A chat with veteran book critic, Alan Caruba

Today we chat with Alan Caruba, who has been reviewing books for more than forty years. I submitted my novel, Greco's Game, for Alan's consideration only to hear back that he was unable to accept because of time constraints.

So it made me want to know more about Alan. I mean, there are two sides to this complex dance between author and critic. Mine as the author is that I've worked for a year on this one project. In other words: I've had tunnel vision while toiling to profile, outline, create, and edit, edit, edit the manuscript into a finished product that I hope impresses not only my publisher, but the Alan Carubas of this world, who in turn will publish a review that makes people who don't know me from a stump want to order my book (as well as reinforce the loyalty shown me by those friends and fans who do know me from a stump).

Then there is Alan's side of the story as he gets hit by an avalanche of requests from authors like me.

So I asked Alan what it was like being, well, Alan Caruba. And Alan was gracious enough to share a window peek into his life.

1) Okay, seriously, Alan: how can one person do so much? Not only have you provided editorial services to think tanks, public relations and public affairs agencies around the nation, but you’re a published journalist and novelist who’s been profiled numerous times as the nation’s expert on boredom and its impact on individuals and society. You also founded The National Anxiety Center as a clearinghouse for information about scare campaigns designed to influence public policy and opinion on a wide variety of issues. You write a daily column, “Warning Signs” (http://factsnotfantasy.blogspot.com/), that’s disseminated around the world. You’re a frequent guest on radio shows throughout the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. You’re a daily contributor to Canada Free Press (http://canadafreepress.com/), an influential news and opinion website, where you regularly examine issues such as national security, politics, education, immigration, Islamic fundamentalism, and popular culture. You’re also a founding member of the National Book Critics Circle, and you maintain a monthly book review site, “Bookviews” (http://bookviewsbyalancaruba.blogspot.com.au/), which examines the best in new fiction and non-fiction. What is a typical day for you, and are copious amounts of coffee required?

The short answer is that I am 74 years of age and what you describe are aspects of a long life spent putting my interests and talents to work on things that interest, amuse, or evoke serious concern on my part. I write a commentary of about 1,000 words or so every day because I am a polymath, interested in a broad range of topics from politics to science, environmentalism to education, Islam to history, and much more. I do so with considerable ease insofar as I began as a reporter in the early 1960s and one acquires the necessary skill to research topics rapidly and write about them against deadlines.

(2) The fact that you have reviewed books for over forty years presupposes a love of reading. How did it begin for you? Was there someone in your life who was instrumental in fostering that love of reading?

I grew up in a home where books filled the rooms. Both my parents were avid readers, and my Mother wrote three books as an international expert on haute cuisine and wines. They also read the newspaper daily. Reading for me has always been pure pleasure. I read at a rapid pace and retain much of what I read. 

(3) The fact that you’re a veteran writer enables you to bring an experienced eye to the review process. Focusing for the moment on fiction, what do you look for in a novel? 

Oddly enough, I have never been a big reader of fiction. What I want, frankly, is a story that grabs me from the first page and never lets go. I want well-formed characters and a story that tells me something about people and cultures I have not otherwise encountered. Lots of people write novels these days. Few have the God-given talent to do it well. 

(4) I know time constraints require you to refuse many review requests. How long does it take to review a book? 

I read the books in the My Picks of the Month section of my monthly report, Bookviews.com, though some are included because they are entertaining or unique and get a brief perusal. The books on history and serious topics get read cover to cover. Since my reviews are brief, it doesn't take long. The rest of the report is based on experience and a perusal of the book to determine that it is well organized, offers useful information, and can prove helpful to the reader. 

As a reviewer, the growth of self-published books has put a strain on many in my trade, largely because many are quite poorly written. That said, there are a lot of books from publishers, large and small, that make me wonder why they bothered. The switch to digital books is one I will not make for reasons of age and preference to hold a book in my hands. In addition to history and science, I have a fondness for coffee table books that are big, full of art and photography, and delight the mind and senses. 

(5) Have the demands of reviewing books diminished your simple love of reading?

No, reading for me is far more fun that mindlessly watching TV. I do watch, but it's usually something educational or news. I like to watch boxing as a sport and diversion, but not other sports. I will ignore the Olympics for the most part.

(6) Do you ever read just to relax, and if so, what kind of books do you read?

For me, reading is not about relaxing. It's about learning. The world is a very complex place and I am forever trying to understand it and the history of nations, cultures, etc. That said, I find reading very relaxing.

