Rod Raglin's Blog, page 14

Saving Spirit Bear – Free E-book

A corporate climber challenges an Eco-Warrior to decide the fate of the #rare and #endangered Spirit Bear.  Book 1 in the stand-alone series Eco-Warriors, free ‘til Sept. 26 at https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6EU

 

★★★★ “A strong preservation message with a side of romance.“

“The ecological preservation message underlying the story really resonated with me and Raglin presents it in a way that identifies the problem without preaching. We need more stories like this, which show the real communities, both animal and human, and ecosystems at stake when an area that should be treated with respect and reverence is threatened by overdevelopment. “

– L. Johnson

★★★★ “The characters are well drawn, as is the setting. The plot is being interesting and well planned. The pace was fast enough to keep the tension at a good level but slow enough to allow me to become acquainted with the characters and setting. These aspects coalesced as a good read, despite the heartache.”

– Bridgit, Verified Purchase

★★★★ “Nice story, beautiful description of the landscape and wildlife”

– Isbeth

“A Journey into the heart of the Canadian wilderness, where a rare sub-species of bear is under threat-the Spirit Bear. An exciting read and I couldn’t put it down.”

– Mica Andreas

★★★★★“I loved Spirit Bear and was hooked by the second page.”  
– Reviewed by Bitten by Books

“I liked the concept of Spirit Bear. It was unique.”

– Reviewed by Tina Gibbons at Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews

What Price Success

Kimberley James is hoping her new assignment will jumpstart her stalled career with a New York corporate relations firm. Her client wants to develop a mega ski resort in northern Canada. Her job is to convince the current owners of the land to sell. With millions of dollars to be made, it seems like a done deal.

Until she runs up against Jonah Baker.

Baker is part owner of a lodge on the land and an ardent environmentalist. He’s not about to permit a development that threatens ancient rainforests and the habitat of the rare and endangered Spirit Bear for any price.

Kim begrudgingly respects his principles before profit, but cannot allow a tree-hugging, bear-loving zealot to derail her fast track to success.Jonah admires her determination and worldliness but will fight to the end to stop a materialistic corporate climber from destroying something rare and unique.

Romance and action combine with environmental themes for an entertaining and exciting exploration of contemporary relationships and issues.

Saving Spirit Bear is the first in the stand-alone series ECO-WARRIORS that includes Mad Maggie – The Wisdom of the Ancients and Loving the Terrorist – Risking it All. These exciting stories combine romance and action with a subplot that addresses important environmental issues.

VIEW THE VIDEO TRAILER

Courageously creative – two works by Michael Blouin

Wore Down Trust – a blues in three lives

★★★★

This poetry/prose work is presented with three narrators; country and western icon Johnny Cash, Canadian poet Alden Nowlan and the author.

Though Cash and Nowlan have distinct sections dedicated to them, the reader has no idea what thoughts should be attributed to the author. The Cash and Nowlan sections are hardly different with both being equally bleak burdened as they both are with impoverished childhoods that beset them with demons, their pessimistic take on the present despite both having achieved significant success, and their hopeless view of the future and overall cynical look at life. This, of course, is as presented by Blouin, who one might assume somehow relates to the rural poverty and the lack of opportunity of these two distinguished artists though one would wonder how since he’s about 30 years their junior and the era he grew up in is dramatically different.

Blouin’s “blue collar” ordinary guy writing style, similar to Nowlan’s prose and poetry and Cash’s lyrics has moments of power and clarity but eventually becomes pretentious. The redeeming elements of this work are its originality in both style and presentation..

I Don’t Know How to Behave – A Fiction

★★★★

I Don’t Know How to Behave is called “a fiction”, as opposed to a work of fiction to avoid it being taken as a traditional style story with an arc, characters etc. This work by Michael Blouin definitely doesn’t have those storytelling fundamentals. It is told by characters who are real people; a film director, a poet and a daredevil, though their narratives are imagined by the author and never converge.

Once the appeal of the experimental style and presentation wears off (quite quickly, actually), trying to decipher this work becomes challenging and tedious. But for its courageous creativity, it gets four stars.

Can dreams be resurrected?

Can a life abandoned be taken up again?

Will they let him? Is it worth it?

Free E-book

– Abandoned Dreams

…’til August 30, 2022 at

https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU

At twenty-seven years-old, George Fairweather is “the voice of his generation”, a poet whose talent has garnered him accolades from the literary establishment and homage from the disenfranchised “hippie” youth of the late 1960’s. George is the embodiment of the times with his long hair, rebellious attitude and regular use of mind-expanding psychedelic drugs.

