tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48862137868481867442024-03-14T00:26:11.576-04:00Out of the Horizon(aka RA Fiction Zone) This is the blog of award winning author Roland Allnach. Ideas meet and mingle in many ways. From that alchemy springs one of the most timeless forms of human expression - the written word.Roland Allnachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14135134975294896057noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886213786848186744.post-34331915938171722152016-12-01T20:20:00.002-05:002016-12-01T20:20:25.622-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">The holidays are here - time for a game!</span></h2>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">With all the hustle and bustle, here are some fun ways to enjoy the company of friends and family.</span></span></h3>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Yes, as an author, there's nothing I'd like more than to see people reading books at any time of year. On the other hand, the holiday season is a great opportunity to sit down with those in your life and enjoy the simple, social pleasure of a quick game. So, on that note, let's take a look at three games. Not only are they great to play, they also make very reasonable gifts, with a great entertainment to cost ratio.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">If it's books you're looking for, I've written reviews for quite a few titles, and, well, I've published a few books of my own. You can see my reviews and titles on <span style="color: lime;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5181360.Roland_Allnach" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">my Goodreads page</span></a>.</span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: lime;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>On to the game reviews....</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/817CBYlwWNL._SL1476_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/817CBYlwWNL._SL1476_.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The <i>Car Wars Card Game </i>is a vastly simplified version of the classic board game dating back to the 1980's. The card game version was originally available in the late 1980's and is now back in print with new graphics, new battle cards, and a few new rules. Don't worry - the entire rule sheet can be read and learned in about fifteen minutes. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The idea of the game is simple enough. Players select their cars, draw a hand of battle cards, and throw down on each other. The rules allow for different ways to score a winner, but last driver standing always seems the best way to go. Depending on the number of players a round of combat can take anywhere between ten minutes and an hour. Dynamic cards also allow for other players to intervene in exchanges of gunfire, so that no one feels left out.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Holiday shopping creates its fair share of road rage. With the <i>Car Wars Card Game</i>, you can vent that rage in a fun (and non-criminal) way with your fellow vehicle arena combatants. The game is available at <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Steve-Jackson-Games-SJG-Wars/dp/B010HLXGE8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480637694&sr=8-1&keywords=car+wars+card+game" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Amazon</span></a> for $25.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<img height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91By4RJDaEL._SL1500_.jpg" width="160" /> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">With <i>Settlers of Catan</i>, players embark on an adventure of trading and building to colonize the fictional land of Catan. This innovative, award-winning game features a modular playing map, so that every game is conducted on a unique landscape. This one brilliant feature translates to the reality that the game never gets old; indeed, every game is its own experience.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The game mechanics are quite simple, with only a few pages of rules, an excellent print tutorial to walk new players through the rules, and even a quick setup guide to get a first-time game rolling in a hurry. Game play ensues as players roll dice to generate commodities, trade commodity cards to build roads and settlements for increased commodities, and take efforts to both help and hinder each other as the situation demands. There is no combat. Even so, trading sessions can be cut-throat as commodity pressure increases and the map fills with construction. The winner is decided by a point system based on what players build on the map.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A typical game with four players runs about ninety minutes; a three player game is possible, but the four player trade dynamic ads greater competitive dimension. Given the simplicity of the game system it's suitable for younger players (but not children) so that it can make for a great family game night.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Settlers of Catan </i>is available at <a href="https://www.amazon.com/MFG-3071-Catan-5th-Edition/dp/B00U26V4VQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1480638379&sr=1-1&keywords=settlers+of+catan+board+game" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Amazon</span></a> for $35. There are numerous expansions and add-ons, although my feeling is to avoid the add-ons to preserve the original simplicity of the game. There is an extra player expansion which stretches the map and allows for 5-6 players - highly recommended so that more can play.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<img height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/811zWwDM7kL._SL1500_.jpg" width="118" /> L<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">ast, but certainly not least, is the infamous <i>Cards Against Humanity. </i>If you're not familiar with this game, be on notice that this is R-rated fun, so put the kids (and your sensitivities) to bed.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This game is essentially a no-holds barred, politically incorrect, rude and crude version of the popular <i>Apples to Apples </i>card game. Though the two are not connected in any way, the rules are basically the same, wherein one player draws a prompt card and then selects a reply card from those offered by other players. As the game's name suggests, nothing is sacred, and if it seems that a bunch of drunken college dorm residents put this game together, well, that's probably not far from the truth. If you have an open sense of humor, this game can provide a night of hilarious entertainment. You might even look at people a little differently when you see the kinds of cards they play or choose for replies.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As with most successful games there are numerous versions and add-ons, yet the original version has never failed to entertain. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Cards Against Humanity </i>is available at <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cards-Against-Humanity-LLC-CAHUS/dp/B004S8F7QM/ref=sr_1_4?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1480638998&sr=1-4&keywords=cards+against+humanity" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Amazon</span></a> for $25.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>So there you go...</b>great ways to enjoy this time of year, and potentially great gifts. I for one am a fan of anything that gets people away from electronics and compels direct social interaction. No matter which of these three games you choose to play, there will be a fun night for all involved.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And when you're done, then you can read a book...just saying.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Happy Holidays!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div>
Roland Allnachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14135134975294896057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886213786848186744.post-56241548631398265722016-09-26T16:02:00.000-04:002016-09-26T16:02:00.675-04:00<h2>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oddities & Entities 2: Vessels - Available now!</span></h2>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQvwo2k9Tlg/V-l72VexlSI/AAAAAAAAAL4/KgSYGSM3YBMhnSNsfoF-Y0rtYtp-VBi9gCLcB/s1600/OE2%2BVessels%2Bfinal%2Bcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQvwo2k9Tlg/V-l72VexlSI/AAAAAAAAAL4/KgSYGSM3YBMhnSNsfoF-Y0rtYtp-VBi9gCLcB/s320/OE2%2BVessels%2Bfinal%2Bcover.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm very happy to announce my latest book publication: 'Oddities & Entities 2: Vessels'.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For this, my sixth book, I returned to the anthology format to weave a brand new set of stories into a fourth collection. Though it follows the original 'Oddities & Entities' in mood, 'Vessels' follows its characters into even stranger places, and treads more into surrealism and horror than its predecessor - making it a great fit for this upcoming Halloween! </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From the back cover:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #444444; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: white;">"Sometimes you need to be broken to be made whole."</span></i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: white;">With 'Oddities & Entities 2: Vessels,' multi-award winning author Roland Allnach returns to the strange and surreal path forged by his critically acclaimed 'Oddities & Entities.' Consisting of nine new tales spiced with elements of horror and speculative fiction, Vessels explores the communion of spirit, substance, and the eccentricities of flesh between those conjoined realms.</span></i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Oddities-Entities-Vessels-Roland-Allnach/dp/0998071714/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474918905&sr=8-1&keywords=roland+allnach" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">'Vessels' is available now at Amazon</span> </a><span style="color: white;">in print, with Kindle to follow soon.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">To get a deeper look into 'Vessels', visit the</span><span style="background-color: #444444; color: lime; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <a href="http://www.rolandallnach.com/OE2%20Vessels%20page.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">dedicated page</span></a> </span><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">at my website, www.rolandallnach.com</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Happy reading...and enjoy your nightmares...</span></div>
Roland Allnachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14135134975294896057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886213786848186744.post-39261360245056787312016-07-04T08:52:00.000-04:002016-07-04T08:55:43.464-04:00Movie Reviews: 'The Stanford Prison Experiment' and 'Experimenter'<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>For fans of indie films, let's take a look at two recent titles: 'The Stanford Prison Experiment' and 'Experimenter'</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As an author, I get to
explore the nature of humanity through the creation of different characters.
And, like most authors, it's safe to say that I'm a student of human behavior. Without such observation it would be difficult, if not impossible, to summon
the different personality constructs necessary to provide a reader with
characters that seem to live beyond the page.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To that end (and perhaps
somewhat telling of my own personality) I enjoy stories, real or fictional,
that explore the human psyche. I've had the pleasure to see two films straight
to this point: <i>The Stanford Prison
Experiment </i>and <i>Experimenter.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600"
o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f"
stroked="f">
<v:stroke joinstyle="miter"/>
<v:formulas>
<v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"/>
<v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"/>
</v:formulas>
<v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"/>
<o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t"/>
</v:shapetype><v:shape id="_x0000_s1026" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Product Details"
style='position:absolute;margin-left:0;margin-top:0;width:120pt;height:120pt;
z-index:-2;mso-position-horizontal:absolute;
mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;mso-position-vertical:absolute;
mso-position-vertical-relative:text' wrapcoords="-135 0 -135 21465 21600 21465 21600 0 -135 0">
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\Computer\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image001.jpg"
o:href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/514PuJWx6VL._AC_US160_.jpg"/>
<w:wrap type="tight"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img alt="Product Details" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/514PuJWx6VL._AC_US160_.jpg" /><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Stanford-Prison-Experiment-Billy-Crudup/dp/B013W7LTL6/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1467636436&sr=1-2&keywords=stanford+prison+experiment" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">The Stanford Prison Experiment</span></a> </i>is a
rendition of the actual controversial experiment conducted at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Stanford</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype></st1:place>
in 1971, following the account by Dr. Philip Zimbardo, who oversaw the
experiment. Fort those not familiar with the experiment, it involved the
creation of a simulated prison environment with student volunteers playing the
roles of guards and inmates. This movie is not dry by any means, even though it
deals with what may be considered the rather intellectual pursuit of
sociological effects on individuals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As with the actual
experiment, the movie leads the viewer down a very dark and twisted descent
into what may be considered some very primal human reactions to unquestioned
authority. What provides the real sense of dread in the Stanford Experiment was
that the men involved were screened to rule out those with apparent negative
inclinations. On the surface, the participants - both guards and prisoners -
were normal, healthy young men who were only separated from the role of guard
or prisoner by the flip of a coin. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While the increasing abuse
exercised by the guards is disturbing, what is perhaps of equal or greater
disturbance is the subjugation of the prisoners. It's hard to remember during
the progression (or devolvement) of the experiment that all the participants
were knowing volunteers acting out a simulation. Within the first day of the
experiment things became all too real and consumed not only the volunteers but
the researchers themselves. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Horrifying yet
fascinating, this riveting portrayal of an experiment that continues to be
a source of much debate is an experience that transcends the screen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="_x0000_s1027" type="#_x0000_t75"
alt="Product Details" style='position:absolute;margin-left:0;margin-top:0;
width:120pt;height:120pt;z-index:-1;mso-position-horizontal:absolute;
mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;mso-position-vertical:absolute;
mso-position-vertical-relative:text' wrapcoords="-135 0 -135 21465 21600 21465 21600 0 -135 0">
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\Computer\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image002.jpg"
o:href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Df9EAwuEL._AC_US160_.jpg"/>
<w:wrap type="tight"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img alt="Product Details" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Df9EAwuEL._AC_US160_.jpg" />Whereas <i>The
Stanford Prison Experiment</i> plays out cinematically with the tension of a
psychological thriller/horror movie, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Experimenter-Peter-Sarsgaard/dp/B016F7J8C2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1467636389&sr=8-2&keywords=experimenter" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Experimenter</span></a>
</i>is a much more subdued but no less cerebral adventure into the human
psyche.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The movie follows Dr.
