Broken Under Interrogation E-Book Version

Broken Under Interrogation is published by Booksurge Publishing, LLC.

Broken Under Interrogation - E Book Version

We participated in a war that last month had more suicides from its veterans than the soldiers killed in combat actions.  Again, who cares?  What a great tale we tell when we say, “I shall not be one of them.”  And what if these suicides turned homicidal?  What if they did not see fit to merely take themselves out of the equation?  I am not talking randomness.  That is the speech of terrorists.  You will see when there is blood on the streets.  You will wake up from your slumber.  We did all that you cowards asked of us when you sent us to our fates in Babylon.  We did what the fucking cowboy coward wanted.  We have the right to criticize.  You have the right to shut the fuck up and listen.  You sat idly by and let it happen.  You turned the television from the nightly news in fear.  Your simple little lives are dictated by fear.  You are pathetic.  We have learned how to suffer, and all the better when it is your time.  You will hide your head in the sand and run from your problems until your body turns cold.”

- Intelligence Officer John Powers, in a dispatch from Peoria, Illinois.

For Those Upset at the Appalling State of American Literature

A Lone Bird on the Horizon

You are told what is indelible by advertisements.  “Inspirational” books are applauded.  What is meant by inspirational now, is something that leaves a sweet aftertaste.  There are problems overcome, but it is doubtful that the problems are that entrenched.  Nothing new is learned about “human nature.”  In the time of this economic crisis, the gatekeepers have determined that “positivity” will sell.  At least it will sell to Oprah’s Book Club.  And that is a guaranteed best seller.  A Porsche or Ferrari in every garage.  Fake and phony women for arm candy on fat and balding authors.  Unnatural!

Here is an excerpt from an unnamed agent’s blog as to the type of novel he is looking for:  (mind you this excerpt has been altered)

In these tough and downright awful, scary economic times, even I a humble literary agent have a difficult time selling “realism”, so I have decided to go with more of the escapist fare.

• Escapist fare stories that take us out of this miserable world and into another one.  (However I don’t represent science fiction or fantasy)
• Subjects that are happy and upbeat.  Memoirs about coping with addiction, depression, losing a fortune on the stock market, terrorists who wish to destroy America, and other post-apocalyptic disasters (i.e. Cormac McCarthy’s THE ROAD) will be tough sells.
• Stories that are inspirational.  These novels will celebrate life, and inspire people to try harder in their lives and go to work more instead of lying in bed reading romance novels.  I am not looking for sappy stuff, I am really looking for the next (The Kite Runner) or (The Secret Life of Bees) because those were bestsellers and anything like them is sure to be a best seller too!

With an individual like this guarding the gates of American literature, it is a wonder than anything “real” gets published at all.  What is real now is TRAGEDY.  The Ancient Greeks had a notion about TRAGEDY, that it is ennobling of the HUMAN SPIRIT.  That is…it makes you stronger, and better able to cope with what is probably a SHITTY world, or at least in my opinion A ROCK IN THE MIDDLE OF PROBABLY AN INFINITE UNIVERSE full of human beings who for better or worse are human beings, and swine viruses, and nuclear weapons and stuff like that.  This literature is not “Saccharine”…but I prefer a better term…..”narcotic”.  Escapism assumes that this world is a terrible place in need of being “escaped” from.  This is the very basis of Christianity.  I tell you that a baggie of heroin or a crack rock is cheaper than any tithe or escapist book.  If you want to go that route, do it up!  The correct formula is TRAGEDY in the bad times to make you realize that things could be much worse, and COMEDY in the good times (particularly Satire) so that you do not get too big a head, and realize that in fact, things could be much worse!

In the world, there  are plenty of first loves, and romances, and heated passionate affairs between married men and baby sitters, and mischevious dogs but in my humble opinion these situations are boring.  Even if it is a love affair between a virgin and a vampire without penetration.  Have we ever stopped to think that much of the literature which has been forgotten about followed these classic formulas .  The good thing about books that are bound in paper, is that they biodegrade.

I am glad, that I have decided NEVER to write for a market.  I am glad that I write because I love writing, and to avoid killing myself on a daily basis.  My books will probably never sell.  I don’t care.  Every morning when I wake up, I look in the mirror as I am combing my hair and I have to decide that life is worth living.  It is in my humble opinion, worth living today.  As times get tougher, I meet my stride.

My recent query letter:

Dear Agent,

and people like you.  You salesmen.  You marketers.  You lawyers adept at contracts.  I will never take on your services.  I do not care about ever being published by a traditional house.  These traditional houses and the industry you act as a gatekeeper for are on their way out anyway.  That means that you are on your way out.  Every time I enter a big waste of space bookstore, I smell a rotting corpse.  I look at the published titles and see an early grave.

I am happy to take on risk by myself.  Don’t fret, I do not consider myself a professional.  Professionals are those who take their food by whatever it is they do.  I do not know of any professional artists.  If you know of any professional artists please correct me.  You are professional salesmen and women, that is it.  You are a judge of markets, not the artistic integrity of a work of art.  Men like Vincent Van Gogh and John Kennedy O’ Toole prove you wrong on a daily basis.  Both of these gentlemen killed themselves because they were “failures” in life.

