There is something both satisfying and sad about bringing a continuing story to a close. The satisfying part goes without saying. Authors have the opportunity to tie up loose ends, revisit familiar places, and reexplore comforting themes one last time. Last month I began doing all of these things when I started work on The Mirror, the fifth book in the Northwest Passage series.
In this novel, Ginny and Katie Smith, the 19-year-old twin daughters of Joel and Grace Smith, will travel from 2020 to 1964 and see Seattle at the dawn of the sixties. They'll see the Beatles, the civil rights movement, and a changing culture through modern eyes and find new purpose in an era they knew only from their grandparents' stories.
They will also put a final stamp on a family saga that began in The Mine and continued in The Show -- much like Kevin Johnson did in The Fire, the recently published sequel to The Journey. They will give fresh perspective to a story I have enjoyed writing since starting The Mine two and a half years ago.
The sad part is no less obvious. Ending a story means saying goodbye. In The Mirror, I'll say so long to the extended Smith family, which includes not only the Greens and Vandenbergs of the early 1900s but also the Gillettes and Jorgensons of the rest of the century.
Whether I do the same to the Northwest Passage series is still an open question. Sometime next year, probably in the spring, I'll decide whether to continue the distinctive series with a new cast or start down an entirely new road.
Whatever the case, I will strive to give readers the very things they have come to enjoy in this particular collection: times and places they can explore, themes they can embrace, and characters they'll never forget. I expect to finish the first draft of The Mirror by the end of the year and publish by April 1. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Review: The Great Gatsby
Like a lot of people, I don't read many classics. Classics are books we remember fondly (or maybe not so fondly) from high school -- not ones we actually take time to read as adults. Of the more than four hundred novels I've read in the past twenty years, only six were drawn from the Modern Library's celebrated Top 100.
Prompted by my community's Big Read program, however, I recently revisited No. 2 on the Modern Library's list: The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald's timeless portrait of the Jazz Age. What I found was a book that has held up well since it was published in 1925 and still contains relevant messages for modern society.
In what is considered his greatest work, Fitzgerald introduces readers to the young, enigmatic Jay Gatsby, a self-made man who has everything but the one thing he wants: socialite Daisy Buchanan, the wife of fellow Long Island millionaire Tom Buchanan.
Told from the perspective of Nick Carraway, a young bond salesman who serves as sort of a middleman between his neighbor Gatsby and his second cousin Daisy, The Great Gatsby grabbed my attention from the first page and never let go. Fitzgerald's portrayal of prosperity, greed, arrogance, and recklessness is without peer.
To augment my enjoyment of the novel, I listened to the unabridged audiobook, read by actor Jake Gyllenhaal, and watched the recently released movie, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire. Both were excellent but were no substitute for the text. Fitzgerald's haunting prose still resonates and probably will for another century. Rating: 5/5.
Prompted by my community's Big Read program, however, I recently revisited No. 2 on the Modern Library's list: The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald's timeless portrait of the Jazz Age. What I found was a book that has held up well since it was published in 1925 and still contains relevant messages for modern society.
In what is considered his greatest work, Fitzgerald introduces readers to the young, enigmatic Jay Gatsby, a self-made man who has everything but the one thing he wants: socialite Daisy Buchanan, the wife of fellow Long Island millionaire Tom Buchanan.
Told from the perspective of Nick Carraway, a young bond salesman who serves as sort of a middleman between his neighbor Gatsby and his second cousin Daisy, The Great Gatsby grabbed my attention from the first page and never let go. Fitzgerald's portrayal of prosperity, greed, arrogance, and recklessness is without peer.
To augment my enjoyment of the novel, I listened to the unabridged audiobook, read by actor Jake Gyllenhaal, and watched the recently released movie, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire. Both were excellent but were no substitute for the text. Fitzgerald's haunting prose still resonates and probably will for another century. Rating: 5/5.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
An overdue thank you
As I head into the fall and begin to market my fourth novel in earnest, I feel indebted to a group of people who have helped me to get even this far. Bloggers have been more than accommodating in getting my works before the public. They have been indispensable.
