A Book and a Chat with Diane Doniol-Valcroze

When your father is Jacques Doniol-Valcroze, co-founder of the New Wave magazine CAHIERS DU CINEMA, and from her grandfather, French filmmaker André Cayatte (original THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES), it is not surprising that Diane Doniol-Valcroze as a young girl, she developed a passion for writing.

Born in Paris, France, Diane e earned a B.A. in English literature from the Sorbonne University, and an M.F.A. in film from New York University while apprenticing on the Lauren Hutton show. It was while at New York University she met Arthur K. Flam and together they have co-written screen plays for such films as Lionsgate's PENNY DREADFUL, starring Mimi Rogers, and MGM's HIT AND RUN, helmed by Enda McCallion and starring Kevin Corrigan.

Now the two of them have produced their debut book 41 STRANGE.

41 STRANGE, a first-of-its-kind e-book anthology devoted exclusively to “short-short stories of the strange and horrifying,” awaits just a couple of clicks away for Kindle readers who enjoy a good shiver up their spines. The book delivers a reading experience in the spirit of such masters of the macabre as Edgar Allan Poe, Ray Bradbury, Stephen King, Alfred Hitchcock, and Rod Serling.  Many of the stories were written “in the lonely hour of the wolf … in the pre-dawn darkness when you get those ‘waking nightmares.’” .

As one reviewer wrote “… gruesome and skillfully assembled… Each story is a quick read that abundantly satisfies the audience’s thirst and appetite for horrific plots… these short horror stories provide great entertainment…”

With a second book already underway, we will I am sure hear a lot more from these talented authors.

So listen now and share an interesting and entertaining show as I chat with my special guest today on A Book and a Chat with Diane Doniol-Valcroze

Barry

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Barry Eva (Storyheart)

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A Book and a Chat with Eugene C Myers

Eugene Myers is the author of the young adult science fiction novel “Fair Coin”, in fact it’s Eugene’s debut novel though he published numerous fiction and fantasy short stories in a number of magazines and anthologies such as Sybil’s Garage, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, Sporty Spec: Games of the Fantastic, and Touched by Wonder: A Symphony of Fantastic Tales. His romantic short story featuring horny zombies, “In the Closet”, received an Honorable Mention in The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror 2008; his nostalgic short story about horny cavemen, “My Father’s Eyes”, also got an Honorable Mention in The Best Horror of the Year: Volume 3; and he was a finalist in L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest.

“Fair Coin” as previously stated, is Eugene's first novel, the story went through four revisions before he thought it was up to querying agents, this was followed by months before and further edit before going into submission. Two years, several near misses and a lot of rejection letters later and the book was sold to Pyr.

It then took another fifteen months before the book was finally published, though during that time Eugene wrote three other novels, including the planned sequel “Quantum Coin".

About “Fair Coin”:

Sixteen-year-old Ephraim Scott is horrified when he comes home from school and finds his mother unconscious at the kitchen table, clutching a bottle of pills. The reason for her suicide attempt is even more disturbing: she thought she’d identified Ephraim’s body at the hospital that day.

Among his dead double’s belongings, Ephraim finds a strange coin—a coin that grants wishes when he flips it. With a flick of his thumb, he can turn his alcoholic mother into a model parent and catch the eye of the girl he’s liked since second grade. But the coin doesn’t always change things for the better. And a bad flip can destroy other people’s lives as easily as it rebuilds his own.

The coin could give Ephraim everything he’s ever wanted—if he learns to control its power before his luck runs out.

The book has received some fantastic reviews including this from one of the top Sic-Fi web sites “io9.com”…

Tired of cookie-cutter young-adult novels? The cure awaits, in the shape of E.C. Myers' astounding Fair Coin—a book which, among other things, achieves the feat of seeming like a dark fairy tale and a clever science fiction epic, rolled into one. It's a fast-moving book full of twists and cool character moments and definitely ideal for adults who miss the days of engaging, idea-driven science fiction. ..." --io9

So listen now and share an interesting,and entertaining thirty minutes with my guest Eugene Myers

If you have enjoyed the blog or the radio show, why not become a follower of the show?

