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Please Welcome Guest Authors Jann M. Contento and Jeffrey Ross!

2/29/2012

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Today, I'd like to welcome Jann M. Contento and Jeffrey Ross as a part of their virtual book tour for The Philip Dolly Affair.  I found the concept behind this book to be intriguing, offering a unique perspective on community college culture, and it is my pleasure to have Contento and Ross as my guests here at the Cerebral Writer.

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Inspiration behind the book

We wanted to write about the community college life in an entertaining—and yet instructional—manner. American community colleges are talked about constantly-- everybody in the country seems to work at one, or attend one, or knows someone who attends one. The culture is quite entertaining—and has been the subject of many jokes (and even a TV show and recent movie). But we thought we would like to write the first “campus novel” that focused on the community college experience from the perspectives of staff and students. We have over 40 years experience (together) as community college staffers—and we know for certain that little community college criticism exists.

We are dismayed at the changes which have occurred at our colleges. Once Stewards of the public trust, so many community college Leaders now follow selfish ambition.

We try (and succeed) to illustrate the “whispered truths” about the community college experience in a funny manner. As you read the Phil Dolly Affair, you might be surprised to learn about the large salaries of administrators—and feel compassion for the exploited part-time professors who work for virtually nothing. Perhaps you will be reminded of the extravagant costs of textbooks—and wonder why faculty and staff must attend so many meetings. We question the corporate management practices that have taken over our colleges, and ubiquitous Ed Leadership doctoral programs, and the Organizational Learning that occupies every waking moment in every college boardroom. We often kid ourselves that the daily emails at any community college are a novel in themselves….

(Of course, we had to throw in a few failed romances, divorces, vampire novels, dogs, potlucks, pet ducks, and motorcycles for good measure. Every good book needs a love story.)

So we hope you have fun reading College Leadership Crisis: The Philip Dolly Affair—we sure had fun writing the novel.


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About The Philip Dolly Affair:

While community colleges are currently receiving heightened attention, this novel provides a behind-the-scenes analysis of many whispered truths, those simmering but unspoken workplace behaviors, issues, and machinations every worker (Everyman!) will recognize. A humorous and biting read with a clever mix of satire, political intrigue, failed romances, and tragic-comedy, this novel will open your eyes to the truth about community colleges …



Excerpt:

JB O Connor, Student

JB had just left the Student Success Center [housed in the Teaching Learn-ed Center] at Copperfield Main.

He had taken a battery of academic placement, career guidance, political party proclivity, student government group and organization interest inventories, and TB tests….

He had spent about 20 minutes with a lady counselor [d--- she’s hot!] making course selections and was now walking over to the Business Center Complex to pay his registration fees.

JB had come to this venerable institution of higher learning for various reasons. [But mostly because his dad told him to go back to school or else.] About two days ago, he quit his job at the Sticky Mart and thought he might like to lounge around the house for a while. That same afternoon, while he was home watching the TV and drinking an ice cold beer, his dad, John, strode into the house and told him he had to get another job, or join the military, or go to college, or get out of the !%$^@! house.

Basically lazy and not suited for menial labor, JB had been out of high school for two years now, and had never really thought about going on to school. But, none of the armed services wanted him because of his inability to read... so college seemed like a good possibility.

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About the authors: 

Jann M. Contento has a broad range of experiences in higher education including student affairs administration, athletics, and institutional research. He is currently working in a community college setting and has co-authored several articles on leadership and college culture. 



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Jeffrey Ross, who resides in Gilbert, Arizona with his wife and son, is a writer, rockabilly musician, and former full-time community college teacher. He has had four "Views" pieces published on InsidehigherEd.com since 2007, has authored and co-authored several op-ed articles on community college identity, purpose, and culture, and has recently had several pieces published on the Cronk News  higher education satire website.

