Tag: R.T. Slaywood

The Ballad of Bonaduke—Episode 3: The Bad Stuff by R. T. Slaywood: We Get a Little Backstory

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On October 7, 2022

In Urban Fantasy

The Ballad of BonadukeThe Ballad of Bonaduke—
Episode 3: The Bad Stuff

by R.T. Slaywood

DETAILS:
Series: The Ballad of Bonaduke, #3
Format: Kindle Vella Story
Read Date: October 6, 2022

“Tell your friends you can have my body when I’m done.” The bird made a point not to look at me as it pecked at some garbage that had caught itself on the building’s corner, just like everyone else in this damn city did.

The Story So Far…

A drunken Michael Bonaduke decides to use a grift (with maybe some sort of magic/magic-like “help”) to win on a scratch-off lottery ticket so he has money to buy more to drink. He pulls off whatever he did, gets his money and some booze and stumbles off into the darkness to drink himself into oblivion so he can start again the next day. He’s hit by dark memories (probably what’s driving him to the drinking) of fire, pleading, and screaming. There’s going to be a price to pay for his grift, and he’s trying to be ready.

What’s The Bad Stuff About?

Bonaduke slumps off to drink his ill-gotten windfall, but the memories overcome him. We don’t get details, but we learn his father died, he grew up in foster care, then his wife and children died.

So, what did I think about The Bad Stuff?

I don’t want to keep harping on the brevity of these things–that’s apparently part of the design. But man…as soon as I get into episode, it’s over.

It was nice–it filled in some needed motive and the last line or two definitely set the hook for Episode 4. I’m coming back for sure.

3 Stars

The Ballad of Bonaduke—Episode 2: The Register by R. T. Slaywood: Bad Stuff on the Horizon

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On September 30, 2022

In Urban Fantasy

The Ballad of BonadukeThe Ballad of Bonaduke—
Episode 2: The Grift

by R.T. Slaywood

DETAILS:
Series: The Ballad of Bonaduke, #2
Format: Kindle Vella Story
Read Date: September 29, 2022

…when weird stuff happened, it was a sign that the bad stuff was close by.

The Story So Far…

A drunken Michael Bonaduke decides to use a grift (with maybe some sort of magic/magic-like “help”) to win on a scratch-off lottery ticket so he has money to buy more to drink.

What’s The Grift About?

Bonaduke gets a sign that he shouldn’t proceed with the grift–and he actually doesn’t have to anymore. But he goes ahead, anyway, and gets a little carrying around money and the bottle he wants so much.

But there appears to be a price for his little trick–and he knows he’s going to pay it soon.

So, what did I think about The Register?

Okay, these story segments are wayyyy too short for me–as soon as I start to dig my teeth into something, it’s over. I’m curious to see what comes next–it promises to explain a little about what’s going on. I don’t expect that to be good for Michael.

3 Stars

The Ballad of Bonaduke—Episode 1: The Register by R. T. Slaywood: A Sufficiently Intriguing Introduction

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On September 23, 2022

In Urban Fantasy

The Ballad of BonadukeThe Ballad of Bonaduke—
Episode 1: The Register

by R.T. Slaywood

DETAILS:
Series: The Ballad of Bonaduke, #1
Format: Kindle Vella Story
Read Date: September 22, 2022

I’m not sure how I got here and, honestly, I stopped caring.

I mean, I know, but I don’t remember.

Ah, who am I kidding? I know exactly how I got here, I can never forget the screams from that night.

The Story So Far…

Okay, this is Episode 1, so there’s nothing to put here now. This is the introduction to the series. The author states

This episode is the baseline, the norm for Michael Bonaduke; a broken man, and protagonist of this story. Everything from here on is abnormal, and will help you understand how Bonaduke came to be.

Which sounds pretty ominous, no?

What’s The Register About?

An inebriated man shops at a liquor store for another bottle to help him get through the night. Exactly what’s driven him to this, we don’t know, but he’s looking for an escape—not a good time.

He’s a little short on cash, though, and begins a “grift” to get the money he needs from the cashier. This, I think, is where the paranormal aspect kicks in—but we’ll have to see next time.

So, what did I think about The Register?

It’s not bad—it definitely gives you plenty to be interested in and leaves you wanting to know more.

I’m pretty curious about Bonaduke, which is the point. But beyond that? It’s too soon to say.

3 Stars

The Genius’ Guide to Bad Writing by R.T. Slaywood, R.C. Martinez: For Those Who Are Curious About Writing Worse

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On September 7, 2021

In Humor, Non-Fiction

The Genius' Guide to Bad Writing

The Genius’ Guide to Bad Writing

by R.T. Slaywood, R.C. Martinez

Kindle Edition, 39 pg.
2021

Read: September 4, 2021

It’s time to disappoint your readers!

What’s The Genius’ Guide to Bad Writing About?

A guide for the writer who is tired of success and wants to reclaim their lives from answering the siren call of fortune and fame that comes to every author. Slaywood and Martinez have a 10-Step program guaranteed to ruin a novel or two and stop a career dead in its spot.

Obviously, this is a satire—although I can think of more than a few authors that seem to have found this book before its publication (I’m going to assume it slipped through a wormhole and was delivered to them years ago). I’ll be nice and not name names here, but I think Slaywood and Martinez are owed some money if they could figure out how to collect it.

The “Illustrations”

I thought the idea behind this was clever and well-executed. They picked up a half-star from me for this. It reminded me of the footnotes in Heads You Lose by Lisa Lutz, David Hayward, but with a different flavor.

Formatting

The formatting on part of this is a little iffy—it largely is going to depend on what device you use to read it. My Paperwhite was fine but it was irritating to read on my phone (I’d wager my Fire Tablet would’ve been okay, but maybe not as nice as my Paperwhite—I’m just too lazy to charge the thing for this post). But the amount of irritation is minimal, this is just a caveat lector (mostly inspired by an online review that seemed overly irritated).

The Table of Contents is just wonky and ugly, but I’m 60% sure it’s supposed to be. And even if I’m wrong, it’s the Contents, if you’re spending enough time on a 39-page book to get worked up about a poorly formatted Table of Contents, you really need to ask yourself some questions about your priorities.

So, what did I think about The Genius’ Guide to Bad Writing?

It bothers me greatly to write something so brief, but with 39 pages, there’s not a lot to say unless I give a line-by-line commentary.

It is intended to be a brief work, and I don’t hold the length against it. I enjoyed what is there, while I do think I’d be happier on a bang-for-my-buck level if the book was twice as long. Unless the authors were just on fire, more than twice as long would’ve gotten tiresome (see: The White Man’s Guide to White Male Writers of the Western Canon).

This is a quick, fun read that’ll bring a grin to the face of readers. Take a few minutes and enjoy yourselves.

3.5 Stars

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