Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 382

Review: THE JOURNEY by John Heldt

My thoughts: After reading The Mine, a story filled with heart and adventure combined with Heldt’s resonant and witty style, you can bet how quickly I jumped at the chance to review his second book.
Michelle “Shelly” Preston has had to live with her regrets most of her life, but being married to Scott had made them dormant behind a wall of a “perfect wife”; now that he has laid to rest, those regrets have re-surfaced to the burning layer of nostalgia and reflection. Then a visit to her high school reunion sends her down memory lane—literally! It’s another Back to the Future tale, except our Shelly has a chance to not only try to return to her time, but try to make the life she should’ve had.
In the meantime, she must contend with a lot of high school memories as well as her teenage self. How weird, right? I would be too concerned about altering fate and changing the parallels of the universe. But for Shelly, that’s her whole mission. The battle for change quickly begins as she does everything in her power to make things better…for everyone.
What’s unique about this story is that we receive the thoughts and perspectives of both Michelles—the one from the future and the one from present-day 1979. With a dialogue so clever and refreshing, this book sends the reader on a wild ride through history, veering between lanes of ponderings and second chances.
If you had a second chance in your life, what would you change?  How about going after that one teacher you had a crush on as a kid, for starters? I was riveted by Shelly’s attempts at challenging fate—dating her old high school math teacher, consoling and advising her young self, and throwing puzzling minds into a loop with her inexplicable knowledge of the future.  At the same time, however, young Shelley must cope with the emptiness of future and complications of her love life. Should she pick another guy or the guy she marries in the future?  I liked how Shelly ends up learning things she never could see the second time around. But is it wise to meddle with history?
You can’t wait to find out what happens! This book is a tailspin of comfort, heartache, drama, and mystery— an enjoyable read every step of the way.
 

Review: ONE HOSPITAL NIGHTMARE by A.P. Kasch

The story: Something just isn’t right at Battlefield Memorial Hospital. Nick Moore, a sensible middle-aged man from Eastern Texas, must admit that his best friend Jared might not be losing his marbles after all. By an eerie twist of fate, both of them end up in this same out-of-the-way hospital at the same time. Nick soon learns that Jared’s irrational, terrified rants about the place don’t tell the half of it.

The year is 2010 when Nick is checks in, but at this hospital, time doesn’t seem to cooperate and the line between nightmare and reality starts to become blurry. Somehow, Nick becomes involved in a famous local Comanche Indian fight from the year 1840. As the mystery unfolds, his values are tested and keeping his sanity becomes more important than his physical healing.

Hospital mystery meets historical fiction in this somewhat humorous, often suspenseful PG-rated novella. It has been specially formatted for all Kindle devices, so we can promise you a smooth, enjoyable electronic reading experience. Download One Hospital Nightmare today and get ready for one wild ride.





My thoughts: It all started out with Jared in the hospital. Fingers coming out of walls and demonic clocks were all the things he was seeing—right after the surgery. Was it the drugs they had him on? Was it a medical conspiracy? Or was it just the mere paranoia of being enclosed within the hospital walls? At first, you’re really not sure what’s going on.

Then a car accident sends his best friend, Nick, to the same hospital Jared was in. Strange things begin to evolve, leading Nick to a blind stupor and erratic paranoia. Were they illusions? Were they dreams? Or were they real? But what did the Indians have to do with any of it?

Curiosity compells the reader to find the answer, however, confusion follows every step of the way. Some scenes, like Nick shopping for flea spray, were a tad mundane and long-winded.

Overall, the story was well-written, but I felt that it wasn’t interesting enough and often found myself seeking the point of it all.  What should have started off as a horror story ended up being almost like a history lesson, which is a plus for all those who enjoy hearing tales of cowboys and Indians. It seemed to me that the whole thing was just one puzzling illusion after another. By the end, we find out why.
The book was short and quick, and there was a clear indication of the author’s delight in it. I must admit that that was what I enjoyed most of all.