For more information on Jann M. Contento, Jeffrey Ross, and The Philip Dolly Affair, you can find them on Facebook, Twitter, and their websites:

Face book Info Page 

Getting to Know Phil Dolly Blog

Twitter Account @SalinasChick

Jeffrey Ross Creative Efforts  Home Page on Web Eden (Music and More)

Jeffrey Ross Open Salon Blog—other poetry and essays

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Rebecca Royce Guest Blogs at the New Sensuality

2/28/2012

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Please join me in welcoming author Rebecca Royce at the New Sensuality, the Cerebral Writer's alter ego, on Wednesday, February 29 for her latest stop in her Love Beyond Loyalty Blog Tour!
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Please Welcome Guest Author Greta Van Der Rol!

2/23/2012

6 Comments

 
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It is with much pleasure that I bring to you author Greta Van Der Rol.  Greta writes some amazing speculative science fiction with romantic twists.  I've read her work, and she is a great talent in the genre.  Please offer her a warm welcome!  

One lucky commenter will win a $25 Amazon gift certificate, so be sure to leave a comment to put your name in the drawing!

What brings a battle cruiser to Nordheim?


Thanks so much for hosting me. It's very easy for a person to react to circumstances which only affect him/herself but sometimes, especially for those in positions of authority, people have to make decisions which impact not just themselves but others around them, including people they don't know. What's more, people acting only for themselves may selfishly impact others. This is the gulf that separates (say) the foot soldier and the general and these are the issues my new novel, 'Starheart' examines. One the one hand we have Jess Sondijk, a small time freighter captain with her own problems, and on the other Admiral Hudson, who must consider the security of the Human Confederacy. Sometimes the needs of the few must be overridden to provide for the needs of the many. 


Starheart is set in the same universe as the Iron Admiral books. The story takes place a few years before the events chronicled in 'The Iron Admiral: Conspiracy' but readers who have read that book will recognise a number of elements. Admiral Saahren's victory over ptorix forces at the battle of Forenisi has left the aliens licking their wounds but tension is high, especially in that border region where the ptorix Khophirate's planets approach those of the human Confederacy. A few planets steadfastly refuse to side with either administration. Most of the independent worlds support mixed ptorix-human populations but there are always a few on both sides with their own views. One such is the human-only Galactic People's Republic, a group of worlds which have denounced what they see as the overuse of technology, opting for a simpler lifestyle. They despise the Confederacy only slightly less than they do the ptorix. Another is Kentor, a mixed-species trading planet which doesn't mind who buys – as long as they have hard currency.

In this background we have Jess Sondijk, who runs a small freighter called Saintly Maid. She's a smuggler, avoiding the local taxes to transport goods between Kentor and her home planet of Nordheim. She doesn't really see it as a criminal activity and it pays the bills. Of course, her best friend and first officer, Santh Dekstra, is involved. So far, Jess has been able to get past the local surveillance – much to their chagrin. But things get complicated when Admiral Ullric Hudson's battle cruiser, Defender, parks itself in Nordheim space. The Confederacy warship has better equipment for detecting smugglers than the Nordheim Militia. So when she's boarded, Jess is worried.


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I posted the first part of this scene in my last stop. Here's a little more. Jess has dressed for the occasion, figuring she'll give the boys from the fleet something to look at when they come over.

"Just in time," Santh said as she slid back into the captain's chair. "Their cutter has attached to our airlock."

The airlock status gauge flashed orange. Airing up prior to release. The numbers rose… seventy, eighty, ninety. The gauge glowed green. Jess pressed the hatch release. The boarding party appeared in her view screen, eight people, suited up in black, helmets on. The spheroid shape of an InfoDroid drifting beside them sent a shiver down her spine. Even her security couldn't beat one of those. Still, even an InfoDroid would need to scan the right place and they hadn't the other times. She crossed mental fingers and hoped her luck hadn't changed. 

Three of the boarding party, InfoDroid in tow, clumped off to search the cargo hold. Two started searching the common room, and the other three… She rose to greet the trooper who stepped onto the bridge. The other two, both armed with laser rifles, stood outside. 

The leader took off his helmet, revealing an attractive young man staring at her with unabashed admiration. "Er… ma'am… Are you Captain Jestinia Sondijk?"

