Month: April 2022

HAPPY RELEASE DAY TO “RESEMBLING LEPUS” BY AMANDA COOL AND GREY MATTER PRESS! MY REVIEW OF THIS EXCELLENT, THOUGHT-PROVOKING BOOK IS NOW LIVE ON GOODREADS!

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TODAY MARKS THE DEBUT OF THE EMERGENT EXPRESSIONS IMPRINT FROM GREY ,MATTER PRESS. THE FIRST BOOK IS “RESEMBLING LUPUS” BY AMANDA COOL. CHECK OUT MY REVIEW OF THIS KICKASS NOVELLLA ON GOODREADS VIA THE LINK BELOW

Resembling Lepus by Amanda Kool

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Resembling Lepus
Amanda Kool
Emergent Expressions
April 26, 2022
Reviewed by Brian “Skull” Lewis

Hey there regular readers, it’s your old pal Skull! Today I’m reviewing Resembling Lepus, the first book with the Emergent Expressions imprint from none other than horror powerhouse Grey Matter Press. Why a different imprint? Long story short, it’s because Anthony Rivera wants to help emerging authors while giving readers something new to enjoy. Basically, a real win-win for all involved. What we get with the debut novella is an action-packed detective story placed in the frighteningly possible dystopian future, with some super fly cli-fi to round out the picture.
Amanda Kool, the author of Resembling Lepus, kicks things off with a murder. We arrive at the grim scene that’s oddly juxtaposed against a lovely nature preserve. In better times, it would be a wonderful place to visit, but right now it’s sullied by blood and tears. Beautiful groves of trees become potential hiding spots for the murderer, who likes to kill their victims by hand. Yikes! And who is the victim? Why a lovely female rabbit-a real one, to be exact. The detective narrating this story, police officer on scene, and the doctor are deeply shaken. Wait, why?
In our current world, we might chuckle and shake our heads at that. But in the future Kool reveals to us, it will be no laughing matter. The way things are going in the present century, there is a serious chance that our luckier descendants will live in a dystopian world. The rest of us will be long gone, riding the extinction train with many plant and animal species. Maintaining the fragile, manmade ecosystem requires many sacrifices. Privacy and personal freedom are things of the past, thanks to 24/7 monitoring by CC TV, doors, and even the furniture we sit on. There will be strict rationing of food and luxury items for working class citizens. City air will be so polluted that everyone will have to wear an air filtration device. Personal use vehicles will be a thing of the past. Everything will be recycled, including life force. Perfection in motion, right?
Well…no. During her investigations, the detective uncovers a lot of bugs in the system. One of the major ones being that just like in our current modern day lives, the wealthy have a free pass to do whatever they damn well please. It’s the actions of some of these entitled people that produce a very dangerous killer. Do they care or even consider the situation? Nah! They’re too busy getting ready to go on vacation for a whole month. Even when the detective points this out by saying “Must be nice” to the man of the house, he just replies cheerfully “Oh, it is!” So spoiled that he’s unable to view his vast, spacious home with a real lawn, trees, houseplants, and pets through the detective’s thirsty eyes.
As the bodies pile up, the detective finds an ally in the forensic doctor who performs the autopsies, runs tests, and even manages to plug them into the brain of a manmade rabbit that lives in the nature preserve along with a mix of real rabbits and ones like itself. While they learn much about the killer, the experience brings some painful realizations about how well this artificial world is really working. Is the doctor truly an ally or is she something else, a spy perhaps? The detective has figured out the mystery and wants to move forward with nabbing the murderer, but her captain wants to follow the rules that perpetuate a system that clearly isn’t doing what it claims. Our detective is a strong woman and she’s not backing down after all she’s been through, which includes nearly becoming one of the murderer’s victims. There needs to be a conclusion. But how much will it cost her?
Damaged Skull Writer and Reviewer gives Amanda Kool’s novella Resembling Lepus a FIVE STAR rating and a place on The Wall of Fame! Emergent Expressions’ debut shows readers that this is a brave new imprint producing works that make us think while keeping our eyes glued to the page. There are myriad ways to read Resembling Lepus, and with every pass through the book I saw something new. What always asserted itself was the hard reality that there’s no such thing as a perfect world that works for every inhabitant equally. Humans have tried to play God for centuries and it never works right because no one can be totally objective. Even the Greek Gods of mythology were constantly making mistakes, so what makes us think we’re any better? The murderer in Resembling Lepus reminds me a bit of Michael Crichton’s Terminal Man. Something science claims will work perfectly but doesn’t, with drastic consequences. When caught by the detective, Peter screams “We are vengeful creatures!” And the doctor shows the detective the past when rabbits were considered vermin and hunted for sport because people liked to hear them scream. So why are they protected now? What’s wrong or right? I don’t know, I’m just a book reviewer who calls himself Skull. You catch this book and read it.
For more information and to order a copy of Resembling Lepus go to: www.greymatterpress.com
For more information about author Amanda Kool go to: www.amandakool.net
Tell them your old pal Skull sent you!