Barry

Direct link to the show
A Book and a Chat with Eugene Myers

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"Eugene Myers"

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:"Eugene Myers - Fair Coin"

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"The Bathroom Book of Romance - Book 1"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

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A Book and a Chat with Vincent Hobbes

Vincent Hobbes is my guest on today’s “A Book and a Chat”. He has been actively writing since he was 15 years old. A fan “The Twilight Zone” his roots lay in horror, though now he has branched out into other genres.

In 2007, he published his first book “The Contrived Senator” the first book in a fantasy series, which was followed the following year by book two of the series “Exiles”,

Vincent has always been into writing short stories and in 2010 he teamed up with 11 incredible authors, and created The Endlands.

This horror anthology, like chicken soup for the sole for horror readers, “The Endlands”, an ode to the kooky and bizarre,was released at the start of this year.

As Vincent shared with us on the radio show, the book was the result of many hundreds of short stories he received, ranging from multi published authors to a person who had one story that had to be told.

The finished book includes seventeen different stories ranging across various styles of horror, I'm sure it would make a great TV series, perhaps a little like Twilight Zone for horror fans.

As Midwest Book Review put it…

There is little more primordially frightening to us than the unknown. “The Endlands” is a collection of short stories aimed to frighten and ponder what we all fear the most, what’s behind that corner, what is there to antagonize us and what we simply cannot explain. With plenty to ponder and plenty to make it quite hard to put down, “The Endlands” is an excellent read and very highly recommended.

With a second book already being prepared, to follow “The Endlands", Vincent is currently finishing two solo authored books; one is a horror novel set in the wild west, the other is a futuristic novel—dystopian.

So listen now and share an interesting and entertaining show as I spend thirty minutes sharing "A Book and a Chat with Vincent Hobbes

Barry

Direct link to the show
A Book and a Chat with Vincent Hobbes

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"Vincent Hobbes"

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:
"Vincent Hobbes - The Endlands"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

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A Book and a Chat with Hugh Aaron

My guest today Hugh Aaron, was born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts, is a graduate of The University of Chicago where his professors encouraged him to pursue a literary career. However, after three years serving in World War II, he made his living as CEO of his own manufacturing business while continuing to write. Since he sold his business in 1984 he has devoted full time to his writing resulting so far in two novels, a travel memoir, a short story collection, two collections of business essays, a book of movie reviews, a child's book and a letter collection. Add to that the numerous full length and one-act stage plays, screenplays and his collection of five novellas entitled "QUINTET" and you will see that the career has indeed been followed.

His latest novel “Stories from a Lifetime” is indeed that a selection of stories ranging from one page to fifty pages written by Hugh during the years that he came upon one day hidden away in a draw.

About Stories from a Lifetime:

The book carries readers through a widely diverse series of life’s peaks and valleys with poignant, clear-eyed vision and understanding that is only gradually gained across the course of a lifetime through endurance and honest appraisal of the emotional rollercoaster that we all ride.

Hugh Aaron delicately reveals the world through the innocent eyes of a young boy, through those of a soldier far from home during wartime, and those of a struggling businessman and faltering husband. He is unafraid to reveal panic beneath a façade of success, the deep and hollow sadness that may exist in an outwardly happy marriage, the yearning we feel to make a break for freedom from the rat race, the unexpected emotional responses that shift lives far beyond the expected course of events.

These stories form a welcome, and increasingly rare, honest, grounded, and beautifully written collection that will touch nerves while sympathizing with what it means to be human.

With each story written over fifty five years, at a different period of Hugh’s life, being inspired by what issues that were uppermost in his mind at the time. In a sense, the totality of the collection is a disguised autobiography.

The book is a great read, being short stories it provides a lot of stopping points for those of us who are busy moms or just busy and on the go without a lot of reading time at once. I enjoyed the wide range of subjects of his stories. They were written over a lifetime and you can see that when you read them. Some of them are wise and thought provoking, and others reflect characters that are still very much seeking answers.

All of the stories are well written and written with honesty and heart.

So listen to an interesting and hugely entertaining show as I spend thirty minutes sharing "A Book and a Chat with Hugh Aaron"

Barry

Direct link to the show
"A Book and a Chat with Hugh Aaron"

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
"Hugh Aaron"

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:
"Hugh Aaron - Stories From a Lifetime"

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK - Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests - A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World - Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry