I have updated my review page where you can find links to reviews of my books. If you are interested in writing an honest review of any of my books in return for a free copy please contact me at newauthoronline (at) gmail.com
Please put ‘book review’ in the subject line of your email.
For my review page please go to: http://newauthoronline.com/reviews-of-my-books/
Thank you
This is an excellent post. I am happy to accept guest posts on my blog, newauthoronline.com. Chris has good advice about establishing a dedicated page setting out terms and conditions regarding what will and will not be accepted. This is something which I will be establishing on my site. In the meantime if you are interested in doing a guest post please contact me at newauthoronline (at) gmail.com. Please put “Guest Post” in the subject line. Kevin
The Questions:
(From authors)
WHY should I promote other authors and their books on MY blog when I can’t even get LOTS of people to buy and review MY book(s)?
(From Readers & Bloggers)
WHY would authors (read demi-gods) who are way above me in the hierarchy of intelligence levels possibly want to send their articles to ME – a lowly Reader and Blogger?
(From existing Author / Books Bloggers)
I ALREADY have a good system going so WHY should I even CONSIDER changing it?
The Answers
(To Authors)
By featuring other authors and their books on YOUR blog, YOU and YOUR BOOK(S) will be seen by visitors as well – plus – it WILL bring NEW visitors and followers to YOUR BLOG and may even result in them getting YOUR BOOK(S)!
(To Readers & Bloggers)
Authors may have a talent with words that YOU may, or may not, have…
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As a guide dog owner for some 20 years or more I was surprised to come across this post about service dogs in the USA, (http://aopinionatedman.com/2015/02/07/service-dogs/). In it Opinionated Man questions whether all the dogs described as “service dogs” are, in fact the genuine article. He states his dislike of having an animal sitting in close proximity while eating in a restaurant. In the comments following on from the post a number of people contend that they have seen dogs in shops which, they say where not service animals. In short, according to the post the law as to which constitutes a “service dog” in the USA is lax and/or not properly enforced.
One respondent does, however confirm my understanding of the situation in the USA, namely that federal legislation (The Americans With Disabilities Act) mandates that “service dogs” (known in the UK as “Assistance Dogs”) must be permitted access to food and other premises when accompanied by their owner.
I have no way of knowing whether there exists a big “service dog” scam in the USA with people passing off their pet fido as a well trained “service dog”. If there does indeed exist such a scam then it should be jumped on from a great height by the authorities as those offering fake “service animals” are bringing properly trained guide and other assistance animals into disrepute. However my experience as a guide dog owner in the UK is very different from that portrayed in the above mentioned post. Here the Equalities Act states that guide and other assistance dogs must be permitted entry, when accompanied by their owner to food premises such as restaurants. A guide dog is essential to the blind person’s mobility/independence and the Act recognises this by construing refusal to admit assistance dogs as discrimination. Other than one particularly poor joke I have never come across evidence of non assistance dogs being passed off as properly trained working animals. If this where to happen it would be a clear breech of the law and those perpetrating the scam would be liable to prosecution.
The problem in the UK revolves around service providers such as taxi firms and restaurants breaking the law by refusing entry to owners accompanied by their assistance dogs. It does not concern people trying to pass off their pet pooch as a genuine assistance dog. I know because I have been on the receiving end of such refusals on numerous occasions, (for the most recent example which entails a taxi firm refusing to convey me with my guide dog Trigger please see http://newauthoronline.com/2014/12/09/discrimination-by-taxi-driver-who-refused-to-convey-me-with-my-guide-dog-trigger/). Sadly I am far from being unique. Speaking to the Guide Dogs For The Blind Association (the UK charity which trains guide dogs) and to fellow guide dog owners, I hear stories of refusals of entry by restaurants and other premises together with instances of taxi firms refusing to convey owners accompanied by their very highly trained guide dogs).
Refusal to admit assistance dogs has the effect of preventing their owner from accessing services which others take for granted. It is treating people who rely on their assistance animals as second class citizens and it is wholly unacceptable.
In conclusion I understand the concern regarding any old mut being passed off as a service dog and/or assistance dog. However the problem of scams pails into insignificance when compared to the discrimination faced by disabled assistance dog owners. We must not allow genuine concerns about service dog scams to blind us to the real problem, that of discrimination.
An animated reading of “Irish Poets Learn Your Trade” by William Butler Yeats, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1iBoltKhJU&feature=em-subs_digest). It is the first time I have heard the voice of Yeats. The reading is surprisingly good given the recording technology available at the time.
Kevin
I also greatly enjoyed reading Kevin Cooper’s book and can recommend it. Kevin (no relation)
As a blind computer user the issue of web accessibility is close to my heart. Prior to addressing the matter in hand it may be helpful if I sketch out how people who are unable to read print access the web.
