Saturday 11 August 2012

Emotobooks: The Fusion of Written Fiction and Expressionistic Art by Ron Gavalik

Thank you to Jessica for allowing me to guest post.
As a writer and publisher, it’s always been a goal to bridge the gap between the cerebral gratifications of well-plotted fiction writing and the visual stimulation of illustrative art. The one day I had a mini-epiphany. Insert expressive, emotionally representative imagery in written stories, during moments of emotional consequence. By delivering a visual of what a character feels, the reader becomes more intensely immersed in the story.
 Emotobooks are written fiction stories, not comics or graphic novels. The few emotional abstract images woven in the stories are the dream-like visuals each of us experience in the middle of the night.
The term Emotobook is a portmanteau word I conjured as a memorable label for the very first fiction medium for smartphones and tablets. For the first time, readers can now see actual representation of character emotions right on the page for a fun, interactive experience.
Stories are published as EmotoSerials or EmotoSingles. EmotoSerials are monthly-released, continuing stories, much like TV dramas or miniseries that continue until their climactic ends. EmotoSingles are individual experiences.

I launched Grit City Publications in July of 2011, with the first Emotobook series titled Grit City, a seven-part story about Dillon Galway, an idealistic freelance journalist, who scrapes out a living reporting on corruption. Since then, we’ve grown the Emotobooks Catalog into an array of fun genre fiction titles in Sci-Fi, Romance, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller, and Horror.

Each Emotobook title consists of three creators: the author, editor, and illustrator. It’s our philosophy that three contributors on each Emotobook delivers a richer, more flavorful story. The creators even offer Autograph Cards and suggest mood settings, such as food, drink, and music. This way our fans can achieve a full-bodied experience.

Emotobooks accommodate a new audience, who desire a fast “full story experience” on smartphones, iPods, computers, or tablet readers in about 30 to 60 minutes. They can be purchased from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other retailers.
Our editors are currently seeking the best genre fiction for the Emotobooks transformation. It’s required that fiction writers read our submission guidelines and the free handbook, How to Create Emotobooks, before submitting. Our publishing model is unique and we require long-term participation from authors for everyone’s success.
Now that you’ve been introduced to the Emotobooks Revolution, I hope you’ll join our Readers Cult and begin collecting the coolest titles. We even offer free Autograph Cards to our fans. What it really comes down to is we write, edit, and illustrate the best modern fiction for our fans. Without you, we wouldn’t be here. Thank you.

Ron Gavalik’s Bio:
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ron Gavalik is a seasoned freelance journalist and fiction author of the successful Grit City thriller series. As Publisher for Grit City Publications, he oversees the Emotobooks Revolution. Ron holds an M.A. in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University and a B.S. in Marketing Communications from Point Park University. When not writing, you can find him in the outdoors of Southwestern Pennsylvania on his trail bike, hiking, or fishing.

 


Pushing The Limits Review

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

Publisher:  Harlequin Teen
Release Date: July 31st/2012
Pages: 384
*An ARC was provided by Netgalley for review*
 
What It's About!

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.
 
Review 

I had been DIEING to read Pushing The Limits since I got accepted to read it from Netgalley. My excitement only grew when I started reading it and got completely submerged into the world of Echo and Noah. Pushing The Limits instantly became one of my most favorite contemporary books, and actually, probably one of my most favorite books PERIOD.

We get to see the world as both Echo and Noah see it, and see their take on everything and see into each of their lives. Each character was so different and so well done, they made the book so good. The whole story of Echo and Noah is so beautifully written and just so real that you can't help but be in love with the characters and their stories. I laughed, cried and experienced everything with them as I read the book. Each transition from one chapter and character to the next was so smooth, I barely noticed any gaps between point of views of the two main characters.

Pushing The Limits is definitely not one of those books you want to just throw in a corner and stomp off annoyed because the author rushed everything and didn't seem to think ANYTHING out. Both Echo and Noah had problems they had to work through, and they ACTUALLY worked through them, meanwhile finding themselves in each other and a love worth fighting for. The build up of their friendship that blooms into love was amazingly done. It wasn't rushed in any way, it was so realistic, they felt like actual real people that I was reading the lives of. Same with their "problems" or "issues". They both see the same therapist but she doesn't feel like JUST an annoying therapist. She really understood them and helped them work through everything. All this really helped set the tone and pace for the novel, making it really enjoyable and a real pleasure to read.

This novel is just so gripping and beautiful, I damn near cried when I reached the end of the book. I was really hoping there would be a second one, but at the same time, the conclusion of the novel made me feel like Echo's and Noah's story was done, and done so well that I'd be afraid that if their WAS to be a second novel, it could ruin the characters' story by not being as good as this book was. There is, however, a companion to this novel, only we see Beth's story and get to dig into who she is. I'm actually quite excited for it, she was kind of a dark, broken character that I'd love to know more about and maybe get to see why she is the way she is.

I highly recommend Pushing The Limits to everyone who loves the YA genre, contemporary fans especially.
 
 
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