Jess smiled. "Correct, Lieutenant…" She checked his name patch, "Douglas. And this is First Officer Santhias Dekstra."

Douglas cleared his throat and stiffened into a more military posture. 

"You and your first officer are to be transferred to Defender for interrogation, ma'am, while the boarding party makes a thorough search of your ship." 

Her nerves twanged. "Oh? Is there some sort of problem, Lieutenant? We're on our way to the space station to dock. I wouldn't want to miss my arrival slot."

"Those are my orders."

"We'll comply, of course. Please," she thrust out a hand. "Lead on."

She followed the officer through to the airlock off the hold and into the cutter, Santh at her heels. This was unexpected. And scary. Usually they searched the ship, looked at the trade manifestos and left empty-handed. She exchanged a look with Santh. He'd know enough to keep his mouth shut. If this trip was intended to unsettle them the move had worked. The butterflies in her stomach were performing a salsa.

I'll be at http://spacefreighters.blogspot.com.au/ tomorrow for a little bit more about that initial meeting and you'll meet Admiral Ullric Hudson. 

To celebrate the release of 'Starheart' I'll be giving a $25 Amazon gift voucher to one person who leaves a comment on this, or any other of the blogs I visit until 10th March. So leave a comment here and you'll be in the draw.

Bio

Greta van der Rol loves writing science fiction with a large dollop of good old, healthy romance. She lives not far from the coast in Queensland, Australia and enjoys photography and cooking when she isn't bent over the computer. She has a degree in history and a background in building information systems, both of which go a long way toward helping her in her writing endeavours.

Links:

- http://gretavanderrol.net/
- http://twitter.com/GretavdR
- http://www.facebook.com/Author.Greta.vanderRol 


6 Comments

Book Review: ZOMBIE WRITING! Anthology

2/16/2012

1 Comment

 
Zombie Writing!, edited by Armand Rosamilia, is a surprisingly thoughtful and insightful collection of essays by an unexpectedly eclectic group of authors.  While many frame their short works around their love of zombie horror, most also offer the philosophical, literary, and personal inspirations behind their writing.  Deep and provocative, the essays included in this anthology add a fresh and entertaining perspective to the genre.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to readers and writers alike!
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Valentine's Day: A Bittersweet Confession

2/13/2012

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Back when I was young and naïve, I believed in love at first sight.  I was convinced I had experienced the phenomenon when, at the tender age of eighteen, I met the man whom I truly believed was to be the love of my life.  Our connection was immediate, although I can’t really say “love” was an actual part of it.  We lost touch before we had the chance to date and it would be a number of years before we reconnected, but when we did, we decided very quickly that we were in love.  I moved in with him.  Within a few months, starting on my birthday of all days, he began to abuse me—physically and emotionally—on a regular basis.

After nearly five years of abuse, I finally left him.  With a cracked skull, split lips, and bruises on literally every inch of my body, I was left jaded, broken, and untrusting of all men.  Each year when Valentine’s Day would come around, I would have nothing nice to say to all those lovebirds out there who felt the need to celebrate it.  I thought romantic love was a delusion … and that Valentine’s Day was nothing but commercial exploit of that delusion.

When I met my husband, it wasn’t love at first sight.  Yes, we were attracted to one another, but I had no intention of dating him.  I didn’t want another relationship—ever.  I was too afraid that he too might turn into a monster once I opened my heart to him.  Still, I thought it would be okay for us to be friends, as we genuinely enjoyed one another’s company.  I didn’t mean to fall in love with him.  It just happened.  By the time I finally expressed my feelings for him, he just smiled and replied very matter-of-factly, “I’m glad one of us finally said it.”

When the next Valentine’s Day came around, as taken as I was by having someone to love this time, I found that the holiday still held no meaning for me.  Why?  Because when one has found love—real love—every day is Valentine’s Day.  I found that I didn’t want jewelry or chocolates or flowers to mark the occasion.  What I had every day was so much more meaningful.

