Gregory S. Lamb's Blog, page 15
October 30, 2012
“Fall of the Citizens” by Eric Thomas – “Indie” Book Review
A Provocative and Fun Read
If you take the occupy movement, throw in some conspiracy and corporate greed, then mix in some action and violence, you’ll have the ingredients for the kind of revolution Eric Thomas writes about in his page turning thriller, “Fall of the Citizens.”
The setting is dystopian Detroit where out of work or under employed law enforcement and veteran soldiers are drawn by a twisted egocentric leader named Max, who spurs a revolution against a pharmaceutical corporation and the U.S. Government.
Josh, the computer and network hacker is teamed up with Betty, former cop with a violent streak, to count themselves among the first members of the Citizens. The Citizens organized under Max begin a revolution against the establishment. Elaborating further would spoil the fun of reading this story.
Could the events in this novel actually happen? Hopefully not, but you won’t be looking for things to say, “no way that could never happen,” because Thomas’s characters are so entertaining and you’ll want to see what happens at the end. Read it and find out. Readers who are at all queazy reading graphic violence might steer clear.
October 29, 2012
Beyond Borders: Linking Our Stories
Beyond Borders: Linking Our Stories.
The role of women in Peace Building and Conflict Resolution is a theme I plan to capture in my sequel to “The People In Between: A Cyprus Odyssey”
October 25, 2012
FlashFiveFriday – #12 Turmoil
Cambridge Massachusetts – Present Day
“What do you think would happen if the internet backbone was suddenly disabled?” It was a theoretical question projected on a slide near the end of a TED Talk at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
The speaker was a USAF Colonel representing his boss, General Gordon Long, Commanding Officer for the Information Warfare Center. Colonel Jasper “Jazz” Rogers enjoyed his role because he was a believer. He believed that the nature of war between nation states had permanently changed, and the world, including leaders of his own government hadn’t yet caught up.
Jazz Rogers believed that armed combat was a thing of the past. He believed that if a government’s diplomacy failed, instead of inflicting bloodshed and distraction, technology would enable the crippling of an adversary by taking down their infrastructure, thus forcing them to the negotiation table. He was also excited about the possibility of leveraging opportunity cost savings from the reduced need for traditional military hardware.
In response to the thought provoking question on the screen, a graduate student in his twenties stood to address it with a comment. “After about three days, the world as we know it would be in turmoil. Grocery store shelves would be empty. There would be lines at gas stations and people would panic.”
On hearing this, a young African American lady leaned forward shaking her head in the negative. “I disagree. We’re talking about the internet. Have we forgotten that it wasn’t easily accessible by the masses until the mid ’90s? It might be difficult at first, but Americans are pretty adaptable and we’d figure out a way to work around this loss of capability.”
Jazz jumped in to facilitate further dialogue and clicked the remote changing the image on the screen with to display a final question. “What if telecommunications were suddenly disabled?”
“For how long?” came a voice from the back of the audience.
“Assume it would be indefinitely,” said Jazz.
The lecture hall erupted with the sounds of low voices conversing all at once. The young African American lady came forward and walked toward the Colonel, her eyes boring into him.
“You may think that the spirit of humanity can be crippled into turmoil simply by taking away the ability access the inventions of the last century, but human beings have been on planet earth for a lot longer,” she said.
“So you don’t think societies would fall into turmoil and that places like Harvard Square wouldn’t become dangerous?” challenged Jazz.
“I didn’t say that things like that wouldn’t happen. It just doesn’t sound like you’re giving humanity much credit. There’s also the concept of altruism to consider.”
Another male student dressed in expensive cloths came forward and addressed the young lady. “There would be turmoil,” he said to her in a calm voice and paused before going on. “For a while there would be turmoil. Then we would find a way to carry on.”
Colonel Rogers listened to their brief dialogue. Before continuing with the facilitated discussion he had planned then he asked the young woman, “What are you studying?”
“Philosophy in government,” she replied.
“When I get back to Fort McNair I’ll have to inform my boss that we’re going to need more liberal arts graduates on our team. What is your name?”
“Amanda. Amanda Jones. Never forget the strength and innovation that comes with hope,” she said.
“I’ll remember that. Thank you. People don’t like uncertainty Ms. Jones.”
“Only one thing is certain Colonel. Just one.”
“Yes, I know, each and every life is finite. So philosophically speaking, we live in a world of constant turmoil and somehow we manage to make order of it all.
October 22, 2012
Book Review: Free Fall by Susan Rae
Tension, Suspense, Crime, and Mystery
The author has a knack for creating tension and suspense, not just to move the plot along, but to develop heated relationships between each of the characters as well.
