Dying For It - A Preview Of Eat, Pray, Die by Chelsea Field.

Eat, Pray, Die by Chelsea Field

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Being an undercover poison taster for the rich and famous might sound glamorous, but for Isobel Avery it means stomaching bad clients and even worse coffee.

The one side of the job that lives up to expectations is the money. Which is just as well for Izzy, since she needs an awful lot of it. Who knew when she made a lifelong commitment to a man that it would be one year living with him and the rest of her life paying for it.

But even her scoundrel ex-husband doesn’t look so bad compared to her new client. He’s competent, condescending, and annoyingly attractive, and Izzy doesn’t know whether to sleep with him or poison him herself. Throw in a loan-shark, a nosy neighbor, and a murder attempt, and Izzy will have her work cut out for her

Eat, Pray, Die is a sexy and stylish mystery/thriller with no shortage of smart dialogue and taut action scenes combined with an engaging and involving mystery from the get go.

Chelsea Field's protagonist, Isobel Avery, is a classic fish out of water heroine - an attractive and plucky young Australian who navigates her way through the highly polished chintz of LA's celebrity obsessed culture in the role of a poison taster to the rich and famous. Working for a shadowy agency, Isobel is hired as a "Shade" by wealthy clients who are targeted by enemies by way of poisoning and it is her job to neutralise any threats by tasting their food.

When one of her colleagues falls victim to a particularly dangerous poison, Isobel is paired with the enigmatic - and decidedly "rugged" - operative Connor and together they embark on a desperate race against the clock to uncover an enemy who is determined to foil them. Isobel Avery is appealing wide eyed and, perhaps overwhelmed by the responsibilities she has taken on, but she is also resourceful, with a keen eye and an analytical mind and it doesn't take long for her to embrace her role of investigator with gusto.

Paired with her foil in Connor, I couldn't help but imagine Mad Men's John Ham in the role. There's a satisfying tension between the two and I found their story trajectory really engaging.
Field's writing style is highly polished and she posits some really clever ideas - particularly around the whole celebrity poisons industry. The need to have an agency dedicated to the protection of high profile figures from competitors is fascinating and it offers a unique insight into a world that I found utterly convincing and more than just a little scary. Her grasp of the mystery elements kept me guessing and problem solving which is the mark of a really great piece of genre fiction.

Field visualises the high gloss world of L.A. brilliantly, making the scenes immediately accessible and she finesses her narrative with sensory detail that drew me into the world and kept me there. Her supporting cast are all well drawn and I never knew, from one page to the next just which of them might be the prime antagonist.

Above all, Eat, Pray, Die moves fast. It's an entertaining ride from beginning to end and I enjoyed the heck out of it.

(image credit: Chelsea Field).

Adelaide based author Chelsea Field has lived an exciting life for an introvert.

She’s fallen off a galloping racehorse, faced down dozens of Australia’s most dangerous animals (including vicious roosters, for those of you who’ve read EAT, PRAY, DIE), and while she’s never sold buns or coffee for a living like her protagonist, she’s consumed plenty of both.

Yes, all of those points are about animals or food. I told you she’s an introvert.

After writing a romantic comedy (no, you can’t read it) where the hero was a photographer from Burnside and then meeting and marrying a photographer from Burnside a few years later, she’s a little worried her writing has weird prophetic fate-like powers. So she makes sure nothing too bad ever happens to her characters, just in case life decides to imitate fiction again.

Purchase Eat, Pray, Die here.

Connect with Chelsea Field here.

Chelsea Field on Amazon here.

View all my Goodreads reviews.

DFA.

What Is The Value Of Literature?

Earlier this week, I found myself participating briefly in a discussion about reading preferences between ebooks and physical books. 

In the course of the discussion, it became clear to me that there is an expectation on the part of a certain section of consumers and readers that a literary title presented to them in digital form should be priced dramatically lower than its print counterpart or, in many cases, it should be free.

Now, while I can accept that ebook pricing by and large should be set on a different tier to its print counterpart, their was a part of the consensus view point that made me angry.

It seemed to me, in the course of the discussion, that readers have very little concept of the work an author puts into creating,  writing, editing and producing a story. 

When an author commits to a project, it can consume anywhere up to a couple of years of your life. The amount of research, the character development, story development, editing, proof reading that is required of a writer is significant. It can be quite a daunting prospect to will a story from a few scattered ideas. 

And this, of course, is all before the manuscript is handed over to an editor and publisher.

