Good morning, my fellow creatives! Before my new students swamp me with first-day questions, let’s continue our fantasy lit journey through Pride Month with Beyond the Black Door by A.M. Strickland.
What does a reader experience in those opening pages, and what does a writer learn? Let’s find out!
If you do not see the audio player above, you can access the podcast here.
I hope you enjoy this sip from Beyond the Black Door with me! If there are any stories you would like to recommend for sipping on this podcast, let me know in the comments below! I’d also welcome reading any indie authors’ own stories.
Read on, share on, and write on, my friends!
Jean Lee's World 
Hi Jean. What books have you read recently? I’m reading Local Girls, by Alice Hoffman. So far I like it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hoffman’s a marvelous author! I’m sticking with SPELLHACKER for now, and JOUST. Bo is also pressing me to read John Cleese’s book on creativity. I’m also reading a book on podcasting (MAKE NOISE) to help me make sure I don’t do anything foolish with my own podcast. It’s a bit all at once, but I’m determined to grow my reading to be for fun AND for professional growth. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are right Jean the language is beautiful, but as you said 5 pages of dialogue does seem like an info dump. Still at 400 pages it would be interesting to see how it develops. Nice point about the doom laden warning in the first few pages… love the evil doom voice, by the way.
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL thanks! I do love a bit of drama to the voice. Between cartoons and Oral Interpretation class, I just can’t help myself. 🙂 Yes, I was pretty turned off by the choice of all this talking nothing happening so early. I’m all for big stakes with a mysterious door, too, but can we just build up to that first, please? Gah! 🙂 The pacing may very well improve later in the book, though, so if it strikes your fancy, definitely go for it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Probably won’t read this, because like 400 pages is a big investment and the opening isn’t that alluring.
Currently reading Madeline Miller’s Song of Achilles. It’s all-right…I will finish it. It might do for your pride month. Achilles and Patroclus are such a pair of wet lettuce leaves. Mythology is fine. Historicity is all over the place for 1200 BC (a bit like Homer itself).
It feels a wee bit millennial rather like Jean Auel’s sequel to Clan of the Cave Bear, the Valley of the Horses, where Ayla lives in a cave, rather reminicent of a upper east side loft, with her puppy and pony.
My problem with Miller is this has been done much better in the past by Mary Renault’s Alexander books.
Recommendations – both old books. Recently read Engine Summer (OMG! transendental- wish I wrote it!) and A Canticle for Leibowitz (It is dated. Written in 1960 but on a certain fundamental level neither human nature of literary genius really ages).
Another book recently read, which I found tremendous fun (probably not for broadcast) was the ghost written autobiography of the utterly charming Scotty Bowers.
TV recommendation- The Marvelous Mrs Maisel. This is some damn fine scripting.
Keep up the good work Jean.
Px
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wonderful recommendations. my friend! You’ve given me lots more to explore and “sip.” I’ve clearly got some hunting to do.
The “reimagining” is definitely getting a bit long in the tooth, especially when there have been GOOD reimaginings done. It’s hard to do the same story over. and over. and over. and over. and not feel at least some sort of staleness to it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree, Love the evil doom voice.
LikeLiked by 2 people
LOL thanks, Peggy! I’ve always thought it’d be fun to read aloud and make audio books.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lovely podcast, Jean! I agree with your verdict: way too much of an info dump, although I am intrigued by the soul walking premise.
Looking forward to next week! Despite not being a huge slasher movie fan I’m prepared to be converted 😉
Keep well xxx
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love this premise, too, Chris, and thanks! If we had opened the book to the protagonist taking her first soul walk, THEN I think we could have seen more balance between action and explanation. But with the memory explanations, the dialogue explanations, and the DOOOOOM, just….just no thanks. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
The idea of soul walking intrigues me. I once wrote a screenplay much of which took place on the astral plane. Did you see the Netflix movie, “Behind Her Eyes?” Really good.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I didn’t! Your screenplay sounds awesome–astral plane stuff always promises some intense visuals. I dug the idea of soul-walking as well, but I couldn’t help but think of the Spongebob episode where Spongebob knocks himself out of his own dream and ends up in everyone else’s. I just couldn’t unsee that…and the DOOOOOM, of course.
LikeLiked by 1 person
😂😂😂
LikeLike
Thank you Jean Lee .It is so pleasant to start my day with you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And thank you so kindly for listening, my friend!
LikeLike
I hear your oral interpretation class at work. I think I should take one. Congrats on the new podcast!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Many thanks! I’m having a lot of fun reading these. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is wonderful. Such a great luck me up. Thank you my friend xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Any time, my friend! xxxxxxxxxxxx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nice
LikeLiked by 1 person