02/25/2009

By Colin Conway

As I began to read Steven Craig Barrett’s new book The Apocalypse Chronicles I was pleased with the interesting form it took. The story is an epistolary novel in which we find the narrator reflecting on his past and the state of the world by way of his journal. As the story opens Barrett’s narrator and main character, Jonathan, immediately establishes an ominous tone which foreshadows the dark events which he is about to unfold. From the first few pages I was eager to know what dark mysteries were in store for me.

After the initial message of an impending doom Barrett took me back into Jonathan’s childhood in the year nineteen sixty-eight. At first his recollections are the pleasant memories of a childhood spent amongst close friends and a loving brother. The only blemishes on these early memories are that they are set against the background of the violent events of Vietnam and the Civil Rights Movement. I was touched by the way Jonathan’s innocence partially insulated him from the tumultuous events of his day.

Over time Barrett begins to develop tension by way of disturbing stories told round the fireside and Jonathan’s frightening dreams. As Jonathan grows with each passing year his childlike world view is challenged by hardship and he is forced to question the faith which once came so easily to him. This challenge to his faith comes at a time when he will need it most, as the threat of the apocalypse looms nearer and specters which only used to haunt Jonathan’s dreams become startlingly real. Jonathan will be forced to decide between the virtue of the light and the temptation of the dark as he grows and learns what it is to live in a world on the road to apocalypse.

As I read I was struck by two things which Barrett does extremely well. The first is to create scenes of horror out of an environment that only seconds earlier had been placid and welcoming. Barrett sets up Jonathan’s home town as a semi idyllic town that is rich with nature. Jonathan and his group of friends ‘The Bandits’ spend their time on cookouts, going down to the fishing hole and exploring the woods around their farms. Despite the racial and other societal tensions which broil just beneath the surface of the town Jonathan is always able to escape into the natural world which surrounds his home. Barrett lulls the reader into a sense of tranquility with these scenes of nature only to spring a horrifying surprise where it is least expected. These moments when the peace of nature is broken by spiritual dangers manifesting themselves in the physical world are so startling that they set the pulse to racing and tie the reader’s stomach in knots.

The second thing which Barrett excels at is creating meaningful relationships between his characters that grow and adapt over time. Jonathan goes from child to teenager over the course of the novel, and just as Jonathan changes, his relationships change accordingly. Jonathan is wracked by pain and doubt throughout the book and this shows through the way his relationships with his friends and elders change, often for the worse. Through all of these changes Barrett brings out the pain and joy felt by Jonathan as he grows closer to some friends while others fall away. By the end of the story I felt as though I were an intimate companion of Jonathan because I knew just how deeply he could be hurt, and just how deeply he could care about those he loves.

This novel can be exciting and emotional, but it is not without its faults. Filling the space between the frightening supernatural encounters and heart warming tales of friendship are long stretches where Barrett uses the novel as an excuse to preach to his audience about the failings of society and the moral inequity in which we are all steeped. One of the main villains in this story is a preacher, but I felt that at times Barrett had donned his own religious ceremonial garb and was hiding just behind the page screaming his message of sin and retribution at me. Barrett has a message to convey about society, and I can respect that, in fact I agree with some of his points, but in trying to get his point across he wanders into the realm of clichés where men are mercilessly flogging their long deceased mounts.

It became apparent to me that he could not allow his story to stand for itself. His messages about sin, society and the coming apocalypse could be found in the concrete interactions between his characters, but he felt the need to step into the book himself and tell me a second time just what he was getting at. His long winded exhortations to turn away from the dark and come to the light made me painfully aware of his presence as an author. Whenever I began to get invested in the book I would be knocked out of the continuous and vivid dream and reminded that there was indeed a man behind the curtain, and this man was holding a megaphone and standing on a soap box.

In addition to his tendency to insert himself into the novel the story was disrupted by the fact that at times the language was just clunky. Barrett was writing this story in the southern accent belonging to Jonathan, and at times he was successful and the reader got the sense that they were reading the diary of a down home boy looking back on his life. At other times Barrett was so devoted to the voice that he tried to force it into sentences where it just wouldn’t fit. This tendency led to awkward phrasing that instead of leading the eye naturally on to the next sentence caused me to have to stop and go back just to understand what he was trying to say. The interruptions caused by these phrases were not too much of a stumbling block. The good news is that they grew less frequent as the story progressed.

