iUniverse Book Reviews is presently in a state of flux. The challenge is to keep the accent on quality in the operation, and not succumb to the pressures of quantity. There are changes coming, whether we like it or not. Some of these I cannot control, and others I have been contemplating for a while. I want to be very cautious because I have the review blog right where I have always wanted it. I have previously had an unofficial rule that I let each book review sit at the top of the blog site for 5-7 days before pushing it downward with another posting. I did this to allow maximum exposure of the reviews, as opposed to the articles and interviews. Now that pattern needs to be thrown in the trash because the postings at Amazon and B&N have become less predictable, and I have too many reviews and interviews backed up in line for the blog to allow that much time between postings. I am a little like a plane in a holding pattern right now. They are rebuilding the runway below me and I am not sure exactly when I should drop my landing gear!
The De Facto POD Review Ring seems to have lost quite a bit of its previous adhesion. Three of the members seem to be on (permanent?) hiatus, but the three with POD in their names seem to be hanging in there, albeit with a few submissions limitations. Any author presently seeking a review is as likely as not to find the door closed in his face. He can always go to one of the volume (paid) reviewers for a review that is sure to glow like a nuclear reactor, but the legitimate review sources are tightening.
According to Susan Driscoll, the CEO of iUniverse, the company tracks its publishing numbers by fiscal years beginning July 1 and ending June 30. I don't have the figure for the fiscal year that has just ended, but here are the stated figures for the years of the recent past:
2004 - 4016 2005 - 4289 2006 - 4715
Have we hit 5000 yet? Obviously there are a lot of prospective authors out there, and their numbers are growing! Only twenty books were reviewed on this site in its first fiscal year (July 12, 2006 - July 12, 2007). At a future rate of one per week, I could review only 52 books in this second fiscal year! If many of the books are short, quick reads, or if I find a particularly extensive amount of appropriate reading time, maybe I could review 60 or 70 books in a year. Remember, as I have previously stated on this site, I actually prefer to read and review big, fat, long books that have required more than a little time and effort from their authors. Let's do the math, shall we? At best, in the coming fiscal year, I expect to review considerably less than 2% of the publisher's output for a single year! Ya'll are the few, the proud, the ones who dared to face a strip search by The Proofreading Police!
I have known since I began this project that this day would arrive. You guys who have been reading my posts since the beginning know that I said the early birds would be the ones chowing down on worms. We are now headed for a time of slim pickings in the worm bed. One day very soon one of you is going to be declined a review, not because you are a cheater, but simply because time has run out. I shall never review Poots from the Grave: The Real Anna Nicole (The Whore from Mexia) Smith Story, but you knew that already. One of these days I shall have to tell an author who is obviously dedicated to her craft to take her story elsewhere. I don't like that. I don't like it at all, but I do know that there is not a thing I can do about it. I must keep quality and personal service as my ultimate goals.
The thought has more than crossed my mind to offer some sort of proofreading service for authors, If I choose to do that, it will not be a free service, but the price will be half what the many other online services charge. You can look up these services at iU and elsewhere. You will see that they each have a particular description for what they do, with services ranging from simple comma placement to heavy content editing. If I get involved in any of this, I can tell you right now that I am neither qualified to, nor interested in, telling you how to better tell your story. My expertise is much more in line with getting the proofreading done more perfectly and completely before you submit your Word document to iU. The price I have in mind is about $500 for a 100,000-word, 400-page book. That's an iU page count: the Word page count for 100,000 words would be significantly less. The minimum price offered by iUniverse and others for a similar word count is currently $900, and I would probably be more likely to enter a few of those more extensive editing areas without assessing additional cost. If this concept interests you, send an email to ice9 at e-tabitha dot com and we shall see if it goes anywhere.
Finally, after sitting through the commercials, we get to the previews! The following books are lined up for review. This tentative order could be altered by the date of arrival of those that have yet to arrvive. Also, Amy Lane's Bound may be delayed until after the review of books yet to enter the queue. This sole exception to the first-in-first-reviewed rule is due to the fact that Bound has been sent along simultaneously with its predecessor. An interview with Anthony Livingston Hall should appear next week, and an interview with Amy Lane is in the works for some later date. The first four of these books have been received, so the order of their reviews is set in stone. The latter four have yet to be received, so their ducks are still unhatched.
Distant Cousin: Reincarnation by Al Past
Portrait of Her by Ellen P. Bloomenstein
The Thief Maker by David H. Schleicher
Survival OP: The Fear in the Wilderness by Scott Allen
Flashback: A Low Country Novel by D. A. Welch
Beyond the Cayenne Wall by Shaila Abdullah
Wounded by Amy Lane
Bound by Amy Lane
The whole concept of closed submissions gives me the cooties. I suppose I have too much empathy for other iUniverse authors for my own good. Rodney Dangerfield should be the mascot for all iU authors, but I suppose he's too busy doing his familiar schtick in heaven. Will I officially close submissions? I certainly hope not, but if you are an iU author who has been contemplating a review request, my advice to you would be to get off your thumbs.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Vulnerable
Vulnerable by Amy Lane
(iUniverse / 0-595-33746-5 / February 2005 / 278 pages / $17.95)
Amy Lane's Vulnerable is the first of three fantasy novels (so far) in what the author calls The Little Goddess Series. The other two books are Wounded (2006 / $20.95) and Bound (2007 / $25.95). You can tell from the prices that the latter two are longer works than Vulnerable. The most surprising thing about the book is its blatant usage of the f-bomb and its many brothers and sisters in the field of sexual innuendo, as well as some sex that is just in-and-out. The language and plotline will raise your eyebrows a little more when you learn that this story blossoms from the alter ego of a high school English teacher. What's even more shocking is the lack of adequate proofreading from an English teacher! These two elements define the essence of Vulnerable, and, I suspect, will also strongly color your personal opinion of the book as a reader.
As I have stated in my Amazon and B&N reviews, Vulnerable is like a good punk-rock band: yes, it may be obscene noise, but it sure is good, spunky fun! Ms. Lane's lead character is a nineteen-year-old college student who works the late-night shift at a Chevron gas station and convenience store. She has been holding her private little leather-and-piercing persona together in her quiet world in the middle of nowhere while she studies to prove herself to the world. In walks a giant, six-foot elf with a silver, plaited ponytail to light up her world. His best pal, and bisexual lover, is a vampire the elf rescued from sexual slavery when he was still a young human. Before you know it, Cory the punkette is in love with both of them. Off she rides prior to the sunrise to begin her new life with a very large passel of elves, vampires, and shapeshifters. In case you want to know, Cory remains human throughout the story, but boy, does she have spunk!
Amy Lane has gathered her own personal cadre of obsessors who buy and read her Little Goddess books. You will find plenty of their raving, five-star reviews at Amazon and B&N. You might suppose that the current Harry Potter and Tolkien trilogy madness has something to do with Amy's success, and I think you would be correct in that assumption. As the chief of the proofreading police, I could never donate five stars to Vulnerable, but four is a cinch, mostly because of that rampant spunk. Unlike Lou Grant, I like spunk! I admire it, in fact. Amy Lane's use of the language deserves kudos for its reckless abandon. Vulnerable is just plain fun to read! It's like if Anne Rice was not so dead serious, or meticulous. I strongly suspect that Ms. Lane gets in far too big a hurry composing with that rabid imagination of hers that she loses sight of the structural details. She claims that the later books are better edited, but you know me, the turtle, I don't count my ducks until I hear them quacking. If the errors really have been lessened in the later books, good for her, but if they have not, fool me once or shame on you, Amy Lane.
As I have stated in my Amazon and B&N reviews, Vulnerable is like a good punk-rock band: yes, it may be obscene noise, but it sure is good, spunky fun! Ms. Lane's lead character is a nineteen-year-old college student who works the late-night shift at a Chevron gas station and convenience store. She has been holding her private little leather-and-piercing persona together in her quiet world in the middle of nowhere while she studies to prove herself to the world. In walks a giant, six-foot elf with a silver, plaited ponytail to light up her world. His best pal, and bisexual lover, is a vampire the elf rescued from sexual slavery when he was still a young human. Before you know it, Cory the punkette is in love with both of them. Off she rides prior to the sunrise to begin her new life with a very large passel of elves, vampires, and shapeshifters. In case you want to know, Cory remains human throughout the story, but boy, does she have spunk!
Amy Lane has gathered her own personal cadre of obsessors who buy and read her Little Goddess books. You will find plenty of their raving, five-star reviews at Amazon and B&N. You might suppose that the current Harry Potter and Tolkien trilogy madness has something to do with Amy's success, and I think you would be correct in that assumption. As the chief of the proofreading police, I could never donate five stars to Vulnerable, but four is a cinch, mostly because of that rampant spunk. Unlike Lou Grant, I like spunk! I admire it, in fact. Amy Lane's use of the language deserves kudos for its reckless abandon. Vulnerable is just plain fun to read! It's like if Anne Rice was not so dead serious, or meticulous. I strongly suspect that Ms. Lane gets in far too big a hurry composing with that rabid imagination of hers that she loses sight of the structural details. She claims that the later books are better edited, but you know me, the turtle, I don't count my ducks until I hear them quacking. If the errors really have been lessened in the later books, good for her, but if they have not, fool me once or shame on you, Amy Lane.
Don't go buying Vulnerable for your twelve-year-old just because she goes ga-ga over Harry Potter and the rest of that fantasy treasure for young adults. The Little Goddess most assuredly has adult, sexual issues more in common with Anne Rice than J. K. Rowling or Tolkien. Of course, as a Rice fan, and not a regular fantasy genre reader, I loved Vulnerable. I like the characters and the manner in which they speak, as if they really do live in the modern American underground. Although Ms. Lane now holds the dubious honor of being the typo boo-boo record holder at iUniverse Book Reviews, when I read Vulnerable I felt inclined to give the proofreading squad the night off and Amy Lane a suspended sentence. Yes, the compositional quality is that good.
See Also: Tabitha's B&N Review (still awaiting posting by B&N as of 7/26/07)
Sunday, July 22, 2007
The iPINIONS Journal
by Anthony Livingston Hall
(iUniverse / 0-595-43203-5 / May 2007 / 366 pages / $23.95)
(iUniverse / 0-595-43203-5 / May 2007 / 366 pages / $23.95)
This particular book selected for review represents a very special milestone in the development of iUniverse Book Reviews. In many ways, Anthony Livingston Hall's two books, of which this is obviously the second, are more like my own than any other books I have reviewed so far. The iPINIONS Journal is the sort of iUniverse book I always knew had to be out there in the ozone. This is topical nonfiction that has been published by iU simply because the author lacks celebrity talking-head credentials. It is a serious book, comprised of previously released news commentaries in the author's daily columns of 2006. The language is articulate and the author's use of vocabulary is commendable. This is not a book for the moronic multitudes. It is a book for the thoughtful, informed reader who wishes to become even better informed of the crucial issues of our world. The first volume, not reviewed here, contained the stories of 2005. Unlike most every other book selected for review, this sequel is more appropriate for review now than its predecessor simply because the subject matter is derived from some of the more significant international news stories of 2006, instead of those from the prior year. Otherwise, I would never review an author's second book in a series before I had read the first one.
