A Guest Post By: DM Annechino
Cruel and Unusual
 
The appreciation of any art form is highly subjective. Whether it’s novel writing, film making, music, sculpting, painting, or singing, everyone has a different opinion. To borrow a cliché, “One person’s junk is another’s treasure.” As a writer, I painfully understand that not all of my readers will be big fans. In fact, some will absolutely hate everything about my novels. There has never been a writer who escaped the harsh words of critics. Not one.
 
I truly appreciate constructive criticism. In fact, I gain more from negative feedback than I do from kudos. I can’t really grow as a writer by reading 5-Star reviews. But when a reader points out a flaw in the plot, a technical fault, or a continuity issue, I can learn from that criticism and improve my writing.
 
The one thing that puzzles me is why a critic chooses to be downright malicious. Some of the reader reviews I’ve read for my novels just tear my heart out. When an author spends thousands of hours writing a novel, designing a plot, crafting sub-plots, creating interesting characters, and going through a comprehensive editorial process, why would anyone derive pleasure from slamming the author in a brutal way?
 
If my writing sucks to a particular reader, it sucks. But there are hundreds of ways to convey the same criticism without resorting to personal attacks or mean-spirited comments. Referring to They Never Die Quietly, one reader said, “This has to be one of the worst books I have ever read. It is filled with clichés and the writing is sophomoric at best. Overall, the writing is terrible. It is what one would expect from a freshman who is taking his first creative writing class.” Hey Mr. Reviewer, don’t walk on eggshells. Tell me what you really think!
 
If there is any truth to the adage, “Misery loves company,” then I’m proud to be part of a really elite group because William Shakespeare, Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, Stephen King, and even J.K. Rowling have gotten their share of crappy reviews. Guess I’ll spend less time licking my wounds and more time writing.  
 
 

About The Promise of Pierson Orchard

• Paperback
• Publisher: Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing (April 22, 2017)
• 
  
• Long before fracking ever came to Minden, Pennsylvania, the fissures in the Pierson family were developing into major fault lines.

Green Energy arrives, offering the rural community of Minden the dream of making more money from their land by leasing natural gas rights for drilling. But orchardist, Jack Pierson, fears his brother, Wade, who now works for Green Energy, has returned to town after a twenty-year absence so desperate to be the hero that he’ll blind their hometown to the potential dangers. Jack also worries his brother will try to rekindle his relationship with LeeAnn, Jack’s wife, who’s recently left him. To protect his hometown and to fulfill a promise to himself, Jack seeks out his mother and environmental lawyer, Stella Brantley, who abandoned Minden–and Jack and Wade–many, many years ago.

“Brandes checks off all the boxes for quality fiction: the characters are well-rounded, the settings, such as the apple orchards, the crisp Silver Creek, and the rocky outcrops, are vividly described, and the plot is well-organized and crisply paced. The tension between the characters satisfyingly rises to a crescendo that’s in sync with the larger environmental crisis that threatens the town.” – KIRKUS REVIEWS
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Purchase Links
Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Review: 
Jack's family life began crumbling early in his childhood.  When Jack and his brother Wade were four and five years old, Jack's mother walked out on the family due to severe depression.  Later in his youth, their father died in a hunting accident.  Not long after that, Wade disappears. Jack is left to run their apple orchard by himself.  Jack marries a neighbor, LeeAnn and after eight years of infertility, their marriage falls apart.  Then, Wade returns along with his new job at Green Energy with hopes to reconcile his past and help out the town.  Wade is selling land leases for Green Energy to frack for natural gas in the abundant shale deposits of his hometown of Minden, Pennsylvania.  The quick money is a big draw for many of the families and businesses who have seen their town dwindle since the coal companies left.  However, Jack is worried about the effects of fracking on the land, his orchard and LeeAnn's organic apple trees.  He makes the decision to call in his mother, Stella, now an acclaimed environmental lawyer to get some perspective on the issue.  With Wade, Jack and Stella all back together there will be more be more explosions than just the hydraulic fracturing.

