Smashwords — About Giovanni Gelati

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Location: United States
Member Since: July 28, 2010

Giovanni Gelati

Biography

I love to read books and write posts about them on our blog.Check us out at
http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com

Where to find Giovanni Gelati online

Website: http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com
Blog: http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com

Books

This member has not published any books.

Giovanni Gelati's favorite authors on Smashwords

Benjamin Sobieck

Maynard Soloman Takes the Bus to a Strip Club (Funny Detective Stories #6)

Giveaway! Two days only!

(5.00 from 1 review)

Sitting on Cold Porcelain

(5.00 from 1 review)

Visit their website.

View their blog.

S.W. Barger

Creole Orientation (a Jack Carlyle short story)

Visit their website.

Tor Richardson

Sindie Slick and the Lamp Trick

Visit their website.

Wade McMahan

Flying Solo

Smashwords book reviews by Giovanni Gelati

Stomping Mad: A Spade Conundrum on Aug. 07, 2010

I have been looking forward to getting this started, the digital short thing. I did some research on the subject, what little could be found, and scoured Amazon & Smashwords to see what piqued my interest and found way too much. I was taken aback by the whole process. I have been fortunate to make some new friends while doing the research and found their work fun to read. I have tried to explain to my wife and kids my fascination with the digital short (I am going to run with that designation; novella, although it sounds like it is something an Italian guy may say, just doesn’t work for me. Besides Novella Saturday doesn’t roll off of my tongue the way Digital Short Saturday does). The whole idea of being able to purchase a story that has less than 25,000 words and is a nice smooth quick read makes me happy. It is a change of pace, satisfies my interests, and is awesome to have on whatever ereader you are using to just pull up and enjoy. For those that have ADD this is a Godsend, I have OCD so it really doesn’t matter to me. As long as I can separate my Mike&Ikes by color while it read, it is fine with me. It is incredible that a story can be purchased for anywhere from .99 to 2.99, read almost instantly and then put into your personal library. It opens up a whole new world for authors. I would love to read a digital short by Lee Child, Barry Eisler, Brad Thor, to name a few, that could put something out with our favorite heroes that satisfies our desires for their work on a regular basis. This rocks in ways I think most of us haven’t touched on yet. Let’s get to the digital short: Stomping Mad was the first read I have had on a Kristine Kathyrn Rusch novel. She writes in many different genres and I have plans to check them all out. Stomping Mad is a detective series and it was a fun read. Her main character is engaging and the dialogue is witty, quick and pointed. I enjoyed the edge he (Detective Spade) had and the manner in which he brought the mystery to a conclusion. Her style and descriptive manner helped me to solve the mystery; I enjoyed feeling like I was part of team as we went along looking quickly for clues to solve the crime. I was sucked into it all the way and its conclusion it left me wanting to get the next installment. I am planning on using Saturdays to promote this type of work. I am looking for suggestions from authors, directions to look in finding material, and most of all what your thoughts are on the whole process. What are you reading today? Check us out and become our friend on Facebook and Shelfari. Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. You can also follow us on Twitter, Book Blogs, and the Gelati’s Scoop Facebook Fan Page, also look for our posts on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, and the Bucks County Library System . Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Gelati’s Store Tab on our blog? Thanks for stopping by today; we will see you tomorrow. Have a great day.
Meteor 97 (a Jack Carlyle Short Story) on Aug. 14, 2010

Hey it is that time of the week again? This ride so far has been so much fun. The digital short search so far has amazing. The offerings are many and the choices are difficult to make. I have mentioned this in the past but I am going to have to say it again; I don’t have a Kindle or Nook yet. If someone wants to send me one, thanks I appreciate it. So how am I reading these digital shorts? I have been doing it on my laptop, but I could do it just as easily on my Verizon Droid cellphone, it totally amazes me. I love the way I can vary the color, the type and the spacing I am reading. This is so much fun I wish I had gotten on this sooner. Meteor 97 is a really nice detective story; it’s full of action, and intrigue. Jack Carlyle is the main character S.W. Barger uses to drive the story and his narrative and plotline are both imaginative and creative. I felt like I just got hold of an m80. The story length is 6890 words and they are explosive. Barger’s ability to detail his surroundings made me feel like I was on the Amtrak train with Carlyle as he was stalking his prey. He takes the hard-boiled detective story to another level. Other digital shorts in the series are: Instrument Flight Rules & Creole Orientation. He has another series with a female character, Zoe Scarlatti that I will post on later today. The title of that digital short is Girls Night Out. I enjoyed what S.W. Barger brings to the table with Carlyle. I am going to enjoy reading the others in the series and I will put those posts up in the future. The digital short for me is an awesome addition to my reading pleasure. It helps break up the time spent on a full length novel, and delivers a loaded, explosive punch of action as the authors know they have us for a shorter period of time. I like the condensed form and its results. I don’t know if this is for everybody, but for me, it has definitely help shake up my reading and put a new light on things for me. I have tried to describe it to my wife as buying one slice of pizza loaded with toppings versus getting a whole plan pizza pie. What are your thoughts on it? What are you reading today? Check us out and become our friend on Facebook and Shelfari. Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. You can also follow us on Twitter, Book Blogs, and the Gelati’s Scoop Facebook Fan Page; also look for our posts on Amazon, Borders, Barnes and Nobles, and the Bucks County Library System. Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Gelati’s Store Tab on our blog? Thanks for stopping by today; we will see you tomorrow. Have a great day. http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com
Girls Night Out (a Zoe Scarlatti Short Story) on Aug. 14, 2010

Every day I go on this world wide web of ours and try to further my limited knowledge of this thing called the digital short; I am constantly amazed. Today I am posting on two different stories, two different franchises by S.W. Barger that are incredibly fun, good, and quick reads. I didn’t have to go to the library to pick them out, no delivery person came to my door with them. And the whole process was interactive to the point that I could even fire off correspondence to the author all within a matter of minutes, all while chilling at my desk. Authors like S.W. Barger need to be found, read and enjoyed because the quality of their writing is there, the plotline is sound, the action is quick and nary a word wasted. His Zoe Scarlatti digital short Girls Night Out has a word count of 1970 words. They pack a mean punch in such a condensed form. The story is quick, concise, action packed, and filled with a wry sense of humor. I like the opposites that he presents in his male/female digital shorts, that is why I went with posting twice today. I read this short on my laptop, but just as easily could have done so from my Droid phone. Office workers would have a field day with this. A short mental break from reports, meetings, or solitaire, this is just the cure for the doldrums at your desk. The power of the digital short is amazing. The cost is less than a twenty ounce bottle of soda, water, or coffee. The time spent with it longer, and the lasting value is intrinsic. Go out on a limb and remove yourself from your comfort zone. The digital short is going to be a player in this new digital age of publishing, whether it is by a traditional publishing house, or self-published by the likes of Smashwords. The digital short is too much fun, especial in the hands of someone like S.W. Barger. Girls Night Out, Metro 97 they deserve to be seen, heard from, and enjoyably read. They are quality works of fiction and can be had at a very reasonable price. What are you reading today? Check us out and become our friend on Facebook, Shelfari, and Crimespace. Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. You can also follow us on Twitter, Book Blogs, and the Gelati’s Scoop Facebook Fan Page; also look for our posts on Amazon, Borders, Barnes and Nobles, and the Bucks County Library System. Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Gelati’s Store Tab on our blog? Thanks for stopping by today; we will see you tomorrow. Have a great day. http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com
Pathological on Aug. 21, 2010

