Kae Cheatham's Blog: Whoa! Another Author?, page 19
January 25, 2011
Genre Categories
I'm grousing today. This time about tags.
I've never been fond of the need to pigeonhole books into genre; probably because my books never seem to get tagged where expect them to be.
A while ago I sent an excerpt of Child of the Mist to the "Page 99" blog. It was posted today—with the tag "fantasy". (sigh) By most standards, Fantasy will contain "magic, paranormal magic and terrible monsters" (from Wikipedia), with key authors such as Terry Pratchett, J. K. Rowlings and, of course, J.R.R. Tolkien. Child of the Mist doesn't resemble works by these people. There are no monsters, and while some of the characters have extreme mental powers, they are akin to those of Betazoids and Vulcans in Star Trek--far future conundrums pushing the physics of the impossible.
Child of the Mist and the sister book Daughter of the Stone make up the Gem of the Galaxy series and are Speculative Fiction--soft Science fiction, World-building SF adventures.
I'm at a loss as to getting the correct "tags," and maybe I shouldn't care. But tags do direct readers to books, and right now these are attracting an audience that will probably two-star the book in a review (if they even bother to review it).
Wish I could find a foolproof method for tagging my titles so they get to the proper readers.
January 24, 2011
Murder on the Mind - Review
I read a promo blurb for this book and was intrigued—but cautious. The book market is replete with "paranormal" story lines, and not all are to my liking. Many often veer into "possession" and demons and external mind manipulation. Not my style. I prefer extra-sensory perception (ESP) that is entirely within the character.
After reading the free sample chapters of Murder on the Mind I was more caught by the very ESP circumstances of protagonist Jeff Resnick. I bought the Kindle edition and started reading....
And couldn't stop reading.
The first-person presentation was well executed and I was drawn in to Resnick's unique mental circumstance as well as his personal reuniting with older half-brother Richard Alpert. Jeff Resnick had been victim of a brutal New York City mugging that left him physically and economically stranded. Richard, a doctor and heir to millions, rescues him and takes him to their boyhood city of Buffalo, where Richard currently lived. Jeff must overcome his often negative feelings toward his brother and deal with depressing memories in mini-mansion where he lived after their mother died.
Throughout his recovery, Resnick is bombarded with images of a ghastly killing that soon becomes public knowledge; but Resnick had known about it long before the crime was committed. ESP. Is he going mad? Does he really have a gift? He begins his own investigation into the crime.
The story development was a good as the character development. Descriptions weren't limited to the gory and gruesome, but included persuasive descriptions of Buffalo, its where's-my-heavy-coat weather and surrounds. Richard and his significant other, Brenda, were complete and interesting. This being the first of a series, some things were left to develop in later books, such as Jeff's relationship with Maggie.
Did this book have any faults? Of course. Nothing is perfect. I was a bit dissatisfied with the denouement scene, which seemed a bit contrived. There were a few standard mystery-writer clichés that might have been left out. Bur none were terribly detracting. Murder on the Mind is a gripping and well wrought mystery.
January 23, 2011
Mystery Quiz
Robert Pembroke
Elizabeth Linington
Dick Francis
Didn't get it? Click here for the answer
January 22, 2011
Child of the Mist Featured
I'm pleased to link to Scott Nicholson's page, where Child of the Mist was featured yesterday.
Must say I'm always looking for reviews of this and any other comments. Chime in, folks!
Book is available in print, for Kindle and for Nook.
January 21, 2011
Being Someone Else – Review
I bought the ebook version of Being Someone Else , because I had enjoyed a previous "Sticks" Hetrick's mystery, Something In Common.
This Swatara County story has an intricate plot that makes for eager reading to get it figured out. Although it is part of the "Sticks" series, Hetrick didn't play as much a part in solving this mystery as I would have liked, but the complimentary characters of detective Flora Vastin and police chief Aaron Brubaker were compelling.
It starts with a murder (duh) and no clues. Then another murder in an adjacent county compounds the questions. The coming together of circumstantial evidence and intuitive thinking leads the police force to an affluent family that has just returned to live in the area. If they are involved, how and why? It's a tricky proposition.
As with most contemporary mysteries, the evolution of the protagonists' private lives also come into play, and we learn of Sticks' growing involvement with Anita, and Flora's courtship by Harry. These are nicely developed, and Flora's situation has impact on the solution of the mystery.
A few negatives: I got the Finkbines and Fishburns confused on occasion; for me there were a few too many "Let me tell you the story" type explanations; and in my post-reading reflections, I wonder about some of the motivation elements that set up the story.
Being Someone Else is also a story of relationships, and the interactive dynamics of several sub-characters are revealed. My personal feelings on this technique, no matter how well presented, is not positive. I prefer stories—especially mysteries—told from only one or two points of view; but multiple viewpoints are a feature of so many novels these days, I sigh and get on with it.
Multiple character development figures strongly in many Lindermuth stories, and he does it well, with each point of view showing a distinctive personality. That, along with good aesthetics of editing and layout, makes Being Someone Else a nice addition to any mystery list.
Tidbits 01-21-11
Scott Nicholson's newest book, just released: CRIME BEAT. At Amazon and more.
=======Check out Predators and Editors polls for the Best Of...2010 Voting ends 24 January. Hop to it!
=======Sunday, January 29 is the Opening of the new Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library in Indianapolis, Ind.
Have a Great Day!
January 16, 2011
word quiz
vanilla
umbrella
parasol
persimmon
none of the above
Here's the correct answer.
January 13, 2011
Waiting for Spring
Well, yes, I'm waiting for--eager for--Spring. I watched the Major League Soccer Expansion Draft today; that always gets me revved up for March and the start of the MLS season.
I'm certain R. J. Keller is thinking ahead, too; her book, WAITING FOR SPRING, has been tapped by Amazon Encore to be released in May. Here's a nice interview with R. J.
Bad Writing Day
Writer's group was helpful, but the big, bad book market is so clogged with writers--talented and untalented--as well as fads and frauds, I'm very worried that I can no longer compete.
I came across an article by Dennis Palumbo where he writes: "A dozen nagging, self-mocking thoughts echo in your head: You're untalented, a fraud. You're getting old and fat. No woman (or man) will ever want to sleep with you again. Your life is over."
I'm fighting this negative syndrome.
January 11, 2011
I Need A Good Start
The first meeting of the year for my local writers group is tomorrow, and I need a good start for my projects. I'm looking forward to being inspired or thumped upside my head cuz I haven't done enough writing.
Other projects—projects for others, that is—have kept me from my own work, and I'm anxious to get started. Tomorrow I'll read a section from the On Promised Land continuance, but I am also eager to get to work on the SF book that has been brewing for a while. Members of my group aren't as oriented toward SF as they are history; I might not subject them to my wild imagination. :0 Perhaps I'll put up segments on the blog and hope for positive criticism.
My trip to town (first time since eight days ago) will also include a stop at an auto parts store for new headlight bulbs for the truck. Right now, I don't like the beams' dimness at night. Hopefully it's just the bulbs and not something wrong with the alternator. (fingers are crossed).
Now to print out my pages for tomorrow. (I'm really stoked for this meeting!).
Whoa! Another Author?
- Kae Cheatham's profile
- 24 followers
