BOOK REVIEW - PAUL D. BRAZILL'S: DRUNK ON THE MOON - BOOK ONE

Drunk on the Moon by Paul D Brazill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Well... this is just a wee bit embarrassing!  I read DRUNK ON THE MOON almost two months ago and STILL haven't written so much as a "Smashing read, Paul!"? (Turn in your reading glasses and go to your room, young lady!)


I read the first part of DRUNK ON THE MOON in Dark Valentine some months back... it takes a truly dark and brilliant mind to conjure the idea of a werewolf P.I.... and make it so incredibly believable!  When I finished that short story, I was completely taken by Paul's writing... what a wonderful introduction to a new author!  Smashing read, Paul!


Okay... redemption?


DRUNK ON THE MOON takes my breath away... it sends chills up and down my spine... absolutely!  This story gave me many a sleepless night, tossing and turning... unable to get those dark, gruesome images out of my head... even a night light could not keep them at bay (Paul, if you don't own stock in a night light company, you may want to look into that.)


What a dark, deliciously horrifying read... I LOVED every minute of it!  Someone... I'm sorry, I can't recall who it was at the moment... said Paul's writing was a bit like jazz (I'm paraphrasing).  This  is so true... his words have a beat and a pulse all their own... wrapping themselves around your senses and pulling you in... taking you on an amazing journey through P.I. Roman Dalton's world.  And, like great jazz, Paul's writing doesn't let go after you've read the last line and closed the book.  It stays with you long after you've finished... leaving you sated, yet wanting more at the same time.


Paul's writing has all the grit and punch of Chandler and the horror of Stoker and Shelley.  Seemingly without effort, he blends noir and horror to create an unforgettable character and a story you won't forget.  The dialogue is dark and gritty, perfectly balanced with his wonderfully colorful narrative of The City and the others in it.


"The moon slices the night like a fang..."... "...death black coffee."  Such startling imagery from a few well-chosen words, Paul's style is unmatched.  Others may yearn to write like this, but just as Chandler is oft-imitated, yet always missing the mark... those who attempt to emulate Paul D Brazill's style will be pale imitators at best!


Okay... time to wind this up... somebody has got it in their head that I am cooking dinner tonight.


What's that?  What is the book about?


Oh... I'm not going to tell you that... I could not even begin to do it justice... no, you will have to read this for yourself.


DRUNK ON THE MOON is not just a story... it's an experience!


Okay... a hint... there's a new 'sheriff' in town... P.I. Roman Dalton... and he is ridding The City of criminal elements.  Now... go buy the book!


Oh... one more thing...


P.I. Roman Dalton is a werewolf... did I forget to mention that?


Paul... from the bottom of my heart... thank you for all the sleepless nights you have given me... with DRUNK ON THE MOON, that is! (Wouldn't want to give people the wrong idea... give you a reputation undeserved... hehe!)  Not to mention the inspiration you have given me as well... I mention Roman in one of my short stories... seems my vampyre has a crush on him.


Read this book, people! You won't be disappointed!


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BOOK REVIEW - LILY CHILDS' MAGENTA SHAMAN

Magenta Shaman by Lily Childs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Breathless... that's what I am, after reading Magenta Shaman.  And, it's not because I literally 'tore' through the story.  Once I started reading, I could NOT put this down!  I don't have a Kindle yet, so I download to the Kindle for PC app.  I was reading this on my desktop computer the other night, and if the power had chosen that particular time to go out... my 'cries' would have been heard all the way to Eastbourne! (I live on the West Coast of the United States.)

Urban fantasy/horror is a genre I have not read a lot of, especially the last several years.  Not because I lost interest... but, because I found new interests.  After reading Magenta Shaman, I am asking myself what was so bloody important to leave behind stories like this!

Lily's dark tale... you were right, Lily. It IS a love story... leaves a delicious 'taste', and a hunger for more!  What absolutely wonderful, dark imagery her words conjure... I can almost feel the Billowat's fetid, rotting breath on me. From the opening paragraph, my heart rate doubled... if I had been reading a paper book version, I would have left sweaty fingerprints throughout.

