Ready Player One and Physicality

   Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is a fascinating book. It tells the story of a kid inside of a virtual world attempting to win a scavenger hunt. Of course, the world was created by a lover of the 80's and pop culture, so there are references to Star Wars, Back to the Future, and anything else from that time period that you can think of. That stuff didn't draw me in that much (being a child of the late 90's, early 00's), but the story itself is pretty fun.
   That's not what I want to talk about. What I found particularly interesting was the idea of a virtual world (spoilers ahead) and the ramifications of such.
   See, the world in the 2040's (when the book takes place) is pretty crappy. And, unfortunately, racism, sexism, and homophobia are still present. However, in the virtual world of the OASIS anyone can look however they want. All it takes is creating an avatar and voila: I can look like a buff, white male; a thin, Venezuelan supermodel, or a tall, hairy Minotaur. This is incredibly helpful for the minorities of the world. No longer is someone looked down upon for the color of their skin, because they can change it to look however they wish. No longer will a woman be made fun of, for she can make herself look as manly as she wishes.
   That's an interesting concept (how the internet can help minorities), but the most interesting idea of all is what Cline says at the end. The man who created the OASIS comes to the main character and says, "It took me a long time to figure this out, but the OASIS is not all that there is to life. Only in the real world can one be truly happy." (paraphrased)
   Why? Why is physicality something that important? I can make friends online. I can have wonderful relationships online. However, is there something about physicality that is necessary? Maybe it's not even that. Maybe it comes down to the point that true vulnerability, true relationship can only happen face to face. Yeah, I can spill my guts on the internet, but I could be making it up. I can talk to people on the internet, but my tone or words can be twisted out of their meaning. There is something about physical, face-to-face relationships that are better than online ones. That's not to knock online relationships. I have cousins who are overseas and I can only talk to them through the internet. That's great. But that enhances our face-to-face relationship. Then there are relationships that I have with people on the internet that I've never met. That's not bad. But were it possible to meet with them face to face, wouldn't that be better?
   The problem is, as an introvert: I say, "No. I'd prefer to only talk to people on the internet. I'd prefer to never have to talk to someone face to face." But is that healthy? Aren't relationships necessary for healthy human life? Even if it is awkward, isn't awkward learning better than no learning at all? And, as great as internet relationships are, for me there is something about face-to-faceness that is so much better.
   So is all this stuff in the book? No. The book had little to say on this subject other than offering up the question. But ever since I've read that book it has been in my mind. So there: now it's out.

   What do you think? Is there something inherently better about face-to-face relationships, or is any relationship (whether over paper, screen, or in real life) equally good? Comment below and tell me what you think!

Book Review of Iscariot by Tosca Lee

   The current culture is obsessed with antiheroes. Dexter, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, all have villains as the lead(s). They are the ones viewers are focused on and, possibly, rooting for. I watched the first two seasons of Breaking Bad and found that this obsession with villainy wasn't something I was interested in. I don't want to be watching a man's descent into evil. I am fine with flawed heroes or conflicted heroes. But there are some things which push a flawed hero into villain territory and that makes it very hard for me to want to continue with the story. Then I picked up Iscariot by Tosca Lee. In case it isn't obvious by the title, the story is about the life of Judas Iscariot: possibly one of the most famous traitors in history. This brought me to a tricky point. Why? Because I loved the book.
   This was a tricky thing for me. Because Judas certainly isn't a good person. He betrayed his best friend (though, in this version, the story isn't as cut and dried as all that). Yet I really connected with the character. From when the story starts with Judas as a child to when he betrays Jesus, I felt a connection with the character. I felt sympathy for him. I didn't agree with his actions: but I could actually feel like that was a choice I could make.
   Here's the difference: Judas starts out as a good person. He strives to do good. And even when he's doing ill, he is still trying to do good. I have not watched Dexter, I haven't watched or read Game of Thrones. But I did watch the first two seasons of Breaking Bad and I only once felt a connection with Walter White. Then, as the series went on, I was more and more disconnected with the man because I never felt like that could really happen. Sure, it makes compelling storytelling and it was brilliantly executed. But I didn't care about someone who was out there to destroy the world, because really what he was doing didn't seem like an option that people that I knew would make. Of course, I could be wrong. Other people love the show, and I say great.
   So if you're looking to encounter a tragedy and Breaking Bad isn't your cup of tea, may I suggest Star Wars Episodes I-III (though, the quality is lower than the other two I've mentioned). Or read Iscariot by Tosca Lee. It's well-written and well-told, a good read and a very thought-provoking book.

