Frog Tales

Posted By Scott on May 8, 2009

A nice review came through from the Associated Content website:

“Skillfully blends history, suspense and witchcraft and stitches it together with delicate threads and love and romance to create a dazzling and compelling fabric . . . when I finished it I was sad it was over, but also glad to have read something so amazing.”  www.associatedcontent.com/article/1191547/king_of_nod_by_scott_fad.html?cat=38

Had a pleasant book signing at the Oxford, Pennsyvlania Arts Stroll last Friday evening, and looking forward to meeting with a book club in Delaware Count, PA next week.  They promise to feed me.  If it’s an open bar, so much the better.

Sorry for not posting much recently.  Work is now in earnest on the follow-up novel: Unbound.  I hope to post a few pages here in the near future to give you a tease.

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Posted By Scott on April 14, 2009

Had a very enjoyable time signing books in the Carolina Lowcountry last week.  It was fun to see King of Nod show up on the “Local Interest” shelves.  Hard to tell what was more responsible for the great draw - the local thing or Bobby Dawson’s exceptional cover art.  Either way, the books were flying off the shelves, and we were worried about selling out the stores’ stock before the signings even got underway.  A special thanks to the folks at Waldenbooks at the Charleston Place hotel for their hospitality and support.

A trio of new reviews have come through from horror websites - all positive, thankfully.  I was a big-time horror spaz as a kid, and it was a hoot visiting these sites and chowing down on all of that fun and creepy content.  Check out Count Gore (http://www.countgore.com/gore/tomb.htm ), Happy Horror ( www.HappyHorror.com ), and Zombo’s Closet of Horrors (http://www.zomboscloset.com/zombos_closet_of_horror_b/2009/03/and-the-snow-begins.html ).  Great stuff!

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Posted By Scott on March 16, 2009

Sorry, it’s been a while.

I ran the Ceaser Rodney half-marathon yesterday, and boy are my legs tired.  This is a 13.1 mile loop through the city of Wilmington.  I used to be a regular at the event, but it’s been about 5 years since my last Ceaser Rodney.  I won’t tell you my time, but I will tell you it’s about a half-hour off of my PR (back in my early 30’s), and I got smoked by elderly U. S. Senator, Tom Carper. 

The race wrapped up an eventful weekend that started with a book signing event at Between Books in Claymont, Delaware.  Proprieter Greg Schauer is a genuinely nice guy who knows his books!  While turn out was sparse, I enjoyed meeting with Greg and touring his richly-stocked shelves.  Any fan of comics, graphic novels, sci-fi and the macabre will want to make this a destination.  While I understand most bricks-and-mortar book sellers are having a rough go, I hope Greg’s unique collection make Between Books the exception.  This is a true Indie bookstore with a very funky vibe.

My WILM interview with Paul Weagraff is now available via podcast at: http://www.artsdel.org/podcasts/090228_de_state_of_arts.mp3. 

Next up is the South Carolina tour.  Stay tuned for details.

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Posted By Scott on February 19, 2009

Had a nice intertview with Paul Weagraff at WILM, Delaware’s most popular news radio station (1450 AM).  The interview will air this weekend on Saturday at 5:30 am and on Sunday at 6:00 am.  I’ll be asleep, but maybe you can set your alarm early to catch it.  By next week, the interview will be on the WILM website.

My interview with Cheryl Nason, the one-and-only Dallas Book Diva, can be found at http://cherylnason.blogspot.com/search?q=scott+fad.  In her review of the book, Cheryl calls King of Nod “fascinating” and “compelling.” 

I’ve had a few folks from the South recently connect asking how a northern boy nailed the language and cultural nuance of the low country so well.  This is wonderful praise and a great relief to me since I was certain true Southerners would pick me apart.  I attribute any such success on “Southern envy,” since I only wish I’d been able to grow up on Sweetpatch Island and while writing emersed myself in that fantasy. 

Back soon with some updates on the upcoming Charleston tour.

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Posted By Scott on February 9, 2009

Just confirmed we’ll be in Charleston, South Carolina on April 8th for a book signing at the Waldenbooks in the Charleston Place hotel.  Charleston is a beautiful city at the epicenter of the Low Country and a mere stone’s throw from fictional Sweetpatch Island, home to Boo Taylor, Gussie Dutton, Laylee Colbriar, the Beast and the rest of the King of Nod population.  I’ll be signing books from 1:00 - 3:00.  I’ll keep you informed of any other events scheduled while I’m in town. 

A new review just came in from Curled Up with a Good Book.  A great review (the reviewer calls King of Nod “a modern classic,” and “one of the best Southern Gothic novels”) although she mistakes her inability to connect dots with “editing flaws.”  I’m going to have to defend Rachel Fichter, the editor at Hooded Friar, who, in addition to being a wonderful human being, does NOT commit editing flaws.  Any flaws with the book are mine alone.  In this case, however, I’m more inclined to believe the reviewer needs to go back and read a bit more carefully.  We didn’t spoonfeed the answers to the many riddles the book poses, but the answers are all there.  (See the link to the review on the REVIEWS page.)

