Michael Loring's Blog, page 6
August 23, 2014
Immortal (Immortal #1) by Gene Doucette
Immortal (Immortal #1) by Gene Doucette
Synopsis:
“I don’t know how old I am. My earliest memory is something along the lines of fire good, ice bad, so I think I predate written history, but I don’t know by how much. I like to brag that I’ve been there from the beginning, and while this may very well be true, I generally just say it to pick up girls.”
–Adam the Immortal
Surviving sixty thousand years takes cunning and more than a little luck. But in the twenty-first century, Adam confronts new dangers—someone has found out what he is, a demon is after him, and he has run out of places to hide.Worst of all, he has had entirely too much to drink.
Immortal is a first person confessional penned by a man who is immortal, but not invincible. In an artful blending of sci-fi, adventure, fantasy, and humor, IMMORTAL introduces us to a world with vampires, demons and other “magical” creatures, yet a world without actual magic.
At the center of the book is Adam.
Review:
Immortal is the first in Author Gene Doucette’s Immortal series, following the immortal man Adam (although that is only his current name) who is the oldest man alive.
Adam is a comical character, surviving his six millennia with wit alone. He’s lived through wars, slavery, political rise and fall, and was there for the creation of just about everything from the Internet to the Wheel.
He’s a very practical character, if not a little diluted by his alcoholism. I enjoyed his musings quite a lot, although his interactions with some of the other characters felt a little stale. It also kind of irked me how the story would be skirted off for a few pages to let him stroll down memory lane. A few memories eventually come in handy and become important, but there were a few instances that I felt were unnecessary. In the long run though, I enjoyed his POV and his opinion on most everything in the current world.
Author Gene Doucette did a terrific job describing the plight of a man who has lived longer than currency and footwear. The writing style was very apt for the story being told, and I enjoyed the picture that was masterfully created for me. Praise goes to the author for having such talent bringing an immortal man to life on paper.
Four out of Five stars!
August 22, 2014
Dehumanized Cover Reveal/Re-Release Coming Soon!
Dehumanized Cover Reveal/Re-Release Coming Soon!
Be prepared my patient readers! The new cover for Dehumanized will be revealed THIS MONDAY! August 25th will also be the day the book will be re-released on multiple retailers such as: Amazon Kindle, B&N Nook, Kobo, Apple ITunes, and others!
You guys thought you had to wait weeks for this to all be ready, but you underestimate the level of dedication I put into this! (Plus, I had a lot of help from the gracious Rene Folsom. You guys should check her out. She’s AWESOME!)
Be prepared my wolves, the cover is AMAZING! And now that Dehumanized is fully under my control be ready for more promotions and giveaways!
Stay tuned for Monday, August 25th. Everything will be posted right here, on the blog! And, if you so please, be sure to share! The more attention the better! (I’m an attention whore, if you haven’t noticed.)
See you wolves then!
I lesbians you all!
-Michael
August 20, 2014
Nerdgasm Alert!
Nerdgasm Alert!
WARNING: GRATUITOUS AMOUNTS OF FANBOYING IS ABOUT TO OCCUR. READ ON AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooly shit! I found THE most awesome video EVER on YouTube!
Max Landis is acting out the famous transformation scene from An American Werewolf In London! YEEES!
Okay, the best thing to do right now is to explain exactly “why” this video has me jumping around like an excited child.
In the video, the man who is acting is Max Landis, son of THE John Landis – the writer/director of my favorite movie ever, An American Werewolf In London. But it’s not just this fact alone that has me fangasming. Max Landis is also a writer of movies, and is the genius behind another one of my favorites – Chronicle.
So, this video contains a re-enactment of my favorite scene from my favorite movie with the guy who made another one of my favorite movies, who happens to be the son of the dude who made my favorite movie.
Do you understand my excitement now?
-Michael
VIDEO MADE BY THE YOUTUBE CHANNEL CineFix AND IT IS THEIR PROPERTY. I AM MERELY SHARING IT BECAUSE IT’S SO FUCKING AWESOME.
August 18, 2014
Important Dehumanzed Announcement
Important Dehumanized Announcement
Okay, as you can obviously tell from the title of this blog post, I have important news to give pertaining to my novel, Dehumanized. I’ve been sitting on this piece of news for a few weeks now, trying to find the right words to use to explain it to everyone, and I think I’ve finally got it down what I want to say…
At this time Dehumanized has been pulled off of Amazon and all other vendors. The reason being that I have left my publisher to become self-published.
