“The Night Crossing” by Robert Masello – Beyond the Shroud of Evil

Robert Masello Reintroduces Bram Stoker

Countless authors have tried to make a name for themselves over the thousands of years humans have known how to write and read, but unfortunately very few succeeded in transcending time, their works staying relevant and revered regardless of the era. Bram Stoker is one of the more modern authors to have achieved this distinction, creating a horror icon in Dracula which still persists strongly to this very day. When one's name becomes so well-entrenched in the annals of history, it becomes tempting to see them as larger-than-life, perfect subjects for works of fiction... something perfectly exemplified in Robert Masello's The Night Crossing.

“The Storyteller's Secret” by Sejal Badani – In the Wake of the Fall

Sejal Badani Brings us to India

Tragedy is a sadly inescapable aspect of existence, but unfortunately it strikes some far harder than others. There are entire philosophies, theories and schools of thought about mending the human mind and helping it recover from the worst of hardships and misfortunes. While we've certainly made progress on this front in recent decades, it remains a topic largely clouded in mystery where we are still far from finding a one-size-fits-all approach. Different people must often find their own ways of dealing with grief, and for some this means rekindling with their cultural roots. At least, this is the approach chosen by the main character in Sejal Badani's The Storyteller's Secret.

Interview with Nina Romano – Inexhaustible Inspirations

While there are a few careers where it is possible to learn everything there is to, authorship fall as far from this category as humanly possible. Virtually every single author, whether they've written a hundred novels or a hundred words, will admit they always have more to learn and new horizons to explore... it's a never-ending journey towards knowledge. Though Nina Romano definitely doesn't hold all the answers, she has been walking on this path since her early years and possesses a certain aptitude which can only come through time and experience: she understands herself within the context of her work better than most others. In our interview with her, we discuss her methodology as an author, how she approaches the writing of a book, and the many milestones she has traversed in her literary life.

“Pronto” by Elmore Leonard – The Sins of the Accountant

Elmore Leonard and the Runaway Bookie

Though logic dictates we ought to be imagining the world of organized crime via large men in suits smoking in dank, poorly-lit basements, the reality is a bit less romantic than that. As it happens, even organized crime wants to stay under the radar and within the confines of the legal world as much as possible, which means they need to have regular civilians working for them. Bookmakers have for a long time now been a favourite “venue of investment” for criminal enterprises, being businesses which can deal in large and irregular amounts of cash. Needless to say, not all bookies came out unscathed from such arrangements. In Pronto by Elmore Leonard, we actually have a bookie who not only works for the mob, but also likes to skim a bit of cash off the top... and the FBI are trying to make him flip over on his boss.

“City of Endless Night” by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child – The Headless of the Metropolis

Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child Craft Another Mystery

Collaborations between authors seems to be an increasingly common practice in the digital age, mostly due to the fact communication has evolved to the stage where it's at. It allows various smaller authors to join forces in hopes of increasing their chances at writing a quality novel and gaining recognition. Perhaps more relevantly to our case, it also opened the door for well-established authors to cooperate in hopes of combining their strengths to create something which would outclass what either of them can do on their own. Douglas Preston and Lee Child have already worked together on some occasions and their works have certainly been on the original side of the spectrum, and recently they have returned to the fore once again with City of Endless Night.

“Where Are They?” by Steven Lazaroff and Mark Rodger – The Search for Spacial Kindred

Steven Lazaroff and Mark Rodger take the Logical Route

Our society has most recently developed its tremendous fascination with outer space, largely due to the fact our observational and communicative technologies have advanced by nigh-incalculable leaps in the past decades. However, the allure of the stars always captured the imagination of our ancestors, even as primitive as cavemen if we are to judge by the paintings they left behind. We have been striving for countless years to gain a few more grains of knowledge on what lies beyond our Earthly realms, and if we take a look at the progress we have made in its totality, we would find it is both extremely significant and insignificant at the same time. We might know a lot more than we once did, but it still remains virtually nothing in the grand scheme of things. Nevertheless, Steven Lazaroff and Mark Rodger have decided to compress this sum of human knowledge into a book titled Where Are They?.

