Hey everyone, I am a bit under the weather today (a phrase coined by sailors forced below deck when falling ill and a term I learned after reading The Wager). So, given my weakened immune system, I am getting straight to the point here. My last review for 2025 is for Stephen King's The Langoliers.... Continue Reading →
Peter Pan made me cry. Ashamed as I am to admit it, JM Barrie's 120-year-old novella, a book intended for well-to-do British kids refusing to go to bed, made this jaded author---who scoffed at the overly saccharine storytelling in The Alchemist--- ball like someone who's never read a sappy story in his life. Mrs. Darling... Continue Reading →
I have this crazy idea. I want to get Stephen King, Carl Sagan, and Lord Dunsany (Edward Plunkett) in a room together ... At first glance, these writers could NOT be further apart in terms of tone and subject matter. One of the books I am reviewing for this post isn't even fiction. But as... Continue Reading →
Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption proves why King is a master storyteller. This novella is a masterclass in storytelling technique, demonstrating flawless pacing, excellent use of dialogue, and natural character development. While King can be overly descriptive in his other works, he shows remarkable restraint here, stripping everything from the writing but the bare essentials.... Continue Reading →
I have been at this forever, it seems. I began my storytelling journey 44 years ago, after turning six --- and in 2010, fifteen years ago, I started this blog. My goal was to promote my work, encourage aspiring authors to succeed in this ever-changing literary landscape, and share with readers my love for books... Continue Reading →
For the first time in my life, I am genuinely afraid. Afraid to speak my mind. Scared to express my feelings in public. Afraid to title this post the way I wanted to title it. This is not due to any radical change in my beliefs. I do not condone violence in any form. I... Continue Reading →
I am hammering out the details on the last chapter of my latest book (42 of 42), which currently stands at 165k words. While it's a bit dense for a YA debut novel, stories are organic things with a life all their own, and often go places I don't intend. I hope, however, my future... Continue Reading →
Have you been dying to meet me? Perhaps you'd like to discuss your favorite scene from the Aenya Series, or pick up exclusive signed copies of Ages of Aenya, The Princess of Aenya, or The Feral Girl? Or maybe you'd like to pick my brain about my upcoming book, The Magiq of Aenya? Well, if... Continue Reading →
Me and my crazy ideas . . . OK, so, after reading Stephen King's The Long Walk, I thought it'd be a neat idea to recreate some of the story for my podcast by taking . . . a long walk. Now, to be fair, I didn't have anyone following me around in a Jeep,... Continue Reading →
This is my third review of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro, and I have to admit, he's done it again! The Buried Giant is a superb fantasy tale told in a way only Ishiguro can. Very reminiscent of the fairy tales of yore, the book reminded me of my favorite fantasy classics, including The Last... Continue Reading →
“The sun in the west was a drop of burning gold that slid nearer and nearer the sill of the world. All at once they were aware of the evening as the end of light and warmth.” ---William Golding, Lord of the Flies Great works of literature transcend time and place. They not only speak... Continue Reading →
In glimmers, in shreds of thought, in the aftermath of my reading, I wondered if he kept a journal still, or if the dolphin's eye had been familiar for a reason other than that it was so human. But soon enough I banished this nonsense; some questions will ruin you if you are denied the... Continue Reading →
I am 130k words into my fourth novel, The Magiq of Aenya, and should have a completed draft around August. But before then, I'll be heading to my wife's home country of Morocco, a real-world fantasy setting, to better realize the Arab-North African inspired City of Shemselinihar. This is a rough map of the area... Continue Reading →
Scott Lynch is a talented wordsmith. His writing is exceptionally vivid, which he uses to significant effect in his debut novel, The Lies of Locke Lamora. That being said, his characters lack depth, and the plot takes a while to get going, and when it does, it is relatively straightforward. The Lies of Lock Lamora... Continue Reading →
Are you thinking about becoming a writer? Well, don't. That's my advice. Don't do it. Please. Too many of you think that after watching a few YouTube videos, you can become the next Tolkien, Sandersen, or whoever's hitting the bestseller charts these days. But the real world doesn't work that way. I get tired of... Continue Reading →
In a recent podcast, Nick Alimonos shares updates on his participation in the first Tarpon Springs Book Fair, where he successfully sold his books, particularly "Princess of Aenya." He addresses challenges authors face with algorithms that misrepresent his work by associating it with nudity, despite its broader fantasy themes. Alimonos emphasizes the importance of storytelling beyond monetary gain, reflecting on the market trends favoring emotional narratives that resonate more with female readers. He discusses his ongoing project, "The Magiq of Aenya," aimed at younger audiences, and how he is rethinking cover designs to better connect with readers.
