Review: Darkness Under the Sun

Eleven-year-old Howie apparently likes exploring abandoned buildings. Once inside the old emporium, he climbs to the roof and stumbles upon Alton Blackwood. Howie and Alton share one characteristic: disfigurement, and they become fast friends. Howie doesn't understand why the entirety of a grown man's existence consists of moving from shadow to shadow. Youthful innocence prompts Howie to invite Alton to rent a room at his parent's house. That's when Howie runs home to prepare sandwiches and grab a few photos of his family to share, but upon his return to the roof, Alton is absent. Left behind is a backpack containing incriminating evidence. Is it too late? Can Howie return home in time to warn his parents and sister? Can he save others who might fall into Alton's path?

Darkness Under the Sun is short story that set's up Dean Koontz novel entitled "What the Night Knows." I gave "Darkness" 4-stars, but 4.5-Stars is a more accurate rating. It's very good if you like dark suspense.

Book Reviews

I don't always review the books I read, but recently, for some unexplained reason, I decided to chime-in on a few. These reviews are also posted at Goodreads and Amazon.com.

ODD THOMAS - YOU ARE DESTINED TO BE TOGETHER FOREVER by DEAN KOONTZ  ***** This was my first Kindle Short download. I've read several, though not all, of the Odd Thomas series, so this prequel was a nice reminder of Oddie's paranormal abilities. I especially like the cameo appearances by Elvis Presley. Most of all, I like the way Koontz mixes humor and catastrophe. I've always felt that horror and the paranormal do not have to be all blood and guts. Glad to know that Koontz agrees. 

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1142271309?book_show_action=false 

BLOOD MEMORY By GREG ILES  **** Catherine “Cat” Ferry has a lot on her plate. New Orleans police and the FBI need her special skills to catch a serial killer. Unfortunately, she’s addicted to vodka and suffering mental and emotional breakdowns at the crime scene. But there’s much more to Cat’s problems. Returning home to Natchez, MS (the author’s hometown), a chance discovery puts Cat in touch with excruciating childhood memories. She recounts the murder of her father twenty years ago and the abuse suffered at his hands – or at least that’s what she has been led to believe. Recalling the trauma is as difficult as solving the New Orleans murders.

Over the course of 800 pages, Greg Iles takes us back and forth between the two cities: to murder scenes, repressed dreams, visits with Cat’s Grandpapa (a pillar of the community), an eccentric psychiatrist who knows Cat more intimately than anyone should, and a list of savory and unsavory locals. Is there a connection between Cat’s abuse and the murders? Is Cat involved?

I expected a lot of red herrings, dead ends and filler in these 800 pages. I was pleasantly surprised that the novel held my interest throughout. Greg Iles is a master storyteller. Though Blood Memory is not my favorite book by the author, I give it a solid 4-stars.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1203583428?book_show_action=false

THE NEIGHBOR by DEAN KOONTZ  ***** The Neighbor is a short story by Dean Koontz. The house next door sits vacant. Mr. Clockenwall died of a massive heart attack a month earlier. Twelve-year-old, Malcolm, viewed the old man, a retired English teacher, as quiet, one who kept to himself. But one night, an unusual sound drew Malcolm and his older sister, Amalia, into the vacant home. Amalia confides that Mr. Clockenwall gave her the creeps, and for good reason. She admonished Malcolm never to set foot in his home alone. Malcolm can’t resist. Forces working beyond Malcolm’s control draw him into home. He finds scrapbooks, pictures and newspaper clippings. In the basement, he finds more evidence of a man with problems. Will the force overcome him? And his sister?

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1204644586?book_show_action=false

Review: Last Second Chance - 5-Stars

Last Second Chance is a novel by my friend and fellow author, Kristi Cramer:

Tim Reardon has paid his debt to society — five years in prison. Now it’s time to pick up the pieces and start a new life, but jobs for ex-cons are scarce. A phone call to his sister, first met with skepticism, lands Tim his Last Second Chance. He’ll have to make the most of it or crash land back in prison. A bus ride later, Tim finds himself learning the ropes as a ranch hand in Kansas, far removed from the only life he’d known: meth runner in Denver for a well-stocked drug lord who just happens to be his ex-girlfriend. Five years removed, she is not ready to let go. And while adjusting to life on the prairie is paying off, a few ranch hands don’t take too kindly to Tim and his new-found love interest, Janie. Jealousy? Revenge? Perhaps, but it cuts a little deeper. Regardless, Tim is up against multiple forces that want to knock him down a few rungs on the ladder to say the least.

Last Second Chance is a cowboy romance that reads like a Louis L’Amour suspense novel. It’s sagebrush, trail dust and hard rides in the saddle set against a modern Kansas wilderness. And if you think you know how the story ends, prepare to be thrown from the saddle. Make no bones about it, author Kristi Cramer’s story meanders and flows like a Rocky Mountain stream. One minute you’re riding the current, the next you’re shooting the rapids, and by the time you catch your breath, you’re turning the pages of the final chapter. Don’t miss out on this one, partner. My recommendation is to take the reins and head on over to Amazon right now. Just try to put this book down. I dare you. No regrets on this 5-star read.

