Richard G. Sharp's Blog: Richard Sharp Novels
February 26, 2016
Big News!
The Limited Edition of Crystal Ships, issued on the 50th year memorial of JFK’s assassination and targeted for a more academic readership, has been withdrawn from circulation. By April 2016 it will be replaced with a substantially revised final edition for general readership (extensively reedited and bibliographical references deleted). Moreover, on the same schedule, Wandering Barques, the much anticipated sequel, carrying the legacy of Crystal Ships’ Sixties saga well into the 1980s, will be released on amazon.com in paperback and Kindle formats. WATCH THIS SPOT FOR AVAILABILITY AND PROMOTIONS.
February 26, 2014
Crystal Ships Limited Edition review extracts
“Five Stars. Crystal Ships is an epic story about a group of young friends living through the turmoil of the 1960s and ’70s…[A] vibrant and compelling look into an important time in history. . Many chapters are given the title of a well-known song, and the meaning of the music reflects the content of the chapter, creating a soundtrack that enriches the plot.” Foreword Reviews
“[A] kaleidoscopic review of 1960s politics, promiscuity, rampant drug activity and assassinations. ..a brisk narrative pace holds the reader in thrall” Kirkus Reviews
“an extraordinarily entertaining read… highly recommended for community library fiction collections.” Midwest Book Review
“Crystal Ships Crystal Ships follows the lives of these four people, their friends, spouses and families, as they find careers, mourn the deaths of the Kennedys and musicians such as Joplin, Hendrix and Morrison, and endure the ongoing war” “Crystal Ships by Richard Sharp is a new GREAT in the way of the epic American novel… stays with you and keeps you thinking about it long after you've turned the last page.” Readers Favorite
Customer Reviews:
“Richard Sharp has written the novel that many of us baby boomers wanted to write and the rest have been hoping to find” // “[T]he 60's… Crystal Ships allows the reader to understand how lives and people were jolted, how the end of a fairy tale era cleared the way for something different, something more - resilience over tragedy”// “Make no mistake when you purchase this novel, Richard Sharp is a storyteller - one of the finest I've ever read.” // “reveals the spirit of this period, encompassing tragedy, social and cultural perspectives, and humor. Richard Sharp has done it again!”
“[A] kaleidoscopic review of 1960s politics, promiscuity, rampant drug activity and assassinations. ..a brisk narrative pace holds the reader in thrall” Kirkus Reviews
“an extraordinarily entertaining read… highly recommended for community library fiction collections.” Midwest Book Review
“Crystal Ships Crystal Ships follows the lives of these four people, their friends, spouses and families, as they find careers, mourn the deaths of the Kennedys and musicians such as Joplin, Hendrix and Morrison, and endure the ongoing war” “Crystal Ships by Richard Sharp is a new GREAT in the way of the epic American novel… stays with you and keeps you thinking about it long after you've turned the last page.” Readers Favorite
Customer Reviews:
“Richard Sharp has written the novel that many of us baby boomers wanted to write and the rest have been hoping to find” // “[T]he 60's… Crystal Ships allows the reader to understand how lives and people were jolted, how the end of a fairy tale era cleared the way for something different, something more - resilience over tragedy”// “Make no mistake when you purchase this novel, Richard Sharp is a storyteller - one of the finest I've ever read.” // “reveals the spirit of this period, encompassing tragedy, social and cultural perspectives, and humor. Richard Sharp has done it again!”
December 19, 2013
ForeWord Reviews: Crystal Ships Limited Edition review
From ForeWord Reviews:
Clarion Review (Five Out of Five Stars)
Crystal Ships is an epic story about a group of young friends living through the turmoil of the 1960s and ’70s. Coming from different social, religious, political, and economic backgrounds, the main characters try to discover who they are and their places in the world. With compelling characters, an impressively researched historical landscape, and an artfully crafted plot, the book is entertaining and educational from the first page to the last.
[The chasracters] are very different people, but all are hopeful for the future and trying to pursue their individual dreams. They are scholars and artists, entrepreneurs and idealists, but their lives are unfolding during a unique and difficult time in history. Their personal triumphs and tragedies bind them together, and they grow and change as all people do. However, each of their lives is affected by the major events of the day.
Crystal Ships is a fascinating book. [A] superb job of weaving the strands of the plot into a seamless narrative that is more about the time period than about the characters. The writing is very clean and readable, and the dialogue flows naturally.
The incorporation of historical detail makes the text come alive, with references not only to the politics and news events of the era but also to the art. Many chapters are given the title of a well-known song, and the meaning of the music reflects the content of the chapter, creating a soundtrack that enriches the plot.
The sixties and seventies were turbulent decades. The Kennedy administration, the civil rights movement, women’s liberation, Watergate, and the Vietnam War all helped to define the culture and the people who were trying to make sense of it. Through the story of seven young adults, Crystal Ships offers a vibrant and compelling look into an important time in history and provides a remarkable context for understanding the art that came out of the era.
Clarion Review (Five Out of Five Stars)
Crystal Ships is an epic story about a group of young friends living through the turmoil of the 1960s and ’70s. Coming from different social, religious, political, and economic backgrounds, the main characters try to discover who they are and their places in the world. With compelling characters, an impressively researched historical landscape, and an artfully crafted plot, the book is entertaining and educational from the first page to the last.
[The chasracters] are very different people, but all are hopeful for the future and trying to pursue their individual dreams. They are scholars and artists, entrepreneurs and idealists, but their lives are unfolding during a unique and difficult time in history. Their personal triumphs and tragedies bind them together, and they grow and change as all people do. However, each of their lives is affected by the major events of the day.
Crystal Ships is a fascinating book. [A] superb job of weaving the strands of the plot into a seamless narrative that is more about the time period than about the characters. The writing is very clean and readable, and the dialogue flows naturally.
