Stephen Michael Berberich's Blog, page 2
November 5, 2018
Novels (chose and click below each description to purchase or to read on Kindle)
New!! Trout Heaven:
[image error]Everyone in Sassafras County stays clear of the quarantined Crater Lake in fear of toxic coal spoils from the meteorite crash decades earlier. Everyone, that is, except two precocious teenage brothers who skip church one Sunday morning to try out their new rod and reels in the mysterious lake. They are amazed to land dozens of giant rainbow trout. Naturally, the state lifts the quarantine, recognizing a potential for tourist revenues. Along comes sleazy Vacation Inns and Resorts, Corp. to develop the lake, leading to a tacky town called Trout Heaven. Meanwhile across the valley, famous investigative reporter Henry Clyde Ford is frustrated with writing his memoirs in his log cabin retreat. His peace of mind and once pristine view are ruined by the new resort and town. Then came a strange knock on his cabin door …
Available on Amazon.com and Goodreads.com
Fatal Deadline, published 2017
[image error]Fatal Deadline is a novel about murder and terrorism during the housing crisis, as told through the eyes and ears at an understaffed, small weekly newspaper. With the kind of zany humor of “His Girl Friday” and perilous risks taken in ‘All the President’s Men,” this newspaper mystery arrives with a unique twist. The only reporter on the trail of the big story is a wide-eyed, 19-year-old neophyte. Christopher Gilley–new real estate reporter for the Maryland Inquirer–is the real deal. His skills are the envy of veteran reporters at the suburban weekly. In this, his first, real job, Chris has simple goals: to get out of poverty, write good copy, and make Ma proud back home in their small town in West Virginia. His humble goals are dashed at high noon on May 14, 2007 when the paper’s story of the century drops squarely into his lap. o report theT big story, however, his only sources are hardcore criminal gangs, drug dealers, predator lenders, strippers, thugs, and crafty urban women–the likes of which he’d never known back home.
Available on Amazon.com and Goodreads.com
Night at the Belvedere, published in 2016
Night at the Belvedere is a paranormal novel set partially in a hotel contrived by author S.M. Berberich and the overactive mind of social misfit Nick Esposito, based on the legendary Belvedere Hotel in Baltimore, Md.[image error]
“An enjoyable read. A highly entertaining, imaginative novel with memorable characters and packed with interesting Baltimore history.” H.S. Parker, author of the bio-thriller “Containment.”
“An epic tale revolving around a man who has not fully achieved validity in his own mind. He appears to go into ‘trance-like states’ with flashbacks, hearing and seeing things others don’t see. Characters in his family tree have been perceived by him as ‘larger than life’ and his own individuality was not fleshed out partly because of the power of their personalities, their stories, their social standing and style. The family thinks magically and mythically.” Dr. Pamela Armstrong, Maryland psychologist.
” Nicky Esposito is the brooding, day-dreaming, sharp protagonist whose penchant for history takes him on some strange, paranormal journeys back in time. He can vividly view historic events, such as the tragic 1904 fire that destroyed much of downtown Baltimore, a slave auction, and the transmission of the first telegraph signals to Baltimore’s B&O Station.” Kevin James Shay, author of “Death of the Rising Sun: A Search for Truth in the John F. Kennedy Assassination”
Available on Amazon.com and Goodreads.com
Paperbacks (also in ebook format)
New!! Trout Heaven:
[image error]Everyone in Sassafras County stays clear of the quarantined Crater Lake in fear of toxic coal spoils from the meteorite crash decades earlier. Everyone, that is, except two precocious teenage brothers who skip church one Sunday morning to try out their new rod and reels in the mysterious lake. They are amazed to land dozens of giant rainbow trout. Naturally, the state lifts the quarantine, recognizing a potential for tourist revenues. Along comes sleazy Vacation Inns and Resorts, Corp. to develop the lake, leading to a tacky town called Trout Heaven. Meanwhile across the valley, famous investigative reporter Henry Clyde Ford is frustrated with writing his memoirs in his log cabin retreat. His peace of mind and once pristine view are ruined by the new resort and town. Then came a strange knock on his cabin door …
Available on Amazon.com and Goodreads.com
Fatal Deadline, published 2017
[image error]Fatal Deadline is a novel about murder and terrorism during the housing crisis, as told through the eyes and ears at an understaffed, small weekly newspaper. With the kind of zany humor of “His Girl Friday” and perilous risks taken in ‘All the President’s Men,” this newspaper mystery arrives with a unique twist. The only reporter on the trail of the big story is a wide-eyed, 19-year-old neophyte. Christopher Gilley–new real estate reporter for the Maryland Inquirer–is the real deal. His skills are the envy of veteran reporters at the suburban weekly. In this, his first, real job, Chris has simple goals: to get out of poverty, write good copy, and make Ma proud back home in their small town in West Virginia. His humble goals are dashed at high noon on May 14, 2007 when the paper’s story of the century drops squarely into his lap. o report theT big story, however, his only sources are hardcore criminal gangs, drug dealers, predator lenders, strippers, thugs, and crafty urban women–the likes of which he’d never known back home.
