This, ladies and gents, is the kind of book review that every writer dreams about. Thank you to fellow writer Carson Buckingham for giving Testing the Prisoner 6 out of 5 stars on the horror review site, Hellnotes.
“…Testing the Prisoner is so much more brilliant than just a terrific piece of fiction. It’s about the crossroads that we all eventually end up at and the decisions we make when we get there. The book takes an old trope and imbues it with complexity and new life… The character development is masterfully done, with character growth of not only the protagonist, but almost every single character in the story…”
This month, Philip Athans explores the concept of originality in fiction while Chris Winkle shows us how we can effectively suspend disbelief in our readers.
Kristen Lamb explains the benefits of book reviews to an author’s career (seriously, I could always use more!) while Garry Rogers illustrates how the Feynman Learning Technique can help us with plotting.
At Writer Unboxed, the inimitable Kathryn Craft delves into vulnerability while Desmond Hall discusses suspense at the story and sentence level.
I wrote this book to increase awareness and prevention of child abuse and domestic violence. After all, the best fiction tackles difficult and often uncomfortable social issues. It’s nice to see some recognition at this level. Not too shabby! I have the book out in one other contest but won’t hear the results until March.
On Saturday, October 28th, a few hundred longtime attendees of Farpoint and Shore Leave SF conventions descended on the Marriott Delta in Hunt Valley, MD to bid the hotel goodbye. After 40+ years of hosting genre conventions, the hotel will close on October 31. According to the rumor mill, the building will be demolished and replaced by a Tesla dealership or condos or both.
My wife and I spent part of the day wandering the hotel and taking final pictures all while a dog show was in progress. Adorable pooches everywhere, which added an element of fun to an otherwise bittersweet occasion.
It was wonderful to spend time with so many old friends including Sharon VanBlarcom, Steve and Renee Wilson, June Swords, Daniel Patrick Corcoran, Cindy Shockey, Bob Greenberger, Royce Essig, Sashi German, Susanna Reilly, Rhonda Greene, Diane Baron, Blair Learn, Paul Balze, Lance and Cindy Woods, Inge Heyer, Jay and Pam Smith, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Mike McPhail, Ann Hande, Susan Staneslow Olesen, and more. Apologies if I’m forgetting anyone.
While at the farewell party, Farpoint announced their new home at the Hilton Doubletree in Pikesville, MD. Shore Leave will make a similar announcement in the coming weeks.
The weekend of October 21-22 was a hectic one with back to back book events. On Saturday the 21st, I had an author table at a local family Halloween event called Witches Day Out.
This event was founded about a decade ago by a friend and former co-worker who has since passed down the torch to her daughters. I had a table at their very first show held in a small bed and breakfast in Allentown, PA. Back then, it was a one-day event. Now, it’s three Saturdays in October at the Tri-Boro Sportsmen Club in Northampton, PA.
There were vendors both inside and out selling jewelry, crafts, candles, holiday decor, baked goods, tattoos, and of course, books. I only sold about six, but catching up with my co-worker and her daughters made the day wonderful in addition to the beautiful location on the Lehigh Canal, of course!
Deep gratitude to Lynn Murphy and her daughter Megan Schroy for inviting me back. Already looking forward to next year!
Sunday saw me participating in the final day of the 5th annual Easton Book Festival and for me, it was the best one yet as I reunited with old friends, made new ones, and sold a few books.
At 11AM, I moderated a wonderful panel called “Grit & Crime: The Art of Writing Noir” with Dianna Sinovic, Suzanne Mattaboni, and Albert Tucher. All of us have stories in Hard-Boiled and Loaded with Sin, the latest crime fiction anthology by Hawkshaw Press. The panel was held at Book & Puppet Company on Centre Square, one of the hubs of the festival.
Throughout the day, I dashed to and from my table at the Easton Public Market to participate in other events including “Dark & Stormy Night” book reading competition at 2PM in Book & Puppet. This is always a fun event with my fellow members of the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group. This time around, participants included Dianna Sinovic as scorekeeper, Charles Kiernan as timekeeper and quizmaster, John Evans as our host and inventor of the competition, and my fellow readers Michael Daigle and Suzanne Mattaboni.
All told, it was a magical weekend of fun and camaraderie. Hats off to EBF President Lynn Alexander, Vice President Darrell Parry, Festival Director Andy Laties, Secretary John Evans, and the entire committee and staff. Looking forward to next October!
Photo credit: Andy Laties, festival director and owner of Book & Puppet Co.Photo credit: Joseph MalhamPhoto credit: Lynn Alexander, president of Easton Book FestivalPhoto credit: Lynn Alexander, president of Easton Book Festival
This month, writer pal Kathryn Craft shows us how to use weddings and funerals in our stories to explore characters and heighten emotions. Over at Mythcreants, Oren Ashkenazi examines the ever-popular literary device known as unreliable narrator.
Kristen Overman offers advice on self-editing and developing strong characters while Meredith Lyons talks about keepin’ it real in paranormal fiction. Do you feel pressured to sacrifice your social time for your writing? John Gilstrap reminds us not to feel guilty for living our lives.
Kelsey McConnell discusses the need for trigger warnings in horror novels. This is a timely topic given that I just released the second edition of Testing the Prisoner, my first paranormal mystery novel from 2009 that deals with child abuse and domestic violence.
If you’re a LibraryThing member, I’m running a giveaway for Testing the Prisoner! Six winners will receive a signed copy. Check it out here. Ends October 25th.
