Review: Black Hole Blues

Read 6/24/11 - 7/3/11

3 Stars - Recommended to readers familiar with genre and author

Pgs: 203

Ever wonder what happened to Kenny Rogers? I have the answer... he has become the arch-enemy of J. Claude Caruthers - country music's biggest star, the man who is one name away from writing a country song for every woman's name on earth.

As Claude struggles with insomnia and the pressure of finding a word that rhymes with "Zygmut", his estranged astrophysicist twin brother Lloyd attempts to recreate the Big Bang and accidently opens a black hole that slowly reeks havoc on the world.

These events - plus the search for Claude's stolen guitar, his chef's desire to create the world's tastiest club sandwich, and the strange letters Lloyd has been receiving from his missing sister - propel the Caruther brothers to reunite under the most complicated of circumstances.

Black Hole Blues is a great example of literature that does not take itself too seriously. It's fun and revengeful, and even gives it's inanimate objects an opportunity to become part of the narrative:

• Claude's guitar "Rusty" laments over the inhuman treatment his captors inflict upon him, locking him inside his guitar case, while reminiscing about the good and bad times he has experienced in his owners hands.
• Claude's tour bus recounts Claude's multiple bouts of depression.
• An uneaten club sandwich mopes over the fact that Claude left her to rot under his bed, never having taken a single bite out of her, leaving her destiny unfulfilled.
• A happily married proton details his experience of smacking face first into his proton-wife in the Hadron Collider, and his disgust at having turned into a black hole that eats everything that crosses his path.

I first became familiar with Patrick Wensink when I reviewed his short story collection Sex Dungeon For Sale a little more than a year ago. I loved the unique way in which he viewed the world and thought his pacing within each story was perfect. If you are new to Patrick or the sub-genre of bizarro fiction, I would recommend starting there because I think it better demonstrates his flexibility as a writer.

You don't have to be a fan of country music or pseudo-science fiction to pick up what Patrick Wensink is attempting to lay down here. Black Hole Blues is an entertaining, multi-layered novel that keeps it's readers on their toes from the very start. Wensink cleverly handles the daunting task of meshing numerous side stories together in a satisfying finale full of tricks and twists and contains all the right ingredients to make a killer television dramedy .

**Oh no! I almost forgot:

Patrick submitted his book to Kenny Rogers' publicist in the hopes that The Gambler himself would write a blurb endorsing the book. Kenny's management team gave him the runaround, and to get even, Patrick created Death to Kenny Rogers - a website dedicated to ruining Kenny's career. Fancy a peek? Click here to see what all the fuss and hurt feelings are about!

Book Giveaway: Skinny

TNBBC has a great new novel up for grabs!

Diana Spechler's new novel Skinny

will be featured in August for our Author/Reader Discussion.

In order to stimulate discussion,

we are very excited to be able to offer 10 copies internationally!

Here is the book description as it appears on Goodreads:

After her father’s death, twenty-six-year-old Gray Lachmann finds herself compulsively eating. Desperate to stop bingeing, she abandons her life in New York City for a job at a southern weight-loss camp. There, caught among the warring egos of her devious co-counselor, Sheena; the self-aggrandizing camp director, Lewis; his attractive assistant, Bennett; and a throng of combative teenage campers, she is confronted by a captivating mystery: her teenage half-sister, Eden, whom Gray never knew existed. Now, while unraveling her father’s lies, Gray must tackle her own self-deceptions and take control of her body and her life.

Visceral, poignant, and often wickedly funny, Skinny illuminates a young woman’s struggle to make sense of the link between hunger and emotion, and to make peace with her demons, her body, and herself.

The contest will run through July 7th.

Here's how to enter:

1 - Simply comment here stating which copy of the book you would like to receive. If you have a funny or strange dieting or workout story, I encourage you to share it!

2 - Tell us if you are a resident of the US or if you are international (Canada is considered international for this giveaway), and leave me a way to contact you.

*If your comment is missing any of this information, it will be considered ineligible.

3- Agree to participate in a group read book discussion that will run during the month of August over at TNBBC on Goodreads. Diane Spechler has agreed to participate in the discussion and will be available to answer any questions you may have for her.