The setting for “Free Fall” is a family run general aviation business. Rae knows the business and did a great job with the passages about flying and fixing small planes. Her main character, Kate Reynolds along with her brother Keith’s Army buddy Everett Larson, are thrust together when Keith’s plane mysteriously crashes.
Kate and Everett develop an attraction for each other and the romantic tension builds throughout the story at the same pace as the suspense surrounding the mystery of Keith’s accident. To say more would spoil the fun.
Overall, the story’s structure flows well and the writing is smooth. Rae does something that is rare for this genre. In a few of the passages, she presents the body language of her characters through a smooth flow of prose. The reader not only comes to know the characters through dialog, but can easily visualize their interactions.
For those looking to enjoy a good aviation yarn, “Free Fall” is sure to satisfy that itch.
October 20, 2012
A Ghost Named Manky: Gregory Lamb: Amazon.com: Kindle Store
A Ghost Named Manky: Gregory Lamb: Amazon.com: Kindle Store.
Young Adult Adventure Fiction. This campfire story is full of historical information about pioneers and those involved in America’s rush for gold.
October 19, 2012
FlashFiveFriday: #11 – House
Portland Oregon – Southeast Neighborhood – 2009
The couple was becoming weary and worn from all the homes their realtor had shown them over the previous week. True to her profession, the realtor maintained a bright and happy disposition while encouraging the middle aged couple to continue their search.
“I don’t know why this lock is so sticky,” said the realtor while shaking the key around to loosen up the mechanism and hopefully unlatch the front door. “It’s probably just because it’s a new lock. As you can see the place has been totally renovated, top to bottom.”
Sally tugged on her husband’s sleeve. “Honey, I think this is the one. I have a good feeling about it,” she said as they stood on the front porch.
“Let’s just wait until we see inside. You never know,” Ross whispered back to his wife.
“It was built in the ‘Craftsman’ style in 1910. Lathe and plaster walls throughout,” the realtor told them.
Sally leaned in close to Ross, taking in the bright glow from the hardwood reflecting back the sunlight casting a glow throughout the main floor. “I’ll bet there is a story behind each of the stains on the hardwood floor.”
“Throw rugs are your best friend,” the realtor commented.
“The bedrooms are a bit small, but I love the kitchen and bath. What do you think honey?” she asked.
Ross just smiled and said, “It’s ninety-nine years old, which means it’s probably haunted.”
“Let’s take it anyway. I’m not afraid of any ghost.”
“No, but you’re still afraid of the dark.”
October 12, 2012
Cover showcase: The People in Between – Gregory Lamb
Cover showcase: The People in Between – Gregory Lamb.
I’m thrilled that “The Indie Exchange” featured the cover of my novel on their website. Take a look!
Book Review – “The Mind Man” by Peter Richmond
What if a person could concentrate hard enough to control another person’s mind, making them do things they normally wouldn’t? What if this person was bullied as a child and wanted revenge? Is it possible to become extraordinarily wealthy with such talents? You’ll find out once you get started reading Peter Richmond’s paranormal thriller, The Mind Man, and you won’t be able to put it down.
Richmond takes you on a romp around the world as he weaves together the relationships between all of the characters in this highly entertaining story. His place descriptions from Australia, Rarotonga, Mexico, and Europe make you feel like you are there right along with the well developed cast of characters who you’ll enjoy getting to know.
Ted is a cop who doesn’t like his job and dreams of changing careers to become a California wine grape grower. His wife isn’t on board though and when a freak accident happens on the local interstate, Ted finds himself getting swept up into the most gripping investigation of his career. He involves his reluctant wife Sally, who’s relationship with the antagonist, Adam Henderson creates even more tension for Ted.
Richmond did a fantastic job creating his “Mind Man,” Adam who is responsible for most of the plot. You’ll have to read the story to learn about Adam. The protagonist, Ted does something really cheesy near the story’s climax but it was essential to the plot and sets everything up for a satisfying conclusion. I’m sure other readers will look forward to the sequel just as much as I am.
October 11, 2012
#FlashFiveFriday: #10 – Dog
“Do you think we’re bad dog parents?” she asked.
“No, I don’t think so, If he was a big tall shaggy dog, we’d be able to keep him off the furniture and still be able to reach across to pet him without having to get on the floor,” he said.
“I’m glad you’re OK with him sitting on the couch then,” she said sounding relieved.
“Yeah, so long as he knows the boundaries. As we agreed, the bed is off limits.”
Two weeks later, the middle aged couple was rationalizing the shifting of boundaries they’d set up for their little bull dog.
