Review: 11/22/63

Like a lot of late Baby Boomers, I grew up on Stephen King. I have read many of his books and seen most of the movies made from these books. There are very few I have not enjoyed. King's time-travel tome, 11/22/63, is no exception.

It is the story of Maine English teacher Jake Epping, who travels from 2011 to 1958 with the intent of preventing the assassination of JFK in 1963. Along the way, the recently divorced Epping, aka George Amberson, disrupts other crimes, stalks Lee Harvey Oswald, and falls in love with high school librarian Sadie Dunhill as he settles into a small Texas town.

As an author of books in the same genre, I learned from 11/22/63. King downplays the supernatural and brings out the vivid colors and slower rhythm of a time most of us know only from history books. Epping's odyssey is believable and compelling. The protagonist acts as most of us would act if faced with the same challenges and opportunities. I like how King wove part of It, his 1986 horror novel, into the story.

Many critics have panned the love scenes, but I did not find them distracting. The relationship between Jake and Sadie is poignant and refreshing. I cared less for the far-fetched ending and think King overplayed the importance of a single historical event. The book is also long. As is often the case, King did in 800 pages what he probably could have done in 500.

But the strengths of the novel far outweigh the weaknesses. The reader sees another side of Stephen King in 11/22/63, and it's a good one. I eagerly await the author's next work. Rating: 3/5.

The latest Q and A

One of the things I most enjoy about the often tedious, time-consuming process of promoting my books is taking questions from bloggers, particularly those who are writers themselves. They appreciate the work that goes into a novel and know that one of the best ways to introduce authors and their works to new audiences is to ask the right questions. My latest exchange with one of these thoughtful individuals can be found on Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz's blog today.

Review: Fifty Shades of Grey

As a consumer of fiction, I'm pretty bread and butter. I like thrillers and historical fiction. I will occasionally read a romance. I never read erotica. But all that changed recently when I picked up Fifty Shades of Grey. Like millions of others, I felt compelled to find out what the fuss was about.

What I found was a book that is not as good or as bad as many critics would have us believe. Like its primary characters and like most books, E.L James' novel about wide-eyed literature student Anastasia Steele and her intense, physical relationship with Seattle entrepreneur Christian Grey has its share virtues and its vices.

The vices are easy to spot. If you dislike repetition, this is not the book for you. James repeats about a dozen terms to the point of serious distraction. Bitten lips are front and center. So are inner goddesses, double craps, and holy ----s. There are 197 whispers and 424 ohs. The web is filled with sites that document the excess.

Then there is Christian and Ana. They do a bit of repeating themselves -- before breakfast, after dinner, here, there, everywhere. They take breaks, it seems, only to eat, sleep, and send each other emails, where the topic is usually . . . well, you know. Their relationship through most of the book is as multi-dimensional as a stick figure.

The characters themselves are a mixed bag. Christian is arrogant, controlling, and sadistic but interesting. Ana is a cipher who surrenders her values and individuality every time Christian curls his lip. Sometimes the two click, sometimes they don't. More often than not, they compensate for a thin plot that thickens toward the end. Only the final chapter made sense to me.

I can understand this book's commercial success. Fifty Shades is unlike anything I've ever read. It shocks. It intrigues. It takes readers to a different place. But ultimately it falls short of the hype. I found it less a groundbreaking work of literature than a breathtaking triumph of marketing. Rating: 2/5.

A shout-out to fellow travelers

I am grateful to the many bloggers who have taken the time to read and review The Mine and offer the kind of praise and criticism that independent authors require to grow and flourish. They are an important part of the process of bringing new works to the attention of skeptical readers. But I am particularly grateful to those bloggers who are authors and writers themselves, people with additional demands on their time, people who have faced many of the same challenges. These thoughtful individuals include romance writers Kathy Altman, Maureen Driscoll, Elise Marion, and Stephanie Humphreys; young adult novelists Sandra Lopez and Danielle Mathieson Pederson; author and poet J.S. Colley; and Tahlia Newland, who has produced several urban fantasy and magical realism works. I encourage readers to give these authors a look.

Review: Kill Shot

It is inevitable that any author produces a bad read now and then, but with Vince Flynn you have to wonder. Flynn's second prequel in the Mitch Rapp series exceeds the standard set 15 years ago with Term Limits and confirms his status as one of America's best storytellers. In Kill Shot we see CIA operative Mitch Rapp at his best: driven, disciplined, principled, and more than a little angry when he learns he has been set up in the killing of the Libyan oil minister in Paris. Wounded and on the run, Rapp works feverishly to clear his name and avenge his betrayal. While not the best of Flynn's 13 novels, Kill Shot hits the mark. Rating: 4/5.