The sudden and tragic death of Fallon, his friend, his muse and his lover shatters his world, his sanity and nearly ends his life. Katherine is the one person who stands between George and destruction. A hanger-on, a groupie, a go-for, she’s a woman George never considered – for anything. Katherine idolizes George and makes it her personal mission to keep him alive, doing whatever it takes, twenty-four seven.

Because of Katherine’s sacrifice and devotion George slowly begins to mend his soul and rebuild a life. But guilt and gratitude make it a much different life then he’d previously led.

Thirty-seven years later, George Fairweather is a husband, father and grandfather and a successful copywriter at an advertising agency. Another death, his wife Katherine’s, is about to change his life again.

Can dreams be resurrected? Can a life abandoned be taken up again? Will they let him? Is it worth it? George is about to find out.

★★★★★  Lovely premise, well-delivered
“…offers an unflinching look at how circumstance, both disastrous and mundane, can shove youthful ambitions aside. Raglin delivers excellently insidious character development, where every individual springs from the page. Overall a very entertaining, unsentimentally sardonic study of how shallow souls can leach subsistence from the goodness of others. And how sometimes responding to those needs can lead to contentment.”
– Mary Keefer, Amazon Verified Purchase
 
“Literary and artistic matters including the drive for fame and creativity, as well as cutting criticism, are refreshingly realistic and provide illuminating insights into the minds of writers and artists. How the past and present link up and influence their current lives and activities is skillfully portrayed. Generational aspects … are woven into mutltiple relationships and ambititions that stir the narrative.”
– Judge Number 54, The 26th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards

★★★★★ “… fascinating and powerful story. Highly recommended.”
– Evie – reader review

Free E-book – The Rocker and the Bird Girl

Book 1 in The Mattie Saunders Series

Download your free copy at

https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU ’til August 21, 2022 at

Quick-tempered, intolerant, and defensive, Mattie Saunders loves birds, but has little time for people. A childhood spent in one foster home after another has made her wary of commitment as evidenced by an absence of close friends and difficulty with intimate relationships. Instead, she’s filled her life rescuing and rehabilitating exotic birds people buy as pets and then abandoned.

Mattie’s uncompromising attitude and high integrity frequently put her in conflict with friends, work associates, people in authority – just about anyone who doesn’t have her impossibly high standards.  It also puts her at the forefront of environmental and social justice issues. Her passion for birds has her fighting to save endangered species, protect habitat and mitigate the effects of climate change. Her sense of morality demands she speak out against racial discrimination, advocate for gender parity and equal rights for the LGBTQ community.

Romance and action, tragedy and triumph, heartache and happiness – experience all this through Mattie’s eyes in this entertaining and thoughtful five book series that explores of contemporary culture and issues.

All the news that’s unfit to print

★★★★ Tomboy – A Jane Benjamin Novel

by Shelley Blanton-Stroud

It’s 1939. The world is slowly emerging from the Depression while lurching toward the Second World War. Jane Benjamin is emerging as well, from the child of dirt-poor migrant workers to an independent young woman with a career as a reporter on The Prospect, a daily newspaper in San Francisco.

It’s a tough go for Jane. Women are hardly as liberated as they are today. They are relegated to specific roles in society and that includes the newspaper industry. Her only chance of breaking in is to come up with a “scoop”, a front-page worth story that no other newspaper has. Not only does she have career challenges, but she’s taken custody of Elsie, her toddler half-sister and shares the care giving with her reluctant friend, Rivka

Through a series of misadventures, Jane gets chance to accompany The Prospect’s publisher on a transcontinental/trans-Atlantic journey to England to cover the world famous Wimbledon Tennis Tournament. One of the competitors is a charismatic local girl, Tommie O’Rourke, and that alone would make a big story, though another angle to consider would be the growing animosity between the athlete and her coach, Edith Carlson. Tommie prevails at Wimbledon, but “Coach” doesn’t do so well, succumbing to what appears to be a heart attack while watching the match.

Coach’s sudden and mysterious demise, the appearance of her eccentric niece, Tommie’s overzealous protective brother and the enigmatic “captain of industry” Adam Lowe present more questions than Jane’s got answers for. So, like any good reporter, she does a bit of snooping and what she finds out is that Tommie and Coach had more than just a professional relationship.

 Now that’s a story, one that if revealed, would be scandalous and ruin Tommie. Jane’s torn between her budding friendship for the tennis star and her desire for a successful career. Before she can decide she discovers the interests of others could also be compromised if the truth comes out and just how far they’ve gone and will go to keep it concealed.

