New Mock Cover Art for Match Maker

Hi Everyone,

I'm excited to share the two possible covers that will appear on my novel, Match Maker, coming out in September. I think the folks at Dreamspinner Press have done a fantastic job, but I can't make up my mind which I prefer. So please leave a comment or email me ( alanhchin@gmail.com ) to let me

know which one appeals to you.

Match Maker Blurb.

In the four years since being forced off the professional tour for being gay, Daniel Bottega has taught tennis at a second-rate country club. He found a sanctuary to hide from an unkind world, while his lover, Jared Stoderling, fought a losing battle with alcohol addiction to cope with his disappointment of not playing on the pro circuit.

Now Daniel has another chance at the tour by coaching tennis prodigy Connor Lin to a Grand Slam championship win. He shares his chance with Jared by convincing him to return to the pro circuit as Connor’s doubles partner.

Competing on the world tour is challenging enough, but Daniel and Jared also face major mediaattention, political fallout from the pro association, and a shocking amount of hate that threatens Connor’s career in tennis, Jared’s love for Daniel, and Daniel’s very life.

Cover #1

And Cover #2

Book Reivew: Lonnie, Me and the Hound of Hell by Marian Allen

Reviewed by Victor J. Banis
Published by Smashwords

The best word to describe Marian Allen’s short story collection, Lonnie, Me and the Hound of Hell, is extraordinary. Extraordinary in the most literal sense, for starters, because there isn’t a single story among these ten that could be described anywise as “ordinary.” Here is a partial summing up of their themes: In trying to negotiate a deal with the devil, a man believes he’s summoned up instead the devil’s own dog. Two tiny mice come to the rescue of a terrorized little girl. Hmm—over here, we’ve got zombies and man eating wolves. Not to mention Wicca and dueling sorceresses fighting over a horse and a sort of fish. Plus an extra-terrestrial dog. Vampires fixing horse races. Metaphoric (I think) crocodiles, and a gay cat who outwits more aliens to save his boyfriend. So, mostly animal tales, but definitely not your run of the mill animal tales.

They are all of them extraordinary as well in the quality of the writing, which is brilliant indeed. To be sure, there are chills and thrills here and some mystery, at least in the sense of the mysterious, and even romance (if you can think of a gay Persian in romantic terms) but what strikes me as the most salient element in all these stories is a razor sharp and often wry wit.

But, if the collection as a whole is far from the ordinary, the individual stories themselves are hardly any less different from one another–which makes reviewing the book difficult, since I can hardly review every one of them singly, and what I can tell you about one might have little bearing on the next.

Take the title story, for instance, possibly my favorite. Lonnie, Me and the Hound of Hell is roll on the floor funny. Two good ole boys baptize—yes, you read that right—what Lonnie thinks is the Hound from Hell. To do this, they need holy water, and they make their own holy water by taking some ordinary tap water and boiling the hell out of it. Which I think ought to give you the flavor of this one without giving any more than that away. But, don’t expect anything else in the collection to have this same artfully captured voice.

High Stakes has an altogether different voice, and it is funny, too, but in a far more uptown, Damon Runyan way. Vlad the Roumanian hires a mortal detective to find out why his race horses keep losing, and sends the Satin Doll to assist in the investigation, with hilarious results.

In Sledgehammer, the author simply drops you down in a chase scene on, one presumes, the Russian Steppes, with the narrator and his parakeet (I told you these were not ordinary) pursued by zombies riding on wolves. High drama indeed.

And Mr. Sugar, in Mr. Sugar versus the Martians, is that gay Persian I told you about, who gets abducted by little green men who want to “sample” him, but gets his fur up when they also steal the “boy next door,” the object of his affections, and the little green men learn what others have learned before them – When his Sweetie is threatened, a gay male can turn from Sugar to Wildcat in the flick of a tail. Or, put it another way, neutered doesn’t necessarily mean “no balls.”

Well, if all this sounds a little outré to you, be assured that the author makes it all not only believable but quite accessible—I suspect there’s a little witchcraft at work there, frankly. My advice is, just get the e-book for yourself, especially if you like animals – priced at $1.49 it’s a true bargain. Just don’t expect to read Dick and Jane and Spot. These are not those kinds of creatures.

Oh, you can read excerpts here:
http://www.marianallen.com/stories/lonnie-me-and-the-hound-of-hell/lonnie-me-and-the-hound-of-hell-excerpts/

What I’ve been reading

Over the last weeks I’ve managed to read four fine books, and most I’ve posted reviews on his blog. They are:

Gailias: Operation Thunderspell by Kage Alan. Published by Zumaya Boundless. This a funny romp for a pair of gay secret agents, who are also lovers, working for the government. This novel has all the wit and banter that Kage Alan fans have come to expect.

