The Soul Collector (review and interview)

I just finished The Soul Collectors by Charles Quince.
In a college town there is a couple who offers the answers to any problem you may have.
Hope has been working all her life to get what she wants. Now that she is about to graduate from college, will she get the job she has been striving for? Hope is afraid that all she has done might not be enough, when Kim tells her about the local couple that can look into the future. Hope makes an appointment with the couple, Winston and Mildred, and they offer her a book and stylus that she can use to rewrite the future.
Peter is a single father who has earned a scholarship to a great college and he is trying to better himself so he can provide for his son. He works all the time and between school and his job, he is exhausted. Kim tells him about the couple and how they may be able to help. Peter is offered a wallet that will provide what he needs.
Winston and Mildred offer items to help the people in this town, but there are consequences to choices that are made. Can each one live with those consequences?

I loved the concept of this book. We all wish life could be easier and that we could just have some answers once in a while. We have free-will but would seeing the future influence that? When do our choices and desires affect the lives of others? This book gives us a peek into what might happen if we were given advantages over others. It is a short read, only 78 pages, but its a good one. The book does jump from one character to another with out any indication that it did so, but when you realize that, it is easy enough to follow.

I give it a 4 out of 5


Charles Quince graciously agreed to an interview So here are the questions I had and his answers:

I thought this was a great concept and really enjoyed the book. Is this your first book?

Yes, this is my first novel.

Is there a story behind the concept of this book?

The genesis for this book came from my childhood. When I was a kid my grandfather used to tell these urban legends, which to me were more real than legend. Anyway, at the end of one of his “stories” he told me “remember, whatever you wish for you have to be prepared for the consequences”. For some reason that one statement stood out in my mind for years and came front and center when I decided to write my first novel.

There seem to be an underlying current of part mythology and part religion. Is this intentional?

The theme regarding mythology and religion is intentional. What you have to understand is that mythology figure prominently in most religions, and most mythology is tied to at least one religion. The reason that I selected this theme is the fact that both mythology and religion reveal fundamental truths and insights about human nature often through the use of archetypes.

Each person that went to the reading and received a “gift” to shape their own destiny. What gift would tempt you?

I would likely have been enticed by the “Book of Power”. With this tool, the possibilities are endless.

Are you influenced by any other authors or do you march to the beat of your own drum?

Without a doubt, Stephen King and Poe are the two main authors that have influenced me the most.

What do you consider to be your best accomplishment?

Publishing my novel and receiving my law degree.

If there is one thing you want your readers to come away with, what would it be?

The one thing that my novel really focuses on is desire and consequences. We, as mortal being, have hopes, dreams, and desires. However, when these elements collide with reality the results can be devastating. We all make choices about our lives, the thing is can we live with the consequences that comes with our choices? So, the one thing that my readers should be aware of is be careful what you wish for. Sometimes the price is very high to see your dreams come true.

Are you working on anything now?

At the present moment I am finishing up the course work for my MLS and whenever time permits doing research for my next novel.

Will we see these characters again?

Absolutely, there’s a lot of unfinished business that needs to be taken care of and David is not the sort of person to sit back and allow bad things to happen. It’s not in his emotional make-up.

Anything else you would like to share with the readers (of the blog)?

I would like the readers to know that I enjoyed writing this novel, and I will be entertaining them with another one in the near future

Best Quotable Movies featuring Billy Crystal

I have decided that I should do another "best quotable movies" , the Billy Crystal edition!!

Three of my all time favorite movies star Mr. Crystal. His lines and deliveries are classic. Not all of the quotes are Billy Crysal's though, the other actors in these have some great lines too. Also, I know he has been in many other great movies, but this edition is only about my favorite ones.

Again, as I said in Best Quotable Movies Part 1, these movies have some of the greatest lines that you should commit to memory and whenever possible, you should quote them.


When Harry Met Sally (1989)

This classic is one of the best movies ever! I am sure everyone knows of the orgasm scene.

"Right now everything is great, everyone is happy, everyone is in love and that is wonderful. But you gotta know that sooner or later you're gonna be screaming at each other about who's gonna get this dish. This eight dollar dish will cost you a thousand dollars in phone calls to the legal firm of That's Mine, This Is Yours."

"But I'd like the pie heated and I don't want the ice cream on top, I want it on the side, and I'd like strawberry instead of vanilla if you have it, if not then no ice cream just whipped cream but only if it's real; if it's out of the can then nothing." !ADVISORY!(do not quote this when you are really ordering food, I have served and bad things will happen to your food before you get it...just saying.)

"But I would be proud to partake of your pecan pie."

This should be said whenever anyone says the word "pecan" and it should be said like Billy said it here:








Running Scared (1986)

Great action/comedy a la Bad Boys.
If you have not seen this movie, by all means, get yourself netflix and rent this one!!


"Oh?! Hablo Smith and Wesson? You have the right to remain dead! Anything you do will be used against you. You have the right to a coroner. If you cannot afford one we will appoint a medical examiner for you."

"Listen Snake, here's the situation: I have this gun here. Now I'm gonna take this gun out and I'm gonna shoot a lot of holes in the door. If you are standing in front of the door, what can I say, some of those holes are going to be in you."


