Jim Cherry's Blog, page 3
July 8, 2023
Found an Old Review
I've been digging through my boxes, otherwise known as my "archive" and I found the first review of my first novel Becoming Angel and I was surprised that it was better than I remembered it being. I thought it would be fun to post it.
'Becoming Angel' by Johanna Medrano, College of Dupage Courier, November 9, 2001.
Written ten years ago, "Becoming Angel" is now gaining exposure and momentum. Jim Cherry, COD alumni, set his story in the west suburbs of Chicago. Coke, marijuana, parties, and sex set the backdrop for most of the action of the book.
The story revolves around John Beckett, a man searching for meaning in life. During his search he comes across Paige and falls in love with her.
The book reads like an episode of "Dawson's Creek" meets "Thirtysomething." Middle aged characters work during the day and party at night.
Beckett and many other characters booze and schmooze like they're still in college. In the midst of numerous party scenes where people are busy getting drunk, high, or laid, some deep observation or probing question about life pops up.
Cherry draws a lot of inspiration from Jim Morrison resulting in Classic Rock being a driving force in the story.
References to the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, and Led Zeppelin are sprinkled throughout and set the mood and pace.
Although the dialogue between characters and Beckett's stream of consciousness are sometimes hard to follow, and some chapters seem to serve as insignificant time markers, Cherry makes up for it with a thought provoking ending.
"A journey of the soul" is how Jim Cherry describes the book.
Xlibris, who published the book describes it as a "a diamond in the rough, a good story and a promise for the future."
When this came out I thought it was a good review. Reading it today I think it's a little more insightful then I remembered it being. She absolutely got the music being a factor of the story, something I think you can still find in my writing today. She's also right about the stream of consciousness in that book. Like many first novels its a roman a clef, and I did think some of it was obscure at best, I tried to straighten it out as best I could before publishing it. I also think I over edited it. Occasionally, I go back and reread portions of it and I think it's a pretty good book, yes, it has some scenes that make me blush but only because how self-conscious they seem. I think it could have been a pretty good release if it had an editor.
'Becoming Angel' by Johanna Medrano, College of Dupage Courier, November 9, 2001.
Written ten years ago, "Becoming Angel" is now gaining exposure and momentum. Jim Cherry, COD alumni, set his story in the west suburbs of Chicago. Coke, marijuana, parties, and sex set the backdrop for most of the action of the book.
The story revolves around John Beckett, a man searching for meaning in life. During his search he comes across Paige and falls in love with her.
The book reads like an episode of "Dawson's Creek" meets "Thirtysomething." Middle aged characters work during the day and party at night.
Beckett and many other characters booze and schmooze like they're still in college. In the midst of numerous party scenes where people are busy getting drunk, high, or laid, some deep observation or probing question about life pops up.
Cherry draws a lot of inspiration from Jim Morrison resulting in Classic Rock being a driving force in the story.
References to the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, and Led Zeppelin are sprinkled throughout and set the mood and pace.
Although the dialogue between characters and Beckett's stream of consciousness are sometimes hard to follow, and some chapters seem to serve as insignificant time markers, Cherry makes up for it with a thought provoking ending.
"A journey of the soul" is how Jim Cherry describes the book.
Xlibris, who published the book describes it as a "a diamond in the rough, a good story and a promise for the future."
When this came out I thought it was a good review. Reading it today I think it's a little more insightful then I remembered it being. She absolutely got the music being a factor of the story, something I think you can still find in my writing today. She's also right about the stream of consciousness in that book. Like many first novels its a roman a clef, and I did think some of it was obscure at best, I tried to straighten it out as best I could before publishing it. I also think I over edited it. Occasionally, I go back and reread portions of it and I think it's a pretty good book, yes, it has some scenes that make me blush but only because how self-conscious they seem. I think it could have been a pretty good release if it had an editor.
June 30, 2023
June 29, 2023
New Interview abt The Lion Communique
Hi Everybody!
An interview I did almost a month ago (!) was finally released, just in time for a long weekend! I was interviewed by Bradley Netherton for his Opening The Doors podcast. It's about 55 minutes long, but very fun! I hope you enjoy it!
Best wishes!
Jim Cherry
An interview I did almost a month ago (!) was finally released, just in time for a long weekend! I was interviewed by Bradley Netherton for his Opening The Doors podcast. It's about 55 minutes long, but very fun! I hope you enjoy it!
Best wishes!
Jim Cherry
June 23, 2023
Stan Lee - The First Superhero
Here's a review I did but can't post on Goodreads because the YA edition is near the same title as the "adult" version. Enjoy!