*If you're comment is chosen as a winner, by accepting the copy you are agreeing to read the book and join the group discussion at TNBBC on Goodreads (the thread for the discussion will be emailed to you at the first of the month).

Winners are chosen randomly

and will be announced here and via email

on July 8th.

Good luck!

Tell Me A Story - Michael Kimball

Welcome to another installment of TNBBC's Tell Me a Story!

Tell Me a Story is a monthly series that will feature previously unpublished short stories from debut and Indie authors. The request was simple: Stories can be any format, any genre, and any length. And many amazing writers signed up for the challenge.

This month's story comes from the hands of Michael Kimball. His most recent novel, Us, was given TNBBC's "next best book" status when it first released in the states back in May. Michael is the creator and co-host of the 5ive:ten Readings in Baltimore, and is a super sweet human being to boot. The story you are about to read is part of a new novel that Michael is working on, and I am humbled that he chose to share it with us today:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I Wanted to Go With Her

It was my sophomore year of high school before I received a telephone call from a girl. Her name was Ellen Bonner and she sat across from me in our beginning typing class. I used to tease her about anything that I could think of—the way she styled her hair, the shape of her nose, the width of the stripes on her corduroys, the flowers on her blouse, the way that she spelled her last name, which was almost funny. Of course, I only did this to Ellen Bonner because I really liked her.

I don’t know exactly why Ellen liked me at first. I was even skinnier than most teenage boys and I had a haircut that hadn’t been popular for years. But I was really fast at typing and there weren’t many other boys in the typing class. Also, I had just turned sixteen years old and had just gotten my driver’s license on my birthday. Being able to drive changed me and, even though we were just teenagers, I feel as if Ellen Bonner thought that I might be able to take her somewhere. Wherever it was, I wanted to go with her.

Whatever it was that Ellen Bonner liked about me, it was enough for her to ask me out, which made it easy for me. She knew that I wasn’t going to say no. The whole rest of the week, all that I could think about was Ellen Bonner naked. The picture of that in my head made my whole body vibrate.

That Friday, I almost stood up Ellen Bonner because I was afraid to ask my dad if I could use his car. I didn’t know what he would make me do to get the keys. My request seemed to surprise him and he just gave me the car keys. I still don’t know if he was surprised because I had a date with a girl or because that meant that I probably wasn’t gay.

I don’t remember what restaurant we went to or what movie we saw or what we said to each other when we were driving in the car. All that I really remember is sitting with Ellen Bonner in the dark of the movie theater and the warmth of our touching arms on the armrest between us.

The next Monday, Ellen Bonner and I met each other at our lockers and we walked to our classes together. All of our classmates in the hallways looked at us between classes and the way that they looked at us together changed who we were. We became so much older in just a few days.

After a few weeks, Ellen Bonner and I started talking on the telephone nearly every night. We had long telephone conversations almost every night of the week. We talked about classes and other people at school. We talked about why we liked each other and if we were going to have sex. I don’t remember what my argument for having sex was, but her reasons for not having sex were fear and God. That seemed as if it mattered so much then. The best part about talking with Ellen Bonner was how great it felt to be somebody else’s favorite person.

My ear usually hurt after my long telephone calls with Ellen Bonner. After I made it upstairs to my bedroom, I would lie on my back in my bed and touch my telephone ear with my hand. I could still feel the telephone there and I could still hear her voice in my ear.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I want to thank Michael for participating in TNBBC's Tell Me a Story. If you like what you've read, please support Michael by checking out his website and books. Help spread the word by sharing this post through your blog, tumblr page, twitter and facebook accounts. Every link counts! And be sure to check back with us next month for the next installment....

Indie Book Buzz: Two Dollar Radio

Indie Book Buzz is a new feature here at TNBBC. Over the next couple of weeks, we will be inviting members of the indie publishing houses to share which of their Summer and Fall 2011 releases they are most excited about!

This week's picks come from Eric Obenauf, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Two Dollar Radio.