This is particularly true with ten people I have worked with over the past 18 months. They include Casee at Literary Inklings, Lisa at 300 Word Book Reviews, Nicole at Forbidden Reviews, Carrie at the Mad Reviewer, Donna at More than a Review, Sharon at Sharon's Book Nook, Dianne at Tome Tender, Ailyn at Piece of My Mind, Judy at the Voracious Reader, and D.J. at Pick Your Poison Book Reviews.
These ladies have done more than review The Fire, released August 31. They have reviewed all four novels in the Northwest Passage series. That is the sort of thing you don't forget when trying to introduce your works to new readers in an increasingly crowded and competitive market.
A special thanks goes to each of these reviewers for taking a chance on an unknown author and another to those who are about to join their ranks. This writer is most grateful.
This is particularly true with ten people I have worked with over the past 18 months. They include Casee at Literary Inklings, Lisa at 300 Word Book Reviews, Nicole at Forbidden Reviews, Carrie at the Mad Reviewer, Donna at More than a Review, Sharon at Sharon's Book Nook, Dianne at Tome Tender, Ailyn at Piece of My Mind, Judy at the Voracious Reader, and D.J. at Pick Your Poison Book Reviews.
These ladies have done more than review The Fire, released August 31. They have reviewed all four novels in the Northwest Passage series. That is the sort of thing you don't forget when trying to introduce your works to new readers in an increasingly crowded and competitive market.
A special thanks goes to each of these reviewers for taking a chance on an unknown author and another to those who are about to join their ranks. This writer is most grateful.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Review: Esperanza
If there is one thing I've discovered in producing four novels in two years, it's that writing leaves precious little time for reading. It leaves even less time for reading works outside my favorite genres, such as historical fiction and thrillers. As I learned last week, however, it's sometimes wise to make that time and wander out of literary comfort zones.
Sandra C. Lopez's delightfully written debut novel, Esperanza: A Latina Story, follows a Mexican-American girl through four turbulent years of high school in east Los Angeles in the late 1990s.
From the beginning, Esperanza Ignacio commands admiration and respect. She stays true to herself despite the demands imposed on her by a controlling single mother, two needy younger siblings, and several not-so-admirable friends, relatives, and classmates, who try to badger and bully her in unproductive directions.
As a reader, I had no difficulty imagining the obstacles the girl faced. Esperanza's world is a mostly bleak place, filled with bullying, broken families, alcoholism, poverty, and the myriad temptations of youth. Lopez does a masterful job in describing them all.
What makes this story compelling, however, is not the description but rather the uplifting tone. The author gives readers a protagonist we can root for from start to finish. She reminds us that even those living in challenging environments can succeed by remaining focused, optimistic, and compassionate.
I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. Rating: 4/5.
From the beginning, Esperanza Ignacio commands admiration and respect. She stays true to herself despite the demands imposed on her by a controlling single mother, two needy younger siblings, and several not-so-admirable friends, relatives, and classmates, who try to badger and bully her in unproductive directions.
As a reader, I had no difficulty imagining the obstacles the girl faced. Esperanza's world is a mostly bleak place, filled with bullying, broken families, alcoholism, poverty, and the myriad temptations of youth. Lopez does a masterful job in describing them all.
What makes this story compelling, however, is not the description but rather the uplifting tone. The author gives readers a protagonist we can root for from start to finish. She reminds us that even those living in challenging environments can succeed by remaining focused, optimistic, and compassionate.
I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. Rating: 4/5.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Back to the Bitterroots
The mountains are calling and I must go. -- John Muir
As one who has spent nearly his entire life in the Pacific Northwest, I am no stranger to mountains. I've lived in the shadow of the Cascades, the Olympics, the Big Belts, and the Blues. But I don't think I've ever been as impressed by a mountain range as I was last weekend when I got a birds-eye view of the Bitterroots.