 In Tomboy – A Jane Benjamin Novel, author Shelley Blanton-Stroud introduces a reluctant antiheroine who struggles to overcome the circumstances of her birth, parenting and social conventions of the time. As the intriguing mystery unfolds, interspersed with context flashbacks of Jane’s childhood, the reader is immersed in the history of the 1930’s including modes of transportation, emerging technologies, social mores and morals.

 The decisions and the consequences the protagonist has to consider in Tomboy have changed radically since then, but the reader is reminded gender equality and equal rights for the LGBTQ community still have a long way to go.

Original Stage Plays – free reads ’til July 31, 2022

They also make great short stories.

End of the Rope

When you rope up, you put your life into the hands of your climbing partner. But what if you’ve just ruined his?

Craig, Whit and Milt are friends, have been for a long time. They’ve grown up together, but the friendship forged as young boys is getting tested as they grow into men – men with different perspectives and priorities. Their love of climbing has kept them together. On the rock faces of the mountains they are as they once were – a team, a unit, loyal and committed. The ambiguous world of careers and relationships is left below – or is it?
 
Since he can remember, Craig’s loved Jennifer. He can’t wait for them to get married, he’s even bought a house. When she breaks it off saying she’s not ready, he’s hurt and confused, but if Jennifer needs more time he can wait. He’s been waiting all his life for her so what’s a few more months? Then she starts dating Whit.
 
Whit doesn’t do relationships, but that doesn’t seem to matter to the many women who compete for his attention. He doesn’t understand what Jennifer represents to Craig, can’t even begin to imagine it, but just the same he’d never hit on a friend’s woman. But, hey, it’s a free country, right, and Jennifer’s warm and willing, and after all it’s been about, what, two months since she dumped Craig. He needs to get over it.
 
Milt sees the potential for trouble, but he has his own problems. His new wife, Samantha, thinks her husband’s band of brothers are a bad influence. She wants him to grow up and give up these juvenile escapades. It’s a constant battle for Milt to maintain some independence and now the tension between his friends makes him wonder if it’s worth it. This is not the way to start a challenging climb – filled with anxiety, anger and resentment. On a sheer granite wall distractions kill you. You need singularity of purpose, a clear mind and a focus that’s finite.
 
Now Whit’s goading Craig to try a new route, Craig’s worried that the weather’s breaking down, and Milt’s frantic because his cellphone’s broken and he can’t report in to Samantha.
 
Everyone’s just about at the end of their rope, but only figuratively – for now.

Harry’s Truth

The truth might not set you free, but it can sure make you unpopular.

Are there universal truths? Harry thinks there are and he’s discovered one which will make life easier, simpler and more fulfilling. He wants to share this epiphany with those he loves but not only do they not want to share in his enlightenment, they feel threatened by what he has to tell them. Much is at stake – careers, lifestyles, power – if Harry pursues his truth.
 
For Deidre, his wife – all her life she has worked to overcome the stigma of being the daughter of the neighbourhood drunk. She has struggled for social status, “respectability” and to have “nice things.” Now she has attained it, and more is within her grasp. She can’t allow Harry to jeopardize it.
 
For Philip, his partner – his aggressive manner, lack of sophistication, short stature, balding pate, pudgy midriff and loud ties have made him a subject of derision among his colleagues, but landing this multi-million dollar client will change all that. Soon Harry’s condescension and the humiliation of his marriage will be overshadowed by the respect and power corporate success will bring. The “truth” is he only needs Harry to keep it together until the deal closes. After that, he can goddam well wander off into the wilderness if that’s what he wants.
 
For Joan, Phil’s wife – the bitterness of her affair with Harry twenty years ago in college has shaped and defined her life, But not Harry’s. No, he just up and left her in search for “the truth” and she had to survive as best she could on her own. Now he’s about to do it again – turn her world upside down with the same selfish, irresponsible behaviour. Maybe she can’t stop this middle-age flight of fancy but she isn’t going to let him influence her teenage daughter with all his nonsense about “following your heart”.
 
For Alexus, Joan’s daughter – her parent’s marriage is empty of love but filled with material possessions. How could “Uncle Harry’s” truth make anything worse? Her mom’s pushing her to go to college but that’s just more “preparing for life”. Uncle Harry’s truth sounds far more appealing. Better to fill your life with experiences than just more “stuff”.

A Camera, A Young Woman, An Uncompromising Ethic

The BIG PICTURE – FREE READ!

’til July 24, 2022

Young, talented, ambitious, Freyja Brynjarrson’s a photographer struggling to crash the art establishment, the challenges presented by her family, and still keep true to her uncompromising ethic.

