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Showing posts from August, 2020

A Review of Hong Kong Dangerous by Tom Fowler

So, I have discovered a new local Baltimore author by the name of Tom Fowler who writes mysteries about cyber sleuthing and solving crimes. Anyway, before I delve into Fowler’s first novel (The Reluctant Detective) in the series, I decided to read the prequel (a novella) that introduces C.T. Ferguson, the protagonist. In the prequel, readers find C.T. living in Hong Kong for three years and working with a group of hackers (funded by him) who help Americans and dissidents escape the Chinese government.  Unfortunately, he gets busted and thrown in jail where he is served a steady diet of rice and water. His captors want him to “rat” on his fellow hackers and when he refuses to do so, he gets beaten up.  But C.T. using his wit (pretending not to understand the language) and skills, he makes one phone call to a longtime friend who then call’s C.T.’s father to find a way to get him out of jail. Just so happens, C.T.’s father had to reach out to a gangster with connections in the US emba

It's A Book Thing Presents: An Interview with Shane Robitaille, author of Rockit Crew (The Adventures of Teenage Hip-Hop Misfits)

Author’s Bio:  Writer / Veteran / Talent Development / Leader / Cyclist Deliah Lawrence: What inspired you to write your book? Shane Robitaille:   We need more positive and authentic stories of young people finding their way in the mad world.   DL: How do you handle writer’s block? SR: If I’m not feeling the writing vibe then I don’t write and do something different. DL: Describe your writing process? SR: For the novel, I wrote it from the perspective of a director on the set of a film. I picture each scene and all the dialogue as if I were looking at from behind the lens of a camera. This helps me create a more robust and authentic view of what’s happening with the characters in the story.  DL: What do you think makes a good story? SR: Such a hard question! For me, I think there are way too many superhero films. The world has so many real superheroes that make the world a better place but go unnoticed. My favorite stories are about ordinary people who do extraordinary things. I