Wes Locher's Blog, page 8

Leaving Battalia: A Comic Book by Weston Locher

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HUMOR AUTHOR WESTON LOCHER GOES FROM SERVING UP LAUGHS TO NOW SERVING... COMICS!?

You may be familiar with Weston Locher's humor book, Musings on Minutiae, but it's time to familiarize yourself with his newest writing venture...

Wes has teamed up with the very talented Portland, Oregon-based artist Chris Binns to bring you his new science fiction comic book, Leaving Battalia

Read the first 5 pages for FREE at his website, westonlocher.com or by clicking here!

Please support Wes and Chris in their newest endeavor by becoming a fan on Facebook and helping to spread the word!

Synopsis:
It’s hard enough being a teenager — now imagine that your girlfriend’s father managed to get his entire family banished from the planet and you have no idea where they went — that’s exactly what happened to Caelum Kepler, and why he must leave his home planet… in order to bring her back.

Book Review: Where the Money Was

Where the Money Was: The Memoirs of a Bank Robber by Willie Sutton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I found Willie Sutton's memoir, "Where the Money Was," to be an enjoyable view into the mind of a criminal who used his brains over his brawn.



Though the 400+ pages gave more detail than was perhaps necessary in most situations, we got a good view into Willie's youth and his family and it explained a bit about why he grew up to be a criminal mastermind. Though the book got a bit long in the tooth toward the end (where we spend many pages meticulously recounting the details of courtroom drama), it's definitely a detailed memoir and I can envision Sutton writing the details from his cell where we spent the majority of his later years.



The scenes detailing the casing and robberies of various banks in the NYC/Pennsylvania areas were great and it was very interesting to read about (harmless) crimes from a different point of view. If you've ever wanted to get inside the mind of a bank robber, or just like a good historical story, then you'll appreciate "Where the Money Was."



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Book Review: World War Z

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Max Brook's tale of the Zombie Apocalypse is absolutely gripping. It's been years since I've read a book that truly capture my imagination and made me feel a bit squeamish or made me think about the big "What If?"



Told through the eyes of the survivors of World War Z and The Great Panic, Brooks paints us an account of what happened (or what could happen) in the face of the living dead reanimating and fighting back against the world. We learn about the origins of the plague, where it started and how it spread, the panic that ensues, the war that humanity wages to take back the Earth, and the after effects of the battle. The amount of research alone that went into this book will have you tipping your hat to the author.



If you decide to start this book, be sure to clear your schedule as you won't want to put it down. For fans of post-apocalyptic stories, horror, and zombie genre, take a few days to slip into a dangerous world where no one is safe. See how the world falls apart and then joins together to rebuild itself after a global tragedy.



As I finished World War Z, I could only think that if or when the dead decide to reanimate, I hope the US Government has Max Brooks on speed dial, because he's the one who will leading the armies and getting us all out alive.



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Book Review: On Writing

On Writing by Stephen King


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I grew up reading Stephen King books but as my taste in books changed he dropped off my radar. Imagine my surprise ten years later when I discovered that one of my early writing heroes had written a book on the craft!

This isn't your average book about writing. Think of it as The Elements of Style but... entertaining. King's writing rules aren't the law but simply suggestions from a (bestselling) author containing tips and tricks that he had learned over the years that he's been in the business.

Since King is a fiction author most of his advice falls into that genre but a lot of his rules can be applied to non-fiction as well. Regardless of what you're writing I promise that you'll be learning and be highly entertained in the process.

The first half of this book is a memoir that highlights points in Stephen's life that he attributes to making him the writer he is today. If you're a fan of his work as I am then you will find this section interesting of it's own merit and more than likely appreciate his work on a deeper level. You don't need to be familiar with his books in order to enjoy this one, but I promise you'll want to give some of hem a read (or re-read) by the time you are done. You may see a lot of yourself in his memoirs or you might have grown through a very different path but it will have you examining yourself and what brought you to the point of being a writer. Hearing about King's rejections and successes will motivate you to be persistent and not give up. (As if that was ever an option, right?)

The second half of this book hits on his tips and tricks whether hat be finding a good place to write, finding your muse, when to write with the "door open," and when to keep it closed. He shares his thoughts on how to build a writer's toolbox (along with what tools should be inside), and how to draw inspiration out of everything you do, see, or hear.

King uses a ton of examples from other works, both classic and lesser known, pointing out strengths and weaknesses in all. You'll be surprised to find out which classic books he believes to be rubbish!

If read and absorbed correctly you'll start reading with a keen eye while examining the structures, dialog, themes, and details that make great books truly great.

If you're not a writer you can enjoy this book (it DID hit the bestseller list, after all), but if you are out to learn and study the form, King's real world advice will be priceless knowledge.

Highly recommended reading, and I'm sure it will find a permanent spot on your reference shelf right next to Strunk and White.

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Check out a FREE sample of my book!

Listen to my Bad Jokes Live on the Air!

Greetings!

Throughout the months of June and July, I will be doing a handful of interviews and readings for various internet radio stations and Podcasts to talk about my book, Musings on Minutiae.

All shows are hosted on BlogTalkRadio, a website that allows you to broadcast a live audio show on virtually any subject you can imagine!

A few book-loving folks have been kind enough to ask me to be a guest in order to talk about my silly book, and you can tune in at the times specified below to listen live! Some hosts will even open phone lines and chat rooms for questions, so if you were dying to know my shoe size or favorite color, then take advantage!

