"First, I'm going to start by thanking our Author Frank Riganelli For offering up his book when I first had reviewed one. He has not disappointed me. It took me an unfortunate time to get around to it but I have not been disappointed.
Legend Station was full of Suspense, page turning and I loved every second of it. So much so that I Implore You all to pick it up and read it. I loved the balance of action and the frights, Things seemed just right (as I moved through the pages) I could not put it down wanting to know what would happen next. The characters were perfect as well as the atmosphere of the scenes and settings. Each emotion was allowed it's own chance to play with you. The religious references and the way the agnostic views filled in had in no way or shape to offend anyone and even allowed me to question somethings myself making it all out for a great read.
As stated in a previous review I loved horrors of all kinds the frights give me a little tickle to feel reading, watching a movie or just getting told a fable from a local legend and this book kept me with that feeling, Something that I hadn't had for a while until now two of my recent reads.
So to Frank I ask MORE please more as well I say great job!"
About the author
- Frank Riganelli
- Frank is being called an up-and-coming author whose writing has been praised as suspenseful and sophisticated. After writing articles that have been published and distributed by a professional organization, Frank was mentioned in a news story at msnCareers before turning his creative style to novels -- his debut novel praised as thrilling and a roller-coaster ride. His life has been an interesting one for his age of 47, in which time he has traveled to a dozen countries and lived in several of them. He spent 15 years working in management positions of Fortune companies and as an instructor at the college level, before providing communication skills training in other countries. Some highlights of his background include providing tutoring services to a member of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Planning Committee; holding the position of director in an international language business; and being praised as the best trainer by a former student (corporate lawyer). He has worked as a Ghostwriter for a publisher, judged a short-story competition, has provided editing services for graduate research material at USC, and writes book reviews for a POD publisher.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
The latest perplexing problem which remains inexplicable. Amazon KDP ranking.
The ranking above is for one of my novels and the sales figures reported show zero sales for the time period where the ranking was at its highest. The sales figures also said zero prior to and after the highest point on the graph. After speaking with Amazon, they were not able to explain the curious scenario — a high ranking which continued for days with zero sales reported.
It was explained to me that there is no formula for the KDP ranking and that the ranking is based on (historical) sales and a relative comparison to the other (750,000) books in the catagory, while updated by the hour and shown in the graph by day. It is not known how much higher the ranking was — following the fairly uniform trend of the graph prior to the one month timeframe, but for the same prior time frame immediately before Nov. 1, sales were also reported as zero.
As it stands, this curious scenario of ranking without any reported sales figures remains inexplicable. Does anyone have any insights which might explain this? Is it a glitch in Amazon's data/information system? Or is there some other possible explanation? Is it reasonable/plausible that hundreds of thousands of KDP books all declined in sales regularly for days and weeks, which could shed some light on how a book with zero reported sales would have this type of performance in ranking? And similarly, has anyone had a high ranking when their book has had zero sales results for days and days?
*Have you heard of a different figure for the number of books in the KDP listing? The graph says 750,000 and Amazon hasn't said anything to the contrary.
*For 750,000 books in the KDP listing, the highest ranking point on the graph equates to approximately the top 15% of all books. (85th percentile)
Saturday, July 30, 2011
A book reveiw of THE SWINDLE
I was asked to write a review of my own novel and decided to write in the third person.
I'm not surprised this novel's first version received the good review it did from a news group. I did some research on the book before writing this review, and can see why another author had called it a fascinating blend with imagination. While the novel; a re-edited version of its original, offers thrill, twists and turns, and excitement, it mainly looks at three topics: the inner workings of a big (multinational) company's business systems; specifically the measurement and reporting of financial information, while presenting a plausible case for a swindle — how surveillance technologies are used to secretly monitor people and steal the intellectual property of people — and how gang stalking and related methods are used to target whistle blowers. However, despite these heavy-sounding topics, the story offers its thrilling moments and excitement, and along the way makes it evident that the author had firsthand experience in the world of big companies. The Author's note in the book made me appreciate his concern for impressions that might be created by reading it. And having spoken with the author; who explained that the sources of some information used in the book remain undisclosed for their own benefit, considering the sensitive nature of the information, I'd say he was quite responsible in writing the book. This is from the preface, "The story represents a period of approximately one year, which would have spanned August 2007. It is not based on a true story although events in it are inspired by; however not based on, certain events that have happened for real. In its entirety, the story is not to be considered real."
