Kelli Stanley: City of Dragons
978-0312603601 – Hardcover – Thomas Dunne/Minotaur Books – $24.99
Reading Kelli Stanley’s City of Dragons was a pleasure from beginning to end. I liked her incredible attention to details in the San Francisco of the 1940s setting. I really liked her main character, the wounded private eye, Miranda Corbie. Kelli’s love of noir fiction, and love for a great story really show. Good fiction should be able to take you into another place and time coupling the author’s skills with your own imagination. This book certainly succeeds in grabbing you early, and keeping your attention. Anyone who has read and loved the great classic detective novels will feel at home with Kelli Stanley’s writing. And she has that political edge that so many writers of the 30s and 40s brought to their work.
There’s a lot going on here. You can feel San Francisco in the dark of pre-World War II, taste the cigarettes and booze, and feel the very real danger her characters experience, the otherness of Chinatown, and the deaths and broken lives that dot this sometimes harsh and painful cityscape. And you can feel throughout how much heart and soul the author has put into this book. It’s a pleasure to read, and has a story that won’t let go. Lots of fun overall, and City of Dragons works on many levels, so it will satisfy readers looking for entertainment or something with a bit more depth as well.
Kelli loves her work and loves to talk about it too, so we had a great conversation. This is a writer with a great future and I am very much looking forward to her next book. I’m also hoping to get her to contribute a reading from this novel to Writerscast in the near future. Kelli’s own website is worth a visit as well. City of Dragons is available as an e-book in various formats, and in digital audio as well.
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Kermit Moyer: The Chester Chronicles
978-1579621940 – Hardcover – Permanent Press – $28.00
What a pleasure it was to discover this writer. The Chester Chronicles is a collection of interlocking stories that serve to create what is essentially a coming-of-age novel. We are introduced to Chet Patterson as a pre-adolescent and stay with him as he grows unto early manhood. He is the son of a military man, so at the heart of the book is the peripatetic journey of a budding intellectual, who often does not fit in with the crowd and is always in search of both his internal and his social identity. There are lots of adventures along the way, many having to do with girls and sex, boys and drinking.
There are certainly elements here that will be most familiar to people of a certain age, who lived through the ’50s and ’60s, especially the defining moments of those times. But as with any good book, the character and his story transcend the specifics of the place and time in which the book is set. The point is, after all, for us to see him as a person on a journey, and to understand where he has been, and perhaps also, therefore, to understand who he will become. As the author says of himself and of his character, he is “plagued with Oedipal anxieties and existential doubt, yet nonetheless convinced of his heroic destiny.” There are several moment in the book that can make the reader laugh out loud, and there are others where it is equally impossible not to deeply feel his pain. I’d say that’s a pretty good accomplishment for any writer.
In my interview with Kermit Moyer, we talked about some of the autobiographical elements of the book, some of the stories which stood out for me as a reader, as well as some of the characters in the book that affected me the most. We talked quite a bit about autobiographical fiction and how this book fits into the tradition of fictionalized autobiography and works transformationally both for the author and the reader. Moyer provides an interesting explanation of his writing which I hope will help introduce new readers to his fine writing.
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Matthew Aaron Goodman reading from Hold Love Strong
February 2, 2010 by David
Filed under AuthorsVoices, Fiction
978-141-656203-0 – Hardcover – Simon & Schuster Touchstone – $24.99
Writerscast is proud to inaugurate a new series of authors reading from their work we are calling AuthorsVoices. I hope you will agree that hearing these works read aloud, especially by the original authors, will add greatly to one’s experience of the writing and the authors’ distinct sense of their own words. With writers touring for books less frequently now, these podcasts should provide readers with an opportunity to hear some of our best contemporary authors reading from, and sometimes performing their own works.
Matthew Aaron Goodman’s first novel is called Hold Love Strong; in my opinion, it is a particularly powerful work of fiction (my interview with him is below). This is a terrific book, with powerful language and vivid imagery. Matthew gives his words their full due with this excellent reading from his book.
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Matthew Aaron Goodman: Hold Love Strong
978-1416562030 – Hardcover – Simon & Schuster Touchstone – $24.99
This is flat out one of the best books I have read in a long time. It begins with an incredible story that grabs you instantly and will not let go. I felt like I was holding my breath almost throughout the book. Matthew Aaron Goodman avoids cliches at every turn, loves his characters, demands respect for them from beginning to end, but never hides from the pain and suffering they experience. As readers, we feel like we are living in, through and with his characters, which is a triumph of both the author’s imagination and his deeply felt love for the people he writes about.
