Bart "J.B." Hopkins's Blog, page 22

Christmas Like Review

There are few things in life that bring me more joy than when a reader connects with one of my books.

Email and reviews are the primary mediums people use to express their feelings and reveal those connections.  A handful of words sprinkled on Amazon or sent through my site and my passion for writing is kindled all over again.  Simple as that.

Isn’t that crazy and amazing and … magical?

I got this review today, on Christmas morning, an unplanned gift that really made my day.  Many thanks to the person who left this one on Amazon for LIKE…

“I loved this novel! I read it in less than 24 hours because I couldn’t make myself walk away. It was interesting seeing how the loose ends wove together. I’m looking forward to reading more from Bart Hopkins.”              – Chawks64

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!

5-minute Abs

Just had a serious abdominal workout … multiple helpings of ham, potatoes, corn, and cheesecake are stretching the walls of my abdomen to all new proportions. Huge gains.

Barbershop Tales

Yesterday, I got a haircut.

I was the first one in the barbershop and the lady doing the cutting was chipper and friendly.  No waiting.  Things were looking good.

I sat down in the chair, the barber started talking, and the situation rapidly went south…

You see, she had exceptionally bad breath.  And, friendly people are talkative, so those fumes were on repeat.  As little bursts of the foul odor singed my nostrils, I tried not to inhale, and I kept thinking to myself that halitosis was all she was rockin’ steady.

I usually enter a pleasant, semi-conscious state of grogginess at the barbershop, but that twenty minutes seemed like an eternity in olfactory hell.

But, what could I do?   Tell her?  Cut out, and leave with my head half-shorn?

No.  No need to be rude, or to make a hasty retreat.  I manned up.  Smiled.  Tipped well … then I scurried out into the fresh air as fast as my legs could carry me.  At least the haircut looks good.

The Rosie Project

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

During the first 8-10% of the novel, I found myself a little distracted. I wasn’t smelling what the author was stepping in, and it wasn’t very exciting. I was thinking to myself that it was going to be a 3-star read for me.

After 10%, however, the rough edges smoothed away and the book really started to hum. Writing from the perspective of someone with Asperger’s is something very unique to me, and something the author has done well … based on my 7-10 minutes of Wikipedia-style Internet research on the topic, anyway.

The story was presented with a healthy balance of both humor and reality, and it was eye-opening in regards to the rigors of daily life for someone with AS. I can only imagine the research involved in writing from that perspective was substantial.

If you’re up for a unique romantic comedy with just the right balance of catalysts for all emotions, and surprising depth, I highly recommend it.

Sign Changes is FREE

World,

I wanted to shout from the mountaintops that my dad’s novel, Sign Changes, is free today on Amazon.  Click the cover to go there now!

With zero bias as his son, I will tell you it is one of the finest novels I’ve read.  My dad has studied language and spread of the written word for years, and this novel takes those ideas and injects them into a beautiful story.

You lose nothing by downloading a copy; but you miss the opportunity for a great read if you don’t.

Have an awesome day,

Bart

20 Years

There are moments in life when you begin something, and it’s new to you, and it seems like it’s going to last forever. Or you don’t know how long it’s going to last. There’s no concept of an end, per se, only the adventure that lies ahead.

Maybe, the entirety of life can be viewed like that.

Then you wake up twenty years later, shake your head, and wonder … where did all the time go?

Twenty years ago my Air Force career began with one of those cliché middle-of-the-night arrivals at basic training. People in distinctive round hats were hollering. The click of boot heels surrounded me, an unnatural, metallic echo ricocheting from the walls. The boots had been modified to produce that sound … maybe to inspire anxiety or establish authority. Who knows—I can only speculate.

Those Training Instructors (or T-Is) “greeted” us loudly under the overhang affixed to my new “home” that morning, and some doubt entered my mind as to just what the heck I’d decided to do with my life.

This morning, however, after more than 7,300 days in the Air Force, I harbor no doubts that my life has played out the way it should, and that I did the right thing.

Before I spend the rest of the day waxing nostalgic about this two-decade love affair with my country, I wanted to say thanks to all of the people that were there along the way. Great people, great friends, and the best family … you’re the reason I can write this little blurb and the reason I have so much for which to be thankful.

Thank you!

LIKE is now available on Amazon

Like is now available on Amazon!

LIKE is a selfie of modern times that takes you on a journey through the lives of normal people—the new normal—fully connected in an electronic age.

You’ll meet Greg, a realtor whose success stems from his Internet savvy. His tweets are re-tweeted a hundred times and thousands follow his blog.

Then there’s Paul, who stumbles on an old crush while Facebooking. Through research of her online habits, he arranges a “chance” meeting so they can fall in Like with each other.

Martin is a cancer survivor with renewed purpose in life thanks to a supportive social media family.

It’s a tapestry of people and events woven together with this era’s most abundant thread: social media.

“With one Like I can say hi to a friend, support them during a crisis, share in a joke, make someone happy, or reinforce a person’s self esteem. I make myself part of their world. It’s like I stopped by for coffee. But, by Liking, I can also avoid talking to all the people I don’t want to waste time on. Or I can check to see what my ex girlfriend is doing seven or eight times an hour. It’s a double-edged mouse click.”

– Anonymous

Like Cover Reveal

My novel LIKE is coming soon!

A Dave Eggers book on sale

So I just noticed that Dave Eggers’s memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius is on sale for $1.99.

I remember reading it some time around 2001 or 2002.  A friend of mine had finished it and told me, “When I read it, I wished I’d written it.”  As would-be authors, it was as fine a recommendation as I could get and I gave it a shot.

It was a pretty wonderful book.  Barely out of his teens, Eggers lost both of his parents within six months of one another, and he took over care of his eight-year-old brother.  Funny yet sad, painful, sometimes cheesy, but always honest … I found it intriguing and beautiful.

I was surprised, at first, to see it’s only averaging 3.5 of 5 stars on Amazon … just another reminder that those numbers really, frequently mean nothing.  To each their own, as they say, because it is what it is.

Take a peek at the description, and give it a try.  But only if you want to.

Catchya Later. – Bart

Joyland by Stephen King

Joyland

by

Stephen King

The idea of a crime novel from one of my all-time favorite authors intrigued me.  While I wasn’t sure what to expect, I had no doubts that he would pull off a decent story.  I was, however, surprised by just how much I enjoyed it.

The über-short synopsis … Devin Jones is a college kid who takes a summer job at Joyland, an amusement park in North Carolina.  Naturally, some quirky stuff happens, too.  And don’t forget the crime.

King deviated from his usual formula with a reduced focus on the supernatural components in the plot, and an increased focus on human-to-human interaction, the crime/mystery in the story, and one of the lesser-known tribes of American society: old school amusement park personnel (aka carnies).

Don’t misunderstand me … there is still something supernatural.  It just steered the story in a subtle way.  Not everybody floats at Joyland, Georgie, and there’s no REDRUM.

If that’s the hardcore King you be craving, mateys, you should probably grab another of his tomes.  The description is pretty clear about that.

If you’re looking for the other end of the spectrum, a Robert Parker or Lawrence Block style crime novel, it’s not that, either.

It’s a beautiful sweet spot, somewhere in the middle of the tennis racket.  Recommended for anyone with an open mind to a different kind of King story.

Cheers.