Tag Archives: Simon and Schuster Canada

#21 – Stray Bullets – Robert Rotenberg

by

In The Guilty Plea and Old City Hall, critically-acclaimed Canadian author Robert Rotenberg created gripping page-turners that captured audiences in Canada and around the world.

Rotenberg’s bestsellers do for Toronto what Ian Rankin has done for Edinburgh and Michael Connolly for Los Angeles.

In Stray Bullets, Rotenberg takes the reader to a snowy November night. Outside a busy downtown doughnut shop, gunshots ring out and a young boy is critically hurt. Soon Detective Ari Greene is on scene. How many shots were fired? How many guns? How many witnesses?

With grieving parents and a city hungry for justice, the pressure is on to convict the man accused of this horrible crime. Against this tidal-wave of indignation, defence counsel Nancy Parish finds herself defending her oldest, and most difficult, client.

But does anyone know the whole story?

Stray Bullets is Robert Rotenberg’s third intricate mystery set on the streets and, in the courtrooms, of Toronto. – Publishers Website

I have to say Robert’s newest novel set in busy Toronto is another winner !!  It doesn’t let up, it keeps amping up, by the time you have finished the book it’s like you have gotten off a runaway train plus or minus a few details.  With Robert’s busy legal practice, I cannot fathom how he can churn out a book every year with all the edits and re-writes !! I was introduced to his work last year when The Guilty Plea came out for a blog tour along with a mini Q and A , he just keeps going and going.  His narrative is set just perfect along the storyline he is creating.  There are no awkward jumps or starts -  it is a smooth sailing as much as a murder case whodunit can be right?

I am looking forward to much more from this Canadian who continues to get my read on !! I hope you will discover him and say yes, you are a new and excited fan!!  It doesn’t hurt either that he is being compared to Ian Rankin from Scotland and Michael Connelly from California!!

Robert’s Website – Facebook – Twitter – Goodreads – Read an Excerpt

 

The Placebo Effect – David Rotenberg – Q and A

by

Please welcome David to the blog, read on what he had to say about what I had asked and a special peek inside something he is writing this moment…..

SR:  If you had to choose would you rather write books for the rest of your life or continue to teach, direct actors? Why?

 DR:  I actually need both. The writing makes me a better teacher, the actors I work with make me a better writer. My initial profession was as a professional stage director. I ran an American Regional Theatre for years an actually directed a few times on Broadway. When I came back home, to Canada, I couldn’t manage to get into that line of work up here, don’t really know why

SR:  In your novel, synesthesia is prominent in the main characters attributes, have you or someone you know come across a person with these abilities? If so, was that one of the main reasons you had used it in your novel The Placebo Effect?

DR:  No one I know has such abilities. I’ve always written about people with special abilities, the five Zhong Fong novels are about a man with exceptional talent in a world where special talents are not honored. When I directed the first Canadian play in the People’s Republic of China the first thing the Artistic Director of that theatre said to me was, “You must remember that you can always be replace”-a fine hello, how was your flight!

Synesthesia simply gives and access to the ‘other.’ There is a lot of material on synesthesia; some of the most interesting is actually the documentary on Mr. Tammet and his extraordinary abilities. There is also a gentleman called the human camera, you can find YouTube stuff on both, and BBC documentaries. As well Mr. Tammet has an interesting book.  Rainman was based loosely on the man who Mr. Tammet thought of as his spiritual father-he passed away a few years back.

SR:  Do you think the world as a whole could make use of Decker’s talent of knowing when people are telling the truth given the state of the world today?

DR:  Sure would simplify a he said/she said situation, don’t you think?

SR:   Is there a special place that you read? Write? If so, where and why?

DR:  I’ve had a private locked room for over 40 years. I usually write there. When I’m stuck I go to the store and buy a nice pad of paper and a new pen and write in long hand for a while. I tend to read in bed, quite late into the night, although often when I’m writing I’m not able to read.

SR:  When can we expect book 2 and three of the Junction Chronicles? 

DR:  Book two of The Junction Chronicles is with the publisher, it’s entitled A Murder of Crows. You’ll have to ask them when it’s going to come out! As well, I have a subseries that I’m working on called Seth’s Dream. At this point it’s two volumes long, very much speculative fiction, don’t know when/if it will get published.

Here’s the opening of A Murder of Crows

Ch. Prologue – An Idyll of Thoughts at T – Plus 4 Days and 16 Seconds

THOUGHTS: This is a foolish country. And this town with its obsessively symmetrical old church is ridiculous.
These people believe they will live forever. They hide death behind walls and bury it in places with names like Pleasant Valley and Peaceful Rest. We in the East know that death is neither pleasant nor restful.

Perhaps we spend too much time thinking about our deaths – but death is real. It is the only certainty. And to refuse to confront a certainty is foolishness. A foolishness that all these Americans will be forced to abandon when we force them to understand that Judgement awaits everyone – everyone.

