I love Andrew Grey and I am not afraid to say it. *grins* I guess you can say I am one of his many fans and love the fact he creates some amazing character driven stories that completely captivate the reader from the first page.
Now my review of his latest book in the Gym series, CRUNCH TIME.
George Higgins never anticipates finding a forever love with anyone. He is content to teach his fourth grade students, work out with friends and have quiet nights. When he is asked to help out a soon to be former football player named Darren White, he thinks nothing will happen from it. To his surprise, Darren White is eager for his help and quite sexy to boot. Now in the midst of helping Darren, George is falling for one man who he thinks is out of his league. Darren White needs help finding his way again in life. After a career ending injury leaves him adrift, he finds himself hoping that the television job is something he can do. With the help of George, Darren finds that he can have a new career if he can just trust himself-and George-to succeed. Falling in love with George never felt so good or so right.
CRUNCH TIME is one story that will leave you smiling in the end. It's a sweet, romantic story of two people who start out as teacher and student and falling for one another. Andrew Grey is one talented author who is a master at creating character driven stories that resonate with the readers. I love this author's writing. It's like coming home from a long time away to find you never really left. The writing is tight, storyline is fast paced and the characters are so realistic, you feel like you could meet them for coffee on any given day. There are some returning characters from prior Gym stories (Spot Me, Pump Me Up and Core Training) and had a few humorous moments that had me laughing out loud.
If you enjoy stories where the characters drive the story, then grab any of Andrew Grey's books. I can highly recommend any of them for an afternoon of reading pleasure. I can not wait to see what else this author has up his sleeve for his readers next in the future.
Want to win an autographed book from author J. Timothy King? Then here is all you need to do to enter.
Contest open internationally and one entry per person please. Contest closes Dec. 9th, 2010 at midnight ET (USA time). Winner to be announced Dec. 10th, 2010 on my blog.
To Enter:
Answer this question: What gets you in the holiday mood? Movies? Songs? Baking? Let me know what puts you in that holiday mood and you will be entered to win an autographed book from author J. Timothy King.
Make sure you include a way to contact you if you win. No contact info (email addy is fine) then you will be disqualified. You must be over 18 to win and good luck.
From The Ashes of Courage Ardor Point Series #1 J. Timothy King Contemporary Available NOW in print and ebook
Gail Bishop is a headstrong, driven, single-minded businesswoman, a successful independent professional at only 29 years old. But she still feels empty. Eddie Chase is a fun-loving real-estate agent who made a mint in the boom market, now fast running out of money. And their friends set them up on a blind date, unaware that many years ago, they were once married to each other. Now, both are taken aback by their feelings for each other at a romantic, seaside cottage on Ardor Point, and by the impact this will have on the rest of their lives. This long-languishing relationship that Gail thought was surely dead, could it hold the secret, the meaning of life that she’s looking for?
A heart-wrenching story of human kindness and love without strings.
PG Excerpt:
Gail stood waiting at the restaurant, twirling a white daffodil between her fingers, a silly, corny form of identification, but sweet at the same time. A mural covered the interior walls, as though looking out from an Italian villa onto the Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine on one side, St. Peter’s Basilica on the other. She wondered about the scent, maybe oregano, with other flavors. Her stomach began to growl. Outside, cars drove by in the darkness.
Maybe she had been stood up. Or maybe he had already been here, seen her, and changed his mind. She giggled at the thought. That’s okay. She could always open box 237 and take him out of his envelope. She didn’t want to be here anyhow; being stood up didn’t seem so bad.
The front door opened, and Gail’s jaw nearly dropped on the floor. It had been over five years, and he was wearing a charcoal-grey suit, a peach shirt and tie, too dressy for him, probably because of the restaurant. He wore a small beard and mustache; that was different. But it was definitely the same man she had once known, now standing before her. Handsome, delicate glasses sat on a straight nose, framing eyes of bright brown, almost tan-colored, with sharp, black pupils that ripped through her soul. Those eyes made her marry him, and ultimately divorce him, too.
He scanned the room, noticed Gail, lifted off his glasses, slid them into his breast pocket. “Gail,” he said, welcoming, friendly.
She sent back to him a warm, welcoming smile that made his heart jump in anticipation.
“George!” she said. “What are you doing here?”
“I think I’m looking for you,” he said, holding up a white daffodil.
Her gut did a double-take, then her mind. How did this happen? She considered a possibility that angered her with suspicion.
“Did you set this up?” she asked.
Check out J. Timothy King's links for more ways to win books:
Tell us a bit about your latest book, and what inspired you to write such a story.
My latest book just out is Jesse, a contemporary western from LooseId. I wanted to do a May/December romance of a hard working ranch foreman, Kyle Jacobs, and Jesse Coulter, a twenty year old who takes a job working for Kyle—he’s in love with him, even though Kyle was once his older brother’s lover.
What are you working on now? Anything you want to tell us about?
What books are currently on your nightstand/bedside? Anything coming you are dying to read?
I’m anticipating reading J.C. Owens’ The Emperor’s Wolf. I read the other stories by this author and enjoyed them. I am also reading Nora Roberts Black Hills.
