David M. Brown's Blog, page 83
November 4, 2012
Book Review: Signs of Life – Anna Raverat
[image error] It started quietly and without her looking for it, but the aftershock was profound. Ten years ago, Rachel had an affair. It spiralled out of control and left her and her life in pieces. Now, writing at her window, she tries to put those pieces back together. She has her memories, recollections of dreams, and her old yellow notebook. More than anything, she wants to be honest. She knows that her memory is patchy and her notebook incomplete. But there is something else. Something terrible happened to her lover. Her account is hypnotic, delicate, disquieting and bold. But is she telling us the truth?
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Review: Signs of Life
What can I say about Rachel? Well, I don’t understand her, that’s for damn sure but that’s no surprise because you pretty quickly gather from the book that she doesn’t seem to even ‘get’ herself. Despite a comfortable life with a solid relationship, she’s unsettled and that leads to an affair with Carl, a workmate. Unfortunately, this leads to the unravelling of life around her as a bit of fun turns into passion, turns into drama, turns into disaster.
I’ve heard people say that you need to have a likeable character for a book to work. I guess it’s true that it’s easier to become immersed in a story if you like the character – or at least have empathy for them – but to me this book is a prime example that you can find a character thoroughly distasteful and still appreciate the book.
So why do I dislike Rachel so much? Her affair? Her lack of responsible thinking about work or her colleagues or her life in general? Not so much any of that really. We all make mistakes in life. I think it’s her apathy about life and, in particular, her apathy about the feelings of others. She just seems to drift , a stream of catastrophe and hurt in her wake, and not really understand the devastation around her. However, there is character development within the novel and the hope that she will perhaps begin to understand the importance of others’ feelings and reining in one’s own actions. But at what price has it come?
Signs of Life is a really good read. You know there are bad things coming and continually want to shake Rachel out of her stupor and get her to address her life. Instead, you follow along for the ride with an increasingly sinking feeling. It’s very well told at a steady pace and certainly a solid four star read.
Verdict: 4/5
(Book source: reviewer received a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review)
Book Review: Signs of Life – Anna Raverat | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
November 3, 2012
Guest Post: The Journey to Find a Creative Voice and Be Proud to Say: I am a Writer – Mark Green
We’re delighted to welcome Mark Green, author of The Travel Auction. Mark joins us to share his writing journey to finding his creative voice.
The Journey to Find a Creative Voice and Be Proud to Say: I am a Writer – Mark Green
I can still remember the phone call to my parents. It was the Summer of 2003, sometime around my thirty-third birthday. I was nearing the end of a two hour drive home from work and I’d had some fantastic news that morning. I grinned with pride as my mum’s voice answered over the hands free car-phone.
“I’ve got a place on a Master of Arts degree course studying screenwriting!” I blurted out, finally able to reveal my secret application from a few months before. A long silence greeted me before the negativity kicked in.
“What on earth for? What about your job? How are you going to pay the bills?”
Despite feeling the wind knocked out of my enthusiasm, I tried to battle on. I explained how soulless my electrical engineering job was, how I was one of the few people who’d got onto the course based purely on the merit of their application submission. But it fell on deaf ears.
I hung up feeling low, despite having expected such a reaction. Why else would I conceal my application until I knew I’d got a place? Ironically I’d been turned down for a place on the three year BA television and film studies degree at the same university. I’d been devastated at the time, but had been determined to keep trying and had been rewarded for my tenacity by an acceptance on the two year part time MA course. The only family member I’d told right from the start was my ever supportive sister, Lucy, who was elated for me.
“Well done Bro, you’re following your dreams!” she congratulated me, raising my spirits after such a cruel knock back. Lucy was amongst the minority of supporters however. Some of my friends, I soon realised, were no more than friendly acquaintances. Their lack of support and confused frowns did little to encourage me.
“Why throw away a decent career?” they’d ask.
I soon gave up replying that I was bored attending endless meetings to argue about final accounts, explaining that making money for greedy clients didn’t fulfil me or give me much satisfaction.
Lots of acquaintances doubted that a practically minded, hands-on, overall-clad electrician could magically reinvent himself into a writer. It just didn’t happen. And so their doubts became self doubt, beginning the toughest part of my writing journey: the quest to realise my creativity and truly discover myself.