The Best Part of a Book

   Ever thought about what a book smells like? I was in a Barnes and Nobles recently and, to my surprise, I smelled a book. It was as if something unconscious inside me was interested not just in the feel of the story but the scent of it as well.

Book Thoughts: Foundation and Earth by Isaac Asimov

   Confession: I have only just recently read a book by Asimov. Yes, I know he's a master of science fiction. I just haven't had a chance or the time to read his works until recently. Therefore, when I found a copy of Foundation and Earth (being a part of his well-known Foundation series) I promised myself I would read it. And I have. Even after finding out it is the final book in the series. However, Asimov himself wrote that it more or less stands alone, so I read it. What did I learn?
   

Book Review: King's Warrior by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt

   A few years ago, (sometimes in 2013, I think) I downloaded a free kindle book. It was my first kindle book, because I only had a kindle because it came free on my new computer. As such, the only time I actually read the book was when I had my computer and there was no internet. Basically, it took me a really long time to read. Read it I did, however, and now I'm going to write a review of it! (I'd put in a plot synopsis, but it is really long. Go here if you want to know what it's about.)

   A reviewer of this book likened it to Tolkien in its scope and plot. I agree. The world is grand with lots of history and characters and creatures. The world is also big, which means there's lots of walking time. It's not as bad as Tolkien, where he spends pages getting them from one place to another, but there is still a good deal of walking. However, walking allows time for characters and that's a good thing about this book. The characters are fairly well mapped out. None of the characters seem wooden or just thrown in as plot devices. They are fully fledged characters, full of pain and stupidity and moments of brilliance.

   What about the plot? The plot is pretty simple, yet complex. There's a lot of stuff going and from multiple points of view. We have the main characters off on their quest (and then they get separated a few times) as well as having the King keeping lookout for attack and the villains attacking. This isn't really spoilery, this is epic fantasy. There's always going to be a group being attacked and a group on a quest and a group of villains attacking. There are certain things about Epic Fantasy that don't change, and this book has all those things.

   And that's part of my problem with this book. There's nothing overly wrong with the book in itself (save for a little bad dialogue and some blatant exposition). As far as books go, I've definitely read (and written) worse. The thing is that this book just feels like it has been done before. There's so much stuff so very similar that it almost feels like a rehash. Maybe as the series goes on it will feel a little bit fresher, but I finished this one and just felt like, "Okay, that was an epic fantasy novel". I don't think that's a good thing.

   So: would I recommend this book? If you like the genre, go for it. If your a bit tired of the same old, same old... there's not much new here.

