E.J. Robinson's Blog, page 6

Kirkus Review

As many of you know, Kirkus is one of the publishing industry’s standards for book reviews.   A good review in their magazine/website can make a novel.  A bad review..well, you never want one of those.

In December I submitted Robinson Crusoe 2244 for a review and it was published on their website today.  All in all, I’m pretty happy.  Wish I’d submitted it after my second typo pass run, but live and learn.  Let me know what you think.

 

TITLE INFORMATION

ROBINSON CRUSOE 2244

Robinson, E.J.

Amazon Digital Services (266 pp.)

$2.99 e-book

July 31, 2014

BOOK REVIEW

Robinson’s debut novel reimagines Defoe’s classic story, with plucky teenage Robinson Crusoe in a dystopian future

200 years from now.

Sometime in the near future, humanity nearly destroys itself, leaving a ruined world. Hundreds of years later, civilization is rebuilt as an oppressive society of haves and have-nots, where a new group of wealthy and powerful families—called Tiers—have arisen. Into this dog-eat-dog, class-based culture is born young Robinson Crusoe, whose father is Tier of Transportation. His lifelong wish for adventure is answered when political conflict between Tiers wipes out his family and he’s forced to flee for his life. His midnight journey takes an even more frightening turn when he’s shipwrecked on the forbidden shores of America, a vast, terrifying wasteland. Though at first it seems he cannot possibly survive, Robinson employs ingenuity and a considerable amount of luck to keep alive in the ruins of what was once Washington, D.C., now haunted by cannibals, savages and deadly mutations called Renders. As he struggles to live from day to day, he’s joined in his efforts by his own “Girl Friday” —in this case, a young girl. Risky romance, constant danger and a great degree of personal growth are central to the narrative, as Robinson finds he must uncover a great secret from the past that could spell salvation or final destruction to the world. He must choose whether or not he wishes to rise beyond mere survival to become a true hero. The characters are entertaining but lightweight, and their dialogue is serviceable: “I don’t hate you, boy,” a man tells Robinson. “Only what you’re destined to become.” The plot is understandably derivative, combining Defoe’s original with the general template of dystopian YA sci-fi in the 21st century. Nevertheless, the text is breezy and engaging, and the pace and color make the familiarity forgivable. Typographical errors are somewhat frequent, but the tale, first in a planned series, is comfortably, competently told.

Reliable sci-fi entertainment that breaks little new ground.

 

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ej-robinson/robinson-crusoe-2244/

Back in the Saddle Again…

Last night, I wrapped up the final pages of a screenplay assignment, which meant this morning I was free to get back to my own work, specifically Robinson Crusoe 2245.  Going weeks (months) without the freedom of writing my own stuff was torturous, but we all gotta pay the bills.  You’ve heard the saying, “Michael Bay gotta eat?”  Well, two toddler tornadoes eat more.  And throw even bigger tantrums. Needless to say (but I’ll say it anyway), I’ve been a pain to be around.  Not that I didn’t enjoy what I was working on (and who I was working for/with), but blank pages have been calling me and haunting my dreams.  Forget yada, yada, yada.  Here it’s been grouse, grouse, grouse.

I was in luck in one regard: I wasn’t starting from scratch.  The outline has been long been done and I’d carved out a few chapters.  Plus, as this is a sequel, I know the characters and milieu.  Diving back in, I was surprised first by the temperature of the water.  The first hour there was definitely some shrinkage.  But as the clickty-clack grew in volume and speed, the movements became smoother.  The ice broke and things started to flow.

Back when I wrote RC 2244 for Nanowrimo, I averaged something crazy like 2,755 words per day.  While I would like to catch up to that pace, I’m less willing to go full commando and freewheel it.  The writing is still rough, but the beats are there beneath the surface waiting for a pass or two to really come out.  Today’s output fell just short of 1,500 words, but when I was done I had written a complete chapter.

In the next three weeks, I expect a big output.  I won’t have specific deadlines other than “hours logged,” but my goal is to finish a (very) rough draft by the end of the month, and rewrite all of February.  The goal of releasing book two in March is still realistic, but it’s back in the saddle time.  Buckle up, peeps.  It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

The Directing Bug Bites

A year or two ago I decided to try my hand at the Doritos/Pepsi Max Challenge wherein everyone and their dog was “allowed” to create one or more spec commercial videos and submit/post them on a website for consideration. The main prize was some dough, your commercial airing on TV during the Superbowl, and possible work in the commercial field.  I wrote and directed three projects, but only submitted two of them.  Alas, none of them won, but the experience was a ton of fun.  I got to work with many of my friends who graciously offered their time and expertise to producing something we all believed in.  Recently a client for whom I am rewriting a screenplay saw them and thought they were good enough to get me directing work.  I have no time for that (or desire to switch careers midstream), but it was quite the complement.  I thought I’d put both videos up here.

