Curmudgeon's Corner (CB): Writing style

Some writers have a very distinctive style, and whether you like the style has a lot to do with whether you like their books. Patricia McKillip is an author whose lyrical style I love, and I will read pretty much anything she writes just because I really, well, like the way she writes. I particularly like her Riddle-Master trilogy, which hits a lot of other buttons for me (Welsh-like riddles, non-romantic love, betrayal, redemption), and I was really surprised to learn that a friend whose judgment I totally respect couldn't get through even the first of the books -- because she doesn't like McKillip's style.

For another example, Catherynne Valente is an author that a lot of people really like; I don't really like her style, so I have a hard time with her. (Interestingly, her extremely-lyrical style reads to me as similar to McKillip's, and I don't have a good read on why I like McKillip but not Valente). 

On the other side of the fence from lyrical, there's a much more staccato, exuberant kind of style, which is often used for young-adult SF. Cory Doctorow (For the Win, Little Brother) does this; so does Neal Stephenson in his SF books (e.g., Snow Crash). Sarah Rees Brennan, though she doesn't write SF, has a similar kind of style. This kind of style can definitely highlight the exuberant ideas-based foundation of these kinds of books.

Other writers, I feel, have a very transparent style. Allegra Goodman's novel Intuition is written in a style that is meant not to get in the way of what's happening in the book -- because it's a book about science and scientists, this makes sense. 

What kind of style do you enjoy? Are there styles you don't enjoy?

Waiting on Wednesday (12)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

Last week I just finished the wonderful IF I LIE by Corrine Jackson (which everyone should read, by the way-- probably one of the best books I've read all year, and I've read a LOT). Stay posted, I will be hosting an interview and giveaway for IF I LIE in mid-October! Anyway, she is coming out with a paranormal YA novel soon, called Touched, and I'm really excited to get my hands on it!

Goodreads Book Description: Remy O’Malley heals people with touch—but every injury she cures becomes her own. Living in a household with an abusive stepfather, she has healed untold numbers of broken bones, burns,and bruises. And then one night her stepfather goes too far.

Being sent to live with her estranged father offers a clean start and she is eager to take it. Enter Asher Blackwell. Once a Protector of Healers, Asher sacrificed his senses to become immortal. Only by killing a Healer can a Protector recover their human senses. Falling in love is against the rules between these two enemies. Because Remy has the power to make Protectors human again, and when they find out, they’ll becoming for her—if Asher doesn’t kill her first.This is Book One in the Touched trilogy. 

Expected Publication Date: November 27, 2012

Why I am excited:  Corrine Jackson has proven her chops with the amazing, IF I LIE. Of course, my inclination is towards the paranormal/dystopian YA, so all my wishes were fulfilled when I heard about this book. I'm so excited to see what she does with it.

Why I am worried: This has nothing to do with Corrine. I think it's always a challenge to go from a single contemporary YA novel to a paranormal YA trilogy. There are a lot of different issues involved, but I think Corrine is completely up to it!

What are you waiting for this Wednesday?

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My First Movie Review: The Dark Knight Rises

The main reason this is my first movie review is because this is (sadly) the first movie I've watched in a LONG TIME. And I don't even want to get into how long it has been since I've seen a movie in the theater-- does Avatar come to mind? OK, maybe I've seen something more recent.

But I digress. I was looking forward to this final entry into the wonderful Batman trilogy done directed by Christopher Nolan. I have to say I'm a huge fan of Christian Bale and have been since his much younger days when he starred in Disney's less well known Newsies (still have that soundtrack) and played Teddy in Little Women. Since then, he has really honed his acting skills and has become an excellent actor, and to me, is the perfectly cast for Batman.

I have heard mixed reviews from my friends about this movie. I think in some aspects that is because this is really not Bruce Wayne's movie or Batman's even. I would argue that this movie is really James Gordon and John Blake's movie.

