Scott Semegran's Blog, page 10
August 10, 2021
Olympus, Texas By Stacey Swann
Olympus, Texas is the debut novel from author Stacey Swann, a family drama with ties to Greek mythology based in a small Texas town. The book description from the publisher describes it best: “The Briscoe family is once again the talk of their small town when March returns to East Texas two years after he was caught having an affair with his brother's wife. His mother, June, hardly welcomes him back with open arms. Her husband's own past affairs have made her tired of being the long-suffering spouse. Is it, perhaps, time for a change? Within days of March's arrival, someone is dead, marriages are upended, and even the strongest of alliances are shattered. In the end, the ties that hold them together might be exactly what drag them all down.”
August 6, 2021
Austin Liti Limits Episode 28 with PHILIP ELLIOTT is Out Now
Austin Liti Limits Episode 28 with author PHILIP ELLIOTT is now available! Watch my interview with Philip that we conducted remotely via Zoom because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Check it out now over at the Austin Liti Limits website. Or watch right here:
Philip Elliott on Austin Liti Limits from Larry Brill on Vimeo.
August 2, 2021
River, Sing Out by James Wade
River, Sing Out is the latest novel from award-winning author James Wade, a gripping book of crime and suspense about a girl and a boy on the run from evil drug dealers. The book description from the publisher describes it best: “Attempting to escape his abusive father and generations of cyclical poverty, young Jonah Hargrove joins the mysterious River—a teenage girl carrying thousands of dollars in stolen meth—and embarks on a southern gothic odyssey through the East Texas river bottoms. They are pursued by local drug kingpin John Curtis and his murderous enforcer, Dakota Cade, with whom River was romantically involved. But Cade and Curtis have their own enemies, as their relationship with the cartel controlling their meth supply begins to sour. Keeping tabs on everyone is the Thin Man, a silent assassin who values consequence over mercy.”
Wade is a master storyteller with an ability to create a vivid world within his inventive narrative language. The cadence of the narration as well as the choice wordplay are unique to Wade. Although it takes time to assimilate to the language, once done, it is an invitation into a perfectly self-contained world. The relationships between young Jonah and River, as well as Jonah’s friendship with old man Carson, are the beating heart and soul of the story. These two narrative threads were a marvel to behold. Although the soliloquies from Cade, Curtis, and the Thin Man are effective in establishing their dominance over the region as well as their unabashed evil intentions, these speeches often bogged down the narrative. Nonetheless, the reader can’t help but cheer for Jonah, River, and Carson as their world undoubtedly spins out of control towards disaster, and our hope for their future grows more worrisome. The pacing of the storytelling is splendid and the description of the wildlife and countryside is poetic. Here’s an example:
July 1, 2021
Porno Valley by Philip Elliott
Porno Valley is the latest novel from award-winning author Philip Elliott, a fast-paced book of hard-boiled, crime fiction. The book description from the publisher describes it best: “It’s the year 2000 and 78-year-old Mickey O’Rourke has been a Los Angeles PI for a very long time. He’d thought he’d seen it all until the disappearance of porn star Jeffrey Strokes sends him from the sex-filled studios of the San Fernando Valley to the desperate streets of Compton where Mickey’s final case becomes his biggest test.” In addition to O’Rourke, there are several key (mostly bad) players: Jemeka, Ray-Ray, Richie, Alabama, Riccardo, Marcellus, and so many more. There are many sordid decisions, double-crosses, and violent moves which makes for a fast and fun read.
June 20, 2021
Austin Liti Limits Episode 27 with S. KIRK WALSH is Out Now
Austin Liti Limits Episode 27 with author S. KIRK WALSH is now available! Watch my interview with Kirk that we conducted remotely via Zoom because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Check it out now over at the Austin Liti Limits website. Or watch right here:
S-Kirk Walsh 1-HD 1080p.mov from Larry Brill on Vimeo.
June 3, 2021
Austin Liti Limits Episode 26 with ELIZABETH WETMORE is Out Now
https://austinlitilimits.com/episodes/89-episode-26-part-1-elizabeth-wetmore-interview.html
June 1, 2021
Austin Liti Limits Episode 26 with ELIZABETH WETMORE is Out Now
Austin Liti Limits Episode 26 with NY Times Bestselling author ELIZABETH WETMORE is now available! Watch my interview with Elizabeth that we conducted remotely via Zoom because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Check it out now over at the Austin Liti Limits website. Or watch right here:
Elizabeth Wetmore on Austin Liti Limits from Larry Brill on Vimeo.
May 28, 2021
The Benevolent Lords of Sometimes Island is Shortlisted for the 2021 U.S. Selfies Book Awards
The Benevolent Lords of Sometimes Island is Shortlisted for the 2021 U.S. Selfies Book Awards as a Young Adult novel in the Children's Books category. The winner will be announced at 5:30pm during the American Library Association Annual Conference & Exhibition on Thursday, June 24, 2021. I would like to congratulate the other shortlisted books and their authors as well. Good luck to everyone!
Read the official press release: 2021 U.S. Selfies Book Awards - Press Release for Shortlists
Go here for more information about the U.S. Selfies Book Awards.
For more info about The Benevolent Lords of Sometimes Island. Available in paperback, hardcover, eBook, and audiobook.
The Benevolent Lords of Sometimes Island is Shortlisted for the 2021 U.S. Selfies Book Awards
The Benevolent Lords of Sometimes Island is Shortlisted for the 2021 U.S. Selfies Book Awards as a Young Adult novel in the Children's Books category. The winner will be announced at 5:00pm during the American Library Association Annual Conference & Exhibition on Thursday, June 25, 2021. I would like to congratulate the other shortlisted books and their authors as well. Good luck to everyone!
Read the official press release: 2021 U.S. Selfies Book Awards - Press Release for Shortlists
Go here for more information about the U.S. Selfies Book Awards.
For more info about The Benevolent Lords of Sometimes Island. Available in paperback, hardcover, eBook, and audiobook.
May 1, 2021
Valentine By Elizabeth Wetmore
Valentine is the debut novel from acclaimed author Elizabeth Wetmore. An instant New York Times Bestseller and a Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club pick, it’s a stunning novel of literary fiction that depicts the lives of several women in Odessa, Texas during the 1970s as they wrestle with the aftermath of the rape of Gloria Ramirez early in the morning on Valentine’s Day, 1976. Told through the different women’s points of view, Wetmore puts on a master class in storytelling.
The novel opens with Gloria Ramirez escaping her assailant, Dale Strickland, who brutally attacked her the night before, as she trudges barefoot three miles through cow pastures to Mary Rose’s front porch, a pregnant mother at home with her young daughter. Gloria begs Mary Rose for water and shelter. Strickland eventually shows up for Gloria, but Mary Rose keeps him at bay by pointing her rifle at him until the cops show up. A tense opening to a novel that unspools the lives of these two women and the others that orbit this event: Corrine, young Debra Ann, Ginny, Suzanne, Karla. All of their lives are revealed and the indignities they face from the men in Odessa, as well as judgment and shame they face from the community as a whole when they don’t act the way they should: prim, proper, quiet, subservient. When Strickland gets off with only probation and a fine, this injustice sends Mary Rose off the deep end, her rage not easy to quell.