I write nearly everyday.  It is fun.  It is much better than killing myself.  I never have thoughts of suicide while I am writing.  I would never act on these thoughts, but they do bubble up from time to time.  I think it is in my genes.  I have been told these are unnatural thoughts.  I tame them with exercise, writing, and sexual intercourse.  (the third of these is a necessary component to staving off depression, just ask any depressed person - their libido plummets and aids in dragging them down further).

In fact, I consider myself much like the seabird in this photograph.  I have flown to the middle of the ocean on a dare.  I dared myself, and I have only one care in the matter.  Just to see if I could do it.  Maybe I would tire and plunge into the waves to be eaten by sharks?  I must keep going.  Flying until I reach land.

Writing is much like a marathon.  Life is much like a marathon.  You can be fat and lazy.  You can trade on pat notions of right and wrong, you can write for a market, you can hope against hope to sell a billion copies of your self help book.  If you write one for fat, intellectually and physically lazy bastards to feel good about themselves, you are sure to sell 125 million copies in America alone.  Get on it.

I view the economic crisis as a profound opportunity to change art in the United States of America.  It will be led by individuals willing to take on risks themselves.  I say, that any crisis which does not produce art remains a crisis.  We are on the cusp of a Golden Age, if we only take up our pens, our paintbrushes, and our guitars.

“A Lone Bird on the Horizon” copyright 2009 by Jeffrey M. Hopkins, All Rights Reserved.  Photograph composed with Leica IIIF, Leica 50mm Elmar F/2.0 lens with Ilford Delta 100 film.

Jeffrey M. Hopkins is the author of Broken Under Interrogation, a novel about the war in Iraq.  And how can we write an escapist novel about that?

Book Review: <em>Traffic</em> by Tom Vanderbilt

I expected Traffic (2008) by Tom Vanderbilt to be an interesting but it proved to be a fascinating and provocative book about driving.  There’s a lot of stuff here about the assumptions and practices of driving that amazed even me someone who hates driving and obsesses over how dangerous it is.  Vanderbilt surveys the world, history, and numerous studies to evaluate the way humans operate machines at high speeds in a changing environment. Some things learned:

• every driver has an optomistic bias - thinking they’re above average - and in the worst cases this leads to narcisism and aggressive driving
• driving is the most dangerous thing most people do on a daily basis
• sober speeders and cell phone users (even hands free variety) can be as dangerous as drunken drivers but are not restricted, stigmatized or punished in the same way
• incorrect to refer to auto collisions as “accidents” as if they were out of the driver’s power to prevent.  This is seen in media portrayal of celebrity “accidents” like baseball pitcher Josh Hancock and politician Bill Janklow who were obviously at fault
• unintentional blindness to things the driver is not looking for, as proved by the famous attention test with the basketball players:
• there is safety in numbers for pedestrians
• SUV & pick up truck drivers speed more
• the Leibowitz Hypothesis that says that human beings are very bad at judging the speed of oncoming objects
• remote traffic engineers adjust traffic signals and road use on Oscar Night so that 100’s of celebrity-laden limousines arrive on time (I think some gutsy celeb should take the Metro to Hollywood & Highland next time)
• some Jewish neighborhoods in Los Angeles have “Sabbath Crossing” lights that change automatically for observant pedestrians who cannot push a button
• roundabouts are safer than traditional intersections, although their perceived danger encourages the more vigilant driving that contributes to their safety
• the more divisions between the “traffic space” and the “social space” in a city the more dangerous it is for everyone
• there is a linkage between low GDP and traffic fatalities throughout the world although greater corruption also affects traffic safety
• safety devices on cars have not made in significant impact in reducing traffic fatalities over the past 50 years.  It seems that the greater the sense of “safety” leads to more risky or inattentive driving behaviors although the issues are complex

I highly recommend that everyone who drives, bikes and/or walks to read or listen to this illuminating book.  It might make you as paranoid about driving as I am, but it also may make you safer.  This book challenges the assumptions we make about driving in the same way The Death and Life of Great American Cities challenges the assumptions of urban planning.

Author Vanderbilt, Tom. Title Traffic [sound recording] : [why we drive the way we do (and what it says about us)] / by Tom Vanderbilt. Publication Info. Westminster, Md. : Books on Tape, p2008. Edition Unabridged. Description 11 sound discs (ca. 74 min. each) : digital ; 4 3/4 in.

The Noticer, Andy Andrews

Have you ever thought to yourself, “What difference does it make?”, or “What difference do I make?” Have you found yourself, or your life, in a state of unrest, unhappiness, unfulfillment? There are so many things that we think, do or say on a daily basis that we don’t necessarily recognize as important, life changing, even consequential. In his latest novel, The Noticer, Andy Andrews addresses the power of perspective in our lives, bringing to the forefront its capacity to change–not only our own lives, but the lives of others as well. Andrews’ character Jones speaks to a broad audience that almost any reader will resonate with on some level. He crafts a story that weaves the varying lives of a coastal town into one, common fabric that is hard to put down.