Summer 2011

SEVEN DAYS IN RIO

Releases August

This is the second novel we’re publishing by Francis Levy. His debut, Erotomania: A Romance, received pretty much my favorite reviews of any book we’ve published. I mean, it’s tough to compete with the subtitle that appeared with the Village Voice review, asking readers ‘Are golden showers the blowjobs of tomorrow?’ Erotomania earned Francis comparisons to Henry Miller, Jean Genet, Mary Gaitskill, and Nicholson Baker, and was placed amongst a couple year-end best-of lists. I think of his writing as Nicholson Baker catwalking on speed; it’s high octane.

Seven Days in Rio is about a Manhattanite, CPA, and sex tourist named Kenny Cantor, who becomes waylaid in an absurdist skewering of Rio de Janeiro, at a psychoanalytic conference. It’s hilarious, and features some real gems:

"Our parting had felt a little like the last scene of Casablanca. There was no plane waiting to take her away from me, there was no heroic resistance leader standing between us, no war, and I wasn’t a hardened American expatriate named Rick. Yet I felt I could hear the strains of “As Time Goes By” playing on the piano in some beat-up North African café."

Fall 2011

DAMASCUS

Releases October

Joshua Mohr has done nothing but impress me since I read the manuscript for his first novel, Some Things That Meant the World to Me, a couple years ago. With a first novel by a young writer, the work can be really brilliant, but you realize it’s a first novel and can’t help but daydream about the potential for what will follow. Damascus is Josh taking his writing to the next level. I’m just thankful that we got to be a part of that process.

Damascus takes place in the volatile year of 2003 – remember when the country was split rabidly for or against Iraq? It tracks a motley cast of characters who orbit a dive bar, seeking their own quiet redemption, as the bar agrees to host its first (and last) art show. Josh’s strength lies in crafting singular and beautiful characters with incredible economy. I love how this book opens:

"Let’s start this one when a cancer patient named No Eyebrows creeps into Damascus, a Mission District dive bar. For years the place’s floor, walls, and ceiling had been painted entirely black, but that afternoon the owner added a new element, smashing twenty mirrors and gluing the shards to the ceiling so the pieces shimmered like stars, transforming Damascus into a planetarium for drunkards: dejected men and women stargazing from barstools.
When the first customer of the day walked in and witnessed the bar’s broken-mirror constellations, he said to the owner, “There must be 10,000 years of bad luck hanging here.”
“That would certainly explain a few things,” Owen said, who had a heinous birthmark underneath his nose that looked like a Hitler moustache."

About Eric:

Eric Obenauf is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Two Dollar Radio, an outfit he founded with his wife and brother. His writing has appeared in The Brooklyn Rail, The Rumpus, Modern Fix, and The Huffington Post. He lives in central Ohio with his wife and two kids, enjoying the occasional competitive game of basketball.

First, can I just say that Joshua Mohr's was my absolute MUST HAVE galley from BEA 2011?! So psyched to see that it made Eric's buzz-worthy list!

So what do you think guys? See anything that catches your eye? Which of these books are you most excited to see release? Help TNBBC and Two Dollar Radio spread the buzz about these books by sharing this post with others!

An Indie Book Event Video Preview.. Starring ME

Holy shit you guys! I grew a set of lady balls the other day and filmed myself giving you all a sneak peek preview of what I'll be talking about at The Indie Book Event on July 30th.

Come and support me so I don't feel like a big ole ugly loser, ok? OK?!

*I owe Michael Davidson an apology. I don't know why I said "Open TOE Press" because in my head I heard myself saying "Tiny TOE Press" but there you have it, video don't lie!

** and how about that god-awful freeze frame of my face! I could crawl under the covers in embarrassment and never ever come back out!

Me. Indie Book Event Flyer. Awesomeness.

Indie Book Event.

July 30th. NYC. Panelist. Me. Can you dig it? Be there!

I will be discussing two panel topics:

The difference between "Indie" and "Self-Published"

and why they need our support.

&

How to reach out to authors/publishers

and build and maintain those relationships.

Wave your Indie flag proudly!!

Review: And Yet They Were Happy

Read 6/7/11 - 6/23/11

3 Stars - Recommended to readers familiar with genre

Pgs: 305

And Yet They Were Happy joined the list of author/reader discussion novels this month on TNBBC and was welcomed with words of praise and excitement.