I grew up with Stan Lee’s creations. I remember when I was about eight years old, I was going to invent all the gadgets Peter Parker did and I would become a real Spiderman! There’s no telling how many generations Stan Lee has influenced or will continue to influence. While Superman may have been the first superhero to hit the newsstands Stan Lee had been busy creating himself, and he took that invention to Marvel Comics, and they became inextricably intertwined in each other. In Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel, Bob Batchelor pulls apart the tendrils of fact, reality, and mythology for an insightful and compelling biography.
Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel is an all-encompassing biography detailing Lee’s early life in depression era New York and the trials and tribulations felt by Lee’s family as well as many other families of New York and the nation at the time (Batchelor also touches upon those same events as they related to Jack ‘King’ Kirby one of Lee’s earliest mentors, collaborators, and later enemy).
Lee’s journey into the world of comics starts right after he graduates high school and finds his way to Marvel where he is hired as a go-fer for Jack Kirby and Joe Simon. At the time the comic book industry was highly derivative short on new ideas and publishers routinely using ideas from other comic books, writers, and artists with the speed as one of the biggest considerations in getting a comic book out. As Lee’s role and influence grew at Marvel, he brought innovations to the genre (some in defiance of the owner of Marvel) creativity was a virtue, he broke the fourth wall of the comic inserting himself and Jack Kirby into comics, starting a fan club, having a Marvel gossip column. As the 60’s rolled around he became more daring creating superheroes that had flaws, teenage superheroes (just in time for the baby boomers) and then really pushing boundaries with black superheroes, native American superheroes, and breaking the taboo of having a story that dealt with drug addiction. Lee became the face and voice of Marvel to the chagrin of his superiors at Marvel, and his collaborators but it was a role he envisioned for himself in his wildest of ambitions and dreams.
YA? Don’t let the designation stop you from reading a good book, I’m way past that designation and I enjoyed the book immensely and found it highly readable no matter what age group you’re in. In keeping with the subject matter, comics, there are colorful inserts of comics, quotes and cartoons of Lee.
This is the second book I’ve read of Bob Batchelor’s and just as in his previous book he has the ability to bring his subjects to life on the page. I’m quickly becoming a fan of Batchelor’s writing and will be seeking out more of his books, I suggest you do too.
I grew up with Stan Lee’s creations. I remember when I was about eight years old, I was going to invent all the gadgets Peter Parker did and I would become a real Spiderman! There’s no telling how many generations Stan Lee has influenced or will continue to influence. While Superman may have been the first superhero to hit the newsstands Stan Lee had been busy creating himself, and he took that invention to Marvel Comics, and they became inextricably intertwined in each other. In Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel, Bob Batchelor pulls apart the tendrils of fact, reality, and mythology for an insightful and compelling biography.
Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel is an all-encompassing biography detailing Lee’s early life in depression era New York and the trials and tribulations felt by Lee’s family as well as many other families of New York and the nation at the time (Batchelor also touches upon those same events as they related to Jack ‘King’ Kirby one of Lee’s earliest mentors, collaborators, and later enemy).
Lee’s journey into the world of comics starts right after he graduates high school and finds his way to Marvel where he is hired as a go-fer for Jack Kirby and Joe Simon. At the time the comic book industry was highly derivative short on new ideas and publishers routinely using ideas from other comic books, writers, and artists with the speed as one of the biggest considerations in getting a comic book out. As Lee’s role and influence grew at Marvel, he brought innovations to the genre (some in defiance of the owner of Marvel) creativity was a virtue, he broke the fourth wall of the comic inserting himself and Jack Kirby into comics, starting a fan club, having a Marvel gossip column. As the 60’s rolled around he became more daring creating superheroes that had flaws, teenage superheroes (just in time for the baby boomers) and then really pushing boundaries with black superheroes, native American superheroes, and breaking the taboo of having a story that dealt with drug addiction. Lee became the face and voice of Marvel to the chagrin of his superiors at Marvel, and his collaborators but it was a role he envisioned for himself in his wildest of ambitions and dreams.
YA? Don’t let the designation stop you from reading a good book, I’m way past that designation and I enjoyed the book immensely and found it highly readable no matter what age group you’re in. In keeping with the subject matter, comics, there are colorful inserts of comics, quotes and cartoons of Lee.
This is the second book I’ve read of Bob Batchelor’s and just as in his previous book he has the ability to bring his subjects to life on the page. I’m quickly becoming a fan of Batchelor’s writing and will be seeking out more of his books, I suggest you do too.
