Lance Greenfield's Blog, page 96
January 7, 2015
Review of Eleven Miles by Howard Loring
Howard Loring
Given I’m an author, as a rule I don’t publish reviews for fear my motives may be called into question, but I’m breaking my long-established protocol for this splendid little book by Lance Greenfield, I believe his first novel, entitled ELEVEN MILES.
This stylized biography is a true gem, and for many reasons:
The simplicity of the prose is deceiving, sucking you into the story of a young African girl with an ease that belies belief, and this effortlessly pushes the narrative forward, something as a writer I always strive to do.
The characters’ development, each diverse and compelling, not only holds your interest but also propels an ever-increasing forward motion, and this, given the over-all plot, is an excellent metaphor for the larger theme, a most striking literary device, which again is something I appreciate but rarely see, and so enjoyed very much in this book.
Yet the most compelling aspect of ELEVEN MILES for me was the universal nature of this personalized story, for the situations therein, expertly portrayed and completely unique to the setting, nevertheless flawlessly engendered concerns and emotions that are fundamental to the collective human condition regardless of time or location, and this brilliant aspect of the work is something I truly admire.
I cannot recommend this book more highly; it’s delightful.
Link to review on Goodreads.com
January 6, 2015
Review: The Spy Who Came In from the Cold
The Spy Who Came In from the Cold by John le Carré
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Some people may regard this book as a modern classic. It is certainly the book which brought John le Carre to the fore.
Before I continue, I’d like to give you a warning. Please skip the Introduction by William Blake, as it will completely wreck the pleasure that you should get from the story as it reveals all, including the ending. You can go back to read the Introduction.
I well remember the first time that I read this book. I was about fifteen and I was an officer cadet at a Naval school where we could assemble in the mess hall every Saturday evening to watch a big screen feature film. I saw The Spy who came in from the Cold with Richard Burton was on the “Coming Soon” list. I borrowed the book from the school library and read it before I watched the film. I enjoyed both immensely, despite the relatively small differences in the story lines.
Revisiting the book a few decades on has been equally enjoyable experience. As you would expect, my life since those days has given me a different viewpoint, particularly as I served on the IGB (Inner German Border) during my Army days, and spent a lot of time with members of families who had spent years of forced separation from their close relatives. It was so sad.
This book is about the duplicitous games that spies play and how these affect the lives of others. There are lots of descriptions of the plot amongst the hundreds of online reviews, so I am not going to repeat that for you. What I would like to say is that this is a fast-paced story of Cold War espionage which draws you in. Every word and action of every character has to be carefully considered by that person, as any slip could place them in serious danger. That makes the story exciting.
This is one of those books which you simply must place on your have-to-read-before-I-die bookshelf.
Blogging 101 Assignment #2: Say Your Name
I am very happy with the title of my blog:
Greenfield ParLance
Perhaps it needs a link to my explanation of the title, which came in my first post on this blog. I don’t know how to do this other than putting the link in a post exactly as I have done in the preceding sentence.
I am fairly satisfied with the tagline too. As I said in yesterday’s assignment, the primary purpose of this blog is to promote my debut novel, Eleven Miles.
Maybe I need something more attention-grabbing for my tagline. I am open to advice from those with more experience or imagination and creativity.
What I think I really need is an improved look and feel, particularly in my site header. My Facebook page has quite a good header already, Again, suggestions as to what I should put here and how to do it would be very welcome.
January 5, 2015
If We Were Having Coffee
It was great to join Eloise and the gang for my first coffee morning with this lively group of people. Starting out in the blogging world can be quite daunting. There is so much to learn. Too much, in fact. I want to make sure that I don’t get carried away with all the possibilities and make my blog too complex for anyone to read. My aim is to make it simple so that viewers don’t need to think too much.
Eloise has already helped me enormously. It was also great to see the familiar face of my old friend, Lucie, in the coffee shop today.
Originally posted on Thoughts by Mello-Elo:
The bell tinkles over the glass door to the coffee house and I rush in from the rain, welcomed by the homely smell of roasted coffee beans and freshly baked confectionaries. I’m here with a mission.
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Don’t make me think!
Lance GreenfieldI started this personal blog two days before Christmas 2014 with the primary purpose of promoting my debut novel, Eleven Miles. My hope is that I’ll write and publish much more in the future, and I’ll use this blog to promote those subsequent publications.
In the two weeks since my first plunge into the blogging world, I have found so much more in terms of the fun that can be had here. My biggest objective in life is to have fun!
Reading some of the wide variety of blogs, and learning from those bloggers who obviously have loads of experience is, unquestionably, great fun. I am also enjoying posting little pieces of my own for the amusement of others.
Reviewing every book that I read (on Goodreads, Amazon and Waterstone’s) has been a passion of mine for several years now. It started when I responded to a BBC campaign called Read and Write or RAW. The idea was that you could receive a free “quick read” book of about 100 pages in return for a review which could be read out by a presenter in 60 seconds. I applied and was sent a copy of Conn Iggulden’s short story, Blackwater. Having analysed the word output of a few BBC Radio Oxford presenters, I sent in my review of this book. I had edited it down to fit exactly the top of the normal range of words spoken in one minute.
