Virtual Tour
Author: RJ Sullivan
Featured Book: Haunting Blue
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R.J.’s Bucket List (from the likely to the absurd)
My entire life I have always seen myself with one goal in mind–become a published author and build a reading audience. To that end, mission accomplished. So let’s just jump in and see what I can come up with.
10. To finally own a computer advanced enough that I don’t have to rebuild it every year. Come on, people. MS Word, Facebook, and the ability to watch YouTube videos, is this too much to ask?
9. “Six months on the New York Times Bestseller list.” Sigh. Sorry, what was I saying?
8. To live long enough to see Marvel re-acquire the rights to the film adaptation of Spiderman so that they can finally make a version that’s not for-gossakes an embarrassing atrocity. (And I’ll just add–a great Wonder Woman movie because the world needs a great Wonder Woman movie.)
Speaking of comics:
7. A comic adaptation of my own work: I’m a lifelong comic book fan. I grew up reading the adventures of Spiderman, Wonder Woman, and their SF and horror variants (Dracula, Star Wars to name two major ones) I would love to see Blue or Rebecca turned into a gothic comic book tale Black and white. With art inspires by Bernie Wrightson. Yeah! Or perhaps a full-color adaptation of Captain Sayuri Arai and the plight of her mining spaceship the Red Lotus. Hey, someone call me. Let’s do this.
6. Pay me for movies! Sure, why not? Or a TV series. Or neither. Maybe Haunting Blue becomes a Sy-Fy Channel original. Maybe they do an okay job. Maybe they completely butcher it. That’s okay. Notice this is not a wish list for a successful adaptation (though that would be nice, in spite of the odds against it) rather, to have an idea optioned by Hollywood that may or may never get made. A property that requires the studio to write a check every couple of years to keep renewing that idea. Or as I call it, living the life of Asimov. And I’ll be honest, should this unlikelihood come to pass, I will be a total mercenary. I will not be P.L. Travers, creator of Mary Poppins, who fought Walt Disney every step of the way (and in spite of the claims of the recent bio-pic, completely hated the result). Make the movie. Make the TV show. Make it good, make it bad. As long as my books are around, I don’t care. Just put the check in the mail promptly.
The rest of this is a “if money were no object” and gets a little silly.
Shut up, it’s my bucket list.
5. Travel to Japan–the language barrier has always been daunting to me, and I am by nature a homebody. But if I were to go anywhere outside of the country, it would be the place that brought us all the awesome genre goodness of Godzilla, Speed Racer, Ultra Man, (the components of) Robotech, Battle of the Planets, and so much more incredible media sci-fi.
4. Acquire the rights to build my own amusement park: Warcraft World–Where Orcs and Night-elves walk side by side across cobbled paths and over those funky wooden spiral ramps and staircases to rides, merchandise, and simulations all in tribute to the world’s coolest MMORPG on the planet. Warcraft World–for those who find The Magical World of Harry Potter too mundane.
3. The ultimate home theater. With big screen, THX sound, reclining theater seats, my own popcorn machine and pop dispenser, and room for a couple hundred of my best friends. I guess I need a bunch of great movies to show, too.
2. Media Producer– Create the movies geeks want, done right. Let’s start with a proper I, Robot and help people forget about the Will “Ah hell no” Smith movie, along with Dragonriders of Pern, Elfquest, and a for-gossakes version of Dune that’s not an embarrassing atrocity.
1. Cyndi Lauper performing at my birthday party.
Shut up, it’s my bucket list.
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MY REVIEW
My favorite part of this story is Fiona Felicity Shaefer, aka Fi Fi, aka Blue. She’s spunky yet vulnerable, lethal yet loving. And she’s only 17 years old.
Blue’s mother is a successful lawyer with little time to play mom so Blue is left to her own devices, hanging with college kids in Broad Ripple.
A great opportunity for her mom has them moving to the small town of Perionne and Blue isn’t too happy. With only 1 year left, she has to finish her senior year of school among strangers.
Her blue hair and attitude makes her the enemy of the school bully, but it doesn’t take long for the dark side of her nature to emerge and she pounds him good. That’s when she meets Chip, a computer geek with electrifying eyes and an easy-going attitude.
There’s an urban legend in Perionne. A local man, Gunther is purported to have robbed the bank and then disappeared without a trace. Most believe he’s dead and there have been numerous reports over the last twenty years of his specter being spotted.
When Chip coerces Blue into doing something crazy, they find out first hand if the legend of Gunther is real and they just might not survive to tell.
