99 Cent November

Hello, Fire Enthusiasts. Seasons Greetings to you as we enter the stretch run of 2015. Once you get to Halloween the next thing we know it's New Year's Day. Am I right? Hopefully it won't really be like that. Here in the California central valley the heat has finally left us, although it hasn't really gotten that cool yet. Yes, I wrote "cool." We don't really get winter here. Whatever. I'm just glad the heat is gone. Summer is overrated here, and I'm so pleased it's gone. Summer is my latest favorite season, as you may have guessed.

In any event, November is here. I find myself fighting against my nature, willing myself to slow down. As I mentioned before it can really race by if you don't force it to stop. Thanksgiving is my wife's favorite holiday. For me, I'm already looking forward to that afternoon when I start moving furniture and preparing to decorate for Christmas. Yeah, that's me. How about you? What's your favorite? Was it Halloween? You'd think a horror guy like me would love All Hallow's Eve, but not so much. Yeah, I'm evil that way.

Once again I have been invited to join what we call 99centnovember. It is the brainchild of author Milo James Fowler. If you're looking for a great read now is the time. Follow the link and fill that virtual bookshelf. You'll find my paranormal novel Seeing Ghosts there. Here's the cover. I hope you'll give it a chance.

The e-magazine that I used to write for, Kings River Life Magazine, featured my latest novel, Infernal. They gave me a positive review, featured an interview and also are giving away copies of the series so far. Check that out and feel free to throw your name in the proverbial hat for the giveaway.

This has suddenly become the season for book events, which I am very pleased about. I was invited to speak at my local branch of the public library. You always worry that no one will show, but I had a good group, and I think it was a successful event. I was able to sign several copies of my books, I met new readers and had a lot of fun doing it. Next, we have the Kingsburg Ladies Night Out event. Last year's event was big, so hopefully this one will be bigger and better. There will be another opportunity in December as well. In addition, I was invited by the librarian of my local high school about potentially speaking to the students. I'm very honored to have been asked, and look forward to having that opportunity.

Have a great November and a Happy Thanksgiving, you guys. As always, thanks for stopping by.

We'll talk soon.

Books, Reviews and Giveaways

Hello there, Fire Enthusiasts. How are things? I am well once again. I am no longer irritating everyone around me with a perpetual clearing of the throat. Thanks for asking. Actually I do want to thank everyone for their kind notes, whether here or on any of the other social networks, I certainly appreciate anytime I am mentioned, especially when folks are asking how I’m doing.

Today, I have come to you to speak about other people's books. I managed to get two novels read since the last time that we spoke. Before I get to them, I want to tell you about some e-books that we are giving away at Kings River Life Magazine.

Many of you may know that I write magazine articles for an E-zine from my neck of the woods. I do one about once a month, and they range from local events in my town to restaurant reviews to pet rescues. This week, on the advice of my fearless Editor-in-Chief, we took a look at the state of publishing and some of the great writers that are out there, myself excluded. She didn't ask me to stay out of it, I just chose to. This was not so much about me, although my writing has certainly benefited from the exciting times that we live in. Instead, I just wanted to celebrate and feature several of the great voices that I have discovered and reviewed in these pages. You no doubt will recall Carole Gill, Erin Cole, Marissa Farrar, Lorelei Bell and Phil Tucker. If you have yet to read their works, visit the magazine with the above link and enter for a chance to win an e-book.

Author Coral Russell and Amador Lockdown.

If you like ghost stories or ghost hunters, then this will be right up your alley. It is the interesting take on ghost hunting and what could happen when you fool around with that sort of thing.

Here’s the official blurb:

Something has moved into the Amador Hotel. Hector, Marcos, Bev, and Tony of the Paranormal Posse are called in to either debunk the haunting or get rid of whatever is causing the problems. With the surprise arrival of Hector's son, he tries to keep his professional and personal lives separate, but whatever is haunting the Amador Hotel has other plans.

