literary fiction

Good Storytelling in 2021

2021 — it was a good year for reading. I got reacquainted with old friends and met a number of new ones.

All told, I read 110 works of fiction and non-fiction. The breakdown is:

44 novels/novellas
54 novelettes/short stories
6 screenplays
6 non-fiction

Of those 110 works, 43 were by indie authors. Which makes for 39%.

Eleven storytellers stood out above the rest. Below is a brief explanation of their outstanding merits.

Matthew Cormack

The Piranha Pandemic: From Small Acorns is Cormack’s third book chronicling the events of the Piranha Pandemic. The first two are Don’t Dream It’s Over and Ganbaru.

Cormack’s strengths as a storyteller are his realistic post-apocalyptic worldbuilding, and his vividly realistic characters.

James Patterson once said about himself that he was a lousy writer, but a good storyteller.

Mr Cormack is both a good writer and a good storyteller. Quite honestly, there are few writers who can touch him. He’s that good.

James Vincett

Vincett is one of the very few writers who can give Matthew Cormack a run for his money.

Vincett’s storytelling transports us to highly imaginative worlds. He puts us into exciting space operas that we don’t want to leave.

As of now, he has 3 series going: the Hominim Union, the Independencies, and the Far Frontiers. The books in all three are fabulous. Take a look at his Amazon page.

Suffice it to say, I’ve bought and read all his books and will buy anything he publishes in the future because he knows how to tell a great story. And I love a great story, with memorable characters.

Neil Mosspark

Mr Mosspark burst on the scene a couple years ago and then vanished. Which is a shame. He’s an engaging writer. An imaginative writer. He has, though, left a number of works on Amazon — which is good for us. I recommend you get them.

His Sand Fall Trilogy is survival science fiction. Crash landed on a desert planet, can a ragtag group of humans survive when everything is against them? Very much worth your money and time to read. Pick it up on Amazon.

John F Leonard

John F Leonard tells horror stories which are subtle in nature. The spookiness and the terror hit you after the fact.

Call Drops involves a phone that works, but shouldn’t. The story is about choices and consequences. The ending will get you.

A Plague of Pages explores ownership and vengeance. Hold onto your socks.

Mr Leonard tells good stories. I look forward to reading more of his work in 2022. Pick up his books on Amazon and let them give you goosebumps.

Andy Graham

Andy Graham writes atmospheric horror. His prose is literary. And his stuff is so scary I have to be in the right frame of mind to read it.

His book A Demon Risen is terrifying. Plain and simple. It’s also the third or fourth book of his that I’ve read. And every one is terrifying. Get them at Amazon.

Just remember: his books are best read while the sun is shining.

Terry Newman

A number of years ago I read Detective Strongoak and the Case of the Dead Elf. It was a magical blend of humor, hardboiled detective fiction, and fantasy. And I loved it.

Nicely Strongoak is a dwarf. He’s also a detective and a shield for hire. And he’s one of the most fascinating characters I’ve come across in a long time. Sam Spade meet Terry Pratchett.

Last year I read The King of Elfland’s Little Sister and Dwarf Girls Don’t Dance, the latest books in the Nicely Strongoak series, and was not disappointed.

The books are hilarious, suspenseful, and engaging murder mysteries. All set in a highly imaginative fantasy world. Get over to Amazon for some super great fun.

Lisette Brodey

I’ve read 3 books by Ms Brodey, the latest being The Waiting House; which is a fine example of literary fiction blended with magical realism, humor, and a bit of fantasy.

Ms Brodey’s storytelling is characterized by the vivid and memorable characters that she tells us about. And it’s what keeps me coming back to her fiction. After all, characters are the thing. Pick up a copy of The Waiting House on Amazon.

Garrett Dennis

Port Starbird is my kind of murder mystery. The book is laid-back, cerebral, touched with humor, transports you to the world of the detective, and introduces you to a whole lot of new friends.

I was only partway through Port Starbird, the first of the Storm Ketchum mysteries, when I fell in love with the world Mr Dennis had created and bought all the books. I’m looking forward to reading more of Storm Ketchum’s world this year. And you can get in on his adventure’s via Amazon.