If one of your books were to be made into a movie, which book would you choose and who do you see playing your characters and why?
I think probably The Janitor. Maybe a young Colin Firth as Noel, the shy graduate student who falls for boxer and janitor, Dane. Dane would be played by Ian Somerhalder. Why it would be a good film is Dane is a very endearing hero who winds up in the boxing ring at that climax of the book.
What is your favorite pizza toppings?
I sometimes go hiking on a small island with a fantastic wood fire oven pizzeria. My favorite is olive oil, cracked salt and fresh rosemary, only that.
Which do you prefer:Mac or PC?
PC. I’ve never used a Mac.
What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done to one of your characters?
I think probably when I killed a father figure one of my heroes loved deeply. But I had to do it.
Which of your books contains the sexiest love scene? (if you have one that is J)
That’s a tough question. I usually like whatever one I’ve done most recently. I think it would be a tie between Mastering Toby and Jesse. There is a threesome in Mastering Toby and in Jesse, the first kiss leads to a pretty explosive scene.
Which of your covers is your favorite?
Very tough question. I think I’ll have to go with April Martinez’ cover for my first book The Janitor. It’s riveting.
Which of your books was the easiest to write?
Most recently Jesse was the easiest because I wrote it in a white heat over six weeks. I didn’t work on anything else except for edits of other material during that time, really swept away.
What is the hardest part of writing your books?
Sometimes the endings are very hard. I sometimes add something to them later, like with Luke, I added an epilogue a few months after I finished the novella.
Do you use a pen name? If so, how did you come up with it?
I write under Jan Irving but it’s not quite my full name, so there is a degree of separation.
Where can readers find you on the ‘net for more information on you, your books and other fun stuff?
My website: www.janirvingwrites.com
Sneak Peek Excerpt: Jesse by Jan Irving Loose Id Publishing M/M Contemporary Western
When Jesse Coulter roars up on a Harley one dusty afternoon back into ranch foreman Kyle Jacob's life, Kyle is confronted with everything forbidden he has wanted for years. Jesse is twenty years old, with a ruff of dark hair and blue eyes that remind Kyle of the heart of a lit gasoline flame, yet Kyle can’t let himself touch Jesse because not only is he too young, he's the brother of Kyle's lost lover Mac.
That they also share an uncanny telepathic bond hasn’t made things any easier for an ordinary working cowboy; Kyle is drawn into Jesse’s dreams of him as the hot older man Jesse holds captive, pleasuring him every night with Jesse’s raw man-takes-man brand of lovemaking. But Kyle and Jesse face other problems to their unconventional romance. Jesse has custody of his vulnerable younger brother who aches for a stable home, and an enemy from Kyle’s past is threatening not only his beloved draft horses and carriage business but the new life and family he yearns for.
Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: BDSM elements, male/male sexual practices.
Excerpt:
When Jesse Coulter roared up on his battered Harley, a dust cloud a high plume behind him, Kyle ducked behind the bunkhouse on the Double M Ranch.
Ducked, hell. Here he was, the foreman, and he was hiding! He pulled off the leather gloves he'd been wearing while working in the horse barn and wiped his damp, shaking palms on his dusty jeans, tears burning his eyes.
Jesse.
He couldn't stop himself from taking another look at the young man as he removed his motorcycle helmet, his dark brown hair still cut short, but spiky at the front. His lean face was on the long side, with a trace of early beard on his chin, adding the texture of manhood to his olive skin. But it was his eyes that made Kyle feel like he'd taken a punch, eyes the pale blue flame of a lighter flaring in the dark.
His lover Mac's kid brother. Kyle had missed Jesse intensely, an ache in his gut.
Kyle hadn't seen Jesse since the day of Mac's funeral. He squeezed his eyes shut, remembered pulling up in his truck at the ranch that terrible day, Jesse and his younger brother, David, crammed together in the passenger side, Jesse looking at Kyle so Kyle could see his bewilderment. Why had Mac died?
"Jesus, kid, I don't know." Kyle's voice had broken as he undid his seat belt. It'd been an accident. Looking for reasons… He couldn't help doing it too while the clock ticked in his empty bedroom.
Jesse had helped the dazed twelve-year-old David out of his seat belt from habit. They'd all stumbled from the truck, the boys wearing black jeans and T-shirts because there'd been no time to purchase suits for Mac's funeral. Suddenly David had thrown himself into Kyle's arms.
"He's never coming back," he’d whispered.
Holding on to David, rubbing his back, Kyle had felt lost. He had been forty-one, and he'd felt lost. He'd stared at Jesse, at the single tear that tracked down his cheek before dripping off the edge of his jaw. "Jesse," he had whispered, aching to give comfort. Kyle took a deep breath and tried the other way to communicate with Jesse, to offer him what solace he could.
"Jesse, I don't know why Mac's gone. It doesn't make sense."
Jesse's jaw ticked, and for a long moment Kyle thought he wouldn't make use of the strange telepathic bond that linked them. Hell if Kyle understood it, but from the moment Mac had brought his younger brothers to the ranch, Kyle had been able to pick up on Jesse's thoughts sometimes.