Anthony Livingston Hall has led a charmed life. Born in The Caribbean and educated on the mainland, he is a lawyer who works on K Street. He is also a syndicated columnist, fellow blogger, and a certified fitness trainer. Some of the news stories covered in The iPINIONS Journal deal specifically with issues indigenous to his Caribbean homeland, especially those that are closely entangled with U.S. policy. A good example of one such article deals with how the U.S. federal government shut down online gambling operations that operated offshore, but the massive numbers of customers were U.S. citizens. On this issue and the multitude of others on which Mr. Hall expresses his opinion, there is no yelling like Bill O'Reilly or smug self-righteousness like that of Sean Hannity. Unfortunately, there is very little buoyant humor to remind the reader of Michael Moore or Bill Maher, either, and therein lies one of my two complaints. The other negative is that I had to call the proofreading police on Mr. Hall. Although the errors are of the least serious type of infractions, the typos denigrate such a highly researched, detailed volume of political comment. You don't have to be leftwing to be entertaining; nor do you have to be a clown to have a sense of humor. The author's left/right balance is nearly perfect. I am simply suggesting that the number-one difference between his books and mine is that I place the fun to read concept at the top.
Anthony Livingston Hall has brought back all those memories of the names of foreign leaders we have heard numerous times on television and generally, subconsciously, tuned them out. We have done this because (a) We could not pronounce the name; (b) We could not spell the name; and (c) The news story referred to something happening over there somewhere that was way too far from Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton for us to care. The thing Mr. Hall does so well is to refresh our memories of these vitally important, international news events, explain them concisely and succinctly, and help to us to care after all. Anthony Livingston Hall is a very serious author, indeed. With the drudge and drivel we currently have impersonating television news, we need unbiased, thoughtful commentators like Anthony Livingston Hall. Wasn't he the nerd in Sixteen Candles?
See Also: Tabitha's B&N Review
Interview with Anthony Livingston Hall
Anthony Livingston Hall has led a charmed life. Born in The Caribbean and educated on the mainland, he is a lawyer who works on K Street. He is also a syndicated columnist, fellow blogger, and a certified fitness trainer. Some of the news stories covered in The iPINIONS Journal deal specifically with issues indigenous to his Caribbean homeland, especially those that are closely entangled with U.S. policy. A good example of one such article deals with how the U.S. federal government shut down online gambling operations that operated offshore, but the massive numbers of customers were U.S. citizens. On this issue and the multitude of others on which Mr. Hall expresses his opinion, there is no yelling like Bill O'Reilly or smug self-righteousness like that of Sean Hannity. Unfortunately, there is very little buoyant humor to remind the reader of Michael Moore or Bill Maher, either, and therein lies one of my two complaints. The other negative is that I had to call the proofreading police on Mr. Hall. Although the errors are of the least serious type of infractions, the typos denigrate such a highly researched, detailed volume of political comment. You don't have to be leftwing to be entertaining; nor do you have to be a clown to have a sense of humor. The author's left/right balance is nearly perfect. I am simply suggesting that the number-one difference between his books and mine is that I place the fun to read concept at the top.
Anthony Livingston Hall has brought back all those memories of the names of foreign leaders we have heard numerous times on television and generally, subconsciously, tuned them out. We have done this because (a) We could not pronounce the name; (b) We could not spell the name; and (c) The news story referred to something happening over there somewhere that was way too far from Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton for us to care. The thing Mr. Hall does so well is to refresh our memories of these vitally important, international news events, explain them concisely and succinctly, and help to us to care after all. Anthony Livingston Hall is a very serious author, indeed. With the drudge and drivel we currently have impersonating television news, we need unbiased, thoughtful commentators like Anthony Livingston Hall. Wasn't he the nerd in Sixteen Candles?
See Also: Tabitha's B&N Review
Interview with Anthony Livingston Hall
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Interview with the Author
Linda Gould
The author of Secretarial Wars resides in Silver Spring, MD. She is currently planning the release of her second novel, The Rock Star’s Homecoming, due for release in the near future. Ms. Gould’s attitude toward POD publishing and the thoughtful advice she offers to neophyte authors are impeccable. Without any derogatory or negative intent toward the other author interviewees whatsoever, I feel compelled to state that, as an iUniverse author, if you read only one of the interviews on this site, read this one!
Tabitha: What inspired you to write Secretarial Wars?
Linda Gould: When I graduated from college in 1974 with a degree in English, and returned home to the Washington area to get a job, I didn’t exactly bowl over the bureaucracy with my job skills. I had to settle for a secretarial position, a pretty good one for that time, but still somewhat disappointing. The quasi-government grants program that I worked for was hiring college graduates for its secretarial positions, but not giving them clear avenues for advancement. It was puzzling and frustrating, especially after five years had gone by.
But Secretarial Wars did not arise entirely from frustration. In those days I was also immersing myself in friendships and a vibrant nightlife in D. C. My marriage broke up, but the ex and I remained friends. The “Kramerkeller” nightclub in the book was inspired by one of my hangouts. I hope I managed to convey some of the joyfulness of those times.
Tabitha: Are there particular, actual persons who inspired your lead characters?
Linda Gould: Yes, Cass and Jocelyn were based on real people, although exaggerated, of course. The “Jocelyn” character in particular was a close friend. Actually, her exploits were not exaggerated all that much! “Mrs. B” was based on a formidable boss lady who pretty much told me what the Deputy Director in my story told Miriam, that I had no future in the organization.
Tabitha: I understand that the subplots involving the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys were inspired by events from The Sixties. Would you explain this particular inspiration to your readers?
Linda Gould: Actually, I was describing the Redskins of the 1970s, when I was just beginning to get interested in football. My true passion in sports was and is baseball, but the Senators departed in 1971, and baseball did not return to D. C. until 2005.
Back in the 1970s I began paying attention not only to football games, but to the gamesmanship that seemed to go on behind the scenes. Every team goes through a periodic changing of the guard, when old heroes are forced out by newer talent. But I think this process was unusually prolonged and explosive in Washington, because Coach George Allen tried to have it both ways. He hired the new talent, but refused to give up his old favorites. The quarterback controversy I describe was inspired by Allen’s favorite, Billy Kilmer, and Joe Theismann, the brash youngster who was always getting into trouble with his mouth. I really admired Kilmer the most. He had suffered a serious automobile accident early in his career, which took away almost all of his mobility. He did not have a strong arm either. He used to say, “I do it with my mind.”
Tabitha: When I read Secretarial Wars, I could not help but be reminded of the antics of our current, illustrious Bush Administration? Was the character of your fictional President Bailey inspired by George?
Linda Gould: I began the book so long ago (around 1991) that I can’t say “W” was the original inspiration for my President Bailey. Then again, it took so long to finish the book that I can’t swear “W” didn’t get into it. I think Bailey is a composite of recent Republican presidents. For example, Nixon was a huge Redskins fan and a close friend of Coach George Allen. He used to visit the practice facility and would even suggest plays for the offense to run. One such brilliant suggestion was used in a game, and resulted in a 13-yard loss. That was the end of Coach Richard Nixon!
When it comes to presidential scandals, my favorite is Iran-Contra. I’m not sure why: it’s rather obscure and convoluted compared to other favorites like Watergate and Monica. But I used to spend hours back then listening to the Congressional hearings and reading the transcripts.
Tabitha: The plot of Secretarial Wars reminded me of the movie 9 to 5 without Dolly Parton’s big boobs, of course. Was that movie in any way an inspiration for your book’s storyline?
Linda Gould: Much as I love that movie, I can’t say it inspired Secretarial Wars. 9 to 5 is essentially a farce, although a very satisfying one. What secretary hasn’t fantasized about poisoning her boss and then kidnapping him to keep him quiet? Great stuff, but not exactly what I was attempting.
Tabitha: In my opinion, the cover of Secretarial Wars is appropriate for the tone and subject matter of the book, but no cover credits have been notated. Who designed the cover? Did iUniverse create it strictly from your ideas, or did you supply the artwork or other elements? Are you satisfied with the cover?
Linda Gould: iUnverse designed the cover, based on some vague ideas of mine. I believe I suggested the images of the computer and the filing cabinet. Not being an artist myself, I didn’t have strong opinions about the design. I approved the first design that iUniverse submitted, and yes, I’m satisfied with it.
Tabitha: The single most impressive element of Secretarial Wars that I noticed as a POD reviewer is the high level of vocabulary, editing, and proofreading employed. Did you attend writer’s classes or workshops before releasing the book? Did you hire a professional editor or proofreader?
Linda Gould: I took a course on “beginning a novel” at the Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Maryland. That convinced me to throw out what I had done up to that point and start over. A small contingent of the students continued to meet after the class was over. That critique group is still going strong after more than ten years, while adding and subtracting some members during that time. The variety of opinions and viewpoints that the group offers has been especially valuable. One thing I’ve learned is that if the entire group declares that something doesn’t work, and this has happened quite a few times, it has to go.
I purchased the iUniverse proofreading service when I submitted Secretarial Wars. They were thorough, but their software put in some coding errors. Even when a manuscript reaches the final stages, it’s a good idea to review it carefully to make sure there are no glitches.
Tabitha: Did you consider other publishers before you selected iUniverse?
Linda Gould: I didn’t consider any other POD publisher. I had read an article in The Washington Post about iUniverse that was sympathetic to its mission. I also checked out a website called “Predators and Editors,” known for uncovering scams that victimize authors. Pred-Ed gives iUniverse good marks for not promising authors more than it delivers. That is not the case with all POD publishers. Some misrepresent themselves as traditional publishers, or claim to be more discriminating than they are.
Tabitha: How satisfying has your experience with iUniverse been?
Linda Gould: I think iUniverse deserves the good reputation it has. Of course, it would have been nice to sell a few more books than I have. But marketing is mostly up to the author, a fact that iUniverse makes plain from the beginning.
Tabitha: What is the most significant thing you have learned as a POD author? Do you have any advice to offer to new or prospective POD authors?
Linda Gould: Revise and proofread endlessly. The quality of the book is up to you. POD publishing is a great thing, because it allows you to realize your own vision. But that makes it all the more imperative not to release your work until it’s the very best you can do. Get as much impartial criticism as you can. If you don’t have confidence in your own proofreading skills, get someone else to do it, preferably a professional.
Tabitha: What sort of educational experience do you have, and is it relevant to your writing or the subject matter you have chosen?
Linda Gould: I got my undergraduate degree in English from Western Maryland (now McDaniel) College, a small campus about sixty miles north of D. C. It resembles the school that I try to portray in my next novel, The Rock Star’s Homecoming. To try to advance my government career, I got a Masters Degree in Political Science from American University in D. C.
Tabitha: What about your work career? Has your choice of profession influenced your writing? Are you a bureaucrat or a secretary?
Linda Gould: I am a bureaucrat now, rather than a secretary. After my secretarial experiences in the grants program, I went on to a satisfying career in government, where I’ve been able to utilize my writing skills on budgets and reports.
Tabitha: Who are some of your favorite authors and books? What genres do you like to read?