Just as a short synopsis for those of you who have not seen this movie yet (but honestly, I think I was probably one of the last people to do so since it's been out a while), eight years has passed since the events of the last movie. Batman has taken the fall for Harvey Dent, who died in the last movie, and Bruce has become a recluse. Gordon has perpetuated this lie in order to politically keep evil people behind bars (don't tell me to explain this to you because I didn't really get it), but now, a new menace has come to town-- a hulking brute with a sinister voice named Bane. He has mysterious ties to Bruce's old mentor from the first movie, and he decides to take up Batman's mantle once again.

This synopsis makes it seem like the focus would be on Bruce/Batman. But it's not. Most of the movie, which I loved, is focused on John Blake and his ideals as a police officer. We learn how he grew up and because of this, how he understands Batman better than probably anyone else. He makes one of the most interesting character arcs in the movie, and his decision at the end of the movie is very satisfying.

The second most important is Gordon. He has felt unbelievably guilty about the burden of this lie he has been keeping, and he almost decides to bring the truth to light, but then decides against it. Unsurprisingly, this comes to haunt him later on in the film, and he continues to play a nice foil to both young Blake and Bruce himself.

A newcomer that I loved was Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. I never really liked Rachel Dawes as a love interest, and finally in this series dominated by male superheroes, we get a woman that kicks butt. I like that she is not the conventional good girl, she starts out as a thief and then can't get out of it since that's all she's ever known. I also loved the touch of her goggles as her "cat" ears. I do wonder at the reason for the mask-- no one in the audience or even in the movie is fooled at all. Maybe it's just to finish off the tight leather bodysuit?

There are some great twists that were not completely surprising but incredibly satisfying. I love how the story came full circle and it reminds me how much I appreciate when movies and books are well done. I wholeheartedly award this movie 5 out of 5 stars. I think out of all of the superhero movies, the Batman trilogy as a whole has been the strongest of any of them.

What did you think of the latest Batman installment?

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Part II of interview with Andrew Cotto and International Giveaway of "The Domino Effect"!

Welcome back for the second part of Andrew Cotto's great interview and giveaway!

Author Blurb: Andrew Cotto is a writer and teacher who lives in Brooklyn, NY. He is the author of two novels: THE DOMINO EFFECT - a 2012 Readers Favorite Award finalist - is a coming of age story about a kid from Queens with a damaged past and a complicated present at a boarding school in rural New Jersey; OUTERBOROUGH BLUES: A BROOKLYN MYSTERY is an unconventional noir about a drifter seeking a missing person and a remedy to his family's curse on the dawn of urban gentrification. His novels are represented by Dunow, Carlson and Lerner Literary Agency. Andrew's articles have appeared in many national journals, including the New York Times, Men's Journal, Huffington Post, Salon, Deadspin, the Good Men Project and Teachers & Writers Magazine. For the past seven years, Andrew has taught composition courses and creative writing workshops in New York City. He has an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School and a BA in Literature from Lynchburg College.

Andrew Cotto's Blog: http://www.andrewcotto.com/

1. Initially, I thought Brenda Divine would end up just being the token love interest. I was so happy to be so wrong! When you were writing this book, did you know exactly how she would develop or did she take a life of her own? Tell us a little about how you develop your characters in general.
Brenda is my favorite character in the book. I knew she would be important, but the manner in which that happened developed along the way. In general, I come up with what I hope to be interesting characters and put them into a scenario; from there, they tend to write their scripts. When it works, it's kind of like magic. This is what I love most about writing.

2. For our new writers out there-- did you find it helpful to know other established authors along the way? If so, how? 

Knowing authors can be helpful along the way, but knowing other aspiring authors is probably more helpful. Having a group of peers to share the process with is necessary. Being an author is like being a mutant, so being surrounded by other mutants is very beneficial. It's one of the main reasons I pursued an MFA in creative writing, and one of the best parts of having done so.

3. What do you have on the horizon?
My second novel came out in May, and I'm busy promoting it while also continuing to push Domino. I'm currently revising a novella called Martinis & Bikinis, which I hope will be a fun noir akin to novels like Get Shorty. Beyond that, I'm waiting for the green light on a sequel to Outerborough Blues.

Don't forget to sign up to win a signed copy of his book, The Domino Effect or a signed copy of Fly on the Wall by E. Lockhart!