At the end of that writing journey, when you have done everything to ensure that your story is the best possible story it can be, to be confronted with the kind of mentality that says - "oh I would never pay more than X amount of dollars for an ebook" or "I only read free titles" or I don't believe ebooks are real books..."

It actually angers me.

The one side effect of the explosion in digital reading I've observed is the degradation in the value of writing as a craft by consumers and the degradation of the value of literature as a whole. Additionally, the reaction of some authors to that side effect, is to further devalue their own work by chasing consumers, almost begging them to take on their work.

It is something that, I believe, should be addressed and challenged.

DFA.

Gifts Of The Peramangk Receives Nomination In Major U.S. Literary Award.

On a particularly drab and grey Wednesday morning, this past week, as I was leaving the hospital where I work, after a fairly intense ICU shift, I did my customary email check while I was waiting for the car to warm up. I received an email message that I am still kind of blown away by but, as the gravity of it dawns upon me, the more blown away I have become. 

I have been advised that my 2012 novel, Gifts of the Peramangk, has been nominated as a finalist in the contemporary fiction category of the 2014 EPIC Awards.

EPIC - the Electronic Publishing Industry Coalition - was incorporated in 1998 to provide a strong voice for electronic publishing. Once an authors' organization, EPIC has expanded to include hundreds of professionals from all facets of the electronic publishing industry: authors, publishers, editors, artists, and others. EPICs members work together in a unique collaboration to further the industry both throughout the United States and the world. 

Since its genesis, EPICs renown has grown and it has become an industry body known for its advocacy, integrity and its commitment to the digital and print publishing industry.   

Several months ago, my publisher approached me about the EPICs and suggested that we should submit an entry to the competition. I had little to no expectation that Gifts of the Peramangk would proceed beyond the first stage of the judging process, given that there are thousands upon thousands of entries and a rigorous judging process. And, when I received the news, I couldn't quite believe it. I received a certificate of nomination from the judging panel and was advised that the nominees would be listed at the homepage shortly - which they now have been. 

I am vying with two other entrants for the EPIC Award for contemporary fiction - David Desmond and his satirical novel Oliver Booth and the Evil Socialite and K.Z. Snow and her powerful drama Xylophone - both of which have earned critical acclaim respectively. They are titles I am really proud to be standing alongside.

The only kicker in all of this is that, now, there is a wait for us all. The Awards will be announced on March 14th, 2014 during the annual EPICon weekend, to be held in San Antonio, Texas. The convention itself is a three day event with innumerable opportunities for industry professionals, authors, publishers, editors, cover artists and literary agents to meet and network. 

In speaking to my parents on the phone this week, my Mum actually asked me if I was considering going - and for about an 8th of a second, I seriously considered it. But, in doing some quick mental calculations, the financial and logistical factors in my getting from Adelaide, Australia to the United States for the convention and awards ceremony are too vast for me to achieve. At this point, I can't see how I could possibly go.

But the thought was there...

So, yeah...I am beyond buzzed by all of this. I am under no illusions that this will lead to a huge surge in sales or put me on the path to ridiculous fame and fortune. But what it does do is remind me that the 2 years I put into Gifts of the Peramangk - the meticulous research, the hours of pouring over stories of utter devastation that was wrought on Aboriginal Australians, the many occasions of self doubt as to whether I could actually write this novel. 

To be recognized by a group of peers in such a way, is something that I will forever cherish. 

DFA. 

Click through to listen to Dean's September interview about Gifts of the Peramangk.

I'm Going To Give You My 99 Cents.

I have been giving some thought to the whole 99 cent eBook issue, which has been discussed around the various writing communities. I have been involved in some discussion recently about the issue and I think it's worthy of an opinion from me, as a published author.

I am, admittedly, ambivalent about the notion of this price point.

When I wrote my novel, The Hambledown Dream, I gave little thought to the eBook marketplace and I came into the market having little concept of pricing. I quickly discovered the trend towards pricing works at 99 cents and my initial thought was 'Is this for real?' I poured my heart and my soul into my novel and the market is going to expect me to price it at less than a buck?

Fortunately for me, my publisher Michelle Halket at ireadiwrite and I discussed this at length and we were both loathe to release the novel digitally at such a low price point.

99 cents, whilst being attractive for getting large sales numbers, I believe it runs the risk of cheapening the eBook marketplace as a whole. If you've worked hard and diligently to produce a work that you're proud of, then you have every right to set a price that gives you the maximum potential for reward.