"I have to take care of David. How do I do that?"
Jesse's voice sounded like everything that made him Jesse. Like his love of tinkering with engines at school, like a fork of lightning before connecting with a tree.
"You and David will always have a home here with me. We'll find a way to stay a family, I promise you.”
Sara is inexperienced with men, but finds her untapped sexuality is bursting beneath the pressure of lustful desires. Mitch works with Sara and knows office romances can go horribly wrong, but that doesn’t stop him from going ahead with his plan to seduce her. Soon, the two find themselves in an erotic game of pleasure. Their affair proves to be more than either of them anticipated. After only a couple of days their relationship intensifies into a firestorm of passion and they begin to fall in love.
Claudia works with them both and isn’t happy when Mitch rejects her advances. Not willing to take no for an answer she uses every form of manipulation to drive the couple apart. Is their relationship strong enough to handle the betrayal that they believe to be true? Or will the thought of losing each other be the catalyst to keep them together?
Note: This book contains anal sex and menage elements involving only secondary characters.
Click HERE to buy from Siren-Bookstrand Click HERE to go to Nicole's Blog
Adult Excerpt:
“Hard and fast! I want it hard and fast.” Her hips were rocking against his hand.
“Okay, I can do that, baby.” His voice still soothed her into submission. “What about number three?” He swiped his tongue down her slick entrance, moaning when he tasted her. “What should I do after I come in your sweet pussy?”
“No…I don’t…I mean, I want you to fuck me, but don’t come. I want…oh please, Mitch, I can’t concentrate.”
He chuckled. “Is my tongue distracting you, honey? I’ll stop then.”
“No! No, don’t stop.” She whimpered and bit on her bottom lip.
“Then you better tell me why. Why can’t I come in your sweet little pussy?”
“Because, damn it! I want to taste you after you’ve been inside me.”
Sara shouted at him, her frustration bringing out the animal in her.
He watched her as she bit out the words and continued to writhe against his tongue. She was completely lost in her arousal. Could he tell that she was no longer in charge of her body? Her desire had taken over. “Oh, baby. Do you want to taste yourself on me?”
“Yes, all right. Yes.” Sara was beyond any sense of reason or self-control. She only knew that she had fantasized about what it would be like. And now that he was here, she wasn’t about to lose her chance to get what she wanted.
Coaxing her along he asked her to finish, “Tell me, what would you do after you sucked all that sweet pussy juice off of my cock?”
Her whole body was on fire. She was going to come, and he’d barely even touched her, just occasional licks and kisses. No real friction or pressure. His touches were more teases than strokes. “Mitch, I want you to come in my mouth again.”
Mitch closed his eyes for a moment. Trying to hang on to the control that she had almost just broken. “Oh yeah? You’re such a sweet girl, honey. You liked that earlier today, didn’t you?” He looked up at her and watched her face as she fought against the orgasm that was building. “Then I’ll give you exactly that, Sara. But only if you do the same for me. You tasted me, now I want to taste you. I want to taste your sweet climax when my face is buried in between your thighs. Come on, baby. I want you to come for me.” Mitch dove in as he attacked her with his mouth and his tongue, devouring ever succulent nibble of her.
Darting his tongue inside her entrance, he moaned in delight at the sweet taste of her. The meal he had planned to make of her had barely begun, and he was about ready to lose himself in the ecstasy of it when she came. He hadn’t expected it to happen so soon. She screamed out his name and wrapped her legs around his head, bringing him closer to her.
Mitch had to laugh. She was just a flowing fountain of untapped desire. Even though she was shy, she changed who she was when she got truly hot and bothered. Then she completely let go. She had so many naughty sides to her, but she didn’t know what to do with any of them. He was thinking this as he drank up the last of her and knew that he was going to have quite a lot of fun with her.
Mitch looked up and watched her. His good girl hadn’t moved from the position he had put her in, no matter how much she squirmed her body. That was very good. She was going to be a very good student, indeed. He stood up while her eyes were still closed and stripped down.
“Stand up, Sara.” He waited until she opened her eyes. Then he held out his hand and helped her up before swinging her around. He placed her hands on the back of the chair and whispered in her ear, “Hold on, honey.”
He heard her moan at his half threat, half promise. The flush glow on her face told him that she was feeling every wave and jolt shoot through her body as he slammed into her. Sara was much different than any other woman he’d been with before.
He slammed his cock deep inside her and hit places he was sure she never knew existed, not even with her trusty vibrator.
Sara rocked into him and met him thrust for thrust when he felt her third orgasm of the day approaching. He saw she was struggling to fight it.
“No baby, don’t you dare stop yourself. Come for me.”
He watched her in awe as she threw her head back and screamed his name once again, all while her body convulsed in pleasure.
Mitch didn’t move. He stayed buried inside her as he waited for her body to come down. He watched her ass wiggle as she trembled. And wondered just how long he would have to wait until he could take her in that tight, little hole.
