Harsh Realism discussion

Hi, I'm Marita. Just wanted to kick this new group off with introductions, so tell us a bit about yourself.

Hi, I'm Angela. Avid reader with hopes of becoming a future author.

Intro's always feel like a support group *Stands up from circle of chairs* Hello... I'm Jonny and I'm an author...

Lover of the darker side of things, not fantasy, but life. Your 'Trainspotting' or Palahniuk, etc. But love to laugh at it. author of Malice in Blunderland.

Jonny wrote: "Intro's always feel like a support group *Stands up from circle of chairs* Hello... I'm Jonny and I'm an author...

Lover of the darker side of things, not fantasy, but life. Your 'Trainspotting' o..."

Definitely Trainspotting. I'm going to order that from The Book Depository.

Name's Chip, and I'm addicted to reading. So much so that I make sure to read the bathroom walls if I don't have a book on me at that moment.

Interesting group, thanks for the invitation. I like the focus. Just want to say I'm Carole and I am trying to make gothic romance a lot darker and even more realistic. I have among other things the issue of child abuse and its effects in my first novel.
I think the real world and its evils can and should be more represented in fiction (and film).
Art must always be reflective of society in general I feel (at least to a certain extent). And really how can it not be when one considers history?

Hi, I'm Angela. I've only read a few books in this genre, but I want to read more.

Thanks for the invite! :o)

Thanks for the invite. I like my reality in small, compartmental doses.

http://generation-add.blogspot.com/

Hi. I'm into shameless self-promotion. And thank you, Marita, for the invitation. "Dealing with life on life's terms." "It is what it is." That these phrases have come into vogue suggests an interest in facing up to reality or realism, squarely and directly, without flinching, excuse-making, or bobbing and weaving. As far as I know (which is actually not all that far), harsh realism is not an established school of thought, but the expression speaks to me - being straightforward and honest, things most people would claim to want to or actually practice.

My book might qualify as harsh realism - it is about discovering at fifty that what I had always assumed real was not. It is about discovering that when I was born the hospital send me and another boy with the wrong families. True story. That is about as harsh as it gets on some levels. The challenge was to write what is prima facie a dark and harsh story in an entertaining and even humorous way.

As far as harsh, that seems lke as much a value judgment as good or bad. Anyway, cheers to all, and to all a good night.

Hi. I'm Matt Posner. I'm Marita's writer buddy who admired Behind the Hood. I write the ongoing School of the Ages series of books about a magic school in New York City. I'm also a member of the Kindle All-Stars and a high school teacher.

Matt wrote: "Hi. I'm Matt Posner. I'm Marita's writer buddy who admired Behind the Hood. I write the ongoing School of the Ages series of books about a magic school in New York City. I'm also a member of the Ki..."

Gidday, Matt. Good to see you in the group. Also, hello to everyone else.

Marita wrote: "Hi, I'm Marita. Just wanted to kick this new group off with introductions, so tell us a bit about yourself."

Thx for the invite Marita!

Angela wrote: "Hi, I'm Angela. Avid reader with hopes of becoming a future author."

What genre(s) are you interested in, Angela?

Jamila wrote: "Hi, I'm Jamila. I'm a teen librarian in an urban public library system."

What do you like to read--for yourself and the kids you work with?

Matt wrote: "Hi. I'm Matt Posner. I'm Marita's writer buddy who admired Behind the Hood. I write the ongoing School of the Ages series of books about a magic school in New York City. I'm also a member of the Ki..."

Sweet! Can we find your work via blogspot or website?

Sharon L. wrote: "Marita wrote: "Hi, I'm Marita. Just wanted to kick this new group off with introductions, so tell us a bit about yourself."

Thx for the invite Marita!"

You're welcome :)

Hi, I'm Ruby Barnes and thanks, Marita, for the invitation.
I write crime thrillers with a smattering of dark humour and horror. So far I have two titles out as indie ebooks.

They're both based on modern reality, or twisted versions of it.

Hi!

I've written three YA books, the first of which (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13...) Over the Mountain, deals with teenage self-harm and suicide.