January Reading Recap

   Earlier this month I talked about some of the highlights from the books I read last year. Unfortunately, I missed a lot of books because I had read so many throughout the year. In order to avoid that this year I'm going to try and do a reading recap every month or so and talk about a few of my favorite reads (or listens, if they were audiobooks). Without that preface, here goes:
   1. Marvels by Kurt Busiek
   This is a graphic novel. At the beginning of the year, I read a bunch of graphic novels. I gave this one four stars. It's interesting because I gave Superman: Birthright 5 stars, and yet I'm talking about this one. Busiek writes a story of what it would be like for humans to live in the Marvel universe. He shows how humans react to those different than them and wonders how they should react. All in all it was a great read. Now that I talk about it, I'm wondering why I didn't give it five stars... Oh well, no time to think of the past!
   2. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
   Some call this the greatest book ever written. I wouldn't call it the best, but its definitely up there. Karamazov is a long book and it reads like it. There's lots of plot, character development, and philosophy jammed into those many pages. It can sometimes be slow, but this book is such a fascinating read. There's so much to think about in this book. Most prominently is the issue of evil and suffering which plagues every Christian. This book smacked me in the face, and then made me wonder if maybe what I had seen as a problem was the solution in itself. I'll let you decide, which means you have to read this book!
   3. The Bacchae by Euripides
   Euripides is an author (playwright, rather) I've just started reading and he is great! I started with Alcestis and Hippolytus (both great), then tried The Bacchae. Let me tell you, this is a fascinating read. It is the story of Dionysus (the wine god) who gets mad at a King for being unkind to him, then Dionysus kills him. It makes absolute sense from a logical standpoint. The Greek gods, or Roman for that matter, were not known for being nice. However, what I found amazing was that Jesus, who was hurt twice as badly by humanity, was gracious and not spiteful. I thought this was a great read and I should probably read it again.
   4. The Nameless City by Michael Scott
   A few months ago I bought a Doctor Who collection of short stories and just now got around to listening to them. Of the five I've listened to so far, this was the best. Scott does a great job of getting into the Second Doctor's head (the narration by Frazer Hines helps a lot) and generally makes it feel like a Second Doctor story. The story itself, while not super deep, is fun and intelligent in its own right. Actually, it did make me think a little about justice and revisionist history. And there's bagpipes! How can you go wrong?
   5. King's Warrior by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt
   I got this book when it was free on Kindle around two years ago. I've been slowly reading it ever since. It is a fairly good book, if a little slow. I won't say too much about it now, since I'm probably going to do a review of it in the near future. Still, I'd recommend it if one is interested in large scale epic fantasy stories.

   Those were some of my favorite, or most interesting, reads of January. What books did you read this month? What did you think of them? Comment below and tell me about it!

Book Review: Dracula by Bram Stoker

   I have never been much of a horror fan. I was one of those kids with an overactive imagination, which caused me to imagine enough horrors lurking in the shadows so I didn't have to have others imagine them for me. Maybe that's part of the curse of being a writer. Whatever the reason, I avoided the horror genre like a plague. Now, as I get older, I've dipped my toes in the water, so to speak.
   A few years ago, I read Frankenstein in a British Literature class, so when I saw it at a book sale my family picked it up so my siblings could read it when they take the class. The version that I saw of Frankenstein had a pairing with Dracula, which gave me the excuse to read it. Interestingly, I had listened to a podcast on monsters around the same time and heard various reviews of the book. From the glowing reviews and the not so entertaining reviews, I was dreading and looking forward to Dracula. Afterwards, I feel somewhat the same, though far more skewed to one side than the other.
   The story itself is fairly simple: a solicitor from England travels to Transylvania to help a Count with a property he bought. Upon arrival there, he discovers the Count is more than he appears and finds himself in a race against time to stop the Count from spreading his nefarious ways to England.
   If you've heard the name Dracula at all, you probably know he is a vampire. As such, this book presents several fascinating ideas about the correlations between blood and life. A theme I found fascinating was the correlation between Dracula's bringing life through the offering of blood and the Eucharist. Dracula's blood brings earthly life, but results in spiritual death. Christ blood, on the other hand, usually causes Christians to risk their lives because they know that spiritual life, or eternal life, awaits them.
   What did I think of this book overall? I found it a bit slow in the middle, but it grabbed my attention at the beginning and end. The end itself, once the final showdown is revealed, is a page-turning read. However, the ideas the book presents, and the storytelling, (along with the fact that the book is a classic) are good enough reasons to read it.