Review: BITTERSWEET REVENGE by Monroe Scott

Conservative Alison could not believe her own eyes when she met the handsome stranger, whom her friend referred to as “the keeper.”  The interface could almost be taken out of a James Bond movie—with champagne, fancy tuxedoes, and lustful, quiet stares. Where else would you get messages like “I still smell your perfume on my shirt”? The attraction was instantaneous, the desire was intense, and the touch was unforgettable—all of which were the typical findings of a romance story.   
It didn’t get interesting until the fantasy of “the perfect love” crumpled like a patch of dry dirt. This was where the seed of bitterness was planted and rooted in her memory, and a plan soon began to grow. This would be where the reader takes off on a rollercoaster ride of mystery and suspense, always gripping the edge of the seat, waiting in angst to see what’s around the next corner. But, like a premature child, the whole thing “came out too soon,” producing a work that was underdeveloped and weak.  It definitely could’ve used more time to grow.  
 At times, I felt that the day-to-day aspects were a tad too mundane and often read like a “chore” list rather than a novel. I drudged through the book, glazing over large portions and looking to the end to see how much I had left to go. I couldn’t wait to get it done.
 In the midst of it all, however, the author’s skills showed great promise and the delight for the genre was evident. A sweet irony in the end will be appreciated by readers. And although the story was not completely up to par, I could still see where it was trying to go, and, with several more drafts and revisions, I think it could’ve gotten there.

Author Interview with Samuel Bagby

Lily: An American Fable  by Samuel Bagby
Kindle Price: $3. 50 as an e-book download
Available from: Amazon US Kindle Store
Authors Website: Goodreads


Story Description: Stephen Flashman loves sex. As a womanizer, he’s been using women for sex all his life. But there are two women who leave an indelible mark upon Flashman’s life, two women whose memory he somehow cannot lay to rest in a sea of forgettable conquests. Diane Densher is one of those women: she is incredibly smart, savvy and ambitious, an Ivy League graduate and a successful executive with a budding career on Wall Street: when she breaks up with Flashman he treats it like just another breakup, but deep down her rejection of him conjures forth a terrible nagging feeling that he could not keep her because she recognized him as a failure and unworthy to be her mate, and he is tormented by the need to win her back. Noelle Cummings is just the opposite of her ambitious and serious-minded predecessor: she is a free spirit from her head to her toes, carried along by an insatiable zest to live each day as if it were her last; she casts a wistful light into Flashman’s bleak inner world. After breaking up with Noelle, Flashman is torn between his affections for both women when Noelle reveals to him that she is pregnant with his child, but is anxious and fearful about raising a child on her own; she tells Flashman that she is thinking of terminating the pregnancy.
For Flashman it is the moment which sears his heart: with Diane—"the one who got away"—showing signs of renewed interest, should he continue to give chase to her, or should he devote his energies to Noelle and do all he can to ensure the birth of his child, while knowing his life will never be the same again?   
Author Biography: My name is Samuel Bagby. I am a bit taciturn speaking about myself in a blog like this. I was a student, a monk, a teacher, and now who the hell knows what--but none of that is really important. We are all vessels of love, of passion, of something on our own journeys towards a grand and surreal destination, and it is how we lift each other up, edify each other, and help each other along the way that matters--and I want to be that person that is lifting up, edifying, and helping other sojourners, because the road is no easy path, that much all of us know. 


 1. What inspires and what got your started in writing?
I always loved writing, and I always loved reading, but for whatever reason in my mind there was a stigma to the whole idea of actually becoming a writer. It wasn't honorable or legitimate, you might say. I suppose the Russians ruined it for most of us in this instance persevering through food deprivation buzzes, stultifying poverty and Tsarist persecution to produce thousand page masterworks which have ever after set the tone for literary genius: it's that image of the artist as someone mired in wretchedness, either as a kind of sublime foundation and ingredient from which the masterpieces germinate, or as some inscrutable decree of fate one can't avoid; it's an extremely difficult thing, a true leap of faith, to say to oneself, I'm going to go through this period of privation, making little money, working a job I don't like or leaving a job entirely to pursue my art; that's a leap of the spirit for the prospective artist which required me many years to make. Seeing that it took Dickens 150 years to finally get on Oprah, one can understand how difficult that leap actually is. Eventually my love for writing just became consuming, I couldn't do anything else—I said to myself, I'll be a barista into my sixties to get this novel off the ground, and so far, it's all worked according to plan.
  