Calvin Dean
Author

Coming in April

The Rookie Umpire is based on a true story. I'll post this 1800-word short story on WattPad, here and possibly other venues. Look for it at the start of the 2015 Major League Baseball season.

When Life Gets In The Way

Last week I finished the first few drafts of, Stone's Curse, a novella I starting working on last autumn. As my editor suggested, I'll set the manuscript aside for a month, and then give it one more review with fresh eyes in late February. And then off to my editor. In the meantime, I started working on an unplanned sequel.

But something happened. Life got in the way. In a good sort of way.

An old friend, Warren Honeycutt, asked me to produce a series of videos for him about fitness, nutrition and weight loss management. Warren is the ultimate guru on this subject. He is a six time finalist (count 'em, six) at the NPC Nationals - a.k.a. Mr. America. At age 61 (he turns 62 in a week or two), the man is in far better shape than most twenty- or thirty-somethings. Companies like LiveStrong and Life Extension rely on his expertise. He's on various television programs showing us regular Joe's how to stay fit too. He's a motivational speaker, author, trainer, and basically, an all around nice guy.

I'm currently in the process of editing seven DVDs that will eventually become part of a course entitled "Get Lean For Life." In this series, Warren teaches you how to put your fitness and nutritional goals on autopilot - something he has been doing since age 16. Amazing!

Well, the diversion from authoring books has been a treat, but soon I'll return to the editing process of "Stone's Curse", and then back to work on its sequel - which was never planned, by the way. Sometimes things just happen. In a good sort of way.

Update On Novel #3

I'm making good progress on novel #3. Yet unnamed, I am growing comfortable with a title I devised in the last day or so. I'm also happy to report that I've retained the services of professional editor, Nicole Busch. Here's a brief synopsis and a few quotes from the book.

Confirmed bachelor, Martin Gallagher, sold his condo and moved to a house in the country. No one told him the property is haunted until a local psychic divulges a curse placed on the house 100 years ago.

"The house needed spiritual purification and Madam Zelda appointed me chief exorcist. Oh, joy."

While courting his attractive new neighbor, Martin must convince the spirit of a previous owner to help lift the curse. Not even the medium is prepared for the aftermath.

"I recalled Madam Z’s advice—avoid Agnes…have nothing to do with her. Yet here I was, drool on my chin, tangled in her wicked web. What was I to do?"

Get ready for an outrageously funny and wicked romance as Martin falls prey to a spell of his own devices.

"She walked in as if she owned the joint. A hundred years ago, she did."

I hope to finish the first draft by the end of January, 2015. I'll let it percolate for a month, give it another going over with a pair of fresh eyes, and then send the manuscript off to Nicole in March. With luck, perhaps the final product will be available sometime this summer. I'll keep you posted.
 

Happy New Year | 2015 Plans

I've never been much on New Year's resolutions. Every year is the same for me. Try to stay healthy and fit. Treat others as I want to be treated. Finish what I start. You know the routine. So I see no reason to set myself up for failure by resolving to do something I have no intention of following through on.

Looking back on 2014, I'd like to thank everyone who picked up copies of my two books. Back in July, A Door Unlocked reached #1 and The Epitaph of Jonas Barloff hit #2 in the Kindle store, followed in December with A Door Unlocked climbing as high as #4. These milestones exceeded my wildest dreams.

I continue to work out five or six days a week at my local gym. Tina, my group leader, keeps me motivated and continually convinces me that my body is capable of doing things I didn't think possible.

So what's up for 2015? I'm on track to complete the first draft of my third book in January. It's actually a novella. Here's the synopsis:

A bachelor buys a haunted house in the country, and while dodging spirits and courting his new neighbor, a local psychic helps him exorcize the ghosts living in his home. “Ghosts in the Sycamores” (working title which may change) is a humorous story about romance and things that go bump in the night.

I also have a short story (only 1800 words) about my favorite sport, which I plan to release here and/or on WattPad on opening day of Major League Baseball - a free read. (Oh, by the way, I'll be umpiring baseball games again this spring and summer. Last year I got to umpire four Dizzy Dean World Series games. It doesn't get any better than that!)

And then there are the two children's books that I wrote several years ago which still need polishing. If there are any aspiring illustrators out there willing to work for peanuts in order to build a resume, give me a shout. My email address is in the upper right corner of this website.

I'm also considering audiobook production for The Epitaph of Jonas Barloff and my new novella. A Door Unlocked is already an audiobook and has done quite well.

Well, that's it. I've certainly filled my plate for 2015. I'm sure some of it will fall by the wayside, and that's okay. There's always 2016. So for now, Happy New Year to you and yours. A toast to good health and happiness. May all your wishes come true.