My uncertainty that I could be a writer was also fuelled by the lack of understanding from my overly practical-minded parents. In the early days there was an undercurrent of disbelief and scorn in their “what on earth are you doing with your life” lectures. My decision to put my ‘normal’ life on hold to explore my creativity could be likened to sexual self-discovery. My thirst for creativity, finding my writers voice was often viewed with contempt and sometimes a little hostility. It was tough, trying to work out who I was, wanting to call myself a writer but doubting I could be.
It would take many years of sporadic small victories to start chipping away at the prejudicial parental barriers thrown in my path. The first big realisation that their son wasn’t quite as mad as they’d thought came at my graduation, at the grand old age of thirty-five. I made sure I hired the gown and square mortarboard hat so the significance of the occasion made as big an impact as possible. The pomp and formality of the ceremony helped too, although my mum still wasn’t quite convinced.
“So is a BA higher than an MA?” she asked my girlfriend during the ceremony.
“A Master of arts Degree is second only to a PhD! You should be very proud of your son,” replied my flabbergasted girlfriend.
With my confidence boosted from the degree, I started to believe I was heading down the right path. There were lapses of course, back into the ‘real world’ of my career, paying the mortgage, breaking up with my girlfriend, losing my way with my writing by allowing myself to doubt I could succeed. But a couple of years after graduating and with the support of Nicky, my new girlfriend, we made plans to unplug from the system for a while. I wound down my freelance work, packed a rucksack and we set off back-packing around South America for three months.
I had an idea for a story before we left, but it was a friend’s mum who inspired me to write with her kind gift of a leather bound travel journal. I logged our journey, adventures and people we met every few days, subconsciously feeding my creativity, allowing the embryo of my story idea to develop and grow.
Many long days writing, rewriting and more rewriting followed when we returned home. By then my need to be creative was beginning to be tolerated by my folks, helped in no small part by the lifesaving vocal support from Lucy and Nicky. They at least believed in me. Or perhaps they just believed that it was my choice to live my life in a creative dream bubble, if I wanted to.
It took five years of hard work, countless rewrites and an encouraging review from the British Romantic Novelists Association. I took their feedback on board and began the last big rewrite, losing twenty thousand insignificant words and replacing them with ten thousand important new ones. I killed off of an unnecessary character and with the unconditional support of my Nicky, who read and edited my book several times, I finally sat back late last year and thought: ‘that’s it, I’ve finished.’
What followed, of course, was yet more rejection letters from publishers and agents. Initially I reacted positively. But many of the letters had been photocopied so many times that the text was blurred and distorted, only the handwritten “Dear Mark” personalised the letters. I got fed up hearing “have you had any interest in your book yet?” from the family and I would mutter a standard unenthusiastic “it takes time” reply.
A little more time went by during which I worked on other projects. Then six months ago I was placed as a runner up in a competition for the best ‘big opening’ for a feature film screenplay. During the post prize-giving socialising I was fortunate to have the opportunity to pitch my idea for a screen version of my book to a production company. I was told my idea was a “highly pitchable” as a romantic comedy film script, which got me thinking. Even if I wrote the script and carried on pitching it, I was a new writer, my idea was vulnerable. So why didn’t I self publish it as an eBook to copyright the idea?
My self esteem began to lift again. I had the word document file converted to make the book Amazon and Smashwords friendly and paid a colleague to produce a cover page. From the moment I realised that a stranger had bought the first copy of my eBook, my confidence soared and I went into full eBook marketing mode.
I’d read it was a good idea to have a business card produced with the cover page of my eBook on one side and a brief synopsis and where to download the book on the reverse. Genius! It was the last piece of the creative jigsaw slotting into place. My inner struggle to recognise and be proud of my writing credentials was now represented visually on the miniature book business card.
I was recently asked that question at a party: ‘What do you do for a living?’
I could have given many examples of how I’ve earned a crust over the years, yet now I had the confidence to smile and after only the slightest hesitation, I reached in my pocket and offered my eBook business card, saying proudly: “I’m a published writer!”