Since putting down The Apocalypse Chronicles I have not been able to fully put it from my mind. The power of the messages in the text ensure that they will be buzzing around your head for days and weeks to come. In addition to being entertaining Steven Craig Barrett’s novel has forced me to rethink my position on some pressing issues of morality and politics. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a story that is fun, terrifying and cerebral all at the same time. The best news of all about this book is that it is only the first in a series of novels following Jonathan and the Apocalypse. Barrett plans to produce eight more stories in the coming years. Get on board with The Apocalypse Chronicles now while the story is just beginning.

Jacquelyn Sylvan is the author of the young adult fantasy novel, Surviving Serendipity.

Q: Reviewers have called your characters complex. What advice can you give writers in developing a believable character? Any writing aerobics to hone their skills?

A: I think the key to believable characters is believable dialogue. You can ruin a completely authentic character if what comes out of their mouth doesn't match the person they are. So... I practice. Out loud. Some people sing in the shower, I try out my characters' conversations. Running through it in your head or putting it down on paper is one thing, but when you say it out loud and you can hear your character's voice underneath your own, that's when you know you've got it nailed.

Q: Why did you choose to write young adult fiction? Were you a passionate reader as a youth?

A: I was. I wasn't a popular kid or teen; I got picked on a lot, and I used books as my escape. Funnily enough, though, Surviving Serendipity didn't start out as a YA novel; I originally wrote it for adults. But after my publisher suggested putting it out as YA, I started doing some market research, and I realized what a great genre YA is. And knowing that my book might serve as an escape for a teen experiencing what I went through in school, well, it's like coming full-circle.

Q: You work at another job full time. Describe your "writing" time.

A: Very hit-and-run. I write in notebooks during the day, since it's hard to bring my computer to work with me. Two or three days a week, I sit down and type what I've written into the computer. It works out better than you'd think; I get to take a second look at what I wrote, and I usually hit a groove and keep writing straight onto the computer for another few hours. Hey, you do what you can.

Q: Surviving Serendipity is published through Quake, which is a small house. What made you go that route and describe the advantages/disadvantages of such a decision.

A: The advantages are that it's a smaller group, so all of the authors know each other and help each other out. The disadvantages are that you're responsible for your own marketing, financially and physically, and it's a much larger job, since you're with a publisher that's not as visible as the big guns. Anyone who wants to get published today, though, whether with a large house or a smaller one, needs to understand that they are going to be responsible for much of their own marketing, so keep that in mind when you're signing that contract.

Q: Any special tips in marketing your book? Media? Lectures? Book Festivals? What has worked best for you?

A: Book festivals and signings are very gratifying, because you get to see the results right there in front of you. I've done lectures and presentations, but I'm a lot more choosy about what I participate in now, because you can't be assured that you're going to reach the demographic you're aiming for. Case in point: I recently participated in a series of two panels promoting a local library. At the first, there wasn't a single person under the age of fifty in the room. At the second, it was mothers with toddlers in their laps. Although it was nice to talk to them all, sales-wise they weren't the people I need to reach. That's why the internet is so great. I blog Monday through Friday at http://www.serendipitoustimes.blogspot.com, I tweet at http://www.twitter.com/jacquelynsylvan and Surviving Serendipity's main character, June, even has her own Twitter account, at http://www.twitter.com/PrincessJune, where you can follow along with her adventures. You can reach everyone on the internet.

Q: What has been your experience with acquiring a literary agent?

A: It's been interesting, to say the least. But I'm hoping that publishers will pay more attention to the manuscripts my agent, Claire Gerus, and I are sending them, since they've already passed through one or two sets of critical eyes. But whether you're trying to get an agent or submitting directly to publishers, perseverance is the key. I've got drawers and email folders full of rejections, but you only need one acceptance.

Q: Some authors opt to have their books published online. What is your take on this avenue of publishing?

