David R. Michael's Blog, page 47
October 13, 2010
Book Review – HAIKU by Andrew Vachss
Haiku by Andrew Vachss.
I read my first book by Andrew Vachss when a friend of my wife's was giving away paperbacks he had read and no longer needed. That was Blossom, one of Vachss's "Burke Series". I was blown away by the raw violence and the gritty, street-level view of American city life. Across 2006 and 2007, I read 5 or 6 of the other books in the Burke series as I saw them at the library. Vachss, along with Neil Gaimin, helped me see the full range of what could be expressed with the written word.
Unfortunately, I was thinking "Burke" when I read Haiku.
There are some similarities: there is the street-level view of an American city, characters with a wide range of dark backgrounds fallen on hard times (or having chosen the street), and compassion and justice for people and situations that the middle and upper classes of America tend to not even see.
I enjoyed reading Haiku. But I'm not sure I really got it. Which could be because I was Braced for Burke, but I think there's more to it than that. Haiku is a much more subtle novel than any of the Burke books I've read. Burke books are about revenge, hard-edged street justice, usually involving robbery, assassination, or both (and more). There is violence in Haiku, but it's not the point. There is even a Burke-like robbing of a wannabe-pimp, but, again, that's not the point. The point, I think, of Haiku is about people finding themselves again (or maybe for the first time).
Vachss isn't at his storytelling best in Haiku, maybe because he was trying to not write just another Burke novel. There are some backstory/flashbacks near the beginning that could have been handled more deftly, I think. And the story itself seems to twist and turn, focusing on this, then that, almost like it's being blown back and forth as the novel continues. Maybe this is more the subtlety that I wasn't prepared for…or maybe not.
In any case, Haiku is a good read. I like Vachss, and I like his view of the world. And it looks like I've got a good dozen or so books of his to catch up on…
-David
A Bedtime Story
by David Michael
"Daddy Daddy Daddy", the little girl said, scampering into the living room in her Dora the Explorer pajamas.
"What? What? What?" he asked.
She jumped into his outstretched arms, and hugged him around the neck. "I want you to tuck me in tonight."
Mommy came into the living room. She caught Daddy's eye, smiled and shrugged.
Daddy stood up, exaggerating the effort. "Oomph," he said. "You're getting heavy."
The little girl giggled.
As Mommy settled into the spot on the couch he had left, Daddy carried the little girl to her room. With a flourish and a "Swoosh!" he laid her down on the bed.
He pulled the blanket up to her chin. "Am I telling you a story tonight?"
"Of course," she said.
"And what story am I telling you?"
"How I was born."
"Didn't I tell you that story last night?"
"No-oo!" she said. "You told me about how the first missionaries built their little church."
"Ah, right," he said, nodding. Then he smiled. "What would I do without you to remember these things for me?"
The little girl just giggled.
"And speaking of remembering," he went on. "Can you help me out? I can't seem to remember how the story started..?"
"It was midnight," she said. "You were watching a movie."
"Which movie?"
"The Catalina Caper!" she said. "It's a Movie Science Theater show."
"Mystery Science Theater 3000," he corrected her.
"Right," she said. "And Mommy's water broke."
"She made a mess on the couch."
"Did you have to clean it up?"
"Yes," Daddy said. "I cleaned up the couch while Mommy called the doctor. Then we went to the hospital."
"Mommy tried and tried to have me."
"But you just didn't want to come out, you little rascal." He tweaked her nose and she giggled. "The doctors even gave Mommy medicine to help you come out, but you wouldn't budge."
The little girl giggled again. She said, "I was stuck."
"You sure were," he agreed. "Finally, the doctor came to give Mommy her epidural."
"What's that?"
"You should know exactly what that is by now," Daddy said. "How many times have you heard this story?"
She laughed. "Tell me!"
"It's like a medicine," he said, "to make it easier to push the baby out."
"Does having a baby hurt?"
"That's what they tell me," Daddy said. "It hurts a lot, and the epidural makes it hurt less."
"But it didn't work, did it?"
"No, it didn't."
"Because I came too fast."
Daddy only nodded, then looked at the wall, remembering.
The little girl waited a minute, then said, "They made you wait in the hall."
Daddy nodded. "Yup. There I was, standing in the hall, waiting for them to let me back into the delivery room." He paused. "Then, behind me, a red light starts flashing, and an alarm goes off. All the people, all the nurses and the doctors, who had been walking about, doing their jobs, were suddenly running."
"Running at you?" the little girl asked.
"Past me," Daddy said. "They ran past me, into the delivery room."
"Did you go in?"
"You know I did."
