Joe DeRouen's Blog, page 8

Following Zippy by C.N. Burdette – a Review

I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when I started to read Following Zippy, (graciously supplied by author C.B. Burdette in return for an honest review) but I ended up really enjoyed the book. Billed as young adult, you won’t find post apocalyptic words, vampires, werewolves, or any other cliches that have unfortunately come to define the genre. Instead, this first-person novel chronicles the story of Gabe Perkins, aged 15, who’s just been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and how he deals with what could be the end of his life.

Along the way he meets a girl named Zippy, who only he seems to be able to see. I won’t spoil the book by getting into whether or not Zippy is real, but suffice it to say that she has a life-altering impact on Gabe’s life.

The supporting characters (Gabe’s mother, his best friend Tony, and his unrequited crush Darla) are well developed and you feel for them as they come to the very real realization that they might lose Gave forever. Yes, Burdette has spun a real tearjerker here, and the book will stay with you long after you read the last page. A solid 4-star book, and highly recommended.

 

For more information, please visit: http://junipergrovebooksolutions.com/following-zippy-c-b-burdette

 

 

 

 

 

ABOUT THE

BOOK

 

Title: Following Zippy

Author: C.B. Burdette

Published: July 2014

Word Count: 67,000

Genre: Young Adult

Synopsis:

At fifteen most guys only have to worry

about the style of their shoes, or mustering up the courage to talk to the pretty girl sitting across

the room. Gabe Perkins isn’t most guys. After being diagnosed with a terminal illness, he begins

to make friends with a girl so ethereal that he starts to question his own sanity.

Amazon | GoodReads

ABOUT THE

AUTHOR

C.B. Burdette grew up a gypsy at her

parents hands. With a dad in the Air Force, she was able to experience life on the road, soaking

up culture. After spending 6 years working as a model, she realized that the industry wasn’t

much of what she was looking for in life. More often than not, C.B. felt like Jo Stockton in Funny

Face and escaped into the world of film, where work is based on something more than beauty,

something she could truly emote through. Between spending 12 hour days on set, and tending

to her daughter and cat, C.B. escapes real life through writing fiction.

Amazon

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EXCERPT

“Look at those fish,” she said, diverting her attention towards the creek.

“What about them?” I asked her.

“They’re just swimming along. Living. Breathing. I wonder,” she said as she nudged her

shoulder against mine, “If they know what purpose they serve.”

“Well, they probably don’t.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because, they’re fish?”

“Don’t think so low of the marine species.”

“Zippy, they’re little minnows. They’re so little they probably only live a few months. Why worry

about their place in life.”

“I don’t know. Something of the simplicity of them is nice though, you must admit.” She gleamed

ear to ear, “Imagine, if you were a little minnow, swimming down the creek.”

“Oh, crap.”

“What?”

“I have no clue. Do you really think there’s something out there that really cares about this little

fish. Or even, you know, something out there that is looking down at us, talking about us like

we’re little fish. Just tiny little minnows swimming down a stream, unsure of what fate lies ahead

of us?”

“I do.”

 

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Small Things is just $.99 on Sept. 12th and 13th

September 12th and 13th, this coming Friday and Saturday, the Kindle version of Small Things will cost a mere 99 pennies. Grab it while you can!

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Depression, Suicide, the Comedian, the Sheriff, and Me

I’ve suffered from depression since I was eight years old. It isn’t something I talk about a lot, but in the wake of the Robin Williams tragedy, perhaps I should. Depression is an insidious disease that can ruin the life of anyone, no matter how rich and famous they are.

It has taken a lot from my life over the years, and I’d be lying if I said I’ve never contemplated suicide, but I know one thing for certain: no matter how depressed I’ve ever gotten, and in two cases it literally lasted years, it has always gotten better, and I’ve always learned new, healthy ways to cope with it. Depression is temporary; suicide isn’t.

Robin Williams

Perhaps that sounds trite, but it’s nevertheless true. Suicide is a selfish, permanent solution to a temporary problem. I am sad that Robin Williams killed himself, but, more than that, I’m angry. He had friends, he had fans, and he had family. You don’t DO that to your family and your friends. People now have bloody, gaping holes in their lives, especially his children, because he couldn’t work through his shit. That’s an unforgivable thing to do to your family and friends, much less his children.

What about his fans? One might argue that Robin Williams’ didn’t owe his fans a damn thing, but I disagree. When you put yourself out there, when you make a career of being in the public eye, like it or not, you’re a role model. If Williams’ succumbed to depression despite his fame and fortune, what does that say for the rest of us?