I returned to Wallace, Idaho, on Friday -- officially -- to celebrate my wife's 50th birthday and cheer her on as she rode 150 miles in Bike MS, a fundraising event for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Unofficially, I returned to enjoy the mountain range that served as a backdrop for The Fire -- the recently-released fourth novel of my Northwest Passage time-travel series.
No matter where I went, I couldn't escape the majesty of the Bitterroots, which divide the states of Idaho and Montana and nourish numerous communities mentioned in the book: Wallace, Mullan, Osburn, Mace, and Burke. The mountains that once gave up their silver and gold so that these towns could thrive now provide unlimited opportunities for sportsmen, hikers, bikers, photographers, and history buffs.
Nothing, however, compared to the views from the Route of the Hiawatha, a 17-mile rails-to-trails bike path I experienced for the first time on Friday. When I emerged from the sheer darkness of the 1.7-mile St. Paul Pass Tunnel at the start of the trail, I saw the mountains and lush forests that had been devastated by the Great Fire of 1910, the climactic event of the novel.
I was able to see firsthand what drew so many to this corner of the United States a century ago and continues to draw them today. When I will have the opportunity to return to this magnificent setting, I don't know. But after weekend of taking in the mountains named for the Lewisia rediviva, Montana's state flower, I do know one thing: I will be back.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
The series continues
More than five months of work come to fruition today with the release of The Fire, the sequel to The Journey and the fourth book in the Northwest Passage series. At 367 pages, this is my biggest work to date and, I believe, my best.
The Fire continues the story of the Johnson clan, who we left in the recovering hills around Mount St. Helens in August 1999. Kevin Johnson, 8 at the end of The Journey, is now a 22-year-old college graduate poised for an adventure of his own. He finds it in Wallace, Idaho, where he stumbles upon a time portal that takes him back to 1910, the year of Halley's comet and the largest wildfire in U.S. history.
While in the age of nickelodeons, high-wheel bicycles, telegraph offices, and tea dresses, the science major meets his great-great-grandfather, finds his calling as an educator, and becomes invested in two beautiful young women: Sarah, a first-year English teacher, and Sadie, the orphaned daughter of a bankrupt merchant.
Filled with humor, heartbreak, romance, and fantasy, The Fire chronicles one man's journey through an eventful but often overlooked year in American history.
The novel is available as an ebook on Amazon.com.
The Fire continues the story of the Johnson clan, who we left in the recovering hills around Mount St. Helens in August 1999. Kevin Johnson, 8 at the end of The Journey, is now a 22-year-old college graduate poised for an adventure of his own. He finds it in Wallace, Idaho, where he stumbles upon a time portal that takes him back to 1910, the year of Halley's comet and the largest wildfire in U.S. history.
While in the age of nickelodeons, high-wheel bicycles, telegraph offices, and tea dresses, the science major meets his great-great-grandfather, finds his calling as an educator, and becomes invested in two beautiful young women: Sarah, a first-year English teacher, and Sadie, the orphaned daughter of a bankrupt merchant.
Filled with humor, heartbreak, romance, and fantasy, The Fire chronicles one man's journey through an eventful but often overlooked year in American history.
The novel is available as an ebook on Amazon.com.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Riders with a cause
One of the things I like most about blogging is that I can draw attention to persons, places, and things that deserve all the attention they can get. One such thing is Bike MS, an annual function of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
In five weeks about a hundred people, including my wife, Cheryl, will participate in one of Bike MS's regional events. The cyclists will ride across northern Idaho to raise money to fight MS, an autoimmune disease that affects 400,000 Americans and 2.5 million people worldwide.
Cheryl raised more than two thousand dollars last year and hopes to double that total in 2013. Participants nationally have raised more than 600 million dollars for support programs, services, and research since 1980.
