My review: I really enjoyed this first installment of Grit City. I had never read and emotobook before and I got some information from the Author on just what this is. For more information on that check my blog where I have a short interview with Ron Gavalik in which he explains emotobooks.
From the very first page I was sucked into the story. It starts off action packed, no it really does. You want to know more about the main characters. I found myself relating to them right away and wanted to know more about them. I wanted to see their relationship with each other and with others.
I also loved the setting. Grit City is rough and hard and a place that you would be thankful not to be in. I felt the details to create the setting were perfect, not too much, not too little, but just enough to create perfect imagery of where these characters were.
It was alot of fun to read and I am looking forward to the next installment. It was a fun roller coaster ride of action and suspense. It is just the kind of story that I look forward to reading that will keep me turning the page and make me want for more!
Here is a short interview with the author, Ron Gavalik.
So, how did you come up with idea for this new type of ereading experience?
Ron : As a writer it's always been a goal of mine to bridge the gap between the cerebral gratifications of well-plotted writing and the visual stimulation of illustrative art or film. In September of last year, as I was finishing my masters degree in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, the idea hit me.
I had my mini-epiphany. Insert abstract, emotionally representative illustrations during peak moments of tension. By delivering visual experience of what the character feels and experiences, the read is more intensely immersed in the story.
The term emotobook is simply a compound word I conjured, as a fun and memorable label for this new medium of fiction.
How long does it take you to write each installment?
Ron : I write each installment in 30-days. But it's not just me that produces Grit City. Leah Keilman is our illustrator. She completes her expressionist illustrations in about 20-days. Nikki Hopeman is our editor and she reviews and critiques each story in about six days. Our team works together to produce the best possible story.
Right now you have 2 installments, do you have a planned number for this series or is it open ended right now?
Ron: Emotobooks run like television show seasons. There will be 10 installments in each season, and we plan to create at least two seasons (20-installments.) Whether we go beyond that is not yet known.
What movies or book have inspired you most?
Ron : The biggest inspiration for Grit City comes from several different sources. The thriller edge of Dan Brown's novels like the DaVinci Code, the metaphysical thriller of Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas, the dark humor of Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club, among others. In movies, I'd say my biggest inspiration was Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, especially the character of Beatrix Kiddo (Uma).
What types of books do you like to read?
Ron : Well, see the list I just wrote. I enjoy thrillers, some mystery, and some fantasy. Dean Koontz, Dan Brown, and Chuck Palahniuk are my favorites.
If you stories were turned into a movie, who would you see playing Dillon and Alyssa? ( I have to tell you, I would totally see Angelina Jolie playing Alyssa,)
Ron : Ha! Yeah, Angelina would make a great Alyssa 10-years ago. Alyssa is in her mid-20s, so it would have to be someone young and tough. I'm not sure who the resident evil girl is, but believe it or not, I could see Scarlett Johnason pulling it off well. She just needs darker hair and a couple of Colt revolvers.
Dillon is a question mark. Perhaps Sean Flannery from The Boondock Saints? He needs to be a young, gritty Irishman.
What would you most like my subscribers/watchers of my vlog to know?
Ron : I think they should know that Grit City is just the beginning. Grit City Publications is currently accepting submissions for other emotobooks in other genres of fiction. The group is seeking romance, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and other mystery/thriller emotobooks from other writers. This new medium of fiction must be supported by the writing and reading community if it's to have a long life. New books from other writers will secure its future.
You can also purchase his ebook at Barnes and Noble.com, Amazon.com, Smashwords.com and itunes bookstore.
You can learn more about Ron and his emotobooks and the collaborative effort in putting an installment together at his website : http://www.rongavalik.com/Site/AboutGritCity.html
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