I was fortunate enough to find three excellent digital shorts to read and post on this week. Personally I have fallen in love with many things about the ereader platform and what is just being discovered can be done with it. The place that the digital short has in my week for me is an important one now. I get the enjoyment of full length novels, the fun and escapism of the graphic novels and then at any time anywhere I am I can pop up the digital short and get my fix of the written word, seemingly anywhere there is a semblance of humanity, or in the lack of that a cell tower, haha. It really helps break things up for me and I enjoy the compact, in your face, get down to it, storytelling involved in the digital short. Vincent Zandri is a prime example of that in Pathological, a digital short that has 4810 words. It is like reading a ticking time bomb, waiting for it to go off in our hands (that is if you are reading it on a cellphone or ereader device) or in my case as I read it off my laptop ,in my face. Zandri wastes no time and not a single word in getting his point across and the emotion that he wishes us to feel as we try to immerse ourselves in his characters mindsets. The plotline is a simple one, but in the hands of a skilled author like Zandri, he is able to put his trademark twists and turns into it, carrying us along on a swift moving trip to the last word. The 4810 words breezed by and came to a dead stop very quickly. I bring up the word count twice here for a reason. The story is compact, it is emotionally charged, quick and compelling. I am amazed and enjoy the fact that a seasoned author, one that has penned many full length novels, can craft a narrative and construct a simple plotline and bring it to such a concise, compelling ending. All this and much, much, more can be yours for the simple and unbelievable cost of $.99.One would be hard pressed to be able to buy a pack of gum for this now, unless maybe you had a coupon. I am fortunate to have this find in my Smashwords library and can get to it from any reading source I chose, in whatever color and font I want to read it in. It is just too much fun. The gum alas, I have to chew diligently and then in a short period of time it is gone, the story though Remains with me ( that my friends is a gratuitous plug for Mr.Zandri’s full length novel-The Remains. My wife, my editor, didn’t know what I meant and why I capitalized it, so I needed to explain.).If you wish to purchase any of Vincent Zandri’s novels I have many of them here at the blog , just click and enjoy. What are you reading today? Check us out and become our friend on Facebook, Shelfari, Crimespace, and AuthorNation. Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. You can also follow us on Twitter, Book Blogs, Visual Book Shelf, Book Marketing Network, Linkedin, Pump Up Your Book Promotion and the Gelati’s Scoop Facebook Fan Page; also look for our posts on Amazon, Borders, Barnes and Nobles, Target, eBay, Books A Million, Smashwords and the Bucks County Library System. Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Gelati’s Store Tab on our blog? Thanks for stopping by today; we will see you tomorrow. Have a great day. http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com
19 (A Digital Short) on Aug. 21, 2010

Today’s triple header of digital shorts has run a gambit of emotions for me, was read in less than 17,000 words, and arrived at a total cost of $1.98. The time invested was minimal, the joy gained much. I like that, the min for the max, who doesn’t enjoy that type of thing. It was delivered in seconds to my laptop, I read it in the color, size, and font I wanted, and if I so chose I could have as easily read it via another form such as my Droid cell phone from wherever I wished to read it. Win, win, win, digital shorts are fun, exciting and they rock. 19 is my first read on any writing done by Aaron Patterson. I was intrigued and wanted to learn more about the man so I went directly to his publisher’s website, StoneHouse Ink, and checked things out. Impressive to say the least, the website and the stable of Authors they have. I easily navigated the site and read Patterson’s impressive bio, saw the other titles he has published (Sweet Dreams, Dream On), their thumbnails, and also his soon to be released novel ( In Your Dreams). I particularly had to read the synopsis of In Your Dreams because I mistakenly thought it may be about my son , son-in –law and my daughters boyfriends thinking they can beat me in basketball or any Wii video game. Not much research need be done for that novel, but I quickly found out that was not the case. I came to find it is something different altogether and looks like a very nice read. The digital short itself took me on a journey and a range of emotions that went from one side to the other. I enjoyed Aaron Patterson’s writing ability and the way in which he structured the plotline. I was amazed at how he got me to be emotionally invested in his characters in such a short space of time, swiftly moving the action of the story along to a moving conclusion. Was it what I expected, no. Was it an enjoyable read, definitely, I recommend it very much. The digital short and its uses are many and the customer and the author both win. I wouldn’t hesitate now to try his full length novels. For the price of $.99 I got the opportunity to look through the author’s mind’s eye and gauge his style & substance, and both of us came out winners in the end. I got to enjoy his hard work, his heart and soul, and he gained a new customer and follower. Do yourself a favor, if you have been holding back on giving these “new” do dads a go (the digital shorts), stop and take the plunge, there are no losers here, everybody wins. What are you reading today? Check us out and become our friend on Facebook, Shelfari, Crimespace, and AuthorNation. Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. You can also follow us on Twitter, Book Blogs, Visual Book Shelf, Book Marketing Network, Linkedin, Pump Up Your Book Promotion and the Gelati’s Scoop Facebook Fan Page; also look for our posts on Amazon, Borders, Barnes and Nobles, Target, eBay, Books A Million, Smashwords and the Bucks County Library System. Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Gelati’s Store Tab on our blog? Thanks for stopping by today; we will see you tomorrow. Have a great day. http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com
True Stories (A Digital Short) on Aug. 28, 2010

