Synopsis: Two people meet in the Art Institute by chance. Prior to their encounter, he is a doctoral student who manages his destructive thoughts with compulsive calculations about time travel; she is a bipolar counterfeit artist, undergoing court-ordered psychotherapy. By the end of the story, these things will still be true. But this is not a story about endings.
For Regan, people are predictable and tedious, including and perhaps especially herself. She copes with the dreariness of existence by living impulsively, imagining a new, alternate timeline being created in the wake of every rash decision.
To Aldo, the world feels disturbingly chaotic. He gets through his days by erecting a wall of routine: a backbeat of rules and formulas that keep him going. Without them, the entire framework of his existence would collapse.
For Regan and Aldo, life has been a matter of resigning themselves to the blueprints of inevitability—until the two meet. Could six conversations with a stranger be the variable that shakes up the entire simulation?
My two cents worth:
Aldo and Regan, the main characters of this rather simple, yet perplexing story of boy meets girl are the most confusing and mentally challenging individuals I've yet to encounter within a story. The author defines the book as a 'love story', but do not fool yourself into thinking there will be romance or the usual telling of lust and evolving relationship normality. This is a strange, and for lack of a better word, complex enmeshing of polar opposite characters that are magnetised to the other's eccentricities.
The novel explores the evolution of thought as two individuals with their own unique mental struggles somehow define a new language in order to see the world through the same magnified glass. Unpredictable behaviours in both Aldo and Regan ignite curiosity, passion, and shared intellectual intelligence which within themselves unlocks some stability in their otherwise tumultuous thoughts and past patterns of behaviour.
I found this story intriguing and all together just plain different from anything I've ever read before. Even the story itself moved from being within a conversation between characters, to almost hovering above the ghost of history's past and re-living that particular moment. Did I enjoy this story? No, I don't think I actually did. The writing was good, the plot average at best, but the characters and their idiosyncrasies really set the novel apart from other stories within the 'love' genre.
I was intrigued, which I suppose is as much a positive as is not actually enjoying the story overall. I will say this is a very clever author with a very unique perspective, and if nothing else, this book should be well and truly celebrated for breaking the mold of conformity and arousing curiosity within its reader.
If you haven't noticed, the last few weeks on the blog have been a little sad. My blogs are somewhat few and far between and my usual flair for the dramatic has diminished under the weight of a few personal dramas. It's because of these dramas that I realised that although I aim to succeed, please and laugh along the way, I'm most definitely easily distracted and not great mates with focus.
For one, The Aligned, the third book in The Hunted series, has been in the editing stage for at least a year now. A new book I started to write in early January has been collecting proverbial dust as it waits for the tip-tap of Microsoft ink to appear on it's neatly typeset pages. Then to top it off, Goodreads has informed me that my previous status of awesomeness for being several books ahead in my reading challenge, has now disclosed that I suck and need to pick up a damn piece of fiction before I ask 'where are the pictures?'.
I mean Jeez, I just can't seem to get a grip on anything.
I find between earning the almighty dollar, sweating it out at the gym, squeezing in family time and hanging out with friends, I barely have a minute left to think. And what do I think about?
Food.
Oh my lord, have I been dreaming about peanut butter lately, and should I get started on the need to dive face first into a room full of fresh, buttered bread?
I think what I need is my study/work space back (and some carbs). Organisation was like a perfume that wafted from the smooth pine bench-top and custom built bookshelves, and productivity oozed from every aesthetically placed item and alphabetized file like an aphrodisiac of literary delight.
Now I sit stacked against lumpy cushions on a futon with a TV dinner tray supporting my laptop and a rickety dryer spinning off-center in the background. It's a wonder I haven't written my opus.
So tell me, do you sometimes feel in such disarray that your life comes to a virtual halt? Do you wish you had more time and if you do, fluff around with the potential of it's productivity?
Let me know. I'd like to think I wasn't the only writer caught in a rut of her own making.
Today I have the fabulous James Garcia Jnr visiting the blog, an author I've admired for his cleverly crafted novels and constant appreciation of my ridiculous blog posts and Facebook statuses. We both share a passion for vampires, treadmills and the written word - so let's see what he has to say about my twenty warped questions ...
James Garcia Jnr
Describe
your novel in twenty words or less.
Paul Herrera inherits an old house and comes to
grips with ghosts that haunt both his past and present. *wipes forehead*
Nineteen! That was too close!