The Idaho cyclists will ride 150 miles in two days on the world-famous Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes. They will pass a number of scenic and historic sites, including the mining town of Wallace, the setting for my upcoming novel, The Fire.
Those who wish to contribute to this worthy cause can do so by going to Cheryl's Bike MS page or giving directly to the national organization.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Covering another essential
Now that I've written The Fire and sent it to the first of several beta readers, I've had the opportunity to devote more time to the other things authors must do in preparing a book for market. One of those things is picking a cover. After weeks of consideration, I've decided to go with a comet theme for the cover of the fourth book of the Northwest Passage series.
In doing so, I'm taking my cues not from images of the Great Fire of 1910, the climactic event of the novel, but rather the title of a 1978 made-for-television movie. In A Fire in the Sky, the fire is a comet that is discovered just eight days before it makes face time with Phoenix, Arizona.
No comets collide with the Earth in The Fire, but one does take center stage in the first part of the novel. Halley's comet dazzles the community of Wallace, Idaho, and the world, for several weeks in the spring of 1910, presages historic events, and alters how several principal characters interact with each other.
The Fire, the sequel to The Journey, is scheduled for an early September release.
No comets collide with the Earth in The Fire, but one does take center stage in the first part of the novel. Halley's comet dazzles the community of Wallace, Idaho, and the world, for several weeks in the spring of 1910, presages historic events, and alters how several principal characters interact with each other.
The Fire, the sequel to The Journey, is scheduled for an early September release.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Walking in Wallace
Perhaps the biggest challenge facing a writer of historical fiction is creating a sense of time and place. How do you write about a time that occurred decades before your own and a place you've seen mostly from a freeway? The answer is simple. You research the time and, if you have the opportunity, you visit the place.
This week, I had the opportunity to visit the place. I paid not one, but two visits to Wallace, Idaho, the setting of The Fire, my next novel. I found the community every bit as fascinating in person as I had found it in literature.
The town is different, of course, than it was in August 1910, when it stared down the largest wildfire in U.S. history and captured the nation's imagination. It is smaller, less commercial, and far more touristy. It serves primarily as a stopping point for motorists, skiers, and bicyclists riding the famed Route of the Hiawatha and the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes.
You don't have to walk far, however, to see that Wallace is more than a pit stop on Interstate 90. It's a living museum, with numerous attractions that celebrate everything from its rich mining heritage to the actions of heroes like Ed Pulaski, a forest ranger who saved forty firefighters by leading them into a mine and holding them there at gunpoint.
Of most interest to me as a writer were the buildings in town. Many of the oldest structures still stand, thanks in part to preservation efforts and the city's designation as a National Historic District. When you walk through Wallace, you see the town not only as it is today but also as it was in the past.
You see the brick facades on Bank Street, the row houses on Cedar, the courthouse that withstood the inferno, and the original Northern Pacific Railroad depot, where hundreds once gathered to catch rescue trains. You see Wallace in 1910, when it became part of history, lore, and literature.
I hope to use what I've learned to convey the same sense of time and place when I publish The Fire. The fourth book in the Northwest Passage series is still scheduled for a September release.
The town is different, of course, than it was in August 1910, when it stared down the largest wildfire in U.S. history and captured the nation's imagination. It is smaller, less commercial, and far more touristy. It serves primarily as a stopping point for motorists, skiers, and bicyclists riding the famed Route of the Hiawatha and the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes.
You don't have to walk far, however, to see that Wallace is more than a pit stop on Interstate 90. It's a living museum, with numerous attractions that celebrate everything from its rich mining heritage to the actions of heroes like Ed Pulaski, a forest ranger who saved forty firefighters by leading them into a mine and holding them there at gunpoint.
Of most interest to me as a writer were the buildings in town. Many of the oldest structures still stand, thanks in part to preservation efforts and the city's designation as a National Historic District. When you walk through Wallace, you see the town not only as it is today but also as it was in the past.