This collection of short stories stands out among the rest of it's kind because each of the stories contained between it's covers are exactly two pages long: Two-paged stories that detail the lives of a young recently married couple who manage to make their home among the chaos of disasters, floods, and monsters.

The intentional symmetry of the stories forced author Helen Philips to choose her words carefully. (Word economy, I have to believe, is not something a writer usually concerns themselves with.) Pulling from personal experience, existing fables and legends, and even her own dreams, Phillips creatively constructs a world unlike any I have ever known.

Some of her stories have a hazy, murky, magically dreamlike quality to them. I likened them to "a fever dream" - dreams that are at once terrifying and surreal and make sense as you're dreaming them, but quickly evaporate into inexplicable, confusing, disjointed stories as you attempt to describe them upon waking. These stories always left me frustrated. The more I tried to make sense of them, the more I felt the meaning slip away.

Others softly simmered over religious undertones. Stories like "Flood #2" which finds Noah old and defeated at a bar as he explains to the bartender that "the rain just kept coming..It became difficult to gather them two by two". And "Flood #3" where Noah would awaken from nightmares of a great flood which prompted him to construct an Ark he never had to use. These stories were my favorite. I really enjoyed her visions of Adam and Eve, Noah and his Ark, and the peacefulness that lived within those tales.

The stories are broken up into chapters that serve as a sort of explanation or description of the stories you will find there. The chapter titled "We" contains a cute story of the young couple as they make intricate plans on where to meet up should they become separated out in the world. In the "Wife" chapters, we learn of a couple who must store their pet birds in their freezer as they begin to die off. "Regime" contains a story where the town decreed that hanging out laundry to dry is no longer allowed. Yet an old woman who lives near our married couple continues to hang hers out, and while the sirens ring down the street, everyone admires her clothesline, looking for clues.

The overall construction of the collection is impressive. Phillips mentioned in our discussion that the NYC publishers declined picking up the collection due to it's inability to be categorized - it fails to fit neatly into a genre. Though that was not an issue for Leapfrog Press, an indie publisher who continues to release top quality fiction. They have quite an eye for storytelling and the chances they take always seem to pay off!

This book will not work for everyone. Fans of Blake Butler will appreciate Helen Phillips's creative spin on storytelling. These are stories that, though they are incredibly short, force the reader to think about what it is they are reading. This book does not promise a happy ending - or any sort of ending, really. It can be read cover to cover, story to story or you can skip around and "dip" into different sections. In fact, Helen mentioned in the discussion that one of her readers tackled the collection by reading all the short stories that were numbered #1 first, then #2 second....

If you are ready to experience short stories in a format unlike any other, I encourage you to seek out And Yet They Were Happy.

Enjoy the book trailer while you think about it:

Of Things Bookish

Twitter is great source of bookish news for me. Look what I stumbled across today in my Twitter Stream:

FlipBack Books - The Next Little Thing

Hodder & Stoughton have created hardback travel-sized novels that are barely bigger than your smartphone. Opening top to bottom instead of left to right, the words are printed landscape to give you a larger reading surface. Mixed reviews on this one. I'm seeing the draw, but still sticking with my full sized novels, thanks! What do you think?

Handmade Book Light - The New Night Light

Grathios Lab has posted a how-to on building your own book light out of an old hardcover novel. I really dig this, a lot. If I was handy, I would totally construct one for myself. But I'm not, so I can't, but I'm totally willing to accept one should someone wish to built it for me!

Indie Book Buzz: Atticus Books

Indie Book Buzz is a new feature here at TNBBC. Over the next couple of weeks, we will be inviting members of the indie publishing houses to share which of their Summer and Fall 2011 releases they are most excited about!

This weeks picks come from Libby, Assistant Editor at Atticus Books.

Summer 2011

The Great Lenore by JM Tohline

(June 15)

When “everyone-who-meets-me-falls-in-love-with-me” Lenore is mistakenly pronounced dead, she’s given the chance to discover how her cheating husband and his absurdly wealthy, preppy and dysfunctional family will react-and to decide whether her far less than perfect marriage was a mistake worth taking back. Beautiful and elegant in a pull-at-your-heartstrings kind of way, The Great Lenore makes you glad, for once, that you’re not in a villa on Nantucket—but is my first pick for a day on the beach.

