Month: August 2019

Thoughts on THE BONE CUTTERS

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Howdy, howdy!  It’s the last Wednesday of August, which means it’s book review time!  This month, I received an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of my friend and fellow Stonecoast alum Renee S. DeCamillis’s new book.  It’s called The Bone Cutters and it’s due out on September 1st from Eraserhead Press.  I must thank Renee and the press for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.  Anyway, I stepped slightly outside of my comfort zone with this one since I haven’t read much bizarro horror.  I’m more into traditional horror, but I do love me some psychological horror, which this book definitely falls under.  Now, onto the review.

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Lovely cover, though I’m not entirely sure why she’s naked.

The Bone Cutters follows Dory (our unreliable narrator) as she wakes up to find herself confined in a psychiatric hospital.  When she’s put in a counseling group for a very specific brand of junkie (one who snorts bone dust to get a “free” high), it has her literally pulling her hair out (something she has issues with anyway).  As if that’s not bad enough, the nurse who put her in the group refuses to believe that Dory belongs elsewhere.  Luckily, there’s a janitor who seems to believe Dory and even wants to help.  From there, things just keep getting weirder.

The story is nicely paced and keeps the tension up fairly well throughout the whole thing.  It’s a novella, so you could easily finish it in one go.  I broke it up into multiple reading sessions, but I really think it would benefit from reading it beginning to end.  I admit that I lost a lot of forward momentum each time I put it down, which was my own fault (stupid life getting in the way).  But every time I picked it back up, I enjoyed the ride.  In fact, I’ll probably pick a day in the next couple of months to sit down and read it all the way through just to see how the experience differs.

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The characters are interesting, but I wanted a little more flesh on some of them.  While we’re in Dory’s head, we don’t get to learn much about her.  Sure, she isn’t a Duster, and she’s super protective of the people she trusts, but she doesn’t really seem to grow much over the course of the story.  Her relationship with Tommy grows, but while she becomes more coherent, she still feels basically the same at the end.  Tommy, the janitor, is the most fleshed out.  We get to know his past and his motives.  The villains, on the other hand, are basically just junkies looking for a fix who are being manipulated by the big bad in the shadows.  I had no feelings about them one way or the other.  That being said, I like that the big bad in the shadows remains a distant mystery.  It really worked for the story.

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I like it when characters level up.

As far as the writing goes, it is lovely and poetic and musical.  The way Renee breaks up her paragraphs pulls the reader forward and aids in creating tension in all the right spots.  It’s a story worth reading to study the writing alone.

Ultimately, I really enjoyed The Bone Cutters.  I can’t wait to see more from Renee in the future.

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Overall, I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.  If you enjoy psychological horror with some bizarro thrown in, pick it up.  If you like beautiful writing that combines both poetry and prose, pick it up.

Five Legendary Creatures I Want To Write About

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello!  I’ve been reading through my paranormal cozy mystery in preparation of revising it and it has me thinking about future stories in that world.  I already have the gist of two more books brewing, but that doesn’t stop me from wondering what kind of monsters or creatures I want to include in other sequels.  So, I thought I would share some of the legendary creatures that I’m currently fixated on.

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1. Werewolves.  Humans who transform during the full moon, not that I really need to explain what they are.  Anyway, I don’t particularly want to go the stereotypical route with werewolves, and I know the trope is kind of played out, but I still like them.  Same with vampires.  I just have to find a way to make them my own.  Luckily, I have some time since the next two books are basically planned, though one of those might get pushed back in the order of the sequels.

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Selkie by Selina Fenech.

2. Sirens or Selkies.  I know they’re completely different, but I’m lumping them together anyway.  Sirens lure sailors to their death with song.  They would definitely work in a cozy series.  But!  I really love the myth of Selkies, seal folk who shed their skin to become humans.  They aren’t typically murderous, so I’d have to figure out exactly how to use them in a cozy.  I could do it.  And yes, I know both of these tropes are currently in their death throes as well.  I don’t really care.

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3. The Yuki-onna, or snow woman.  There are a lot of variations on this myth, but they all include a woman who appears from the snow and disappears back into it.  A lot of times, it’s just weirdness that happens.  Sometimes, a child is involved.  And many times there is death.  My only problem is that these books are based in Dallas where snow is rare.  But I suppose my characters could take a vacation.

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A kelpie.

4. Kelpie or Capaill Uisce.  Both are water horses, so yes I’m putting them together.  Kelpie have the ability to shapeshift and tend toward the more playful end of things, though there’s still a lot of death around them.  Capaill Uisce, on the other hand, can’t transform and just like to kill stuff.  Capaill Uisce also come from the sea, whereas kelpie tend to be river-dwellers.  I could make either one work and they’re still pretty rare as far as current fiction goes (at least in my experience).

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5. Inugami, or dog spirits.  These are the vengeful spirits of dogs that go around possessing people and making life hell.  They’re super interesting and tend to possess members of the same family.  But the creation of one is really brutal and I’m not entirely sure I could write that kind of animal abuse.  Granted, the dog would get its revenge, but I love puppers too much.

There are a lot of other creatures I could list, but I think I’ll stop there.  What are some of your favorite monsters or mythological beings?  Are there any you would love to write about?  Or read about?  Feel free to share your own lists or comments here or on my social media pages!