The 99 cent price point actually damages this notion. When I see an eBook listed at any one of the major retailers I instantly equate them to the old dime novels my grandfather used to buy - you know the ones? The western novels that you could (and probably still can) pick up for a couple of bucks off the newsagents shelf. Whilst mildly entertaining, most of these titles were pretty much throwaway reads, lacking in quality and literary merit. It's a shame, because I have picked a number of 99 cent titles and have found them to be excellent works of literature. 

If you have written a solid piece of literature, and I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I regard my novel The Hambledown Dream as a solid piece of literature, then you are doing yourself a disservice by pricing it at 99 cents. It cheapens your brand and by extension your name. It is hard enough in the digital environment, where independent authors are constantly subject to criticism that unfairly compares them on a lower rung to traditionally published authors, without further diluting the quality of works by pricing them so low. Now, there are exceptions to this rule and I think of one right off the bat - the novelette.

Typically, the novelette has a word count of around 15,000 words - significantly less than a standard novel. I think that there is justification in setting the price point lower - even as low as 99 cents - just as long as it's clear the product you are selling is in fact, a novelette. The distinction between products needs to be clear enough so that confusion and by extension arguments can't be allowed to run away. Also, there are occasional promotional opportunities that come up for authors whereby setting the price of a book at a special price of 99 cents for a limited time is acceptable and can assist in raising your profile in the marketplace. I recently participated in such a promotion and it was certainly valuable in attracting readers to my work.  But this has a limited shelf life and I wouldn't encourage authors to do this for an extended period of time.

I don't buy the argument that because the book is not a physical entity then people shouldn't expect to have to pay higher price for it. Sure, it might not have the tactile presence of a paperback or hardcover object - but what you as the reader holds in your hand via your electronic device is a literary experience equal to - perhaps greater than - any other literary experience available. There is an inherent value in this that should not be understated. The medium through which we experience a work is, in my view, irrelevant. That said, I am shrewd enough to realize that the marketplace, at present, does have its own tipping point in terms of what consumers are willing to pay. But they should pay a decent price for a literary work.

I would like to see authors price their works higher across the board. If authors, collectively priced their works higher then I do think the market would cope. There is a high saturation of users out there and I think they would accept a higher base price. I mean, you pay at least $3 for a good cup of coffee don't you - and that cup gives you what - maybe a 5 or 10 minute experience?

My ambivalence on the issue of the 99 cent price point has evolved over time from observing the market and talking with others about there own thoughts on the subject. I think that the marketplace needs to accept high price points from authors who are passionate about their work and believe it stands equally alongside both printed literature and literature produced through the traditional publishing houses. 

I therefore, don't encourage the pricing of literary works in the digital format at 99 cents.


DFA.

Reviewing The Process Of Dreaming.

I don't know where to begin with this post. I don't know what say or how to say it. I don't even know if anything I have to say is worth saying.

I feel especially low presently.

I was hoping that last week's relaunch of my novel would be some sort of blistering success but it hasn't. In fact, it's been barely noticed. I mused last week about my superstitions with regards to re-doing the cover of the novel & though the notion of bad luck does not fit with my rational mind, I can't help but being drawn back to it.

The book just isn't selling.

I have a number of ways of tracking how much interest my blog has been getting and those methods are useful and encouraging. But they aren't translating into sales of the book and I am starting to sink a little under the weight of my feelings of failure.

I thought I had constructed a solid platform across the most relevant social networking tools I have at my disposal, which most of us authors use - you know Facebook, Twitter, this site, Amazon. I've participated in a number of forums, contributed to dialogue about writing and I've advertised in places where my small budget will allow. But I don't think it's working. And I fear, to be honest, people might be getting tired of the message.

This year, I switched focus from the printed edition of The Hambledown Dream to the digital one for a couple of reasons.

Last year, though I got the book onto the shelves in a number of book shops both locally and interstate, the process burned me out. I spent many hours pounding the pavement, taking my book in to stores, meeting with managers, leaving samples of the book with them, organizing events. The reception from most of the stores I dealt with was less than enthusiastic and in some instances latently hostile. To a certain extent, I prepared for this because I had read a lot about the sales climate in book retailing domestically and I knew it would be a challenge to cut through. To be brutally honest though - some of the dealings I had were a cluster fuck. Though the agreements I forged lead to some successful events and some decent sales, I found myself in the unenviable position of chasing payment from some of the stores some, six months after the books had sold. In one case, the situation became so dire that I had to seek legal advice. It lead to many a sleepless night and a loss of confidence in myself.