Stanley Milgram, the real-life Yale professor responsible for the Shock-box
Experiment, in which subjects were instructed to deliver electric shocks to
another test subject for failing to answer questions. The shocks were
simulated, as were the cries of pain of the recipients, but what the study
uncovered was the unerring tendency for the administrators to go ahead and
deliver higher voltages of shock. As with the Stanford Experiment, the
Shock-box Experiment continues to be a source of debate to this day, nearly
fifty years later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The movie continues past
this one experiment to represent the ongoing work of Milgram and his
exploration of some of the quirkier aspects of human nature and behavior. In
particular, Milgram's work has the overall focus to reveal and understand how
individuals excuse or distance themselves of responsibility in institutional
situations. In short, the behavior is summarized in the moral black hole of the
"just following orders" mentality. In the end, though, it is the
Shock-box Experiment that serves most as his legacy, perhaps for the disturbing
things it reveals about human nature.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">***<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For those interested in
two pivotal moments exploring the darker side of the human mind, these movies
provide an intriguing one-two punch of introspection. While <i>The Stanford Prison Experiment </i>involves
a very different dynamic than <i>Experimenter,
</i>both movies are anchored around solid performances that ground rather than
orbit the unnerving implications of their subject matter. In the end, both
movies remind us not to judge the actions of others quite so quickly. As
viewers taken through the twisting journey of these films, we are taught that
how people behave is a complex interaction of the individual, the situational
context, and the exercise of authority.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">***<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of course, being an
author, I would be remiss not to mention the books that go along with these
movies:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img alt="Product Details" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51RaFfGSSUL._AA160_.jpg" /><img alt="Product Details" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51YKUQOjf3L._AA160_.jpg" /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For those interested in
the Stanford Experiment, Dr. Zimbardo himself has written an account of the
experiment he conducted. Entitled <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lucifer-Effect-Understanding-Good-People/dp/0812974441/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1467636280&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=the+lucifer+effect" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">TheLucifer Effect: How Good People Turn Evil</span></a></i>, it also explores other breaches
of morality in the real world over recent years, namely, the violations
committed at Abu Ghraib prison in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>. For more on the Shock-box Experiment, Dr.
Milgram's own <i><span style="color: lime;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Obedience-Authority-Experimental-Perennial-Classics/dp/006176521X/ref=sr_1_cc_4?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1467636343&sr=1-4-catcorr&keywords=the+lucifer+effect" target="_blank">Obedience to Authority: An Experimental View</a> </span></i>is available. Interestingly enough, the forward for Dr.
Milgram's book is written by...yes, you guessed it, Dr. Zimbardo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Roland Allnachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14135134975294896057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886213786848186744.post-25409989664844780332016-03-08T10:35:00.000-05:002016-03-08T10:36:21.313-05:00'The Writer's Primer' earns 5 stars at Readers' Favorite!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">'The Writer's Primer: A Practical Guide for Aspiring Authors Seeking Publication' has been greeted by three great
reviews from Readers' Favorite. I firmly believe in giving back to the writing
world, and I'm very happy that my first foray into non-fiction has hit the
mark.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XTKY17ZHbZg/Vt7wxoxyx8I/AAAAAAAAALM/q4CQBFr49QY/s1600/RF%2B5star-shiny-web.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XTKY17ZHbZg/Vt7wxoxyx8I/AAAAAAAAALM/q4CQBFr49QY/s1600/RF%2B5star-shiny-web.png" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
"A very informative and interesting presentation of the creative art of
writing."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
"Roland Allnach gives you a 360-degree view of the publishing world...you
will find this book a worthy read."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"A deep, in depth explanation of the complicated
publishing world...a much needed book."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Read the full reviews at <a href="https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/the-writers-primer" style="color: lime;" target="_blank">Readers' Favorite</a>!</span></div>
Roland Allnachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14135134975294896057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886213786848186744.post-25280620301003595362016-02-10T09:49:00.003-05:002016-02-10T09:49:51.063-05:00Us Girls & A Book: The Digital Now by Roland Allnach WITH Review<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://usgirlsandabook.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-digital-now-by-roland-allnach-with.html?spref=bl"><span style="color: lime;">Us Girls & A Book: The Digital Now by Roland Allnach WITH Review</span></a>: Science Fiction</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Week 2 of the digital tour starts off with this review from 'Us Girls & A Book':</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 15.456px; line-height: 23.184px;"><i>"This story takes place in the future. It is not all that unbelievable that this situation could exist. Earth has been destroyed by taking and not replacing natural resources. The humans remaining on earth have been implanted with chips at a young age. At that time, they are harvested of any reproductive abilities. These "parts" are then used to create new humans with the proper abilities to survive. The babies are then placed with the appropriate parents to grow up. At each stage of development - children, teens, adults - they are trained and their minds wiped clean of any memories of a personal nature.</i></span><br />
<div style="font-size: 15.456px; line-height: 23.184px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 15.456px; line-height: 23.184px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>But what happens when something causes someone to start remembering their past? Can they evade the authorities and avoid a mind sweep?</i></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 15.456px; line-height: 23.184px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 15.456px; line-height: 23.184px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>"I took away a half of a star because the beginning of the book left more questions than answers. Yes, later in the book you get an explanation but it takes away the beginning of the story if you don't know what things are or what is meant. This can deter many readers because of the confusion. The story seems slow to start. I did read the entire story because I have a hard time giving up on a book. It did take me longer than usual to read because the story didn't really "grip" me. I know some people will really like this book.</i></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 15.456px; line-height: 23.184px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 15.456px; line-height: 23.184px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>"If you like stories of the future after the destruction of earth you will like this one. If you like books of programming and controlling the population by a select few, this will be right up your alley."</i></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 15.456px; line-height: 23.184px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 15.456px; line-height: 23.184px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The tour continues at <a href="https://sites.google.com/a/myaddictionisreading.com/2016-tours/roland-allnach" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Reading Addiction Book Tours</span></a>...</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 15.456px; line-height: 23.184px;">
<br /></div>
Roland Allnachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14135134975294896057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886213786848186744.post-70469369725940716312016-02-05T18:12:00.002-05:002016-02-05T18:12:58.225-05:00The Indie Express: Blog Tour: The Digital Now by Roland Allnach with ...<span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://theindieexpress.blogspot.com/2016/02/blog-tour-digital-now-by-roland-allnach.html?spref=bl">The Indie Express: Blog Tour: The Digital Now by Roland Allnach with ...</a>: Science Fiction</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white;">The blog tour rolls on with two stops today. First up: 'The Indie Express':</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20.8px;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">"Roland Allnach has created a wonderful new world for us to dive into. He did a great job of giving us backstory and having us learn about what kind of </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">environment</span><span style="line-height: 18px;"> the characters were dealing with.</span></span></i><br />
<div style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><i style="background-color: #444444;"><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: #444444;">Wonderfully paced and Multi Dimensional characters really set this novel up for success."</i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: #444444;"><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white;">Second stop:</span><a href="http://steamyside.blogspot.com/2016/02/blog-tour-digital-now.html" target="_blank"> <span style="color: lime;">'The Steamy Side':</span></a></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;">
<div style="line-height: 18.48px; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 21.4px;"><i style="background-color: #444444;">"As always when first diving into a new world created by an author, there are many questions and catching up to do. I think Roland Allnach did a good job of explaining his world and characters, but could have done with a bit more detail in certain aspects. </i></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<div style="font-style: italic; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 21.4px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 21.4px;"><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 21.4px;">"That was really the only downfall of the novel though and it wasn't even really that huge of a deal. Other than that the pacing and plot of the novel was very well done. There was plenty of action and it really kept my attention throughout!"</span></div>
<div style="font-style: italic; text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 21.4px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 21.4px;">That brings week one to a close; stay tuned for week 2! Follow along at <a href="https://sites.google.com/a/myaddictionisreading.com/2016-tours/roland-allnach" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Reading Addiction Virtual Book Tours</span></a>.</span></div>
</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Roland Allnachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14135134975294896057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886213786848186744.post-28561774297967239452016-02-03T17:41:00.001-05:002016-02-03T17:41:15.952-05:00My Reading Addiction: Blog Tour: The Digital Now by Roland Allnach #revi...<a href="http://myaddictionisreading.blogspot.com/2016/02/blog-tour-digital-now-by-roland-allnach.html?spref=bl"><span style="color: lime;">My Reading Addiction: Blog Tour: The Digital Now by Roland Allnach #revi...</span></a>: Science Fiction..<br />
<br />
Two blog stops today. The second drops by with another review:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>"Carly is a character that while is lovable, is kind of frustrating at times. I think she is a solid character and shows that while characters have flaws, they are still fun to read about.</i><br />
<br />
<i>"The plot is full of exciting twists along the way and quite easy to follow.</i><br />
<br />
<i>"The world that Roland Allnach has created is vivid and fun to become absorbed in."</i><br />
<br />
<i><br /></i>
Carly is a complex character going through some very difficult situations. Her story functions on several levels, and balancing all these elements was an enjoyable challenge. Given her perspective and the conditions under which she lives, there are times where she's pushed into a corner, and her frustration lashes out. Such is life and, as they saying goes, you don't really learn who you are until you're put to the test.<br />
<br />
Stay tuned for the rest of the tour dates at <a href="https://sites.google.com/a/myaddictionisreading.com/2016-tours/roland-allnach" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Reading Addiction</span></a>...Roland Allnachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14135134975294896057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886213786848186744.post-21989921843158071222016-02-03T17:35:00.001-05:002016-02-03T17:36:26.183-05:00Texas Book Nook: Blog tour: The Digital Now by Roland Allnach #revi...<a href="http://texasbooknook13.blogspot.com/2016/02/blog-tour-digital-now-by-roland-allnach.html?spref=bl"><span style="color: lime;">Texas Book Nook: Blog tour: The Digital Now by Roland Allnach #revi...</span></a>: Science Fiction<br />
<br />
Tour stop number two, and another great review:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>"I really enjoyed the pacing and how it was steady throughout. It is fast paced and doesn't let up and didn't have moments that dragged. It made for a fast and furious read.</i><br />
<br />
<i>"It really shined light on the characters and world in general.</i><br />
<br />
<i>"I liked that this was sci-fi but also had many other qualities that made it lovable to readers of suspense, humor, and fiction in general."</i><br />
<br />
<i><br /></i>
Continue to follow along at <a href="https://sites.google.com/a/myaddictionisreading.com/2016-tours/roland-allnach" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Reading Addiction</span></a>...Roland Allnachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14135134975294896057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886213786848186744.post-46988287384852777422016-02-01T15:18:00.001-05:002016-02-05T18:16:59.445-05:00A Life Through Books: Blog Tour: The Digital Now by Rolan Allnach #revie...<a href="http://authoreverleigh.blogspot.com/2016/02/blog-tour-digital-now-by-rolan-allnach.html?spref=bl"><span style="color: lime;">A Life Through Books: Blog Tour: The Digital Now by Rolan Allnach #revie..</span>.</a>: Science Fiction Date Published: December 2015<br />
<br />
On this first stop of my two week virtual book tour, 'The Digital Now' is greeted with a great review:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<div style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><i>"I'm a huge sci-fi fan and this novel</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;"><i>
<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"></span></i></span>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;"><i><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Carly is a strong main character who had a lot of great qualities to her and made her easy to connect to.</span></span></i></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 24px;"><i>Great, Sci Fi novel and writing from Roland Allnach. The world he has created is so vivid and really helps the reader feel like they are there with the characters.</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 24px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;"><i>