“Feel good, honey?” He waited, and she moaned her reply. “Good.” He fisted her hair in his hands and yanked her head back. “Now sit on the chair like a good little girl, and suck all of your hot juice off of my cock.”
Sex sells. Every writer knows that. Most writers try to make sure they have some good sex in each book. Readers want to peek inside the bedroom, enjoy vicariously, and perhaps even learn something for their own romantic lives. When it comes time to make movies, the actors, directors, and producers want a certain amount of sex, too. Not only does it help bring in the crowds, but it also gives an opportunity for artistic skills.
Because sex is so primordial, so basic, and so widely experienced, it takes real art to make it something new and something special. The horniness of the characters was once enough to excite and even to make some readers blush. If it was a woman character who was aroused, it was as if the censorious skies were about to fall. But, we’re well passed that level of prudery.
Mutual climax was also once considered prurient. The secret by which the male character got his girlfriend to reach orgasm became a holy grail. Now, of course, we realize that female orgasm was more inhibited by cultural norms than it ever was by female physiology. But, there was a time that the portrayal of mutual orgasm was powerful stuff.
The list goes on and on. Oral sex, anal sex, three-somes, necrophilia, bestiality: we humans are a horny and lascivious species. Art becomes limited by the limitations of our bodies, especially those of us who cannot attain the positions of legendary ancient yoga masters and Hindu gods. We have become a culture that celebrates Rabelais and revels in the god Bacchus. Whether it is the fraternity party or the corporate retreat, we are quick to hold a bacchanalia.
What is the poor writer to do? How do we portray sex in new ways, in ways that will challenge and more importantly interest our readers?
Many writers have given up and turned to aggression as a substitute. Sex becomes more foreplay to rage, destruction, and dehumanization than it is a goal in itself. In other works, sex is merely bait – a means by which characters can be manipulated, particularly men being manipulated by evil women. In that regard it seems as if modern writers have gone back to The Bible; certainly the weakness of men in the face of sexual temptation is a constant theme in that “good” book.
As a writer, I take a different approach to sex. Trying, as I do, to see life as a tapestry, I try to portray sexuality and desire as part of the warp and woof of life. While disturbances of that normality can lead to sexual dysfunction and rage-filled acting out, day to day, sexuality should be and is portrayed as being just as normal and part of life as going to the bathroom or eating or even having a conversation. It is, rather, the emotion of love and the acceptance of desire that is for me the artistic high point. The challenge is not to describe yet another position or another place in which to have sex, it is to help the characters appreciate the experience that is happening to them. To me one challenge in writing is to write romance which is meaningful and not just filled with forced emotionality and claims that of some unearned uniqueness.
Here, for example, is a short excerpt from Widow’s Walk in which I try to achieve my artistic goal. It is the first time that the protagonist and her lover have sex.
They stand hugging one another and saying nothing. Slowly, they stroke each other’s body, feeling the nooks and crannies that have been hidden so long. Finally, with one coordinated movement – almost as if it has been choreographed – they lie on the bed. They lie and hold each other tightly as if terrified of ever being parted.
Neither the cold analytic purposefulness of Arnie’s marriage nor the stolid wholesome, unbending love between Mary and Sean had prepared either of them for the intensity of this night. Their hands ply careful channels along each other’s bodies. From time to time, one of them stops the ceaseless exploration to lean over and kiss the other.
Their kisses caress places that have too long been ignored. For the first time in her life Mary experiences the exciting pleasure of a man kissing her nipples; and she enjoys the strange saltiness of this loving man’s body – not just his face and lips, but his arms, and chest, and buttocks. And Arnie, too, is experiencing the electricity of love. He feels his manhood swell and raise itself to new attention. His penis becomes tumescent and it challenges him with its eagerness. When he is sure that they are both ready, he carefully rolls himself on top of Mary. So very gently, using his hand to guide it lest he cause her pain, he inserts his penis into Mary's vagina.
“Ohhh,” she moans with soft pleasure.
“Ahhhh,” he responds.
More than those, words are not necessary.
Find more of Kenneth's work at Sex and Murder Magazine; their issue seven leads with one of my stories. http://sexandmurder.com/
So often those of us who have been called to spend hours in front of that blank glowing screen are asked why. When we could be enjoying a film, a barbeque, our friends or just washing our socks, we toil over plot and setting. Define it as a calling, an addiction, a penchant or insanity; those who write popular fiction have something deep inside them the normal human being does not—characters. Yes…with an ‘s’. Maybe we grew up with a greater than average curiosity about what makes people tick, or in the case of we romance writers, a softer heart that believes nothing is more powerful than love. Whatever it is we few intrepid souls park ourselves in front of a computer and/or carry a composition book and pen wherever we go because not to do so would impoverish our world…and yours.
The ineffable “they” say that most people want to write a book someday. It is the few that actually make it to those two little words ‘the end’ and fewer who manage to navigate the soul-blistering world of publishing. The waiting, the rejection, the learning curve are not for sissies.
