Book Launch News: Monsters, Magic, and Music—Oh My!

Hello, dear readers….

It’s shout-out time!

I’m stoked to announce that two colleagues of mine have book launches fast approaching, and both books are available for pre-order NOW. And what makes things especially exciting is that these two books are not just stand-alone works; each is also the opening book of a brand-new series!

These two ladies—Anne C. Miles & E.A. Comiskey—are both gifted writers with sharp wit, powerful insight, and a deep, inspiring well of talent and cultivated skill. They’re also incredibly kind, wise, genuine souls with integrity, and they’ve helped me in dealing with some of the toughest years of my life now. They’ve made me feel less alone and have inspired me to be a better person. Even though I met them both in the context of writing groups, what I’ve been blessed to learn from them as a writer has proven to be secondary to what I’ve learned from them as a person. I’m a tough case, but believe me when I say I’d be far worse off were it not for the impact they’ve had. I genuinely don’t even know where I’d be without them. The past several years, especially the past two, have held such profound pain and isolation for me, and I think I would’ve broken down so much further had it not been for their presence. They’re not the only people who’ve played such a role in my life, but they’re some of the most central.

Okay, enough schmaltzy reminiscing. What of the books themselves? Rather than doing two separate, full-blown review posts in a more traditional style here, I’m merging things. What I’m going to do for you here is provide the book blurbs and then pick a couple of favorite aspects from each book separately (based on the early versions I’ve been privy to), and then discuss some great qualities they have in common.

Let’s start with Sorrowfish:

Sorrowfish (The Call of The Lorica Book 1)

TWO WORLDS. ONE FATE.

A bard. A wizard…and a college student from Kentucky.

Sara is having crazy dreams. Gryphon and dragon crazy and she’s not even a geek. The scary part? She wakes up with scratches and splinters. Is she losing it because of stress? One more unfinished sculpture will fully tank her grades. Goodbye bachelor’s degree, hello failure. Her twin sister is in a coma. On top of everything else, her best friend Peter wants to date. 

It’s enough to make anyone sleepwalk.

Choosing to defy the Conclave, Bard-in-training Trystan risks capture and mind control to find a magical lute through a shadow network. Luthier-wizard Dane meets a sinister stranger and barely escapes with his life. Dane’s fate entwines with Trystan’s when they must end an ancient curse, guided by a fae they only know as Sara.

Release Date: September 3, 2019

Sorrowfish is outside of my usual genre list. I tend more towards crime thrillers, with some romance reading and a touch of paranormal on the side. So I’m not going to have the same standpoint as a hardcore fantasy reader.

But even so, this has still turned out to be a wonderful and absorbing read for me. One of the things I’ve been most impressed by has been the level of detail and complexity in the world-building, and the way the background and character threads have all intersected. You can tell that a great amount of work went into laying these foundations and building up the history of our chief story world, Canard. It’s all the more striking when I consider that Anne seems to be much more of a “pantser” (vs. “plotter” or “plantser”) than I am. I’ve had more than enough trouble with that approach while writing stories set in this dimension! How she’s managed to wrangle things while having to create a sound, thought-out world from scratch just leaves me in wonder. 

There’s so much to enjoy in this book and I’m very much looking forward to Anne’s future exploration of all there is to delve into here as the series progresses. 

Another thing I love about Sorrowfish—and this really displays the author’s skill here—is how well balanced things are between the time with spend in Sarah’s world and the time we spend with Dane and the rest of the Canardian denizens. When you have a split-world, multi-POV book like this, there’s a definite risk that one or more perspectives or settings one quite feel like it lives up to the other(s). You can end up with a situation where, whether than enjoying each chapter fully, the audience finds itself wanting to rush through some chapters, impatient to return to the more appealing setting or POV. 

But in Anne’s case, despite her tendency to end on some maddening cliffhangers, ha, things are balanced so that each POV can stand in its own right. As wonderful and fascinating as Canard is, Sarah’s world—that of near-past, real-world Kentucky—doesn’t feel inadequate or disappointing next to that. And this goes for both world and characters; neither is shortchanged and even though we may wish to find out what happens immediately after a cliffhanger, I didn’t feel disappointed at returning to a different POV for a chapter or two. 

