Unabashedly Promoting My Writing
There are times when it is permissible to throw off the veil of modesty and brag a little. This is one of those times. As the lockdown countdown is on and we are all a little depressed by the events of the last year (some of us more than others) a vision of what might be available occupies our minds. The thought of eating a meal in the Platanes or sharing an espresso or glass of local wine at the Palace is more than appealing, it’s an obsession. With those thoughts in mind I envision another night where I can share my newly published works with friends and I would hope that other authors of the Quillan area would join me. That night in January a year and a half ago when I had the opportunity to read and discuss and share a glass or three of wine with you was special. If you were there, you had a good time and if you weren’t, you missed it.
Since then my second collection of short stories Thinking, Just Thinking has been published and is available on Amazon in both Kindle form and paperback. It features seventeen previously unpublished stories. They again are a diverse group and they feature serious tales such as The Last Mourner which was written ten years ago but is eerily similar to the present situation with Covid 19 and lighter ones such as Vengeance is Sweet related by the dog seeking to avenge wrongs done to him by Bruno, the neighborhood cat. Barbie appears in a new story, Really? Elton John? and Rodin’s famous statue The Thinker reflects on his favorite topic.
I allowed my thoughts on world issues to surface in the form of satires. The Shuttlecock Wars exposes mankind’s seeming lust for war and incapability of accepting peace. Chasing Shadows proposes the theory that the military creates crises in order to protect their budget. Mephistopheles suggests that well known politicians are willing to sell their soul to the devil for power and Tears of a Clown satirizes parents who name children after famous people.
Some stories are related to family situations. Fishing with Grandpa is a fictitious memoir of lessons learned from my Grandfather. On the other side of the coin, The Legacy tells of generational struggles which tear a family apart. At the Marketplace captures a young suicide bomber’s last minutes.
I even threw in some of my poetry, but no limericks.
Now to the even better news. My first novel Trapped in the Inferno is ready and will be available by late May, in both Kindle reader and paperback. The inspiration came ten years ago and is roughly like Dante’s trip through Hell in order to gain knowledge. One of my favorite works to teach was The Inferno, the first part of the three books in the Devine Comedie by Dante Alighieri. It chronicles Dante’s torturous adventure as he passes through the nine levels of Hell, witnessing the sinners in each level and the punishment they must constantly suffer.
In the second circle the story of Paolo and Francesca is told which details their death at the hands of Giovanni Malatesta, his brother who is her husband. This becomes relevant when Dr. James Stahler decides he must go to Italy in order to bring closure after witnessing a sexual encounter between his wife and his older brother. In Florence he meets Sir Roger Smythe, a wealthy British industrialist who has moved to Florence in order to be able to research Dante and collect famous works, often by brutal means. Dr. Stahler’s odyssey takes him from Paris to Lyon, and on to Florence. The search for answers then proceeds to Ravenna and on to Rimini on the Adriatic Sea where the climactic scene unfolds on a private luxury schooner.
The themes deal with greed, revenge, love and hate. The characters are diverse and very human. The plot moves at a rapid pace. My editor eagerly awaited each new chapter and enthusiastically gave it the thumbs up. I am including a review from a very biased reader, my editor Marge Swayze.
Look for a post which will detail the release…and maybe a chance for another great evening. We all deserve it.
Jack Carbee’s first novel, Trapped in the Inferno, is ambitious in its scope. Fortunately Carbee has the writing ability, understanding of European culture along with the literary savvy to “pull it off”.
The exterior of this framework plot has James Stahler, a Midwestern literature professor, caught up in a midlife crisis. The professor travels to Italy in search of answers surrounding a tragic love triangle straight from Dante’s classic Divine Comedy.
At the beginning of his European journey he meets the beautiful green-eyed Monique and the plot now has a love interest. As James continues on with his research and journey the internal framework story evolves and bores headlong into a twenty first century murder mystery complete with the classic evil villain, Sir Roger. As the internal and external plots progress they mesh into one fast-paced story and the outcome is hardly predictable.
Trapped in the Inferno is hard to categorize. It is a mystery, love story, and historical fantasy all woven into a single tapestry. There may be confusion over its category placement on library shelves but is timeless appeal and well sculpted text will assure its place on those shelves for years to come.
- Marge Swayze, Editor of Romance novels of authors of India & Teacher of Modern Novels, Mt. Pleasant High School