"Were you scared?"
"Yes. Flashing red lights, alarms, people running. I was very scared." He blinked. His eyes had become shiny. After a second, he went on, "I stood in the room, watching everyone push the bed and equipment around. They put Mommy's feet into the stirrups and lifted her legs. 'She's fully dilated,' one of the nurses said. 'Get the doctor in here now.'"
"What is dilated?"
Daddy didn't seem to hear her question. "I saw a woman come in, the doctor. She had barely stepped into the room when two nurses wrapped her in scrubs. Then they put a mask on her and pulled gloves onto her hands. 'Don't push, honey,' a nurse said. I looked back at Mommy. One nurse sat between her legs, another stood beside her holding her hand. 'Tell her not to push,' said the one between her legs. 'I know it's hard,' said the other nurse, 'but you need to not push.' The nurse between her legs called out, 'Doctor, she's crowning.'"
"I was coming out too fast?" the little girl asked.
"You were coming out too fast, yeah. 'Her face is blue,' said a nurse. The doctor said, 'Stop pushing. The cord is around her neck. We have to work it loose.'"
"The umber cord was choking me?"
"The umbilical cord, yes. It had wrapped around your neck. Twice. Mommy was crying. I was trying not to cry too."
"They got the cord off of me, Daddy. Everything was OK."
He smiled. "Yes. I watched them unwind the cord from your neck. 'OK,' the doctor said. 'Push. Let's have this baby.'"
"And I just slid right out of Mommy's tummy?"
"More or less, yeah. You just slid right out. All gooey and bloody and crying. 'Do you want to cut the cord?' the doctor asked. I nodded." Daddy stopped talking.
"Did you cut the cord?" the little girl asked.
"You know I did. I cut that damn cord right off. I couldn't cut it off you fast enough. Then they wiped you off, some, and gave you to Mommy."
"And you hugged us both?"
"As tight as I could."
"Were we all crying?"
"I think so, yeah. I think we were all crying."
They sat in silence for a minute, then Daddy said, "And that's how you were born."
"Tell me another story," the little girl said.
"Nope. It's time for you to go to sleep."
The little girl sighed, gave Daddy one last smile, and then closed her eyes.
October 11, 2010
Like a Ghost
by David Michael
He heard a sound behind him, and turned to look.
His little girl was on her hands and knees, a white blanket draped across her, crawling towards him.
He smiled. "Hi, Baby," he said.
"Unh," she said, and sat back on her knees, the blanket falling off her. She stood up and wrapped the blanket back around her like a cloak. "I wanted to scare you by being a ghost," she said.
The father laughed. "Even with a blanket on, I know who you are."
She pulled the blanket up higher. "This is how you're supposed to wear it," she said. Now only her face showed. The rest of her had been wrapped in the blanket.
"Like a cloak?" he asked.
"Like a ghost," she said. And she floated away.
Writing Progress Report
Writing progress report for the week starting Monday, October 4, 2010.
Writing Project
Words
Monday
"Insanity" (first draft expansion)
"Encounter" brainstorming.
444
Tuesday
"Encounter" brainstorming.
Wednesday
"Encounter"
1501
Thursday
"Encounter"
1513
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Formatted Serene Morning & Other Tales for POD and ebook.
Total
3458
Marketing/Submission
Monday
Posted "The Puppets Take a Bath" to the blog.
Sent review requests for The Summoning Fire to theselfpublishingreview, smashwordsreviewed, indiereader, indiespotlight, thefrugalkindle, thebookbuff.
Gave a review copy of The Summoning Fire to Jeremy N.
Tuesday
Sent review requests to dearauthor, afantasyreader,
Wednesday
Created a "fan page" for my writing on Facebook.
Sent review requests to
Thursday
Ordered a box of TSF paperbacks (10).
Sent review requests to laina turner-molaski, literaryrr, murphyslibrary (accepted for review, sent paperback 8 Oct), readerrecommended (accepted for review, sent ebook, need to send paperback), readingonthedarkside, booknerdextraordinaire, thebookbee (accepted for review, sent paperback 8 Oct), thebooksmugglers, thebooktree, readingreview (accepted for review, need to send paperback), tictoc (accepted for review, sent paperback 8 Oct), utterrandomonium.
Friday
GraceKrispy at MotherLode gave The Summoning Fire 4-Stars.
Mailed paperback review copies.
Saturday
Ordered another box of TSF paperbacks (10).
Sunday
Sent review request to indieparanormalbooksreviews.
Reading List
The Devil's Broker: Seeking Gold, God, and Glory in Fourteenth Century Italy by Frances Stonor Saunders.
