Book Review: My Body Fell Off by BJ Rowley

Let's jump to the chase. If you're reading this on Friday the 13th, then you need to go here and download a free Kindle edition of this book. Right now. Then come back and read the review. It's only free for one day, so if it's not Friday you can still go and buy the book. Just sayin'.

I read My Body Fell Off by BJ Rowley several years ago. In fact, I've read all three Light Traveler books. They are exciting, funny, creative, and intense. It's great to see the series make its ebook debut.

This is a story about a teenage boy who can leave his body and transport himself to other places. That would be weird, right? But then he gets used to it and it becomes way cool. Imagine what you could do. Until he stumbles into big trouble when he overhears the plans of some dangerous criminals. That's where the flames and the airplane from the cover come in. Very exciting.

I've known BJ for a long time. He's a great guy and a good friend. He's always willing to help others, so when I asked him what made this book special, he shared several great tidbits.

"This was my first book. My family thought I was nuts for even thinking about writing a book, and pretty much dismissed my craziness out of hand. But I cranked it out submitted it. AND IT WAS ACCEPTED!! Of course, my editor immediately showed me several things that needed fixing--which greatly improved the story. I was vindicated. I proved that I could do it. I became a published author. It was an incredible few months."

I can confirm that BJ is crazy. I think all writers have to be, after all we talk to ourselves all day. Crazy in a good way.

"This story is great fun from start to finish. It's set in my high school. I attended Payson High School. I lived on the highway on West Mountain. I know exactly where Bart's locker is. I've sat on that couch up inthe light control room in the ceiling of the auditorium. The story is set in my own backyard with really fun fantasy at the same time. Who hasn't wished for that?"

I attended a much smaller high school, but I could still relate. It was the way he wove the fantasy and real life together than made this book fun.

"I remember one night writing and writing away. All of a sudden I realized I had to get up and work in 5 hours! But it was SO hard to walk away from that computer because I could hardly wait to see what was going to happen next! That's how the whole book came together. Those darn characters just kept getting themselves into trouble all over the place. Teenagers!! Before I knew it, they were bound and gagged, soaked in gas, and waiting for a bomb to go off . . . and I had NO idea how they were going to get out of there alive. It never occurred to me that I (the author) could back up and rewrite the scene and make it easier. They got themselves into that mess, and they were going to have to get themselves out of it. I stewed on that problem for several days before a solution finally presented itself. Then they got it done!"

If that doesn't hook you, then here's a bit of the prologue to whet your appetite.

The first time it happened, I was in third grade. I had been recuperating in the hospital after having my appendix removed. They had me all drugged up on painkillers, and I was feeling really goofy, so I just passed it off as a weird dream. I thought about the “dream” on and off for several weeks after that, but eventually it slipped into oblivion and was pretty much forgotten.

* * *

The second time it happened was two years later. Our school class was on an overnight camping trip for fifth graders. We were hiking in the dark, around midnight—no flashlights allowed and no talking. Our leaders thought it would give us a better appreciation for nature or something—I’m not sure. Anyway, I lost my footing climbing down a little hill and slipped several feet into a steep ravine. I landed headfirst against a big rock and was knocked cold for a couple of minutes. My friends told me that when I finally got up, I babbled and carried on, saying all kinds of stupid things. I don’t remember any of that.

The weirdness happened later, while I was lying in the back of the ambulance. It was like . . . floating and drifting and moving up and down. And I distinctly remember seeing myself strapped to the stretcher, with paramedics leaning over and doing things. It was like I was watching the whole event through a ceiling-mounted camera.
. . .
But eventually the headaches went away, and I came to realize that I was still the same old me.
. . .

* * *

The third time it happened, I still didn’t recognize the remarkable gift for what it really was.

I had just started my sophomore year in high school . . . and I thought for sure I was dead . . .

BJ has a few more chapters online if you want to keep reading.

Pottermore: Awesomeness or Meh?

The other day @MarionJensen asked on Twitter if we thought Pottermore was #HUGE or #yawn. I couldn't fit my answer in 140 characters, so here goes. 

Will Pottermore be a popular internet destination and continue the Harry Potter empire? Yes.

Will the affects of Pottermore be felt across the publishing industry? Probably.

Will Pottermore change the face of publishing and be the death knell of traditional publishing? No.

Let me just say, there is a lot to #yawn about, but there is also potential for #HUGE awesome.

Before I go on, you need to know that everything I've seen so far looks cool. The screenshots are beautiful and remind me of the artwork from the US covers, but not too much. The descriptions of the site and how it will work sound great. And we can buy the eBooks! I may not qualify to be in the first million to sign up in July, but I'll definitely be there when it opens up to everyone. I mean, it's HARRY POTTER. I know there are people who aren't fans out there, but face it, you're in the minority. Sorry.

With that out of the way, let's look at what J.K. Rowling is doing with Pottermore.

She is setting up a website that enhances her books. #yawn. This has been done so many times.

The website will have interactive games that tie in with the books. #yawn. Again, been-there-done-that. In fact, crossovers from books to games to movies to TV to t-shirts to household items have been going on for a long time.

The website will have a social network component where people can interact with each other. #yawn. Everything today is becoming a social network.

She is partnering with Sony to create the site. #yawn. Don't get me wrong. Sony is a big company with years of experience producing some great games. If Sony wanted to create a site for me, I would be ecstatic, (Note to Sony Execs, I'm available via email, Twitter, and Facebook.) but anyone with enough money and a big enough platform could do the same thing. It's not revolutionary, so #yawn.

She is releasing the eBooks on her website. #yawn. Yes, they are Harry Potter books, but really, how many authors have released eBooks on their websites? Just this week?

"But wait!" you say, "Where's the #HUGE you talked about?"

I'll tell you.

While nothing about Pottermore is especially groundbreaking by itself. It's fascinating when you put it all together. I'm not privy to the internal details, but I'm guessing this is how it will go down.

She'll release the first book on the site with the games and social aspects that go along with it. There will be a flood of people visiting, some will buy the books, some will play the games, and some will stick around. Several months later (maybe a year), she'll release the second book along with an update to the site. Media blitz. Even more people go to the site, more people experience the games, more people stick around. This goes on for three to seven years. During that time, she not only has eBook sales and plenty of news hype, but she also has a loyal following of people signed onto Pottermore. She has statistics the likes of which marketers would die for. She has a direct communication network with her most loyal fans, and a social structure to keep them united and energized. That is #HUGE.

What about her traditional publishers? I don't think it's doom and gloom for them. Can you say, new releases of the books with special codes in them to get you cool stuff on Pottermore? Even if this doesn't happen, a rising tide lifts all ships. The publishers will see a bump in book sales. Plus, they get to see the results of this big experiment without putting any of their dollars on the line. Let's face it, book publishers aren't (currently) in the business of creating web destinations. If this works, that may change. Or maybe one of these big game companies (who have been doing pretty well lately) may buy up a publisher to get access to their properties. That would be #HUGE.

Pottermore feels more like a step in evolution and not a revolution. I think it's a great step. The recent changes in publishing are exciting and this just adds to the excitement. While I think much of what J.K. Rowling is trying to do is #yawn-worthy, when you put it all together it's #HUGE.

And in the immortal words of Ron Weasely, "Not good, brilliant!"


* Pottermore image © J.K. Rowling