It’s difficult to believe that this is Goodman’s first novel. His mastery of language, his ability to inhabit the hearts and souls of his characters, and the simple clarity of his voice are all remarkable for any author, much less a first novelist. I was blown away, and have been recommending this book widely to friends and colleagues.
Cornel West gave it a very fine blurb that is worth reprinting here: “Matthew Aaron Goodman’s Hold Love Strong is a powerful and poignant story of the gallant Abraham who struggles on the night side of American society yet exudes a light of genuine hope. Goodman is an activist and artist who never loses sight of the humanity of those either imprisoned or free!”
I also recommend readers to visit Matthew’s own site where you can read some more of his work. In 2007, working hand and hand with formerly incarcerated men and women, Matthew created The Leadership Alliance, a community empowerment project that unites recently freed people with volunteer partners. And there is a wonderful review of Hold Love Strong by Nina Sankovitch on Readiac that I think describes perfectly the power and impact this book can have on readers.
In my interview with Matthew, we talked about his own life story to help understand how he came to write Hold Love Strong, the work he has done in New York communities and elsewhere, and alot about the book itself, its characters and story, and of course what he is working on now. He is as compelling talking about his work and ideas as he is writing about them.
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Jennifer Estep: Spider’s Bite
978-1439147979 – Mass Market Paperback – Pocket Books – $7.99
Jennifer Estep has written three books before this one, in an edgy paranormal romance series she called Bigtime. Spider’s Bite kicks off a new series, this one she calls urban fantasy, and I think the description is apt. It’s gritty, violent, tough, but full of love and a kind of self-defined punk-inspired love that has a depth and strength that is really admirable.
I know the book business likes to categorize books, sometimes quite narrowly, and there are good reasons for that. So this book falls into a category that Publishers Weekly calls “urban fantasy.” While I am not quite sure I know what that means, this novel is certainly a full on fantasy novel set in a city, so I guess that label fits in a literal way. But all labels and categories aside, author Estep has fashioned a terrific set of characters, in particular our hero, Gin. The first line of the book makes clear what we readers are getting into: “My name is Gin, and I kill people.” And she does, she is an assassin after all.
I was very impressed with Estep’s writing and she has fashioned a terrific story line. Some of the characters run to type, but they fit the story so well, we don’t mind. The author has set her imagination loose on the southeastern city in which the story takes place, maybe in our future, or maybe in an alternate universe, it’s wild and never dull. I’m looking forward to reading the sequels too.
Jennifer and I had a fun interview talking about this book, how she started as a writer and where her ideas come from. She’s a dedicated reader turned writer, and her love for books, ideas and writing shines through her work and her words.
See an excerpt from the book at chptr1.com. Visit Jennifer’s well put together site to learn more about her and her books.
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Steve Berry: The Paris Vendetta
978-0345505477 – Hardcover -Ballantine Books – $26.00
Steve Berry’s latest adventure. The Paris Vendetta, is a terrific read, grounded in some pretty riveting historical mysteries, with a powerful story that grabs you right away and just will not let go. I really enjoyed reading it. Steve’s own description of the book (his site is one of the best author sites I have visited) is the best way to summarize the story without giving too much away:
When Napoleon Bonaparte died in exile in 1821, he took to the grave a powerful secret. As general and Emperor, he had stolen uncountable riches from palaces, national treasuries, even the Knights of Malta and the Vatican. In his final days, his British captors hoped to learn where the loot lay hidden. But he told them nothing and in his will he made no mention of his treasure.
Or did he?
Former-Justice Department operative Cotton Malone is about to find out after trouble comes knocking at his Copenhagen bookshop. Actually, it breaks and enters in the form of an American Secret Service agent with a pair of assassins on his heels. Malone has his doubts about the anxious young man, but narrowly surviving a ferocious firefight convinces him to follow his unexpected new ally.
Their first stop is the secluded estate of Malone’s good friend, Henrik Thorvaldsen. The wily Danish tycoon has uncovered the insidious plans of the Paris Club, a cabal of multi-millionaires bent on manipulating the global economy. Only by matching wits with a terrorist-for-hire, foiling a catastrophic attack, and plunging into a desperate hunt for Napoleon’s legendary lost treasure can Malone hope to avert international financial anarchy.
But Thorvaldsen’s real objective is much more personal: a vendetta to avenge the murder of his son by the larcenous aristocrat at the heart of the conspiracy. Which places Malone in an impossible quandary-one that forces him to choose between friend and country, past and present. Starting in Denmark, moving to England, and ending up in the storied streets and cathedrals of Paris, Malone plays a breathless game of duplicity and death, all to claim a prize of untold value.