KD McNiven

Ms McNiven writes fast-paced action adventures. One of her most fascinating characters is Detective Brock Scanlin. He’s a hard as nails police detective, yet he’s human. All too human. And that’s what makes Blood Alley and Blood Pool so good. Climb aboard the Brock Scanlin roller coaster today.

Richard Schwindt

Richard Schwindt is no stranger to this blog. I’d buy his grocery list, his writing is that good.

In The Death of Brenda Martin he has tied together all of his various fictional worlds. Quite a feat.

Schwindt is an artist who gives us a world we can see, touch, smell, taste, and feel. He blends mystery, monsters, and real life problems with panache. Enter his world. You won’t regret it.

Caleb Pirtle III

Caleb Pirtle has been writing and telling stories his entire life — and it shows. His fingers dance across the keyboard with the grace and power of a Baryshnikov.

What is undoubtedly the most powerful novel I read in 2021 came from his genius: Last Deadly Lie. The book is a tale of lies, lust, deceit, power, and destruction.

The setting is a church community. But this is not a religious novel. It’s the story of people. People who crave power and control and what they will do to get it and exercise it — no matter the setting, no matter the cost. It’s a tale of lust and secrets and the lies that are told to mask a person’s true intentions.

Last Deadly Lie. A powerhouse of a novel. One you will not forget. Get it from Amazon if you dare.

That’s my cream of the crop for 2021. I’m eager to see what delights 2022 with reveal.

Comments are always welcome. And until next time, happy reading!

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Beyond the Sea — Part 2

Beyond the Sea: Stories from the Underground is a project of the Underground Authors. We are a group of writers who place a high value on quality fiction. We seek to write it and promote it.

Beyond the Sea was an exercise in creativity. Take one picture and see what stories a dozen writers could find in it. And we found a dozen gems.

Three weeks ago, I blogged about my own contribution, and the three stories that impressed me the most.

Today, and next week, I want to share with you the remaining stories — because all the stories are good. And what’s more, maybe your favorite is one of these eight imaginative tales.

So let’s dive in!

The Diving Bits — Breakfield & Burkey

Xiamara has spent her and Judith’s savings to buy a boat. Judith is furious. The money was for their tuition to learn computers.

However, Xiamara convinces her friend they can make the money back by taking tourists out snorkeling.

But when their best laid plans meet reality, the two women end up in a heap of trouble.

A fun backstory romp in Breakfield & Burkey’s Enigma Universe.

Stranded — NE Brown

This story starts out innocently enough, but gradually you become aware that something isn’t right. And the ending? You have to read it — no spoilers here.

This is a suspense shocker that will have you trusting no one. A story I very much liked.

I’d Rather Drown — James R Callan

What would you do if you suddenly found yourself a prisoner? That’s the situation Darcy finds herself in. Prisoner of a control freak and possible psychopath. All because she accepted a drink and agreed to a game of tennis.

But she has a life, and it isn’t with her jailer! How is she going to escape Donald’s clutches?

James Callan gives us a tense thriller, brilliantly executed. A tale of escape that will have you biting your nails. I know I did!

Regi Vitam — Michael Scott Clifton

Ever wonder if anything you do ever has a good impact on someone else?

Frankie Scott was old and in poor health. He’d found a lot of talent for the Major Leagues in his day, but now he was all washed up. Just existing until his heart, lungs, or liver gave out. Just existing, that is, until Devin Ramos’ baseball breaks his window.

A heartwarming story that brought tears to my eyes.

Beyond the Sea: Stories from the Underground is a labor of love. All profits go to Team Rubicon to help their efforts to provide humanitarian relief when disaster strikes.

So do yourself and a lot of others a favor and pick up a copy today. You can be a good Samaritan and have fun at the same time!

Buy Beyond the Sea at Amazon

Comments are always welcome. And until next time, happy reading!

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For the Weekend 4

A delightfully zany slice of life!

Evelyn & Company by Chad (CM) Muller is a comic novel that will tickle your funny bone and have you holding your sides with laughter.

Muller’s humor is at times very sophisticated and erudite, and at other times it is laugh out loud hilarious. There are puns, slapstick episodes, and black comedy as well. And that is one of the charms of this book: the range of humor with which he is able to tell the story.

