Category Archives: Book/Movie Review

Review of Skyline, from a Writer’s Perspective.

Posted on May 24, 2012 | 19 Comments

Skyline is the perfect example of how you can ruin a spectacular movie in the last three seconds.

This movie had everything.

Explosions? Check

Action/Adventure? Check

Well written characters? Check

Original? (Well, pretty much.  It felt a little like ID4 Independence Day shown from another perspective)

Great plot? Check (until the end)

Closure on all the characters?  Check (until the end)

From a writer’s perspective, let’s look at the characters.  There aren’t too many.  (Nine total, I think) and they are all easily recognizable.  This is a run-for your life move, so yes, not all of them will make it until the end, that’s a given, so not all nine are in the entire movie.

Each of the nine…even the two that only had a few lines, were wonderfully depicted, which is a show of not only strong writing, but also fairly decent acting.

Even though we only saw that character for a second, or a few lines, the lines or “happenings” were strong enough that we could relate to them, and we cared, even though they were not one of the main characters.  Also, to do that, we didn’t need their back story or to get too much into their lives.  We could just relate.

For instance:  There is a big loud party.  A security guard or building manager knocks on the door and very politely (and realistically) asks them to be quiet.  He walks away, knowing fully-well that they will not quiet down, with this precious look on his face.  I identified.  Haven’t we all been there?  The point is, a 30 second fully-rounded character that you can identify with.  Well done.

What was also great is that every minor character that we meet gets sewn up with an ending of some sort.  Some heroic, some unfortunate, but their stories are all completed by the end of the movie.

This was a five-out-of five star movie until the last five minutes.  As the movie was starting to end, I started to get that “awe shoot” feeling.  Realistic ending?  Probably— but I prefer something a little happier.  That’s just me though.

However, then it took a tumble.  A huge tumble.

I would love to know if this visually spectacular and probably hugely-expensive movie ran out of budget, and stopped production…because that is what looked like happened.

I will try to explain this without a spoiler…a major scene is happening.  One character turns and looks at a bad guy, takes a step… and the credits start.

The movie just stops.  Boom.  No ending.  No ending at all.  I have to say it again…

This is what really grates on my nerves.  This movie was SPECTACULAR until the last five minutes, but those last five minutes, though disappointing, were at least acceptable.  But those last three seconds?

If they had just gone on for five to ten more minutes, they could have finished.  But nothing is more disappointing that having a great time watching a movie and not having it end.

I mean, this isn’t even like Luke and Lea looking out the window while the Millenium Falcon leaves to go save Han Solo.  That at least faded into space and you knew they were doing something (and that there would be a next movie)

This movie just STOPPED right in the middle of a scene.

So disappointing.

Two Stars.  One for Awesome Special Effects, and one for great characters.

Five more minutes and this film could have been one of the best I’d ever seen.  Such a shame.

For authors:  FINISH YOUR STINKING STORIES.  Don’t leave your reader’s hanging.  I was loving SKYLINE, but instead of turning it off and saying “wow” I went to bed angry.

It’s never good to go to bed angry.

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Score! Author Claire Gillian talks about “Voice” in The P.U.R.E. Yes! She agreed to the interview!

Posted on May 19, 2012 | 11 Comments

Yes.

No.

Yes

No!

.

.

You promised!

Oh!  I’m sorry but not today.  I have a super important guest!

.

.

I’m not important?

Of course you are, but I managed to score an interview with Claire Gillian, and she’s going to talk about the Voice in her novel THE P.U.R.E..

.

I have a voice.

I know, but all you want to do is…

.

.

Take

Over

The

World!

Okay enough of that.

Without further ado, I am super-excited to have Claire Gillian, the author of THE P.U.R.E. with us.

If you haven’t seen  my review of THE P.U.R.E. please check it out so you will understand why it is so incredibly cool to have her here today.

Hello Ms. Gillian!

Claire:  Hi there, Ms. Eaton! Thanks for inviting me to chat today.

Me:  As you know, I loved THE P.U.R.E. which was a surprise, since I really don’t like mysteries.

Claire:  I’m thrilled I managed to hook you on story outside of your usual genre. Thank you, thank you! I’ve had several reviewers make similar preface comments, which makes me both worry and rejoice. Worry because how many will never give The P.U.R.E. a chance, and rejoice because for those who were brave enough to try, I accomplished what I set out to do—convince readers that even CPAs could be sexy and have intriguing stories.

Me:  Ahem… Ummm… I think you managed to do that… I mean, Dang, Girl.  (If you’ve read the book you’ll know what I mean by that)  Anyway, how the heck did you manage to hook a Fantasy reader into a Corporate Murder Mystery?

Claire:  I think most novels are mysteries really, otherwise, why would you read them if you already how everything unfolds (other than for analysis of writing techniques)? I know when I read a story, no matter what genre, I’m always thinking along the lines of, “I’ll bet she does such and such next.” In that sense, the only difference is that with a mystery, the reader is working on figuring out two stories at once—the protagonist’s own story and the mystery she is trying to solve.

Me:  Hmmm.  I guess that’s ture to some extent.  I think what sold me on it was that I felt completely enveloped in your world, even though it was a boring office environment (at least to start).  How’d you do that?

Claire:  I’m not used to analyzing my own writing style, to be honest, but what I think you’re keying in on is probably my “voice”.  At least this is what I’ve gathered from my four years of feedback. Even when my writing was and is utter crap, it has had a quality people seemed to like. I’m still not 100% sure what “voice” is because I have yet to give it any sort of boundaries. I assume it’s like a signature, with its own loops, swoops, slants, and sizing.