Reading Highlights from 2014

   I know, I know, I'm a little late in doing this. I've been toying with a reading post for about a month now. I thought it would be interesting to sit down every once in a while and just talk about stuff I've been reading. Yet, whenever I had a chance to sit down, I never really knew what to talk about. Then I figured the end of the year would be the optimal time to test such a post. That came and went. Now I'm a week late, and I'm going to force myself to do it. Therefore, here are some of my reading highlights: books that I either really enjoyed, thought were powerful, or just have something to say about.

   1. Mein Kampf by Adolph Hitler
   I got the idea to read this book on a whim. I was looking for another book in the library, and having a bit of difficulty in finding it, when I stumbled upon this. I hadn't read Hitler's magnum opus before, though I had not heard good things (it's Hitler, what do you expect?). I decided, after finding my other book, to give Hitler a chance. This is one of the most disturbing books I've ever read. It is racist, sexist, crazy, and yet thoughtful. Hitler definitely had his philosophy well worked out, as disturbing as it was. This is an important historical work of literature, even though its not very well written and it is full of bad, bad ideas. I'm not sure why this is first on my list, other than that it is the most recent book I've read so it is fresh on my mind.

   2. On Writing by Stephen King
   This is a great book. It's a fun read, it's full of good material, and King is a great writer. He entertains even when talking about grammar, and he makes you think about how to better the writing craft. If you are a writer, you should probably read this book.

   3. A Farewell to Mars by Brian Zahnd
   This is a great book. It's the story of a Pastor's Journey toward the Biblical Gospel of Peace. With that said, this is a non-fiction book, but it is still gripping. Zahnd challenged me to look at my life and look at the way I view the Bible to see if they match up with Jesus. A great book.

   4. Unwritten by Charles Martin
   My mom read this book first, then gave it to me saying I would enjoy it. It's the story of a celebrity who gets so messed up she tries to kill herself, but is rescued by a hermit. The hermit, who used to be something of a celebrity himself, offers to help her disappear of the radar. She accepts. The rest of the book involves the story of how she tries to sort her life out (with the reluctant help of the hermit, of course). This book tells a great story and contains some powerful philosophy. I would advise this one to writers as well.

   5. The Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket
   I really did not like this book. It is the ninth book in A Series of Unfortunate Events and the rest of the books, as expected, are quite sad. The ending of this one, I felt, was just unnecessarily bleak. However, I know wonder if that was the point. Snicket seems to be pointing at our entertainment and our view of others. We quibble over mindless differences, then turn to entertainment full of violence and messy eating. Disgusting.

   6. The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
   I read/listened-to a lot of classics through the year, but I think this was one of the best. Its the story of Pinocchio, the little wooden marionette who wants to be a real boy. Interestingly, the story is comprised of short stories, with each chapter forming a story all on its own, more or less. The chapters fit together to tell an overall story as well, making it fascinating experience for the reader. After finishing this story, I think I had stumbled upon a essential-read among the children's literature genre.

There, those are some of my reading highlights from last year. What about yours? What books did you read last year? Any good ones? Any bad ones? Comment below and tell me about it!

Free Books!

   Welcome Ladies and Gentleman to the blog of Jesse Rice. I'm Jesse Rice, author of the Kitten Mysteries series, of which two books are out so far! (I'm doing this introduction since it's been so long since I've blogged.)
   Anyway, some of you might remember last year when I decided to have a rather hobbit-like birthday. I called it that because hobbits give away presents on their birthday rather than accept them. I'm doing the same, but with books! That's right, both of my books are free on Kindle from Saturday October 11th until Monday October 13. That means The Missing Kitten and Trapped are free for three days!
   I hope you get a copy and enjoy.
   If you do get a copy, can I ask just one thing of you? Leaving a review for a book you read is important. It helps other people see the book and gives people a feel for whether they will like the book or not. If you do get a free copy, please leave a review on either Amazon (The Missing Kitten, Trapped) or on Goodreads (The Missing Kitten, Trapped). Please? It's my birthday, after all.

