Frederick Lee Brooke

Lillian's List - A Fine Book Full of Surprises

Imagine a woman who is so in control of her life, even as she is dying of cancer, that she makes a list of suitable candidates to take over the care and feeding of her husband after she's gone. This is the premise of Lillian's List, and the author delivers on it.

Before she dies, Lillian has to show her doting husband Jerry how to work the coffee machine, how to make her special macaroni and cheese recipe, and how to clean the kitchen floor, among many other things. At first, I was thinking, how could any man be as helpless as Jerry? But after all, these people grew up in an age where men's and women's roles in the household and in life were more clearly defined.

One thing I loved about Lillian's List is that it continually surprised me. First we are treated to flashbacks Lillian is having in her final weeks, and these are portraits of the five women on her list for Jerry. The five women are just as different as five women can be, ranging from the warmhearted church pastor to the spinster librarian to the perpetual second place finisher in the local pie contest (Lillian always places first herself).

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Terrorist Threat Raised to Orange: Doing Max Vinyl Marks Anniversary

They are scrambling the F-16s at the traditional publishing companies. They are checking and re-checking their 'don't publish' lists. They are installing full body scanners at the entrances on 34th Street and Madison Avenue.

Doing Max Vinyl (An Annie Ogden Mystery) was published on the KDP platform one year ago, on April 29, 2011. You know how terrorists are when it comes to anniversaries. They celebrate with a little carnage! I am talking about indie terrorists, now. Independently published authors.

If I had had the good fortune to have my book published by one of the big six in April 2011, it would have hit the remainder tables by Thanksgiving and would be out of print now. Instead, it's been available in electronic and paperback form continuously since publication, and it will continue to be available for the forseeable future.

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10 Reasons to Love On The Island, by Tracy Garvis-Graves

1. Pure escapist fantasy, complete with a desert island setting in the Maldives.
2. A hot romance between a 30-year-old woman and a 17-year-old boy (horrors! ideal for your Kindle, or a brown-wrapper cover...)
3. Anna is a teacher. And a good one. She resists having a relationship with T.J. because she knows it's wrong for a teacher to have a relationship with her student.
4. T.J.'s cancer is in remission. Yay!
5. No zombies anywhere on this island.  No vampires either.
6. Superb writing, as free of adjectives and adverbs as T.J. and Elizabeth are free of clothing.
7. Short, quick chapters.
8. Point of view alternating between T.J. and Anna.
9. Full of surprises. The story didn't end when I thought it would. Then I didn't want it to end.
10. The author is from Iowa, a product of the great Midwest.

Have you read On the Island? What did you think?

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Dysfunctional Takes on New Meaning in Blood Orchids by Mystery Author Toby Neal

I've just finished reading Blood Orchids by Hawaii Mystery Author Toby Neal, and I'm still all jittery.  It has nothing to do with coffee, either.  The author builds a convincing web of horrors around main character Lei Texeira, and after reading this book I'm going to have a hard time relaxing again.

Lei is a police officer in Hilo, Hawaii, working to make detective and in the meantime keeping the lid on gangs, solving murders, and by the way also fending off her own personal stalker.  The layers of this woman's history build slowly and naturally in this lush, tropical mystery.  When the book opens, in classic murder mystery style, Lei has discovered two female victims floating in a creek, drowned and clearly murdered.

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I Used To Think I was Normal But Now I Take Pills For That

As part of the "Sunday Shorts" Blogfest, a number of other readers and I are reading something and blogging about it once a week.  The books shouldn't be too long and also should be easy on your wallet.  I loved J.L. Black's collection of short stories, "I Used To Think I was Normal But Now I Take Pills For That," and it goes for $2.99 on Amazon.

This collection of stories from the suburbs will have you rolling on the floor in no time.  It's short and sweet and the author has a quick wit and the gift of storytelling.  A dog-lover, she contemplates murder when her husband brings home a cat one day.  Not the husband, the cat.  But the cat outsmarts her and survives. 

Or there's the one about the spitting nun who taught school, victimizing all the students in the first and second rows.  One thing leads to another, and she writes, "I've never read the Bible, so I could be completely wrong.  Those could absolutely be the rules and I'm screwed.  Satan may already have the best seat in the house reserved for me , front and center with a great view of the fireplace." 

But my favorite story involves the author's transformation from a well-mannered soccer mom to a split-personality football-mom who "could feel the football demon in me growing."  A great, fresh voice, and lots of funny situations made this a wonderful read.

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Amazon Gift Cards and More Up For Grabs

Come one, come all ... Win With eBooks is putting on another extravaganza to support 20 different indie authors.  Here's the lowdown:

•    March 15-18, 2012
•    All participating ebooks priced at 99 cents!
•    Buy one $.99 eBook and get another free!
•    1 x $25 Amazon gift card!
•    2 x $10 Amazon gift cards!
•    5 x $5 Amazon gift cards!
•    That's right, a minimum of eight people are guaranteed to go away with a prize!
•    March 17th will be book cover trivia for extra chances to win the gift cards!
•    Bloggers only! Post about the winwithebooks event and enter to win a $10 Amazon Gift Card!

To participate and for more information simply go to Win With eBooks here.  And good luck!!

