Interview with Aria Glazki - Author of Life Under Examination - Part I

This is the first part of my interview with Poet and to-be novelist Aria T. Glazki. Check out my review of her poetry collection Life Under Examination here.

Q: So first off, there are many light pieces in your poetry collection, so why did you choose the title Life Under Examination? Don’t you think it gives a sense of seriousness to potential buyers?

Well, that’s just it. The collection is about various facets of life, which isn’t exclusively serious or lighthearted – it’s inevitably a mix of everything.  The title may convey a sense of gravitas (you’d be a better judge of that than I would!), but the collection begins with some fun pieces, though I like to think their subject matter is thought provoking, despite the tone.

Q: Tell us about the novel(s) you’re working on.

Currently, I have a project out on submission, a novel which I’m revising, and my NaNo project for 2013 – all three are romances, of course.  The novel I’m revising is about a frustrated Muse, who accidentally becomes mortal and has to rely on her somewhat ungrateful charge to navigate our world, so there’s a bit of a paranormal element there.  The other two are purely contemporary, and they feature a similar group, though focusing on different characters’ journeys. 

Q: Which do you prefer e-books or paperback?

Definitely paperback, or even hardback. I certainly see the value of e-books, for portability, accessibility, and lower production costs, but nothing can truly replace a printed book in your hands!

Q: Do you plan on having your new novel(s) in both e-book and paperback or just e-books?

If that decision is up to me, they will absolutely be published both in print and digitally.

Q: You told me Life Under Examination is a self-published book. So what can you tell me about self-publishing in general, are there different types of self-publishing?

Life Under Examination is self-published, and only available digitally at the moment, unless you win a select print copy in one of my giveaways. 

There are some wonderful resources out there describing self-publishing options, such as print-on-demand vs. digital-only, and I am certainly not an expert.  Personally, I chose to publish first on Smashwords, which converts your book into multiple formats for readers and also distributes it to other online retailers, as well as on Amazon, and eventually through Barnes& Noble, which honestly has my favorite interface.  I very well may add other options in the future, time permitting.

Q: What are the pros and cons of self-publishing?

The pros: every decision is in your hands, which means you are not stuck with a cover you hate, and no one tells you to cut your favorite poem / chapter, etc.  

The cons: every decision is in your hands, which means you may feel overwhelmed or out of your element, and you are on the hook for every aspect of the resulting e-book, as well as every marketing decision.  Remember that you can research tips & tricks for every part of the process online, and don’t cut corners or publish too soon.

Q: What was the hardest part in producing the book?

The hardest part for me is probably convincing people to give the collection a chance – the word “poetry” scares them off, but those who start reading it find that there’s nothing to fear, and most even enjoy it!

Q: Aspiring writers claim that the hardest part is finding an editor. How did that work for you and for Life Under Examination?

Poetry is somewhat different when it comes to the editing process, but regardless, I have worked with an amazing editor I would recommend to anyone! You can find her on EditsByAnya.blogspot.com & @AnyaKagan.

Q: While still in the drafts stage, do you give your book to family and/or friends to give you comments or do you wait till you finish and go straight to an editor?

I will absolutely give my book to beta readers, but usually only after editing through it a few times myself.  My roughest drafts are not fit for public consumption, and I prefer beta readers / critique partners / an editor to focus on the parts I couldn’t fix myself, especially since the more times you see a text, the less able you are to notice issues.

Cover Reveal and Giveaway! Fanged Outcast by Elisabeth Wheatley

How much would you sacrifice for a love that wasn’t yours?

Hadassah managed to befriend her kind’s worst enemies and save her brother and the human girl he loves from the Vampiric King—once. After a month spent in quiet hiding under the protection of the Huntsmen, a surprise attack from a band of Kaiju shatters their brief reprieve. Faced with new challenges and new threats, Hadassah and the others must once more fight for her brother and the girl who stole his heart. And this time, the Vampiric King isn’t the only one they need fear…

Action, suspense, humor, and romance collide in this anticipated sequel from teen author, Elisabeth Wheatley.