As an environmental scientist, I appreciate pertinent environmental issues featured in contemporary fiction. The Promise of Pierson Orchard expertly incorporates the slowly leaking and infiltrating toxins of the hydraulic fracturing with the disassembling relationships within Jack's family.  The characters are definitely the focus of the story.  The writing switching between the point-of-view of Jack, Wade, LeeAnn and Stella giving an intimate look into each character's back story and reasoning, making it easy to see everyone's beliefs and why they were convinced they were doing the right thing.  The shorter chapters also made for quick reading and a build of suspense as secrets were revealed.  I was most impressed with the author's ability to come up with a compromise solution for the town and the hydraulic fracturing.  While the dangers of fracking and its many consequences are highlighted, Stella's character is able to come up with a solution that includes fracking done a better way in order to help the community and family that she left behind.  With a heart-pounding and surprising ending, The Promise of Pierson Orchard provides an engaging and thoughtful read.

This book was provided for free in return for an honest review. 

​About Kate Brandes
​An environmental scientist with 20 years of experience, Kate Brandes is also a watercolor painter and a writer of women’s fiction with an environmental bent. Her short stories have been published in The Binnacle, Wilderness House Literary Review, and Grey Sparrow Journal. Kate is a member of the Arts Community of Easton (ACE), the Lehigh Art Alliance, Artsbridge, the Pennwriters, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Kate lives in a small town along the Delaware River with her husband, David, and their two sons. When she’s not working, she’s outside on the river or chasing wild flowers.
Connect with Kate
Website | Facebook | Twitter

About the Book: 
​The Mourning Ring
by Sarah Parke
​Publication Date: October 10, 2016
CreateSpace
eBook & Paperback; 350 Pages
Genre: Young Adult/Historical Fantasy


READ AN EXCERPT.

Sixteen-year-old Charlotte Bronte lives to tell stories. She longs to improve her fortunes through her writing. Charlotte’s father expects her to leave behind her childish fantasies in order to set an example for her three younger siblings.
But the Bronte children hold a secret in their veins—a smidgen of fairy blood that can bring their words to life.
When Charlotte discovers that the characters from their childish stories exist in an alternate world called Glass Town, she jumps at the opportunity to be the heroine of her own tale.
The city of Angria teeters on the brink of civil war and Charlotte and her siblings must use their magic and their wits to save its people from a tyrant with magic abilities. But entering the fictional world means forfeiting control of their own creations. If they fail, the characters they have come to know and love will be destroyed.
Charlotte is determined to save the city and characters she loves, but when the line between creator and character becomes blurred, will she choose her fantasy or her family?

​
Amazon (Kindle) | Amazon (Paperback) | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Review: 
As a young woman returning from school, 16 year old Charlotte Bronte can't wait to jump back into the make believe world of Glass Town and her favorite activity to share with her siblings, storytelling.  Together, the remaining Bronte siblings- Charlotte,  Branwell, Anne and Emily have created the alternate world of Glass Town and keep meticulous written records of the events there.  However, when a strange sleepwalking occurrence happens, a memory of Charlotte's meeting with her fairy grandfather and the strange gift he gave her resurfaces. The siblings begin to learn about their fairy bloodlines from their Aunt and attempt to learn the magic that has been brewing in their bones.  Meanwhile, things are not going well in the city of Angria in the sibling's alternate world.  Thanks to Branwell's imagination, there is a new King and a civil war is on the brink.  When the former King crosses worlds to ask for Charlotte's aid in retaking the throne, she is more than ready to cross realms and step into the world of their creation.