He calls the book a revenge comedy, and I can go along with that description. I also see it as social satire, at times bitingly so, in the tradition of Voltaire’s Candide.

The storyline is simple, and in truth the book could be called a plotless novel, or a slice of life. Evelyn Portobello, feeling she’s been cheated by the purveyor of a weight loss miracle drink — seen on TV — decides to get revenge. And from there the laughs just keep on coming.

Does Evelyn get her revenge? You will have to read Mr. Muller’s marvelous book to find out. And I certainly encourage you to do so.

It’s not a long book, but you might want to give your funny bone a rest and take the entire weekend to read Evelyn & Company.

Pick up a copy at Amazon. You won’t regret it.

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Were Ernest Hemingway alive today, would he make it as an independent author/publisher? I don’t think so.

Why do I write that? Because literary fiction is a tough sell to the indie reader. Not that a reader of indie books won’t read literary fiction, because some do. I for one.

However, Lit Fic is not the main diet of the indie reader. Genre fiction is. And genre fiction written in serials.

When we look at Literary Fiction in comparison to genre fiction, we see the problem immediately: most Lit Fic is standalone, and how the heck do you categorize it to get a reader’s eyes on it?

With genre fiction, it’s easy. There are all manner of tags one can use. For mysteries there are: crime fiction, serial killer, detective fiction, police procedural, cozy, amateur sleuth, along with the general mystery and murder mystery.

But what category does a book like The Remains of the Day fall into? Or The Old Man and the Sea?

Amazon does put The Old Man and the Sea into the Sea Stories category, but is it really a sea story? It certainly isn’t what I think of when I think of the sea story category. I think of Patrick O’Brian, and the Horatio Hornblower books. I might think of Moby Dick, or a book by Joseph Conrad. But Moby Dick isn’t really about the sea or whales, and while many Conrad stories involve the sea, they aren’t actually sea stories either.

The Remains of the Day is in an even more difficult place. Classic British Fiction. Now that tells me a lot. And therein lies the problem with indies selling Lit Fic — what the heck do you call it?

Since the indie reader basically demands genres and serial fiction, I think therein lies the answer. And the indie writer of Literary Fiction has no better a model than Anthony Trollope.

Trollope invented the novel series with his Barchester Chronicles: six novels that take place in and around the cathedral town of Barchester.

The six novels loosely follow each other. Although they can be read as standalone books. What they share is a locale and a set of characters that show up in each of the books, but with each novel having a different main character.

Because Trollope touches on so many different aspects of mid-nineteenth century British society, we can fit these books into many categories.

The books are historical fiction and religious fiction. They could possibly be called Christian fiction, although they aren’t evangelical in nature. They are about small town life, church politics and specifically Anglican Church politics, middle-class life, and married life. There is a fair amount of romance, always a campaign for Parliament, so we could call them mildly political novels. They could also be called comedies of manners. And they are filled with humor.

Trollope, as if he had foreseen Twitter, made it easy of us to tweet his books. And therein lies the key to an indie author’s success in writing Literary Fiction: write a series of standalone novels that involve the same locale and a general set of characters.

The old format for the TV series works well here: a main trio of characters, a supporting cast of around nine, and a uniform locale; each week one character is the focal point of the episode. Gunsmoke ran for years on such a formula, as did every other series when I was growing up.

And Anthony Trollope gave us the formula over a century ago.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading (and writing)!

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A Matter of Style

My whole career is based on the idea that the formula doesn’t matter, the thing that counts is what you do with the formula; that is to say, it is a matter of style. —Raymond Chandler

I’d seen Raymond Chandler’s name, and that of his most noted creation, Philip Marlowe, around for decades before, I actually read anything from Chandler’s pen.

All I can say is that I’m glad I made Mr. Chandler’s acquaintance.

The first story I read was Chandler’s first published story, “Blackmailer’s Don’t Shoot”, back in February 2018. However, over a year passed before I picked up another Chandler story. That story was “Killer in the Rain”, which I read this past Christmas Day. I followed it up with “The Curtain” on the third of January of this year, and six days later finished The Big Sleep, which is a fix-up novel put together from “Killer” and “Curtain”.