Add Fanged Outcast (Fanged Princess, #2)  on Goodreads

Add Fanged Princess (Fanged Princess, #1) on Goodreads

Author Bio & Links

Elisabeth Wheatley is a teen author of the Texas Hill Country. When she’s not daydreaming of elves, vampires, or hot guys in armor, she is wasting time on the internet, fangirling over indie books, and training her Jack Russell Terrier, Schnay.

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Ghosts of the Falls - Review

Ghosts of the Falls by Sarah Gilman is a sweet and highly enjoyable romantic paranormal novella.

Set in Maine, the United States, the novella begins by introducing the reader to exorcist Jade Clarence, who has been given a final opportunity to prove herself capable of working in the family business of exorcism, which deals with earth-bound ghosts not with demonic possessions as seen in movies.

Jade Clarence goes to Maine to exorcise a ghost, and meets Dutch. Jade is different; she knows that exorcisms are painful for the ghosts, whom she does not feel should always suffer. Some are innocent and do not deserve the torment that accompanies an exorcism. So she is a kind of noble exorcist. She tells Dutch “For years, I’ve been researching, trying to write an incantation that would send spirits on to the next world without hurting them, to heaven or hell or wherever they’re supposed to go.”

Jade has a Tinker Bell figurine in her car and likes to compare herself to Tinker Bell whom she says is a "feisty girl who puts up with a bunch of boys," which rings true.

Throughout the seven-chapter novella, Jade explains to Dutch how exorcism works, and reflects on her most recent experience, that of a troubled teenage spirit.

Ghosts of the Falls is a novella in which a ghost finds life in death and where an exorcist finds love and warmth in the ghost.

The language of Ghosts of the Falls is simple with lots of dialogue and short paragraphs, all which add to the quick pace of the novella. The dialogues provide information, interaction between characters and bits of comic relief and romance mixed with comic relief.

The novella has a slight fairy-tale feel to it, but with a remarkable twist in the end.

The book also contains two excerpts from Gilman’s other works, namely Deep in Crimson and Wings in Redemption.

I couldn’t put Ghosts of the Falls down and I am excited to read more by Sarah Gilman. Every girl/woman will want her own ‘Dutch’ after reading Ghosts of the Falls.

Special thanks to author Sarah Gilman and Katie Clapsadl from Entangled Publishing for providing me with a free copy for this review.

Find Sarah Gilman on Twitter & Goodreads.

Updates & New Pages

I’ve added a page for my Book Reviews, which I will do my best to update regularly.

I’ve also created a Book Review Service page.

And I have finally completed updating the Poetry page.

I’m currently reading:

• ·        Blue into the Rip by Kev Heritage
• ·        2 Officers (2 ضباط) by Essam Youssef

Check out my reblogs: one is on Scripting Change written byAria Glazki and one on Rowayat, a new English-Language literary magazine in Egypt written by the magazine’s editor-in-chief Linda Cleary.

The Writers' Centre: Rowayat - a New Literary Journal for Egypt

The Writers' Centre: Rowayat - a New Literary Journal for Egypt: Rowayat www.rowayat.com is the new venture started by the wonderous and most courageous Sherine Elbanhawy that I am privileged to be p...

Subterranean Summer - Review

Subterranean Summer is a collection of 35 poems by Joe Maldonado. It opens with a note from the author and the index of the collection’s titles. The latter cover various topics, genres and ideas, in a variety of poetic forms such as rhymed-verse, free verse and Haiku.

The first poem in the collection is the one bearing the title of the book, “Subterranean Summer”. It is an interesting and thought-provoking piece with a good rhyme and flow to it. Following that is “American Cheese”, which is a short, comic but sad piece (in my opinion at least). Then, the reader comes across “Freedom Fries”. It is a piece with an interesting title and one that I absolutely LOVE! It opens with the following strong lines: “Honey, I don’t want your freedom fries,/or anything from your patriotic potato sack of lies,”. Towards the end, there is this line “prisoners of propagandized political paradigms.” Being an alliteration-loving freak, this is perfection for me; satire and alliteration. This line earns you two thumbs from me Joe.

“The End” a simple love poem to which many can relate. It is written using simple wording and a smooth rhyme. These are the lines that stood out for me (a very good thing): "But I guess this is how it ends./With a whimper, not an explosion."

