Kirkus review is in!

For those of you who are not aware, there are many ways to get reviews. Bloggers are a great resource. And I have previously posted reviews from Readers Favorite—also a wonderful site. I have been fortunate so far to have three five-star reviews, plus a number of very favorable recommendations.

But all of these are small potatoes compared with a Kirkus.  There are so many people whose author careers are made or broken from a Kirkus review. Their rep is that they are more stingy in giving praise. You will often see quotes like this on a book: "...exciting ride..." with the moniker of Kirkus next to it. Authors and publishers want something quotable.

I'm proud to say, there is a lot that is quotable on my review:

"The story smoothly alternates between present day and past, generating suspense..."

And another, that is particularly interesting, since Kirkus had no idea that my next book focuses on the very character they praise: "Characters are engaging all around, with Jake a standout."

However, those quotes are just secondary; buried in the text. What follows is the big one. I don't have to hunt for a short phrase to post since they gave me a ton, plus the following:

"A laudable mystery that starts tangled and slowly unravels—with not one but two twists at the end."

Here is the full review: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ilene-b-benator/schizo-hidden-in-plain-sight/

Oh, and by the way, I have a giveaway on Goodreads that is happening right now! You can get a free signed copy and some extra swag. Enter now before it closes on the 15th.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Schizo

by Ilene B. Benator

Giveaway ends June 15, 2016.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

BACK FROM CHICAGO — ALL WRIGHT

Shelfie of Schizo

Celebrating on the Porch

After BEA, my husband and I met up, shared my favorite wine "Whitehaven" and enjoyed the view (and the last of the nice weather).

Signature Room at the Hancock

My favorite Chicago building. I used to think this was the best Chicago view. But we were informed that was at Cité because it has the Hancock in its view. Next time, Chicago. Sometime soon.

Navy Pier as seen from the Signature Room

View South from the Signature Room

Modern Wing of the Art Institute

Impression of a selfie

Van Gogh

Shiva!

And the Stargate?

Frank Lloyd Wright's first house he designed himself

Abbreviated FLW or Wright.

Wright's master bedroom

Wright's Playroom

Wright's baby room

Wright's playroom ceiling

Wright designed house

Wright designed house

Wright designed house

Wright designed house

Wright designed house

Wright designed house

Wright designed house

Wright designed house

Wright designed house

Wright designed house

BEA ARC haul

(mine on top!)

...Continued from Part I 

I went to the Signature Room for Brunch for both the view and a wonderful reunion with one of my favorite (and still teaching!) professors from med school. I met his wife for the first time--such a wonderful woman. It was a great morning. And it did not end! The professor and his wife had a membership to the Art Institute, and decided to join us there as well. Seth and I had a delightful time visiting the familiar art, and the new modern wing that I had not seen since it was built after my time in med school.

All of this happened because of our marital mishap. It's all good. Or all right (Wright)? We'll get there.

More reunions commenced at Lawry's (The place for prime rib!) with an old friend from med school. I did not count how many years it had been since we'd seen each other because it does not seem possible! She has not aged at all. 

Thanks to a very flexible Airbnb host, my husband and I could go on an architectural tour of Oak Park. With many pictures above. My husband is an architect and though I had already been on this house tour, it was nice to see it through his eyes. I included a small sample of the photos in the slideshow above. Frankly, Oak Park might be one of the most picturesque communities in the country. I live in a neighborhood that is full of nice craftsmans. But it is nothing compared to Oak Park. Victorians are the "abhorrent" buildings that Wright could not stand to look at. I love them. I love the Wright-designed homes. Most are restored and beautiful. Between Oak Park, and the skyscrapers old and new, Chicago is certainly an architectural masterpiece.

I had a great visit for work and pleasure. I know I'll be back to Chi-town. I look forward to it.

OFF TO BEA

What is BEA? For anyone not in the publishing industry, BEA stands for Book Expo America, and it is THE place to check out whatever is new in books. I am going there to promote my new book Schizo: Hidden in Plain Sight.

You can find out more by clicking around my website, but in short, it is about a med student who is on his psychiatry rotation and encounters a schizophrenic patient whose bizarre ramblings about a plot to control the population might actually be real, and his pursuit of the truth puts him in grave peril.

I had such grand plans to explore as much of the conference center as possible, talk to some people, sign some books, and maybe pick up some cool books of other authors as well. And then, life happens...

In case you thought my bio listing "soccer mom" was cliche, I played in the parents vs kids game. For some background info -- I'm a clutz who loves to play sports. I am surprisingly good at many different sports, but have managed many injuries in the process. As a kid, I played soccer, but I just could not keep my feet. My head knows where to go, but my feet get tangled.

And so, my past experiences got realized, and my foot got caught and twisted and popped and now I have a severely sprained ankle. (I considered attaching a photo, but it is pretty tough to look at for the non-medical readers out there). While I can now walk without crutches, I cannot guarantee that I can maintain walking at the convention as needed, so I will try to stay off my foot as much as possible. So if you see a girl with an orange backpack hobbling around with or without crutches, that's me. Ask me for a microfiber cloth, or a bookmark. At my booth, I'll sign an ARC for you. I'll be at the Waldorf Publishing booth #2225. I hope to see you there!

I will blog each day, and tweet from @ibbenator about anything I see that is cool, interesting, and/or free.  

Also, for those who are visiting Chicago for BEA and need some suggestions, I have a section on my website about that. In "About," since I lived in Chicago for med school and it is a major setting in my book.

Cheers!

Ilene

Bloglovin data: <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/16681689/?claim=3g8g3bvjszy">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

THIS IS MY NEW BLOG

I am excited to announce the launch of my website. Of course, if you click on that link, it will send you to the home page of this new website. If you are not careful, you will create a paradox. However, unlike 12 Monkeys, I do not think there will be an explosion as the paradox is realized. I believe that time paradoxes don't exist, since the future you meeting the past you are a completely different entity. You can talk to yourself since you have set yourself upon a new timeline.

But I digress. There is no possibility of a paradox. Unless you clicked here and had a copy of the blog in the blog in the blog in the blog...

As you can tell, I like science. And science fiction. This blog will have that. Sometimes medical science will find a home here. If it is purely healthcare related, the blog might end up on my old blog drbrenner.blogspot.com. I might repost a particularly useful article from that blog here. There were a few helpful blogs from Goodreads that I might repost as well.

In the next week or so, there will be some great guest posts beginning. If you think you would like to do one, send me a message via the Contact page.

-Ilene