I lost the majority of my vision at about 18-months-old. I can see outlines of objects but lack sufficient vision to read my computer’s screen. How then do I navigate the internet?
Blind computer users utilise screen reading software which converts the text on screen into speech and/or Braille allowing the visually impaired person to navigate the web. In my case I use Jaws (http://www.freedomscientific.com/Products/Blindness/JAWS) on both my work and home computers.
So, if you use Jaws and it allows you to access the internet what is the problem? Surely everything in the garden is rosey?
No, unfortunately not.
So what problems do you encounter?
So should I not put photographs on my site?
We live in a predominantly sighted world and it would be wholly unreasonable for anyone to expect web site owners not to use photographs and/or other images. They can make a sight more interesting and encourage visitors to participate by, for example leaving comments. Labelling an image with text can aid the screen reader user. For example a link to an article on dogs, rendered as a photograph of our four legged friend can be labelled as “dog” with the text stating that an image of a dog is included.
One of the reasons I like WordPress is due to it’s lack of CAPTCHA. WordPress uses Akismet (http://akismet.com/) which, in my experience captures well over 90 percent of spam without utilising CAPTCHA. As a blogger I do recognise the menace of spam. Spammers should be boiled in oil while hosts of bloggers dance around the flames. (that is, incidentally a joke before anyone takes me seriously)! However spam can be prevented very effectively without resorting to CAPTCHA and (accidentally) stopping blind people from participating on your site.
Many site owners take accessibility seriously and in the overwhelming majority of cases where accessibility issues exist this is due to a lack of knowledge (not out of lack of consideration for the needs of blind computer users).
Finally I would like to thank the many bloggers and others out there who take accessibility on board.
Fumbling for my keys, my fingers so numb I can hardly feel anything. The icey blast encourages me in my efforts. Found them thank god! I open the communal door to the block of flats, mount the stairs and let myself into my cosey flat.
Turning on Smooth FM, the sound of Phil Collins “Another Day In Paradise” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Another_Day_in_Paradise) greets me. Collin’s sings about a woman calling out to a man on the street. She is homeless and in a bad way. He walks on pretending not to have seen her.
Thinking back to a few minutes past it hits me just how fortunate I am. I own a warm, comfortable apartment to come home to when the cold wind causes even the most hardy among us to shiver. Others are not so fortunate. They shiver in doorways, wrapped in blankets or, sometimes with only the warmth of a fellow street dweller to help them retain some animal heat.
If I had, by some mischance forgotten my keys it would have been an uncomfortable experience. However I could have buzzed a neighbour who holds a spare set to let me in or, failing that contacted a friend. I would not have spent the night on the streets of London. It makes me count my blessings.
Kevin
On checking the reviews of my book, “The Suspect And Other Tales” I noticed that a new review was posted on 4 February, (http://www.amazon.com/review/RM3GJSO629L91/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00PKPTQ0U).
Many of the stories in “The Suspect And Other Tales are in the crime genre and have an unexpected twist in the tale. Other stories concern ghostly happenings. In “Something Wicked” a young boy is subjected to a haunting in an ancient mansion. Are his terrifying experiences the product of an overactive imagination or does something truly wicked lurk in the dark shadows of his chamber?
For “The Suspect And Other Tales” please visit http://www.amazon.com/The-Suspect-other-tales-Morris-ebook/dp/B00PKPTQ0U/ref=cm_rdp_product or http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Suspect-other-tales-Morris-ebook/dp/B00PKPTQ0U
I moved to the Norwood area (Upper Norwood to be exact) in 1997. Norwood possesses the advantage of being high above sea level which means the air is much fresher than certain other areas in the sprawling mass which constitutes greater London. The name Norwood derives from “The Great North Wood”, vestiges of which can still be glimpsed by residents and visitors alike.
Norwood has a fascinating history including a rich literary heritage. Charles Dickens was a frequent visitor and the Queen’s Hotel which stands some 10 minutes walk from my home has a plaque commemorating the French novelist, Zola’s residence, (Zola fled France at the time of the Dreyfus Affair. He advocated for Dreyfus, a Jewish army officer falsely accused of spying for a foreign power).
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle sets one of the Sherlock Holmes adventures, “The Adventure Of The Norwood Builder” in the area, (http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/AdveNorw.shtml). In “The Norwood Builder” the former lover of the mother of a local solicitor fakes his own death and attempts to frame her son. However, in his usual brilliant manner Holmes proves the innocence of the son and the builder is apprehended.
There is a fascinating article on the history of Norwood here, (http://www.norwoodsociety.co.uk/articles/68-on-the-trail-of-norwood.html).
A good post on The Story Reading Ape’s blog which fits in neatly with,and augments my article of 4 February (http://newauthoronline.com/2015/02/04/what-happens-to-your-online-presence-when-you-die/). Kevin
