Angel - "A delight to read...delicate, funny and wildly alluring." (Stephen Fry)

[Sebastian Michael]

Dear Booktalk Community

I feel a little hesitant to do this because I know how needy self-promotion can seem and I'm also aware of the stringent rules governing this forum. So in the sincere hope that this post won't fall foul of any of them and won't annoy you all too much, may I share with you my first novel, Angel.

This book comes with a near-stereotypical trail of agents' refusal letters - often enthusiastic in their praise for the book but always damning in their verdict on its marketability - and so after many a frustrated and frustrating attempt at getting it published the 'traditional' way, I took the plunge and published it under my own Optimist label. I had been warned that this would be authorial suicide, since nobody would take a self-published writer seriously, and indeed without any marketing or publicity behind it, the book languished, effectively unread, unloved and undetected. But that was a few years ago and the world has moved on since then.

Earlier this year, I released Angel on Kindle and our great British national treasure, writer, actor, raconteur and television host, Stephen Fry got hold of it and he liked it so much, he wrote to me, and gave me permission to quote him. This made me reappraise the situation somewhat. I began to wonder whether perhaps the undertaking of writing and publishing this story was not, after all, such a grandiose folly, and that maybe there are readers out there who would feel that immersing themselves in it would be rewarding.

So I cautiously offer it up for your delectation (or otherwise, as the case may be). It's taken me years to get to this point, and who knows if I will ever attempt another novel, but if any of you find it worthwhile I should be most genuinely happy to have done so at least once.

Thank you for reading and please feel free to get in touch by any of the means below.

Sebastian Michael





ANGEL
Novel
by Sebastian Michael

"A delight to read. So delicate, casually cruel, wickedly funny and wildly alluring."
- Stephen Fry

Damion is a boy who is so beautiful that everybody falls in love with him. This, his greatest advantage in life, gradually turns into his heaviest burden and so as he reaches adulthood, Damion, in an act half wanton, half heroic, destroys what for most people - but not for him - has come to define his essence. - A classic tale of a young man seeking his destiny.

The following description by Alana Jelinek, author of Ohm's Law, is taken from the back cover of the original hardback edition:

"Sebastian Michael's novel, 'Angel', is a great achievement; beautifully written and thoroughly engaging.

At face value it is the story of a young man so beautiful that 'anyone who met him fell instantly in love with him'. His emergence from boyhood is described with an astonishing sympathy for the experience of adolescence. The author has a great gift for subtle and commanding characterisation, one result of which is our developing appreciation of the burden of beauty on the 'hero' of the tale and all who come into contact with him. Events are beautifully described with a perspicacity for place and sensation.

On another level, 'Angel' can be read as an allegory of a society concerned largely with the superficial. Here value is determined by Beauty and the consequence of a great surfeit in power created by fundamental inequalities between people is explored in the trajectories of human lives. 'Angel' raises questions of responsibility and agency, as those privileged by society try to claim some responsibility for what appears to be pre-determined lives. We are asked to consider to what extent we can be responsible for the impact of our existence.

'Angel' is compelling and curious, an intelligent inquiry and a sensual pleasure. Its characters and their experiences feel immediately real and they also resonate over time remaining with the reader: so true is the author's ability with narrative and character. With 'Angel', Sebastian Michael has produced a novel that is a pleasure to read, that has depth and detail, and that raises some of the important questions for the contemporary moment. The ultimate meaning of 'Angel' will be a subject of debate between readers, as is inevitable with a novel that works so well on many levels."


Kindle on amazon.co.uk:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Angel-ebook/dp/B007AYSTCA

Kindle on amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Angel-ebook/dp/B007AYSTCA

From the IBookstore:

http://itunes.apple.com/book/angel/id540881828

From Barnes & Noble (Nook and hardback edition):

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/angel-s ... 1015826859

From Kobo:
http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Angel/bo ... page1.html

Hardcover and paperback versions and more purchasing options here:

http://www.optimistcreations.com/angel.html


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

at home: http://sebastianmichael.com
at work: http://optimistcreations.com
at play:
http://twitter.com/#!/sebmichael
http://sebastianmichael.tumblr.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Op...el/25861468759

[Chris OConnor]

Sebastian, you did it correctly so you have nothing to worry about.

Thanks for sharing your book with us. We welcome and encourage authors to plug their books on BookTalk.org.

[Sebastian Michael]

That's most generous and kind of you, thanks Chris!

[geo]

A self-published book does carry a certain stigma. It doesn't help that some "authors" come here with hastily scribbled pleas to read their books. One recent thread was titled "Fist in a Series." I kid you not.

I like your approach much better, Sebastian. Good luck to you. I would think Fry's endorsement is going to be very effective for the marketing of your novel.

[Sebastian Michael]

I like your approach much better, Sebastian. Good luck to you. I would think Fry's endorsement is going to be very effective for the marketing of your novel.

thanks geo - i'm only learning now (and slowly) that writing the book is not enough, you have to somehow let people know about it too... this goes so much against my grain that it's costing me good deal of 'stepping out of my comfort zone', but a welcoming place like this to step into helps!

[Sebastian Michael]

A new review just out today with five out of five stars for Angel on Goodreads from Literary R&R:‎

"A haunting story...the words are nearly as beautiful as the character of Damion." - "Angel may very well change how you choose to view others." *****

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/371251405

http://literaryrr.blogspot.co.uk/2012/0 ... chael.html

[Sebastian Michael]

Angel now also features on Authonomy - a great initiative by Harper Collins to give new writers a platform and readers access to emerging work. Here you can read the opening section (about a fifth of the book) for free and rate and comment:

http://authonomy.com/books/45525/angel/

[Sebastian Michael]

A quick update - Angel is now also available on Kobo:

http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Angel/bo ... page1.html

[writerjohnb]

I know what you mean about getting the word out about your novel.
When you put out a book, you have to come out of your ego-shell and take your chances. I've had 3 novels published by small, independent presses and they went nowhere. When I then wrote some historical fiction, I couldn't find ANYBODY interested in publishing them, so I self-pubbed. They're not going anywhere yet, either. I've concluded I'm a better writer than promoter.
Good luck,

JohnB

[TheWriter]

Well the name STEPHEN FRY sure got my attention so you should use it shamelessly.

Good Luck with the further promotion of your book!