F. P. Dorchak

Speculative Fiction (New Weird) Author

Book reviews

Voice – Free Review Copies!

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Voice. (© 2015, F. P. Dorchak and Lon Kirschner)
Voice. (© 2015, F. P. Dorchak and Lon Kirschner)

I have 19 slightly damaged copies of Voice that I want to give away!

Their damages?

The inside graphic image of the front cover is grainy. That’s it. Nothing else is damaged in the book—well, if you don’t count my intense, troubled characters. So, this being the case, I want to give them out for free for reviews. I’ll also pay for shipping.

I’ll even autograph them for ya.

So, where’s the risk?

You can contact me at the following, but these are hardcopy trades, so I will need a name and address:

  • fpdorchak (at) fpdorchak (dot) com
  • F. P. Dorchak, P. O. Box 49393, Colorado Springs, CO 80949

So, there’s no risk! You not paying for the book, you’re not paying for the shipping, and if you don’t like it, you don’t have to keep reading! But I’m hoping you will like some aspect of this intense, emotionally thrilling story and will write up a review on your favorite site as well as on Amazon.com. If you’re not interested, please pass this around to another who might be interested, and as long as I have copies, I’ll send them out.

I also plan on doing the same with some advanced review copies for my short story collection, Do The Dead Dream?, coming out this Hallowe’en, so stay tuned!

I thank you all in advance for your time!

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Incredible Voice Review!

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Voice. (© 2015, F. P. Dorchak and Lon Kirschner)
Voice. (© 2015, F. P. Dorchak and Lon Kirschner)

Writer friend Karen Albright Lin, who is a freelance editor, public speaker, screenwriter, and writing instructor—and is very “hard to please”—wrote up the following kick-ass review of Voice.

It floored me.
Thank you, Karen!
5.0 out of 5 stars Tangy and Sweaty
By Amazon Customeron November 13, 2015
Format: Paperback

Voice was a hard to define book. Amazon asked me to describe the mood and I was hard-pressed to figure out whether I’d categorize it best as suspenseful or dark or thoughtful….Sometimes it was even light-hearted. And sexy isn’t on the list, otherwise I might have checked that box. Mr. Dorchak has gone out on a limb with a quirky, sometimes irritating main character, seemingly cheating on all the beautiful women who come into his life – including the Voice in his head and his own (eh hmmmm) hand.

Voice is heavy on philosophy, challenging the reader to think outside of the worldly box. Like one of his previous books, The Uninvited, Voice explores the paranormal in a fresh way.

The writing voice in this aptly named book had so many shining turns of phrase that I bookmarked many of them to study them and figure out why they worked so well. Among other things, I admired his surprising way of depicting setting in which Ben experiences “the slumber-inducing roar and crash of frothy breakers” and ”the cushioned springiness of the forest floor.”

The women who haunt him are Bo Derek sexy, Winona Rider dangerous, and Kirsten Dunst enigmatic. They “crawl around inside him…” And there isn’t a part of him that they aren’t a part of. In fact there was a powerlessness in Ben when it came to his love objects. Their gazes stripped “away all that he was. Stripped away all the games, pretension. Stripped away all that society considered moral and immoral. Destroyed any sense of decency, valor, or guilt. Sense of right or wrong. Tore away everything down to one thing and one thing only. Desire.” This paragraph tells you much of what you need to know before buying this book.

Protagonist Ben notices in his lusty counterparts things most people wouldn’t. “The pores of her back—the emotion of her back…” one’s stare at the “hairs on one of Ben’s forearms.” Even the “bottleness” of Chardonnay pressed too tightly to his side as one of the temptresses lures him. At the heart of the book is the “Karma-sutric” nature of his desires.

And believe me, there are some crazy lusty scenes that I can’t describe here without censorship. Suffice it to say that the senses are fully engaged, “tangy and sweaty” smells lingering on fingertips after wild sex. R to X rated for sure.

Dip in, if you dare, and look forward to the surprising climax (pun intended). What happens in the end between Ben and the “erogenous tentacles” he’s obsessed over came as a surprise for me. Though looking back, it made perfect sense. I won’t spoil it for you. But if you like visceral sex and confused protagonists, this one is worth buying. For this I give Voice a 5-star rating.

