In his third novel, Estevan Vega says he wanted to write a novel, “really relatable to kids close to my own age.”

by Roger Zotti

When Estevan Vega was 15, he wrote his first book. Now, in his third work, Arson (Tate Publishing), he says he hoped to accomplish “something that was really personal. I was writing it during my parents’ divorce – which had a huge impact on me. And I wanted to write a story really relatable to kids close to my age – I was 17 when I started writing it. I wanted to capture that teen spirit and the pain I was going through.”

As for its theme, Estevan says, “It’s becoming who you are and taking off your mask. I feel a lot of people wear masks every day. The story tries to expose people for who they are.” The main character, Arson Gable, possesses a strange and terrible power. The mask he wears is that he wants to become like everyone else. “But he can’t do that,” Estevan says. “Then there’s Emery, who actually wears a mask. So you have the figurative and the literal.”

Because he tried to make his characters believable – which he did – Estevan hopes readers take away from the book, “The same experience that I or maybe they felt about something that happened to them in their past. I wanted a certain ‘relatability’ with this book that I don’t think I captured in my previous books.”

Originally, the book was Arson’s and his tormented grandmother’s story. But, Estevan explains, “I wrestled with the idea of making it more personal. Obviously, I didn’t want it to be like, ‘Oh, this is my sob story.’ Eventually, Emery moves in and she and her family add a whole new dynamic. Yes, it was unexpected, adding Emery and her family and seeing where they would go.”

Though Arson is an intense book, there’s a change of pace with the entrance of the dying Abraham Finch, whom we meet at Middlesex Hospital where Emery and Arson volunteer. Estevan splendidly describes the old man as having “coffee-colored skin … loosely draped around sagging muscles and brittle bones.”

The dialogue between Abraham and the teens is humorous, sagacious and believable.  In fact, some of Estevan’s best writing – and my favorite scenes – involve Abraham. It’s during their conversations with him that – for a few moments – Emery and Arson step away from the terror of their own lives and learn about the suffering of someone who has lived long and observed and experienced much. To the  teens Abraham says, “…I’ve seen some things in my day … Spent too much time being modest and not enough time saying it like it is.” Later, when Arson says, “I’m sorry, Mr. Finch. This world can be pretty cruel,” Abraham replies, But … this messed-up place got a soul. It ain’t perfect, but it needs saving, just like I did, just like you do.”

Estevan Vega is a young, gifted writer who gets better with every book.  Aimed at both young and adult readers, Arson is a well-crafted fast-paced, highly enthralling page-turner … Learn more by visiting www.estevanvega.com.

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Battling insurmountable obstacles is one theme of Frank McKinney’s novel.

by Roger Zotti

Frank McKinney has written an enthralling action-filled novel for young readers titled Dead Fred, Flying Lunchboxes, and the Good Luck Circle (HCI).  “It’s a deep fantasy set in south Florida,” Frank said. “The primary character, an eighth grader, is named Ppeekk [pronounced Peekie]. She’s very insecure and shy.”  As the story progresses, “she makes the most important friendship of her life with a  little character she calls Dead Fred – whose real name is King Frederick the Ninth, ruler of the underwater kingdom known as High Voltage. He has been dethroned by a 50 foot Megalodon shark.”

The shark – which existed 50 million years ago – “comes back to life and is the evil villain,” Frank said.  A superb descriptive writer, Frank depicts the gigantic Megalodon like this: “[His] thick gray hide was shriveled and puckered with scars. Dozens of remora fish clung to him, absorbing his evil essence … he bared rows of razor-sharp teeth …” Soon Ppeekk and her new friends – Quarto and his younger sister, Mini Romey – “have to find the courage to overthrow this seemingly insurmountable obstacle and restore King Frederick as High Voltage’s rightful ruler.”  The theme of bravery abounds. But are the youngsters successful in restoring King Frederick and conquering the malevolent Megalodon? I’ll put it this way: the last paragraph is a stunner.

To write Dead Fred, Frank “leaped into the fantasy genre.” (His previous books dealt with business, real estate, and inspirational-spiritual matters.) He learned to write dialogue because his other books contained little conversation. And “writing action scenes, many of which take place underwater,” wasn’t easy because, Frank, “How do you create the true belief that these characters are breathing and fighting for their lives underwater?”

Frank believes a good fantasy opens up “the cinema in the reader’s mind. You become so engrossed you feel as if you are sitting in a movie theater watching a film.” He added, “The real bonding with the characters my readers have – who they like and dislike – is [key] in a fantasy novel.”  And first-rate fantasy – which Dead Fred is -reminds the reader “never to lose the little boy or girl inside.” Lastly, consider what Ppeekk says in Chapter 13. They’re an ideal definition of fantasy. When she and her friends see some clown fish that, she says, “are not supposed to be here and yet are … doesn’t that tell you that maybe, just maybe, things you thought weren’t possible, are.”

In his Acknowledgements, Frank tells us that “the primary inspiration [for the book] came from his daughter, Laura, and [her friends] who walked the nearly one mile journey from our house to school every school day of Laura’s life … Right now that’s over 1200 walks. She’s never been driven – not once – and she’s ready to graduate sixth grade. We walked through a tropical forest, a jungle-like nature preserve, and over a drawbridge. So you can imagine the adventures we had in real life – which I fictionalized for the novel.” He also acknowledged Kate Mason (among others) who “taught me to love writing young reader fiction.” … Visit http://frank-mckinney.com/Dead-Fred.aspx for more information.

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“X” Marks the Spot

by Sam Mazzotta

Dear Paw4Pets: A friend of mine told me that he trained his dog to go in a specific spot in his backyard by using a scented rock to mark the spot. How does that work, and where can I get this rock? — Frank in West Roxbury, MA.

Dear Frank: Your friend essentially trained his dog to identify a particular scent with a location that’s OK for him to eliminate. Using a focal point like the rock is pretty helpful when you’re trying to train your dog to do this.  Hopefully the scent is unique enough that the dog won’t smell it elsewhere in or around his neighbor’s house! You can most likely find something like the scented rock (or a similar training tool) at a local pet store or online. Look under house training or basic obedience. Most dogs can be trained to use a specific spot, or several designated spots. It’s best if this training begins early in a dog’s life. If the dog is used to just running anywhere in the yard to do his business, disassociating him from this behavior is necessary and adds time to the process. You’ll also need to be absolutely disciplined yourself with this method — taking the dog out at specified times, daily, to that spot, until he completely associates the area with elimination.  Ultimately, you’ll want to be able to just let the dog outside at that specified time and have him go on his own in that spot, although some dogs may never reach that point. The upside of this, of course, is that your lawn will remain free of little surprises as well as yellowed spots on the grass. The extra benefit, however, is that you give your dog a little more “face time” as you work with him to use the designated spot, something that rewards both of you.

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