I find that many things are true in this world, one of which is that I have quickly become a big fan of Zandri’s. He penned another digital short available from StoneHouse Ink- True Stories. The digital short is 4560 words of pure emotion; I was totally wiped out when I was done reading it. The naked emotion he is able to convey in his brief narrative is nothing short of amazing. The cover has been done by Zandri’s son, a very nice personal touch. This is a story that is emotionally charged and filled with pain and naked emotion. I am usually into lighter stuff but Zandri had me totally locked into the story very early, and I couldn’t pry myself away from it. The execution of the story is concise and heartfelt, making it that much more difficult to even hesitate or think of interrupting this quick read. For the minimal cost of $.99 this story will stay with you for a while. Vincent Zandri has many novels to his credit; this is one of my favorites, even though it is a digital short. I am constantly amazed at the way he can get his point across in a different manner each time out. True Stories for me though is Zandri at his best. The feelings I had after the read left me raw. The dynamics of a family laid out over a short period of time in its history, executed in such a short word count, with the punch that it packs is amazing. This is another example of why the digital short has a place in anyone’s reading rotation. The cost of the product is low, the emotional effects and quality high; there are no losers here. I have been fortunate to try reading the shorts in many different ways and experienced many different styles over the last few weeks. I have yet to hit a bummer. Yes, I know if I did I wouldn’t have told you, but I have yet to do so. Part of the fun for me has been the discovery process, hunting for the digital shorts and finding new authors with new things to read and experience. The fact that they don’t take long to read and have brought me to different ranges of emotion have helped also. Have you given the digital short an honest try yet? If you haven’t , give True Stories a go or go back through our archives and try one of the other authors, there should be no disappointment there. What are you reading today? Check us out and become our friend on Facebook & Linkedin . Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. You can also follow us on Twitter, Visual Book Shelf, and the Gelati’s Scoop Facebook Fan Page. Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Gelati’s Store Tab on our blog? Thanks for stopping by today; We will see you tomorrow. Have a great day. http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com
Zen In the Art of Absurdity on Aug. 28, 2010

Please before you come after me to explain how this fits into the category of digital shorts, it’s very simple. Carla Rene has put together a novel of short digital shorts that in total has a word count of 16,580 words. I am not going to go into each and every short she has. Instead I am going to focus on one, the cute little diddy she put together that has the childhood reading characters, Dick & Jane, and Jack & Jill in a race. I like the originality and the moxie. The digital short lends itself to so much. Zen is a prime example. Carla Rene has put together a quilt work of quirky, quick, quaint, quippish, quixotry, and quasi shorts. Tongue in cheek is what I meant to say and she does it well. It is difficult not to smile and shake your head during the snippets she has put together. The stories run the gambit and her imagination has gone wild and run amuck. Be prepared to experience a jigsaw puzzle that is just not put together just right, but works out for the best. I had fun with it and changed the color and the font on each one so they had their own feel and style. The digital short lends itself to such creativity. Zen In The Art Of Absurdity helps us to enjoy the freedom of the medium and the title also helps to add to my word count; gotta love it. Each week I am finding new material and this is just the tip of the iceberg. The authors that are putting out the material now and are trying to stretch the medium are blazing a new trail that hopefully will not get tired and boring. With digital shorts like this from Carla Zene it would be hard for them to be so. Are you intrigued, have I piqued your interest? Then go to Smashwords and set up your own account, it takes very little time, and then you can browse to your heart’s content. You will find a world of new things there that run the gambit as far as genres. What are you waiting for? Carla René is a professional stand-up comedienne, tv/stage/film actress and published author, residing just outside of Nashville, with two cats who treat her as if she's the hired help. You’ve seen her comedy skills on NBC sitcoms, at Zanies and comedy clubs all over the US, and The Kennedy Centre in DC; her comedic essays and shorts have appeared on writing web-sites, as well as HerNashville.com. With two new comedic essay collections currently on Amazon Kindle and Smashwords, and several short-stores available for download, she has just finished The Gaslight Journal, a historical fiction novel that will be released in mid-November. You can reach her at: http://www.carlarene.com and http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carla-Rene-Comedy-The-Officially-Invisible-Page/131183660254833 What are you reading today? Check us out and become our friend on Facebook & Linkedin. Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. You can also follow us on Twitter, and the Gelati’s Scoop Facebook Fan Page. Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Gelati’s Store Tab on our blog? Thanks for stopping by today; We will see you tomorrow. Have a great day. http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com
Starting Over on Sep. 11, 2010

It is that time of the week again as I try to bring you some fun in the digital short world. Stories that are compact, concise and feel like you just held a firecracker in your hand right until it exploded. Today is Tor Richardson and his 5500 word digital short Starting Over. I really enjoyed the way he laid this one out. Before we get into it though, just know that you can support this author and his fun work by clicking on the cover right here because it is available for your Kindle from Amazon. What no Kindle? You can get that too. But seriously, if you are Kindleless, then you can go to Smashwords and get it in the digital form you need. I read it on my laptop; it was fun, quick and incredible. Tor Richardson has done a really nice job of creating a central character that we come to understand his motivations and desires rather quickly. I am not going to spoil anything here but the guy is an identity thief. Does he really understand whose identity he is stealing every time he does it? Richardson uses every one of the 5500 words of the story to get us to the ending; it is an engrossing read and one that I don’t hesitate to suggest you enjoy. He puts in a few twists, turns and surprises. Here is a little bit from the description of the story from Smashwords: ”Fred Turner lives the good life -- at your expense. With stolen credit cards and borrowed identities he rides the highest lifestyle, but never for too long. Tricking others into stealing his stolen cards, he leaves them to face the law while he moves on, starting over with his next unknowing victim. It's always the perfect crime. Until the day he steals the wrong identity.” I am seeing a real move toward this type of writing as more and more authors are embracing the digital short. Have you given it a try yet? If not, why not? If you have, what have you been reading? I continue to scour the internet for new material. Are you an author that has done this type of work or a reader that has been able to find a ready source of this type of material? I would enjoy hearing from you, give me a shout please. What are you reading today? Check us out and become our friend on Facebook & Linkedin. Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. You can also follow us on Twitter, and the Gelati’s Scoop Facebook Fan Page. Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Gelati’s Store Tab on our blog? Thanks for stopping by today; We will see you tomorrow. Have a great day. http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com
Bite This! A Richard Dick Mystery on Sep. 18, 2010