It's my suspicion the story makes reference to what is considered today to be government classified information. The novel isn't a spy story nor is it a book about espionage, and this is because the author's approach weaved together bits and pieces of information from various sources and topics, making it a different type of cross-genre story. But don't be surprised if in the future, information in the book is revealed to be formally acknowledged, in a similar way; in principle, to the secretive existence of Echelon; Global Surveillance System Echelon Global Surveillance (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ECHELON), MK Ultra; the secret experimentation on civilians by the CIA MKULTRA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_MKULTRA), and the John F. Kennedy assassination; the conclusions of the official Warren Commission investigation questioned for their accuracy to the truth (Almost immediately after the Warren Commission Report was issued, several researchers began seriously questioning its conclusions. … JFK Assassination http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_John_F._Kennedy#Public_response_to_the_Warren_Report). In these cases the truth of events and activities was withheld until a later date when they were formally acknowledged by the governments and groups involved.
Now onto the story… The story's main character; Anthony Brina of Toronto, is presented as an upstanding and down-to-earth executive of integrity, and Mina Kent; his professional colleague and friend from California, is shown to be a loyal friend to Anthony in his time of need — while her profession in journalism sees its own share of corruption. The book's writing is easy to read and it has its moments of elegant prose, and it also offers a good flavour of Toronto and especially Rome as the story moves to different cities; including New York and Los Angeles and the campus of MIT. There is no shortage of twists and turns in the story; they include a leak of sensitive information that puts a United Nations resolution; which affects the launch of the secretive bioengineered product in the story at risk — the mysterious ending of Eva Su; a woman who intercepts Anthony and tries to draw his deep affection — Mina having to reluctantly distance herself from Anthony for her own safety — the unexpected display of the secretive affects of the genetic-altering product which the multinational company has developed — and the surprising climax to Anthony's plan to expose a massive cover up. And beyond these moments of intrigue, the following highlight the book's multi-faceted style: Anthony finding out his mother has suddenly died when his sister tells him to stay away — the display of the futuristic bioengineered technology which is central to the swindle of hundreds of billions of dollars — the chase at the Coliseum and confrontations in Rome and Los Angeles — romantic moments at the Fountain of Trevi and Piazza Navona; also in Rome — a press conference with candid dialogue about the controversy surrounding the multi-national company's global scale product launch, and some lighthearted moments — dialogue about sensitive business information of the international conglomerate — and Mina's live televised report which sees an assassin trying to get to her. I won't comment on the story's ending, I don't want to give it away, but it has a touch of old-fashioned heroic-like romance.
The book has several provocative references listed in its endnotes, including a news story which was in The Washington Post. And not unlike the case of David Milgaard who was wrongfully imprisoned in Canada for 20 years, the story also looks at Anthony's unjust victimization; in his case for the discovery he made in the multi-national company. In both cases the accused was in fact innocent.
I must admit the most enjoyable aspect of preparing to write this review was my interview with the author; Frank Riganelli. He first explained to me that it's always a challenge for him to talk about the book because of the sensitive aspects of it. And after having our talk I could understand how an author of this book could chose to not speak of it at all, which made me respect his effort all the more. And what I am referring to is how people have been severely and unjustly discredited for revealing information about some of the sensitive topics in the book. When I asked Frank why he wrote the book, he didn't hesitate to say it was a story he wanted to tell because it needs to be told — before he shared with me his feeling that good and decent people in our societies are targeted for destruction and or monitoring, when they are in fact undeserving of it and suffer unjustly for it. My next question which others have also asked him was if he is the main character in the book. He answered by saying that although the book is not an auto-biography, parts of it are auto-biographical in principle and that he wouldn't go into details about which parts those were. I found him careful in talking about the book and in his choice of words at times because of the precarious aspects of the story, however he was very open in talking about his background which allowed him to write the book — and in sharing his thoughts about writing it. He had a former career in the operations group of several well-known Fortune companies in Canada, and his degree is in Industrial Engineering. He shared with me that many aren't aware of what I.E.s (Industrial Engineers) do, which among other things includes working in the area of cost development; a part of the story which is evident — and that his formal training and then experience in the area permitted him to write the storyline about the swindle. He was clear in saying that the part of the book about the swindle is real in principle, and that he had personally been involved in a similar matter which had the United States Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) discuss a report about a Fortune company, and that the SEC had corroborated the company's guilt of fraudulence in the matter. When I asked him about the information in the book regarding gang stalking and related methods; and their affects on targeted people, he told me there are numerous accounts of victimization and that the information is not difficult to find. But when I asked him about his sources, he became tight-lipped and only said that people have been unjustly discredited for revealing information about aspects of the topics in question. He said that gang stalking has been reported on in newspapers, and that the information available on different theories relating to more sophisticated aspects of it, in many cases are legitimate; although not yet formally acknowledged in this problem. The interview then became a bit quiet at that point so I changed pace and asked him if he knows a Mina Kent or Eva Su for real. He answered that he had known a woman who the character Eva is somewhat based on, and that he wished he knew a Mina Kent. He explained that the character of Mina is a metaphor for how some people in the media have offered assistance to victims like Anthony. I asked him if he was a victim like the main character, and he replied that his circumstances had changed for the worst years ago while in his professional career in Fortune companies. He went on to say that it's not an easy thing to talk about because people who tell the truth about certain aspects of victimizations are often smeared — but he did say unequivocally that gang stalking is real and dangerous and that's it's been reported on in the news, and that people should not try to cover it up. I asked him how he was able to combine the many different aspects in the story, and he said it's in ways like a balancing act of working with ideas. They all have to relate reasonably to each other and if they don't the story risks leaning too much to one side of the high wire, and possibly falling off it. The author went on to say how he enjoyed writing about the characters and inner workings of the multi-national company, because a lot of it came from his own personal experiences. And he added that writing about the characters and their relationships was also fun; being able to draw upon his life experiences while adding some imagination. He said he enjoyed writing about Rome and it's sites; having been to the city himself, and wanted to offer the cities beautiful and historic sense to the story. "Rome is one of those places that makes you stop a moment and appreciate all that has gone on there in the past. I thought to use the city as a location to offer the sense of historic romance to the story, which provided for some softer scenes with the characters; writing about Piazza Navona with its cafes and famous statues, and the Fountain of Trevi," he explained.
My final question was about the character Ken Striker and why he wrote the character the way he did. And in reply Frank said that in ways I was like a Ken Striker by offering the interview — Ken being a journalist who helped Anthony by revealing sensitive information to him about secretive government activities. He explained that Ken had to be a strong type of character for what he was to bring to the story, and that the name Striker served to help that impression. He added that Ken is a seasoned veteran in his work and has seen a lot in his career, which lets him withstand the influences of gang stalking activities. He serves to offer the voice of insight the author explained, and his character allowed for a reasonable way to introduce the information which is revealed. He added that in real life that's how it usually happens in such situations; the revealing of undisclosed information. And, he said the character; the way he wrote him, brings the necessary credibility to his role in the story. "If I wrote the story in a way that had Anthony break into a government building and steal the information, that would have brought the story in a different direction," he explained. "And also, I was working within the idea of the media helping a targeted individual."
We wound up the interview with my asking about Frank's future plans and next book, and he answered that the horizon didn't look very good for him. He said he is experiencing the continued effects in his life of the monitoring and surveillance of him, which had started years ago in his former career — and that the reported sales of the novel has been near zero which means no royalties from it. He also said people have wanted to know what happens next with Anthony, but without a reasonable chance at writing a sequel to The Swindle for his circumstances; which include severe financial setbacks, he said it looks like they'll never find out. I asked him if he could comment on his circumstances when he paused in thought a moment before replying, "Let's just say the things I do don't remain solely with me, and not that I do anything wrong, but the meddling creates problems."
This excerpt is from chapter 10 of The Swindle:
"Within fifteen minutes he was at Albergo Ottocento. It was a nineteenth century hotel nestled between adjoining businesses that fronted the street — a design of a continuous three-story stone structures that ran the length of the city block. The glass and marble décor provided for a modern setting within the older theme, and it was complete with a rooftop restaurant.
He paid the driver and walked into the hotel lobby to book a room, when he asked for Mina. After dropping his bag in his room, he immediately went to hers on the second floor and knocked on the door — room 213.
“Si,” she called out from inside the room.
“Mina, it’s me, Anthony.” The door opened and he saw her standing in her bathrobe, looking a little worried.
“Come in come in. What’s this all about?”
He walked into the room as his shoes tapped on the wood flooring, before he abruptly stopped. “I got an anonymous note sent to my apartment,” he began saying with swift words. “It says I’m a target in a program that thinks I’m a genius—”
“Hold on,” she interrupted. “Have a seat and tell me what happened from the beginning.” He wasn’t himself she thought to herself. She had never seen him like this and knew he had good self-control, and wasn’t prone to panicking or getting visibly nervous.
“Do you want a glass of water?”
“No, I’m okay,” he replied, as he took a deep breath to relax, before looking at her with dead seriousness. “Gene-Aid is a fraud,” he said plainly.
She didn’t say a word. This wasn’t what she expected. “A fraud?”" ...
I'm not surprised this novel's first version received the good review it did from a news group. I did some research on the book before writing this review, and can see why another author had called it a fascinating blend with imagination. While the novel; a re-edited version of its original, offers thrill, twists and turns, and excitement, it mainly looks at three topics: the inner workings of a big (multinational) company's business systems; specifically the measurement and reporting of financial information, while presenting a plausible case for a swindle — how surveillance technologies are used to secretly monitor people and steal the intellectual property of people — and how gang stalking and related methods are used to target whistle blowers. However, despite these heavy-sounding topics, the story offers its thrilling moments and excitement, and along the way makes it evident that the author had firsthand experience in the world of big companies. The Author's note in the book made me appreciate his concern for impressions that might be created by reading it. And having spoken with the author; who explained that the sources of some information used in the book remain undisclosed for their own benefit, considering the sensitive nature of the information, I'd say he was quite responsible in writing the book. This is from the preface, "The story represents a period of approximately one year, which would have spanned August 2007. It is not based on a true story although events in it are inspired by; however not based on, certain events that have happened for real. In its entirety, the story is not to be considered real."