Most writers will tell you that there are certain types of stories that attract them. In my case, I write to uplift, inspire, educate and entertain-- a tall order I take it with all seriousness. Like most art forms, literature falls under the influence of trends. Just as television seems to be inundated with crime investigation programs, popular fiction is flooded with revenge thrillers, vampires and fantasy.
Maybe it is our global recession that steers people to escape. Maybe we are drawn to the unknown, the unfeasible or downright unbelievable. Whatever the case, there has been and always will be the deep seeded need for people to experience the world through others eyes.
I write Contemporary.
I write contemporary because that’s what has always attracted me. Before I started to write fiction I was a big self-help and psychology reader. My major in college focused on the human condition. Even when I used to watch a daytime soap, I chose All My Children because it fit the lunch hour timeslot and it did NOT have ghosts, vampires or anything out of the contemporary reality (if you can call a soap 'reality’...lol)
People are endlessly fascinating to me, as is setting. I love to travel and use my experiences to research new locations and character(s). Modern day dilemmas and locales are more accessible and relatable. Not that basic human interest has changed over the generations. A good read is a good read no matter what century it is set because of this unchangeable human nature. Yet, I find modern life very exciting and think we are all fortunate to be alive in this amazing time of change and burgeoning knowledge. How do we deal with this avalanche of knowledge and choice in our present day? Fascinating stuff.
Sub Genre?? The book I just contracted with MuseItHot Publishing is a romantic suspense. (Shadows Steal The Light- Feb 2011) It is not easy to keep track of all the details that make a suspense, a really fast paced and fun read. It was a challenge in the writing---yet at the end of the day it turned out amazing. My Coast Guard rescue at sea, gone wrong book, Against The Current (Phaze Books at Phaze.com) also was exciting to construct with its realistic challenges and the suspense inherent in how these brave men and women handle emergency situations.
Exotic setting?? Most of my works take place, at least partially, in the UK. It has been a home away from home ever since I fell in love with it during a year of University spent abroad in London. Scotland feels strangely familiar as though I have lived there before or belong there. So I write about these people and their beautiful corner of the world. I have their idioms and speech patterns ingrained in my internal ear putting me in a unique position---I can write Brits so Americans can understand them. I imbed explanations of odd idiom or cultural stuff within the fabric of the story so Americans are not left scratching their heads. Yet when I do book signing I often have readers surprised to find that I am not British....a real compliment.
My most recent e-book release through Awe Struck Publishing is set on a beautiful Island off the coast of Naples, Italy. I have holidayed there twice and simply love it. It is a real joy to be able to bring wonderful settings to readers that they may never have a chance to visit. Or maybe they will do because of the sense of character my settings take on. :) Leap Of Faith is a great vicarious vacation.
Guess you can extrapolate that I don't plan any ghosts or vampires in my work anytime soon though I have learned to never say never. As a former Kindergarten teacher, most people would not have expected me to turn spicy romance author, so who knows?? It is the truth in the telling that sets a story above others. A hundred years from now we in the contemporary vein will be sought out as accurate reflections of a time in history when change was the only thing certain and men and women met the challenge with amazing resiliency and courage. That is the stuff of world building to know that eyes unborn will read and marvel. The readers of today will always appreciate something they can sink their teeth into as familiar, yet inspiring because the characters handled their situation in creative ways that uplift, educate, entertain. Hmmm…think I just may have hit on something here.
Can you tell us a little about how you started writing; was it something you have always wanted to do?
I fell into writing quite accidentally. When I was nine, I wrote my first poem, one for my mother in honor of Mother’s Day. She read it and cried. It was called “Mama” and in its silly rhymes I told her how much she meant to me. My father read it next and pretending to be offended, he said, “I know it’s not Father’s Day yet, but would you write me an early poem called “Papa”?
My parents encouraged me right from the start that writing was my gift and the only way to thank God for it was to show I liked the gift by using it.
Two or three years later I started writing short stories. My father was a natural story teller. If he wanted us kids to learn something important, he’d couch it in a kind of make-it-up-as-he-went-along parable. Instead of “Don’t talk back,” he would say, “Once there was this boy, let’s call him Marco, who talked back to his mother so much one day she ran away from home.”
In those early days I also read quite a few comic books. They definitely taught young readers how to write a story!
Please tell us a bit about your latest/upcoming book(s). What inspired it? Is it part of a series?
Flashing My Shorts is the title of my newest book. It’s a collection of 164 short-short stories about life, love, humor, horror, crime, science fiction--name it! I wrote it because it’s the kind of book I myself enjoy reading. In this modern day of rush and run, I am certain others love this kind of book as well. They can read a story or two or three, put the book down, and come back to read some more new stories. Kind of like smorgasbord fare. Tables and tables of one-bite foods to sample. And judging from the many customer reviews at http://www.amazon.com/Flashing-My-Shorts-Salvatore-Buttaci/dp/0984259473 I would say lots of readers are particularly enjoying Flashing My Shorts.
I do intend to write more flash-fiction collections. In fact, I’ve half-written the next one called Flashes of Memory.
Who or what has been your biggest influence as a writer?