Yes, I left my publisher. Dehumanized is, at the moment, no longer available. But do not fret! I plan to re-release my book with a new round of editing, new pricing, and most importantly a new cover. At this moment I’m working on having the new cover commissioned, and it’s in the more than capable hands of Rene Folsom of Phycel Designs! So expect some EPIC things in the future!
In the meantime, I apologize to those of you who have been confused as to why you couldn’t find Dehumanized online any longer. I am not quitting, nor will I ever! Dehumanized will be back with a vengeance soon! Appropriate your excitement, wolves! Things are happening, and I promise that it won’t be anything less than awesome!
Thanks for understanding everyone! I love you all! In a purely sexual way.
-Michael
P.S. If you’re really bummed about Dehumanized being gone, then why not check out my other releases?
August 14, 2014
Bigfoot Hunters by Rick Gualtieri
Bigfoot Hunters by Rick Gualtieri
Synopsis:
Evolution is about to be kicked in the teeth by some very large feet.
An ancient terror has descended upon a remote Colorado town. The legendary beasts known as Sasquatch have emerged from the woods, hell-bent on killing everything in their path.
The only thing standing in their way are a group of wayward campers, a few scared survivors, and the crew of a cable TV show…but it might just be enough.
It’s muscle and fury versus a whole lot of bullets in a battle to determine once and for all; Who is the hunter and who is the hunted.
Review:
Bigfoot Hunters by Author Rick Gualtieri is a crypto horror novel that follows a group of young adults that run into a clan of animals thought only to be legend. Bigfoot is real, and it’s pissed off!
The set-up to the story is an age-old concept: a group of college kids, nothing more on their minds than getting laid and having fun, set out for a week long camping trip. Unfortunately though, things turn sour quickly as a rabid Bigfoot comes crashing into them – literally. The only reason they survive their first encounter is because the stars of a famous TV show come to their aid, proving to be more than just cryptozoologists. But that doesn’t matter, as the bliss of surviving the first attack distracts them enough to allow to rest of the Bigfeet to come in and mess things up!
Being a huge fan of Rick Gualtieri’s THE TOME OF BILL series, I knew I’d love this book before even reading the synopsis – and I was not wrong!
Author Rick Gualtieri sets the stage for a truly horrific massacre; the once peaceful creature known as Bigfoot stomping a bloody trail through a small country town. I never thought Bigfoot could be this scary! But thanks to this book, I’m staying clear of any camping sites for a while…
Five out of Five stars!
August 13, 2014
Meet My Character Blog Tour!
Blogs are hoppin’ as part of the Meet My Character Blog Tour! Here’s how it works, as explained to me by the author who tagged me:
“This tour highlights a main character from your WIP (work in progress), recently published work, or soon to be published work. The person who invites you will have a set day to post. You will post one (or two) week(s) after that, the authors you tag will post one/two week(s) after you, and so on. Here are the questions to answer about your main character:
1) What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historic person?
2) When and where is the story set?
3) What should we know about him/her?
4) What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?
5) What is the personal goal of the character?
6) Is there a working title for this novel if it is a WIP, and can we read more about it? OR what is the title of this novel and where can it be found?
If a WIP: 7) When can we expect the book to be published?
It is suggested that authors recruit 2-4 others to continue the chain. There is no pressure to have any specific number; this is just for fun and is a nice way to get more cross traffic between all our sites/blogs. Please send the one who tagged you a short bio and any links to blogs, author pages, etc. you wish him/her to use so he/she can tag you in style.”
To begin with, then, here’s the bio for my tagger, Emma Michaels!
Emma Michaels is a multi-talented bookish girl. Not only is she the designer of beautiful covers, but she has many other accomplishments under her belt. She started book blogging in 2009 and was first published in 2010. She started The Writer’s Voice blog in 2011 as a way to help readers get to know authors on another level.
She moved to Washington at seventeen to be with the man that she loves, who asked her what she secretly wanted to be when she grew up. Naturally, she told him that she wanted to be an author, but at the time she thought “it was a pipe dream.” He encouraged her to pursue her dreams and taught her that “sometimes reaching for the impossible can make a world of difference in your life.” Now she is published and reaching well beyond what most people can imagine.
Check her out on her website here!
Time to meet Ryan Zachery!
1) What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historic person?
Ryan is a 20-year-old boy that has been infected with Lycanthropy, a disease that’s spread across the world due to a science experiment gone wrong.
2) When and where is the story set?
It’s set in modern day Canada, but spans all across the states.
3) What should we know about him/her?