I still feel that way.  Not a day goes by in which I don’t thank whatever fates brought my husband and me together.  What I have—companionship, partnership, someone who understands me like no one else and treats me like gold—is the best gift I could ever have asked for.  We don’t need a holiday to celebrate that.  We celebrate it every day.

Just the same, for all you lovebirds out there out buying jewelry, chocolates, and flowers: Happy Valentine’s Day.  May your love be true and your happiness year-round.


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Please Welcome Guest Blogger Frances Pauli!

2/12/2012

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It's my pleasure to host the very talented Frances Pauli today as a part of her Fairies in February Blog Tour.  Ms. Pauli writes a wide range of speculative fiction and has a fun and exciting new series, The Changling Race.  She is offering a giveaway as a part of her tour, so be sure to leave a comment for you chance to win one or more of her great books.  Take it away, Frances!
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Fairy Tales

I started reading Urban Fantasy with Charles DeLint. Back in those days, the idea rocked my world. Bringing the magic of fantasy into a modern setting was a mind-boggling new concept. Very few people had done it, and those few hadn’t made much of a ripple. Still, whether by correct timing or brilliant writing, (most likely both) DeLint cracked that barrier open. In fact, he blew it into tiny pieces, and once the idea was out, well, just look what happened. 

I can’t explain exactly why the world was ready to let a little magic into their cities, but I can tell you why the genre appealed to me. I suspect the two may cross over a great deal. I came to the genre first as a reader, after all, and back then I never expected to be writing in it.  

 
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While I’d always love to read fantasy, a completely magical world is chained to the realm of the unattainable. We can escape there, yes, but the fact that we’re leaving our reality in itself keeps us from completely immersing in the journey. Our mind knows how many steps removed from us the magical world is, and I think that distance keeps us at arm’s length. 

We journey out of our world into another in traditional fantasy, but with the introduction of the Urban genre, we flip the process. Suddenly, we are bringing the fantastic into our own, know universe. I believe that allows us to embed more fully in the experience. It can feel possible, close to home, almost real. 

That’s my theory anyway. When I read about Newport, I could see, hear, and smell the city because I’d actually experienced cities before. So each time I rounded a street corner and ran into a fairy, or entered the subway and interrupted a goblin dance that experience resonated with a touch of the real. It became plausible. 

Just thinking about it gives me a little shiver.   


When the idea for The Changeling Race whispered in my ear, I didn’t hesitate to follow it. I’d fallen in love with the idea of fairies in a modern world years before. Now it was my turn to bring them home, introduce a little magic into my modern, and no way was I going to let that chance slip by. I hope I did them justice. And even more, I hope that readers find a little magic in the pages that is easier to relate to, that the story allows them even for a moment to make their own world just a touch more fantastic. 

And if anyone else has a theory on the popularity of “contemporary fantasy” I’d love to hear it. Let’s compare notes. 

Thank you so much for hosting a stop on the tour. I am offering a free pdf of any book from my backlist to one commenter today, and for each stop on the tour that you comment on, you will earn one entry into the final drawing for print copies of all three books. Follow along and enter to win! 

 
Bio:

Frances Pauli writes speculative fiction with romantic touches. Her books are published through Mundania Press LLC, Awe-Struck, and Devine Destinies, and her short stories are featured in various anthologies. More information on her worlds and writing can be found on her website and blog, and she offers free online stories, web serials, podcasts there as well. 

http://francespauli.com

http://francespauli.blogspot.com

https://twitter.com/#!/MothinDarkness

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Frances-Pauli/112884745408149

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3426477.Frances_Pauli 


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Book Blurbs:

A Moth in Darkness

The boundaries between the worlds have fallen. Forced to integrate the creatures of fantasy into real life, humanity struggles against its disillusionment, prejudice and an inevitable feeling of inadequacy.

Once an agent for the embassy that mediates between the worlds, Elizabeth Larson has abandoned her past and slipped into a world of nostalgic addiction to fairy revels, dancing, and the dark lure of her own memories. But when Lockland Sheen, her former partner and lover, goes missing, she is pulled reluctantly back into service. She must venture once more across the borders, into the land that haunts her, facing a string of gruesome murders, the imposing Sidhe rulers and her own addiction in the process.