The Snow Whale by John Minichillo '

(July 30)

A brilliant, ironic and totally unique take on the more famous but less fun to read (in one editor’s estimation) Moby Dick. A DNA test reveals that desk doodle salesman and suburban white guy John Jacobs is part-Inuit, sparking his determination to forsake his wife and white picket fence to join “his people” in Alaska in their sacred whale hunt—aside from telling a page-turning story, Minichillo raises some intriguing questions about American homogeneity and our obsession with race.

About Libby:

Libby Kuzma is Assistant Editor at Atticus Books (atticusbooksonline.com) and the Managing Editor of their weekly online journal, Atticus Review (atticusreview.org). When it comes to books, her favorites usually end up being somewhere in the classic literature canon, with Dickens as her favorite author of all time but To the Lighthouse (Woolf) as her current number one.

So what do you think guys? See anything that catches your eye? Aren't those covers to die for? Which of these books are you most excited to see release? Help TNBBC and Atticus Books spread the buzz about these books by sharing this post with others!

Ode to Keanu....

I had a moment of weakness. I should hang my head in shame. I should be ashamed of myself, but I am not. I cannot feel ashamed while my insides are squealing like a tween girl at a NKOTB concert. (yes, I just dated myself. No, I never liked NKOTB. You just totally googled what NKOTB stood for, didn't you?)

I just caved in to a crazy bookish urge. I buckled under the pressure of an oh-god-I'm-going-to-hate-myself-in-the-morning-for-this impulse buy.

In 3-5 weeks,

I will be the proud owner of Keanu Reeves' book of poems -

Ode to Happiness.

That's right. I said it.

Now admit it. You're totally jealous, aren't you?

This 40-page book of poetry sells for $55 smackers (yep, you read that right. At $55 smackers, you are buying the book for more than a buck a page), and contains paintings (not painted by Keanu) and words (written by Keanu) that were supposedly written as a way of pseudo-speaking out against the whole "Sad Keanu" internet craze that went around many moons ago.

My impulse buy was spearheaded by the ever-wonderful Andrew Shaffer, who, upon seeing me freak out on Twitter when I learned of this book (oooohhh, 15 minutes ago), sent me the link to Amazon.com where they were selling it for 36.54 with FREE shipping! HELLLLO! I jumped on that shit like a shark on a bucket of chum.

The purchase was also fueled by my sick and twisted love affair with Keanu. The dude is fucking hot, and has mastered the art of agelessness. Despite his very robotic approach to acting, I find him immensely fascinating to watch and listen to. And now, I will have the pleasure of reading the words his hand has penned. *swoons*.

Someone pick me up off the floor. No, wait, leave me here for a moment while I luxuriate in my purchase-high. And lose myself in this totally fitting, old school love song.. starring.. oh yes.. Keanu!!

Indie Spotlight: Artistically Declined Press

Have you ever wondered what inspires someone to start up their own publishing company? Sometimes, it starts as an outlet for artistic design.

Meet Artistically Declined Press. Officially conceived in August of 2009, co-publisher and editor Ryan Bradley explains how ADP was given life:

The Birth

"The impetus for Artistically Declined Press started with my love of design. Sure, I was plugging away as a writer, but I'd been a hobbyist designer for years and was looking for an excuse to do more work in that vein. I knew with my limited experience of designing stuff for the bands I'd been in and small stuff like that it would be hard to convince anyone else to let me do design work for them, so I thought about creating a series of ebooks for writers whose work I really liked. One of those people was Paula Bomer, who I had gotten to know through various online avenues.

One day Paula and I were chatting online while I was at work (at the time, managing a small independent children's bookstore) and I told her that one day it would be cool to really run a press, do some print books, maybe a journal. Her response was "do it." We talked a bit more and she convinced me. So, the press was born."

With the birth of anything, there must then come a name. And just how does one name their publishing company? Is it handled with the same care and caution as a new parent, choosing something that lends itself to a cool nickname while also avoiding the possibility of a harsh one?