Hi everyone. Thanks for the invitation Marita. I'm Sue. I read a lot.

Thanks for the invitation Marita. I'm Mike Sullivan. As a former Assistant District Attorney, I saw a lot of the dark side of life. I saw more as the director of our domestic violence and sexual assault services program. I left the directorship on the advice of my physician and the urging of my wife and mother who saw I had become unable to leave the harsh issues I dealt with at the office. After almost a year of private law practice I have taken a long break from work to care for my mother during her final illness. Books, whether on the sunny side or the dark side of life have been my comfort and private retreat for many months.

I look forward to the discussions of the group. As Sue said above, "I read a lot."

You're welcome.

Hi, I am Aravind from Bangalore, India. I work in IT industry. I am interested in books concerning social-realism, looking forward for related discussions.

Hello,

I'm Sheila Cragg from the beautiful Central Coast of California. I recently published All the Secret Things, a novel about the harsh realities the main character, Emily, experienced growing up with an abusive stepbrother and neglectful parents. It's definitely harsh realism but it also proves that we can come out of the dark side of life into the light and make a positive contribution and become a loving stable person as Emily did.

Hi, I'm Tim. I'm actually a recovered alcoholic/addict so these intros are right up my ally. July 25,2009 I entered rehab and it was there that I remembered I knew how to read. Since then I've become addicted to reading. I Love Chuck Palahniuk, Bret Easton Ellis, Dean Koontz, Stephen King Etc, etc. Thank for inviting my crazy ass into your group ;p

Hi, all,

I'm Junying and have written a couple of books and writing the 3rd of my Journey to the West trilogy. I'm an avid reader and have always preferred harsh Realism than the rom-com type, and I can't explain why :) I guess my books alos fall into that category. I'm a huge fan of crime fiction, and I love books/films that move me.

Check out my author page to know more about me and my work, and I look forward to getting to know some of you as well.

Marita, thanks for the kind invite. Will try to contribute as there are quite a few groups I belong to here on GR alone :) Can anyone lend me some time please :)?

Hello All!
I published my new novel, The Survival of Thomas Ford, as a Kindle ebook on Christmas Day 2011.
It means a lot to me to finally have a chance to get this book out to readers, because this novel had been locked in under contract with a London literary agent for over a year...nearer 18 months...felt longer...
My agent was certain he could sell the book, and the film consultant at the agency, who had been responsible for discovering Slumdog Millionaire as an unpublished manuscript and getting it developed into a film, thought my book was the best she had read at that agency in the last 4 years.
My agent found several editors who "loved the book", but the sales depts of the publishing houses did not agree and no sale was made.
Now, that was harsh realism of a sort, but the subject matter of the book is also a dose of harsh realism, as much of my life has been, but I will spare you the detail...(!)
So I have taken the book back into my own hands to sell direct to readers (hopefully)!
The novel is contemporary fiction, what you might call a literary thriller.
I would love to know what readers think of it!
All very best, John
http://www.johnaalogan.com
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Survival-Thom...

The Survival of Thomas Ford has 8 five-star reviews now on Amazon.co.uk, including:

Perfection, by Tristan Hopkinson:
John Logan has created that rare thing - a thriller with a seriously literary voice behind it. His story-telling is marvellous, but it was the beautiful poetic lyricism of his writing that really got me. I hope to see him on a bookshelf very soon.

Gripping, by DphiLsi:
Purchased, downloaded and read inside 24 hours. This book had me gripped from the first few sentences until the very end. As someone who grew up in the Highlands I have always been very aware of the dark mysteries that the nights seem to hold up there... particularly in the forests. "The Survival of Thomas Ford" is a gripping story which you will find difficult to put down. Only start it if you have plenty time on your hands!

Page Turner, by Julia Knox:
Read this on the train to and from work, couldn't put it down, wished the journey was longer so I could read more!! great read.

Excellent literary thriller, by Rita Davidova:
John Logan has written a gripping, atmospheric novel. It's stayed with me for some time after reading it. The dawn of a strong new talent.

