Slap Happy Fun Time

 Pet Sematary - Stephen King                                                                          Writers always have books they cite as major influences and this one is mine. I was ten when I first read this and suddenly a light bulb clicked on in my head and I wanted to be a writer. I was ten so I wasn't thinking about anyting other than writing. Writing was more than enough and it turns out, I'm pretty good at it despite not making any money from being a published author. Odds are, you've never read anything I've written but if you look up Michael Noe on Amazon, you'll find some of my work. The point is King's novel is dark and sinister and deals with a subject no one likes to talk about. We think about it a lot and even see it on our television screens but we pretend that it can't happen to u...

 As Long As We Both Shall Live - JoAnn Chaney                                                                What makes a book great? For me, it's about the story, the writing and the characters. Chaney's novel is something familiar but at the same time it's done well. This is a writer who explores the dark side of human nature, and marriage and does in a way that's compelling. Matt's first wife dies in a horrific home invasion and then twenty years later, his second wife falls off a cliff. Is it a case of bad luck or something far more sinister? The interesting thing is that deep down you think Matt not only killed his first wife, but also had something to do with Marie's dissapearance. He's not a character you get to learn a great deal about, but you can't help but feel that he's guilty mainly due to how the book is writte...