It's finally here!!! When I received this proof from Amazon, I was quite literally blown away. This new cover truly pops! The colors are vivid, the interior images are solid, and the overall feel of the binding is just oh-so-professional. If you're a fan of Aenya or fine books in general, you'll want to add... Continue Reading →
Today, I bring you not one, not two, but a whopping twenty+ story reviews! It's my first critical look at an anthology series from my favorite comfort author, Stephen King. Skeleton Crew includes a lot of great shorts, a few mids (like the kids like to say these days), and a few duds. But the... Continue Reading →
In today's double-whammy podcast, I discuss Stephen King's novella, The Mist—one of King's best and most gripping yarns, IMO—I then don my monocle to shift gears into high-brow territory as my special guest (my wife) and I delve into the equally terrifying (jk) tale that is Kazuo Ishiguro's Pulitzer Prize-winning, The Remains of the Day. My hormone-fueled... Continue Reading →
A whopping thirty-six years after first releasing The Shining (from 1977 to 2013), Stephen King finally gets around to giving us a sequel, Doctor Sleep. That almost makes the wait for Winds of Winter reasonable! Of course, The Shining was in no need of a sequel. There were no loose plot threads to tie up nor... Continue Reading →
Unless you've been living underground awaiting the coming apocalypse, or maybe you just don't like movies, you've probably seen the famous scene with Charlton Heston and the Statue of Liberty. Or perhaps you're a lot younger than me, and you watched the newer series with James Franco and the CGI apes. There is even a... Continue Reading →
So, I guess we need to talk about Neil Gaiman now . . . (sigh). Unless you've been living under a rock or have zero interest in the literary world (and if that's the case, why are you even here?), you've probably heard about the awful allegations directed at Neil Gaiman, author of some of... Continue Reading →
"Is he . . . writing?" "Yes. Yes, he is." I heard my nurses saying this, the ones who'd been taking care of me for over the month of May as I was getting treated for acute myeloid leukemia. Now let me just say, chemotherapy is a real bitch. It's straight-up poison they pump directly... Continue Reading →
Have you ever wanted an Aenya-themed coffee mug with the Aenya logo featured on the cup? How about Thelana wielding her golden sword from the back of your iPhone? Or even a bedspread? You know, the famous one with our intrepid heroine crouched in the treetops, spear in hand, ready to hunt some tyrant dinosaurs?... Continue Reading →
As a personal social experiment, I lived for a month like it was 1985. Now I'm back with some insights and observations. First and foremost, it's not easy pretending it's four decades earlier when nobody else is playing along. The Internet has become mandatory for making restaurant reservations, planning trips, or buying insurance. Going without GPS,... Continue Reading →
I am sick to my stomach, I really am. What bothers me most, I think, is that we seem to be living in a post-ethics world. Apparently, nobody cares about decency anymore, or kindness, or compassion. What the fuck happened to us? Seriously? America was the shining city on the hill. America was the beacon... Continue Reading →
In the 1980 film Somewhere in Time, Christopher Reeve (of Superman fame) plays a man who falls in love with a portrait of a young woman long dead. His obsession with her photo leads him to discard everything that reminds him of the seventies, and following a rather intense night of self-hypnosis, he travels back... Continue Reading →
WARNING: RANT AHEAD If you genuinely enjoy reading fantasy---if you delight in the works of Homer, Burroughs, Tolkien, Sanderson, Rothfuss, or any author who dabbles in speculative storytelling, you owe it to yourself to pick up the books in the Aenya Series. But if you're looking to satisfy some voyeuristic urge or wish to justify your... Continue Reading →
Am I really doing this? Yep. This guy (me), who grew up on a steady diet of He-Man and D&D, an author known for action, adventure, and monsters bleeding out across the pages of his own books, chose to pick up and read the most chic-flickiest of books ever written, and you know what? I... Continue Reading →
It's that time again, folks! It's that time when I share with you, dear listener, the inane, frustrating, and sometimes inspiring messages (like the one below) I receive from across the social media landscape regarding the epic fantasy that is the Aenya Series, which, let me remind you yet again, is NOT smut and never has been... Continue Reading →
Parts Terminator, parts Spielberg's A.I. (Philip K. Dick's Supertoys Last All Summer Long), parts Pinocchio, T.J. Klune's In The Lives of Puppets is a dystopian Sci-Fi adventure lacking in thrills and imagination. The plot revolves around Victor, the young protagonist and the last human child on Earth, built by a robot father. While this device... Continue Reading →
Pet Sematary is unquestionably Stephen King's darkest novel. In the introduction to my copy, he admits he wasn't sure he wanted to put this one out there. While there are plenty of supernatural aspects to the novel, particularly in the later segments, Sematary stands apart from King's other works by delving into real-life tragedy and... Continue Reading →
The worst possible book you could be reading when you're in the hospital being treated for cancer, and you're seriously contemplating your mortality, is Stephen King's Pet Sematary. King even admits he almost didn't publish Sematary due to its bleak subject matter, so why he would begin to write such a thing is beyond me.... Continue Reading →
