They Eat Puppies Don't They?

Can you feel the sizzle?  It is, after all, sizzle season - that time of year when the grill sizzles, the air seems to sizzle, and your pasty white skin sizzles as it transforms to a shade, I've come to call, Lobster-Red.  It's also been said it's when the movie biz sizzles as it ignites a barrage of popcorn-munchers.  I say p'shaw to that!  Summer is really the season to sizzle the imagination as we catch up on all books that we've missed out on.

Welcome to the Authors Speak Summer Reading Series.  It's quite simple really:  we'll make reading suggestions each week to get you through the hot and humid summer months.  Your mission, dear reader, is to jump in and read each one.  Should keep you quite busy and out of trouble during the warm season, and should allow your annoyance to remain in check by keeping you away from the constant theatre-manner-violators.

If you've been drooling over book suggestions, I'll give you a few to hot-wire your brain.  Obviously if you've not read Lucky Bastard by S.G. Browne, Sacre Bleu by Chris Moore, The Doom Magnetic by William Pauley III, or Karaoke Death Squad by Eric Mays, you need to start there and then get on with our summer series.  All of those are outstanding reads by outstanding authors (in the case of the last one, I'm a little biased) and they are excellent examples of what great writers can accomplish.  Too, I believe that you'll be able to plow through a few of those in one sitting.  Go ahead and grab them...I'll wait.

You're back?  Ready?  Okay, let's do this.

I've been a huge fan of Christopher Buckley for many, many years.  I love political satire and nobody does that like Buckley.  Consistently funny, consistently scary in parallels to actual Washingtonian politics, Buckley has spun some of the funniest novels I've read.  Thank You For Smoking, probably his most popular thanks to the film, showcases that he has a good foothold on the goings on within the government.  This is also evidenced as he tackles social security (Boomsday), the Supreme Court (the exceptionally funny Supreme Courtship), and Arab relations (my favorite Florence of Arabia).  But when Buckley goes full-on zany, the end product is gonzo comedy at its finest - Little Green Men.

His latest, They Eat Puppies Don't They?, is not full zany, but it is an awesome and welcome return (Buckley has not released a novel since Supreme Courtship).  From the title alone you can see where this is headed...China-American relations.  Once more we leap into the world of lobbyists and the spin game.

Walter "Bird" McIntyre is a D.C. lobbyist, choosing to lob for a high-end military manufacturer.  When we meet Bird, he's in the middle of a closed-session hearing, evaluating the necessity of a military Drone named "Dumbo".  That's also when we're introduced to Chick Devlin, the face of the weapons company and Bird's main man.  When the suits opt not to invest in a million dollar Drone project, it leaves Bird and Chick on the outside looking in.  Devlin must lay off thousands of employees and Bird contemplates his financials.

Some of Buckley's characters are quite loathsome (we are talking Washington, though, right?).  Bird is one of the few characters Buckley has created that I can somewhat relate to.  Surely I don't have lobbyist money in my wallet.  But neither does Bird.  He lives in a mansion which is a relic of the Civil War and is falling apart.  His mother, suffering from Alzheimers, lives with him.  His brother lives with him, but he dresses in Civil War garb and "lives" in the 19th Century.  The caretaker he's hired to care for his mother is an obese woman who has a hobby of popping out babies.  Oh, and there's his wife Myndi.

Myndi is quite the piece of work.  An aspiring equestrienne, she's consistently picking Bird's pocket for a new horse (to the tune of about a quarter million a pop).

So, facing big money woes, Chick and Bird both get back on the horse, no pun intended, and start a spin cycle.  The weapon guys are working on something super big and super covert, but they need Bird to start an anti-China sentiment within the government.  Stumped on what to start, grasping at straws Bird decides to start the rumor that the Chinese are attempting to assassinate the Dalai Llama...and all hell breaks loose.  (It should be mentioned, in regard to fact versus fiction, that in recent news, some Chinese actually did attempt to kill the llama on May 12th, a mere four days after the release of this book.  Yikes!)

In his camp of this spin machine is Angel Templeton, easily my favorite Buckley character to ever come to creation.  She's a terminator in Italian pumps.  She wants conflict in the world and is eager to do anything to keep Americans on the edge of their seat with their finger on the button.  And when Bird is not quite sure what he's started, Angel is all too eager to give the scenario that extra push...nay, shove.