The weekends are so much fun here; we are coming at you twice today with digital shorts by Jason McIntyre and the author featured in this post Wade J. McMahan. These stories are polar opposites and it is nice to feature them both on the same day to exemplify the diversity that awaits you at Smashwords. I found both authors there, but their works can be found elsewhere as well. Bite This! Can be found on just about any platform you chose; Untreed Reads is his publisher and they have listed it extensively. I don’t hesitate to say to stop by their website; it is a very busy site with a very rich content. We will be featuring many of their authors in the days and weeks to come. Here is the link: http://www.untreedreads.com . Bite This! A Richard Dick Mystery is 2510 words of fun and slapstick. It doesn’t take long to understand that tongue and cheek is the call word here and that the idea behind the digital short is to purely entertain rather than to shock or surprise. I don’t want to give any of the story away, but for the small word count, the author packs a lot into it. Mr. Dick, excuse me Richard, is a busy guy, I mean work wise. The tale that is told is fun and the cure for a case of the frowns. Wade J. McMahan’s descriptive style and ability to impart so much in the way of action and humor in such a short period of time made the experience that much better for me. The set-up and delivery of the plotline was concise and very engaging. The characters were spot on and used well. I was amazed at how much I got out of it and was happy to follow along and laugh; it was a very pleasant read. Wade McMahan has landed not one, but two spots on the OmniLit.com bestseller list for his digital shorts. For more on that please go to: http://www.untreedreads.com/?p=1715 . I didn’t time myself while I read the story, but it was a nice quick hit of a read. The price on the digital short is $1.50 that is about the same as a 20 oz. soda or a pack of gum now. I have this in my Smashwords library now and I can revisit any time I wish. The soda bottle is on its way to the recycling bin already. I think you get my point here. The digital short is fun, I can call them up on laptop at a whim or read them if I want on my cellphone. The length of them makes them perfect for a brief respite from the everyday doldrums or pressures of the day. Trust me on this; if you can’t get a chuckle or two from this digital short, then your funny bone is broken, please;get it fixed. Give Bite This! a chance, click the tab and download it to your favorite type of ereader. What are you reading today? Check us out and become our friend on Facebook & Linkedin. Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. You can also follow us on Twitter, and the Gelati’s Scoop Facebook Fan Page. Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Gelati’s Store Tab on our blog? Thanks for stopping by today; We will see you tomorrow. Have a great day. http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com
Red, White & Blood on Oct. 02, 2010

Digital Short Saturday is beginning to battle it out with a few other days during the week as the most viewed days here @ Gelati’s Scoop. Is it coincidence? I think not. The ereading world is changing and evolving each week , either in number of platforms it is on , or the types of devices on which one can view ebooks. Here is a link to an article from just a few days ago on Blackberry’s new device and what Amazon is doing to be prepared for it: http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/ebooks/amazon_prepares_ereader_app_for_new_blackberry_tablet_174297.asp Here is a link to see what Android is up to in the ereader forum, it seems that Google and Amazon have things to think about: http://www.rethink-wireless.com/2010/09/28/google-worried-amazon-android-store.htm I think that the completion is just beginning and we the consumers will be the beneficiary of all this competition. I am having a nice time sorting through all the different digital shorts I can find to bring to you each week. Jeffrey Martins is a good example. Red , White and Blood hits the nail on the head. The digital short comes in at 8460 words, is a nice quick moving read and carries all the necessary elements of a good police drama. Here is the synopsis from the Smashwords website: “ Independence Day in Marcona has turned deadly. A crazed bomber has decided to terrorize all in his path and won’t stop until his revenge is complete. Chief of Police Mark Blankenship and his daughter are unexpected targets of the attack, and they find themselves in a struggle for survival. Will Blankenship be able to find the device, or will the trail of bloodshed include everything he loves?” I enjoy a good story that has things blow up and has a lot of pent up hostility. This a simple tale, but Jeffrey Martin infuses it with plenty of zest and gusto. We get to follow Mark Blankenship and his cohorts as they try to thwart the efforts of the mad bomber from exacting his revenge and creating too much carnage. Emotion, the human condition, good descriptive ability, and a complete story told in a very small and concise word count is what Red ,White and Blood has awaiting you. I know many of you are like me and enjoy reading many different things, different genres, different authors. The digital short has been a fun part of the week for me, a break, a respite, something that packs a punch in a short period of time. I am not trying to say that the full length novels are tedious, but getting that quick hit to break things up is fun, and that is what this all about. Check this story out and support the author. The best part of the deal is they ask so little in return, for this story , it is a dollar. What can you get with that today? What are you reading today? Check us out and become our friend on Facebook & Linkedin. Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. You can also follow us on Twitter, and the Gelati’s Scoop Facebook Fan Page. Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Gelati’s Store Tab on our blog? Thanks for stopping by today; We will see you tomorrow. Have a great day. http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com
East Coast on Oct. 23, 2010

I guess I was in the mood for police dramas this week with the digital shorts. East Coast is 8720 words of police action and family drama. I am going to go right to the author’s synopsis on this one: ”EAST COAST is THE WIRE in a rural setting as RCMP Sgt. Jerry Northup works to keep his narcotics squad motivated in the seemingly unwinnable war on drugs while raising three kids with his wife, Isobel.” I have not seen the television show The Wire, you may groan now , I understand. Maybe one day on DVD or Blu-ray, who knows, so I can’t say whether it is an accurate comparison, East Coast vs. The Wire. I enjoyed the way McFetridge humanized the officers in this digital short. I know a few officers around town. I know they are family men, and it was refreshing to read the way McFetridge had them make choices, see things maybe in a different reality then we as “normal” people do on a daily basis. The choices the officers have to make as fathers and husbands, the way they have to weigh someone’s existence, the perps, in the scheme of things were refreshing. I thought his narrative was the strong part of the digital short, without that I feel the plotline would not have worked as well. East Coast packs a lot of life’s choices into its 8700 words. This digital short is free, no cost, so no loss, only your time if you feel I am off my game. Give him a try. I asked John if he had anything to add & he had this to say: “If I was going to add anything it would be that after I worked as a writer on the TV show The Bridge (which only lasted two weeks on CBS) I wrote this story as the pilot script for a TV show I was pitching and then turned it into a short story. And I may write more 'episodes' as short stories.” Here are the different links for the author and Smashwords: http://johnmcfetridge.ca http://johnmcfetridge.blogspot.com http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/14367 What are you reading today? Check us out and become our friend on Shelfari & Linkedin. Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. You can also follow us on Twitter, and the Gelati’s Scoop Facebook Fan Page. Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Gelati’s Store Tab on our blog? Thanks for stopping by today; We will see you tomorrow. Have a great day. http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com
Forsaken By Shadow on Oct. 28, 2010

I guess I am on a bit of a paranormal lilt this week, at least a little more than usual. I have been digging deep trying to find some real gems for you, some different stuff with excellent content and character. Here we go Kait Nolan’s Forsaken by Shadow. Here is a synopsis of the action, pay close attention, because things happen hard and fast throughout this novel: ”Cade Shepherd is on top of the world as this year's Ultimate Fighting Champion. He doesn't even remember his life as Gage Dempsey, a Shadow Walker with the ability to magically transport himself from shadow to shadow. In fact, he can't remember anything before waking up in a cheap motel room ten years ago with mysterious burns on his hands--not even the woman he almost died for. Embry Hollister has picked up the pieces of her life, learned to control her ability to generate flame, and now works an enforcer for the Council of Races. But when her father is captured by the human military and the Council refuses mount a rescue mission, Embry has no choice but to go rogue. All she has to is find the man with the new name and new life who was completely wronged by her people, give him back the memories they stole, convince him to join her on what's probably a suicide mission, and hope that after ten years of living as a regular guy he still remembers what her father taught him. And after that, she just has to leave him. Again.” I would say that is a mouth full. The plotline is unique and moving, in many ways. Nolan introduces us to many characters, develops them well, makes us believe and care about them and crafts good dialogue to move the story quickly along. Forsaken by Shadow has all the right elements in it and more: heartache, love, commitment, romance, action and good old fun. Don’t forsake this novel, it is well worth the $1.99 price tag. You can find Kait at any of these web addresses: Website: http://kaitnolan.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/kaitnolan Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kait-Nolan... Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/346... What are you reading today? Check us out and become our friend on Shelfari & Linkedin. Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. You can also follow us on Twitter, and the Gelati’s Scoop Facebook Fan Page. Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Gelati’s Store Tab on our blog? Thanks for stopping by today; We will see you tomorrow. Have a great day. http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com
Instrument Flight Rules (a Jack Carlyle short story) on Oct. 30, 2010