I have always wanted the chance to step into the worlds from certain books, and I would definitely take the opportunity to visit a world of my own creation and talk to the people there!  Aimed at young adults, but an absolute pleasure to read as an adult, The Mourning Ring is a  magical and whimsical story that serves as a wonderful introduction into the world of the highly imaginative and revered storytellers themselves, the Bronte's.  I was pleased to find out that the four siblings really did create these worlds in their youth and served as a start to the three sister's writing careers. With the addition of the fairy blood, the story was able to be brought into the fantasy world. The adventures in Glass Town were the highlight of the story, rich descriptions of the land, the dress and the characters that the Brontes loved made Glass Town just as real to me.  I was excited when each sibling had the chance to interact with the character of their making and had to come to terms with that character's features and flaws.  The trouble in Glass Town also parallels Branwell's future true-life troubles, however, in the story the siblings must work together to reinstate their former King Zamora and not become too entangled within the land of their own creation.  Overall, a unique look into the early lives of four extraordinary siblings and the creative process that fueled their imaginations. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

​About the Author

Sarah Parke writes fantasy and historical fiction (sometimes at the same time) for young adult readers and those young at heart.

She has a MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast MFA program. Her work has been published internationally, most recently in the July 2015 issue of The Writer magazine.
​
For more information, please visit Sarah Parke’s website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

About the Book: 
Globe Newswire reports that Dr. Iris Mack's mathematics edutainment book is "turning heads across the country in a response similar to the widely promoted 'Hooked on Phonics,' that improved children's reading skills." Her unique approach to math became one of Xlibris/Random House Publisher's top children's picture book royalty earners.

If there is one word that sums up our recent economic woes, it is interest. There’s interest on credit card balances, student loans, car loans, home mortgages, corporate borrowings and most prominently, on state and national debt. But there is surprisingly little interest in this interest. We all pay it. But not many of us really understand how it works. Dr. Iris Mack has filled the gap – and for young consumers.

Her financial literacy book “Mama Says Money Doesn't Grow on Trees!'' is focused on teaching students that math can be fun and key to understanding money and interest. In today’s world of subprime mortgage crises, bankruptcies, massive credit card debt and predatory lending, Dr. Mack's book is more relevant than ever. In “Mama Says Money Doesn't Grow on Trees!" a group of smart, animated characters explain how money and interest work, as young consumers are introduced to mathematics and financial literacy.
Professor Ø, Ms. Madonna Sorenson and Dr. Mackamatix lead students Al G Bro, Frakshun, Nada, Queen% and Material Girl Ma$ through a fun-filled math class all about how money and interest work in their everyday lives.

Learn more: MathQED TV

Praise for this book:

“I think the work you do showing how math can be beautiful and practical is great, keep it up!” says Javier Tordable, Senior Software Engineer at the Google Corporation.

“Making math fun and relevant is a real public service. Old fashioned, boring textbooks aren't the thing that will capture the imagination and engage our children in the fun and yes, joy, in math and problem solving. Iris Mack has created a group of characters and scenarios that will draw young people into the fold of knowledge.” says Karen Pritzker– Producer of The My Hero Project and Editor of The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity website.

Buy the Book:  Amazon

About the Author: 
Iris Marie Mack, PhD, EMBA, earned a doctorate in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University. She was also awarded a Sloan Fellowship Executive MBA from the London Business School. Dr. Mack worked at various energy and financial institutions, acted as a faculty member at MIT, and worked at NASA and AT&T Bell Labs – where she obtained a patent for research on optical fibers.

Dr. Mack currently lectures on Energy Trading and Risk Management for the Fitch Learning Certificate in Quantitative Finance Program on Wall Street and at Tulane University. Because of Dr. Mack's extensive knowledge of the derivatives, energy trading, and investment banking world, she has been invited to write opinion columns for the UK edition of the International Business Times.

Dr. Mack has also been named one of Glamour Magazine’s Top 10 Working Women, and she is no novice writer. This publishing will be her third financially-focused and published book – including her energy trading book published with Wiley Finance and a financial literacy book for teens and adults. With this breadth of experience and sheer intellectual prowess, Dr. Mack is more than able to help readers reach the financial stability they deserve.

In addition, Dr. Mack founded The Global Energy Post and MathQED - a homework help site for K-12 and college students. Previously known as Phat Math, this service has even been named one of the Top 50 Social Sites for Educators and Academics, 25 Savvy Social Media Sites for Grad Students and 25 Useful Networking Sites for Grad Students. Such accolades illustrate Dr. Mack’s ability to clearly inform the masses.