Of course the spin is the McGuffin.  What ensues is an epic comedy of errors.  The Chinese deny, deny, deny, while the Americans allow the story to morph across the airwaves.  But underneath it all, is their a plan really in place by both the Chinese and the Americans to kill the Dalai Llama?  Washington holds a lot of secrets.  Turns out the Chinese do too.

To say more would be to ruin a great gift of a read.  Rest assured, though, Buckley has never been more polished.  His dialogue is rapid fire, the pacing solid enough to engage the reader, and characters are so vivid.  Angel Templeton is a spitting example of all there is to hate in politics, while Bird offers us an emotional side of D.C. politics.  And, the break must have been worth it.  If you've been bummed by the news coming from the Northern Virginia beltway, Buckley does well to take quite a few of the news stories and flip them on their ear.

The book is quite hilarious and does drift to a zany zone, but the glue that holds it together is Bird's home life.  When he's not dealing with his ice-queen of a wife, or the mother who doesn't know him, or the caretaker who's preggers again, or the groundkeeper named Peckfuss, it's his brother Bewks, the Civil War enthusiast, who serves as his own personal Jiminy Cricket.  The scenes between those two read like poetry and remind the reader that we all need a Custer-looking conscience, right?

They Eat Puppies Don't They is available now and gets 5 out of 5 stars.  Start the reading now, kids.

Until next week...keep reading.

Must Read of the Week: Lucky Bastard

One of my greatest joys is to watch the evolution of a writer.  S.G. Browne arrived on the scene with the much lauded BREATHERS: A ZOMBIES LAMENT.  It was a zombie novel, but a much welcomed entry into the field, and funny as hell.  When FATED slipped onto the scene, I thought this kid held a world of surprises for me.  He's talented.  His writing improved greatly.  And he wasn't just a "genre writer".  Welcome in Brown's latest: LUCKY BASTARD.

Essentially, LUCKY BASTARD is a meddling of many different things.  It's a heist novel.  It's a fantasy novel.  It's a "real-time" novel.  It's a countdown the clock sort of yarn.  And, whatever it is, please count me as one of it's biggest fans.  Seriously, if Brown put all this skill into an Olympic sport, America would win gold every year.

Meet Nick Monday.  A luck poacher.  Did I catch you interest right there?  I hope so, because there's more than meets the eye than a clever protagonist name and a bizarre profession.  If you're slightly intrigued but befuddled by the idea of luck poaching, let me break it down.  Did you have that week, where it started out with a flat tire, then you suddenly found out that your transmission was out, then you got your walking papers from your job for no reason whatsoever.  You're moping about and trip and break a leg, but you've no longer got insurance.  While sitting in the ER, you realize that they swapped your papers with an appendectomy patient, but you're already going under and can't say a word.  Yeah?  A luck poacher can steal your good luck from you.  A luck poacher can then sell your luck on the black market to the highest bidder.  Yup, that's how Nick Monday makes his living.

In equal parts Spillane and Le Carre, Nick Monday makes his living in San Francisco as a detective and, simultaneously, as a luck poacher.  The poaching pays a whole lot better, mind you, but business has been slow.  Then two things happen that set the plot in motion.  One is a dame named Tuesday who just offered quite a bit of cash for a seemingly innocent job.  The other is an offer from the head of the Chinese mafia.  It's an offer Monday wants to refuse, but isn't allowed to.  Yeah.  Sounds familiar, hey?

Quite the contrary.  What ensues is Brown's comedic triumph.  Nick Monday, with no skills other than his luck poaching, relies on his relentless wit to just stay afloat in a whitewater rapid of crazy.  And it's all played out in one day's time.  Twenty-four little hours is the course that this book takes.  And there are crazy characters aplenty - my personal fave is a Vegan Douchebag Valet.  Say that three times fast.

What's Good?

Honestly, this is Brown's greatest work.  I think it's because of the diligence in making all of the plot subside in this very finite timeline.  Ask any writer and they'll tell you that it's no easy feat.  Many times you get writers suspending so much disbelief that they paint themselves in a corner.  Not the case here. 

Interestingly, Brown posted on his personal blog an article about writing dialogue.  There are some nuggets to be garnered there.  Why?  Because his dialogue has never been better.  As looney as the story gets, the characters and the words they're spouting sound as real as a conversation at happy hour. 

