Good day, book people and welcome to December! Am I the only one having a hard time accepting that we're in the last month of 2021?! Have you ever wanted to be a writer? I used to work with my ex-husband translating documents (he translated, I edited) from Arabic-to-English back in the 1990s and early 2000s. We also worked with an Arab publishing company re-writing several novellas. Let me tell you, good writing is hard work and I don't know if I can say if what we produced was good writing or not. We kept receiving requests for writing, translation, and editing, so I guess we were doing something right. As a result of that work, I'm in awe of anyone that craft a readable and believable story from scratch. I'm pleased to introduce a new-to-me author, Robert Douglass. Mr. Douglass's debut work is the cozy mystery The Little Town of Summerville. He has graciously consented to visit today and share his thoughts on learning from a favorite author. Thank you, Mr. Douglass for sharing with us, the blog is now all yours.
Capturing The Style of My Favorite Author
Using the term 'my favorite author' is a bit deceiving, as it's hard to pick just one, but one author that always astounds me is Mario Puzo. Among other works, he wrote The Godfather back in the 60s. The book is divided into three sections and the first section, in my opinion, is top tier gold standard for writing.
I am currently writing a cozy mystery series. It is light, cute, very family friendly and 'The Godfather' is the complete opposite. So, how on Earth could I possibly find the writing style of Mario Puzo of any benefit to me? Well, Puzo has tremendous ability to show the struggles and injustice of the world at such a personal level that the reader becomes concerned for the characters and can relate to their problems. Perhaps Puzo is playing on the arrogance of the reader, that he can understand the depth of irony that is unfolding in front to him and so the reader believes he fully understands the situation and wants the character to prevail. I am guilty of such arrogance as it is intoxicating to follow the story line of this new world I have entered.
There are many characters that show these qualities but I'll only touch on a couple of them. The first character is Amerigo Bonasera. The reader encounters him early in the story during a court appearance and then at an Italian wedding. The wedding is a colorful and rich story world setting with members of the family and friends, lots of food and wine, music from the band and lots of dancing. Amerigo follows the Italian tradition of being allowed to talk to the father of the bride on the wedding day. It's not a man he usually gets to talk to as he now has a meeting with the Godfather. The reader had seen Amerigo in court and how the crooked judge handled him and is reminded of the injustice as he relays the details. The Godfather explains he will handle the situation and the reader secretly rejoices for justice to be served yet is a bit bewildered as he knows this is very illegal activity. The great writing of Puzo has emotionally hooked him.
The second character is Captain McCluskey, the policeman. The reader has already seen the crooked judge and as Puzo shows McCluskey scene after scene the reader realizes he is a crooked cop. At first the reader dislikes him but through Puzo's skillful writing as the scenes continue, he starts to wonder if the poor policeman got tricked and pushed into his dishonest ways and starts to feel sorry for him. Eventually the reader catches himself and says, 'Wait a minute, he's a crooked cop! He brought all these problems on himself!' Can I write as skillful as Puzo? No, but I'm sure going to try! Long live the characters!
Robert Douglass
R. T. Douglass
The Little Town of Summerville
A Dog Named Chubby
by Robert Douglass
December 1-31, 2021 Virtual Book Tour
Synopsis:
Jack Wellington moves from the big city to make a new start. He jumps at the opportunity to become a detective in Summerville.
A peculiar case is assigned to him as artwork has been stolen and a dog is missing. Fellow detective Charlie Finch, a man adorned with decades of service, uncovers clues with Jack. They become intrigued by the words and actions of a neighborhood boy and wonder how much he might know.
Clues are followed but it's the kids in the neighborhood who provide the most relevant clues. As the detectives get closer to them with their questions, the pressure of the kids struggle unfolds.
Kids, dogs, thieves, and a detective who meets a gal named Sally in the little town of Summerville.
Book Details:
Genre: Mystery
Published by: Amazon
Publication Date: November 1, 2021
Number of Pages: 200
ISBN: 9798677929410 (paperback)
ASIN: B09KS12LMY (Kindle edition)
Series: The Little Town of Summerville, 1
Purchase Links #Commission Earned: Amazon | Amazon Kindle | Goodreads
Author Bio:
Robert has an AAS in Microsoft Networking Technology from Glendale Community College and is a Microsoft Certified Professional.
He likes reading, writing, and exploring natural wonders. His favorite pastime is telling tall stories around the campfire.
Tour Participants:
Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and more!
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