Michael Thomas Perone's Blog, page 5

Come Meet Me at My First Official Book Signing!

I’m excited to announce that I will be having my first official book signing on Tuesday, September 17th from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at The James Joyce Restaurant in Patchogue, NY. So if you’re in the Long Island area (or New York City area and want to take a ride), here’s an opportunity to meet me in person and tell me to my face how disappointed you were in my last novel. I kid! But honestly, if you want to do that, I’m open to criticism, as long as it’s constructive and you buy a copy of one of my books! I’ll be signing copies of both Danger Peak and Déjà View. The best part is, food will be available, and admission is free!

Here are the event highlights:

There will be a raffle for a $50 Amazon gift card. (You have to be there to win.)Enjoy complimentary professional headshots.Free food! Indulge in free trays of delectable food from James Joyce, available for all attendees.

This “Books & Bites” event is being sponsored by the group Long Island Authors, and there will be many other authors from “Lawn Guy Land” there. How many? Glad you asked! Here’s a list of confirmed names so far (and the book they’re most known for):

Jordan Eilbert (The Guardian Temple: Demonic Dealings)

Diane Curley (Asleep at Last)

Cheryl Williams (A Lesson a Day)

Amy Nicole (An Apple a Day)

Jeffrey DeRosa (US Army Combat Engineer Vehicles 1980-Present)

Melanie Murphy (The Extraordinary Anna Parke)

Jennifer L. Gibaldi (Perfectly Imperfect)

Selin Senol-Akin (The Catalyst)

Effie Kammenou (Evanthia’s Gift)

Roseanne Critelli (Luca Meets Sonny)

Karen Quiros (Starving the Wolf: A Victory Over Lupus)

Michael Urtnowski (America the North Star of Humanity)

Nash Hudson (Undertow: The Rip Current that Drowned mySELF and Saved mySOUL)

Robert Johnson (From Prey to Protector, My New York Story)

Nina Ross (Montauk Has a Very Hungry Shark!)

Dr. René G. Vázquez del Valle (Head, Heart, Crotch Connections: How Not to Fail in Search of Your Perfect Union)

Antoinette Martin (Famous Seaweed Soup)

Lina Pulgarin (Poderosa Aventura Al Centro de tu Ser)

Judi Winters (The Ridiculous Horny Snail)

Angela Parrino (A Friend Like Rusty)

Laura Mancuso (The Fin-Tastic Rescue)

Deborah L. Staunton (Untethered)

Mary Ellen Sherlock (A Rainbow of Colorful Wishes)

Whew! I hope we can all fit! According to their website, The James Joyce Restaurant is “a modern space with classic Irish taste,” and it was named after the famed Irish novelist, so this place is a good fit for author signings. It is located at 49 South Ocean Avenue in Patchogue, NY. You can view their website here:

The James Joyce Restaurant

To sweeten the pot, I’m giving away an ‘80s-themed gift to the first 15 people who buy one of my books, so get there early before they’re all gone. If you can’t attend the event, I’d appreciate you sharing the QR code above to your online and in-person communities. Let’s pack the joint!

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In other MTP news, today is the last day of my Déjà View Goodreads giveaway. So far, almost 3,000 people have entered. I’m probably not doing this again, so this is your last opportunity to enter for a chance to win one of 10 free, signed copies below:

Déjà View Goodreads Giveaway

Once again, you have to be a member of Goodreads to participate, but it’s free to join.

MTP

P.S.: Next blog (in 2 weeks): An Even Bigger Announcement

P.P.S.: I wrote this was my first “official” book signing because technically, I signed books last year at my cousin’s book signing in New Jersey, but it was really her gig, and she was nice enough to invite me to join the book-signing fun. If she’s reading this, I would invite you to sign your books, but 1) this isn’t really my event, and 2) I’m pretty sure you have to live on Long Island to attend as an author. (It’s called “Long Island Authors,” after all.)

P.P.P.S.: Déjà View is now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble:

AmazonBarnes & Noble

Enter for Your Chance to Win a Free, Signed Copy of Déjà View at Goodreads!

For the next few weeks, Goodreads is giving away ten free copies of Déjà View! Yes, it’s another Goodreads giveaway. I know I said I probably wouldn’t do any more, but I did two Goodreads giveaways for my debut Danger Peak, so I figured my poor little follow-up deserved the same. Also, I still have a few first edition copies of the book lying around, so this is your best and last chance to score one of these suckers. Sell it on eBay for 100 bucks after I die! Think of this as investing in your financial future. Full disclosure: Some winners may be getting a second or third edition of the book, depending on how many I have left. Either way, they’re all highly entertaining, and I can’t recommend them enough.

You’re not just getting a free book (and a good one, I might add); you’re getting it signed by yours truly with a little note as well. As always, you need to be a member of Goodreads in order to enter the contest. (Again, it’s free to join.) The giveaway begins today and ends August 24th. The links are below, so get clicking!

Goodreads Book Giveaway Déjà Viewby Michael Thomas Perone

Giveaway ends August 24, 2024.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

May the best men and women win! (I don’t really know what that means, but I’ve always wanted to say, er, write it.)