(I'll also post this info in the Author section of the group if it's OK,in case I've done the wrong thing posting it here)

Very excited! Don't know how it managed it but my novel, The Survival of
Thomas Ford, is number 85 just now in all paid UK bestselling literary
fiction ebooks, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is at 84...Martin Amis at
91...Maeve Binchy just below at 93!
If Goodreads readers did this, thank-you!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Survival-Thom...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/bestseller...

Greetings All!

I'm a fiction writer at heart but it turns out that my 1st book is a memoir.

When I started writing "Great Space of Desire: Writing for Personal Evolution," I thought I was writing fiction but the characters and stories demanded a memoir voice from me.

My writing is harshly realistic in that it deals with tough subjects in the personal & cultural realms: the persistent racial schizophrenia of our culture and the emotional dysfunction it breeds for all of us individually and collectively.

Growing up in New York City in the 60's & 70's, the daughter of an ambitious Jamaican-American ballet dancer and a Jewish lawyer who suffered from manic- depression, I moved through the world with a kind of split vision that was confusing but very interesting.

When I started out to write this story, I really wanted to do it justice -- really to capture the amazing characters and situations I'd experienced -- both good and very bad -- but I knew this meant I couldn't flinch from my subject matter no matter how difficult it was for me to articulate.

So, for me, harsh realism, isn't necessarily about being dark and depressive but being willing to hold the gaze -- as Robert Olen Butler likes to say -- no matter how obscure and/or challenging the material we have to deal with.

My experience on the way to self-publishing was similar to John's in that I had an agent who was behind this book 150% and there were also several publishers who 'loved the book' but, unfortunately, none who could find a 'marketing vision,' for an unusual, out-of-the box story.

I've written about that and other experiences in my blog:

http://greatspaceofdesire.com/down-th...

And you can read excerpts from my book at:

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Space-Des... and

http://greatspaceofdesire.com/sample-...

Cheers!

Hello everyone, I'm Stephen a writer from Scotland currently living in the Netherlands. Best wishes, Stephen Livingston.
US - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004YDU4PA
UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004YDU4PA

John wrote: "Very excited! Don't know how it managed it but my novel, The Survival of
Thomas Ford, is number 85 just now in all paid UK bestselling literary
fiction ebooks, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is at..."

Congratulations, John. I read an excerpt and can see why your book is catching on. I'll add it to my 'to-read' list which is moving kind of slowly at the moment as I've just agreed to review an academic work. : }

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Love the idea of this group. As a reviewer I am lucky to explore so many sub-genre's of fiction! This is very fresh for a GR group. Thanks Marita!

Tammy wrote: "Love the idea of this group. As a reviewer I am lucky to explore so many sub-genre's of fiction! This is very fresh for a GR group. Thanks Marita!"

You're welcome.

Dara wrote: "John wrote: "Very excited! Don't know how it managed it but my novel, The Survival of
Thomas Ford, is number 85 just now in all paid UK bestselling literary
fiction ebooks, One Flew Over the Cuckoo..."

Thank-you very much Dara, and for letting me know, I really appreciate it!
Also...I just read Down the Rabbit Hole to Publication...it's eerily similar to my experience...but even down to the fact that the film consultant I mention up-page who was supporting my book and used to phone me to talk about it, her hobby was hill-running, and I used to warn her to "not go down any rabbit holes"...then when she and my agent couldn't get my book published after all, I would tell friends that the whole experience had been like "going down the rabbit hole"...meaning the "white rabbit" kind...
Also...spookiness number 2 after reading your Down the Rabbit Hole....the book that influenced me most while doing The Survival of Thomas Ford was John Kennedy Toole's wonderful A Confederacy of Dunces (it's not an influence anyone else might detect in the book, but it's one I know is in there)...and I was interviewed by a journalist today and I talked about A Confederacy of Dunces to her too, including poor Toole's travails with trying to be published, until, as you say, it was his mother who got it published 11 years after his death, only for the book to then win the Pullitzer Prize.
Thanks for getting in touch (and great to know that you've added the book!)
All best, John