It's my suspicion the story makes reference to what is considered today to be government classified information. The novel isn't a spy story nor is it a book about espionage, and this is because the author's approach weaved together bits and pieces of information from various sources and topics, making it a different type of cross-genre story. But don't be surprised if in the future, information in the book is revealed to be formally acknowledged, in a similar way; in principle, to the secretive existence of Echelon; Global Surveillance System Echelon Global Surveillance (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ECHELON), MK Ultra; the secret experimentation on civilians by the CIA MKULTRA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_MKULTRA), and the John F. Kennedy assassination; the conclusions of the official Warren Commission investigation questioned for their accuracy to the truth (Almost immediately after the Warren Commission Report was issued, several researchers began seriously questioning its conclusions. … JFK Assassination http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_John_F._Kennedy#Public_response_to_the_Warren_Report). In these cases the truth of events and activities was withheld until a later date when they were formally acknowledged by the governments and groups involved.
Now onto the story… The story's main character; Anthony Brina of Toronto, is presented as an upstanding and down-to-earth executive of integrity, and Mina Kent; his professional colleague and friend from California, is shown to be a loyal friend to Anthony in his time of need — while her profession in journalism sees its own share of corruption. The book's writing is easy to read and it has its moments of elegant prose, and it also offers a good flavour of Toronto and especially Rome as the story moves to different cities; including New York and Los Angeles and the campus of MIT. There is no shortage of twists and turns in the story; they include a leak of sensitive information that puts a United Nations resolution; which affects the launch of the secretive bioengineered product in the story at risk — the mysterious ending of Eva Su; a woman who intercepts Anthony and tries to draw his deep affection — Mina having to reluctantly distance herself from Anthony for her own safety — the unexpected display of the secretive affects of the genetic-altering product which the multinational company has developed — and the surprising climax to Anthony's plan to expose a massive cover up. And beyond these moments of intrigue, the following highlight the book's multi-faceted style: Anthony finding out his mother has suddenly died when his sister tells him to stay away — the display of the futuristic bioengineered technology which is central to the swindle of hundreds of billions of dollars — the chase at the Coliseum and confrontations in Rome and Los Angeles — romantic moments at the Fountain of Trevi and Piazza Navona; also in Rome — a press conference with candid dialogue about the controversy surrounding the multi-national company's global scale product launch, and some lighthearted moments — dialogue about sensitive business information of the international conglomerate — and Mina's live televised report which sees an assassin trying to get to her. I won't comment on the story's ending, I don't want to give it away, but it has a touch of old-fashioned heroic-like romance.
The book has several provocative references listed in its endnotes, including a news story which was in The Washington Post. And not unlike the case of David Milgaard who was wrongfully imprisoned in Canada for 20 years, the story also looks at Anthony's unjust victimization; in his case for the discovery he made in the multi-national company. In both cases the accused was in fact innocent.
I must admit the most enjoyable aspect of preparing to write this review was my interview with the author; Frank Riganelli. He first explained to me that it's always a challenge for him to talk about the book because of the sensitive aspects of it. And after having our talk I could understand how an author of this book could chose to not speak of it at all, which made me respect his effort all the more. And what I am referring to is how people have been severely and unjustly discredited for revealing information about some of the sensitive topics in the book. When I asked Frank why he wrote the book, he didn't hesitate to say it was a story he wanted to tell because it needs to be told — before he shared with me his feeling that good and decent people in our societies are targeted for destruction and or monitoring, when they are in fact undeserving of it and suffer unjustly for it. My next question which others have also asked him was if he is the main character in the book. He answered by saying that although the book is not an auto-biography, parts of it are auto-biographical in principle and that he wouldn't go into details about which parts those were. I found him careful in talking about the book and in his choice of words at times because of the precarious aspects of the story, however he was very open in talking about his background which allowed him to write the book — and in sharing his thoughts about writing it. He had a former career in the operations group of several well-known Fortune companies in Canada, and his degree is in Industrial Engineering. He shared with me that many aren't aware of what I.E.s (Industrial Engineers) do, which among other things includes working in the area of cost development; a part of the story which is evident — and that his formal training and then experience in the area permitted him to write the storyline about the swindle. He was clear in saying that the part of the book about the swindle is real in principle, and that he had personally been involved in a similar matter which had the United States Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) discuss a report about a Fortune company, and that the SEC had corroborated the company's guilt of fraudulence in the matter. When I asked him about the information in the book regarding gang stalking and related methods; and their affects on targeted people, he told me there are numerous accounts of victimization and that the information is not difficult to find. But when I asked him about his sources, he