Ryan was a normal teenager before he was attacked and infected. He had just graduated high school, was planning on breaking up with his cheerleader girlfriend, and was struggling with what he wanted to do with his life now that he was free of high school. After being sent to a camp designated to contain those who are infected, Ryan had given up on life. That is, until he met Anna Clarke. After the events of the first novel, Dehumanized, Ryan has a new lease on life and is determined to be free at any cost.
4) What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?
In the second book, Ryan wishes to be free. But that’s kind of hard to do when every one under the sun wants him and his friends dead or in a cage…
5) What is the personal goal of the character?
I’ve already mentioned freedom, but on top of that he wants control. Control of his life, and of the beast inside of him.
6) Is there a working title for this novel if it is a WIP, and can we read more about it? OR What is the title of this novel and where can it be found?
As of right now there is no title, as it is still just a WIP. But, if you’re interested, you can check out this sneak peek right here!
The two tagged authors are:
Magen McMinimy:
I was born and raised in Sonoma County, California and graduated from Analy High School in Sebastopol, California class of 2001. I love all things paranormal and always have, though vampires have always been my favorite. In 2004 I moved to North Idaho and have loved every minute of it.
I love to read and mostly I enjoy Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy. I do most my writing during the late night and early morning hours. I love my vampires and my leading ladies and look forward to creating all kinds of new world s and creatures for my readers to enjoy. Although I find my NA series Twins of Aurora challenging to write I can’t wait to continue with it.
Believing life is what you make of it, I follow my dreams as passionately as possible through all things that would threaten to hinder me. I spend as much of my free time as possible with family and friends, they are the people who inspire and support me in all my crazy ideas and plans for my future.
S.L. Dearing:
Shannon L. Dearing was raised in Westlake Village, California, a true Southern Californian at heart; she was reared in the waves of Zuma and Malibu, regularly visited (and still does) Disneyland and played in the snows of Frazier Park. She developed a love of reading and a love of film from a very early age. She wrote her first book (albeit, only 5 pages) at the tender age of five, a Mother’s Day tome… that she still has in her possession today. Just before her eighth birthday, the family moved to Waterloo, IA. There in the rural setting of Northern Iowa, her imagination grew. She and her family stayed only one year before moving to Phoenix, Arizona. Growing up in Phoenix she developed many friendships and her love of writing. Her first short story was written at the age of twelve, The Golden Shoes. She continued to explore the world of short stories and poetry, all the while reading. At the age of fourteen, she went from the children’s books of Robert C. O’Brien, C. S. Lewis and Albert Payson Terhune and began exploring the world of Stephen King and the world of horror. There she stayed in the “Valley of the Sun” until her seventeenth year.
That year was her senior year in high school as she moved back to her beloved Southern California. She attended Long Beach Poly High School, where she took a creative writing course and met the first teacher to encourage her to pursue her writing, Mr. Gene Moffit. He gently pushed and enlightened. He was also instrumental in taking several of the students to see a version of Fiddler on the Roof. This was the first “real” play Shannon had seen, and it wouldn’t be the last.
She attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where she studied biology, thinking she might become a veterinarian. That was not to be, so she left Cal Poly SLO in 1987 and began attending Long Beach City College for several years. While at LBCC, she further explored the world of writing and film. She then left college and struck out on her own, bartending and exploring what the world had to offer. Eventually she ended up back in the San Fernando Valley (a stones throw from Westlake Village) and resumed her pursuit of academia studying at Los Angeles City College’s renowned Television/ Film program, under Dr. Jerry Hendrix and Joni Varner.She began writing screenplays and working on school projects, excelling in editing and writing.
When not writing or reading, Shannon enjoys spending time with friends and family. Her hobbies include making jewelry and book swag, baking and candy making, learning the guitar and drawing.
She has since worked on several film projects in many capacities: directing, writing, First Asst. Director, Etc. She currently works in an administrative capacity in Pasadena and is a book reviewer for the Big Blend Magazine and Champagne Sunday’s radio show. Shannon has been writing since grade school. Over the years she has written several screenplays, poems and short stories. She is currently in the process of writing several episodes for and upcoming web series. She has one novel, The Gathering: Book One of the Lia Fail Chronicles, which has been published. She has also contributed short stories to several anthologies: Apocalypse: An Anthology by Readers and Authors, Paranormal Anthology with a TWIST, When Light Fades, Stalkers: A Collections of Thriller Stories and Scarlet Sins, An Erotic Vampire Anthology. She also contributed to Love Potions, Lotion and Lore.