The first-person point-of-view also serves the reader a great deal of laughter.  Certain situations offer up more laughs than they should.  Take for instance, one scenario that features dealing with the nudity of a family member.  I can't reveal it, but it's hilarious thinking of what it would be like seeing a family member in the buff realizing that she has a Brazilian.  That's one of the magical things about an SG Brown novel.  They never seem to dissapoint.

What's Not So Good?

Umm, the fact that's once you start thumbing pages you'll not stop until you're at the end.  It's a quick read that captivates to the point that when you put it down you're wondering where the last day went.  I adore books like that, and equally despise them, because I know it'll be at least a year before I see the next one.  Grrr!

Final Verdict?

Well, the fact that it's a book you can't put down, there's not a lot else I can offer.  If you've never discovered Brown's work, pick it up.  If you've adored BREATHERS and FATED, then take in this two-word title.  By far one of the best books of the year.

5 out of 5

Must Read of the Week: Unholy Night

This entry is a week late, so for voracious readers out seeking suggestions, I must offer my humblest of apologies.  Last post, I mentioned that this April - the esteemed April of 2012 - may offer some of the best reads of the year.  Obviously, SACRE BLEU by Christopher Moore, is the cous-de-grace, but there are two awesome titles that are right in contention for the best book of the year (thus, it's been EDGE OF DARKNESS by Joe Lansdale).

In this entry, we take a look at Seth Grahame Smith's UNHOLY NIGHT.  Most that follow the Authors Speak know that I'm not a fan of Smith's work.  While I sort of adored the initial concept of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, I abhorred the finished product.  As an author, I was insulted that you could take the original text of the book (85% of which was Jane Austen's) add a few subtle nods to the missing portions (the other 15%) and rake in millions.  Kudos, Seth.  Kudos.  Ultimately, the novel read like a Jane Austen classic, and props need to be given to Smith for adopting the style (regardless of my disdain for the book).  This, of course, spurned the litany of retreads of adding zombies, aliens, cannibals, and vampires to countless classics.  What can you do?

His next novel, ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER, cemented his status on the bestsellers list.  Again, I was intrigued, but again I was disappointed.  VAMPIRE HUNTER reads as Lincoln's personal journal.  It was somewhat entertaining, but once again I left the piece unfulfilled.  While not inherently original, the book suffers from the same concept - taking something that doesn't belong and injecting it into reality.  Once again, Grahame Smith does an outstanding job adopting the style, but I started to wonder if that was the man's moxie.  Maybe, like a great impersonator, this was who this kid truly was.

Welcome in UNHOLY NIGHT, Grahame-Smith's latest and, to date, greatest entry.

This is the first book that has allowed Seth to explore his own writing style, I think, and explore a story that is sort of original.  Granted, we're tackling characters we sort of already know, but that's what I think is somewhat entertaining about what Grahame-Smith does.  This is finally the novel I think I wanted when reading the previously discussed titles.

Some have compared this novel to Chris Moore's LAMB.  I disagree with the comparison.  LAMB provided laughs aplenty, an interesting and novel approach to Christ's life (specifically the missing years), and portrayed the Wise Men as enlightened individuals who aided Jesus' rise to Messiah.  With the exception of the Wise Men, the comparison's need to stop there.  UNHOLY NIGHT does deal with Christian lore and Biblical figures, the Wise Men starring front and center.  But, outside of that, there's not much reason for comparison.

There are laughs to be had.  That's not what this book's modus operandi is, though.  Instead it's a novel about men who do not want to do things, but feel, in the end, that they must.  Meet Balthazar, front and foremost amongst the wise men we see in every Christmas nativity.  This Balthazar is a thief, in this world, accompanied by his two insidious cohorts.  After spending too much time in Herod's prison, the trio escape and set their own course for freedom.  Their escape coincides with a mighty star, which leads them to the manger in a small town called Bethlehem, where a baby has just been born.  Obviously, the way the characters are drawn, there is not one iota of interest in doting on a newborn, but when the word of Herod slaughtering first-borns reach their ears, they feel the sudden pangs of redemption.  It is, like Beauty and the Beast, a tale as old as time.

What's Good?

A lot!  Firstly, by stepping away from a distinct style, be it classic or century-specific, Grahame-Smith is finally allowed to showcase his voice.  And what a beautiful voice it is, too.  The opening pages describing an ibex, while not completely necessary, are some of the best I've read from him.  I actually did love the convention of turning these known characters into thieves with absolutely no interest/wont to visit the dear Lord baby Jesus.  And in the end, it's a solid novel.