In releasing the book last year, I approached a number of people and asked them if they would consider reviewing the book for me. I also had a number of people approach me to review the book. Now, let me preface this by saying that I am prepared to take on anyone's review of my work as it comes and I don't shy away from reviews that are critical of it. This is part and parcel of putting oneself out there. But there was one review in particular that, whilst praising the work for it's story and characterizations, it slammed the work for a number of copy editing flaws (which, I must stress, have since been well and truly addressed). In addition to this, the review went after my publisher in a way that, in my mind, was somewhat vindictive. It was the priverbial shit sandwich that, may or may not have covered up something deeper. The review overall was less a review and more a report card from a teacher grading a student.

And it hurt me. I'll be honest. It fucking hurt. Again - though I had trained my rational mind to deal with and expect this, when it happened, it side swiped me and I didn't quite know what sort of damage it might do. While I tried to move on from it and take on board certain things that I could use to make the novel better, in truth, I lost all confidence in myself and my work and I actually considered whether I should discontinue promoting The Hambledown Dream - especially to book stores.

I have felt this way up until quite recently. 

One of the nicer things to emerge from all of this, however, was a small but loyal fan base who embraced The Hambledown Dream and myself and really championed it. For them, the story was something unique and wondorous, quite unlike the traditional love story. When things for me became quite dark and I felt very low, they encouraged me to push on with it and keep putting it out there. I have had some wonderful support.

I was compelled to push on.

I see immense possibilties with the rise of the digital market and while I haven't abandoned the print version of the novel, I feel that pursuing success in the digital market place is worth a shot. Again, I am influenced in part by some of the major stories coming out of the big book stores in the past few months. Some of these chains are in serious trouble and I feel that, until there is a major shakeup in the retail book landscape then I am not sure that putting my literary egg into that particular basket is a wise one.

I could of course, be totally wrong.

In the past few days I have begun submitting the novel to as many review sites as I possibly can and I have decided to take a crash through philosophy towards it. I have decided that I want to gather as many reviews as I possibly can, good and not so good, and I want to be fearless in this endeavour. If I can get the book noticed in as many places as I possibly can then I am maximizing my my potential for sales.

I don't know if it will work or not. In fact I really have no idea if I am doing anything right. Musing over such things in the middle of the night over the sound of a respirator is perhaps disingenuous.

The internet is so filled with noise that I feel that my voice gets lost in the scream.

DFA.

Gonna Fly Now.

You know when, during the Rocky movies, Rocky Balboa begins that ubiquitous training montage of his to composer Bill Conti's rousing theme "Gonna Fly Now"?

Right from the very first refrains of those brassy trumpets that herald it's beginning, you just know that Rocky is going to prevail. That, from all the effort, the self doubt, the trials and tribulations that have peppered his journey up until that point - you just know things are going to be alright - okay good!

On Thursday afternoon I had to run a couple of errands and I took my son with me for the drive. Do you know, I can't even remember, what the errand was that I was supposed to be running, my mind has been so preoccupied this week. Anyway, as we're driving along, my son Xavier begs me to put on his favorite song of the moment - which just happens to be Bill Conti's "Gonna Fly Now". After a little protestation from myself - I was happy just to listen to the cricket - I relented and I thumbed my smart-phone's screen until I brought up the Media Player. In a few seconds that familiar and rousing trumpet refrain burst through the car and Xavier was cheering in his seat, punching the air with his fists as we got into the song for the umpteenth time.


And within that treasured little moment between father and son, I got this sense that things were going to be alright...good even...


And so, fast forwards to Friday morning - to when I first wake up and, as I have religiously these past few days, I launch into the ritual of checking my phone (email) hoping that, that one message that I have been waiting nervously for since last week had arrived.


I blinked as they downloaded onto my device...and then...


there it was...


I am thrilled to officially announce today that I have signed with iReadiWrite Publishing of Vancouver, Canada and that my first novel "The Hambledown Dream" will be published as an eBook - to be sold in the iReadiWrite store and it's partner stores.


iReadiWrite Publishing is a small but growing digital press that has been a fervent supporter of new and emerging writers looking to get their works published in the growing market place of electronic books. With a focus on literary fiction across a number of genre's, iReadiWrite Publishing has a growing catalogue of exceptional works in it's store and they are all reasonably priced to make them affordable and attractive.

You can thank the emergence of the iPhone and more recently Amazon's Kindle for driving an increasing interest in the eBook. In fact it has been reported that eBook sales are fast over taking sales of traditional books, such are their appeal to the modern reading public.