2. Where do you write? Is there something you need in order to write (music, drinks?)
I write in my office. It's what I call quaint and claustrophobically small in a suffocating kind of way, and I love it: let me rephrase. In my second draft of the previous sentence I'd just say that I've learned to love it, because it's a maxim which holds true that poverty changes the way a person looks at things. I can't afford to write anywhere else. IN answer to what I need in order to write, it can be encompassed in a word: coffee.  IN explaining this dynamic, I think I can achieve here a clarity you'll rarely observe elsewhere in life: writer + caffeine= novel. And when I say coffee, I don't mean the crap that looks like iced tea they serve with a scone or some other ridiculous pastry: I'm talking about viscous, opaque, hypercaffeinated swill that you imbibe in brutal gulps like bourbon, that during the Middle Ages was poured over city walls onto ladders of attacking soldiers, the coffee that homicide detectives need to wake up when they get the call at 3 am to go look at a body—it's that kind of coffee, I'm reasonably sure, Dostoevsky was drinking round the clock when he wrote The Brothers Karamazov.
 
3. How do you get your ideas for writing?
This question I'm not exactly sure how to answer, except to say, you want something that will produce a deep, emotive effect upon a reader's heart. I don't mean that an author should become dogmatic in presenting a story or its themes, because there simply is no room for dogmatism within art: yet a writer can share things, can offer things, I think even about very controversial subjects—God, sex, relationships and so on—if it's done as an offering, not as a decree or a pronouncement. I say this because I don't want things to be off topic when it comes to art; everything should be on the table because we all can learn from each other as it concerns these deep existential issues. I shouldn't condemn a work simply for its theme or message, even if it doesn't strictly concord with my worldview; there are still some parts of the work and its perceptions which might enhance my own, which might facilitate my own growth in some way. We—as a democracy, and in a deeper sense, a community of artists—truly have to take to heart this notion of being a marketplace of ideas. That's why I believe that works dealing with subjects like God and sexuality should be entertained no matter what perspective is being presented, as long as it's done with a spirit of offering, not propaganda—it's in this that the great value of art lies, not only to enable us to contemplate nature and beauty, but to serve as a vessel through which people can share with loving freedom their own deeply felt insights on these issues of cardinal importance to life and the human spirit.   
 
4. What do you like to read?
I'll be honest here: I tend towards the classics. What you might call my process begins with me sitting down and reading some literary genius for five or ten pages just to sort of quicken one's faculties for the work of writing. To learn to write well one has to read from someone who is a master of the craft; then the sentence structure, the grace and beauty with which he or she chooses and constructs phrases and sentences will be duly absorbed. I'm not saying that if one starts reading Hemingway that he or she will sit down and start writing five word sentences—though he certainly composed some rather lengthy and beautiful constructions as well—but it will have some sort of an effect on one's own composition.
 
 
5. What would your advice to be for authors or aspiring in regards to writing?
Self-publishing is something I would encourage all writers to undertake, that is, if the sense of discouragement in them is becoming increasingly painful, not to say unbearable—which was true in my case, at least. Self-publishing, together with the internet, has changed the face of modern publishing, I think in a quite remarkable way that represents true progress for writers, for readers and for literature as a whole. The marketplace has opened up for a chorus of voices who all have something to offer—the public will then decide what is quality, where previously quality was a certain nebulous concept, some sort of abstruse notion floating in the ether grasped only by a small coterie of elite individuals wielding an almost absolute power without accountability. What was fair about any of this? Nothing at all—if the public didn't like the books chosen for them, they couldn't get works from unpublished writers, they had to wait for the "quality" cartel you might say to select what they saw fit for them: almost like parents choosing materials for children not mature or competent enough to do it for themselves. What is most ironic about all of this—and most appalling to be sure—is that these agents and publishers themselves are often ruthless and cruel in their estimations of writers, they possess colossal egos with very little or any competence behind all the bluster; these people literally drip with hubris and dole out scorn to good writers while they themselves little comprehend what literature is—there is simply a formula in their heads, a kind of crude taste that one either corresponds with or falls shy of—and that either makes a writer acceptable or someone who should find something else to do with their time. But writers must never listen to these people; they must believe in their vision and persevere. Self-publishing is really the salvation of literature in my opinion: it is the true marketplace where artists can express themselves freely and receive the true judgment of the public, of the people they are really attempting to reach. Furthermore it can take years to actually get signed by an agent—meanwhile the writer is waiting and waiting for income, for the book to get turned out into the public—and it may never happen. Self-publishing and the internet, the blogs, thank God have changed all that.