Me:  You definitely have your own style, which I have found off-putting in some novels, but in The P.U.R.E. it was part of the “warm and cozy” feeling, I felt like I was experiencing it with her, like I could totally relate.

Claire:  I tried to make Gayle relatable–a flawed but appealing character with a bright, funny side to overcome the “Oh, no, a CPA as the heroine? Seriously? Just kill me now!” She’s both naïve and brash, curious and cautious, blasé and hyperconcerned, confident and hesitant. I also attempted to poke a little fun at corporate America—the posturing, hierarchy and HR double-speak. Office types will hopefully get and appreciate it. Non-office types will probably skim over it to get to the good stuff. No harm, no foul.

Me: So how did you come up with this magical “voice”?

Claire:  I think my writer’s voice is just how I talk. I like to make people laugh. I like non sequiturs, innuendoes, dirty jokes, and the ridiculous. I watch a lot of romantic comedy and comedy in general and there’s a rhythm there that I try to imitate and even use as a template. It really is like telling a joke. You have to know where to pause and where to have long sentences that leave you out of breath, and when to put in a series of choppy sentences with these pauses for the audience to “get” the joke and laugh.

Me:  I noticed that, and it didn’t seem forced, it just seemed like part of the character’s personality coming out in her thoughts.

Claire:  Sometimes those pauses are filled with a character’s observations or a snippet of internal monologue. I like internal monologues but they are easy to overdo, especially in a first person point of view book. I mean, we’re already in Gayle’s head because she’s the narrator, so the only difference is in tense. Her monologues are in present tense and her narration is in past tense. Too much jumping back and forth I think would feel herky-jerky and confusing to the reader. .

Me:  I didn’t find it overdone at all.  In fact, they seemed natural.  Some of them were so simple, like her looking at her hot boyfriend and saying simply: “Yummy”.  Tee Hee.  It looks odd here, but in the context of THE P.U.R.E. it totally worked.

Claire:  Thanks. Some authors use internal monologues to contrast to what the character says, but I tend to see internal monologues as telling vs. showing. Rather than have Gayle say out loud to Jon, “Oh gosh, golly, I’m so sorry you broke up with your girlfriend” but think, “Yippee-skippy! Ask me out! Ask me out!!”  I’d rather have her “show” the reader how she feels with narration like “I hoped he couldn’t see me grinning like an idiot into my coffee cup.” Both convey that she’s not the least bit sorry but doesn’t want to show her hand. A few monologues are fine, like a dash of salt for seasoning. Too many is telling vs. showing and that ruins the meal.

Me:  Yes.  I think it worked because it was only here and there.  I think it would have gotten monotonous if she was always talking to herself—you know—cliché and all.  How’d you know when you had it right?

Claire:  If it felt forced or out of rhythm with the story, I zapped it into the cornfield. In my head, I remembered movie scenes I liked and used them as templates. For example, one scene I built on the bones of a scene from When Harry Met Sally. In the movie, Sally tells Harry about a recurring dream she has where some faceless man rips her clothes off. Harry asks if the dream ever varies and Sally says, “Yes.” He says, “What part.” She says with this totally serious face, “What I’m wearing.” Same back and forth rhythm with Gayle’s narration to convey Jon’s straight man reaction.

Me:  Yes, this is the kind of cadence that really helped me to relate to her.  It’s brilliant.  I could totally relate to her, like she was in my own mind

Claire:  Great, then I guess I did my job!

Me:  Tell us about the editing process.  I’ve heard it can be pretty painful for an author to be ripped and shredded by a professional editor.

Claire: My editor did a fabulous job tightening up the manuscript, cutting out bits that were just clutter. No disagreements at all over those edits, because I know that is a writing weakness I have.

Me:  Awe, come on!  You must have disagreed with your editor some time or another.

Claire:  Well, no one can ever understand an author’s vision of the story and its characters better than the author herself. When I felt we were drifting from the point of the narration or dialogue, I pushed back. Some bits I felt were really clear, but my editor disagreed. That’s when I had to acknowledge that while no one else could ever step into my shoes, I could never step into my readers’ shoes either. What’s that saying? “Strive not to be heard but to be understood.” Sometimes an author’s “darlings” need to be killed (or at least be given a little plastic surgery) if they are confusing or add no value from the reader’s perspective. One of the best pieces of advice I ever received, that I did not fully understand or appreciate at the time, was, “tell the reader what she needs to know, not what you want her to know.”

Me:  Yeah, I’ve heard that too.  But only the author knows what the reader needs to know.  Sometimes you are leaving breadcrumbs that might seem pointless to an editor, that won’t make sence until later.

Claire:  Yes. There were a few places where I rolled up my sleeves and prepared to do battle because I felt passionately about the suggested changes, mostly my red herrings in danger of being cut altogether.

Me:  Red Herrings?

Claire:  [[Grins]] If you read many mysteries, they all have red herrings—tidbits that blend seamlessly into the story but throw the protagonist and the reader off track. If they seem too arbitrary or random to a reader (or editor), they aren’t written properly. I had to tweak a few of those to make those seams less ragged.

Me:   This is your debut novel.  How long were you querying before you found a publisher?

Claire:  I queried The P.U.R.E. with about twenty literary agents who all sent fairly prompt and succinct form rejections except for one who asked for a partial but then passed because she didn’t like Gayle. Queries, synopses and blurbs are not my strong suit, unfortunately.