</i><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 24px;"></span></span>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-size: 13.2px;"><i>A strong and fast paced plot will keep you invested the entire way through."</i></span></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 24px;">
</span></span><br />
<div style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><br /></span></span>
</span></div>
<div style="color: #f3f3f3; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><i style="background-color: #444444;">My thanks to 'A Life Through Books' for providing this review.</i></span></span></div>
</div>
Roland Allnachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14135134975294896057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886213786848186744.post-68168031544397279932016-01-31T15:34:00.001-05:002016-01-31T15:34:15.141-05:00The Digital Now debuts to rave reviews!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><u>The Digital Now</u> debuts to rave reviews!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm very happy to share the news that my novel, <u>The Digital Now</u>, has opened to some great reviews, receiving five-star status from both Pacific Book Review and Readers' Favorite.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>"I found The Digital Now to be completely
enthralling, terrifying and unique." </i> Pacific
Book Review</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Read the full review at <a href="http://www.pacificbookreview.com/the-digital-now/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Pacific Book Review</span></a>....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And, to delve a little deeper, read an <a href="http://www.pacificbookreview.com/author-interview-roland-allnach-2/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">interview</span></a> I did with Pacific Book Review.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7h0NOf0Uk38/Vq5u7mafTdI/AAAAAAAAAKw/l08J1eCud-Q/s1600/PDR_5_star_gold_web.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7h0NOf0Uk38/Vq5u7mafTdI/AAAAAAAAAKw/l08J1eCud-Q/s1600/PDR_5_star_gold_web.png" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tpzafm5lTyM/Vq5u5PUEp3I/AAAAAAAAAKo/QwwjBHuSd4U/s1600/RF%2B5star-shiny-web.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tpzafm5lTyM/Vq5u5PUEp3I/AAAAAAAAAKo/QwwjBHuSd4U/s1600/RF%2B5star-shiny-web.png" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>"The Digital Now is a well written story about
violence and the lust for power...an incredible journey into the dark,
dangerous world that Allnach created." </i>Janelle Fila, Readers' Favorite<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>"The Digital Now by Roland Allnach is a
futuristic novel about a dystopian future...it fits the genre perfectly and is
a wild and entertaining ride." </i>Ryan
Jordan, Readers' Favorite<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>"The Digital Now is an intriguing read with an
imaginative premise and plot." </i>Lit
Amri, Readers' Favorite</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Read the full reviews at: <a href="https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/the-digital-now" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Readers' Favorite</span></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Following in the first two weeks of February....I will be on virtual book tour. Stay tuned!</span></div>
Roland Allnachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14135134975294896057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886213786848186744.post-71201754956384924262015-12-28T16:16:00.004-05:002015-12-28T16:20:21.107-05:00<h2>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">'The Digital Now' and 'The Writer's Primer' now available!</span></h2>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm very happy to announce the publication of my latest books, the sci-fi thriller 'The Digital Now' and the non-fiction 'The Writer's Primer: A Practical Guide for Aspiring Authors Seeking Publication'. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yes, I published two books at once, and although it's been a labor intensive process the last few months, I'm very excited to see two more titles through to publication. For those more familiar with my writing, I'll try to stoke your future interest with a little morsel...while working on 'The Digital Now' and 'The Writer's Primer', I also finished a sequel to 'Oddities & Entities'. Subtitled 'Vessels', it contains a new menu of stories to stretch the limits of imagination. Stay tuned for that later in 2016.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZE_9Ev30JBs/VoGjOQ7de4I/AAAAAAAAAKQ/8HR8crG6w0c/s1600/The%2BDigital%2BNow%2Bthumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZE_9Ev30JBs/VoGjOQ7de4I/AAAAAAAAAKQ/8HR8crG6w0c/s320/The%2BDigital%2BNow%2Bthumbnail.jpg" width="212" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">'The Digital Now' is my first published full length novel. From the back cover:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Just another day...</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the dystopian urban grime of <i>The Digital Now, </i>Patrolman Carly Westing is jarred from her rough life to discover her reality is built on lies and veiled secrets. When the authority she once protected turns on her, her life is catapulted into a violent cat and mouse game of shifting perceptions. Will she remain a tool of the forces at work around her, or become their master and change the future?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: lime;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Now-Roland-Allnach/dp/099678540X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451335541&sr=8-1&keywords=roland+allnach" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">Available now at Amazon in print and Kindle!</a></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: lime;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WfuyeodPaUk/VoGkSgZhyfI/AAAAAAAAAKc/dy44VnZS7kw/s1600/Writer%2527s%2BPrimer%2Bthumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WfuyeodPaUk/VoGkSgZhyfI/AAAAAAAAAKc/dy44VnZS7kw/s320/Writer%2527s%2BPrimer%2Bthumbnail.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">'The Writer's Primer: A Practical Guide for Aspiring Authors Seeking Publication' is my first foray into non-fiction, and grew from a page on my website to help authors who, like me, may be coming into publication far afield of traditional pathways. From the back cover:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>"You know, I have a great idea for a story..."</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Rapid changes in the publishing world have opened the doors to many writers who wish to pursue the adventure of publishing. With <i>The Writer's Primer</i>, multi-award winning author Roland Allnach shares his knowledge and experience and offers a cohesive, pragmatic guide to those new to writing and publishing. For both new and experienced writers, <i>The Writer's Primer </i>illustrates the spectrum of possibilities in today's publishing world.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: lime; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Writers-Primer-Practical-Aspiring-Publication/dp/0996785426/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1451335541&sr=8-2&keywords=roland+allnach" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">Available now at Amazon in print and KIndle!</a></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Happy New Year, and happy reading!</span></div>
Roland Allnachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14135134975294896057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886213786848186744.post-17383774768670501982014-11-11T20:08:00.001-05:002014-11-11T20:09:10.410-05:00'Prism' book launch at Long Island Writers House<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I recently had the pleasure of launching my third book, 'Prism', at Long Island Writers House. For those who could not attend, you can view this part of the presentation wherein I discuss my writing, my books, and more. Thanks again to LIWH for hosting!</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JSE09Cyqu_Q?list=UUDi6-XVqErGMIoXv027j3tw" width="480"></iframe>Roland Allnachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14135134975294896057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886213786848186744.post-13875771787776411402014-10-20T09:06:00.000-04:002015-01-12T08:35:09.283-05:00Virtual Book Tour for 'Prism'<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Short Fiction, Tragedy, Epic poetry - find it all with the virtual book tour for 'Prism'</b></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's October, the temperature is dropping, the leaves transform to all their hidden colors, and the days are getting shorter...sounds like a good time for a virtual book tour for my latest book, 'Prism'. Follow the links below for tour sites.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9n9A-5veI5A/U-j1KUw3QSI/AAAAAAAAAJc/sVhc-BjOq5I/s1600/Prism%2Bcover%2C%2Bweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9n9A-5veI5A/U-j1KUw3QSI/AAAAAAAAAJc/sVhc-BjOq5I/s1600/Prism%2Bcover%2C%2Bweb.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.7284145355225px; padding: 10px;">
<em style="line-height: 17.7284145355225px;">From <a href="http://tlcbooktours.com/2014/08/roland-allnach-author-of-prism-on-tour-october-2014/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">TLC Virtual Book Tours</span></a>:</em></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.7284145355225px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><em>"Prism</em> presents the best of Roland Allnach’s newest stories together with his most acclaimed published short fiction. These selected stories fracture the reader’s perceptions among a dazzling array of genres and styles to illuminate the mysterious aspects of the human experience. Roland Allnach has been described as a ‘star on the rise’ (ForeWord Clarion), ‘a master storyteller with a powerful pen’ (Cynthia Brian, <em>NY Times</em> Bestselling author), with writing that is ‘smart, elegant, and addicting’ (<em>San Francisco Review</em>).</span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.7284145355225px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><em>"Prism</em> collects seventeen stories into one volume, following a trail of diverse genres and narrative forms. From literary fiction to speculative fiction, from humor to horror, from tragedy to mythical poetry, <em>Prism</em> represents a wide ranging journey united by contemplations on the human condition. Including Allnach’s award winning published fiction (“Conquest’s End” and “The City of Never”), a Pushcart Prize nominated story (“Creep”), <em>Prism</em> also consists of the previously unpublished pieces “Titalis” (a tragedy along the lines of Shakespeare and Greek theatre), “Of Typhon and Aerina” (a tribute to epic verse), “Tumbleweed” (a humorous ditty), and “Dissociated”, a surreal short to cap off the collection."</span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.7284145355225px; padding: 10px;">
<strong><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Praise for <em>Prism</em></span></strong></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.7284145355225px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">5 Stars – “<em>Roland Allnach delivers a wonderful collection of stories in ‘Prism’…I would recommend this book to all. It brings an air of mystery along with witty and wonderfully delivered tales.” </em>Lisa Jones, Readers’ Favorite</span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.7284145355225px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">5 Stars – “<em>Roland Allnach has a great talent for creating worlds, building an atmosphere and painting for the reader a believable setting for each story. His power of description is considerable. The whole collection of stories is interesting and intriguing and sometimes even moving.” </em>Ioana Marza, Readers’ Favorite</span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.7284145355225px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">“<em>On and on this collection goes, with tales for literally everyone’s tastes. Each genre is spoken for – from the Technicolor world of sci-fi to humor to horror to </em><em>fantasy, and beyond. Allnach has a voice that speaks so loud readers lose themselves in the stories, making this a whole lot of fun…A dazzling collection</em>.” – Amy Lignor, Feathered Quill Reviews</span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.7284145355225px; padding: 10px;">
<i><b><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Tour stop dates:</span></b></i></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.7284145355225px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Monday, October 20th: </span><span style="color: lime;"><a href="http://thereadershollow.wordpress.com/2014/10/20/prism-short-stories-review/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">The Reader’s Hollow</span></a> .... </span><span style="color: yellow;">Review: 4/5 stars</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.7284145355225px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Tuesday, October 21st: </span><span style="color: lime; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.beccarowan.com/tlc-book-tour-prism/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Becca Rowan</span></a> .... </span><span style="color: yellow; text-decoration: none;">"<i>the collection demonstrates a deep breadth of imagination and perception"</i></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.7284145355225px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Thursday, October 23rd: </span><span style="color: lime; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://spicedlatte.blogspot.com/2014/10/book-tour-review-prism-by-roland-allnach.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Spiced Latte Reads</span></a> .... </span><span style="color: yellow; text-decoration: none;"><i>"From horror to humor, ('Prism') keeps you entertained through the whole book."</i></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.7284145355225px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Monday, October 27th: </span><span style="color: lime; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: lime;"><a href="http://www.boundbywords.org/2014/10/tlc-blog-tour-prism-roland-allnach-review.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">BoundbyWords</span></a> </span>.... </span><span style="color: yellow; text-decoration: none;"><i>"There is something so disturbingly refreshing about Allnach's writing, something so unabashedly addicting."</i></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.7284145355225px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Tuesday, October 28th: </span><span style="color: lime; text-decoration: none;"><a href="https://necromancyneverpays.wordpress.com/2014/10/28/prism/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Necromancy Never Pays</span></a> .... </span><span style="color: yellow; text-decoration: none;"><i>"Each story is a bit unsettling - always for the reader, sometimes for the teller, and often for the characters who are being examined closely from one side of the lens or the other."</i></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.7284145355225px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Wednesday, October 29th: </span><span style="color: lime; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://rooftopreading.wordpress.com/2014/10/29/book-review-prism/comment-page-1/#comment-86" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Rooftop Reading</span></a> .... </span><span style="color: yellow; text-decoration: none;"><i>"I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of short stories or likes any of the multiple genres in this book."</i></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.7284145355225px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Thursday, October 30th: </span><span style="color: lime; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://abookishwayoflife.blogspot.com/2014/10/prism-by-roland-allnach.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">A Bookish Way of Life</span></a> .... </span><span style="color: yellow; text-decoration: none;"><i>"(Allnach) is keen on showcasing the dark side of human nature through his writing...I would definitely read more of Allnach's works."