Connect with the Author:  Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

ABOUT THE BOOK: 
​The day comes sooner than expected when Charles, prompted by a near-scandal between Evelyn and a servant, brings her on a business trip to New York City and the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. Evelyn welcomes the chance to escape her cloistered life and see the world.
 
But a fishing expedition up the Nipigon River in Canada takes an unexpected turn when Evelyn discovers that their river guide is none other than James Douglas. Even more startling, her father betrays no shock, simply instructing Evelyn not to reveal their past connection with James to the rest of their party.
 
Evelyn never believed that James was guilty, but speculation about her father’s role in the killing has made her fearful. What is he hiding? As they travel deeper into the wilderness, and further from the constraints of polite society, the secrets and lies surrounding that night are finally stripped away, revealing the true natures of everyone in their party.
 
BEYOND THE WILD RIVER by Sarah Maine
Atria Books Paperback | On-sale: April 18, 2017 | ISBN: 9781501126956 | 352 pages | $16.00
eBook: 9781501126970, $11.99

Review: 
Evelyn Ballantyre has grown up in a privileged but sheltered life on Ballantyre estate in the Scottish Borderlands in the 1890's.  Her father is a respected magistrate and has spent his life carefully building up his wealth and taking care of his holdings.  One choice Ballantyre has made was to take in a young man found poaching on his estate; James Douglas was given the role as a groom and became a companion to the younger Evelyn.  Years later, a hunting incident leaves an older poacher dead on Ballantyre grounds.  The poacher was James' friend from his youth.  The murder is pinned on James and he very nearly escapes.  Both Ballantyre and Evelyn know of his innocence; however Ballantyre has no evidence-yet and Evelyn is just simply confused. Five years after the murder Evelyn is whisked away with her father on a trip to North America where they travel around New York City, Chicago's World Fair and finally a camping and fishing trip up the Nipigon River.  On the Nipigon fate will take its turn to bring everyone together from the day of the murder on Ballantyre estate where the truth will finally come out, revenge will be served and past mistakes made right. 



Beyond the Wild River took a path much like a meandering river; beginning with a murder, then an extravagant trip dotted with flashbacks to Evelyn's time growing up at Ballantyre and an explosive ending with a waterfall.  It did take me a while to feel like I was taken into the story and it took me until about 30% of the way through to really get into it.  I'm not sure how much of the trip before arriving at the Nipigon was really necessary.  Once the mystery between Evelyn, Ballantyre, James and inadvertent guest Rupert Daltson begins to unravel, I had trouble putting the book down.  Much like the river rapids, the four travellers could not keep their memories about the night five years ago tucked away and their emotions soon bubbled over.  However, Ballantyre is a surprising force to be reckoned with and I was truly astonished at how he planned on resolving everything.  The characters also took me a little while to get to know; Evelyn and James were the main focus.  I really wanted to like Evelyn, however she was a little hard to identify with.  Evelyn eventually grew on me as she made her way camping and fishing in the wilderness.  James was the most thorough character and I did want to know more about his past.  I do wish that a little of James and Evelyn's future would have been revealed at the end.  Overall an interesting and intricate historical mystery that will take you from the upper class Scotting Borderlands to the wild Canadian rivers.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

​ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Sarah Maine was born in England but grew up partly in Canada before returning to the United Kingdom, where she now lives. She is the author of The House Between Tides. Check her out at http://sarahmainebooks.com and www.twitter.com/SarahMaineBooks.

FIND SARAH MAINE ONLINE:
Website: http://sarahmainebooks.com/
Twitter: @SarahMaineBooks
Facebook: Sarah Maine - Author
 




​
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About the Book: 
A comprehensive overview of trading and risk management in the energy markets

Energy Trading and Risk Management provides a comprehensive overview of global energy markets from one of the foremost authorities on energy derivatives and quantitative finance. With an approachable writing style, Iris Mack breaks down the three primary applications for energy derivatives markets – Risk Management, Speculation, and Investment Portfolio Diversification – in a way that hedge fund traders, consultants, and energy market participants can apply in their day to day trading activities.