She currently lives in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, CA with her two cats.
August 11, 2014
Broken Souls (Eric Carter #2) by Stephen Blackmoore
Broken Souls (Eric Carter #2) by Stephen Blackmoore
Synopsis:
When necromancer Eric Carter returned to Los Angeles after fifteen years on the run he knew things were bad, but he never imagined how bad they could get. Sister murdered, best friend dead, married to the patron saint of death, Santa Muerte.
And things are just getting worse.
His link to the Aztec death goddess is changing his powers, changing him, and he’s not sure how far it will go. He’s starting to question his own sanity, wonder if he’s losing his mind. No mean feat for a guy who talks to the dead on a regular basis.
While searching for a way to break Santa Muerte’s hold over him, Carter finds himself the target of a psychopath who can steal anyone’s form, powers and memories. Identity theft is one thing, but the guy does it by killing his victims and wearing their skins like a suit. He can be anyone. He can be anywhere.
Now Carter has to change the game, go from hunted to hunter. All he has for help is a Skid Row Bruja and a ghost who’s either his dead friend Alex or Carter’s own guilt-fueled psychotic break.
If things go right, he just might survive a week where everything is trying to kill him and nothing is as it seems.
Review:
Broken Souls by Stephen Blackmoore is the second in his Eric Carter series, picking up six months after the incidents in the first book with necromancer Eric Carter once again being dealt a bad hand in life.
Eric is now married to the patron goddess of death, Santa Muerte, and he’s willing to do anything to get out of it. The book starts off with a meeting that may or may not help him escape her clutches, but the meeting goes to hell quicker than you can blink. And on top of it his best friend’s “ghost” is now haunting him, even though it should be impossible.
Life is not done tossing around Eric Carter the Necromancer, and he’s only barely ready for the next blow.
Broken Souls is just as intense and brutal as the first novel, Eric once again having to bloody his knuckles (and his face) having to fight off a string of enemies that want him deader than the ghosts he can see. Author Stephen Blackmoore brings an intense amount of action, mystery, dashes of comedy, and magic to this new world of ghosts, gods, and mages.
Honestly, I don’t usually get into these noir type stories, but the author puts a terrific spin on this particular mystery noir novel that it becomes my one exception. My praises go to the author for actually making someone like me love a mystery novel!
Five out of Five stars!
Check out Stephen Blackmoore’s website here!
August 9, 2014
I Love Hastings!
I Love Hastings!
The title of this post is pretty much all there is to be said. I. Absolutely. Love. Hastings. There’s no better way to put it. Although, I am aware not everyone knows of this store and is in need of some explaining.
Hastings is an entertainment store that specializes in books, movies, video/board games, manga, and pretty much all things nerdy and awesome. Primarily it’s a book store, but it’s got so many things inside of it I’d call it a “One Stop Nerd Shop.” It has… EVERYTHING. At least everything I could ever want. I could freakin’ LIVE in that store if I could.
Seriously, I would.
I discovered this store when I was around 14, when I was just acclimating to my new life in Maryville, TN. I was in a new place, surrounded by new people, and didn’t know where to go for any of the nerdy things I loved so much. In Florida it was Books A Million, but there is no Books A Million in Maryville so I had to find a new store. And that’s when I found Hastings…
I loved it. My eventual friends loved it. And we all STILL love it. It’s exactly how I left it when I moved away from Maryville to Connecticut: perfect.
During my stay in Maryville, I returned to that store and decided that I wanted to see one of my books on their shelves. I set out to make it happen, and, after some negotiations it has finally occurred!
BEHOLD…..
Nothing.
Sorry, but I couldn’t get a picture. BUT! Know that it is now on the shelves. In Maryville. Maryville, Tennessee to be specific. Only one store… but hey, gotta start somewhere right?
I was able to sell four copies of Unnatural: A Collection of Supernatural Shorts to Hastings for them to sell on their shelves. Most of the book stores I’ve attempted to contact about doing this with them have basically either, A) Given me a loop-around so that I would stop bugging them, or B) Told me straight out no. Turns out you have to be this fabled “Best Selling Author” to be get your book anywhere outside of the Internet. But Hastings were not only nice to me, they enthusiastically embraced my collection of short stories with open arms.
It seriously was refreshing, to be treated like an actual person rather than some nuisance. The workers at Hastings took the copies of Unnatural that I was able to give them and immediately put them on their shelves to be sold off to any anxious reader who may come across them. They even offered to let me do a book signing, although I couldn’t as I have to return to Connecticut unfortunately. I promised them next time, and they were very understanding.