I truly enjoyed both stories separately, and things simply became all the more intriguing as the threads connecting the two gradually wound tighter as the story progressed. 

And just as a quick side note, if you’re a lover of music, you should enjoy yourself here, as the author’s own love of music very much comes through in this novel. Not that you would’ve guessed it by the cover or anything, heh….

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Some Monsters Never Die (Monsters and Mayhem Book 1)

Richard always believed he’d enjoy a few golden years before Death’s bony hand reached for him. But what does he get? He gets to live across the hall from friggin’ Stanley Kapcheck with his shiny bald head and perfect teeth that are all his own; Stanley Kapcheck who struts around like a peacock in his leather coat.

Honestly! What kind of respectable senior citizen wears leather?

But Stanley isn’t your average senior citizen. He’s a Hunter—a slayer of all things unnatural. He reveals to Richard that the one monster that has eluded him is the same beast that killed Richard’s wife, and it’s due to kill again before the next new moon. The two men load up on ibuprofen and prune juice and embark on a cross-country demon-hunting adventure, but when The Devil Herself kidnaps Stanley, Richard realizes the line between Hunter and hunted is very thin, indeed, and the ornery octogenarian only has a few days left to trap The Devil, save Stanley, and slay the monster who murdered his bride.

CHAPTER ONE – RICHARD

Old age was the most vicious of bullies. Life had already scorned him, knocked the books out of his hands and beat him to a pulp. Now, here came Old Age to kick sand in his face. It wasn’t fair. All his life, he’d been promised a retirement from hardship—a handful of golden years before Death’s bony hand reached for him. Now, when it was far too late to do anything about it, he realized the whole blasted world had conspired against him. 

There were no golden years. Only a lonely descent toward oblivion.

Everest Senior Living Facility was not the nursing home of his nightmares.

As a younger man, in his seventies, Richard had woken in a cold sweat with visions of dirty, closed-in rooms, abusive nurses, and seeping bedsores. The reality of his old age was nothing like that. 

The old folks’ home was full of sunlight that streamed through enormous, plentiful, spotless windows. Perky young girls who smelled faintly of coffee bustled about with rhinestone-studded stethoscopes draped around their necks.

The food was bland and mushy, but at least as good as what he’d lived off in the years since his sweet Barbara had died, and they served ice-cold prune juice at every meal, so his guts kept moving like they were supposed to. Thanks be to the Holy Lord above, there were no olive loaf sandwiches. He’d eaten enough olive loaf to last a dozen lifetimes.

All in all, Everest was as good a place as any to be abandoned by your family while you waited for death.

Well, it would have been, if it weren’t for Stanley Kapcheck. Stanley with his shiny bald head and perfect teeth that were all his own. Stanley had a flat stomach and a British accent. He wore a leather coat. 

Honestly! What kind of respectable senior citizen wore leather?

Pretty nurses, young enough to be his grandchildren, giggled and blushed when Stanley spoke.

Richard loathed Stanley.

Was it so much to ask for a man to grow old and die the way nature intended? Something was weird about a man Stanley’s age who still wore well-shined, lace-up shoes that he tied himself.

Consequently, the sight of Stanley’s pristine wingtip tapping the white tiles of the dining hall floor chipped away at the core of Richard’s soul. And if that weren’t enough, the pompous old peacock had an extra helping of chocolate pudding on the table in front of him. That new girl with the wild black curls had brought it to him, offering it like she was presenting her dowry.

Richard used the back of his chair and the edge of the table to push himself to his feet. He held on for a moment to make sure his balance was good and steady, and then moved his hands to his walker and shuffled in Richard’s direction.

The insufferable old fart smiled at him. “Good evening, Dick! You’re looking well. How’s that hip of yours?”

How dare he act like they were friends? And, Lord, but how he hated being called Dick.

 

Release Date: August 31, 2019.

