Pie Is More Than A Good Dessert, It's A Good Book

(5 STARS)  Pie, a ranch horse, suffers from an external mid-life crisis where he is injured after a brief encounter with a rowdy bull. Too damaged to continue his work, he is “put out to pasture” where the second phase of his life begins, which is surprisingly better than his first.

Pie is a multi-layered memoir about second changes, perseverance, and the power of bonding. Author Scaramuzzo has craftily managed to write an effective, feel-good book despite highlighted tragedy throughout. Told entirely through the point of view of Pie, this ordinary old brown horse shares his optimistic outlooks, fears, and subtle humor, as though the reader had stumbled upon his personal diary that he kept hidden at the back of his stable. Along the way, he meets a cast of characters, both human and animal, where they inspire and enlighten each other’s worlds.

This is not only a remarkable story on its own, but any lover of animals who understands the personal connection that is shared between pet and owner will have a heightened appreciation as Scaramuzzo expertly focuses on the importance of connections and interactions that both animal and human inherently give to one another. Pie is a regenerative tale for all ages.

Book Review: My Grandfather's War

(5 STARS) Before I begin singing praises for My Grandfather's War, I must come clean on two facts: a) being an author as well, it had been my intention to write a very, very similar book years ago about my grandfather's time in World War II as the bottom turret operator of a B-17 Fortress during the Pacific side of the war; and b) (and this is probably something more people can relate to) what it's like to be a caregiver for an ailing family member - the responsibility, the pressure, the fatigue, the time away from work, friends, and the simple pleasures in life we tend to take for granted (something vaguely comparable to being a prisoner of war).

Author Cozean hits the nail on the head with every word, right down to the brief moments of honest, yet silent, thoughts he allows himself to have before trudging on as a caregiver, heroically. I believe My Grandfather's War is a better book than anything I planned on writing if given the chance before my grandfather unexpectedly passed, because where I already had a solid and open relationship with my grandpa, Cozean not only takes a self-discovering journey in this memoir of the immense responsibility bestowed onto him during his "Papa's" recovery but builds a deeper and loving relationship with him that is just as intriguing as the stories of his grandfather's time being the Nazi's POW.

Filled with moments of grief, empathy, and humor, there is a little bit of everything in My Grandfather's War. Each transition moved seamlessly from one moment to the next, but what I especially liked most was the interludes into our nation's history and the retelling of America's involvement in World War II - brief, yet very important information in understanding the background and reasoning behind the motivation, influence, and abuse by all sides. In all honesty, I think I may have learned more about this devastating war in these 200 pages than I had during my 11th grade World History class - and then some - which was more enjoyable this time around because Cozean made sure the information was an exciting and intriguing read.

Finally, I could not agree more with the subtitle, which reads: "A Young Man's Lessons from the Greatest Generation". Even before reading My Grandfather's War, it had amazed me what my grandparent's generation accomplished and endured at their young age, and I wonder if our current generation would be capable of the same if put in the same war… a question similarly posed to Jesse by his Papa, and I believe answered honestly.

I look forward to more by this author in the future.

Book Review: Odd Thomas

(3 of 5 Stars) As suggested in the title to meet "Odd Thomas", the primary focus of this book is on the lead character, Odd, and everything he has in his life: his friends, his family, Pico Mundo, and an unique gift, which happens to reveal the looming horror of an upcoming event of tragic proportions. 

Focusing so intently on the day in the life of Odd and journeying with him as he visits friend then family then friend while slowly attempting to solve a potentially apocalyptic mystery (at least for the town of Pico Mundo) made it difficult for me to get involved with this story. Although the ending was satisfactory, this book moved too slow paced for my liking, and unfortunately, did not quite pique my interest to move on with this series, which I was really looking forward to spending a lot of my time on.

Having said that, I am a fan of Dean Koontz and of the handful of books of his I have read, I would highly suggest, Lightning.  I was obsessed with this book back in the late 1980's--the first and last time I read the novel.  I do not remember enough about the book to write a review, but I do remember my overall feeling of never being able to put the book down and wishing it had been as lengthy as War and Peace.