Five Things I Didn’t Know August Was The Month Of…

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Howdy, howdy!  It’s mid-August and I have no idea what to write about, so I decided to look up and see if August had any interesting “month of” or “day of” things to celebrate.  You know the ones.  Like when your friends post on social media that they’re eating waffles because it’s “national waffle day” or whatever and you just want to know who decided that and why you never knew about it.  Those things.  And apparently August is much more than the month of stifling heat and increased mosquito attacks.  So, I decided to make a list of five things that I didn’t know August was the month of.

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And it’s almost half over.

1. August is “happiness happens” month.  According to its description, the Secret Society of Happy People (which is a real thing, surprisingly) wanted to dedicate a day to the concept of choosing to be happy despite whatever problems may be making that difficult.  Since its inception, it has grown into a month-long thing.  It’s not about ignoring the bad stuff and negative feelings, but about trying to find the good things in life even when you’re overwhelmed.  Life sucks, but I didn’t die!  Or work was horrible, but I saw a butterfly at lunch.  Or whatever.  Positive thinking.  That kind of stuff.  It also encourages you to share your happy moments, to talk about them.

2. August is “romance awareness” month.  This one is about taking a hard look at your romantic relationship(s) and acknowledging whether or not you’re putting in the energy to maintain it(them) correctly.  It’s not about grand gestures and all that crap you read in romance novels, but it is about the small things.  Encouraging notes on hard days.  Holding hands.  Just the little things.  It all depends on how you and your partner(s) express your love.  Don’t forget the little gestures.

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3. August is “national brownies at brunch” month.  Why?  Because someone wanted an excuse to eat more brownies.  But I don’t eat brunch, so I’ll have to eat brownies at some other point during the day.  I’ll also need someone to bring me brownies.  They aren’t something we keep around.

4. August is “national sandwich” month.  It’s also “national panini” month, which is just a toasted sandwich, so it’s kind of redundant.  But I’ve already had at least three sandwiches this month, so I guess it’s kind of fitting.  Four if you count hamburgers as sandwiches.  And now that I’ve been thinking about food, I’m hungry.  I wish I had a brownie.  Or an ice cream sandwich.

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Bacon, tomato, grilled cheese from Panera with a cup of tomato soup for dipping. Mmm…

5. August is “Spinal Muscular Atrophy awareness” month.  Despite being diagnosed with SMA type 2 for years (my diagnosis changed to UCMD a while ago), I had no idea it had its own awareness month.  SMA is one of the more well-known Muscular Dystrophies and they’ve been making a good effort to stop its progression.  I haven’t looked into it lately, though, so I don’t know how well the treatments are working.  But SMA is a thing and you should be aware of it.

So, yeah.  I didn’t know these things existed.  What about you?  What are some weird “month of” or “day of” things that you’ve discovered?  Which ones do you celebrate?  As usual, feel free to share of them here or on my social media pages!

A Look Inside Burger Style Cafe

~ shawnaborman ~ 3 Comments

Hello, hello!  I know I’ve been doing a lot of food reviews lately, but food is good, so enjoy it while you can.  I’ll get back to writerly stuff sooner or later.  This week, I thought I’d share the best burger place in Mesquite with you.  It’s a little mom-and-pop place in a strip mall right down the street from us on the corner of Pioneer and E. Davis.  Burger Style Cafe has been around for a while, but Dad and I never really got into it until recently when we decided to give it another shot after years of searching for a good burger.  Every time we’d find a decent place, the food would either go downhill or the owners would turn out to be unfriendly.  But Burger Style Cafe has consistently good food and wonderful people.

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As usual, pictures are stolen from Facebook or Google.

Accessibility: good.  It’s a little awkward getting in the door because there’s a step, so I can’t go straight in.  There are ramps on each side, so I have to go up the ramp and make a turn to get in.  It’s not difficult, just awkward.  Inside is great.  There is plenty of room to maneuver and lots of easily reached tables and booths.  The booths are even wide enough for me to sit at the end if Dad prefers a softer seat.  The tables are on the high side, which I prefer.  They’re just easier to get under.

Service: excellent.  Oscar (the owner) always talks to us and when he takes my order, he comes out from behind the tall counter to talk directly to me.  And Felix (the cook) always comes out to greet us.  They both treat me like a person, so you know that earns them a lot of points.  Plus, they’re really nice people.

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The menu!

Food: delicious.  If you like juicy burgers that you bite into and all the juices immediately start running down your face, this is the place to go.  Plus, the buns are yummy.  My go-to is the guacamole burger (cheddar, mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, sauteed onions) with a side of fried mushrooms.  The chili cheeseburger is good too.  Dad’s burger changes a little each time, but he usually gets a side of sweet potato fries.  I’m not a big sweet potato fan, but Dad loves them, especially when they’re crispy.  He’s never had a soggy sweet potato fry from Felix.

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Not my flavor of choice, but milkshakes!

Dessert: Blue Bell Ice Cream.  They have milkshakes and cones with Texas’s own Blue Bell ice cream.  If that’s not your thing, Burger Style Cafe is right next door to a brand new fruteria (a review for another time) which is next door to a new Mexican bakery (haven’t tried it yet).  So, there are plenty of options nearby even if you don’t want ice cream.

Entertainment: no idea, but people seem to enjoy it.  We haven’t been ourselves, but they have Elvis every third Friday of the month.  If that’s your thing, check it out.

Price: fair.  You get fresh food and generous portions, so you’re going to pay more than you would at a fast food joint.  But it’s a good price for the quality you get.

My rating:
MMMMM

Another 5 Ms!  Maybe I’m getting soft in my old age or maybe it’s just that good.  Go check it out and judge for yourself.  Their Facebook with the address and hours is linked above.