• Moving from the fundamentals of energy markets through simple and complex derivatives trading, hedging strategies, and industry-specific case studies, Dr. Mack walks readers through energy trading and risk management concepts at an instructive pace, supporting her explanations with real-world examples, illustrations, charts, and precise definitions of important and often-misunderstood terms.
• From stochastic pricing models for exotic derivatives, to modern portfolio theory (MPT), energy portfolio management (EPM), to case studies dealing specifically with risk management challenges unique to wind and hydro-electric power, the bookguides readers through the complex world of energy trading and risk management to help investors, executives, and energy professionals ensure profitability and optimal risk mitigation in every market climate.

Energy Trading and Risk Management is a great resource to help grapple with the very interesting but oftentimes complex issues that arise in energy trading and risk management.

Buy the Book:   Amazon  ~  Barnes & Noble  

​

About the Author: 
Iris Marie Mack, PhD, EMBA, earned a doctorate in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University. She was also awarded a Sloan Fellowship Executive MBA from the London Business School. Dr. Mack worked at various energy and financial institutions, acted as a faculty member at MIT, and worked at NASA and AT&T Bell Labs – where she obtained a patent for research on optical fibers.

Dr. Mack currently lectures on Energy Trading and Risk Management for the Fitch Learning Certificate in Quantitative Finance Program on Wall Street and at Tulane University. Because of Dr. Mack's extensive knowledge of the derivatives, energy trading, and investment banking world, she has been invited to write opinion columns for the UK edition of the International Business Times.

Dr. Mack has also been named one of Glamour Magazine’s Top 10 Working Women, and she is no novice writer. This publishing will be her third financially-focused and published book – including her energy trading book published with Wiley Finance and a financial literacy book for teens and adults. With this breadth of experience and sheer intellectual prowess, Dr. Mack is more than able to help readers reach the financial stability they deserve.

In addition, Dr. Mack founded The Global Energy Post and MathQED - a homework help site for K-12 and college students. Previously known as Phat Math, this service has even been named one of the Top 50 Social Sites for Educators and Academics, 25 Savvy Social Media Sites for Grad Students and 25 Useful Networking Sites for Grad Students. Such accolades illustrate Dr. Mack’s ability to clearly inform the masses.

Connect with the Author:  Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

​

About the Book: 
​Once upon a time . . . It’s how all heroes begin their story, and you’re a hero, too! Your mama has cancer, and it’s a scary journey, but you can help your mama just by being you—special, wonderful, YOU. Your mama loves you just the way you are. You are your mama’s knight.

Mama’s Knight: A Cancer Story of Love is an emotional toolbox that can help kids and parents communicate about what it means for Mama to have cancer. The book is filled with tools and activities designed to make coping with illness easier on both parent and child, and can be personalized for each child.

Buy the Book:  ​ Author's Website


Review:

Mama's Knight is an amazing and interactive book created especially for mothers who are battling cancer and have young children.  It is a unique combination of a story, scrapbook and activities that is completely customizable.  Mom's are able to fill in the child's name, their treatment plan and what will make them feel better and when read with their child, the child is turned into their mother's Knight and given all the empowerment to help their mom when they are not feeling their best.  Mama's Knight is written using clear, honest and simple language about cancer, the medicines used and its effects.  I love that children are encouraged to make a cape for themselves and mom to be superheroes, there is also an activity to discuss feelings and make a silly story.  There are sections for mom to fill in for 'Gag-Proof Recipes' and a special secret just for their child.  Overall, this is a book that promotes love and acceptance and is something to be cherished;  while I wish that it did not have to exist, Mama's Knight provides a wonderful tool for those warrior mama's with cancer and their brave children, no matter what the outcome. 

This book was provided for free in return for an honest review. 

About the Author: ​
Aurora Whittet started out as a wild red-haired girl in Minnesota dreaming up stories for her friends to read. Today, she has completed Bloodmark, Bloodrealms, and Bloodmoon of the Bloodmark Saga trilogy and started her journey into children’s books with Mama’s Knight in honor of her own mother who lost her battle with cancer. She’s a national award-winning graphic designer and birth doula in her day jobs. Aurora lives with her family in Minnesota.

Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

Guest Post: 
​There is no perfect. There is only now. 
By Aurora Whittet
                             
 
I have been writing stories since I was about eleven or twelve years old, and they were truly terrible, but at the time my friends loved them. My first novel, Bloodmark, was published when my son was nearly a year old. By age two he knew the books were mine sitting on the shelf, that I’d written them, even though I’m certain it only came up once or twice in conversation. At age four he helped me as I wrote Mama’s Knight: A Cancer Story of Love. I showed him every illustration and if he didn’t respond to it I did it again. Trying to make them perfect…but he often chose things I didn’t expect. He didn’t see the imperfection I saw. He saw something else in them, and those are the illustrations in the book.
 
He is now age five, and as I sit down to draw things for my children’s books, he sits down with me and draws pictures too. We have created art into a love language we share. One day while we were drawing monsters for an upcoming picture book I’m working on he drew his interpretation of the same monster I had drawn. When he was done, he asked if we could switch and color each other’s pictures. My first reaction was “eeggg-er-gagahhahad no!” I had just spent who knows how long drawing that particular monster, but when I looked in his eyes I saw how proud he was of his picture and how proud he was of mine.
 
I smiled and handed it over to him, knowing I’d have to redraw it later, but what did that matter. We live in the now.
 
 

 About the Book: 
 
April 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-9987007-0-0
 
 
Contemporary Fiction
Pages: 146

 
 
An ensemble sets off on a dark comedy of errors and uncertain conclusions, featuring original music throughout the story.
 
Theo and Judah, two childhood friends, are trying desperately to find an audience for their hard-edged, “grunge” music as they move past their twenties and feel the need to establish careers. Together, they enroll in an unusual college, called The University of Jazz and Music Technology.
 
Attracted at first by the means within the school to professionally record their own original music, the two friends embark on what could be a lifelong journey.  But the endeavor has an alternate effect, as Theo begins to question his musical efforts with Judah.

Entanglements with co-eds quickly complicate matters. Theo and Judah hit as many rough spots as any amateur band may find along the way, including a disastrous mini-tour of the northwest during spring break. Little do they know, the misfortunes have just begun…
 

Review: 

Theo and Judah are long time friends and musicians. Together, they decided to go to a new and specialized University of Jazz and Music Technology.  They are studying different tracks, but still find time to come together to make the music that they like.  With the typical college distractions thrown in- girls, drink, drugs, part time jobs and finding their way in the music industry, Theo and Judah still find time to form a band and go on a small tour.  However, nothing seems to go quite right for the group and the misfortunes seem to take their toll.

This book provided a unique reading experience.  With any book that includes music or songs, I have always wished that I knew what they were supposed to sound like.  With Misfortunes of T-Funk, you get exactly that.  Reading the electronic version, the links are right in the book that you simply click to take you to the Soundcloud page where you can listen to the band's song. Even if you are reading the paper version, you can still go to the Soundcloud page to check out the songs.  This was a really awesome addition that let me know exactly what kind of music Theo and Judah were producing. The content of the book focuses on a different aspect of a musician's life, the intelligence, creativity, motivation, knowledge of audio production and of course, all the crap that can go wrong.  This is a really good look at the backstage portion of a musician's life.  As the wife of an audio engineer, it seemed about right to me.  Some of the college stuff got a little tedious for me, but did help to round out the characters a little more.  I perhaps didn't need to know about every single escapade unless it helped to carry the story along.  Overall, a different story about the not so glamorous side of the music industry.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

About the Author:  
Barnaby Hazen is an author, editor and musician. Driven strongly by collaboration, it seems natural his first venture into writing began with a friend. Seven Eleven Stories periodical took shape in 2014 and just one year later, Seven Eleven Forgotten and Other Stories  debuted with a full-length collection featuring nine strange tales on convenience store fiction.
 