The Name

Ryan explains: "The name itself came from one of the many 5-minute bands I had before the punk band I was in for four years. The name "The Artistically Declined" had always stuck with me, and seemed like a fit for who I am and what I was looking to do as a press. It's fun, irreverent, doesn't take itself too seriously. My goal with the press was to support the writing and writers I loved who deserved more attention while also providing top-notch design. I was lucky enough to have a friend and supporter like Paula who wanted to go on the adventure with me, acting as an adviser and co-publisher. Her experience in the writing and publishing world far exceeds mine, so though we are across the country from one another we took the plunge, so to speak."

You forgot to mention the cool nickname, Ryan! The ADP!! How much cooler can you get, am I right? I mean, am I right?!

So a press is born. And then named. The next logical step would be to seek out writers who are worthy of carrying your name on their spine. So how does a virgin press woo it's first novel? Does it display it's colorful tail feathers and strut around the barnyard? According to Ryan, you simply approach an author you admire and... ask!

The First

"Ken Sparling was the first writer I thought of contacting. I had become a sort of fanboy and had a few email exchanges with him; he seemed incredibly gracious and inviting. So, I emailed him, told him what we were doing and said "hey, I know you've got a relationship with Pedlar Press, but I also know you've been hand-making copies of your second book, HUSH UP AND LISTEN STINKY POO BUTT for ten years. Would you be interested in releasing it as a paperback?" He wrote back and said "I'd love to do this." I really didn't expect that part to be so easy. I expected to toil trying to find a writer willing to take the gamble with us.

From there it's been a whirlwind. In August we'll release the third issue of SENTENTIA, our lit journal. We've released two novels, Sparling's aforementioned HUSH UP AND LISTEN and Ben Tanzer's YOU CAN MAKE HIM LIKE YOU, a collection of poetry, TO THE RIVER by Rose Hunter, and most recently a small collection of my stories called PRIZE WINNERS. In October we'll release another collection, Roxane Gay's debut, AYITI, which I expect to make a huge splash."

The Pride

So what does ADP pride itself in? For Ryan, "ADP is about the chance to publish great writing paired with great design. Simple as that. There are definitely small presses out there that have amazing design work, but I think those are outweighed by the ones that, simply put, have shitty design work. A lot of people don't have the money to get great design work, or it's simply an afterthought to the writing they deal with. For me the two go hand in hand. Pairing great writing with lazy or ugly design work is a disservice to the writing.

Of course there are many challenges to running a small press as well. Chiefly, making the time. Running a small press doesn't bring in money, so ultimately it's like having a second full-time job, and since I am the editor and art director, maybe it's like having three. Or more. (Should I even mention I do freelance book design?!) Sometimes I think about a big press, how they have copywriters, proofreaders, designers, editors, marketing and pr people and I start to think, "holy cow, how many jobs am I doing here?" Haha. And before all these roles I am a writer, one who is actively trying to make something out of this pursuit, though my writing often takes a back seat to the press. And, above all those things I am a husband and a father. So, time is definitely the enemy.

And I am realistic. I don't think we are necessarily publishing better work than anyone else. Or that we have any more love or passion for this business. We publish writers who grab at our guts with beauty and ugliness. Writers who make us breathe differently with their words. And I know well enough to know that if I respond to a story or a poem or a novel, that others will, too. I know enough at this point in my life to trust my gut."

The Giveaway

So now that you've learned a bit about the awesomely indie ADP, would you like to read one of their books? Sure you would!! And you would be in luck, because we happen to hear that ADP is willing to send one lucky commenter a copy of Rose Hunter's poetry collection....

To the River

In order to be considered to win this copy,

Simply leave a comment regarding ADP or the book itself (and a way for me to contact you!)

Contest will end on June 27th.

Indie Book Buzz: Other Press

Indie Book Buzz is a brand new feature here at TNBBC. Over the next couple of weeks, we will be inviting members of the indie publishing houses to share which of their Summer and Fall 2011 releases they are most excited about!

These indie picks come to us from Terrie, Other Press's Online Publicity and Social Media Manager.

Summer 2011:

The Glitter Scene by Monika Fagerholm

August 9, 2011

The Glitter Scene, Fagerholm's follow up to the August Prize-winning novel The American Girl, is as dark, fugue-like, and gorgeous as its predecessor. The story centers around—or, more accurately, evolves out of and spins away from—the mysterious death of a young woman in a small Finnish coastal town. Reading this book is like walking a tightrope between a dream and a nightmare.