Look at all these kids and their parents. Look at them. So self-satisfied. So convinced they are special – the chosen ones. And they all love America. Well why not? America has made the parents wealthy and is going to make most of these privileged kids rich too. While backed by their military might this horror of a country makes the rest of the world its slaves. And these science profs up there on the stage invented much of the military prowess of this country while these students all around me are preparing to take their places.

All are soldiers of the oppressor.

But there will be justice – even here, on this pampered campus in Upper New York State there will be justice. It will come – as surely as putting NAME OF CHEMICAL together with NAME OF CHEMICAL will cause a massive explosion – it will come.

Be sure to be on the lookout for this first installment into the Junction Chronicles.   Thank You to David and the Publicity Team at Simon and Schuster Canada for allowing me to be a part of this blog tour. I’m really looking forward to A Murder with Crows.

Now, get reading !!

#66 – Goliath – Scott Westerfeld

by

Alek and Deryn are on the last leg of their round-the-world quest to end World War I, reclaim Alek’s throne as prince of Austria, and finally fall in love. The first two objectives are complicated by the fact that their ship, the Leviathan, continues to detour farther away from the heart of the war (and crown). And the love thing would be a lot easier if Alek knew Deryn was a girl. (She has to pose as a boy in order to serve in the British Air Service.) And if they weren’t technically enemies.

The tension thickens as the Leviathan steams toward New York City with a homicidal lunatic on board: secrets suddenly unravel, characters reappear, and nothing is as it seems in this thunderous conclusion to Scott Westerfeld’s brilliant trilogy. – Publishers Website

Well, this is the third and last book in the Leviathan Trilogy.  As soon as the book arrived, I absolutely could not keep my hands off the book.  Immediately, I tore open the envelope and sat down to start reading.  I was anxious almost to the point of an anxiety attack just to find out what actually happened to Alek and Deryn.  Was Deryn’s ultra super secret found out by Alek?!?  Was he upset?

Did they argue, among other things that were happening on the ship that has traversed the skies all over the world?  Among some very identifiable characters, you also have the talented art work from Keith Thompson that actually accentuates the book perfectly.  If I didn’t love the series so much I would mount some of the artwork and hang it on my walls or at least my son’s walls.  Nick, loves Deryn’s colourful way of expressing herself.  He finished Leviathan back in March when he was in Kentucky at camp.  So when he came home, it was “Bum Rag” this and “Barking Spiders”  that.

So like I had said, I flew through the book at a breakneck pace, with the last few pages remained…Would Alek and Deryn have feelings for one another and live happily after you ask?!?  Well, if I told you..then well I would have to kill you, I don’t give out those secrets, you will just have to read the fabulous ending to end all endings.  Trust me, if you loved the first two books, you will love this one and literally ache for more…My reviews of Leviathan and Behemoth can be accessed by clinking the links.  And so, if you have waited for all three books to be able to read them all at once get reading !

Alan Cumming (The Good Wife) does an absolutely fabulous job of the audio book, so if you are a fan of audiobooks, it doesn’t disappoint !

Fan Scott on GoodReads – Scott’s Website – Facebook – Twitter – Browse Inside

THIS VIDEO CONTAINS SPOILERS !! BEWARE !!

 

3Q2A77RTFR8A

#64 – Fury – Elizabeth Miles

by

Sometimes sorry isn’t enough….

It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But not all is as it seems…

Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better–the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend.

On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel…something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed.

In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay.  – Publishers Website

I wanted to like this book, like I want to like all books, I just didn’t have it in me.  This is yet another Teen Fiction book from Simon and Schuster’s Imprint Simon Pulse that I had received.  It is one of those sensationalized books with tawdry details about what the teens are doing in a particular town.  Please don’t get me wrong, I love chic lit like the next female…This one for me wasn’t one I would recommend.

For one thing, I can’t recommend a book that is about one girl stealing another girls boyfriend.  I do have high morals and values in life.  For me issues like this are important to me – not just books, but everywhere – tv, movies, etc.  For me, it gives teens in this age group ideas, that they can use in life.  Then you hear it in the newspaper, on the evening news.  What happens then, other teenagers get ideas to do the same thing.  Sorry this should be a separate blog post all together, but, I feel it has to be addressed.

It isn’t anything against the author, she had an idea and it got published.  I congratulate her on her success, which it is.  That is why I am so picky about young adult titles in general.  I don’t want to promote a book that gives in my mind ideas could be used in life that would hurt others.  The writing is good, the author has 2 other books coming out in the series of three books.  I am just giving you the information, should you choose to buy it, go for it, check it out for yourself, but I will not be asking for the other books in the series.

It could be possible that I am going way overboard on this topic / book.  I feel strongly about it.  Not that the world is full of rainbows and flowers, which it isn’t, I just don’t think that we need to be giving young adults more ideas than what they already have to inflict hurt or pain on someone else.  And I may be totally off the mark about how the book is being marketed, so my apologies if I am wrong.

There 2 other books coming out in the series – 1- Fury, 2 – Envy, 3- Eternity  I am not sure the release dates of the others in the series, check the publisher’s website, or Elizabeth’s site or blog for more information.

Elizabeth on Facebook – GoodReads – Twitter – Elizabeth’s Website – Series Site