What
were some of the biggest obstacles that you had to overcome while writing?
Well, I’m a late bloomer. Although I discovered a
love for reading and writing back in junior high school, it really wasn’t until
middle age that I began to put the proverbial nose to the grindstone. I’m
forty-four now, but was when I turned thirty-eight that I really began to
feel the regret that I would feel when I was old and gray if I never gave
writing the college try. My latest novel will be my third. I have an
understanding family. They don’t love the time I spend on my laptop, but they
allow me that space. The only obstacle I have is provided my eleven hour day
job where I’m an Administrative Supervisor.
Kristy: I hear you, Jimmy! I want to kick those authors who brag about staying home all day to perfect their craft while we're slaving away only getting better at pen-pushing.
Are
you also a reader, and if so, what’s your preferred genre?
I prefer horror and suspense. I won’t read just
anything, however. I much prefer The
Silence of the Lambs over The Texas
Chainsaw Massacre. I do like to deviate from that now and again. My
favorite novel is actually not frightening in the least. It is Beach Music by Pat Conroy.
Peter O'Toole
If
you could have dinner with one person dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Hmm? That’s a tough one. We run the risk of
discovering that our heroes are creeps sometimes. Lots of names popped into my
head when I saw this question. Being a huge music fan, I thought of the late
Freddie Mercury of Queen. I have read a few biographies and was struck by one I
read on the late Katherine Hepburn. However, I think I’ll go with actor Peter
O’Toole. I just love to listen to him speak, and I know he won’t be much longer
on the planet. I should like to sit with him for a few hours...sip some wine...and
just chat (See, he’s rubbing off on me. I sound like him already).
Kristy: *Shakes Head*
Do
you have any weird little habits that get you in the writing mood—downing a
bottle of wine, eating an entire bar of chocolate, fornicating on a porch
swing?
Sadly, no. Although I can very easily down a bottle
of white zin during a networking session, I really don’t have the time to play
around. I usually only attempt one writing project every year and a half or so,
thanks to my long day job. If I’m writing I have to race home, clean up and
squeeze it in.
What
sets your book apart from others in the same genre?
Recently, I found myself answering a question like
this one by saying I might very well be the Nicholas Sparks of horror. I never
meant to say it. It just came out. Perhaps it’s fitting. We’ll see what the
readers think.
Okay,
so I bet you secretly hate one of the characters in your novel. Who is it and
why?
Interestingly I don’t. I guess as being their
creator I hate the things some of them do, but use those dirty deeds against
them and spin them for good.
You’re
on death row and it’s your last meal. What will you choose to eat?
Eat, Hell! Where’s the Crown and Coke?? I guess I’d
go with a steak. Maybe a T-bone, cooked medium. I’ll take the mashed potatoes
and green beans. Can I get a Margarita with that, please? No? Damn!
Tell
us three crazy things about yourself that you wish no one else knew (I promise
I won’t post this … but I lie).
*Crickets* Seriously, I’m so square! I’ve got
nothing. *lies* Hand over that Crown and Coke and maybe I’ll sing...
Are
you a scruncher or a folder? (Yes, this is a toilet paper question)
Folder, and I probably use more than a woman. Ask my
wife. She’ll tell ya’.
Kristy: Sorry, folders must be slapped. No one should be that organised in the toilet.
If
you had to pick one song to be the soundtrack to your novel, what would it be
and why?
“Heaven” by Warrant. I’m an old 80’s headbanger, but
when you read the novel you’ll see why.
Do
you have any future projects lined up that you want to tell us about?
Sleeping. Taking my kids to the movies – they don’t
need me to do it anymore since they’re 15 and 19, but I miss hanging out with
them. My treadmill. Sitting with my wife without whipping out my smartphone
every ten minutes. *Laughs* Okay, okay. I’ve got a collaborative writing project
that 13 authors are working on, but that’s all I am at liberty to say about
that until it’s done. I’ve never done anything like this and am a bit nervous.
I might start the third novel in my crossover Dance on Fire vampire series, but we’ll see. Stay tuned.
E-book
or paperback, what’s your preference?
I would prefer a hardback, so I’ll say paperback.