Happy Saturday to you and yours. You are wondering, didn’t I review some S.W. Barger work in the past? Yes I have, I posted on both of his character’s, Jack Carlyle and Zoe Scarlatti many Saturday’s ago. Please feel free to reference the archives if you missed them. Instrument Flight Rules is a Jack Carlyle digital short and the word count on this is 5150 words of fun. The reason I went back to this character is that I like him very much, he grew on me, and I wanted to read what he was doing next. There is still one more digital short in the collection that I haven’t covered, Creole Orientation. Let’s get to it shall we. Here is S.W. Barger’s description of Instrument Flight Rules as I pulled this off of the Smashwords site: ” Al-Qaeda family values - in the new world order. People watching, for fun and profit.” A very short description to say the least. Here is the plotline, Carlyle is sent aboard an airplane flight to stop a terrorist attack on the plane. He and his partner basically have a few hours to put the plan they hatch into motion and save the plane and the passengers. S.W. Barger mixes in plenty of attitude with Carlyle and the dialogue is fast and the action furious. There is enough humor and wisecracks for a word count twice this size. I enjoy how much Barger packs into each installment of the Jack Carlyle series. NEWS FLASH from S.W. Barger himself:” I am currently working on a proposal for an episodic television series featuring Zoe Scarlatti. Barger's first Jack Carlyle novel, Deep Vice, should be out in the second quarter of 2011. Carlyle and partner Joe Rodriguez try to untangle a web of deception and depravity that stretches from a client’s wanton daughter, to the dangerous tentacles of South Florida’s organized crime network. But who’s really pulling the strings?” Have you had the chance to give the digital shorts a read yet? If you haven’t what is holding you back? I have gotten messages from readers all over the globe telling me the different ways they read them and the places they enjoy reading them. To get away from my laptop sometimes, I read them on my Droid cellphone, and it gives me a nice break from my little work area that I have set up. Different readers have told me they read them on the train platforms ,the trains themselves, break areas at work, coffee shops, restaurants if they are alone, one of the kid’s soccer games at halftime… the list goes on and on. My take on it, is that the digital short is like takeout food for the mind. There are so many genres now into this phenomenon that it is almost across the board. You want something quick, you want it now, and you want to ingest it in a short period of time, boom, there you go the digital short. Available on too many platforms to mention, the list is so big. What do read your digital shorts on and where? Come on be honest. What are you reading today? Check us out and become our friend on Shelfari & Linkedin. Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. You can also follow us on Twitter, and the Gelati’s Scoop Facebook Fan Page. Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Gelati’s Store Tab on our blog? Thanks for stopping by today; We will see you tomorrow. Have a great day. http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com
Signed, Sealed & Delivered (Intro to the Breaker Series) on Nov. 13, 2010

Welcome to what is becoming one of our most followed posting days, Digital short Saturday. I enjoy reading the digital shorts so much; it is a nice break in the weekly reading schedule. This week I found a gem and I wanted to highlight this one. The Breaker Series is something that I stumbled onto this week on Smashwords. It was released on Sunday and already this bad boy is making noise and waves on many of their lists. This is one of the highest rated downloads and it is put out by Floyd Buck Periwinkle from Trestle Press. Buck will be guest posting with us next week, look for it please. Why didn’t I say Floyd, well if you read the digital short, it will tell you right in the beginning. Here is the description from Smashwords for the first installment in this series. Quick Note on that from Periwinkle and Trestle Press before it slips my mind: they have four more digital shorts ready to go and will be uploading them very soon. The titles as we go to posting are: Every Vote Counts, The Past Hurts, Really!, Take two Literally and Redemption. Here is the synopsis from Smashwords:” Welcome to my world! I, Floyd Buck Periwinkle am a state certified lawn care technician. My job is to make sure that I kill every weed, insect, and disease that I find. Insects and diseases come in many forms. Trust me, this story is not just about how to make your lawn green and weed free. Enter my twisted reality at your own risk!” Trust me on this; it is not what it seems. There are some twists and turns here that one is not expecting. Humor is injected, a few characters are introduced, and the table is set for some fun in future installments, or so it may seem. I think it is a nice introduction piece. The 5700 plus words do a nice job of getting us into the world of the Breaker and I am pleased to say that I have read the next two installments and they go a long way in fleshing out the characters. I have quickly become a big fan of the series. We are fast approaching the time when a certain Jolly Guy comes to visit and when it comes list time for my top digital shorts for this year, The Breaker is going to have at least one or two in the top ten. That is how strong I feel about them. Want to learn a few things about lawn care and have some fun, take the ride with Floyd Buck Periwinkle, The Breaker. What are you reading today? Check us out and become our friend on Shelfari & Linkedin. Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. You can also follow us on Twitter, and the Gelati’s Scoop Facebook Fan Page. Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Gelati’s Store Tab on our blog? Thanks for stopping by today; We will see you tomorrow. Have a great day. http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com
First Impressions on Dec. 04, 2010