The first was a spot we made in East L.A. with a couple of actor friends driving cars.  It was a goofy thing with no dialogue, but it was a blast to shoot.  I got to drive the 1957 Corvette convertible that a friend of a friend loaned us (all original parts) and you can see why the car is a classic.  If I had to drive a Corvette, it’d be this one.  We also have a Smart Car in there and it felt like driving a cardboard box on wheels.  Still, it looked good.  One factoid: as the day was dwindling, we had to race to get a number of the final shots.

Most times shoots like this go awry and everything falls apart.  Here, everything came together perfectly.  From the start of the race sequence where we had to drive around and around until we got both cars at a red light to the final shot with the sun going down over the water.  That park, by the way, has intense security and only the bravado of my nutsy, but genius D.P. Ryan helped us get the perfect shot.

The second spot we shot was in a warehouse, but there too we underestimated how much time it would take to set up the scene.  Creating a mad scientist lab is no easy undertaking, and although we got there at 6am, we still didn’t start shooting until after noon.

Thankfully, the actors were generous enough to kick back and enjoy the craft services.  Once again, the crew came together to put a lot of special elements and moments into the short.  Had we the time, we could have filmed a movie there.  Okay, maybe not a movie.  But a good fifteen minute short.  The ending was thrown together last-minute when we ran out of time, but it came out well in my opinion.  Thanks to the talented cast for making it all happen and for P.B. for keeping this videos online.

Excellent Review from Indie Author/reviewer Will Marck

Reblogged via Will Marck’s website.  The complete review can be read here.

Marck is a very talented indie author himself that enjoys writing reviews to help get the word out on special titles.  Thanks for spreading the  love, Will!

 

Rating: 4.9 out of 5

I’ll start off by saying I purchased this book like I do every other unless they are free.  I do not receive any compensation, monetary or otherwise (other than authors sharing my social media sites).  The opinions are my own and they are just that, opinions.

If you are a fan of YA post-apocalyptic novels YOU MUST READ THIS!  This book was an absolutely incredible read and I feel lucky that I found it.  I always try and point out what I think readers will like and dislike so let’s dive in.

I must admit and shame myself publicly with the fact I have not read the original Robinson Crusoe.  Yes, yes, flog me, I’m not a real writer (which isn’t far from the truth), it’s a hobby for me.  I quickly went to Wikipedia which is no substitute for the original which I now want to read, but hell, it was the best I could do.  I wanted to know how close this would be to the original.  Other than a guy ending up stranded in a strange place trying to survive, I believe that’s where the similarities end.

It’s the year 2244 and we’re taken to a post-apocalyptic U.K.  Turmoil ensues with the higher ups and lower social caste, ripe with political riffs.  Alliances are formed, backstabbing occurs, and Robinson ends up fleeing and crashing his flyer, winding up in a deserted Washington D.C.  He soon meets up with an older man, who trains him on how to live off the land and I don’t want to ruin any of the rest for you.  There is a love interest, a bad ass antagonist, a loyal pet, and revenge to be had.

First, the negative, bitchy stuff.  I hardly had any beefs with this book.  Seriously, I critique pretty hard and it was difficult to find any faults.  This book can absolutely stand on its own two feet but there are still some unanswered questions and slight cliff hangers.  If that’s not your thing, well, I’d still suggest picking it up, because you’re missing out.  But, it might be a slight turnoff.  It only leaves you begging for more answers because it’s so damn good you don’t want it to end.

Grammar nazis, you may have some slight issues.  It’s self-published and with that usually comes some issues.  They are few.  There are instances where a word is omitted or a few sentences that sound a little off, like the author was trying to make up his mind on what to say and left it sounding awkward.  I could count the instances on one hand, but you’ll find them.  I flew right on by, completely engrossed in the story.  It’s obvious from the context what is meant and I didn’t find it distracting.

