Virtual Velocity: An L.A. Story

by Anthony Mora

“Think ‘Bright Lights, Big City’ meets ‘Almost Famous,’ if the city was L.A. in the first instance and you took ‘almost’ out of the title in the second - and you might get a sense of Anthony Mora’s new novel, "Virtual Velocity: An L.A. Story.”
- Monica Viera, Hubpages

In his first novel in 20 years, author and playwright Anthony Mora, has created a novel that encompasses the 1960’s through the present where Los Angeles, California is a living, breathing character just as important as any other character in the book.

"Virtual Velocity" is the story of the curious creation of pop phenomena, Jake Jenkins, America's most renowned and successful literary novelist. Spanning six decades, through three interconnected stories, "Virtual Velocity" follows Jake from a sixteen-year-old learning about literature and women, to frenetic rock journalist, to struggling literary novelist, to world-famous author.

Journeying through LA's rock and literary worlds, it is also an homage to the city, tracking its internal and external changing landscape and its cultural shape shifting. "Virtual Velocity" explores the complicated and often mystifying intersection between fame and art.

If you enjoy a coming-of-age story where fame comes from an unexpected place and the consequences are often confusing and sometimes unwanted then you will enjoy "Virtual Velocity: An L.A. Story".

150 pages, Paperback

Published November 14, 2019

About the author

Anthony Mora, whose works have been compared to Salinger, Fante and Nabokov, began his career as a rock journalist and magazine editor. His first novel, Bang! A Love Story was published in 1990. Soon after the book’s release, Anthony adapted Bang! as a play. The original production starred Linda Cardellini and played in both L.A. and New York. After Bang!, Anthony found himself entranced by the theatre. He served as the playwright-in-residence at The Sidewalk Studio Theatre in Burbank, California. Now, seven plays and twenty years later, his second novel, Virtual Velocity, An L.A. Story, has been published.


Anthony, who has been featured in: USA Today, Newsweek, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The BBC, CNN, and other media, is the president and CEO of Anthony Mora Communications, Inc. and the author of the non-fiction books “Spin To Win” and “The Alchemy of Success.”

Virtual Velocity, the play is scheduled to premiere in Los Angeles in 2021



You can find Anthony at: https://anthonymorawriter.com/ and follow him at: https://www.facebook.com/anthonymoraw...

https://www.instagram.com/anthony.mor...

https://twitter.com/mora_writer

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Virtual Velocity by Anthony Mora is a fictional work written almost like a memoir. It has three parts: Spring 2018, Autumn 1979, and Summer 1966. Each part was a vignette relating a part of Jake Jensen's life, each contained a woman, and each was about his writing. The telling of the tale in reverse was interesting and worked well. The opening story was of an interview with a report that was entirely off the record. It was an entertaining look into Jake's time as a rock and roll reporter for rock magazines as well as men's magazines-you know the ones...people claim to buy them for the articles, but the reality is the draw is the naked women. Lots of 70s icons make an appearance here and it was pretty entertaining, including the story of the woman that helped him get his start, and the woman that made him famous-two different women. The next part was about a huge mistake he made and the subsequent loss of the woman of his dreams (at that time), and the third, a teen-age wet dream and the story of how he became Jake instead of John. All very entertaining.

Jake is a complicated guy and it took plenty of intriguing situations to make him the man he is today. Virtual Velocity was an interesting read and an entertaining journey; probably more entertaining for me that for him. He ends (begins) the book as a successful novelist and uncomfortable with his fame. He is single despite having had a myriad of relationships in his past. He has two pets: Cat and Dog...no, not what you would think. It appears as if he is becoming his greatest wish, invisible (again). It was a fairly easy read and was entertaining; a coming-of-age story told in reverse. The presentation was as interesting as the content. I would recommend it as a break from what a reader normally reads. It was good as that.

I received a free ARC of Virtual Velocity from the Mystery Review Crew. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own.