About The Travel Auction (2012)
[image error] It should have been their trip of a lifetime. But with just days to go, Jonathan Cork finds himself dumped by his girlfriend, Kate Thornly. Even worse, a life-threatening allergy means he can’t travel alone. Unable to change the name on the spare ticket and fast running out of time, Jonathan resorts to desperate measures. He advertises on eBay for a travel companion with the same name as his ex. The problem is, it’s a complete lottery who he’ll end up with.
Kate Thornly (the second) is aware of the unusual eBay auction, but she can’t be persuaded to bid. Enter Maria, her best friend, who secretly applies on her behalf! With her nursing credentials and erotic photo, Kate seems the perfect travel companion. But there’s just one small detail Maria’s conveniently left off Kate’s bid…
What follows is a funny, page-turning, roller-coaster ride around South America.
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About Mark Green
[image error]Mark Green was born in Middlesex, West London on 28th June 1971. He left school at sixteen to pursue a career in the electrical contracting industry, initially as an apprentice electrician. In his early twenties he put his career on hold and worked part time for eighteen months to pursue his dream of being a professional athlete. At the peak of his fitness he was ranked 25th in Britain over 400mtr hurdles. Unfortunately a recurring injury and not being good enough brought a premature end to his athletic career.
After some years working as a self employed electrical engineer, Mark became disillusioned with the building industry and decided to pursue his other great passion; writing. In his early thirties Mark took some time out and enrolled at Bournemouth University’s Master of Arts degree in Screenwriting. Mark graduated in 2005 and since then he’s made some pretty dramatic changes to his lifestyle to achieve his dream of creative success. In 2010 he and his extremely supportive wife, Nicky, moved out of their three bedroom house onto their small sailing boat to reduce their overheads to enable Mark more time to write.
Guest Post: The Journey to Find a Creative Voice and Be Proud to Say: I am a Writer – Mark Green | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
November 1, 2012
Book Review and Giveaway: Televenge – Pamela King Cable
[image error] Andie Oliver is a faithful woman–to God, to her handsome husband Joe, and to televangelist Reverend Calvin Artury, a Godfather in a Mafia of holy men.Raised in the 1970′s to be subservient and submissive in the tradition of the Bible-belt South, she becomes a prisoner of that tradition. As a reluctant member of Artury’s evangelical megachurch, the House of Praise in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Andie’s dream of children, home, and marriage falls apart when Joe is hired by the ministry team. Joe had been a gentle lover, a kind man, and a hard-working and faithful husband. Only lately had Andie felt him turn his attention more to church than her.The charismatic Reverend conducts faith-healing crusades, creating the largest religious television audience in the world, surpassing the income and followers of Oral Roberts and Billy Graham. Working limitless hours, Joe is sucked deeper into the ministry while Andie attempts to free him from the ReverendÆs control and far-reaching influence.But it is Mavis Dumass, Andie’s best friend since birth, a sassy, gorgeous African-American woman and aspiring recording star, who holds the secrets to Reverend Artury’s carefully veiled debauchery. Mavis is fiercely protective of Andie (and just as fiercely disdainful of both Joe and Reverend Artury). What happens to Mavis leaves Andie near mental collapse and struggling for freedom from the cult’s grip.Andie is still unaware of the extreme danger their pastor wields until she witnesses the murder of a church member. Fearing for her life, she plummets from a dreadful existence into a horrific one as she uncovers Reverend Artury’s long-hidden truths, and loses everything, including her children. But she strikes back, threatening to expose the Reverend to the world.Raised by two psychopathic aunts, Reverend Artury reverts to the twisted cleansings of his childhood. As his mental stability declines, Andie quickly realizes she must go into hiding. Fighting for redemption for her family and herself, Andie confronts the very definition of evil personified. Evading ruthless adversaries who will go to any lengths to protect Reverend Artury, Andie battles the darkest side of televangelism.Vivid and tragic, Televenge exposes chaos in the megachurch, and embraces those who discover their destiny in unconditional love in a world fraught with fear and intimidation. With more twists and turns than the Blue Ridge Parkway, Televenge takes you from the Piedmont South to the Hawaiian Islands, to Nigeria, Africa, and back to the high country of North Carolina.In pitch-perfect voices, Pamela King Cable’s emotionally rich debut novel creates four extraordinary characters who will stay with the reader long after they finish the book. Suspensful and deeply moving, Televenge will be one of the most talked about books of the year.