Can a totally naked female character become a lightning rod for feminism? Or does sex appeal and the gratification of the male gaze distract from any message of equality? Thelana lives naked, fights naked, and adventures through the world of Aenya naked, but only because she chooses to do so, refusing to be defined by others.... Continue Reading →
If you haven't seen me on here lately, it's because last month I was diagnosed with cancer. Leukemia, to be exact. I am still fighting to get better, but it's been a very, very difficult process. The hardest thing I've ever had to deal with by a huge margin. Just going about everyday tasks, like... Continue Reading →
The Name of the Wind is the story of Kvothe, a brooding emo-rogue type hero and run-of-the-mill Gary Stu who suffers through all the usual cliches: mysteriously killed parents, living in poverty, attending a magic school with comically cruel teachers, etc. While Rothfuss’s writing flows smoothly, painting a vivid albeit generic landscape, the book lacks... Continue Reading →
Greetings, Aenya fans! I have decided to do something different for my upcoming project. I am releasing a production diary, starting with this one, because I am eager to share all the exciting news regarding The Magiq of Aenya. So what is 'The Magiq of Aenya'? It's the fourth book in the ongoing Aenya series... Continue Reading →
All I ever asked for was a writing desk, but my father (God rest his soul) didn't want to buy one for me despite spending tens of thousands on lavish antique furniture to fill his million-dollar mansions. Since I was six, I impressed upon him my obsession—my need—to become an author, but he didn't care... Continue Reading →
In this exciting matchup, I pit legendary authors against one another to see who comes out on top! Yessiree, folks, step right up for the fight of the century. In one corner, we've got legendary suspense author of over sixty-five books and counting, Stephen King, and his novella, The Body. And in the opposite corner,... Continue Reading →
After reading and reviewing Cloud Cuckoo Land, my best book of 2023, I knew I had to pick up another of Anthony Doerr's books. This time, I figured, why not the book that won him the Pulitzer? In true Doerr fashion, All the Light We Cannot See is a masterclass in poetry. Every sentence sings.... Continue Reading →
If you want to be a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, or anything outside the humanities field, chances are you'll benefit from a college degree. But woe to you whose heart is set on becoming an author, a musician, a visual artist, or any pursuit whose area of study depends on an arbitrary grading system... Continue Reading →
David Sedaris would like you to know that nudists are ugly and weird and should probably know better. At least, that’s the impression he gives, if his book, Naked, is any indication. It’s crass, low-brow comedy—and a sneaky way for him to make fun of fat people just for being fat because, hey, they’re naked,... Continue Reading →
While I love the idea-driven, philosophically oriented science fiction authors of the 50s and '60s, the likes of which include Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clark, Philip K. Dick, Robert Heinlein, Frank Herbert, and Isaac Asimov---I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed by the first in Asimov's Foundation series. I truly, truly wanted to love... Continue Reading →
It's sad that social media always appeals to our basest instincts. It's why YouTubers make millions---YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!!!---and why Amazon authors find success writing ENF (Embarrassed Naked Female), harem, and dinosaur erotica. Unfortunately, my readers have fallen into the same trap with my latest book, The Feral Girl, but in reverse. They buy... Continue Reading →
No matter how advanced artificial intelligence becomes---even after a thousand years of quantum computing---novels written by AI will never be worth anyone's time because fiction isn't a math problem to be solved. Storytelling is the greatest form of human expression. It's how we share our lived experiences, our fears, our pain, our aspirations. But a... Continue Reading →
What can I say about this book that hasn't already been said? Harper Lee's masterpiece and only true novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, has been analyzed to death by critics and is quintessential reading for any middle school English class. How Lee manages to write with such pathos, conviction, and storytelling skill without ever having... Continue Reading →
FINALLY!!! After a three-year-long wait, the short video I asked my daughter to help me produce is complete! "The King's Sacrifice" is based on the fairytale intro that appears at the novel's start. All of the art was done by Jasmine (save for the tower and the map), who has greatly improved since she started... Continue Reading →
Every streaming service wants to make the next Game of Thrones. Barring the last two seasons' abysmal ratings, George R.R. Martin's book-based drama had studios the world over greening with envy, and because of that, viewers have been subjected to a flood of poorly conceived imitations the likes of which we haven't seen since the... Continue Reading →
Writing is hard and storytelling is even harder. It is a fool's errand paved with heartache and disappointment and oddly placed metaphors. So, if you're dreaming big, wanting to see your name appear at Barnes & Noble next to the big shots of the literary world, do yourself a favor and step away from the... Continue Reading →
The Art of Storytelling 
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