In other MTP news, I was recently selected as a member of The Marquis Who’s Who in America. In case you don’t know, Who’s Who has been around since 1899 and recognizes people of extraordinary character and accomplishment who have made a significant impact on the world, especially via their profession. You can view my biographical entry at the link below:

MTP Entry in Who’s Who

That’s it for this week, but I’ll be back next time with news so big, it’s going to take 2 weeks to prepare.

MTP

P.S.: Next blog (in 2 weeks): A Big Announcement

P.P.S.: Déjà View is now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble:

AmazonBarnes & Noble

Updates! A Review, an Interview, and a Bookshop

“Extry! Extry! Our industry is going out of business in 100 years!”

This news roundup is for people who haven’t been paying attention to my social media channels for the past month or so, though if you subscribe to this blog but aren’t following me on social media, one wonders what exactly it is you’re doing. So, for those three people out there who fit this highly specific category, this one’s for you:

Déjà View received its latest—and probably last—professional review (better late than never!), from the good folks at The US Review of Books. Did they like it or not? Only one way to find out! Click the link below. (Here’s a hint: If they didn’t like it, I wouldn’t advertise their review on this blog.)

The US Review of Books review of Déjà View

I enjoyed their review, so I sent them some feedback, and they liked my feedback so much, they posted it on their website. You can read the feedback at the link below:

MTP Feedback on The US Review of Books review of Déjà View

I should say I had one quibble with their review, in the only negative comment, where the reviewer felt “the villains are a touch one-dimensional.” While I admit there is one villain who is one-note (she was intentionally written that way), there is one who decidedly isn’t. In fact, after reading the book, I had a few people tell me how surprised they were that this person ended up being a villain.

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In other MTP news, I was recently interviewed by Helen Garraway, the USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of the epic fantasy Sentinal series and the fantasy romance SoulMist series. (I realize I reblogged her blog of the interview last week, but the email about it ended up in my Spam box, which I imagine happened to others as well, so I’m reposting it here.) Garraway is a fellow BookFest award winner whose own book was also featured on the Nasdaq Board in Times Square last month, so do yourself a favor and check out her books and website at www.helengarraway.com. I want to thank Helen again for the great questions. You can read my interview at the link below:

MTP Interviewed by Helen Garraway

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In other, other MTP news, the awesome new bookshop The Neverending Story at 9 W. Main Street (Montauk Highway) in Babylon, NY, is now selling Danger Peak and Déjà View! With a name like “The Neverending Story,” you know my ’80s-set novels belong there. If you live in the Long Island area, stop by and say hello to owner Colleen and her eclectic collection of books. Once again, I want to extend a big “Thank you” to her.

On a somewhat related note, I was also told my books are available for purchase at Tiny Raccoon Books, located at 277 Railroad Avenue in Sayville, NY (also Long Island, for those not in the know). Pop in and check out my novels and the rest of the books at this hip bookstore, which also occasionally features live punk performances and something called a “Silent Book Club.” What’s a “Silent Book Club”? I’m not sure! All the more reason to check them out.

Whew! That’s a lot of news! I hope you guys didn’t mind me unloading, but I wanted a record of these updates on my website as opposed to being lost in the shifting, often disappearing sands of social media. Until next time, same MTP time, same MTP channel.

MTP

P.S.: Next blog: Another break

P.P.S.: Déjà View is now available on Amazon (where the third, latest, and last edition of the book has been updated to include the Kindle eBook) and Barnes & Noble:

AmazonBarnes & Noble

USA Today Bestselling Author Helen Garraway Interviewed Me About Déjà View, the Writing Process, and My Next Book

Author Interview – Michael Thomas Perone

The Top 5 Episodes of The Wonder Years

Everyone sing along: “Whaaaat would you do if I sang out of tune…”

Most people who know me well know that, along with The Simpsons (at least the first eight or nine seasons), The Wonder Years is one of my favorite shows of all time (the ‘80s original, not the semi-recent reboot). Even if you don’t know me personally but know anything about my books and website (and, if you’re following this blog, you do), this shouldn’t be terribly surprising, because I’m a very nostalgic person, and The Wonder Years is a very nostalgic show. (It may have actually taught me the meaning of the word “nostalgia.”) It was also incredibly relatable, as I was only a year younger than main character Kevin Arnold (because one name wasn’t enough). As I wrote in a previous blog about this show, Kevin’s father was just like my father. His mother was just like my mother. His friends were just like my friends. His girlfriend…okay, I didn’t have a girlfriend in junior high or high school.

Anyway, these are the best of the best, IMO/YMMV/etc. Apologies to fans who loved the later seasons, because only episodes from the first three seasons appear here (hence the photo above). The episodes are listed in chronological order of airdate.

