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Seeing yourself as a writer, objectively, can be tough. There are periods when everything flows and you experience euphoria. Other times, I get trapped in my memories, or on a spectrum of emotions ranging from positive to “is this really happening to me?” I always pray that on any given day I can find time to write, and that my imagination is working. A defiant, uncooperative, or half-aslep muse can take a week or two off your life, if not longer.
Before tackling these challenges, every so often I ask myself why I write. Over a fifty year career of publishing fiction and non-fiction, writing screenplays, and making films, the why can vary significantly. Creativity has many motivations. If you want to focus on one particular genre, or are fixated by characters that must appear in every book you write, great. If you want to explore multiple genres, terrific. When you are engrossed by different subjects as the world—and your world, too—changes, readers want to read what you have to say. If you chase fame and money and Instagram followers, you will likely comprise the integrity of the majority of novelists today. I wrote my first short story at fifteen or sixteen, to escape the standard adolescent turmoil. Reading, music, and sports were helpful but only scratched the surface of discovery. Creating characters who could be my friends, who pulled me into their world to teach me things, brought me happiness that I found nowhere else. I had no ambition to show my writing to anyone. My work space in my bedroom was off limits. I taped a “no trespassing” sign to my typewriter. In college, my why changed again. I wanted to read and learn from every great writer, including some peers in my creative writing classes. Arthur Miller, Joseph Conrad and William Burroughs were my favorites (a generational thing). When I compared my own writing with the super talented, I developed an anxiety that wouldn’t let me look in a mirror more than once a day. Time passed. Married, with two wonderful kids, my wife and I took jobs as real estate agents, yet my muse was like a termite that kept burrowing deeper, looking for something. I wanted to give myself another chance at writing. By age 32, stealing time whenever possible, I managed to write and publish three novels. Two were reviewed in The New York Times, and one was made into a TV series. I thought of quitting my real estate job. ReplyForward 0 Comments
"Poems usually come to me when I feel deeply moved by the beauty or pain of life. I hear a phrase and it stays with me until I write it down. Sometimes I don’t understand the phrase, but I sense that it has intelligence and power. Once I write it down, the phrase becomes a skeleton key that opens doors into my psyche. I allow the words to flow in the moment and then usually revise, expand, and contract the poem over a period of months or years. Sometimes a poem arrives whole and complete, but that’s the exception rather than the rule. It’s important to me that each word and sentence in my poems convey soul essence." —Luisa Elena Kolker
Today, Crystal Otto reviews this fantastic book - but before we read her review, let's find out more about the author and this series!
Book Summary:
Soleil and Flarence are immortal Genies who can bend the fundamental forces of the universe through willpower alone. For centuries, they have considered themselves the most formidable beings in the world, but some newcomers just might give them a run for their money. Magic has always been limited to living things. Throughout his life, Soleil has never come across an object with supernatural capabilities. Now, a human has somehow constructed guns with the ability to fire spells. Genies are normally resistant to offensive magic, but Soleil knows from experience that the enchanted revolvers harm all creatures equally. Resurrection is one of the few limitations to a Genie’s abilities. Not even magic should be able to bring a person back from death. Recently, though, Flarence saw a corpse not only rise but also fight. Endowed with incredible speed and strength, the revived man seeks revenge on his murderers. To make matters worse, Darren (the third member of the Genie “family”) is still missing. He's been lying low, biding his time, but hasn’t forgotten about Officer Tymbir, and has every intention of settling their score. Darren, the revived corpse, and the man with the magic guns have a list of people to kill, and are eager to spill blood. With the help of Mohinaux and Claire, Soleil and Flarence rush to locate them, uncover the sources of their powers, and find a way to stop them. This book is perfect for adults who want to get in touch with their inner child! Purchase Public Display of Aggression on Amazon, Organic Books, Page One Books and Barnes and Noble. Be sure to also