became tight-lipped and only said that people have been unjustly discredited for revealing information about aspects of the topics in question. He said that gang stalking has been reported on in newspapers, and that the information available on different theories relating to more sophisticated aspects of it, in many cases are legitimate; although not yet formally acknowledged in this problem. The interview then became a bit quiet at that point so I changed pace and asked him if he knows a Mina Kent or Eva Su for real. He answered that he had known a woman who the character Eva is somewhat based on, and that he wished he knew a Mina Kent. He explained that the character of Mina is a metaphor for how some people in the media have offered assistance to victims like Anthony. I asked him if he was a victim like the main character, and he replied that his circumstances had changed for the worst years ago while in his professional career in Fortune companies. He went on to say that it's not an easy thing to talk about because people who tell the truth about certain aspects of victimizations are often smeared — but he did say unequivocally that gang stalking is real and dangerous and that's it's been reported on in the news, and that people should not try to cover it up. I asked him how he was able to combine the many different aspects in the story, and he said it's in ways like a balancing act of working with ideas. They all have to relate reasonably to each other and if they don't the story risks leaning too much to one side of the high wire, and possibly falling off it. The author went on to say how he enjoyed writing about the characters and inner workings of the multi-national company, because a lot of it came from his own personal experiences. And he added that writing about the characters and their relationships was also fun; being able to draw upon his life experiences while adding some imagination. He said he enjoyed writing about Rome and it's sites; having been to the city himself, and wanted to offer the cities beautiful and historic sense to the story. "Rome is one of those places that makes you stop a moment and appreciate all that has gone on there in the past. I thought to use the city as a location to offer the sense of historic romance to the story, which provided for some softer scenes with the characters; writing about Piazza Navona with its cafes and famous statues, and the Fountain of Trevi," he explained.
My final question was about the character Ken Striker and why he wrote the character the way he did. And in reply Frank said that in ways I was like a Ken Striker by offering the interview — Ken being a journalist who helped Anthony by revealing sensitive information to him about secretive government activities. He explained that Ken had to be a strong type of character for what he was to bring to the story, and that the name Striker served to help that impression. He added that Ken is a seasoned veteran in his work and has seen a lot in his career, which lets him withstand the influences of gang stalking activities. He serves to offer the voice of insight the author explained, and his character allowed for a reasonable way to introduce the information which is revealed. He added that in real life that's how it usually happens in such situations; the revealing of undisclosed information. And, he said the character; the way he wrote him, brings the necessary credibility to his role in the story. "If I wrote the story in a way that had Anthony break into a government building and steal the information, that would have brought the story in a different direction," he explained. "And also, I was working within the idea of the media helping a targeted individual."
We wound up the interview with my asking about Frank's future plans and next book, and he answered that the horizon didn't look very good for him. He said he is experiencing the continued effects in his life of the monitoring and surveillance of him, which had started years ago in his former career — and that the reported sales of the novel has been near zero which means no royalties from it. He also said people have wanted to know what happens next with Anthony, but without a reasonable chance at writing a sequel to The Swindle for his circumstances; which include severe financial setbacks, he said it looks like they'll never find out. I asked him if he could comment on his circumstances when he paused in thought a moment before replying, "Let's just say the things I do don't remain solely with me, and not that I do anything wrong, but the meddling creates problems."
This excerpt is from chapter 10 of The Swindle:
"Within fifteen minutes he was at Albergo Ottocento. It was a nineteenth century hotel nestled between adjoining businesses that fronted the street — a design of a continuous three-story stone structures that ran the length of the city block. The glass and marble décor provided for a modern setting within the older theme, and it was complete with a rooftop restaurant.
He paid the driver and walked into the hotel lobby to book a room, when he asked for Mina. After dropping his bag in his room, he immediately went to hers on the second floor and knocked on the door — room 213.
“Si,” she called out from inside the room.
“Mina, it’s me, Anthony.” The door opened and he saw her standing in her bathrobe, looking a little worried.
“Come in come in. What’s this all about?”
He walked into the room as his shoes tapped on the wood flooring, before he abruptly stopped. “I got an anonymous note sent to my apartment,” he began saying with swift words. “It says I’m a target in a program that thinks I’m a genius—”
“Hold on,” she interrupted. “Have a seat and tell me what happened from the beginning.” He wasn’t himself she thought to herself. She had never seen him like this and knew he had good self-control, and wasn’t prone to panicking or getting visibly nervous.
“Do you want a glass of water?”
“No, I’m okay,” he replied, as he took a deep breath to relax, before looking at her with dead seriousness. “Gene-Aid is a fraud,” he said plainly.
She didn’t say a word. This wasn’t what she expected. “A fraud?”" ...
Friday, July 8, 2011
MY REPLY TO A HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL ARTICLE - On the topic of national bankruptcies.
The article: Is it Time for a National Bankruptcy?