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HAPPY NATIOANL POETRY MONTH! DID YOU KNOW THAT I HAVE A POEM IN THE EMMA LAZARUS ARCHIVES? CHECK IT OUT!

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Hello everyone, happy National Poetry Month! Something cool that happened to me recently was having a poem of mine placed in the Emma Lazarus Archives at the American Jewish Historical Society. These archives focus on the Jewish-American experience, especially immigrants coming to the U.S. Some stories are about triumphs and others about the difficulties faced. History is a very important component in guiding us towards a better future for everyone. Keeping those records for future generations shows us that things we often think of as new or unique to our lifetimes, such as having to wear facemasks to stop the outbreak of a deadly disease, has been done previously.

Emma Lazarus was a Jewish-American woman who was very progressive for her time. She wrote socially conscious essays and one her best known works was “The New Colossus” which addressed the installation of the Statue of Liberty to welcome immigrants to the U.S. To celebrate this, the American Jewish Historical Society holds an annual contest for poems about the Statue of Liberty. The overall aim is to keep a conversation going about American identity and what it means to each of us. You do not have to be Jewish to enter, nor do you have to produce some sort of brainwashed flim-flam saying that everything is perfect here in the good old U.S.A. Poets choose what the statue of liberty means to them, My contribution, now in the Emma Lazarus Archives forever, is about working class America where all that glitters is not gold and many people experience discrimination while others get away with horrendous crimes against humanity.

HEY, LADY LIBERTY

Brian James Lewis

Hey Lady Liberty, why do you look so sad?
Is it because the truth of this country you watch over
Might not match the glorious and perfect façade
Spun by the history books passed out in schools
That seem to miss so much of every decade?

As a lady representing our country
Don’t you wish we had a female president?
Someone who would choose better school lunches
Find homes and good jobs for the homeless
Make it illegal to close the government
When it’s needed and we’re asking for help?

Hey Lady Liberty, we know freedom isn’t free
But the rich want to cut veteran’s benefits
Along with mental health care and self-respect
What do you think chances are for immigrants
Who come here searching for the American dream?

Thanks for reading! For more information about the American Jewish Historical Society go to: http://www.ajhs.org.



“RESEMBLING LEPUS” IS ONLY DAYS FROM BEING RELEASED BY NEW GREY MATTER PRESS IMPRINT EMERGENT EXPRESSIONS! DAMAGED SKULL WRITER & REVIEWER GIVES YOU A PEEK INTO AUTHOR AMANDA KOOL’S DYSTOPIAN DETECTIVE NOVEL

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Resembling Lepus
Amanda Kool
Emergent Expressions
April 26, 2022
Reviewed by Brian “Skull” Lewis

Hey there regular readers, it’s your old pal Skull with some great news and a review of Resembling Lepus the first book of the Emergent Expressions imprint from none other than horror powerhouse Grey Matter Press. Yes! Is that cool or what? And, here’s a little secret from the Skull to you: If you go to the link below and pre-order your copy of Resembling Lepus before its release date, Grey Matter Press will give you 25% off the cover price. Now that’s something to smile about with a big, boney-toothed grin! See my previous post to learn more about Emergent Expressions and its plan to broaden readers’ options along with opening minds. Now, on with the show.