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Update on WIP: Second Set of Comments In!

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You're Such a Tease. (By Russ Anderson from London, UK (MGDK's middle) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)
You’re Such a Tease. (By Russ Anderson from London, UK (MGDK’s middle) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)
I received the next set of comments from a family member who is also a book editor. For professional reasons, I can only title this person as an “editor.” Here are some of the editor’s comments on my WIP…again, these are also quite encouraging! I’ve always been good with the idea of the story, but have not really been quite sure how this story might be received…but it’s looking like those who read it are quite taken—even “intrigued”—by it. And isn’t that what writers strive for? To write something that grabs or touches readers?

Of particular note, this editor even mentioned how “shocked” they (not giving away his or her gender) were by what I’d done with the ending. How cool is that?

Shocked.

Wow. Love it.

So, here are the editor’s comments. Again, as I’d stated in my previous blog on the subject, I’d sent the editor questions to help me assess my effort. I’ve included some of these questions where necessary, but those that give away too much of the story I’ve left out of this post or deleted content. I’ve also deleted content that is of a more personal note.

The editor’s comments:

It’s a different book than I remember looking at 10 years ago! The characters and some of the scenes seemed familiar, but more developed and focused.

From an editorial perspective, the manuscript works! It flows; it’s relevant; isn’t bogged down with unnecessary detail; avoids tangents; stays true to the plot.

From a reader’s perspective (if I can truly separate the two—editorial vs reader…), it’s a really powerful story! If I’m being honest, the fantasy/metaphysical genre isn’t my wheelhouse, but with respect to the story itself, <WIP> was intriguing. I wanted to understand the voice in Ben’s head more <deleted material>, so that definitely kept my interest. I liked the chemistry between Ben and Kendra, and the sex scenes (hello, pink elephant in the room!) could give E. L. James a run for her money.

(FPD: Really, I could give E. L James a run for her money? How cool!)

Question: So, did you think it all “fit” the story?

Answer: I do think it all “fit” when you consider the story as a whole and the different personalities of the characters, the infidelity, and Ben’s internal struggles—as well as his “fantasies.”

Question: Wasn’t “too much”? Yes, graphic, but did the scenes “work” for the given story? I was trying to strike a contrast between the mental and the physical. It had to be stark.

Answer: It was definitely graphic and definitely stark; and if the scenes had lacked the momentum you achieved—the buildup—they would have seemed too much; but given the context, the scenes absolutely worked.

Question: The ending make sense?

Answer: The ending definitely made sense! It wasn’t the ending I was expecting at all! <Deleted material—but some really cool comments on being shocked by what I’d done, but the editor’s comments gives away the ending! :-] >

Cool standalone comment: I think you highlighted the fact that everyone has skeletons and secrets; either we act on them, or we suppress them—whatever “they” may be.

Question: Any other comments?

Answer: If I’m being honest, the metaphysical content in the last couple chapters clouded things for me—but that’s a personal opinion. I see why you went there, and it worked in its own way. I mentioned before that metaphysical/fantasy is not my wheelhouse, but I respect its inclusion in <WIP>.

***

Thank you, “editor” for all your time and effort!

I still waiting on  two more readers, including my Cover Dude, Lon Kirschner (also keep an eye out for some near-future blog posts, probably starting this Fall, where Lon and I are going to highlight and comment on some of his work, which I love! I’m really looking forward to these posts!), then incorporate them, format them, then will shoot for a July/August 2015 release!

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Write A Review!

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Strength and Protection In Cooperation! (By Deep silence (Mikaël Restoux) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)
It’s a Team Effort! (By Deep silence (Mikaël Restoux) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)
I don’t like to prod readers into doing this every time I talk about books, but I think doing a blog post about it is okay.

Writing reviews helps authors!

Reviews help get the books out there, and if you really like the work, give a great review, that only helps more (though an argument can be made that even bad reviews gets your work out there: “there’s no such thing as bad press“…). It’s all about word of mouth…passing on information through your own personal network. When you love a movie or book you talk about it, and that’s all we’re doing, here. But in writing this stuff down you preserve it for future and continued use. It’s the gift that keeps on giving!