Book Review: Catching Fire & Mockingjay

I’ve always felt that I have been a better writer than reader.  I will proudly admit that I read at a snail’s pace.  I am not exactly sure why that is, but whether I’m fully into a story or struggling just to get through it, my speed does not fluctuate by much.

Reading also tends to put me to sleep if I’m not completely enthralled, which is why I’m extremely fussy about the books I read, which is also why my bookshelf is pathetically scarce of titles when compared to other authors.  However, I’ll read anything as long as I am extremely interested, no matter the genre.  That being said… I do still read whenever I can.  It has more to do than just loving a good book; it’s loving a good story with dynamic characters, engaging plots, and thrilling conflict, be it in the form of the written word, film, theatre, or video games (don’t laugh, some of the best stories have come from gaming.)

So, getting to the point of this—because I do have one—I’ve decided to put my two obsessions for reading and writing to proper use and publish the occasional review on books I’ve read.  Realistically, I’ve already started, having been registered with Goodreads for a while now.  For the first few reviews, I’ll post my more recent comments.  Unfortunately, I will not be going back to review books read more than a year ago, which I never wrote a review for.  I do not believe that would be acceptable since the details would not be fresh, no matter how much I loved or hated the book (unless I reread it, of course).  And, by the way, FYI, I am a hard-ass… I just can’t help it.

To start, I’d actually like to begin with a double review since the freshest review was on “Mockingjay” – the third book in “The Hunger Games” trilogy.  It only makes sense to post my review of “Catching Fire” – the second book – along with it.

(4 of 5 Stars) After toying with the idea of reading this book for nearly a year, I finally decided to crack the spine once I discovered that the story dealt more with the restricting utopia of Panem and their reaction to being outsmarted by a teenage girl, and having a little less to do with the actual Hunger Games. I'm not saying that I think Book One (The Hunger Games) is a bad story (Note: as of this review, I have only watched the movie and not read the book), but I personally have trouble swallowing the concept of children killing children.

Catching Fire spreads its wings beyond the annual Hunger Games and encompasses the suppressive world and their districts lead by a Nazi-like ruler, President Snow. I found this to be a more appealing story. The Hunger Games are still prominent, but this time, they are told in a way that doesn't have me question my own morals about being entertained by youth violence. But that is not to say the Games are without another - different - moral compass that brought its own special brand of tension. The somber romance of the original story returns on a slightly grander scale, as well as a cast of interesting new characters. Some of my favorites: Johanna, Finnick, and Wiress.

Overall, a very good story that gives a clearer understanding of the world they have to survive in whether it is inside or outside of the arena. I did come across a few minor plot holes or "far reaches" that momentarily knocked me out of the story, but none were major and I found it easy to get back into Collins' dystopia. I am looking forward to reading Mockingjay (Book 3) and will not be waiting a year to do so.

(3 of 5 Stars) So, coming off reading The Hunger Games #2 (Catching Fire), I decided to jump into #3 after not being able to get past the first 40 pages of another book (which shall remain nameless). I was very excited to begin "Mockingjay," and although The Hunger Games series did not end as I had hoped, I was not thoroughly disappointed.

To begin with the negatives, the story did not evolve with the same excitement that only this dystopia could create. This may be partly because the writing was not as precise as its predecessor, but that point is completely subjective to the reader. Normally, the third act of a trilogy that is centered on violence and oppression is filled with more tension, better excitement, and parallels of the inciting moment of the first book. Though there were reminiscences of Suzanne Collins attempting to achieve those occasions, they were not present. There were moments when I struggled to keep my eyes open while reading.

But as for "Mockingjay"s positive points, the relationships between Katniss, Peeta, and Gale were worthy of a final installment, and the torment of what Peeta goes through after the end of Book #2 was imaginative and unpredictable; a story highlight. Additionally, there did not appear to be any unanswered questions or gaping holes in the plot once the last page was turned. The series ended wrapped up in a tight package, I just thought it could have used different wrapping paper.

Overall, there was much more to be expected from a series that has been so widely received. Although I would recommend this read, I would do so with a cautionary suggestion for the reader to ignore all the hype and add some leniency to their expectations. Perhaps the movie will be more entertaining.

