I have decided to host a one-day only Amazon giveaway for one e-book copy of Assassin Marked. This book will be given to the 250th entry, so hurry!
Tag: story
Wedding Wipeout by Jacob M. Appel
My rating (on Goodreads): 4 out of 5 stars
The old rabbi who leads us by the hand through Wedding Wipeout wears many hats, posing at various times as an FBI agent (impersonating a federal agent much?), a police detective, and more. In this interesting religious twist on the classic mystery story, Jacob M. Appel takes a cue from both Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle, featuring an unusual detective (a rabbi, in this case), his somehow-less-worldly protégé, a complicated plot line, and alternating periods of action and reflection.
The story and characters in this book will keep you interested until the end (as long as you don’t mind familiarizing yourself with a bit of Jewish vocabulary/culture). If you enjoy a good mystery, give this book a read. Be sure to let me know what you think!
*** I received a review copy of this book; however, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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| Beloved by Toni Morrison |
Beloved by Toni Morrison
My rating (on Goodreads): 4 out of 5 stars
They say, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” and that definitely applies to Beloved! When I first saw the book, I thought, “Oh crap! A romance novel.” I was way off. In spite of its ambiguous cover, Beloved is actually a ghost story, resulting from the desperate actions of Sethe, an escaped female slave.
Readers may debate whether Sethe makes good decisions; however, regardless of right or wrong, her actions come back to haunt her, literally. I don’t want to give away the story to prospective readers, but I will say that this book isn’t for everyone. Filled with dream sequences, flashbacks, and memories Beloved flip flops through time in a manner reminiscent of William Faulkner or Virginia Woolf. Love it or hate it, don’t skip reading it.
On a side note: the movie is horrible. No Hollywood flick could ever encompass the grittiness and raw emotion captured by the book. But don’t take my word for it: Read it, watch it, rate it! Let me know what you think.
Rearing up like a gnarled gargoyle, the trunk leaned over the forest path, moss blanketing its northern side. Vegetation crept up to the path, creating a wall of leaves, branches, and thorns. A light mist filled the woods, casting the forest in a light shroud.
Despite the nature all around, not a single bird could be heard; if not for the insects, the forest would have been eerily quiet.
And if only you had known . . . if you had any inkling . . . then we would have avoided these woods . . . . But now it’s too late. I will miss you . . . .
My wife suggested I write about my post-publishing nervousness. Between Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, LibraryThing, and this bloody blog (heh, I like the way that sounds), I’ve been working very hard to get the word out about “Assassin Marked.”
To be honest, I have no idea how to explain my nervousness. It could be the persistent itch to get more of my stories out there. Then again, it could be the fear of not doing well; the nagging question, “Will people like it?” One of my biggest fears at the moment is receiving a terrible review on Amazon.
But enough about that. I really don’t want to write about my nervousness. Rather, I would like to write about my progress. I spent a bit of time today revising some of the fiction piece I’m working on. It’s requiring that I studying the effects of post traumatic stress disorder in children, and the psychological effects of a parent losing his family. A little teaser there.
I’ve also been hard at work composing a more thorough historical time line for Damian’s world in “Assassin Marked.” Not for publication really, just notes for myself to help me remain consistent in my story. But I have many little stories springing up revolving around Damian, or the world Damian lives in.
My six-year-old daughter, on the other hand, decided that her pony needed a haircut for the weekend.
TGIF,
After a late night of last-minute editing and fussing with Amazon Direct Publishing, my first short story is published.
Assassin Marked
by Michael C. Sahd
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Assassin Marked tells a story of a man and his lover who work for the mafia in a futuristic setting. I believe it is an interesting read.
Although I have overcome a great hurdle, my nerves are twisting into a ghastly knot, much like a pile of unraveled yarn. The pressure to provide more stories to the public weighs heavy on my mind. The last thing I want to do is provide this one story and then not release anything again until years later.
Assassin Marked, which I began to write almost ten years ago, had sat complete and edited for almost a year now (maybe more). I’m really hoping that future stories will come more quickly.
Yet I’m not done with Damian. Already, work has begun on a larger story involving the assassin, and the addition of some new individuals.
Meanwhile, Balanced Tipped faces a serious revision, but I’m confident that I will turn it in to my editor, Laura Pruett, very soon. Incidentally, if any of you reading this article are in need of an editor, click on the link I provided. I know of no better editor than her.
Keep checking back here for more information on published works.