Obscure Novelists like me

I ordered a Kindle today (Aug. 23, 2010) with the intention of using it to review novels by obscure indie writers like me. Two years ago, I set out to review such novels buying paper versions or printing them from online sites but only managed to do a couple before being hit by shingles in my left eye, which ended that undertaking for over a year.
Unfortunately, several of those novels proved to be dreadfully unreadable. Since I have a policy of only reviewing obscure novels that I enjoyed or could recommend, I didn’t bother writing about those.
I assume having a Kindle will make the reading of obscure novels a lot easier; I plan to focus my obscure novelist effort on free eBooks or those costing .99 cents or thereabouts.
Of course, I’ll continue to read and review the traditional novels that come into my possession either through purchase or gift. In the case of the traditionals, I usually focus on a particular aspect of the book—a great character, an interesting plotline, etc.—rather than providing a full fledged review since the usual newspaper, magazine and online reviewers are fulfilling that need.
As with everything, I Googled various takes on obscure novels to see what others might have written. The Googley results: 57 hits in “best obscure novels;” 24,000 in “obscure novels;” and 985 “obscure novelists.”

A suggestion: My novel, THE PENCIL ARTIST is available as an e-book on Smashwords, Kindle, and Barnes and Noble; as a paperback on Amazon.

Substantially wrong

On Aug. 21, 2010, in a front page story about the upcoming film, “The Social Network” two New York Times writers offered staggeringly erroneous conclusions about the substance of two great films: “The Godfather” and “Network.”
The Times story said, “If ‘The Godfather’ was about family and ‘Network’ about rage, ‘The Social Network’ appears to be mostly about emptiness.”
I wondered if the writers had seen or thought about either "The Godfather" or "Network." So here are my corrections of their analyses:
“The Godfather” (1972) is about a criminal warlord, a Machiavellian figure who has made himself a prince of the underworld through murder, bribery, and political skills. Don Corleone is not the head of a family, but the leader of a coterie of vicious, lethal, cruel outlaws.
Paddy Chayefsky’s masterpiece, “Network” (1976) deals not with rage, but forecasts the corporatization, the corruption, the dumbing down of a significant segment of today’s television and cable shows that pretend to be delivering news, but in reality are shallow entertainments and political propaganda.
I hope that “The Social Network,” inspired by Facebook, turns out to be worth watching for substance rather than emptiness. So many films of modern times are nothing but special effects and chase scenes.

A suggestion: My novel, THE PENCIL ARTIST is available as an e-book on Smashwords, Kindle, and Barnes and Noble; as a paperback on Amazon.

WHO IS LISBETH SALANDER?

Lisbeth Salander is Cool Hand Luke, Jesse James, Dillinger, Robin Hood, Bill Munny (the gunman in the “Unforgiven”). Salander, the heroine of Stieg Larsson’s trilogy, is a modern outlaw (or should I say outsider) of epic proportions who uses modern e-weapons (computers and i-phones) with devastating skill.
The magnificent character that Larsson has created is who lifts his three thrillers (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”, “The Girl Who Played with Fire”, and “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest”) far above the pack of this genre that pours into book stores year in and year out.
Of course, the three books are really one novel. The first and third books propel the reader; the middle book, “The Girl Who Played with Fire”, drags, but is necessary to consume, no matter how disappointedly, to understand the final book.
Should Salander serve as a role model, girls and young women will aspire to be bi-sexual, unforgiving almost predatory avengers, fearless and unbelievably effective in a fight against any man no matter how fierce, totally self-confident, capable of financing their lives by stealing from the unworthy rich, and most of all super hackers.

A suggestion: My novel, THE PENCIL ARTIST is available as an e-book on Smashwords, Kindle, and Barnes and Noble; as a paperback on Amazon.

THE CREATIVE IMPULSE

When my sisters, Gloria and Miriam, came over for dinner recently, I gave each a copy of my science fiction novel, OOOEELIE. After we had our goat cheese on slices of baguette; lamb tagine on flavored rice, red wine and water, and finally a strawberry tart with whipped cream accompanied by Scottish tea, Gloria held up OOOEELIE and asked, “Why do you write novels.” I responded, “For the same reason poets write poetry, artists paint, and sculptors sculpt.”
Gloria didn’t ask the follow up question and I didn’t offer what would have been the follow up response: What prompts the creative impulse. The answer lies in man emulating god; the desire to be godlike, to be a creator. How else to explain cave art, early jewelry, tattooing, the stone-age Venus figurines, the first musicians, the story tellers around the fire? From the very start, after finding food enough to fill their bellies, men and women have been driven to create.

A suggestion: My novel, THE PENCIL ARTIST is available as an e-book on Smashwords, Kindle, and Barnes and Noble; as a paperback on Amazon.

THE HERO, a mystery

THE HERO, a mystery, is my latest novel to go online. It is available on Kindle, as a paperback on Amazon, and as an e-book on Smashwords and Obooko.
The novel centers on two mysteries: the source of artificial courage and a homicide. THE HERO, set in the mid-1950s, involves the Korean War, cowardice, artificial courage, heroics, the Medal of Honor, a shaman, homicide, a mystery writer, a relentless detective, and a book store on the East Side of Manhattan.
It is worth reading. Of course, that is the author’s opinion.

A suggestion: My novel, THE PENCIL ARTIST is available as an e-book on Smashwords, Kindle, and Barnes and Noble; as a paperback on Amazon.

OLD FRIEND

I was 21 before I had the joy of seeing my first poem in print. My grandson, Cole, is 12. At that age I certainly didn’t display the talent this poem of his reveals.
I’m sure the casual reader won’t experience the pleasure I do in reading this account of our baking adventures:

Old Friend By: Cole Hattler

My old friend is my grandfather
We visit him at least once a year
We are always coming and going
Whether it is raining or snowing
But the thing we do the most at his place
Is to gather in the kitchen to sit down and bake
We bake cake and cookies
And eat them for dinner
Often times we will have some company
Who will always say our cakes look lovely
They decide it’s time to take a bite
And tell us all that is tastes just right
My old friend and I are so very proud
You even heard what our guest shouted aloud
My old friend and I, we get up early the next morning
So we may plan what we will bake next!

A suggestion: My novel, THE PENCIL ARTIST is available as an e-book on Smashwords, Kindle, and Barnes and Noble; as a paperback on Amazon.

ON BP OPENING PANDORA’S BOX

BP on a greedy quest
Gave us an oily pest

Oh tell me BP, can it really be true
Oil in the marshes is everlasting goo



(Note to readers: Feel free to add your own BP/Pandora’s Box couplet in the comment box)

A suggestion: My novel, THE PENCIL ARTIST is available as an e-book on Smashwords, Kindle, and Barnes and Noble; as a paperback on Amazon.