</i></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.7284145355225px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Wednesday, November 5th: </span><span style="color: lime; text-decoration: none;"><a href="https://inpossibility.wordpress.com/2014/11/05/book-review-prism-by-roland-allnach/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Dwell in Possibility</span></a> .... </span><span style="color: yellow; text-decoration: none;"><i>"Reading 'Prism'...you just have to let go and allow Allnach to carry you along. He's in control, and he's a master of jarring perception without pushing readers too far. In short, this book is a blast."</i></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.7284145355225px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Monday, November 10th: </span><span style="color: lime; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://nomoregrumpybookseller.blogspot.com/2014/11/prism-by-roland-allnach.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">No More Grumpy Bookseller</span></a> .... </span><span style="color: yellow; text-decoration: none;"><i>"'Prism' is a nice showcase of Allnach's abilities."</i></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.7284145355225px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Tuesday, November 11th: </span><span style="color: lime; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://thebookbindersdaughter.com/2014/11/11/review-prism-by-roland-allnach/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Book Binder’s Daughter</span></a> .... </span><span style="color: yellow; text-decoration: none;"><i>"'Prism' is a delightful selection of stories and there is a story that every reader will find that he or she likes and can connect with."</i></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.7284145355225px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Wednesday, November 12th: </span><span style="color: lime; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://thediscerningreader.wordpress.com/2014/11/12/prism-by-roland-allnach/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">The Discerning Readers</span></a> .... </span><span style="color: yellow; text-decoration: none;"><i>"A fantastic collection...very original in presentation. A wonderful variety providing endless entertainment."</i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; line-height: 17.7284145355225px;">Thursday, November 13th: </span><span style="line-height: 17.7284145355225px;"><span style="color: lime; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.rockinbookreviews.com/2014/11/12/prism-by-roland-allanach-book-review-by-lawonder10-book-review-tour-by-trish-collins/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Rockin’ Book Reviews</span></a> .... </span><span style="color: yellow; text-decoration: none;"><i>"The author's writing style was notable and the book was cleanly written."</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.7284145355225px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Thursday, November 20th: </span><span style="color: lime; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-book-tour-stops-here-review-of.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Kahakai Kitchen</span></a> .... </span><span style="color: yellow; text-decoration: none;"><i>"'Prism' is...a diversity of stories, dipping into horror, tragedy, dark humor, science fiction, mythology, and even poetry, and it is impressive to see an author so talented in the different genres."</i></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.7284145355225px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Thursday, November 20th:</span><span style="color: lime;"> <a href="http://shetreadssoftly.blogspot.com/2014/11/prism.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">she treads softly</span></a> .... </span><span style="color: yellow;"><i>"'Prism' by Roland Allnach is a <b>highly recommended </b>collection of 17 short stories that display the author's incredible talent and ability to write in a wide variety of styles."</i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; line-height: 17.7284145355225px;">Monday, December 22: </span><span style="color: lime; line-height: 17.7284145355225px;"><a href="http://agelesspagesreviews.blogspot.com/2014/12/book-tour-review-prism-by-roland-allnach.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Ageless Pages Reviews</span></a> .... </span><span style="color: yellow; line-height: 17.7284145355225px;"><i>"('Prism') remains a starkly unique reading experience...I liked that the author isn't afraid to explore negative emotions and perspectives in unexpected ways."</i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: yellow; line-height: 17.7284145355225px;"><i><br /></i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: lime; line-height: 17.7284145355225px;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
Roland Allnachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14135134975294896057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886213786848186744.post-51846797448487304452014-08-11T12:45:00.001-04:002014-08-11T12:45:45.163-04:00Prism receives its first reviews<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Prism: </b>First reviews are in!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pgXaA5lD63Y/U-jsYAR_7bI/AAAAAAAAAIg/wCyvdBafsJE/s1600/Prism+cover,+hidef.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pgXaA5lD63Y/U-jsYAR_7bI/AAAAAAAAAIg/wCyvdBafsJE/s1600/Prism+cover,+hidef.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J_EmBVGvnJI/U-jyjdFfAhI/AAAAAAAAAIs/GEF9kEjAW5Y/s1600/ReadersFav+5+Star+seal.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J_EmBVGvnJI/U-jyjdFfAhI/AAAAAAAAAIs/GEF9kEjAW5Y/s1600/ReadersFav+5+Star+seal.png" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm very happy to share the first reviews that have come in for my third book, <b>Prism.</b> Every book is a great investment of an author's energy and time, and it's always a great source of satisfaction when readers can connect to that effort. For <b>Prism</b>, I took care in refreshing my previously published short fiction and combining it with new, unpublished stories to produce a varied landscape of genres and narrative styles.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Enough from me; I'll let the reviews speak for themselves. (Full review text available via the source links.)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.65pt; mso-line-break-override: restrictions; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; punctuation-wrap: simple; tab-stops: 41.95pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>“Allnach
delivers a wonderful collection of stories in ‘Prism’. It brings an air of mystery along with witty
and wonderfully delivered tales.” </i>Lisa Jones, <a href="https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/35159" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Readers’ Favorite</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.65pt; mso-line-break-override: restrictions; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; punctuation-wrap: simple; tab-stops: 41.95pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.5pt; mso-line-break-override: restrictions; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; punctuation-wrap: simple; tab-stops: 41.95pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“<i>Allnach has
a great talent for creating worlds, building an atmosphere and painting for the
reader a believable setting for each story.
The whole collection of stories is interesting and intriguing and
sometimes even moving.”<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span></i><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Ioana Marza, <a href="https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/35159" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Readers’ Favorite</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.5pt; mso-line-break-override: restrictions; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; punctuation-wrap: simple; tab-stops: 41.95pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 48.1pt; margin-top: 1.1pt; mso-line-break-override: restrictions; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; punctuation-wrap: simple; tab-stops: 41.95pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt;"> “A timeless, exquisite collection of short
stories that’s bound to leave you mesmerized and awestruck. The collection is a masterpiece, besides
being lifelike in many ways. The
selection of stories indicates a true literary master at work.” </span></i><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt;">Rattan Whig, <a href="https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/35159" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Reader’sFavorite</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 48.1pt; margin-top: 1.1pt; mso-line-break-override: restrictions; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; punctuation-wrap: simple; tab-stops: 41.95pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.6pt; mso-line-break-override: restrictions; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; punctuation-wrap: simple; tab-stops: 41.95pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt;">“On and on this collection
goes, with tales for literally everyone’s tastes. Allnach has a voice that speaks so loud
readers lose themselves in the stories… A dazzling collection.” </span></i><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt;">Amy Lignor, <a href="http://www.featheredquill.com/shortstory.shtml" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Feathered QuillReviews</span></a></span></span><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.6pt; mso-line-break-override: restrictions; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; punctuation-wrap: simple; tab-stops: 41.95pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.6pt; mso-line-break-override: restrictions; mso-line-height-rule: exactly; punctuation-wrap: simple; tab-stops: 41.95pt;">
<br /></div>
Roland Allnachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14135134975294896057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886213786848186744.post-64810144525060892102013-11-13T17:50:00.003-05:002013-11-13T17:50:57.383-05:00'Oddities & Entities' Virtual Book Tour, Part 8: An Afterword<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'Oddities & Entities' consists of six stories combining different elements of the horror, supernatural, and paranormal genres. In this final post regarding the creative aspects of the book, I'll share some hindsight on the book as a whole.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The following excerpts are available in total on my website page devoted to 'Oddities & Entities'. Check it out at</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://www.rolandallnach.com/OdditiesandEntities.htm" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">www.rolandallnach.com</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the full book tour, visit my earlier post, or my page at <a href="http://tlcbooktours.com/2013/09/roland-allnach-author-of-oddities-entities-on-tour-october-2013/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">TLC Book Tours</span></a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>But first...</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've been participating in a voter-driven contest sponsored by 'The Authors Show', entitled '50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading'. I'm very happy to say that I've entered the finalist round for the 2013 listing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2D-tazOJeXY/UoP_onat2CI/AAAAAAAAAHA/NH_EBT0psGg/s1600/Seal-2013Finalist-300.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2D-tazOJeXY/UoP_onat2CI/AAAAAAAAAHA/NH_EBT0psGg/s200/Seal-2013Finalist-300.png" width="182" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As this contest is driven by on-line voting, I would like to ask your support by voting for me at </span><a href="http://votewinners2013.questionpro.com/"><span style="color: lime; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://votewinners2013.questionpro.com/</span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>On to 'Oddities & Entities'...</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>A hindsight view of <u>Oddities & Entities</u> (</b><span style="background-color: red;"><span style="color: white; font-size: x-small;">SPOILER
ALERT!</span></span><b>)</b></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>
</b>Ah, where to begin? I think the best place to start with a
writer's hindsight perspective for 'Oddities & Entities' is to talk about the
sense of location throughout the book.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
The stories cover some varied ground. From the lazy summer
evenings of Florida in 'Boneview', to the frigid northern territory of
'Elmer Phelps', to the Pacific shore in 'Gray', to a nightmarish morgue in
'Shift/Change', to a college campus in 'My Other Me' and last to an
exotic jungle and globe-hopping memories of 'Appendage', the wide scope
of settings was done by design. I at once wanted to portray
experiences in the world that were somewhat different in some of the
philosophical interactions of the characters of the distinct stories,
and yet present a cohesive message that no matter the locale,
other-worldly phenomena are right around the corner. This also
drove the unifying, summary scope of global settings reflected in
'Appendage'.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
I believe environment has a profound yet subtle effect on the way we perceive the world around us. The conditions of our
locale can effect our outlook, and perhaps our disposition as well.
Excessive states of climate tend to keep people indoors, and so they
have more time to reflect on their station in life. Likewise,
expansive beauty such as the coastal scenery alluded to in 'Gray' and
the dismal, depressing dungeon of a decrepit hospital morgue in
'Shift/Change' cause the characters to ponder things beyond themselves.
</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
A sense of locale is also a sense of comfort and security. It's a
common facet of human psychology to think we are who we are because of
where we come from, or currently live. Part of what I wanted to do
with the stories of 'Oddities & Entities' was pry into that comfort zone of the
characters by jarring their innate security with the introduction of
outlandish events. For example, in 'Elmer Phelps' I wove several
symbolic elements of the wintry setting into the story, and let them
evolve over the course of the narrative. The barren cold at first
is meant to represent Elmer's isolation, yet in its second phase it
fosters the cozy warmth and tender security he finds with Samantha in
contrast to the looming threat embodied in Casey's evolving role in the
'agency'. Likewise - or perhaps in contrast - in 'Boneview' the
Curmudgeon is with Allison from her first living breaths, but how she
understands its presence in her life changes the way in which she views
some of the stranger aspects of the Curmudgeon's existence among the
shadows.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Digging a
little deeper, I also wanted to portray a simultaneous yet divergent view of the
sanctity of the human body itself. As the stories progress there is at
once an increasing disregard for the violence that can mar the living form, and
at the same time an increasing appreciation that the vessels in which we live
possibly operate under rules we don't understand. It starts with the
apathy of Allison in 'Boneview', demonstrates its first dichotomy in alternate
perspectives in 'Shift/Change' and 'My Other Me', and takes a much more pointed
- if not graphic - turn in the dark comic gore of 'Gray' and the cannibalistic
brain ingestion of 'Elmer Phelps', ultimately culminating in the shape-shifting
transcendence in 'Appendage' of Randal from a terminal cancer patient, to mutant arborial hybrid, to a
towering tree.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
These explorations of how we not only interact and view our physical
selves inevitably involved some of the sexual aspects of the stories.