You see the brick facades on Bank Street, the row houses on Cedar, the courthouse that withstood the inferno, and the original Northern Pacific Railroad depot, where hundreds once gathered to catch rescue trains. You see Wallace in 1910, when it became part of history, lore, and literature.
I hope to use what I've learned to convey the same sense of time and place when I publish The Fire. The fourth book in the Northwest Passage series is still scheduled for a September release.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Reviews and revisions
There is undoubtedly a point where every author stops reading the reviews of his or her works. The reviews become too numerous or, in some cases, too painful to read.
I am not one of those authors. I take the time to read every one. I love getting feedback from those who enjoy my books and constructive criticism from those who can help me improve as a writer. Both are important.
Rachel of The Reading Cafe offers two of the better reviews of late with a double take on The Mine and The Show, the Nos. 1 and 3 books of the Northwest Passage series. Each novel will be featured on an ebook site next week and offered at a reduced price, with The Mine going on sale Sunday and The Show Monday and Tuesday.
Work continues on The Fire, book four of the series. I have finished a complete rough draft and will spend most of the summer revising it. I expect to have the novel out by the third week of September.
I am not one of those authors. I take the time to read every one. I love getting feedback from those who enjoy my books and constructive criticism from those who can help me improve as a writer. Both are important.
Rachel of The Reading Cafe offers two of the better reviews of late with a double take on The Mine and The Show, the Nos. 1 and 3 books of the Northwest Passage series. Each novel will be featured on an ebook site next week and offered at a reduced price, with The Mine going on sale Sunday and The Show Monday and Tuesday.
Work continues on The Fire, book four of the series. I have finished a complete rough draft and will spend most of the summer revising it. I expect to have the novel out by the third week of September.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
IRDA winners
Today the winners of the third-annual Indie Reader Discovery Awards were announced. The Mine fell short of an award in the Popular Fiction category but was among the books receiving a positive review. A list of the winners in each genre can be found here. Author Hugh Howey will announce the results of the competition at the Book Expo America in New York this Saturday.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Lighting The Fire
One of the things I most enjoy about starting a new work of historical fiction is jumping into a time that is not my own. I learned a lot about 1941 when writing The Mine and 1918 when producing The Show and rediscovered my youth in The Journey, set in 1979 and 1980.
In each project, I was able to lose myself in an era that had its own conventions, vocabulary, and public issues. I was able to see a vastly different historical period through the eyes of a modern time traveler.
This spring and summer I'll have the opportunity to see a different world again. I've begun writing The Fire, the fourth book in my Northwest Passage series and the sequel to The Journey. Set in Wallace, Idaho, in 1910, this novel will follow Kevin Johnson, a recent college graduate in 2013, through an important but often overlooked year in American history.
In The Fire, Kevin, an accomplished but luckless science major, will fall in love, witness Halley's comet, find his calling as a teacher, and experience the largest wildfire in U.S. history. He will see the Pacific Northwest as his great-great-grandfather saw it and wrestle with the impact he has on everyone he meets.
I'm about halfway through a first draft that will likely exceed 100,000 words. This will be the largest book in the series to date and hopefully the best. I hope to finish a final draft by August and publish in September. The Fire will be available in Kindle format on Amazon.com.
In each project, I was able to lose myself in an era that had its own conventions, vocabulary, and public issues. I was able to see a vastly different historical period through the eyes of a modern time traveler.
This spring and summer I'll have the opportunity to see a different world again. I've begun writing The Fire, the fourth book in my Northwest Passage series and the sequel to The Journey. Set in Wallace, Idaho, in 1910, this novel will follow Kevin Johnson, a recent college graduate in 2013, through an important but often overlooked year in American history.