I like to think that I have an ear for dialogue, and it's great here.  Some of the lines that Balthazar sputs, read like they were written by some of the greats.

And the understated cover art sings in a way that neither of his previous novels did.  Sure, that may sound petty, but it's one of the things I came away with.

What's Not So Good?

Well, like the previous entries to Smith's catalogue, there's the payoff.  Yes, this is the book that I've wanted.  Yes, it is good.  Yes, it is epic in my opinion.  But when you get to the climax you get an eye full, and then...the ending.  I'm not a spoiler-centric reviewer, but it isn't as satisfying as you might thing.  Does it ruin the entire product?  Not really.  It's more tantamount to craving barbeque so much that you must indulge, and when you do, it's lackluster barbeque.  You had your sloppy BBQ, but it was just, eh.  Still, the book is solid in its form.

Another thing that I felt needed to be here was Moore's delving into Christianity.  By making three central characters in the Nativity, Smith had a chance to really put Christian ideals on their ear.  These men are no wise men, they're savage criminals.  I loved the concept, but felt a huge chance was missed to toy with conventions outside of toying with alternate fiction.

Final Verdict?

Well worth the readership.  If you were jaded by his first two, give this one a try.  I really do think that Grahame-Smith is coming into his own by stepping away from stylized texts that once paid the bills.  If this is an inkling of the talent the man possesses, well, I can safely say that I'm awaiting the next one with open arms.

4 out of 5

Shades of Blue

April Showers, they say, bring May flowers.  Fortunately for the voracious readers in the world, this April brings some of the greatest books of the year (albeit, very young thus far).  So if you're sick and tired of the yellow hue of pollen coating your car and porch, stay in and read.  After all, that's what you want to do anyway, right?

Later this month I'll be talking "Lucky Bastard", S.G. Browne's latest and probably greatest.  Today, though, let's talk another author who is at the height of his career.  There's no doubt about it, Christopher Moore is a virtuoso of a writer.  His prose swings from the classically absurd to the downright silly, but it always ends in near perfection.  At one point in his career, Lamb was what I considered to be Moore's great opus.  I can safely say, "Sacre Bleu" is the new reigning champion.  It's what I think I wanted from "The DaVinci Code", a book that entertains while simultaneously educating the reader about art.  And, no, I'm not even close to comparing the incomparable Moore to Dan Brown.

The premise is simple:  Moore's investigating the death of Vincent Van Gogh.  Okay, it's a little more complicated than that.  History has told us that Van Gogh shot himself, stumbled to the doctor to seek help, and later died.  Moore argues that a an artist at the height of popularity wouldn't necessarily do this, so he poses the theory that the artist was, instead, killed.  He places his alter egoes into our two protagonists - Toulouse-Latrec and Lucien - as investigators of this random happenstance and the story goes full tilt.  In classic Moore"ish" style, there are many familiar faces of the time along for the journey: Manet, Monet, Gaugin, Renoir, and Whistler, to name a few.  And there's glorious art history for the most voracious gatherers of knowledge.

Moore says he set off to write a novel about the color blue.  I'm not sure what that would have been like, but I'm certain I would have read it.  Instead, what we get is a novel about the color blue (the chapters have odes to blue prefacing them) and a nice little yarn to salivate over.

In 1992's "Practical Demonkeeping", Moore showed the world that he can get downright silly.  With "Coyote Blue", his sophomore effort, he evidenced that he could take that silly and augment it with emotional depth.  Then he made it all the more powerful with books like "Island of the Sequined Love Nun" and "Fool" and "Lamb".  In recent years, Moore's gone back to the silly with the sequels to "Bloodsucking Fiends" - "Bite Me" and "You Suck".  I prefer Moore when hes steps outside his element.  Whether its playing with the Bible or twisting Shakespeare, I find myself more intrigued, more engaged, and oft more satisfied with the Moore epic.  This falls into that category, and the result is certainly worth the wait.

What's Good?
Just about every detail.  Obviously I've written an open love letter to the works of Christopher Moore just above this paragraph.  "Sacre Bleu" does showcase the apex of Moore's prose, thus.  I think readers unfamiliar with art history may find the prose a little tedious and hard to follow.  This was similar with Fool, in that those unfamiliar with King Lear might find it a little taxing.  Personally, I trust Moore to guide me on a journey.  In this, the reader will find a wonderful adventure, with Moore putting on the hat and serving as your museum docent.