Me:  Ugh!  Me either.  It’s easier to write a novel.

Claire:  I also entered The P.U.R.E. into the RWA Daphne du Maurier contest but it received mixed reactions. One judge gave it high marks and compliments while another felt it was unrealistic how the CPA heroine’s work situation was portrayed—ironic because I modeled those parts after my own real life CPA experiences.

After that and similar feedback when I sought critiques on my query letter (“CPAs are sooo not sexy; no one will read this.”), I accepted that a CPA-centered romantic mystery was an impossible sell, especially from a debut author. Although I loved The P.U.R.E. and so did my beta readers, I trunked it and moved on to other projects. The P.U.R.E. was only the second novel I’d ever written, so I just counted it toward paying my dues.

Me:  Holy cow!  So you almost shelved this?  What a waste!  What made you pull it back out again?

Claire:  Well, I went on to publish a few short stories and I also wrote other novels and novellas. I had never submitted nor even considered submitting The P.U.R.E. to any indie publishers previously because I thought it was literary agent / NYC publisher or nothing. A writer friend encouraged me to try that route after she had some success, and so I did.

Me:  Why do you think this worked out?

Claire:The timing was right for me, and I think indie publishers, especially newer ones, are more willing to take chances on debut authors who are a little outside of the box.

Me:  So, what’s next for you.  Can I convince you to explode something?

Claire: I promise you I have multiple explosions, shootings and chase scenes in an in-process manuscript called Sins of Our Mothers.

Me:

Yay!

Claire:  [Laughs]  One day I’ll finish that puppy. The bits I’ve shown off have piqued a few interests so I have high hopes for it if I can ever buckle down and finish it.

Me:  What else?

Claire:  I have a couple of submissions I’m waiting to hear from the publishers on within the next three weeks. One is a superhero romantic suspense novella called “Prometheus Unstitched” and guess what? There are hand grenades and snipers in that one!

Me:  Wahoo!

Now we’re talking!

Claire:  [Giggles] I also have an urban fantasy series I pull out periodically and fiddle around with. It has nuclear weaponry of my own design, used for dispatching all evidence of dead supernaturals. Since that one’s probably going to be part of a trilogy of novels, I need to write or at least lock down the plots of books two and three before I shop book one. Hard to do for a pantser like me.

Me:  So, what can we see soon?  I’m impatient, you know.

Claire:  In terms of pending publications, I have a short story to be included in a steampunk anthology called “Conquest Through Determination”, releasing any day now from Pill Hill Press. At the beginning of June, I will have a short story in an ocean-themed paranormal romance anthology called “Tidal Whispers” coming from J. Taylor Publishing.

Me:  Awesome!  I’ll be looking for them.  Okay, the rule is that you need to be open for questions after an interview.  Are ya up to it?

Claire: Sure! As long as there’s no math. Kidding. I’ll take the math questions too.

Me:  Okay, here we go.  I now leave Ms. Gillian in your capable hands.  Ask away oh seekers of infinite knowledge.  Don’t be shy!

Oh!  I almost forgot!  Leave a comment below, and one lucky random winner will get an ebook version of The P.U.R.E. (any format) for free!  Totally Cool!

But for those of you who can’t wait, pick up a copy at one of the links below.

Buy The P.U.R.E. online at Amazon (Paper or Kindle)

Buy The P.U.R.E. online at Barnes and Noble (Paper or Nook)

You can also buy The P.U.R.E. online at All Romance, Powells, Books on Board and Diesel.

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Monomaniacle Middle Grade Reviewer Talks Up Sea of Monsters

Posted on May 17, 2012 | 3 Comments

The Monomaniacal Middle Grade Reviewer talks about Sea of Monsters.

(I have no idea where the dumb Canadian accents came from.  It was the kid’s idea, I swear!)

I love the part at 1:50.  He’s not too enthusiastic, is he?

4:17 funny descriptions of explosions.  The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.  :-)

Mono

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The Monomaniacle Middle Grade Reviewer Jumps into Percy Jackson

Posted on May 3, 2012 | 14 Comments

Sorry, he has been such a big hit I couldn’t resist giving him his own logo.

So, without further ado, I give you the Monomaniacal Middle Grade Reviewer with his take on Lightening Thief

Take it away Dude!

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The return of the The Monomaniacal Middle Grade Reviewer (Wolves of the Beyond)

Posted on April 26, 2012 | 10 Comments

The Monomaniacal Middle Grade Reviewer Returns!

Yay!  I finally tied him down    bribed him   convinced the MMGR to do another review.  Here we are with Wolves of the Beyond. Uncut, and uninterrupted…. well, maybe a little interruption, but too funny.  I had to leave it in!!!!!

No Retakes!

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Book Review of The P.U.R.E. by Claire Gillian

Posted on April 19, 2012 | 25 Comments

When I was offered a free advance copy of The P.U.R.E. from its publisher, I almost passed.  I am not a mystery fan.  I prefer something with lots of action and explosions.  But I figured, what the heck, it’s free.

So, I sat down one day and began reading what I expected to be a dull, boring drama.

Boy, was I in for a surprise.

Once again, I will use the Oreo Cookie Concept for reviewing:  Start with the crunchy goodness, dig into the squishy bad, and then end on a crunchy good note.

This one was a little tricky for me.

.

To start, were there any explosions?  No?  Sorry, but she loses a cookie there. (Yeah, I know that’s not fair, but it’s my rating system.  Get over it.)