The Vices by Lawrence Douglas
August 16, 2011

Lawrence Douglas is one of my favorite Other Press authors (we published his previous novel, The Catastrophist, back in 2006). His wit and writing are both razor sharp, with a touch of the absurd. But beneath the humor is a real and penetrating exploration of how we construct identity, how our experiences, our family, our heritage and history combine to form a collage of self—and just how fragile that self-image can be.

Fall 2011:

Lamb by Bonnie Nadzam

September 12, 2011

I’m so excited about publishing this book, I find myself speaking in run-on sentences every time I talk about it. It’s a debut, a fact that continues to stun me every time I open it to reread a few pages. It’s the story of David Lamb, a narcissistic middle aged man who strikes up a friendship with an eleven year old girl and eventually abducts her, convinced that it’s in her best interest. It’s completely hypnotic—you feel repulsed and somehow inescapably drawn in. Bonnie Nadzam’s writing is so assured, so stark and beautiful, her characters so real and flawed and heartbreakingly sympathetic, and by contrast, her tale so dark and discomfiting, that the cumulative effect is nothing short of brilliant.

Calling Mr. King by Ronald De Feo
August 30, 2011

Ever wondered what a hired killer might think about Tudor architecture? No? Trust me, you want to find out. This wonderfully strange novel centers around a hitman in a career crisis. He’s losing his edge, growing impatient with his bosses, and contemplating retirement. As he follows his marks through London, New York, Paris, and Barcelona, he finds himself increasingly distracted, putting off jobs in order to bury his nose in a growing stack of books on art and architecture. Dive in and you’ll be hooked, right up to the pitch-perfect ending.

About Terrie:

Terrie Akers is the Online Publicity & Social Media Manager at Other Press. Her bookshelves are an eclectic mess, but mostly filled with modern poetry and contemporary fiction (a curiously high percentage of them by authors named David). After a decade in New York, she abandoned the east coast for Portland, OR in 2009. Find her on Twitter at @terrieakers and, of course, @otherpress.

So what do you think guys? See anything that catches your eye? Which of these books are you most excited to see release? Help TNBBC and Other Press spread the buzz about these books by sharing this post with others!

Audio Review: Go the F*CK to Sleep

Listened 6/15/11

5 Stars - Highly Recommended / The Next Best (Audio)Book

Time: 6 minutes

Publisher: Akashic Books

Oh Fuck Yea!! This is what an audio book should be!

After logging into Twitter this morning, I saw a tweet linking to audible.com stating that this audiobook could be downloaded for free for a limited time, and I hopped right over there to get my copy of it before it was too late.

Did you see who they got to narrate the book? Samuel L. Jackson, bitches! If you haven't downloaded this sucker yet, man are you missing out on a great time.

Go the F*CK to Sleep is the adult version of a bedtime story - it's the story of what bedtime is like when you want to have a little alone time with the "mister or missus" and you have a rambunctious little kiddie who does not want to go to sleep. It's the story of what takes place between parent and child in that darkened bedroom when we attempt to read them a story to lull them into la-la-land, and they just aren't havin' it. It's the story of the nasty things we say in frustration to get that little sucker to shut up and close their eyes and just go.. the.. f*ck.. to.. sleep!!!!

Click here to get your copy of Go the F*CK to Sleep now, before it's too late!

Or watch the book trailer (which contains the entire audiobook) now:

Penelope Fletcher On "Being Indie"

On "Being Indie" is a monthly feature that will be hosted here on TNBBC. We will meet a wide variety of independent authors, publishers, and booksellers as they discuss what being indie means to them.

Meet Penelope Fletcher. She is a self-proclaimed Oddball Indie Author and Mistress of all Things Wonderfully Offbeat. She is the author of the self-pubished Rae Wilder series - a British YA supernatural story line where you can expect to find demons, fairies and "otherworldy" beings.

She's got her hands buried deep in building awareness and community among her fellow self published- from creating video reviews to interviewing other authors for her blog, and now here, where Penelope dishes on what "Being Indie" means to her....