Linda Gould: I like “chicklit” as a broad genre, but to me that doesn’t necessarily require a happy ending or a totally resolved plot. I’m not a fan of traditional romances: the required happy endings are not close enough to real life. I have enjoyed Candace Bushnell’s Lipstick Jungle, Trading Up, and the original Sex and the City (the book is quite a bit more jumbled and confused than the TV series, just like real life). I love Gail Godwin’s all-encompassing novels about Southern families. I prefer lush writing to spare writing. For that reason, I love Pat Conroy, especially The Prince of Tides, Beach Music, and his wonderful memoir about his college sports career, My Losing Season.
Tabitha: What have you been reading lately?
Linda Gould: I’m reading Al Gore’s alarming An Inconvenient Truth. I have a feeling that if we don’t start to get a handle on these problems, all other bets are off. I love American and British history, and am always reading something along those lines. I’m also renewing my acquaintance with Kurt Vonnegut, who passed away recently. And I recently finished The Nanny Diaries, which if I’m not mistaken, was originally self-published.
Tabitha: Exactly when is The Rock Star’s Homecoming expected to be available?
Linda Gould: I just received the editorial evaluation. It was generally favorable, but there are some editing issues, so I don’t have a publication date yet. I hope that the book’s slightly experimental style doesn’t put off readers or critics. The story revolves around one third-person narrator (a female college student), interspersed with brief first-person narratives that are intended to bring other characters into sharper relief. Since a girl unavoidably encounters many characters on a college campus and even in her own dormitory, I’m hoping this method helps to keep them straight.
Tabitha: Do you have any further books in the pipeline?
Linda Gould: I’m currently working on a baseball novel, tentatively entitled Play Ball.
Tabitha: Do you have any final remarks to address to our audience?
Linda Gould: POD publishing is a revolution of sorts. We all want to make it a revolution that actually proves to be beneficial to literature. It’s up to us as self-published authors to avoid self-indulgence, seek and accept constructive criticism, and make our products as good as they can be.
Note: No photos of Linda Gould were available at the time of this interview, and Ms. Gould does not currently have a personal website. Anyone seeking more information on this very literary author can follow the links to her pages at Amazon, B&N, and Authors Den. Thank you.
The author of Secretarial Wars resides in Silver Spring, MD. She is currently planning the release of her second novel, The Rock Star’s Homecoming, due for release in the near future. Ms. Gould’s attitude toward POD publishing and the thoughtful advice she offers to neophyte authors are impeccable. Without any derogatory or negative intent toward the other author interviewees whatsoever, I feel compelled to state that, as an iUniverse author, if you read only one of the interviews on this site, read this one!
Tabitha: What inspired you to write Secretarial Wars?
Linda Gould: When I graduated from college in 1974 with a degree in English, and returned home to the Washington area to get a job, I didn’t exactly bowl over the bureaucracy with my job skills. I had to settle for a secretarial position, a pretty good one for that time, but still somewhat disappointing. The quasi-government grants program that I worked for was hiring college graduates for its secretarial positions, but not giving them clear avenues for advancement. It was puzzling and frustrating, especially after five years had gone by.
But Secretarial Wars did not arise entirely from frustration. In those days I was also immersing myself in friendships and a vibrant nightlife in D. C. My marriage broke up, but the ex and I remained friends. The “Kramerkeller” nightclub in the book was inspired by one of my hangouts. I hope I managed to convey some of the joyfulness of those times.
Tabitha: Are there particular, actual persons who inspired your lead characters?
Linda Gould: Yes, Cass and Jocelyn were based on real people, although exaggerated, of course. The “Jocelyn” character in particular was a close friend. Actually, her exploits were not exaggerated all that much! “Mrs. B” was based on a formidable boss lady who pretty much told me what the Deputy Director in my story told Miriam, that I had no future in the organization.
Tabitha: I understand that the subplots involving the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys were inspired by events from The Sixties. Would you explain this particular inspiration to your readers?
Linda Gould: Actually, I was describing the Redskins of the 1970s, when I was just beginning to get interested in football. My true passion in sports was and is baseball, but the Senators departed in 1971, and baseball did not return to D. C. until 2005.
Back in the 1970s I began paying attention not only to football games, but to the gamesmanship that seemed to go on behind the scenes. Every team goes through a periodic changing of the guard, when old heroes are forced out by newer talent. But I think this process was unusually prolonged and explosive in Washington, because Coach George Allen tried to have it both ways. He hired the new talent, but refused to give up his old favorites. The quarterback controversy I describe was inspired by Allen’s favorite, Billy Kilmer, and Joe Theismann, the brash youngster who was always getting into trouble with his mouth. I really admired Kilmer the most. He had suffered a serious automobile accident early in his career, which took away almost all of his mobility. He did not have a strong arm either. He used to say, “I do it with my mind.”
Tabitha: When I read Secretarial Wars, I could not help but be reminded of the antics of our current, illustrious Bush Administration? Was the character of your fictional President Bailey inspired by George?
Linda Gould: I began the book so long ago (around 1991) that I can’t say “W” was the original inspiration for my President Bailey. Then again, it took so long to finish the book that I can’t swear “W” didn’t get into it. I think Bailey is a composite of recent Republican presidents. For example, Nixon was a huge Redskins fan and a close friend of Coach George Allen. He used to visit the practice facility and would even suggest plays for the offense to run. One such brilliant suggestion was used in a game, and resulted in a 13-yard loss. That was the end of Coach Richard Nixon!
When it comes to presidential scandals, my favorite is Iran-Contra. I’m not sure why: it’s rather obscure and convoluted compared to other favorites like Watergate and Monica. But I used to spend hours back then listening to the Congressional hearings and reading the transcripts.
Tabitha: The plot of Secretarial Wars reminded me of the movie 9 to 5 without Dolly Parton’s big boobs, of course. Was that movie in any way an inspiration for your book’s storyline?
Linda Gould: Much as I love that movie, I can’t say it inspired Secretarial Wars. 9 to 5 is essentially a farce, although a very satisfying one. What secretary hasn’t fantasized about poisoning her boss and then kidnapping him to keep him quiet? Great stuff, but not exactly what I was attempting.
Tabitha: In my opinion, the cover of Secretarial Wars is appropriate for the tone and subject matter of the book, but no cover credits have been notated. Who designed the cover? Did iUniverse create it strictly from your ideas, or did you supply the artwork or other elements? Are you satisfied with the cover?
Linda Gould: iUnverse designed the cover, based on some vague ideas of mine. I believe I suggested the images of the computer and the filing cabinet. Not being an artist myself, I didn’t have strong opinions about the design. I approved the first design that iUniverse submitted, and yes, I’m satisfied with it.
Tabitha: The single most impressive element of Secretarial Wars that I noticed as a POD reviewer is the high level of vocabulary, editing, and proofreading employed. Did you attend writer’s classes or workshops before releasing the book? Did you hire a professional editor or proofreader?
Linda Gould: I took a course on “beginning a novel” at the Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Maryland. That convinced me to throw out what I had done up to that point and start over. A small contingent of the students continued to meet after the class was over. That critique group is still going strong after more than ten years, while adding and subtracting some members during that time. The variety of opinions and viewpoints that the group offers has been especially valuable. One thing I’ve learned is that if the entire group declares that something doesn’t work, and this has happened quite a few times, it has to go.
I purchased the iUniverse proofreading service when I submitted Secretarial Wars. They were thorough, but their software put in some coding errors. Even when a manuscript reaches the final stages, it’s a good idea to review it carefully to make sure there are no glitches.
Tabitha: Did you consider other publishers before you selected iUniverse?
Linda Gould: I didn’t consider any other POD publisher. I had read an article in The Washington Post about iUniverse that was sympathetic to its mission. I also checked out a website called “Predators and Editors,” known for uncovering scams that victimize authors. Pred-Ed gives iUniverse good marks for not promising authors more than it delivers. That is not the case with all POD publishers. Some misrepresent themselves as traditional publishers, or claim to be more discriminating than they are.
Tabitha: How satisfying has your experience with iUniverse been?
Linda Gould: I think iUniverse deserves the good reputation it has. Of course, it would have been nice to sell a few more books than I have. But marketing is mostly up to the author, a fact that iUniverse makes plain from the beginning.
Tabitha: What is the most significant thing you have learned as a POD author? Do you have any advice to offer to new or prospective POD authors?
Linda Gould: Revise and proofread endlessly. The quality of the book is up to you. POD publishing is a great thing, because it allows you to realize your own vision. But that makes it all the more imperative not to release your work until it’s the very best you can do. Get as much impartial criticism as you can. If you don’t have confidence in your own proofreading skills, get someone else to do it, preferably a professional.
Tabitha: What sort of educational experience do you have, and is it relevant to your writing or the subject matter you have chosen?
Linda Gould: I got my undergraduate degree in English from Western Maryland (now McDaniel) College, a small campus about sixty miles north of D. C. It resembles the school that I try to portray in my next novel, The Rock Star’s Homecoming. To try to advance my government career, I got a Masters Degree in Political Science from American University in D. C.
Tabitha: What about your work career? Has your choice of profession influenced your writing? Are you a bureaucrat or a secretary?
Linda Gould: I am a bureaucrat now, rather than a secretary. After my secretarial experiences in the grants program, I went on to a satisfying career in government, where I’ve been able to utilize my writing skills on budgets and reports.
Tabitha: Who are some of your favorite authors and books? What genres do you like to read?
Linda Gould: I like “chicklit” as a broad genre, but to me that doesn’t necessarily require a happy ending or a totally resolved plot. I’m not a fan of traditional romances: the required happy endings are not close enough to real life. I have enjoyed Candace Bushnell’s Lipstick Jungle, Trading Up, and the original Sex and the City (the book is quite a bit more jumbled and confused than the TV series, just like real life). I love Gail Godwin’s all-encompassing novels about Southern families. I prefer lush writing to spare writing. For that reason, I love Pat Conroy, especially The Prince of Tides, Beach Music, and his wonderful memoir about his college sports career, My Losing Season.
Tabitha: What have you been reading lately?
Linda Gould: I’m reading Al Gore’s alarming An Inconvenient Truth. I have a feeling that if we don’t start to get a handle on these problems, all other bets are off. I love American and British history, and am always reading something along those lines. I’m also renewing my acquaintance with Kurt Vonnegut, who passed away recently. And I recently finished The Nanny Diaries, which if I’m not mistaken, was originally self-published.
Tabitha: Exactly when is The Rock Star’s Homecoming expected to be available?
Linda Gould: I just received the editorial evaluation. It was generally favorable, but there are some editing issues, so I don’t have a publication date yet. I hope that the book’s slightly experimental style doesn’t put off readers or critics. The story revolves around one third-person narrator (a female college student), interspersed with brief first-person narratives that are intended to bring other characters into sharper relief. Since a girl unavoidably encounters many characters on a college campus and even in her own dormitory, I’m hoping this method helps to keep them straight.
Tabitha: Do you have any further books in the pipeline?
Linda Gould: I’m currently working on a baseball novel, tentatively entitled Play Ball.
Tabitha: Do you have any final remarks to address to our audience?
Linda Gould: POD publishing is a revolution of sorts. We all want to make it a revolution that actually proves to be beneficial to literature. It’s up to us as self-published authors to avoid self-indulgence, seek and accept constructive criticism, and make our products as good as they can be.