Travelling through Oxfordshire, I heard many reviews being read, but not mine. I’d forgotten about it when, four months later, I was invited in to the radio station to read my review and be interviewed, live, about my reading habits. Apparently, they had held my review back because it was, “by far the most lively and entertaining review” that they had received. So, from that point on, I have posted reviews to help others decide upon their own choice of next book to read. I also appreciate the reviews of others in helping me to make my choices.
Why am I telling you this? Because I found out that I could link my Goodreads reviews to automatically appear in my personal blog. I tried it, and viewers of my blog seem to like this aspect.
Why am I here on Blogging101?
As a novice blogger, I have so much to learn. I want to make my blog eye-catching. I want to gain as many followers as I can, as quickly as I can. I want to bring my posts to the attention of my followers, which I realize can be difficult when they are already being inundated with hundreds of notifications. Even more important, I want people who are NOT following me to notice my posts and to come to my blog.
Once somebody has landed on my top page, I want them to immediately find what they came here for, and become so interested that they decide to click on the “Follow” button. I want all viewers of my blog to enjoy the experience so much that they actually WANT to return.
Hence the reason for the title of this post: Don’t make me think!
Visitors should see what they want to see, and what I want them to see, without having to even think about it.
So I need to eliminate complexity and introduce simplicity.
There is so much you can do with blogging that it would be easy to get carried away. What should be prominent? How do I make this blog look good? How do I make it simple? How do I make it so that my viewers don’t even need to think?
January 4, 2015
Don’t be disheartened by rejection letters – Persevere!
I picked this up off Facebook and Twitter this morning.
When you think of what happened with Fawlty Towers, this letter must encourage even the most discouraged. Believe in your dreams and keep going until they are fulfilled.
Substantiating the journey of my first two books
I am a blogging novice, both in reading and writing blogs. But this is one of the best pieces that I have read so far. It must strike a chord with all budding writers.
Originally posted on A Chronicle of Karma:
I started writing some years back as a therapy, which gradually turned into my first book, ‘A Chronicle of Karma.’ At the time, I felt like a pregnant mother about to give birth, as it was as though I would explode with the myriad of past impressions, that were haunting my mind like adverts on a film reel. It all descended on me like a burst dam and all I could do, was to keep writing whatever came through and trusting that flow. I didn’t judge myself in the process, as that’s one of the worst things a writer can do. I find that it creates subtle mental blockages. When I satiated all that needed to be expelled from within me, I began to fine tune it all. It was by no means an easy journey, as I was extremely trammeled by various external factors as well.
By the time…
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January 3, 2015
Last call! The next Blogging 101 class begins Monday.
This looks great to me as a novice. It was recommended to me by Eloise de Sousa.
Originally posted on The Daily Post:
New to blogging, and not sure where to start? Never fear, Blogging 101 is here! Fun and free, the next edition of our popular introductory course begins on Monday, January 5 — read on for the details and to register.
Blogging 101 is four weeks of daily bite-size assignments that take you from “Blog?” to “Blog!” — along with a supportive community to encourage you all the way through. At the end of the course, you’ll have a blog you’re proud and excited to publish, and that others are excited to read. Here’s how it works:
Assignments fall into three broad categories — publishing posts and pages, customizing your blog, and engaging with the community — and are designed to build on one another.
We’ll post a new assignment here on The Daily Post each weekday at 12AM GMT. Each assignment will contain all the inspiration and instructions you need to complete…
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January 2, 2015
My Small Part in a Hitchcock Film
The 1956 version of the Hitchock film, The Man Who Knew Too Much, starred James Stewart (as Ben McKenna) and Doris Day (as Jo McKenna). This is the film which launched the first song to make it to number one on both sides of the Atlantic: Que Sera, Sera.
At the time, my Mum, pregnant with me, was a classical pianist and a model in London. She was extremely beautiful. As an extra in the closing scenes of the film, she was a member of the choir in the Albert Hall. During the concert, an assassination attempt on a foreign Prime Minister is foiled by Jo and Ben.
Later at the embassy of the foreign dignitary, Doris Day’s son in the film, Hank, who had been kidnapped, hears her singing Que Sera Sera, and cries for help. He is rescued. A happy ending.
I truly believe that I must also have actually heard that song during the many recordings of those final scenes, as, even now, hearing Que Sera Sera being sung by Doris Day makes me feel quite emotional!
Re-wind to the real climax of the film, which is Ben’s frantic search for the killer in the boxes of the Albert Hall. Jo can see the barrel of the assassin’s gun emerging from the curtains and is trying to guide Ben towards him. He is waiting for the cymbal clash to mask the noise of his shot. The tension mounts. Jo screams as the shot is fired. It just grazes the intended victim. Ben grapples with the gunman, who falls to his death from the balcony.
My MumAs Ben’s search reached its climax, Hitchcock directed the camera to zoom in onto the fair face of the most stunning woman in the choir. Yes. You have guessed it…….
That was my Mum! Her face filled the big screen.
And I was inside her tummy!
So, I can truthfully claim to have been……
…… the bump in the night in a Hitchcock film!
