Snappy aphorism of the day

April 24, 2020 | Comments Off on Snappy aphorism of the day
 

Once you’ve accepted your flaws, no one can use them against you. – George R.R. Martin

 

A Blast from the Past

April 14, 2020 | Comments Off on A Blast from the Past

Back in my LEGO Creative Director days, I commissioned Templar Studios in NYC to produce an online game to feature the new LEGO Bionicle toys. Here’s a terrific 30-minute documentary about its production.
 

Maker’s Schedule vs. Manager’s Schedule

May 16, 2018 | 0

It’s a real headache for writers and other creative work that most of the world runs according to a manager’s schedule (with office hours from 9am-5pm peppered with 1/2 hour-long meetings). Creative folk need uninterrupted time.

Visit this link for an insightful take on the dilemma. If you’ve figured this all out, and can still feed a family of 5, send me a note. I’ll be eternally grateful.

Another nice review

June 22, 2015 | 0

Catherine Rose Putsche just added a nice review of Quiznot on her blog. Here’s an excerpt:

What a wonderfully crafted story! I was pretty much hooked from the start and look forward to reading more books in this planned trilogy. Russell Stoll has successfully created a thrilling young adult/sci-fi/fantasy book with a likable heroine that the reader can get behind and root for as he is strong, brave and loyal. The only disappointment I had is that I must wait to hear more of Timothy’s adventures and can’t wait to see what they entail. I expect an exciting epic to be awaiting this heroine.

I hear you all. Write faster, Russ.

Nice review from Joe Crowe at revolutionsf.com

May 15, 2015 | 0

He writes,
“Quiznot blends elements of The Last Starfighter and X-Men and a little bit of the sadly canceled TV show Tower Prep. It’s about a kid who discovers he has powers, and enigmatic people at a mysterious school with kids who also have strange stuff. The whole product is just enjoyable, a hero’s quest mixed with teen-outsider melodrama.

“Give this one a shot. It’s new characters and a new story that will remind you of classic stuff. It’s an all-ages story with a creature that reminds me of Lockheed from X-Men. So that’s a few bonus points right there.”

Here’s a link to his blog: RevolutionSF.

X-Men meet the Stepford Wives

January 8, 2015 | 0

I just received a wonderful review for Quiznot from Bethanie Armstrong over at her blog Bethanie’s Blog–Reviews and Faves. Thanks Bethanie!

Quiznot by Russell Stoll

Genre: YA, Sci-Fi

And WOW!! I don’t know how else to explain this book. It has hit the Bethanie’s Fave list. I immensely enjoyed this book. Each page I turned I had no idea what would happen next. It was extremely unpredictable and I loved it! Most of the time I like predictability, bu this time it didn’t happen. I was just fine with that.

I still wonder what happened to a certain character in this book, but luckily this is only Book One. I am so excited that I have more to look forward to, and will hopefully have my question answered. Now, I will have to say this. The way the book started off, I thought it was just going to be another boring book about people doing strange things. I was SOOOO happy to find out that I was completely wrong!

Oh my goodness! This book had a huge mixture of things to it. It reminded me of X-Men meet the Stepford Wives. When I said that to my husband he imitated his mind being blown–Ha Ha! He is not an avid reader like me. I was able to get him into reading at one point and every-once-in-a-while I can do it again. I am going to try with this book. I think he would enjoy it.

Mr. Stoll has written a great Sci-Fi book that I would recommend for any age from about 13 and up. It is definitely a young adult novel. What a grand adventure awaits the reader who chooses this book!

WRITING AND STORYLINE

The writing I only found a few mistakes in, but the storyline was impressive. Mr. Stoll wove so much into this book sometimes it was hard to keep up with until you read a few pages in and suddenly realize what has happened. That was the only part that kind of threw me. But once I figured it out, it made every bit of sense. In my opinion it connected the aspects of the book.

One other thing. Some readers care and others don’t. There are very few expletives in this book, I only remember about two. They are very lite.
I don’t ever give much up about a story, because I don’t want to spoil it for another reader. It is kind of like a movie that you want to see and you don’t want anyone to tell you anything about it. You want to find the surprises yourself. This book is full of them. You will enjoy it! By the way, my favorite character was Max. 🙂

Happy reading!

~Bethanie

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. No monetary exchange was made.