“My Dear Hamilton” by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie - A Woman of the Revolution

Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie Embark Onto the Boat of Revolution

The founding of the United States of America is a history mired in blood, war and scandals of all sorts. A revolution against the British Empire could never truly have been a peaceful affair, and while countless people suffered, they also had the golden opportunity of truly making a difference in the history of the world... an opportunity which a few seized with a death grip. I think it's safe to say the Founding Fathers belong to that group of people, assembling together the political system which would eventually evolve into the country we have today. While much is made of the men behind the constitution, less attention is dedicated to the people surrounding them, especially their wives. In particular, Alexander Hamilton's wife, Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, is more than deserving of her own place in the pages of history, something Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie attempt to give her in their novel titled My Dear Hamilton.

“Gunpowder Moon” by David Pedreira – The First Lunar Murder

David Pedreira's Conspiracy on the Moon

Once upon a time the moon seemed to hold countless mysteries and was the next big step for humanity to take in terms of exploration. The possibilities seemed limitless, and witnessing our cosmonauts traversing the void of space to land on a new rock successfully, albeit a satellite, was nothing short of awe-inspiring.

As our technology grew however, it seems our fascination with our sole natural satellite came to a bit of a standstill; it seemed in the end, it ultimately remains a dusty rock full of craters. However, this doesn't stop it from tingling the imaginations of authors who still look to the stars with inspiration, and at times it gives very interesting results, such as David Pedreira's Gunpowder Moon.

“In America” by Nina Romano – The Great Depression of Dreams

Nina Romano Concludes the Trilogy

When I first laid eyes on the first book of the Wayfarer Trilogy, I will admit I didn't think of it as anything more than a regular romance novel. However, Nina Romano definitely managed to open my eyes to the possibilities laying within the genre, focusing as much on the human nature surrounding love as the phenomenon itself. The second book in the series only improved my desire to finish the trilogy, showcasing Romano's ability to visit new and interesting vistas of humanity while staying on her thematic course. I can only hope other authors out there will take notice of her works and witness the true potential of the romance genre, how it can be so much more than an emotional Sunday night read. I believe the third and final book in the series, titled In America, exemplifies it even more than the previous ones.

“Dreaming At the Top of My Lungs” by Israel Finn – Brief Pictures of Horror

Israel Finn's Cacophony of Terror

The genre of horror, in literature just like in movies, lends itself to some interesting studies, especially when tracing its development through time. What was once considered horrifying has now turned into nothing more than a cliche, and it feels as if boundaries are increasingly difficult to push the further we get into it. I believe it has come to the point where for most people, horror doesn't really scare them any more as much as it startles, grosses out or makes them feel uneasy. We rarely find ourselves truly scared by any fictional work, and if we do it's only temporary as we are introduced to rules and familiar elements which engage rather than terrify us.

“Lemon Blossoms” by Nina Romano – Nothing More Precious than Family

Nina Romano Explores a Different Realm of Love

Love comes in literally all shapes and sizes, one of the few truly formless aspects of life which can create miracles and join people who would have otherwise never noticed each other's presence. Most people who enjoy romance novels would agree to stories of difficult love being the most interesting and engaging ones. It's the type of quest we can all relate to, the one with the potential to make us root for virtually any character; it just touches us on such a profound level we have yet to truly qualify the effect.

As an author, it seems Nina Romano certainly agrees with this line of thinking, or at least it's what her approach to her Wayfarer Trilogy seems to indicate. In the first book of the series, we were introduced to a pair of star-crossed lovers never meant to be together and all the obstacles life threw in their way. In the second book, titled Lemon Blossoms, we witness a different a whole other realm of difficulties which lay on the path to a fulfilling love.

“The Woman in the Woods” by John Connolly – From the Belly of the Beast

Deep into the Woods with John Connolly

Death has always been an integral part of human life, and it should come as no surprise we have developed countless ways to try and deal with its many aspects. As a result, this creates some social expectations which can divide between the natural and unnatural demises. When a person dies, it is expected we'll be able to find out who they were, how it happened, and trace the chain of events which led up until that point.

When we are unable to obtain these answers, what we are generally left facing is an abnormal atrocity, or what we refer to in the world of literature as a mystery. In John Connolly's The Woman in the Woods we get treated to just such an affair, and although at first it begins to seem like a very normal excursion it becomes increasingly apparent something rotten is at play.