Tag Archives: kids’ books

A Clever Review of Doc Wilde

Buy Now!

Buy Now!

Travis Jonker, an elementary school librarian, reviews my novel, Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom, at 100 Scope Notes, and takes an unusual approach:

Chapter 1

Travis sits down to review the new middle grade adventure Doc Wilde and the Frogs of Doom. He decides to incorporate the book’s cliffhanger-heavy style into the review when there is a knock at the door. He gets up as the knocking becomes more urgent. When Travis opens the door, he can’t believe what he sees.

He follows with several short “chapters” lampooning the style and structure of the book, but in a fun way (not a mean way). It’s kinda smartass. But from me, that’s praise.

There are some spoilers in the review, so be warned. His ultimate summary is:

Inspired by the Doc Savage pulp adventures from the ’30s and ’40s, Doc Wilde and his family are heroes in the classic sense: smart, athletic, strong, well-traveled, and good-looking. The author, aware of how impossible this is, presents these over-the-top characters with a bit of subtle humor, which every kid won’t pick up on. This fact isn’t likely to deter many, however.

The whole thing is here.

More Kudos For Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom!!!

Buy Now!

Buy Now!

As blogged yesterday, I’ve been on a net vacation of sorts driven by my fine Celtic melancholy (that’s a poetic way of saying my shifty brain chemistry and the crap I went through in my formative years). During that time, there were a few stars sparkling out of the blackness, one of the main ones being the continued excellent critical response to my novel, Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom.

I have a short backlog of reviews I haven’t blogged about yet, but I don’t want to toss them all out at once because that might be tedious for folks reading. So I’m going to parcel them out over a week or so.

Today’s comes from MyShelf.com, and is by writer Janie Franz (author of Freelance Writing: It’s a Business, Stupid!).

Move over, Doc Savage. Get out of the way, Indiana Jones. Make room, Artemis Fowl. There’s a new adventure hero / family in town!…I was thoroughly excited by Doc Wilde and the Frogs of Doom…Not only was there non-stop adventure but there were interesting characters…I can’t wait for more adventures from Doc Wilde and his intrepid family.

She also reinforces other folks who have pointed out that the book isn’t just for boys…

Doc Wilde and the Frogs of Doom is a great read for kids. Though some of the blurbs on the back of the book tout this as an adventure novel for boys, its appeal is certainly not restricted to them. Wren is definitely a very clever and capable little girl and just as courageous as her brother, Brian. This story will most certainly appeal to girls who are as enamored of narrow escapes, crazy gadgets, and unusual creatures.

At this point, I’ve had the opportunity to hear from several young readers (and even more grown-up readers) who loved the book, and I’ve actually heard from more girls than boys (a fact with no actual statistical bearing, I’m sure, but the girls who read it dig it as much as the boys).

I’ve quoted only part of the review, as usual. The whole thing is at this link.

A Study in Contrasts (Two New Doc Wilde Reviews)

Order Now!

Order Now!

Yesterday, I got notification of a new review of my novel Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom. When I finished enjoying it (because it was by someone who really enjoyed the book), I glanced at my email, and lo, there was another new review.

So I clicked over to it, ready to enjoy, only to find the closest thing to a bad review I’ve gotten yet (out of nearly twenty).

It’s an interesting bit of happenstance that these reviews appeared at pretty much the same time, because they are from two very distinct viewpoints: that of someone who knows and loves pulp adventure stories, and that of someone who isn’t familiar with pulp and seems not to care for it. Continue reading →

My Interview With Enchanting YA

My latest interview is with Lisa at Enchanting YA:

Why action/adventure?

I love adventure stories. Always have.

I was recently thinking about this very question, about why this is the sort of thing that my mind comes up with (as opposed to, say, suburban divorce stories), and it occurred to me that most adventure tales are tales of optimism. The heroes face difficulties, and almost always manage to overcome them. Adventure stories are usually considered escapism, a retreat from our daily reality, but I think instead they actually motivate us subconsciously to engage reality. They give us models of perseverance and hope.

The rest is here.

Mystery Novelist Bill Crider Reviews Doc Wilde

Buy Now!

Buy Now!

Bill Crider, a well-regarded novelist writing mainly in the mystery genre, but not exclusively, provides the latest review of Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom. Something tells me he’s a longtime pulp fan like me:

Looking for a Doc Savage pastiche and a Lovecraftian adventure all in one?  Look no further.  Tim Byrd has it for you right here.  Doctor Spartacus Wilde and his two kids, Brian and Wren, are plunged into action almost from page one when they learn of the disappearance of Grandpa Wilde.  They go from the top of what’s obviously the Empire State Building to the South American jungle, tangling with all kinds of weird frogs, not to mention frog-men, along the way…

It’s all in good fun, and you should know by now if this is your kind of thing.  If it is, you’re probably already waiting for the sequels, which should come along very soon.