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Review: Televenge
Cable’s epic story focuses on Andie Rose Oliver who marries her husband Joe in her late teens and dreams of family and a continued devotion to God. However, Andie’s life and faith are shattered by the rise of Reverend Calvin Artury, the ruler of an extreme group of holy men that threaten to destroy everything Andie holds dear. Struggling for money, her husband begins volunteering to work for Artury in the hope of landing full-time hours down the line. Over time Joe changes, influenced by Artury and suddenly Andie’s marriage is on the rocks with some family and friends there for support, while others are under the spell of Artury and his evangelical church – The House of Praise.
The novel covers around thirty years, beginning in the early seventies and concluding at the start of the twenty-first century. Cable gives us first person perspectives from a handful of characters including Andie, Artury and Andie’s best friend, Mavis, who tries to protect her friend. Artury has a keen interest in Joe and Andie and wants to keep them loyal to his church but Andie grows resentful of being second in priority behind Artury. She wants a family but this causes friction when Artury beseeches Joe not to have children, something Andie’s husband is more than happy to agree to. To his closest followers, Artury can do no wrong but is he as innocent as he seems?
Televenge traces Artury and Joe’s appalling treatment of Andie over many years. Though she believes in god, her questioning of authority sees her frowned upon by many and pushed to the boundaries of acceptance. She has a good friend in Mavis who fights for her every step of the way. When Artury is revealed to be a purveyor of many forms of corruption there isn’t a straightforward way of dealing with him. Andie and those she loves soon learn that the Reverend, when provoked, is a very dangerous man who will stop at nothing to continue his work for God. Murder, intrigue, romance, corruption, broken families, it’s all here and though you’ll feel exhausted from Andie’s journey it is a rewarding one when she decides to fight back. My only issue with the book is that things do seem to resolve themselves quickly for Andie in the end which was a bit too easy and disappointing. However, to be fair, after everything Artury and Joe put her through I was relieved when some good things started to happen to Andie.
Televenge is a well-written, gripping and addictive story. This isn’t an attack on religion but on individuals that abuse the power they have and manipulate others into their way of thinking. While Joe follows Artury throughout the world, Andie dares to stand firm and defy him and she pays many heavy prices along the way. Often gritty and emotional, Televenge is well worth reading.
Verdict: 4/5
(Book source: reviewer received a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review)
Giveaway
Women On Writing and Pamela King Cable have kindly agreed to give away a copy of Televenge! One winner will receive a copy in either paperback format (available for US/Canada addresses) or e-format (available worldwide).
Book Review and Giveaway: Televenge – Pamela King Cable | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
#FlashFiveFriday – Generosity
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This month Mr B and I are taking part in #FlashFiveFriday run by The Indie Exchange.
#FlashFiveFriday is a weekly flash fiction / flash blogging prompt.
The rules are very simple if you’d like to take part:
1) Write for no longer than five minutes
2) No upper or lower word limits
3) You must write something new
4) You can prepare your post ahead of time but the 5 minute limit still applies
5) If you add your blog post to the weekly linky you must visit five other blogs that week too to show your support
This week’s #FlashFiveFriday post
#FlashFiveFriday – Generosity
This week is a David solo as Mrs B has work commitments. She’ll be back next week!
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Generosity is one of those things that some of us sadly won’t consider when it comes to others. It often amazes me that some of the most generous people are the ones who are not wealthy, have very little to their names yet are always willing to share what they have, be it time, possessions or money, for the benefit of others.
I’m not saying that if you work hard and earn well that you should give it all away, no one should, but I think those of us that are super rich (i.e. millionaires) can afford to share something of what they have. My wife and I frequently pass a homeless man in town and he is always polite to everyone that passes, whether they stop to talk to him or not. We always give him something of what we have whether it’s just £1 or sometimes even a £5 note. We check what we have and share what we can. We always wish we could do more.
We are not generous because we want to win prizes or make ourselves feel better, it is just the way we are. Wherever possible we try to help others. I think the smallest gestures can make all the difference and I know that if Donna and I see our own fortunes change and we have a better home and life than we do now, we’ll never stop our belief in generosity. There are so many ways to be generous to others and the impact it has on them is reason enough to consider being so.
