Chasing Eleven Available

Chasing Eleven was released this week. It’s a collection of my short stories, early versions of some have been shared on the site, but others are definitely new.

The foreword is exerpted below.

“The title and concept for Chasing Eleven is inspired by an iconic scene from the movie Spinal Tap; specifically, a conversation between characters Nigel Tufnel and biographer Marty DiBergi:

“..If we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?”

“You put it up to eleven.”

“Exactly! It’s one louder.”

“Why don’t you just make ten louder, make ten be the top number and make that a little louder?”

(long pause as Nigel considers the possibility)

“These go to eleven…”

What does that have to do with a collection of short stories? More than is initially apparent! I’ve found certain behaviors in myself and others invariably becoming a source of rueful amusement. Generally, this occurs when a person is so focused on a singular obsession they ignore all external indications they may be incorrect and persist in likely folly.

Think of a poker player, betting all-in while drawing to an inside straight. The odds of pulling that one card is very low, but the gambler ignores them, betting everything left, sure this is the one time it will happen. Indie authors are kind of like that: persisting regardless of ample evidence to heaven’s vast indifference. Why each writer persists varies by the individual, but is closely tied to the reasons they write in the first place.

As for me, I’m just chasing eleven.”

It was fun pulling it together, Sarah Kalin – Editor helped me trim some of the more self-indulgent elements into something more or less cohesive.  I hope you enjoy it!

“Tribe Earth”, by Tony Saunders – Review

Tony Saunders puts up a story which has been told and retold many times, the earliest I remember would be a Tom Swift, Jr. book which uses a similar propulsion drive principle in the 1960s. However, the author doesn’t demonstrate a working understanding of the physical sciences, engineering, business, or government in this book. Those can be set aside if the author is telling a compelling story, which in this case he does not. There’s a story here, it just isn’t presented in its best form. The biggest issues are pace and characterization. The dialogue is mostly unattributed and spare of descriptive detail. All speech sounds like the same person is talking monotone, without emotional context. What do the characters look like, do they smile, how do they move, what are they thinking, etc. Why are there variable jumps in time from one paragraph to the next? What were the aliens doing for the years it took to launch Earth’s spaceship? Did the editor only provide a spelling and grammar check?

My recommendation is that potential buyers read the sample text on Amazon before buying a copy. The sample is very representative of the overall quality in this case.

As it stands, I think this is most suitable for a young teen SciFi audience, I rate this book a 3.0, based on the FCP book review standard. Priced at $2.99 on Amazon Kindle, it’s a fair entertainment value.

(Disclosure: I learned of the book through Veracious Readers Only! and purchased a copy)

“The Rescue Nurse”, by J. Philip Horne – Review

Well written albeit less-than-believable plot with simple characterization. Amazing how quickly bullet wounds heal in this book. Hey, it isn’t any more far-fetched than the latest Dan Brown or David Baldacci formulaic screeds. The female lead is a unicorn, an Italian of Albanian extraction who flawlessly speaks and understands colloquial English. She’s beautiful as well as deadly (chortle).

Having said all that, the book is perfect for a lazy weekend afternoon bunkered against viral contagion and can easily be read in one sitting.

I rate this book a 4.0, based on the FCP book review standard. Priced at $5.99 on Amazon Kindle, it’s a fair entertainment value.

(Disclosure: I received a free copy through Veracious Readers Only!)

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

“Alias: Mitzi and Mac”, by Victoria Landis – Review

Solid storytelling and a fun concept: Imagine a financial advisor steals your retirement nest egg and leaves for parts unknown. It happens to an older couple living on the poorer side of a Florida beach town, and now they can’t afford to stay put. Luckily though “Mac” looks like Harrison Ford and his equipment is still functional as “Mitzi” will attest. With so many rich older women in town, surely there is a solution to their financial problem. Nothing can go wrong, right?

I enjoyed the story and its setting (I live in Florida). Secondary characters were hard for me to remember, and indeed interchangeable in some respects, but the primary ones are more than sufficient to carry the story. The plot is a bit far-fetched, but what caricature isn’t? We’ve all met Florida people very much like the ones featured.

I rate this book a 4.0, based on the FCP book review standard. Priced at $3.99 on Amazon Kindle, it’s a good entertainment value.

(Disclosure: I bought a signed copy at Murder on the Beach Mystery Bookstore – Delray Beach)