Guest Post by Angelita Williams - The Teaching of Contemporary Literature in College Courses

It is no surprise that books in college courses are pertinent to one's education, but what about incorporating literature into the mix?

My guest today discusses the matter in her article.



The Teaching of Contemporary Literature in College Courses
 
For most of Western history, education meant one thing to aspiring writers wanting to learn their craft: the classics. The study of the ancient poets, playwrights, philosophers, historians and orators of Greece and Rome made up the better part of any lettered person’s curriculum.
 
This Mediterranean dominance was first seriously broken with the rise of the cult of Shakespeare, the vernacular genius of English literature who was himself mocked in his time for having “small Latin and less Greek.” In the wake of his tremendous and all-encompassing output, English-speaking people finally had a figure they could hold up with pride against Homer or Sophocles.
 
Similarly, it took a long time before American literature was considered a subject worthy of study -- even in America!
 
To be sure, founding fathers like Thomas Paine and Benjamin Franklin had captured the notice of the literate world. Noah Webster had codified American English as the unique language of the young republic with his dictionaries. The writers we now consider the pantheon of early American literature (Irving, Cooper, Hawthorne, Poe, Melville, etc.) were all aware of their provincial status compared to the well-established culture of Europe. This comes through clearly in the Old Europe setting of most of Poe’s stories. Even as late as the turn of the last century, our most talented writers of fiction (Henry James) and poetry (T.S. Eliot) both renounced their American identity altogether, fleeing across the Atlantic and becoming British subjects.
 
“All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn.”
 
So said Ernest Hemingway. And by the time American Literature was first truly embraced as an academic subject, after World War II (an event that made the U.S. the dominant world power culturally as well as politically), Hemingway himself had to be included, along with other then-contemporary writers like Fitzgerald and Faulkner.
 
The percentage of Americans who attend college shot through the roof with the post-war G.I. Bill, and has steadily grown higher since. In the meantime, academia became increasingly politicized from the 1970s to 1990s. Multicultural and feminist critiques of “old dead white guys” coming to the fore” and ideas imported (often sloppily) from French deconstructionists making the scholarship coming humanities departments ever more theoretical and impenetrable. The end result was a confused canon, but one that rightly tried to include as many great works as possible from marginalized voices.
 
Meanwhile, another very different countervailing trend bubbled below the surface. The writing of fiction was taught as a practical fine-arts discipline for the first time, starting at the Iowa Writers Workshop in 1936. This MFA-style approach has lately trickled down into classrooms, balancing out the overly political and theoretical approaches with an emphasis on craft.
 
And that’s where we are today. The Internet, desktop publishing, print on demand and e-books have all served to democratize literature. If anything, our problem today is that practically every reader sees themselves as a writer! If this seems to have some of the potential of a modern-day Tower of Babel, nevertheless it’s a good problem to have.
 
In the literature classes I’ve taken and taught, I’ve seen so much enthusiasm for the possibilities of contemporary writing, it’s enough to make you want to ignore all the doomsayers babbling about “the end of the book.” Even if bestsellers are largely crap, they probably always were. Today’s literate public is as informed and curious as ever before, and I think this is threatening to some of the traditional gatekeepers. Here’s hoping our college students continue to argue passionately about Franzen and Morrison, DFW and Philip Roth, Fifty Shades of Grey and James Frey...and for that matter, Homer and Sophocles too!
 
Angelita Williams is a freelance writer and education enthusiast who frequently contributes to onlinecollegecourses.com. She strives to instruct her readers and enrich their lives and welcomes you to contact her at angelita.williams7@gmail.comif you have any questions or comments.
 
 

Guest Post by Samantha Gray - Why you should attend a book festival

In honor of this fall's upcoming book festivals, I am please provide a guest post by a fellow book aficionado on why you should attend a book festival. Observe.


