Tag: fiction

What’s Jotham Checking Out July-August 2023

Books:

I read six since the last time I checked in (not including the six books I read for the CWA BOTY contest). I read in a few genres: from Horror (Cynthia’s reimagining of the Pied Piper). Speculative and Science fiction (cloning and space drama). A great film study of one of my favorite movies, The Thing. A thrilling story about a diver that gets swallowed by a whale, and Seth Godin (marketing, leadership and living a creative life). These were some great reads to take my mind off the tasks at hand.

  1. The Dip: A little book that teaches you when to quit: (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6547148) Seth Godin (Non-Fiction leadership)
  2. Never Let Me Go(https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6334): Kazuo Ishiguro (Speculative Fiction)
  3. The Thing (BFI Film Classic) (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1200879): Anne Billson (Film Study)
  4. Children of Chicago (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55878030): Cynthia Pelayo (Horror)
  5. Whalefall (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62919162): Daniel Kraus (Thriller)
  6. Fractal Noise (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62711641): Christopher Paolini (Science-Fiction)

Comics/Graphic Novels:

I read two graphic novel/comic series. I mentioned last time I went to CAKE (Chicago’s Alternative Comics Expo) with Georgia last month and one of the artist/writer I met was Megan, and her Lady Eudora book was a great fun read about a proper woman exploring the world of BDSM. I also read Big Sex Criminal (it’s been in my TBR pile for a year or so)—A couple can stops time when they have an orgasm and decide to rob a bank…

  1. The Lady Eudora Henley (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52740645): Megan Rose Gerdis (Erotic, BDSM)
  2. Big Hard Sex Criminal Vol 1-6 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24484259): Writer: Matt Fraction, Illustrator: Chip Zdarsky (Sci-Fi)

You can follow me on Goodreads to see what I’m reading next: 

Jotham’s Goodreads

What’s Jotham Listening to:

Music:

Just been digging some algorithmic curated apple playlists.

Podcasts:

Here are the four top podcasts I’ve been finding time for (Yes, this is the same list as before, but what can I say these are awesome): 

  1. Creative Peptalk by Andy J Pizza (A companion for your creative journey)
  2. Story Nerd: Melanie Hill and Valerie Francis (Story theory and how to use)
  3. The Shit No One Tells You About Writing: Bianca Marais, CeCe Lyra and Carly Waters (Behind the scenes look at publishing industry)

Okay, that’s where I’m at. I’ll try to update y’all every month on books, comics, and music (podcasts) that I’ve been digging! Maybe I need to add shows and movies??? What have y’all been digging? 

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Find your next favorite book or author with these newsletter giveaways (Reader Magnets), new books, or virtual book-fairs:

Reader Magnet: The Earth is gone. Can the colonists of Mars forge a new society for humanity to survive?
Book: Only 0.99 cents until September 10th: A future society about to collapse. A reluctant hero alone in the world. When he suspects sabotage, will he abandon his newfound friend to save humanity?
Book: When the FBI can’ t help, an unassuming banker takes matters into his own hands to bring his son home
Reader Magnet: Three Prequel stories to The Dragon Eater

What am I Reading and Listening to

07 January 2023

Comics, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Music/Podcasts

Comics:

The Jet Saga:
Row Sky

I was at a John Streetz Alliance Comic and Craft event at Soundgrowler Brewery in December 2022 and I met Row Sky, among other creators I’ll be taking about over this year.

Row introduced me to the world he is creating through his words and comics. A world where superhero’s are just being discovered and exploited.

Here is what The Jet Saga is all about in Row’s words:

“Kevin is trying to find his self-worth in a world where heroes are now just becoming a thing. While a nation is being divided by inescapable change, Kevin is desperately trying to provoke change within himself.”

Go learn more about Row Sky and his comic at his website (there are trailers and art work).


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Fiction / Indie-Fiction:

The Deep:
Rivers Solomon, Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, Jonathan Snipes:

This was the first book I’ve read in 2023, and it was incredible. And the process and transformation of the idea and themes in the book cross several creative disciplines, Music, Writing, and Art.

The book has its roots in the Music of Drexciya, a Detroit based Techno duo. The story reimagines the horror of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade by posing the question, “What if the descendants of pregnant mothers thrown overboard created an underwater society?”
This theme was picked up by Daveed Diggs and his rap group Clipping. The idea was further explored and expanded by author Rivers Solomon in the book, ‘The Deep.” And to keep the idea and world building expanding, Abdul Qadim Haqq created a graphic novel: The Book Of Drexciya Volume One and Two

Back copy excerpt for ‘The Deep’:

“The water-breathing descendants of African slave women tossed overboard have built their own underwater society—and must reclaim the memories of their past to shape their future in this brilliantly imaginative novella inspired by the Hugo Award nominated song “The Deep” from Daveed Diggs’ rap group Clipping.

Yetu holds the memories for her people—water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slave owners—who live idyllic lives in the deep. Their past, too traumatic to be remembered regularly, is forgotten by everyone, save one—the historian. This demanding role has been bestowed on Yetu.