   Anyway, whatever you do, thank you for coming to my blog and thanks for reading! (And feel free to share!)

Book Release: Trapped!

   I have realized a horrible mistake. I have a schedule (not that I ever follow it) that says I am to do an author interview/ book review on the last Friday of every month. And last Friday I FORGOT! HORRORS!
   Yes. I forgot. So this week I am doing a book review of... My own book! And I have a celebrity to do it for me!
   That's right: Trapped just recently came out (it can be found on Amazon) and I have (drum roll please) Grumpy Cat to review it!

   Okay, not really. Grumpy Cat was way to busy to review a lowly book about cats for me, so I have Rambo here to fill in. Take it away, Rambo!

   I care about this book as much as I do about you. Not at all.

   ...Thanks, Rambo, for that glowing review. Well, who cares what the cat thinks. I'll let you make the decisions for yourself. Here's the synopsis:

   When rebellious kitten Seabert decides he no longer wants to live under his mother's rules, he flees the farm. His freedom ends suddenly when a skunk, claiming the same love for freedom as Seabert, imprisons him. Stunned by this unexpected twist, Seabert is horrified when he finds out the fate of an entire city hinges upon his actions. Will Seabert's friends rescue him, or will his 'freedom' turn into a trap of its own?

   How's that sound? Interesting I hope! This book has been in the works for a long time (I've been working on it since 2011). More to the point, it's been almost a year since the last book. I know that's a lot longer than I was planning, but I'm hoping to get the 3rd book out sooner (Title: The Kyge in the Mist). Look for that coming March 1st, 2015 (unless things get slowed down again, then it'll probably be out next summer).
   Oh, and if you are wondering about the Kindle version: don't worry, it's coming. I hope to have it out by next Friday. All I have to do is tweak a few things and upload it, so it shouldn't take me that long.
   I hope you come back next week, where I'll have my anniversary party and talk about all the stuff I've done over the last year. I hope you enjoy it, and I'll have Rambo here to help keep things interesting. For now, this is Jesse and Rambo signing off.
I still don't care.
Bye!

Book Review - Firmament: Radialloy

 It's the last Friday of the month, and that means (according to my newly made up rules) that I have either a book review or an author interview to post here. Of course, that assumes that I've either read a book sometime this month or talked with an author. Unfortunately, the only author I've talked with is myself, so I guess that means it's a book review.
   Firmament: Radialloy is a science fiction story, set up kind of like Star Trek. And, since I'm bad with writing descriptions of stories, here's what Amazon has to say about it:

The year is 2320. Andi Lloyd is content with her life as the assistant to her adoptive father, a starship doctor, but her secure world turns upside down when she begins uncovering secrets from her past. When her father mysteriously starts losing his mind, she finds that she can no longer count on him to guide or help her. With mutiny breaking out on the ship, and two factions desperate for a valuable secret she holds, she must race to help her father and herself before time runs out.

   Isn't that fascinating? Is your interest peaked?
   I first saw this book only a few months after it had been published and thought it was interesting. Since the author was self-published (and I was looking into that) I could find a new book and support a independent author. It was a win-win situation.
   Enough about how I heard about the book, what about the story itself? Well, the story is well-crafted. The story, though, isn't the best part about this book. The characters are. Andi is delightful. She's an orphan, taken in by her father, The Doctor, who is not a Time Lord (sad, but true). August is the shy navigator (fangirl favorite) who I thought was good, but not exceptional. I most resonated with Crash. He's a brash, brave pilot of a small spacecraft, but who thinks he knows it all. The most interesting part of his character is that he is brought on as a joker (which I can relate with) as well as tending to be a bit of a know-it-all. This is, in fact, basically how he is seen almost as soon as he arrives on the spaceship: he is set up against the resident pilot of the starship. This initial conflict really made him interesting to me. Unfortunately, he's not around for much of the book (good thing he's more of a major player in Book 2!).
   What about the plot? Well, as I stated before there are some twists and turns. The part about The Doctor (still not a Time Lord) is quite troubling. Andi has no idea what is going on with him, same as the reader. And when certain new arrivals start to act suspiciously, things really go topsy-turvy. Things turn into a high-sea adventure (but in space) for a while, though on a much larger scale. The climax is tense, and there is my major problem with it. I've read the book twice now and, while I have a basic understanding of what happens, whenever I actually read the last couple scenes I am confused. The first time I let it slide, because I was so caught up in the excitement of the novel and I wondered if I had just missed some things. The second time, however, I read a bit more carefully and I was still confused on what exactly happened.
   Still, other than that qualm about the ending, the book is well written and I would recommend it. You can pick up the book on Amazon: (link here) and you can find out more about J. Grace Pennington here.

   What about you? Have you read Firmament: Radialloy? What did you think? Or have you read any independent books that you might recommend? Tell me in the comments below!

Interview with Joel A. Parisi

Yesterday, I had the privilege of interviewing Joel A. Parisi, author of Shadow Play. It was quite interesting for me, and I hope you enjoy it.

Jesse Rice: Hello Joel Parisi. Welcome to my blog. Can you tell a little bit about yourself?

Joel A. Parisi: Sure! I'm a writer, editor, and all-around geek who lives in Tucson, Arizona. I've been writing for the past eight years, but only recently have I actually begun to produce quality work. Shadow Play, my debut novelette, is the first thing I've felt was good enough to self-publish and promote.

Jesse Rice: What first caused you to become interested in writing?

Joel A. Parisi: Hmm.... I would have to say it was Star Wars. My first attempt at writing a novel (which failed miserably) was driven by my somewhat misguided desire to make 'a Christian Star Wars.' But then, I was only twelve at the time.

Jesse Rice: Would you say science fiction is your favorite genre, then?

JAP: Science fiction and fantasy have to share, actually. *laughs* I love both genres for different reasons, but I love them about equally.

JR: In which genre do you prefer to write?

JAP: Again, I split my time about equally between sci-fi and fantasy. (And yes, I consider supervillains to be science fiction, at least the way I write them.)

JR: On that note, can you tell me a little bit about Shadow Play?

JAP: Absolutely. It's a bit of a mashup between your usual superhero/supervillain fare and modern action, specifically black ops. The story revolves around Paul Cantref, an ex-Army Ranger who's been recruited by the Supervillain Handling, Research And Intervention Department (SHRAID) to kill supervillains. He's assigned to lead a team into a very volatile situation in the field, and has to deal with his own insecurities while holding the team together and (hopefully) managing to kill their target.

JR: Sounds interesting. Now, from what I've heard, you are writing in a shared universe. Can you tell me a bit about that?

JAP: Yeah, that's a very interesting part of this experience.... basically, Katie Lynn Daniels started publishing a series of novelettes last year which dealt with the aftermath of the "Supervillain Outbreak" on Earth and the efforts of an alien trained to kill supervillains. She licensed the series under Creative Commons, which means (for me) the universe is open for others to contribute. She had mentioned in passing that the US had a "superhero" program (and one of the central conceits of the series is that superheroes don't exist). My reaction was "Well, we wouldn't be THAT stupid, would we? No, it must be a cover for something else." And so the idea for SHRAID was born.

I talked to Katie about the idea and she was game to not only endorse my writings, but accept them as canon within the universe. And we may be doing a crossover (eventually) where our main characters run into each other....

JR: So how closely tied is SHRAID to Supervillain of the Day?

JAP: Good question. We're still not really sure ourselves.... I know that major events (such as Katie's Season Two finale, and my series finale [sorry, no spoilers!]) will be cross-referenced. But as far as the average reader is concerned, you don't need to be intimately familiar with her series to enjoy mine, or vice versa. Though if you are familiar, you'll notice a few easter eggs.