However, I also much prefer old record albums, too. There was nothing like
reading the lyrics and staring at the album artwork while the record played;
the smell of a brand new album. Yet, there I am every Tuesday, sniffing around
iTunes, trolling for new music! You just can’t beat the ease of buying, storing
and reading books on an e-reader. A year or so ago, I remembered that Sammy
Hagar had an autobiography out that day. I grabbed my Kindle and less than one
minute later I was reading that bad-boy!
What
books or authors have most influenced your writing style?
For this, I will once again refer to the genius that
is Pat Conroy. If I could write half as well as he does, I could die a happy
man. In my genre, I will note Author Michael Slade. That is the pen name of the
father/daughter team that writes the Special X Royal Canadian Mounted Police
thrillers. The first one, Headhunter,
might be the greatest horror/crime novel I’ve ever read.
If
you were stuck on a deserted Island would you choose:
a) A total hottie to keep you company
over the lonely nights ahead.
b) A solar powered Kindle with
limitless reading potential.
c) Tom Hanks and Wilson to help get
your ass off the Island.
The hottie would be lovely for the first couple of
days, but eventually I need someone to really talk to. I know it sounds corny.
I can read a lot, but not that much. I guess I’ve got to go with Hanks and
Wilson. Wait! Was the hottie gorgeous and
intelligent? Nah! Never mind. She’d just get rid of me, so she could end up
with Hanks and Wilson...
Where
can we find you?
Sun Maid Growers of California for eleven hours,
five and sometimes six days a week... What? Oh! ;) I’m in the California
Central Valley, near Fresno. Beyond that, you can find me attached to this
laptop. Just ask my wife. She’ll tell ya’. I hope you’ll look me up on
Facebook, among other places.
Who
has been your biggest support on your writing journey, and please, feel free to
add my name here …
Kristy Berridge. She’s both super awesome, a hottie
and supremely intelligent. Unfortunately, I think she’s secretly planning my
demise so she can help Tom Hanks get off the island and forget all about Helen
Hunt... Seriously, it’s the wonderfully supportive writing community. They have
encouraged me and cheered my meager success, and have offered a shoulder when I
have thought about giving it up. They are the greatest, and Kristy Berridge is
definitely among their number.
Kristy: *fist pumps the air* See? Coercion works every time.
What
is one of your favourite scenes from your novel? Feel free to provide a small
excerpt to entice the readers.
In Seeing
Ghosts, there are ghosts both inside and outside a large two story house
that my main character has just inherited. Paul has befriended one of them, a
very young boy who has become lost. He reads to him at night. His name is Paul,
too. In this scene, he has misplaced his Kindle...
Gingerly,
I turned the knob and pulled. I braced my left knee against the door, in a
manner of preparing for someone or something
to attempt to rush me and gain access. I peeked through the tiniest of gaps in
the door and glanced about. There wasn’t much moon, so I had to wait quite a
while before my eyes adjusted to the dark. When they finally did, I opened the
door a little more.
The
overturned bench still lay where Flora had thrown both it and me much earlier
the previous evening, but I could see no further. I stuck my head out into the
night air and quickly checked behind me. As I opened the door just a bit more
to accommodate this, something fell. I couldn’t stifle a surprised cry and a
curse. I looked down.
My
missing Kindle. It had been left for me, propped up against the door. Perhaps
it was to be a peace offering after all.
I
knelt down and retrieved the device. I slid the switch on and a moment later,
it came to life. Cool to the touch after having sat outside, it appeared none
the worse for wear. As I prepared to rise back to my feet, the wind started again.
I looked up just in time to see it and realized—it was no wind at all, but a
man. One no longer the man he’d once been. He glowed white and ran past the
front of the porch. Beyond him in the yard were more just like him. I dropped
the Kindle.
They
were all shapes and sizes of ghosts. Men, women and children, even the occasional
dog and cat. One of the dogs was barking and it sounded familiar. Thankfully,
it didn’t seem to be looking for me this time. They all seemed to ignore me and
one another. They just ran. Some waved their arms. A few stomped about like
zombies. From the expressions on their faces, none were at rest. This was a
horror among horrors.
I
sat down there and watched the pain as it unfolded about me, frozen by it.
Somehow it felt as if I’d just survived a plane crash that had killed everyone
else and my brain was short-circuiting because it was simply too much to
fathom.
“They’re
so sad,” a voice said beside me on the left. I nodded, but couldn’t pull my
eyes from the dead. “This is because of the bad lady,” Paul announced. He stood
beside me in the doorway. Mercifully, he didn’t touch me. It might have been
the last straw that, once removed, would make the whole construct that was me
crumble towards nothingness.
