Ian Ayris: THE BITCH by Les Edgerton - a review

Ian Ayris: THE BITCH by Les Edgerton - a review: After reading Les Edgerton's  JUST LIKE THAT   a little while back (review  here ), I jumped at the chance to take a look at Les' lates...

Great New Book! Carl Brush's THE SECOND VENDETTA

Hi folks,

I want to give a shout-out for my friend Carl Brush’s second novel, THE SECOND VENDETTA. Carl and I have been friends and colleagues for many years and I’m proud to say that he used my novel coaching services on both of his novels which are being published by Solstice Publishing. I’ve been there every step of the way and read every line and know first-hand the tremendous amount of hard work and talent that created these novels.

Carl is one of the most knowledgeable people I know about literature. A retired high school principal and administrator, he’s spent a lifetime in reading and studying good books and he came to these projects as a supremely learned writer in both the craft and art of writing… and it shows.

If you enjoy historical fiction that delivers a powerful story, you need to get both of Carl’s books. You’ll be glad you did!

The Second Vendetta—Synopsis

Not again.

It’s taken Andy Maxwell two summers—1908-1910—to help his family recover from the effects of the murderous attack on them and their Sierra Nevada Ranch. That vendetta nearly killed his mother, severely damaged barn, house, and livestock, and exhumed some long-buried family secrets—including the fact that his father was black. He’s had to alter his whole notion of who he is and where he came from. But now that he’s Shanghaied the vendetta’s perpetrator, nursed his mother back to health, and got the ranch operating again, he thinks he can return to grad school and pursue his history doctorate in peace.

Not so.

First of all, it turns out they don’t want a miscegenated mongrel in the University of California doctorate program. Just when he’s enlisted the eminent San Francisco journalist, Ambrose Bierce, to help him attack that problem, it turns out that the murderer’s Shanghai arrangement didn't stick. Michael Yellow Squirrel has returned for another try at eliminating every last Maxwell on earth. So much for school. Andy’s back to defending himself and his family against a savage and formidable enemy.

And then there’s the election.

Hiram Johnson is running as a reformer for California governor against the railroad barons and needs a Republican Assembly candidate from Andy’s district to replace the recently-deceased incumbent. Time is short. Andy’s a prominent rancher with name recognition among the local voters, and Johnson wants him on the ticket, but why would Andy make himself an easy target for his nemesis? The answer? The promise of a post-election appointment to the university board of regents where he could influence the policy that bars him from his dream of a place among the academics.

And then there are the women.

Andy’s just revived the relationship with the love of his life, the debutante daughter of a prominent, if corrupt, state senator, and that’s going pretty well. But an Arapaho princess he thought he’d left behind two years ago suddenly returns to threaten the new version of his old love.

So, Andy Maxwell, how are you going to deal with all these quandaries? My historical thriller, The Second Vendetta answers that question and many more with a tale-telling style that pulls readers into the book and doesn’t let them go till they’ve turned the last page, wishing there were more yet to turn.

Go here to order your copy: http://www.amazon.com/The-Second-Vendetta-ebook/dp/B0094NRU7A/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346945754&sr=1-1&keywords=the+second+vendetta+by+carl+brush

Be sure and click "Like" if you order and if you like it, consider providing a review and rating on Amazon. It all helps a deserving author!

Blue skies,

Les

NEW BOOK COMING SOON!

Hi folks,

I’ve got a new novel coming out shortly from StoneGate Ink both as an ebook and as a paperback, and it may be a surprise to some of y’all as it’s in a genre I haven’t published before. It’s a YA.

And, it’s clean. No cursing, no vampires, no explicit sex. I wrote it at a time when those things weren’t around. Well, I guess sex was around, but not like it is today. At least not the “in your face” variety we seem to encounter these days for kids’ books.

That may doom it… or it may not. We’ll see.

I wrote MIRROR, MIRROR without any view to getting it published. I just wrote it for my daughter Britney who was nine at the time. Just a labor of love. I wanted to give her something I thought she’d enjoy. And, she did.

At the time, I briefly considered trying to get it published and sent out the mss to two publishers, Scholastic and Hyperion. Hyperion had just started up, which tells you how long ago it was! I was new to publishing then, even though I had a few books out, but didn’t really understand the industry well as evidenced by what happened next.

I got back lengthy letters from the chief editors at both places. One was five pages long and the other, eight. Single-spaced and typed. That also tells how long ago this was... One wanted me to change the title as they had one in the hopper with the same title. The other wanted me to recast it in third person (it was--and still is--in first). She also sent me five of their paperbacks to read so I’d know their “style.” Now, I know this is hard to believe—especially today, when there’s so much knowledge about publishing—but I didn’t see either of these responses as a “yes,” but rather, as really nice rejections. I put ‘em both in the proverbial drawer, along with the manuscript, and forgot about them.

Kind of dumb, wasn’t it!

Guilty…

It saw there for a long time, and then my daughter Britney and I were talking one day about stuff, and suddenly, out of the blue, she said, “Dad, you remember that book you wrote for me when I was a kid? Mirror, Mirror?” Well, yes, I said. “Well,” she said, “it was four years before I could look into a mirror for longer than ten seconds at a time. It scared the crap out of me!”

When she said that, it dawned on me that perhaps it really was publishable. Britney was (and is) a really smart person and from the time she was five read voraciously. If she found it scary, then I figured it really might have some legs.

And, that’s when I hooked up with Aaron Patterson, the publisher of StoneGate Ink and he agreed.