Note: No photos of Linda Gould were available at the time of this interview, and Ms. Gould does not currently have a personal website. Anyone seeking more information on this very literary author can follow the links to her pages at Amazon, B&N, and Authors Den. Thank you.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
First Anniversary
Today is the birthday of iUniverse Book Reviews. After several months of carefully planning exactly what I wanted to accomplish with a review site, I launched the first post July 12, 2006. A number of forces inspired me to begin the project. I began writing the first draft in about 1967 of what I thought at the time would become my first book. You can see that I have never been a prolific writer when you realize that that manuscript was not completed until about 1972, and it wasn't published until 2002! Like so many other writer wannabes, I wrote reviews for an underground paper in college, and I knew that one day I would publish a book or two. The material from that first manuscript was so important to me, and still is, that, when I discovered iUniverse online in early 1999, I wanted to practice first by releasing a compilation of stories that had already found a captive audience. The plan was for me to learn from whatever mistakes I might make with Plastic Ozone Daydream prior to publishing my modern theory of personality, The Last Horizon. iUniverse gave me everything I wanted except recognition.
I am a consumer populist by nature. I want to see good products succeed, and I loathe the many undeserving ones that so often succeed instead. I could not be any more aware of the destructive nature of our modern, out-of-control, corporate culture. Books sell because there are celebrity names on them. They sell because either the subject or the author has been on television. They sell because an enormous herd of obsessors feel they must buy everything with that name on it. They sell because some faction or other is incredibly insane or stupid. Do they sell because the author offers a genuine talent with words? Do they sell because the subject matter is something everyone needs to know? Do they sell because a new approach to an old problem is offered? Do they sell because the author's storytelling ability is unparalleled? You and I both know I do not need to answer these rhetorical questions. We already know the answers. Modern, consumer America has become a dung-heap of celebrity, do-nothing, bad girls and left/right, red/blue slap-fighters. We used to be in it all together; now everything has degenerated into my special interests versus your special interests.
I created iUniverse Book Reviews to be a beacon shining up from the muck. I knew without question when I began reviewing iU books that I would find many other works like my own. These books would have absolutely nothing wrong with them that a little better proofreading couldn't cure. They would be works that could never have a chance in the marketplace simply because the author had never been on TV. Many of these books would have arisen from years of composition and editing by their loving parents. Many would cover subject matter only these particular, unknown authors could adequately present to an audience. I knew there were many high-quality POD books out there in the muck-filled jungle, and I found them.
iUniverse Book Reviews is the only cat in the jungle that roars for its small cadre of authors with individually composed, custom-designed reviews on this site, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Authors Den. The five-star rating system is utilized only at Amazon and B&N, and yes, the ratings provided by Tabitha on these two sites may be a bit optimistic in some cases. If they were not, my reviews on these overblown, meaningless review sites would appear to be far too pessimistic. My ratings on those sites are intended to help unknown authors sell books. You can consider me a sort of iU cheerleader when you read my reviews at those ubiquitous sales sites. The reviews on this site are usually a bit more critical, and there will never be a star rating system at iUniverse Book Reviews. There are quite enough stars already at all the other review locations. Even with the slightly more critical viewpoint of Tabitha's reviews on this blog, let's let the cat out of the bag. Only one book has not honestly earned at least three stars in my reviews. That is also the only book without reviews from Tabitha at Amazon, B&N, or Authors Den. Of the twenty books with reviews posted so far, one should have had no more than two stars, two should have had three stars, thirteen easily earned four stars, and four made it to the brass ring. Why didn't I just say this in the reviews in the first place? The reasons are numerous. How can a 100-page book be fairly compared to a 400-page one, when the editing and proofreading are such a vital part of the author's job? How do I compare heavily researched nonfiction with a short, fictional story for young adults? As the self-proclaimed proofreading police, how can I adequately rank a book by its error count? Some errors are obviously so much more egregious than others. I even considered using an error quotient, in which I divide the page count by the error count. Although I might use that as an unpublished tool with which to evaluate a book, there is still the problem that not all errors are created equal. Some authors even repeat the same mistakes multiple times in the same book. Should each instance be considered a demerit? Before composing each book's reviews, I have to make certain decisions based on the merit of that particular book. I want every iU book I review to ideally hide within the massive forest of traditionally published books. I also want every book I review to inspire and satisfy the reader with its compositional merit. Tabitha walks with the agility of a cat on a tightrope suspended between these two criteria.
The first year of iUniverse Book Reviews has been successful in all aspects. Every goal has been met. There are many iU books out there who belong on the shelves at Barnes & Noble. Unfortunately, only one of these that has both made the shelf cut and been reviewed on this site actually belongs on that shelf! As I have suspected all along, there is no correlation between the quality of an iUniverse book and any of the overpriced bullcrap options the company sells. There is also no direct correlation between writing quality and the sales record of an iU book, either. Let me tell you about two books I have reviewed. One is the best-selling iU book I have reviewed and the second is one of the best-selling iU books I have reviewed. The former contains 477 properly composed and edited pages. The latter has 196 pages containing an incredible number of short, incomplete sentences and page after page of italics! The latter book has sold almost as well as the former. Both authors paid for iU's bull-puckey options and both authors have received a lot of attention. Due to its subject matter being the first cousin to what I refer to as cheaters, the first book has been exceedingly successful for an iUniverse book. I don't know why the second one has been so successful. I accepted it for review at least partially to find that answer, and I am still baffled! The point of this story is that I don't think very many people, as authors or readers, are aware of the actual truths surrounding the success or failure of any particular POD book. It's my job to try to enlighten their vision.
At least one more Interview with the Author is in the works, and I hope there will be many more to come. I would like to offer interviews to those authors whose previously reviewed books presented at least some sort of exceptional or professional merit. If you have read certain recent, previous posts, you know now that you can contact me at ice9 at e-tabitha dot com or place an appropriate comment on any post to request a review or interview. Twenty books have already survived the proofreading police wringer, one suspect is in the interrogation room now, one is waiting in the outer office, one is in the hands of the United States Postal Service, and one has just been re-released by iUniverse after being re-edited by its diligent author. In other words, this blog isn't dead yet: at least four other authors are waiting with chewed fingernails for their trip through the wringer!
I am a consumer populist by nature. I want to see good products succeed, and I loathe the many undeserving ones that so often succeed instead. I could not be any more aware of the destructive nature of our modern, out-of-control, corporate culture. Books sell because there are celebrity names on them. They sell because either the subject or the author has been on television. They sell because an enormous herd of obsessors feel they must buy everything with that name on it. They sell because some faction or other is incredibly insane or stupid. Do they sell because the author offers a genuine talent with words? Do they sell because the subject matter is something everyone needs to know? Do they sell because a new approach to an old problem is offered? Do they sell because the author's storytelling ability is unparalleled? You and I both know I do not need to answer these rhetorical questions. We already know the answers. Modern, consumer America has become a dung-heap of celebrity, do-nothing, bad girls and left/right, red/blue slap-fighters. We used to be in it all together; now everything has degenerated into my special interests versus your special interests.
I created iUniverse Book Reviews to be a beacon shining up from the muck. I knew without question when I began reviewing iU books that I would find many other works like my own. These books would have absolutely nothing wrong with them that a little better proofreading couldn't cure. They would be works that could never have a chance in the marketplace simply because the author had never been on TV. Many of these books would have arisen from years of composition and editing by their loving parents. Many would cover subject matter only these particular, unknown authors could adequately present to an audience. I knew there were many high-quality POD books out there in the muck-filled jungle, and I found them.
iUniverse Book Reviews is the only cat in the jungle that roars for its small cadre of authors with individually composed, custom-designed reviews on this site, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Authors Den. The five-star rating system is utilized only at Amazon and B&N, and yes, the ratings provided by Tabitha on these two sites may be a bit optimistic in some cases. If they were not, my reviews on these overblown, meaningless review sites would appear to be far too pessimistic. My ratings on those sites are intended to help unknown authors sell books. You can consider me a sort of iU cheerleader when you read my reviews at those ubiquitous sales sites. The reviews on this site are usually a bit more critical, and there will never be a star rating system at iUniverse Book Reviews. There are quite enough stars already at all the other review locations. Even with the slightly more critical viewpoint of Tabitha's reviews on this blog, let's let the cat out of the bag. Only one book has not honestly earned at least three stars in my reviews. That is also the only book without reviews from Tabitha at Amazon, B&N, or Authors Den. Of the twenty books with reviews posted so far, one should have had no more than two stars, two should have had three stars, thirteen easily earned four stars, and four made it to the brass ring. Why didn't I just say this in the reviews in the first place? The reasons are numerous. How can a 100-page book be fairly compared to a 400-page one, when the editing and proofreading are such a vital part of the author's job? How do I compare heavily researched nonfiction with a short, fictional story for young adults? As the self-proclaimed proofreading police, how can I adequately rank a book by its error count? Some errors are obviously so much more egregious than others. I even considered using an error quotient, in which I divide the page count by the error count. Although I might use that as an unpublished tool with which to evaluate a book, there is still the problem that not all errors are created equal. Some authors even repeat the same mistakes multiple times in the same book. Should each instance be considered a demerit? Before composing each book's reviews, I have to make certain decisions based on the merit of that particular book. I want every iU book I review to ideally hide within the massive forest of traditionally published books. I also want every book I review to inspire and satisfy the reader with its compositional merit. Tabitha walks with the agility of a cat on a tightrope suspended between these two criteria.
The first year of iUniverse Book Reviews has been successful in all aspects. Every goal has been met. There are many iU books out there who belong on the shelves at Barnes & Noble. Unfortunately, only one of these that has both made the shelf cut and been reviewed on this site actually belongs on that shelf! As I have suspected all along, there is no correlation between the quality of an iUniverse book and any of the overpriced bullcrap options the company sells. There is also no direct correlation between writing quality and the sales record of an iU book, either. Let me tell you about two books I have reviewed. One is the best-selling iU book I have reviewed and the second is one of the best-selling iU books I have reviewed. The former contains 477 properly composed and edited pages. The latter has 196 pages containing an incredible number of short, incomplete sentences and page after page of italics! The latter book has sold almost as well as the former. Both authors paid for iU's bull-puckey options and both authors have received a lot of attention. Due to its subject matter being the first cousin to what I refer to as cheaters, the first book has been exceedingly successful for an iUniverse book. I don't know why the second one has been so successful. I accepted it for review at least partially to find that answer, and I am still baffled! The point of this story is that I don't think very many people, as authors or readers, are aware of the actual truths surrounding the success or failure of any particular POD book. It's my job to try to enlighten their vision.
At least one more Interview with the Author is in the works, and I hope there will be many more to come. I would like to offer interviews to those authors whose previously reviewed books presented at least some sort of exceptional or professional merit. If you have read certain recent, previous posts, you know now that you can contact me at ice9 at e-tabitha dot com or place an appropriate comment on any post to request a review or interview. Twenty books have already survived the proofreading police wringer, one suspect is in the interrogation room now, one is waiting in the outer office, one is in the hands of the United States Postal Service, and one has just been re-released by iUniverse after being re-edited by its diligent author. In other words, this blog isn't dead yet: at least four other authors are waiting with chewed fingernails for their trip through the wringer!