(7) You’re a charter member of the National Book Critics Circle, which was founded in New York in 1974 with the purpose of honoring outstanding writing and fostering a national conversation about reading, criticism and literature. Is there a particularly rewarding moment in your association with the NBCC that allowed you see the impact you’re having?

I have been a member of the NBCC since its founding, but have never taken an active part in it. I keep up with what it does, the books it awards prizes to, etc., but much of what passes for reviewing is a self-congratulatory exercise in demonstrating one's intellect and often one's biases. That part of reviewing doesn't interest me. Sharing news of interesting new books does.

(8) Who serves the best pizza and what is your favorite topping?

I am from New Jersey where they take great pride in making pizzas. I like a slice on occasion, but it's not a food of choice for me so I really don't have a favorite topping. 

(9) What is one item on your “bucket list”?

Having traveled extensively throughout the U.S. in the 1980s, I have visited all its major cities, but I have never been overseas. If I had the money, I would like to visit other nations. It won't happen. I live in a beautiful upscale apartment complex just minutes from the home in which I've lived for 62 years. It was and is a good life, a comfortable routine, and one via the Internet that allows me to interact with people from all over the world. 

ABOUT GRECO'S GAME:

Colonel Aleksandr Talanov -- the “ice man” -- is married to a woman he wishes he could love. But he can’t, and it's an ugly consequence of his training with the KGB. Even so, no one should have to experience what Talanov experiences: the brutal murder of his wife in front of his eyes.

Wracked with guilt and suspected of plotting her death, Talanov spirals downward on a path of self-destruction. He should have been killed, not her.  He was the one whose violent past would not leave them alone. Months tick by and Talanov hits rock bottom on the mean streets of Los Angeles, where he meets a hooker named Larisa, who drugs and robs him.

But in the seedy world of prostitution and human trafficking ruled by the Russian mafia, this hooker made the big mistake of stealing the ice man’s wallet. In it was Talanov’s sole possession of value: his wedding photo. Talanov tracks Larisa down to get that photo because it reminds him of everything that should have been but never was, and never would be because an assassin’s bullet had mistakenly killed his wife.

Or was it a mistake?

The answer lies in Greco’s Game, a chess match played in 1619 that is famous for its Queen sacrifice and checkmate in only eight moves. In an unusual alliance, Talanov and Larisa team up to begin unraveling the mystery of what Talanov’s old KGB chess instructor regarded as the most brilliant example of how to trap and kill an opponent.

The question is: who was the target?


More information, along with sneak peeks and the entire first chapter, can be found in the Books section of James Houston Turner's website (www.jameshoustonturner.com). More information can be found on the official Greco's Game Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/GrecosGame). James and his wife, Wendy, live in Adelaide, South Australia.

James Houston Turner's Book Cover Photo. Which One???

Friends, Romans, Countrymen...lend me your eyes. I need help choosing an author photo for the cover of my upcoming suspense thriller, Department Thirteen.

As many of you know, I'm pretty self-conscious -- at times terrified -- when it comes to the camera. Especially the flash. Which seems to highlight the facial distortions of my 1991 cancer operation at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. But I'm alive and married to the girl of my dreams. And my publisher, Comfort Publishing, is about to bring you a series of thrillers inspired by my experiences as a smuggler behind the old Iron Curtain. So I'm not one to complain.

Nevertheless, when Comfort's Director of Author Relations, Kristy Huddle, told me I needed a photo for the book cover, I got nervous. So I mentioned this to my good mate -- veteran photographer, Bill Rich -- who has worked with many of Hollywood's A-list. Bill is an absolute genius when it comes to the camera, so we spent an afternoon together in Los Angeles doing a photo shoot. Bill knows how to provoke, coach, guide and goad subjects into giving him just the right look. And believe me, I took some goading.

Bill took over 200 images that afternoon, and together we went through them. We tossed out the lousy ones and kept eighty or so good ones, which I've edited into a shortlist, which I've posted below.

So I'd like you to vote on which photo (or photos) you think best represents me as an author. None of the ones below are vastly different from the others. The differences are subtle. I discarded some otherwise good shots because I didn't feel they were "author" shots. I know author photos are supposed to have some kind of "X" factor -- whatever that is -- and maybe one of these photos does. Maybe not. Regardless, I'd like you to help me decide which one is best. Simply click the "Like" button at the bottom of your favorite image here on the blog site. For my Facebook friends, please cast your votes here so that I can forward the stats to my publisher. Feel free to leave comments as well, as I welcome all input into this decision.