Fate places her on the front line of a political demonstration where soldiers open fire on civilians. She photographs death for the first time and likes it. Because of the sensitive nature of her pictures the current government, facing an imminent election, tries to suppress them.

But someone far more unscrupulous than government spin-doctors also wants those images destroyed. Gunnar Brynjarrson, Freyja’s eldest brother is the head of an illegal narcotics empire. He’s concerned about the opposition party’s platform to decriminalize drugs. His sister’s photographs could influence the outcome of a close election and put his business in jeopardy.

As events unfold, Freyja slowly becomes aware of the far-reaching impact the billions of narco dollars have on the government, the economy, friends, family and even herself. Something insidious has infected society and like a super bug it’s resilient, opportunistic and appears as a mutation in the most unexpected places.

Freyja refuses to compromise and is intolerant and unforgiving of those who succumb to this evil or are complicit in their acceptance of it. If she stays at home she’s afraid she’ll be infected and never attain success on her own terms. She takes an assignment with an international agency photographing the chaos and casualties of Mexico’s drug war. Freyja soon discovers she’s shot only one frame of ‘the big picture’.

The Big Picture focuses on dramatic action, zooms in on political intrigue, and takes a candid snap shot of modern romance. The plot also reveals how narco dollars, overtly and covertly, influence every level of our lives; the wars we fight, the governments we elect, the impact on healthcare, and most importantly and tragically, our personal relationships.

Praise for The BIG PICTURE

★★★★★ A thought-provoking novel that is smartly written with genuine emotional, no holds barred dialogue, and events that will punch you in the heart.
The plot of The Big Picture, with its twists and reversals of fortune, …is imaginative and fast moving…extremely compelling. ….characters are diverse, well developed, and real… …imagery is powerful and fresh. The book is an excellent read and pausing to experience some of the imagery makes it even better. This book was a gem to read”

– Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews

“…a journey of self discovery… a coming-of-age, social thriller… focused on key ethical questions… a creative solution to expose the links of social problems.”
– Tom Pope – for Bookpleasures

★★★★★ “I like the plot and the plotters…Arni’s sense of humor and the dynamics in the Brynjarsson family…Gunnar the druglord, BB the addict, Arni the hedonist, Giordana who rationalizes and Freyja who wants to fight. I like the love story, too. Freyja and Marty with their differences and similarities make a good couple.”
– C. Widmann, Goodreads Review

★★★★ “…a good look at family dynamics and how ones beliefs can push them in certain directions, potentially to the detriment of relationships.”

– Beth Pete, review on LibraryThing

★★★★★ “…an excellent, exciting book.”
As the characters are developed so does the complexity of the moral and, relationship interactions within the family… an unforgettable read.”

– Norman White

★★★★★ It was amazing!   
“This is a very good and well written book. The story has multiple layers – there are political issues, family problems, relationships, interesting dialogues and descriptions. Moreover, the story was easy to follow, yet there were many twists and a whole range of unique characters including criminals, gay people, former priest and dangerous politicians.
Definitely a book to recommend!

– Mrvica (I received this book in exchange for an honest review)

★★★★ Excellent, a gripping read.

“… was gripped from the first page. Could not stop reading and went through a whole range of emotions. Frustration, anger, felt like I was living through it all. Although a work of fiction it depicts what is actually happening around us. Frustration rising from feeling powerless to change things. Corruption, drugs, bribery, brutality. The same feelings I get every day from things going on around us.”

– Mrs. Ann Kirk

★★★★★ Very well written

“…never a dull moment…. lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a huge set of unique characters.”

– Tony Parsons

An emotional investigation into the meaning of friendship

BOOK REVIEW – 4 STARS

Friends for a reason, friends for a season, or friends for life? Fran and Heather think they are friends for life, but life has other ideas.

As children growing up in working-class Edinburgh, both girls faced challenges including the death of Heather’s mother and violent abuse by Fran’s stepfather. Together, and with the help of their friend, Hector, they survived and the hardships formed unbreakable bonds between the three youngsters.

Unbreakable until, as teens, Fran and Hector fall in love leaving Heather not only on the outside but heartbroken since she loved him as well.

However, true friendship is resilient, and the bond holds as they grow to be adults, Fran and Hector the parents of three, along with Auntie Heather.

For Fran, life’s a grind working nights as a custodian, and it only gets worse when Hector is laid off. On the other hand, Heather has a stroke of good fortune when she’s left an attractive house and a large sum of money by a man who hired her as a caregiver/companion. Now she has the opportunity to pursue the university degree she’s dreamed of.