Amanda Kool, the author of Resembling Lepus, kicks things off with a murder. We arrive at the grim scene that’s oddly juxtaposed against a lovely nature preserve. In better times, it would be a wonderful place to visit, but right now it’s sullied by blood and tears. Beautiful groves of trees become potential hiding spots for the murderer, who likes to kill their victims by hand. Yikes! And who is the victim? Why a lovely female rabbit-a real one, to be exact. The detective narrating this story, police officer on scene, and the doctor are deeply shaken. Wait, why?

In our current world, we might chuckle and shake our heads at that. But in the future Kool reveals to us, it will be no laughing matter. The way things are going in the present century, there is a serious chance that our luckier descendants will live in a dystopian world. The rest of us will be long gone, riding the extinction train with many plant and animal species. Maintaining the fragile, manmade ecosystem requires many sacrifices. Privacy and personal freedom are things of the past, thanks to 24/7 monitoring by CC TV, doors, and even the furniture we sit on. There will be strict rationing of food and luxury items for working class citizens. City air will be so polluted that everyone will have to wear an air filtration device. Personal use vehicles will be a thing of the past. Everything will be recycled, including life force. Perfection in motion, right?

Well…no. During her investigations, the detective uncovers a lot of bugs in the system. One of the major ones being that just like in our current modern day lives, the wealthy have a free pass to do whatever they damn well please. It’s the actions of some of these entitled people that produce a very dangerous killer. Do they care or even consider the situation? Nah! They’re too busy getting ready to go on vacation for a whole month. Even when the detective points this out by saying “Must be nice” to the man of the house, he just replies cheerfully “Oh, it is!” So spoiled that he’s unable to view his vast, spacious home with a real lawn, trees, houseplants, and pets through the detective’s thirsty eyes.

As the bodies pile up, the detective finds an ally in the forensic doctor who performs the autopsies, runs tests, and even manages to plug them into the brain of a manmade rabbit that lives in the nature preserve along with a mix of real rabbits and ones like itself. While they learn much about the killer, the experience brings some painful realizations about how well this artificial world is really working. Is the doctor truly an ally or is she something else, a spy perhaps? The detective has figured out the mystery and wants to move forward with nabbing the murderer, but her captain wants to follow the rules that perpetuate a system that clearly isn’t doing what it claims. Our detective is a strong woman and she’s not backing down after all she’s been through, which includes nearly becoming one of the murderer’s victims. There needs to be a conclusion. But how much will it cost her?

Damaged Skull Writer and Reviewer gives Amanda Kool’s novella Resembling Lepus a FIVE STAR rating and a place on The Wall of Fame! Emergent Expressions’ debut shows readers that this is a brave new imprint producing works that make us think while keeping our eyes glued to the page. There are myriad ways to read Resembling Lepus, and with every pass through the book I saw something new. What always asserted itself was the hard reality that there’s no such thing as a perfect world that works for every inhabitant equally. Humans have tried to play God for centuries and it never works right because no one can be totally objective. Even the Greek Gods of mythology were constantly making mistakes, so what makes us think we’re any better? The murderer in Resembling Lepus reminds me a bit of Michael Crichton’s Terminal Man. Something science claims will work perfectly but doesn’t, with drastic consequences. When caught by the detective, Peter screams “We are vengeful creatures!” And the doctor shows the detective the past when rabbits were considered vermin and hunted for sport because people liked to hear them scream. So why are they protected now? What’s wrong or right? I don’t know, I’m just a book reviewer who calls himself Skull. You catch this book and read it.

