Malcolm R. Campbell's Blog, page 261

Looking Backward

This week I've been thinking about the power of the past. No, not about the purported good old days, and no, not about wallowing in memories. The storehouse of a writer's experience shapes his plots and protagonists in powerful ways.

In Old Homes, I look at how my characters have taken over houses where I used to live. In My Wife is the Time Traveler's Wife, I consider an author's travel into other times and places to draw on his/her rich memory bank of emotions.
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Today, we are remembering 9/1...

Reading and Reviews

I'm reading and enjoying "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" with the late Roberto Bolano's mega-novel "2666" waiting in the wings along with Pat Conroy's "South of Broad." I'm happy to see "South of Broad" high up on the New York Times bestseller list.

I finished reviews of "Coming Together" by Joyce Norman and Joy Collins as well as "Growing Up on the Cumberland River" by Ogeal Halfacre Webster. The "Coming Together" review is posted on Amazon, GoodReads and my March of...

Words into infinity

"Although they are only breath, words which I command are immortal." -- Sappho


Most of Sappho's words have disappeared, while those we have may yet be lost in translation from her original song or chant in Aeolian Greek. So I try to grok the sense of what she intended and perhaps in doing so I contribute a few moments to her words' immortality.

When I read about the ancient authors we know, I'm intrigued by those we don't, the loosely mentioned names of contemporaries long lost to us. Even now, so

Vanilla Heart Publishing Mystery/Thriller Sampler

You can now read the first two chapters of "Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire" in the Vanilla Heart Publishing sampler. The sampler is available free at Smashwords in multiple formats including PDF.

Authors and books included in the sampler:

Deadly Demented by Jeffrey Martin

978-1-935407-01-0


Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire by Malcolm R. Campbell

978-1-935407-14-0


Final Sin by Chelle Cordero

978-1-935407-13-3

Three Weeks Last Spring by Victoria Howard

978-1-935407-04-1


Yearly Harvest by Ry

Books with Heart - Blog Talk Radio - Aug 27

I'll be chatting with Kimberlee Williams, managing editor of Vanilla Heart Publishing, this coming Thursday at 7 p.m. eastern on Blog Talk Radio about Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire. I invite you to stop by and listen live or come by later and hear the archived interview when time permits. There's a chat room and a call-in number for questions (646-478-375.)

The novel went live on Amazon yesterday, with the Kindle edition being available the day before. Ms. Williams has been the moving

The day when the new books arrive

A friend of mine started reading the Kindle edition of "Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire" early this week while those of us stuck with the old fashioned trade paperbacks were still waiting for our copies to arrive.

When UPS delivered the books about 1:00 p.m. today, I didn't open the box for an hour. I was in the middle of a Morning Satirical News blog post and didn't want to stop writing and lose my momentum. Plus, I'm in full agreement with my daughter in such matters. She's a documenta

Books With Heart Radio Program August 22, 4pm edt

I'll be chatting with Kimberlee Williams, managing editor of Vanilla Heart Publishing, this coming Saturday on Blog Talk Radio about Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire. I invite you to stop by and listen live or come by later and hear the archived interview when time permits. The call-in number for questions is (646) 478-3750.

The novel went live on Amazon yesterday, with the Kindle edition being available the day before. Ms. Williams has been the moving force behind bringing this book to m

What I know about horse racing

A racehorse is an animal that can take several thousand people for a ride at the same time. — Anonymous

What I know about horse racing will fit in a thimble.

When I lived in the Chicago area many years ago, I knew some people who were into horse racing. We all went to the track many times. In my ignorance, I lost about as much money as they did–and they had been going to the track for so long, they knew all the vendors.

With this background, I felt perfectly well-suited for writing a comedy thrille

Novel's release date slips seven days

Delays at the printer are postponing the release of Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire from August 12 to August 19. I was hoping the novel would come out on my birthday, but with the 19th, it's still a Leo! Many thanks to those of you who have already pre-ordered the book on B&N and Amazon; hopefully, the printer will get the book out the door soon.

I posted a teaser-length snippet from the novel on my Eye Blink Fiction blog.

On my Round Table blog, you'll find a brief post contemplating the

Dog Days of August

If you lived in ancient Rome, you believed that the rising Dog Star added its heat to the sun, giving us the hottest days (dog days, or caniculares dies) of the year. While we've had more heat than we need, I must--as a Leo--protest the phrase "Dog Days of August." Those of you who come from other realms of the Zodiac are discounting the Lion in all his glory by perpetuating this usage.

Anyhow, according to the four cats in the house, I'm a cat person. They take exception to any phrase with the w