Scott Semegran's Blog, page 6

Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson

Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson is a coming-of-age novel of literary fiction. The book description from the publisher describes it best: “Sixteen-year-old Frankie Budge—aspiring writer, indifferent student, offbeat loner—is determined to make it through yet another summer in Coalfield, Tennessee, when she meets Zeke, a talented artist who has just moved into his grandmother’s house and who is as awkward as Frankie is. Romantic and creative sparks begin to fly, and when the two jointly make an unsigned poster, shot through with an enigmatic phrase, it becomes unforgettable to anyone who sees it. A bold coming-of-age story, written with Kevin Wilson’s trademark wit and blazing prose, Now Is Not the Time to Panic is a nuanced exploration of young love, identity, and the power of art. It’s also about the secrets that haunt us—and, ultimately, what the truth will set free.”

Frankie and Zeke are two weirdos who gravitate to each other one summer in 1996. And once they realize they both have a creative fire inside themselves that needs kindling and tending, their lives are forever changed. Wilson excels at finding the emotional core of his characters, excavating it for the reader, and showing just how special it is. Although there is also a “romantic” connection between these two, their friendship is more than that. It’s their mutual validation of their true selves—their creative desires and their mutual appreciation for each other—that bonds them together. Frankie can’t get over that initial spark, just how special it was, just how something so random changed her forever, and created this writer who is putting great work out into the world as an adult.

Wilson excels at characterization and dialogue between his characters. When Zeke introduces himself to Frankie and explains that Zeke comes from Ezekiel, he says, “It’s biblical. But it’s my middle name. I’m trying it out this summer. Just to see how it sounds.” Wilson seems to remember in great detail what it was like to be a teenager and the magic that comes from trying anything, being open to friends trying anything, and the willingness to let others in their lives simply because they liked the same things. Many adults lose this ability to make friends easily, but Wilson posits that this is what makes being a teenager so extraordinary.

Tell Me One Thing by Kerri Schlottman

Tell Me One Thing by Kerri Schlottman is a novel of literary fiction. The book description from the publisher describes it best: “Outside a rural Pennsylvania motel, nine-year-old Lulu smokes a cigarette while sitting on the lap of a trucker. Recent art grad Quinn is passing through town and captures it. The photograph, later titled "Lulu & the Trucker," launches Quinn's career, escalating her from a starving artist to a renowned photographer. In a parallel life, Lulu fights to survive a volatile home, growing up too quickly in an environment wrought with drug abuse and her mother's prostitution. Decades later, when Quinn has a retrospective at the Whitney Museum of Art and "Lulu & the Trucker" has sold at auction for a record-breaking amount, Lulu is surprised to find the troubling image of her young self in the newspaper. She attends an artist talk for the exhibition with one question in mind for Quinn: Why didn't you help me all those years ago? Tell Me One Thing is a portrait of two Americas, examining power, privilege, and the sacrifices one is willing to make to succeed. Traveling through the 1980s to present day, it delves into New York City's free-for-all grittiness while exposing a neglected slice of the struggling rust belt.”

Quinn Bradford eventually becomes successful as a photographer, but she can’t seem to shake the knowledge that maybe she could have helped Lulu instead of photographing her. As Lulu grows into an adult, she often wonders herself why Quinn didn’t do something to help her. This novel explores both women’s lives that splinter from the moment Quinn snaps the Polaroid of 10-year old Lulu sitting uncomfortably on a trucker’s lap while she holds a cigarette, his grubby hands wrapped around her waist. Both women struggle in their own way: Lulu within the drug-addled community of her childhood and Quinn living the life of a poor artist who many take advantage of. They both live long lives filled with loss and love, but only Quinn rises above poverty to become famous.

Schlottman deploys a dual timeline for both women and their lives are depicted with pathos and levity, the grim nature of poverty revealed as well as the joy of finding souls who bond through love and suffering. Once the photo of “Lulu and the Trucker” is taken and both of their lives are revealed separately, this one question remains: how will their two timelines come back together? There is an obvious way that they could merge, but Schlottman wisely avoids this tactic. The ending seems to me to be well-earned and true, a fitting end to a fantastic novel. Keep an eye out for Kerri Schlottman. She has a great literary career ahead of her.

I really enjoyed this novel and I highly recommend it. I would give this book 5 stars.

Buy the paperback on Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/152/9781646033010

The Last Karankawas by Kimberly Garza

The Last Karankawas by Kimberly Garza is a novel of literary fiction. The book description from the publisher describes it best: “Welcome to Galveston, Texas. Population 50,241. A popular tourist destination and major shipping port, Galveston attracts millions of visitors each year. Yet of those who come to drink by the beach, few stray from the boulevards to Fish Village, the neighborhood home to individuals who for generations have powered the island. Carly Castillo has only ever known Fish Village. Her grandmother claims that they descend from the Karankawas, an extinct indigenous Texan tribe, thereby tethering them to Galveston. But as Carly ages, she begins to imagine a life elsewhere, undefined by her family’s history. Moving through these characters’ lives and those of the extraordinary individuals who circle them, Kimberly Garza's The Last Karankawas weaves together a multitude of voices to present a lyrical, emotionally charged portrait of everyday survival. The result is an unforgettable exploration of familial inheritance, human resilience, and the histories we assign to ourselves, reminding us that the deepest bonds are forged not by blood, but by fire.”