Hello, All. My name is Rebecca O'Donnell. I used to teach art therapy at an abused children's home. I was very good at it; able to reach the kids because I shared a similar history with them. I have finally written a memoir about myself entitled FREAK: The True Story of an Insecurity Addict. It's very raw; I spare the reader and myself nothing. If you're gonna tell, then tell the truth, you know? My favorite review so far called it "a cross between Running With Scissors, The Glass Castle and an Eminem song." Or as my daughter puts it, "Mom's hideous, hilarious bluntness." You can never get rid of a manure pile of memories. You've only got two choices of what to do with it. You can drown in all that stink, or you can turn it into compost and grow a garden. That's the best thing to do with a rotten past. I use my experience to help as many of my brothers and sisters of circumstance as I can. Like people who are battling cancer not wanting to listen to the advice of someone who's never had it, I can show rape and incest victims that there is another choice other than suicidal jailbird crack whore. Or at least that it's possible to have a decent future after you HAVE been all those things. Terrible experiences can be brought under control and beneficial to others. I was as low as I could go; a miserable insecurity addict stuck in a terrible relationship and poor as dirt. Now I'm happy. I actually love myself. I just had to stop hating that bitch in the mirror first. That was key.

Freak: The True Story of an Insecurity Addict[

Rebecca wrote: "Hello, All. My name is Rebecca O'Donnell. I used to teach art therapy at an abused children's home. I was very good at it; able to reach the kids because I shared a similar history with them. I..."

I've popped it onto my to-read list. Other people will see it through my read feed :) All the best, Marita.

Thank you, Marita! I love kindness. Now I've got a big grin on my face.

Rebecca wrote: "Thank you, Marita! I love kindness. Now I've got a big grin on my face."

You're welcome :)

I think that this book would fit in here rather well.
The Bellman Chronicles
It is hard to know whether to laugh or cry at these people's antics.

Hi my name's Andrew and I'm a recovering...oops wrong group. But seriously, I love stories that are dark, gritty, and full of life. Requiem for a Dream, Last Exit to Brooklyn, The Sound and the Fury, A Man in Full, to name a few. I believe real life can be far more interesting than any comic book/vampire romance fantasy. To prove it, just take a drive through your local ghetto and scream out the window, "FREE LIQUOR!"

Hi my name's Andrew and I'm a recovering...oops wrong group. But seriously, I love stories that are dark, gritty, and full of life. Requiem for a Dream, Last Exit to Brooklyn, The Sound and the Fury, A Man in Full, to name a few. I believe real life can be far more interesting than any comic book/vampire romance fantasy. To prove it, just take a drive through your local ghetto and scream out the window, "FREE LIQUOR!"

Hi, my name is Ken and I'm big on harsh, gritty, realism. I really enjoy transgressive as well. My book, The Origins of Disgust, Self-Hatred, and Hostility is about as gritty and harsh as it gets. It's the first book in a two-part series.

I'm very eager to connect with other authors who keep it dark and nutty. Please, don't be shy. Come say hello and tell me about your book!

Hi Wesley, ex NZ'er, fan of words that bite. Massive fan of funnies - LOVED Malice in Blunderland by Gibbings who is on this group.
As for harsh did any of you read his piece on his childhood:
http://www.thunderdomemag.com/stories...

Cool, I was hoping there was a group for this sort of fiction.^^

Hi, my name is Bradette. My novella, Solitary, tells the story of Jack Henderson, an ex-con who is released from prison after doing ten years for a murder he did not commit. His difficult re-entry into society is something most of us don't think about. Solitary and Other Tales includes some of my short stories as well.

Hi all. I'm new to the group. I like to read and write books that create a dark version of reality. Recently I've been into urban fiction, and I'd love book suggestions in that genre if anyone has any.

Hello...anyone out there... ^_^ It's just that I don't see too much activity on this thread at the moment. Perhaps you are all furiously engaged in discussion elsewhere? I will be sure to look.
My name is Leo. Full disclosure: I am an author. And yes, I will probably try and plug my book somewhere here :) However, the fact that adversity has led to some of the best works of literature leads me to wonder why on earth there aren't more members of this group????