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Secretarial Wars
Secretarial Wars
by Linda Gould
by Linda Gould
(iUniverse / 0-595-27592-3 / June 2003 / 288 pages / $17.95)Let's begin this review by stating that this book could easily hide in a forest of traditionally published books. The composition, editing, and proofreading have all been accomplished at a high level. In my opinion, and I always speak of this issue strictly as an opinion, even the cover is appropriate for the material within. Most of all, the literacy and vocabulary expressed within these pages is far beyond that of most POD books. Linda Gould's little swatch of comedic, dramatic, romantic, and mysterious chicklit is a highly commendable first effort for a new author. Eat your hearts out, POD author wannabes!
There is a bit of bad news, however it is only a bit. Before I go any further, I must remind the readers of this blog that, despite a few name games displayed on my websites, I am a man. Therefore, fans of the chickadee persuasion may want to view my criticism of this book as a testosterone problem. Secretarial Wars misses the five-star brass ring simply due to its lack of excitement. The story could use a little more sex, drugs, and rock and roll, a little more flash-bam-pow. The climax is outstanding, easily deserving of the long, slow buildup toward the inevitable release. The weakness of the story is that I could not get truly enthralled by the characters or their subplots. It was all just a little too ho-hum and so-what. Please place the accent on little.
Secretarial Wars is the story of three Washington, D.C., secretaries and the romantic fantasies they act out while trying to hold onto reality with one hand and their dreams with the other. The plot is set with a backdrop of a very Bush-like, fictional administration and the covert actions in which that administration may or may not be involved. Therein lies the mystery. Each of Ms. Gould's three secretaries pines for a local celebrity she cannot seem to reel into her dragnet. One is a local Redskins quarterback facing a controversial replacement by a younger rival. The second is an ex-place kicker for the Redskins who publishes the local muckraking rag. The third is a local rock star who has recently become quite famous in a band that sounds suspiciously like Emerson, Lake & Palmer plays Bad Company. This covers the romantic fantasy element. The drama filters into the plot through the machinations of competing secretaries at the Washington Peace Council, and some of the things these ladies do certainly qualifies as comedy. Although Secretarial Wars is not nearly as silly and frivolous as the movie 9 to 5, most readers will certainly flashback to its obvious similarities of plot and feminist genre.
Whether or not genuine fans of chicklit will love Secretarial Wars to death, I cannot say. I can declare this one hell of a quality work at a level to which all POD authors should aspire. Of course there are a few proofreading errors present, but, due to the actual, subtle nature of these errors, I doubt the average reader will even spot them. Linda Gould's second book is on the way, and I strongly encourage you, as a discriminating reader, to look for it. You will recognize it by a title and theme that will make you flashback to Bye Bye Birdie. Let's hope The Rock Star's Homecoming is as clever as the 1963 movie and as literary as Secretarial Wars.
See also: Tabitha's B&N Review
Tabitha's Authors Den Review
Interview with Linda Gould
Review of Linda Gould's The Rock Star's Homecoming
Review of Let's Play Ball
There is a bit of bad news, however it is only a bit. Before I go any further, I must remind the readers of this blog that, despite a few name games displayed on my websites, I am a man. Therefore, fans of the chickadee persuasion may want to view my criticism of this book as a testosterone problem. Secretarial Wars misses the five-star brass ring simply due to its lack of excitement. The story could use a little more sex, drugs, and rock and roll, a little more flash-bam-pow. The climax is outstanding, easily deserving of the long, slow buildup toward the inevitable release. The weakness of the story is that I could not get truly enthralled by the characters or their subplots. It was all just a little too ho-hum and so-what. Please place the accent on little.
Secretarial Wars is the story of three Washington, D.C., secretaries and the romantic fantasies they act out while trying to hold onto reality with one hand and their dreams with the other. The plot is set with a backdrop of a very Bush-like, fictional administration and the covert actions in which that administration may or may not be involved. Therein lies the mystery. Each of Ms. Gould's three secretaries pines for a local celebrity she cannot seem to reel into her dragnet. One is a local Redskins quarterback facing a controversial replacement by a younger rival. The second is an ex-place kicker for the Redskins who publishes the local muckraking rag. The third is a local rock star who has recently become quite famous in a band that sounds suspiciously like Emerson, Lake & Palmer plays Bad Company. This covers the romantic fantasy element. The drama filters into the plot through the machinations of competing secretaries at the Washington Peace Council, and some of the things these ladies do certainly qualifies as comedy. Although Secretarial Wars is not nearly as silly and frivolous as the movie 9 to 5, most readers will certainly flashback to its obvious similarities of plot and feminist genre.
Whether or not genuine fans of chicklit will love Secretarial Wars to death, I cannot say. I can declare this one hell of a quality work at a level to which all POD authors should aspire. Of course there are a few proofreading errors present, but, due to the actual, subtle nature of these errors, I doubt the average reader will even spot them. Linda Gould's second book is on the way, and I strongly encourage you, as a discriminating reader, to look for it. You will recognize it by a title and theme that will make you flashback to Bye Bye Birdie. Let's hope The Rock Star's Homecoming is as clever as the 1963 movie and as literary as Secretarial Wars.
See also: Tabitha's B&N Review
Tabitha's Authors Den Review
Interview with Linda Gould
Review of Linda Gould's The Rock Star's Homecoming
Review of Let's Play Ball
Friday, June 29, 2007
Dream Dancing
Dream Dancing by J. J. Lair
(iUniverse / 0-595-41208-4 / February 2007 / 220 pages / $15.95)
Who cares about a doughnut deliveryman? He can arrive with the milkman and we can all have breakfast! You will begin to care more and more as this steamy little potboiler unrolls its sweet little story of blue-collar romance with a serial killer backbeat thundering through the strip club. Never-married, thirty-something, doughnut dealing Mark Winston dreads the lengthy phone calls from his mom. She revels in constantly reminding him of the successes of his brother, while questioning Mark's lifestyle choices. After arising long before dawn each day to see that his customers receive their daily sugar fix, his only consolation prize to himself seems to be the lazy evenings he spends in front of the exotic dancers at the local strip club. He has even attempted to date a few of these denizens of disrobe, but his success rate has never even surpassed his satisfaction with his delivery truck. Abby Broughton has fled her abusive, sleazebucket boyfriend in Las Vegas to enter the nonstop action of a small New Jersey town. Stir in a serial killer on the loose and let the working class romance begin.
J. J. Lair has apparently released previous works in a similar romance genre. A 1999 book shows up at Amazon and the back-cover blurb from Dream Dancing mentions a 2004 play. This is his first iUniverse book, and I hope it is not his last. Like Mark Winston, the author seems to be the type of working man who relentlessly pushes himself toward his goal. He is a man who is comfortable in his lifestyle, a man who knows where he is going and how he is going to get there. The average number of typos for an iU book are present. The cover is nothing special, and the marketing blurb may not produce much inspiration for the potential buyer, but the story within is first-class. Dream Dancing is a slowly simmering potboiler. The characters of an obviously trashy profession and lifestyle develop three-dimensional depth as the plot unfolds. You begin to root for these down-on-their-luck or misguided personalities who spend much of their time at two bars the local citizens would just as soon go elsewhere. It becomes very easy to picture in your mind exactly how these people wound up in such a downward spiral as you come to realize how much you care that they succeed at bettering their lives.
Dream Dancing is a well-designed, quiet little morality play. The mystery element added by the presence of an unidentified serial killer of exotic dancers helps keep the storyline from reading like a snooze, but ultimately, it is the development of the characters that floats Dream Dancing to the top. J. J. Laird has been working at his craft for a while, and it shows.
J. J. Lair has apparently released previous works in a similar romance genre. A 1999 book shows up at Amazon and the back-cover blurb from Dream Dancing mentions a 2004 play. This is his first iUniverse book, and I hope it is not his last. Like Mark Winston, the author seems to be the type of working man who relentlessly pushes himself toward his goal. He is a man who is comfortable in his lifestyle, a man who knows where he is going and how he is going to get there. The average number of typos for an iU book are present. The cover is nothing special, and the marketing blurb may not produce much inspiration for the potential buyer, but the story within is first-class. Dream Dancing is a slowly simmering potboiler. The characters of an obviously trashy profession and lifestyle develop three-dimensional depth as the plot unfolds. You begin to root for these down-on-their-luck or misguided personalities who spend much of their time at two bars the local citizens would just as soon go elsewhere. It becomes very easy to picture in your mind exactly how these people wound up in such a downward spiral as you come to realize how much you care that they succeed at bettering their lives.
Dream Dancing is a well-designed, quiet little morality play. The mystery element added by the presence of an unidentified serial killer of exotic dancers helps keep the storyline from reading like a snooze, but ultimately, it is the development of the characters that floats Dream Dancing to the top. J. J. Laird has been working at his craft for a while, and it shows.
See also: Tabitha's B&N review
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Interview with the Author
Ian Healy
Author of The Milkman and numerous online short stories, Ian Healy resides with his family and a ’71 Chevelle (that is older than he is) in the Denver, Colorado area.
Tabitha: What inspired you to write The Milkman? Why not a garbage man or an ice cream man?
Ian Healy: The character of the milkman with a samurai sword sprang from a role-playing game long ago where I created such a character for a throwaway horror game. He, like the titular character in the novel, was named Blake. Blake is, of course, a singular name like Cher. I originally planned something entirely different for my first outing with National Novel Writing Month, but then late on Halloween night scrapped that idea in favor of the sword-swinging milkman in a fit of madness.
Tabitha: Is there a particular, actual person or persons who inspired your lead characters?
Ian Healy: I’d like to think I have similar qualities to Blake – a certain acerbic wit, eccentricity, and, of course, the dashing good looks. Liza is an amalgam of my high school girlfriends. The Quiet Sons motorcycle gang was inspired by a local cycle gang called the Sons of Silence, but as to whether or not they have their own Big Al I can’t say.
Tabitha: When I read The Milkman, images of a science fiction spoof such as The Ice Pirates rummaged through my head. Have you envisioned what a movie version would look like?
Ian Healy: I have, and Robert Rodriguez (of Desperado and From Dusk Till Dawn) would definitely direct it. It would be a fast-paced, exciting and funny adventure that would have all the qualities of a summer blockbuster. What’s the word the critics like to use? A romp.
Tabitha: The characters in your book come to life in my mind as I read their conversations. Have you envisioned certain actors playing the lead parts?
Ian Healy: Ideally, Blake would have been played by Bruce Campbell fifteen years ago. Blake is very similar in a lot of ways to his character Ash from Army of Darkness. As a tribute, I’d like him to do Bunky’s voice. After seeing their chemistry together in Down With Love, I could see Blake and Liza played by Ewan MacGregor and Renee Zelleweger. Big Al would have to be played by John Goodman. I’d have a bit part as one of the bikers.
Tabitha: There are no cover credits listed for the book. Tell us about the three people pictured on the cover of The Milkman. Are these people you know? How was the cover created?
Ian Healy: I first created a clip-art concept of the cover – three figures posing in front of the snowplow, then sent that idea off to iUniverse. They in turn took my idea and composed a cover based on that. I don’t know who the people on the cover are. The actual cover design went through a few iterations before we arrived at the final image.