Photo op

One nice thing about living in a scenic state is that you have ready access to abundant photo opportunities. I made the most of one such opportunity this year with a picture of a mountain goat in Glacier National Park. The image earned Best of Show honors for color wildlife photography at the Last Chance Stampede and Fair in Helena, Montana.

Looking ahead

When asked as an old man to name the favorite among all of his paintings, Pablo Picasso was as clear as he was diplomatic. "The next one," he said. I don't yet have an array of books to choose from, but I do have a next one. And this summer has provided a wonderful opportunity to start it. The Journey will follow a middle-aged widow back in time to her senior year of high school, where she befriends, among others, her younger self. I hope to release the novel as an ebook by April 1.

Sizzling Summer Reads

Today is the first day of the Sizzling Summer Reads party at The Romance Reviews blog. More than 400 participating authors and publishers, including yours truly, will showcase their works throughout the month of July. Several hundred prizes, including a $100 gift certificate, are up for grabs. Check it out!

A new Indie champion

Those of us who know firsthand the challenges of getting a novel published owe a big thank you today to Jessica Park. The New Hampshire woman penned an excellent piece, How Amazon Saved My Life, for the Indie Reader blog. Park is the author of several novels, including Flat-Out Love and Relatively Famous.

A very special graduate

Here's a shout-out to my amazing daughter Amy, a contributor to The Mine, who graduated from high school yesterday as one of several valedictorians. Her inspiring journey through public education is chronicled in a feature article that ran yesterday in the Helena Independent Record. You're the best, Amy. We love you!

Planetary alignment of 2000

One of the nice things about writing fiction is that you can create events to fit a narrative. Need a snowstorm to disrupt a Fourth of July picnic? Well, dial one up! Readers won't care. If your story takes place in a colder part of the world, like Montana, you won't even have to push the boundaries of plausibility. Indeed, you may not have to invent at all. In the opening chapter of The Mine, protagonist Joel Smith closely follows a TV news report about an alignment of Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn on May 29, 2000. The celestial event sends him hurtling back to 1941. In this case, fiction followed fact by only three weeks. The six planets fell into a rough alignment with each other, the Sun, and our moon on May 5, 2000. The configuration was the first of its kind in 38 years but resulted in nothing more calamitous than a few news cycles of scientific commentary. More information on the May 5 happening and its predecessors can be found at NASA.gov. The planets will not do an encore for another 426 years.

Romance Writer's Reads

Author and blogger Elise Marion The Mine today in The Romance Writer's Reads. Elise is the author of My Ex-Wife's Wedding, available at this site.

In pursuit of historical accuracy

Do facts matter in fiction? They do in historical fiction and in instances where anachronisms and inconsistencies can be serious distractions. My quest to 'get it right' in The Mine is chronicled today in a guest post on Manic Readers. The blog will run an author interview on June 26.

'To Read or Not to Read'

Does time travel have a moral and ethical component? It does if you are Joel Smith, the protagonist of The Mine. Read about his challenges in my guest post at To Read or Not to Read today. The blog also ran an author interview on April 18.

A Seattle reviewer's take

"Heldt does a good job of weaving historical events into people's lives, and the reader really gets a feel for who Joel is, as well as some depth into the other characters." — Norelle Done, Seattle Wrote

Read Norelle's entire review of The Mine at Seattle Wrote, which the blogger calls "a combination of insight into the thoughts and stories of local Seattle authors and writers, and a compilation of tips, resources, opportunities, and goings-on in the literary world." My thanks to Ms. Done for expanding the boundaries of Washington  to western Montana and providing me with a new means to reach readers in her area. My author interview runs May 15.

USA TODAY reviews The Mine

"With an irresistible, ironic humor and an obvious appreciation of history — and a few I-didn't-see-that-coming surprises — Heldt has written a tender, refreshing and thought-provoking romance guaranteed to entertain." — Kathy Altman

A long-awaited review of The Mine appeared today in the online edition of USA TODAY. You can read Kathy Altman's article in Happy Ever After, a blog that covers romance books and authors.

A cover image explained

Since the release of my novel, The Mine, in February, a few readers have asked about the image on the cover. Is that a real mine? Is it located in Montana? The answers are yes and no. The illustration is a modified photograph of the San Cristobal Mine, an abandoned mercury mine near San Jose, California. The landmark is a popular stop for hikers and mountain bikers in the Almaden Quicksilver County Park. Many thanks to Steve Jurvetson for providing the original photograph and to my illustrator, Cannon Colegrove, for turning it into an eye-catching cover.