I am one of the blessed who has had more than a few who influenced me as a writer. First and foremost, my parents. To them I add three English teachers who helped remind me that one needs to learn the craft of writing to be a writer. To do otherwise would be like a pilot taking off from the roof of a building without a plane! He might get lucky and fly, but chances are he won’t make a safe landing. In grade 6 it was Sister Rita Damien who encouraged her students to write and then read their stories in front of the class on rainy lunch hours. My friend George Newman drew pictures to match my stories and while I read them, he’d hold up picture by picture so the class could squint and nod.
In high school it was Sister Marie Augusta whom we called “The Word” for two reasons: “My word!” was her favorite expression, and she loved the words of great literary classics which I pretended to hate so my stickball buddies wouldn’t think badly of me. And lastly there was Dr. David Rogers, my creative-writing professor, who taught me that a writer who does not revise is not a writer at all.
What do you consider to be the key elements of a great story?
A good story is like a well-baked cake: all the ingredients need to be present for it to taste good. I feel the same way about stories. If a writer has a fantastic plot but the characters are weak and indefinable, the plot falls on its face. If the writer does not include foreshadowing early on in the story, often the ending is not acceptable. Readers need to be given some tiny hint of the outcome or, like the ancient Greek playwrights, those writers will be accused of pulling a “deus ex machina,” a contrived resolution nobody saw coming. For a story to be worth reading, it must include the required ingrdients: plot, a character or more, a problem to be resolved, suspense, setting of time and place, point of view, theme, and resolution. A good story also contains a well-balanced mix of narration, dialogue, description, persuasion, and exposition. Of course, all of these requirements become more demanding the shorter the short story.
Could you tell us a little about how you develop your characters?
Because I believe in the need for a strong story opener, a hook to pull in readers right from the getgo, I first come up with a beginning. One sentence. Then I construct a problem from that one opening sentence and I express it as a problem. For example, if the opening sentence I come up with is “The dawn rose without the usual ball of orange sun.” Now I place that sentence into a genre--science fiction-- and express the problem perhaps this way: “Will Gantry Ward break the code of the Sun Thief or will the new Earth perish too?”
It’s at this stage I turn to character building. Gantry Ward. In my head I imagine what this man of the 26th Century looks like. Considering evolution, I see him as close to eight feet tall, broad in the chest and shoulders. Like all Earthlings, he is bald. The language he speaks is a kind of stilted English in a commanding voice. What are his strong points? What is his main weakness? I imagine what he would wear, how he walks, what’s important to him, etc. Then I look to invent the antagonist whom I call “the sun thief.” What is his appearance? What are his strong points? What is his weakness? Is there a love interest here? If so, I invent the woman Gantry loves or the sun thief loves or both love. Okay, maybe it’s not a woman at all. After all, it’s the 26th Century. Maybe one or both are in love with some robotic contraption. I try to see the entire story develop in my mind before I continue past the first sentence. When the story is done, I read it through, read it to my wife for feedback, then it’s back to my computer to tighten the story. I get rid of all unnecessary words, uninteresting or excessive description, change dull unrealistic dialogue. I try to do as much a hatchet job as possible. When I feel it’s my best, I give it a file name, save it in my 2010.STORIES folder, and then look for a market to which I can submit it.
Who has been your favorite character to write?
I have the first draft of a novel I wrote called Carmelu the Sicilian, which I am in the process of editing towards a final draft. I love the guy! He starts off evil as hell and we watch him change through the book--a kind of St. Augustine of Hippo!--until he reaches saintly proportion. What he shows us by way of honor and true respect teaches us that we can all become better persons. We can all learn to see what life should really mean to us.
The most challenging?
The ScienKing, Donnelly Noonan, in my working novel Denver-under-Dome, is my most challenging character because he is so self-absorbed and maniacal, he is able to persuade survivors of post-bellum Denver (on an parallel world) that nothing exists, nothing matters, except science according to what he allows science to be. It’s hard to write about a character who possesses no redeeming qualities, one whose end we anxiously await and perhaps applaud.
Please tell us about the projects you are currently working on
Right now I am working to promote the sale of my new book Flashing My Shorts. I just know if folks ordered and read a copy, they would thank me. It’s worth the read. My publisher Phil Harris at All Things That Matter Press published it because he believed in it as much as I did. And he worked with me so that what’s between the book’s covers pleases both of us. Oh, if all publishers treated their authors like Phil Harris at ATTMP!
I am also editing my novel Carmelu the Sicilian. It is the story of a man who does what no other man has been able to do: end the media’s rampant bias against Italian Americans. And he does it without violence but rather within the law.
When the book is ready, I intend to promote it to those Italian American organizations who have already expressed a desire to publish it or finance its publication. As a member of the Italian American One Voice Coaltion, I have worked hard with people like Dr. Manny Alfano and Unico National President Andre DeMino to oppose TV horror shows like Jersey Shore and The Sopranos. My book will be one more voice in that struggle
To end the media’s ethnic bias against Italian Americans.
what can readers expect to see in the coming months?