The incorporation of historical detail makes the text come alive, with references not only to the politics and news events of the era but also to the art. Many chapters are given the title of a well-known song, and the meaning of the music reflects the content of the chapter, creating a soundtrack that enriches the plot.
The sixties and seventies were turbulent decades. The Kennedy administration, the civil rights movement, women’s liberation, Watergate, and the Vietnam War all helped to define the culture and the people who were trying to make sense of it. Through the story of seven young adults, Crystal Ships offers a vibrant and compelling look into an important time in history and provides a remarkable context for understanding the art that came out of the era.
October 25, 2013
Crystal Ships, Limited Edition
My latest novel, Crystal Ships, was released as a limited edition paperback on Amazon on November 22, to honor the 50th memorial of the JFK assassination. The Kindle edition should be on Amazon soon. Crystal Ships is all you need to know about living through the Vietnam era, but were afraid to ask. It is a sweeping epic of American idealism and disillusionment, tracing the lives of protagonists struggling to find their place in the tumultuous 1960s and 70s.
Readers interested in reviewing the novel may send me a Goodreads message to request a complementary copy
Readers interested in reviewing the novel may send me a Goodreads message to request a complementary copy
May 8, 2013
2013 IPPY Award
he Duke Don't Dance
The EBook of The Duke Don't Dance, just won the Independent Publisher (IPPY) 2013 award for Best Adult Fiction EBook. The recognition is greatly appreciated. I also would very much like to thank the many reviewers and interviewers who helped publicize the work, but especially JaneAnne Narrin of Whitehair465.com for editorial suggestions that were incorporated into the Ebook version of the novel, Kimberly Shursen of kimberlyshursen.com for her consistent support, and also Kirkus Reviews, ForeWord Clarion and Reader's Favorite for their earlier awards for this novel.
The EBook of The Duke Don't Dance, just won the Independent Publisher (IPPY) 2013 award for Best Adult Fiction EBook. The recognition is greatly appreciated. I also would very much like to thank the many reviewers and interviewers who helped publicize the work, but especially JaneAnne Narrin of Whitehair465.com for editorial suggestions that were incorporated into the Ebook version of the novel, Kimberly Shursen of kimberlyshursen.com for her consistent support, and also Kirkus Reviews, ForeWord Clarion and Reader's Favorite for their earlier awards for this novel.
January 12, 2013
Time Is the Oven now out in Kindle
Out in Kindle as of 1/12/13. On amazon.com at: http://www.amazon.com/Time-is-the-Ove...
January 8, 2013
Challenging an old saw: "Show, don't tell"
One of the first rules in fiction writing is "show, dont tell." But all rules are meant to be broken! My recent novel, Jacob's Cellar, takes on this challenge.
My tale is a story of a closely knit community in rural Missouri confronted by the threat of war and soon swept into it. Under those circumstances, people often huddle together and discuss their experiences and reminiscences for many reasons: to understand how they found themselves in their present circumstances, to divert their attention from current worries, to seek some form of amusement, or simply to share companionship. An old cellar is the focus of such discussions in my novel, in which the strengths and weaknesses of my protagonists under the growing threat of disaster are revealed through their telling of, and reaction to, past events and individuals.
Yes, showing can tell a story more effectively than a bland narrative, but the telling of a story can also reveal the teller's hidden motivations and emotions more honestly than his/her overt actions. That is the original path offered by Jacob's Cellar to readers open to a fresh approach to the historical novel.
My tale is a story of a closely knit community in rural Missouri confronted by the threat of war and soon swept into it. Under those circumstances, people often huddle together and discuss their experiences and reminiscences for many reasons: to understand how they found themselves in their present circumstances, to divert their attention from current worries, to seek some form of amusement, or simply to share companionship. An old cellar is the focus of such discussions in my novel, in which the strengths and weaknesses of my protagonists under the growing threat of disaster are revealed through their telling of, and reaction to, past events and individuals.
Yes, showing can tell a story more effectively than a bland narrative, but the telling of a story can also reveal the teller's hidden motivations and emotions more honestly than his/her overt actions. That is the original path offered by Jacob's Cellar to readers open to a fresh approach to the historical novel.
January 2, 2013
Time Is the Oven released on Amazon
Shakespeare, yellow fever, the James Boys, a sporting lady,canal digging in Panama, malaria, lamplighting in St. Joe: a little something for everyone!
December 17, 2012
Kirkus Best of 2012 for The Duke Don't Dance
The Duke Don't Dance listed 15 December 2012 in Kirkus Reviews Best of 2012 Indie Books. Subcategory: "Fiction with a Capital F" (literary fiction).
November 21, 2012
Jacob's Cellar now out on Amazon
My historical novel, set in the period leading up to and during the Civil War is now out on Amazon in paperback (soon in Kindle). Those who have rural roots going back before the Civil War may find the novel of special interest. I like to write about the less filled niches in American literature, contemporary or historical. and Jacob's Cellar deals with one of them: the difficult assimilation of ethnic immigrants to rural Amwerica in the early years of colonial America and the new republic.
NOTE: For Goodreads friends who reviewed The Duke Don't Dance or who did not, but might like to review Jacob's Cellar, I can send a free review copy on request. Just send me a message with a mailing address.
Just because its not contemporary doesn't mean it can't be irreverant.
NOTE: For Goodreads friends who reviewed The Duke Don't Dance or who did not, but might like to review Jacob's Cellar, I can send a free review copy on request. Just send me a message with a mailing address.
Just because its not contemporary doesn't mean it can't be irreverant.
Richard Sharp Novels
Richard Sharp, Independent Publishers Gold Medal Winner for The Duke Don't Dance, is author of three near-contemporary American historical novels and two Civil War/Reconstruction novels. The former ar
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