Michael Allan Scott's Blog, page 5
August 22, 2013
Book Review – KOP by Warren Hammond
August 15, 2013
Freedom — It’s Only Natural
August 8, 2013
Book Review: Rachel Thompson’s “Broken Pieces”
July 25, 2013
The Air Is Abuzz
July 18, 2013
Book Review – Duane Swierczynski’s The Wheelman
July 1, 2013
Book Review of Pattern Recognition
William Gibson, the proclaimed source code for cyberpunk defies categorization, making it up as he goes. Hardly a mystery writer, he’s not known for his mystery stories. Yet Pattern Recognition incorporates elements of the best mysteries.
Weaving an intricate tale from behind the eyes of marketing maven Cayce Pollard, Gibson creates a hypersensitive world of highflying corporate espionage. From New York to London, Tokyo, Paris and Moscow, Ms. Pollard, hired gun for Blue Ant, reluctantly searches the globe, for the reclusive creator of viral “footage”.
Hot on the trail of the ubiquitous yet enigmatic “footage”, Cayce ducks and weaves, dodging Italian thugs, Michelin Man phobias and haunting memories of a father lost in the 9/11 rubble. She wakes up from a drug-induced blackout to find herself held captive by a Russian Mafia Kingpin. More, I dare not say.
Spellbinding prose and intriguing characters in surreal situations are the mainstays of Gibson’s unique storytelling. Pattern Recognition is far more than a mystery novel. It’s speculative fiction at its finest. I highly recommend it.
Your take on William Gibson’s work is of interest. Please feel free to leave your insights and experiences in a comment or two.
As always, my blatant self-promotion as a writer of mystery books follows:
Dark Side of Sunset Pointe – A Lance Underphal Mystery is available in e-book & paperback on Amazon.
For more on Michael Allan Scott and my work, go to michaelallanscott.com
Creative Commons Attribution: Permission is granted to repost this article in its entirety with credit to Michael Allan Scott and a clickable link back to this page.
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June 18, 2013
Book Review of The Terror
This is my first read of a Dan Simmons work. And at first I was skeptical. In the beginning The Terror seemed ponderous—potentially another too-detailed account of historical tragedy. Even the prose seemed cumbersome. Oh, how wrong could I be?!
Enraptured by The Terror
This is a truly masterful work—one most authors can only aspire to. It wasn’t long before I realized that the prose’s period style was an integral part of the story—a stroke of sheer genius.
Simmons immersed me in an unimaginable hell with such dexterity that it became all too real. Talk about Hell freezing over . . . Add an elusive and monstrous beast that preys on the stranded sailors and you have intertwining metaphors of epic proportions. And in spite of all the misery, Simmons artfully manages to glorify the human spirit in the face of insurmountable odds. Then in a soaring redemption he snatches you from the jaws of hell in a mystical triumph. Not your traditional mystery novel by your traditional mystery writer, to be sure. Still, it’s one of the best mystery stories ever written.
A truly magnificent accomplishment, not for the casual reader or faint of heart. I highly recommend it!
(Here it comes—the blatant self-promotion for my newest mystery book on Amazon.com.)
Creative Commons Attribution: Permission is granted to repost this article in its entirety with credit to Michael Allan Scott and a clickable link back to this page.
June 6, 2013
Book Review of Blood Passage
McCann tells us “There are more than 2,500 documented cases of young children who have reported memories of a previous life.” Imaging how many go undocumented.
Enter the homicide detective team of Donaghue and Stainer. The pair are pulled into a four year old Chinatown murder by odd circumstances. A child psychology researcher has new testimony from the victim—a young boy named Taylor Chan. From there an enticing story unfolds.
Michael J. McCann keeps us turning pages with gritty realism, well-drawn action sequences, and multifaceted characters. His mystery draws us in, twisting and turning its way to unexpected revelations.
Blood Passage is at once a thought-provoking read and thoroughly entertaining. I highly recommend it!
Creative Commons Attribution: Permission is granted to repost this article in its entirety with credit to Michael Allan Scott and a clickable link back to this page.
June 5, 2013
Finding Smiles
There’s probably more than a couple misconceptions surrounding the life and work of a mystery writer. Let me assure you, we are NOT all Edgar Allan Poe. Thank god not many are as miserable as was my dear Poe. Self-inflicted torture is not my preferred life-style choice. Like most of you, I enjoy the good things in life, I have a sense of humor, I laugh, I smile.
It’s All About the Music
As many of you know by now, I’m an ex-musician. Writing mystery stories was my second choice. I love all music genres (some more than others) and love to explore new works by new artists as well as savor those gems from the past. For me, music sets the tone, colors my thoughts, provides a magical vehicle for transformation. Good music has unique powers. It moves me.