Shortly after, the reader comes to the short poem “Notebook”; an utterly breathtaking piece with an extended image of love mixed with writing and sensuality. I could not pick a line or two for I simply indulged in this poem. I want to quote it whole (but will refrain from doing so).

*Hats off and round of applause for this piece!*

Moving on, the reader arrives at “Soundtrack of My Life”. I, personally, love the title of this piece and how it plays on various kinds of music, singers and bands. Shortly after, the reader arrives at “Fortune Cookie”, which is an interesting piece with some interesting imagery for a fortune cookie. I like the image and alliteration in "plastic prison". It is a poem of hollowness and loss; expectation that ends with frustration and "emptiness".

The collection also encompasses “Goodbye Wall Street”; a satiric piece about the world of Wall Street and brokers. I absolutely LOVE it! I must say this is the first time, for me, to see someone address or tackle Wall Street in poetry. *hats off Joe*

The poem “Beautiful Lies” is another piece that is both interesting and spectacular as it tackles truth and lies. It's one of those poems that carry weight. *thumbs up Joe*

I do not like the use of the “F” word in art in general and in poetry in particular (unless it serves an obvious purpose). In “I am a Metaphor” – and later on in another piece - I did not find that purpose. I do, however, like the reference to the Harry Potter series (or at least for me it's a reference to HP) in the "vomit-flavored jelly bean". The poem also contains some thought-provoking ideas and lines.

I absolutely love the message in the poem “Stay Tuned”. Although to me it feels and reads like rhyming or lyrical prose but it is nonetheless one of the strongest and highly satirical pieces in this collection. A must-read! It has many interesting lines, but to pick a couple, these are my favourite:

"With each show I watch I get slightly sadder/with each chip I eat I get slightly fatter".

Another satire-filled piece is “A Word from Our Sponsor”, which begins with: "Dear Mr. Corporate America". I like the sarcastic tone and the how it applies to all societies and countries.

"Dear Mr. Corporate America/here's an offer/not even the slimiest of you/can refuse". The opening stanza as a whole is dark, sarcastic and downright honest. And I like the use of the word ‘slimiest’. An applause is in order for this piece.

Shortly after, the reader arrives at yet another satirical and critical piece called “Boomerangs”. I particularly liked this stanza: “We are tired/of Pinocchio politicians,/wooden liars/trying to be human." Powerful imagery and alliteration always gets to me.

The poem “Somnambulist Stroll” is a dark piece filled with uncanny imagery. I love it for it appeals to my dark side and the imagery is just splendid. *hats off*

“Somnambulist Stroll” is another must-read piece in Joe's collection.

No poem is a better conclusion to a poetry collection as Joe Maldonado’s “One Last Thing”. It is a poem that bears words of wisdom and that ends on a hopeful note. I truly enjoyed this last piece; the perfect ending.

Thank you Joe :)

“Subterranean Summer” is a collection that encompasses many weighty satirical poems along with pieces on music, love, religion, sadness and more. I enjoyed the satirical pieces a great deal and though some pieces did not appeal to me, I think it is fair to give this collection a 4.5-star rating. (I feel it unfair to give a 4-star rating for there were many pieces that I enjoyed.)

Joe: I would recommend your next collection to be wholly satirical ;)

Reading & Writing Updates

So there are items on my previous update that have been crossed out and others that haven’t. There’s also NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), which I will be doing an article on at the end of November and in which I’m faring miserably!

I haven’t finished Twin Magnolia, sadly. So my current reading list is:

·        Twin Magnolia: A Soul Call by Victoria Popescu (but I have done some decent progress today, hope to finish it tonight & review it tomorrow tops)

·        Blue Into the Rip by Kev Heritage

·        The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart (the first instalment in The Merlin Trilogy) is still on hold at page 128.

I have, however, added a couple of new pages to the blog and made some background and font colour changes for those who haven’t visited in a while. I wanted to do something a LOT more interactive but I’m just not that much of an html/code geek. Sorry!

Still on my to-read list:

·        2 Officers by Essam Youssef (I’m dying to start this book!)

·        Ghost Music by Patrick Linder

My attempts at reading Arabic this month have so far failed epically! I guess it will be the December plan.