“At least he doesn’t try to take over the whole bed,” was all he could say about getting used to having the dog sleep on the bed with them.
“No table scraps though, absolutely no feeding from the table. That is the line in the sand.” He wanted to sound firm with this latest declaration and his wife just looked at him with those doe eyes of hers and smiled before kissing him good night.
October 5, 2012
Reposting from August – “The Next Big Thing”
When I transferred from my old blog to this one, some postings were lost, but not forever. The following I thought was important enough to keep on the new blog.
The Next Big Thing: The Young Cypriots: A Generation of Hope
By Gregory S. Lamb on August 15th, 2012
Thank you David M. Brown for tagging me on The Next Big Thing last week!
The Next Big Thing: Week 8
What is the working title of your book?
The Young Cypriots: A Generation of Hope
Where did the idea come from for the book?
The theme from my first novel, The People In Between: A Cyprus Odyssey, dealt with the consequences of unfinished conflicts that took place in Cyprus in the previous century. That story ended on a note of hope, but without a clear picture of a future for the Cypriot people.
This past summer, I attended a round table forum along with a group of teens visiting from Cyprus. Dr. Birol Yeşilada and Dr. Harry Anastasiou, from Portland State University, facilitated the forum. Birol is a Turkish Cypriot and Harry is a Greek Cypriot. Both of them are best friends. During the forum, they shared their experiences from their youthful days on Cyprus during the turbulent past.
Birol described the suffering of Cypriots in a generational context, suggesting that the people in his parents’ generation represented the generation of violence. He referred to those that suffered the loss and endured the turmoil of becoming refugees as the generation of pain. Then he went on to define this next group of Cypriots as the youth who grew up in a country divided. Both professors turned to the Cypriot teens and identified them as members of the generation of hope for the future of their country.
Throughout the forum, my mind was in high gear and by the time it was over, I knew I had to write a sequel to The People In Between: A Cyprus Odyssey. One of my previous blog entries dated 21 July 2012 covers additional details regarding this forum.
What genre does your book fall under?
Contemporary Cultural Fiction or Historical Fiction given that the historical events in the story go back over 50 years.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
This is a difficult question. I want this story to be told through the voices of the young Cypriots. There has been a Cypriot youth program in place since 2008, so the ages of the main group of actors would have to range from 17 – 22 years old. Ariel Winter and Sarah Hyland from Modern Family might be good candidates, as would Shia LaBoeuf and Josh Hutcherson.
Of course the youth will need the guidance of adults and George Clooney is the perfect age and versatile enough, that he could easily pass as a Cypriot. One of my dear Cypriot friends is a professional educator and an elegant woman of a slightly older age group. Hers is definitely a role that needs to be played by Helen Mirren.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Young Cypriots come of age and take charge of their failed government becoming a model nation for exporting peace.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I’m hooked on “indie” and want to play an active part in busting the old paradigms of traditional publishing. My first novel was self-published and it was a learning experience that I’m more prepared to capitalize on this time around.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
To be honest, I don’t have a draft for this one yet. Along with the gist of the story, I have the framework and the character roles put together. I also have a preliminary set of human-interest stories I’ve garnered from my work with Cypriot youth here in the United States.
My first novel took 18 months to complete an initial draft. Most of that time was spent on research and historical mapping of characters and events. It took another 6 months to complete the editing and publishing process. I’ve learned that writing historical fiction is very hard work. This story will involve a lot more interviewing and observation. I’ve already planned another trip to Cyprus to complete this project.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I’m so leery of comparisons given the talents of the authors that I like to read. I liked the structure of The People of the Book, by Geraldine Brooks more than anything I’ve read in the past year. I liked the story arcs from Cutting for Stone, by Abraham Verghese, so maybe some hybrid cross of those stories…we’ll just have to see.
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
I wasn’t planning to write anything more related to Cyprus until I digested the importance of a common question coming from the first readers of “The People In Between: A Cyprus Odyssey.” I was asked what is happening to the Cypriots today and what do you think the future of their country holds? In short, readers wanted to know what was going to happen next.
Additionally, I was pleased to discover that many readers of my début novel said they became choked up while reading it. Some said it made them cry. I’ll admit that it made me very happy to hear the story had the ability to touch some hearts. Now I’m motivated to capitalize on that momentum and finish what I started.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Cyprus is a country rich in history, both ancient and modern. It has been at a crossroads of cultural evolution since the beginning of recorded history. It is also a wonderful place to enjoy a holiday for those with an itch to travel. Both The People In Between: A Cyprus Odyssey, and The Young Cypriots: A Generation of Hope, contains rich place descriptions but not so heavy that they come across as a travel log.