The sexual aspect of the human psyche is a powerful force, yet it can be
twisted by life experience. I didn't want to write stories about
deviance. That may sound ridiculous given the relationship between
Elmer and his sister Casey in 'Elmer Phelps', but with this story in
particular what I wanted to do was use something very jarring - their
taboo relationship - to show the insidious way in which moral standards
could be derailed and redefined by the intrusion of a new perception of
reality. I felt it was an effective way to demonstrate how far
astray standards can drift. More to the point, I wanted to craft a
thought model for Casey in which her taboo relationship with her brother
Elmer is not only forgivable but inevitable. To make the story
work in the way I envisioned it, that relationship was at the core of
Elmer's motivations. It drove his isolation, it drove his
inspiration to do something with himself, it fueled his desire for a
'normal' relationship with Samantha and, in the end, in light of Casey's
self sacrifice, showed that love itself can indeed be a murky concept.
</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
So, in closing, I'd like to summarize by saying that I didn't write 'Oddities & Entities' with the purpose of waging war on morality. Rather, I
wanted to portray situations that inspire reflection on concepts of
right and wrong, just and unjust, and what it means to even have a
moral compass. One of the whispering themes of the book is that
morality is both subjective <i>and </i>absolute. It's not only the
challenge of the characters of the various stories, but also a challenge
to us as living people, to find a place somewhere between our private
morality and a greater, perhaps cosmic, set of principles. </span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
I won't claim these words to be the last things I might say about 'Oddities & Entities'. In fact, I hope the opposite is the case.
The wonderful thing about being an author is that readers can point out
perspectives I as the writer did not see myself. When that
happens, it just opens up another round of thought and discussion.
That, to me, is part of what makes literature so fascinating: words have
a life of their own. </span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thank you all for following the tour!</span></div>
Roland Allnachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14135134975294896057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886213786848186744.post-32558571540189660302013-10-31T10:40:00.001-04:002013-10-31T10:40:33.026-04:00'Oddities & Entities' Virtual Book Tour, Part 7: Creative aspects of "Appendage"<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'Oddities & Entities' consists of six stories combining different elements of the horror, supernatural, and paranormal genres. In this post regarding the creative aspects of the book, I'll discuss the sixth and last story, "Appendage".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've excerpted the following essay from my website page devoted to 'Oddities & Entities'. Check it out at</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://www.rolandallnach.com/OdditiesandEntities.htm" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">www.rolandallnach.com</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the full book tour, visit my earlier post, or my page at <a href="http://tlcbooktours.com/2013/09/roland-allnach-author-of-oddities-entities-on-tour-october-2013/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">TLC Book Tours</span></a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>"Appendage"</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<b style="font-family: Calibri;"> </b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This story, as with several others, started with a singular image in my
head. It consisted of some type of creature, blackened and crusty,
chained down in some type of research lab. The creature was at one
point a man, a man who had been exposed to something to cause his
horrible transformation. The story would then continue past this
disturbing precept to follow the man/monster through some type of exploit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> And as the
saying goes, therein lies the rub. I had no idea what kind of
'exploit' this 'creature' might follow and, as I've said with
"Boneview", I wasn't interested in writing a straightforward 'monster'
story. No, I wanted something more complex and, at the time I
started to consider this idea, I was already committed to bundling a
supernatural/paranormal anthology. And so the more I thought about
this initial idea, the more it grew within me, and I felt it would
provide a great opportunity to introduce a speculative element to the
anthology that could also serve as a philosophical exploration to tie
the whole thing together.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> With that,
"Appendage" evolved to its final form. It's probably obvious by
now from some of my other fiction that I'm a bit of a tree hugger, and
certainly that shows in "Appendage". I happen to find a great deal
of solace in staring at trees. Often, when I'm writing, I find a
spot to sit where I can see some trees, whether I'm indoors or outdoors,
and when I look up I find a meditative quality to watching the leaves
shift and sway in the air. There are some lessons to learn from
watching trees, without getting too far into my Naturalist inclinations.
Just consider that while we run and hide from rain, winds, storms, and
cold nights, the trees are out there. It's not just part of the
old idea 'to bend with the breeze' but the idea of being part of
something, rather than weaving around things.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> This is
part of what I wanted to convey with the character of Randal. A
mercenary, a failed father, a failed husband, a man who took the world
by its collar and slapped it around in his contempt, he has yet to
understand the mess of his life is as much a product of circumstance as
it is his own outlook. Hence the small disdainful references to
transcendentalism and 'New Age' thought trains. As much as his
cynicism shrugs off such notions, he is at the same time very much given
to follow their lead in his search for not only a sense of peace but a
sense of reason to the anarchic existence that has surrounded him.
It is both his shield against the stranger events of the story and his
key to unlock his place within those events, and that's what I really
enjoyed in writing "Appendage": nothing can be picked apart.
Randal's life is a complicated mosaic, and without any of those elements
in place his outcome in the story would have been much different.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I won't
give anything away, but it is for all these reasons that "Appendage"
found its place as the closing story in 'Oddities & Entities'. It dovetails
quite well with "Elmer Phelps", and in terms of fulfilling the thematic
arc of the anthology, I believe (that is, hope) it serves quite well.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Stay tuned. I will excerpt one more post from my website, containing some afterthoughts on 'Oddities & Entities'. Spoiler alert!</b></span></div>
</div>
Roland Allnachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14135134975294896057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886213786848186744.post-89899462417348662662013-10-28T10:11:00.001-04:002013-10-28T10:11:51.979-04:00'Oddities & Entities' Virtual Book Tour, Part 6: Creative aspects of "Elmer Phelps"<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'Oddities & Entities' consists of six stories combining different elements of the horror, supernatural, and paranormal genres. In this post regarding the creative aspects of the book, I'll discuss the fifth story, "Elmer Phelps".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've excerpted the following essay from my website page devoted to 'Oddities & Entities'. Check it out at</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://www.rolandallnach.com/OdditiesandEntities.htm" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">www.rolandallnach.com</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the full book tour, visit my earlier post, or my page at <a href="http://tlcbooktours.com/2013/09/roland-allnach-author-of-oddities-entities-on-tour-october-2013/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">TLC Book Tours</span></a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>"Elmer Phelps"</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> As a single story, "Elmer Phelps"
nevertheless is the longest piece in 'Oddities & Entities', perhaps because of the
tricky ground that it traverses.</span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> What can I say about this story? Oh,
Elmer, Elmer, Elmer. . .where do I </span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">begin? It's difficult to
discuss this story without giving too much away, as so much of what
happens that might be considered strange, disgusting, and gruesome all
find their subjective justifications and explanations. And that,
if nothing else, is what lies at the heart of "Elmer Phelps", and was
touched upon for a moment in "Boneview": the idea that once one crosses
over the boundaries of everyday life, the common rules of morality we
know might not apply in the ways in which they are accustomed. The
challenge of "Elmer Phelps" was not only to portray such a situation,
but at the same time maintain an awareness that some things, regardless
of how they might attain understanding and even moral equivocation, are
still to be rejected to maintain a basic sense of humanity.</span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> "Elmer Phelps" had its origins in something
much more ordinary than the story it came to be. I've always been
interested in writing a zombie story, not just for my private enjoyment
of almost all things zombie, but for the challenge of writing a
different kind of zombie tale. I still like the idea I developed,
so I won't discuss it here in case I do flesh it out (no pun intended)
to a full length book, but in its original conception as a novel
entitled "Elmer Phelps" I found there to be some deep problems in the
basic logic structure of the story. Despite that I typed up a
short two page story treatment, as I often do for a book, containing
some basic plot points, character profiles/motivations, and some of the
underlying themes.</span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> After that, it collected dust for a year,
though it never left the back of my mind. In the meantime I took
up another book project, a yet unpublished piece of main stream fiction by the title of 'Snowflake', and started hammering away at that. As the title
might suggest, it takes place in a wintry climate. To make this
seeming tangent relevant, I mention all this because while I was toying
with the ideas of a wintry setting and what type of symbolic and
aesthetic elements such a setting could lend to a story, the ideas for "Elmer
Phelps" welled up once more, to the point where I put 'Snowflake' aside and dove into Elmer's story. I backed off from the zombie
idea, and went for something more subtle, and perhaps more penetrating,
as subtle things tend to be.</span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> All that aside, "Elmer Phelps" was meant to
do what I like to often do with my writing, and that is present the
reader with a set of circumstances that on their surface defy
explanation but at the same time challenge the innate compulsion to
condemn such things. In this gray area there lurks not only a
creeping chill for the story but the the anchor point of what I was
trying to map out with 'Oddities & Entities'. Life does not always present
itself to us in black and white and, as Elmer realizes, it's up to the
human mind to make sense of things - "the human mind, with all its three
pounds of eternity."</span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Although Elmer appears as the second to last
story of 'Oddities & Entities', it was the last piece I wrote for the anthology,
and I wrote it with the direct understanding that it was to lead into the
final story, which was already completed, a story by the title
"Appendage".</span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Stay tuned for the last installment...</b></span></div>
Roland Allnachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14135134975294896057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886213786848186744.post-56903193151210633142013-10-25T16:48:00.000-04:002013-10-25T16:48:06.808-04:00'Oddities & Entities' Virtual Book Tour, Part 5: Creative aspects of "Gray"<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'Oddities & Entities' consists of six stories combining different elements of the horror, supernatural, and paranormal genres. In this fourth post regarding the creative aspects of the book, I'll discuss the fourth story, "Gray".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've excerpted the following essay from my website page devoted to 'Oddities & Entities'. Check it out at</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://www.rolandallnach.com/OdditiesandEntities.htm" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">www.rolandallnach.com</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the full book tour, visit my earlier post, or my page at <a href="http://tlcbooktours.com/2013/09/roland-allnach-author-of-oddities-entities-on-tour-october-2013/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">TLC Book Tours</span></a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before getting into the story discussion, though, I am compelled to share an excerpt from one of the reviews of 'Oddities & Entities' on this tour. This one comes courtesy of 'Bound by Words':</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">"Honestly, the sheer amount of TALENT that exists within the world of indie publishing is ASTOUNDING. I can't, for the life of me, understand why so many great titles, and authors, aren't being picked up by larger publishing houses. Right now, at this moment, I feel the need to stand atop my roof, in this 5 degree weather, and shout to the world about the words that I just consumed, about the absolute certainty, and exactness of Roland Allnach's narrative. What a damn great book to read in the month of October, I do </span><b style="line-height: 18px;">not</b><span style="line-height: 18px;"> regret being given the pleasure. WELL DONE SIR. WELL..DONE.</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">"</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>(Excerpt from 'Bound by Words', posted 10/24/2013. <a href="http://www.boundbywords.org/2013/10/tlc-blog-tour-oddities-and-entities-roland-allnach-review.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Full post here.</span></a>)</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Now, regarding <b>"Gray":</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> "Gray" follows a strange
circumstance: a rather type-A class of person is straining to hold
on to his sanity is jarred from his perception of reality when a little
gray man pops out of his nose. Well, isn't that a strange thing to
happen on a Friday night?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> With "Gray" I wanted to take the lead
established by "Boneview" and "My Other Me" and extend it in a different
direction. It wasn't just about taking a somewhat humorous turn
with some darkly comical moments, but rather to use a bit of a
satirical/cynical tone toward the order of the reality we share.