I chose to become an Indie Author because after 12 rejections I got frustrated. I was tired of hoping someone would take a glance at my query letter amongst a thousand others and see what I offered. Actions speak louder than words, so why was I hoping when I could action a proven route of success on my own? It was risky, but at least there was a chance. Failure would mean I didn’t approach the task properly, or highlight my book, and that simply wasn’t good enough.

Of the agents who received my opening three chapters none saw enough potential to request the full MS. Naturally, being new to writing I was devastated, and was almost convinced writing was not for me. Thankfully, the 110,000 readers who have downloaded my book since October 2010, and those who have gone on to rate or review had a different opinion.

To be an author under contract with a traditional publishing house is a grand dream, a wonderful one to aspire to (and my sincere best wishes to all who are actively querying), but it’s just that for me. A dream. One I’ve already woken from, and have realised I can enjoy from time to time, but don't need to get hung up on.

The harsh reality every Indie needs to accept is traditional publishing dominates the print market. Amazingly, this is only because of certain distribution limitations. Eventually Indie eBook Bestsellers will be able to tap into that area of the market on a mass scale too.

Oh, imagine the day when Indie’s who produce quality books can release an eBook, and a paperback, internationally with a well thought out advertising campaign. Our future potential gives me goose pimples. You see groups like the Indie Book Collective actively preaching the payback of solid marketing plans for self-published work, and can watch (or participate) as Indie Authors using the advice go from strength to strength, kicking ass and taking names. It’s thrilling, and who does not want to be a part of positive change?

To me, an Independent Author is a creative soul who understands the fundamental need to be business orientated. Think big and you’ll make it big. Think small ... you can finish that sentence. Once you have written the book the creative part is done, the rest is business, even the cover. A good cover sells books (yes, ignore the saying never judge a book by its cover). A good blurb can sell a book. Correct genre placement sells books. Even bad reviews sell a book (having a diverse readership proves market penetration – loving how I worked in the word penetration!). A targeted marketing campaign sells a book. Damn, if you’re a newbie like me and not sure where you should focus take a shot gun approach and list your book (or a specially written novella) as a free read then see what happens. Where are your readers? Where should you really be focusing your efforts?

It’s so important we support each other. Each time an established Indie honestly (and constructively) advises a newbie on the quality of their offering they are effectively helping to improve the general standard of Independent Publishing. So a big thank you to them! Some may ask, “Why should I bother when I had to battle it out alone?" Well, doors closed to all of us will open. Grudgingly, at first, but when the money flows Indie’s will be welcomed with open arms. Right now the only thing standing in our way is us ... it’s time we realised it.

I’m not sure anybody truly knows what power the Indie Community has yet, but I’m enthusiastic about what’s around the corner, and look forward to see the next Indie star rise.

The Demon Girl is the first book in a series, and is available to download from Kindle, iBooks and Nook eStores. Book two, Demon Day, is out in June 2011. Paperback edition is also available online from Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com.

Website: thedemongirl.com
Facebook: facebook.com/DemonGirlBook
Writer’s Blog: fictionfierce.blogspot.com

Looking For a Little Paranormal Romance?

Well, look no further folks! David H. Burton - author of The Second Coming and Scourge - has a new eBook that dropped yesterday, and it's about to fulfill your pararomantical needs. (oh yea, I'm coining that sucker! I just totally created that word.)

The book is called Broken.

Here's the low-down:

Three days before her twenty-fourth birthday, Katherine Gregory receives a letter from her deceased mother. It details a faery curse in which the eldest child in each generation will die in their twenty-fifth year.

Three days before her twenty-fourth birthday, a new love interest comes knocking, and her first love has returned – neither men are what they seem, and Katherine may have to choose between them.

Three days before her twenty-fourth birthday, Katherine must decide if this is all real, or if the strange visions she’s been having are just a figment of her imagination.

The race to unravel the mystery begins, and Katherine must solve it – for any day after her birthday could be her last.

The book is available through Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords for $2.99. So check it out!

(**David is currently seeking reviewers for the novel. If this sounds like it's right up your alley, and you're TBR pile has a little wiggle room, let us know and you may find yourself the proud owner of a review copy.**)