Anyone participating in NaNoWriMo and would like to contribute or be interviewed for my article, which will be published on this blog and student magazine for Cairo University, can e-mail me at: nadanessinmotion@gmail.com

Aria Glazki Writes: Scripting Change Cover Reveal & Release-day Blast!...

Aria Glazki Writes: Scripting Change Cover Reveal & Release-day Blast!...: The community writing project, Scripting Change , is incredibly excited to announce the release of their inaugural project: Seeing Past S...

Once Upon a Night Sky

I look at the sky,

Close my eyes,

Take a deep breath,

And those once faraway stars

Come closer to me.

The darkness fades to light.

I open my eyes,

And there I am,

Gliding amidst the stars.

I spread my wings and fly.

I feel the wind on my face,

Fondling my hair.

I see the many colours,

And many wonders

Of the once-believed night sky.

I move from cloud to cloud,

I spread my wings and soar

With the eagles…

As I go higher, I realize

I am soaring

With magical magnificent mythical dragons.

The colours,

The wonders,

The beauty,

All enchant me…

- Another deep breath –

I feel the cold stony surface underneath me,

I hear the waves beside me, crashing,

I feel the wind blow, but not playfully.

I look around…

Everything is cold, ordinary;

No magic.

But...

I look to the sky,

I see many shiny

Twinkling little stars

And then,

I remember…

Interview with Michelle Weidenbenner - Author of Cache a Predator

I have wanted to do a series of interviews and luckily this book review thing has helped me get in contact with many talented and friendly writers.

So here is my first interview with Michelle Weidenbenner, author of Cache a Predator, and the mastermind behind Random Writing Rants. 

Check out my review of Cache a Predator here.

Q: First off, tell us a bit about yourself.

Do I have to? Lol. I don’t like talking about myself. I’d rather talk about you.

Q: Which do you prefer e-books or paperback?

Both have a different purpose for me. When I’m studying a novel I like to hold it, dog-ear the pages, and write in the margins. But if I’m speed-reading I like to read it on my Kindle.

Q: What are you currently reading? And what is your favourite genre in general?

I’m reading THE BOOK THIEF. It’ll be a movie in 2014. The novel was agented by a lit agent who read all of my latest novel, SCATTERED LINKS, in a contest. I wanted to read the type of books she represents.

Q: What do you think of self-help books on writing books or novels and publishing them? (Are they helpful or are most of them just a hoax? Would you recommend any?)

Self-help writing books are a must. I’m always striving to learn more about this craft of writing, and if a book can help I’m all about it.  The EMOTIONAL THESAURUS is a great tool to have to help you flesh out character emotions. Jim Denney is a friend of mine and he wrote WRITING IN OVERDRIVE. This book is motivational. But there are a lot of them out there. Blogs on writing are great too.

Q: If you can have any super-power, what would it be?

I’d like to be able to fly, but I’ve always wanted to have the ability to keep going without any sleep. There’s too much I want to do and not enough time to do it.

Q: What is your favourite food?

I like practically anything someone else makes for me. I don’t like to take time to cook, but I appreciate a good meal. I’m not picky, but I like to stay healthy.

Q: You told me Cache a Predator is a self-published book. So, what can you tell us about indie/self-publishing that seems to be taking the US by storm.

For me it was the way to go, but not for everyone. I’d still like to land a high-profile agent and find a large publishing house that will give me an advance. But I’m an entrepreneur and find self-publishing similar to owning my own business. I enjoy that. I’m not afraid to market my work, but that’s because I have a great editor.

Q: What are the pros and cons of self-publishing? And what was the hardest part in producing the book?

This is a huge question. One that might take too long to write. I’ll try. The pros in self-publishing are being in control of the story, the cover, marketing, and the overall project. The cons are the same—it’s all up to you, you have all the risk, you handle all the different projects wearing a different hat for each task.

But if we don’t keep writing we don’t have a product to sell, so it’s important not to forget to write every day.

Q: When writing a novel, do you have a main theme in mind or do you write and then start highlighting the themes and dissecting the book?

I typically have a premise. I wouldn’t call it a theme. I have a character with a goal, and things get in the way of him reaching that goal. I like to mess up his life and watch him squirm. Some call it torture.