The Night: An Obsessed Author's Memoir

With only two days left until the release of my first novel, "Night of the Chupacabra", I thought I would give a timeline to the project and how it came to be the 300-page book it is today.  Some may find it interesting, while others who always secretly dreamed of putting your own story to paper - or Kindle screen - find it motivating, and then some of you (family and friends) may not have realized your influences, so this is kind of a "thank you" to you as well.  (This next part may not be the best sales pitch for my novel) but know that I did not take any special classes in English or Journalism outside of the required college courses; I just had an ambition.  However, that being said, the more you know about the rules of English literature, the easier the process.  This journey has led me down a long, long road, and after 20 years, it has definitely been one of my strongest obsessions.

It really began while attending an original one-act play festival at my two-year community college, Orange Coast College, where I spent six years as a student.  If memory serves, this was around 1992/1993.  A friend, Eric Person, had written and directed a play that focused on a group of victims being trapped inside a saloon, while some sort of creature (werewolves, I think) where trying to claw their way inside (sorry Eric if I'm totally off, but this is how I remember it).  It was the first time I saw the cross genre of western and horror, and I was immediately obsessed!  I had always been a fan of horror, but more importantly at this time, Clint Eastwood's "Unforgiven" had won Best Picture, a movie I love and got me excited about westerns.  I wanted to write my own horror/western.

My idea first started as a serial killer in the Old West.  I don't remember how or why, but the villain suddenly changed into a creature, and although I was excited to write my story, I was still heavily involved in theatre, relationships, work, and just being 20-something movie fanatic geek.  Basically, it took me four years to jot down enough notes to compose my story, which was a screenplay at that time.  Welcome, 1996.

I wrote my screenplay, then called "Dark Sunrise", creating a creature that I birthed on my own with a simple background, until a roommate of mine had posted an article on our refrigerator from the Orange County Register about a man in Santa Ana accusing the death of his infant on a "chupacabra".  That article hung on the fridge for over a year because this roommate thought it was hysterical (the kind of sick individual she is and the only person who will remain nameless).  This was the first I heard of this creature but thought nothing else of it until I watched an X-Files episode… you all know the one I'm talking about… about a chupacabra.  I was suddenly intrigued, and because the creature I created for my story was nearly identical, I changed it to the crypto "chupacabra".

Good friends and soon-to-be colleagues, Gia Quinlan and Bryan Prince, liked the finish screenplay, so much so that we formed an independent production company and named it after my script, "Dark Sunrise Productions, Inc." but after three years went by and two small projects did not get the company off the ground, the company silently disbanded, and that failure was very difficult for me.  I began second guessing my writing abilities even when I had the inspiring words of my former college professor, Alex Golson, "You know, you're a better writer than you are an actor."  At the time, it was a big "Ouch!" but I eventually came to appreciate his comment.  Yes, I wanted to be an actor, but I suppose Alex saw I had more passion about writing, and it was a few years after he made that comment, did I realize it myself.  Still, original college plays aside, everything I had written had failed.  The real world was much tougher without the support group of family and friends, and "Dark Sunrise" (the screenplay) was put on the shelf.

…until 2003!  You can never keep a writer down.  By this time, I had a steady relationship, life was good again, but I was bored.  I had missed writing, so dusted off "Dark Sunrise", gave it a new name, "el Chupacabra", and took a year to rewrite about 50% of the story.  I, then, started submitting it to screenplay competitions, where it placed: Finalist at "Writer's Place", Semi-Finalist at "Screenplay Festival", Semi-Finalist at "PAGE International Screenwriting Awards", and Finalist at "Shriekfest Film Festival", but it never WON.  So, I did more rewrites, and then submitted my script to a professional script analyst recommended by the Screenwriter's Association, Sarah Chen, who came back with some fantastic notes, but more importantly, inspiring comments.  I was ready to win a competition, but life happened yet again… it needed another reboot; although this time, I was not deterred from writing - it was just life being life.