Related articles (external)
#FlashFiveFriday: #12 – Turmoil
#FlashFiveFriday on The Indie Exchange: Turmoil
The Indie Exchange #FlashFiveFriday: Dog
FlashFiveFriday: Weather
#FlashFiveFriday – Generosity | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
Book Review: Rahala: An Ascension Odyssey – Jason Sullivan
[image error] Join three friends as their lives are turned upside-down, their inner and outer worlds collide, and Earth prepares to defeat its enemies and ascend to a higher existence! Aliens from outer space and the other dimensions are positioning themselves for an apocalyptic moment of transformation and you must help Earth survive! Accept the challenge to set off on the cosmic adventure of your life!
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Review: Rahala: An Ascension Odyssey
I’d previously enjoyed Jason Sullivan’s dystopian novel, The Dark Yergall, but Rahala: An Ascension Odyssey promised something very different.
Three friends – Harvey, Steve and Marcia – are in northern Arizona when they encounter a strange rock formation and witness an extraterrestrial being known as Rahala. Rahala is a peaceful alien though he brings ill tidings of a ruthless race known as the Perathons who will bring untold calamity to the Earth in the years to come. Rahala charges our three friends with individual quests that will hopefully save the world though their respective journeys are anything but straightforward.
Rahala packs a lot of story into its pages and involves time travel to the likes of medieval Ireland to prevent not just the destruction the Perathons will cause but also to address the damage that we as a species are also inflicting on the world. There are some philosophical threads within the narrative and coupled with the variety of settings it is clear that Sullivan has researched this odyssey very well. I found many parts of the book fascinating and thought-provoking and it is somewhat heart-warming that Rahala entrusts three humans with a series of noble quests given how vicious we can be as well. The characters individual journeys are very different whether they are in their own time, travelling through history or even into alternate dimensions.
I enjoyed Rahala. It is fast-paced, action-packed, full of weird and wonderful scenes and builds up to an unexpected climax. This is a very different book to The Dark Yergall and certainly gives Sullivan a lot of scope to branch out and explore his favoured genres even further. This is an exciting adventure, one that pushes your imagination hard and even injects some humour into the mix as well. The only downside for me is that the book is too short. I narrowly favour The Dark Yergall over this one but think both are so different it’s unfair to really compare them.
Rahala is a thrilling ride through time and different dimensions in the company of three good friends who each have memorable journeys. I think the experience for readers will be different and some may take more from the story, its philosophies and theologies than others but I think there is a lot to take from here.
Verdict: 4/5
(Book source: reviewer’s own copy)
Book Review: Rahala: An Ascension Odyssey – Jason Sullivan | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
October 31, 2012
Raining Cats and Dogs Blog Tour
Join Vickie Johnstone and David M. Brown for their Raining Cats and Dogs Blog Tour, where cats and dogs run wild on blogs!
David M. Brown and Vickie Johnstone are taking their cats and dogs on tour. Whether the world is ready for mayhem from the moggies or disaster from the doggies is another matter! Are you brave enough to risk letting these crazy creatures onto your blog? We’d love it if you could allow them to visit. You may just get to love them as much as Vickie and David do!
If you have a pet, why not introduce them too? We’d love to get to know them! Why not post the interview questions you’re sure your dog would ask Kiwi (once he’d stopped chasing!) or the questions your cat might (ever so scathingly of course!) deign to ask our authors.
And every blogger – or pet! – taking part will be entered into a draw to win a $50 Amazon gift card. There’s another $50 up for grabs for spreading the word (see the Rafflecopter down the page)!
About the Books
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When nature lover Josie moves into a house share with two pals, dreamer Ben and model man David, she sees it as a short stop and doesn’t bank on an attraction developing with one of them. Meanwhile, Ben’s dog, Glen, has the hots for Miss Posh, the beautiful golden Lab in the park. When dog meets dog it’s puppy love, but a complication leads to Glen taking matters into his own paws. In this comedy of errors, romance and walkies, it’s anyone’s guess who is going to get the girl/dog and live happily ever after.
Amazon
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History has known many famous cats – Garfield, Mr Bigglesworth, Simon’s Cat, the Aristocats, the Cheshire cat and the Keyboard Cat on YouTube.