In The Fire, Kevin, an accomplished but luckless science major, will fall in love, witness Halley's comet, find his calling as a teacher, and experience the largest wildfire in U.S. history. He will see the Pacific Northwest as his great-great-grandfather saw it and wrestle with the impact he has on everyone he meets.
I'm about halfway through a first draft that will likely exceed 100,000 words. This will be the largest book in the series to date and hopefully the best. I hope to finish a final draft by August and publish in September. The Fire will be available in Kindle format on Amazon.com.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Remembering a grandfather
Today the only grandfather I ever knew would have turned 120. Andy Hoeme was one of those elderly icons every family seems to have: a good-humored, sometimes cranky man of simple tastes and uncommon wisdom who seemed torn from the canvas of a Norman Rockwell painting. He was a man who rarely had to search for an interesting story and, as one who died 100 days shy of 100 years, had more than a few to choose from.
As I learned shortly before he passed, Andy was something of a rebel as a young man. Born into a family of nine children on the Kansas plains in 1893, he ran off to see the world at 18 and lived by his wits for more than a year. He sailed on rat-infested lumber ships, rode the rails, sheared sheep Thornbirds style, hunted moose, and explored Yellowstone on foot when horses and wagons, not automobiles, plied its freshly-minted roads.
He maintained this spirit of independence even at age 24, when, as a deserter at the height of World War I, he left a Texas Army base with his newlywed wife for an Indiana Jones-like life on the run in post-revolution Mexico and the unsettled Canadian frontier. Even as a family man, inventor, and entrepreneur, Andy (pictured above at left) seemed more like a character from a Steinbeck novel than a family album.
Much of what I know about this remarkable man I learned in 1989, when I interviewed him over a span of three days. Even at age 96, he was able to recall events seventy years in the past with the clarity of a historian. I hope to someday turn his stories -- since verified by documents, news accounts, and statements -- into a non-fiction book.
But today, I simply want to remember the man who taught me to fish, appreciate patience, and see life as an adventure. You are gone but not forgotten. Happy birthday, Grandpa!
He maintained this spirit of independence even at age 24, when, as a deserter at the height of World War I, he left a Texas Army base with his newlywed wife for an Indiana Jones-like life on the run in post-revolution Mexico and the unsettled Canadian frontier. Even as a family man, inventor, and entrepreneur, Andy (pictured above at left) seemed more like a character from a Steinbeck novel than a family album.
Much of what I know about this remarkable man I learned in 1989, when I interviewed him over a span of three days. Even at age 96, he was able to recall events seventy years in the past with the clarity of a historian. I hope to someday turn his stories -- since verified by documents, news accounts, and statements -- into a non-fiction book.
But today, I simply want to remember the man who taught me to fish, appreciate patience, and see life as an adventure. You are gone but not forgotten. Happy birthday, Grandpa!
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Review: The Big Burn
I don't read much non-fiction. I can count the number of non-fiction books I've read in the past decade on one hand. Those I've liked tended to be those that read like fiction -- books like Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air, Robert Kurson's Shadow Divers, and Sebastian Junger’s The Perfect Storm. I can now add The Big Burn by Timothy Egan to that list.
The 2009 work is many things: a history of the early conservation movement; an explanation of Theodore Roosevelt's role in that movement; a biography of Gifford Pinchot, the first chief of the U.S. Forest Service; and a riveting account of the Great Fire, which destroyed more than three million acres of forest in Idaho, Montana, and Washington and forever changed how our public lands are managed.
Egan's treatment of the influential but relatively little-known event was interesting, informative, and balanced. More than once, I had to remind myself I was reading the true stories of individuals and communities swept up in the calamity of August 20-21, 1910, and not the creative narrative of a novelist.
Readers looking to better their understanding of important figures of the day and an event that shaped the American West won't be disappointed. Rating: 4/5.
The 2009 work is many things: a history of the early conservation movement; an explanation of Theodore Roosevelt's role in that movement; a biography of Gifford Pinchot, the first chief of the U.S. Forest Service; and a riveting account of the Great Fire, which destroyed more than three million acres of forest in Idaho, Montana, and Washington and forever changed how our public lands are managed.