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The Girl's Guide to Dating Zombies

Since this is the year of the zombie I've been reading one or two zombie books a month, and watching a few zombie movies, too.  When I saw that The Girl's Guide to Dating Zombies was part of a blog tour hosted by Emlyn Chand's Novel Publicity, I jumped aboard.  For those who haven't been following closely, we've gone way beyond classic zombie stories of a few survivors holding out in a bunker somewhere, trying to make their way to some place rumored to be safe.  That's gotten a bit old.  That was so yesterday.

So it's not only the year of the zombie, it's the year of the zombie spoof.  The Girl's Guide to Dating Zombies is both a great place to start for people who have never read a zombie book, and might also be good fun for veteran zombie fans.

It's the year 2020, and the zombie virus that hit exactly 20 years ago targeted, tragically, only humans carrying the Y chromosome.  You guessed it.  All men became zombies within three weeks of being infected.  With disastrous results for women -- can you imagine?

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Top 10 Reasons to Love Max

Just a short message to let you know this is your chance to get a FREE copy of Doing Max Vinyl (An Annie Ogden Mystery) in paperback.  To celebrate the appearance of the paperback edition I'm giving away 10 copies.  You never had a better reason to love Max.

To enter the giveaway, simply go to this address and enter.

Goodreads Book Giveaway Doing Max Vinyl by Frederick Lee Brooke Giveaway ends March 23, 2012. See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win

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Paperback Writer

Still haven't gotten my picture taken with Paul McCartney, who wrote my favorite song back in 1966.  But Doing Max Vinyl (An Annie Ogden Mystery) can now be ordered in paperback!  Click on the link on the right to order it for yourself or send it to a friend.

To say I'm excited about this development is an understatement.  I love holding a book in my hands.  The smell of the print ... the shiny cover.  I love having bookshelves filled with books.

Which do you prefer when reading -- on your Kindle or Nook or iPad, or a printed book?

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Agents of Change - Cover Glory

Were you aware of the January cover art poll?  Well, we have a winner, and it is the new thriller Agents of Change by Guy Harrison.  Check out that cool cover!

About the book

An amiable corporate manager by day and a fledgling matchmaker whenever he can get around to it, Calvin Newsome’s new dream job falls into his lap when he’s recruited by a secret worldwide organization whose agents use uncanny abilities to empower and influence everyday downtrodden individuals. Disaster strikes, however, when an elaborate scheme leaves Calvin as a prime murder suspect…and his new employer is presumably to blame.

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Kindle Fire and Amazon Gift Cards

I mentioned last week there would be a contest from February 12 - 15, and now it's on!  A Kindle Fire and Amazon Gift Cards for the lucky people whose names are chosen.  The purpose of the contest is to provide exposure to the 20 participating authors.  Please go to the contest webpage to participate.

Here is the link: http://winwithebooks.com/

Good luck to all, and happy reading!!!

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Pixel of Ink

I was talking with another author today about how people find books to read nowadays.  He thought people could find books more easily browsing in a bookstore.  A brick-and-mortar bookstore, if you know what I mean.

I love bookstores just as much as the next bookworm.  The introduction of in-house cafes, comfy chairs and locations with large parking lots has only made the experience more pleasant in recent years.  On my last trip to Barnes & Noble just before Christmas I spent ... gulp, are you ready for this?  $175.  (Don't tell my wife!)

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Double-take Tales Book Review

The sense of community and cooperation among independent authors is simply fantastic. The group I'm featuring today is called WinWitheBooks. Each month WinWitheBooks hosts an event with authors and bloggers sharing reviews, interviews and guest posts and a chance to win a Kindle Fire or Amazon Gift Certificate in the mix!  The contest runs February 12 - 15 but the fun lasts all month long!  More about the contest on February 12.

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Recycling Information

My recycling survey two weeks ago asked people to indicate what sorts of things they recycle.  While a great many people looked at the survey, numbering in the thousands, only a few people actually took it.  Maybe people were afraid I was going to recycle their names or email addresses! (I'm not -- these were not required.)

The most popular items to recycle would seem to be newspapers, cardboard, aluminum cans and plastic bottles.  Bravo everybody!

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If the U.S. Government Collapsed

A Review of "The Butterfly and the Bull" by Stuart Haddon


In this marvelous thriller, the government of the United States has collapsed due to a world economic meltdown, and the military has taken over.  Shots can be heard all over the city, even as the protagonist and his girlfriend head to a restaurant for a quiet dinner.  We are one step away from martial law in our own country, and innocent people are being pulled off the street and spirited away in black SUVs on orders of the FBI.

I talked about this scenario with some friends, and we all agreed it seemed awfully plausible.  In the book a resistance movement has coalesced in reaction to the military coup d'état and the kidnappings, and there is hope.

Our main character is a transplanted Scotsman living in the U.S. for some years now.  Two things you learn about Donnie: he has premonitions, and he's a world class computer hacker, in part thanks to his psychic powers. 

When Donnie's newlywed wife is abducted by the FBI, he learns he can gain her release if only he will work for the military government.  Hero that he is, he instead joins the resistance.  Now he both has to rescue his wife from the FBI's clutches and also overthrow the government.

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