Available on Amazon.com and Goodreads.com
Night at the Belvedere, published in 2016
Night at the Belvedere is a paranormal novel set partially in a hotel contrived by author S.M. Berberich and the overactive mind of social misfit Nick Esposito, based on the legendary Belvedere Hotel in Baltimore, Md.[image error]
“An enjoyable read. A highly entertaining, imaginative novel with memorable characters and packed with interesting Baltimore history.” H.S. Parker, author of the bio-thriller “Containment.”
“An epic tale revolving around a man who has not fully achieved validity in his own mind. He appears to go into ‘trance-like states’ with flashbacks, hearing and seeing things others don’t see. Characters in his family tree have been perceived by him as ‘larger than life’ and his own individuality was not fleshed out partly because of the power of their personalities, their stories, their social standing and style. The family thinks magically and mythically.” Dr. Pamela Armstrong, Maryland psychologist.
” Nicky Esposito is the brooding, day-dreaming, sharp protagonist whose penchant for history takes him on some strange, paranormal journeys back in time. He can vividly view historic events, such as the tragic 1904 fire that destroyed much of downtown Baltimore, a slave auction, and the transmission of the first telegraph signals to Baltimore’s B&O Station.” Kevin James Shay, author of “Death of the Rising Sun: A Search for Truth in the John F. Kennedy Assassination”
Available on Amazon.com and Goodreads.com
October 11, 2018
Is “Trout Heaven” a fun title, or what? Hope so.
[image error]
I had a new cover drawn up for my third novel, Trout Heaven, to better illustrate the money with the trout. This is a bizarre business story, a steadily growing love story and, most intriguing, a terrific murder mystery, I hope!
August 16, 2018
All I needed to get by, back in the day. God Bless you Aretha
I simply loved Aretha and how she helped me love and be loved in troubled times from Skylark to Respect.
She is immortal. [image error]
June 6, 2018
The Long Road: An insightful perspective on mental illness and society
[image error]“The Long Road” is a brilliant ‘roadmap’ of a determined young man’s journey to achieve his true and satisfying identity, despite troubling detours of an undefined, uncertain mental illness, which takes him off road from time to time. Author Daniel Oliver keeps the reader into the mind of Hank Galloway masterfully in the journey by sharing realistically the young man’s thoughts and emotions at every twist and turn. He has the fear of failure common to any college student, the teetering insecurities in love interests, an impossible relationship with a cruel and domineering father, and more–all of which author Oliver weaves in and out of Hank’s nagging unsettled dilemma of a possible mental condition. He is a highly intelligent, affluent person from a well to do family. He is cultured, kind, and thoughtful, and yet flips into an angry aggressive person in paranoid delusional episodes. He must get a proper diagnosis and pharmacotherapy. He doubts the meds he is prescribed.
His journey begins with wondering if he even has an illness. Then he is smart enough to seek whether to accept that he has an illness. And third, he needs to find social ‘avenues’ where he can trust people and successfully deal with it. In addition, perhaps Oliver deliberately slides into the narrative Hank’s thoughts and desires about the competency of his therapies and psychiatrists. There are several, each with his own methods. Those characters and what they say and ask also draw in the reader, I think. To wit, is Hank simply depressed with chemical imbalance and releases chemicals and hormones when he becomes aggressive and delusional? Is he neurotic or truly psychotic? Is he dangerous to society? Is anyone using Hank? That side of the story is never too murky; however, because of Hank’s drive and concern for others, he gets better at negotiating with his condition and his future.
All in all, “The Long Road” is an insightful perspective into how a person who is dealing with mental illness might go about getting help by taking the proper steps without too much collateral damage to life and the pursuit of happiness. The story moves along nicely, is an easy read and I recommend it. —Stephen Michael Berberich, author of the psychodrama “Night at the Belvedere.”