Tabitha: Did you consider other publishers before you selected iUniverse?
Ian Healy: I did my homework. I researched several of the self-publishing houses, focusing especially on how they were rated by people who’d used them. iUniverse seemed like the best overall choice given the amount of pre- and post-publishing support they make available.
Tabitha: How satisfying has your experience with iUniverse been?
Ian Healy: Overall I am pleased with my experience.
Tabitha: What is the most significant thing you have learned as a POD author? Do you have any advice to offer to new or prospective POD authors?
Ian Healy: Edit, edit, edit. And have other people edit your work too. As an author you’re often too close to your own work to realize what needs to be excised and what needs to be expanded. The published version of The Milkman is a fifth draft, more or less. With POD, it’s all too easy to gloss over the dirty work because you’re so excited to hold a copy of your book in your hands, but you have to do your copy and line editing just like would be done by a conventional publisher. It’s a question of vanity versus professionalism, and even though I’m a writer and therefore in love with myself, I still try to take the high road and make my book as professional as possible in every way.
Tabitha: You have links to many short stories and other short novel projects on your website. Pardon the pun, but you seem to have a novel approach to the marketing of your work. Would you like to elaborate on this concept for us?
Ian Healy: My ultimate goal is, of course, to get an agent to sell one of my longer works (and subsequent projects) to a mainstream publisher. Choosing to self-publish The Milkman is a way of helping to build a base of readership and interest in my work. I use my blog (http://ianthealy.blogspot.com/) for much the same reason – to attract a fan base, a following, before I’m published. I’m not just marketing my book or my stories or my webcomic, I’m marketing myself as the product. I want people to associate me with solid, entertaining writing so that when they see my name on something, they will be interested in it (and, of course, buy several copies for themselves and their friends and family).
Tabitha: Who are some of your favorite authors and books? What genres do you like to read?
Ian Healy: I’m a long-time comic book reader. I have a deep love for the DC Universe. Alan Moore’s Watchmen made me want to be a writer. George R. R. Martin’s Wild Cards series of novels made me believe I could write about superheroes. I also am a big fan of Alan Dean Foster and Mike Resnick. I’m also a fan of the Star Wars universe, and enjoy a lot of the authors who have worked on it. If anyone from LucasBooks is reading this, I’d love to write a SW novel…
Tabitha: What have you been reading lately?
Ian Healy: I’m trying to branch out to read a wider variety of books than my preferred science fiction (currently rereading Neil Stephenson’s Snow Crash). I just read a wonderful book by William Kotzwinkle called The Bear Went Over The Mountain. I’m working through a Tony Hillerman mystery, and I have read some non-fiction recently – specifically Stephen King’s On Writing and Neal Peart’s Ghost Rider.
Tabitha: What sort of educational experience do you have, and is it relevant to your writing or the subject matter you have chosen?
Ian Healy: I have a liberal arts degree, which means I don’t know enough about anything to get a real job but know enough about everything to tick off my friends. Now that I’ve got all the liberal arts majors screaming for my head, I’ll say that if I did go back to school I’d probably get another liberal arts degree, either in English or History.
Tabitha: What about your work career? Has your choice of profession influenced your writing?
Ian Healy: Well, right now I drive a forklift. *laughs* I suppose it influenced me enough to write Propane Jockeys as my 2005 NaNoWriMo entry – a book about forklift rodeo racing, which I though I’d made up in my head until I Googled it and discovered there really is such a thing. For the most part, I consider writing my profession. Everything else is paying the bills until the writing income is sufficient.
Tabitha: What’s next for Ian Healy, the writer?
Ian Healy: I’m shopping my completed manuscript Deep Six: A Just Cause Novel around to literary agencies, and it has generated some interest. It’s about what happens when a brilliant psychopath engineers a breakout from a prison for people with superpowers and only two ordinary guards can do anything to stop it. I’m working on my next book, The Greatest Generation: A Just Cause Novel, about American super-powered commandos in World War II. And of course, NaNoWriMo 2007 is only a few months away, so I’m starting to think of ideas for what my next 30-day insanity will be.
Tabitha: What pithy, insightful thought would you like to leave with your readers?
Ian Healy: You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Oh, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t beg them to please go read my webcomic – it needs more readers! (The Adventures of the S-Team – http://ianthealy.comicgen.com/)
Author of The Milkman and numerous online short stories, Ian Healy resides with his family and a ’71 Chevelle (that is older than he is) in the Denver, Colorado area.
Tabitha: What inspired you to write The Milkman? Why not a garbage man or an ice cream man?
Ian Healy: The character of the milkman with a samurai sword sprang from a role-playing game long ago where I created such a character for a throwaway horror game. He, like the titular character in the novel, was named Blake. Blake is, of course, a singular name like Cher. I originally planned something entirely different for my first outing with National Novel Writing Month, but then late on Halloween night scrapped that idea in favor of the sword-swinging milkman in a fit of madness.
Tabitha: Is there a particular, actual person or persons who inspired your lead characters?
Ian Healy: I’d like to think I have similar qualities to Blake – a certain acerbic wit, eccentricity, and, of course, the dashing good looks. Liza is an amalgam of my high school girlfriends. The Quiet Sons motorcycle gang was inspired by a local cycle gang called the Sons of Silence, but as to whether or not they have their own Big Al I can’t say.
Tabitha: When I read The Milkman, images of a science fiction spoof such as The Ice Pirates rummaged through my head. Have you envisioned what a movie version would look like?
Ian Healy: I have, and Robert Rodriguez (of Desperado and From Dusk Till Dawn) would definitely direct it. It would be a fast-paced, exciting and funny adventure that would have all the qualities of a summer blockbuster. What’s the word the critics like to use? A romp.
Tabitha: The characters in your book come to life in my mind as I read their conversations. Have you envisioned certain actors playing the lead parts?
Ian Healy: Ideally, Blake would have been played by Bruce Campbell fifteen years ago. Blake is very similar in a lot of ways to his character Ash from Army of Darkness. As a tribute, I’d like him to do Bunky’s voice. After seeing their chemistry together in Down With Love, I could see Blake and Liza played by Ewan MacGregor and Renee Zelleweger. Big Al would have to be played by John Goodman. I’d have a bit part as one of the bikers.
Tabitha: There are no cover credits listed for the book. Tell us about the three people pictured on the cover of The Milkman. Are these people you know? How was the cover created?
Ian Healy: I first created a clip-art concept of the cover – three figures posing in front of the snowplow, then sent that idea off to iUniverse. They in turn took my idea and composed a cover based on that. I don’t know who the people on the cover are. The actual cover design went through a few iterations before we arrived at the final image.
Tabitha: Did you consider other publishers before you selected iUniverse?
Ian Healy: I did my homework. I researched several of the self-publishing houses, focusing especially on how they were rated by people who’d used them. iUniverse seemed like the best overall choice given the amount of pre- and post-publishing support they make available.
Tabitha: How satisfying has your experience with iUniverse been?
Ian Healy: Overall I am pleased with my experience.
Tabitha: What is the most significant thing you have learned as a POD author? Do you have any advice to offer to new or prospective POD authors?
Ian Healy: Edit, edit, edit. And have other people edit your work too. As an author you’re often too close to your own work to realize what needs to be excised and what needs to be expanded. The published version of The Milkman is a fifth draft, more or less. With POD, it’s all too easy to gloss over the dirty work because you’re so excited to hold a copy of your book in your hands, but you have to do your copy and line editing just like would be done by a conventional publisher. It’s a question of vanity versus professionalism, and even though I’m a writer and therefore in love with myself, I still try to take the high road and make my book as professional as possible in every way.
Tabitha: You have links to many short stories and other short novel projects on your website. Pardon the pun, but you seem to have a novel approach to the marketing of your work. Would you like to elaborate on this concept for us?
Ian Healy: My ultimate goal is, of course, to get an agent to sell one of my longer works (and subsequent projects) to a mainstream publisher. Choosing to self-publish The Milkman is a way of helping to build a base of readership and interest in my work. I use my blog (http://ianthealy.blogspot.com/) for much the same reason – to attract a fan base, a following, before I’m published. I’m not just marketing my book or my stories or my webcomic, I’m marketing myself as the product. I want people to associate me with solid, entertaining writing so that when they see my name on something, they will be interested in it (and, of course, buy several copies for themselves and their friends and family).
Tabitha: Who are some of your favorite authors and books? What genres do you like to read?
Ian Healy: I’m a long-time comic book reader. I have a deep love for the DC Universe. Alan Moore’s Watchmen made me want to be a writer. George R. R. Martin’s Wild Cards series of novels made me believe I could write about superheroes. I also am a big fan of Alan Dean Foster and Mike Resnick. I’m also a fan of the Star Wars universe, and enjoy a lot of the authors who have worked on it. If anyone from LucasBooks is reading this, I’d love to write a SW novel…
Tabitha: What have you been reading lately?
Ian Healy: I’m trying to branch out to read a wider variety of books than my preferred science fiction (currently rereading Neil Stephenson’s Snow Crash). I just read a wonderful book by William Kotzwinkle called The Bear Went Over The Mountain. I’m working through a Tony Hillerman mystery, and I have read some non-fiction recently – specifically Stephen King’s On Writing and Neal Peart’s Ghost Rider.
Tabitha: What sort of educational experience do you have, and is it relevant to your writing or the subject matter you have chosen?
Ian Healy: I have a liberal arts degree, which means I don’t know enough about anything to get a real job but know enough about everything to tick off my friends. Now that I’ve got all the liberal arts majors screaming for my head, I’ll say that if I did go back to school I’d probably get another liberal arts degree, either in English or History.
Tabitha: What about your work career? Has your choice of profession influenced your writing?
Ian Healy: Well, right now I drive a forklift. *laughs* I suppose it influenced me enough to write Propane Jockeys as my 2005 NaNoWriMo entry – a book about forklift rodeo racing, which I though I’d made up in my head until I Googled it and discovered there really is such a thing. For the most part, I consider writing my profession. Everything else is paying the bills until the writing income is sufficient.
Tabitha: What’s next for Ian Healy, the writer?
Ian Healy: I’m shopping my completed manuscript Deep Six: A Just Cause Novel around to literary agencies, and it has generated some interest. It’s about what happens when a brilliant psychopath engineers a breakout from a prison for people with superpowers and only two ordinary guards can do anything to stop it. I’m working on my next book, The Greatest Generation: A Just Cause Novel, about American super-powered commandos in World War II. And of course, NaNoWriMo 2007 is only a few months away, so I’m starting to think of ideas for what my next 30-day insanity will be.
Tabitha: What pithy, insightful thought would you like to leave with your readers?
Ian Healy: You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Oh, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t beg them to please go read my webcomic – it needs more readers! (The Adventures of the S-Team – http://ianthealy.comicgen.com/)
Friday, June 22, 2007
The Milkman
(iUniverse / 0-595-43366-9 / May 2007 / 144 pages / $11.95)
This is a silly little book with a tacky plot and sleazy characters that hang out at a biker bar and a diner that could not pass a health inspection at a roach motel! The black-and-white cover is nothing special: the lead characters and their snow plow are featured, but their gremlin-sized alien pal from the dark side of the moon is missing. The third-person, past-tense viewpoint of this short novel is a bit boring, but the rest of it isn't.