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Posted By Scott on January 28, 2009

John Raab at Suspense Magazine emailed me today to announce he’s now created a ‘Scott Fad’ page on the magazine’s website.  The link is www.suspensemagazine.com/scottfad.html.  If you visit the page, you’ll be able to listen to the interview we did for Suspense Magazine Radio earlier in the month - be warned, John called me from California and the sound’s a bit fuzzy.  John is a great supporter of new writers and deserves a lot of credit for the energy and passion he brings to these efforts.  This passion comes through in the interview.  He was a lot of fun.

Coming up on February 2nd, I have a radio interview in Texas with the “Dallas Book Diva.”  Not quite sure what to expect, but it sounds interesting. 

On February 16th, I’ll be interviewed by Paul Weagraff at 1450 WILM News Radio for their ”Delaware State of the Arts” program.  The 16th is a Monday, but I’m told the show airs the following Saturday and Sunday.

Finally, we have another book signing scheduled on March 13th (Friday the 13th!) at 7:00 at Between Books in Claymont, Delaware.  More to follow.

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Posted By Scott on January 15, 2009

Came across a great review today by Araminta Matthews from Front Street Reviews.  This one is especially gratifying because clearly Ms. Matthews was prepared to hate the book.  That changed when she started reading.  I’ll let you read the review to see what she has to say - here’s the link:  http://www.frontstreetreviews.com/King%20of%20Nod.html.  (If you have trouble finding it, go to the home page and look for new reviews; be sure to scroll to the right.)

Makes me smile and think of the hundred or so form-letter rejections I still have piled in a box somewhere.  I see a hundred or so junior editors frowning at 600 pages and an unknown name.  And not bothering to crack open the first page. 

Thank you, Ms. Matthews; you cracked it open.  I love you, too.

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Posted By Scott on January 13, 2009

Welcome to January.  College football season is over, the pro season is wrapping up, the holidays are behind us and the days are dark and cold.  Bleak.  But . . . we’ve passed the solstice and the days are already growing longer.  Everything gets brighter from here.

My Christmas present this year was a double-bladed axe.  This was a none-too-subtle hint from my wife, Leslie, to clear out some trees in the back yard.  So, I spent my holiday knocking down five fairly large walnut trees and chopping them down to firewood size.  I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to fully straighten my back again.  Anybody know the best way to get rid of stumps?

Last Friday, I enjoyed a terrific interview with John Raab of Suspense Magazine.  John will be broadcasting the interview on Suspense Radio.  He’ll also be setting up a Scott Fad author page on the magazine’s site where, among other things, you’ll be able to play or download the interview.  When the page is set up, I’ll post the link here.  In the meantime, you can find the site at www.suspensemagazine.com.

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Posted By Scott on December 30, 2008

Just received another nice review for King of Nod, this one from Sandie Kirkland at Round Table Reviews.  Sandie says, “this book is highly recommended.”  Here’s the link; we’ve also updated the REVIEWS page of the site:

http://www.roundtablereviews.com/fadscott121208.htm

I traded emails this week with John Raab at Suspense Magazine.  John gave King of Nod a strong review last month and is now preparing a page on me and the book for the magazine’s website.  He’ll also be interviewing me next month for Suspence Magazine Radio; we’ll post the details once they become firm.

This week, I finished Cormac McCarthy’s novel, The Road.  It’s beautifully written and very powerful, a grim vision of a post-apocalyptic earth with enough of a glimmer of hope to break your heart.  Devastating.  I encourage you to look for it.

Thank you all for making 2008 a great year.  Best wishes for an even better 2009.

 -Scott

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Posted By Scott on December 23, 2008

Hello, and happy holidays.

I was happy to have shared emails with one of my favorite authors this week, Mr. Peter Straub. Peter has written a number of best sellers, including Ghost Story, a novel that became a successful film. Peter writes a lot of very scary stuff. His work is also great literature. If you’re at all interested, I’d recommend his “Blue Rose” books: Mystery, Koko, and The Throat. His book Shadowland was one of the inspirations for my novel. He’s a great story teller and a brilliant writer.

I’ve also had the opportunity to connect with two other favorite writers. Ray Bradbury called the house after receiving a copy of King of Nod. Ray wrote a number of classics, including Fahrenheit 451, Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Martian Chronicles, and The Illustrated Man. Ray’s work had a significant influence on my writing; I’ve been told by a few of Ray’s fans that certain passages in King of Nod read very much like Ray Bradbury.

I received a few calls from Harlan Ellison. Harlan is one of the most prolific and award-winning writers from the 2nd half of the 20th century. He wrote a number of Outer Limits episodes, tons of essays and articles, and scores and scores of short stories. His short novel, A Boy and his Dog was made into a movie that’s become a cult hit. He’s also credited with the story upon which The Terminator movies were based, although he had to sue Director James Cameron to get that credit and payment (Cameron bragged to reporters he got the idea for the story from old Outer Limits episodes, and Harlan got wind of this). I had asked Harlan through his agent for permission to use a quote from his short story, The Deathbird, in King of Nod. Harlan agreed, and you can find the quote at the beginning of the book’s epilogue.

I also received some interesting correspondence from Mr. Bradbury and Mr. Ellison. In a future post, I’ll share more about this.

Before I sign off, here’s the link to the interview I did with Radio Sandy Springs in Atlanta on December 8th: http://www.radiosandysprings.com/showpages/booktalk.php. Clearly, I need to work on my interviewing skills . . .

-Scott

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