In the previous stories of 'Oddities & Entities' leading up to "Gray" the
characters are given little choice but to accept the other-worldly
aspects of their tales, whereas in "Gray" the protagonist, Dave, seems
just an ordinary guy until something very strange happens in his life.
It is then up to him to come to accept that his perception of life
around him is in fact quite flawed, and the madness of his life is in
large part due to that flawed perception. He must learn to adjust
his perception not only of his past but of both his present and future
to find his way among this new understanding of things around him.
As this understanding grows, he sees more and more that it was waiting
for him in every facet of his life and, through this, he is able to come
to peace with the transition of his existence: his new terms of life are
not bizarre, but rather the long awaited norm he sought. In
hindsight, he learns that it was his old life that was in fact bizarre
and motivated by the blind rage of pointless futility.</span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I made an effort to invest "Gray" with a
number of contrasting set changes. There is the ocean, vast and
mysterious, right down the street from Dave's house, but he pays it
little heed until after his life changes. On the other hand, there
are the mountains and open space of Montana, and its tracts of woodland,
vast and mysterious in their own right. The townhouse in which he
lives undergoes its own transformation, from its implied luxury to the
gutted Spartan austerity of Dave's later transformation. Then
there's Kim, the hostile underworld parasite who wants to work both
sides of a precarious equation to his own benefit, with the casual
contempt of an anarchist. Underlying all of this, of course, is
the strained relationship between Dave, his cousin Peter, and the
seeming aloof presence of Pixie, Peter's companion. But Pixie as
well has multiple roles, one as the object of Dave's desire, but beneath
her surface the true source of her allure, the hidden awareness she
carries as to the world and its unseen order.</span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> And then there's the little man that popped
out of Dave's head, Gray. Over the years I had numerous ideas for
stories involving little gray men wandering around, either as figments
of a character's imagination, elusive but benign creatures living in
machines, or perhaps in their strangest form subconscious thoughts
transformed to tangible form to speak with the person who was their
source. None of these story ideas ever gained enough momentum to
compel me to craft a story around them, and I think the main reason for
that might have been the fact that none of those ideas left much space
for what the 'grays' would be, in terms of their own character
development. With "Gray" that problem was solved, and so I had a
story to tell.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>Stay tuned for more...</b></span>Roland Allnachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14135134975294896057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886213786848186744.post-46576657121096875572013-10-22T19:29:00.001-04:002013-10-22T19:29:37.533-04:00'Oddities & Entities' Virtual Book Tour, Part 4: Creative aspects of "My Other Me"<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'Oddities & Entities' consists of six stories combining different elements of the horror, supernatural, and paranormal genres. In this fourth post regarding the creative aspects of the book, I'll discuss the third story, "My Other Me".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've excerpted the following essay from my website page devoted to 'Oddities & Entities'. Check it out at</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://www.rolandallnach.com/OdditiesandEntities.htm" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">www.rolandallnach.com</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the full book tour, visit my earlier post, or my page at <a href="http://tlcbooktours.com/2013/09/roland-allnach-author-of-oddities-entities-on-tour-october-2013/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">TLC Book Tours</span></a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>"My Other Me"</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> As the third tale of 'Oddities & Entities', "My
Other Me" is meant to take a bit more of a philosophical look at things,
and, as such, is perhaps one of the more difficult stories to describe.
Whereas "Boneview" and "Shift/Change" work around ordinary people caught
up with things beyond their understanding, "My Other Me" follows the
main character, Noel, straight into the storm.
</span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> The basic vision for "My Other Me" came to
me one night while walking across a parking lot. As I went between
the light poles I noticed how my shadow, split into four images around
me, shifted, stretched, and spun. It seemed an odd thing, and I
started to wonder what it would be like if one of those shadows had an
awareness of its own, and how it might perceive reality. From
there the idea refined to the somewhat more traditional concept of
peering through a looking glass, or looking over a fence. Given
the train of thought I opened with "Boneview", I decided to take that
precept into a darker, perhaps more twisted interpretation. What
came next seemed a natural evolution of ideas. I recalled a few
experiences from my college days, when I had the opportunity to visit
<a href="http://www.iconsf.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">ICON</span></a>, a large sci-fi
convention that still makes annual appearances at my alma mater.
The convention drew an interesting crowd, and I remember seeing some
interesting artwork, which was quite a contrast to the realms of math
and science that formed the core of my classes. That contrast
seemed a fitting background for the elements that would erupt in "My
Other Me". With all the groundwork in place, the story came into
being.</span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> The finished product that is "My Other Me"
presented a bit of a problem, at least in terms of how to explain or
market the story. I purposely wrote the story to be a bit of a
head-scratcher but, when I made a few attempts to have it published, I
found myself at a loss for words as to how to sum it up in a few
sentences. I love stories that are somewhat open in the tradition
of the great <i>anime</i> stories such as <i>Akira</i> but, as I said,
they can be difficult to describe. Yet, when I thought of where I
was going after writing both "Boneview" and "My Other Me", I was even
more convinced that these stories worked better as parts of a greater
whole than independent pieces.</span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> That said, I think the surface plot of "My
Other Me" serves up a nice disturbing dose of fiction, and while not
perhaps something that can summon a shriek, I think it serves more in
the realm of summoning a chill the next time one walks alone.
After all, when it comes to horror, I for one find the insidious chill
of a story more lasting than a shock-scare. Shock-scares are like
the candle that burns brightest, having an immediate but short lived
effect. Insidious creeps, the psychological disturbance that
finds its way into one's thoughts, is more lasting, and in the end I
think leaves the story with a deeper resonance.</span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> But, if nothing else, "My Other Me" left me hungry
to write more along this growing theme of people colliding with unseen
orders of nature. And as is typical with my writing, after going
in one direction I like to rebound and write my next piece in a
different direction. So as much as "My Other Me" was written to
embrace psychological horror, I wanted to go in the opposite direction,
and try my hand at a bit of comic-horror.</span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> And so came the fourth tale of 'Oddities & Entities', a story by the name of "Gray." Stay tuned for the next post for the background on this trip into the surreal.</span></div>
Roland Allnachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14135134975294896057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886213786848186744.post-19753409802981546592013-10-18T19:28:00.001-04:002013-10-18T19:28:13.147-04:00'Oddities & Entities' Virtual Book Tour, Part 3: Creative aspects of "Shift/Change"<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'Oddities & Entities' consists of six stories combining different elements of the horror, supernatural, and paranormal genres. In this third post regarding the creative aspects of the book, I'll discuss the second story, "Shift/Change".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've excerpted the following essay from the page of my website, devoted to 'Oddities & Entities'. Check it out at</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://www.rolandallnach.com/OdditiesandEntities.htm" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">www.rolandallnach.com</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the full book tour, visit my earlier post, or my page at <a href="http://tlcbooktours.com/2013/09/roland-allnach-author-of-oddities-entities-on-tour-october-2013/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">TLC Book Tours</span></a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>"Shift/Change"</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> "Shift/Change"
was originally published in <i>Aphelion </i>webzine, but I decided to
include it in <u>Oddities &Entities</u> for two reasons. First, I thought it
dovetailed rather nicely with "Boneview", as it shows a rather dark and
dingy interaction between something 'more than flesh and bone'.
And while it was nice to use that quote for the back cover of the book,
as it opens so much of what the theme of <u>O&E</u> explores, the story - for all its darkness - does hint that even at the darkest interactions
between the world outside our normal existence and our mundane world
harmony can be established, or at least a semblance of balance.
The second reason I included "Shift/Change" is a bit more self serving.
For marketing and promotion purposes, I figured it couldn't hurt
including a story that some readers might already know, and so entice
them to take a dive into <u>O&E</u>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Without giving too much of the story away, I'll discuss
some of the story's elements. I wanted a creepy, Gothic style to the setting of the story, so even though much of the story takes
place in a hospital morgue, a plain old morgue would not suffice. There is an abandoned state mental
hospital near my childhood home and, over the years as I grew up, the state closed the hospital in stages as care moved
away from massive, centralized, multi-building facilities to more suburban, less intimidating settings.
Nevertheless, I remember how those old buildings looked at night. They were creepy, and they've grown more so over the
years as they decay. Built in stages in the early 1900's, the buildings were interconnected by underground tunnels so staff could move about during winter without having to brave cold howling winds blowing across the open
fields between the buildings.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> While not a direct inspiration for the setting of "Shift/Change", this impression of hidden places and tunnels to abandoned places set a seed in my head. Being underground can
be a surreal experience, once you are severed from references such as the sun and sky. The hollow places
beneath us are their own world, a world which is crafted by those who fill its space, w</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">hich leads to the cast of rather decrepit
characters inhabiting the underworld of "Shift/Change".</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> It is a
tale of redemption, though, so set against the less savory characters
are the two leads, neither of whom seem too promising as human beings
in their first appearance. In the original draft of the story the
supernatural aspects of John Smith had little mystery to them, and his
place in the realm of existence outside of our physical world was rather
traditional. Despite his crime and punishment - which compose the
underlying drive of the story - I came to feel the spiritual nature of
his existence was laid out in too much detail, so much so that there was
little mystery left to him. This, combined with interludes of his
own thoughts upon his crime and punishment, defused the suspense of his
inevitable unveiling before the fallen woman he is trying to save.
In successive revisions I had to gut several parts of the story.
Out went those interludes, out went his exhaustive, thinly veiled
accounts of his true identity, and out went some clumsy dialogue that
even in a story with supernatural elements was simply unrealistic. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> With
that done, and the story stripped to its core, I rebuilt it around the notion
quoted on the back cover of <u>O&E</u>: there is more to this world than flesh and bone.
