorthodox in the best way which is why I shelved it.

Simply a gas from start to finish... oh, and it has Cornwall in it, so as a Kernowan I'm honour-bound to back it!

Yeah, Dave: Bizzare. And I love it. It's all very well written. That second chapter story was insane. I have been laughing out loud as I've read this. I wonder why Colin put the 'card' under his door when it was supposed to have been in the fridge, but I imagine you know what you're doing. You certainly can carve a story. Well done and shelved. Rachael (American Clique).

P.S. you might fix the format (the spacing) in the first chapter.

LOL. What on earth are you on? Whatever it is, can I have some? I love this kind of madness. It appeals to my chaotic sensibilites.

I was pointed in your direction by my friend Ali Mair, and I can see why see has recommended your really quite rabid, yet gentle, satirical novel. Arise again, Sir Douglas Adams. Excellent. I've have just skimmed through your work, but it's on my WL.

Martin.
(My House on the Fjord)

Hi Dave,
Have looked at the first chapter and loved it, will be back to leave a proper comment when I've read further ;-) Shelved!
Welcome to Autho!
AnnabelleP
(Adelaide Short)

There is some great comedy on here and you have effortlessly joined the ranks. Subtle, sly and satisfying. This book has a real future. On my shelf. Patrick Barrett (Shakespeares Cuthbert)

Hey Dave

I did a rapid skim and liked what I read - I have to go get cigarettes before I shake, so I'll drop a proper comment when I return.

Emma x