In 2017, Misfortunes of T-Funk, the first in a series, pulls directly from Hazen’s own life in music. Having been a lifelong, dedicated listener, teacher and performer, his latest novel incorporates his self-recorded and produced musical tracks directly into the chapters of his new novel. Hazen’s music illuminates his main characters and further elaborates on the story, creating a unique and personal soundtrack for readers of the book.
 
Having spent years as an educator, Barnaby’s time as an elementary school music teacher particularly inspired him to become involved with The Bud Hawthorne Revue.  He writes and edits the publication, along with Mr. Hawthorne himself, and is eager to continue offering contributions to literary culture given his unique perspective on writing. 

Hazen lives in Taos, New Mexico with his wife Sarah and their adorably troublesome pets.
 
 
 Stay current on all of his upcoming fiction at SevenElevenStories.com.
 
 
 
 
 
Website: SevenElevenStories.com
sevenelevenshortstories Author Barnaby HazenBarnaby Hazen Barnaby Hazen
​

​Q&A with Barnaby Hazen
 
Misfortunes of T-Funk really is all about the music. What inspired the story?
My past, really. I knew this story was brewing in me for years now. The different jobs I’ve worked and stories I’ve lived through in the name of keeping music my priority has been just outrageous, so it seemed natural to craft these stories about fictional characters informed by my own “misfortunes” and frustrations in what almost seems like a former life to me now.
 
 
There has to be a little of your own real life peppered in, right?
Yes. I made up these characters and put them through some stories that are made up, and
some that I have actually experienced, though I will keep those details close to my chest. My favorite part of having a ‘work of fiction’ disclaimer is that I can borrow them from my own life with no intention of ever returning to them. I like to say that maybe I’ll even forget those parts of the stories really happened. I’m getting older… it could happen.
 
 
I love the idea of incorporating music directly into your story, especially with your background. It’s such a unique idea! How did you come up with it?
I started thinking about where Theo, my main character, was headed musically right away -
meaning back around the year 2000, though I didn’t have a name for him then - but, I didn’t have much in mind for the vehicle to get him there.
 
I felt like I needed a different plan of some sort.  I don’t really remember the moment I thought to use recordings, but it seemed an unnecessarily difficult task to describe Theo’s experience with nothing but words.  It was when I decided to use these recordings that my second character, Judah, materialized. He sings each track from my own songwriting past throughout the book.
 
 
Which genres and artists from your own life influence the music in Misfortunes of T-Funk?
I grew up listening to Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, along with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who and other classic rock. I also went through a punk phase, along with another stretch where I was listening to rap and writing hooks for some of those rappers in a studio in Northern California.  Jazz was a favorite later on in life, which explains why I eventually obtained an MA in Jazz Composition. I think all of these various influences will be pretty apparent to readers/listeners of the book, though I’m sure some are more obvious than others.
 
And what can readers/listeners expect of the embedded music in each of the Misfortune books?
I’m hoping for 12-15 tracks incorporated across the entire series - which is suspiciously the length of a CD or full-length playlist. It’s something that’s ever-developing with the story itself, so I’m looking forward to seeing just how the entire thing plays out.
 
Being a musician yourself, what fascinates you most about the craft?
The strangest thing is how it’s changed for me. When I first started listening to music at the age of 12, someone gave me a tape of “The Wall” by Pink Floyd and I honestly thought there was a puzzle in it that would lead me to other things. I listened over and over and finally started buying other records, spending any money I came across on vinyl.  The fascination developed into studying music, singing and writing my own songs. It was all music, all the time - nothing else mattered.
 
Now, I play professionally in town (though only part time) and hardly listen to music except for on the radio, because they have local DJs playing all kinds of music that seems new to me.  What’s changed now is the role of music in my life. I make some money on it, and I find my spots where I have just as much fun as ever I did, but it’s no longer front and center.  That is a little sad to me, but things happen. There are kids in my life, younger and older, and I don’t have the burning desire to challenge the way people hear music that I did when I was in college.  Now, I’ll stay creative as it suits me; listen to weird radio shows that suit me; maybe turn myself on to something new every once in awhile and leave it at that. It’s definitely a happier way to live, rather than out on the edge of the world, desperate to put my work in front of anyone.