Had it been every other line, like the author just hit spell-check and publish, I’d have a problem with it, but this is not the case here.  Having self-published myself, I give a lot of leeway on these issues.  Until you’ve read and rewritten a book dozens of times, spending hours looking for any mistake that might land you a bad Amazon review, you really don’t know how difficult it is, especially with a full-length novel.

The only other thing I may have liked was a few more plot twists or unpredictability.  That’s usually my thing, but this was more of a YA story which is usually more straightforward action and adventure.  Less mystery.  I didn’t knock off any points for it, because it’s a personal preference.  There are still good angles and surprises, but it won’t leave your jaw on the ground after taking a swift kick to the dick.

Now for the good, of which there is plenty.  I have to say, this book smacked me right in my damn face.  It was a reminder of how good the competition is, even though my own work doesn’t really compete with this genre.  A quick look at the author’s bio let’s you know he studied creative writing and has experience writing films (which may be another reason I liked it, with my love for movies and what have you).  His training shows as his words flow effortlessly, moving the story along and building a world that you find yourself completely engrossed in.

Many writers with this type of training leave me flat, it’s like they have something to prove and go over the top with elaborate descriptions of doorknobs and using words I’m too stupid to understand.  Not this author.  I was sent highlighting with my index finger over a few words, but quickly realized it really was the perfect choice to describe that moment in the story.

He doesn’t beat you relentlessly with multi-syllabic vocabulary test monsters that leave you saying, “Why the fuck, man?  Seriously?”  I will take flack for this, but I absolutely hate Hawthorne and Dickens for this very reason.  I don’t want five pages of filler descriptions.  I know, you’re screaming “Crucify him!  Give us Barabbas!”  Well, to each their own I suppose.  Perhaps that’s why I became an accountant instead of studying writing.  But I truly believe if I’d read a book like this in school, I may have been more interested in English and Literature than Math and Science.  I truly mean that.

Usually, an author is good at either world building or dialogue, and it shows.  Occasionally, you hit the jackpot and find someone who does both well, and it transports you into another world, all else fades away.  Before you know it, five hours have passed and you look up and find an EF-5 tornado (I’m from Oklahoma, sub earthquake for the West Coasters), aka the toddler, has destroyed the house and eaten a box of cookies for dinner.  These are the books I run around telling everyone about.

The book’s title is Robinson Crusoe, but honestly, the vibe I got was more Count of Monte Cristo.  A teen, exiled, is trained by an old man how to survive and fight, meets a woman (who is a complete and utter badass) who trains him further, and gets redemption on a weasel of an antagonist.  I won’t ruin that for you, but it’s a ‘hell yeah, take that you little bitch!’ moment.

The pacing was perfect, nod to the editor Jessica Holland for keeping E.J. in check, and not letting him speed away or grind to a halt.  The characters were original and three-dimensional.  The heroes done well, but still slightly flawed, giving it a raw edge.  The antagonists weren’t overlooked either.  One is a ruthless, warrior savage, who will leave you running from your car to the door of your house if you spy a full moon out while your street is empty, thinking you hear drums beating in the distance.  The other, a snot-nosed little asshole who deserves everything he gets, but not quite enough.  The mentors were all well-written and unique.

It’s so hard to write reviews without spoiling anything, but I just have to say, I thought the girl was the stand-out character.  Maybe others will disagree, but she was just a straight up bad ass chick.  Think Trinity in the Matrix meets Pocahontas.  This chick beats the piss out of grown men with ease and slaps Robinson around like a toy.  Oh yeah, she’s pretty hot to boot.  Well, wait, she may be a little young, so I don’t know if I should say that.  But if I were a teenager again, yeah, wait, it still sounds…ok nevermind.  She was my favorite though.

The descriptions were fantastic, I think I’m on to the author’s little trick.  Setting the story in a war torn, deserted Washington D.C. was a great move.  Everyone (in America anyway) is extremely familiar with the landmarks and setting, so I think he got away without having to do detailed descriptions, which I thought was nice.  It left much to the imagination, while still painting a great picture of where I was and what I was experiencing.

So, bottom line, if you enjoy post-apocalyptic, dystopian, YA, action/adventure stories this is definitely for you.  I recommend it to anyone who loves to read though.  I’ll definitely be reading more from this author in the future and if you are a fan of movies, feel free to join us on Twitter as we have many conversations consisting entirely of movie quotes.  This book was fantastic and I want to congratulate E.J. and others involved in putting another great story out in the world for people like myself to enjoy.  Go pick it up today, you won’t be disappointed.  It’s well worth the $2.99.

Please help out another indie author and share this review or the link to the book on your social media sites and with friends and family.  It’s a book worth reading and it’s always good practice to pay it forward.  If you want to connect with E.J. you can find his contact information at the bottom of this post.  Thanks for reading.

It’s all about that Paste, Cut and Paste, No Trouble

Last post of 2014.  What a year it’s been.  I dove into the deep waters of indie publishing like a newborn babe and emerged…well, still a babe, but with some hair on my arms and chest.  Think about that imagery for a second.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first self-published.  I knew the boat had sailed some four years before and I was oh, so late to the party, but I also knew it would be an opportunity to connect with readers and writers I might otherwise never run across.  On a professional level, the experience could probably best be described as a total failure.  A tie in the soup.  A shoestring in the spokes.  A softball to the crotch.  I’ve lost money, failed to reach more than a few hundred readers and increased my workload immensely.  On a personal level, it’s been a blast.  I had no illusions going in that I’d be one of those windfall writers that somehow catches the mysterious and unpredictable Amazon algorithm wave that vaults me to the top of the charts and a cornucopia of fame and riches.  And yet I did think a good story and solid writing would make it easier to draw readers.  The problem as I would soon realize is that there are a octillion (1 followed by 27 zeros) other authors out there trying to catch the same wave and only by dogged tenacity (or blind desperation) could I possible hope of outwitting, outplaying and outlasting them all (nod to Survivor!).

And yet, along the way I discovered a curious thing: there is a community of authors eager to share this experience and help others along the way.  I’m not talking about the hordes of Twitter who “follow if followed” only to spam your feed until you’re blind with images of nude-covered books of bare-chested vampires.  I’m talking about genuinely good people willing to read, constructively critique and promote your work while taking time away from their own.  Several of these peer-to-peer experiences have blossomed into genuine friendships and all the advice has shaved decades (okay, months) off the learning curve I might have otherwise been forced toil alone.

Most of the stuff I’ve learned is common sense and I’d heard it all before.  But the whip has to crack you a couple times before the truth sets in and those first few mediocre reviews that complained about typos (and only typos) will send you scrambling for a professional editor toot suite!  A good cover, good formatting, and professional website also factor in to Author 101, a course I hope I’ll be moving on from soon.  I know, I know.  There’s still much to learn.

So 2015 is hours around the corner and I’m eager to see what’s next.  Publishing book two of the Robinson Crusoe chronicles or trilogy or whatever I’m calling it is set for March, a deadline that ranks just below spending time with the wife and kids and above working out, getting sleep and keeping my sanity.  But I’m eager to see if the career takes that next step up.  I’ve paid some dues, maybe not all, but I’m ready and willing to do the work.  God willing, I’ll find more readers and more friends along the way.

If you find my flavor of smart-assery (TM) entertaining, I might suggest reading a couple of my peers.

John L. Monk writers a devilishly good series about a suicide victim that pops in and out of the bodies of evil men to deliver justice.  It’s gleefully good stuff.  If you want to check out his work, go to his website here.

Faleena Hopkins is a total badass author of supernatural erotica.  If anyone in the world was secretly a werewolf with a monstrous libido, it’d be her (this opinion is based solely on the strength of her writing, I have no personal experience with her lycanthropic or sexual proclivities).  Check out her website here.

Will Marck is relatively new to the game as well, but not knowing the rules means he can and will break them, which is why I loved the hell out of the futuristic serial he’s just started.  And if he ever gets around to writing a review of my book, I know it’ll sing.  (Boom, biatch!).  Here is his blog.

That’s it!  This year is a wrap.  Wishing you all a very happy and safe New Year’s Eve.  See you in 2015!!!

Post-Apocalypse Artwork

Some seriously good artwork on the web.  Check it out.

December Writing

December is always a tough time of the year to get things done because there’s so much to do.  There are holiday parties, holiday shopping, and the inevitable tidal wave of events targeting parents like us (we went to Disney on Ice last night for example).  My eldest loved it, dancing in the aisles with awe and wonder, clutching Mommy with fear when the villains came out.  It was a blast to watch him.  Our youngest, however, was probably a little too young.  Twenty minutes into the show, we realized he’d probably gotten overdosed on sugar and he became “that kid,” running around like a maniac and screaming for all he was worth.  Let’s face it, if he was an adult, he would’ve had an escort out of there.  Thankfully the other parents around us were, well, parents too.

Let us not forget work wherein we attempt to close out 2014 with a sense of accomplishment.  This year is winding down fairly well for me.  I was hired to rewrite two screenplays toward the end of the year and doing both simultaneously dragged the process out even longer.  But I managed to finish drafts of both projects this week and let out a much needed sigh of relief.  I’m sure there’s more work to come on both, but I can see some light at the end of the tunnel, signaling that place where I get to work on my own stuff, specifically RC2245.  I’ve given a release date of March, 2015 and will do everything in my power to hit it.

I still have things to do around our new house, including identifying which hardcovers out of the library will be unpacked for the bookshelves I managed to fit in.  I know what I’d pick if it was easy as grabbing what I wanted, but there are so many books and I labeled everything A-Z even when I had previously separated them into genre and literature.  So when people come over, they’ll either think I’m really cool or really smart.  Funny how in these times it’s tough to be thought of as both.

Lastly, I did manage to clean my desk yesterday.  Usually that’s an act of procrastination, but it really did need a cleaning and is now conducive to some jolly keyboard pounding.  Hopefully this also won’t lead to visits to the apple store or hand/wrist doctor.  Anyway, I’ll try at least one more update before the end of the new year.  Until then, be safe, stay moderately sober, and have a very, merry Christmas.

Yusuf/Cat Stevens

Last night I had the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream and see Yusuf Islam/Cat Stevens play live here in Los Angeles, the final date of his tour.  He hasn’t toured in 36 years, so it was a rare treat.  And who knows if he’ll do it again?  Although at age 66, his voice is still strong and melodious.  Then again, it’s not like he’s been using it enough to wear it out.

Growing up, my parents weren’t what you could consider musical people.  We had one of those big box stereos, but when it was on, it would mostly be tuned to the radio, and usually older country like Hank Williams Sr. and Patsy Cline.  But one pop singer my mother loved was Cat.  I remember being eight and watching her dance to his music in the kitchen while making dinner.  I also remember how we used to take long vacations in our motorhome across the country and listen to him on 8-track.  For those of you that don’t know what an 8-Track is, think cassette tapes only much bigger.  What’s a cassette tape you ask?  Think…no.  I can’t do it.  One note about technology, however.  Cat did say last night that one of his songs was the very first mp3.  Then again, Al Gore did create the internet, right?

Anywhoo.  The show was three hours long and he sang almost all his favorites along with some Beatles, Sam Cooke, and even a bluesy version of You Are My Sunshine.  Although Peace Train, Moonshadow and Wild World were probably the biggest hits of the night for the crowd, my personal favorite remains Father and Son, which I’ve loved since I was a kid and enjoy even more now that I have two sons of my own.  I made a small (probably illegal) video of it, but no one’s going to see it but you, so enjoy.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=734165010000402

Trouble in the Heartland

A new anthology is out called Trouble in the Heartland that features stories based on the songs of Bruce Springsteen.  Many wonderful gems in here from recognizable names like Dennis Lehane and James Grady to some talented up and comers.  An old friend that once sold me books at my favorite L.A. bookstore is now a talented author and was brought in as the closer with his subtle powerhouse story LAST TO DIE. If you like crime fiction, I highly recommend it.

Worldbuilders

Most people that read fantasy these days are probably familiar with the name Patrick Rothfuss, author of the Kingkiller Chronicles et al.  And despite being an author in incredible demand (his legions have more than once threatened his life over the length of time it’s taken to publish his final book in that series), he still donates a large portion of his year to the fundraiser he created, Worldbuilders.  World builders is a charity that works with Heifer International to give aid to families in third world countries, especially Africa.  Once or twice a year, Patrick and his staff at Worldbuilders are given a vast amount of books, media, graphic novels, art, etc. for the site to auction and put into a lottery.  For each ten dollar donation, a fan has an opportunity to win some exceptionally cool stuff.  This fundraiser has raised several million dollars over the years and this year, with only a week left, they’ve already bypassed $500K raised.  If you’re interested in winning awesome items, or more importantly giving to a great cause, please consider stopping by his blog or the link below.  Let’s help Pat and his friends make the world a better place.

And hopefully get him back to writing that third book.

http://www.worldbuilders.org