Author Groupie: Meeting Lance Reynald

I went to San Francisco to see Lance Reynald read from his book, Pop Salvation, on Thursday evening. (That's me with the short hair and big earrings). There were only a few of us in the audience, which made it cool because we were all able to ask questions from the author and had more time to talk to him than if there had been a hundred people waiting to get a signature. I was a little bit starstruck though. I got all nervous and fidgety for some reason. This seems to happen to me whenever I meet authors I've talked to online. I don't know why. Does this happen to any of you?

Check it out

Hey there, I just wanted to direct you to a fab interview with Lance Reynald, author of Pop Salvation, which I reviewed here. He was interviewed at LitPark today, so hop on over and take a look.

Also, just a reminder that Lance Reynald will be doing a reading tomorrow evening at Books, Inc. in the Castro (San Francisco). Details:

Thursday, July 09, 2009
Location: Books Inc. in the Castro, 2275 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94114
Phone: 415-864-6777

Giveaway (aka FREE stuff!)

I know how much I love free stuff and I'm pretty sure the rest of you love free stuff too, yes? SO, I wanted to let you know that there's a big giveaway going on here to celebrate the release (July 1) of A Democracy of Ghosts by John Griswald. The contest only goes until July 10, so get on over there and send them your details.

Also, here's some info about A Democracy of Ghosts from Amazon:

A DEMOCRACY OF GHOSTS is the love story of four couples, set against the backdrop of the Herrin Massacre of 1922. This clash of miners and strikebreakers in Bloody Williamson County, in Southern Illinois, resulted in the deaths of 21 men -- 19 of them the "scabs" tortured and murdered by average men, women, and even children in what was once the most radical community in America. John Griswold has drawn from contemporary eyewitnesses and news accounts, an ethnography of the area, histories, and his own grandfather's letters to create the lives of four fictional couples whose ambitions, self-doubts, and social and sexual jealousies contribute to this great American violence that still echoes down through time.

The Godfather by Mario Puzo

I've never really understood why people are so into The Godfather movies, until now. I've actually only seen bits an pieces of the movies, but I always found them boring and difficult to understand, but the book is nothing like that. Mario Puzo really created a wondeful tale when he put together this book. I love that the book isn't all linear either. It's almost like vignettes, albeit long vignettes, stringing you along until you have an aha moment and know what's going to happen next.

I really loved the character of Michael Corleone (and who doesn't?). It was interesting to see his transformation take place throughout the book. Santino's character is also much more sympathetic in the book than he was in the movies, although the movie (what I've seen so far) really follows the book very closely.

One thing I really liked about this book was that it wasn't nearly as violent as I had expected. The scenes gruesome scenes are actually pretty much glossed over, mentioned only as a side note in most cases. I think it was done as a way to show that, even though the bloody parts of the mafia are what get the press, murder and revenge aren't what the mob is really all about. Puzo does a great job of explaining the legitimate businesses of the mob, along with explaining their involvement in gambling rings and other more seedy business operations. In addition, he really helps the reader to understand the inner workings of the mob and the society they have created for themselves. I found it a very interesting and informative read and I couldn't put it down.

If you've ever wondered why they say "go to the mattresses," pick up this book. It will all make sense by the time you're through.

Other reviews of this book can be found here:
Books I done read

Pop Salvation by Lance Reynald

I have so many things to say about Pop Salvation that I don't even know where to begin. I guess I'll start by saying how much I loved it. Based on the back cover, I wasn't sure how interesting this book would be, so it really took me aback once I really got into it. The first few pages start off a little bit slow, but within about 15 pages, you can't help but fall in love with little Caleb Watson and then you won't be able to put the book down until it's finished.

Pop Salvation is a book about the self-discovery of Caleb Watson, who moves to a new town at age 11 and is never really accepted by the other children in his school. Throughout the book he struggles to find an identity that fits him, discovering the wonders of art, Andy Warhol and The Rocky Horror Picture Show along the way. The book is set in the early 80's at the height of Warhol's popularity and his work in The Factory. Caleb adopts Warhol's philosophy into his own life and even begins dressing like the famed artist.

But the most exciting parts of the book are the times Caleb spends with his friends, creating their own art and interacting in a world where everyone is accepted. Caleb and his few friends are all part of a group of outcasts who struggle throughout the book to come to terms with their sexual identity, having been labeled as "different" from very early on. I'm assuming the marketers who put together the blurb on the back of the book left out this part of the story in order to draw in a larger audience, as I'm sure there are people who would be put off by a book about teenagers struggling with whether they are gay or straight, but I found this to be the most extraordinary and wonderful part of the book.

The first half of the book reads almost like a love letter from Caleb to his friends, Aaron and Sonia. The tenderness he has for them radiates off the page in a way that makes you want to stop time and let it last forever. At a certain point I knew things were going to take a turn for the worst and I almost put the book down so I wouldn't have to break out of the lovely dreamworld I'd been living in, but, of course, I couldn't stop myself from seeing where author Lance Reynald would lead me. I don't want to give away too much of the book so I'll just say that I found this book to be one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful books I've ever read. You'll definitely cry, so bring some tissues with you when you read it.