In recent years these feline things have replaced man’s best friend as the most popular pet in the U.S. while the Ancient Egyptians once worshipped them as gods. This was a mistake and I’m here to tell you why.
Man vs Cat is the story of one man, one woman and the six cats that changed their lives forever. To the woman they brought love and affection, to the man they brought sleepless nights, fear, paranoia and even ruined his jigsaw. Need I say more?
Goodreads
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One dark night, Amy cannot sleep and she looks out of the window into the garden to see her cat, Kiwi, transfixed by the moon, which is glowing brightly like a cat’s claw. Waking her brother, James, Amy suggests they follow Kiwi to see where she goes… whether it involves a hunt for mice or something else. Little do they know that, with a flick of her tail, Kiwi is going to magically change them into kittens and lead them on the adventure of their lives to a land they never knew existed in their wildest dreams. In the blue-lit world of Cat City, the budding detectives help Inspector Furrball to solve the mystery of the missing catizens and find out what happened to Madame Purrfect.
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Raining Cats and Dogs Blog Tour | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
October 30, 2012
#BlogFlash1031 Halloween: Spooky Movies
I’m taking part in #BlogFlash1031 Halloween, cohosted by Terri Giuliano Long and The Indie Exchange. Check out the list at the bottom of the page for the rest of the hop and Happy Halloween!
#BlogFlash1031 Halloween: ‘Spooky’
I watched horror films from a young age. For some reason my mother had no issue with renting scary horror flicks for my brother and I. They kept us quiet so maybe her reasoning was quite sound. Growing up I found many films spooky. An American Werewolf In London with that opening attack on the moors and that poor guy taken out in the subway; Alien with the infamous chest bursting scene or Tom Skerritt being ambushed in the air vents; and Halloween where Michael Myers is standing in the washing line watching Jamie Lee Curtis or simply refusing to stay down despite knitting needles, coat hangers and knives shoved in him. Mentioning washing lines has also brought up memories of Stephen King’s It with the happy clown amongst the laundry blowing in the breeze, then he disappears, then he pops up again looking menacing. Yikes!
These days Hollywood has lost the ability to frighten me. The likes of The Blair Witch Project and the Paranormal Activity films just don’t cut it in my opinion. When I was younger gory moments were enough to frighten me but they have no impact now. For a film to truly get under my skin and bathe my bones in ice, it needs to be atmospheric and unnerving. Step forward world cinema and in particular East Asian films.
I once had an aversion to films with subtitles. I was under the misconception that I can’t read subtitles and watch a film at the same time. I’m not a world cinema veteran yet but my list of films that were not made in the UK or US is growing steadily every month. I can honestly say the majority of my favourite films of the last decade are from world cinema. Normally you have to dig deep to find the finest gems. You hardly need to scrape the soil aside to stumble upon brilliance with world cinema.
In terms of horror I have seen the likes of The Ring, The Grudge, A Tale of Two Sisters, R-Point, Dark Water, One Missed Call and Shutter. Though some of these films included gore, what was different about them was the atmosphere. Even watching people in everyday life, I felt unnerved and on edge throughout. The sight of a young girl walking home in the rain in Dark Water was eerie to me. The twist at the end of Shutter is one of the best I can recall and that did make me shudder. Somehow East Asian cinema gives me goose bumps and I love it.
For me, the hallmark of something truly spooky is when it leaves you with that uncomfortable feeling; you look around uncertainly, feeling tense, holding your breath, your heart is racing and you don’t feel completely safe. Most modern horror films don’t do those things to me but give me world cinema and you’ll find me glad I have subtitles to read. It’s a nice distraction from what’s on the screen!
The rest of the hop
#BlogFlash1031 Halloween: Spooky Movies | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
Book Review: Kingdom – Anderson O’Donnell
[image error] In a secret laboratory hidden under the desert, a covert bioengineering project–codename “Exodus”–has discovered the gene responsible for the human soul.
Somewhere in the neon sprawl outside the nation’s collapsing economic core, a group of renegade monks are on the verge of uncovering a secret that has eluded mankind for centuries.
In a glittering tower high above the urban decay, an ascendant U.S. Senator is found dead–an apparent, yet inexplicable, suicide.