If they do a search of “Salvatore Buttaci,” they’ll see many of my published poems and stories. I write daily and I promote my work as much as I can. I am the Editor of The Poem Factory at http://sambpoet.webs.com/ I post my “Poems of the Week” there and forward them to members of the site. I also invite poets to submit to our two annual issues, summer and winter.
Where can readers find out what's new and how can they contact you?
I wake up each morning between 8:30 and 9:00. I get to the computer about 10:00 a.m. and after checking e-mails and replying to them, I write for about three or four hours. Later on in the day I will do some more writing for about another two hours. Often, while watching TV, I’ll do a crossword puzzle, then write some more for about an hour.
How do you balance your personal and writing time?
I’ve been retired from teaching since July 2007, which allows me more time than in the old days when I wrote at 5 in the a.m. and again in the evening for a couple of hours.
I keep a notepad in my shirt pocket, so you might say I am always writing!
Everything needs limits, even writing, so I try not to overdo my time away from my wife.
It’s not fair to her to share little time together. I love writing but I love Sharon more.
Who or what has been your biggest support?
Sharon. I thank God He got us both to meet and commit to a lifetime together. Though she herself does not write, she is an avid--no, voracious--reader and a darn good critic. I never write anything without reading it to her. She has been my biggest support and my biggest inspiration. Did I mention I have written over one thousand poems to her during our thirteen years together?
Which author(s) is your favorite?
My favorite poets are Stephen Crane, Edwin Arlington Robinson, John Keats, Leonard Cohen, and Langston Hughes. Cohen is my favorite poet.
My favorite novelists: William Goldman, Ernest Hemingway, Leon Uris, Ray Bradbury, and Frederic Brown. William Goldman is my favorite novelist.
And who has most influenced you work?
The Canadian poet Leonard Cohen. When I sometimes feel empty of words, unable to write, I pick up one of his collections and by the time I’ve read ten or eleven, I am off to writing ten or eleven of my own!
Do you feel your writing is character driven or plot driven? How do you balance these two elements?
Character-driven. I like to get inside my characters, show readers what makes them tick or explode or just sit there in the bus depot waiting for their train to come in. It’s like being a people-maker, bringing characters to life who never lived before except in my head. Plot is important. Without it you have no story, but characters carry the plot and solve the story’s problem.
Hollywood came calling for one of your books and offered you the choice of picking which book they would make into a movie, what one would you choose and who do you see playing your characters?
I should be so lucky! Well, I would pick Carmelu the Sicilian. I don’t know which actors I would want to play Carmelu or any of the other characters, but I do know which actors I would not choose: those Italian American actors who performed in films that denigrated Italian Americans!
Here are two of the 164 elections from Flashing My Shorts.
Book can be ordered from the publisher at the publisher’s site:
to unleash my alter ego, a not-so-amicable American from Paducah, Kentucky. I poured the rest of my Malbec, tossing the wine down as if it were Kentucky scotch, and then stood slowly to my wobbly feet. “Garçon!” I called. My waiter lifted the corner of his thin lip the way folks do when they’re exasperated; I knew he preferred ‘Señor,’ but if I could summon the waiters in Paducah with ‘Garçon,’ sure as hell some faggy oil-haired Buenos Aires pretty boy could skip to the loo and respond to any name I damn well chose. “Si, Señor, more wine?”
I nodded, sat down again, gave him back my own sneering lip. When he asked if the clean plate of sardines and oysters needed replenishing, I let my mouth crumble into a drunk man’s frown, my heavy head falling chin to chest for a sleep-hungry moment. When I looked up, Garçon was swishing towards the bar, Maria and Carlos had vanished, and San Cristóbal was just a barrio of loud diners and foul-mouthed drinkers, so I threw down an undeserved tip of eight pesos and headed out the door pretending Maria was tugging my arm towards the Hotel San Cristobal. #
War Hero
“Crazy Joe” Devlin was a war hero, but to neighborhood kids like me, he was free entertainment. If wisdom was mine back then at thirteen years old, I would’ve praised Joe, thanked him for his military sacrifices at Normandy Beach. Certainly I would not have been party to the verbal abuse we heaped on shell-shocked Joe just for laughs.
One late July afternoon Johnny Reichling lit a firecracker and tossed it in the air. Two things simultaneously happened: (1) “Crazy Joe” dove into Mrs. Minogue’s hedges; and (2) my father was walking towards me on his way back from work at the bakery.
“Follow me,” Papa ordered. He yanked my arm. I followed.
“What’re you doing?” he asked, his dark-brown eyes squinting in anger. “That man got hurt bad in Europe, protecting our freedom over here. And you treat him that way? Make a fool of him and of me too?”
Papa grounded me for a week. He made me write an apology letter to give Devlin.
“Back up this letter by respecting Joe from now on,” Papa said. “Your friends. Let them be stupid, but you’re my son.”
When my one-week “house arrest” ended, I sought out Joe Devlin and handed him my letter. Basically, it said I was sorry, that I would never be cruel again.
Joe read the letter. I watched his eyes dart from line to line, his hands tremble. Then Joe said, “Sir, half my men died on the beach. The wounded need a medic quick. I’ll take that gunner out myself.”