What POV was it written in?  First Person “I”.  What?  UGH!  I hate first person!  Lose another cookie.

Okay, let’s not worry… She is still in “I liked it” range with three cookies.

Claire Gillian did an amazing job intertwining the overall mystery plot with the “Girl falling for the guy at the office” plot.  Not being a mystery fan, I actually gravitated more toward the romance aspect initially, but Ms. Gillian quickly sucked me in to her overall world of corporate Hell.

The best part about this book is the really defined main characters.  I totally believed them, and living in a cubicle myself for the last twenty years, I can totally relate to the inter-office politics.

Personally, I believe the realism of the characterization comes from the excellent POV writing.  I’m not a fan of first person because normally I find it confining.  Not so here.

So, Ms. Gillian, I am giving you your cookie back for POV.  This is probably the best First Person POV I have ever read.  You are back up to four out of five cookies.

The creamy filling… the bad stuff

This is going to sound uber-critical of me, but I just couldn’t leave this section blank.  After all, no one is perfect.  I have to admit, that I really needed to rack my brain over faults in The P.U.R.E.  So, after much more in-depth pondering than a normal person would do…here you have it:

There were a lot of characters in the office environment.  I got confused with who was who.  Even in the ending scenes, I wasn’t sure who was who.  This didn’t really bother me, though, because frankly, it just didn’t matter at that point.  (In a good way—I was so absorbed I didn’t even stop to think about it.) –not subtracting a cookie for this

This is something I feel like I need to mention, although it breaks my heart to do it.  I caught a few typos.  Ugh.  Okay… remember I am looking for something bad to say, because this novel was so dern good… so there!  I found three punctuation typos.

Since I had an advance copy, I let them know about the typos, hoping they could fix them.  I don’t know if they did.  The problem with a typo is that I stopped reading.  I flipped my Kindle in all different directions to read it different ways to see if it was really a typo.  This is a problem because I am no longer reading the story.  I lost the scene.  You never want your reader to stumble in the middle of a scene.

I need to subtract at least a bite out of a cookie for that.  I will happily remove the bite if the typos are fixed in the next revise.

Ending on a crunchy good note:

Once in a while, an author surprises me by breaking the rules.  I would like to give super-big kudos to Claire Gillian for not ignoring the subject of condoms.  They are always used, and when the romantic leads didn’t have one, they didn’t have sex.

GOOD FOR YOU CLAIRE GILLIAN!!!!!

The two characters even had a conversation about STDs and birth control.  For myself, having lost a cousin to a sexually transmitted disease, I have to nod in appreciation to the author.  This is the first time I have read anything that didn’t ignore that detail/concern like it didn’t exist.

For this, Ms. Gillian, I am giving you an extra cookie just because.  Thank you for being socially conscious, while keeping it romantic and real.  This totally makes up for the lack of explosions. (And I have to admit there was a high action scene that I thoroughly enjoyed that made up for it a little as well.)

Final cookie count?  Four and three-quarters of a cookie, and I will happily make it a five cookie review if the typos are fixed.

I was thinking this over, and wondering where I would place this novel on my “best of” scale.  I cringe to say it since this is a mystery novel, but the P.U.R.E. firmly has a place in the top five novels I have ever read.

I highly recommend all authors to read The P.U.R.E. and concentrate on Claire Jillian’s characterization, and her voice.  I have large chunks of text highlighted to go back and analyze to learn from how she presented it.  The writing is crisp, clean, and easy to read.  Not only will you be enjoying a great novel, but I think all authors could learn a lesson or two from her great writing style.

Am I now a mystery fan?  No, not at all.

Would I buy another Claire Gillian novel?  Yes, absolutely.  I wouldn’t hesitate for a single second.

Buy The P.U.R.E. at Amazon.com

Buy The P.U.R.E. at Barnes and noble

Note: Barnes and Noble has it on sale for $11.46 in paperback right now.  Digital is $4.99 on both sites.

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Reining in the The Monomaniacal Middle Grade Reviewer – A Review of Fur Face by Jon Gibbs

Posted on April 12, 2012 | 2 Comments

I found out why The Monomaniacal Middle Grade Reviewer stopped doing reviews.  He read “Fur Face” by Jon Gibbs, and really enjoyed it.  However, he knew I wanted him to review it, but he was embarrassed to do one because he met the author at a recent book signing.

“Well, did you like the story?” I asked.

“Yeah.”

“Then what are you worried about?”

I got the lip… If you’re a parent, you know what that means.

He was just self-conscious about it because he was afraid of what he would look like in front of an author that he feels like he knows, even though his review would be positive.

Note to self:  Introduce the MMGR to authors AFTER he has given the review.

Anyway… The MMGR’s review of Fur Face was:

(I’m paraphrasing from several conversations over the last several weeks)

It was really good.  It was about this cat that can talk, who has to find a kid that can understand him to help him do what he has to do.

(Trying not to drop a spoiler there)

He mentioned an intricate plot that would be hard to describe.  There was lots of funny stuff and action, and a big mystery about animals that had to be saved.  (Right up his alley)

I didn’t get a star rating on Fur Face, but book two is on his list of “I gotta have it” books.

Now that we’re over that hurdle… The Monomaniacal Middle Grade Reviewer should be returning to the blogosphere very shortly.  Yay!

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A Review of “Alien Hunter” from a writer’s perspective. This is what NOT to do when you write

Posted on March 28, 2012 | 8 Comments

The other night my husband rented the movie “Alien Hunter”.  Isn’t he a good hubby?  He knows what I like.  Anyway… Alien Hunter.

