Welcome back to Love Bytes! As most of you know, I’m an old-school author who believes writers write, readers read, and reviewers review. To wit, I don’t review books. But that self-imposed limitation doesn’t mean that I don’t support books and the authors who write them. I’m doing just that today, but not for the reasons you may think. I want to expound on one of the finer talents of the craft of writing.

In my post of March 17th, 7 Facts About My Writing Life You May Not Know right here on Love Bytes, I spoke about the importance of cadence in writing. Though I wanted to, I couldn’t mention Jamie Fessenden’s newest book because it hadn’t been published yet. Now I can, and will, because I have tremendous respect for the cadence with which Jamie writes. He’s also versatile. The cadence he might employ to write one book may not be that of another.

What is cadence? Cadence is defined as:

1. a:  a rhythmic sequence or flow of sounds in language

b:  the beat, time, or measure of rhythmical motion or activity

2. a:  a falling inflection of the voice

b:  a concluding and usually falling strain; specifically: a musical chord sequence moving to a harmonic close or point of rest and giving the sense of harmonic completion

3. the modulated and rhythmic recurrence of a sound especially in nature

As we see from the above, cadence is a musical movement. It can be described by melodic, rhythmic or harmonic characteristics; and the basic purpose of cadence is a communicative device. It indicates to listeners when a part pauses or ends and is used to establish sectional articulation and closure. Therefore, it helps elucidate the formal composition of a piece.

But cadence in writing isn’t only about rhythm. Cadences are used in writing to synchronize words, to aid in the use of idioms, to add emphasis, as well as to articulate pause and end. Cadence plays a significant role in making words “connect” to each other. In essence, it is bringing a complimentary tempo to the words we write.

Why is cadence important in writing? Why, the seduction of the reader, of course. When we sit down to read, we aren’t only looking for entertainment and escapism—we hope to be seduced and satisfied by the read. Only masters of the craft can seduce effectively and Jamie Fessenden is one of those people.

In his newest book, Violated, Jamie fictionalizes the horrid realities of two crucial topics: Male rape; and our system’s failure to give credence to and properly process, prosecute, and prescribe appropriate punishments for the crime. Indeed, the handling of these issues is critical in society today.

You can read the blurb for yourself but suffice it to say that the book centers on one friend raping another and calling it commonplace and no big deal—which occurs all too often in society today. When that friend realizes he may be held responsible for his actions, he methodically begins to further destroy the victim’s life. Nonetheless, the victim prevails by virtue of one thing and one thing only. Hope. As with the books I write for youth about abuse (including rape), Violated may be a tough read, but I guarantee it is a satisfying one by virtue of the hope built into the story.

What does cadence have to do with the writing of such serious subject matter? As authors, we would be foolish if we wrote of such grave topics without grace and aplomb. A writer with an ear for cadence will turn writing the horrid into a captivating story of genuine concern and understanding. By the author asking himself if the cadence and words of each sentence convey intended meaning, the seduction begins. If done well, all a reader has to do is close his or her eyes and listen to the story.

I had the pleasure of beta reading Violated for Jamie and was, yet again, impressed by the cadence with which he wrote. Even in raw, unedited form, Jamie’s natural talent for cadence made itself known. I encourage you to read Violated, not only for the importance of the subject matter, but to listen to the rhythm in storytelling. It’s a seduction you won’t want to miss. Buy it here.

See you back here next month on Thursday, September 17th!

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Available in ebook and print from:
Dreamspinner/Harmony Ink Press
Amazon     GooglePlay     Barnes & Noble
OmniLit/ARe     Beam-eBooks in Europe

 

Follow the burgeoning love of two teens during the worst year of their lives. Irish-born Declan David de Quirke II is the son of two ambassadors, one Irish and one American. He is ‘out’ to his parents but to no one else. French-born Jean Isidore de Sauveterre is also the son of two ambassadors, one Catalan and one Parisian. His four half brothers have been told to cure him of his homosexuality. Both teens have lost a parent in a London car bombing.

Declan and Isidore meet at the beginning of their senior year at a private academy in the United States. Declan is immediately smitten with Isidore and becomes his knight in shining armor. Isidore wants to keep what is left of his sanity and needs Declan’s love to do it. One is beaten, one is drugged, one is nearly raped, one has been raped. They are harassed by professors and police, and have fights at school, but none of it compares to running for their lives. When the headmaster’s popular son attempts suicide and someone tries to assassinate Declan’s mother, they are thrown headlong into chaos, betrayal, conspiracy, allegations of sexual coercion, even murder. And one of them carries a secret that may get them killed. Read Chapter One of Slaying Isidore’s Dragons

Available from: Harmony Ink Press
Amazon ARe/OmniLit Barnes & Noble

 

Όμορφη. Ómorphi. Greek. Meaning pretty

Pretty. adj. /pritē/ Pleasing by delicacy or grace

~*~

High school senior Michael Sattler leads a charmed life. He’s a star athlete, has great friends, and parents who love him just the way he is. What’s missing from his life is a boyfriend. That’s a problem because he’s out only to his parents and best friend. When Michael accidentally bumps into Christy Castle at school, his life changes in ways he never imagined. Christy is Michael’s dream guy: smart, pretty, and sexy. But nothing could have prepared Michael for what being Christy’s boyfriend would entail.

Christy needs to heal after years of abuse and knows he needs help to do it. After the death of his notorious father, he leaves his native Greece and settles in upstate New York. Alone, afraid, and left without a voice, Christy hides the myriad scars of his abuse. He desperately wants to be loved and when he meets Michael, he dares to hope that day has arrived. When one of Michael’s team-mates becomes an enemy and an abuser from Christy’s past seeks to return him to a life of slavery, only Michael and Christy’s combined strength and unwavering determination can save them from the violence that threatens to destroy their future together. Read an excerpt of Omorphi

Title: Safe Available from: Harmony Ink Press
Amazon ARe/OmniLit Barnes & Noble

Caleb had one mission in life.

To keep his boyfriend safe.

 

They met at ten, kissed at twelve, and were madly in love by eighteen. Caleb Deering is the captain of the swim team and the hottest senior in school. He comes from a loving home with a kind father and a caring, but strict, mother who is battling breast cancer. Nico Caro is small and beautiful, and has a father who rules with an iron fist—literally. One morning Caleb forgets himself, and he pecks Nico on the lips at school. A teacher sees them and tattles to the Headmaster. The accidental outing at school might be the least of their problems, because the ball set in motion by the school’s calls to their parents could get Nico killed. In the face of that very real danger, Caleb knows he has only one mission in life: to keep Nico safe. Read an excerpt of Safe.