Though other realities exist with us, it's not
necessarily a good thing when they intersect with us. Using that as a guiding point, the story took on a new life, and with
John's hidden nature left somewhat vague and open for interpretation, his other-worldly nature not only gained force,
but gained some menace as well. Where he was an agent of good that had taken a bad turn in the original version
of the story, he was now somewhat ambiguous, and even though he has learned the lesson of his crime, there
is a threatening edge that remains to his intellect: he may be acting to redeem himself but, at the same time,
he is not a being to be crossed. With all the elements in place and in the focus I wanted, the title itself
gained the deeper meaning I always hoped it could possess: the
'shift/change' phrase is not meant to be strictly temporal (the end of
the night shift), but meta-physical as well (the transition of John's character, and the effect on
those he victimized with his crime).</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">More to follow...</span></div>
Roland Allnachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14135134975294896057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886213786848186744.post-53391409089296908682013-10-14T13:50:00.000-04:002013-10-14T16:41:15.035-04:00'Oddities & Entities' Virtual Book Tour: Creative aspects of "Boneview"<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'Oddities & Entities' consists of six stories combining different elements of the horror, supernatural, and paranormal genres. As the leading story in the anthology, "Boneview" has the challenge of not only hinting at the various themes in the book but setting the stage for readers to enter its surreal situations.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've excerpted the following essay from the page of my website, devoted to 'Oddities & Entities'. Check it out at <a href="http://www.rolandallnach.com/OdditiesandEntities.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">www.rolandallnach.com</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the full book tour, visit my previous post, or my page at <a href="http://tlcbooktours.com/2013/09/roland-allnach-author-of-oddities-entities-on-tour-october-2013/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">TLC Book Tours</span></a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>"Boneview"</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> "Boneview" started with a singular image in my head, that of a young girl at peace in her moonlit bedroom as she was visited by some otherworldly creature. This creepy critter, the ‘Curmudgeon’, as the underlying supernatural aspect of the story, consumed a fair amount of consideration in the crafting of the story. I didn’t want to write a straightforward run-from-the-scary-creature type story. In degrees of varying subtlety the Curmudgeon is the foil of the lead character, Allison, who is for most of the story amused by what she considers her strange ethereal friend. The Curmudgeon has a plan, though – a plan for Allison – and as such, I knew I had to invest it with the same depth of any other character I try to portray. Characters with plans are characters with motivations, and so there needs to be some dimension to their personality, no matter how other-worldly they may be. Without such dimension their actions would hold no gravity, and so leave half the conflict of a story flat. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Once I had the idea of the Curmudgeon set in my head, everything else seemed to fall into place. I wanted the story to have a bit of the Southern Gothic feel, and so came the Florida setting. That also allowed some descriptive space to portray things that not only solidified the sense of place within the story, but added to that eerie feel as well. There is something timeless about southern oaks and their dangling lengths of Spanish moss, which seemed to fit well with the apparent timeless age of the Curmudgeon, and the brightness of the Florida sun serves as a fitting symbolic contrast to the darker aspects brewing in Allison’s life.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Of course, along with the Curmudgeon is that other menace that enters Allison's life, a man known as Sam Culp. Culp's role serves more than one purpose in the story, however, and it is the shift in his role in Allison's life that put him and the Curmudgeon on opposite trajectories. There is a phase where Culp the 'man' seems the greatest danger to Allison, while the Curmudgeon appears as an ally. But this is an exercise of Allison's ignorance, and once she learns the truth, the roles of Culp and the Curmudgeon reverse, though in ways that defy classical interpretations of friend and foe. The idea for the story, and for the greater whole of 'Oddities & Entities', was to weave in the idea that the realities which intersect our common world follow a morality and rational that might escape traditional understanding. By the end of the story, while the realities of Culp and the Curmudgeon have undergone their own twisted evolutions, they may seem more as question marks than absolutes, which is what I wanted. Either character can be judged on their interventions in Allison's life, and for every judgment against, there is yet a redeeming judgment. As Culp tells Allison, there's a different set of rules out there, and they're not for us to understand.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> With these little twists and turns in place, I then let the story play out on its own. In terms of the anthology, I always knew "Boneview" would be the opening story. Not only does it help set up much of the following tone of the anthology, but it bridges many of the thoughts and conflicts, and the concurrent theme of a person grappling with an unexpected brush of life against something far beyond common experience. "Boneview" was also responsible for opening the creative paths in me that fostered the rest of the stories in the anthology, so in that regard as well it seemed only proper to give it the opening slot.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stay tuned for more...</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Roland Allnachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14135134975294896057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886213786848186744.post-23459320260476416412013-10-10T11:55:00.001-04:002013-10-14T13:39:37.485-04:00October: Virtual book tour with 'Oddities & Entities'<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For fans of the supernatural, paranormal, and horror genres, during the month of October I'm once again touring the blogosphere in support of my second book, 'Oddities & Entities'. For those who prefer perusing blogs rather than websites, I'll be posting excerpts from the creative essays I've posted to my website regarding 'Oddities & Entities'. Today's post is an overall treatment of the book, but following posts will contain background on each individual story within the book.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you can't wait to read everything, see it all at the<span style="color: lime;"> <a href="http://www.rolandallnach.com/OdditiesandEntities.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">'Oddities & Entities' page on my website. </span></a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To follow along the blog tour, the full list of dates are on my tour page at <span style="color: lime;"><a href="http://tlcbooktours.com/2013/09/roland-allnach-author-of-oddities-entities-on-tour-october-2013/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">TLC Book Tours</span>.</a> </span>I also have the current list of dates and stop links at the bottom of this post.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><u>Oddities & Entities</u>, an anthology of six stories, marks my second stand-alone publication. For this adventure I went down the road of the paranormal and supernatural, so it’s a bit of a departure from my first anthology, <u>Remnant</u>, in terms of subject matter.</b> But, as I’ve said in several places, I enjoy the challenge of going in different directions and trying something at least a little bit different as I move from story to story.</span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Oddities & Entities</u> explores the conflicts that arise when our everyday world brushes up against states of nature normally hidden from common perception. Through trial comes truth and, for the characters of <u>Oddities & Entities</u>, it is the inner truth of their varied states of existence. As the old wisdom goes, it's difficult to perceive ourselves in full until we are somewhat displaced from our inner perceptions of the world. It’s not an easy thing to do. Hence the symbolic context of the cover: the turbulence of water meeting land, the darkness of light broken by the glow of the moon rather than the sun, reality illuminated by blue twilight rather than golden sunlight. States of nature coexist, even as they are at odds with each other.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <u>O&E</u>, and the stories encompassed therein, came together in roughly two years’ time. Unlike the stories of my first book, <u>Remnant</u>, which found their way together over a rather protracted period of time, and without any forethought to link them in an anthology, I wrote the stories of <u>O&E</u> with a steadily increasing clarity as to thematic context. Starting with "Boneview", my interest in pursuing the strange world around us from different perspectives stoked the fires of my imagination and afforded a fresh wave of ideas. Once "Boneview", "My Other Me", and "Gray" were all in hand, I then began to consciously consider the notion of a second anthology. I knew I needed two, perhaps three, more novellas to flesh out such an anthology, and fortunately there was no shortage of ideas to work with. "Appendage" was next to reach completion. With its more philosophical aspects, it seemed most appropriate as the closing tale of the anthology’s arc. So last but not least came "Elmer Phelps" and, with that in place, I felt the anthology was complete. I never had any doubt as to the title I would choose: I felt that not only is "Oddities & Entities" a bit of a catchy title, but that it suitably describes the landscape in which much of the book dwells.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">TLC Book Tour schedule:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 17.72569465637207px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black;">Tuesday, October 1st: </span><a href="http://www.hopelessbibliophile.com/2013/10/book-review-oddities-and-entities.html" style="background-color: white; color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile</a></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 17.72569465637207px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black;">Wednesday, October 2nd: </span><a href="http://wordsmithonia.blogspot.com/2013/10/oddities-entities-by-roland-allnach.html" style="background-color: white; color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Wordsmithonia</a></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 17.72569465637207px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black;">Tuesday, October 8th: </span><a href="http://msnoseinabook.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Ms. Nose in a Book</a></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 17.72569465637207px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black;">Wednesday, October 9th: </span><a href="http://tiffanysbookshelf.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Tiffany’s Bookshelf</a></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 17.72569465637207px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black;">Thursday, October 10th: </span><a href="http://thereadershollow.wordpress.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">The Reader’s Hollow</a></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 17.72569465637207px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black;">Friday, October 11th: </span><a href="http://nomoregrumpybookseller.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">No More Grumpy Bookseller</a></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 17.72569465637207px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black;">Monday, October 14th: </span><a href="http://www.boundbywords.org/" style="background-color: white; color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">BoundbyWords</a></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 17.72569465637207px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black;">Tuesday, October 15th: </span><a href="http://sweetsouthernhome.wordpress.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Sweet Southern Home</a></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 17.72569465637207px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black;">Wednesday, October 16th:</span><span style="background-color: white;"> <a href="http://familycorner.blogspot.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Diary of a Stay at Home Mom </a></span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 17.72569465637207px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black;">Thursday, October 17th: </span><a href="http://bibliophiliaplease.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Bibliophilia, Please!</a></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 17.72569465637207px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black;">Monday, October 21st: </span><a href="http://www.pingwings.ca/" style="background-color: white; color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Pingwing’s Bookshelf</a></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 17.72569465637207px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black;">Tuesday, October 22nd: </span><a href="http://theoctobercountry.wordpress.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">October Country</a></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 17.72569465637207px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black;">Thursday, October 24th:</span><a href="http://www.fromthetbrpile.blogspot.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: black;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">From the TBR Pile</span></a></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 17.72569465637207px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black;">Monday, October 28th:</span><span style="background-color: white;"> <a href="http://www.luxuryreading.com/" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Luxury Reading</a></span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; line-height: 17.72569465637207px; padding: 10px;">
<span style="background-color: black;">Tuesday, October 29th: </span><a href="http://strandupdate.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #003366; text-decoration: none;">Sara’s Organized Chaos</a></div>
Roland Allnachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14135134975294896057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886213786848186744.post-81515223411707641352013-03-15T17:03:00.001-04:002013-10-12T09:28:43.396-04:00March-ing Onward<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, here we are in March.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Time has zipped by once again, but that's okay. Things have been busy, busy, with all my writing efforts, which in the last few weeks have consisted of a number of guest blog posts and a few upcoming guest blog posts. So, rather than posting some of my little essays as the months move forward, I will be bringing those guest posts home.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the meantime, I have good news to share.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>First off, </b>the Spring literary awards season is under way, and I'm thrilled that I've received one honor right out of the gate. <u>Oddities & Entities</u> has placed as a Finalist in the Horror category of the prestigious ForeWord Reviews 2012 Book of the Year Awards. Final award placement will be announced in the coming months (I'll have to hold my breath until then). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://botya.forewordreviews.com/finalists/2012/horror/" style="background-color: lime;">ForeWord Reviews 2012 Awards</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Second, </b>I received a very nice review for <u>Oddities & Entities</u> from 'The Paranoid Gamer', a blog which gave <u>O&E</u> a feature spot. Comprehensive, and a proper blend and balance of subjective and objective critique, Mr. Flatt's review should be a model for writing reviews. Check it out here:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://theparanoidgamer.com/product-spotlight-oddities-and-entities-by-roland-allnach/" style="background-color: lime;">The Paranoid Gamer/'Oddities & Entities' Spotlight</a></b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Third, </b>I'm almost done with my manuscript prep for my third book, <b><u>Prism</u>. </b>For this outing I want to show some of my narrative range through different expressions in genre and written word. Say what? Well, it's a fancy way of saying that half the book will consist of my published short fiction, and the other half will be all new fiction. I think it should make a nice follow up for readers who are discovering my writing through my various publicity efforts. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And, with that said, here's a book tour link update:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've updated the link list on an earlier post, but I simply haven't had time to keep both my website and this blog current. So, to even the field, here's the current book tour rundown. All the links for 'posted' events are specific to the blog pages with my event content.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Monday,