PILOT

It’s somewhat miraculous how much The Wonder Years got right in its very first episode: its mixture of bittersweet nostalgia overlaid with a sardonic voiceover by the present-day version of the main character (something borrowed from the brilliant Stand By Me and, before that, A Christmas Story but not something that had been tried in television yet), the crackling chemistry between its three preteen (soon-to-be teen) child stars, an earworm pop soundtrack from the ‘60s, and writing as rich as the memories the show was attempting to conjure for its grown-up audience, while remaining relatable to the same audience’s kids. (That would be me, Lil’ Mikey, in 1988, when the show first aired after Super Bowl XXII.) In this episode, we got to meet Kevin, the 12-year-old everyman (well, everyboy) powered by Fred Savage’s overacting eyebrows; the gawky though kind Paul Pfeiffer; and Winnie Cooper, every boy’s favorite girl next door and would-be girlfriend. And, lest the viewer got too comfortable and thought this was a regular corny sitcom that was typical for its era (whether the ‘80s when the show first aired or the ‘60s when the show takes place), the show (VERY OLD SPOILER ALERT!) kills off a major character courtesy of the tragedy that was the Vietnam War. (Of course, the show had only aired one episode thus far, so “major character” is a bit of a stretch given his limited screentime.) I think my biggest takeaway of the episode though, at least from the vantage point of my middle-aged self, is the part when the older Kevin’s voiceover, courtesy of the always warm and winsome Daniel Stern, declares the summer before junior high as “the last summer of pure, unadulterated childhood.” That was certainly true for me in the summer of 1989, which is why both my novels take place during this year.

MY FATHER’S OFFICE

When I first watched this episode, it caught me off guard, and I mean that in the best possible way. Prompted by his Dad’s daily grumpiness when he returns home from work, Kevin wants to know what his father does for a living—what he really does, not just superficial qualities like his company’s name and job title. I had to laugh at the scene when Kevin’s friends grill him on the bus about what exactly his father does, and he can’t quite come up with a coherent answer. I know I was in that position more than once when I was a kid. (My Dad was an inspector for American Airlines at JFK, but try explaining that on the playground; I didn’t even know who JFK was.) Turns out Jack, Kevin’s Dad, is a middle manager at NORCOM, which I suspect is a stand-in for Long Island’s Northrup Grumman. (Neal Marlens, one of the creators of the show, is from LI.) Kevin asks his Dad about his job, and his Dad considers it pestering and blows up at him, but then Jack feels bad and brings him into his office the next day to show him firsthand what he does. Kevin is ecstatic not just because he gets some quality time with his old man, but he gets to blow off a day of school. After Jack dodges his boss, he and Kevin have a touching scene bonding together at the office lounge. Reminiscing about the job he wanted as a kid—sea captain—Jack tells his son, “You know, Kevin, you can’t do every silly thing you want to in life.” Kevin begins to understand his Dad’s crankiness at home, and their reconciliation is beautiful. As the two stroll out of the lounge, both beaming after having come to that mutual understanding (and I can’t stress this next part enough), any other television show would’ve ended the episode there. Not The Wonder Years. As they get back to Jack’s office, he’s accosted by his boss for failing to follow up with him on a project, and he’s humiliated in front of his son. Kevin finally gets it. This is the dreaded Real World. I haven’t even mentioned this episode’s beautiful bookend device involving a telescope, but I don’t want to give the whole show away. Needless to say, there’s a reason why this particular episode won its creators a Writers Guild of America Award. If you want to enjoy a brilliant piece of writing—on any medium, not just television—especially regarding story structure, you would do well to watch this episode.

WHOSE WOODS ARE THESE?

This was the first, though certainly not last, episode of The Wonder Years that actually brought me to tears. Kevin and his friends learn that a developer is going to tear down their precious Harper’s Woods, the place where they used to play games as kids and where Kevin and Winnie shared their first kiss (in the pilot episode). After getting an inspiring speech to “fight the man” from his rebellious sister, Kevin and his pals storm a town meeting to overturn the decision to tear down the woods. During this scene, Kevin gives an impassioned speech about how there’s something you can’t see in Harper’s Woods—their childhood—and how this world is “too careless with its memories.” After pleading with the town board not to go through with the woods’ destruction, a man stands up in the audience and vociferously agrees with Kevin, and the rest of the town jumps to its feet and hails Kevin as a local hero who righteously defended their neighborhood. When I first saw this episode, I thought this twist of fate was amazingly corny and unrealistic, but I forgot I was watching The Wonder Years, not a cheesy ‘80s sitcom with easy answers like Small Wonder. This sequence of the town leaping to Kevin’s defense turns out to be a dream, as Kevin fell asleep during the terminally boring meeting.

I can’t describe the rest of the episode without spoiling it, but I’m going to do it anyway just to prove how powerful the story is and explain why I picked this show out of the 115 other episodes. It turns out the kids are powerless, as kids often are, to stop the woods from being razed. On the final night as they come to grips that they failed, they gather in the woods to commiserate, when Winnie randomly starts counting. She wants to play Hide and Seek. One last time. Kevin is at first reluctant, but after Paul’s goading, he gives in, and the two race off into the woods for Winnie to find them. Daniel Stern’s voiceover here is heartbreaking: “And the next day, they tore down Harper’s Woods.” And I thought my novel Déjà View was symbolic about the end of childhood. It’s even more personal for me, because this episode literally aired a few days after my 12th birthday. The episode ends with what I believe to be the only scene in this series that takes place in the future: A pair of kids ride modern-looking skateboards (well, modern for 1989) through an outdoor mall, where Harper’s Woods used to stand, and as the camera pans down, we see etched into the sidewalk, just as they did on a tree in the woods, the three friends’ initials. Judy Collins’ poignant cover of The Beatles’ ballad “In My Life” plays softly in the background. Fade to black. All in all, a perfect episode of television.