The whole piece is here.

My Strange Interview With Old Bat’s Belfry

Old Bat’s Belfry, which earlier reviewed my book, has now posted an unusual interview with me, with decidedly non-standard questions:

What quirky habit do you have that often gets you teased by your peers or family?

Well, being a writer, and not having to report anywhere to do my job, I am routinely derelict about shaving. So I maintain varying levels of scruffiness, sometimes all the way up to what many call a beard, but I deny that, telling them it’s not, it’s just a really deep five o’clock shadow. I don’t like beards. They itch and they’re soup magnets.

For the rest, go here.

An Enchanting Review of Doc Wilde

A new review of Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom has been posted, this time at Enchanting YA:

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I started DOC WILDE AND THE FROGS OF DOOM, but the story quickly drew me in within a few pages. Immensely detailed, it soon felt like I was on the trail of Grandpa Wilde right along with the family. The mystery element was strong throughout the entire book and the characters of Doc Wilde and family are bigger than life…An interesting start to what should be a very entertaining series, readers looking for something different will no doubt enjoy this tale.

The rest is here.

I Get Interviewed

I did a short interview with MOVParent.com, the website of Parent Magazine, and think it came out pretty well…

MOVPARENT: If you could go back in time and tell your high school/middle school self one thing, what would it be?

BYRD: “Keep your eyes on the prize and write, write, write.”

I decided to be a writer when I was five; forty years later, my first book is coming out. I procrastinated, put lots of time into things I didn’t get much satisfaction out of, and didn’t have enough faith in myself. So I’d encourage the younger me to get on task a lot sooner so he wouldn’t have to struggle quite so much, or at least could struggle instead to build a longer writing career.

The full piece is here.

A Wonderful Doc Wilde Review!

I love this review of Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom, from Mulluane at Old Bat’s Belfry…

It begins:

The fun with this book starts with the front cover and does not stop until the very last page!

How can I not love this review? It was love at first sight!

…There is more then just nonstop action and adventure in this story, though it has those in spades, it is also educational. There are explanations for everything from nanotechnology to meditation techniques. This book was written for the 10+ age group and while I agree that some of the educational portions of the book (I loved those by the way) might be lost on younger kids, I still kept having the same vision. I kept seeing myself reading this book to my grandkids, who are 5 and 6 years old. Not them reading it themselves mind you, but me reading it to them, a few chapters at a time, explaining things myself if needed. They might not understand some of the more technical aspects but it would not matter, they would LOVE the story! And, possibly learn a few things along the way. This book would be perfect for bedtime reading, the chapters are short and there are plenty of cliffhanger chapter endings to keep them begging for “just one more chapter…pleeeese…” You may find that you have a hard time putting it down yourself!…

…It was perfect. Fast paced, fun, entertaining and even I learned a few things in the process. There was also a touching family quality to the whole thing that was priceless. It was one of those rare books that leaves you feeling really good once it is done. What a great story and a great way to end my day.

There’s more to it than that, so go read it here. How can you not? It’s a very loveable review…

Still Another Doc Wilde Review

The latest review of Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom is up at Reading Junky’s Reading Roost. It’s kinda spoilery, so I’ll just quote the important part:

DOC WILDE AND THE FROGS OF DOOM offers non-stop excitement, terrific special effects, and tons of science/geek information.

The Debut of DOC WILDE AND THE FROGS OF DOOM

The past few days have been good.
Order Now!

Order Now!

Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom came out last Thursday (May 14th).

Reviews continue to be AWESOME.

Friday evening, I did a reading at Glennwood Academy, the local 4th/5th grade school. I used to do a bit of acting, and in my twenties was a semi-pro storyteller for a couple of years, but this was my first public speaking event in years. I was anxious about it. I fumbled a bit. The kids didn’t mind; they were a mass of bubbling enthusiasm. And they loved the book.

Also, a good friend sent a gift with her daughter, who’s a Glennwood student: a package of quite tasty cookies shaped like frogs.

Tim @ Glennwood, 5/15/09

Saturday evening, we had the debut event at Little Shop of Stories, here in Decatur, GA.

At first it seemed the turnout might be small. Heck, at first it seemed there’d be no turnout. The weather was wettish, a good number of the local 4th and 5th graders had already seen me at Glennwood, and as anyone looking at the storefront would know, Rick Riordan (a kids’ book superstar) was gonna be here Monday. If folks were gonna turn out for me and my little first book or him this week, it wasn’t gonna be me. (And, indeed, apparently there were hundreds of people at his signing).