February 4</strong> – Interview at
<a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/interview-with-roland-allnach-every-successful-author-has-a-story-of-trials" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">
Examiner</span></a> <span style="background-color: black; font-size: x-small;">
(POSTED)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Tuesday,
February 5</strong> – Interview at
<a href="http://thewriterslife.blogspot.com/2013/02/interview-with-roland-allnach-author-of.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">The Writer’s Life</span></a>
<span style="background-color: black; font-size: x-small;">
(POSTED)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Wednesday,
February 6</strong> – Interview at<a href="http://lauriethoughts-reviews.blogspot.com/2013/02/oddities-entities-by-roland-allnach.html#more" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">
Laurie’s Paranormal Thoughts and Reviews</span></a>
<span style="background-color: black; font-size: x-small;">
(POSTED)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Thursday,
February 7</strong> – Guest Blogging at
<a href="http://www.lorisreadingcorner.com/2013/02/guest-postvirtual-tour-roland-allnach.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Lori’s Reading Corner</span></a>
<span style="background-color: black; font-size: x-small;">
(POSTED)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Friday,
February 8</strong> – Interview a<a href="http://www.booksbooksthemagicalfruit.blogspot.com/2013/02/author-interview-oddities-entities-by.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">t
Books Books the Magical Fruit</span></a> <span style="background-color: black; font-size: x-small;">
(POSTED)</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Tuesday,
February 12</strong> – Guest Blogging at
<a href="http://www.delphinareadstoomuch.com/2013/02/oddities-entities-by-roland-allnach.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Delphina Reads Too Much</span></a>
<span style="background-color: black; font-size: x-small;">
(POSTED)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Thursday,
February 14</strong> – Interview at
<a href="http://blogcritics.org/books/article/book-review-oddities-and-entities-by/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Blogcritics</span></a>
<span style="background-color: black; font-size: x-small;">
(POSTED)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Friday,
February 15</strong> – Interview at<a href="http://bookmarketingbuzz.com/2013/02/15/book-publishing-secrets-a-conversation-with-roland-allnach/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">
Book Marketing Buzz</span></a>
<span style="background-color: black; font-size: x-small;">(POSTED)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Monday,
February 18</strong> – Guest Blogging at
<a href="http://www.preciousmonsters.com/2013/02/roland-allnach-oddities-entities-guest.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Precious Monsters</span></a>
<span style="background-color: black; font-size: x-small;">(POSTED)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Tuesday,
February 19</strong> – First Chapter Reveal at
<a href="http://asthepagesturn.wordpress.com/2013/02/19/first-chapter-reveal-oddities-entities-by-roland-allnach/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">As the Pages Turn</span></a>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: black;">(POSTED)</span><br />
</span>
<strong>Tuesday,
February 19</strong> – Interview at<a href="http://literarilyspeaking.net/2013/02/13/blog-tour-interview-with-roland-allnach-author-of-oddities-entities/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">
Literarily Speaking</span></a>
<span style="background-color: black; font-size: x-small;">
(POSTED)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Wednesday,
February 20</strong> – Interview at
<a href="http://asthepagesturn.wordpress.com/2013/02/20/a-conversation-with-roland-allnach-author-of-oddities-entities/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">As the Pages Turn</span></a>
<span style="background-color: black; font-size: x-small;">
(POSTED)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Thursday,
February 21</strong> –
First Chapter Reveal at
<a href="http://beyondthebooks.wordpress.com/2013/02/20/read-a-chapter-oddities-entities-by-roland-allnach/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Beyond the Books</span></a>
<span style="background-color: black; font-size: x-small;">
(POSTED)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Friday,
February 22</strong> – Interview at
<a href="http://reviewfromhere.com/2013/02/22/interview-with-roland-allnach-author-of-oddities-and-entities/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Review From Here</span></a>
<span style="background-color: black; font-size: x-small;">
(POSTED)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Monday,
February 25</strong> – Interview at
<a href="http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/2013/02/24/pump-up-your-book-chats-with-oddities-entities-roland-allnach/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Pump Up Your Book</span></a>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
<span style="background-color: black;">
(POSTED)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Monday, March 4</strong>
– Book Review at
<a href="http://www.lauries-interviews.blogspot.com/" modo="false" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">
Laurie’s Paranormal Thoughts and Reviews</span></a>
<span style="background-color: black;">(Review
forthcoming)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Tuesday, March
5</strong> – Guest Blogging at
<a href="http://thestorybehindthebook.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/the-story-behind-oddities-entities-by-roland-allnach/" modo="false" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">The Story Behind the Book</span></a>
<span style="background-color: black; font-size: x-small;">
(POSTED)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Wednesday,
March 6</strong> – Interview at
<a href="http://bookexcerpts.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/up-close-personal-roland-allnach-oddities-entities/" modo="false" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Between the Covers</span></a>
<span style="background-color: black; font-size: x-small;">
(POSTED)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Thursday, March
7</strong> – Book Review & Book Giveaway at
<a href="http://www.urbangirlreader.com/2013/03/oddities-entities-by-roland-allnach.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Urban Girl Reader</span></a>
<span style="background-color: black; font-size: x-small;">
(POSTED)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Friday, March
8</strong> – Book Review at
<a href="http://www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com/2013/03/oddities-entities-by-roland-allnach.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Deal Sharing Aunt</span></a>
<span style="background-color: black; font-size: x-small;">
(POSTED)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Monday, March
11</strong> – Book Review at
<a href="http://hezzi-dsbooksandcooks.blogspot.com/2013/03/oddities-entities-by-roland-allnach.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks</span></a>
<span style="background-color: black; font-size: x-small;">
(POSTED)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Tuesday, March
12</strong> – Interview at<a href="http://beyondthebooks.wordpress.com/2013/03/11/interview-with-roland-allnach-i-learned-that-good-criticism-encourages-a-work-to-be-better/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">
Beyond the Books</span></a>
<span style="background-color: black; font-size: x-small;">
(POSTED)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Wednesday,
March 13</strong> – Guest Blogging at
<a href="http://www.moonlightlacemayhem.blogspot.com/2013/03/oddities-and-entities-blog-tour.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Moonlight Lace & Mayhem</span></a>
<span style="background-color: black; font-size: x-small;">
(POSTED)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: black;"><b>Thursday, March 14 </b>-
Guest Blogging at
<a href="http://www.thepaperbackpursuer.blogspot.com/2013/03/guestpost-roland-allnach-on-oddies.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">
The Paperback Pursuer</span></a> </span><span style="background-color: black;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
(POSTED)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: black;">Friday, March 15 </b><span style="background-color: black;">-
Excerpt Reveal at
</span><a href="http://www.engelsigh.blogspot.com/2013/03/first-chapter-release-oddities-entities.html" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">
Waiting on Sunday to Drown</span></a><span style="background-color: black;"> </span><span style="background-color: black;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
(POSTED)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Monday, March
18</strong> – Guest Blogging at
<a href="http://www.bibliophiliaplease.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">
Bibliophilia, Please</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Tuesday, March
19</strong> – Book Review at
<a href="http://www.beauty-in-ruins.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">
Beauty in Ruins</span></a> <br />
<b>Tuesday, March 19 </b>-- Guest Blogging at
<a href="http://www.fantasy-pages.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">
Fantasy Pages</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Wednesday,
March 20</strong> – Book Review at
<a href="http://www.coziecorner.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">
My Cozy Corner</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>
Thursday, March 21</b> -- Book Review at
<a href="http://rubyandthetwins.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">
Emeraldfire's Bookmark</span></a><br />
<b>Thursday, March 21 </b>-- Interview at
<a href="http://www.thewriterslife.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">
The Writer's Life</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Friday, March
22</strong> – Guest Blogging at
<a href="http://www.literalexposure.com/" modo="false" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">
Literal Exposure</span></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Monday, March 25</strong> – Interview at
<a href="http://www.broowaha.com/" modo="false" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">
Broowaha</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Monday, March 25</b> --
Review at
<a href="http://www.mustreadfaster.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">
Must Read Faster</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>
Tuesday, March 26</b> -- Guest blogging at
<a href="http://rubyandthetwins.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">
Emeraldfire's Bookmark</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Friday, March 28</strong> – Interview at
<a href="http://www.americanchronicle.com/" modo="false" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">
American Chronicle</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Friday, March 28</b> --
Guest Blogging at
<a href="http://www.the-top-shelf.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">
The Top Shelf</span></a></span><br />
<br />
<br />Roland Allnachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14135134975294896057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886213786848186744.post-89438442984575592682013-02-18T09:17:00.001-05:002013-10-12T09:29:46.177-04:00Precious Monsters: Roland Allnach: Oddities and Entities, Guest Post<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.preciousmonsters.com/2013/02/roland-allnach-oddities-entities-guest.html?spref=bl"><span style="color: lime;">Precious Monsters: Roland Allnach: Oddities and Entities, Guest Post</span></a>: Putting Some Groove in the Ghouls: One Author’s Perspective by Roland Allnach Any story that involves a sense of mystery revolves aro...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And, as a recap, here are specific links for my virtual book tour stops through today:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>2/4: </b>Interview at <a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/interview-with-roland-allnach-every-successful-author-has-a-story-of-trials" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Examiner</span></a>.<br /><b>2/5: </b>Interview at <a href="http://thewriterslife.blogspot.com/2013/02/interview-with-roland-allnach-author-of.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">The Writer’s Life</span></a><br /><b>2/6: </b>Interview at<a href="http://lauriethoughts-reviews.blogspot.com/2013/02/oddities-entities-by-roland-allnach.html#more" target="_blank"> <span style="color: lime;">Laurie’s Paranormal Thoughts and Reviews</span></a><br /><b>2/7: </b>Guest Blogging at <a href="http://www.lorisreadingcorner.com/2013/02/guest-postvirtual-tour-roland-allnach.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Lori’s Reading Corner</span></a> - '<i>Creating an Anthology</i>'<br /><b>2/8: </b>Interview a<a href="http://www.booksbooksthemagicalfruit.blogspot.com/2013/02/author-interview-oddities-entities-by.html" target="_blank">t <span style="color: lime;">Books Books the Magical Fruit</span></a><br /><b>2/12: </b>Guest Blogging at <a href="http://www.delphinareadstoomuch.com/2013/02/oddities-entities-by-roland-allnach.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Delphina Reads Too Much</span></a> - '<i>Where, oh where, do all the strange things live</i>?'<br /><b>2/15: </b>Interview at<a href="http://bookmarketingbuzz.com/2013/02/15/book-publishing-secrets-a-conversation-with-roland-allnach/" target="_blank"> <span style="color: lime;">Book Marketing Buzz</span></a><br /><b>2/18: </b>Guest Blogging at <a href="http://www.preciousmonsters.com/2013/02/roland-allnach-oddities-entities-guest.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">Precious Monsters</span></a> - <i>'Putting Some Groove in the Ghouls'</i></span>Roland Allnachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14135134975294896057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4886213786848186744.post-8780676514938293012013-02-06T09:41:00.003-05:002013-10-12T09:30:32.947-04:00The blog tour continues<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The blog tour continues...the bus has rolled over to two more blogs:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Check out my interview over at <a href="http://thewriterslife.blogspot.com/2013/02/interview-with-roland-allnach-author-of.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">'The Writer's Life'</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Check out another interview over at <a href="http://lauriethoughts-reviews.blogspot.com/2013/02/oddities-entities-by-roland-allnach.html#more" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">'Laurie's Thoughts and Reviews'</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On a related note, I will be appearing on Senior Voice America's radio show, 'Health, Wealth, & Wellness' this Wednesday, 2/6 at 5:10pm. The show has been archived at the Senior Voice website <a href="http://seniorvoiceamerica.com/2013/02/06/from-apple-day-keeping-bad-breath-away/" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">(here)</span></a>; my segment starts on the streaming player at minute 65 and runs through minute 78.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vLLrDDxpqjQ/URJsrYayXtI/AAAAAAAAAFw/B53dJegcZSo/s1600/HWW_LOGO_CIRCLE_1470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vLLrDDxpqjQ/URJsrYayXtI/AAAAAAAAAFw/B53dJegcZSo/s200/HWW_LOGO_CIRCLE_1470.jpg" width="196" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Roland Allnachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14135134975294896057noreply@blogger.com0