The author told this story in two different points of view. You’ll read Blue’s story, which takes place in 2010. And you’ll read Gunther’s story from 1990.
It’s easy to follow as the author flashes from present to past and present again. I would be reading about Blue and be totally engaged. Then I’d be reading about Gunther and be thus enthralled. Whether in the present or the past, I couldn’t wait to see what was coming and it made for twice the fun.
I was thrilled to learn this is the first book in the Adventures of Blue Shaefer. I’ll be sure to check out further adventures, and I hope the author writes about Blue’s years in Broad Ripple. I’d like to know how she became so lethal.
A great adventure, an urban legend, and a bit of clean romance await you. I’d recommend this book to all adventure lovers.
4 STARS
Haunting Blue Book Synopsis:
Punk, blue-haired “Blue” Shaefer, is at odds with her workaholic single mother. Raised as a city girl in a suburb of Indianapolis, Blue must abandon the life she knows when her unfeeling mother moves them to a dreadful small town. Blue befriends the only student willing to talk to her: computer nerd “Chip” Farren.
Chip knows the connection between the rickety pirate boat ride at the local amusement park and the missing money from an infamous bank heist the townspeople still talk about. When Blue helps him recover the treasure, they awaken a vengeful ghost who’ll stop at nothing–not even murder–to prevent them from exposing the truth behind his evil deeds.
Haunting Blue is Book One of the Adventures of Blue Shaefer.
Amazon Links for Haunting Blue:
Kindle Version ~ Print Version
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About RJ Sullivan
Haunting Blue is the first book of the adventures of punk girl Fiona “Blue” Shaefer. This is the 2014 revised edition by Seventh Star Press. Seventh Star also released Haunting Obsession, a Rebecca Burton Novella, and Virtual Blue, the second book in Fiona’s tale. R.J.’s short stories have been featured in such acclaimed collections as Dark Faith: Invocations by Apex Books and Vampires Don’t Sparkle. His newest project is the Red Lotus series of science fiction novelettes.
R.J. resides in Heartland Crossing, Indiana. He drinks coffee from a Little Mermaid mug and is man enough to admit it. www.rjsullivanfiction.com
Author Links:
Website ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Twitter
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Tour Schedule and Activities
7/14 Jess Resides Here Interview
7/14 Beauty in Ruins Guest Post
7/14 fuonlyknew ~ Laura’s ramblins and reviews Top Tens List
7/15 Deal Sharing Aunt Top Ten’s List
7/15 John F. Allen Writer Character Post
7/15 Armand Rosamilia, Horror Author Guest Post
7/16 The Rage Circus Vs. The Soulless Void Review
7/16 SpecMusicMuse Interview
7/16 Workaday Reads Post on Artwork of Haunting Blue
7/16 I Smell Sheep Character Post
7/17 Bee’s Knees Review Review
7/17 Library Girl Reads & Reviews Guest Post
7/17 Come Selahway With Me Guest Post
7/18 A Haunted Head Author Interview
7/19 Nerd With A View Top Tens Post
7/19 Coffintree Hill Guest Post
7/20 Willow’s Author Love Review
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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!
Great review and RJ needs a Mac by the sound of it
Thanks Jess. RJ needs for sure! LOL I just loved his list!
great review, Laura. And RJ, I can relate about the computers. Love them and hate them, but don’t know what I’d do without them. ^_^
sherry @ fundinmental
I had such fun with this book! And I too couldn’t live without my computer, even though I dream of walking outside and dropping it in the pool sometimes!
Thanks for the kind words and having me on.
I think number 11 is that RJ would like to own a Wendy’s Franchise so he has a lifetime supply of triple with bacon cheeseburgers. LOL Great review!
I’ d like to have the frosty and fries myself. LOL Thanks for visiting Stephen. I’m excited to read Virtual Blue next.
Silly Stephen! triple cheeseburger with bacon indeed! My loargung id American cheese would not tolerate a thing. triple with bacon, though, yes.
That’s loathing of. Fun with touchy texting.
Nice review, Laura. I enjoy stories that are told from more than one person’s perspective.
I like the idea of having my own amusement park.
There was no confusion flashing from one POV to the next. Very easy reading which made it more fun!
Just think. If you owned it, you wouldn’t have to stand in line and you could have all the cotton candy you ever wanted! I love that stuff. LOL
And I could ride the ghost train all the time. 🙂
Loved your review Laura, and RJ’s bucket-list. Yep I want Marvel to buy the rights back too.
Thanks Kimba! This story was a pleasant surprise.