I will be appearing on the following shows:

JUNE:

Tuesday, June 8th at 8:30pm EST
Live Interview with BK Media Entertainment
Listen Online at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bkwalker

Wednesday, June 9th at 5:00pm EST
Live Interview with Nanci Arvizu of Page Readers
Listen Online at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/page-readers

Saturday, June 26th at 11:00am EST
Live Interview with Storyheart of A Book and a Chat
Listen Online at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/across-the-pond

JULY:

Friday, July 30 at 12:00pm EST
I will be reading several essays from Musings on Minutiae on the Authors Read radio show.
Listen Online at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/authorsread

I hope you tune in and support these great internet radio shows, and don't forget that you can still grab Musings on Minutiae for your Kindle for just $0.99!

Get Musings on Minutiae on your Kindle for $0.99 Cents!

If you're an Amazon Kindle owner then you are in luck! For a limited time, you'll be able to grab my humor book, Musings on Minutiae for just $0.99!

You can download the book from the Amazon.com Kindle store, or right from your device!

That's fancy technology, right there!

Don't pass up this awesome opportunity to get a hilarious book for less than you'd pay for just about anything in this economy!

Once you've read the book, don't forget to post your review at Amazon.com. It would mean the world to me!

Book Review: A Writer's Space

A Writer's Space: Make Room to Dream, to Work, to Write by Eric Maisel


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
My main motivation for picking up Eric Maisel's A Writer's Space was because I had recently moved into a new home and was having some trouble setting up my home office to be a comfortable environment in which to write in. This book had a lot of helpful advice on how to set up a good area for yourself where you can be creative and the good energy can flow.

The rest of he chapters on this book deal with mental and meta-physical "spaces" which went a little deeper than what I was looking for. Near the end of the book, Maisel gets into some crazy existential stuff that might make your head hurt. I just write funny stories, so it was a little too deep for my profession. Since it's a small book, I powered through it all, never wanting to pass up good writing advice. But in the end, the target market for this book is people who want to write, but have a million excuses not to do so. It's about centering yourself, making the time to write, and then creating the book or novel you've been dreaming about. There is a lot of good advice within the pages and were I weighed down with a serious case of writers block then this would be a helpful volume to have handy.

The author does a good job of encouraging the reader to do the writing and remains helpful and supportive throughout. He covers tips for both fiction and non-fiction, so any future author can take something from reading this small, yet very inspirational book. Want to write, but unsure of how to get started? Then I highly recommend this book to you! If you're looking for some very deep writing on existential concepts, then oddly enough, you'll find those here as well.

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Book Review: I Was Told There'd Be Cake

I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
If you read the quotes that adorn the front and back covers of Sloane Crosley's "I was Told There'd be Cake" the you can see that she's compared to humorists Sarah Vowell and David Sedaris. These are dangerous comparisons for some writers as they are high standards to live up to. Does Crosley sit on that same level? Sometimes. When she's on, she's on, but there were also some essays that just missed he mark completely.

Part of this book reads as a love letter to New York City, but for me, someone who has never been and does not live there, references to common locations often went over my head and occasionally made me feel like I wasn't "in the know."She opens strong with a tale about plastic ponies that sets the bizarre and silly tone for the rest of the book, however, the rest of the essays that follow either exceed the first in quality or falter altogether.

I highly enjoyed her tales about suffering through a distant friend's wedding as a bridesmaid, as well as her story about working for a publisher, and laughed my way through the mystery to uncover which of her friends may have poo'ed on her floor one night after a dessert party. Some essays fell flat and I was unable to relate either because I'm not, nor do I ever plan to be a woman, or because I am not a vegetarian. The style in which the essays are delivered are conversational, as if she's a friend telling you the story in person, but there are often quick and confusing cuts between thoughts, and her humor is mainly situational and you have to look for the irony in the situations she gets herself into. Her attempts at straightforward jokes are sparse and often feel forced and out of place.

Overall I found the book amusing and perhaps better suited to a female audience, but I think Sloane has a ton of potential. I've heard that she has a new book on he horizon, and based off of my experience with "Cake," I will more than likely give it a read as I'm sure that she has had more time to find her voice and develop her style a bit more. I look forward to seeing her grow as a writer.

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Book Review: A Writer's Time

A Writer's Time: Making the Time to Write by Kenneth Atchity


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Kenneth Atchity has released a good reference book for would-be writers. I can best sum up the goal of this book with the following sentence: "For people who want to write, but have too many excuses as to why they can't."

Not being one of those people, I didn't take a lot from the motivational side of things, however, the author has good suggestions for time management that will help people prioritize and get started on that novel that they've been dreaming about writing. In the end, Atchity just wants to help you succeed and that's always a good bottom line for any self-help book.

The book is a bit dated in some of it's information, for instance, the computer (word processor) is a new tool to the author, and he recommends filing systems for papers and manuscripts where nowadays we tend to keep and file things electronically.

He outlines a beginner's process to writing fiction and non-fiction novels and good ways to collect and prepare information. There is also a helpful section for those particularly interested in screenplays.

My favorite sections were the first - in which he explains the thought process behind writing and how different parts of your brain work together to come up with ideas and how the best ideas are chosen and applied to the current work. I'd always realized these processes existed, but he was able to provide terms for these processes that make describing and understanding them much easier. I also took a lot from the section regarding publishing and how to submit manuscripts and what editors may be looking for, though I'm not sure how much of this information is still relevant seeing as how we are in an age of new information.

I would definitely recommend this book to new writers who can easily get frustrated when dealing with writer's block as Atchity's tips will help them understand the human mind and overcome the mental blocks they put in place for themselves.

Though not all sections included pertained to my methods or genres of writing, there's a lot of good insight and information from someone who has spent years and years in the writing industry and we should never stop learning and always be willing to take the advice of others. Especially those who are more experienced and successful than ourselves.

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