Paranormal fiction is definitely closer to my natural reading zone. While I tend not to be a fan of extreme horror—especially in visual media—I can stomach things better in book format, and the appeal of a book like this is that it combines the chills-and-kills element (and boy, was that satisfyingly done here!) with a strong vein of action-adventure. 

But I think the biggest appeals in this book for me were actually the most unique and unexpected aspects. The first would be the ages of the characters involved. The story starts out with an 80-year-old man who’s been left to face the end of his life in a nursing home. And he’s not the hapless red-shirt about to be killed off in the prologue, nor a sample save to introduce our protagonist. He is the protagonist. 

That’s probably not what you would expect, especially not in a story centered around anything as kinetic and high-adrenaline as monster slaying, for God’s sake! But that’s what I love about it. Not just because of the surprise factor but also because of the very idea of giving older characters a chance to shine like this. And by shine, I honestly mean kick some serious butt in a way usually reserved for characters decades younger. Make no mistake: it can be absolutely great to have the more expected roles like mentor, predecessor, mysterious guru, etc. But it’s also awesome to get to see characters that are up in years take center stage and stay there. 

And Richard’s age isn’t simply ignored or glossed over; it’s a constant companion and we see the different impacts and influences it presents physically, mentally, and psychologically. As you might’ve guessed from that Chapter One excerpt, this book on various occasions presents a thought-provoking and downright haunting look at aging and the prospect of nearing the end of one’s life. 

But believe me, while this story hits serious nerves and doesn’t let you off without some serious reflection and sobriety, things aren’t all grim. Not by a bloody long shot! Because the other favorite element that I want to list here is the humor. Between the sharp-toothed monstrosities and the difficult topics broached, a balancing element is very much needed—and it’s there in spades. I continually found myself cracking up as I read this book, especially in reading the interactions between the curmudgeonly Richard and the nonstop thorn in his side by the name of Stanley. The combination of permanent affront and frustration on Richard’s end and umpteen-watt, can’t-take-a-hint energy on Stanley’s part make for a relentlessly entertaining combo. Add Burke to the mix, and—oh, Burke? Well, Burke is a very enjoyable surprise. …And that’s all I can say for fear of spoiling things. 

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Content/Ratings Note: With regard to content, I’d say that Sorrowfish is comparable to the Star Wars franchise, coming in at a moderate PG to light PG-13, with violence being the primary thing. There are also some instances of cruelty (courtesy of the villains) that are universally disturbing. This book works for both adult and younger audiences, and I’d feel comfortable allowing preteens and older to read.

When it comes to Monsters Never Die, I’d say the violence level is perhaps a bit stronger. But this series is definitely aimed more strictly at older audiences, and there’s a significant element of sexual content in the first book. Because of that, I would only recommend this for mid-teens (15/16) and older.

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A Triple Win

Now, what about those shared elements I promised to talk about? Well, there are a few things that come to mind here. One is the mutual ability of these authors to create layered, fleshed-out, well-thought-out characters that are multifaceted complicated in a way reflective of real life, rather than being reductive cardboard cutouts. And that flows into the second and third commonalities. The second one is the simultaneously deft & graceful, bold & courageous handling of sticky, sensitive topics within these stories, issues like: mortality, romantic/sexual relationships and behavior, family estrangement, ethics, morals, race, spiritual matters, aging, and mental-health struggles.

Trait Three is the handling of female characters. I think people, in some quarters at least, are realizing how the whole strong-female concept has at times backfired and resulted in characters that don’t actually do any favors to women. We’ve ended up with ones who are unbelievably perfect and skilled, or who are presented as such despite their flaws. We have supposedly tough ones who yet can’t take responsibility for their own actions or acknowledge their failings. We have women who behave like it’s inherently virtuous to reject males in general, as though a rather huge amount of the human population is actually that useless. We have ones who actually further their own exploitation or that of others, but then just stick the big “E” word—”empowerment”—on it like that magically solves things.