JR: Sounds fascinating. From what I've read, your series seems to have a story arc over the entire series. After reading Supervillain of the Day, my biggest complaint was the episodic nature of the series. What caused you to choose a different route?

JAP: Well, I should mention that Katie's series does have a unified arc-- it's just a really long one.

I honestly don't think I consciously chose to go a different route. But then again, I've always enjoyed long epics, featuring a meta-story spread over several volumes, so I think I may have just automatically slipped into that mode of storytelling. And then there is the fact that I tend to write plot first, while Katie tends to write characters first. So you'll see that the plot is, to me, the most important consideration (and hopefully my characters don't suffer too much as a result.)

JR: So what are some of your favorite epic stories?

JAP: The Lord of the Rings, of course (including The Hobbit and The Silmarillion). Also the Dune saga, Asimov's Robots and Empire series, The Wheel of Time, Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive, and Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen.

JR: What about favorite authors? Do you find your own writings are patterned after a particular person's writing style?

JAP: Ah, that's a question a lot of authors get. For me, no. I read, and have read, so much that no one author has really 'defined' my voice.

That said, aside from the authors I mentioned above, some of my favorites are Timothy Zahn, CS Lewis, Terry Pratchett, Orson Scott Card, Christopher Paolini, Madeline L'Engle, Louisa May Alcott, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens.... yeah, I could write a several-page-long list of those.

JR: What are your plans for future novels?

JAP: Cue sinister laughter. 

In all seriousness, though, I have the next five novelettes for SHRAID to finish before I can really think of doing more. But I do have some ideas.... There's a three-part (or maybe just two-part) fantasy/sci-fi mashup that's been percolating in the back of my head for about a year now. It involves a pair of opposed but complimenting magic systems (dealing with matter and energy), an isolated colony world, and universe-ending danger. And then I also have an idea for a standalone sci-fi novel dealing with an invasion precipitated by extra-dimensional Lovecraftian aliens.

JR: Well, with that to think on, I think I've taken up enough of your time. Thank you very much for allowing me to interview you. I hope your writing endeavors continue to go well. How can my readers find you on the internet?

JAP: Not a problem! Thanks for the interview.

They can check out my website, joelaparisi.com; and they can also check out my Facebook page (facebook.com/joelaparisi), follow me on Twitter (twitter.com/authorjoelap), and they can find Shadow Play for sale on Amazon and the Createspace eStore.

JR: Thank you very much. Have a nice day!

Author Interview - Faith Blum

   A friend of mine from Holy Worlds has recently published a novel! As a way to tell the world about her novel, Faith Blum, author of A Mighty Fortress, has set up a blog tour! From December 3rd through 12th she has excerpts, guest posts, and interviews. Follow the link here (blog tour) or above to find the other posts!
   For my contribution to the tour, here's an interview with the lovely Faith Blum herself!

Jesse Rice: Hello Faith. It's a pleasure to interview you today. Can you tell me a little about yourself?

Faith Blum: I am a 23 year old home school graduate and I love to write, read, play piano, and play card games with my family.  I love history and want other people to enjoy history as well. 

What first caused you to become a writer?

From the time I can remember, I have always enjoyed writing and Mom (a.k.a. my teacher) tailored my schooling to fit into that love of writing.

What genres do you like to write?

Historical Fiction and Contemporary Fiction are my favorite genres to write.  Historical Fiction is my passion right now, though.  I just published the first book in a series.  I’m not exactly sure how many books there will be in the series, but so far I have four planned.  I do have a Contemporary Fiction trilogy that is started, but that needs a lot of work and will take many years to finalize.

You've come out with a book recently. What's it called and can you tell me a little about it?

My book is called A Mighty Fortress.  Joshua and Ruth Brookings are traveling by stagecoach to finally join their parents in Montana. Attacked by murderous outlaws, the teens barely escape with their lives and must survive in the barren Wyoming and Montana territories and escape the man who's hunting them.

