Owe Nothing - a different look at life in Vancouver...

Recently, people from all over the world have been watching Vancouver, BC perform at its best, and there certainly is a lot to be proud of.

This city has many sides to it, and truly, no two people experience this town in the same way.

Owe Nothing is a non-mainstream look at this city: an adventure novel based upon real people and places that I knew when my family lived in dodgy Vancouver Motels for over a year. The names of the people in Owe Nothing are fictionalized, but the events and feelings are based in reality...

Meet a few of the characters...

Jack Owen:

A young guy looking for adventure, and an escape from his lower-class rut. By accepting a bizarre job offer, he soon discovers that the back alleys and rooftops of East Vancouver hold more mysteries than he may be able to hide from his Dad or his Sister.

Parminder Singh:

Jack's buddy from work, and his companion through some bizarre surveillance tasks that they've been recruited to do for a man they've never even met. Parm's not sure if this is on the up and up, but he'll do it for the money.

Mike and Chris Coffey:

Brothers, and friends of Jack from the neighbourhood. They've got to find a way to get rid of their violent alcoholic step-father Ted, without their mother Regina finding out. Maybe Jack can help them...?

Read more at http://fiction.ejohnlove.com

The Reviews are Good:

So far, readers have given me some very positive feedback:

"Awesome", "Engaging, endearing... with a deft humorous touch", "a great read!", "A real coming-of-age story", "Vancouver is a city without much appreciation for its history... you've rendered a great service with such a vivid picture of that time and place"

Recently, Owe Nothing also got a very good professional review from Apex Reviews:

"With an effective balance of wit and suspense, Owe Nothing is an equally compelling and entertaining read. In skillful fashion, author E. John Love has crafted an enjoyable tale of a lovable loser in search of a bit of adventure. An engaging, endearing tale with a deft humorous touch, Owe Nothing is a rewarding literary treat."

Read the full Apex Review.

• Check out Owe Nothing on the web
  
• Become a fan of "Owe Nothing on FaceBook
• Follow E. John Love on Twitter
  

Owe Nothing has Advanced in Amazon's 2010 Breakthrough Novel Awards

A good start: I'm excited to report that Owe Nothing is now one of 1000 entries that has advanced to the second round in Amazon's 2010 Breakthrough Novel Awards!

This fiction contest is sponsored by Amazon and Penguin USA. I'll keep you posted...

• Check out Owe Nothing on the web
  
• Become a fan of "Owe Nothing on FaceBook
• Follow E. John Love on Twitter
  

Real ink on paper? Where's that going?

In my life, I wonder if ink on paper is slipping away from me, just a little bit. There's something reassuring about a newspaper: you know what it is, it's size and shape and depth are self-evident.

Yet, I now receive much more info each day on my Pre than I could ever read (or need to, for that matter). Online news text has replaced the newspaper for me. I have never subscribed to one of the local dailies, and rarely pick one up. I think that eventually, I'm going to do most of my reading on my handheld.

Podcasts (mostly the CBC) and MP3 music files have started to replace my radio. It seems like more motorists listen to the radio than others, these days. (I'm just guessing...)

The "convergence" that people have referred to in mass media is the tri-fold convergence of broadcast, print and computer technologies. At leat, that's what I learmed back in Media Class, back in 1988. Like Vannevar Bush's idea of a "Universal Machine", computers and digital tech have co-opted, transformed and consumed the roles of older analog media. Digital is a medium for media, or a medium about other media. A meta-media?

Now, is the "convergence" truly occurring between my mind and the Internet? It seems like that digital immediacy that I've become used to in the past 5 years is the kinds of convenience that's most likely to change my perception of the world around me.

Owe Nothing - A Novel by E. John Love

Order "Owe Nothing" from Trafford Publishing

Also available at Amazon.com
and Barnes & Noble
E. John Love's Amazon Author Page

"Owe Nothing" is an adventure-drama based on real people and places that I knew back when my family lived in dodgy Vancouver Motels for over a year. (PG-13 - Not for children.)