In my novel Small Things, Sheriff Fred Ruskin suffers from depression. He even contemplates taking his life, but (minor spoiler alert) doesn’t follow through. Things get better for him, just like they got better for me in real life, and they probably would have gotten better for Robin Williams, too. Ruskin is depressed about the murder of his wife and daughter, but depression can strike anyone, for any reason, at any time.

Fred Ruskin from Small Things

If I’d killed myself as a child or a teenager, I would have missed out on so many things. I never would have had my first kiss, or lost my virginity. I wouldn’t have met so many good friends that I still have to this very day. I wouldn’t have written my first (admittedly very bad, and long since hidden away) novel.

If I’d killed myself as an adult, I never would have gotten married (twice!) or fathered a wonderful now-twelve-year-old son, nor would I have had the opportunity to write over 1,000 articles for various newspapers, magazines, and websites. I never would have went to Germany, or England, or Canada. And I certainly wouldn’t have written two novels that I actually published, with more on the way.

There were bad things that happened in my life, too, of course. My father was an abusive alcoholic who died from cancer in 1981. My first wife also died from cancer in 1999. I lost twice in my bid for a seat on the school board. But as sad as those things were, pain and death are a part of life. You get through the bad and you enjoy the good. That sounds simple, and it is simple, but it isn’t always easy.

In our culture, mental illness (yes, depression is a mental illness) is ignored, shamed, vilified, and (perhaps worst of all) mocked. But did you know that one out of eight men and one out of every four women go through a bout of depression at least once in their lifetime? That’s a lot of people that suffer from something we don’t even like to talk about. There’s a good chance that someone close to you has experienced depression, even if you haven’t.

About ten years ago, my wife’s best friend killed herself. Kelly suffered from schizophrenia and depression, and had tried to kill herself before, but it still came as a big shock. She left a huge amount of suffering and sadness in her wake. Some people get angry when I say that suicide is selfish, but I stand by that. Suicide is a coward’s way out. Life is worth fighting for, if not for yourself then for all the people who have invested their time and energy into loving you.

So let’s make a deal. If you feel like killing yourself, talk to a family member or friend first. If you can’t do that, call the national suicide prevention lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or visit their website. If you can’t or don’t want to do that, then talk to ME. After all, I know what you’re going through, because I’ve been there, too. And I’m more than happy to listen.

 

 

 

 

Support My Books Without Spending a Dime

Want to support my books, but have already purchased them? Here’s a way to help me get the word out, and it won’t cost you a dime! If I get 100 supporters by Sept. 12th, Thunderclap will use social media to advertise Small Things! Just sign up below!

 

A Teaser from Heels Go to Hell

A teaser from my upcoming pro-wrestling themed short story “Hells Go to Hell”

The roar of the crowd had always got Tommy Buckley’s blood pumping, but he’d never in all his life heard a crowd quite like this before. This was Wrestlepalooza, baby, an event he’d dreamed of being involved in all his life, and not only was he involved, he was in the effing main event! He was wrestling for the National Wrestling Feder-ation’s top prize, the world heavyweight championship, against his boyhood idol, “Gentleman” Craig Thornton.

Tommy was standing in the gorilla position, poking his head out the curtains, watching the current match between popular tag team champions “Smooth Jazz” (comprised of brothers Chris and Nicky Courage) and their equally-popular opponents, “Cowboy” Bob Dodge and Robert Fernandez. The crowd roared as Dodge hoisted Nicky Courage onto the turnbuckle for his trademark superplex, and then cheered even louder as Nicky countered the move and nearly pinned his opponent with a sunset flip.

“We have the battle royal after this, and then you’re up in the title match,” said a raspy voice from behind him. “You ready, Tommy?”

Small Things on Sale for Just 99¢ Aug 2nd, 2014

Small Things, my best-selling debut dark fantasy novel, is on sale for the next several hours for just $.99! (or FREE if you have Kindle Unlimited!)

“Small Things has a Stephen King feel to it…I was listening for things that go bump in the night!” – United Indie Book Blog

“I found myself having a hard time putting the book down. I enjoyed getting to know each of characters and how everything fit together.” – Platypire Reviews

“I found myself flipping pages, over and over, getting deeper into the story, and losing hours.” – Mountain Book Reviews

“This is a heartwarming, creepy story that you will not be able to put down.” – Madeline Francisco, Amazon

“This is a fascinating book that draws you in right at the somber opening and takes you on a thrilling adventure from start to finish.” – Robin Raven, Amazon

Authors’ Cave Grand Launch Festival Blog Train

Authors’ Cave Grand Launch Festival Blog Train

Welcome to the Authors’ Cave Blog Train!