HOW I’M SPENDING MY SUMMER VACATION

The final episode of the second season is actually the very next episode after “Whose Woods Are These?” So we get two brilliant episodes of television back to back. (We truly were spoiled in the ‘80s!) I watch this episode every year at this time because it’s about the long school year coming to an end. What starts off as a deceptively simple storyline—Kev pretty much gets ditched by his friends for the summer—turns into something more profound towards the end, and to watch that switch is a delight every time. I especially love the nod to The Graduate, as, to take a break from cleaning out the garage, Kevin lays on his back on a folding chair in his driveway wearing a snorkeling mask. He’s rescued by the doldrums of summer chores by Winnie, who invites him to her parents’ annual summer-kickoff party. Only, she also ignores him there, until Kevin finally explodes (there’s only so much a poor boy can handle), and she reveals (more like implies) that the reason she’s been so moody is because her parents are getting divorced. I love the final line of this show, voiced once again by the outstanding Daniel Stern (it really wasn’t just a voiceover; it was a major character of the show): “I pretty much stayed close to home. I mowed Mr. Ermin’s lawn. I went fishin’ with my Dad. I watched a man walk on the moon. I considered myself…pretty lucky.” When I first saw this episode, I thought he considered himself lucky because he got to watch Neil Armstrong on T.V. (Hey, I was just a kid myself.) The older Kevin is obviously referring to the unspoken fact that his parents are still together. Poor Winnie. Side note: This episode features The Flamingos’ transcendent “I Only Have Eyes for You,” my favorite “oldie” of all time. (I consider oldies anything recorded before the ‘70s.)

SUMMER SONG

This is actually the first episode of the third season, so in a way, we got three back-to-back-to-back classic episodes from The Wonder Years in 1989. (What a year!) First things first: This show contradicts the one that came before by having Kevin take a trip with his family and best friend Paul to Ocean City, Anywhere. If you watched “How I’m Spending My Summer Vacation,” you learned that Paul had to go away with his family for the entire summer and wouldn’t come back until Labor Day. Also, as I quoted at the end of my last episode description, Kevin said he spent that summer “close to home.” Oops! Luckily, this episode is lovable enough to forgive those continuity errors. (After all, the two episodes were written by different writers.) At Ocean City, Paul gets sick (again), and Kevin is left on his own. (I’m always amused when Paul is shocked that he “must have eaten fish” at a seafood restaurant.) On the beach, Kevin meets an older girl named Teri played by Holly Sampson, who would go on to appear in a small role as the pregnant student in the seminal Pump Up the Volume. Unfortunately, she would later move on to porn. (She wouldn’t be the first child actor to have a rough time.) Kevin and young Holly have a cute date on the pier—complete with taking pictures in one of those tiny photobooths that used to be in every arcade before smart phones with cameras were invented. This scene always reminds me of Daniel and Ali’s Golf ‘N Stuff date in The Karate Kid. It’s revealed at the end that Teri is a military brat and needs to move out of state soon but promises to keep in touch through the tried-and-true, old-fashioned art of letter writing. Kevin returns home and indeed becomes pen pals with Teri—for one letter. Daniel Stern’s clincher of an ending voiceover gets me every time: “I keep that letter in an old shoebox… It was the only letter she ever wrote me.”

Honorable Mention: GOODBYE

I’m awarding this episode an Honorable Mention instead of including it in the Top 5 because it’s technically the finale of a multipart episode, and to truly understand its impact, you have to watch more than just this show. It’s revealed earlier in the series that Kevin is having trouble in math class, and despite trying his best and studying hard, he just can’t seem to improve his grade. He decides to work with his teacher Mr. Collins after school for extra help, until one day the teacher is too busy. Kevin is offended and purposefully bombs his test in an immature act of “revenge” (more like self-sabotage). (If you don’t want to be spoiled, read no further, though the title of this episode should give you a hint.) Kevin later learns that Mr. Collins died from a heart attack (seriously, no one was safe on this show), and the reason his teacher was resistant to further tutoring sessions was because he was too sick. But, through a kind, postmortem act on Mr. Collins’ part, he left a note before he passed letting Kevin retake the test. Of course, filled with shame and regret, this time Kevin aces it. When he hands it over to the substitute teacher (the loathsome assistant principal), he delivers this knockout line: “You don’t need to grade it; it’s an A.” Then, just before he leaves the classroom, he turns around to see the ghost of his teacher sitting at his desk. Addressing his absent mentor, Kevin says, “Good job, Mr. Collins.” This episode earned the show more well-deserved Emmys, for both writing and directing.