October 9, 2010
I Overestimated the Appeal of Ebooks
That is, so far as reviewers are concerned.
So far, about 70% of the reviewers who have agreed to read The Summoning Fire have requested the paperback version.
I don't blame them. It's a gorgeous-looking book.
I just expected most reviewers to want the ebook.
I'm OK with it. I like receiving boxes of my book in the mail (I just need to order another one now). And it's fun mailing them out too.
-David
October 8, 2010
THE SUMMONING FIRE Given 4 Stars at MotherLode!
GraceKrispy at MotherLode gives The Summoning Fire 4-Stars:
We've all heard the phrase "Hell on Earth," but did you know it's an actual place, and it's located in Missouri? David Michael has created a fantastical world in which Hell has recently exploded upwards to create Hell on Earth, a place where Hellish creatures mix with a very human population. It also does a booming tourist trade as the residents of the Suburbs flock over to experience this exotic location. They can meet with demons, the undead, and even the Old Man himself, but they can only hope to make it back home to tell their friends…Read the whole review here…
-David
October 6, 2010
The Social Media of it All…
I've created a "fan page" for my writing on Facebook:
I expect I'll use that to announce new ebooks and free fiction. And it seems like a cool place to create a photo album of book covers. I like my covers.
-David
Book Review – THE TRANSLATED MAN by Chris Braak
The Translated Man by Chris Braak.
A Great Read if a Bit Rough Around the Edges
The Translated Man is a lot of fun to read. I've been describing it to my friends as a Lovecraftian steampunk Dark Victorian crime story.
The setting and the situations of the novel are the reason to read this novel. They're incredible. Sometimes the writing is a bit uneven, and you probably shouldn't squint too hard at the plot, but there is a lot to enjoy about this novel: the city of Trowth and its Architecture Wars, the sharpsies and the trolljrmen, phlogiston and Aetheric geometry, Reanimates and Mr. Stitch, and more. It's well worth the read.
I'm looking forward to reading other books and stories by Chris Braak. I want to see what he comes up with next.
-David
Book Review – The Translated Man by Chris Braak
The Translated Man by Chris Braak.
A Great Read if a Bit Rough Around the Edges
The Translated Man is a lot of fun to read. I've been describing it to my friends as a Lovecraftian steampunk Dark Victorian crime story.
The setting and the situations of the novel are the reason to read this novel. They're incredible. Sometimes the writing is a bit uneven, and you probably shouldn't squint too hard at the plot, but there is a lot to enjoy about this novel: the city of Trowth and its Architecture Wars, the sharpsies and the trolljrmen, phlogiston and Aetheric geometry, Reanimates and Mr. Stitch, and more. It's well worth the read.
I'm looking forward to reading other books and stories by Chris Braak. I want to see what he comes up with next.
-David
Serene Morning
by David Michael
He wanted to write. She wanted to color. She won.
They colored.
She couldn't find the brown crayon, which she liked to use on the "Tubbies" faces. This caused some stress. She recovered, though, and chose another color, a lighter shade of brown.
Teletubbies came on. That was good. Better than good. Since they were coloring in a Teletubbies coloring book.
"How come Tubbies is on," she asked, happy wonder mixed with awe, "and we have a Tubbies coloring book?"
The explanation that came to his mind involved the success of modern marketing and licensing practices combined with digital cable technology. He kept that to himself. "Because your aunt and uncle knew you liked Teletubbies," he said. "So they got you a coloring book."
"Oh."
He started to get up from the couch, but she said, "I don't want to be all alone. Here," she added, "I have two greens. You color that side and I'll color this side."
They colored.
Teletubbies ended. Upset, she wanted it to be on again. Angelina Ballerina wouldn't do. Nor would Maggie and the Ferocious Beast. That last was surprising. She loved Maggie and Beast. Fortunately, Dora the Explorer was deemed an adequate substitute.
He slipped away to write. In the living room he could hear her helping out Dora. "Green!" she shouted. "It's beside the blue one!" A little later, "Swiper no swiping! Swiper no swiping!"
He didn't know what he would write about, but he started anyway. The only way to get anything done is to get something started.
She had been silent for a while–seldom a good sign with children in a different room–so he poked his head back into the living room.
"I found the brown," she told him, holding the crayon up so he could see it, then shifted the coloring book so that he could also inspect what she was doing with it.
"Good."
"Can you sit and color with me some more?"
The writing hadn't been finished. Morning was getting on. On the other hand, "any subject" and "any length" did leave a lot of leeway. And he could finish later. There was a lot of day still left.
They colored.