While the Embassy’s agents attempt to soothe tensions between the races, Liz and her new partner search the fairy realm for Lockland. Fighting the constant temptation of the revels, they piece together the trail of an unknown enemy. But the longer they follow it, the more it appears that the man they came to rescue is more villain than victim. And the more they rely on Elizabeth’s ties to the fairies, the closer she inches toward the madness that lurks behind her fantasies.

http://www.mundania.com/book.php?title=A%20Moth%20in%20Darkness  


The Fly in Paradise

Something’s rotten in the Fey lands. While Marcus Bramble tracks the lunatic who started it all, Elizabeth and the crew at the Embassy sort through the evidence he left behind. With Lockland back, and the revels behind her, Liz’s world is slowly returning to normal. But on both sides of the borders, shadow creatures spring out of nowhere, and the dark legends surrounding the fey take on a whole new meaning.

Now time is against them.  On the mortal side of things, protesters rally to close the borders, politicians descend on the Embassy, and something that shouldn’t exist stalks Elizabeth through the city.

 In his world, Marcus faces a madman with answers he doesn’t want to hear. The Fey rulers turn a blind eye on forests teeming with imaginary monsters, and the Sidhe tower stands silent amidst the chaos. Will the race to uncover its secrets solve the mystery of the elves’ past or unleash even more horrors on them all?

http://www.mundania.com/book.php?title=The+Fly+in+Paradise 


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Spiders From Memory

The Seelie court is gone, and the Tower has fallen into darker hands. Now nightmare creatures terrorize the Fey races, and the whole Fey world turns to frost and shadow.

Liz Larson holds the last remnant of the Seelie Sidhe's power. The elves look to her for guidance, but all she has to offer them is the disturbing story of their origin, the final truth that will turn many of them against her. With her dwindling number of allies, Liz needs to reopen the borders, to find the missing Marcus Bramble, and to avoid the sudden, terrifiying attention of the new Fey ruler, the Unseelie Speaker and new master of the Sidhe Tower.

While her friends in Mundanity race to pry open the gates, and Marcus searches for the answer to a puzzle that could save or damn them all, the Unseelie Speaker marches north, bringing his army and his wrath to focus on Elizabeth. What can one, fairy-touched human do in the face of the Unseelie court's full fury? How can she fight when the enemy's anger is only partly blind, when she can see all too clearly the traces of justice behind it?

http://www.mundania.com/book.php?title=Spiders+From+Memory


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Book Review: DESTINATION UNKNOWN by Trent Zelazny

2/3/2012

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When a couple finds itself in possession of a briefcase filled with $160,000 of obviously illegally obtained $100 bills, its criminal owner terrorizes the two in his attempt to retrieve it.

Destination Unknown is a tense and at times heart-wrenching psychological piece in the vein of the classic stalker thriller.  The author's style is bold, the characters well developed, and the pace nearly perfect.  Although formulaic, Zelazny knows his genre and takes great efforts to turn common cliches on their heads.  While I did not personally like the stylistic choice to fall into present tense in some internal dialog, it is clearly a stylistic choice and the story's prose is otherwise superb.

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Indy Books: Your Take

2/2/2012

1 Comment

 
There has been much speculation lately on the merits and drawbacks to independent publishing.  From the success of self-published author Amanda Hocking to reports of over-saturation in the e-book market, there are definitely a lot of opinions floating around.  An article released on Monday through the Guardian suggests the current self-publishing market is comparable to recent dot-com and housing bubbles, and that very soon it is sure to burst.

While there is some merit to issues of over-saturation and quality control, I'm not really sure I agree with the comparison.  Perhaps it's just wishful thinking on my part as an Indy author, but I'd like to think changes that have come with the newest publishing paradigm shift are a step in the right direction.  I'd like to think Amanda Hawking is not just a lucky fluke in an otherwise dark and drying mire.

What do you think?  What has been your overall experience with self-published authors?  Has your opinion on the matter changed at all since the Indy boom first began?
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