June 10, 2023
John Grisham's Sparring Partners
Sparring Partners by John GrishamMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
John Grisham’s latest, Sparring Partners revisits Grisham’s Ford County in three novella’s that while are page turners one truly stands out.
Ford county is Grisham’s fictional counterpart to Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha county. Ford county made its eponymous debut in Grisham’s 2009 book of short stories, Ford County. Grisham aspired and inspired by Faulkner wrote a book of short stories that demonstrated a greater range and depth than his legal thrillers. He succeeded in those tales and Sparring Partners is a follow-up of sorts, while the stories are Grisham’s usual page turners only one lives up to the promise of the original stories of Ford County.
The first story, Homecoming, is a lawyer’s fantasy, maybe a fantasy for any walk of life, to chuck it all in and take off for some tropical paradise. The story is a genuine page turner as Mack Stafford after a mysterious disappearance three years earlier with lots of rumors of bilked money and walking out on his family tries to affect a return and the unintended consequences of his actions, past and present. The third story, Sparring Partners, tells the story of a warring family, Kirk and Rusty Malloy and their disintegrating family that is mirrored by the dissolution of their law firm. The second of the novellas, Strawberry Moon is truly the standout story in this collection. It’s the story of death row inmate, Cody Wallace who is living the last three hours of his life waiting for a reprieve either from the Governor or the Supreme Court. Cody’s dilemma is palpable as is the arc his character experiences in those three hours and perhaps even in the arc Grisham takes the reader through.
View all my reviews
June 1, 2023
Lion Communique - Reviews are Coming In!
Hi Everyone!
The first couple of reviews for The Lion Communique have come in and they're absolutely astounding! Way better than I could have ever imagined. Without further ado:
I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to read an advance copy of this fantastic collection of short stories in return for an honest review.
A long time ago, I was introduced to speculative fiction by The Twilight Zone and by the collected works of Ray Bradbury. The stories in The Lion Communique gave me the same sense of wonder that Zone and Bradbury awakened in me back in the day. “Trippy” was the word we used back then. These stories take you somewhere and bring you back with an expanded perspective.
I enjoyed this collection of stories a lot! When I was done, I gave in to an irresistible urge to listen to The Doors for a few hours. Break on through to the other side! Douglas Lumsden, author A Troll Walks into a Bar
Jim Cherry is a masterful storyteller! The Lion Communique is a powerful collection of stories that forces the reader to rethink the human condition, written in an entertaining and highly-engaging fashion. Whether the topic is Jim Morrison and his walk with Shamans or a noir look at the contemporary world, Cherry writes with deep knowledge that opens our minds to the questions at the center of our collective hearts and souls. The Lion Communique is a winner! Bob Batchelor. author of Roadhouse Blues, Morrison, The Doors, and the Death Days of the Sixties.
The Lion Communique on Amazon
The Lion Communique on Barnes & Noble
The first couple of reviews for The Lion Communique have come in and they're absolutely astounding! Way better than I could have ever imagined. Without further ado:
I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to read an advance copy of this fantastic collection of short stories in return for an honest review.
A long time ago, I was introduced to speculative fiction by The Twilight Zone and by the collected works of Ray Bradbury. The stories in The Lion Communique gave me the same sense of wonder that Zone and Bradbury awakened in me back in the day. “Trippy” was the word we used back then. These stories take you somewhere and bring you back with an expanded perspective.
I enjoyed this collection of stories a lot! When I was done, I gave in to an irresistible urge to listen to The Doors for a few hours. Break on through to the other side! Douglas Lumsden, author A Troll Walks into a Bar
Jim Cherry is a masterful storyteller! The Lion Communique is a powerful collection of stories that forces the reader to rethink the human condition, written in an entertaining and highly-engaging fashion. Whether the topic is Jim Morrison and his walk with Shamans or a noir look at the contemporary world, Cherry writes with deep knowledge that opens our minds to the questions at the center of our collective hearts and souls. The Lion Communique is a winner! Bob Batchelor. author of Roadhouse Blues, Morrison, The Doors, and the Death Days of the Sixties.
The Lion Communique on Amazon
The Lion Communique on Barnes & Noble
May 20, 2023
The Lion Communique Now Available!
Hello Everybody!
The Lion Communique is now out and available!
The Lion Communique are 13 Tantalizing tales that examine the struggle between good and evil from multiple perspectives. Jim Morrison in the wilderness of Shamans and psychedelics, capturing the soul of General Sherman, mysterious forces at play in the trenches of WWI, southern gothic/noir, families at war, and the ghosts of our pasts that we carry with us.