Working It for Grins
It’s no secret that we create our own moods. This includes joy and happiness, which can be a challenge in difficult times. And trust me on this, if you live long enough, you will face difficult times. Smiles can be scarce when you need them most—hard to come by on the faces of others, near impossible to create. To demonstrate this irony, I give you Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile” covered by every singer worth his or her salt—a classic tearjerker. On the other hand . . . here’s 10 toons that may get you smilin’:
Happy – C2C
Tal Mahal’s Done Change My Way Of Livin’ off the Natch’l Blues album
Weather Report – Jungle Book
Michael Franti and Spearhead – Stay Human (All the Freaky People)
Funky Town – Pseudo Echo
Herbie Hancock’s cover of John Lennon’s Imagine
Candy Dulfer – 2 Funky
Walking On Sunshine – Katrina & The Waves
Marcus Miller – Free (featuring Corinne Bailey Rae)
Compared To What covered by Al Jarreau
Turn it up!
If you break out in a smile don’t blame me. You did it. And you’ll simply have to suffer the consequences. Enjoy.
And if you’re so inclined, feel free to mention your favorite way to light up a smile.
(Here it comes—the blatant self-promotion for my newest mystery book on Amazon.com.)
Creative Commons Attribution: Permission is granted to repost this article in its entirety with credit to Michael Allan Scott and a clickable link back to this page.
May 20, 2013
Professionalism—What It Means To Me
Peoples’ motivations for writing fiction are as numerous and varied as the writers themselves. In my estimation, those who write for the sheer joy of creating have already succeeded, regardless of broad commercial success. Conversely, those who are in it for the money have missed the point entirely and will never enjoy that same level of success.
The Hobbyist
That said, there’s an apparent gap between those who write as a hobby and those who write for a living. That’s not to say that there’s any less satisfaction to be derived by the hobbyist. In fact, for the hobbyist, the lack of pressure to generate income can be liberating. Amateur or professional, both are valid pursuits with very different points of view.
Professional Mystery Writer
As you’ll see from my bio, I’ve written mysteries and speculative fiction since my formative years. In the early years my lofty notions of being a professional writer were, I suspect, like most writers. For more years than I care to say, I operated under the misconception that if I just wrote that perfect story, I’d achieve the recognition I sought. Many years and many rejection letters later, I’m still striving for perfection. And of everything I’ve learned, one thing is clear: perfection don’t feed the Bulldog.
In the early ’80s I wrote mostly Sci-Fi, Dark Fantasy and Horror, submitting to all the mags, entering the Writers Of The Future contest every quarter, without fail. It was in one of the WOTF volumes, I found an article on professional writing by L. Ron Hubbard.
Here’s a guy who wrote for the pulps in 1930s, during the Great Depression. He sold his work for roughly a penny a word. It seemed incomprehensible to me. How in the hell could a guy make a living on a penny a word? The title of his article is “The Manuscript Factory” the first line of which is, “So you want to be a professional.” He had my full attention. This was my first hard look at writing as a business and I took it to heart.
What Professionalism Means To Me
In essence, professionalism is an attitude regardless of one’s profession. Writing fiction, much less mystery stories, is an art and requires mastery of the craft. Writing professionally, expands the scope of the activity to include ALL the important aspects of any business: Organization, Production, Marketing and Sales.
The old saw “attitude is everything” applies. Beyond the business, the craft, and the art of writing mysteries, professionalism manifests itself as a reflection of one’s personal integrity, getting along with fellow writers and contributing to the profession as best one can. We’re all in this leaky boat together, rowing for all we’re worth.
Professional Courtesy
Here’s the thing: As a professional mystery writer, I can’t buy and/or read EVERY book out there, but I read a lot. And when I look for new books to read for my own enjoyment, I look to the works of my author friends, first. I also enjoy posting my reviews all over the place, if I like the work. However, if I don’t, I will not post an unfavorable review. And if I have a constructive comment to share with the author, I send it privately. While I will always give my honest opinion if asked, I won’t post negative comments, period. I know how hard it is to write anything at all, much less have the work shredded by careless comments that fail to shed light on how the author might improve. I view these common courtesies as my obligation as part of a community of professional writers. I think most of us professionals are the same.
Your take on professionalism is of interest. Please feel free to leave your insights, experiences and tall tales in a comment or two.
As always, my blatant self-promotion as a writer of mystery books follows:
Dark Side of Sunset Pointe – A Lance Underphal Mystery is available in e-book & paperback on Amazon.
For more on Michael Allan Scott and my work, go to michaelallanscott.com
Creative Commons Attribution: Permission is granted to repost this article in its entirety with credit to Michael Allan Scott and a clickable link back to this page.