Princess Of The Andes by Victor Banis. Published by Untreed Reads Publishing. A passenger on the freighter Princess of the Andes makes himself into a bore, driving the captain and crew up the walls. But then the ship’s doctor comes up with a surprising remedy that will bring a smile to your lips.

Tales My Body Told Me by Wayne Courtois. Published by Lethe Press. Paul Lavarnway finds himself in a group home for “recovering homosexuals”. He shares the home with four other live-in patents and one counselor. He struggles through a drug-induced haze to piece together his life and how he came to be there. As the puzzle falls into place, some strange things begin to happen in the home. Dangerous things.

Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee. Published by Penguin Books. Professor David Lurie loses everything when it is discovered he is having an affair with a young, female student. In disgrace, he flees his home to visit his lesbian daughter who owns a farm in South Africa. While there, an unimaginable act of violence forces father and daughter to confront their already strained relationship.

Lastly, I’d like to mention a book I’m still reading. Story by Robert McKee. Published by Harper Collins. It is one of the finest books on writing that I’ve read. It is geared towards screenwriting, but what McKee has to say is equally as valid for fiction writers. He discusses substance, structure, style, and the principles of writing stories. I highly recommend this book to any serious writer.


Cheers,
alan chin

Book Review: Gailias: Operation Thunderspell by Kage Alan

Reviewed by Alan Chin
Published by Zumaya Boundless
Pages: 221


Nicholas and Anthony are not only secret agents working for the U.S. government, they are also lovers. Yes, a pair of gay 007s. Nicholas is the brawn of the duo; Anthony is the brains. They are opposites in almost every way, including the fact that Nicholas is Caucasian and Anthony is Chinese. And do opposites attract? Don’t bet on it. Only one thing is certain, when they come together, sparks fly.

They are paired up with Debora, a razor-tongued agent, and sent to a resort island in the Philippines where some very shady dealings seem to be going on, having to do with a new terrorist organization, ever-so-descriptively called, the League. But it’s not your typical sun-sand-surf resort island, it’s an S/M theme park, where all of the guests play a role as either a master or a slave. On this island, the Asians are the masters and the Caucasians are the slaves. Anthony is given an undercover guise that lets him be a master, while Nicholas must submit to being a slave. While Anthony has it easy, Nicholas falls under the brutal hand of The Ball.

Things become more complicated when they find they are not the only secret agents on the island. It seems that Rice and Christian are also there to acquire information; although it’s not certain which government they are working for. In all the confusion, bullets fly, buildings explode, helicopters are blown out of the sky. But do the good guys win? Do we even know who the good guys are? The only certainty is a surprise on every page.

Kage Alan is an extremely funny writer, and this novel shows him at his best. It’s much like watching a Marx Brother’s film, that is, if the Marx Brothers had been gay. Or more appropriately: a gay I Spy vs. Scooby Doo. Nicholas and Anthony spend the novel dissing each other, as only two witty and bitchy lovers can do. The only time they are not dissing each other is when they gang up to diss someone else. This novel has all the wit and banter that Kage Alan fans have come to expect.

There is nothing here to take seriously. It is a lighthearted romp with a couple of razor-tongued queens. The protagonists are in their thirties, which is a departure from Mr. Alan’s previous books. This humor is geared to an adult audience. On the one hand I appreciated the more mature humor. On the other hand, I think this book lost much of the sensitivity that Mr. Alan’s previous novels had, when Andy Stevenson was dealing with issues of coming out.

Still, if you're in need of a good laugh, page after page, then set your sights on Gailias: Operation Thunderspell, and be prepared to be entertained.

For more information about his book or author, go to http://www.kagealan.com/index.php

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Short Story Review: Princess Of The Andes by Victor J. Banis

Reviewed by Alan Chin
Published by Untreed Reads Publishing

The Princess of the Andes is a freighter registered in Ecuador, making a trip from Los Angeles, through the Panama Canal, to Haiti. In addition to cargo, she also carries passengers looking for cheap transportation to Latin America. One of these passengers, Randolph Letterman, has signed on for the whole cruise to Haiti, and back to L.A.

Everything starts off fine. The weather is grand and they make good time. But as the trip progresses, Randolph makes himself into a bit of a bore. In an effort to be social to Captain Herrman and the crew, Randolph becomes too talkative, too much of a know-it-all, until he has everyone aboard avoiding him. The situation gradually becomes worse until Captain Herrman threatens to throw Randolph overboard so he can enjoy his meals in silence.

It is then that the ship’s doctor comes up with a plan. In his estimation, Randolph is a lonely, older, gay man who desperately needs to get laid. The Doctor suggests, that if they are to get any quiet, then someone from the crew should volunteer to satisfy the old man. That alone will shut him up. The Captain is willing to try anything, but whose to bell the cat?

For several years now, I have been a fan of Victor Banis’s work, whether it be a four-hundred page novel or a ten page short story, Victor puts the same level of artistic talent into everything he writes. And needless to say, I was not in the least bit disappointed with The Princess of the Andes.

I love his superlative voice, his quirky characters, his well-constructed plots. This story is a joy to read. It carries the reader along, and then gives him/her a playful little slap in the face at the end.

I’ve said it before, that I think it takes more talent to craft a short story than a novel, and Victor shows his considerable talent in spades. If you want to spend a joyful half-hour, read The Princess of the Andes.

To read more about this story and/or Victor J. Banis go to http://www.vjbanis.com/

Writing Tip #19 – Choosing a writing partner, or not?

This is a topic I’ve been churning over for months. You see, I’ve written five novels and two screenplays all by my lonesome, with little or no input from anyone else. But a few months ago I teamed up with a writing partner, Ed, to write a new screenplay. Collaborating on a story has been an interesting experience, both rewarding and frustrating.

The idea for the story was purely mine. I approached Ed to work with me on it because he has a great deal of knowledge about how to best structure a script, and how to structure each scene. He is good at structure; I’m good at creating a compelling story. It seemed like a match made in heaven, but the results have been mixed.

So over the past few months, we’ve created character profiles, a theme statement, a log line, a high level outline, plot points, and thirty pages of script. (about 25% of a full script). He has now focused on completing a medium level outline while I am pounding out the script itself.

The work has moved along at a slower pace than I’m used to, but I’m ok with that because the script is reading really good so far, and I’m sure it will take much less rewriting than I’m used to. And I must say that his input into the story, the structure, and the script have made it a better read than I would have done by this stage in the project. Bottom line: it’s a much better work because of our collaboration.

So where is the rub? I’ll tell you. Because I must respect and allow his input into the story, it has changed from what I originally had intended. That’s not a bad thing, because it is a better story. The problem is, that I’m not nearly as motivated to write this new story, simply because it is no longer my story. I don’t have the same passion for it. Hence, I’ve been avoiding working on it, and it feels like work, not something I do for pleasure.

The upside is, I’m learning tons about structuring a script, not to mention that the script is very good. But I’m losing interest in it day by day. I’ve already begun another script that will be purely mine.

So, when selecting a writing partner, I have two suggestions. First, be sure that you’re willing to write someone else’s story, because it won’t be totally your own once you take on a partner. Second, choose someone that will complement your weaknesses, someone you can learn from. That way, even if you don’t finish the project, you will become a better writer.
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Call For Submissions: Thanksgiving Short Story Anthology

Untreed Reads Publishing is in the process of creating an anthology of short stories to be released on November 1st as a Thanksgiving release.

Working Title: The Killer Wore Cranberry

This anthology is designed to be a humorous mystery anthology. Only mysteries with a definite humor angle to them will be accepted or considered. What we're looking for are stories geared around the most popular Thanksgiving dishes: turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, pumpkin pie, etc.. As long as it's a regularly-featured food at Thanksgiving, we're open to how you work it in. Please note that it is unlikely we will publish multiple stories of the same food (i.e.: no two stories where pumpkin pie is featured).

As this is a short story anthology, submissions need to be between 3500-5000 words in length. We may be willing to accept longer works depending on the content. Previously published material is ok for submission providing that all electronic rights have reverted to the author. Stories that have been published previously need to be notated as such, along with the information as to where it first appeared.

The intention is to release each short story as its own release under our existing /Fingerprints /short story line, but there will also be an all-in-one edition at a lower price than purchasing the stories individually to encourage readers to pick up the entire anthology.

Editor-In-Chief Jay Hartman will serve as Editor for this anthology.

Deadline for submissions is September 30th, 2010. Email submissions ONLY, and they MUST be in DOC format, Times New Roman, 12pt. Submissions received that are not in this format will be deleted. Please include the word "Thanksgiving" in your subject line. All stories should be sent to submissions@untreedreads.com . Submissions sent to other email addresses will not be recognized. If an insufficient amount of usable entries are received, this anthology may be withdrawn, and such withdrawal will be announced no later than September 15th.

Please repost/cross-promote this Call with fellow authors/blogs/lists, etc..

Questions regarding this Call should be directed to Editor-In-Chief Jay Hartman at jhartman@untreedreads.com .

Best,
Jay Hartman
Editor-In-Chief
Untreed Reads Publishing
http://www.untreedreads.com
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