One reason why I love this episode (or run of episodes; as I mentioned, it was a multistory arc) is because I had something similar happen to me with my own junior high math teacher, though he didn’t die. I had difficulty in the class and went for extra help for a big test that was approaching. One day, I was supposed to attend a small assembly awarding my Technology class for creating a tribute to the heroes of The Gulf War (or something), but I didn’t want to go. I felt my math class was more important. When a teacher interrupted my class looking for me to attend the assembly, my math teacher defended me, muttering, “Get out,” as in, “He’s here now with me, doing something more important.” It worked. The teacher turned around and left. (I was yelled at afterwards by my Technology teacher for failing to show up at the assembly, and I didn’t receive my award because of it, but that’s another story.) Later, I had to miss a math class reviewing one of our assignments because I had a concert performance with the school band. Afterwards, I tracked my math teacher down in the halls and asked what we did in class that day, and he bitterly replied: “Well, you missed it, Michael. You were too busy playing with your little instruments.” I was taken aback, and I could tell he regretted his words as soon as he said them. I handed him my assignment and insisted he review it anyway. He reluctantly took the paper from my hand and looked it over. After a minute or so, he simply smiled and handed it back to me. “It’s perfect,” he said.

Which of your favorite episodes of The Wonder Years did I miss? I’m sure there were plenty in the later seasons that I didn’t include here. As usual, sound off in the comments!

MTP

P.S.: If I wasn’t so lazy, I’d do full write-ups of the following four episodes, making this list, including my Honorable Mention, a proper Top 10. (Similar to “Goodbye,” these would also qualify as Honorable Mentions, though I like “Goodbye” more.)

CHRISTMAS

The first holiday episode of the show—and still the best. This show introduced me to Joni Mitchell’s heartbreaking “River,” one of the saddest Christmas songs of all time.

ON THE SPOT

Winnie stars in a school production of Our Town, with Kevin and Paul working the spotlights overhead. When Kevin flakes out, I love how Paul overreacts: “You had ONE job!” It was the first time I ever heard that line.

THE GLEE CLUB

Guest starring a then-unknown Dustin Diamond pre-Screech from Saved by the Bell, this is probably the funniest episode of the entire series. The first time I saw it, the hilarious finale had me laughing for a full five minutes. I’m not joking.

DADDY’S LITTLE GIRL

Kevin’s sister turns 18 and splits, bringing much angst to father Jack. As a father of two girls myself now, this episode hits a little harder.

P.P.S.: At nearly 3,000 words, this was one of my longest blogs ever.

P.P.P.S.: Next week’s blog: Updates!

P.P.P.P.S.: Déjà View is now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble:

AmazonBarnes & Noble

Déjà View Is Getting Revamped for the Second and Final Time

My debut novel Danger Peak received three editions, so I suppose I owe the same to my follow-up. Déjà View has recently undergone a remodel—the second and last time this will be happening. I know I said I probably wouldn’t revise the book again, but a few things happened. It won First Place in the category of Young Adult – Literary and Coming of Age in The Spring 2024 BookFest Awards, and since I already placed the BookFest award seal on the cover of Danger Peak, when it only won Second Place in its category of Young Adult – Action and Adventure, I felt it was only fair that the cover of my second novel should also be graced with the award seal. Also, I reread the book for the millionth time and was surprised that there were still a few errors. The most glaring (to me, anyway) was in one chapter, I used the pronoun “I” instead of “Bobby.” Oops! Talk about a Freudian slip!

I also cleaned up the “Praise for Déjà View” section that opens the book. Some of those reviews were fairly lengthy, so I chopped them down. I also added a new review from The US Review of Books, which served as the final professional review of Déjà View.

Finally, there were a few instances where I wanted to clean up the language a bit—not because it was vulgar (if the book was a movie, it would only be rated “PG-13,” after all) but just to make certain sentences more succinct, e.g., when Miss M. accidentally gets her eye poked by Joe in the cafeteria, her hand no longer “clings to it”; she “shields it.”

Although I already deleted a chapter to “get to the good stuff” in the book sooner, I was also toying with deleting yet another chapter early in the book (try to guess which one!), but in the end, I decided to keep it for several reasons: 1) I just really like the chapter, and 2) events in the chapter get referenced later on in the “crazy part” of the book, which is one of the reasons why the chapter made the cut in the first place. I suppose my original instinct was correct.

Currently, the most recent version of Déjà View is only available via paperback on Amazon. The eBook will be available in a week or so, and Barnes & Noble will acquire it a little after that, if history is any guide. If you click on “Read sample” below the cover on the Amazon page, you’ll see the new cover with the award seal, as well as a short sample of the changes that were made so far, including deleting the apostrophe in “Publisher’s Weekly” on the first page. Again: Oops!

So what are you waiting for? Click the button below for the latest and greatest (and final) edition of Déjà View!

Third Edition of Déjà View

Full disclosure: If you already own a copy, do the new revisions warrant acquiring another one? Yes! J/k. Not really. But if you still haven’t picked up a copy, there’s no better time than the present.