Words cannot describe how thrilled I am to be achieving what I consider to be one of the most significant dreams of my life. Since I was in my senior year at high school I have held onto the dream of becoming a published author. I have had many attempts at crafting that one great story, that novel that I always believed was in me. And now here I am.


An official release date for the book has not yet been pinned down but I am hopeful that the book will go live on the store within the next month or so. There is still a lot of work to do prior to it becoming available but rest assured that I will keep the updates flowing here.


I would like to invite you to spread the word about my book. I believe in it, I poured my heart into it and I would like as many people around the world as possible to read it and hopefully enjoy a tender and emotional love story that is quite a lot different to what you might expect.


Will talk soon,


DFA.

Editing the Dream - Part 10.

Today was a really exciting day.

I spent most of the early hours of this morning checking my email via my smart phone because my editor tipped that she would complete her edit of my manuscript. As I was working in the Neonatal ICU (where phones are supposedly not allowed - even though the worst offenders in breaking this rule are the consultant physicians!!), I kept stealing the "occasional" (ie. every ten minutes or so) check of my account. I tweeted that I don't think I've been this excited to receive something in the mail - not even my university grades! Sure enough, as promised, the manuscript hit my inbox just as I was leaving work at 7AM. I fairly burst with excitement and I think I even broke into a skip as I crossed the street outside the hospital - a mid 30's man with facial hair looks pretty scary skipping I am sure.

My editor sent me two copies - one version shows all the changes which I could, if I wanted, go through and accept or reject all the changes individually - a time consuming process for sure. The second version has been fully edited and requires only that I read through it and decide for myself whether or not I am happy with her work. She also sent me an eight page document of explanatory notes and suggestions for consideration. The latter version and the explanatory notes is the version I will concentrate on for my final run through because - in a word or three - what she has done has been nothing short of fantastic!!

I was so excited when I got home from work that, even though I had to work again tonight, I just couldn't resist laying down with the second version and begin reading it. I was blown away. All of the grammatical chook poo that I had missed on the 1st and 2nd edits of the manuscript have been comprehensively polished away. She has slightly tweaked certain lines of dialogue and description and has reworked certain scenes in very subtle ways as to make them really pop. I am so thrilled with what she has achieved - what am I saying "she"s the cat's mother! I'll call her J out of respect for confidentiality.

The explanatory notes set out in brilliant detail all that which J has recommended I consider and looking through it I can't help but smile at her thought processes. A lot of her suggestions address things that I'd had trouble with but was unable to come up with ways of addressing myself. It was as though J had read my mind and solved my dilemmas.

Now that I have it back in hand I am eager (who am I kidding - I cannot wait) to sit down with it and get cracking with the final, FINAL edit. I leave for Kangaroo Island on the 26th for a week. The laptop will be packed, the wine will be bought and I am thinking...Vince Jones will be the music for the week (well that's what I believe anyway - my partner Emily, will probably overrule me - dammit).

I spoke to Mel (the photographer) and she has decided that we will need to do another shoot for the cover. The images that she captured last weekend, while good, weren't - in the final analysis - quite there. She said that the rosemary sprigs really need to have the flowers on them in order to make them 'pop' and I have to agree. It was the one thing I was searching for on my expidition to find the rosemary in the first place but I settled - and I don't want to settle. We will set up a time probably in the first week of January and go for gold then.

In the past couple of weeks I have connected with a number of really wonderful people in the online writing realm and a really rather lovely group has emerged that has really made me feel good about this whole endeavour. The stand out has been Melissa Luznicky Garrett, whose novel "Precipice" I reviewed in my previous blog post. The other stand out has been Melissa Halkett of IreadIwrite Publishing who has sent a lot of encouragement my way and has made me feel as though this dream of mine will be achieved.

It's funny you know...a friend of mine asked me recently why I wasn't going down the traditional route of submitting my manuscript to a traditional publisher. To answer that here frankly, would be to reveal perhaps a little of my politics with regards to the established industry here in Australia so I will keep that on the down low. What I will say however is that writing for me is a purely creative endeavour, an endeavour of love rather than money. The opportunities in the online realm are far more attractive to me in their potency - their ability to connect me with a large audience. It can be a wonderful and inspiring place.

Merry Christmas by the way...

DFA.

Dean's Brilliant Reads - Precipice.