I really enjoyed talking to Steve about The Paris Vendetta. Even though it’s the latest in a series he’s done featuring Cotton Malone, you definitely do not need to start at the beginning of the series. This book has all the requisite elements for readers who enjoy intelligent, historically grounded adventure novels; it’s almost impossible not to compare Berry to Dan Brown, and in my opinion, Berry is clearly the better writer. And as an added bonus, Steve is an author who can talk incisively about his own work. This interview should be fun for his many current fans as well as those who have never read his books.
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Joann Davis: The Book of the Shepherd
978-0061732300 – Hardcover – HarperCollins – $19.99
The Book of the Shepherd: The Story of One Simple Prayer and How it Changed the World is a beautifully written parable that made me think of writers like Paulo Coelho and Kahlil Gibran. The conceit of the book is that the author finds a manuscript in a house in Vermont, and has it translated, thus this story. It’s a short book, and an easy read, but of course, because it is a parable, the book demands to be re-read and thought about deeply.
The story has no distinct place or time. Joshua is the shepherd who is troubled by the code of “an eye for an eye” that governs his world. He has a dream about “a new way” and sets off on a quest to find it.
Stone the builder who erects a house that falls on its occupants. Sever the hands of the criminal who pilfers livestock or grain or another’s garment. Whip the child who defies an elder. For such is the law and the law must be obeyed.
For generations, these ironclad rules had governed the people. Nobody questioned whether it was right to humiliate a child or execute a murderer. An eye for an eye was the way of the world.
But was there another way?
Joshua is accompanied by Elizabeth, a former slave who is kind and generous, and David, a boy who must learn to walk in new shoes. Joshua believes that “an age of miracles” will come when the new way is found.
As with any quest, there is adventure along the way. En route to a cave near the Great Inland Sea, the travelers meet a number of interesting and compelling characters, including the Storyteller, the Apothecary, the Blind Man, and the Stranger. Each passes on an important lesson as the travelers journey toward what we realize is their destiny. At the cave, Joshua must see if he can bring forth secrets long buried. But he, Elizabeth, and David will discover that what they have been searching for has been inside them all along. In the end, The Book of the Shepherd is compelling and meaningful, whatever your political, social or religious outlook or beliefs. It’s not heavy handed or preachy, and even for many secularists, will be well worth the investment of time to read.
Joann Davis is an experienced writer and former book editor. She is extremely articulate and passionate about her work, and was a pleasure to interview. We talked about her work as a writer, her own spirituality, and how The Book of the Shepherd can change people and the world for good.
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Summer Brenner: I-5, A Novel of Crime, Transport, and Sex
978-1-60486-019-1 – Paperback – PM Press – $15.95
This is a slim novel that packs a pretty powerful punch. Summer Brenner was best known to me as a poet, but it turns out she has been writing fiction for quite some time. She has a political interest, as this novel demonstrates, but it is not a tract. It’s a sensitive portrayal of an Eastern European woman who has been tricked into coming to America, where she has been enslaved in a money for sex ring that makes a business out of the correlation between the desires of women to escape the misery of their lives and men who are willing to pay for sex of all kinds with women, whose real lives they care nothing about.
As the story of I-5 unfolds, Anya, the main character, is traveling the interstate corridor up central California from Los Angeles to Oakland; adventures ensue, some of them strange, some of them desperate, all of them painful and sad. Still, Brenner’s characters matter, she is sympathetic to all of them as human beings, even the worst exploiters in the crew. That makes this novel much more than a book about sex, money, power and violence; in Brenner’s hands, these characters transcend their typologies to become real people trapped in their individual gulags. She writes visually, so that with a relatively few words, we can see what she wants us to see, the places her characters inhabit, and even their interior worlds. It’s gut wrenching book, but our faith in the ability of people to overcome the obstacles between themselves and their humanity is never lost.
This is really a terrific book; yes, the cover makes it look like a trashy paperback from the 50s, but done in a modern enough way that there is no mistaking it for anything exploitative. I-5 is a hardboiled story, and it is as noir as any book you will read, but it’s a transformative experience to read and one that should not be missed. In my interview with Summer, we talked quite a bit about the how she came to write this book, and many of the issues of sexual slavery in America and worldwide today. She expresses a deep emotional connection with the characters in her novel, based on her own experiences as a woman. Her abilities to imagine her characters and their stories is remarkable. Summer Brenner is a writer more people should know, and one who important things to say.