Augmenting the education factor even more, the book showcases glorious pictures of the art in reference.  (**This is one reason I'll implore all readers to procure the hardcover edition, where the pictures are in all their glorious color, whereas the Kindle - if you have a basic one - will showcase the pictures in black and white, like the ARC I had**)

What's Not So Good?
Very little indeed.  There are a few moments that feel a little forced, like Moore was keeping the comedy up when the mood shifted, and it didn't feel right.  These are few and far between, and I think, ultimately, they work.

The other issue is referenced above.  You really get the full effect of this adventure with the accompanying color pictures.

Final Verdict?
You can't tell?  This is Moore at his finest and well worth your bucks.  Personally, I think this is his finest.  If you're a fan of the Chris Moore website (www.chrismoore.com) then you'll no doubt remember his trip to France years ago and his repeated posting of his art adventures, complete with witty captions.  When we interviewed him two years ago, Moore referenced this book.  Now it's unleashed upon us and it was well worth the wait. 

5 out of 5

http://www.amazon.com/Sacre-Bleu-A-Comedy-dArt/dp/0061779741/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333455344&sr=1-1

Must Pre-Order of the Week: The Doom Magnetic

I'm hesitant to mention this book prior to its official release, because I don't want you all to say, "Oh my God, I have to get that book!", only to forget about it.  Trust me, don't forget about it.  It is a good read, by a good author, on a good, outlandish scale.  The Doom Magnetic Trilogy will be released very, very soon.
In all honesty, it's true I wrote the foreward for WP3's latest.  Let this not serve as bias.  In fact, a year ago I had William Pauley III on the Authors Speak live podcast and asked him about the Doom Magnetic (at which point, I'd only had the privilege of reading one portion of the story).  I loved it.  I adored it.  I wanted more...and now here it is.  The Doom Magnetic is the shit, plain and simple.

The author has had these stories for years, but it's only now that they appear in one tome, purely for your entertainment.  If you've read Pauley's work before, you know what you're in for: campy fun, pop-culture bombs, and some grittiness that you don't often see.  The Brothers Crunk reads like an homage to the camp of the worlds created in Nintendo games (which, is interesting, 'cause as much as we talk about our adoration for 8-bit games, we don't stop and ponder the sheer weirdness of the worlds they take place in.  Seriously, Mario "world" is a scary, crazy place).  In his recent release, Slime Night (available now on Kindle), he expresses an, maybe unhealthy, affection towards John Hughes and bowling.  That's not a misprint. 

In the best way possible, Pauley is one of the ultimate fanboys working in the world.

The Doom Magnetic may be his best so far.  It's a very young career, so I can only imagine where he's going next.  The title refers to a skill one of the characters possesses, a skill that can deal serious havoc on the world around him.  That particular character is one of the most creative set on the page - Qoser, an alien being, perhaps god, with a giant cueball for an eye.  Qoser seriously longs to be the baddest Bond villain in all the land.

With elements of steampunk, westerns, and noir, I think you'll be as entertained by the book, as I was.

What's Good?
Just about everything.  Pauley's humor is present in all its glory, as is his darker sides.  One minute the reader is laughing about a line of dialogue, the next gasping in horror as a head explodes.  It's the very reason I love artists like Tarantino and Leonard.

The book also reads in overdrive, which could be contrued a bad thing.  Once you start it, you'll be flipping pages so fast that it's done in one sitting.

Also, there's an experimental style to the text.  The book shifts points of view, each one adopting the tone of the characters which...

What Not So Good?
...leads to the not-so-good.  The style didn't affect me one bit, but I can see how some readers might be polarized by it.  It's a little like reading Tim Dorsey.  Dorsey has a very distinct style that a ton of comedy readers cannot abide.  I remain unphased, but warn readers to perservere through the text.  I really do not think that the smart readers in the room will be peeved by this.  What I'm saying is this: if you're reading Twilight, you probably should stay away.  The Doom Magnetic caters to a higher intelligence.

Final Verdict?
Buy it, check it out, love it, and buy it dinner.  The book will reward your abs from laughter and enlighten your senses.