It’s been a while since I’ve done a movie review.  Probably because everything has been “so so” and I couldn’t think of anything I learned from the movies I’ve seen.

This one was a bit different… because I didn’t like it.  So, let’s discuss why…

Warning:  I usually don’t do this, but there will be mild spoilers in this review.  Don’t worry.  I am not going to ask you to watch the movie anyway.  It wasn’t worth it.

Alien Hunter:  This is far to grand a title for this sleepy little movie.  Even my husband pointed out that there was no “Alien Hunting” in it.

Was there an alien?  Yes.  Was there an explosion?  Yes.  Was there death and mayhem?  Yes.  If you know anything about me, this sounds like a perfect combination to keep me entertained.  So why wasn’t I entertained?

Admittedly, about half an hour into the movie I fell asleep. (Not a good sign)  When I woke up, I asked my husband what I missed and he said, “Nothing.  They are still trying to get the stupid thing open.”  I checked the clock.  I’d been asleep for twenty minutes.

Now, when they got “The thing” opened, and people started to die, I just didn’t care.  (Oooo, she’s callous)  I am willing to admit that I did fall asleep for part of it, but I realized that I had no emotional attachment to any of the characters.  They were in dire peril.  So what?  Even if I fell asleep, I did see enough that I should have cared.  I didn’t.

Poor presentation and poor characterization.  That was the crux of this movie’s problem.

Problem #2:  The plot.  These people have to die.  It is made perfectly clear.  Most of them are okay with this (with almost no emotional response… okay, really?  Don’t you want to try to call your mother or something before they drop a nuclear bomb on you?)

As soon as you realize this, you think… okay, so why am I watching?  Who am I rooting for?   It’s not like they are going to try to escape.

Then, the “Bad guys” decide they are going to try to escape.  Now, if they do escape, every living thing on Earth will die within two days.  Wiped clean.  Disappear.  Done.

My husband and I thought the same thing.  No one would try to escape, especially when they saw what would happen with their own eyes.  It was just not believable.

What was even more unbelievable is the pseudo-happy ending that was really not even explained.

It was one of those times where you click off your television at midnight and wish you hadn’t wasted that precious sleeping time.

Characterization:  We need to care about your characters.  Make them real.  Make them respond realistically.  Even if they decide to do the right thing, and make the ultimate sacrifice, show some emotion.

Plot:  Please…  I mean, come on.  Think it through.  You can have a great idea (and yes, it was a great idea) but you need to follow it through to the end.  You need to root for your characters.  How can you root for characters when you know they are going to die?  And they have to die?

And that ending?  Even my husband shook his head.

I’ve actually found an “Alien-spaceship-explosion” flick that was worse than the second Transformers movie.  I never thought I’d see the day.

Think through your plotlines, and don’t ruin a brilliant idea with a really weak finish.

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Interview with Published Author Fran Metzman “The Hungry Heart Stories”

Posted on February 18, 2012 | 26 Comments

No, it is not a little blue woman from Mars (although that would be totally cool, too.)

Today my humble little site is part of Fran Metzman’s promotional blog tour for the release of her short story collection:  THE HUNGRY HEART STORIES.

Each of the twelve stories in Fran’s collection involves food as a means to fulfillment (If it were me, it would be a book all about chocolate)  :-)

Without further ado, let’s welcome the lovely and talented Fran Metzman!

Hello Fran, and welcome to “Learn from my Mistakes”

Fran:  Hello everyone!

***Imagine Fran smiling and waving madly***

This site is dedicated to new and soon to be published authors. At the end of this interview, would you be willing to answer questions from inquiring minds?

Fran:  Yes.  I would be delighted.

Great!  Keep that in mind, guys.  Okay, let’s get started.

Fran, would you tell us about the first time you were published.

Fran: I consider this publication of THE HUNGRY HEART STORIES, as my first, as it is actually the first one published with only my own name. The other was co-written. In UGLY COOKIES and THE HUNGRY HEART STORIES, each story deals with relationship issues – a theme that has always intrigued me.

What part of relationships intrigues you so much?

Fran: We are all trying to find a level of satisfaction in relationships and it is common to feel cheated at some point in our lives. We yearn to fill emotional voids. I want to answer the question – how far will we go to find a relationship that answers deep-rooted needs?

As a writing teacher, what do you see as a re-occurring problem you need to “teach out” of new writers. What are the common mistakes they make?

Fran: I do encourage people to write from the heart, but all too often that is where they want to stop. In my opinion, it is vital to understand the structure of fiction writing because in today’s world of publishing whether it is non-fiction, memoir and even journalism, they are expecting the works to follow the form of fiction. Once a writer has that under his/her belt they have the option of experimenting. It’s like art – you must understand the structure of the body in order to sculpt or paint a figure before going on to other genres.

Can you explain that a little more? Do you mean “fitting into a set mold” or is there a certain structure that is undeniably necessary?

Fran: I don’t mean for anyone to be locked into a particular writing style. My undergraduate degree was from Moore College of Art in Philadelphia and I was a sculpture major. When we learned how to draw a person we did it step-by-step. First we did a skeleton then laid a clear sheet on top and did the muscles and sinews next. The final plastic sheet presented with skin, face, hands and toes. It was a process that enabled us to understand the structure of the body so that all parts were anatomically correct. Once we understood that, we could use that information to evolve into our own thing.

Interesting.  How did this help to make you a better writer?