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James A. Owen: Here, There be Dragons
978-1416912279 – Hardcover – Simon & Schuster – $17.95 (a paperback edition is also available – but the price difference is small enough for me to recommend you buy the hardcover)
James A. Owen is a wonderful writer. It’s interesting to me how many really excellent writers there are who are categorized as “young adult” writers because the books they write are about things like dragons, or boys who are heroes or even young wizards in an imaginary school in an imaginary part of England. In my opinion anyway, Here, There be Dragons is a book for readers of all ages or any age. It’s well written, has characters with depth, beautifully done line drawings by the author, and a fast moving, engaging story line that includes heroes who are connected to our literary history in some very interesting ways. What more can one ask for in a novel?
“What is it?” John asked.
The little man blinked and arched an eyebrow.
“It is the world, my boy,” he said. “All the world, in ink and blood, vellum and parchment, leather and hide. It is the world, and it is yours to save or lose.”
An unusual murder brings together three strangers, John, Jack, and Charles, on a rainy night in London during the first World War. An eccentric little man called Bert tells them that they are now the caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica — an atlas of all the lands that have ever existed in myth and legend, fable and fairy tale. These lands, Bert claims, can be traveled to in his ship the Indigo Dragon, one of only seven vessels that is able to cross the Frontier between worlds into the Archipelago of Dreams.
Pursued by strange and terrifying creatures, the companions flee London aboard the Dragonship. Traveling to the very realm of the imagination itself, they must learn to overcome their fears and trust in one another if they are to defeat the dark forces that threaten the destiny of two worlds. And in the process, they will share a great adventure filled with clues that lead readers to the surprise revelation of the legendary storytellers these men will one day become.
It’s a pretty good bet that if you like this book, you will be pleased to know you can continue to read. This is the first volume in the Chronicles of Imaginarium Geographica series, which has now reached a total of four books, with more to come. It’s probably true that this book and its series will appeal most to a certain type of reader, one who has read and enjoyed adventure stories, particularly those well written classics of the past (again, I don’t think it’s about the age of the reader but rather one’s interests). Unlikely heroes, normal people faced with challenges to which they rise, mythological characters brought to life, and above all, dragons, definitely motivate some of us more than others. I guess I am one of those.
I had the pleasure of meeting James A. Owen at Comicon in San Diego. I was impressed to see a writer so willing to engage with his readers – Comicon can be exhausting for exhibitors and for creators even more so. In this interview, he displays his engaging personality, and talks with me about the origin of his work as a novelist, his work in comics, contacts with film makers (the film adaptation is in development and appears scheduled as a 2011 release), and his attempt to revive the classic magazine, Argosy. Owen started as a comic book writer and illustrator, and even was a publisher of comics, and then moved into writing novels almost accidentally. This is a lucky turn of events for readers of fiction. You can learn much more about James A. Owen and his work at this website and he also has a beautiful blog based site, the Wonder Cabinet, that is well worth regular visits. I’m hopeful that over time, Owen’s work will reach the wider audience it deserves.
Note to listeners: this interview is slightly longer than most at 27 minutes, but should provide sufficient interest to reward your investment of time.
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Caroline Leavitt: Girls in Trouble
978-0312339739 – paperback – St. Martin’s Griffin – $14.95
Sometimes you get lucky. There are books you find by accident, maybe you choose them just to browse, not meaning to become engaged, they’re discoveries, books you would not “normally” have picked up to read, they surprise you, you’re hooked, and then you can’t stop reading. For me, reading Caroline Leavitt’s Girls in Trouble was just that sort of a book. In this case I read it because she wrote me an email and asked if she could send me a copy of the book, which was easy enough for me to agree to. When it came, I picked it up, the story line described on the cover has some personal resonance, so I took a chance and started reading. And then found I could not put it down. Reading Girls in Trouble was a constant surprise and revelation. It took me places I did not expect to go, it gave me characters I wanted to know and know better, and I believed in their experiences. And it’s a big plus that Caroline can really write.
I don’t want to give any of the story away, but suffice to say, what happens to the people in this book is not what you expect, and reading it will help you understand something important about families, relationships, and parenting. Not the easy, feel-good poster stuff from the movies either. I recommend this book to almost any kind of reader, male or female, old or young, literature readers and even those who just like to be entertained. It’s that good.
Given how much I liked this book, interviewing Caroline Leavitt was quite a pleasure. She has a lot to say about writing, and the way she interacts and lives with her characters, and how this and her other books came into being. Girls in Trouble is a rich vein to mine for an interview too, as it works on so many different levels and across so many lives and years, and of course because it is centered around an open adoption gone terribly wrong, it generates a certain amount of controversy and that gives the author another great subject to talk about. I am very much looking forward to reading her next novel, Pictures of You (which we also talked about in this interview).
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