add this to your GoodReads reading list. About the Author Hugh Fritz: Hugh Fritz is a fan of monsters, mad scientists, sorcerers, and anything that involves beings with incredible powers beating each other senseless. After years of writing research papers, he decided it was time to give reality a rest and let his imagination run wild. Find out more at: website: http://www.hughfritz.com Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Stories-by-Hugh-Fritz-397896477228957 Today's 5 Star Review by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto Book 1 in the series was said to be: "Fantasy Thriller is the best way to describe Hugh Fritz’s Made to be Broken and the thrill lies in the fantasy to say the least!" Before I tell you too much about book 2, I must say this: Book 2 was just as wonderfully thrilling as book 1...BUT... you can absolutely read one without the other. Book 2 can stand just beautifully on it's own! Public Display of Aggression is thrilling and not at all predictable. I wasn’t sure what direction this tale would go in and it is clear that Hugh Fritz is a seasoned reader and talented storyteller. The plot twists were many and well planned out. I enjoyed keeping up with Soleil in this adventure! Public Display of Aggression is a wonderful blend of thrill and fantasy - a fantastically written story that took me as a reader on a much needed adventure! About Today's Reviewer: Crystal is a Blog Tour Manager with WOW! Women on Writing and a busy mom and dairy farmer from Wisconsin. In her spare time she enjoys riding horses and the smell of fresh cut grass! --- Upcoming Blog Tour Calendar July 7th @ Sreevarsha Sreejith Readers of Varsha’s blog will hear from Hugh Fritz today in a post about “Fan Fiction” as he takes a break from promoting his latest book Public Display of Aggression. Don’t miss this guest post and opportunity to learn more about the Mystic Rampage Series and the man behind all the excitement! sreevarshasreejith.blogspot.com July 9th @ Bring on Lemons with Carmen Otto Carmen is an avid reader and soon to be high schooler – she loved Book #1 in the Mystic Rampage series and she joins us today to share her 5 Star Review of Book #2 – Public Display of Aggression by Hugh Fritz. Don’t miss her youthful insight! http://bringonlemons.blogspot.com/ July 10th @ Author Anthony Avina’s Blog Readers of Author Anthony Avina’s Blog will hear from Hugh Fritz today as he pens a guest post titled “Preference of Series of Stand Alone Pieces”. This post will delight authors and readers alike – so don’t miss it! This is also a great opportunity to learn more about the Mystic Rampage Series and Book #2, Public Display of Aggression. https://authoranthonyavinablog.com/ July 12th @ Bookish Trischa Today is the day – Trischa reviews Public Display of Aggression – Book #2 in the Mystic Rampage Series! Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about and hear from Trischa herself as she shares her insight into the writings of Hugh Fritz. http://bookishtrisha.com July 7th @ Sreevarsha Sreejith Today it’s Varsha’s opportunity to share her review of Public Display of Aggression. Don’t miss this chance to learn more about the fast-paced writing of Hugh Fritz and Book #2 in the Mystic Rampage series! sreevarshasreejith.blogspot.com July 14th @ Author Anthony Avina’s Blog A few days ago, readers of Author Anthony Avina’s Blog heard from Hugh Fritz in a guest post: “Preference of Series of Stand Alone Pieces”. Now it’s review time – hear what Anthony has to say in his review of Public Display of Aggression, Book #2 in the Mystic Rampage Series by Hugh Fritz! https://authoranthonyavinablog.com/  "Hugh Fritz's new novel, Public Display of Aggression, the second in the " Mystic Rampage " series, picks up where his 1st book leaves off and takes the reader on a non-stop thrill ride. We become acquainted with Soleil and Florence, brothers possessing super human abilities that allow them to perform feats of apparent magic that they use to do battle with a line-up of similarly empowered villains. The action is fast paced and relentless, ramping up to a crescendo of mayhem. We are confronted with the likes of a sociopathic cop, a deranged scientist from the future packing high tech futuristic heat, an adrenaline-fueled reanimated corpse seeking revenge (and reciting poetry), an enormous kiaju-esque enchanted earthworm, and a Lovecraftian monster composed of random mismatched animal parts running amok. Mr. Fritz has exploited the possibilities brought forth from current ideas in a theoretic physics to conjure an astonishingly unique and entertaining world. Mr Fritz's novel has been made more complete with the remarkable illustrations and cover art by Lothar Speer. Select scenes have been enhanced with his powerful drawings." |
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