Basically, we end up with characters that are caricatures, ones that not only aren’t relatable but that would be destructive to view as examples to aspire to or be taught by. One of the worst things is to try and strip away elements of femininity, or indeed of humanity, as though being female or being vulnerable is indeed bad and inferior and we’re only at our best when we either act like males (or often, rather poor imitations of males) or act like bloody robots. Both men and women need to have balance, and that means having both softer and harder elements. And you don’t empower a male or a female by stripping away their masculinity or femininity. Those things are neither diseases to be “cured” nor accessories to be casually traded around or knocked-off like designer handbags; they’re deeply integral elements with their own unique beauty and purpose. 

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Fortunately, both Comiskey and Miles have succeeded in providing nuanced portrayals that are a breath of fresh air. Women are allowed to be vulnerable, to be emotional. They can fall and fail; they have to work to overcome their pasts and flaws. They’re capable of being wrong and of making bad and downright stupid decisions. They don’t have everything handed to them on a plate from the get-go; they display their strength by being able to learn over time, growing and recovering and gradually overcoming. These women aren’t airbrushed supermodels nor lab-grown super soldiers. They’re refreshingly real people fighting their way through life, seeking direction, absolution, and resolution; dealing with family drama and romantic entanglements; and gaining strength for larger battles by learning to handle ones closer to home. 

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And they don’t treat being a woman as something to be rejected or avoided. They’re not looking to replace that part of themselves. In fact, I think with both characters, while they have their issues, there’s also a level of comfortability there where it wouldn’t even occur to them to see their being as something that’s questionable or up for grabs. It’s simply a holistic part of who they are, and part of what makes them the awesome individuals they are. 

Strong women? Heck freaking yeah—strong women done right! Maybe it’s because the authors both deserve the label themselves (though they’d no doubt balk at my saying so).

Degrees of Separation

Many of the books reviewed here thus far have been from various-level acquaintances, and it occurred to me here that perhaps I should address that a bit, in case there are any concerns because of that.

Sometimes—ofttimes, really—I’ll find that a product, especially in the context of entertainment, has iffy people or organizations involved in key ways, and I have to set that and separate the people from the product. One reason I now tend to avoid learning too much about the celebrities involved in my favorite works; it’s more likely to be a disappointment and detract joy from the experience. And the more I see culture worsening, the more that becomes a factor. I think there are times when things are so bad that I would forgo a work entirely, but for the most part it’s just been a matter of having to grin and bear what I have found out and try to avoid repeats.

And then on the other hand, there are situations where one might greatly like or admire the people involved, but the given piece of work simply isn’t up to par. (Example: Much as I love Keanu Reeves and consider him genuinely talented, not all of his movies or performances make the cut for me). We all have our greater and lesser work, especially if we’re at a point where we’re starting out or experimenting with new directions. 

To me, honesty and integrity are some of the most important traits a person can have, and in applying that to myself, it’s important that I try to give a fair and accurate assessment of work. What point would there be in either criticism or praise if people subsequently discover that your take on an item can’t be trusted anyways? So while I wouldn’t claim to be unswayed by my feelings towards a person—positive or negative—accuracy is important to me. Plus, a huge pet peeve of mine is being dishonest under the guise of being “nice” or “kind” by giving encouragement and support in directions you shouldn’t. It’s actually cruel and harmful to do things like that. If, say, your text is rife with grammatical errors, I’m not doing you a favor by lying and talking about how perfect it is. Indeed, I’d actually be sabotaging you. 

I can and usually will try to be kind and encouraging in the manner of telling you, but because I genuinely care, I’m going to tell you the truth if I say anything, so that you have the chance to improve both the work and your overall skills in that area. And I’ll look for areas that I can honestly praise.

But then sometimes you get those perfect moments where great work comes from great people. And man, it’s just a sheer joy.

This is one of those times. It’s a real thrill for me to be present for book launches from these particular authors, and as someone who’s had the chance to see (and even do a wee bit of work on) earlier drafts of the two books in question, I can already heartily vouch that the stories are well worth the asking price. 

The titles were already so good in their working forms, and I’m nothing but excited to see how the final versions have turned out.