Q: How do you go about when it comes to negative critiques?

I listen closely. They matter. But typically I ask several different editors and beta-readers for their opinion. If several readers feel the same way then I rethink the plot line or edit the rough edges, etc. That’s why I like to have beta readers read the novel before it’s published. They can offer great insight.

Q: Aspiring writers claim that the hardest part is finding an editor. How did that work for you and for Cache a Predator?

A good one is expensive, but just like in any business you have to spend money to make money. At least, initially. It’s important to try different ones and see how they can help. Mine liberated me. She pushed me to write the best story, but gave me confidence. Once it was professionally edited I felt better about presenting a solid piece of work.

Q: When did the title of the novel come to mind, before or while writing the book or was it a friend’s suggestion? 

The title didn’t get “finalized” until weeks before publishing. It started out as THE MUGGLER, then I had people vote on titles. Some of the other choices were COLD CACHE, THE COLD CACHE EXPOSURE, CACHE 22, and CACHE a RELEASE. Some people pronounce ‘cache’ like cachet, with the dash over the e. So I wonder sometimes if I chose the right title. Self-doubt worms its way into my thoughts way too often.

Q: Cache a Predator entails psychology and knowledge of the law. How did you conduct your research? Did you meet with doctors for instance?

I can spend a lot of time on research and never sit my butt in a chair, so yes, I interviewed doctors, deputies, geo-cachers, counselors, and child protective services staff. I needed information to make my story ring true, but honestly, there’s so much on the internet that there were times when that was enough.

Q: When and why did you start Random Writing Rants?

I started this blog for writers almost two years ago when I decided I needed a platform based on what the writing industry said was important. But I really like to help other writers and share what I’m learning, so it made sense that I would teach writing. My goal was to mentor teens because most of my novels are for young adults –ranging from first-graders to high-schoolers. But finding teens hasn’t been easy. I like to feature a teen writer on Fridays at my blog. I call it FAN FRIDAY. They share a story and I invite other writers to come and offer them encouragement. We’re THEIR fan for a day.

Q: So, having published your first novel, do you have a second one in mind? If yes, will it be a different genre?

Yes, I’ve written several young adult novels, a mid-grade novel, and a children’s chapter book series. I’m not sure which novel will be next, but I think it’ll be SCATTERED LINKS, a multi-cultural novel about a Russian teen girl. I have an adopted daughter from Russia so I’ve always been intrigued by that country.

Q: Do you know anyone who acts a bit or a lot like Ali’s mother? (She was an obnoxious character but Brett’s replies and thoughts made for comic relief)

She was a piece of work, wasn’t she? I think her character was based on someone I saw on TV—a grouchy old lady who never took responsibility for her own actions.

Q: How long did it take you to write Cache a Predator?

I wrote 50,000 words for CACHE during NaNoWriMo in 2011, but probably spent a year after (off and on, not constantly) editing the story. Then I had it critiqued, rewrote it some more, and then edited. It’s a long process, but fun!

I like that you have motives behind writing Cache a Predator, such as exposing abuse and some loopholes in the system. I also like that the theme of love in the novel is that of father-daughter, even if there is a bit of Brett-Sarah.

Thank you! I think it’s important to make stories universal—something that readers can relate to—and who doesn’t want to keep kids safe?

Q: What genres would you like to experiment with in the future?

An adult romance or a romantic suspense novel. I’m open to all stories that move me and plant themselves in my imagination. I never know when someone’s plight might trigger a story idea.

30 Scary Tales by Rayne Hall - Book Review

Thirty Scary Tales by Rayne Hall is a collection of short stories encompassing an array of settings, narration styles and topics with theme of ‘scary’.

One should remember the varying difference between scary and horrifying. This collection is scary, occasionally gory, but rarely horrifying. Some tales involve elements of the supernatural – which I adore; while others are inspired from the writer’s real-life events, making these tales scarier than the supernatural ones.

There are tales of vampires, ghosts, magic and dreams and other supernatural elements. They are all beautiful and enjoyable but do not compare to the pleasure and intrigue I experienced while reading The Grey Walker, Arete, Through the Tunnel, The Colour of Dishonour, Burning and The Painted Staircase – just to name a few.