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Also, don't forget to enter these great giveaways!
International giveaway of:
1) 2 copies of Neverdark by C.S. Einfeld
2) 1 signed copy of Neverdark from both author and illustrator
3) 1 copy of A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
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Prize pack giveaway (US only) of ALL FOUR of Antony John's books signed (Five Flavors of Dumb, Busted, Thou Shalt Not Road Trip, and the unreleased YA dystopian, Elemental)
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Part I of Interview with Andrew Cotto and International Giveaway of The Domino Effect!

Please give a warm welcome to our next author, Andrew Cotto! He has the distinction of being the first author to request a book review on my blog and receive an offer for interview and giveaway! So you know I must have enjoyed his book :-)

Amazon Book Description: A FINALIST for the 2012 Readers Favorite Award, The Domino Effect is the story of Danny Rorro, a charismatic kid from Queens poisoned by the past. A series of painful defeats have left him scarred and isolated from his neighborhood, his parents, and, most significantly, the benevolent ways of his childhood when he was known as "Domino." With great insight, imagery and wit, Danny recalls his past in Queens and his coming-of-age at Hamden Academy. This fast paced and powerful story is rich with conflict, humor, tenderness and music--just like life, especially when coming-of-age.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars


Amazon Review:  The Domino Effect Review

Author Blurb: Andrew Cotto is a writer and teacher who lives in Brooklyn, NY. He is the author of two novels: THE DOMINO EFFECT - a 2012 Readers Favorite Award finalist - is a coming of age story about a kid from Queens with a damaged past and a complicated present at a boarding school in rural New Jersey; OUTERBOROUGH BLUES: A BROOKLYN MYSTERY is an unconventional noir about a drifter seeking a missing person and a remedy to his family's curse on the dawn of urban gentrification. His novels are represented by Dunow, Carlson and Lerner Literary Agency. Andrew's articles have appeared in many national journals, including the New York Times, Men's Journal, Huffington Post, Salon, Deadspin, the Good Men Project and Teachers & Writers Magazine. For the past seven years, Andrew has taught composition courses and creative writing workshops in New York City. He has an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School and a BA in Literature from Lynchburg College.

Author Blog: http://www.andrewcotto.com/

Part I of Author Interview
1. What was the inspiration for your book, The Domino Effect?
I was originally inspired by Spike Lee's film Do the Right Thing. I know it seems like an incongruous connection, but that movie really made me want to tell stories that dealt with big issues, such as race. The Domino Effect ended up being less about race than I originally intended (at first, Terence was the main character, and Danny was a Nick Carraway-type of 1st person narrator), but the inspiration for dramatic storytelling remained.

2. Danny is such a great protagonist. Are you anything alike or is he based partially on someone you know?

Thanks. This was my first novel, and I understand that first novel's often have semi-autobiographical protagonists, but the success of Danny as a character is really predicated on my avoiding that familiar formula. We do share some similarities (ethnic background, sense of humor, a love of baseball, a stint at boarding school, the habit of making massive and stupid mistakes), but he really is his own entity, as much a creation of imagination as I'm capable.

3. I don't usually notice location, but I loved your descriptions of where he used to live and his boarding school. Have you ever lived in these places or did you travel there to do some research for your book?
I believe setting is really important, and worthy of as much attention as any character. My other novel, Outerborough Blues: A Brooklyn Mystery, is wildly atmospheric. In Domino, I wanted to juxtapose the urban setting of a Queens neighborhood with that of a bucolic boarding school, and I was able to do so convincingly by being familiar with both. I don't think research lends itself to an intimate sensory understanding of a location.

Don't forget to sign up to win a signed copy of his book OR as a bonus, win a signed copy of "Fly on the Wall," by E. Lockhart!

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Also, don't forget to enter these great giveaways!
International giveaway of:
1) 2 copies of Neverdark by C.S. Einfeld
2) 1 signed copy of Neverdark from both author and illustrator
3) 1 copy of A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
CS Einfeld Giveaway

Prize pack giveaway (US only) of ALL FOUR of Antony John's books signed (Five Flavors of Dumb, Busted, Thou Shalt Not Road Trip, and the unreleased YA dystopian, Elemental)
Antony John Giveaway