The Noticer is a refreshing read at a time when life for so many is filled with its challenges, dashed hopes, and discouraging turns. Within the first chapter, Jones becomes a friend you want to get to know better–a “best friend,” as he terms it, to many. I found myself rexamining my own life as Andrews reveals the lives of others, chapter by chapter. Surely there is a valuable nugget of wisdom (or three!) for anyone who takes the time to invest in this book. This will be one you want to read again–and one to pass on to those who matter to you most!

The Noticer was reviewed in connection with Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger Program

Save Me, Joe Louis

Madison Smartt Bell’s Save Me, Joe Louis is a violent book filled with drug abuse, robbery, and murder. Racial & sexual orientation slurs and degrading portrayals of women were also prevalent throughout this book, which chronicled the lives of Charlie and Macrae, two drifters who connected in a New York City subway and began a life of crime. The duo started as muggers and quickly progressed to committing armed robberies, which turned deadly when they committed them in Maryland and Tennessee.

Perhaps Bell’s point in writing this book was to illustrate the fringe lifestyle and poor decision-making often found in the criminal lifestyle. Maybe Save Me, Joe Louis was supposed to be a social commentary of criminal life in the late 1980s and early 1990s. However, Bell’s frequent choices about using slurs and negative views of women turned me off from enjoying whatever he might be saying about society. Apologists of Bell might say it was necessary to write this way either to show the raw thoughts of the characters or to make situations realistic. I acknowledge there are people in the world who believe the use of slurs is acceptable. I am also sure there are men who only view women as objects and inferior humans. However, every woman in the book, with the possible exception of Lacy, was portrayed negatively. In addition, the amount of slurs used in the book goes beyond what is necessary to develop a character.

I tend to think he could have made his point without joining in with the chorus of slurs and degradation running rampant in our culture. There are ways to write that can avoid the descent into vulgarity. I can personally withstand some vulgarity if it contributes to a larger meaning the writer is trying to convey. However, Save Me, Joe Louis lacked this meaning and was simply an exercise in showing how nasty humans can think, act, and write. If I wanted to see this, I would just turn on the network news.

Productive Day!

Okay, guys. last night’s bad entry? Totally gone out the window today. I had an amazingly productive day! So, here is how it went!

-Despite not getting to sleep till a quarter to five, I was woken up by 7:30. SIGH. I hate when that happens.

-I finished up Chapter Tweleve of “A Home For Life” the sequel to “Remember Me” and discovered it was the last chapter, so that fic is finished! YES!

-I read the rest of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows finally, and I was very satisfied with the ending. Yay!

-Read a little ficlet of ’s today, and I just loved it. The girl is a talented writer, and I love her stuff! Plus, she writes great mysteries, a genre I struggle to write for!

-It was 87 degrees out today. 87! WOW! Skipping over Spring much, are we? Wow. I had to get into SHORTS!

I listened to my Ipod on Shuffle today, and I got to hear some songs I really haven’t listened to in a while, and it made me appreciate the shuffle function so much, I think when I’m using my dock, it’s going to be my own personal radio now.

Loz is home! YES! She sent some interview of two of her favorite Avenue Q puppeteers, and that was awesome. They’re so wonderfully British.

My Alec and Jane fic is poking along. Alec is playing me around, and i can’t figure out how to write for him. It’s frustrating!

Speaking of Alec. Jacksper (Dani) posted and article on T20 of Cameron Bright. OMG. I wish I was a few years younger, because this guy is just SO damn sweet, and honest about life! He is new to the media, even though he’s been in several big movies. He seems so down to earth. By the way. He’s sixteen. He’s going to be a perfect Alec!

And Voltur talk continuing, Dani posted ANOTHER Volturi themed article, and it was really good! It talked about the entire cast that had taken on the roles of the Volturi including more on Cam and Dakota Fanning. Hehe. New Moon overload today. Haha.

Before I forget. Already loving Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause. I am up to Chapter Five. Vivian reminds me of Leah Clearwater, seriously.

WEll, gonna go. See you guys later!

In the Forest by Edna O'Brien

Michael O’Kane is one of those troubled kids who slips through the cracks. After the death of his beloved mother, he gets into one increasingly more serious scrape after another until he is finally sent away. His stint in reform school is brutal and not even the priests offer solace.

O’Kane is the central character of Edna O’Brien’s riveting (and difficult) novel In the Forest. Reading this book reminded me a little bit of reading Joyce Carol Oates. I want to like Oates but I find her difficult to read. Still,  I know that if I stick to it I’ll often feel rewarded in the end. O’Brien is an Irish writer and I was happier when I was able to read this book for longer stretches of time. After a half an hour or so I got used to the rhythm of the language and it became as musical as the Irish lilt is to the ear.

Ultimately though In the Forest is a brutal story. O’Kane returns home after his latest stint behind bars and wreaks havoc. Everyone in the village is afraid of him; he’s clearly dangerous and crazy. O’Brien’s book is based on true events, but I won’t tell you more than that. I will tell you that there is a moment at the end of the book that is deeply touching and unexpected. Trust me, coming after all the violence it will be impossible to miss.

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