Then people started arriving. And then, we had a fairly good crowd. It was mostly adults, probably an unusual bunch for this store, and they were mostly people who knew about the signing from Facebook or my blog. Many were buying extra copies for kids in their lives, though.

Among the kids was a delightful girl named Emily, who was was there with her parents; she’d won an ARC (advance reading copy) of the book somewhere, and had fallen in love with it. She said she’d have read it in a single sitting except bedtime got in the way (I of course said she should’ve gotten out the flashlight). I’ve now heard from several girls who read and loved the book, which is heartening, because a lot of folks peg it as a boy’s book, but I think it’s great for both.

Emily and her parents

Emily and her parents

We had one tiny beautiful baby with huge cornflower blue eyes, carried by a couple of old friends. The marvelous writer/artist Elizabeth O. Dulemba was there with her husband. I saw old friends (some I hadn’t seen in years), made several new ones.

The Wilde Bunche

The Wilde Bunche

Because I’d been sort of nervous and fumbly at Glennwood, I’d been even more anxious about this event. But this time, once I was introduced and started talking, the stage fright vanished and I was as comfortable as I used to be back in my storytelling days.

"Grab your backpacks," Doc Wilde commanded...

"Grab your backpacks," Doc Wilde commanded...

I read the first five chapters and everyone was responsive and enthusiastic. Then I took questions, which took a lot longer than I’d expected because there were a lot of them. It all felt good. Really good.

"I have absolutely no idea where I get my ideas..."

"I have absolutely no idea where I get my ideas..."

Then we moved to the other end of the room and I signed everyone’s books.

Go Wilde!

Go Wilde!

A bowl of green gummi frogs was on the table. I’d gotten a rubber-stamp of a wicked looking frog and I stamped its sneaky smirk into each book.

Frog of Doom

Good times.

Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom: “Over The Top Fun!”

The latest review of Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom is from Tia Nevitt at Fantasy Debut (and also has the distinction of being the first actual reader review posted for the book at Amazon, where she gives it 5 stars).

She seems to love it:

The adventure is a blend of Cthulhuian gods and a 10-year-old boy’s passion for all things squishy–like frogs. I mean, who can possibly find a frog anything but harmless? If anything, they’re a bit icky, but they don’t even have claws! They have little suction-cup thingies…kind of cute. . .in an amphibian kind of way.

Not Mr. Byrd’s frogs. They are green menaces! They have claws and gnashing teeth! And tentacles!

It’s fun. It’s also smart. There’s all sorts of interesting stuff in this little novel, like dark matter, nanotechnology (in a rather over-the-top way) and a smattering of Latin…

You can read the rest here.

There’s a good deal more, and she manages to say a lot without spoiling stuff, which I deeply appreciate (as will most readers, I think). I’m also very impressed with Fantasy Debut‘s review format, which includes a block at the start of the review that gives Amazon links for the USA, UK, and Canada, links to both the official Doc Wilde site and the Doc Wilde blog (which is different than this, my personal blog), and a link to the excerpt from the book I’ve made available. They’re really serving their readers well.

Doc Wilde: “Really. Totally. Awesome.”

The latest review of Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom is from Book Nut:

I needed something, after finishing The Woman in White, that was as far away from Victorian serialized novels as I could get. And, sorting through my piles of stuff, I came across this one. Which screams “not stuffy”. (Also “campy” and “not deep”, among other things.)

First off: how awesome is that title? Just saying it makes me grin… though I have to admit that I tend to say it in that movie-announcer voice: “DOC WILDE and the FROGS of DOOOOOOM!” Honestly: how much better can you get than frogs of doom? Not much.

That said, it totally and completely lived up to my campy expectations…It’s smart, enjoyable, campy fun. Perfect for a hot summer day (or a kid whose tastes tend toward the mutant…).

The full review is here. It’s pretty much a rave, she clearly enjoyed the book and is quite enthusiastic about it. She does use the term “campy” a lot, which hurts my soul a bit because as regular blog readers will know, I tend to not like campy things, and don’t consider Doc Wilde campy.

In my eyes, camp makes fun of its subjects, and I’m very serious (though also very playful) about the Wildes. As Alex Bledsoe at Guys Lit Wire wrote in his review, the book “while light-hearted, never turns to self-referential mockery.” But that’s a semantics issue (and actually a debate I had with my editor, so Melissa’s not alone in her definition of camp), and a minor one since she’s using the term in an enthusiastic way.