Why you should attend a book festivalby Samantha Gray
As a book lover writing to a community of book lovers, I feel compelled to sing songs of praise when it comes to book festivals. I know what you’re thinking: book festivals? What year is it?
The idea of a book festival might seem a bit antiquated to you, and to a certain extend I don’t blame you, reader. We live in an age where you can download virtually any book to a tablet for your immediate enjoyment. If you aren’t enthusiastic about eReading, there’s no end to the number of books you can purchase from online retailers like Amazon and Barnes and Noble. If you just want to pick out a good book, these are perfectly suitable ways to do so.
A book festival is about the community of people who love everything about reading. It’s a time for readers and authors to gather and celebrate what it means to write words on paper, to express thoughts and emotions to an unknown readership. A book festival is an experience, and one that I can’t recommend enough for dedicated readers and writers who’ve never attending one.
Allow me to make my case further.
Sitting in on readings
One thing I would recommend to anyone attending a book festival is to check out a reading. It doesn’t even matter if you know the author whose reading their material or not—just the experience of witnessing prose in action is something every writer and reader should witness. I’ve sat in on any number of readings, and I can’t express how amazing it is to listen to authors read their own stories aloud and talk about the material afterwards.
The readings at a book festival are perhaps the best example of the communal environment encouraged there. Authors are eager to share their work with readers, and readers are just as excited to listen in as a group. It’s a rare moment when reading is transformed from a solitary activity to a group. If you do anything at a book festival, definitely attend a reading.
Network with fellow readers and writers
Book festivals are a great venue for meeting new people, for both social and professional reasons. Casual readers will meet fellow fans of an author’s work—it’s a great chance to talk about some of your favorite novels, memoires, and stories among people who actually know and understand the material. You’d be surprised at how easy it is to make friends at a book festival, despite the stereotype that most serious readers are introverts.
For amateur and serious writers alike, a book festival is the ideal networking opportunity. Powerful authors, important members of the literary press, and publishing officials are just some of the clientele that you can expect to encounter at a booGet a chance to meet your favorite authors
Of course I can’t talk about book festivals without discussing the experience of meeting an author. Many authors—especially the more famous ones—will hold book signings, lectures, and general meet and greets so that they can meet fans. Indeed, book festivals offer a one of a kind experience for readers to meet their favorite authors, and I can’t recommend it enough. You’ll never forget the time that you got to chat with your favorite author, and you’ll probably have a picture or a signature to prove it!
Samantha Gray is a freelance writer based in Houston, Texas, who offers college advice to those interested in furthering their studies and careers. She can be reached for questions or comments at samanthagray024@gmail.com.

Review: GRECO'S GAME by James Houston Turner

Plot: The story of former KGB colonel Aleksandr Talanov continues in the hotly-anticipated follow-up to USA Book News's Best Thriller of 2011, Department Thirteen. Greco's Game finds Talanov witnessing the brutal murder of his wife. Convinced the bullet was meant for him and wracked with guilt, he spirals downward on a path of self-destruction, hitting rock-bottom on the mean streets of Los Angeles. But in a seedy world ruled by the Russian mafia, all is not as it seems. Was her murder an accident, or was it a carefully-planned strategy? The answer lies in Greco's Game, a chess game played in 1619 that Talanov's old KGB chess instructor regarded as the most brilliant example of how to trap and kill an opponent. The question is: who was the target?


    My thoughts: When I first read the summary of this book, I admit that I was intrigued, even though I’m not real big on spy thrillers.

From the very first sentence, Turner captures the reader with words full of pulsating adrenaline. His character, Alex Talanov, reminded me of that good-looking guy on The Perfect Weapon—devoted, faithful, and determined to seek justice…and look hot doing it. I couldn’t help thinking back to that movie when Talanov drop-kicked the bouncer trying to get back into that night club. The fact that he was in his fifties was negligibly overlooked.


Still reeling over his wife’s murder, Talanov struggles to find reason to get up in the morning; and since he was once part of the Russian KGB, the authorities do everything possible to put him down for good. With everyone wanting a piece of him, he immediately starts off as a “wanted man,” which then spins the reader into this ludicrous Mission Impossible set.

After the first 10 chapters or so, the story line began to wane my interest.


The book is a typical thriller that takes you on one rollercoaster ride after another without a chance to breathe. I often felt dizzy by the calculating plot and deadened by the assortment of characters that kept dropping out of nowhere. Like a chess game, you really have to concentrate and pay attention; as much as I tried to play along, somewhere along the line I just didn't care to know the winning results.



Not to say that it was bad, of course. In fact, it’s a great story for those who like international thrillers. But, personally, I just couldn’t get into it.