"Jack Owen has gotten himself in over his head. At his low-paying day job, employees are leaving suddenly, and there's a car full of bullet holes stashed in his boss's maintenance shed. It's starting to make him wonder what kind of car wash he's working for.

At home, his best friends Mike and Chris need to separate their mother Regina and their abusive step-father Ted before they kill each other. Maybe they can get rid of Ted somehow without Regina finding out...

Then there's that old drunk in the neighbourhood who's been beating his dog. Somebody should do something about that guy.

How did Jack's life ever get so complicated, and how will he keep it all from his Dad and his sister?"

• Owe Nothing - Chapter 1 (Adobe Acrobat, 184 Kb.)
  A lonely night in a trailer court, and something very bad happens to an innocent soul, again. Then, a new beautiful morning, Spring in Vancouver, and you are introduced to a Jack Owen, his father and sister, and their somewhat beaten up neighbourhood. Jack and his buddy Parm are late for work - again.


• Owe Nothing - Chapter 2 (Adobe Acrobat, 90 Kb.)
  Jack's days at the Paradise Car Wash have been familiar routine, up until now. A co-worker leaves suddenly, mysteriously. Jack sees his boss talking to a large, immaculately-dressed man with a swanky black car. Parm learns that something secret has been going on behind the scenes at the car wash, in the evenings - something secret. Maybe it's gang related or something. Whatever it is, it doesn't sound right for a car wash.


• Owe Nothing - Chapter 3 (Adobe Acrobat, 132 Kb.)
  Jack's father, Jim, daydreams and examines his past. How did he go from a cocky young runner with a world of possibilities and dreams of ripping through the clouds at supersonic speed, to a emotional burnout stroke victim with a dead wife and two tiny scared kids? Startled back to the present by a noise, he finds two tiny scared kids standing on his doorstep.

What Readers Have to Say... "With an effective balance of wit and suspense, Owe Nothing is an equally compelling and entertaining read. In skillful fashion, author E. John Love has crafted an enjoyable tale of a lovable loser in search of a bit of adventure. In Jack, Love has created quite the sympathetic protagonist: a ne’er-do-well everyman with which readers from all backgrounds are sure to relate. An engaging, endearing tale with a deft humorous touch, Owe Nothing is a rewarding literary treat." [Read Full Review] - Renee Washburn, Apex Reviews "I thoroughly enjoyed [Owe Nothing] and do hope there's a sequel in the works - what IS going on in that car wash? Firstly, I liked the book as a good yarn, I had no trouble at all going from cover to cover in a sitting. I liked your characters, no saints perhaps, but it was easy to empathize with them and their problems. Vancouver is a city without much appreciation for it's history, I think you've rendered a great service with such a vivid picture of that time and place." - Bruce, North Vancouver, BC "Awesome novel John! I enjoyed entering the world at the Mountain View and sharing in Jack's exploits. You have definitely brought back to life a place I can see in my mind and remember in my heart. I find myself thinking of the experiences that Jack went through and wondering where life is taking him next." - Nikki, Prince George, BC "I meant to read it later, but started reading the first chapter and couldn't put it down. A great read!" - Michelle, Coquitlam, BC "Chandler-esque!" - Jody, North Vancouver, BC "I received your novel and I started it right away. Read 50 pages at the first sitting, so I gotta tell you I'm enjoying it... It's so cool to read things you recognize - and I have always LOVED that little-houses motel on Kingsway!" - Karen, Vancouver, BC "I liked how the many plots were resolved. A real coming-of-age story..." - Mark, Anmore, BC "WOW. Your sense of storytelling is amazing and I was definitely moved and intrigued by the characters, their experiences and views of life. I am excited to buy the book and check out your other projects!" - Christina, Coffee News, Vancouver, BC "I really liked it! When's the next book coming out? I really want to know what's going to happen to these characters." - Lori, New Westminster, BC