I found the story to be well done. It takes place in the American south-west and is heavily flavored with Hispanic references, including language, food and culture. I found that to be a nice change and well thought out, adding a nice spice to an already interesting ghost story. You will also get the perspective of the ghosts in the plot, which I liked. It is given in small bites, so if you find yourself not quite catching on, just give it time.

Being that I knew very little of the actual work of ghost hunters, I found it intriguing to see that there is more than simply walking around “haunted places”. We get to see them giving tours, doing research and speaking to witnesses, using expensive equipment and eventually doing a lockdown where they and several others spent the night. That last decision might have been a bad one, but you'll have to find that out for yourselves.

The story takes a left turn at the end which was quite a different payoff. We go quickly from hunters to questions of possession, where the material takes a very dramatic twist, making Amador Lockdown well worth your time.

Author Greg Sisco and Thicker Than Water.

Welcome to the Greg Sisco channel! *laughs* Having just read One Night Stan’s, which I’m still buzzing about, I went right to his take on vampires, which was the original book that caught my attention to the work this incredible author is doing in the first place. Little did I know!

Sisco has informed me that he has many things going on for this year, but nothing else for me to read at the moment. That’s for those of you who might start worrying that I have become infatuated with his writing. Well, let me tell you that there’s a reason why I immediately launched into his other novel just as soon as I had finished Stan’s, and that it only took me about two days to finish. He’s that frigging good.

Here's the synopsis:

Tyr and Loki are not your teenage sister’s vampires. Their skin is not covered in glitter. They do not drink the blood of possums instead of humans. They view humanity as a secondary species; they have mastered the skill of manipulating and seducing women; and if you find yourself in a room with them, don’t expect the opportunity to say goodbye to your loved ones.

Since the Crusades, the Blood Brothers have waged war on all things wholesome. They have terrorized mankind with their hedonistic and brutal theatrics every night for a thousand years.

Thicker Than Water, the first novel in the Blood Brothers series, spans from Tombstone, Arizona in 1893 to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1999. After Tyr sparks a feud with his domineering brother by impaling him to a wall and abandoning their relationship, a story unfolds weaving together vampires, brothel owners, gunmen, prostitutes, and buckets of innocent blood in a twisted orgy of sex, murder, revenge, romance, betrayal, and brotherly love.

Once again, it isn't necessarily the subject matter that drives my appreciation for what this author is doing, but the exceptional writing. When it's this good it really doesn't matter what the story is. That was my problem with Stan's. I didn't want to know about strip clubs nor did I have any business in one. Once I got that first "taste" of the place; however, I just couldn't walk away. You may find yourself tired of vampires, or perhaps you don't like the subject at all. I guarantee you'll like this; it isn't what you're used to.

A few specific thoughts:

Many readers take issue with flashback scenes, but in this case, I doubt anyone will even notice. They are handled in a timely and well thought out manner, as if in the hands of a master. The plot takes us back and forth from there to present day as if it were a symphony, building towards its ultimate crescendo. Thankfully, the story does not end here, but simply takes a breath, pausing as we prepare ourselves for the next movement in the Blood Brothers series.

Another moment of brilliance occurs as we "see" the best human to vampire transformation I have ever experienced, but I don't want to give anything away. You're going to have to trust me on this one.

On that note, much of the thrill of this story has to do with the reveals. They are not the biggest surprises known to man; however, the plot unfolds in such a way that you may find yourself not thinking ahead, but giving every sight, smell and texture its opportunity to do its work and transport you there. 

Last year, the author put up a blog post where he said that he wanted to return vampires to where they rightfully belonged. I can assure you that he has done that in spades. I’m serious folks! As the author himself warns, these are not your teenage sister's vampires. The baton that was brought to us by Bram Stoker, handed over for a fabulous reinvention by Anne Rice, now comes through the murky waters of the vampire romance sub genre, held clean and high overhead by Greg Sisco.

We'll talk soon.

Crazy, Stupid, Love

Hello, Fire Enthusiasts. How was the week? Mine was rough, but that's what I get for only working three days the previous week and then attempting to get back in the swing of a five-day week, after having taking off on vacation. Right? It was great, though, and I really appreciate all of your comments. Thanks.