It helps keep authors afloat!

People do read them. I even read them. It’s what can initially get someone to buy a book…and buying books keeps authors in business. Sure, you can pass books on to others, but if you don’t buy books…authors don’t get paid—especially Indie authors who do not get advances.

Now, this next part will sound a bit odd…but, if you like a book and write a great review it can balance out negative reviews. I know, sounds self-serving, but I hadn’t even considered this part of reviews until I read a post by ex-agent on the topic. Buuut…it’s true.

You’re not going to please everyone.

When I read reviews I always compare the ratio of poor reviews to the good ones in anything I’m researching. Bad books notwithstanding (of which your book very well could be but hope it isn’t…), negative reviews are written for different reasons…not just because a book is “bad”…some people are just mean-spirited. Some people are jealous. Some people are the competition and perform less-than-savory practices (some business competitors—I’m not saying authors would or have done this, and I certainly hope they do not—but some business competitors have actually paid people to write negative reviews; Amazon does crack down on this practice whenever discovered). Some people just trash everything…are always looking for ways to beat down another in any way possible…it’s the only feeling of power they feel they have. That’s a sad thing. I’m not even sure most of these people are even aware of their behavior.

And all that said, as authors, we need to avoid responding to such negativity, as Craig Stone discusses, and let the readers handle those negative reviews. So, please resist the temptation to respond to the angry and the negative. Let it go.

But…if you truly enjoy something…write it up! On Amazon, Twitter, Goodreads, et cetera! On your own blog! Just write it up anywhere public! Don’t let the mean-spirited squeaky wheels get all the attention And if you do write up a review, please pass the link my way (see contact info below). If you’d like a copy of the cover to go along with your review, contact me and I’ll send you a file of the cover art. As long as you properly attribute the work and cover art, you can freely send it to anyone and everyone!

It’s hard to get your name out there loud enough in today’s world. It’s even harder for Indie published authors who have even fewer resources and “brand name appeal.” Don’t get advances and promotional budgets. Anything you can do to help your favorite author is a Godsend. Get your friends to write reviews…get them to post blogs, do interviews. Send e-mails! Tweet it up!

Again, thank you all in advance for everything!

Contact me: I may be contacted at fpdorchak at fpdorchak dot com for cover graphics to include on reviews, for interviews, or speaking engagements. Do you have a favorite radio station? Contact them about interviewing me—I’ll give away free books!

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Words. They Affect Us. (fpdorchak.wordpress.com)

Update on WIP: First Comments In!

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Not Out Of The Woods Yet. (By Galatà Maria Grazia [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)
Not Out Of The Woods Yet. (By Galatà Maria Grazia [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)
I just received my first set of comments in on my WIP, and wow, I am so humbled and honored by this reader’s thoughts—and, well, praise—for the work-in-question! My head’s still spinning! I still have three other’s inputs I’m awaiting, but this first set of comments are quite encouraging!

So, here are some comments from Edie Scott, who has graciously allowed me to reprint her comments and use her name. Edie is a big reader across all genres. After she had finished reading my WIP, I’d sent her some questions to help me assess the whole effort. I’ve included some my questions (the others give away too much of the story, so I left them out of this post) where necessary, and deleted content that would give away too much of the story or is of a more personal note:

Overall: Edie says: “Well, I have to say that this story really was very impacting….”

Question: So, did you think it all “fit” the story?

Answer: Everything fit so well. To use an old cliché, it fit like a glove. There was no getting lost in the “action,” there were no questions and no left over ideas just hanging out there. The story certainly required the reader to “get lost” in the book or they would lose so much of the story line, but this fit…perfect!!!

Question: Wasn’t “too much”? Yes, graphic, but did the scenes “work” for the given story? I was trying to strike a contrast between the mental and the physical. It had to be stark.

Answer: I think if you would have been less graphic the story would have been less intriguing and less grabbing. I honestly felt the story grab me from my current reality into what was truly happening in this guy’s mind. <Deleted material> the book was one I couldn’t put down…the other “scenes” <deleted material> detailing and deepening the storyline….

Question: The ending make sense?