I'd also like you to share this page with your Facebook friends, to get their votes. As you can tell, I'm a little nervous about all of this. But the book -- and one of these photos -- will be going international, so I'd really like to know what people think. There's a bar of icons at the bottom for Facebook and other social networking sites. Just click the icon and post a link to your friends with a request for their assistance in helping me select which photo is best for a book cover. Thank you!!! Here is the selection:

In the Beginning...

I was asked recently what influenced me to become an author of suspense thrillers. I had been asked that question before, so I was ready with my standard answer about how I began writing at the age of ten. 


But then I thought: why did I begin writing at the age of ten? The question stumped me.

So I began at the beginning and thought back to those halcyon days of childhood. For me, it was a time of curiosity about the complexity and diversity of the world. A time of wonder, pranks, invention, country roads, and old deserted houses. Imagination ran wild. I scouted ravines for arrowheads. I took apart clocks to see what made them tick. I had a chemistry lab in our basement. A photo lab in my closet. I dug tunnels and built tree houses and blazed trails through the forested hills outside that small university town in Eastern Kansas, where I was born. I made rafts and swam in lakes. I restored an old multi-band radio and listened to strange languages from all over the world. I had wonderful parents, inspirational teachers, and a foundation of unconditional love.

But as I thought about all that, I realized it was my grandfather, Fred Florance -- "Pop" -- who inspired me to become a storyteller. That's because he was one of the originals himself.

Fred Florance (front, left) and his brothers.

Pop was born near Dallas, Texas, in 1879. He was one of eight children born to Civil War veteran, George Alvis Florance, and his young wife, Charlotte Johnson Florance. Pop loved swimming, and as a boy living in Arkansas, used to swim a mile every day in the White River. He loved working among the Native Americans of Oklahoma, and he spoke fluent Osage. He was a gambler who won and lost large sums of money. He eventually owned a tavern near Kansas City, where he played cards and shot craps with Harry Truman, Tom Pendergast, and Frank James, older brother of the notorious outlaw, Jesse James. So I grew up on Pop's stories about his life, his travels, and his adventures.

One such story involved moving in a covered wagon from Waverly, Kansas, in 1904, to Indian Territory, Oklahoma, when my mom was an infant. After swimming a swollen river with my mom wrapped in a blanket, Pop laid my mom on the other bank and swam back to lead the team of horses and wagon across. In the wagon was Pop's young wife, Aria, my grandmother. Once they were across, they set up camp on the bank of the river.

In those days, it was customary to give strangers who rode into camp a cup of coffee and food, which was usually salt pork and beans. Picture a starlit night on the banks of a river with a small fire crackling. The horses were grazing quietly and Aria was in the wagon nursing my mother. And suddenly, out of the darkness rode a tall stranger wearing a six-gun.

Actor Alfred Molina

When I recall this story I think of the actor, Alfred Molina, from the film, Maverick. A rough and tough character. Intense dark eyes. A scowl -- almost a snarl -- on his face. Dirty. Stinky. And packing a huge Colt .45. You know the kind I'm talking about. I have no idea if the stranger actually looked like Alfred Molina in that film. Pop never described him in much detail other than to say he was a big, rough-looking guy.

The stranger asked if he could have a cup of coffee. Now, Pop stood six-foot-one, and said he was afraid of no one. And if he actually was afraid, he would never let on. So he offered the stranger some beans and coffee. No fancy French plunger coffee, either, but the kind that had been boiled for an hour in a tin pot at the edge of a campfire.

To set the stage for you here: Pop and Aria had just sold the farm in Kansas and had a substantial amount of money with them in the wagon. But Pop was concerned the rough-looking stranger might rob them if he let on. So he made up a story about how broke they were, how he had a sick wife and baby in the wagon, and how they were heading down into Indian Territory to try and make a go of it. On and on Pop went, detailing their troubles. Finally, the stranger said, "That is the saddest story I've ever heard. I only have one dollar to my name, but I want you to have it." The stranger dug in his pocket, took out a silver dollar, and gave it to Pop before thanking him for the beans and coffee and riding off into the night.

Pop said he never hated to take a man's last dollar so much in his life. But he was afraid to tell him the truth -- that he had made up the entire story -- for fear the stranger really would rob them.

So if you wonder where I get my propensity for spinning wild yarns and telling tall tales, I got it from Pop. And like Pop, I get a lot of my story ideas from the life I've lived. From what I've experienced.

Incidentally, Pop gave me that silver dollar -- an 1884 Morgan -- and I still have it. It's worn and not worth much apart from its priceless contribution to my beginning as a writer.

Q4U: Was there a defining moment in your life that inspired you in a particular direction?