R.J. Minnick's Blog, page 13

Highly Recommended...

The Gambler's Daughter: A Personal and Social History by Annette Dunlap

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Part personal memoir, part social commentary, Annette Dunlap’s The Gambler’s Daughter offers an unexpected look at a little-known phenomenon, the deep-rooted battle the Jewish culture has with gambling and gambling addiction.

In exploring her own family history and making the journey many authors make to discover who we are, Dunlap investigated historical and social records, including the Bible, to uncover what was said about the Jewish tradition and gambling. She found a record of centuries of an ongoing relationship between the two, complete with the resultant complications and consequences gambling can cause.

Her book moves smoothly between this somewhat scholarly but never dry study and the history of her own family. She traces her family’s story from the arrival of each of her ancestors in this country, through their acculturation on into their daily lives as citizens of this country. Through this memoir, she develops the background against which she was raised and lets us see how it affected her.

I’ve never read a book quite like this. The interweaving of the socio-cultural history with her personal story reads like a story of inevitability. It couldn’t have happened any other way. To see this level storytelling done with this manner of material is as rewarding as the book is thoughtfully engaging.

If this is what Dunlap can do with her own story, I am eager to see what she does with the subjects of biographies she writes.




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Latest Goodreads Review

The Last Dig by Constance Bretes

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The Last Dig is a short romantic tale about a paleontologist, Caroline Priest, running a summer dig in an area just outside the place where she grew up. When a body is discovered on the dig site, she is worried enough that someone died out there. When the man who dumped her as he went off to college turns up as sheriff to investigate and essentially shuts down her dig, she’s pissed off. But anger turns to consternation, fear, and near-despair as she gradually comes to learn someone is setting her up for these killings, and her former boyfriend may believe the evidence, not her.

This book is a romantic mystery with heavy emphasis on the romance. While Brete’s writing style seems to suit the romance, it is far more natural when she’s letting her characters follow their innate personalities. The romantic sections - particularly the steamier ones - seem almost too practiced, too smooth, too - existential almost, if you can call such scenes that. Because of that they flirted with being formulaic and not giving a description of real, personal passion. While other passages had some awkward and clunky moments, they actually seemed more real for it.

There was also an overabundance of unnecessary detail, small actions that actors call “business” meant to convey life around the central scene. However, too much of it appears, which calls attention to it and interrupts the flow of reading.

The book needs a little more editing to solve problems like those mentioned above, and to eliminate things such as the paragraph I found toward the end that was identical to a paragraph earlier in the book.

There is some good characterization here, as well as dialogue. I definitely liked the potential I sensed between the two main characters, and especially that the protagonist Caroline had real brains in her head. I feel though, that this book may be a draft short of where the author wanted. It’s an okay light read with the potential to be better.




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It's (nearly) official...the 3rd Book Exists

It has taken me a while -- although perhaps not so long as it seemed -- but the rough draft of Flying Purple People Seater is complete. It is currently undergoing examination by various readers and listeners and people with opinions and axes to grind -- well, anyone who wants to kibbutz. Mainly, I'm trying to discover if I wrote the book I think I did, or if important parts got left in my head.

In which case, I have more writing to do.

Due to what most writers like to refer to as 'the intervening of life', plus those other pesky projects that I or my work partners get me involved in, the actual publication of the book may take longer than I planned. But, I have discovered that 1) I still like the book. And 2) it's a good follow-up to Sweet Corn, Fields, Forever, taking us out of Nashville and Las Vegas and even away from Kings Hill, up to where the roots of my own experience with antique boats began: Clayton, New York.

The Antique Boat Show there had its 50th Anniversary this year. Some of our family celebrated with a new enterprise in hospitality in Clayton, as my brother-in-law and his partner have taken over the Thousand Islands Inn. They are renovating it but took time out to come up with a new and terrific dessert, the Iceburger, which they introduced during the boat show. This dessert is the brainchild of Burgermeister Bill, but became a collaborative effort amongst Bill and TI Innkeepers Brad and Jaime. Remember the Thousand Islands Inn, visit when it opens, and look for its appearance in Flying Purple People Seater. (Uh-oh, I better warn my brother-in-law about that.)

Another month of NaNo-ing

Just for fun - and to give my work a boost, I participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), and since I've been introduced to the camps, which are held in summer while the regular NaNo is in November, I've participated in them too. It's become an addiction.

What do you suppose there is about subjecting myself to a downhill run of write, write, write with no revision until I hit my word goal or totally run out of steam? Or, to be truthful, run out of excuses to hand my family when they want to know why I'm not feeding them any more, or even talking to them. Why do I get giddy and waa-aay more competitive than I am about anything else?

I suspect it's a sense of freedom, kind of like riding your bike down a hill with your feet off the pedals and hands away from the brakes. Your hair flies behind you, you can't hear a thing for the wind whistling by, the bike bumps and jars, and all you can see is something approaching you too fast to be comprehended. Oh, ouch, that was the ground. But it doesn't matter. The ride was so exhilarating, so wonderful, so energizing, that you have to do it again as soon as you have the chance.