Answer: The ending shocked me to be honest with you and that is why I think it was awesome! I expected the story to just continue how it was <deleted content>. However, the ending you chose almost made me want to stand up and cheer for Benjamin…it actually made me feel happy and excited for him.

Question: Any other comments?

Answer: I saw this question last night and gave it a lot of thought. I’m not one to tell you what you can do better because in all honesty what you do is great. You have gone so out of your comfort zone and so far out of the box with this one and then to have it turn out so intriguingly and mind-bogglingly, what could you possibly do to make it better?

I think you actually are successful with this new path…to me because the broad difference between what you are used to and what this book entails…that should totally boost your confidence to write anything you want! That’s the idea of a great author…a person who can write variety and be brave enough to embark on an entirely different story line…your you…I can never think of any kind of criticism, constructive or otherwise…I just love what you write.

***

Thank you, Edie, for all your support and generous words!

As mentioned, I still have to receive additional comments from three more readers, including my Cover Dude, Lon Kirschner (also keep an eye out for some near-future blog posts, probably starting this Fall, where Lon and I are going to highlight and comment on some of his work, which I love! I’m really looking forward to these posts!), then incorporate them, format them, then will release it to the world. I’m still hoping for a July/August 2015 release!

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Chain Reviews and World Conquest

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ERO (© 2013, F. P. Dorchak and Lon Kirschner)
ERO (© 2013, F. P. Dorchak and Lon Kirschner)

I had this idea while walking, yesterday, in the quickly growing darkness of our recent Daily Saving (not “savings“) time change:

Chain reviews.

Oh, and World Conquest.

I did an Internet search and didn’t find the term “chain reviews” there, so I’m going on record as coining the term, though I’m sure someone’s already thought of this. But, if not, here’s the idea:

I give you a free (signed) copy of one of my books (ERO  or The Uninvited) and you review it…and it can be a

The Uninvited (© F. P. Dorchak and Duvall Design)
The Uninvited (© F. P. Dorchak and Duvall Design)

single sentence or as long as you want, but, you have post it online (or elsewhere if you have methods…). Now, you can post it wherever you like, but I’d at least hope it would be on Amazon and Barnes and Noble—but, as I said, I’m not mandating where it has to be, just that it be posted somewhere for others to find it. Hopefully you would also send me back a link to said review, but I’m not gonna mandate that either. I am just looking to get reviews and put them “out there.” Then, according to my crazy scheme (henceforth herein referred to as “Evil Plan”), you (temporarily!) give your copy of the book to one other person, and have them do the same. When they’re done, they return your book back to you. That’s where the “chaining” comes in. Once they’ve posted their review, if they’d like their own signed copy, they can contact me for their own copy—or a copy of a different book of mine. So, theoretically, this would go on ad infinitum…but, I can’t give away free books ad infinitum, so I’ll have to limit this to the one “other person.” I’d like to see if this Evil Plan of mine can gain any traction and become “a thing.”

So. For now.  I’m limiting this “special offer” (aka “Evil Plan” or “Crazy Scheme”) to the first five who contact me for ERO and the first five who contact me for The Uninvited, and see how this goes. If it my Evil Plan “comes together,” I’ll consider additional campaigns—I mean installments (after all, all Evil Plans are to Take Over The World, and mine is no different…). Ignore that man behind the curtain, over there….

Oh, and it’s purely coincidental that my Evil Plan is initiated in November. Coincidence. Nothing more.

To get said free-and-signed-book, contact me at “fpdorchak at fpdorchak dot com” (use approved e-mail format, as in “blahblah@blahblah.com”).

Fine Print (read very fast and run all words together in one breath!): I have a limited supply of books to give away, so I cannot give any additional “chained” reviewers beyond the second reviewer, also known as the “book borrower,” free copies at this time. But stay tuned! And if anyone has already purchased a copy of any of my books, and would like it signed, also contact me at the above e-mail address, and I will autograph my Evil Signature upon said title page. With the date of said Evil Act. There’s nothing legal about any of this, just an Evil Plan hatched in the deranged mind of a deranged author trying to get by. Oh, and THANKS! :-]

You can use any book images you want from my posts.