Tuesday, December 27, 2011

When is a Hoax More Than Just a Hoax?


"Cardinal Hoax"
Karl Bozicevic

ISBN: 978-0-615-51767-4
Flow Focusing Press
San Francisco, CA
Available at Amazon

“Cardinal Hoax” is a book that draws on many of the key traditions of the science fiction genre. We're all familiar with the “find a new invention, use it as a vehicle for stories,” element of sci-fi. Star Trek has its transporters, and warp drives: Stargate has the Gate and wormhole technology: Welles has his time machine, and Isaac Asimov has the science of “psychohistory” by which human behavior might be predicted. In the end, the story is the thing. The new gizmo is always the new element, but it's what the author does with the gizmo, and the stories he tells around it, that really bring books long lasting recognition.

Some of the most interesting science fiction since the early days of the genre, came from thinking deeply about humanity, putting the reader in a different frame of reference, and looking back to see what we would look like from the perspective of an alien, or folks in a far future or a distant past. It demands that the author look closely at who we are, what we believe, and how we behave. Horses were transportation until carts came along, which were transportation until autos were invented, and on to buses, trains, airplanes, and space shuttles. With each new mode, some of the distances both between cities, and between peoples were changed along with them. Stories of riding on the first trains or planes now no longer hold our interest. We want to be on the rocket ships to the stars.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

From Maverick to the Notebook


First, I must admit I have loved James Garner, or at least the parts I’ve seen him play since I was about four years old. While I have never gotten into the fan thing, there are a handful of actors and actresses who have brightened my life. (They don’t use the term actress anymore; my niece is an actor.) But the brightest among them has always been James Garner. If Lorne Greene as Ben Cartwright was my father, James Garner as Maverick, was my husband. Of course I had to get the book.

The Garner Files
By James Garner and Jon Winokur
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Abuse and Strength

Thank you to a reader who noticed that the teaser sent to your email box Monday had several run together words. If you visited the site, you know that those errors were not on the site. I am not sure how to correct this error in the email renditions of the blog but please know I am working on it.

Today we have a simple excerpt of a promising new book by Monique Domovitch. Drop by and read about a poor, abused child forced out into the world.




Announcing the Scorpio Rising Social Media Whirlwind Tour! As part of this special promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, the price of the Scorpio Rising eBook edition has dropped to just 99 cents this week. What’s more, by purchasing this fantastic book at an incredibly low price, you can enter to win many awesome prizes, including 2 Kindle Fires, Amazon gift cards up to $100 in amount, 5 autographed copies of the book, and 5 autographed copies of its recently released sequel, The Sting of The Scorpio. Be sure to enter before the end of the day on Friday, December 23rd, so you don’t miss out.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

The Joke's on Him!


It is a nice warm Sunday evening due to be followed by a wickedly cold Monday, meaning I should have been out doing Christmas shopping instead of watching the home teams get beat. Then again, tomorrow will feel more like Christmas. It also means that our Sensual Sunday book will be a little something to warm you right up. Today’s choice is a little, light read from Rebecca J. Clark. Sometimes a little light read is just what is needed to bring the spark of joy back into your life.



Author: Rebecca J. Clark
Publisher: Siren-Bookstrand
Length: 45,000 Words, eBook Format
Sub-Genres: Comedy, Contemporary
Blurb:
Her One-Night Prince is a Cinderella story about a woman's dream to be something she's not for just one night at her class reunion.
As all fairy tales go, however, happy endings don't come easily.