It was such a trip to get my book put on their shelves, memories of perusing their book collection as a young teenager flashing through my mind as I watched the Stacker do so. I almost shed a tear at it. ALMOST. (I have a Man-Card to maintain, after all.)
My point of this post is to simply say this: I love Hastings. I love it, love it, love it!
If you ever get a chance to go to a Hastings, do so! They’re not in every state, but if there happens to be one in yours be sure to check it out!
Check out the Hastings website here!
-Michael
Hastings Locations
August 5, 2014
Hands-On Experience
Hands-On Experience
So, I had been holding off on announcing this because I wanted to surprise a few certain people, but now that I have I can finally say… I’M IN TENNESSEE!
To visit.
Yes! I am in TN, and I am having an awesome time with my friends! There was no reason to come down here other than to just hang out with my buds from high school. We’ve been sharing jokes, laughing, went to see Guardians of the Galaxy in theaters, playing video/board games (because we’re nerds, SHUT UP!) and, the thing that ties into the main topic of this post, sparring.
Yes, we’ve all been sparring with each other. All of us have, in one form or another, been trained in some form of combat (karate, boxing, weapons, etc.) and when we’re all together we like to compare skills. I’m the boxer of the group, so of course I go at everyone with my fists raised and my legs planted firmly on the ground. Which, if you have read my stuff, is how most of my characters fight.
Which brings me to the point of this blog post. A lot of my writing – as is a lot of others’ writing, I’m sure – is derivative of real life experiences. So, of course, whenever I write fight scenes (which there are quite a few of in Dehumanized) the fighting style at least resembles a boxer’s.
Now, you already know all of this stuff. I’ve said it more than once on Facebook, in other blog posts, and to those who were interested. So, why am I explaining this all over again? Well, calm down and let me tell you!
My friends and I have sparred every night since I arrived to TN. We do Light Touch sparring so that we don’t actually hurt each other, although that rule quickly goes out the window once we get into it. At this current moment I’ve got a cut lip, pulled shoulder, and my jaw/nose aches like hell. And although it kind of sucks to be busted up like this, it made me realize that it’s a great experience to take and convert into my writing. Since I know what this feels like I can accurately describe it when my characters end up like me: beaten up.
You could say that I’m doing some research for my writing by fighting with my friends. Although my face, body, and knuckles hurt like a bitch I am able to improve my writing abilities thanks to it!
Let’s hope though I don’t get the chance to describe what it’s like to have a bone broken during a fight…
-Michael
July 31, 2014
Slum Online by Hiroshi Sakurazaka
Slum Online by Hiroshi Sakurazaka
Synopsis:
Etsuro Sakagami is a college freshmen who feels uncomfortable in reality, but when he logs onto the combat MMO Versus Town, he assumes the personality of “Tetsuo,” a karate champ on his way towards becoming the most powerful martial artist around. While his relationship with new classmate Fumiko goes nowhere, he spends his days and nights online in search of the invincible fighter Ganker Jack. Floating in between real and virtual, at last, Etsuro finds himself face to face with his most powerful opponent…
Review:
Slum Online by Author Hiroshi Sakurazaka is a standalone novel depicting the life of Etsuro Sakagami – a young man obsessed with becoming the best gamer in the MMO Versus Town.
Etsuro is a normal young college student. He spends his days (sometimes) attending his classes, commuting on the train through the bustling streets of Japan, and his nights as Tetsuo – the karate master with the ambition of being the absolute best in Versus Town. When a new, mysterious player named “Ganker Jack” comes to the game and starts defeating the strongest players, Etsuro sets his character Tetsuo after him in an attempt to beat the one who beat the best. All the while dealing with a new female classmate that he may or may not like.
I had very high hopes for this novel. I am a huge fan of the author’s other novel, All You Need is Kill, so when I discovered he had written a novel about gamers I was excited to begin reading it.
Unfortunately, I find myself a little disappointed. The writing was terrific, especially considering it’s been translated from Japanese, but the main character was stoic throughout most of the novel and very hard to relate to. Etsuro is a very intelligent character, but squanders his intellect by morosely speculating on the world around him and, for the most part, ignoring the prospect of an actual human connection with his classmate who very clearly likes him until the end when he felt he was done playing his game. I felt the novel would be infinitely better if Etsuro had been someone who could actually emote.
It’s very rare to find a novel that paints gamers in a good light, which Slum Online does pretty well, but also very hard to find one that also creates interesting characters that capture the affection of the reader.
Three out of Five stars!