Oh... I was right about one thing, Lily.  Even with a night light, I tossed and turned all night!

Somehow... "Thank you" seems a bit inadequate!


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PULP INK – New Anthology By Chris Rhatigan and Nigel Bird - You Gotta Read This! Don't Make Me Get All Medieval On Your A**!

http://www.amazon.com/PULP-INK-ebook/dp/B005HB3TDW/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1313471680&sr=1-1

Just think... for a minute of your time and the minuscule sum of $2.99... you can have HOURS of reading pleasure!  Where else you gonna get that kind of deal?  :)

But, Veronica... How can I get this treasure?

Glad you asked... see that little blue line of letters and numbers that change color when you move your mouse pointer over it?  Just click that little baby and get your VISA, MasterCard, Discover, American Express (no... your library card isn't going to cut it... nice try, though!) ready!

See... easy, peasy... wasn't it?

Now... grab a cold one... kick back... and, ENJOY!

PULP INK – New Anthology By Chris Rhatigan and Nigel Bird Coming Next Week!

http://nigelpbird.blogspot.com/2011/08/pulp-ink.html

Congratulations to Chris Rhatigan and Nigel Bird! Can you believe the incredible talent in this anthology? Brazill... Seamans… Godwin… Johnson... Bird... Rhatigan... Guthrie... Ayris... Abbott... the list goes on and on! If you like pulp, this is going to be the best you have read in a long time! I can't wait to sink my teeth in!!

LILYCHILDSFEARDOM.BLOGSPOT.COM - LILY'S FRIDAY PREDICTION FOR AUGUST 5, 2011: REGRET

New flash fiction over at http://lilychildsfeardom.blogspot.com/2011/08/lilys-friday-prediction_05.html

Rules - 100 words max flash fiction or poetry using the following words – etiquette, stag, play. Deadline is 9pm UK time on Thursday 11th August.

REGRET

By Veronica Marie Lewis-Shaw

Fuck etiquette!

The blonde man circled around the stables, making his way back to the stand of trees east of the mansion.  This was a competition and all that mattered was who won.  Let the other idiots play fair.

Waiting and watching… a chill seeped into his bones. 

Behind him… a sound… he turned around… a split second to regret.

~~**~~

“A splendid trophy, Audra… splendid!”

Turning her gaze to the new plaque over the fireplace… next to the stag head…

“I bagged that one just last week… bloody Yank was too predictable… no sport in it.”

Audra smiled.

~~finis~~

MAKING A MARK: Techie: How NOT to lose all your Blogger Pics!

MAKING A MARK: Techie: How NOT to lose all your Blogger Pics!

BOOK REVIEW - SARA GRUEN'S WATER FOR ELEPHANTS

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Okay... I have to take back my earlier comments.  I LOVE this story!


True, it did start a little slow for me, and I would have liked a little more dimension to some of the characters.  But, on the whole... a thoroughly enjoyable story...I am glad that I did not let my first impressions hold me back.


Sara Gruen took a big risk, telling the story from the perspective of a ninety-something man... a risk that pays off handsomely.  I do not believe the story would have had the same impact if she had told it through the eyes of another.


More than a love story, this is a story of a young man's coming of age in Depression-era America; at the same time, dealing with the loss of his parent's and having his entire world turned inside-out.  "Welcome to adulthood, young man!"


Romance, intrigue, mystery, humor, murder... can one ask for more?  A hero, you say?  But, there is a hero... Rosie!


Sara reminds us that the elderly were once as young, vibrant, and ambitious as any one of us, and that we should not value them less, simply because they have more years than we do.


I read through some of the reviews here, and I have to ask the question... did some of these people even read the book?  Or, are they just spouting what they heard someone else say.  One person in particular, who wrote that it made her physically angry, and she found the story unimaginative and predictable... cliched.  Really?  Why don't you try actually reading the book before you trash it?


Water For Elephants is both heart-warming and heart-wrenching, often at the same time.  I cried.  More than once.  This book touched me deeply, more so than I thought it would when I first started reading it.  This is a story I will long treasure.    


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