And in the streets below, a young man races through an ultra modern metropolis on the verge of a violent revolution….closing in on the terrible truth behind Exodus–and one man’s dark vision for the future of mankind.
Welcome to Tiber City.
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Review: Kingdom
Kingdom has three key protagonists for me – Dylan, the son of a senator that has taken his own life; Campbell, a former geneticist haunted by the past and in search of redemption; and Tiber City itself. Dylan wanders through life enjoying drugs, alcohol and casual sex; his mother is in a home and the suicide of his father has left a shadow over the family. There is further confusion with the rise of another politician who looks similar to Dylan’s late father, Robert Fitzgerald.
Elsewhere we have Campbell who was once involved with Morrison Biotech but has now found sanctuary with the Order of Neshamah, a religious group who have turned to science to gain a greater understanding of the human soul. Campbell’s motives are not always clear and it is hard to gauge whether he is a good guy or a villain. Campbell has the problem of former colleague, Michael Morrison, from Morrison Biotech who is intent on recovering the geneticist and has a keen interest in the political landscape as well.
O’Donnell’s Tiber City is the strongest character in my opinion. The descriptions in the book are heavily detailed and leave no stone unturned. This is a gritty and uncompromising world though, its descent down to the corruption of its people rather than through a costly war. I cannot fault O’Donnell’s skill in conveying this dystopian world but I did feel that the description was often too heavy. It interrupted the flow of the story and as a result it is Tiber City that is the most memorable element of the story. I didn’t really feel I got to the heart of Campbell but Dylan’s efforts in solving the mystery behind his father’s death were always interesting. The novel did seem to gather pace in its final quarter, but I just wish it had shown the same urgency throughout.
Kingdom is a very well-written novel, with Tiber City beautifully conveyed. However, the detailed description, though excellent, impacts negatively on other areas of the book. I did guess some elements of the story before the end but the storyline remained intriguing. I will certainly be interested to see what the next instalments have to offer.
Verdict: 3/5
(Book source: reviewer received a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review)
Book Review: Kingdom – Anderson O’Donnell | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
October 29, 2012
Guest Post: Are Book Bloggers the ‘Literary Agents’ of our time? – Kim Strickland
We’re delighted to welcome Kim Strickland, author of Down at the Golden Coin . Kim joins us today to consider whether book bloggers are the new literary agents. Of course, with ever increasing demand, bloggers are receiving dozens, hundreds or even thousands of requests a month – sometimes many more than they can physically respond to. Therefore, there’s no denying their importance in the literary world!
Are Book Bloggers the ‘Literary Agents’ of our time? – Kim Strickland
Recently I’ve been querying book bloggers, including this one, for reviews of my latest novel, Down at the Golden Coin. The entire process is reminiscent of going through a very similar chain of events while querying literary agents for my first book, Wish Club: all the research and lurking on websites; personalizing the letter; proofreading; proofreading some more; and then with a prayer and crossed fingers, finally sending the query letter off.
Even the responses of the bloggers, while better than that of literary agents, have been comparable. More often than not, the long sucking silence is my “no thank you.” There have been a few, “Sorry, I’m swamped and can’t take you on at this time.” And fortunately, several who have agreed to give reviews.
With hundreds of thousands of titles published every single year, it’s hard to get notice for a self-published or small press book. Book blogs are a great way to do it, and of course, everyone has figured this out. Now, the trick is to get noticed by the book bloggers. (I’m open to suggestions!)
It’s no secret when a book is being considered by a large publishing house, by the time it gets to the final round with the editorial board, whether or not it is chosen has very little, if anything, to do with the writing and everything to do with how they believe they can market the book. Enter Snooki.
The shift to blogs as filters to readers is a terrific development. For one, the bloggers are probably not in it for the money, but for a love of books. You’d have to be, because as any blogger can tell you (myself included), it takes a while before those Google Ad sense payments are enough to buy you dinner, much less retire on. And unlike literary agents and publishers, since the bloggers have no vested interest in how a book sells or doesn’t sell, this would make them much more inclined to review a book based simply on their own perceptions and enjoyment of the story and the writing. What a concept.
The definition of an agent is “a person who acts on behalf of another.” If bloggers writing about and reviewing new books doesn’t fall under the definition of an author’s “literary agent” then I don’t know what does. The best part? I have yet to have one ask me for fifteen percent!