Yetu remembers for everyone, and the memories, painful and wonderful, traumatic and terrible and miraculous, are destroying her. And so, she flees to the surface, escaping the memories, the expectations, and the responsibilities—and discovers a world her people left behind long ago.

Yetu will learn more than she ever expected to about her own past—and about the future of her people. If they are all to survive, they’ll need to reclaim the memories, reclaim their identity—and own who they really are.

Inspired by a song produced by the rap group Clipping for the This American Life episode “We Are In The Future,” The Deep is vividly original and uniquely affecting.

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Non-Fiction:

Robert McKee

Dialogue: The Art of Verbal Action for Page, Stage, and Screen

I am continuing my journey and deep dive into the theory of story, and after focusing on structure, I am moving to dialogue.

Backcopy:
”Now, in Dialogue, McKee offers the same in-depth analysis for how characters speak on the screen, on the stage, and on the page in believable and engaging ways. From Macbeth to Breaking Bad, McKee deconstructs key scenes to illustrate the strategies and techniques of dialogue. Dialogue applies a framework of incisive thinking to instruct the prospective writer on how to craft artful, impactful speech.”

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Music/Podcasts:

No new Podcast to report: Still catching up on them all!

But on the Music Front, there have been several mentions in this post already, Drexciya, and Clipping, but I was gifted a subscription to Vinyl Moon by my lovely wife Georgia (atomicnumber14). And I did some organizing.

Vinyl Moon is like a mix tape on vinyl, but they create a multimedia experience, Art, Story and Music. I am excited to get new additions every month.

Also, I spent organizing my vinyl collection. I used my woodworking skill and laser engraver to make dividers for my LPs. I will do the same for the hundreds of 45s that I have. Maybe I need to get a jukebox.

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Okay, that’s where I’m at. I’ll try to update y’all every month on books, comics, and music (podcasts) that I’ve been digging! I’ll try to add some indie author reads!

Email me and let me know what you’ve been into and what I should check out! Or follow me online for more realtime updates: Jotham’s Social Links

What’s That You Say

Hey there. Thanks for stopping by and spending some time with me. I will try to give a little insight on publishing, balancing work with writing and even some science stuff I do at my day job. I’m not the only one trying to write, publish, market and work full time. Let’s spend some time sharing stories, tips and tricks to make it across that finish line. For all the non-authors, I will break down acronyms writers use like MS or ARC or TBR—that way when you see posts from favorite authors you can follow along.

So, a lot has been happening on the writing front. Punchline: I will publish my novel and a novella early 2020! Read on for details.

1. I sent my proofed Manuscript (MS) back to the publisher a couple days again. This means that my debut psychological thriller, “Will You Still Love Me, If I Become Someone Else?”, is going into production. You’d think it would be an easy street now that the writing, editing, and revising is done, but you’d be wrong. I have learned that marketing and promoting is a huge part of the publishing game. So, I’m learning the end and outs of building a platform and brand. So, please follow me on your favorite social media platform (links in the sidebar or I’m @jomega22 on everything) and sign up for my newsletter (I’m aiming for monthly, but if something exciting happens, like a give away, you may get an extra one). This is a big help to a new author (any author).

2. Since my novel is going into production this means that the Advance Reading Copies (ARCs) are coming soon. My publisher, RhetAskew, gives these out to readers about 90 days before publication to get reviews and blurbs and get the hype machine going. If you are interested in being added to the ARC list, subscribe to the newsletter or send me a DM on a social media platform.

3. So, the rumors are true; I am working on a Novella (a story in between a short story and a novel) to that will be published as a collection in a Romance box set early next year. Yes, you read right, my novel is a psychological thriller and now I’m writing a romance novella—okay let me explain, it’s not as big a leap as you think.

So, in college I was writing short-literary fiction and poetry, dealing with relationships and self reflection. After graduate school, I didn’t write much as I focused on my science career. After 6 years not writing, I got a journal and started writing, and a year later, I had a novel (it would be my second novel 3 years later that is getting published). “Write what you know—” is what they say, and I am a scientist, I mixed my literary-poetical style with a bit of sci-fi and I got ‘Will You Still Love Me, If I Become Someone Else?’

My novel has a lot to do about relationships, but layered into a twisty thriller plot with a dash of sci-fi.

Moving from that to writing a romantic comedy wasn’t difficult. I watch (it’s a little know fact about me) a ton of Rom-Coms, from ‘Christmas in Connecticut’ to ‘Always Be My Maybe’, and the hardest part was doing the actual writing (but isn’t that always the case). Also, I have added romance novels to my To Be Read (TBR) pile. I have already sent a draft of my novella, “Tomorrow May Be Too Late”, out to romance beta readers (people who will read the story to give feedback to help with revisions)–I’ll write a post about this process later. Besides thinking of ways to expand my romance novella, I’ve already starting to work on another Romance novella—maybe Novel (You Can Be My Wind Up—working title).

Okay, that’s all for now. If you have any questions or comments, post them here or on a social media platform. I’ll catch you on the Flip—

Happy Writing!

Cheers,

JRA, II

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