There are a few stories set in Rayne Hall’s dark epic fantasy novel Storm Dancer such as The Colour of Dishonour, The Grey Walker, and Each Stone, A Life. Each of these stories is exceptional in its vividness, creativity and unfathomable twists! You have no idea what you’re up against!

Hall’s use of imagery is consistent with her settings. An example of such imagery is seen in Never Leave Me, “My heart beat like the hooves of a herd of cattle.” The image is consistent with a farmer's background.

Thirty Scary Tales boasts a ton of stunning imagery in this collection, whether scary or just plain beautiful. The reader cannot help but highlight and enjoy.

Hall uses an array of settings for tales ranging from Germany to England to Turkey, and extending from Ancient Greece to the Middle Ages to modern times.

As I have said, some tales stood out. Among them is The Grey Walker with its use of a zombie-like creature, a parallelism with the trade made by Dr. Faustus, and its staggering imagery. It is a carefully-crafted story that will live on. I’m not a fan of zombies, but this story was different for me and I loved every bit of it. Few would find a beautiful image such as this in a zombie-like tale: “But his actions had not been waterdrops that evaporated in the sun without leaving a trace. They had been cruel flames, scorching deep holes into Laina's defenceless heart.”

The Grey Walker ends at a climactic point. We finally know why the witch never mentioned a payment at the beginning. Turgan is not mindless, nor is he innately evil but he ends up being a Greywalker and understands his purpose.

The Grey Walker is a 10-star story.

Another Storm Dancer-set story is The Colour of Dishonour with its layers of puns and irony (“I have blood on my hands”). I still cannot shake off the admiration (for Hall) and the horror (for the Captain). The Colour of Dishonour is another 10-star story.

By Your Own Free Will makes you think: How far would you go for love? How much are you willing to sacrifice to be noticed by one man? Would you trade your IQ for it?

The final story in Thirty Scary Tales is called Burning. And I have not found a word to describe my love and respect for this story. It is written from the perspective for a seven-year-old girl; so naturally, her thoughts highlight the flaws of grown-ups and carry some comic relief as seen when she thinks that insurance “prevented families from getting burnt.”

Burning boasts many layers of love, trust, and ideology. It is an intense and deep tale. The reader sees how the girl feels a yearning for the love found in the Arab family that burnt to death, a love this is denied her in her own family. Her father is obviously cold, uncaring and pretends to be a know-it-all based on pre-conceived ideas that he speaks out as if they were facts. The girl sympathises with the Arab family simply because they care for their children unlike her father, whom she couldn't even picture saving her from a fire.

Special thanks to Rayne Hall for creating and collecting this set of stories in a single volume and for sending me a free copy of Thirty Scary Tales for a Halloween review. I enjoyed reading them all. As for the Storm Dancer-set stories, this collection has prompted me to begin reading the dark epic novel as soon as I can.

In Progress/Under Construction

I wasn’t sure what to write about and figured my blog should also act as a reminder for the list of things to be done/books to be read and reviewed.

Currently writing:

·        Review of Shiri by D.S. Taylor (for Author Alliance)

Currently Reading:

·        30 Scary Tales by Rayne Hall (Halloween Review)

·        Entitlement by Mike Worley (Mystery) (for Author Alliance)

·        Twin Magnolia: A Soul Call by Victoria Propescu (for Author Alliance)

For Author Alliance means I will post it here on the blog, two weeks after its publication on the Author Alliance website and will also be tweeting about it from here.

Starting 1^st of November, I will be reading the following:

·        2 Officers by Essam Youssef (Arabic), which I will be reviewing in both Arabic and English.

·        Twin Magnolia – if I haven’t finished it – though hopefully I will by the 30^th of October.

I will be looking forward to some more Arabic reads then and hopefully pick up with studying and revising my previous German levels and reading some short or children’s stories or blog posts.

With all these to-dos, it’s a bit hard to focus on writing much, if at all. So the moment I finish October’s to-read, I’ll be back to writing poetry and stories and taking a closer look at the writing prompts. This week’s #VisDare looks interesting, might try to give it a shot sometime tomorrow. I’m also looking forward to Lillie McFerrin’s weekly word prompt, which will be posted tomorrow.