What captured my attention and stirred my interest in Chandler is his style. Quite simply put: it is beautiful. Almost poetic, it is perhaps the most lyrical prose I’ve read. Murder mysteries elevated to the level of literary fiction.

And this is directly related to Chandler’s approach to the art of storytelling. He wasn’t overly interested in the plot. Chandler strove to give the reader interesting characters with believable behaviors, and an emotively moving atmosphere.

What HP Lovecraft emphasized as most important for supernatural horror, the atmosphere of the story, Raymond Chandler also emphasized for the murder mystery. Characters and atmosphere — not plot — carry the day.

Erle Stanley Gardner wrote that the problem with the murder mystery was the utter simplicity of the plot.

A murders B, but the police think it’s C, until the detective gets C off the hook, and pins the deed on A.

The simplicity of the murder mystery plot is undoubtedly what drove Chandler to emphasize characterization and atmosphere over plot.

When I read Chandler, I’m caught up in the mood of the story that the atmosphere produces. I’m caught up in the dilemmas of the very lifelike characters. I’m sucked into the story by the descriptions of the people and places.

Raymond Chandler was an artist using words instead of paint and brush.

As a writer, I am inspired by what he did with the written word. Chandler showed writers and continues to show writers that the most formulaic of genres can be turned into glorious art. That we writers can transcend the confines of our genres and produce not only entertainment, but timeless literature.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading (and great writing)!

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Still More Suggested Reads

This is my fourth list of suggested books and authors with which you can while away those lazy summer days, or hunker down and wait out inclement winter weather if you’re south of the equator.

Banana Sandwich by Steve Bargdill

Actually anything by Mr Bargdill is well worth your money and your time. For example, here is a story that is a superb example of show, don’t tell: http://www.tingemagazine.org/left-with-the-moon/

In Banana Sandwich, Carol is mentally ill. After a stint of being off her meds, she decides to start taking them again and get better. And then the world goes crazy on her.

This is a masterful novel. It’s funny. It’s sad. It’s dark. One of the best works of contemporary literary fiction out there.

Don’t miss this one. I own all of Bargdill’s published work. He is one awesome writer. Incredibly awesome.

Hotel Obscure by Lisette Brodey

This book is billed as a collection of short stories. Nix that. I mean they are, technically speaking, short stories. However, Ms Brodey has written the stories around a theme and they are to be read in the order they appear in the book. So to my way of thinking, Hotel Obscure is something of an episodic novel rather than just a short story collection.

Having worked in public assistance, I could easily relate to the characters in this book, because only the down and out go to the Hotel Obscure.

The book, however, lives on a much grander scale. Because it is about people, and living, and dying, and the meaning of life.

Hotel Obscure is a fabulous book. I highly recommend it.

Pierce Mostyn Paranormal Investigations by CW Hawes

Hey! Wait a minute! I know that guy! Okay, maybe I’m cheating, but this is my blog and I want to do a little promo for the Pierce Mostyn series and the new Mostyn adventure that is coming out at the end of this month.

I’ve been very pleased with the good things that have been said about the Pierce Mostyn books.

Here’s an excerpt from a review of Nightmare in Agate Bay:

CW Hawes, author of the fantastic “Rocheport Saga”, has done it again putting together a well-crafted story that slowly builds in tension. Trust me, you won’t want to put it down! Hawes has managed to capture that Lovecraftian atmosphere that so many get wrong, superbly managing to weave a contemporary thread to the shadowed tapestry of the past. Bravo indeed!

Now if comments like that don’t warm an author’s heart, nothing will.

I serialized the working draft of The Medusa Ritual, the fifth book in the Pierce Mostyn Paranormal Investigations series, on this blog and if you read the blog installments, thank you!

If you decided to wait for the book to come out, good for you. Because good things come to those who wait.

I got good feedback on the book and all those improvements will be in the book version. So even if you read the serial — the book will be even better.

Keep your eyes peeled. Watch this blog, my Facebook page, and my Twitter account for the publication announcement.