MTP

P.S.: Next week’s blog (a supersized one!): The Top 5 Best Episodes of The Wonder Years

P.P.S.: Déjà View is now available on Amazon (the newest version!) and Barnes & Noble:

AmazonBarnes & Noble

Déjà View Featured on Times Square Billboard

Start spreadin’ the news…

Today, May 30th, my sophomore novel Déjà View was presented on an electronic billboard in Times Square. As part of winning First Place in my category of Young Adult – Literary and Coming of Age in The Spring 2024 BookFest Awards, the cover of my book and several others were displayed on the Nasdaq Board at the corner of Broadway and 43rd Street in an ad for the BookFest Awards competition. Even though my debut novel, Danger Peak, already received this honor last year, it was no less thrilling to be part of Times Square history again. In fact, it was personally more gratifying because before Déjà View was released, I really didn’t know how it was going to be received. In fact, I was quite nervous about it. (And if you don’t believe me, check out old blogs just before the book came out.) In my first novel, I tried to please everyone, packing the story with as much action and humor as I could and including a happy ending. If you’ve read Déjà View, you know that’s not the case with this book. It’s much darker, a little twisted at times, and, not to give too much away, it doesn’t necessarily have a happy ending. With this novel, I wanted to write a book basically for an audience of one: myself. In other words, I wanted to write something I would really enjoy, and to hell with everyone else if they didn’t like it. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case, as Déjà View has received unanimously positive reviews and won several awards.

I also want to give a shout-out to my fellow award winners, in the off-chance that they’re reading this: Congrats, you guys!

You can see photos and videos of the promotion below. Enjoy!

If you listen closely to the last video, you can hear my oldest daughter asking me, “So like they’re digging up a time capsule?” (She thought it was coal.)

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In other Déjà View news, I wanted to thank everyone who participated in my free Kindle giveaway this past Memorial Day weekend. Because of your interest, for the first time ever, Déjà View rose to number 5 in the category of Coming of Age Fiction, number 11 in the category of Coming of Age Fantasy, and number 45 in the huge category of Science Fiction, just a few spots behind George Orwell’s masterpiece 1984, one of my favorite novels of all time.

This might be the last time I do this free giveaway, but I reserve the right to change my mind. Thanks again everyone, and enjoy your eBook!

MTP

P.S.: Next week: Another break

P.P.S.: Déjà View is now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble:

AmazonBarnes & Noble

Danger Peak Is Becoming an Audiobook!

Since my debut novel Danger Peak was released 2 years ago, I can’t tell you how many people asked me if it was available as an audiobook. On the one hand, I was flattered (hey, they’re interested in my book!); on the other hand, it was a little disheartening. I thought, Doesn’t anyone read anymore? Well, you asked for it. You got it. I was recently approached by The DayDreaming Network, the largest independent distributor of audiobooks, to turn Danger Peak into an audiobook. Not only will the book be narrated by a professional actor, it will include sound effects and even music! This thrills me because I’ve always said Danger Peak is cinematic, so it would benefit from a few audio bells and whistles.

This is the good news. The bad news is that it’s going to take around 3 to 4 months to produce the audiobook. Hey, quality takes time! And if you’re wondering if it won’t be available on your favorite audiobook platforms because it’s being independently distributed (I thought that too), don’t worry; it’ll be available on Amazon’s Audible, Kobo, and wherever else you get your audiobooks.

Once again, this blog is just an announcement of the audiobook; it’s not available yet. I was just too excited to keep this news to myself for 4 whole months. Let’s put it this way; this is as close to Danger Peak: The Movie as you can get—at least for now!

The DayDreaming Network will be interviewing me about this project on their podcast, but I don’t know when yet. Once it’s out, I’ll post it in a future blog, In the meantime, please check out their website below:

The DayDreaming Network

And here is more info on the talented young man who will bring Danger Peak to life:

He was in The Duff with Ken Jeong and Allison Janney (who I just mentioned in my last blog)! I have to admit I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I suppose I have to now.

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In other news, I’m a centenarian! In blog form! This is my 100th blog for this site. This may not seem like much of an accomplishment, but consider the following:

This is actually the second blog I’ve continually updated in my life, the first of which was exclusively on Facebook until I migrated over to this site. I amassed over 150 blogs during my Facebook days, and the best ones were compiled into my book Lists, Life, and Other Unimportant Details, still available for FREE here if you sign up for blog updates, kids!While most blogs on the Interwebz are 250 words or fewer, mine typically run over 500, with many being over 1,000. I realize this doesn’t necessarily mean my blogs are better, but if nothing else, it proves I did a lot more work. If my blogs weren’t that long, it was usually because I was posting some major announcement, like the title of my next book or an interview with a podcast.

I never thought I’d actually make it to number 100. Fifty? Sure. Seventy-five? Maybe. But not 100, so I wanted to write something special for this entry. At first, I was going to do a roundup of my favorite blogs since I started this site over 2 years ago, but I already do that for this site’s anniversary in March. So I decided to make this major announcement about Danger Peak early as the 100th blog. For old time’s sake, you can read my very first blog below during more humble times, when this site was named after my first book:

My First Blog

Here’s to 100 more! (Who am I kidding? I’ll probably run out of ideas after 105.)

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In other, other news, Déjà View will be free to download on Kindle this Memorial Day weekend! Celebrate the unofficial start of summer with this simultaneously nostalgic and terrifying look back at the ‘80s, and find out why it’s been winning so many awards recently. My other free giveaways for this book were only for one day, so enjoy this freebie both Saturday and Sunday. As always, happy reading!

MTP

P.S.: Next week’s blog: Another Surprise Announcement

P.P.S.: Déjà View is now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble:

AmazonBarnes & Noble

The Top 5 Greatest Movies of the Past 15 Years

Just the best.