I was lucky enough to discover a few digital short series this week. First Impressions is the Grace deHaviland Bounty Hunter series. I like the fact that I can count on the next read if I enjoy the characters and the stories. What is the story on the story, well, check it out: ”When you're a bounty hunter, making snap judgments about people will often save your life. But what if those first impressions are wrong? When Grace deHaviland chases a bail jumper to the White Mountains of New Hampshire, a long way from her home turf of Columbus, Ohio, she may discover the answer -- with deadly consequences.” David DeLee really packs a lot of action, humor, and twists and turns into this digital short. Grace the bounty hunter is a very nice character and I am glad that this is not a one-time deal, I enjoyed her moxie and spunk and look forward to reading about her further exploits. I almost forgot to share the author info with you: ”David DeLee was born and raised in New York, lived for eight years in Columbus, Ohio, but currently resides in New Hampshire. He holds a master's degree in Criminal Justice and is a former licensed private investigator. His previous short fiction has appeared in DAW's Cosmic Cocktails anthology and consecutive volumes of Strange New Worlds, published by Pocket Books. His short story Bling, Bling, also featuring bounty hunter, Grace deHaviland, will appear in the Mystery Writers of America anthology, The Rich and the Dead, edited by Nelson DeMille and published by Grand Central Publishing, in the spring 2011.” Have you tried the digital shorts yet? With me, as you can see they have become a regular part of my reading week. I read them at different times in different places: my laptop at home or my smartphone when I am picking up the kids at school. They are convenient and come in the right size, they fit all needs and the price is right. Why not give this author and his hard work a shot, click the Amazon button and download this bad boy, the cost is little , the return great. What are you reading today? Check us out and become our friend on Shelfari & Linkedin. Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. You can also follow us on Twitter, Wattpad and the Gelati’s Scoop Facebook Fan Page. Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Amazon Banner on our blog? Thanks for stopping by today; We will see you tomorrow. Have a great day. http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com
Four Felonies and One Very Small Problem on Dec. 11, 2010

I have featured Tor in the past and enjoyed his work so much I wanted to read some more. He has a nice package up over at Smashwords that has four digital short stories in it called: Four Felonies and One Very Small Problem. The price to pick up all four is $2.99, not bad for four quality stories. I have featured one already, Starting Over , please check our archives for my thoughts on that. Today I want to concentrate on another digital short in the package, Another Slow Night in Paradise. Oh yeah , before I forget and pass it by, the other stories in the package are, wait, let me do it this way. Here is the blurb from Smashwords: ”Like beauty, crime is in the eye of the beholder.... and that's where things can start to go very wrong. This short collection contains five of Tor Richardson's most popular stories, from cases of identity theft to tales of revenge and murder. Titles include "Starting Over," "Another Slow Night in Paradise," "Foreverglades," "My Name is Sue," and the whimsical "Big Enough for Halloween." I think I have the bases covered on that for now. The digital short for today surprised me in many ways. I was not expecting the plotline, the narrative, or the characters. Basically I was clueless and loved it. Tor Richardson proved to me why I wanted to go back to this well: his ability to transport me to another place and totally immerse me in something I was not ready for. There was no gore, nobody was shot, no one was harmed in any way in this digital short. This is a total 180 from the previous digital short I read of his. Another Slow Night in Paradise displays the author’s ability to create a total story; characters, storyline, place and time in total, in a minimal word count. It has skill, precision and entertainment all in one nice neat package. Here is the synopsis of the digital short: “Exotic travel and exorbitant fees -- hallmarks of the smooth-talking business consultant. New people, new places, new companies. They make their money and run before anyone learns if the advice was any good, never stopping and always on the move. For one consulting artist, a slow night at a hotel bar leads to an encounter he wasn't expecting and an understanding he may be unable to accept. “ Where to find Tor Richardson online: Website: http://www.torrichardson.com I guess you figured out I learned how to use a few of the tools on the Word document last night, haha, it’s fun. Anyway, if you are like me, and God I hope you aren’t, one of me is enough, reading the digital short stories have gotten to be incredibly convenient. With Google getting into the ebook business it has even gotten to be even more so. Don’t pass this story or this author by. Reading this story on a smartphone or your laptop is quick and fun, and the enjoyment has been multiplied by Tor Richardson offering this package deal, 5 for $2.99 deal. Be bold, I have in this post, my boldness is evident for all to see, go for it and be entertained by Tor Richarson there is no problem with that. What are you reading today? Check us out and become our friend on Shelfari & Linkedin. Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. You can also follow us on Twitter, Wattpad and the Gelati’s Scoop Facebook Fan Page. Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Amazon Banner on our blog? Thanks for stopping by today; We will see you tomorrow. Have a great day. http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com
Kickin' It South of the Border on Dec. 18, 2010

I was hoping that this was not a digital short story about The South of The Border. I have come to know and now skip stopping at South of the Border off of Interstate 95 on our way down south on vacation. I like the neon as a marker in the evening, the billboards make me think of my childhood, but I could only think a good comedy would come of a story revolving around it. Thankfully David DeLee has something else in mind. Grace deHaviland rides again: ”Tracking a U.S. bail jumper across the border into Mexico is illegal. But when bounty hunter Grace deHaviland and Sheriff's Deputy Suzie Jensen do just that, facing charges isn't their biggest problem: Getting back alive is.” Kickin’ it South of The Border is just a tad shorter in length than the previous digital short we posted on a few Saturdays ago (check our archives) by David DeLee, First Impressions. If you are keeping count and like to pay by the word it is 5537 vs. 6763. The character of Grace deHaviland is a good one and I hope that the author continues to pump out the action as he has a fan in me. I enjoy the way he subtly reveals more and more of deHaviland’s personality in each edition of her exploits, and also allows us to meet and discover new friends and interests she has. The plotline is a quick moving, comical at times, detective type story. David DeLee doesn’t mince words or waste any in this digital short story; it is a taunt, gripping escapade that is fun to wisked away with. I read this on my smartphone while waiting for my daughter to come out of school. She said I had a nice smile on my face when she got in the family vehicle, yes, I was reading another digital short story, she guessed it right. Before I forget let me give you some more information about the author and a link or two for you to check out things: ”David DeLee is a native New Yorker. He holds a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice, and is a former licensed Private Investigator. His previous short stories have appeared in Daw’s Cosmic Cocktails, in three consecutive volumes of Pocket Books, Strange New Worlds, and the soon-to-be released Mystery Writers of America anthology, The Rich and the Dead. David is an active member of the Mystery Writers of America and the International Thriller Writers Association. He currently lives in New Hampshire with his family where he’s hard at work on a novel featuring Columbus, Ohio-based bounty hunter, Grace deHaviland.” Links: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/31162 His Publisher: http://www.darkroadpub.com What are you reading today? Check us out and become our friend on Shelfari & Linkedin. Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. You can also follow us on Twitter, Wattpad and the Gelati’s Scoop Facebook Fan Page. Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Amazon Banner on our blog? Thanks for stopping by today; We will see you tomorrow. Have a great day. http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com
The Commissary on Feb. 23, 2011