This week I had an article about a new local restaurant which is situated along our river here in the Central Valley of California. The problem was that I had my deadline and I had my subject; however, I could not get a hold of them. Thankfully, just as my editor and I were preparing to punt and do something else at the last minute, I finally heard from them and everything came together quickly. I'm glad it did, not only because I had the deadline, but because it's a great restaurant and really nice people behind it. If you are curious about this magazine, feel free to check it out. It is called Kings River Life Magazine and it's a free on-line mag.

Other than that, I'd like to tell you a little bit about a real good film that my wife and I saw this past Saturday. As you have already guessed, it is called Crazy, Stupid, Love. If you don't like chick-flicks, don't worry. This isn't one! It has so much more going for it than just the run-of-the-mill Rom-Com.

Steve Carell is a husband and father who finds out at dinner that his wife has cheated on him and she wants a divorce. That was pretty much how he got the news, too. His wife, Julianne Moore, doesn't love the coworker that she slept with, but she doesn't love her husband either.

Carell moves into his own place and then begins to pick up the pieces, except he's not doing very well at that. He meets a ladies man, Ryan Gosling, who decides to take him under his wing and shape him up.

The film is loaded with twists and turns and, were it in the hands of lesser filmmakers, might have turned out very badly, Instead, I think it is a hit.

Kevin Bacon is the coworker who wants to be the new man in Moore's life. Emma Stone is the woman who meets Gosling, but spurns his interest, instead choosing to wait for her boyfriend's proposal (a surprising appearance from singer Josh Groban). Carell's son is not-so-secretly in love with the family babysitter, who in turn secretly loves Carell. You can see how this could have gone badly, but I promise you that it all works. I have purposely left spoilers out. I'm usually great at anticipating those, but was floored at some of the things that take place.

Do yourself a favor, if you have not yet already done so, and see this film.

We'll talk soon.

One Week Later and other updates

Hello, Fire Enthusiasts. I hope everyone is doing well; busy reading, writing, editing, promoting, selling, etc. Wherever you find yourself, I hope you are happy. If you simply love to read and talk about books, I hope you have found some great stories out there. If writing is your dream, I hope your dreams are coming to fruition. I know mine are.

Last week, I wrote of attempting to turn over a new leaf with regard to networking. I just found that with my limited amount of time, that I was spending way too much time posting items that few were reading. It wasn’t a matter of me throwing a fit or being upset about it or anything. It was simply a fact. And I think I knew why, which was: I hadn’t been visiting anyone’s blogs either.

So I decided that I would instead focus on writing one piece per week and spend the rest of the week doing promotion for it, as well as to visit the blogs of others. Hopefully by this time many, if not all of you, have already caught me prowling about your pages. *winks*

Once again, please don’t think of this as me being upset. I want to know what you guys are up to. I want to help promote not only my stuff but yours as well, as I can. Not only have I read some of your books this year, but I have adored them, too. I was missing out on a lot things that you guys were up to, and I do not like that. The upside of me more closely following the blogs and doings of others is the wonderful fact that people returned the favor and visited me. Hopefully, this will be a new direction and not simply a recent and short-lived fad...

Updates:

This month my edits are supposed to return to me for Dance on Fire: Flash Point. Beyond that, I have two articles that I wrote for Kings River Life Magazine: one was on my town’s community band, which holds concerts in the park; while the second article is a profile of the Kingsburg Police Chief. That one will be going live this coming Saturday. I also just had a review come out Saturday that I did a few months ago on the delightful novel Menopause in Manhattan by my buddy Anne Kleinberg. My editor is always looking to do reviews and was good enough to want to use this one.

Other than that, I simply press forward. I have two library events coming up. The first will be in my hometown which is the site where my novel takes place. If you have yet to read my novel and you like e-books, then you are in luck! *grins* This month, Smashwords is having a sale. You can get my book for almost nothing. If you would rather have the signed softcover version, send me a note. I'm sure we can work something out. *grins again*

We'll talk soon.