This website has produced nearly 100 blogs, and scanning an assortment of them over the past 2 years, it’s more than apparent that I’m stuck in the 1980s. This makes sense since my first two novels take place in this decade. But, if nothing else, I wanted to prove that yes, I do exist in this century and have been paying attention to pop culture for the past several decades, so I decided to draft this list of my five favorite films of the past 15 years. Here they are, in no order (except the last one, which is my favorite of the bunch):

Liberal Arts (2012)

Made before Elizabeth Olsen was a household name by virtue of being in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Liberal Arts proved Josh Radnor was more than just the amusing, amiable lead of the incomparable How I Met Your Mother, probably the best sitcom of the past 20 years. (Just ignore that last season.) Radnor plays Jesse Fisher, a jaded 35-year-old New Yorker trapped in his college years, so much so he takes a job as a college admissions officer in the Big Apple. Overly nostalgic for his halcyon youth, he visits his old campus in Ohio to deliver a speech for his retiring teacher and becomes smitten with sophomore Zibby (Olsen)—and you will, too. Yes, it’s another May-December romance, but if you think you know where it’s going, you don’t. Adding to the comedic-romantic atmosphere, the movie’s minor characters are played by absolute ringers who know more than one way to joyfully waltz through this material, including Richard Jenkins as that retiring teacher and Allison Janney as Jesse’s old poetry professor. My only complaint is that literally every female character, except for Zibby’s roommate, is in love with Jesse: Not only Zibby (obviously; it’s the plot of the movie) but the bookstore owner and (minor spoiler alert) the aforementioned poetry professor. Even Zibby’s Mom finds him attractive, and at one point, a student asks a crowd at a party, “Why do I like this guy so much?” (referring to Jesse), and Zibby replies, “Because he’s likable.” Even without checking the credits, it’s obvious Radnor wrote and directed the movie. One last note: It helps if you harbor a certain nostalgia for the collegiate years. If you didn’t attend college, this movie might leave you cold.

The End of the Tour (2015)

From one How I Met Your Mother alum to another: Jason Segel plays the late, brilliant author David Foster Wallace in the performance of his career. That might not mean much to you, but it keeps me coming back to view it every year. Based on the equally brilliant memoir, Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip With David Foster Wallace, Jesse Eisenberg plays real life Rolling Stone journalist David Lipsky who interviews Wallace at the conclusion of his book tour (hence the title) for the epic and epically long, over 1,000-paged juggernaut Infinite Jest. (Reading this book has been on my bucket list for years, and I finally bought it recently—no time like the present!) Lipsky is jealous of Wallace’s career, and throughout the film, they playfully joust with each other over everything from writing to fast food to Alanis Morissette. It’s all fun and games until it’s not. To see their playful conversations take that dark turn is incredibly compelling, and I admire Eisenberg’s courage to continually play characters we don’t necessarily root for. With the bitter tension of a jealous rival and a genius auteur he simultaneously looks up to and resents at this movie’s core, The End of the Tour is the 21st Century answer to Amadeus. Side note: A minor character in the last movie I listed actually reads Infinite Jest throughout the film. (The title is never explicitly stated, but it’s more than implied.) That’s not why I chose these two movies; it’s just a coinky-dink. (Maybe I should add these to my Movie Coincidences list—blog callback!)

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

Here is a movie that defies description. It must simply be experienced to truly appreciate it. In a world full of sequels, prequels, reboots, legacy sequels, and movies based on toys and dolls, this is a true original, and that’s particularly impressive considering all the movies about multiverses, the subject of the film, cluttering the cinema; there were two alone competing with Everything… when it was released: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. (Both were meh.) I would explain the plot of this brilliant, baffling film, but I can’t. The movie is that gonzo insane. And I love it. This is probably the weirdest movie by the Daniels (googly eyes, “Racacooney,” and hotdog fingers!), and that’s saying something since they also wrote and directed Swiss Army Man, a movie about a talking, farting corpse played by Harry Potter. The only thing I’ll add is that Ke Huy Quan deservedly won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as Michelle Yeoh’s henpecked husband Waymond Wang in an action-packed though tender-hearted performance. When he wasn’t kicking butt, he was kicking in my heart. Also, it’s always a thrill to see Indy’s old pal and a Goonie win big. After all, Goonies never say die.

Brigsby Bear (2017)

If I could pick any celebrity in the world to be pals with, it wouldn’t be someone extremely rich and famous like Tom Hanks or Harrison Ford (though they are my favorite actors); it would be Saturday Night Live’s Kyle Mooney, cowriter and star of Brigsby Bear, but that’s not the reason I love this movie so much. As soon as I saw him standing on stage during one of the goodnights of an SNL episode proudly wearing an ALF shirt—a good 15 years after the show went off the air—he grabbed my attention. When he returned the following week stubbornly wearing the same shirt, I fell in love with the guy. In fact, I still claim his apparent love of ALF is what inspired him to create this movie, an ode to an ’80s-ish, nonexistent kids show starring an animatronic bear named Brigsby Bear. Actually, the show doesn’t even exist in the world of the movie. It was created and performed by his father, the always excellent Mark Hamill, for an audience of one, to teach life lessons and control his son James (Mooney)—only, he’s not really his father, but I don’t want to give all the surprises away. The ingenious plot is just the start to a movie that is considered a love letter to imagination and the art of collaborating with friends to create something artful and new. But to me, it will always be an ode to the pop culture that raised you. In many ways, I felt growing up like a boy in a bubble with nothing but T.V. shows and movies as a window to the outside world, and when I finally entered that big, bad world, talking about my love for specific pieces of pop culture, e.g., Star Wars, was how I connected with people. It’s a little sad, a little hopeful. That’s why I love that wistful, poignant nod James gives to Brigsby at the end of the movie. It’s like he’s saying: “Good job, buddy. I’ll take it from here.”

