Michael Cavacini

An award-winning arts and culture blog.

Archive for the tag “Books”

01 Oct 2018

Why Did James Patterson’s BookShots Fail?

On June 7, 2016, I reported that James Patterson, the world’s best-selling author, set out to start a revolution in the publishing industry with the launch of his BookShots line. These bite-sized books were marketed as being 150 pages or less and they were priced at $4.99. Patterson said, at the time, that he had 117 ready to go and planned on releasing 50 in 2016. As of right now, only 66 have been published over the past 16 months and there hasn’t been a new thriller in the line since December 2017’s Avalanche. With all signs pointing to this revolution not succeeding you might be wondering, why didn’t BookShots take off the way James Patterson had hoped? Let’s take a look.

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16 Jul 2018

Review: ThrillerFest XIII

ThrillerFest is the premier conference for thriller writers and readers. ThrillerFext XIII marks my fourth time at this event and it fittingly kicked off on Friday the 13th. Over two days, numerous panels took place on a wide range of topics – everything from how to best execute a fictional character to how to handle sex scenes in thrillers. These panels were comprised of new, best-selling, and seasoned authors, all offering a unique perspective on myriad issues and trends.

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04 Jun 2018

Dark Horse: He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe

With rumors rumbling about a new Masters of the Universe movie finally seeing the light of day, now is a great time to reconnect with the original pop culture phenomenon known as He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. The best way to do so – aside from watching the 1980s TV series – is by picking up the five fabulous books published by Dark Horse. From the TV shows (including She-Ra) to the minicomics and everything in between, these books cover anything and everything He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. As with all of Dark Horse’s books, these publications are filled with insightful information, compelling visuals, and behind-the-scenes information you won’t find anywhere else – and it’s all lovingly compiled in these beautiful tomes that no Masters of the Universe fan should be without. Below is a rundown of all of the books and their official synopses so you know what to expect from each one.

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02 Jun 2018
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Spring Reading 2018

I read approximately 50 books a year and my reading list is even longer. Below are a few of the books I’m reading or have already read this spring, along with their official synopses.

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07 Apr 2018

Book Review: The Crash Bandicoot Files

Crash Bandicoot is one of my favorite video game characters of all time. The original trilogy of Crash Bandicoot games, which I played for hours on end on my Playstation back when they were originally released, is coming to Nintendo Switch this summer in the N. Sane Trilogy – a remastered compilation I can’t wait to dive into. If you need even more Bandicoot goodness to satiate your marsupial mania, you may want to pick up The Crash Bandicoot Files, a new publication from Dark Horse Books.

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29 Dec 2017

Kindle Oasis For Sale

Now that I have the new Kindle Oasis, I’m selling my old one on eBay. In addition to the Kindle itself, the lucky winning bidder will get three official leather charging covers and one third-party case, as well as a micro-USB charging cable. But this listing will only last for five days, so get your bid in now.

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29 Dec 2017

Review: Waterproof Amazon Kindle Oasis

Amazon recently released the all-new Kindle Oasis, which is the first-ever waterproof Kindle. Is it worth buying? Watch my video review below to find out.

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13 Nov 2017
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Interview: James Patterson MasterClass Winner Kecia Bal

Kecia Bal won the first James Patterson MasterClass Co-Author Competition. Her proposed topic and outline for a book she hoped to write with the world’s best-selling author was chosen by the man himself. In June 2016 she received a fateful call from James Patterson telling her that out of the thousands of submissions, hers was the best and she’d have the opportunity to bring that idea to life working side-by-side with the foremost writer in the thriller genre. Together they wrote and published The Dolls, an imaginative and compelling entry in James Patterson’s BookShots series of bite-sized thrillers that clock in around 150 pages. Below is my interview with Bal, who was kind enough to share her thoughts on this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

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30 Sep 2017

Author Interview: Jason Pinter

Jason Pinter is one of my favorite authors. He’s an excellent writer who has written numerous internationally best-selling books. And, he’s also the founder and publisher of Polis Books, an independent publishing company he launched in 2013 following positions in editorial and marketing at Warner Books, Random House, St. Martin’s Press and Grove/Atlantic and the Mysterious Press.

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09 Jul 2017
2 Comments

Celebrating Five Years!

Five years ago I started this blog because of a desire to write a novel, and I wanted to make sure more people bought it than just my parents. So, I figured this blog would be a great way to increase brand awareness – with the brand being me! So far, it’s been more than I ever could have expected. Not only have I written about books, authors and literature, I’ve interviewed nearly 50 celebrities, including numerous #1 New York Times best-sellers, as well as Tony, Grammy and/or Emmy award-winning musicians and actors. This blog has enabled me to meet Bruce Springsteen, James Patterson, Neal Schon, Dionne Warwick, John Oates, and countless other legends in the arts and entertainment world. Along the way, I’ve reached more than 700,000 people and had my content published in Reader’s Digest, Classic Rock Magazine, ABC News, and on the cover of The Aquarian Weekly, among other media outlets. Connecting with so many of my idols, as well as my readers, has been a thrilling experience that I look forward to continuing for many years to come. And I haven’t given up on that novel. Perhaps, that’s what I’ll be celebrating five years from now.

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