It is back, Digital Short Saturday , and I have a couple of serious new digital shorts to go over with you today. Both are new series, The Commissary by CQ Scafidi and the next post is on THE NEXUS CHRONICLES /Conception by Skylyr Symkyns. To get some business out of the way CQ Scafidi is the author of Time Couriers, yes, that Time Couriers the novel that won many different awards: Best Eye Catching Cover- the new Covey Awards, and also The Amazon Clicks.Com /Authors Choice March 2009. Write this down or paste it into your Google calendar, this author, CQ Scafidi will enter The GZONE,our blogtalk radio show here @ Gelati’s Scoop, on Monday Feb.21 at 5pm. Get your questions ready or send them in to me, so I can ask them on air. What lies between the virtual covers of this action packed, politically charged, conspiracy story? Let’s see: “Begin the journey with CQ Scafidi as he takes us into the world of The Commissary. Read as events unfold as seen through the eyes of two adolescents thrust into a chaotic world as all crumbles around them. “ The action takes place in Vatican City as two young kids are getting some groceries in the commissary of the US Consulate. An explosion happens and off they go. There is a great deal of intrigue, emotion, and action in the 5400 plus words he uses to get this series started. I went through this read rather quickly. CQ Scafidi grabbed me right away and I was totally taken and swept away with the emotion of the story. I have taken a break from the digital shorts since before Christmas, I found a huge winner here to get this day started again. A buck is a bargain for this bad boy. Personally I am looking forward to what he does with this series and the manner in which he uses this vehicle to further display his abilities. Time Couriers, which I am going to spotlight in a post next week, rose at one time to such heights on Amazon as No.4 in the conspiracy category, number 2 in Freemasonry behind Dan Brown, and numero uno in Voodoo. Just a hint here, he just dropped in the Kindle version of Time Couriers for the first time this week, and has set the price at $2.99.Basically you can get the two works by this author, CQ Scafidi, for less than $4. Now that is a bargain anywhere. Quality, intensity, and amazing insight are all contained within the virtual pages of The Commissary. I read this on my Kindle, loved every second of it, and wish there was more. Well, there will be more but I have to wait for it, that was the only bummer in the deal. One other thing you can do is click on the badge in the upper left corner of our blog; The Novel Spot badge, go there, sign up, and then join CQ’s group –CQ’s Seekers. I am sure there will be serious good banter to be had there. Hustle up and get in line @ The Commissary: it isn’t overpriced, there is no waiting line, it can downloaded wirelessly to your Kindle in less than a minute and it is a good read. What are you reading today? Have you checked out our new blogtalk radio show The GZONE? Check us out and become our friend on Shelfari, The Novel Spot &Twitter. Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Amazon Banner on our blog? Thanks for stopping by today; We will see you tomorrow. Have a great day. http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com
Conception on Feb. 23, 2011

What is in a name, hmm… I guess a lot of y’s. This is a new short story series that already has two installments released by Trestle Press. The next short story in the series is entitled Reality. Yes I have read it and I will be posting on it in the future. It was difficult for me not to have read it as I enjoyed Conception so much I wanted more and the Kindle had enough juice in it so I kept going. The price of the fun, $.99. It is hard to buy a Slurpee for that anymore, let alone a TastyKake. What exactly is a Nexus and what is this story about? I had the same questions, so here you go: “Have you ever found out that you died, were brought back to life and were at a particular moment physically in a hospital bed in a medically induced coma while at the same time elsewhere? How would you like your spirit to be dragged through the “middle” by a dead guy to find out that you are the only one that can help him get to the “Gates” or take the ride down “the Elevator”. I didn’t ask for any of this to happen, but it seems that I am destined for this. Follow me on my journey of discovery as I become the next, and quite possibly the greatest Nexus.” Great concept, good execution of the idea, neat narrative, totally different perspective and a fun and engaging idea for a series, I am hooked on it already. Yes I know I am ahead of the game a bit having read both stories but so what. The game plan from what Skylyr tells me is to drop in a new chapter once every four to six weeks. The titles will only have one word and he already has the first 20 outlined and is working hard to complete them. I like this, a man with a plan. I for one am on board this and will follow the exploits of the Nexus. The category I would peg this is YA/paranormal with a hint of religious undertones in it. How else are you going to discuss, and describe a character that helps people get to heaven or hell? There is plenty of humor, it moves quickly, there is plenty of dialogue, and the best part for me was it made me pause a bit and think about what the message was. I definitely wanted more when the story came to end, but in a good way, that is why I immediately jumped to Reality. I will post on that either next week or at the latest the following Saturday. Skylyr Symkyns, what a name, don’t judge the story by it, or the cover, what lies inside is in “The Middle”. You’ll get that one when you read the story. What are you reading today? Have you checked out our new blogtalk radio show The GZONE? Check us out and become our friend on Shelfari, The Novel Spot &Twitter. Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Amazon Banner on our blog? Thanks for stopping by today; We will see you tomorrow. Have a great day. http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com
Time Couriers on Feb. 23, 2011