For more information and to order a copy of Resembling Lepus go to: www.greymatterpress.com
For more information about author Amanda Kool go to: www.amandakool.net
Tell them your old pal Skull sent you!

THE CLOCK IS TICKING! EASTER IS APPROACHING QUICKLY AND THE ENTRANCE WINDOW TO ENTER THE DAMAGED SKULL WRITER AND REVIEWER NPM GIVEAWAY IS NEARLY CLOSED. HURRY IN FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!

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Nothing says Easter like some festive Damaged Skull Eggs! But even more special is the fact that we’re in the middle of National Poetry Month. In this case we’re looking at some excellent dark poetry from Lucy A. Snyder that you can win a paperback copy of right here. But, you gotta hurry, because when the sun rises on Easter Morn it’ll be time for your old pal Skull to collect all the entries in his hat, give ’em a whirl and pick a winner. Then I’ll reach out to them so I can ship a copy of EXPOSED NERVES to their door. Thank you to Raw Dog Screaming Press.

All you have to do, is like, leave a comment, and follow Damaged Skull Writer and Reviewer. Yes, you have to enter your information to leave a comment for security purposes, but nobody except the WordPress security people get to see it. No one will send you spam or those weird phone calls telling you that your car’s warranty has run out. I tried to get them to fix my 87 Dodge Ram and they declined. Good Luck!

ENTER DAMAGED SKULL WRITER AND REVIEWER’S GIVEAWAY OF LUCY A. SNYDER’S POWERFUL POETRY COLLECTION “EXPOSED NERVES” TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL POETRY MONTH!

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Hello friends, it’s your old pal Skull with some exciting news. To celebrate National Poetry Month Damaged Skull Writer and Reviewer is giving away a paperback copy of Lucy A. Snyder’s recent poetry collection Exposed Nerves. Published by the rapidly growing Raw Dog Screaming Press, this collection of poetry runs deep and strong.

I’ll have a review up a bit later this week, but for now I encourage you to enter this completely free, no strings attached giveaway. Just like, comment, and share this post with your friends, so we can support independent authors and presses. Your old pal Skull would also appreciate it if you’d follow this blog as well. The deadline for entries is 6 pm EST on Good Friday and I will announce the winner on Easter Sunday. Best of luck to all!

HAPPY NATIONAL POETRY MONTH TO ONE AND ALL! HERE’S WHAT’S COMING THIS MONTH FROM DAMAGED SKULL WRITER & REVIEWER

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April is always one of your old pal Skull’s favorite months. Yes, there’s the possibility we in the northeastern portion of the U.S. might actually get some warm weather, but the real exciting thing is that it’s NATIONAL POETRY MONTH! Over the past decade or so, I’ve come to realize that poetry is a lot more exciting than the overly sweet, must rhyme at any cost stuff that appears in greeting cards. In fact, I’m a little bit proud of turning some of my friends onto poetry. A big reason that poetry is cool? Independent Presses! In the picture above, four cool presses are represented:

RAW DOG SCREAMING PRESS: Exposed Nerves by Lucy A. Snyder
Monstrum Poetica by Jezzy Wolfe http://www.RawDogScreaming.com

HIPPOCAMPUS PRESS: Tenebrae in Aeternum by Benjamin Blake http://www.hippocampuspress.com

INDEPENDENT LEGIONS: Whitechapel Rhapsody by Alessandro Manzetti http://www.independentlegion.com

HELLBOUND BOOKS: Beautiful Tragedies 2 http://www.hellboundbookspublishing.com

There’ll also be some other interesting posts, maybe even a few about yours truly. But the priority will be on promoting works of poetry, with maybe a few side excursions along the way. Until then, be sure to immerse yourself in the kinds of poetry that appeal to you. Take a trip to your local bookseller, check out the presses above, and/or hit the library to fuel your journey of discovery. We may not always be able to depend on the weather, but poetry is guaranteed to touch your soul.