That’s its little history. When Britney’s little sister, Sienna, came along, I had her read it at about the same age Britney was when she first read it and her reaction was pretty much the same as Britney’s. Scared the crap out of her.

I’ll let you folks who pick it up be the judge. Look for it—it’s coming out pretty soon and I’ll be sure to announce it here.

Hope it keeps kids up at night and makes ‘em avoid mirrors…

Spoiler: No vampires, no zombies, no explicit sex, no cursing.

Here's the synopsis of MIRROR, MIRROR:

Elizabeth Mary Downing is a typical American teenager...almost. When she peers into a mirror, she sees someone else staring back--an image identical to herself in every detail save one--the mirror image has blue eyes. Elizabeth's eyes are brown! She is told by her mirror counterpart, "Liz,” that she can enter any mirror she wants through "trans-starence,” and when curiosity prevails over fear she enters the mirror, trading places with Liz. The horror begins as Liz wreaks havoc with what was a normal life. Elizabeth's attempts to trick Liz into going back into the mirror reflect both suspense and humor, and just when all hope seems lost, she succeeds...only to discover she has to return to the mirror to reverse events and get her life back to where it was. She succeeds, but she leaves part of herself forever in the mirror.

 

Blue skies,

Les

CLASS OPENINGS AND A NEW ANTHOLOGY

Hi folks,

Couple of things today… First, the class I co-teach via Skype with Jenny Milchman for the New York Writer’s Workshop, is coming up soon and we still have a few openings for folks who’d like to take it. Info below…

It does take a village to write and sell a novel…and sometimes you need a drill sergeant, too. Whether your book is still in the planning stages, or you have a finished draft you are hoping to get published, this class will enable you to flex your writing muscles, break through obstacles, and charge forward as a writer. Feedback and critique sessions will ensure that your novel is working structurally, while discussion and Q&A will keep you informed about the state of the publishing industry today. Taught by an author who has written more than fifteen books and a debut novelist who first broke in after eleven years, this Bootcamp will enable you to reach the next level of your writing career.

Master craftsman Les Edgerton (HOOKED, FINDING YOUR VOICE, and fifteen books of fiction and non-fiction) and debut novelist Jenny Milchman, who broke into publishing after an eleven year journey, team up to explore how a successful novel is structured and the three different paths to reaching readers.

Taught via Skype on EST

Six Thursdays, 7-8:30 p.m.

September 27

October 4, 11, 18, 25

November 1

Cost: $550.00 live SKYPE chat
$350.00 recorded sessions + one hour of individual author coaching

To Register: payment can be made by personal check made out to:

New York Writers Workshop

AND in the MEMO line please note if it is for:

     Novel Bootcamp  SKYPE

or

    Novel Bootcamp RECORDED

Mail check to:

Dianne Conjeaud

102 Noble Street

Brooklyn, NY 11222

ATTN: NYWW

http://newyorkwritersworkshop.com/onlinefiction

And second…

I’m honored to have a story in Tom Pluck’s just-released anthology, THE LOST CHILDREN. Not only is this a veritable all-star lineup of crime and noir writers, proceeds are all going to a wonderful charity. From Tom’s PR release:

 Protectors: Stories to Benefit PROTECT

41 stories.
One cause: PROTECT http://www.protect.org/
100% of proceeds go to PROTECT and the National Association to Protect Children  http://protect.org/about-protect - the army fighting what Andrew Vachss calls "the only holy war worthy of the name," the protection of children.

We've rallied a platoon of crime, western, thriller, fantasy, noir, horror and transgressive authors to support PROTECT's important work: lobbying for legislation that protects children from physical, sexual, and emotional abuse.

Powerful stories from George Pelecanos, Andrew Vachss, Joe R. Lansdale, Charles de Lint, Ken Bruen, Chet Williamson, James Reasoner, Charlie Stella, Michael A. Black, Wayne Dundee, Roxane Gay, Ray Banks, Tony Black, Les Edgerton and 16 more, with 100% of proceeds going to PROTECT.

PROTECTORS includes a foreword by rock critic Dave Marsh, and fiction by Patti Abbott, Ian Ayris, Ray Banks, Nigel Bird, Michael A. Black, Tony Black, R. Thomas Brown, Ken Bruen, Bill Cameron, Jen Conley, Charles de Lint, Wayne D. Dundee, Chad Eagleton, Les Edgerton, Andrew Fader, Matthew C. Funk, Roxane Gay, Edward A. Grainger, Glenn G. Gray, Jane Hammons, Amber Keller, Joe R. Lansdale, Frank Larnerd, Gary Lovisi, Mike Miner, Zak Mucha, Dan O'Shea, George Pelecanos, Thomas Pluck, Richard Prosch, Keith Rawson, James Reasoner, Todd Robinson, Johnny Shaw, Gerald So, Josh Stallings, Charlie Stella, Andrew Vachss, Steve Weddle, Dave White, and Chet Williamson.

Among PROTECT's victories are the Protect Our Children Act of 2008, which mandated that the Justice Department change course and design a new national nerve center for law enforcement to wage a war on child exploitation, the Hero to Hero program, which employs disabled veterans in the battle against child abuse, and Alicia's Law.

Join the fight, with 41 stories by top writers. Be a Protector!

41 stories. One cause: PROTECT

Ordering info and links here:  http://the-lost-children.blogspot.com/p/protectors-stories-to-benefit-protect.html

This is an amazing collection and what’s cool is that the proceeds go to help kids. Hope you glom onto a copy!

And, third... NOTRE DAME WHIPS NAVY!

Blue skies,

Les