Doxy - Poem by Nada Adel Sobhi

Doxy, you little mean beastie
are you going to hurt me?
An extra pair of hairy legs and arms,
what could you possibly be wanting to harm?
Fairy-like thick wings and human form,
with you around, who could go to their dorm?
Five hundred eggs at a time?
My dear, your reproduction is beyond fine!
Labelled by the Ministry XXX
Can you also perform a hex?
And they sell your yucky droppings
and say we'll get better grades and less failings
Doxy, you mean Doxy!
Get away from me,
and stop trying to hurt me!

This is a REALLY OLD poem of mine inspired by the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling, particularly Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them :)

A Doxy is a bit like a Pixie but hairier and much more mischievous.

Doxy artwork from harrypotter.fandom.com

The Wolf of the Highlands

The Wolf of the Highlands by Bil Howard is an interesting novella composed of 12 episodes. It mixes adventure with history and time travel. It is a novella of experience and self-learning as we see the Ray Barrett’s character develop throughout the book.

The story focuses on Ray, who goes to the mountains to rethink his life and clear his head. There he meets the Scotsman MacGregor and a wolf. At first, the reader is unsure if MacGregor is real or is a figment of Ray’s imagination. After their first meeting, Ray is hurled into the past where he is a Native American called Hoka. Ray calls his time-travel adventures “experiences”; they are sudden and frequent.

The language is simple and it is evident that Mr. Howard knows his history. I like how he lightly incorporates bits of it in The Wolf of the Highlands making it quite interesting.

There are four main characters along with many other minor ones coming from the various and distant periods of time that Ray travels to. Both MacGregor and Alexia are “Spirit Guides”, which Ray cannot grasp what that really means. We also meet Fasser, who constantly tries to kill Ray. A little towards the end, Ray considers what a Spirit Guide means: “What was a “spirit guide”? What did they do, really? Was it a job opportunity that was listed somewhere? He laughed at the thought. “Help wanted. Must be willing to travel through time and irritate the hell out of people.” (p. 103).

The pace of the novella is quick and exciting, though slightly confusing at first if the reader is unaware of the time travel theme. The reader meets the protagonist and the wolf, sees the past and present as well as witnesses a battle in the first episode of the novella.

The dialogue in The Wolf of the Highlands has two main purposes; it acts as a source of information and comic relief. The latter occurs when it is Ray and MacGregor speaking. Ray is short-tempered and MacGregor rarely gives him a straight answer.

The reason or rather reasons that made me give this novella a 4-star rating are: 1) there were several instances of incorrect use of ‘lay’ versus ‘lie’; 2) at the beginning there were many parts that were repeated word-for-word and at other times there was redundant repetition of certain words, like the repetition of ‘thick’ four times in one paragraph. An example for the word-for-word repetition is: “He remembered the sudden horror that came over them as they realized that it was not their brothers playing a trick on them.

It was not our brothers playing a trick on us, but…”. The word-for-word repetition here, and in other places, was rather annoying for me.

The Wolf of the Highlands has an abundance of verdant landscapes and some beautiful images like “the only salve that could take away the ache that was deep inside.” (p. 44). There were also several instances of philosophical thinking and introspection, which contained some interesting lines like “Knowledge should answer questions rather than create more of them. Or did it?” (p. 52)

As the story progresses, we see the development of Ray’s character, which is very nicely done. Ray compares his various experiences and reacts differently to the idea of death in each. “Although he couldn’t put a finger on specific lessons that he had learned in each one, he began to have a better sense of who he was. It was as though he were the steel blade of a sword which had been heated, hammered on and cooled in order to make it stronger.” (p. 114).

Episode 12 answers all of Ray’s questions as it mingles humour with revelation. Both Ray's sarcasm and MacGregor's light-heartedness are funny and amusing. Their constant tittle-tattle in many such instances throughout the novella creates comic relief.

Time travel stories are often tricky at the end but Mr. Howard manages a successful ending as both Ray and the reader see the various missing pieces of the puzzle fall in place at the end.

I had a bit of difficulty rating this novella, for I did enjoy it, though some parts (mentioned above) annoyed me. So, excuse the odd rating of 4.25 stars.