This is as much an emotional issue as it is a financial one. Like the individual who suffers the sense of failure and the stigma that goes with declaring bankruptcy, a nation and its people will suffer in their identity; feeling a similar sense of failure. However if in every problem there exists an opportunity, an optimistic outlook would be that this presents a chance for real change. But when that time eventually comes, as today there is no other vehicle to deal with this type of financial catastrophe in another manner, a nation will need to consider the soft issues as much as the monetary ones.
Iceland declares bankruptcy in 2006 and Argentina in 2001 ( http://info-wars.org/2010/02/15/real-list-of-countries-on-verge-of-bankruptcy/ ), and the HBS article mentions Greece which is now amid a sever national crisis. A nation going bankrupt, at one time it was too absurd to consider, but now not even the most developed nations with some of the highest standards of living can escape the prospect of throwing in the towel. It's a coincidence that I was recently talking with a banker from a country in Europe about the worsening status of global financial-economic affairs. I suggested that the things needed to come up with a solution are no longer there for us to use like they were at one time. Perhaps this new phenomena of national bankruptcies is evidence of that.
The entire matter is extremely complex for the economic, financial, and global considerations to be taken into account. But what can be helpful is a detailed retracing of the goings-on that led to a nation's financial downfall. It was an approach similar to this that enabled a historian to realize the US debt crisis was created by decisions which were politically motivated. In such an analysis the rubber meets the road in identifying what has happened and exposing causes. The question is will the people involved be big enough to acknowledge it; so as to create understanding of it in order to prevent it from happening again. If a model failed once, what's to stop it from failing again unless it is changed for the better?
This is as much an emotional issue as it is a financial one. Like the individual who suffers the sense of failure and the stigma that goes with declaring bankruptcy, a nation and its people will suffer in their identity; feeling a similar sense of failure. However if in every problem there exists an opportunity, an optimistic outlook would be that this presents a chance for real change. But when that time eventually comes, as today there is no other vehicle to deal with this type of financial catastrophe in another manner, a nation will need to consider the soft issues as much as the monetary ones.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
MY BOOK REVIEW OF, Deep Chill
Genre: Fiction, Sub-genre: Mystery/Suspense
Title: DEEP CHILL
Author: Li Westerlund
Publisher: Dorrance Publishing
The book's web page or goto http://dorrance.stores.yahoo.net/deepchill.html
Title: DEEP CHILL
Author: Li Westerlund
Publisher: Dorrance Publishing
The book's web page or goto http://dorrance.stores.yahoo.net/deepchill.html
About the author: Born in Sweden, Li Westerlund holds European equivalents of the Ph.D., master’s, and J.D. in law, and the B.S. equivalent in electrical engineering; appointed professor of law in 2000. She is now the Vice President of Global IP for a biopharmaceutical company stationed in Washington, D.C. She has published six books dealing with patent and other law and dozens of articles in professional journals and anthologies, but Deep Chill is her first novel (released as Djup Kyla in Sweden in 2003 by Carlssons Publishers).
A review by Frank Riganelli.
It’s a long way from Sweden to Sri Lanka, but Anna Edelhielm, a Special Narcotics Prosecutor in Sweden, needs to get away after her boyfriend is murdered in Stockholm. What better place to go on a “dream vacation” than Sri Lanka, where her sister, Marie, has settled and married? But something strange and perhaps dangerous is keeping Marie from leaving the island. Kevin, an American conducting sensitive negotiations in Sri Lanka, starts to figure out what that something could be. And it’s not what Anna—or you—might expect. -from the Publisher.
Deep Chill; the author’s first novel that was originally published in Sweden, follows Anna Edelhielm; an attorney in the District Attorney’s office of Stockholm, to Sri Lanka where she intends to retrieve her sister. Marie has married and relocated to a life in the tropical country. In the opening scene Anna’s ex-boyfriend is murdered in Stockholm, as the startling events that surround her continue and slowly unfold the story’s mystery, which offers some unsettling realizations to her.
Anna is a sharp minded women who keeps her scars from the past hidden, as she experiences troubling dreams, some of which take place while she’s awake. She loses her sight in a hiking accident and is forced to put aside her cool feelings toward her sister’s family, and begin appreciating the consideration they extend her. But her newly formed affection for the Lankese group is soon shocked by suspicions of criminal activity, and the prospect of murder.
For its 224 pages, the book reads to its end quick enough as the reader sees various events, including news reports about a militant guerilla group in the area and secretive meetings between a mobile-phone communications company and the Sri Lanken government. The two groups discuss the theft of a laptop computer in Sweden, which is suspected to have vital information about satellite communications.
The story’s final scene shows what appears to be an attempted murder of the two sisters, when Kevin; the American Anna has come to know, and his agent colleague try to foil the attempt. In the story’s epilogue the reader jumps ahead 3 years, in which time a diary found in the investigations after the ordeal has been read. It’s private insights confirm suspicions held throughout the story, while revealing truths about people that were unknown.