You are cordially invited to attend the Grand Launch Festival Day! Join us for what is sure to be a blast with the Most Enticing Book Trailer Contest winner announcement, scavenger hunts, giveaways, Google social hangouts, and our kick off for the 1st Annual Authors’ Cave Book Awards where you can win $500 cash, a Kindle Fire or Nook, and free promotion of your book for a year at Authors’ Cave!

July 22, 2014

(8am to 11pm EST)

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Back to the train…Get to know the blogger – that’s me!

3 sentences about myself: My name is Joe DeRouen, and I’m the author of the Small Things trilogy. Small Things, the first book in the trilogy, is a top five Amazon best seller. If you enjoy modern fantasy interspersed with horror, check out Small Things and its sequel Threads!

Elevator Speech: Provide 2 sentences to ‘SELL’ your book(s).

Small Things (Small Things, book 1) - Carthage, Illinois, 1975. It’s a hot June morning in a small Midwestern town when fifteen-year-old Shawn Spencer arrives at the church for his best friend Tanner’s funeral. Though his drowning was officially ruled an accident, Tanner’s sister Jenny swears she saw something rise up from the Carthage Lake to pull the struggling teenager beneath the surface.Shawn doesn’t believe in monsters… but he will…

Threads (Small Things, book 2) - History is changing around nineteen-year-old Ben Spencer, and he’s powerless to stop it. His sister has disappeared, his family thinks he’s schizophrenic, and, worse yet, the girl he’s madly in love with won’t give him the time of day. Enter the mysterious Michael, who, years earlier, helped Ben’s parents defeat a powerful sorcerer bent on destroying them and reclaiming a relic stolen from him years before. With Michael’s help, Ben will travel back in time, to 1977, and attempt to set the past straight. But will he undo himself and the woman he loves in the process?

The first three words I would use to describe myself are: Creative, goofy, intelligent

I am currently working on this project: I’m working on several things at once, including a book of short stories that will contain a Small Things novella that takes place between the first two books. Stay tuned!

My favorite thing about Book Review Depot / Authors’ Cave… Making new friends and learning more about the creative process and skills of all these wonderful authors. 

Enough about me…here are 3 more books from Authors’ Cave you might enjoy!

Stay on the train and follow these authors next! See how they responded to the same questions!

Get to know Ginger Gelsheimer

Get to know G.H. Bright

Get to know Nancy LaRonda Johnson

Answer to Grand Launch Festival Day Scavenger Hunt Question #3: Train

My Trip Home

As a lot of you know, I grew up in the “real” Carthage, Illinois, the same small mid-western town where Small Things and Thread were set, albeit (mostly!) without murderous little monsters and other magical beings.

It was a blast driving around town with my 12-year-old son pointing out where certain events took place in the novel. “Look, that’s where Tanner drowned at the start of the novel!” “Look, that’s the old house that the old house in Small Things was based on!” “Look, that’s where the Tastee Freez used to be, where Shawn and Jenny had their first date!” “Look, that’s where Sheriff Fred Ruskin built his restaurant in Threads, and that’s where his first wife and child are buried!”

Seeing family and friends was the best part of the trip, of course, but it was super fun visiting Carthage and visiting the locations that inspired the novels!

#3 in Fantasy, #5 in Horror, 1272 Copies Sold!

My free day was a success! I “sold” 1,272 free copies of Small Things, and the novel rose to #3 in contemporary fantasy and #5 in horror. I’m thrilled, and really hope everyone who downloaded it for their Kindle likes it and decided to buy Threads, the second book in the Small Things trilogy, for only $3.99!

Thank you for your support!

Small Things – FREE on the Kindle, one day only, Saturday June 28th, 2014

For one day only, Saturday, June 28th, 2014, Joe DeRouen’s highly-rated fantasy novel Small Things is FREE for the Kindle. That’s right, absolutely 100% free!

Just follow the link below to grab your FREE Kindle eBook copy, but remember, offer expires Saturday at midnight!

http://www.amazon.com/Small-Things-Joe-DeRouen-ebook/dp/B00AJDNBTA