A: I think it's great. I don't think ePublishing will ever replace the physical book, nor do I recommend that any author rely solely on internet publishing. But it's cheap, portable, environmentally responsible and accessible from virtually anywhere. As I said, it's never going to replace the traditional book, but ePublishing gives authors another way to reach their readers. Not a bad thing.

Carlotta Holton is the author of Salem Pact and Touching The Dead, and is a member of the National Federation of Press Women and an affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association.

Carlotta Holton has just received her second award for Touching the Dead from the National Federation of Press Women Communications Contest. Click here to purchase the book.

By Bethany Olson

How does an author lead a character to overhaul his elitist perceptions of himself and his world? By sending him to a different world, of course!

The Pedestrian traverses a wide, empty landscape in England, when he realizes that the sun is about to set and he still has a much longer way to go.

He approaches a rundown, hedge-surrounded house, where he is surprised to find an old school fellow of his whom he never fully trusted. A scientist also resides in the house. Once invited in, the Pedestrian (named Ransom) is offered a drink and a place to rest.

Ransom reveals his errand: Being a former soldier who is disenchanted with his old longing to be a hero, and who is now a professor (currently on vacation), Ransom is taking time away from his responsibilities to wander wide expanses. No one knows where he is, and no one would miss him if he did not return, he says.

Instantly upon hearing this information, the old school fellow retrieves a second, different drink for Ransom. Ransom sips—hallucinates—realizes he’s been drugged—awakes in a small metallic room under a ghostly celestial light—and finds that the old school fellow and the scientist have deviously taken him captive. He gleans from overheard whispers that they are traveling to another planet where they plan to surrender him to an unearthly creature—at the creature’s request.

First published in 1938, Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis explores humanity’s knee-jerk instinct to hurt others for one’s own benefit. It is only by observing another planet’s set of racial and social differences that Ransom’s own becomes clear. People on Earth either acculturate or destroy others in war, evidence of a strong elitism against those who are “different” or “lower” than themselves.

For having been published long before space travel was an actuality, Out of the Silent Planet is incredibly imaginative and believable: It reads almost as though Lewis went into space himself. For having been published long before the development of many social rights we know today, the book is amazingly progressive, even by today’s standards.

For the adventurers and thinkers, this book is an invaluable addition to your mental collection. Read to find out if and how Ransom escapes his predicament. And for you wordsmiths, build your word base with unusual terms such as “ineluctable”; “vermiculate”; “loquacious”; “ken”; “august”; and “desideratum” (you’ll be surprised to find that the readability is still very smooth). For all booksmiths, read to experience Ransom’s planet and find out why it is so silent.

By Amanda Linsmeier

The second in the Three Sisters Island Trilogy by Nora Roberts, Heaven and Earth is a novel of bravery and the triumph of good over evil. Deputy Ripley Todd returns to star as the tough, wise-cracking witch who resents her powers. She wants nothing to do with magic or the centuries-old legend that now threatens to destroy her and test the skills of not only her but her “sisters”: Nell, who overcame the dark power in book one and Mia, who has yet to be tested. When Mac Brooke, a paranormal researcher, shows up on the island to research its history and to interview Mia, a well-known witch, he rubs Ripley the wrong way. But despite the fact that he’s into “freak shows” and magical things—things Ripley wants nothing to do with—she’s definitely attracted to him. And that really pisses her off. What begins as annoyance, moves into affection and then even deeper. And throughout this emotionally trying time, Ripley is struggling with an even bigger dilemma. Should she use her magic to help break the curse? What if she’s not strong enough? What if she can’t control it? What if ends up destroying her, just as it did in the past?

Although I was drawn into this second book, I admit it was not as good as the first, simply because I didn’t care for the main character. I thought Ripley was too hard, too tough, too difficult to relate to. I didn’t find her chemistry with Mac to be as realistic or moving as in the previous book with Nell and Zack. I did enjoy the twist to the darkness that haunts them all, the villain who it becomes but overall, this book didn’t thrill me as much as the first. I have a feeling the third will be my favorite because already Mia, the last witch, is the most interesting to me. I guess I’ll just have to wait and find out if I’m right.