Overall, the novel moves along well at a fairly fast and steady pace after the first third of it, which jumps quickly as it takes brief looks at different parts of the story — and it nicely ties the many different events together as the story later gels, bringing its mystery closer to being solved.
The writing style introduces changes in scenes only sporadically, often creating brief analysis in determining who is speaking and what the location is, which then offers penny-dropping moments as the story tightens up again. A finer comment about the writing sees the introduction of important story points blended between the characters, who are continually developed through their different aspects, and the narrative, which at times offers the author’s comments and opinions that provoke the reader. The use of news reports creatively provides additional information to the story, however with a tendancy to not always consider the story's flow, there are times which can leave the reader slightly confused.
The novel offers vivid descriptions of the natural beauty of Sri Lanka as well as the underwater world of scuba diving, as it touches on the topic of satellite communications and the espionage of them, and international drug trafficking.
This excerpt about Anna’s love for diving is from chapter 4. “Anna loved to dive. The rest of the world disappeared, allowing her to become absorbed with what she was doing. Compared with the Baltic Sea, there was so much more to see here and this world was so amazingly colorful. It was a challenge. To master this inaccessible and physiologically impossible element gave her a real high. The adrenaline that rushed through her body took control; her mind became chilled and a calm just filled her. Excitement and the beautiful colors appealed to her, but the feeling of weightlessness was the most wonderful aspect of diving. To just float, suspended in the depths of the ocean. It was about both freedom and control.”
All in all, Deep Chill offers a decent intriguing mystery which involves some serious topics. Readers who enjoy mysteries, thrill, or solving a mystery will enjoy this novel.
* I received a complimentary copy of On Finding Solutions For Human Problems as a member of the Dorrance Publishing Book Review Team. This review was written in accordance with guidelines provided by the Publisher.
See this review at shelfari (books)
MY REPLY TO A HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL ARTICLE - On the topic of why leaders lose their way.
The article: Why Leaders Lose Their Way
Another provocative topic worthy of serious consideration. I won’t comment on the personality or psyche of the leader, it’s too serious a subject which requires the discretion of conditions conducive to effectively talking about it.
However, having lived abroad for over 10 years, and in different cultures with their own perspectives on subjects like leadership, I suggest that there is one universal idea of leadership. And that is that when a leader takes actions which harm their organization, and by extension the people in it, it is considered to be undesirable.
I see this topic as supporting an earlier topic here about poor ethics in organizations. Considering the dark side of leadership, it serves my previous comments about putting ethical people in positions higher and higher in an organization. And value centered leadership reinforces the idea that leaders must have the right traits when chosen for a leadership position. That will include their ways of dealing with aspects of the position which push or try to compromise them. The, it’s lonely at the top, notion shows to have different interpretations of it. Some of them being, the buck stops here; the person at the top has no friends; you must distance yourself from your friends in an organization; and that when you have reached the highest position possible you feel a sense of loneliness for the end of the challenge, which offers nothing higher to strive for. However, the article’s idea about it, that the pressure of responsibility on a leader creates feelings of loneliness, serves to show that a leader who does not posses the right traits can in fact be lonely at the top.
The idea of being lonely at the top focuses on the notion that a leader must make difficult decisions, which at times can make them unpopular with people in the organization. Hence, either having lost the sense of camaraderie or possibly the public display of friendships by people in the organization, it is said the leader is lonely in their position at the top. This leader makes decisions which are in the best interest of the organization and the people in it, but they are not always popular decisions. Those who put this leader in their position must accept the responsibility to support the leader in the face of a loss of popularity at times. Without such support this leader risks becoming vulnerable to the traps of popularity, and become at risk of losing their way. That is if they are not taken out of their position for all the wrong reasons, in which case the organization has shown to have a flawed idea of leadership. The leader whose popularity takes a back seat to decisions that are good for an organization, is in contrast to the leader who seeks popularity at the expense of the organization’s best interests in their decisions — a leader, as I suggest in terms of a universal idea, is not a desirable one.
If the questions to be answered from this article are, "Why do I want to lead?" and "What's the purpose of my leadership?" — it is the reply to these questions by those selecting the leader for a position, or their understanding of the answers given by the prospective leader, that offer the chance to put the best possible person into a leadership position. Of course a leader must be introspective, but to avoid a leader losing their way it must be ensured initially that the leader has the right traits.
However, having lived abroad for over 10 years, and in different cultures with their own perspectives on subjects like leadership, I suggest that there is one universal idea of leadership. And that is that when a leader takes actions which harm their organization, and by extension the people in it, it is considered to be undesirable.
