EVERYONE WANTS TO BE AN AUTHOR
After all I've said about becoming an author, do you still want to be one?
Hi again to all my wonderful friends and followers. Of course you do. I knew going into this business that I couldn't help myself. I had to write. Then, I had to find a way to publish my writings. That meant writing quality stuff, things anyone would like to read.
After publishing Bridgetown High, I've gotten mostly 5 star reviews with a few 4.5 stars. You can check them out at GoodReads. My latest was a review I got for reviewing another author's (J.S. Frankle) novel. With his permission I'm posting it here:
This.was
an excellent novel. After finishing Bridgetown High, I was left with a
feeling of nostalgia, of things that were and of things that might have
been. Hard to believe it's the first novel this author has ever written,
but it's a hell of a debut. The rating given is four stars, but it's
really closer to a four-point-five effort.
What Bridgetown High deals with is loss, guilt and forgiveness, along with the minutia of everyday life for a high school student in the 1960's--Mark. He's recently suffered the loss of his parents due to a horrific traffic accident--and the opening chapter really brings that loss into focus--and has to live with his grandmother. He also has to suffer being the odd person out at his high school, going from a somewhat preppy existence to a place in the boondocks, as it were, and dealing with the local riffraff. And he has his heart set on the local girl who is fancied by the scumbag who ALSO happens to be Mark's nemesis in the novel. How's that for a coincidence?
In lesser hands, it would have been obvious and pure melodrama. And while it's sort of convenient, Mr. West makes the most of a large cast of characters, showcasing them in sharply drawn portraits. Add in mystery, young romance, and the novel builds slowly but surely to a denouement that is satisfactory to all--or should be. In spite of the book's length--roughly 370 pages--it moves along at a solid pace, neither too fast nor too slow. The viewpoints from the various characters presented are fine, and while there are a few forgivable lapses in the narrative, overall, it's so solid that I can't really fault it in any way. I look forward to more of this author's work.
Highly recommended.
What Bridgetown High deals with is loss, guilt and forgiveness, along with the minutia of everyday life for a high school student in the 1960's--Mark. He's recently suffered the loss of his parents due to a horrific traffic accident--and the opening chapter really brings that loss into focus--and has to live with his grandmother. He also has to suffer being the odd person out at his high school, going from a somewhat preppy existence to a place in the boondocks, as it were, and dealing with the local riffraff. And he has his heart set on the local girl who is fancied by the scumbag who ALSO happens to be Mark's nemesis in the novel. How's that for a coincidence?
In lesser hands, it would have been obvious and pure melodrama. And while it's sort of convenient, Mr. West makes the most of a large cast of characters, showcasing them in sharply drawn portraits. Add in mystery, young romance, and the novel builds slowly but surely to a denouement that is satisfactory to all--or should be. In spite of the book's length--roughly 370 pages--it moves along at a solid pace, neither too fast nor too slow. The viewpoints from the various characters presented are fine, and while there are a few forgivable lapses in the narrative, overall, it's so solid that I can't really fault it in any way. I look forward to more of this author's work.
Highly recommended.
After reading Bridgetown High, I've had several people, tell me I need to write a sequel. I guess they loved my book that much. As I'm considering it, I'm reminded of some of the rules of beginning a novel. The opening paragraph, or at least the opening page, should plunge your main character into some kind of terrible trouble. I probably didn't do that all that well with Bridgetown High, but I fudged and made the opener a tear-jerker instead, with Mark pining for his lost family, and vowing revenge. So, if I do start a sequel, I need to keep that in mind, and it must also flow from the previous novel somehow.
I need to quit for now, but before I go, I need to ask, have you "Liked" and "Shared" this blog post on Facebook yet, or "Retweeted" it on Twitter yet. Also have you signed up for my email letters on my Blog Site?
I would love to see you there and have you introduce yourselves and
give comments to my posts. And also keep in mind "Bridgetown High" is
still available on Amazon, Goodreads and Barnes&Noble. You can read some GREAT reviews on all of these sites.
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