Why can't more new authors display the fresh spunk and talent Ian Healy splatters all over this story of gaseous aliens and anal probes? The story is fraught with unusual characters who either want to save the world or just survive the night. Sometimes the reader, nor the character, is really sure which goal he or she would prefer to attain, and that's what makes this little book so likable. Once you get into the midst of the storyline, you realize that the characters and setting had to be as they are. These characters would feel right at home in a Frank Zappa song: their actions are appropriate to their unconventional lifestyles. Mr. Healy has obviously put a lot of thought and effort into the book. The editing is taut, the proofing errors are at an acceptable level, and most of all, you will root for and remember these lovable-outlaw characters!
To quote Cleavon Little in Blazing Saddles, pardon me while I whip this out. I composed my first book, Plastic Ozone Daydream, over a fourteen-year period, utilizing stylistic similes in much the same manner as Ian Healy does so well in The Milkman. He claims The Milkman was written in 28 days, but by looking at the dates printed on the book, you can see that the book was written in 2004, but released in '07. I strongly suspect that Mr. Healy spent a lot of time polishing The Milkman before submitting it for publication. The lead characters speak with each other much in the same manner as those legendary scamps in Star Wars, where most every comment is a double entendre. The Milkman also displays similarity to The A-Team, the movie The Ice Pirates, and Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle. The blurb on the back of my first book mentions Vonnegut's inspiration to my writing, and the manner of that inspiration is reflected back to me like a blast from the past when I read The Milkman. The point is that although I am not much of a science fiction reader, I enjoyed The Milkman quite a lot. There is a thread of similarity connecting Cat's Cradle with The Milkman. Stealing a line from another movie, The Tempest, this is what I call show me the magic.
See also: Tabitha's B&N review
Interview with Ian Healy
Friday, June 15, 2007
The Last Reunion
by E. Daniel Nusbaum, M.D.
& Mary Ann C. Nusbaum, Ph.D.
(iUniverse / 0-595-39614-3 / October 2006 / 280 pages / $17.95)
Can Doogie Howser whip Damien's butt? The morality play begins on the doorstep of an Indiana orphanage on a frozen Christmas morning. A newborn baby is discovered as blue as the ice covering the ground, but he miraculously survives. The Last Reunion is the biography of the mythical, mystical Jim Hoeven, whose destiny is prophesied with Bible quotations at the end of every chapter. Like Doogie Howser, the television character of the early Nineties, Hoeven has been born with an IQ level that allows him to finish high school four years early and retain a respected position in the governor's office at the Indiana state capitol at the same age. The devil has been waiting for a long time to enter into a final battle with his nemesis. The office of the modern equivalent of the evildoer is in New Orleans, from where he repeatedly commands a council of his henchmen to dispatch with the nuisance Mr. Hoeven as the hero moves from a frozen cradle to the U.S. Senate. The whole plotline is basically the flip side of The Omen. The reader is easily reminded of Superman as a boy, as Jim Hoeven discovers and utilizes his exceptional strength, charm and good looks for, dare I say it, good. The satanic forces of evil battle their way to the end of the story, hoping to win control of the world once and for all.
The Last Reunion will most surely please fans of the current religious fervor that has swept across America like a Reagan Presidency. Fans of a more challenging bent will see the cracks in the armor. I don't think much of the cover. The text is too block-like and the red background and image collage leave me a little blah. The cover's okay, but it would never encourage me to buy the book. I understand the author's pointed obsession with the Bible verses, but their inclusion at the end of every one of the thirty-two chapters slows down the pace of the plotline. I realize this is a fiction novel pitched to the faithful among us, but, as a critic, I had hoped for more.
The story promises in the beginning to give The Omen a real run for its money. The authors know how to really tug those heartstrings with sympathy for orphan kids, and they understand the conversational, show-don't-tell style equally as well. One of the authors is a Doctor of Psychology with a theological background and the other is a surgeon. These professional experiences are developed and displayed quite effectively in the religious context of the plot and the hospital scenes described in detail. Where the book falls short is in the credibility of the elements of the story outside the medical and religious arenas. Werewolf-like shapeshifters attack in several scenes, but a nosy CSI team never appears to question the incredibility of the deaths. Miracles have been surrounding Jim Hoeven ever since birth, yet no detective on the local police force questions the miraculous events. You could just walk up to the Governor of Indiana's front door and knock, or call him on the phone and he would answer. He has no personal secretary or house servants outside the one who always seems to be working undercover for the devil and getting cleanly away with it. The good guys know she works for Satan, but never seem to find a reason to fire her! When miraculous events save the day, the lead characters just matter-of-factly state that everything's just fine because Jim prayed for it. The media behaves as if it was still The Fifties. In summation, I think The Nusbaums were so enamored with the Biblical context of the story that they short-shifted the opportunity to write a modern fable fraught with mystery and imagination. As I read through the book, the excitement waned a little as the predictabilty grew.
Dr. & Dr. Nusbaum are to be commended for a fine first effort. The story was originally conceived back in The Seventies and the final manuscript was not released until the next millennium. The long gestation period shows. The book is maturely crafted and edited. The error count, although not minimal, is entirely excusable due to the fact that the errors are of the least obtrusive variety. Please do not be put off by my criticisms, particularly if you are a fan of The Da Vinci Code or other religious-based fictions of recent years. I found the writing quality to easily match that of The Da Vinci Code. My main criticism is that Reunion could use a little more of Da Vinci's mystery with its sermonizing. I give it four crucifixes for evangelicals or three bloody fangs for the wolf pack.
Can Doogie Howser whip Damien's butt? The morality play begins on the doorstep of an Indiana orphanage on a frozen Christmas morning. A newborn baby is discovered as blue as the ice covering the ground, but he miraculously survives. The Last Reunion is the biography of the mythical, mystical Jim Hoeven, whose destiny is prophesied with Bible quotations at the end of every chapter. Like Doogie Howser, the television character of the early Nineties, Hoeven has been born with an IQ level that allows him to finish high school four years early and retain a respected position in the governor's office at the Indiana state capitol at the same age. The devil has been waiting for a long time to enter into a final battle with his nemesis. The office of the modern equivalent of the evildoer is in New Orleans, from where he repeatedly commands a council of his henchmen to dispatch with the nuisance Mr. Hoeven as the hero moves from a frozen cradle to the U.S. Senate. The whole plotline is basically the flip side of The Omen. The reader is easily reminded of Superman as a boy, as Jim Hoeven discovers and utilizes his exceptional strength, charm and good looks for, dare I say it, good. The satanic forces of evil battle their way to the end of the story, hoping to win control of the world once and for all.
The Last Reunion will most surely please fans of the current religious fervor that has swept across America like a Reagan Presidency. Fans of a more challenging bent will see the cracks in the armor. I don't think much of the cover. The text is too block-like and the red background and image collage leave me a little blah. The cover's okay, but it would never encourage me to buy the book. I understand the author's pointed obsession with the Bible verses, but their inclusion at the end of every one of the thirty-two chapters slows down the pace of the plotline. I realize this is a fiction novel pitched to the faithful among us, but, as a critic, I had hoped for more.
The story promises in the beginning to give The Omen a real run for its money. The authors know how to really tug those heartstrings with sympathy for orphan kids, and they understand the conversational, show-don't-tell style equally as well. One of the authors is a Doctor of Psychology with a theological background and the other is a surgeon. These professional experiences are developed and displayed quite effectively in the religious context of the plot and the hospital scenes described in detail. Where the book falls short is in the credibility of the elements of the story outside the medical and religious arenas. Werewolf-like shapeshifters attack in several scenes, but a nosy CSI team never appears to question the incredibility of the deaths. Miracles have been surrounding Jim Hoeven ever since birth, yet no detective on the local police force questions the miraculous events. You could just walk up to the Governor of Indiana's front door and knock, or call him on the phone and he would answer. He has no personal secretary or house servants outside the one who always seems to be working undercover for the devil and getting cleanly away with it. The good guys know she works for Satan, but never seem to find a reason to fire her! When miraculous events save the day, the lead characters just matter-of-factly state that everything's just fine because Jim prayed for it. The media behaves as if it was still The Fifties. In summation, I think The Nusbaums were so enamored with the Biblical context of the story that they short-shifted the opportunity to write a modern fable fraught with mystery and imagination. As I read through the book, the excitement waned a little as the predictabilty grew.
Dr. & Dr. Nusbaum are to be commended for a fine first effort. The story was originally conceived back in The Seventies and the final manuscript was not released until the next millennium. The long gestation period shows. The book is maturely crafted and edited. The error count, although not minimal, is entirely excusable due to the fact that the errors are of the least obtrusive variety. Please do not be put off by my criticisms, particularly if you are a fan of The Da Vinci Code or other religious-based fictions of recent years. I found the writing quality to easily match that of The Da Vinci Code. My main criticism is that Reunion could use a little more of Da Vinci's mystery with its sermonizing. I give it four crucifixes for evangelicals or three bloody fangs for the wolf pack.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Bitternest
Bitternest by Alan Draven
(iUniverse / 0-595-43204-2 / April 2007 / 354 pages / $19.95)
Most of the cities of America have been devastated by the avian flu epidemic, but one city seems to be surviving better than most. The City of Bitternest, Louisiana, has always enjoyed a reputation for having more than its share of crime, corruption, and sin, much like another place we all know and love, one that has been decimated by a hurricane and a "let them eat cake" administration. Canadian horror author Alan Draven has built a supernatural storyline from a couple of contemporary, and some would say, well-founded, American fears. What if a pandemic wiped out much of the law-abiding population, and what sort of organized criminal element would then take over?
Bitternest is a story much like one of my old favorites in the horror genre, Whitley Strieber's Wolfen. I can easily envision a good B-movie of Bitternest. An experienced police detective whom most everybody likes has lost his wife to the bird flu, leaving his dedication to his job and the others he cares for as his leading reason for living. He discovers that vampires have been quietly existing in Bitternest since forever, and now the bloodsuckers are offering something he needs, the key to the cure for the avian flu. The more he learns about the ancient underworld of Bitternest, the less surprised he becomes by his new discoveries. The vampires are not the only critters haunting the city. Organized crime bosses are planning the takeover of the city with the help of their own brand of creatures of the night.
Alan Draven's first novel offers a lot of promise. The book has been professionally edited, and it shows, although it is not error free. The complex plot is shoved through the reader's mind with adequate pacing and energy. The breakneck pace of the action owes a little too much to the movie Van Helsing instead of to the slower character development of Wolfen, and this fact is probably the story's weakest link. As a horror novel, you could say that Bitternest is the opposite of The Shining. This book will probably be most popular with readers who enjoyed the movie Underworld better than they did Interview with the Vampire. The plotline has been well crafted, but that doesn't change the incredibility of a plethora of monsters coming at you. I would think the story would offer a more menacing punch without such a varied cadre of villains clogging up the plot. Other than this single factor, I enjoyed the book quite a lot, and I realize that this is just my opinion. Others may like the monster barrage. I have read quite a number of vampire and other monster books, and Bitternest is better than average, at the very least. Considering that it is the author's first book, I have to tip my fangs to him.