Fran:  Figures differ but when the different body parts are out of scale it disturbs the visual rhythm the same way the written format may become unbalanced. For instance, if there is too much description that goes on for pages you will, in all probability, lose your reader unless you have presented such a strong, unique voice that we get lost in the work. That doesn’t happen often. Once you have an understanding of the structure, you can experiment.

Wow.  Not too many of us have the experience of learning art in that way, and can relate that to our writing.  Interesting insight.  How do you think a new writer can get there, without sculpting in clay?

Fran: Write regularly on a set schedule even if it is only once a week. WRITE!

Tell us about your first novel “Ugly Cookies”.

Fran: I co-wrote UGLY COOKIES with Joy Stocke based loosely on several short stories that seriously involve parental/child relationships, romance and feminist ideals. It also has a sub-plot of prejudices toward the elderly, something that has become a hot topic nationally today.

What was your reaction when you first saw a “real” printed copy? What did you do?

Fran: Seeing that book in print thrilled me and made me incredulous at the same time. Was that my name on the cover? How could that have happened? It had a dream like quality to it. But that didn’t last long as we had to immediately get into the huge amount of work involved in publicity.

I’ve had a lot of discussions with people, and this is what they are most worried about… Promoting.  What did you do to publicize?

Fran: It has changed so dramatically from the time my first novel was published about 10 years ago. Now it is VIRTUAL TOURS. Book chains and many independents have folded in the interim and fewer people attend live readings. We have generations who are constantly on computers, texting, googling, IPhoning, game playing, and connected tightly to screens for a myriad of reasons. The new way of publicizing is not easy for someone like myself who still prefers hard copies of books.

It’s okay, you’re doing fine.  We bloggers are a friendly group.  What’s been the hardest part about cyber-publicizing?

Fran: Today it’s all about being online for links, connections, websites, tags, Facebook, Twitter and the plethora of connections online. This consumes mammoth amounts of time as I worry when will I get back to writing.

Piff!  Speaking to the choir, my friend!  Let’s talk about some awards.  “My Inheritance” was nominated for a Dzanc Books Award for Best of the Web. Was that a surprise? What do you think made it stand out from the others?

Fran: That story has always impacted me emotionally, but I was a bit surprised as there are so many mother/daughter stories out there. It is a sensitive subject and many women choose it as a topic. I hoped I had a somewhat different spin on it. I did know someone who went into therapy when her mother was diagnosed with a terminal illness. I didn’t know any details, just had this nugget. So the story is a total fiction. But as in all my stories, there is a seeking for redemption.

You just released “The Hungry Heart Stories”. Each short story in the collection relates to food in some way. Why did you choose food as a theme?

Fran: My own mother was a sensational cook and baker. It was a major way for her to express her love. When I came home from school the house was filled with the most delectable scents, oh those wonderful peach pies. There are a couple of downsides and one is that I was a chubby kid. The other was refusing food could be a serious problem in my house. I believe, my mother interpreted it as a rejection. So, I learned to eat every morsel put on my plate.

Tee Hee. It was the same way in my house, but since my Mom was raised during the Great Depression, it was more “There are children starving somewhere” rather than a rejection thing. Did this affect your eating habits as a grown-up? Personally, I cannot TOUCH beef stew, asparagus, or boiled spinach.

Fran: Indeed, I developed bad eating habits. If you eat every bit on your plate beyond the point where you are full, it is just unhealthy excess. For years I have had to be very careful to get that under control. It is a fight every day not to overeat or eat the wrong foods. For years I didn’t eat strawberries (I do now) because my mother insisted I eat her cake that had strawberries in it. I wasn’t hungry and I sat for two hours staring at it. Finally, I gobbled it up so I could go out and play.

I’m looking at the cover of THE HUNGRY HEART STORIES.  There is a woman gazing into the distance. It feels like she is old to me, or maybe taking a step out of time.  Also, there is no food to be seen. Is there some underlying symbolism there?

Fran: The woman on the cover was to represent women of all ages who are yearning to fill an emotional void in their lives. She looks into the distance, hoping to find some answers. That kind of void is threaded throughout the stories, but the protagonists are all pro-active in trying to backfill a hunger yet to be satisfied. Some go to the edge to fulfill what they perceive as the missing piece that once found will make their lives whole. But in seeking to resolve this lack of fulfillment – they might go to the edge.

After having been through the publishing process twice, what little snippet of advice would you give to soon to be published authors?

Fran: The publishing industry is, as everyone knows, very, very tough. This is where knowledge of fictional structure pays off. You have to submit a near perfect piece in order to get it published. The time is long gone when an author could say that something they wrote needs some work but publishers have editors for that. The industry has leaned down so that there are fewer editors and little time to do overhauls.

So, do you think everyone should look into a professional editor before they even submit a manuscript? Does that go for submitting to agents, too, or just publisher direct?

Fran: Yes, a near perfect manuscript is expected from agents and editors. Since an agent doesn’t make money until they sell the book, they are especially reluctant to spend time trying to make it pitch perfect for publishers. As for professional editors, that could be expensive. If you can afford it, I say go for it. Check the editor out as well to make sure they are good. If money is an issue, find a friend who is an educated reader for content and clarity. If they are grammarians or can edit well — even better. Workshopping with a group of writers is also very helpful.

Other than editing, do you have any other advice?

Fran:  Not only does it have to be in excellent shape, the beginning has to be a grabber.

There you have it… words of wisdom from author Fran Metzman.  Thanks for stopping by Fran!

