David Abrams's Blog, page 81

Trailer Park Tuesday: Bats of the Republic by Zachary Thomas Dodson

Welcome to Trailer Park Tuesday, a showcase of new book trailers and, in a few cases, previews of book-related movies.



What was it that Francis Bacon once said? “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” If so, then Bats of the Republic: An Illuminated Novel by Zachary Thomas Dodson is a sumptuous feast--not just for the eyes, but for all the tactile senses. Featuring hand-drawn maps, natural history illustrations, subversive pamphlets, scien...

My First Time: Susan Adrian

My First Time is a regular feature in which writers talk about virgin experiences in their writing and publishing careers, ranging from their first rejection to the moment of holding their first published book in their hands.  Today’s guest is Susan Adrian, author of Tunnel Vision , a Young Adult novel about a teenage boy with an extra-sensory superpower who ends up working as a spy for the U.S. government. Tunnel Vision easily provided some of the most fun I’ve had between book cove...

Sunday Sentence: City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg

Simply put, the best sentence(s) I’ve read this past week, presented out of context and without commentary.


Can’t anyone hear past the spleen to his bleeding heart?

City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg

Friday Freebie: Dreams of the Red Phoenix by Virginia Pye

Congratulations to Olga Zilberbourg, winner of last week’s Friday Freebie contest: Everyone Wants to Be Ambassador to France by Bryan Hurt, Flings by Justin Taylor, and Press Start to Play , an anthology edited by Daniel H. Wilson and John Joseph Adams.

This week, I am pleased to say I have three copies of Virginia Pye’s new novel, Dreams of the Red Phoenix , to give away to three lucky readers. You may have read Virginia’s wonderful essay here at The Quivering Pen earlier this week; now is the...

Front Porch Books: October 2015 edition

Front Porch Books is a monthly tally of books--mainly advance review copies (aka “uncorrected proofs” and “galleys”)--I’ve received from publishers, but also sprinkled with packages from Book Mooch, independent bookstores, Amazon and other sources.  Because my dear friends, Mr. FedEx and Mrs. UPS, leave them with a doorbell-and-dash method of delivery, I call them my Front Porch Books.  In this digital age, ARCs are also beamed to the doorstep of my Kindle via NetGalley and Edelweis...

Writing is a Marathon Sport: Virginia Pye and Her Patience

Photo by Terry BrownToday marks the official publication date of Virginia Pye’s second novel, Dreams of the Red Phoenix , and so I thought I’d share a few of her thoughts on the payoff of patience in a writing career. As a late-bloomer myself ( Fobbit was published when I was 49 years old), I could relate to a lot of what Virginia had to say. Dreams of the Red Phoenix tells the story of Americans in China at the onset of WWII when the Japanese attack and Communism is on the rise. Kirkus says: “...

My First Time: Jan English Leary

My First Time is a regular feature in which writers talk about virgin experiences in their writing and publishing careers, ranging from their first rejection to the moment of holding their first published book in their hands.  Today’s guest is Jan English Leary, author of Thicker Than Blood , praised by Katherine Shonk, who said: “In Thicker Than Blood, Jan English Leary tackles big issues: the mother-daughter bond, race, adoption, and immigration, to name a few. Readers with an interest...

Sunday Sentence: “The Hotel Child” by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Simply put, the best sentence(s) I’ve read this past week, presented out of context and without commentary.



Among these was young Count Stanislas Borowki, with his handsome, shining brown eyes of a stuffed deer, and his black hair already dashed with distinguished streaks like the keyboard of a piano.

“The Hotel Child” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
(Saturday Evening Post, Jan. 31, 1931)

Friday Freebie: Everyone Wants to be Ambassador to France by Bryan Hurt, Flings by Justin Taylor, and Press Start to Play (edited by Daniel H. Wilson and John Joseph Adams)

Congratulations to Carl Scott, winner of last week’s Friday Freebie contest: the new Penguin Classics edition of Emma by Jane Austen.

This week, I have a trio of short story collections to give away to one lucky reader: Everyone Wants to Be Ambassador to France by Bryan Hurt, Flings by Justin Taylor, and Press Start to Play , an anthology edited by Daniel H. Wilson and John Joseph Adams. Read on for more information about each of the books.

An astronaut quits NASA to paint pictures of the moon...

Stay the Marching Year: The Autumnal Beauty of Edna St. Vincent Millay’s Poetry

When the leaves crisp, when the garden hoses freeze, when the pumpkin-spice lattes make their way to the lips of Starbucks patrons, then it is time to acknowledge the year in its decline. Autumn is, bar none, my favorite season of the year. I think it has something to do with the slant of light, the brief color of lingering leaves,  the nostalgia for my school years and late-afternoon football games on the field behind the Jackson Hole Junior High (Go, Broncs!). Or maybe I just like pumpk...