Romance Slam Jam Author Interviews Part 2
May 1, 2012
Author interviews with Marilyn Tyner, Denise Jeffries, Keith Thomas Walker, Koko Brown, Farrah Rochon, Rhonda McKnight, Sean Russell, Alice Wootson
Romance Slam Jam Author Interviews Part I
April 23, 2012
Beverly Jenkins, Chanta Rand, Deborah Fletcher Mello, Evelyn Palfrey, Iris Bolling, Laura Parker Castoro, Wayne Jordan, Pamela Samuels Young
A Review of Wayne Jordan’s To Love You More
April 19, 2012
To Love You More is a story of second chances. Wayne Jordan’s latest title is set in his native Barbados. A high school romance is sparked when the young George Simpson finds himself attracted to the studious and gifted Rachel Davis. Muscular and ruggedly sexy George is a skilled player both at cricket and romance. So skilled he’s known to provide mind blowing sex without coital contact. Aware of his reputation Rachel has every intention of avoiding the snare of his romantic overtures.
George falls in love and Rachel is unable to resist his persistent pursuit. She is forced to casts aside her best laid plans. Together they plan for a future setting their ambitions on becoming attorneys, marrying and raising a family. Rachel travels to London for college and law school while George pursues his legal studies close to home in the Caribbean. For a while the long distance romance works with the two reuniting during breaks.
As their long held plans to marry are about to materialize George is faced with a career changing opportunity to pursue a graduate fellowship abroad. He then reconsiders marriage while Rachel faces her own dilemma. The relationship ends as most do where there is lack of communication and trust. Rachel releases George from his matrimonial promise allowing him to pursue his dream. She in turn enters into a marriage of convenience to another.
12 years later Rachel a widow returns to Barbados where George is successfully practicing law. An accomplished attorney in her own right she finds herself as opposing counsel in a high profile case. Feelings that long lay fallow are reawakened and old wounds are reopened. The two must somehow come to terms on whether to take a second chance on love.
In To Love You More Wayne Jordan proves to be as skilled at arousal and satisfaction as his character George. It’s a hot and steamy romance. Then again I should have expected no less. Wayne Jordan is the consummate romance writer who s brings to life the hearts and minds of fictional characters romantic entanglements as few can. In his 2011 novel Saved by Her Embrace his character Sandra Walters earned him a Romance Slam Jam’s Heroine of Year Emma Award nomination. To Love You More may very well be a 2012 Emma contender. 5 Stars
The Law Clerk by Stan R. Gregory
March 31, 2012
From Caterpillar to Butterfly
Stan Gregory’s first novel The Law Clerk is the story of Ben, a hard working judicial clerk not long out of law school enjoying his job but struggling to make ends meet. Ben is like a grounded caterpillar trudging along until the transformation to fly. Just when it seems fate has provided the right romance comes along an opportunity to get out of all his burdensome debt. Unsatisfied in his grounded state he attempts to speed up the process to fly to financial freedom. That opportunity presents itself in the form of a moral choice between right and wrong. Ben must decide whether to take a bribe and steal privileged documents from the Evidence Room for a rogue felon with a history of stock manipulation.
The temptation is too great. He succumbs to the dilemma gambling his future and license for immediate financial security. Ben sells his soul hoping it’s done but knowing it’s not over. As usual in cases of bribery blackmail follows and Ben is pressured to steal more documents. So how does Ben make it all right and reclaim his integrity? He begins by using the money to hire a private eye to track down and disclose the source of his new misery.
The Law Clerk is chocked with suspenseful action. It’s well written with organic metaphors and subtle classical allusions and an adequate sprinkling of romance. It’s a real legal thriller. Too often a new novel is touted as a legal thriller only to discover the thrill is gone. As promised Gregory delivers gripping suspense. Writers are often advised to make the protagonist suffer with the challenge of overcoming that suffering. The theme of temptation and its consequences makes the reader uncomfortable siding with Ben’s conscience warning him not to do it, but he does and thus becomes a lawyer without principle. And that just won’t do for a hero. Butterflies are free, but not in your stomach. So how does he make it right and what is the lesson learned?
I won’t spoil the ending with too much detail, but I recommend The Law Clerk with five stars.
Print vs. EBook
February 23, 2012
There is much speculation about the future of the printed book format; however, rumors of the death of the traditional business model have been greatly exaggerated. An author considering self-publishing may wonder whether to initially publish in print or eReader format. While going digitally may be the most economical obviously you want to consider both to reach a maximum readership. Amazon eBook sales now exceed hardcover sales by a ratio of 1.43, and many of those sales are on the low end with downloads ranging from 25 to 99 cents. The New York Times reports half of the books on its best seller list are given away for free on Kindle. While eBooks publishing is a new frontier growing in increasing popularity the traditional format if far from extinct. There are still minions of readers who will resist the eReader craze choosing to stick with traditional books and bookstores.
Publishing is a resilient industry adapting to the new challenges of the 21st Century. It will not only survive the digital age but thrive. There are new evolving best sellers’ lists catering to eBooks alone like the The Kindle Best Seller List and both the Wall Street Journal and USAToday have revamped their book coverage with eBook best seller lists presenting publishers with new challenges. New book promotions no longer exclusively rely on securing media attention and popular print reviews. The internet has opened up a whole new world for book promoters.
New cheaper opportunities in eBook marketing rely on book blogs, book blog tours, book clubs, and online magazine reviewers. That’s not to say you should forego the print marketing business model. In fact, meeting and mingling with your readers with book store signings and library and book club readings remain the best way to build a readership — word of mouth is the best form of advertising. The independent publisher’s challenge is to create buzz around a new book.
Depending on preferences, some authors avoid public events while others thrive on the live audience. The internet offers the best of both worlds in reaching a real and virtual audience. The publishing industry has a history of meeting and overcoming challenges. Past threats include the flood of the cut rate dime store paperbacks, as well as the growth of lending libraries and book clubs selling inexpensive hardbacks. The challenges met with industry resistance and the industry managed to adapt and make the best of it meeting consumer demand. EBooks are yet another challenge.
The best writers take an active, entrepreneurial role in their book sales. Publishing is filled with success stories that began as self-publishing miracles. The independent publisher’s challenge is to mine the electronic frontier finding new ways to sell and market both print and eBooks.