I am now opening it up for questions.  If you have a question for Fran, just post it in comments below.

Fran Metzman Author Bio

Award-winning author Fran Metzman is a graduate of the Moore College of Art and the University of Pennsylvania.  In addition to publishing numerous short stories and two novels, she also teaches writing at various local colleges and universities.  Her blog “The Age of Reasonable Doubt” can be found at Wild River Review.

THE HUNGRY HEART STORIES
Wilderness House Press
ISBN 978 0 9827115  5 2

On Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/7xgqgsn

On Barnes & Noble: http://tinyurl.com/6pubq6c

Ugly Cookies: http://tinyurl.com/7tod2er

The Age of Reasonable Doubt: http://www.wildriverreview.com/metzman/

Wild River Review: http://www.wildriverreview.com/

“My Inheritance”: http://www.wildriverreview.com/FICTION/My-Inheritance/Fran-Metzman

Want more Fran?  Visit these great sites, also hosting this tour with reviews and more interviews.

Monday, February 13th
“Welcome to Hell” by Glenn Walker
http://www.monsura.blogspot.com

Tuesday, February 14th
“Writing – Art – Metaphysics” by Shelley Szajner
http://shelleyszajner.wordpress.com/

Wednesday, February 15th
“BeccaButcher’s Blog” by Becca Butcherhttp://beccabutcher.wordpress.com/

Thursday, February 16th
“GilbertCuriosities” by Marie Gilbert
http://gilbertcuriosities.blogspot.com/

Friday, February 17th
“The Author-in-Training” by Mieke Zamora-Mackay
http://www.miekezmackay.com/

Saturday, February 18th
“A Reference of Writing Rants for Writers or “Learn from My Mistakes” by Jennifer M. Eaton
http://jennifermeaton.com/

Sunday, February 19th
“GilbertCuriosities” by Marie Gilberthttp://gilbertcuriosities.blogspot.com/

Monday, February 20th
“BeccaButcher’s Blog” by Becca Butcherhttp://beccabutcher.wordpress.com/

Tuesday, February 21st
“The Dream Between” by Robin Renee
http://dreambetween.wordpress.com/

Wednesday, February 22nd
“Literary Debauchery” by Krista Magrowski
https://kamagrowski.wordpress.com/

Thursday, February 23rd
Wrap up with Glenn Walker
http://www.monsura.blogspot.com

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My Recent Brush with History: Ed Griffin and Dr. Martin Luther King

Posted on February 9, 2012 | 12 Comments

The more I get into it, the more I think Social Networking is a really cool thing.  You just never know who you are going to meet… and the best meetings tend to happen when you least expect it.

A lot of people hop on my blog.  If I see a new person, I like to look them up to see who they are.  Recently, I checked out someone who made a simple comment, and was cyber-zinged over to his website.

When I got there, I paused as I reviewed the cover of his novel “Once a Priest”.  Then I clicked on his “about” page, and my jaw dropped.

This guy marched with Dr. Martin Luther King.  I found that absolutely fascinating.  The whole Civil Rights movement happened before I was born.  It is history to me… Something to read about in text-books.  But this guy actually LIVED IT.

I sent him an email and was pleasantly surprised when he responded, and we had the opportunity to cyber-chat for a little while.

Ed Griffin opened my eyes.  This man not only marched for Civil Rights, he met Dr. Martin Luther King.

I am not sure what kind of picture the rest of you have of people marching for Civil Rights.  My vision is sweeping black and white photographs taken from someone who stood on the outside… a reporter’s perspective.

I’ve heard about how bad it was in the 60’s, but it’s kind of like when your parents told you to eat your vegetables because there are children starving in Africa.  I just couldn’t connect with it, because the whole idea seemed so foreign.

Hearing the perspective of someone who actually marched… Wow.  This really hit home for me, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.

Ed was nice enough to give me permission to give you a short excerpt from his novel “Once a Priest”.

I hope you are as numbed by his words as I was.

If you are interested in reading more you can pick up Ed’s novel for $2.99 on Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.   He has led a very interesting life, during a very turbulent time in the United States.

Amazon link

Barnes and Noble Link

Take a step back into history with me…

with someone who actually lived it.

Excerpt from “Once a Priest”

I followed the news carefully for the next few days. Martin Luther King issued an appeal for Americans to come and join the march to Montgomery. I decided to go and I knocked on Father Blessenko’s door.

“Father,” I said when he answered the door, “I want permission to go to join the march in Selma. Dr. King has called for people to join him.”

“No,” he said. “This is a busy time of year. It’s Lent you know.” He started to close the door.

“Excuse me, Father, but I’m going. I will take vacation time to go to Selma.”

He shrugged and closed the door.

I called another priest, Father Tom Gallagher, a good friend. He and I flew down to Selma a few days later. At the Cleveland airport we were amazed to see about ten policemen go through the airport surrounding Doctor King. He had been in Cleveland giving a talk that night.

It’s difficult to imagine now, but Doctor King was not the revered figure he is to people today. Ten policemen protecting him was appropriate in 1965. People threatened to kill him. My mother said he was moving too fast.

On the plane, Tom and I were sitting about fifteen rows behind him.  I turned to Tom. “Come on, let’s go talk to him.”

“I don’t know. He probably wants to rest.”

“Ah, come on. Let’s go.”

Tom and I stood and walked to the front of the plane. “Doctor King,” I said, “I just want to tell you that we really admire what you’re doing in the South. We’re on our way to join the march.”

“Wonderful, wonderful, ah… Fathers, I presume. Catholic?”