For anyone in Portland or Northern California, Lance Reynald will be doing readings next week. From the events' websites:

Monday, July 06, 2009 07:30 PM

Powell's Books on Hawthorne, Portland, OR

Hailed as "marvelously endearing and insightful" by Josh Kilmer-Purcell, Lance Reynald's debut novel Pop Salvation (Harper Perennial) spins together pop art and burgeoning sexuality in a fresh story about learning to trust yourself and the people you love.

Thursday, July 09, 2009
Location: Books Inc. in the Castro, 2275 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94114
Phone: 415-864-6777

Banned For Life LIVE!

I forgot to mention in my review that Banned for Life author, D.R. Haney, will be appearing in Los Angeles later this month, so if you're in town, you should go! Here's the details:

Date: July 25, 2009, 8:00PM
Venue: Stories
Location: 1716 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA
Description:
D. R. Haney will read from his recently-published novel about punk rock, "Banned for Life," along with other guests, including singer-songwriter Tif Sigfrids, who'll charm and disarm with dainty song.

Banned For Life by D.R. Haney

I just finished Banned for Life, the debut novel by D.R. Haney, which was released in May. Overall, I really enjoyed the book. However, I feel like I need to make a disclaimer here because I know many of you are sensitive about profanity in books and this one has A LOT. You don't even get through the first line without encountering the f-word (best first line of a book ever, by the way). Personally, I wasn't offended by the language in the book. I thought it added a genuine voice to the character, much as I felt toward the profanity used in Lush Life by Richard Price. But, I felt like I needed to give you all a warning, just in case.

So, about the book. Banned for Life is told by the main character, Jason, who came of age listening to punk and getting involved in several punk bands with his best friend, Peewee. Both were inspired by the legendary Jim Cassady, lead singer of Rule of Thumb. The book is written as if Jason is telling us the story as it all happened. I really enjoyed this way of writing because it felt like I was having a conversation with the main character - as if I was sitting there listening to him tell me his story.

The book starts off with Jason as an adult, telling us about how punk eventually led him to Los Angeles and into the filmmaking industry. He's fairly unsuccessful, as many are in this industry. Then he meets a girl and his life takes a bunch of twists and turns because of her. He ends up seeking out his old hero, Jim Cassady, who had all but disappeared from the map until Jason's girlfriend helps find him.

At this point we learn why and how Cassady really effected Jason's life. We learn all about what happened to Jason during his punk years: how he started hanging out with Peewee, how they started their first band, how that first band broke up, and how he ended up in L.A. I thought this was by far the best part of the book.

And then it gets back to the Cassady part, which got a little weird in parts and bothered me a lot once I got to the end of the book because there was no real resolve with the Cassady character. From one point of view, I wanted there to be some resolve because this is fiction and you can do that with fiction. On the other hand, it was being told as if it was real life and there isn't always a nice little bow tied on everything in real life, so it makes sense that there wouldn't be in this case. It was just a little weird to spend so much time on this character to only have it just end the way it did.

In the same way, I had difficulty with the ending of the book. I don't want to give it away for those of you who will go out and read it, but it ended a little too shiny happy for me. I was actually relieved for some happiness at the end of the book after all the downer stuff that happened in the middle part, but at the same time I felt it was a little too neat. It's funny because Jason runs away from all of his problems by moving away when things go wrong and I fault him for that even though that's pretty much exactly what I'm doing by moving to Istanbul. At first I felt like the ending was unbelievable but then I realized that it's exactly what some people do (it's what I'm doing!).

Anyway, there's also this whole side story with Jason and his girlfriend, who is actually married, which, of course, causes a ton of drama throughout the book. What I found funny about this whole thing was how long it took Jason to realize that maybe the husband was actually a good guy and that the girl was just stringing them both along this whole time. It's interesting how the people IN affairs can never see their role in it.

There's a lot of good stuff in this book - some commentary on the homogenization of society, an inside look at the underground punk scene, and some great descriptions of both New York City and Los Angeles. There are also some really great descriptions in general. Haney is able to create some great visuals with his words. For example, here's one of the early descriptions of Peewee:

"At fifteen he'd soaked up more knowledge than most people twice and three times his age, and he'd ramble through it in breathless monologues, veering from subject to subject like a house-trapped sparrow trying to find an open window: it's here, it's there, it's in the kitchen, it's in the attic now."

I love that he creates a sense of how Peewee talks by using that sparrow. Somehow it really made sense to me.

OK then, if any of you have read this one, I'd love to hear your opinions on it. And, I hope I didn't give away too much of the plot.

Next up is Pop Salvation by Lance Reynald, which was just release on June 23.