She also falls into the same “golden=blonde” trap that Tim Gabor, the cover artist, fell into:

You have a god of a Dad in Doc: a tall, muscular, blonde, intelligent, rich inventor who happens to Love his family and adventures…

Upon seeing the cover art, my son (the inspiration for Doc Wilde’s son, Brian) asked “When did we become blonde?” That’s because I described the Wildes thus:

They were all long-limbed and golden: golden brown hair, golden tans, and large eyes with glittering irises that seemed composed of layered gold leaf…

They have golden brown hair. Gary Chaloner got it right in his depictions of the Wildes, and in the real world, Jessica Alba’s hair and skin are about right for them:

docwilde_chaloner

jessica-alba-1

But lots of folks are going to see gold and think yellow, so I figure I’m going to have to get used to that. ;)

Doc Wilde Is Here!

Order Now!

Order Now!

Finally! As of yesterday, Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom is officially published! You can find it in bookstores and on the net.

The book is the first in a series of modern pulp adventures which follow the expoits of Dr. Spartacus Wilde and his swashbuckling kids, Brian and Wren.

If you’re somehow out of the loop, you can find out more about the book at the Doc Wilde web site, http://www.DocWilde.com. Continue reading →

The Consensus on Doc Wilde…

…is pretty darn good, thankfully.

Order Now!

Order Now!

It’s just a few days before the book lands in bookstores (Thursday, May 14th), so I figured I’d post a roster of the reviews it has received thus far for the interested:

“Doc Wilde and the Frogs of Doom is an adventure yarn in the old tradition. It gets that reading is an intellectual activity, and that an adventure, to be really good, has to engage the reader’s brain. I love a smart book!”

—Daniel Pinkwater, author of
The Neddiad and The Yggyssey

“Written in fast-paced, intelligent prose laced with humor and literary allusions ranging from Dante to Dr. Seuss, the story has all of the fun of old-fashioned pulp adventures. A tale ‘terrifying and dark, of indescribable horrors and eldritch mysteries,’ this is sure to be Wilde-ly popular, and readers will anxiously await future installments.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“Tim Byrd’s rollicking Doc Wilde and the Frogs of Doom is part Jonny Quest, part Doc Savage and all a massive hoot…it’s a balls-out adventure that, while light-hearted, never turns to self-referential mockery…“

—Alex Bledsoe, Guys Lit Wire

It’s a true delight…Tim Byrd has taken Doc Savage, added in a pinch of Robert E. Howard, a liberal dose of H.P. Lovecraft, and mixed it all together in a well done, enchanting pastiche of the pulps that will appeal to the adult audience as well as the young adult readers. It is an over the top at times, rip roaring adventure that returns us to the days of yesteryear and leaves us wanting more. I hope to see more from Tim Byrd and Doc Wilde in the future.

—Barry Hunter, The Baryon Review

“All the trappings and clichés of the hero pulps are here, but presented in such a fresh and carefree manner, the reader will be swept away by the outlandish exploits performed by this one-of-a-kind family. The Wildes are old fashioned heroes in the best sense of the word and their adventure is sure to thrill pulp fans, both old and new.”

—Ron Fortier, Pulp Fiction Reviews

Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom is a pulp-pounding ribbiting croaker of a tale!

—Will Murray, author of
seven Doc Savage novels

“Like its spiritual predecessors, the two-fisted adventure novels for boys and grown-up boys, this is a book to be read under the covers, with a flashlight, way past bedtime. It is old-school entertainment and proud of it.”

—Quentin Dodd, author of
Beatnik Rutabagas from Beyond the Stars

Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom is a fun pulp adventure that pays homage to Doc Savage while targeting the tweener crowd. The story line is fast and lighthearted as the heroes battle mutant fogs. With literary quotes ranging from Seuss to Lovecraft and beyond, Tim Byrd avoids dumbing down his novel. Young readers will relish the escapades of the Wilde family and friends as they struggle to save the world one croak at a time.

—Harriet Klausner, Genre Go Round

I can’t say that all girls will love this series, but I know quite a few who will. Meanwhile, I know for certain that boys, especially those who like Indiana Jones, Jonny Quest and adventure movies like National Treasure and The Mummy will love it!

—Tracy Farnsworth, Roundtable Reviews

Doc Wilde and the Frogs of Doom doesn’t really have one main character. It’s the story of a family…The basic premise behind the book is very clever, and the quality of the writing is excellent.

—Gail Gauthier,
author of Happy Kid!