Happy Monday to all and thanks for checking in. We have a monster week ahead of us and we are going to start the week off with a bang, the works of CQ Scafidi. Today I am going to do two things: I am going to revisit a post I had popped in back in the day when I first started this blog, and then a Q&A that is certified fresh off the virtual press from this morning. CQ will be our guest today on our blogtalk radio show, The G-ZONE, @ 5pm EST. Check it out, call in; be part of the process. If you can’t and are going to listen to it from the archives, email me your questions and I will read them on air and give you full credit for them. Tomorrow, Tuesday, we have Richard Doetsch on as or guest; he is the author of The 13th Hour and The Thieves series of novels. I am running a piece of my old blog post here. I was new back in the day; be kind when you are reading. CQ Scafidi also has a new digital series out called The Commissary, check our archives from Digital short Saturday for the post on that. Here it is, the old post, followed by the new Q&A: “This review is from: Time Couriers (Paperback) Time Couriers is a very unique book from the cover art to the back page. The cover art is very detailed and busy; I guess you could say that it is a bit of foreshadowing for what lies inside for us, the reader. There are many different layers of plot lines in Time Couriers, but for me the enjoyment was in the amount of detail that Scafidi provides us with in addition to the well-crafted story lines. I have yet to have the pleasure of traveling to New Orleans, Christopher Quintin Scafidi made me feel right at home there. Throughout the Time Couriers story, he was able to weave the fabric to what makes New Orleans, New Orleans and convey the atmosphere of the town and its inhabitants. The people, the streets, the restaurants all came to life for me as his in depth descriptions and incredible sense of detail put me right there. As complex as the plot is, Scafidi makes Time Couriers compelling and ties all the ends together in a nice neat package. The pace is fast and furious; Couriers is a major page turner. My suggestion is to have a block of time put aside so you can just sit down and totally enjoy this novel. Take a break from the norm, time travel New Orleans style. Great location, international intrigue; I know I left out a few things out here. This book is chock full of action and adventure from cover to cover, but why should I spoil anything? Give this novel a try, put it in your Goodreads -to read list at the very least. What are some of your favorite time travel novels?” Done chuckling now , thanks. The novel is now available as an ebook, there is no reason not to check this out. Here is the Q&A: ‘Giovanni: Will you please share a short bio with us? C.Q.: I currently reside in the New Orleans area. My lifelong pursuits in international business, transportation, journalism and communications have provided him with a wealth of information to craft this novel, where arcane ritual enables global domination for a select few. I am originally from Corpus Christi, Texas, but have lived all over the Gulf Coast. My father served as the Maritime Attache for the U.S. Embassies in Rome and Athens and we lived there briefly. I returned home to New Orleans to attend Loyola University where I studied Accounting after which I began my career Journalism. I gravitated toward International Marketing due to my business acumen and language skills. I spent 15 years as International Sales Manager for United Parcel Service as well as a long-time member of the World Trade Center of New Orleans. Giovanni: Tell us about Time Couriers and where it's available. C.Q.: Time Couriers is a suspense thriller available online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Borders, and dozens of online booksellers. It was just recently released under the cover of Trestle Press for Kindle Readers A short synopsis of my novel...New Orleans, June 1997. The city's dying of heat and dying on its feet as the port business shrinks and the powers that be carve up a vanishing pie. Steve Gorman, an executive for the APEX courier corporation, sees his colleague Andrew Sinclair disappear, carrying a high-value package containing a stone with miraculous powers... Steve gets the blame, quits APEX and loses his place on the city's Trade Council. Suddenly he's a "non-person", but with the aid of glamorous Creole journalist Monique Chauvin and fey historian Louis Duplantier, he unearths an astonishing conspiracy involving time travel, the Templars, Freemasonry and Voodoo. If this "Brotherhood" can forecast events like Hurricane Katrina, millions of dollars could be saved-for the elect few, of course. C Q Scafidi's murder story is in fact a stunning exposé of globalism, greed and ritualized gangsterism. His background in journalism and business at the World Trade Center give him a unique insight into the workings of mankind... and how human nature can be corrupted overnight by the allure of power. Read Time Couriers and you'll see world events in an entirely different light. I began Time Couriers on 8/8/04 and coincidentally, it was released four years later on 8/8/08. It was a four year odyssey that was interrupted by Hurricane Katrina. I had 35,000 words completed and then shelved the project for 9 months until I could dig out from under the Hurricane Debris and put my life back together. Since I was the only family member who did not lose a home, I housed my entire family, making it impossible to write. Nine months later, I dusted it off and found I had a suspense thriller with no mention of the biggest news story ever in New Orleans. I had to get creative to work it in, but it fit just perfectly. Giovanni: At what age did you discover writing and when were you first published? Tell us your call story. C.Q.: I was awarded a first-place prize from the American Legion for an essay I wrote in the 3rd grade entitled, What Freedom Means to Me. I sailed through my English classes while I struggled with Mathematics. I was first published as a publicist for Oil Mop, Inc. during the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill when, my press release regarding the cleanup operations was picked up by the Associated Press. I have served as a journalist for several publications and editor for an official NFL Weekly Publication, Gridweek. I made the leap to fiction writing in 2004. I had to place my writing career on hold during Hurricane Katrina for nine months. I then had to find a way to work the biggest news story concerning New Orleans into my story about New Orleans...it made a very nice fit. Giovanni: Are there any other writers, published or not, in your family? C.Q.: My mother is an unpublished writer and bibliophile who can quote obscure Oscar Wilde references. Giovanni: How does your family feel about your career? C.Q.: They are extremely supportive and provide much-needed constructive criticism, when others are not available. My mother assisted me with my first six revisions. The final four were conducted by the editor at the publishing house. Giovanni: Describe your writing in three words. C.Q.: Historical, Suspenseful, Conspiratorial Giovanni: How do you approach your writing? Do you plot or go with the flow? C.Q.: I am extremely organized about my approach. I write in three acts. I typically use Third-Person Omniscient (God s view according to Alfred Hitchcock). I begin with plot concepts, characterizations (primary, secondary, and tertiary), a synopsis, and then an outline. After completing the outline I flesh it out, making each line item into a paragraph. These are the bases for my chapters. I fully develop plot complications, conflict, and theme. I ensure every question posed in the first chapters is answered by the final line of the novel. I will also use a flow chart for my characters showing links and indicating characterizations. Giovanni: What kind of research did you do for this book? C.Q.: I spent four years conducting research for this novel. The City of New Orleans has a vast array of resources for conducting research on the 300-year shadow history of the city. I actually included a chapter where I describe my research at the Historic New Orleans Collection, through the actions of the main character. Giovanni: Do you feel as if the characters live with you as you write? Do they haunt your dreams? C.Q.: Absolultely. I feel as if I am taking dictation rather than writing when I get in the zone. Giovanni: If Time Couriers was made into a movie, which actors would you choose to play the hero and heroine? C.Q.: Hero: Steve Gorman- Shia LeBeouf Heroine: Monique Chauvin - Marion Cotillard Giovanni: What is the most interesting comment you have received about your books? C.Q.: The story stuck in my mind for days after finishing it. I wasn’t sure what were real history and what fiction was. Giovanni: Who are some of your favorite authors and books? What are you reading now? C.Q.: Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte...the finest example of the novel as an artform. Just finished, The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton, just starting the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I enjoy the female-penned classics. I also love historical fiction, in the vein of Dan Brown. I realize that these are opposite ends of the literary spectrum, but that’s what I like. Giovanni: What's next for you? C.Q.: I have multiple irons in the fire. I am, of course, working on a sequel for Time Couriers I have a short series entitled the Commissary for which I am drafting my second installment and as a long-term research project, I am delving into the religious mystery. Osir IS RA EL ohim, a narrative that delineates the direct connection between Abrahamic religions (Judeo-Christianity and Islam) with Egyptian Pharonic Religion. Like Time Couriers it will be a fictional narrative set against the backdrop of Western Religious dogmatic evolution. Giovanni: Where can you be found on the web? C.Q.: Time Couriers was the recent recipient of two awards, Amazonclicks Authors Choice Award for March of 2009... http://amazonclicks.com/Authorschoice.html. Also, Time Couriers was the recipient of The NEW Covey Coverart Award for Most Eye-Catching Cover for June of 2009. http://thenewcoveycoverawards.blogspot.com/2009/06/june2009newcoveycoveraward.html I am also a featured writer on the Red Room, Authors Den, and have links on various social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, The Meadows, the Novel Spot, and several other purchasing sites available by searching Title and Author together in your search criteria. Giovanni: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers? C.Q.: If you have the time, would you kindly befriend me on Facebook, Christopher Quintin Scafidi? Also, if you can tag Time Couriers in Amazon, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks to you Giovanni for having me today and thanks to your readers. What are you reading today? Have you checked out our new blogtalk radio show The G-ZONE? Check us out and become our friend on Shelfari, The Novel Spot &Twitter. Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Amazon Banner on our blog? Thanks for stopping by today; We will see you tomorrow. Have a great day. http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com