This debut novel examines the ties between the Filipino and Mexican communities of Galveston, Texas as the imminent arrival of Hurricane Ike in 2008 looms large. Carly dreams of a better life far away from the stranglehold of Galveston, the only place she’s ever known, even though that stranglehold feels sometimes like a loving embrace. Her grandmother Magdalena proudly claims to be a descendent of the great Karankawa tribe, but her claims are dubious at best even though her influence over Carly is profound. The chorus of Filipino church members who scrutinize Carly casts a large net, one that is difficult for her to break free from. Garza weaves an exquisite tapestry of the communities of Galveston, one made of brightly colored threads of the different cultures, but when examined as a whole is beautifully rendered.

As Magdalena states of her love of Galveston about halfway through the novel, “To love this place is to love its bad parts también. The brown water, the heat, the zancudos. The storms.”

It’s clear that Garza loves Galveston too—the good and the bad. An excellent debut novel!

I really enjoyed this novel and I highly recommend it. I would give this book 5 stars.

Buy the hardcover on Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/152/9781250819857

Austin Liti Limits Episode 47 with KIMBERLY GARZA is Out Now

Austin Liti Limits Episode 47 with debut author KIMBERLY GARZA is now available! Watch my interview with Kimberly 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:

Kimberly Garza on Austin Liti Limits from Larry Brill on Vimeo.

Austin Liti Limits Episode 46 with JAMES WADE is Out Now

Austin Liti Limits Episode 46 with award-winning author JAMES WADE is now available! Watch my interview with James 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:

James Wade on Austin Liti Limits from Larry Brill on Vimeo.

Austin Liti Limits Episode 45 with THOMAS H. MCNEELY is Out Now

Austin Liti Limits Episode 45 with award-winning author THOMAS H. MCNEELY is now available! Watch my interview with Thomas 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:

Thomas McNeely on Austin Liti Limits from Larry Brill on Vimeo.

The best books for your surreal, bizarro, funny fiction fix on Shepherd.com

Looking for your next funny, bizarro read? BINGO! "The best books for your surreal, bizarro, funny fiction fix," my best-of list of books brought to you by Shepherd.com. First up: VALLEYESQUE by Fernando A. Flores. Find my list here:

https://shepherd.com/best-books/surreal-bizarro-funny-fiction-fix

More recommendations to come soon. 

Austin Liti Limits Episode 44 with FERNANDO A. FLORES is Out Now

Austin Liti Limits Episode 44 with inimitable author FERNANDO A. FLORES is now available! Watch my interview with Fernando 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:

Fernando Flores Interview from Larry Brill on Vimeo.

Beasts of the Earth by James Wade

Beasts of the Earth by James Wade is a novel of literary fiction with elements of mystery, crime, and family drama. The book description from the publisher describes it best: “Beasts of the Earth tells the story of Harlen LeBlanc, a dependable if quiet employee of the Carter Hills High School’s grounds department, whose carefully maintained routine is overthrown by an act of violence. As the town searches for answers, LeBlanc strikes out on his own to exonerate a friend, while drawing the eyes of the law to himself and fending off unwelcome voices that call for a sterner form of justice. Twenty years earlier, young Michael Fischer dreads the return of his father from prison. He spends his days stealing from trap lines in the Louisiana bayou to feed his fanatically religious mother and his cherished younger sister, Doreen. When his father eventually returns, an evil arrives in Michael’s life that sends him running from everything he has ever known. He is rescued by a dying poet and his lover, who extract from him a promise: to be a good man, whatever that may require. Beasts of the Earth deftly intertwines these stories, exploring themes of time, fate, and free will, to produce a revelatory conclusion that is both beautiful and heartbreaking.”

Beasts of the Earth is the third novel from acclaimed literary author James Wade. Although a modern Western with similar themes to his previous work, this new novel is leaner and more grounded to its characters and the town they live in. There is a much keener focus to the many characters that inhabit this world as well as the relationships that develop. Tightly plotted and drawn with dreadful suspense, the two plot lines run in distinct parallel lines until the satisfying conclusion which reveals the ties that bind them. There is some rumination about time and fate, although less so than in Wade’s previous novels, but what is here is beautifully written. Wade’s poetic observations about nature are still on display as these unruly creatures of nature and the small town they inhabit come alive.

Main character Harlen LeBlanc is mysterious and reticent yet compelling. The townsfolk as well as the reader will wonder what is simmering underneath that laconic exterior. Once revealed, the town and the reader will never be the same. James Wade is a writer of exceptional talent and this novel is his latest entry toward his path to greatness.

I really enjoyed this novel and I highly recommend it. I would give this book 5 stars.

Buy the hardcover on Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/152/9781665024082

Austin Liti Limits Episode 42 with ANNIE HARTNETT is Out Now

Austin Liti Limits Episode 42 with award-winning author ANNIE HARTNETT is now available! Watch my interview with Annie 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:

Annie Hartnett Interview from Larry Brill on Vimeo.