Seven years ago, Jed Stuart ran away from home and joined Tom's gang. Jed is tired of the lawlessness and wants out. The only problem? He is the boss's right-hand man and will never be able to leave. And what's one more stagecoach robbery, anyway?

Can Joshua lean on God's strength to keep himself and his sister alive until they find a town?   Will Jed be able to face his anger or will it consume him completely? All three are running--the hunter and hunted. What will happen when they meet?

What inspired you to write a story like this?

A Christian company had a short story contest based on the picture on the front of their catalog.  I decided to write a story even though I was too old to enter the contest.  It turned out to be novella length rather than a short story, but it still had good potential.  I let it sit for over a year, not sure what to do with it.

Then, last October, a friend told me about a writing contest.  The deadline to enter the finished manuscript was January 31^st.  The next two months were spent rewriting and quick-editing my manuscript.  Although, I didn’t win the contest, I did get a very good draft of my book finished.

Long story short, a picture inspired the initial idea and my love of Westerns supplied the rest.

What authors inspire you?

Aubrey Hansen, J. Grace Pennington, Louis L’Amour, Louisa May Alcott, and Karen Witemeyer.

What are some of your favorite books?

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, Ride the River by Louis L’Amour, Blink by Ted Dekker, Peter’s Angel by Aubrey Hansen, Never by J. Grace Pennington, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Tailor Made Bride by Karen Witemeyer and many more. 

What encouragement or advice would you give to someone who has just started writing?

Just keep writing.  No matter how hard it gets or how bad you think you are doing.  You can always rewrite and edit it to make it better. 

Do you have any books that are coming out in the near future?

That depends on what you mean by near future.  I hope to have book two of the Hymns of the West series out sometime next year, but I do not know for sure how long it will take me.  I am still working on the rough draft of Be Thou My Vision.  I will have progress updates on my blog occasionally, so you can definitely keep up with my progress there.

Thank you so much for being here, Faith. It's been fun.

Thank you for having me here, Jesse.  It was fun answering your questions.

Supervillain Awareness Day

   November 21 is the day we remember the first time Supervillains attacked, in Middle-of-Nowhere, Kansas. Today is the day when evil must be destroyed. When a caped crusader must step up to the forefront to destroy the villainy of the... well, Supervillains. Who is this masked creature?
   It's a bird! It's a plane!
   It's Over-Cat!


 

   Or not. Actually, I have no plans to write a book about a cat that fights evil (or superpowered evil, at least). I'm still working on the Kitten Mysteries. Though, if you have a hunger for superpowered awesomeness, go check out the Supervillain of the Day series. Today and Tomorrow, all six books in the first 'season' are free on Kindle (even though this link is only to the first book, all the books are free on Kindle)! So go check it out!

News

Hey, everyone! Rather, the five people who actually read this thing (hi, siblings!). I have some news for you. I got my proof copy (a couple days ago, actually) and it looks cool! A couple pictures to proof (I mean, prove) it:

And, yes, that is my natural hair.

Some more news: My book's published! Hurrah! Here's a link: The Missing Kitten
I'll release an excerpt of the book soon, just on a different post (so it's not so cluttered).
There. That's my news! Adios world!

Authors and Links

Another day of waiting. Hurrah! While I wait to be published, here's a list of writers who are already published.

Katie Lynn Daniels, Author of the Supervillain of the Day series (Katie Lynn Daniels Supervillain of the Day)

Theodora Ashcraft, Author of Sangre: the Phantom's Lair and Of Whispers and Wanderings (Whispers of Wind and Song)

J. Grace Pennington, Author of Firmament: Radialloy and Never (J. Grace Pennington)

Aubrey Hansen, Author of Red Rain and The Peter's Angel Saga: Peter's Angel (Aubrey Hansen)

Don't forget to check out the Holyworlds Blog Marathon: Speculative Fiction Through Time and Space.