Tom shook his hand and introduced himself and then me.

“How are you Fathers getting to the march?”

This surprised me. I expected a statement about the importance of his efforts, but instead, he asked about our travel plans. I explained how we were going from Atlanta to Selma by air, but we hadn’t figured out how we’d get to the march.

“Here,” he said, and wrote something on a piece of paper. “The white cab companies in Selma won’t help you, but this company will. It’s owned by blacks. Use my name.”

We thanked him and wished him well.

“Well, God bless you, Fathers. I’m going to spend a little time with my family and I’ll rejoin the march tomorrow.”

We went back to our seats.

“Man, he’s just like an ordinary guy,” I said to Tom.

“Hardly ordinary,” Tom said.

“No, I mean, here he is leading a great march, a great effort for voting rights and the guy concerns himself about our travel plans.”

“Yeah,” Tom said, “he’s something.”

I couldn’t get over how he paid attention to us. For him, two more Catholic priests would be nothing special. Was this what made a great leader, attention to every little person?

When we arrived in Selma, we called the cab company Dr. King had given us and they took us across the famous Edmund Pettus Bridge where the marchers had been beaten. We drove along Route 80 a short distance, and then we saw the march ahead of us.

We paid the cab and started walking. It was around noon and we hadn’t eaten since the previous night, but we admired the marchers who had been on the road for three days already. Tom and I had no luggage, just our clerical suits and overcoats. The marchers were on one half of the road, with some traffic getting through on the other half. The weather was cold and windy and we were glad we had our coats. At every cross street there were National Guard soldiers with fixed bayonets on their rifles. I couldn’t believe that there had to be armed soldiers in my native country.

In front of us on the march, a group of black people and white people laughed and joked together. They all seemed to know each other. They told us they were from Dr. King’s organization, SCLC, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.  They welcomed us to the march and shared some candy bars with us.

Behind us was a short old white man with a full head of white hair. He said he had marched in the thirties for jobs for people and now he was marching so that people could vote.

“Get back in the church, Reverend,” someone on the sidelines behind the guards shouted at Tom and me. “Nigger lovers die tonight,” they cried out.

The wind picked up and it started to rain. There was nothing we could do but walk on. The weather seemed to depress people’s spirits for a while, but then the SCLC group started singing. We sang We shall overcome, and If I had a hammer.

Almost as if the weather responded to singing, the rain stopped, the clouds broke and the sun came out. It got warmer, so we took off our coats and walked along. Cabs were pulling up to the march all afternoon and the crowd got bigger and bigger. The abuse from the sidelines increased too as we neared the city of Montgomery. Tough looking locals promised us death – “If you go to sleep tonight, Pastor, you won’t wake up.”

As evening came, the organizers told us that we would spend the night on the grounds of St. Jude’s mission. This was absolute irony for me, because the little mission box on our kitchen table when I was growing up had been for St. Jude’s in Montgomery, Alabama. The stated purpose on the box was to convert the Negro people to Catholicism. I am sure my mother never intended her mission money to be used to house a bunch of protestors.

That evening a rally was held at St. Jude’s, including singers Harry Belafonte, Tony Bennett, Frankie Laine, Nina Simone, Sammy Davis Jr. and Peter, Paul and Mary. It was a great concert and rally. I felt happy and fulfilled that night. I was with my people – these protestors, black and white, young and old, clergy and lay. The night felt like the high point of my life, more important to my identity than my ordination day.

When the rally was over most people slept outside, but the priests from St. Jude’s insisted that all priests were to sleep in a big roof filled with cots. Nuns from the march stayed in a separate room.

Around noon the next day we walked the remaining distance to the state capital. By now there were about twenty-five thousand people. Of course, Governor Wallace did not come out to greet us.

Dr. King gave a terrific speech that day, encouraging us to struggle on for voting rights. He promised that the struggle would not be long. I don’t know whether he had inside information, but a mere five months later President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

One part of Dr. King’s speech affected me deeply:

“Our aim must never be to defeat or humiliate the white man, but to win his friendship and understanding. We must come to see that the end we seek is a society at peace with itself, a society that can live with its conscience. And that will be a day not of the white man, not of the black man. That will be the day of man as man.”

Standing there in the sun that day, I felt that my life had reached an apex. Finally I was a Christian. I was working with this saint of a man, Doctor King. I was surrounded by other Christians who were fearless in their determination to bring justice to America.

It was hot, I hadn’t had a shower in days and I was hungry and tired. But I was happy.

The next morning Tom and I hired the black-owned taxi to drive us to the airport. The driver took the fast lane on the highway and stayed in that lane, even though other cars passed us on the right.  I asked him why.

“Reverend,” he said, “a white woman got killed last night by the Klan. They drove up along side her and shot, just because she was a civil rights worker. All due respect, Reverend, but ain’t nobody pulling up along side me in this lane. It’s you Reverends who’s the target.”

I found out later that the woman, Viola Liuzzo, was from Michigan and the mother of five children.

As we flew back to Cleveland, Tom and I talked about what a significant experience it had been for both of us. Tom had called his pastor from Montgomery and the pastor told him that the people in the parish were praying for his safety. “We’re having a big reception for you, Tom, when you get home,” he said.

Tom’s pastor was Father Ed Jackman, the old friend of my dad’s, the man who could have become a baseball player. He certainly had done the right thing for Tom, getting the people to pray for his safety.

I wondered what awaited me.

Thank you so much Ed, for sharing your incredible story.

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