He shoved my letter into his shirt pocket and saluted me. He stood at attention, waiting. Hardly breathing or blinking. Finally I saluted back. The war hero nodded.
“When I Have A Godzillian Level Urge For Candy I Eat…”
…the following, and these are in order of preference. They be:
1. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups - Man, talk about heroin converted into candy form, I’ve craved Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups for years! Their texture is great, their chocolate is both kinda chunky and kinda creamy, and their peanut butter - if I could, I’d sneak into a Reese’s production facility, get buck naked, and then jump into a vat full of their peanut butter. I might end up getting covered up in it or even drown, but I’d be gobblin’ it down like a Linda Lovelace inspired turkey before my final chapter was written - Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups rock!
3. Sweet Tarts - I love sour candies too, and accordingly I’ve loved Sweet Tarts since day one. You can buy them in small or huge sizes, but one thing about Sweet Tarts really frustrates me. A few years ago I actually had some Sweet Tart Jelly Beans. They were the best jelly beans I’ve ever had in my life, y’all would not believe how good their flavor is! Unfortunately, I’ve discovered they’re pretty hard to find, so if anyone out there ever wants to suck up to me in a major way, then just get me some Sweet Tart Jelly Beans. The only thing that would make me happier than Sweet Tart Jelly Beans would be an Elvis concert, and we all know that can’t happen again. Sweet Tart Jelly Beans, however, can!
4. Sour Jelly Bellies - In line with my just professed love of sour candies is another fav, Sour Jelly Bellies! They are usually just a bit expensive, but believe me they’re worth every extra cent you’ll pay for ‘em. Whatever you do, don’t ever buy the store brand equivalents of these, because you’ll be even more disappointed than you’d be if you purchased store brand Captain Crunch. Sour Jelly Bellies taste good, and there are maybe six or seven flavors offered, so a hand full of them is a bit more focused than just regular Jelly Bellies. With regular Jelly Bellies there are just too many flavors, and some of them are grotesque. Cream soda? Chili mango? Dr. Pepper? Pomegranate? God, it makes my stomach spasm to even think about them, and even worse is the fact that you never quite know when you’re going to be biting into one of these pellets from hell. Stick to the sours and your glower will turn from dour to super powered!
5. Peppermint Life Savers - I love their taste, their consistency, and the fact that after you eat five or six of ‘em your mouth will be so cool that you’ll feel like you could use it for refrigeration purposes. They price ‘em reasonably and now they offer even bigger sizes, which is just all too cool (pun intended) with me. Eating a Peppermint Life Saver is kinda like having a Bachman-Turner Overdrive concert take place on your palate, and just how cool would that be if it were possible? Hmmmmm? (Don’t y’all like it when I get into abstract analogies that don’t make sense at all)?
So there y’all have it, my personal candy favs of all-time. But hey, this isn’t all about what my favorite commercial candy products are, I wanna know what y’all like, tell me about your own personal favs and why. That should start a really interesting conversational thread going here today. And, if anyone out there has any leads on where to get some Sweet Tart Jelly Beans, then please let me know if you’d like to have a new best friend for life! Now, with everything having been said, let’s talk candy, candy, and more candy below…..
"ChristmaSin'", my new Christmas novel, is now available for sale! Click this link below to order!
When it comes to books, what qualifies as a romance? All the usual medical, historical and romantic suspense aside, would you say that “Gone with the Wind” is a romance book? How about the Stephanie Plum series with the sexy Morelli and the even sexier Ranger? And am I the only one who thinks the literary “We need to talk about Kevin” Orange Prize winner is not a book about parenting as much as it is a love story between the narrator and her husband?
OK. Perhaps I’m exaggerating with the latter. Well, I don’t think so, but it’s all right if you do. My point is this: we are so used to alpha heroes and the search for Mr. Only, that we sometimes tend to overlook the romance in other places.
As a writer who’s been married for - ahem - significantly more than a decade, I’m perhaps a little biased when looking for romance outside of speed dating and all the singles’ bars. I believe that true romance can be found within an established long-term relationship.
You know, it’s easy for the alpha hero to say to the woman he’s just bedded: “I want you to have my baby”. But when the novelty wears off and the sleepless nights kick in, I believe it takes a true hero and the trues of love to utter the following most romantic words a woman can hear: “You carry on sleeping, darling, I’ll get up to the baby”.
Romance is more than red roses and a candlelit bath for two. Sometimes romance is a clean nappy and the opportunity to have a long, warm, silent bath for one while your wonderful hero is keeping the baby occupied.
If you think a murder mystery series has no scope for romance, I challenge you to try my “Murder @ ...” series published by Echelon Press. Although the amateur detective, Dr. Christine Chamberlain, doesn’t have children (yet), the whirlwind romance that landed her married lasted precisely five minutes.
Three years later, she’s beginning to discover her husband is not only the level-headed easy-going artist she knows and loves.... When it comes to your loved ones, is it possible to know too much? Find out in “Murder @ Play” Echelon Press, 2009).