I've recently finished reading a brilliant eBook by Melissa Luznicky Garrett. Called "Precipice", Melissa's debut novel tells the story of Julia Becker - a 25-year-old elementary school librarian living in upstate New York with her successful journalist husband, Jim. Up until the moment Jim is involved in an accident while away on business, Julia’s life is comfortable, secure, and hardly exciting. While tending to Jim, however, Julia uncovers some hard truths about herself, her husband, and their marriage. And when a new teacher begins at Carson Elementary, Julia finds her allegiance to both her husband and her best friend, Kris, being put to the test.

It's a fascinating, intense read - a deeply atmospheric story about a young woman's journey of self discovery which is, at once traumatic yet deeply satisfying. I was hooked very early on and had no problem at all with the fact I was reading an eBook on my smart phone.

Melissa Luznicky Garrett lives in upstate New York with her husband and three children. She has been writing for most of her life as a hobby. Her blog Root & Sprout is an entertaining document of her writing journey and I love checking in with her at least a couple of times a week.

You can click on the cover art for "Precipice" in the right hand column of my blog (just look to the right!) and be taken direct to the book at ireadwrite publishing where you can purchase it in a variety of formats for a variety of devices. IreadIwrite Publishing is a digital press and publisher who caters to lovers of fine literary fiction and is an ardent supporter of new and emerging authors. There literally is something for everyone there and I recommend them highly.

DFA.

Editing the Dream - Part Seven.

So...I'm in a sort of state of flux right now. One where I can niether move forwards or back. My editor has my 3rd draft of the manuscript in hand and estimates that she will have it done within the next couple of weeks or so. I'm humming with a nervous excitement. She sent me the first five chapters fully edited and with some margin notes and it is all just superb - exactly what I was hoping for. The grammar has been tightened up significantly and the suggestions have ranged from things like, reconsidering the role of certain incidental characters to changing a name here and there to considering whether a woolen "beanie" should just be called a cap. I am so happy with what I've seen so far. I am hoping that, as she progresses deeper into the manuscript, she'll have good suggestions about certain scenes that I was having trouble with.

I am having this internal dialogue with myself right now, where I am trying to temper my impatience to see the job completed so I can submit it to the eBook publisher while at the same time remaining typically Virgoan in my desire to ensure that the story works - even with the supernatural element to it. It's hard not be able to sit down with the manuscript and pour over it again and again to look for anything in it that can be improved or changed.

My photographer friend and I have tentatively set up a cover shoot for this Saturday coming. We'll head down to the beach just before sunset so that we can take advantage of this special time of day to get some shots of the rosemary and mint posy that will be tied in a lavendar bow. Though we'll be using a metropolitan Adelaide beach to represent the sands of New South Wales Southern Coast, I don't think that it will matter too much. The Adelaide sands are pretty damned fine.

Once all the elements are together, the final manuscript, the synopsis, the cover art, my profile (eek!) - I will submit it to iReadiWrite Publishing (http://www.ireadiwrite.com) for consideration. iReadiWrite Publishing is an ardent supporter of emerging writers, it is a great portal for lovers of eBook literature and their catalogue of titles is growing all the time, across a number of genres. I've read a lot about this portal recently and I really like their philosophy - their support of undiscovered talent. Fingers crossed that I will achieve my dream of being a published author early in the new year.

For now the work continues...

Just on one other creative subject, while it's on my mind, I just saw Crossing Over (Harrison Ford, Ashley Judd) this weekend past.

I have followed the development of this film with interest - mainly because it is a Harrison Ford film - and I was thoroughly dismayed that it saw such a limited cinema release state-side and virtually no cinema releases internationally. It seems like the Weinstein brothers have peed another great film up against the wall.

Crossing Over is a multi layered story about the lives of those seeking a better life in the United States - so much so that they will do anything to achieve it. It also tells the story of the agencies and people involved in policing immigration and the US borders. The filmed suffered from a critical back-lash in the States and didn't do well at the box office - which is a shame, because it is a superb film that handles a tough subject.

Maybe it is because the immigration debate remains a subject too difficult for Americans to talk about. Maybe this is just another example of the Weinsteins doing over a perfectly good film, because they had difficulty with it - I dunno - but the cast in this film delivers very moving performances, not the least of which is Harrison Ford who, I think, delivers his finest performance in years. The film has been compared to "Crash" insofar as the way it handles muliple story lines, but Crossing Over is no where near as preachy or in your face as Crash was.

It handles the difficult issues surrounding immigration with a considered hand whilst pulling no punches about the deeply flawed nature of certain peoples reactions to it. It's a disgrace that Crossing Over did not do as well as say a "Traffic" or even "Crash" but I guess the subject matter was always going to be controversial.

Anyway, rant done...talk soon...

DFA.