"Detective Sigliano? Hi, my name is Pinky, and I used to inform for Hughes and Costanzo but they don' pay me no mo'... Oh, no! You see, I'm watching the new "Jeopardy!" and a man just lost a Bible question because he did not know what Deuteronomy wa-as... Anyway, I want you guys to get Gonzalez and show up Hughes and Costanzo 'cause they don' pay me no mo', 'n I'm ma-ad!"
Again this one should be said like Billy says it here:




The Princess Bride (1987)

Ok, this one didn't "star" Billy. He just had a cameo. Still, one of my top favorite movies and a classic.

"As you wish" You say this when you really mean "I love you"

"My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

"INCONCEIVABLE!"

"Have fun storming the castle!"

"You mock my pain!"

"You mocked me once, never do it again! I died that day."

Too Tall Alice

Too Tall Alice, by Barbara Worton, is a children's book about Alice who is 4 inches taller than all the other girls in her class.
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Her parents have friends over to play cards one night. While trying to go to sleep she hears her parents talking about her. "She's a string bean, a twig...." Alice worries that she will always be too tall but if she doesn't stay a bean pole her parents wont have enough money to keep a roof over her head. She cries herself to sleep where she meets girls who are tall and confident. She learns in her dream that she isn't a string bean, that she is just the right height. She sees that she can be anything she wants and she wakes up knowing she is perfect the way she is.
.

This is a wonderful book. The illustrations, by Dom Rodi, are great and the story touches a subject that many find hard to deal with, our differences and insecurities. What a great story and a fun read!
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I give this a 5 out of 5.

Not cool.

Dear God,

About that gray eyebrow hair....cute.
Real funny.

The other one, down by you-know-where?

...That was crossin the line.

I am so proud!!

I am at our desktop surfin the net and I can hear my oldest playing music. I just heard Foreigner's "Feels like the First Time". Now I am listening to Def Leppard's "Pyromania". I am so proud. I have raised my kids right! I am always so sad when my kids have friends over and I find out they have never heard of Journey, Styx, or The Scorpions.

Come on parents, it is your duty to pass on the classics. Shame on you.

OMG!! Loverboy is on now. ***tears of happiness***

Communion

We haven't been to church in a long while. Long story, kinda was let down by our previous church, I took it hard and haven't been back. So we went today and they were having communion. While we were sitting there waiting for the "Body" and the "Blood", my oldest turned to me and said:
"Do you have some aspirins I can take with communion?"

It is kosher to wash down aspirin with the "blood of Christ?" I can't take my kids anywhere.

Daemon

What can I say about Daniel Suarez's Daemon. It is a book about war on a completely different level.

Matthew Sobel, the head of CyberStorm entertainment, is the developer of many on-line computer games. The games are warlike, one of which gamers work together to defeat the German army in WWII settings. Sobel has died from a brain tumor, yet hid a daemon (a computer program that runs in the background) to take over the world. The Daemon is autonomous and enlists the help of people who essentially sell their soul to obtain their dreams. One person is a reporter who desperately wants to be one of the top investigative reporters. The Daemon contacts her and uses her to achieve its goal. The Daemon also reaches out to a gamer and a prisoner and uses them to kill people who get in the way. As it takes over businesses the weapons and technology used to take over becomes more and more complex, as gamers walk around with glasses that allow them to see the 3D world in real time and space.

Sounds a little far fetched but not that far off. Certainly plausible that the next war could be fought over the internet, hacking in and taking over. Money makes the world go round and what people will go to, will sometimes make us wonder how trusting we should be of big business.

Some of the scenes in the book were disturbing to say the least. Also, not being tech savvy, some was over my head. It was entertaining though and made me think about how computers can expand and be used to take over. How do we regulate the internet to make sure things do not go to that extreme. The book follows several different story lines and brings us to a climax at the end that is not resolved. Promises of a sequel??? I certainly hope so. I was really upset when I got to the end though. It didn't just leave me thinking "what now?" it let me thinking, "WHAT?!?!" It just stopped, mid-story. So much happened in the book, I wonder if and when the sequel comes out if I will have to go back and reread this one. Far warning would have been nice. It kinda of leaves me perplexed. While it was a thrilling and relatively new ride, how can you end it with not one thing resolved?

I give this a 3 1/2 out of 5, mainly because of the ending.

Baron Thinks Dogs are People Too

I just read the children's book Baron Thinks Dogs are People Too by Laurie Dean. Its about a dog Baron and how he is looking for a best friend. He lives with a family that has a little boy and girl. The boy and girl play with Baron outside and Baron runs for the street. They take him to obedience school. Then the father is called to duty. Then Baron is outside watching the kids playing in the snow. He wishes he has a friend until his little boy is by himself. Baron runs up to him and pulls him on the sled and plays with him. Then Baron has a best friend.

My issue is if the boy was there all along, why weren't they best friends already? Why, out of no where, was the dad called to military service then nothing was said about it? Did he come back? I think there was an issue of coherence and fluidity with this book. The illustrations by Kevin Collier were wonderful but the story was confusing.

Perhaps I am thinking too much for a children's book. If you check on Amazon this book received all 4's and 5's with one 3 star. I just think even though it's a children's book there should be a clear story line that makes sense. This one just didn't deliver for me.

I'd have to give this book a 1 out of 5.