Egan's treatment of the influential but relatively little-known event was interesting, informative, and balanced. More than once, I had to remind myself I was reading the true stories of individuals and communities swept up in the calamity of August 20-21, 1910, and not the creative narrative of a novelist.
Readers looking to better their understanding of important figures of the day and an event that shaped the American West won't be disappointed. Rating: 4/5.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Happy Ever After, Part II
The Happy Ever After blog at USA TODAY has gone through a few changes since it reviewed The Mine last April 21. It has a new URL and a new look, with slick graphics, Twitter links, and user-friendly navigation tools. But it remains the go-to venue for news and reviews of the latest and greatest reads in the romance genre. It's also still a place where authors can discuss their works and issues of interest to readers. Tomorrow I take my turn with a guest post on the differences between love stories and romance novels. Many thanks to editor Joyce Lamb for the opportunity to contribute to this influential forum.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Review: The Panther
John Corey is not the only thing that draws me to the works of Nelson DeMille, but he's the biggest thing. Few characters in contemporary fiction are as engaging as the cocky, witty ex-NYPD detective. So I didn't need much motivation to pick up DeMille's latest novel and catch up with the unorthodox but highly effective lawman. In The Panther, DeMille sends Corey and FBI wife Kate Mayfield to Yemen as part of a task force to bring justice to the mastermind of the attack on the USS Cole. The result is a roller-coaster ride of a story that keeps you on edge almost to the last page. Readers who love smart thrillers filled with intrigue and humor won't be disappointed. Rating: 4/5.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Show time
It's been nearly a year since a reader first suggested that I write a sequel to The Mine. She said, in so many words, that this is a story that must continue. Others echoed that sentiment in the months that followed. Some wanted answers to lingering questions. A few wanted to see more of their favorite characters.
So shortly after finishing The Journey, the unrelated second novel in the Northwest Passage time-travel series, I went to work on the book the readers wanted. Three months later, I am pleased to announce the release of that book. The Show, the sequel to The Mine, goes on sale today.
As noted several weeks ago in this blog, the two novels are joined at the hip. They share many of the same characters, settings, themes, and, oddly enough, time frames. The Show begins on December 7, 1941, the turning point of The Mine, and serves as both a prequel and a sequel to my debut novel. Each story is told from multiple points of view.
There are differences, however, and none are bigger than the protagonists. Whereas The Mine is the story of Joel Smith, a cocky, adventurous college senior who travels from 2000 to 1941, The Show is the story of his more humble, circumspect girlfriend, who navigates her way through three distinct eras in American history.
In the sequel, Grace Vandenberg, the orphaned daughter of missionaries, follows Joel into the twenty-first century but finds a future that looks an awful lot like the past -- her parents' past. She enters a mysterious time portal of her own and travels to 1918 and the world of the Great War, the Spanish flu, silent movies, and early prohibition.
The Show is available as a Kindle ebook on Amazon.com. Enjoy!
So shortly after finishing The Journey, the unrelated second novel in the Northwest Passage time-travel series, I went to work on the book the readers wanted. Three months later, I am pleased to announce the release of that book. The Show, the sequel to The Mine, goes on sale today.
As noted several weeks ago in this blog, the two novels are joined at the hip. They share many of the same characters, settings, themes, and, oddly enough, time frames. The Show begins on December 7, 1941, the turning point of The Mine, and serves as both a prequel and a sequel to my debut novel. Each story is told from multiple points of view.
There are differences, however, and none are bigger than the protagonists. Whereas The Mine is the story of Joel Smith, a cocky, adventurous college senior who travels from 2000 to 1941, The Show is the story of his more humble, circumspect girlfriend, who navigates her way through three distinct eras in American history.