“Yes,”
I said, finding my voice.
“We
must do something to stop her.”
I
turned at this and looked upon the boy standing there before me, who stared
past me at the scene in the yard. Interesting to behold—he was very young, but
unafraid. Glancing down at me, he nodded as if resigned to some duty.
“We
must,” he said. I felt very proud of him at that moment for some crazy reason.
I recall shaking my head in astonishment.
If
you had to cast your characters, who would you reconcile to play their parts?
Hmm? You know, perhaps it has to do with my limited
time, but I have never dreamed of actors for any of my characters. Perhaps I’m
boring that way. That’s not to say that I haven’t dreamed of selling film
rights or being summoned to Hollywood to assist with the screenplay. I have
dreamt of that quite a lot. *laughs* Especially the part where I pen my two week’s
notice and walk away from the eleven hour day job. That’s a favourite dream of
mine!
Any
last words? (feel free to write Kristy Berridge is super awesome right here)
I believe we have covered quite well the fact that
Kristy Berridge is super awesome, even discounting the part where she plans my
death in order for her to leave the island with Tom Hanks. Whether it was our
short time together on the island or this interview, it was fabulous while it
lasted!
Seriously, I want to thank you for this opportunity,
Kristy. I thank you and your readers for taking the time to give my writing a
chance. For the writers out there I urge you to press on. If we push ourselves
and give it our all, no one can take it away. What we don’t want is to sit in
our rocking chairs in our old age and be saddled with regret for not ever
having tried. Happy reading and writing, my friends.
Well, thank you so much, Jimmy! It's been great having you, and an absolute pleasure to support a talented author like yourself. Make sure you all check out James's work and get yourselves a copy of his books ASAP!
To celebrate my blog tour starting on Sunday the 1st of April 2012, I am giving away the Kindle edition of The Hunted for free! Yes you heard me, for FREE!
The giveaway only lasts for one day and will be available for download tomorrow, Thursday the 29th of March 2012 from 12.00am Pacific standard time, and finishes at 11.59pm Pacific standard time. Don't miss out on your chance to grab a copy and get involved with the tour! Also, if you could follow my blog while you're here and click the 'like' button to help wit the promotion and my ranking on Amazon, I'd really appreciate it!
I hope you all enjoy. If you do, post a review on Amazon and Goodreads. If you don't - keep it to yourself! (Kidding ... no I'm not.)
Hi all, apologies for the lateness of this post, but apparently, according to blogger I am an impostor! I mean seriously, let me sign on already!
Tantrum aside I'm obviously in, and I thought today I'd give you a brief update on my 'going's on'. Yes, I am still a serial dieter with thighs endlessly on the attack. I still talk a whole lot of shit and slink around in the dead of night looking for any form of chocolate. On the upside, although my techtardian ways are well know due to my inability to reply to any comments left on my posts or even the know-how to create my own damn button, I have gotten a little bit clevy this week.
I mastered the freaking widget!
As you may have noticed I have some new 'Follow me' buttons on the left hand side. Granted I didn't make them, I merely 'borrowed' them and have been advised that you must use them immediately as not following me will almost certainly result in chlamydia. Anyone who immediately follows me will naturally remain STD free. If symptoms should persist, besides seeing a doctor, I'd suggest telling your friends how awesome my books and blog is.
Just a suggestion.
I've also managed to upload some widgets from Goodreads. I've actually challenged myself to read 50 books this year. I can't really see that happening, but since I have recently declared there will be more book reviews on the blog, I thought I'd better actually read a few books. Makes sense.
Apart from my little widget know-how. I'm currently working my second book trailer for the next book in The Hunted Series - The Damned. So far it's coming along well - more action, more moving pictures, and definitely a whole lot more skill. I'll paste the link below so you can view the first trailer. (Yes, I can actually do this!)
I'm also having a 250 follower give away! Three copies of my book are going to be sent anywhere worldwide to the lucky winners and they will be paperback versions, not e-books! So help spread the word while you're at it and click on the link if you want to be in with a chance to win (Yes, I can do this too).
Well that's it. Nothing else overly exciting is going on. I didn't become president (shocking). I didn't attempt assassination on Spence Pratt (disappointing). I did however gain half a kilo this week (expected).
Have a good one everyone,