April 29, 2018
Man on Fire, still
Name your favorite, that is one of mine. Denzel flicks. Also Training Day, Inside Job, American Gangster, Deja Vu? Stop me, please. He is the best, in my estimation.
Nice story here
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April 25, 2018
Your characters are smarter than you
A hundred or more tips on character development, author Barbara Esstman told Maryland Writers Association members in Annapolis included that characters are not talking heads; shut them up. Take your character grocery shopping. Make her accent have a rhythm. Make him react to other people and creatures around him. [image error]
She surely helped everyone. From her tips, I learned that I had made progress, having let my characters be themselves in my novels. I was grateful to her for all the tips I didn’t know and many examples in literature from Madame Bovary to Dead Poet’s Society, and even in Vietnam books like Veteran’s Day: A Vietnam Memoir by Rod Kane, which may help me with my fourth novel, she suggested.
[image error]Read Esstman if you are into the genre. Her characters are vivid and believable. Why not? She knows what I know now: characters are smarter than you.
January 25, 2018
Doc Doc Zeus: A timely novel of white coat crime
*
Still mourning the baby she gave away a year before – and feeling rejected by the same church people who had so cheerfully arranged that adoption – sixteen-year-old Diane seems to find a supportive friend in her gynecologist, Dr. Zeus. Diane is intelligent and bold but often leaps before she looks, and now she questions why he has to examine her so often, and why he prescribes her so many drugs.
The state medical board also has suspicions about Dr. Zeus, but the official inquiry inches forward very slowly as its new investigator stumbles over his own hang-ups.
Author Thomas Keech worked for 13 years as counsel to the Maryland State Board of Physicians. Prior to that he worked as a juvenile counselor, a Legal Aid attorney, and a state administrative appeals judge.
November 12, 2017
Zorba: Timeless contentment, revisited
A long time ago, I hitchhiked, walked and swam around Greece for six weeks with, at times, American, British, Greek, Israeli, Palestinian, German, and French young folks like me. When by myself on a beach or in a youth hostel, I sometimes read the Nikos Kazantzakis Zorba the Greek novel and Greek mythology plays. Now, after completing a first draft of my autobiographical novel with a chapter from those days, I was so pleased to find the film Zorba on FXM channel. Once again, for 270 minutes I was with the Alan Bates character and Anthony Quinn as my friend Niktarios spending time with villagers who were content to be who they were again. [image error]
August 7, 2017
Rare Newspaper Mystery, Fatal Deadline, Now in Paperback
From the desk of Stephen Michael Berberich ©
For immediate release: Contact: CreateSpace.com/7322969
Exciting Novel: “Kid” Reporter Scores/Fumbles Inquirer Story of the Century
He witnessed a murder/terrorist bombing, but must defy his editors to expose the truth.
RHODESVILLE, MD, Aug. ?? – With zany comedy of His Girl Friday and perilous risks in All the President’s Men, a new newspaper mystery, Fatal Deadline, arrives with a unique twist. The only reporter on the trail of this big story is just a wide-eyed, 19-year-old neophyte.[image error]
At a time when newspapers were in a freefall, and the housing market had collapsed, Christopher Gilley—new real estate reporter for the Maryland Inquirer—is the real deal. His reporting skills are the envy of veterans at the suburban weekly. In this first job, he has simple goals: get out of poverty, write good copy, and make Ma proud back home in the Appalachians.
His humble goals are dashed at high noon on May 14, 2007. Chris is an eye witness to an evident terrorist bombing of the offices of notorious predatory mortgage lenders. The prodigy reporter swings into action, filling three stories that afternoon, expertly reporting the bombing and discovery of land-developer Johnny “Boss” Martin’s body in the rubble.
But, when witnesses see Chris “escaping” from the scene, the police tag him as a suspect, prompting managing editor Michele LaProbe to remove Chris from his story. Frustrated with the paper’s failure to investigate, he goes undercover, against the wishes of his editors, to find and report the truth of the murder and bombing.
Hardcore gangs, drug dealers, racist lenders, strippers, thugs, and crafty urban women—the likes of which he never knew back home—are his only sources. Will the kid hunter of truth become the hunted by the criminals, and face his Fatal Deadline? Or will he live to reveal who really killed Johnny “Boss” Martin and destroyed his First Union Credit & Mortgage tower, known locally as the FUC’M tower?
S. M. Berberich is a journalist, photographer, and video producer. His authored works include psychodrama, Night at the Belvedere, and science mystery, The Naked Intruder.