The World’s End (2013)

The best movies are the ones that are eminently rewatchable, and that’s more than true for The World’s End, probably my favorite movie of the past 15 years. It’s impossible to catch all the inside jokes (“Let’s Boo-Boo!”) and slam-bang Brit wisecracks in just one sitting. To watch this movie over and over is to be endlessly rewarded. I know many people would disagree, but for me, this is by far the best entry in the so-called “Cornetto Trilogy,” with Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz being the first two (also directed by Edgar Wright and starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost). In fact, along with Peter Pan and a short story I wrote as a child, this movie was hugely influential on my sophomore novel Déjà View. I wanted to write a story where it also suddenly flips genres halfway through. For The World’s End, it’s about a third of the way through. During this first section, the movie tells a pretty straightforward, though highly affecting midlife crisis story, and part of me wanted the whole movie to play out this way. But, for those who’ve seen the trailer or even just glimpsed the poster, there is a sci-fi twist that takes over the narrative (hence my comparison to Déjà View).

In the other two Cornetto Trilogy movies, Simon Pegg plays more or less a good dude, but IMO (as Internet parlance goes), he’s never been better than as insufferable a-hole Gary King, a man trapped in time (specifically, the year 1990; for me, it’s 1989) who wants to finally finish the 12-bar pub crawl he began with his schoolmates 20 years ago on his high school graduation day. This provides the perfect structure for the film—I always try to guess the next pub they visit—and one time, I tried to drink along with them, but even for me, 12 beers is a lot. I also love how the names of the pubs comment on the plot; The Old Familiar looks identical to the previous pub, and they literally put a hole in the wall in The Hole in the Wall. The movie is equivalent to a great hang with a bunch of old friends, which is actually the main goal of King. All he wants is a few brews—okay, TWELVE brews—with his mates, and the end of the world has to come and muck it all up. Or does it? I found the ending of the movie surprisingly hopeful. Cowriter-director Wright even states on the commentary track that it’s probably the best ending for Pegg’s character. Too bad it comes at the expense of the world.

So fire up those DVD players—if you still own one—or go look for these gems on your preferred streaming services. What were some of your favorite movies of the past 15 years? Let me know in the comments!

MTP

P.S.: If I wasn’t so lazy, I would also write up (500) Days of Summer, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (another Edgar Wright jam), Pixar’s Inside Out (can’t wait for the sequel later this year), Inception, and Whiplash.

P.P.S.: Next blog: Number 100 (And a Surprise Announcement!)

P.P.P.S.: Déjà View is now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble:

AmazonBarnes & Noble

Déjà View Is a Finalist of The 2024 Eric Hoffer Book Awards!

I’m honored to announce that Déjà View was recently declared a finalist at The 2024 Eric Hoffer Book Awards! The prestigious Eric Hoffer Awards celebrate the best in independent literature, and according to its website and the email notification I received, less than 10% of books entered into their competition receive the distinction of being a finalist. As explained on their website:

The Eric Hoffer Book Award honors the memory of the great American philosopher Eric Hoffer by highlighting salient writing, as well as the independent spirit of small publishers. Since its inception, the Hoffer has become one of the largest international book awards for small, academic, and independent presses.

I entered my book in the category of e-book Fiction, which is an incredibly broad category, but I was too lazy to send a physical copy to the judges. Also, unlike The BookFest Awards, where both Danger Peak and Déjà View won in their respective categories and which holds two competitions per year (in the spring and fall), The Eric Hoffer Awards is only an annual event, so again, it’s much harder to place.

You can see the list of all the finalists, including all categories, in alphabetical order at the link below:

Eric Hoffer Book Award Finalists

The U.S. Review of Books also listed the finalists, which you can see at the link below:

The U.S. Review of Books Lists Finalists

I have already updated Déjà View’s page on this site here with the award seal.

Full disclosure: I entered Danger Peak as well in this contest 2 years ago, and I didn’t place, so this is a big deal for me. And speaking of Danger Peak, I wrote this several years ago when that book started winning a bunch of awards, but I suppose I have to repeat it: For those who follow my blog but are still somehow on the fence about picking up a copy of Déjà View, have I convinced you yet that this book is worth your time?

I was actually planning on posting a different blog today, but this news took precedence, and since I didn’t want to bombard you guys with too many updates, I’m saving it for another time.

MTP

P.S.: Next week’s blog: The Top 5 Greatest Movies of the Past 15 Years

P.P.S.: Déjà View is now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble:

AmazonBarnes & Noble