The love of a book is such a subjective thing—one person’s five star masterpiece is another person’s trash—yet, book bloggers are adding a fresh, non-monetary, objectivity to the rating process. Readers naturally align with bloggers whose tastes in books are similar to their own. The fact that book bloggers (read: book lovers) are now such a force to be reckoned with in getting new titles in front of more readers is a fantastic thing, for both writers and readers. That is of course, unless you want more novels from Snooki.
About Down at the Golden Coin (2012)
[image error] During the economic downturn , former airline pilot Annie Mullard, feels she’s sunk to new low when she’s forced to go to a run-down laundromat, The Golden Coin, after her washing machine breaks, but it’s here she meets a messiah. Even though twenty-something, blue-haired and tatted Violet can read minds, send Annie into past lives and levitate Tide with Bleach Alternative, she isn’t anyone’s idea of a messiah. But she is equipped with the wisdom, love and humor to help Annie find a way to a more authentic life, one in which Annie’s free to create her own reality and where money is not the key to happiness.
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About Kim Strickland
[image error]Kim Strickland is the author of two novels, Down at the Golden Coin and Wish Club and she blogs as A City Mom. She lives in Chicago with her husband, three children, two cats and one dog. When she’s not being a mom or a writer, she flies 767′s for a major US airline, which means, every once in a while, she gets to eat an entire meal sitting down.
Guest Post: Are Book Bloggers the ‘Literary Agents’ of our time? – Kim Strickland | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
October 28, 2012
All Pets Want for Christmas Blog Hop – 8 December
In December, Vickie Johnstone (author of The Kiwi Series and 3 Heads and A Tail) and David M. Brown (author of Man vs. Cat) are acknowledging that they could well spend more than on their pets than they do on their partners. Will it be the cat equivalent of socks? Or worse, a tangerine and a lump of coal? What would their pets really want if they could write their very own wishlist?
Let us know what you think your pets would love in an ideal world. A year’s supply of tuna? The complete works of Shakespeare on audiobook? Their very own massage chair? We want to know!
How to take part
Add your name/blog URL to the linky
A few days before the blog hop you will receive an email with all the information you’ll need, including graphics and the updated linky code (we will generate a new linky prior to the event so it links directly to all the posts)
Schedule your post(s) to go live at 12:01 EST on 8th December and respond to our email with your direct post URL (we will add this to the new linky upon receipt)
When the blog hop is live try and visit/comment on as many other posts as you can to spread the love!
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Giveaway
About the Books
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When nature lover Josie moves into a house share with two pals, dreamer Ben and model man David, she sees it as a short stop and doesn’t bank on an attraction developing with one of them. Meanwhile, Ben’s dog, Glen, has the hots for Miss Posh, the beautiful golden Lab in the park. When dog meets dog it’s puppy love, but a complication leads to Glen taking matters into his own paws. In this comedy of errors, romance and walkies, it’s anyone’s guess who is going to get the girl/dog and live happily ever after.
Amazon
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History has known many famous cats – Garfield, Mr Bigglesworth, Simon’s Cat, the Aristocats, the Cheshire cat and the Keyboard Cat on YouTube.
In recent years these feline things have replaced man’s best friend as the most popular pet in the U.S. while the Ancient Egyptians once worshipped them as gods. This was a mistake and I’m here to tell you why.
Man vs Cat is the story of one man, one woman and the six cats that changed their lives forever. To the woman they brought love and affection, to the man they brought sleepless nights, fear, paranoia and even ruined his jigsaw. Need I say more?
Goodreads
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One dark night, Amy cannot sleep and she looks out of the window into the garden to see her cat, Kiwi, transfixed by the moon, which is glowing brightly like a cat’s claw. Waking her brother, James, Amy suggests they follow Kiwi to see where she goes… whether it involves a hunt for mice or something else. Little do they know that, with a flick of her tail, Kiwi is going to magically change them into kittens and lead them on the adventure of their lives to a land they never knew existed in their wildest dreams. In the blue-lit world of Cat City, the budding detectives help Inspector Furrball to solve the mystery of the missing catizens and find out what happened to Madame Purrfect.
Amazon
All Pets Want for Christmas Blog Hop – 8 December | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