Now available at Amazon in Paperback, Kindle
Or if you prefer Barnes & Noble, Paperback, Ebook
Paperback version is $14.95 and ebook's $2.99 You can also read a sample at either site. Get your copy today!
The Lion Communique is now out and available!
The Lion Communique are 13 Tantalizing tales that examine the struggle between good and evil from multiple perspectives. Jim Morrison in the wilderness of Shamans and psychedelics, capturing the soul of General Sherman, mysterious forces at play in the trenches of WWI, southern gothic/noir, families at war, and the ghosts of our pasts that we carry with us.
Now available at Amazon in Paperback, Kindle
Or if you prefer Barnes & Noble, Paperback, Ebook
Paperback version is $14.95 and ebook's $2.99 You can also read a sample at either site. Get your copy today!
May 6, 2023
About The Lion Communique
The Battlefield isn't the only place wars are fought!
The Lion Communique are darkly wound stories infused with the power of myth, not only in the ancient classical sense, as well as the myths we create for ourselves. As you read The Lion Communique subconscious themes emerge, war, life as a remembered act, the boundaries of good and evil, and the hope of redemption.
About some of the stories in The Lion Communique
"Godwired is an evocative story that melds together science and religion, which should have a much bigger place in science fiction. Read it, reflect upon it, and look for it in Jim Cherry's forthcoming anthology of tales that bump into the human condition." -- Paul Levinson, author of The Silk Code and The Plot to Save Socrates
“Jim Cherry's The Captured Dead is an innovative and eerily diverting tale based on the conflict and mass murder, both of man and beast, that formed the dreadful essence of mid-19th century American history. The story centers on the almost mythical mercilessness of General William Tecumseh Sherman; a characteristic that ensured his Civil War victories and was employed in later campaigns to suppress Native Americans, either by restricting them to reservations or through extermination. Cherry's tale takes place in these later years of frontier conflict, when echoes from Sherman's past mental breakdown and the potent mystical practices of his Indian enemies make a literally haunting combination.”
Jay Jeffery Jones, playwright and author of The Lizard King
The Lion Communique are darkly wound stories infused with the power of myth, not only in the ancient classical sense, as well as the myths we create for ourselves. As you read The Lion Communique subconscious themes emerge, war, life as a remembered act, the boundaries of good and evil, and the hope of redemption.
About some of the stories in The Lion Communique
"Godwired is an evocative story that melds together science and religion, which should have a much bigger place in science fiction. Read it, reflect upon it, and look for it in Jim Cherry's forthcoming anthology of tales that bump into the human condition." -- Paul Levinson, author of The Silk Code and The Plot to Save Socrates
“Jim Cherry's The Captured Dead is an innovative and eerily diverting tale based on the conflict and mass murder, both of man and beast, that formed the dreadful essence of mid-19th century American history. The story centers on the almost mythical mercilessness of General William Tecumseh Sherman; a characteristic that ensured his Civil War victories and was employed in later campaigns to suppress Native Americans, either by restricting them to reservations or through extermination. Cherry's tale takes place in these later years of frontier conflict, when echoes from Sherman's past mental breakdown and the potent mystical practices of his Indian enemies make a literally haunting combination.”
Jay Jeffery Jones, playwright and author of The Lizard King
May 5, 2023
July 2, 2021
Dawn's Hwy - final cut!
Good Moooooring Goodreads!
July 3rd marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Jim Morrison. In January 1966 Jim disappeared into the desert with two friends, Felix Venable and Phil O'Leno. Jim and Felix reappeared in L.A. a couple of days later with a wild story of killing Phil and burying him in the desert. Dawn's Hwy is a fictionalized account of that event.
This is the final version of Dawn's Hwy that is part of my short story collection The Lion Communique, which I'm hoping to have published in 2022 (now desperately seeking an agent and/or publisher!).
I hope you enjoy the story! Dawn's Hwy is now live at Medium.
July 3rd marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Jim Morrison. In January 1966 Jim disappeared into the desert with two friends, Felix Venable and Phil O'Leno. Jim and Felix reappeared in L.A. a couple of days later with a wild story of killing Phil and burying him in the desert. Dawn's Hwy is a fictionalized account of that event.
This is the final version of Dawn's Hwy that is part of my short story collection The Lion Communique, which I'm hoping to have published in 2022 (now desperately seeking an agent and/or publisher!).
I hope you enjoy the story! Dawn's Hwy is now live at Medium.