4.5 out of 5 stars

The Must Read of the Week: Revenge of the Apocalypse Donkeys

The must-read of this week was actually released in August of last year.  Why, then, would we toss it into the mix?  Several reasons, actually.  Firstly, we’re going to try a little trending – I want our readers to go out and get this book – at the very least get it in your library!  Most importantly, though, this book warrants your hard earned money and your attention.  I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. 

Long a fan of Jordan Krall, it is interesting to see where the author will go next.  PIECEMEAL JUNE, while great, is drizzled in the macabre and set the pace for Krall to become a very hard horror writer.  His sophomore effort, though, was almost homage to Elmore Leonard’s very best crime fiction.  SQUID PULP BLUES took us into a seedy alternate New Jersey where gangsters wear diapers, hardened criminals harbor Ginger Rogers fetishes, and people snort squid.  And just when you think he’s going to zig, the man zags.  His third book, FISTFUL OF FEET, was a spaghetti western.  What, then, is BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE APOCALYPSE DONKEYS? 

It’s actually quite a few things, and all of them are grand. 

Mind-bending is one way I’ve heard the book described, and I’ll go with that.  Krall does enjoy playing with the readers, and he does it here better than I’ve ever seen.  At the very core of the book, DONKEYS is a story of a man who is looking for a long lost film – THE APOCALYPSE DONKEY – and his journey to find it.  That’s it, pure and simple.  But dig deeper and you’ll see maguffins aplenty.  See, Krall peddles weird like a New York City hotdog vendor.  Conflict arises in odd ways, which include nude women in donkey masks and giant hummingbirds.  As the story unfolds, it reminds one of Cronenberg’s very best, more indescribable works.  By that I mean, you have an existential hero searching for the obscure, all the while falling deeper and deeper into a surreal nightmare (or is it a nightmare?).

This effect is augmented all the more by four other contributors.  The preface by Jason Wuchenich, the introduction by Gordan K. Smith, and the foreword by Garrett Cook (and no, that’s no joke) all work to sustain the weird vibe of the tale, making Krall about as mysterious as the missing film at the center of the book.  Matthew Revert’s 11,000 word afterword, though, may cement the book as a classic to behold for centuries.  Truly, when was the last time a reader has seen anything quite like this?  Krall says: “Continuity is a myth”, and reader, I must say I agree. 

So yes, we’re discussing a book that’s graced bookshelves for quite sometime.  Who cares?  This week, reader, your challenge is to make this book your must read.  And, if you’ve read it, please pass it along to someone or recommend it to your local library.  When this book dropped, the Authors Speak was on a brief hiatus.  Now that we’re back, we feel the need to give this book its due diligence.  Believe us, it is worth it. 

Tomorrow we’ll be back to take a look at author William Pauley III and his upcoming book, THE DOOM MAGNETIC TRILOGY.

 http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Valley-Apocalypse-Donkeys-Jordan/dp/098715611X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1329748988&sr=1-1

The Talented James Family

I've had the pleasure to know Syrie James through the past couple of years. Perhaps, not personally, but definitely through her words, which are wise and inspirational. She's tackled Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte. She's tackled Dracula. And, she even updated the vampire genre with her last book Nocturne. She even was our first live interview of 2011 (which can be found and downloaded via iTunes, but visiting ).

It was an absolute delight to discover that she'd collaborated with her son, Ryan, on a YA book entitled Forbidden, something she referenced last time she was on with us.
Just yesterday, Syrie and Ryan joined us for a wonderful interview (technical difficulties, aside), discussing everything from vampires, to X-Men, to iPhones (you do know the Suri app is named for Ms. James, right?). Upon re-listening to the interview, I realized that Ryan, himself, may give Syrie a run for her money in the interview arena. Maybe not. Either way, though, there's no mistaking that the gene pool was rife with talent...and it shows.

You can find the interview in its entirety at www.blogtalkradio.com/theauthorsspeakcom, and while you're there feel free to subscribe. You can also download all past episodes via iTunes.

For more information on Forbidden, which is certainly worth your time and your nine dollars, you can stroll over to Amazon. Our challenge is to make this one push Stephanie Meyers and the Twilight saga off the shelf. C'mon, kids, you can do it.

For more information on Syrie James, her mailing list (which is amazing), her upcoming projects, and her past books, please visit her at www.syriejames.com.

And, for more information on her very talented son Ryan, visit http://illusive-entertainment.com/.

We're back next week with our Must Reads of the week and an interview with author William Pauley III (ironically the second interview of 2011, following Ms. James).

Until then, keep reading.