Tim Byrd has come up with a perfect idea to showcase what pulp reading is all about…[his] writing never talks down to its young readers, and all his characters are well-defined…You just get caught up in the whole of it all: an evil mastermind, legions of frogmen, cool gadgets and a bit of Lovecraft lite…

—Bruce Grossman, Bookgasm

Action adventure is just the tip of the iceberg because this book is actually crammed full of interesting and, dare we say it, educational tidbits…Parents, don’t be surprised if you find yourselves enjoying this fun pulp fiction just as much as your kids.

—Sandy Amazeen, Monsters and Critics

Sonderbooks Reviews Doc Wilde

I woke up (well, mostly…I’m still working at it) this morning to a new Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom review. It’s notable because it looks like it could well have been my first negative review, but wound up very positive anyway.

It’s by Sondra Eklund at Sonderbooks, and she began like this:

Okay, I admit it. When I read the first chapter of this book, it reminded me way too much of the Spy Kids movie that my children watched until it nauseated me.  I wasn’t at all sure I could finish the book.

She also notes:

The book is described as a tribute to the old pulp adventure novels.  That is perhaps my problem — I never was a fan of those books.

A clear case of “not every thing is for every one,” right? But then:

However…I began to be intrigued to learn in what over-the-top way Doc Wilde and his children Brian and Wren would get the better of the sinister amazonian frogs of doom.  The less I took it seriously, the more fun I had reading it…once I got in the habit, I did find myself coming back for more each night…

I am looking forward to having this book on the library shelves.  I think it will be a natural choice for young comic book fans ready for a little more text and a lot of rollicking adventure. The story is indeed over-the-top.  Brian and Wren take after their father — tanned, golden-haired, strong, agile, good-looking, and incredibly smart.  Throw in being magnificently wealthy with all kinds of high-tech gadgets invented by Doc Wilde himself, and you won’t be surprised when they get out of every life-threatening situation thrown at them.  The fun comes in at how they get out of it this time.

And the adventure continues.

Doc Wilde: a “rock’em, sock’em cliffhanging adventure” (new review)

And, another review of my novel Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom, this time from Sandy Amazeen at Monsters and Critics:

Rock’em, sock’em cliffhanging adventure…Action adventure is just the tip of the iceberg because this book is actually crammed full of interesting and dare we say it, educational tidbits…Parents, don’t be surprised if you find yourselves enjoying this fun pulp fiction just as much as your kids.

And that, of course, is the idea.

The Proper Way to Read Doc Wilde

A few days ago, I blogged about the latest review of Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom, from Bruce Grossman at Bookgasm.

I left a comment for him at their site, thanking him for the great review, and received a message back:

You can thank the people of National Grid for such a super fast review. Since last Wednesday night, right as LOST was about to start, power in my neighborhood went out. So I started reading your book by flashlight since it seemed it would pass the time till the power came back on. Throughly loved it as you can see from the review.

Author Quentin Dodd, whose blurb made the cover of the book, wrote that it’s “a book to be read under the covers, with a flashlight, way past bedtime.”

Bruce Grossman may be the reader who has thus far gotten closest to the pure Doc Wilde experience.

Doc Wilde Has A Bookgasm

Order Now!

Order Now!

Monday morning, groggy with no coffee in the cupboard, eating my oatmeal without raisins (you may figure out it’s shopping day), checking email and Facebook and Twitter…

And finding the latest review of my book, Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom! It’s by Bruce Grossman at Bookgasm (“Reading material to get excited about”), and it has made up for my caffeine deficiency this morning.

…Growing up, being turned on to a series like Doc Savage opened up a new world to most readers, but the problem is that those books — even reissued so nicely — might not appeal to this new generation. Kids will look at the covers and just go, “Oh, that’s old.”

Byrd has come up with a perfect idea to showcase what pulp reading is all about. He does not hide the fact one bit that he is reworking the Doc Savage template for the character of Doc Wilde. There are so many nods and winks to the old series that we oldsters will enjoy this “ribbiting” read.

Byrd’s writing never talks down to its young readers, and all his characters are well-defined, not relying on the old stereotype of children who constantly fall into danger. The kids in this book come off as little adventurers who are ready for action and smart enough to quote H.P. Lovecraft, while Wilde is a second-generation adventurer totally in the Savage vein. Wilde’s father is a version of Doc most of us read growing up, still living at the Empire State Building on the 86th floor…

I love it that people are really getting what I tried to do, and enjoying it. Read the whole review here.

A Children’s Author Ponders Doc Wilde

docwilde1

Order Now!

Children’s author Gail Gauthier read Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom and offered up some interesting thoughts about it on her blog. She seems to have had trouble pigeonholing it as she read the first part of the story: Continue reading →