Or better yet, sign up for my VIP Readers list. You’ll be the first to know, get exclusive offers, and you’ll get “The Feeder” which is a Pierce Mostyn novelette exclusively for my VIP Readers.

Here is another review excerpt, this one for Terror in the Shadows:

Terror in the Shadows, the third book in the adventures of Pierce Mostyn and the Office of Unidentified Phenomena, picks up where Stairway to Hell left off. …to investigate strange sightings and attacks in a rural countryside. The investigation leads Mostyn’s team to an abandoned mansion, where things quickly go from bad to worse as a certain family history turns out to have gone downhill… if not down the gene pool.

Terror returns to territory Hawes traveled with Nightmare in Agate Bay, where he explores HP Lovecraft stories in a more modern setting. In this case, Hawes plays homage to Lovecraft’s “The Lurking Fear” (there’s a brief reference to the title in the first chapter – don’t miss it!). The idea of “regression” is well explored in the storyline, and is well explained in contrast to evolution. The climax of the story is especially exciting, like a strange cross between Lovecraft’s original narrative and the climax of the original Assault on Precinct 13.

If you haven’t read the Pierce Mostyn series, you can check it out on Amazon. But remember: there be monsters here!

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

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Steve Bargdill

Good Books You Probably Never Heard Of – Part 6

Okay, Steve Bargdill is not a book. He’s a writer. A doggone good one, too. To date, he’s self-published four books and they are all winners. He’s also shopping a novel around to agents. I read a draft and it’s dynamite. I wish him much success.

I’ve read all of his books and I’m waiting for more. His only fault, as far as I’m concerned, is that he doesn’t write fast enough.

Banana Sandwich

Banana Sandwich was my first foray into the fictional world of Steve Bargdill. I noticed his tweet that his book was more popular than Moon Pies. And that got us talking and got me reading his book. I’m glad I saw that tweet.

The book is a dark and gritty rollercoaster ride of mental illness and emotions. There is enough comic relief so that the book isn’t oppressively dark. Bargdill knows pacing. And the ending… Well, it will blow you away.

As an aside, I’ve seen people rip the cover. Personally, I love the cover. It says everything about the story. And being lit fic, what else can the cover say? It’s perfect.

Banana Sandwich is a fabulous book. Don’t pass it by. You’ll regret it. Truly, you will.

Wasteland: The Complete Series

Wasteland is a compilation of 6 separately published novellas. Here’s the review I posted on Amazon:

Six novellas. One novel. People bound, chained, imprisoned by the warden of their minds to views of what is and isn’t possible.

Steve Bargdill takes us on a rollercoaster ride of emotions, delirium, sanity, and insanity. People who are trapped and feel they have no other choice but to do what they are doing. People who feel hopeless and helpless. Crushed by life.

And yet because the only constant is change, new people and new dynamics intersect with the lives of the main characters. What seems to be a life without purpose and without hope, very often isn’t. It all depends on what we think is possible.

Dark. Gritty. Surreal. Absurd. Wasteland by Steve Bargdill is the 21st century Our Town and Winesburg, Ohio. This book is a must read.

I can’t add anything more. Get Wasteland. It could be life changing.

Color of Hope

Color of Hope is a very short collection of poetry and flash fiction. Every single poem and story is good, with some being truly superb. Definitely the kind of collection to keep handy for when you have five minutes to spare and want something far more enjoyable then that old magazine in the mechanic’s waiting room, or the dentist’s office. Or while you’re waiting for the rain to pass.

It’s a wonderful little book and it’s only a buck. You can’t go wrong.

Neighborhood Mums

Neighborhood Mums is a short story — and an excellent one. Because it stays with you long after you’ve finished the story — and that’s the mark of an excellent writer.

The narrator and his dog, Sebastian, are on a neighborhood search for a couple of mum plants that were stolen from his yard.

What we are treated to in this simple story, is picture after picture of people. People going about their business. It’s a look into ourselves, and those around us.

Neighborhood Mums is a short story you will definitely remember.

Please do yourself a favor and read Steve Bargdill. His work is entertaining and thought provoking. He’ll make you cry and laugh. And you’ll remember his books long after you’ve read the last word.

Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!

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