[Julie Lawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Virtual Velocity by Anthony Mora tells the story of novelist, Jake Jensen. The story is broken down into 3 parts: Spring 2018, Autumn 1979 and Summer 1966. In Spring 2018, after a reading and book signing, Jake is being interviewed by a man named John. They are waiting for Jake's publicist who is supposed to join them but she is running late so everything Jake tells John is "off the record". Autumn 1979 tells the story of how Jake randomly met the publisher who published his first novel "Virtual Velocity". He and his girlfriend had let themselves into a rental house that they thought was empty but it had been rented by the publisher. Summer 1966 tells the story of when Jake is 16 and a random encounter with an older college girl leads to his decision to become a writer. The book starts out a little slow but it gets progressively better as Jake recounts stories of his life. The story is set in LA and I recommend to anyone who enjoys stories about the entertainment industry. This is a short, quick, entertaining read. I finished it in one day.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three short vignettes highlighting important moments in the life of Jake Jenkins, an egotistical has-been author who is very much too full of himself and condescending towards the poor guy who is trying to interview him. The stories are in backwards chronological order and I felt that the first story was too long and left me not liking the character that I still had to read two stories about. I enjoyed the other two points in time much more and wish they had been given time equal to the first story as my dislike for Jake somewhat tinted my feelings. Overall, the moments picked and how they were presented left a feeling that the book was a written version of male fantasy/ego. Missing for me were the homage to LA and its cultural shape shifting. They seem to have been forgotten. Instead, this felt like a good rough draft that provides an outline for what could result in an interesting story.

Thanks to The Review Crew for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.

[Angela M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthony Mora's new novel Virtual Velocity: L.A. Story draws the reader into the life of popular writer Jake Jenkins. It looks back at his life through three distinct times periods. What I found interesting is that the story is told retrospectively through the lens of a reporter. Jenkins's life moves backward from the Spring of 2018 where he shares his life as a rock and roll writer to the Fall of '79 and finally the Summer of '66. As the story moves backward the reader becomes acquainted with how Jenkins handled his life, women, and writing. The outcome is a story that essentially begins where it ends. The novel shares a unique snapshot of L.A. from the viewpoint of a rock journalist and famous novelist. I would recommend this novel for the crisp images and descriptions of the rock scene and the city spanning multiple decades.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the start of this book, i thought ugh too much too soon. I also thought it was a boring first few pages. I kept reading and it got better and actually turned out to be a good read. I really enjoyed it and it was fun, exciting and a lot of twists and turns. It got to the point I didn't want to put it down. So glad that I read this book. It's one of those that kinda stick with you a few days after reading. It reminds you that one thing, one chance can change your whole life and your perspective of things. Awesome

[Jini Clausen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the vignettes, just had a hard time deciding if I wanted more, or less, from the book. I enjoyed each of the snippets, but feel like I didn't have enough time to emotionally invest in the character. I also felt like I didn't connect to the "homage to LA" part of the book. I think a stronger LA feel would have strengthened the emotional staying power of the story.

[Monica Viera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting story with believable characters that absolutely brought Los Angeles to life. Very easy to read and quite enjoyable!

[Ricki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly engaging , well-written fiction.

[Pam Mooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating! Shape shifting is a good description - a great journey

[Moriah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found myself to have no connection to the characters and it was relatively all over the place

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Virtual Velocity tells the story of Jake Jenkins, who is looking back on his long and interesting life through three specific episodes that shaped who he has become. Jake is a complicated character, and I liked how each past event shows the reader a bit more about him as a person. It was interesting to watch his growth as each episode unfolded, and we learned more about Jake and the key people, places, and events that molded him.

I also enjoyed learning more about Los Angeles during the late 60s and 70s. The author obviously knows his subject matter, and was able to describe things very well. It all seemed very realistic to me, and I felt that I gained some knowledge about the history of that area by reading this book.

My understanding is that this is going to become a play, and I would very much like to see it. I'd be curious to see how the actor's portrayal of Jake matches what I've created in my mind.

An excellent book, and one I recommend to everyone, especially fans of historical fiction and the music scene.