As Fran’s situation becomes more dire and Heather’s continues to improve their friendship is tested in ways it never has been before. The bonds are severed leaving all three rudderless without the ballast of each other. Has their friendship run its course, or can they overcome a toxic mix of pride, jealousy, indifference and selfishness fueled by circumstances beyond their control and reconnect?

A Friendship of Thistles: How to forgive your best friend with a heart full of thistles? is an emotional investigation into the meaning of friendship accompanied by a brutal exposition of working-class life in contemporary Scotland. This Dickensian novel is underscored by author, Emma Parfitt’s flawless prose, deep characterization and vivid imagery.

The self-delusion of literary fudgers

When it comes to writing fiction, my idea of success is critical acclaim accompanied by book sales – a lot of both. Oh yeah, and a movie deal, book tour and the Giller Prize.

This may come as a surprise, but so far, I’ve achieved none of that. Nothing. Nada. Zero.

Just a few of my self-published titles

I understand success means different things to different people. Some authors are ecstatic when an obscure online magazine with a readership that includes their staff plus the contributors of any given edition, publish their work – free.

Others seem to consider their self-published book the accomplishment of a lifetime, despite the fact anyone can now publish anything, and do.

For many, it’s the “likes”, “loves” and happy emoji’s they receive when they post a poem on Facebook.

I’m happy for them, I really am, but what makes me crazy is when they exaggerate these accomplishments. When they say they’ve “sold a story” when in fact they’ve given it away, attribute critical acclaim to a dozen gratuitous responses from Facebook friends or rave about the release of their new novel omitting the fact it was self-published.

An example of this is fudging of achievement is an anthology of short stories entitled, Small Shifts: Short Stories of Fantastical Transformation by Lintusen Press. While the authors involved laud this release with posting on their blogs, websites and social media and bask in congratulations, none of them have mentioned it was a self-publishing venture.

When I challenged them on this omission, I was accused of being envious, mean-spirited, and jealous. It’s as if the difference between being traditionally published – someone pays for your work in advance and then publishes it without cost to you, and self-published – you receive nothing for your work and only receive payment when and if it sells, was of little consequence.

As every author knows, the difference is huge, but if the authors of this anthology, for some reason, feel it isn’t then why not be transparent and admit it was self-published?

What are the differences between being a self-published author and having a traditional publisher? Let’s take a me, for example.

I’ve self-published thirteen novels, two plays and a collection of short stories not because I wanted to, but because after months of the exhaustive and frustrating process of submitting to traditional publishers I faced reality. My work was either not what they wanted or not good enough (probably the latter). I had the choice of discarding what had taken hundreds of hours to create or putting it out there with the other 1.7 million books self-published every year and take my chances – which are slim to none.

But let’s just say my books are good, why aren’t they selling?

They lack credibility. Everyone, except most self-published authors, think self-published books are dreck and they’re right. Not only does that include readers, but also credible reviewers, literary competitions and book sellers. Everyone who can make a difference between a successful career for an author (as indicated above) and, well, me.

So, when some authors misrepresent (I’m being kind) their accomplishments what they’re attempting to do, in my opinion, is mislead the book buying public.

As if that’s not bad enough, if they’re faking it, they’re not making it.

Nothing motivates me to write better than a bad review or, at the end of the month, those Amazon royalty statements that are not enough to buy anything – except embarrassment. If these authors keep faking it, they’ll never really become as good as they might be and therein lies the real tragedy.

Meanwhile, since most of their supporters aren’t as critical as I am, their claims of success go unchallenged and thereby diminish the legitimate achievements of other authors.  

Recently, I was collaborating with a young author who told me her dream was to make a living from her writing. My response was for her to continue to hone her craft and persevere in finding a traditional publishing for her books, or a legitimate agent to do it for her. While she’s at it, submitting her short fiction (and having it accepted) to established and credible literary publications could put her on the radar of those gatekeepers. Do not self-publish. Do not post her work on the internet or social media because it will be considered tainted. If, in the end, she becomes discouraged and goes the self-publishing route, do not enter into the realm of the delusional, the compromised, the authors who think they can achieve success by misrepresenting their work – and don’t have a problem with it.

Oh yeah, and forget about the movie deal, book tour and Giller Prize.

The unraveling of civilization caused by climate change

Free E-book at https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU ‘ til July 6, 2022

When terrorists kill Shyloh’s mother, he dedicates his life to making a better world. He recruits his childhood friends Aiya and Judith. With their intimate bond, exceptional talents and singular determination they become a formidable team as they grow to be leaders in their chosen fields of politics, religion and the military.

The unraveling of civilization caused by climate change brings unique challenges, and for each of them the goal begins to take on different meaning.

Whose better world will be best?

Free E-book at https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU ‘ til July 6, 2022