Monday, October 27, 2014

At The Five-Two: "King James" by Charles Rammelkamp

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 12:13 A.M.

The NBA season starts tomorrow, and Charles Rammelkamp offers a take on LeBron James' return to Cleveland:

Friday, October 24, 2014

Review Reaction

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 9:20 A.M.

In the past week or so, I've heard the latest case of an author reacting badly to a negative review. I won't go into detail as I'm sure it won't be the last case I hear.

The correct reaction to reviews is to have no reaction. Ideally we let our work go, and readers may say what they will about it. However, I understand the lingering attachment to one's work. To the writer, the work can be intensely personal and involve getting in touch with one's emotions.

My solution is not to repress reaction, but to have it, if I must, in private. What's said in a review may hurt me, but if the review was truly written maliciously, my hurt reaction is exactly what the reviewer wants to see, and a public reaction is more likely to reflect badly on me than on the reviewer.

Get any frustration out in private, and maintain a professional front.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Donate to Hero Dogs In Memory of Jeremiah Healy

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 3:23 A.M.

With the rest of the crime fiction community, I was saddened by the August suicide of Jeremiah Healy. With permission from his fiancee Sandra Balzo, Jerry's friends and fellow authors have found a way to prolong his legacy after his own heart. Brendan Dubois explains:

Besides his work as an attorney and an author, Jeremiah Healy was a U.S. Army [veteran], and was also a lover of dogs. We have therefore reached out to a service dog organization in Maryland that trains dogs to assist wounded veterans, and they will be thrilled to receive donations in Jerry's name.

The group is called Hero Dogs, and is based in Maryland...They are an IRS approved 501(c)(3) organization and operate entirely on donations. You can donate via their website, or by sending a check to Hero Dogs, P.O. Box 64, Brookeville, MD 20833-0064. But *please* ensure either by writing on the memo section of your check, or using the form on their website, that you're making this donation in Jerry's name.

That way, Hero Dogs can track how many donations come in, so that they can be used in some way to keep Jerry's memory alive in years to come. Please donate what you can, and please share this link. Thanks to all of you who were friends or fans of Jerry's.

Monday, October 20, 2014

S.J. Rozan Interview

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 8:32 P.M.

I interviewed S.J. Rozan about her paranormal thriller series written with Carlos Dews under the pseudonym Sam Cabot.

You can also read my review of the first in the series, Blood of the Lamb.

At The Five-Two: "The Writing of Harlots" by Paul Hostovsky

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 5:50 A.M.

Hostovsky returns with a coming-of-age poem:



Submit to guest editor Erica Guo by October 31 or to Charles Rammelkamp by November 15.

Hallmark Movies and Mysteries: Wedding Planner Mystery

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 5:43 A.M.

I found out about Wedding Planner Mystery from my cable channel guide about three weeks before last night's premiere. Based on Deborah Donnellly's 2002 debut mystery Veiled Threats, it stars Erica Durance as wedding planner/amateur sleuth Carnegie Kinkaid.

Along with Durance, who I enjoyed as Smallville's Lois Lane, the movie features a script by JAG and NCIS writer Darcy Meyers. Durance plays perkiness and quirkiness naturally and has the physicality to tackle tougher predicaments. Likewise, Meyers' script pulls off these serious moments while maintaining an overall cozy tone. I hope more movies are made.

In a guest post Saturday on Jungle Red Writers, Deborah Donnelly shared what it was like to see her book turned into a movie.

Monday, October 13, 2014

At The Five-Two: "Questioning" by F.J. Bergmann

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 5:35 A.M.

In this week's poem, F.J. Bergmann takes on the persona of all too well-worn manual:



Submit to guest editor Erica Guo by October 31 or to Charles Rammelkamp by November 15.

Monday, October 06, 2014

At Shotgun Honey: "What Are Friends For?"

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 8:04 A.M.

Roguish aviator C.J. Stone returns in "What Are Friends For?", set eight days after this summer's "King of the Sea" in Pulp Modern #7. I hope you enjoy.

At The Five-Two: Heidi Kraay

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 12:26 A.M.

Heidi Kraay returns with "dance obsolete obstinancy":



I'm now accepting submissions for guest editors Erica Guo and Charles Rammelkamp.

Sunday, October 05, 2014

Star Wars Rebels

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com |

Jaded by the needless and poorly executed backstory of Star Wars Episodes I through III, I had all but lost interest in a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. On the other hand, a band of rebels fighting an empire threatening to homogenize their way of life will always appeal to me.

Disney's Star Wars Rebels is set five years before Episode IV: A New Hope, a.k.a. Star Wars (1977), and focuses on a band of rebels led by Jedi incognito Kanan Jarrus. In the first episode, Kanan and the crew of the starship Ghost, steal food from the Empire, picking up Force-sensitive boy Ezra Bridger in the process. Remind anyone else of Firefly? Of course I'm tuning in again.

Two Score

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 4:10 A.M.

Another birthday, another clever way to express my age. Do I wish I'd done some things differently? To a point. Mostly I'm glad to be here, grateful for every moment I've had with friends and family, accepting of the gift of life.

That last bit's true, and a clever way of saying I don't expect many presents today.

Friday, October 03, 2014

Alex Segura

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 4:40 A.M.

Wednesday on Chatterrific, I posted an interview with Alex Segura about his debut novel, Silent City. Yesterday I commented on Alex's Do Some Damage post, revealing how three writers of PI fiction have influenced my non-PI protagonist C.J. Stone, who next appears in "What Are Friends For", Monday, October 6 at Shotgun Honey.