Friday, June 08, 2007
A Quality Product
I am a lifelong student of American pop culture. I have watched intently as the Baby Boomer generation evolved into the consumer powerhouse that it has become. Products have developmental and marketing patterns that can be plotted on a chart. Each product category has its own chart. Some categories, and therefore their charts, have been greatly affected by the psychosocial influences of their respective markets. For example, are modern teenaged girls morons because they seek to emulate Paris Hilton; or is the Paris Hilton phenomenon prevalent because modern teenaged girls are morons? Is it the chicken or the egg? Is it the chickadee or the airhead? I think the truth evolves from some of both.
If you reduce every component within a product category down to a simple dollars-and-cents equation, the result will look just like America's consumer culture in 2007. The race to the bottom eventually benefits no one except the last CEO still standing. The pursuit of art and quality will be the first chicken on the chopping block.
This brings us to the POD market phenomenon. Anyone who cannot see clearly that a modern American new author has less chance every day of succeeding in the traditional publishing market is obviously writing blindly to the oblivion. iUniverse offers a dim, distant beacon through the oblivion for any who choose to rise to the light.
If you choose to move toward the light, I want to be one who helps you achieve your goals and reach an appreciative audience. Quality and professionalism are the leading attributes I seek to achieve, and these are the same things I look for most in an iUniverse book I have selected for review. The composition of the subject matter is your job. The production of the product is the job of iUniverse. Unlike your image of what you have always perceived tradtional publishers to be like, iU works more like your computer than it does Random House. By that I mean garbage in, garbage out. The people at iUniverse just produce the Word document you give them. The only person who can change this is you. It's up to you to produce the product that any reader will be proud to own. It's bad enough that iU charges for your book by the pound, but they don't much care one way or the other about the quality of the product. The elevator is out of order and you have to carry your own bags up the stairs.
The more you can write a book as if you had to read it, the more likely someone else will like to read it, too. In nearly all cases, the time and effort you put into the project will become obvious to the reader. The reverse is also true. When I am examining a book for review, I always look first for evidence of true quality. The subject matter, genre, and plotline are secondary issues as far as I am concerned. I want deserving authors to succeed. It matters very little to me that the book's audience is large or small. Of course the more competitve the territorial genre is, the more critical the plotlines become. If you write about a subject with very little competition within the subject field, there is somewhat less reason to be concerned with compeitive choices offered by other authors or publishers.
Paris Hilton disturbs me a million times more than the details of your plotline. If I was boss of the world, such media explosions of triviality would never exist. You would not be able to hog all the shelf space at B&N just because your face has been on TV a lot and you could afford to hire a good ghost writer. If I was boss, we would make all our consumer entertainment purchases on the basis of quality. Television media, subject matter obsessors, and slap-fighters would have no say-so in the matter. Every book sold would be purely because it was the best quality product the author and publisher could produce.
There are three reasons why I accept only printed iUniverse books for review. Here they are in descending order of importance. (1) I spend all my computer time doing research; not reading books. I have a lot of opportunity outside my computer time to read books, and that's when I read books. (2) It keeps the riff-raff out. The iUniverse marketing plan places a little higher bar on the authors than does Lulu. All the other POD companies are either overpriced or underfunded. As an iU author myself, I am fully aware of the details of the company's product. I understand what the company does well and what it does not. I could start a big slap fight at this point right now, but I try not to do that on this site. Some of you think the pathway to success is to publish your book without a known POD company name on it. I see your point, but I do not agree with it. I think writers should expend their energies in other ways, such as taking the time to proofread their works more effectively. (3) If you have to pay for, box up, and take a copy of your book to the post office to send it to me for a review, then you have invested at least a little time, money, and effort. You care enough to obtain the best for your baby. I offer a lot of personal service in the deal. Only those who have put forth more effort should receive more in return. As I said in reason #2, it keeps the riff-raff out.
This is the home of the honest, legitimate reviews for iUniverse books, so don't expect flowery praise for every element of your book. Yes, I am still the official, anti-corporate cheerleader for iUniverse authors. I still may present you with kinder reviews than some others might offer. You have to read between the lines. If you're not any good at that, what are you doing trying to be an author?
If you reduce every component within a product category down to a simple dollars-and-cents equation, the result will look just like America's consumer culture in 2007. The race to the bottom eventually benefits no one except the last CEO still standing. The pursuit of art and quality will be the first chicken on the chopping block.
This brings us to the POD market phenomenon. Anyone who cannot see clearly that a modern American new author has less chance every day of succeeding in the traditional publishing market is obviously writing blindly to the oblivion. iUniverse offers a dim, distant beacon through the oblivion for any who choose to rise to the light.
If you choose to move toward the light, I want to be one who helps you achieve your goals and reach an appreciative audience. Quality and professionalism are the leading attributes I seek to achieve, and these are the same things I look for most in an iUniverse book I have selected for review. The composition of the subject matter is your job. The production of the product is the job of iUniverse. Unlike your image of what you have always perceived tradtional publishers to be like, iU works more like your computer than it does Random House. By that I mean garbage in, garbage out. The people at iUniverse just produce the Word document you give them. The only person who can change this is you. It's up to you to produce the product that any reader will be proud to own. It's bad enough that iU charges for your book by the pound, but they don't much care one way or the other about the quality of the product. The elevator is out of order and you have to carry your own bags up the stairs.
The more you can write a book as if you had to read it, the more likely someone else will like to read it, too. In nearly all cases, the time and effort you put into the project will become obvious to the reader. The reverse is also true. When I am examining a book for review, I always look first for evidence of true quality. The subject matter, genre, and plotline are secondary issues as far as I am concerned. I want deserving authors to succeed. It matters very little to me that the book's audience is large or small. Of course the more competitve the territorial genre is, the more critical the plotlines become. If you write about a subject with very little competition within the subject field, there is somewhat less reason to be concerned with compeitive choices offered by other authors or publishers.
Paris Hilton disturbs me a million times more than the details of your plotline. If I was boss of the world, such media explosions of triviality would never exist. You would not be able to hog all the shelf space at B&N just because your face has been on TV a lot and you could afford to hire a good ghost writer. If I was boss, we would make all our consumer entertainment purchases on the basis of quality. Television media, subject matter obsessors, and slap-fighters would have no say-so in the matter. Every book sold would be purely because it was the best quality product the author and publisher could produce.
There are three reasons why I accept only printed iUniverse books for review. Here they are in descending order of importance. (1) I spend all my computer time doing research; not reading books. I have a lot of opportunity outside my computer time to read books, and that's when I read books. (2) It keeps the riff-raff out. The iUniverse marketing plan places a little higher bar on the authors than does Lulu. All the other POD companies are either overpriced or underfunded. As an iU author myself, I am fully aware of the details of the company's product. I understand what the company does well and what it does not. I could start a big slap fight at this point right now, but I try not to do that on this site. Some of you think the pathway to success is to publish your book without a known POD company name on it. I see your point, but I do not agree with it. I think writers should expend their energies in other ways, such as taking the time to proofread their works more effectively. (3) If you have to pay for, box up, and take a copy of your book to the post office to send it to me for a review, then you have invested at least a little time, money, and effort. You care enough to obtain the best for your baby. I offer a lot of personal service in the deal. Only those who have put forth more effort should receive more in return. As I said in reason #2, it keeps the riff-raff out.
This is the home of the honest, legitimate reviews for iUniverse books, so don't expect flowery praise for every element of your book. Yes, I am still the official, anti-corporate cheerleader for iUniverse authors. I still may present you with kinder reviews than some others might offer. You have to read between the lines. If you're not any good at that, what are you doing trying to be an author?
Friday, June 01, 2007
In the Wake of Ashes
My Brother's Keeper: Book II
by Lorrieann Russell
(iUniverse / 0-595-22355-9 / April 2002 / 564 pages / $27.95)
The short version of the 1000-page, two-book story is that if you liked Lorrieann Russell's My Brother's Keeper, you'll enjoy the sequel just about as much. The first thing you will notice is the distinctive cover design by the author, who is also known as an accomplished graphic artist. The long saga of William Fylbrigge's short life picks up where the first book ended, with William on a ship bound for America from Scotland in 1612. Ms. Russell began with a bit of research into her personal family tree to discover a brief notation concerning a Scottish ancestor who lived in the early 1600's. The author has created a fictional story around this unknown, real-life character. This is the second of three books written about William Fylbrigge. The first, My Brother's Keeper, begins with William's wedding at Stonehaven Castle and mostly concerns his false accusal and trial as a witch. He is then imprisoned and tortured for several days before being rescued by his compatriots and sneaked onto a ship bound for America. He begins his journey practically in a coma, and he does not fully awaken until the ship has neared its destination. This book, In the Wake of Ashes, covers the remainder of Fylbrigge's life. The third in the series is a prequel to My Brother's Keeper, and it is scheduled for release later this year by a traditional publisher.
The strongest element of Ms. Russell's books is that she understands very well the concept of "show, don't tell" that more authors should take to heart. Her characters come to life in your hands with their natural conversational style. The story is told without a lot of unnecessary, third-person description to bog it down. The reader feels as if he is present in the room with the conversing characters. My guess is that this is one of the leading elements of what many readers would call a real "page turner".
The weakest element of In the Wake of Ashes is its lack of proper proofreading. I hesitate to say this, but in this case, it stands out like lipstick on a pig. I am acutely aware that Lorrieann rushed this book to press for an honorable reason, but surely in retrospect, she must regret that momentous decision. It is more than a little likely that In the Wake of Ashes will be re-released at some date in the future in a more perfectly edited version. That publisher could be iUniverse, the one currently planning the release of the prequel, or yet a third publisher. Whichever the case, this book deserves a better proofreading because the story and composition are first-rate. Now back to the story....
In the Wake of Ashes holds up to the original book quite well. Some other reviewers have said they liked it better than My Brother's Keeper. I do not feel strongly either way. Keeper seemed a bit more action-packed and Ashes seemed to unroll a little more like a quieter drama. I think any rating of Ashes that lessens its impact from that of Keeper must concern the higher error count in Ashes, not its story content. I like to think of Keeper as being more like The Crucible and Ashes as more like The Last of the Mohicans. I am referring, of course, to the mood and storylines of these legendary works, not their compositional style. I recently viewed the latest movie versions of these two classics, and I enjoyed Lorrieann's two books better than both of the legends!
If you are new to Lorrieann Russell's books, I highly recommend that you read the first book first. You will then get much more out of William's story in Ashes. Although the author has done a credible job of filling in the first part of the story for first-time readers in Ashes, there is no adequate substitute for the reading of My Brother's Keeper first to capture all the impact and nuance of the story. As in all my reviews, I say what I would want to read about the book beforehand as a reader. If you want to preview plotlines or quotes from the reviewed work, you must look elsewhere. Most of In the Wake of Ashes takes place in and around a small settlement named Port Edin in The New World in a time when we were still friends with many of the Indian tribes. William Fylbrigge learns to adapt to his new life as a cripple in the wilderness of young America. He has brought his family and a few friends with him, and he makes a bunch of new friends. He has a few exciting adventures and his friends surprise him a lot with their actions. Watch out for the many bumps in the road because what has passed is past. Lorrieann Russell knows how to write. Go read the book.
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