We
never forget our first and Jessica Chapnik was mine.
And although you're filled with anticipation and excitement at what might
happen as a result, your very first can be a frightening experience ...
terrifying, even painful ... forever etched in your memory.
But
it can also be exhilarating beyond description. In fact, it's the element of
venturing into the unknown that makes it so alluring.
Jessica
has gone on to greater things. Aussies will remember her as "Sam
Holden" on the hit television show, Home and Away. In 2008, she recorded
the Ben Lee soundtrack for the Joel and Nash Edgerton film, The Square.
The song was nominated for an Australian Film Institute Award for "Best
Original Music Score," as well as an ARIA (Australian Recording Industry
Association) Fine Arts Award for "Best Original Soundtrack". A singer
of exceptional talent and beauty, Jessie has toured internationally with
musicians Sarah Blasko, Ben Lee, the Kahn Brothers, and Old Man River. Her 2010
Appleonia Music video, It's Not So Precious, exemplifies the gentle,
inspirational quality to her voice. Which surprised me since she is such a
raging soccer fanatic (go Argentina!) who loves espionage thrillers and
vegetarian pizzas (go pizza!).
So
while many of you may know Jessica as an exceptional actress and musician, to
me she will always be "the first" -- my first -- book critic,
that is -- to review book #1 in my Aleksandr Talanov thriller series, Department
Thirteen, when it was originally published in Australia. At the time,
"Jessy" was writing for Who magazine (the Australian version
of People magazine, both of which are owned by Time Inc), to whom I had
sent a copy for review consideration.
A
first review can play with your mind. It did mine. For one
thing, I had no idea whether Who magazine would even look at my novel. Who
was, after all, the premier celebrity magazines in Australia, and I was this
unknown author whose book had been published by a micro-press no one had ever
heard of. And if by some miracle they did review it, would they like it? Or
would they trash it? Would my book get hammered before it even hit the shelves?
Fears collided with possibilities to produce a tornado of emotional turbulence.
I could hardly stand it. But, as I said before, it was the element of venturing
into the unknown that was, in fact, its allure.
We
need book reviewers and critics. We rely on their seasoned judgment to sift the
wheat from the chaff. Sure, some of them like to find something
wrong with everything. No turn unstoned, as the old saying goes.
That's because some are snotty, uppity elitists who are downright arrogant and
rude.
Just
as some writers are.
Most
critics, however, are decent people who devote lots of hours to their craft.
Many are writers, all are readers, and as far as I can tell, they're in it for
one reason: their desire to present good books to the public. However,
with shrinking budgets and cutbacks, there are fewer reviewers and critics
writing for fewer magazines and newspapers, so the challenge of getting
reviewed in a major publication is harder than ever. Nevertheless, in today's
world, a good review -- or a bad one -- can spread virally like wildfire via
blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and a host of other social networking sites.
And that's not counting those customer review sites hosted by online giants
like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Like
never before, the reader has become the critic with a voice. Which
keeps a writer like me on his toes, especially since I am now touring with
Department Thirteen's sequel, Greco's Game. What will you, the jury,
think?
As
for Jessica, well, my "first" had this to say about book Department
Thirteen: [This book] "... will delight aficionados of the genre with
its punchy pace, intricate plot, compelling structure and, best of all,
goose-bump-raising-climax."
It
may well have been pure luck that I got that cool review. I hope it wasn't just
luck, but it could have been. Thankfully, some others agreed, for Department
Thirteen went on to be voted the "Best Thriller of 2011" by USA
Book News, after which is won a gold medal in the 2012 Independent Publisher
("IPPY") Book Awards (thriller/suspense), after which it won a gold
medal in the 2012 Next Generation Indie Book Awards (action/adventure). Will Greco's
Game fare as well? Who knows? You can check out what others are
saying over at Amazon by clicking HERE.
As
for Dragon Head (book #3 in the series, which will be out in 2013),
well, allow me to extend you an offer: I will email you a FREE eBook copy in
exchange for an honest review on Amazon. Yep. A free copy in exchange
for an honest review. Before the book goes on sale to the public!
So, if you're game, drop me a line by clicking HERE
and leave me your email address. I'll be in touch.
ABOUT
JAMES HOUSTON TURNER
A
native of Kansas, James turned to writing fiction as a result of his years as a
smuggler behind the old Iron Curtain. He has been on a KGB watchlist, organized
secret midnight meetings with informants, located hidden mountain bunkers, and
investigated legends of forgotten tunnels buried beneath the cobblestones and
bricks of some of Central Europe’s most venerated cathedrals. Department
Thirteen, his debut thriller featuring former KGB informant, Colonel Aleksandr
Talanov, was inspired by those experiences and went on to win the USA Book News
“Best Thriller of 2011″ award, a gold medal in the 2012 Independent Publisher
“IPPY” Book Awards (thriller/suspense), and a gold medal in the 2012 Indie Book
Awards (action/adventure).
A
former journalist in Los Angeles, James holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Baker
University and a Master’s Degree from the University of Houston (Clear Lake).
His 2011 “Too Ugly Tour” saw him drive 4500 miles across America promoting his
books and speaking to thousands of students about not letting the hard knocks
of life defeat you, which in his case included years of rejection, surviving
cancer, and once being turned down for a customer service job because he was
“too ugly” — a reference to the facial scars he still carries from his
successful 1991 battle against cancer. He and his wife, Wendy, a former triathlon
winner, live in Adelaide, South Australia.
1 Talk to me!:
THANK YOU, Yvonne, for having me as a guest on your awesome site. I am really grateful to join you and look forward to remaining in touch. Blessings for a great week ahead. ~James
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