From 2006 to 2010, I tweaked and twisted sections of "el Chupacabra" (but by this time, I had removed the "el"), I wrote a sequel script called "Curse of the Chupacabra", and I was just biding time - letting the "Chupacabra" script breathe new life before sending it back out in the competition circuit again.  And while I waited, I wrote and published a children's picture book, "The Night After Christmas" and it dawned on me that perhaps "Chupacabra" would do better as a novel.  So, I started writing the adaptation with the condition that if I struggled, then it wasn't meant to be.  The words poured out.  All the background and small side-stories I always kept locked up inside my head but were left out of the screenplay (because they would never work in that format) were finally free - like being paroled and released after 18 years of imprisonment.  And with a screenplay to use as a comprehensive outline, I was able to finish the first draft of the novel adaptation in a month and a half.

Since April of 2011, "Night of the Chupacabra" has undergone edit after edit and now, here it is October 15, 2012, two days before the novel's release date, with yet another title change (because it seemed more fitting for a novel and paralleled with titles of all future Chupacabra Series books, "Curse of the Chupacabra", "Legend of the Chupacabra", "Dawn of the Chupacabra", and "Return of the Chupacabra").  The process has been long but extremely rewarding, and if I had it do all over again, I would in half a heartbeat.  It's a dream, a checkmark off the Bucket List, a personal goal, and a chance to entertain as many people who are willing to pick up a copy and read 68,000 words.  If this is not an obsession, I don't know what is.

By the way, only 36 hours left to pre-order as of this post (hint, hint).

Long live the Goat-Sucker!



RBRBooks.com: ~ Hunt for the Chupacabra ~

RBRBooks.com: ~ Hunt for the Chupacabra ~: "Author: Michael Hebler Email: nanpinc@gmail.com Bio: Michael Hebler’s previous published work, “The Night After Christmas,” is a timele..."

I'm baaaaaaaaaack! So this is why I disappeared...

You could call it an obsession, or you could call it work.  When you love your job, it can go either way.

Immediately after my last post back in October (2010), I published a children's book called "The Night After Christmas" that pretty much took up all my time in marketing, publicity, guest readings, etc.  Most authors hate, hate, hate this part of the process because whether you're a self-publisher or one of the lucky few who are published through a publishing house, you still have to do your own marketing.  Considering I have a background in publicity, I don't hate this part at all.  In fact, I kind of enjoy it.  For me, it stirs up the pot and satisfies both sides of my brain, of which I've always believed I've been evenly split down the middle.

So once Christmas and the holiday hoopla was over, I thought about picking up this blog where I left off... until I needed to help my mother move the rest of her belongings to Alabama (by the way, moving is definitely NOT, NOT, NOT an obsession of mine).  This pretty much took the whole month of January, plus a few extra days.

So, February roles around and my sweet little sister, Melissa, a stage diva, asks me if I will perform in a show with her because one of the actor's was having health issues.  Now, being an ex-theatre geek, turning down roles that are offered on a golden platter is difficult, but I DID turn her down... initially, which is why they found another actor, who ended up having heart issues and thereby making the role available again.  So, I took the role in "Man of La Mancha".  Not one of my favorite plays, but I had a lot of fun in the show that swallowed my blogging time.  By the way, that actor is doing fine.

However, (in my very bad Shakespearean accent:) amidst the glory the being on the stage again (end accent), I decided that I had so much fun writing "The Night After Christmas" that I was going to write an anthology based on the legendary creature, el chupacabra!  You would think I would start lite with just a novel, but no.  When I become obsess about something, I go the whole hog.

Hence my time from March to July was pretty much engulfed by writing, rewriting, writer's block, more rewriting, more writer's block, prelim marketing, and more writing.

And now, currently writing my second novel while my first novel is in the process of being edited, and after completing a short story that leads to the events of Book I, "Night of the Chupacabra", I decide to add more food to my writing plate and rekindle this blog that I had once been so obsessed about.

So, I'm back, and I'm not planning on going anywhere.  I'll continue juggling my chupacabra anthology while posting messages here because that's what obsessed writer's do.

So, like any good publicist, I would be remiss to not plug my books right about now:

"The Night After Christmas" - www.thenightafterchristmas.net
The Chupacabra Series - www.wix.com/michaelhebler/chupacabraseries

By the way, my short story "Hunt for the Chupacabra" is actually a free download that works on iPhones, iPads, Kindle, PDF, etc. Just follow the links on the website.

You can also view the book trailer for the first novel here: