Man of Wax

I finished reading Man of Wax (by Robert Swartwood) this week.

This book surprised me with its original story line and, I had a hard time putting it down once I started to read it. Upfront I’ll warn you, it’s not a book for everyone but I do believe there are a lot of readers who will enjoy this story.

Here’s the premise:  imagine you’re married with a child. One day you wake up but, instead of being in your own bed, you’re in a seedy hotel in another state and you have no idea how you got there. You try to call your spouse but you have no luck connecting. The action ramps up when you discover a message written in blood: LET THE GAME BEGIN.

And then you discover this game is a variation of one of our childhood favorites, “Simon Says!”

As I mentioned above, this book is not for everyone. It takes the premise behind reality television to a new dimension, a backstory that includes prostitution and child pornography is ever there, and in a way, the players become “slaves” to a “master”.

But it is a new slant on an old story line and I think some readers will love it. Like I said above, once I started it I couldn’t put it down.

I hope Mr. Swartwood is able to get Hollywood interested in this story because I think it would make a great movie. (In fact, if he wants to contact me I’d be glad to work with him on the screenplay.)

I read Man of Wax on my kindle. It is also available in a paperback format from Amazon.

I Write What I Want to Write!

The other day someone asked me what kind of stories I see myself writing in the future. For me, that’s not an easy question because, honestly, I don’t know.

I can’t see myself only writing in one genre. Yes, there are authors who only write novels that involve detectives and serial killers. And some writer’s pen only romance or historical sagas. But, I can’t see myself limiting myself.

My first novel WINDFALL was a dramatic thriller. However, next year when I write its sequel, I’m not going to limit myself to writing another dramatic thriller. It might end up being a dramatic thriller but it might be something entirely different. Right now I don’t know. I’m giving myself options.

This year I’m writing two novels. One is a coming of age story. The other is a paranormal romance.

I suppose if I was younger I might want to focus on one genre and become famous for that. Like Stephen King did with horror, or John Grisham did with novels about lawyers.

But I’m 60. At this point in my life I’m not going to limit myself.

I’m a writer, sometimes novels and sometimes screenplays, and I’m going to write what I want to write.

Writing Devices for the Blind in 1913 (Library for the Blind)

The Shut Mouth Society

The Shut Mouth Society by James D. Best is the kind of book I like best.

It starts with a rich collector who has discovered an early Abraham Lincoln document. The collector asks two people to authenticate the manuscript: Greg Evarts, a detective, and Patricia Baldwin, a professor. The professor, of course, is not only smart but stinking rich and beautiful. The novel has everything from intrigue and murder to romance.

The story begins in California and progresses to the historical east coast where the reader is introduced to private libraries, secret apartments, and shown how rich and powerful civil war descendants live. Conspiracies and secret societies from the Civil War era are unveiled in such a realistic manner that, when I finished the book, I actually did some research to separate fact from fiction.

This one is worth your time and attention.

If you read it, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Help! I NEED A TITLE…

Finding Verity has received the bulk of my attention this week. I am pleased to announce that the word count on this novel has surpassed 15,000 words and I’m happy with the progress. For those of you who don’t know, “verity” means “the state of being true”.

Current Novel needs a title. Right now I’m considering Perspicuous Dreams. Perspicuous means “clearly expressed” or “lucid”. I know a lot of people won’t know what perspicuous means but I have the same problem with verity. I am also considering Lucid Dreams.

Any thoughts on these two titles?