I see this topic as supporting an earlier topic here about poor ethics in organizations. Considering the dark side of leadership, it serves my previous comments about putting ethical people in positions higher and higher in an organization. And value centered leadership reinforces the idea that leaders must have the right traits when chosen for a leadership position. That will include their ways of dealing with aspects of the position which push or try to compromise them. The, it’s lonely at the top, notion shows to have different interpretations of it. Some of them being, the buck stops here; the person at the top has no friends; you must distance yourself from your friends in an organization; and that when you have reached the highest position possible you feel a sense of loneliness for the end of the challenge, which offers nothing higher to strive for. However, the article’s idea about it, that the pressure of responsibility on a leader creates feelings of loneliness, serves to show that a leader who does not posses the right traits can in fact be lonely at the top.
The idea of being lonely at the top focuses on the notion that a leader must make difficult decisions, which at times can make them unpopular with people in the organization. Hence, either having lost the sense of camaraderie or possibly the public display of friendships by people in the organization, it is said the leader is lonely in their position at the top. This leader makes decisions which are in the best interest of the organization and the people in it, but they are not always popular decisions. Those who put this leader in their position must accept the responsibility to support the leader in the face of a loss of popularity at times. Without such support this leader risks becoming vulnerable to the traps of popularity, and become at risk of losing their way. That is if they are not taken out of their position for all the wrong reasons, in which case the organization has shown to have a flawed idea of leadership. The leader whose popularity takes a back seat to decisions that are good for an organization, is in contrast to the leader who seeks popularity at the expense of the organization’s best interests in their decisions — a leader, as I suggest in terms of a universal idea, is not a desirable one.
If the questions to be answered from this article are, "Why do I want to lead?" and "What's the purpose of my leadership?" — it is the reply to these questions by those selecting the leader for a position, or their understanding of the answers given by the prospective leader, that offer the chance to put the best possible person into a leadership position. Of course a leader must be introspective, but to avoid a leader losing their way it must be ensured initially that the leader has the right traits.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
TURNING A PIECE OF HISTORY INTO FICTION
As the news article explains, “As she did with her previous novel, People of the Book, Brooks has successfully built a fascinating story around a nugget of history. Many of the characters in this novel are based on actual people, but Bethia is entirely fictional.”
As I studied and learned about writing, I enjoyed finding out about those novels that emphasized the imagination component of fiction. And now, after having made my attempt at 3 books, with my fourth in the works, it seems I’ve developed the curious interest of some in what I write, as well as how I do it.
I will put down the sharp words of the fountain pen for a moment and use the softer, more educationally palatable prose of the ball-point pen, if you will. It’s been my experience that some wallow in misunderstanding when faced with the writing of different authors. And more so, the basic ability to appreciate the writing has been missing. What Geraldine Brooks has done is use imagination in creating a work that offers the experiences of characters who were real people. Be they ideals, experiences, or lessons to be learned that are offered, this approach offers a blend of fact and the imagination component of fiction.
It's inappropriate to critique works similar to this one by comparing their imaginative portion to facts of places, things and people. This misses the point of the book and what it is trying to accomplish. Perhaps a reminder is needed that if a person wants to learn about a particular person, place or thing, they can look to non-fiction. But let us not forget that there is, or should be, a responsibility to be accurate in what is written. If the words written are from imagination, then it is understood that they are not talking about factual items. On the other hand, if something is talked of which is factual, it’s description and the words that talk about it should be accurate to the facts of it.
I’m happy to say that the teaching I had received in writing appreciation has let me understand what an author like Geraldine Brooks is doing with her novel. Perhaps it is helpful to consider the different genres and sub-genres which try to sift through and separate the differences of books. There is fantasy for example, and then there is urban fantasy. There is high fantasy and light fantasy. And to focus on urban fantasy, one sees that while a story is based on descriptions that are not factual, the setting of the story will be in a real place and as such the descriptions of it will be accurate to that place.
The writing of stories is a mix of skills and desires. What an author wants to do and what they can do. Historical fiction offers a story of the past which has been told, leaving the author to work their hand in describing it. General fiction, or the thrillers or mystery novels, offer the chance for imagination in creating a story if not based on a story that is known. It is a mix which is only appreciated when one understands what the book in front of them has been written to accomplish.
Myself, I also have used an approach similar to Geraldine Brook’s in my debut novel and second book. Like the title of the article says, A piece of history gets turned into fiction. In the case of my debut novel; it’s second writing titled The Swindle, the actual events from an earlier period; 1997, are used in a story that was created from my imagination. And, as another author has put it in giving a review of my novel, they called it a fascinating blend of reality and possibility, birthed from the imagination of the author. It was nice to also hear them say I am an author to keep an eye on. A second storyline in my debut novel uses imagination to describe events that were inspired by, not based on, real experiences.
My second novel, although not based on an event from history, uses imagination to portray events through the characters, who in this case are also creatively conjured up.
For those of you with good skills in imagination who are considering writing a novel, this type of book offers the chance to convey ideas about people, life, issues, or whatever you chose, through the creative use of your own ideas. If you don’t see yourself putting your words on paper, but want to appreciate a novel like this, know what it is offering and how it does that.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)