I get rough drafts out of NaNo events, usually useful ones, so there is a legit purpose here. But it's not just the purpose it serves. It is how much darn fun it is!

So, anyone else here NaNo?

That’s no way to react…

I was reading a blog post, You Know You’re a Mystery Writer When…   when one list item in particular caught my eye.

It referred to hearing a crime story and immediately starting to wonder if you could use it in a book.

I live in a household where we discuss  everything , and the participants are as widely diverse as a firefighter, a civilian computer trainer in a military world, a Theatre and Writing major, a graduated English major, and me — former sociology major, mother of 6, and mystery writer. Did I mention we’re all readers, weather junkies, and solid if somewhat erratic news junkies? Our conversations are, to say the least, full of variety.

Needless to say, current events are frequent topics of conversation, as are the military, weird physics events, what makes a good plotline, proper grammar, and artificial intelligence. Oh, and cooking. We all like to create new dishes — or at least eat them. We’ve discussed what happens to food when it burns, how best to portray a tension-laden scene on stage, and dead bodies. Now, how these may or may not combine into a plot is up to the individual imagination, but it makes for intriguing Google research and the occasional remark  of “Ooh! I like that! Do you really think that would work?”

Face it, mystery writers, we have all been there. And in polite company, it’s no way to react…but, we did it. What’s the strangest situation you were in when you had that reaction to a news story or piece of information?

For a Limited Time ONLY

The second book in the Mackenzie Wilder/Classic Boat mystery series is available for only $3.49. This sale will be for an extended Limited Time period — let your mystery reading friends know.   That’s

Sweet Corn, Fields, Forever at Smashwords.com

Just one thing after another — but in a good way

The thing any writer wants is to stay busy. That way those demons that question our self-worth, our writing style, our characters’ motivation and the course of our plotlines, not to mention our choice of clothing, sofa, and hairstyle, will not be able to get past our deadline angst to harrass us.

Remember what they say? Careful what you wish for?

There I was, recognizing the fact that I had to find some other magazines I could write for, to keep my hand in and a little change coming through the mail, when I received a notice from fellow writer and head of our writing group, Robin Deffendall. A local magazine, ARRAY, was looking for more writers; did she know anyone who might be interested? Well, I didn’t bother raising my hand, I just emailed the publisher. Three days later we’d met, talked, and she’d assigned me two stories. Soon to follow were more assignments, a team meeting, and the news that 3 fellow writers from the same group were coming aboard. She also invited my colleague/daughter to help edit. Heck, my first story hasn’t even come out yet, and there’s all this going on.

In addition, I’ve started reviewing again, which means both more reading and more writing. Not sure why it sounds like I’m complaining. I love this stuff!

And then there’s my pesky manuscript. This morning, not just a lightbulb, but an entire set of stage lights went on in my head as I realized there was someone more behind the dastardly deed-doing going on in my book than the people I’d already blamed. Apparently my subconscious muse was layering in one more plotline while I slugged along. This character walked out and I was as surprised as any reader at who it was and how well he suited the role he had to play.  When I’m done,  you’ll read about it here.

I have got to be careful what I ask for!

Do you also sometimes sit and catalogue all the things you’re up to? Or are you so busy, you don’t have time for even that? What are some of you up to?

Thank you

Thank you to Beth Groundwater and Marni Graff for taking time to comment back with their friendship. Here's hoping we can exchange a few helpful comments now and then.

I'm excited...

5/9/14 Hello, visitor and reader -- okay, that may sound a little pompous. Sometimes I get that way when I'm excited.

I am excited... about Goodreads and being part of this community. I've been here a little while, but I didn't know how extensive and useful a place Goodreads is until recently. Now I'm going to try to take advantage of what is offered. For starters, this page and this blog.

I'll let you know when I've reviewed a new book -- I've already started by reviewing a wonderful cozy by MK Graff, The Blue Virgin, and I'll be reviewing more on these pages and elsewhere. I hope to meet up with friends here, and make new ones, too. So, see you around...

Just a quick update….

I’ve been learning more and more about social networks and how to make them useful in your life. For authors, social networks are a great place to meet with friends and readers and share what is a good part of our lives: reading books. It can be as important as joining a writing group (see earlier post). Eventually such interaction leads to book pages and such, but it starts with being yourself and connecting with people who like books and writing as much as you do.

So, I’ve joined Goodreads, and I’ve already met some interesting people and been introduced to new books.  You’ll find I’ve started reviewing some of these, too.  If you’re a member, look under R.J. Minnick.

You’ll see some familiar words, as these blog entries also post over there. You’ll also get an idea of what I like to read, what I’m reading, and what I think is good. If you’re there, maybe I can get an idea of what you like. Next to writing and writing about writing, I like writing about reading. Please stop by and say hi. I’ll be back and forth a lot.