In the sequel, Grace Vandenberg, the orphaned daughter of missionaries, follows Joel into the twenty-first century but finds a future that looks an awful lot like the past -- her parents' past. She enters a mysterious time portal of her own and travels to 1918 and the world of the Great War, the Spanish flu, silent movies, and early prohibition.
The Show is available as a Kindle ebook on Amazon.com. Enjoy!
Friday, February 1, 2013
More gold for The Mine
As my daughter Amy made clear to me a year ago, The Mine is a romance novel. The relationship between Joel Smith and Grace Vandenberg is not only the heart and soul of that story but also the foundation of the Northwest Passage series. The Mine, however, is not only a romance. It is also, at least nominally, a work of science fiction. Yesterday, the Spacefreighters Lounge blog recognized both elements of the novel by naming it the Best Time-Travel Romance in its first-ever SFR Galaxy Awards. I am most grateful for the honor.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Another step closer
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Holiday promotion
In keeping with the spirit of the season, I will give away Kindle-friendly copies of The Journey on Christmas Day. The promotion, made possible through Amazon's KDP Select program, will run all day. Work continues on The Show, the sequel to The Mine. I completed a rough draft last weekend and hope publish the book, the third in the Northwest Passage time-travel series, by April 1. Thanks again to the many readers and bloggers who have supported my work in 2012. Merry Christmas to all!
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Honorable mention for TM
When you are busy marketing your second novel and writing your third, it's easy to forget your first. Fortunately, not everyone has put The Mine behind them. Library Journal this month named the novel one of its five best books of 2012 in the Ebook Romance category. I'm honored to be included in this company.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Getting The Show on the road
When I debated when to start writing my third novel, I considered quotes from two great Americans: Thomas Jefferson and Mark Twain. Jefferson advised his contemporaries to "never put off tomorrow what you can do today." Twain went the other direction. "Never put off until tomorrow," he said, "what you can do the day after tomorrow."
But when I considered that Twain more often than not took Jefferson's advice, I concluded that TJ probably had it right and that there was no time like the present to begin writing The Show, the third title in the Northwest Passage time-travel series.
Those familiar with the series know that The Journey, released November 3, is not the sequel to The Mine. In fact, The Journey has only one tie to first book. Joel Smith, the college-age protagonist of The Mine, makes a brief appearance as a candy-chomping two-year-old in Chapter 53.
The Show, on the other hand, will be joined to The Mine at the hip. The sequel will be told almost entirely, if not entirely, from the perspective of Grace Vandenberg, the heroine of The Mine, and be set mostly in Seattle in the months following World War I. Work on the novel begins this week. I plan to release The Show by April.
But when I considered that Twain more often than not took Jefferson's advice, I concluded that TJ probably had it right and that there was no time like the present to begin writing The Show, the third title in the Northwest Passage time-travel series.
Those familiar with the series know that The Journey, released November 3, is not the sequel to The Mine. In fact, The Journey has only one tie to first book. Joel Smith, the college-age protagonist of The Mine, makes a brief appearance as a candy-chomping two-year-old in Chapter 53.
The Show, on the other hand, will be joined to The Mine at the hip. The sequel will be told almost entirely, if not entirely, from the perspective of Grace Vandenberg, the heroine of The Mine, and be set mostly in Seattle in the months following World War I. Work on the novel begins this week. I plan to release The Show by April.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
The Journey begins
Today I am pleased to announce the release of my second novel in the Northwest Passage time-travel series. The Journey follows a 48-year-old widow to the time (1979) and place (Oregon) of her senior year of high school. It is available as an ebook on Amazon.com. Enjoy!
Saturday, October 27, 2012
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.
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.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
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.
Friday, September 21, 2012
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.
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.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
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.
Friday, August 10, 2012
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.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
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.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
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.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
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!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
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.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
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!
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
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.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Romance Writer's Reads
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
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.
Friday, May 4, 2012
'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.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
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.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
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 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.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
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.
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