Monday, July 11, 2011

Thanks for hosting my BRAINSTORM blog party!

I'm excited about my first blog tour! My thanks to the ladies at Goddess Fish for putting this together.

But I'm even more excited about my latest thriller novel Brainstorm. I've already gotten some great reviews from two of the hottest NY Times Bestselling thriller writers, Douglas Preston and James Rollins. Doug said it is "An outstanding Novel" and Jim said "...a kick-ass adventure story."  You'll find their complete reviews online.

Brainstorm is not just a thriller.  Besides some great actions scenes, there's a deep-rooted romance that the story hinges on—all that and a mystery that readers won't guess until the end, even though it's well seeded along the way. So, don't cheat and go to the last page before it's time—you'll miss out on a lot of fun.

Researching this story was mind-blowing.  I've used this information to flesh out the story, including secret government projects and futuristic weapons as well as nonlethals. Imbedding this research into the heavy drama of the plot, I pushed my characters to the limit, both physically and emotionally. And it all wraps up in an incredible race that I hope makes everyone's heart pound.

Please read Brainstorm (price dropped to $.99 for the blog tour!) and let me know what you think. I'd love to read your comments—send them to me at gordon@gordonkessler.com. And don't forget to check out my other thrillers Jezebel and Dead Reckoning—as well as a couple of shorts I wrote.  Happy reading!

8 comments:

Michele said...

Wow, the book sure sounds like one that would keep me on the edge of my seat.
How does an author keep from getting too overwhelmed with research when you have to be so technical about things in a story?

Guess I'll have to read it to find out. ;-)

Michele said...

Where's the buy link?

Gordon Kessler said...

Michele, here's the link to my website, and you can buy through Amazon or Smashwords from there: www.gordonkessler.com. Thanks!

Gordon Kessler said...

Michele, to answer your question about research: for me it's nearly overwhelming but, at the same time, rewarding and addictive. I only write about things I'm truly interested in, so the research is a large part of the passion of writing. I have to make a very conscious decision to stop and get back to writing the actual story. Even then, I have to go back and research for details, so I can easily get caught up in the research on a project over and over again. However, what I think I get from the many hours of background work is a very well researched novel that not only entertains, but educates in an entertaining way, and has verisimilitude that the story needs to feel real.

Michele said...

"verisimilitude"??
Oh my gosh, a $5 word!

Ok, I have to ask. Where does an author, or where SHOULD an author, draw the line at using those $5 words in stories.

Does the audience you're writing for have any bearing on it or do you think authors throw those kinds of words in there to aggrandize their work - thinking it makes the tale more intellectual?

I ask that because recently I saw a discussion, where, in the course of reading a book marketed as erotic, the hero referred to the afteraffects of passion regarding his...um...johnson, with the word
detumescence.

As an author, as a man, would that word EVER be the first thing that floats through the male brain after an earth shattering experience? The reader had to look up the word in the dictionary - which means instead of reading, research was being conducted.

I can understand technical words being used with military hardware, but in the normal course of describing things of every day life for people like me...shouldn't an author write to the target audience?

Are you an author who enjoys odd or infrequently used words or do you flow with the mainstream?

Gordon Kessler said...

Michele,

Great question! Verisimilitude is not a word I'd use in my novels unless it's about an English professor. Sorry, to put it into the post—it's a word used quite often by writing instructors meaning that the story must be "truth-like," or like real life, even if it takes place in a different world. It all has to do with setting and descriptions.

Enough about that, though—and to answer your question: It somewhat depends on the audience and genre, especially the technical terms. But your example is of a writer being ridiculous! When an author does what you mentioned, it's as if he's come out the story and slapped you with the word (oops, in this case, that's not a nice image—but you know what I mean). More common but precise words are important to use for flow. Occasionally, a writer must use more descriptive terms (but still not overly elevated) for a better understanding of important concerns dealing with setting, action, etc.

I say "NO" to $5 words, but "maybe sometimes" to the $.25 ones.

Karen C said...

I enjoy reading thrillers, mysteries and romance, and love when they are combined into a fantastic story!

Brainstorm has been added to my TBR list.

Michele asked an interesting question. From this reader's perspective, if a particular word is one the character would use, then it should be used, regardless of whether it's a $.50 or a $5.00 word. If I don't know the word, I'll look it up. I, personally, would prefer to look something up than have the story dumbed down. As I said, interesting question.

Hope you have a great day at the Pavilion!

Thanks.

Gordon Kessler said...

Great point, Karen!

Elevated or dumbed-down--in dialogue and internalization (thought)word choices reveal character.